#in praise of rest

[wuxiaphoenix]

On Characters: In Praise of Downtime

Old engineer’s saying: “If you don’t schedule time for maintenance, maintenance will be scheduled for you.”

This applies to humans, too. So much. It’s been a very, very busy past... three weeks plus, gah.

With one emergency after another, plus preparations for more. One of said emergencies being all the prep needed to perform my civic duty yet again. This makes at least five jury summons in the past two decades, when I know plenty of people who’ve never been called on once... which actually does make sense for a random selection process, with those kinds of odds.

(Look, anyone who wants to get on their high horse about responsibility to do your civic duties, okay, I can’t stop you. But last time I was there they had only ONE working bathroom stall for women in the whole building. Think on that scenario, over 200 jurors on top of all the court personnel and lawyers, for a whole day from before 7:30 to after 5 PM with one fifteen minute break outside the courtroom for said jurors to grab lunch and any necessities. Yeah no thank you.)

Anyway, between that, the shift in the weather which meant freezing at work, untangling multiple other monetary problems (all of which were someone else’s screw-up, a different Someone Else in each case), and finding a possible pipe leak in my bathroom which thankfully turned out to be something much easier to fix-

Well. After finally ascertaining the potential plumbing disaster was handled, I pretty much fell flat on my face Thursday. Brain? What brain?  

Characters under stress are going to react the same way. You can keep going through a lot of emergencies one after another, but your ability to handle each new crisis is going to deteriorate, and every emergency stacked on top of you before you’ve had a chance to rest from the last one will eat more of your brain’s processing power. Human beings are stubborn, you can run on fumes a long time... but eventually something’s going to break. And once you get a clear spot of “current known emergencies now over”, your system is going to crash.

If you’re lucky, you just need rest, food, a lot of hydration, and some room to be silly and Not Think for a bit. If you’re not... stress crashes the immune system, so you may have to be handling emergencies while feverish and having other nasty symptoms. If you’re really unlucky and have an immune system that has No Sense of Humor, you may get an autoimmune attack of everything from allergies to serious organ dysfunction. Running yourself into the red zone is a bad idea.

And this is another place much of current Hollywood and fiction has failed us. Because all too often it shows the main character dragged backwards through the action mangle to save the day, yet never shows recovery time. Meaning people get the idea they’re supposed to be superhuman; that you can work a killer job every day, party every night, and that’s how it’s supposed to be.

This is extremely unrealistic. And harmful. If heroes are meant to model behavior we can aspire to, then every once in a while we should see them taking care of themselves. Getting enough sleep. Getting a hot meal. Sitting on a park bench and just breathing, once in a while. Being responsible, and keeping themselves in good mental and physical shape, so they can in turn take care of other people when the chips are down.

Think about how much stress your characters are under. Try to make sure they get something nice in their lives, a moment to breathe, so they can handle everything you’re going to throw at them. Your readers will appreciate it!

#creative writing #characters #in praise of rest

[chloesimaginationthings]

FNAF movie Vanessa becomes a Roxy fan

#myart #chloesimagination #comic #fnaf vanessa #vanessa shelly #vanessa afton #fnaf vanny #fnaf roxy #roxanne wolf #fnaf #fnaf movie #security breach #fnaf fanart #five nights at freddy's #no doubt Vanessa would instantly love Roxy #Roxy finally gets that praise she wants!! #though Vanny knows is best not to over do it or it will all go to her head #of course with drawing the other Glamrocks I had to do the rest! #first up Roxy and hopefully sometime Monty #maybe even Glamrock Bon-

[skitskatdacat63]

For Dru (@fortheloveofaussiegrit), thank you for completely and utterly brainrotting me with this moment 🙏

