#things to do at the grand canyon
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Whitewater Rafting Trips
Embark on thrilling whitewater rafting trips with Advantage Grand Canyon. Navigate through the rushing waters of the Grand Canyon, taking in the awe-inspiring landscapes and challenging rapids. Our experienced guides ensure a safe and unforgettable adventure as you paddle through the heart of this natural wonder!
#https://www.advantagegrandcanyon.com/21-things-to-do-grand-canyon/#grand canyon activities#things to do at the grand canyon#grand canyon attractions#best grand canyon tours#grand canyon hiking trails#grand canyon viewpoints#grand canyon sightseeing#grand canyon adventure activities#grand canyon family-friendly activities#grand canyon outdoor adventures#grand canyon must-see places#grand canyon bucket list experiences#exploring the grand canyon#grand canyon vacation activities#grand canyon travel guide#grand canyon tours#grand canyon experiences#advantage grand canyon#grand canyon adventures#grand canyon hiking#grand canyon rafting#grand canyon helicopter tours#grand canyon vacation#grand canyon travel#grand canyon national park#grand canyon tour packages#grand canyon trip#grand canyon south rim#grand canyon north rim
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Okay I kind of fucked myself up but I also fucking DESTROYED that 40 mile run
#I’m doing low impact shit at the gym this week and also I’m gonna visit my PT 😂 I think I need it#sometimes I use my blorbos to give me strength but at this point#I genuinely think I’m stronger than some of them#maybe not in a muscular strength sense but definitely in a muscular endurance sense#go get fucked I ran 40 miles 4 minutes faster than I traversed the Grand Canyon#I was literally so on point when I said those two things were gonna be roughly equal#I’ve taken 82k steps today LMAO#running#anyway please pray for my body PLEASE#I will literally destroy at my race as long as my body doesn’t fall apart#honestly at this point I could probably destroy with no more running out all as long as I strength trained the fuck out of all my muskles#(and by not running I mean riding the bike or doing the elliptical or some shit)#anyway#my body feels like I’ve aged 50 years in 7 hours lol
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I feel like actual hot garbage today. I got the goobies from my family and I am increasingly pretty sure I have altitude sickness. I am so mad.
#I got maybe 3 hours of good sleep last night#I am cranky. everything is loud. I am not sure my glasses are correct.#we are at the grand canyon today and all I want to do is lay down and die 😭😭#I am increasingly nauseous and I don't want to throw up out here#I have a headache and my sinuses are going nuts. It feels like someone stuck suction cups on my eyes and is pulling#I just want to enjoy seeing one of the coolest things on planet earth 😭
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who wants to go to the grand canyon w/ me so i can gush abt all the rocks 🥺🥺 i’ll recite the wikipedia page for it SO well you don’t even understand
#like FOR INSTANCE did u know they're striped bc they're MADE OF DIFFERENT THINGS?#that's just a little taste of the geological wisdom you'd get#no but actually i want to go so so bad i've studied the grand canyons composition but i've never been and i WANNA SEE IT!!!!!!#IT'S GOT ROCKS MAN!!!! GEOLOGICAL FEATURES!!!!! EARTH HISTORY!!!! ALL THE GOOD STUFF#sometimes i think i want a gf just so i have someone i can do my dream roadtrip of visiting every national park in the us#i wanna see them :( theyre so cool i love them all they have ROCKS do you UNDERSTAND#ROCKS!!!!!!#the moon speaks#ohhh geology major i'll get you someday just you wait and see!!!
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I want to meet him
The Worst Attraction in Every State
#i disagree with many of these#(voodoo donuts in co is great also the grand canyon is a natural wonder)#(do not blame it for what the people around it have done)#but rock and roll hall of fame is correct there are much better things you can do in Cleveland#it's like $30 to get the same experience you get at a hard rock cafe minus the food#also the jersey shore is great you just have to choose your vibe carefully - ac and wildwood will weed out the weak#ocean city nj & cape may etc. are better for families with little kids
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At this point I’m voting for the actual Grand Canyon for president.
Can we just have four years of nothing? Please?
