#Is a skill most people think they've mastered

[wangmiao]

An Incomplete History of Zhang Luyi & Chen Minghao's Friendship

Do you like Pangxie's chemistry in Tibetan Sea Flower? Do you feel that they are really old friends? Besides the fact that Zhang Luyi and Chen Minghao are very good actors, they are indeed old friends, and the earliest record that I can find of them working together dates back to 2006. However, CMH was in the 1996 class of acting at the The Central Academy of Drama, while ZLY was in the 1999 class of directing at the same university, so I figured they definitely got to know each other before 2006. So more or less, on Chinese social media, people usually assume that they've been friends for almost 20 years.

Before I dig into the history, I want to mention that some Pangxie scenes are actually improvised by ZLY and CMH on set. CHM has played Pangzi several times, and is insanely good at it, so he knows about Pangzi and the character dynamics inside out. While ZLY is new to the DMBJ universe, he did read all the DMBJ novels before the filming of Tibetan Sea Flower, so he has very insightful understanding of the characters and relationship dynamics as well.

For example, according to an interview of the director, this iconic & funny "拜年/new year's greeting" scene in episode 6 was improvised, and the director just decided to keep it in the final cut. In a BTS footage, Pangxie putting peanuts on Feng's very wrinkled test paper in episode 9 was also shown to be something that ZLY and CMH came up with during rehearsing.

The History

In the first paragraph, I mentioned that they went to the same undergraduate university. Another thing that connects them even more is that they went to the same graduate school - Peking University's School of Arts, and both have the master's degree in arts. ZLY fans sometimes just endearingly call CMH “师哥/shige" because of all of this.

In 2006, ZLY and CMH were in the stage play 琥珀/Amber. Here are some rare photos of 26-year old ZLY and 31 year old CMH LOL:

Both of them continued to do a lot of theatre works, some tv/film roles, and also attended grad school in the coming years. ZLY got his breakthrough leading role in 2014, and started to lead in shows/films.

In 2016, ZLY and South Korean actor Jang Hyuk starred in the drama 新海/New Sea, and CMH was seen sharing the following scene with ZLY. Unfortunately, due to China's ban on South Korean entertainment content in the same year, this drama will probably never see the light of day.

Then, I think some of you already know this, in late 2016, CMH directed the stage play Big D, and ZLY was his lead actor in this play. According to different news articles, the tickets of this play were sold out in either 5, 7, or 8 minutes (LOL no idea why there were such discrepancies, but they were sold out within 10 minutes for sure).

In 2018, they appeared in The Sound which is a very good variety show about dubbing. Celebrities were asked to dub domestic and international shows/films (sometimes in both Chinese and English) to show case their voice acting skills and language skills. What's really funny is that ZLY is one of the typical introverts who can be a clown when he's surrounded by people he's familiar with, but once you put him in an unfamiliar environment, he gets nervous and shy. So after he and CMH entered the room together, he just naturally and subconsciously stood right beside CMH, the one he was most comfortable with, even though he was supposed to team up with another actress (who was off screen). He got really confused for a minute when all the other guests and hosts were questioning why he didn't stand beside his teammate LOL.

Both ZLY and CMH are really very low key actors in c-ent, so you don't see them in public events a lot. The last time that they were spotted chatting in public was during the premiere of the movie Under the Light last September.

Anyways, thanks for reading! I hope this can bring some insight into their friendship. You can tell they are just so comfortable with each other, and shooting Tibetan Sea Flower seemed to be such a fun experience for them. I hope they get to work together again soon in the future!

[somanywhatifs]

Misconceptions Meet assumptions Sorely lacking Any gumption

Error drenched in Condescension Twisting all my Good intentions

Wishing you much Introspection As I end this Interaction

[kalki-tarot]

10 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT YOUR FUTURE SPOUSE ! 💌

Pick a pile, left to right ♡

Disclaimer — The images I used to select a pile were sourced from Pinterest, I hope the reading will resonate with you. I'm not responsible for any decisions you make in your life from my readings. I'm just a beginner and these readings are just for fun. Take what resonates and leave the rest.

Tap Masterlist for more !

Pile 1

They like to take the lead, might be dominating.

Sets strict boundaries for people.

They're protective, stable and authoritative.

They move on easily.

They might've had a rough and financially poor background or past.

They are a fair person, they don't like injustice for other people.

They like drinking and may have a whole collection of different kind of drinks.

They like to party and socialize a lot.

They constantly move forward in their life, from one place to another. They're very determined and goal oriented.

They might've had a very bad heartbreak in the past in love which made them very emotionally hurt. They are moving forward from this though.

Pile 2

This person dreams of a lot of nightmares.

Very hardworking person, takes up many responsibilities.

They've worked very hard for becoming what they are right now. They still continue to work hard.

This person works in a team, they're most probably leading this team.

They are currently working hard to learn or master a new skill.

This person is detached from the world.

He's thinking and waiting for an offer right now, romantically or career wise.

Very rich financially. On a high position at work.

This person is afraid of failing.

This person has the ability to grow and develop.

Pile 3

Very mischievous and funny.

Very easy going, doesn't stress much about things in life.

Invests a lot for future gains, emotionally or financially.

They are a healer, they help people move forward in their life.

Very mysterious, may have some hidden talents or knowledge most people don't.

This person is a strategic thinker.

Very masculine, dominating and leading energy.

Wants to travel the whole world.

Likes work and personal life balance.

Ambitious.

Pile 4

Works very hard and takes up a lot of responsibility.

Currently moving on from a tough situation in life.

Very emotional and offering in love.

Eyes hold a lot of depth. Very deep and pure soul.

This person's intentions are very pure, they don't wish bad for anyone.

Very practical approach towards life.

This person is surely gonna be wealthy and rich in the future.

This person questions things like god and religion.

This person is going through a divine and spiritual awakening.

Traditional and conventional.

Pile 5

This person is very fast.

This person quickly jumps into romantic relationships.

Very romantic and passionate.

Hopeless romantic.

This might be contradicting but this person now waits and thinks before jumping into romantic relationships.

It's because he's had bad experiences due to being too quick and rushing.

This person is scared to fall in love again due to past heartbreak.

This person just waits now before making any decisions.

Very Masculine

Might be older than you.

Pile 6

Rich background

Fair and logical.

Indecisive sometimes.

Very intuitive and spiritual.

Likes balance in life.

Says the truth no matter what

Old soul, wise

Very prosperous and wealthy

Moving on from something chaotic.

Impulsive sometimes.

