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You were unlike the saints and saintesses of other nations. You granted no miracles, and didn't heal any illnesses. They didn’t know when they banished you in favor of a new saint that you had been pouring every fiber of your being into a blessing of protection for the nation your entire life.

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How to Make Your Characters Almost Cry

Tears are powerful, but do you know what's more impactful? The struggle to hold them back. This post is for all your hard-hearted stoic characters who'd never shed a tear before another, and aims to help you make them breakdown realistically.

The Physical Signs of Holding Back Tears

Heavy Eyelids, Heavy Heart Your character's eyelids feel weighted, as if the tears themselves are dragging them down. Their vision blurs—not quite enough to spill over, but enough to remind them of the dam threatening to break.

The Involuntary Sniffle They sniffle, not because their nose is running, but because their body is desperately trying to regulate itself, to suppress the wave of emotion threatening to take over.

Burning Eyes Their eyes sting from the effort of restraint, from the battle between pride and vulnerability. If they try too hard to hold back, the whites of their eyes start turning red, a telltale sign of the tears they've refused to let go.

The Trembling Lips Like a child struggling not to cry, their lips quiver. The shame of it fuels their determination to stay composed, leading them to clench their fists, grip their sleeves, or dig their nails into the nearest surface—anything to regain control.

The Fear of Blinking Closing their eyes means surrender. The second their lashes meet, the memories, the pain, the heartbreak will surge forward, and the tears will follow. So they force themselves to keep staring—at the floor, at a blank wall, at anything that won’t remind them of why they’re breaking.

The Coping Mechanisms: Pretending It’s Fine

A Steady Gaze & A Deep Breath To mask the turmoil, they focus on a neutral object, inhale slowly, and steel themselves. If they can get through this one breath, they can get through the next.

Turning Away to Swipe at Their Eyes When they do need to wipe their eyes, they do it quickly, casually, as if brushing off a speck of dust rather than wiping away the proof of their emotions.

Masking the Pain with a Different Emotion Anger, sarcasm, even laughter—any strong emotion can serve as a shield. A snappy response, a bitter chuckle, a sharp inhale—each is a carefully chosen defence against vulnerability.

Why This Matters

Letting your character fight their tears instead of immediately breaking down makes the scene hit harder. It shows their internal struggle, their resistance, and their need to stay composed even when they’re crumbling.

This is written based off of personal experience as someone who goes through this cycle a lot (emotional vulnerability who?) and some inspo from other books/articles

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Being the Demon Empress, you get all kinds of unwelcome guests. The prince in front of you with his army is more uncommon. "I'm here to kill you and avenge the hero!" he says. Avenge? you think as you turn to your newly-wedded wife—the hero—standing beside you.

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You were recruited into the time agency early on in history. With your job under threat from new management, you realize termination would mean being sent back to your original time, back to your old life. You'd do anything to keep your job so that'll never happen.

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"You're... back?"

"From the dead!"

"But how?"

"Turns out I'm distantly related to the goddess of death and she's got a soft-spot for family."

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You’re a knight with a small pet dragon you raised from birth. They can translate what other dragons say. Instead of slaying another dragon for the princess, you attempt to settle this diplomatically.

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"What brings you in today?" the doctor asks. "Well, I've been hallucinating this damn alien has been stalking me," you reply. "That alien?" the doctor asks, pointing to the alien standing next to you.

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"Hi there mortal. So, I was in a pretty bad mood when I gave you that punishment, so I might have overreacted."

"I’ve been here for 2,000 years!" "Bad moods can last a while when you’re a god."

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“A wish?” the genie scoffs. “You mortals always waste them.” You shake your head. “No wish. I need to talk to the last person who made a deal with you.” The genie goes still. “That… is not something you want.”

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“WHAT IS THAT THING?!” “Oh, that’s the Beast; that’s not its name, exactly, that’s just what folks call it around here. It’s been protecting our town and guarding our borders for generations.”

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"And why exactly should I care?" "Well... You are the summoned Hero, tha—" "No, I was kidnapped from my world for your benefit. Or do you suppose I didn't have a life in my world? Didn't have family? Friends? How would you feel if I kidnapped you to fight some scary shit for me?"

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“A villain am I? When I demand loyalty from my minions I reward them with protection. My armies know I will provide for their widows. My workers are all well fed. The children will never know grown men chasing them away for being monsters. What has your king provided for your loyalty?”

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In a last ditch attempt to save your people, you offer your life to an ancient god of war and blood. Unfortunately, your translation of the ancient text was a bit off. You're married now.

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“Okay, so, bad news, your world is scheduled to be destroyed. Good news, you guys get to go to any ‘fictional’ world you want to relocate. However, it’s a majority vote and there’s no take-backs. Choose wisely.”

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Fifty years ago, humanity sent a radio tracking beacon through a wormhole as a test. When we couldn't locate it, we assumed wormholes weren't safe. Today, it came back through—with a note taped onto it.

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You have been kidnapped by an entity above your comprehension, only to find out that you are effectively a rescue animal saved from a very serious disease. Due to how good it all looks, you decide to do everything in your power to be "adopted" into your new forever home.

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As the queen falls into a coma during childbirth, she asks the prince consort to entrust her son to her aunt. He defies her, leaving the heir with his cruel cousin. Raised in abuse & unaware of a birthright, one night the child flees the kingdom. Years later, the queen awakes. "Where's my son?"