#this is for an rp i'm doing!!!

[divine-draws]

Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes we both Oh yes we both Oh yes, we both reached for The gun, the gun, the gun, the gun Oh yes, we both reached for the gun For the gun

[monsoon-of-art]

[drawsmaddy]

[ID: A digitally illustrated two panel comic of Martin Blackwood and Jonathan Sims from The Magnus Archives. In the first panel Martin is stood at a counter preparing a cup of tea. He is smiling softly with his eyes closed and a thought bubble next to his head shows a small image of Jon with some hearts around him and text reading "ah... Jon...". The second panel shows Jon sat at his desk with the mug of tea from the first panel in his right hand and papers in his left. He is growing and saying "Martin's such a fucking idiot I hope he dies". End description.]

Stupid season 1 jonmartin dynamic ily forever

[floridianfireflyfaith]

[poohsources]

it's okay if you aren't writing right now. it's okay not to be online. it's okay to take breaks. this is a hobby, not a job, and you should spend your time however you want to, not how others may want you to. don't stress yourself over not being around enough; it doesn't matter if you take days, weeks, or even months — it's okay to do things the way it works best for you. and if that means taking longer to reply, then so be it. people are usually far more understanding than we give them credit for.

[gothamite-shenanigans]

thinking of that one time i hadn't slept in like a week and i got stuck in an elevator with dick grayson on the way up to the floor i work at in WE, and i accidentally told him he's shaped like a dorito and how a lot of people like doritos and then said very seriously, "I prefer potato chips though, no offense" but thankfully he laughed it off and didn't even look uncomfy??? like idk how he does it but like that man istg

anyways i have nightmares about this and still wake up in a cold sweat thinking about it and have avoided the oldest wayne kid since this incident

[wesley-weston]

THEY LOOK THE SAME TO ME! AND MY EYES DON'T LIE!! SUPERMAN and CLARK KENT are the SAME person!

[cy-fi-theansweris42]

So @keferon's Empurata Prowl posts are living rent-free in my mind, lol. I just had to write out the scene from this post so look out for the angst below the cut!

(Tumblr please don't kill my formatting--)

There's someone in front of him.

Prowl doesn't dare make a move, doesn't dare let the mech in front of him know he's awake and aware now. Doing so runs the risk of them putting him under again if they're an enemy, removing all possibility of escape (awake the chance is small; 25%. Unconscious— he doesn't need to run those numbers to know it's zero).

He will not lose this chance.

He waits, hoping his vision will improve enough that he can see more than the darkened silhouette moving in front of him, that his hearing will lose the staticky quality it took on the moment he regained consciousness and he might recognize a voice. It's taking every ounce of willpower he has to keep his doorwings from fluttering ever so slightly to gather data on his surroundings.

It's taking everything in him not to run away as the restraints are undone, to keep his doorwings from flaring high and wide to scream stay away, danger, threat in a way that a small buried part of him wants to scream.

(He will ignore that part. Emotions have no place in trying to plan an escape. Fear can cause one to act too soon, to lash out when they should be biding their time waiting for the moment with the highest chance of escape. Tactically, emotions lower the chance of a successful escape.)

He has to wait, he cannot lose this chance to escape over something as trivial as emotions. Not when that runs the risk of more being done to him.

He will not let them do anything else to him.

So Prowl stays as still as possible as the final restraint is removed, not daring to try and run. Not yet. They would be prepared for him to try and escape the moment he could, they would plan for it. If he waits, pretends he's not aware enough to realize he's free to move, they may slip up, may give him the chance to escape successfully.

…Or he could be missing the only opportunity he'll have, and he doesn't even know it.

He doesn't know enough. There's too many unknown variables.

Number of enemies: 1 (or more) Location: Unknown Route to exit: Unknown Status of allies: Unknown Chance of successful escape: Unable to accurately calculate (no more than 30% at best).

He wishes he could see more, see who's in front of him, who the taller mech who just came close enough for him to notice is (had he been there the entire time?). He wishes this static in his audials would go away so he could hear what was being said. He wishes he could move his doorwings freely and know if he was surrounded by enemies instead of just not knowing.

(He wishes he had his hands still, he doesn't know if he'll be good enough of a shot with this claws. He wishes he had his face still, this singular optic being a screaming sign of what was done to him and he was helpless to stop it. He wishes he knew what all they did to him, what did they do, what did they do to him—).

