darlingkirstein
mar
21. they/them. writer on ao3.
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this is so home beckons the wanderer eremika 🥹
Game of Thrones (4x05): First of His Name
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Viserys! 1-5 and 18-20 please!
HAPPY TO! just let me know which viserys you mean HEHE! viserys i or vis dany's brother! 😸
damn asoiaf and their repeat names. im ASSUMING u mean hotd viserys but just wanna double check first!!!
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writing takes so long and its so tiring but if i dont write for the rest of my life ill die
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Rhaenyra (HotD)! I kinda want to ask every item, but if it's too much, then please 1-5 and 19-25.
+ 26: Was she the rightful queen? Did she have a right to the throne?
RHAENYRA <33 😿🩷 another one of my favs
1. Why do you like or dislike this character?
i admire her a great deal for having the courage to face all the scrutiny and deal with the pressure of being a female named heir. she unashamedly adores her children and places the realm before herself. she doesn't want war, really above all i think she just wants her father's approval 😿 idk she deserved to live a happy life eating cake with laena and alicent and all the girls
2. Favorite canon thing about this character?
this entire scene. this moment.
3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?
i almost do wish she admitted to the boys being harwin's children because viserys surely would've legitimized them?? which i think could've solved some problems? but equally would've created a few new ones in their stead so im not sure 😭 idk shes a woman living in a medieval time she did what she had to do!!!!
4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?
she deserves a fairytale, something happy. and since it's my favorite, i'll say tangled??
5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?
imagining this with her kids 😿😿
6. What's something you have in common with this character?
feeling pressure to please everyone 💔 also the way she was rather snarky and bold as a teenager but mellowed out as she got older and matured
7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?
literally whenever someone says after luke's death that they support all her choices 🙏🙏
8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?
calling her misogynistic insults 😵💫
9. Could you be roommates with this character?
yes :)) as long as syrax doesn't make a mess
10. Could you be best friends with this character?
YES!!! i would adore that 🩷😿
11. Would you date this character?
yes please <3 although there's a lot of family drama involved with her so would have to get used to that REAL quick
12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?
i love imagining rhae having a daughter and getting to spoil her with pretty baby clothes.... i think that's something she would've loved
13. What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?
👑 the crown for the one true queen <33
14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.
still so unfamiliar with fashion but literally anything where she gets to wear pretty dresses all the time — she's the realm's delight after all!!!! give her all the jewelry and clothes she desires 😿
15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)
probably her and laena?? but that's mostly from fire and blood because the show really diminishes laena's role pretty heavily!!
"She [Princess Rhaenyra] became fond and more than fond of her good-sister Lady Laena."
in the show i really enjoyed the brief glimpses we got into her relationship with harwin:))
16. What's your least favorite ship for this character?
rhaegon! i just hate aegon LMAO
17. What's a ship for this character you don't hate but it's not your favorite that you're fine with?
show-specific rhaenicent! i hate it from a book perspective but i think from the show perspective, i definitely understand the shipping potential even if i don't personally engage with it!
18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?
her kids!!!! such a good momma and you can tell by the way they respect her 😿😿 she's so affectionate for them and rhae's reaction to finding out about luke was one of my favorite scenes in the entire show — perfection!
19. How about a relationship they have in canon that you don't like?
her relationship with rhaenys is kinda weird in the show. like i cannot tell if rhaenys likes her or not? i feel like it wasn't like that in f&b but i have to reread — and maybe s2 will change things?
20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?
LAENA!!!! they'd be so sweet together 😿 and they were very close i just adore them
21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?
i havent written much for hotd/f&b and haven't written rhaenyra (though i have thought about it!!!!) but i think it would be neat to explore her inner thoughts. you can see a lot of pressure coming onto her from many sides and i think exploring her psyche would be interesting! 🫶
22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to ths character? Something you don't like?
i dont read fics!!!
23. Favorite picture of this character?
have always been obsessed with rhae in this still from her wedding (mostly because im obsessed with emma's nose 🥴🩷🫶. they're so pretty). one thing about rhae, she'll look wonderful at her wedding (even if the wedding itself sucks)
24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?
i mean really she reminds me of her descendant daenerys!! 😿 a queen in her own right — facing challenges for her sex but still fighting. i think they would be equally proud of each other. rhae would really admire dany for what she's done.
