The Skellingcorner

[transformativeworks]

A Sociological Look at Soulmate Universes

[upagainstabookcase]

I want to take some time to think about Soulmate AUs in broader social and historical context. (I’m sticking to the ‘first words written on your body’ version of those aus)

Thoughts on Society:

• In a soulmate universe there would be distinctly less homophobia because queerness would be both normalized and no one would be able to argue that it isn’t natural. (Not that there wouldn’t be any because people are assholes). 
  
• Religion would be structured differently - destiny would be seen as an incontrovertible subject. “Of course you have a destiny and a place in God’s plan, just look at those words on your arm.” What words were written on the arms of Messiahs and prophets?
  
• Scientists attempting to explain it through genetics and physics. 
• The culture of introductions would be essential. What you say to new people would be built into the culture of what is polite and it would change society by society. 
• Societies with strict verbal introduction rules that limit the finding of soul mates (because what would disrupt strict social stratification than princes discovering that their soul mate is a maid). 
• Societies where people craft personalized introductions and use the same line like a personal signature each time they meet someone new.  
• First day of school or college or a new job being almost all meeting rituals.  
• Special festivals that are dedicated to meeting new people and talking to them. Pilgrimages for young adults to go town by town to meet as many people as possible. 

Pop Culture

• Massive online databases full of those first words. 
• Books dedicated to the first words of famous people. 
• Analyses of your words (a la astrology: because you have the word ‘time’ in your words it means…)
• Matchmakers who promise they’ll find you Your Soulmate! 
• Imagine the shipping debates around TV shows: “Her words haven’t been revealed yet! So she could be his match!” or “They revealed his words in season 2 so we know his match isn’t Fred!” 

Interpersonal:

• Imagine the pressure to find your match 
• People who claim children raised outside of matches are more destructive and less well adjusted and at a disadvantage
• “If you have sex outside a Match you will catch chlamydia and you will DIE”
• Special marriages for matches. 
  
• Support groups for those who find their Matches late in life. 
• Imagine the family pressure in some families to never meet anyone unapproved by the family. “Your father speaks to everyone first!” 
  
• Different marriage systems 
• Flexible ones where every non-match marriage is considered voidable if a soulmate match is found. Imagine being the person left behind by someone you love and trust because of words on their skin. 
• Or a system of different marriages where people have different partners for different contexts: This is my household wife June and my Match wife Alice her household husband Larry and we all make it work. 
• Or systems where you can’t legally marry unless you can both show your words and prove you are a match. 
• People who lie about it to avoid the social pressure inherent in finding your match. “Of course my husband and I are a match!” Or teens who lie to their parents that someone is their match because their parents disapprove of their new date. 
• Parents who worry like hell about their kid’s words. 
• People who fall in love with the “wrong person” because this social system means that there is literally a wrong person. But they truly fall in love. Who try and scratch off their soulmate words from their skin because FUCK destiny, we’re making our own. 
• Imagine how broken you would feel if you were asexual/aromantic and you didn’t have words. 
  
• Imagine having words that you hated. Imagine having words on your skin that were a slur or an insult or a threat and knowing that someday you will meet someone who will say that to you and they are someone you are supposed to love.
  

It fascinates me because the idea is so much bigger than just meet-cute scenarios and fluff fics. It would change society from the ground up. 

I want to write the one in bold a little bit. 

[transformativeworks]

I would love to read in-depth discussion about each of these ideas. Sadly, there’s not much available. What does exist, though, is discussion about fannish tattoos, which are voluntary physical marks of things we value. Transformative Works and Cultures has a couple of interesting articles on this topic by Bethan Jones, which you can read here and here.

[thecharacterchick]

Your Character’s Personality

Personality is the most important thing about your character.

So, whenever I see character sheets, most people just put a little paragraph for that section. If you’re struggling and don’t know what your character should say or do, what decisions they should make, I guarantee you that this is the problem.

You know your character’s name, age, race, sexuality, height, weight, eye color, hair color, their parents’ and siblings’ names. But these are not the things that truly matter about them.

