#you could distill Me

[n7punk]

How do you write so good!! Can you give any advice

So I'm trying to think of writing advice, I really am, but I'm kind of drawing up a blank aside from... write. Like there's all these writing advice posts across Tumblr and half of them are bullshit (either completely or just because they're only relevant to certain people/writing styles) and the other half has all already been said but it all comes back to just... writing. The more you write the better you get at it, and especially the more you SHARE it the better you'll get. I write... a lot, and that's the only way you get better at a skill like that, but I can't pretend my commenters aren't part of it because like, when they're commenting on how I changed the sentence structure to match the moment or something and it's already something I did... it's not a conscious change I made, you know? It just felt right, but they were able to articulate why it felt right and that helps me be more aware of using that as a technique in the future. So write and post fanfic, I guess is the advice XD

#i really wish i was the kind of person who could analyze and Distill Advice but it would all be entirely specific to the way i write #and unlikely to line up for you (hence the only relevant to certain people thing) #it's also worth noting i've gotten to the point where i also either draft or proofread all stakeholder communication at my work lmao #i noticed errors too many times and now that's my job so like. it's not just fiction I write #but also i have that skill from writing fic in the first place? listen its circular lmao but being my own beta taught me a lot #ask #anon

[shredsandpatches]

Really want to see the church scene in Gounod Faust staged with Marguerite and Mephistopheles on opposite sides of a confessional screen (I would not be surprised if this is common but I haven't seen that many productions). I think it'd really underscore the psychological/spiritual horror and violation going on in that scene.

#hot faust summer #mephistopheles monday #you could do the sort of stage set version where the screen is there but the sides are open #she could step out to the altar for her big moment at the end #this is of course also me having a lot of lapsed-catholic issues #but (this opera being french) the church scene is just absolute pure distilled catholic nightmare fuel #...goethe actually also sort of low-key writes gretchen as catholic #she goes to confession (with meph listening in!) and prays to the Virgin Mary #which is a sign of goethe not being interested in religion except as a social and psychological force #but catholic culture is especially good at scenarios that are tailored to mindfuck young women #so it does fit #in the hypothetical gounod staging meph's affect and costume is obviously 'friendly neighborhood priest' #before it escalates quickly

[the-lady-hestia]

Today has been hard. Most of it has been out of my hands. I'm suffering at the hands of the government, the healthcare system, the fact that I decided to study physics, all of it.

I walked past my mirror and expected to have the usual dysphoria spike that accompanies times like these.

And then I couldn't look away

And then I started crying

Because when I looked in the mirror it wasn't disdain or pain or anger or fear or any of that. The only thing I felt. The only thing I could feel. The only thing my mind had the capacity for in that moment was overpowering unwavering love. It was so strong and so immediate; I had never felt anything like that before.

I saw myself in that mirror and the only thing I could think was imagining giving myself a hug through it. I felt it. I felt that love going out and coming in and going out and coming in.

reflecting refracting splitting merging angled into a focal point between myself and my image so dense and so white-hot you could have ignited a star with it.

And I just stood there

and I smiled

with tears running down my face

#please hear me when I say it will get better #the world is not absolute darkness #the light is there #sometimes you just gotta look in a mirror to find it #sometimes you just gotta fight like hell #sometimes you just gotta realize that the only one who can turn on that light is you #I have a thing about art where I believe that the best art comes when someone distills extremely specific emotion #this is true for music visual art whatever #I wish so much that I was a better poet because if I could capture what I was feeling in that moment #I think it would be the most beautiful thing I have ever made

[apollo-cackling]

me reading She Who Became the Sun, watching the guy in power executing all his advisors in a spiral of paranoia that eventually leads to his downfall: ahh it’s like coming home :D

#discord transplant #suddenly remembered this joke I made a while ago lol #she who became the sun #I could not for the life of me explain why but the constant paranoia + backstabbing/etc from everyone engaged in court politics- #-in that book just instantly made me go oh yup this is chinese history alright #something about the Flavour #the way the narration views politics/history #my rambles #idk lol if you asked me to distill my impression of the ming dynasty into one single emotion it'd be paranoia #could be kid!me's massive bias to pre-tang dynasties but like. #it literally began *gestures towards the first 3 emperors* Like That

[kirnet]

I know we’ve all talked this point to death but it’s wild to me that the plan is 7 books. Like, a 7 book series is a LOT for plot heavy novel series with just one linear path instead of a massive undertaking for an if. I expect that from a dense fantasy or sci fi series. Something that has a lot of plot to develop and explore. But a romance??

