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steddiealltheway · 3 months

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Part Four of The Danger in Romanticizing. Part One. Part Three. Ao3 Link

Steve reaches out beside him, trying to wind his arms around the warm body next to him. His arms wrap around a bare torso, smooth even as his fingertips trace over tattooed skin. He presses his chest against the man’s back, pulling him in closer and burying his face in the dark messy curls and breathing in deep.

It feels... perfect.

Steve wonders how he got so lucky to be able to wake up next to this perfect man.

His heart thuds in his chest gradually getting louder and faster to the point that it startles Steve. He slowly cracks an eye open, wondering what the hell is happening, confusion clouding his brain.

“Steve!” Robin yells, knocking louder. “Wake up!”

Steve is suddenly startled back into reality, scrambling back and staring at the pillow in his arms that used to be...

Fuck.

That would be the last time Steve goes to bed thinking about not thinking about Eddie which ultimately ended with him... thinking about him. And dreaming about him.

He groans and rubs his hands over his face.

“Steve!”

“Just a minute,” Steve groans. He slowly makes his way out of bed and opens the door a few inches. “What?”

Robin looks him up and down. “What type of dream were you having? You’ve never slept that deeply before.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Steve says, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the doorframe. “What time is it?”

“Ten.”

Steve cracks an eye open. “What?”

“Yeah, you slept in for once. But hey, do you want to go to Chrissy’s and Eddie’s tonight? They invited us over for dinner.”

The last thing Steve needs to do is see Eddie. “Yeah, that sounds great.” Shit.

Robin smiles wide and says, “Great. Now shower before you stink up the place.”

Steve gives her a look before he shuts the door. He glances down at his chest and notices the way his chest hair is slightly damp with sweat. “Gross,” he mumbles as he grabs a towel and makes his way to the bathroom to try to wash away all memories of the PG dream that somehow wrecked him.

-:-:-:-:-:-

All day, Steve tries not to worry about the upcoming visit.

It’s just Chrissy, Robin, and the man who he’s only seen twice who is quickly taking up all the space in his brain.

It doesn’t help that Robin’s been pressing him about the dream which was first out of concern when she thought his nightmares had come back. Once Steve had (regrettably) informed her that the dream was definitely not a nightmare, her concern turned into morbid curiosity.

“Come on, you’ve told me about your wet dreams before. Why is this any different?” Robin asks as she puts on mascara.

Steve fixes his hair in the mirror next to her and groans, “It wasn’t a wet dream.”

“Okay, so an even easier dream to share with your best friend,” she says, nudging him.

And any other time, Steve would’ve given in, but with the subject of his dream being the best friend of Robin’s girlfriend, who Steve swore he didn’t like, it makes things... complicated.

Robin gasps, “Was it something about Collin?”

Steve grimaces, “God no. Don’t put those thoughts in my head or my unconscious brain might betray me.”

“And did it betray you last night?”

Steve narrows his eyes at her. “Why do you want to know so badly?”

“Because it’s clearly bothering you!”

“I think it’s bothering you more than it’s bothering me,” Steve snarks back.

Robin huffs, “You’re deflecting.”

“Dating a psych major has expanded your vocabulary, I see.”

“Steve.”

He sighs and turns to Robin. “It was nothing really. I was just cuddling with some random person, and it didn’t make me want to get out of bed apparently.”

The frown on Robin’s face deepens as she moves back from the mirror and puts her mascara down. Her eyes follow the tube down to the counter as she contemplates something. She turns to Steve and asks, “Do you want me to try to set you up with someone?”

Steve instantly thinks of Eddie and suppresses a groan as he shakes his head. There’s no use trying to get with someone else until he can successfully unromanticize Eddie. And yes, it’ll be torture, but he doesn’t want to hurt someone else in the process like he has in the past.

“Whatcha thinking about?” Robin asks gently.

Steve gives her a sad smile and shakes his head. “I was really an asshole in high school.”

Robin lays a hand on his arm and squeezes. “No use punishing yourself for it now.”

He knows she’s trying to help him feel better, but it just further confirms what he already knows. He wishes he could call some of the girls he dragged around back when he was so hung up on Nancy and couldn’t think about the feelings of anyone else involved. But it’s too late now.

Steve glances at himself in the mirror. He knows he hasn’t physically changed too much from when he was in high school considering it’s only been a few years, but he sees a new haunted expression in his eyes that didn’t use to be there before. He’s grateful that Robin and the kids had such a drastic effect on his life and changed his entire worldview, but sometimes he misses the blissful ignorance that came with being a popular asshole.

He glances down at his watch and decides he should probably change into something more presentable for dinner. His heart lifts a little when he thinks about wearing his blue polo with the green stripe and hoping Eddie will find some amusement in his preppy choice. “I’m gonna get changed,” Steve dismisses himself, quick to lock himself in his room so he can stare in the mirror longer than necessary.

Soon enough, he’s listening to Robin’s poor instructions as she attempts to guide him to Chrissy and Eddie’s place while getting distracted and forgetting key turns. “You’ve been dating Chrissy for a month now; shouldn’t you stop worrying about perfecting your mascara?”

Robin continues to stare at herself in the mirror, somehow still focused on the mascara she’s been touching up for hours before they even left. “I would like to date her for another month, and if that means perfect mascara, then I’m keeping it that way.”

Steve rolls his eyes at her and hits his brakes sharply when Robin yells at him to turn right. He sighs and asks, “And in the two years you’ve known her, you’ve had perfect mascara every time?”

“I would touch it up anytime we were put on a shift together at the coffee shop.”

“And every time during your destined first class together?” Steve asks, smiling as he recalls all the time Robin would come home bitching and moaning about how wonderful her coworker Chrissy seemed but she never had a chance with her. But last year when they unknowingly registered for the same class and Chrissy sat next to her, Robin seemed to have a small change of heart. She used to tell Steve that the universe perfectly aligned in order to get a class with her. Steve was quick to point out that it was pretty lucky for her to already be working at the campus coffee shop with her.

“Every time,” Robin says.

Steve shakes his head and checks his hair in the mirror as they approach a stop sign. He quickly stops himself when he realizes he’s a bit of a hypocrite to make fun of Robin for wanting to look perfect when he’s doing the same thing.

“Oh! It’s right there!” Robin says as Steve nearly misses the turn into the apartment complex.

Thankfully, Robin puts her mascara away and guides him to a parking space. When they get out, Steve stares up at the building and whistles low. It’s one of the nicer apartment complexes in the area that he and Robin couldn’t afford when they first got here.

“They’re on the third floor,” Robin announces, gesturing for Steve to follow her.

As he makes his way up to the top floor, Steve thinks that maybe he does prefer their cheaper first-floor apartment. He takes a deep breath as Robin knocks on the first door to the right. It swings open almost immediately and Chrissy practically jumps out of the door to hug Robin.

Steve smiles and politely averts his eyes to let them have their moment. He hears Chrissy say, “Steve!” as he’s also pulled into a tight hug before being welcomed inside.

He looks around at the space, a living room decorated with nice darker blue and pale pink tones in front of him and an open kitchen to the right with a tall kitchen island that acts as a bar next to a small dining area. There’s only one hallway to the right where he assumes Chrissy’s and Eddie’s rooms are.

“Eddie! Our guests are here!”

Steve smiles as he hears light cursing coming from the room on the left, closest to the living room before the door flies open and Eddie leans out with a sheepish look on his face. “And what if I said my room is not ready for Steve’s tour?”

Chrissy rolls her eyes. “Then I would say that you’ve been in there for hours procrastinating, and I would ask if a clean room is a true representation of how you live.”

“Then I would say you’re rude.”

Chrissy sticks her tongue out at him before grabbing Robin’s hand and pulling her to the kitchen to test something she’s cooking.

“It smells amazing in here,” Steve says as he takes in the smell of baking bread.

“That’s all Chrissy. I’m pretty sure I would burn the place down if I attempted to make a grilled cheese,” Eddie confesses as he makes his way to Steve.

Steve laughs. “What do you do when Chrissy isn’t available to cook?”

“He starves!”

Eddie glares at Chrissy momentarily. “I know how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and order takeout.”

“Very impressive, Munson,” Robin says with a laugh.

Eddie frowns and wraps his arm around Steve’s shoulders. “I’m going to take Steve here on a nice tour of the place so I can get away from you two.” As the girls roll their eyes, Eddie lowers his voice and says, “You see what I have to deal with every time you’re not around?”

Steve turns to him and fights the urge to run a nervous hand through his hair because of the close proximity. “It’s a very rough life you live.”

“Someone understands!” Eddie exclaims dramatically. “And before anyone can argue with me, let me start your tour.” He grabs Steve’s hand and runs down the hall which startles a laugh out of him.

“Why are we running?”

“It’s a speed tour so you don’t get the chance to truly look at my room! But first, we have Chrissy’s room.” Eddie opens the door on the right and gestures around at the room filled with pretty pastels. “She has a wonderful bathroom to herself but much less closet space.”

Before Steve can really comment or take it in, Eddie rushes off to the door to his room, opens it, and shuts it. “My room.”

“Wait,” Steve says as he gets a flash of dark colors and clutter. “You can’t do that.”

“My house, my rules.”

Steve goes to cross his arms but doesn’t when he realizes Eddie’s hand is still in his. “And what if I break the rules?” he challenges.

“We’ll just have to see, won’t we?” Eddie flirts easily.

“Eddie!” Chrissy groans loudly. “Stop being a perv.”

Eddie sighs, “I’m not- hey!”

Steve takes the distraction to open the door and rush into the room, nearly stepping into a pile of clothes in the process. He wasn’t lying when he said it was not ready for a tour.

“Well… this is me…” Eddie comments, scratching at his neck and flushing a light shade of pink. He stoops over and grabs a pile of clothes before dumping them in a laundry basket in the corner of the room.

So, maybe he isn’t so perfect after all. Steve tries to shrug away the thought that maybe that’s okay and instead tries to focus on chiseling away at the perfect image he’s started to form of Eddie. He glances around at the posters covering the wall with things that Steve doesn’t recognize until he spots a few picture frames on Eddie’s desk. He bends down and sees a picture of Eddie with an older man. “Is this the uncle you told me about? The one that works at the plant.”

“You remember that?” Eddie asks as he makes his way over to the table.

“Of course,” Steve comments nonchalantly.

Eddie gives him a quick questioning look before turning his gaze toward the photo. A fond look crosses over his face. “Yeah, that’s my uncle Wayne.” He points at another picture frame with a picture of him and a few guys with matching shirts on. “That’s both Hellfire Club and Corroded Coffin – my metal band.” He moves on to the next frames and continues, “And you’ll never guess who those two are.”

Steve laughs at the picture of Chrissy and Eddie in graduation gowns much like the picture he has with Robin except Eddie’s sticking his tongue out and making devil horns with his fingers while Chrissy laughs and holds up what looks like a pom-pom.

“Chrissy was a cheerleader?”

Eddie snorts. “The queen cheerleader actually. I carried that pom-pom under my gown during that whole ceremony so she could have it in photos.”

Steve smiles as his mind tries to form the memory. He looks around at the other frames and can’t help but ask, “There's no pictures of you and… the sort of boyfriend who has no name?”

Eddie huffs and looks down. “No, it’s not… like that. I don’t think. It’s not serious, I mean. Maybe. I don’t know.” He shakes his head and quietly says, “His name is Declan.”

“Declan?” Steve can’t help but say with a laugh.

“What’s wrong with the name?” Eddie asks defensively but a small smile tugs at his lips.

Steve just shrugs and repeats, “Declan.” The name doesn’t feel right.

Eddie sighs, “Well, it’s not like he chose it, Steve.”

The tone Eddie says his name makes Steve cross his arms. “What’s wrong with my name, Eddie?”

An interesting redness creeps up Eddie’s neck as he shakes his head and says, “Nothing.” He suddenly gasps and grabs Steve’s hand, tugging him to the corner of his room. “I have to show you my sweetheart.”

