#when humor actually adds depth to a story

[piracytheorist]

Spy x Family would have been so fucking bleak and depressing if it weren't for the comedy angle. It could have easily been a story highly focused on how war impacts people even years after it ends, being constantly pessimistic and dark and focusing on the monstrous things people are capable of. It could easily show just the hopeless side of it.

Instead, while it's very realistic on how the characters have been affected by the war, it chooses to put that face-to-face with natural, everyday humanity. Twilight's reluctance to accept his feelings for his family is treated with a touch of humor because it's compared to the innocent way Anya and Yor offer their love - and that's what being human is.

We're meant to live with each other. We're meant to love each other, it's literally in our fucking DNA to create bonds and depend on others for emotional support. Our very first instinct upon being born is to cry because our DNA tells us we will be brought into a world that will hear our cry and help us. It's how people find hope in each other, in small acts of everyday kindness because we're meant to live like that, to support and help and connect with each other.

And the characters' bleak past is contrasted with humanity's innate everyday kindness to the point of making it humorous because war is such a deviation from how humans are meant to live that a man who spends his entire life affected by it looks almost comical in contrast with a little girl who, based on her basic human instincts, believes that she can find a family to love her and can help achieve world peace, with someone right in the middle being one who has seen war but had had a constant reminder of how humanity is about connection and love (Yor, with Yuri being her reminder).

And I just find it so very fitting and also very based of Endo to choose to add that angle in the story. Humanity is not bleak. Even if we deviate from our path we can still find our way and we're naturally inclined to that way. We just have to see the good in each other, to believe that we will not be left alone, to share and know that if we're ever in need, someone will offer their hand to share with us.

[pygmi-says-hi]

writing tips - banter

I LOVE BANTER WE ALL LOVE BANTER HIP HIP HOORAYYYY!!

Banter is a lovely addition to dialogue between characters. It means a lot of different things - sass, genuine insults, flirting....all sorts of options.

But overusing banter can make conversations sound circular. It's a fun 'fluffy' piece of dialogue, but doesn't do the best job conveying plot.

Pedantry vs teasing

Pedantic speech is basically nit-picking. Somebody who can't bear to let anything slide, no matter how small. This is an interesting character trait and one that adds depth, but if it's unintentional it sounds frustrating. Sassy characters are fun, especially when they go off in an inner monologue.

If a character has a quip for everything, it adds a layer of whiny-ness. Sarcasm is a fun way to tease and complain. Constant complaining gets on a reader's nerves after a while. Soon there becomes so much commentary it's hard to dissect what is actually being described.

Unless your OC has no sense of social boundaries, there's usually a break in between jokes to read the room.

How do I know when enough is enough?

Think about the character. If they have that wonderfully sardonic rapport with their peers, that's great! Why do they act like that? Is it a sense of humor? Is there a running joke? When you incorporate the banter, keep it in the confines of those parameters. It'll still enrich the conversation without overwhelming it.

It's a learning curve!!!!!

I like to do it this way:

write the dialogue as banter-y and indulgent as possible. When the scene is finished, I reread and pick out the really funny bits and discard the rest or move it to a different scene.

Sometimes those indulgent character moments help the really good stuff push to the front of your mind. Go for it! You know your story better than anybody else; if it's telling your story the way you want, that's all that matters.

[writing-with-sophia]

Miss Sophia, I have a question. Um, well first of all...

I actually like slice of life, fantasy, romance, horror, sci-fi.

But my question is... Ahem. How do you make romance scenes non cringy?

Becsaiw sometimes when I'm writing them, I cringe, and feel weird. Others, my my heart flutters.

How to make romantic scenes not cringe?

Well, honestly, for me, this question is so hard to answer... As my strength is romance, I can't give you any advice based on my experience. What I do when writing romantic scenes is simply… imagine and write. So, I searched the internet, read some articles and learned a few things. Hope it will help you.

Tip 1: Develop realistic and relatable characters

Ensure that your characters are well-rounded and have depth. Give them distinct personalities, flaws, and motivations that readers can connect with. This will make the romantic interactions more believable and engaging.

Tip 2: Show, don't tell

Instead of explicitly stating how characters feel, demonstrate their emotions through their actions, dialogue, and body language. How do they treat each other? How do they talk to each other? When one person is sick, what will the other person do? Are they shy or bold when meeting the person they love? The more details you tell, the more genuine the feelings between them will be.

Tip 3: Build emotional tension

Establish a strong foundation of emotional connection and chemistry between the characters. Develop their relationship gradually and create moments of anticipation and longing. This will make the romantic scenes more captivating and less cringe-worthy.

Tip 4: Prioritize consent and respect

Ensure that the romantic interactions include clear communication, mutual respect, and consent. Avoid any scenes that may promote unhealthy dynamics or non-consensual actions, as they can easily become cringe-worthy or uncomfortable for readers.

Tip 5: Use subtlety and restraint

Sometimes, less is more. Avoid over-the-top gestures or exaggerated romantic dialogue that can feel forced or insincere. Instead, focus on small, genuine, and meaningful moments that allow readers to connect with the emotions being portrayed.

Tip 6: Balance romance with other elements

Incorporate other elements such as humor, conflict, or character development alongside the romantic scenes. This will add depth and prevent the story from becoming overly focused on romance, which can sometimes lead to cringe-worthy moments.

Tip 7: Read romance novels

You cannot write a beautiful love story without reading any romance novels, unless you write it based on your own story. You can read famous works like Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Red, White & Royal Blue, or anything else that interests you, and learn how the characters interact with each other. This is the best way.

That's all. Good luck!

[lendeah]

Hey I saw ur recent thing about astarion/durge w scars and I raise to Astarion/Tav with a shit ton of scars they actually do have stories for (either really dumb or really cool or kinda traumatic) and astarry just lovingly traces them and asks about them

YES!!! I love the idea.

Here you go, I hope you enjoy it and thanks for asking! 🤍🫶🏻

Astarion loved tracing the little scars dotting your body. Even in moments of exhaustion, as you both lay on the bedroll after a arduous day of battle, he would gently trace the intricate lines of your skin with lazy fascination.

"Now, I bet this one has a story worth hearing," he drawls, caressing with his finger along the long scar on your arm.

You let out a small chuckle and decide to humor him. "This one here? That was from a sword fight. I was trying to protect my brother because he had been having an affair with a married woman, and it got pretty intense. I ended up taking a pretty bad hit, but luckily I lived through it."

The vampire cocks an eyebrow, a sly smirk playing on his lips. "So let me get this straight," he drawls, "you got this scar defending your brother's honor from a scorned lover? Sounds like your brother could have used some self-defense lessons."

You shrug "I guess, but he is my brother. I couldn't just let him struggle on his own. Besides, I'm the better fighter of the two of us." you say with a smirk.

