#ok i think that's everything

[pastafossa]

Hey I just wanted to ask a writer question. I really admire your writing and the amount of work and dedication you put into your stories and characters. You are one of my favourite authors ever. I have been wanting to get into writing and I was wondering how you flesh out your characters? For example you have a character that you’ve thought out, do you have a template that you fill in? Or just write a whole bunch of points about the character in a Google doc? I know that question might not make the most sense but I have a few characters that I’ve given quirks and backstories in my mind but I have no idea how to transfer them onto paper? Like Jane from TRT, is there just a big template or doc where you randomly put points into or some other type of organization? I know it’s not an easy thing to answer on text or even something you might not want to answer but even one sentence of advice is much appreciated :) Thank you so much for everything! I appreciate you. I will also put this into the ask thingy if you want to answer on there instead of PM 😁

I've managed to hammer this out in bits and pieces over the moments I've been more coherent so I think I'll make sense. First, thank you so, so, so much! I honestly love these characters so I'm always happy to hear someone likes it, even if I enjoy the work! 😭

Second - I do in fact have a template in doc form that I use to keep things organized! It's one I've been using since I took a novel writing course years ago by a published author, and in one particular class we went over character development, which is where I learned the template. The way I was taught (and the way I develop major characters) - first, even before filling in the template, I figure out their archetype(s). What story role are they filling? Who will they be a foil for? I like to think of those as your foundation, because every character is an archetype of some kind, and you can use that to build them up. To use Jane as an example, she's an antihero archetype, yes, but I've also pulled elements from: the Unscrupulous Hero, the Sympathetic Murderer, the Combat Pragmatist, and the Ineffectual Loner. Compared to Matt's hero archetype, she's the Lancer. Archetypes can help you if you're struggling to build up from the bottom.

Once I have the archetype, I start filling in the Major Character/Hero template, which roughly looks like this (if you don't fill it all right away, that's fine, because there's a step after this to fill it in the rest of the way). I like this one because I feel like it covers VERY important things that a lot of online character profiles skip, and has much less of a focus on looks (which I find way less important from a writing perspective):

Name: Age: Family History: Career: Physical Description: (include things like scars, notable or unusual features) Preferred Style of Clothing: (instead of listing brands, try to instead describe their style of clothing as it relates to their character - ex: Jane wears upper-end pantsuits in muted colors when meeting clients, because they carry a strong emphasis on professionalism; when hunting things down, she wears what is practical over anything to do with aesthetic) Goal: (every character should have one; what are they trying to do?) Motivation: (WHY do they want that goal?) Big Secret: (if it were Jane, it'd be what happened in Los Angeles; so what are they hiding? Keeping to themselves?) Self-image: (How do they see themselves? Are they confident and secure? Insecure and depressed?) Internal Conflict: (what are they struggling with?) Game: (What's some little game they enjoy?) Pet: (if applicable) Temptation: (what's aaaalways going to lure them in?) Vehicle: (if applicable; alternatively, how do they prefer to get around?) What makes them unique: (our fake post-apocalyptic character we made as a class had his teeth sharpened into points to scare people; Jane is often fidgeting with threads; just anything that stands out) How do they speak: (do they speak very precisely? Use lots of slang? Do they have an accent?) Quote: (What quote sums them up, or what quote do they relate to most? I have an entire folder of these for Jane tbh, and some for Ciro as well) Lesson Learned: (All characters should grow in some way, rather than stagnating. So how do they grow? What do they learn through the story?)

