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deadlyflames · 26 days

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Writing Tip June 4th

A list of body language phrases.

I’ve included a very comprehensive list, organized by the type of body movement, hand and arm movements, facial expressions etc. In some cases, a phrase fits more than one heading, so it may appear twice. Possible emotions are given after each BL phrase unless the emotion is indicated within the phrase. (They are underlined for emphasis, not due to a hyperlink.)

Note: I’ve included a few body postures and body conditions as they are non-verbal testimony to the character’s physical condition.

Have fun and generate your own ideas.:-)

Eyes, Brows and Forehead

arched a sly brow: sly, haughty

blinked owlishly: just waking, focusing, needs glasses

brows bumped together in a scowl: worried, disapproving, irritated

brows knitted in a frown: worried, disapproval, thoughtful

bug-eyed: surprised, fear, horror

cocky wink and confident smile: over confidence, arrogant, good humor, sexy humor

eyes burned with hatred: besides hatred this might suggest maniacal feelings

eyes flashed: fury, defiance, lust, promise, seduction

eyes rolled skyward: disbelief, distrust, humor

forehead puckered: thoughtful, worried, irritation

frustration crinkled her eyes

gaze dipped to her décolletage: sexual interest, attraction, lust

gimlet-eyed/narrowed eyes: irritation, thoughtful, mean, angry

gleam of deviltry: humor, conniving, cunning

kept eye contact but her gaze became glazed: pretending interest where there is none/bordom

narrowed to crinkled slits: angry, distrust

nystagmic eyes missed nothing (constantly shifting eyes): Shifty

pupils dilated: interested, attraction to opposite sex, fear

raked her with freezing contempt

slammed his eyes shut: stunned, furious, pain

squinted in a furtive manner: fearful, sneaky

stared with cow eyes: surprised, disbelief, hopeful, lovestruck

subtle wink: sexy, humor/sharing a joke, sarcasm

unrelenting stare: distrust, demanding, high interest, unyielding

Place To Place, Stationary Or Posture

ambled away: relaxed, lazy

barged ahead: rude, hurried

battled his way through the melee: desperate, anger, alarm

cruised into the diner: easy-going, feeling dapper, confident

dawdled alongside the road: lazy, deliberate delay for motives, unhurried, relaxed

dragged his blanket in the dirt: sadness/depressed, weary

edged closer to him: sneaky, seeking comfort, seeking protection, seeking an audience

he stood straighter and straightened his tie: sudden interest, sexual attraction

held his crotch and danced a frantic jig: demonstrates physical condition – he has to pee

hips rolled and undulated: sexy walk, exaggerating for sex appeal

hovered over them with malice/like a threatening storm: here it’s malice, but one may hover for many reasons.

hunched over to look shorter: appear inconspicuous, ashamed of actions, ashamed of height

leaped into action feet hammering the marbled floor: eager, fear, joyous

long-legged strides: hurried, impatient

lumbered across: heavy steps of a big man in a hurry

minced her way up to him: timid, sneaky, insecure, dainty or pretense at dainty

paced/prowled the halls: worried, worried impatience, impatient, diligently seeking pivoted on his heel and took off: mistaken and changes direction, following orders, hurried, abrupt change of mind, angry retreat

plodded down the road: unhurried, burdened, reluctant

practiced sensual stroll: sexy, showing off

rammed her bare foot into her jeans: angry, rushed

rocked back and forth on his heels: thoughtful, impatiently waiting

sagged against the wall: exhausted, disappointment

sallied forth: confident, determined

sashayed her cute little fanny: confident, determined, angered and determined

shrank into the angry crowd: fear, insecure, seeking to elude

sketched a brief bow and assumed a regal pose: confident, mocking, snooty, arrogant skidded to an abrupt halt: change of heart, fear, surprise, shock

skulked on the edges of the crowd: sneaky, ashamed, timid

slithered through the door: sneaky, evil, bad intentions

stormed toward her, pulling up short when: anger with a sudden surprise

swaggered into the class room: over confident, proud, arrogant, conceited

tall erect posture: confidence, military bearing

toe tapped a staccato rhythm: impatience, irritation

tottered/staggered unsteadily then keeled over: drunk, drugged, aged, ill

waltzed across the floor: happy, blissful, exuberant, conceited, arrogant

Head Movement

cocked his head: curiosity, smart-alecky, wondering, thoughtful

cocked his head left and rolled his eyes to right corner of the ceiling: introspection

droop of his head: depressed, downcast, hiding true feelings

nodded vigorously: eager

tilted her head to one side while listening: extreme interest, possibly sexual interest

