What Was Your Favorite Thing To Draw When You Were A Kid?

I definitely need this for a character I'm writing.

When writing emotionally reserved characters:

Show your character's struggles with holding in emotions. Just because your character won't let themself go in public, doesn't mean they don't struggle holding everything in.

Find a motive. Pride and/or consideration for those around them can make emotionally reserved people hold back more than would be considered good for them. There are other reasons too, perhaps the initial cause and the reason now are different, but try to give them a reason.

Show side-effects. Everything you bottled up shows itself in another way, whether it's physical or mental. This can be long- and short-term, depending on the severity of the emotions.

Give them coping mechanisms. Everyone who wishes not to show certain emotions has a trick or two to keep themselves in check. Taking a sip of water, not looking people in the eyes, clenching their fists, breathing just a bit too deeply.

Write subconscious signs that they give off, which close friends or family might pick on. Just because these characters want to keep their emotions to themselves, doesn't mean they don't give off signs. Some manage to keep said signs well hidden from those closest to them, but it's more common for environment to pick up on something at the very least.

Please let this be true!!! Thrushpelt needs more appreciation!

So I was looking through the Minor Characters of River, and....

This is the spirit that promises Mistystar is safe. Presumably the spirit that came to pick her up.

I started wondering who this was, since it seems like we will never know. I looked through cats close to Mistystar to see if anyone had green eyes. I looked through all her relatives, even her mentor and 2 dead apprentices, no one had bright green eyes.

Perchkit has either blue or green eyes, but they aren't described as bright. Crookedstar has green eyes as well, but again, not bright.

You know whose are bright green?

Results are in! 19 votes!

Each Dreamer's house will go up in an individual post!

Honestly, I am quite grateful as I finally got a chance to count how many pages my essay is. Herrah has 9 pages, Monomon has 10 page, and Lurien...is still a work in progress, but looks like he'll have 30 pages.

What Should I do? Post Everything or Separate?

Remember when I said this?

Finally finished and I'm worried about how you all will take it. Oh well. At least I got it somewhat edited.

AND Lurien's essay is now 45 pages AND I discovered a secret room that I thought was made up by the fans. Goodness gracious Lurien, WHY!!!!

Anyway...expect the next part to "What's up with the Dreamers' Houses?" really soon!

So...

Lurien had to go hide more stuff inside his Spire. His essay is now 35 pages and counting. It might take a bit before the next part is up.

While I'm writing the next part, you all can go look inside his Spire and see if you can discover the really weird thing for yourself.

Watcher Dad AU that nobody asked for but here it is!

A) Lurien's main business outfit.

B) The Watcher's Crest - symbolizing the City of Tears

C) Lurien with a half-mask. Only wears it at home either alone or surrounded by those he cares about the most.

D) Disguise. Yes. It works. Lurien's knights are baffled that nobody watches the Watcher enough to tell that he walks the same despite wearing different colors and a three-hole mask.

Baby Knight gets adopted! And almost immediate glow-up and grow-up!

Fortis (Latin for "brave, strong") is one very happy baby living in the Watcher's Spire with Daddy. His best friend is Grubby the plushies and isn't he the best?

Touched By an Angel

Well...I got four literal angels coming to save me. If by chance I do die, and death is a possibility here, then I have a good friend taking me home to God.

What is with the Dreamers' Houses?!?! Part 3.8 Lurien's Spire - Secret Room!

Onto to the secret room!

It is a very small room, making me wonder how Lurien walked into here. All three colors associated with the Watcher’s Spire are here, though the purple glow is dominant.

First things first, Lurien has his own Lore Tablets, which is very unique in the kingdom. No, seriously, he’s the only guy who has a lore tablet with no magic or science behind it. (Not to mention a private lore tablet, not a public notice.)

The only lore tablet we can read is Lurien’s last words, which I read for you in the last part. Here is it is repeated below. To quote Lurien’s last journel entry:

“Sleep beckons eternal and these words become my last. Though my gaze shall no longer fall upon this city, I will act forever in its protection. For King, for bug, for Hallownest, I head now to my rest.”

His last words tell of Lurien’s determination, dedication, and peace.

One interesting thing to note is that we only get to read Lurien’s thoughts, not the other Dreamers. We know nothing of Herrah’s thoughts, except for everything being done for Hornet. We read Monomon’s reports, but please forgive me for stating how those tanks merely report events happening like a science report, not giving us Monomon’s personal thoughts on the matter. Those come from Quirrel translating her actions to us.

