procrastination-device

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REVERSE TROPE WRITING PROMPTS

Too many beds

Accidentally kidnapping a mafia boss

Really nice guy who hates only you

Academic rivals except it’s two teachers who compete to have the best class

Divorce of convenience

Too much communication

True hate’s kiss (only kissing your enemy can break a curse)

Dating your enemy’s sibling

Lovers to enemies

Hate at first sight

Love triangle where the two love interests get together instead

Fake amnesia

Soulmates who are fated to kill each other

Strangers to enemies

Instead of fake dating, everyone is convinced that you aren’t actually dating

Too hot to cuddle

Love interest CEO is a himbo/bimbo who runs their company into the ground

Nursing home au

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funniest fucking storyline in 911 by FAR is michael getting bored, so he starts spying on his neighbors. athena gets worried and sends bobby over who IMMEDIATELY supports michael's insane claim that his one neighbor is up to something hinky. michael's partner comes home and suggests they rummage through the trash for evidence. despite his obviously joking bobby and michael think this is a GREAT idea. bobby gives david a lecture about how this is a legal grey area. michael sneaks into the guy's apartment and gets hit in the head. athena comes by and is outraged, even though she probably should have known that sending her dumbass husband to her dumbass ex-husband would result in smth exactly like this.

and then they're RIGHT. just completely validated. it's great. i could watch this episode forever.

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"if i was orpheus i would simply not turn around" yes you would. if you were orpheus and you loved eurydice, you would. to love someone is to turn around. to love someone is to look at them. whichever version of the myth — he hears her stumble, he can't hear her at all, he thinks he's been tricked — he turns around because he loves her. that's why it's a tragedy. because he loves her enough to save her. because he loves her so much he can't save her. because he will always, always turn around. "if i was orpheus i would simply —" you wouldn't be orpheus. you wouldn't be brave enough to walk into the underworld and save the person you love. be serious

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Some tips for using a few words to describe voices:

1. Tone Words: Use tone words to convey the emotional quality of a voice. For example, you can describe a voice as "melodic," "soothing," "sharp," "gentle," or "commanding" to give readers a sense of the tone.

2. Pitch and Range: Mention the pitch and range of the voice. Is it "deep," "high-pitched," "raspy," or "full-bodied"? This can provide insight into the character's age, gender, or emotional state.

3. Accent and Diction: Describe the character's accent or diction briefly to give a sense of their background or cultural influences. For instance, "British-accented," "Southern drawl," or "formal."

4. Volume: Mention the volume of the voice, whether it's "whispering," "booming," "murmuring," or "hushed."

5. Quality: Use terms like "velvet," "silken," "gravelly," "honeyed," or "crisp" to convey the texture or quality of the voice.

6. Rate of Speech: Describe how fast or slow the character speaks, using words like "rapid," "slurred," "measured," or "rambling."

7. Mood or Emotion: Indicate the mood or emotion carried by the voice. For example, a "quivering" voice may convey fear or anxiety, while a "warm" voice may express comfort and reassurance.

8. Resonance: Describe the resonance of the voice, such as "echoing," "nasal," "booming," or "tinny."

9. Timbre: Mention the timbre of the voice, using words like "rich," "thin," "clear," or "smoky."

10. Cadence: Highlight the rhythm or cadence of speech with descriptors like "staccato," "lilting," "rhythmic," or "halting."

11. Intonation: Convey the character's intonation by saying their voice is "sarcastic," "apologetic," "confident," or "questioning."

12. Vocal Characteristics: If applicable, mention unique vocal characteristics, like a "lisp," "stutter," "drawl," or "accented 'r'."

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SSO MAGIC SYSTEM (unofficial/speculation) 4 main magic families:

1. LIGHT MAGIC Alignment: Good (wants to help others) Attributes: life, healing, warmth, soul power Creatures: Aetherians (Aideen, Fripp) Magic users: Druids (they use a mix of Light and Earth magic)

2. EARTH MAGIC Alignment: Neutral (can be used for both good and evil) Attributes: nature, weather, plants and animals, entrophy, reality (can’t coexist with Pandorian- just for a short time) Creatures: Earthlings (humans) Magic users: Witches (only use Earth magic: Mrs Holdsworth, Pi, Sive, Sedna, Uyarak)

3. PANDORIA MAGIC Alignment: Neutral (can be used for both good and evil) Attributes: time and space, illusions, transformation, unreality (can’t coexist with Earth- just in bubbles) Creatures: Pandorians (Ydris) Magic users: Sorcerers (only use Pandorian magic)

