Unfinished Drawing Practise , I'm Trying To Figure Out How Other Artist Shade So Well And I'm Failing

Shadow's Realm AU (Shadowpeach)

Wukong concept

After Wukong killed Macaque's vessel (Of which he will not know it to be a vessel until much later in the future) during his journery , he fell into depression and on one night of tentative meditation to avoid nightmares of him killing Macaque he accidentally traveled over to the Shadow's realm with an "astral vessel" (like Astral protection but being able to interact with things) and found Macaque , believing it to be an hallucination Wukong indulged in the fantasy of being with Macaque again. Later on , after more visits to the Shadow's Realm each night and after finding a monkey cub in the Shadow's Realm , he will convince Macaque to adopt the cub and get married still believing it to be one of his fantasies until MK snaps him out of it and makes him realize that everything is real.

His Astral vessel is like a brighter version of himself , basically like a shadow clone but glowing in gold and therefore blending with the other realm's residents perfectly.

100 Dialogue Tags You Can Use Instead of “Said”

For the writers struggling to rid themselves of the classic ‘said’. Some are repeated in different categories since they fit multiple ones (but those are counted once so it adds up to 100 new words). 

1. Neutral Tags 

Straightforward and unobtrusive dialogue tags: 

Added, Replied, Stated, Remarked, Responded, Observed, Acknowledged, Commented, Noted, Voiced, Expressed, Shared, Answered, Mentioned, Declared.

2. Questioning Tags 

Curious, interrogative dialogue tags:

Asked, Queried, Wondered, Probed, Inquired, Requested, Pondered, Demanded, Challenged, Interjected, Investigated, Countered, Snapped, Pleaded, Insisted.

3. Emotive Tags 

Emotional dialogue tags:

Exclaimed, Shouted, Sobbed, Whispered, Cried, Hissed, Gasped, Laughed, Screamed, Stammered, Wailed, Murmured, Snarled, Choked, Barked.

4. Descriptive Tags 

Insightful, tonal dialogue tags: 

Muttered, Mumbled, Yelled, Uttered, Roared, Bellowed, Drawled, Spoke, Shrieked, Boomed, Snapped, Groaned, Rasped, Purred, Croaked.

5. Action-Oriented Tags 

Movement-based dialogue tags: 

Announced, Admitted, Interrupted, Joked, Suggested, Offered, Explained, Repeated, Advised, Warned, Agreed, Confirmed, Ordered, Reassured, Stated.

6. Conflict Tags 

Argumentative, defiant dialogue tags:

Argued, Snapped, Retorted, Rebuked, Disputed, Objected, Contested, Barked, Protested, Countered, Growled, Scoffed, Sneered, Challenged, Huffed.

7. Agreement Tags 

Understanding, compliant dialogue tags: 

Agreed, Assented, Nodded, Confirmed, Replied, Conceded, Acknowledged, Accepted, Affirmed, Yielded, Supported, Echoed, Consented, Promised, Concurred.

8. Disagreement Tags 

Resistant, defiant dialogue tags: 

Denied, Disagreed, Refused, Argued, Contradicted, Insisted, Protested, Objected, Rejected, Declined, Countered, Challenged, Snubbed, Dismissed, Rebuked.

9. Confused Tags 

Hesitant, uncertain dialogue tags:

Stammered, Hesitated, Fumbled, Babbled, Mumbled, Faltered, Stumbled, Wondered, Pondered, Stuttered, Blurted, Doubted, Confessed, Vacillated.

10. Surprise Tags

Shock-inducing dialogue tags:

Gasped, Stunned, Exclaimed, Blurted, Wondered, Staggered, Marvelled, Breathed, Recoiled, Jumped, Yelped, Shrieked, Stammered.

Note: everyone is entitled to their own opinion. No I am NOT telling people to abandon said and use these. Yes I understand that said is often good enough, but sometimes you WANT to draw attention to how the character is speaking. If you think adding an action/movement to your dialogue is 'good enough' hate to break it to you but that ruins immersion much more than a casual 'mumbled'. And for the last time: this is just a resource list, CALM DOWN. Hope that covers all the annoyingly redundant replies :)

Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks? 

