a casual rp ref & help blog

I do rp reviews, theme debugging, advice, occasional guides, and other cool things. My main blog is over at pahein. I run elsewhere-cafe. I use this blog to follow rp partners and be a resource center, in addition to my rpa/rpc stuff.

[rpmemes-galore]

Reblog this 

if you think OC muses should be treated with the same respect as canons. 

[themusewhomuses]

Munday Asks: Salt Edition

1. How salty are you feeling right now?

2. What are your unpopular opinion(s) of the fandom you’re rping in?

3. What rp trends are you so over and can’t wait for it to die?

4. Have you ever made a call out post or wanted to?

5. A ship everyone in the fandom you’re in loves, but you can’t stand?

6. Have you ever sent something to one of those burn book blogs?

7. Has someone made you unfollow/block them without a second thought because of a petty reason?

8. Are you good at dealing with personal problems?

9. What’s your opinion on duplicates?

10. Any fandom(s) you don’t want to rp in or crossover to?

11. Are you for or not for purple prosing?

12. Has someone in the rp community ever made you upset/cry?

13. Ever told someone not to follow/rp with a particular person because something that happened to you in the past? 

14. Ever knew someone that everyone loves but you can’t stand?

15. Have you ever done something out of spite?

16. What would you say to the one who hurt you in the past?

17. What are your opinions when someone makes negative posts constantly on their rp blog?

18. Do you hold grudges for long?

19. Wild card: ask the mun any type of salty asks.

20. If you’re feeling salty right now, this ask gives you a free reign to pour out your frustration.

[ikilledtherpc-deactivated202011]

Even if you put the accesibility part of the discourse aside for a minute and pretend like the whole contained theme 9px font thing is just some kinda personal preference and not a prejudice, isn’t it fucking weird as hell that many people are legit like “hey we can’t see your shit” and in response, instead of being like…a person who gives a shit and cares about other peoples needs…y’all are like “eh, its just not that important to me that you be able to read it so?? sorry??” …like even if you don’t agree with it being blatantly ableist it’s still fucking unnecessarily nasty and inconsiderate as hell like wow…

[imessaged]

hover over each letter in this sentence for three seconds.

[bloodyhanded-deactivated2015100]

PSA: HOW TO ASK FOR THREADS

[mysideaintchosen-deactivated202]

WHAT YOU SHOULD NOT SEND:

rp?

okay so I know you’re private but could you not be just for me?

wanna rp?

lets rp

Come on, please???? (if denied)

*insert passive aggression here* (if denied)

Unfollowed then, lolbye dickhead (if denied)

PLEASE IM CR Y IN G ;;;;~;;;; (if denied)

WHAT YOU SHOULD SEND:

Hey, your blog is great and I thought we could maybe interact sometime?

Hello! I just wanted to say that it would be lovely to roleplay with you.

Hey! I really love your blog and I was wondering if we could plot something? Maybe *insert something here*

Ah alright, no worries (if denied)

Oki doki, that’s okay (if denied)

It’s chill (if denied)

[britpoprps-blog]

britpoprps’ helpful guide to re-gaining muse.

often times, we find ourselves stuck for things to do with our characters, be it on a single-muse blog, a multi-muse blog, or otherwise. i’ve known this first hand, as i nearly got rid of my absolute favourite character because i had no idea what to do with him. sometimes, the muse comes back on its own, but other times, you have to do something about it. here are some tips that are tried and true by yours truly, andy lane.

Keep reading

[eye-of-orion]

No for real in 2k15

Can fandom bring back the concept of a squick

A “squick” was a trope or topic that made the reader deeply uncomfortable, even might cause anxiety or intense emotional reactions

Everyone’s squicks were personal and diverse, and it was considered polite to say, “sorry I can’t read this because it squicks me, but you have fun in your corner doing what you doing”

Can we bring that back and reserve “trigger” for MI people who mean “if I see this I will have flashbacks and dissociate for hours”

[animatedamerican]

I wasn’t aware this concept had fallen out of fandom.  Seriously, bring it back, it’s useful as hell.

Key to the concept of “squick,” as it was first explained to me lo these many years ago, is that it is not a value judgment.  If I say “mpreg is gross,” that’s a negative statement about mpreg (and, by extension, about those who enjoy writing or reading about it).  If I say “mpreg squicks me,” that’s a value-neutral statement about me and my emotional reactions and how they affect my enjoyment of fiction.