I’ll be honest, this room infuriates me for one simple reason, every lore tablet and all the ‘wanderer’s’ journals lying here are clearly written by Lurien and contain his thoughts, but we are not allowed to read any of them…except for his last entry!!! The 1 Dreamer we know little about and we have an entire room with his diaries and we can’t read it!!!

Lemm would have a field day in here. Can you imagine the classified information or missing links Lurien has in here?

And don’t think “classified” and go “Oh! Pale King fanboy!” No. Look around. I can’t even find a single Hallownest crest here, much less Monarch Wings representing the Pale King.  (Except the chair. Maybe.) Take a look.

          If we move on, it is easy to notice how the lamp is out. This is the first time we’ve seen a lamp that was clearly supposed to give light, but there’s none. It’s almost as if either the bug inside the lamp died OR the Spire staff did not expect anyone to enter this room anymore.

Artist Aspidiske did a comic about that lamp, so I will let you read it. On the Last Day - Aspidiske - Hollow Knight (Video Games) [Archive of Our Own]

          Before I touch on the entrance to this secret room, allow me to remark on what’s bugging me. Lurien’s journals are just dumped on the ground.  All other journals in the Spire are at least on shelves, these are in piles. And I would like to know why as we haven’t seen Lurien being particularly organized or disorganized before.

          Now! The Entrance!

          The secret room to Lurien’s last thoughts is blocked by a statue of Lurien! Which is very weird once you stop to think about it.

          In game, you come across several statues in Hallownest. These statues tend to come in three categories: Items of worship (like the Pale King or the Radiance statue at Crystal Peak), statues of civilizations gone by (most often seen in the Queen’s Gardens), or memorials to dead people.

          And here’s Lurien with not one, but three statues to himself.

          Only one of the three statues breaks when you hit it, leading you to the secret room, which makes sense for finding secrets. But real life before Lurien went to dreaming…

It makes no sense for Lurien to have this statue when he was awake. The statue is pretty, but very unpractical for someone to use that hidden room. And this is Lurien we are talking about here. Out of the Dreamers, he is the only one who goes for both the beautiful and practical. And based on the section regarding the pillows, Lurien isn’t vain either, so he wouldn’t have a statue of himself, much less three!!!

          The statues, Lurien’s character, the dark lamp, and the journels have me thinking. What if Lurien was NOT the person who put the statue there, but rather his people put the statue up after he went into the Dreamer. Remember we already know that Weavers rearranged Herrah’s Den so it would be a shrine for her. So it is not much of a stretch to say Lurien’s people rearranged the Spire to honor Lurien after he passed into the Dreaming.

          If this is true, then the statue for Lurien is a memorial statue. It is still extermely rare as it has COLOR whereas the other statues have more stone or metal like colors. Lurien’s colored statue gaurds his last thoughts, preserving the Watcher’s last thoughts and allowing those in depersate need to read any of Lurien’s journels.

          Then this begs the question, what about the other two statues? I hereby argue that these statues are indeed of the Watcher but not Lurien. If the secret room has all of Lurien’s thoughts, with the last entry being his last thoughts, and the statue was put up after Lurien “died”, than the other two statues could have put up when the previous Watchers passed away. Yes, I agrue that those bottom two statues belong to the Watchers before Lurien.  And those statues also guard rooms with the previous Watchers’ thoughts. Yet we are prevented from accessing them lest the fans confuse those two Watchers with Lurien himself.

          If this theory is true, what does it say about Lurien? He is the third Watcher in a line. Firstly, the job of Watcher was not created for Lurien, but rather Lurien proved himself in such a way that the Pale King appointed him to the position. Secondly, Lurien is in a tradition. Did you notice how all the statues looked the same? They all have a simple blue robe and shared mask. Lurien isn’t just wearing the robes for fashion, he is honoring the Watchers who have come before him. Third, if all three Watchers are wearing such simple robes and mask,  they are hiding their individual identities. Whether it be so people of Hallownest can focus on the mask or so the Watchers’ can protect their families, I shall leave that up to the fans as there are 3 Watchers, leaving room for interpretation. Fourth, the inner character of the Watcher was always more important than the species of the Watcher.  Again, all three Watchers are wearing simple robes that hide which species they are. To this day, fans debate on what species Lurien is. Yet all along, we were looking at the wrong thing, myself included. Personal character and individual skill were the most important aspect of Lurien. And that character and skills made him the most powerful bug right under the Royal Couple.

So, what do you think? Please reblog and share your thoughts!

If you wish to read more of the Essay, click one of these links below.

