It's All in the Subtext

It's all in the subtext—a collection of overinterpretations, headcanons, WIPS, and commissioned BG3 art. I would say I'm a writer, but I'm more of a certified procrastinator.

[saltieststar]

Oh, hello!

Introductions aren't really my thing, but I'll try.

Welcome to "It's All in the Subtext." Yes, "it's all coming together" was absolutely the quote going through my head when I named this blog. My writing is indeed coming together, much like Kronk's plans. I go by Star/Starsy (They/Them). The blog is mostly to organize my thoughts surrounding my Durge OC as I've rolled a critical failure on organization - it's spread out across two physical journals, a Word doc, Notion, One Note, Lucid, sticky notes, etc. Needless to say, it's spiraled way out of control, so here I am with my last desperate attempt to neatly organize the chaos.

About me:

I am a lore freak. Once I've become interested in something, I can't help it; I have to know all the things. On the upside, this translates pretty well to DMing.

I am super bad at masking. I apologize. I tend to be fairly blunt and concise, and I am gods awful at making small talk. However, I absolutely love a good debate or discussion. There is nothing I enjoy more than a respectful discussion on differing perspectives on lore, characters, etc. I also always appreciate constructive criticism; you really don't have to worry about sugar-coating it; I have tough skin. Not to say my immediate reaction is not to bristle, but the follow-up is usually, "They have a point." I am also more than happy to answer questions regarding pretty much anything: My OC, the fic, Bg3 lore, and DND lore, and I'll do my best to answer you if I'm able or scour my pile of research until I have a good answer! :)

What to expect on the blog:

Commissioned art of my Durge OC and his pals

Scene descriptions and WIPS

Lore delving

Headcanons

Over-analyzing everything: characters, interactions, etc.

My plan for combining DIA and BG3 into one large TTRPG campaign.

Discussions related to the writing process

WIPS:

All's well that ends... not as bad as it could have.

The Chosen of Gods: Follows the journey of The Dark Urge and Enver Gortash as they plot to restore The Dead Three to their former status before the Time of Troubles.

The Challenger of Gods: Follows The Dark Urge and Wyll and their motley crews as they free themselves from the illithid parasites and thwart the usual suspects.

The Slayer of Gods/The Ascendant of Gods/The Golden Reign of Gods (The Authority of Gods?): Follows The Dark Urge (Shrike), Astarion, and Gortash on their quest for godhood.

ISO Artists

Also, if you'd like to help enable my addiction to commissioning artwork of my OCs, I'm currently on the lookout for artists whose styles align with any of the following:

Tarot

Mural

Outfit/Armor Design

Gore

I'm particularly interested in realistic or fantasy art styles and would prefer to avoid anime styles.

[saltieststar]

Re: Avernus being unmapable

Just going to leave this note here because I seem to have misplaced my physical notes~

Distance is difficult to judge in desert environments.

-Lack of distinct landmarks or features. Celestial navigation is often used in these types of environments; of course, you’ll find neither in Avernus’ sky.

Demon blood corrupts the landscape in the same way it does beings.

[ijustwannawritepls]

How to Write When You Don't Feel Like Yourself

There are going to be days (or weeks, or months) where you sit down to write and feel... disconnected. From your voice, from your characters, from your ideas. Like the person who used to write your stories just packed up and left.

They didn't. They're just tired. Here's how to keep writing anyway:

Lower the bar (Until it's on the floor) You are not here to write something brilliant. You are here to write something. A paragraph. A sentence. A single line of dialogue. Movement matters way more than quality.

Write around the story Don't force it. If you can't write the scene, try: ⋆ A character ramble / journal entry ⋆ A conversation that won't be included in the final draft ⋆ A list of things the character would never admit out loud ⋆ A messy summary of what should happen Engage with the story from a different angle.

Borrow a voice until yours comes back No, not with AI. Read something that feels close to what you want to write, or watch a scene that captures the tone, then write immediately after. Not to copy, to reignite your instincts.

Write the emotion, not the plot. What is your character feeling in this moment? What are they afraid of? What do they want but won't say? What's being kept from them? The emotion leads, the plot catches up later.

Stop trying to "feel like a writer" first. You don't write when you feel like a writer. You feel like a writer because you write.

You are still a writer, even on the days it feels distant. Especially then.

