Miss girl what are you taking those pictures with? Your eyes?? They’re Gorgeous

ok taking good photos is actually really easy all you need is a relatively recent smartphone camera and a primitive knowledge of editing. all of those pics i edited right inside the iphone photos app. after that it’s a matter of getting a sense of composition and lighting which is gonna be different for everyone. BUT more important than all of that is just. developing your general awareness of the space and light and motion around you. like a tiny ladybug on a flower or the way the light hits those flower petals or the shape of that road or a candid moment between some friends. if you’re not paying attention you miss it - 90% of visual art is learning to see. once you have that the pictures follow naturally !!

Do you have any tips or advice on writing,your way with words truly is amazing-♦️

thank you sm lovely anon, this is such a sweet compliment 🥹

i’m not good with tips or writing tbh, like one day I just started this blog and started writing and now I’m here I guess 😭 (funfact i acc ran an IT fanfiction blog back when I was like 11 this is not my proudest moment I shouldn’t have even been on this app)

i’m a big fan of english literature and always have been, im taking higher english next year for s5 and I’ve learned quite a bit tbh that I think can help!

1. my teacher always tells me to not repeat the same words over and over again. like for example :

“character watches s/o walk into the room with their bright smile and bright eyes”

instead, you could say :

“character watches s/o walk into the room with their beaming smile and bright eyes”

personally in my opinion repetition is good for both writing and poetry but using more adapted words can really elevate your writing. but that’s just my opinion on what it does for me and i try my best not to repeat the same words consistently. if you struggle to think of more advanced words you can use google because that’s quite literally what i do but you can also use a thesaurus, they’re quite helpful i used to use them in primary school for writing :)

2. another tip i can think of is using techniques of writing, this also goes for poetry too (as im currently having to study for my english exam on poetry). there’s a few techniques you can use in writing fanfiction such as

- metaphors (an implied comparison eg. “my mum has a heart of gold” - meaning my mum is a kind hearted woman. she is)

- similes (similar to a metaphor but it’s a direct comparison, typically used in the forms of “like a” or “as” eg. “she was as cold as ice” - meaning that her personality and demeanour is rather cold and stern.)

- personification (similar to a metaphor also but this connects human characteristics such as personalities or emotions to a non living thing eg. “the trees danced in the wind” - trees cant dance like a human can, but the way they bristle in the wind can make it seem like they’re dancing)

i know some of these people would’ve already heard about but i thought I’d add in the examples and explanations just to clarify it for people who are confused and want to learn about it

this isn’t a MUST you have to include in your writing or anything but these are just tips on ways you can elevate your writing and personification is specifically good for describing scenery so the reader can feel more engaged within the story :). these are only a few of the techniques i use so if you wish to hear about more please do feel free to shoot me an ask.

3. one last tip that comes from me in my experience of writing is actually educating yourself by reading some writings you’re interested in. one thing I’ve learned about writing is that you can gain experience by becoming influenced by other people’s writings on any part of the internet. not like plagiarism of course but i mean you can become inspired by the way they write and adapt your own writing style.

i’ve learned so much from my beautiful and amazing moots and they’re all just so talented, im forever grateful and proud for each and one of them :)

but i hope this helps ♦️ anon, and YOU are my first official emoji anon HEHEHE SO THANK YOU!! and i will be adding more to this tip list if i think of anything.

and please remember, anyone can be a writer. it doesn’t matter wherever you’re a natural or if you’re “inexperienced”. we all engage and write in different styles and ways and that’s what making writing such a beautiful thing to contribute in. so don’t give up and if you need anything at all don’t be afraid to message me, i hope you’ve given this a read and again, i hope it helps. <3

Free Card Readings Anyone?

I want to exercise my divination muscles a little harder, so I'm looking to do some readings for strangers on the internet. I have no clue how many people will respond to this, so I'll open, say, 3 slots to start!

What kind of readings do you do? Tarot, lenormand, and I have one oracle deck that I'm looking to get to know more. Each of my decks has a different vibe, so I'll recommend which one I think suits your query best, but you'll get the final say based on your own intuition.

What are you willing to read about? I'm comfy with general situation readings as well as more specific questions about a wide array of topics, and they can be lighthearted or serious! The only thing I won't read about are random death predictions, because neither of us needs that kind of stress-

Where will you do the reading? I prefer to do this kind of thing through written message, and can do so through either Discord, email, or Tumblr DMs. Depending on the size of the spread, the depth of the question, and my client's preference, I can either explain the whole picture and we discuss afterwards, or we can approach the reading in chunks together. I don't just go, "Oh wow here's your fortune, okay bye."

Anything else? The only thing I ask of you, my dear client, is to be as honest with me as I am with you. This is for the sake of my improvement, so if you feel like my reading isn't too accurate, please say so! At the end of our reading, I just ask for some genuine feedback. (If you feel so inclined, I also have an optional Ko-fi for tips, but only if you really want to.)

[ - Pinned - ]

welcome to dolph's blog! watch him stumble through doing normal people things like having social media :P

for a bit of explanation, the timeline is post captain laserhawk s1 <3 what we know so far about dolph is that he's dead and in some pixel world. since he has all the time in the world and inexplicable internet connection, why not try something new?

things to note:

this dolph is canon based with a bit of headcanon! headcanon in the sense of dolph's text habits and overall worldbuilding. canon in the sense that hes an emotionally constipated asshole still nursing his wounds after breaking up with his first love

i roleplay semi frequently, so dont be afraid to go all out! my main style is paragraphs and im literate! all i ask is to please keep interactions pg-13. i'd rather not erp with dolph, nor do i want to put that on anyones timeline. simping is okay, jus dont start cat calling (think things like 'tip colour is #fff382' or 'i know its brown')

shipping is fine, but dont expect a consistent pairing. this dolph isnt, and wont be in a good place to maintain a relationship lol

i am new to tumblr rping, so please feel free to give me feedback! im much more used to rping on discord and roblox, so please be patient if im not doing something right :3

theres a bit of plot in this rp blog ;] you just have to figure out how to progress it (and some of yall are doing it)

DO NOT SEND IN ASKS PERTAINING TO YOUR OWN PERSONAL MENTAL HEALTH (eg. asking how to deal with certain thoughts, how to cope with things, etc.). i am just a roleplay blog and i am NOT equipped to give you advice.

go follow the other CLH roleplay blogs! all of them are run by lovely lovely people :D

Fakeman (also the main inspo for this blog! thank you <3): @the-rayman-show

Ramon: @gunsblazingg

Bullfrog: @thefinalsight

Jade: @personalreporter

Red: @lazerl0zer

So.. do you have any advice on how to not hate my breasts? I’m just coming out of puberty and I hate looking at my breasts when I’m not wearing a shirt. People online just encouraged me to not look at it, ignore it, and even try to bind my chest. But.. I don’t want to do that. Do you have any advice?

