newdog14writes

[newdog14writes]

things people do in real world dialogue:

• laugh at their own jokes

• don’t finish/say complete sentences

• interrupt a line of thought with a sudden new one

• say ‘uh’ between words when unsure

• accidentally blend multiple words together, and may start the sentence over again

• repeat filler words such as ‘like’ ‘literally’ ‘really’ ‘anyways’ and ‘i think’

• begin and/or end sentences with phrases such as ‘eh’ and ‘you know’, and may make those phrases into question form to get another’s input

• repeat words/phrases when in an excited state

• words fizzle out upon realizing no one is listening

• repeat themselves when others don’t understand what they’re saying, as well as to get their point across

• reply nonverbally such as hand gestures, facial expressions, random noises, movement, and even silence

[newdog14writes]

Felinette Month: Day 11

In honor of Felinette month, and of the prompt Ballroom Dancing, please enjoy an excerpt from an in progress Felinette story, To Find the Rose Within the Thorns, the second installment of my miraculous fairytale re-writes. This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and I hope you enjoy this sneak peak!

Oh, and make sure to check out @felinettenovember for even more submissions, the blog is a treasure trove of Felinette content.

Marinette looked at her reflection in awe as the magic faded. She now wore a black ball gown, with layers and layers of black chiffon draped across the skirt. Red vines and flowers were embossed on the edges of the skirt and around the bodice, and red silk roses secured the delicate drape of the top layers. Delicate black organza wrapped around her shoulders, held in place by another red rose. She lifted her skirt, and found that the underside was entirely red, and she wondered if it would be visible when she danced. Her hair was pulled back into a partial updo by red ribbons, and her arms were covered by black silk gloves.

The gown was everything Marinette had pictured, her sketches brought to life. She twirled in front of the mirror, and to her delight she saw that the red did peek out as her skirt flared with the movement.

“You have quite the eye for design,” Clara said, her voice taking on a delighted lilt. “I’ve never seen a dress so fine.”

“Thank you, Clara, you’re much too kind,” Marinette said, smiling widely at the woman turned wardrobe. A clock chimed the time, a real, true clock, which had never been a person, and Marinette took one last glance at her reflection before turning to leave the room. “I’ll see you later, though I hate to leave you behind.”

“Don’t worry for me, just have fun!” Clara said, and while Marinette couldn’t see her smile, she could certainly hear it. “Your very own ball has just begun!”

Marinette made her way through the empty halls of the castle, toward the ballroom she had discovered a few days earlier. She wasn’t sure what to expect from the room, when she last saw it it had been covered in layers of dust and cobwebs from the years of disuse, but Allegra had declared that the staff would have it back in shape by her next visit. She’d seen rooms be transformed by the staff before; the library had been brightened up considerably since her first visit, and the dining hall had been refurbished and cleaned up until it looked like a room that truly belonged in a castle. So she knew that despite the dark and dreary atmosphere of the castle, it had once been very grand indeed, and every part of it had the potential to be grand again.

Even knowing that, when Marinette stepped through the great doors and into the ballroom, she still found herself gasping in awe at the sight before her. The room was glittering and glowing with hundreds of candles, and each flame played off the crystal chandelier and the perfectly polished floor. The walls and ceilings were gilded in gold, bright and shining all around her, and the windows had been cleaned and mended, giving her a breathtaking view of the moonlit gardens outside.

And in the center of the room, looking back at her will all the awe Marinette herself was feeling, was Félix. He’d traded his usual ragged clothing for a proper suit, and as he held his hand out to her Marinette thought that she could really see the prince he had once been. He was still the same shadowy, catlike figure as ever, and his green eyes still burned like bright fire, but she could see the nervousness in his stance, and the hope that entered his expression when she took his hand and smiled.

Félix bowed to her, which she didn’t think princes usually did, and she curtseyed in return, then moved into first position. Marinette had never had an occasion for proper ballroom dancing before, but Claude and Allan had taken it upon themselves to try and teach her the basics. Their being a candlestick and a clock made mimicking them a bit difficult, but Marinette did her best to keep their instructions in mind.

Across the room, on a raised stage, a piano began to play a simple waltz. Félix led her through the steps, gently correcting her when needed, and after a few rotations Marinette was confident that she’d gotten all the steps down.

“You look beautiful,” Félix said, quietly enough that had she not been so close she might not have heard. “And the dress turned out wonderfully.”

Marinette blushed a bit, taking a moment as he twirled her to try and keep her composure. She was still blushing though, when he pulled her back into position. “Thank you. Though I would expect any dress made by magic would turn out beautifully.”

