kiyasepicverse

[kiyasepicverse]

Could you give any advice for "descriptive" writing of any scene or action scenes or mapping out the scenery (Mountains, forests, streets etc) - i believe this is a struggle for Non-English speaking writers due to lack of vast vocabulary.

Common Scenery Description Tips

Vocabulary is clearly an important part of description, but it doesn’t have to be a limit. The most important thing about description in fiction is picking the right details to mention:

How does the details add to the mood of the story? A mountain ridge will be dark, gray and foggy if the overall mood is meant to be mysterious/brooding. In contrast, a mountain can be brilliantly snow-capped, lush green and “smiling down” upon the character if they’re out for a light stroll.

How are the contrasts/complementary aspects being brought out?

Are you using the five senses? You can even combine the senses, ie. blue ringing of the church bells

(If you have the POV character) what 

Some other tips for setting description:

Use similes and metaphors. Creative figures of speech always get my attention as a reader. 

Mention story-specific elements. For example, “The sky was the shade of Zoes’ eyes” or “the mountains looked like a group of trolls sleeping on one another” 

Be concise. Today’s readers don’t want to read paragraphs and paragraphs about one landscape. Outline the larger elements in the scene, their location and general mood. Add some details, then move on. 

If the same location appears multiple times, differentiate the description little by little as you write, instead of trying to lay out one scene in too much detail at once. 

That said, here are some helpful words/phrases:

Forests/Mountains

Color: bone-white, phantom-white, hazy gray

Sound: rumbling, booming grumbling, bellowing clapping, trundling, growling, thundering

Shape: crinkled, crumpled, knotted, grizzled, rumpled, wrinkled, craggy, jagged, gnarled, rugose  

Action: sky-punching/stabbing/piercing/spearing, heaven-touching/kissing, snow-cloaked/hooded/wreathed/festooned

Sloping sides, sharp/rounded ridges, high point/peak/summit

Majestic, gargantuan humbling, vast, massive, titanic, towering, monumental, mighty, vast, humbling

Mountains having faces, etc. 

Seas

Color: blue-green, crystal-clear crystalline, emerald, frothy, hazy, glistening, pristine, turquoise

Size: boundless, abyssal, fathomless, unconquerable, vast, wondrous

Sound: billowing, blustering, bombastic

Action: boisterous, agitated, angry, biting, breaking, brazen. Churning, bubbling, changing, brooding, calm, convulsing, enticing erratic, fierce, tempestuous, turbulent, undulating

Alluring, blissful, betwitching, breezy, captivating, chaotic, chilly, elemental, disorienting

Deserts

Sight: A landscape of sand, flat, harsh sunlight, cacti, tumbleweeds, dust devils, cracked land, crumbing rock, sandstone, canyons, wind-worn rock formations, tracks, dead grasses, vibrant desert blooms (after rainfall), flash flooding, dry creek

Sounds: Wind (whistling, howling, piping, tearing, weaving, winding, gusting), birds cawing, flapping, squawking, the fluttering shift of feasting birds, screeching eagles, the sound of one’s own steps, heavy silence, baying wild dogs

Smell: Arid air, dust, one’s own sweat and body odor, dry baked earth, carrion

Touch: Torrid heat, sweat, cutting wind, cracked lips, freezing cold (night) hard packed ground, rocks, gritty sand, shivering, swiping away dirt and sweat, pain from split lips and dehydration, numbness in legs, heat/pain from sun stroke, clothes…

Taste: Grit, dust, dry mouth & tongue, warm flat canteen water, copper taste in mouth, bitter taste of insects for eating, stringy wild game (hares, rats) the tough saltiness of hardtack, biscuits or jerky, an insatiable thirst or hunger

Streets

Dusty, fume-filled, foul, sumptuous, broad, bucolic, decayed, mournful, seemingly endless, empty, unpaved, lifeless, dreadfully genteel, muddy, nondescript, residential/retail

Bleach, flimsy, silent, narrow, crooked, furrowed, smoggy, commonplace, tumbledown, treeless, shady

The blacktop streets absorb the spring sunshine as if intent upon sending heaven's warmth back through my soles.

The streets absorbed the emotions in the air, the city as the steady and reassuring mother.

The streets were a marriage of sounds, from bicycle wheels to chattering.

In the refreshing light of early daytime, the streets had the hues of artistic dreamtime, soft yet bold pastels.

Cobbled streets flowed as happy rivers in sunlight.

Parties

Some extra tips for locations like parties, where lots of action is going around practically everywhere:

Focus on the important characters - where they are, who they’re with. 

Provide some overall description of the structure of the party scene (a pool, a two-storey house with yard?), then move on to details. 

Don’t try to describe everything. 

whirlwind of laughter and music, a symphony of joyous chaos.

