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rpbetter · 3 years

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Sorry if this isn't the place to ask but I'm in need of advice. I have a canon character I truly adore, but I haven't gotten muse or any opportunity to write them at all. My blog is collecting dust and the fandom is kinda dead at this point. Not to mention, it's hard to find compatible writing partners, especially with how picky I can be. I'm honestly considering deactivating the blog (for the nth time), but I don't want to lose the writing I have. I know I could archive, but I hate having blogs just sitting around.

In short, I really want to write the muse/keep the blog but I'm not getting any incentive to do that.

Hello, Anon, it’s totally the place to ask!

I will say, though, that since finding and keeping muse can be flavored rather personally, I can’t promise that what works for me is going to work for you. I’ll even confess that in over two decades, I’ve never personally lost muse. I don’t know if it is due to underlying, neurodiverse style, fixating, or if it is due to keeping myself continually invested in both my muse and writing regardless of what else is going on. (Probably a combination of both, though, and the things I do to keep myself highly in touch with my muse I’ll be recommending.) I’m definitely happy to try to help, however.

That really is a very frustrating spot to be in, wanting to write the muse and keep your blog active, but logging in every day to be reminded of what little reason you have to do so. Since we’re drawn to the characters we are for reasons of personal appeal and writing in itself is a pretty personal form of art, it can also feel depressing on top of the frustration.

However, that’s also the good news, in my opinion, because your incentive here is, or can be, yourself.

You were drawn to this character because you connected with them. They mean something to you, you can relate to them, maybe they have qualities (good or bad) that you wish you could experience. Whatever it is, there’s a reason why you had this draw. Writing is like that as well, there’s a reason why this is a hobby that drew you, that you get enjoyment out of. Again, though all art (it doesn’t matter if it is a hobby) has personal bits of the artist in it, writing is uniquely personal. When you write, you’re exploring thoughts and feelings, giving them life in a character that matters to you. I know, all of that sounds really convoluted and hokey, but it’s true.

And it’s good! That means you always have a reason to write and that you have the tools necessary to find and keep muse without any outside push necessary.

I’d say, firstly, work on getting muse back.

Get back in touch with your muse the next time you feel a particularly strong urge to write. Instead of spending time trying to find people in a silent fandom or forcing yourself to write something you don’t want to, just do some exercises that will help you get back into your muse.

I don’t know what media type your character comes from, but especially if it is something like movie or show that you can have on in the background of what you’re doing, do that. If it’s a comic or a book, think about your favorite scene and read it over first. If you’ve ever made some playlists for writing/your muse, you can always do that instead or as well. The point is to do something passively inspiring while you actively create. Now, that creating...

You want to do something that requires you to think about your muse so you can get in touch with them, not something that is going to make you feel overwhelmed and shut down. So, maybe don’t pick writing prompts for this - you can work up to that. Try out headcanon and character development memes and other question lists instead for right now. Things you can scroll down a list of, find questions that jump out as interesting (or even simply answerable to you at this point, you’re jump-starting a dead battery, it’s alright) and answer them. You can also do something as simple as write down what you like best about the character or their story, or put down the basics of filling in missing information that has always bugged you.

The beauty of this is that it is all on your own terms, your only objective here is to answer what you want, as much as you want. You can stop any time, but you can also answer a single question for three hours, making it eight pages long if the inspiration strikes you. It’s only about recharging your inspiration and establishing a connection with your character again. (This is also going to help you with getting back into writing, or approaching it for the first time, with a more internalized focus of interest.)

When you feel like you’ve done that, you can branch out on these exercises more. Answer the memes more in-depth, answer more of them/the ones you don’t have immediate answers for. You can also try writing out scenes from the character’s canon from their perspective, if it wasn’t already so, adding in their thoughts and feelings, or changing the scene in some ways that would be interesting to write out. This is the point where it’s a good idea to try a writing prompt or two, as well! Take the prompt as a sort of starter sentence from a mutual, you’ve got the situation, fill in with your muse.

Write when you feel like writing. The RPC is great at saying this when it comes to muns not wanting to write, but kind of ignores the other side of the equation. The side where you want to write, have the inspiration and muse to do so, but it might not be the best time. As in, you’re not home/wherever you usually write, with whatever device you tend to write on accessible. No, you’re not going to be able to get as much done, but you can write without the usual situation and device regardless. You can write a scene or ideas down using your phone or tablet, or go old school and use a notebook. If you’re at work and your job isn’t applicable to being able to get down a single sentence, that still doesn’t mean you have to wait 8+ hours to get home; while you’re taking your break, write a little bit. It is a break, and writing is your hobby, it isn’t work. It’s good to do things you enjoy on breaks, and far more fulfilling to have also accomplished something you happen to enjoy.

Not writing when you have the drive to do, putting it off and holding it in until “the perfect moment,” is a great way to lose your inspiration and never actually have that moment. If you feel like doing it, that means it is the perfect moment. Life is restricting, don’t impose even more restrictions on yourself by having to be at home, in a specific spot, with a specific device, at a specific time, on a specific day. Was that annoying repetition? You’re right, it was. And that’s how your creative mind processes all the crap piled onto it that doesn’t allow for creativity.

Now, the other problem, the fandom situation.

There isn’t anything you can do about that, to be absolutely honest. I’m not going to blow smoke and tell you to be positive, wait it out, maybe the fandom will spring to life again. You know, maybe it will...but you could be waiting literal decades for that to happen. Not cool. Please, take my word for that, it’s personal experience that it blows even more than you imagine it will.

What you can do is take the matter into your own hands in other ways; putting yourself out there with more availability in multiple ways.

Are you a single-fandom blog, or are you crossover friendly? If you’re not crossover friendly, try to think of a single, relatively popular fandom that you enjoy. Don’t look at it like a hassle, but rather, just another creative exercise. A serious pitfall of creating alternate universe versions of muses is to take the simplest route, merely picking something you want from that other universe and applying it to your muse with no relevant changes that would naturally occur from it. It isn’t just reductive as hell, it’s not remotely creative, it’s like sticking a sticker on your muse’s forehead and saying that’s a whole different muse. It’s neither attractive to potential partners nor going to sustain your own interest for long. You want this to be a passionate investment on your own end, for yourself.

What not to do:

Let’s say the fandom you picked to do crossovers with is based around magic, the main characters are witches, and they are divided into factions based on how their magical talents display and develop. Not only do you decide to make your muse a witch, you pick the most badass faction. It’s the one full of assassins and action and (metaphorically or literally) sex appeal. Well, that’s also going to be the most popular faction in the fandom. That means there will not only be plenty of big name canons there but also that there’s going to be a plethora of OCs designed just for this universe...and other crossovers from other currently active fandoms.

While that might sound like it’s great for maximizing interaction chances, it’s really not when you’re just starting somewhere new with a character from another fandom that might not be known or liked. It can also take a minute in another fandom’s RPC to identify where the good partners are. Every now and then, it is the most popular and over-populous era/faction/etc., but most of the time, it isn’t. People who write with considerable dedication and talent fairly rarely are in the popular kids club even in their fandom choices. By inserting yourself into that area, you might be bypassing (and being bypassed) by better partners on the assumption that their characters are simply going to bore you to death since they’re not within the scope of your focal point.

It’s not a situation of not being allowed to be picky, you not only have that right regardless of your situation, you also should be. This is not a “beggars can’t be choosers” situation, you’re not beholden to anyone on the basis of being new and bored. However, some of my best, and longest lasting, writing partners over all 23 years I’ve been RPing didn’t/don’t fit with all the exact surface details that automatically draw my interest. It is as true within my own fandom as it is in dealing with crossovers. Opposites (with enough similarities) really do attract and work out well together!

Don’t judge and write people off for anything that isn’t an issue of compatibility with your muse, your writing, or yourself. Decline someone because they do one line only and you are novella, they write topics that are upsetting to you, you can see no way your muse and theirs can interact without instant murder, or because you cannot stand writing with someone who is pulling 90% aesthetics and purple prose. Not because their muse is a witch who uses life-based magic, loves nature, is a healer, and into their health...while your muse in this AU is all about the death, only appreciates an urban environment and is grossed out by animals, kills as an occupation, lives on cheeseburgers and caffeine. You see what I’m saying? Don’t limit yourself unnecessarily!

What to do:

Did you consider if, in that hypothetical idea of a fandom, your muse based on their purely canon self would even fit into that faction? Or is it just something you wanted to see? If you didn’t consider this, or it was the latter, fix that. That’s bad.

If you’re not absolutely dead set on that and only that, think about what really does fit the muse better. Maybe, they would be better as a healer, someone who messes with the very fabric of reality, or someone who manipulates natural elements at will. Then again, they might not even be a witch. They could be more mundane in terms of power, but more accurate and interesting as a normal, human (or whatever). They could even be greatly opposed to the use of magic and witches. Use your muse’s original canon as a base to decide these things.

If you are absolutely dead set on it, though, you have a lot of work to do making the character into what amounts to a markedly different one while still retaining some recognizable aspects of themselves. Consider what events, in this new universe of fandom, might have happened to alter the character thus. Keep in mind that even small changes can have great consequences in a character’s development, and you might need to think about the myriad ways in which that can display, how it changes still more things for this character.

