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gamekatz · 11 months ago

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HOW TO WRITE A CHARACTER WHO IS IN PAIN

first thing you might want to consider: is the pain mental or physical?

if it’s physical, what type of pain is it causing? — sharp pain, white-hot pain, acute pain, dull ache, throbbing pain, chronic pain, neuropathic pain (typically caused by nerve damage), etc

if it’s mental, what is the reason your character is in pain? — grief, heartbreak, betrayal, anger, hopelessness, fear and anxiety, etc

because your character will react differently to different types of pain

PHYSICAL PAIN

sharp and white-hot pain may cause a character to grit their teeth, scream, moan, twist their body. their skin may appear pale, eyes red-rimmed and sunken with layers of sweat covering their forehead. they may have tears in their eyes (and the tears may feel hot), but they don’t necessarily have to always be crying.

acute pain may be similar to sharp and white-hot pain; acute pain is sudden and urgent and often comes without a warning, so your character may experience a hitched breathing where they suddenly stop what they’re doing and clench their hand at the spot where it hurts with widened eyes and open mouth (like they’re gasping for air).

dull ache and throbbing pain can result in your character wanting to lay down and close their eyes. if it’s a headache, they may ask for the lights to be turned off and they may be less responsive, in the sense that they’d rather not engage in any activity or conversation and they’d rather be left alone. they may make a soft whimper from their throat from time to time, depends on their personality (if they don’t mind others seeing their discomfort, they may whimper. but if your character doesn’t like anyone seeing them in a not-so-strong state, chances are they won’t make any sound, they might even pretend like they’re fine by continuing with their normal routine, and they may or may not end up throwing up or fainting).

if your character experience chronic pain, their pain will not go away (unlike any other illnesses or injuries where the pain stops after the person is healed) so they can feel all these types of sharp pain shooting through their body. there can also be soreness and stiffness around some specific spots, and it will affect their life. so your character will be lucky if they have caretakers in their life. but are they stubborn? do they accept help from others or do they like to pretend like they’re fine in front of everybody until their body can’t take it anymore and so they can no longer pretend?

neuropathic pain or nerve pain will have your character feeling these senses of burning, shooting and stabbing sensation, and the pain can come very suddenly and without any warning — think of it as an electric shock that causes through your character’s body all of a sudden. your character may yelp or gasp in shock, how they react may vary depends on the severity of the pain and how long it lasts.

EMOTIONAL PAIN

grief can make your character shut themself off from their friends and the world in general. or they can also lash out at anyone who tries to comfort them. (five states of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and eventual acceptance.)

heartbreak — your character might want to lock themself in a room, anywhere where they are unseen. or they may want to pretend that everything’s fine, that they’re not hurt. until they break down.

betrayal can leave a character with confusion, the feelings of ‘what went wrong?’, so it’s understandable if your character blames themself at first, that maybe it’s their fault because they’ve somehow done something wrong somewhere that caused the other character to betray them. what comes after confusion may be anger. your character can be angry at the person who betrayed them and at themself, after they think they’ve done something wrong that resulted in them being betrayed, they may also be angry at themself next for ‘falling’ for the lies and for ‘being fooled’. so yes, betrayal can leave your character with the hatred that’s directed towards the character who betrayed them and themself. whether or not your character can ‘move on and forgive’ is up to you.

there are several ways a character can react to anger; they can simply lash out, break things, scream and yell, or they can also go complete silent. no shouting, no thrashing the place. they can sit alone in silence and they may cry. anger does make people cry. it mostly won’t be anything like ‘ugly sobbing’ but your character’s eyes can be bloodshot, red-rimmed and there will be tears, only that there won’t be any sobbing in most cases.

hopelessness can be a very valid reason for it, if you want your character to do something reckless or stupid. most people will do anything if they’re desperate enough. so if you want your character to run into a burning building, jump in front of a bullet, or confess their love to their archenemy in front of all their friends, hopelessness is always a valid reason. there’s no ‘out of character’ if they are hopeless and are desperate enough.

fear and anxiety. your character may be trembling, their hands may be shaky. they may lose their appetite. they may be sweaty and/or bouncing their feet. they may have a panic attack if it’s severe enough.

and I think that’s it for now! feel free to add anything I may have forgotten to mention here!

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gamekatz · 11 months ago

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How I learned to write smarter, not harder

(aka, how to write when you're hella ADHD lol)

A reader commented on my current long fic asking how I write so well. I replied with an essay of my honestly pretty non-standard writing advice (that they probably didn't actually want lol) Now I'm gonna share it with you guys and hopefully there's a few of you out there who will benefit from my past mistakes and find some useful advice in here. XD Since I started doing this stuff, which are all pretty easy changes to absorb into your process if you want to try them, I now almost never get writer's block.

The text of the original reply is indented, and I've added some additional commentary to expand upon and clarify some of the concepts.

