#thanks for asking <3

[mishacakes]

how do you connect to your character? like how do get to know them so well? how do you pick out their likes, dislikes, habits and those itty bitty bits about them? I've been struggling to do that for sooo many of my ocs, and i'm also at a lost of how to design them. like i once had a clear idea of what kind of character they are, but i wanted to change them a bit, make them a little better, and i feel like I've lost that character and that character i'm working on doesn't exists, no matter how much i loved them and enjoyed writing an drawing them. this has happened with every single character i made and it just makes me think that i may not be cut out for drawing or writing characters. i look up to you so i thought of asking you for help

sry for the long rant idk wat im doing

HELLO HELLO THANK YOU FOR ASKING!! So basically I took this question and turned it into a 1.6k word essay on writing characters and how I like to do it, so, uh, hope you enjoy!! and hope it helps!

OK!! character writing. How do you do it? or, well, how do I do it. I’ve got a few methods that help me out the most and are the most fun for me to think about. Here’s my big secret, if it’s not fun I don’t do it. I’m not here to do homework I’m waaayyyy out of school. I’m a legal adult. I pay my taxes. I’m not gonna do something that doesn’t give my brain the good fun juice. Anyways. My methods are: symbols, archetypes, and character inspiration. I use all these to figure out the CORE of a character, their very beating heart, and most importantly, what haunts them. Everything about a character, in my opinion, comes from this core and their ghost. Their habits, their fears, their joys, their coping mechanisms. So long as you have a clear grasp on their heart, you won’t go astray. Let’s dive into it! The characters I’m going to be using to describe how I use these methods are Alice and others characters from my webcomic—namely Edith, Hatter, and Rougina—and Tomiko (you know her you love her, catgirl supreme).

Symbols! I love using symbols, they’re something that can describe a character through metaphor, even without going into detail about their whole backstory and habits. Tomiko’s symbols are lanterns (specifically light), cats, ghosts/yokai, shapeshifting, and gold. They all work to further her character as a rough around the edges monster cat with a heart of gold, who uses shapeshifting as a method (both literally and metaphorically) to mold herself into what others need her to be. Alice’s symbols are hearts, eyes, and flesh in general. Try picking one general symbol (the ocean, the forest, the city), and see how specific you can get from there. Or pick a god or goddess that resonates with your character and see what symbols are used for them. Rougina (the antagonist in my webcomic) is a war goddess fallen from grace, and is symbolized with land and volcanoes, so I’ve used volcanic plants to evoke her. Personally I also love going through the tarot for symbols, assigning a tarot card to characters (of the major arcana) is a fun exercise. Which leads us nicely into our next method:

Archetypes! The tarot deck’s Major Arcana is pretty much only archetypes. The Empress as the Mother. The Magician as the Wise Mentor. The Tower as The Worst Thing That Could Possibly Happen Oh Jesus Shit. These can help a lot with who your character is. I’m extremely storytelling oriented, so it helps me knowing What Role a character serves in the story they inhabit. Another thing I love in archetypes in the Zodiac. Yes, I am an astrology bitch. The whole reason I love talking about my methods is my Sag rising, I love giving my wisdoms. But astrology can be used for writing, and not just for excusing and not reflecting on shit behavior (can’t help being a gemini!). The zodiac is FILLED WITH ARCHETYPES!!! From elements to how they function! The four elements (you A:TLA bitches know this), and three modalities. If you’re interested please watch Eugene’s Rank King video, it’s very informative on the signs. Also many symbols! For example, Alice is a Taurus—May 4, Alice Liddell’s birthday—so she’s pretty stubborn while also loving creature comforts. Tomiko’s birthday is August 23, making her a Virgo, so she likes being precise in her work. More archetypes you can look for are DnD classes! I love using that to design costumes. One of Edith’s recent costumes is very wizard inspired, since that’s the class I see her having as she’s very studious and driven. Heck, all of Alice and the Nightmare is derived from the character archetypes of the Alice in Wonderland characters! Rougina is specifically the Red Queen, NOT the Queen of Hearts!! The confusion started with the 1951 Disney animated movie when the two characters were merged!! Lewis Carroll himself said the two were different! The Queen of Hearts is an “embodiment of ungovernable passion” and the Red Queen is “the concentrated essence of all governesses”!! GOD!!! Tim Burton meet me in the fucking pit you’ll pay for your alice crimes. anyways.

