#details are dangerous

[kiragecko]

I think this is an aspect of 'write what you love'.

Your story needs details, but try to focus on the things you love enough that you'd get EXCITED to be corrected about them by your most autistic critic. That person is going to engage with your story hardcore and they are GREAT. What would you actually LIKE them to focus on?

A lot of people don't like math. Including it in their story gives them a glowing weak-point which can cause suspension of belief to collapse. If you don't understand how calendars work, and don't particularly want to, don't send your protagonist to school on Monday, September 1st every year.¹ Just mention 'the first day of school'.

But also, don't focus on the details of a translation of an ancient text if you aren't interested in how translation works.² Mention your army has a supply chain, but don't start telling us how it works if you aren't interested in military history nerds excitedly explaining all the nuances you missed.³ Etc.

It can be tempting to mention something to flesh out your world. Just an off-hand detail. This can work! But you need to be careful. Off-hand details work best if they are either:

general, with no precise numbers or details that you don't really understand, OR

aspects of your exhaustive world-building which you know A LOT more about than you are showing on the page.

-

But the opposite is also true! DO include the math if you love math! Especially if you're confident enough in your math ability that you can handle people pointing out small errors.

Research medieval swords, tell us all about your sword's weight and handling. Then laugh to yourself, and take notes, when a fan explains how that type of sword's construction involves metals that weren't available in parts of the world that ALSO had the type of armour you mentioned in some other section. Fix things in the sequel, or decide to run with things as is, if that's a bit more realism then you're interested in. It isn't a big deal.

Tell us it's been 2000 years if you LIKE building timelines and studying cultural change across millennia. Fill in that timeline with things that will never show up in the story, and then get excited when something abruptly becomes useful 3/4 of the way through the writing process!

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Writing isn't a battle with your readers.⁴ Someone knowing more than you isn't the end of the world. They will be drawn to you by poorly researched details, but there are endless levels of research. You don't need a PhD to reference something.

(Actually, if you can attract the PhD-wielding autistic critics, you should be proud! You get free expert knowledge! The WEIRDEST niche facts! You knew enough to draw people in through ESOTERIC and HIGH-LEVEL mistakes!)

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¹ The year doesn't perfectly match the cycle of weeks (365 isn't perfectly divisible by 7) so every year, days of the week line up differently. September 1st can be a Tuesday, or a Friday, or a lot of other days that aren't Monday! It's okay that you forgot that JK Rowling, it really wasn't your biggest mistake.

² It might have rhymed in the original, but the person translating it in front of you is unlikely to find translated words that rhyme perfectly. Puns only sometimes translate. Just ... please don't include subtle wordplay that works perfectly in translation!

³ Military history nerds are often AMAZINGLY detail oriented. DO NOT include details about the military, boats, or trains unless you want info dumping!

⁴ I don't think OP is saying that it is. But, sometimes writers fall into that mindset.

speculative fiction writers i am going to give you a really urgent piece of advice: don't say numbers. don't give your readers any numbers. how heavy is the sword? lots. how old is that city? plenty. how big is the fort? massive. how fast is the spaceship? not very, it's secondhand.

the minute you say a number your readers can check your math and you cannot do math better than your most autistic critic. i guarantee. don't let your readers do any math. when did something happen? awhile ago. how many bullets can that gun fire? trick question, it shoots lasers, and it shoots em HARD.

you are lying to people for fun. if you let them do math at you the lie collapses and it's no fun anymore.

[technically-human]

Part two of the reverse verse is here! The reverse boys meet the original boys. They're not really getting along as well as I had hoped...

Again, this was a commission for @i-am-as-normal-as-you-are and they asked for angst/funny vibes... I think it's mostly just angst though. Oh, well...

Part one

[egophiliac]

What do you think of Rook's savanaclaw card? <333

I didn't get him (and I need to save my keys for Silver's birthday, sob) so I looked up his groovy, and I'm not over how incredibly dramatic and epic and cool it looks in direct contrast to the absolutely ridiculous context. just look at that dynamic action and his majestic sparkling tears and keep in mind that this is pretty much right after a bunch of characters have been dance battling for his soul.

and then even the actual moment of the groovy is just like

this is NOT a negative in the slightest, I love it all, this truly was an incredible update in so many ways

[polychromaic]

