Charyeurydice - Compendium Of Dreams - Tumblr Blog

Would you mind talking a little about the purpose of visual foreshadowing? Is it thematically important, an easter egg for readers, a in-joke for yourself, or something else?

I keep trying to write out an explanation for you but it's not coming out correctly :D

I think the shortest and best answer is it's Art. It pleases our monkey brains to recognise patterns, and foreshadowing establishes a pattern. When we go back and see an echo of something we know happens later, it gives us a little jolt of satisfaction, because we now know the thing that happened was narratively intended. It lends it cosmic oomph. It writes that event in a bold face font. Underlines it!

It also lets us recognise the mind of the work's creator and connect with them in that instant, because you can only find the foreshadowing by looking backward. And when you look backward, and see it, you are looking into the eye of the author who has been waiting there for you. They're able to answer your question: yes, this thing that happened was important. Jon's life had meaning. Sara and Ilia's lives had meaning. The universe of this book acknowledges them.

It's pretty magical, and one reason I really dig classic literature. There are a lot of clever authors sleeping in those books, waiting to wake up and wink at you.

Anyway, that's the power of art. It organises chaos and connects us all.

What page size/resolution do you use for pages? I want to draw comics too and I thought it would be better if I made sure they were print ready right off the bat. Thanks, and you're amazing!

Hey! My working file is 3600x2400, 300DPI, and they print up just fine. If you work in black and white, you'll want to bump that up to 600DPI.

Some good templates here for margins! https://makingcomics.spiltink.org/pgtemplates/

I recently gave myself a crash course in jewelry-making to design a pair of guillotine earrings, inspired by some friends’ interest in the pair from the French Revolution that made the rounds on Twitter a while back. Assembled from laser-cut walnut, gold-plated findings, and Czech glass beads.

Decided to make a few more available on Etsy!

I did want to take your hand. Ben’s hand.

“I have learned that when sadness comes to visit me, all I can do is say “I see you.” I spend some time with it, get up, and say goodbye. I don’t push it away. I own it. And because I own it, I let it go.”

— Carolina Zacaria (via onlinecounsellingcollege)

Pixel Art by Daniel Riise

Hello! How can I write a strong character but without making them emotional and maybe a bit sensitive? Like strong females but not emotionless warriors, like just a normal girl who still cries and gets emotional? Is it even possible to have a character like that? I'm super emotional and those "strong" female characters portrayed in media always make me wonder if I'm weak? :/

Let’s Have a Serious Talk About “Strong Female Characters”

That, right there, folks, is why we need to stop using the term “strong female characters.”

Problems with “Strong Female Characters”

1)  “Strong” Has No Definition

Originally, “strong female character” referred to female characters who had more going on than being damsels in distress or love interests, but over time, the term evolved and distorted and now means something different to everyone. Some people think it means physical strength, some think it means mental strength/emotional strength, some think it means intellect, some think it means power or skills… but you can make your female character any or all of those things and still not create a solid character.

2) There Are No “Strong Male Characters”

People never worry about writing strong male characters. Males are typically assumed to be strong, so by aspiring to write “strong female characters” we are perpetuating the idea that women are weak by default.

3) “Strong” Alienates All Other Female Characters

The term “strong female character” implies that characters who don’t meet any of the criteria in #1 are weak, boring, and not worth writing about, and that’s absolutely false. 

4) “Strong” Puts the Focus in the Wrong Places

If you’re putting all your effort into creating a character who meets the criteria of #1, you’re putting less effort into creating REAL, complex, well-developed characters.

5) “Strong Female Characters” Perpetuate Harmful Ideas About Women

When women are portrayed as better or more desirable because they’re physically/mentally/emotionally strong, intelligent, skilled, or flawless, what we’re doing is telling women that they are weak if they don’t meet those criteria. We need to do better.

Instead of Aspiring to Write “Strong Female Characters…”

Write. Real. People.

If you want to write a good, solid, female character, aim for the following:

create a well developed character with her own goals and motivations

give her a thoughtful character arc

make sure she’s not thrust into the background of a male dominated plot

make sure she’s not there solely as support for a male character

let her and other characters (including males) rely on each other equally

let her stand on her own two feet but unafraid to ask for help as needed

don’t make her a male character in a dress

don’t make her masculine because it’s more practical

give. her. flaws.

give. her. emotions.

give. her. a. personality.

give her healthy relationships with other women

let her talk to other women about something other than a man

make her real

make her relatable 

make her complex

make her motivated

let her be sad, if she needs to be sad

let her cry, if she needs to cry

let her fall in love, if she wants to fall in love

let her be angry, if she needs to be angry

let her be maternal, if she feels maternal

Just. Write. People.

I honestly can’t stress that enough.

Best of luck with your story!

————————————————————————————————-Have a question? My inbox is always open, but please make sure to check my FAQ and post master lists first to make sure I haven’t already answered a similar question. :) 

Berlin Interiors. Photography by Thibaud Poirier.

The white ravens of Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. Photography by Mike Yip

Myths, Creatures, and Folklore

Want to create a religion for your fictional world? Here are some references and resources!

