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markrosewater · 3 days

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Elegance

Here’s my original article for Elegance.

This is a topic I’ve wanted to write about for a long time. Ironically, the words needed to explain the concept kept the column from being elegant. So I did what all artists do. I found a way to say a lot in a little space.

Enjoy,

Mark Rosewater

[NOTE: EACH OF THE ABOVE FIFTY WORDS IS HYPERLINKED. BELOW IS THE FIFTY HYPER LINKS. THE HEADERS SHOULDN’T BE ON THE LINKED PAGE. I’M JUST INCLUDING THEM SO YOU KNOW WHAT EACH LINK IS.]

ELEGANCE

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary has five definitions for elegance:

• refined grace or dignified propriety

• tasteful richness of design or ornamentation

• dignified, gracefulness or restrained beauty of style

• scientific precision, neatness and simplicity

• something that is elegant

The common elements appear to be dignity, simplicity, and taste.

THIS

Elegance requires thinking, but it also requires feeling. Elegant prose is judged by how it makes the reader feel. It needs to generate a sense of calm that puts the reader at ease. Everything in your writing should feel as if it was carefully positioned to create the proper effect.

Pound for pound, the writer’s greatest writing tool is the verb. Nouns add substance and adjectives add flourish, but it’s the verb that drives the sentence. Choose a strong, descriptive verb and the sentence has flair and purpose. Choose a weak one and the sentence lacks any sense of drama.

Here’s a little game to test an elegance relevant skill (based on an old game called Inklings). Randomly choose a noun. Try to convey that noun to the other players using the least number of letters possible. You’ll be surprised how much you can communicate in just a few letters.

TOPIC

One of the greatest stumbling blocks to elegance is the inability to choose a single focus. Elegance requires simplicity. Simplicity requires a single purpose of thought. This means that elegance starts before you write a single word. A good sculptor must know his image before he picks up his chisel.

I’VE

One of the common misconceptions of elegance is that it requires a writer to be fancy. Elegance though is more about familiarity than formality. You shouldn’t be afraid of friendlier language such as slang or contractions, assuming that such language adds an element of ease rather than one of laziness.

WANTED

An important element of elegance is a sense of passion. Brevity does not mean pulling away emotionally from words, but rather the opposite. When you find yourself limited to fewer words, you must pack each individual word with extra emotional punch. You are not reducing your message, simply your messenger.

A good tool in understanding elegance is studying poetry. Poetry is the most concise of all written art forms. It strives to maximize impact while minimizing expression. Each word carries the burden of evoking some essence of the poet’s message. If it cannot carry its own weight, it is excised.

WRITE

To be an elegant writer, you have to become a student of prose. You have to study the mechanics of language to understand how it can be shaped. Once you have learned how to transfer the feeling in your head into meaningful words, you are on the path to elegance.

ABOUT

Be careful not to fall in love with ambiguity. While intoxicating in its beauty, it is the enemy of elegance. Remember, the goal is not to make the reader struggle for comprehension. Rather it is to lead them to the obvious conclusion. Elegance should be used to illuminate, not confuse.

FOR

Elegant prose requires connecting with your reader. To do this, you have to understand who that reader is. Nothing should come before this task. It needs to be done before writing can begin. I like to compare this to planning a trip. Maps are useless until you know your destination.

Another major key to elegance is the understanding of the importance of the tiniest detail. Just as a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, a piece of prose is only as tight as its messiest detail. A good writer doesn’t stop at the nouns, verbs and adjectives.

LONG

Don’t confuse elegance with brevity. Elegant things are short not because they have to be but because the difficulty to craft an elegant piece of prose combined with the limitations of time forces writers to be brief. Elegant novels, for example, do exist, but they are few and far between.

TIME

To quote Roman orator (and letter writer) Marcus T. Cicero, “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.”

Simplicity takes more time not less. Anyone can get a point across with ten thousand words. But a true artist can do it in ten (or possibly fifty).

IRONICALLY

Irony is a potent tool for commentary. Its genius lies in the fact that it comments not on what is, but rather on what isn’t. Like all good humor, irony makes you laugh. But like the best type of humor, it also makes you think. It’s both funny and funny.