As for writing well, I usually attribute it to the fact that I spent roughly four years in my late teens/early 20s writing text roleplay with a friend for hours every single day. Aside from the constant practice that provided, having a live audience immediately reacting to everything I wrote made me think a lot about how to make as many sentences as possible have maximum impact so that I could get that kind of fun reaction. (Which is another reason why comments like yours are so valuable to fanfic writers! <3) The other factors that have improved my writing are thus: 1. Writing nonlinearly. I used to write a whole story in order, from the first sentence onward. If there was a part I was excited to write, I slogged through everything to get there, thinking that it would be my reward once I finished everything that led up to that. It never worked. XD It was miserable. By the time I got to the part I wanted to write, I had beaten the scene to death in my head imagining all the ways I could write it, and it a) no longer interested me and b) could not live up to my expectations because I couldn't remember all my ideas I'd had for writing it. The scene came out mediocre and so did everything leading up to it. Since then, I learned through working on VN writing (I co-own a game studio and we have some visual novels that I write for) that I don't have to write linearly. If I'm inspired to write a scene, I just write it immediately. It usually comes out pretty good even in a first draft! But then I also have it for if I get more ideas for that scene later, and I can just edit them in. The scenes come out MUCH stronger because of this. And you know what else I discovered? Those scenes I slogged through before weren't scenes I had no inspiration for, I just didn't have any inspiration for them in that moment! I can't tell you how many times there was a scene I had no interest in writing, and then a week later I'd get struck by the perfect inspiration for it! Those are scenes I would have done a very mediocre job on, and now they can be some of the most powerful scenes because I gave them time to marinate. Inspiration isn't always linear, so writing doesn't have to be either!

Some people are the type that joyfully write linearly. I have a friend like this--she picks up the characters and just continues playing out the next scene. Her story progresses through the entire day-by-day lives of the characters; it never timeskips more than a few hours. She started writing and posting just eight months ago, she's about an eighth of the way through her planned fic timeline, and the content she has so far posted to AO3 for it is already 450,000 words long. But most of us are normal humans. We're not, for the most part, wired to create linearly. We consume linearly, we experience linearly, so we assume we must also create linearly. But actually, a lot of us really suffer from trying to force ourselves to create this way, and we might not even realize it. If you're the kind of person who thinks you need to carrot-on-a-stick yourself into writing by saving the fun part for when you finally write everything that happens before it: Stop. You're probably not a linear writer. You're making yourself suffer for no reason and your writing is probably suffering for it. At least give nonlinear writing a try before you assume you can't write if you're not baiting or forcing yourself into it!! Remember: Writing is fun. You do this because it's fun, because it's your hobby. If you're miserable 80% of the time you're doing it, you're probably doing it wrong!

2. Rereading my own work. I used to hate reading my own work. I wouldn't even edit it usually. I would write it and slap it online and try not to look at it again. XD Writing nonlinearly forced me to start rereading because I needed to make sure scenes connected together naturally and it also made it easier to get into the headspace of the story to keep writing and fill in the blanks and get new inspiration. Doing this built the editing process into my writing process--I would read a scene to get back in the headspace, dislike what I had written, and just clean it up on the fly. I still never ever sit down to 'edit' my work. I just reread it to prep for writing and it ends up editing itself. Many many scenes in this fic I have read probably a dozen times or more! (And now, I can actually reread my own work for enjoyment!) Another thing I found from doing this that it became easy to see patterns and themes in my work and strengthen them. Foreshadowing became easy. Setting up for jokes or plot points became easy. I didn't have to plan out my story in advance or write an outline, because the scenes themselves because a sort of living outline on their own. (Yes, despite all the foreshadowing and recurring thematic elements and secret hidden meanings sprinkled throughout this story, it actually never had an outline or a plan for any of that. It's all a natural byproduct of writing nonlinearly and rereading.)

Unpopular writing opinion time: You don't need to make a detailed outline.

Some people thrive on having an outline and planning out every detail before they sit down to write. But I know for a lot of us, we don't know how to write an outline or how to use it once we've written it. The idea of making one is daunting, and the advice that it's the only way to write or beat writer's block is demoralizing. So let me explain how I approach "outlining" which isn't really outlining at all.

I write in a Notion table, where every scene is a separate table entry and the scene is written in the page inside that entry. I do this because it makes writing nonlinearly VASTLY more intuitive and straightforward than writing in a single document. (If you're familiar with Notion, this probably makes perfect sense to you. If you're not, imagine something a little like a more contained Google Sheets, but every row has a title cell that opens into a unique Google Doc when you click on it. And it's not as slow and clunky as the Google suite lol) (Edit from the future: I answered an ask with more explanation on how I use Notion for non-linear writing here.) When I sit down to begin a new fic idea, I make a quick entry in the table for every scene I already know I'll want or need, with the entries titled with a couple words or a sentence that describes what will be in that scene so I'll remember it later. Basically, it's the most absolute bare-bones skeleton of what I vaguely know will probably happen in the story.