25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?
have always loved her, ever since reading f&b!!! i support rhae's rights and her (non-existent) wrongs 🫶👑🩷 long live the queen!!!
26. FREEBIE QUESTION!!
naturally biased because TEAM BLACK!! 🐉🖤 but i do think yes. her father named her heir, and as the king that should've been enough!! fuck precedence — it should've been rhaenys at the great council but they could've rectified that error with rhaenyra. her father's oath never wavered and he always wanted her to succeed him. jaehaerys i u disappointed me so hard....
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it's been so much fun doing these!!! caught up on my inbox, going to sleep now but looking forward to doing some more if anyone sends them in! :))
CHARACTER ASK GAME!!! 💫
Send a character + one or more of these question!
1. Why do you like or dislike this character?
2. Favorite canon thing about this character?
3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?
4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?
5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?
6. What's something you have in common with this character?
7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?
8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?
9. Could you be roommates with this character?
10. Could you be best friends with this character?
11. Would you date this character?
12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?
13. What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?
14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.
15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)
16. What's your least favorite ship for this character?
17. What's a ship for this character you don't hate but it's not your favorite that you're fine with?
18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?
19. How about a relationship they have in canon that you don't like?
20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?
21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?
22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to ths character? Something you don't like?
23. Favorite picture of this character?
24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?
25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?
26. FREEBIE QUESTION!!
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Daemon Targaryen
4, 11, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25
omg im excited for this because daemon was one of my favorite's when reading f&b. i love targaryen men with questionable morality (well. some of them not all of them. there are exceptions LOL)
4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?
daemon in succession 🙏 actually just put all the dance era characters in succession. all the messy family drama from the dance but in corporate business world.... beautiful ♥️
11. Would you date this character?
probably not LMAO. as much as i enjoy his character i fear i dont like my chances of being in any romantic courtship with him. i guess it would depend on how he felt about me because i do think laena softened him and he loved her 😿
19. How about a relationship they have in canon that you don't like?
specifically regarding hotd, i do not like how the show portrays daemon's relationship with laena and his daughters. i feel like daemon's love of his family is a big defining trait?? like he does horrible things but he does them FOR his family? so to see him all but ignore his daughters was really disconcerting for me while watching because that's not the impression i got from f&b
20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?
probably viserys 🥹 like the brief glimpses of their strong bond are so dear to me. daemon clearly holds great affection for his brother despite all their unfortunate circumstances. so i think a solid, peaceful relationship between them would be really great for daemon.
23. Favorite picture of this character?
have always been rather fond of this art (i believe from the world of ice and fire??) of daemon surrendering his crown to viserys.
24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?
struggling with this because daemon is such a unique interesting character but of all the characters from other media that i enjoy im gonna have to go with uldren sov from destiny?? perhaps my absolute favorite character EVER from all media, genuinely.
similarly to daemon, utterly motivated to do terrible things in service to his family — in this case, to bring his sister back and to prove his loyalty to her, his queen. so that moral greyness associated with a great adoration of family for me connects the two characters.
25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?
when i first read daemon was by far my favorite targaryen (im a big targaryen enthusiast 🐉). he's not my favorite anymore (have a few i am more interested in now!!!) but still such a fascinating character for me <33 his quotes in f&b are some of my favorites in the book.
"an eye for an eye, a son for a son. lucerys shall be avenged."
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what's the difference between u outlining your "acts" vs outlining your chapters? isn't it inherently the same thing?
it's a little different but i understand how they seem like pretty much the same thing!!! not all of my fics have those defined acts/arcs like TC does but every story is going to have sections that divide up the plot. so the acts are going to be a lot broader — they're pretty much categories!
an act/section is going to be something that i summarize with a sentence or two. that section is going to be something that i slot the chapters inside. so there isn't much actual outlining that goes on with the acts — they're a framework!
the chapter outlines are going to get very specific and detail-oriented and are going to spell out exactly what's happening in those scenes. so it's the chapter outlines that really matter — that's what i'll be referencing as i write, crossing off details as i include them in the draft. the sections are really only important for me for TC because of the chapter titles being modeled after a play (act i, scene i, act iii, scene ii, etc.). so really in that instance it's more of a practical reminder for me!
