#avoiding cliches

[prodigal-explorer]

how to write children's personalities

(this is part of my series, how to write children in fanfiction! feel free to check it out if you want more info like this!)

this is the main aspect of writing children that i see people mess up so often, especially in the fandoms i'm in (sanders sides and undertale). children are not adorable little noodles with no brains and no concept besides being cute and silly and crying. children are beings that are just as complex as adults, and they deserve personalities to match. this will make them way more interesting to read about! let's get started!

since there are so many aspects to personality to talk about and i don't want to sit here typing for ten years, we're going to do this guide a little differently. i'm going to divide these issues into archetypes, write a short description, and then make a list of do's and don't's for each one!

archetype one: the cute little baby

okay. babies are cute. we all know this, and i'm not saying it's a bad thing to make your babies cute. a lot of people love reading about moments with adorable little babies. but here are some ways to step this kind of thing up, and some things to avoid if you want to improve upon writing this archetype.

do's:

give the child character another archetype besides this one. though "cute" is the foundation for a lot of child characters, it's not a personality. and if a character is vital to your story, then it needs a personality. that's just a rule. you will read more about other archetypes further along in this post!

make the moments symbolic. though it doesn't seem like it from an outsider's perspective, basically everything a baby does is for a reason, and every action a baby makes can say something about their personality. if you want this baby's personality to be energetic and curious, have them crawl around and explore things, and laugh a lot, and babble. if you want this baby to be more sullen and shy, have them cry quietly instead of wailing, or have them squirm when being held by new people.

make the actions of the baby's guardians affect the mannerisms of the baby. babies act differently depending on how the people taking care of them act and react. for instance, if the baby's guardians are very busy people, then maybe have the baby cry very loudly whenever they want something, since they know that it's the only way to get the attention of their guardians. stuff like that can add depth to a character and to a general story.

don't's:

decide that the baby is cute and call it a day. sweet little babies are cool and all, but they get very boring to read about after a while. this can barely even be considered an archetype because of how bland it is when it's by itself.

keep this archetype around for too long. as babies turn into toddlers and then children, they don't act even remotely the same way. it's strange and off-putting to read about a seven year old acting like a two-year old, unless it's a very clear character choice that is a result of explicit actions and events.

make the baby know that it's cute. realistically, children don't understand the concept of cuteness until they're around toddler age. if then, you want to make the kid be like "i get what i want when i'm cute, so i'll act cute!", then sure, that's hilarious. but when they're two months old, they're not batting their eyelashes because that's their personality. they're batting their eyelashes because they got something in their eye. the main thing that makes a baby cute is that they don't know they're cute. they're just figuring out how to do ordinary things.

make everything a cute moment. while babies are awesome, raising them isn't always sunshine and rainbows. make the baby do something wildly chaotic, because babies do wildly chaotic things all the time. not only does this make things more realistic, but it makes things very interesting!

archetype two: the shy kid

as a former shy kid, i know good and well that these types of children exist, and they are very real and valid. however, there are certain ways i've seen them written that are just terrible because once again, this archetype cannot be considered a full personality on its own. let's get into the do's and don't's.

do's:

make their shyness a deliberate choice. kids aren't usually naturally shy. kids are usually more curious than cautious. is there a reason why the kid is shy? there doesn't have to be a reason why the kid is shy, but there could be a reason why the child is NOT outgoing/curious. try and give something like this some deliberate cause, instead of just making them shy so they can seem more precious and infantilized.

make their shyness manifest in diverse ways. not all shy kids cling to their guardian's leg and sit alone during recess. there are different ways to be shy. you can be aggressively shy, or fearfully shy, or shy due to general unwillingness to change.

make their shyness have realistic consequences. someone who's shy is probably not going to have many friends, if any. not all shy kids magically meet an extrovert who adopts them. someone who's shy probably has underdeveloped social skills, which can lead to them being less emotionally intelligent down the line. this makes the shy kid archetype a lot more three-dimensional than just a wet noodle of fear.