Traits: 

• pick traits that don’t necessarily go together. For example, someone who is controlling, aggressive and vain can also be generous, sensitive and soft-spoken. Characters need to have at least one flaw that really impacts how they interact with others. Positive traits can work as flaws, too. It is advised that you pick at least ten traits
• people are complex, full of contradictions, and please forgive me if this makes anyone uncomfortable, but even bullies can be “nice” people. Anyone can be a “bad” person, even someone who is polite, kind, helpful or timid can also be narcissistic, annoying, inconsiderate and a liar. People are not just “evil” or “good”

Beliefs:

• ideas or thoughts that your character has or thinks about the world, society, others or themselves, even without proof or evidence, or which may or may not be true. Beliefs can contradict their values, motives, self-image, etc. For example, the belief that they are an awesome and responsible person when their traits are lazy, irresponsible and shallow. Their self-image and any beliefs they have about themselves may or may not be similar/the same. They might have a poor self-image, but still believe they’re better than everybody else

Values:

• what your character thinks is important. Usually influenced by beliefs, their self-image, their history, etc. Some values may contradict their beliefs, wants, traits, or even other values. For example, your character may value being respect, but one of their traits is disrespectful. It is advised you list at least two values, and know which one they value more. For example, your character values justice and family. Their sister tells them she just stole $200 from her teacher’s wallet. Do they tell on her, or do they let her keep the money: justice, or family? Either way, your character probably has some negative feelings, guilt, anger, etc., over betraying their other value

Motives:

• what your character wants. It can be abstract or something tangible. For example, wanting to be adored or wanting that job to pay for their father’s medication. Motives can contradict their beliefs, traits, values, behavior, or even other motives. For example, your character may want to be a good person, but their traits are selfish, manipulative, and narcissistic. Motives can be long term or short term. Everyone has wants, whether they realize it or not. You can write “they don’t know what they want,” but you should know. It is advised that you list at least one abstract want

Recurring Feelings:

• feelings that they have throughout most of their life. If you put them down as a trait, it is likely they are also recurring feelings. For example, depressed, lonely, happy, etc.

Self Image:

• what the character thinks of themselves: their self-esteem. Some character are proud of themselves, others are ashamed of themselves, etc. They may think they are not good enough, or think they are the smartest person in the world. Their self-image can contradict their beliefs, traits, values, behavior, motives, etc. For example, if their self-image is poor, they can still be a cheerful or optimistic person. If they have a positive self-image, they can still be a depressed or negative person. How they picture themselves may or may not be true: maybe they think they’re a horrible person, when they are, in fact, very considerate, helpful, kind, generous, patient, etc. They still have flaws, but flaws don’t necessarily make you a terrible person

Behavior:

• how the character’s traits, values, beliefs, self-image, etc., are outwardly displayed: how they act. For example, two characters may have the trait “angry” but they all probably express it differently. One character may be quiet and want to be left alone when they are angry, the other could become verbally aggressive. If your character is a liar, do they pause before lying, or do they suddenly speak very carefully when they normally don’t? Someone who is inconsiderate may have issues with boundaries or eat the last piece of pizza in the fridge when they knew it wasn’t theirs. Behavior is extremely important and it is advised you think long and hard about your character’s actions and what exactly it shows about them

Demeanor:

• their general mood and disposition. Maybe they’re usually quiet, cheerful, moody, or irritable, etc.

Posture:

• a secondary part of your character’s personality: not as important as everything else. It is advised you fill this out after. Posture is how the character carries themselves. For example, perhaps they swing their arms and keep their shoulders back while they walk, which seems to be the posture of a confident person, so when they sit, their legs are probably open. Another character may slump and have their arms folded when they’re sitting, and when they’re walking, perhaps they drag their feet and look at the ground

Speech Pattern:

• a secondary part of your character’s personality: not as important as everything else. It is advised you fill this out after. Speech patterns can be words that your character uses frequently, if they speak clearly, what sort of grammar they use, if they have a wide vocabulary, a small vocabulary, if it’s sophisticated, crude, stammering, repeating themselves, etc. I personally don’t have a very wide vocabulary, if you could tell

Hobbies:

• a secondary part of your character’s personality: not as important as everything else. It is advised you fill this out after. Hobbies can include things like drawing, writing, playing an instrument, collecting rocks, collecting tea cups, etc.