#voting#President#POTUS#grand canyon#is it in Nevada? Who knows!#Probably is tho#seems like a Nevada thing to do
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in the time loop the only way out is to leave her there but you don't ever leave her there, never in the roughly one thousand years you have been in the same day. it is probably like "50 first dates" but you haven't stooped so low as to watch "50 first dates" yet. (but who is to say what another thousand years of the same media will bring to you, maybe you will develop a new taste).
you spent about 200 of these years sulking in a bathtub or on the couch or staring at the seaside. 300 of them have been spent slowly mapping the geographical distance you can actually get before the time loop restarts. you have a list of favorite places: one library in Western Massachusetts called "The Bookmill", which has weird hours and has never raised an eyebrow to you arriving out-of-breath and panting, asking to see a specific book on a specific shelf. There is one beach without a name in North Carolina; it is an accident of geography and ownership title disputes - and it is pristine, untouched, warm and cozy. you've taken her on a lot of picnics there. Acadia National Park. One specific birdhouse in the mountains.
you were stuck in the time loop with the money you entered it with: not enough to rent a private jet. you've robbed a bank a few times, you don't like the way it ends. maybe next century you'll get the hang of it. you don't like the look on her face when you say hang on i have to stop at the bank.
you just have to leave her, and you can go back to being a person again. you took 5 years just catching a flight and sitting in the Grand Canyon. if there's one thing you regret more than anything, it's that you hadn't gotten your passport renewed before this fucking time loop. maybe you should spend some time learning forgery - but also, like, you look like an english teacher. nobody is going to be cool about you asking to see their paper printing machines.
the world is very big. that is one of the things groundhog day gets wrong. there are no consequences, so you have literally all the time (or none of the time?) in the world. in groundhog day, he does a lot of very cool things, but in reality - your muscle memory never gets better. you can't necessarily learn how to play piano or sculpt ice, because your hands never remember the practice. but hey - maybe you'll try violin next. drums. synth.
you can open any door and walk into any conversation. money isn't really an object. you can try every meal off every menu, forever. take her on helicopter tours and into every museum and on every event that is happening right-now at-this-moment. parades and funerals and calligraphy classes.
but you are somewhat trapped by the limitations of your body. if you were reading a book, you still need to get up and go back to the library and find that book again when the day resets. (thank god for the internet). it still takes like 2 hours to board a plane, and then takeoff and landing and traffic. you've gotten off to run around on the freeway. one of the little thankful things: since your brain isn't actually developing (it's a muscle too), the days thankfully don't feel shorter to you. that would be agony.
all you have to do to leave the timeloop is let that man get away with it. that's all. in every version of yourself - forever - you have stopped him.
the problem is that this experience has convinced you of the existence of the human soul. after all, how else are you forming memories? your very cells reset. information has to be transferred somehow. and if timeloops are real, you can convince yourself other magic exists. so you have two choices here: this hell, or the next. there might be a millennia where you have been worn down to the point you can accept fate's decision. this is just not one of them. ironically - she is the one thing you have left.
and besides! if you can't always find something new in your partner, aren't you failing them? there is something new about her, every day with the same morning. every brutal day with the same orange sunset.
after all, you wanted to live with her in heaven, in eternity, and, well - isn't this second-best.
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Tired, eepy even
#of several things#but mostly just tired in general#i made decent progress in totk. first dungeon was awesome so [shrug]#preesh that the bosses are fucked up again like they used 2 be#anyway#I'm starting to hate that fuckin solomon post. i get notes every few days w ppl in the tags calling me atupid#bc the cast is mostly demons. so that makes it excusable that solomon took advantage of asmo while he was drunk [it doesn't]#and tbh. iirc people were going apeshit about solomon basically- magically dr*gging lucifer to force him into a pact not long ago#but now bc its asmo its suddenly okay? now all of a sudden these are /ruthless demons who eat peoples hearts 4 breakfast/??#no they arent. they arent heartless killers or murderers or whatever#they have emotions they do things wrong they are also /magically forced into a sin they can't exactly prevent 50% of the time/#idc what the species is. its wrong. and im really just- sick of ppl blasting me in the notes sayin I'm being stupid 4 being upset abt that#like- *tosses phone off the grand canyon* the hypocrisy in this fandom is exhausting#anyway. gn#xoxo and all that#✌️💙🌙#elliot rambles#vent in tags
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The Grand Canyon is America’s most iconic and inspiring natural attraction and has been a popular road trip destination for generations. Although the North Rim and South Rim can be accessed from different sides of the canyons, most visitors visit the Grand Canyon National Park’s, South Rim. While the North Rim is closed during winter, the South Rim (and West Rim) are accessible year-round from popular tourist destinations such as Las Vegas, Phoenix and Flagstaff.