[dailyadventureprompts]

Dungeon: A Bleak Picture

Unsure whether they've been trapped inside a painting or been cast back in time, the party must venture through the desolate ruins of a once warm and familiar place to rescue a number of innocents that've gone missing after being abducted by some shadowy force.

Adventure Hooks:

The party arrive in the town of Valasren on innocuous business, following the rumors of a ruin, attending a nearby shrine, or visiting some old friends. When they arrive they're given an unexpectedly amiable welcome by lord Lucas Kevral, who's heard of their earlier exploits and wants to cultivate a good relationship with such aspiring heroes. While taking him up on an invitation to dine at his castle, the party spy a gloomy painting depicting Valasren in ruins. Lord Kevral explains that it was painted to commemorate the near destruction of the town some generations ago, when one of his ancestors left the settlement defenceless to go off seeking glory in war. His grandmother commissioned the painting from one of the survivors, and hung it in a place of honour so she nor any of her descendants would forget their duty to defend the people.

As the party pursue their mission around Valasren they'll begin to notice a number of disappearances that only seems to climb as time ticks on. Rumors begin to circulate about something moving in the night, stalking people, creeping into their homes when they're asleep, leaving only open doors and empty beds come daylight. These rumours become all too real when the party awake one morning to find one of their number missing, taken without a whisper from where they slept. A scattering of untrustworthy witnesses say they saw an unnatural figure carrying a sack up the hill towards the Lord's castle, giving them at least a ghost of a trail.

Following the trail back to the palace eventually leads the party to the painting, an inexplicable cold draft intermittently drifting from its now permeable surface.

Background: The painter who witnessed the destruction of Valasren was a true master, and was years later able to immortalize the hopelessness they felt in that moment through their skill with the brush. There is power in such emotional resonance, and transformed the painting into an overlap with the shadowfell, where the town's sorrow had likewise been reflected. Not quite a portal, the painting never did much harm but making the already drafty castle hall a little more cold and unwelcoming at night, at least until recent days.

Drawn by the warmth of life and merriment on the air, A Snatcher has discovered the painting and forced its way through, one by one dragging inhabitants of Valasren into the upside down for an unknown purpose.

Challenges & Complications:

Once the party figure out there's something up with the painting, cut to the abducted player waking up in the ruined shadow-town. There's no corresponding painting anywhere to be seen, and because they were taken while they were asleep they're likely a bit exhausted and missing most of their gear. They'll have to be quiet and clever to escape the nightmare things and lingering spirits that dwell within Valasren's shadow, but doing so may give them vital clues about what's really going on. Keep the tension on until the isolated hero is backed into a corner, then have the rest of their friends arrive.

It's a grim irony that before war came to Valasren, the painter was working on capturing the beauty and peace of their home town on canvas, only for that work to be destroyed in the town's raising. Thinking it lost forever, the painter added it in as a detail nearby the burnt out remains of their workshop as a meditation on the happiness thought taken from them. Like many things lost to the mortal world, an echo of the painting has come to reside in the shadowfell, and acts as the exit portal back into the land of light. Finding it though is a problem, the snatcher has removed it from it's resting place and given it over to the terrible entity lairing in the castle. Where they've put it, who can say?

Numerous townsfolk have been pulled into the shadowfell and are scattered about the echo of a place they thought they knew. Lost, affraid, and isolated, many of them have run for cover or have started to sink into the spirit siphoning torpor that afflicts all to dwell too long in shadow.

Extra special thanks to @dm-tuz , who's monsters are ALWAYS an inspiration.

Artsource

[yuurivoice]

Hello! I'm pretty new to all this and I'm just trying to piece together everything so I'm sorry if this has been asked before! but does the listener (I think thats the correct term?) have set characteristics? like gender, background, etc? Thank you!

Welcome! Different artists have different levels of specifics for their characters, but in my particular case I try to keep them fairly ambiguous!

There are varying degrees of detail I'll add, but they're plot specific. For example, Auron's listener, Rook, works in the legal department. So obviously they've gotten a law degree and have a background in that. Boo, the listener in BitterSweet with Alphonse and Seth, is probably the most ambiguous. They like to bake, and have a knack for seeing the best in people.

I try to avoid things like family and relationships (shoutout to Talk Floral mentioning parents, oof that was an oversight at the time) because that's sensitive and even if you're creating a character to fill that role of listener, some people truly do just immerse themselves and are the listener character. So I avoid things that might have some trauma or icky attachments to it because I don't want folks to step on a landmine.

Gender is always ambiguous unless it's ancient content that was commissioned and released publicly. I know that can sometimes exclude certain language (and even then, saying dirty words about peoples genitals actually adds an additional layer of potential mess ups because we have a large trans community here and sex is not gender etc) so I've mastered the art of being fithy without actually naming bits and bobs.

I also have become even more aware over the years about racial ambiguity as well. Things like hair, blushing, etc may not translate very well and the last thing I want to do is have someone dwell on the idea that whiteness is the default when I'm truly trying to make things accessible to everyone and take them on a ride.

I think I've done a decent job of being able to maintain that ambiguity without sacrificing the imagery or language along the way. Always room for improvement and new ways to accomplish things better, but that's my approach.

The things I try to specify are skills, interests, personality, and background. Some of it isn't always given up front, Charlie's listener Casper is like that. There are a few things you don't know about them yet, but have been teased. It's sort of a spin on the unreliable narrator, but we haven't found out if it's cool or not. There's a chance that people don't like receiving building blocks that late into the plot, so I'm prepared for that. But I think it's cool and the truth is I wouldn't do any of this if I didn't think it was! 😂

Welcome to the community! 💖

[writingquestionsanswered]

Hello! I am aspiring to be an author however I am not really good at writing. I think it might be because of my lack of detail, I have a hard time describing things in a way others understand but I’m not even sure of that. I want to be an author/writer, it’s always been my dream. I love to write but I’m really bad at like every aspect of it. It makes me feel as if I shouldn’t go into it because it would be a waste of my money(if collage can somehow help me, cause I don’t see how else I can fix my writing, I’ve tried a lot) my time and resources to go into something I’m awful at. I just wanted to know if it’s a good idea to give up on writing and pursue it, despite it not being something I’m good at. I love to write I’m just not good at it, and I seem to be struggling to learn. I hope my question can help others who are in the same boat as me, and I hope this isn’t too deep or annoying! Thanks for answering (if you do) in advance! Have a great day!

Good Writing Takes Time... Don't Give Up

A lot of young and/or newer writers have this same concern. They feel like they've put a ton of time and effort into writing but are not improving, but in reality they've been at it for a few months. Maybe a year or two...

