Rae

pro @milvusscribe (here, twitter, mastodon) / twitter @milvusrae & art-tumblr @milvusrae-scribbles  --- here is gaming and art and writing rambles. Exalted, D&D, Critical Role, a bit of Flight Rising

[worldstoforge]

Sometimes I scroll through the Skyjacks: Courier’s Call tag and I read everything I can. it always warms my heart to see people find our show, be inspired by us or just enjoy our all ages spin off of Campaign: Skyjacks.

We see you. We love you. We want you all to know that your love for us is felt.

Season 3 is coming VERY soon so… with all that out of the way, let’s get back in the sky!

[shiftingpath]

Hello folks, Exalted Secret Santa deadline is this Sunday! Please rsvp and get your journal up if you want to participate this year! This is just a shoutout to a pile of people who have taken part in past years, in case they have missed my many reblogs of the signup post:

@akaittou, @afancyartblerg, @fullmoonspecial, @hilow, @hornstusksandmagic, @morpheousxo, @novafigura, @paint-lady, @raeliyah, @rotten-partty, @darksillykitty, @fishcapades, @myrastuff, @thorn-amidst-roses, @woolymonster

[raeliyah]

Have fun everyone! Family stuff precludes me taking part this year but I wish I could. It's the best time of year!

I'll be there next year though! 🤞🍀

[nexus-the-kiezadrius-deactivate]

[shiftingpath]

Exalted Secret Santa 2022 Complete!

That wraps up another year, friends. I think it’s safe to say the extended due date is a success, given how many of us were sick over the holidays, so we’ll keep that for the future, though I hope less of us will need it. Thank you all for participating despite your cold/flu/covid/injury/chronic conditions/work/family/moving stress! Together we’ve made another great collection of gifts to enjoy, and I hope the enjoyment from making and receiving them helps start the new year off on a good foot.

Take the time to check out everyone’s submissions and fascinating characters! Happy Calibration. See you next year!

-Path

to @afancyartblerg from @morpheousxo: Mountain Heart Empress to @akaittou from @mechanicalriddle: 047 “Theta” to @brimstone-and-helianthus from @maribunart: The Phantom Apiarist to @butch-king-frankenstein from @rotten-partty: Jem and Sha to @delvesdaily from @fiontan: Mystic Veil to @eatenbyfaeries from @shiftingpath: Vervain (and Sweet Jealous Penelope) to @fiontan from @delvesdaily: Gale to @fullmoonspecial from @hilow: Jo to @grimmjowjaegerjaquez from @eatenbyfaeries: Black Ice Shadow to @heedra from @moonstar-mush: Daia Shan to @hilow from @novafigura: Jumping Rabbit of the North to @hornstusksandmagic from @theuncrucified: Avery of Clan Rit'Mount (and Sugar) to @keirangoldenwatch from @hornstusksandmagic: Neiko Whisperstep to @maribunart from @raeliyah: Cathak Kilani to @mechanicalriddle from @toxinfox: Last Candle Lit Against the Dark to @moonstar-mush from @paint-lady: Tendaji Greenwich to @morpheousxo from @heedra: Seraiah to @novafigura from @delvesdaily: Oroonoko to @paint-lady from @fullmoonspecial: K’Tai to @raeliyah from @akaittou: Khulan Suchan-de to @rotten-partty from @keirangoldenwatch: Follower of Autumn Leaves to @shiftingpath from @butch-king-frankenstein: Grave Goods Gardener to @sly-works from @grimmjowjaegerjaquez: Exquisite Toffee Spinifex (and Jackal) to @theuncrucified from @afancyartblerg: Kalara Vadras to @toxinfox from @sly-works: Kaveri Shendo

[fullmoonspecial]

 Happy Calibration!   Comin’ through in the last possible minute for this year’s Exalted Secret Santa exchange hosted by @shiftingpath  

Here’s K'Tai (Chosen of Journeys) for  @paint-lady    Really gorgeous character and fun getting to depict  Sidereal! Thanks again! :D  

[maribunart]

Happy Calibration @brimstone-and-helianthus!