Archetypes help a lot in costumes too, figuring out what kind of fashion they’d like to wear. You can start broad and get more specific with it (like going from a wizard type character to a wizard character with steampunk themes). Fashion is just an extent of character. What are they comfy in? Are they confident in their body? What colors do they like? Bright high fashion or simple dark sweaters? Ryoko Kui is a master of character design I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend checking out her work.

Another method I like using, specifically for Alice and the Nightmare characters, is what I call the “three trait method”. When I was in middle school we did a production of Alice in Wonderland (I was the White Knight), and too many girls auditioned for Alice. So the director’s solution was to split the character into three parts, and assigning each part to an actor. Her temper, her intelligence, and her innocence, all used in different scenes. Now I use that to think about my own Alice character, except with “polite, temper, and curious”. Edith’s keywords are “nervous, tactical, and intelligent”. Hatter’s are “kind, enthusiastic, and intuitive”. Using keywords can help figure out how they’d react in a situation, what side of them would shine the brightest. Hatter’s want to help everyone is his kindness, but overstepping his bounds can be attributed to his enthusiasm. Edith can know what path to take in a pinch, but her nervousness can freeze her in place. Reading the source material helps a lot with Alice characters too, which brings us to our final point:

Character inspiration!! The art of taking things you like and shoving them into your own characters and stories. DISCLAIMER THO!!! If you take things without really EXAMINING what about them you like, WHY you like them, and how you’d like to evoke that same love in the things you make, the interpretations can come off as shallow. (for more on this subject, watch HBomberguy’s RWBY video essay, specifically the section on “anime homework”)

Tomiko’s biggest inspirations are Izutsumi from Dungeon Meshi, April Ludgate from Parks and Rec, Power and from Chainsawman, San from Princess Mononoke, and Mei from LMK. It’s a good cocktail of aloof, biting, vicious, weird, fierce, loving, and bright. Figuring out what I love about the characters and what I want to write in a character like that helps a lot in writing Tomiko. It’s also really fun in a sense for screenshot redraws and memes.

Music is also a HUUUUUUGE source of inspiration for me, I love making playlists. And even as playlists can change as characters grow and change, having a couple of core songs still helps me ground to that character’s center. For Tomiko it’s “Make Them Gold” by CHVRCHES, and “Nice Girl” by Ashnikko. Alice’s is “Headlock” by Imogen Heap and “Demons” by Hayley Kiyoko, Edith’s is “Warrior” by Kimbra, and Hatter’s is “Dementia” by Owl City.

Ok, we’ve gotten though symbols, archetypes, and made a couple of banger playlists. Next is something that can help write your character, the Big Lie. The thing that keeps them up at night. Their biggest fear, their ghost, what haunts them. What’s holding them back from their goals? What do they need to overcome? That can be as central to their theme as any symbolism. For Tomiko it’s the lie that her emotions don’t matter, only what she can do to be of service to her mother. Her arc is about overcoming her dismissing her own emotions and learning to not run away from the people who she truly cares for. Alice dismisses the literal ghost that is haunting her believing that that will let her have a normal life. Edith pushes down abilities that come naturally to her for fear that she’ll be exiled, not just from society, but the world. Rougina believes she must burden the world’s problems on her own shoulders with no one’s help. The outer character and the inner ghost can reflect, mirror, and inform each other.

Now, listen, sometimes characters are hard to get to know! Tomiko was lol. Quinn was for a looong time. And in times like this, I just, let them be. I listen to some music to get inspired, and let them tell me about themselves when they feel like it. And they will, it just take a little while. And a few dozen quick exploration drawings. But they come through. Also, try not to get bogged down with habits and little details of their character, keep their core in mind, what their heart is. Start broad and get specific. That way, if you feel like you’ve lost your way or the character feels different to you, recenter yourself at their heart and go from there. Or, if you find that their center no longer fits, don’t be afraid to change it! Characters are meant to be fun! First and foremost!! I make characters cause I like writing and storytelling, and drawing little comic for fun and me time. Sometimes characters stick around, sometimes they fall by the wayside. You really have to find what sparks joy, and chase your bliss!

So as long as you have your character’s essence in your hands, and you WANT to keep working on them and drawing them, there’s really no wrong way to go. This whole essay I’ve given is just a set of tools that works for ME, and I HIGHLY encourage you to find stuff that works for you! I really really hope that all this has made sense and isn’t just the ramblings of a madman. Good luck and happy charactering!!