While that job becomes so much more intense when you haven’t planned out a path that matches your muse’s canon characterization at all, it is still an important part of constructing an AU, of any kind, in general. Ask yourself what experiences led to the character you know as you already know them (including your own headcanons, yes). Then, find similar possible experiences within your new fandom verse that can have the same effect. Again, though, it’s important to understand that you are never going to have an identical set of experiences, so you need to explore relevant changes still.

When you do this, you’re allowing your muse to more seamlessly fit into this other universe in a fleshed out, interesting way. Interesting both new partners and yourself.

Okay, next obnoxious question from me! Do you have multiple verses, or are you single-verse?

Whether you are already exploring new fandoms or not, by creating a variety of verses for others to interact with, you’re increasing your chances for interest and activity. When you have a verse from a different fandom you can then, additionally, advertise your presence in both that fandom’s tags when you do a promo or applicable open starter and on active RPer lists for that fandom.

Every popular fandom has such lists. You can get on them by messaging/sending an ask to the blog or by reblogging their post to be added, following the directions. I haven’t seen one yet that doesn’t allow for crossovers. You simply have to tag it as stated in the post, such as “your canon’s name here - original fandom name - crossover.” By tagging your open starter or promo as “-insert fandom here- rp” and “-fandom here- open starter” you allow people in that fandom to find you to interact. Either way is excellent for getting started in totally new places with a character others might be unfamiliar with.

Please remember that if you tag a promo as “promo,” it’ll not show up in searches off of your blog. You know, where it actually needs to be searched. Thanks, tumblr, for being janky! Being more specific as to the fandom and character will help others actually find you. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by tagging it as “promo.”

Make your verses accessible on your blog itself, in the nature of those verses, and how you set up your page or post that lists them.

Don’t put any page behind an impossible or complicated aesthetic. You really shouldn’t anyway, but when you’re needing interactions, it’s actively hurting your chances. Many people don’t want to have to play a game with your theme, it’s a turn off. Try a pinned post that lists all of your links to important pages like rules, verses, and bio instead. It means that, even from the dash, that information can quickly be found while other muns are first interested, and also that anyone who might be using the app can access it more expediently. (I’m genuinely not a fan or big supporter of doing google docs for rules, verses, bios, etc., as it forces people off site, so I can’t personally say, in good conscious and honesty, that I’d recommend it, but you do you!) You want to keep things quickly accessible is the idea here; when people are interested, you want to catch them right then and there before they have a chance to forget and lose your blog.

As to the nature of the verses themselves, give people real options. Don’t have 20 verses that all read same way. Same themes, plot possibilities, and backstories, or incredibly similar names. Have a diverse list of verses that can act as foundations for a variety of different muns. As many fandoms as you can reasonably have a good portrayal of, and different types of fandoms; not all the same genre (all fantasy, all horror, all scifi). Verses where your muse has substantially different goals, occupations, and other life situations that will involve another muse; don’t make your muse A Warrior™ in every verse, you can keep plenty of those aspects without being that literal. People love “modern” verses set in our own universe and, usually, in our own era. That doesn’t mean you have to go stereotypical or otherwise bore yourself by doing the standard “high school/college verse,” for instance. You don’t even have to designate that sort of thing, let alone make it the focus; simply create the verse by considering what your character really would be like if they existed within your reality.

As a final note on verses as pertains to this point, when you’re doing crossover verses, it’s alright to do some verses where your muse from their own canon existence somehow ends up teleported or whatever to another fandom’s reality, or even our own. Just don’t make every verse like this, it puts the onus of a great deal of creativity and effort onto the other mun by default; your muse has cluelessly dropped into the universe, and while it is high drama time for you, the other mun has to babysit, educate, deal with fallout, etc.

On making the list of your verses accessible, you want to focus on ease of browsing and not being overwhelming. People tend to look through a verse page and not read every verse listed, rather, they look at the titles and breakdowns to see if it is of interest, then read it. Don’t try to make everyone read them all, it isn’t going to happen, and shouldn’t change your effort any as the right people are going to find the verses that interest them...if you make it clear and easy enough.

Have a basic format you stick to, firstly. I do it this way: small verse banner, title of verse (linked to its overall tag so that muns can look through the tag at headcanons, aesthetics, pictures of the FC, and threads), muse age/age range, small blurb, possible triggers found uniquely or just heavily within this verse. In that order, one following the other in a simple, but pleasing way. Below that, is a more in depth breakdown of the “verse canon.” Sometimes, that is giving a brief rehashing of canon itself and anywhere my muse differs, be it in this verse only or overall, ending with where my muse is in this verse. Not literally where. I mean their present occupation, emotional and general state in life. At the very end, I provide any other relevant links and/or an expansion on the triggers mentioned at the top of the verse description if they’re that serious/recurrent so that muns can decide this isn’t the verse for them. I happen to have a potentially triggering muse, triggering verses, and writing triggering topics, though. That’s not something everyone needs to do.

Secondly, group your verses in a sensible way. I do my short list of default verses first. (And, I do mean short, you don’t want this be any more than four or five, it is overwhelming right out of the gate.) For me, that is two default verses of canon at different points on the timeline, one default AU that is a bit of a reversal of canon, and one default “modern” verse. Then, I list the verses that are in line with the altered canon one, just different possibilities, changes, points in history. After that, the different “modern” verse options. Then, verses for other fandoms, the crossover verses. And so on. This way, a potential partner can find the type of verse that might appeal to them and have an easier time picking from those possibilities and getting ideas.

Lastly, don’t be so succinct that you give too little information and underwhelm, but also don’t be so excessive that it takes all of the mystery of interaction away and overwhelms someone. It can be a difficult balance to strike, and some verses require more information than others, just experiment a bit. Additionally, it’s fine to link to pertinent information for the other mun to view aside from this, but don’t just link people to a fandom wiki as your “description/bio.” That isn’t giving information on how you write this muse, approach this fandom, or what another mun can otherwise expect. Keeping your descriptions interesting is important, you’re not giving a boring lecture, you’re trying to inform someone while making them hyped for their choices. It’s more interesting, and informative, to read if you do them with an ear to the “tone” of your muse in that verse. Is it a sad one? Sound that way. These can, indeed, function as snippets of your writing, so be sure you are writing them with the same care you should be giving your replies; spellcheck, good word flow and use, mind the grammar, and read over what you’ve written for common, easy mistakes.

Again, by giving a genuine variety of verses to choose from, you’re allowing for a greater reach in potential partners. Everyone from those still in your original fandom to those in new ones, all the way to fandomless muses will be able to interact with you this way.

Finally, in regards to what you can change or do when you’re in a dead fandom and seeking interactions; make sure you are increasing your reach by using proper tags, being honest about what and how you write, and don’t wait for others to stumble across you.

When you use tags properly, you’re increasing your chances of being seen at all. Every time you post something at all applicable on your blog, tag it with relevant things. Tag as described above with whatever fandom it is and “RP,” your character’s name, “open RP,” character name and RP, indie RP, open starter, and so on. Be sure you are optimizing your tags by placing the most relevant to finding you in the first four, those are what show up in site-wide searches only. Anything after that isn’t going to appear in a search across all tumblr.

By tagging your character’s name, as a canon, you should know that you are likely to get personal blog interaction. I’m pretty against being nasty to personal blogs for no reason, as I don’t appreciate personal and fandom blogs being shitty to me for the sole reason that I am an RPer. Please, use clear, short, attention getting directions for them. If you want no interactions with them, put right in the description of your blog “RP blog, does not interact with personal blogs.” When you say things like, “personals dni,” or “personals blocked,” you’re not doing anyone any favors. Personal blogs often don’t even know what the hell a personal blog even is! They do not denote themselves this way, to a personal blog, they’re just a blog. By designating first that you are an RP blog, you’re making it clearer that they’re the personal; they’re obviously not an RP blog, so that must make them a personal. Follow this up in a pinned post, right on top. Give a note to personal blogs that describes them as “any blog that isn’t an RP blog” first, then either tell them in brief what they can and can’t do or that you don’t interact and will block.

I don’t recommend taking your blog off of being findable, however. That’s alright once you have the RP activity you are looking for, but until then, it’s working against you. Other RP blogs cannot easily find you either, they will only find you if you’re on a list or appear in their recommended blogs, if you interact with a mutual, or are recommended by a mutual. You’re not just lessening your chances of personal blogs finding you, so if you have that turned off, turn it back on.

Don’t entirely rely on others finding you regardless, though. You can’t be 100% passive when you have no interactions, and by relying solely on serendipity you’re far less likely to get them. I know that everyone here is terminally shy, but seriously, you have to do more than put your silent will into the universe that someone perfect find you. You have to make this happen. Once you get a few people, you can afford to be more passive. Not only do you have some people to write with, you will be more visible to their mutuals, and more established as a presence. I’m not saying this is easy, or that it will become easy, not awkward or stressful, if you have a legitimate issue behind the shyness. Just that it is the only way to really proceed, and I believe you can do it!

So, go looking for interesting blogs. Be crossover and OC friendly (again, this doesn’t mean “accept everyone,” there are valid reasons for not accepting people you won’t work out with that have nothing to do with their fandom or being an OC), and search those fandom’s RPCs, following any blogs you think you might work out with upon reading their rules and other pages. Search for fandomless OCs and do the same thing. Fandomless OCs aren’t just floating around in the ether, they just weren’t created expressly for a particular fandom and within its confines. What is excellent about that is their ability to have a wide variety of verses and many possibilities to fit into any fandom or verse. So, don’t count them out solely on the basis of being an OC and fandomless. It doesn’t mean what people seem to think it does!

