#so people can more easily access the rest of their art etc

[dragonballwish]

I didn't realize it was your birthday! Hope it's a happy one!

Thank you !!! I def haven’t really said anything here sorry 🥹 thank you dearly !! I hope you have a great day !! ♥︎

[serpentface]

how do you come up with the ways cultures in your setting stylize people/animals/the world in general in their artwork, i.e. jewlery, rock carvings, statues, etc? Each culture in your world seems to have a very unique "art style" and I love it a lot - makes them seem that much more 'real'. This is something I struggle with a lot in my own worldbuilding and I'd love to pick your brain if possible 😁

I think a starting point is to have a research process based in the material realities of the culture you're designing for. Ask yourself questions like:

Where do they live? What's the climate/ecosystem(s) they are based in? What geographic features are present/absent?

What is their main subsistence method? (hunter gatherer, seasonal pastoralist, nomadic pastoralist, settled agriculturalist, a mix, etc)

What access to broader trade networks do they have and to whom? Are there foreign materials that will be easily accessible in trade and common in use, or valuable trade materials used sparingly in limited capacities?

Etc

And then do some research based on the answers, in order to get a sense of what materials they would have routine access to (ie dyes, metal, textiles, etc) and other possible variables that would shape how the art is made and what it's used for. This is just a foundational step and won't likely play much into designing a Style.

If you narrow these questions down very specifically, (ie in the context of the Korya post- grassland based mounted nomads, pastoralist and hunter-gatherer subsistence, access to wider trade networks and metals), you can direct your research to specific real world instances that fit this general idea. This is not to lift culturally specific concepts from the real world and slap them into your own setting, but to notice commonalities this lifestyle enforces - (ie in the previous example- mounted nomadic peoples are highly mobile and need to easily carry their wealth (often on clothing and tack) therefore small, elaborate decorative artwork that can easily be carried from place to place is a very likely feature)

For the details of the art itself, I come up with loose 'style guides' (usually just in my head) and go from there.

Here's some example questions for forming a style (some are more baseline than others)

Are geometric patterns favored? Organic patterns? Representative patterns (flowers, animals, stars, etc)? Abstract patterns?

Is there favored material(s)? Beads, bone, clay, metals, stones, etc.

When depicting people/animals, is realism favored? Heavy stylization? The emotional impression of an animal? Are key features accentuated?

How perspective typically executed? Does art attempt to capture 3d depth? Does it favor showing the whole body in 2 dimensions (ie much of Ancient Egyptian art, with the body shown in a mix of profile and forward facing perspective so all key attributes are shown)? Will limbs overlap? Are bodies shown static? In motion?

Does artwork of people attempt to beautify them? Does it favor the culture's conception of the ideal body?

Are there common visual motifs? Important symbols? Key subject matters?

What is the art used for? Are its functions aesthetic, tutelary, spiritual, magical? (Will often exist in combination, or have different examples for each purpose)

Who is represented? Is there interest in everyday people? Does art focus on glorifying warriors, heroes, kings?

Are there conventions for representing important figures? (IE gods/kings/etc being depicted larger than culturally lesser subjects)

Is there visual shorthand to depict objects/concepts that are difficult to execute with clarity (the sun, moon, water), or are invisible (wind, the soul), or have no physical component (speech)?

Etc

Deciding on answers to any of these questions will at least give you a unique baseline, and you can fill in the rest of the gaps and specify a style further until it is distinct. Many of these questions are not mutually exclusive, both in the sense of elements being combined (patterns with both geometric and organic elements) or a culture having multiple visual styles (3d art objects having unique features, religious artwork having its own conventions, etc).

Also when you're getting in depth, you should have cultural syncretism in mind. Cultures that routinely interact (whether this interaction is exchange or exploitation) inevitably exchange ideas, which can be especially visible in art. Doing research on how this synthesizing of ideas works in practice is very helpful- what is adopted or left out from an external influence, what is retained from an internal influence, what is unique to this synthesis, AND WHY. (I find Greco-Buddhist art really interesting, that's one of many such examples)

Looking at real world examples that fit your parameters can be helpful (ie if I've decided on geometric patterns in my 'style guide', I'll look at actual geometric patterns). And I strongly encourage trying to actually LEARN about what you're seeing. All art exists in a context, and having an understanding of how the context shapes art, how art does and doesn't relate to broader aspects of a society, etc, can help you when synthesizing your own.

[canmom]

Hello! I absolutely love your blog, everything from your festival recounts to animation analysis and programming (one of tumblr's recommended posts was the one where you made your own rasteriser, and I liked your attitude in what I've read so much that I'm gonna attempt to conquer my 3-year-long grudge against using opengl during college and do something similar now that I'm a bit older and have no deadlines :D).

But anyway, I have 2 questions (sorry if there's easily accessible answers, tumblr search is not helping): 1. During your animation nights, does the screen stay black while everyone watches their own video while you provide commentary? I haven't caught any yet but maybe someday! And 2. do you have any youtube channels or just one-off video essays that you like that also cover animation/directors? Or, even programming lol.

Sorry for the long ask have a nice day!

hiii! i'm very touched that you like my dorky eclectic blog <3

For the Animation Nights, I just stream the video over Twitch from local sources on my computer, typically by playing the video in mpv and recording it in OBS. This is obviously not ideal from a video quality perspective, but it's the easiest way to watch video in sync without making everyone download files in advance. Then we all chat in the Twitch chat box (in large part to crack stupid jokes, it's not that highbrow lmao). I've gotten away with it so far!

As for youtube channels, I can recommend...

anime production/history (i.e. sakuga fandom)

SteveM is likely the most sakuga-fan affiliated anituber. He makes long, well-researched and in-depth videos on anime history, usually themed around a particular director or studio.

Pyramid Inu might be my fave anituber - very thoughtful analysis of Gundam, obscure mecha anime and oldschool BL and similar topics. tremendously soothing voice too.

The Canipa Effect does excellent deep dives into the production of specific shows, both western and anime. I appreciate the respect he gives to the Korean animators of shows like AtlA in particular!

Sean Bires's 2013 presentation on sakuga is pretty foundational to this whole subcultural niche, and a great place to get an introduction to the major animator names to know and significant points in the history of anime. unfortunately a couple of the segments got slapped down by copyright but the rest holds up!

animation theory (for animators and aspirants)

I'm going to focus here on resources that are relevant to animation in general, and 2D animation. if I was going to list every Blender channel we'd be here all week :p

New Frame Plus is one of the best channels out there for game animation, describing in tightly edited videos how animation principles work in a game context and analysing the animation of various games. highly recommend

Videogame Animation Study is similar, examining the animation of specific games in detail

the 'twelve principles of animation' (defined by Disney's Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas) remain the standard approach to animation pedagogy; there are various videos on them, but Alan Becker (of Animator vs Animation) has quite a popular series. I haven't actually watched these but many people swear by them! Dermot O'Connor expands the list to 21. Note that some of the terminology can be a little inconsistent between different animators - c.f. 'secondary motion'...

Dong Chang is an animator at Studio NUT, who produces a lot of fantastic, succinct videos on standard techniques in the anime industry, timesheet notations, etc. etc. Studio Bulldog, a small anime studio, are a good complement; they focus more on douga than genga and are generally a bit more traditional.

programming

big topic here, I'm going to focus on game dev and tech art since that's my field. but also some general compsci stuff that's neat

SimonDev - graphics programmer with a bunch of AAA experience, fantastic explanations of advanced optimisations and some of the more counterintuitive aspects of rendering

Acerola - graphics programmer who makes very detailed guides to a variety of effects with a very rapid and funny 'guy that has seen monogatari' editing style. When he's good, he's really good. His video on water is probably the best one I've seen (though I can recommend a couple of others).

TodePond - the most charming, musical videos about recursion and cellular automata you've ever seen. less programming tutorial and more art in themselves.

Ben Eater - known for his breadboard computer series, a fantastic demonstration of how to go from logic gates up to the 6502 with actual hardware. worth watching just for how clean he puts the wires on his breadboards like goddamn man

Sebastian Lague, Useless Game Dev - both do 'coding adventure' style videos where they spend a few weeks on some project and then document it on Youtube, resulting in a huge library of videos about all sorts of fascinating techniques. great to dive into

Freya Holmér - creator of the 'shapes' library, makes videos on mathematical programming, with gorgeously animated vector graphics. Her video on splines is a particular treat.

There are definitely many more channels I can recommend on these subjects, but I'll need to dig into my history a bit - unfortunately I need to rush out right now, but hopefully that should be good to be getting going with!

[feroluce]

Connecting dots tonight (didn't connect shit, I've connected them, etc) because of this post about item descriptions to do with Sampo I saw a few days ago and! I feel like there are so many interesting things that could be implied from this!! Because the recipe for the High-Tech Protective Gear is given to you by Bronya (before the IPC invaded Belobog!), who says this little interesting tidbit about it:

This is an item from before the Eternal Freeze, 700 years ago. Even to the rest of the universe, it would be SORELY outdated. It cannot be made in Belobog anymore due to the loss of entire eras. It is effectively useless; this recipe had to be somewhere gathering dust, kept around solely for archival purposes. There is no reason for Sampo to know about this item or have any idea how it works and yet. AND YET. He's just running around selling knock offs!!

He shouldn't even know how to make these, but the fact that he does means Sampo either

had the blueprints from off-world before he came to Belobog (most likely but also most boring answer)

broke into Qlipoth Fort and copied down the blueprints (completely plausible - he's possibly shown doing exactly that in his splash art)

found another copy out in the ruins of the old world (also completely plausible - Sampo is astoundingly resilient against both the Fragmentum and the cold, as noted by Lynx haha)

Meanwhile, the Inferior Protective Gear recipe comes from an NPC in the underground, and when she gives it to you, she talks about building robots and the robot fighting scene sorry about the quality I didn't have screenshots for her dialogue so I had to use wiki

Which makes me feel like it's safe to say that the inferior gear is mostly being used in the underground, especially by the vagrants and their robots for fights, because...well, who else would use it? Cocolia has made it illegal to explore too far into the Snow Plains, and besides, it's way too dangerous for most civilians even WITH gear. The Silvermane Guards are funded by official sources, they have no reason to rely on Sampo for armor. So it makes sense for an underground mechanic to know the recipe; there's probably not as much market for it up in the overworld.

And if you look at the descriptions, you can see why this probably wasn't something that could be made in Belobog anymore; it requires a charging system of some sort.

We know it's not a problem with the basic materials because all three ingredients can be found right in the administrative district. But the underground only has two of them; somehow, despite being in the planet's crust, and literally crawling with robots...there is no metal down there. It isn't found anywhere, sold by anyone, or dropped by anything. And metal just so happens to be the one ingredient Sampo replaces in his knock off version.

The Inferior Gear uses trash instead, something which, going by the words of that same mechanic, is MORE than abundant in the underground- any good quality parts are extremely difficult to come by down there.

Anyway, all his shadiness aside, I love the implication that Sampo is smart enough to be able to take this item that no one else on the planet probably knows anything about, and was able to figure out what he could replace, and how, and with what, in order to make it easily accessible to the people of the underground, even without access to overworld resources. Because his version DOES work! It literally gives you the exact same amount of defense boost as the IPC one!

Someone should absolutely still knock him around for it, though, world's most slappable face fr fjkdsjfdkjafk

[familyabolisher]

> there exists an arbitrary social distinction between ‘STEM’ and ‘humanities’ which (put crudely) invests greater intellectual merit in STEM as a category of learning more directly involved with positivism and empirical deductions & with a greater capacity for describing an ‘objective’ reality, as opposed to ‘humanities’ as a subject area with less deference to positivism and more deference to subjectivity and fewer obvious methodological paradigms

> this objective/subjective binary gets translated into what is effectively a ‘facts vs feelings’ distinction

> this distinction rests on about a hundred different incorrect premises (that positivism is the most intellectually rigorous exercise and that the conclusions it arrives at are describing a prediscursive reality and that little or no subjectivity is ever imposed on scientific conclusions; that the study of literature, art, history, philosophy, theology, music, etc., can be collapsed into a ‘vibes-based’ approach and don’t themselves rely on methodologies, specific epistemological branches, specialised terminology, &c. &c.; that the study of literature, art, history, philosophy, theology, music, etc. and also the study of mathematics, biology, physics, astronomy, chemistry, computer science, psychology, etc. can be grouped into two distinct categories with no overlap and that have nothing to say to one another; that we should be giving discursive weight to the idea that ‘intellectualism’ is a measurable property and a laudable one, and that this is not the discourse of eugenics; this list goes on for a while)

> somehow, rather than challenging these hundred different incorrect premises in any serious way, there exists a significant chunk of humanities students (most often students of literature) who reify the idea that their subject is essentially based on ‘vibes’ and intuition, such that really anyone should be able to do them; they defend the intellectual merit of their subject through the suggestion that ‘STEM people’ who lack their fluency in literary studies are in fact not as ‘intelligent’ as they imagine themselves to be

> this is largely reacting to a cultural phenomenon of ‘STEM people,’ empowered by the widespread perception of their subject as being more intellectually challenging and socially worthwhile than humanities, deriding the study of humanities subjects either as being ‘easy’ or as not being worth the effort in the first place; or both

> nevertheless, it sucks

> suggesting that ‘STEM people’ (or, more broadly, ‘everyone’!) ought to have a fluency in literature (and that their not having this is somehow of concern in a vague sense; implicitly a moral failing) ignores several key facts, including: that a study of literature is as predicated on access to particular time and resources as is a study of, say, biology; that lit studies are as capable of political conservatism as any other discipline and that political conservatism can easily come from practices of ‘critical thinking’ which apply literary methodologies to reach reactionary conclusions; that, just as a study of biology requires the acquisition of knowledge beyond the quotidian and/or intuitive, so too does a study of literature

> it is good to develop critical reading skills and to be able to read broadly and confidently, as these are useful tools for navigating and politically articulating the world around you; it’s bad and also just weird and boring to ignore the contingencies that the development of those skills rest upon in favour of trying to one-up your perceived academic rivals; it’s also weird and boring to be extremely put out that someone is more interested in astrophysics or microbiology than they are in the history of the novel

> all education in all forms is stratified by access contingencies; if you see the critical faculties that you imagine only a humanities education to be able to give you as morally necessary skills, why aren’t you focused on challenging those contingencies?