Read More: Things to Do in the Grand Canyon
Visit Our Website: Force Of Web
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Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon National Park is a breathtaking natural wonder, known for its immense size and awe-inspiring landscapes. With its towering cliffs, deep canyons, and vibrant colors, it offers visitors a truly unforgettable experience of the beauty and grandeur of nature!
#https://www.advantagegrandcanyon.com/21-things-to-do-grand-canyon/#grand canyon activities#things to do at the grand canyon#grand canyon attractions#best grand canyon tours#grand canyon hiking trails#grand canyon viewpoints#grand canyon sightseeing#grand canyon adventure activities#grand canyon family-friendly activities#grand canyon outdoor adventures#grand canyon must-see places#grand canyon bucket list experiences#exploring the grand canyon#grand canyon vacation activities#grand canyon travel guide#grand canyon tours#grand canyon experiences#advantage grand canyon#grand canyon adventures#grand canyon hiking#grand canyon rafting#grand canyon helicopter tours#grand canyon vacation#grand canyon travel#grand canyon national park#grand canyon tour packages#grand canyon trip#grand canyon south rim#grand canyon north rim
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Hey I just wanted to say thanks, because idk why this didn't just occur to me, but I've been missing "family" meals, the kind of meals I get to make for people and sit down with people I love since I came out and had to leave my house, and idk why but you posting about having family dinners with your friends where you host them made me realize that like, that's something I can still do. If I don't have the people who will invite me over to eat a meal anymore I can always be the person who invites others over myself and idk, I just wanted to say thanks
this warmed my heart in ways i don’t know how to describe.
family dinner started because i’d get some friends over on tuesdays to watch supernatural prequel the winchesters and i’d make them dinner for their troubles. i was feeding like five people max. but then the show ended and one of my friends got a new job and had to move an hour away so we moved it to the weekend so she could still come.
and then i realized that cooking is actually a form of self care for me (let’s not examine too closely how my self care is still taking care of others, it’s been discussed enough in therapy). so we started inviting other folks. and family dinner went from five people regularly to seven. and then i’d have friends from out of town come and it’d be 15-17. and now it’s not unusual for a dozen people to show up at my house on a saturday night to drink and eat and make merry.
there’s a particular kind of warmth that comes from leaning against the entry to my dining room, glass of wine curled against my chest, seeing so many of the people i love sitting around my table as they laugh and bicker and eat a meal that i used so much love to make. food that i spent hours creating because they gave me the confidence and the desire to learn how to make new things. because the effort it takes for me to make pasta or gnocchi or sauces or broths from scratch is worth it. the hours i will spend standing over a hot stove as i make gumbo or chicken and dumplings or fried everything is worth it. the easy smiles and whiskey-reddened cheeks and raucous laughter and full bellies and warm togetherness is worth the trouble.
it makes me understand the last supper (you know, minus the foreboding of betrayal). there’s a divinity in making a meal to share with those you love.
i’ve yet to find a better way express my devotion than to say, “take this, all of you, and eat of it. for it is my love given up for you.”
because even though the darkness can be chasm-wide and canyon-deep, my love is wider and deeper. it’s the bridge over the consumption of it all.
when people sit at my table and break bread that my hands have tenderly prepared i see the point of it all. loving and be loved in return.
and sometimes that love is stored in poetic words and grand gestures. and sometimes, that love is stored in a stockpot full of soup. but they both accomplish the same thing at the end of the day. warmth and safety and care and devotion.
it’s love. plain and simple and small.