4. VOID MAGIC Alignment: Evil (wants to harm others) Attributes: death, darkness, cold, decay, corruption. Creatures: Umbrasians (Garnok, shadow seekers) Magic users: Warlocks (Mr Sands, Darko)

Soul Riders: Light, Earth and Pandorian magic Dark Riders: Void, Earth and Pandorian magic MC: half earthling, half pandorian, free to choose between Light and Void

Based on these- the Lore:

1. On Pandoria -> Garnok is an umbrasian creature, came from the Void, to corrupt and conquer. -> Creatures of light, the aetherians, like Fripp and Aideen, fight the umbrasians. -> Garnok attacks Pandoria, Fripp comes to help them -> Umbrasians are defeated, but corruption remains in Pandoria -> G is put on a ship to be taken to imprisonment, but the corrupted free him

2. On Earth, before Garnok’s imprisonment -> Aideen is another aetherian, arrived on Jorvik, brought life to the island -> Garnok’s ship crashes on Jorvik, Aideen fights the darkness, but can’t win alone -> The good pandorians meet Aideen, join Light, Earth and Pandorian magic to fight Garnok -> They create the ultimate weapon: the Soul Riders -> Garnok does the same: combines Void, Earth and Pandorian to create Dark Riders -> The SRs win, imprison Garnok and his followers at the bottom of the sea -> Aideen used too much of her power in the war, her soul disperses on the island

3. On Earth, after Garnok’s imprisonment -> Garnok’s power keeps seeping out, corrupting Jorvik -> The soul of Aideen the SRs’ and DRs’ all reincarnate-> The Keepers of Aideen and the Soul Riders safeguard the island -> The Dark Riders and corrupted always try to free him -> Many sisterhoods rise and fall, fighting the darkness -> Garnok’s awakening comes ever closer -> Aideen’s power also awakens, her soul reincarnates into the 5th Soul Rider

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Something about the fact...

Ninjago could've followed the basic trope of "the power is hereditary so it's given to one of your kids at some point" without thinking about any special case, like a lot of similar stories.

But instead they included other possibilities.

"If you don't have biological kids, you can choose someone to give your power to" (like the previous master of ice did with Zane)

"If you don't have kids and couldn't choose anyone before you died, the power chooses itself the person who'll have it next" (like the Morro and Euphrasia situation)

"If your kids are twins, there's a possibility they'll share the power, but it's not always the case" (like Krux and Acronix who shared their power, or Beatrix and Zeatrix who didn't)

"Anyone can get a power, even AI or other species as long as they're close enough to humans" (like Zane or Geo)

I just love this kind of details, it especially makes sense in a show that is so focused on found family and it extends, so all of these are in fact very important details.

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Plot Holes and How to Fill Them (Or, The Hidden Potential in Your Mistakes)

“But why didn’t they just do that earlier!”

“You can time travel – so time travel!”

“Doesn’t X have Y spell? Why aren’t they using it to escape?”

“You. Have. Telekinesis! How are you this stupid?”

Plot holes! The bane of every writer’s existence. You think you’ve polished your beautiful manuscript, you have it all sent out for the masses to consume and praise and shower with compliments and adoration… and then they start tugging at a thread that may or may not begin to unravel your entire story. You’ve read this thing top to bottom, forwards and backwards and upside down, so many times the letters are burned into your brain. You mumble your monologues in your sleep — how did you not see this? How do you fix this?

See this post about beginning the writing process that might help you avoid opening a plot hole entirely with a solid enough script and outline.

Types of Plot Holes

Your magic system’s established rules have just been broken for TeNSioN

Your Deus Ex Machina really did come out of nowhere and is quite out of character

Why doesn't Character just run away from a fight they can't win?

Characters forgetting they have superpowers, extreme intelligence, handy tools or weapons, survival skills, common sense, or crucial information to escape and/or solve a situation

Characters dying for the above mistakes when said death could have been avoided

The entire story could have been avoided had Character A just told Character B the truth

Character X should have known ___ all along given their profession/backstory/friend circle/education/personality

And variations of the above, I’m sure I’m missing a couple. Fixing plot holes generally come in two camps: Those you can fix by rewriting the existing manuscript that contains the hole, or those you have to work around from a previous manuscript that’s already been published.

Why Plot Holes Happen

Plot holes happen in reality. Expecting your first, second, or 15th draft to be completely foolproof is utter nonsense. Real people forget stuff they’re supposed to know all the time, tools that would be useful are left behind, GroupThink makes very bad decisions.