#meesh blabs #misha writings #character writing #happy reading and happy writing! #THANKS FOR ASKING <3

[numptypylon]

no cuz thank you so much for drawing rayla with her hair down i have not been able to imagine it in my head to save my life 😭

You’re welcome! I’ve done a LOT pf S4-5 Rayla with her hair down, here’s a compilation 🤗

#rayla #rayllum #the dragon prince #tdp #numpty art tag #ask #thanks for asking <3 #screenshot edit

[animatedtext]

#red #yellow #wordart #im currently having the worst time of my life #thanks for asking <3

[etherea1ity]

What has brought you joy lately? It can be anything, doesn't matter how big or small. Joy is joy, after all!!

last month has been the busiest month of my life...honestly dont know how i made it out alive! I'm finally free now so this free time that i have is bringing me so much joy. being able to do little things like sleeping in late, taking my time eating breakfast/lunch/dinner, having time to even breathe or just stare at the wall and doing absolutely nothing!! making me so happy!!

you really dont appreciate the free time you have until you dont have it anymore:,)

#asks #thanks for asking <3

[athenaspeculiardaughter]

what’s your least favorite Riordenverse series/books?

Hi! Sorry for responding so late. I can't really judge because I've only read "Percy Jackson and the Olympians", "Heroes of Olympus" and "Trials of Apollo". I'm actually reading"Magnus Chase and the gods of Asgard" and I really enjoy it. So I'll say "Heroes of Olympus" because it took me so long to read the 2 first books (I still really enjoy it but not as much as PJO and TOA)

#percy jackson #annabeth chase #rick riordan #percy jackon and the olympians #PJO #pjo hoo toa #Hoo #toa #Apollo #I think I'll respond to this question again when I'll finish the other series #thanks for asking <3

[half-oz-eddie]

ok this one got me curious, what’s The Night(mares) In Hawkins Prison (Harringrove & Hellcheer)

Ooooh this is one I don't think I've told anybody about yet ~

Eddie is serving a 5 year sentence for drug trafficking. Billy's 2 and a half years into his 10 year sentence for manslaughter, and in another 2 and a half years, he's eligible for parole.

Prison officer Steve is willing to do anything for Billy, and Billy uses that to his advantage to make his and Eddie's life on the inside more comfortable. He even uses Steve to help Eddie get closer to Prison Nurse Chrissy, who he has a major crush on.

But something's wrong. Terribly wrong. Prisoners are going mad, dying left and right, and the industrial clocks around the prison are so fucking loud, but only the prisoners can hear them. That is, until one fateful night when Vecna seizes control of the prison during a lockdown and the 4 of them have to come together to survive the night somehow.

(This fic is more than halfway done and hopefully I'll be able to post it soon !)

#thanks for asking <3 #wip tag game #harringrove #hellcheer

[simplyavatrice]

In the spirit of learning from the people you admire, would you be willing to share some tidbits about your writing process? Along the lines of 'do you draft chapters at first then polish them up/are there any resources or programs you use/do you outline your stories or just wing them/how do you approach research/do you try to write every day or simply when the muse strikes/what does it take for you to turn an idea into story?' etc., that kind of thing. If you're not comfortable sharing, that is absolutely okay. I hope you have a wonderful day. <3

oooh okay let's break some of these down

do i draft chapters/then polish them up? i don't write drafts, i just write out the chapter and then read through it once or twice and tweak what needs to be tweaked before i post it. i think you can get way too into your own head when you do drafts or spend too much time editing. the last chapter of angels like you took me a while to finish because i got in my head about it and kept changing things. you just have to trust your instincts and put it out to the world

do i outline my stories or just wing it? i do very very simple outlines, and not all the time. I'll know where a fic is going and have a general idea of the plot, but i like to leave most of it open so there's room to explore and expand and honestly stories change a lot as you're writing them, at least they do for me. i'll have a destination and a handful of scenes in my head, but the path to get there is wide open

how do i approach research? i do a lot of research for my fics. i'm not knowledgeable in many of the things that i have ava and/or bea doing in any au so i take my time to research it. in an old fandom i wrote a pregnancy fic and literally created a pregnancy calendar on a website to track the progress throughout the fic so i could write about milestones and things that come up during pregnancy, etc. i do my best to make sure things are accurate and if i can't make it work, i'll just go vague and hope no one notices lol

do i try to write every day or simply when the muse strikes? i try to write every day but if i don't manage to do it that day that's okay too - if you're writing and not into it then you're probably not going to be happy with it. a skill i've learned is to write slow, and i'm talking physically slow - where your fingers are not rushing on the keys as you start. I think it's a good way to let your brain catch up to what you're doing and get into the vibe of whatever it is you're working on. also sometimes you just have to write with your brain turned off entirely and clean up whatever comes out