Do not stop at having followed 50 blogs. I mean, other than that you probably should stop following people for a bit. That you should do, as you need to be building writing relationships here, not following so many people that you cannot get to them. Don’t just stop at the follow, though. Since you’ve read their rules and information like a good RP partner, you should have some idea of what their interests are and where they align with yours, as well as how they prefer to be approached, if they accept memes right away to start, need plotting, have a rules password. When they’ve followed you back, proceed with interaction!

Ask if they’d like to plot when they have time, you’re really looking forward to writing with them. But...have some idea of a plot, please. It is a serious turn off to have someone message you wanting to plot, only to reply and get “lol I don’t have any ideas, anything works for me/whatever you want to do.” That isn’t plotting, it’s one party coming up with ideas and constructing a plot while they’re being told “I’m fine with anything.” That may be true, but it’s disheartening and a red flag for many people. If you genuinely can’t come up with anything, pick verses that match up well and suggest doing something within them.

“When you have the time, would you be interested in discussing writing? I was looking at your verses, and I think your verse -name- and mine, -verse name-, would mesh well.” Is a good way to start. Once you have a discussion flowing about the verses meshing and the muses, it’s typically easy to organically develop some plot ideas to go off of.

If both you and the other mun are alright with plot-free interaction and memes, you can send a meme any time. If you can’t find any memes on their blog, look for a wishlist or navigation page that shows you the tags for memes/wishlist. Still can’t find it? Ask them if they’ve got a wishlist or meme tag you can look through.

Additionally, if open starters are a thing you both do and are alright with, find some of theirs and respond. Post your own, tag it appropriately to be found in general and on your blog, and reblog it once or twice. Don’t excessively reblog it, and don’t get upset on the dash if no one interacts with it or any memes you reblog. Both are demanding to outright guilting, and not a good way to get partners. Just provide them with the ability to easily interact by making the posts available in the first place and by making them findable on your blog search and navigation.

Provide something for potential partners to see. Since you said you already do have writing, that’s great! That’s content on your blog that your partners can view. However, since you’re also having the issues you’ve stated, it’s likely that you haven’t many new posts. Show that you are active, interested in being here, and how you write your muse (and in general) by posting some newer content. For original content, do a headcanon or some meta, or post about new verses you are adding, the changes on your blog, a promo. For reblogs, things pertaining to your muse like canon imagery, fanart, quotes from canon or that generally express your muse, and aesthetics relevant to your muse are all excellent things to queue.

Use that queue. Not only do very few people appreciate having dash spam of similar content for the comparatively short time you might be around, but also, running these things on a queue means you spread that out for maximum view. While there are hours of heavier activity, you’ll have mutuals who are on at unusual hours due to their life and preferences or their timezone. This way, you’re not appearing inactive, if not outright invisible, to those mutuals. It’s not a bad idea to use a queue tag so that people know if they interact with a post that’s been queued, you might be here to quickly respond.

Ultimately, to fix your fandom and lacking partners problem, you just need to up your availability and reach beyond that fandom alone. Be proactive in following and approaching, decline blogs based on not working out only, utilize tags and fandom RPer lists, have everything on your blog easy to follow and not overwhelming, and have your verses meet as wide of a range of people as possible while also not being overwhelming.

Try updating your promo, as well, by the way. They’re not dead, they just really tanked when people kept making them based solely on aesthetic principle instead of being at all informative about the muse. They do seem to be coming back, so it’s a thing to consider.

Yes, make it visually appealing, it will draw people to reading it. No, do not just use a song lyric or quote with words highlighted linking your rules, verses, bio. Tell people basic info like the age of your muse and yourself, if you are multiverse and multiship, your muse’s canon verse and a couple of big interest verses of other major fandoms or themes that tend to be of interest to people, and what kind of RP you write - one line/para/multipara/novella. Absolutely give links to rules, verses, bio, and either memes, wishlist, or open starters, but give them just like that; make it very clear what this link is to. Put a very short statement of interest on there denoting that you’re expanding to new fandoms and looking for writing partners.

Do not sound desperate, demanding, or devaluing of yourself. Don’t say shit like “because my fandom is dead,” “trying this before I give up and delete my blog,” or “I suck at interaction/writing/ooc interaction/being a person but welp giving it a try, so follow and hit that heart.” (Conversely, calling yourself derogatory things and implying that your partners are too, such as the “we’re all just losers here” shit.) All of the above are not attractive, and they’re not even surprising enough to stand out anymore. It’s another reason to scroll right by that promo because nothing at all was different or of interest.

And as a wrap-up/rehash of the first topic, getting muse back: try starting over at the beginning by approaching the media involving your muse that has really stuck with you emotionally over the years, and exploring and developing your muse again.

Don’t tell yourself you can only write, for example, at home, on the laptop, after 7pm, and with a pop toy staring at you. The best thing about writing, as opposed to so many other hobbies, is that you can do it anywhere! So, do that. Do it any time you both feel the inspiration to do so and aren’t going to get fired or expelled for it. This isn’t work, it’s something enjoyable that does take effort (like literally all creative activities and skills do), but approaching it as though you need to follow novel writing advice from someone who has never published anything of note and isn’t you on the internet, with strict rules for success makes it feel that way. So does being frustrated with a dead fandom, no interaction. It’s disheartening, feels as annoying and fruitless as work often does. You probably need to break out of that mindset, and you can only do it by beginning to allow yourself to be creative on your own terms, entirely for yourself.

Do write simple things at first that you are inspired to do (you can’t get a scene out of your head, or a bit of dialogue), and/or headcanon/character development memes and question lists. Build from there as you get back in touch with your muse, writing things primarily or entirely for yourself still. Expanding on headcanons, doing some meta, or maybe writing out a missing piece of canon or what you’d be interested in seeing happen in canon if some event was altered.

Doing this sort of thing, you are getting in touch with your muse again and back into the real spirit of writing creatively, simultaneously.

Whatever you find most inspiring, do it. If it’s watching the movie or show again, do that, have it on while you write or simply think on the character’s actions, thoughts, and emotions during those scenes. If it’s reading the material again, do that, and read snippets of personal importance before you write. Maybe it’s some past playlists you can have on while writing, or even while you’re cleaning, walking the dog, driving or riding somewhere. It could even be your own previous writing! Go ahead and re-read that, it sounds like you still appreciate it, and that’s truly promising. If you find that you’re horrified by some of the things you’ve written in the more distant past, hey...that’s not just valid as hell, it’s natural. You know what else it is? An inspiration. You can clearly see that you could do better, that means you now know how to do better and are ready to do so. Validate yourself, prove it to yourself by rewriting or fixing something.

Don’t delete the blog or archive it. It is unpleasant to have a dead blog around, but don’t keep it dead. Use the same blog and simply transition it into wider things that will net you more partners and the interactions you deserve.

Look, even if you weren’t the most popular blog in your fandom before it went quiet, you really appreciated the blog, muse, and writing you were doing. You’ve defined that it wasn’t something you did to cause this situation, you just had the shit luck we all run into eventually of being in a fandom that ran out of material or interest. People are really fickle, so by taking a wider approach and fixing on the writing and muse instead of fandom now, you’re stopping this from repeating. Seriously, on a long enough timeline, every fandom dies or goes into hibernation. If you make a whole new blog with a different muse, it is going to happen again eventually.

So, don’t feel like you’re ridiculously clinging to the past and need to move on, you’re just sticking to something and can continue to stick to it through the next five fandom deaths. Just because it is the most popular thing to do to drop muses, constantly add new ones, and have this attitude that you can “blog refresh” your way out of recurrent, and inherent, problem doesn’t mean it is actually the right thing to do. It’s not even the most sensible, and certainly not the best thing to do with anything you’ve spent time and effort on.

That’s your incentive; yourself, the time and care you’ve put in, and your continued interest in writing and the muse. You’ll find good people, and bluntly, everyone else can fuck right off when you’re incentivized by yourself. It becomes a self-fulfilling activity at that point, I swear, and it feels really nice.

Just get back in touch with your muse and writing itself so that you can begin to expand and start interacting again!

#rp advice #rp problems #rp help #muse loss #dead fandoms #rp better #Anon E. Mous #answered

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dcfcrged · 4 years

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Hi, I’m Penny and you’ve found one of my many (many) roleplay blogs!

A few important things to note: my blogs are all 18+ only. NSFW & potentially triggering material may and or will be present on any given blog at any given moment so please read the information in the blog description before following to be sure you are okay with the material present. Each blog should have main trigger warnings listed in the description by the time I’m done. I use tags so you can blacklist!

My activity is slow and very, very sporadic. Muse fluctuates, I have a slew of mental and physical health issues and I’m a mom & work from home. If you are not comfortable with the idea of waiting weeks to months for a reply please don’t follow. I can be super fast but it’s definitely the exception to the rule.

Please follow any blog that you want to interact with but please also only follow if you’re actively interested (taking into account my speed). This allows me to accurately gauge interest! I’m not looking to just add to follower counts! I am looking for people that would like to write and plot.

My tagging system on every blog is super simple (example: MEMES. HEADCANON. VERSE. MEME CALL. STARTER CALL. WISHLIST. and so on) but you are free to ask me if you need help finding something specific!

