#youre the expert in The Character™️here- not me

[kits-ships]

ppl always strive to be canon-accurate w/ their selfships or ocxcanon but who cares ! it's YOUR f/o whether you hit them with an OC beam or not. headcanons already exist and people will always interpret a character differently. love them however you want.

[mylittleredgirl]

i always sing the praises of having a beta reader if you want that sort of thing, but actually there are two separate fic-editor types:

alpha reader: just fucking uncritically loves your work. #1 fan. fully obsessed with the pairing you're writing to the exclusion of all good sense. might correct a comma or two but they are there to tell you that you are amazing and that you have never done anything wrong in your life and you should post that shit immediately. you ask them "does this part work?" and they say yes before the question is fully out of your mouth. the golden retriever of writing friends. every writer 100% needs one of these in their back pocket.

pros: THE best preemptive defense against the gaping chasm of self-doubt between "post work" and the first kudos.

cons: this is the reason why sometimes you see a fic that has eight beta readers thanked in the author's notes and the main character's name spelled wrong.

beta reader™️: these friends also fucking love your work, but the way they want to love it is to stick their fingers in your fic like a fruit bin at the grocery store and gently squeeze your characters (and commas) to see if they're ripe.

a good beta reader will copy edit your fic, notice if you've used the same sentence three times, and let you know if your sex scenes seem to contain the intended number of dicks per person.

a great one will highlight for you what's unique and wonderful about your writing, will help you problem-solve and plot through long fic, and will lovingly bug the shit out of you with how did she get here? and would he really say that? and is this what you meant? and when you say "oh shit no it isn't" their eyes light up and they go OKAY! let's figure this out!!!

more of a border collie kind of situation.

pros: the best way to polish your fic and grow as a fic writer. in my experience, it's also an incredible way to work through impostor syndrome. knowing someone you respect has been all up in your fic's junk and still says "it's great and you're great, now post it!" is a game-changer.

cons: if they show you what's not working, you're probably going to have to take time to fix it :/

caveats: not everyone who wants to give constructive feedback can deliver it in a way that works for everyone, so if the experience ends up making you feel bad, this is not a good match! it's also VERY helpful to tell your beta reader what level of editing you're looking for. if someone asks "can you give this a quick once-over before i post?" i know they want me to look for obvious mistakes and reassure them that it's post-worthy. if you ask me to "rip it apart" i'm going in there with a fine tooth comb.

(the primary motivation of both of these editor breeds is, of course, that they want you to write more and they want to read it before everyone else.)

bonus mode:

specialty reader: sensitivity readers and subject matter experts! if you are lucky enough to find and motivated enough to use one of these, their job is not to look at commas or to tell you that you're great, but to give advice on something specific in your fic.

edit: check the reblogs for a correction! turns out “alpha reader” is a pre-existing term in some circles for someone who helps you during the process, a lot like the great beta-reader i described above. taking suggestions for renaming my version of the alpha reader above. i’m thinking “hype man.”

[atlas-of-galaxies]

Hi omg I adore your art (esp your yttd stuff) just. Everything about it is just so cool I’ve sent it to my freimds a couple times being like “YOO LOOK AT THIS COOL ARTIST” and I was wondering if you could/if you have given advice on how to diversify ur art? Like, I personally struggle wit the fact I can probably draw a total of 4 hairstyles and probably have a real bad case of same face syndrome, and while I’m really trying to practice I keep looking to your stuff as a prime example of good™️ amd was hoping you could give some pointers

Augh it’s late sorry if this makes no sense or is like single-handedly the most annoying ask you’ve ever seen

thank you so much for your kind words!! <3 I'd be happy to share some character design tips I've learned over time.

now before I start, I just want to emphasize that none of this is new or revolutionary by any means, nor am I an expert. I still have plenty of room to grow myself! I'll just be sharing my reasoning for specific character design details as examples of character design theory at large, utilizing my yttd designs as examples because I've had almost two years to get comfortable with my styles for them.