I'm probably not the best person to ask for advice but in my opinion... don't think less of your boobs but think of your boobs less. I'm not saying you should ignore them per se but treat them as you would any neutral body part.

Also, get in touch with your body more in general. I know this is cliche but yoga really helps. And if you don't feel up to it, even some good old fashioned stretching is good. Ideally you should stretch every day but iirc even stretching 3 times a week can be beneficial for both your mind and your body.

And, if you can, ditch the bra! I know some women with larger breasts cannot but if you can you 100% should. I haven't worn a bra in like 5 years and it's been great.

If you're having continuous and obsessive thoughts about your breasts, though, maybe you should seek a therapist who can help you develop coping techniques.

Like I said, I'm probably not the best person to ask. I am literally just a rando on the internet. If anyone else has any tips, feel free to add. I hope you feel better, anon.

Hi! Your fics are absolutely stunning but I think your job sounds so incredibly cool! If you’re comfortable answering a slightly personal ask, how did you become an archivist? What drew you to that kind of work?

Thank you for your amazing contributions to the Obikin fandom ❤️

Oh gosh, thank you so much! You're too kind!!! 💗

And I don't mind at all! I actually stumbled into it (mostly) by accident. I was finishing up my double degree at university in the Classics and History when one of my professors said that a local private club (think 'White's' in London - elite, mostly rich members or literal royalty) was looking to take on an assistant to help their lead historian, and they wanted a student from the history department. I decided to apply and lo! I was hired.

So I learned a lot about the basics while working alongside their more experienced archivist and curator who, bless her, really wanted to help me along. She gave me lots of tips, taught me how to carry out the job, while also trying to guide me toward bigger things.

Meanwhile, while I was working that job at the club, I started volunteering at my local RCAF museum where I learned how to accession, archive material, preserve artefacts, etc. I actually networked with my current boss at a Renaissance Fair lol (my boss used to be a professional jouster, if you can believe it).

Then, a few months into my volunteer work with the RCAF museum, they asked if I would be willing to come work for them as an assistant curator. I of course jumped at the chance, and with the blessing of my boss at the club, I quit and moved on to the museum! While working at the museum I went on to receive my Masters in the Classics, while continuing my on-the-job education at the museum. Archival work sort of pivoted to me over the years, so now I split my time between digitizing our archival material, photographing the artefacts in our collections space, and transcribing letters, diaries, etc. While also still accepting and accessioning new donations and trying to find space for them in our very small area 😭

I think I was drawn to the work because it's a real and tangible way to work with history, and to distribute knowledge to the wider world. Working with history can sometimes feel like you're yelling into the void - no one hears you in amongst the rest of the voices. Or, those who do hear you are just part of your very insulare, often times elitist community. Post-secondary education and the trappings that come with such institutions are often times gated to those who don't have the money or the means to attend. Education at a higher level is a privilege rather than a right.

But when it comes to museum work, we get to share our work and our knowledge with the wider community - with those who live nearby, student groups from local schools, as well as with tourists. And the amazing thing about our archives is that they're available online for free. Anyone, anywhere in the world, so long as they have access to the internet can peruse our archives at their leisure. I have spent the last eight years digitizing our archives and putting them online for anyone to use. Our knowledge and the history that is contained within the walls of my office aren't just for me, or for those wealthy enough to access them. They are for everyone.

And I think that's really, really cool. And that is why I love my job.

In the next few years we're hoping to expand the archives to include photographs of our artefacts, so that the material we cannot put on display are still available for the public in some form. And again, these will all be available for free.

I would link to our archives but I don't wanna dox myself (which is a sad statement to make, but that's just how the internet is now a days). But maybe one day you'll accidentally stumble upon my handiwork out in the wild, and if you do I hope you enjoy photographs of airmen and women, ground crew, officers and NCOs, dogs and cats as airbase mascots, or a ventriloquist mummy made by a POW out of cigarette cases :)

Thank you to all of 169 followers/mutuals!

This has all hit me like an emotional tonne-of-bricks lately, mostly happiness and humble gratitude, as well as some mild confusion; me being someone who's socially awkward. You're all very special to me, as all I wanted to do was share my art progression, no matter how long it took, or how many trial-and-error attempts I took to achieve anything creative. I never would have thought I'd make friends with anyone along the way, that's something I thought was impossible after about 10 years of being off the internet and in my relatively restrictive home-life. Thank you, again, I don't feel as isolated anymore. I'm mostly going to be mention-thanking accounts that have followed me, but there will be some special mentions of accounts that don't follow, but have still been very important people along this journey! [Apologies, when I started this artwork there were 163 of you ^^;]