don't's:

infantilize shyness or treat it like it makes the kid some sweet, precious angel. not only is this very uncomfortable for shy people to read, but it's generally unrealistic. shyness doesn't affect how good or bad somebody is - it's a neutral trait.

use shyness as a tool to make characters seem younger. shyness does not indicate age. fear manifests in many different ways, and shyness is not the only way.

rely on cliches. not all shy people have the same journey, and the idea that a shy person becoming more outgoing is the "goal" is not only a bit offensive, but it's very cliche. shyness is not always an obstacle to be overcome.

archetype three: the happy-go-lucky kid

oftentimes, the reason why children characters are written into stories in the first place is to give a little bit of lightheartedness and innocence. to add a unique voice among all the cranky, stingy, burdened adults. but you have to be careful when writing this archetype. i personally really dislike this archetype as a whole, but i'm going to put personal feelings towards it aside because honestly, there's no valid reason to dislike it besides opinion.

do's:

give the kid a trademark. maybe this kid makes a lot of little jokes, or maybe they always see the best in a situation. give the kid one thing that makes them happy-go-lucky instead of just giving them everything because nobody is endlessly happy all the time in every way.

go deeper. while happiness is very often genuine, sometimes, it's a mask that hides something else. this can be an interesting way to sort of spice up your happy-go-lucky kid character. maybe the kid is hiding a big secret behind all those jokes.

don't's:

make the character always happy. while children tend to have simpler thoughts, they don't have simpler minds. this child needs to have thoughts, real, genuine thoughts that aren't just happy things.

see happy-go-lucky as a trait that is exclusive to children. comparing happiness to childhood and viewing them as the only places where the other can exist is just wrong, and it's kind of depressing. maybe give happy-go-lucky kid a happy-go-lucky adult to exchange jokes with!

---

those are the archetypes that i see a lot. but now, i'm going to suggest a few child character archetypes that i LOVE that i don't see enough in fics! feel free to use any of these that you like. alter them, combine them! these are, in my opinion, some of the most fun child character personalities!

the spoiled brat: "i want this, and that, and that, and- why aren't you giving it to me?? if you don't give me what i want, i'll tell on you!". spoiled brats are so fun to read and write about, especially when they have absolutely no reason to be spoiled given the current situation (think riches to rags). they've got everything, humor, angst, and best of all, lots of pockets for personality. think about why the child is spoiled. were they enabled by their guardians? did they grow up rich, with access to everything they wanted? think about whether you want the child to stay spoiled. does something change? do they learn how to improve their materialistic and selfish tendencies? there are so many opportunities to play with the personality of this child!

the know-it-all kid: while i do see a lot of know-it-all kids in media, oftentimes, they don't actually have personality besides bossiness and intelligence. i love know-it-all kids who have depth to them. kids who are constantly spouting information because of their sheer love to learn. kids who have one specific thing that they know everything about, so they never stop talking about it. kids who tell people what to do and act like they know best because they don't have a lot of control over anything at home, so they grasp at whatever control they can find elsewhere. i think this archetype could open up a lot of ideas for personality further down the line. it also has a lot of variety with humor and angst, and general depth.

the serious child: this is an archetype that i cannot get enough of. i love a child that doesn't think they're an adult, per se, and still enjoys kid things, but just has such a calm and regal air about them that isn't learned. it's just natural. think of the kid that doesn't really get excited about things conventionally, but you can tell they're happy by their faint smile. the kid that seems to live in slow motion, and doesn't mind this fact at all. the kid that sits alone at recess just because other kids scare the birds away, and they want to see how a bird acts when it doesn't think its being watched. i love kids who have poignant thoughts, because their thoughts are so creative and different from adult thoughts.

the adult-ified child: now this is another archetype i can't get enough of, but it's for a different reason. this child, on the other hand, does think that they're an adult for one reason or another. maybe their guardians forced them to grow up too quickly. maybe they just wanted to grow up quickly by themselves. but this child has thoughts that are too big for their little bodies. they explore things that aren't meant to be explored when their brains are still so small. they do everything too quickly, they stumble through life as if a clock is ticking somewhere. to me, they're just haunting to read about. it feels wrong and dangerous to just watch them do things that hurt them because they don't know any better, but they're on a page. nobody can stop them. it's just so tragic, i'm obsessed.