Then I start writing, wherever I want in the list. As I write, ideas for new scenes and new connections and themes will emerge over time, and I'll just slot them in between the original entries wherever they naturally fit, rearranging as necessary, so that I won't forget about them later when I'm ready to write them. As an example, my current long fic started with a list of roughly 35 scenes that I knew I wanted or needed, for a fic that will probably be around 100k words (which I didn't know at the time haha). As of this writing, it has expanded to 129 scenes. And since I write them directly in the page entries for the table, the fic is actually its own outline, without any additional effort on my part. As I said in the comment reply--a living outline!

This also made it easier to let go of the notion that I had to write something exactly right the first time. (People always say you should do this, but how many of us do? It's harder than it sounds! I didn't want to commit to editing later! I didn't want to reread my work! XD) I know I'm going to edit it naturally anyway, so I can feel okay giving myself permission to just write it approximately right and I can fix it later. And what I found from that was that sometimes what I believed was kind of meh when I wrote it was actually totally fine when I read it later! Sometimes the internal critic is actually wrong. 3. Marinating in the headspace of the story. For the first two months I worked on [fic], I did not consume any media other than [fandom the fic is in]. I didn't watch, read, or play anything else. Not even mobile games. (And there wasn't really much fan content for [fandom] to consume either. Still isn't, really. XD) This basically forced me to treat writing my story as my only source of entertainment, and kept me from getting distracted or inspired to write other ideas and abandon this one.

As an aside, I don't think this is a necessary step for writing, but if you really want to be productive in a short burst, I do highly recommend going on a media consumption hiatus. Not forever, obviously! Consuming media is a valuable tool for new inspiration, and reading other's work (both good and bad, as long as you think critically to identify the differences!) is an invaluable resource for improving your writing.

When I write, I usually lay down, close my eyes, and play the scene I'm interested in writing in my head. I even take a ten-minute nap now and then during this process. (I find being in a state of partial drowsiness, but not outright sleepiness, makes writing easier and better. Sleep helps the brain process and make connections!) Then I roll over to the laptop next to me and type up whatever I felt like worked for the scene. This may mean I write half a sentence at a time between intervals of closed-eye-time XD

People always say if you're stuck, you need to outline.

What they actually mean by that (whether they realize it or not) is that if you're stuck, you need to brainstorm. You need to marinate. You don't need to plan what you're doing, you just need to give yourself time to think about it!

What's another framing for brainstorming for your fic? Fantasizing about it! Planning is work, but fantasizing isn't.

You're already fantasizing about it, right? That's why you're writing it. Just direct that effort toward the scenes you're trying to write next! Close your eyes, lay back, and fantasize what the characters do and how they react.

And then quickly note down your inspirations so you don't forget, haha.

And if a scene is so boring to you that even fantasizing about it sucks--it's probably a bad scene.

If it's boring to write, it's going to be boring to read. Ask yourself why you wanted that scene. Is it even necessary? Can you cut it? Can you replace it with a different scene that serves the same purpose but approaches the problem from a different angle? If you can't remove the troublesome scene, what can you change about it that would make it interesting or exciting for you to write?

And I can't write sitting up to save my damn life. It's like my brain just stops working if I have to sit in a chair and stare at a computer screen. I need to be able to lie down, even if I don't use it! Talking walks and swinging in a hammock are also fantastic places to get scene ideas worked out, because the rhythmic motion also helps our brain process. It's just a little harder to work on a laptop in those scenarios. XD

In conclusion: Writing nonlinearly is an amazing tool for kicking writer's block to the curb. There's almost always some scene you'll want to write. If there isn't, you need to re-read or marinate.

Or you need to use the bathroom, eat something, or sleep. XD Seriously, if you're that stuck, assess your current physical condition. You might just be unable to focus because you're uncomfortable and you haven't realized it yet.

Anyway! I hope that was helpful, or at least interesting! XD Sorry again for the text wall. (I think this is the longest comment reply I've ever written!)

And same to you guys on tumblr--I hope this was helpful or at least interesting. XD Reblogs appreciated if so! (Maybe it'll help someone else!)

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gamekatz · 11 months ago

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How to Write Strong Dialogue

(from a writer of ten years)

So you’re back in the writing trenches. You’re staring at your computer, or your phone, or your tablet, or your journal, and trying not to lose your mind. Because what comes after the first quotation mark? Nothing feels good.

Don’t worry, friend. I’m your friendly tumblr writing guide and I’m here to help you climb out of the pit of writing despair.

I’ve created a character specifically for this exercise. His name is Amos Alejandro III, but for now we’ll just call him Amos. He’s a thirty-something construction worker with a cat who hates him, and he’s just found out he has to go on a quest across the world to save his mother’s diner.

1.) Consider the Attitude and Characteristics of Your Character

One of the biggest struggles writers face when writing dialogue is keeping characters’ dialogue “in-character”.

You’re probably thinking, “but Sparrow, I’m the creator! None of the dialogue I write can be out of character because they’re my original characters!”

WRONG. (I’m hitting the very loud ‘incorrect’ buzzer in your head right now).