A mischievous chuckle escapes his lips, "Always the hero, huh?" he lets out a resigned sigh, but his eyes glint playfully. "You know, your stubborn selflessness isn't the most attractive trait."

You raise an eyebrow. "Oh really? And what is my most attractive trait to you?"

Astarion chuckles, then brings his cold fingers to your forehead, gently brushing the skin there, "This scar above your eye? It's quite the attractive feature. Really adds to your whole intimidating aura," he purrs, "I must hear the tale behind it."

You roll your eyes, trying not to let his teasing get to you. "Ugh, that one gave me nightmares for weeks." You say with a grimace. "I was being chased by an angry tabern owner because I may or may not have stolen some of his ale. Anyway, he caught up to me and I fought him off as best as I could, but he still managed to get a knife to my face." You shudder at the memory and the thought of your mother's scolding afterwards.

Astarion chuckles, "Oh darling, you? Stealing? And ale, of all things? Positively scandalous. I find it hard to believe."

You give him a playful glare, "Oh please, I was young and reckless. Plus, the ale was really good."

He shakes his head in disbelief, but the fondness in his eyes is unmistakable. As he takes your hand in his, his soft fingers tracing over the familiar lines and curves, you feel a warmth spread through your chest. His thumb gently traces the jagged scar on your palm, "This one looks like a fish bone" He says with a smirk.

You roll your eyes "Yeah, well, I got that one in an attempt to save my friends when I was young." you say "We were out at sea enjoying the warm weather, when suddenly a massive creature emerged from the depths. It had razor-sharp teeth and writhing tentacles, and before we knew it, our boat was under attack. I reached out to help my friends and next thing I know, I'm tangled up in this thing's grasp. Thank the gods a wizard happened to witness our struggle and put down the beast. Lesson learned: never underestimate the power of the ocean's creatures."

He rolls his eyes back, "Of course the heroic, strong, selfless and pretty one would make something like that sound like a normal and not crazy thing to do." He looks back at your hand, "But no worries, darling, your hand is just fine. In fact, it's quite charming in its own rugged way." He says, taking your palm to his lips, making you shiver. Despite his teasing, there is a genuine admiration in his voice that warms your heart. His hand then moves up to cup your cheek. "You certainly have an interesting collection of scars."

You can't help but blush at his words, feeling a mix of happiness and vulnerability. No one has ever taken the time to truly listen to your stories before, let alone find them interesting. But with Astarion, it feels different, like he sees you for who you truly are, flaws and all.

"Back home, some people said I was a monster because of them" you say, gesturing to the marks on your body, "but I like them, I think they all have a story behind them worth telling."

Astarion raises an eyebrow, "People called you a monster? What foolishness."

You shrug, "It's just how things were back in my hometown. They were afraid of anything different or out of the ordinary."

A playful glint dances in his eyes and his sharp fangs glisten. "Oh, I'm sure I'm a real nightmare to them," he quips with a smirk.

You roll your eyes, "Well, it's not every day someone meets a charming vampire like yourself."

Astarion leans in closer, his warm breath tickling your skin. "You know, I never tire of hearing your stories. You always manage to surprise me."

You feel your cheeks flush at his words, but before you can respond, Astarion leans in and presses his lips against yours softly. It's sweet and gentle, but also filled with unspoken words and emotions, and you can't help but wrap your arms around his neck, deepening the kiss as you both lose yourselves in each other.

When you finally pull away, he rests his forehead against yours, breathless and smiling. "I could listen to your stories all day," he murmurs.

"Well, lucky for you I have plenty more where those came from." you reply with a teasing grin. "Ah, but what about your scars?"

Astarion's playful smirk returns as he starts tracing your skin again. "Oh, mine? They come from a life of bloodlust and and danger."

[3hks]

Types of Comic Relief Characters

We all love a good funny character, but some of us just have no sense of humor and no idea how to create such a jokester! With that being said, today, I'll show you that writing a comic relief character doesn't always require hilarious quips and jokes! So, here are several different types of humorous character archetypes that you can include in your writing pieces! Just a heads up, I created the names for these types of characters, if they have a different one on the internet, I apologize! (I only did this because I couldn't find any real references on the internet.)

The Commentator - This character is just there to comment random things during situations to brighten up the atmosphere. Usually, they're really just a minor character who lacks depth because their only purpose is to make mirthful and entertaining remarks.

The Annoying One - This character loves annoying and frustrating people however they can. They tend to not take anything seriously, and in the eyes of characters, they are bothersome and irritating. But to the audience, on the contrary, they should seem endearing and witty! It's their personality that makes it so interesting to read and write about them, especially when you add more complexity to their persona! (Which is highly suggested, by the way.) Lastly, when creating this character, it's important to remember that part of the humor is derived from their words and actions, while the other part comes from the responses and reactions based on how other people react towards their antics.

The Happy-Go-Lucky Character - This character doesn't actually have to be super funny, as their main purpose is to relieve tension with their positivity! The Happy-go-lucky character is designed to appeal to the audience by appearing cute and wholesome with their upbeat energy. This way, they're typically a fan favorite! Additionally, they're often a pretty major character, so I suggest giving them some dimension! Again, they're not produced to be the most humorous type, but they're a great fit for any comical situation!

The Stupidly Smart One - Exactly like what the name states, this character is just stupidly smart. Typically, they're very impressive academically, but they lack logic and rationale. They also hardly use their abilities to their fullest potential because they have an abundance of motivation. They're often an incredible asset during any major event, but other than that, they're just there for the party!

The Hard-to-Read Character - This character archetype does not have a strictly set personality. In other words, it should be challenging to describe them with one adjective! They have a blend of several different personality traits that sometimes may seem contradictory, but it really just depends on the situation they're in! The main thing about them is that at times, it's difficult to tell whether they're joking or serious. For example, maybe they state something serious, but their expression displays otherwise. Writing this style of character will require a lot of effort and creativity, but I find that this archetype is very rare in novels so it's definitely worth a shot!

The Chaotic One (Duo) - This is an amazing archetype if you want your audience to have some laughs! I personally think it's much more fun to read (and write) about a chaotic duo, instead of just one character. This way, you can create hilarious conversations and interactions between the two! This character type lives almost solely to troll and isn't very reliable with things that don't matter to them. However, if you're writing a fantasy story, note that there is nothing wrong with giving them some overpowered abilities, as it shows more of their dimension and potential! If you're creating the duo, make sure that the characters causing the mayhem each have a separate personality. Typically, there is a 'ringleader,' who leads the shenanigans and is the most chaotic of them all. Additionally, there's usually a semi-serious character, whose job is to keep them in line. Nevertheless, they still join in the antics and reckless actions! Interactions between the two are mostly meant to be humorous, wholesome, and fluffy, so just have fun and let loose when writing this archetype!