And, as OP says, it does not carry the implications of intensity or trauma that “trigger” does.  (Although I will point out that a trigger doesn’t have to cause flashbacks or dissociation.  There are people a lot better qualified than I am to talk about that.)

[jmathieson-fic]

Yes, yes, yes please to all of this!

squick: Something that makes you go “ewwww” and wish you had never seen/read it. Something that makes you deeply uncomfortable. Something you’re not interested in reading/seeing/thinking about, ever.

trigger: Something that you associate with/reminds you of a past trauma (mental, emotional, or physical) and therefore triggers your personal reaction to trauma (be it flashbacks, panic/anxiety attacks, unhealthy behaviours, a crying jag, whatever).

Please, please, please don’t use them interchangeably.

[empathicstars]

a quick list of things every roleplayer should know

- the word “dependent” does not have an “a” in it

- when making a page in theme editor, click “show a link to this page” to make the page available in mobile 

- to make something in small font, highlight the text you want small and use “ctrl” + “shift” + “-” 

- to highlight all the words in your post, use “ctrl” + “a” 

- if you need to move something to another post and you need to carry over someone’s icon, move the other user’s picture over by right clicking it, clicking either “copy image” or “copy image URL”, and pasting it in the new post. ( alternatively, you can also change it to HTML and use this code. <figure><img src=“URL OF PICTURE HERE”></figure> )

- to change a size of an image in post, ad height and width to the picture coding. <figure><img src=“URL OF PICTURE HERE” data-orig-height=“THE HEIGHT YOU WANT” data-orig-width=“THE WIDTH YOU WANT” alt=“image” /></figure>

- if you @ someone in a post but save it to drafts or edit it later, it will untag them. you will need to @ them again. 

- mass tag replacer ( there is also one included in X-Kit, along with other things such as automatic tagging, blacklist, etc ) 

- you’re going to need to manually place blockquotes around images. to do so, go into the HTML and put the coding of <blockquote> around the image, and then </blockquote> when the image or group of text is done ( if after the image, it’s usually after </figure> ). Sometimes, however, the “<figure>” coding will break and will stop a blockquote right then and there, so you may need to remove it. you cannot go back to “rich text” after putting a blockquote around a picture, as it will delete it. merely click the little arrow down from ‘post’, click ‘preview on blog’, and when it’s satisfactory, click ‘post’ with it still in HTML. 

- before every single reply, read someone’s rules just to clarify you are not overstepping boundaries in any way! 

- NEVER REBLOG AS LINK. ALWAYS REBLOG AS TEXT. 

- to make regular sized and small font the same size on your blog, use this code after the end brace of “body” :    sup, small, sub {    font-size:DESIRED FONT SIZE HEREpx;}

- general etiquette is two replies to one post – the person’s previous reply and your reply. this means reblogging asks often breaks etiquette, and should be moved to new posts. 

- when changing URLs, keep your old URL and use this code for a redirect page. not only will it redirect users to your new page, it will also redirect them to the page they were trying to reach but on your new page. ( for example, if they were going to OLDURL.tumblr.com/ask, it’ll redirect to NEWURL.tumblr.com/ask )

- if you’re trying to send an ask but someone’s theme prevents you from seeing the full ask box and thus hitting “send”, use THEIRURL.tumblr.com/ask/mobile. also works for submit. 

- only the first 5 tags in a new post actually will show up in Tumblr tags

- you are a fantastic roleplayer and should not sell yourself short  (✿◠‿◠)

    FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ROLEPLAYING, SUCH AS THEME BUILDING, TAGGING, TRACKING TAGS, TERMINOLOGY, AND ETIQUETTE, ETC., CHECK OUT THIS LINK

[rpmockblog]

(5 Reasons Why) Your Theme Sucks

My theme sucks? Impossible, you might say. After all, I spent hours on it. However, any sane web designer knows exactly why your theme sucks. Here’s a list of reasons addressing the terrible trends that so many people have fallen prey to and what you can do to fix them. 1) Your color scheme sucks: You might be thinking to yourself that dark colors combined with colors that are ever so slightly lighter than the aforementioned colors is a combination that pleases the aesthetic gods. The trouble being that you’re completely wrong. In fact, when you use low contrasting colors, or even colors that contrast too much, you are inadvertently ruining everything. Not everyone has Superman’s visual abilities. For those who have visual impairments, and even some who do not, you are rendering your theme virtually unreadable.  “But RPMockBlog,” you might be saying, “I can read it just fine. My superior vision triumphs over all.” Well, thanks, you’ve just proved you’re a dickwad and a dickwad who has no web design skills at that. Any good web designer will tell you that you absolutely must contrast dark and light foreground and background colors. Additionally, according to Lighthouse International, “Don’t assume the lightness you perceive will be the same lightness perceived by people with color deficits.” You must always, always account for those who may have vision problems, otherwise you’re a massive douchewaffle. Also, using colors that don’t properly contrast is a web design faux pas. You’re not cool because you use an #0D0D0D background with #171717 font color. You’re just annoying and you failed basic web design class. That’s an F, folks.