the prodigal child: this archetype isn't really as deep or detailed as the others, but i do appreciate it. this archetype is for a child who knew who they wanted to be from an early age. a child who wanders into a ballet class and finds out they're better than the ten year olds by the time they're five. this archetype often pairs really well with the know-it-all kid or the adult-ified child because usually, children don't experience what it's like to be the best at something until they're a lot older. this is just a really cool archetype when you aren't quite sure what to do with that main character's little sister.

the chaotic child: this archetype is so much fun to read and write, to be honest. this is a child that just does as they please, whether it's out of curiosity or for pure enjoyment. think of the crazy stories that your guardians have about you or your siblings being absolutely insane. scribbling in a book and then demanding that the library publish their version. trying to ride the dog like a horse. cutting up clothes in an attempt to be a fashion designer. this one is just plain fun!

---

now, there are so many more archetypes out there, but those are just my spotlights and recommendations! i hope after reading this, you feel more equipt to write child characters that have real, engaging, interesting personalities!

#not sanders sides #ez's writing #how to write children #how to write #writing #writing tips #writing guide #writing advice #writing resource #writing resources #personality #writing personality #do's and don't's #cliches #avoiding cliches #characterization #character concept #character tropes #character traits #character help

[margridarnauds]

[image description: devnotes for Korrilla's line of dialogue: "As things stand, she [Hope]'s his favorite toy. We're all mad here, but Hope in hell! Why, that's the definition of insanity." The devnote says "Complicated feelings. Both jealous of Raphael's attention and sad because she knows her sister doesn't want it."]

[Korrilla saying, in a conversation where you can ask about the diabolist, "I hope things turn out well for you, I really do. Cheers." The note says "sadly - she knows (but we don't) that things won't turn out well at all."]

[Korrilla saying, "This current crisis has him so busy he's barely been home since he met you." The note says "proud of her boss." ]

[Korrilla saying "I'm not for sale. My time's not for sale. My affection's not for sale. I'm here on other business." The note says, "hasn't look up from her mug yet - is muttering darkly, she's clearly said this to a lot of people who've assumed she's a prostitute. (She's standing at the bar of a brothel.)]

[Korrilla saying, in response to Tav saying they'll stop the brain without Raphael's help, "I doubt it, but even if you do, you won't survive the fight." The note says "with a hint of sadness."]

[Korrilla saying "The boss might be a devil, but he'll treat you more honestly than anyone else in the city." The note says "she genuinely believes this."]

[In response to the player character asking whether she likes working for Raphael, Korrilla responds "More than anything. My old dwarven master used to beat me and feed me scraps -- Raphael treats me right and feeds me well. Better to feast in the Hells than go begging in the Heavens."]

Korrilla's devnotes casually murdering me.

#korrilla hearthflame #korrilla #bg3 spoilers #raphael bg3 #my headcanon is that the 'jealousy' isn't necessarily over Raphael's romantic/sexual attention #it's more that he pays attention to Hope. Even if it's. That. #there's nothing ROMANTIC ever hinted in the way she talks about raphael besides that line. she respects him. she likes working for him #(also because I'm motivated to avoid the Evil Sibling - Good Sibling Love Triangle cliche) #(but personally I lean towards Korrilla being ace)

[jokrrouttfynn]

Joker Out high school teachers AU

under the cut because it’s a fuck tonne pictures

Jan as - mathematics teacher

Kris as - literature teacher

Bojan as - P.E. teacher

Nace as - science teacher

Jure as - photography extracurricular teacher

#funnily enough no one’s a music teacher #I tried to avoid it #I thought it would have been cliche #Also no fic for now #Maybe some 400 words one shots in the near future? Who knows #Feels free to steal my idea (not the mood boards though pls I worked so hard on them) #joker out #jan peteh #nace jordan #bojan cvjetićanin #bojan cvjeticanin #kris guštin #kris gustin #jure maček #jure macek #didn’t think about making Martin so if you want to feel free to add him #Fynn’s high school AU