Okay! These are six different types of comic relief characters you can use for your stories! Hopefully, this is able to serve as inspiration and/or a guide for you all! If you need any tips on bringing these archetypes to life, just ask, and I'll try my best to provide the quality information you all deserve!

Happy writing~

3hks :D

[avelera]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. spread the self-love ❤

Ooh, thank you for this! As for tagging onward, I'm terrible at picking people and I hate to impose, so if you see this and want to fill it out just say I sent you ^^;;;

Giving Sanctuary: The Sandman, Dream/Hob, Canon Divergence AU. Basically, "What if Dream and Hob got together in 1689 when Hob was at his lowest and they bonded over the fact both of them have lost their sons?" Probably one of my most emotionally mature works, I poured a lot of my own meditations on life and grief into it, and it has some of the best dialogue I think I've written to date. I'm also quite proud that it's complete, lol, a running theme in this list.

The Only Way Out is Down: Pacific Rim, Newt/Hermann, post-Uprising but in an attempt to make sense of Uprising and add some depth and poetry to the years Newt and Hermann spent apart. Newt is trapped in a coma after the Precursors are destroyed and Hermann Drifts with him to try to wake him up. In the meantime, they pass through a mindscape inspired by Dante's Inferno, in which each of the 9 years they spent apart take on an aspect inspired by the Circles of Hell that they have to disrupt in order to move on to the next one. Basically a Newt Recovery fic that flips the script and explores how gut-wrenching and traumatizing those years would have been for both of them, but with a lot of humor and healing, this is not meant to be an angsty slog and some of my best comedy is in it too I think. Quite proud of how I interwove Dante's "Inferno" into the structure of the story, quite proud of the fact it's finished and novel-length, and I think I grew at writing character voices and sustaining them throughout a massively long fic with this one. I still jump to read any comments I get for this one because I'm so proud of it, you would not believe how much work went into it.

Prayers to Broken Stone: The Hobbit, Thorin/Bilbo, BotFA fixit in a way but we take the long way 'round. Dragon Sickness literally turns Thorin into a dragon and he and Bilbo need to survive being locked up alone inside Erebor long enough to find a cure for him, or else. The story is much more psychological than it may sound, it's much more about exploring Thorin's trauma through the lens of him turning into the creature he fears and loathes most in the world. Very proud of this fic since it's the first long fic I ever finished, it's the one that made me actually attend some highly competitive writing workshops since I finally felt like I had become a competent enough writer to be able to actually complete a novel. Also quite proud of the characterization, voices, and mythology created for this one.

Shanghaied: Pacific Rim, Newt/Hermann, post-Uprising again. Post-recovery fic, Newt returns to Shanghai where he was held captive by the Precursors for ten years and slowly spirals mentally when forced to confront the physical location of his torment once more, all while trying to put on a brave face for Hermann that only grows more manic as the night goes on. Still perhaps one of my most emotionally... sincere? works? It's the most based on personal experience during a bad time in my life but translated into a flavor of angst I don't see as much of in fic, it's probably one of my more literary pieces in that respect? Anyway, I'm very proud of the maturity of emotion in this one so I always race to see any comments that get left on it.

5. Come live with me and be my love: The Sandman, Dream/Hob, alternate 1789 hookup. Dream loses a bet to Desire and must live for one year as a normal human, in this specific case, one year as the husband or wife of a human of his choosing, without almost any of his powers, in order to better understand how humans live. Dream chooses Hob as his spouse, naturally, since Hob is the least unbearable of humans and not mortal and therefore not in danger from him. Hob is only too glad to oblige but unfortunately, this means Dream has to pretend to be a woman in order for them to blend in, so shenanigans ensue. While this is still a WIP I do intend to return to it and I am massively proud of it. I think it's one of the works I've done the most worldbuilding for from scratch, in the sense that I had to quickly familiarize myself to a reasonable degree with early 1800s England, a period I'm not actually all that fond of in history (I'm not really an Austen or Bridgerton fan, to say the least). I think it has some of my most ambitious writing in terms of scope and scale and some of the more clever writing in terms of building tension and crafting original characters who lend realism to the setting without overwhelming the central, more important characters of Dream/Hob and their story.

[mha-grievances]

MHA and Hori’s Stat Rankings

Ok, so if there’s any post of mine that someone can call nitpicky, it’ll be this one cause what I’m about to talk about doesn’t really affect the story of MHA in any meaningful way. Rather, it’s just going over some supplemental information that really makes no sense.

So hardcore MHA fans and/or frequent visitors of the MHA wiki know of the Ultra Archive Book and the Ultra Analysis Book. In these books, various characters are given rankings based on several stats: power, speed, technique, and intelligence/wits being the stats shared between the two books. Cooperation, the final stat in the Archive Book, was replaced in the Analysis Book by each character having a humorous stat that tells the reader a bit about them. Denki’s signature stat is Friend (6/6 S), Izuku’s is Presence (1/6 E), etc. In addition, the Analysis Book is slightly more in depth when ranking stats. Each letter has their own tiers, either being positive, neutral, or negative. For example, Izuku has a power score of 5/6 A+ while Ejiro has a power score of 5/6 A- and Mezou has flat score of 5/6 A.

The way the stats are written are easy to understand. However, when you compare the stats of some characters to one another and what we’re actually shown them being capable of doing, a lot of it doesn’t add up. Here’s I’ll be breaking down some examples of what I mean.

Power:

Perhaps the biggest examples of this area being bullshit are Shota, Hitoshi, Stain, and Tooru’s strength rankings. Throughout both books, all four characters have had a consistent power ranking, with only Stain’s really changing from a 3/6 C to a 4/5 B and Hitoshi changing from a 1/6 E to a 2/6 D. Meanwhile, Tooru has a power ranking of 2/6 D and Shota’s is 3/5 C. However, keep in mind that neither character has any sort of offensive abilities granted to them by their quirks. Stain’s is a paralysis quirk, Tooru’s makes her invisible, Hitoshi brainwashes people, and Shota’s shuts down quirks. You can make an argument for Tooru being able to refract/reflect light based quirks, but that’s something she learned later on, so keep that in mind. Meanwhile, Izuku in the Ultra Archive Book, has a power stat of 1/6 E. Now, it is basing his strength off the fact that he’s unable to properly use OFA without breaking himself, but there is absolutely no way he should be weaker than Shota, Stain, and Tooru in the power department. Izuku is at peak human strength. You can definitely say that both Shota and Stain are as well, but Tooru isn’t, struggling to do a pull-up. Despite that, she’s a tier higher than him. Speaking of Stain and Shota, you can argue that their weapons are also accounted for when Hori gave them their ratings, but that makes no sense in Shota’s case cause his capture scarf can be cut by a knife. As for Stain, his blades haven’t been shown to have any special properties, so how the hell do his blades alone allow him to beat Mina’s 3/6 C+ power. Mina’s acid melts through stone and steel with ease. Stain’s swords have nothing on that. Speaking of Mina, her power stat’s somehow lower than Mashirao’s. Sure Mashirao’s tail is pretty strong, but his best feat in the strength department is cracking concrete while Mina’s disintegrated steel with no effort. Himiko Toga also gets screwed over in terms of a power stat, being a 1/6 E in both books. Despite not having an offensive quirk at the time of her ranking, she has shown off superior strength than Tooru and Hitoshi by pining Izuku. Sure, a successful pin does involve technique, but a twig isn’t going to be able to pin a peak level human without some sort of strength. Another character who’s rated lower than they should be is Tsuyu in the Ultra Archive Book, also being a 1/6 E despite her quirk granting her enhanced strength. This was rectified in the Ultra Analysis Book with her getting bumped up to a 3/6 C, but there’s still no way Shota, a man with no superhuman abilities, should have an equal power ranking to Tsuyu, who could probably shatter a skull with a kick. Finally, there’s Dabi, who’s always thrown in the 4/6 B category. While he might not be able to use his quirk for extended periods of time, the fact that his flames are confirmed to be hotter than Endeavor’s means he deserves to be ranked higher. There’s no way you’re telling me Katsuki’s explosions are stronger than Dabi’s flames. I can also ramble about how Kyouka’s quirk is arguably one of the strongest quirks in the series but that’s for another time. To conclude, the power rankings are wonky. Peak human characters are either ranked lower than characters they should realistically beat in terms of power or are ranked higher than they should be, and characters who should be ranked higher like Mina and Dabi aren’t.

Speed:

Arguably the most consistent stat in this series is speed. There’s really only one example I wanna talk about and that’s Mezou. Mezou has a low speed ranking of 2/6 D in both books despite having some of the best performances when it comes to raw speed. He was able to save several of his classmates at the USJ before Kurogiri could warp them all away, he easily intercepted and backhanded Himiko (someone who both Shota and Izuku struggled to keep up with even when the latter was using 5% of OFA), he ran away from a full powered Dark Shadow, and he successfully countered a full barrage of Pony’s horn missiles with only his fists. Despite this, his speed stat is lower than everyone else I’ve mentioned when it should be higher.

Technique:

Easily the most flawed stat here. For starters, Hitoshi in the Ultra Archive Book has an equal technique stat to Izuku, the guy who is able to counter people by reading their body moments, and Shoto, who has been trained by the number two hero. Mind you, all we’ve seen Hitoshi do is mind control people and flail pathetically against Izuku during the Sports Festival. Katsuki, who has a 5/6 A and 5/6 A+ stat in technique, has not received any form of training and has only fought people weaker than him prior to U.A, so he also shouldn’t have a higher skill stat than the son of the number 2 pro hero. Dabi, the guy who managed to mimic the special move Shoto had to take time to learn and has the ability to mimic all of Endeavor’s moves, only has a technique stat of 2/6 D. Mezou and Jurota, the characters Hori said were the strongest characters of the first years when it came to fighting without quirks, both possess lower technique stats than Katsuki. Yui Kodai, the girl with 5/6 A+ technique, somehow got easily defeated by Ochako, who is a tier lower than her in technique. Yes, she got a surprise attack on Reiko, but Yui should’ve been able to jump her after Reiko went down. Mashirao and Itsuka are both martial artists but they both only have technique stats in the B ranks, which is lower than most of their classmates. Pretty much Hori’s rankings when it comes to technique is either constantly ignored and/or makes absolutely no sense.

Intelligence/wits:

For this section, I wanna mainly focus on Minoru. Minoru’s intelligence stat is currently ranked at 5/6 A+. Now, I’m not saying Minoru’s not smart, because we’ve seen that he is smart, but his intelligence stat’s a bit too high. For starters, Kyouka scored higher than him on the midterms despite only having a maximum intelligence score of 4/5 B. In addition, he’s ranked above Tenya, who had the second highest score on the midterms. He’s also tied with Mei, someone who Power Loader described as a “one of a kind genius”. Now, some of you might be saying that Minoru might be better at working on his feet, hence his higher intelligence stat, but Izuku’s able to accurately read an entire battlefield and scored fourth on the midterms, blowing Minoru out of the water in these instances. Moving away from Minoru, Power Loader, the head of the Support department, only has his intellect at a 2/6 D according to the Ultra Analysis book. That’s lower than the majority of 1-A and 1-B’s intelligence stats. How is the head of the support department going to have such a poor intelligence rating? Dabi, who once again is a prodigy, was the only one who had suspicions about Hawks’ loyalty, and is capable of instantly mimicking moves that Shoto and Endeavor had to take time to develop, only has an intellect of 3/6 C, which is crazy to me. Hori really has no idea what he’s doing with regards to these stats.

TL;DR: Hori’s stat assignments are bullshit and need to be drastically reworked.

[fallenhero-rebirth]

Got asked for some writing advice

How did you improve your writing specifically beyond 'just writing more'?

The first thing is to read different things from different genres. Read an old book, and see how that is written. Read a genre you normally don't read. Read some poetry. Go to the library and walk to a random book, open it in the middle and read. Read on paper, and out loud. And then read some more. And when you read, try to think about why you don't like or likes something. Is it boring? Why? Is it hard to understand? Why? What is it in the words you like? Does it feel good to read out loud? If it doesn't, why not?

A tip is to take a book you think is interesting. Take a paragraph from the middle at random, and write it down in a word document. Pay attention to how it feels to write. How are the sentences? Do they feel different from your own? Close the book and continue to write a few paragraphs. Does your style change? What is the difference between your paragraphs and the one above? Sentence length? Comma use? Does it make it better or worse

Another tip is to write down a bit of dialogue from a tv show or movie you like. There might be transcripts online even. Take that dialogue and write a scene with it. Especially if you find dialogue hard to sound natural this might be freeing. Or, you might even find that what sounded good on the screen looks terrible on paper when it's not said by a charismatic actor.

A third is to write fanfiction and try to make it as good as you can. Try to make it real, as if it might have been from the original source. Think about what it was you liked about it, and then try to imitate that and make your own story. Fanfiction gets a bad rep, but it is a great way to experiment with writing without having to come up with characters and a world. That way you can just focus on the language.

Would you have any tips regarding writing interesting characters? Mine are always very flat and bland OR 'mary sues'

First of all, there is nothing wrong with a "mary sue". The way this is used these days, it might as well mean "protagonist". If Batman or James Bond can get away with their shit, your protagonist certainly can too. And your characters will be flat at the start because a story consists of so many parts. You have your language, your plot, your world, your story rhythm. And when you are starting out, there's simply too many things to focus on. You won't get depth in all of them, and the characters are what you spot being flat first, because that's usually what attracts us to a story in the first place.

