A Writer

Baby those dried herbs need to sit in that jar with high proof alcohol for at LEAST a month!

That’s why before the use of calendars ppl use to prepare their tinctures either on the new moon or full moon. A a full moon cycle is usually 28 days or so. And they would give the moon names so it’s easier to remember when/what month said tincture was bottled.

This is also why herbal medicine is prepare in small batches. You have to take your time preparing your bottles. Making sure everything is clean so you don’t end up with mold. Diluting your grain alcohol. Heckkk knowing when to pick your herbs for max potency! Drying your herbs! That takes a lot of time too!

Bear in mind that they're my best attempt at interpreting massive amounts of often-contradictory information. I also created these in 2020, so there have probably been some changes to canon since then.

Anyway, here ya go:

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Republic Military Hierarchy Flowcharts

Why is the mountain range square. How did the mountain range form. Why is there one singular volcano in the center. Why does it act like a composite volcano but have magma that acts like it’s from a shield. If it’s hotspot based volcanic activity why is there only one volcano.

my favorite thing is the american great lake snowbelts! so, the 'flow' of weather across north america, in very general terms, blows from the northwest on down south and east to the gulf of mexico.

so the wind is blowing from west to east, and in the winter it's a dryer wind than in the summer because it's colder. but after blowing across a great lake for a hundred miles, the wind is wet again. and that wet turns into snow. so for all of these lakes, the big cities are on the west side, not the east sides, because the east sides absolutely suck to live on.

the sole exception is buffalo, NY, which literally has to be there because, unfortunately, that's where all the important canal stuff between lake ontario and lake erie is happening.

also this always strikes me as cool, check out where cleveland is:

On a Watsonian level, sure.

On a Doylistic level, Mordor looks like that because plate tectonics was a fringe, ludicrous, laughable theory that nobody outside serious geology nerds had ever heard of until scientists proved seafloor spreading in the early 1960s. The first edition of the LotR trilogy was published in 54-55. We literally did not know that plate tectonics was real until almost a decade after the book was published, so obviously, it was not something Tolkien could have been considering as he made his maps.

LotR has recurring themes of the reckless imposition of one's will on the natural world creating ugliness, an order you thought was inherently an improvement that in fact is inferior to what you have displaced. (Typified by reckless tree-felling; a reflection of the despoiling of the English countryside and the world by Progress.)

Moria is the only place in Middle-Earth where mithril is found, right? That's kind of a big deal. So, why? What makes that location so special? Is it just random?

I found a paper that had just been published *that year*, 2011 or 2012 as I was writing it, that studied the locations of precious-metals mines in the Pyrenees, the similarly long skinny mountain chain that divides Spain and France. This paper discovered that where there was a bend in the mountain chain, from one of the continental plates having an awkward corner in it that got subducted under the other plate, that had dug deeper into the mantle and caused precious-metal-bearing ores to flow up to the surface in ways they didn't do anywhere else in the Pyrenees.

There's a conversation in The Fellowship of the Ring where one of the hobbits -- I don't have my copy handy or I'd get the direct quote -- asks why they can see the Misty Mountains ahead of them at one point if they're still heading south from Rivendell, and it's explained that south of Caradhras (which you may recall is the surface mountain under which Moria runs) the mountain chain bends and runs southwest instead of due south for a while.

Tolkien had absolutely no way to know *why* this particular feature of a mountain range was associated with intrusions of rare and unique metal ores, but he had gone backpacking in mountains enough to know How Things Should Look.

Surnames in Hyrule

I have a headcanon that normal citizens in Hyrule don’t have surnames, or at least they don’t work like they do in modern times. It’s not really a theory since my only piece of evidence is the lack of surnames in the games. But anyway, I think the system works like it did in medieval times- specifically in England, where families had surnames that reflected their trade or profession. 

You know that thing where a story is written in tight third person limited — we’re meant to be inside someone’s head, seeing the world through their thoughts — and then suddenly the narration says “the blond frowned” or “the shorter woman sighed” about a person the POV character knows really well?

That’s called antonomasia — using a descriptive label instead of a name. And it’s fine when we’re talking about strangers: “the cashier handed her the receipt,” “the tall guy blocked the door.” The POV character doesn’t know their names, and we just need a quick way to tell people apart.

But the moment it’s used for someone the POV character already knows, it breaks immersion. Because that’s not how our minds work. We don’t think “the older man smiled at me.” We think “Mark smiled.” Or maybe “my boss” if that relationship matters in the moment.