> none of this would be a problem if we removed the access barriers to all branches of education that capitalist intellectual production demands we keep in place; all of this is essentially a slapfight between a lot of people who have been fortunate enough to gain access to higher education and have internalised the social impetus to disregard + disdain those who didn’t

> all of you are so fucking annoying

[crippleprophet]

Is it okay for people with agoraphobia to look and take some of the advice you have for housebound people on here? I'm not really great at picking up nuance so I'm worried that it'd be crossing some boundary or that it's not the intention of the tag

that’s completely okay, i appreciate your desire to be respectful even though i’m sorry you were concerned! i absolutely consider folks with agoraphobia my comrades + community members and i’d be super honored if anything i’ve shared is helpful (+ am always interested in hearing what that was if you’re comfortable!) the rest of this is not anything you need to answer your question, just thoughts i’ve been having on the subject

i haven’t had the opportunity to talk to enough homebound [due to chronic illness / “physical” reasons] people to know if this is a common experience but for me i’ve noticed that similar to chronic illness often carrying depression with it, since becoming homebound i’ve become terrified of leaving the house.

this is definitely influenced by the fact that it’s untenably painful, my photosensitivity (in the UV sense not the epilepsy sense), the ongoing pandemic, the fact that i only left the house to go to the doctor for over a year & i’m afraid of the doctors appointment itself due to medical trauma, etc etc but like. there’s also the very strong pull of habit – i’m an incredibly obsessive & ritualistic person – and what Goffman refers to as “the relief of self-isolation” for marginalized people sheltering from a hostile society, a phrase i read in undergrad 5 1/2 years ago that’s stuck with me ever since for how profoundly it resonates.

i’m not trying to say these are necessarily your or any other person with agoraphobia’s feelings & experiences, more to illustrate how the liberation of all homebound people & shut-ins & hermits is bound up together; any sanist strategy for oppressing agoraphobes can easily be leveraged against me, not least because as a severely underdiagnosed person, the medical establishment does not think there is any “legitimate” “physical” reason for me to be homebound. to respond to this oppression by arguing it’s inapplicable because i’m not crazy would be untrue + a cruel act of lateral violence.

i’ve been reading a lot of butch/femme history recently (i post about that on my main @campgender; followers age 18+ only please) & have found myself entirely reconfiguring my understanding of the queer art of isolation, the incredible ability of our ancestors to hunker down & survive under circumstances unimaginable to the average person. i absolutely don’t want to deny the deep pain – not only the aspects i experience but also the heightened isolation of people without or before internet access + the ways these circumstances / forms of oppression can foster abuse –

but my god, so many 50s butches didn’t leave their homes during daylight hours for years in order to not be hate crimed for their gender presentation, & that’s the folks who were making it to the bars. so many others – “discreet” couples who didn’t want to risk being outed by engaging in queer community; people assigned female who “passed” as men & their partners; butch sex workers & other people with identities perceived as contradictory or unacceptable – existed marginalized by both queer & normative communities.

every time i think substantially about homeboundedness i always get tracy chapman’s “subcity” stuck in my head. obviously my access to housing period is a huge position of privilege, & i’m in the most economically secure position of my adult life so far; the abjection i experience is nowhere near the scale of people in the position of the speaker of the song, who’s implied to be street homeless. but the line “people say it doesn’t exist ‘cause no one would like to admit that there is a city underground” is such a succinct & accurate depiction of living the kind of life society tries to convince itself is impossible. but there truly is a rich genealogy of homeboundedness especially in queer history.

again i hope some of my posts & such are helpful / resonant! wishing you all the best 💓💓

[domini-porter]

It's very hard not to ask twelve questions, but I'll restrain myself...

CMYK: What inspired you to write the fic this way? (You can take this to mean the ending, the character dynamics, whatever)

Diaphananthe hedoniana: What do you like best about this fic?

Hi hello thank youuuuu!

As for CMYK, that started as most things do (for me, at least) with a single image, which was Jane seeing Page 67 and having a super-awkward reflexive reaction in front of Maura, which I thought was both funny and mean, but if anyone needs someone to be mean back, it’s our Jane.

More broadly, the setting and plot emerged from that one image—that it would be some murdered artist (which makes Jane uncomfortable and defensive to begin with), who worked in erotic art (double discomfort/defensiveness, also I’m a fan of both high camp and highbrow erotic art, so, write what you know)(I painted a full-length Tom of Finland beefcake on a door in my apartment. one of the main ones). Also it let me bring in Constance, a classic example of a character that started out okay, got questionable, and then disappeared, with massive emotional consequences that were never addressed.

So. That’s the how! I’m adjacent to the art world (not in a Constance Isles way) and it’s such a wild assortment of people, so it was really entertaining for me, personally (I strongly believe you should entertain yourself first). The rest—plot, etc—evolved sort of organically, like it almost always does. Which brings me to the end, which people have been mixed on, for the most part.

The ambiguous/bummer/more realistic ending is sort of because I hadn’t actually determined the sequence of events for the murder, or exactly how all the players were involved (it’s a very high-wire sort of writing process, particularly when I haven’t written ahead before posting a chapter). And at first I worried what I ended up going with would feel like a cop-out, or cheap storytelling, or ruining the whole thing—which are ways people have described it—but I realized that either of the possible Shiny Bow endings I’d been tossing around felt even cheaper, like, I’d just done 80k words in a very grounded, consequence-rich universe, and the natural conclusion is that (LIGHT SPOILER) you don’t always get what you want just because you’re right. To have them march in and smugly call out the Big Bad would have been the cop-out, for me (so to speak).

Once I decided how it would all shake out, it was super-important to work with the tone, and the placement of narrative clues, so that it didn’t come out of nowhere, but did happen unexpectedly for the characters and the reader. Because it do be like that sometimes. And I get why people find it unsatisfying or disappointing, and honestly, I kinda hope they do. Because it is unsatisfying, and it is disappointing, but it’s not unearned. (I still obsess over those comments, tho, don’t worry)

I dunno if this is what you meant at all. I hope it is! A few other bits of minutiae, just in case: I hadn’t done any big writing (of anything) for years and years prior to CMYK, and a lot of what I’d done before was some flavor of AU, so the contemporary setting felt novel to me, just like the post-apocalypse or the Gilded Age. I started from Jane’s perspective because it was more easily accessible after such a long disconnect from the material (whole other topic), and stayed with it instead of alternating both as a way to not have to get inside Maura’s head, and to set myself a challenge to write from a single perspective, which is way less convenient than just following other characters for a while. Constance Isles is possibly my favorite minor character (sorry Giovanni), mostly because of her potential, and because of Jacqueline Bisset (watch La Cérémonie as soon as you possibly can). I started a sequel and then I got stuck on it (turns out I’m not nearly as interested in biotech as I am the art world); I will force myself to finish it someday, this I pledge to you all.

As for Diaphananthe hedoniana: the thing I personally like best, that is truly just for me, is the writing, as unhelpful as that sounds. I really set out to do elevated crack (psychoactive sex pollen) as sincerely and with as much craft as possible; it was mostly meant as an exercise in literary smut (not erotica. smut.) but the longer I sat with it the more uncomfortable I got with the basic concept, and since I’d once again tried to ground the fantastical in reality, my trusty ol’ ethical buzzkill started going on and on about trauma and consent. And since I’d gone into it attempting to personal best my prose, I had to keep doing that even though it took a hard turn.

All this is to say: I’m pretty proud of it, just from a craft standpoint; I really leaned into my tendency toward lyrical maximalism, which I usually don’t let myself do. I’m also p proud of the dialogue, particularly the scene with both Angela and Frankie; not just the way it hits the ear or the family dynamics, but the pacing of the scenes, especially being able to write (a tiny bit of) slapstick, which is both hard and exhilarating, particularly in a story as emotionally extreme as that one.

And I did PB my prose, I think. Def PB’d the smut, which I’m also not unhappy about. 

Thank you again for enquiring! And, even more, for kicking off this round of Everybody Loves Us Tonite, one of my favorite parts of this hell site; I'm so proud of this tiny little fandom and all of its flame-carriers <3

[lilietsblog]

a guide to Tumblr user interaction for newbies

Tumblr is the user interaction website. Not an advertisement website, not a popularity website. The goal here is not to become known to as many people as possible, but to be a little less lonely in this big wide world, and help other people be less lonely too.

Methods of user interaction, from most to least commitment:

Make a new original post.

Originally it will by default only be visible to your followers; if you want it to be visible to more people, use tags (five or so first tags count for the purpose of putting your post "into the tag" for other people to find outside of your blog). Beyond that you have no control: if it takes off, it takes off, if it doesn't, it doesn't. It's the highest commitment option because if it does take off it might be circulated for the rest of this website's lifespan, and you will continue to see people's reactions to it for as long as you stay here. Editing won't help, people will continue seeing the version that was originally reblogged (more on this later). Deleting will only help if you've put the post under readmore, in that people won't be able to access the original text anymore. Deleting your blog won't remove the post from circulation either. Beware.

It is very, very, very bad etiquette to make your own post with someone else's content without proper attribution. Tumblr is home to a lot of artists, writers and memers who take this shit personally. Reposting someone else's art (wide meaning of the word) as your own is just about the worst offense you can commit around here. If something you want to share was originally posted on another website, link back (unless it's a screenshot of a conversation, in which case just use your judgement for whether it's public and whether you have suficient permission to share it). If it was posted on Tumblr, for the love of god, REBLOG (see below). If you can't, that very likely means you shouldn't.

Good material for making your own original posts: Your art (and writing, and music, and so on). Your opinion on something (anything). A diary entry (though use your own judgement for whether you want to risk it being spread all over the website forever). A witty observation. A meme permutation of your own creation. A funny story you heard (with as much proper attribution as you can manage). Questions you want other people to answer. Excited recommendations of your favorite anything. Positive affirmations. Helpful information compilations. Wistful descriptions of extreme violence you wish you could inflict on politicians you don't like. Hornyposting. Etc.

Bad material for making your own original posts: Talking shit about other users in a non-vague way that allows others to easily identify them. Do not incite or spread harassment, even if they are really really annoying or really really wrong on the internet. Vagueblog if you have to, or take it to DMs (see below). Someone else's creations, as mentioned above. Unless it's formally published and the person has been paid for it, in which case, just don't take credit for stuff that's not yours, and attribute it so others can find the original source. Anxiety bait ("reblog this or have something bad happen to you") / screamers / jumpscares / common triggers (gore, flashing lights, etc) without proper tags. We used to have a lot of those, and nobody liked them, and we decided as a community to not do this anymore. Play ball or be prepared to get mass blocked and/or reported to the mod team for violating community standards. We don't mind hornyposting or threats of violence here, but don't be an ass to people who will see your posts, please.

Reblog someone else's post.

You can find other people's posts to reblog on their own individual blogs, in the tags (tumblr.com/tagged/your interest), on your dashboard once you've subscribed to any of the above.

The etiquette around reblogging is a weird and complex thing, but generally: reblogging without adding any text, with or without tags is considered a universal positive.

(Exception: when a person has explicitly asked people to not reblog the post in the text or tags of the post. The "forbid reblogging" function is new and might or might not work well, the point is don't be an asshole)

A reblogged post has its main body duplicated on your own blog, tagged with the tags you added yourself and no others, with your own additions (if any) appended to the end. People can remove additions after the OP (original post) when they reblog, but usually this isn't done. Beware of this also: if you add something stupid to a post and the version with your addition takes off, it also might well circulate forever with no option for control on your end. Deleting will only help if you post your addition under readmore, etc, etc.

The reason it's less commitment is that you will only get notifications from interaction with your post only from the people who will interact with specifically YOUR instance of it, on your blog or on their dashboard where they are following you. If person A reblogs your (reblogged) post, then person B reblogs it from person A, you will only be notified of person A's actions. Anything further down the line is between the OP (original poster) and whoever is further down the line.

Note that the OP gets all notifications for everything that happens with their post, no matter how far down the line. A reblogged post is not alienated from the original poster, it's not "stolen", the other way around, you're adding value and popularizing it (and/or adding harassment and making OP's life hell, depending on context). Most times someone makes a post, they WANT it to be popular and spread around, so unless specifically noted otherwise, reblog away!

As for adding your own commentary to the reblogs: reblogs are a very normal, traditional and classic way to have a CONVERSATION on this website. Don't be afraid to express your opinion, argue, disagree or agree with the OP / any previous opinions in the version of the post you're reblogging. It's even considered perfectly reasonable to copypaste the previous person's tags you are seeing into the main body of the post and express your opinion on THOSE - tags are personal, but not private. It's sort of like whispering to be polite and not interrupt the main conversation, but if someone thinks your tags add value to the discussion - if only entertainment value - into the pot they go.

Tumblr is a clown website for clowns, so making fun of any part of the post above is also valid. (Unless you're being an asshole about it. Don't be an asshole about it.) As is appending a joke or a pun. If people don't like it, they don't have to reblog it. OP will probably appreciate it. Note: "I hate you" or similar in an additional reblog is a common way of expressing appreciation. (If you genuinely don't like someone's joke, you won't parade it around on your own blog. "I hate this" is, sincerely and seriously, a joke love language on this website)

Giving compliments / expressing appreciation is also an always good option. "Holy shit I love this" is a great addition to any post at any time in any context (unless the op specifically asked not to reblog etc etc). The reverse is not true - unless your criticism/disagreement is actively adding value to the public discussion, keep it to yourself or to the less public ways of engagement (more on this later). Or vagueblog about it, always a good option.

A holdover from the horrible old days of notifications clogging up your dashboard is general disapproval of "derailing" a post. If someone made a long post about their favorite Pokemon mentioning the word "stove" and you reblog it with a long monologue on your favorite stoves and the origin of the word "stove" and your personal funny story about using a stove once, it's considered "derailing". We are however no longer in the horrible old days, so derail away if you want to. That said, you can always put any and all of those free association things in the tags - that's the good manners option. Tags are not infinite length, but if you have THAT MUCH to say on the unrelated topic, you can always just make your own post!