in general though, having "acts" or "arcs" can help with organizing the chapters. so, i could write a chapter outline and then look at my pre-determined acts and see where it needs to go in the overall plot to fit most seamlessly. like if the arc labels a specific conflict, any chapter that deals with that conflict would be slotted underneath that arc. whether this appears in the actual outline or just in my head is completely dependent on the particular story.
so my actual outline might look like this:
ARC SUMMARY
chapter title/summary
— chapter details/specific plot points
chapter title/summary
— chapter details/specific plot points
ARC SUMMARY
.... and so on and so forth. basically,
arcs — big picture
chapters — smaller, detail-focused
depending on the writer, you can probably ignore the whole arc thing if it's unnecessary. i'm just someone that can struggle with organizing my ideas so it's helpful for me :)) i also realize that everyone's process is gonna be totally different so what makes sense to me might sound totally nonsensical to everyone else!
im happy to answer more questions!!!
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Yuuji would have the time of his life with a Wooper
No thoughts, heads empty
something about yuuji just having a bunch of Silly Little Guys as pokemon is so sweet to me 😿 like him and his band of goofy creatures :,))
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I know that basic but Yuuji would have a Hitmonchan that knows drain punch and thunder punch.
I can also see him with a Scrafty, or maybe a Heracross. I think he’d get along really well with a dog Pokémon but idk which one
THIS IS SO CUTEEE.
consider the following
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Tormund Giantsbane (from the GOT series, if you don’t mind)
1 2 4 5 7 23 25
tormund is SOO funny. just a silly fella.
1. Why do you like or dislike this character?
he's just so funny. and although it was occasionally a bit Strange i loved how he was always brienne stan #1 😭😭 like him getting up and enthusiastically clapping when she got knighted makes me tear up it's so sweet.
2. Favorite canon thing about this character?
how shameless he is 😭 just says anything without any concern or embarrassment or whatever. envious of that, really
4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?
please put him in Star Wars. i need to imagine tormund with a lightsaber or blaster
5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?
i feel like tormund would love sea shanties.
7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?
im actually not super familiar with how the fandom treats tormund?? so cant really speak to that very much!
23. Favorite picture of this character?
25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?
ive always found him funny!!!! he's necessary comedic relief in a very brooding series methinks. happy he gets to have his domestic life with jon beyond the wall hope he's having fun 🙏
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1, 4, 5, 12, 14
Sukuna
1. Why do you like or dislike this character?
very easy to dislike considering all the carnage that has happened because of him and all the characters he's killed 😭
tho i do like in the anime when he does his little Gambare Gambare thing it scratches my brain
4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?
my first thought was to put him in jojo's and give him a stand 😭😭 he can have crazy beef with the main jojo of his part... dio and jotaro 2.0
5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?
i am shamefully a big phonk enjoyer (symptom of my gymbro era last summer) so those songs really fit him i think.
something like one of these....
12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?
that he will finally die soon 🙏 (delusion)
wish i could come up with a better answer but! im sick of this man (?) ruining everything!
14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.
was doing a little research and i think sukuna in techwear (did i get that right) could be really neat.
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It's fascinating to think that both Charles Dance and Emilia Clarke were cast in that romantic movie where she plays the main character in love with a guy in a wheelchair. They must have had some very interesting conversations. I was almost thinking you'd put Tywin in something like this for question 4
AH that's right!! me before you!! I haven't seen that movie but i should 😿 (im so bad about watching things that aren't fantasy, sci-fi, or horror but i should change that!!). i imagine they had some nice talks especially since charles was such a vocal critic of the final season!
but seriously tywin in an environment so different from got is such an amusing thought train
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Itadori Yuuji! 4, 12 & 15
YUUJI 😭🙏 sweetest boy what has gege done to you... haven't read jjk in a while but i still vaguely keep up with the leaks!! and when i was watching/reading i always adored him he's so cute
4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?
i feel like yuuji would have an absolute BLAST in pokemon. like give him some little creatures to take care of and have little battles with idk i feel like he would thrive in that scenario. now i have to sit here imagining his pokemon roster 🤔🤔
12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?
not my invention obviously but i LOVE when people have him being a massive Megan Thee Stallion fan idk why it's just so perfect. he's buying up concert tickets and liking her social media posts like nobody's business!