what does it take for you to turn an idea into story? i need to see it, i need to be able to visualize a scene or multiple scenes and have them create a map to the plot i want to get to. mom!ava started because i thought the idea of ava and lilith raising a kid together was fun, and then i slotted where beatrice would fit into that and it was like 'oh, this is complicated!' then it turned into 'wouldn't it be funny if everyone wanted ava and lilith to be together but they both hated the idea' and then that shifted to 'okay but what if lilith DIDN'T hate the idea' and so on and so on. for me, an idea turns into a story where i can take the original premise and string it along the path to an actual story

sorry this got so long! i hope this helps or was at least interesting lkfsjalfaj, take care!

#thanks for asking <3

[cosmoseinfeld]

hi kay tell me about jerrykramer if you want? it's been too long since i watched seinfeld

oh boy... where to start...

maybe it's best to come in hot with a tinhat theory? imo, jerrykramer was never written as a romantic ship or intended to end up as one. if anything, i can see the writers (and jerry...) more go the route of your classic 80s buddy comedy that has maybe some tropey romantic undertones to it if you care to look (like, say "midnight run").

BUT i think that michael (richards) and jerry (seinfeld. lol.) had such an amazing chemistry that it also kind of wrote itself and a lot of the "acting" choices on jerry's part (who has also stated again and again that he is not an actor and can only react genuinely to the people opposite to him - which is also why he cast the show the way it was cast - because he felt comfortable around those people and knew he didn't have to stretch himself beyond his abilities) were just actor bleed (the fkn heart eyes, man...). with michael, you can see it especially in later seasons when he's allowed himself to relax a little.

And, of course, most importantly, it WORKED. jerry's #1 priority has always been to make it funny. in his own words: he lives in a world of funny (and he has also said he doesn't see race or gender which still drives me insane to think about. funnysexual).

But there were also very conscious writing choices for jerry and kramer which has me believing that the writers (and jerry. who was "micro managing every aspect of the show") knew exactly how you could look at their relationship if you wanted to. plus, the show has always been very queer friendly (hell, there is a whole episode dedicated to gay okay. and jerry has been very vocally pro queer - especially on comedians in cars getting coffee *cough* - most noticeably in the episode with howard stern where he literally said: "i like gay." after HS asked him "why is everything gay with you?").

This is just my reading and probably also projecting but none of the characters read particularly straight to me. kramer is so special, he most of all is so above labels and societal norms - that's his whole thing (in Seinfeld!Jerry's words: he is a pod).

And as the show progresses and the characters, the writers and the audience all become more comfortable and accustomed with/to each other, jerry and kramer become increasingly domestic.

I have made a whole post about the tropes applied to them (I even think I forgot a couple) but the ones I love the most are: jerry being wife-coded in the episode "The Bizarro Jerry" // jerry being girlfriend coded in "The Apology" // meetcute trope also in "The Apology" // jerry being such a germaphobe but somehow always being okay with whatever unsanitary thing kramer is up to at any given moment // bed sharing in "The Wig Master" // a literal kiss (that wasn't played off as a joke) in "The Kiss Hello" // jerry taking kramer as his date to award shows & once on a holiday to tuscany despite being a notorious and chronic dater // the others noticing/commenting on their relationship-y behaviour (george's reaction to the kiss & his reaction to finding them in the shower together. elaine and jerry talking about settling down and saying "it's just gonna be you and kramer" "just me and kramer, huh?" & elaine commenting on their relationship trouble whenever one of them is sulking) // their co-dependency (it's being commented on in tiny moments throughout the show how much kramer needs jerry's friendship/love and kramer comments a few times how empty jerry's life would be without him)...

oh, i guess all of them are important to me haha. and they all come so easy to them. but here's the post i wrote a year ago on that. feel free to browse through my jerrykramer tag (or jerrymichael *cough*) or this blog to ogle at them.

I will leave you with this homosexual promo pic outtake, thanks for coming to my TED talk <3

#shoop #ask #wow this got away from me... #jerrykramer #seinfeld #thanks for asking <3

[favoriteblogonthecitadel]

1 and/or 3 for the micro story post!

Not gonna lie, the combination of “1. Don’t go” and “3. I trusted you” feels like a direct attack on my Horizon feelings and I am here for it.