Tags are freeform - nothing reblogged can be found in the general tumblr tags, so they only serve for organization on your own personal blog and as storage for your rants. I've seen original posts that have one line of the actual body of the post and then several paragraphs' worth of additional text in the tags. This is quirky and makes other people's lives more dificult if they want to respond, but you don't owe it to them to make it easy to respond to you. Tag away. (Note that your tags are visible to (1) your followers, (2) the OP who will receive the reblog notification along with the tags you used, (3) anyone who looks in the post's notes. Tags are quiet and polite but still public. Use your judgement)

Note that reblogging a post makes the resulting version be part of your blog same as if it were your own post. There's nothing bad about that, but again - it's somewhat high commitment. If you don't want to reblog something, you are always free to. Demanding that other people reblog your post, expressing judgement of those who don't reblog, guilt tripping people over not reblogging, are all considered bad etiquette, and are likely to result in people who would have otherwise reblogged refusing to, just so their followers won't be subjected to that. This particularly goes for artists going on rants over how their like to reblog ratio is terrible (more on this later). You are not anyone's personal advertisement agency no matter how much they wish you were unless they are literally paying you for it. Reblog away, and also don't reblog away. It's your blog, your rules.

Note also that having a blog that consists entirely of other people's reblogged posts with zero commentary or tags is a perfectly normal way of existing on this website that won't raise any eyebrows from anyone. You can even make friends by doing that and nothing else, if people whose posts you reblog choose to talk to you about it. Your blog is as much or as little of a scrapbook of other people's stuff you like as you want it to be.

And finally, there's no such thing as necroposting. If you archive dove someone's blog until you found a post from 2011 you really want to reblog with commentary, go WAY ahead and do that. If they didn't want you to, they would have deleted it. (Barely anyone does that, which is because most people don't mind and perfectly welcome the interaction, however inane. We're a very social media)

Send an ask. (username.tumblr.com/ask, or tumblr.com/new/ask/username, unless they have it disabled)

Once upon a time, there were no replies and no private messages on tumblr. The only options for interaction were reblogs, asks, and fan mail - an utterly amazing feature I kind of wish they hadn't gotten rid of, even though literally no-one misses it for its functionality. The flavor though, the flavor!

Asks are the result of the assumption that the website will consist of creators and their fanbases, and the fans can send short questions to their favorite creators that they can then deign to answer publicly for everyone to see, or privately for just that person only. (Or delete the ask and forget it ever existed). This usage actually persists for the local celebrities and microcelebrities, and their inboxes are usually as swamped as you'd expect a celebrity's inbox to be, with as little guarantee they'll ever get around to your ask in particular as you'd imagine. In the meantime, everyone else has adapted asks for more mundane, everyday use.

There are "askblogs" - blogs where pretty much all of their content is answering asks sent in. Specifically advice blogs, where your typical post is a one or two sentence long question (ask) and an essay length answer, and roleplay blogs, where your typical post is an ask of variable length with a reply from the character(s) the blog is for in comic form. There are liveblogs (liveblog blogs?), where asks are usually sent to a separate blog where an "ask screener" reads through them to filter out spoilers before passing them on to the liveblogger to answer, usually in screenshot form - basically the microcelebrity situation but with a better chance of having your ask in specific answered. There are submission-based blogs, which use the submission feature instead of the ask feature and are pretty much the only use for the submission feature on this website ever.

When it comes to regular users, an ask is what you send when you want an up-to-essay-length answer posted on their blog. (Although they can always choose to answer your privately instead, unless your ask is anonymous. And either way they can choose to never answer you at all.) Like if someone is doing theorycrafting in your favorite fandom and you want to prompt them to write up their opinion on your pet question? Asks exist for precisely that. (IRL science, US politics and the bible count as fandoms in my personal opinion)

There are ask games being passed around in reblogs. One genre is along the lines of "send me an emoji to get an answer to this question" or "send me one of these emojis to give me your opinion on me". A post like that showing up on someone's blog means they are participating in the game and hoping someone (you) sends them an ask along those rules. Sending an anonymous ask for these is perfectly acceptable, assuming the feature is enabled - many people disable it, for reasons... good, valid reasons. Sending multiple game asks to the same person at once is an excellent thing to do too (assuming the game allows for it), whether you're anonymous or not. If you reblog one of these games with the hope your own followers / mutuals (people who you follow and who also follow you) engage in it with you, good etiquette is to also send an ask participating in this game to the person you're reblogging it from, because all too often everyone hopes someone will send an ask to them but nobody actually sends an ask to someone else.

The second genre of an "ask game" is the chainmail-like positivity messages. "Answer this ask with 10 things you like and send it to 10 latest people in your notifications" or something along those lines. You are never under obligation to answer these, just leave them hanging in your inbox or delete them if you don't want to. In that vein, passing them on to someone else is generally considered a nice thing to do, whether anonymous or not. Someone thought of you, and zero pressure to go with it.

I'm classfying asks as mid-commitment, as while they won't show up on your own blog (unless you choose to reblog the other person's answer, which a lot of people do, whether to continue the conversation from there or just to archive it for their own later perusal and enjoyment / to brag to their folowers), they WILL show up on the other person's blog. Probably. Unless they choose to answer it privately or not answer at all. You know what I mean.

(I'm classifying "answering asks sent to you" under the "make your own original post" option, as it has all the same caveats and conditions. You can of course always answer non-anonymous asks privately, which has the neat feature (?) that the interaction is subsequently deleted from your own inbox to never be reviewable by you ever, and the other person will get their ask with your answer back with no "reply" button and will have to send a separate additional ask if they want to continue the conversation. Basically answering an ask in private is the "and fuck off" of tumblr social interaction. Don't read it like that if other people do it to you though, lots of people, especially tumblr oldies, don't really think of it that way and just act as if it's private messaging. Because, you know, once upon a time it was the only option for that. Yeah.)

(Also, don't harass people. Don't send death threats / threats of violence / suicide bait. Don't dox. Even if someone told you something really bad about them. It's bad form, usually lies, and mass harassment is decidedly a disproportionate response for anything you can know for sure another tumblr user actually did. There's a reason we have 2.5 actually famous people on here under their own names and the reason is everyone else got harassed off the website. Along with a lot of local microcelebrities. Most of them for no good reason / over lies. People have actually died as a result of mass harassment campaigns, too, so, just... don't, okay?)

Replies

This feature is surprisingly new - for the longest time, the only way to engage with someone else's specific post was to reblog it. Then replies appeared for special "question" posts that you had to put a question mark at the end to make, then disappeared again for a while, until finally we got the actual functional feature as it is right now.

It's still not... perfectly integrated with the rest of the website. Replies to your post will show up in your notifications along the same rules as other post interaction notifications (on any level of nesting if you're the OP, just for the people replying to your instance of the post specifically if you just reblogged it), but if they are too long they will not show up in full and you'll need to dig through the notes of the post itself to find them. Which of course include all replies to the post, regardless of level of reblog they occured at, and are sorted by witchraft and wizardry. You can't reply to a specific reply to make a thread either, to adress someone in specific you need to tag them (@username) in the text of the reply. Replying to someone else's reply on a popular post is an exercise in frustration. The feature seems designed for everyone to reply to the OP specifically, so that the OP may peruse the mass of the replies as a whole at their leisure. This is not how the replies are actually used, and they are basically a free for all. Write whatever.

A normal way to interact with replies to your post, originating from back in the days of "question" posts, is to screenshot the reply and make a new post with the screenshot and your reaction / reply to it (assuming it's longer than the one sentence of your average reply), and tag the person you're replying to. (Unless you're dragging them / their opinion / their phrasing, in which case it would be polite to not tag them and also crop their username out of the screenshot or black it out. The same old don't be an asshole rule)

This feature is also, in my estimation, mid commitment. Your reply will be accessible on another person's post, but usually fairly buried, whether under an avalanche of other replies or due to the post's obscurity. Note though that unlike a post, you cannot delete a reply you've made (tumblr is a functional website :) ), meaning if you say something particularly stupid the only way to dissociate yourself from it is to delete your account. Which, to be clear, is normally a gross overreaction to leaving a stupid reply somewhere, because literally nobody cares. Stil, it's an Indelible Mark you're publicly leaving on the internet landscape. Can't leave anonymous replies either. Truly tragic.

Personal messages.

I believe there are multiple options people can set for privacy for who can send them these. For most people, if you follow them, you can message them. Just say hi! Compliment them! Share a fun fact! Start a conversation! Most people will appreciate it, even if they will first leave you on read for a couple of months because that's how often they check their inbox, oops.

Personal messages are decidedly NOT integrated with the rest of the website's functionality, which is really the main attraction. The only way to publicize a private messages conversation with someone is to take screenshots and post them, same as if you were using a different app entirely. (Incidentally, don't do that unless you have permission or a really, really good reason. Asshole rule etc)

You will sometimes get spambots in your personal messages. You can easily identify them by features such as: wanting you to go to another website, wanting you to buy something, offering you money for something, offering to have virtual sex with you. Don't act like that, and you won't get blocked and reported by other users!

Personal messages are... mid to low commitment. No-one but you and the person you're talking to will ever know (unless they choose to tell other people, but that's any interaction with another person ever), but you also can't delete personal messages, because tumblr is a functional website :) and personal messages are a relatively new feature. Seriously, we used to use FANMAIL to communicate. Fan fucking mail.

Likes.

Okay, real talk. You will see a lot of posts going around saying "likes don't do anything", "likes only upset people" and so on. Absolutely do not take those as a serious guide on whether to like other people's posts. (Well, maybe as a guide on whether to like THOSE SPECIFIC PEOPLE's posts. Not everyone else's.)

A "like" is a way to communicate to the poster (the OP and the person whose reblog of the post you're viewing, if the post is a reblog, which most posts on this website are) that you: (1) agree with them / the latest stated opinion in the reblog chain; (2) appreciate this post's presence on your dashboard / in the tag; (3) really like the thing they made; (4) are happy for them / sorry that happened and sending positive vibes their way. People whose reaction to being told this information is "if you like what I made you should advertise it on your own blog" or "this is clearly a passive aggressive message that my content is not good enough to share" need to log off tumblr and either go touch grass or start an instagram account or something. They are also a VERY SMALL minority. When seeing a stranger's post, the reasonable default assumption is that they will take a like as the positive message it is - someone took the time out of their day to put a little red heart on their post! - and be happy about it.

Likes are a very minimal commitment way to participate in the general tumblr discourse melting pot. You don't need to put anything on your blog, or say a single word to another person. Just decide what you like and what you don't, and send little positive affirmations to the former while ignoring the latter.

You can also access posts you liked later, meaning likes can also function as a personal archive of posts you want to be able to find later, if you don't want to use your blog for that.

And finally, an important function likes serve that cannot be overlooked is differentiating yourself from a spambot. Spambots are a constant cursed presence, and people generally snipe them on sight (block and report). And one easy way to tell a person from a spambot is that a spambot follows you out of nowhere and does not interact with your posts in any way (maybe reblogs something at some point to make their blog look like it's real). A person, on the other hand, generally follows you because they like some of your posts... which until the recent surge of stupidity, would generally be visible in your notifications via a string of liked posts before, around or after the follow notification. Distinguish yourself from a spambot by also doing that! In my observations, an average like:reblog ratio for posts and for individual followers is about 10:1. That's average, mind you, you have every right to reblog nothing or reblog everything.

(In my personal opinion, it's reblogs without a like that come across as somewhat hostile... but in the recent climate, one has to assume that people don't mean it like that are just took the 'how dare people interact with me without promoting me' moaning seriously)

Voting in polls.

The absolute newest thing to happen on this blue hellsite, and THE lowest commitment you can possibly have. It doesn't require you to write words AND is anonymous. No-one will ever know. But you DO need to make an account, so... still in some ways more commitment than sending an anonymous ask? Judge for yourself!

And please, for the love of god, like the posts you like.

[shikharhomedevelopers]

Perks Of Residing In Luxury Apartments In Faridabad

Have you ever dreamed of buying a luxury apartment in Adore Legend 3, Faridabad? This blog will highlight ample reasons to invest in luxury projects in Faridabad like Adore Legend 3 Sector 104.

A Glimpse of Modern Housing

Modern apartments are not just four walls and a roof. They have transformed way beyond just a resting place and are transforming into luxurious sanctuaries where one has one's own private place to live lavishly.

Such apartments are redefining living spaces where tranquility and contemporary living blend into a serene oasis where one can reside in peace away from the hustle and bustle of life. With that said, more and more people are looking for luxury apartments that come with their own plush benefits.

Why Luxury Apartments are Valuable Investment

Luxury apartments also bless you with panoramic and jaw-dropping vistas especially when you live on higher floors that allow you the views of the glamorous world below. Almost all such apartments offer views that are soothing for the eyes after a long day filled with hustles. The developers of luxury apartments prefer hiring architects and designers who pay heed to every floor of the building to design floor layouts and architecture that can match the modern-era needs of potential home buyers.

Maintenance Headaches are Eliminated

Another crucial aspect of living in a luxury apartment is that you do not have to shoulder the boulders of maintenance. It is because the management expertly handles the maintenance tasks to allow you a relaxed lifestyle. On the other hand, you can easily get in touch with reliable contractors and experts who can cater to your individual needs, such as plumbing, carpentry, etc. Some apartments even have 24/7 support online, and even in those apartments where such a helpline is not available, the experts are just a call away, and you can quickly get in touch with them to address any such onsite issues.

Location Benefits

Luxury apartments are often located close to top-notch restaurants and hotels, premier schools, shopping malls and other basic amenities that make such apartments one of the best neighborhoods to live in. Besides, one can also have easy access to healthcare centers, workplaces and other places of importance, which further hikes the ease of connectivity from such apartments.  Also, you do not have to worry about traffic noise because most luxury apartments equip the homes with insulated walls that guarantee a peaceful escape from the traffic noise.

Improved Security

Security is often something that all homeowners are concerned about. Luxury apartments ensure state-of-art security systems that facilitate monitoring, surveillance and restricted entry to safeguard the interests of the homeowners. Most apartment developments offer round-the-clock surveillance, maintaining a vigilant oversight that adds an extra layer of security for house dwellers.

Superior Construction Quality

Luxury comes for a price, and when you pay for extravagance, you can expect premium constriction and aesthetic designs to grace your apartment. Besides offering upscale vibes and high-scale finishes, such apartments are built using premier quality materials and energy-efficient construction elements to make these apartments a luxury abode to unwind.

Are you Looking For a Luxury Apartment in Faridabad?

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Source of this content: https://www.shikharhomedevelopers.com/blog/perks-of-residing-in-luxury-apartments-in-faridabad.php

[emsylcatac]

This may seem random but I’m honestly curious how the Dupain-Cheng apartment is planned. I’m not knowledgeable about French apartments, all I know is the basic and famous architectures there. So there’s 3 floors (bakery, possibly the parents’ room, living/kitchen/dining/possibly t&b) and an attic with a balcony? I’m asking for reference because I’m confused and everything in the MLB universe is kinda exaggerated when it comes to scale. TY 🙏

Heeeyaaa!! Sorry this has been sitting here for a whiiiile because I knew it would take a lot of time for me to answer, so I've been working on it bits by bits when I could.

