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@lulumilights

☕ Ivy (she/they). 21. Leo. Artist. Salmon male grindset ☕
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lulumilights
persephoniist
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arienai

While I'm talking about writing I do want to rec two INCREDIBLE writing apps that have helped me immensely as a writer with ADHD

Stimuwrite is a little program that you can customize with all sorts of really rewarding instant tactile feedback, for example sound effects every time you hit a key, emoji notifications and balloons when you hit your custom goal (which can be as low as you want for low energy days), and neat animated backgrounds.

4thewords turns writing into an RPG and you can kill monsters via word count in order to complete quests and progress through what I personally find to be an interesting and fun storyline. It comes with all the RPG trappings like loot, gear, even custom housing (win more stuff for your house by writing).

I cannot stress ENOUGH how amazing both of these have been in terms of my writing productivity as someone with pretty severe executive dysfunction issues. Usually I use Stimuwrite for the instant feedback and then copy and paste those over into 4thewords for the gamification.

Both are small indie projects, Stimuwrite is pay-what-you-can-afford and 4thewords is $4/month but they are very good about helping people who genuinely can't afford it.

and AS THE CHERRY ON TOP, Stimuwrite's programmer is a trans woman, and while I'm not sure about the 4thewords team in specific, the game is FILLED with really great rep, they are literally having a lesbian wedding global event going on right now as I type this. So like. I like giving money to them more than giving money to a lot of other projects lol.

Anyway no neither of these projects have told me to write about them or anything I just want to spread the love. Go check them out!!

Stimuwrite

4thwords

#writing stuff#writing advice
lulumilights
thelunargirl123
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sugar-grigri
Anonymous asked:

I'm very curious about your idea that Denji will eventually sacrifice himself for Asa. On one hand, you have the foreshadowing where Nayuta says that Denji can't die while the panel is showing Asa (Yoru)'s sleeping face. On the other hand, the theory is in tension with Denji putting Nayuta first. I'm pretty disappointed by how Nayuta reacted to him seeing Asa so I do hope he grows out of catering to her every neuroticism, but at the same time it shows his growth to put family before some girl he met. Thoughts?

sugar-grigri answered:

I wish Denji would die

You want to hurt us anon with this kind of thinking, but I love the tragic so this is perfect! So here we go!!!

I have already made a post on the fact that Denji had indeed evolved. It's obvious that the one in the first part didn't put up any emotional barriers because he had no cues giving his blind trust to whoever would feed him. The one in the second part, although he shares the same desire to desperately find a girlfriend, does not trust blindly: whether it is the fact that he denies Yoshida having ever met him (during the assassins' arc) on the pretext of not seeing what he was talking about, or the fact that he will listen more to his family's (Nayuta's) warnings rather than plunge into the euphoria of a shared kiss with "Asa". 

But I'd just like to make one thing clear: to me, when Nayuta orders Denji to stop seeing Asa, it's not out of a need for control, or even extreme possessiveness, it's primarily an act of protection. I mean, not only is Yoru the one who initiated the kiss, but she also wanted to try to make Denji her weapon again immediately afterwards (you can tell by the fact that she puts her hand on Denji's head immediately afterwards). Obviously Denji as a hybrid being cannot be transformed, but the fact remains that Yoru did have very bad intentions which could be perceived by Nayuta when she entered the room. 

The purpose is clear: Nayuta does not follow the precepts of her predecessor by isolating Denji to manipulate and control him, she does it precisely to avoid that he suffers again by giving his trust too quickly. In other words, the clear difference between these two parts is not only that our hero has evolved but also his entourage. He now has a loving one that protects him from obvious dangers. 

We can't deny the fact that Asa (because of Yoru of course but still) is dangerous for Denji, I'm the first to adore Asa but precisely because she is more than imperfect and has many flaws: the moment when she looks for a target remains a comical but also tragic episode, because Asa and Yoru do something more similar to Makima's behaviour than Nayuta's herself: they dehumanise him. 

Denji has done nothing wrong, doesn't deserve to die, but he is somewhere between a cat and a criminal. 

I'm not saying this to put Asa on trial, but to show that Asa is a real threat to Denji. Moreover, Yoru is Chainsaw Man's natural enemy. 

