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How to show emotions

Part VIII

How to show helplessness

slightly open mouth

downturned mouth

eyes slightly more open

being hesitant in their movements

shrugging shoulders

wringing their hands

crossed arms to protect themself

buckling of the legs, becoming instable

speaking softly and shaky

How to show optimism

openly smiling

relaxed face

bright, attentice eyes

steady and natural eye contact

open and upright posture

energetic and animated movements

speaking in an upbeat and positive tone

walking with a spring in their step

walking confidently

How to show anticipation

bright and open eyes

looking around

sweaty palms

trembling hands

heart racing

fidgeting with their entire body

crossing and uncrossing one's legs

having restless legs, rocking them

drumming with their fingers

bouncing on one's toes

shifting from one foot to the other

pacing around

fussing with clothes

How to show amusement

eyes twinkling with mirth

chuckling

bursting out in laughter

eye contact to share their amusement

being open and relaxed

a genuine smile

raised eyebrows

crinkling around the eyes

tilting of the head

slapping their thigh

playfully nudging other characters

How to show respectfulness

standing tall with good posture

maintain steady, appropriate eye contact

avoiding direct staring to not make them feel uncomfortable

speaking in a calm and measured tone

showing attentiveness by listening actively

using polite language and manners, not interrupting or talking over anyone

no crossing of arms and relaxed hands

More: How to write emotions Masterpost

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Random Stuff for Your Story

I have bookmarks saved for random, different, interesting topics that don’t really fit into any single category, so I decided to just put them all together in one list.

A list of resources on miscellaneous topics to help make your stories more interesting.

Writing Accurate Heist Scenes A tumblr thread that discusses accurate heist scenes for heist movies, and what it’s like to work as a security guard.

Friends, Not Love Interests Helpful advice for anyone who is writing two characters as friends (particularly when one is female and the other is male), in order to help minimize the chance of readers wanting them to fall in love.

The Writer’s Guide to Distinguishing Marks on Characters A basic guide on different types of distinguishing marks for characters, such as freckles, birthmarks, scars, and tattoos.  

Don’t Use Specific Numbers in Your Story A tumblr thread that explains if your story doesn’t need a specific number for something (whether a date, age, span of time, etc.), then you don’t need to use a number. Includes helpful examples.

Pet Peeves in TV Shows and Movies A tumblr thread with different lists of things that people find annoying in TV shows and movies. Many of these things can also apply to situations in stories.

Types of Paperwork That Characters Could Do A tumblr thread that discusses how fanfiction writers often give their characters “large amounts of paperwork they hate doing,” but don’t describe the type of paperwork.  Provides a list of different types of paperwork that characters could be working on.

In Time Travel Movies, When the Time Traveler Asks... A tumblr thread that discusses more realistic responses for when a time traveler asks what year it is or where they are, instead of people automatically thinking they are weird or crazy for asking.  

Reasons for a Character’s Death Explains the reasons why you might kill off a character, and offers advice on how to make a character’s death meaningful.

Dialogue Responses to “I Thought You Were Dead!” A list of different responses that a character could give when someone else says, “I thought you were dead.”

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I’m a writer, poet, and editor. I share writing resources that I’ve collected over the years and found helpful for my own writing. If you like my blog, follow me for more resources! ♡

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Character Flaws and Their Meanings