But somehow it seems pretty much of an issue on tumblr today so anyway let's finish to break it down now 😂 (beware that I'm not a Parisian architect so it's a lot of deductions from what I know about Parisian apartments in general and personal researches, I could be wrong in my interpretation & analysis of it)

So as you're saying, there are three floors including the attic, plus the ground floor (side-note btw but sorry it may seem confusing but I'm talking using UK English, meaning what Americans call "first floor" is "ground floor" in UK Eng, so the "second floor" for Americans is the "first floor" here, etc. It's easier for me cause that's what we do in my language too; I'll also use both the 'flat' and 'apartment' appellations cause I'm lazy and never pay attention to which one I use rip, language coherence has left the window, my old English teacher wouldn't be proud)

It's pretty common for bakers to live above their bakery in France, though not all do.

By the way, for your information, the Dupain-Cheng Bakery which here is situated in Place des Vosges, was heavily inspired by the Boris Lumé Boulangerie that is located in the 18e arrondissement, in Montmartre:

Also for your information, this is what the bakery they got their inspiration from looks like (I took a trip there with my friend google map and tried to screenshot the whole building - it's bigger than the Dupain Cheng's house since it has more floors and I doubt the bakers live in it all, but I wanted to check how far their inspiration went but it seemed it stopped at the shopfront + the global looking-aspect of the building; I also checked the roof and no balcony there). But yeah the building looks very typical-Parisian block of flats.

It's pretty common in Paris to have one or more flats per floor, so you'd have a common staircase in a building and each floor can be split into two, three flats with doors and doorbells and stuffs.

What always struck me was the staircase of the Dupain Cheng's house to access the different floors: they look exactly like a common and shared staircase between a few residents of a flats block. We see a blue staircase with doors on each floor having doorbells and such. There's even a little stickers above the doorbell to indicate the name of the flat's resident.

My best guess here is that they own what used to be a block of flats with different residents, and that they reorganised it into one same house (the Dupain-Cheng, or the people who owned the bakery before them, or even before, etc. The point is that at some point, these apartments have been converted into one and the same so the owner of the bakery owns it all).

(undercut for the rest cause it's starting to get long):

Know that flats in Paris can have very different size, even in one same block of flats! Some can be 12m^2, some 30m^2, etc.

In Troublemaker, Marinette tells Jagged that the restroom is upstairs. Which considering the arrangement of their house is super vague and not informative at all. We also know that there are two doors with bells on the 1st floor (2nd for Americans). So my guess is that on the first floor, one flat was converted into the parents' room, and the other into the bathroom (for which you'd need to use a different door than the parents' room one, and as I said above, that could be smaller than the room for the parents' bedroom).

(Not the best screenshot but yeah we see 2 doors from what were 2 different flats in this, and that could easily be for the parents's bedroom and for the bathroom, one or the other. It's also possible that the parents have their private bathroom too).

We know they come inside the house from the bakery, though there could be a side-door somewhere because when the bakery is closed it'd make sense to use another entrance, and if they want to go to the living-room & kitchen (which we know is on the 2nd floor - 3rd for you Americans - thanks to episodes like Weredad and such), they will ring that bell (as we saw happening in Stormy Weather, Kung Food, Weredad, etc.).

This 2nd floor is organised as such, according to the concept art I found here:

So you have both the kitchen and the living room in one place which is something that is done more and more nowadays as an "open space" type of thing. Their table to eat - they can't have a big feast there clearly aha. The main entrance door is behind the couch, from the point of view we're in on the 2nd picture. And we can see the stairs leading to Marinette's bedroom, which do look like they've been added afterwards as a reorganisation.

Marinette's room clearly is in the attic arranged into a room, and her balcony probably wasn't one but I think some work happened so it could be converted into one - just the fact that she has to go out through a window indicates that imo. Especially since said window is pretty high up and you can only access it thanks to the fact that they made a mezzanine for Marinette's bed. Plus I've looked it up and you don't find these kind of balconies much in Paris - there are roof balconies but they rarely look like Marinette's.

Again, picture of her room that give a good idea of how it's organised that I found here on which we see the trapdoor, the desk under her mezzanine for her bed and the window giving access to the balcony:

(notice that she also has a sink, which give an access point to water which isn't common in a bedroom - so it probably used to be something else before that required an access for water, like a bathroom for instance).

We don't see the little bed with umbrella from here but it's where we're situated when looking at this picture. I found also good models of her room here if you want to have a look.

As for the balcony, here it is:

So yeah the fact that it's above the attic next to the chimneys + the uneasy access is what's making me wondering if it wasn't added afterwards, and that before the roof was kinda looking like the one next to it separated by the chimneys!

Here I'm done haha, I hope I answered what you were looking for as best as I could! 😊 again I don't pretend to know the exact truth of how it's done but this breakdown seems logical to me - at least I'm pretty sure of an old apartment block converted into one same house!

Have a nice day! ☀︎

[shadowkat678]

What does Sonas look like? What are the anesthetics of the city, and it's layout? How do the people dress? Is the city huge? And why is it the Last Beacon of Civilization?

The City

Sonas is a multitiered city floating above the clouds, populated by the Mabek people who are winged humanoids. I found this art that's a good representation but I can't find the artist! Let me know if anyone knows where this is from so I can reference them. I'd say the wings are bigger, and they have feathers trailing down their necks and arms and some other areas of their bodies too, but this is a good example of just the typical expected winged human look. I'm definitely leaning into the angel/fall angels symbiology that plays in with the themes of condemnation, more catholicly aligned religious symbiology, etc.

There's a number of rings, with the church and government buildings on the top spires of the city, then the nobles and merchant districts, then the common folk, and so on. The main city looks like if someone took a giant chunk out of a mountain and then it has a bunch of buildings built on and tunnels running through it all around. Because it was part of a mountain. Some parts are more flat than others and have buildings put on it like you'd see normal buildings, while in others you see building doors spiraling up the walls of the chunk of earth. For its size, there's maybe 50,000 people as of now. About twenty percent of that are the Flightless population in the outer earth motes.

By now there's probably dozens of, if not close to a hundred, earth motes that circle the main bulk of the city. Some are closer to the core, and have things like a public park, a more important buildings, etc. Then there's earth motes that circle further out that the farms that the wizards of Amos keep magically growing year round by controlling the climate surrounding them for what's needed.

Most of the city is accessible by flying, but for those who may have disabilities making it hard or those who are elderly and can't fly as easily, there are walkways and pully systems and "taxis" of a sort piloted on the giant, jeweled beetles that are also used as mounts for the Flightless sent below to gather resources under guard. Though things are slightly less accessible for the bottom rings of Sonas. And pretty much nonexistent in the outer motes by design. I'm planning to flesh this part out a bit more as Domiel has a disability herself and has to wear a leg brace due to an injury she sustained on a trip down to the ground. Disabilities are very common among the Flightless because of the work they do and the lack of support, and they've started developing their own simple prosthetics and tools to help, with old tools and technology sometimes scavenged by particularly daring individuals when they go down to the planet's surface and come across the ruins of the ancient cities and smuggle them back. Though that's a pretty rare opportunity that comes with a number of risks.

The Aesthetics

So, due to the religious and moral themes I'm playing with in the city, I've decided to base a lot of the architecture off the Neoclassical/Romantic era.

A lot of light colors, white and gold, open layout with white marble and stained glass and large, open layouts that make it all feel very big and grand. Definitely getting Catholic influences for the church and government buildings and features. At least for the upper, main section of the city.

I know those get used a lot in fantasy but it Fits The Themes.

Lots of large spires and towers and arcs, and lots of room for people with very big wing spans. Of course a lot of the buildings are built into stone, and have to be magically lit on the inside as there's less room for the windows. Lots of balconies to take off from. Occasionally smaller floating motes to just rest on, or where smaller non-food growing gardens have been planted. Artwork has been painted on wherever there's room on the outer structures as well. Scenes of sunsets and religious references and stars and views of places the city passes from above.

It very much LOOKS like a beautiful utopia if you don't think about what else is happening. It might seem like it too, in the fact no one REALLY goes without their basic needs met, even the Flightless. There are no homeless. Food is rationed out to make sure everyone has enough (though there are rules that dictate how much supplies you get, tied to class as well as things like how big your family are and how many children you have. The last point which is especially important, because growing the city out takes such effort and there's only so much space, so they actually provide less food per person after you have so many children. Especially since at first they wanted more children introduced to society to make up for the population hit from the war when Sonas first detached itself from the world, and later they had to walk this back as they were growing too fast for what they had available. This hits the lower rungs of society hardest, as you'd imagine.

That last bit of the prior paragraph also is tied to why this is the last bit of civilization. About 2000 years ago, the world Sonas is based in experienced a mass world war that Sonas had isolated itself from the effects of, but it wiped out everyone else or mutated things through magical radiation, basically. Even now there's still particularly heavy areas of radiation dotting the surface, and there's a specific sickness some Flightless who volunteer for missions get if they linger in those areas too long. Which yes is also just magic radiation sickness.

So as far as they know at least, there are no other survivors. The most powerful of Sonas had the wizards detach the central structure of the city from the planet, and it's been floating and slowly orbiting the world ever since, steadily growing larger. But as it's located higher than even the highest mountain ranges, their expanding diameter hasn't posed a problem, and the wizards have adjusted things to allow the city to continue to thrive. And over the past 2000 years the city has evolved for all these changes, and to create new social structures and belief systems that integrates this history and their new needs.

How They Dress

Since they all have wings and those are hard to get into typical shirts, most of the city wears loose, flowing clothing or outfits that are a lot like togas or the kind of wrap dresses a lot of cultures have. Things that can easily be maneuvered around their wings and quickly put together with lose fabrics. A lot of shirts and tops are tied to their back above and below their wings. A lot like the picture I have up top! Though a lot of them tend to have more extras added in like patterns, pretty trinkets, and such. You know like magpies. If I'm going to make bird people I'm going to have fun with it, even if the society itself is a dystopia.

That's not an excuse to not have fun with fashion sense. And appetences count for a lot. They also love adding fun makeup, accessories, etc.

There's a lot of bright colors in their fashion. Yellows and greens and whites and light blues. Lots of sheer fabrics layered on, but practical enough to make sure it's nothing that'll get in the way of flight. Due to not wanting to be weighed down while flying, a lot of the fabric also tends to be light.

They typically either wear light footwear like sandals or none.

Feel free to ask any other questions! Everything else about the novel I'm writing will be in the Clipped Wings tag on my blog.

[atticsandwitch]

Obey Me! Characters and an MC with chronic pain

More self indulgence

Lucifer

Is aware, thanks to Barbatos, but also respects your privacy.

Probably won't act like he already knows if you decide to tell him.

Can't stay by your side as much as he wants, but he works hard behind the scenes to make sure you're taken care of.

Makes sure the first aid cabinet is always stocked with pain meds.

Calls you in sick when you need to miss school.

Schedules your doctors appointments

Often tutors you to make sure you don't get behind.

Makes Mammon bring you your homework, Has Satan pick up your meds.

Still wishes he could do more.

The first to check on you in the morning if you wake up in pain and are late to breakfast.

Mammon

The first to know after Barbatos. He's always in your room going through your things, so he found your medications, aids, etc and tried failed to find a subtle way to ask you about them.

Is honestly amazed that you have to deal with that every day and still manage to do everything that you do for him and his brothers, and all with a smile.

Thinks you're a badass.

Whenever he goes on shopping sprees with Goldie, he buys you anything he sees that he thinks might help.

He doesn't know what it is, but it says its for pain, so MC might be able to use it!

It breaks his heart to see his human in pain, and he feels helpless, so he'll stay by you and stroke your hair during pain flare ups.

Hovers a little.

Always willing to lay in bed and have a Harrison Porter marathon.

Gets really good at wrapping your joints in compression bandages, braces, or kinesio-tape.

Leviathan

The resident Akuzon addict will actually research all the best products for coping with pain. He'll sort through reviews and find whatever sounds the most helpful.

He finds out when he invites you to an anime/gaming marathon and you decline, saying you're in pain.

Boy doesn't run, but he's at your door in three seconds flat and out of breath, trying to make sure you're okay.

Video chats, live streams, and other technological ways to hang out become a common option for the two of you, but he also sets up an area in his room just for you, where you can lay down and access anything you'd need to feel better. Tens unit? Check. Pain meds? Check. Heating pad? Check. Braces? Check. Ice packs? Check. The list goes on, MC.

Knows all your comfort characters/series, and incorporates them into his comfort strategies. "'You're amazing! I don't know anyone who could handle what you do every day!' That's what the die-hard gamer from your favorite anime would say in a situation like this, right?!"

Satan

Makes a point to do things for you before you can even ask him to.

Will get things for you, bring them to you, put things you've left out back in your room or where you'll easily find them so you don't have to go looking.

Always offers to carry things for you.

Reads up on whatever he can that might help.

Should we get Cerberus certified as an emotional support/service animal?

Obviously a good tutor when you need help with school.

Reads to you or sends you cat videos when you're having a bad day.

He's really good at reading people, so he's one of the first to notice when your mood starts to change due to the pain.

Makes the others aware whenever he realizes you're having a pain flare up.

The Devildom Museum of Art is suddenly offering virtual tours of all their new exhibits. Hmmm I wonder who could be responsible for that.

Asmodeus

The king of massages and back rubs.

Seriously, it makes Mammon jealous, so Asmo's always giving you back rubs in his room so Mammon can't butt in and demand that he takes his hands off you.

Always there to offer you a hot bath

Learns all about aromatherapy, and knows all the best scents for relaxation and pain relief.

Always buying lotions and massage oils to use on you, especially if he thinks they'll help.

Knows about all of the newest super food trends and encourages a healthy lifestyle and diet without being pushy.

Drink lots of water, MC!

Encourages you to take it easy, and to never feel guilty about taking care of yourself.

Seriously, Asmo will force you to take self care or mental health days if he thinks you need it. (Much to Lucifer's chagrin. Guess he's calling you in sick again.)

Beelzebub

Along with Belphie, he's very good at being able to read your mood and tell when you're starting to feel bad.

Likes giving you piggy-back rides and always offers to carry things for you.

Seriously, between Beel and Satan, you don't ever have to lift a finger if you don't want to.