Steve’s heart simultaneously skips a beat and sinks as the nickname slips out of Eddie’s mouth. But then Eddie is gently caressing a guitar hanging on the wall in a way that makes Steve’s heart yearn for the same touch.

“She’s gorgeous,” Steve comments, turning his attention to the guitar. And although he’s never known much about instruments, he can understand why this one deserves the attention it receives from its owner. And it’s especially gorgeous when Steve imagines that same owner playing it, slowly moving his fingers across the strings and-

Steve shakes his head and tries to get a grip of himself, but he can’t help but envision something with Eddie especially when the whole “not serious” comment plays over and over in his head.

“You alright?”

Steve glances back at Eddie and nods with a tight smile. “Just lost in thought.”

It seems as if Eddie’s going to ask what he’s thinking about, but instead, he says, “Let’s finish up the tour.” He maneuvers around a stack of papers and books lying on the ground and leads Steve to another door on the left side of his room. “And here is my meticulous bathroom that Chrissy requires me to keep clean in case we have guests over.”

Steve glances around as Eddie leads him through it to the other door that leads right back into the open living space. “Weird layout, I know. But it’s grown on me.” Eddie shrugs and gestures at the end of the hall. “That there is our laundry room, but that’s not important. What is important is this,” Eddie announces, grabbing Steve’s hand again.

Steve can tell that Robin is staring at them, but he lets himself get lost in all that is Eddie as a tour guide when he suddenly yanks the curtains on the wall open. At first, Steve thinks it’s some type of joke until pink and orange light somewhat blinds him as a glass door is revealed. Eddie opens it up immediately and tugs him out onto a small balcony with a small porch swing. But Steve barely notices it as he stares out at the view.

He hears a small creak behind him and he turns to see Eddie sitting on the porch swing, rocking back and forth slowly. He gestures Steve over, and he’s quick to join him, liking how it’s on the smaller side so he has an excuse to stay in Eddie’s space as he looks out at the sunset. “It’s beautiful,” Steve comments, not sure what else he can say to describe the sight. He’s never been the greatest with words, but beautiful seems to encapsulate the moment perfectly.

They both sit there in silence for a few moments, leaning into each other’s space and watching as the sun paints the sky as it slowly goes down.

Eddie pushes his shoulder into Steve’s a bit before quietly asking, “So, everything went alright with Buckley, I assume?”

Steve’s heart sinks as he recalls the previous day. “Yeah, we talked it out a bit and had a nice night. But I’m sorry you witnessed that and thank you again for all that you did.”

“It wasn’t much,” Eddie shrugs it off.

Steve turns to him and looks him in the eye, catching the way the light makes his eyes turn an amber color that nearly distracts him from what he’s saying. “It meant a lot to me.”

The sincerity of it must unnerve Eddie, as he quickly changes the subject. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed by the way.”

“Noticed what?” Steve asks.

Eddie’s eyes flicker down. “The horrendous polo.”

Steve laughs and can’t help but note that Chrissy was right about Eddie deflecting with humor, but maybe one day he’ll be able to get past that.

“You look good though,” Eddie admits and turns away as he says it; the lack of the overly flirtatious tone Eddie usually uses makes Steve feel damn butterflies in his stomach.

“You do too,” Steve replies, taking a moment to truly appreciate Eddie’s aesthetic from the ripped jeans to the band tee shirt with a hem that was cropped probably with a pair of blunt scissors to the big silver rings that adorn his fingers. But Steve’s eyes rest on a bit of blank ink peeking out from under the collar of Eddie’s shirt. “You have to tell me what your tattoos mean.”

Eddie smiles softly and points at the bats on the side of his arm. “This was my first one, and I was absolutely scared shitless. I mean-”

There’s a light knock on the door that interrupts them. Chrissy pokes her head out and says, “Phone for you, Eddie.”

Eddie sighs, “Is it important?”

Steve can’t help but feel a little pride at the fact that Eddie would be willing to ignore a phone call to continue this conversation with him.

“Not to me, but I guess it would be to you,” Chrissy answers with an edge to her voice.

Steve sees Eddie’s entire persona shift as he stands up quickly and asks, “Now?”

Chrissy nods but doesn’t look pleased about it while Eddie glances at Steve and back at the living room a few times before mumbling, “Shit,” under his breath and rushing inside.

Steve stands up cautiously and gives Chrissy a look. “Sorry,” Chrissy says entirely apologetic as Steve follows her back inside. But by then, the call is already over, and Eddie is rushing off to his room.

Steve watches as Chrissy storms off after him and closes the door behind her with a little more force than needed. “What’s happening?” Steve asks Robin.

Robin just shrugs and watches cautiously as it’s revealed to them that Eddie’s and Chrissy’s walls are much more soundproof than their own. But as muffled as it is, there’s no mistaking that an argument is occurring.

“Would it be horrible if we snuck into the joint bathroom so we could listen in?” Robin whispers.

Before Steve can answer, the door to Eddie’s room opens, and Eddie comes out having changed into a black pair of jeans with no rips, a plain black shirt, no rings, and his hair in a low ponytail. Chrissy follows him out with a clearly frustrated look on her face. “You said you would be here for this dinner.”

Eddie turns around and argues, “You know he doesn’t call often!”

“Because he isn’t good for you!”

“Because he works hard! He’s always on call at the hospital! I’ve told you this, Chris!”

Chrissy follows him toward the front door. “You could’ve invited him to dinner.”

Eddie turns back and lowly says, “You know that’s not how he works he… I don’t know.’

“Please, Eddie, listen to yourself.”

Eddie shakes his head and grabs his keys and wallet out of a bowl by the front door. “Don’t do this right now, okay? Just let me have this moment so I don’t upset him.”

The pair stare at each other for a few moments, a brief silent exchange occurring between the two of them that makes Steve wonder if that’s what he and Robin look like.

“At least apologize to our guests,” Chrissy says curtly.

Eddie glances at the two of them slowly, cringing as he takes Steve and Robin in as if had forgotten about them. “I’m sorry. I just… I have to go.” His eyes linger on Steve for a moment before he repeats, “I have to go,” and rushes out of the apartment.

Chrissy puts her head in her hands and sighs as the door closes loudly. “I apologize on his behalf.”

As Steve finally processes the conversation, he gently asks, “Was that about Declan?”

Chrissy nods and looks back at them tiredly. “Yes.” A timer goes off, saving her from saying anything else as she preps the dinner made for four.

The disappointment settles in Steve’s gut, but he tells himself not to let it show. He’s been there before, having feelings so intensely for someone that it seems like the most important thing in the world. And the feelings are only exasperated by someone who only gives you some of their time as if you’re a second thought… and by the sounds of it… Steve wonders what Eddie’s definition of “perfect” is. And how far he’s already romanticized this man.

Selfishly, he wonders if he would ever be better than the romanticization, and if Eddie would ever choose him over this “sort of” boyfriend.

Steve shakes his head. Slowly but surely, his own romanticization is being chiseled away, and as much as he knows it’s a good thing, it feels so bad.

Tag List, I know it's been MONTHS. I am so so sooooo sorry ahhhhh. But I have SO MANY plans. I SWEAR. I love you guys:

@henderdads @heyitsmeep @estrellami-1 @she-collects-smut @paperbackribs @panicatthediaz @the-unforgivenn @mackdaddyofheimlichcountyy @bookworm0690 @steddiereid @cherries-and-smoke @brbsoulnomming @deadfromtheneckdown @cosmos-lore @vhelt @i-less-than-three-you @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @whycantiuseunderscore @ytmnzwhre @vacantwatchers @ilovecupcakesandtea @irregular-child @spilled-jar @snapshotmaestro @myownworstenemyyy @silversnaffles

@surreal-honeypot @redfreckledwolf @dcamato @lostonceandneverfound @ajs624 @auroraplume @space-invading-pigeon @bookbinderbitch @leather-and-freckles @inapickleinajar @phirex22 @notaqueenakhaleesi @beckkthewreck @mightbeasleep @th30ra3k3n @fandomfix8 @tanthamorelover @3ldr1tchang3l @little-trash-ghost @haelreadsshit @moonythepluviophile @saramelaniemoon @slutty-weather @tinyplanet95 @foolishness-and-confusion @ape31 @thephantomhood @ilikeititspretty @zaddipax @jcmadgirl @shotgunhallelujah @notfromtwitter

@monsterloverforhire @sherilitchi @anaibis @ashwagandalf @overhillunderhill @marklee-blackmore @messrs-weasley @tolgakolik @pearynice @fruitandbubbles @classof86baby @aellafreya @r1ver-6 @l0st-strawberry @munsonslure @moltenchocolatelavacake @sleepdeprivedflower @0milkman0 @ihavekidneys @bird-with-pencils @sharingisntkaren @novelnovella @zoeweee @socksfanpage @viridianphtalo @octopus-in-cripsis @lillemilly @genderless-spoon @pineappleskiesxx @meganwinchester @phoenixtheone @jaybren @patricks-fabulous-face @idoquitelikebread

#steddie #eddie munson #steve harrington #steddie fanfic #steddie fic #stranger things #the danger in romanticizing fic

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mcflymemes · 4 months

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PROMPTS FROM SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS * some of my favorite quotes from the show, adjust as necessary

his chops are too righteous!

it’s evil. it’s diabolical. it’s lemon scented!

lord knows i’ve tried.

two words. na. chos.

yeah, i get called that a lot.

it's just a cruel reminder that i'm single and likely to remain that way forever.

what doesn't kill you usually succeeds in the second attempt.

stupidity isn't a virus, but it sure is spreading like one.

goodbye everyone, i’ll remember you all in therapy.

don't you have to be stupid somewhere else?

i used to have a kidney stone. everything passes eventually.

you can't fool me. i listen to public radio!

stop it, [name], you're scaring him!

do instruments of torture count?

give to the children's fund? what have the children ever done for me?

this is not your average, everyday darkness. this is... advanced darkness.

what's better than serving up smiles?

i guess i'm not wearing any pants today.

did you smell it? that smell. a kind of smelly smell. the smelly smell that smells… smelly.

wake me up when i care.

look at all the hip, young people eating salads!

he was so ugly that everyone died.

the best time to wear a striped sweater is all the time!

well, the way i see it, there are three possibilites.

hibernation is the opposite of beauty sleep.

that’s it mister! you just lost your brain privileges!

good people don’t rip other people’s arms off.

well, we lost our car again.

pull your pants up. we’re going home.

you were right. fighting is for children.

i’m a good noodle!

remember, licking doorknobs is illegal on other planets.

your ceiling is talking to me!

we don’t need television.

the inner machinations of my mind are an enigma.

i’ll have you know i stubbed my toe last week while watering my spice garden and i only cried for twenty minutes.

hey, if i close my eyes, it doesn’t seem so dark.

is mayonnaise an instrument?

those are some big words. i’ve never heard you use them before.

my vocabulary is infinitely expanding.

we destroyed your most prized possession.

we shall never deny a guest even the most ridiculous request.

let’s see, a five letter word for happiness. money.

can i have everybody’s attention?

i have to use the bathroom.

do you know what day today is?

could you not stand so close? you’re making me claustrophobic.

i used your clarinet to unclog my toilet.

are they laughing at us?

if you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.

he needs us now more than ever.

what is today, but yesterday’s tomorrow?

ice is just a myth.

this working out thing isn’t working out.

i can’t see my forehead.

i have a good idea, and no one else thinks so.

look at you, so young and happy.

i prefer to be an idiot!

sounds like a pretty good deal to me, what do you say?

don’t be sad, buddy. turn that frown upside down!

i’m ugly and i’m proud!

good! say it louder!

i can’t do it! i can’t be away from my best friend!

i need you! i can’t handle this myself!

i’m just going on vacation for a few days.

i was kinda hoping that you come along with us…

enjoy the cake everybody!

now we never have to be apart, even when we’re not together.

this is great. see you forever!

i have to keep you safe while i get some work done!

maybe he doesn’t like us.

no, are you kidding?

i propose a toast to new friends!

i guess i’ll have to move in back with my mom and dad.

he’s a thief. look at the lust in his eye…

why can’t you just accept our friendship?