[tkingfisher]

P.S. The voice actor is doing the audiobook

Pre-order

[vspin]

hehe

[luna-azzurra]

Voice & Speech Patterns LIST!!

˙⋆✮ Voice going up an octave when excited or lying

˙⋆✮ The nervous laugh inserted randomly in sentences

˙⋆✮ Starting sentences with "I mean..." when backtracking

˙⋆✮ The long "uhhhhh" while thinking

˙⋆✮ Voice getting quieter as confidence fades mid-sentence

˙⋆✮ Speaking faster when passionate about something

˙⋆✮ The vocal fry when tired or trying to sound unimpressed

˙⋆✮ Trailing off because they forgot where they were going with that

˙⋆✮ The sharp intake of breath before saying something difficult

˙⋆✮ Clearing throat unnecessarily when stalling

˙⋆✮ The scoff-laugh combination

˙⋆✮ Emphasizing random words when flustered

˙⋆✮ The way someone's accent gets stronger when angry or talking to family

˙⋆✮ Repeating the last few words of someone's sentence before responding

˙⋆✮ The "okay, so" that means a story is coming

˙⋆✮ Voice cracking at emotional moments

˙⋆✮ The whisper-yell when trying to argue quietly

˙⋆✮ Talking with hands so much they have to stop moving to think

˙⋆✮ The upward inflection making statements sound like questions

˙⋆✮ Muttering under breath but totally wanting to be heard

˙⋆✮ The elongated "sooooo" when prompting someone

˙⋆✮ Starting multiple sentences before completing one

˙⋆✮ The sarcastic tone that's barely distinguishable from sincerity

˙⋆✮ Pronouncing words overly carefully when tipsy (trying to hide it)

˙⋆✮ The pregnant pause before dropping news

[redstonedust]

pet peeve is when you look up fashion references from a specific era and you keep getting modern day '[era]-inspired' fashion like NO i want authenticity damn it. i can see your 2020 photo quality and your 2020 hair and your 2020 makeup. youre not fooling me.

[bincliff]

hello i'm a historical fashion researcher and i have a lot of experience looking up things! this is a very widely experienced irritation and you're definitely not alone in this, but i am here to share everything i know!

so, ways to get around this:

turn off AI results. they're literally nonsense to us

don't use pinterest because the sources/provenance is often hard to trace

a standard internet search can be okay, but museum collections are the top tier (list of collections below this list)

instead of broad terms like victorian, regency, tudor, renaissance etc. try using the decade you're looking for. if you're not sure of what decade it is but have a vague image in your head, look on the fashion history timeline and just jump around until you find it. but even changing to e.g. 19th century will give better results than victorian

including terms like womenswear/menswear, daywear, formal wear, evening wear, court dress should increase the value of your search too

including "fashion plates" in your search can give you a nice impression of the intended silhouettes of the era. some of these might be a little stylised but will show you what was considered in vogue

for pre-fashion plate eras or things like makeup and styling, you'll have to look at portraiture or manuscripts. these are harder to actually find what you're looking for, but searching museum collections and limiting results to specific date ranges will be your friend

when looking at art, do bear in mind sometimes artists would paint fabric extra flow-y to show off their skills. it might not have been exactly like that in terms of fabric weight or drape. so, a pinch of salt required!

if you find something on image search where the provenance is dubious, reverse image search and you might find a source! i've been able to trace random pinterest images to real sources, but this does take a lot of time and effort and is often not worth the headache

some online resources and museum collections:

fashion history timeline is an invaluable resource if you're trying to get a feel for everything and should be your first port of call. it'll also link to good examples

the met has a vast number of extant examples of clothing, as well as fashion plates

costume institute fashion plates is a subcollection of the met for fashion plates (1800s-1922)

v&a also has many extant garments, fashion plates, and incredible articles on clothing and aesthetics. read the details of the objects because they'll often reveal a lot about the piece

lacma is good for C19th-20th pieces

nypl digital collection for photographs

national portrait gallery or similar for portraiture, or literally any museum in your country that has historical art

national museums scotland can be useful situationally but might be oddly specific

stout style history is a great collection for finding image references for fat people wearing historical clothes. survival bias of a lot of museum pieces tends towards smaller clothing that couldn't be repurposed, but this aims to counter that. it's not sortable, but is still a really nice resource

wikimedia commons is surprisingly handy! and the images, if you should need to link/repost them, are public domain

auction websites sound like a funny one to recommend. some won't have mannequins and some will. just look up historical garment auctions and you'll find some!