The difference is: You are writing fiction. Your goal is to be entertaining, not necessarily realistic. A character simply *forgetting* Macguffin X at the climax of the story does not make for an entertaining read, no matter how likely it might be to happen in the real world.

You’re making this entire world up as you go and that alone is an impressive feat millions of others can only dream about – cut yourself some slack, okay? Everything is fixable.

Plot holes also happen because we’re so engrossed in our own story that we forget it’s all made up. You’re 22 chapters into a 24 chapter novel and you’ve just realized your psychic hero would never have been caught unawares like this. “But that’s just how he is!”

No. Stop. That’s not just how he is. That’s just how you wrote him – and you can go back and un-write him. Any excuse you can dream up you can un-write, and unfortunately, you’ll likely have to do a fair bit of it if you still have the opportunity.

Plot holes generally open long after the inciting incident that causes them. If you’re going to fix it, duct-taping together a solution in that very same scene isn’t the way to do it. You have to figure out why it’s a hole at all, then go back and fix its foundations.

Finding Your Own Plot Holes

Sometimes you’re lucky enough to stumble upon them before it’s too late. A fair bit of the time, though, your audience has to tell you. Finding your own plot holes requires stepping back from your work and looking at it like you’re just a reader, not the author.

Read your plot out loud to yourself and keep asking questions like:

Does this make sense for the scene?

Does this only exist to look cool at the cost of logic?

Are these rules I wrote too easy to break or contradictory in any way?

Is there any other way for this character to escape this situation?

Is the only solution here too contrived?

That, and having an army of beta readers who should show you flaws you’ve overlooked. Even then, some things just aren’t obvious at all until someone too smart for their own good points out something no one else considered before.

It’s okay. It’s not the end of the world.

Filling Plot Holes

Fix your broken magic system

A “magic system” broadly describes any type of powers/abilities/supernatural entities that function in your world. They can be in high fantasy, urban fantasy, sci-fi, or any genre really. The Force is a magic system, as much as is bending in Last Airbender even if no one calls it “magic”.

For example: Force users are telekinetic… and yet don’t simply repeatedly spam the “chuck my enemies into a wall/off a cliff/anywhere that is away from me” button. It’s what you’d call a “soft” magic system, it doesn’t have explicit rules on how and when it can and should be used. It just *is*.

Fixing holes in your magic system first demands examining why you wrote it the way you did, why you gave it these specific rules, or why you didn’t, and all the ways characters should otherwise be able to use it when your story demands they get creative.

For soft magic systems — never let the magic system win the day. It invites far too much scrutiny. Gandalf from Lord of the Rings is a Wizard. He can do an undefined number of spells and has an unclear number of abilities and limit to his reach. Gandalf’s magic is never the saving grace of the Fellowship. So asking “why didn’t Gandalf just do X” isn’t ever a question people have because success never depends on Gandalf doing X.

Everyone hates on the time turner in Harry Potter, as they should. Time travel is essential to the plot of Prisoner of Azkaban, without it the heroes fail. And yet, because it is time travel, why it never existed earlier and why they never use it again to solve more massive plot problems is a valid question. As goes with many spells and abilities in the series.

For hard magic systems — remember that you wrote the rules, you can go back and change them at any time before it’s published. Bending in Last Airbender is rarely the focus of any conflict. Yes, two benders will fight each other, but it’s not “who’s the stronger bender,” it’s “who’s smarter with their element”. Who better uses their environment? Which one is racing against a clock before reinforcements arrive and overwhelm them? Which one runs the risk of exposing themselves if they start bending? Whose mental state is crippling their bending today?

These are all character-driven explanations for why certain abilities do or don’t manifest in a given scene… until the finale when it really is just a clash of red and blue aura lasers.

There is never a scene where a character is trapped when they shouldn’t be. Never a “why didn’t you just X” moment, because it’s never about the bending, it’s about the bender.

Turn plot-reasons into character-reasons

This means taking a “why don’t they just do X” and making the reason because one of the protagonists is morally against doing it, not because the hand of the author demands it.

In Last Airbender, Aang is vocally against simply killing the Fire Lord. It would be easier, it would risk far less casualties and carnage, it’s fastest. And yet. Aang doesn’t do it simply because he’s not strong enough or he doesn’t have some magical super weapon, or the stars have aligned and now he’s lost a very convenient ability – Aang doesn’t want to take the easy road because that’s who he is as a person.

He’s been raised as a monk to value the preservation of life above all else (ignoring any accidental casualties over the course of the series). Him being desperate to not simply kill Ozai is central to his character and even when he has the chance in the climax of the fight, he still doesn’t take it.