My characters were terribly flat when I started out, but I wrote short story horror so it didn't matter. Nobody read that for the characters.

A trick I have to try to get my characters to feel alive is to write arguments. Take two characters you have trouble with and let them talk. Argue about something. Be stuck in an awkward situation together. Don't bother writing anything but dialogue, never mind the actual scene. Just write them talking, and after a while you might get a feel for how they feel different from one another. Maybe they start talking about things about them that you didn't even know. Explore. Have fun. Have them say something weird. Something hurtful. Write reactions. Don't bother thinking if it's usable or not. I've written pages of dialogue just to get a feel for how people talk.

I usually build characters by combining archetypes. I start with one people will know immediately, then add another, and a third. They will be uncovered one at a time, adding depth. Let's take Ricardo Ortega for example. The first archetype is "the sexy leading man/hero". Then, we get to know what I fondly call "the himbo". And finally, we discover "the clever, sneaky asshole". I didn't need to bring in all those things at once, as long as I got writing the first archetype, people would be interested and intrigued when they learned about the new facets.

Would you have any tips on writing humor/banter? You're pretty dang good at it but I could never figure out how to be funny lmao all the jokes I write are Extremely Cringe.

Oh I wish. I honestly have no idea. I was terrible writing characters and dialogue. I think something clicked when I wrote massive amounts of DA2 fanfic, because that was a game which consisted of nothing but banter, so I tried to mimic it the best I could. I have never liked comedies or really understood humor, so I never try to be funny. It's the one part of my writing I truly does not understand, some of my characters are just like that.

What's your plot planning process like, if you have a consistent one? I can only figure out the very generic broad strokes but it falls apart as soon as I try to come up with details.

All plots are generic broad strokes. Rebirth is basically just emo protagonist monologues a lot, meets up with some old friends and proceeds to beat them up. That's it. All plots will look flat and boring in your head, because what makes a plot cool and interesting is that you don't know what's going to happen. You do. You're the author. So of course it will look flat and uninteresting in your head. The hardest thing is trying to ignore this.

My workaround to this is only knowing the barest of broad strokes. I know where I want to go, who the opposition is, some basic scenes that needs to be there (not in detail) and then I write and discover things as I go along. That is the only way for me to remain interested in the plot, if I had planned it in detail I'd get bored. And oh, sure, there's a lot of foreshadowing and hidden things in my writing, but that's only because I know some big things that's going to happen. It's not like I have sat down and detail planned every chapter, what things I need to plant there, and so on. A lot of the times I forget things, and have to go back and add them, and so on. I would say focus on the characters before the plot. If you manage to figure out how to write fun characters first, nobody will care if the plot is bland.

[tiger-moran]

OK, Sherlock & Co's The Gloria Scott, probably the best episode so far, also probably the darkest episode so far but it was the first episode where I've felt like the main characters really started to develop proper depth (I still like Mariana more than Sherlock or John though), but I really don't get the thing with the music. I don't get what the point of the music was both in the context of John choosing to edit music into it and the creators choosing to put all that in? Like what's the point of almost drowning Victor out with the music before it shifts to a practically unrelated later scene? And maybe there was meant to be some sort of 'dramatic irony' with the song there or something but I don't know what that song is and I can't tell what the singer is saying either so if there was some sort of symbolism there it's lost on me. And just, the tonal shift of it, where Victor's really upset, apparently Sherlock is also upset, but there's no actual resolution to Victor's story and the ending is just John making these rather flippant remarks. I mean I get why they wouldn't want to record Victor after he's shouting at Hunter to get out but if that's the last we hear of him, there's no actual resolution for his story for us. Which sucks when you've just introduced him as an actual character in the here and now, not someone who was solely from Sherlock's past as he is in the canon (also this Victor is such a sweetheart). Then the end is John rambling in a presumably meant to be humorous way about putting the music in like it was supposed to add something but the music really detracted from it for me, also about pirates and stuff but his tone felt really weird and inappropriate considering how dark the storyline was.

I love Victor Trevor anyway and overall I liked this take on him - bringing him into the present, making him canonically queer, even practically introducing him with him having a full on anxiety attack, I liked most of what they did with him but then that sort of makes it worse when his storyline doesn't have any real closure for us? (Also at least in the canon he's had time to come to terms with everything before Watson writes the story up and publishes it for the public to read. This though does feel a bit like another one of those times when broadcasting something almost right after it happens doesn't feel appropriate.)

[artist-issues]

*shrieks into the void*

“Let me free you from having to agree that Dune is a good movie series!”

There’s no emotional depth. The three things you’re supposed to care about, with the characters, in this movie are a) Paul’s family/household, their name and their wellbeing. b) The Fremen, their cause and their wellbeing. c) Chani, Paul’s relationship with her and her wellbeing. But the movies do not display any genuine moments of these characters being relatable or human or empathetic in a way that we can all empathize with. Paul’s interactions with his father before his death are too formal and take themselves too seriously. There’s little to no humor or relaxed moments between them that the casual viewer could relate to before big, dramatic moments ramp up the tension. When everything is solemn and Shakespeare, nothing is impactful or hits you in a real way. It all quickly becomes emotional white-noise, whether the dad is screaming about a assassination attempt on his son or his death is revealed to that son—who cares? Paul and Chani? They have no build-up to their relationship. There’s no reason they should like each other beyond animal attraction. And no audience member can relate to the experience of having supernatural visions about a girl, then meeting her and gaining her trust through pitched combat and ritual training. So nobody cares when he betrays her, no matter how much dramatic music you play. And Paul’s mother’s motives are either unclear or wholly unrelatable, so you don’t care what she’s after or how it will affect everyone else.

The writing lacks pacing. There are barely any jokes or moments of regular, normal conversation. Every single conversation is weighed down by solemn “fantasy culture” references, every single line is burdened by dramatic mic-drop one-liners. Paul and his mother never talk about what they miss about their old planet together, in a normal fashion. That would be the most natural thing in the world, as they travel through the desert.

The villains are shock-jock puppets. You might as well have a clip show of people getting run over by cars or falling off of bridges playing, instead of every scene with Fayd Rautha or any Harkonen, for all that the villains add to the story. They’re just there to be loud, or erotic, or gory—but don’t worry, the movie will play dramatic, chanting music behind everything they do so that you feel a sense of “epic dread” when they’re actually doing nothing intimidating or clever, or scary. They’re just yelling and smashing people. If they twirled their mustaches and “mua-ha-ha-ha’d” they’d at least be a little campy and fun to watch—but they’d be exactly the same amount of ‘effective or interesting in the story.’

