tales-from-nocturnaliss

[tales-from-nocturnaliss]

Snippet: Facets of fear

Every now and again, inspiration strikes in ways that I can't understand nor fight off.

It's been a while since Within temptation's album Bleed Out came out, and I have found quite a few character songs in there because of course I did. One of these songs somehow made me think of a character I hadn't thought about in ages, whose life story I had drastically altered about a decade ago. And never did that side of the world feel quite right.

So, inspired by growing obsession, I decided to re-change things until they felt right. Leading to a couple of new stories :3

---

As always when he observed the solemn silence of the church, Sokyte smiled. So many years had passed since he had succeeded the old priest, Father Leros. So many years spent preaching to a community who cared more about gossip than about faith. Few still seemed to care about Alliandra the Magnificent, a divinity said to have protected the village of Hahel when, ages ago, it had come under threat of destruction. As he came to stand before Her statue, a beautifully intricate sculpture carved from the simplest of rock, Sokyte could almost understand the villagers. What manner of divinity would lose Her eternal life to the common threat of bandits, as was often believed Alliandra had succumbed to? But then, did it truly matter whether Alliandra had existed at all – still existed at all – when the message she conveyed was the true expression of divine engagement?

A message so simple, yet so wise: be kind, be brave in the face of adversity, and never surrender to fear.

#writing #original writing #tales from aeyuu #noct shares writings #Sokyte #faith

[tales-from-nocturnaliss]

I have meme'd too hard and now I'm spent.

Attention all crab lovers of Tumblr:

For an obsessed cheerleader character in my mind who aparently loves crabs since we discovered this one,

(unsurprisingly on Tumblr, alas I don't remember *where* on Tumblr)

I am looking for all sorts of crab-related pics and memes to use exclusively within the confines of my mind as inspiration. Because she's the sort of person who woulda flooded her sister's Messenger with all sorts of funny crab-related pics because yeah did I say she's obsessed?

Thank you and have a crabbirific day.

#crab #time for crab #crab meme #plz gimme ty <3

[tales-from-nocturnaliss]

Can I take a sec to talk about the end of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth?

Obviously, MASSIVE spoilers (for this game, but also the original's narrative!), so do not read if you have not finished Rebirth and the original, but intend to (or simply don't want spoilers for something I know will be coming in part 3 because I played the original).

So I can totally understand people being upset that we're not shown the cult scene of Cloud putting Aerith's body to rest.

But here's the thing: Remake and Rebirth are their own version of the story. In this version, with how Cloud has been losing his mind and still thinks she's there (and, considering how crazy the story is, I can believe she still is!), it makes perfect sense for us not to be shown this scene.

But also: we have seen it. Have you paid attention to Cloud's numerous flashbacks? One is a flashforward - of exactly that specific scene! A flashforward of Cloud releasing Aerith's body into the water.

What we have not yet seen however, that is another pivotal moment in the story, is Cloud remembering that he didn't pursue Sephiroth into Nibelheim reactor, but that Zack did. Have you been paying attention to the character models in the first chapter? If you did, then you may have noticed that one footsoldier's jaw looked suspiciously like Cloud's... which, naturally, I noticed because I played the original. I was looking for it. I expected Cloud to remember in this part. He did not.

Which means that part 3 will be the part where he remembers his life is a lie, that we learn about Hojo's experimentations, and that finally remembering himself as opposed to merely being Sephiroth's puppet will be when he remembers the heart-breaking moment of putting Aerith's body to rest.

Though I admit I thought the game was bloatingly long (and the final battle drove me insane), I have absolutely adored every single moment of it, of watching this old classic come to life, of watching how the devs played with the original narrative and made it somehow have more sense despite being crazier. It made me think this was the story they had meant to tell with the technology of yore.

And I cannot wait for 2027 to see the end of this renewed trilogy, as well as the events I am 100% certain we have yet to see. I don't remember everything about the original, but I can see which way they're going. I have LOVED watching Cloud open up to the team more and more, only for him to close himself off into Sephiroth's madness once the hunt for the Black Materia began. A Black Materia he still has. I can't begin to imagine what that will mean for the next installment.