Sorry this is a day late and probably a lot cutesier than The Phantom Apiarist’s vibes usually are but I hope you like it and that you’re feeling better!

Thanks again to @shiftingpath for putting this exchange together 💖

[lackadaisycats]

A snippet from the new Lackadaisy animated film trailer!

Catch the full trailer here!

Film coming to YouTube March 2023!

[writers-hq]

WHY IS WRITING IS SO FUCKING HARD?

Ten types of fuckery that stop you from writing the thing:

1. Imposter syndrome

You think you're not good enough or everyone else is better than you and you're just winging it AKA ye olde imposter syndrome bullshit. Yeah nah you're fine. No really, you're exactly where you need to be right now, and you'll keep getting better and better so long as you don't stop. Chances are, if you're filled with doubt about your abilities it means you've actually improved to the point where you can really start to understand what makes good writing. It means you know where you wanna end up and goshdarn it you're gonna get there.

Read this: 4 tips to kick imposter syndrome in the face and also genitals

And also this: How to silence the inner critic

2. Fear of rejection and/or failure

Yeah, us too. It fuckin sucks. BUT. Not all rejections are equal. And rejection is a necessary part of the process. Sometimes it takes a rejection to realise that a story isn't ready. Sometimes a rejection is entirely subjective and has ZERO reflection on the quality of your work. But shying away from the very idea of possibly maybe hypothetically getting rejected is only going to hold you back from even trying. And knowing why you got rejected and how to learn from it is one of the most valuable writing skills.

Read this: The different types of rejection (and how to deal with 'em)

Then read this: How to cope with rejection

And also this: Writing lessons from Groundhog Day

3. Not enough planning / too much planning

Leaping into a new story with nothing but a glimmer of an idea is exciting as heck (and can sometimes be a great way to begin) but at some point you're gonna need some sort of outline or plan to keep you on track. HOWEVER. Planning your story to within an inch of its life can also sometimes be a hindrance - leaving you stuck in the hypothetical stage of the process where your story doesn't quite exist yet (and therefore avoiding the prospect of it sucking). The sweet spot is in the middle. Having just enough of a plan to know where tf you're going, but enough freedom and flexibility to let the story lead the way...

Read this: Planning vs pantsing

Then read this: Five plotting techniques

And also this: The perils of overplanning

4. Your WIP just isn't working

Sometimes things just fall flat. Sometimes you work on the same story for yeeeeears and then it just kinda... dies. Sometimes you have the best plans (see above) and the best intentions and things still don't work out. Sometimes it's just time to move on. And sometimes it's not! Sometimes a story can be revived, fixed or changed. Sometimes you just need time. Sometimes YOU'RE the one that's changed and this isn't the story you need to be writing right now. Many variables. Muchly personal. Read the things below for more advice cos this is a big question:

Read this: What to do when your WIP isn't working

And also this: Give it space - how to grow a story in your head

Or how about this? Editing 101

5. You keep deprioritising it

Ah the irony of writing being the thing you love/want to do most of all AND YET the thing you procrastinate over and avoid and shove to the very bottom of your to-do list all the freakin' time. Maybe it's the comodification of art destroying our freedom to create without pressure. Maybe it's late capitalism sucking up all our available time and energy. Maybe it's a lack of self-belief subconsciously telling us our 'little hobby' doesn't really matter. Maybe it's maybelline. Whatever it is, you have the power to reclaim and revalue your writing. To say, "I'm a fucking writer, goddamnit!" and mean it. To ringfence your creative time so nothing and nobody gets to interrupt it. To do that thing you love.

Read this: Prioritise your writing

Read this: How to write in 30 second bursts

6. Shiny Thing Syndrome

You know that feeling when you're just getting stuck into a writing project and then — SQUIRREL! — you get distracted by another, better, more shiny writing project? Or maybe you're deep in the editing phase and your current WIP just isn't feeling very shiny at all and pretty much ANYTHING seems more exciting? Or you simply can't decide which of the many squirrelly writing ideas to actually start? You, fine writerperson, may be suffering from Shiny Thing Syndrome (STS). But fear not! There are a few ways to combat it, depending on the cause, and most of them involve embracing the squirrel-brain and injecting a bit of fun into your writing, like so:

Read this: Shiny thing syndrome - a writer's malady

Aaaand read this: Get excited about your writing again

And also this: Write like a kid

7. Perfectionism/self-sabotage

Look. Writing is scary as shit. What if someone READS it? What if they don't like it? What if they see into your soul and gain a deeper understanding of you through your words? Writing your truth, being vulnerable, smearing your heart juice all over the page? No thank you. But also, that's where the good shit is, so actually yes please. Just make sure you smear responsibly. And rest assured, even the most 'successful' and experienced writers ALSO feel like this sometimes, so you're in good company. It's just part of the art, bruh.