also he gives the best hugs. sweet boy 😿
15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)
it's basic ofc but i have always adored itafushi SO MUCH!!!! they are so sweet and once more can gege stop torturing them. PLEASE.
i also like him and junpei. rip junpei my silly boy you were gone far too soon u and yuuji deserved to watch all the movies together 💔
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Tywin Lannister
1, 2, 4, 14
SUCH AN INTERESTING CHOICE!! 🦁♥️
1. Why do you like or dislike this character?
tywin is so tricky because like. objectively not great person but also so are 70% of the asoiaf characters LMAO. i cannot help but find some so engaging as a character like the respect he commands. doesn't help that in the show charles dance makes him so fun to watch (top three best actors on the show mayhaps). ofc i dislike the whole killing rhaegar's babies thing because well its horrific how those babies died. but let's also say that i think if i had to pick a hand of the king he would be a very easy selection for me? so yeah the respect he commands is so interesting.
2. Favorite canon thing about this character?
love how ruthless he is in command of battle and as hand but also so unwilling to face the truth about his own children?? find that really fascinating. like he's too proud to accept the nature of the rumors surrounding jaime and cersei which well. Not shocking considering the "allegations" but yeah. find it so interesting how he's so focused on preserving his house that he neglects to see how his children are undoing all that he's worked so tirelessly for.
4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?
HM. i dont know what role he'd play but i wanna see him in dune?? like imagine how things might have gone if he was the emperor instead of shaddam (sorry if u don't know dune my apologies for the assumption LOL). once again kinda obsessed with the thought of putting him in some situation that's totally juxtaposed to his character. like a silly comedy or something.
14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.
ok i know i just said im not a fashion expert but imaging FASHION for Tywin had me googling and pinterest-ing up a storm. so probably dark academia?? since its more imposing and formal. presents a serious appearance that he would take a lot of pride in. although the light want something a little more colorful and regal.
(proud of myself for not imagining tywin lannister in some softboy fashion aesthetic. oops. now imagining it. i tried my best at least!)
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jean or mikasa 🫶
i'll do jean since he's one of my favs (love mikasa too ofc but it's probably fairly obvious from my username which one i gravitate to more LOL). can happily do mikasa too if someone wishes <3
1. Why do you like or dislike this character?
i like how realistic he is!!! 🫶 like he's very relatable for me personally which sometimes is a good thing and other times is bad. i have always enjoyed that he's supposed to represent the everyman and doesn't have special abilities or anything but still excels anyways!! and it's such an obvious answer but his development 🩷
2. Favorite canon thing about this character?
i love how he acts selfish and like he doesn't care about anything but actually really cares about great deal 😿😿 it's so endearing to me ugh
3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?
i guess when he yelled at his mom LMAO but also he was 15 and i was an awful teenager so that would be hypocritical. idk jean is so dear to me im not really sure if theres anything i dislike???
4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?
my first instinct was resident evil simply because it would be kinda funny but in actuality he deserves a nice calm rom-com movie 🧸
5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?
gonna go with please, please, please, let me get what i want by the smiths simply because i imagine it for him just wanting to live a simple life amongst all this hardship 😿
6. What's something you have in common with this character?
man where do we begin LMAO. there's a reason i had this man on my kin list back in the day 😭 the blunt honesty, being doubtful of situations, easily frustrated/overwhelmed, acting like im apathetic about everything but deeply caring too much 💔
7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?
making him a shipping bicycle
8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?
I generally HATEEEE indulging in discourse but i hate how people sometimes reduce him to a teenage crush and ignoring everything else about his character and villainizing him like he's super evil 😭😭 he's a really great character with wonderful development and i wish that could be focused on a little more. BUT i also dislike some of his stans and the way they conduct themselves with people that don't like him. feel very much like That one girl from mean girls 🇨🇭🇨🇭 feel like the discourse kinda clouds a lovely character:((
9. Could you be roommates with this character?
yes maybe he could cook me dinner and cure my picky eating. idk i feel like he's a good cook. we could watch movies together. i feel like he'd make a really good roommate.. keeps his spaces clean and is pretty respectful and such 🫡
10. Could you be best friends with this character?
i think so definitely!!! we'd probably annoy each other sometimes but we'd get along well. maybe we're too similar sometimes?? feel like we'd get into silly arguments over differing opinions on a show we were watching LMAO and we both end up pouting but forgive the other eventually... even tho it takes a while since we're both stubborn
11. Would you date this character?
in a heartbeat LMAO
12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?