He can't help it. He needs to know.

His doorwings twitch, just enough to tell him the two mechs in front of him are the only others in the room. It's enough to catch the smaller one's attention. There's noise, maybe speech, and he can make out their hands coming towards him—

Their hands are coming towards his head, his neck, he thinks he sees needles, and he can't just stand there anymore.

Prowl feels his new claw dig through metal, through the glass of a visor, as the static in his audials crescendos, becomes a roar. His plating is flared, his doorwings spread high and wide, and he is shaking.

He can't stop shaking.

What did they do to him?

[bonefall]

Hey, what makes a character a 'plot device but not a character'? And how do you not do that? I'm trying to do it on purpose but also I need to still make them interesting because it's on purpose, yknow?

A good skill to pick up is to learn to criticise criticism itself. A "plot device" is simply a thing that moves the plot along, it's a neutral literary analysis term! Usually, when people are angry that "a character has been used as a plot device," it doesn't mean they hate plot devices. It means they're gesturing at something deeper.

Runningwind and Bumble are equally plot devices in their deaths. They are both killed by the antagonist to escalate political tension. Runningwind is rarely "accused" of just being a plot device, and yet, we're talking about Bumble for the same thing.

So, why?

Well, Runningwind is just a background character, but in life, he was a part of the community. He was characterized as impatient but responsible. Yet, he wasn't SO important that he died with a bunch of unresolved plot threads.

He is mostly an extension of the entity of ThunderClan. His killing by Tigerstar, and the fear and paranoia that settles on the group after this, feel like a progression of the story insteas of something forced.

Bumble, on the other hand...

Is hated immediately by Gray Wing, when she's established as Turtle Tail's friend. Bumble's abuse at Tom the Wifebeater's hands invites even MORE investment. The rejection is shocking and upsetting. There's a story there about our main characters being imperfect; jealous, bigoted, and judgemental.

But, she is simply killed off. Everything they set up for this character is gone with little personalized fanfare. It's not a tragedy with a lesson about cruelty, or something anyone regrets.

It's just... plot. Gray Wing whinging that no one will like his shitty brother now that his body count is 2.

More than that, in the discussion of women in particular, "Fridging" was coined to give a name to the way women characters often don't get their stories told at all. There is a CULTURAL trend of female characters facing disproportionate violence, for the sake of advancing male plots.

Bumble has a lot going for her. Petal had a lot going for her. Turtle Tail had a lot going for her. Bright Stream had a lot going for her. When they died, they took their potential with them.

It's not always wrong to kill off a character of high potential, mind you. In Gurren Lagann, Kamina's death is sudden and shocking, leaving a massive hole in the hearts of the cast that never heals. Grappling with that loss, but also letting his memory fuel them, is a major theme of that story.

All that to say... there's no formula for avoiding it. You've gotta identify what the deeper issue is, in your specific narrative.

I can't say for certain what that will look like for your story, but here's some things I keep in mind;

When you make characters who exist to die, make sure they're people before you axe them.

Ask yourself; what about them does the cast miss?

If they just miss them because they were (pre-existing relationship), go back to the drawing board.

Fluttering Bird as an example. Who was she? Dead sister. Why do they miss her? Dead sister. No traits until after her death.

Runningwind was short-tempered and helpful. Kamina was a valuable leader who made people believe in a brighter future. Swiftpaw was fiesty and desperate to prove himself. The better characterized, the more profound the loss usually is.

If this is a female character who is dying just to serve the plot, be aware of cultural bias and tropes. How is the gender ratio looking in your cast? Is this happening disproportionately with your girls?

Note how Quiet Rain's litter had both a boy and a girl, but the girl was chosen to be "weaker" and wither away.

And how most of the time in DOTC, whenever a man had to be upset, a girl would get killed for it.

If you ever feel like the character on the chopping block is NOT a full character, ask yourself why it needs to be a character at all. You don't need to spend narrative time building out someone when a literal object of high value might suffice.

"My sister died when I swore to protect her and I can't face my family" = Old. Tired. Ive seen this.

"I lost my heirloom sword when I swore to protect it and I can't face my family." = Fascinating. Why was the sword so valuable? Will they really not take you back? How did you lose it?

