“Face my F E A R S.” @tenacioustooru - Tumblr Blog

“Do dishes” and “take out trash” both require the use of a spell slot, vs “use phone” is a cantrip, and brother, I am a level one wizard

luna-azzurra

Real thing that changed how i write: I started asking "what does this character think is wrong with them" and separately "what is actually wrong with them." Those two things are almost never the same. She thinks she's too much. She's actually terrified of being too little. He thinks he's bad at commitment. He's actually just never met someone he trusted enough. The gap between their diagnosis of themselves and the real thing, that's your character arc right there. you don't have to explain it. just write both.

personsonable-deactivated201908

me holding a gun to a mushroom: tell me the name of god you fungal piece of shit

mushroom: can you feel your heart burning? can you feel the struggle within? the fear within me is beyond anything your soul can make. you cannot kill me in a way that matters

me cocking the gun, tears streaming down my face: I’M NOT FUCKING SCARED OF YOU

miaislying

Hey OP? What the FUCK does this mean?

personsonable-deactivated201908

decay exists as an extant form of life

miaislying

That’s a terrifying answer, have a nice day

inky-duchess

Fantasy Guide to Royal Uniform (Male)

Like any job, being royal comes with its own uniform. For the men, there is usually some kind of military uniform. This is mainly because it is seen as a service to the country especially for younger sons of Royal houses to serve their country.

Tunic

This is the jacket of the uniform. Convential colours are usually red, black and dark blue though in fantasy works they can be any colour. The tunic was usually high-necked and long-sleeved.

Epaulette

The Epaulette is the shoulder piece of the uniform, usually fashioned with fringes and and a badge denoting rank or organisation.

Aiguillette

The aiguillette is the corded braid that runs over the shoulder of the uniform, usually pinned to a singular shoulder. The aiguillette is usually tipped with tags or a pointed tip. The size and thickness of the aiguillette denoted importance and rank.

Sash/Ribband

The sash is the strip of coloured fabric worn around the torso, pinned to shoulder and hip. The sash width and colour denoted rank or Station.

Uniform sleeve braid ranks

This is thick embroidery about the cuffs of the uniform, usually stitched in a particular fashion or colour.

Gorget patches

These patches of cloth are usually patches of cloth pinned to collars displaying insignia of regiments and ranks.

Orders and badges

These are badges given specifically to the person for being apart of a certain military rank or given as a sign of favor. Usually there are orders and badges named for past/present monarchs or religious figures, often dipicting their likeness.

inky-duchess

Fantasy Guide to Arranging Marriages

Marriages in fantasy, just like in history usually are dynastic and political moves that could make or break the future of the people getting married. As the writer, it is up to you to decide whether who marries who within your kingdom.

Match-up Map

One thing I found to match this process easier, is to make a list of the noble families in my kingdom or abroad including royals. List ages, gender and names of those unmarried in your kingdom. Make sure you plan with a meticulous plan before writing present weddings. Go back and see which lords married who and who has married the king, princes or princesses before the story begins as it can help with forming the political structure of your world.

Is it desire? No, business

Weddings are made for cementing alliances within kingdoms or with abroad. Each family wants something from the other they marry into, whether it be an heir, wealth or power. Let’s look at some examples

Margaret Beaufort, cousin and heir to the House of Lancaster, was married to Edmund Tudor, half brother of the king, in an effort to sire an heir. They were successful and Henry Tudor was born, becoming Henry VII after taking the throne of Richard III.

In Shakespeare in Love, Viola is married to Lord Wessex, only because she is rich and his family is impoverished. He is a gold digger basically.

Henry VII of England married Elizabeth of York to cement his power. A clever move as his claim on the throne was tremulous at best and could be easily waved off. Married to the eldest living child of the penultimate king, Edward IV, he boosted his power, merging York and Lancaster together.

All is fair in weddings and war

Wartime is a good time for marriages to be performed. The factions will strengthen their bonds by marriage. If one king fights another, he may turn to a third for aid offering to wed his son to a daughter of that king. This would unit them in the effort to win the war and remain friends afterwards.