bisexual (this one is pretty universal) 🏳️🌈. but i also imagine him to be a very good cook, as i said earlier... idk i find that so sweet like he isn't always the best with words so if you're upset he tries to make you feel better by cooking/baking 😿
13. What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?
obsessed with the idea of him responding to any text from sasha or whoever asking him to do something with the 🫡 emoji idk it's funny LMAO
14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.
i wish i knew anything about fashion unfortunately i wear the same three sweatshirts every day of my life so im not qualified
15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)
anyone who knows me well is familiar with my not-so-guilty affinity for erejean UGHHHH i adore them they might be my favorite aot ship. definitely top three at least i love them sm. but ofc naturally i love jeanpiku a lot for post-canon i think they would be so great together 😿 they're so very fun to write too like aw so lovely
16. What's your least favorite ship for this character?
jean/annie irks me badly for irrational personal reasons. like seeing it annoys me horrendously and puts me in a bad mood im sorry to its 10 shippers but i cannot do it 😞
17. What's a ship for this character you don't hate but it's not your favorite that you're fine with?
jeanhitch/dreystein. it's just Fine. like i dont hate it but i dont personally like it either. but shipping it doesn't annoy me or anything. i just prefer them as unlikely best friends who talk mad shit. i tend to like most jean ships he's very shippable. jeanmarco used to be my main ship LOL
18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?
obviously sasha and connie 😿 like my silly little trio they're so fun they deserved happiness. jean and connie as the fun uncles to niccosasha children idk i can yearn a little 💔
19. How about a relationship they have in canon that you don't like?
i cant really think of any??? idk i think his dynamic with the others is pretty good all around
20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?
he already has his ideal best friends but ofc Sasha died LMAO. this is silly since he's older but idk I kinda like to imagine him and onyankopon being absolute pals especially post-canon after all the fighting. i just want onyankapon to have nothing but happiness and companionship 😿😿
21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?
making him submissive in bed 👍👍
but in all serious i like making him kinda snarky and super stubborn LOL. my silly boy im always putting him into mildly embarrassing circumstances bc it's funny to me
22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to ths character? Something you don't like?
don't really read enough fics to qualify!
23. Favorite picture of this character?
24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?
this probably doesn't match very well but just because i ALSO adore him im gonna say leon kennedy (specifically re4 version because re2 is a little too idealistic for jean). just hardened from the experiences and snarky/jokey but still willing to go the distance to help people. i find leon's attitude and subsequent personality change following the rc incident comparable to jean's shift following marco's death. also him in infinite darkness just bears a strong resemblance so the comparison is low hanging fruit there LMAO
25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?
can't fully remember but i remember finding him kinda embarrassing but in an endearing way LMAO like that's my favorite boyfailure truly. and now ofc i adore him he's fighting with erwin for the spot of my favorite aot character
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very willing and happy to do this! 🫶
you can do uhhhh aot, resident evil, jjk, death note, jojos, demon slayer, asoiaf, succession, dune!!! those are the things im mostly familiar with??
CHARACTER ASK GAME!!! 💫
Send a character + one or more of these question!
1. Why do you like or dislike this character?
2. Favorite canon thing about this character?
3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?
4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?
5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?
6. What's something you have in common with this character?
7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?
8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?
9. Could you be roommates with this character?
10. Could you be best friends with this character?
11. Would you date this character?
12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?
13. What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?
14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.
15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)
16. What's your least favorite ship for this character?
17. What's a ship for this character you don't hate but it's not your favorite that you're fine with?
18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?
19. How about a relationship they have in canon that you don't like?
20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?
21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?
22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to ths character? Something you don't like?
23. Favorite picture of this character?
24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?
25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?
26. FREEBIE QUESTION!!
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can I ask how you go about developing your stories/plot? I think coming up with an idea is (semi) easy because ✨vibes✨ but how to you actually turn that into a story? there's so much (character, backstory, plot, arcs, etc.)
I'm anxious to know how it is your going about developing home beckons the wanderer. Are you using any sort of method? I can't see you using a "point a to point b" method. It feels more complicated.
