welcome to my theatre. my name is mikoto (you can also call me zizi), the predictable and unpredictable non-acting actor!
about me
[large text: about me]
im a writer as well as an artist--i am always energetic to write but at the same time my mind can't shut up so i often struggle to focus. a project that i've been working on since elementary is decaying rose petals. shameless self-promotion but you can check it out on @decaying-rose-petals
i play games too. my favorites are honkai impact 3rd, call of duty, and reverse 1999.
i watch anime too! i'm currently focused on dungeon meshi / delicious in dungeon (i finished all of the first season and i'm patiently waiting for the second one), but i am in desperate need of fantasy anime that have more psychological elements to it.
i have the tism + adhd (mayhaps)
i am a minor!! so don't do weird stuff with me
im super into fantasy, thriller (but i'm VERY selective on those kind of stuff), and psychological fiction
i use he/him and she/her interchangeably, but any other pronouns are ok
my tags
[large text: my tags]
#mikotalks🌌 - for text posts
#artworkoto🖌️ - for art
#oyasumi gamer🎮 - for games
#mikoto of words📓 - for writing stuff such as poetry, book snippets, etc
#horrible jokes💀 - for memes
#mikoto’s references☂️ - for writing/drawing references
comfort media
[large text: comfort media]
[key: bold italics = current obsession, bold = special interest, italics = major interest, no format = minor interest]
Dungeon Meshi
Extraordinary Attorney Woo
Block Tales
Reincarnated as a Sword
From Bureaucrat to Villainess
To Be Hero X
Limbus Company
credits & inspo
[large text: credits & inspo]
dividers credit: @cafekitsune
pin inspo: @eicalors [cool moot! u should check out her blog!]
disclaimers
i also take asks, but please don't ask anything personal. and yeah that's pretty much it. i'd also like to make some mutuals here, both artblr and writeblr. thanks for reading!
Help Ghada's Family Survive War, The Cold and Hunger
Hello, I'm Ghada Mhasen, 20 years old, mother of a child born in war. She married shortly before the war and became pregnant a month before
I write to you after the frequency and thinking deep so I can do a campaign to collect donations for my child and my family after suffering a severe live by a year ago, I hesitated a lot in the start of my campaign and ask for help asking for help is not easy for us, but I don't have money and not have a source of income to buy my child a little and my husband source anything they need, you'll be watching your donation to my campaign cause to save our lives even a little bit, I'm really sorry to ask for help from you, but I'm sure in your humanity and your hatred for the kindness of your heart you'd be the cause of saving our lives, and I'm really sorry to ask for help from you, I am sure you will be the reason to save my baby from the cold winter and buy candy, fresh fruit, clean water, a jacket, a winter blanket, please join my campaign and donate US 🙏
I took historical sword-fighting lessons to make the fights in my novel more realistic - here’s what I learned.
Edit: Whew, this blew up! Stoked so many of you find this useful. :) Leave me a follow if you like, I’ll try to make more research posts like this (next one will probably be about my meeting with a linguist for a fictional language).
To make the fighting scenes in my low fantasy novel more realistic, I went to see a trainer for historical sword-fighting last week, both to barrage her with questions and to develop realistic choreographies for the fight scenes in the novel. Since I figured some of what she told me might be useful for you too, I put together a small list for you. Big thanks to Gladiatores Munich and Jeanne for making time! (Here are some more pictures if you’re interested.)
Caveat: I’m by no means a sword-fighting expert myself, so take these nuggets with a grain of salt – I might have misremembered or misinterpreted some of the things Jeanne told me. If I did, feel free to tell me.
1.) Weapon choices need to make sense
Let’s start with a truism: always ensure your character’s weapons make sense for a.) their profession, b.) their cultural background and c.) the environment they’re going to fight in. A farmer probably couldn’t afford a sword and might use a knife or threshing flail instead, and someone who doesn’t want to be noticed probably wouldn’t be milling about sporting a glaive or another large weapon. Also, soldiers native to a country with wide open plains would be more likely to carry long-range melee weapons such as spears or large swords, than those from a country consisting of mostly jungle or dense forests. The same applies to situations: if your character is going to be fighting in close quarters (even just a normal house), he’d get little value out of a spear or even a longsword, as there’d be no space to swing it effectively.
2.) Boldness often beats skill
In real swordfights, recklessness was often more important than technique. The fighter less afraid of getting injured would often push harder, allowing them to overpower even opponents with better technique.