THE

Elegance in writing is about more than words. Equally important is how the words are woven together. Tempo, pacing, rhythm – these are the tools that set the mood for the piece. Try reading aloud your text. The natural beat of language is more suited for the ear than the eye.

WORDS

To realize the power of words, you must first understand how they work. Art is expressive; words are connotative. That is, words draw their power from their ability to extract different ideas from different people. A circle is a circle, but the concept of “scary” varies from person to person.

NEEDED

Elegance is not the result of any one attribute. It is the combination of numerous factors coming together in harmony. This is why it’s such a hard skill to master. Most people can pat their head or rub their tummy. But put them together and it’s not quite so easy.

An elegant piece of prose needs to hit the reader at a gut level. Often they won’t know exactly why they like it, but they will recognize that something about the piece moves them. There are many types of writing where subtlety is lost. Elegant writing isn’t one of them.

EXPLAIN

There are many ways for you to explain an idea. The most elegant one though is not through definition but by example. By connecting your idea to one already known by the reader, you’re leaving the work of teaching to someone in the past. Education is hard. Comparison is easy.

THE

If writing is like building a house, the structure is like the foundation. Its design will dictate how the house is built. If it’s faulty, no amount of fancy brickwork will undo the damage. So take the time to ensure your structure is building the kind of prose you want.

CONCEPT

Never underestimate the power of a concept. An important part of elegance is condensing big ideas into little words. This is far from an easy task. It often takes a genius an entire lifetime to create a truly innovative concept. So take advantage of all their hard work and inspiration.

KEPT

A common barrier to elegance is the belief that only one way will work. Often a writer is unable to abandon a beloved piece of prose even when evidence demonstrates otherwise. If something doesn’t add to the larger sense of the piece, you have to learn to let it go.

THE

Readers notice things at a minute level far beyond their mind’s ability to interpret. This means that although they may not consciously notice many of your tiny details, they will do so unconsciously. Aesthetics teach us that it’s this unconscious structure that will determine whether or not it feels “right”.

COLUMN

All communicators, whether through speaking or print, need to find a voice. A voice provides familiarity and it teaches the listener or reader how to more quickly absorb the information. Elegance is all about the conservation of ideas. Having a pre-learned voice to guide you is a very valuable tool.

FROM

I’ve spent some time talking about understanding your reader. But there is one more person who is even more important to understand – yourself. Writing is about sharing your ideas with others. If you haven’t spent the time to figure out what you think, how can you possibly communicate it?

BEING

“A picture is worth a thousand words.”

Or so the saying goes. What the cliché forgets to mention is how many words a single word is worth. For example, take the word “being”. To capture the essence of what “being” represents is tens of thousands of words if not more.

ELEGANT

What is the value of being elegant? Why should you care? Elegance adds aesthetics. It evokes poetry. It grants beauty. Elegant prose draws the reader closer because it gives them something to not just learn but to admire. Good prose stimulates the head, but elegant prose resonates in the heart.

Who, what, where, when, how - all important questions. But for a writer they pale next to why. If you don’t understand the reasoning beneath the surface, the other details are irrelevant. The act of elegance is cementing the why. It’s taking the purpose and engraining it into the piece.

Elegance is a very personal thing. If something doesn’t resonate with you, there’s no way for it to resonate with your reader. Writing is an art, not a science. There is no rulebook for how things must be done. If your instincts are telling you that something isn’t working, listen.

DID

An important tool in your toolbox is time. Elegance cannot be rushed. Mental ruts only get deeper the harder you focus on them. Make sure to work time into your schedule so you are able to walk away from your writing. An hour next week is worth a day today.

WHAT

Don’t let attention to detail pull you away from having a larger sense of what you’re writing. Take this column as an example. While I spent a lot of time fine tuning each entry I never lost sight of the effect they created when all the entries were put together.

ALL

Elegance requires taking a holistic view of writing. Every word, every sentence, every paragraph is a piece in a larger puzzle. It’s not enough to understand the impact of a single element. You must understand how any two elements interact if you want to understand the potency of your text.