Part 1.0: Herrah's Den : Here

Part 2.0: Monomon's Archives: Here

Part 3.0: Lurien's Spire: Here

Part 3.25: Lurien's Spire: Windows and Colors: Here

Part 3.5: Even More of Lurien's Spire. Here

Part 3.7: What is WRONG with Lurien's Spire?: Here

Part 3.8: Even, even More of Lurien's Spire: Secret Room (You are here)

Part 3.9 Watcher Knight Boss Room! Here

Part 4.0 What We Know We Don't Know About the Dreamers' Houses: Click Here

Link to essay on Ao3: Here

If you have thoughts you wish to share, please feel free to comment or reblog! Especially with the above observation!

Excuse me while I reblog this for future reference...

Words for Skin Tone | How to Describe Skin Color

We discussed the issues describing People of Color by means of food in Part I of this guide, which brought rise to even more questions, mostly along the lines of “So, if food’s not an option, what can I use?” Well, I was just getting to that!

This final portion focuses on describing skin tone, with photo and passage examples provided throughout. I hope to cover everything from the use of straight-forward description to the more creatively-inclined, keeping in mind the questions we’ve received on this topic.

Standard Description

Basic Colors

Pictured above: Black, Brown, Beige, White, Pink.

“She had brown skin.”

This is a perfectly fine description that, while not providing the most detail, works well and will never become cliché.

Describing characters’ skin as simply brown or beige works on its own, though it’s not particularly telling just from the range in brown alone.

Complex Colors

These are more rarely used words that actually “mean” their color. Some of these have multiple meanings, so you’ll want to look into those to determine what other associations a word might have.

Pictured above: Umber, Sepia, Ochre, Russet, Terra-cotta, Gold, Tawny, Taupe, Khaki, Fawn.

Complex colors work well alone, though often pair well with a basic color in regards to narrowing down shade/tone.

For example: Golden brown, russet brown, tawny beige…

As some of these are on the “rare” side, sliding in a definition of the word within the sentence itself may help readers who are unfamiliar with the term visualize the color without seeking a dictionary.

“He was tall and slim, his skin a russet, reddish-brown.”

Comparisons to familiar colors or visuals are also helpful:

“His skin was an ochre color, much like the mellow-brown light that bathed the forest.”

Modifiers

Modifiers, often adjectives, make partial changes to a word.The following words are descriptors in reference to skin tone.

Dark - Deep - Rich - Cool

Warm - Medium - Tan

Fair - Light - Pale

Rich Black, Dark brown, Warm beige, Pale pink…

If you’re looking to get more specific than “brown,” modifiers narrow down shade further.

Keep in mind that these modifiers are not exactly colors.

As an already brown-skinned person, I get tan from a lot of sun and resultingly become a darker, deeper brown. I turn a pale, more yellow-brown in the winter.

While best used in combination with a color, I suppose words like “tan” “fair” and “light” do work alone; just note that tan is less likely to be taken for “naturally tan” and much more likely a tanned White person.

Calling someone “dark” as description on its own is offensive to some and also ambiguous. (See: Describing Skin as Dark)

Undertones

Undertones are the colors beneath the skin, seeing as skin isn’t just one even color but has more subdued tones within the dominating palette.

pictured above: warm / earth undertones: yellow, golden, copper, olive, bronze, orange, orange-red, coral | cool / jewel undertones: pink, red, blue, blue-red, rose, magenta, sapphire, silver. 

Mentioning the undertones within a character’s skin is an even more precise way to denote skin tone.

As shown, there’s a difference between say, brown skin with warm orange-red undertones (Kelly Rowland) and brown skin with cool, jewel undertones (Rutina Wesley).

“A dazzling smile revealed the bronze glow at her cheeks.”

“He always looked as if he’d ran a mile, a constant tinge of pink under his tawny skin.”

Standard Description Passage

“Farah’s skin, always fawn, had burned and freckled under the summer’s sun. Even at the cusp of autumn, an uneven tan clung to her skin like burrs. So unlike the smooth, red-brown ochre of her mother, which the sun had richened to a blessing.”

-From my story “Where Summer Ends” featured in Strange Little Girls

Here the state of skin also gives insight on character.

Note my use of “fawn” in regards to multiple meaning and association. While fawn is a color, it’s also a small, timid deer, which describes this very traumatized character of mine perfectly.

Though I use standard descriptions of skin tone more in my writing, at the same time I’m no stranger to creative descriptions, and do enjoy the occasional artsy detail of a character.

Creative Description

Whether compared to night-cast rivers or day’s first light…I actually enjoy seeing Characters of Colors dressed in artful detail.