@ricksoo @mimiblue64 @martysgachaworld @eveeonaartz @mel-the-pirate @xhunterbeatsx Thank you all for mentioning me in the recent Love-Train! To read about how you all view me in positive attributes melts my heart to-no-end. To read the from some of you who commented about how you adore my artworks and even an artstyle of all things; makes me confused with bubbling-happiness! I never thought I had an artstyle, I just try my hardest to draw as best I can. Thank you all for your support and guidance through this journey. Some Ultra-special mentions to my longest known followers/mutuals (and more recent-ish, too): xhunterbeatsx, martysgachaworld, @paradoxiusblack @secret-mewtwo @oogaboogaspookyman @wren-idkfeather ricksoo @blues-sues @kantaroth @altaria-andthe-two @amateurcomics @drazegerzo @noodleartz @droberrymewtwo629 @spammykins @waffledragon10 @psychic-nature I wish I could talk about each of your beautiful attributes down to an individual level, but just know, you are the people/blogs/artists who have made me over the last few months. Your artworks/encouragement have inspired me to keep trying. mel-the-pirate @cinnatwo @a-shy-mimiktwo @ask-water-mewtwo eveeonaartz @greatgoldlion [distortionmewtwo] @umberarin [velvet-and-aspen] @minish-mews-and-twos mimiblue64 @askthemewtwofamily @justice-the-pandisaster @spikyegg @ask-the-royal-absol @medrawsart and dozens more of you. Ty also your active and/or passive encouragement, even if it's just a follow, comment, reblog, or like; it all means so very much to me! Lastly, thanks to xhunterbeatsx (third time, lmao) justiceandthepandisaster (second time), @xxtc-96xx, and @comedydoctor18: For your helpful artistic tips, friendliness, support and encouragement. I look up to all of you (and so many others) as artists and as role models. I may not come online often, or be the quick artist I want to be; but everyone's positivity and support through all of this means so much more than anyone could think possible. I more-or-less consider you my friends, who are all close to my heart. So, here's to all of you: The first friends/acquaintances I've made in over a decade! You've all made this mid-late 20's, intersex-dummy feel so welcome and free.

Apologies for the mass tagging and long winded thank you, I don't know how to thank people like a normal person, my ADHD doesn't allow it (I either don't do enough, or I do too much, like this time around :'>).

Do you have any tips for developing a healthier relationship to being fat? I'm fat and have a uhhhhh very negative relationship with the physical appearance of my body, despite treating my body well on a physical level. I read a ton of fat liberation stuff and fat positive studies and while logically I know that being fat isn't bad and has no bearing on morality, personality, etc, I still can't seem to apply this reasoning to myself. Most of the content on the internet is geared towards cis abled woman when I'm a trans disabled man, so that probably contributes to some extent, but idk. It also doesn't help that attraction-wise I'm definitely drawn to people who are the exact opposite of me physically (tall, lanky, angular, etc). I've been trying for years to even just be okay with my appearance and none of the common advice has worked. I pretty much only feel okay with myself when I forget that I have a physical body. Your fat positive content makes me really happy and you seem to have a positive relationship with your body, so I thought it was worth asking if you had any tips for me or anyone else who might need them.

Feel free to disregard this message if it makes you uncomfortable! You don't know me and I don't want to put my feelings on you. I appreciate any response you might give, but I also don't want to breach any boundaries. I hope you have a nice day!

-🧪

Hello!! I've been thinkin about this question since you sent it yesterday, it's a very good question but also a toughie 😅 The thing to keep in mind is that internalized fatphobia isn't a problem caused by personal problems, it's almost entirely a societal thing. I've been working on my body image issues for a long long time now, and honestly sometimes I do still feel down about my fatness. BUT it gets easier and easier as you get older, I promise you that! Especially if you keep working on it. So here are some tips I can think of:

Try to consume a lot of body neutral media! For me, body positive stuff can get a little grating and actually do the opposite of its intended purpose, because the constant focus on "everyone is beautiful!! Love your fat body!" can start to feel... I don't know, like it's drawing attention to it too much, and making it less normal. I like media in which fatness is portrayed as normal and doesn't get alienated so much, even in a positive way. A few good recommendations I can think of off the cuff are Dungeon Meshi (can't help plugging my fave manga heheh, Ryoko Kui is just so loving in her portrayal of different body types), Steven Universe, Hairspray, and Porco Rosso. Couplagoofs on Instagram, tiktok, twitch and youtube are really good influencers for this, watching their content has helped me a lot with my own body image! I've heard that Shrill is a good show for fat representation, but I've only seen this one scene (which is very good) so I can't speak definitively about it's quality! If anyone else has any good suggestions, please reply with them 🙏

Stay off of tiktok until you feel more comfortable with your own body. Tiktok is kind of a trap, because it'll put a lot of really great diverse body neutral stuff on your fyp to lure you in, but then it'll shut you down with the most hateful shit you've ever seen. And if you're not on the body neutral side of tiktok, you'll be in skinny town USA thirst trap hell forever lmfao it's just like not worth it

Surround yourself with accepting people. It's especially helpful to seek out other fat/fat positive friends (especially of the queer and neurodivergent variety). Fat people are everywhere, we're way more common than society and media would have you think!! It's good to have people around you to remind you of that 😁

If you have the money for it, try going on a special shopping trip to find some clothes that make you feel really good. Go alone, unless you have someone who you feel 100% comfortable with, because this trip should be about your needs and whatever makes you feel happy with your own body. You don't need anyone else's opinion for that! I know that this bit of advice is a little cliche, but it's just what has helped me personally.

This might be just a me thing, but practicing with drawing fat bodies has probably done more for my body image than anything else. It forces you to spend a lot of time looking at fatness and really growing to understand it and accept it. I've got a pinterest board for fat poses that I've been collecting (which I've just realized only has feminine people in it, I need to fix that >:/ ). Fat Photo Reference is another good site for practice, but it requires a password, so if anyone wants to get in then just DM me! Self portraits are also a great idea for this, especially if you find fatness beautiful in other people but not yourself, like you've said! Maybe give it a shot on a day when you're feeling up to it 💛

I hope this helps!! I'm not an expert on this, so my advice might be just as cliche and unhelpful as everything else out there 😅 but this is all just from personal experience. Fatness is normal and healthy and beautiful, so I hope you can come to accept your own soon!! 🙏

🌡🧪💉Hey, y'all! 🌡🧪💉

☢️ Blackplaaague here! ☢️

🩻 I'm a comic artist, internet cartoonist, and goofy little guy who enjoys voice acting, diy clothing, doll customization, and hyperfixating on weird, niche lore for weird, niche things! 🩻

Art sideblog: https://www.tumblr.com/blackplaaaguesketchbook

Why I alternate text: https://www.tumblr.com/blackplaaague/730625551588540416/how-exactly-does-bolding-your-words-help-you-read?source=share

Boundaries:

🗝 I'm currently writing Victoria Darken, a part-comedy, part-horror, sapphic love story about a feral scientist in a city full of cryptids, set in the 1910s. 🗝

🥼 I have other projects going on behind the scenes, too... let's just say I love cosplay! 🥼

🧪 Feel free to drop by anytime to ask me a question or just to chat. I post a lot more memes than art. Anyone can interact, as long as: 🧪

~You aren't here to spread hate

~You're not Racist/sexist/homophobic/transphobic/aphobic/etc

~Only interacting with an 18+ blog

~Also, no terfs, please, that kind of mindset kinda messes with my vibes :|

>:)

About me!

