#a lover of anthropomorphic objects???? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

villiedoom · 10 months

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I have been into studying animals for basically my whole life. Not a day goes by where I don't pour through books and documentaries relating to them, and I am especially in love with their anatomy. Becauseof my knowledge,to me, 3D animals always felt weird for some reason, They never seemed animal. I don't know how to explain it but they always feel off. I pour hours and hours into making up species and trying to figure out how to make them seem animal even if they don't exist. Even Disney with their million dollar budgets couldn't get this. I concluded that it's just impossible to make something cgi feel 100% animal. But you??? Just??? Did it??? I literally have chills. They look like actual creatures. I don't know what you did or how you cracked the code but I am just in awe, I feel like I've stumbled upon some kind of hidden treasure trove. Honestly and genuinely with every animal loving bone in my body your stuff is the most impressive I've seen and I applaud you for it.

Wow, I think it's an honor to hear this! :D I don't consider myself that good, heh, but thank you very much! 💙

As an animal art lover, I think I understand what you mean! I think this because people are less aware of all the details of animals, and tend to be less picky and less attentive to their features and expressions. But if you know animals well, you can notice many small details that make them seem weird or unnatural. This is true for me too - any animal I try to draw or model will most likely be really weird and look a bit like a Vaeraf, because I'm too used to them :D

But speaking of my characters and art, this (as well as many other questions and comments) made me think about my perception of animals and my characters, so I decided to share my thoughts. I hope you don't mind! ^^ The fact that my characters are perceived as animals, with all the nuances of such perception and attitude, is a rather complex topic for me to think about.

I don't know if it matters, but I believe so - I don't see my characters as animals - meaning wildlife, because for me Vaerafes are hardly more wild animals than humans, while Tkhorm is a Varlaf, a kind of fantasy spirit, a mystical creature. I understand why other people perceive them as animals and that's ok, technically we are all animals, but often this leads to a certain impersonal perception of them, seeing them as just cool creatures, "things" to pet or be afraid of, or with a focus on biology and anatomy. But I see my characters as persons, as people in fact, with their own personality, sometimes quite complex thinking, personal dilemmas and philosophy, which simply belong to another species, even if their species is non-human, fictional and fantasy. Their movements, their expressions, their appearance, even their anatomy and species - all this is part of them as persons, of who they are.

Real animals, especially complex and intelligent ones, also have all this in their own way, they aren't just biological objects.

Also, I don't work with characters because I create species, but I learn about species because my characters happen to belong to that species, so I need to learn at least a little about their nature to understand them as persons. I learn, allowing them to live their lives inside my head and tell me their story, their life. It doesn't matter if it's something realistic, fantasy, or crazy and cartoonish chaos - that sometimes happens too. (and now I suddenly realized that I actually never even really wanted my characters to be some kind of fictional species, but it just turned out to be so, because no real animal suits them, heh!)

And knowing my characters as individuals and persons, I can say that I still have a lot of work to do, really a lot, maybe even more than I have already done :D

The problem with Disney movies, if I take the 3D Lion King as an example, is that they were never animals. They were never even meant to be animals. They are slightly stylized - too little to be anthropomorphic and humanly expressive, but enough to seem "wrong" for realistic animals. And since the behavior and expressions of the real animals don't work for their story and the interactions between the characters, they seem weird and even less expressive than real animals. I believe this is not a problem of artists and budget, but of the concept as a whole, including the story that didn't intend for its characters to actually be realistic animals.

Whereas realistic animals… well, they are difficult to use them for a beautiful movie for a wide audience. Although there are such things as, for example, "Prehistoric Planet". These are dinosaurs, but they are animals too, so I think they can be considered 3D animals being animals, heh! :D Plus, they're just really beautiful and well made. I would recommend watching this to all 3D animal lovers c:

(Sorry for such a long post, but this is a really catchy and interesting topic for me ^^')

#messages #thoughts

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objectsinyourarea · 1 year

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i have nothing against it but i dont really identify with the idea of objects having physical reactions to me like making sounds or moving around. i dont really see the need to anthropomorphize them like that. i love that my object lovers are quiet and patient and still. they gaze back at me and i feel this pull to them like they're putting their hands on my back and taking me in closer. it's a gentle subtle affair, and i like it that way

#osor #objectum #posic

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gay-dorito-dust · 2 years

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Taglist: @mess-in-side

Morpheus -in Death’s own words- was the most stupid, pathetic anthropomorphic personification on this plane and the next. Now you normally wouldn’t agree to such harsh descriptions of one’s character but when you’ve been trying to convey your feelings for the lord of dreams and nightmares through subtle -yet not so subtle- ways for what felt like forever; you were staring to believe that his sisters words held some truths concerning dream of the endless.

However the longer this game continued the shorter your patience became that soon grew into frustration that you would be forced to drown out in favour of a fake grin plastered across your face; while Morpheus was none the wiser the same couldn’t be said about Lucienne, Mathew and Merv who observed this sad attempt with pained expressions from behind certain objects from afar as though your theatrics were nothing short of a pantomime for them.

“So hows that plan for wooing doom and gloom going for ya?” Mathew asked one day as you and the raven were in the library whilst the others were out fulfilling their duties. Well Lucienne was, you were so certain you could say the same for Merv though. You slammed your hands against the table causing the bird to flinch, “you wanna know how’s it going Mathew? Shit, there you have it, it’s gone shit.” You snipped harshly as flashes of your most recent attempt in courting Morpheus entered the forefront of your mind as though taunting you for yet another failure with the dream lord.

You’ve tried to indulge in his interests but the first problem with that was the fact that no one had a good grasp on he who is Morpheus and his basic interests and or disinterests. Not even Lucienne herself knew but it didn’t hinder her from suggesting that you invite him for a walk through the dreaming, seeing as that was a primary activity he indulge himself in the most. That immediately backfired when Cain, Able and, the newest addition, Goldie crossed your path, tripping you over until you were all in a heap of bodies on the woodland floor, crushing the flowers you thought Morpheus would like…only for it to turn out to be a more potent version of Poisson ivy…which needless the say, hurt like a bitch and you felt so immensely stupid.

“I might as well give up now while I still have my dignity.” You added, pressing your head against the table in embarrassment as you heard Mathew sigh before then hearing the tippy taps of his sharp talons against wood as he walked closer to you. “Come on you don’t mean that! Morpheus is…well he’s Morpheus…he’s an enigma shrouded in mystery and a broodiness of that of an ‘edgy’ teenager,” you snorted at that comparison, “he may act indifferent but I can see a little twinkle in his eye whenever he see you you know.” The bird sang as you lift your head from the table to stare Mathew in his beedly eyes. “Bullshit,” “I’m not bullshitting you!” Mathew cawed, “i swear it when you look away from drooling over him like you normally do he returns the gesture…though with less drooling you really should get that checked out with how often you do it.”

You almost swatted the raven off of the table when Morpheus entered the room with a prowess that demanded respect. “Here comes your lover boy.~” the raven teased from the side of his beak-how that was possible you’d never know- before zipping his beak shut when you shot him a glare before smiling dreamily at Morpheus, not even bothered to try and hide it when the subject of your affection seemed obvious to it all. “Hey Morpheus, have a nice walk through the dreaming? Found anything out of the ordinary?”

“None that should cause us any concern.” Morpheus replied with his usual monotonous tone that had you swooning internally from how soft, rich and silky it was whilst also being firm, stoic and demanding at the same time. Morpheus brought his attention away from the leather bound book in his hand in favour to look at you and Mathew with interest and a raised eyebrow, “what have you two been up to in here during my absence?” “Nothing.” You and the raven said simultaneously causing suspicions to arise within Morpheus. He wasn’t dumb to your advances, he’s been in love and has been loved before so when he was certain you have fallen towards a similar path to those before you he became intentionally obvious.

Morpheus, much like a cat, liked to cause a little mischief from time to time though now it was rare for him to do so but when he did he made sure to savour it. He watched your every attempt with sharp eyes that you miss the playful twinkle within them when he saw the beginnings of frustrations began to etch into your face when things weren’t going as smoothly as you operated them to; which he couldn’t help but find adorable. If anything he wanted to see if you were committed enough to brace through the hardships before bearing the fruit and so far Morpheus had found himself almost begging for you to not give up on your pursuit of him.