Yes, you created your characters. But you created them with specific characteristics and attitudes. For example, Amos lives alone, doesn’t enjoy talking too much, and isn’t a very scholarly person. So he’s probably not going to say something like “I suggest that we pursue the path of least resistance for this upcoming quest.” He’d most likely say, “I mean, I think the easiest route is pretty self-explanatory.”

Another example is a six-year-old girl saying, “Hi, Mr. Ice Cream Man, do you have chocolate sundaes?” instead of “Hewwo, Ice Cweam Man— Chocowate Sundaes?”

Please don’t put ‘w’s in the middle of your dialogue unless you have a very good and very specific reason. I will cry.

Yes, the girl is young, but she’s not going to talk like that. Most children know how to ask questions correctly, and the ‘w’ sound, while sometimes found in a young child’s speech, does not need to be written out. Children are human.

So, consider the attitude, characteristics, and age of your character when writing dialogue!

2.) Break Up Dialogue Length

If I’m reading a novel and I see an entire page of dialogue without any breaks, I’m sobbing. You’re not a 17th century author with endless punctuation. You’re in the 21st century and people don’t read in the same way they used to.

Break up your dialogue. Use long sentences. Use one word. Use commas, use paragraph breaks. Show a character throwing a chair out a window in between sentences.

For example:

“So, you’re telling me the only way to save my Ma’s diner is to travel across five different continents, find the only remaining secret receipt card, and bring it back before she goes out of business? She didn’t have any other copies? Do I have to leave my cat behind?”

vs.

Amos ran a hand over his face. “So, you’re telling me the only way to save my Ma’s diner is to travel across five different continents, find the only remaining secret recipe card, and bring it back before she goes out of business?”

He couldn’t believe his luck. That was sarcastic, of course. This was ironically horrible.

“She didn’t have any other copies?” He leaned forward over the table and frowned. “Do I have to leave my cat behind?”

The second version is easier to digest, and I got to add some fun description of thought and action into the scene! Readers get a taste of Amos’ character in the second scene, whereas in the first scene they only got what felt like a million words of dialogue.

3.) Don’t Overuse Dialogue Tags.

DON’T OVERUSE DIALOGUE TAGS. DON’T. DON’T DON’T DON’T.

If you don’t know what a dialogue tag is, it’s a word after a sentence of dialogue that attributes that dialogue to a specific character.

For example:

“Orange juice and chicken ramen are good,” he said.

‘Said’ functions as the dialogue tag in this sentence.

Dialogue tags are good. You don’t want to completely avoid them. (I used to pride myself on how I could write stories without any dialogue tags. Don’t do that.) Readers need to know who’s speaking. But overusing them, or overusing weird or unique tags, should be avoided.

Examples:

“I’m gonna have to close my diner,” Amos’ mother said.

“Why?” Amos growled. “It’s been in the family forever.”

“I’ve lost the secret recipe card, and I can’t keep the diner open without it!” She cried.

“The Bacon Burger Extreme recipe card?” Amos questioned.

“Yes!” Amos’ mother screamed.

“Well, that’s not good,” Amos complained.

vs.

“I’m gonna have to close my diner,” Amos’ mother said, taking her son’s hand and leading him over to one of the old, grease-stained tabletops with the ripped-fabric booths.

Amos simply stared at her, frozen in place. “Why? It’s been in the family forever.”

“I’ve—” she looked away for a moment, then took in a breath. “I’ve lost the secret recipe card. And I can’t keep the diner open without it.”

“The Bacon Burger Extreme recipe card?”

“Yes!” She still wouldn’t meet his eyes, and her shoulders were shaking. “Yes.”

Amos sat down heavily in the booth. “Well, that’s not good.”

The first scene only gives character names and dialogue tags. There are no actions and no descriptions. The second scene, however, gives these things. They give the reader descriptions of the diner, the characters’ actions, and attitudes. Overusing dialogue tags gets boring fast, so add interest into your writing!

So! When you’re writing, consider the attitude of your character, vary dialogue length, and don’t overuse dialogue tags.

Now climb out of the pit of writing despair. Pick up your pen or computer. And write some good dialogue!

Best,

Sparrow

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gamekatz · 11 months ago

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writing morally gray characters

When you're fleshing out a morally gray character, get into their head. Explore what makes them tick—their backstory, beliefs, and what gets them out of bed in the morning. These characters aren't black and white; they're a swirling mix of shades of gray. Show the tug-of-war they feel inside when faced with tough decisions. It's like watching someone juggle their principles and desires right in front of you—it's what makes them feel real.

Throw your character into situations where the right path isn't crystal clear. Life's full of those messy, uncertain moments, and your character should reflect that. It keeps readers guessing and rooting for them to figure it out.

your character grow over time. Maybe their moral compass shifts as they learn from their mistakes or adapt to changing circumstances. People change, and so should your characters—it keeps the story fresh and unpredictable.

Give your character a unique flavor. Avoid the tired old stereotypes personas. Mix it up with quirks, a distinct background, or motivations that aren't what you'd expect.

