Therobotmonster:

therobotmonster:

moniquill:

siderealsandman:

friendlytroll:

prokopetz:

mikhailvladimirovich:

bogleech:

It’s funny how science fiction universes so often treat humans as a boring, default everyman species or even the weakest and dumbest.

I want to see a sci fi universe where we’re actually considered one of the more hideous and terrifying species.

How do we know our saliva and skin oils wouldn’t be ultra-corrosive to most other sapient races? What if we actually have the strongest vocal chords and can paralyze or kill the inhabitants of other worlds just by screaming at them? What if most sentient life in the universe turns out to be vegetable-like and lives in fear of us rare “animal” races who can move so quickly and chew shit up with our teeth?

Like that old story “they’re made of meat,” only we’re scarier.

HOLY SHIT THEY EAT CAPSAICIN FOR FUN

YOU GUYS I HEARD A HUMAN ONCE ATE AN AIRPLANE.

A HUMAN CAN KEEP FIGHTING FOR HOURS EVEN AFTER YOU SHOOT IT

humans are a proud warrior race with a pantheon of bloody gods: Ram-Bo, Schwarzenegger, etc.

REMOVING A LIMB WILL NOT FATALLY INCAPACITATE HUMANS: ALWAYS DESTROY THE HEAD.

WARNING: HUMANS CAN DETECT YOU EVEN AT NIGHT BY TRACKING VIBRATIONS THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE

WARNING: HUMANS CAN REPRODUCE AT A RATE OF 1 PER SPACEYEAR. DESTROY INFESTATIONS IMMEDIATELY

THE HUMAN MOUTH HAS OVER THIRTY OUTCROPS OF BONE AND POWERFUL JAW MUSCLES.

HUMAN BITES CAN BE FATALLY INFECTIOUS EVEN TO OTHER HUMANS

WARNING: HUMANS CAN AND WILL USE IMPROVISED WEAPONS. SEE CLASSIFIED DATA LABELED J. CHAN.

HUMANS CAN PROJECT BIOWEAPONS FROM ALMOST EVERY ORIFICE ON THEIR BODY. DO NOT INHALE

OH GOD THE HUMANS FIGURED OUT DOOR HANDLES OH GOD OH GOD

More seriously, humans do have a number of advantages even among Terrestrial life. Our endurance, shock resistance, and ability to recover from injury is absurdly high compared to almost any other animal. We often use the phrase “healthy as a horse” to connote heartiness - but compared to a human, a horse is as fragile as spun glass. There’s mounting evidence that our primitive ancestors would hunt large prey simply by following it at a walking pace, without sleep or rest, until it died of exhaustion; it’s called pursuit predation. Basically, we’re the Terminator.

(The only other animal that can sort of keep up with us? Dogs. That’s why we use them for hunting. And even then, it’s only “sort of”.)

Now extrapolate that to a galaxy in which most sapient life did not evolve from hyper-specialised pursuit predators:

Our strength and speed is nothing to write home about, but we don’t need to overpower or outrun you. We just need to outlast you - and by any other species’ standards, we just plain don’t get tired.

Where a simple broken leg will cause most species to go into shock and die, we can recover from virtually any injury that’s not immediately fatal. Even traumatic dismemberment isn’t necessarily a career-ending injury for a human.

We heal from injuries with extreme rapidity, recovering in weeks from wounds that would take others months or years to heal. The results aren’t pretty - humans have hyperactive scar tissue, among our other survival-oriented traits - but they’re highly functional.

Speaking of scarring, look at our medical science. We developed surgery centuries before developing even the most rudimentary anesthetics or life support. In extermis, humans have been known to perform surgery on themselves - and survive. Thanks to our extreme heartiness, we regard as routine medical procedures what most other species would regard as inventive forms of murder. We even perform radical surgery on ourselves for purely cosmetic reasons.

In essence, we’d be Space Orcs.

