phoenix writes

or procrastinates, one of the two

239,331 notes

distraction:

perfuqed:

kubbypan:

karkatquest:

ohbabyitsnatalie:

How to read people’s minds. Watch Those Pupils A persons pupils get bigger when they are aroused, interested and/or receptive. If you look into his or her eyes and see those pupils growing large - it’s looking good for you. Basically big pupils (unless it’s just dark) mean a person likes what they see. Try this experiment, and you’ll understand how immediate this effect can be. Go right now and look in the mirror at your own eyes. As you look at them, imagine a sexy man or woman you are attracted to - in whatever way would turn you on. You’ll see that your pupils get bigger in just seconds. Actually, if you love to fish, they may get big just thinking about a lake you love. Anything you like to look at can make your pupils bigger. Now, there are two ways to use this.1. Mind Reading For the mind reading part, you can now watch for changing of pupil size to know if someone is interested in you or what you have to say. And yes, shrinking pupils generally do mean the person is not interested. Just be careful to note if light in the persons eyes is causing the shrinking pupils. In addition to judging the general level of interest and/or receptivity to you, you can use pupil size to go a little deeper into a person’s mind. For example, during the course of a conversation, you can describe various scenes or delve into different topics, while watching the persons pupils. If their pupils shrank at the mention of skiing, and got huge when you described a beach you like, you can be fairly certain they would like the Bahamas over a ski resort. The great thing about this little trick is that you can easily test it and refine your technique. Start with a friend whose interests you know already, and watch their pupils as you describe various places or even ideas. See if getting them to visualize, by saying something “Remember how that car of yours looked,” gets a bigger pupil response.2. Influencing If you haven’t yet experimented with your own pupils, by watching them in the mirror, go try it now. You’ll find that you can quickly train yourself to change your pupil size at will. Just find a mental image or two that gets them really big, and use these as necessary. Look at a light briefly when you want to shrink your pupils back down. Now, how do you use this? We all use little clues like pupil size as we interact with people. We are affected by people’s expressions and body language even when we haven’t yet learned to identify it. In other words - the person in front of you will unconsciously pick upon your enlarging pupils. They will unconsciously take this to mean that you like them, and for many people, this will make them like you more. Listen. This is the easiest and most effective way to read minds. Just pay attention, ask a few questions and listen to what they say about themselves.Watch the Posture. Leaning towards indicates that the person is interested and receptive.Watch For Hair Play. When women play with their hair while talking to you, it is almost always a sign of receptivity.Watch the Mouth. A slightly open mouth is a sign of curiosity and interest.Watch the Head. A tilting head, especially if it comes with a smile and eye contact, is a sign that the person likes you.Watch the Eyes  Here is what people’s minds are doing when they are thinking or asked to remember something. This is true for most right handed people (reverse all this for left-handed people): As you face them, and their eyes go:Up and to the right - they are remembering a visual image. Up and to the left - They are constructing a visual image. To the right - They are remembering sounds or conversation. To the left - The are constructing sounds or conversations. Down and to the right - They are in an internal dialog. Down and to the left - They are accessing kinesthetic feelings, tastes and smells.How to influence the opposite sex:Use Mirroring and Matching. Match the speed of your speech to that of the person you’re talking to. Sit like he or she is sitting. Use the words they use. This is a fast way to build rapport. Once there is a “bond” built, you can start to lead the conversation and actions where you want them to go.Compliment Her or Him. Discover what the person is proud of first, then find a genuine way to compliment them in that area.Listen. Always show a genuine interest in what the person is saying. Ask appropriate questions, so the person knows you’re paying attention. Use their interests to lead into a direction you want to go.Make Good First Impressions. Men usually form a quick visual impression in less than 20 seconds, and then make another judgment based on appearance and personality within a couple minutes. Women usually place less immediate emphasis on appearance, and form an “intuitive” first impression in a couple minutes. The lesson? Work fast.By Steve Gillman. Excerpt from “A Book of Secrets”

Oh my god, I honestly didn’t think this was going to work but it did and I am in awe right now. This is amazing. 

this would be really cool if my eyes weren’t as fucking black as the night sky

fuck i neeeeeeeeed this book wowowowow

someone get me this book

distraction:

perfuqed:

kubbypan:

karkatquest:

ohbabyitsnatalie:

How to read people’s minds.