Having plot as a means to an end for romance tropes is fine. I don’t think anyone goes into a romance series for plot, they go for character and dynamics and tropes. But then how do u justify 7 books…

#like I have had my criticisms of the plot since I first played book 1. I’ve always just been here for tea and the character dynamics. #which is fine and fun! #and like coding an if with all these different storylines and options is genuinely incredible and I don’t wanna disrespect the amount of #time and work the author put in. you don’t see me coding one lol #but on that same note: distilling the plot down to fewer books with more tight writing would save sooo much effort and time right? #books 2 and 3 could be so easily combined. they both focus on the trappers. you can do a whole thing where everyone thinks falk is taking #people but he thinks the agency is taking people and gasp! it was all a set up and the auctioneer was manipulating everyone the whole time! #two villains! higher stakes! in one book! less time coding and editing! #idk it’s just a bizarre choice to make to me. probably this was planned as an actual novel series before being turned into an if #I’ve heard people say that fs route felt like an afterthought (haven’t played thru it) but that’s probably bc they were designed to be a #bestie character to the mc or something like that. I’ve heard similar criticisms of Nate but again. idk. #anyways. if u read all this ily #ramblings

[kringelorde]

irrespective of the quality of anybody in these bands, why the FUCK do deathcrush, darkness descends, and south of heaven have some of THE meanest fucking opening riffs in (extreme) metal

#like I wish I could distill those first few seconds of deathcrush and inject them into my brainstem #fuck pretty much the whole scandi bmetal scene from the 90s but GODDAMN #does that EP rippppp #spext #if you know any other classique death black or thrash metal riffs that are insanely tasty I love hearing about shit #freezing moon has a pretty good one too #immortal rites gets me more from the drum perspective but VERY stellar opening to a fantastic album #there's a lot of really GOOD riffs but there's good and there's tasteyyy and they're not always the same

[yeleltaan]

😶 + do you know not restraint!? Cayin don't you see what you're doing to me?

Send 😶 + a really uncomfortable question and my muse has to answer it | not accepting

And at last, he pauses. A weight upon his heart unfelt since the day of the equinox, it hangs heavy as if to call him out of his frenzied stupor. Painted upon his eyes is a glimpse of reason, awareness. He’s finally aware of the fact that he’s out of breath, of the pressure clutching his lungs because were he not moved forward by an unspeakable, unstoppable force, he would have died of asphyxia hours ago. The overwhelming sensation shatters his hold on his cane, and before it’s dropping thud is heard the stillness of his shoulders breaks into a gasp, reaching for oxygen as he stares wordlessly. And for that brief, haunting quiet his mind is blank of thought beyond shame. For what do you do when you have nothing to hide, but want nothing to show? Nothing. Nothing until the first words come to mind.

“...What has restraint done for you..? What has it done for... for us?” His voice falters, impeded by the foreign feeling of a noose tied tightly around his throat, and keeping the flaring of his chest captive, confined and unable to leave as it burns, burns, burns without solace or release. Beckoned by that cold flame the chilling shivers stab into him, make his tired limbs stiff and determined to stand despite their weakness. His jaw begins to tremble, and his teeth grit to keep it still. His head feels heavy, and it tips back. He stares into the ceiling, and he sees it all. He shuts his eyes, and he still sees it all.

“No... you don’t know.” His head tips forward again, and his eyes meets hers, differently now. They don't look into her, they open for her to see instead. They hold open, their usual glow condensed into the burning shape of his iris, a perfect incadescent ring with no shade or gleam to conceal it, for she must see him clearly. When he speaks, his voice comes out like a turbulent river: unevenly paced, tone peaking and dropping over the currents of barely restrained heaving.