[coolnonsenseworld]

I wanted to say that outside of semantics and divisions - I am simply happy to find communities that welcome with kindness - that welcome you by a good heart and not the ability to conform. I am happy for the opportunity to be surrounded by people who care. It's a funny world we live in - making the same mistakes over and over, multiplying the same suffering by billions. I don't think I hope for an utopia anymore, I don't think such a thing exists - but you can't call me hopeless either. And that's what matters.

As a side note - this piece is set in DanceAU, which might be better known to Patrons so far, but still it was the best and most fitting option for this occasion..... also there are 12 DanceAU pieces incoming, because I might be making another calendar so. get familiar with these mutts

#klance #voltron legendary defender #klance fanart #priDEMONth #you know there is always so much happening idk what to add in the tags #i made banana bread yesterday and almost burned the kitchen (right after i asked myself how bad can it be?) i am not kidding #and then burned my arm twice trying to avoid a burn which is top ten ways to get them #its okay tho it doesnt hurt anymore #there was also my nameday which I forgot about and had a headache thorough #also when i was drawing i was considering that lance is maybe a bit too tall on this piece #he IS taller but bending like that with keith standing straight? #i mean gay? #idk about that #but i decided not to worry danceau always has heels for that #i also have been so deep in wirting hex if you dont know whats hex dw you shouldnt #but i have this love hate relationship with it everyone knows it its a sinusoid #im on my happy phase with it lately #no one jinx it it better last #all i wanted was bamf rescues and cliche tropes and now im trying to do them justice in 200 thousand words or less idk why #they could have been just fighting demons and cuddling #either way happy pride once again!!

[ride-a-dromedary]

Whenever Halsin giggles, or does that little hum of a chuckle, every protective instinct in my brain synapses instantly lights up.

#BG3 Musing #Halsin Posting #he giggles! i cannot describe that laugh as anything less than a giggle or more than a chuckle #i am such a sucker for characters who exist in divides of assumption #you think oh this giant man must have a big boisterous laugh (and like maybe he does) but no! it's a delicate little thing #you think this guy who a moment ago as a bear was growling and snarling and demanding blood be shed is a beast #that enjoys the activity - but the first thing he says to you is to pardon his mess #like i live for that appearances are deceiving cliche i don't care how many times i see it #and i love those little reminders that halsin is - in fact - elven - he is a fae creature #even if he doesn't look like a stereotypical elf he still exhibits elven traits and it's delightful #but also halsin needs to be protected - that is the giggle of a little boy coming from the chest of a middle aged man #also also you ever think part of the reason he's more soft spoken was to avoid scaring people because he's been told that he's a bit scary #so he taught himself to reign it in to avoid being stereotyped because like...that's sad

[lover-of-skellies]

Imagine with me for a second:

You have some super important item/artifact, and it has enough power to mess with other people's minds. This item could be dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands, and it just so happens that a local wackjob is looking for it

You can't hide the item anywhere in your house, because he'll find it super fast. The item can't be anywhere near you in general, because he's constantly watching

Where do you hide the item?

#not skeleton stuff #rambles #i need this for writing purposes #burying the item and locking it away are predictable #there's no bodies of water to drop it into #I'm trying to avoid any places that could be considered cliche

[dumplingsjinson]

You know what's funny? This time last year, I was in New York (for holidays), catching feelings for a family friend's friend's son. Couldn't get the dude out of my mind so this year in January, I decided to give the dating apps a try so I could forget about him... Went through so much fucking shit I could probably write a short novel about it, and now here we are. (And yes, the small crush went away pretty quickly after I started talking to long distant dude, bUT WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THAT FUCKING MESS IN THIS HOUSEHOLD-)

This time me from last year wouldn't believe present me if I told her all of the shit she woulda gone through just to get her hands on a lovely, sweet guy she's going to cherish for as long as she can; for as long as he's willing to let her cherish him.