#ayo sorry to get philosophical about making dinner on main#maybe it’s the alabama in me#but i just love cooking for folks#for my family of folks i found along the way#love really is stored in the soup
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“Uh…ho-how long do you think we’ll be together?” Buck wonders.
Tommy glances up from his plate with a deep frown on his face. “Putting an expiration date on us already?”
“No! I just…wonder what you think. How long do you think we’ll last?”
“Well,” Tommy begins as he lifts his wine glass and takes a small sip. “Every day I’m happy with you, I look forward to our tomorrow.”
There's a brief silence before Buck raises another question.
“What about the days you’re unhappy? Or I make you angry?”
Tommy sets down his fork and leans forward. “The days I’m angry with you, all I want is for us to fix it, so we can have our happy days again.”
Buck smiles in response, cheeks turning the soft pink that Tommy admires. “That…doesn’t really answer my question.” He says with a small laugh.
“I can’t answer it, Evan.” Tommy admits as he picks up his fork and continues eating. “I don’t want us to break up.”
“Like…ever?”
“I can’t predict the future, but I know what sort of future I want. When I look forward, and I think about tomorrow, or next month, or next year, I always think with you in mind. Next year, I want to go see the Grand Canyon, and I think about bringing you with me. The next Blue Moon is in 2026. I think about how excited you’ll be when that day comes, and how you’ll count down the days until it happens. I just…don’t see a future that doesn’t have you in it.”
Buck nods. “I feel that way too.”
“I never…think about the end. I just think about tomorrow. If today’s good, I know tomorrow will be good.”
“Yeah.” Buck agreed. “Today’s good.”
“Right. And that means we’ll still be together tomorrow.” Tommy pauses. “And the next day.”
“I-I thought you said you can’t predict the future.”
“Yeah, but, I know the day after tomorrow we’ll both be home and you promised you’d fuck me until I was speechless. There’ll be nothing to fuss about if you fuck the words right out of me.”
Buck snorted. “I-I did say that. A-and I will do that.”
“I know you will. Promise me one more thing, babe?”
“Yeah, anything.”
“Just enjoy what we have. Even if a day comes where you don’t enjoy it anymore. Don’t worry about us meeting our end. Especially if we don’t want to.”
Buck reaches across the table and grabs Tommy’s hand, a wide smile on his face. “I promise.”
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"Tommy?"
"Yes?"
"Did you ever want to date Eddie?"
A little confused by the question, Tommy looks over his shoulder at Evan who's still kneading away the knots in Tommy's back. From his angle, Tommy can't really see Evan's expression.
With a sigh, Tommy flops back onto his forearms. "Why are you asking?"
"Answer me first."
"Never crossed my mind," says Tommy.
Evan's strong fingers dig into a particularly stubborn knot in Tommy's lower back and the latter groans in appreciation. "You flew him to Vegas to watch a fight."
"I flew you to the Grand Canyon to watch a sunrise," Tommy counters. It was to celebrate their three months together and the view had been breathtaking. They had to fly back by mid-morning - they both had work the next day - but it's clear that Tommy has a romantic soul and he's relishing in the free rein to unleash the full force of that romantic soul on his Evan.
"That's different," Evan argues without any heat. "We'd been dating three months by that time. You flew him to Vegas after two weeks of knowing him."
Sighing, Tommy pats Evan's knee, a signal for him to stop and get off Tommy's butt where he's perched. As he rolls over to look at his boyfriend, he wonders what is actually bothering Evan. The most logical thing to do is to ask him, so he does.
Evan scrunches his nose at the query. He's so adorable that Tommy wants to drag him down and kiss him silly, but this seems to be a matter that needs some consideration so Tommy waits.
"I guess... Well, Eddie's good-looking," says Evan, his pretty eyes downcast. "And he has more hobbies that you two share. And you have shared experience in the army. I guess I just... I don't know. Maybe I'm still a little jealous that you spent those first two weeks with him when Eddie and I got to know you at the same time."