Even if your character's choices aren't always squeaky clean, make sure readers can see their humanity. Share their doubts, vulnerabilities, and reasons behind their actions. It's about making them relatable, even when they're making questionable calls.

Every action has a reaction, right? Show how your character's decisions ripple out and affect not just them, but everyone around them.

Remember, morally gray doesn't mean they're totally without a conscience. Your character might have their own code or justify their actions based on their unique perspective. It's all about that gray area where things get interesting.

Decide where your character's moral rollercoaster is headed. Will they evolve into a better version of themselves, slide back into old habits, or stay forever stuck in that gray zone?

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gamekatz · 2 years ago

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Fire and Ice

Pt. 5

Water contours around your body as you luxuriate in your bath, the soft candlelight casting dancing shadows on your skin. The muffled sounds of celebration and merriment seep into the chamber. You let out a contented sigh, feeling the warmth of the bath penetrate your muscles, relaxing them in a way that you haven't experienced in ages. The troubles, scars, and responsibilities fade into the background as the water soothes your soul.

Gently, you run your fingers across the ridges of the scar on your chest where the arrow had nearly taken your life. Your gaze then shifts to the black markings on your left shoulder, left behind by the phoenix's talons. Tears begin to well up in your eyes, blurring your vision and allowing you to break away from these constant reminders of the borrowed time you’ve been given and the burden of responsibility left to you and your sister.

As you exit the bath, your reflection in the cracked mirror catches your attention. Your hair, once red like your sister’s, has turned bone white after your near-death experience as a child. It’s no wonder people mistake you for being the older sister. Your muscles, well-defined from constantly wearing weapons and armor, seem out of place on your otherwise small figure. You quickly cover them with a loose-fitting white tunic and burlap trousers and bind your white locks into a tight ponytail, despite your longing for more moments of solitude.

Descending to the banquet hall, you're greeted by the jovial presence of Officer Alden Thorn. His breath carries the unmistakable scent of alcohol as he slings an arm around your shoulders.

"Ah, Lieutenant! You made your way here; I was thinking you got lost!" he exclaims, teetering on the brink of balance.

You respond, confused, "No? My quarters are almost right above the banquet hall; there’s no way I could get lost."

Alden's laughter is boisterous, and he leans in a bit too close, his breath now uncomfortably near and bearing a strong scent of alcohol. "A secret lover then?" he jests, his eyes searching yours.

A hint of annoyance flickers across your face, and you gently push Alden away. "I don't have time for anything like that... Where’s Captain Fierra?" you respond curtly.

"Captain Fierra?" Alden's expression sours a bit, as if something precious had been denied him. "She's soaking up the glory as usual. Rumor has it she's in line for a promotion after the reclaiming of Blackrock," Officer Alden Thorn slurred, his expression a mix of disappointment and jealousy.

You thank Alden for the information and excuse yourself. As you navigate through the banquet hall, the festivities reach a crescendo around you. Goblets clink together, and raucous laughter fills the chamber. The tables are laden with dried meats and cheeses, along with what looks to be freshly made bread. Not the most immaculate feast, but definitely the best thing any of these soldiers have had in a long time.

At the far end of the largest table, your sister stands. Still adorned with all her armor and her two swords, she stands commanding the attention of all those around her. You can’t understand quite what she’s saying, but the way she’s gesturing about, you can assume she’s recounting one of her many victories. She breaks off suddenly, her emerald eyes locking onto you, and somehow her smile becomes even more vibrant.

“You’re finally here…” her voice fills with warmth, “good, it wouldn’t be the same without you.”

“I could hardly miss it, since I was assigned to one of the rooms right above the hall.”

“Now who could have done such a thing?” she says, her compassion twisting into a sly smirk. “A poor recluse like you probably wouldn’t be able to get any rest during the party.”

“You know I’m not a fan of this sort of thing,” you say, giving her a friendly punch to the shoulder, “besides, shouldn’t the soon-to-be Marshal have more important things to tend to than meddling with her sister’s sleeping arrangements?”

“It’s a good room; you should be thanking me,” Fierra replies sarcastically, “and I’m not taking that promotion anyways,” her smile slipping away.

“What?!”

“There’s no point; if I’m not on the front lines, no one else can do what we can, Asril. Anyone with an ego can order people around.”

“Fierra, we took Blackrock, we’ve taken all of Vildean back, besides a few camps of stragglers, there’s not going to be much for you to do in the next couple of months.”

“We’re not stopping at Blackrock.” The firmness and certainty behind her words cause your heart to sink into your chest.

“Our goal was to take back Vildean; we’ve been fighting for years for this moment.”

“And now we have a chance to let them know what it’s like…” her voice falters for a moment before continuing in passionate anger, “what it’s like to lose everything!” A silence falls over the two of you, broken only by the sound of celebration all around you. Your shoulders slump forward; this celebration has taken more out of you than any battle you’ve fought.

