#auideas relaunch

[auideas]

How to make the plot beautyful?

A great question worthy of an equally-great answer: how can we as writers make our plots not just good, but beautiful?

What NOT To Do:

String a bunch of random conflicts together

Start with a clear bad guy & good guy (and maintain that relationship throughout the story)

Create plotholes on purpose (then tell yourself that it adds to the “mystique” or think you’ll answer the question later)

Only create story arcs for the main characters and not the side characters because they’re “not as important”

Ignore your own world’s fictional rules without a good reason

Include subplots that don’t support your main story arc

Rely on an outline to rigidly dictate your story’s plot

What To Do:

Start with a simple, compelling premise

Choose a base plot structure to loosely follow (Freytag’s Pyramid, The Hero’s Journey, Three Act Structure, Dan Harmon's Story Circle, Fichtean Curve, Save the Cat Beat Sheet, Seven-Point Story Structure, etc.)

Set up your beginning with your end (the beginning is the question, the end is the answer)

Think about cause and effect; allow each scene to build off the beginning into the end (ensuring each moves the plot and its clear central conflict)

Including the 5 W’s ( ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘why’ and ‘when’) will give the readers a clear sense of setting and ensure the story is more solid

Most importantly: remember that your plot doesn’t drive your characters, your characters drive your plot. Their development over time with their hardships is what will separate your story from average fair.

Hope this gives you a great idea of where to start!

- Admin M  x

[auideas]

Hi! If you don’t mind, I’d like to request some soulmate AU ideas?

I’m a sucker for the soulmate trope, but I’m having serious writer’s block, and I need help

Hey!! Okay, so for this one, let's take a look at all the soulmate tropes floating around right now -- maybe one of them will click with you!

Classic soul strings of fate! You're connected to your soulmate by a red string that you can follow. Many stories explore what happens when this string is cut or when there's no string at all.

You can only see in black and white until you meet your soulmate; then, you world turns to color.

On your 18th birthday, you swap languages with that of your soulmate. This is normally not an issue, but what if the language you start speaking is ancient?

After you enter a relationship with someone, there's a chance that in exactly a year, something clicks in your brain that tells you whether or not that person is your soulmate. What would happen if that happened with your new best friend?

Soulmates could be a part of the worldbuilding, but what if they're just randomly assigned and the whole system is a lie?

Hear me out: what if both you and your soulmate know you are one another's partner, but you decide you hate each other too much to go through with it and decide to actively sabotage the relationship instead?

A rumor says that your soulmate will know the same weird piece of obscure knowledge you do, and no one else in the world will have any idea what it is. Everyone tries to learn and share everything they can so they can meet their soulmate, but really, it's just a farce to get everyone to share facts and ideas.

What if you could tap into any one of your soulmate's five senses at any point? Sight, sound, touch, etc. Or...what if you could tap into their sixth sense? Maybe you can feel that someone's watching them? That they're in danger? What then?

Feeling your own emotional peaks can be hard, but what if you also felt your soulmates'? What if they're fairly neutral until one terrible day when it feels like your heart was ripped out of your chest?

At birth, you're born with two eye colors: one is your natural eyes, and the other is the eye of your soulmate. When you meet, your eyes return to their natural state.

Whenever your soulmate is physically hurt, a flower blooms from the same location. This is never a big problem aside from special cases, but what would happen if a thorny rose cracked through your chest from your heart?

They say you have two soulmates in your life: one romantic and one platonic. Well, what if you were given the names of your two soulmates, but it's never specified which is which? What if you get it wrong?

There's also always the classic "you wake up in your soulmate's body on a random day and you have to live their life for 24 hours oh nooooooooooo."

Soulmark AUs:

When you write on your skin, the image or word appears in the same place on the skin of your soulmate. What if words started floating near a location on your body, almost like your soulmate has some extra skin where you don't?

The first words you say to one another are tattooed on your skin far in advance. Or, maybe the first thing the other thought when they saw you?

