20 Subtle Ways A Character Shows They're Not Okay (But Won’t Say It)

20 Alternative Losses Your Protagonist Can Face That Don't Involve the Death of a Person.

In one of my recent posts, I talked about losses as a core principle in driving a plot forward.

It's recommended in almost all guides. But here's the thing: someone doesn't have to actually die to create that emotional rollercoaster.

Here are 20 different losses your protagonist can face without losing someone to the cold hands of death:

1. Loss of a dream job opportunity

2. End of a long-term relationship or marriage

3. Betrayal by a close friend or family member

4. Financial ruin or bankruptcy

5. Loss of a beloved pet (The pet could go missing.)

6. Rejection from a prestigious program or institution

7. Injury or illness leading to the loss of physical abilities

8. Destruction of a childhood home

9. Loss of custody of a child

10. Failure to achieve a lifelong dream or goal

11. Being falsely accused of a crime

12. Natural disaster destroying personal belongings and home

13. Loss of a valuable family heirloom

14. Experiencing discrimination or injustice

15. Being forced to move away from a beloved community

16. Losing a significant competition or contest

17. Loss of memory or cognitive abilities

18. Falling out with a mentor or role model

19. Closure of a cherished local business

20. Loss of one's reputation due to scandal or rumor

Thank you for all of your support. If you love my blog, consider gifting me a rose. Val's here, and I hope your characters are ready to paint the town red.

Check out this printable template that helps you structure the nuanced parts of your plot you normally skip out on.

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This all-in-one printable plot planner is specially designed to help you create an outstanding plot. From the nuanced elements that drive yo

i am increasingly convinced that the wedding industry is having a statistically significant impact on young women leaving the mormon church. has anyone looked into this?

sometimes you need dialogue tags and don't want to use the same four

20 Compelling Positive-Negative Trait Pairs

Here are 20 positive and negative trait pairs that can create compelling character dynamics in storytelling:

1. Bravery - Recklessness: A character is courageous in the face of danger but often takes unnecessary risks.

2. Intelligence - Arrogance: A character is exceptionally smart but looks down on others.

3. Compassion - Naivety: A character is deeply caring but easily deceived due to their trusting nature.

4. Determination - Stubbornness: A character is persistent in their goals but unwilling to adapt or compromise.

5. Charisma - Manipulativeness: A character is charming and persuasive but often uses these traits to exploit others.

6. Resourcefulness - Opportunism: A character is adept at finding solutions but is also quick to exploit situations for personal gain.

7. Loyalty - Blind Obedience: A character is fiercely loyal but follows orders without question, even when they're wrong.

8. Optimism - Denial: A character remains hopeful in difficult times but often ignores harsh realities.

9. Humor - Inappropriateness: A character lightens the mood with jokes but often crosses the line with their humor.

10. Generosity - Lack of Boundaries: A character is giving and selfless but often neglects their own needs and well-being.

11. Patience - Passivity: A character is calm and tolerant but sometimes fails to take action when needed.

12. Wisdom - Cynicism: A character has deep understanding and insight but is often pessimistic about the world.

13. Confidence - Overconfidence: A character believes in their abilities but sometimes underestimates challenges.

14. Honesty - Bluntness: A character is truthful and straightforward but often insensitive in their delivery.

15. Self-discipline - Rigidity: A character maintains strong control over their actions but is inflexible and resistant to change.

16. Adventurousness - Impulsiveness: A character loves exploring and trying new things but often acts without thinking.

17. Empathy - Overwhelm: A character deeply understands and feels others' emotions but can become overwhelmed by them.

18. Ambition - Ruthlessness: A character is driven to achieve great things but willing to do anything, even unethical, to succeed.

19. Resilience - Emotional Detachment: A character can endure hardships without breaking but often seems emotionally distant.

20. Strategic - Calculative: A character excels at planning and foresight but can be cold and overly pragmatic in their decisions.

These pairs create complex, multi-dimensional characters that can drive rich, dynamic storytelling.

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some fucking resources for all ur writing fuckin needs

* body language masterlist

* a translator that doesn’t eat ass like google translate does

* a reverse dictionary for when ur brain freezes

* 550 words to say instead of fuckin said

* 638 character traits for when ur brain freezes again

* some more body language help

(hope this helps some ppl)

The symbolism of flowers

Flowers have a long history of symbolism that you can incorporate into your writing to give subtext.

Symbolism varies between cultures and customs, and these particular examples come from Victorian Era Britain. You'll find examples of this symbolism in many well-known novels of the era!

Amaryllis: Pride

Black-eyed Susan: Justice

Bluebell: Humility

Calla Lily: Beauty

Pink Camellia: Longing

Carnations: Female love

Yellow Carnation: Rejection

Clematis: Mental beauty

Columbine: Foolishness

Cyclamen: Resignation

Daffodil: Unrivalled love

Daisy: Innocence, loyalty

Forget-me-not: True love

Gardenia: Secret love

Geranium: Folly, stupidity

Gladiolus: Integrity, strength

Hibiscus: Delicate beauty

Honeysuckle: Bonds of love

Blue Hyacinth: Constancy

Hydrangea: Frigid, heartless

Iris: Faith, trust, wisdom

White Jasmine: Amiability

Lavender: Distrust

Lilac: Joy of youth

White Lily: Purity

Orange Lily: Hatred

Tiger Lily: Wealth, pride

Lily-of-the-valley: Sweetness, humility

Lotus: Enlightenment, rebirth

Magnolia: Nobility

Marigold: Grief, jealousy

Morning Glory: Affection

Nasturtium: Patriotism, conquest

Pansy: Thoughtfulness

Peony: Bashfulness, shame

Poppy: Consolation

Red Rose: Love

Yellow Rose: Jealously, infidelity

Snapdragon: Deception, grace

Sunflower: Adoration

Sweet Willian: Gallantry

Red Tulip: Passion

Violet: Watchfulness, modesty

Yarrow: Everlasting love

Zinnia: Absent, affection

Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Character

What is their relationship with their parents?