“How long have you known about this?” your voice trembling.

“Ever since it became clear Blackrock was going to be ours, General Hershin finally began to take my plans into consideration; it’s part of why they wanted to promote me to Marshal.” Her cold words sting just like ice.

“When were you going to tell me?”

“You were going to find out tomorrow, with everyone else, but I guess I’m telling you now.”

“I’m your sister! You knew how I’d feel about this! There’s no reason for it!” you spit. Your sister, Fierra, gazes at you with a mixture of sorrow and determination. The raucous celebration continues around you, but in this moment, the world narrows down to the two of you.

"I get it, Asril," Fierra speaks softly, "I know you're not on board with this, and it hurts me too. But I genuinely think it's necessary. If we don't act now, the Grumnsh forces will just come back..."

“No, you don’t get it! If you did, you wouldn’t have proposed we do such a thing!”

Fierra exhales in visible frustration, fingers clasping the bridge of her nose.

“The ships will be ready to set sail by the end of next month. You and me are going to be on the first fleet. Until then, you should enjoy yourself.”

The rest of the celebration passes by in a daze, a surreal cacophony of laughter, clinking goblets, and jubilant soldiers. You try your best to put on a facade of enjoyment, for Fierra's sake and for the sake of camaraderie with your fellow soldiers. Yet, the weight of the impending mission hangs heavily on your shoulders.

You drift amongst the revelry like a ghost, your mind racing with thoughts of all that lies ahead. The mission, the fleet, the upcoming march into unfamiliar lands - it all looms over the horizon, casting a shadow over each step.

Fierra becomes the center of attention once more, continuing to regale those around her with tales of her courage and victories. Her charisma draws in a crowd, yet she effortlessly navigates through the sea of admirers. You can’t help but feel a pang of envy at her ability to make her voice heard above the masses.

As the celebration begins to wind down, you find yourself standing on the balcony of your quarters overlooking the city of Blackrock. The ruins of once-great buildings mar the quiet cityscape, an echo of a time before the war. When will it be over?

#oc #writeblr #writing #angst #whump #wip #2nd person pov

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gamekatz · 2 years ago

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Fire and Ice

Pt. 4

The chaos of the battle stretches before you. Soldiers in battered armor stand in front of you, forming a resilient line. Eternity seems to pass before you hear the subtle drumming in the distance. The beating of Orcish war drums, a sound you haven’t heard in years, tickles your ears. The underlying thrum of hooves grows ever stronger with each beat.

Then you see them, the warhogs, heavily armored beasts with similarly ferocious riders upon their backs. Memories erupt in your mind; once again, the metallic taste of your own blood filling your mouth as the warhogs charge past, leaving only death and destruction in their wake.

“Wake up, Asril, we can’t freeze up now.” A firm hand smacks you on the back, shaking you from your stupor. Your eyes meet those of your savior, grounding you in reality once more. You barely recognize the woman before you. Fierra had transformed, from the scared child she once was into a warrior, her eyes now carrying the weight of years spent in a world ravaged by war. Despite the changes, that fiery hair remained a familiar beacon of hope in the midst of chaos.

“Y-you’re right, sorry sister.” You reach out a gauntleted hand to take hers and she helps to pull you back up to your feet.

"I need you to have my back in this, you can’t falter here,” Fierra's voice cuts through the chaos of the battlefield. With those words, the Orcish warhogs descend upon the front lines, and the battle begins.

In an instant, the large beasts tear through the line of pikemen, leaving a trail of devastation in their wake. Without hesitation, Fierra turns to face the oncoming foes. Drawing her blades, flames erupt around her body, and her swords become fiery beacons as she rushes to meet the Orcish invaders. Her step barely faltering from the burning flames anymore.

The oncoming warhogs attempt to resist their riders' orders to charge towards this flaming torch on the battlefield. But with a flurry of fire and steel, they quickly become fuel for her flames, their resistance futile in the face of her fiery determination.

The Orcs continue to surge through the front lines. Soon, all you can see of your sister is a faint glow behind a mass of bodies. Your heart pounds to the beat of the war drums, its thunderous rhythm echoing in your ears. Your breath quickens as fighting erupts all around, a chaotic dance of clashing steel and desperate cries.

Amidst the chaos, a set of Orcish eyes lock onto you, their gaze filled with hatred as they relentlessly make their way through the battlefield towards you. Without thinking, you draw on the power that had been ingrained within you long ago. As you draw upon it, you can feel your tumultuous emotions calming, giving way to an icy resolve. It's as if your very veins and heart have turned to ice, a chilling serenity enveloping your being.

In response, the battlefield around you freezes, time itself succumbing to the cold embrace of your power. Everything and everyone stands suspended, trapped within this icy tableau.

Your movements are precise and swift as you close the distance between yourself and the Orc, whose eyes and body remain locked in place, completely unaware of your impending approach. With an extraordinary effort, you reach out and seize the Orc, compelling them downward. Ice immediately forms upon their skin, tearing at their flesh in a relentless grip.