“You don’t know what is being done to you. Do you know that I see everything around you? Everything. You think you’re surrounded? Cornered, outnumbered? You don’t know the half of it. And because of restraint, I’ve let you venture deep into their coils. I’ve seen you walk and entangle yourself with their ropes, their roots, their fingers and, and- enough restraint!”

Wild gesturing gives way to stillness once more. Claws ease out of his punctured palms, shaking fists opening into a calm limpness down which thin streams of crimson flow. His ire tempers, leaving controlled resolution in its wake. He catches his breath for but a moment, before every trace of the sound is gone once more.

“Were it up to you, I would be clueless to your suffering. You would have bid me farewell, succumbed to your wounds, your blood or someone else’s curse, without me ever knowing what became of you. But I won't let you.” Smoke seeps underneath the door behind him, embers fly through the cracks on the walls. His shadow grows, gradually swallowing the room, and the disjointed march of devotees rumbles distant but evercloser. “So enough of it. I’ve let you make your every choice until now… and now I make mine.”

@derjaegermond

#derjaegermond #I am. Very happy to write this #gonna come into my inbox and hurt me huh. Gonna fuck me up with an ask #HERE YOU GO ENJOY YOUR MEAL #unrestrained Cayin. Pure distilled Autumn Cayin going off. 'You have tremendous insight but there is so much more' #'and I can no longer wait for you' #but also the fact that this is very much a response to her doubting the truth of his emotions. If he is a puppet or actor #if he has agency of his own #and indeed Yig's and Autumn's influence is strong but this is very much him and at this point he's driven #by sheer need and desperation of his own #'do my words seem fake Helena? Are my feelings an act?' #this is but one path of many they can take but it still feels very good to finally write #seems I'm getting the hang of it again. Needed to wait until I was certain I could do this some justice #because I want to be as close to my best as possible for things like these. Feeling good

[note-a-bear]

One of the nice things about crush is that she's a bit of an adventure drinker, too. So I can indulge and order some bougie locally made liquor as part of their birthday present and it feels like a good call.

(I'm also working on a carving, lol, so it's not just about boozifying everything.)

I just usually wind up hanging out with more beer oriented folks, which is nice! I like beer a lot. But I also want to work on my liquor palate, because I've always been a fan of good cocktails and liquor just as much.

Anyway, here's to good friends and good drinks (alcoholic and not)

#if youve known me for any amount of time you know that im super into drink culture #both as social space and the technologies behind the drinks #weve been doing this out of necessity and pure enjoyment for about as long as we could boil water #distilling in particular has been magic medicine and entertainment for as long as human memory

[mookybear12404]

hhhhhhhh i am. trying SO hard to enjoy the new tlovm episodes

#tbh im. kinda let down #i know they're taking hundreds of hours of content and distilling it into a short tv show but #compared to last season this season is WAYYYY MORE COMPACT #and more and more is being cut and changed to fit the script that the plot is starting to noticeably suffer #specifically I'm devastated by all of the vex/percy build up and the meeting with their father #two of my favorite lines ever were said word for word but they had very little impact especially if you didn't see the original campaign #'they are not worth you' turned into a throwaway line and the 'amend that one name' scene was also :( yeah #they're doing their best but I really think they could have benefited from making this season into two and stretching things a bit more #percy and vex feel far more forced than in the campaign but maybe that's just me idk #tlovm spoilers

[elucubrare]

saw a poll about whether you prefer corruption or redemption arcs and i realized that for me it's not really either, it's a distillation arc: when a character becomes the most intense version of what they could be, everything inessential falling away or being discarded so that only the core remains.