What is their favorite meal?

How do they identify?

What's their style?

Are they proud of themselves?

Are they patient or impatient?

Do they have siblings, and what's their relationship with them?

What are their standards?

Have they ever been in love?

When was the last time they felt loved?

Have they gotten their heart broken?

Do they know who they are?

What are their preferences?

What do they want?

What are their goals?

What would they do if they failed?

What would they save in a fire?

What's one childhood item they still love?

the thing abt the people defending that rape game is that they are genuinely misogynistic and are peddling both rape culture and blatant misogyny but they're dressing it up to sound like it's a matter of censorship when it genuinely isn't. you people are just so ROTTED by porn that you think that the abuse, intimidation and subjugation of women is "normal"; it's no secret that the porn industry (ie pornhub, brazzers, etc) peddles this shit so much that you think that rape is normal.

and fandom has contributed to that by, again, normalising it and making it seem as if it isn't outright inherently harmful to glorify, sexualise, and make porn of people's worst trauma; you sit in an echo chamber where rape porn is normal for long enough, and you begin to take on that belief yourself - the same way that if you spend a lot of time around people who enjoy rugby or football, you begin to enjoy the sport yourself.

what you people are saying is incel shit, to put it nicely.

you're sat there saying it's FINE for a man to make an entire game to get off on thinking and behaving like a rapist (and be rewarded for it), and that if women don't like it, then they're somehow evil fascists as opposed to, yk, not misogynists and not rightfully worried about games like that when we live in a world where Andrew Tate is platformed and upheld for his beliefs that abusing and raping women makes you a man. a world where the president of the United States is a rapist.

a world where people like Nigel Farage (who is an actual fascist) outright work with white men who are known abusers of women but then claim that they care abt women & girls just to push more hatred upon immigrants and people of colour and Muslims.

a world where the porn industry can make thousands of videos where women don't outright consent, where corrective rape of lesbians is abundant, where where incest is treated as a NORMAL FUCKING THING as opposed to sexual abuse as the result of grooming.

bc the fact is that you people who fucking defend shit like No Mercy and other depictions of rape as something to get off to, you don't give a fuck about women. you don't give a fuck about rape survivors. you only care about your ability to get off and to wank over people's worst trauma. THAT is what you care about.

you see all those women on tiktok, Facebook, Instagram, twitter, bluesky, Tumblr, whatever fucking social media you use - you see them fucking telling you that shit like No Mercy is wrong, and that it's inherently harmful and that it's misogynistic, and you do not give a fuck.

you only care about your fucking sexual libido, not who the fuck you are harming.

you can harp on about fucking "fiction doesn't equate to reality" and yeah, it DOESN'T. but fiction doesn't exist in a vacuum either, and there's no way that this game was not the product of a misogynistic man who wanted to spread and peddle misogyny as a whole, the same way that pornographic films do when they MAKE incest, corrective rape, and rape films. it doesn't exist in a fucking vacuum, and if you cannot be critical and evaluate where and HOW a fetish is presenting itself, then not ONLY are you peddling anti-intellectualism, but you're also contributing to misogynistic rhetoric and actions bc what you're doing is you are normalising and enabling these kinds of things, even exposing them to children (as Steam, especially, does NOT have ID-verification for age ratings).

do you genuinely think that games like RDR, Fallout, GTA, etc - all of which satirise these things and genuinely make you feel bad abt committing violent/bigoted actions - are ANYWHERE near the fucking Rape Simulator game?

the people who fucking defend games like No Mercy claim that they care MORE abt "real people", but the matter of the fact is that they DON'T. bc if they DID, then they'd be listening to the DOZENS (if not hundreds!) of women across social media who have VERY CLEARLY stated why and how games like No Mercy are DANGEROUS. are TRIGGERING. are VILE and sickening, esp in this day and age where women are subjugated to that kinda bullshit, be it rape threats or rape porn itself, 24 fucking 7 thanks to social media.

you people are fucking disgusting for turning around and outright mocking the (VERY REAL) women who are calling for this game to be banned. bc it SHOULD be. a fucking rape simulator game should hold NO PLACE in society whatsoever under any circumstances.

you people who defend that shit are fucking misogynistic, vile, little cunts.

and just so we are clear: if you are a TERF & see this post, you lot are also misogynistic and vile assholes and do not belong within this conversation either. you peddle the exact same rhetoric against trans women, so frankly, go fuck yourselves and stay away from this post.

edit: TERFs & radfems go fucking kill yourselves. you put trans women (& ALL women) in fucking danger w your misogynistic, Nazist, views. you lot are literally fucking COUSINS w the people supporting this game.

i can't recommend Jared Pechaček's The West Passage enough - it's a strange, gorgeous fable that I've only hesitated to post about because I've struggled to convey how good it is and why you should read it. It's like being inside the the marginalia of a medieval text. it has the perplexing consistency of Alice in Wonderland and the wistful necessity of the best kind of young adult coming of age. despite its fairytale feel, there's also a real sense of grounding in the world and the material experience of its people. i cried at the end.

and the prose is lovely:

A pigeon launched itself from a courtyard, drawing her eye up to faraway Red Tower, purpled with distance, its beacon dull in the light of day. If a wind came from there, you could get a whiff of the sea. In the windless noon, white smoke from that eternal fire drifted all over the southeastern district of the palace. Much closer was lapis-domed Blue Tower, rising from a field of white plaster walls, swirling with pigeons and the bright flecks of hummingbirds who came to drink from the flowering vines that spilled down its sides.