anyway, i hope this has been a good place to start for anyone interested! there are probably some i've missed because there are so many museums across the world and i don't know about all of them or can't remember them. but these are the ones i've used the most! (my specialisation/jobs i've had to research for have only really been in western fashion, so my resources reflect that)

[haemey]

Wikipedia has a list of fashion museums. Unfortunately, the page itself is only available in German, but the introductory paragraph is very short and after that, it's organised by country, and then it's a simple list. If you click on a museum's article, the website is usually linked in the overview table.

[rukafais]

There's also Claire Hummel's fantastic historical fashion resource list, which probably overlaps with the sources above but is worth taking a look at anyway!

[luna-azzurra]

Advice for writing someone who can't cook!!

𖤝 they don't just "forget" to add ingredients. they follow the recipe EXACTLY and it still comes out wrong. like, they measured everything, they did the steps, and somehow it's inedible. the recipe said "salt to taste" and they panicked because what does that MEAN? how much is taste? they added a tablespoon. it was wrong.

𖤝 they have irrational fears of kitchen equipment. your character who can't cook is TERRIFIED of the garbage disposal, doesn't trust the oven (what if it just explodes?), thinks the pressure cooker is a bomb, and has definitely cut themselves on a can lid and now treats all cans like enemies.

𖤝 they don't know when things are "done." the recipe says "cook until golden brown" but what SHADE of golden? there are like 87 shades! they've gone from raw to CHARCOAL with no middle ground. they've cut into chicken 6 times to check if it's done. they've served soup that was somehow both boiling and cold in the same bowl.

𖤝 their grocery shopping is chaos. they buy ingredients for a recipe and then have NO IDEA what to do with the leftovers. they have 47 half-used jars of spices they bought once and never touched again. they thought they were buying cilantro but it was parsley. they don't know the difference and they're too embarrassed to ask at this point.

𖤝 they have ONE dish they can make and they're weird about it. your character who can't cook has exactly one thing they can make successfully (maybe it's boxed mac and cheese, maybe it's scrambled eggs, maybe it's toast) and they will make it PERFECTLY and be SO PROUD and mention it constantly. "I'm not a chef but my [one thing] is pretty good actually."

𖤝 they've caused at least one kitchen fire. not a big one! probably! but they've definitely made smoke. they didn't know you're not supposed to microwave metal. they thought the toaster could handle a Pop-Tart (it could not). they left the stove on and went to check their phone "real quick" and that was 45 minutes ago and now there's smoke.

𖤝 they rely on takeout but feel GUILTY about it. your character orders delivery 6 nights a week and feels like a failure every time. they look at the pile of menus with shame. they know the delivery drivers by name. they've thought about learning to cook to save money but then they remember the Great Spaghetti Incident of last month and order Thai food instead.

[adhdwannabewriter]

Other ways to say ‘walk’ based on a vibe:

Neutral:

Strolled- Walked at a steady, leisurely pace. Moved - Simply walked from one place to another. Went - A basic term to say walked. Wandered - Walked without a specific destination.

Happy:

Skipped - Walked with a light, bouncing step, often out of joy. Bounced - Walked with energetic, lively steps. Sashayed - Walked with a confident, cheerful flair. Pranced - Walked in an exaggeratedly happy or playful manner. Danced - Walked with movements full of joy or rhythm.

Angry:

Stomped - Walked with heavy, forceful steps, showing frustration or anger. Marched - Walked with purpose and determination, often angrily. Stormed - Walked quickly and angrily, often leaving a situation (stormed out). Trudged - Walked heavily, with anger or frustration weighing down the steps. Charged - Walked aggressively, moving quickly and with force.

Sad:

Shuffled - Walked slowly, dragging the feet, often indicating sadness or exhaustion. Plodded - Walked with heavy, slow steps, as if burdened by sorrow. Trudged - Walked slowly and with effort, weighed down Slumped - Walked with a hunched posture, showing sadness or defeat. Dragged - Walked with effort, as if every step was a struggle.

Surprised:

Froze - Stopped mid-step in reaction to shock or surprise. Stumbled - Walked clumsily due to being caught off guard. Jumped - Took a quick, startled step. Skipped a step - Momentarily hesitated in walking due to surprise. Backpedaled - Walked backward quickly, often in shock or surprise.