2) Your content box sucks: Now, why would your content box suck? After all, it’s so perfectly, adorably small and all the way down at the bottom of the fucking page, right? Well, good luck to anyone who tries to read your shitty ass posts in your shitty ass content box. In order to even see what’s in there, you’ve got to CTRL + your way to a land where no one can hurt you with their poor design sensibilities. Now, the aesthetic gods may be smiling upon you, but every person who tries to read your posts on your blog is frowning immensely. So, what can you do to remedy this? The answer is simple: use that brilliant CSS knowledge of yours to… Get this… Up the height and width of your box and center it on the page. Why? Because not only does this provide your loyal followers with the ability to read without having to scroll for five minutes just to get past a paragraph, but by centering the box, you have drawn more attention to it than you would have just leaving it at the bottom. You may have to rework your background a bit, but that’s a small price to pay for something that might enhance your theme overall. 3) Your font size sucks: “Oh no. Not my font size. The aesthetic gods will forsake me if I have it any larger than 4px.” Well, let them forsake you because you’re forsaken basic human decency by choosing a font size that is humanly impossible to read. Not only is this awful for people who are vision impaired, but it’s a headache for just about anyone who has to go view a post on your page. Ever wonder why you never see any of these trends in modern, mainstream web design? Because they suck massive balls, that’s why. No one in their right mind uses a font for page that’s less than 11px. That’s your bare minimum. ”Forget that,” you’re probably saying, “let them eat tiny font!” Slow claps for you, fuckwizz, you’ve successfully managed to convince people that you’re a gaping asshole. Accessibility is by far the most important thing in web design, because if people can’t see your content, what the fuck are they supposed to do? You’re just making life hard for everyone around you because of your selfish need to have everything your way. Fuck off. 4) Your autoplay sucks: Last we checked, it wasn’t 2004, so why has autoplay made a comeback from the hell that was Geocities? Who the hell knows, who the hell cares? It’s tackier than a gaudy Christmas display and twice as annoying. At least most Christmas displays don’t play Monster by Meg & Dia on a loop. It’s just common sense to at least let people choose whether or not they want to listen to your favorite dubstep remix of a Lana Del Rey song. The music you use should always be completely optional.  Why? Because you’re inadvertently jump-scaring certain people, and you’re inconveniencing many more. If someone has their headphones turned up, boom, you’ve probably caused hearing damage. If someone is startled by sudden noise, boom, you’ve wrecked their day pretty hardcore. No one wants you to wave the dick of your shitty music taste in their face. 2004 called, they want you back.

5) Your navigation sucks:  “Read my rules! Read my character’s bio!” you scream into the void. Easier said than done in your 4px font, small boxed, poor contrasting, autoplay level of hell. How do you expect people to get to your pages when your links are tiny ass x-marks that blend into your background and sit at the very bottom of the page? Not only that, but the only indication given for where your links lead is the navigation bar at the bottom of the browser. How is someone supposed to know what ‘/poop’ means just by looking at it? Is it actual shit? Is it a joke? Do I dare to click on the poop that may or may not be your rules page? Always, always make your links highly visible because otherwise you’re just causing a massive amount of frustration for anyone who might want to roleplay with you despite your horrifyingly bad sense of graphic and web design. You simply cannot yell about people not reading your rules when you make your rules impossible to read. That’s idiotic bullshit, and you should feel bad about it.

–

There is no TLDR here because you need to read this article in order to improve. But all in all, you may think you’re the hottest, aesthetic-god worshiping shit on the block, but you’re not. Basically, stop, drop, and either go enroll yourself in a web design class or heed our advice and fix your shit. 

Peace out!