What about the worst thing your soulmate ever said is tattooed on your skin? This would open the door to a lot of possibilities and honesty, especially if the worst thing they said didn't seem all that bad...that is, until you get the context.

Alternatively, what about a stain where your soulmate will touch you for the first time? What if you can't find yours, so you think you don't have one until you go in for an emergency surgery and your abdominal cavity has marks everywhere...pretty crazy.

On your 18th birthday, you wake up to your soulmate's initials on your wrist. What if your soulmate changed their name? Maybe they're in witness protection? How do you find them?

You're supposed to get a mark on your birthday to tell you where you'll find your soulmate -- instead, you wake up covered in marks, all of which say "nowhere."

[auideas]

Hello, I want to write a Cyberpunk AU for fanfiction, but I am not sure how to build the world. It is set in the distant future, and the story will probably be set in a large city. I need help with worldbuilding though, as I do not know where to start.

Thank you.

In honor of Stray, fulfilling this request would be an absolute pleasure! Here are some tips for building a cyberpunk world:

Do Your Research: cyberpunk is fairly popular, so in an effort to make your work less repetitive, it would be wise to do your research on all the existing types of cyberpunk and what sets them apart. Find your inspiration in the old so you can create the new, unique, and fascinating!

Identify a Subgenre: apocalyptic, dystopia / utopia, fantasy, horror, nature, sci-fi, etc. There are so many directions you migrate towards in your story, but those are usually dictated in part by the genre. Solidifying a sub-genre for your cyberpunk story will alter the direction it takes while adding depth.

The Future of Capitalism: every cyberpunk story is steeped in new technology that somehow alienates and disenfranchises a group (usually the lower class). In your world, how does that technology create the divide? How does it function? Where did it develop from?

The Victims: every story needs victims, so how did capitalism victimize the lower class (or other group)? Consider how they live, where the live, and what they have access to. Could they use their resources to make their lives better?

Engage with Gray Morality: the cyberpunk genre initially drew inspiration from noire stories about detectives, mysteries, and justice that wasn’t always black and white. Ensure your characters and the decisions they make could be considered a bit closer to gray in terms of morality.

And perhaps the most important, Make It Personal: every story is made better when it draws from the passion of the author, and every author fears, loves, and hates -- use your personal experiences to inspire and build upon what you fear to be a future reality. This will inject realism into your work and, after all, your fears may overlap with those of your audience and make it personal for them too.

Looking for more prompts and tips for writing certain genres? Shoot us a request and we’ll fill it on our next AU Friday!

- Admin M  x

[auideas]

do you have any fanfiction titles that are specifically song titles rather than lyrics? Preferably angsty ones

I love thissss!!! All my playlists are just plain ANGST!!

“Makeshift Chemistry”

“Just Like You”

“Electric Love”

“Sunshine Riptide”

“HOLD ME TIGHT OR DON’T”

“Old Scars / Future Hearts”

“A Love Like War”

“Stained Glass Eyes and Colorful Tears”

“It’s Hard to Say ‘I Do,’ When I Don’t”

“Alone Together”

“Thank You for the Venom”

“Break Your Little Heart”

“The Drug in Me is You”

“I Hate Everything About You”

“Harder to Breathe”

“Holding On to You”

- A. Admin Kasi!

[auideas]

You were my sun and stars, but to you, I was the pitch black sky.

The Never Book

[auideas]

Hiya, I’m filling a prompt where two characters are pretending to date for some event, but I can’t think of any good events for them to attend aside from like, a wedding, but that feels overdone. Would love some suggestions!

You’re so right -- Hollywood has kind of wrung that trope dry. That being said, weddings are just one of the events that would give people the excuse to date. So, we got you covered. Here are about a dozen additional options!

Of course, attending a wedding is a classic, but try to think of some different reasons why they may be attending together; for example, they could be doing so to trick their parents, show off, cover their tracks, help distract people from the fact that they’re a widow(er), etc. There are many options when you consider different angles!

On the flip side, there’s the other situation lying in funerals. Here, you could use almost all the situations you’d find to bring someone to a wedding, but it’s far more melancholy.