Fearful/anxious:

Crept - Walked slowly and carefully, trying to avoid being noticed. Tiptoed - Walked quietly on the balls of the feet, trying not to make noise. Slunk - Walked with a low, cautious posture, trying to remain hidden. Hesitated - Took a few tentative steps, unsure or fearful. Paced - Walked back and forth, often in thought or anxiety.

Shy:

Shuffled - Walked slowly, with small, unsure steps. Hesitated - Paused slightly before walking, unsure or nervous. Slipped - Moved quietly and quickly to avoid attention. Hovered - Stayed near a spot, hesitant to walk forward. Inched - Walked very slowly, as if unsure or reluctant.

Thoughtful:

Wandered - Walked without a specific destination, lost in thought. Paced - Walked back and forth while thinking deeply. Strolled - Walked slowly, enjoying the time to reflect. Meandered - Walked aimlessly, with no rush, often in contemplation. Paused - Stopped briefly during a walk, considering something.

Commanding:

Marched - Walked with purpose and authority. Strutted - Walked with confidence and a sense of power. Advanced - Walked forward with a deliberate, commanding stride. Charged -Walked quickly and forcefully toward a goal. Led - Walked at the front, guiding others behind them.

[natalieironside]

Random thing I remember:

One time in high school I had a English teacher who called herself a "socratic educator" and claimed to be using the socratic method and I tell you it was The Worst. She would ask vague and open-ended questions and I'd be like "Can you tell me what such-and-such means please" and she'd be like "Hmmmmm I don't know~~~~ What do YOU think it means?" and it felt less like an English class and more like my ability to progress from the the 11th grade to the 12th grade was being adjudicated by some sort of malicious beriddling troll who responds to clarifying questions with increasingly obscure riddles

[saltieststar]

Ha! I’d ask if we had the same teacher, but mine taught Chemistry and AP Physics. The open-ended rhetorical questions extended to basic ass shit to, like, “Where do you keep the extra beakers?”

Where do you think the extra beakers are stored?

I DON’T KNOW, DUDE, BECAUSE I’M NOT THE ONE WHO ORGANIZED THIS FUCKING ROOM. But sure, sure, I’ll just spend the next 15 minutes going on a damn scavenger hunt instead. Real productive use of class time.

[luna-azzurra]

Quick Tips for Writing Dialogue (AGAIN)

⟢ PEOPLE DON'T FINISH SENTENCES! IMPORTANT! they interrupt themselves, they trail off, they start talking about eggs and somehow end up confessing their deepest fear about becoming their mother. Your dialogue should derail like a drunk train conductor took the wheel. "I was thinking we could—no wait, did you feed the cat? Because last time you said you would but—actually never mind, what I meant was—" SEE? HUMAN. Beautiful chaos.

⟢ Contractions exist??? USE THEM. Nobody says "I am going to the store" unless they're an alien spy or your grandmother leaving a voicemail. It's "I'm gonna" or even "gonna hit the store" or if they're really casual "store run, back in 20"

⟢ LISTEN TO ME! Said is NOT dead but said is also boring sometimes. Yeah yeah, "said is invisible," the writing teachers chant while burning incense. But you know what? Sometimes people mutter, snap, whisper, drawl, bite out their words. Your character just found out their partner sold their vinyl collection? They're not "saying" anything, they're HISSING like a Victorian ghost

⟢ People repeat themselves when emotional!!! "I can't believe you. I just—I can't believe you did this." Not poetic. Real. That's the point!!!

⟢ Subtext is doing heavy lifting, what people DON'T say matters more than what they do. "Fine" is never fine. "Whatever you want" means "I will remember this betrayal forever." Your readers are smart; let them read between the lines

⟢ Accents/dialects: DO NOT WRITE THEM PHONETICALLY unless you want your book thrown across the room. Do NOT write "Oi guv'na, blimey!", instead show it through word choice, rhythm, syntax. "Right then, what's all this about?" works better than "Wot's awl dis aboot guvnah"

[petaltexturedskies]

Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

[sadsandwich1]

Even though I'm a sucker for romance, it  genuinely would’ve been nice if BG3 featured more platonic moments with the companions you decided not to romance. I would have equally enjoyed seeing what the companions are like as friends rather than lovers without losing any lore along with scenes either being tweet, or having completely new ones when you choose to friend them

[this-is-trans-joy]

I’m trying to look for synonyms of sneer and i’m fucking dying

yeah that looks normal… yeah these are all— um. hold on. hang on.

what

[the-ravens-king]

[sisterofsylandri]

karlach... those are some strong feelings you're expressing and i've learned to accept your feelings. we listen and we do not judge.