I use @rpmemes-galore for most of my memes - you are welcome to send stuff from there to any blog at any time. I accept headcanon and character development prompts from everyone. IC interactions may be selective. It may also take me months or longer to get to something you send in!

Generally, my graphics, headers, banners, promos etc. are made by me. My icons are also made by me and you can usually find all of the bases fore free / donation at @tuppencetrinkets - hundreds of thousands of caps & icons that I share so please don’t take any of my edited icons (if I happen to actually edit them). I might just stick w/ my bases for ease & time.

I freely admit sometimes I play favorites be it other mun, other muses, my muses, verses, settings, whatever. Sorry, but this is for fun and I do what I want to and what I’m inspired to. If that makes you uncomfortable or angry, I am sorry but I do wish you good luck elsewhere!

Patience is definitely key with me. I suck at replying to ims, starters, asks, making starters, making edits, any of it, until the perfect storm of mood, health, time, brain and inspiration strikes. If you still want to stick around, awesome.

I am 39 years old, I’m a cis female, I live in the US w/ my s/o and between 1-4 kids, many cats, dogs and a couple guinea pigs. I have ADHD, PTSD, PMDD, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, migraines, insomnia, diabetes type 2, high blood pressure, hypothyroidism and permanent nerve damage in my spine & cysts in my wrist that needs surgery I can’t get fixed til everything else is under control & probably stuff I’m forgetting. Even before all the craziness this year, I home schooled one kiddo; I run a paper craft and jewelry and decoupage Etsy shop from home & in general my life is a disaster and filled with chaos. I am generally lurking on wire (ic texting) and or discord (small rp / ic things or ooc chatting). If you’d like either of those just let me know.

#RULES.

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vulpesse-arc · 4 years

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THE POSITIVE & NEGATIVE; Mun & Muse - Meme.

fill out & repost ♥ This meme definitely favors canons more, but I hope OC’s still can make it somehow work with their own lore, and lil’ fandom of friends & mutuals. Multi-Muses pick the muse you are the most invested in atm.

tagged by: stolen :) tagging: @scendant , @verumking , @sunszenith , @blackedsun , @saigeonmain , @quartlet , @shadowhelmed , @hotman , @devilglow , @drivenchaos , @re-no , @ladyfortunes , @cchilyoja , @quartlet , @deathboundinautumn , @ioniacriminal , anyone else who might like to do this :)

MY MUSE IS: canon / oc / au / slightly canon-divergent / fandomless / complicated.

IS YOUR CHARACTER POPULAR IN THE FANDOM? YES / NO. [ She is mayhap one of the most famous characters in the entire franchise as well as one of the oldest and who has suffered the most because of the fandom’s misconceptions. ]

IS YOUR CHARACTER CONSIDERED HOT™ IN THE FANDOM? YES / NO / IDK. [ Once more, yes, she’s definitely seen as one of the hottest characters in the game. I suppose that this has both good sides and bad sides? Especially when you encounter people who refuse to see past her physique. ]

IS YOUR CHARACTER CONSIDERED STRONG IN THE FANDOM? YES / NO / IDK. [ Ahri might not be the strongest character in the fandom but she’s certainly not weak either. What she cannot accomplish with mere physical strength alone, she can accomplish thanks to her charming abilities so she’s definitely a strong and dangerous opponent to face. ]

ARE THEY UNDERRATED? YES / NO / IDK. [ Yes and no at the same time? People love and hate her in equal measure but, after writing as her for so many years, I have also come to realize that few are the ones who actually pay attention to her lore and to her depth as a character. I’d say that her fame has made people blind towards who she really is and this is very sad. ]

WERE THEY RELEVANT FOR THE MAIN STORY? YES / NO, she’s more on the neutral side.

WERE THEY RELEVANT FOR THE MAIN CHARACTER? YES / NO / THEY’RE THE PROTAG. [ LOL doesn’t really have a main character or someone who’s inherently more important than others: everyone is the main character of their own specific story. This is why she is relevant to those who encounter her and those who have come to become part of her tale ; for the rest of the world, however, she’s nothing more than a vulpine vastaya with a pretty face. ]

ARE THEY WIDELY KNOWN IN THEIR WORLD? YES / NO. [ Ahri is well known in Ionia due to her past as a vicious man-eater. However, such tales and legends belong to ages long passed and no one would be capable of discerning her true identity by simply looking at her ; this is why even fellow vastayas and ionians are usually unaware of her relation to the beast that devoured entire villages. As far as the whole world is concerned, no, she’s definitely not known by the majority. ]

HOW’S THEIR REPUTATION? GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL. [ I’d say that her reputation is definitely bad. As previously mentioned, she carved her name in the legends of Ionia with her undying hunger and through the unfair massacre of many innocent souls ; although such legends do not carry her name, you can still find visual depictions of the vixen who spread chaos and havoc through the holy lands. In the present days, she is still considered as someone who should not be trusted: rumors about what she is capable of have spread and only fools are willing to consciously approach someone who might easily dine on their souls and hearts. ]

HOW STRICTLY DO YOU FOLLOW CANON? — I began writing as Ahri many years ago, which means that her lore has been twisted and modified quite some times from the very beginning. Although I do follow her present canon and I do adore every little detail that has been shared in pursuance of giving her more depth, I cannot really leave behind everything that I have developed in the past years. An easy example is the fact that my Ahri is still loosely based on the Korean myth of the “Gumiho”, which is a detail that plays an extremely important part in my portrayal: Ahri is, in fact, more beast than woman, is someone whose morals will always linger in the darkest shades of gray, is someone who adores violence and who has yet to properly harbor any type of guilt for everything that she has done thus far ; another detail is the fact that she devours souls as much as she can indulge in the flavor of hearts and livers as well. So, I would say that my Ahri is canon but with her own little twists?

SELL YOUR MUSE! Aka try to list everything, which makes your muse interesting in your opinion to make them spicy for your mutuals. — Ahri is an incredibly complex creature, someone whose very existence is quite paradoxical for she represents both death and the maiden at the same exact time. She can be cruel and heartless as much as she can be gentle and dulcet, she is always greedy for knowledge and there is nothing that she adores as much as listening to someone’s stories or learning new facts about a world that is still oh so foreign to her. She’s beautiful, elegant, has the fluffiest tails you will ever see and she’s definitely the best cuddle buddy! Despite her murderous nature, there is something oddly soothing about her company that will naturally lure you closer.

Now the OPPOSITE, list everything why your muse could not be so interesting (even if you may not agree, what does the fandom perhaps think?). — Ahri is not a good person, not even a good animal. She’s incredibly instinctive and easily becomes victim to her own whims and desires and feelings: if she decides that she wants something, she will not stop in front of anything in pursuance of quenching her thirst. Because of this, she’s a huge liar, she’s manipulative and sly and dishonest, she knows the weaknesses of those around her and does not hesitate to exploit them in pursuance of elevating herself to a higher plane. She’s not easy to deal with because she will rarely say the truth and will rarely allow others to come close to her ; it doesn’t matter who the other person is, her first instinct will always be that of hunting them.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO RP YOUR MUSE? — I was asked to write as this muse many years ago by a friend of mine. I didn’t even like her at first... I thought that she was nothing more than some easy fanservice for the game but I am so glad that I changed my mind because she has ultimately become my favorite muse and someone I always come back to, no matter how many years have passed.

WHAT KEEPS YOUR INSPIRATION GOING? — Poetry is perhaps my strongest inspiration when it comes to Ahri! Poetry and visuals of idyllic landscapes, of flowers in bloom, of porcelain marred by blood. Music might sometimes help too (for example I do tend to listen to the OST of “Memoirs of a Geisha” whilst writing replies) but I’d say that poetry is indeed my strongest inspiration, it’s the one thing that makes me think of other aspects of her and that continues to fuel my motivation to be here.

Some more personal questions for the mun.

Give your mutuals some insight about the way you are in some matters, which could lead them to get more comfortable with you or perhaps not.

DO YOU THINK YOU GIVE YOUR CHARACTER JUSTICE? YES / NO / I SINCERELY HOPE I DO? [ I’m extremely hesitant and nervous about my portrayal, so... I do hope that the people I write with might eventually begin to enjoy my portrayal of Ahri. ]

DO YOU FREQUENTLY WRITE HEADCANONS? YES / NO / SORT OF? [ I think of headcanons very often but I must say that I haven’t posted too much on this blog lately. Some of them got stolen, others got ignored and... That lowkey killed my motivation to openly post the ideas I have about my muse. This is however something that I plan on changing soon! ]

DO YOU SOMETIMES WRITE DRABBLES? YES / NO [ It depends on my inspiration or on the prompt I am given. ]

DO YOU THINK A LOT ABOUT YOUR MUSE DURING THE DAY? YES / NO

ARE YOU CONFIDENT IN YOUR PORTRAYAL? YES / NO / SORT OF? [ Not really... I love my Ahri, I love the headcanons that I have developed for her and I adore the interactions that she has had during this time, but... I’m always scared of people’s bad judgement, of being seen as uninteresting or as not talented enough to portray such a complex character. ]

ARE YOU CONFIDENT IN YOUR WRITING? YES / NO / A LITTLE BIT. [ I believe that I can still improve, especially considering that my writing style is constantly changing. But I am not too sad about it! ]

ARE YOU A SENSITIVE PERSON? YES / NO. / SORTA.