"Hmm." Now Tommy has to pull Evan down to kiss him, because he's being silly. "Baby, I flew him to Vegas because that was how I was planning to go to Vegas that night anyway. I had a shift the next day and hell was I gonna drive all the way there and back just for one night." He kisses his boyfriend. "I was happy to invite Eddie along, but if he hadn't accepted the ticket I'd have flown solo anyway."
Evan exhales with a huff. "Okay. Fine."
"As to why I spent time with him first," Tommy continues, grinning widely as he turns Evan by the chin to face him, "he asked if we could hang out. You know, the way someone who isn't flustered by a crush might do?"
"I wasn't flustered!"
"Sure you weren't? Because I seem to remember things quite differently-"
Evan shuts up Tommy's tease and subsequent bark of laughter with a kiss. Tommy smiles into it and wraps his limbs around Evan, trapping the younger man in place.
When they part for breath, Tommy murmurs, "I have never once thought about dating Eddie. He is attractive, yes, but he's not the one I couldn't stop thinking about after the night of the rescue. His smile wasn't the smile I wanted to see up close. And he certainly isn't the one I want to hold like this and kiss, like this," Tommy demonstrates, "for the rest of my life."
Something in Evan's gaze relaxes, grows warm. "For the rest of your life?"
"Yeah. A little early to ask properly, perhaps, but yes. The rest of my life."
Evan takes a deep breath and burrows close. "Okay."
"That's it? Okay?"
"You want more, you gotta wait until you ask properly. But it's... I'm good with it." Evan pecks a light kiss to Tommy's lips. "The rest of our lives."
#evan buckley#tommy kinard#bucktommy#tevan#kinley#i meant to keep it light and teasing#but somehow they have to turn it sappy
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i forgot to add that we are actively being killed by our government every day through gross negligence and even murdered intentionally constantly. disabled people are not safe in this country. people of colour are not safe in this country. queer people are not safe in this country. the citizens of the country that you are placing the blame on are having pur votes suppressed. we are living in a country where a man running for president has a plan to become a full blown dictator with power of every part of our lives. and he is running for president with that AS HIS PLATFORM. and the vocal minority of people that is supporting this kind of shit is all in power in our government fueled by voter suppression and voter tampering. russia is involved in our elections to an extent i previously only considered a joke and its just becoming a reality before my eyes. we are being killed from the inside. i am not saying that you cant be annoyed by americans but i dont know what good it really does to try and treat the individuals who live here as a Monolith That Hurts You when so many of us are dying and barely surviving.
i understand why this is the case which is why ill never say anythijg about it to people because i believe they have the right to feel this way even if i dont necessarily think it needs verbalized on tumblr lol... but id be a hypocrite since im writing this right now. that being said, occasionally ill see a post talking about the ways in which americans are to blame for [blank] and i truly dont know what to say to it much of the time because americans are being shot and drowning and dying on the street at a higher rate than most of the countries i see people complaining from 😭 like obviously this shouldnt happen to ANYONE. and you are also allowed to complain about the ways in which the american populous contributes to the things that you atruggle with. but this just goes hand in hand to me with comparing ANY group of people to their governement. especially because there is so much hatred and prejudice towards the usamerican south, both in and out of the country, that is pure classism, ableism, and racism. its all it is. and there is so little in a rich or middle class persons brain that makes them want to understand the plight of the poor and impoverished that they simply dont even make the attempt. i dont find value in fighting about when people are more or less oppressed than me generally, i understand i live in a position of relative privledge when you take the rest of the world into account. but i find that often big posts on tumblr that i see mutuals reblogging in good faith will just kind of assumes that whichever american is reading their post is well off because they have a phone or access to the internet like girl i was scrolling tumblr on the library computers to stay sane some days when i was homeless JJFJFJC you find anything u can sometimes. this is more of a personal ramble and this doesnt mean anything about any moral implications of any actions described, just kind of some food for thought for anyone who happens to stumble accross this i suppose on top of just being me yelling into the void lol
#not to mention that 'american tourism' is famously seen as more inherently annoying and dangerous#and i cant say that were NOT but i dont really understand how its different from any other tourist#because anyone who comes here from any country that doesnt have the kind of widespread danger we have in our national parks#does not generally understand the severity of the things they will encounter#like not in a rude way just like. how would you if you had no reference for it even?#like yes these hot springs will boil you alive. this bear will eat you for fun. if you do not drink enough water you will pass the fuck out#(arizonan specific lolll the grand canyon is famous for tourists doing shit theyte not supposed to)#im not saying americans ARENT like this i just think that it isnt an american thing 😭😭#like just generally i think that much is placed on the people of any country that is simply too broad to ever apply to even most of them#guy rediscovers the concept of stereotyping and gets PISSED#also further note: this has NOTHING to do with the US involvement in Palestine. i am not speaking to that issue at all in this post#because it is not my sentiment in the slightest regarding that. this is more aimed at people in countries who have relatively good#human rights policies. i am frustrated at the concept of people punching down and saying its okay because americans have it so good.