Check out the rest of Quillology with Haya; a blog dedicated to writing and publishing tips for authors!

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I just had my first cookie dream, I was Caramel Choux Cookie

(I don't know why I was her, I ignore her usually)

and I missed my friends but they were dead so I was sad but a cookie give me a Mashroom

(that became a rainbow cube later in the dream, dream logic right guys?)

that depending on where I bite I grow big or little

(I don't know why it's an Alice in Wonderland inspired dream)

then I appear in the Town Square

(not the in-game one but literally the in real life one of where I live)

and I embrace Black Raisin and Street Urchin in joy

(I don't know why Black Raisin was there or my friend, I was confused in the dream too)

while the rainbow cube was teasing me with his presence in my sight I explain to my friends's questions about how I am there, and I explain that I missed them and that I had a time limit otherwise I would have been stuck with them

(the time limit thing was inspired from the Mexican culture of the day of the death I think, I saw an animated movie years ago and if you remained in the afterlife too long you get stuck so it's something from the movie)

But then... my phone woke me up with a spam call

I was hugging Black Raisin and she was so soft and you wake me up with such a loud ringtone that I jumped from my bed

I'm so curious of how the dream could have ended now I'm disappointed

The constant battle between "I want to cut all my relationships and isolate forever" and "I wish I could have normal feelings towards people".

So... I had a new idea for an lmk Au (I didn't think of a name) , or more like an idea for a variant of Macaque. Seeing as some of the fandom likes for Macaque to be a celestial primate with/or with six ears and super hearing , and seeing as in the serie we barely know anything to confirm or deny theories , I thought "What if he was just normal/average? Well as normal as a normal demon/spirit monkey can be"

Not a celestial primate

No six ears and super hearing

No being more powerful than anyone except the monkey king

Just a regular Macaque monkey demon/spirit and not someone powerful (not until later , after meeting Wukong , and even then he's not more strong than everyone else , just most average demons)

I know that's it's kinda underwelming with all the other Aus making Macaque someone cool and powerful , and that the closest to something like this are the human Aus but I think it's not to understimate the funny mental image of a completely capable to die Macaque being done with everyone's bullshit and almost dying because of it and only somehow surviving by pure spite and luck

If someone already has this kind of Au then I'm sorry I didn't mean to copy or steal your idea

Me:*working on art about my Shadow's Realm AU*

Computer:*low battery alert*

Me:"What? But the charger is on"

Computer:*powers off soon after*

Me:"Noo come on"*powers it back on*

Computer:*powers on*

Me:*goes back to work* "huh?!"

My digital pen:*stops working correctly*

Me:*sigh*"okay let's try this"*closes and opens the drawing program*

Me:*Tries again to draw*

Drawing program:*works weirdly*

Me:"Okay that's it!! I'm powering it off , maybe it doesn't work because of the low battery"*leaves computer to charge*

How MK first meeting with Feral Macaque and the twins basically went

MK:*running away from Lbd after she tricked him by faking to be a scared little girl*

MK:*strumbling across the room where the Feral's cage is kept*

MK:*debating wheter is better to try his luck with the Ferals or Lbd*

Lbd:*approaches rapidly*

MK:*goes 'fuck it' and opens the Feral's cage hoping for the best*

Ferals:*wrecks shit up making Lbd retreat*

MK:*sweats nervously because the Ferals took notice of him*

Mac:*approaches , sniffs Mk then growls*

MK:*sweats even more nervously praying for his life*

Mac:*decides MK is a cub because of his smell and picks him up by the scruff of his neck and takes him with the twins in a safe place to hide from dangers while also killing everything else that moves on the way*

MK:*is scared stiff both by the Ferals and all the killing and confused as hell on why he's still alive?*

Bonus

MK:*cuddled between very dangerous monkeys* help

Wukong: MK-

The Ferals:*growls showing fangs and claws*

Wukong:*sweats* okay this will be harder than I thought *steps foward* now you will release MK or I-