During the Wars of the Roses, Isabel Neville, daughter to Warwick the Kingmaker, was married to the king’s brother George of Clarence in her father’s effort to dethrone Edward IV, a king he had already made, and crown George, making Isabel the Queen. This plot failed.

The Kingmaker would try a second time, this time marrying his daughter Anne to Edward of Westminster, the Lancastrian Prince of Wales who was the rival and enemy of York. This wedding bond two old enemies together and together they aimed to take the throne. It failed. Guess Warwick’s first king was made a little too well.

We’re all in this together, just on opposite sides tho

If a family has more than one heir, bank on the fact that they will marry into multiple other families. One sister could marry into a family and her brother could marry a bride from the rivals of that family. If all comes to all, the siblings could be going to war with one another. This can create a wealth of bad blood and fear between a family not to mention tear a kingdom apart.

Step by Step, get to that altar

So you have your list of eligible bachelors and desired brides. Now it is time to decide where we are going with them. There are 3 steps in the arranged marriage process. Talks, betrothal, wedding.

Talks is when the heads of the two factions meet to discuss the marriage. They could argue about dowries and lands or when to wed their heirs. This can be a drawn out process mind so just because they are talking about marriages in the first chapter don’t expect the wedding to happen soon depending on the delicacy of the marriage or the temperament of your families.

The betrothal is the engagement period. Once betrothed you are considered to be almost married up to actual ceremony. This period can last years or months depending on age or events that are happening. It can be broken off at any time due to a breakdown in alliances or death of a participant.

Wedding is when the deal is sealed. You need to, ahem, make things official in the bedroom before it is considered binding. Marriages can be put aside due to lack of consummation.

inky-duchess

Fantasy Guide to Royal Weddings

Yes, it has happened. Ms. Markle has married Prince Harry and it is a win for all. Or some shit like that. Fairytales don’t come true. Fantasy is the closest thing you will get to it.

In fantasy, Royal Weddings are not made for love. They are made for:

1. Alliances

Families marry their children to their allies or enemies to form an alliance. Marriages can be seen as a business merger, two companies coming together as one.

2. Acquisitions

Some marriages are made to gain something. Some spouses marry to gain money or lands or power.

3. Dynastic Reasons

Royal families or noble families sometimes marry certain spouses to continue bloodlines or to pass on a certain gene, let’s say a magic power or to pass on a right, like right to the throne.

4. Love

Yes, it does happen. Some marriages can be for love. Peasants even royalty will risk all for love. See the cases of Wallis Simpson and Elizabeth Woodville for ideas. Perhaps fairytales can come true.

inky-duchess

Fantasy Guide to Male Consorts

Kings rule and have Queens to rule beside them to love them, look pretty, have babies.

Zzzzzzzz….

Oh, shit, sorry. That was my attention fluttering away from this same old same old story. But what happens when the roles are reversed? What if the Queen rules and the royal hubby must stay home?

Modern Template

Writing this dynamic is barely different than writing a working mom and a stay at home dad. Relax your pants. You got this.

Shake up

In most fantasy settings women only have power if all the men are dead or away. But in this dynamic they have the power. This was a sticky pickle in historical times. Wedding vows usually insisted that the woman obey their menfolk. What does your male consort do if his wife is being disobedient? He can’t do shit because she is a queen.

Bitterness

Imagine if you won a race nine times out of ten without training. The last and most important race is won by somebody who has trained all their life. Cheater! Robbing you of victory! This is how a sexist dickhead consort may feel. This may be felt on a smaller level by a nice guy. His wife wears the trousers and he really has no say. Imagine the banter from his lads because of this.

Crown Matrimonial

This term means that if a guy marries a queen he may be entitled to be a joint monarch with her. This was really only attempted to be enforced in historic times namely Lord Henry Darnley to Mary, Queen of Scots.

It’s not always doom and gloom

Many consorts of history have served their queens and wives valiantly and lovingly as their lieutenants. Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg Gotha was Queen Victoria’s. Ferdinand of Aragon served Isabella of Castille’s whilst in the kingdom of Castille despite the fact he was king in his own right. And of course Prince Philip serves as Queen Elizabeth II’s.