Third person limited means the narration sits inside someone’s perception. Their inner monologue is the story’s voice. So when you switch from “Mark smiled” to “the blond smiled,” you’ve pulled the camera away from their mind and turned it into an outside shot.

If you want to create distance or irritation, you can do it on purpose —

“The idiot from accounting emailed again.”

That’s character voice. That’s judgment. That works.

But otherwise?

As soon as your POV character knows someone’s name, use it. While we do tend to worry about repetitions, names rarely register as such to the readers.

If you need variety for rhythm, use relational or emotional identifiers that make sense in their head: her friend, his partner, their teacher, the person they loved.

Because inside someone’s thoughts, there are no “blonds” or “brunettes.”

give them a variety of exes. give them relationships that shaped who they are but did not last. give them people they tried very hard to love but it didn't work out. give them situationships that taught them things. give them something deep that was real but could not endure. things that hurt. things that ended amicably. people with whom hot passion cooled to warm affection and became undying friendship.

Prompts for Writing Gestures

✧ Hands trembling just slightly when they pour tea, though they pretend they don’t notice.

✧ Fingers brushing the edge of a book spine like they’re greeting an old friend.

✧ A smile that starts in one corner of the mouth, shy but persistent, as if trying to convince the rest of their face.

✧ Shoulders relaxing only when someone familiar enters the room.

✧ The way they tuck a stray curl behind their ear with the precision of someone trying not to feel anything at all.

✧ A hand drifting to the collarbone every time a secret threatens to slip out.

✧ The soft, unconscious sway they fall into when they hum along to something they’re not aware they’re humming to.

✧ A laugh caught halfway, buried in the palm of their hand like it’s too tender for the air.

✧ The way their gaze flickers to the ground before they say something honest.

Feel free to reblog or save this post, so you always have the full collection at your fingertips.

I hope you like it. ⋆.˚ 🌙ྀིྀི .⭒˚

Prompts for writing eyes like that

⋆˚✿˖ His eyes were the color of dark honey under low light. Gold turned shadow, sweet turned secret, the kind of gaze that made your pulse trip over itself.

⋆˚✿˖ Her eyes glowed like amber with a flame trapped inside, warm at first glance, but carrying a heat that didn’t feel entirely safe.

⋆˚✿˖ His irises held that smoky, golden hue of burnt sugar. Warm and addictive, the kind of color that warned you and pulled you closer anyway.

⋆˚✿˖ Her gaze shimmered like honey poured slowly, thick and deliberate, the kind of look that made you forget your own name for a second.

⋆˚✿˖ Her eyes flickered with that dangerous golden-brown shimmer, the exact shade of trouble disguised as temptation.

⋆˚✿˖ His eyes were the kind of honey that only turns golden when you tilt the jar. Soft in one angle, sharp in another, like his gaze shifted depending on what he wanted from you.

⋆˚✿˖ His gaze was amber darkened at the edges, warm in the center, the kind of eyes that made you think he could ruin you gently if he wanted to.

There’s this funny misconception that when a character walks into a room, the important part is the room. Writers start scrambling to describe the walls, the wallpaper, the lighting, the color of the rug that no one asked for. And sure, you can do that. But the room doesn’t matter until your character touches it with their thoughts.

And I’m saying this with love, because I’ve written those “character enters room, now here’s a paragraph about the furniture” scenes too. We all have. They’re basically a rite of passage.

But the more you write (and the more drafts you survive) the more you realize something important: the room is NEVER the point. The PERSON entering it is.

When someone walks into a room in real life, they don’t float in like a neutral non-entity. They bring whatever emotional chaos they’ve been dealing with. They bring the argument they just had in the hallway. They bring the secret they’re not ready to tell anyone. They bring the memory the smell of the room just stabbed them with. People don’t arrive clean. They arrive mid-story, even if they pretend they’re fine. So instead of focusing on the chair in the corner, try starting with the emotional “temperature” your character walks in with.

Are they anxious and trying to hide it?

Are they exhausted and hoping nobody notices?

Are they excited but scared they’ll ruin everything the moment they open their mouth?

You don’t have to spell it out like a weather report, just let it tint the way they see the space. Plus, a room changes depending on who’s looking at it. If your character is confident, the space might feel open, manageable, almost welcoming. If they’re overwhelmed, the same room can feel too loud, too bright, too filled with people who suddenly seem to know exactly where they’re going and what they’re doing. If they’re guilty, every shadow becomes suspicious. If they’re sad, the room might seem bigger than it really is.

It doesn’t matter how the room “objectively” looks. What matters is what they see first.