🩵🤍🩶 I am a demigender/genderqueer person who uses they/he pronouns, but I'd be fine with being called an it if you're using it in a reclaimed way. 🩵🤍🩶

⚠️ My name is Ellis, but I also go by Corvus and Viktor because those are my personally-selected middle names and they go hard. ⚠️

☣️ I'm a baby punk, new to the subculture, and I'd love tips and band recs! ☣️

💉 I write my own music, and want to get into dollmaking and wig styling. 💉

🥩 My whole aesthetic is a combination of, like... rotting meat, mad-science-looking-radioactive stuff, and classic punk, so my blog is kind of styled like that. 🥩

☢️ I'm a big fan of a lot of things, but I don't like fandom culture just because of a long history of being bullied. ☢️

💚 I alternate my text like this to help my pals with ADHD read through long text faster, it really works! 💚

Tags I use:

Fnoof: this is how I tag FNaF-related posts. I also have "Link" for all of the Zelda franchise and "he head a cup" for Cuphead. I'm very sorry for being cringe about my favorite video games. It will happen again.

Link: We just explained this

He head a cup: we just explained this, too

VD stuff: me rambling about my webcomic

BP rambles: literally anything I said, in the tags or my own post, that I think is funny. There's some gems in there.

VD spoilers: this is, obviously, spoilers for my comic. Spoilers/gore/other stuff like that is always tagged with a simple tw tag.

Mother Corporation: this is my FNaF AU that I had to make because I couldn't bear to let one of the games of all time rot in a muddle of confusing plotlines and pixel-art character models when I could rewrite half the games on a whim. It's actually pretty good, and only about as canon-deviant as the books and stuff, but I'm aware it's cringe of me so you can filter that tag out if you want.

I love you platonically: positivity and mental health reminders

Summoning the mutuals: I'm tagging people in this post and it could be you.

Peace and love on planet punk rock: this has been a psa about what punk is (a subculture about self-expression, uplifting those smaller than you, and overthrowing bigotry) and what it is not (homophobia, racism, transphobia, etc)

Daily reminder to stay alive: all the posts from my "list to stay alive" queue. I could've made a sideblog, but those always take a long time to get going and I get hundreds of reblogs from friends here who needed it. I'm just glad to help people with them.

Ellis' sketchbook/Blackplaaague's sketchbook: art posts also uploaded on my sideblog @blackplaaaguesketchbook

I'll keep adding new tags and updates as I get new interests and such. This blog is as fluid as I am.

Please keep in mind that, even though I do not have a 200-page DNI, hate, bullying, harassment, or prejudice of any kind is not allowed on this blog. In the tags, the comments, the reblogs, nothing. If you send hateful content to my mutuals and my blog, you're getting blocked on sight. This is a safe space.

🖤🩶💚🤍 ...Also I'm aromantic btw 💚🤍🩶🖤

If we're mutuals, I will read all your posts and it will be great.

Nice to meet you! See ya around!

--Blackplaaague/Ellis

(DM me if any of these images are yours and you'd like credit, I can't remember where I got these, regrettably, and I'd like to provide credit so people can see more of the creator's content!)

IMPORTANT INFO REGARDING FANDOM, BOUNDARIES, AND VICTORIA DARKEN

Link to full post (check reblogs):

https://www.tumblr.com/blackplaaague/729620629418131456/this-might-be-a-stupid-question-but

🖤 I'm not Vivziepop. I'm not Lauren Faust. I am a teenager who likes gothic literature and silly cartoons, and I do this all for my own amusement. If I'm not liking the vibe, I'm out. 🖤

💚 From now on, we are setting boundaries: 💚

*Boundaries in linked post*

Thanks for understanding,

☢️ Ellis ☢️

Hi hi,

Please feel free to tell me to get lost, but I was hoping to get some tips from you.

I'm about to start my first big girl research paper. I'm very comfortable with writing, but I'm not so comfortable with research.

I was wondering if you had any tips for doing effective research, particularly how to keep your research organized (I'm a bit of a mess).

Of course, and I reiterate that I am always open for academia questions, and will answer them to the best of my ability. As ever, my advice will be fairly general in nature and broad in scope, since I don't know what subject you're working in and what level you're at, but I'll presume it's a university-level research paper of approximately 20 to 30 pages. (Or possibly longer, i.e. 60 pages.) But this will be applicable regardless of which subject or length you're planning on, and as a solid rule of thumb for future projects, so:

1. Choose good sources. I know this might seem self-explanatory, but indeed, not as often as you would think. Wikipedia is a decent place to start looking for bibliography/reading lists, but remember that by its nature as an open-access, crowd-edited source that prioritizes what is free rather than what is recent, it leans heavily toward out-of-date and older scholarship that doesn't represent the latest work in the field. Things from the 19th and early 20th century get cited often because they're in the public domain and there's no copyright issue, so if you base your premise on what Wikipedia says, you might end up arguing against something that's 50 years out of date anyway. Besides, you can't cite Wikipedia word-for-word because you need to give your reader the ability to go back and check your citations, and since anyone can edit any article, that specific sentence or phrase might no longer be there by the time someone looks for it.

Okay, so where might you get extensive and high-quality research material instead? Glad you asked! For starters, Google Scholar, JSTOR, Smithsonian Open Access, RefSeek, SpringerLink, BASE (Biefeld Academic Search Engine), and UChicago Journals are all waiting for you! Many of these will also turn up results without the need for an academic login, though to read full text for free, you will often need an institutional/university email (which I presume you have). Just plug in some keywords from your research project/area of interest and see what comes up. Remember that the best research is:

Peer-reviewed, aka published in a journal that is reputable, searchable, run by professionals, and reviewed by other scholars prior to publication, or in a book from an academic press.