ARTISTS

Elegance and art are very intertwined. Both seek to achieve a similar goal: to illuminate and inspire with a conservation of expression. If you’re trying to be elegant, I think it helps to think of yourself as an artist. The instinct for the latter mirrors the needs of the former.

An important part of any writing is understanding the feeling you’re trying to evoke. And then realizing what mechanic tools you have available to evoke that feeling. Diction, verb tense, sentence length, alliteration, word flow, phonetic juxtaposition – each of these will control the mood and tone of your piece.

A writer’s life is the ultimate fodder. Don’t be ashamed to plumb your own experiences. You understand them deeper and more personally than anyone else. No painter would refuse to use his finest paints. And, as a bonus, by using your own experiences, you will become better educated about yourself.

FOUND

Don’t forget that the act of revealing is also an act of exploration. Don’t be afraid if you learn more than the reader you’re trying to educate. Writing is not an exact science. (Or even an exact art.) Often you will find that the road to salvation has a fork.

Your future is paved with your past. If you want to learn how to grow as a writer, you need to look back at what you’ve written. With time and a detached eye, your will find your mistakes become clearer. Remember that it’s failure, not success, that bests drives education.

WAY

The problem with looking for a single solution is that you’ll never find more than one. And the first one isn’t always the best. But if you’re open to the possibility that every problem has an infinite number of answers, you’ll have the freedom of choosing the solution you want.

Sentences are filled with freeloaders. Because writers seem to love overwriting. (I include myself in this camp.) Make sure to create time for the editor side of you to prune unnecessary words. If a word can be excised without any harm to the sentence, it has no right being there.

SAY

I’m spending my time today talking about elegance in prose, but most of what I’m saying is applicable in speech. The key difference is that prose has less defining attributes like appearance or tone. The key to elegant speech is making people focus on the words rather than everything else.

It’s ironic that something designed to be so simple can be so complex. But that, my faithful readers, is the joy (and mystery) of elegance. Like an onion, elegance has numerous layers that reveal themselves as you slowly peel them away. Oh yeah, and it can sometimes make you cry.

LOT

An interesting exercise is to look at each word you’re using and think about how much content is loaded in that word. Then explore what other words exist that fulfill the same role but with added content. Once you’ve found the word you can’t best, move onto the next word.

A good way to get better at understanding elegance is to look for it in every day life. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised where and how often you find it. Study each example carefully and try to see if you can put your finger on what makes it work.

Writing is a shared endeavor. No one owns the words. If someone uses a technique that works, there’s no shame in borrowing it. Like science, writing creates technology that’s brought back to the group to spur further advancements. Elegance is hard enough to accomplish without refusing to use the toolbox.

LITTLE

How big should a piece of text be if you want it to be elegant? The answer is as big as it needs to be – and not a word more. Just think of it as playing the game Jenga. Keep pulling words out of your prose until it collapses.

SPACE

One of the most important lessons in art is learning the value of negative space, the idea that the eyes are equally drawn to what isn’t there. Prose has a very similar quality. When writing pay careful attention to what you aren’t saying. Often it will speak the loudest volume.

ENJOY

For some reason people tend to equate dignity with seriousness. And as such they come to the false conclusion that elegance has no room for humor. Ironic as humor is one of the most elegant of styles. A good joke is no longer than is necessary to do its job.

MARK

As is always true when I head off the beaten path, I am curious to hear your feedback. What did you think of this article? Was it entertaining? Was it educational? Did you actually read all fifty links? And if not, why not?

Tell me. Inquiring mind wants to know.

ROSEWATER

I couldn’t end this week’s column without my trademark closing. I mean, how inelegant would that be?

Join me next week when I go from being a letter man to a Letterman.

Until then, may you learn to appreciate now just the “what” but the “how” and “why”.