Yet sometimes it can be

Men don’t like women in power. There I said it. Sorry guys but you may deny it but most of you might think that a man can do a better job (ask my girls Catherine the Great and Eleanor of Aquitaine if you think like this). It is ok. But harvest some of it for writing. Your prince consort may hate being second best. He might not want to kneel. Or maybe he only married your queen for land and the throne. Sometimes fairytales don’t come true

For @violet-eyes-silver-hair

inky-duchess

Fantasy Guide to Royal and Noble Marriages

Marriage is an important part of the life of both royal and nobles in any setting, either historical fiction or fantasy. Marriages are not only life long commitments but they are business and protection deals by families. These are strategies, not relationships. So how can we write them?

Why make a Marriage?

Marriage is at its heart, the seal on an agreement. Two families may come to an agreement to share resources, connections and support one another. For a noble family, it could be about elevation. For example, if the daughter of an Earl marries a Duke, her siblings can now make higher marriages and her family would be more important thanks to this link. It could even be about money. In the late Victorian - Early Edwardian period, many impoverished English peers married wealthy American women for their fortunes. In exchange, the women became titled aristocrats. Royal marriages are made for more universal perks. A royal marriage can change the political layout of the world, it could isolate a kingdom or be the starting gun or a war or end a years long conflict. For example, Kingdom A might be being threatened by Kingdom B. Kingdom C has a powerful military. Kingdom A might offer up a marriage deal to Kingdom C, with the caveat that C protect A from B. C would obligated to act if A gets attacked by B, since A is now an ally. A marriage cements the deal as it creates family ties, which is seen as a sort of permanent stamp on negotiations. After all, would you screw over family?

Marriages of Choice vs Arranged Marriages

Marriages can either be made on behalf of a royal/noble or made by themselves. An heir might be more restricted in this case whilst a younger children have a little more leeway especially if they are part of a large family.

Marriages are not always arranged. But that doesn't mean there aren't restrictions. Any royal or noble will have a list of certain attributes their spouse must have or certain attributes they cannot have. Marriages of choice have to be approved by parents (and the crown if you are a high ranking noble) and if you are royal, sometimes by the government itself.

Arranged marriages are agreements between two families. They might want each other's protection, support or they might simply want to do business together such as opening trade corridors or lifting embargoes on certain items. Arranged marriages are usually made on behalf of both spouses and they are expected to agree to the match for the sake of their family or country.

Screwing over the Deal

Making a marriage doesn't mean that the deal will last forever. Alliances change and circumstances shift. Whilst everyone may be all friendly during negotiations and for some time after, politics is the aim of the game. Treaties can be broken, war can break out and marriages can become unpopular choices. If a country has welcomed a bride/groom one day and then their country becomes the enemy, the bride/groom could become an enemy as well and face isolation and disrespect from the public - even their new family. However they are expected to be loyal to their new family and country, even over their own family and kingdom. These marriages have no promise of happiness. They are a job, a duty to ensure the family is taken care of and securing their futures.

Timeline of a Royal Marriage between Two Royal Families

Offer: The suggestion is made.

Negotiations: The discussion through ambassadors of what a marriage might entails, what each side is willing to provide or what they demand of the marriage. This can take weeks, months even years before a marriage is agreed.

Betrothal: Marriage is approved, treaty signed and the couple is engaged. Betrothals can last from anything from a few weeks to years

Wedding: If one spouse has to travel to their new home, they will travel to their new home and meet their new court, new family and their spouse. Once they arrive, the wedding will take place in a matter of days.

Married Life

These marriages are public, so it is expected for the couple to at least act civil. If they do not like one another or can't stand the sight of another or they just don't love each other, is irrelevant to society and their expectations. They are expected to attend certain events together, sire children and do their duty. There's no rules saying they must live together, so many lived separate lives. The higher ranking spouse is expected to provide their spouse with an allowance and a staff. For international marriages, spouses are not permitted to hire a large party of their own attendants even if they accompany them to their new country. They may keep one or two for company but a newly minted royal should not be waited on by foreign servants, they are a royal of their new kingdom now.