Now, this is something I was encouraged to do after the template, and also something I was already doing on my own. Once you have the template as finished as you feel comfortable with, you might feel like you need to develop the character a little further to fill in the rest, or solidify what you already have. The way you can do that? Write something short with this character. It doesn't have to be anything you need to post; it can be based on a short scene, based on a prompt, things like that. I like dumping them into: humorous scenarios, angsty scenarios, and Action Oriented (TM) scenes. Those really help you get into the meat of the character (aka: how they react to teasing/flirting/jokes; how they react to strong emotion; how they react in situations that might cause panic). Basically, it's your way of introducing yourself to them and becoming more comfortable writing them, because often a character might act a certain way in a cold, rigid template, but behave entirely differently once you drop them into a scene. Alternatively, you might get to writing and realize you need to make an adjustment so that they have better chemistry with the other characters. Writing a new character's a dance, and you're both going to step on each other's toes in the beginning, but once you learn how they move, it gets easier. And it helps them develop and grow as you learn about them!

#writing advice #writing #character templates #this is the template i've used for most of my major characters and i love it tbh #i've tried some other ones and they just don't work for me #i feel like they focus WAY too much on appearance which is fairly minor in the scheme of writing #and not enough on things like goals and motivations and who the character *is* #because that's our job as authors #we're here to show you who these characters are at their base level so you can watch them grow #we are here to dissect them so readers can see their squishy insides #or as the author who led the class said: 'your job as a writer is to cause pain and suffering' #and you can't DO that if you don't know the inner workings #so i've used her template constantly since then because it makes that easier #it also emphasises growth which is something i LOVE #because i hate when everyone just stays the same in a story #ok i think that's everything #been writing this up in bits and pieces over the past two week and was finally coherent for long enough to clean it up a bit #now to keep seeing if i can start write writing again

[sakurapiss]

fuck it oc art dump because i never post my shit 🤙

#if i posted any of these and forgot. no i didnt #kameron evetts #paula tanaka #james alister #chrys lycan #yvie stenson #jesse mciwannachangehislastname #cowboys #my art #my ocs #art dump #tw blood #tw smoking #bright colors #ok i think that's everything #there's a lot here so #ask to tag #twh

[cosmosnout]

The most doomed siblings ever

#I don’t usually share that many sketches but I think abt them a lot #like ok obv Luffy means the world to both of them but before asl is was just Ace and Sabo being bffs #imagine just forgetting someone who literally used to be your best friend #imagine you remember someone you haven’t seen in years and not having the chance to reconnect with that person bc they’re gone #but you still see that person constantly in everything around you and in all the people he has met #anyway I’m so miserable abt them #art #digital art #my art #fanart #drawing #digital illustration #one piece #portgas d ace #ace #sabo

[wardingshout]

Zelda goes mushroom girl

#tloz #a link to the past #zelda #link #my art #I was happy with that first one but for some reason decided it still needed a companion piece so I spent way too long on that second one... #I don't think there was any time during the progress where I was happy with it but hfduhdfu at least I got to Attempt drawing moss hell yea #I also at some point sat in Pyu's art stream and said I enjoy drawing legs As I was being murdered by the infamously impossibe (imo) squat. #it's ok I had fun !! but I need to learn how to let doodles be doodles or I'll never finish stuff at this rate dfsuhfd #if everything in my tloz tag looks like it was drawn by different people uuuh 2023 was art crisis year ngl...... #I'm falling back into my old ways rn though #anyway I think about these two a lot I think they're both stone faced and awkward ppl in different ways but they try rly hard to be friends #like I like to think it starts out so incredibly awkward and a bit sad bc they keep stepping over each other's toes accidentally the harder #they try but idk they find comfy middle ground idk in my brain they have a very interesting friendship I wanna get around to drawing it #in a proper way that might make sense.... #if I don't write 200 tags I will die maybe it's bc I grew up on dA or smth #and yes I know how to find 1 (one) type of mushroom /I/ am not mushroom girl unfortunately smh

[thenearsightedmicroraptor]

Seen a lot of posts about people coming into your notifications out of nothing and liking your entire blog, but here's a shoutout to the people who do Not follow you, who appear out of nowhere, reblog One (1) post that you are Not the op of, and then you never see them again. Where did you come from girl.