Nayuta and Denji have a strong bond because their demons are related to family and motherhood. Denji was looking for a mother figure in the previous incarnation of the control demon, Makima. While her own demon, the demon that represents the fear of chainsaws (a tool originally invented for childbirth), dictates the birth and death of demons with the sound of chainsaws.

What I'm trying to say is that between the control demon who always wanted to form a family with the chainsaw demon, and now that they do, their family is powerful because Denji in his individuality but also the two demons that make up the siblings are intrinsically linked to the notion of family. 

I say all this to show that what Denji has to overcome in order to bond with Asa is not a "neurosis" as you say, anon. In my opinion what he has to ignore is his own family. 

That's what would make Denji's fate brilliantly tragic: losing everything by putting himself in a vulnerable situation. I don't know if it's over-interpreting (but I love it), but I didn't see many people talking about the cat figure that comes up several times: 

- Denji is between the cat and the criminal 

- Asa lost her mother because she wanted to save a cat 

- Denji's first appearance is him saving a cat

The cat always seems to be linked in one way or another to the notion of sacrifice, whether it is by the fact that Asa wants to make Denji a weapon, the sacrifice of Asa's mother, or the fact that Denji did not knowingly save another person to save a cat.

But this is a figure that was initiated in the first part: Power was willing to sacrifice herself to save her cat. In the same way, she also sacrificed herself to save Denji. If we follow the previous logic, he plays the role of the cat. 

That is to say, we die for Chainsaw Man, his family also died for him (Aki wanted to stop everything to protect them, Power died again for him). 

In my eyes it is a figure that sooner or later will reverse itself. I said it before but the theme of impossible love, of opposing families, of a game of secret identities, are Shakespearean codes. So tragic. 

Denji will not listen to his family or even his past mistakes and will be led to tie up with Asa.

For me, and I hope so (I love angst), this story will end badly. Denji, who is desperate to be in love, will get what he wants :

he will die for love. 

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#csm spoilers#got dayum#remember this
lulumilights
2soulscollide
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2soulscollide

Write your book STEP BY STEP

hello hello, it's me again!

today i'm bringing you a step-by-step / checklist to finally get your book done. i know it can be a bit complicated to put everything together to make your idea come to life (you're definitely not alone!)

that's why i compiled some tips and made this post, in hopes to help some author out there :D

let's get started.

PREMISE

assuming you already have a good idea in mind, you should start by writing a premise. to help you with that, try to answer these questions:

  • who is the main character?
  • what are their goals?
  • which troubles will they face / what's stopping them from achieving their goals?
  • do they have an opponent? if so, who?

now that you know the answers to these questions, it's time to write the premise. the premise consists in a sentence that summarizes your whole idea.

PLOT OUTLINE

there are infinite ways to plot your story. you can do it by writing down ideas and linking them together, following a scheme, or any other method.

the most common plot outlines are these:

  • synopsis outline: one to two pages, where you hit all the major beats of the story
  • in-depth outline: outline each chapter/scene
  • snowflake method: develop the premise into a bigger paragraph, and that paragraph into a page (etc.) until you have the whole outline of your story
  • booken method: plot the start and end of the story, and the main characters

the novel factory created plot sheets for free, and you can choose from eight different templates. you might want to check it out!

KNOW YOUR CHARACTERS

having your outline defined, you should start developing your characters now. the main character's profile might be more detailed than the others, however, it's up to you. there are many character sheets out there on the internet that will help you create flawless characters.

i have a post with resources that might be helpful when creating a character, check it out!

and here you have some prompts and sheets to create a character:

at this point, you should also define the narrator's voice, tone, etc, as well as the pace of your novel.

LOCATIONS

define the principal locations of your story, the settings, and where the story is taking place. it's important to know how the environment looks, and how your characters feel about it.

for this part, you might find it useful to do some research about some locations, if you're not familiar with them. find inspiration on Pinterest, Tumblr, or even on books, paintings, and art. everything is valid.

if your story takes place in a fantasy environment, you might need to fill out a template to create it or write down the way you imagine it to be. try to get as many details as possible, so there are no holes when developing the novel.

SUBPLOTS

you might want to give more depth to your novel by developing a subplot (or more than one). make sure it doesn't get too confusing or that doesn't take the focus away from the main action.

the subplot can be a romance, another character's relationship, a character's arc, a backstory, etc. this will make your story more real and 3D, more realistic.

develop it as a side story and mix it with the principal plot but don't make it as important as the main story, otherwise, none of the plots will make an impact.