the two biggest things that have helped me in character design are to 1. emphasize the character's personality/identity/hidden agendas through their design and 2. draw fat characters. I cannot stress how important it is to get comfortable with drawing more body types. it is vital to character design diversity, and it sets characters apart in more ways than just color and hairstyle.

it is also the backbone of shape theory, which is an excellent, subtle way to clue the audience into what a character might be like. take my Keiji design for example:

Keiji presents himself as an upstanding, reliable person that others that can depend on - hence, his form is big, tall, and solid, like a sturdy wall. big, blocky shapes make up his body. but his body language is conflicting, with one open, inviting arm and the other hidden behind his neck.

what sets the viewer off about what he's really like is the expression. shady eyes, never anything wider than a smirk on his lips, permanent eyebags - whatever has happened to this guy, it's taken a toll.

I'd also like to take this time to point out hair, since you mentioned it; I'm a big fan of bangs as a form of character expression! Keiji's are shaggy and messy, nearly falling over his eyes to add to the shady look. as for the rest of the shape of the hair, I like to start from the part (easy to spot in my Keiji design - just look for the brown hair!) and go from there in either direction.

don't be afraid to keep it simple! I used to be unable to end short hair in anything other than a mullet because I wasn't sure how to resolve it, but usually, all you need is just a single line to define the back of the neck. and again, shape language is your friend here! just look at the difference between Sara and Joe's hair:

Sara's hair is easily parsed into angles and blocks - it is orderly and uptight, just like the image she projects as a star student. on the other hand, I couldn't even find regular shapes in Joe's!! the messy spontaneity of it speaks a lot to how he is as a person! Keiji's hair is somewhere in-between; it's got that blocky orderliness as a nod to his time as a policeman, but it's just messy enough to suggest something's off.

we'll look at Shin next. he's another character with lots to hide, but he goes about it a very different manner, hence the different build:

Shin is one of my designs where I think shape theory especially shines. without his protective scarf and big coat, the guy is tiny. he looks vulnerable and weak, and he knows it - hence his hunched posture, as if he's curling in on himself to protect his vital organs. it's like how cats hate being pet on their stomachs, you know?

add the scarf and the jacket though - and he actually has a presence now! he's still a bit curled in, but for different reasons: the scarf is heavy on his shoulders, quite literally weighing him down.

focusing on his face though - I give Sara and Shin similar facial features (long noses, heavily angled profiles) to emphasize their nature as foils. it's especially obvious here, I think:

despite being at such odds, they're very similar people - and small details in design choices can help clue the viewer into drawing these similarities, even on a subconscious level.

and I think that's all I've got for now! hope this helped just a little bit! good luck!

[mandi-cakes]

In sharing more of my bg3 Tavs, let's start with my Dark Urge, Loth-sworn drow, Faeryl T'sarran... At level 1: Rogue Assassin

And funny little rant... It's the night of the tiefling party. I finally get the 'cheeky little pup' line from Astarion. However However However Fae speaks to Lae'zel just before ending the night for the tryst in the woods, and she apparently low-key gets chuffed (imo) that my drow didn't acknowledge her githyanki 'you're a badass, please fuck me' energy. So, she talks about how she might share Astarion's bed after the party (cuz my drow 'failed' to seduce the mighty gith). And I'm like, bitch, not if I get there first... A few cheeky/sassy/flirty lines later, Fae bags the Twink™️. He and Faeryl meet in the woods. Shmexy times happen. Next morning, come to find out...Lae'zel did indeed seek out Astarion... This makes me think that he sought her out first, then met up with Fae... Um, how dare?! Outside the game I understand the meaning behind the 'you seemed distant during', however my drow would take it differently in the moment. So. Astarion... YOU DARE GIVE THIS DROW, FAERYL T'SARRAN, 'BETTER THAN THE REST, FUTURE RULER OF ALL', YOUR SLOPPY SECONDS?!

