I Am So Very Normal About This

tipping point kendal and erin are from @comicaurora

some people think writers are so eloquent and good with words, but the reality is that we can sit there with our fingers on the keyboard going, “what’s the word for non-sunlight lighting? Like, fake lighting?” and for ten minutes, all our brain will supply is “unofficial”, and we know that’s not the right word, but it’s the only word we can come up with…until finally it’s like our face got smashed into a brick wall and we remember the word we want is “artificial”.

how do you write a liar?

How to Write Liars Believably

Language

The motive of every goal is the make the lie seem plausible while taking blame off the speaker, so liars will often project what they say to a third party: "Katie said that..."

Referring to third parties as "they" rather than he or she

In the case of a deliberate lie prepped beforehand, there will be an overuse of specific names (rather than pronouns) as the speaker tries to get the details right.

Overuse of non-committal words like "something may have happened"

Masking or obscuring facts like "to the best of my knowledge" and “it is extremely unlikely," etc.

Avoiding answers to specific, pressing questions

Voice

There's isn't a set tone/speed/style of speaking, but your character's speech patten will differ from his normal one.

People tend to speak faster when they're nervous and are not used to lying.

Body Language

Covering their mouth

Constantly touching their nose

fidgeting, squirming or breaking eye contact

turning away, blinking faster, or clutching a comfort object like a cushion as they speak

nostril flaring, rapid shallow breathing or slow deep breaths, lip biting, contracting, sitting on your hands, or drumming your fingers. 

Highly-trained liars have mastered the art of compensation by freezing their bodies and looking at you straight in the eye.

Trained liars can also be experts in the art of looking relaxed. They sit back, put their feet up on the table and hands behind their head.

For deliberate lies, the character may even carefully control his body language, as though his is actually putting on a show

The Four Types of Liars

Deceitful: those who lie to others about facts

2. Delusional: those who lie to themselves about facts

3. Duplicitious: those who lie to others about their values

Lying about values can be even more corrosive to relationships than lying about facts. 

4. Demoralized: those who lie to themselves about their values

Additional Notes

Genuine smiles or laughs are hard to fake

Exaggerations of words (that would normally not be emphasized) or exaggerated body language

Many savvy detectives ask suspects to tell the story in reverse or non-linear fashion to expose a lie. They often ask unexpected, or seemingly irrelevant questions to throw suspects off track. 

good traits gone bad

perfectionism - never being satisfied

honesty - coming off as rude and insensitive

devotion - can turn into obsession

generosity - being taken advantage of

loyalty - can make them blind for character faults in others

being dependable - always depending on them

ambitiousness - coming off as ruthless

optimism - not being realistic

diligence - not able to bend strict rules

protectiveness - being overprotective

cautiousness - never risking anything

being determined - too focussed on one thing

persuasiveness - coming off as manipulative

tidiness - can become an obsession

being realistic - being seen as pessimistic

assertiveness - coming off as bossy

pride - not accepting help from others

innocence - being seen as naive

selflessness - not thinking about themself enough

being forgiving - not holding others accountable

curiosity - asking too much questions

persistence - being seen as annoying

being charming - can seem manipulative

modesty - not reaching for more

confidence - coming off as arrogant

wit/humor - not taking things serious

patience - being left hanging

strategic - coming off as calculated

being caring - being overbearing

tolerance - being expected to tolerate a lot

eagerness - coming off as impatient

being observant - being seen as nosy

independence - not accepting help

being considerate - forgetting about themself

fearlessness - ignoring real danger

politeness - not telling what they really think

reliability - being taken advantage of

empathy - getting overwhelmed with feeling too much for other people

Drawing bases & references #34

some bases for your archer ocs 🏹🏹🏹

*ehem* I wanted to let you guys know I just posted a new article on my shops: a pack with all the PSDs of the bases I did on may! it has 68 files for you to use 😊 If you're interested, it's only 12usd (will change to 15usd in the future so go grab it now if you can!)

It's on my ko-fi and my (not so) new patreon page ✨✨ right now i'm only posting my free bases there as well, but I plan to open a tier with exclusive bases and more stuff in the near future 💖💖

Check links on my pinned post or bio 💖 ty for reading!

I've done the research, but I don't think the results I've found have answered my question. My WIP stars a trio of teens who are 14 - 15. And since this story centers around change, firsts, and coming into one's own, I wanted to feature a romance between two of the three MCs. I know more subtle signs of romance include shared looks, unspoken communication, hand holding, shoulder bumps, gentle headbutts, and going out of your way for the person your care for. But is that everything?