I’ve read loads of descriptions in my day of white characters and their “smooth rose-tinged ivory skin”, while the PoC, if there, are reduced to something from a candy bowl or a Starbucks drink, so to actually read of PoC described in lavish detail can be somewhat of a treat.

Still, be mindful when you get creative with your character descriptions. Too many frills can become purple-prose-like, so do what feels right for your writing when and where. Not every character or scene warrants a creative description, either. Especially if they’re not even a secondary character.

Using a combination of color descriptions from standard to creative is probably a better method than straight creative. But again, do what’s good for your tale.

Natural Settings - Sky

Pictured above: Harvest Moon -Twilight, Fall/Autumn Leaves, Clay, Desert/Sahara, Sunlight - Sunrise - Sunset - Afterglow - Dawn- Day- Daybreak, Field - Prairie - Wheat, Mountain/Cliff, Beach/Sand/Straw/Hay.

Now before you run off to compare your heroine’s skin to the harvest moon or a cliff side, think about the associations to your words.

When I think cliff, I think of jagged, perilous, rough. I hear sand and picture grainy, yet smooth. Calm. mellow.

So consider your character and what you see fit to compare them to.

Also consider whose perspective you’re describing them from. Someone describing a person they revere or admire may have a more pleasant, loftier description than someone who can’t stand the person.

“Her face was like the fire-gold glow of dawn, lifting my gaze, drawing me in.”

“She had a sandy complexion, smooth and tawny.”

Even creative descriptions tend to draw help from your standard words.

Flowers

Pictured above: Calla lilies, Western Coneflower, Hazel Fay, Hibiscus, Freesia, Rose

It was a bit difficult to find flowers to my liking that didn’t have a 20 character name or wasn’t called something like “chocolate silk” so these are the finalists. 

You’ll definitely want to avoid purple-prose here.

Also be aware of flowers that most might’ve never heard of. Roses are easy, as most know the look and coloring(s) of this plant. But Western coneflowers? Calla lilies? Maybe not so much.

“He entered the cottage in a huff, cheeks a blushing brown like the flowers Nana planted right under my window. Hazel Fay she called them, was it?”

Assorted Plants & Nature

Pictured above: Cattails, Seashell, Driftwood, Pinecone, Acorn, Amber

These ones are kinda odd. Perhaps because I’ve never seen these in comparison to skin tone, With the exception of amber.

At least they’re common enough that most may have an idea what you’re talking about at the mention of “pinecone.“ 

I suggest reading out your sentences aloud to get a better feel of how it’ll sounds.

"Auburn hair swept past pointed ears, set around a face like an acorn both in shape and shade.”

I pictured some tree-dwelling being or person from a fantasy world in this example, which makes the comparison more appropriate.

I don’t suggest using a comparison just “cuz you can” but actually being thoughtful about what you’re comparing your character to and how it applies to your character and/or setting.

Wood

Pictured above: Mahogany, Walnut, Chestnut, Golden Oak, Ash

Wood can be an iffy description for skin tone. Not only due to several of them having “foody” terminology within their names, but again, associations.

Some people would prefer not to compare/be compared to wood at all, so get opinions, try it aloud, and make sure it’s appropriate to the character if you do use it.

“The old warlock’s skin was a deep shade of mahogany, his stare serious and firm as it held mine.”

Metals

Pictured above: Platinum, Copper, Brass, Gold, Bronze

Copper skin, brass-colored skin, golden skin…

I’ve even heard variations of these used before by comparison to an object of the same properties/coloring, such as penny for copper.

These also work well with modifiers.

“The dress of fine white silks popped against the deep bronze of her skin.”

Gemstones - Minerals

Pictured above: Onyx, Obsidian, Sard, Topaz, Carnelian, Smoky Quartz, Rutile, Pyrite, Citrine, Gypsum

These are trickier to use. As with some complex colors, the writer will have to get us to understand what most of these look like.

If you use these, or any more rare description, consider if it actually “fits” the book or scene.

Even if you’re able to get us to picture what “rutile” looks like, why are you using this description as opposed to something else? Have that answer for yourself.

“His skin reminded her of the topaz ring her father wore at his finger, a gleaming stone of brown, mellow facades.” 

Physical Description

Physical character description can be more than skin tone.

Show us hair, eyes, noses, mouth, hands…body posture, body shape, skin texture… though not necessarily all of those nor at once.

Describing features also helps indicate race, especially if your character has some traits common within the race they are, such as afro hair to a Black character.

