#tip-ex

[cornflowersandspoons]

Knights.

Kudos to Fyodor for bringing the medieval aestethic to bsd, I think the Hunting Dogs should get some of it as well. ☺️

[creativepromptsforwriting]

What is... Deus Ex Machina?

Deus ex machina refers to a scenario that seems impossible for the character to believably get themself out of. It's an unsolvable problem that suddenly gets solved by external forces that often don't seem very plausible.

This could be a situation where the author wrote themself into a corner and created a scenario that the character is not logically getting out of.

It can be a simple but implausible solution like a bomb is about to go off and a background character trips over a cable that diffuses the bomb. Or in its literal translation ("god out of the machine") it's a god-like intervention that suddenly fixes everything. Often used to save characters from their otherwise inevitable death.

[physalian]

“Why doesn’t the villain just kill the heroes?”

Ah, plot armor. If you want to be a real go-getter and think up a more creative way for the heroes to always narrowly escape death out of sheer dumb luck, the villain being too slow on the draw, or the villain simply not thinking of it in the moment, you have to come up with a reason for why the villain doesn’t just kill the hero.

Four examples today.

1. Zhao & Aang

In “The Blue Spirit,” Aang is captured by Zhao, a man normally not above anything to further his agenda, including murder. The Avatar is the largest obstacle in his way, second to the Earth Kingdom, and all he has to do to take Aang off the gameboard is to kill a twelve-year-old. He’s got Aang in chains, not quite powerless but harmless enough, and could do it quickly.

So why doesn’t he? Per Zhao himself, if he kills Aang, the Avatar cycle will continue, born into some random water bender that may take them years to track down. Sure, they’ll be harmless for a few years and the Fire Nation might get lucky and find them easily, perhaps even sway the new one to their side, but what if the waterbending Avatar is born into the Foggy Swamp? Or they end up having to kill them, too, and then have to track down an earthbending Avtar across the entire Earth Kingdom? Does Zhao really want to take that chance when he can just keep Aang alive? Just barely?

Of course not.

Killing the hero in this case might stop the immediate threat, but it will just delay the inevitable, thus it’s in the villain’s best interest to exploit a loophole while likely committing war crimes in the process. He gets to secure a Fire Nation victory and make Aang suffer for the rest of his life.

Ozai doesn't kill Aang until the first chance he gets, which just so happens to be the series finale. And we all know why Aang has a no-kill policy.

2. Sam, Dean & The Angels and Demons

Hahaha it’s the show known for its refusal to kill its heroes. We’re gonna ignore everything past season 5. There’s obviously meta reasons—kill the main characters and you have zero supporting cast that could realistically take over the show.

But in season 4, despite multiple deaths already for both of them, so begins the “if you die we’ll just bring you back” threat, because they’re angels and angels can do that. Similar to Aang, Sam and Dean risk a fate far worse than death if they don’t cooperate with Zachariah’s plans. He happily gives them both a slew of diseases and illnesses to get his way whenever he gets the chance and reminds them both that if they just kill themselves to escape the Apocalypse, he’ll happily revive them. The Demons won't kill Sam and Dean because they're necessary to further their own plans by breaking certain seals on Lucifer's cage, though they're not above breaking bones and killing bystanders.

Fate worse than death is a popular threat, but usually the heroes offing themselves is still a viable, if deeply unpopular, option. Supernatural removes it entirely and for such a simple little detail, it does a lot to make their survivability believable.

3. Batman & Joker

Ahh the age old furious rant by people who don’t understand Batman: If Batman killed his villains they’d stop busting out of Arkham and murdering innocent civilians, Batman has so much blood on his hands—

Babe. Babe, he’s a comic book character. By his very nature, he can’t kill his villains otherwise he’d have no rogues gallery. Comic books are like a giant board of Monopoly, going around in circles and occasionally having a timeout in jail.

But the in universe reason there’s no killing has been essayed about extensively and so has why Joker doesn’t try harder to kill him, but I couldn’t not include these two. Batman does not kill because he is not judge, jury, and executioner of his villains, most of whom have mental health issues and while they certainly know better and their crimes aren’t justified, his villains need actual therapy and help and medication, not death. Even those who he might agree must be stopped and there’s no other way except murder, Batman himself will not be the one to pull the trigger. He must remain a hero, so that no matter who he comes across in the dark alleyways of Gotham, they know he’s not here to kill them, be it criminal or victim.