All in all 10/10 well-deserved despite some battles that are just utterly punishing (final rounds, I'm looking at you) and indeed, way too many minigames. And I love minigames. But even for me, this was overkill.

#ff7 #ff7 rebirth #ff7 rebirth spoilers #ff7 rebirth theory

[tales-from-nocturnaliss]

Snippet: Ario's part 7 - Conviction

It has been close to a year since last I truly worked on this project. Feels like a lot has happened since then and, frankly, I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to continue that project.

Or, at times, whether I'd manage to keep writing at all.

But here we are and I'm still bumbling forward, with a few dreams that may never come true, and only the certainty that I will keep writing for as long as health permits.

That said, enjoy this little snippet of Ario. The choices in this part will likely determine the fate of a few people aboard the ship <<

---

That was it, Ario knew at once. Scrutinizing her, the casual but distinct look in her eyes, the callous bitterness swirling in her heart, Ario understood what about this girl had truly put him ill at ease. Anger pounded along his veins now, deep in his heart, and he was hard-pressed to contain it.

"You're talking about Soba, aren't you?" Ario forced himself back on his feet, to stare down at this disgusting piece of Yosen trash that seemed to think herself his friend. "The Alweira had a name. Has a name. It's Soba. And he was killed by that thing! Murdered! Whatever you may think of Alweira – and yes, I do know our history! – Soba didn't deserve that!"

It took the girl a while before she reacted – before the swirl of her hatred and contempt began to steady, but never fade. "Rika was right," she finally said. "You truly don't understand."

#Tales from Aeyuu #Noct shares writings #original writing #dark fantasy #Ario #snippet #writing

[tales-from-nocturnaliss]

Reading this post reminded me of my Katja, who had to be put down December 2 in 2019-ish. The years may bleed together, but I can never forget her lying on our kitchen floor that Sunday, unresponsive, and I knew she was dying.

The grief only hit me when the vet, who thankfully took us that day, asked us to leave while we put her down. Whatever you think about being there for your furry companion: I could not have been. She was in pain - as we'd approached his practice, she had started HOWLING in unbearable suffering. At that point, I know she wanted to be freed of this pain. I could not have been there. I was there, along with the husband, to bring her and end her suffering.

I can't talk about this without crying, even all of these years later. I had never connected to an animal as I did with her. We'd only had her five months; yet, that's all it took, from shelter to the end. I still hold her very dear to me.

But I have also grieved, and though I struggle with remembering her end, I also know that was the end of her suffering. What I do lke to remember, however, is how she liked to sit next to me when I was at my PC, so I had this foldable chair I'd set up, and she'd hop on and sleep right next to me.

I started stepping beyond the grief of loss once I drew a tribute of her. It was impossible for me to let go without it.

(apparently it was 2018 then. Well.)

That's what @impishdullahan's post reminded me about. Personally, I needed to mark the occasion, so to speak, in a way that was positive for me, that had meaning. I based myself off a photo of her. The horns are there because I'm a Dragon nut. And now, Katja became a guardian of the household in spirit.

So I join the idea of creating/making something symbolic as tribute to your deceased pet. It closes the chapter, in a way, and allows you to move forward.

Hello, I'm autistic and I often find advice about feelings don't resonate with me. I put down my sweet baby girl (my dog) on Monday and my grief has been overwhelming and intensely painful. I have been trying to research grief, especially pet grief, but i feel like some of the advice doesn't ring true for me. Do you have any advice or resources for grieving while autistic?

My honest advice, from both personal experience and what I've read about this stuff, is just take your time.

Many autistics (but not all, of course) have a delayed reaction to these sorts of things. This may be days or even months. We may express our grief eventually or not at all.

Now, I know this ask is a week or so old, so my apologies. You may have processed this already, or you may not have.