The Subtle Signs of Romantic Interest and Love

Whether affection is just beginning to develop or two people are in the early stages of a relationship, there are lots of subtle signs to indicate romantic interest and love. In no particular order…

External Signs

- stolen glances- lingering looks- intense eye contact- sharing a knowing look- eyes meeting- looking away bashfully after eyes meet- feeling nervous/tongue-tied when trying to talk to the other person- voice cracks when trying to speak to the other person- flirting- straying from normal attitude or behavior with other person- denying interest in other person when pressed by friends (in early stages)- communicating feelings through the eyes (worry, pain, pride, love, etc.)- awkwardness after accidental touching- shared laughter after accidental touching- an “electric” feeling when touching the other person- speaking at the same time (a little cliché, but it can happen)- tentative touching- finding ways to touch when intimate touch is restricted- open, affectionate touching (holding hands, hugging, nuzzling, etc.)- brushing a lock of hair behind the ear- gently stroking jaw line, chin, or cheek- kissing forehead, temple, or top of head- rubbing nose tips together- displaying flirtatious tics like biting lip, twirling hair, running hand through hair- talking excitedly or affectionately about the other person to friends- constantly talking about the other person to friends- blushing when teased by friends about the other person- giving the other person meaningful gifts- keeping mementos as reminders of the other person- making excuses to be near the other person- making excuses to spend time with the other person- wanting to get to know the other person’s friends and family- good mood/always smiling from being with or thinking about other person- giving each other nicknames or using pet names/terms of endearment- being reminded of other person when listening to love songs- sharing possessions, letting each other borrow meaningful possessions- willing to make sacrifices to be with the other person or to make them happy- sharing secrets, or things not often shared, with the other person- speaking softly or whispering in the person’s ear- cheeks/neck/chest becoming flushed- moving quickly toward the other person to close the distance- sighing, either out of happiness or missing the other person- losing track of time when with the other person- feeling like the rest of the world melts away when with the other person

Internal Signs

- thinking fondly of the other person- thinking about them constantly- recalling fond memories- seeing constant reminders of the other person- worrying about the other person- daydreaming about future activities with the other person- daydreaming about sharing a future with the other person- analyzing a previous interaction- dreaming about the person- feeling “weak in the knees” around the other person- remembering moments containing looking/touching moments- wanting to know everything there is to know about the other person- wanting to spend every waking second with the other person- orchestrating meetings that seem to be happenstance- feeling joy/racing heartbeat/butterflies upon seeing other person- craving the person’s touch, or being able to touch them- constant feeling of being “on cloud nine”- often distracted due to thinking about other person- wanting to impress the other person or make them proud- when not with the other person, noticing things they would appreciate- unable to see anything but positives where the other person is concerned- feeling suddenly warm- feeling breathless- noticing (and loving) little details (moles, scars, birthmarks, unusual traits)- wanting to improve self to impress or benefit other person- eyes constantly seek the other person out- inability to stop looking at the person, difficulty not staring at them- thinking you see the other person in a crowd when they’re not there- difficulty sleeping/loss of sleep- feeling a deep desire to kiss the personIf you need an extra boost, watch a few romantic comedies or love stories. Watch the way the characters behave as their interest in one another is building and as they begin to explore a relationship. :)

Hey! Asking for some writing advice here.

How does one write a villain exactly. In a very simple world with no superpowers and stuff how do you give them motivation. How do you make them slowly descent into villainy. Somehow when the villain actually thinks they're doing the right thing until the very end?

Thx love

There are a few different questions here that I'm going to try to to unpick.

I'll start with a brief overview of the connections between protagonist + antagonist, just because recognising them can be really useful in shaping your own ideas. Then I'll dive into motivation. So.

Antagonist + Protagonist = CONFLICT

If you know your protagonist well, then you have all the ingredients you need to write a great villain/antagonist for them too. Here is why.

Your villain/antagonist is, at the most basic fundamental starting point, something that is between your protagonist and what the protagonist wants/needs. As a very simple example, if your protagonist wants to make sure that everyone is free, then your antagonist is going to in some way be involved with making sure they are not free. Once you know what your antagonist needs to do in a story, then it's a lot easier to pose the question to yourself of 'okay, why would someone do that?'

