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in preparation for artfight, I've been working on refs for my DCA oc.

this is Cosmo,

a former DCA, who turned to a life of petty thievery after leaving his plex to live on the streets. He's snarky, impulsive, and a bit of an idiot. He steals as he wants, whether or not he wants it, and his pockets are filled with useless trinkets: old soda tabs, dried-up markers, friendship bracelets, novelty socks -- things he'll probably never need. And as much as he pretends not to care, he's actually very sentimental (though he'd never admit it).

i also made him a spotify playlist cos i'm crazy.

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:)

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gitm character stamps!!! now you can put your favorite clown (hopefully noon) on your art fight profile all art belongs to @venomous-qwille live love laugh

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I just really hate your face🎶

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Have this grossly under rendered Sun with a liminal space background

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I love that stupid man, I dont care what ANYONE says

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All the pages!

GITM belongs to: @venomous-qwille

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More beautiful birthday artwork!! This time from @kandidandi and @edgbeari!! Im shoving them in my mouth and bounding around.

Again, please check out these artists!!

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🧪 Character Arcs 101: what they are, what they aren’t, and how to make them hurt

by rin t. (resident chaos scribe of thewriteadviceforwriters)

Okay so here’s the thing. You can give me all the pretty pinterest moodboards and soft trauma playlists in the world, but if your character doesn’t change, I will send them back to the factory.

Let’s talk about character arcs. Not vibes. Not tragic backstory flavoring. Actual. Arcs. (It hurts but we’ll get through it together.)

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💡 what a character arc IS:

a transformational journey (keyword: transformation)

the internal response to external pressure (aka plot consequences)

a shift in worldview, behavior, belief, self-concept

the emotional architecture of your story

the reason we care

💥 what a character arc is NOT:

a sad monologue halfway through act 2

a single cool scene where they yell or cry

a moral they magically learn by the end

a “development” label slapped on a flatline

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✨ THE 3 BASIC FLAVORS OF ARC (and how to emotionally damage your characters accordingly):

Positive Arc They start with a flaw, false belief, or fear that limits them. Through the events of the story (and many Ls), they confront that internal lie, grow, and emerge changed. Hurt factor: Drag them through the mud. Make them fight to believe in themselves. Break their trust, make them doubt. Let them earn their ending.

Negative Arc They begin whole(ish) and devolve. They fail to overcome their flaw or false belief. This arc ends in ruin, corruption, or defeat. Hurt factor: Let them almost have a chance. Build hope. Then show how they sabotage it, or how the world takes it anyway. Twist the knife.

Flat/Static Arc They don’t change, but the world around them does. They hold onto a core truth, and it’s their constancy that drives change in others. Think: mentor, revolutionary, or truth-teller type. Hurt factor: Make the world push back. Make their values cost them something. The tension comes from holding steady in chaos.

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🎯 how to build an arc that actually HITS (no ✨soft lessons✨, just internal structure):

Lie they believe: What false thing do they think about themselves or the world? (“I’m unlovable.” “Power = safety.” “I’m only valuable if I’m useful.”)

Want vs. need: What do they think they want? What do they actually need to grow?

Wound/backstory scar: What made them like this? You don’t need a tragic past™ but you do need cause and effect.

Turning point: What moment forces them to question their worldview? What event cracks the surface?

Moment of choice: Do they change? Or not? What decision seals their arc?

🧪 Pro tip: this is not a worksheet. This is scaffolding. The arc lives in the story, not just your doc notes. The lie isn’t revealed in a monologue, it’s felt through consequences, relationships, mistakes.

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🛠️ things to actually do with this:

Write scenes where the character’s flaw messes things up. Like, they lose something. A person. A plan. Their cool. Make the flaw hurt.

Track their beliefs like a timeline. How do they start? What chips away at it? When does the shift stick?

Use relationships as arc mirrors. Who challenges them? Enables them? Forces reflection? Internal change is almost never solo.

Revisit the lie. Circle back to it at least three times in escalating intensity. Reminder > confrontation > transformation.

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🌊 bonus pain level: REVERSE THE ARC

Wanna make it really hurt? Set them up for one arc, and give them the opposite. They think they’re growing into a better person. But actually, they’re losing themselves. They think they’re spiraling. But they’re really healing. Let them be surprised. Let the reader be surprised.

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TL;DR: If your plot is a skeleton, your character arc is the nervous system.

The change is the thing. Don’t just dress it up in trauma. Don’t let your character learn nothing. Make them face themselves. And yeah. Make it hurt a little. (Or a lot. I won’t stop you.)

—rin t. // thewriteadviceforwriters // plotting pain professionally since forever

P.S. I made a free mini eBook about the 5 biggest mistakes writers make in the first 10 pages 👀 you can grab it here for FREE:

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It's My Birthday And I've Received so Many Amazing Gifts!!

@ Aynimerika @fieldofleurs @follyfaun @ sharkie @cookiiemancer @ohno-the-sun @lacyoflight

So many of these people have open comms. You should definitely look at getting some art by them!

Thank you all for the wonderful gifts!!

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Can you talk about The Hare?? His design is adorable and i wanted ro know them better

Hi hi hi, oh my goodness yes, it would be my pleasure!

The Hare is the deuteragonist to a story I'm working on called Somewhere Else! He is the protagonist's guide, an old friend, a new face.

In the world of Somewhere Else there are Residents and there are Visitors. The Visitors are referred to as Echoes! Echoes are dreamers, those lost in a daydream or nightmare or by other means. They are temporary travelers among this world. Residents are permanently integrated with Somewhere Else. They cannot leave! Creations, dreams, thoughts, feelings, past selves, they all exist here as people or the world itself!

When an Echo enters Somewhere Else they act as a dense object. The world shapes itself to each Echo, drawing from their memories and experiences. They may pull Residents into their orbit. People they might have connections with. Maybe someone they had a dream about once? A comfort character they had created?

The Hare himself is a Resident, and he is a guiding hand to his Echo.

Ah sorry I'm rambling, here are some fun facts about The Hare <3

His head is made of porcelain, his body of old fabrics and stuffing.

He smells of dust and lavender. Age and fondness.

He is fragile. When his fabric tears he attempts to mend himself, but his hands are too big for even the largest needles he can find.

His gait is slow and his arms sway as he moves. He appears rather graceful but he is lightweight and is easily thrown off balance. He often takes a tumble.

He fills you with the same familiarity and comfort one might feel stepping into their grandparent's house.

He misses you.

I leave you a parting gift of some concept art of my story's antagonist, The Hare's foil, The Hound.

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Misuta belongs to @venomous-qwille

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Sun and Moon, but make them Arcadian monsters

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Character sheet and concept sketches of @tiptopturnip 's lovely oc Ecliptica!! I love her so much <333