[pantserspen]

How to Hook Your Readers from the FIRST PAGE!

Start in motion, not explanation. Something is already happening, going wrong, or about to change.

Anchor us in a character immediately. Give us a voice, an attitude, or a reaction we can latch onto.

Create a question the reader needs answered. Who is in danger? What went wrong? Why does this matter?

Ground the scene with one sharp detail. Not a full setting dump—just enough to make it feel real.

Let tension exist right away. Even quiet openings should carry unease, expectation, or desire.

Show stakes early, even if they’re small. What does the character stand to lose in this moment?

Avoid backstory on page one. Trust that context can come later—curiosity comes first.

Hint at the bigger problem. Foreshadow conflict without explaining it.

End the first page with momentum. A decision, discovery, threat, or emotional shift that makes stopping feel wrong.

Make the reader feel something. Confusion, intrigue, fear, empathy—emotion is the real hook.

Dive Into The World of Your Novel! SHOP NOW!

[lucky-clover-gazette]

enver gortash is so funny in terms of character design like he’s a thirty year old who looks forty with an elevated glam rock aesthetic including messy hair and guyliner and he’s like weirdly handsome in the face but also has yellow teeth and his con score is 10 so i assume a strong gust of wind would knock him over and his outfit has motifs of hell, the place where he was imprisoned as a child, and he’s got cunty shoes that i assume he made since his parents are cobblers and he’s a soft vulnerable human with a doomed star-crossed schoolgirl crush on a demigod lizard whose idea of marriage is murder-suicide. and he’s got these shiny golden gauntlets that look so fucking cool and his pointer and middle fingers have shorter nails than the rest. and he wants to take over the world and turn everyone into robots so society will find peace. who is doing it like him. nobody. literally nobody

[crypticgoose3]

How To Write

Come up with an idea for your story

Plan out the main structure and plot

Develop your main and then side characters

Create a story timeline so you don't get off track

Open a blank document

Start typing

Get really into it

Get writer's block

Take 3d6 psychic damage

Attempt to continue

Start arguing with your characters when they refuse to cooperate

Scream about world building errors in a sleep deprived coffee-induced two am nightmare

Oops I see a tiny continuity error I'm sure this won't affect anything in the future it'll be fine

This is soooo boringgggg

Hang on you're a side character stop taking up the entire plot

Glance back at your original outline and realise absolutely nothing has gone to plan

Social life? Haha you're funny

Scream

Write write write

Want to tell every one of your friends every detail but spoilerssss

Suffer from writer's block when you have the document open

Unable to stop the ideas the moment you leave your phone at home

Get put on an FBI list because of your incriminating search history

Grammar? I don't know her

Finally puke out all of the ideas in a garbled first draft mess

It's been nine months. A baby can grow fully in this time and all I have are a bunch of stupid oc's who do dumb things & don't listen

Attempt to make it resemble coherence

Stitch everything together but like really badly

Ah crap what colour was your hair again

Why are there seventeen plot lines in this why

Weave them together into a mess disguised as neatness

Oopsie I completely forgot your backstory, why you're here and what I was planning to do with you

God dammit the villain is hot

OH NO. MASSIVE PLOT HOLE. THAT CONTINUITY ERROR CAME BACK WITH A VENGEANCE GOD DAMMIT ITS NOT FINE

Desperately try to stitch it up despite not knowing how to sew

Editing and finding accidental foreshadowing

Sob over characters that do not exist

These characters are SO GAY

Add some backstory

Kill off a character because you are a monster

Cry some more

Personality is hard, so instead give your characters trauma

"Oh I'm almost finished" you tell all your friends (it's been a year and you're not close)

Question all of your life's decisions

"What do you do in your free time?" I write but also I don't

Why does editing suck so much at least I'm nearly finished

DONE

Peace and quiet for about ten blissful seconds

New story idea infects your brain

Rinse and fucking repeat