How comprehensive you decide to get is up to you. I wouldn’t overdo it and get specific to every mole and birthmark. Noting defining characteristics is good, though, like slightly spaced front teeth, curls that stay flopping in their face, hands freckled with sunspots…

General Tips

Indicate Race Early: I suggest indicators of race be made at the earliest convenience within the writing, with more hints threaded throughout here and there.

Get Creative On Your Own: Obviously, I couldn’t cover every proper color or comparison in which has been “approved” to use for your characters’ skin color, so it’s up to you to use discretion when seeking other ways and shades to describe skin tone.

Skin Color May Not Be Enough: Describing skin tone isn’t always enough to indicate someone’s ethnicity. As timeless cases with readers equating brown to “dark white” or something, more indicators of race may be needed.

Describe White characters and PoC Alike: You should describe the race and/or skin tone of your white characters just as you do your Characters of Color. If you don’t, you risk implying that White is the default human being and PoC are the “Other”).

PSA: Don’t use “Colored.” Based on some asks we’ve received using this word, I’d like to say that unless you or your character is a racist grandmama from the 1960s, do not call People of Color “colored” please. 

Not Sure Where to Start? You really can’t go wrong using basic colors for your skin descriptions. It’s actually what many people prefer and works best for most writing. Personally, I tend to describe my characters using a combo of basic colors + modifiers, with mentions of undertones at times. I do like to veer into more creative descriptions on occasion.

Want some alternatives to “skin” or “skin color”? Try: Appearance, blend, blush, cast, coloring, complexion, flush, glow, hue, overtone, palette, pigmentation, rinse, shade, sheen, spectrum, tinge, tint, tone, undertone, value, wash.

Skin Tone Resources

List of Color Names

The Color Thesaurus

Skin Undertone & Color Matching

Tips and Words on Describing Skin

Photos: Undertones Described (Modifiers included)

Online Thesaurus (try colors, such as “red” & “brown”)

Don’t Call me Pastries: Creative Skin Tones w/ pics I 

Writing & Description Guides

WWC Featured Description Posts

WWC Guide: Words to Describe Hair

Writing with Color: Description & Skin Color Tags

7 Offensive Mistakes Well-intentioned Writers Make

I tried to be as comprehensive as possible with this guide, but if you have a question regarding describing skin color that hasn’t been answered within part I or II of this guide, or have more questions after reading this post, feel free to ask!

~ Mod Colette

What are some of your favorite shipping dynamics?

Let's see if I can limit this to 2...

First involves a crafter + caregiver. For example, my couple Julius and Daisy. (Julius is crafter and Daisy is caregiver.)

So crafter has "Gift-Giving" as a love language, but he/she HAS to be the one Making the gifts. In this case, Julius is a smith and is spending his time crafting jewelry for his wife Daisy.

In comes caregiver Daisy with some food and water because you bet Julius skipped a meal to work on Daisy's present. And she stays, watching him. No, she is not watching what his hands are making, she is watching HIS HANDs, his determined face, how the sweat falls from his brow as he labors because this gift has to be perfect darn it! There are times that Daisy doesn't even realize that Julius is making her a present because she is too busy watching the man she loves.

And that is the shipping dynamic, the love eyes the two make. The caregiver just sitting there in love while the crafter labors in love. And Daisy still gets surprised with her presents because she might have been distracted by her husband's face. 🤣

Second shipping dynamic is when the butler ships it.

Okay, the butler is not in the ship, but the captain of the ship. This dynamic is so fun as it invites the readers into the story by having a character cheering with them for the main couple.

What I also noticed, when the butler ships it, is that the butler points out other details about the relationship that you might miss if you are surface level-reading. The butler often points out how the two are quite compatible or cover each other's flaws. (This really is delicious to read when the author already wrote this into the story, but the butler is highlighting it for you {basically gently nudging you to see the relationship instead of telling. I have read of a story where the butler told you to love the main couple, instead of revealing. Yeah, I don't trust the butler in that tale.} )

Also, the butler going out of his way to help out the main couple get together and/or build friendships with both members is so fun to read as the butler is thinking about the relationship long term, of the family and house that the couple will build. The butler isn't just thinking about securing his job but sustaining the life that the couple will have after marriage. Personally, I think this does the readers more good than the constant "Will they, won't they?"

Oh! This applies to the Head Stewardess as well! Though it has it's own flavor as the butler often gets a father/grandfather/uncle role to one of the characters while the Stewardess gets her motherly/grandmotherly/auntie role. Or best friend looking out for the other if the butler/stewardess grew up with the head of household.