Impulsiveness : Acts on instinct without careful planning. Perfectionism : Sets unrealistically high standards, leading to self-criticism. Indecisiveness : Struggles to commit to decisions or choose a path. Arrogance : Overestimates one’s abilities and dismisses others. Pessimism : Habitually expects negative outcomes in most situations. Cynicism : Distrusts the motives and sincerity of others. Overconfidence : Places excessive faith in one’s skills, often underestimating risks. Stubbornness : Resists change and refuses to adapt to new ideas. Jealousy : Feels envious of others' success or possessions. Insecurity : Experiences frequent self-doubt and a lack of confidence. Procrastination : Tends to delay tasks, often leading to missed opportunities. Passivity : Avoids taking initiative and relies on others to act. Aggressiveness : Responds with hostility or force rather than reason. Selfishness : Prioritizes personal gain over the welfare of others. Fragility : Is overly sensitive to criticism and easily discouraged. Egotism : Constantly focuses on oneself and one’s own importance. Defensiveness : Quickly rejects or rationalizes away critique or new information. Manipulativeness : Exploits others to fulfill personal needs or desires. Recklessness : Shows a careless disregard for potential risks or consequences. Resentfulness : Holds lingering bitterness and grudges over perceived wrongs. Distractibility : Finds it hard to maintain focus amid competing interests. Impatience : Lacks the willingness to wait, often spoiling opportunities to learn. Perfunctory : Performs actions in a mechanical, uninspired manner. Self-Doubt : Consistently questions personal abilities and decisions. Arbitraryness : Makes decisions based on whim rather than reason or evidence. Rigidity : Is inflexible and unwilling to consider alternative viewpoints. Gullibility : Trusts too easily, often leading to being misled or deceived. Obsession : Becomes excessively fixated on particular ideas or details. Aloofness : Maintains emotional distance, appearing detached or indifferent. Intolerance : Refuses to accept differing perspectives or lifestyles.

Writing Advice for Brainstorming

Mix genres and time periods: Experiment by combining elements from different eras or genres to create unique settings and narratives.

Use "what if" scenarios: Pose unexpected questions (e.g., What if time travel operated on emotions rather than mechanics?) to spark novel ideas.

Draw from diverse mediums: Engage with art, music, or even scientific papers to inspire unexpected plot twists.

Embrace absurdity: Let illogical or surreal ideas guide you; sometimes the wildest thoughts lead to compelling stories.

Reverse clichés: Identify common tropes in your favorite genres and deliberately invert them to create fresh perspectives.

Incorporate personal anomalies: Transform your idiosyncrasies and personal struggles into rich, multi-dimensional characters.

Use mind-mapping: Visually plot your ideas in a freeform way to uncover hidden connections between disparate elements.

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I made these as a way to compile all the geographical vocabulary that I thought was useful and interesting for writers. Some descriptors share categories, and some are simplified, but for the most part everything is in its proper place. Not all the words are as useable as others, and some might take tricky wording to pull off, but I hope these prove useful to all you writers out there!

(save the images to zoom in on the pics)

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Visitors

They came on a Thursday. 

I know because Surfside Arcade ran a special "Thrifty Thursday" discount, and we'd been debating about whether to head there right away to avoid the inevitable long lines for GALACTIC RUMBLE, or whether we should make our regular after-school pit stop at Sweet Scoops. I favored the latter. Mrs. Finster never made enough Caramel Crunch to last too far into the evening and I knew if we went to the arcade first, I'd get caught up in the competition and miss my chance to savor that crunchy, gooey deliciousness. 

As it turned out, it was a moot point anyway.

"We need to avoid sticky ice cream hands if we want to dominate on G'lactic," Sophia said, throwing an emphatic fist to show she meant business.

"You know we can always just wash our hands, right?" I retorted, rolling my eyes. She was still sore about losing to Bobby the previous week.

"And waste precious line time? Heck no." Ethan always sided with Sophia. I think he was a bit sweet on her. 

I looked to Emma, hoping to find someone in my corner, but she just shrugged and shook her head. Didn't want to get between us, as usual. I hung my head in disappointment, but I wasn't about to give up. 

I never got the chance to make my rebuttal though because the world ended. The screams interrupted me. 

At the very least, I thought, this meant we didn't have to take that dumb history test on Friday, but it would’ve been nice to know in advance, so we wouldn't've wasted so much time at the optional study guide review after class. That way, I might've been able to get my sweet, sweet scoops before they arrived. One last taste of heavenly bliss before disaster. No such luck.