He had plans of his own but wouldn’t enact them just yet until he was certain it’d be all worth it in the end. “Then why don’t I seem believe you?” He asked also wistfully as he watch you and Mathew glare daggers at one another. “Did I interrupt something?” “No.” You both said again, “stop that you stupid bird, he’ll catch onto us!” You hissed. “Isn’t that what you wanted?!” Mathew hissed back. You knew he was right but were too stubborn to give the raven the satisfaction and instead brought your attention back to Morpheus, clearing your throat. “ I can assure you that nothing was interrupted, you didn’t interrupt anything. If anything it just so happened that myself and Mathew have been entrusted by Lucienne to do some tasks on her behalf.” Mathew started at you as though you’ve grown a second head. Normally you would’ve tired every trick in the book to swoon Morpheus but now you were trying everything you could to avoid the confrontation that you so desired. How hypocritical.

“No she-“ you muffled the ravens beak with your hand, “oh dear we must be going, come along now Mathew we wouldn’t want to keep Lucienne waiting.” You gritted as you carried the bird out with you, looking over your shoulder as you bid the dream lord a wave goodbye as you exited into the corridor. “Hypocrite.” Mathew said when you released your hand from his beak. “Piss off.” You replied now haven realised that Morpheus wasn’t in fact stupid but more so that you were for playing right into his trap.

#the sandman fic #the sandman fanfic #the sandman x you #the sandman imagine #the sandman imagines #the sandman x reader #morpheus x reader #Morpheus imagines #morephus imagine #Morpheus x you #Morpheus fanfic #Morpheus fic #Spotify

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luciel-anciel · 2 years

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Vows (Part 1) (InkyPages)

Part Two:

A/N: I have been big sad, lately :' )

Anyways, Does, anyone have suggestions, or ideas for Lovesick Tang? I've made Macaque the obsessed one too many times.

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TW: Toxic and Abusive Relationship, Obsessive Mindset, Assault, Implied Low Self-esteem, Insecurities and Toxic Mindset.

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"Leave me?" The dark-furred demon, spoke out in disbelief, The words left him with a bitter taste in his mouth. He, tried to calm himself down, but his mind flickered to logic, to insane assumptions.

The scholar, coughed and gripped tightly on his shoulder bag, that contained essential necessities that could last him for days. "I'm not, leaving you, I just need some time for myself" He forced the words out his throat, which resulted with him stumbling with his words

"Please? I jus-" A plate was thrown at him and simply missed him the man, by an inch.

It made a defeaning sound when the porcelain object, came directly in contact with the floor. The white shards scattered across the dining room, with a single piece flying towards the brown-haired man's direction and, cut through the fabric of the bottom end, of the robes.

That was the fourth plate, this week

"Bold of you, to make that decision"

The anthropomorphic monkey's voice, was dripping with venom, no longer the sweet and gentle tone that Tang, used to enjoy listening too.

"I...What the-" Tang's was speechless, with how badly his black-furred partner reacted, to his simple request about wanting space. He, wasn't timid in nature, so it didn't make make him tremble, but rather was infuriated by their refusual to talk there relationship over.

He, always described his lover as someone that was calm and collective, that contrasted nicely to his, overly excited and curious nature, but for this past few months, It had been different.

Often times, Tang found himself wanting to cut ties with the feral demon, because he couldn't even visit his favorite noodle shop, without being bombarded about questions, regarding his platonic relationship with Pigsy, or if He'd come across with Sun Wukong.

The question, was always met with eye roll and grumbling, that nothing was happening between the two.

It seems, Macaque was insecure and scared, to lose him to another creature.

Shifting his circular glasses, The man sighed, and considered himself to be lucky enough, to keep a straight face and a partially calm demeanor, but that was because of his refusual and mostly self-restraint, to keep his argument from escalating any further.

Even when, the man, in his mid fourties felt he was too old to deal with this shit.

"You really didn't think this through" Their, eyes, illuminated a faint violet hue, as he snickered, chuckling bitterly but fortunately, his taunting laugh fell deaf to the brunette's ear and thought of this situation as something childish and not at all, serious.

"You, can't just walk out and leave me!"

Although, Tang kept a mature facade in the tense situation. It was his partner, that reacted terribly to this. His malignant eyes, reflected the serious expression of his lover, or ex-lover, at this point.

Those eyes, that was calm and still, like a peaceful night was now a surge of tsunami that would drown anyone that dared to look at straight in the eye

That's why Tang took a moment to avoid eye contact, not wanting to get lost in his sea of emotions as he considered himself to be a peaceful person, that was never the type to argue with anyone or cause drama and preferred to settle everything with a reasonable and civilized talk but...

Never thought, this is how his long term relationship, would end.

"My decesion is final!" Tang finally had to step his foot down and could no longer tolerate this unstable behaviou

It was starting to get on his nerves.

"I'll not come back until this odd behaviour of yours stopped!"

The scholar rather not fuel the fight, and call them insane, nor start any crazy conclusion, He didn't dare to tolerate this type of behavior.

After this, He knew that his partner needed therapy or perhaps both of them needed it.

"Now, If you'll excuse me..." The hazel eyed man, took a shaky breath and chewed on his bottom lip before slowly walking away to the front door.

The hallway seemed seem tight and the walls seemed to close, made him feel claustrophobic. Just mocking him that there, was a possibility that he'll forever be confined in this space, he uses to call home with little to no chance of ever leaving.

"I'll be on my way"

The wooden floorboard creaked with every heavy step that Tang took, The hallway seemed to elongate, never reaching an end.

"I-I, already lost too many people"

The shadows, started creeping from the corner, with the furniture being consumed by inky void.

"Lose? I'm not leaving forever. I just need some space, that's all. "

The small house, that once comforted the brunette, a place that be considered, to be peaceful.

Soon, turned into a hellhole.

#inkypages #dark inkypages #yandere macaque #lego monkie kid #jttw #monkie kid tang #tripitaka #macaque x tang #tang x macaque

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thelandswemadeofpaper · 1 year

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Vessels

Familial Body Snatcher

Raised as a Host

Possession

Fusion

Custom Build Host

Willing Channeler

Synchronization/Fusion

Evil Alter Ego

Heroic Host

Enemy Within/Without

Many Spirits Inside of One

Swallow/Eat the Artefact/Object

Body Switch (with animals? people?)

Symbiote

Sealed Inside a Person-Shaped Can

Treasure Chest Cavity/Person of Holding

Of a McGuffin? Of Energy? A Special Power? A Abstract Concept? Like Angra Mainyu?

In Other Form

Human All Along

Reincarnation

Amnesic God

Angel Unaware

God Was My Co-Pilot

Reforged into a Minion

Anthropomorphic Personification

Forced Transformation

Non-Human Lover/Friend Reveal

Human Disguise

After being defeated? For safety? Hidding?Punishment? Mission? Injured/Healing? Accident? Sealed? Cursed?

To be a Hero? A Ruler? Befriend or Protect or Spy on a person? To Help the Humans or Your People? For Love? Wanting a Normal Life? You had descendants? Are people aware of your real nature?

A Evil One: To Trick? Evil Advisor situation? Mentor? Something like Ursula or Ariel? Or Chelsea from Ruby Gillman? Or Spectra from DP?

You have an mysterious protector since childhood. A Not So Imaginary Friend?

Ascended/Deity of Human Origin

Transformation (in an animal? plant? elements? monster? Of claimship/servitude? power/position?)

Shapeshifter

Werebeast

Magic Enhancement

Transhuman Abomination

Emergency Transformation

Involuntary Shapeshifting/Forced Transformation

A animal shapeshifter decides to live as a animals in the woods for a few years.

Was Once a Man (if you want to specify, a thing/familiar/animal/monster is reveled to be a dead or missing character. Or they turned into a child).

Identity

Fake Identity

Alter Ego

Mutual Masquerade

Collective Identity

Civillian/Normal Identity

Beneath the Mask

King Incognito

Doppelgänger

It Was You/Me all Along

Actually, I Am Him

Split at Birth

Shared Identity

Literal Split Personality: different 'parts' of a person (rejected? lost? split?)

Becoming the Mask (false friend?amnesic? imposter? fake redemption? infiltration? other form?)