Recent, as obviously, you want to argue from the most recent work in the field and not accidentally retread an old argument; remember, don't confuse what is immediately accessible with what is the most useful or relevant.

Connected to other research: are the authors citing other publications in their field? Do they provide a summary of other literature and explain how it connects with their hypothesis? Is it clear how this contributes to/answers a current question?

Timely and relevant, especially if it comes from a non-academic source such as a newspaper, magazine article, blog, etc. It's fine to cite these things in support of your main point, but remember that your primary source material should be up to an academic standard. Are you just citing Rando Blog From The Internet as a trusted source, or a newspaper article on the Wayback Machine from 1873, as one of my students did once, bless their hearts?

Complex and representing a variety of perspectives. Even if you intend to argue for one interpretation or version of events, as most papers do, you need to show that you're aware of competing arguments, and that you know how to foil against/contrast them with your main narrative. You shouldn't just be reading or citing things that only make the point you want to make; you need to demonstrate intellectual effort and an attempt to consider sources that may agree only partly or indeed, not at all, with what you're trying to say, since you will have to include and/or refute them.

2. Save your sources! Once again, this might seem obvious, but I have a damn doctorate and I can't tell you how many times I have done something stupid like looking for a source that I had super definitely saved or a page number that I swore I had written down, only to discover that... no, I had not. If you find a PDF that looks relevant, download it to your computer! If you find a URL that's helpful, save it to a Google/Word doc (and also make sure you label what it references, so you're not confused later). Make a file folder with the name of your project and put all your documents in there. Know what information you will be required to cite in a bibliography/reference list and make sure that you take down all that at the start. Truly, it sucks to go hunting for that one missing page number when you're almost done and you swore it was just RIGHT THERE.

Likewise, I have only listed e-resources above, but don't forget to go to your friendly local university library and tell the librarian that you're working on such-and-such paper about this topic and would like help finding material. Librarians fucking LOVE being helpful and teaching you how to best utilize their vast skills and resources, and they will load you up right away, as well as giving you tips on how to navigate the catalogue and subject-specific databases. That way, you will also have physical books to reference, which can be much easier than trying to chase up a lost e-version.

(No, seriously. Go ask your university librarian. Those are your tuition dollars at work and that's what they are there to help with.)

3. Plan out your paper and create an outline. If you're not sure how to do this, take a look at some academic essays/journal articles and see how they are structured. Keep in mind that someone should be able to read your introduction, chapter headings, and conclusion, and get the gist of what the research is about, its major findings, and how it fits into/supports/challenges the existing consensus in the field. The meat of the chapters are for showing your work and demonstrating how you got from A to B to C to D, but you should be able to convey the most important points at the beginning, the end, and the chapter titles in the middle. If you're writing, say, a 20-page paper, you still need to figure out the main thematic chunks and how it makes most sense to organize them. Are you trying to write about B before you've properly introduced and established A? What information do you need to give a reader who can be assumed to have basic intelligence but not much (or any) subject-specific knowledge? Are you using too much technical/scholarly jargon without defining it? In other words, what do you need to lay out, and in what order, to make a smooth transition from A (introduction) to D (conclusion?) Are you doubling back or referencing B too often when you're trying to move onto C? Etc etc. Obviously, there will be some overall overlap, but you can usually identify main subjects, sub-headings, and how it would make the most sense to organize them. If you need to, use color-coding or other visual cues to keep your groups together.

4. Double-check your required citation method/formatting. Different academic fields use different styles of formatting for their footnotes, endnotes, in-text citations, bibliographies, etc. I am a historian, so I use MHRA/MLA-style. Other academic fields might use APA, Harvard, or Chicago-style. It will save you a lot of headaches (and impress your professor!) if you check at the beginning what style you need to use for referencing and are consistent about applying it throughout. Also, yet again from the Department Of This Should Be Obvious But Somehow Isn't: make sure to double-space your paper and use Times New Roman or Arial font size 12, proofread/edit, and add page numbers, your name/student ID, and other supporting information to make it easier on your professor. If they want to tell you to double-check an argument you made on page 6, and there isn't a number on page 6, they will have to write it on your paper themselves and then they will get annoyed. Not, uh, speaking from personal experience here or anything. Make sure there isn't wonky/differently sized text or extra spaces/big page breaks, the first line of every paragraph is indented 0.5 pt (this can be set in Microsoft Word) and otherwise that it visually looks like a nicely presented and professional-quality piece of research. If in doubt, ask someone else to look it over and see what strikes them as strange/inconsistent.

(Also, use reference software such as Zotero. It will make your life SO much easier.)

5. Give yourself time to properly write. Yeah, sure, there are the people who procrastinate on their paper until the very last minute, then bang it out in a Red Bull-fueled rush and finish an hour before it's due, but that's not a way to actually do meaningful or useful writing, or come up with a product that you're proud to have your name on. Besides, you'll just create a ton of unnecessary anxiety for yourself and waste the time and effort that you've already invested, so... yeah, plan your time wisely and make space for drafting, revisions, research, proofreading, and all the rest. I usually had my papers in college/grad school done at least two days before they were due, which gave me time to read them over and check for errors, add more citations, or otherwise improve the finished product.

Basically, if you're serious about doing a good job, give it the time and effort that it deserves. If you're worried about getting distracted, there are browser add-ons/phone apps that can prevent you from mindlessly screwing around on the internet rather than working. Set a timer and work in chunks, then take a break, or whatever other method is best for you. You will have to manage your own time and nobody will hold your hand or babysit you, so have a realistic sense of how much you can accomplish each day and how that contributes to the overall progress/project timeline. If you're a slow worker, you have to plan for more time, and even if you're fast, give yourself a little extra just in case.

Anyway, I hope all that makes sense and is helpful, and happy researching!

Apologies for the looooong questions.

3,4, 31, and 68.

Hope you have a good day!

