A Guide to Black

Ali

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BLACK
of the very darkest color owing to the absence of or complete absorption of light; the opposite of white.

Black is a widely used colour for any and all descriptive properties. Take a look at your nearest surroundings, I bet you $10 you can easily find something (no matter how minute or small) that is black. Look into a mirror and check out the center of your eyes, pupils; or the colour black. Now, check out the lines around your computer, perhaps the keyboard itself? Is there some black there? Most likely. Regardless, black is a constant in everyday life, as are all colours - however, we often overlook the fabulous 'shade' that is black. In roleplays, black is widely used to describe all manners of material and physical things, even some non-physical things. Things such as hair, eyes, makeup, nailpolish, elements, buildings, lights, and more.

Often times, when the colour black is used within a roleplay, it lacks the verbal lustre that such a dynamic shade can offer. "Ebony" "Midnight Black", often times the descriptive qualities used when it comes to black. Right now, I'm going to blow your mind and share with you many more ways to describe this colour! And, how to make it flow smoothly in your roleplays, without sounding like a colour-nazi.

If you want to know more ways to use this colour and it's never-ending descriptive possibilities better than you have been able to before, keep reading!



Often times, the words displayed to the left are the vast majority of descriptive words used for the colour black, sometimes, even those basic ones are passed over for something simplistic. Now I know it's easier to say "But Ali, why do I need to describe black? WHY DOES IT MATTER?!" Well let me tell you random person, it ALWAYS matters, DESCRIPTION ALWAYS MATTERS! Especially if you want to make your way from "beginner" to "intermediate" and even "advanced"! Trust me, a well described paragraph far transcends a factual paragraph.

A good way to describe different blacks is to think of real life examples of black; things such as black cats, black cars, a black dog. How would you normally describe these things if a friend asked you what they looked like? Sleek? Fuzzy? Smooth? All fantastic descriptive words!


Below is a list of some words that can be used in replacement of the generalized term "black".
BLACK DESCRIPTIVES

• Carbon Black
• Vanta Black
•Super Black
• Ebony
• Taupe
• Charcoal
• Outer Space
• Cafe Noir
• Noir
• Black Bean
• Black Olive
• Onyx
• Phthalo Black
• Jet Black
• Black Leather Jacket
• Eerie Black
• Light Black


These blacks listed above are official colours on the hex-colour chart. They are representative of different shades of black and are often overlooked.

Here are some examples of words you can put before black descriptives in order to amplify their distinct appearance in a roleplay, and more specifically, in your post.

ablaze
ablazing
accented
achromatic
ashen
ashy
atomic
beaming
bi-color
blazing
bleached
bleak
blended
blotchy
bold
brash
bright
brilliant
burnt
checkered
chromatic
classic
clean
colored
colorful
colorless
complementing
contrasting
cool
coordinating
crisp
dappled
dark
dayglo
deep
delicate
digital
dim
dirty
discolored
dotted
drab
dreary
dull
dusty
earth
electric
eye-catching
faded
faint
festive
fiery
flashy
flattering
flecked
florescent
frosty
full-toned
glistening
glittering
glowing
harsh
hazy
hot
hued
icy
illuminated
incandescent
intense
interwoven
iridescent
kaleidoscopic
lambent
light
loud
luminous
lusterless
lustrous
majestic
marbled
matte
medium
mellow
milky
mingled
mixed
monochromatic
motley
mottled
muddy
multicolored
multihued
murky
natural
neutral
opalescent
opaque
pale
pastel
patchwork
patchy
patterned
perfect
picturesque
plain
primary
prismatic
psychedelic
pure
radiant
reflective
rich
royal
ruddy
rustic
satiny
saturated
secondary
shaded
sheer
shining
shiny
shocking
showy
smoky
soft
solid
somber
soothing
sooty
sparkling
speckled
stained
streaked
streaky
striking
strong neutral
subtle
sunny
swirling
tinged
tinted
tonal
toned
traditional
translucent
transparent
two-tone
undiluted
uneven
uniform
vibrant
vivid
wan
warm
washed-out
waxen
wild

Another thing to keep in mind whilst writing with the intent to use the shade 'black', is similies. Often overlooked, just like the many different shades of black itself, similes play a fantastic part in aiding a writers descriptive style. Here are a few examples for you to use while writing with the word "black".
black as a burned stump
black as a burnt wick
black as a cast-iron skillet
black as a chimney sweep
black as a coal mine
black as a crow's wing
black as a dog's nose
black as a funeral procession
black as a Gothic teenager's wardrobe
black as a graduation gown
black as a mechanic's fingers
black as a moonless night sky
black as a piano key
black as a politician's heart
black as a pupil
black as a rotton banana
black as a skid mark
black as a smoker's lung
black as a tunnel
black as a wet rock
black as an 8-ball
black as an abyss
black as an angry thundercloud
black as an Imperial stout
black as an oil filter
black as bottomless water
black as caviar
black as crude oil
black as eggplant
black as espresso
black as eyeliner
black as fresh asphalt
black as gunpowder
black as ink
black as licorice
black as peppercorns
black as pitch
black as soot
black as the ace of spades
black as the sea at night
black as the smoke from a house fire
black as the space between galaxies
black as witchcraft
black like an oven


All in all, black (as well as all the colours of the rainbow) assist greatly with a stories descriptive properties, often times aiding the reader (and writer!) in conveying a more mentally vivid message. Use this guide as a handy tool for writing with black, and you'll be sure to lure readers in with your descriptive arsenal!

 
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