Whimsy Central

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[theartofanimation]

Minato  -  https://www.artstation.com/artist/minato  -  https://twitter.com/@MINAT0  -  http://www.pixiv.net/member.php?id=11190  -  http://minato.parasite.jp  -  http://www.keibunsha-bambio.com/shopbrand/ct372  -  http://alice-books.com/item/list?circle_id=1038

[nintendette]

I need a Harvest Moon as family oriented as A Wonderful Life, but also very customizable like Animal Parade with as much character development as Mineral Town.

[fictionwritingtips]

How to Improve the Conflict in Your Story

If your story lacks conflict, there’s a good chance you won’t keep readers hooked. It’s almost impossible to go through a day without any conflict. For example, did you have trouble finding your keys? Could you find a parking spot at work or school? Did you forget to do some homework? This is all conflict, even if it’s nothing that will necessarily ruin your day.

 All characters need or want something, so this will be the source of your conflict and tension in your story. Your character needs to come across some obstacles. They need to be challenged. Without this conflict, your story will be incredibly boring.

 Here are a few tips to make your conflict stronger:

Include all kinds of conflict There are certain life-changing moments that will alter your main character’s life forever, but a novel needs to be made up of both big and small conflict. For example, your main character can suddenly be thrust into a situation where they need to stop the antagonist or the world will end, but they can also be a situation where they simply have a frustrating day. A small conflict does not lessen the bigger conflict, it actually helps humanize your main character and make them more relatable. We have both big and small moments in our life, but they all eventually add up and tell the story of us.

Focus on character values Conflict doesn’t work properly if you take away something your main character doesn’t care about. They need to really be fighting for something they believe in for it to matter to any of us. Think about what your main character values most. Their family? Love? Friendship? It can even be something like freedom or the ability to make their own choices. If any of those things are threatened, that will create incredible conflict that we all care about. If your character feels deeply about something, they’re going to be extra motivated to save it.

Raise the stakes There needs to be some risk involved in order to create conflict. If the conflict is easily resolved and will not change your main character’s day-to-day activities, it will get boring really fast. Writing a novel isn’t just about conflict/resolution, it’s also about sustaining that conflict throughout your novel. Say your main character needs to get to a location. The journey itself might be difficult enough just getting there, but then he comes across a dragon that he has to defeat. That’s raising the stakes of the original conflict. Making things more and more difficult until there’s finally a resolution will create suspense. You have to keep adding on to it.

-Kris Noel

[wrathfulclam]

Instant Magic: Using Prepackaged Spice Mixes

Adobo Seasoning Mix: Adobo is a traditional Mexican spice mix containing paprika, black pepper, onion pepper, oregano, cumin, hot chilies, and garlic powder. Magical uses include protection, banishing, or hex breaking. Combine half a jar of adobo seasoning mix with two cups of corn flour. Sprinkle around the outside of your home to get rid of negative energies.

Apple Pie Spice: A combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom, apple pie spice is the perfect mix for spicing things up with your partner! Dress a red candle in grape-seed or olive oil- avoiding the wick- and roll it in apple pie spice. Burn while spending time with your lover. Or sprinkle this mix over a self-lighting charcoal instead.

Cajun Seasoning Mix: Generally a blend of paprika, salt, black and white peppers, garlic, onion powder, thyme, and cayenne, Cajun seasoning is perfect for strong protection. Use this mix to form circles when doing important works. Sprinkle just a pinch in the hoes of someone who needs a little watching over.

Chili Powder: Made with salt, hot chilies, onion, oregano, and garlic, chili powder is great for keeping away illness. Leave out tiny bowls of chili powder- out of reach of pets and children- during cold and flu season to help ward off illness.

Chinese Five-Spice Powder: Chinese Five-Spice Powder is an amazing blend of star anise, fennel seed, cinnamon, hot peppers, cloves, ginger, and licorice root. This mix lends itself to several kinds of herbal magic, including love spells, spells for igniting passion, and even spells for retaining information.

Cinnamon Sugar: With sugar sweetening a person or situation and cinnamon speeding up a spell, the two work great together when you need to get someone on your side quickly. Serve cinnamon toast to someone who could use some convincing. Sprinkling a little of the mix where you know a person will walk might influence them to look more kindly on your situation.

Curry Powder: Curry powder recipes can vary greatly brand to brand, so it’s helpful that the mix already has some traditional uses! Turn to curry powder for protection, memory retention, and fertility spells.

Montreal Steak Seasoning: A combination of paprika, black and red peppers, garlic, salt, onion, dill, and coriander, this spice mix contains many of the individual ingredients you’d need to protect yourself or your home from ghosts or other negative energies. Create four small cloth pouches, fill them with this blend, and hang one in each of the farthest corners of your home.

Pickling Spice: Pickling spice can contain a wide variety of herbs and spices, but most are a mix of mustard seed, coriander, black pepper, dill, fennel seed, celery seed, and bay leaf. This combination can be used for many different intents, such as protection from ghosts or luck, lust, and wish magic.

Pumpkin Pie Spice: Pumpkin pie spice is one of my all-time favorite blends. I usually carry a small container of this mixture of cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, and allspice in my on-the-go kit to add to almost any spell to “speed it up.” It’s also a great blend for business ventures, money draw, and simple healing spells.

Source: Mrs. B’s Guide to Household Witchery- Kris Bradley

[breelandwalker]

This book is in my library and I absolutely adore it. :)

[recreationalwitchcraft]

DIY Magical Shower Disks

So you have seen our lovely bath magic spells but you cannot take a bath. Maybe you don’t have a bath in your current residence, maybe you are physically unable to use bathtubs, maybe you’re just super stretched for time but want to get in some extra magical umph. Recreational Witchcraft is here for you. 