Let yourself handle the situation as it happens. The change of routine now that you don't have that pet, change in the smell of your home, change in the behaviour of those around you etc, all of these things may delay your reaction or may even cause a meltdown/shutdown once it's processed.

But don't feel you have to react a certain way.

Do any followers have further tips?

[tales-from-nocturnaliss]

Here’s to 2023, a year of as many little courageous kindnesses as possible. ♥️

[tales-from-nocturnaliss]

a journey of pain, growth and persistence

#gorgeous art #dark art

[tales-from-nocturnaliss]

#gorgeous art

[tales-from-nocturnaliss]

hot artists don't gatekeep

I've been resource gathering for YEARS so now I am going to share my dragons hoard

Floorplanner. Design and furnish a house for you to use for having a consistent background in your comic or anything! Free, you need an account, easy to use, and you can save multiple houses.

Comparing Heights. Input the heights of characters to see what the different is between them. Great for keeping consistency. Free.

Magma. Draw online with friends in real time. Great for practice or hanging out. Free, paid plan available, account preferred.

Smithsonian Open Access. Loads of free images. Free.

SketchDaily. Lots of pose references, massive library, is set on a timer so you can practice quick figure drawing. Free.

SculptGL. A sculpting tool which I am yet to master, but you should be able to make whatever 3d object you like with it. free.

Pexels. Free stock images. And the search engine is actually pretty good at pulling up what you want.

Figurosity. Great pose references, diverse body types, lots of "how to draw" videos directly on the site, the models are 3d and you can rotate the angle, but you can't make custom poses or edit body proportions. Free, account option, paid plans available.

Line of Action. More drawing references, this one also has a focus on expressions, hands/feet, animals, landscapes. Free.

Animal Photo. You pose a 3d skull model and select an animal species, and they give you a bunch of photo references for that animal at that angle. Super handy. Free.

Height Weight Chart. You ever see an OC listed as having a certain weight but then they look Wildly different than the number suggests? Well here's a site to avoid that! It shows real people at different weights and heights to give you a better idea of what these abstract numbers all look like. Free to use.

#creativity #art ressources

[tales-from-nocturnaliss]

And people may say that you lack willpower, but unfortunately, it's the opposite.

Because we have so much willpower that it's exactly what keeps us stuck in those infernal loops.

The thing is: this works like fear. Fear is a self-fulfilling prophecy, the more you fear something, the more you'll behave in a way that will make it happen.

So whenever I have a period of time where, say, I feel the need to drink more? I tell myself: okay, clearly this is something you need right now, so I will let you have it - for now. I let the obsession run its course. And lo and behold, there indeed comes a day, within the week, where I go: this is making me sick I want to stop. And I stop.

It's all worse when you're ND (I'm diagnosed autistic but feel I live on the AuDHD spectrum). These obsessive-compulsive/addicted behaviour are part of our wiring. You can fight it for sure, but end result is you'll frustrate yourself to hell and back and it'll make the behaviour worse. So, letting the self-destructive behaviour program run? Paradoxically, it's the least self-destructive thing you can do.

But only if you have strong self-awareness. If you have watched yourself run these patterns before and KNOW it's always temporary. It's also safer to have things to live for that you want to feel better for. Example: I've been messing up my sleep so bad with FF7 Rebirth, and a couple more games before that, and reached a point that the stress was making me really sick. I still struggled to reset my sleep schedule. So I ran the addictive behaviour until I reached the point I knew I'd start regaining control: being so far into the game that I'm well past halfway point and my brain slows down because, now, it really wants to enjoy the story's climax. This is something I can do because I know it's a pattern of behaviour for me. I still did mess up my sleep pretty bad. But: with an end in line.

Being kind to yourself works wonders. Being understanding. We don't learn to be these things to ourselves, even though it's so important.

So: be kind to yourself, even if you fail badly. All you can do is learn from the failure and try to do better next time. For ND's especially, failure happens often if only because we can't function to society's standards and, therefore, feel even more like failures. That we are not. As long as you keep striving, you haven't failed, you only hit an obstacle.