Mouth And Jaw

a lackluster smile: feigning cheerfulness

cigarette hung immobile in mouth: shock, lazy, uncaring, relaxed casualness

clinched his jaw at the sight: angered, worried, surprised

curled her lips with icy contempt

expelled her breath in a whose: relief, disappointment

gagged at the smell: disgust, distaste

gapped mouth stare: surprised, shock, disbelief

gritted his teeth: anger, irritation, holding back opinion

inhaled a sharp breath: surprise, shock, fear, horror

licked her lips: nervous, sexual attraction

lips primed: affronted, upset, insulted

lips pursed for a juicy kiss

lips pursed like she’d been chewing a lemon rind: dislike, angry, irritated, sarcasm

lips screwed into: irritation, anger, grimace, scorn

lips set in a grim line: sorrow, worried, fear of the worst

pursed her lips: perturbed, waiting for a kiss

scarfed down the last biscuit: physical hunger, greed

slack-mouthed: total shock, disbelief

slow and sexy smile: attraction, seductive, coy

smacked his lips: anticipation

smile congealed then melted into horror

smile dangled on the corner of his lips: cocky, sexy

smirked and tossed her hair over her shoulder: conceit, sarcasm, over confident

sneered and flicked lint off his suit: sarcasm, conceit

spewed water and spit: shock

stuck out her tongue: humor, sarcasm, teasing, childish

toothy smile: eagerness, hopeful

wary smile surfaced on her lips

Nose

nose wrinkled in distaste/at the aroma

nostrils flared: anger, sexual attraction

nose in the air: snooty, haughty

Face in General

crimson with fury

handed it over shame-faced

jutted his chin: confident, anger, forceful

managed a deadpan expression: expressionless

muscles in her face tightened: unsmiling, concealing emotions, anger, worried

rested his chin in his palm and looked thoughtful

rubbed a hand over his dark stubble: thoughtful, ashamed of his appearance

screwed up her face: anger, smiling, ready to cry, could almost be any emotion

sneered and flicked lint off his suit: conceit, derision, scorn

Arm and Hand

a vicious yank

arm curled around her waist, tugging her next to him: possessive, pride, protective

bit her lip and glanced away: shy, ashamed, insecure

brandished his fist: anger, threatening, ready to fight, confident, show of pride

clamped his fingers into tender flesh: anger, protective, wants to inflict pain

clenched his dirty little fists: stubborn, angry

clapped her hands on her hips, arms crooked like sugar bowel handles: anger, demanding, disbelief

constantly twirled her hair and tucked it behind her ear: attracted to the opposite sex, shy crossed his arms over his chest: waiting, impatient, putting a barrier

crushed the paper in his fist: anger, surrender, discard

dived into the food: hunger, eager, greedy

doffed his hat: polite gesture, mocking, teasing

doodled on the phone pad and tapped the air with her foot: bored, inattention, introspection

drummed her fingers on the desk: impatient, frustrated, bored

fanned her heated face with her hands: physically hot, embarrassed, indicating attraction

fiddled with his keys: nervous, bored

firm, palm to palm hand shake: confident, honest

flipped him the bird: sarcastic discard

forked his fingers through his hair for the third time: disquiet/consternation, worry, thoughtful