What makes a "good" marriage?

As mentioned above, marriages and relationships are expected to fall into certain perameters. Any spouse - chosen or assigned - should meet certain standards such as be of appropriate rank, follow societal norms and even sometimes be of the same religion. Marriages to anybody who falls out of these standards can be seen as a devasting move - the marriage of Edward IV is still remarked on as a contributing factor to the end of the Plantagenet dynasty. Making the wrong choice of spouse in society's eyes can lead to gossip, being shunned, being disrespected and even barred from succeeding to your birthright. Unequal marriages or morganatic marriages, can even bar children from succession, disallow the couple from attending events together and deny the spouse the style they ought to be entitled to - the marriage of Archduke Franz Ferdinand is a good example to study. A good marriage is seen as one that adheres to all the expectations of society - even if it is an unhappy one.

ijustwannawritepls

Underused Microexpressions for Attraction

We’ve done lip biting to death... Let’s evolve.

• Eyes flicking to someone’s mouth mid-sentence • Forgetting what they were about to say • Leaning in unconsciously • Mirroring posture without realizing • Smiling at something that wasn’t that funny • Adjusting hair or clothes when the other person enters • Noticing and remembering details no one else bothers to • A pause before pulling their hand away • Shoulders softening • Looking away first and then back again • Swallowing before speaking • Voice lowering slightly • Turning their body fully toward the other person • A delayed reaction to a touch

luna-azzurra

Hi! Since so many of you message me every day asking for eye-color prompts I’ve already made, I decided to put ALL my eye-prompts into one single post. From now on, every new eye-prompt I create will also be added here.

Feel free to reblog or save this post, so you always have the full collection at your fingertips.

I hope you like it. ⋆.˚ 🌙ྀིྀི .⭒˚

luna-azzurra

Quick Tips for Writing Food

(๑ᵔ⤙ᵔ๑) TEXTURE MATTERS MORE THAN TASTE!! "it tasted good" tells me nothing. "The crust shattered into a thousand buttery shards" or "gummy, like chewing a tire" NOW I'm there. Crunch, slime, melt, chew, squeak (yes some foods squeak and it's horrible)

(๑ᵔ⤙ᵔ๑) Food is memory!!! your character doesn't just eat chicken soup, they eat the chicken soup that tastes like being home sick from school, like their grandmother's kitchen, like the last good day before everything changed. FOOD CARRIES STORY!!

(๑ᵔ⤙ᵔ๑) Temperature is a character!! scalding coffee that burns your tongue, ice cream so cold it gives you a headache, room-temperature pizza at 2am that tastes like regret. Temperature changes the entire experience!!!

(๑ᵔ⤙ᵔ๑) The SOUND of eating reveals character. Do they slurp? Chew with their mouth open? Cut everything into tiny pieces? Eat standing over the sink? These tiny details tell you who someone IS

(๑ᵔ⤙ᵔ๑) Describe what it does, not what it is!! Don't say "the spicy curry" say "the curry that made her sinuses open up like floodgates and her eyes water and why did she think she could handle this"

(๑ᵔ⤙ᵔ๑) Use WEIRD comparisons. "tasted like chicken" is boring. "Tasted like what I imagine a leather couch feels like" or "sweet in that chemical way that makes your teeth hurt" get SPECIFIC and strange.

allthingswhumpyandangsty

“you cannot ship these two fictional characters because—” actually I can because they are not real people. they are just toys I play with. you cannot apply real-world morality to fiction or how strangers play with their imaginary toys in their imaginary sandboxes.

you can, however, curate your own internet experience by minding your own business, muting/blocking/scrolling past what upsets you but does not hurt anyone in real life in any way, shape or form.

lifehacksthatwork

Just a bunch of Useful websites - Updated for 2023

Removed/checked all links to make sure everything is working (03/03/23). Hope they help!

Sejda - Free online PDF editor.

Supercook - Have ingredients but no idea what to make? Put them in here and it’ll give you recipe ideas.

Still Tasty - Trying the above but unsure about whether that sauce in the fridge is still edible? Check here first.

