#i'm not really asking for advice here

[gideonisms]

And it's also like. if you have no internal sense of your own gender, and you're just gnc sometimes because traditionally feminine stuff is simply harder to do. At what point do you just flip to a different gender in the minds of everyone around you and then if you've basically outsourced your gender to everyone else does it just change? if I started acting feminine would it change back? is it different on different days? how is a person supposed to form a coherent identity in this world

[kacievvbbbb]

I don't know especially with the lastest chapter (ch 265) this just feels so much like Yuuji.

Like especially in the first season people kept asking why he is doing all this, why he wants to save people, why he's beating himself up so much over people he barely knows. People kept wanting to know Yuuji's why and he couldn't explain it he was holding unto the promise he made to his granfther as an explanation but that wasnt really is.

And then you have Mahito who tried to force his own defintion of who yuuji was unto him and beat him down until Yuuji believed it too. He's just a machine killing curses because thats his nature vs Mahito killing humans cause thats his nature. They are beings of instinct slaves to their nature, cogs in the machine. And Yuuji internalizes that so much it weighs so heavily on him the idea that his job isnt to save people but kill curses doesn't sit right with him.

but then at what should be his lowest point he stares his biggest tormentor in the face and said you know what I don't particulalry care what you or anyone else thinks about my reasons. I don't think you have to have grand or innate reasons to do something. Sometimes you just do! and what yuuji wants, more than anything; more than killing curses more than keeping the "weak" safe, is to save his friends. And it's too late for a lot of them, Yuuji was too late but goddam it he won't be late for this. So fuck Sukuna he's bringing Megumi home.

[wellfine]

wow...... MANY artists take requests randomly. this isn't the original anon, I just saw your post&was blown away by how rude it was. this anon wasn't even rude. artists are always putting out informationals with like guides on how to speak to them&it's the so egotistical&rude&controlling. I literally won't commission random artists anymore&only my close friends bc of these rules that change artist to artist&don't apply to everyone. anon asked you a simple question&was extremely nice about it&you chose to be an asshole in response. y'all act like you're training rabid dogs or something. just, say no, don't answer, or block the anon. like I can't figure out what ticked you off so much about that. talking to ppl like shit won't help them. it will just make people afraid to speak to you at all. anyways lol you're losing a follower&a fan. maybe let your anger out at the gym or something before you take it out on someone asking an innocent question. they truly probably thought "the worst they could say is no" &you proved them wrong. exactly the reason I no longer commission art from artists who aren't my close friends. my anxiety is too high to deal with the anger&your need to control how other people talk to you(even when it's not mean&they're just asking an innocent question).

Good lordt

Mate, I said "no hard feelings just letting you know this ask came across as rude" after we had a bit of a giggle about how funny it is that they hadn't stumbled upon the specific kind of fanart they wanted to see when IMO it's extremely common in the fandom, and then pointed them to another artist who had already drawn what they wanted to see.

"Don't ask/hint at artists to draw you things for free" is not being rude or demanding or egotistical, it's just a firm boundary. It's not a minefield to navigate, and artists who accept random requests usually say so somewhere in their bio/about. I also think blocking the poor anon would've been way more harsh and unnecessary than letting them know how their behaviour was perceived, cuz if they keep doing it, some other artist is going to be way meaner about it.

[corvid-language-library]

.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Hello! I was wondering if you’d be willing to take commissions someday 👀. No pressure tho! I just love your art so much

The short answer: "not at the moment, but it is very possible in the future'!

The slightly longer answer: I would have to figure out a good pricing and payment system! PD-MDZS is also where most of my free time goes, so until my life settles down a bit, I would be on the slow side to complete them.

[who-is-page]

What are your thoughts on the use of "ΘΔ", and where do you see it as appropriate/inappropriate to use? Thanks!

This question might be better directed at my partner system House of Chimeras (@liongoatsnake), who wrote and published Symbols Found In The Alterhuman & Related Communities. I'm afraid that while I know about the theta-delta's general history, I'm actually not very well-informed of the history behind "ΘΔ" separately as a character set used by the therian community. I want to say it was started by Ember (@synanthropic) on Twitter in late 2019 or early 2020 (the earliest use of it I can find on Twitter through its search bar is here, when a polytherian mentioned it in a reply to a suspended account, and I know Ember's account was suspended sometime during the Naia debacle in 2019-2021, which makes me feel like I'm right about this timeline?), but beyond that, I'm afraid I don't know enough to say much on it besides things that are already obvious (i.e. that people shouldn't combine the symbol with known hate symbols/movements). If there's a major controversy connected to "ΘΔ," then I am entirely unaware of it and have no knowledge of such. Sorry anon!