DO YOU ACCEPT CRITICISM WELL ABOUT YOUR PORTRAYAL? — As long as the criticism comes with the intent of helping me to improve my portrayal, then yes, I do accept it well because it would allow me to look at things from a different point of view and thus help me to realize in which fields I am currently lacking. Due to the fact that the LOL characters can be quite ‘loose’ when it comes to their canons (especially in the case of those who weren’t given much material to work with in the first place), I do believe that everyone can take quite a large amount of creative freedom when portraying them ; however, I do realize that some of my headcanons might sound weird to someone else and I have absolutely nothing against explaining my side of things, the reasons that have motivated me to make Ahri behave in a certain way instead of another. Criticism is always good, as long as it’s not accompanied by free hatred.

DO YOU LIKE QUESTIONS, WHICH HELP YOU TO EXPLORE YOUR CHARACTER? — Absolutely yes! I love it when people come and ask for more information about Ahri or when I receive really curious anons about the most mundane aspects of her life.

IF SOMEONE DISAGREES TO A HEADCANON OF YOURS, DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY? — Why not? I might not drop the headcanon since I’m still certain that I am the person who knows my muse the most but I’m not against discussing things with another person, especially if our points of view are really that different.

IF SOMEONE DISAGREES WITH YOUR PORTRAYAL, HOW WOULD YOU TAKE IT? — I admit that I’d be sad over it since I’m well aware of how much passion and effort I am constantly pouring in my portrayal. However, that wouldn’t be the end of the world! There are so many beautiful Ahris out there who have taken a different path from me and thus developed their muses in a different manner, so I’d just suggest to the person to try and interact with them instead.

IF SOMEONE REALLY HATES YOUR CHARACTER, HOW DO YOU TAKE IT? — Ah, you would be surprised to know how many people hate Ahri in the fandom! What saddens me is the fact that such hatred usually stems from really useless and dumb reasons, such as her being more famous than another champion or her receiving more skins than their fave... Even in the roleplay community, I sometimes encountered people who hated her simply because she was “too famous” and that really annoyed me because it’s groundless bashing with no roots to support it. However, I can understand why someone might dislike a character who’s so manipulative and dishonest! Obviously, I wish that people saw more than just this one side of her, but... We can’t have everything in life, sadly.

ARE YOU OKAY WITH PEOPLE POINTING OUT YOUR GRAMMATICAL ERRORS? — Of course, as long as the person is not rude about it! I am Italian so English is my second language and grammatical errors can and will indeed happen.

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE EASY GOING AS A MUN? — I think I am easy going although I am incredibly shy and this... This is a huge problem when it comes to interacting with others since it might take me a while to respond to messages and open up to someone else. This is a side of myself that I truly wish to change and I’m working really hard on abandoning my comfort zone, but... It takes time, a lot of time. However! Despite my shyness, I can assure you that I’m the softest person you will ever meet and that if you manage to make me feel comfy around you, I will not stop speaking about Ahri and about music and about videogames and anything else that we might have in common! Once I do grow close to someone, I love to talk and meme and share things and... I think I also become slightly clingy? But I always mean good, I swear... I’m just a shy bun who wants to have fun and love you :(

#.• ❤ ─ ▸ love CHANGING shape each day. ╱ ❪ ﹠ study 08 ─ hcs games ❫#:O #this was interesting to write

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savedgames · 4 years

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Answer the following so people know how ships work on your blog!

WHAT’S YOUR OTP FOR YOUR MUSE?:

For the characters on this blog (that aren’t on the testing list, at least), I don’t really have an OTP for most of them. The only one I can think of is Yeul and Noel!

HOW LARGE DOES THE AGE GAP HAVE TO BE TO MAKE IT UNCOMFORTABLE?:

Any minor with someone of a legal age. Other than that? Dependent on the exact character and their age but I typically won’t go further than maybe seven years. Obviously if there’s chemistry between the characters and neither of them is a minor (or knew the other character as a minor), then that’s up to change.

ARE YOU SELECTIVE WHEN SHIPPING?:

Yes and no. If there’s chemistry between the characters and how we write them, I’m jumping on that ship ASAP. If there is no chemistry or I don’t think we vibe as writers? Highly highly selective and will probably say no.

HOW FAR DO STEAMY MOMENTS HAVE TO GO BEFORE THEY’RE CONSIDERED NS/FW?:

Anything where it becomes clear that more than kissing, hugging, or cuddling is the objective. I’m also not veeery confident in my ability to write smut, so if it does get to that point either you’re going to have to be very patient with me or it’s going to have to fade to black.

WHO ARE OTHER MUSES YOU SHIP YOUR MUSE WITH?:

D.Va is currently shipped with Brigitte ( @heartleeches ), but I’ve also warmed to the idea of shipping her with Lúcio. Viper is currently shipped with Morrigan ( @arcaens ), though I don’t have the tag or related verse ready yet so it’s not on the blog. Vincent is currently shipped with Jack, ofc ( @soldierwatch ) in past verses. Obviously, just because I’ve tagged a specific blog doesn’t mean I’m exclusive to them. While I do get attached to certain portrayals, especially if we’re shipping, I won’t rule things out if the chemistry is there, especially if the ship itself is canon.

ANY NOTPS?:

99% of Yeuls with Caius. About the only Yeul I would consider shipping with Caius would be the first Yeul he was Guardian for, and that’s extremely selective, primarily due to the restraints of her character (given all the incarnations die really young). D.Va and Reinhardt/Soldier: 76/anyone in that age range for sure. That’s getting into uncomfy age difference for me and she’s far more likely to see most of them as a familial figure or a mentor.

DOES ONE HAVE TO ASK TO SHIP WITH YOU?:

I wouldn’t say ask so much as just tell me you’re interested in shipping! I’m always up to test out ships, either through inbox prompts or Dis.cord, but I won’t know if we want to test out a ship unless you communicate that. And, obviously, if I’ve rejected the ship, I’m likely not changing my mind.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU LIKE TO SHIP?:

I am selective, but I love the concept of shipping, so as long as the proper criteria has been met (chemistry, communication, etc), then fairly frequently.

ARE YOU MULTISHIP?:

I’d say I’m somewhere between multiship and fewship. Of course, this works under the assumption that no two ships happen in the same universe unless it’s been plotted between all parties.

ARE YOU SHIP-OBSESSED OR SHIP MORE-OR-LESS?:

I think I’m somewhere in the middle. I’m generally neutral in terms of wanting to RP ships, until such a point as we’ve started shipping. At which point expect me to Not Shut Up™.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SHIP IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM?:

I’m going with just general ships and not necessarily things I actively write or ships with my characters. Also bear in mind these are not all of my ships for some of these fandoms. If I had to list all of them, we’d be here for an eternity. OVERWATCH: Jack x Vincent, Genji x Mercy, Moira x Reaper, Widowmaker x Sombra, Amelie x Gerard FINAL FANTASY 13: Serah x Snow, Yeul x Noel FINAL FANTASY 10: Yuna x Tidus ANIMAL CROSSING: Kicks x Labelle

FINALLY, HOW DOES ONE SHIP WITH YOU?:

Let me know you’re interested and then be willing to go through non-shippy threads in order to see if there’s chemistry there! Also communicate and be willing to put up with me screaming at you at all hours. lol

Tagged By: @arcaens Tagging: @allnostalgic — @chrononactive — @koeii — @lone-wolf-and-muse — @dragxnfall

#★ ~ INVENTORY: [DEVELOPER UPDATES] Bug Report #— Honestly a lot of these were copied from my last shipping interview type thing bc the questions overlapped

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cursefcrged · 4 years

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RULES.

Hi, I’m Penny and you’ve found one of my many (many) roleplay blogs! Quick run down; I have eight main blogs that I follow back from w/ a multitude of sub-blogs; 7 of these are organized by verse / setting and the main one is a hodge podge of everything else.

A few important things to note: my blogs are ALL 18+ only. NSFW & potentially triggering material may and or WILL be present on any given blog at any given moment so PLEASE read the information in the blog description BEFORE following to be sure you are okay with the material present. Each blog should have main trigger warnings listed in the description by the time I’m done. I use tags so YOU can blacklist!

My activity is SLOW and very, very sporadic. Muse fluctuates, I have a slew of mental and physical health issues and I’m a mom & work from home. If you are not comfortable with the idea of waiting weeks to months for a reply please don’t follow. I CAN be super fast but it’s definitely the EXCEPTION TO THE RULE.

Please follow any blog that you want to interact with but please also ONLY FOLLOW if you’re actively interested (taking into account my speed). This allows me to accurately gauge interest! I’m not looking to just add to follower counts! I am looking for people that would like to write and plot.

I use @memesandmonologues to store my memes at - you are welcome to send stuff from there to any blog at any time. I accept headcanon and character development prompts from everyone. IC interactions may be selective. It may also take me months or longer to get to something you send in!

I am 38 years old, I’m a cis female, I live in the US w/ my s/o and between 1-4 kids, many cats, dogs and a couple guinea pigs. I have ADHD, PTSD, PMDD, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, migraines, insomnia, diabetes type 2, high blood pressure, hypothyroidism and permanent nerve damage in my spine & cysts in my wrist that needs surgery I can’t get til everything else is under control & probably stuff I’m forgetting. Even before all the craziness this year, I home schooled one kiddo; I run a paper craft and jewelry and decoupage Etsy shop from home & in general my life is a disaster and filled with chaos. I am generally lurking on wire (ic texting) and or discord (small rp / ic things or ooc chatting). If you’d like either of those just let me know.