Quirks:

• a secondary part of your character’s personality, not as important as everything else. It is advised you fill this out after. Quirks are behaviors that are unique to your character. For example, I personally always put my socks on inside out and check the ceiling for spiders a few times a day

Likes:

• a secondary part of your character’s personality, not as important as everything else. It is advised you fill this out after. Likes and dislikes are usually connected to the rest of their personality, but not necessarily. For example, if your character likes to do other people’s homework, maybe it’s because they want to be appreciated

Dislikes:

• a secondary part of your character’s personality, not as important as everything else. It is advised you fill this out after. Likes and dislikes can also contradict the rest of their personality. For example, maybe one of your character’s traits is dishonest, but they dislike liars

History:

• your character’s past that has key events that influence and shape their beliefs, values, behavior, wants, self-image, etc. Events written down should imply or explain why they are the way they are. For example, if your character is distrustful, maybe they were lied to a lot by their parents when they were a child. Maybe they were in a relationship for twenty years and found out their partner was cheating on them the whole time. If their motive/want is to have positive attention, maybe their parents just didn’t praise them enough and focused too much on the negative

On Mental and Physical Disabilities or Illnesses

• if your character experienced a trauma, it needs to have an affect on your character. Maybe they became more angry or impatient or critical of others. Maybe their beliefs on people changed to become “even bullies can be ‘nice’ people: anyone can be a ‘bad’ person”
• people are not their illness or disability: it should not be their defining trait. I have health anxiety, but I’m still idealistic, lazy, considerate, impatient and occasionally spiteful; I still want to become an author; I still believe that people are generally good; I still value doing what make me feel comfortable; I still have a positive self-image; I’m still a person. You should fill out your character’s personality at least half-way before you even touch on the possibility of your character having a disability or illness

Generally everything about your character should connect, but hey, even twins that grew up in the same exact household have different personalities; they value different things, have different beliefs. Maybe one of them watched a movie that had a huge impact on them.

Not everything needs to be explained. Someone can be picky or fussy ever since they were little for no reason at all. Someone can be a negative person even if they grew up in a happy home.

I believe this is a thought out layout for making well-rounded OCs, antagonists and protagonists, whether they’re being created for a roleplay or for a book. This layout is also helpful for studying Canon Characters if you’re looking to accurately roleplay as them or write them in fanfiction or whatever.

I’m really excited to post this, so hopefully I didn’t miss anything important…

[writeworld-blog]

writersdigest.com

What is Character Development?

by Chuck Sambuchino and Tom Pawlik

WHAT IS A CHARACTER-DRIVEN  NOVEL ANYWAY?

I don’t write character-driven novels. Heck, I’m not even sure what the term means. I used to think it was when an author spent hundreds of pages muddling around inside a character’s head just to fill the gaps between a couple paragraphs of action.

I prefer to write plot-driven suspense thrillers. But how does the low-brow thriller writer create good characters? I’m still a novice on the subject so this is by no means a definitive exposition, just 9 ingredients I jotted down to make a clever acrostic: CHARACTER.

(Look here for a list of thriller agents.)

1. Communication style: How does your character talk? Does she favor certain words or phrases that make her distinct and interesting? What about the sound of her voice? Much of our personality comes through our speech, so think about the way your character is going to talk. Her style of communication should be distinctive and unique.

2. History: Where does your character come from? Think out his childhood and adolescence. What events shaped his personality? What did his father do for a living? How about his mother? How many siblings does he have? Was it a loving family or an abusive, dysfunctional one? What events led him to the career choices he made? You may not need to provide all this background to your reader, but it’s good to know as the writer. It helps give him substance in your mind as well.

Read More →

[kannibalprinceref]

So You Want To Make a Character..

I’ve got a few generators you can use.

Need some clothes?

Try Here

Here
or Here
Definitely here
Steam punk clothing
Char Style preference
Dress

Need an Appearance idea?

Humanoid generator? check

Non-Humanoid? Got that too
and this
and maybe this
Need Monsterpeople? 
I’ve got you.
Maybe you need Cats?

Need some details and shit like that?

Bam

Backgrounds and stuff? yep
Personality. you need that shit
Need something fandom related?
World-building?
location? got ya
City generator hell yeah
make your own god damn laws
Oh shit someone died
Landscape.
CHAR DEVELOP QUESTION GEN
Profile
Thingy
Have some dates
Quirks

You thought I was done? Nope.
Motha. Fuckin. Names.

So many fuckin names

MOTHERLOAD OF NAMES

Plant Names

Magic Book title

Just search ur ass up some names man

Items. Yeah. You heard me.

Medicine? got it

Items out the ass
more items wow

Other shit.