[thewritershandbook]

[dear-indies]

A Message I Really Think Needs to be Heard

I want to take a minute to talk about a serious issue in the RPing community.  It’s an issue that many I don’t think even realize exists. Abusive online relationships. They do happen in the rping community and there are several signs to show when someone might be one you want to look out for. It is a personal issue close to my heart as I know several people who have dealt with it, myself included.

So to try to help those in the future and to keep people wary of those types of people I have made a list of warning signs that you may see in those people who often turn out to be abusive.

First thing is first, not all abuse is physical. So that doesn’t mean that abuse can’t happen in an online setting. There is also emotional abuse and it can be just as damaging to an individual. It is often a form of cyberbullying and it is something that I think needs to be addressed.

So I have compiled a list of warning signs, things that these people often do that you should look out for.

          1.      Telling you that you can only RP with them, or only with their character. Or generally telling you not to RP with someone.

This would be a sign of them being too possessive. Not willing to let you do what you want with your account. Generally RPing is supposed to be fun and about what you want. If you want to have only one of each character or only a few RP partners, that is up to you. But you should never let someone tell you who to RP with or who you can’t RP with. It is not up to them and don’t let them think it is.

          2.      Getting mad or upset with you for not answering them right away or getting upset that you are replying to others and not them.

It’s your character and your account. That is something you should always remember. If your character wants to focus on one or two people. That’s okay. Nobody should make you feel bad for not being able to reply to them at the time for any reason. Whether it is being busy with life or just not feeling up to replying to those threads. Most people will understand and usually don’t pressure you. It’s a bad sign if someone does.

          3.      Being told on a regular basis through messages and in public posts that nobody cares and that everyone in the end always leaves or something along those lines

It is often a sign of someone trying to guilt people into staying or doing things with them. Often times it doesn’t matter if that person receives lots of love or has a lot of threads. They will still make it known that they are feeling upset and that nobody cares. They want people to feel guilty if they think about leaving and it is usually a bad sign. Though some people may make a post like that every once in a while. If you are seeing it often or being constantly reminded personally then be cautious. It is a tactic to guilt people into staying.

          4.      Being threatened or told that if you leave or don’t/do something that they will delete, harm themselves, or something similar.

Another tactic to guilt you into staying. They want you to think that you leaving or doing something they don’t like will harm them, sometimes in physical ways and it is a way to manipulate you into doing what they want. Most of the time they are not being serious and it is a sign that they themselves need help.  Help that you will not be able to provide to them no matter how much you may want to.

          5.      Telling you that you are not any good or that you stopped being good after doing something they told you not to.

They want you to think that you are not good enough to find other RP partners. Bringing you down and making you feel miserable because they are is a tactic often used by these types of people. If you don’t think you are any good then you won’t go seeking other partners for fear that they will think that as well. This is an especially damaging tactic and can cause you to feel worthless and unwanted even after a person is gone.

          6.      Getting yelled at, being attacked, or them being mean for what appears to be no real reason, then a while later apologizing. This will likely happen over and over again.

Most of the time there might not be a real reason for it. Something as simple as you talking to someone they don’t like or you not sending them enough memes or replying. They end up being mean and outright yelling at times. Then they apologize and you might think that you should give them another chance, maybe they changed, and maybe it won’t happen again. But it usually does. Many times and if it continuously happens, there is a point where you need to ask yourself is it really worth it. Because in the end, it is not anything you have done wrong and you don’t need to let yourself be attacked just because they apologize after. One of the biggest signs of abuse.

          7.      Getting annoyed with you for RPing the way you do. (whether it is because you RP with a lot of people or only a few)

If they get mad at you for you RPing how you want to, it is usually a good sign that you should steer clear of them. People like this will try to give you the idea that you are wrong and that you shouldn’t do that. In the end you RP how you want and there is no wrong way to do it. Whether you want to stick to only a few threads or you want 200 and like plotting for more. It’s about what you like. And those that enjoy RPing with you, will be patient and stick with you no matter how you want to do it.

          8.      Being attacked or called names for RPing with other people, and/or attacking your RP partners for RPing with you.

If someone outright attacks you are starts calling you names simply because you RP with others. That is a clear sign that you should avoid that person. This is supposed to be fun and there is no need to be rude to you or others for how you RP. It is especially a red flag if they also attack your RP partners. That means they are being far too possessive and avoiding and blocking would probably be the best idea in that instance.

          9.      (An, its gone too far sign) They make you overly anxious every time you see them or feeling as if you are going to panic if they message you.

