SIGNAL/NOISE

sarahschauer: not what I usually post but worth sharing! Credits go to @/ dollarfor on tiktok, this video has already been deleted once by the platform, so I just thought l'd share before it goes away! the health care system in America is horrendous, all my international followers who like to gloat that they get free health care, can you hold off commenting for a second - americans, please watch this.

Tactical retreat

Since Alhaithams story quest has been out for a while, and it confirms that the messy one of the roommates is actually HIM.... which is very different from everyone's initial fanon ideas... I present:

"Organised Chaos" messy alhaitham and "in the moment" messy kaveh

By this I mean that alhaitham leaves anything. Not just books. Everywhere. Cups, pens, papers, the entire place is a mess if he really doesn't care.

But he knows where everything is. Kaveh tries to nag him by asking "well how would you find anything like this" and alhaitham explains that he can recall where he left That One Paper, That Book and everything. He is a mess but at least he knows where things are. He will still nag at Kaveh when he is messy however.

Now Kaveh, I'm projecting on as an artist. Chaos during art hours. Papers everywhere. Paint, pens, anything and everything scattered all around while he's in the zone. Probably nearly drank paint water a few times. Alhaitham nags him to clear up in case he actually does, also so paint doesn't get on his books.

But he clears up everything the second he's finished. And the mess is likely contained to his room and maybe like. The living room table. Everything put away and in its place once Kavehs finished. Will nag at alhaitham and say it's haithams fault for leaving books everywhere if paint gets on one.

Together the house is simply a mess. But at least they don't lose things. Hopefully.

Thank you for reading. I am not ok

I did some more fantasy archery trope testing. This time the arrow stabby thing!

Important question: is your character “I have bore a thousand storms and can bear a thousand more” stoic or “I have bore a thousand storms and my foundations are crumbling, my walls are trembling, my structure is unsound and one more might prove to be my fall” stoic?

A Guide to Writing: Making New Cultures

Cultures, like anything, take time to build. They are what define a people and what make their customs. It’s complicated and integrated into their society. It changes as the people change but the fundamentals often remain unchanged even centuries and millennia into the future.

When creating new worlds, if it’s not set in the world that we know, then the people, while being similar, will be different. What they hold as value will be different. That’s where new cultures come in. countries will be define by something and way out of the way towns will have things that are connected to them. Making new cultures can be a messy process, and I am by no way an expert, but there are at least five things that define a culture and should be present and known.

Customs

Customs are a traditional ways of doing something specify to a set of people or place. If you can’t think of any, think of some traditions that are from where you’re from. For example, in America and many other countries, it’s traditional to put up a tree for the winter holidays. 

If the story you’re writing centers around a new culture, then the customs of its people is something that should come into play, even it’s something small. Maybe it’s someone coming of age. Maybe it’s someone passing away. Whatever the case, customs are a personal thing that people share. Be sure to not overlook them.

Arts

Art is a way people share their thoughts that are hard to convey. A way to pass on knowledge and to capture the emotions. Perhaps they capture their history in tapestries and artisans make paintings for a living.

Not only that, body art is an important part of many cultures. Maybe tattoos mean something at a certain age or it’s something like a brand. Perhaps they’re just decorative and meant to look flashy.

Social Institution

A social institution is a group of people who are together for a common purpose such as economy and government. These institutions are a part of the social order of society and they govern behavior and expectations of individuals.

For example, a charities and other nonprofit organizations fall under this category. In this culture you’re writing about, how do they feel about such organizations? Are the promoted? Frowned upon? Not only that, but this includes the education system, cultural groups, how families are defined, health care, market values, politics, and religions.

Each of these things may not hold equal value, or perhaps they all have the same weight. Are the church (in this instance used only to refer to religion) and state separate or together? Is the market, trading goods and services, more important than anything else? What’s the health of the people like and what methods do they use for healing?

Achievements

Achievements, in this case, are defined as things the people have done to better and further themselves. What are some of the things these people have done since they became a people? Was something medical? Was it something that benefited not only them, but the people around the as well?

However, the achievements don’t always have to grand. It could be something small like finding an easier way to make paint or a way to make their weapons. Achievements are things that are well earned and come from something small like inconvenience or big like a fight.

And not all that glitters is gold. An achievement can benefit the majority, but what about everyone else? Is it useful to everyone? Does it need to be? More importantly, what was the reason? It doesn’t always need to be known in detail, but things happen for a reason. As the writer, you, are the very least, need to know.

Behavior Characteristic

We all know that there are somethings that are frowned upon in modern culture. Things like people with breasts going around topless or anyone walking pants-less through the streets. There are certain things people just don’t do because of the consequences and the culture.

What are some of the things that are okay for people to do? What are things that are harmless yet frowned upon? There are things that are widely accepted and if these normal things are challenged then it should be explain if it’s not something carried over from a real culture.

If there are things that are carried over from real cultures, then that’s a tricky ground to walk on if you don’t know anything. Research and asking are an important part of this process if you want to do this. Carrying over form real cultures is fine as long as it’s not a bastardization of it.

Of course, like I said in the beginning of this, I’m not an expert. I don’t really know everything there is to know but this is what I’ve realized when making new cultures myself.

See ya, kiddos

in which jack burns and burns and burns (or; i think about jack’s death to tommy far too often for it to be considered healthy)

a burning hill; mistki / tommyinnit is actually depressed in exile; tommyvods / a burning hill; mitski / war of the foxes; richard silken / dream smp wiki / jack manifold fanart; @mmiceonvenus / unknown / unknown / the horrors of villisca ax murder house; buzzfeed unsolved

Things I want for werewolf families:

● Entire families purposefully turning into wolves just because it makes a better cuddle pile.

● Newborn werewolf babies still shifting wildly in accordance with their time-consuming emotions and new werewolf parents (sleep deprived and high on hormones) temporarily losing full control over their shifting, because whenever their baby howls instead of cries they immediately shift into their wolf form.

● Small children engaging in “comfort shifting” where they turn into wolves because their human feelings are a bit too much, or because they really need to roll up and hide their face in their tale right now.

● Adult family members teaching the kids, especially the girls, that while they can and will teach them how to shave if they want to, it is not necessary, not required, and absolutely not needed to look good, neat, or presentable.

● Werewolf teenagers shaving/cutting cool patterns in their fur.

● Little werewolves having to be reminded “count your thumbs!” before they run up the stairs / stick their face into a bowl of minced meat / try to jump out an open window, etc.

● Werewolves who only start transforming later in life getting completely overwhelmed by the smells and other sensations.

● Older family members making a big deal out of a child's first controlled, full-night transformation and the kid being grumpy and embarrassed about it but secretly really proud.

● Pre- and post-transformation care. Hot baths, massages, heating pads. Being a werewolf is very hard on the still-human body.

● Certain werewolves being born with the “pack instinct”, but other werewolves suddenly unlocking that part of their personality when they get or start taking care of kids. Suddenly they start filling the house with more and more food and start aggressively adopting everyone (of all ages) in their vicinity that seems in need of (better) family.

● Mixed werewolf-human families adopting big dogs to keep their werewolf kids company when they shift.

● Werewolf parents full-naming their howling cubs to get them to calm down instead of to scold them.

● Werewolves of all ages running amok in play. Everyone who knows them can tell they’re playing and not fighting, but to strangers it’s extremely worrying to watch.