And please let your characters enter rooms in realistically messy ways. Not every entrance needs to be cinematic or in the Hollywood style. Not every character glides. Some fumble the door handle. Some hesitate in the doorway because they suddenly can’t remember why they came in. Some scan the room too fast because they’re nervous and then pretend they weren’t scanning the room at all. Some try way too hard to appear casual and end up bumping into a table they didn’t even notice was there.

That kind of stuff makes your characters feel like a real person and not because the action is interesting, but because it’s familiar. It’s that tiny, “oh god, same” moment between the reader and the character, even if they never consciously notice it.

OP isn't wrong, exactly (saying this for everyone else reading, not at you, OP) and the pasted tags are excellent & about a real issue, but actually further from the thesis of the video.

That thesis boils down to fiction that creates religions, like fantasy novels or RPGs, is very prone to only really depicting the religion's myths and sacred texts. The creation stories, the pantheon melodramas, that kind of thing. Adjacent to this is a big focus on belief. Both of these, ReligionForBreakfast (RFB) suggests, are due at least in part to (unexamined or deliberate) Christocentrism.

The thing that's missing, that RFB proposes as what he thinks would make a big difference and be good to see in fictional worlds, is action. ("Ritual", for certain definitions of the word.) What do followers of a religion, or people within that religion's culture, actually do? How does it appear in daily life, in art and architecture, customs and food, etc.? And not just the Official Approved actions or activities, either.

(embeded for easier finding cause I missed the link when I first read this post lol)

I've been resource gathering for YEARS so now I am going to share my dragons hoard

Floorplanner. Design and furnish a house for you to use for having a consistent background in your comic or anything! Free, you need an account, easy to use, and you can save multiple houses.

Comparing Heights. Input the heights of characters to see what the different is between them. Great for keeping consistency. Free.

Magma. Draw online with friends in real time. Great for practice or hanging out. Free, paid plan available, account preferred.

Smithsonian Open Access. Loads of free images. Free.

SketchDaily. Lots of pose references, massive library, is set on a timer so you can practice quick figure drawing. Free.

SculptGL. A sculpting tool which I am yet to master, but you should be able to make whatever 3d object you like with it. free.

Pexels. Free stock images. And the search engine is actually pretty good at pulling up what you want.

Figurosity. Great pose references, diverse body types, lots of "how to draw" videos directly on the site, the models are 3d and you can rotate the angle, but you can't make custom poses or edit body proportions. Free, account option, paid plans available.

Line of Action. More drawing references, this one also has a focus on expressions, hands/feet, animals, landscapes. Free.

Animal Photo. You pose a 3d skull model and select an animal species, and they give you a bunch of photo references for that animal at that angle. Super handy. Free.

I needed a reference of a phase 2 clone trooper helmet at a specific angle. So, I found a 3D model, rotated it to fit my needs, and started using it as my reference. It made it a lot easier. I'm sure you could also use these to study helmet forms too :)

P.S. If the image is a little blurry, its because I took a screen shot using the snipper tool and just copy pasted it to the post.

User aclarke064 made a good Phase I helmet:

“King” Doesn’t Mean “Husband of the Queen...”

I’m so glad you asked, Anon, because this is something that drives me crazy in a lot of YA fantasy.

Monarchy vs Coregency

Kings and queens (and the various alternative titles in other languages and cultures) are functions of monarchy, “mono” (or “one”) being the operative word there. In other words, most monarchs do not share power with their spouses. There are certainly examples of co-ruling (or coregent) kings and queens in history, but they’re very rare. 

Kings Regnant & Queens Consort

Kings are almost always regnant, meaning that they are the one with the power. The wife of a king regnant is almost always considered a “queen consort” meaning that she does not have any power. She does not co-rule with her husband and would not inherit the throne if he dies.

Queens Regnant & Princes Consort

Queens can also be regnant, usually because they inherited the throne. The husband of a queen regnant is almost never called a “king consort” (though there are a few exceptions and almost exceptions.) 

The word “king” carries too much weight, so giving it to the husband of a regnant queen implies that he has equal or more power than she does, and in a monarchy without coregency, you obviously want to avoid that. For this reason, the husband of a regnant queen is usually called a “prince consort.” That’s why Queen Elizabeth II’s husband is “Prince Phillip” and not “King Phillip.” Queen Victoria actually wanted Prince Albert to have the title “king consort,” but her council wouldn’t hear of it since he was a foreign prince, and it felt too much like ceding partial power of Great Britain to Germany.