🌸 when the Hindriarch banished Eskhind and her kin from Bey Lah, Neelahind would follow her heart into voluntary exile. To abandon a surefooted life, as well as a coveted spot among the Fellowship, is nearly unheard of among both hindren and Wardens, but Neelahind was glowing when she took her leave. I hear the pair are quite happy together, practicing arconautics in the ruins to the west—at least, that's what the kendren bring news of when they come back to trade.

back at it again w more caves of qud deer gals 😏✨ i'm kind of enamored with the ending to the Bey Lah quest where Esk and Neela both take off, so i wanted to see what they'd look like as a matched set of lesbian pariah-arconauts. geez, i can’t believe it’s been almost two years since i drew them last

image descriptions under break!

img desc: A drawing of a hindren deerfolk girl from "Caves of Qud". On the left a title card reads "Pariah Neelahind (she/her)". Some of the details are labeled. Her fur is a rich cedar red, with a lighter heartwood underbelly curling under her arms and on the inside of her legs down to her hooves; her curly hair is dark mahogany, tied back in a ponytail with a sky-blue bandana; her antlers are a pale heartswood, deepening to a rich velvet at the tines. She’s smiling, looking up and off to her right; she's poised upright, her arms spread to either side of her as she grips the haft of her war-scythe Yal, which is laying across her shoulders. She’s wearing shining steel platemail—a breastplate over a nanoweave surcoat patterned with pale lemon slices over pink (called "Pink Lemonade"); her armor is incomplete, but well taken care of. She’s wearing leather braces, a steel gauntlet on her left hand only, and a woven blue sash and bedroll across her back.

img desc: A drawing of a hindren deerfolk girl from "Caves of Qud". On the right a title card reads "Pariah Eskhind (she/it)". Some of the details are labeled. Her fur is ashen, with her pale undercoat spotting through on her forearms and flanks. Her messy hair is a greenish bleach-blonde, and one of her ears has a hole in it; her antlers are pale and their velvet is darker grey, and they're covered in little tied-on charms and brass tine hornaments. She has an eyepatch over her left eye, and a gap between her front teeth. She's grinning, slouching in a relaxed fashion, pulling back her hood with one hand and flashing a rock-on with the other; her front two legs are crossed, while the back two are spread like she's posing for a picture. She's wearing a well-worn chainmail hauberk, which extends down over her back; a ragged cowl, with buttoned slots along the hem of the hood for her antlers to fit through; a leather bracer on her left wrist, a steel pauldron on her right shoulder, a fingerless elastyne glove on her right hand, and two pairs of croccasins on her hooves. A pocketed saddle is slung over her back, along with a backpack and bedroll; on either side, the pockets are full of tools and bits. Tucked into her swordbelt is a sheathed folding carbide longsword and a gaslight kris; slung across her chest is a bolt-action rifle called "Peashooter" (it has a lesbian flag on its stock). Around her legs are several beaded bracelets and charms; one of them is the rightfully reclaimed Kindrish, complete with its carved deer charm.

[momomallowart]

Summer vibes~ 😎

[righteous-r0de0]

perhaps a silly question but are angel and baabe’s unempowered familes invited to the wedding? that’s gotta be a huge covert breach

but imagine the silly hijinks that would ensue

“hey why’s the best man (gender neutral)’s boyfriend sitting under an umbrella? it’s supposed to be clear skies all day”

“oh um he’s just super goth”

“he’s wearing a cowboy hat”

“he’s…y’allternative”

“wtf angel”

[mawguai]

Drawn to be celebrated

[jewish-vents]

Submission by Anon:

Hiii fellow sisters. October 7th, like millions of Jews around the world, changed my life. And i have been so disappointed at non-Jews for dismissing how Jews are feeling after the biggest massacre that occurred since last century. Telling us they are "anti-zionists, not antisemites", that we are wrong to be so-called "paranoid" about antisemitism. I have a friend telling me "how can we know you're a Jew ? you look white compared to Arabs, Latinos who has to hide their identities!" Excuse me ? --  I really wanted to share one of the scariest experience regarding antisemitism that happened to me this last month. In a Uber, in FRANCE. 

So I had this job interview in the morning at 10, and decided to take a Uber to arrive sooner to this very important interview. Just wanted to know that I was wearing a tiny gold Magen david necklace, but nothing extravagant. The driver didn't noticed first. He took me in, and started immediately interrogating me to know "where I came from". He kept asking "Arab?" I said "No" - "Algerian ?" I said "No." "Italian ? Portuguese ? What ?"