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Things the fandom often forgets about Jason Grace:
His mother abandoned him at 2 and he survived training with the wolf goddess Lupa at 3
He isn't some dumbass bro himbo like a lot of people think, he's actually really smart and knows a lot of things
He wears glasses and loses them a lot
He's one of the kindest demigods in both camps
He defeated the titan Krios with his bare f*cking hands
AND he killed the trojan sea monster
He isn't the "roman percy", and he's not some knockoff protagonist
He isn't trying to replace or compete with Percy
Percy and Jason actually hardly know each other and there really isn't much of a bromance there like people think (but if you wanna keep being delulu I respect it)
He toppled the black throne of Kronos and earned his position as praetor
He was literally praetor
Which led to him hardening a bit and put a lot of pressure on him to be a perfect leader
He once jumped into the grand canyon to save a girl he really didn't know that well, with no regard to the fact that he would literally die
HE LITERALLY DIDNT KNOW HE COULD FLY
He isn't boring, it's just that when we meet him in TLH we literally don't know him (and he doesn't either lmfao), we don't have the history and bond we do with Percy
He has a big smile and deep laugh
Jason didn't replace Percy at CHB, people were actually apprehensive of him whereas CJ pretty much DID replace Jason with Percy (treating him as a powerful leader and electing him praetor)
He was literally a child soldier and probably has a lot of issues because of this
He used to squint a lot before he got his glasses
People probably thought he was glaring or judging them, but in actuality he just couldn't f*cking SEE
He's actually a big softie and gives such golden retriever vibes
Canonically handsome
People think he's too perfect but that's because he had to be. He had so much pressure on him to be perfect all the time
He has a calm and steady voice, and even when he's yelling/speaking intensely, it's still steady and strong
TLDR; Jason is literally my fav and Jason hate will not be tolerated here thank you 🫶
#hoo#pjo#toa#trials of apollo#heroes of olympus#percy jackson and the olympians#chb#percy jackson#pjo hoo toa#camp jupiter#jason grace#jason grace x y/n#jason grace x you#jason grace x reader
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10 More Character Types the World Needs More of
Part 1 was specifically character dynamics, but I’m considering this a sequel anyway.
1. Fiercely independent character’s lesson isn’t to “trust people”
I’m not projecting. You’re projecting. There is a divide wide enough to fit the Grand Canyon between “trusting that someone isn’t lying” and “trusting someone to follow through on a promise”. Most dumpster fire attempts at these characters (almost exclusively women) rely solely on mocking them for the former because “not all men” or something.
Being consistently let down in life makes you hesitant to a) gain friends, b) pursue romantic interests, c) maintain familial relationships, d) get excited about any event that demands participation from someone who isn’t you. None of this is simply a bad attitude—it’s a trauma response. There is no lesson to be learned, and not even exposure therapy can help because it’s a real, legitimate, and common stunt people pull, whether they mean it or not.
So write one of these characters and legitimize their fears, give them someone who proves the exception to the rule, but do not let the lesson be “well they just haven’t found the right person yet”. Even the “right person” can let them down. It's about not becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy by sabotaging a good thing to prove it will inevitably go bad.