It’s all sugar, no nutrients. The sugar just happens to be pretty music, good sound and visual effects, and nice-looking actors & actresses. The message is “power is derived from the successful manipulation of those with faith.” That’s it. That’s awful. That’s an awful message. What am I supposed to do with that information? What am I supposed to carry out of that theater? I’m supposed to start abandoning submission and faith in any higher power or authority, and use those ideas for selfish ambition and control, if I were to listen to Dune.

And don’t tell me it’s profound to take your main character and make him the villain. Boo hoo hoo. That’s not profound, I don’t care if it is Timothee Chalamet. Nobody cared about who he was before he betrayed his girlfriend and seized manipulative power for himself. When Anakin Skywalker falls to the dark side and kills his wife and turns on all the people who looked to him for help? You care. Know why? Because you saw who he was and how he struggled to live up to that, before the fall ever happened. He was a human character with relatable flaws like pride and human moments, like teasing his girlfriend or making his best buddies nervous, with hobbies, like tinkering. With a competitive personality. With a deep angst over loss. Paul Atreides? Lazy. Lazy in comparison. We’re just told his dad died and told he’s sad about that, but there’s no real human attention given to that. Just big dramatic, angsty declarations and acting-explosions. We’re told he loves Chani, and expected to believe it, but given no evidence except a suggestive post-sex scene with zero romantic tension or buildup, or even bonding. All Paul Atreides is, is a character who has a laundry list of epic hard-to-do chores, and he gets them done, while dramatic music plays, as if there was some doubt he was going to be able to do his chores and you’re supposed to see his completion of the list as a moment of victory. Guess what? I don’t care about his chore list, no matter how “cultural” they are. So I don’t care about his rise or fall, or anything he’s doing, because he’s not a relatable human character. He’s just a caricature. And that would be fine. If there were any relatable human side characters to look at him through the eyes of. But there aren’t. Because this whole story is “shock and awe, look at how important we are, hear that rumbling bass in the soundtrack, see this character brooding into the horizon for the seven-thousandth shot?” What am I supposed to take away from this? All sugar. No nutrients.

[ladyloveandjustice]

Summer 2024 Anime Overview: Suicide Squad Isekai

The Suicide Squad from DC Comics meets isekai….as both a (former) DC Comics nerd and an anime fan, I’ve been training my whole life for this.

So…was this series good? I wouldn’t call it that. Was it accurate to it’s source material? Nope. No way in hell. Was it still pretty fun to watch? Yeah, it mostly is!

This is a series that embraces how goofy it is. Not all the humor hits, but much of it is at least endearing. It’s an anime about watching a bunch of assholes cause chaos and fail hard, and it shines at doing that.

Probably the character I’m most disappointed with, despite the fact she gets the most screentime and is clearly the main character, is Harley. It’s easy to tell this anime started production with only the first Suicide Squad to go off of, because Harley and the Joker’s relationship is framed as positive and not abusive at all. Also, hilariously, the Joker is now full bishonen with a seductive voice and Hot Topic aesthetic.

Rather the chaotic, cheerfully murderous, and full of uncontrollable rage guy from the comics, he’s like, a pretty laid back mall goth and talks a lot about how the world is filthy (dude since when do you care).

He also doesn’t mention Batman once, which might be a copyright thing but adds to it all. He's less like the Joker and more like one of the many Joker-alike characters in anime: Hisoka from Hunter x Hunter, that guy from Metallic Rouge, the way he’s played seems so familiar.

Making the relationship with Harley healthy actually flattens her a lot as a character. Now she really was saved from her dull life by a man, her obsession with him is just annoying rather than sad, and she isn’t struggling with anything. There’s no conflict withing her. What really doesn’t help is the show frames her as “SUPER EMPOWERED” and the empowering thing is that a man showed her how to “be herself” (aka be just like him) and now she can’t go five minutes without talking about him, and she gets almost every creative thought and good idea she has from him…girl power, y’all!

On the other hand, she is incredibly fun to watch, with her boldness, her love of violence, and carefree attitude. It’s cute to watch her slowly form friendships with the team (and always adorable how Harley forms a friendship with King Shark in every continuity. She calls him Nana-chan!) She does things like randomly adopt a dragon and team up with orcs. She has a wonderful moment when attacked with mind control. She’s a character I like outside the stuff with the Joker, even if she isn’t really Harley.

And speaking of female characters done dirty, Amanda Waller does a lot of bad things, but I really can’t picture her getting behind colonizing another world and taking their resources. Yet here we are. She also has very little screentime in this, despite being so famously prominent in the end credits.

All the other members of the Squad basically have one trait we return to again and again, but the one trait is usually pretty fun (except for Peacemaker, who’s one thing is mentioning PEACE and AMERICA and boy does it get old), their team dynamic is fun and boy are they causing carnage. Again, they lack the depth of their comic counterparts and just kind of feel like their own thing, but while they’re shallow as hell, that doesn’t make them boring. Especially when the commit so much bombastic animated violence. The show has a ton of fun with its fight animation, and the effort really shows.

The isekai world is fairly generic, which seems to be part of the point, and the plot is paper thin, and this includes a villain who’s introduced late in the story, with no explanation of where she came from, why she’s doing what she’s doing and one of the dumbest designs I’ve ever seen...and the whole climax is built around her. It then pulls off a plot twist so brazenly nonsensical that is wraps around to being kind of impressive in its ridiculousness.

There is an effort made at character development in one respect- there's this whole character arc with the Generic Isekai Princess where Harley inspires her to speak up for herself and she decides to become as much like Harley as she can. Soooo I think this show really does think “empowering yourself” is actually copying another person and trying to become them, but hey, at least that other person is a woman this time. And there were a couple shippy moments with her and Harley, so that’s something.

(oh and on the topic of unfortunate implications, at one point Clayface makes fun of Deadshot's short dreads, saying his hair looks like "broccoli" and I have no idea why anybody let that through, especially on the DC side).

But at the end of they day, the one thing I wanted to happen--everyone getting magical girl transformation sequences--did in fact happen and it was great, so I can’t complain.

So yeah, this is a fine show to watch if you want a shallow, utterly brainless good time. It’s here to be goofy and action packed and nothing else. But if you really need these characters to resemble the comic characters, it’s not gonna be for you.

[piracytheorist]

What's your thoughts on the episode where that fake waiter 'poisoned' Yor, and Anya intimidated him into supposedly leaving the crime life? The stuff he thought and whatnot, as well as Anya in that scene? I'm so curious as to your thoughts

I think that Anya, honestly, has the time of her life making her fantasies come true and saving the world.