Character A may attempt to convince one of their incredibly rich acquaintances to attend a charity dinner, but slowly throughout the night, it’s revealed that the other only attended on a dare.

How about a sports event? Getting on the kissing cam is a once in a lifetime thing, after all!

Although there isn’t a kissing cam, bringing a fake date to a LAN Esports event makes a ton of sense as well, especially since there’s a heavy stereotype surrounding the lack of a dating life of many gamers.

There’s also the stereotypical need to practice how to have a date; Characters A and B could come to a mutual agreement to attend a fake bookstore date to test how well they’d do in a real situation (it does get a bit real behind biographies, though).

Showing off and tricking people about how well you’re doing now isn’t more frequently employed than at a high school reunion!

Then again, lying to your family is a common occurrence; Character A could bring Character B to one of their parents’ 5th anniversary with a new step parent in an attempt to make the evening less awkward.

Consider the opening night of the new small business of Character A; what if it would reflect poorly on their business if they didn’t have a date? Maybe they’re running a spicy shop, a marriage counseling business, a host club, a dating coach service, etc.?

Potentially, Characters A and B could be faking as a couple at a speed dating event under the guise of looking for a third to join their couple, but in reality, they’re just looking for someone cool with it so the person can join their mutual friends’ throuple. 

What if Character A has had a crush on their friend, Character B, for a while and then panic when they’re invited on a friendcation, so they invite Character C to pretend to be their dating partner to prevent as many awkward moments?

Characters A and B could even be attending an event on a digital dating server and pretend to be dating to prevent other people from hitting on them (this could even be done IRL).

BONUS: Character A can pretend to be dating stranger Character B to deter a particularly creepy person who won’t stop flirting with them.

- Admin M xx

[auideas]

got anything for witch au's that aren't modern? :0

Well, we were going to save all the spooky prompts for October, but we’ll let this one slip by~

Living as a bit of a loner, Character A was able to dedicate their time to medical research & herbology, learning to make salves and potions to cure ailments and sickness easily. That idyllic lifestyle is thrown off track when a member of the royal guard stumbles into their isolated forest cabin, quickly collapsing onto the crooked floorboards from a combination of exhaustion and wounds. Character A doesn’t see this intrusion as a break in, but a challenge -- after all, how difficult would it be to nurse a captain of the guard back to health?

Character A always knew about magic and love; they were raised by a wonderful witch and the two lived together in the woods, practicing spells and creating healing potions. It was the perfect life...until all of a sudden, the nearby town decided that witches were evil and Character A’s parent was responsible for the drought that was destroying their crops. In the middle of the night, a mob broke into their humble cabin and stole Character A’s parent, burning her at the stake, all while Character A pounded on the latched basement door and listening to their screaming -- one of agony, and the others’ cheering. Then and there, Character A vows to become powerful and take their revenge on the town. Nothing would stop them.

“A curse.” That’s what the village was suffering from -- at least, that was the rumor. The thing is, hidden resident witch Character A didn’t cast it (at least, not this one), and anyone looking to break the curse would surely search their cabin and immediately become suspicious. Character A wasn’t in the habit of breaking curses, but they knew it was the only way to stay safe (all while dodging the murderous rage of their cursed villagers).

Character A was a spoiled royal, and that was the kindest way to describe them, really. On one royal hog hunt, they come across a really really broken down shack in a swamp. Showing off their bravery, Character A decides to enter the shack, only to be cursed by a powerful witch to become a small black cat. Now, Character A has to figure out a way to turn back into a human, all while stuck as the witch's familiar.

People were never Character A’s thing, which is why when their family died of the plague, they headed right to the forest. Better to just be by yourself, they’d always say. Living off the land in solitude was wonderful, especially when their soups and salves began to take on a more… magical quality.

[auideas]

The thing that does the most good is almost always the more difficult option; if that weren't the case, there would never be a contest between right and wrong.

The Never Book

[auideas]

Mafia au ideas??

Ah, an age old classic (at least, by AUideas standards). Here are some additional Mafia AU ideas, but feel free to peruse the blog to find some more!

