Something I find incredibly cool is that they’ve found neandertal bone tools made from polished rib bones, and they couldn’t figure out what they were for for the life of them.
Until, of course, they showed it to a traditional leatherworker and she took one look at it and said “Oh yeah sure that’s a leather burnisher, you use it to close the pores of leather and work oil into the hide to make it waterproof. Mine looks just the same.”
“Wait you’re still using the exact same fucking thing 50,000 years later???”
“Well, yeah. We’ve tried other things. Metal scratches up and damages the hide. Wood splinters and wears out. Bone lasts forever and gives the best polish. There are new, cheaper plastic ones, but they crack and break after a couple years. A bone polisher is nearly indestructible, and only gets better with age. The more you use a bone polisher the better it works.”
It’s just.
50,000 years. 50,000. And over that huge arc of time, we’ve been quietly using the exact same thing, unchanged, because we simply haven’t found anything better to do the job.
Yo. I write high fantasy, and I feed off prompts. I have several wips because I can't ever focus on one thing. I rarely post but I plan to post more.
My dash is void of writeblr content, so please interact if you are an active writeblr and I will follow you!
What I'm looking for:
memes
wip content
oc content
I'm interested in most genres except horror/gore
bonus points if you have supernatural/paranormal or sci-fi elements
reblog the dragon cat for good luck
Growled
snarled
snapped
barked
bellowed
yelled
screamed
shouted
seethed
fumed
ranted
rasped(not always angry)
grumbled
complained
leered
sneered
hissed
raged
told off
scolded
scoffed
Laughed
grinned
chuckled
joked
quipped
teased
chortled(breathy, gleeful laugh)
giggled
beamed
exclaimed
cried out(Not always in a positive sense, but can be used that way)
cheered
burst
declared
asserted
insisted
bragged
boasted
remarked
stated
preached
sneered(yes, twice.)
drawled
taunted
mocked
cackled
mimicked
joked
leered
provoked
exposed
begged
questioned
queried
probed
asked
inquired
stressed
pleaded
entreated
wondered
faltered
stammered
trembled
quavered
hesitated
doubted
fretted
stuttered
supposed
shrugged
mumbled
whispered
murmured
breathed
uttered
Tagged by @radiowrites, thank you and apologies for getting to this so late. Finals are a bitch
found family or soulmates | slow burn or established but complicated | enemies-to-friends-to-lovers or best friends-to-lovers | love at first sight or get back together | morally grey character or unreliable narrator | sunshine character or sarcastic character | fire-forged friends or childhood friends | description-heavy or dialogue-heavy | fluff or angst | flower symbolism or color symbolism | redemption arc or bastardization arc | fake relationships or secret relationships | betrayal plot twist or confession plot twist | dream sequence or flashback | mentor protecting student or student protecting mentor | sibling or best friend | platonic soulmate or love triangle | hurt or comfort
Hatred is thick, a red fog that clouds judgement, and hot, burning in one’s veins. Hatred is fire, burning and passionate, easily able to swallow you whole if you don’t set it aside. Hatred spreads like wildfire, rousing and loud, the clap of thunder.
Where the cinders and embers that light the fire are impatient and desperate, grabbing at whatever they may find to remain alive, hatred is patient. Hatred is a seed pod, hiding in a stagnant bog, content with discontent and relishing in it, waiting to flower and spread its venom. Hatred is a destructive thing, poisoning the one who harbors it just as it poisons the others surrounding its host.
Yet it is disgustingly sweet, to the point where it is delicious. Hatred, while clouding the mind, gives focus. It sends you on a hunt, after the object that created it. The festering bud, once awakened, sends you on the path of ruin.
Hatred is something demons love to toy with. After all, men are more likely to destroy the things they hate themselves. They won’t find excuses or search for sacrificial lambs, instead opting to take matters into their own hands.
I am far from a demon. The enduring powers in my family, fighting defiantly against the weathering of time, have taken root in me. I have very little in the way of demonic gifts, but I can light a spark. I can smell the budding seeds of hatred in one’s heart, feel the feeble heat on the palms of my hands, and I can stoke the fire.
Small hatred goes a long way.
The farther back your demonic ancestor lived, the less of their power you had access to. I could do little more than smell hatred, thick, cloying, delicious, which was handy in its own way.