3. Describe the creative process of writing a chapter/fi

sit down

turn on computer

open outline document (if a one-shot fic skip to point 5)

look over current chapter section

open writing doc

stare at the blank document

weep

smash fingers on keyboard

don't look at the words

once done do not look at it (this is hard and sometimes I break it)

come back later and use read aloud to help me edit it by listening for anything funky

send chapter to friends to read

gnaw my keyboard

post chapter after approval

stare at notifications/email for internet readers approval for serotonin/dopamine hit

repeat process until I feel normal

Also random tip that helps me write the actual chapter is; writing sprints, there's a discord bot that really helps with this or you can set a timer. And also listening to an audiobook while I write I find helps inspire me to write better and just to write more. I think it's like urge to write a fic after reading a really good fic but instead, I'm listening to Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White and all the body horror/gore in that while I tiptap some fluff. I also have a youtube list of free audiobooks, and I'll post them if you guys want.

putting the rest under a readmore so this post doesn't get too long <3

4. Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?

Literally anywhere.

Anywhere.

It strikes when it strikes (unfortunately)

31. Do you start with the characters or the plot when writing?

Most of the time, Plot. Plot is usually a big motivator to get me to write fic.

I find that good plots are sort of versatile. Like I could very easily take a similar plot of SI and put it towards Ghost. Baker!Reader gets employed at the ministry. Papa and her start getting close, and closed-off man eventually opens up to sweet lady.

Also while I'll know the Love interest for who I'm writing, cause I mainly write x Reader fic, the Reader is something I don't really consider. I try to be careful not to describe red cheeks, or hair texture in fics for example (though I have done it still), though sometimes it does slip through, cause I want you to imagine an idealized version of yourself. It's like a meme now that like when Y/N says this we go "I'd never say that" but maybe you would in Runeterra. Cringe is dead, make your idealized self in a self-insert or in Reader fics, because that's self-love baby. You are deserving of love and you should always recognize that.

I was always really happy in SI when it got fanart to see all the different versions of reader, with darker skin, or blonde hair before I finalized my own version with @designfailure56 in Ros, though anyone can draw SI Reader however they want. I still really prefer the blank slate approach where I have no idea how they look like, all I know is how they sort of feel and think.

68. What, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

Slide into friends DMs, or look for prompt lists on tumblr. Sometimes I just need to start writing a little request fic or going over headcanons with friends before I can go on to write the larger fic. It helps me get into the zone for it.

Get to Know Your Fic Writer Asks

hihi! can you do pronouns/identities/media for a werewolf? thank you eternally :3

A shop request? In the year of our moon 2024?! Yippee!!!! I actually love this one, I personally use some pronouns in this batch! Me when werewolf :3 (i will be answering your other question soon too dw!) Anyways; unfortunately the main site i used to find the xenogenders for these is down. Though, I do want to mention, there are MANY people who have made genders/flags for specific things all over the internet! Tumblr and Pinterest are the two places I usually find them the most lol. If you just type in a keyword and "xenogender" on pinterest theres TONS of flags on there! And you're ALWAYS free to just make up your own stuff! Nothing has to be found somewhere or known by other's, I've made a few genders for myself because I couldn't find something that described how I thought i felt :D Long intro! But like always, we'll start with the pronouns! Remember that you're free to change up and edit these however you'd like! For example: Ly/Lycan (My pronouns!) This could be used as "Ly/Lycan/Lycanself" or maybe "Ly/Lycan/Lycayns/Lycaons"! Whatever forms you wanna use! Experiment with them! (Tip: Pronouns replace names in sentences, so Neopronouns are also a fun way to find names to go by! Try em out!) And remember; if you have a question on how to use any specific neos, or just questions in general, gimme an ask and I can help! I'd love to answer any question!

Neopronouns: Claw/clawself Fang/fangself Fur/Furself Moon/Light/Moons/Lights/Moonlightself (or this with "full moon" as a base) Howl/Howlself Sil/Silverself Rye/Ryeself Lone/Loneself Bane/Baneself Ly/Lyc/Lycans/Lycanself Wolf/Wolfself Lu/Lunars/Lunarself Bite/Biteself Growl/Growlself Night/Nightself Urban/Urbanself Mor/Morphs/Morphself Canine/canineself Lu/Lupus/Lupuself

Xenogenders: Wolfgender - based around or impacted by wolves and/or werewolves Werewolfgender - A gender related to werewolves and may or may not have a threatening/sinister ambience Weregender - connected to werewolves or other lycanthropes, such as werebears or weretigers. Werewolfcorian - Related to the werewolf aesthetic; it represents the feeling of escaping/adventuring into the wild, the moon, and an eerie atmosphere. Howlgender - connected to howling/ the sound of howling Moongender - Strongly connected to the moon, lunar activity, or the zodiac. (made with masc individuals in mind, but can be used by anyone) Media To Satisfy Your Lycanthropic Needs! Werewolf Aesthetics Wiki (includes fashion, media, and activities) Werewolf Playlist by Panicking Pagan Werewolf/Lycanthropy Playlist by Dazeddreams Running With The Wolves (playlist) by CoiledDragon Image Board

I've only recently discovered modern witchcraft and really want to learn more about it. Do you have an idea on where to go (internet wise) to get started?

Hello and welcome to the wonderful and confusing world of modern witchcraft!

Since you've asked me, I will give my personal recommendations, but I'm sure other folks will have different opinions on this topic; by all means ask around and come to your own conclusion about what would work best for you!

This may sound like a lot, so please take your time and go at your own pace when learning about or how to practice witchcraft, it’s not a race!

I think that it's important to find out what you want to learn about first. Do you want to learn about a specific type of magic like candle magic, herbal magic, ritual magic, etc?

My top suggestion will always be to learn about the history of the witchcraft you're looking for before practicing it. For example, you'll want to know why it's practiced, who it's practiced by, if it's a closed practice, and what the practice is used for.

Research

Research can be hard when it comes to witchcraft and magic since it’s a very old yet very new topic. When you’re looking for resources keep these witchy red flags in mind. 

Places to Research

Libraries are a wonderful option, many of them even have online/apps now!

For historical research I highly suggest sacred-texts.com as they have quite a few religious texts, original essays, books, research papers and so on, all correlating to many different religions, schools of thoughts, philosophies, etc.