The reality is that writing is a craft, and like any craft, it can take YEARS to hone your skills. When you read fan-fiction, a short story, or a novel that really strikes you as well written, I promise you that is not the first thing that writer/author wrote. In fact, that writer/author almost certainly has YEARS of writing experience under their belts.

And to be clear, I'm not saying it's impossible for a first or second story or novel to be amazing, it's just not that common. Most of us have to produce a large body of not-so-great work before we start producing really good work.

So, keep at it. Get yourself a notebook and practice describing things in it. It could be the room you're sitting in, some people you're observing, something you see while you're waiting for the bus... whatever. Utilize sensory and emotional description: what can you see? What can you hear? What can you smell? What can you taste? What can you touch? What do these observations make you think and feel?

Read a lot of short stories and books. Watch writing advice videos. Read writing craft books. Do writing prompts. Write fan-fiction (if you're so inclined.)

If you have the opportunity to take some writing classes or if you want to pursue writing in college, that's great, too!

Either way, you definitely shouldn't give up if writing is your dream. Like all dreams, it doesn't happen overnight. It's something that will take time, energy, hard work, and lots of practice and patience.

Now, watch this:

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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

♦ Questions that violate my ask policies will be deleted! ♦ Please see my master list of top posts before asking ♦ Learn more about WQA here

[not-poignant]

Raphael has a very poetic and grandiose way of speaking that is absolutely not the norm for day-to-day life. How do you get in the mindset to come up with his dialogues? They're perfection and I just can't even imagine how long it would take to do one paragraph of the way he talks, but you're writing an entire story with him...

Oh I love this question because I can answer it, lol sadlkjfsda

Okay so, Raphael's character is tough for me.

Normally I do a lot of dialogue research before starting to write a character in fanfiction and original fiction, but Raphael actually gets proportionately very few lines that really show his full emotional range (compared to say, Astarion), and he's got an incredibly specific way of talking that sounds similar to Astarion but at the same time is very different.

They share enough similarities (calling people darling and dear for example) that it's easy to fall into the trap of giving them the same 'voice.'

I find Astarion's voice a lot easier to 'get' and I feel like I can hear him better when I'm writing him. But Raphael I'm taking into emotional spaces we simply never see in the game, and then I have to really guess how he'd sound (like coming up with the idea that the theatricality vanishes when Raphael is genuinely panicking).

I ended up listening to a lot of interviews with Andrew Wincott, the Voice Actor for Raphael who is an incredible actor and extremely articulate. He was very clear in one of his interviews that one of the reasons he was selected to play Raphael was because, in part, he already sounded like him. Obviously there's differences / skill in changing cadence and more, but for the most part, Andrew Wincott uses similar vocabulary and talks in a similar manner to Raphael naturally, so I had an abundance of interviews that I could then listen to in order to get a feel for Raphael's voice. I picked the things that felt more 'Raphael' and added them to my dialogue notes.

I often have to go back and edit Raphael's dialogue. Sometimes it's very simple things, I had him say 'much more' in the chapter I'm editing right now, and I edited it to 'far more' because I think he'd just phrase it like that. Sometimes I expand a sentence into an entire paragraph.

I've also leaned a lot from Korilla's transcripts in the game, which have been super useful. They really cement, more than anything, how much he loves lullabies, nursery rhymes, children's tales and more.

HOW TO DO DIALOGUE RESEARCH:-

If you're new to dialogue research, it mostly involves listening to - and watching a character and then literally taking notes of how they talk. The things you observe are:

The tone of their voice - Fast or slow. Loud or soft. Musical or flat. Theatrical or matter-of-fact. High or low. Questioning or complete statements. Considered or hedging (i.e. very well constructed sentences, or a lot of pauses, ellipses, broken sentences). Rambling or concise.

How often they talk - Some characters actually say a lot with very little. Raphael is actually a lot of observation and facial expressions and eyebrow movements in between his dialogue. Little smirks, hand gestures and more. Do they interrupt or let people finish their sentences? Are they comfortable with silence? I find Raphael oscillates between long theatrical paragraphs, single sentences or words, and then a lot of silence. He's actually not very conversational, in that you can have a conversation with him, but I doubt he'd see the point of two hours of small-talk. (At this point you might be realising that dialogue research is also character research, how a character talks tells you so much about a character.)

The words (and metaphors/subjects) they use - This is a big one and I'm going to break this down a little bit more:

How they pause if they don't know what to say. Is it 'um' 'uh' 'ah' 'hm' 'mm' 'mn' or nothing at all (or something else) because they've mastered self-control over their dialogue? If Raphael says 'ah' he does so on purpose.

Filler words. Things like characters saying 'like' in a sentence. 'He was like, 'I can't believe it'' etc. This is very similar to how they pause, but it's the things people say to get from point A to point B. People who don't do this have often had training or think very hard about what they're going to say before they say it. But people say 'like' or 'and then' or 'well' or 'i realised that' or 'i thought that' etc. to carry them on. Some are more acceptable than others (people do just have realisations for example).

Profanity. How often do they swear, and how intentional is it? Some characters only swear when they get hurt or stub their toe or get angry. Some characters swear all the time for fun. Some characters only use some swear words and not others. Be specific. Be aware that some swear words are cultural! This includes blasphemy. In Faerun they use 'gods' and 'gods damn it' more often than we use 'god' or 'oh my god.'

Vulgarity. This is useful for Raphael (and Astarion) because he's very happy to be vulgar. This is like... how comfortable are they talking about sex, about sexual subjects, being crude, being seductive, flirtatious? And if they use it, do they use vulgarity to shock, seduce, scare, threaten, or for humour?

Salutations and farewells. How do they greet people? Silence? A calm hello? (A lot of greetings are omitted in dialogue but this is still good to know). How do they say hello, goodbye. How does that change between friends and enemies and strangers?

Single word sentences. This might sound weird, but sometimes when a character hears something that shocks them, or needs to acknowledge something, they may say anything from 'huh' to 'yeah' to 'fuck' to 'okay' to 'all right' to 'sure' to 'go on' to 'indeed' to just laughing out loud. The list goes on. Raphael is team 'indeed' lmao.

Sentence structure. Raphael's sentence structure is - when he's most comfortable - gently provoking, teasing, vaguely threatening, and makes liberal use of simile, metaphor, fairy tale, rhyme, sayings, colloquialisms and more. Raphael talks like someone who knows someone could quote him at any moment lmao. But from here, how a character structures their sentences can be helpful to know. Go back to 'the tone of their voice.' Those notes will give you an idea of structure.