If it has gotten so bad that their very presence makes you a big ball of stress or have an anxiety attack, dropping them would be the best option. Nobody should make you feel stressed and anxious when on. If the idea of them messaging you, because you are afraid of what it might say, gives you extreme anxiety. That is the time to drop, block, and do not interact or look for them in any way. It is not okay for someone to cause this.

In general, RPing is supposed to be about fun, you enjoying RPing as your muse and doing what you like to do. It is never going to be okay for others to make you think you are doing it wrong. In the end, there is no wrong way to RP. So don’t let anyone make you think that there is. If someone doesn’t like the way you RP then it is best for them to find someone else. And you should never feel bad if you think you need to drop a RP partner because they are causing you anxiety or anything of the sort. If a RP partner is causing you stress, avoid them. Stress is bad enough in real life, there is no need for people to add to it in RP.

The people that do this, honestly, might not even realize they are being abusive to someone. Maybe they have had their own issues in life and it has molded them into the way they are, but in the end, they need help, but not from you. And there is no way you are going to be able to help them. In the end, they need to realize it themselves and seek help.

These kinds of situations can have long lasting effects on the person who has dealt with it, lingering anxiety or depression, being self-conscious about everything they do, feeling they are not good enough, wanting to avoid their RP account. This is not okay and for those who suffer these issues, you are not alone. Sometimes talking about it can help, whether with a fellow RP partner you trust, or seeking out a friend in real life. Don’t keep it to yourself, because it can make the feelings worse. And even if there are those abusive RP partners out there, there are also those that are very caring and will be willing to listen.

So keep the warning signs in mind and don’t let someone treat you like this. It’s about fun not about them. 

[fuckyeahcharacterdevelopment]

When writers are tasked with creating characters, we are told to try these character exercises that entreat us to answer rather mad questions about them: hair color, eye color, toe length, nipple h...

[tommoassists-blog]

can you please do a tutorial on how to make color schemes

This is just how I do them, love. 

First, I pick a picture I want to base the scheme on.

Then I go to this website here and upload the photo. Click on ‘get my palette.’

Then your results come up.

Then I just open up paint and use the little hex numbers to identify the colours. Once I’ve done that I make them into little boxes and order them lightest to darkest.

Then you just put it and the original  photo on a photo post, write the hex numbers in order along the bottom and you’re done!

[elumish]

Growth and Failure

The longer the story, the more failures there should be and the greater the change that should occur.

This is the case for anything you write, but the more episodic the series is, the more this holds true. TV series, ongoing web series, and web comics are the most obvious examples of this.

Basically what this means is that your characters can’t succeed at everything they try to do. One thing about shows like Supernatural (the early seasons) is that you as the viewer know that, for the most part, by the end of every episode, the Monster of the Week will have been defeated and everyone you care about will still be alive and healthy. There are overarching plots, but they are tangential to most episodes and don’t affect much.

In Stargate SG-1, on the other hand, they spend eight season facing one major enemy (the Goa’uld), and they spend many of the episodes fighting the Goa’uld in some form or another. And sometimes they fail and the Goa’uld win, and sometimes they win and that later helps the Goa’uld win, and sometimes they don’t fight the Goa’uld at all, and those missions may be either successful or not to a lesser degree. Beyond that, there are lower level failures: they try to make a spaceship and it almost kills some of them, they try to make a new spaceship, it doesn’t work as hoped at a pivotal moment and they almost lose the entire planet, they build a giant spaceship and it gets stolen (briefly), they build more giant spaceships and one gets shot down over a planet and then later they need to get that spaceship home and it (temporarily) gets stuck in a giant sentient gas cloud. All of this means that sometimes they don’t have a spaceship that can do what they need even though they’ve been trying to build one for most of the show, but at the end of the show, they end up with spaceships whose capabilities and weaknesses play a pivotal role in the show.*

My point in recounting all of that (other than to get you all to watch Stargate) is to show that, especially when you have a long series where you want to show a great deal of growth (and I’ll explain why you need that in a second), you can’t just have them win every time they try to grow or every time they try to defeat an enemy. You have to have them fail, too, or there will be no stakes and it will be hard to suspend disbelief.

So…why do you need growth?

Basically, if you end up in the same place that you started, what was the point of your story?

Well, you cry, they defeated the major enemy. Isn’t that enough?

And to that I ask (because I like holding imaginary teaching sessions): If they could defeat the major enemy (or if they could get the girl/boy/non-binary person, or if they could get into the school they wanted, or if they could do whatever else they want to do) with the capabilities they had in the beginning, why didn’t they? There is no need for a story if your characters have everything they need to succeed when the story starts.