handed it over shame-faced: guilt, shame

held his crotch and danced a frantic jig: physical need to relieve himself

limp hand shake: lack of confidence, lack of enthusiasm

propped his elbow on his knee: relaxed, thoughtful

punched her pillow: restless, can’t sleep, angry

rested his chin in his palm: thoughful, worried

scratched his hairy belly and yawned: indolent, bored, lazy, relaxed, just waking

shoulders lifted in a shrug: doubtful, careless discard

slapped his face in front of God and country: enraged, affronted/insulted

snapped a sharp salute: respect, sarcastic gesture meaning the opposite of respect

snapped his fingers, expecting service: arrogant, lack of respect, self-centered

sneered and flicked lint off his suit

spread her arms wide: welcoming, joy, love

stabbed at the food: anger, hunger, determined

stood straighter and smoothed his tie: sudden interest, possible sexual interest

stuffed his hands in his pockets: self-conscious, throwing up a barrier

sweaty handshake: nervous, fearful

touched his arm several times while explaining: sign of attraction, flattery, possessive

wide sweep of his arms: welcoming, all inclusive gesture, horror

Sitting or Rising

collapsed in a stupor: exhausted, drunk, drugged, disbelief

enthroned himself at the desk: conceit, pronouncing or taking ownership

exploded out of the chair: shock, eager, anger, supreme joy

roosted on the porch rail like a cock on a hen house roof: claiming ownership, conceit, content

sat, squaring an ankle over one knee: relaxed and open

slouched/wilted in a chair and paid languid attention to: drowsy, lazy, depressed, disinterest, sad, totally relaxed, disrespectful

squirmed in his chair: ill at ease, nervous, needs the bathroom

Recline

flung himself into the bed: sad, depressed, exhausted, happy

prostrated himself: surrender, desperate, miserable, powerless, obsequious, fawning, flattering

punched her pillow: can’t sleep, anger, frustrated

threw himself on the floor kicking and screaming: tantrum

Entire body and General

body stiffened at the remark: offended, anger, alerted

body swayed to music: dreamy, fond memories, enjoys the music

bounced in the car seat, pointing: excitement, fear, eager

cowered behind his brother: fear, shyness, coward, desperate

curled into a ball: sorrow, fear, sleepy, defensive

heart galloping: anxiety, joy, eager

held his crotch and danced a frantic jig

humped over his cane, each step shaking and careful: pain, aged

inhaled a deep breath and blew out slowly: buying time to find words/thoughtful, reconciled

quick and jerky like rusty cogs on a wheel: unsure of actions, self-conscious, tense, edgy

rocked back and forth on his heels: impatient, cocky, gleeful

manhandled the woman into a corner: bully, anger

slumped shoulders: defeat, depressed, sad, surrender

stiff-backed: priggish, haughty, affronted

stood straighter and straightened his tie: sexual interest, wants to make an impression

stooped and bent: aged, arthritic, in pain

stretched extravagantly and yawned: tired, bored, unconcerned

sweating uncontrollably: nervous, fear, guilt

tall erect posture: confidence, military bearing

was panting now at: afraid, exhausted, out of breath, sexual excitement

-Sharla Rae

#writing

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deadlyflames · 26 days

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Helpful things for action writers to remember

Sticking a landing will royally fuck up your joints and possibly shatter your ankles, depending on how high you’re jumping/falling from. There’s a very good reason free-runners dive and roll.

Hand-to-hand fights usually only last a matter of seconds, sometimes a few minutes. It’s exhausting work and unless you have a lot of training and history with hand-to-hand combat, you’re going to tire out really fast.

Arrows are very effective and you can’t just yank them out without doing a lot of damage. Most of the time the head of the arrow will break off inside the body if you try pulling it out, and arrows are built to pierce deep. An arrow wound demands medical attention.

Throwing your opponent across the room is really not all that smart. You’re giving them the chance to get up and run away. Unless you’re trying to put distance between you so you can shoot them or something, don’t throw them.

Everyone has something called a “flinch response” when they fight. This is pretty much the brain’s way of telling you “get the fuck out of here or we’re gonna die.” Experienced fighters have trained to suppress this. Think about how long your character has been fighting. A character in a fist fight for the first time is going to take a few hits before their survival instinct kicks in and they start hitting back. A character in a fist fight for the eighth time that week is going to respond a little differently.