2. Conventionally attractive men who aren’t horndogs
I’m going to find every way I can to tell you to write more aces. This is to fight the stigma that attractive people must be attracted to people. Give me gorgeous aces and demi’s, men, women, enbys and everyone in between, who put a crap ton of effort into looking their best, and yet happen to not have a very loud libido. They look good for themselves, and not to impress anyone else.
Give me someone who could have anyone they wanted, gender regardless, and just simply has no interest. Or, they do actually have a significant other, but sex, how hot their partner is, or how horny they are, isn’t their internal monologue. I don’t even care if it’s unrealistic, it’s annoying to read.
And, you know, giving men male characters who aren’t thinking about sex all the time can be good, right? Right?
3. Manly warrior men who also write poetry
A.K.A Aragorn, Son of Arathorn. Just give me more Aragorns, period. This dude is either covered in filth, blood, guts, and the last 30 miles of rugged terrain, or singing in Elvish at his own coronation while pink flower petals fall. A man can be both, and still be straight.
A man can also drink Respect Women juice, you know? He ticks off all the boxes—he’s gentle when he needs to be, not afraid to hide his emotions, kind to those who are vulnerable and afraid and need a strong figure to look up to, resolute in his beliefs, skilled and knowledgeable in his abilities without being arrogant or smug, and the first boots on the battlefield, leading from the front.
4. Characters who are characters when no one is watching
This is less a specific type and more a scene that doesn’t get written enough. This whole point comes from Pixar’s Cars. I. Love. This. Movie. It’s not Pixar’s best, for sure, but this is my comfort movie. The best scene, one that’s so unique, is when Doc (aged living legend) thinks he’s alone when he rolls out onto the dirt race track and comes alive tearing around the oval.
This character’s unbridled, unabashed glee and euphoria at proving to himself that he’s still got it, when he’s completely unaware of his audience, is perfection. Not enough credence is given to characters to just… enjoy being themselves. He’s not doing it to prepare for the climactic race, he’s not doing it for the plot, he’s doing it just to do it, not even to prove Lightning wrong—just for himself.
Give your characters a “Doc Racing” scene. Whatever their skill is. Maybe they’re a dancer, a skater, a swimmer, a painter, sprinter. Just let your character love being alive.
5. Characters whose neurodivergence isn't “cute”
A.K.A. Lilo Pelekai from Lilo and Stitch. Really, her relationship with Nani is peak sibling writing. But Lilo herself is just so realistic with how she interacts with the world, how she interprets her relationships with her so-called friends, how she organizes her thoughts and rationalizes what she can’t quite understand, and how friggen smart she is for an… 11-year-old?
But she’s not “cute”. As in, she wasn’t written by generic Suits who were trying to cash in on the ND crowd by writing what they think will sell, but also making her juuust neurotypical enough to still be palatable by the rest of the audience. Lilo’s earnestness is what endears her to everybody. But also, she doesn’t get a free pass for her behavior, either. Her “friends” aren’t forced to accommodate her and Nani isn’t written as the cold-hearted villain for trying to discipline her.
6. Straight male characters with female friends
Am I double-dipping a bit here? Yes. While I completely understand how tempting it can be, this type of character is in dire need of exposure and representation to prove it’s possible. No weird tense moments, no double-glances when she isn’t looking, no contemplations about cheating on his girlfriend (and no insecure jealous girlfriend either). Just two characters who enjoy each other’s company and are able to coexist in a space and be in each other’s spaces without hormones getting in the way. Peak example? Po and Tigress from Kung Fu Panda.
Let these two rely on each other for emotional strength in times of need, let them share inside jokes, let them have a night alone together at a bar, at home, cooking dinner, getting takeout, talking on the patio in a porch swing… with zero “will they/won’t they.”
7. The likable bigot
I’m actually on the fence with this one but it’s something I also don’t see done often enough and I’m adding it for one reason: Bigots aren’t always obvious mustache-twirling villains and the little things they do might seem inconsequential to them, but are still hurtful. So showing these characters is like plopping a mirror down in front of these people and, I don’t know, maybe something will click. They don’t have to be MAGAs to be dangerous, and only writing the extremes convinces the moderates that they aren’t also the problem.
