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me whenever I get home from the movies:

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transmigrator!nhs au

Nie Huaisang regrets ever leaving that horribly long, scathing review on that xianxia webnovel. So what if the character that shared his name was being an absolute coward that would eventually die without having ever sought revenge for his brother? At least it wouldn't have ended up with him transmigrating into the very character he had literally just read the death of 3 hours ago...

Well. What's done is done, he supposes. At the very least, Nie Huaisang thinks, trying to comfort himself. At the very least, his character isn't a big-name cultivator who was very proficient at cultivation. Thank the gods for that. Nie Huaisang didn't know what he'd do if it turned out he had to actually learn how to use a sabre.

This is fine. He can just hide behind his fans and cowardice while enacting a plan to stay alive. This is absolutely fine. He's going to survive this; all he needs to do is keep his head down during all the chaos and stay alive.

There's just one little question nagging at him in the back of his head, though...

Has Sect Leader Jiang always been this hot?

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Deepening Social and Political Conflict in your Fiction

In many speculative fiction works, war or civil unrest is common, sometimes it’s a given. And yet so often, these grand, world-shattering wars are shallow when looked at straight-on. If you think about the history of the conflict or the spark that sent the nations to war, you can come up kind of dry. A lot of readers are tired of “WAR” being the default backdrop of a story, especially when it’s used as a prop rather than handled with the care it should be.

So how do you make sure that your social and political conflicts don’t just provide a canvas to your story, but help deepen and strengthen the world and the characters therein? Simple! Just do a little thinking! 

General Questions

What are they fighting over/why are they fighting?

Land

Pettiness

Resources

Religion

Safety/Peace-of-mind

Debt

Misconceptions or misunderstanding

Political or social ideologies

Power

Lies

Something stupid

Freedom (revolution)

Who is the root of the conflict between?

Nation & Nation

Government & People

Two factions of people

Parts of the same government

Government & Church/Religious group

Church & People

Government & Private institution

Or does it span numerous groups?

How has it spread?

How long has this conflict been going on?

What was the origin point of this disagreement?

How quickly have things escalated? 

How has magic or technology figured into the conflict as it is and as it’s developed?

What has motivated the continuation of this fighting?

What level of devastation have the people dealt with?

What is the military structure of the two sides?

How much do your characters know and understand about the history or reasons surrounding the war? How does that influence their feelings toward it?

Are there outside influences that are escalating the situation by getting involved? Perhaps manipulating or aiding one side?

Long-Time War

What event triggered the initial conflict? The war (if they’re two separate things)?

Do the people remember what started the war, or has too much time passed?

How has the constant presence of war altered the society and culture? 

How much fear is present in the day-to-day life of the citizens?

How do parents handle the knowledge that their children will undoubtedly go off to war at X age?

How has the family structure changed with the constant absence of soldiers?

Does lineage play any part in how likely a child is to be recruited or what level they start at?

How hardened have people come to war and death?

When does soldier training start for children? Is there a gender divide on who fights and who doesn’t? How is “fitness” determined for combat?

Has there been any tries at peace between the warring factions? How were they handled? Why did they fail?

Have art, literature, music etc. survived the enduring war? How has the umbrella of unrest affected the arts?

What do the people believe this war is trying to accomplish? Or do they accept it as a part of life that will likely never go away?

Sudden War

How do people cope with the upheaval of their lives?

How are soldiers selected and trained?

How informed are the general citizens?

How in-danger are the non-combatant people?

Are emotions running rampant, or are they in check? Or is ignorance bliss for most people?

How quickly did the inciting incident lead to the full-on war?

How well- or ill-tempered are the leaders of the sides and how does that contribute to the way the delegations, exchanges, and treaties are handled?

Are the people of the general public on board with going to war, or are they angry about their leaders’ involvement?

How well-documented and reported are the goings-on at the front lines/in governmental offices?

Civil Unrest

Why are the people unhappy or unsettled?

What groups are trying to resolve the issues or help the needy during the fragile times?

What are the opposing sides/ideas trying to accomplish and how are they balanced over discontentment rather than heading straight to war?

How much pressure is there to start an uprising?

Has the disagreement between some groups brought unity to others?

Is the unrest more mental and political, or are there mobs rioting in the streets?

Are there rumors (true or not) circulating that are adding to the tension?

Is there a press involved? How are their reportings affecting the people? How are they viewed by the ones in power?

How long has this unrest been present? Do people think that it will eventually lead to a revolution or war…or are they just resigned to the way things are?

Happy writing!