Ever heard of Shakespeare? How about Romeo & Juliet? Maybe even Westside Story? Well, link that up with some mafia tropes, and you’ve got yourself a great star-crossed lovers fic!

Having been sheltered their whole life, Character A tasted the sweet air of freedom beyond the doors of their community college. They hardly waited to strip off the graduation gown before heading to the big city for a huge, end-of-school celebration. Unfortunately, the big city was a bit too big for Character A. Wrong turn after wrong turn led them down a dark alley to be cornered by a less than favorable crowd. Then, out from the shadows steps Character B, a veritable knight in shining armor. (TL;DR -- Character B is a hitman for the local mafia, and they’re taking a special interest in Character A.)

“Turns out, jokingly betting yourself in a card game is a bad idea, especially when the winner of that bet is a bit more dangerous than they’ve let on.” AU

When representatives of both mafia family A and B are kidnapped and held hostage but a new family in town, the two have to work together to escape. Needless to say, the enemies to lovers tension is palpable.

“You’re confused?? Try having your brand new S/O turn out to be the head of the scariest mafia around with the most dangerous reputation? But they were so sweet… and totally didn’t seem like the murderous psychopath type… shit, I’m done for...” AU

Characters A & B were best friends growing up, even though their lifestyles and classes were vastly different. Character A was poor and turned to a life of crime, Character B chose the opposite and works for the FBI. Following a lead, Character B hunts down Character A without knowing who they are; this little nugget of information makes it just that much more surprising when Character B breaks down a door, armed with a pistol, only to turn the corner and see Character A sat upon the veritable throne of the underground.

When the itchy bag is ripped off Character A’s head, they face the most terrifying and beautiful person they’ve ever seen...that is, until a sneer mars Character B’s expression and they growl “WRONG ONE, SHIT FOR BRAINS.” For reasons unknown to Character A, mafia boss Character B softens after their first interaction and starts to take a very special interest in Character A. Looks like Character A won’t exactly be leaving any time soon (at least the bag is off).

In an attempt to scare their rivals, mafia boss Character A decides to kidnap enemy mafia boss Character B. To their surprise (and immediate regret) Character B turns out to be a huge flirt and has developed a bit of a habit of making Character A blush.

[auideas]

"You're totally blitzed -- what's even the alcohol content in that?" "Zero," they grumbled, pointing at the discarded bottle. "It's empty."

The Never Book

[auideas]

°AUideas Writing Playlist°

Finding the right instrumentals and lofi beats to write to can be difficult, but look no further! We made a Spotify playlist for you all with some fantastic chill tunes you can vibe to while you try your hand at your most recent project.

AUideas Writing Playlist

Did we miss any of your favorite songs? Let us know!

- The AUideas Admins  Xx

[auideas]

° AUideas Content Poll °

Hey all!!

Now that we're back making some posts, we wanted to check in with you guys to see what you'd like to see more of. The team is highly reduced, so revamping our focus will help a ton in keeping posting consistent:

We'll be leaving the poll open for a week, so cast your votes!

Happy writing~

-- The Admins of AUideas

[auideas]

Stay Away From the Woods AU

Character A had always heard the same rules growing up: stay away from the forest and never go out past sundown. Those were the rules that everyone in their small mountain followed, because breaking them meant death. 

Every generation had their own sets of missing children, ones that didn’t believe in the rules and ventured into the heavily wooded area surrounding them, only to never return. Character A had wanted nothing but freedom from this town and would do anything to achieve that. 

With their bags packed and the sun set, Character A slipped out of their bedroom and into the woods, the town disappearing behind them. The rules were there to trap them in the town, but the horrifying screeches that followed Character A through the forest made them consider that maybe the rules were implemented to protect them.

[auideas]

yo got any ideas surrounding extremely angry/vengeful ghosts lying around anywhere

Ayoooooooo we got you covered! Hot, fresh vengeful ghost prompts, coming right up:

A. Admin Kasi:

“You think you can murder ME??? ME?!??”