It was a gathering that shimmered with the glow of twinkling lights and echoed with the rhythm of dancing feet.

The air was alive with excitement, buzzing with conversations and the clink of glasses.

Every corner held a story waiting to unfold, a moment waiting to be captured in memory.

It was a tapestry of colors, a mosaic of faces, each adding their own brushstroke to the vibrant canvas of the night.

Laughter cascaded like a waterfall, infectious and unstoppable, filling the room with warmth.

The night was a carnival of senses, with aromas of delicious food mingling with the melodies that filled the air.

Time seemed to slip away in the whirl of the party, moments blending into each other like colors on a palette.

The energy of the crowd was electric, pulsing through the room like a heartbeat, binding everyone in a shared moment of celebration.

It was a celebration of life, where worries faded into the background, and the present moment was all that mattered.

[kiyasepicverse]

Wanted to write more Eldritch!Miruko? Yes!

Wanted to write more BurnBunny? Sure did!

Combined the two? Why not?

Really loved writing Miruko and Burnin being so gone for each other!

❤️‍🔥🐇

#kiya writes #bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #bnha fanfic #bnha fic #miruko #mirko #rumi usagiyama #usagiyama rumi #burnin #burnin bnha #burnin mha #moerumi #burnbunny #burnin x mirko #burnin x miruko #wlw #wlw ship #all for one #afo #miruko bnha #mirko bnha #miruko mha #mirko mha

[kiyasepicverse]

Guess who's coming back with some more of the Star's Rebirth AU?! This girl right here!!

Here's the first chapter of the new installment!

#kiya writes #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen fic #jujutsu kaisen fanfic #jjk fic #jjk fanfic #jjk fic series #the star's rebirth au #star's rebirth au #yuuji itadori #yuji itadori #itadori yuji #itadori yuuji #fushiguro megumi #megumi fushiguro #tengen #tengen jjk #master tengen #sukuna #sukuna ryomen #ryomen sukuna

[kiyasepicverse]

Reblog so everyone can hear what they need.

[kiyasepicverse]

I just saw a Tik Tok that said writers on AO3 are not looking for constructive criticism in their reviews. I have no audience on this platform so I have to know if this is true? I've always left my pros and cons when reading a fic and now I'm concerned that the authors didn't like that.

Yeah writers are Not looking for criticism, constructive or otherwise. Unless they specifically ask for it, it’s considered rude and honestly a bit hurtful. In the least bitchy way possible, don’t do that. It’s unwanted.

[kiyasepicverse]

pssssst hey. hey. free and expansive database of folk and fairy tales. you can thank me later

[kiyasepicverse]

poc-friendly picrews

[plaintext: poc-friendly picrews / end plaintext.]

reblogs are appreciated, this will be updated whenever i find more! if you want to suggest picrews to be added, do so in my asks or dms!

edit (03/02/2024): added 11 picrews to the list!

edit (03/07/2024): added 1 picrew to the list!

actionpilot's character creator

adriotes' character creator

adrisona maker

aiden's picrew

alli's oc creator

alohasushicore

amiiraux's chaotic gay maker

among us sona creator

anew's girl maker

astrolavas' character creator

avatar

aworus' friend maker

baydews avatar maker

bean beaningtons tupper

bex's first picrew

bighead kid

black centered picrew

black centered picrew (fullbody version)

block game oc creator

bright's picrew hell,

bunnieclaire's character maker

caramael's character creator

cartoony maker

casual gay creator

cherevrie's avatar maker

childishspite's avi maker

cool kid maker

cosmitasia's character maker

cute chubby maker

cute girl creator

cutetimes (hair options are a bit limited)

djarn's character maker

djarn's character maker 2

doshi's oc avatar maker

elenaa's windswept oc maker

friend factory

friend maker

judelta's character maker

julliapple's character maker

gay time 2: electric boogaloo

girl maker

ghostofadragon's character maker

harvey's picrew 1 (only has straight hairstyles)

harvey's picrew 2 (only has curly hairstyles)

lichtenstyler

lima0nada

little guy maker

lulljevic's icon maker

makowka's character maker

makowka's character maker 2

marice creator

nah's picrew

nellseto's maker

nuclearvessel's character maker

nudekay's character maker

nuggts character maker

overwatch league icons

peculiar icon creator

perisceris' icon maker

piney's icon maker

pixel dating simulator maker

poicon maker

potatolord's persona creator

rainheal's character maker

rychu's picrew

sagravi creator

scuff's icon maker

semirealistic icon creator

smitty's ultimate maker-inator

something about them

sph.jpeg's icon maker

sqwidsona (hair options are a bit limited)

static maker

toon me! (a)

toon me! (b)

uris space maker

witchcrew

who me?