Jekyll & Hyde/The Killer in Me/Alternate Identity Amnesia (Or having two identities at the same time without knowing)

Secret Identity (for what? To help the other side? To do something forbidden? Independence? Take part in a Tourney or Competition?). Double Agent, Fake Death, False Friend and Evil Advisor can have this.

Unknown Acquaintance. Someone who knows you but you don't remember them (An villain? You were friends or enemies on the past? Amnesic? Forgotten First Meeting? A long lost relative?).

The Same Person (at same time? A character's Absent Parent is the Evil Emperor? The Missing Heir is the Hero? Or is a past thing? Former Life? The Mentor used to be the Villain? Or a Figure from a Legendary Tale is actually the person who told you the story? The Beloved Ruler and the Villain are the same? Two Aliases, One Character?)

You are forced into a New Identity? You have to abandon your old life behind? Pretend like you never were, well, you. Or they can just make up a Fake Backstory? With Lies and a Fake Reveal? Like...you have to pretend you are the hidden long lost child of the Evil King (perhaps even at his own orders? Did the child even existed?).

Memory

Fake Memory

Brainwashed

Hallucinations and Dreams

Forgotten/Remembered

Madness and Asylum are interesting paths too.

Amnesic Liar

Amnesic Lover

Amnesic Hero

Memory Jar

Amnesic Dissonance

Memory Gambit

Amnesiac Villain Joins the Heroes

An childhood accident that you cannot remember

Amnesic/Good all Along (when you have amnesia, friends can be mistaken for enemies)

Living a False Identity (Hidden? Brainwashed? Unware Amnesic? In Enemy's Hands?)

The only witness or survivor of a tragedy has amnesia (conveniently? unconscious? Some people may try to 'help' them).

Or a group/person did something (created? ritual?) and got their minds erased after.

A knowledge/information being erased from a character's mind.

A person erased from everyone's minds or just erased from a specific person or group.

Backstory Invader (a mindfucker makes people believe they belong here all along/are their friend)

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little-red-rabbit · 2 years

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Congrats on the winter circle ! (Inventors fair)

Aw thank you kindly Anon, it is very sweet of you to come congratulate me, I was quite chuffed with myself!

I love designing cards! Especially planeswalker cards for my mutual wonderful ocs, I'm always happy to take a crake at making new designs for them. The @inventors-fair has been a wonderful resource for improvising my mediocre card making skills.

It has also ben wonderful in getting me to write more often that in turn helps with my Agraphia.

I was also shocked when I was welcomed into the winners circle for the Four-Letter Word prompt. As the Fair tends to look for much more powerful and mechanically interesting cards, and I tend to me more timid with my card creations.

A good example of this is my submission for the Words of Power prompt.

My submissions for Brew created fire breathing potions that I felt where more in line with the power lever of the Clue, Treasure, Food and Blood tokens.

Where the winner was a sack outlet that lets you search up your combo pieces.

Please understand this is not me wining or complaining! I agree with the Fair's judges that Pitlord’s Banquet is a amazing card and disserved the win, and in fact it helped me improve my idea for Brew into a new mechanic for Floramore.

Floramore is a plane where the lines between flora and fauna is blurred, for one something passes away upon the plane their entire being is adsorbed and becomes apart of the plane itself. This anthropomorphization of nature has extended into the magic itself, leading to emption being a powerful component of spell craft itself.

The witches of Floramore are those that have learned how to tap into darker emotions and weave them into powerful curses.

A tapestry of misery woven from the hairs of a single family. Ingredients taken from each home, stewed in a pot until it and the village boils overs. The name of a unfaithful lover and their betrothed carved onto the back of a coin, tossed into a dry well upon the harvest moon, to insure their fields are always bare.

The brew mechanic shows how the witches uses trinkets (clues/treasures), ingredients (food/blood) as well as the potions they Brew in their witch craft.

It also creates with very interesting Sultai eggs playstyle....

Where as Hex show the witches' taking a little bit of everything, parts of creatures, objects of importance, the magic of the fay and even bits of the land itself to create their Hexcraft.

This creates more of a traditional aristocrats playstyle of the sultai witches.

I'm not sure so I would love to hear you feed back?

Oh one last thing!

The witch above is actually a very important figure on Floramore, as the Beldam is said to be the eldest of all the witches. Legends of this witch stretches back before ink was put to paper, past down from one wives tale to another. It is said that the smoke of her chimney snatchers children in the night, and that she sees threw the eyes of every crow of the wicker woods,

It is said she knows thing no one else on the plane knows for into the socket of her missing eyes flows the past, the present and the future.

It was she who reached out to Marcel in his darkest hour. She who lead him to her cabin deep with in the wicker wood. Who spent the long hours of the night teaching him the darker arts of magic. Knowing she had only taught him enough to fail. Scattering the bread crumbs along a path that would lead to his sparking.

#thank you for the ask #mtg #oc #fanwalker #marcel #floramore #inventors fair #cards #fan made #fan cards

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quirk-nova · 9 months

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The Astronomical Chronicles Cast (Part 2)

(Click on the underlined links to learn more)

The Cosmologic Gems

A group of Gems created by Brahma Diamond who represent the Vedic zodiac, which is more or less the same as the Western zodiac. Unlike the Gems ruled by the Great Diamond Authority, these Gems can utilize supernatural arts that are associated with Hindu deities known as the Navagraha, but they are just about the same as their Homeworld counterparts. At one point, the Gems felt the need to rebel against their Diamond, resulting in them being corrupted and exiled to Earth as their punishment until they were healed in Era 3.

Bloodstone

Trapiche Emerald

Yellow Conch Pearl

Star Ruby

Peridot

Brown Sapphire

Pink Opal

Blue Topaz

Turquoise

Almandine

Chevron Amethyst

Aquamarine

The Canifels

A group of anthropomorphic puppy cats who represent the Egyptian zodiac. The Canifels are able to combine supernatural abilities associated with Egyptian deities with physical combat and perform magic with their animal-headed scepters. The group was created out of spite for the leader’s hatred for Twilly Swarm, and they rule their own cult on an uninhabited continent called Canifelia.

Zephaniah

Umm

Claudius

Aziza

Jalal

Qamar

Belayneh

Sara

Belial

Ariel

Qadir

Ghadir

The Jinians

A group of demons who represent the Arabic zodiac (that simply replaces the Western zodiac signs with medieval weapons) created by a mystical Collector-like being dubbed the Mothermind, who brought them to life through her tears while grieving for her fallen Titan lover. These demons would become deities worshiped by the people of the Searing Keys and later have their spirits rest within the associated weapons they used during their lifetime.

Peri

Marid

Shahmaran

Bahamut

Roc

Djinni

Buda

Anqa

Al-Mi’raj

Nephilim

Ifrit

Ghoul

The Ijiyas

A group of African-American humans who represent the Orisha rulers of the zodiac. The humans’ powers are able to employ forms of manipulation that are based on their associated rulers’ symbols and worship objects through rituals. These humans are the reincarnations of bratty divine beings called Isafas who were punished for their misdeeds.

Edith

Dylan

Tamsin

River

Sky

Lamont

Candace

Gage

Rhea

Donald

Tempest

Cyril

#the astronomical chronicles au #vedic astrology #steven universe ocs #egyptian zodiac #anthro ocs #arabic zodiac #the owl house ocs #orishas #human ocs

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heavenlyhoundoom · 11 months

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A.I generated stories.

1.After years of perfecting their classic ice cream flavors, the owners of the local ice cream shop, Sweet Scoops, decide it's time to introduce a new flavor to their menu. They brainstorm for weeks, trying to come up with something unique and delicious that will stand out from the rest.

One day, the head chef, Maria, has a stroke of genius. She suggests creating a flavor that combines two of the most popular treats in town - donuts and ice cream. The owners are skeptical at first, but Maria is determined to make it work.

She spends weeks experimenting with different donut and ice cream combinations, trying to find the perfect balance of flavors. Finally, she creates a flavor that blows everyone away - a creamy vanilla ice cream with chunks of freshly baked donut mixed in.

The owners are thrilled with the new flavor and decide to call it "Donut Delight". They start promoting it heavily on social media, and soon, people are lining up outside the shop to try it.

As the popularity of Donut Delight grows, Sweet Scoops becomes the talk of the town. People come from all over to try the unique and delicious flavor, and the shop's sales skyrocket.