Emotionality. How emotional are they? Do they have rage rants? Joyful giggling dialogue? Do they infodump with little emotion? Or with sheer excitement? Does their dialogue feel fake or real? Opaque or transparent? Some people wear their hearts on their sleeves, and others will never be able to say 'I love you' in anything other than actions. Raphael's emotionality in dialogue is more present in his anger and irritation, and also when he feels triumphant and/or turned on.

The symbols, sayings, colloquialisms and metaphors themselves. Not all characters use these. But some people/characters will talk through analogies, colloquialisms. This is actually Raphael's biggest dialogue departure from Astarion, imho, aside from the fact that Astarion is a lot more emotional with his dialogue.

Take into account their culture, ethnicity, conceits, upbringing, education and the people they're close to:

This one is vital. Firstly, some people tend to 'absorb' elements of those around them. A person raised by affluent people will often 'sound affluent' and a person raised in poverty will often have dialogue that reflects this and if they don't there will be reasons for that. It might be a conceit (some people self-teach themselves different accents), it might be education, it might be training, it might be the subculture/s they've entered into, and so on.

~

When doing this research, you'll end up with a kind of master-list of actual words and probably some sentences you've written down, along with a lot of notes. You can also do this for any original characters you're making at all, you're just then making it up based on the character, and this research will also give in many ways the shape of the character.

It's a fun exercise and I highly recommend everyone tries it literally for people who don't exist and also observe your friends and family, and do a dialogue cheat sheet for some of them. It's pretty eye-opening! Even one page will teach you more than nothing at all. You can go deep and write many pages, or you can do what I do and keep it lean at 2 pages. Anyone who struggles with characterisation I suggest at least try this exercise, because anyone can put on a YouTube video and/or streaming service or even a favourite Tiktoker and start doing dialogue research! It's a way of building a character from the top down while also getting information about their foundations.

[kiwiana-writes]

I dont think anyone subscribes to you for t rated 5 +1s in your own au lol. Chop chop with those wip’s porn girl!

Well. Quite a bit to unpack here on an otherwise unassuming Friday!

#1:

#2: I actually track this stuff. Admittedly the E-rated percentage is a bit higher if you look at RWRB only, but overall...

#3: I think anyone who subscribes to me on AO3, or indeed anyone who follows the kiwiana-writes tag here on tumblr and sees all those fucking WIPs, knows that I like to write a bit of variety. That's not to say there aren't definite underpinnings of, like, themes and vibes that I return to over and over (which I can only assume are why people subscribe to me), but if someone only likes my college AUs, or only likes my post-canon stuff, or only likes my E-rated stuff, or only wants to listen to my podfics, they're probably going to have a much more successful time saving the tag search than subscribing to me at the author level. Or they've mastered the art of archiving and moving on without complaining about it, like I do when the authors I'm subscribed to write something that doesn't interest me. It's a useful skill! I highly recommend cultivating it.

#4: AO3 not giving series stats is and continues to be the bane of my life, but based on the number of people who subscribed to the OG actor AU, there's probably a significant chunk of people who aren't subscribed to me as an author and only want the actor AU verse stuff. And good for them! I LOVE that AO3 offers multiple ways to subscribe so you can get notified for the stuff you want (my kingdom for the ability to subscribe to individual pseuds, though.)

#5: This fandom is OVERFLOWING right now. Like, I can't keep up. You only want to read E-rated stuff? Awesome! Well over 100 E-rated fics have been posted in the RWRB bookverse tag just this week (it looks like most of the movieverse smut has also been tagged bookverse, but either way it's also very easy to find). Or go back to older fics and find some hidden gems—there's nothing an author loves more than for someone to come in and gush about a fic they wrote a year or two ago.

#6: You don't pay me, and I'm not subject to annual review. One of my favourite authors was talking this morning about how sometimes she thinks about taking a break from writing for RWRB because it's starting to feel a little rat racey, and that would suck for me personally because I love her stuff but god knows I couldn't blame her, because the (extreme minority but still exhausting) entitled comments and rudeness really do not help. Stop treating your favourite authors like content creators who owe you something new on a regular schedule, because that's a damn good way to ensure they don't want to create anything new ever again. Like... anon, you haven't even bothered to couch this in a compliment. The bar is ten feet underground and somehow you still managed to trip over it.

#7: Not to be all 'back in my day' but... well, back in my day, snippets and peeks into the universe of a remotely popular longfic were pretty much the standard lol. Nobody is forcing you to read them, I promise.

#8: I've posted two E-rated fics in the last two weeks.

#9: Honestly I just really want to reiterate #1 because what the hell lol. While pronouns don't equal gender, it's pretty reasonable to extrapolate from pronouns if you don't have any other info to go on—and of the three "main/standard" pronouns, the one most closely associated with 'girl' is the only one that ISN'T in my bio 🤦

[khaire-traveler]

⚖️ Subtle Themis Worship ⚔️

Try veiling

When you have a big decision/judgement to make, blindfold yourself for a moment; be in a place where you're alone and can think quietly

Vote if you can

Get a candle that reminds you of her (no altar needed)

Keep a picture of her in your wallet

Wear jewelry that reminds you of her

Stay up to date on local politics

Join a local activism group; LGBT rights, POC rights, women's rights, etc.

Support humanitarian organizations or homeless shelters

Have a stuffed animal lion: have a stuffed animal of any creature you associate with justice, order, custom, prophecy, or judgement

Have imagery of the earth/sky, scales, blindfolds, swords, or lions around

Volunteer at a homeless shelter; volunteer at a soup kitchen

Spread the word about injustice, especially related to humanitarian causes

Speak your mind; be honest and direct with others; note that honest does not mean cruel

Get more comfortable with the idea of conflict; look into healthy conflict resolution skills

Join a debate team; spectate or participate in formal debates

Write letters you will never send to people who have done you wrong; burn them (SAFELY!!!)

Try to get involved with your local community; help run events, join groups/clubs, meet new people, etc.

Cook a warm meal for someone in need

Ask someone in need for the things they need most; buy/give them those things if you can

Practice restraint and grounding, especially when it comes to people who annoy you

Try to stay away from gossip; don't spread rumors about others, especially those that you're unsure the integrity of

Get curious about the world around you and the way things work; encourage yourself to question things

Trust yourself; listen to your gut

Work on setting boundaries with others and yourself

Let people know when they've done something that hurt you; ask them to change their behavior or wording

Feel free to give people chances to change, but if they continue not to make changes, don't put yourself through the extra work of keeping them around

Release things that no longer serve you

Work on accepting constructive criticism; try not to take criticism too personally

Get to know yourself better; feel confident in the fact that you know yourself better than others

Keep a self-growth journal; write down things relating to self improvement, how you're feeling, goals you're working towards, etc.