3.) Even a skilled fighter rarely stands a chance when outnumbered
While a skilled (or lucky) fighter might win a two-versus-one, it’d be extremely unlikely for even a single master swordsman to win against superior numbers, even just three and if they’re below his skill level. The only way to plausibly pull this off would be to split the opponents up, perhaps by luring them into a confined space where you could take them on one by one. The moment you’re surrounded, you’re probably done for – because, unlike in Hollywood, they wouldn’t take turns attacking but come at you all at once.
4.) Dual-wielding was a thing
… at least in some cultures. I often heard people say that people using a weapon in each hand is an invention of fiction. And while my instructor confirmed that she knew of no European schools doing this—if they did, it’s not well-documented—she said it was a thing in other cultures. Example of this include the dual wakizashi in Japan or tomahawk and knife in North America. However, one of the biggest problems with the depiction of dual wielding in novels/movies/games are the “windmill”-type attacks where the fighter swings their weapons independently, hitting in succession rather than simultaneously. Normally you’d always try hitting with both weapons at once, as you’d otherwise lose your advantage.
5.) Longswords were amazing
Longswords might seem boring in comparison to other weapons, but they were incredibly effective, especially in combat situations outside the battlefield. The crossguard allowed for effective blocking of almost any kind of attack (well, maybe not an overhead strike of a Mordaxt, but still), the pommel was also used as a powerful “blunt” weapon of its own that could crack skulls. Though they were somewhat less effective against armored opponents, the long, two-handed hilt allowed for precise thrusts at uncovered body parts that made up for it.
6.) “Zweihänder” were only used for very specific combat situations
Zweihänder—massive two-handed swords—were only used for specific purposes and usually not in one-on-one combat as is often seen in movies or games. One of these purposes was using their reach to break up enemy formations. In fact, one type of two-handed sword even owed its name to that purpose: Gassenhauer (German, Gasse = alley, Hauer = striker)—the fighters literally used it to strike “alleys” into an enemy formation with wide, powerful swings.
7.) It’s all about distance
While I was subconsciously aware of this, it might be helpful to remember that distance was an incredibly important element in fights. The moment your opponent got past your weapons ideal range, it was common to either switch to a different weapon or just drop your weapon and resort to punching/choking. A good example of this are spears or polearms—very powerful as long as you maintain a certain range between you and your opponent, but the moment they get too close, your weapon is practically useless. That’s also why combatants almost always brought a second weapon into battle to fall back one.
8.) Real fights rarely lasted over a minute
Another truism, but still useful to remember: real fights didn’t last long. Usually, they were over within less than a minute, sometimes only seconds – the moment your opponent landed a hit (or your weapon broke or you were disarmed), you were done for. This is especially true for combatants wearing no or only light armor.
9.) Stop the pirouettes
Unfortunately, the spinning around and pirouetting that makes many fight scenes so enjoyable to watch (or read) is completely asinine. Unless it’s a showfight, fighters would never expose their backs to their opponent or even turn their weapon away from them.
10.) It still looks amazing
If your concern is that making your fight scenes realistic will make them less aesthetic, don’t worry. Apart from the fact that the blocks, swings and thrusts still look impressive when executed correctly, I personally felt that my fights get a lot more gripping and visceral if I respect the rules. To a certain extent, unrealistic and flashy combat is plot armor. If your characters can spin and somersault to their heart’s content and no one ever shoves a spear into their backs as they would have in real life, who survives and who doesn’t noticeably becomes arbitrary. If, on the other hand, even one slip-up can result in a combatant’s death, the stakes become palpable.
That’s about it! I hope this post is as helpful to some of you as the lessons were to me. Again, if anything I wrote here is bollocks, it’s probably my fault and not Jeanne’s. I’ll try to post more stuff like this in the future.
VETTED and URGENT: FUNDRAISING FOR
@hell-bent-in-a-fever-dream's BREAST CANCER Surgey! (cw: heavy necrosis) .
From tags in posts and messages "#please we still need $1900," hopefully before the 24th.
be warned of medical images in source Some sort of necrosis
No donations since March 8th! We got a little more than half of the up-front payments, but still need more!
The hospital did not do the amputation surgery discussed in previous post due to lack of funds.
As of today they have only $105.
"
Donate here!!! (some pictures of blackened hand)
NOTE:
I just learned that gogetfunding is not mobile optimized, or maybe not even possible to use on some mobile? If this is the case for you, please bookmark until you get to a desktop and set a reminder alarm on your phone or some other way to remind yourself.