But with success comes competition. Soon, other ice cream shops in town start trying to copy the Donut Delight flavor. The owners of Sweet Scoops are worried that they'll lose their edge, but Maria is determined to stay ahead of the game.

She starts experimenting with new flavors, trying to come up with something even more unique and delicious than Donut Delight. And eventually, she does - a flavor that combines ice cream with a popular local snack - popcorn.

The new flavor is a hit, and Sweet Scoops continues to innovate and create new and exciting flavors that keep customers coming back for more. And as the shop's reputation grows, so does its success, making Sweet Scoops the go-to destination for ice cream lovers everywhere.

2.Lady, a young woman in her mid-twenties, decides to take a break from her busy life and head to the beach for a day of relaxation. As she walks along the shore, she stumbles upon something strange and unusual. It's a small, shiny object that looks like a piece of metal, but it's unlike anything she's ever seen before.

Curious, Lady picks up the object and examines it closely. As she holds it in her hand, she begins to feel a strange energy emanating from it. Suddenly, a bright light envelops her, and she's transported to a different time and place.

Lady finds herself in a strange, alien world, filled with bizarre creatures and landscapes. She realizes that the object she found is actually a portal, a gateway to other dimensions and realities. With her curiosity piqued, Lady decides to explore this new world and see what adventures await her.

As she journeys through this strange land, Lady encounters all sorts of challenges and obstacles. She battles fierce monsters, solves puzzles, and meets strange and fascinating characters. Along the way, she learns more about herself and her own inner strength, and discovers that she's capable of more than she ever imagined.

Eventually, Lady finds her way back to the beach, but she's forever changed by her experience. She realizes that there's so much more to life than what she's been living, and she's determined to continue exploring the mysteries of the universe. With newfound confidence and a sense of adventure, Lady sets out on a new journey, ready to face whatever challenges come her way.

3.In a world where animals have evolved to become anthropomorphic, they have formed their own society, complete with laws, culture, and social norms. The story follows a young rabbit named Jack, who has just graduated from college and is eager to make his mark in the world.

As he begins his job search, Jack quickly realizes that the anthropomorphic society is not as perfect as it seems. There is a clear hierarchy based on species, with predators at the top and prey at the bottom. Jack, being a prey animal, struggles to find a job that pays well and treats him with respect.

One day, Jack stumbles upon a group of activists who are fighting for equal rights for all species. They believe that the current system is unfair and that all animals should be treated as equals. Jack is hesitant to join at first, but as he witnesses more and more discrimination against his fellow prey animals, he decides to get involved.

Together with the activists, Jack begins to organize protests and rallies, demanding change from the government. They face opposition from the predators, who believe that their natural instincts give them the right to dominate the society. But Jack and his friends refuse to back down, and their movement gains momentum.

As the protests escalate, the government finally takes notice and agrees to make some changes. The society becomes more inclusive, with laws that protect prey animals from discrimination and predators being held accountable for their actions. Jack and his friends feel a sense of accomplishment, knowing that they have made a difference in the world.

The story ends with Jack starting a new job, one that he loves and that treats him with respect. He looks out at the society he helped change and feels proud of what he and his fellow activists have accomplished.

4.Once upon a time, in a peaceful village nestled in the rolling hills of the countryside, there lived a female sheep named Dolly. Dolly was unlike any other sheep in the village, for she possessed a unique set of superpowers that made her stand out from the rest.

One day, while grazing in the fields, Dolly discovered that she had the ability to fly. With a single leap, she soared high above the clouds, feeling the wind rushing through her woolly coat. She was amazed by her newfound power and couldn't wait to explore the world beyond her village.

As she flew over the neighboring towns and cities, Dolly discovered that she had other superpowers too. She could shoot laser beams from her eyes, and her wool could change colors to blend in with her surroundings. With these incredible abilities, Dolly knew that she could make a difference in the world.

So, she decided to use her powers for good. She flew to the nearby forest, where she found a group of animals in distress. They were being threatened by a pack of wolves who were trying to take over their territory. Dolly knew that she had to help them.

Using her laser beams, Dolly scared off the wolves and saved the animals from harm. They were grateful to her and welcomed her as their protector. From that day on, Dolly became known as the "Sheep Superhero" and continued to use her powers to help those in need.

As her fame grew, Dolly attracted the attention of a group of evil scientists who wanted to capture her and study her powers. They devised a plan to trap her, but Dolly was too smart for them. With her wool changing colors, she was able to blend in with her surroundings and escape their clutches.

Dolly knew that she had to be careful from now on. She continued to use her powers for good, but always kept an eye out for any danger that might come her way. She knew that with great power came great responsibility, and she was determined to use her powers wisely.

And so, Dolly the Sheep Superhero continued to protect the animals of the forest and the people of the world, using her incredible superpowers to make a difference in the world.

5.Jane is a young woman who has always been allergic to citrus fruits. She has to be extremely careful with what she eats and drinks, as even a small amount of citrus can cause her to break out in hives and have difficulty breathing. Despite this, she has always been determined to live a normal life, and has learned to avoid citrus at all costs.

One day, Jane meets a charming young man named Tom, and they hit it off immediately. They start dating and everything seems perfect, until one day they go out to dinner and Jane accidentally eats something that contains citrus. She starts to feel sick, and Tom has to rush her to the hospital.

After this incident, Jane becomes increasingly anxious about her allergy, and starts to withdraw from Tom and her friends. She starts to feel like her allergy is holding her back, and she becomes depressed and isolated.

However, with the help of her doctor and a support group for people with allergies, Jane starts to regain her confidence and learns to manage her allergy more effectively. She starts to open up to Tom and her friends, and they all rally around her to support her.

In the end, Jane realizes that her allergy is a part of who she is, and that she doesn't need to be ashamed of it. She and Tom continue their relationship, and she feels more empowered than ever before. She even starts a blog to help other people with allergies, and becomes a spokesperson for allergy awareness.

6.In a small town, there were two rival breakfast spots: The Pancake Palace and The Waffle House. The owners, Mr. Pancake and Mrs. Waffle, had been competing for years to see who could make the best breakfast food.

One day, a food critic came to town to try both restaurants and write a review. Mr. Pancake and Mrs. Waffle were determined to win the critic's approval.

They both worked tirelessly, experimenting with new recipes and techniques. Mr. Pancake tried adding different flavors to his batter, while Mrs. Waffle experimented with different toppings.

As the day of the review approached, tensions were high. Both restaurants were packed with customers eager to see who would come out on top.

The critic arrived and tried both the pancakes and the waffles. He was impressed with both, but couldn't decide which was better.

In a last-ditch effort to win, Mr. Pancake and Mrs. Waffle decided to team up and create a hybrid dish: the pancake-waffle. It was a fluffy pancake with waffle-like ridges, topped with syrup and whipped cream.

The critic tried the new creation and was blown away. He declared the pancake-waffle the winner and both Mr. Pancake and Mrs. Waffle were thrilled.

From that day on, the Pancake Palace and the Waffle House offered the pancake-waffle on their menus, and customers came from far and wide to try the delicious new dish. The rivalry between Mr. Pancake and Mrs. Waffle had finally come to an end, and they both realized that sometimes, working together can lead to the best results.

And 7.The story follows an old man named Alfred who has a peculiar diet - he only eats pasta. His obsession with pasta began when he was a young boy and his mother would make him homemade spaghetti every Sunday. As he grew older, his love for pasta only intensified, and he began experimenting with different sauces and noodle shapes.

Alfred's pasta obsession has caused him to become a recluse, as he refuses to eat anything else and therefore cannot attend social events or dine out with friends. His health has also suffered as a result of his limited diet, and he has developed a number of vitamin deficiencies.

One day, Alfred's neighbor, a young girl named Lily, becomes concerned about his well-being and decides to check on him. She discovers his pasta-only diet and begins to research ways to help him expand his food choices. She introduces him to different types of pasta, such as ravioli and lasagna, and even convinces him to try some vegetables mixed in with his pasta dishes.

As Alfred begins to broaden his diet, he starts to feel better both physically and emotionally. He even begins to socialize more, attending community events and meeting new people. Eventually, Alfred realizes that his pasta obsession was a way of coping with his loneliness and that he doesn't need to rely on it anymore.

The story ends with Alfred and Lily enjoying a meal together, with Alfred happily eating a salad alongside his beloved pasta dish.