Learn any discreet form of divination; cartomancy, carromancy, pyromancy, tea leaves, etc.

Hold onto family heirlooms

Practice family traditions or create new ones c:

Learn self-defense; learn how to properly use weapons; pepper spray, pocket knife, etc.

Clean up after yourself; don't litter in the environment; pick up litter you come across

Try your best to take the advice you give to others (easier said than done, I know)

Practice patience and mindfulness; release control over the things that you can't control

Ground yourself if you're feeling anxious or stressed over an issue; learn about healthy coping skills for stress or anxiety if you don't know any

Take regular breaks from screens; walk around outside, and enjoy yourself; get some fresh air

Take a walk/hike outside; connect with nature

Drink a calming, soothing, or grounding tea

Take care of yourself after a hard day; be kind and gentle with yourself; engage in comforting activities

-

I'll likely add more going forward, but for the time being, this is my list of discreet ways to worship Themis. I hope others find this helpful! Take care, everyone. 🧡

Link to Subtle Worship Master list

[antianakin]

Tbh I really wish they had Ahsoka address that her idealized version of Anakin isn't reality and never was. And that's a common abuse survivor thing! Literally wouldn't be difficult to put in her character. Iirc Force Vision Anakin basically said something like "you never learn" because she still is just running instead of facing the fact Anakin's fall was never about her and never her fault. There were signs certainly but scattered across a long period of time and with different people.

I wish we could get Huyang pointing out that holding onto the past and her child version of Anakin isn't healthy and honestly an ancient Jedi droid would be literally the perfect character. Not to mention her habit of running instead of facing it head on. There's this great opportunity here for the character and while I'm losing hope, if not Huyang than someone like Ezra, a character who's learned to let go. Ahsoka's biggest flaw at this point is her inability to move forward and that needs to be addressed before giving her more powers.

I was actually JUST thinking last night that it would've been SO COOL to have Huyang sort-of step in as a surrogate Master for Ahsoka to help point out the fallacies in her unhealthy coping mechanisms and way of looking at things. Like when Ahsoka says "the Jedi failed", Huyang points out that actually they didn't, or at least, if they failed then it's not their fault and CERTAINLY not because they didn't allow in enough people who weren't Force sensitive. When she pushes about Sabine, he can point out that not only would the Order not have accepted her, there's a REASON she wouldn't necessarily be happy as a Jedi and it's not healthy for either of them for Ahsoka to try to push Sabine to acquire skills she quite simply does not and cannot ever have.

And of course, with Anakin, he can be even more explicit.

One of the things they've given Huyang as a characterization in this show is the ability to be very bluntly honest sometimes. What's frustrating is that one of the few places he ISN'T is when the topic of Anakin comes up. He tells Sabine that she's a terrible Padawan, worst he's ever seen. He tells Hera that people like her because she disobeys orders when she cares about things. But when asked about Anakin, the most he says is that Anakin was "intense." That's it. It might've been interesting for Huyang to be a little less vague about Anakin and perhaps one of the ONLY people Ahsoka's ever actually told about Anakin having been Vader and so he can speak to that more candidly and honestly. He wasn't just "intense," he was a traitor. He broke his vows, he disrespected everything the Jedi stood for, he was a murderer. You could explain away his vagueness about Anakin by having Ahsoka say that she wants this to remain a secret, that she never told the Ghost crew about her master's true identity and she doesn't want them to know because of how she thinks it might change the way they look at her. So maybe he's more candid with Ahsoka herself, but when Hera asks, the best he can say is "intense."

Have Ahsoka tell Huyang that Anakin was a good Master, and Huyang can point out that, while that may have been true at one point, it wasn't ALWAYS true. It didn't REMAIN true. He betrayed her. He tried to kill her. He refused to come back for her. Because one of the things Ahsoka was struggling with in Rebels was figuring out how to connect the Anakin she knew as a child with what she knew of Darth Vader and what caused Anakin to change so much. It might've been interesting to have Ahsoka recognize that there were pieces of Vader in the Anakin she knew, too, even if she didn't recognize it at the time. There were secrets he kept from her, moments where he could get SO ANGRY. It might've been interesting for her to discuss that terrible awful training from TOTJ and have Huyang point out just how fuck awful that kind of training truly was. Even if it was done out of a desire to protect her, that didn't actually make it okay or a valid method of training. No true Jedi would have asked that of her or done that to her, not because they were weak, but because all she would've learned from it was FEAR. And every true Jedi knows that strength doesn't only come from pain.

Ahsoka can still ultimately choose to forgive him and choose to focus on the good memories she still has of him, but she can ALSO choose to accept that he betrayed her and that he was a bad master. Anakin was both. He was someone who cared about her, and she DID learn some good lessons from him, but he also impacted her in ways that were decidedly negative. Forgiving him should require accepting BOTH. It's not even just "He did his best" although that gets us a LOT closer to the desired goal here, it's more like "He wasn't all bad."

I don't know, I think there could've been a LOT more complexity given to Anakin and Ahsoka and their relationship in this show and what we got was just... so so shallow. And to be honest, that's this show's biggest sin, just how SHALLOW all of it is. I'm not at all shocked that Filoni, who called Anakin the "greatest Jedi of all time", is choosing to portray Anakin in this way and sort-of... erase and gloss over his sins to just declare him a "good master." But it's still disappointing because there's so many really interesting ways this show could've explored Ahsoka and it chose none of them.

I think about that line from Rebels when Maul tells Obi-Wan "Look how far you've fallen" and Obi-Wan retorts, "Look what I have risen above." Because that's the core of Obi-Wan, right, he RISES ABOVE Anakin. He rises above Anakin's mistakes and failures, he rises above Anakin's betrayal, he rises above his losses and grief to become better than Anakin ever could. He doesn't let Anakin's failures become his own, he doesn't let Anakin's darkness drag him down alongside. And I feel like they're trying to go for something similar with Ahsoka here, but they just aren't reaching it. Because in order to have Ahsoka rise above, they first need to acknowledge that there's something there TO rise above.

I don't have any hope left in this show, it's made its stance clear and there's only a single episode left in this season. It's not going to suddenly decide to criticize Anakin NOW, and Ahsoka's already had her glow-up emotional climax like 2-3 episodes too early. This show is what it is at this point.

[tgrailwar-zero]

Are you starving and dehydrated or do you just want to kill people?

GIUSEPPE: "I see. You're asking the wrong question. Allow me."

MR. BALSAMO: "Welcome to 'Mr. Balsamo's Classroom!' I'll be your instructor this eve, Mr. Balsamo. Today's topic is 'Mana Acquisition'!"

