jiyascoffeeshop

[jiyascoffeeshop]

- Victorian Flower Language (B)

ig: @phantomofthearchives | no reposts!

Dating back to the Victorian times, floriography was used as a means of coded communication through various flowers and floral arrangements, allowing people to express feelings which otherwise could not be spoken. (cr. allflorists.com) Floriography can be used as symbolism in writing. Part B.

Baby's Breath: Innocence, Pure of heart

Bachelor Button: Single blessedness, Hope

Balloon Flower: Endless love, honesty

Balm: Sympathy

Balsam: Ardent Love

Barberry: Bad temper

Begonia: A fanciful nature

Bells of Ireland: Good luck

Bird of Paradise: Symbol of faithfulness

Bittersweet: Truth

Black Bryont/Lady's Seal: Be my support

Bluebell: Humility, Constancy

Bouvardia: Enthusiasm

Broom: Humility, Neatness

Buck Bean: Calm repose

Burdock: Touch me not

Buttercup: Childishness

[jiyascoffeeshop]

- Writing Rebellions

ig: @phantomofthearchives | no reposts!

Good evening, archivists! A rebellion is the action or process of resisting a pre-established authority or figure of power. While most fictional media texts make out rebellion work to be quick and easy, its almost never like that.

In order to write one that'll leave a lasting impression on your reader, its important to understand that there are many different factors coming into play. Here are some tips on how to write believable rebellions!

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Causes

Why was there a need for a rebellion in the first place? What was the inciting incident? What or who was the inspiration behind the idea?

These can be anything ranging from religious, political, social, economical or cultural differences to desires for power and prestige. Maybe an important personality's death caused by another important personality caused outrage. Maybe the taxes imposed on the lower classes got too straining over time. Maybe its a combination of all of these things. There's almost never just one reason behind a movement.

Remember, the stronger your cause will be, the better and more believable the rebellion will turn out to be. Its a good decision to spend some time on this if you're going to be writing rebellions into your WIP.

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Members:

Causes like rebellions aren't something people volunteer for out of the goodness of their hearts. So, not everyone joining the rebellion will be doing it for the same reason. Someone's doing it for revenge, someone's doing it in hopes of achieving a better lifestyle, someone's doing it for the sake of blood. So on.

However, this does mean that there will be strains amongst the rebellion itself. If there are people of different backgrounds and cultures joined under the cause of fighting against unfair taxes, there will be general distrust among them. If there are people of the same background and culture joining under the cause of defending their customs, some will want power more than the others, etc.

Who makes up the rebellion? Who's in charge? Who's at disadvantage? Who's benefitting most? What cause are they united under? Is the rebellion united or internally broken?

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Locations

For the most part, rebellions generally aren't centered in just one location. An organized group with smart leaders wouldn't be keeping itself grounded, but would rather be divided into individual missions and conquests.

This is especially true for a rebellion working on a larger scale, and is a smart move as retaliations from the opponents won't be able to wipe out the whole movement in one blow.

Which locations is your rebellion centered around? Why are these locations important? How do they benefit the movement? What purposes do they serve? What would happen if one of these locations were to fall in the hands of the enemy?

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Supplies

Your rebellion is going to be needing a lot of supplies for personal use if they intend to stay active for a long period of time. Thievery helps, but only in the short term. They need a reliable, long-term supply to fund the movement's constant needs.

Food and clean water are absolute necessities, and medicine and hygiene products are essential too. Likewise, cleaning and sanitation materials, everyday hardware and tools, clothing and money are all necessary items to have.

However, its also very likely that they're going to be running short in some places. Being rebels, it won't be easy for them to secure everything they need. In these situations, they're going to have to turn to alternatives such as thievery.

Where does your rebellion get their supplies from? What do they have in abundance? What are they lacking? Where can they get it from? How will they get it? What's the overall estimate of the storage? How long will it last?

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Don't Add Rebellions for the Sake of it

Its not uncommon to add something to your WIP just for the sake of the aesthetic and what it entails. However, you can't get away with everything you decide to put in it, especially if its something that stands out as much as a rebellion.

Decide, does your WIP really need it? What will happen if there's no rebellion? How badly will the plot be affected? Can the rebellion be substituted with something else?

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I feel like YA books nowadays romanticize rebellions into these noble acts of bravery against supposed cruelty and injustice. Its important to remember that it is never just the good and the bad, but many different layers in between. Decide whether your rebellion fights for the world's common ideology or against it. What lengths are they willing to go to achieve it?