All kids dream of being superheroes and doing cool stuff. Courtesy of her mind-reading powers and girlbossing a spy and an assassin into adopting her, Anya can actually act on that stuff and go up against bad guys and overthrow plans for war, and I think, to her advantage, she's a little too young to understand the gravity of her situation. She stops a bomb, saves her father and many many innocent civilians, practically putting an end to an effort to reignite a war that ended before she was even born... and then she goes back home with a bright smile like "Hero Anya has saved the day!"

And I think something similar happened in this scene. She faced a professional criminal, created a bomb that he was going to create, even put her signature on it by adding peanuts, actually hurt him, and then warned him with knowledge of his personal life. And all without breaking a sweat.

Honestly, the sight of a terrorist kid who knows all your secrets and works for the assassin you were just trying to kill sounds like enough of a terrifying concept, enough to turn you away from a life of even professional crime. I mean, the guy already was thinking of giving up on that life, for the sake of his girlfriend and believing that it was a miracle he'd survived the Thorn Princess' massacre. It was just the immediate sight of her in his cover job that made him think it was his fallen comrades asking him for revenge. And he tries that with a poison, Yor shakes it off because she's a tank, and he goes for a last ditch effort with the bomb, but then a fucking kid creates that same bomb before him and lets him take the blast. And then tells him about his own secrets. He realizes he's out of his depth, he's being given a second (third?) chance, and decides the life of a criminal is over for him.

Honestly, I think it's fucking hilarious. Spy x Family manages to have an excellent amount of unhinged humor that somehow makes sense. Anya wasn't playing around. She literally made a bomb and exposed the man's secrets. It was enough to scare him off any attempt at continuing this life or his effort for revenge. And as weird as it is, it actually sounds pretty reasonable. Again, I'm not sure Anya grasps the full weight of her actions - she probably thinks that she scared him off because she was Cool™ and all that, when in fact it was because it's pretty scary to have a child bomb you and expose your secrets - but in a story with spies and assassins, I don't find it all that weird. It just adds to the unhinged humor of it all.

Cause yeah, despite how unhinged it all is, Spy x Family somehow touches reality in a very... "secure" way. I don't know if that's the right word to use, lol. It's just that even when characters have extreme reactions, it's always on something you can understand and maybe even sympathize with. Even when we're dealing with criminals such as that guy, it's always focused on humanity and a deep understanding of reality... but also in a very malleable way. Like, who would have thought this was the way to discourage the way from a life of crime forever? Tatsuya Endo, that's who.

(Anime only fan here, don't spoil me for the manga)

[froznwater]

I love your writing!!! Got any tips on how to make describe like inner dialogue or description?

First: thank you so much :DD Im happy to hear that you love my writing. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASK!!! <33 For tips on making descriptions for inner monologue keep reading!!(use this at your own discretion):

I think fanfiction writing and actual book writing can be quite different. Many of the things I do and use are not exactly the way one would want to execute an actual fully fleshed story.

I do a lot of telling.

But, its fanfiction. And I know(from experience) being given inner ramblings that talk about how the character is feeling is appealing. (About every little romantical thought.) And very useful when you are working with a shorter word count.

A: Know your character. Watch the show/read the material/whatever you need to do. Your main goal is to see things from their perspective. Pick up on the main things about them. Are they optimistic or pessimistic? Are they confident? Are they short and to the point, or do they nervously go on and on? Maybe they talk prolifically, but still in run-ons. Consider everything. Personality, background, goals. This will help keep you in character.

B: I think really going in hard on the realistic part of thinking is charming. It's not all perfectly pieced together. It can be chaotic. You can recall memories or dialogue for the character to reference. Because in your own mind, that's what you would do. Sentence structure can be used to keep attention, and draw attention. I recommend looking into it.

A lot of my inner thoughts for the characters are me thinking throughout the day. I write down lines. Thoughts from here and there. And then later I string them together and add details around them. I think, "Wow, Noah would think x of y." I write down this thought, then think of how to phrase it in the story, then add things to make it more realistic/give it depth.

I write down whatever scenes I think of. Almost every chapter I analyze what my character is doing, what is he thinking, why he is thinking it. I have pages where I just write notes in the middle of class for my fic when an idea comes to me. Below is a couple picture examples. In the second picture, you'll see a core conversation that made it into the fic, edited and reworked a bit. I wrote that back in October.

C: Edit. A lot of my editing is me actually making the thoughts moreeee real. I add in snipey one-liners to Noah or Alejandro's thoughts. Some of the lines people say "omg that was actually funny" are me going back in, and thinking that humor could help break up this chunk of emotion. I try my BEST to make Noah and Alejandro feel individual in their own brain-space. Noah is very down on himself, where Alejandro praises. I try to keep Alejandro's talking mannerisms where I can. Sometimes spanish, sometimes dancing around saying something. Noah is short. Choppy. Lots of sarcasm and references.

Dont be afraid to just BLAH all over the page. And then delete and move and break up. Errr, I hope this is what you were looking forr!!

[how-very-salty]

How do I make my characters have more depth or like a spark yk? How do I make them feel alive and like actual people. (Also I need general tips on writing please)

Hi…I'll try to give some advice, although I don't think I'm that skilled at it :3

Always read your writing out loud, especially dialog. With intonation, as if you were an actor.This will help you see the mistakes and correct them.

Characters shouldn't have only black and white sides. People are usually gray and often very contradictory. For example, the way I write Ronnie in one of the fics. Outer layer: On the outside, she seems very confident. Flirts a lot, knows how to keep a face. Inner layer: She is vulnerable and dependent on other people's opinions. She needs approval. Digging deeper: Veronica believes that she's actually a good person and that she's just underestimated. So she tries to live up to her self-image, but… And a little deeper: …but she fails, and this striving drains her. Her parents loved her, but expressed love only as a reward. She never received unconditional love, it always seemed to her that she had to work hard to get it. And this is where you get motivation that you can use later. Of course, you don't have to say it directly, but leave clues: the resentment of being underestimated, the feeling of butterflies in her stomach when JD taked her side without question or reproach. Motivation is important. It may not be shown, it may not be mentioned, but the most important thing is to know it when you write. That way, the character's actions will be smooth and believable.

Accidents happen, impulsive decisions are made. If you want a character to suddenly decide to do something out of character, why not? Just lead up to it. Add fatigue from routine, thoughts of "I'm tired of thinking things through," and so on. And then the reader will believe that this is not a god from the machine, and that the character has just gone over the edge.