And as for why you need failure? Here are three reasons.

One, failure is realistic. Things rarely work well on the first try, especially more than once, which means that the more things a character (or group, organization, etc.) is trying, the more they should fail. If you think about someone trying to learn a language, they basically never (without an eidetic memory) remember all words the first time they see/hear them, or use grammar perfectly on the first try, or pronounce every word correctly. They will get some, but they will rarely get all. The same should go for someone who is trying to learn how to fight, for example. Even if you get everything right the first time you are shown it (which may or may not happen), you’re not going to get it right every time. You might fail more at some things than at others, or fail at the same thing over and over. Sometimes it’s because you don’t understand how to do it, sometimes it’s because your brain and your body aren’t communicating well, and sometimes it’s because your muscles just aren’t strong enough or your body isn’t flexible enough for it to work. Those are all failures that can and do happen in real life.

Two, failure raises the stakes. If you know the main characters are going to succeed at everything they try, or that their failures aren’t going to have any consequences beyond that episode (or chapter, etc.), there are no stakes. There is no concern for whether the character will do well or whether they will be ready in time, because they always are. There is no risk, because there is no failure.

Three, failure is interesting. As we see in Stargate, entire episodes can be built around failures. Failures make for interesting storylines, and sometimes successes that turn into failures can turn into even more interesting storylines. You defeat the Big Bad only to have a Bigger Bad rise up because of it? That’s a great storyline, and shows what was ultimately a failure by the characters. You stop someone for personal reasons at the expense of stopping someone for strategic reasons? Great storyline, because it not only prolongs and changes the conflict, it also adds an opportunity for personal growth and/or conflict into the mix.

With that, failures can also cause really interesting interpersonal interactions. Let’s so all of the characters are counting on Bob to pull off one part of the plan, and despite trying his best, Bob fails. Now everyone blames Bob (or maybe some subset of them blame Bob, depending on their personalities) and it causes tension in the group. Maybe this tension ultimately leads to Bob leaving because he can’t take the blame anymore. Now you have a splintered group all from Bob’s one failure.

What types of growth and failure can you have?

(I’m glad you asked, me.)

Here are some examples (primarily for militaristic/adventure type stories, but there’s a mix)**:

Building an army (or a group of people)

Not be able to convince people to join

Have traitors in the midst

Have large numbers die/be killed

Have people defect

Have ideological/strategic differences with allies

Building a new form a transportation

Not have it ready in time

Have it not go far enough

Have it not go fast enough

Have it fail mid-journey

Have it explode mid-journey

Building a weapon

Not have it ready in time

Have it not work

Have it explode in testing

Have it fail during use

Learning to fight

Not be ready in time

Hurt self while training

Not have the strength

Not have the endurance

Learning magic

Lose control

Not have the magical capacity

Not understand the theory

Not perform key rituals

Perform key rituals wrong

Not have key materials

Learning a language

Forget vocabulary

Forget grammar

Not understand grammar

Be unable to pronounce words

Be unable to understand spoken words

Misunderstand nuances

Translating/decoding something

Misunderstand nuances

Mistranslate words

Know the wrong dialect

Have the wrong key

Looking for something

Follow misleading clues

Have someone else find it first

Taking territory

Not have sufficient forces

Not have sufficient ability to break walls

Lose too many forces

Be unable to hold territory

Getting a romantic partner

Cheat

Make bad decisions while intoxicated

Forget significant dates/events

Say inappropriate or mean things

Misunderstand what is being said

Miscommunicate

Getting a degree

Not having enough money

Not studying enough

Not getting good enough grades

Not having the time

Having other life issues that distract from it

Forming a government

Have ideological splits

Have political splits

Have factions form

Have coup attempts

Be unable to govern

Be unable to create a working organizational structure

Be unable to create adequate civil service (police, roads, etc.)

*Of course, Stargate has some of its own issues with this, like the fact that Daniel has been brought back to life more than once, so the viewers stop believing that Daniel is ever actually dead.

**When I use the term failure, I don’t mean that it is the fault of the character or organization (necessarily, though in some cases it might be). I just mean that it is not-success.