Wow

Yep
Plots
More writing stuff
This site has everything so fucking go for it
Need AUs?
How the shit did these two meet?
Fanfic plots. you bet your ass. (tag me in the shit u write i wanna see what you get)
What does it do thing (you come up with a better name for this one. fuckin fight me.

You bet your ass I will continue to update this. If you’ve got something I should add to this hmu. Now, go forth! Make characters and live yo life.
UPDATE: Added more shit everywhere.

[writeworld-blog]

[writingbox]

The 8 steps of the character growth arc

[writerswritecompany]

writerswrite.co.za

The 10 Secrets Of Resilient Characters

‘Damaged people are dangerous. They know they can survive.’ ~Josephine Hart

The key to surviving in this world – and any fictional world you create – is resilience. It is not the strong who survive, but those who can weather change, because life is nothing but change.

Here are 10 qualities resilient characters share.

[writersrelief]

Great New Year’s Resolutions for Writers!     

[ashtentiara]

When the honeymoon stage ends what happens

[artistluv]

…………

[justcharise]

You’re more honest with each other.
Bodily functions are something to laugh about.
Sweatpants and tee shirts are a regular thing.
They know what you look like without all the makeup.
Being “laid up and watching Netflix” is the only thing you’re looking forward to after work.
You don’t go on fancy dates as often but you trade that for quality time.
You find yourself being more vulnerable and you open up more.
They become your best friend.
You will able to talk about anything.
You won’t be worried about impressing their parents, you’re just gonna love them anyway regardless of how their parents may feel.
You will have inside jokes that no one else will get.
Sex is not as often but, twice as passionate.
Little fights will happen, but you’ll learn not to sweat the small stuff.
You’ll learn what compromise really is about.
You’ll dream about the future together. Grow together.
Be on each other’s team.
See their ugly crying face, and be the one to wipe the tears away & do something stupid to make them life.
things are amazing after the honeymoon stage. However, it’s a time about giving up your walls and open up some doors you have locked a long time ago.

That’s why some people don’t make it past this point, because they don’t know what unconditional self-love means.
Remain open and optimistic, love will never fail you.

[victoriagardner19]

Tumblr is trying to fuck me up tonight…

[ashtentiara]

I really like this

[midenianscholar]

Antagonists are tricky. Too little work, and the antagonist comes across flat. A flat antagonist is easy and boring, because he or she won’t push the protagonist hard enough. Plus there’s that practice of making fleshed out characters and having interesting three-dimensional people, blah blah.

We all know the saying: Every villain is his own hero. Though I wrote these questions and prompts with famous antagonists in mind, you could actually pose them to your protagonist or other characters (just switch out the protagonist-themed questions for antagonist-themed) and it will still work.

I’ve always found it most helpful to answer questionnaires in my character’s voice, so I have written this addressing your antagonist directly. Try to answer in the way he or she would. You’ll uncover hidden backstory, depth, and softness in your antagonist.

But remember – even something “soft” (like empathy) can be a terrible motivator.