Now “why didn’t you do that earlier” does, still, concern the “energy bending” established out of nowhere just for the finale so Aang doesn’t have to compromise his morals to win… but the show is so damn good and Ozai’s just desserts so damn sweet it doesn’t really matter.

Making these plot decisions character decisions, so long as they are in-character, gives some juicy potential for schisms within Team Protagonist as fan favorites clash over ideals and morals and whether or not the greater good is worth them sacrificing something so central to their being.

This also applies to characters not sharing crucial information with each other. Make them distrustful of the others, or let them attempt it anyway and have some other consequence for the effort. Anything is better than a character sitting on valuable info simply to maintain the mystery.

Avoid Deus Ex Machinas

The “surprise reinforcement cavalry charge” is one of my favorite deus ex machinas in fantasy. Everybody cheers, it looks amazing, the music is swelling, our heroes on the battlefield realize they haven’t been forsaken by their friends, etc. In Lord of the Rings, yes, Theoden could have arrived 30 minutes earlier and saved even more lives, but we already knew he was on his way moving as fast as he could without exhausting his horses. Theoden’s army also took care of the bulk of the battle so when Aragorn arrives with the second surprise reinforcements, it’s less a decisive blow that comes out of nowhere and more the victory lap.

In “Battle of the Bastards,” Game of Thrones has its third surprise cavalry charge of the series, only this one much more explicitly comes to save the day. The difference between this scene and Theoden’s charge is: Audiences had no idea Littlefinger was on his way, and neither did Jon Snow. Had Sansa told him she had a plan, Jon could have waited. He wasn’t backed against a wall and forced to fight right then and there, he could have stalled an extra hour by just not showing up to the battlefield to wait for his cavalry. With Sansa inexplicably not telling him, she risked his life and the lives of his entire army because the hand of the writers wanted to keep it a surprise. Worst of all, when the battle is over, he compliments her decision, despite all the blood on her hands.

Surprise reinforcements, saviors, powers, and abilities always run the risk of “why didn’t they do that earlier” and you should be asking yourself the same question. If you can’t come up with an explanation other than “because it’ll look cool” go back to the drawing board.

Or, have your very own characters pissed that the savior didn’t just do that earlier. Have your characters ask where this special power was, have it mean something to them and the story at large. Had Jon been angry with Sansa, given their incredibly pyrrhic victory and the potentially avoidable death of their youngest brother, it might’ve made for some interesting character drama.

Give your saving graces deadly costs

“Why didn’t they just do X earlier?”

“Because doing X would have killed Character D, dummy.”

Giving your super special magic, mutant, super, or supernatural powers costs, drawbacks, and limitations forces the characters who use them to not resort to them every single chance they get. Their magic drains their physical stamina, or the demon they made a deal with camping in their brain threatens to overtake their psyche, or the sword is cursed and every time the hero raises it in battle, they lose a little piece of themselves. Or, using this creepy power strains their relationship with their friends or community.

Without risk and consequences, you cannot avoid “why didn’t they do that earlier,” because the only answer you have to give is “because I, the author, said so.” The only time a character is allowed to have selective amnesia about their superpowers is if it’s been established beforehand as a potential problem. Then it’s not “this came out of nowhere.” Then your audience is dreading the entire time waiting for that chekhov’s gun to fire.

Don’t compromise your story for sensationalism

I can complain about ~subverting expectations~ in another post, but what I mean here is this: Are you writing this scene purely for shock value, for the sake of a twist, because a story this grim demands at least one character death, or because it’s going to look epic?

In this post about pacing and this post about how to write tone, I talked about making your scenes pull double duty. You can write a scene for shock and awe, but if it’s at the expense of a character’s integrity or intelligence, come up with another way to make it spectacular.

You want the villain to monologue to give the heroes time to save the world? Then write a villain with an ego and personality that would monologue. You want the hero to be a one-man-army? Then write their personality as the lone wolf type and have it be a flaw of theirs that they keep striking out alone, consequences be damned.

You absolutely need the hero to not take the easy road and fight the bad guy without using their most effective weapon? Give them a reason to stall this fight. Maybe they really do need to simply run out a clock, or they don’t actually want to kill/subdue their opponent, or in doing so, the villain’s death is what causes the Bad Thing to happen.

If I write a character that can kill with just a look, every time I put them in a dangerous situation I need to then justify why they don’t do that over and over again, unless it’s by their own stubborn integrity that they choose not to.

If I write a villainous plan so devious and well thought out, the only thing standing in the way is living protagonists? I need a reason the villain doesn’t just murder the heroes every chance they get. Maybe they’re internally struggling over actually going through with it, or their ego demands the hero doesn’t get a quick or honorless death, or they do actually need a living hero for the plan to work.