(just sharing my end of things in case it helps someone out there. If this is not Global You's perception of things, no problem)

[tales-from-nocturnaliss]

Ohio Total Solar Eclipse

#solar eclipse

[tales-from-nocturnaliss]

Bottom line: if you feel the need to write, then write. Write it well, write it poorly, but write it your way, and don't let anyone stop you. or tell you that you suck because you don't have a degree.

Personally, I'm a trilingual Belgian without any sort of degree in writing. I'm just obsessive about psychology, hence why my stories are 99.9% character-driven. And I'm autistic, which means I have a feel for patterns and absorbing information - which is how I learned some things about writing. Most notably, I learned at an administrative course that each paragraph works best with one core idea, and took that into my writing. Lo and behold: that improved my storytelling.

But omg do we all need to write because, for some of us, creativity is like breathing. It's a requirement. So go forth and breathe!

And multiply them WIPs, as long as it makes you happy. ❤

I've been meaning to say something. (100 follower hot take)

Hey! Thanks for stopping by. I hope you've had a nice day. Why don't you rest with me for a while? I made some chocolate chip cookies - with shortening instead of butter, so they're very soft and very chocolatey. I made way too many and they aren't my wife's favorite, so I could use some help in eating them.

You're probably a writer, right? Or maybe you think about how you could be. Browse the tags here, or on other social media platforms. Maybe you used to write stories as a kid. I bet those were fun. Teachers might've thought they were impressive, or they dissected them line by line until the words didn't make sense in your head anymore. Either way, if you're here you're probably here for a reason.

(rant alert)

I dipped a toe in online writing communities on and off. My last attempt was forty-five minutes scrolling through the writing hashtag on Youtube Shorts (so TikTok, I guess? I don't know). I didn't like it. I really didn't. The thing that sticks out the strongest in my mind is one particular video where a woman claims that every story needs a second act plot twist.

Huh? Every story? All of them? Why? Since when? Who are you? What qualifications do you have to make a statement like that?

That's the common thread that makes a lot of writing spaces very uncomfortable for me. Successful writers are really only successful in their genre and for the given moment, so they don't have that much objective authority in the craft. And yet I see a lot of people deciding the things that you can't do in writing. Or the things you have to do, and how you have to do them. It was so much of Writeblr at first glance that I almost dipped out once again. I didn't, though, and I'm glad I didn't because now I get to watch some of the next great storytellers from across the world grow and examine and forge their way forward.

No one can teach you how to write. No, that's not true. Teachers teach literacy. Handwriting. Typing maybe - do schools still teach typing? Let me try saying it in a different way - no one, not one single person on this goddamned planet, has the right to tell you how to make a story.

I was supposed to get my MFA in creative writing before my first breakdown. My uncle stayed in the program I was meant to be in, and a few years after I dropped out he graduated. Recently I had the thought to look up his thesis novella, and as I searched I found myself regretting my decision to leave school. If I stayed and got to develop my writing in an actual class, with other writers and a knowledgeable professor, how much further along would I be than where I am right now?

It was bad. His novella was terrible. It was so bad I had a small existential crisis for, like, three days. He spent so much money on years and years of professional education and came out with a truly soulless story that read as if you prompted an AI to write the next Great American Novel. So if you think you need a writing degree to be a legitimate author, it could help connections-wise, but it ultimately won't be the thing that does the work for you.

Not all advice I see online on writing is bad. I find the people who are able to capture the "I" statements of therapy and phrase advice as things that have worked for them, or things that they personally enjoy, to be fine. Some writing advice can spark inspiration.

But if someone is the type of person to boil every story down to troupes and cliches, and then immediately say that every story that uses the trait they don't like is automatically bad for everyone? I'm dropping the kindness for a second - that's trash. That's a trash take and I see far too many writers use it as a reason to stop before they begin.