#personal #love life rambles #cat guy chronicles #I am definitely never saying these things to his face to avoid being labelled a walking cliche welkfwelknf

[grinchwrapsupreme]

i have been trying so hard to be serious about this vampire novel i'm writing but i've reached a scene where a vampire priest is pointing a loaded gun at a door with a werewolf behind it and i'm coming to terms with the fact that i was doomed from the start

#trying so hard to avoid cliches like i didn't even use the terms vampire and werewolf much at all (though i did use them) #and i got to the werewolf bit and was like shit #it's unavoidable #i have to put silver bullets in the story there's no way around it #and fuck #the priest has to be the one to shoot him #it's not even symbolic religion does nothing in this story the priest is an asshole #he's not even going to be successful #rip father pretorius you were a piece of shit

[duncebento]

ahaha just realized i only have a single italian tourist picture instance. and it was only bc my friend was visiting from scotland n i was giving HIM a tour

#i just want to avoid cliche at all costs.

[gayghostrights]

day six: ace day

day three of @jonmartinweek

Summary: Sasha and Martin speculate about Jon's sexuality

You can read it here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54993343

happy ace day <3

#this isnt really the biggest take away from this fic but sasha has adhd #I started like three safehouse fics for this day but I thought i'd avoid posting another cliche...for now #also one of them had sex and I felt a little weird about it #i have a lot of very specific headcanons about jon's feelings about sex (also about sasha please ask me about my sasha headcanons I love he #jonmartinweek 2024 #jonmartin fanfiction #jonmartin #Jonmartin week #jonmartin fanfic #jmart #teaholding #jonmartinaceday #jmartweek24aceday

[dinerfries]

signgirl

#way sign #strange whatchamacallit media #object oc #<- ig her actual object form IS here so........ #errmm ya #sharktail is... coming hes just being difficult <- i dont have any ideas for patches and pins and stuff #or at least #what ti fill his design with i COULD start over with his outfit but ill try a few more things first #anyway WAY SIGN i knew immediately i wanted a puffy vest for her i dont know WHY but i had to make it work #and i also needed her to have raccoon tail hair #it was a lil difficult making the vest work but i got it done in the end #i felt the scarf was a little cliche so i wanted to avoid it originally but i ended up coming back to it anyway #nothing else i was trying worked as well as the scarf did so ahh whatver #a lot of down arrows in the design oops i just relized that lol #their arms were a bit of an issue for me.... i originally brought in some white there but it didnt feel right so baaahhh #if you have any ideas for any of the swm cast human designs let me know!!!!! a lot of them i havent even begun to think about #i hope you like her and im excited to see this design develop more overtime! i hope anyway lol #okay im done ramblin now #oops hold it #ribsy art!!!!!! #hmm #whats the point of an art tag on an art only blog? #ah whatever #its been around for long enough it can stay

[the-way-astray]

so i’m a bit stuck right now.

i’m trying to create a character who has a combination of moral and harm ocd, but i’m not mentally disabled myself and i feel my research isn’t really generating anything . . . like enough for me to fully flesh out the character, i guess?

basically if anybody has any resources on creating characters with ocd/mocd/hocd or has ocd/mocd/hocd and could point me in the right direction, that’d be awesome.

any resources that talk about the combination of mocd and hocd would be nice, or if someone has that combination.

#not kotlc #ocd #characters with ocd #moral ocd #mocd #harm ocd #hocd #mental disabilities #neurodivergent #obsessive compulsive disorder #i feel like i understand ocd enough to be able to like #talk about it? but not enough to create a character with ocd #if that makes sense #also the character is for myself not for any media or anything like that #also i can’t just outright say the character has moral or harm ocd #because the story takes place in a fantasy-old-timey kinda setting and people don’t really have a concept of mental disabilities #so yeah i kinda have to show it through like actions and signs #kinda desperate because my research on mocd and hocd doesn’t feel like it’s enough so i’m hoping for something better #i'm looking to avoid cliches and stereotypes obviously but that'll only get me so far #so like other things too #like how the obsessions lead to the compulsions and other thought process things #also i'm pretty sure there's something about how “intrusive thoughts” isn't the correct term #but i really don't understand why so there's that too that i need to educate myself on