Fixing Plot Holes in Sequels

All of the above is advice for issues within the same manuscript. What happens if you’ve already published and have the chance to address a known plot hole in the sequel?

About the worst thing you can do is slap in a throwaway line or hasty explanation to cover your ass. Everyone reading and watching will notice. Saying nothing is better than saying that.

See the duct-tape in Rise of Skywalker when the heroes explained that they couldn't just hypersspace-jump another ship into the enemy fleet because it worked so horribly effectively last time. Doesn't matter that they could have put it on autopilot or sacrificed a droid, or that, at any point in the history of Star Wars, someone else could have and should have done this desperate maneuver. For the sake of "looking cool" it opened an entire sinkhole.

Less a “hole” and more an inconsistency — the pegasus Blackjack in Percy Jackson is explicitly a mare, a female horse, in one book, and then inexplicably male in later books. Why? Well the author made a mistake, simple as that. He did *not* attempt to explain this error away or dig the hole deeper. It just is. Though I’m not sure why Blackjack couldn’t just stay a mare and how he didn’t reference the previous book when writing the sequel is a bit baffling.

If your heroes can no longer use the Deus Ex Machina they used before – have them attempt to use it, and then come up with a solid reason why it’s not possible. Maybe it was one-time use, or the savior simply doesn’t want to, or the cost/risk is too high to attempt it again, or it simply can’t be found and it’s very frustrating.

Have the heroes be morally opposed to doing what they did before, or overconfident, or skeptical that it will even work again only for that choice to bite them in the ass later. Have the magic item all used up, the recipe to recreate it lost to history. There’s a hundred better excuses than the hand of the author simply saying so.

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If you aren’t going to write a sequel and you accept living with the plot hole unfilled… chances are people are going to love the story despite its flaws. Harry Potter is the poster child of “why didn’t they use X spell to solve the problem” or “they have a spell for X, yet they don’t have a spell for Y?” and how many people love that story?

In the end, a plot hole can be tiny or massive and chances are the story you told is entertaining enough to make up for it. It’s just a story, it’s just fiction. Learn from your mistakes so the next piece you create is even better.

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Something that annoys me about a lot of science fantasy or industrial revolution era fantasy is how so many authors decide to make magic a stand-in for outdated or traditionalist power structures, and technology/science a stand-in for social progress/egalitarianism. And this sucks for at least a few reasons

It ignores many of the ways technological progress in a vacuum can work against democracy and egalitarianism- how the power of unions were crippled by automation, as one notable example. And while technological progress did lead to the end of feudalism, it wasn’t because technology put power in the hands of “the little guy”, and a band of plucky inventors removed the sway the nobility held- quite the opposite. Feudalism was ended because big central states could afford more and better cannons than individual lords could.

And on that note, you have to heavily flanderize your own fictional national leadership if you want a “magic vs science” conflict to occur. Because otherwise, there’s no real reason the evil magic king wouldn’t just go “alright, how far can these newfangled trains send our animated crystal warriors?”

As a consequence, you usually have to strip out any commentary on actual social development in favour of the hamfisted magic vs science narrative where both have to stand in for a lot of very complex issues, so you’re left with a metaphor that is both incredibly unsubtle yet also manages to say absolutely nothing about what it should have been a metaphor of.

Just let magic be magic, magic is cool. Anyway, shoutout to Arknights: where the ancient mystical assassin org disguised as a traveling theatre troupe, putting the souls of their victims in puppets to dance for their amusement, independently realizes the convenience of drone strikes in the assassination business.

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Brandon Sanderson’s Laws of Magic, Expounded

0. Err on the side of awesome

Tons of stories actually start with an awesome idea that is fleshed out.

You can always work out how to make the awesome fit into these rules.

1. An author’s ability to solve conflict with magic in a satisfying way is directly proportional to how well the reader understands said magic.

Deus ex machina is to be avoided at all costs.

There is a sliding scale of “sense of wonder” and “solving problems with magic”/scientific explanation of magic. You lose wonder as you increase science, and vice versa.

Main characters tend to use magic tools instead of magic itself to do this. Think monkey’s paw stories.

Ex. The One Ring is more science, and Gandalf in LotR is more wonder, especially since most of his magic is offscreen. His magic is there to keep the hobbits small and relatable to readers. The One Ring is used by Frodo to solve problems.

This is also a law of foreshadowing, especially since wonder can become science later in the book or another book in the series. Can also be how a magic mystery is solved.