Even after you have all these questions answered, more are going to spring up soon. What happens after the rebellion? Did they win? Did they lose? How? Why? Its important to spend time developing even minor details that will gradually build up your WIP. Best of luck, and happy writing!

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(partial credits: springhole.net.com)

[jiyascoffeeshop]

☆ Writing Fictional Festivals

ig: @phantomofthearchives | no reposts!

Good evening, archivists! A festival is a day or period of celebration celebration, typically for religious reasons. Festivals are a major part of almost every culture there is, and would be a great addition to your WIP's fantasy culture and worldbuilding. Here are some tips on how to write fictional festivals!

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Origins

Where did your holiday come from? What made people start to celebrate a certain event, so much so that it became a festival? What is it based on? Take inspiration from real life to help you make these decisions. Most holidays we know today came from religious events. Your WIP can have festivals for something like the rise of Deity A or festivals for the fall of Demon B. Possibilities are endless.

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Who participates? Who doesn't?

Do you have to be a certain age to participate? A certain gender? Have a certain history or background? Or is it mandatory for everyone to attend? Why? Festivals for harvests can be for farmers and merchants, festivals for deities can be for the overall population of that faith, festivals for women can be for, well, women, etc.

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Where do the events take place?

Do you have to go to a certain place to celebrate? Are you forbidden from celebrating at a certain place? Why? These can be things like places were deities are known to appear, places deities are known to avoid, etc.

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What's the time period?

Does the festival last one day or several? Do the dates change every year, or do they remain the same? Historically, festivals and holidays were centered around natural phenomenon like lunar cycles, seasons, equinoxes, harvests, etc. Your WIP can include festivals honoring spring deities in, say, April, and honoring autumunal ones in September.

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What are some traditions/mandatory practices associated with the festival?

Traditions can include anything like sacrifices, pilgrimages, the wearing of certain clothes or accessories, avoidance of certain things like alcohol, mandatory revelry, etc.

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What symbolism does the festival carry?

Festivals have long symbolized offerings to deities or nature for plentiful harvests, safe sea voyages, successful marriages, or blessings in general. What does your fictional festival symbolize? Is it an offering for blessings or a sacrifice for protection? Why does it inspire these things? Will something bad happen if you don't celebrate?

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Extras

Who officiates the event? Do they have certain mandatory animals? What's the decor like? What's forbidden during the festival? How does/Why does the festival get cancelled or postponed? Etc

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That's all for this one! It never hurts to take inspiration from real life and how people celebrate. Happy writing!

[jiyascoffeeshop]

— victorian flower language (a)

instagram: @/shatteredglassslippers | no reposts!

dating back to the Victorian times, floriography was used as a means of coded communication through various flowers and floral arrangements, allowing people to express feelings which otherwise could not be spoken. (cr. allflorists.com)

floriography may be used as symbolism in writing.

abor vitae: unchanging friendship

acacia: friendship, beauty in retirement

acacia (rose + white): elegance, friendship

acacia (yellow): secret love

aconite: beware

agapanthus: secret love

agrimony: thankfulness

allium: unity, humility, patience

almond blossom: hope

alstroemeria: devotion, wealth, prosperity, fortune

alyssum: worth beyond beauty

amaryllis: pride, timidity, splendid beauty

ambrosia: your love is reciprocated

anemone: forsaken, expectations

apple blossom: better things to come, good fortune

arbutus: thee only do i love

arum: ardour

asparagus: fern fascination

asphodel: my regrets follow you to the grave

aster: symbol of love, daintiness

aster (chinese): fidelity, variety, i will think of thee

azalea: take care, temperance, fragile / chinese symbol of womanhood

[jiyascoffeeshop]

☆ Writing Libraries

ig: @phantomofthearchives | no reposts!

Good morning, archivists! This post probably has nothing to do with your WIP, but if you're writing an academic fantasy of sorts, it won't hurt to have this opened on the side :D A library is a collection of materials, books, or media that are easily accessible for use and not just for display purposes.

Depending on which time period your story is set in, the libraries can be physical or completely virtual, and have resources that will greatly depend on the technological advancement of said time period.

Libraries are also a good way to avoid infodumps and provide a background for filler scenes. Here's a short overview!

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Contents:

Library collections generally tend to include books (surprise), periodicals, newspapers, manuscripts, films, maps, prints, documents, microform, CDs, cassettes, videotapes, DVDs, Blu-Ray, e-books and audiobooks. Depending on your time era, your world's libraries can have some, all, or none of these.

Things your fictional libraries can include are legends, genealogies, records, rulebooks, guides on how to hunt monsters, diagrams on how to summon spells, so on so forth. You can tailor your library's contents to fit the needs of both the story and the characters, or just provide some interesting background information.