A silly narrative moment with Fae. (I'm sure I have screencaps of Fae's seggsual escapades but atm I can't get to them) To be clear, Fae is not a full-on evil Dark Urge, but not good either. Absolute bastard, if you will.

At one point they do a whoopsie, by having...accidentally...made a Cleric/Path of the Ancients Paladin Shadowheart break her oath by participating in what I guess counts as murder... hehe, good times, good times... After reaching Baldur's Gate, and in retrieving Minsc... Heh, I never realized you can just be granted a temporary bank pass, provided you talk to the available bank teller first and pass the appropriate checks...versus being invisible and sneaky the instant you walk in... Faeryl: -sees that teller is nervous- "Hey pal, you seem agitated... " Teller: "This big guy came in earlier with the boss, seemed kinda weird to me." Faeryl: -100% that rogue- "Hmmm, sounds like a security issue. I'm a bit of a security expert myself, you should let me inspect that..." Teller: "That doesn't sound sus at all. Here's a temporary bank pass, just don't mention my name." Faeryl: "Thank you, friend. You're not at all a terrible judge of character!" -proceeds to rob the place blind-

What a gremlin. By level 11, they becomes a Rogue Assassin/Eldritch Knight Fighter Vampire--after long establishing a romance with Astarion, and helping him ascend.

So dastardly. I'm very proud of how not a good person they are, lol. They are also quite miffed that everyone is only focusing on how Astarion is now a true vampire, but paying no attention to how they're a vamp too. This is discrimination against Drows.

By the end of this run, Faeryl is planted firmly at Vampire Lord Astarion's side, ready to rule Baldur's Gate, and one day, the world--they are also more than happy to fulfill Asty's dark deeds and wants, so long as he's happy to fulfill Fae's.

I'll post more Tavs soon.

[nobodysdaydreams]

The Glenns were probably fine (at least okay) people. They just didn't understand Nicholas and so they treated him like a "normal child" and hoped for the best

(Also I wonder if Curtain ever went looking for them...)

Anon, please know you have my respect, because you are BRAVE for this one. I have posted polls that have been (jokingly) like "pick an mbs character to hit with a golf cart" and I'll get at least 2-3 reblogs of people aggressively demanding the Glenns get flattened. So coming in my ask box with this take was a choice, but I'm very glad you did it because oh boy do I have some thoughts™️. (ESPECIALLY YOUR THING ABOUT CURTAIN LOOKING FOR THEM!)

Forgive me but I'm about to rant like crazy.

I think some just assume the Glenns were abusive parents and that Nicholas suffered a lot as child, and that's a perfectly fine head canon to have if you want it. However, we don't really see direct evidence for that. It is true that Nicholas' parents aren't mentioned again in the show, but if Nicholas is in his 40s/50s and his parents were in their 30s/40s/50s when they adopted him, they would likely be very old or deceased by the time the show takes place, it doesn't necessarily mean Nicholas cut contact with them.

Now, the one thing I do agree with you on is that they are flawed parents. The most obvious flaw we see is them only adopting one twin and never taking Nicholas to even visit his brother. However, there are a few things about the scene of them meeting Nicholas that stand out to me. And honestly? I think we as a fandom need to be giving the orphanage director a lot more attention then the Glenns, because evil or bad-but-well-intention, people barely mention her. And I'd be happy to explain why they should.

In the scene of the Glenns adopting Nicholas, the orphanage director originally leads them to Nathaniel. Obviously the parents are uncomfortable with the way Nathaniel introduces himself and his monologue, but looking back on it, I don't just think it's because they found his monologue cringy and decided right then and there to adopt the other twin. I think the Glenns were uncomfortable because when they heard Nathaniel's name, they realized the orphanage director had accidently led them to the wrong twin and this wasn't the one they were planning to adopt, and they didn't want to seem rude. But then Nathaniel started doing his pitch to them, and asked them to take him and his brother, which likely made them feel really guilty. Why do I think this? Because despite leading them to Nathaniel, the orphanage director immediately goes, "oh he's right over here" and awkwardly saves the parents by leading them over to Nicholas, and the parents introduce themselves by saying "hello. We've heard you like to read." This means that the orphanage director A) can't tell the twins apart, because she knew they wanted Nicholas from the beginning, but initially led them to Nathaniel on accident and B) spoke to the parents about the twins earlier, and told them about Nicholas.