Joker doesn’t kill Batman for a much simpler reason, and Heath Ledger literally says it: “I won’t kill you because you’re too much fun.” He does not need a more convoluted reason, he enjoys the game, the chase, the tug of war (most versions of him, at least) and to kill Batman would be to end his greatest form of entertainment, and the only person probably in the whole world who is neither afraid of Joker nor dismissive of him as simply a freak.

4. Optimus and Megatron

Optimus Prime and Megatron are very similar to Batman and Joker but with literal eons of history between them. In most serialized Transformers media, as opposed to movies where the plot is more urgent, Megatron both wants to win Optimus over and just can't quite let himself finally win. Who is he without his rival, after all this time?

Optimus is in the same boat, refusing to kill him because he's still holding out hope for Megatron's redemption, that there's a peaceful way to end this war (no matter how much collateral both leaders end up causing). Shit gets real whenever Optimus breaks the unspoken rules of their no-kill rivalry and Megatron gets incredibly pissy about it because he's in love.

—

Suggestions to workshop this plot hole in your own narrative:

The hero staying alive is absolutely paramount to the villain’s plan (in which case, you have to have rock solid reasons for why they keep narrowly escaping capture)

The villain is so confident in their plan that they don’t even consider the hero a proper threat

The villain doesn't really have a bodycount, but if they kill the hero, suddenly all the other powers that be will take them seriously and they'll have a huge mess on their hands

The villain is so full of themselves or so in love with their rival that it’d break their heart to have to kill them just to win

The villain is simply not capable of murder either physically or morally (perhaps because the hero is a child)

Killing the hero would make them a martyr and the villain would end up with a far bigger mess on their hands when the lone hero is replaced with an avenging army

The villain is too proud to simply kill the hero and wants to win fairly in a proper fight on the battlefield and not take the cheap and easy shot

The villain does not have a phyiscal form or real presence in the plot, acting through their minions, and their minions are incompetent

It’s simply not fun if the hero dies/the hero is the only one who understands them and they’d lose far more than they’d gain by killing them

The villain still wants to try and win the hero over and is so dedicated to this path that they regularly sabotage their own plans desperate to change the hero’s mind

The villain firmly believes in a fate worse than death and while the hero’s survival isn’t crucial to the main plan, they want the hero to watch their own failure/become the villain’s minion/ prisoner/ partner by the end

There’s a million examples out there to pull from and I could keep listing them all night. So long as whatever it is doesn’t come out of nowhere or open a plot hole of “why didn’t they just do that earlier?” you can get quite creative.

One last example that’s a personal favorite of mine to implement: In Eternal Night of the Northern Sky there aren’t too many opportunities to ask this question, but when it does arise, Villain A has Hero B as a meat shield, and while Hero B’s love interest, Hero C, is more than happy to shoot through them to incapacitate Villain A, the person they take orders from isn’t so reckless, which later leads to Drama and Issues.

[l-ii-zz]

Part 9 of ?

Prologue 1 | Prologue 2 | Prologue 3

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10

Thank you for supporting this comic, we’re almost done I promise :’)

[corvase]

friends with benefits to lovers

EXCITED IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT. FEEL FREE TO USE & ENJOY!!!! <3

exes to friends w benefits to lovers …?? smirk smirk wink wink

^they’re up to their frisky business and one character just pauses and says “do you remember the one time we bought like ten packs of cookies from sobeys at one am that one time?” and the character is just taken aback

^^they’re making out on one’s bed and one character looks over to the side and sees one of their couple things and is like “what’s that doing over there !”

“you staying over?” “duh. i don’t only like your body, silly, i like your netflix, too.”

the heavy feeling in their gut when they realize they have to introduce the other person as “just a friend”

one character wakes up before the other and just lies down beside them watching their chest go up and down, thinking ‘i can’t believe i am blessed enough to know such an ineffable person’

not knowing how to respond or feel about the protective feeling they get when someone asks if theyre dating the other person

“i think meeting you is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. i sometimes think just sitting with you is better than any make out session we could have.” “i think so, too.”

one of them needs a date for a wedding or business event and so they have to fake date for a couple weeks/months

“i love your fingers. they’re so pretty.” “are you sure them being pretty is the thing you like about them?”

a character thinking to themselves “i love how they never make me feel like i’m something to finish with. they always cherish me.”

“if i make you uncomfortable, tell me.” “you don’t. you never have. its one of the things i love about you.”

“i think you’re one of my favorite people.”

“i love being around you.” “i love that you love being around me because i love being around you, too.”

the moment when the jealousy from the other character pulling away to pursue a possible different love interest kicks in

“we’re kinda like a married couple, aren’t we?”