We'd been making our way through the back streets. Tall, brick buildings on either side offered a comfortable shade that was welcome in the afternoon heat. It did mean we didn't have a clear view of what was going on, though. We heard the frantic yells before a scattered group of people ran into the street ahead of us from the direction of the boardwalk. 

"Move!" 

"Run!" 

We froze.

There were other things they yelled too, but it's difficult to make out when everyone's shouting at once.

Something big was happening. If not, this many people wouldn't be going crazy. But we didn't know what it was (fire? gunman? terrorists?) or which way to run. Some of the people from the initial group darted past us, others scrambled into the buildings around us, while a few ran toward the beach. One man mumbled nonsense as he half stumbled, half jogged, tears streaking his face, a distinctive wet stain on the front of his pants. It stood out to me because it was the first time I'd seen something like that. Not the strangest thing I'd see that day, though. By a long shot.

"What's happening?" Emma was the first to break free from the spell that locked us in place, watching in shock and fear as grown ass adults freaked out around us.

"They're killing us all!" someone shouted.

If that's not enough to get you moving, you've got something wrong with you. It was enough for us. I'm not sure who decided which way we ran, the direction, or even how long, but we took off. (Cut me some slack, ok? Everything was a blur at this point, it's not every day you go through the end of the world.)

We must've stayed on the back streets because that's where we were ushered to stop. A kind man was leading people who happened by into a large garage (warehouse?) with tall, faded green wooden doors that had been padlocked closed. There was a smaller door built into its side, and it was through there that he directed everyone. Must have seen our panicked group coming and decided to help us, too.

"Stop, stop!" He had to practically run into the middle of the street with his hands outstretched and waving to get our attention. Thing that stood out the most was his incredible windbreaker, one of the kinds I'd always wanted but never got for my birthday. Big, poofy, and vibrant. Shimmered in such a mesmerizing way. Funny, the kinds of things that stick out to you when you're running for your life. "There's a safe place through here," he told us, motioning to the garage. 

We all eyed each other to gauge what we thought about this, but I think 'stranger danger' kind of goes out the window when there's chaos all around you. Unknown things were out there apparently "killing everyone," and we needed a safe place to go.

It was dark inside the garage, but someone stood off to the side, flashlight aimed at an open manhole that people were using a ladder to crawl into. Now, I'm not sure about you, but I wasn't about to enter a random hole somewhere without even knowing what was really going on. This has nothing to do with my fear of the dark, by the way. I just wasn't cool with it. 

Sophia and Ethan were, though. Barely even considered their options before rushing forward. Emma and I hung back, wary of even getting too close to the mysterious passageway. We both ultimately decided we weren't going to risk it. The kind man was fine with our decision, he didn't push us or demand we change our mind, just shrugged and re-opened the door into the back streets for us. We shared a quick goodbye with Sophia and Ethan and before we knew it, the door was closed, and we were out in the chaos again. 

 This next part is going to sound even more disjointed than what came before, so remember what I said about cutting me slack. Emma and I decided to head toward the boardwalk, I'm not sure why. I lost her once we got there. (On the way there?) I don't even know what happened to her, just that when I looked over, she was gone. It's not surprising though, given what we found.

As soon as the ocean was in view, I saw a massive spaceship hanging off in the distance as if gravity was a switch they could easily turn off, or pause, I guess. I can't tell you with any specificity, but the thing was huge. Multiple levels, blinking lights, the whole nine. Looked like something off Star Wars. Made absolutely no sound. At least, nothing I could hear above the screams. You'd think the sight of it alone would have been enough of a deterrent, but by that point I was gripped by this morbid curiosity. I finally understand that saying about cats because I was nearly killed thanks to it.

As I got closer to the boardwalk and the sandy beach came into view, I saw them, a pair of them out by the shore. 