#EDITED bc I think this one goes on ppls recommended pages now #HEY GUYS the question in this post is rhetorical ! i don't actually care. you can stop telling me honeys its ok #i like the mystery. i don't needta know everything #also when i say shoutout. i mean it. i love you guys i am not annoyed. you're all wonderful. keep doing you. #posts by ME #tumblr #like ... you didn't find the post thru tags because I just reblogged it #i made no addition. how did you find me #be free you majestic creatures I'm glad I got to witness you in passing #how tf tho. #did you look at my blog but only one post made the cut. amazing. i love you.

[vebokki]

go go demon gang

#also i love thinking art the dynamic between these three kjfnhkd #i think she hauling and binghe have the potential to be the most annoying and loud and bicker-y sibling pair to exist #and mobei jun has just grown accustomed to their shit so he stands mostly ignoring everything they say #but making sure they dont kill each other or accidentally die a gruesome death when theyre being competitive #they all like each other ok. they love each other ok. ok. ok. #scum villains self saving system #svsss #luo binghe #svsss fanart #sha hualing #mobei jun #人渣反派自救系统 #mxtx

[buttonheart]

Babygirl

#my art #dabi #mha #bnha #my hero academia #im in a bit of an artistic grave rn and i think it shows #its been sitting in my wips for a while though so i just wanted to finish #not everything you make will be the love of your life and thats ok!!

[heartorbit]

stay warm! 🌟🍬🤖🎈

#stupid idiot forgot his mittens. to the shredder #merry yurimas. #polysho #project sekai #pjsk #prsk #emu otori #tsukasa tenma #nene kusanagi #rui kamishiro #proseka #Oh my god im waking uo for the stupid broadcast in like 6 hours im dumb as fuck #WEH. WEH #merry whatever the fuck #AUUUUUU excited to have nothing to do and draw for myself for um 12.. days. Oh my god theres only 12 days til 2nd sem. Oh fuck everything #I NEED TO DRAAAAAAAAW. #guys help i was going to draw song covers i want but i need to sleep cause i have stuff tomorrow but listen #if rks gets a snobbism cover i called it. Ok? ok. #i think it would be funny and just if they dont get another duet again. get the ruinene treatment. CAN WE FREE RNN ACTUALLY ITS CHRISTMAS #what was the other thing. um carnival that song i want it added so bad idk if theres sny songs with its letter count but please. #literally played nijiro stories on repeat while drawing this we need them back #fucking NBOODY TOOOOLD ME ITS EMUKASA WEEK ON STIPID TWITTER IM NOOOOTHING IM NOTHIN #i usually acknowledge that i dont have the moxy to do fanweeks but i really want to be drawing more and faster so i will participate. #emurui week is like march iirc. you wont get away from me this time.

[general-cyno]

Luffy + being completely normal about Zoro.

#tvedit #onepieceedit #oplaedit #one piece live action #opla #monkey d. luffy #roronoa zoro #zolu #one piece #zoro #luffy #myedit #mygifs #long post #THEY'RE SO #luffy always being so happy to see zoro and thinking he's cool makes me feel things ok #luffy: if i had a first mate i would hype him up so much - #also the fact that when everything's seemingly falling apart the person he wants (needs) most by his side........is zoro #im so unwell #also maybe im just a simple man but 'i'd do anything to save him. anything. except stand in the way of his dream' goes so hard #love is real actually #this isn't even all of it......but if i giffed more this post wouldn't end #love them so much

[greencarnation]

eleven is fascinating to me because he came right off the back of tens horrible traumatic breakdown after he lost everything and he immediately tried to establish himself as the opposite of that. he is funny and goofy and almost childlike, and he bulldozes on in his adventures with amy like nothing happened at all. but then something happens and his masks slips and it's like oh! the core of this man is still anger. he is so so angry all of the time and this façade is the only thing stopping him from being consumed by it. he isn't over any of it and he hasn't moved on. he is wearing a fez and laughing but under that all that exists is age old anger and grief and it is going to consume him