Tumblr isn't a bad place to learn about witchcraft, to be honest, it's a really good resource for finding other witch's personal experiences.

Topics I suggest you look up

Discernment in witchcraft

Deity work

Numerology

Cartomancy such as Oracle cards or Tarot cards

Here's a list of posts I would suggest you look at

Posts by Me

Things I Wish I Knew as a Beginner Witch

What types of Altars are there? (ask)

Genius Loci

Deity Work

Other Fantastic Posts to Read

Tips for Discernment by will-o-the-witch

Some Basic Spirit Work Things (for beginners) by @dandelionpath 

Areas of Research for the Intermediate Witch by @auricwitch

Are You Overcomplicating things? By @will-o-the-witch

How to Read Witchy Books by @luminescentwitch

What to Put in Your Grimoire by @tvfairy

What to Study Next by @the-starry-eyed-witch

Post about Sources by @breelandwalker (who also has a podcast called Hex Positive)

Things to keep in mind while learning about witchcraft

Since witchcraft is not a science, often sources have their own bits of opinion and bias sprinkled in. This doesn’t make them wrong, it just means that you may need to come to your own conclusions.

Listen to your gut and follow your heart and where it leads you to research.

You don’t have to know everything about witchcraft, in fact no one can know everything about it!

Cross-reference everything, every bit of information that you can.

You don’t need to be a historian to be a witch, just willing to learn about the origins of the practices you are, or plan to be, a part of.

Take your time!!!

Bottom Line/TLDR

Start here. Look at this post, blogs that you follow, or at some of the many tags here on tumblr and see if anything specific peaks your interest and start there! Researching can be fun and no one wants you to burn out! 

If anyone else would like to add to this please feel free~

-Coin

Helloooo, hope you've had a lovely day ❤ Love your blog and was wondering if you have any tips for what programs to use for creating and editing gifs? Searching on google has lead me nowhere 🥺

Hi! This is so nice, thank you 😭😘

The tools I use are KMPlayer, obtained legally because it's free, whatever online YouTube downloader happens to be functional at the time I'm ripping a video, dubiously legal but relatively available, and Photoshop Portable 2022, obtained totally legally and definitely not via poking around on the internet til something shook loose.

I've tried various image editing softwares for gifs, and honestly the only one that doesn't want to make me julienne my own eyeballs has been PS, but I've also been working with PS on and off for like 20 years, so it's probably familiarity more than anything that sets my preference.

My advice for giffing in general? Go nuts. Go nuts and let nobody stop you. There are a zillion gif tutorials out there, but nothing is as valuable as having a good old crack at it yourself - fail fast, fail forward, as the saying goes (is that a saying? It's certainly said a lot around me.)

When I was first getting started, I generally did static graphics and that kind of taught me everything I know about colouring and layering and texturing and all sorts of wild stuff - evidence of which is still in the depths of my blog if you're willing to go more than 15 pages deep in my edit tag. There's some stuff in there I have no idea how I made, and other stuff in there I wish I'd never posted, but it's all there.

I learned a lot by doing, and sometimes by downloading other peoples' .psds and reverse engineering/butchering their methods. So, in the interest of paying it forward, here's a google drive with a bunch of random .psds' and their corresponding gifs. Feel free to rip 'em to pieces. Drag the psd (usually grouped because I can't not) onto another image or gif of your own and see how it looks. Outright use the entire thing in your own stuff, I don't care - if it helps and you like it, go nuts. If I've ever made anything in particular you and you want to get a look at its insides, let me know and I'll probably be able to either share the .psd or recreate something similar and share that.

I did do the world's most slap-dash gif tutorial a while ago, but it didn't really focus on the basic giffing part. If anyone wants something more in depth/step-by-step, even if it's just one person, I'm more than happy to cobble something together.

As in life, in giffing, I tend to take the spaghetti approach: throw shit at the wall and see what sticks.

Dubiously helpful at best, but I hope something here was useful. Feel free to ask more questions/demand specifics from me, lmao.

// Heya! The mod of this blog here!

From what I’ve gathered, a lot of people, especially in the splat rp community are new, which is great! As someone who’s been roleplaying for a long time, I love seeing new faces. However, it also seems less veterans of similar communities are around and as such, tips and tricks that people have learned with askblogging and rping on tumblr haven’t been regularly brought up!

So consider this post a helpful guide to tips and tricks to rp blogging on tumblr! I’m not here to tell anyone how to do things, but these are simply things I’ve learned and I personally think help enhance the experience! If you have advice you want to add, or questions you want to ask, feel free to add on, ask me or DM me! Without further ado, let’s get on with it!

QOL Tip 1 - RP icons!

While not necessary for the rp experience, icons can help with viewer engagement and also visually spice up text; especially if there’s lots of it! While any size would be fine, 100x100 pixels or under is recommended! This is to avoid making the post longer than it should be! I’ll be using some of my mod icons throughout this post to demonstrate! You can acquire icons under the various ways: canon art, fanart, or your own art! Canon and your own art are easy, since people know the source and you don’t need to credit yourself! If you want to use fanart, be sure to ask artists for their permission and credit the source!

QOL Tip 2 - Blog themes!

I’ve seen a surprisingly low amount of custom blog themes! In fairness, tumblr has been kind of quietly shoving them away for some time now, though it’s one of the best features in my opinion! It’s a classic part of older internet culture, where you get to cultivate a theme to what you want to portray! Don’t know how to code? There’s plenty of free themes people upload for use! One of the most famous blogs to get them from is theme-hunter, though individual theme makers may have their own blogs so be sure to be on the lookout!

You can enable custom themes in your account settings! Click the edit theme button aaand!

You’ll find the custom theme button right at the top of your settings! You simply replace all the code in here with a custom theme you found! Be sure to try and make it legible for others to look at!

QOL Tip 3 - XKit!

It occurs to me not many people may be aware of what XKit is, so here’s a quick rundown: it’s a third party add-on that improves your tumblr browsing experience! Whether it’s aesthetically or functionally, XKit is here to help! There’s been quite a weird experience with the add-on for years; a history I won’t step into right now, but XKit Rewritten is openly available and free to use! I highly recommend using its many features if you haven’t already. Here’s both the Chrome and Firefox versions!