Watch Those Pupils
A persons pupils get bigger when they are aroused, interested and/or receptive. If you look into his or her eyes and see those pupils growing large - it’s looking good for you. Basically big pupils (unless it’s just dark) mean a person likes what they see.

Try this experiment, and you’ll understand how immediate this effect can be. Go right now and look in the mirror at your own eyes. As you look at them, imagine a sexy man or woman you are attracted to - in whatever way would turn you on. You’ll see that your pupils get bigger in just seconds. Actually, if you love to fish, they may get big just thinking about a lake you love. Anything you like to look at can make your pupils bigger.

Now, there are two ways to use this.

1. Mind Reading
For the mind reading part, you can now watch for changing of pupil size to know if someone is interested in you or what you have to say. And yes, shrinking pupils generally do mean the person is not interested. Just be careful to note if light in the persons eyes is causing the shrinking pupils.

In addition to judging the general level of interest and/or receptivity to you, you can use pupil size to go a little
deeper into a person’s mind. For example, during the course of a conversation, you can describe various scenes or delve into different topics, while watching the persons pupils. If their pupils shrank at the mention of skiing, and got huge when you described a beach you like, you can be fairly certain they would like the Bahamas over a ski resort.

The great thing about this little trick is that you can easily test it and refine your technique. Start with a friend whose interests you know already, and watch their pupils as you describe various places or even ideas. See if getting them to visualize, by saying something “Remember how that car of yours looked,” gets a bigger pupil response.

2. Influencing
If you haven’t yet experimented with your own pupils, by watching them in the mirror, go try it now. You’ll find that you can quickly train yourself to change your pupil size at will. Just find a mental image or two that gets them really big, and use these as necessary. Look at a light briefly when you want to shrink your pupils back down. Now, how do you use this?

We all use little clues like pupil size as we interact with people. We are affected by people’s expressions and body language even when we haven’t yet learned to identify it. In other words - the person in front of you will unconsciously pick upon your enlarging pupils. They will unconsciously take this to mean that you like them,
and for many people, this will make them like you more.

Listen. This is the easiest and most effective way to read minds. Just pay attention, ask a few questions and listen to what they say about themselves.

Watch the Posture. Leaning towards indicates that the person is interested and receptive.

Watch For Hair Play. When women play with their hair while talking to you, it is almost always a sign of receptivity.

Watch the Mouth. A slightly open mouth is a sign of curiosity and interest.

Watch the Head. A tilting head, especially if it comes with a smile and eye contact, is a sign that the person likes you.

Watch the Eyes 
Here is what people’s minds are doing when they are thinking or asked to remember something. This is true for most right handed people (reverse all this for left-handed people): As you face them, and their eyes go:
Up and to the right - they are remembering a visual image.
Up and to the left - They are constructing a visual image.
To the right - They are remembering sounds or conversation.
To the left - The are constructing sounds or conversations.
Down and to the right - They are in an internal dialog.
Down and to the left - They are accessing kinesthetic feelings, tastes and smells.

How to influence the opposite sex:
Use Mirroring and Matching. Match the speed of your speech to that of the person you’re talking to. Sit like he or she is sitting. Use the words they use. This is a fast way to build rapport. Once there is a “bond” built, you can start to lead the conversation and actions where you want them to go.

Compliment Her or Him. Discover what the person is proud of first, then find a genuine way to compliment them in that area.

Listen. Always show a genuine interest in what the person is saying. Ask appropriate questions, so the person knows you’re paying attention. Use their interests to lead into a direction you want to go.

Make Good First Impressions. Men usually form a quick visual impression in less than 20 seconds, and then make another judgment based on appearance and personality within a couple minutes. Women usually place less immediate emphasis on appearance, and form an “intuitive” first impression in a couple minutes. The lesson? Work fast.