ADRENALINE WORKS AGAINST YOU WHEN YOU FIGHT. THIS IS IMPORTANT. A lot of times people think that adrenaline will kick in and give you some badass fighting skills, but it’s actually the opposite. Adrenaline is what tires you out in a battle and it also affects the fighter’s efficacy - meaning it makes them shaky and inaccurate, and overall they lose about 60% of their fighting skill because their brain is focusing on not dying. Adrenaline keeps you alive, it doesn’t give you the skill to pull off a perfect roundhouse kick to the opponent’s face.

Swords WILL bend or break if you hit something hard enough. They also dull easily and take a lot of maintenance. In reality, someone who fights with a sword would have to have to repair or replace it constantly.

Fights get messy. There’s blood and sweat everywhere, and that will make it hard to hold your weapon or get a good grip on someone.

A serious battle also smells horrible. There’s lots of sweat, but also the smell of urine and feces. After someone dies, their bowels and bladder empty. There might also be some questionable things on the ground which can be very psychologically traumatizing. Remember to think about all of the character’s senses when they’re in a fight. Everything WILL affect them in some way.

ARCHERS ARE STRONG TOO. Have you ever drawn a bow? It takes a lot of strength, especially when you’re shooting a bow with a higher draw weight. Draw weight basically means “the amount of force you have to use to pull this sucker back enough to fire it.” To give you an idea of how that works, here’s a helpful link to tell you about finding bow sizes and draw weights for your characters. (CLICK ME)

If an archer has to use a bow they’re not used to, it will probably throw them off a little until they’ve done a few practice shots with it and figured out its draw weight and stability.

People bleed. If they get punched in the face, they’ll probably get a bloody nose. If they get stabbed or cut somehow, they’ll bleed accordingly. And if they’ve been fighting for a while, they’ve got a LOT of blood rushing around to provide them with oxygen. They’re going to bleed a lot.

Here’s a link to a chart to show you how much blood a person can lose without dying. (CLICK ME)

If you want a more in-depth medical chart, try this one. (CLICK ME)

Hopefully this helps someone out there. If you reblog, feel free to add more tips for writers or correct anything I’ve gotten wrong here.

#writing

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deadlyflames · 26 days

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Things I love about the “villain turns good” trope:

Ex-villains graduating to “weird uncle” status.

Ex-villains and hero(es) turning the events of previous battles into bizarre inside jokes.

Ex-villains embracing the power of friendship and love.

Ex-villains putting up walls and keeping to themselves until the heroes teach them what it means to trust someone.

Ex-villains messing up and being forgiven because redemption is a process, not an endgame.

Ex-villains being shy and uncertain about their new place as a hero.

Bonus: Ex-villains hiding behind their hero friends during moments of shyness and uncertainty.

Ex-villains being tempted back to the dark side only to realize how much their newfound friendships mean to them.

Ex-villains pretending to return to the dark side, and using their villain cred to be a mole/saboteur on the heroes’ behalf.

Ex-villains taking the same skills and character traits that made them effective villains and using them for good.

Ex-villains defeating current villains by being better at those skills and traits than they are.

Ex-villains being rejected by almost everyone except the very few willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Ex-villains being ferociously protective of those few.

Ex-villains convincing old allies and friends to follow them to the light side.

Ex-villains helping their hero friends through guilt and self-doubt by reminding them that your mistakes don’t make you and it’s never too late to turn things around.

Ex-villains receiving unconditional trust and affection from someone small and innocent, and having no idea what they’re supposed to do with that.

Ex-villains reuniting with heroic loved ones that they don’t have to fight against anymore.

Ex-villains looking around at their new friends and their new home and having to sit down and ride out a sudden wave of powerful emotion because they can’t remember the last time they felt content.

