first art of 2025 ✨ inspired by this post because it speaks directly to my soul
Fuck u alien episode. ALSO THEYVE KNOWN EACHOTTHER FOR 7 YEARS GODDAMN
Hi.
Reigen calling Serizawa "wawa" for the first time.. And Serizawa calling Reigen "baby girl" for the first time.. I want to see their reactions.
Serizawa's POV:
Reigen's POV (long):
[masterlist]
this post details:
DIALOGUING INTERESTINGLY
hi gays and gals! the first post on starting and pacing a story did really well, so "how to fucking write" is back, with yet more advice and tips for everyone ^^ please feel free to let me know if there's something you want me talk about, because i'll be more than willing to see if i can help. also a reminder that i have a taglist for this series as well, and please reblog if you find this helpful :)
# - HOW TO DIALOGUE.
.. bullet point one : grammar
okay guys, as a native english speaker, i'll be the first to tell you that this language fucking sucks in terms of its grammar, but when it comes to dialogue, understanding how it works even to some extent will help you branch out and vary the way you write dialogue, which makes it so much more interesting.
with dialogue tags (said, asked, etc) if the punctuation mark in the dialogue is not a ! or ? then it should be a comma.
example : [junhui + castle]
as you can see in the first line, a comma is used rather than a full stop, because the sentence hasn't been finished yet. there's a dialogue tag, ('you correct'), that comes after it. and since the pronoun 'you' isn't a proper noun (i.e. a name) then it shouldn't be capitalised, because, again, the sentence hasn't been finished.
with action tags however, (he smiled, he stood up, etc) then it should be a full stop.
example : [i just made one up bc i don't use this a lot lmao]
"I disagree." He stood up, and walked over to close the door. "This isn't safe. You shouldn't go alone."
and now, since there is a full stop, it indicates that the speech is a sentence all by itself. that means the next word ('He') ought to be capitalised.
but the key part when grammar-ing dialogue in order to make it interesting depends on where you put the action and grammar tags.
if you constantly have lines that are just:
"dialogue," he said.
"dialogue," she said.
"dialogue but a bit longer," he said.
... then it can get repetitive, and annoying. by varying your dialogue structure, it can create more interesting dialogue.
example : [minghao + password]
there's a variety of dialogue and action tags being used with each line of dialogue, preventing everything from sounding too repetitive.
the first line starts with a normal sentence, and an action tag. the second is a standalone line of dialogue with no tags. the second has the action tag in the middle of the dialogue. and the last has a dialogue tag in the middle of the dialogue.
by varying the ways in which you write your dialogue, it makes everything a lot more interesting.
.. bullet point two : verbs and adverbs
the easiest way to make dialogue interesting, though, is to use fancy words.
this can be by replacing 'said' with a range of other dialogue tags (see this really comprehensive list for a whole variety of different words), but i'd advise against overusing these. 'said' is your friend! it's the invisible dialogue tag, helps your reader read through your dialogue in comfort, but of course, if you wanna add a nuanced way of describing the dialogue, then replacing 'said' is the easiest way to make your dialogue interesting.
but don't overuse these. for me, i'd focus on action tags and adverbs.
use interesting adverbs that add description to how a character is saying something can go miles. and using action tags that break through what could have been a long section of characters just talking? it helps so much.
i'd recommend having onelook thesaurus open as you write. you don't have to type in just words: phrases, the overall vibes of the word you're thinking of, all of that can be typed into the thesaurus and they'll provide you with pretty good results each time.
it also really helps when you've forgotten a word and can only remember vague bits of what the word should feel like.
.. bullet point three : voices
the best way, however, is ultimately to create a character. write a personality for them, bring them to life, think about the way in which they would talk and then put that down onto paper.
it's difficult, perhaps the most difficult to do, because it's also so tricky to advise someone on how to do this. it's all about the character you want to create, the personality you envision for them, and the only person who can fully write that is you.
however, i would find a few 'ticks' of theirs and use them as indicators in your writing.
for example, in my seoksoo long fic, seokmin's tick is that he always "chirps" what he's saying. and beams. a lot. this identifies his character, makes him unique(ish), and establishes his personality and differs him to the other characters.
but ultimately, it comes down to word choices, when you're writing a character voice.
like, your character describing something with elegant, floral language vs them going "this is so pretty". or perhaps making them stumble over their words when they're panicked vs them simply just going silent when they're flustered.
it's about being specific. about making choices with your words that would have english teachers analyse and unpick your writing, hundreds of years later.
(even if it's fanfic. especially if it's fanfic: because who knows how many fans may join your fandom in the next few years?)
... and that's it ! if anyone has anything else they want advice on (how to structure, how to write dialogue, how to plan etc) then just shoot me an ask, because i'd love to help however i can :)
tagging (comment/send ask to be added!): @selenicives @stqrrgirle @weird-bookworm @eternalgyu @blue-jisungs (tough luck guys btw but youre gonna be tagged in this entire series ehehehe)
for all the artists out there, here are my favorite resources i use to learn!
The Complete Famous Artist Course
Art Books and Resources
Art, Anatomy, and Color Books
PDF Files of Art Books
My YouTube Playlist of Tutorials
How to Draw Facial Features
Drawing and Art Advice
Drawing Lessons
Art Fundamentals
Anatomy of the Human Body
2D Animation
Perspective Drawing
Pinterest Board for Poses
Another Pinterest Board for Poses
Reference Angle
Figurosity
Sketch Daily
Human Anatomy
Animal Photo References
Humanae - Angélica Dass
Fine Art - Jimmy Nelson
Character Design References
CDR's Twitter Account
iamagco's Twitter Account
taco1704's Twitter Account
takuya_kakikata's Twitter Account
EtheringtonBro's Twitter Account
Drawabox
Color Wheel
Color Palette Cinema
Free Images and Pictures
Free Stock Photos
FILMGRAB
Screen Musings
William Nguyen Light Reference Tool
Animation References - sakugabooru
Animation References - Bodies in Motion
Repost bc Reigens missing finger was killing me…. Anyway my fav office trio + Harvey Stardew
Happy Birthday, Tolkien! Tried my hand at an Ivan Bilibin style Nazgûl piece, then did a digital riso pass. #Tolkien #lotr
smiling friends season 2 aka pim and charlies adventures in nose injuries (s2e1 and s2e6)
david lynch understood on a fundamental level how abusive and exploitative the world is to those with the least power, particularly women and children. he created an entire lifetime's worth of cinematically and narratively groundbreaking work trying to grapple with that hostility and abuse, trying to reconcile the evil that exists in the hearts of everyday men with the goodness he saw there as well. he made survivors of unspeakable trauma feel seen and known in a way that few artists ever have and ever will, and never once shied away from the truth he knew and believed: that we are all innocent, that what has been done to you is not who you are, and even in times of abject despair, there are people who love you, who will not forget you or stop trying to save or defend or avenge you. i don't want that to go without notice. many people are mourning him for different reasons, and i agree, he was one of the greatest and most imaginative artists to ever be given free reign to paint on a cinematic canvas. but first and foremost, david lynch was an artist of enormous empathy, and i think those of us who saw ourselves in his work because of the empathy it afforded us are grieving particularly hard today.
his memory will always be a blessing.