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Spaces:

Libraries often provide quiet areas for studying, and also often have common areas to facilitate group study and collaboration. They also provide public facilities such as access to the internet.

Your library's public services can include latest information on xyz topic, globes, maps, newspapers, etc. This again depends on how advanced your world is.

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Librarians/Information Specialists

Libraries are usually staffedd by a combination of professionally-trainned librarians or information managers, paraprofessional staff otherwise referred to as library technicians, and support staff.

They are responsible and/or hold knowledge of the accessibility of the collection, acquisition of materials, arrangement, influence of the physical properties of the different writing materials, language distribution, roles in education, rates of literacy, budgets, staffing, etc.

Library staffing can make for an interesting plot point, especially if your characters are in search of a piece of information just out of reach. A tampered source material, wrong directions, or removal of a book entirely can contribute to your character's defeat or setback.

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Type of libraries include:

Academic Libraries:

Academic libraries are generally located on college and university campuses, and primarily serve the students and faculty of that and other academic institutions. Academic libraries create services in order to enhance literary levels in their own communities.

Their main functions are to provide support in research, consultancy and resource linkage. Academic libraries house current, reliable and relevant information resources. Specific course-related resources are usually provided by the library, such as copies of textbooks and article readings.

Academic libraries can be divided into subjects, years of findings, source material credibility, etc.

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National Libraries

A national or state library serves as a national holding of indormation, and has the right of legal deposit. Legal deposit is a legal requirement that requires publishers in the country to deposit a copy of each publication within the library. Often, their collections include numerous rare, valuable, or significant works.

Plus points if you make your characters break into one to get a super specific piece of information.

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Public Libraries

A public library provides services to the general public. If the library is part of a countywide library system, citizens with an active library card from around that county can use the library branches associated with the library system. Much of the materials located within a public library are available for borrowing.

Many public libraries also serve as community organizations that provide free services and events to the public, such as reading groups and toddler story time. This can be an interesting way to add background events or minor sub-plots to your story.

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Reference Libraries

A reference library does not lend books and other items; instead, they can only be read at the library itself. Typically, such libraries are used for research purposes. Some items at reference libraries may be historical and even unique. Many lending libraries contain a "reference section", which holds books, such as dictionaries, which are common reference books, and are therefore not lent out.

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Research Libraries:

A research library is a collection of materials on various subjects. A research library supports scholarly or scientific research and will generall6 include both primary and secondary sources. It maintains permanent collections and provide access to all necessary materials.

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That's all! Libraries are a really great background or plot point to use if you want to, and they do a wonderful job in contributing to your WIP's aesthetic. Happy writing!

[jiyascoffeeshop]

- Fictional Social Norms

ig: @phantomofthearchives | no reposts!

Good morning, archivists! A norm refers to a standard of social behavior expected of a people group. Norms can be formal (i.e. instituted by law or religion) or informal (i.e. widely regarded as acceptable though not systematically enforced).

Incorporating such norms into your story helps convey important themes, develop plot and characters, and overall makes a good impact on your reader. Remember, they're reading about a whole new world. They're going to want to be immersed in the subconcious happenings to make the plot more believable. Here are some things to keep in mind!

Gender Norms

According to savethechildren.org, gender norms are social principles hat govern the behavior of different identities in society and restrict their gender identity into what is considered to be appropriate. Gender norms are neither static nor universal and change over time.

According to plannedparenthood.org, gender roles in society refer to how we're expected to act, speak, dress, groom, and conduct ourselves based upon our assigned sex. For example, girls and women are generally expected to dress in typically feminine ways and be polite, accommodating, and nurturing.

Your fictional world can have entirely new gender norms of its own, or blueprint the real world ones. Who's the common breadwinner? Who is expected to fight if there's a war? Who's in charge of domestic responsibilities?

Your world or culture can either have one whole set of norms, or different ones depending on the area. For example, in Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, the women in Fjerda were expected to stay home and tend to domestic responsibilities as opposed to Ravka, where both men and women were expected to fight. On the other hand, in Ketterdam, gender norms didn't matter much as it was every person for themselves.

Socio-Economic roles

In simple terms, socioeconomic status refers to the status of someone in society according to their economical and sociological factors. These factors include occupation, education, income, wealth, and residence.

Socioeconomic standards can often lead to inequities regarding access to resources such as healthcare, and develop issues related to privelege, power and control. For example, a nobleman getting into a run with the law won't be treated as harshly as a commoner arrested for the same offense.