SYNOPSIS

write a synopsis as long as you wish, covering every important part of the story. this will help you to really know your idea, and have a solid structure for it. it can range from 500 to 2,500 words, but you don't have to restrict yourself to a number.

things the synopsis should cover:

  • the status quo
  • the complication
  • initial challenges
  • midpoint
  • further challenges
  • the low point
  • the climax
  • the resolution

DRAFT

and we get to the best part which is writing! now that you know everything about your story, characters, locations, and scenes, all you have to do is to put all that together in words. don't feel pressured to make everything look perfect already, just write what comes to your mind. if you have a new idea for the plot, good, write it down! if this character doesn't make sense anymore, okay, get rid of them. just go with the flow, following the structure you've planned, and everything starts to come to life.

i know it's so tempting to go back, read what you wrote, and start editing and polishing, but trust me, don't do that! it's a waste of time, and you will take so much more time to finish your first draft. in fact, i've given up on so many stories because of that...

just when you finish the first draft, you will re-read everything and start editing, fixing plot holes, changing what doesn't fit well, etc. but for now, just write, get the first draft done. enjoy the process, don't rush.

thanks for reading!

i hope this post was helpful!

also, you might be interested in these things below:

resources for this post:

#remember this#writing advice#super helpful#writing stuff
lulumilights
genshin-impact-redesign
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shahdraws
REDESIGNING FARUZAN (Genshin Impact)
Disclaimer: This redesign is entirely based off of my own perspectives and opinions as a Persian raised in a Zoroastrian household, and do not reflect the opinions of SWANA as a whole. If you have a differing opinion, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or send me a direct message!
What I think Faruzan’s original design is supposed to be based off of:

This is a Persian stained glass technique, which can be seen in the “stained glass” look of Faruzan’s skirt in her original design, albeit simplified for ease of animation.

And this is what that stained glass pattern looks like in sunlight. Isn’t it beautiful?

Now on to my Redesign…
  • I decided to incorporate more of the original stained glass type of pattern to create a longer skirt/trousers combination, since this would allow me more space to draw a “stained glass” texture, while also maintaining Genshin Impact’s aesthetic of combining modern and traditional attire to create a unique look.
  • I kept Faruzan’s blouse the same, since there’s not a whole lot wrong with it (and drawing the skirt took long enough lol!). Also, given the pattern of the Persian-coded characters wearing white, which has some significance to Zoroastrianism, I decided it would be best to keep it the same color palette.
  • I decided to add a white cap, with a similar floral motif to her skirt, since her blouse somewhat resembled a Sedreh to me, I thought it would be a good idea to incorporate either a Mathabana like Nilou wears, or a white cap. Due to the volume of Faruzan’s hair and the fact that there is at least one character wearing Mathabana, I decided to go with the cap for Faruzan.
  • I decided to give Faruzan a healthy tan, because her original color palette looks a bit washed out otherwise, although that is just my opinion. I kept the rest of her color palette the same.
My overall opinions on Faruzan:

The good:

  • I think the explicit representation of Persian or Persian-coded characters is great, and since there is virtually no other mainstream representation, I have to give some credit to HYV for doing so, and going as far as to look into our ancestral belief systems as well.
  • I think it’s very creative to construct a dress based on architectural techniques, especially stained glass.
  • The jewelry that Faruzan is wearing is super cute. If someone out there was selling these, I’d probably buy them.
  • Like others have said, she looks like Hatsune Miku lol.

The Bad:

  • Like I said earlier, her color palette is a bit washed out, and would benefit from either a darker skin tone, or less green, blue, and grey tones overall.
  • Despite the creativity in using stained glass to inspire an outfit, the original dress design feels a bit bland, hence my redesign in the first place. It would have been cool to see a stained-glass floral print or something more elaborate than simple diamond shapes, in my opinion.
  • I didn’t think the bows added anything of value, so I just scrapped them for no reason other than I didn’t feel like drawing them.

Final Takeaways:

  • While I don’t think Faruzan has the absolute worst character design I’ve seen out there, I do think there was some room for improvement.
#waragahshjdjsjskks#so pretty!!!!