Read this: Why writing is scary (and why that's a good thing)

Read this: Beginning a story - what stops us starting?

And also this: Get out of your own way

8. The dreaded blank page

Oh godddd the blank page. It should be an exciting palimseset of possibility but is somehow also the most terrifying thing known to humankind. You wanna write something but where to start? HOW to start? You type that first line and immediately delete it. You watch the cursor blinking at you—taunting you—until you just give up and shut your laptop again. It's probably tied up with a bunch of things we've already covered so far: perfectionism, imposter syndrome, fear of failure, maybe a lack of planning or faith in your story or whatever. But it doesn't have to be this way. A blank page IS exciting and full of possibility. We just have to get over ourselves and learn to embrace the unknown...

Read this: Don't fear the blank page

And also this: The moaning method

9. Not enough time/energy/motivation/gnuuuughh

Dude, same x 1000. But you don't have to get up at 5am, do hot yoga, drink a kale smoothie and write a thousand words before sunrise to be a Proper Writer. You don't even have to write every day. But what you can do is hack your writing brain and figure out when, where, how, and why you write most effectively. Then tweak your schedule, your habits, and your attitude to ensure you're making the most of your time. Productivity is a big ol' lie but finding the secret to getting in your own personal writing zone is actual MAGIC.

Read this: Maximise your writing time

And also this: Get in the writing zone

And also unto this: The Writers' HQ Guide to Productivity

10. You're just fucken stuck

Got the writing morbs? In need of some literary sudafed? Stuck as a pig in a poke? Writing is a whole puzzle of a process—and to be honest that's what makes it so fun and exciting and addictive, because your writing brain is hardwired to both create AND solve the wordy puzzles within your story. Sometimes the answer is time. Sometimes it's a second opinion or a fresh eye. Sometimes a totally different approach or just a hefty kick up the bum. But whatever the problem, there IS a solution. You just gotta keep going and trust that you'll find it...

Read this: Troubleshoot your writing - why are you stuck?

And also this: Break through the writing blockage

And also also this: Write yourself into a pit (and then dig your way out again)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alright, that's it for today. Now go write, you flithy animals.

(And if we missed anything, stick a question in our ask box or check out the rest of our shit here)

[akaittou]

Happy Calibration to @raeliyah from your no-longer-secret santa, ME! ;D

Choosing from among your characters was really hard - I went through all of them and I may have fallen for each and every one - but I’ve been into generating colour palettes from photograps lately so funnily enough, Khulan only having a black-and-white portrait is what sealed the deal this time. I also may consider her somewhat of a nemesis as a migraine-inducer and thus deserving of recognition, considering I suffer from migraines a lot. It’s a really interesting tell for a lunar to have :D

I may have gone a bit overboartd with the “layered mongolian style” in her clothes, but if there’s one thing I love it’s putting characters in complicated outfits so I hope it’s alright - the palette is generated from a lanscape photo in the Mongolian steppe and felt muted enough to still suit her personality. Plus, I wanted to give her something nice since despite her being a lunar I couldn’t represent her warform this time… dinosaur creatures are the bane of my existence, as much as I adore their aesthetics.

I also have a background-less transparent version, so throw me a message if you’d like it!