“i’m so proud of you.” and a shocked and slow response like “oh. thank you.” because they’re surprised it means so much to them that the other character would be proud

“i figured out that i love you this weekend and i just wanted tell you. i understand if you don't feel the same but i want you to know that the time we spent together means a lot to me and i’m glad we met—" "WAITTT YOU LOVE ME TOO????" "…………………………. TOO???"

they pull up to grab breakfast and one character just knows the others order by heart, no questions asked

“why are you so mad i’m talking to name? i thought you said you wanted to end this. you did.”

^ having to explain (or not explaining but thinking) that they wanted to end it in a “i don’t wanna be fwb i wanna be DATING you” way

they realize they love the other person because as soon as anything big happens in their life their first reflex is to tell them

“stop, i’m ticklish.” “i know.”

“i love you. have i told you that?” “oh my God. no you haven’t.” “……………. oh.”

consider when writing it : what are the stakes? more than just “losing a good friendship”, what would be so wrong with one character confessing their love to another? who else is involved? any secondary love interests? when do your characters realize they love each other and why? is it requited at first, if at all?

also if you know any books with this trope tell me. for research purposes of course.

[venuslilgirl]

heeeey, best tips on manifesting someone back into your life??? i’m desperate 🥺🥺🥺 tysm

Tips : manifest a specific person.

(note : these tips are also applicable to manifest an ex back.)

Before we start, I wanna remind everyone that you don't need any of these tips to get your desires, only one thought is enough to make your desire come to you because your thoughts = your reality, you want something you get it, that simple ! since you're the creator of your reality you only do what feels good for you and receive your desires ! 🤍

Tip 01 : circumstances do not matter

When you check the 3D and see something you don't want, remind yourself that you're in control and keep being persistent, so It doesn't matter if your sp doesn't know you or if they're famous or they have blocked you..

Tip 02 : live as if

Living as if means that you live as you already have it, a lot of people call it living in the end, if you adopt the living as if mentality you are gonna live your life as if you already have your sp, act as if it's all done and you got your desires.

Tip 03 : let go of that sp

Let go of the idea of this one person being what you want and let yourself dream a little about the general idea of what you want: companionship, trust, sharing, love, celebration, etc. Let yourself appreciate these dreams without attaching them to some specific person. Let yourself see how these things are already in your life to some degree. When you let go of that specific person, then the universe will be free to bring you a manifestation of what you desire more perfect than you are able to imagine.

Tip 04 : visualisation

Visualize what it feels like to be with your sp and allow yourself to get excited about it to match the vibration of your sp and attract it to your life, the more vivid your vision, the better details really help your manifestation be stronger, you could also try creating a vision board for your perfect relationship. This can be a big help if you have trouble picturing things in your mind.

Tip 05 : journaling

These are some topics to journal about :

Journal about memories you wanna create with you sp as if they already happened.

Reflect on how your sp changed your life.

Design solutions to challenges you might encounter with you sp.

Write a letter of gratitude for having that sp in your life.

Write yourself letters pretending it was from your sp, write down anything you wanna hear from them.

Tip 06 : affirmations

Affirmations will always remind you that you are worthy of your sp's love, they can positively change the way you think, you can use affirmations to confront limiting beliefs.

Make a list of your desired affirmations to manifest your sp, you can write them down on a journal or on your notes app and repeat them everyday.

You can also use self love affirmations to become their energetic match, when you are being at your best you will attract that sp who meets all your standards

[starry-bi-sky]

Another Danyal Al Ghul art dump! Minor compared to other ones but I quite like these ones.

[novlr]

[iced-coffeee7]

I crave religion and security but part of me is too logical 😭

[bonebabbles]

I keep starting and abandoning posts that go into my drafts, as I try to stay tasteful about how fucking revolted this part makes me. Like, I'm legitimately unsure if the very relevant trauma I have is making me see things that aren't here

But first we see that Star Flower is trying to ingratiate herself to the group, just after she reappears from chapter 5. Chapter 5 is about how Clear Sky is still abusive towards his son, and she comes in after stroking his ego, stressing how alone she is, and appealing to how she'll be loyal unlike his child. (She glances over at Thunder, directly implying this.)

Now in Chapter 9, she's babysitting and trying to care for Milkweed's kits (in spite of discomfort from Milkweed), taking a wet sleeping space away from the others, and pulling more than her own weight "without complaint." Putting herself through harsh sitations to prove her worth.