Our jaws have too many TEETH in them, so we developed a way to WELD METAL TO OUR TEETH and FORCE THE BONES IN OUR JAW to restructure over the course of years to fit them back into shape, and then we continue to wear metal in out mouths to keep them in place. 

We formed cohabitative relationships with tiny mammals and insects we keep at bay from bothering us by death, often using little analouge traps. 

And by god, we will eat anything. 

We use borderline toxic peppers to season our food. 

We expose ourselves to potentially lethal solar radiation in the pursuit of darkening our skin. 

We risk hearing loss for the opportunity to see our favorite musicians live. 

We have a game where two people get into an enclosed area and hit each other until time runs out/one of them pass out

We willingly jump out of planes with only a flimsy piece of cloth to prevent us from splattering against the ground. 

Our response to natural disasters is to just rebuild our buildings in the exact same places. 

We climb mountains and risk freezing to death for bragging rights

We invented dogs. We took our one time predators and completely domesticated them. 

On a planet full of lions, tigers and bears, we managed to advance further and faster than any other species on the planet. 

Klingons and Krogan and Orcs ain’t got shit on us

We drink ethanol (in concentrations high enough to be used as an effective as microbicide or a solvent!) for the express purpose of achieving blood toxicity and disrupting normal brain function… AS A RECREATIONAL ACTIVITY!

On the same subject, we also deliberately incinerate assorted substances and then inhale the particulate-heavy smoke and vapor resulting for the same effect. EVEN IN THE FACE OF SAID SUBSTANCES BEING CARCINOGENIC, BECAUSE WE JUST DON’T GIVE A FUCK.

Humans do not have biological castes. Kill their commander and another will take its place. Soldiers left alone on a planet will start farming and manufacturing to survive. Farmers and manufacturers will take up arms and kill you if pressed. Just because two humans look different doesn’t mean they cannot do each other’s jobs.

Breeding does not kill them. A single human can mate dozens or hundreds of times in a lifetime. They often do so as recreation. Xenobiology team six believes they do not have a mating season but this is too strange to be true.

Their appendages are not designed for hitting, so they developed special training to make them very good at hitting anyhow. 

The proteins making up their bodies are toxic and cause prion disease. Do not touch anything humans have touched. Do not consume earth foods. Fire does not adequately remove this contamination.

Humans perceive sixteen times the colors we do. Do not hide in bushes or vines from humans. They can distinguish your pelt from the foliage with ease.

We tried venting waste gas into the tunnels to kill the humans when they attacked. Turns out they breathe it. 

Everything on their planet came from a single biological strain. They developed comprehensive genetics BEFORE they developed space travel. 

They lack radio receptors and cannot be brought into compliance with right-thought simply by broadcasting to them. Even after we learned how to translate it into sound-waves one of their hatchlings drove the Great Authority mad by responding to every demand with a single question: “Why?”

#an individual human being is actually a microbiome in its own right—you are dealing with a legion each time you approach them     #they carry pathological agents inside their deep tissues and this is advantageous to their health     #one of the most widespread and resilient viruses on their planet is treated as mildly hazardous—even though it causes     #massive disruption to the body’s homeostasis     #(their young offspring endure multiple rhinovirus infections EACH YEAR yet they seem unperturbed by this)     #they have developed such long lifespans that now their primary threat is their own body’s degeneration     #humanity has literally figured out how to survive so long that their body gives out under them     #and they are not satisfied with that     #stupid willful vengeful survivalists who treat mortality like a challenge     #sarah’s ongoing love letter to humanity     #(this is my favorite post of all time I swear)    (via notbecauseofvictories)

Information from this post received from financedegreecenter.com, all image credits and information go them. 

I think this is a question we’ve all been wondering about.

Did you know that organ trade is illegal in every country except Iran?

BODY PARTS THE LIVING CAN SELL

$337 per pint of blood.

$70 for ten inches of hair.

Men’s hair is reduced to an amino acid used in baking goods.

Women’s hair is turned into wigs and weaves.