#RULES.

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mysticandskepticmuses · 4 years

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@mysticandskepticmuses (catch all)

@redroomfcrged (mcu)

@adamantiumfcrged (xmcu)

@violencefcrged (expanse)

@moonefcrged (dc)

@dyadfcrged (star wars)

@prophecyfcrged (ats/btvs)

@carbonfcrged (altered carbon)

General posts / tags you might find useful are RULES. & CHARACTER LIST.,

#RULES.#BLOG OVERVIEW.

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prophecyfcrged · 4 years

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#RULES.

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morethanaprincess-a · 4 years

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@monsieur-de-paris said: 1, 3, 38

The Be Honest Meme (Still accepting! Already answering 1, 3, 31, and 38)

1. What would prevent you from following someone?

I answered this already here. :)

3. What current rp trend do you hate?

Ooh, I have a few. In no particular order:

- Blogs where the rules, muse info, and mun info are not easily accessible. If I have to click around various moving icons to find what I think a rules page should be, I’m less inclined to want to engage. I prefer rules on pages (and linked in a pinned post) to a google doc but I can use either. I just hate when the blog layout is so stylized that this information is not easily found.

- Replies with gifs. I’m not terribly picky about icons (especially for canon characters. And for OCs that don’t use a canon FC, I understand that it can be difficult to have enough icons with their expressions), but I dislike gifs in replies just because it causes my feed to load slowly.

- Writing styles that are just difficult to read. Double small text, multiple spaces between words, etc. I prefer third person past tense for my own writing but I won’t hold anyone to that, but I need to be able to read posts and replies.

- Self-deprecating attitudes when it comes to writing. It’s hard to be confident all day, every day, in your skills and portrayal but I see more and more blogs insisting they’re terrible to the degree of “I don’t know why people stick around for my trash writing but thank you!” It’s your muse and your interpretation. Own that shit! Because no one will be a bigger cheerleader for your muse and your writing than you.

- Shyness in being afraid to reach out. Approaching new people is not easy, but the more you don’t even try to send memes, reach out in messages or discord, or find some other way to interact, the less likely you’ll get interactions. It’s flattering to be approached, for sure, but the trend of being so shy and afraid of others to reach out needs to stop. We’re all nerds writing about fictional characters we love.

- Sending anon hate. I don’t think any more needs to be said about this.

- Unless the muse is a Danganronpa canon character, automatic friendship and knowledge about my muse without plotting first. I know there’s the various memes that go around to the likes of “We don’t need to write our characters meeting for the first time!” or “Let me know straight up if our characters can ship!” I like growing those bonds throughout threads, especially if I’m writing with a canon character from a different fandom. Everyone portrays their muses differently and my muse may not react the same way to one portrayal of a muse versus another. Of course, chatting OOC and plotting can help streamline this process along but it’s more of an annoyance when it comes out of nowhere, because first meeting interactions aren’t terribly popular.

- When muns tag long IC posts with a trigger warning (specifically because it’s a long post). For me, my favorite type of long post to see on my dash are long IC posts, in contrast to images, gifsets, memes, etc. I get it if long posts just make the feed more difficult to load, but why should writing length be a trigger?

38. What advice would you give to someone new to rp?

This could go two ways, being new to RP in general or being new to Tumblr RP. So I’ll try to go over both!

- If you’re interested in playing a canon muse, know that muse and their fandom very, very well. Play their games, read their books, watch their shows. If it’s a popular fandom, you will likely be interacting with other muses from that fandom who will expect it from you. If not, you might just sell other muns on checking out your fandom by your portrayal!

- Unless you’re confident you can handle it, do not take on too many muses at once. Doubly so if you’re in a popular fandom(s). Keeping up with threads, sending asks/memes, doing promotion, queueing content...that all takes a significant amount of time, not to mention writing for several different characters and voices. Start with one and see how it goes, maybe try a test muse here and there (maybe with a meme prompt?). If you’re able to keep up with it all, then make a second blog or add more muses. It’s easy to get overwhelmed fast when you’re just excited to RP for the first time and want to try everything all at once.

- Lurk. Lurk where you want to be roleplaying. If that’s tumblr, go through the applicable RP tags for your intended blog (Are you indie or wanting to join a group? What about fandom? If you’re writing an OC, which sorts of fandoms or mediums do you want to write them in?). Get a feel of not only what muses are out there, but some of the more accepted conventions of tumblr roleplaying: see how others set up their about pages, their rules, their verses, etc. Find out how people are interacting (plotted starters? memes? spontaneous asks?). It’s easy to sign up for an account but I’d recommend spending some time researching how different platforms approach roleplay. When I started on tumblr for both indie and group RP, accounts like @rpedia were very helpful.

- Decide, at least to start, what your rules, limits, and interests are. Maybe you’re underage or just not interested in smut, make sure that’s in your rules. Maybe there’s a fandom you don’t want to interact with, make sure to list it. Are you only interested in one-liner responses or do you want to write multiple paragraphs (or both!)? How quickly do you want to respond to threads? And if you want to participate in shipping, that’s a whole different set of things to consider. Before jumping into the tags, threads, and reaching out to people, having at least the beginnings of your rules, your muse info, your mun info (age and mun name/pronouns as the bare minimum), and possibly your verses should be available for potential partners to peruse.

- But still be flexible. Your rules can change and your interests can change. This happened to me with my shipping preferences and I’ve updated my rules over time to reflect that. I’d also add ‘Be open-minded’ to this as well: interact with muses from other fandoms and OCs. Try new friendships and possibly romantic relationships you might not have considered for your muse when you decided to write them. I’ve found that being open to all sorts of interactions brings some fantastic muses, writers, and often friends into your life.

- Do not be discouraged when you’re first starting out and don’t have too many interactions. Especially if you’re writing an OC, a canon character in an unpopular fandom, or you’re just plain new to the RP scene (in general or on any platform). It takes awhile to appear in the tags and to grow your network. Post drabbles, post headcanons, follow accounts you want to write with, and don’t be afraid to reach out to potential muns. For the most part, many of us are very easygoing because we know what it’s like to start in this hobby!

- If someone says they do not want to write and/or ship with you, do not take it personally. They may not care for your muse, your fandom, your writing style, your portrayal, your content, or just the ship in general. You, the mun, are writing your muse the way you want to and there’s nothing wrong or bad about it, but it might just not work for the other person. There are always plenty more people to write and ship with. But there’s no use getting angry, begging for them to change their mind, or worse, slander them on your writing platform (or off it). Just take it in stride.

- And most importantly, read (and watch and play, but especially read) and write. It is very easy to get writer’s block or just feel like you cannot match someone’s length. But I suggest writing something you want to read, and how to do that is to read something you want to read and practice, practice, practice. I find movies, TV shows, and most games can give great plot ideas, but when it comes to putting those ideas into words? Nothing beats the written or audio word. You don’t have to immerse yourself in anything particularly highbrow that’s found in a lit class, either. Just indulge in writing styles, plots, and characters that inspire you and your muse, and then just write. Drabbles, headcanons, replies, starters, writing frequently keeps you in good practice. That might be every day, that might be every week, but the more you keep doing it the more it’ll improve. And then it’ll feel less like a chore.

- But that being said, take a break when RP is more of a chore than it is fun. You might be burnt out on a variety of things, but don’t forget to tell your partners!

#more-than-a-princess answered #more-than-a-princess musings #(The Be Honest Meme)#monsieur-de-paris #(Thanks for the ask!)#(These questions tend to bring out long answers)

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writings-from-the-hart · 5 years

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Prompt Pals Tag Game

Yeah, I’m finally getting to this also after days of seeing @wineandpensareallineed post something similar to their blog. Sorry for taking so long and I know Friday is upon us, but here we go!

Rules: Answer these questions

What kind of prompts do you want? (Phrases, specific situations for specific characters.)

I love all kinds of writing prompts and drawing prompts! Anything targeted at any of my OC’s, world-building (idk the setting lol), or just simple phrases for the muse to grasp onto is perfect.

What genres do you write, and what’s your favorite?

My current Wip (Renegade) is a post-apocalyptic, dystopian, thriller. It’s a mouthful I know. But that means just about anything goes, but my favorite is more of the action-packed stuff set in a distant future.

What’s your favorite thing to write?

I’m currently writing a novel (Renegade) so that’s my fav and baby. And question 2’s answer kinda answers this one as well, I love action and some angst not to fear though I do like me some fluff here and there.

What things do you need to work on? (Dialogue, fight scenes, setting, etc)

Writing-wise I need to work on keeping things tight and clean, I tend to get lengthy and over-explain when I should let the characters do the talking for me. That or I stifle the action by adding too many sensory details. Drawing wise I need to work on people. (Who doesn’t lol)

What are your strengths?

I’m good with action scenes, dialogue, and details in scenes. So I tend to stick to them and not wander out of my comfort zone, such as overly fluffy scenes and romance. But don’t hesitate to send something out of my comfort zone! I love a challenge and am trying to learn new skills! My strengths in art are color and shading, I love to play with color!

Tell us about your current Wip(s)?