When you do kill off "high value" characters, try to make sure you're not leaving too many plot threads hanging. Or at least make a point of how they will never get closure.

[palin-tropos]

garte is so much funnier as the grumpy third wheel to harry and kim than he has any right to be. I feel like a good chunk of what people want out of jean post-canon is just... being garte, when garte can’t be there to be garte. and garte literally usurps jean’s potential pet the dog moment. when harry is badly injured and in need of care, his (about to be) former police partner doesn’t step in to help him but you know who does? that iconically grumpy not-bartender who harry has been idly bullying all game. garte is just such a guy but people don’t make him the third member of the team because he can’t be packed into a suitcase and brought along to every post-canon casefic 

[speyeralling-down-thy-majesty]

There's a building on fire,and in front of it lays a very fluffy reddish brown cat, unharmed and clearly enjoying the flames. Walking closer one can hear her purring.

[dying-suffering-french-stalkers]

GREATLY enjoying Your shadow rising to meet you by @chthonion so far

[eistcnz]

introducing Arséne 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐮. an independent , 21+ only , fandomless , selective & private original character.

❀ 25 years old Arséne, a professional figure skater from paris, france who fulfilled his dreams by becoming a world champion in figure skating.

𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 : 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗅𝖽, 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖿𝗋𝖾𝖾 𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗂𝖼𝖾, 𝗅𝗂𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗂𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝗂𝗇𝗌𝗍𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝗈𝖿 the 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗌𝖾𝗇𝗍, 𝗅𝗂𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺 𝗅𝗂𝖿𝖾 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗉𝗈𝗍𝗅𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍, 𝖺𝗅𝗐𝖺𝗒𝗌 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗎𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗎𝗋𝖾, 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖻���𝗍𝗐𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝖼𝗋𝖺𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖽𝖾𝗌𝗉𝗂𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗂𝗍, supportive parents, 𝗌𝗄𝗂𝗉𝗉𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝖾𝖺𝗅𝗌, 𝖺𝖻𝗎𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗉𝖺𝗂𝗇𝗄𝗂𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗋𝗌, 𝖺𝗇𝗑𝗂𝖾𝗍𝗒 𝖺𝗍𝗍𝖺𝖼𝗄𝗌, 𝗅𝗂𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺 𝗅𝗂𝖿𝖾 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗉𝗈𝗍𝗅𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍, 𝗇𝖾𝗉𝗈𝗍𝗂𝗌𝗆 𝖻𝖺𝖻𝗒 & being the son of famous parents.

⸻ ☾ he/him, 25 years old, mdni, english & german. ☽

#carrd.¹ #psd.² #carrd template.³ #mon couer.⁴

[rpmemegraveyard]

Please un-learn guilt-tripping, not only in the RPC, but in online spaces as a whole.

This is a passive behavior that people may not even realize that they're even engaging with. I understand wanting asks, starters, replies, or any engagement with this collaborative hobby. However, a lot of people say things such as;

'I wish more people would interact with me...' 'My (canon muse) isn't as good as other (canon muses) in the rpc...' 'I should just delete... Nobody's writing with me...' '(reblogs open starter again) #some replies would be nice...'

I hate to be blunt, but ask yourself. When was the last time you sent your mutuals some asks, anonymous or not? When was the last time you replied to someone else's open starter? I understand being in a bad funk, but there are better ways to deal with those negative emotions that don't involve guilting your follower-base for not engaging with you constantly. You can't be possessive of your following and expect them to be happy to engage with you. Your writing partners are people, too.

Please stop guilting people, and recognize when you may be doing it when phrasing things in specific ways. Un-learn passive aggressive engagement with your following and partners as a whole. Put yourself out there if you think other people aren't. Be the writing partner that uplifts people, not make them feel 'obligated' to engage with you. Please.

[mcflymemes]

don't apologize for reblogging memes when you've got memes sitting in your inbox. sometimes you just need a refresh! sometimes the ones you've got in your inbox aren't sparking any joy or any ideas! it's okay to reblog a new one! there's no time limit on memes. there are no requirements. this isn't a job where you have to answer five memes before you reblog a new list - reblog what you like, have fun, and make sure to send your mutuals some memes, too!!

[wolfram-but-art]

surprise, i'm not dead, here's some practical espionage