Checks in with you often, but tries to make sure he's not hovering. He wants to help as often as he can, but doesn't want to take away any of your independence.

Gets really into physical therapy and learns all the best stretches and exercises to help you, but still knows that sometimes only junk food can make things better.

Takes it upon himself to bring you all your meals. He'll even pack you lunches, or go get your food for you in the cafeteria.

Knows all your favorite comfort foods.

Really just wants to hold you when you're not feeling well.

Probably the second best at massages after Asmo.

Belphegor

Prides himself on how well he knows you, and can tell when you're starting to feel run down almost before you can.

Takes it upon himself to learn your limits so he knows when you're pushing yourself and can distract you so you don't overdo it and wind up in pain later.

A little bossy, but his heart's in the right place, "Don't sit like that, MC, your back will hurt later"

Canonically already carries around stomach medicine for Beel, so he's definitely carrying pain meds around for you too.

Snuggle buddies for life.

As much as he enjoys/needs sleep, if you're having a pain flare up, he'll make sure to stay awake to stroke your hair and comfort you until you fall asleep first.

Tries to make jokes to make you feel better.

Doesn't seem like it, but he's a pretty good tutor too. He's used to cramming at the last minute.

Diavolo

Makes sure you have any accommodations that you may need. Online classes, extensions, extra sick days, you name it.

Checks in with you often, but won't say anything about your condition unless you tell him first. Will act like he doesn't know until then. But will sheepishly admit the truth if you find out and apologize.

Does anything he can to help magically as often as possible, but there are rules and limitations even for him.

All he really wants to do is take care of you and treat you to things. Anything at all that he can do to help, really.

Would pamper you within an inch of your life if he could.

Has the Little D's help you out with things all the time, but tells them to act like it's just coincidence that they're there and have time to help.

Lucifer and Barbatos both have to remind him that you need rest and he can't constantly be checking in on you. They roll their eyes whenever they see the Little D's approach you.

Barbatos

Was probably the one in charge of all the details of the exchange program, like transportation and background information, so he would have been the first to know.

Made Diavolo and Lucifer aware as part of his duties, but respects your privacy and wouldn't offer any details without permission.

Seriously admires your strength. It takes a lot to deal with pain every day.

Always has pain meds, braces, or other small helpful items on hand.

Does more for you than anyone besides Diavolo.

Diavolo and Lucifer both think it's sweet, and may tease him a little.

Solomon

Always has magic ointments and creams on hand, and gives them to you often.

Knows that weather can affect pain, and checks in on you when it rains.

Will take notes for you in class and bring them to you at the House of Lamentation.

Worries more than he lets on.

Does extra medicinal magic on you without your knowledge, but only if he knows it'll help somehow. Normally he has no problem experimenting on people, but he cares too much about you, and you've been through enough.

Simeon

Likes to cook for you when you're not feeling well and brings meals to you when you miss school sometimes.

Is really good at taking care of people.

Always there to listen, and very sympathetic.

Has to hold himself back from hovering, but having to remind Luke helps him.

Loves playing with your hair while he comforts you.

Forehead kisses.

Like Beel, he just wants to hold you and make things better.

Luke

Worries about you a lot when you miss school.

Simeon and Solomon have to remind him that he can't constantly call or check on you because you need your rest, but if one of them visits you, you can bet that he's tagging along.

You're so strong MC!

Making you desserts as we speak.

Would share his comfort items with you.

[florenceisfalling]

is this ordeal with dream making you reassess rpf fandoms in general or anything?

edit i realize i went on a mostly irrelevant tangent bc of my posts where i said ive always disliked the dsmp fandom, but if you were wondering Solely because of the allegations, no. stanning a real person always comes at a risk and while it sucks when things go awry i do think i'm normal Enough about my parasocial behaviors that i'll be fine mentally regardless of the outcome and will leave if i must. ok now onto the rest of the post

oh i'm ok discussing the community, just not like. the details of the allegations.

and the answer is: not particularly. the dsmp fandom is a pretty unique case, not in terms of content (i dont wanna sound like the kinda person who thinks minecraft rp is new) but in terms of community.

this is not to say that other fandoms surrounding real people are better, much less perfect, but they're definitely a more comfortable thing for me.

for one, i've seen a lot of people having the dsmp as a "baby's first fandom" sort of moment. i think this is because its something really popular that is harder to enjoy passively - while you can watch stranger things with your family and get the whole experience just by watching the show, with the dsmp you need to keep up with cc twitter pages and stuff to be fully in-the-loop, and this leads into fandom pretty easily. this means you have a lot of people going around getting into their very first discourse All At Once. and people who get Really attached to one thing and feel lost when suddenly the fandom they literally learned to draw/write/etc for goes quiet.

for two, the dsmp is a category that is broad as hell. its not like i watch all the ccs. i think that would probably make my brain melt from my ears. but when you have a category that is Broad As Johnny Bravo's Shoulders, its more like a million little fandoms than one big one, and they all overlap but don't really Share A Space. u can like someone's tubbo fanart and then see in their bio that they like, have a really strong vendetta against quackity or something. or vice versa. you also have a lot of shit to keep up with, which is simply too much for me. i will continue just having like. three dudes to think abt from now on rather than 30

thirdly, the thing Above about there being so many ccs does make the fandom more Baffling for everybody, and the community seemed to repeatedly add to that. i am not going to be like "hari and every popular blogger is evil! what about people who ARENT popular >:(" bc that is downright ridiculous, but think abt stuff like duo names, oddly specific tags, referring to ppl solely by nicknames, spreading conversation back and forth between multiple social media sites rather than just tumblr, etc - all of those things had a purpose and were perfectly fine (anyone who tells you that you must refer to your friends by username only just to make Their online experience more accessible is an idiot) but they did make things tricky for newcomers. friend groups aren't inherently cliques, but some of the ppl ive seen claiming that its "super easy to pop in and join no problem!" are the Exact folks ive seen unintentionally exclude others. again, not a moral failing, just a consequence of What Its Like in the fandom, especially to people who havent been around forever. and if you don't like a popular blogger youre kinda fucked bc they're everywhere- like can u imagine if there were Multiple clones of isa in the jse fandom, and they were like. your Only window into updates and shit etc etc? not to compare isa to anybody else. sorry to anybody who feels like theyre being compared to isa even if u dont know who that is. sorry

there's also an age difference in the fanbase And in the content creators. some of my favorite fic writers in the jse fandom are young, but some are also literally in their 30s with children and jobs. meanwhile a significant number of ppl in the dsmp fanbase making art n posting hot takes n stuff are under 17. particularly with tommy, ranboo, etc. and when so many of the streamers themselves are young, it can cause Problems - a lot of the adult ccs are at my college level, peak time for stupid behavior. not to mention,,, when you look at the jse/markiplier fandoms and see a fan being really sexual, its just like, "oh, maybe this is a little weird, but relatively harmless as long as they aren't being invasive about it." when you look into the fandom of a youtuber who isn't even old enough to vote yet, and see a fan being really sexual, it's more of a "holy shit that is predatory and fucking disgusting" moment.

^ continuing off of that, or at least the cc ages, their fame skyrocketed after a much shorter time than a lot of other creators. they did not have a normal adjustment period to being fucking everywhere. i'm not even one of them, and i didn't have a normal adjustment period to seeing them everywhere. older ccs with more professional stuff going on don't make the same mistakes as the newer folks. they know when to step away, too - as much as i wish jack was back on tumblr due to the theory content here, i also get why he's gone and understand that the environment would be Shaken tf up by his return.

having them be such a trend also meant that while the fandom is big, the anti-fandom is just as prevalent. in the jse fandom we have blue and their pals (yikes!), as well as a group of people that have generally negative feelings towards sean but are normal about it. we do not have entire communities dedicated to stalking him for "crit" and the amount of people speculating on his personal relationships have pretty much dwindled. we don't have people casually dropping his address and information about his family every time they meme about him. i can talk about watching jack and mark around ppl ive never met without starting off with a disclaimer! in fact, i frequently have to do the opposite with jack and mark, because their discourse is so Out Of Sight from the majority these days that some people just fucking ignore their friendship with pdp or past transmisogynistic jokes or etc etc etc. literally see ppl calling them "unproblematic kings!" every 2 seconds and gotta be like what the Fuck are you talking about

u also have the fact that the dsmp fandom became Such an ordeal during a really shitty time of fandom discourse in general. while people arent like going batshit insane over steven universe or whatever so much anymore, the moral arguments about fiction right now are hell on earth. it is pedophilia to watch cartoons and abuse apologism to think a character who was mean one time is interesting and if you are personally attached to a character then your feelings can just override canon in theory discussions. literally the worst time for anyone to be in a fandom regarding very morally/politically funky roleplay. as evidence i present whomever the fuck thought up the idea of posting proship discourse on r/dwt2

lastly i am far more invested in the egos as far as hyperfixating goes rather than the actual creators (as much as i love them) and would have zero problem just taking anti and making him My Own Guy (considering ive already basically done that) in the case that jack. idk. killed someone and was promptly cancelled on twitter for murder.

so yeah no. my deepseated hatred of the fandom in general (despite my love for much of the art and the wonderful people ive met) does not extend to all real person fandoms

[mimzy-writing-online]

Writing A Blind/Visually Impaired Character: Canes, Guide Dogs, O&M

Wow, back in June I decided to take a few months break from blogging to recharge and focus on my mental health. About a month ago I began writing this specific post, slowly and in stages because of how demanding, detailed, and long it is.

I’m not sure when I planned to come back. I have about 200 posts with tags and image description in my drafts folder, waiting to be queued, but I wanted to finish this guide before I fully came back.

Come back with a bang, right?

But this blog, and specifically, my Writing a Blind or Visually Impaired Character  guide, has gotten so much traffic and support that I felt incredibly motivated to come back now.

So I finished the guide, and now here it is. It’s been a year+ in the making. Since the very beginning of this writing advice series about writing blind characters, I’ve promised to write a guide specifically about canes, guide dogs, O&M, and other accessibility measures the blind community relies on. 

In fact, if you look at my master post for this guide (now pinned at the first post on my blog) you’ll find that it was reserved as Part Four, even as other guides and additions were added over the last year.

In this post I’ll be explaining 

What Orientation and Mobility (O&M) is

How one learns O&M

About canes, from different types of canes and their parts, as well as how to use a cane. 

I will be explaining the sensory experiences of using a cane and how to describe it in narrative. 

I will include small mannerisms long-time cane uses might develop. 

At the very end will be a section on guide dogs, but this will be limited to research because I have no personal experience with guide dogs, being a cane user.

Disclaimer: I am an actual visually impaired person who has been using a cane for nearly three years and has been experiencing vision loss symptoms for a few years longer than that. This guide is based on both my experiences and my research. My experiences are not universal however because every blind person has a unique experience with their blindness

What Is Orientation & Mobility

Orientation and Mobility (O&M) is the specific skill of understanding and navigating the world safely and confidently with vision loss.

I’m going to quote Vision Aware’s specific definition [link]

"Orientation" refers to the ability to know where you are and where you want to go, whether you're moving from one room to another or walking downtown for a shopping trip.

"Mobility" refers to the ability to move safely, efficiently, and effectively from one place to another, such as being able to walk without tripping or falling on steps or elevation changes, crossing streets, and using public transportation

O&M can involve :

-learning how to use a cane, as well as what cane works best for you

-safely navigating obstacles with your cane, including stairs, ramps, elevators, uneven or curved sidewalks, through crowds, around furniture

-learning safe strategies for crossing the street

-planning routes to new or recurring locations

-using technology enroute, including GPS and apps like Uber and Lyft

-safely accessing public transportation

-how to ask for help when needed

-working with human sighted guides

A Note on the Blind Community and Their Relationship with Canes

The Perkins School for the Blind estimates that only 2-8% of the blind community rely on canes for navigation. The rest rely on remaining vision, guide dogs, and sighted guides. Only about 2% of the blind community relies on guide dogs however, and to get a guide dog in the first place, a person must go through O&M classes and use a cane for six months before they can sign up for a guide dog.

What this means is that 90% of the blind community don’t use a cane.

I didn’t know this fact until I begun research for this guide, and that number astounds me. 

Truth be told, while I have navigated my life without a cane before, I can’t imagine going back to the way it was before I got it. Even if I only need my cane some of the time, I can’t bear to not use it in the situations I need it. Having a cane made my life a lot easier, a lot safer.

I don’t know what to attribute this number to.

I might attribute it to the concepts of invisible vs. visible disability, internalized ableism, or the feeling of ‘not being blind enough’ for a cane, as well as accessibility to the blind community and knowledge, and access to buying a cane in the first place. I could write a thing about it, but if I try it’s gonna be its own post.

Onward~

How Do You Learn O&M? How Will My Character Learn?

You will have to find an Orientation and Mobility instructor and have them personally teach you O&M skills.

The O&M Instructor is a sighted adult who has gone to school for a bachelor’s degree and gone through O&M training themselves while blindfolded, usually fulfilling a certain requirement of hours (one program required 400 hours of O&M practice blindfolded before you could become certified), and apply for certification to teach O&M.

(Or, as is the process to become an instructor in the United States, where I am from. Becoming an instructor would vary in other countries, I’m sure)

To find an O&M instructor, you would reach out to your local school or foundation for the blind. Finding your nearest school for the blind could be done through…

Google search

Your Ophthalmologist (eye doctor) referring you to a school for the blind

A Social Service Worker reaching out to you and helping you contact the school

Possibly your school (as in grade/primary school, high school, university) reaching out to the nearest school for the blind on your behalf.

Unfortunately, there is not an abundance of schools and foundations, so your nearest might still be a far travel distance. My local school is a 45 minute drive away. For some it might a few hours away. 

This is, again, a U.S. experience, because our land mass is spaced out, and something like a six hour drive feels like nothing to most people (although is highly impractical and very difficult to a blind person who cannot drive themselves), but in other countries a six hour drive would mean crossing several borders, and other countries have different social programs.

There is not a full and complete database of every available school for the blind either, no one website to find every possible option. For example, the school I went to wasn’t listed in most of the website resources I found, even though it has seven branches and locations. 

This is more a complaint at the real life struggle to find disabled services, that there are few comprehensive resources out there. If you ask me, it should be made significantly easier to find and access your local blind communities. Accessibility and disabled services should be easily available everywhere.

If your story is based in a real world location, googling ‘school for the blind (city/county/country)’ should suffice in finding the one most local to your setting.

What might a school for the blind provide for your character?