2. Flaws or limitations are more interesting than powers.

Cost and stakes for using magic plays a big part into limitations, too.

Basic limitations as a plot device: someone has better magic; characters cannot use magic; a character’s magic isn’t working/lost; a character/people don’t understand the magic enough

Magic limitations can be combined with character flaws/limits, and social aspects too.

Work with the limitations! Characters don’t need to overcome every weakness, but it should add to the story somehow.

3. Expand what you already have before you add something new.

For magic systems, think of the Judeo-Christian-Muslim split versus ALL the world religions. Those 3 share the same foundations despite being vastly different.

Quality vs quantity

You aren’t required to have languages. Similarly, you don’t need to overwork the magic.

If you add a secondary magic system, your first must have indicated holes in the magic to be filled. It also helps to sprinkle in hints and foreshadowing of a second one and its abilities.

And all of these rules can be applied to your setting and characters in a general sense, too!

Brandon Sanderson’s free 2020 lectures on YT

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I want a magic system that slowly drains its users. Like magic drugs but they aren't the fun kind of drug but the life ruining kind. Magic users will slowly grow paler, their weight will drop at unhealthy rates, dark marks will form around eyes that slowly seem eternally bloodshot. As time goes on they lose reproductive function, and start feeling either constantly awake or needing to sleep more. Someone who begins practicing magic in their teens will not see forty.

You're so powerful but at what cost. You're bodies wasting away, and the younger you start the better. If you stopped now mabye you could heal... but it feels so good to become something like that, something more powerful then humanity was meant to know.

Anyone want to just totally ruin their life when they become a wizard?

[procrastination-device]

Fictional worldbuilding

I have this list I compiled of topics for developing of countries, whether fantasy based or not, and it seems to be a useful resource to share. Feel free to use this list to develop your own lore, but DO NOT claim it as your own or repost. It's pretty long, but I think it covers a lot of relevant topics for worldbuilding.

General

∎ Country name - Etymology if possible - Reasons for the name ∎ Does it take inspiration for a historical time period, aesthetic, or culture ∎ What sort of government is it

Important Places

∎ Main cities - Layout of the city - Economic or historical importance ∎ Other cities and places of importance - Ports - Mine cities - Scholarly cities ∎ Seasonal or turistic places

Climate and Terrain

∎ Important lakes, rivers, mountain chains or other geographically relevant places ∎ Seasons ∎ Climate in general ∎ How does the terrain affect daily habits ∎ Important plants - Agriculture - Crops for export ∎ Important animals - Livestock

Government

∎ System of government - Nobility/aristocracy -- Titles and inheritance/eligibility of titles - Merchant class ∎ Current and past rulers

Social customs

∎ Entertainment - Common forms of entertainment - Games - Cultural/social forms of enterteinment (go to parties/go to the movies/go out to eat/etc) ∎ Seasonal entertainment - Vacations - Seasonal high class customs ∎ Customs regarding reading and books ∎ Customs towards addictive substances - Alcohol - Tobacco - Opioids - Other stuffs ∎ Education and educational system ∎ Houses - Home layouts - Common things in houses ∎ Rites of passage - Age to be presented as adult to the society and customs regarding it ∎ Manners and behaviour in public ∎ Religion - Possible gods - Holidays - Festivals ∎ Customs regarding music - Musical instruments

Notions of family

∎ Inheritance laws ∎ Marriage and concepts of marriage - Marriage rituals - Who is allowed to wed who - Divorce - Customs toward conjugal and domestic violence - Polygamy -- Extraconjugal affairs --- Bastards ∎ Adoption ∎ Division of domestic labor and roles

Economy

∎ Coin and values ∎ Important internal products ∎ Main imports ∎ Main exports ∎ Important commercial relations

Fashion

∎ Common feminine fashion ∎ Common masculine fashion ∎ Concepts about clothing - What is seen as vulgar - What is seen as desirable ∎ Fashion and rites of passage ∎ Hairstyles and adornments

Names and language

∎ Base language ∎ Linguistic influences ∎ Working of names - Family names -- Patronymic and matronymic - Personal names

Magic and technology

∎ Magic - Practice of magic - Permissions within magic - Common and uncommon forms of magic ∎ Magic creatures of importance ∎ Level of technology ∎ Daily uses of technology

[procrastination-device]

Mastering the Art of Necromancy in Your Fantasy Novel

Hello fellow writers and conjurers of fantastical worlds,

In the tapestry of fantasy literature, few elements hold the allure and enigmatic charm of necromancy. The art of communing with the spirits of the departed, wielding the powers of death and undeath, and delving into the mysteries of the afterlife conjures a rich and eerie tapestry that captivates readers and writers alike. In this comprehensive guide, I shall help you embark on an odyssey into the realm of necromancy, unraveling its nuances, and harnessing its potent essence to enrich the worlds and characters within your fantasy novel.

