#;;you've got the words to change a nation ( ooc )

[amillixnvoices]

be prepared to be BOOPED!

#;;you've got the words to change a nation ( ooc )

[deusvervewrites]

okay good cus i have au brainrot and a sleeping problem

right now im working on lov traitor himiko bc she has done no wrong and possibly one of my favorite characters bc have i mentioned shes awesome /lh

also how do you make sure your characterization is right? ive deleted work before after working on it simply because they got slowy ooc over the course of the snippet lol

(sorry if im just barraging you with asks just tell me to stop if youre uncomfy as i mentioned i have brainrot haha)

yeah word dump (im sorry)

(This is the Anon from this Ask, but I didn't get around to this right away)

I'm not going to say Toga did nothing wrong but I love her, and the idea of her as a traitor is wild. Given her shapeshifting powers, she's probably the best situated for it after Shigaraki himself. Also she's a middle-school dropout homeless teenager so figuring out how she has the resources to do what she does could be fun

[Writing advice starts here]

For characterization, all characters are at their core comprised of three questions: 'What does this character want more than anything else?', 'Why does this character want it?', and 'How is this character going to get it?'

If you know those three questions you can handle pretty much anything. Here, let's give an example.

Bakugou:

What does Bakugou want more than anything else? To be the Number One Hero

Why does he want it? Because he has no self-worth unless people are praising him, so he's set his sights on the top celebrity in the world.

How is he going to get it? Going to UA High School.

On the other hand, Midoriya:

What does Midoriya want more than anything else? To help people.

Why does he want it? Systemic discrimination has given him a strong sense of justice and compassion for others.

How is he going to get it? Going to UA High School.

You can see how these answers inform other parts of their personality--Bakugou is insecure, so he lashes out. Midoriya is compassionate, so he empathizes with the antagonists. Additionally, Bakugou's answers change over time in response to his character development.

While thinking of characterization as a list of traits can certainly help, knowing these three questions makes it easier to keep a character consistent even as they develop in response to events.

Toga, for instance:

What does Toga want more than anything else? To live freely and not be judged for drinking blood.

Why does she want it? Her parents abused her, and she's never had the chance.

How is she going to get it? Running away from home. Later, joining the League of Villains.

Obviously, characters want more than one thing at a time, which can create drama when they have to choose between something they want versus The Thing they want more than anything else.

You can also use these questions to create character foils. As mentioned above, Bakugou and Midoriya have the same answer to the third question, but similarities and differences can come from any of those three questions.

Let's say, hypothetically, you're writing a fantasy story about three kingdoms in an uneasy peace. You might have characters who want to unite those three nations under one banner that look something like this.

Character A:

What does she want more than anything else? To unite the three nations.

Why does she want it? A mixture of nationalist pride as the crown princess and a desire for revenge.

How is she going to get it? A war of unification.

While Character B:

What does he want more than anything else? To unite the three nations.

Why does he want it? To put an end to the racial prejudice he faced as a child.

How is he going to get it? Diplomatic schemes and manipulations.

And you've got two characters who are suddenly very similar in some ways and completely incompatible in others.

(And you thought you had word dump!)

#asks #writing advice

[amillixnvoices]

rules: bold which trope you prefer ( or, in some cases, maybe just hate the least ) out of each of the following pairs.

slowburn or love at first sight

fake dating or secret dating

enemies to lovers or best friends to lovers

oh no there's only one bed or long-distance correspondence

hurt / comfort or amnesia

fantasy au or modern au

mutual pining or domestic bliss

smut or fluff

canon-compliant or fix-it

reincarnation or character death

one-shot or multi chapters

kid fic or road trip fic

arranged marriage or accidental marriage

college romance or middle aged romance

time travel or isolated together

neighbors or roommates

sci-fi or magic au

angst or crack

apocalyptic or mundane

tagged by: @unitcd

tagging: @leschanceux @goldenboybarracuda @realmyths @hercesofourtime

#;;you've got the words to change a nation ( ooc )

[amillixnvoices]

I went to see Tanz der Vampire again and I miss my girl Sarah.

#;;you've got the words to change a nation ( ooc )

[amillixnvoices]

anyway someone give Buck some boys to kiss

#;;you've got the words to change a nation ( ooc )

[amillixnvoices]

tag drop

#;;you can read all about it ( memes ) #;;it's time to turn it up game on ( queue ) #;;you've got the words to change a nation ( ooc ) #;;now it's just me myself and i ( lockwood ) #;;don't rain on my parade ( rachel ) #;;i don't have any reasons i've left them all behind ( marley ) #;;here comes the sun ( dani ) #;;when the bones are good the rest don't matter ( buck ) #;;she's the king of new york ( katherine ) #;;there's just no telling how far i'll go ( sarah ) #;;everyone thinks that i have it all ( morgana ) #;;i truly believe i am quite capable of something more ( eloise ) #;;restless hearts sleep alone tonight ( brimsley ) #;;sometimes you just jump and hope it's not a cliff ( henry ) #;;i was born to run i don't belong to anyone ( june ) #;;everybody stares as she goes by 'cause they can see the flame that's in her eyes ( nora ) #;;it's so empty living behind these castle walls ( martha ) #;;you can just...feel ( nick ) #;;and sings a solitary song that whistles in the wind ( lucy ) #;;and bring on all the pretenders i'm not afraid ( james ) #;;not gone just lost ( nate ) #;;au contraire mon frère ( mae ) #;;and i'll be holding all the fines ( JJ ) #;;second star to the right and then straight ahead 'til morning light ( wendy ) #;;no one decides my fate but me ( belle ) #;;someday maybe all my dreams will be repaid ( ryan ) #;;i wanna listen to my own heart talking ( troy ) #;;that's how superheroes learn to fly ( winn ) #;;my shower head is very impressed with me ( ricky ) #;;i haven't heard anyone try that since the noughties ( roxy )