I don't like whump. I say my reasons in previous posts if you go back through my blog. But you will never hear me say that any story with whump in it is bad, because I don't know that. You might prove me wrong. I am an adult human being and I have the humility to admit that I can like something I didn't expect to. I genuinely enjoy the direction of The Human Centipede (only the first one) and if you cringed just now that probably means you haven't seen it.

There are so many types of books and movies and plays and comics out there. To enjoy a specific genre is fine, to ignore the existence of everything else is a really, really, really odd thing to do. Maybe someone will hate your story because they think everything should be Neil Gaiman, and therefore have no way to understand your epistolary high-Western. You are not the wrong end of that situation just for existing.

And at there is a definite threshold on how many writing tips you can gather before they stop being useful. If you find them interesting, that's one thing. That's fine. But if the culture of creativity online has made you feel like you need to educate yourself on every possible angle before you can write a story, you are actively harming yourself.

Imagine taking the level of structure you put on yourself in that way and putting it on children playing pretend in the backyard. Oh, Susie, don't you know that it's overdone for your Kitsune have dead parents? Xyler, shouldn't you ask someone else before you decide how Spiderman would react to this? It would make no sense and they do not need it. Kids will make a whole world out of nothing and it's the most fucked thing in my heart that at some point they get access to Reddit and dipshits start insisting that's wrong.

They aren't wrong and you aren't either. Your favorite creative influencer can't tell you your story, strangers on the internet can't tell you your story, your teachers and loved ones can't tell you your story. They can influence it, but they can't write it honestly the way you can.

You do that. That's the thing you do.

Man that makes me upset. I can't tell you how to make a story, either. If anyone sends me asks for writing advice the most I'll do is say what I've done before hopping into your DMs and starting a direct conversation. it's so personal to each individual artist, and I'd like to think that the people selling these classes and software and promoting these platforms haven't thought about that before. Otherwise it does feel manipulative. If you have a willingness to practice and imagine and really experiment with the possibilities, you are ready to write your story.

And if it doesn't work? Try again. That's what you do.

Stephen King has written roughly a thousand books and maybe five of them have decent endings. He is unimaginably successful.

I'm rambling now. I think I got that out of my system. I was really worried to say this out of fear of being too weird or somehow reverse-gatekeeping so hard that it circles back into also being a bad thing. I've just spoken to a lot of people who I still think of throughout my day, and I truly ache for them to get past the fear of creation. Because it's worth it. It's worth it and it's fun, even when it's messy and you're tired.

Let it Be just came on. Beatles. I haven't listened to The Beatles in a long time. Feels a little apropos.

I love you, reader. Reader, Writer, Colleague. Take care of yourself. Especially the little you, still sitting there in the backyard of your soul, bathing in the sun with their bare feet in the damp earth.

Consider joining them, maybe.

#writing advice

[tales-from-nocturnaliss]

Sharing this today because Dashboard Unfucker stopped working and, yes, I very much wanted an alternative.

So thanks for making one available!

...Anyway, I created a Userstyle for the Chrome/Firefox Stylus Extension that reverts the new dashboard to the old format. This took a lot of tweaking and it's not perfect at all, but if anyone wants it I'll be uploading it soonish now!

You need to have Stylus installed. So if you don't have it:

Install the Stylus Firefox Addon or the Chrome Extension (You can install Chrome Extensions on Edge as well)

Once it's installed into Firefox/Chrome/Edge you can proceed with adding this style or any other.

To add the style, follow the instructions:

Go to this link: https://userstyles.world/style/11286/old-tumblr-dashboard-july-2023

Click on "install".

Style will open a tag with it and in the left side you'll have a button that says "install style", click there. (Step-by-step copied from the lovely dorothyoz39 who wrote this in a reply!) If you don't want the sticky header you can remove the labelled script at the top of the css below /* Sticky Header*/

Be sure to check for updates regularly, I'm fixing things as I go! And because everyone keeps asking here's how to support me on Ko-Fi https://ko-fi.com/pixiel !

To update click the Manage button on Stylus and click the check for update button below then click again to install! If you experience any bugs let me know - feel free to edit it yourself as well! P.S. This userstyle works just fine alongside Xkit!