“The book might bring your drawings to life, but it can’t make them better than they originally were,” Félix said. His ears flattened in a way that Marinette had come to read as being embarrassed. “Believe me, that dress is more a product of your talent and imagination than any magic.”

Marinette’s blush deepened, but then the music changed, shifting into something faster and more complex, and really, she should have expected that Jaggard wouldn’t keep up such a simple melody for long. Félix kept guiding her through the steps, steady but gentle, and Marinette let herself relax into the glide and twirl of the dance. This was unlike any of the dances her town had hosted, which were loud and chaotic but fun. This was easy grace and careful coordination, and it left Marinette with a feeling that she couldn’t quite name. Spinning around the ballroom floor with Félix felt like magic, but of a different sort than what had brought her dress to life, or left the castle cursed. It was magic like the moment of inspiration for a new design, or the first bite of a freshly baked cookie, or a hug from someone you care for; it was warm and bright and she wanted to see where it might take her.

[newdog14writes]

“This is your daily, friendly reminder to use commas instead of periods during the dialogue of your story,” she said with a smile.

[newdog14writes]

Advice on Writing Thieves, Assassins, or Other Stealthy Characters

I’ve put a lot of research into this, and I’ve seen a lot of great rogue-like characters, where the author was clearly unsure as to how they perform their criminal activities. If you feel the need to ask why I know this stuff, my main writings are for a book series called “A Thief’s War,” which should be more than enough explanation. I swear I’m not personally a thief.

Anyway, here we go:

Lockpicking:

I’ve seen some stories where characters grab a paperclip, and boom, no lock can stop them. I’ve also seen some where master thieves take a hammer and smash the lock.

A lock has a series of tumblers in it, each of which need to click into place for it to unlock. A key’s design is usual exactly what it must be to get these tumblers into the proper position.

There are a wide array of shapes and sizes for lockpicks, and if you’re going to go around picking locks, you’re going to need more than one. There is no universal lockpick. Furthermore, for some reason a lot of people don’t include the secondary locking tool: a lock wrench. This is used to turn the the lock, and to keep the tumblers in place once you’ve appropriately placed them with the lockpick.

A lockpicker will know that a tumbler is in place when they hear it click, but the noise is usually quiet, so they’ll often have their ear close to the door.

Can you pick a lock with a paperclip? Yes, but it’s hard as hell, and a paperclip won’t fit into all locks. Not to mention it’s a pain turning the lock once the tumblers are in place.

 With code locks, a lot of movies or books show someone pressing their ear closely to the lock, whilst turning it, and listening for a click when it hits the right number. This actually works. These are the most useless goddamn locks in history.

Now, if you’re writing modern day, with smart locks and various other such tech, I’m afraid I can’t help. I haven’t studied that as much. Though, the previous advice will help for most locks, and that information still applies to basically all types of lock that aren’t incredibly expensive.

Sneaking:

The dashing rogue slips through the shadows, his cloak billowing behind him, and somehow none of the dozen patrolling guards walking right by happen to notice him.

Yeah, that’s not how it works.

Sneaking involves a lot of remaining very still, knowing your surroundings, and holding your breath.

A thief infiltrating a house will scout it out, usually for weeks in advance. Sometimes they’ll pose as various businessmen, and try to get the owners of the house let them in for a while so they can study the ins and outs of it. Cracking open a window isn’t quiet, and you need to know what doors will creak and what doors won’t.

If you’re trying to sneak, you need to try and stick near furniture and heavy objects. The floor isn’t nearly as likely to creak when you’re near these. Furthermore, you need to step lightly, and wear the appropriate footwear. Usually some cloth wrapping’s around one’s feet will help to be quiet, but avoid any shoes that might make clacking noises, or sound like they’re peeling off the floor when they move. A thief will also never scuff their feet, if they’re any good at sneaking.

Black clothing only helps you sneak if it’s dark, and your surroundings aren’t bright coloured. If you’re in a city of white buildings and marble, you’ll want matching attire. This is just for if you’re skulking about a city, though. Just make sure you don’t stand out. However, dark clothing will greatly help you not be seen from a distance when it’s night.

If a thief suspects someone is nearby, they should always try to locate a nearby hiding spot, and remain perfectly still. Do not move, and a good thief will hold their breath if they start getting anxious, as heavy breathing could easily give someone away.

Many stories also don’t seem to account for the fact that various rogues and criminals have shadows, too. Even a quick and subtle movement of a shadow might be enough to give away one’s presence. It’s really, really hard to actually sneak up on someone due to this, and several other factors. Most people will actually feel tense, and usually catch wind of it if someone is sneaking up behind them, as even very quiet sounds and movements like breathing will subconsciously register to people if you get too close.