Shower disks are traditionally used in the aromatherapy world to relieve congestion and other flu-symptoms while showering via the use of essential oils, but we will be bumping up their magical potential.

Basic recipe:

1 cup baking soda 

1 tablespoon corn starch

1/3 cup of water

Muffin tins and muffin liners

Combine baking soda and corn starch (making sure there are no clumps), then slowly add in the water. Fill lined muffin tins about third of the way, then leave out for 24 hours to dry completely. Carefully take them out of the liners, add your essential oils, and place your disk somewhere in your shower that will allow them to dissolve slowly while you do your business. Bam. You’re done. 

Now onto the magic. All dry ingredients (herbs, spices, etc) should be added in with the baking soda and corn starch before the water is added. All essential oils should be added right before they’re used (so when they’re completely dry).

Cleansing and Purifying:

essential oil of rosemary

essential oil of lemongrass

dried peppermint leaves

dried lemon rinds

dried rosemary

Protection:

essential oil of lavender

essential oil of eucalyptus

dried basil leaves

dried lavender flowers

pinch of ground cloves

Glamour:

essential oil of sweet orange

essential oil of rose

essential oil of jasmine

crushed red rose petals

pinch of (body safe) glitter

Attracting Love:

vanilla extract

essential oil of jasmine

essential oil of ylang ylang

apple seeds

1 lavender flower

pinch of cinnamon

Attracting Money:

essential oil of patchouli

essential oil of juniper berry

dried mint leaves

dried thyme

pinch of allspice

[foodffs]

Spinach and Artichoke Pasta Recipe

Really nice recipes. Every hour.

Show me what you cooked!

[formerlymyladymother-blog]

i hate when people are like “only dogs can give u love and affection cats are cold and elusive” like okay dog person if you had ever actually owned a cat you would know they are the neediest fucking creatures on the planet

cats will literally sit on your head until you pay attention to them

[mammacarnage]

That proves the point, they want attention, they want you to pay attention to them not them!

[myutsuumoved-deactivated2014052]

cats show affection and love in their own way

for example

actually holding eye contact with you and blinking slowly is how cats ‘kiss’

cats choose to sleep or sit next to you even if you’re busy when they have a million other places to be because they like your company

they consider positive attention love

when they ‘headbutt’ you it’s called ‘bunting’ and it’s how they show affection

when they knead you it’s because they feel comforted

they think of you petting them as grooming- it makes them feel good so they will ask for you to pet them (or demand) especially if they’re feeling sad

cats like to step on you because they mark you with their scent from their little feet telling other cats BACK THE FUCK OFF THIS HUMAN IS MINE

cats will lick you or groom you because they want you to be clean and happy

they bring you dead things because they don’t want you to starve

cats think of humans as parents whereas dogs think of humans as the alpha dog

http://catpsychology.org/

[niimonn]

I get asked a lot how I blend/color skin so here you go! I suck at making tutorials but I hope this makes some sense???

Also hello yes it’s my Inquisitor.

[dolichomorph]

i wonder if magic is real, but only in a really mundane way.

when i was little i could almost inerringly switch back to disney channel right as the ads ended when i was channel surfing.

maybe youve never accidentally crushed a ladybug underfoot. maybe your microwave popcorn never burns. maybe you can spin around lots and lots of times before you get dizzy.

is that magic??

honestly im not sure if these are magic or just small, invisible skills. im not sure which i like better.

[lady-kaede-deactivated20181029]

My ankles never twist.  I’ve always been rather active, I did track for five years (all the running events), and one time while running I stepped in a hole, lost my shoe, and landed sprawling about five feet away.  I pulled my shoe on and kept running.

I have a coworker who somehow makes better coffee than everyone else even though the grounds come pre-measured and all you have to do is load them up and push a button.  I have a friend who has inch long nails that never break.  My brother can copy origami just by looking at the finished product and my mother can do the same with knots.  I knew a guy who never made an error when typing.

Maybe we all have little magics, the kind that you don’t realize you have.  Just tiny things that make your life slightly better but are completely unnoticed on the outside.

[mark-usmiani]

I tried real hard to get these done, but it just seems like I won’t make it to midnight. Here are some Mass Effect emoticons for N7 Day. I’m sorry I failed you guys. 

[whimsygame]

Don't be too hard on yourself! These are nice!!! <3

[witchtips]

I highly recommend The Modern Guide To Witchcraft by Skye Alexander for beginners. Available here, here, and here.

[imawitchywitch]

This I need

[incensepotionsandplants]

I want this.

[whimsygame]

A wip shot of Niathle's portrait.  Tumblr tends to screw up and stretch all my pixel work for some reason. Children are like super hard to draw, as it turns out... ^^;;

[whimsygame]

Slow walk and RUNRUN.

[whimsygame]

!!! SPOILERS !!!
A second smol child in a pretty dress! Why is this a thing?? She is another Very Important Plot Related Character.

[whimsygame]

All 3 of the models side-by-side.  I’m thinking of doing two ‘characters’ of each gender unless I can figure out an employable way to make hair/facial customizing a thing.

We have ‘Alex,’ ‘Jordan,’ and ‘Charlie’ here. (Unisex names ftw.)

[whimsygame]

!!! SPOILERS !!! A Very Important Character (at least as far as the story goes). She wears a pretty puffy dress with an insane collar/waist thing that I haven’t finished designing yet. But, this came out REALLY well. I’m excited.

[whimsygame]

I already turned the tablet off so I didn't get a shot of the agender PC. This is take 3 of the player base, AKA the third time I've redone it. I am a glutton for punishment. -.- You'll get to choose between a boy (he:him), agender (they:them) or girl (she:her) character.