#(yes i considered “purification” but that has Connotations) #achilles starts out angry but in a human way; he ends as divine wrath embodied. #you know. #trope corner

[medicinemane]

Seriously, it would be a mercy to kill me. I'm begging for help dying. Do you not see why it's fucking torture to keep my alive while living with her? I'll never escape her, like there's just no practical way to make it happen

And yet, till I get my act together and find a way to die already, show must go on

#you can't stand still; no matter how miserable you are there's shit you got to do #lord knows I'm bad at it and it takes me forever; I'm not even close to good enough or getting enough done #but still... I slowly work at it and occasionally do things like get rid of the trailer by myself #and in return I get lovely anons telling me to stop using my one point of socialization and to go get some help #my misery repulses them and I really need to fix it before I get back on the internet #and I'm so sleep deprived and in so much pain from having to be a therapist today; especially with how bad it was today #that I'll just be blunt that if I could distill every bit of pain I feel #I'd fucking seep it into people's bones when they say shit like that #I want to see how you deal with it; I want to see if you writhe just by living my life #I've told you all so many times that I'm bitter and cruel and that you only don't see it because I'm polite #there's a reason I identify so much with Soulcutter as a sword #and it's because I'd call it the sword of depression almost as much as I'd call it the Tyrant Blade or Sword of Despair #the way it's described; like it drains the will out of you meaning that even the idea of holding it aloft becomes tiring #...I could fucking wield it; I know how #that's not a blade you draw; you rest your hand on the hilt and let the misery eat into everyone carving them up #and you realize how pointless it is to even bother keeping your hand there and let it go limp and slide off #and frankly if I had it I'd be real tempted to carve a path of despair through the world... especially anywhere policy makers were #I'll work with everything I have to make sure no one ever feels like me; or as few people and make them feel as little of it #but it would be a lie to say I didn't want to force you all to feel it exactly as I feel it #then you come back to me and tell me all the ways I'm not doing enough and need to fix my depression this way or that way #you feel the decades of total isolation and you tell me if I'm doing as badly as you've decided I am

[leakyleaky]

thinking about making stigmata hand ears for fun

#me :) #wish i could distill “i want to talk to you about cannibalism” into earrings but these'll have to do

[exsqueezememacaroni]

.

#more lack of sleep puppy brain thoughts - #i haven't seen Clerks in a very very long time #but in my brain #you could curate songs from kfad and disco volante and put together a very fitting soundtrack for that movie #its honestly surprising to me that neither bungle nor fnm had a song in the original soundtrack #this is coming from this feeling of distilled gen x in both albums

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

i watched My Neighbor Totoro for the first time, here's my chronological viewing experience:

woo-hoo! dusty old japanese house with japanese architectural details aplenty

these kids got some ENERGY my goodness

family dynamic's adorable. peak quality dad humor

kids: our house is haunted. parents: that's so cool!

hell yeah, wrinkled old lady rep. we need more friendly old women with potato faces and warts like storybook witches. the backbone of society, these ladies

Plot Summary: Small Child Bothers Local Wildlife

sacred tree sacred tree sacred tree

Introducing Totoro! nobody said this fucker's got TEETH???

Uh-Oh! Inadequate Parental Supervision Detected

(you misplaced your four year old! you're not supposed to do that)

4-year-old: i met a magic forest spirit. dad: oh shit fr?

4-year-old: *angrily hugs sister* missed u bitch

this small child has a smile like a toad. like a really really cute toad. like the cutest toad in all existence. i love her she's perfection please just let this child be happy

rice paddies are so pretty....so back breaking....rice is such a prissy crop

*my crush is stranded in a rainstorm* takethisumbrellait'syoursnowBYE *runs away in panic im so good at flirting*

Giant Chinchilla Learns To Hold Umbrella, Is Fucking Delighted By Experience

take this, it will help you on your quest! *hands u trail mix wrapped in a leaf*

LO-FI HIP HOP STUDY LIST!

crouching down to peer at dirt--A++ top notch foundational childhood experience

mom has a big ass forehead

honey! the chinchillas are performing Rituals in the backyard again

help yeah let's jack and the bean stalk this shit

huh so we're all just climbing aboard the giant chinchilla's tiddies now ok

class trip!

the pure adrenaline of Vegetable Gardening

no! the small child is crying! she is bawling her eyes out. no no no. i can't cope with this. emotionally i cannot cope 🥺🥺🥺

i've only had Mei one hour but if anything happens to her i will raze this earth and everyone on it

please someone make this small child smile again

oh no the tall child is crying too

i can't take this. my heart can't take this.

i need a drink

small child running determined to deliver magic veggies to the hospital. this kid is my hero

she is also unsupervised. so, so unsupervised

babe you are FOUR

godDAMMIT ghibli, you cannot give me watercolor sunsets while a small child is missing. u are killing me. my heart is giving out. this is me, experiencing heart failure.