Check out the rest of the Brainstorming Series! Magic Systems, Part One Magic Systems, Part Two New Species New Worlds New Cultures New Civilizations Politics and Government Map Making Belief Systems & Religion Guilds, Factions & Groups Science & Technology History & Lore

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oh hey would ya look at that... 79 followers!! how befitting, given that today is the day the svsss manhua is released AKA shen jiu dies and yue qingyuan never gets to say goodbye :)

(and coincidentally, i also hit 33 drafts which is also the number of times lan wangji got whipped for injuring the 33 lan elders 😜😜)

(i ALSO have 33 followers rn on twitter... pls hmu if you want to on there, the username is the same as my tumblr :))

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How to Get to Know Your Characters

@lourek asked:

Okay so it’s me again. I have a problem, cuz I really don’t know my characters?? And I’d like to get to know them. I know this might sound stupid, but do you have a masterpost about best ways to get to know your own characters or would you be willing to make one? I’ve noticed that all those “answer these questions” things are pretty useful. Thank you, I still worship you, good bye

Not a stupid question at all!  This is one of the most challenging and important parts of becoming a writer.  Getting to know someone takes time and effort, and characters are no exception. 

So without further ado, here are my go-to techniques for getting to know a character:

1.  Ask yourself these basic questions:

How old are they mentally/spiritually?  Do they have an old soul, or are they a perpetual kid at heart?  Does their personality not coincide with their physical age? 

What do they care about most in the world?  What would they die for?

What are their interests?  What books, movies, and shows do they read/watch religiously?  What do they geek out over?

What’s the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to them?  Have they told anyone?  If so, who?

On that note, what is one secret they’ve never told anyone?

What was their childhood like?  Was it happy?  Tragic?  Why or why not?

How many relationships do they have?  How have they affected them?

What is their greatest fear?  

What was the best thing that ever happened to them?

What was the worst thing that ever happened to them?

If you had to describe the character in one word, what is the first that comes to mind?

2.  Once that’s done, get nosy.

Empty their pockets, backpack, or purse.  Make a list of everything inside.  What do they always take with them?  Why?

Describe their bedroom.  Is it neat, or messy?  Is it minimalist?  Cluttered?  Are they neat, or messy by nature?  Is there any artwork on the wall, any posters?  Are there lots of books?  A TV?  Stuffed animals?  Be as detailed as you want to be, and think about why your character has these things and what they say about them.  

If they have one, describe their car.  What kind of car do they drive?  How does it correlate with their personality, their career?  Do they keep any photos of loved ones?  Are there lots of fast food containers?

We’ve already touched on this briefly, but think about their books.  Write down at least ten titles on their shelf.  Think about what genres they like, what authors, and why they might enjoy them. 

What kind of movie genres do they like?  What kind of TV shows?  Why do they enjoy them?  Do they have any guilty pleasures that they’d rather anyone not know about?  

Take a look inside their closet.  What kind of clothes do they wear?  What’s their style?  Can they afford the clothes they’d actually like to wear?  Are they preppy?  Is their closet organized, or is it a hot mess?

3.  Get to know the family.

What are their parents like?  Do they have a good relationship?  Are they friends?  Do they just plain suck?  If so, why?

If they don’t have a good relationship with their parents, are there any parental figures that their close with?  What are they like?  

Do they have any siblings?  Are they close?  Are they protective of them, or vice versa?

What is their nationality?  Do they have strong ties to their heritage, or could they care less?

What about their extended family?  Do they have any weird relatives?  (In my opinion, every character should have at least one weird relative.  They are a lot of fun to write.)  

4.   Fill in the details.

Brainstorm random questions about your characters, their likes, dislikes, et cetera.  Here are examples:

What is their favorite food?  

Their favorite beverage?  

Their favorite movie?  

Their favorite book?

Their favorite TV show?

What is their dream job?

Do they keep a journal?

Do they have good handwriting, or is it illegible from excessive note-taking?  

What’s their favorite color?  

What’’s their favorite kind of weather?  Do they like sunny days, or rainy ones?

Can they draw?  Are they artistic in general?

What kind of romantic/sexual partner do they like (if they’re interested in that sort of thing at all)?  Do they have a ‘type?’    

What would their ideal date be (even just with friends)?  Do they like generic dinner and movie-type stuff, or do they favor museums and plays? 

What would their ideal afternoon look like?

Do they prefer TV or books?

Are they introverted or extroverted?  Do they hate social gatherings, or thrive on them?  Do they relish in alone time?

Coffee or tea?

Cats or dogs? 

Do they eat breakfast?  If so, what?

What’s their opinion on pineapple pizza? 

5.  Fill out some character sheets.

Simple character sheets are a great way to fill in the gaps and get to know your character.  Though there are quite a few floating around on my favorite blogs, but here are a few examples:

There’s a “lazy person’s” character sheet here.

There’s a “how to create a memorable character” sheet here.

And there’s a “no effort” character sheet here.

Of course, the only way to truly get to know your character is to write about them.  You never know how they’ll develop until you get going, and once you do, they’ll never cease to surprise you.  Characters truly do gain lives of their own, so don’t give up and keep writing. 

And in the meantime, I hope this helps!  <3

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You know how CQL butchered my heart??

Have some SongXiao therapy.