[northern-passage]

one thing i find really difficult about navigating the IF space is the direct line of contact between readers and authors. we share the same space, and i think that plays a big part in this weird blurred line we have in this community and overall lack of boundaries.

for a lot of people this is a fun hobby and while i personally try to keep it... semi-professional most of the time, it's easy to get wrapped up in having fun on tumblr (or the forums, or reddit, wherever it is that you mainly post/interact) and have a lot of personal interactions with both readers and authors alike - which is fun! i like it more often than not, but i also think that's why a lot of comments in this space can end up being really entitled, over-familiar, and inappropriate.

it's no secret that most authors get really weird messages on here, and while this is also a problem on social media at large and not just specific to IF tumblr, it is still definitely a big problem in this community.

and to be clear i'm not saying that you can't be friendly with authors or readers (i've become friends with a handful of readers myself) and i definitely don't mean to imply that there needs to be a huge divide between us; that's silly - again, most authors are readers, most readers are authors, we’re just people on the internet sharing the same space. but all of us deserve to have our boundaries respected. this is my story, and we are strangers. as a general rule of thumb: if you wouldn't say it out loud to someone you just met, you probably shouldn't be saying it to a stranger online. especially anonymously.

[angelmush]

hi molly, you inspire me so much, thank you for being you. im about to move to a new city by myself for the first time and im scared. how did you build your life into one you loved? how do i meet people? i want so many things but sometimes they seem so far out of reach!! anyway, wishing you well and it always makes me happy to come visit your page and see you living life so fully :)

hello sweet anon!! sorry i am just getting to this, i was out of town for a few days and have been pretty offline in general lately. to be honest, i feel really really really underqualified to answer any questions about meeting people and making friends, as it is something that has never come easily to me, but i will do my best because i am SO excited for you!! moving somewhere new can be really healing!! i also want to gently remind you that social media-- even tumbr --is a highlight reel.

building my life into one i loved.

i think it's a few things.

it's a skill to find excitement about small things. delicious meals, nice weather, cute animals. being intentional about noticing and allowing yourself to feel excited about the little stuff does some kind of magic in your brain, and in appreciating your life in general. i am not naturally gifted at this whatsoever, but it's a muscle that takes practice to build, like anything.

i also dedicate a LOT of my free time to hobbies. right now it's mostly knitting, but often it's cooking and training my dog as well. watching movies and talking about them with people. spending time decorating the house. i'm very very very much a homebody, often to my detriment. it is monumentally difficult for me to take the first steps to leave the house to do things, even fun things, but once i do i am almost always better for it.

one sort of silly way i have helped to mitigate this, is that my girlfriend and i have started making seasonal bucket lists and magnetizing them onto our fridge. it turns it into sort of a game i guess, and it makes me feel accomplished to cross things off. we did really really well with ours this summer! we have three sections, small things (make smoothies, try a new dinner recipe, make a playlist), medium things (take the dog to the lake, see a movie in the theater, have drinks on a patio), and large things (go camping, go to pride, celebrate my birthday), etc. we just made our fall/winter one and i'm already sooooo excited for it!! it helped me to have a reason to leave the house while we were still getting our bearings in this new city.

i also have limited my social media time more recently on all apps except tumblr and pinterest to 15 minutes per day total. this helps me feel so much less frantic and it's easier for me to stay present than it used to be.

i also started taking medication! it's been a really big piece of the puzzle for me, personally. it helps my baseline be significantly more resilient and regulated and stable. it isn't a singular fix, but it opens up more space for that joy.

as far as meeting people goes, i will let you know when i figure it out LOL. im someone that needs a lot of quiet alone time to function and so i spend a lot of time with myself. i am still learning how to make the bridge from casual friends to a deeper and more meaningful friendship with the people ive met since moving here last august, and it's been a very clumsy imperfect process.

i'm sure this probably wasn't all that helpful haha it felt disjointed to write, and like i said, i am severely underqualified to give advice on this topic. but these are a handful of things i think have helped me in the last year, so hopefully there's something you can take from it!! wishing you all the luck and joy and wonder on your endeavors!! you can send me an ask anytime!! <33

[lisxdumbr]

The whole "if a person is mad at you it's their responsibility to tell you" thing just made me realize how fucked my situation is. Like just. woah

[chronichlesofnillory]

I genuinely think people need to separate magic and spirituality/religion way more.

I haven't done "new" magic in over a month and I feel less bad about it than I thought I would.