After dying alone hundreds of years ago, Character A is stuck, alone once more, haunting their home. After centuries, someone finally moves in, only to experience the wrath of what years of loneliness can do.

What do you get when you mix a really, really annoyed ghost with someone who really, really tries to be good at musical instruments? A super angry ghost that really. Really. Wants them to stop playing instruments.

When a person dies, they come back as a ghost with no memories. Stuck in an endless loop of missing knowledge, anger and frustration is sure to rise.

Character A was shocked when someone just moves into their house and starts making it their own. Even worse, they keep ignoring Character A and they keep talking about a ghost?

Growing up as best friends, Character A is absolutely heartbroken when Character B dies. They begin carrying their ashes in a vial around their neck, not knowing that they’re forcing Character A to remain with them forever. Wanting to just pass on, Character B has to raise absolute hell in order for Character A to notice and let them move on.

During a zombie apocalypse, Character A survives for a long time, until Character B murders them to get away from a horde of zombies. With vengeance fresh, Character A learns they can possess zombies, and begins to enact their revenge.

Admin M:

As it turns out, ghosts are only vengeful for a period time of time after they die. The more wrong done to them before their death, the longer this period can be. The ghost that Character A comes across definitely fits the classification of being a vengeful ghost based on their time of death, but they don't seem angry. They just seem...sad. It's almost like they died from a broken heart, and how are you supposed to avenge that?

When Character A hears the old phone ring in their new apartment, they attribute it to the strange ghost that seems to be haunting the building, but the voice on the other end was very real (even if it was the voice of a person from 50 years ago). Using this phone, Characters A and B are able to communicate across time -- they slowly fall in love as the haunted building becomes more and more active. Eventually, the truth is revealed -- the ghost is the spirit of Character B, and Character A has no idea what they did 50 years ago to piss Character B off. Clearly, their phone relationship didn't end well.

Not knowing that they're dead, two vengeful ghosts (Characters A and B) decide to go to anger management. Their therapist (Character C) is a bit worried about the fact that they can actually SEE THROUGH their clients, but the pay is good, so why not give this a shot?

When Character A falls in love with ghost Character B, the two expected to live together happily forever. Ghosts don't last forever, though, and Character B loses a little bit more of who they were with every year that passed, growing more angry and more vengeful over time. Character A feels terrible and never says this out loud, but they're afraid Character B is going to go too far one day and make them just like them.

This isn't a regular ghost story -- instead of spirits floating through the air, Character A is a data ghost floating through the Cloud. They decided to sign up for this when they died. It seemed like a great idea at the time, after all, who wouldn't want to live forever? What Character A failed to do was read the fine print: the circuits of the data ghost system simply cannot handle the force of human emotions. If a data ghost feels anything too powerfully, they'll simply burn out and cease to exist.

When friends (Characters A, B, C, and D) return to their home town to pay homage to the grave of their long lost friend (Character E) on the anniversary of their death, they're confronted -- not by a friendly ghost, but by one that's particularly vengeful that blames the group for their death. To save the soul of Character E and their own lives, Characters A, B, C, and D must solve the decade-long mystery of Character E's wrongful death and prove once and for all who's the blame for the tragedy (unless they wanted 4 new tragedies to also befall the town).

[auideas]

Death was never scary to me until I met you.

The Never Book

[auideas]

Almost Too Friendly AU

Everywhere Character A went, their friend was never far behind. 

Their friend had been since the day they were born, always lurking in their peripheral vision, never fully in view. Character A was never afraid, as they had never sensed malice from their follower, only curiosity. 

Years passed for Character A, their friend stayed the same; with impossibly long limbs and a pale complexion. Always silent and always there, Character A had put it in the back of their mind. 

They never questioned the friend and had almost forgotten them completely until one day when their significant other raised a hand to Character A. Character A flinched and closed their eyes, waiting for the snap of pain that they knew was coming, but it never did. Instead, a warm splash of blood soaked into their skin. Character A blinked their eyes open and noticed that their friend was a bit closer than usual, and their hand was stained crimson.