Totoro to the rescue!

no wait CATBUS to the rescue!

i admit i initially thought the cat was a creep. alice in wonderland prejudiced me. i have revised my notions of smiling cats

i've decided the cat is a metaphor for the magic of a robust public transport system

MEI'S OKAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and so is mom. she's a lovely lady im sorry for what i said about her forehead. it's a noble forehead.

happy ending YES bitch!!!!!!

ok. ok ok ok. that was magical.

(as a first-time adult viewer i was worried i wouldn't be able to Access the Magic. but i could and i did and it was incredible. that was culture. that was ART. joy distilled into animated form. holy rites of childhood. i understand now. how glorious, this world we grow out of. how full of marvels. i'm going outside to smell grass and sun and get dirt under my fingernails. miraculous.)

#mr ghibli please you cannot do this to my heart #totoro #my neighbor totoro #spoilers #? #initially i misspelled Totoro as Tortoro throughout the entire post #i fixed it but dear heavens i was tempted to leave it in. you're WELCOME

[dhampir-dyke]

Also can I just say. Joseph's sing-song "I played a little trick on you~" during the fuckin death match is the funniest shit ever. He'd be adorable if he wasn't a little shithead

#dont EVER ask me to pick a favorite jojo bc i fucking love them all #joseph is such a fuckin silly goose of a guy. what is his problem. #also can i say that i love that you could distill the bisexual gene from the joestar bloodline bc oh my god

[cryptotheism]

I hope this doesn't come off as disrespectful, because I'm genuinely curious, but like...is alchemy "real"? Because the way you speak about it is how I wish I could, myself, appreciate it and you're the closest I've ever found to a real world wizard which excites me a great deal. I totally respect if for you it's actually just an interesting academic study without intention, I'm just curious for how you view it in that lens.

No that's a good question!

Short answer: Yes, as in alchemists were real people who could actually do cool shit sometimes, but they weren't actually transmuting lead into gold, you need a particle accelerator for that.

In the 4th century, you weren't a scientist, that word hadn't been invented yet. You were a Natural Philosopher. You studied everything from the stars, to mathematics, to medicine, to the nature of herbs and stones.

In the medieval era, you weren't an astronomer, you were an astrologer. Telling people's horoscopes involved a lot of astronomical math. There wasn't really a difference between astronomy and astrology.

In the renaissance era, you weren't a chemist. The term chemist didn't exist yet. You were an alchemist. You tried to make gold sometimes, but you also manufactured dyes, glass vessels, cosmetics, paints, and medicines. You were kind of a whitesmith, and a glass-blower, and a doctor, and sometimes just a con-man.

Alchemy and chemistry have a relationship similar to Astrology and Astronomy. But, don't think of alchemy as just "Chemistry with magic." Alchemy is the father of modern chemistry. It is the cocoon that chemistry sprouted out of.

The thing is, alchemy is more "real" than astrology is. You know what a common use of astrology was in the medieval era? Diagnosing diseases. You'd check someone's horoscope to determine what medicine to give them. This didn't work. A medieval astrology textbook isn't going to be useful for diagnosing why your stomach hurts.

But!

Medieval alchemy texts are actually useful sometimes. If you want to dye some copper so it looked more like gold, there are alchemy texts that can tell you how to do that. If you want to distill the mercury out of some cinnabar, alchemists could do that. They didn't really know how or why that worked, but they could do it! If you want a potion that could make you immortal, the alchemists could make a philter of mercury and lead that would definitely 100% kill you and it would hurt the whole time you were dying. You can't win em all.

Im writing about the history of alchemy on my patreon if you wanna support me!

#alchemy