KUKU: "And I'm Kuku! Aaand... Isn't this bit a little derivative?"

MR. BALSAMO: "It's a bit too late to start calling out things for being derivative, don't you think?"

KUKU: "...Ay, true enough. Keep going."

MR. BALSAMO: "Now. Servants, as familiars, don't require the same sustenance as humans do. We can eat and drink, but the benefits are much less beneficial than they would be for a human. However, food consumption can be translated into magical energy to subtly offset mana strain on the Master, but it's far from the most effective source. It also helps provide a sense of normalcy to our unnatural existence, which can prove comforting."

KUKU: "Ah- a good meal after a hard day's work will make anyone feel good, human or Servant!"

MR. BALSAMO: "Instead, we receive magical energy directly from our Masters through our contracts. You grant us the mana to survive, we fight and consume that mana, and thus a cycle is established."

KUKU: "Fuel for utility, right? That's how most magi see it, ¿verdad?"

MR. BALSAMO: "And if a Servant doesn't have any functioning mana-replenishment skills, Independent Action skills, or a proper Master, then they must look at other options, such as siphoning magical energy via leylines or consuming magical energy through other means."

KUKU: "Imagine if you were stranded without any food. You'd start to get cranky... then you'd start to get angry... then you'd do anything just to fill your tummy!"

You recalled that the only reason that AVENGER and RIDER managed to last your constant 'contract hopping' early on was that both of them possessed a skill that allowed them to either exist without a mana source or create their own mana- and even then, it wasn't easy for either of them and neither of them were exactly... chipper during that time. Learning how to set up multiple contracts was life-saving in a number of ways.

MR. BALSAMO: "The simplest way to restore mana is by consuming souls. Consuming the soul directly can serve as a rather potent boost of magical energy, and some Servants possess abilities to do such a thing more efficiently. Magi can also prepare spells that can effectively drain the souls from the living to use as fuel for their Servants."

"When looking at easy efficiency, bodily fluids are often the smoothest way to transfer mana from a living being to a Servant. Blood-sucking Servants can, well, suck blood to quickly regain mana. Additionally, many Servants end up reaching a point where the moral implications of stealing mana are secondary, especially if they've been summoned to a Grail War."

KUKU: "Sucks for the people on the receiving end, though!"

MR. BALSAMO: "…However, when observing the most efficient and pleasurable way for both Master and Servant to transfer mana, then--"

KUKU: "Wait, wait, wait!"

KUKULKAN: "--Ah, that's enough! That last part doesn't apply here anyways! The point is, Alter-Ego was going to go to the city to consume the souls of the people there in order to replenish her mana! That's it! The leylines probably aren't giving enough to satisfy her! You get the picture!"

[terrence-silver]

Okay but like past twig and John having a sleepover with tiny da eun and watching her over the summer they would be the best caregivers with her

---

Realistically, I think Terry Silver would hate that. 😬

Not the spending time with John Kreese bit in whatever capacity said time might be spent, but the fact that there's this little kid there...taking up all the damn attention. And he doesn't like sharing. He wants to be the focus. He wants him and John to be the focus and them hanging out. Sure, he charmingly tolerates her for John's sake (and for their Sensei's sake) because John seems taken with her and Terry, he follows John's lead, always, doing everything to appease his friend, but at the same time it's like a clear distraction for the two of them, the adult men, to actually go and do adult men things while out in Korea. They survived Vietnam, for god's sake! They're going through some of the most torturous, backbreaking training known to man under this Master. They've earned their leisure and their fun. Terry's thinking a night out, hookers, blackjack, cigars, some unhinged underground sex club somewhere, down in some nearby city where they preform the craziest things and booze and he'll undoubtedly insist on paying the entire bill for all of these activities too, because why not, but here's this little girl John's playing house with and mothering. Oh, he's a caregiver alright, it is just that Terry thinks John should, you know...stop. It's like, first it is Johnny Lawrence being his hyperfocus back in the States and now it's Kim Da Eun in Korea. They could go out into the jungles of Borneo and Terry swears John would found a pet project for himself there too and there he would be, good, devoted friend that he is, entirely indulging him in it. If he wants to adopt, he should've just said so. Terry knows some people who know some people who can make all the right calls. Sheesh. And what's worse, Master Kim Sun-Yung might just agree with Terry's sentiment and think Da Eun has no business taking up his student's time because this isn't a kindergarten, this is a dojang --- they're his acolytes and not her play-dates, nannies and friends --- leading to punishment possibly ensuing for the little girl. Children with children. Men with men. Keep the two separate is what Master Kim Sun-Yung could say. If Terry discreetly rats her out (which he just might if it means this whole summer camping nonsense is put an end to) he thinks it is well deserved and Terry's convinced it was well deserved too seeing as how this kid downright got in the way of everything, mainly John and him. Master Kim doesn't consider John that good of a student not based on skill, but perhaps due to this lingering softness that should just die already. And it definitely does die by the 80's --- we know that. Terry doesn't have it. That's why he's the actual star golden boy of the dojang. He's duplicitous, he tells on people, he schemes, he's cruel, he's slithery, he's so disciplined and self-content about it he's almost too rigid at times and these are, ironically, top notch Cobra qualities their Master appreciates even at the expense of his own grandchild.

Because Silver knows the creed and ways of things around here.

A little too well, I might add. Takes to it like a fish to water.

He just stands by and blankly watches Da Eun get flogged by her grandfather, even going as far as trying to stop John from intervening. That man doesn't give that many damns for that girl. Perhaps he was only ever just nice enough to warrant Da Eun wanting to fly in to to States decades later, but even that, by the looks of her, she did begrudgingly. First thing she does is ask for John. Woman wasn't at all tremendously pleased to see Terry. Sure, she and her goons immensely respect him and bow to him, but there's no visibly grand warmth there.

But, like, not that we'll ever know for sure, but I feel there's an obvious reason Kim Da Eun likes John Kreese much better in later years and it is the clear fact he was somehow, in ways we'll never see, more genuine towards her. Kids have a way of sensing this. And the adults later on carry this realization forth with them through life. John liked her and Terry was only pretending to, and in fact, probably not even pretending that hard. He never once interacts with her as a child and possibly cordially ignored her and was only ever that typical, artificial manner of faux-polite for the Master's and John's sake. I could be reaching with the characterization but I feel, somewhere deep down, in the vaguest of ways, Kim Da Eun remembers.

Not that Terry dislikes Da Eun, he probably only ever liked her around because John liked her around (And anything for John, right?) but that is probably simultaneously the reason he didn't like her around too much.