[dohertyinc-archive-blog]

better ideas for chance encounters than a bar or coffee shop:

a storm is delaying our flight home and i’m afraid of thunder, please talk to me while we wait

we’re both in small claims court and i got into a huge fight with the person suing me but you stepped in to hold me back before security got there

i drove two hours to the closest video rental store that’s still operating and you were checking out the only copy of the movie i was after

i hit you with my car but luckily you’re okay, but we should still exchange information i guess

our friends that we came here with went off together and now we’re making awkward small talk

i was worried about buying something off of someone creepy from craigslist but oh no you’re hot

my friend talked me into playing a drunken game of spin the bottle even though we’re all adults and now we have to make out

we both decided to take a [yoga/fencing/cooking etc] class and we’re the only two assholes not taking it seriously and everyone else is giving us dirty looks but we keep grinning over at each other

my date just made a scene in public and got arrested and now i’m stranded in a city without a ride home

sharing a cab together

you’re trying to get me to sign a petition and i have no idea what you’re talking about

you’re drunk at this festival and dancing on the table and when you eventually fell i caught you

i tried to get a part time job at this place right by my house but they hired you instead and i have to see you every day when i go there now

blind date!

my roommate is your ex, and your roommate is my ex, and i caught them sleeping together and told you so now we’re pissed off and going on a date to get away from them even though we didnt really know each other before now

[comerpwithme]

STRANGE SENTENCE STARTERS —— for the creative writer in you. Send these in and see what your partner comes up with as a scenario!

*These are completely interchangeable, they’re just in categories to make it easier for all of y’all.

FOR AMIGOS;

“How many times are you going to do that, exactly?”

“You were right. As per usual.”

“Sometimes it’s hard to see the lines you’ve drawn until you’ve crossed them.”

“You’re surprised because you have a soft spot for hot blondes.”

“Is that – that’s a naked Scarlett Johansson on your fridge.”

“You can stay, but for no more than two nights.”

“Please don’t look in this drawer. Please.”

“I told you not to pick him up, he’s very sensitive.”

“Yes. I might have given you rabies. But in my defense, that’s ridiculous and I didn’t.”

“I’m sorry, my cell phone data coverage does not cover the bullshit zone you’re in.”

“Hey! Give me your pants. Quick, give me your pants.”

“No, I’m serious. Stop it right now or I won’t give you the last cookie.”

“You think I’m kidding. But I’ve never been more serious about anything in my entire life.”

“How much would a stripper cost and why so much?”

“I’m going to buy you a drink. Next week. On Thursday. When I get paid. Can you swing this one?”

“Hippos are hungry, hungry! And you are considerably larger than a small piece of lettuce!”

“When I was little, I used to be afraid of mummies. And now look at me. I love dead people!”

“I don’t even miss my ex-boyfriends/girlfriends, I just miss my glockenspiel.”

“It happens to everyone, you just sell your skirt for some coke.”

“Please do not pull your pants down in front of baby Jesus.”

“That’s not the phrasing you want to use.”

“Because nothing says heterosexuality like a gold sash.”

“Please don’t take it out on my boobs.”

“When it gets really windy I look like a bizarre combination of Marilyn Monroe and Cousin It.”

“We have to change our names and run away to Mexico. It’s the only way. Adios.”

“How much money do you have on you?”

“Please tell me that’s a raisin and not a tiny hamster shit you’re eating.”

“Life is a lot better when you put things on your head.”

“For someone who’s not very deep, I’m incredibly not shallow.”

FOR LOVERS;

“I need you to remind me what it feels like to love you.”

“I love you. What? No I don’t. Forget I said anything.”

“I need you to tickle my feet but like, sexually.”

“If we got married, would I have to take your last name? Or could we just make up a new one?”

“I don’t think I can do this anymore.”

“I heard you say his/her name in your sleep last night. Want to explain or should I just leave?”

“I want to spend the night with you tonight. But I also want to sleep on your side. And without you on the bed. So technically I just want your bed.”

“Please don’t be proposing to me in an empty parking lot.”

“Stop saying you’re sorry, you stupid fucking broken record. It’s done.”

“I’m not jealous, I’m curious. About the things you were doing. With him/her. Without me.”

“Your mother’s looks could kill. Actually, are you sure they haven’t before?”

“If you’re breaking up with me tonight, can I at least eat first?”

“Stop sweating. It’s not attractive during sex, and it’s not attractive now.”

“Are you – are you checking me out? In the line for the confessional?”

“We have to go. I might have told your mom I’m pregnant. I don’t know why I said that. I’m not.”

“So what you’re saying it that you’re snorting sugar to get excited for sex.”