#HEHEHEHE SOO HAPPY WITH THIS AAAAAHHHHHH #hope you like it dru <3 #originally i was just going to draw oscar with the plushie #but then im like wait....mark is the type to proudly take pics of him(that clip of him taking pics of oscar) #but seriously that clip literally fucking murdered me #like it starts off with him randomly being all cutesy like #'oscar was tucked into bed 🥰 with his teddy 🥰🥰 which is a kangaroo actually! 🥰🥰' #which like murdered me on the spot. was literally just slapping my chair at that #and then the rest of the clip praising him and then comparing at the end #THANK YOU MARK FOR THAT. I GUESS. #just like. he hears party and champagne and his first thought is oscar cozy in bed...okay 🤔🤭 #two theories(i said this to dru already): #A. he is telling the truth. i mean cmon came up with that one so quickly! #B. they had a private party to celebate oscar's win-*I am forcibly dragged away* #but jokes aside. so funny for mark to just headcanon on broadcast #f1 #formula 1 #mark webber #oscar piastri #2023 qatar gp #oscarmark #i dont know if ive actually ever seen any oscarmark fanart before? interesting #catie.art.

[maleposting]

(artist is @/idonotexist_222 on twitter)

#i want to have his babies i want to leave hickeys all over his body i want to make him whimper and beg when i touch him #i want to hug him from behind and kiss and bite his neck i want to whisper praises in his ears whenever i can #i want him to rest his head on my chest when he sleeps i want to make him feel safe and loved i want to make him feel good #god i want him so bad #i crave for brett content #inside job brett hand #brett hand #inside job brett #andre x brett #brett hand x male reader #brett hand x reader #brett inside job #brett x andre #brett x reader #brett hand x ron staedtler #brett hand my beloved #mlm #mlm yearning #mlm thoughts #mlm and nblm only #mlm textpost #gay mlm #mlm blog #mlm post #i want him

[arthurpendragonsass]

yk there's a lot of talk about the way merlin is practically a god but lives as an unassuming servant, and seeing this surprises druids/other magic users. i wanna see kind of the same thing happen to arthur with the people of his kingdom. we know arthur so intimately, from merlin's pov, but i wanna see him as a living legend. stories of his valor spreading across land, blown out of proportion and missing details. “the prince slayed the great dragon and gifted its head to the king!” “some say the goddess blessed him when he was born, when she took the queen back. how else does one survive an attack by a questing beast?” “he held out his hand and the sword stuck in solid stone flew to him! iwan says meredith’s aunt saw it herself!” “the word has come, king arthur defeated annis’ champion—a giant of a man!” old men discussing arthur’s policies, comparing them with those of previous rulers, and being glad that it's him on the throne “finally, a good fucking king.” people having faith that their ruler is generous and fair and can be approached in times of need, and having the comforting knowledge that he would do his best to help because that's what he did with the other village last year! young boys dreaming to join his army and young girls daydreaming about a fairy tale ending with him (or vice versa, obv). just... arthur of his people.

what I'm saying is i want an outsider pov character study of arthur pendragon king of camelot. hope that helps

#like give me a kid from one of those outlying villages #they've heard so much about their king and fiercely adore him #they come to camelot..for trading purposes? bringing arthur a gift? or simply for a chance to see him #and when they do‚ they realise arthur is flesh and bone just like the rest of them #except his golden heart that is‚ in liz’s gorgeous words‚ big enough to fit his entire kingdom. #and for that person arthur goes from a disembodied idol to a real hero #and their love for him *solidifies* #sigh idk man #i just want to see the world sing his praises #(while he's busy tracking down his idiot manservant bc does he expect him to dress himself??!?) #arthur pendragon #aka the loml #bbc merlin #also if there are fics like this already you know what to do<3

[tinnchan]

LAWS OF ATTRACTION (2023) - EPISODE 8 Husbands flirting.

#laws of attraction #laws of attraction the series #film thanapat #jam rachata #jamfilm #tinnchan #tinncharn #nads gifs #user111 #userspicy #mjtag #connorjesup #chan is going to spend the rest of his life #appealing to his husband's praise kink and i think that's beautiful

[mastersoftheair]

"mr. masters of the flair :')" (from josh bolt's instagram story)

#you deserve all this praise and more for keeping me sane from late 2021 through 2023 #i'm lowkey gonna be a josh bolt fan for the rest of my life bc of that. if this guy's in a bad movie I'LL BE THERE!! #masters of the air #hbo war #behind the scenes #video #josh bolt #nate mann #dean john-wilson #ian dunnett jr #dee rees

[olasketches]

you know this is exactly why the conversation between Sukuna and Jogo is one of my favourite moments in jjk. Jogo developed insecurities after his confrontation with Gojo and that encounter weakened his resolve, which in the end made Jogo, this grotesque lava monster, feel like a person.