Now the question becomes: why would the orphanage director recommend Nicholas to a set of parents who can only take one child? Was it because they both loved reading and were such a good match that it just made sense, and people back then just didn't understand the importance of keeping siblings together? That's one possibility. It's also perhaps the most plausible. If the Glenns were told that Nathaniel was stifling Nicholas (as evidenced by the orphanage performance), and that it was best for Nicholas to be separated from his brother and have his turn in the spotlight, then who were they to argue with the experts?

There is however a darker possibility. In season 2, Nicholas (under the happiness) and Curtain are reminiscing about the science experiments they used to do and the chaos they would cause (they mention making a volcano that exploded everywhere and made Nicholas and likely countless other children sick for weeks). If they were known for causing disruption, the orphanage director might have been trying to get rid of them by any means necessary as quickly as possible (especially since the older they got, the less likely they were to get adopted). She might have done so by trying to push them individually on families that could only take one, but there's something else she might have done.

It's possible that the Glenns were actually initially open to taking both twins, but the orphanage director discouraged the parents from adopting both boys, because she worried that if they got into mischief together and the parents complained, the orphanage would gain a bad reputation. Since Nicholas was the "easy" twin, and his personality matched with these parents, she told the Glenns that it was better for the twins to be separated, because Nathaniel was controlling and it would be healthier for Nicholas to have his own family. It was what was best for him. And the Glenns might have been skeptical of this, but the orphanage director is the expert. And it's not a total lie, Nathaniel did stifle him. And surely Nicholas would say something if he was unhappy with the situation? And Nathaniel had said that it was okay if they could only take one and that they wanted what was best for each other, so surely this must be fine right?

Look, in the scenario where the orphanage director comes out looking the best, the twins aren't getting adopted because there just aren't a lot of parents looking to adopt sibling groups, and they're getting older and there also aren't a lot of parents that want to adopt teens. So she's trying to get them into homes as best she can and separating them was a last resort, or perhaps she genuinely believed it was better for Nicholas to be on his own where Nathaniel wasn't controlling him all the time. Unfortunately, she's overwhelmed, has more kids than she can handle, and can't tell the twins apart, which is what caused to her to accidently introduce the Glenns to Nathaniel before she realized her mistake. Which isn't great, but more understandable. Worst case scenario? She found the twins a nuisance and wanted them gone by any means necessary and was pushing for them to go to separate homes and using the fact that Nathaniel was stifling Nicholas to support her reasoning, even though Nathaniel was only 12 years old.

But there's one thing both of these possibilities have in common: the Glenns would go into the adoption believing they were doing the right thing. That it was better for Nicholas to be separated from his brother. That they would better parents for Nicholas then Nathaniel, because Nicholas shared their love of reading and they had similar interests. That if Nicholas missed his brother he would have said something (obviously they're his parents, they should have just known, but the "expert" told them otherwise, and they're flawed people). They also figured that if Nathaniel said they wanted what was best for each other and the orphanage director said this was what was best, then there was nothing to discuss. It doesn't excuse what they did. They should have seen their son was upset, and should have done more to investigate the problem. Nicholas shouldn't have had to say anything. But I also don't think they necessarily did it maliciously (but they certainly could have, and if you want to have that head canon, you totally can).