General:

General Folklore

Various Folktales

Heroes

Weather Folklore

Trees in Mythology

Animals in Mythology

Birds in Mythology

Flowers in Mythology

Fruit in Mythology

Plants in Mythology

Folktales from Around the World

Africa:

Egyptian Mythology

African Mythology

More African Mythology

Egyptian Gods and Goddesses

The Gods of Africa

Even More African Mythology

West African Mythology

All About African Mythology

African Mythical Creatures

Gods and Goddesses

The Americas:

Aztec Mythology

Haitian Mythology

Inca Mythology

Maya Mythology

Native American Mythology

More Inca Mythology

More Native American Mythology

South American Mythical Creatures

North American Mythical Creatures

Aztec Gods and Goddesses

Asia:

Chinese Mythology

Hindu Mythology

Japanese Mythology

Korean Mythology

More Japanese Mythology

Chinese and Japanese Mythical Creatures

Indian Mythical Creatures

Chinese Gods and Goddesses

Hindu Gods and Goddesses

Korean Gods and Goddesses

Europe:

Basque Mythology

Celtic Mythology

Etruscan Mythology

Greek Mythology

Latvian Mythology

Norse Mythology

Roman Mythology

Arthurian Legends

Bestiary

Celtic Gods and Goddesses

Gods and Goddesses of the Celtic Lands

Finnish Mythology

Celtic Mythical Creatures

Gods and Goddesses

Middle East:

Islamic Mythology

Judaic Mythology

Mesopotamian Mythology

Persian Mythology

Middle Eastern Mythical Creatures

Oceania:

Aboriginal Mythology

Polynesian Mythology

More Polynesian Mythology

Mythology of the Polynesian Islands

Melanesian Mythology

Massive Polynesian Mythology Post

Maori Mythical Creatures

Hawaiian Gods and Goddesses

Hawaiian Goddesses

Gods and Goddesses

Creating a Fantasy Religion:

Creating Part 1

Creating Part 2

Creating Part 3

Creating Part 4

Fantasy Religion Design Guide

Using Religion in Fantasy

Religion in Fantasy

Creating Fantasy Worlds

Beliefs in Fantasy

Some superstitions:

Read More

History books always seem to leave this out.

List of Sea Creatures Which Have Tried But Failed To Convince Me To Go Into The Ocean

1. Sea Dragons

Remarkable, unlikely, ethereal. A fairytale creature, but ultimately not trustworthy. a combination of kelpie and the fae, it will ask me a riddle and steal my soul. at least one of these is photoshopped. nice try sea dragon

2. Bubble Snails

these are portals to another realm. i may be unsatisfied with my dimension, but i am not fool enough to follow a colorful stranger to a secondary location. you’ll have to try harder, briny marine abductors 

3. Shells. Just shiny carved shells i found on instagram

makes a compelling argument but i remain unconvinced. never trust anything you find on instagram 

4. Salp Chains

not gonna lie, this one almost made me reconsider. idk what a planktic tunicate is, but i respect their lifestyle choices. if i ever do join a hivemind, this is top of the list

5. Frosted Nudibranch

a combination bt a sailor moon trinket & a pokemon evolution stone; has the power to force me into a magical girl transformation. unfortunately i am responsibility-avoidant and refuse to wear anything less comfortable than sweatpants. also magical transformations give me motion sickness. hard pass, but would use as a nightlight 

6. Lettuce Sea Slug. For similar reasons

6. Royal Starfish

honestly thought this was a claymation sculpture. starfish were actually a compelling reason to go in the ocean until i remembered they can move, and i want nothing to do with that nonsense 

7. Costasiella

this is genuinely the only one i have a hard time saying no to. this is the perfect being. if i was an animated protagonist, this would be my chosen cartoon sidekick, my vaguely animalish sidecharacter who speaks in a silent but expressive language only i can translate. incandescent perfection. pure and unsullied, truly sinless. look at those goddamn eyes. 

In conclusion, 

sea slugs are the only compelling group of creatures who could possibly tempt me into the soulless void of the salty depths. however, as i possess a great deal of caution & terror, i will continue to stick with aquariums. i have been tempted, but have overcome. the ocean may invade my nightmares but it will not claim my soul. i bite my thumb at thee, Poseidon! go stub your toe on coral

The Beauty of the Last Agni Kai

The final showdown between Zuko and Azula remains one of the most beautiful scenes in Avatar: The Last Airbender and maybe even the follow up series The Legend of Korra.

I just love how the colours of their destructive firebending clash against one another and spiral across the air.

Architecture lesson 1:

Its called a catenary arch becaus3 it look like cat ear

Chiune Sugihara. This man saved 6000 Jews. He was a Japanese diplomat in Lithuania. When the Nazis began rounding up Jews, Sugihara risked his life to start issuing unlawful travel visas to Jews. He hand-wrote them 18 hrs a day. The day his consulate closed and he had to evacuate, witnesses claim he was STILL writing visas and throwing from the train as he pulled away. He saved 6000 lives. The world didn’t know what he’d done until Israel honored him in 1985, the year before he died.

Paolo Sebastian, spring/summer 2018 haute couture

Paolo Sebastian, spring/summer 2018

til ‘argonaut’ can have 2 VERY different definitions

How do you even go about planning the background of a Khert page? Lots of images of coral reefs?

I sketch the layout of it, then open up a program called Mandelbulb3D for rendering out 3D fractals. I already have the khert built inside it, so I’ll navigate around to find the views that match my sketch. Then I’ll render those out. A single panel is usually made up of four or five renders that I have to slice out and composite into a single view. Touching these up is what takes the longest. Lots of colour correction, adding cast shadows, and atmospheric perspective.

I used to be really into fractals and fractal fly-through videos. The latter are almost transcendent to me. The khert is my ideal for an ethereal plane. Similar to the way that trees grow out and bloom in a fractal manner, the khert packs lives and memories inwards, practically without end. This is why it’s unsounded. You seemingly can’t sound it. You can’t reach the bottom. It just keeps iterating.

These juvenile catfish travel together for safety while their venom develops. In the meantime, they seem to convect! (Image and video credit: Abyss Dive Center; via Colossal)

Zuhair Murad “Féminimes Sacrées” Spring 2020 Haute Couture Collection [x]