What I love about this moment is how Sukuna of all people acknowledged Jogo. He reached out and connected to Jogo before his death, which for someone like Sukuna, who believes nobody is his equal, to acknowledge Jogo, was quite beautiful.

#this made me love sukuna even more #ryomen sukuna #jjk #jogo #also the rest of the tweet (2/2) said -> “when sukuna (the pinnacle of curses) fights he praises and encourages his opponents #when gojo (the pinnacle of humanity) fights he belittles insults and degrades his opponents #regardless if they're fighting humans or curses" this reverse juxtaposition is just chef's kiss. god I love jjk. #jujutsu kaisen

[insertsomthinawesome]

I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!! Okay so honestly I have been very very inconsistent over the years with just disappearing for periods of time due to various things 😂 So it probably seemed pretty normal to most people.

But it felt different on my side, so I'm excited to be back in business. I took a month long hiatus! 31 days of not drawing digital art. Its not something I talk about on here? But I've been suffering from some serious long term Art Burnout for.... a really really long time. Long enough that I should've taken a break probably years ago. It finally got so bad that I could barely draw. I was scared to do it (cause it always looked "bad" in my eyes [i'll come back to that]) and doing it was exhausting and disheartening.

I talked it over with somebody and realized that the fear and anger and frustration I felt towards my own artwork was uh. Not Normal or Healthy. And I finally committed to taking a real break for once.

I still drew a little bit by hand? Traditional art has always felt like it has lower stakes for me (i don't often share it online, and sometimes I don't even share it with friends) so I did some of that when I felt like it. But Digital art was completely off the table.

I had put such an immense pressure on myself to make my digital art perfect, to make as much of it as quickly as possible to satisfy something. It wasn't fun anymore. I'm proud of what i've made over the years! But for a long time now the stuff I've been making was made while hating every second of making it. With some rare exceptions.

I hated my art! It was a combination of Perfectionism, taking in too many external expectations, and the burnout. If you hate doing something its kinda hard to love it even when you want too lol. It wasn't "Bad" in the sense that the quality was low and it was ugly! It was "Bad" in the sense that it was unhealthy for me to keep doing it at that point in time.

I'm glad to report though, that with my hiatus officially over as of Wednesday last week: I am once again. In Love. With doing art, and being an artist :)

I put off taking a break for years cause I was scared that taking a break would mean that I would never achieve all the things I wanted to do with art. I was scared it was a stupid and lazy thing to do that would mean I'd never achieve my dreams. And Also even though I kinda hated drawing, I also loved making art. Its a weird duality that I can't even really explain??? I hated it but I also loved it. I wanted it but I also wanted to run from it. It wasn't until I was more mature and had more clarity and insight (and unfortunately also until the problems got worse) that I was finally able to let go of those fears and just do it.

And I'm really really glad I did. It was everything I needed. And I hope to strike a better balance in the future with art. Taking more breaks when I need them, or just when other things have my attention like reading or Video games (Some star rail got played during this time xD)

From the outside things probably aren't going to be that different?? At this point I don't really have any sure plans to post anything I've been drawing since my Hiatus ended. I might or I might not xD I'm still a hobbyist artist taking things at her own pace, but I hope that it shows how much happier I am :)

Whumptober 2023 is being officially put to rest by this post btw! I was in major burnout when that event started, and I'm ready to just, move on from all the past expectations I'd shoved on my shoulders. If I feel like filling any of the prompts or going back to any of the ideas I'd come up for it I will! But I'm not going to worry about doing it unless the desire sets in. Thanks to everybody who's been so kind to me throughout my time on here as an artist! Ya'lls tags and screaming and kind words, the fanfic, the asks and the responses? Its been fantastic :) You guys have made me laugh, smile, and cry tears of joy. I hope from here that things only get better and sweeter! And if I have bad days again, that's okay too.