Mark Rosewater

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euaphoru · 9 hours

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when he bullies you but hates when another guy does it

typically you knew you were too sweet for your kind.

you cared much for others and put them first before you did yourself, gojo hated when you offered him your goodies; most likely perfecting the other ones if he was being honest.

so when he sees you going around the hallways with a tray full of fresh pastries, he felt something in the pit of his stomach as he watched from the lockers as you would sway your hips onto the next person, allowing them to grab a bite out of your newest creation you were cooking up late last night, he furrowed his brows.

his friends spot him looking your way, watching his eyes stay in some sort of trance, your rotting sweetness creating some sort of aura around you as you wave goodbye at your classmates.

his friends look at each other and nod, calling you over, asking what you made for everyone and why haven't you offered them any

what they didn't know was that last week while they were in class, fooling around in the back causing trouble-- gojo was having you pinned against the supply closet rack, making you stumble and grab onto his shirt as his fingers circled your clothed panties.

"...so wet for me, should you add your juices to the recipe everytime you cook me up something, sweet girl," he whispered into your ear, pushing your hair back to your ear. "Only for me, nobody else should have the ability to taste such sweet things that come from you other than your over sugared, tooth rotting desserts."

"d'do not...say mean things like that, I spend so long making them," you cry out as you feel him pull your panties aside and dip his fingers inside you, pulling them close into his mouth and whine.

he grins at your weak effort into punching him in the chest with your palms, watching you fold.

"how are they? too much sugar? I suppose I could have added more jelly inside the powdered donuts..." you speak, catching him give you deep glares as you do your bestest to avoid them, silencing the loud commotions of their groaning as they sunk their teeth down at the pastries.

as much as you hated their constant teasing, your grandmother always taught you to be as sweet as you made her strawberry shortcakes; very.

"almost makes me believe woman should stay in the kitchen," one laughed looking over to the other boys as they have the outspoken one a glance, staying quiet.

"shut up."

you swore you heard wrong, as you look up to see satoru slap his friend in the head with his backhand. you lightly giggle, excusing yourself.

satoru looks back at you, ignoring the other boys laughing at the bruised man who commented, watching you turn your head to meet his gaze and give the tall man a soft smile, waving a bag with his name on it, noticing a different pattern of pastry you made him compared to the ones you gave out.

oh, he thought.

#euaphora #gojo smut #jujutsu kaisen smut #gojo x reader #gojo saturo #gojou satoru x reader #jjk gojo #jujutsu gojo #gojo satoru #jujutsu kaisen satoru #jjk smut #jujutsu sorcerer #jujutsu kaisen #jujustsu kaisen x reader #jjk x reader

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shmolish · 2 days

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Hello, it's me again (so soon, hehe). Sorry if it feels like I'm asking for things so much.

I have a fun request: Shadow Milk Cookie x Reader as Romeo and Juliet. I desire the juiciest star-crossed lovers angst you can make!

AN: I have only read a quick summary of Romeo and Juliet along with bits and pieces of the balcony scene so forgive me if this is inaccurate-

Um but yeah, I took some creative liberties

Shadow Milk x Reader

Oneshot

Warnings: Angst

-Frayed String-

The rough surface of the stone beneath your fingertips is the only thing keeping your mind stable and down to Earth, if the state you're in can even be considered stable.

You are being held together by only a single thread, and every moment you aren't with your lover you can feel a slice of your sanity being discarded.

You curl your fingers into a fist, the coarseness of the stone wall leaving indents in your digits.

You gaze softly to the shimering stars above. The light coming off of them are the only things making your eyes seem alive.

You cannot say that it hurts, because compared to how your heart has been ripped open, this is nothing.

Even if they were to start bleeding, would it even feel like anything compared to aching in your heart?

As you sit there silently, you wonder if Shadow Milk can see the same stars. You wonder if he is thinking of you now as you are thinking of him.

It was such a shame that your parents hated him. If they didn't then you would have married him on the spot.

That day, you practically ripped open your chest to give him your heart. To show him how it beat for him. How you lived for him.

Yet, your parents wanted you to be wed to someone else.

But that someone else wasn't Shadow Milk, and so there was no way your heart could continue to beat after that.

Fate really has played such a cruel joke on the two of you.