By Steve Gillman. Excerpt from “A Book of Secrets”

Oh my god, I honestly didn’t think this was going to work but it did and I am in awe right now. This is amazing. 

this would be really cool if my eyes weren’t as fucking black as the night sky

fuck i neeeeeeeeed this book wowowowow

someone get me this book

(via stolenvampires)

Filed under body language

330 notes

thetrolliestcritic:



 Roleplay Guide 014: Religion 101 (Satanism)Satanism has got to be one of the most difficult religions for people to rationalize, especially when it comes to making them understand non-stereotyped ideals about it to better their writing. I am hoping that through this guide I will be able to dispel some misinformation about this religion, and just open up a broad look into what Satanism as a religion truly is. (Includes helpful links)



Read More

thetrolliestcritic:

 Roleplay Guide 014: Religion 101 (Satanism)

Satanism has got to be one of the most difficult religions for people to rationalize, especially when it comes to making them understand non-stereotyped ideals about it to better their writing. I am hoping that through this guide I will be able to dispel some misinformation about this religion, and just open up a broad look into what Satanism as a religion truly is. (Includes helpful links)

Read More

(via writeworld)

Filed under resources religion

870 notes

writeworld:

8 Reasons Authors Don’t Complete Their Manuscripts

by

WriteWorld Note: This article is geared toward writing superhero comics, short stories, and novels.

Reasons:

  1. The author is working on too many projects to finish one.
  2. The author is unwilling and/or unable to set time aside for writing.
  3. The author gives up on the manuscript and starts another.
  4. The writer constantly rewrites chapters before the first draft is complete.
  5. The author sends it out for beta-reviews too early and gets discouraged.
  6. The author loses track of where the story is going and allows that to discourage him/her.
  7. The author writes out of sequence and gets horribly discouraged when the story fragments turn into an incoherent wreck.
  8. There are too few goals, obstacles, character growth and/or consequences to propel the story past writer’s block.

Read More

Filed under writing help reasons writing doesn't happen

13,259 notes

babbleslime:

Character development thing.

Plot points on this chart to represent how important these different aspects of a character’s life are to them. By doing that you can help determine what type of things your character deems to be most meaningful in their life, especially compared to others aspects.

A brief explanation of each aspect is below in case you’re confused about the meaning of any.

Physical Aspects

  • Strength: to have physical power and strength
  • Sex: to have sexual gratification and satisfaction
  • Possessions: to have objects and tangible things
  • Health: to have physical health and stability
  • Appearance: to have a good external appearance

Emotional Aspects

  • Love: to love and be loved, romantically or otherwise
  • Appreciation: to be appreciated by others
  • Attention: to be paid attention to
  • Security: to feel secure emotionally
  • Approval: to be approved by others

Social Aspects

  • Respect: to be respected
  • Friendship: to have friends
  • Intimacy: to be intimate with a partner or partners
  • Belongingness: to feel needed and belonged
  • Family: to be on good terms with/have a family

Spiritual Aspects

  • Inner peace: to be content with themselves
  • Purpose: to feel as though they are fulfilling a purpose
  • Self-sufficiency: to feel that they are able to provide for themselves
  • Growth: to feel as though they are growing and changing
  • Acceptance: to be able to accept themselves without consequence

(Source: dreatherobot, via stolenvampires)

Filed under character character development graphs

93 notes

writeworld:

Writing Tips

by Bridget Zinn

WriteWorld Note:Celebrate Bridget Zinn and Poison with us!

Recently, I got an email from one of my darling cousins about writing. She was asking about getting motivated to write, especially after having taken a break — in her words “get back on the ol’ writing horse” and how to complete projects and make writing a more integral part of her life. This comes up a lot with writer friends, so I thought I’d post my thoughts for you all (if you mainly read my blog to check on my health and are not a writer, I’m doing great, thanks! Feel free to skip this post).