All while trying to appear extra attractive to Thunder, and later Clear Sky. Basically every man in power who can "protect her"

Like, am I going fucking crazy? With how we later find out that Star Flower was "promised as a mate" to One Eye's subordinate Slash, is... is that hypersexualization? One of the extremely stigmatized symptoms of sexual abuse?

She goes to find Clear Sky alone to throw herself at his paws, and he's very quickly attracted to how she promises to perfectly obey him, have no needs of her own, and finally be the perfect servant that he desires

"I don't deserve your trust because I am dirt. I understand you because I also regret something. I'd die for you. I'll never betray you unlike those who have."

This isn't manipulation. She means this. The story is playing their romance sincerely. She's comparing "betraying" Thunder by telling her own father about an assassination ambush to Clear Sky's history of child abuse, physical assault, and murder

She believes she's on the same level as this; a monster who murdered a childhood friend in a fit of entitled rage. She was a victim of One Eye who really believes that the way her father used her means she "understands" this monster, deserves this treatment.

And Clear Sky LIKES that.

He likes that she will have COMPLETE FAITH in him. That she will follow him WITHOUT QUESTION. That she will OBEY his orders. That's fucking verbatim, that's THE TEXT!!!

WHILE HE'S STILL CRYING ABOUT "ive tried to atone every day" FOLLOWING THE LAST TWO BOOKS WHERE THE ONLY SHITTY THING HE DOESN'T DO IS MURDER INNOCENT WOMEN

Am I insane?? Am I wrong??? Am I missing something here???? Why the fuck is the fandom takeaway "haha sexy girl steals his dad." Did I read the same book

[3hks]

Hello! I have a question to ask.

Do you know how to write an exes to lovers arc revolving around a couple that was once forced into an arranged marriage?

Trying to make both parties sympathetic is hard because they both have flaws: Person A is (unintentionally) cold, stone-faced, and insensitive (e.g. he accidentally compares Person B to his first lover when giving her advice).

And while Person B is witty and business-savvy, due to being rather young when they were married and the constant stress and pressure of living up to the expectations and standards of being a perfect spouse, they act aloof, snarky, and business-like towards Person B and only show their warmer and more caring side to friends and loved ones.

What do I do?

Hello! Thank you so much for reaching out! In all reality, ex-lovers to lovers is a really complex trope (not my favorite, but that means I have better advice about this topic) because avoiding toxicity and a repeat relationship is much more difficult.

First of all, I LOVE how they are in an arranged marriage because that leaves a lot more margin for their fresh relationship! I have a couple of suggestions for you, but many of it will be subjective depending on how much you have planned out and whatnot.

1. SYMPATHY

Here's the thing, because the two characters have their respective flaws, that's what makes them sympathetic. Do NOT shift all the blame for a broken relationship to a singular person because if that is the case, the truth is that their partner is much better off without them. So, let's dive deeper into your characters and explore a bit!

Person A: He sounds like the unintentionally blunt type who struggles a bit with other's (and perhaps his) emotions. In this relationship, I'm assuming that he's pretty distant.

Person B: She sounds significantly more sensitive and cares about how others perceive her. It sounds like she enjoys her independence and maybe, the arranged marriage makes her feel confined.

Okay, let's now talk about their respective flaws and what separated them in the first place!

Person A compares Person B to his ex, which understandably, makes her upset. As I said before, Person B sounds like a rather sensitive person and with her attempts to be the perfect partner, the words are obviously going to hurt.

But is Person A the only one at fault? Perhaps Person A's ex is actually a better partner than Person B. Despite Person B trying to seem like the ideal spouse, it's simply for show and she doesn't actually demonstrate any affection towards Person A, which is a reasonable cause for the comparison. Or maybe Person B prioritizes her business endeavors more than her relationship, which is why it ends up deteriorating.

Do you see what I mean? Even if Person A says something harsh and heartbreaking, in all actuality, there needs to be a reason why.

2. CHANGE

ALL ex-lovers to lovers need to have characters who develop and change. After the end of their relationship, have the two characters reflect on their actions, words, mistakes, ect., and work on bettering themselves by fixing some of their shortcomings. As always, there's no need for either one of them to be perfect, but they should become improved people/partners.

For Person A , I'd say the most obvious change is probably some of the coldness and insensitiveness.

For Person B, it could be being more open and genuine.

Whatever you do, do NOT repeat their relationship.