#rp meme #rp memes #rp prompt #roleplay memes #roleplay prompt #rp starters #ask meme #ask memes #roleplay meme #roleplay inbox prompts #rp inbox meme #inbox prompt #inbox meme #sentence starter prompt #sentence starter #sentence starters #mcflymemes #spongebob squarepants

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nimata-beroya · 2 years

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Star Wars Writing Resources

Note: None of the resources below are mine. I just assembled them in one place for your and my convenience. Feel free to use and reblog. If you know of any other useful site missing from the list, let me know and I'll gladly add it.

NOTE (05/17/23): There's a new, much more comprehensive version HERE.

Places

Interactive Galaxy Map by Henry Bernberg

Map of the Galaxy

List of planets and moons [Wikipedia /needs expanding]

Planet Name Generator 1 [SciFi Ideas]

Planetary System Generator [Donjon]

Character Development

Star Wars Name Generator 1 [Donjon]

Star Wars OC flow chart by @thefoodwiththedood

Star Wars Name Generator 2 [FantasyNames]

Star Wars Name Generator 3 [FantasyNames]

The character creator

Droid Name Generator

Star Wars Randomizer by @aureutr

Clone Trooper face/helmet template pack by @fox-trot

Clone Picrew by @batdad

Character Picrew [Twi-leks, Zabraks, Torgutas and Nautolans] @/megaramikaeli

Star Wars Character Templates by SmacksArt [the ULTIMATE battery of template for any human/humanoid original character in any era. From troopers to droids, from Jedi to Sith, from KOTOR to the sequel Trilogy. 100% RECOMMENDED]

Miscellaneous

Standard Calendar and Holidays [including month names!]

Galactic Standard Calendar [wookiepedia // including week day names]

Date converter according to SWTOR [Google sheet]

Hyperspace Travel Times (to calculate how much time would take to go from point A to point B within the GFFA)

Materials (fabrics, leathers, silks, plastics, construction, metal composites, etc.)

List of TCW Opening Quotes

Ship Generator 3D

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Republic Military Hierarchy Flowcharts by @cacodaemonia

Languages; Phrases and Slang; Vocabulary

Coruscant Translator (from/to Basic from/to Old Corellian, Proto-Basic, and Smuggler's Cant; Catharese and High Cathar; Cheunh and Minnisiat; Echani and Thyrsian; Mirialan; Flora Colossi, Ortolan, and -everyone's favorite- Mando'a)

In-Universe phrases and slang [Google sheet]

List of phrases and slang [wookiepedia]

List of equivalents to real-world objects [wookiepidia]

Star Wars Menu Generator

Helpful blogs

The amazing @fox-trot, who not only makes astonishing art and write an amazing fic, she also responds to medical questions and gives all kinds of references for writing medic characters.

@writebetterstarwars, which seems to be inactive, but there are a bunch of references there.

@howtofightwrite The place to find out how to write a good fight scene.

@scriptmedic no longer active, but it has a great deal of useful information.

@scripttorture for your whump needs. Major trigger warning for all its content.

Writing in General (For those who don't want to die like Stormtroopers)

SlickWrite: Completely free; online. Checks grammar, punctuation, flow, and writing style according to different settings (including fiction writing).

ProWritingAid: [RECOMMENDED] One of the most thorough online proofreader I've ever used. Although when using a free account gives extremely thorough feedback, it gives +20 different in-depth reports for only the first 500 words for free. However, you can earn a premium account license (for a year or for life) if you get 10 or 20 new users signing up for free; (if you wouldn't mind doing so using the link above and help me earn mine, please). The settings allow you to check your writing according to your needs, from general to formal to creative. It has a bonus that you can check depending on the genre you're writing. For example, in creative, you can choose romance or sci-fiction (there are 14 sub-genre in total). And just like google docs, you can share a document, and people can view, comment or edit.

LanguageTool: [RECOMMENDED] Another excellent proofreader. It also has a word limit in free accounts, but if you use the add-on for Google Docs, it counts each page as a new document, so hitting the limit is nearly impossible. It helps you to rewrite a sentence, even if it doesn't raise any flags; it's very useful for when your sentence is grammatically correct, but it doesn't feel quite right.

Grammarly, Hemingway Editor: No so great, but they do the basic job.

#star wars writing resources #star wars #the mandalorian #the bad batch #sw rebels #the clone wars #obi wan kenobi #obi wan kenobi show #tbobf #the book of boba fett #andor

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stormikins · 1 month

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Mass Effect: Failed Opportunities.

An informal rant essay about my opinions and thoughts (and ideas/suggestions) about the choices made in Mass Effect Three. This is all because of this one post, and my friend (@xoshepard) giving me a compliment about my Shepard came back wrong headcanons. So. I’m fueled by validation and rage. A summary of the mentioned post is anonymous regrets that BioWare didn't explore the implications of Shepard dying and coming back and the fact that Liara helped Cerberus in doing so.

Disclaimer: I am a hater in this. I am. No doubt about it. If you like the story and think it’s great and nothing is wrong with it— then I am so happy for you. Truly. I wish I was the same. So, this post might not be for you. Also, this is a rant, and I try to keep it sensible so apologies if it’s not.

Word Count: 3k

TLDR: BioWare flip flops between decisions and choices and never truly settles, disregards choices already made, and leaves players wanting (AND THEIR MOTHERS!) while eviscerating character personalities. Consistency is not in BioWare’s vocabulary. Or dictionary. Or thesaurus.

One of the things that I dislike the most about BioWare's choices regarding this matter is that Shepard starts having these crisis thoughts/questions about if their body is theirs or not, etc. not only in the third game, but at the end of it. The player is literally doing the mission that marks the point of no return in the end, the last of two until the game is finished, and now Shepard is voicing these thoughts. Roughly sixty-ish hours since the beginning of me2 if the player is a completionist. (not to mention how much more time in between playing bc people have lives but I digress). This isn’t a plot hole, it’s a speed bump the player trips over and then the game expects us to get back and get going while asking why our nose is bleeding. Fuck you BioWare.

Now, one could construe this into being part of Shepard's character; squashing down all these conflicting and worrying thoughts to focus on their mission, bc they are a soldier. They literally don't have time for this. But now they're physically confronted with their reconstruction post-awakening haze and/or denial about it all bc Cerberus could be them lying to Shepard bc of manipulation. All right. If that is supposed to be the implication, Shepard putting their mental focus on their mission, why didn't Shepard have this crisis when they were in lock-up for six months, aka where they literally only have time to think?

James having a throwaway comment to Shepard, or another crew member (bc they talk to each other now between missions!), about how he's worried about them, about how Shepard had a freak out some point in lock down, the level of 'freak out' does not need to be expanded upon. Hell, James can just say maybe they passed the time asking each other philosophical questions, maybe about consent and choices and bodily autonomy. It could help lend more weight with Shepard posing these questions during the Cerberus HQ bc these thoughts are still plaguing Shepard. Shepard dies-again-without getting closure-again. This would fall into the cycle theme that the games have.

But, like always, Bioware fails to capitalize on opportunity.

Now. The Citadel DLC. sighs Shepard's repeated variations of "don't want to talk about it" it being the clone and everything else that's happening in the DLC, lends more to the theory of Shepard's supposed to be repressing this all. But the counter point about Shepard having their crisis in lock-up still stands.

What could have been interesting is if Shepard had these identity issues in 2 and potentially in three and given that the Citadel DLC ends with the clone always dying canonically, it can be a pivotal moment for Shepard to realize that they are who they are, different than their me1 counterpart or not (it also would be cool if characters mentioned if the player was choosing choices that an imported me1 Shepard normally would not have) and to have a clarity moment that they are Shepard. This clone and these logs could have provided a clean tying of loose ends of Shepard having identity issues instead of the teammates saying two lines about how they know that Shepard is Shepard and Shepard simply... moving on bc you do all this in the middle of a base attack. The player's mind is already set on defeating Cerberus (finally) and getting revenge, on being so close to the end of the game! It's also OPTIONAL. Yes, the player is automatically entered into a dialogue wheel but the choice to leave without seeing what's on the logs is immediately available.

Another thing the previous post went into was Liara's involvement. Her part in Shepard's reconstruction is not explored in the game. The player never learns about how Liara helped, just that she did and that she lost Feron because of it all to the Shadow Broker. I will not go into the comics, bc 1. I have not read them and 2. If developers must depend on supplemental media to explain key plot points, they are in fact doing it wrong (this is a conversation for another time).

I would not be as bitter about Liara's involvement if the game treated it better. The player has to complete two quests to unlock the dialogue of Liara telling Shepard that she gave their body to Cerberus. Shepard’s renegade dialogue to Liara apologizing about giving their body over is as follows, “all this time, it wasn’t your sources. You knowingly gave me over to Cerberus. You did this to me!” SHEPARD DOESN’T SAY ANYTHING ELSE. JUST SITS BACK DOWN AND THE RENEGADE RESPONSE TO HER SECOND APOLOGY IS TO SAY, “Let me know if you need any more help,” AND YOU LEAVE. WHY IS THIS THE ONLY TIME SHEPARD ACKNOWLEDGES THIS. wow. AND WHY IS IT LIKE THIS? ITS OPTIONAL. I— Again, this could tie into Shepard bottling up feelings and acknowledging them in Me3, could show Shepard as an actual person is the game lets us choose to be mean or turn her off but alas, the player cannot because the game likes ruining Shepard’s character (which I’ll save that for later).

One could say that Liara would go to any lengths for those she loves, whether the player romanced her or not, but in the first game, we have no indication that she is willing to go this far. I have a belief that nothing is 'out of character' if the circumstances are right. Now, these circumstances are right: two important figures in Liara's life die (Shepard and her mother), Liara's only connection to her theories on the extinction of the reapers dies as well, the threat of the Reapers, and all the traumatic experiences she had during me1 and then the destruction of the Normandy all collide together to make it realistic that Liara wouldn't be able to let Shepard go. There is one thing, though, is that this is all boiled down into “I couldn't let you go” and the game doesn't show it. Doesn’t show Liara's descent down into this rabbit hole, doesn't show the switch getting flipped of her turning much more ruthless compared to her me1 characterization.

She does show ruthlessness in some regards in me1, willing to kill her mother no matter their relationship. But out of all the SR1 cast, she is one of the most paragon characters. The game does not show the shift into Liara's characterization. No commentary from Me1 companions about how Liara suddenly shut them out, or from Feron talking about the things Liara was willing to do to get Shepard. No comments from Miranda and Jacob who I do know were part of the retrieval mission about how Liara acted. Liara is just immediately introduced with quoting her mother’s threats. WHICH IS SO INTERESTING! Again AGAIN the game goes nowhere with this. We get optional dialogue from Aethyta about the Matriarch’s being concerned about her but that is optional, and only if the player talked to her in Me2 does she show up in Me3 and deliver said dialogue. Liara herself never confronts this. Even when SHE TALKS ABOUT HER MOTHER. LISTEN— LIARA COULD HAVE TURNED INTO A SCIENTIST THAT WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR HER RESEARCH. TO PROVE HERSELF RIGHT BECAUSE SHE IS, SHE KNOWS IT AND SHE’LL DO ANYTHING LIKE BRINGING SOMEONE’S DEAD BODY TO A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION TO RESSURECT AND YET—

Garrus, on the other hand, gets his new characterization explained. In me1 he already tends to be reckless, ruthless, and selfish. It is no surprise that when Shepard died and the Council buried the truth, he went vigilante. The game shows his new bleak outlook on life bc we find him fighting for his life in a base full of dead bodies and then he explains he got betrayed. We deal with his character arc. We do not deal with Liara’s.