Well, on top of helping your character connect to an O&M instructor, a school for the blind might provide other rehabilitation classes and access to additional resources.

Those rehabilitation classes could include lessons on:

-Reading/Writing Braille & using brailling machines

-Technology classes for screen readers, magnifiers, etc on your computer and smart phone.

My local school has separate classes specific to Andriod, iOS, JAWS, Zoomtext Fusion

-Independent Living skills (cooking, cleaning, organizing, planning how to get groceries and medications)

-Self Improvement (dancing, art, music, self defense. These were classes my school taught)

The additional resources form these schools might include- 

Referrals to counselors for coping with vision loss

Access to their audio-book and braille library

Access to magnifier devices, brailler machines (think of a typewriter for writing braille)

Some schools also offer grade-school or high-school education, meaning blind children/teens learn there instead of a mainstream school.

Some schools have lodgings for clients to stay at while going through rehabilitation, especially if the vision loss is sudden and severe. They live on-campus and take part in classes. Other schools only have day classes offered and you need to find transportation for every visit. Many schools might have a rehabilitation specialist or O&M instructor visit you in your home.

My local school did the last two. They had on site classes, but the school is a 45 minute drive from me, so I only visited a few times. They were able to send an O&M instructor to me. 

On Wednesdays at 3 pm she would drive to my house and give me lessons on using my cane. Those included her driving me to different locations to practice certain skills (like using stairs and escalators at the mall, or crossing a moderately busy intersection, or visiting a bus station to practice boarding a bus safely and communication with a bus driver where my stop was).

She also brought multiple different types of canes for new students to try out and determine which felt best for them.

The Many Types of Canes

Long Canes are used to sweep the immediate area in front of the cane user as they’re walking. This is the cane type that the general public is most familiar with seeing. There are several sub-types of long canes. They can also be called white canes or probing canes.

[Image Description: Man in business clothes traveling on the side walk with a white and red cane. End Image Description]

White cane can be a misnomer for two reasons: One, the concept of the standard cane for the blind can look different in different countries. In America, the standard is white with a red tip. In some countries the standard is an all-white cane. In some countries an all white cane might mean the user is blind while a white cane with a red tip means the user is deaf-blind.

Two, some companies like Ambutech allow customers to customize their cane colors and tips. Example: Molly Burke’s hot pink cane. My white cane with a purple tip. An all black or all sky blue or all red or all purple cane. A black cane with a blue or purple tip. Ambutech also allows customers to request neon-colored reflective tape to make their canes more visible at night.

Probing cane is not a term I’ve personally heard before, but it is a term Vision Aware uses on their website.

There are three main types of long canes:

Non-folding Canes: a cane that has no sections, cannot be folded or collapsed.

[Image Description: stock photo of man in business suit with a non-folding all white cane. End Image Description]

Folding Canes: The cane has 3-6 sections depending on its height. The taller the cane, the more sections it has. The sections are separate pieces that are made to snap together and are held together by a strong elastic rope inside the sections.

[Image Description: a folding cane with four sections, white with a red tip, and a rolling marshmallow tip. End Image Description]

Telescopic Canes: in which the sections slide into each other, similar to a telescope/spyglass, rather than pulling apart and folding. The handle is the widest section, and the tip section is the thinnest.

[Image Description: Three stacked images of a blue telescopic cane. First is of the cane completely collapsed. Second is of the sections partially sliding out. Third is the cane sections completely out and locked.]

Beyond that is also the Identification Cane. The function of this cane is to visibly identify the user as blind. It’s not used for O&M the way long canes are, there is no sweeping out the next two steps. It can be used as a support cane, however. 

It’s appeals most to the elderly who not only make up a huge percentage of the blind community, but might also benefit most from having both a support cane and an identifier for their blindness, in case they need assistance. 

[Image Description: identification cane with curved handle. All white with red tip. End Image Description]

A note: From what I’ve heard in the blind community, some people prefer solid/non-folding canes over folding or telescopic canes. The reason for this is that solid canes transfer vibration better than folding or telescopic canes. It’s said that the more sections a cane has, the less precise the vibrations are. 

Some cane users train themselves to understand the vibrations of the surfaces their canes are touching. It tells them what kind of surface they’re on (wood vs. marble vs. concrete), if there are nearby objects to their cane. While I rely somewhat on cane vibrations to tell me what surface I’m walking on (more on that later), it is beyond my current O&M abilities to use cane vibrations to sense nearby walls or objects.

Cane vibrations are just an additional information-sense to add to the others in use, and extra bit of data input.

Parts of the Cane: Materials, Handle, Tips, Sections, Elastic Band

Material

The three most common types of materials used to make canes are aluminum, carbon-fiber, and fiberglass. Each material has some drawbacks and benefits.

The ideal cane is lightweight and durable. It should be strong enough to withstand hitting something solid without bending or splintering.

Aluminum is strong and durable, but heavy. If it’s damage, it’s more likely to bend than break entirely. A bend can be straightened out, but it takes considerable strength.

Carbon-fiber is lightweight and durable. It’s stronger than fiberglass, and it can bend out of shape rather than splintering.

Fiberglass is lightweight but a bit rigid. If it breaks, it splinters.

Handles and Elastic Bands

While some canes can have specialized grips (plastic, wood, corkboard) the most common handle material is a black rubber handle that is about ten inches long, give or take. In the previous photos you’ve seen, the canes have had black rubber handles.

Here is an example of a cane with a wood-mesh material used as the handle.

[Image Description: a four section white cane with a red tip and a orange wood mesh handle, with black elastic band attached. End Image Description]

The benefits of black rubber handles over others are that it’s easier to hold onto, especially if your palms are wet or sweaty, than a plastic or polished wood handle. It also wouldn’t show the indents or scratches from wear and tear daily use. I’m guessing that is cheaper to make on the manufacturing standpoint, and thus is conveniently the standard.

Pay attention to the black elastic band attached to the handle in the above photo. Notice how it has a tied off loop? That is so that when the cane is folded, that loop can be stretched over the folded sections to hold it together.

[Image Description: a four section folding cane folded up with the black band around them. End Image Description]

Additional benefits or functions of the elastic could be to use it as a wrist strap while using the cane, or hanging it up on a hook while not in use. I tend to have my cane folded up and tuck my wrist under the strap to hold it more securely while carrying it. Images of that ahead in my cane-isms section.

Cane Height

Ideal cane heights depend on the user. For most users, you want your cane height to be to your shoulder, give or take a few inches. You might need a longer cane if you are a fast walker with long strides, or a shorter cane if you prefer to hold your cane at a lower angle than is traditional.

What I mean when I talk about holding your cane at a certain angle is that the standard is to hold your cane handle in your dominant hand and position it in front of your belly button, moving it side to side with each step. Traditional grip methods are holding your hand palm side up with your cane in hand, or to hold the cane at the section joint closest to the handle with what is called the pencil grip, holding the cane like a fat pencil.

Depending on the height, a cane can have anywhere between three and six sections. Longer canes have more sections. The top section includes the handle, and the last section includes the stripe color (traditionally red, unless customized) and the tip. 

The sections of the cane are generally slightly reflective, regardless of color. If you hold a cane up to the light you’ll see tiny specks of light reflected back, almost like very fine, tiny particle glitter paint. This detail is important in cane production because it makes the cane more visible at night, especially if something like car headlights reflect off it while someone is crossing.

Additional visibility at night can be added by wrapping stripes of reflective tape along the shaft.

Cane Tips

There are several different tip options for canes.

[Image Description: four different types of cane tips on a blue background with labels. From left to right: marshmallow tip, ball tip, pencil tip, glide tip.]

[Image Description: a rolling marshmallow tip with a blue background. End Image Description]

[Image Description: Bandu basher tip with a white background. For anyone not familiar with the name, the long, curved cane tip that looks like a hockey stick. End Image Description]

Some of these tips are better for the tap-tap method of cane travel, as in tapping the spots where you plan to step. They can also be used to feel out the shapes of objects, stairs, etc. 

marshmallow tip, pencil tip, 

They should not be scraped over surfaces, the tips will wear down much faster than they should. There are better tips for rolling over surface

Some tips are better for the rolling method of cane travel, which is the method I use. They aren’t great for tapping, but it can be done in a pinch. 

rolling marshmallow tip, ball tip, glide tip

The Bandu Basher tip, the hockey stick shaped tip, is best for hovering an inch off the ground and lightly tapping objects. It could be tapped. It should not be scraped over the ground like a rolling tip. It hovers.

After enough use, the tips will wear down and need to be replaced. The part of the tip that has the most contact with the ground, usually the edge of the shape, gets scrapes, sands down, and eventually begins to look like it was shaved off while still having bits of plastic still gripped to it.

Never fear, cane tips can be removed and replaced when they wear out, replacing the whole cane is not necessary.

Some tips slip on or twist on. Others hook on. By hook on I mean that the elastic that keeps the cane sections together also has a loop at the tip end that a hook onto and stay held into place. Look back at the photo of the rolling marshmallow tip and you will see the hook that attaches to the black elastic.

Cane tips sell for about 5 - 10 U.S. dollars, plus shipping, so it’s advised to buy several back up tips with your cane. I replace my rolling marshmallow tips once every six to twelve months. I don’t know if that’s considered too much or too often. The last time I needed to replace mine was June 2019 (It’s July 2020 at the date of writing this, but I’ve hardly left my home for the last six months because of COVID-virus related quarantine/social distancing.)

Sensory Details/Describing What Using a Cane Feels Like

Every surface type feels and sounds different when tapping or rolling a cane over it. It’s this difference that tells us a lot about our environment.

It tells us when we stepped off the side walk onto the grass, when we’ve walked inside because the concrete changes to wood or carpet flooring. These little details become trail markers too, useful for places we anticipate traveling to a lot.

Example: A week before every semester in college, I would travel to each of the classrooms and learn necessary routes. I learned that certain paths had giant cracks in the sidewalk that would be distinct enough to use as a trail marker to where I was on a path, or that certain paths went from cement to gravel, or cement to brick.

Carpet: The sound is very soft, and if you’re rolling your cane across carpet it sounds like a quiet swish-swish-swish. Tapping sounds depend on how thick the carpet padding underneath is, the thicker the carpet the softer the sound. If there’s a lot of padding then taps don’t make much sound, but if the padding is thin or underneath the carpet is tile or concrete then you hear a louder thudding tap. It’s still pretty quiet. If you’re rolling the cane you would feel a little bit of drag, the cane moves slower over the carpet. The thicker or shaggier the carpet is, the more drag it has.

Wood floor: Cane tips make rumbling sounds when rolling over wood floors. The smoother the wood, the less it rumbles. There’s a little vibration moving from the cane tip, through the cane and into your hand as you roll over wood planks. Very small. The more sensitive you are to vibrations, the more you feel it. Tapping makes hallow, thudding sounds on the wood. Sometimes they sound a little snappish if you’re tapping harshly. You feel stronger vibrations when tapping. Older wood feels softer, with more give. New wood is stronger, more vibrations in the cane.

Tile:It depends on the size of the tiles and the wideness of the grout lines, but it’s not a pleasant feeling. Tiles have grout lines, which are little divets between the tiles. The smaller the tiles or rougher the grout lines are, the more the cane vibrates in your hands. Every bump is felt running from the cane to your hand. The sound is a little grating too. Imagine fifty sets of stiletto shoes walking on tile, that’s what it sounds like when you roll your cane over rough, small tiles. Larger tiles with smoother grout lines aren’t so bad. Tapping the tile with your cane sounds like one really loud step of a stiletto heal, one step for each tap. Tile floors are usually found in bathrooms, kitchens, and industrial locations where the room is going to have harder walls (more tile, concrete, etc) and few furniture, so the room echoes more.

Linoleum: is a smooth even surface. It feels like your cane is gliding when you roll it, barely feeling any vibrations. The rolling sounds are very soft because of the lack of bumps, however tapping sounds are a bit louder. Not as snappish as tile or marble, but almost.

Marble: is similar to linoleum in its smoothness. Your cane glides when rolling. Tapping sounds are sharp. Because marble floors are common in high end malls, luxury homes, and fancy office building entries, places that usually have high ceilings and hard walls with minimal decorations and minimalist furnishing, those sharp tapping sounds may echo. Assuming there isn’t too much noise and the environment is relatively quiet.

Concrete: (I’m referring to concrete found in parking garages and industrial buildings, not sidewalk) It depends on the age of the concrete and how it’s maintained. Old concrete with lots of cracks and mini-craters feels very different from smooth concrete that was set less than a year ago. With old concrete there’s a rattling sound as your cane tip rolls over the bumps and those vibrations travel up your cane. New concrete can feel similar to marble or linoleum. The taps are loud thuds on dull concrete and sharper on new concrete.

Sidewalks: are made of concrete, but in my experience they feel a little different than the above example. Sidewalks have a grittier surface, they’re slightly rougher, more dry. There’s a bit more rolling cane vibration with sidewalks and the taps have more of a thud sound. And because they’re outside, you’re unlikely to hear any echoes unless you’re walking in an alley or between buildings.

Asphalt: is one of the worst surfaces in my personal opinion. Asphalt is the material used in roads and it’s made to be rough and gritty so that car tires can grip onto it and not lose traction while driving. The older and more damaged it is, the rougher it is. Because it’s rough the vibrations are much stronger, sometimes irritatingly so. I can’t roll my cane over asphalt because the bones in my hand can’t handle those kinds of vibrations, so I almost always use the tapping method instead. The sounds are gritty and dull. Unfortunately, asphalt is an unavoidable surface, unless you can find a way to never need to cross a street or walk through a parking lot.

Note: the white or yellow lines that have been painted into asphalt sometimes feel smoother because of the material they’re made of and because they’re added after the asphalt has been laid down.

Note: There’s something called tarmac which is similar to asphalt, used for a similar purpose, and more common in the U.K. (I believe) but I can’t say that I’ve ever knowingly walked on it so I have no personal experience to give you.

Gravel: Another one of those evil surfaces. Gravel is just loose rocks and they’re common in rural roads, driveways, some landscaping. The looseness of them is what makes them untrustworthy. It makes a crunching sound. If you roll your cane, you’re likely to end up tossing small bits of rock and dust here and there. If you tap, you’ll hear the crunch but your brain might not translate that into “it’s gravel” until you’re walking on it and only realize when you walk over it and the sharp rocks begin digging into your shoes.

