Okay, so we know using a Sharpie/Marker for complicated tattoos day-of for a con is a PAIN, so here’s a quick tutorial on the best way I’ve gotten success for really clean and convincing temporary tattoos for cosplay!
First things first, I would recommend getting this Silhouette tattoo paper. It comes with 2 – 8.5″ x 11″ sheets that are printable on Ink Jet printers for only $7! It comes with thorough instructions on how to use the paper, but I’ll give a quick summary.
Create your tattoo in the program of your choice. I used Illustrator, but you could also print any PDF or JPG – just make sure the design is mirrored when you print it!! (I’d also recommend printing extras for multi-day use or mistakes when cutting!)
After the ink dries, add the clear adhesive sheet (comes with the Silhouette kit) over the top and smooth out any air bubbles.
Then (and this is really important!) cut our your tattoo as close to the edges as possible! You don’t want the design to fall apart, but the more white edges you leave, the more shiny adhesive will show up on your skin.
Now you’re ready to apply your temporary tattoo! Peel off the clear sheet, lay the tattoo facedown on your skin, and use a damp rag to wet the entire paper back. Then peel the paper off and the design is left behind!
Use makeup powder (personally I like the colorless powder so not to deaden the brilliance of the tattoo itself) and soften the shiny surface.
Go take pictures of your cosplay and have fun! It should last all day at a con (and then some!)~
is derived from Latin word “fatum,” meaning “the fates” and the Old French word fae and faerie meaning land, realm, or a characteristic activity (i.e. enchantment).
the standard modern spelling of the word faerie (as faerie is a pseudo-archaism.)
The word fairy came about to differentiate between warriors and human sized faeries in other works of literature. Fairies were delicate and tiny, often found in children’s books.
Faerie:
circa 1300
from Old French faerie “land of fairies, meeting of fairies; enchantment, magic, witchcraft, sorcery”
from fae “fay,” from Latin fata “the Fates,” plural of fatum “that which is ordained; destiny, fate,”
to the word faie was added the suffix -erie (Modern English -(e)ry), used to express either a place where something is found (fishery, heronry, nunnery) or a trade or typical activity engaged in by a person (cookery, midwifery, thievery).
Fae, Fay and Fey:
Fae:plural for faerie
Fay: to fit, to join together.
Fey:fated to die
*Note: If one Google images “fairy” they will find lighthearted images of Tinkerbellesque creatures. If one google images “faerie” they will find darker images closer tied to that of lore and legends.
can someone explain the alignment chart for me but in like, the simplest wording possible lmao
lawful good: i want to do the right thing, and following society’s rules is the best way to do that
neutral good: i want to do what’s right, and i’m willing to bend or break the rules as long as no one gets hurt
chaotic good: i’m willing to do whatever it takes as long as it’s to do the right thing
lawful neutral: following the rules of society is the most important thing, and that matters more to me than doing what’s right
true neutral: i just want myself and the people i care about to be happy
chaotic neutral: i want my freedom, and i don’t care what i have to do to keep it
lawful evil: to impede the protagonists (in whatever evil way) is my primary goal, but i follow my own code of morals even when it’s inconvenient
neutral evil: to impede the protagonists (in whatever evil way) is the my primary goal, and while i’ll do what it takes to achieve it, i also won’t go out of my way to do unnecessary damage
chaotic evil: i relish in destruction and want to do as much damage as possible while i try to achieve my primary goal
Found this article. Found it incredibly helpful. Be sure to go read the full story, but these are the ten questions the author (Lydia Netzer) covers in it:
1. At what point did you feel like “Ah, now the story has really begun!” 2. What were the points where you found yourself skimming? 3. Which setting in the book was clearest to you as you were reading it? Which do you remember the best? 4. Which character would you most like to meet and get to know? 5. What was the most suspenseful moment in the book? 6. If you had to pick one character to get rid of, who would you axe? 7. Was there a situation in the novel that reminded you of something in your own life? 8. Where did you stop reading, the first time you cracked open the manuscript? (Can show you where your first dull part is, and help you fix your pacing.) 9. What was the last book you read, before this? And what did you think of it? (This can put their comments in context in surprising ways, when you find out what their general interests are. It might surprise you.) 10. Finish this sentence: “I kept reading because…”
Some of this could be easily adapted into roleplay critiques, though it’s primary use is, of course, novel writing.