Your Antagonist’s Backstory

1. Hurting people hurt others. What hurt you?
   
2. When was the first time you were frightened by something you did?
   
3. When was the first time you experienced pain?
   
4. What is the most painful thing you have ever gone through?
   
5. Do you have a mentor, or someone you’ve modeled yourself after? Who is it, and why are they so compelling?
   
6. Have you killed anyone? Who was the first person you killed? (Alternatively: Who is the person you’ve hurt most?)
   
7. When did you feel the most humiliated by someone else?
   
8. Tell me about a time you faced rejection.
   
9. Is there something you’ve said or done you wish you could take back?
   
10. Who (or what) do you miss?
    
11. What’s one thing you can never forgive? (Could be an event in the past, or a character trait like lying.)
    
12. When did you feel the most accomplished or successful?
    
13. When have you felt helpless?
    
14. What was the first lie you told? What do you lie about most often?
    

Your Antagonist’s Habits

1. What do you do to relax?
   
2. Where do you go when you want to feel like you belong? If you can’t get there, where would you like to go?
   
3. What do you like to read? What shows do you watch?
   
4. What do you daydream about?
   
5. What is your weapon of choice? How did you learn to use it?
   
6. When you feel uncomfortable, what do you do to cover it up?
   
7. What sort of clothes do you wear? Would you make changes to your wardrobe if you could?
   
8. Do you have any unusual or advanced skills?
   
9. How do you like to approach a problem?
   

Your Antagonist’s Personal Life

1. Who are your parents? Do you have any siblings? Are they still alive?
   
2. Who (or what) is one person (or thing/ideal) you would never harm?
   
3. Who (or what) do you love? Would you call it love?
   
4. What is one secret you’ve never told anyone? Would you consider revealing it to another character? If so, who?
   
5. What lie do you tell yourself?
   
6. What is one silly thing you’re afraid of?
   
7. Tell me about your dream vacation.
   
8. What is one fault in others you just can’t stand?
   
9. What type of people do you like to be around (if any)?
   
10. What about you do you feel other people misunderstand?
    
11. Do you like kids? What about animals?
    

(read the rest here)

[legit-writing-tips]

Legit Tip #172

“Writing About the Loss of Parents”

A lot of characters grow up having lost parents - typically because it’s plot convenient and makes for great emotional backstory. 

As someone who actually grew up without my parents in real life, though, I know from firsthand experience that a lot of writers have a difficult time getting it right with characters, and simply don’t understand how to go about this process.

I remember one time in a discussion about Harry Potter, someone said that it was “ridiculous” that Harry would be so attached to the memory of his mother and father considering that he never knew them, and that he would mourn their loss. This was the silliest thing that I had ever heard!

I never knew my mother. She passed away when I was four months old, but I’ve mourned her loss throughout my life. I’m twenty-eight years old now, and it still pains me to think about what I missed out on because of her death. 

I’ve lost others, like the grandmother who raised me. It’s not the same kind of loss. The sense of loss that you feel is the loss of potential. 

When Harry Potter is staring into the Mirror of Erised, he’s mourning the family that he’ll never have the chance to experience. He’s mourning the fact that he’ll never have a mother and father to welcome him home, to celebrate his accomplishments, or to scold him when he gets into trouble. 

##

Another very common emotion for children who are left behind when their parents dies is guilt, especially when the people around them are still mourning the loss of the parent. This is something that I experienced a lot as a child, especially since my mother was very young when she passed away. (I’ve seen this discussed a lot in connection with the Steven Universe fandom, though I haven’t actually seen the show myself - sorry I can’t discuss that in more detail!)

Guilt in connection with a parent’s death can be a powerful feeling for a young child, and can lead to a lot of anxiety. It can make a child or young adult feel anxious about the fact that they were “left behind” and they may worry that they’re not “good enough,” especially if they’re subjected to a lot of discussion about how great their deceased parent was (which is common when people are still in mourning for the deceased parent). 

##

Another important thing to talk about is the fact that a child who has lost a parent can have extreme difficulty when it comes to separation anxiety. Even if the loss occurs very young, they will typically have strong feelings of anxiety when it comes to thinking about any kind of separation from an adult figure they have an attachment to. 

They may worry more about the death of the adult figures in their life, especially if those adult figures are older (as may happen if they’re being raised by a grandparent). I was very worried about my grandmother and great-grandmother and wouldn’t participate in sleepovers because I couldn’t deal with separation, for example. 

##

And finally, as was already mentioned, a child who has lost parents at a young age has been exposed to death earlier than most children and, as such, may have a bit of a preoccupation with the idea of death that other children won’t. This could give them anxiety, or even a “morbid” outlook. They may be more “mature” than other children. 

They may worry about being hurt or killed themselves. They may be in need of reassurance from the adults in their life that they’re safe and nothing bad will happen to them. (Take into account the way their parent died especially when it comes to the source of the child’s anxiety - I had a big hangup when it came to cars and driving as a child). 

If your child is in a religious environment, they may think more about religion than other children, or even have anxiety surrounding their religion. They may worry more about whether religion is real or not - or, conversely, religion may be a big source of comfort for them because it means their parent is watching over them (if this is the sort of religion they believe in). 

##

Ultimately, just remember that a child who has lost a parent is going to have a lot of complicated emotions to deal with. If they don’t have a strong and supportive adult figure in their life to help them out, then they are likely to be a little bit emotionally damaged by the time they reach adolescence, and you’re going to need to deal with that as a writer. 

Some of the things that you might need to work out include how they’ve dealt with their feelings of loss, how they’ve dealt with feeling “different” from their peers, and how they cope without strong parental figures if they don’t have them.