Check under the cut for the changelog and known issues!

NEW UPDATE: 05/03/24, 21:50pm BST v10.6

v9.6: Moved the Following | For you | Your Tags to below the create a post panel. Fixed the Accounts Menu! + Bugfixes V10.3: Patio compatibility. Added a way to hide the Patio button & "patio feedback?" button, just search for patio in the code and follow the instructions! v11.0: Temporary Chat feature fix after Tumblr broke it, fixed some positioning issues and j/k scrolling!

If anyone wants to help test out a new feature (Post width, dashboard positioning, etc) it would be super helpful! Read more about it here and shoot me a message!

THE CREATOR OF THIS USERSTYLE SUPPORTS THEIR TRANS SISTERS. WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER!

Thank you dragongirlsnout for all your work on Dashboard Unfucker it was amazing working towards the same goal of fixing this website with you!

----- Known issues:

The search bar moves out of place on bigger monitors when not using the sticky header. You can adjust its position yourself under "/*Moves the search bar*/" by changing the "Left" numbers. I can't think of a way around that just yet without adjusting it yourself!

Search bar doesn't appear on some pages (like viewing a post), this is because Tumblr removed the search bar on those pages completely. Unfixable!

Only two columns in Masonry view. Unfixable, Tumblr creates columns based on monitor size, if I try adding another column (because it doesn't exist) it just perpetually loads on screen. Tempfix: Zoom out in chrome/firefox and it adds more columns

Tumblr has ONCE AGAIN CHANGED THE ACCOUNTS MENU. The menus are now shorter and have less information on them. This is unfortunately permanent. I do not see any way to fix this. Unfixable.

Solved issues: (Update)

Menus need to be manually closed SOLVED! in V.4 and updated in V.5! The menu & icon WILL scroll with you if you have removed the sticky header CSS, however, clicking anywhere on screen will make the Menu disappear still.

Masonry view in searches is now fixed!

Resized Messenger Chat Box!

NEW UPDATE 16/08/23, 23:55 BST v6.5: Figured out how to reorganise the icons in the header. Let me know if you have any problems with it and make sure to update your Userstyle! Some icons are hidden with Display: Block; you can hide more icons with this method!

Solved issues p2

Brought back SOME of the icons for Tumblrs latest update - Unfortunately, this does not bring back user icons for Reblogged posts! Make sure to yell at Tumblr for removing the icons as well as the horrible dashboard update here! v7.5 Fixed icons for all posts and put them back where they came from!

v6.9.6.9 (I promise this is the last funny number): Fuck Off Buggy The Clown Update + All languages support for the old header design!

v7.0: Fixed the search bar for tumblrs new collections feature, so it looks like the original search bar!

v8.0: Fixed masonry view icons, hidden the reblog icon on dashboard icons, fixed icons in blog viewport

V8.1: Fixed issue with icons not working on soft-refresh & with endless scrolling disabled - be sure to complain to staff!

v9.3: Changed a few things with the search feature, I also made the posts less round.

#dashboard unfucker

[tales-from-nocturnaliss]

Ngl this is exactly what I needed to read today. Thank you two for having that conversation (and @most-definitively-a-human for sharing it)

I had never heard of skill regression in neurodivergence (i'm autistic but likely AuDHD), so naturally upon reading this I had to google quickly and found this post on Reddit that resonated with me completely.

As an older writer who is struggling with life - and thus with writing, who used to be able to memorize basically *EVERYTHING* and keep track of convoluted plots... and who finds herself forgetting almost everything every day anew and having to scroll/reread ad nauseum, I want to say:

Yes the skill can come back. For me, the baseline is stress management. And this stress can come in a variety of ways not necesarily stressful at first glance, but that affect me deeply - like, say a friend I usd to talk to a lot suddenly being unavailable almost all of the time, which causes me massive stress (I realize finally today!) because they were also the person I talked about OCs and writing the most... and I realize I really really NEED to talk about OCs and writing. And have conversations about writing.