#a.i. generated #stories #story time #Tumblr

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isskustvoved · 2 years

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The Sunflower is unusual in Klimt's paintings of trees and flowers in that there seems to be a certain anthropomorphic element. Once immediately thinks of Van Gogh's sunflowers, which were almost self-portraits. However, Klimt's flowers are still in situ, growing in the garden, while Van Gogh's have been picked and arranged in a vase. Van Gogh's infamous sunflowers altered many views on color schemes, exaggerated features, and stereotypically beautiful flowers in minimalistic form. The sunflower paintings by Vincent van Gogh are still lifes, whereas Klimt's images are details of the landscape. The shape and leaves in The Sunflower is remarkably like the form of the lovers in The Kiss. The two works were exhibited for the first time in 1908 at the Art Show Vienna. Unlike the earlier landscapes from around 1898 to 1902, the painting of sunflowers are no longer concerned with mood; rather, Klimt is fascinated in a more objective way by the organic life that simply exists, independent of human intervention. The geometrical composition of his painting is no longer merely used for decorative effect, but to reinforce the artist's deatched observation of the scene while delighting in the opulence and abundance of nature.

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duckprintspress · 3 years

Text

What is a Story?

When Duck Prints Press put out our call for applicants, we asked everyone to submit “a sample of their work (between 1,000 and 2,000 words)… [that] must function as a short story.” When we reviewed the 100+ samples we received, we noticed many areas where writers commonly struggled. Based on what we learned, we’ve planned a number of blog posts to discuss these challenging areas, and we’ve decided to tackle one of the most frequent issues first. Many otherwise strong submissions lost points on our rubric line regarding “plot and events,” and specifically, they scored a 1 or a 2 because “the story has no plot (for example, is a vignette).”

So, this begs the question, what is a story, and, of course, what isn’t a story?

(note that throughout this post, I use the word “narrative” to refer to any amount of text that may or may not be a story, and I use story only in a more narrow, specific sense.)

What is a story?

The answer is deceptively simple: a story is any narrative that has a plot. But...what is a plot? There are many ways to define a plot, but at its most basic, a plot has a beginning, a middle, and an end, and by the ending, something has changed. If, at the end of the story, nothing has changed, then it’s not a story. However, even if something has changed, it’s still not necessarily a story, because characters and time-frame also influence the definition. A narrative without at least one character is not a story. Likewise, a narrative time-frame, if it’s discussing events at a meta-level (“this happened, then this happened, then this happened”) may show that changes occur, but it’s still not a story - it’s an overview or an outline. The lines, of course, can be blurry - and where any given author, reader, or DPP reviewer draws the line between “this is a story” and “this isn’t a story” will vary.

How is a story communicated to the reader?

To function as a story, the narrative must include characters. Now, character doesn’t necessarily have to mean person, or even require sentience, but there must be some point of view being explored, and if the character is an animal or an inanimate object, writing it as a character will require a degree of anthropomorphizing. The key aspect is that the character has some form of agency - some ability to interact with and influence their surroundings. This character will have a point of view and a perspective that affects how they perceive the story’s setting, and by the end of the story this character should have either changed themselves, or changed their surroundings, or changed their relationships. The circumstances around this character must be different by the end of the story than they were at the beginning - or else it’s not a story.

What is change?

As part of the narrative, one or more characters in the story must engage in some form of activity that results in the world around them changing. Writing advice most oftenly calls this “conflict,” but honestly? I hate that word. The classic couching of “person vs. self, person vs. person, person vs. nature, person vs. society, person vs. fate” as the available types of conflict is tired. Defining the only kind of change as conflict and specifically describing it as “x versus y” is to automatically get a potential writer thinking in terms of antagonism. While antagonism is one available type of change, it’s not the only, and while many pieces of writing advice point out that these “versus” constructions don’t mean enmity by nature...why not simply choose a less confusing construction, one that doesn’t require addenda to explain the existence of narratives that clearly are stories but are less “versus” and more “and” - “person and self,” “person and person,” “person and nature,” “person and society,” “person and fate.” I’ve opted to use the word change, because one of the clearest ways to tell if a narrative is a story or not is to look at the nature of the character(s) are at the beginning, and look at the nature of them at the end, and say - what’s different? Maybe they’ve built something. Maybe they’ve reached a new understanding. Maybe they’ve conquered a challenge. Maybe they’ve altered their perspective. Maybe they’ve learned something. Maybe, they’ve changed the world, or maybe, they’ve just changed a light bulb - but something has changed.

Before some writing snob comes at me and says, “okay, fine, we dare you to come up with a plot that doesn’t fit into the classic five conflict types” ...of course we can’t. That model functions because all stories can be shoehorned into it, as long as very loose definition of “conflict” and “versus” are used. But because it’s described in oppositional terms, a lot of writers get distracted by that terminology and think there has to be, well, a conflict, in the narrow definition of the word. And that’s clearly absurd - many of our favorite fanfiction tropes, for example, are fluffy and comforting and soft precisely because they’re not about conflict, they’re about harmony. Yes, “enemies to lovers” is wonderful, but so is “friends to lovers.” Two people going on a date that ends with a marriage proposal is a story: they started out as a couple and ended engaged. Something has changed - their relationship status. But to call that “person versus person,” while perhaps technically correct, is ludicrous. Now, to keep it interesting, there might be some “person versus self” - “I’m not worthy of this love, omg do they really care for me, oh will society give us problems if we say yes?” which is how it can be shoehorned into the “conflict” model. But be it ever so soft, and their love ever so accepted, and their faith in each other ever so steady - if there really is no conflict, just those two people meeting up and having a nice night and ending in a proposal...it’s still a story. To say it’s not a story because there was no conflict, only an advancement of their relationship...yes, a story like that is borderline to being a vignette or “slice of life” narrative. Certainly, if there’s zero sources of tension, it may not be a very interesting story, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a story.

What else does a story need?

Honestly - not much. Don’t get us wrong - a story is stronger if it has a setting so that it doesn’t just take place in endless blankness. A story with multiple characters but no form of dialog (verbal or non-verbal) may be a little flat. A story where something changes but some of the introduced plot elements aren’t resolved will feel incomplete to a reader. A story without any negativity could be boring. Stories lacking these elements may not be good stories...or they could be amazing, and innovative, showing how a tale can be told without elements we usually consider essential! As long as something or someone has changed, and the story is told in a narrative, descriptive format that includes a character - it’s a story.

What isn’t a story?

Things that aren’t stories fall into two broad categories:

Narratives that have description, characters, dialogue, setting, and other story elements, but nothing changes. Examples of this are “slice of life” narratives and what, in fandom-parlance, would be called an episode coda or canon insert - a chunk of narrative deliberately meant to make a bridge between two established events but in which nothing can change because the surrounding events remain established. (A coda or insert might be a story, it varies.)

Narratives that are either entirely “show” (for example, a vignette) or entirely “tell” (for example, a synopsis), These can also be seen as relating to time - either there’s little or no passage of time (usually the case in vignettes) or far too much passage of time (usually the case in synopses). Narratives like this may or may not include a character, but even if they do, they’re still not stories. Why not? Because any story that is entirely “show” and involves minimal passage of time is unlikely to result in change, and instead will be an extended description of a moment. And any story that is entirely “tell” and depicts a large swath are overviews - there’s no element to actually grab a reader and no reason the reader should care about this dry relationship of events. That’s not a story - it’s a history textbook.

Drawing the lines between these categories can be difficult, and to some extent will come down to taste. Anyone who says there’s a hard-and-fast rule in writing is a liar. Just because a synopsis or a “slice of life” narrative isn’t usually a story doesn’t mean they will never be one. But, in general, if you’re looking at a piece of work and you’re trying to determine if it’s a story or not, there are some signs that will strongly suggest it’s not a story:

There are no characters.

There is no setting.

Nothing has changed between the beginning and ending of the narrative.

The entire narrative is an extended description of a single person/object/setting.

The entire narrative could easily be reworded into a sequence of, “thing one happened, then thing two happened, then thing three happened, then thing four happened.”

The narrative feels like a “pause,” or a “bridge” that takes place between two events that aren’t depicted in the narrative.

A central conflict or issue is introduced or described in details, but nothing is done to try to solve the issue.