There's so many posts out there asking for advice on "getting back into magic after taking time off" and I always thought they were a little weird because that kind of ebb and flow is really normal for pretty much everything you learn outside of an academic or workplace setting. (even in school you get break periods)

For 15 years I've been learning solely on my own everything from calculus through khan academy to polymer clay through youtube tutorials and it's just natural *for me personally* to go through periods of great interest and massive skill improvement in conception and technique and then just~~~ stop for a while.

The server I left was doing this 100 days of witchcraft thing where the point (I gathered) was to show that even little things like stirring intention in your coffee counted as magic and you shouldn't feel so bad that you're not doing ceremony every day. I tried to participate and got about 5 days in before that plus a lot of other things made me leave (and tbh I should have left earlier because it was not a good place for me).

What struck me most was that unlike seemingly everyone else, I felt worse when I listed things like "read 2 chapters of magic book" or "made weekly offering." It felt more like I was just trying to come up with something--anything that would make me feel like I was participating and "being productive." It didn't feel like it was making me "see magic in my everyday" because I already felt that way because I've been doing magic my whole life--in the way I sing, in the way I move energy when I stretch and exercise, in the way I talk to the plants and animals, in the way I make offerings to my room or an intention, in the way I cook like Tita in "Like Water for Chocolate" or the way I would astral travel without knowing it. When I had to list out all the "magical things" I did every day they felt *less* magical and more like what a "that girl" influencer would put on their instagram post to show how productive they've been.

I genuinely think people need to separate magic and spirituality and religion way more. Magic is at its core, a skill/art/science. It is not 100% spirituality/religion. Your paganism or spirituality might influence your magic or interact with it (like how my animism interacts with how I work with symbols or how I ask my divination tools to come to life before I use them), but I truly believe there's a great deal of magic that exists outside of spirituality/religion/etc.

I wish secular and atheistic witches got more respect and exposure and credit. I wish there were more books and really popular influencers and discords that are as populated as the ones that spend 60-70% of their talking about deities and religious holidays. I wish it felt easier to get into spaces with other magical people where even if you weren't doing "everyday magic" you still felt welcome to talk and share your magic and it wasn't just crickets when you did.

It's just so weird to see so much content out there basically enforcing the kind of "hustle culture" type productivity mindset of "you need to be doing this every day if you want to connect to other people on this or share anything about it.

[shirajellyfish]

i am doing the sky cotl crying and faint expressions at you, how did you write such good fake coding stuff for 'i see you, sundrop!'

i am ✨struggling✨ for a y/n fic i'm writing OTL

(Eyeballs emoji. I want to read your fic.)

Mostly making up stuff with confidence, to be honest.

This is gonna be long, so I'll put the details under the cut. No spoilers, just a long post!

You only need a little tiny bit of tech knowledge to start making stuff up, and since Security Breach is set in a future with advanced technology it's easy to say "Well this isn't how things go irl, but maybe in the future it could work."

Use what you know! I love video game glitches and learning how they work, which made writing the "broken down bus" explanation easy and fun to write. Take what technical knowledge you do have and make up things you can see fitting in with what you know.

You'll also notice that I avoided things I don't know anything about. I don't know how to code, so there isn't really anything about the process or details of creating coding in my fic. It's usually glossed over, not described in detail.

Anything code-like in my fic is generally technician commands, which only have to sound technical. Since they're made for humans to enter and not for computers to follow line for line, they can be a little off from how actual coding works. You don't need to go over details you don't know about, if you don't want to.

And if you do want to despite not having the knowledge, there's always research! I didn't know how anti static mats work, so I googled it! (And then had to simplify that down for the fic, because some of the finer details were sorta boring and would have broken the flow of the scene. No one has called me out on it yet haha.) I also did a LOT of googling about electricity in the Live Wire chapter, and about batteries for Truce.

I didn't exactly understand everything I researched, it can get very complicated fast. But! As long as I understood enough of the surface level stuff, I could make up things based on that. Do it confidently enough and most people won't notice. I got a lot of really funny comments from people assuming I must have a lot of advanced tech knowledge, not realizing I was just making things up confidently.

Most importantly, write what is fun. The fastest way to get stuck is to try writing something that bores you. If it's unrealistic but FUN, write it anyway. As long as you stay consistent, it will make sense within your story. If it's realistic but boring, cut it! Leave it out entirely, or have another character handle it offscreen. Readers can feel your passion, if you're having fun writing it they'll have fun reading it.

The amount and type of technical stuff in your fic should depend entirely on what and how much technical stuff you personally enjoy writing. Really, that applies to every element. Make what you want, the way you want it.