Here's to 2024 and whatever it may bring ya'll :D 🎉🎉✨✨🧡💜

#isa screams #long post #gif #flashing #i think? Lemme know if I'm incorrect on that one alksdjfLKSJDJDSG #I don't normally talk this much so its kinda strange? #its kinda nice to be more honest about this stuff though #I'm a bit more of a private person so its hard to find the balance between wanting to discuss things openly and honestly #but with the fact that I don't owe the entire world an explanation for everything I do #its a tricky thing #but today I felt like doing this and I think that's okay #if i regret it I just won't do it again alsdjLSDJLFJSGSDG #thanks if you read this! I appreciate it! #I'm a pretty smalltime artist relatively. So sometimes it feels as though it doesn't mater what i say or express. #But hm. I doubt its really that simple or bleak #And if I don't respect myself then well. Who will right? #And I want to learn how to be happy with how little or how much I get #part of the reason I've done so poorly mentally as an artist is chasing numbers and outside praise instead of asking the harder questions #am i happy with what i do? what I make? Who I am #I'm going to probably be working on those questions and problems for the rest of my life. #But thats okay. Thats not a bad thing :)

[eirianerisdar]

Nico trying to fish drama out of Charles about Carlos, and Charles just looking at him like Sigh. Of course you’d ask this

#he’s STILL using the rest of his sky pad interview to praise Carlos #these two are besties #charlos #Carlos sainz #Charles leclerc #f1 #Ferrari #monza 2023 #Italian gp 2023 #my post

[slavicafire]

went to see dune. left the cinema in a slight daze from having to oscillate between being bored and being in a state of simmering cringe for so long. how can a movie be so long and yet so rushed and unsatisfying, and how can it yap and yap and yap and just. not say anything

#żmija gada #I feel so lied to everyone kept praising it #it had some nice visuals #and I was surprised timothychalamet can have a pretty low and strong voice #the rest was so bad. so bad.

[all-inmoderation]

do people who keep drawing sokka as spirits know that he doesnt have any respect for the spirits in the show

#except for like. yue. and maybe aang #its lowkey his most obnoxious arrogant cis male atheist trait #altho he gets a lot better about it throughout the show #its just funny that ppl praise how he disrespected wan shi tong and then draw that kinda stuff #which btw idk if he ever really learned from that experience and realized how he was wrong #the invasion day plan was doomed from the start bc of how they got that information #the disrespect he showed in that episode was abysmal. from entering the library till he left. just had no veneration whatsoever. ugh. #characters like sokka are hilarious bro how r u making fun of spirituality when u literally see that shit in front of you #hes still kinda dismissive of that stuff in s3 “well scientifically speaking there's no way to prove that-” in s3ep6 #but def less so as it goes on #like in s3ep13 when toph is talking about original benders hes much less of an ahole then i think he wouldve been in earlier seasons #but he still was v disrespectful in the finale wrt aangs ozai dilemma #but to be fair so was the rest of the gaang bc even they didnt understand the spiritual repercussions of what they were asking of him #anyway just a gripe i have w fandom #like how r u gonna be a sokka dickrider and praise his very basic cismale qualities n then do stuff like this #atla #fandom wank

[chloesimaginationthings]

Your Cassidy design gives me life, exactly how I envisioned her.

I’m so glad y’all liked my Cassidy design!!