Hell-bent is a very nice person reblogging other people's campaigns around the world, and so her brother taking over her account while she is hospitalized has continued that kindness. And now she needs our help. Her breast cancer has spread to her arm leading to nasty blood clotting and necrosis. She has been hospitalized for a while with a family member taking over her blog. She needs money money for surgery, and also to keep her treatment from being cut off
Vetting posts
@kyra45 the scam buster For anyone wondering, this is the original post... someone made a fake campaign stealing pictures from hell-bent, and Kyra45 tracked down the stolen pictures to original source.
@c-u-c-koo-4-40k on Tumblr(23) vetting and explanation why not using Gofundme You may know c-u-c-koo-4-40k for their good work boosting various Gazan campaigns. Hell-bent cannot use gofundme as the country they reside is not one that has access to it. Hence why they are using the site. (it used to be 3.8 rating last week)
Do you agree with GoGetFunding's TrustScore? Voice your opinion today and hear what 399 customers have already said.
Donate here!!! (some pictures of blackened hand)
from converation with friend danandfuckingjonlmao
Excerpt from Jan 13 instragram
I've known Alex for going on three months, but if that isn't enough for people to trust the legitimacy, her fundraiser has been vetted by multiple Tumblr accounts with blogs dedicated to vetting fundraisers. I have also seen the current photos of her arm, which cannot be posted on Instagram or 1 will get my account restricted (or taken down) for posting 'gore’. The photos in the fundraiser are from August. I cannot overemphasise how much worse it's gotten. She is going to need it amputated. She had surgery a couple days after Christmas and has not fully woken up since. She gave her account to her little brother, Vin, who I have been in contact with ever since. Vin just turned 18 and is currently in charge of securing things for his mom and younger sister while his older sister is in the hospital. Alex and Vin lost their dad around the same time my brother and I lost ours, and that's one of the first things Alex and I connected over. I've been doing everything I can to support Alex, and now Vin, but ultimately, because of the world we live in, there is no replacement for money.
other conversations
i haven’t heard from vin in a few days but i can confidently say they need at least $1k more
i just realised i never updated you—the hospital wouldn’t even go through with the operation because of lack of funds. i don’t know her condition currently but she just needs to hang on a little bit longer until we can get vin the funds. i can’t believe someone donated $1k though. thank you infinitely for your help viro. i’ll update you with any relevant info that i get from vin.
Mar 12 10:47 PM
Dec 27, 2024
alex can’t post the pictures of what their arm looks like now because it will get their account taken down. that’s how bad things are. but i’ve seen the pictures and i can vouch for how dire their situation is. they need life saving surgery and their go get funding is barely crawling up. please. reblogging is always helpful, but PLEASE, if you have anything to spare, please donate. this is so fucking urgent i’m begging you.please help my friend.
Message from her brother:
we still need $1,900 immediately. Hopefully before the 24th so we wouldn't have to wait for another distant yet available date some time in April or June. We cannot wait that much longer. Not with this lack of funds and her health deteriorating.
Someone donated $1k a week ago, and all of it was spent on medication that needed to be purchased outside of the hospital because the in-house pharmacy doesn't have them at the mean time. We have a lot of meds/fees that piled on since the 25th of February.
All I have now is $105 here but this wouldn't last for a week. We have been rejected in all our loan applications.
But thank you for helping us all the time. It is difficult since it is rare to find someone willing to help, but I see your continuous efforts and it makes me feel not that alone. Thank you.
This one's for the scenes with multiple characters, and you're not sure how to keep everyone involved.
Writing group scenes is chaos. Someone’s talking, someone’s interrupting, someone’s zoning out thinking about breadsticks. And if you’re not careful, half your cast fades into the background like NPCs in a video game. I used to struggle with this so much—my characters would just exist in the scene without actually affecting it. But here’s what I've learned and have started implementing:
✨ Give everyone a job in the scene ✨
Not their literal job—like, not everyone needs to be solving a crime or casting spells. I mean: Why are they in this moment? What’s their role in the conversation?
My favourite examples are:
The Driver: Moves the convo forward. They have an agenda, they’re pushing the action.
The Instigator: Pokes the bear. Asks the messy questions. Stirring the pot like a chef on a mission.
The Voice of Reason: "Guys, maybe we don’t commit arson today?"
The Distracted One: Completely in their own world. Tuning out, doodling on a napkin, thinking about their ex.
The Observer: Not saying much, but noticing everything. (Quiet characters still have presence!)
The Wild Card: Who knows what they’ll do? Certainly not them. Probably about to make things worse.
If a character has no function, they’ll disappear. Give them something—even if it’s just a side comment, a reaction, or stealing fries off someone’s plate. Keep them interesting, and your readers will stay interested too.