Wood Chips: I don’t have any experience with this since vision loss and getting a cane, so I’m using my memories of being on the playground in grade school because the surface on the playground was wood chips. I’d say wood ships are a love child between gravel and wood floors. The surface is loose and rolling your cane over it would kick up loose chips and dust. It would probably sound similar to walking on sand I think, because wood chips are much softer than gravel but not as consistent as wood. If it’s rained recently, then the waterlogged wood chips sound even softer.

Hard Dirt: I’m thinking dirt roads here, which are a lesser evil to asphalt and gravel. They can be rough like all roads, but the material isn’t has hard and solid. Rolling your cane will kick up dust on a dry day, but if it rained a few days ago you might hear a soft crunch as you roll over wet dirt. Tapping will have a very soft thud.

Soft Dirt: Think gardening dirt. Because it’s so soft, it makes very little sound and is easily kicked up. There’s a bit of drag, about the same or slightly more drag than grass or sand. Tapping has almost no sound but you might feel a slight give as your tip lands in the dirt, a slight resistance as it sinks in.

Mud: Yuck. I’m imagining this getting in my cane tip and how gross it would be after. Sound and feeling depend on how wet the mud is. Wet mud sounds slurpy. There’s more squish if you roll or tap your cane. Your character might not identify it right away until their shoes begin slipping as they walk over the mud. This is a personal experience. Drier mud sounds soft and feels almost solid underneath your cane. Wetter mud has more drag for a rolling cane. Muddy areas are also generally uneven because top soil has been displaced, so muddy hills and fields have unexpected but usually subtle changes in elevation.

Puddles: have both a slurpy and splash-splash sound. The slurpy sound is more common with rolling cane techniques. The splash sound is more common with tapping. The deeper the puddle, the louder is sounds and the more drag you experience. I am not fond of this texture/experience.

Snow: I have zero experience with snow since the development of blindness. So no experience of what it’s like to walk through with a cane. This is something I hope a blind reader can inform me on so I can edit this at a later date. My best guess is that it has a soft crunch, softer than the crunch of shoes in snow. A lot of drag too. Rolling through snow would probably be near impossible, especially if it’s deep snow or hard packed. Again, my best guess. The last time I experienced snow was when I was twelve.

Grass: One of my least favorites personally. Too much drag. Worse than shag carpeting. It’s very soft and doesn’t make much sound either. Like a crisp crunch you can barely hear. If the grass is wet or frosty you hear it a bit more crunch.

Surface with fallen Autumn leaves: Leaves everywhere! This is a bit dependant on whatever surface the leaves are on. It would soften the sound of cement, but there would be a louder crunch on grass. If the leaves are big and very curvy/pocketed then they’re easy to push aside. Smaller, flatter leaves don’t push as easily. The driest ones will crunch under your cane. It’s fun sometimes, if you’re the kind of person who likes stepping on leaves on purpose, but if you can’t see the leaves it might lose some of its fun and be more unexpected. 

Sand: I’ve never personally taken my cane to the beach, despite living so close to the coast. The reason is because beach sand is so squishy and loose that it’s already impossible to stay steady on your feet. The sand is always sinking under your feet, unless you’re next to the water line and the dampness has made it firmer. So a cane isn’t very useful to me at the beach. Not to mention that sand isn’t something you want inside your cane joints if you want the cane to last. Sand will erode and damage the joints, regardless of if they’re metal or plastic. If I were to take my cane to the beach, it would make the softest crunching-swishy noise of sand sliding over sand, similar to what your footsteps sound like on sand, but possibly even quieter because canes are lighter.

Side Note: My mother sarcastically asked about rolling your cane through dog poop or gum left on the floor. Can’t say I’ve ever rolled through it, so couldn’t tell you. Use your imagination I guess, Mum

The Invention of Tactile Paving

These are amazing! Tactile Paving are those yellow (or sometimes grey) bumpy squares you see on ramps leading into parking lots or when crossing the street. In 1965, Japanese engineer Seiichi Miyake used his own money to develop a tactile brick that you could feel even when walking over it with shoes, and he designed this because a friend of his was losing their vision and he wanted to help. These are amazing, and accessible to everyone, even the blind who don’t have a cane or guide dog. These are literal life savers. Before I got my cane, if I felt those bumps under my shoes I knew to immediately stop because I was about to walk into the road. Because less than 10% of the blind community uses canes or guide dogs, this is the most accessible form of blind aide available.

[Image Description: a yellow rectangle of tactile paving in front of a ramp leading into a parking lot. End Image Description]

Note: similar detail, most doors in commercial buildings (in my localized experience) have a metal plate on the threshold to hold the door in place so there are no cracks underneath. The metal scraping sound when you roll or tap your cane on it is distinct but temporary and non-repeating, so it’s a good indication that you’ve reached and passed the threshold.

Blind-isms

I have a section in this guide about blind-isms, but these ones are focused specifically on cane use.

-Do. Not. Touch. My. Cane. Don’t. Just fucking don’t.

-The above ism comes from the fact that our cane is our safety net, an extension of our body, our eyes, the one thing that makes sure we’ll get somewhere safely. For that reason, blind people hate having their canes (or their on duty guide dogs) touched by strangers, acquaintances, friends we’re not very close to, some family members.

Important Note: That is a universal thing for disabled people. Don’t. Touch. Their. Mobility Aides. It’s assault. Touching someone’s wheelchair or pushing them around without their expressed permission is assault. Moving their wheelchair while the user is currently standing is assault. (Most wheelchair users are not paralyzed, but they still need the wheelchair because of their medical condition, which is not your business to know). It doesn’t matter if the wheelchair is in the way, the disabled person needs it right there, do not touch it. Touching or grabbing someone’s support cane or their long cane is assault. Touching or moving someone’s walker is assault. Touching, poking at, or tampering with someone’s hearing aids is assault. Touching their oxygen tank or cannula is assault.

Back on topic-

-Idle motions with your cane while waiting in line. I often rest my chin on my cane or lean on it

-twirl my cane like a staff when I’m alone and no one can see. I would not ever do this in front of anyone because I don’t want anyone thinking it’s a toy or they can just touch or grab it. I’m just a little childish and bored sometimes and idle motions are a common thing for people with ADHD.

-When carrying my folded cane inside (like say a store) I hang it from my wrist by the strap.

-Keeping my cane within arms reach at all times, even in situations where I don’t need it currently. Example: if we’re doing a classroom assignment where I need to leave my desk, I know the classroom well enough to not use my cane, but I won’t leave it at my desk, ever. (This does not apply at home. And in the homes of a very few, very trusted friends I will leave it somewhere I deem safe.)

-Having a set, specific place in my home (living with my immediate family, who almost never have guests) for my cane. In my case, it’s the top of an antique dresser in the living room, across from the door. It has a little bowl for my sunglasses as well. If I move out and have roommates, my cane will be in my room.

-Love me a bag or backpack that has enough space to discretely store your cane, but most of my bags cannot do that.

-People with folding canes develop a muscle memory for folding and unfolding their cane, so they can do it without really thinking about it.

-Unfolding my cane: I hold the black handle between my thumb and palm with my other fingers folded over the remaining three sections, cane tip pointing up. I slide the elastic over the tip, loosen my four fingers and roll my wrist to the side. The red colored section unfolds first and snaps into place with its neighboring section. I roll my wrist in the opposite direction so the next white section can unfold and snap into place with it’s neighboring section. Roll it back in the first direction and the third section snaps into place with the handle. My four section cane is now unfolded and straight.

-Sometimes I just grab the black handle and let the sections fall and unfold as they will, but this is less controlled and risks your cane bumping into something or someone.

-Folding my cane: I start with the black handle, lifting it up so the joints unlock. I fold it down, grab both sections in my hand and lift the second section away from the third and fold it over. Wrap my hand over all three sections and unlock it from the red section.

-Because I have a four section folding cane, the cane tip and the handle are on the same side while the metal joints are on the opposite side. Those metal joints are what my elastic slips over.

-A three or five folding cane will have the head of the handle (and its elastic) on the opposite side of the cane tip, and you will be folding the elastic over the cane joints and tip.

-A six section cane has the tip and handle facing the same direction like the four section cane.

-People with non-folding canes like leaning their canes up against walls and other objects when not in use. Corners are popular, the corner of a desk up against a wall too.

-But oh god the frustration when the cane randomly rolls out of place and hits the floor, it’s a combination of “Not again” and “did that really just happen” and “you had one job. one job.”

-Sitting with our cane tucked between our legs. Picture a bit of man spreading, the cane tip leaned against the side of our foot to keep it stable and the cane leaning against our shoulder or opposite knee, possibly also held securely with our fingers too.

-The no-manspreading alternative of that is with the cane leaning against our shoulder, cane tip resting on the toe of our shoe or the outside of it, held securely with our fingers or our arm wrapped around it, elbow hooking it.

(Okay, a while back I was looking for photos of someone using a cane to use as a reference for drawing Ulric. I only found three, and two of them were Daredevil promo photos. Which, no offense to Charlie Cox, but he is not blind and he does not use a cane in his daily life, he does not have that relationship a blind person has with a cane and the concept of a fifth limb, and it shows. So the photos were stiff and unusable, so I had to like use several photo references of different poses and Frankenstein them together to get what I wanted.

And I still haven’t finished the painting... fuck)

-In a car with a non-folding cane: 

-Right passenger seat- The cane tip goes all the way into the corner of the foot well to the right of my feet, with the handle resting over my right shoulder or on the seatbelt. It pokes a bit past my headrest. The longer the cane, the harder it is to tuck into a car.

-The U.K. / Austrailian / New Zealand / Japan version of this (because they drive on the left side of the road with their drivers seats on the right side of the car) it’s like this: Cane tip in the foot well to the left of my feet, handle on my left shoulder or on the seatbelt.

Backseat: the absolute worst. There’s less foot well room, and if you’re in a sedan there is almost no room behind your shoulder for the handle. I position my cane diagonally with the handle on the shoulder closest to the door and the tip next to the foot closest to the middle. 

-For this reason, no one with a non-folding cane will want to be sitting in the backseat.

About Guide Dogs

While my knowledge of guide dogs is limited only to what I can research and not personal, I will give you some basic facts and practical knowledge from said research.

Guiding Eyes for the Blind estimates that there are 10,000 guide dog teams out there in the world. That makes up 2% of the blind and visually impaired community.

Guide Dog Training

Becoming a guide dog is the most difficult form of dog training there is. The majority of dogs who enter guide dog training wash out and either become family dogs or go into a different type of service dog training, like medical response or PTSD/anxiety response, or possibly become therapy dogs, which is a career altogether different from being a service dog.

Guide dogs go through two or three years of training, which includes puppy training, basic socialization, proper behavior when on duty and actual guide training. Most service dogs only go through a year to a year and a half of training before they are partnered with a disabled handler.

Between the cost of training, the cost of housing and feeding the dog and the cost of vet bills from birth until being partnered with a blind handler, the overall cost of a guide dog is something like 30k to 40k. While most service dog training organizations require handlers to fundraise and pay for the cost of training (usually something like 15-30k), guide dog organizations give their dogs to qualified blind clients for free. These organizations pay for the dog costs through their own fundraising and charities. Fortunately for these organizations, guide dogs are a highly respected field and have a lot more charity directed their way, while other service dog types have less public interest when it comes to charity.

Guide Dog organizations have an application process, requirements, and a wait-list before you can be partnered with a guide dog.

Requirements to get a guide dog are (usually) as follows: 

Must be legally blind (as in not visually impaired, but legally blind) and have had at least six months of O&M with a cane and demonstrate enough O&M stills to navigate by oneself. They also require you to be responsible enough to independently care for a dog, able to keep up with training and retraining of the dog, as well as financially able to handle food and vet bills (which are at least a few thousand dollars every year).

The reason for cane training before getting a guide dog is because the dog cannot do everything for you. You, the dog handler, are responsible for knowing where you are and how to get where you need to be.

The dog can’t read stop signs or tell when a light is green or red, nor do they have GPS to find a brand new location nor can they learn that route on the first try, nor will they know exactly where you want to go when you say “Starbucks” or “library” or “school” or “mom’s house” and guide you all by themselves. That falls on you, the dog handler, having enough orientation and mobility skills to know when a street is safe to cross and knowing how to learn new routes and how to keep on route and make sure you make the correct turns. A guide dog can’t communicate with bus drivers for you either, they don’t know which number bus to use or what stop to choose. That falls on the blind person’s own skill.

Other Guide Dog Resources

Molly Burke is a guide dog user and has made several videos about what kind of work guide dogs do, her personal experience being a guide dog user for over ten years, how she got a guide dog, specific commands, unique experiences with things like travel, etc. She has a playlist all about guide dogs, but here are some of my favorite videos.

How Guide Dogs Guide A Blind Person

Guide Dog User Answers the Most Googled Questions about Guide Dogs

How I Met My First Guide Dog

Final Thoughts:

There is a lot more to be said about Orientation and Mobility, such as:

How do you safely cross the street with a cane?

How do you learn new routes?

How does getting a cane significantly change your life?

How do family, friends, and strangers react to you “suddenly” having a cane?

I could also write a ton on other tools the blind community relies on so strongly, such as screen readers, magnifiers, etc. In fact, I originally promised to include those in my master post when Part Four was titled  Part Four: What Your Blind Character Needs to Survive and Not Die. However, this guide is ages long and it feels better to focus on this specific topic for here.

Did you like this guide?

Consider checking out my other guides, links of which can be found on the master post here.

Follow my blog, I write and curate writing advice guides outside of blindness, I reblog writing memes with image descriptions, reblog soothing aesthetic photos with image descriptions, talk about disability, lgbtqa+ issues, ableism, and mental health.