I can't tell you what they looked like. I've tried remembering, but it's like my mind just can't do it. I do know they wore these long robes though, with this shimmering, vibrant fabric. In their hands, they had these sprayers they were using against us. People getting sprayed dropped like flies. (Cockroaches?)

It was like they were exterminating us. The two of them were really happy doing it too. Such glee. As if they were a couple of kids who were eager for their turn with the spray toy and were having the time of their lives getting rid of the pests that had accumulated in their vacation home after an extended absence.

I was like a statue again, watching them. 

Don't know if you've ever felt fear like that. The kind that creeps up over you, rooting you in place. The kind you can feel all the way down to your bones. I can understand why a lot of people didn't run.

I snapped out of it, though. Don't ask me how.

Something kicked into gear when I realized they were getting closer to the boardwalk. I needed to get out of there, so I booked it back to the garage from earlier.

Decided, if we were being treated like roaches, I'd hide like one. Retreat into the dark crevices of the world where they were less likely to look.

I found the garage easily enough and climbed down the manhole. There was a small pocket down there that led to a door. I was expecting tunnels and gray and to just be living like moles or something, but I opened the door to sunlight. Instead of screams and chaos, there were green fields, clear skies, trees, a garden where vegetables were growing, some large farming equipment to cultivate crops. Sophia and Ethan were in the distance. All around us was an enormous metal wall. 

I have no idea where I am, but I feel safe.

_____

At the end of a large, dark room, multiple screens displayed numerous enclosures, flashing in vivid colors. A lone figure sat, observing, while row upon row of metal walls, each equipped with the necessary components to sustain human life, were easily accessible with the click of a button.

A blinking red light turned into a steady blue.

“Containment CA-0432 has reached specimen capacity,” the figure confirmed. “Sealing the enclosure.” 

[this-writers-dream]

not enough secret gardens and hidden passageways and bookshelves that open to a mysterious library these days. get working on that girls.

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The first 5 pages of the second chapter of My Own Personal Demon! I should be setting up a separate account for this series, so keep your eyes peeled for that. In the meantime.... Enjoy!

Edit: +3 pages

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Current linguistics obsession: the difference in English between “few/little” and “a few/a little”

“He convinced few people” Negative connotation; he did not convince that many people.

“He convinced a few people” Neutral to positive connotation; he did manage to convince some people.

“They found a little food” “Neutral to positive connotation; it might not be a lot, but they did manage to find some food.

“They found little food” Negative connotation; that’s not going to be enough food.

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Love how tumblr has its own folk stories. Yeah the God of Arepo we’ve all heard the story and we all still cry about it. Yeah that one about the woman locked up for centuries finally getting free. That one about the witch who would marry anyone who could get her house key from her cat and it’s revealed she IS the cat after the narrator befriends the cat.

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I’ll sometimes use epithets if the other character is a different race (as in not human) from my POV character. Particularly if there are multiple characters of different races. I think that’s probably among the only instances when you would think of someone as something other than their name if you know it. Unless the POV character is close to them. Then it’s name only.

writers of the world: please stop using epithets in your writing, trust me “the blonde army doctor”, “the curly haired detective”, “the blue-eyed man” etc. do not sound as good in writing as they may sound in your head

instead, use the characters’ names, they’re there for a reason and it’ll make your writing much more crisp, tight, to the point, and still entertaining

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i think the funniest possible plot arc for alecto would be ianthe trying to arrange a threesome between herself and her two closest friends (harrow and kiriona), but she just ends up wingmanning them both really hard by accident (since nothing ever goes truly right for ianthe) and that's how griddlehark ends up happening

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their dynamic is so funny to me

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Ooooh Harrow. We're really in it now. 🖤🫠

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She is though, isn’t she. 

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I just think that they’ve probably practiced kissing in the Nova AU

(description and no paint under the cut)

Keep reading

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So I read a whole book in a few days, something I haven’t done since highshool…

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🦴💀💀🦴