Just realizing what causes you stress can also be very stress relieving, particularly when you're autistic, because these brains of ours just NEED. TO. KNOW. And once they do, they can go "oh", and resume normal life like nothing happened.

(which leads me today to be chatting into the void after months of being too exhausted to do so. Y'know what? It's legit giving me energy to do so. I'm enjoying it. I love talking into the void. It's soothing for me).

i used to be so good at writing strong, thoroughly-researched, thoroughly-edited essays.

as a kid in hs, my teacher literally came up to me, holding my 40 page essay on the intersection of the European witch hunts and capitalism/exploitation/gender roles (it was supposed to be 7 pages...whoops) and went like "this is literally a master's-degree level thesis. what are you doing?? you could literally use this as your final dissertation in a master's program, what the fuck."

NOW??? NOW?? you'd think I'd be oh so skilled. but alas. i can barely piece together two ideas. adhd skill-regression is so so real. im SOBBING

[tales-from-nocturnaliss]

I don't know if I'm depressed or if it's just my messed up sleep schedule playing tricks on my brain.

But. I've been stuck in this mental zone of thinking there's no point sharing my stories or progress online anymore because who cares really?

Added to the fact I'm EXHAUSTED all of the time. My priority goes to writing and keeping in touch with friends, and afterwards there's no energy left for much of anything.

I think I'm really in need of returns. Which, paradoxically, has no chance of happening if I don't share anything :3; but the variable of "maybe it will maybe it won't" is factored in as: there's no point since chances of returns are minimal at best.

Now I say this, I start thinking I should actually just come in and share whatever whenever and not care whether someone comments. After all, aren't I writing for me first and foremost? At least, I should be.

Ahh. Maybe that's it. Maybe it's being busy with everyone's perception that is messing me up. I'm too focused on what is out of my control - people - and not on what I can control - me.

Interesting. Funny I should figure this out while writing a post on Tumblr.

Welp. Okay. Next stop is: Refocusing on Self.

[tales-from-nocturnaliss]

I'm the sort of writer who believes in backtracking a few lines or paragraphs when you get stuck in your WIP.

If you hit a wall, it could easily be that you overlooked something. Personally, in my current WIP, I discovered that I 1. had overlooked a corpse (whoops), 2. that the last character reaction was going to write them both into a potentially lethal corner.

Here's the thing: my brain keeps track of things I forget to keep track of. So when it starts refusing to move forward, that's generally my cue to reread and find out what I missed/overlooked.

So I 1. wrote in one character's reactions to the corpse and, most importantly, 2. deleted the last reaction in my WIP and took the liberty of having the character 'conveniently' suffer suddenly from an admittedly pretty bad wound he got earlier in the story. Sure he's a badass, but there's only so much your body can take, and that one is fair use to get a writer out of dead ends as long as it makes sense for the character.

And now I feel like the writer's block is lifted for this story. :3

[tales-from-nocturnaliss]

How do you incorporate world building in stories without it being too info dumpy or not enough?

Along with incorporating research into world building

Creating a vivid, immersive world is essential for engaging readers in any genre of storytelling. It can be the difference between a story that fizzles out and one that lives on in the reader’s imagination long after the last page is turned. However, one of the most common challenges for writers is achieving the right balance between worldbuilding and storytelling — offering enough detail to enrich the narrative without overwhelming readers with superfluous information. Here are our top tips for striking that balance.

Why is worldbuilding so important?

It sets the tone and atmosphere of the story, providing a backdrop that can enhance the mood and themes.

Good worldbuilding enhances the reader’s immersion, making the story more believable and engaging.

It provides context for your characters’ actions and decisions, rooting them in a believable reality.

Worldbuilding can introduce unique elements that set your story apart from others in the same genre.

It allows for richer narratives that can explore complex ideas through the lens of your fictional world.

Establishing a well-thought-out world can act as a foundation for future stories, creating a potential for a series set in the same universe.