Arms
Athletic Build
Back
Butts
Cheeks
Chest
Chins
Curvy Build
Ears
Eyebrows
Eyes
Faces
Facial Hair
Feet
Fingernails
Fingers
Hair
Hands
Head
Hips
Jaws
Knees
Legs
Lips
Muscular Build
Neck
Noses
Shoulders
Slender Build
Sickly Build
Skin
Stocky Build
Stomach
Teeth
Toenails
Toes
Underweight Build
Affectionate
Ambitious
Bossy
Brave
Calm
Cautious
Charismatic
Clever
Conceited
Courageous
Creative
Critical
Curious
Determined
Diplomatic
Dishonest
Disorganized
Eccentric
Excitable
Friendly
Funny
Generous
Glamorous
Guarded
Honest
Impulsive
Independent
Intelligent
Just
Kind
Loyal
Manipulative
Mature
Modest
Mysterious
Naïve
Optimistic
Prejudiced
Persistent
Proper
Responsible
Sensitive
Sentimental
Serious
Shy
Reckless
Stingy
Stubborn
Talented
Thoughtful
Thrifty
Visionary
Wise
Witty
Worry Wart
Wounded
A Knack for Languages
A Knack for Making Money
A Way with Animals
Archery
Astral Projection
Astrological Divination
Baking
Basic First Aid
Blending In
Carpentry
Charm
ESP (Clairvoyance)
Empathy
Enhanced Hearing
Enhanced Sense of Smell
Enhanced Taste Buds
Farming
Fishing
Foraging
Gaining the Trust of Others
Gaming
Gardening
Good Listening Skills
Haggling
Herbalism
Hospitality
Hot-Wiring a Car
High Pain Tolerance
Knife Throwing
Knowledge of Explosives
Lip-Reading
Lying
Making People Laugh
Mechanically Inclined
Mentalism
Mimicking
Multitasking
Musicality
Organization
Parkour
Photographic Memory
Predicting the Weather
Promotion
Psychokinesis
Reading People
Regeneration
Repurposing
Sculpting
Self-Defense
Sewing
Sharpshooting
Sleight-of-Hand
Strategic Thinking
Strong Breath Control
Super Strength
Survival Skills
Swift-footedness
Talking With The Dead
Throwing One’s Voice
Whittling
Wilderness Navigation
Wrestling
Elemental Abilities
Voices
Voice Types
Speech Patterns
Speech Impediment
List of Character Flaws
List of Archetypes
Hairstyles
Describing Body Types & How They Move Around
Secrets To Give Your Character
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his eyes widened
her eyes went round
her eyelids drooped
his eyes narrowed
his eyes lit up
his eyes darted
he squinted
she blinked
her eyes twinkled
his eyes gleamed
her eyes sparkled
his eyes flashed
his eyes glinted
his eyes burned with…
her eyes blazed with…
her eyes sparked with…
her eyes flickered with…
_____ glowed in his eyes
the corners of his eyes crinkled
she rolled her eyes
he looked heavenward
she glanced up to the ceiling
she winked
tears filled her eyes
his eyes welled up
her eyes swam with tears
his eyes flooded with tears
her eyes were wet
his eyes glistened
tears shimmered in her eyes
tears shone in his eyes
her eyes were glossy
he was fighting back tears
tears ran down her cheeks
his eyes closed
she squeezed her eyes shut
he shut his eyes
his lashes fluttered
she batted her lashes
his brows knitted
her forehead creased
his forehead furrowed
her forehead puckered
a line appeared between her brows
his brows drew together
her brows snapped together
his eyebrows rose
she raised a brow
he lifted an eyebrow
his eyebrows waggled
she gave him a once-over
he sized her up
her eyes bored into him
she took in the sight of…
he glared
she peered
he gazed
she glanced
he stared
she scrutinized
he studied
she gaped
he observed
she surveyed
he gawked
he leered
his pupils (were) dilated
her pupils were huge
his pupils flared
her nose crinkled
his nose wrinkled
she sneered
his nostrils flared
she stuck her nose in the air
he sniffed
she sniffled
she smiled
he smirked
she grinned
he simpered
she beamed
her mouth curved into a smile
the corners of his mouth turned up
the corner of her mouth quirked up
a corner of his mouth lifted
his mouth twitched
he gave a half-smile
she gave a lopsided grin
his mouth twisted
he plastered a smile on his face
she forced a smile
he faked a smile
her smile faded
his smile slipped
he pursed his lips
she pouted
his mouth snapped shut
her mouth set in a hard line
he pressed his lips together
she bit her lip
he drew his lower lip between his teeth
she nibbled on her bottom lip
he chewed on his bottom lip
his jaw set
her jaw clenched
his jaw tightened
a muscle in her jaw twitched
he ground his jaw
he snarled/his lips drew back in a snarl
her mouth fell open
his jaw dropped
her jaw went slack
he gritted his teeth
she gnashed her teeth
her lower lip trembled
his lower lip quivered
she paled
he blanched
she went white
the color drained out of his face
his face reddened
her cheeks turned pink
his face flushed
she blushed
he turned red
she turned scarlet
he turned crimson
a flush crept up her face
he screwed up his face
she scrunched up her face
he grimaced
she winced
she gave him a dirty look
he frowned
she scowled
he glowered
her whole face lit up
she brightened
his face went blank
her face contorted
his face twisted
her expression closed up
his expression dulled
her expression hardened
she went poker-faced
a vein popped out in his neck
awe transformed his face
fear crossed her face
sadness clouded his features
terror overtook his face
recognition dawned on her face
SOURCE
im telling you all... its so worth it to spend a whole evening make 100 million homemade gyoza (even though it takes so long) and freezing them all to have perfect delicious gyoza just the way you like them anytime you want at a moments notice. they seriously take like 10 minutes to prepare from frozen and they are so good. i just had a dumplings and noodles feast you wish you were me
So, this is half writing advice, half life advice.