(( Also, thank you so much @shiftingpath for the timeline adjustment this go around - I was bedridden for nearly two weeks during the holidays so managing to actually finish this very much needed the later deadline ))

[raeliyah]

I LOVE IT !! You did AMAZING!! Khulan does not get enough love so I’m so happy you chose her 😍 I love the outfit you chose for her and the colors suit her _perfectly_  LOVELOVELOVE (I also get bad pressure-induced migraines so that was definitely a “now you all get to experience what I do” sort of tell 😅) 

[raeliyah]

Hey @maribunart  Merry Calibration!!  how could I _not_ choose your adorable hearthcat-loving cinnamon roll of a Dragonblooded??? I love Kilani and I am so happy for the chance to draw her!! Tried to give her a quiet moment enjoying a delicious beverage with two hearth-cat buddies to keep her company.  I hope you like it <3 This is watercolor & colored pencil on hotpress watercolor paper, about 8x10 finished area, and if you want the original I’m happy to mail it to the address of your choice!  so sorry for making you and @shiftingpath sweat with my sliding-up-to-the-deadline near lateness! 😬 

[angryartist]

Sketching everyone’s fave bird girl

[dragon-in-a-fez]

sorry what

[dragon-in-a-fez]

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

That header photo doesn’t do the dragon justice. (For shame!). Here’s NASA’s own photo:

(Source [Because NASA is funded by taxpayer money, all their images are public domain, BTW])

[arch-tempered-yian-garuga]

THE TIME HAS COME

[bioluminosity]

he is here 

[radhakawaii]

Reblogging for THE ART HOLY SHIT

[grimauxiliatrixofficial]

REALLY THOUGH IMAGINE SEEING THIS KIND OF SHIT AS A DANE IN THE 900S

[shiftingpath]

Exalted Secret Santa 2022 Journals

sorry for the wait, all, there was a bit of confusion, but here are the journals for this year’s Secret Santa, collected for the ease of tracking down your assignment, and the joy of reading:

afancyartblerg akaittou brimstone-and-helianthus butch-king-frankenstein delvesdaily eatenbyfaeries (cw body horror) fiontan fullmoonspecial grimmjowjaegerjaquez heedra hilow hornstusksandmagic keirangoldenwatch maribunart mechanicalriddle moonstar-mush morpheousxo novafigura paint-lady raeliyah rotten-partty shiftingpath sly-works theuncrucified toxinfox

[headspace-hotel]

y'all ever reach the end of google

[headspace-hotel]

I'm starting to gain insight into why people turn into conspiracy theorists. Some topics are so totally neglected that it looks like they were intentionally and maliciously erased, instead of falling victim to arbitrary lack of interest.

I think it's a vicious cycle; when people don't know something exists, they're not curious about it. Also, people use conceptual categories to think about things, and when a topic falls between or outside of conceptual categories, it can end up totally omitted from our awareness even though it very much exists and is important.

This post is about native bamboo in the United States and the fact that miles-wide tracts of the American Southeast used to be covered in bamboo forests

[headspace-hotel]

@icannotgetoverbirds It already is a maddening, bizarre research hole that I have been down for the past few weeks.

Basically, I learned that we have native bamboo, that it once formed an ecosystem called the canebrake that is now critically endangered. The Southeastern USA used to be full of these bamboo thickets that could stretch for miles, but now the bamboo only exists in isolated patches

And THEN.

I realized that there is a little fragment of a canebrake literally in my neighborhood.

HI I AM NOW OBSESSED WITH THIS.

I did not realize the significance until I showed a picture to the ecologist where i work and his reaction was "Whoa! That is BIG."

Apparently extant stands of river cane are mostly just...little sparse thickety patches in forest undergrowth. This patch is about a quarter acre monotypic stand, and about ten years old.

I dive down the Research Hole(tm). Everything new I learn is wilder. Giant river cane mainly reproduces asexually. It only flowers every few decades and the entire clonal colony often dies after it flowers. Seeds often aren't viable.

It's barely been studied enough to determine its ecological significance, but there are five butterfly species and SEVEN moth species dependent on river cane. Many of these should probably be listed as endangered but there's not enough research

There's a species of CRITICALLY ENDANGERED PITCHER PLANT found in canebrakes that only still remains in TWO SPECIFIC COUNTIES IN ALABAMA

Some gardening websites list its height as "over 6 feet" "Over 10 feet" There are living stands that are 30+ feet tall, historical records of it being over 40 feet tall or taller. COLONIAL WRITINGS TALK ABOUT CANES "AS THICK AS A MAN'S THIGH."

