Your perspectives matter. Your representation matters. You are not bothersome for demanding equal treatment in fandom. It is not your responsibility to make fandom more welcoming and inclusive to you. It is not your sole responsibility to create all of the Black-centered content. You are not "ruining" anyone's fun for demanding better for yourself, and anyone who says otherwise can go fuck themselves. Any fandom worth being a part of should have no room for racism in it.

Black people in fandom, you are wanted. You are needed. You are loved and appreciated. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Kruoodle collection no. 9!!

◍ neon theme.

Links: previews [ neo / eon ] | install | features

Neon is a contained theme which features animated floral features and other decorative elements, creating a maximalist, scrapbook-like design — Perfect for those who want a more artistic blog theme!

Features: contained theme, decorative elements, animated flowers (3 different petal shapes), big title, user profile (icon + status + another title), searchbar, 250px/400px/500px posts, styled search & tag pages

Are you new to worldbuilding and looking for some tools that can help you craft the perfect setting for your novel? NaNoWriMo Participant Jaluna Rolik shares some of her favorites with us!

Have you started worldbuilding yet, or are you planning to make it up as you go? Even pantsers should have some idea of the world they’re going to work in before they start! 

Worldbuilding is a long, sometimes tedious, process, but it’s well worth the work. Even if your novel is set in a world that looks very similar to the one we live in, you’re probably going to want to do some worldbuilding to prepare. I generally work in worlds of my own creation. Today, I’d like to share some reasons worldbuilding can be useful, things you can include that might help you, and some (free!) tools that can be a great help in keeping it all together:

1. Keep track of your world’s calendar.

There are lots of reasons to worldbuild. Getting a feel for the cultures and calendar(s) of your world gives you more scenes you can include, ranging from religious festivals and rites to cultural anomalies or troubles that come from the social construct of your system. If you’ve got a lot of different kinds of magic, making a list of spells and methods to use magic can be a great worldbuilding exercise to keep you organized.

A great program for this is Google Sheets. I use it all the time to make calendars! Calendar-making is tedious and tough, but in a fantasy world that probably won’t match up with Earth, making a calendar for yourself so you can see when a character’s birthday is and when holidays come up can help you with events in your story based on the season. This may seem small, but it will help give your readers a more immersive experience.

2. Visualization is your friend.

I have a condition called aphantasia—which means that I have no ability to visualize things in my head. As such, visual constructs in front of me, such as maps, calendars, etc., are extremely vital for me to keep track of things without getting a headache. Thankfully, there are lots  of resources out there to help people like me to worldbuild! I use plenty of different programs to help guide my worldbuilding. Here are some of the tools I use when building up my setting:

Notion is perfect free program for writers. You can either find a template specifically for worldbuilding, or you can make your own with all sorts of features, like lists, images, and even checklists if you think that would help you!

3. Keep your planning notes in order.

Worldbuilding can include almost anything—planning out the species of animals and plants, making languages for the different cultures of the world, time-lining the history of the world, and even denoting how the world was created. It’s all worldbuilding, and it all can have a great effect on your story’s potential! 

Do you find Wikis really useful, or are you a fan of Microsoft Onenote but want a free option? Try CherryTree! It’s very customizable and it’s a great program to make your own nesting lists, note pages, and then some. I  use it a lot, as I have a ton of religions planned out for one world that’s part of a lot of stories. I have the geography basics listed in it, as well, and some plot things, too.

So please, if you’re a planner, plantser, or even pantser, don’t skimp on worldbuilding. Plan anything and everything you think will make your world really feel like a reality for yourself and your readers—it’s sure to give a new layer to your story that will surely wow everyone—even yourself!

Jaluna Rolik was born and raised in New Jersey, and still lives there today. Though her life has certainly had some rough patches, she always does her best to find the positive in life’s woes. In her endless free time, she can usually be seen playing video games, writing, or reading manga. She lives with her father, also a writer, who is always helping her through life’s mysterious ways. Folllow her on Twitter!

(notion link)

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Name given to this kind of magic:

Is it considered magic?

Name given to those who practice this type of magic?