Mac:*attacks him*

Wukong: shit-

Rumble and Savage:*keeping an eye on MK*

MK:*internal agony*

Snow Macaque AU

I suddenly had this idea for a lmk Au

Basically it starts when Macaque is in diyu and the lady bone demon appears to make a deal with him

But Mac is too weak and delirious from the diyu cleaning his soul to understand a thing

Then Mac tries to gain some clarity and strenght by absorbing the spirit of Lbd to boost himself

Mac had successfully absorbed Lbd because she was already too weak from being sealed away to survive being absorbed

Mac gained clarity and understood what he did and what absorbing Lbd did to him

Because of Lbd's powers he changed both in appearance and powerwise (I will draw how he looks after I return back home from vacantion)

His fur became a snow white and his eyes became a scarlet color with the white of the eyes being golden , his sight was restored but the scar on his face remained , it seems that Ldb's clairvoyance powers made him gain six colourful ears to hear the past , present and future and lastly he gained ice and necromancy powers(he basically gained some immortality as he can just revive himself and because Lbd was a former celestial)he used necromancy to return to the mortal realm

After coming back to life he got attacked by the not-mayor for killing his lady but Mac was much stronger than him and let his shadows consume the not-mayor

Macaque wanders a snowy mountain with his shadow lantern in hand still not knowing what to do with himself yet after reviving

The villagers in the area will see Mac and start a rumour of an Ice king living on the mountain

The rumours will attract the bull family for an alliance and will be surprised of who the ice king really was but will then maintain a good relationship with each other

Mac doesn't want to see Wukong so the bull family makes sure nobody knows of Mac being alive but that will later be in vain by meeting MK and therefore Wukong later on

Before Mac died he and Wukong were best friends without any romantic feelings for each other (*cough*they're*cough* both *cough*dense*cough* jeez what a coughing fit) then after their fight they became enemies , and will still be at the start of their first meeting after Mac revived , they will remain somewhat civil for MK but then Wukong will fall in love with Mac and will have to try to court the oblivious Macaque

Macaque Monkey AU Shitpost of ch 1

Macaque:*Tired of everyone's bullshit*

Macaque:*shapeshifts into a normal monkey*

Wukong:*passing by with his recently stol-borrowed staff*

Wukong:*hears a noise and goes to check it out*

Wukong:*notices Macaque**gasps in delight*

Wukong:"Hello you little cutie , where were you all my life , how couldn't I notice such an adorable monkey like you before?" *picks Mac up*

Macaque:*Struggles to break free* *chirps in protest because he's a normal monkey now*

Wukong:"You sound even cuter , I'm taking you with me , I'm sure you will like my kingdom and will get along well with my subjects" *Flies on his cloud with Mac to Flower Fruit Mountain*

Macaque:*slumps tiredly in Wukong's arms momentarily accepting defeat and chirping in dismay*

Shadow's Realm AU (Shadowpeach)

Macaque concept

Macaque is an infernal primate born from the Shadow's Realm , when he was born he decided to go to the mortal realm because of his curiousity with young Sun Wukong after observing him through the connection of the shadows between the two realms , because Macaque is a special kind of primate like Wukong , he doesn't follow the same rules of everyone else so he could come over the mortal realm by creating a vessel to send to the other world while his real body stayed in the shadow's realm sleeping.

The demons that lived in the Shadow's Realm evolved to be colourful , bright or to have natural body lights to scare away or fight the native dark creatures (their version of animals or beasts) so they could survive and/or hunt them for food. The dark creatures can't stand light or bright colours because of their poor eyesight and they can also be blinded that way.

The same goes to Macaque as well so he has bight white fur , six colourful bioluminescent ears and two golden eyes that become a bright amethyst when using magic to see where it's the darkest.

The vessel doesn't have those characteristics because Macaque thought of them to be useless and too eyecatching in the mortal realm so the vessel looks like the Macaque from the lmk serie.

After Wukong killed his vessel he woke up in the Shadow's Realm and grieved their fall out. But he wouldn't grieve for long because he will later find himself playing-pretend with a delusional Wukong about being a loving couple , and later an husband and parent , in fear of getting killed again. ( He will later find himself caring for the cub and Wukong again)