The words are in her throat. Or at least, she thinks they are. Xiomara doesn’t know her own body these days, its pieces jagged and ill-fitting, grinding with each step as if about to fall apart.

But she feels the words form when sees Kaidan give her that look. The same shadow cast over his eyes as the time he spoke to her of Rahna, of BAaT, of civilian life. He looks at her like a thing to grieve, and people only grieve things they have left behind.

Don’t go.

Her heart pounds and she knows she is selfish enough to say it. She never has asked it before, but she will if it’s him, if he will just—

“I trusted you.”

The past tense echoes through her pieces. Before she can tell which one is breaking, she is walking away to keep the rest intact.

#micro story prompts #this is definitely a bit longer than the classic format but i’m warming up! #thanks for asking <3 #auri writes #(and it hurts in a good way) #xiomara shepard

[deeptrashwitch]

What do you think about Ghoap?

Soap and Ghost? I like the ship! And the fics I've found here in tumblr are either wholsome or heartbreaking (*cough* @snootlestheangel *cough). Although, I'm not a fervent shipper, but it's really interesting to read them. Specially the AU's!

#witch moment #thanks for asking <3 #ghoap #simon riley x john mactavish

[emilyartstudio-s]

how do you feel?

I've got a lot of things to do and my motivation keeps leaving and coming back and thEN LEAVING 😭🐟

#asks #thanks for asking <3

[voidcat-senket]

for the "get to know your fic writer" meme: 51, 64, 68

51. What’s your total AO3 word count?

As of this moment, 612,042 over 19 years. It's certainly not the sum of my writing-- some of those words belong to other writers and many of my words were never posted, but that's where we're at, ~600k. Interesting that 150k of that belongs to a single fic!

64. Something you love to see in smut.

Feelings! Realizations! Need! Surrendering oneself entirely to another. Desperation for connection. Possessiveness is rarely amiss. And a little getting held down and/or choked is good for the soul

68. What, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

Talk to people about things! A lot of what I've written recently was inspired by other people- by conversations we're having about the canon material but also things they want to see. It's nice to write for other people sometimes! most times. I write to connect, so... yeah. Even Original Fiction is about being like. 'here are feelings that I experience, that these characters experience, do you experience them too? Will you feel them with me?' There's a reason the things I care the most about are writing, acting, music... we're communal people, we're emotional fragile complex creatures, and I just want to hold as many metaphorical hands as I can

#writing stuff #ask meme #writing asks #not me crying rn thinking about this #ugh im a mess lately #thanks for asking <3

[saturnville]

to answer your previous question, when MOTA ends, have you ever thought about writing for Theseus scamander? 👀

here’s the thing bestie…I’ve never seen fantastic beasts!!! so I’d definitely need to familiarize myself with it first, but I’m not against the idea!

#thanks for asking <3 #fantastic beasts #theseus scamander

[half-oz-eddie]

Ahh I’m very intrigued by My King, Your Majesty. Please elaborate on that👀❤️

Ooo this is one of my more recent drafts. It’s for the Harringrove Love Fest 💕

It’s planned as an 80% Explicit 2 chapter fic where Billy and Steve challenge each other to play the 24 Hour Yes Challenge (and they can’t say no to each other about anything for 24 hours)

Steve can only answer Billy by saying “Yes, My King” and Billy can only answer Steve by saying “Yes, Your Majesty” because “No” is absolutely forbidden hehehe 🤭

#thanks for asking <3 #wip tag game #harringrove #billy hargrove #steve harrington

[simplyavatrice]

You love writing for Ava.. out of all of your stories, do you have a favorite version of her?

hmm this is a fun quesiton

i think if i had to pick one, i'd go with the definition of insanity - because that is as canon a version of ava as i've written. she was fun to tap into in that situation of hooking up with bea and falling in love with her at the same time

out of my au's this is trickier - golden hour ava means a lot to me, she's got a lot of me wrapped up in her backstory

bittersweet between my teeth ava was the newborn deer version of her that i loved writing. she was so bursting in that story - so happy to be in the world even as it kind of worked against her

beauty of your repair ava is very tragic and has probably the darkest backstory of any of the ones i've written - like even stuff i haven't put directly in the fic, her childhood was fucked up

if i had to pick from the au's tho i think i'm going with bittersweet ava, she really went through the whole growing up process in the story and those early chapters of her enjoying her new world and her job at the coffee shop and her feelings for bea were fun to write

#thanks for asking <3