I believe in you! Sundrop believes in you! Have fun!

[wanderingblindly]

YOU LIKE ENCOURAGED ME TO START WRITING (thanks btw🔥) AND NOW I NEED YOU SENSEI TO TELL ME HOW TO STOP EVERY OTHER WORD FROM BEING “BUT” OR “AND” OR “ITS JUST THAT” THIS IS A CRISIS HOW DOES ONE DEAL WITH THIS

OMG CONGRATS I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!!! WRITING IS SCARY AND HARD AND ACTUALLY REALLY FUCKING SUCKS SOMETIMES, BUT THE REWARD!!! FEELING LIKE YOU EXPRESSED SOMETHING ENTIRELY BORN OF YOUR OWN CREATIVITY AND EXPERIENCE!!!! IS IMMACULATE!!!!!!

idk how seriously you were asking for advice and, honestly, I'm far from a qualified party guide you towards 'good writing'. But uhhhhhhhh here's a brief walk through of what I go through when I'm struggling to get wording that sounds nice:

A) Leave it for editing.

Seriously. Everyone writes differently, of course (I tend to revise as I write, which is awful and I'm not sure why I subject myself to it), but sometimes the first pass is really just that. The first of many. Getting the order of events, getting an understanding of your character's actions and emotions onto the page, sometimes that's all you need! Does it have to sound perfect? No! It just needs to be enough for you to go over it and decide if the actual content is compelling, or if the narrative itself needs revising first.

Specific words are always secondary.

Turn off your brain a little, and just let yourself feel what's happening.

B) Try and switch shit around.

If point A isn't working and you can't your brain to relax enough to just let the words out, sometimes I find it's because I'm wandering down a path I don't like -- and the words reflect that. That's when I start asking myself some questions like:

What if this scene happened somewhere else? If I'm at Lando's flat, why am I not at Oscar's? What would that change?

Sometimes changing the setting can help me unlock better character motivation that flows better.

What is he physically feeling right now? Is it so cold that it's making it hard to focus, is it sunny in a way that reminds him of a specific moment in time? What can he be thinking and touching and comparing in his mind as he goes through the motions of the scene?

Occasionally, I slip into spells where my writing feels very "He did this. Then he did this. And then this. He said this." When that happens, I find that it's because I'm too focused on detailing physical events rather than sensory.

What in this sentence can be rearranged? Am I always starting with "He" and detailing additional things later in the sentence? Can I switch that around to try and freshen up my brain? "He stood up from the chair and sighed" >> "With a sigh, he pushes away from the table".

Sometimes I'll edit this out, because it's more wordy once it's all done. But breaking up the default sentence structure sometimes helps my brain feel a little less,,, monotonous?

[ratcandy]

do you have tips for writing eloquently?

I have started and scrapped and rewritten this post so many times because my confidence level is not working with me here sdhgkJSDGH

Well! Um! To be bluntly honest, I only write Zote's dialogue like that (assuming that is where this question stems from) because I read and reread his dialogue again and again over the course of a year back when I was writing CoGR!,,,

And then once you write like that for a year straight, it sort of becomes second nature to you hdgKHSKH

So if you've got a muse that you'd like to reference the word choice of, honestly, drenching yourself in their speaking mannerisms for a while can help you pick up on the subtleties of how they talk pretty well! Like genuinely! Just sit down and listen to fancy old english for a while, if that's what you're going for. Listen to it for hours and pick apart how things are said and why.

But um! Aside from that, the one big point of advice I can give is to not make it sound forced. The point of eloquence is that it's supposed to flow and feel natural. You can use as many fancy words and syntax as you want, but if it feels stilted and strange, the effect will be lost.

When it comes to the Big Fancy Words, so long as you're using them properly and not over-using them to the point of sounding pretentious (unless that is in-character), you should be fine! I would think, anyway!! I abuse the hell out of wordhippo to get my fancy words, for example. But I try not to fancy word too much, and I make sure those words make sense in how they're used and where. Because the last thing you want is for it to be super obvious you're taking from a thesaurus as you go.

Also, of course, a good rule of thumb: I double/triple-check every word I use to ensure I'm using it properly, even if I'm 99% certain I am. Because otherwise you look Real Silly for it. Check how it's supposed to be put into a sentence. Check the definition. Check alternate definitions to make sure you don't accidentally say something you don't mean!