I’m a master assassin, and I carry a goddamn greatsword:

There is a reason they would use daggers. Assassins didn’t usually sneak into the king’s bedchamber in the dead of night, without being seen once. There are guards. A long hallway with two guards standing in front of the door at the end, there is absolutely no way to slip past that.

They would usually have to get into the building during the day, disguised as a servant, or even another guard. They’d have to wait for the perfect opportunity to sneak into that nobleman’s bedchamber, midday when he was absent, and then wait in there for hours.

If the assassin is sneaking in at night, they rarely go through the interior of the building. Just like a thief, they’ll get the layout of the building, and then they’ll usually enter through a window, or wherever is closest to the target. If they don’t have those guard patrols memorised, they’re screwed.

But you know what’s not subtle? An assassin carrying around a scimitar, or some flashy crossbow. If you’re going to sneak past people, you need a weapon no one will see, and that you can probably hide if someone decides to search you.

Fingerprints:

This is mainly relevant for modern era stories, and I just wanted to say that I’ve seen a few shows where a criminal isn’t wearing gloves throughout the whole thing. You always wear gloves, you never leave the murder weapon. If you touched something without gloves, you may as well take it with you to avoid risk.

Slipping out of Handcuffs:

This usually requires dislocating your fingers. Ouch. But, if the one cuffing or tying up the thief isn’t paying too much attention, you can keep your hands at an appropriate angle that the cuffs will not go on correctly, or the ropes not pulled tight enough, and you can probably slip out of them.

Who needs masks when you have shadowy hoods?

Guess what the easiest facial feature to notice in the dark is? If you guessed eyes, then you’re right. But, if you’re blending in, and your eyes are veiled by the hood that’s somehow not obscuring your vision while you crane your neck downwards to ensure that it covers your face, then people are usually still going to be able to see your lips, which stand out the second most of any feature on a person.

Yes, a hood is good if you’re trying to blend in. But it’s not good for making sure people don’t see your face. Wear a damned mask.

This is all I’ve got, for now. Hope it helps someone!

[newdog14writes]

Writing Tip

because I see this everywhere and most people don’t know about it. The hyphen(-), the en-dash(–) and the em-dash(—) are three completely different things with completely different uses. If you write fanfiction, it’s likely that your readers won’t care, but if you want to submit a manuscript for publishing, you need to know the difference. 

The hyphen (-) is the basic symbol you find on your keyboard, and it’s meant to only be used for hyphenated words (well-being, two-thirds). 

The en-dash (–) is a slightly longer dash. It’s usually the width of an uppercase N, hence the name. You can find it by looking through the ‘insert symbol’ option in MS word or many word processors, and it is meant to be used to show a particular distance, or for intervals (May–August, 1900–1916, pages 12–22)

The em-dash (—) is what people most commonly use, but they refer to it as a hyphen. It’s the longest dash, about the size of an uppercase letter M, and you can either find it through the list of symbols in your word processor, or some word processors actually automatically transform two hyphens (–) into an em-dash  (—). It is meant to be used as a break in the sentence, in a place where a comma, semicolon or colon would normally be used or as a break in dialogue. (Her niece—the daughter of her oldest sister—is the one over there.) 

*All three types of dashes are normally meant to be used without any spaces on either side of the dash. 

[newdog14writes]

dinners ready

[newdog14writes]

Presented without comment.

EXCEPT to say- commonplacecaz.

[newdog14writes]

[newdog14writes]

Remember that Gravity Falls Zombie Apocalypse AU I mentioned over the summer? Well here it is!

Zombageddon

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8436295/chapters/19327960

Generally speaking, going on a road trip with your friends is a good thing. Just you and a few of your favorite people, plus miles and miles of open road and maybe a few terrible playlists to pass the time.

But this road trip has something extra. Specifically, a zombie apocalypse. Kind of a fun killer. Or, well, an everything killer.

Especially if they fail. Because they’re trying to do more than just survive, more than just save their families. They’re trying to save the world.

There is a bright side though. Final exams don’t seem half as stressful as they seemed three weeks ago.

[newdog14writes]

I love it when I get back into a story and start writing it again. I was seriously stuck with Companionship (My Doctor Who AU, for those who aren’t familiar with it) but I figured out the problem and I’ve now fixed it! I’m getting back into it and I’m hoping to start actually posting stuff soon! Here’s hoping I keep this flow going, right?

[newdog14writes]

So I was playing around with a dumb idea for an AU that would never be written and I accidentally came up with a real plot. Whoops. Anyone up for a Zombie Apocalypse AU? It’ll have Billdip AND Mabcifica. And probably death.