Now, for the most important part of this discussion of what isn’t a story: writing something that isn’t a story isn’t a bad thing! Especially in fanfiction communities, we live for self-indulgent narratives that make us happy. We love to see those “moments between.” We live for a thought-out thousand-year history for some setting that didn’t originally have that much background. These kinds of narratives are fun to write, and especially when they’re part of an existing franchise, can be a delight to read. We are not saying that there is literally anything wrong with writing a narrative that isn’t a story.

That said, Duck Prints Press’s applicant call specifically asked authors to submit a writing sample that was a story, with the eventual goal of selecting authors to write short stories for an anthology. Which is to say: there’s nothing wrong at all with writing “slice of life” stories, codas, canon inserts, vignettes, or synopses - it’s simply not what we asked people to submit in this specific case, and we’ve come to see that a lot of people submitted non-stories without an apparent understanding of the difference, and we wanted to explain that difference.

But, to everyone reading this: write whatever brings you joy, in as much detail or vagueness as makes you happy, and share it with whoever you want. Just also understand, that for many types of narratives, if you’re asked “is that a story?” it’s not. That’s not to create a hierarchy - they’re all equal as art forms, they’re just not the same.

Okay I kinda understand this in theory but what do these differences actually look like in practice?

In long-form works, it’s usually relatively easy to recognize what is a story and what isn’t. Almost every novel ever published has a plot, and has things change, and is therefore a story. (though there are exceptions - Wikipedia lists a few longer vignettes and, when done thoughtfully, it can be astonishingly effective.) However, in shorter works, it can be difficult to tell the difference - and, as previously mentioned, the lines can blur.

In the interest of giving an idea of what the differences are, here are a few examples I quickly cooked up to try to show you all, since I’ve done a lot of “telling” so far (this blog post: also not a story, ha!) and very little demonstration. These are each around 150 words, to show that even in a tiny word count, any of these narrative structures is a viable choice. (Sorry these aren’t high literature - I just threw them together for this post, so I’d have something that suited.)

(read more)

A story - a narrative with a beginning, middle, and end, where something changes:

The door slammed open. Looking up from her embroidery, Victoria blinked as Margaret strode into the room.There was an air of expectancy that was inexplicable to Victoria; she grew more confused when Margaret approached and dropped to one knee.

“What are you doing?” Heart pounding, Victoria attempted self-restraint, but she couldn’t rein in her hope, because it almost looked like...it seemed like...but--

“Proposing,” announced Margaret, pulling a velvet-covered box from her pocket and opening to reveal an emerald set in a gold band.

“But you can’t!”

Margaret tilted her head to the side and frowned. “Why not?”

Objections occurred to Victoria, but examining them...she couldn’t think of a one that Margaret wouldn’t demolish with her usual brilliance. “You know what? You’re right. Who’s to stop us? And...I accept.”

And as Margaret slipped the ring onto Victoria’s finger, she knew: there could be no objection. Nothing had ever felt so right in her life.

“Slice of life” - a narrative with a beginning, middle, and end, where nothing changes:

“What a day!” said James, dropping onto the couch with an exhausted sigh.

“I know what you mean,” Tom agreed. He fumbled a hand across the cushion separating them, and James delighted in the simple comfort of threading their fingers together.

A beep, beep, beep sounded in the kitchen, announcing that the microwave had finished nuking their leftovers.

“You getting that?” asked Tom.

“It’s your turn!” James countered.

“But I don’t want to let go of your hand.” Tom gave his hand a squeeze, and a pleased glow suffused James’s chest.

It was Tom’s turn to retrieve their dinner.

But Tom was right - holding hands was wonderful.

“Let’s get it together,” James suggested.

Hesitating, Tom remained still as James sit up and gave a tug on their joined arms, then he broke into a smile and rose at James’s side.

“I love the way you think.”

“I love you, too, darling”

And together - always together - they got their dinner.

“Bridge” scene, episode coda, or canon insert-style fic - a narrative with a beginning, middle, and end, where nothing changes:

Arriving home after the battle, Sandy opened the rough-hewn door and shed her damaged armor. Her dented cuirass had left an aching bruise across her chest; she carried it to the smithy out back for repair in the morning. A gash on her thigh throbbed where an arrow had pierced the straps holding her greaves in places; she brought them to her leather-working station. Nicks and fissures marred her once-gleaming sword blade. All Sandy wanted was to collapse in bed, but resisted the pull of relaxation, because blood limned the damaged places red, and repair to the damaged weapon couldn’t wait. Taking a seat, placed her feet on the treadles that set her whet stone to spinning and set about polishing out every imperfection.

Yes, she was exhausted.

But her sword must be cleaned, and smoothed, and honed, and prepared.

Sandy must be prepared.

There would always be another battle to be fought.

Vignette, a narrative without a beginning, a middle, or an end, which may or may not have a character, and nothing changes and in which the emphasis is on showing, rather than telling (but, as in this example, a combination may be used):

The wind blew chill down the narrow mountain pass. All was silent, save for the rush of the breeze. All was still, save where gusts stirred the tall grasses and the branches of trees that reached, claw-like, toward the sky.

Once upon a time, a stream had carved this cut through the cliffs, forcing its way through soft chalk and hard shale, leaving jagged stones that emerged from the steep pass walls like teeth. The stream was long dry, now, only water-smoothed stones strewn across the ground to show where it had ever been.

Once upon a time, travellers had traversed the dried-up rill bed, pounding down the dirt, knocking the rocks aside, leaving scars where their fires burned. They’d lived, and laughed, and explored, and sought...and left, never to return.

Now, there was nothing: nothing but the storm.

And all was silent.

And all was still.

And the wind blew, chill, down the narrow mountain pass.

Synopsis, a narrative with a beginning, a middle and an end, which may or may not have characters, and where something changes, and in which the emphasis is on telling rather showing:

Emperor Xiang Zhen was born in 9884 to Dowager Empress Luo Zexi and the warlord Xiang Yijun. After his birth, there was a long period of strife. Those who supported Xiang Yijun’s claim to the throne battled those who still supported the Dowager Empress’s deceased husband Peng Zhenya. Eventually, the factions found common ground when Xiang Zhen came of age, and he was enthroned in 9902.

With his reign came peace and prosperity. The arts flourished. Scholarship advanced, and many great Dao masters arose, using cultivation to rid the land of evil’s left by the long war. Xiang Zhen longed to join a Night Hunt himself, but he was trapped by his political position. He didn’t dare risk the fragile stability in the Empire. If something happened to him, the results could be catastrophic. So he studied, and ruled, and adjudicated, and endowed, and endured.

Xiang Zhen did as he must.

But, oh...he wished he weren’t alone.

I know this is long, so we’ll leave this discussion at this point. Hopefully you found it helpful, and please do let me know if you have any questions! Duck Prints Press is always here to offer support to writers, and we love getting writing asks!

#duck prints press #writing advice #original content

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thenightling · 4 years

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I love Gaslight fantasy

I love Gaslight fantasy. Gaslight fantasy is also known as Gaslamp fantasy. And before I go any further, no I am not “Confusing” the terms. Gaslighting as a term comes from a 1940s film called “Gaslight” where a man tricks a woman into doubting her perceptions of reality. The concept of “gaslighting” as a verb to mean this didn’t exist until that film. The title of the film was named for the object, “gaslights” which were common in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.

This has nothing to do with “gaslighting.” I should not have had to explain this but... Tumblr...

There is a new genre of fantasy / Gothic horror fiction called Gaslight fantasy. This genre can be compared to High Fantasy, Gothic Horror, and Steampunk in many aspects and yet it is wholly it’s own entity.

Gaslight Fantasy is a genre where a fantasy world resembles our world’s Victorian era but the supernatural such as monsters and magick are known to be real. It bears a lot of elements of Gothic Horror and many examples of Gaslight Fantasy also fit the genre of Gothic Horror but unlike the term “Gothic Fantasy” which feels like an attempt to circumvent acknowledging that Gothic Horror is a form of Horror, Gaslight Fantasy can exist in tandem with Gothic Horror as descriptors for the same property. As a result it is a new sub-genre I welcome as opposed to “Gothic Fantasy” which feels like a term invented by those embarrassed of liking horror.

Example: Barnes and Noble slapping “Gothic Fantasy” across the cover of their leather bound versions of The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, and H. P. Lovecraft, as well as Dracula, and Frankenstein. Those are all Gothic Horror and the use of “Gothic Fantasy” feels like a term for those ashamed of the horror aspect or don’t realize horror can be more than just gore and jump scares.