This is a huge pet peeve of mine when it comes to this trope: PLEASE don't restart their relationship with a near-identical one because realistically, it's probably not going to last long.

3. TIME

Give your characters a bit of time apart to explore how they function independently. I would suggest still keeping the two in touch (maybe they're still faking the relationship or work at the same place) to make things easier, but it's not necessary. By separating them for a bit, you're giving ample time for Person A and B to realize their mistakes and change.

Then when you're ready for them to meet again, make sure it's in different circumstances from their first meeting and let them recognize each other's improvements.

This will create more natural interest between the two!

4. REALIZATION

This can take place anywhere during or their separation, to be honest, but at some point, Person A and B should realize that their partner did play a pretty big part in their life. It doesn't need to be them missing each other, exactly, but it could allude to that. Maybe the house feels emptier, maybe they miss each other's cooking or something simple but homey and comfortable.

This demonstrates that all hope is not lost, and they DO matter to each other.

5. KEEP IT SLOW

I know, I know, perhaps you want to jump back into their relationship right away. And if you're looking for a happy, fluffy story, that's absolutely fine! Some people don't enjoy slower pacing and want to cut to the chase.

On the other hand, if you want to keep things realistic (and probably healthier), then let them take their time first as friends before moving ahead. Hint: However, unlike some tropes, once they realize their feelings, there's no need to take too long building up to the confession! They were married once!

Did this help? Just keep in mind that it's important to keep the blame balanced between both Person A and B and that they need to go through some type of development!

Thank you so much for reaching out!

Happy writing~

3hks <3

[slasher-killer]

daily clicks

commissions for palestine

help mohammad matar

donations masterpost

learn more about gaza

how you can help palestine

pay someone’s bail

support for multiple counties

resources for congo & sudan & palestine

donations for congo

protests near you & palestine action

organizations on ground in gaza

digitalguillotine -> slasher-movies

hey, welcome to my amazing blog, you can call me vodka. im a faggot tranny cop hater anarchosocialiat etc etc. i block freely

i post/interact with a lot of cannibalism content. block the tags ‘cannibalism’ & ‘cannibalposting’ if you don’t want to see that.

Block the tag ‘meat & flesh’ if you don’t like gore art or things along those lines.

i use vamp/wyr/wire/virus/neon/neo/chain/scar/it/gear/vein pronouns. i got weird with it. i’m also okay with no pronouns (if you need help with how to use them just ask)

reminder to eat the rich, never trust cops and participate in local community activities. fascists fuck off

[bkchaos]

Some Majins funkin' it up! ✨

[shiocreator]

@lunanitic-moon tagging cuz you suggested what ended up becoming the sketch HJBVSD

Scarlette will only survive through pure spite and not by grace, she is not graceful

[l-ii-zz]

“You know her?!!!”

Anyway, lots of erucian doodles 😊

[corvase]

exes to lovers prompts

as requested these are more angsty! i have a more humorous one in my pinned. free to use :)

the moment they see each other and all the hurt rises to the surface

“are we really giving this another chance?”

“i don’t know if this is the right thing to do.” “don’t say that.”

“you scare me. giving you this chance again scares me, you know?”

“i loved you, you know. did i ever tell you that?” “no, you didn’t.”

“you think it’s my fault we broke up?” “well, it’s not mine.”

“i needed you.” “and i hated being needed, because sometimes i wanted to just vent to you and i felt like i couldn’t because i was supposed to be that person for you.”

“i didn’t want perfect. i wanted you to be there for me.”

“i’m sorry. and i’m sorry it took me so long to say it.”

“i’m sorry i didn’t show you how much you meant to me when i had the chance.”

“i’m sorry i made you feel like xyz was more important than you. i don’t need any of it, okay?”

“i was my best with you.” “you shouldn’t have had to have me to be your best. you should be your best by yourself first.”

after getting back together and it’s a little rocky, a whispered conversation like, “what if this was a mistake?”

“see? we’re arguing now, even. we were never good for each other.”

“what can i do? how can i fix this?”

this was your problem! we fought and you thought that meant we shouldn’t be together. couples fight. fighting is healthy.”

^ that’s an important point. have them have conversations about the fact that love actually takes work; it’s a verb, not only a feeling

“open up to me, name. please.” “i don’t want you to hurt me again.”

like i said for my other ex prompt list… do they stay back together? why or why not?

why did they break up? is it actually something that can be overcome? keep in mind the former reason they broke up is good material for conflict

for help with this as well, check out my healthy relationship prompt list in my pinned :’) happy writing!