[steveharringtonsstrugglemeals]

Ok that last post I reblogged got me thinking... DM Steve. Somehow he gets roped into DMing a few campaigns for the Party and he's 100% the type of DM who acts tough but is setting up his players to succeed. Not like Eddie — he's genuinely a really tough DM, even if he does want his players to do well. Steve is all about fostering his kids' confidence and making sure they have the chance for some fun escapism after all the shit they've been put through. He's still gotta be a dick about it though — just like how he gripes about giving the kids free rides, he acts cocky and then complains when they break through traps which he carefully designed to have hidden weaknesses that match they Party's strengths. He's great at picking up on pieces of the kids' personalities in their characters, and using that to make sure their adventures are meaningful. Most of his NPCs are basically just versions of him, because he's not the most creative he claims — but really because he just can't resist using the characters to tell his kids he's proud of them.

And this feeds into his "rivalry" with Eddie: Steve already knew that his campaigns weren't the most complex or immersive, he just doesn't have that level of detail-oriented planning skill. It doesn't matter, he was just doing it as a favor to his friends, right? But then the kids start school and all of a sudden they won't stop gushing about Eddie Munson and how grueling his campaigns are, how he gives each of his NPCs unique voices, how he's the coolest and smartest person they know. And yeah, it kinda chafes against all of Steve's insecurities. Even playing DnD, he still manages to be the dumb jock, right?

It takes a while, but inevitably Eddie finds out that Steve has DMed in the past. Steve immediately gets defensive about it: yeah maybe he wasn't the Party's first choice for a DM and maybe his campaigns weren't exactly masterpieces, but the kids enjoyed them! Eddie, on the other hand, is close to fainting over the idea of Steve Harrington, of all people, as a Dungeon Master.

[takeiteasyonmeimstilllearning]

just finished a rewatch of Prison of the Past

and I gotta say, I really really enjoyed that special. Not only does EVERYONE get more screentime (except for jigen but that's okay) but you get to see them in a more in depth character.

Like goeman- you get to see him have more than 3 minutes, you see that he is calm cool collected and it lightly touches on why he sticks around the gang even though he gets frustrated and annoyed at them a lot. You get to see him be a sassy samurai in this one too lol

Fujiko- she appears throughout and not just a device that's mentioned to explain why everything went wrong. You actually see fujiko explore her skill as a disguise master as well as a more close up and personal look to how greedy she can be in an actually kinda adorable but annoying way.

Zenigata- he actually has life in him and in depth character, not the flat persona they've been giving him since LIII:The first. You get to see just how skilled he actually is, and his passion for justice and not just the typical ride off into the sunset screaming LUPAHHHHHNN! (Although he does do that at the end, and I am certainly not complaining about it, I think its one of my favorite things in the whole of LIII.) But you also see that he most certainly does know that people can't resist his big long lashed blinkers, and how well he works with the gang in team ups. Anyways I'm just really glad they gave life to zenigata's character in this special. (P.s you see how bad an actor zenigata is too lmao)

Yata- again you see a more in depth character, not just the 'Yata idolizes zenigata and is a rookie' in PotP you definitely have that but you see just how much of a rookie yata is as he's a little oblivious and hasn't learned to read the room at all. You definitely get the idea that he's just a kid (age wise my head Canon places him to be a 22 year old) but you also see the relationship he has with zenigata. Which a little more than just his assistant. You definitely see that yata is absolutely awe-struck by zenigata but also is able to joke and banter back and forth with inspector.

Jigen- surprisingly shares about as much screentime as fujiko, and jigen has his usual jigen persona not much change there, but you do get to see how willing he is to fight ppl. Jigen doesn't technically start a fight but if someone says fight me he most definitely will. Like both goeman and Zenigata accuse him of insulting them and asked if he wanted to fight, and he's like 'hell yeah' I think jigen likes pushing people's buttons. Anyways he pretty calm cool collected himself in this one. Y'know typical Jigen

And finally Lupin- this Lupin is pretty light hearted, and gives off his part 2 vibes with a very slight pt 5 dusted in. Need I say more? Obviously they didn't have to think very hard on the depths of his character, and im not going to elaborate any further.

Overall- this was a very light hearted adventure with plenty of bantering between all the characters, coupled with the usual LIII shenanigans and good old action/adventure. I think I would put this in my top 5 favorite specials.

[sabrondabrainrot]

I finished the 87 series as a whole (except the European vacay season like I can't find it anywhere) and want to cry!!! My boys!!! I can't believe it's done!!!

What an awesome show. I might have to rewatch it just to write down more notes and thoughts. ;)

Anyways here's some headcanons about my sweet 87 boys and some show observations:

Hopefully with this people might give the show a chance. It's so delightful and charming. You won't be disappointed.

🐢🧡🐢💜🐢♥️🐢💙

The turtles are all basically 3-4 years old. They make tons of comments about living half their lives in a fish bowl and when Yoshi comes across them they're still babies. When they're shown mutating, they go from baby turtles to the older bipedal forms we know them by.

They're all identical sans their voices. (In the 87 show not only does April have trouble telling them apart at the beginning but so do the animators in every episode)

They all seem to possess super strength and some levels of invulnerability. Donatello in particular had a multiple story brick building dropped on him, which he just walked off. They've all shown varying skills such as bending metal with their bare hands. Raphael as a practical joke in one episode picks up a couch and hurls it at Donatello just to be smartass. Leonardo cuts metal like tinfoil.

They still think of themselves as turtles first and foremost, so they don't refer to each other as brothers. (despite the fact they're totally brothers) and simply address each other as friends. (They're brothers tho we all know the truth 💕)

Something not explained in the opening of the 3rd season, the turtles as babies, before they mutate, are shown with different shell patterns. While it's not obvious which turtle is which it is neat the artists went out of their way to animate each turtle with a unique pattern.

When you watch the show the amount of people and mutants that dislike the turtles is shocking. For a fun kids show made in the late 80's to mid 90's, it's basically a huge allegory to the civil rights movements and you can even take relevance to human rights movements of today.

Despite being so lovable they have only a small circle of friends. Most of those friends at some point have betrayed them too.

The boys have seen two different futures of themselves. (not counting their shared apocalypse nightmares) The first future is where they get old together in a mansion and they're heralded as heroes and everyone likes them. The second future doesn't show them but in the second future it's stated being a mutant is a crime punishable by death and all mutants are criminals regardless of deeds. This is before the red skies studio era of writing. That's before it's supposed to get edgy.

They all are highly intelligent. They can each pilot every vehicle ever present in the show despite none of them having a formal education, license, or understanding of the rules of the road. Michelangelo in particular seems to have a knack for US fighter jets.