Since your family hated him so, to marry him would be like murdering him. Though, to not marry him would be like murdering yourself.

What decision should be made when putting your life on the line against the person giving you life.

Either way, someone would surely die in the end.

"If only you could change your name," you say to yourself. It was just one of those mindless rambles that you often did. You didn't at all expect someone to respond.

"If you call me your lover then I'd gladly change my name," a voice responded.

No more words needed to be spoken for you to recognize exactly who it was.

"Shadow Milk, what are you doing here?!" You'd ask in a hushed yell.

"My dove, I just missed you!" He faded into shadows before reappearing right besides you.

He took your hand in his while also cupping your face. "Your beauty makes even the moon look dull, my dear," He'd say.

Oh how his words made your heart flutter. If it weren't so dark, you're sure he'd see the blush spreading across your face.

"You really shouldn't be here," you told him. Though you could not deny how much you relished in his presence. Every little touch he gave you made you feel as if the world around you was spinning.

"I couldn't help it." He left a soft kiss on your lips, letting it linger for just a while before pulling away.

And so for a moment, the two of you were quiet. Just staring into each other's eyes, exchanging a thousand words that couldn't have been spoken aloud.

Then one of the servants called from outside of your room, and you were quick to speak your farewells.

"Ah, sorry Milk- You have to leave now," you said in a quiet voice.

He only gazed into your eyes while twirling a peice of your hair.

"I'm being serious-" the knock on your door would continue. "Just a minute!" You called out to the servant.

"I love you oh so much.." he said to you before disappearing to someplace else.

All that remained was that leftover warmth of his body and the lingering feeling of longing in your heart.

And now, it seemed as if the world fell silent.

How pitiful it was that the two of you were connected via a frayed string. A connection so frail that it would be worn down by even the air around you.

Oh how his words tormented you. How were you meant to be alright with letting him go when every moment you spent together made you fall so much more in love.

You just wanted to scream out your love for him on the balcony, but that would put both him and you in great danger.

But, what exactly were you supposed to do?

Were you to make him the most happy man in the world by marrying him then letting your family kill him?

Or were you to marry someone else and murder yourself by depriving your heart of the one thing it yearns for?

#crk #cookie run kingdom #crk x reader #cookie run kingdom x reader #cookie run #cookie run x reader #shadow milk cookie crk #shadow milk #shadow milk x reader #shadow milk x reader angst #crk angst #shadow milk x reader oneshot #crk oneshot #shadow milk x reader crk #shadow milk cookie x reader crk oneshot #crk shadow milk cookie #shadow milk cookie x reader crk

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mirikitakato · 3 days

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[Translation] 4th Anni Card Episodes of Shino, Heathcliff and Oz.

Because they're nicely written by Bunta so I think I should translate them when I have them in hands. I also like the Oz's one a lot because it's funny but when you think about it, it's pretty wholesome in a very Northern way.

CARD EPISODE: SHINO AND THE DOOR OF DAYS BYGONE…

Akira: I heard that on the shores of Borda Isle, there is a door that allows you to see the past. Speaking of the past, when I first came to this world, I still had a lot of uneasiness in my heart. But when I recalled a certain memory, I felt at ease.

Shino: What memory?

Akira: The memory of a trusted adult reading a book to me as a child.

Shino: Is that so.

Akira: Is there any memories that would act like a talisman for you, Shino? Memories that provide comfort to you.

Shino:..... Somehow...

Akira: Yes?

Shino: I keep thinking about Heath.

Akira: Ah, I see. You two are childhood friends after all...

Shino: No, it's not good because I'm a servant. Memories of being with my master shouldn’t make me feel at ease. By the way, what did Heath say?

Akira: I haven't asked him anything yet.

Shino: What? Why didn't you?

Akira: S-sorry...

Shino: The feelings I had before were not for Heath, but for the time I spent with the master and mistress.

Akira: Would it make you feel at ease to remember that?

Shino: Guess so. Taking care of Heath is just a forced job.

Akira: You're saying that again...but your relationship isn't a forced one.

Shino: I know. Heath is my true master now. I can't allow myself to feel at ease when I think of my master.