One could argue that could go and show how Shepard wakes up two years in the future and everything is different and confusing. Which I will agree with. If it was purposeful. And I don’t think it is, personally.

She doesn’t stay this new ruthless way. I am not saying she can’t be more than one-dimensional; I like that she can be soft with Shepard and the other companions. But all of a sudden, she, the character whose introduction in Me3 is her popping a singularity and gunning down two Cerberus goons with a cold look on her face, “can’t be that callous” about not focusing on the death numbers in the middle of a war zone because “that’s my home down there”. A home she rarely talks about, and she’s also been in numerous war zones just as bad as this. Liara, who spent more time in digs or collecting intel than with people, feels a sudden connection with her people.

I would like Liara a lot more if they didn’t eviscerate her character, thank you. Don’t take this the wrong way, I love her, I think she’s great. She just has the potential to be so much more.

Like—

Mass Effect for some reason, tries not to be an RPG. They don't give the players a proper choice/dialogue to allow Shepard to be mad at Liara about what she did. Or to stay mad. (I am not going to get into the debate of whether being mad at Liara should be a renegade option or paragon). It would make sense for someone to get pissed at the person who gave their dead body over to scientists to reanimate, but also terrorist scientists. The same terrorists that Shepard potentially fought in Me1 and also potentially discovered were behind the whole sale slaughter of their entire platoon and the torture of the only other survivor of the incident.

(I can’t remember if Shepard ever mentions Akuze to Cerberus. Funny, isn’t it. How the games like to take away Shepard’s agency but not in any compelling way.)

Besides, simply not choosing paragon options, it’s never mentioned again what Liara did to Shepard, which makes sense if Shepard accepted Liara’s apology. But what if Shepard, and the player, doesn’t? Liara’s forced on the player in Me3 as Shepard potential confidant, showing up repeatedly to Shepard’s cabin to move the plot forward, give Shepard missions/updates. Yes, the player can refuse to get personal with her which I do appreciate it. Like I said, Liara’s actions never get brought up in any meaningful way to help Shepard on a character journey.

Another failed opportunity about Shepard’s character is when the games don’t get into what Shepard is like post-resurrection. The game seems to be in the middle ground of making Shepard different but not still human, but in actuality, they can in the words of Hannah Montana, have “the best of both worlds”.

Me2 shows how Shepard is different now. “I’ve noticed a few upgrades,” Shepard states when talking to the Illusive Man on Minute Man station. Shepard can have multiple hard-hitting drinks in a row along with Ryncol in Dark Star, Zakera Ward. A poison tailored for humans served by a batarian bartender in the lower segment of Afterlife only knocks Shepard out, not killing them like it does to every human before.

That is how far the game will go in showing how different Shepard is, not counting renegade scarring. Which is a waste.

Shepard is The Protagonist. The main character. They have done the actual impossible. They are the Sole Survivor, the Hero of Elysium, the Butcher of Torfan, Savior of the Citadel, repeller of Geth, Collector, and Reaper armies and a host of other incredible achievements. They are a prophet, the damned, a modern-day Cassandra. The tip of the Spear, the Diplomat, the Soldier. Coats in the FOB on Earth says that it means something to the soldiers to see Shepard with them. They are “a tool, an agent with a singular purpose,” TIM calls them. (And a Karen ‘accuse her of classism’).

And yet, when Shepard gets revived—the most impossible of all things (and yes, it’s not like they had anything to do with it, it was Miranda and her team, but the Lazarus project only had one subject)—they are not made further into something larger than life. Something Other. Something that sets them out from the others. Because they’re Commander Fucking Shepard.

They literally have a vision of a dying race in their head that propels them to stop the Reapers. Me1 does a great job of playing with it. The player sees it once in Me2 and Me3, a side mission (Blue Suns: Archaeological Site) and after retrieving Javik, respectively.

Mass effect is all about cycles. The Reaper’s, Saren/Tim parallels, etc. What could have been interesting was instead of the reoccurring dream we have about a child that gets his emotional impact tarnished because of said dream and the star-child, the game does a mesh of the vision, prothean civilization in ruin, and the ruins we see of current civilizations from the missions Shepard goes on. Keep the oily shadows that whisper quotes from our dead teammates, but also have their voices coming from long dead Protheans pleading with Shepard to stop the Reapers, to save them.

Shepard can’t get any escape from the war, from the Reapers in their sleeping nor waking hours.

The game not making Shepard Other and going in the opposite direction—that despite all these upgrades Shepard is still human—would be fine if it was done better. A good stereotype of “I’m only human” is when a character fails. Shepard fails in Me3 most prominently on Thessia. I’m all for having characters fail but only when it’s done not so obnoxiously.

It’s a terrible fight. It is. Kai Leng hides behind a gunship that Shepard took down at least three separate times in Me2. Two of these instances are non-optional (Garrus and Samara’s recruitment, with Kasumi’s loyalty quest being the third). So, Shepard—Commander Shepard who literally destroyed a proto-Reaper—can’t destroy a gunship. It’s insulting how they ruin Shepard’s character in three.

In the end cutscene, Shepard clearly hears and registers that Kai Leng orders the gunship to fire on the supports of the structure and… runs further into the building. One could argue Shepard was trying to get the Prothean VI for the catalyst, but Liara is shown scanning it with her Omni-tool. What did she do, if not copy it? Why would she not? Why wouldn’t Shepard? They’re in the middle of a war zone, with enemies that were just right outside the door. Why stop for a chat here and now? (I know why, the plot demands it and lore dumping— lore that contradicts the lore dump by Vigil in Me1 so I’m even more inclined to not like these proceedings).

Kai Leng is Shepard’s nemesis in Me3 (and I’m forever mad that he is) and he’s supposed to be badass and edgy and able to go toe-to-toe with Shepard. Yet the game shows he can’t. He can’t reach his target because a terminally ill drell stopped him, or he didn’t notice Bau being cloaked in front of the Salarian councilor. (I can also go into how stupid this scene is with BOTH Thane and Bau).

He gets one over Shepard with the C-SEC sky car chase but that doubles back to BioWare ruining Shepard’s character by making them an idiot. Why not hit the brakes? Why not do a couple barrel rolls? Why fire through what should be bullet proof glass because it’s a C-SEC sky car?

Kai Leng can’t go toe-to-toe with Shepard unless Shepard gets dumbed down into an idiot and isn’t someone who reached not only Commander rank but also became the first human spectre. HELLO!?

So, Shepard failing and still being human and fallible doesn’t hit because they execute it poorly via Kai Leng and his stupid plot armor.

Who would be Shepard’s nemesis if not Kai Leng? HARBINGER. YOU KNOW THE REAPER THAT TAUNTED SHEPARD IN ME2? THE VERY FIRST REAPER MADE? THE REAPER THAT WE ONLY SEE—NOT TALK TO—SEE IN THE LAST HOUR OF THE GAME? THAT GUY. (matter of fact, throw in some of Harby’s arrogant lines about Shepard not being able to stop the Reapers in the alternative dream.) Harbinger should have possessed troops like he did in Me2 in the major Reaper battles. Earth. Menae. Thessia. He should have showed up somewhere, boasting about how they’re darkening the sky of every world. YES THAT’S A SOVEREIGN CALL BACK CYCLES! SHEPARD’S VISION IS COMING TRUE RIGHT BEFORE THEIR EYES AND HE’S NOT BRAGGING!? I THINK THE FUCK NOT! If you’re gonna make the Reapers so obsessed with Shepard as shown in Me2 with Harbinger’s comments and making a human looking Reaper, KEEP THE OBSESSION FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! I hate that the Reapers are obsessed with Shepard, Reapers who are above organics, have no weaknesses etc. and the entirety of Sovereign’s brilliant Virmire speech, because it’s not CARRIED OVER!

The enemies should have primarily been the Reapers from the start, and Cerberus the splinter group trying to sabotage the player. Make them smaller. Keep them kidnapping people for troops and biotic tests and lying about Sanctuary being a sanctuary and not run by Cerberus. Continuously have them send assassins—plural! Phantoms and nemesis— after Shepard with Kai Leng at the head of them. Even better if a strike group of baddies show up randomly during missions and watch out! Now Shepard has to deal with them as they fight the Reapers—in the same mission— because Cerberus wants to stop Shepard from killing the Reapers so they could control them and secure human dominance. Kai Leng is kept away from his target because they’re also fighting Shepard where Reapers are. Have them locked into statements until the environment falls apart literally forces them apart. Have them actually be equal adversaries.

Cerberus is introduced to be a mere group Shepard took out in Me1. They’re not all gone in Me2 surprise! Okay that’s fine and yet they not only sunk so many resources into Shepard and had so many cells gone rogue but they’re able to stage a coup on the Citadel! Pardon?? “But our resources are not unlimited, rebuilding you was a significant investment. And a significant risk,” Miranda tells Shepard in Me2. Cerberus kidnapping people on Benning would make sense if they’re scrambling for troops other than the relying on Sanctuary. (EVEN IN ME3 THERE ARE ‘ROGUE FACTIONS’— still a common occurrence for them. It’s never explained if Cerberus is lying about Benning or not). If they have these many rogue cells, again, how can they manage all they do in Me3? Especially if scientists are leaving Cerberus as well, aka the Ex-Cerberus Scientist mission Traynor gives you.

Yet, the player talks more to the Illusive Man than Harbinger in Me3, the leader of the Reapers, and we confront TIM at the end of the game, the most pivotal moment. The moment which people have sunk countless hours into, and we get a power hungry and indoctrinated TIM to… talk into shooting himself or firing a single bullet at him. There is no physical fight between the two. The conversation is similar to Saren’s and again, cycles are a theme, so why can’t we get a Reaper!TIM fight? The player, and Shepard, deserve the choice to fuck him up. This is a military game after all, they’re supposed to be encouraging our aggressive nature.

They ruin TIM but also Shepard.

Shepard never grows and changes like the characters around them, and their resurrection could have—should have—played a part in that. If they’re supposed to remain the same, be a tool for the narrative, make them it. Lean into that. The player chooses options. What would be an interesting mechanic is to make it a struggle for a certain background to get a certain morality. Have Shepard be stating doubts about who they are and if the player is contradicting a stereotypical background (Butcher trying to be paragon, a Hero trying to be renegade), they meet the camera—the players eyes—as they explain their inner turmoil. Make Shepard feel like the tool they are, like they’re not in control of their actions. A renegade overcoming it all and being a paragon hero, or a fall from grace paragon that brings the galaxy down with them. A renegade trapped in a cycle of violence (CYCLE) who can only see the world down the barrel of a gun, or a paragon who continuously chooses kindness. MAKE IT MEAN SOMETHING!

I think I’m done. So.

In conclusion, my love and passion for this game transitions into rage because of seeing possibilities squashed like a bug under a boot. To borrow Star War’s phrase: Mass Effect could be so good if it was good.

#mass effect #yes im putting this in the tag idc #anyways this was fun #im finally dictating my thoughts on ME3 cause it fucking sucks #ive played this game the most out of the entire trilogy and any other game i own

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malusokay · 2 years

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How to be confident part 2

After my first post on confidence, I started receiving many asks to please talk about this more! I love helping you guys grow and slowly become the person you dream of, so let's go <3

Be proud of your achievements.

No more people pleasing. Something I had to learn is that you don't have to be everyone's darling.

Get out of your comfort zone. Get a coffee and chat with the barista, go to a concert alone, try a new hobby and so on :)

Talk politely and expand your vocabulary. Reading and writing can help a lot!

Start journaling. Vent when you need to, it doesn't have to be pretty or aesthetic; clean your mind.

Watch your body language. Stand up straight, don't slouch, walk with purpose, and don't hide your hands.

Don't be afraid to ask questions.

Stop chasing people. The ones meant to stay in your life will remain with you. Sometimes we need to distance ourselves from people so we can grow! :)

Moisturized. I get nervous when my lips and hands are dry!

Keep your standards high. This applies to friendships, dating, grades, pretty much anything. Self-respect!!

