Bleeding:
Blood is warm. if blood is cold, you’re really fucking feverish or the person is dead. it’s only sticky after it coagulates.
It smells! like iron, obv, but very metallic. heavy blood loss has a really potent smell, someone will notice.
Unless in a state of shock or fight-flight mode, a character will know they’re bleeding. stop with the ‘i didn’t even feel it’ yeah you did. drowsiness, confusion, pale complexion, nausea, clumsiness, and memory loss are symptoms to include.
blood flow ebbs. sometimes it’s really gushin’, other times it’s a trickle. could be the same wound at different points.
it’s slow. use this to your advantage! more sad writer times hehehe.
Stab wounds:
I have been mildly impaled with rebar on an occasion, so let me explain from experience. being stabbed is bizarre af. your body is soft. you can squish it, feel it jiggle when you move. whatever just stabbed you? not jiggly. it feels stiff and numb after the pain fades. often, stab wounds lead to nerve damage. hands, arms, feet, neck, all have more motor nerve clusters than the torso. fingers may go numb or useless if a tendon is nicked.
also, bleeding takes FOREVER to stop, as mentioned above.
if the wound has an exit wound, like a bullet clean through or a spear through the whole limb, DONT REMOVE THE OBJECT. character will die. leave it, bandage around it. could be a good opportunity for some touchy touchy :)
whump writers - good opportunity for caretaker angst and fluff w/ trying to manhandle whumpee into a good position to access both sites
Concussion:
despite the amnesia and confusion, people ain’t that articulate. even if they’re mumbling about how much they love (person) - if that’s ur trope - or a secret, it’s gonna make no sense. garbled nonsense, no full sentences, just a coupla words here and there.
if the concussion is mild, they’re gonna feel fine. until….bam! out like a light. kinda funny to witness, but also a good time for some caretaking fluff.
Fever:
you die at 110F. no 'oh no his fever is 120F!! ahhh!“ no his fever is 0F because he’s fucking dead. you lose consciousness around 103, sometimes less if it’s a child. brain damage occurs at over 104.
ACTUAL SYMPTOMS:
sluggishness
seizures (severe)
inability to speak clearly
feeling chilly/shivering
nausea
pain
delirium
symptoms increase as fever rises. slow build that secret sickness! feverish people can be irritable, maybe a bit of sass followed by some hurt/comfort. never hurt anybody.
ALSO about fevers - they absolutely can cause hallucinations. Sometimes these alter memory and future memory processing. they're scary shit guys.
fevers are a big deal! bad shit can happen! milk that till its dry (chill out) and get some good hurt/comfort whumpee shit.
keep writing u sadistic nerds xox love you
ALSO I FORGOT LEMME ADD ON:
YOU DIE AT 85F
sorry I forgot. at that point for a sustained period of time you're too cold to survive.
pt 2
also please stop traumadumping in the notes/tags, that's not the point of this post. it's really upsetting to see on my feed, so i'm muting the notifs for this post. if you have a question about this post, dm me, but i don't want a constant influx of traumatic stories. xox
i really believe that discussing the character with someone who shares ur interpretation is the closest u can get to modern day philosophy. we are like plato and aristotle but talking about a fictional guys trauma
I've been using this the past couple days to work on larkin/larkinrelated projects/my school work and let me tell you friends it WORKS. for fans of the 'making my font really small' or 'writing in comic sans' tricks, this writing program is sooo for you. it lets you set a word count goal that's accompanied by a little progress bar to help illustrate how far you are, it lets you change visual backgrounds from waves to a fireplace to old tv static, quite possibly my favorite feature--it allows you to enable typing sounds--so that you can make it so it sounds like you're writing on a type-writer! Can't recommend this project enough to my fellow writers <3
things to ask yourself when designing a female character:
how much blood is she covered in
are her eyes filled with madness
can she rip things to shreds with her fingernails
Gets into: A Fight ⚜ ...Another Fight ⚜ ...Yet Another Fight
Hates Someone ⚜ Kisses Someone ⚜ Falls in Love
Calls Someone they Love ⚜ Dies / Cheats Death ⚜ Drowns
is...