My main/current Wip is Rengade, this a rough synopsis or teaser I guess. “So tell me little wolf do you want to punish those who have wronged you?” An assassin known as the Crimson Ghost makes their way through the corrupt city-state of Ashton completing a job given to them by the Black Rose. What is a seemingly normal job though turns into something far more complicated when they stumble upon the fractions of an abandoned notebook from the past. A past the Republic is trying to desperately hide and bury no matter what. On the other side of the world in the Republic’s capital Eshar, plainly referred to as “The Prodigy” or “machine” is Eric Coalwood. A man who has built a life upon the ashes of his family, striving to meet the high expectations set before him by his mentor General Wolfheart. However, his life falls out of its normal day to day routine when the unexpected is asked of him. Command a task force made up of the Republic’s most wanted or his life is over. Eric doesn’t need reasons for why he must do what he has to, all he needs are orders and the Republic is more than happy to give them. Either way the clock is ticking for both the Crimson Ghost and the Republic’s prodigy, with time running out they both have two options. Either get over their different beliefs concerning the Republic or allow the world to once again succumb to war but this time nobody is going to survive it. “Legends are slippery things. For the glory that coats them hides the pain, suffering and death that created them.”

In a few words tell us about your MCs and some favorite OCs.

Eric Coalwood (The Prodigy or Machine of the Republic) a man of few words with a prestigious record and background in the Republic’s military. Valentina Storm (The Crimson Ghost) a woman whose hair is as fiery as her personality, nobody tells her what she can or can’t do. And lastly The House of Cards (I’ll just lump all my favorite OC’s in here because they actually do belong here), a group of seemingly rag tag individuals with criminal records that put them on the Republic’s notorious most wanted list.

Tag the writers in your prompt pals group or other writers!!

@permissiontobreathe @lyssthewriter and @dawnoftheagez

#WIP:Renegade #my ocs #Prompt Pals #Ask Game

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ocean-in-my-rebel-soul · 6 years

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Building Audience Engagement

I was thinking of other ways to build engagement and hopefully an audience for my fellow fic writers and artists. I’ll share some things that are working for me under the cut because it’s a long post.

And a plus: I’m not even talking about updating your fics regularly! (But please do that, if you still are into those projects!)

Caveat: This is just stuff that works for me. It may not work as well for you, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

tl;dr: promote your own work, consider sharing and promoting others’ content, be consistent in how and when you publish/post, have fun. Use tags judiciously, have an easy way we can search for your content, and again, promote your work! This is just as applicable to original content as fanworks!

1) Promote your own work

This, I think, is one of the more awkward things about being a creator: self promotion. We have to celebrate and advocate for ourselves and our work! Once you post a drabble or an art piece, schedule a reblog for a day or two away, then again in another few days or a week. Maybe you decide you’ll reblog certain things on certain days: maybe you’ll promote your AO3 page on the weekend and call it Fanfic Friday, or you’ll find your older art pieces from four million years ago and reblog them one day a week. Whatever it is, prop up your own work! If you don’t care, no one else will, either. You spent so much time and energy creating whatever that was, make sure it gets its turn in the spotlight!

2) Weekly writing events.

I participate in the DA Drunk Writing Circle hosted by @dadrunkwriting. You don’t have to drink to participate, and it’s really simple to get involved. Every Friday, we get together and send each other prompts, and we post our little drabbles. I personally aim for 3-5 a night. I don’t always make it, but I like to have a goal. When we post our drabbles, the DA DWC blog (tagged above) reblogs the posts to their audience, too. It’s really nice.

3) Tag your posts like a mo-fo.

I got a tip from @jawsandbones about an XKIT extension, Quick Tags. I make some bundles, or a pre-set list of tags, and I can tag my posts with the click of a button. Go check out some of her prompt fills and other writing, and you’ll see what I mean - Lisa has a MILLION TAGS on everything, but it’s organized. It’s not random. You’ll see probably every iteration of a single ship possibility, and that’s amazing. Make sure you tag your stuff, so that anyone who follows the tag or searches for specific content can find it.

Related: I tag certain things within the first five tags, as the first five tags is used by Tumblr in searches. I try to use the following for the first five: NSFW (if applicable), ship name, alternate ship names or character names, specific game (if applicable), and fanfic, all within the first five. I also then include my writing tag for easy organization, and any series/timeline name as applicable. If I have an OC in there, I tag them. My general rule: tag often, tag as much as possible, and tag any NFSW and triggers so people can make the choice to see or not see your content.

4) MAKE AN ART/WRITING TAG

Make a tag specifically for your fanwork, whether it’s visual art, writing, Tibetan throat singing inspired by a character, whatever, and then PUT THAT LINK ON YOUR BLOG. Very important. Make it easy for people to navigate your blog and your tags. Help us find your content!

5) Follow other fandom blogs

As other people have said, fandom doesn’t exist in a vacuum. If you’re building an audience, whether it’s for your own original work or fanworks, one of the easiest ways to do this is to follow other similar blogs. I have made some great friends and met wonderful content creators by checking out the folks my friends follow, or who interacts with the posts I share or create. It’s great! I love reading everyone’s fics and seeing lots of different art styles. Broaden your horizons and make friends at the same time!

6) Interact (when appropriate, if you want)!

Reblog art! Comment on fics! Send in asks! All great ways to be involved with other creators. Did someone reblog an ask prompt from you? Go send them one! Did you see a friend share a prompt list? Send them one! Did a buddy of yours publish a drabble or a link to a bigger piece? Consider reblogging it! How about some art? Definitely reblog! It’s simple, and broadens everybody’s spheres of influence. Let’s help each other be seen! If you consume someone’s media and enjoyed it, consider commenting and sharing it when/if you can.

7) If you have the time, energy, and motivation, join a writer’s group.

I’m part of a couple different Discord servers specifically for writers; for example, Writers of Thedas, which I administrate for, is one of the ones I’m most active in at the moment. There’s a bunch of people online at any given moment to chat with, whether about headcanons, the craft of writing, or whatever catches your fancy in the moment. I have loved being a part of that server, and if you’re interested, send me a message to get involved.

8) Do your friends have some cool OCs? Ask if you can write about them.

Trade characters with a friend! Sharpen up your skills and practice accurate characterization and voice for OCs you didn’t develop. It’s hard, and a really great skill! A few friends of mine have a big cuddle puddle of OCs in various timelines that they co-write various plots for, and it’s so fun. (Also, if your friends already do this, share their stuff!)

9) Talk about your OCs and your stories

You might find a meme or a writing game floating around. Participate, even if you’re not tagged! Talk about your muses whenever the urge strikes! Tell us about your characters, about your art, about your writing. Like I said up top, if you don’t care about your work, no one else will, either. Plus, I find that simply talking about my OCs (what’s their favorite breakfast food? What would their story look like as a Historical AU mashed up with a runaway circus?) makes me inspired enough to continue working on my writing!

10) Be consistent

Maybe you only produce one piece of fanwork a month. That’s okay! Make sure you treat it and yourself just as important as if you had created 100 pieces of work. Reblog them consistently. Set up a posting schedule. Pre-load drafts and set them to automatically publish on a certain day or time, then try to stick to your schedule as much as you can! This is a great tactic, no matter how much content you produce.

These things have worked well for me. You may not enjoy these ideas, or you might not find them particularly helpful for what resources you’ve got available to personally dedicate to fandom, but I’m sure you can find similar ideas or ways to engage in meaningful ways.

Most importantly: Have fun!

#reference #fanwork #fanfic #fanart #audience engagement #tips #advice #writing #art

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floatiisms · 6 years

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Another Munday Prompt Except This Was Made On a Sunday Because I’m a Rebel

Remember to repost, not reblog!

Name: Kerri // Luka

Prefered pronouns: They/Them

Selectivity: Semi-Selective because I’m slow as fuck these days, and have uni on top of other rl / family things, and I have way too many blogs, so like…. I gotta say no sometimes, man.

Favorite animal: Otters, Foxes, Cats, Dolphins – in that order

Favorite muse you’ve had so far ever: Somewhere between Baku.go, Ka.nzaki from As.sCla.ss (even though her blog isn’t active atm), or my OC Kai over at @theabandonedones.

Muse you kinda wanna pick up: Okay, so every time I breathe in the direction of a fandom I get ideas -- I’ve considered William from Kur.o, Ren from RW.BY, and a number of others. Heck, I’ve considered a Stain blog for this fandom, even.

Most identifiable fictional character: I relate to a lot of characters for a lot of different reasons, but in part? Izu.ku. Buckling down to do more than your best, because you have to to keep up with others, trying to see the best in people who caused you grief your entire life, a lot of aspects of Izuk.u speak to me - heck, we’re both even cry babies. Other than him? Sora from NG.N.L.

What color your aura is/think it is: Yellow - I’ve had a long conversation with a friend of mine about my aura color, actually.

Personality stuff you agree with (astrology, mbti, Hogwarts house, etc be as specific as you want!): While I don’t put merit into astrology, it’s been? oddly accurate? in the past. I’m interested in every personality-type thing, though. I really like mbti.

Do you think you’re a good driver: Once upon a time I would have said yes, but I wrecked my car so here we are, with me saying no.

Favorite minor discourse (pineapple on pizza, what color is the dress, etc): Pineapple on pizza had to have been my favorite tbh (I don’t like it btw).

Favorite vine and/or meme: “I’m gonna take a nap right here”, or the vine with the cat on a leash. They’re both, as the kids would say, a mood.