The process is excruciatingly slow and painful, akin to dragging them across a jagged field of gravel. The intense cold pierces through your very being, biting at your skin as frost envelops your armor. You have grown unaccustomed to the sensation of cold over the years, but this biting cold sears your hands and serves as a stark reminder that some things are never meant to be tamed or embraced fully.

The aftermath of the battle stretches before you, a grim scene of carnage and destruction. Bodies of orcs, impaled on icy spikes, stand as macabre sentinels on the gruesome battlefield, their lifeless forms frozen in grotesque postures. Your once-clean armor is now tainted, bearing the bright hue of red from the frozen blood of fallen foes.

A solemn silence has settled over the scene, punctuated only by the occasional gust of wind that carries with it the stench of death and burnt flesh. The charred remains of orcs and humans intermingle, forming a grotesque painting of suffering and sacrifice.

As you survey the gruesome aftermath, a sudden realization washes over you, carried on the air — the acrid scent of burning corpses. It claws at your senses, threatening to unleash a torrent of revulsion and bile. With sheer willpower, you manage to quell the rising nausea, determined to maintain your composure.

“This is it, Asril,” Fierra says, her arms wrapping around you in a cheery embrace, “we can finally fight back.” The warmth of her hug lingers, and as she pulls away, you gaze upon your sister. In this moment, you’ve never seen her so happy.

#oc #writeblr #writing #angst #whump #wip #current wip #2nd person pov

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gamekatz · 2 years ago

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Fire and Ice

Pt. 3

The beating of wings drags you from the darkness. You open your eyes to see your sister, her eyes burning, her fists clenched as she rises up against a radiant figure. You aren’t sure how much time has passed, but her cheeks are still wet with tears. Turning your eyes from her and looking up, you see the gaze of a great white bird, around ten times your size, piercing the two of you. Fierra continues to stand in shaky defiance against the beast.

"Who are you, insolent child, to desecrate an object bearing my likeness?" The voice reverberates across the forsaken village, its icy tone freezing the girl before it. The words cut through Fierra’s resolve like a knife, dropping her to her knees.

“Solara! Why have you forsaken your people? The Orcs have razed our homes and killed…” her voice trails off as a sudden realization hits her, she collapses to the ground, tears tracing down her face as she begins retching from the gruesome memory. The phoenix's talon descends, almost gently guiding Fierra back to her knees as she continues to sputter in the depths of despair.

"Child, you do not grasp the intricacies of divine matters. For me to directly meddle in the wars of mortals would beckon the ire of Orcin themselves. Unlike Orcin, I am unable to infuse my followers with facets of my being without their demise, which would gravely enfeeble me." The phoenix looks upon you; you feel your weakened breath go still under the weight of its gaze.

“This one is dying; you were calling upon me to heal her?” Fierra’s head bows in resignation, the question drawing a sigh of relief from her lips.

“Please, she’s the only family I have left,” Fierra whispers.

"Then you have displayed a profound misjudgment." Your heart sinks in your chest. "I am the coalescence of elemental magics, each exquisitely balanced against the other. To channel one demands an expenditure from another. Yet, there exists a fragment of possibility. While none of these elements can directly mend the ebbing life of a mortal, the intricate harmony might be harnessed for restoration, but it may just as easily cause the end of both of your lives."

“I don’t care…” Fierra responds in hushed resolve. “If there’s even the smallest chance to save her, I’ll take it. Without her, I’ll have nothing.” The phoenix looks upon both of you; its gaze softens in understanding.

"Very well," Solara's voice resonates, "then I shall bestow upon each of you an aspect of my power, facets that counter and harmonize, upholding equilibrium within me. Should survival grace you, the power infused in your beings will mend your wounds and forge resilience. But should the embrace of death claim either you or your sister, the delicate balance shall shatter, bringing doom upon the other." With this, a talon reaches down and violently rips the arrow from you. You thought you had known the full extent of pain these last few days, but that was nothing. The world around you is empty except for this agony.

“Asril!” Fierra lunges towards you before being wrenched back by Solara. Your hand gravitates towards her, but you can barely move. Suddenly, her entire form is enveloped by flames. Her screams pierce your ears as she drops to the ground. The flames are so bright you can’t see anything but an agonized silhouette.

Solara moves to you, slow and lethargic. You can’t move away, blood chokes your every breath. The phoenix’s talons pierce your shoulder, and freezing cold floods through you. Ice begins growing on your skin, and the world begins to grow dark once more. The last thing you hear are your sister’s screams.

#writeblr #writing #whump #oc #wip #pain #angst

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gamekatz · 2 years ago

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Fire and Ice

Pt. 2

You open your eyes once again to see a worn mountain trail. Despite the cold air your body radiates with a feverish heat. Every step makes the arrow in your chest rebound with agonizing pain but you are too exhausted to do anything but whimper. Suddenly, your legs give out from under you and the cold rocky ground rushes up to meet you.