#writing #villains

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deadlyflames · 26 days

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ʜᴏᴡ ᴛᴏ: ғᴏʀᴍᴀʟʟʏ ᴀᴅᴅʀᴇss ʀᴏʏᴀʟᴛʏ/ᴀʀɪsᴛᴏᴄʀᴀᴄʏ ɪɴ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ

This is more for my own reference, but if anyone else finds this useful, you’re free to like/reblog it and what-not. Most of the information was either taken from various Wikipedia pages or WikiHow.

First, let’s look at the social hierarchy:

Emperor/Empress

King/Queen

Grand Duke/Grand Duchess

Grand Prince/Grand Princess

Archduke/Archduchess

Duke/Duchess

Prince/Princess

Marquis/Marchioness

Count (Earl)/Countess

Viscount/Viscountess

Baron/Baroness

Knight/Dame

Sir/Lady

When meeting royalty for the first time, always acknowledge them with a bow from the neck (not the waist) if you are a man, and a small curtsey if you are a woman. (This gesture is no longer applicable in today’s world, but if you’re writing for an earlier time period, then it’s important your character bow or curtsey).

Below is directly applicable to citizens of the U.K and Commonwealth:

Only shake the queen’s hand if she offers it to you first. If you are wearing gloves, do not remove them.

Do not begin a conversation with the queen. Instead, wait until she starts speaking to you.

When addressing royalty, finish your first reply with their formal address. For example, if a prince asks you, “How are you enjoying the United Kingdom?” you would respond “It’s wonderful, Your Royal Highness.” Each title carries a different formal address:

Emperors and Empresses are addressed as “Your Imperial Majesty” and introduced as “His/Her Imperial Majesty”.

Queens and kings are addressed as “Your Majesty.” Introduce them as “Her Majesty the Queen” (not ”Queen of England”, as she is the “Queen of the United Kingdom”, “Queen of Canada” and a long array of additional titles).

Princes and princesses are referred to “Your Royal Highness.” Introduce them as “His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.” Any child or male line grandchild of a monarch is considered a prince or princess. The spouse of a prince is also a princess, although she is not always “Princess” Her First Name. The spouse of a princess is not always a prince. Great-grandchildren in the male line of the monarch are not considered princes or princesses. Use the courtesy titles lord or lady for these personages, addressing them as, for example, “Lady Jane” and introducing them as “Lady Jane Windsor” (unless they have a different title of their own).

Dukes and Duchesses are called “Your Grace” or “Duke/Duchess.” Introduce the duke to someone else as “His Grace the Duke of Norfolk,” the duchess as “Her Grace the Duchess of Norfolk”.

Baronets and knights, if male, are addressed as “Sir Bryan” (if his name is Bryan Thwaites) and his wife is “Lady Thwaites”. You would introduce him using his full name, “Sir Bryan Thwaites,” and his wife as “Lady Thwaites.”

Dames (the equivalent of knighthood for women - there is no female equivalent of baronetcy) are “Dame Gertrude” in conversation, and you would introduce her as “Dame Gertrude Mellon.”

Other forms of nobility (including Marquess/Marchioness, Earl/Countess, Viscount/Viscountess, Baron/Baroness) are generally addressed as, “Lord or Lady Trowbridge” (for the Earl of Trowbridge), and introduced with their appropriate title, such as “Viscount Sweet” or “Baroness Rivendell” .

Use “Sir” or “Ma’am” thereafter. If the noble uses a casual style of conversation, drop the “Sir” or “Ma’am.” Don’t make them have to ask.

This information strictly deals with meeting British peers and royalty.Other parts of the world have different systems of aristocracy, and while the British royal family’s official website notes that when meeting a member of the royal family, “There are no obligatory codes of behaviour - simply courtesy,” this is not the case for all aristocracies. Failure to observe specific codes of behaviour in some countries may result in harsh punishment.

So—— it’s always best to research the monarchy in which you are writing for. I used the U.K’s peerage system because it’s the most widely known, but don’t take it as applicable for every monarchy. Titles and protocols can differ greatly between cultures.

If any of this information is incorrect, please feel free to correct it.

#writing

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