Akira: I see...

Shino: I'll set an image for myself to remember. If I repeat it enough times, I can control these feelings.

Akira: Huh......!? Is that something you can control yourself?

Shino: If I have these feelings because a certain image comes to mind, then I can. Hmm, what kind of scene do I need to remember to feel at ease and become stronger?

Akira: (Even if you remember Heath, you won't become weaker though...)

Shino: Maybe Oz? After all, he's the strongest in the world. Hmm...? If I feel relieved when I see a strong guy come along, does that mean I'm weak?

Akira: It feels like a very random stream of consciousness, but thanks anyway...

CARD EPISODE: HEATHCLIFF AND THE DOOR OF DAYS BYGONE…

Heathcliff: A certain memory...Can I ask what it’s like?

Akira: The memory of a trusted adult reading a book to me as a child.

Heathcliff: Ah, I see. As a child, I was always drawn to the stories that adults would tell me.

Akira: Is there any memories that would act like a talisman for you? Memories that provide comfort to you.

Heathcliff: Hmm...well...there are many. Compared to other wizard children, my parents' love for me even made me feel guilty. They must have taken extra care of me so that I, who was born a wizard, wouldn't be in pain. My parents told me countless times how much they loved and cherished me. So...I've been living a peaceful life since then. Shino and the people who work at Blanchett also make me feel at ease. I'm so grateful to everyone for being able to live like this.

Akira: (Heath... Just listening to him makes me feel so happy...) (For some reason, he can't catch his breath. Is it because he’s suffocating or because he feels guilty?) (It's like he's talking to himself.) (Maybe because Heath is so sensitive, he knows that his parents and Shino want him to have a happy life.) (No matter what it is, if you're expected to do something, it's bound to put some pressure on you...) (...Heath has it tough too...)

Akira: I'm glad that Heath is surrounded by kind people. I also want Heath to live a peaceful and happy life.

Heath: Thank you, Sage.

Akira: But...I'm not saying I want you to live a perfect, ideal happy life. What I mean is that I want Heath to be able to live freely like everyone else, according to his own will. To enjoy happiness and sadness. Isn't that what everyone else wants?

Heath: Sage... I remember something. A scene that made me feel at ease when I was sad...

Akira: Please tell me about it. What kind of memory is it?

Heath: I may have mentioned this before, but... It's a memory of the orange tree in the greenhouse near Blanchett Castle.

CARD EPISODE: OZ AND THE DOOR OF DAYS BYGONE…

Oz: A certain memory...?

Akira: The memory of a trusted adult reading a book to me as a child.

Oz: ........

Akira: Is there any memories that would act like a talisman for you? Memories that provide comfort to you.

Oz: .....Making myself feel at ease with memories...?

Akira: I-is my question strange?

Oz: No... I always win against Mithra.

Akira: Yes.

Oz: I’ve never lost to Owen and Bradley. The same goes for the twins and Figaro, I won't lose to them now.

Akira: I know.

Oz: These memories and achievements make me feel at ease. It's not to the point of being relaxed, but just a statement of fact.

Akira: Okay...

Oz: Is this what you want to hear?

Akira: To be honest, that's not what I meant... It should be more heartwarming memories, right? The kind that can make people relax...

Oz: ......

Akira: (Oz and the Northern wizards, do they not have any memories that make them feel at ease, or any moments of relaxation?)

Oz: A long time ago, when I was still small and my power was far from what it is now... The twins and Figaro made me drink poison.

Akira: Eh??

Oz: Of course, I would never drink it obediently. I resisted with my life, and those guys were also seriously injured. After a few similar incidents, I understood. What they were giving me wasn't poison, but medicine.

Akira: (It's a little story about feeding medicine to a wild beast...)

Oz: I didn't know there was such a thing as medicine back then. I used magic to heal myself from minor and major injuries. And the medicine tasted terrible. But now, I can drink it without worry. Will a story like that do?

Akira: (It's barely heartwarming...)

#mahoyaku #translation #mahoutsukai no yakusoku #oz #Shino #Heathcliff

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