I have to admit that I hardly feel like an expert in many areas of writing (as you can see by my random punctuation) and I’m always learning a lot from other writers and from my agent, but the one element of writing I feel I have managed to whup into shape in the past eight years or so is the Getting a Lot of Writing Done and Finishing Projects aspect of writing. Even and especially when I’m busy with a million other things.

Read More

Filed under writing advice motivation

366 notes

writeworld:

by Jon Roberts of Fantastic Maps
“This isn’t strictly a tutorial, but rather a step by step for a recent city map. I’ve been doing some city design recently for Rhune: Dawn of Twilight, and got the okay from Jaye Sonia to post some work in progress shots.”
WriteWorld Note: Looking for a step by step guide on how to create cities for your story? Check out Jon Roberts’ City Design Walkthrough for tons of tips and tricks on the mechanics of city creation. This is a great tutorial for both writers as well as visual artists. Remember, visualizing each piece of a city individually can help you develop your setting in more detail and keep you from feeling overwhelmed. Get to it!
Read More

writeworld:

by Jon Roberts of Fantastic Maps

“This isn’t strictly a tutorial, but rather a step by step for a recent city map. I’ve been doing some city design recently for Rhune: Dawn of Twilight, and got the okay from Jaye Sonia to post some work in progress shots.”

WriteWorld Note: Looking for a step by step guide on how to create cities for your story? Check out Jon Roberts’ City Design Walkthrough for tons of tips and tricks on the mechanics of city creation. This is a great tutorial for both writers as well as visual artists. Remember, visualizing each piece of a city individually can help you develop your setting in more detail and keep you from feeling overwhelmed. Get to it!

Read More

Filed under city design locations maps

1,011 notes

Truly Evil Villains

thewritershelpers:

gtbsayso sent: I always have trouble making a true diabolical villian.I try to but the character always develops into grey morality. How does one make a truely evil villian?

Ooh, interesting! Personally, I much prefer stories with characters that are grey rather than stark black and white, but I know that it’s not always what you need/want (sometimes, you just have to have that truly evil character).

Here are a couple of things you can try doing:

  • Forget the backstory. My villains always become more sympathetic when I give them a reason for being evil. If they don’t have a reason (or, at least, if a reason is never mentioned) then they instantly become 100x evil-er.
  • Remember that ‘evil’ and ‘insane’ are often synonymous in this context. Think Moriarty (especially the BBC TV version). If your villain is impossible to predict because they’re actually nuts, they’ll be much creepier.
  • Make them scarily determined. In some books, villains just refuse to die. Like, they go through absolutely heaps to get at the hero but are still alive. Somehow. I don’t know about you, but I find that terrifying. Or maybe  just play up the almost obsessive fixation your villain has with destroying your MC - like Javert in Les Mis. His determination is scary as hell.
  • Make them do really horrible stuff. When I’m trying to make my villains more sympathetic, I give them nice traits, give them small moments when we can catch a glimpse of them not being a total douche. Don’t do this. In fact, do the exact opposite.
  • Think of all the worst, scariest, horriblest, most evil villains. Think about what they have in common, where they differ. Looking at what other people have done is often a real help when coming up with your own stuff.
  • Never let them feel remorse. Don’t give them any moments when they seem sympathetic, or maybe even human at all.
  • If they don’t even have an obvious motive, then I just want to go hide under a duvet. Lack of reasonable motive is goddamn terrifying.

You can also take a look at these things I’ve found for ya:

Hope this has helped! Good luck!

-M

(Rebloggable by request.)

(via writeworld)

Filed under villains character motivation

2,587 notes

The 36 Dramatic Situations

writeworld:

prompts-and-pointers:

When people are looking for plot ideas or new events to sprinkle into their roleplays, the first place I am going to point them is to this article.

Published first in a french book of the same title in the 19th century, this list has been of a massive aid to writers ever since. Written by french writer Georges Polti, it was meant to categorize every possible situation which might occur in anything from a poem to a play. The list came about after extensive studies of Greek texts, french literature, as well as non-french literature. Polti claimed to continue the work of Carlo Gozzi, who had also, himself, found these thirty-six situations. 

