Sparrow

Yeah, true. There’s always a point when if you add anymore it’s just useless faff that’s slowing the scene down. Should probably qualify my statement from earlier by saying I do like there to be an actual point to it, not just having it there for the sake of it (mostly). Most obvious one is for characterisation purposes, though now I think about it I’m struggling to recall any stand-out examples of having done it this way in my work so far, lol. Don’t I feel silly. Anyone got some tips to pass along in that regard?

Legit. See, yeah, that’s the kind of detail I like to go into. Not just describing what something is, but what it actually looks like. I feel like that’s what really gives a description life instead of just being a list. Have heard from some that it can make my writing somewhat dense as a result, but eh. I like it that way. Same principle applies, thinking about it, with characters’ whole appearances. Not just clothing, but I like trying to dig into their whole look, how their face looks, their body, the whole thing. Especially if there’s something about them that means they’d stand out from the norm. Films or games or whatever might make a go of it, but you can go so much deeper into these things with prose. Kicking myself now for never getting around for figuring out any particular ways that Miranda could’ve stood out, appearance-wise, from normal humans in the story I mentioned the other day. Anyone have any ideas, just out of curiosity? Or indeed any thoughts on describing characters’ whole appearances. Faces are definitely the one thing I struggle the most on myself, if that helps.

Yep, that’s been what I’ve come across as well. Either it’s really complicated or quite plain. Your description of the Mass Effect one is pretty good though, quite a bit better than what I think I ended up coming up with in the end. I’m very glad you specified they’re anthropomorphic, I was getting the screwdriver ready to dig that mental image out before it could put down roots. But that’s a good example, and probably about as far as I’d go with something like that in my own work. Out of curiosity, though, how would you describe a demi-bra there? I had to look it up to be sure what it was, and I feel like, if I were doing it, I’d try and specify how it’s different from a regular one.

Yeah, that’s usually my main recourse. Something I’ve been finding useful lately are various tumblrs that people have set up for exact this purpose. This one in particular I found the other day, already found a couple of outfits that could be of use in future. I know what you mean, a friend of mine once told me that the most common mistake he sees in fanfic, and he included my work in this, was that people seldom bother to really describe what characters look like in stuff. Since then I’ve been trying to do my best to get better at it. How much detail do you tend to go into where lingerie is concerned? Like, how far can you go with it, beyond just naming what the items are? For sure, like I said earlier that tends to be my usual MO. That being said, sometimes even having it to hand can’t really help. I definitely remember once when I was doing a Mass Effect story, trying to describe one of the space-dresses the character’s wearing (this one, I do believe it was) I had absolutely no idea how to describe the criss-crossy bits at the front in any way other than, well, that. Thinking about it, I do wonder if just sticking it into the story would’ve been the best option. God knows I have enough pics already for stuff like that. Furthermore, sometimes I want to come up with outfits of my own devising, that’s usually the hardest part cause I don’t know a screaming thing about clothing design. Best I’ve done so far, for references when commissioning art or whatever, tends to be just putting together bits and pieces of other outfits that I’ve seen.

Anyone else find themselves enjoying describing clothing in their stuff? I have to admit, it’s pretty hard sometimes, especially with more intricate or unconventional items, like ones with lots of straps or gaps in them (looking at you, Ivy from SolCal!). Or where I simply don’t know how to describe something, can think of a few that have been like that. And yet I find it really good fun. I’ve even been trying to come up with wholly new designs for characters to wear, or that I might commission someone to do art of if I enjoy what I’ve come up with enough. Any of the rest of you have any similar thoughts or experiences? Anyone have any advice on how to better describe more unusual outfits, or how to come up with new ones?

Yeesh. I wouldn’t have thought you’d need photographic evidence to figure that part out, but whatever works for you. Honestly, if something like this can’t kill your character for good, then I doubt anything ever could, so you might want to keep that in mind going forwards if you’ve got anything planned.

I meant more because of how getting hit by a tank shell is gonna turn you onto a smear on the landscape no matter what size it is.

I don’t really suppose it’d make much of a difference if it was a high-explosive or armour-piercing shell, nor how big it is. Unless it’s something massive like the 152mm from a KV-2, but then those were Soviet tanks.

Right, right. In which case they’re probably going to be really pushing the limits of their regenerative capabilities. I mean, if it was a direct hit on them then a large portion of their body is gonna have to grow back from pink mist. If it missed and detonated say behind them, and they merely had their organs liquified by the shockwave, flesh shredded by shrapnel, and skin burned off by the explosion, they’ll have a bit more to work with. In any case, it’s really gonna hurt. What kind of shell was it?

What, like, on people? Uhhh. Total annihilation seems most likely. Like, ‘had to be identified by dental records’ sort of thing.

Chapter Eleven is up.

Beh, it’s still just more fun to go full Pelinal on them. Charge at them screaming and batter them all into a fine red paste while zapping them with your cybernetic arm cannon er, magic. Or Shout them into next week. I was never one who played it on any of the actually difficult difficulties anyway, so there was never that much pressure to cheese things like you guys.

Laaaame. I never had the patience for stealth-archery, either I played as a big guy Nord smashing everyone’s heads in, or an Altmer battle-mage, zap people with lightning and then stab them in the face. Much more fun.

Guh, because of course you did. I must be the only person who played that game as someone who just hit things with a big hammer.

I don’t know how useful keeping track of dragon prints are- I used to get loads of hits on pastebins I hardly showed anyone, and I realised the numbers were just getting inflated by bots combing the site.