Blog Tip 1 - Blogs are your friend!

I’ve seen a lot regular anons rping in inboxes lately, which is well and good! But personally, I like being able to find stuff I send people, or being able to reblog it somewhere specific or keep my muses I send out in order! If you operate from a main blog, like I do, sideblogs are great to make and simple! Being able to keep your muses and any asks you send out organized in one spot not only helps yourself, but anyone you send asks out to or you want to reply to I would say this is a bigger personal decision than some of the other stuff in here, but I find it helps in the long haul especially if you want to keep certain things going! Even a blog where you can just reblog asks you send out would be nice! If you wish to not reveal your main blog for whatever reason, you can simply send it on an anon and include your sideblog’s url in the ask!

Blog Tip 2 - Organization and Setup

If you’re intent on having a blog, simply having a blank page can only take you so far! There’s a few important things that I highly recommend blogs have if they wish to help themselves and others.

1. Tagging system: While not required, personally I find this helps me stay organized! Sometimes, all you need is to tag asks or rp responses, but I also like to tag anons and specific blogs I interact with! It helps when I want to look through something and I can use the tagging system instead of the search one, which sometimes leaves posts out! (Note: As far as I’m aware, the tagging system on blogs recently changed when trying to find them from how it used to be, so be aware of that!) Another important thing with tagging systems is to keep them consistent! This may seem obvious, but I had a serious issue with this when I was younger and had about 3 tags with slight variations of each other so none of my posts showed up in the same tag! 2. Blog pages: Even with the default themes, you can make custom pages on your blog that’ll even show up on mobile! (There’s a button for it to show up on the page, though most people link them in custom themes.) You can use this for many things, such as a reference page for your characters and other things, but I highly recommend setting up an about/rules page. These help with interaction between other users

Blog Tip 3 - Roleplay and Post Length

Roleplay is one of my favourite parts of blogging in these sorts of communities; getting to interact with other bloggers and muses is awesome! Which is why it’s so important to keep your experience in mind when roleplaying! Ye olde ancient tip is to “trim” rp posts that are starting to get long! What’s trimming a post mean, you might ask? Well, rp posts tend to get rather long on tumblr, and it can make it a lot to scroll through! Both for you and others. Trimming it allows the rp post to not be as long, but you can still continue with your partner(s). My recommendation is to try and trim before 5-7 replies are hit, but this can vary dependent on the length of replies!

There’s two main ways to trim posts! 1. Use XKit’s feature: XKit has a feature that allows you to trim rp posts; it can end up a little funky sometimes, but it makes things shorter for sure! 2: Make a new post: This may seem like a lot, but making a new post is no big deal! It’s main done by linking the previous reply somewhere in the new post and either pinging your partner or messaging it to them!

As previously mentioned, I hope this doesn’t come across as me telling anyone what to do. These are just things I learned when I started roleplaying, and I’ve kept with me since then. And I hope they help you! If you’ve made it this far, I hope it was a helpful read at least! I tend to not make posts like this; I certainly didn’t expect to make one on this silly kitty blog but what can I say. People outside of the splat community are welcome to rb this if you think it’ll help! I may have missed something, or may not personally use it, so feel free to add on things in the replies or reblogs!

I hope you all have a nice day, and thank you for reading and following this blog if you do!

The Best Tips For Shopping Over The Internet

People like online shopping for all sorts of reasons, but selection, pricing and convenience are likely some of the major ones. The idea way to perfect your online shopping skills is to read up a bit on the subject before beginning. The article that follows is full of great tips to get things started. Before buying from a new online retailer, do some research on them. Check online reviews from other customers to see how it handles items like customer service, shipping, and its overall buying experience. You can also check the BBB to see if it has any disputes and whether those disputes were resolved professionally. Try contacting the company via email and phone number, if it's posted to ask questions about its business before you buy anything. When shopping for a certain item, check several different online stores. Many times with a little searching, you can save as much as 25 percent. Look at a variety of websites to make sure you are getting the best deal. When figuring each website's price, make sure you include shipping costs into your calculations. If you are going to be doing some shopping online, make sure you understand the liability for each credit card you use online. Many credit cards have automatic fraud prevention built in while others offer it for a minimal fee. You do not want to get stuck with purchases made on your card if the number is stolen. When shopping online, most places only accept debit or credit cards. Keep this in mind when you are deciding on a site to shop from. If you don't feel comfortable providing the company with your credit card information, try to find another site. Try to find a site that offers a secure page when you're adding your credit card information. If you like an online store, sign up for their email distribution list. You will probably receive some coupons and information about deals in your mailbox. Check calvin klein cologne to stay up to date with good deals and promotional offers. Most online stores often offer free shipping or discounts on certain products. Proceed with extreme caution when volunteering your personal information to an unfamiliar online retailer. Become familiar with security symbols such as Cybertrust or Verisign to help decide if a website is legitimate and concerned with your security. Check out eBay. Still the best and most respected auction site out there, eBay offrs thousands of products of all kinds. Even if you want something high end, give eBay a shot before you go and pay full price unnecessarily. You might even want to browse, to see what products you like that you would not have thought to look for. If you receive an email that looks like it is sent from a legitimate site offering you a great deal, make sure that you check the address bar before buying anything. There are many scammers out there that spoof legitimate sites in order to get unsuspecting people's personal information. Wait a day before you buy something. It's really easy to click "confirm order", but remember that's real money you're spending! Before you buy something, take a full 24 hours to see if you still like it tomorrow. This can be a great way to avoid a return and spending too much money. The great thing about online shopping is that you can check out different sites before committing to a particular purchase. This allows you to compare prices from different online retailers. You might find that something that is out of your price range, is much more affordable on a different website. When you go shopping online, you not only have access to new products and items, but used ones as well. When making a purchase from a private seller, avoid anyone who wants you to deal in wire transfers. Anything that seems fishy, probably is and you should steer clear! The reasons folks have for turning to the Internet to do their shopping are manifold. But, to make the very best deals on the things you want most, some basic information is important to have. We hope the piece you have just read has served as a useful resource that can be used going forward.