1. Supplication

Required Elements : a Persecutor; a Suppliant; a Power in authority whose decision is doubtful 

The Persecutor accuses the Suppliant of wrongdoing, and the Power makes a judgement against the Suppliant. 

2. Deliverance 

Required Elements : an Unfortunate; a Threatener; a Rescuer

The Unfortunate has caused a conflict, and the Threatener is to carry out justice, but the Rescuer saves the Unfortunate. 

3. Crime

Required Elements : a Criminal; an Avenger

The Criminal commits a crime that will not see justice, so the Avenger seeks justice by punishing the Criminal.

4. Vengeance Taken for Kin upon Kin

Required Elements : Guilty Kinsman; an Avenging Kinsman; remembrance of the Victim, a relative of both

Two entities, the Guilty and the Avenging Kinsmen, are put into conflict over wrongdoing to the Victim, who is allied to both. 

5. Pursuit

Required Elements : Punishment; a Fugitive

The Fugitive flees Punishment for a misunderstood conflict.

6. Disaster 

Required Elements : a Vanquished Power; a Victorious Enemy or a Messenger

The Power falls from their place after being defeated by the Victorious Enemy or being informed of such a defeat by the Messenger

7. Falling Prey to Cruelty/Misfortune

Required Elements : an Unfortunate; a Master or a Misfortune

The Unfortunate suffers from Misfortune and/or at the hands of the Master

8. Revolt

Required Elements : a Tyrant; a Conspirator

The Tyrant, a cruel power, is plotted against by the Conspirator. 

9. Daring Enterprise 

Required Elements : a Bold Leader; an Object; an Adversary

The Bold Leader takes the Object from the Adversary by overpowering the Adversary

10. Abduction

Required Elements : an Abductor; the Abducted; a Guardian

The Abductor takes the Abducted from the Guardian. 

11. The Enigma

Required Elements : a Problem; an Interrogator; a Seeker

The Interrogator poses a Problem to the Seeker and gives a Seeker better ability to reach the Seeker’s goals.

12. Obtaining

Required Elements : [a Solicitor & an Adversary who is refusing] or [an Arbitrator & Opposing Parties] + an Object

[The Solicitor is at odds with the Adversary who refuses to give the Solicitor the Object in the possession of the Adversary] or [The Arbitrator decides who gets the Object desired by Opposing Parties]

13. Enmity of Kin

Required Elements : a Malevolent Kinsman; a Hatred or a reciprocally-hating Kinsman

The Malevolent Kinsman and the Hated or a second Malevolent Kinsman conspire together

14. Rivalry of Kin

Required Elements : the Preferred Kinsman; the Rejected Kinsman; the Object of Rivalry

The Object of Rivalry chooses the Preferred Kinsman over the Rejected Kinsman

15. Murderous Adultery

Required Elements : two Adulterers; a Betrayed Spouse

Two Adulterers conspire to killed the Betrayed Spouse

16. Madness

Required Elements : a Madman; a Victim

The Madman goes insane and wrongs the Victim

17. Fatal Imprudence

Required Elements : the Imprudent; a Victim or an Object Lost

The Imprudent, by neglect or ignorance, loses the Object Lost or wrongs the Victim

18. Involuntary Crimes of Love

Required Elements : a Lover; a Beloved; a Revealer

The Revealer betrays the trust of either the Lover or the Beloved

19. Slaying of Kin Unrecognized

Required Elements : the Slayer; and Unrecognized Victim

The Slayer kills the Unrecognized Victim

20. Self-sacrifice for an Ideal

Required Elements : a Hero; an Ideal; a Creditor or a Person/Thing sacrificed

The Hero sacrifices the Person or Thing for their Ideal, which is then taken by the Creditor

21. Self-sacrifice for Kin

Required Elements : a Hero; a Kinsman; a Creditor or a Person/Thing sacrificed

The Hero sacrifices a Person or Thing for their Kinsman, which is then taken by the Creditor

22. All Sacrificed for Passion

Required Elements : a Lover; an Object of fatal Passion; the Person/Thing sacrificed

A Lover sacrifices a Person or Thing for the Object of their Passion, which is then lost forever. 