Other Words for "Look" + With meanings | List for writers
Many people create lists of synonyms for the word 'said,' but what about the word 'look'? Here are some synonyms that I enjoy using in my writing, along with their meanings for your reference. While all these words relate to 'look,' they each carry distinct meanings and nuances, so I thought it would be helpful to provide meanings for each one.
Gaze - To look steadily and intently, especially in admiration or thought.
Glance - A brief or hurried look.
Peek - A quick and typically secretive look.
Peer - To look with difficulty or concentration.
Scan - To look over quickly but thoroughly.
Observe - To watch carefully and attentively.
Inspect - To look at closely in order to assess condition or quality.
Stare - To look fixedly or vacantly at someone or something.
Glimpse - To see or perceive briefly or partially.
Eye - To look or stare at intently.
Peruse - To read or examine something with great care.
Scrutinize - To examine or inspect closely and thoroughly.
Behold - To see or observe a thing or person, especially a remarkable one.
Witness - To see something happen, typically a significant event.
Spot - To see, notice, or recognize someone or something.
Contemplate - To look thoughtfully for a long time at.
Sight - To suddenly or unexpectedly see something or someone.
Ogle - To stare at in a lecherous manner.
Leer - To look or gaze in an unpleasant, malicious way.
Gawk - To stare openly and stupidly.
Gape - To stare with one's mouth open wide, in amazement.
Squint - To look with eyes partially closed.
Regard - To consider or think of in a specified way.
Admire - To regard with pleasure, wonder, and approval.
Skim - To look through quickly to gain superficial knowledge.
Reconnoiter - To make a military observation of a region.
Flick - To look or move the eyes quickly.
Rake - To look through something rapidly and unsystematically.
Glare - To look angrily or fiercely.
Peep - To look quickly and secretly through an opening.
Focus - To concentrate one's visual effort on.
Discover - To find or realize something not clear before.
Spot-check - To examine something briefly or at random.
Devour - To look over with eager enthusiasm.
Examine - To inspect in detail to determine condition.
Feast one's eyes - To look at something with great enjoyment.
Catch sight of - To suddenly or unexpectedly see.
Clap eyes on - To suddenly see someone or something.
Set eyes on - To look at, especially for the first time.
Take a dekko - Colloquial for taking a look.
Leer at - To look or gaze in a suggestive manner.
Rubberneck - To stare at something in a foolish way.
Make out - To manage to see or read with difficulty.
Lay eyes on - To see or look at.
Pore over - To look at or read something intently.
Ogle at - To look at in a lecherous or predatory way.
Pry - To look or inquire into something in a determined manner.
Dart - To look quickly or furtively.
Drink in - To look at with great enjoyment or fascination.
Bask in - To look at or enjoy something for a period of time.
Calling all aspiring storytellers with hearts full of whimsy! Get ready to sprinkle a touch of enchantment into your scenes with my Scene Wo
683 members, 435 posts about #creative writing #creative writers #helping writers • Guiding Writers to New Heights
Small fantasy worldbuilding elements you might want to think about:
A currency that isn’t gold-standard/having gold be as valuable as tin
A currency that runs entirely on a perishable resource, like cocoa beans
A clock that isn’t 24-hours
More or less than four seasons/seasons other than the ones we know
Fantastical weather patterns like irregular cloud formations, iridescent rain
Multiple moons/no moon
Planetary rings
A northern lights effect, but near the equator
Roads that aren’t brown or grey/black, like San Juan’s blue bricks
Jewelry beyond precious gems and metals
Marriage signifiers other than wedding bands
The husband taking the wife's name / newlyweds inventing a new surname upon marriage
No concept of virginity or bastardry
More than 2 genders/no concept of gender
Monotheism, but not creationism
Gods that don’t look like people
Domesticated pets that aren’t re-skinned dogs and cats
Some normalized supernatural element that has nothing to do with the plot
Magical communication that isn’t Fantasy Zoom
“Books” that aren’t bound or scrolls
A nonverbal means of communicating, like sign language
A race of people who are obligate carnivores/ vegetarians/ vegans/ pescatarians (not religious, biological imperative)
I’ve done about half of these myself in one WIP or another and a little detail here or there goes a long way in reminding the audience that this isn’t Kansas anymore.
👉Mohammed : From the Peak of Ambition to an Urgent Need for Your Help
✅️Vetted by @gazavetters , my number verified on the list is ( #533 )✅️
Vetted by @bilal-salah0
speaking to you with a heavy and painful heart. I am sorry that I had to ask for help from you, but what we are living is what pushed me to do this.
a 31-year-old living amidst the war in Gaza, a place deeply affected by conflict and hardship. I hold a Bachelor degree in Medical Laboratory Sciences , I graduated with very good But Unfortunately, I did not get a job opportunity.