#i do think that this pit of anger was eventually covered and soothed by the ponds #but he didn't adress it and he couldn't even look at it until he was twelve #when he stopped pushing back and repressing everything and finally allowed himself to exist as he was #but ok listen #its all layed out in the first 3 episodes of season 5 and in the way amy sees him #episode 1. here is the new doctor he is energetic and reeling and fun #episode 2. the space whale comparison. here is the new doctor. he is unthinkably ancient and almost godlike but he is so so kind #and patient and good. he is ancient and lonely but he can't stand to see children cry. so the doctor helps people #episode 3. daleks. the doctor is a soldier. these are his age old enemies. he wants them dead and he will stop at nothing #all logic and reason vanish. he is hitting the dalek with a pipe and yelling his head off while amy watches in horror #like obviously we know why but amy didnt #this is not a sane or rational man he is unstable and angry #and in that episode he was stripped back to what he largely is: hate #you would make a good dalek ect ect ect #anyway 3 episodes with 3 very distinct and equally definitely traits layed out like: here you go #i don't like elevens era much but those first 3 episodes were great #doctor who #eleven #amy #eleventh doctor #matt smith #dr who #dw #i mean idk this is what river literally had to spell out for him #eleven was careening completely out of control #how long til doctor means warrior indeed? #mine

[simcardiac-arrested]

day 30 - videogame (undertale, fnaf, etc)

somebody get this man some chapstick

#(voice of a guy who’s desperately trying to not give in and watch the movie for the third time in a row) So how’s everyone doing #i haven’t drawn mike in like 5 months this is simply unacceptable. unsustainable #he could fix everything that’s wrong with the world #i have once again changed his design but it’s ok #but yeah as you can see i am very interested with the concept of mike adjusting to living in human society as a weird alive corpse thing #fuuuuckkk AUEJGHHHH i seriously do like movie mike so much i think he and game mike can live in peace and harmony #something so awful is happening to me and it’s past midnight i should NOT be allowed to think aboht my favorite characters #myart #cringetober 2023 #michael afton #mike schmidt #fnaf #five nights at freddy's #can anybody hear me. help. help. MICHAELLLL DONT LEAVE ME HERE UEHGH OUGH MICHAELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

[kosmogrl]

today's the first day at my new job 😵‍💫😵‍💫 I'm so nervous, wish me luck !

#I hate everything that comes with new jobs #ok i just need to stop thinking about it yeah that's it

[arcanegifs]

PVRIS  — "Oil and Water"

"If you give me your cold shoulders I'll bravе the storm and keep my arms wide open We're oil and water, it's true But I still fall into you"

#OK EVERYONE I MADE A MISTAKE IN THE LYRICS pls reblog this version instead skdjfksdfjs oops #caitlyn was singing this song in the shower i just know it LMAO girl rlly got the gay yearning song in this show shes down bad #caitvi #animationedit #arcaneedit #vi #wlwedit #arcane #arcane league of legends #league of legends arcane #caitlyn #caitlyn kiramman #netflixedit #piltover's finest #arcane lol #vi arcane #arcane vi #media: arcane #type: gif #s1 ep 5 #s1 ep6 #s1 ep7 #s1 ep8 #s1 ep9 #im always so ???? with typography lmao im not every good at it so i kept it super simple #also i get why they say the song was cut from the soundtrack i cant think of any scene where i can put this song into #also ugh this took me an hour and a half to make skkdjdjd for a simple edit LMAO i couldnt get inspired for the typography and just #scrapped everything all tgt lol

[lazylittledragon]

what do you mean youre technically a detransitioner cause of terf bullshit?

it's a v long story but i detransitioned for a couple of years when i was 16/17, for multiple reasons but mostly because i fell into the blaire white/kalvin garrah chamber of "you have to be This way to be trans otherwise you're not real".

i was already Deeply insecure about myself and my 'passing' and i was led to believe that i couldn't want to wear makeup or skirts, and i couldn't choose not to have bottom surgery, and i couldn't do anything but bind for 12+ hours a day to the point that my ribcage is still misshapen. basically i thought that if i wasn't suffering enough doing 'feminine' things, i couldn't really be trans, so i should just go back to being a girl and suck it up.