Don't let people interrupt you!!

Start each day with a positive mindset. Get up in the morning with purpose and try to make the best out of any day. <3

Be on time. Coming late to something important is always a bit awkward.

Use fewer filler words when speaking. Uhm, just, like, I think, etc. Don't be afraid to slow down and think about what you want to say. Take your time!

Don't chase anyone's validation. Instead, do things for yourself and make yourself proud.

Unfollow people on social media that make you feel bad about yourself.

Be kind. I see people on TikTok all the time being rude and mean to appear confident. Let's be honest, they look quite silly, lol.

Have a signature scent! I like something that gives me comfort and helps me stay calm. My fav is vanilla. <3

Don't look at your phone when entering a room or going somewhere. Instead, try being as present as possible, or at least look like you are, lol.

Take care of your appearance. Whatever feels good to you, maybe get a lash lift, find makeup that works for you, clean nails, wear something you like...

Don't tell everyone your insecurities. Putting yourself down is not a good conversation topic.

Make time for yourself. Relax, recharge and focus on yourself. <3

Confidence is a huge deal, so if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments or my 'ask me anything'. I will also make a post soon on how to improve your public speaking! <3

I also plan on going through my asks Tomorrow (Sunday), so if you have anything you would like to share or need advice on, just submit it to the link above (the ask on, haha) <33

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autistic-duck · 11 months

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(Very long post, sorry.)

I had an experience with a college professor last semester that really got me thinking about academics and ableism, specifically in college writing.

A few months ago, my class was having an open discussion, and I brought up an opinion that had been on my mind for a while.

I basically said, "There's a gap between college-level writing and the average person's reading level that we need to fill. Nobody should need to look up words every three seconds to understand a study that could affect their life, so we either need more people to rewrite these studies for the general public to understand, or these studies, in general, should be published with language that isn't so complicated."

My professor responded by saying something like, "Sure, that's a good goal. However, wouldn't a better goal be to raise the average person's reading level so that everyone can understand college-level writing?"

I (in my frantic and confused way) tried to bring up the fact that there are people born at a disadvantage in life. In fact, getting everyone to a perfect college reading level isn't a realistic goal. It certainly isn't for me, and I don't want it to have to be for other people. In fact, the professor who told me this also struggled to understand the chapters we were assigned to read in that class.

Really, it all comes down to this: college-level language is inaccessible.

Even more importantly, many people will never be able to understand most of the huge words thrown around in college writing.

At school, I am constantly told my writing style is "simple" and "easy to understand." This is something my classmates have told me isn't "bad" but just "different." However, I'm still insecure whenever someone mentions it because it is always pointed out. I use a smaller vocabulary, they seem to say, but don't worry. It's just a preferred writing style, they reassure me. They think the simple language is a choice I could stop at any time.

Well, what if it isn't just a "style"? What if I struggle to expand my vocabulary? Learning one new word takes me ages because I need to see it in all kinds of contexts. Even then, oftentimes "context clues" are no help, and I completely misinterpret the meaning of a word for years because it seems like every other native English speaker knew what it meant without needing to say it. A lot of the time I'll read the definition of a new word and instantly forget it after finishing the sentence it was in.

So yeah, I'll say it with pride: Simple words are powerful. Simple words are beautiful. And most importantly, simple words are not inferior in any way to words like "quintessential" or "expedient." (I have no idea what either of those words mean even though I've looked them up plenty of times and used them accurately in essays before.)

Simplicity is why I like shows meant for all ages better than shows meant only for adults. Because in shows that are written with children in mind, there aren't confusing messages you have to spend energy untangling. There aren't unnecessary analogies or feelings that are "implied" but never said. The characters' facial expressions and emotions are easy to read and the moments where I am confused are rare.

Now, this is all coming from an autistic person with low support needs. My reading comprehension score is considered slightly above average, and so is my problem-solving abilities which means I am lucky and I can understand a lot of what I read in college. The main point of this little "essay" was to point out a common conversation I despise hearing in college, the one about simple language and its implied inferiority.

Because guess what? Language is not accessible to everybody. Many of us, even those with high reading comprehension, struggle.

Our goal should never be to make everyone capable of reading college-level books and studies. That is asking for those who need accommodations to accommodate themselves, something I'm sure other disabled people are tired of having to do. Instead, the goal should be making college language more accessible, making knowledge accessible. After all, the reader is only a fragment of the conversation. The writer is the majority of it.

TLDR; Everyone deserves access to language and knowledge that makes sense, and bigger words never mean they are better.

#actually autistic #ableism #autism pride #autism awareness #actuallyautistic #autism #asd #learning disability #accessibility #disability #college #academics #university #student #autistic spectrum #autistic #autism spectrum disorder #autism spectrum #tw ableism

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novlr · 7 months

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Hey! I'm a non native English speaker and i find it very hard to use wide variety of vocabulary in my writing. Any tips??

Just as a painter needs a rich palette of colours to make their art, writers need a diverse vocabulary to craft deep and engaging story worlds.

Your vocabulary as a writer is much like a paint box, with each word adding depth, contrast, and colour to your creation. So what techniques can you use to improve your vocabulary and give yourself more linguistic colours to choose from?

Read a lot

Reading is the best way to improve your vocabulary. It’s immersive, enjoyable, and will introduce you to more varied words. Make it a habit to read often, and try to read widely. Don’t limit yourself to one genre, age range, or style. Whether fiction, non-fiction, articles, or instruction manuals, reading as widely as you can opens your mind to words and styles you might never encounter naturally in your day-to-day life.

Write a lot

Write as often as you can. The more you write, the more often you’ll find yourself reaching for varying words and phrases to accurately convey your thoughts. Every written piece is an opportunity to experiment with new words. As with anything, practice is crucial—regular writing will naturally enhance your vocabulary and make your word usage more instinctive and fluid.

Use a thesaurus

A thesaurus introduces you to a variety of synonyms for the words you’re using and can help you express your thoughts with a bit more flair. However, using a thesaurus does come with a caveat: avoid using complex words just for the sake of appearing more sophisticated. Always choose words that best fit the context and effectively convey what you’re trying to say.

Join a writing group

Beyond being a place to talk about words, writing groups let you test your understanding of words in real time. Writing groups provide valuable insight into whether your word choices effectively convey your intended meaning. Seeing how other writers use their own vocabularies to share their own meanings is a great way to see how word choice can make your writing richer and more nuanced

Play word games

Playing word games is not only fun but is also an effective way to expand your vocabulary. For instance, games like Scrabble challenge you to form varying words from a set of letters, crossword puzzles can improve your understanding and recall of words, and games like Boggle can stimulate quick thinking around word formation.

Keep a word journal

Every time you encounter a new and intriguing word, whether through reading, conversation, or even during a TV show, jot it down in your word journal. Follow it up by researching its meaning, synonyms, and usage in sentences. Revisit these entries frequently, and try to incorporate these words into your writing somehow, even if it’s only during practice sessions. Over time, you’ll notice these new words naturally creeping into your vocabulary.

Sometimes simple is best

While having a broad vocabulary is an asset for any writer, it’s also important to remember that effective communication is what it’s all about, and sometimes, simpler words serve this purpose best. Not every situation calls for intricate or sophisticated language; in fact, often, using simpler, more direct language can make your message clearer and more accessible to a wider audience. More important than a wide vocabulary is an understanding of your readers and the message you want to convey in your text.

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doomsdaydicecascader · 8 months

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In that case, then, the "death as a good ending because you're no longer in HS" is essentially a big lampshade hung on the nature of fiction itself? I can't help but feel like that has to tie into something less thematically self-referential, but I admit sometimes the comic gets really into its own narrative sandbox and that goes a little over my head. Thank you for the response though, and have a good weekend!

yeah! like, i think a lot of the purpose of homestuck is just to be self-referential. and i think hussie agrees! take this formspring answer for example:

So what is the idea? I don't feel like elaborating on it THAT much now, because I would probably type forever. Basically, it's about building an extremely dense interior vocabulary to tell a story with, and continue to build and expand that vocabulary by revisiting its components often, combining them, extending them and so on. A vocabulary can be (and usually is) simple, consisting of single words, but in this case it extends to entire sentences and paragraph structures and visual forms and even entire scenes like the one linked above. Sometimes the purpose for reiteration is clear, and sometimes there really is no purpose other than to hit a familiar note, and for me that's all that needs to happen for it to be worthwhile. Triggering recognition is a powerful tool for a storyteller to use. Recognition is a powerful experience for a reader. It promotes alertness, at the very least. And in a lot of cases here, I think it promotes levity (humor! this is mostly a work of comedy, remember.) Controlling a reader's recognition faculty is one way to manipulate the reader's reactions as desired to advance the creative agenda. In this case I'm not exactly sure what that agenda is all the time, and in truth there probably isn't any serious agenda there. This story, though at times seeming diabolically put together, is still pretty light reading after all. if anything I'm just striving for a certain pitch in density with the all the multithreaded symbolism and endless internal reference. Think of it as a symphony and everything I've referred to as belonging to a vocabulary are really just notes, working together in a really complicated harmonic structure.

this is a thing stories already do, building a vocabulary out of plot beats and callbacks, characters facts and themes, i've described storytelling before as "like building a pyramid and then slowly, piece by piece, taking it apart" - it's sometimes used derogatorily, like when a callback is a little bit too obvious, to be an obvious callback in the third act (see: crazy ball in psycho goreman, the thing that sparked this line of thought originally)

but homestuck takes this idea really, really far, in that it will actively redefine what these beats mean solely for the joy of doing so, and so you can only really trust what a story beat means in the context of what it means in homestuck. i think its really cool. the only thing ive ever seen that does something similar is petscop, it's a very cool thing to do that i dont think a lot of people really catch on to, and it can create something that lasts even if people dont understand why it works the way it does

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igotanidea · 1 year

Text

Edit : Matt Murdock x fem!avenger!reader

Summary: reader is an avenger who gets shipped with daredevil. And she's familar with all those TikTok videos of them together but made her mission to never let Matt know about them. Even if she would be more than happy to make them reality. It only takes two slightly nosy friends to slip that secret out......

A/N: reader hero name is Shadow. A snippet of her story is here and here.

@somest1 hope you'll enjoy that.

"Matthew."

"Karen." something was definitely on. She never called him by his full name unless she was going to drop him some news that she knew he was not going to like

"Do you know what TikTok is?"

"Vaguely. Is it that app when teenagers do some crazy dance?"

"Crazy dance?" Foggy scoffed "CRAZY dance? You my friend should really get educated on the latest technology news. tiktok is the place where you can express yourself freely, not only by dancing but also by creating edits of the people you know or fictional characters you like....." he started ro rumble, for a while unaware of his friends' shocked face expression." Sorry." only then he realised how he exposed himself "please, continue Karen."

"I'm actually glad for your little lecture, Foggy" she laughed "makes it easier for me to present my case."

"Present your case? You definitely spend to much time with us." Matt smirked "you became a lawyer rather than a journalist."

"It's useful at times." she shrugged "but if it ever were to happen I know Y/N would stop me. She uses a lot of modern words I never knew existed so my vocabulary is expanding in many fields."

"She has to be up to date with that. After all, she runs social networks and is in charge of the PR. No one would be interested in her company if she was using words like "thy" or "thou".

"Speaking of Y/n....."

"What did she do this time.....?" Matt sighed, seemingly annoyed but his ears became just slightly reddened at the tips. "And most importantly, does it have to do with her civil indentity or the Shadow one?"

"A little bit of both I suppose. She's been the object of interest of late."

"What interest?" now Matt was up, not realising that the mere thought of Y/N getting too much attention made his Darevil instict kick in. "I.... I need to stretch my legs...." he awkwardly tried to cover up for the mistake, both Karen and Foggy noticed.

"I didn't mean it like she's in danger or anything like that." Karen scoffed.

"And even if she was, she knows how to handle herself better than Dare...I mean, you, my friend" Foggy added. "She's an avenger after all."