Bone Marrow

The most valuable part of your body sells for a high of $23,000 per gram. You can donate bone marrow, but it’s illegal to sell it.

Eggs: $12,400 per IVF cycle in U.S.

Egg donation is legal, but some choose to avoid hospital fees and buy eggs illegally or abroad.

Surrogate Wombs: $20,000-30,000 in India, $80,000-150,000 in the U.S.

Kidneys

Make up 75% of the global organ trade due to diabetes, high blood pressure and heart problems.

Theoretically, your body is worth up to $45 million dollars (But that’s only if you could harvest every usable chemical and part from it.)

FROM THE DEAD

Corneas: $24,400 implanted

Hearts: Legal–$997,700, Illegal– $119,000

Livers: Legal–$557,100, Illegal–$157,100

Kidneys–From U.S. $262,900

China–$62,000

India–$15,000

Ligaments and Bones– A few thousand dollars, depending on which one.

Skin–$10 per square inch

Skeletons–$2,993-5,500

SOURCES OF BODY PARTS

Legal:

Donated by Family, Friends

Charities, non-profits

Illegal: 

Looted Graves

Crooked morticians

Paid donors (often very poor)

Executed prisoners

Live prisoners

Blood Farms

A Somewhat Useful Masterpost for Writers

Websites for Critique:

Authonomy It’s been a while since I used this website in particular, but it’s useful for helpful critique and to get your original works out there. If your book get on the top five list at the end of the month Harper Collins will read it for possible publication.

Teen Ink

Figment

Fiction Press

ReviewFuse

and of course… Tumblr

Other Websites:

Write or Die is great if you want to give yourself a certain amount of time to write a set amount of words.

Tip of my Tongue for when you can’t remember the exact word

Character Traits Form 

Online Thesaurus where you just type in a word and you get a cluster of different words

Characters

Top 10 Questions for Creating Believable Characters

How to Create a Fictional Character

Describing Clothing and Appearance

The Difference between Ethnicity and Nationality

Describing a Voice

Characters (part 2)

How to write Funeral Directors  I’ve read quite a few fanfics where they just have funeral directors slapping clothes on a body and calling it a day. As a former funeral services major I can tell you that’s not the only thing they do.

How to write Drug Dealers

How to write Gamblers

Interview with a Hitman

Terms for royalty

Naming Characters

Behind the Name

Top Baby Names

Looking for a name that means a certain thing?

7 Rules of Picking Names

Most Common Surnames

Medical/Crime/Legal

Coma: Types, Causes, etc 

Tips for writing blood loss

Gunshot Wound Care

Examples of Hospital Forms

Common Legal Questions

The Writer’s Forensics Blog

Brain Injury Legal Guide

Types of Surgical Operations

Types of Mental Health Problems

A Day in the Life of a Mental Hospital Patient

Global Black Market Information Because where else would you find out how much money it takes to get a 16 year old girl to kill someone in Mexico?

Crime Scene Science

Examining Mob Mentality

How Street Gangs Work

Other Helpful Stuff

Poisonous Herbs and Plants

The Psychology of Color

The Meaning behind Rose color

Compare Character Heights - I personally love this site so much. 

Types of Swords

Color Symbolism

How a handgun works

Blueprints for Houses

The Six Types of Haunting Activities

The Difference Between lay and lie

10 Words You Need to Stop Misspelling

5 Easy Tips to Improve Your Writing

How to Write a Eulogy

Types of Crying

Career Masterpost

Avoiding LGBTQ Stereotypes

Tips for Writing Ghost Stories

A Spell to See Spirits

Make Graphics out of Quotes

Superstitions and More

The 12 Common Archetypes

Language of Flowers

Military Sign Language

A Visual Dictionary of Tops

Describing Tiaras

What author do you most write like? (I’ve gotten Stephenie Meyer)

12 Realistic Woman Body Shapes

Japanese honorifics

Dress Up Games  I personally like to find games that I can make my OCs with.