“ASRIL!” the girl rushes over to your side pushing you onto your back. Her face is gaunt and sickly, a ghastly version of the one you remember.

“You gotta get up, Asril! We’re almost at the next village, they'll make you better!”, tears stream down her cheeks as she tries to push you up, but you’re just so… tired… Your eyes grow heavy once more.

NO!!! You can’t go to sleep! We’re almost there!” Your eyes shoot open as the girl begins to drag you along the trail. The pain is excruciating,each tug along the trail a burning knife through your chest, but you can’t protest. You notice your wound begins to bleed again, the rough pulling on your arms opening it up. You can’t tell how long she must have dragged you along that trail but eventually she lets you lay at the edge of the square of a small mining village. A small stone statue of a bird rests at the village center.

The girl goes from door to door furiously knocking before opening each empty building.

“Please, anyone! My sister’s hurt, she needs a healer, please!”, but she is met with a resounding silence. Finding the village abandoned, the girl collapses in front of the statue in frustration. Hot tears roll down her face as she lets out a primal scream.

“How could you let this happen to us! Did we not worship you enough! Do you even care that my sister is dying and you do nothing!” the girl shrieks at the statue. In a fit of rage she grabs a large stone and begins bashing it against the statue, each strike chipping off larger and larger chunks of stone.

“Fierra, stop…” your words, hardly beyond a whisper, go unheard over your sister’s rage. With one last burst of anger she drives the stone into the statue breaking off its wing and causing the statue to topple off of its pedestal. Not far behind the statue, Fierra also falls to the ground, her anger replaced by a defeated sadness.

You manage to push through the haze of pain and exhaustion. With great effort, you drag yourself closer to your sister your fingers trembling as you place your hand on her leg. “Fierra” you rasp, your voice barely audible. She startles, her tear-filled eyes locking onto yours, a deep sadness and loss. Fierra wraps her arms around you.

“I’m so sorry, Asril! I don’t know what to do anymore! I thought the cleric here would be able to heal you but everyone’s gone!”

“It’s… okay…” you pant, running your hand over her head, before your vision once again fades to black.

#whump #writeblr #writing #oc #sad #sadgirl #uhhh how do i tag this #so uhm #yeah

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gamekatz · 2 years ago

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Fire and Ice Pt. 1

There you lay, the arrow protruding from your chest, surprisingly it doesn’t hurt as much as you thought something like that would, everything feels cold and distant. The drone of hooves trampling through the village hum in your ears. Orcs riding past on the backs of the warhogs, none giving you a second glance as they pillage the place you had grown up in. Looking up the burly green figure of an Orc looms over you their blade dripping with blood. A pained expression runs across his as they raise their blade to deliver the killing blow. You close your eyes awaiting Zera’s call. But nothing comes.

Warm metallic liquid splatters over your face prompting your eyes to open once again. A red haired girl, probably only 14 years old, hangs onto the back of the Orc digging into their throat with a large knife. The Orc collapses ontop of her as and you hear the girl sputter as the wind is knocked out of her. Dragging herself free the bloodied girl clumsily approaches you.

“No… nononono…”, she feels at the arrow wound in your chest and suddenly all the pain that has evaded you seems to hit you all at once. You clench your body in pain but despite that you can’t form a scream, breathing is so difficult…

“You’re going to be okay… you’re going to be okay…”, falters the girl. Pain radiates throughout your torso and to the rest of your body as the girl begins to drag you into the cellar of your home, and darkness takes you.

You open your eyes, the smell of dirt and mildew fills your lungs and the hum of the stampede outside has ceased. You run your hands to find a bloody rag tied around your chest the arrow still stuck firmly in place. You open your mouth to scream, and unlike before a shrill whimper breaks free but nothing more, each breath feels as though the arrow drives deeper and deeper. You’re vision begins to fade again before someone pulls you back. Two arms wrap around you, holding you together.

“Asril, you’re alive!” Warm tears flood the back of your neck as her face presses against the back of your shoulder. The girl moves around you and you can see her face again. Dirt and dried blood covers her clothes, and she has one sleeve completely torn off. A large gash in her shoulder, which seems to have only recently stopped bleeding, seems to keep her from freely moving her left arm. She holds a jar of wine up to your lips, you greedily drink from it you didn’t realize how thirsty you had been until now. The soured wine rolls over your tongue, in another scenario you’d spit it out but in this moment its the best wine you’ve ever had.

“We need to get a healer for you. Can you walk?”, she sets the jar down and begins pulling you to your feet. Your legs feel like gelatin and your vision darkens once more. But you manage to take it step by step out of the cellar with the girl’s help.

Outside of the cellar, the village is almost unrecognizable. Charred remains of homes litter the surrounding area an amalgamation of bodies burnt beyond recognition pile upon what was once the village center. You only see it for a brief moment before a had rushes across your eyes.

Silently, you both walk from the village, the hand retreating from your eyes only once you have made it past the last home, and begin to head into the mountains.

#writeblr #writing #OC #angst #sad #war #idk what else to tag #whump #wip

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