I know what I want to write but developing that is daunting. (In general and time wise)
Are you at all getting impatient with the development of your stories? Sometimes I forget a story can't just instantly be entirely plotted within the span of a week.
I apologize if this was too invasive, feel free not to answer, but if you do, I greatly appreciate it <3 take care love
it's not invasive at all!!!! these are all super great questions — and i hope my answers can be helpful and ease some fears!! and ofc, always feel free to ask more questions if you have them! :) i'll include some screenshots from my planning documents because i am a visual person so maybe you are too and that'll help :)
every story is different for me, and some are far more demanding and complicated than others. but, generally, it's outline, outline, outline. i have never been able to just write without having an outline backing up, unless it was for a one-shot or something more simple. another tool i have found extremely helpful and honestly essential for me is discussing my barebones ideas with others and watching them grow with the combined brain power behind it. if you have people in your corner supporting your ideas, let them help you!
so, for developing a story, start with your major idea. then, just start coming up with little ideas, anything, doesn't need to be in order. discuss with your friends, whatever helps! write those ideas down somewhere. i personally use a combination of my notes app, google docs, and the app notion to organize my thoughts.
notion tends to be where i start — i'll jot down little ideas i have, basic stuff needed to kickstart the rest. here's an example for the cult au:
google docs tends to be where i flesh whatever i did in notion out and have it more accessible. here's an example from thespian's coquetry:
for me personally, i have recently started spending a lot of energy into the development of the story/background before writing it. that also tends to be why i take forever to update/publish. let me get into the four things you specifically mentioned! characters, plot, backstory, arcs.
characters: stories depend on characters, and they need to feel real and have the capability to connect with the reader! i myself sometimes struggle with feeling like i don't do a well enough job with this. the main thing here is motivation — what drives this character, what is their goal/purpose, what makes them do whatever they are doing for the story? this goes hand in hand with their personality and their actions, so deciding what motivates them is important! this also ties into their backstory, so yeah it's important! their motivation will progress the story and explain their every action, so start there!
i can reference hbtw here actually, because it may be the story of mine where the character motivations are clearest — eren is motivated to go home to his family again, while mikasa is motivated to sustain herself financially by taking eren on their little quest. these motivations kickstart the plot and are essential to how it'll progress.
tldr; start with motivation, build from there, go to personality, hobbies, interests, quirks, etc.
backstory: this can be two things! either it's the actual world-building itself or its individual character backstories. since you're particularly interested in hbtw, I'll reference its development!
this story has been an absolute beast in terms of backstory/world-building development. this is why i say my process is dependent on the story, because this one is very involved and time-consuming. this is the place where you'll need to be the most patient if you're writing anything with a complicated world to develop. i am attempting to make hbtw as original as possible, so that involves a lot of building from scratch. right now, with the help of @strscrossed, i am working on the development of the eight regions in eldevane — this involves geography, economics, people, religion, history, and more. for example, i developed a history of eldevane's rulers and major historical events because, even though the story takes place decades later, i wanted to lay down a strong foundation to make the world feel real. this story is kinda stuck in world-building hell right now because i want most of that finished before proceeding because of how much eremika will be directly interacting with the world and its little intricacies. this is a daunting process, and its time-consuming! more on the frustration later.
basically, overall, my method for backstory development is to take it one step at a time and go slowly. there are also a lot of great resources for developing the world! http://arcadia.net/Cruinne/DnD/Articles/worldbuilding.html#language — this is an extremely (maybe overkill) detailed list of world-building things to consider in fantasy/sci-fi/etc. settings. the details matter, basically! also, consider your favorite medias and look at all the details there that feel small and inconsequential but develop the world and make it what it is. same with characters. what do you find interesting about this character's backstory? it is no danger to study fiction that you consider to be great? if you love it, you can learn from it :))
arcs: gonna do this first because it leads into the next bullet point. when you're starting to develop the plot, what helps me personally is putting a little shape to the plot, dividing it into crucial sections that are encompassed by one major plot point/resolution. if you divide your story into chunks, it may make development easier. for thespian's coquetry, i divided the story into three 'acts' and an epilogue to divide the plot more evenly in my head and make it less overwhelming.