Suspense is one of the trickier parts of writing to manage effectively because, as the author, you can’t experience your story the way a reader does. If you don’t have enough suspense, it can be difficult to keep your readers interested. If you have too much, frustrated and stressed-out readers might throw your book against the wall. Too much suspense can even backfire – if you try to keep your readers constantly on edge, they can stop taking things seriously and the end result is as though you never included any suspense at all.
So how can you tell if you’ve reached the right balance? Unfortunately, I can’t answer that for you. Some things really do require feedback from honest and insightful readers. Once you have that feedback, however, there are easy tricks to adjusting the level of suspense without a drastic re-write. Here are my five favorite methods.
Promises and Payoffs
INCREASE SUSPENSE by promising something huge and then giving your reader something unexpected. To borrow an example from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, imagine a teenage boy and girl sneaking into an empty building. Everything from the costumes to the lighting is designed to make you uneasy about the girl’s safety but, in the end, she’s the vampire. Give the audience something sensational and they won’t be disappointed that you didn’t deliver on what you originally promised.
DECREASE SUSPENSE by promising less than you plan to deliver. For example, if you plan to kill off a character as they walk through a dark alley, let them worry about being mugged rather than murdered. Not only is it less suspenseful, the payoff is more shocking.
Characters are Crucial
INCREASE SUSPENSE by shifting the focus to a character who’s more involved in the action or one who has more at stake. Even if you have a single POV character, another can come in and demand that character’s attention, along with the readers’.
DECREASE SUSPENSE by focusing on a character who’s more concerned with a secondary goal. Subplots are a fantastic way to give your readers some room to breathe.
Calm vs. Chaos
INCREASE SUSPENSE by cutting back on the action. Suspense flourishes in the quiet moments when your characters have time to think and to anticipate what may be in store for them.
DECREASE SUSPENSE by giving your characters a big, exciting mess to deal with. Even when that mess causes more problems and puts more pressure on your characters in the long run, you’ve still created an oasis where both they and the readers are too distracted to worry about how the big picture will pan out.
Devil’s in the Details
INCREASE SUSPENSE by concentrating on the details of the setting. Horror movies are great at this – every creak of a door, every shadow across a wall keeps the audience immersed in the experience and tense with anticipation.
DECREASE SUSPENSE by breaking the “show, don’t tell” rule and allow exposition to help you move things along. You don’t need to take readers through every aspect of your story in excruciating detail. It’s okay to gloss over some things and it helps readers relax because they know you’re not going to be springing any surprises on them just yet.
Ticking Time-Bomb
INCREASE SUSPENSE by imposing a deadline that your characters struggle to meet. It’s one of the oldest and most obvious tricks in the book, but very effective.
DECREASE SUSPENSE by allowing your characters to believe that the deadline has been met or pushed back. If they (and the readers) believe that they’ve accomplished their goal or bought themselves more time, it relieves pressure and allows everyone to relax until the truth’s revealed.
The one thing to remember is that sometimes, if you decrease suspense too much and then have a big event, it can feel like the event came out of left field, and you lose credibility to your readers.
Make sure, even if you decrease suspense, there’s still a reason for what happens. If an ordinary character is walking down a dark alley worried about being mugged, and then they’re killed by an assassin, it seems absurd. If someone who has been previously targeted thinks that everyone after them is dead/otherwise stopped, and then they’re killed by an assassin, it feels real, and the result is even more interesting.
(ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ✧ 