I'm a Moroccan Jew, I have dark hair, brown eyes, and olive skin so perhaps he thought he was legitimate to ask me those questions but he wasn't. He made me uncomfortable. He then started to ask me about my RELIGION. And I was really not okay, I was like my G-d, how is he going to react ? He said "Are you Muslim ? Do you like Quran?" and I said "No, I've never read the Quran" , he told me "You should, it's the truth" I stayed silent. He then told me about his life in Algeria growing up, and how he was proud that Algeria fights the Jews and Israelis. I didn't have a mirror on me but I know I was pale as f*ck and not feeling well for my safety suddenly. 

He proceeded to ask me "So.. you're a Christian ?" and I said "No, i'm not." -- He laughed and said "So what, you don't believe in G-d? Hmm ?"  And I said "No, I'm Jewish." He became LIVID. And went completely SILENT. We were on the highway, he started to drive so fast and overtook a lot of cars, I thought we were going to have an accident. He braked violently and pulled over to the side of the highway. He got out of the car and I thought "my G-d he is going to k!ll me there?" my whole body could felt the adrenaline rushing and I swear I was ready to fight for my life. He opened the door and told me to get out before he would "break my mouth in half". I got out and he drive away. I wanted to report his profile but he blocked me and I couldn't reach his profile anymore. I was so angry. I ended up abandoned at the side of the highway, took another Uber and arrived 35 minutes late (I didn't get the job because of it). To this day, I'm traumatized : I always make up a fake identity in my head before taking a Uber just in case, lie to strangers about myself because "you never know", think twice or more about taking a Uber even with friends, and think about how this Algerian man got away with it. France is so unsafe for Jews. PERIOD. 

Antisemitism is brutal, violent and can happen to any Jew. Any day or every day. Don't gaslight us. Support us. 🤍💙

[surreal-duck]

es rarepair week 2024 day 1 | AU/future

lil ghostic au of mine!!! yuzuru and the rest of fine are long since trapped souls in an abandoned mansion of which rst come across while looking for shelter during a storm :] it doesnt um. particularly end well

[recent-rose]

yknowwww there is something... deeply uncomfortable about the way mel never speaks directly to viktor in the 'build hextech weapons' scene. she really only speaks to jayce. plenty of people have pointed this out already but like the one scene they actually share a meaningful interaction and she treats him like he's beneath her. all this after jayce has emphasized how important viktor is, that hextech is theirs, together. she unequivocally ices him out, there's no other way to interpret this scene. the way it's shot too - from viktor's perspective, looking up at her, as though to reinforce the same belief in him. like he doesn't even bother expecting respect from her - or anyone from the upper echelon of piltover. he's fully accustomed to being dehumanized by everyone around him at this point. sometimes even by jayce, despite the trust they clearly have in each other.

then of course after this scene is viktor experimenting on himself. it's pretty clear that he has internalized his own dehumanization. crazy.

[mrsoharaa]

“Hey Suguru, do you have tattoos? You know, besides the one on your arms?” You ask with a lilt of suggestive eyes and a coy tone. He smiles, stands up to his feet and turns his back towards you. Removes his sweatshirt and pulls his long extravagant raven hair onto his left broad shoulder, exposing the intricately detailed and beautifully inked dragon extending all the way down his muscular, wide back.

A withered gasp staggers at the base of your throat, greedy dilated pupils flow all over the gorgeous well drawn ink decorating all over his well sculpted back. Lacing over every detail and contract of muscle flaunting in your hungry gaze. He smiles to himself, feeling your heated gaze scour intently all over his painted back. Purposely flexes his back and shoulder muscles just to hear that cute little tight breath slip past your tempting lips.

“Does that answer your question angel? Or do you want to see more?” He insinuates with a weight of flirtation lingering his smooth voice, grinning mischievously as he watches your eyes pry ever so mindlessly and utterly enthralled at his spacious back. The prominent heat in your cheeks only fueling his ego into luring you further into his witty whims and flirtation.

He absolutely loved the attention and strong hold he had on you, just by a simple work of literal art basking his delicate skin. And the fact that he knew you had a thing for backs.

[smxlbuddy]

drew @drathym ‘s killjoy oc no show…. now i can’t stop drawing them

[milligramspoison]

SNEAK PEEK OF THE DANGER DAYS ACTION FIGURES

[liothebiblioklept]

Monix but based off these lil emojis!! If anyone knows the artists who drew the two emojis please tell me I want to credit but pinterest isn't good at crediting artists so :(

[apuff]

killjoys, make some noise (click for quality)

[0-dear-rose-0]

Deciding to share some doodles of a kysterion au I had