You have to play "yes, but" with the characters. For example, there is Martha. Martha is kind and naive. She's naive. Yes, but naivety is a childish trait. With naivety often comes selfishness, not from evil, but from a black-and-white view of the world. Even if you look at the canon, Martha didn't really think about Veronica's feelings when she suggested going into her boyfriend's locker, or when she assumed he was a murderer. It didn't occur to her that if Veronica hadn't known it was really him, she would have been hurt by the situation. That she would have had to choose between an old friend and love. Or no longer about canon, but about fanon. Martha is kind - what dark side could there be? Simple, she is good, but her goodness can be suffocating. Veronica is sarcastic by nature, she has an innate adaptability, black humor and gray morals. And she can feel bad around Martha, not just because she compares herself to her, but because Martha, for all her goodness, may not accept all of Veronica's darker sides. And Veronica will have to work harder to hide her bad sides and earn Martha's friendship. Which brings us back to Veronica's inner conflict.

Well, probably the last thing on my mind is rereading and correcting it until it comes together in the right way. Sometimes you've already written a chapter, and you reread earlier chapters and see that there was a situation that could be the reason for the characters' actions now. Because you have the motivation in your head, all the events follow each other, even if you didn't think them through. They just fit into that character's vision. And rereading helps to connect and flesh that out, to make the story even more coherent.

I hope I've been helpful. Have a good day!

[the-phantom-author]

I just found your account, and as a Hasan enjoyer, I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE your writing and stories 🥹💜

For the request, hear me out on this!!!

Pre-relationship: you’re a gaming streamer who’s streamed with Pokimane/Ludwig/Sykkuno etc (not super familiar with who Hasan games with since I’ve mostly watched his politics/true crime stuff). You mostly stream cozy games, but have been known to pop off on Valorant, Among Us, and Dead by Daylight when invited to play.

Since you’re a gaming channel, you don’t talk about much outside of that, but you’re actually super knowledgeable on politics/leftism/current events/history and other more serious topics Hasan covers. Very few members of your audience have picked up on it, and your streaming friends never go in depth on it since they usually get caught up in gameplay/don’t know as much about it (nothing malicious ofc!!!)

One day, Lugwig decides to host another Among Us stream and he invites you and Hasan to join. You and Hasan haven’t officially met at this point. Sure, you’re mutuals on social media and have common friends, but you have never talked to each other and aren’t really familiar with the content the other makes.

During the game, Hasan makes a comment on an ongoing political problem (“This is worse than the don’t say gay bill! How dare you betray me!” or something similar). You add onto the joke in a way where he just KNOWS you know a lot about the topic. The rest of the stream has both you and Hasan making similar jokes, to the point Lugwig jokingly bans you both from making them.

After that, you and Hasan start talking wayyy more. You guys start texting each other, watch the other’s content, and pop in to the other’s stream from time to time. One day, Hasan invites you to react to a right-wing grifter and everyone gets a whole new look into your knowledge on subjects Hasan covers. Not only that, but the chemistry between you and Hasan shines through; keeping up with his points, same type of humor, etc etc.

From there, just a slow burn friends to lovers where everyone can see you both just fit together well and AHHHHHHHH CUTE SHIT 🥹🥹🥹

Thank you for reading this, i am brain rotted by Hasan 😤✨

NONNY!!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!!

This is the cutest. The slow burn strangers to friends to lovers.

The way I know Hasan would love to show you off. Like he knows that you don't think that your stream is the best place to do political commentary, but his is so he loves having you on his.

[gay-dorito-dust]

But that's why it's so fun though. There's definitely the surface level canon story.

It's fun to think, what if? Especially with easter eggs or vague elements showing the tiniest connection to another. Someone had to create that, so maybe they had an idea the viewer would too. If so, then what would the story look like if this connection is canon. Bonus points if it is canon and theres tiny nuggets all over the place. Im looking at you, eldren ring 😘👅. Overall, it expands the story and adds depth, and who doesn't like that. (Trick question: NO ONE)

Lmao YOU KNOW he was waiting!! The pan away shot was so the audience couldn't see the filthy smirk on his face after saying that. Leon is totally a "fun guy" at heart *snaps finger guns*. Definitely loves to crack jokes. It's just given his surroundings and the situation he usually in, it's totally not called for. Especially his type of...humor, which already isn't that funny in a normal environment. Then when he says it, it's a double "Oh hell no." for me, dawg.

AHHHHH lmaooo you like his jokes! You're more whipped me than! �� I'm shriveling up. A chocolate eclair 💀 we gotta build that up! (I can't talk mine is as tough as extra firm tofu)

Fr I totally understand. I'd feel bad especially since he's trying to lighten the environment, plus I know he hates this more than I do. Replace me with Ashley and all I hear are gunshots, goreish noises, and foreign yelling 24/7...👁👄👁 I'm listening to "Leon's jokes on a 10 hour loop" (some of them). I'd have to scrape up the courage to think of jokes and not hyper fixating on my environment and future death or Leon's back 😉.

I'd either beg Leon for a mercy kill or do it myself. I'm not built for that world. Also if Leon actually said that, he'd get 1 good noodle star, cuz that actually made me laugh.🤡

I'm hollering!! I was thinking the same thing but couldn't find the meme!!! Thank you!!🥹

Leon is a frat party and a Bang energy drink (the only option) with a plate of hooters wings away from being the "you're not that guy pal". Maybe the trauma was worth it.

(Again sorry for any grammar mistake. I can't read or write)

I love a game with little nuggets that subtly connect to one another to weave an story beneath the common storyline. It just gives you more insight to…well everything! It’s one of my favourites that the game developers are like ‘we’re gonna give long time players a treat and new time players a fun thing to unravel.’

Ngl, Leon would single-handedly give me brain rot so bad that I start doing crappy, half asses one liners.

It’s a disease and he’s the cause.

It ain’t my fault that Leon is so unbelievably pretty! My kryptonite is pretty boys and unfortunately Leon is on-top of the list for prettiest boys!

All he’d have to do if flash me a smile and I’d be like; 😩 😳😖🥵🤤🫠

The trauma Leon has been through had altered him so much so that his coping mechanisms are to make shitty one liners to EVERYTHING.

He thinks he’s a cool kid at heart, we know that ain’t true. He’s a dorky dork that thinks his humour is the shit.

Me: Leon go to therapy, you’re obviously not okay.

Leon: Therapy is for losers and I am no loser😎

Me: you’ve missed 6 appointments, the jokes got to stop-

In all fairness he probs doesn’t think therapy would work out for him at all and also over works himself to the bone. I remember someone saying that the reasons for Leon being jacked as all hell in re4 is so he doesn’t get taken by surprise anymore.

My baby needs a hug but he’d probably be so on edge and alert that I wouldn’t be able to without triggering his fight or flight responses.

I’d get too distracted by Leon’s ass and have a deep debate within myself whether or not it’s be inappropriate to slap it. Also Leon doesn’t skip leg day. He’s got nice thighs, and arms…and back…nice tits…

Leon probably would drink bang energy in means of staying up at night. How he finds out about bang is anyones guess.