The interval between flowering is anyone's guess, and WHY it happens when it does is also anyone's guess. Some say 40-50 years, but there are records of it blooming in as little time as 3-15 years.

It is a miracle plant for filtering pollution. It absorbs 99% of groundwater nitrate contaminants. NINETY NINE PERCENT. It is also so ridiculously useful that it was a staple of Native American material culture everywhere it grew. Baskets! Fishing poles! Beds! Flutes! Mats! Blowguns! Arrows! You name it! You can even eat the young shoots and the seeds.

I took these pictures myself. This stuff in the bottom photo is ten feet tall if it's an inch.

Arundinaria itself is not currently listed as endangered, but I'm growing more and more convinced that it should be. The reports of seeds being usually unviable could suggest very low genetic diversity. You see, it grows in clonal colonies; every cane you see in that photo is probably a clone. The Southern Illinois University research project on it identified 140 individual sites in the surrounding region where it grows.

The question is, are those sites clonal colonies? If so, that's 140 individual PLANTS.

Also, the consistent low estimates of the size Arundinaria gigantea attains (6 feet?? really??) suggests that colonies either aren't living long enough to reach mature size or aren't healthy enough to grow as big as they are supposed to. I doubt we have any clue whatsoever about how its flowers are pollinated. We need to do some research IMMEDIATELY about how much genetic diversity remains in existing populations.

[headspace-hotel]

You'll never guess what I spent a month frantically researching myself to madness about earlier this year!

[eskiworks]

Reading this sparked a big fire in my brain, and I found out a place regular people can help revitalize and research traditional canebrake ecosystems! An organization called The Revitalization of Traditional Cherokee Artisan Resources (RTCAR) is working directly to restore canebrake and other ecological systems. They get funding from the Cherokee Preservation Foundation. Donate to them or asking them how you can help if you are local!

[wearepaladin]

Love the art thou hast learned, and take comfort in it; and go through the remainder of your life in sincere commitment of all your being to the gods, and never make yourself either tyrant or slave to humanity.

-Marcus Aurelius

[wolfnanaki]

So one of my tweets kinda blew up. :v

[wolfnanaki]

Okay so I really have no idea what’s triggered this post to blow up again over the past few days, but I really appreciate that so many people care about the conservation of wolves. Our natural world is beautiful and important, and we should do everything we can to protect it.

And BTW, for the people complaining about the last Tweet where I mentioned Democrats and Republicans…that was in the original article. I didn’t make anything more political than it already was. And anyway, it’s apt, so there.

[sahonithereadwolf]

Setter-colonialism has directly devastated our ecosystems and contributed to global warming by the simple fact that it refuses to recognizes these things as a relationship, only something to be exploited and stripped to the bone of a shifting and ever hungry definition of value. Wolves and other indigenous predators are a big example of this but far from the only thing.

[raeliyah]

Exalted Secret Santa 2022!

Welcome back to another year where I get to scream about how much I love this event.  I’ve put all my main characters up on refsheet.net/redkite7 for ease of data collation. Feel free to pick any of them but here’s my selected offerings this year under the cut:  Kallias * Lysistrata * Khulan

Kallias, Eternal Hope of Sunrise:

compassionate, elegant elder Chosen of Serenity. Genderfluid Kestra’chern, peacock with a nightingale’s voice, collects and shares Serenity cultural practices like the world’s most wholesome dragon. Click the name to go to full description and reference images.

----------------------------------------

Lysistrata Starborn

courtesan spy fateweaver, no time for your nonsense, hairstyle full of more hidden blades than a store run by Altair ibn La-Ahad, always, always, smarter than you. with a soft spot a mile wide for a certain cowboy solar. Click the name for full description! 

-----------------------

And the new kid:

Khulan Suchan-de

unassuming practical Lunar general from the Dreaming Sea who turns into a face-eating monster feather-dinosaur if you so much as make a mean face at her solar-crafter-cinnamon-roll husband.

And a tag for @shiftingpath​ for organizational purposes! Thanks so much for all your hard work! <3