"What is it then?" Matt insisted

"She's a role model for a lot of people. Teenagers. Kids. Who actually use the apps. And they make edits of her. Different edits. And....ships."

"What now?"

"A little edit with a pairing of people who the author believes are good fit." Foggy explained, quickly catching up where Karen was heading with her explanation. Oh, yes, he saw those little videos posted everywhere on the social platforms. I mean, how could he not, they were trending for a couple weeks not.

"Ok. And why exacly are you telling me this? It's not like I can or want to see them." Matt turned away from his friends so they won't see the look on his face. Meaning he actually had something to hide.

"Maybe you would be more interested in the matter if you knew who she's being shipped with....."

"That's her personal bussiness. I have nothing to do with it. Besides, I should be getting back to work, so if you excuse me......" he turned around on his heels and dissappeared in the office, closing the door.

"Foggy?" Karen looked at the other lawyer, silent cry for help in her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. For a lawyer, he can be one hell of an idiot outside of work not getting the hints. "

***

"Hey gyus!" Y/N peeked through the door to Nelson & Murdock law firm. Clearly she was already done with her civil work for the day and came to check up if her friends were still alive in that office. After all, it was hella late.

"Y/n! How nice to see you. I though you would be on your vigilante shit already." Foggy raised head from the papers he was burried in.

"Hush! Keep it quiet, Fog, will you? Can't risk getting my secret identity out. Besides, there's no threat outside today. I would feel itdue to my .... you know, powers" she waved her hands and a thread of shadow appeared. "And if anything happens, Kate and Peter would call upon me. Those two cannot work together, they are both chaotic....."

"I see." Foggy hummed.

"What?" Y/N frowned, feeling that there was something he was not telling her.

"Nothing!"

"You're one bad liar, Franklin Nelson." the girl sat on the chair on the opposite site of his desk and bored eyes into him "Talk."

"Stop doing this."

"I'm not doing anything."

"And who is a bad liar now, huh?" Foggy bridled "I can feel your.... shadows luring me."

"One thing, Foggy. I don't use them for such petty reasons, all right. I know better than to abuse them. My shadows can be a bit ... moody at times. It;s not a force to play around with. So, cross my heart, I'm not doing anything."

"You try to interrogate me in my own office!"

Y/N sighed deeply and rubbed her forehead.

"It's sad you see it that way, but I understand. Maybe we can have some take out instead. I bought some Chinsese." she motioned towards the huge bag, now sitting on the floor. Only now, Foggy realised the smells coming from the package. And the fact that he has not eaten for like 10 hours.

"You're heaven send."

"The upper might disagree with that."

"Foggy? Did you see the latest.... Oh, hello Y/N" Karen walked right into Foggy's office with the phone in her hands and smile on her face, probably due to the video she was watching.

"What put a grin like that on your face Karen?"

"Nothing."

"You two are in collusion with something, aren't you?" the girl rolled her eyes "fine. keep your secret. I will find it out sooner or later and ...."

"Something smells nice here...."

"And here he is. The third musketeer. Hello, Matt."

"Y/N." he muttered, gaze fixed on the floor like he was trying to avoid any possible contact with her, even if he could not see her "what's the scent?"

"New shampoo, I suppose? Do you like it?" she laughed knowing he had super sensing with things like this. "But seriously, I bought some spring rolls and dim sums. Figured you workaholic forgot about lunch. And probably breakfast. And probably yesterday's lunch."

"Did you bring....?"

"Your favourite noodles? Sure I did, Matty." she smiled and he reciprocated with the brightest smile Karen and Foggy has seen on him for the whole day.

"Shall we then?" Karen moved to sit by the table and her gaze crossed with Foggy's who only smirked knowingly.

***

It's been barely an hour since her arrival at the Nelson and Murdock when she jumped at the signal of her phone.

"Damn it! It's Peter" Y/N cussed

"Peter like that spider guy?" Foggy almost choked on his food "When can I get to meet him?"

"Sorry guys, seems like there is in fact an emergency tonight. And while I would love to stay, someone else I know is desperately needed out in the streets, so rain check?" she schmoozed hoping her friends would understand.

"Just go!" Karen waved her hands, already used to such situations.

"Wait. I'll go with you." Mat stood up as well

"Why?"

"I'm bored. I need some action." he shrugged and she smirked .

"Jealous of me getting more attention than you? You don't want me to steal the spotlight, right?"

"Were you thinking anything else?"

"You're just the devil of hell's kitchen, Matty. A local hero. Are you sure you're not beyond your pay grade, trying to deal with the Avengers?" Y/N raised an eyebrow, clearly trying to spite him.

"Young avengeers" he clarified.

"And that makes you even more out of the league." she smirked

"I see the open spot as a team leader. Maybe I should take that instead."

"Over my dead body, Murdock!"

***

Regardless of their constant bickering, Matt and Y/N made quite a good team. Even if they were both individuals, during the years they knew each other, they learned how the other thought and how to avoid a fracture and internal fights. And as much as they would rather die than admit it out loud, it was nice having backup from time to time. Or someone to tend to your wounds.

Did they trust each other? Yes, on some deeper level that only waited to be discovered.

Were they friends? Well, if you were to ask them that question both of them would say yes, but... something more was lingering. And now, after the fight, when the adrenaline was pumping, hearts beating rapidly and they weren't Matt and Y/N but Darededevil and Shadow, Murdock had less inhibitions about her being at his place, resting and getting patched up. Normally, she would just go back to her place, but this time, his apartment was closer and it was wiser to dissapear from the fight scene faster. She really had no counterarguments to that. So she made sure Peter and Kate made it home safe and now, she was just laying on Matt's couch in shorts and tank top, legs dangling freely over the armrest, fresh dressings on her abdomen and an ice pack on the shoulder.

"I actually had fun this time." she chuckled and Matt frowned.

"Dislocated shoulder and a knife to the stomach is fun for you?"

"Not as much as standing against the Chitauri, but yes, it is."

"Stop bragging, will you?" he rolled his eyes, grabbing her legs and taking a spot on the couch, so that her limbs were now resting on his lap. And it was strangely comforting and .... domestic.

"Bragging? Me? You know I would never. Just pointing out at some past events here."

"How old were you when Loki attacked New York? 5? You were not really fighting!"

"I was 15!" she huffed sitting up "And I was already a SHIELD agent! Where were you, huh? High school? I can absolutely imagine you as an awkward teenager "

"You know what..." Matt started but chiming of her phone stopped him from finishing.

"Ugh! I'm not done with you!" she squirmed and reached for the device checking who has the audacity to interrupt her fight with Matt.

"Who's that?" he asked.

"Why so interested all of a sudden?"

"Someone might have mentioned somethign about you getting attention on..... Tiktok?"

"Yeah, trust me, all the heroes and vigilantes do." she muttered

"You know about it?"

"For crying out loud, Matt." she moved her legs and sat up making him miss the contact "I work with the apps! No matter if I want it or not, I came across some of those videos. Some of them are really, really good, those kids have skills, but I try not to search for them. Sometimes you come across some things you wish you could unsee....." she tensed a bit at some distant memory

"I don't think I will have a problem with that" he smirked and her shoulders relax at the joke.

"I bet! It's Karen by the way, speak of the devil. She send me some link. Might be that thing she was watching in the office that got her smiling like crazy." without any hestitation Y/N opened the link and much to her suprised she was put through TikTok .

"She's spending work time on the Internet? Maybe I should reprimand her ..... Y/N?" he felt the change in the atmosphere when Y/N started the edit.

"Oh, no..... " she whispered muting it immediately so that Matt won't hear the music. Heat waves. Used as a soundtrack to her, i.e. Shadow's ship with Matt, i.e. Daredevil. However she was not fast enough.

Sometimes all I think about it you......

"Damn that fucking device!" she almost threw it across the room.

"What is it?" he asked suddenly getting a lot of mutually inconsistent vibes from her.

"NOTHING!"

"You can't lie to me, you know."

"It's nothing, Matt. Forget it." she exited the site, not wanting to see more and put the phone on the table. "Can we go back to our argument?"

"I....." Matt opened his mouth but once again her phone started to ring.

"Ugh!" Y/N cried and picked up.

"Looks like someone's addicted." Matt teased

"Shut up! Hello? Peter? Did you get home safe? Good. Me? Yeah, I'm fine, I'm hanging at Matt's place. You what? Ok, all right I guess." she covered the phone "he wants to go on speaker. You don;t mind, right?"

"Since when do you care about my opinion?"

"It's your apartment. Even I can respect the host boundaries if...."

"Do it. I like that kid."

"Mr. Daredevil?" Peter's voice came through

"Hey kid. You good?"

" Pretty fine."

"No troubles on the way?"

"No, sir. But I .... um..... Can I say something?"

"Keep it rational, Pete" Y/N rubbed her forehead. Parker was like a youger brother to her, but sometimes he acted like a total teenager. With all the worst things coming from it.

"I've been going through your fanpage, Y/N...."

"My what?" the girl raised her head, eyes widening. She knew about the videos and stuff but fanpage? "I can't remember appointing you the head of my personal PR!"

"Let him talk, Y/n. this is going to be fun" Matt slapped her leg playfully and she stuck her tongue at him.

"Um... thanks, Mr. Murdock. So like I said, I;ve been running....."

"And?" she was getting impatient

"I just gotta ask. Are you two together? Cause there are a lot of comments about how good you would fit and.... Y/N? Mr. Murdock?" poor boy was clearly discouraged by the silnce on the other side.

Fuck..... y/n thought. And to think that mere minutes ago she was fighting that Matt would not hear that song. Now it was out.

"Do they?" Matt dwelled, using his lawyer skills to trick the teen. "what exactly do they say?"

"For example......"

"Ok, this is enough. Thank you for calling Peter, this was extremely enlightening. I'm gonna hang up now, take care"

She disconnected, not sure how to act now. The best way out was probably to shrug it off, but since she was emotional before it might not work. However, being casual was worth a shot.

"Well that was a hell of an evening" she stood up and streched her back, a bit of skin showing. "I think I'm gonna head out to my place."

""Y/n" Matt grabbed her hand and made her spun. "Can you explain?"

"Explain what?" she took a step back but he followed "Peter's tosses? I think he's projecting, I swear I saw him hit his head during the fight and....."

"Did you know?"

"About his mental incapabily and wanton imagination?" she was trying so desperately to cover the heat she felt rising towards her cheeks, heartbeat picking up, hands starting to tremble.

"Y/N." his voice became soft, his touch lingering on her skin "Don't do this....." he brush a strand of hair behind her ear, so damn tenderly it made her shiver.

"Matt, I ......"

"Please, talk to me. Did you know?"

"I did." there was no point lying. He would know.

"Were you ok with that? with those videos? You mentioned seeing something you did not like and ...."

"I never consider any possibility of this becoming real...." she confessed "it was just a fantasty and ....."

"And what about now?' he whispered getting even closer

"Now?" she gulped "did anything change?"

"A lot. Now I know too."

"And?" she asked that question so quietly that it made her doubt if he even heard it.

"You should have told me sooner...." his hands wandered onto her waist pulling her close, slowly, carefully, giving her time and space to back out even if they both knew she wouldn;t do such thing. "Can I?" he brushed his lips over hers.

"Mhm....." she mummbled trembingly.

And when he finally closed the gap between them she wished she told him sooner. The way he was touching her, holding her close to him, kissing her..... It made her feel wanted. Loved. Not just as the Shadow, but as Y/N. She felt all. Happiness, relief, joy, sense of belonging, peace..... And a bit of fear and uncertainty if this was right. But that quickly melted away when he deepened the kiss and her hands instinctively moved towards his hair tugging at the roots making his groan.

"I think I'm gonna have to pay more attention to social sites from now on...." he pulled for air and rested his forehead on hers, one hand cupping her cheek, the other on the small on her back, preventing her from getting to far away.

"shall I remind you, you can't see....?"