Further note: Frankenstein is often considered the first science fiction novel but Victor found the secret of life while reading the works of Agrippa and Paracelsus, a self-proclaimed alchemist and sorcerer. Also Victor was studying metaphysics, not biology. The Frankenstein monster is often considered (in fantasy-loving circles) to be a “Flesh golem with a soul.” Psuedo-intellectualists seem to chafe at the idea that Frankenstein is a horror story and prefer to call it science fiction because there is still this incorrect ant antiquated notion that horror is low brow and cannot contain romanticism or emotional, spiritual, and moral explorations.

Even The Shape of Water, which can easily be mistaken as a remake of Creature from the Black Lagoon and Revenge of The Creature (But with a happy ending for The Creature) is often called “Supernatural romance” instead of Horror even though there are scary moments, atmosphere, violence, death, supernatural elements, and other things usually associated with the horror genre.

The same thing happened with Silence of the Lambs, which was branded “Thriller” when it got its Oscar nomination. It seems the Oscar nomination might be why The Shape of Water isn’t classified as horror either.

Director Guillermo del Toro (though a clear lover of Gothic Horror) seems reluctant to classify his own films as Gothic Horror even though Crimson Peak is clearly paying homage to Mario Bava’s Black Sabbath and Hammer Horror films.

It’s the cultural resentment of Gothic Horror that makes me dislike the term “Gothic Fantasy” but I am willing to embrace the new idea of Gaslight Fantasy that can exist within Gothic Horror or side by side with it, in the same story.

Though it’s still a relatively new genre I do love the refreshingly new concept of Gaslight Fantasy as a reimagined Victorian era that isn’t just full of zeppelins, steam engines and gears (like the typical superficial Steampunk tropes) but also supernatural creatures and or magick being common place. Not to mention so many fantasy stories are set in a pseudo-Middle ages Europe-esque land like in Game of Thrones and The Witcher, that it’s clever and different that the fantasy world doesn’t look like the late dark ages but instead the late nineteenth century, just to give it a different aesthetic and atmosphere while retaining a sense of wonder and historical nostalgia, though blatantly and deliberately inaccurate.

Examples of Gaslight Fantasy include: Amazon Prime’s Carnival Row - Set in a nineteenth century style city where humans, faeries, werewolves, Franeknstein-style monsters, trolls, fauns, and centaurs co-exist. This is probably the first true, mainstream, gaslight fantasy and the best example of the genre. It deals with Jack the Ripper style murders in a slum inhabited by magical creatures. It’s a lot like Penny Dreadful but Penny Dreadful pretends to be set in our world where most people do not know the supernatural exists whereas Carnival Row is not quite our world and people know about most of the supernatural creatures who reside there.

Dolls of New Albion - Dolls of New Albion is described as a steampunk musical, is set in a world where human souls can be summoned from Elysium (Greek Heaven) and inserted into semi-mechanical dolls. The fact that the afterlife is treated as a common knowledge fact in a world that just resembles ours in the Victorian era, and human souls can be inserted into doll-like bodies indicates to me that this actually drifts into Gaslight fantasy.

The movie Van Helsing- Though this film is what I would call Goth Action (Gothic Horror merged with action) the film Van Helsing is very much what I would consider Gaslight fantasy. Set in what looks like our world’s Victorian era and even using real-world place names there are distinct differences, such as The Vatican behaving as a secret monster hunting organization instead of just the Capital of the Catholic Church. Similar can be said about the setting of Castlevania that is distinctly another world even though it resembles ours and has our European place names though that one is set in the fifteenth century.

Howl’s moving Castle - Though bearing Steampunk elements, the common knowledge of magick, in a setting that is not quite our world, and reminiscent of the Victorian era of our world, or even the Edwardian era, makes Howl’s Moving Castle very much a Gaslight fantasy.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - Though easily considered Steampunk or Gothic Horror, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen bears some fantasy elements mixed with the horror and the resemblance to our world is dubious at best.

Stardust - The film and novel by Neil Gaiman deal with a wall that separates the human world from the realm of Faerie and a young man’s journey where he meets a fallen star in humanoid form, and his own long lost mother. In this world the barrier between the human world and the realm of magick is a known and tangible fact.

Discworld - The Discworld books by Terry Pratchett are set in a fantasy world known as.. the Disworld, supported by four elephants riding on the back of a giant turtle, the Discworld pays homage to and parodies fantasy tropes in a pseudo-Victorian / Edwardian setting. The setting includes witches, wizards, Death incarnate, ghosts, golems, faeries, and so on.

His Dark Materials - His Dark Materials (i.e. The Golden Compass) is set in a fantasy version of the Edwardian and provides a stark commentary about religion and society.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - A very odd British mini-series and novel about two competing men who work with magick in what looks like late eighteenth century or early nineteenth century England but it’s really its own fantasy setting. The subplot deals with a dark faery known as The Gentleman and his schemes.

A study in Emerald - Another one by Neil Gaiman, this is an alternate universe version of Sherlock Holmes’ story A Study in Scarlet, but a version of late Victorian England where Lovecraftian Old Ones have taken over and nothing is quite what it seems. Anno Dracula - Anno Dracula is an alternate universe version of Victorian England set after the events of the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker but if Dracula had won and married Queen Victoria.

Beauty and the Beast - The 1740 novel by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. Though nearly a century before the Victorian era this does fit much of the criteria of the Gaslight Fantasy. There’s political intrigue with faeries, and unlike the Disney film, the novel is not set in France. It’s a fictional land that just resembles eighteenth century France. And there are other fictional kingdoms such as “The Summer Isle.”

Pinocchio - The original novel by Carlo Collodi was set in a surreal, fictionalized version of early 1880s Europe and featured anthropomorphic animals, faeries, self-aware tree bark, and heavy handed human to animal transformations to represent the metaphor of becoming a jackass.

Ravenloft - The Gothic Horror portion of Dungeons and dragons. Where Dungeons and dragons already featured elves, dwarves, and wizards Ravenloft contains vampires, Flesh Golems (Frankenstein-style monsters) and werewolves.

Castlevania - Not so much the Netflix Castlevania series... yet but parts of the Castlevania video games franchise count as Gaslight fantasy. Castlevania begins in a fantastical version of fifteenth century Wallachia (Romania) where vampires, demons and various other monsters are known to be real. Later installments in the game are set in that world’s version of the nineteenth century. Though place names match our own it is very clearly not our world as teleporting castles, vampire warlords, and entire towns being wiped out by vampire armies never made it into our own history books. There are also some steampunk-esque historical inaccuracies in technology and science. Castlevania is most assuredly a horror themed franchise but it also fits the criteria of Gaslight fantasy.

#Carnival Row #Gaslight Fantasy #Gothic Horror #Gothic Fantasy #Steampunk #Scifi #Fantasy #Faeries #Fae

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widowpunx · 3 years

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It's time to descend once again into the Rabbit Hole. Natasha On Wonderland Collection Info.

Kink List: Ageplay: Sexual arousal by fantasizing about a younger or older partner (typically much younger or older)

Anal Fisting: Penetrating the anus with a hand or clenched first.

Breath Play: Sexual activity involving the temporary deprivation of breath or reduction in oxygen availability. Overlays significantly with erotic asphyxiation.

Cheating: Sexual arousal by cheating on a partner or being cheated on by a partner

Cuckold/Cuckquean: women aroused by their (typically male) partners having sex with other women. This often but not always involves humiliation.

Cum play: Sexual activity involving manipulation of cum

Cunnilingus: Licking and/or sucking the clitoris and labia of a female partner

Mommy Kink: Short for Mommy Dom/young girl. A type of dominant/submissive relationship in which the male partner assumes the role of a father-figure and the female partner that of a younger female. May include child-like things such as stuffed animals, reading bed-time stories and spankings, although this is not to be confused with pedophilia, since all participants are above the age of consent.

Diapers: Sexual activity in which one partner is wearing diapers. Often done in parallel with watersports of scat play.

Double Penetration: Being penetrated simultaneously in two orifices. Typically refers to vaginal and anal penetration of a female participant, although males can be anally and orally penetrated.