Archive.ph - Paywall bypass. Like 12ft below but appears to work far better and across more sites in my testing. I’d recommend trying this one first as I had more success with it.

12ft – Hate paywalls? Try this site out.

Where Is This - Want to know where a picture was taken, this site can help.

TOS/DR - Terms of service, didn’t read. Gives you a summary of terms of service plus gives each site a privacy rating.

OneLook - Reverse dictionary for when you know the description of the word but can’t for the life of you remember the actual word.

My Abandonware - Brilliant site for free, legal games. Has games from 1978 up to present day across pc and console. You’ll be surprised by some of the games on there, some absolute gems.

Project Gutenberg – Always ends up on these type of lists and for very good reason. All works that are copyright free in one place.

Ninite – New PC? Install all of your programs in one go with no bloat or unnecessary crap.

PatchMyPC - Alternative to ninite with over 300 app options to keep upto date. Free for home users.

Unchecky – Tired of software trying to install additional unwanted programs? This will stop it completely by unchecking the necessary boxes when you install.

Sci-Hub – Research papers galore! Check here before shelling out money. And if it’s not here, try the next link in our list.

LibGen – Lots of free PDFs relate primarily to the sciences.

Zotero – A free and easy to use program to collect, organize, cite and share research.

Car Complaints – Buying a used car? Check out what other owners of the same model have to say about it first.

CamelCamelCamel – Check the historical prices of items on Amazon and set alerts for when prices drop.

Have I Been Pawned – Still the king when it comes to checking if your online accounts have been released in a data breach. Also able to sign up for email alerts if you’ve ever a victim of a breach.

I Have No TV - A collection of documentaries for you to while away the time. Completely free.

Radio Garden – Think Google Earth but wherever you zoom, you get the radio station of that place.

Just The Recipe – Paste in the url and get just the recipe as a result. No life story or adverts.

Tineye – An Amazing reverse image search tool.

My 90s TV – Simulates 90’s TV using YouTube videos. Also has My80sTV, My70sTV, My60sTV and for the younger ones out there, My00sTV. Lose yourself in nostalgia.

Foto Forensics – Free image analysis tools.

Old Games Download – A repository of games from the 90’s and early 2000’s. Get your fix of nostalgia here.

Online OCR – Convert pictures of text into actual text and output it in the format you need.

Remove Background – An amazingly quick and accurate way to remove backgrounds from your pictures.

Twoseven – Allows you to sync videos from providers such as Netflix, Youtube, Disney+ etc and watch them with your friends. Ad free and also has the ability to do real time video and text chat.

Coolors – Struggling to get a good combination of colors? This site will generate color palettes for you.

This To That – Need to glue two things together? This’ll help.

Photopea – A free online alternative to Adobe Photoshop. Does everything in your browser.

BitWarden – Free open source password manager.

Just Beam It - Peer to peer file transfer. Drop the file in on one end, click create link and send to whoever. Leave your pc on that page while they download. Because of how it works there are no file limits. It’s genuinely amazing. Best file transfer system I have ever used.

Atlas Obscura – Travelling to a new place? Find out the hidden treasures you should go to with Atlas Obscura.

ID Ransomware – Ever get ransomware on your computer? Use this to see if the virus infecting your pc has been cracked yet or not. Potentially saving you money. You can also sign up for email notifications if your particular problem hasn’t been cracked yet.

Way Back Machine – The Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites and loads more.

Rome2Rio – Directions from anywhere to anywhere by bus, train, plane, car and ferry.

Splitter – Seperate different audio tracks audio. Allowing you to split out music from the words for example.

myNoise – Gives you beautiful noises to match your mood. Increase your productivity, calm down and need help sleeping? All here for you.

DeepL – Best language translation tool on the web.

Forvo – Alternatively, if you need to hear a local speaking a word, this is the site for you.

For even more useful sites, there is an expanded list that can be found here.

allthingswhumpyandangsty

reblog if you’re anti censorship and against harassing real people over fictional characters

aquilacalvitium

Write it badly or it'll never be written

aquilacalvitium

Please keep interacting with this post because when I come to tumblr to procrastinate, this shows up again in my notifications and guilts me into writing again