Villains often reflect an opposite or warped view of the values and motivations that your protagonist has. They mirror or foil your main character. So, your antagonist's motivation will often be either opposite to the protagonist (e.g, your protagonist is motivated by selflessness, so your antagonist is motivated by selfishness in some way) or they will be the same motivation or value gone twisted (e.g. we both have people we love who we would do anything to protect...it's the villains way of acting on that motivation that makes them the villain, not the motivation.)

Of course, you can not have your antagonist + protagonist connected in this way. This is often the case if the source of conflict in your story is not another actual character or if you have a more generic villain. Lots of great stories have generic villains. It typically just means the villain is not a focus. It might be, like, about the friendships made in the journey instead.

Motivations:

I find it helpful to think of all my characters having two motivations.

The external story-specific motivation. This is whatever the antagonist is trying to achieve in your particular story and where things like genre and superpowers etc come into play.

The internal motivation that is more universal. The internal motivation is, while still specific to the character, the driving emotions and values. With a villain, that is often hatred or fear or lust for power because they're villains, but as noted earlier it can be a twisted form of love, or a strong sense of an injustice committed against them. This shapes the external motivation (e.g. 'lust for power = I want the throne, 'fear' = I'm going to kill or belittle or control what scares me so I don't have to feel scared anymore', justice might equal revenge or gaining power to ensure that a wrong is corrected. ) It could also be a bias or a prejudice that they're raised on driving them, that they genuinely believe in. Lots of possibilities!

I think this is true of people as well. We have our foundational core beliefs and desires (to be loved, to succeed, to be accepted whatever) and then we have the things we try to get in the real world to meet those needs (whether they really will or not).

Either way, it's the second one that comes into play with the slow descent into villainy and the villain thinking that they're doing the right thing until the end. Because, initially, their heart genuinely is not in a villainous place. They may actually be doing the right thing at the start. And then bad things happen. They are changed by the journey. They are a protagonist gone tragic.

We all experience emotions that can drive us to behave poorly; the desire for revenge or recognition, to ensure that the people we care about are safe, to get money so that we can provide for ourselves and others etc. None of us are without prejudice or privilege. Those things do not make you a villain, but they can be an excellent starting place for one.

Think about times when you've messed up. A villain is often an exaggerated version of that. You start pushing your own boundaries because there is something you really want/need and, depending on how far you push that...do you feel like you can still go back? Or do you feel like you might as well finish it after everything. At what point do you breathe for air, look up at what you've done, and go shit.

That's the villain who realises way too late that they're the villain.

Final note: I've been using antagonist and villain pretty interchangeably here...but they have slightly different connotations. Your antagonist does not have to be a villain to be effective. They just have to be an obstacle to the protagonist. E.g. if two people are going for the same dream job or trying to win a competition, the other competitors are antagonists to a certain extent, but that doesn't mean they're villainous or bad people. Whether you have an outright villain will depend on your story.

I hope this helps!

Some going further questions to take with you.

Is your villain trying to stop your protagonist from reaching their goal? Or is your protagonist trying to stop the antagonist from reaching their goal?

How does the villain's external goal in the story reflect the inner need? Note. They are aware of their external goal. Most people are not aware of the inner goal in the same way.

Do you know what you want your stories themes to be? (This doesn't have to be complicated and it's fine if you don't, that's what editing is for). Your protagonist and antagonist often weigh in on these themes. For example, your antagonist might be a path the protagonist could have gone down, if they made a different choice or something happened differently in their past.

Suddenly I'm holding the world in my arms

never underestimate my ability to platonicaly yearn for somebody

List of symptoms

I hate having whump fantasies that involve some vague fever that doesn’t have consistent symptoms to make it feel real. Here’s a handy list to flesh out the nature of your whumpee’s illness.

Let’s go:

Dizziness/faintness

Congestion

Sneezing

Coughing

Headache

Muscle aches

Joint aches

Cramping

Exhaustion/lethargy

Shivering

Wheezing/trouble breathing

Sore throat (trouble speaking and swallowing)

Sweating (leads to dehydration)

Flushed and/or pale skin

Delirium (delusions, nightmares, lack of filter, inability to regulate emotions, hallucinations, incoherent speech, confusion)

Nausea/vomiting

Abdominal pain (burning, stabbing, soreness)

Chest pain (burning, stabbing, soreness, tightness)

Pain/pressure behind the eyes

Feeling too hot or too cold

Weakness

Blurred vision

Weight loss (loss of appetite)

Rapid heartbeat

Abnormal breathing (rapid, shallow, panting)

Sensory sensitivity (light, sound, touch, smell, taste)

Tell me more……