Edging: a form of sexual activity (typically masturbation) in which the recipient almost achieves orgasm (coming to the “edge” of orgasm) and then stops. This process is typically repeated a number of times

Electro Stimulation: A sexual practice that involves the application of electrical stimuli to a partner. Often applied to the genitals.

Encasement: A sexual fetish whereby a person becomes aroused by having their entire body enclosed

Exhibitionism: Sexual arousal due to being watched by others engaging in sex and/or in a undressed state.

Facials: Ejaculating on a partner’s face; having a partner ejaculate on your face.

Fisting: Insertion of an entire hand or fist in an orifice, typically a vagina or anus.

Foot Play: Sexual arousal by feet; sexual activity involving feet, ie licking, stroking, touching

Forced Orgasm: In the context of BDSM sex, forced orgasm refers to sexually stimulating a partner who has no control over the stimulation (typically due to restraints) until they climax.

Furry: A sexual interest in anthropomorphized animals. This often manifests as sex or sexual activity in which one or both partners is wearing an animal costume.

Futanari: or simply Futa, derives from the Japanese word for hermaphroditism (to be of two kinds). This typically refers to types of anime or fantasy play based thereon involving characters that have both primary sexual characteristics. According to wikipedia, this almost exclusively refers to feminine characters who have both male and female genitalia.

Gangbang: A form of sexual activity in which many people (typically men) have sex with a single person (a man or woman)

Glory Hole: A sexual device for anonymous or pseudo-anonymous sex consisting of a barrier with one or more holes cut through it. One partner inserts their penis or other appendage through the and the partner on the other side performs manual, oral, vaginal or anal sex on the proffered body part.

Impregnation: Fantasies involving being impregnated or impregnating one’s partner. Incest: Sexual activity with a close relative (typically parent, child or sibling)

JOI: Acronym for Jerk-off-instructions. A fetish in which someone is instructed how and in what manner to masturbate.

Lactation: Sexual arousal due to breast milk

Lesbian Sex: girls loving other girls

MD/lb: Short for Mother Domme. A type of dominant/submissive relationship in which the female partner assumes the role of a mother-figure and the female partner that of a

younger girl. May include child-like things such as stuffed animals, reading bed-time stories and spankings, although this is not to be confused with pedophilia, since all participants are above the age of consent. Monster or Alien: Arousal at the thought of sex with monsters or aliens

Orgasm Denial: a form of sex play in which oneself or one’s partner is kept in a heightened state of sexual arousal for a period of time without orgasm.

Pegging: The act of penetrating a partner with a strap-on dildo

Pet Play: Sexual activity in which one partner (typically) assumes the role of a non-human animal, often a domestic pet such as a cat or dog.

Power Exchange: A type of BDSM relationship where one partner assumes total control of the other, with service and obedience being the core values of the relationship.

Pregnancy: Sexual activity with a pregnant person, sexual activity while pregnant. Not to be confused with impregnation.

Rimming: Licking the anus of a partner, having a partner lick your anus. Also known as analingus

Sensation Play: a class of activities centering on physical sensations, such as touching, stroking, or using ice or other implements. Often contrasted with mental forms of play in BDSM.

Sleep Play: Sexual arousal by someone who is unconscious or sleeping; Sexual arousal by being unconscious or sleeping during sexual activity.

Sounding: Penetration of the urethra with a thin rob, typically metal or plastic

Transformation: Sexual arousal by the thought of transformations, typically of people into other beings or objects

Tentacles: Sex with tentacled creatures; penetration by tentacles.

Vore: Short for voraphilia, a sexual fetish in which one fantasizes about being eaten, or eating a partner. This can involve (more commonly) being swallowed whole, often called “soft vore”, or (less commonly) being chewed and/or torn, often called “hard vore”.

Voyeurism: Sexual arousal by watching others engage in sex and/or in an undressed state Watersports: Being urinated on or urinating on a partner

Worship (Cock/Pussy/Ass): Ceremonial worshiping of a body part, typically of a dominant, by a submissive. Typically involves attention to/acts on said body part.

•••

Werewolves

Blood

Violence Creepy Fairy Tales Witches Ghosts Monsters Vampires Angels Demons Succubi Neighbours Fuck Friends Enemies to Lovers Boss/Employee Mommy/Daughter Sister/Sister Enemies to Lovers to Enemies And many more The sky is the limit. If you have other kinks and ideas, feel free to share them with us. •••• We accept only females characters, no matter the show or movie. you can write the female characters you want and join your work to this celebration.

•••

Don't forget!

Our Celebration Start on October 1st. And You Can Add Your Work Here 👇 Natasha On Wonderland The only rule is have a lot of fun.

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clusterbuck · 3 years

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@buckupbuttercup tagged me to answer fanfic questions that look like they might give me an existential crisis but like in a fun way, let's go

(definitely not doing this while i should be working, shh)

1) how many works do you have on AO3?

69 (nice)

2) what’s your total ao3 word count?

180,173

3) how many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

nine fandoms: - the 100 (23) - 911 (16) - harry potter (10) - miraculous ladybug (6) - pokemon sword & shield (6) - gilmore girls (5) - brooklyn nine-nine (1) - percy jackson (1) - object & concept anthropomorphism (1)*

*this is what ao3 decided to label suez canal/ever given fics lmao

4) what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. if your cascade ocean-wave blues come (911) 2. don't want no other shade of blue but you (911) 3. the blues, and then purple-pink skies (911) 4. what you're looking for has been here the whole time (911) 5. when you wish upon a star (pokemon sword & shield)

5) what’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

hmm well there's and it's like you can't breathe where i killed lily evans but tbh james is starting to heal by the end

so probably i can't breathe without you (but i have to) for that unrequited love goodness

6) what’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

i mean, the blues and then purple-pink skies has a real sappy proposal at the end, so there's that

in my eyes, my heart, my soul is also just... really fucking soft

7) do you write crossovers? if so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

i haven't ever done one but i probably would if an idea struck me tbh

8) do you write smut? if so what kind?

oh boy do i ever

i literally have a series on ao3 dedicated to just collecting my pwps in one place lol

for 911, which is what i'm currently writing in, so far i've only done a little bit in you look wonderful tonight, but i've got some ideas waiting to happen

9) do you respond to comments, why or why not?

no, i don't -- not because i don't appreciate them, because trust me, the serotonin i get from ao3 comments literally gets me through the day sometimes

but because my dumb brain is like "wait no if you start replying now you have to reply to every! single! one! because otherwise someone who commented on something eight years ago might see and think you hate them specifically" so it's easier to just... not

thanks, brain

10) have you ever received hate on a fic?

i mean... does this count lmao (no it doesn't)

11) have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i know of

12) have you ever had a fic translated?

also not that i know of

13) have you ever co-written a fic before?

no, and honestly i don't think i could, because i get weirdly particular about writing stuff (and also i think i would probably be annoying to work with tbh)

14) what’s your all time favorite ship?

i mean... usually whatever i'm focusing on is my favourite at the time, i don't know if i know how to put them in order???

(i do have a soft spot for percabeth though)

15) what’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

there's a miraculous ladybug social media AU that i started that was going to be really funny, but i fell into the ML fandom really quick and then fell out almost as quick and so i don't know if i can get the vibes back enough to finish it

maybe i'll rewatch the show once s4 finishes airing and it'll come back to me, who knows

16) what are your writing strengths?

i think i'm good at like, inserting little bits of humour into my narration to keep it engaging, and recently i think i've been getting better at imagery and metaphor

17) what are your writing weaknesses?

well first of all i'm not good at seeing longer projects through to the end lol

and in general my fics tend to be more vibes than plot, which is good sometimes but also... sometimes plot would be good

18) what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

i mean... is there a good reason for it? if yes, sure, if i can make sure it's accurate (linguistically, culturally, and also for the character). if not, why would i?

19) what was the first fandom you wrote for?

harry potter lmao i am a stereotypical millennial

20) what’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

you would make me choose amongst my children???

but uhhhh okay here is a gilmore girls pwp i like a lot lmao and this buddie fic is just. idiots to lovers in its purest form which i love a lot. and let's not forget vampire!buck, my beloved, more of whom is coming your way at uhhh some point in the not too distant future

tagging people still makes me anxious but uhh hey @ace-diaz you wanna do this? (and anyone else who sees it and wants to!)

#shush emma #emma writes

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