the terf bullshit is because i'd seen a lot of terfs/detransitioners talking about the 'dangers' of testosterone and how it would turn me into a horrible ugly evil monster and how there was nothing worse than wanting to be a man. which combined with 'you need to fully medically transition to be valid at all' creates some very dangerous and upsetting feelings to cope with.

it also came from trying really hard to put myself in a little box before i realised that my sexuality/gender are very fluid and it's FINE for me not to have a label and just do whatever i want. when i was 19 or so i went back to using they/them (and eventually he/him) and changed my name again because even though i like doing 'feminine' things, i don't want to be seen as a woman.

tldr: i was conditioned by transphobic/terf rhetorics to think that i was being trans the 'wrong' way so i couldn't be trans at all, so i believed i must actually be a girl if i still wanted to do 'feminine' things. nowadays i am a transmasc who does feminine things because i don't give two shits about what any transmed prick thinks of me anymore.

#ramble #ok to reblog btw i'm fine with this being shared #this was meant to be a short version but this is just the whole story whoops #sorry i realised the way i phrased it sounded like i'm the detrans you see in the news #i'm Technically a detransitioner because a lot of detrans stats are people who go on to RETRANSITION #because detransition is often because of social stigma and not because you realised you weren't trans #so anyway. terfs are cancer and if you don't think their bs is harming children you're wrong #i know it's easy to say 'you should've used your brain and realised those people were wrong' #but like. when you're 16 you're SO impressionable. even if you think you aren't #especially when you're watching people who have been transitioning longer than you and you assume they know everything #i was in my mid-late teens when 'transtrender' videos were MASSIVE and i believed it!!! and i was Not nice about those people #all they made me believe was that being trans couldn't be colourful and comfy and fun. it just had to be Pain #i hope everyone who contributed to the 'you need to be this way to be trans' mindset knows how much hurt they've caused #nowadays i don't care. go and be stargender. we have actual problems to deal with not debates about neopronouns #anyway this was long. that's the story

[lokh]

(ch 40 spoilers) au where qifrey erases olruggios memories one too many times and he forgets qifrey and ONLY qifrey

sometimes using forbidden magic that no one really knows how to wield anymore comes with unintended consequences!

eventually qifrey comes upon a solution, but it will return ALL his memories to him. will he risk it...?

#obviously as we see with galga this will affect the rest of his memories but =^) #witch hat atelier #witch hat atelier spoilers #I NEEEEEEEEED QIFREY TO SUFFER FOR THIS OK i love oru i love qifrey i love all these characters! #but my god! dont we all want this man to experience consequences! #tongari boushi no atelier #olruggio #qifrey #tetia is there too. hi tetia! #art #i like to think maybe orus own magic/thoughts interfered with the spell. or maybe even qifreys #a combination of that or even the slightest misdrawing led it to. misfiring #something like oru himself wondering if hell erase Everything. or fearing forgetting qifrey #or qifrey entertaining for even a moment If only we hadnt met. just at the wrong moment #the first time i draw anyone from witch hat and its. this #me knowing that oru Would forgive him and that something drastic needs to be done: #baby this is for ur own good i promise hghdfbghfbdg

[noecoded]

hey asmo fans

#do people even still enjoy him... #i pickup my dusty discarded blogand blow it off. im so sorry i abandoned youu #ive been thinkingabt him again lately and the pm controversies gave me an excuse to drawhim somuch for a couple days... #i keep thinkingabt how cute hed be if hisstyle was likee a little more 2000s party girl that shows up to everythign even if u didnt invite #her at all...ok . im going to disappear again maybee ive been having somany thoughts abt asmo but i think none of them would be #original or well received by normal people who arent ill about asmo because lately ive been like sillymaxing so everything i thinkabout him #is unfit for general human consumption. #asmodeus obey me #asmo #mine #oc #a&t