23. Necessity of Sacrificing Loved Ones

Required Elements : a Hero; a Beloved Victim; the Necessity for their Sacrifice

The Hero wrongs the Beloved Victim because of the Necessity for their Sacrifice

24. Rivalry of Superior vs. Inferior

Required Elements : a Superior Rival; an Inferior Rival; the Object of Rivalry

A Superior Rival bests an Inferior Rival and wins the Object of Rivalry

25.  Adultery

Required Elements :  two Adulterers; a Deceived Spouse

Two Adulterers conspire against the Deceived Spouse.

26. Crimes of Love

Required Elements : a Lover; the Beloved

A Lover and the Beloved enter a conflict.

27. Discovery of the Dishonour of a loved one

Required Elements : a Discoverer; the Guilty One

The Discoverer discovers the wrongdoing committed by the Guilty One.

28. Obstacles to Love

Required Elements : two Lovers; an Obstacle

Two Lovers face an Obstacle together.

29. An Enemy Loved

Required Elements : a Lover; the Beloved Enemy; the Hater

The allied Lover and Hater have diametrically opposed attitudes towards the Beloved Enemy.

30. Ambition

Required Elements : an Ambitious Person; a Thing Coveted; an Adversary

The Ambitious Person seeks the Thing Coveted and is opposed by the Adversary. 

31. Conflict with a God

Required Elements : a Mortal; an Immortal

The Mortal and the Immortal enter a conflict.

32. Mistaken Jealousy

Required Elements :  a Jealous One; an Object of whose Possession He is Jealous; a Supposed Accomplice; a Cause or an Author of the Mistake

The Jealous One falls victim to the Cause or the Author of the Mistake and becomes jealous of the Object and becomes conflicted with the Supposed Accomplice.

33. Erroneous Judgement

Required Elements : a Mistaken One; a Victim of the Mistake; a Cause or Author of the Mistake; the Guilty One

The Mistaken One falls victim to the Cause or the Author of the Mistake and passes judgement against the Victim of the Mistake, when it should be passed against the Guilty One instead. 

34. Remorse

Required Elements : a Culprit; a Victim or the Sin; an Interrogator

The Culprit wrongs the Victim or commits the Sin, and is at odds with the Interrogator who seeks to understand the situation.

35. Recovery of a Lost One

Required Elements : a Seeker; the One Found

The Seeker finds the One Found.

36. Loss of Loved On

Required Elements : a Kinsman Slain; a Kinsman Spectator; an Executioner

The killing of the Kinsman Slain by the Executioner is witnessed by the Kinsman Spectator.

This is awesome!

Here’s another great resource for Georges Polti’s 36 Dramatic Situations, including the elements, the variants, and a dicussion of each situation:

  1. Supplication
  2. Deliverance
  3. Vengeance of a crime
  4. Vengeance taken for kindred upon kindred
  5. Pursuit
  6. Disaster
  7. Falling prey to cruelty or misfortune
  8. Revolt
  9. Daring enterprise
  10. Abduction
  11. Enigma
  12. Obtaining
  13. Enmity of kinsmen
  14. Rivalry of kinsmen
  15. Murderous adultery
  16. Madness
  17. Fatal imprudence
  18. Involuntary crimes of love
  19. Slaying of a kinsman unrecognized
  20. Self-sacrificing for an ideal
  21. Self-sacrifice for kindred
  22. All sacrificed for a passion
  23. Necessity of sacrificing loved ones
  24. Rivalry of superior and inferior
  25. Adultery
  26. Crimes of love
  27. Discovery of the dishonor of a loved one
  28. Obstacles to love
  29. An enemy loved
  30. Ambition
  31. Conflict with a god
  32. Mistaken jealousy
  33. Erroneous judgment
  34. Remorse
  35. Recovery of a lost one
  36. Loss of loved ones

(Source: Wikipedia)

Filed under plot conflict ideas