How to incorporate worldbuilding naturally

Now that we appreciate the value of worldbuilding, let’s focus on how to incorporate it into your narrative in a way that feels natural and engaging.

Integrate worldbuilding into the action and dialogue

Reveal aspects of your world through the actions of your characters and their interactions with the environment.

Use dialogue to show how characters perceive their world and what’s considered normative behaviour or beliefs.

Unless writing a backstory from an omniscient PoV, describe only as much as the characters would notice or care about in their everyday lives to maintain realism.

Let the plot guide which parts of the world you reveal, unveiling more details as they become relevant to the story.

Show the consequences of the world’s systems (political, environmental, social) through character experiences and plot developments.

Introduce worldbuilding elements through events or phenomena that characters must react to, such as festivals, natural disasters, or technological innovations.

Create a sense of mystery

Avoid laying out every detail of your world upfront. Instead, tease readers with small, bite-sized revelations.

Allow characters to wonder about or question aspects of their world, which in turn encourages the reader to ponder alongside them.

Use characters’ limited perspectives to create an incomplete picture of the world, driving readers to want to learn more, and reveal these elements gradually.

Sprinkle clues and hints about your world’s deeper lore throughout the narrative, encouraging readers to piece them together.

Establish legends, myths, and folklore that characters believe in, indicating a richer history beyond the current storyline.

Introduce mysterious areas, elements, or settings in your world that characters are either unaware of or afraid to explore, hinting at larger, unexplored parts of your universe.

Balance “show” and “tell”

When it comes to worldbuilding, showing is often more effective than telling; however, some telling can be useful when done sparingly.

Show the world through immersive sensory details that help the reader visualise and experience the setting.

Use a narrative voice or a character’s direct thoughts to succinctly explain complex aspects of your world that cannot be easily shown.

Alternate between showing and telling to provide rest periods for the reader—too much showing can be just as tiring as excessive telling.

Allow for moments where characters reflect on their world, offering necessary exposition in a way that feels personal and character-driven.

Use tell-type exposition to quickly cover ground when describing universally understood concepts, saving the showing for unique or unusual elements of your world.

Weave worldbuilding into character development

Define your characters by how they interact with and are affected by the rules and norms of your world.

Use the world’s culture, politics, and environment to shape your characters’ backgrounds, aspirations, and fears.

Allow characters to discover, question, or challenge aspects of their world as part of their growth arc.

Show characters using world-specific skills, knowledge, or resources to overcome obstacles, demonstrating how deeply they’re intertwined with their environment.

Contrast characters’ perspectives based on their place within the world’s structures, such as socioeconomic status, race, or occupation.

Create character-driven scenes where aspects of the world are naturally explored, such as a marketplace, school, or place of worship.

How to research for worldbuilding

Start by identifying the core aspects of your world, such as the political systems, geography, cultures, and technology.

Take inspiration from real-world history and societies to add depth and authenticity to your creation.

Organise your research and create a reference guide that you can consult as you write to keep the details consistent.

Cultural anthropology will help you understand the intricacies of social structures, rituals, and customs that can inspire your fictional societies.

Ecology and environmental science help to create believable ecosystems and landscapes that influence the plot and characters.

Architecture and urban planning can inspire you to design realistic and varied settings that add depth to your world.

Economics will help you construct the economic foundation of your world, which can affect social dynamics and conflict.

Linguistics is useful when developing languages or dialects that add realism and cultural richness to your world.

Fashion history helps you to add detail to your characters’ attire, reflecting status, climate, and cultural norms within your world.

Cartography and geography will help you to create maps that guide your story and provide a spatial sense of your world for the readers.

Reading up on mythology and folklore to weave a sense of the mystical or spiritual into the fabric of your world’s history and beliefs.

Tech and theoretical science can help to build believable scientific and technological frameworks within your world.

Researching real-world history will help you see how conflicts, alliances, and diplomacy inform the political tensions and relationships in your world’s narrative.

#writing tips #worldbuilding