Embracing the Essence of Necromancy

Necromancy is a mystical strand woven into the very fabric of fantasy literature, offering writers a gateway to explore themes of mortality, forbidden knowledge, and the uncharted territories beyond death. The art of necromancy beckons us to navigate the delicate balance between life and death, weaving a narrative tapestry that shimmers with eerie allure and spine-tingling intrigue.

Understanding the Arcane Threads of Necromancy

1. Unraveling the Nature of Necromantic Magic:

Necromancy encompasses a vast array of mystical practices, ranging from communing with spirits and animating the dead to harnessing the energies of the afterlife. Understanding the scope of necromantic magic is crucial when integrating it into your fantasy world.

2. Delving into Ethical Quandaries:

The art of necromancy often delves into moral ambiguity and ethical quandaries. As a writer, explore the complex interplay between wielding power over life and death, and the consequences it imposes on both wielder and world.

3. Crafting Necromantic Characters:

Characters draped in the shroud of necromancy carry an undeniably enigmatic allure. Whether they are enigmatic necromancers, vengeful revenants, or tormented spirits, imbue them with layers of depth, conflict, and the allure of forbidden knowledge.

4. Cultivating the Atmosphere of the Necromantic World:

Infuse your narrative with an eerie and otherworldly ambiance that resonates with the essence of necromancy. From desolate graveyards to spectral realms, let the setting itself exude an aura of haunting allure and metaphysical mystery.

5. Unraveling the Consequences:

The tendrils of necromantic magic often carry unforeseen consequences. Delve into the ripple effects of wielding such potent powers, shaping the fate of both the user and the world they inhabit.

Enchanting Your Narrative with Necromantic Flourishes

1. Rich Lore and Mythos:

Weave an intricate tapestry of lore and mythos surrounding necromancy, invoking ancient rituals, mysterious tomes, and the whispers of spirits to deepen the mystique of this arcane art.

2. Enigmatic Rituals and Spells:

Craft spells and rituals that exude an otherworldly aura, invoking the presence of specters and the echoes of forgotten souls to imbue your narrative with the esoteric essence of necromantic magic.

3. Ethereal Companions and Servants:

Bring forth spectral allies, reanimated guardians, and enigmatic spectral entities that serve as both catalysts and enigmas within the narrative.

4. Narrative Pivots and Twists:

Infuse your story with unforeseen twists and narrative pivots that stem from the tendrils of necromantic magic, shaping the destiny of characters and worlds with its potent influence.

Mastering the Art of Responsible Representation

1. Portraying the Nuances of Necromancy:

Embrace the multifaceted nature of necromancy, delving into its allure and peril, and steering clear of reductionistic portrayals that fail to capture the complexity of this enigmatic art.

2. Navigating Sensitive Themes:

Acknowledge the sensitive themes surrounding necromancy, portraying its enigmatic allure while respecting the boundaries of respectful representation and narrative integrity.

Navigating Ethical Quandaries and Moral Ambiguity

1. Delving into the Temptation and Consequences:

Illuminating the temptations and consequences inherent in wielding necromantic powers, delving into the moral turbulence and ethical crossroads that define the narrative and its characters.

2. Shaping Characters' Moral Journeys:

Embrace the moral odysseys of characters enmeshed in the tendrils of necromancy, illuminating their struggles, choices, and the transformative impact of their interactions with the enigmatic art.

Embracing the Mystique of Necromancy

The enigmatic tapestry of necromancy holds the potent key to unraveling the mysteries of death, whispered secrets of the afterlife, and the spellbinding allure of enigmatic power. Embrace its allure, wield its essence responsibly, and watch as your narrative flourishes with a haunting, spine-tingling allure that captivates readers far and wide.

Warm regards and unwavering encouragement on your enigmatic odyssey, Ren T.

[procrastination-device]

There was only one bed/sharing a bed Prompt list

We doing this masterful trope this time lol. Again like always feel free to use for anything.

Person A waking up to a sleeping Person B clinging onto them tightly.

"Did you know you talk in your sleep?"

Person A waking up to Person B curled up and sleeping on top of them.

"Join me?"

Person A helping calm down Person B who woke up terrified and crying from a nightmare.

First time sharing a bed as a couple.

"Can I join you? I just...I just don't want to be alone tonight."

