Is It Cold In The Water?

how i do profiles :) guidelines can apply to either stylized or realistic too… hope this helps, even just a lil bit!

Some hand references.

Sources 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Redid a post by fucktonofanatomyreferencesreborn with sources because they never source anything and I don’t want to reblog that post because I don’t want to support blogs who don’t give credit to people

(No, stating that the art is ~not yours~ and ~came from elsewhere~ IS NOT PROPER CREDIT. Many of these have usernames and such on them but not every single one and you still ought to link back to the specific piece)

I couldn’t source the last one so I didn’t include it.

coco mellors, cleopatra and frankenstein.

Enter… the Cuttlefish - Submitted by LobstersAndCoffeeLids

#4a412a #224a5d #45bdcf #84ffcf #d8ffff

Actually

The question I get the most is how I write characters that feel like real people. 

Generally when I’m designing a human being, I deconstruct them into 7 major categories:

1. Primary Drive 2. Fear: Major and Secondary 3. Physical Desires 4. Style of self expression 5. How they express affection 6. What controls them (what they are weak for) 7. What part of them will change.

1. Primary Drive: This is generally related to the plot. What are their plot related goals? How are they pulling the plot forward? how do they make decisions? What do they think they’re doing and how do they justify doing it. 2. Fear: First, what is their deep fear? Abandonment? being consumed by power? etc. Second: tiny fears. Spiders. someone licking their neck. Small things that bother them. At least 4. 3. Physical desires. How they feel about touch. What is their perceived sexual/romantic orientation. Do their physical desires match up with their psychological desires.

4. Style of self expression: How they talk. Are they shy? Do they like to joke around and if so, how? Are they anxious or confident internally and how do they express that externally. What do words mean to them? More or less than actions? Does their socioeconomic background affect the way they present themselves socially?  5. How they express affection: Do they express affection through actions or words. Is expressing affection easy for them or not. How quickly do they open up to someone they like. Does their affection match up with their physical desires. how does the way they show their friends that they love them differ from how they show a potential love interest that they love them. is affection something they struggle with?

6. What controls them (what they are weak for): what are they almost entirely helpless against. What is something that influences them regardless of their own moral code. What– if driven to the end of the wire— would they reject sacrificing. What/who would they cut off their own finger for.  What would they kill for, if pushed. What makes them want to curl up and never go outside again from pain. What makes them sink to their knees from weakness or relief. What would make them weep tears of joy regardless where they were and who they were in front of. 

7. WHAT PART OF THEM WILL CHANGE: people develop over time. At least two of the above six categories will be altered by the storyline–either to an extreme or whittled down to nothing. When a person experiences trauma, their primary fear may change, or how they express affection may change, etc. By the time your book is over, they should have developed. And its important to decide which parts of them will be the ones that slowly get altered so you can work on monitoring it as you write. making it congruent with the plot instead of just a reaction to the plot. 

That’s it.

But most of all, you have to treat this like you’re developing a human being. Not a “character” a living breathing person. When you talk, you use their voice. If you want them to say something and it doesn’t seem like (based on the seven characteristics above) that they would say it, what would they say instead?

If they must do something that’s forced by the plot, that they wouldn’t do based on their seven options, they can still do the thing, but how would they feel internally about doing it?

How do their seven characteristics meet/ meld with someone else’s seven and how will they change each other?

Once you can come up with all the answers to all of these questions, you begin to know your character like you’d know one of your friends. When you can place them in any AU and know how they would react.

They start to breathe.

Structure (2013-12-17)

RWBY TORCHWICK SHIRT

@valentinethesempiternalpanda

The dangers and troubles of being a panda zookeeper.

OC outfit list!

Draw your OC….

1. In (one of) your favorite outfit(s) you own 2. In (one of) your favorite outfit(s) you wish you had 3. In just one piece of oversized clothing (of your choice) 4. In an outfit you were wearing today 5. In an outfit you were wearing yesterday 6. In cosplay 7. In their PJs 8. In a “sexy” Halloween costume 9. In their friend’s/partner’s clothes 10. As a Goth 11. As a Hipster 12. As a Scene kid 13. As a Punk 14. In Street clothes (hiphop/street couture) 15. As a Fashionista/Fashionable person (if they usually aren’t) 16. As a Hobo (if they’re usually fashionable/well groomed) 17. As a Firefighter/Police(wo)man/Soldier/Other uniform 18. In an outfit that has feathers 19. In an outfit that has (fake) fur 20. In a fantasy/medieval inspired outfit 21. In a sci-fi/space inspired outfit 22. In an apocalypse/zombie-outbreak inspired outfit 23. In a kigurumi/onesie 24. Dressed as the person they hate the most 25. Dressed as the person they look up to 26. Dressed as a stereotype relevant to their story 27. In their work-clothes 28. In the work-clothes of the job they want or wished they had 29. As a news anchor 30. As a Pokemon trainer 31. Dressed as their favorite animal 32. In their fave set of undies 33. As a teacher 34. In the outfit of an OC/person you admire 35. In their sportswear 36. In yoga pants 37. As a rock star/celebrity 38. In flannel 39. In hotpants/bootyshorts 40. In THEIR OWN favorite outfit 41. Naked 42. Overaccessorized! 43. In Wedding attire 44. The way you used to dress when you were 14/15/16 45. In their/your most comfortable clothes

I'M DOING AN EXPERIMENT

To prove something to a friend, please

REBLOG IF YOU THINK ASEXUALS BELONG IN LGBTQ+ SPACES

LIKE IF YOU THINK ASEXUALS DON’T BELONG IN LGBTQ+ SPACES