Noteworthy Notebook

I made these as a way to compile all the geographical vocabulary that I thought was useful and interesting for writers. Some descriptors share categories, and some are simplified, but for the most part everything is in its proper place. Not all the words are as useable as others, and some might take tricky wording to pull off, but I hope these prove useful to all you writers out there!

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we love you bisexual kal'reegar!!!! we all scream in unison

 Shepard barely heard Kal enter the room. She had grown accustomed to the sound of his crutches with each step, but without them he was nearly silent. He settled in next to Shepard on the crate she sat on, his elbows leaning back on the window. “You got an extra one of those?” 

“Cigs?” Shepard said apprehensively. 

“Gonna just let it burn out on its own, helmet boy?” Zaeed said with one of those deep chuckles that only men over the age of fifty could replicate. 

Kal just held his hand out expectantly. “You know, this suit’s good for more than just fighting off viruses.” 

Shepard handed him a cigarette, lighting the end for him. Kal held out his arm and pulled back a strap that looked to be made of a heartier velcro. Inside was a dizzying amount of tubes and wires and circuits. He dropped the cigarette down the largest tube, which got sucked up towards his shoulder immediately, then waited for five seconds. A puff of smoke came out of the mouthpiece of his helmet. 

“Cool trick,” Jack said. 

“You think in two hundred years of living in suits, quarians haven’t found out ways to smoke? We’re a more advanced species than that,” he said, sounding quite pleased with himself. 

“Any other neat tricks that thing can do? Swiss army knives and bombs you got lying underneath the leather?” Zaeed asked, an almost hungry look in his eyes. 

“It can filter water in under thirty minutes, reserves stores of fat into emergency food supply, keeps my body regulated to a cool and casual 97.8 degrees,” Kal said, listing off with his fingers. He leaned into Shepard’s ear as his voice dropped, “and, I’m only gonna say this one to you, sweetheart, but if you wanted to follow me back across the hall to my bunk… let’s just say, there are things I can do to accommodate you.” 

Shepard snorted into her cigarette, fighting back the urge of a coughing fit. “Is that so?” 

“Maybe I’ll say it loud enough for grandpa over there, if he plays his cards right,” Kal said, blowing a puff of air out at Zaeed, who oddly enough turned a remarkable shade of pink that Shepard had never seen before. “I’ve always had a thing for older guys… and scars… and a good rifle collection.” 

Jack threw her head back and let out a barky sort of laugh that sounded more like a yelp than anything else. “Why the hell didn’t we pick you up earlier?” 

“Well, to be fair, quarians were under the vague notion that Cerberus was an overreaching, brutal pro-human terrorist organization up until quite recently, so I’d say it was a timing issue. Or semantics. Who’s to say, really?” 

I mostly want them to have on screen chemistry and connection with one another.

However, true to characterization is the most important thing to me. I'll ship characters from different medias if it seems like they would get along (something I largely do with crossovers or multi-fandom RPGs.)

Hey, I wanna talk about how we do fandom! I've come to realize that I, personally, tend to differ from many others in that I highly prefer to only engage with a text as it's written, so I don't tend to really like fanon/extremely ooc characterizations and I find it hard to get invested in ships that aren't canon. My way of doing fandom isn't better or worse than anyone else's, but I am curious about how much of a minority I'm in! So:

*We've all seen ships of characters not from the same media and stuff like shipping the concept of ennui with the color blue, okay, I'm asking what you, personally, find compelling!

also while im taking potshots at the US. football is a bloodsport and the only reason it's not acknowledged as one is because the football industry does medical theatre to appease the sensibilities of football fans who do not want to acknowledge that american football is a bloodsport where football players lives are proffered up for their entertainment. do you know how many american football players who have suffered life-destroying TBIs kill themselves by specifically shooting themselves in the heart so that their brains can be preserved and studied, to hopefully end the bloodsport of american football? anyways. "go birds" meme but like genuinely american football is a bloodsport and should be dismantled as a cultural institution. something something the profoundly american impulse to watch people die for their entertainment while refusing to acknowledge that they are responsible for this blood etc.