#ask reply #THIS IS high praise btw im super flattered 💜💜 #I actually love her look too #of course I tried to match the popular fan look of her #but with my own little twists #I actually based her heavily off of ‘Cassie’ #cause I think Cassie’s name is a clear reference to Cassidy #so I wanted their designs to be similar but opposite #so they both have twin tails Cassidy has em high and Cassie has em low #Cassidy sweater is less poofy as Cassie’s #Cassie is more happy smiley and Cassidy has more of a scowl #my favourite design quirk is her ghostly hair #just the way it’s always floating upwards so so cool #designing the ghost kids with their own unique features like this is so cool #been having a blast with it! #hopefully I’ll draw the rest of the ghost kids soon 💜

[abbeyofcyn]

I just wanted to let you and Raph know that i did it. I did that thing i wanted to do. I flipped off that one hell of a speed bump in my life and kept going. And i like tyson punched my self doubt (for now) and im happy to say that you and that art played a part in it. That cry i had after seeing the way Raph hugged me was all i needed. Kept looking back at it for motivation. Reminded me that it was going to get better. The hug was felt through the screen im not joking. It made my day, we and possibly my year. And i just wanted to thank you. Thank you Abby. And thank you Raph for that amazing much needed hug.

I'm so proud of you!

#ask abbey #really amazing how you did the thing #give yourself loads of praise and reward yourself with rest and fun activities

[foolsocracy]

Wassup it’s me I’m drunk and I’m emotional abt Robbie. The way u depict him is so fucking amazing I can’t even deal with it dude what the fuck. He makes me so emotional. He deserved so much more he was brilliant and to meet the fate that he did in canon? FUCK dude. Spider Robbie is a heartbreaking but brilliant concept. Like the grief and the anger and how there always ends up being a Spiderman. Peter ends up being Robbie’s Ben, he ends up as just another part of a backstory, just another tragic loss to someone who will become so much more- and he probably prefers that. Robbie break my heart and the way you depict him is honestly the best I’ve ever seen- although he’s so so underrated as is. If anyone asked me why I love noir and his comics I’d show them ur account and art bc rlly that explains it all

what they did to robbie was soooo fucked up i cant even express it. He was brilliant and noble and sought a better world and they snuffed him out. I CANNOT allow this injustice i need him to be alive and well and happy.

I think Robbie would make a fantastic spider! He's driven and sticks hard to his morals, plus he's incredibly inquisitive and not afraid to stick himself into dangerous situations (and take care of others in them, lest we forget he gave someone his jacket in Ellis).

Peter being Robbie's Ben really wounds me so im not strong enough to keep him fully dead (thank u spider god resurrection powers. even if he comes back fucked up), but if I was a stronger person I could totally see how completely losing Peter would snowball into a full spider-ification of robbie. Ofc Ofc Peter sacrificing himself for Robbie even in this au definitely has its effects. for sure.

I'm really glad you like my depiction of him and all my noir stuff!! :,] thats very very high praise I truly appreciate it. I love him dearly it makes my heart ache

#this is suuuch a real ask thank u #shortandgay #robbie is my baby fr i need to protect him from the world forever and ever #also the whole last part of ur ask.......... OUGHGHGHGHGHGH YOURE SO KINNNDDDDDDD #ooohh wow :................] #asks #robbie robertson #spider robbie au #id write u an essay if i could #when will the rest of u send drunk asks praising robbie robertson huh? #where is the drive where is the passion

[communistkenobi]

people fawning over the environmentalist themes in tolkien’s work has always made me deeply uneasy but I could never articulate why, and reading orientalism is clarifying a lot of that for me lol

#Said lays it out very clearly like #‘negative’ representations of the orient. as in representing them as deficient or lacking in some way #rests on ‘positive’ representations of the occident. as in the west is always ‘doing’ is always the thing driving human momentum #so idyllic representations of a pastoral post-labour society surrounded by fields and old world forests #populated by guys who have ample free time and fuck around all day #(& who are all white. at least in the films) #that’s not an uncomplicatedly good way to present the world #and is a perspective that is deeply informed by being beneficiaries of continued colonial extraction domination and exploitation #i meam the fictional world is literally called the centre of the earth lol #anyway not ‘cancelling’ tolkien or whatever I’m just glad to be able to understand why exactly #I think it’s bad to just uncritically praise his love of the environment as this like pure ideal #that is somehow uncorrupted by the historical and political context he came from #*post-scarcity I should say not necessarily post-labour #but like the labour processes that make that life idyllic in the first place are invisible