(This is how I found out that saying "in of itself" is wrong, and it's actually "in and of itself." Which is fucked up and evil, yes, but grammar is bitchy and horrible! Something else I recommend coming to terms with if you're gonna abuse that grammar to sound prettier hgkjH)

I find the best way to check that something sounds natural is to read it out loud yourself. Can you follow along with what you're saying, or do you keep finding yourself tripping over the wording? If you have to read a sentence ten times before it sounds comprehensible, it might be time to modify that sentence a little hdgkJH

And if just reading it aloud doesn't help, try recording yourself reading it aloud. Then listen to yourself and see if it makes sense. A trick I found online to check for grammar/spelling mistakes is if you're using something like Microsoft Word, there's a "Read Aloud" option under the Review tab in which it will read what you've written back to you. You'll notice if something sounds funky pretty quickly when a text-to-speech is reading it ghkjshSDG

[Another quick tip: Rationalize how eloquent you want a scene described/dialogue spoken, and think about whether it fits. Or if it would sound better less eloquent. Genuinely, sometimes a character spitting out "fuck you" has a much harder hit than a long spiteful monologue! Especially if that character has been nothing but eloquent up until that point!]

Otherwise, um. Well! It really is just a lot of practicing. Which is the worst advice ever yes I know, but most people can't fling themselves effortlessly into writing immaculate prose. Which. I AM NOt clAIMING I DO. FOR ONE. Just putting that out there!! It takes getting the hang of. It takes noticing where you slip up and noting how to fix it. It takes a lot of reading other stuff/listening to how people talk to get a grasp on it.

At least For Me. That is what I Do. And I am just Sitting Here. I started CoGR when I was 16,

[aroaessidhe]

2023 reads / storygraph

The Poisons We Drink

YA urban fantasy

a girl who brews powerful potions is coerced into making potions to interfere with D.C.’s most influential politicians in an attempt to stop a dangerous Witcher Registration Act from passing, and will do anything to protect her sister after their mother is killed

bi MC, nonbinary love interest

arc from netgalley

[caricature-of-a-witch]

I wish I could find knitting tutorials that teach me the mystical language knitting pattern manuals speak in... I can do one (1) basic scarf pattern (if I remember how to first take up the yarn or idk) and there's tutorials for that kind of thing, but as soon as I look for sth even a little bit more complicated it's all "oh here's a simple pattern for that" followed by 42 unexplained abbreviations and 19 magic words that I'm supposed to just understand? And that's in German. English knitting terms confuse me even more. I wish we'd done knitting at school for art class instead of glueing empty yoghurt cups into patterns and glueing literal rubbish to a lamp. Why was there so much glue involved why wasn't there anything useful

[waterfallofspace]

Hiii I'm so sorry if this is a bother, but do you have any tips for spelling out sneezes? Especially ones more on the louder side, I feel like I struggle sm with those

Hi dear~ not a bother at all!! <3

Honestly I uh... I don't feel like an expert on spelling, (or anything to do with writing~) but I'd love to give you a few of the tips/reminders that work for me!~

One of my biggest tips/suggestions is: Sound It Out. I find that most of the spellings I'm actually happy with are the ones that feel natural when I sound/act them out~ If something looks a bit weird, or like you're not happy with it, try to sound it out! Usually you can pinpoint the part that feels unnatural, and edit it to fit better~

Another tip I find helpful is: Use These to your Advantage. Capitals can definitely help sell the volume, but if you end up with too many, it can start to undermine the flow that you might be going for. Bold and Italics can be incredibly helpful to show the fluctuation. For example: "AK'SHHOO-!" versus "ak'SHHhoo-!" This one does tend to fall a little more under 'personal preference', some people do great with all capitals, but even then, the different between "RRSHH'OO-!" and "RSHHH'OO-!" can really influence the way they sound in your head~

One more reminder: Letters Matter. Generally if you want to show volume/harshness in a sneeze spelling, bolding or USING CAPS is a great way to show that there's a volume. However, I find it important to remember not to underestimate the importance of letter choices. For example: "HIESHH'OO-!" would be a loud snz. So would "hh'IESHoo-!" but add a few "rr" or "yashh" or "zzshh" sounds, and it starts to sell the roughness aswell. Something a bit like "hh'RRZShhuh-!" if you want a scraping one. Maybe a bit more "hk'RASShhoo-!" if you want it to sound more vocal.

Overall I'm definitely very new to spellings still, so I'm sorry there's not more advice I can offer!! But I absolutely recommend the first one, a few writers I've spoken to on here say they do it too~ As well as reading through other people's stories and trying to sound out their spellings to try and get a grasp on how certain sounds go together~ Or even listening to wavs and practicing trying to spell out the sounds you hear! (that's one of the exercises I've given myself that seems to help~)