"Oh, honey, I can imagine. From what I get that song from before.....?"

"Mhm. It was the soundtrack." she muttered "But you can catch up on it all later. Now, can you kiss me more? Please?"

"Don't need to ask me twice, baby." he smiled and captured her lips in his.

@pinksirensong

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wonryllis · 1 month

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please give writing tips too

sure love! everyone’s different so in no way would the same things work for all but these are some tips that have helped me improve and just you know expand my horizons.

feel free to add your own points to this to help people more!!

001. READ READ AND READ (I CAN’T STRESS ENOUGH ON THIS BUT THIS IS THE MAIN KEY). be it fics, or novels or normal story books even non-fiction. reading will help in expanding your vocabulary and grammar, and give you an idea on how to build words in different kinds of scenarios. how to set the mood and what kind of details will have the most impact.

002. for expanding your vocabulary i would suggest searching up words you come across and don’t know the meaning of. don’t skip them, search them up and try understanding what they mean and look through what other words have similar meanings(synonyms)

003. CONSTANTLY PRACTICE WRITING. even if you’re not going to post it anywhere, just try writing a little bit on different themes. in that way you will be able to find out more about your writing style and flair as well as what points you need to work on.

004. STOP HESITATING TO REWRITE. there’s hardly anything one gets right at the first shot. and the same goes for writing. rewriting pieces will help you figure out what you should’ve added that you didn’t the first time and how changing the order of words or adding new literary devices(metaphors, similes, anecdotes etc) can make more of an impact.

005. DON’T BE AFRAID TO EXPLORE DIFFERENT GENRES. just 100 words can also help with experience. search up different genres that interest you and try coming up with a short scenario if you can.

13 points more under the cut!

006. TRIAL AND ERROR. don’t be let down if you fail to write a specific type of au, theme or trope. it takes certain amount of time and experience to be able to write different genres or anything as such. you need to have exposure to that topic to be able to create imagination on it.

007. with that being said, when you pick up a certain trope, au, theme or any topic you want/plan to write on: DO PROPER AND A LOT OF RESEARCH. trust me, it helps a lot.

008. as well in relation to the point above when writing a story, make sure to plan a rough outline. what kind of characters you’re going for, what events are going to define your story, how do you want the ending and the beginning to be. what your protagonist(s) is going for, what all they would be facing throughout and such.

009. SET A MORAL/POINT OF VIEW YOU WANT TO CONVEY through your writing. it helps you have a basis, a particular aim and drive behind what you wish to leave an impression through. it could be anything complex like dark themes of toxicity or even anything as simple as comfort. you just need to know what you’re writing for.

010. for inspiration i would suggest, LISTENING TO SONGS. any song you’re listening to, try thinking of a story behind it. for example let’s take taylor swift’s “no body no crime” go through the lyrics, the vibe and think what type of story could have this as background music. or what kind of a story could have that type of no body no crime summary?

011. KNOW WHEN TO SHOW THINGS RATHER THAT TELLING THEM. too much of anything is never good. when writing, it’s important to keep the balance between descriptions, narratives and dialogues. try thinking what are the things that would be better when described, for example the relationship between your characters: it’s something which is better shown than told. like how they treat each other, how they see each other, their dynamics in general is not something that can be told through a big lengthy dialogue or JUST one paragraph(short drabbles being an exception)

012. an additional point to the one above would be, try keeping yourself in the reader’s position and see what pulls you in more. what makes you feel the emotions better.

013. PICTURE THE SETTING YOU WANT TO WRITE ON. close your eyes and think of any type of place that you would like to write the story in. a suburb? or an abandoned city for an apocalypse? this will help in brainstorming for ideas.

014. INTO THE CHARACTER’S MIND. this is a very important point. explore the world within the mind of the character, something that defines them. THIS IS ANOTHER BIG KEY TO IMPROVE, pull your readers into the character(s)’ mind, show them the fears, the memories, the feelings, the thoughts, the hopes and dreams. it helps them understand the character and get into the story.

015. when using dialogues keep in mind that the DIALOGUES SHOULD ALWAYS BE MEANINGFUL AND REALISTIC. unnecessary talks aren’t often attractive so write what is necessary, needed. even with humor, excessive fun is not always impressive. and short but impactful dialogues always literally always leave the best impression.

016. CHALLENGE YOURSELF. try starting off strong since the very beginning. strong meaning starting off with words that leave a lasting impression. or words that pull you in with intrigue.

017. LEARN TO PACE YOURSELF. first of all it’s okay to take a break. actually its very important. pushing yourself beyond limits would never give positive results. know when you need to stop, cause being tired is not going to give better ideas or better word building. let yourself go into writer’s block, don’t fight it. you’ll come back better than when you’re forcing yourself to stay put and continue.

018. and last but not least. KNOW THAT IMPROVEMENT TAKES TIME. don’t be disappointed or discouraged if you are not good today. not being good today doesn’t mean you won’t ever be good. keep trying and with little to little progress over time, you will see yourself getting there. don’t lose hope🤗! YOU CAN DO IT!!!

#﹙あり.﹚ 𝓯𝐚𝐞𝐫𝒾𝐞 𝓰𝐨𝐬𝐬𝒊𝐩 !#﹙⪩⪨.﹚ 𝒎𝒚 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐬 ˃̵ᴗ˂̵#🦢̼ࣳ ⋆ ٫٫ ⁽ anon ₎#WRITINGtips #enhypen imagines #txt imagines

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rigelmejo · 4 months

Text

Some learning apps I've liked (in no patrticular order)

Renshuu (japanese): good lessons, a bit slow paced for me

Readibu (chinese reading app): free version is good, paid version includes full sentence audio and translations I think which may be useful.

Pleco (chinese dictionary and reader app): top level app, get it now if you study chinese and use your phone at all. Its free version includes a huge great dictionary, and Clipboard Reader which has ALL the Reader features just that you have to copy and paste the chinese text in (their paid Reader you can upload epub txt files etc directly). Their paid features are nice because they are all 1 time fees: pay 5 dollars once and have the purchased item forever. I hate subscriptions so i love that this app does single purchase instead. I bought some graded readers on this, and expanded dictionaries. Its Dictate Text text to speech feature is nice in the Reader/Clipboard reader because it highlights the word as it reads and shows translation, making it easy to follow along.

Duoreader: a free basic app, has a few parallel language books for many languuages. It includes text to speech audio and click word translation. Excellent for free reading with parallel text set up.

Smart Book by Kursx (also under the name Parallel Translation of books by kursx on the app store): it uses mtl, but you can search for books or import books, and it will show sentence translations or make an entire parallel text for you, it also has click translations, word saving, progress information (which is motivating to me), and text to speech read aloud function. Its currently what i use the most for reading. Trahslations are as good as Lingq or Google Translate so NOT always reliable but useable and the sentence translation helps for figuring out grammar. But Pleco and Readibu have BETTER translations. For chinese this app is good, for japanese its useable if youre upper beginner but if you dont know basic grammar and particles then the japanese individual word translations are often wrong and unreliable - sentence long translations are useable though.

Tofugu: good hanzi study app.

Anki: great app especially if you import decks made by people around the internet. I look up decks by going to a search engine and typing in something like "4000 hanzi mnemonics anki deck" or "common chinese words in sentences anki deck." I have recommended some anki decks I've used on this blog. A tip about anki: their website works fine in mobile browsers, you do not have to pay for any app to use anki on your phone, you can just use the site if you'd prefer. For initial uploads of flashcard decks created by other users, you will need to install anki on a computer, then download the anki deck from the deck's page online, then put it into your computer anki program. After you do that, you can sync your computer anki to the website one. Then you can use anki either online or on the computer or on both. I use anki only on my phone mobile browser. It seems the main benefit of anki phone apps over using the internet mobile browser, is flashcards are easier to Make if you end up wanting to make your own anki flashcards on your phone.

Immersive Chinese: chinese lessons. I haven't used it much but I like the structure

Glossika: I specifically recommend getting the old cds, possibly through your library, or finding the mp3 files online. I think the audio files are easier if youre not good at focusing on consistently doing SRS flashcards, since spaced repetition study sentences are the new glossika model and require a monthly subscription. Plus side to the new model: most languages have around 6000 sentences where the old cd courses often had around 3000 sentences. Plus side to the old cds/mp3s: can be found in many libraries for free, and online, and if you do buy them theyre a one time cost. Excellent resource if you like audio review (i do), with common grammar and vocabulary taught. I like that even the 3000 word old courses will get you at least to upper beginner or lower intermediate, enough knowledge to start learning by reading or watching shows and looking words up, and enough words to have some conversations. Pimsleur is similar but tends to cover less vocabulary, so afterward you need to learn more words on your own before you can immerse and look up words to study.

Japaneseaudiolessons.com: a website with free japanese audio lessons, a free textbook, free notes. They also have nice kanji learning books with pre written mnemonics and sentence examples for sale.

Your local library: a lot of libraries have deals with language learning sites/apps, your specific library may provide some courses for free. In addition, apps Hoopla and Libby have a lot of courses and digital textbooks and audios you can check out. You can use those apps with a library card. If you are a college student, a lot of college ebook collections include MANY textbooks and independent study books for languages. Nearly every Tuttle book I got for studying Japanese and Chinese, I was able to check out the ebook version first using my college library and only bought those books because I ended up finding them so useful I wanted print copies. (For that matter, some under $20 dollar reference books I owe for teaching me hanzi and kanji: Tuttle Learning Chinese Characters: HSK Levels 1-3 - this book gave me a foundation in hanzi and was the easiest guide for learning hanzi for me and learning HOW to remember them. I found it more useful than Heisig's Remember the Kanji/Hanzi books by far, although they utilize a similat idea, and less effort to remember than Kodansha Kanji Learner's Guide - although I like that reference book as a reference. Runner up is Tuttle Learn Japanese Today: The Easy Way to Learn 400 Practical Kanji by Len Walsh. It was more basic than the hanzi book, less in depth, but a very approachable understandable and quick to learn kanji book to start out with when studying Japanese, that will not overwhelm you the way say Heisig or KKLG might. For hanzi I used my Learning Chinese Characters book for a few months, then an anki deck "hanzi 2000 mnemonics pinyin" while also just regularly looking up new words while reading graded readers then chinese show subtitles then webnovels, and making up my own mnemonics which got easier over time. For japanese, I followed up with a vocabulary deck as I found vocabulary easier to remember than isolated kanji, and kanji.koohi.com was a useful site for free user submitted mnemonics to remember kanji when I struggled to remember. Its also a good site for free flashcards and study of kanji generally.

ChinesePronunciationTrainer: a really simple free app. It's biggest usefulness is practicing pronunciation. You can record yourself trying to pronounce a sentence after hearing the chinese pronunciation, then play back your recorded attempt compared to the chinese pronunciation. The app makes shadowing easier to evaluate, so you can compare and notice if you're making pronunciation errors and work on them. It's also very simple low feature speaking practice.

LingoTube: free app, uses machine translation. If you want to watch youtube with dual subtitles, or click translations on subtitles, or instant replay/loop of dialogue lines, this is an app that can do that. Very useful for immersing with youtube videos like youtubers and shows on youtube.

Idiom app: it is orange with an i on the icon. Click skip for the "helm" offer when you first download it, helm is a paid add on for better translations and you may not want it right away. The core app is free (helm add on costs a subscription). This app is basically Lingq but free. Translation quality is the same, which appears to be google translate quality on Lingq and Idiom. So some errors, but useable especially as you hit upper beginner and above and can notice when you may want to reference a word in an external dictionary (like Pleco app for chinese, yomiwa app for japanese, etc).