A Child ⚜ Interacting with a Baby/Child ⚜ A Genius ⚜ A Lawyer
Beautiful ⚜ Dangerous ⚜ Drunk ⚜ Injured ⚜ Shy
needs...
A Magical Item ⚜ An Aphrodisiac ⚜ A Fictional Poison
To be Killed Off ⚜ To Become Likable ⚜ To Clean a Wound
To Find the Right Word, but Can't ⚜ To Say No ⚜ A Drink
loves...
Astronomy ⚜ Baking ⚜ Cooking ⚜ Cocktails ⚜ Food ⚜ Oils
Dancing ⚜ Fashion ⚜ Gems ⚜ Mythology ⚜ Numbers
Roses ⚜ Sweets ⚜ To Fight ⚜ Wine ⚜ Wine-Tasting ⚜ Yoga
has/experiences...
Allergies ⚜ Amnesia ⚜ Bereavement ⚜ Bites & Stings ⚜ Bruises
Caffeine ⚜ CO Poisoning ⚜ Color Blindness ⚜ Food Poisoning
Injuries ⚜ Jet Lag ⚜ Mutism ⚜ Pain ⚜ Poisoning
More Pain & Violence ⚜ Viruses ⚜ Wounds
[these are just quick references. more research may be needed to write your story...]
house of leaves is a unique kind of horrid literary masterpiece that can be re-expressed(?) in a billion different ways. yet the immediate feeling of how the fuck am i supposed to read this is prominent in every. single. form of it.
house of leaves is rad and fucking sucks at the same time. i love it
This took me an hour to make in Instagram create tab
follow your dreams at a sustainable pace
this is what telling people to read house of leaves is like
if i was a popular minecraft youtuber id just tweet "hey guys stop drawing shipping fanart of me and my friends/coworkers, i only fucked one of them and seeing me paired with anyone else is kinda weird and crosses my boundaries" and then i'd turn my phone off
Whether they're standing against authority or resisting the status quo, the actions of defiant characters can add layers of depth to your story. Here are some quick tips on how to effectively write defiance in your characters.
Question authority and break rules
Don't easily back down from challenges
Rebellious and do the unexpected
May appear stubborn to others
Don't easily conform to norms
Value their independence and freedom
Resilient in the face of adversity
Assertive and direct
Courageous in the face of danger
Act based on their principles and beliefs
Direct and stand their ground during disagreements
Don't shy away from tough conversations
Don't let others manipulate or control them
Not afraid to express their opinions
May challenge others' viewpoints during discussions
Stand up for what they believe in
Protective of those they care about
May be argumentative or confrontational
Don't give in easily during negotiations
Can be inspiring, encouraging others to stand with them
Head high with a strong posture
Serious or determined expression
Maintain steady and direct eye contact
Use expansive, open body language
Do not shy away from physical confrontation
Cross their arms to show resistance
Move with purpose and determination
Not easily intimidated by the physical presence of others
Clench their fists when frustrated or angry
Adopt a challenging stance
Not easily swayed by popular opinion
Confident in their own abilities
Persevere no matter how tough the situation gets
Believe strongly in their cause or principles
Refuse to be victims
Unruffled by criticism or opposition
Disregard rules they don't agree with
Risk-takers who often choose difficult paths
Value transparency and honesty
Can come across as proud or arrogant
They may succeed in overturning an unjust system
They can inspire others to stand up against injustice
They achieve their goals through sheer determination
They may help someone break free from oppression
They can contribute to a significant societal change
Their defiance can get them into trouble
They may alienate themselves from others with their behaviour
They can face severe consequences for breaking the rules
Their relationships may suffer due to their stubbornness
They can be misunderstood and labelled as troublemakers
Rebellious
Nonconformist
Contrary
Dissident
Contrarian
Unruly
Insurgent
Uncooperative
Unmanageable
Mutinous
Intransigent
Insubordinate
Recalcitrant
Resistant
Obstinate
Obstreperous
Noncompliant
Indomitable
Unyielding
Fractious
The recipe for creating compelling characters is deceptively simple. All you need is a goal, motivation, and conflict.
These are the building blocks that drive all character development and will ensure you have well-rounded, believable characters every time!
The GMC Formula in a nutshell is:
Goal: What does your character want?
Motivation: Why do they want it?
Conflict: What's stopping them from getting it?