[newdog14writes]

Ok so here’s my basic sketch of Bill’s sonic screwdriver for the Doctor Who AU, the fic will be titled Companionship. It’s based heavily off of Eleven’s screwdriver because I own that one and it was easily referenced. So yay, this exists now!

[newdog14writes]

Summary: You spent most of the day making fun of me for not buying into your ridiculous conspiracy theories, and you’re constantly spewing this pretentious bullshit about staying organic and disavowing corporations, even though you fucking work for one of the biggest in the world. You’re a complete asshole in every sense of the word, everything you say is either crazy or contradictory, and don’t even get me started on the fucking texting in code bullshit. And now you wanna know if we can do this again sometime?

Part three of my coffee shop AU! Hope you all enjoy it.

[newdog14writes]

Summary: Mabel Pines, you are my sister and my best friend. The list of things I would not do for you isn’t very long. I’ve nursed your hangovers, I’ve let you give me make overs, and I even went along with your Dillon Tucker plan and spent a night in jail for you. But I will not, I repeat not, go on a date with some conspiracy loving douche canoe for you, and no amount of begging or pleading is going to change my mind.

A sequel to Venti Chai Latte

[newdog14writes]

Summary: You know what? Fuck you, you overly cheery asshole. I know that I've had an unhealthy amount of coffee tonight, believe me, I know. But it's three am and the middle of finals week and I’ve barely slept in the last 48 hours and I still have six pages of physics calculations to work through. So why don't you get off your high fucking horse and give me my overpriced coffee with the goddamned apathy and self-loathing that's meant to define your fucking job, you pretentious hipster douchebag.

I wrote a Coffee Shop AU, because you can never have enough Coffee Shop AUs, right?

[newdog14writes]

Writing Problems

*types a word and then sees that it has the notorious red squiggly line* you wanna fight Google Docs I know I spelled that shit right"

 *types a word and it turns out it is not an actual word* WELL THAT SHOULD BE A WORD"

“I wrote the word ‘said’ in my work 124 times FUCK”

*makes inhumane screeching noise when someone interrupts my typing midsentence*

The blinking cursor of a blank word document

*spills beverage on notes*

*cat sits on laptop*

‘I’m in the middle of writing a good chapter and my laptop is about to die and the charger is on the other side of the room, why is my suffering so real’

*stares off into space for upwards of five minutes*

‘Am I characterizing a character so well because I know the character or am I writing them as I would write myself’

A WILD WRITER’S BLOCK APPEARED

“lol who needs sustenance when I’m IN THE  Z O N E

Feeling like you will never be able to write well again

Feeling relief when you get inspired and write like crazy

That feeling of inspiration that makes you shiver and makes your nerves buzz

oneshot? more like ‘oh-shit-this-morphed-into-a-thirty-chapter-novel'shot

*more staring into space*

lol what’s dialogue

having to pee but can’t because I’m IN THE  Z O N E

being IN THE  Z O N E

Being OUT OF THE  Z O N E and crying about it

comparing myself to other writers (never do OK)

switching POV accidentally

BLANK WORD DOCUMENT

Tenses

*stares more intensely into space*

*computer starts whirring like crazy* babe I know this writing’s fire but you need to calm down

*looks into empty beverage mug* why

*sees a cliché* *cringes*

will the reader understand what I’m saying here lol I hope so

sleep? what’s that lol

*thinks about writing while at social events*

*gets inspired to write at the most inconvenient of times, such as at the dentist’s or in the shower*

*gets zero inspiration when actually has time to write*

WRITER’S BLOCK

B L A N K  W O R D  D O C U M E N T

*stares into space forevermore*

[newdog14writes]

obvious

Anonymous said: nO dont be sad try 31 billdip food for thought

Anonymous said: 15 or 31 :)

different ways to say “i love you” 31. In awe, the first time you realized it. because i wanted to mess around with @newdog14 ‘s doctor who au that we’ve been working on, i used this universe. for anyone who doesn’t know it, basically bill is a time lord who kidnapped dipper to be his companion and it starts out kinda rocky but then they get closer.

The TARDIS door closed with a slam, the sound of roaring lion-people muted, and Dipper and Bill stood with their backs pressed against it, their chests heaving after sprinting roughly 50 feet. After a few seconds, Bill practically leaped to the console and slammed his fist onto a few buttons before pulling a switch and twisting a knob.

Immediately the entire TARDIS lurched, sending Dipper falling onto his hands and knees, and the familiar whirring noise told them of their departure from that planet and that time.

Sighing in relief, Dipper collapsed fully onto the floor and didn’t bother getting up, “Thank God,” he mumbled into the cool glass.

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