#if anyone else could recommend media with this trope i'd be down to watch/read or whatever

[violetaeons]

Not sure if there's a trope name for it but the archetype of the conflicted and duty or oath-bound, priestess or avatar of some higher power is *chef's kiss*

I am a sucker for it every time.

[heartandfangs]

Omg follow up on my other ask: I’d really love to know more about the whole creative process, like how you maintain the believability & essence of your characters in your stories, also how do you come up with the little nuances?? 😭 I feel like writing characters (especially maybe introverted ones) in a complex way can be so hard

You’re the first to ask me for writing advice so I’ve been looking forward to answering this 😆 Even though I just write for fun I love talking about creative processes. Sorry if this is long, but I could still discuss it even more lol. For you and anyone else, feel free to ask me more questions if you're curious! Always happy to talk about this.

Programs that I use are Google Docs (for that autosave feature baby, fuck writing on Tumblr), Grammarly (but I still find typos after posting rip), Theasaurus.com (I repeat words too much), any music app (IOU has its own playlist that I'll even listen to when I'm not writing), & Pinterest (for vibes + moodboards). I'm constantly switching between these tabs. When it comes to writing scenes I make sure it's something that engages me while writing and if it's boring to me, I'll scrap it or rework it after sitting on it for a bit. ✍️

Usually, if an un-written scene is haunting me over the course of several weeks, I have to write it; IOU Part 5 started with the scene where Heeseung can't hold himself back from kissing MC’s neck while dancing and then I just asked myself how did we get here, and what comes after? (Always easier said than done)

I have so much fun with stereotypes + tropes but I also love characters that are a little more grounded in reality; so I try to achieve that by imbuing them with characteristics/mannerisms that I’ve seen in people from irl experiences or myself. For these nuances, you can even get inspired by specific media/characters that you love to read/watch about.

I’d recommend making a list of your favorite characters + stories and jotting down a few bullet points of what you love about them, for whatever reasons. From there, you can create character dynamics that you enjoy, and if you enjoy writing about it, there are bound to be people who will enjoy reading it!

When I write, I draw a lot on experience, then I put a twist on it; it just comes easier that way to me. IOU is definitely pwp, but I like building up the tension a bit before giving out the goods hehe, that’s where characters come in with their weirdly unique selves to make the twist on reality happen.

It’s all about that balance to craft a character that works for your story and then the tension in their relationships with others. I'd say the tension between characters and their personal flaws is what makes something compelling to read.

I’m an introvert through and through, so my MC’s lean that way a lot lol. I’ll point out some examples of how I convey MC’s + Heeseung’s introversion below! (Gotta preface that not all introverts are relegated to this sort of behavior, this is just based on behaviors in myself and introverts I’ve come across) I've taken a class on personality psychology and used to dive deep into MBTI, which also helps.

Compare Heeseung’s interactions with MC vs Jay; he’s awfully stand-offish with Jay and reserved, but it's heightened due to jealousy. He’s an observant guy and tends to think/calculate before proposing anything— and of course, he’s extremely in tune with MC even when she’s not quite so with herself. Heeseung in IOU is learning how to be a bit more transparent/action-oriented with his feelings, but only where he believes it counts.

MC is shy and polite/friendly with Jay, but with Heeseung she teases him a bit more and lets down her guard without worrying about social niceties; but even then, she’s still a bit conservative with her true feelings. While she gets stuck in her thoughts often, Heeseung understands and knows how to draw her out of it.

She prefers her alone time to recharge over hanging out with a rambunctious Jake but makes an exception for Hee who has already won her over as a friend. MC's incredibly honest with Jake about her feelings though, but he values it even if it hurts. Still, he has to retaliate in his own little ways, and he excels at bringing out MC's trait of impulsivity which is... interesting.