Example: I have a “friend” who recently said something along the lines of “I have lots of gay friends” followed up shortly by “I don’t think this country should keep gay marriage because it’s a slippery slope to legalizing pedophilia.” You know. The quiet part being that she *actually* thinks being gay is as morally abhorrent as being a pedo. But she totally has lots of gay friends. Including one who was driving her during that conversation. (It’s me. Hi. I’m apparently the problem, it’s me.)
She’s absolutely homophobic, but the second she stops announcing it, she’s a very bubbly person. She’s a ~likable~ bigot and thus thinks she can distance herself from the more violent ones.
8. The motherly single father
I say “motherly” merely as shorthand for the vibe I’m going for here. “Motherly” as in dads who aren’t scandalized by the growing pains of their daughters, and who don’t just parent their sons by saying “man up boys don’t cry”. Dads who play Barbie with their kids of either gender. Dads who go to the PTA meetings with all the other Karens and know as much if not more than they do about the school and their kids’ education.
Dads who comfort their crying kids, especially their sons. Dads that take interest in “feminine” activities like learning how to braid their daughter’s hair, learning different makeup brands, going on nail salon trips together. Dads who do not pull out the rifle on their daughter’s new boyfriend and treat her like property. Dads who have guy friends that don’t mock him and call him gay. Dad who does all this stuff anyway and is *actually* gay, too, but the emphasis is on overly sensitive straight men’s masculinity here.
Wholesome dads: a shocking amount of single-parents to female anime protagonists.
9. The parent isn’t dead, they’re just gone
Treasure Planet is an awesome movie in its own right, but what’s even better? This is a Disney movie where the parent isn’t dead, he’s just a deadbeat who abandoned his son and isn’t at all relevant to the plot beyond the hole he left behind for Jim to fill. The only deadbeat dads Disney allows are villains and those guys are very vigorously chasing an aspiration, that aspiration just doesn’t include quality fatherhood. Or motherhood. Disney has yet to write a deadbeat mom, I’m almost certain.
I just wrote a post about the necessity of the “dead parent” cliche, but what is perhaps more relatable because it’s more common, and what earns even more sympathy and underdog points for the protagonist? The hero with the parent who left. Then there’s a whole extra layer of angst and trauma available when your hero can now plague themselves with the question of if the parent leaving is their fault. Death is usually an accident. Choosing to abandon your kid is on purpose.
10. Victim who isn’t victim-blamed or told by their friends (and the narrative) to forgive their abuser
Izuku Midoriya lost so much support from me the moment he told his friend, bearing the consequences of domestic violence across half his face, that Midoriya thinks he’ll be ready soon to forgive his abomination of a father. I am firmly in the “Endeavor is a despicable human and hero” camp and no I’m not taking criticism. I audibly gasped when I heard this line and realized Deku was serious. Todoroki needs friends like the Gaang to remind him that he's allowed to hate the man who's actions caused the burn scar across his f*cking face.
I understand that the mangaka apparently didn’t anticipate the vitriolic backlash toward Endeavor during his debut and reveal of his parenting tactics but the tone-deafness of telling a fifteen year old with crippling emotional management issues and a horrible home life that his abusive dad in any way deserves and is entitled to forgiveness on the grounds of being related is disgusting.
Take it back further to a more famous Tumblr dad: John Winchester. Another despicable human who got retroactively forgiven by his sons after his death in a “he wasn’t so bad, he really did try” campaign. It’s one thing if the character believes it, it’s a whole different matter if the narrative is also pushing this message.
Katara is a perfect example: She lets go of her grudge for her own peace of mind and stops blaming Zuko for something he had no hand in, stops blaming him simply because he’s a firebender and he’s around to be her punching bag. She doesn’t forgive the man who killed her mother, because that man doesn’t deserve her forgiveness. Katara heals in spite of him, not because of him, and had she let him off the hook, she would have gotten an apology for getting caught, not for what he did (which is exactly what happened).
#writing advice#writing resources#writing tips#writing tools#writing a book#writing#writeblr#character design#character development#aragorn#pixar cars#kung fu panda#lilo and stitch#treasure planet#atla#katara#my hero academia
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