“My dog licks better than you do.”

“But through every stupid thing you do and say – and those are a lot, by the way – I love you.”

“I don’t care if you’re growing another head. I’ll talk to both of them. I love you.”

“And I’d take fifty years of not talking to you for just a day of doing so. I promise that’s a compliment.”

“I don’t want to hide this anymore. I’m not some dirty little secret, you American Reject.”

“This is a bit too dramatic for my taste, so can we skip it and have sex instead?”

“I don’t want you to think of me as your personal sex toy.”

“Thanks and all, but that makes me feel like a low-class escort, so.”

“A kiss in exchange for every nice thing you say about me. Deal?”

“Promise me you’re not like him/her. I need to hear it from your mouth. Promise me.”

“Look, I’ve had my heart broken before. I’m not ready to let you in just yet. Anywhere.”

“Don’t leave me here. Anywhere else, okay, but not here.”

“I wish I could say that was the worst sex I ever had, but I’ve had worse.”

“I just blew you. Could you look a little happier about it?”

“I’m attracted to shiny things, so if it looks like I’m staring at your chest, it’s because I am.”

FOR TEXTERS;

[text] This is upsetting my poop.

[text] Hey, are you up? If you’re not, can you wake up? I need some help.

[text] So it involves feces and large birds.

[text] She said that to you? Why?

[text] Please come back. I miss you.

[text] What are you good for if you’re not gonna bring me ice cream?

[text] Can you ignore that last text? It wasn’t meant for you. I’m sorry.

[text] …did you just send me a nude?

[text] FUCK OFF YOU ONE-EYED WHORE.

[text] I don’t know why I said that.

[text] Leave it to you to fuck the simplest of requests up.

[text] Do we have to go to their wedding? He’s only my first cousin.

[text] How much does ‘I love you’ mean to you?

[text] I am not stalking you. But you should do something about your bathroom, it’s gross.

[text] Please. I need this so badly.

[text] I trust you completely.

[text] I’m a genius. You’re a peasant. Everything makes sense again.

[text] Hey, buddy! Got like, five hundred bucks I can borrow? Times ten.

[text] She lost it. She completely lost it. She said her uterus was attacking her bone marrow.

[text] I will not get you donuts.

[text] Please? I love you.

[text] I think I’m gonna go to sleep now, but you keep thinking that.

[text] I can’t say this out loud. They might be listening.

[text] I never meant to hurt you. I didn’t think he’d duck when the ball came at him, I’m sorry.

[text] You’re cute.

[text] I just need you to understand how important you are to me.

[text] Fuck off.

[text] Okay. Guess we’ll leave it at that then.

[writewild]

11 Rules for Better Writing

via

Know the difference between a topic and a story, which is this: A topic sits still, and a story moves. A topic is an answer, while a story asks a question that connects to the reader’s heart and mind. For example, I got fired from my job yesterday is a topic. I got fired from my job yesterday and this morning I began planning my revenge — that is a story.

Don’t fly solo. Find the best writers who’ve written in this vein and study them like a detective. Figure out how they attacked the problem. They are your coaches.

Figure out what your subjects/characters want — what they really, truly, deeply want — put it up top, and and let that question — will they get it? –  fuel your narrative.

Inside the narrative, obstacles are your friend. The bigger the obstacle, the better the story.

Seek out opposites. For example, if you were describing something rough and crude, you should use images of elegance and refinement (i.e. “the abandoned Chevrolet was a lacework of rust”). Or, if a 330-pound defensive lineman enters a room, focus on how delicately and balletically he walks. Sentences are like batteries: opposites create energy.

Outline like crazy, and revise those outlines constantly. I use two kinds of outlines: big and small. The big outline is for the entire narrative arc; the smaller outline is for each chapter. Like construction blueprints, outlines sound dull, but in fact are the opposite: the place where the most important creative moves happen.

Figure on a 10:1 efficiency ratio — that is, 10 pages of rough drafts and notes for every one page of quality writing. Which you’ll have to revise over and over again, of course.

Read like a thief. Underline good stuff, and read it over and over again until you figure out how they did that. When you find a passage, image, or description you love, write it down on a card and keep all those cards in one place.

Ignore small criticism.

Listen intently to big criticism. If someone doesn’t “get” your writing, it’s not their fault. It’s yours.

If you get stuck, get busy. Revisit outlines. Seek out new material. Keep plugging until something clicks. “Imagination” is overrated; creativity comes from making fresh connections.