[shortmexicangirl]

spy!feligami au... hmm much to think about

#miraculous ladybug #idc if it's cliche i'm a sucker for forced proximity enemies/reluctant-allies-to-lovers & 'oh no we gotta kiss to avoid getting caught!!!' #teaming up because their goals align and realising they have more in common than they thought... questioning their own moral alignment... #.....yes much to think about....... #feligami

[tasmanianstripes]

Sad to see how fast people turned away from "cringe culture is dead" and turned to "anything not canon compliant is bad and annoying"

Character regression

#thylacines can talk #'Oh I hope I'm not like these other annoying people in the fandom' do you not hear yourself? do you not realise how miserable you sound? #it's genuienly sad to see people being afraid of being seen as annoying when they're having fun #fandom clitches exist because people enjoy them. why would you avoid them if you find them fun? just to appease strangers in the internet? #why deny yourself simple joys in life? we only have one after all #i participate in fandoms and media because its a fun hobby for me. not to get a fucking english class #do you enjoy it? does it harm anyone? if the answer is yes and no in that order THEN GO FUCKING HOGWILD #Who cares about what strangers on the internet think?! have fun!!! #who cares if it's cliche or ooc or bad writing?! #and by all means be a little hater about fanon and things that annoy you. rant to your friends. its good for your soul. i do it too #just dont be pretentious and mean about it. your way of enjoying content is not any more 'right' than anybody else's

[fair-fae]

whomp whomp

Ngl I get the need to be cognizant about characters that are technically "adults" but are purposely infantilized while also fetishized to look like/evoke thoughts about minors, or characters that are minors but are sexualized, especially in media coming out of Japan (though the west definitely has our own problem with sexualizing underaged characters) but like. I hate when people take a character who is obviously an adult and not presented to look like a child in any way and pick apart why they're, I guess, secretly supposed to look like a kid or "minor-coded" or something lol especially in anime-ish styles where most characters look "young" by default. "They're short" "she's flat-chested/has small boobs" "she has a babyface" "she has a high-pitched voice" "they like cute things" "they have a fun and youthful personality" "she doesn't have the most exaggerated hourglass shape in the world" "they're not big and ripped with muscle" "she wears girly clothes" Like, cool! You just described me. A real life fully grown, 30yo adult woman with sexual agency. Guess I shouldn't exist. Guess anyone who has ever found me attractive is a pedophile. Like what the fuck lol. (Bonus points for a new one I recently heard: "she has pigtails." Ah, yes! Women already get harassed IRL for wearing their hair in what should be an innocuous really basic hairstyle they might think is cute. But let's sexualize and infantilize it further! You're really a champion of the women and children.)

#I mean this is all generally speaking but yes this is also about Menphina LOL #whose character design slaps by the way #how refreshing it is to see an entity meant to represent “love” who isn't a sexy big tiddied mommy constantly flirting and making innuendo #how nice to avoid that tired cliche #how refreshing to have a depiction of “love” that encompasses love for life and humanity and not just erotic/romantic love #miku hatsune is the epitome of love #and all the whining about like “she's supposed to be a goddess of beauty/sex” THAT IS NOWHERE IN THE LORE #SHE'S THE GODDESS OF LOVE AND THE MOON #YOU'RE PROJECTING WEIRD STUFF ABOUT LIKE APHRODITE/VENUS OR SOMETHING ONTO HER LOL #ooc #vent #sorry the goddess of love isn't as fappable to you personally as you hoped & you gotta invent some moral reason for why you're mad about it

[dnangelic]

how many people think dai's a spring person

#*･ﾟ⊰ 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐒. ⊱ ✦ › OUT. #he's summer to me. 'turn my head with talk of summertime' and all #dark is sooooooo easy. sometimes the cliche should simply not be avoided #my sweet summer child and cold wintry DEATH