Sorry for the rant. I'm not trying to excuse the Glenn's or the orphanage director (she needs a shorter name)'s actions, but I do respectfully think the "Nicholas' adoptive parents were abusive and terrible and the evidence is right there" takes should also consider the way the orphanage was being run. Overall, it was just an awful situation for both twins. They needed to go to home with parents who would teach them proper boundaries and respect their individuality, while also understanding the importance of them being a family. Nicholas admits that he didn't come back because he needed freedom, but the sad part is he could have had freedom and his brother if the twins had parents who would have stepped in and said "hey Nathaniel, we love you, but don't treat your brother like that." But no one at the orphanage ever did that, and Nicholas had no reason to believe his parents would be more hands on and involved than his teachers in that regard, because he'd never had parents before (and probably assumed parents just acted like teachers who gave you room and board and would just allow Nathaniel to continue to treat him like that, because what else is he supposed to think?). So he always thought he could never have both things. And that makes me sad, but in the best way, so thanks Anon.

FINALLY. Your statement on Curtain looking for them. OH BOY.

I haven't gotten to this part in my fic yet (and I don't know if I ever will) so possible mild spoilers I guess, but here's the thing: I think he did.

Because Nicholas promised to come back. And then days turn to weeks turn to months turn to years and he doesn't. At which point Nathaniel can assume two things. The first is to immediately assume that Nicholas didn't come back from him because he decided he was better off without his brother OR to assume that the people that adopted him are bad or abusive and that Nicholas might have tried to come back for him but failed, and he needs to be rescued.

I think you see where I'm going with this one. Nathaniel waits but Nicholas doesn't come. He thinks this is because his brother is in trouble. He runs away to find him. And eventually he does find Nicholas and discovers him living happily with his new family. Without him.

And the rest of the story writes itself from there. Well, actually it doesn't, and that comes later (why must my fic ideas be so long gosh dang it...) but I hope you like this.

Thank you Anon. Sorry this was so long.

[mariska]

i am literally nothing if not a person who has been on this site for 10+ years and loves partaking in Games And Trends™️ so here is a specific scenario situation poll for things that have occurred in my life. thank u 4 ur time.

[biitchcakes]

@mastcrmarksman sent: Positivity party time. AURORAAAAAAAA THE MOST DARLING OF DARLINGS I LOVE YOU FIRST AMD FOREMOST You bring an absolute joy of Jessica Drew to life everything I read of yours is just That is HER. That is the girl. You are someone who gets her characters, and I just could just gush about Jess and Clint to the moon and back; gonna give these two the character dynamic and relationship they deserve 💖✨️ secondly you are one of my favorite writers and I just love all your thoughts on the marvel universe. And just big inspiration for me. And you spoil me sometimes I am so happy to know you and consider you one of my dearest friends met through here 💕 BIG HUGS AND KISSES TO YOU 🦭

IIIZZZZZYYYY 🥺🥺🥺

First of all, I LOVE YOU TOO 💜✨ OODLES AND BUNCHES !! I am SO happy we've gotten to be friends through our lil hobby on here, you're absolutely one of my nearest and dearest on here too. I adore your muses, fully cradle and smooch them all, and I get so excited over everything you and I write together. We ARE giving Jess and Clint what they deserved, what they both weren't ready for at the time, and I love how we've gotten to develop and explore their relationship together.

Second of all, I'm sobbing HGDKSG 😭 what do you MEAN I'm one of your favourite writers ?? A big inspiration ?? My heart bursts Izzy, I can't begin to tell you how much that means to me. Especially since I very much consider the same about you !! You KNOW your babies, the way you talk about them is just amazing to me. I love learning more and more about Clint, getting deep-diving insights into the man. Jess never fails to poke her head out when Clint and Greer come knocking - you always give me major muse, big time.

And please, I always love hearing from you and your Marvelous ( ha ) opinions. I love yappin' away about our babies and getting direct insight from The Clint Expert-in-Chief™️

Mwah, a dozen chef kisses, big bear hugs and smooches, thank you for the message 🥺💜💖✨