Your world can have some socioeconomic factors such as wealth have a higher priority than, say, education. Socioeconomic factors will significantly affect how well and how long your characters live. These factors will affect their ability to make healthy choices, afford medical care and housing, manage stress, etc.

Criminal Behavior (and punishment)

Criminal behaviors can include anything the government or the society think deserve punishment. Such behaviors include arson, kidnapping, thievery, etc.

Common punishmente for criminal punishment include retribution, deference, rehabilitation, and incapacitation.

What behaviors are considered punishable in your world? What are their accepted, formally enforced punishments (by governmental officials). What are some informally enforced punishments (by the offended, society, etc)?

Actions Commonly considered Improper or Immoral

This correlates with the previous point, in that that what is widely considered punishable. However, this point refers to more sociological standards than governmental ones. Eyecontact with a superior, speaking before spoken to, removing veils or masks, the lists goes on. Anything that your society will view as something that goes against their norms and expectations.

These can be sensitive things to talk about, so my primary advice would be to do proper research before attributing something to any of these categories. Happy writing!

[jiyascoffeeshop]

— writing magic systems

instagram: @/jiyasbluebells | no reposts !

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as fun as fantastical powers can be to write, crafting your magic system with care is key. it is one of the the most important things to spend working one, especially if your wip has magic in it.

here are some questions to help !

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— questions to ask (related to magic)

· how does magic manifest? (is it vaporous, sparkly, smoky, etc)

· what fuels the use of magic? (physical aptitude, knowledge, practice, etc)

· can it manifest independently, or does it require tools to channel it through? (wands, staffs, amulets, etc)

· where does magic source its power? (artifacts, gemstones, user, etc)

· does the use of magic come with a cost? (these can include negative things like fatigue or exhaustion, or positive ones that make the user ~glow~)

· does magic depend on the user, or is it capable of being an independent force?

· can magic be used immoraly? if so, what makes a certain use of magic 'immoral'?

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— questions to ask (related to history)

· how did magic come into existence?

· is magic a limited source? if yes, what are some limiting factors, and what are some ways to overcome them? was it always limited, or did a certain event in its history cause it to be limited?

· are there different types of magic, or did magic diversify over time? if so, how?

· what important historical events were affected or associated by the use (or failure to use) of magic?

· are there magical societies / a hierchy of magic users? if so, how did these hierarchies or societies come to be?

· do magic users have their own terminologies, languages, religions, festivals, and/or other cultural tradition?

· are magic users considered the minority? if so, did they always exist in small numbers, or did they recede over time? if so, how and why?

· (vice versa) are magic users considered the majority? if so, did they always exist in large numbers, or did they exceed over time? if so, how and why?

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— questions to ask (related to society)

· is magic kept a secret? if so, why? (reasons may include fear from non-magic communities, feelings of superiority from the magical communities in efforts to keep their abilities from the non-magic ones, persecution, etc)

· is magic a legal practice? if no, why? if yes, what are some laws surrounding it? (to uphold secrecy, to avoid persecution, etc)

· is magic a good thing or a bad thing? why?

· is the use of magic scorned and envied by society, or reverened and admired?

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— questions to ask (related to individuals)

· who is allowed to / who can use magic?

· what are magic users called?

· how does a user summom magic?

· is magic inherited, gifted, obtained, stolen, or learned?

· are there multiple types of magic users? if so, what are they called? what differentiates them? do they have internal prejudices between them?

· can one's magical ability be stolen or suppressed? if so, how?

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— questions to ask (bells and whistles / fun things to add)

· what themes does magic discuss? (greed, privilege, oppression, authoritarianism, freedom, creativity, will, etc)

· what dangers does magic pose to the user, to the environment, and to an opponent?

· can magic users be identified by their clothing, appearance, or some other physical factor?

· how can a magic user be defeated?

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its important to understand that crafting a magic system is no small thing, and these questions barley scratch the surface.

take inspiration from magic systems you like, scour the internet, and spend time working on it. get a friend or two to ask you questions in order to help you develop it better.

— happy writing ! ☁️

[jiyascoffeeshop]

A little unhinged, always disheveled

Clothes and hands have marker stains on them

Going mad from the sheer weight of knowledge in the most beautiful way

Chewed lips and fingernails

Room full of empty cups

Theses on the smallest, most insignificant of subjects

Lab coats and sweatpants

Ideas and explanations no one but them can understand

(keep going...)

The Dark Academia Physicist

Spend hours reading about natural sciences

It is not easy, but it's beautiful

(keep going...)