Hey you know what sucks is predatory companies that make you enter your email address so that they can harass and advertise to you to access resources you might need to keep track of expenses after a disaster. So, uh, fuck them.

If you need to track the cost of things like hotel stays, pet kenneling, medical care, etc. after a disaster you can use this worksheet.

If you need to create an inventory of your home for an insurance claim (and if you'd like to do this to keep someplace safe before a disaster) you can use this worksheet (two pages, instructions on the first page, worksheet on the second).

And here's a FEMA document with numbers for disaster relief groups and a checklist of documents that you may need to have replaced as well as a description of what to do if you had cash in your home that was destroyed and can possibly be replaced.

How to write emotions

How to write emotional scenes

How to show emotions Part I

How to show emotions Part II

How to show emotions Part III

How to show emotions Part IV

How to show emotions Part V

How to show emotions Part VI

How to show emotions Part VII

How to show emotions Part VIII

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got an ask recently about the way my digital art looks like traditional, so I tried to explain the steps on my self portrait, feat. some of my favorite artists and favorite brushes. sorry if it's incoherent, I'm not used to explaining my process besides "I've been professionally studying traditional art for half my life and I'm really bad at technology so I just paint digitally the way I do on paper"

10 Non-Lethal Injuries to Add Pain to Your Writing

If you need a simple way to make your characters feel pain, here are some ideas: 

1. Sprained Ankle

A common injury that can severely limit mobility. This is useful because your characters will have to experience a mild struggle and adapt their plans to their new lack of mobiliy. Perfect to add tension to a chase scene.

2. Rib Contusion

A painful bruise on the ribs can make breathing difficult, helping you sneak in those ragged wheezes during a fight scene. Could also be used for something sport-related! It's impactful enough to leave a lingering pain but not enough to hinder their overall movement.

3. Concussions

This common brain injury can lead to confusion, dizziness, and mood swings, affecting a character’s judgment heavily. It can also cause mild amnesia.

I enjoy using concussions when you need another character to subtly take over the fight/scene, it's an easy way to switch POVs. You could also use it if you need a 'cute' recovery moment with A and B.

4. Fractured Finger

A broken finger can complicate tasks that require fine motor skills. This would be perfect for characters like artists, writers, etc. Or, a fighter who brushes it off as nothing till they try to throw a punch and are hit with pain.

5. Road Rash

Road rash is an abrasion caused by friction. Aka scraping skin. The raw, painful sting resulting from a fall can be a quick but effective way to add pain to your writing. Tip: it's great if you need a mild injury for a child.

6. Shoulder Dislocation

This injury can be excruciating and often leads to an inability to use one arm, forcing characters to confront their limitations while adding urgency to their situation. Good for torture scenes.

7. Deep Laceration

A deep laceration is a cut that requires stitches. As someone who got stitches as a kid, they really aren't that bad! A 2-3 inch wound (in length) provides just enough pain and blood to add that dramatic flair to your writing while not severely deterring your character.

This is also a great wound to look back on since it often scars. Note: the deeper and wider the cut the worse your character's condition. Don't give them a 5 inch deep gash and call that mild.

8. Burns

Whether from fire, chemicals, or hot surfaces, burns can cause intense suffering and lingering trauma. Like the previous injury, the lasting physical and emotional trauma of a burn is a great wound for characters to look back on.

If you want to explore writing burns, read here.

9. Pulled Muscle

This can create ongoing pain and restrict movement, offering a window to force your character to lean on another. Note: I personally use muscle related injuries when I want to focus more on the pain and sprains to focus on a lack of mobility.

10. Tendonitis

Inflammation of a tendon can cause chronic pain and limit a character's ability to perform tasks they usually take for granted. When exploring tendonitis make sure you research well as this can easily turn into a more severe injury.

This is a quick, brief list of ideas to provide writers inspiration. Since it is a shorter blog, I have not covered the injuries in detail. This is inspiration, not a thorough guide. Happy writing! :)

Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks? 

Check out the rest of Quillology with Haya; a blog dedicated to writing and publishing tips for authors!

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