Line of Succession

The “line of succession” refers to the order in which the throne is passed down in the event of the monarch’s death. Most monarchies subscribe to something known as “primogeniture” which is a rule dictating that the throne is passed to the monarch’s oldest legitimate child. If the monarch has no living legitimate children, the line of succession usually passes through the children of the monarch’s oldest sibling. If the monarch has no siblings, you would start to get into cousins and the children of cousins, etc.

Primogeniture can be male-preference, female-preference, or absolute (which means gender doesn’t matter.)

In any case, the monarch’s spouse is almost never in the line of succession. In the rare event their rule was coregent, however, then presumably the queen would continue to rule after her husband’s death, or she may choose to abdicate and pass the throne to their eldest child if they’re old enough to rule.

Regency for a Monarch in Minority

When a monarch is unable to rule due to illness, absence, or minority of age, someone can be named “regent,” meaning that they will rule on behalf of the young monarch until they are old enough to rule on their own. Depending on the age of the young monarch, the regent may have total power or they may simply assist and guide them in their duties. The spouse of the deceased monarch is a common choice for regent, but the monarch’s oldest or most capable sibling or royal cousin are other possibilities. It would typically be someone who is already close to the throne. And, the moment the young monarch comes of age--or in the case of a sick or absent monarch, the moment they’re able to resume their duties--the regent’s powers revert back to the monarch.

So... in the case of your story... your king would only keep ruling if your queen and king were coregent. If not, his title probably wouldn’t be “king” but prince consort. If they were ruling jointly, yes, he’d continue to rule. If they weren’t ruling jointly, then he would probably be named regent until the child is old enough to rule on their own. You could also see a situation where the council is concerned about giving that kind of power to a king consort/prince consort, and so they give it instead to a sibling or cousin of the regnant queen’s. You can do whatever makes the most sense in your story. Would this consort be trusted with the regency?

I hope that helps!

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Today I saw the question: “How can I spot whitewashing in Clone fanart?”

Seeing this really made me think. First, I think this is a wonderful question. Acknowledging when you don’t have enough experience, knowledge, or awareness is super important. Not everyone can know everything! Once you acknowledge a gap in your awareness or understanding, the next step is to fill that gap.

Listen to those with experience, knowledge, and awareness on the topic. Listen to those personally effected and learn. That way you can grow and encourage others to do the same. And when you have enough awareness to spot harmful things like whitewashing, you can avoid contributing to them!

Temuera is Māori from Aotearoa (New Zealand). This indigenous group is a subgroup of the larger Polynesian ethnicity. Personally, I am Native Hawaiian (Kānaka Maoli) which is also a member of the larger Polynesian family. So tonight I want to use my personal experience to talk to all of you about Polynesians and whitewashing, and how to specifically spot the basics of whitewashing on Clone Troopers.

I want to start off by saying: whitewashing is NOT limited to skin lightening. Often it goes much deeper than that. Whitewashing can be drawing someone’s features more eurocentric, by giving them thin features instead of round ones. It can be drawing their hair straight instead of curly. It can be drawing double lids on a character with monolids. Or round eyes on a character with almond eyes.

Whitewashing effects features as well, not just skin tone.

And with that out of the way, Let’s get right into it, and analyze some of Temuera’s features.

Starting with face shapes.

Temuera has a round face and round features accompanied by hooded eyes. His jawline is very soft, and he’s got a strong nose bridge. These are essential when drawing clones. No matter the art style, round features are round. Replacing round noses with thin sharp noses, is whitewashing. Changing Tem’s face from round to thin, is whitewashing.

Below, I’ve assembled some references and highlighted some of his facial shapes:

Next, hair!

When Temuera’s hair gets long, it gets more curly. However, when it’s cut shorter, it just has slight waves. The closer to his head, the more “straight” his hair appears. However, it always has slight texture. This is also essential. He doesn’t have straight white hair. His hair is part of his genetic identity.

Heres a few close ups:

And finally, skin tone.

These are a few pictures I made for a previous post, showcasing Tem’s skin in multiple lightings at multiple ages. It’s important to remember that skin can get thinner as one gets older! This may lead to darker skin at a younger age, and paler, more translucent skin at an older age. However, age does not suddenly make you a white person. Undertones and features remain.

I encourage you all to ask yourself this question before you draw or reblog Clone Trooper fanart:

“Am I contributing to colorism, whitewashing and racism in the Star Wars fandom? Or am I helping end it?”

Thank you for reading, and thank you making/supporting content that accurately represents Temuera’s heritage and provides accurate and helpful representation for Polynesian fans!

It makes me so happy to see Polynesian Representation in Star Wars. So so happy. Seeing people with my features be loved and accepted and honored makes me feel loved, accepted and honored! So thank you!