I am father to four beautiful children, My family consists of 6 individuals, My father , mother , Three girls and Three boys .
Before the outbreak of war, my family and I had a comfortable life in our beautiful home filled with cherished memories. However, since the conflict began, our lives have been turned upside down. We now find ourselves living in a small tent, exposed to the harsh elements and constant threat of violence.
Our home, which once embraced us, is now destroyed It became a remembrance
👉 Watch the video
A picture of me and my family in front of our destroyed house.
Our house was bombed in the 2008 escalation and we built it, and also in the 2014 escalation the house was destroyed again and we rebuilt it, and in this 2023/2024 war the house was also destroyed.
Every time we start again, the Israeli occupation destroys us again
Life is unbearable. It has become hell for us. destruction, no education, no future
We can't stand it anymore
The situation here is dire. Food and basic necessities are scarce, and famine and malnutrition have become rampant. Our lives are hanging by a thread, and we fear for the safety and well-being of our children every single day.
The cost of living here has become extremely high. All of our resources are going towards securing food and trying to escape from disaster, desperately seeking a lifeline.
We are yearning to escape this nightmare and rebuild our lives in a safe place.
However, the cost of traveling to a safer area was beyond our means.
Each ticket cost $5000 per person,
a sum that was impossible for us to bear. Now, the border crossing is closed, and things continue to worsen.
We want to collect donations to leave Gaza if the crossing opens
That's why I am reaching out to you, dear friends. Your generosity and compassion can make all the difference for me and my family. Your donations will enable us to flee this war-torn region and start anew, away from the horrors of conflict and instability.
Please, consider lending us a helping hand. Your support could mean the world to us and ensure the safety and future of my beloved family..
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for considering our plea.
Donation Link
My name is Mohammed Matar , a 30-year-old living amidst the war … Khaled Qattam needs your support for A Cry for Help to Save My Beautiful
If you knew how my children and I are living right now, you would weep for us.
Our situation is extremely difficult—our home has been completely destroyed, and we have nothing left.
I am only asking for a little— a small donation, a share, or even a like.
Any of these could help us get food and medicine or give us a chance to leave Gaza for a safe place.
✅️Vetted by @gazavetters, my number verified on the list is ( #533 )✅️
@bilal-salah0
There is no one to support me because I do not know anyone. Your little brother is asking for your help.
PLEASE I ask your kind hearts to help meby DONATING or SHARING as much as u can💔🙏🙏
✅️Vetted by @gazavetters, my number verified on the list is ( #533 )✅️
✅️@bilal-salah0
Your contribution means everything to us and in these difficult times
Here we are again, cooking herbs on fire because of famine and lack of cooking gas
the cycle of hardships continues, when will we break free from this suffering?
I have no other words. We're done, our life has lost all meaning. Any help, no matter how small, would ease our suffering ❤️🩹
Donations makes difference, and reblogging this message can help too. 🙏
🌟 Our campaign is vetted by 🇵🇸 @/gazavetters List at #291
Hello Everyone,
I am Nour Al Madhoun, 30 years old, a computer engineer from gaza, my h… Tahir Awad needs your support for Help my family r
We need every dollar you donate.. Please don't be stingy with my little baby he needs your help 🙏🇵🇸🍉
Hello my friend ,My name is Shams I'm 25 years old mother . from Rafah in Gaza Strip.. My life was stable with my child and husband in our beautiful home until the war came. We lost our home, our work, our comfort... We lost our food, our drink, our shelter... Now we just want food and safety... There is nothing more important than my child's food and safety... My husband, Dr. Adel, had a pharmacy, but it was also destroyed in this cruel war 💔. I am a medical laboratory doctor, and I lost my job too 🥺. We lost everything in this war, our home, our pharmacy, and our safety 💔 It is up to you to help me...🥺🥺💔 Please, I beg you—help us survive. Help us give our son a chance at life, away from the violence and destruction that have stolen everything from us.
I don’t know how much longer we can endure this nightmare, but with your help, we can escape it and start again Please donate to me
✅️✅️ vetted by @bilal-salah0
✅️Vetted by @gazavetters , my number verified on the list is ( #535 )✅️
My name is Haydn Maxwell, I am an English language teacher from UK living in Poland. Like many others I was horrified and felt utterly helpl
titsay
kianamaiart
prguitarman
stormborns
theartofmadeline
gamechangershow