this way, i'm able to break things down — when i think of a new plot point, i sift it between the three parts; where does it fit most? this makes placement of things less overwhelming, because it'll at least be confined to act i, ii, or iii. so decide these major headings and i find it'll help you compartmentalize things more accessibly.
plot: this is where its tricky for me. i have the exact same problem with every single multi-chapter story that i write; i know the beginning, and i know the ending, but it's everything in between that is muddled and less clear.
so, if you're me, you imagine the start, then (or oftentimes first) you imagine the ending — now, what has to happen between those two points for the ending to feel earned? what plot points will draw the characters closer to this pre-destined conclusion? most important in this is conflict. what conflicts happen to drive the plot? there will more than likely be multiple answers. there will be the overarching conflict/challenge (the dangerous journey of taking eren back home in hbtw is the overarching challenge) — but there will also be mini-challenges that serve the big one overhead. this can be inter-character conflict, quarrels, fights, disagreements, etc., but it can also be more external — challenges in their journey, little roadblocks that must be overcome to progress the story and maintain interest. there is only so long that a story can sustain itself without some degree of conflict; if things are smooth sailing forever, what's the point? if eren and mikasa's journey to eren's family happened without bumps along the way, sure it might be cute and wholesome, but it's not interesting, and the beautiful thing about stories is how they can interest and ensnare the reader's attention.
so, create little conflicts, big ones and important ones, and smaller ones more readily resolved. conflict drives the story. i think if there's one thing to take away from this total yap session of mine, it's that. seek conflict, and you'll find a plot.
please let me know if you have any questions or want me to clarify anything about everything i just said!!! i know it's a lot!! but i wanna be super helpful for your story!
now, you're absolutely right about hbtw being a very non-linear process. most, if not all, of my stories are developed like that. you develop as the inspiration takes you — i have been jumping between developing backstory/world-building which has bled into plot point development. it's one big system that works together — figuring out one thing often leads to another eureka moment in another aspect. me and stella developed the religious ceremony for eren's home region and that bled right into the story.
to answer your last question, ABSOLUTELY. i'm a very impatient person in all aspect of life, but i find it so frustrating when the ideas in my head cannot be immediately translated onto page. i was at first trying to rush through hbtw world-building before i was starting to burn myself out and realized that doing that was counterproductive and a total inspiration killer. this has been a very big challenge for me with all my stories. i'm rather meticulous, and i need to know the details and everything before starting, but sometimes i just want to be done with the planning and plotting so i can start. it's a perfectly normal feeling (or, i hope it is LOL)! you're eager to get your story somewhere, and you feel like there's an invisible wall that you keep banging your head against. i know that feeling well! writing can be an exhausting process, but it's the end result, finishing a story/chapter and sharing it with the world that feels very rewarding.
my overall tips for story development:
be patient and go slow — stories deserve nourishment, not ham-fisted neglect! your story deserves the time it needs to flourish!
jot down every idea you have. every single one. even if you're not sure you'll use it — better to have and not need then to need and not have. you really never know!
it's okay to go out of order! don't force yourself into a linear path if that doesn't feel right — it's never felt right to me! develop in whatever order you need to develop.
lean on your friends if they're willing! i probably would've given up on a lot of my stories already if not for my friends. (special shoutout to @random-millennial, @likesunsetorange, @strscrossed, @sinigangsta-ao3, @karizard-ao3, and others for always being willing to help me/listen.)
use online writing resources! there's so many articles and reddit posts (feels shameful to recommend reddit) and such with experienced writers happy to share their experiences and provide advice!
model after media you enjoy — can be books, movies, shows, manga, whatever!! figure out what you think the creators/authors/screenwriters did well and consider emulating it. you obviously like it for a reason! everyone gets inspired by someone else. don't feel like you're not a 'real writer/artist' because you reached out for resources or inspiration. you are real, and you're doing it!
HAVE FUN!!!! i'm a hypocrite because i often take all this way too seriously and get easily frustrated but promise, it's more fulfilling when you're really having fun doing it :))
i hope some of this was helpful!!!! apologies for the total yap session, i know this might be sorta overwhelming??? hope not! like i said, feel free to reach out with more questions, and i'd love to help you out individually if you'd be interested! all love and best wishes on the development of your story — manifesting nothing but success your way, and thank you for trusting me to help!
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