If you want to further support me, this is the link to my ko-fi (however there is no such requirement nor pressure to do so, and please don’t worry about it, especially if you are in a financial situation that can’t afford it)

[baeddel]

uzumaki spoilers [again, read Uzumaki first]

i think we are licensed to say that Ito was influenced by Lovecraft when making Uzumaki. he has described Lovecraft as an influence himself, and he makes a comedic reference to the Mountains of Madness in one of the self-insert skits. the infohazard theme that was important in Lovecraft is an important theme in Uzumaki. but it’s interesting to see how they differ. Lovecraft was worried about humanity; the limits of human rationality, the development of the human species, and the fragility of human civilization. for Lovecraft only white men have access to rationality, so only white men can understand the horrors that lesser men bring into existence; this is alluded to in Pickman’s Model (“I’ve got a place that I don’t believe three living Nordic men besides myself have ever seen...”), and is implicit in stories like the Mound. Lovecraft’s protagonists are white American academics, scientists and artists who use their superior reason to uncover the horrible truths of the universe which humanity had until now been too primitive to witness. when they do reach beyond the veil they go mad, catatonic, chittering, or else kill themselves. lesser men mistake what they see for gods and make cults to them with obscene practices, or else degenerate into subhumans.

when Ligotti takes up the same things he uses similar characters and similar devices but with new coordinates. his refernces are not racial scientism and theosophy but structural anthropology and German idealism. the horrible wisdom of the world was not out of reach of Ligotti’s humanity but inescapably evident to it; all of our discourses and social institutions are ruses and devices through which we can hide from it. his protagonists uncover the truth because they are curious, knowledge-hungry fools. impulsively following the intellectual riddles that preoccupy them they disturb things that were better left alone. if they leave with their lives then they find their own way to avert their gaze and put the truth away.

in Uzumaki i think the relevant comparison is shūyō, self-cultivation. virtually every strain of East Asian discourse (religious, philosophical, etc.) has some version of this. what it means to cultivate yourself varies according to tradition but you should have the idea from the name. it’s about developing one’s learning, one’s habits and morals, or one’s te, inner power. everything from Buddhist meditation to martial arts to alchemy to keeping a rock garden is built on a theory of self-cultivation. while self-cultivation isn’t uncommon, there is an expectation that a very cultivated person will be strange (especially outside of Confucianism). sages are different from ordinary people; people can’t understand them, they have a different sense of right and wrong from other people, etc.

the first character in Uzumaki who has any idea about the spiral horror is Suichi’s father. he has renounced everything and devoted himself to the spiral; he spends all of his money on spiral merchandise and sits in his room staring at them. he learns, just by looking at the spirals, how to work miracles; he can move his eyes independently, extend his tongue unnaturally and curl it up, and finally extends and twists up his whole body into a spiral. he achieves a sort of twisted immortality in the spiral. you can easily read this as a dark paroday of self-cultivation; he is a middle-aged man who gets taken by fanciful ideas and spends a lot of money on it. it could as easily be green tea or anything else. his contortions are like a sort of evil tai chi.

Suichi is the second character who knows about the spiral horror. he knows, perhaps, more than his father; he knows how terrible it is. he withdraws from the world, sits alone in his home and does not eat. he rejects whoever comes to him except his lover-disciple; he teaches her how to avoid the spiral, though she cannot learn from him. he is one who has “drowned in the midst of dry land.”

Suichi’s father introduces Yasuo, Kirie’s father, to the spiral horror. he calls pottery “the art of the spiral,” a phrase Kirie’s father repeats for the rest of the manga. he turns his pottery into a form of spiral-cultivation. yet unlike Suichi’s father he doesn’t kill himself doing so. he listens when his family express their troubles and he goes on working on it quietly; he functions well even in the finale when everyone else is losing their minds.

when we get to the bottom of Dragonfly Pond we collect the fruit of cultivation. correct me if i’m wrong but i don’t think we see Suichi’s father in the underground structure at all. he remains in Kurôzu-cho, in the mud, the trees and smoke. Yasuo joins the tangle of bodies and is petrified next to his wife. Suichi basks in the light of the spiral without being petrified; he embraces Kirie and they become a spiral together in a happy infinity.

Uzumaki contains something of a self-cultivation manual. it shows us three sages, but also three lovers, and their different routes to immortality and also love. Suichi’s father cultivates himself excessively; he achieves a restless immortality within a few days but he never learns the truth of the spiral. as a lover he neglects his partner, and then calls to her from hell. he drives her insane and then condemns her to share his fate, all the while she begs him to stop. i don’t know about a Japanese parallel but in the Daoist system you would say that he shattered his shen and lost his vitality. Yasuo cultivated himself slowly, doing a little bit every so often by gathering the clay and firing it. he listened to his wife’s concerns and moderated his practices. he and his lover were petrified by the light of the spiral below Dragonfly Pond. as he lived a normal life, he met the same fate as the townsfolk. now Suichi: where common people are mesmerized by the spiral, and the other sages sought to harness it, Suichi rejected it. he withdrew from society into a reticent life of skeptical contemplation. he advised and mentored his lover so he could protect her from the spiral horror. thus he united with his lover and became immortal with her. it was because he rejected the spiral that he found a peaceful immortality in it.

interestingly we already find a lot of what we like about Bloodborne’s use of Lovecraft in Uzumaki. whereas in Bloodborne the Cthulu cult and its horrors are carried out not by primitives but by the Church, the hospital, and the repressive organs of the state, in Uzumaki it’s done by fathers, teachers, doctors and so on. whereas in Bloodborne it takes the form not of shamanistic religion but revealed faith and academic science, in Uzumaki it takes the form of self-cultivation. and in Bloodborne we also find a sort of practical-philosophical manual which stands along with the best tetsugaku, with its own failed sages (Micolash’s delerium, Rom’s ignorance) and ultimate successes (the Hunter in the third ending).

[healthnhumans]

51+ Weight Loss Exercises

The best exercise for weight loss can be termed as prevention of excessive gain of weight which is unwanted or harmful for the body. However, this concept is not much considered by many in the population of the world. It is very easy to put on weight but at the same time, it is ferociously...

The best exercise for weight loss can be termed as prevention of excessive gain of weight which is unwanted or harmful for the body. However, this concept is not much considered by many in the population of the world. It is very easy to put on weight but at the same time, it is ferociously difficult to shed those extra pounds and attain a healthy body back again.

Most people are aware when they are in the progress of gaining unhealthy weight of their body. However, some are too busy to look into solutions for rectifying the same while some others are too lazy to care anymore. While there have been various awareness campaigns run across the globe over the last decade to increase knowledge about the harms of an overweight body, a very small percentage of the world’s population would have taken it seriously.

However, there is also a class of people who really wish to lose weight under the expertise and supervision of a fitness expert. But due to money constraints, they would be unable to hire a personal trainer or go to the gym for the same purpose. Hence, they resort to exercising at home themselves. Nevertheless, this attempt has its own demerits as well such as injuries, incorrect style, etc.

How to Lose Weight through Exercises

Once a person understands the need for exercising, then he only needs to make up his mind to follow the procedure on a regular basis. At the same time, he should also realize the importance of maintaining a good diet which is balanced in nutrients because doing either of these may help only up to an extent beyond which it becomes difficult to achieve the goal.

For people who exercise on their own from home, at least at the beginner level, the above mentioned access to workout videos is highly recommendable in order to avoid any challenges in the progress. Considering a combination of cardio exercises and strength training workouts give the best results, mentioned below are 51+ weight loss exercises.

Walking: The easiest way to lose weight is walking. Brisk walking is what is recommended to attain the end result of weight loss. At least 30 minutes per day of regular brisk form of walking could help in burning a minimum of 150 calories a day. The more time one performs this exercise, the faster the chances of losing weight.

Swimming: It has been known that people who see swimming as a means to maintain fitness as well apart from the enjoyment spending time in water provides, have been able to successfully reduce excessive fat from their body. Swimming an hour continuously could facilitate burning of at least 500-700 calories every time. It has been noticed as a combination of both cardio workout as well as strength training as it trims the inches as well as makes the body stronger.

HIIT: HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training is a form of workout wherein the intensity of the exercise is given utmost importance. It is done in short intervals, but intensely focused on. Even if done for just 20 minutes in a day, it burns more calories throughout the rest of the day compared to what a jog could do. It is seen as one of the ways to lose weight faster.

Surya Namaskar: Being one of the traditional forms of exercise derived from India, yoga is on its track of popularity about the benefit yielded from it with regard to weight loss. Surya Namaskar or the Sun Salutation is one of the most effective exercises in yoga which helps in losing weight if practiced regularly. It is a set of 12 yoga poses which focus on different parts of the human body resulting in reducing excessive fat accumulations for the entire body.

Zumba: Some people just hate exercising at the very thought of going to a gym. This could be because the routine appears to be boring and they would love to engage in a workout which is fun to do. Dancing is one such form. But not everyone can learn and follow dance steps that easily either. However, Zumba proves to be one such form of dance where people enjoy doing it simply for the reason that no one orders anyone to follow steps to perfection.

Dancing: There are various forms of the art of dance. In India, classical forms include Bharatnatyam, Mohiniyattom, Kuchipudi, etc while regional types include Bhangra, Kathakali, Gidda, Bollywood, etc. The modern ways if dancing have brought in several other forms as well such as Hip Hop, Freestyle, Contemporary, Desi Jam Cardio, and so on. Every such dance form has its own routine which if followed regularly can help a person maintain or reduce weight as per the intensity of each dance.

Running: Known as the king of exercises related to weight loss, running not only strengthens the legs but also reduces belly fat. A minimum of 30 minutes of running every day or at least 5 days a week shows tremendous results if done regularly. It can be done outdoors or on the treadmill as well.

Cycling: Cycling is a form of cardio exercise. It is a fun version of running in which a cycle is also used to make the ride of workout more enjoyable. Strengthening of the muscles of the leg as well as reducing abdominal fat constitutes the main benefits from cycling.

Squats: This is one exercise done or recommended by most of the people who are fitness experts. Some people have a slimmer upper body; however, the part starting at the end of the midriff will be bulged because of huge thighs and buttocks. The more number of repetitions of squats are done, the more fat from the area of thighs and glutes burn out.

Push-Ups: Strengthening of arms happens by doing push-ups. Also, the entire body gets toned up by doing this exercise.

Plank: This exercise focuses on strengthening not only the core but also the arms. It helps in improving the balance of the body as well.

Triceps Push-Ups: A form of push-ups which involve cutting down the fat accumulated at the triceps is called triceps push-ups.

Boat Pose: This focuses on balance of body weight along with reducing lower belly fat.

Crunches: Crunches work majorly on the abs.

Spider Push-Up: This is another form of push-ups which focus majorly on the arms, shoulders, legs and glutes altogether.

Low Belly Leg Reach: This exercise helps in toning the sides and getting rid of the love handles.

Strength Training: Strength training is as important as cardio workouts. However, some people have a wrong perception of this form that by lifting weights, the body becomes huge. But the fact is that weights help in burning fat and shapes up the muscles appropriately.

Lunges: Focusing on the lower body, the traditional form of lunges of forward movements help in fat reduction by working the muscles at the glutes, hamstrings and quads at the same time. This helps in burning of calories at the maximum level.

Forearm Plank: It is another version of a normal plank wherein the person rests the body weight on the forearms. It strengthens not only the upper arms but also the shoulders and the core.

Burpees: Burpees are one complicated type of workout; very effective in targeting the chest, core and legs all at the same time.

Plank Push-Ups: Plank plus push-ups ends up as one of the best exercises for arms.

Double Jump: A slight mix of cardio and strength workout is what a double jump consists of. It includes 3 exercises in one consisting of the squats, jump and lunge. It is effective for the abs, butt and legs.

Mountain Climbers: It would be noticed as one of the difficult exercises for overweight or obese people. However, once they do mountain climbers regularly, they would surely see positive results in the areas involving the buttocks, obliques and hamstrings.

Jump Rope: Skipping is the term that one must have given to rope jumping activities as a child. Over the years, it has been understood that skipping rope has been effectively known to reduce weight as it mainly helps in toning of the complete human body.

Kettlebell Swings: When it comes to achieving the goal of weight loss effectively for the entire body, kettlebell swings prove successful. It is because the whole body gets engaged even if with low impact yet higher intensity.

Jumping Jacks: Jumping jacks are always recommended to affect the fat accumulated parts of the entire body and have proven to be successful in doing the same. These are one of those cardio exercises which stimulate functioning of all organs.

Cross Trainer: Most people who go to the gym or health clubs love to use the cross trainer. It is also called an elliptical trainer and helps in building the leg muscles and reducing arm fat simultaneously.

Butt Kicks: Like jogging, butt kicks are another form of cardiovascular activity. The only difference is that the legs are made to touch the butt alternatively. With more speed, the intensity of the exercise increases as well.

Plank Jacks: This exercise is another version of the normal planks involving cardio workout as well. Hence the result of doing a cardio exercise as well as a plank is derived from plank jacks.

Side Plank: Working out a plank pose on one arm with the body facing any one side is called a side plank and it helps in toning obliques and losing the fat at the arms.

Bridge: Bridge dips and bridge pose are effective in strengthening the abdominal region and as well as a stress reliever.

Squat Jumps: A combination of squats and jumping brings out effective fat burning results.

Side Lunges: A version of lunges wherein the inner as well outer thighs along with the butt is focused upon.

Bicycle Crunches: Lower belly fat problem? This is the best suitable exercise to reduce that!

Triceps Dips: Toning triceps effectively made easy by this exercise.

Bridge with Leg Lift: Another type of the usual bridge pose and dips with one leg lifted up straight, this exercise helps in focusing more on the lower abs as well as the muscles at the butt.

Jackknife Sit-Ups: This exercise focuses the upper and lower abs altogether.

Lunge with Bicep Curls: Work the lower body along with the arms simultaneously!

Grinding: It is one yoga pose which helps in getting rid of the belly fat.

Squat with Punches: Strengthen those arms as well as tone them along with the glutes.

Pike Push-Up: It is the downward dog pose from yoga which works on strengthening the shoulders as well as the arm fat.

Frog Jumps: It is a plyometric move and the more repetitions are done, weight loss is made more effective as well.

Chair Pose: It is a yoga pose resulting in strengthening of legs and toning of butt.

Dead lifts: The focus point in this exercise is the booty majorly apart from the hamstrings and this is performed using dumbbells.

Triceps Kickbacks: Pick a pair of dumbbells and start working on those flabby arms to get back in shape with triceps kickbacks.

Overhead Press: Targeting the fat at the upper back and the triceps as well as strengthening the shoulders is the main idea in this workout.

Front Kicks: Toning of legs, buttocks and abs happens in this workout.

Split Lunge Jumps: With the use of dumbbells and inclusion of jumps, it is an advanced version of lunges.

Walkout: It is a simple variation of push-ups and works effectively on the whole body.

Warrior Pose: This is another yoga pose which helps in strengthening of the lower body. It has 3 variations as well.

Vinyasa: A part of Surya Namaskara, this exercise helps greatly in weight reduction.

There are various workout related videos available online on several websites that could be accessed from a desktop computer or laptop and in various applications which are present in the virtual stores of smart phones. Some of these are made available to the public free of cost while some others can be bought at a price by them for a fixed period of time or in general without any time limit.

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