We all need to be able to recognize when an apology is manipulative, on both a large and small scale. I think we're all aware of the most recent large apology. Quite a few of these apply to that.
But also, feel free to use this as writing advice, too.
Not all of these are necessarily manipulative on their own. If you have apologized to someone for a mistake and done any of these, it doesn't mean you were trying to manipulate them. A lot of these can be completely unintentional. But, put more of them together and take them to more of an extreme, and then you begin to have a problem.
Third person. Especially in reference to the past, using third person to refer to yourself in an apology is a form of detachment. It's dodging the mistake and shifting the blame onto a false 'past self' to avoid taking responsibility.
Hyperbolic self hate. In a casual apology, a little self pity isn't out of place. If you're usually self deprecating, it's normal. It becomes dangerous when it's less like "sorry, I suck at remembering times", and more like "I'm a horrible person, I'm so stupid and terrible and cruel-".
Hyperbolic consequences. On the same note, it's also manipulative to say "I should die/be hurt/be abandoned". It's forcing the listener to feel guilty and feel as if they have caused feelings of depression.
Blaming, not explaining. Often, when apologizing, we want to explain why we may have done something wrong. That's normal! But a good apology should make the other person understand why you made the mistake, not tell them that you didn't make the mistake because you couldn't control it. This is also a form of guilt tripping.
Selective addressing. This one applies to if the apology is for more than one issue. A manipulator may fully address one point, but disregard or gloss over another, then use this to pretend that they fully addressed both, or that they don't need to apologize more than once.
Forced relatability. To make someone feel bad for them, a manipulator may place blame on things the listener can relate to going through, or has sympathy for. This makes them feel as if they cannot criticize them without acting as a hypocrite, or insensitive.
Gaslighting. I'm sure you all know how this one works, but it isn't always "that didn't happen"- it can be "that wasn't as bad as you say", or "you didn't get that it was a joke?". It twists reality to downplay events.
Strawman/subject changing. These are together because they function the same way. A strawman is a falsified or exaggerated arguement that can be easily disproved, and usually has nothing to do with the topic at hand. This can make it seem like the situation has been addressed, and demonizes the victim.
Triangulation. This is when another person is involved in an arguement, usually by the manipulator. This can be to make the victim jealous, focus their attention on the other person, or force them to side with their abuser in disliking them. There is little to no communication between the victim and the added person, and can be used in apologies to shift blame or distract from the issue.
Love-bombing. Less of an apology, and more of a substitute for one. Instead of owning up to their actions, a manipulator may shower the victim with affection and praise, attempting to create a sense of loyalty or a feeling that they can't be as bad as perceived.
That's all I'll get into, but there are far more than I've listed. If you think you're being manipulated, I urge you to research further.
Hi. So I have a question. I'm going to write about a city I've never been to, New York, do you have any tips on how to do this?
Hello, dear. I get asked this often and 4/5 times it’s about New York City, so you’re getting a resource list so I can just direct people to your ask from now on!
Writing Real-Life Locations
7 Tips for Writing About Places You’ve Never Been
How to Write Creative Nonfiction: Writing about Place
How To Write About Place In Creative Nonfiction
Misplaced: why do novelists disguise real locations?
Basics of Describing Settings
How to Describe the Setting in a Story
Discover The Basic Elements of Setting In a Story
How to Write Descriptions and Create a Sense of Place
How to practice location descriptions
Fictional vs. Real Settings: Which Are Best?
Writing About New York [City]
List of NYC writing links & tips
Humans of New York (for local character/lifestyle examples)
Have fun researching!
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