Satori Reader: a graded reader app for japanese, absolutely amazing quality material. I recommend exploring the free content on the app. If you decide you'll use it a lot, or plan to get into a reading kick for a few months, it's worth getting a subscription for a while. I plan to get a subscription once I have the time to read japanese 1-2 hours a day for a few months. Satori Reader has tons of reading materials branching from approachable to an upper beginner (say you can read Yostuba manga a bit, or are in Genki 2, or know around 2000 words) to you're almost ready to read webnovels or regular japanese novels but the difficulty bump is just a Touch too steep. If you go through the various reading level material on the app, you shpuld be prepared to handle at least some japanese novels for natives once you can handle some of the higher reading level stuff on Satori Reader. In addition: the translations are done by professional translators with in depth notes on grammar points (incredibly useful and the best explanations on Japanese Graded Readers Ive used), fully narrated stories by real people, and many of the graded readers are designed to be enjoyable long reading material in their own right. There's also some multiple difficulty versions of reading material if you'd like to read an easier version before trying a more complex version of the same story. There is so much reading material on the app you can get significant practice and vocabulary/grammar improvement if you have time to read. I lnow a few people who got through a few hundred+ chapters on this app, and generally they went from N4 or N3 reading level to N2 or N1. Then they transitioned to reading novels for natives. As far as high quality well made well explained plentiful graded reading material for japanese, this is one of the best resources I've found. (The other 2 great graded readers I have are textbooks, one being a Tuttle Read Japanese book that goes from basics through to being able to read 2000 kanji, newspapers and documents, formal and informal, and is dry af to read but generally leaves you fairly prepared for japanese reading, and a more basic Beginning Japanese Reading book thats part of a 4 part textbook collection and absolutely drills the basic 500 most common kanji and many words, hiragana and katakana and many words in them, for 500 or so pages).

Microsoft Edge. I know, weird. Edge on computer and mobile internet browser has a Read Aloud tool. It is the best sounding text to speech Ive heard. This Read Aloud tool is also in Microsoft Word if you copy paste text into Word. I find going to sites in my target language, and using the Read Aloud tool, is a nice way to get audio in with my reading when I can't find an audiobook. The tool also highlights the word as it reads, helping you keep up with the reading, and for me it helps improve my reading speed. In addition, ANY web browser (and any phone/tablet Reader app like Kindle, Moonreader, Kybooks etc.) often has the ability to click or tap or highlight a word to look up the translation. So when reading on any of those internet browsers/Readers, you can look up words just like you would on Lingq but free.

Japanese.io: a site with japanese graded reading material, and tools like click translation and saving words.

https://www.sosekiproject.org/about.html If you like the author Soseki, this site is awesome. It features full audio of his works, full parallel text translation, and individual word translation.

#apps #tools #resources #reference

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carnivalcarriondiscarded · 5 months

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Phullo there, I’d like to ask you a question! I hope I won’t be such a bothersome.

So, I’m planning to write a story about Laughingstock and since I find your storytelling very pleasing I figured it’d be a great idea to ask for your advice about the writing!

My Idea in general for this story is just Howdy taking a day off from working in his bodega. And basically, he’ll be just wearing normal clothes.. shocking truly.

And thennn, Barnaby and Howdy accidentally stumbled into each other’s path. They later then of course had a very long conversation that lasted until evening maybe.

Of course there’ll be some fishy moments like them looking at each other with goggly eyes and other cheesy romantic nonsense- but it’s just mainly them having their usual conversation with a ‘couple’ of jokes here and there. It’s supposed to be a sweet memory for them to remember basically.

So, what I’m really trying to ask you for is- how the heck do you start a story exactly and not make it into just the dialogues? Like, I want my story to be kind of long but I’m afraid it’ll be just them, y’know, talking and I really don’t want it to be boring.. therefore, I really need your help.

I am so sorry if it’s such a bad timing considering the fact that you just had an interview which I am very proud for you for that! Even if it didn’t go as expected at least you did good half of it.

Soo, yeah! I’d very much appreciate your advice and I am sooo sorry that this was soo long!!! And again, a bad timing too.. but hey if you got any time, please consider answering. Thank you..

Also any response yet? On the interview of course.

hmmm... in my experience and Knowledge Accumulated Over The Years via reading And writing... the best place to start is to just drop in. no story introduction, no "it was a dark and stormy night", just Start. it sounds like your story begins with Howdy taking the day off, so maybe kick off with him getting ready / choosing an outfit, or w/ him reflexively almost opening the store before he stops and chides himself for almost forgetting that he's taking the day off

to combat the dialogue, maybe detail him leaving the bodega to go into the neighborhood. what does he see? hear? feel both physically and mentally? is there anyone else out and about? set the scene! ive been struggling with this too lately since i haven't seriously written in a while and i haven't been reading actual books

WHICH! IMPORTANT TANGENTS!! read well-written books, Not fanfic! im not saying dont read fanfic ever or i'd be the world's biggest hypocrite, but also read actual books. it's important to study how published authors write, how stories are structured, dialogue and action. because these books have more often then not gone through a Rigorous screening process. multiple drafts, beta readers, publishers reading it with great scrutiny before agreeing to publish - of course there are exceptions, but a lot of books are the highest quality they can be, and will outshine most fics. because, and i say all of this as good things, fics are unregulated. most dont have beta readers. a lot are from amateur authors new to the scene. there will be spelling mistakes, weird grammar & sentence structure, etc - most fics have Entirely different writing styles from each other. so if you only read fanfic, That is what your brain will learn, and it's gonna be harder for you to write. published books have less variation in styles, and the styles are subtler. there's less spelling mistakes if any, so your spelling will improve. your internal vocabulary will expand. even if you don't consciously study what you read, your brain will pick up on & internalize patterns, how action works, how dialogue works, how to structure a story, all that good stuff. if you want, i can recommend well-written books! i've been an avid reader since... like, ever. i've got recs galore! you can tell me your preferred genre & literary interest and i'll probably have something for you! and if you're not big on books, well... get out of your comfort zone lmao, books are fucking awesome and i guarantee there are plenty out there that you would love.

and when you're writing dialogue, intersperse it with little actions or the main povs' internal dialogue. if there's a natural lull in the conversation, explore that lull! what do the characters do in this moment? what's going on around them? sprinkle bits of setting in so that your reader knows where they are and what's going on.

plus, exploring the non-dialogue sections of your story can, and often will, spark inspiration in your brain for scenes and actions to fill out the story if you want it to be long (but also! if you just want to write the scene of their conversation, that's the beauty of fanfic - there's no requirements. do whatever you want lmao). when Howdy is going into town, maybe Wally calls him over for a quick pose - does Howdy say yes or no, and how does that decision change the story? maybe Julie invites him to join her in a game, or Eddie stops to talk to Howdy about him being out and about. maybe there are some complaints over the bodega not being open. what's the lead-up to Howdy and Barnaby running into each other? do they literally run into each other? what happens when they do? those are just a few possibilities of many!

remember, when you're writing, you're that story's god. you can do literally fucking anything. you decide what the characters do, where they go, what happens in their world. that mindset should help you bolster the plot instead of just "these two characters have a conversation", yk?

i hope this helps!

#im so serious i am talking from personal experience #the quality of my writing improves after reading an actual book / when im reading one alongside writing #which is why im getting myself back into it #i spent a while not reading books and boyyyyy howdy have i suffered for it!#i miss when i was in elementary school reading at least one full length book a week...#BUT BOOKS HELP. GOOD BOOKS #not the fuckin cookie cutter booktok recs that're just a bunch of tropes slapped together #im talkin about the quality stuff.#im talkin about authors who really see the art in writing & storytelling #rambles from the bog #but also do take everything i say with a grain of salt #i have a lot of room for improvement myself & as with my art im an Entirely Self Taught Writer #so im by no means an expert on the subject! im a medium level writer at best <3 #and im not saying that in a derogatory way! it just means i have a ways to go in becoming a legitimately good writer #& reaching the level that i want. its something to strive for!#also thank you! ive never done an interview before so i really have nothing to compare it to!

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difeisheng · 4 months

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hi ash, i think i may have asked this before, but from one asian diaspora to another, i was wondering how, if you're able to, you keep up with your chinese practice in a country that's dominated by english (and/or french canadian since ik you live in canada). bc i know a lot of suggestions are like turning your tech to the language you want to learn, put sticky notes on objects with the name in the language you want to learn, etc. but like. i feel like it doesn't matter how much i try and practice bc i'm not in a class, so i don't get it consistently enough, and the rest of my day is filled with english bc, well, that's my first language, and what is needed for my job and every day living. do you have any recs, strategies, or tips? i'm getting desperate; i used to be so much better than i am now. thanks!

hi! honestly, most of my chinese upkeep since i stopped taking mandarin classes (which tbh was relatively recent; this april, and then i'll be taking a cantonese class next term so i can learn to read it) has been a lot less I Need To Practice My Chinese through exercises or dedicated study time, and more just making sure i have frequent exposure to the language that i'm also engaged in. which is a long way to say that basically c-media is how i'm maintaining my proficiency.

i listen to music, i watch dramas and variety shows, look up other vids on bilibili that catch my interest, sometimes read articles, and (very slowly) read fanfic, with pleco open to note new words. just generally scrolling through chinese social media has helped too. having that environment i can immerse myself in helps me learn new vocabulary and practice using what i already know + listening skills, but it also doesn't feel like work or study, just dealing with things i like and am interested in. (this is important for me because i'm so exhausted when i get home every day lmao, if language upkeep outside of class felt like additional Student Time i might have tapped out on attempting it. this way turning on a c-drama at the end of the day just seems like relaxation first and then chinese exposure on top of it).

just by poking through c-drama or fandom things, i know my vocabulary has definitely expanded since i finished my last class, instead of shrunk. even though i watch c-dramas with english subtitles (or chinese and english depending on the platform), i've still picked up stuff from them, and when it comes to things like variety shows i don't rely on subtitles anymore/make myself not. you absorb a lot more of a language than you think just through exposure, imo. although as a caveat for reading specifically, picking up new characters, recognizing them, and reading has been one of the easier parts of learning chinese for me, when it's probably the inverse for a lot of people. i don't know how well just casually reading things will work as a method for others, ymmv.

the thing that i struggle with is getting opportunities to practice speaking, because it's english in my classes and usually with my friends, and either english or cantonese with my family (and i'm not living with them right now). however, i do have a lot of diaspora friends given that i'm in vancouver, and we occasionally dip into speaking mandarin or cantonese. this isn't perfect, but hopefully in future i'll be able to get more speaking experience somehow. what's also helped me with keeping up pronunciation despite these limits is learning to sing chinese songs. singing is one of my hobbies anyway, so i'll use pinyin or jyutping as a guide (getting better at sightreading characters for singing though!) and it's helped me work on certain sounds i had trouble with, and improved my accent. (watching c-dramas even if i don't speak as often has also aided on that front tbh; i listened to recordings of myself from last year and i sound less canto when i speak mandarin now compared to back then, or even earlier this year).

if you want a place to start that i personally think has helped me maintain chinese proficiency, i would choose a variety show you're interested in and try watching it without english subtitles, when you've got free time and want to do something fun. most will have chinese ones you can use to practice reading along with listening, and people usually speak at a conversational enough level that it shouldn't be too difficult to follow along (for ref, after a year and a half of heritage learner mandarin classes at uni i could watch 《我们的歌》/Our Song without english subtitles and understand most of it). variety shows are also really accessible lmao, so many have full seasons on youtube.

tl;dr it's been media exposure for me all the way down since i left classes, wherever i can get it.

not sure how actually helpful all this rambling might be, but this is what i do to keep up my chinese proficiency and keep learning in daily life nowadays! hopefully maybe you or someone else will be able to get something out of it :)

#sorry anon i hope this all connects i'm answering this late at night oop #you can ask me clarifying stuff if you want tho!#also for those of you who see this and are still building up a basic vocabulary and language foundation/grammar #please do not feel bad or kick yourself that you can't just throw yourself into the deep end on bilibili and learn chinese that way #all this was targeted to answer a specific question and assumes some kind of existing proficiency #i believe in y'all to get there one day tho!!! 努力学习加油吧 #languages #mandarin #chinese #ashton answers #anon

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