In season 7 episode 11, titled "Dirk Savage: Mutant Hunter!" We meet two new mutants named Rahzar and Tokka. They're a gay couple. You don't believe me? Go watch the episode. I'm not pulling your leg. I swear. I promise. It's a good episode go watch it.

Master Splinter calls them his sons. He also calls Carter, his newest student, son occasionally too. It's his term of endearment.

The turtles in this version are known to get sick pretty regularly. (probably because of their still developing immune systems). They always get sick as a group and they totally soak up the pampering.

They in the first season share a 4 stack bunk bed and then after the bunk is destroyed in the season 1 finale they each get their own alcoves which they treat as their own rooms.

I didn't remember which Punk Frog said it, but one of them called Leonard and Michelangelo his Bubba which is a term of endearment for brother. The punk frogs call each other bubba too. So unlike the turtles they were either all frog brothers who mutated together or after mutating they just decided they're brothers and they also adopted the turtles as their brothers too.

Mondo Gecko seems older in this series because of his appearance but he's the same age as the turtles and actually mutated from the same ooze as them on the same day at the same time so he in 87 is like a mix of their brother and cousin? He's related regardless. (We all know the truth in our hearts)

Shredder and Krang act like a married couple who've been married too long and are on the cusp of a divorce but they've been together too long so they just keep tolerating eachother.

They all love the unhinged gross unholy pizza combos. Michaelangelo's stated combos are actually tame compared to some of the things they've eaten. One episode the boys committed to the bit so hard they ate lit candles just to mess with Michelangelo. They get pregnant sardine fudge pizza cravings at midnight. They put cereal on regular pizza for breakfast. They hate vegetables though. They literally gag when Splinter eats sushi. They refuse to eat bugs despite their turtle origins (interesting enough the Punk Frogs don't even like pizza at all first unlike them) but like they will eat out of the garbage. But not fresh handmade sushi.

They're so casual about being in public. Like they have disguises but sometimes they just go out in public as themselves. They also have so many elaborate disguises. In the first episode their first instinct to blend in was to throw on bright neon shoes, various bomber jackets, and start publicly beatboxing and breakdancing.

The turtles get called slurs by Shredder, Bebop, and Rocksteady. The slur in question is "Shellback" . When Donatello makes an evil clone the first thing the clone does is call him that slur. It's so funny like that's yourself. Donatello basically called himself ugly. Why is that so funny.

Shredders go to threat in the show and many other villains go to insult is to straight up threaten to eat them. Like, do none of the villains care about getting salmonella? Why do all the villains want to eat them?

Something I've noticed, they refuse to use nicknames. They only use each other's full names. It makes me wonder why? I theorize it's probably to do with the fact Master Splinter gave them their names and that's the first thing they received? It's not like they're not playful enough to use nicknames.

Despite his fatherly role in their lives, the turtle boys don't call Splinter their father and this is more than likely to do with the fact they see themselves as turtles and know they have turtle parents. (Again we know the truth)

April in this show is an adrenaline junky. She's also a child endangerer. She's helped save the day a lot but she would much rather the world burn so she can film it as her next big scoop.

The boys treat April like their mom in this show. April herself doesn't really get that. In one episode she got poison flowers and thought it was from the boys and went to "let them down gently" because she thought they romantically liked her.

April on multiple occasions reads bed time stories to them. She in one episode read the same bedtime story 4 times just because they liked it that much. She was going to read it a 5th time just for Leonardo.

When Zack, the 5th turtle, was in danger instead of helping him April shouted "What a scoop!" and filmed a child in a death trap.

Splinter believes in wholesome gaslighting in this show. He once cured three of them of permanent balloon-itis with moth balls but made up a story about how it was an ancient mythical legendary cure. Then after they were better he said it was moth balls.

April actually got fired from her job because she wouldn't badmouth the turtles on live television (also for other reasons). She focused on freelance while helping the boys on the side.

April is really bamf. She's actually saved the turtles just as much as they save her.

I just want everyone to know I love these little guys. The turtles are pure little snookie pookie baby bookies. No one knows the amount of space these silly little fictional turtles take up in my heart.

I hope maybe with more word out people might give the 1987 tmnt show a chance. It's really cute and funny. A super enjoyable time. It doesn't deserve the ragging it gets from other shows and fanbases. They're just goobers.

Thanks for reading my ramble list. :)

Also! if there's any fanfic recs please let me know I'm making a list and checking it twice ;)

[writingquestionsanswered]

New Writer Worried About Dull Writing

Anonymous asked: I’m relatively new to writing creatively and fear my work is too beige - is this a problem like so many people say? Or is there a market for my blunt speaking (I do include metaphors/similes, btw). I read books like [popular series] and the writing style is similar to my own, but I still feel somewhat insecure.

If you're a newer writer (meaning you have not been writing for years and do not have numerous completed and critiqued works under your belt), it's far too early for you to worry about the quality of your writing. Far too early. One of the biggest misconceptions about writing is it's something you're just instantly good at... that quality and style are innate, and that anything you write should instantly be publishable. And that's just not how writing works...

Writing is an art and a craft. And like any other art and craft, most people don't sit down to do it for the first time or the tenth time or even the thirtieth time and find they've mastered it. If you take up baking, you're probably not going to have artisan bakery quality products after a few months. If you decide to learn the guitar, you're probably not recording an acoustic guitar album after a year. If you decide to learn karate, you're probably not going to earn your black belt within two years. Are there exceptions? Sure, but it's super rare.

Even when you hear that an author "hadn't written much" prior to writing their breakout debut novel, most of the time you find out that, in fact, they had written a lot. They wrote in college... maybe even have a degree in English or communications... they took creative writing classes or attended creative writing workshops... or they were prolific fan-fiction writers, bloggers, journalers, or even journalists. But they don't think to count those things because they're not original creative fiction stories or novels written with the intention of publication. But the thing is, it all counts. All writing is practice. And all writing that is shared and receives feedback from at least one other person helps you grow and improve your craft.

So, if you're new to creative writing--even if you have experience as a blogger, journalist, communications writer, etc.--the best thing you can do is focus on getting a body of creative fiction under your belt. Your quality and style will improve and develop over time. When you're ready, seek feedback from others... from alpha readers, beta readers, critique groups, critique partners, or post your stories on fiction sharing sites. Feedback will help you see where your strengths and weaknesses are and will help you hone your skills. And as your skills improve, so will your confidence! Which isn't to say you won't still sometimes have doubts... even the very best writers do... but you will learn to believe in your writing and your skills as a writer. ♥

(↓↓↓ Because it's expected at this point... ↓↓↓)

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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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