Whispering "Oh you are going to be very embarrassed when you wake up."

"I don't know, you just make me feel safe."

"It's late and we're tired."

Accidentally falling asleep on the bed to wake up to someone walking in on them.

Person A & B finding out when they wake up that they both cuddle things in their sleep (in this case each other)

"I can take the floor?" "No it's alright, besides it's big enough for the both of us."

Person A idly playing with Person B's hair while they are asleep.

Person A waking up to notice Person B was watching them sleep.

Person A staying the night after an event involving Person B.

Person A staying the night to help Person B recover after they were released from the hospital.

"You sure this is okay?"

"Do you want me to stay?"

"This okay?"

"It's alright, I'm here."

"Weirdly, the best sleep I've ever had."

[procrastination-device]

some reactions to a love confession

"..."

"...what?"

"What? Are you serious? Right now of all places, you really think it's the time to just blurt something like that out? You fucking-, urghh...."

"Wait, what?"

"...oh."

"Cut the bullshit, what do you really want? Because you should damn well know by now that kind of talk doesn't work on me."

"Excuse me?" *fucking clutching my pearls*

"Oh, no..."

"No, please don't. Please don't do this."

"Please stop saying that."

"Just don't."

slap them.

"I hate you."

"I hate you." (affectionately)

"No you don't. I know you may think you do, but you don't, not really."

"Okay."

"...okay..."

"Oh, okay.... uh.... look, I care about you too, so much, but just not like that. I'm really sorry."

"Alright. Tell me again when you finally mean it."

"Tell me again when we make it out of here alive."

"Ah, sure you do."

"I thought I was always just a friend in your eyes..."

"Since when?"

"I had no idea... why did you never tell me before?"

"I'm sorry, I can't... I want to, but I can't..."

just kiss them instead of finding the words.

kiss them as soon as they confess and thereby shut up whatever else they wanted to say.

"Took you long enough."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"I love you more."

"Ditto."

"I know."

start tearing up.

start full on crying.

start crying happy tears.

start crying angry/confused/frustrated tears.

"Shut up."

"Shut up." (affectionately)

"Seriously?" (hello early seasons of grey's anatomy with all of the seriously's ♡)

"Say it again."

"Oh my god, it all makes so much sense now!"

start giggling uncontrollably.

start laughing uncontrollably.

goes nonverbal.

[procrastination-device]

maybe some grief/comfort prompts? ty <3

comforting + soothing dialogue

"i’m here, i’m right here...” 

 “hey, don’t worry.” 

 “do you want to stay the night?” 

 “i can stay over if you want.” 

 “i’m not gonna lie and say everything is going to be okay, because it’s probably not, but what i do know is that we’re going to get through this together.” 

 “do you need anything?”

 “it’s alright, let it out.” 

 “talk to me, love. i’m here to listen..” 

 “i made you some food, come eat.” 

 “okay, okay, slow down. breathe for a sec.” 

 “drink some water.” 

 “i’m over in the other room if you need me, okay?” 

 “do you want me to just listen or are you looking for advice?” 

 “god, baby i’m so sorry.” 

 “it’s not pity, i’m genuinely wanting to help you...” 

 “i know we don’t know eachother well, but i can give you my number and you can talk to me whenever you need..” 

 “do you want to talk this out?” 

 “do you want space?”

 “can i hug you?” 

 “love, please open up...i need to talk to you.”

 “come on, we can’t do this all day.” 

 “take a walk with me.” 

 “you’re not alone in this..” 

 “you’re doing so great, keep going.” 

 “don’t listen to them, just keep looking at me okay? my eyes.” 

 “count with me.” 

 “want a distraction?” 

[procrastination-device]

~ POTENTIAL CONFLICTS ~ ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS PLOTS

requested by: anonymous request: enemies-to-lovers plots. not scenarios just like the actual potential problem

Feel free to use and reblog!

#1 - meet ugly

#2 - members of different social classes

#3 - academic rivalry

#4 - professional rivalry/rivalling businesses

#5 - third-party conflict/transferred enmity

#6 - polar opposites

#7 - exactly alike/fitting the same role

#8 - being on the same side but fighting for different causes

#9 - being on different sides but fighting for the same cause

#10 - being mean out of insecurity

#11 - projection of hatred due to a random similarity

#12 - seeing right through their facade & being annoyed by their pretence

#13 - strong prejudices because of their backstory

#14 - huge misunderstanding

#15 - visceral jealousy

[procrastination-device]

reblog if you’ve read fanfictions that are more professional, better written than some actual novels. I’m trying to see something