I despise Venion so much omg
Cale is so trustworthy because he’s very good at payment. Exchanging “equal” goods, even if they may not seem equal in his eyes. He sees his own priorities as more important and naturally thinks that he’s ripping off the other person, when actually they are likely benefitting as much or more as Cale himself. Even in something like emotional stability or feelings of safety and security. He doesn’t always give visible benefits, and helping them out is usually not inconvenient for them. In a similar way, his tasks aren’t usually inconvenient, and the benefits he receives are for the future and inconceivable to anyone without context.
He has very low empathy, in that regard. In most regards, actually. He can sacrifice himself, and manipulate people, and use his glib tongue, but his actually empathy is extremely low. Even when everyone is openly concerned for him— he doesn’t recognize it. It’s “weird.” “Disturbing.” He gets put off by people looking at his with admiration, because, he doesn’t feel like he did anything amazing? He just said a few well words? Why is everyone looking at him like he just something profound?
He’s smart, but he can’t easily connect to outsiders feelings. He does and says when he wants to— and predicting the outcome is his specialty— except when it comes to positivity. He prepares for the negative, he anticipates it.
He just… doesn’t understand how to comprehend when it’s not seeing him in a bad light.
original thread by @pukicho and several other users
A concept in my head that been rolling around a lot:
Hanahaki, but instead of it being triggered by unrequited love, it's triggered because all the love you have for a person turns inwards because you're too afraid to show it.
So it kills you, not because someone doesn't love you back, but because you don't let it out and all that love you have stored, that could grow into something beautiful, turns on you and turns your insides beautiful.
Love is growth, and without any place for it to grow outside, it grows in. If you confess, reciprocated or not, the disease goes away because it's no longer trapped. It gives self-destruction a new meaning.
goal + obstacle = conflict -> plot
You may have heard that a story needs conflict, but what does that mean?
No, it's not explosions. Or murder. Or smut.
Your character wants something, that's the goal. Something is in the character's way, that's the obstacle. The way your character deals with the obstacle to reach their goal is what makes an engaging conflict.
You see this on a plot level as well as on an individual scene level: Character wants X, but obstacle Y, so they have to go do Z
Conflict is like the engine of the plot, so if it's missing in a scene, then it's likely to feel redundant, boring, as if the story came to a halt (because it did; the engine stopped).
The goal and obstacle pair generally appear in two orders, with a "reaction" element:
Character sets a goal, but an obstacle happens, so the character reacts by changing course
Something happens (obstacle), character reacts to it and decides on the next action (goal)
You can alternate between the two, then you get something like this: character tries to accomplish something, something gets in their way, forcing a new approach, character reacts to the changes and decides how to move on from here, sets a new goal, tries to reach goal, faces obstacle...
This can also keep your character active rather than passive. Even in a reactionary scene, your character is responding and making a decision, rather than being a puppet to external forces. It can be smart to not have too many reactionary scenes back-to-back, as this can also feel passive. The goal-obstacle-reaction type scenes don't really have this problem and you can intersperse them with reactionary scenes now and then for variation.
You can have one major goal and many smaller goals. The goal(s) can also shift over the course of the story.
If you struggle to think of an obstacle, ask yourself: what is preventing my character from achieving their goal right now? Why can't they walk up to the villain and defeat them? Why can't they pull their love interest into a kiss? Why is your story longer than two paragraphs?
Ideally, goals and obstacles (and conflicts) are interwoven with character development, theme, etc., making for a solid plot where all these elements form one smooth fabric together. As a beginner, it's alright to first pick one thing to exercise rather than trying to balance all these things at once. Learn to create these bare bones of a plot and then improve upon that foundation.
Anakin would like Padmé to not die. = goal; He doesn't know how to prevent it. = obstacle
Stop the Sith = goal; Not knowing who the Sith Lord is = obstacle
These form conflicts and they push the plot forward. There are several smaller goals, like defeating Dooku/saving the Chancellor, preventing Palpatine from dying, manslaughter, killing Obi-Wan...
A scene with the goal - obstacle - (reaction) order: Anakin wants to use Palpatine's knowledge (goal), but Mace Windu is about to make that permanently impossible (obstacle). Thus, Anakin needs to pivot from yelling to slashing in order to reach his goal.
A scene with the obstacle - (reaction) - goal order: Anakin, the superstar Jedi, has just helped a Sith Lord kill a Jedi master (obstacle/problem; goes against the bigger "stop the Sith" goal). This has an effect on him (reaction; "What have I done??") and leads to a decision: join Palpatine. This then sets him on his next goal(s): destroy the Jedi to prove he's worthy.
Here you see how those two "types" of scenes flow into each other.
Write two short scenes - one for each type (reactionary and goal-obstacle-reaction). They don't have to be unrelated.
Now, write another two scenes, but this time make them successive.
See if you can do this in the form of a short story: write 5-10 successive scenes.
Celebrate that you've just written a story! :D
These techniques, like so often with writing, need practice to sink in. So write some fun short stories or wacky scenes, and you'll notice you get better the more you do it. Have fun!
Me and my friend 😂😂😂
I'm still in the process of bringing him to read it no fair!!😭
But atleast he's interested in my indofumps so far!
(I'm tempted to spoil him everything help 😭😭)
I'm trying to force my friend to read TCF
I got her into manga and anime (I started myself on a romance, and decided you know what? I'll start her off with Death Note :D)
Now I'm desperate to get her into manhwa and novels
Please, she's coming over tonight and trust me
I am making her read TCF
If she's making me watch Boku no Hero Academia (an ehhhh series for me)
Then she is reading TCF
I don't care
Girl, get over here
Cale is used to being without.
Whether it’s food, sleep, safety or otherwise, he’s used to the feeling of lacking something.
His past has been filled with it. Anything that could be desirable, he’s been without it before.
So it’s no wonder he wants to be a slacker. It’s no wonder he asks if people have eaten or if they’ve slept. That’s what he’s always wanted. To be content. To not be lacking something. He wants to be bored because it means he’s not worrying about something.
No one else can understand why he so adamantly exclaims that his dream is to be a slacker yet can never seem to throw himself into the next problem— because he knows more than anyone else that he’s always had to fight for his peace.
As an orphan, as a teenager, as 20 year old KRS and as the 35 year old KRS. He understands more than anyone that the slacker life isn’t going to come easily. He had to fight for the bare minimum for years, so he is determined to fight for the maximum for even longer.
It’s his determination to be content that keeps him going. His refusal to lack something. His refusal to lose something.
Susie and noelle.... gay people...
Cale: Your highne—
Alberu: Cale, faint
Cale: But your hi—
Alberu: Cale
Cale:
Cale: *sees toonka and Litana running*
Cale: *proceeds to fake fainting*
Just realised that Cale was the only "regular" human to ever notice Raon when he was invisible. Even back when Raon was first following him around.
Like, quite a few characters have noticed him throughout the novel, but Cale was able to figure out where Raon was located only using the skills he picked up as Kim Rok Soo.
Its pretty impressive and looking back on it, it could almost be considered foreshadowing.