Why did you choose this muse: *checks url* alright so I ended up deciding I was making a blog for Uraraka after I watched the episode where she revealed the why to her dream of becoming a hero. Her family’s struggle with poverty is something I relate to a lot and I loved her character anyway, with how dynamic and emotional she was. And so here I am, trying my best.

Favorite rp memory: Well I met one of my boyfriends through RP ( @cferasure ) so that? for sure? And honestly, outside of that? The welcome I’ve gotten joining this fandom. That sounds super lame (and like a cop out, but I didn’t want to list the same answer I put when I answered this on my oc blog) but it’s true. This is my first ‘big’, active fandom since my Dea.th Not.e days when I was 14, and I was hella nervous, but I haven’t been here a month and I already spend more time on this browser than my main/oc browser. You guys really know how to make a bitch feel welcome.

Favorite thing you’ve written, in rp or not: On my other blog, I talked about a few relationships I’ve had with my OCs, and those will forever be my favorites, but to answer something else? I wrote an Max.imum Rid.e OC fic with a group of friends in Junior High and, no matter how cringy it was, it was still one of the best experiences of my life. 30+ chapters, and it honestly means the world to me.

A line/lyrics/quote/etc you like or that means a lot to you: “Keep Moving Forward”, which is the quote that defines the RWB.Y fandom, being Monty used it as his mantra, and the RT studios adopted it after his death - as did I. This quote, and many of Monty’s other words, have gotten me through a lot.

Outside of that? Aurum Est Potestas, which means: Gold is power. The phrase’s base meaning is nothing to me being I’m poor as shit, however my other boyfriend and I bonded over Artemi.s Fo.wl, that’s how we ended up together actually, and that saying is how he would sign both my binders, and my yearbook, every year.

Give a shout-out to someone: Mmmmm I’m gonna break the rules and do two cuz I’m a rebel.

@chillquirk I love your blog, I love your writing style, and I love your attitude. Your characterization is amazing, and tbh I end up talking about it off tumblr with my boyfriends pretty often, just because?? It’s amazing?? If you’re not following, then please, by all means.

@rxd-riot Wanna talk about an amazing Kirishima? This is an amazing Kirishima, okay? Okay. It’s just the facts, straight up, cold hard facts.

Tagged by: No one, I stole it from my other blog

Tagging: Anyone who wants to tbh I think most everyone I follow has been tagged already

#( 𝙊𝙪𝙩 𝙊𝙛 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙮 ⁞ OOC )#( 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚'𝙨 𝘼𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙏𝙤 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝘼 𝙇𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙁𝙪𝙣 ⁞ Tag Games )#munday //#long post //#(( *plops this on the dash and then yeets to my drafts again* ))

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violencefcrged · 4 years

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#RULES.

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dcfcrged · 4 years

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#RULES.

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fallxnprxnce · 7 years

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(Writing Prompts 6,8,9! Or just one of them.)

6. Favorite characteryou’ve ever created.

Hmm……… this is a hard one. Because I’ve made so freakingmany, haha. I think it would be a tie between Channe and Elandrian, but fordifferent reasons.

Channe ( @fxcelessqueen ) is a favorite because I’ve had herfor so long and her world is so developed that I know her like the back of myhand. I need no prep time to write/rp her, it just flows out of me. She feelslike an old friend in my mind. I originally came up with her because I wasabout to DM my first D&D campaign and needed a queen with a castle for theadventuring party to use as base camp heh. Into her, I poured a lot of thethings I hate about myself (my anxiety disorder, several of my phobias) thatthere is no perceivable reason for and placed them into a character with thesame setbacks but for different reasons. She was the embodiment of so manythings I wanted to change about myself or wish weren’t there, made into aperson. Her issues are a lot more overt because mine feel overt. Hers havedefinite reasons that cause those around her to be very sympathetic becausemine don’t have any reasons and therefore people are not sympathetic to me.This was almost 12 years ago. The interesting this is that since then, Channehas changed as I have. She’s grown with me. She used to be the bitchiest, mostreclusive, unwise, cold character ever. Now… she’s learned to adapt. She’skinder. She’s more tolerant and controls her anger more easily… and that’sbecause so do I. So I feel this deep connection to her because I really neverput myself into characters if I can help it but here was the one time I did, soshe changes along with me. I’ve learned to not hate myself for my anxieties, I’velearned they don’t’ make me less of a person, and I’ve learned how to explainthem better… and Channe has done the same. So as far as emotional fondness,Channe would be my favorite.

As far as the mechanics of a character and the most fun I’vehad actually writing one, Elandrian takes the cake. Elandrian began life as ahuman named Ison. He was a healer with a rare, coveted, but mentally damagingset of skills. He was killed by his lover for reasons I’m not getting intobecause we don’t have seven years, haha. He then spent almost a millennia inthe common heavens waiting for her, but she was the high priestess of a goddesswho places her on her council of souls upon her death, whichis not accessibleto other souls. Separated from her for so long, Ison finally asked his own godto be reborn and to have his memory erased. The god agreed, and he was born asa natural angel on earth named Elandrian. When Elandrian was in his 20s, hestarted to have some emotional problems, because he was getting close to theage at which he died the first time. In this world, souls retain allinformation down to the last detail of all their lives and experiences. It isonly whether or not the current consciousness has access to all the soul guardsthat determines the awareness of the person. Not knowing that he was tappinginto a horribly tragic past, Elandrian decided to allow another type of skilledsorcerer to awaken him. The only way the soul agreed was because the soul ofhis llover had also been reborn and he cold potentially be reunited with her.So now you’ve got a 23 year-old angel with thousands of years of memory livingas a human and then living in the common heavens as a bodiless soul. On top of that, Elandrian himself is now immortaland the story continued several books after his awakening, spanning another 600years of history. So the result was a character with multiple levels ofconsciousness, a tragic past that has left his mentally fragile, his naturalabilities as a healer was an occupation that often caused breakdowns andinsanity, and then he spans millennia of time. Trying to get inside this character’shead at any given time was a seriously fun challenge that I miss writing. I hadto work so hard to keep him believable and to make sure I didn’t god-mod withwhat he would or wouldn’t know that he honestly is the most technically complexcharacter I have ever written. For that reason, he’s a favorite. =) I wouldlove to have him as a muse on Tumblr, but his FC (Andy Whitfield) passed awaytragically from cancer and I just don’t feel right about using his image foranything. I know, I could just not have any pics or icons or edits or anything likethat, but that’s part of the fun of having a character blog for me. Aryx,however ( @after-the-fxll ), is from that same series and knew Elandrianpersonally, so you can always ask him more about him if you’re interested. ;)

8. Favorite trope towrite.

Favorite one? I don’t know if I have a favorite, but I dohave one that I like to use that is like a taboo no-no in writing heh. It’s asign of an amateur writer to use this trope, but I think that’s because of whatwriters usually use it for. It’s having one of your main characters describehim/herself in the mirror. The reason why published, successful writers willsay OMG DO NOT EVER DO THIS is because it is the most awkward, shoehorned-inway of physically describing a character you can possibly have in a story. It’snot for a specific reason, it’s a contrived setting, and it’s simply for thepurpose of you laundry-listing your character’s physical attributes. I wouldhave to agree… do not ever use it for this purpose, haha.

But I use it for other things, such as when my character isan unreliable narrator, has an unrealistic view of themselves, or is otherwiseemotionally affected by their own image. I’ll share two examples. Luther ( @armed-and-alxne), has self-esteem issues. He thinks he is a lot older/uglier than he is. Thisstems from guilt about things he’s done and looking himself in the eyes isextremely difficult for him. Lastly, he never knew his father. So there havebeen several times in rps when the other muse is away from his apartment, orsleeping, and it’s my turn for an overnight reply with him, and I have him getup for a seemingly ordinary bathroom trip, and as he’s washing his hands helooks at himself in the mirror… and all of a sudden he’s internally commentingthat he thinks he’s lost even more hair. That he has even more wrinkles. Thismust be what looking into a killer’s eyes is like. Can other people tell he’s akiller just by looking at him? Because he can see it so clearly. Does he looklike his father? His father supposedly left when he was two. If his mother sawhim now, would she say he looked like him? So all these things are goingthrough his head and instead of me just laundry-listing hey, my character isinsecure, doesn’t think much of himself, carries a lot of guilt, and wonderswhat his father was like and if he takes after him… I can say it all with thisiternal monologue and this unreliable narrator way of him describing himself.It’s a vehicle to illustrate his personality.

My second example is from a novel I wrote a couple years agowhere one of my main characters had a couple different mental illnesses thatcaused her to have body dysmorphic disorder and somatic hallucinations. In hermind, her body and face looked very different from how they appeared in realityto others. One of her somatic hallucinations was that evil creatures weregrowing under her skin. She would actually see bumps in her face and want tocut them open to extract these creatures. I wrote a scene in which she wasabout to do this, staring into a bathroom mirror with a blade in her hand whenher husband came in the room and asked her what the hell she was doing. Sheactually pointed to her reflection and said to him, “Don’t you see it?” Butthere was nothing there. So that was a way for me to not just tell the reader that she had thesedelusions, but to show her havingthem and show the contrast of what her husband saw as well. So that’s anothercase of an unreliable narrator scenario, because she was never going todescribe her own appearance accurately.

9. Least favoritetrope to write.

I already answered this one here. =)

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