Azalea’s Dolls

Doll Divine x

Dress Up Games

Shidabeeda Games

Free Writing Software

Google Docs (automatically saves as you write. 100% recommend)

EverNote

OpenOffice (a free version of Microsoft Office)

Articles

25 Steps To Edit the Unmerciful Suck out of Your Story

10 Rules for Writing First Drafts

10 Things Teenage Writers Should Know About Writing

Create a Plot Outline in 8 Easy Steps

Publishing Agencies to Stay Away From

5 Ways to Make Your Novel Helplessly Addictive

Books:

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing

Chicken Soup for the Writer’s Soul

Writing Great Books for Young Adults

Inspirational Quotes: x x 

And I couldn’t find the original post for these so (pictures under the cut)

Read More

What should I know about creating the turning point for a character? Like when character a learns to be less selfish, and character b learns to be less judgemental.

A turning point is a moment of significant story change whereas characters changing don’t have to have large consequences.

The Turning Point is Major: This is a major part of the story that revolves around the main character. It causes a change in the main story.

Something Must Cause It: Something might be revealed, there might be an “Aha!” moment, or some event might significantly change your character quickly. No matter what it is, the cause of the turning point must be present and it must be strong. This doesn’t mean that it has to be some elaborate scene. The cause of the turning point can be as little as one word, but even just a single word has the power to create a change in your character.

Your Character Must Change: The turning point will change your character in some way. It might change their motive, their means of achieving their goal, their relationship with another major character, their moral alignment, their personality, etc.

It May Be the Black Moment: While there can be several small turning points throughout a story (conflicts cause a change of plans, characters come up with new ideas, stuff that isn’t major), the major one might coincide with the Black Moment. This is when all hope is lost for both the reader and the characters. It comes prior to the climax and appears as though your characters are going to lose. Sometimes this moment causes a significant change in character, relationships, pace, and direction of the story.

Show This Change: Show how your characters change. Don’t pull a cheap sitcom line where your character says something along the lines of: “You’re right. I should’ve been more X because blah blah.” If your character learns to be less selfish, show it in that very moment through dialogue or action.

It Should Advance the Plot: The turning point isn’t just a change in character. It should advance the plot and move the story forward in a new direction. It’s an extra push.

What Makes a Story Even a Turning Point?

Turning Point

Understanding Turning Points

The Turning Point

Modern Monster themed AUs

“Hey you yes you! I’m a vampire and the wind blew my umbrella away please get it for me.”

“Hey ghost friend steal the lesson plan for this unit?”

“I’m a gargoyle and I need a place to crash for the day cause I’m too far from home to make it back in time.”

“My dragon friend/lover is sick and every time they sneeze they burn something so I have to sit next to them with a fire extinguisher”

“You’re a werecat and I’m a werewolf but we both really like each other”

“Heeeey you’re a goatperson right? Can you please eat this bad test grade so I don’t have to show my parent(s)?” (Holy shit the bad test made you sick I’ll take you to a hospital!)

“I don’t care that you’re a nature spirit this greenery you subconsciously grow is getting out of hand!”

“I have a blind date soon and I’m a vampire please check to see if my appearance is okay? Oh wait you’re my blind date? Well shit.”

“I accidently spilled my fairy dust on your cat and it flew out the window please don’t hate me.”

“So you’re the water spirit who lives above me and is constantly dripping water onto my bed!”

“Found an Ouija board and started accidently talking with my hot/cute ghost neighbor.”

“It’s overcast today so I have to carry a bright flashlight around for my shadow friend/lover so they can be seen.”

 “When I find the fucker switching out my water with holy water I’m kicking their ass to hell and back”

“Giant or not I am going to get on those swings! ….. I’m stuck…. Random stranger please help!”

“I’m a Cyclops with something in my eye help me get back to my home?”

“I’m sorry I’m a Sphinx so all my answers to questions are in the form of riddles.”

Word Tracking Spreadsheets - These sheets also have sections for character and plot information.