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Reblog if you're a fanfic writer and you wanna know what your followers' favorite story of yours is ❤

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I’m so happy Song Lan found Xiao Xingchen, got to apologize and then they both got married and raised A-Qing together

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Hi! Im so sorry to bother you (and feel free to not answer this question, i completely understand!!) but i was just wondering about the Yi City arc - how does Xue Yang deceive Xiao Xingchen?? Also is Xue Yang, in your opinion, completely evil? or do you think he had redeeming qualities?? (I haven't read the novel but i wanted to prepare myself cause i know this is gonna be an emotional arc)

Hi! I'm gonna be honest here, I skimmed a lot of the Yi City Arc (and omitted reading the entire last part when everything went down) because otherwise I'd be sobbing the whole way through LOL and it's been a while since I read it last so I'm not entirely sure if what I type up in this post is 100% canonically correct!

(Also, there are possible spoilers below!)

With that in mind, I think Xue Yang managed to deceive XXC because XXC was blind then and he wasn't able to tell who Xue Yang actually was? There is the issue of the whole voice thing but maybe XY also came up with a way to change it? Or maybe XY's voice had changed with puberty or smthg lmao (I'm not much help here, sorry)

As for my opinion on Xue Yang... hahaha... would I say he was completely evil... I want to say yes purely because of what he did to XXC, SL and A-Qing bc I really liked those characters :) I wouldn't label him completely evil, but any redeeming qualities he may have are lost on me as well? He's basically a character that I can understand the actions of, but which I dislike and despise those same actions he committed. XY is someone who is sure to payback whatever wrong you've done to him a hundred-fold (see: Chang clan, XXC)

Thanks for sending in the ask, anon! Sending you some strength for Yi City Arc :) I know that was one of the most painful and tragic stories I ever read hahahaha

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Rating: General Audiences

Fandom: 人渣反派自救系统 - 墨香铜臭 | The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù

Chapters: 1/1

Word count: 970

Relationship: Original Shen Qingqiu/Yue Qingyuan

Tags/Warnings: Qijiu Week 2019, Reincarnation AU, but it’s not so much reincarnation au as it is what happens before the reincarnation process, reincarnation isn’t even mentioned in here

Summary:

Yue Qingyuan is taking an admirably long time to die.

Shen Jiu taps his foot impatiently, hovering by Yue Qingyuan’s bedside, his lips curled downwards in a frown. His arms are crossed over his chest in front of him, and though it’s been centuries since his soul had been kicked out of his own body — plenty of time in which he should have gotten used to being reduced to some lost spirit with no other purpose in this world other than to haunt his estranged childhood best friend while the intruder in his body decided to gallivant off into the sunset with his own disciple that half-demon brat Luo Binghe — it’s still a bit jarring for Yue Qingyuan to open his eyes, look right over in Shen Jiu’s direction, only to have his gaze pass right through him.

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So, in the spirit of Qijiu week (and also owing to the fact that I'm almost completely dry of juice), I've decided to open up prompts related to Qijiu! Feel free to send in some if you wish, and I'll try my best to fill them!

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REBLOG: go to your blog and click the egg to see what hatches

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One thing I love about being a writer is being able to go back through a piece of text and remember everything associated with it. 

Here, the scene you wrote at 3am, barely holding your head up, but fingers frantic to slam words on the keyboard.

There, a cheesy paragraph inspired by your own feelings of joy and wonder at the world. Something so sweet that you had to wiggle in your seat at the very thought.

Over here, the bit you were working on forever, because you couldn’t get the words right. You wanted to escape, but still forged on through the mess until you reached the end.

A story might be a story in itself, but it also contains ghostly records of all the actions and emotions around it, things the reader will never see, but the writer will never forget.

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Mobei-Jun: He died of natural causes.

Shang Qinghua: Darling, you kicked him off the roof.

Mobei-Jun: Gravity is natural.

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WWX: Lan Zhan!! I said I wanted McDonald's!!

LWJ: En. I bought you McDonald's.

WWX: I MEANT LIKE A HAPPY MEAL OR SOMETHING!! NOT THE ENTIRE COMPANY!!!!

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Looking for a random cause of death for a character? Click here.

Looking for a random city? Click here.

Looking for a random city that people have actually heard of? Click here.

Need a random surname for a character? Click here. (They also give prevalence by race, which is very helpful.)

Helpful writing tips for my friends.

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another chance

Ten thousand arrows later, Yue Qingyuan wakes up in the body of a child.

A child slave named Yue Qi, sleeping next to another child slave, the one he calls Xiao Jiu affectionately, their fingers entwined.

It feels like a dream. Just seconds ago, hadn't he felt the piercing of ten thousand arrows through his body?

And yet. And yet.

If this is a dream, it is a good one, Yue Qi thinks as he shifts closer to his Xiao Jiu. Xiao Jiu is deep in sleep, his usual harsh features now softened out, a vulnerable glow to them.

Yue Qi loops his arm around Xiao Jiu and draws him even closer, until Xiao Jiu's head rests against his chest. He wonders if Xiao Jiu can hear the quickened beat of his heart through the haze of his own dreams.

If this is a dream, Yue Qi thinks, placing a soft kiss upon the top of Xiao Jiu's head.

If this is a dream, please never let me wake up from it.