yee haw character creator

yet another character creator

エリーのメーカー

[kiyasepicverse]

REVERSE TROPE WRITING PROMPTS

Too many beds

Accidentally kidnapping a mafia boss

Really nice guy who hates only you

Academic rivals except it’s two teachers who compete to have the best class

Divorce of convenience

Too much communication

True hate’s kiss (only kissing your enemy can break a curse)

Dating your enemy’s sibling

Lovers to enemies

Hate at first sight

Love triangle where the two love interests get together instead

Fake amnesia

Soulmates who are fated to kill each other

Strangers to enemies

Instead of fake dating, everyone is convinced that you aren’t actually dating

Too hot to cuddle

Love interest CEO is a himbo/bimbo who runs their company into the ground

Nursing home au

[kiyasepicverse]

people telling you they reread your fic is the biggest compliment you could ever receive. there are thousands of stories out there begging to be found, to be explored, but your story meant so much to someone that they came back to it eagerly, they went over every word again. to love is to return and loving a fic is rereading it. thank you to all readers and rereaders <3333

[kiyasepicverse]

Let's talk about foreshadowing.

Foreshadowing can add a lot of depth to your writing and make it more exciting for the readers. They create a sense of coherence and satisfaction when future events unfold as hinted—or shock if they don't.

Here are some tips for effectively using foreshadowing in your novels and books:

Plan Ahead: Foreshadowing works best when it's woven into the fabric of your story from the beginning. As you outline your plot, think about key events and revelations you want to foreshadow, and strategically place hints and clues accordingly.

Use Subtlety: Foreshadowing doesn't have to be obvious or heavy-handed. The best foreshadowing is often subtle and understated, leaving readers with a sense of intrigue and curiosity rather than outright prediction.

Establish Patterns and Motifs: Look for opportunities to establish recurring patterns, motifs, or symbols that can subtly hint at future events. These can be visual, thematic, or even linguistic cues that tie into the larger narrative arc of your story.

Create Tension: Foreshadowing is most effective when it creates tension and anticipation for the reader. Use foreshadowing to hint at potential conflicts, obstacles, or twists.

Reveal Gradually: Foreshadowing doesn't have to be limited to one-off hints or clues. Instead, consider how you can layer foreshadowing throughout your story, gradually revealing more information as the plot unfolds.

Pay Attention to Timing: The timing of your foreshadowing is crucial. Introduce hints and clues at strategic points in your story, building anticipation and suspense without giving too much away too soon.

Revisit Foreshadowing: Ensure that foreshadowed events are eventually fulfilled or addressed in the story. Revisiting earlier hints or clues can provide a satisfying payoff for readers and reinforce the narrative coherence.

Balance Subtlety and Clarity: Foreshadowing should be subtle enough to intrigue readers without giving away major plot twists too early. Aim for a balance where foreshadowing is noticeable upon reflection but doesn't detract from the immediacy of the story.

Let's look at some ways to incorporate foreshadowing:

Symbolism: Symbolic imagery or motifs can serve as subtle foreshadowing devices. Think about objects, settings, or descriptive details that can serve as symbolic foreshadowing. A recurring image or object, for example, might subtly hint at future events or themes in the story.

Dialogue Clues: Characters can drop hints or make cryptic remarks that foreshadow upcoming events. Dialogue is a natural way to introduce foreshadowing without being too obvious.

Character Reactions: Pay attention to how characters react to certain situations or events. Their emotions or responses can foreshadow future conflicts or revelations.

Subtle Descriptions: Incorporate subtle descriptions or details that hint at future events. These can be easily overlooked on a first read but become significant upon reflection or when the foreshadowed event occurs.

Dreams and Visions: Dreams, visions, and other forms of altered consciousness can be effective vehicles for foreshadowing—they can hint at an upcoming event, or explore characters' subconscious desires and fears. This method can sometimes be either blatant or subtle depending on how it is incorporated.

Foreshadowing Through Setting: Use the setting to foreshadow events or developments in the story. For example, a stormy night might foreshadow conflict or turmoil ahead, while a serene setting might signal upcoming peace or resolution. (On the flip side, this can be used to catch readers off guard, like a "calm before the storm" type of situation.)

Parallel Storylines: Foreshadowing can occur through parallel storylines or subplots. Events in one storyline can subtly hint at future developments in another, creating anticipation and intrigue.

Recurring Themes: Identify recurring themes or motifs in your story and use them to foreshadow future events. These thematic elements can serve as subtle hints or clues for attentive readers.

Misdirection: Foreshadowing can be used to misdirect readers and create suspense by hinting at one outcome while actually leading to another. (See my post on misdirection for more!)

Happy writing! ❤

[kiyasepicverse]

I think more people need to understand that fics are not books. Aside from the occasional professional writing it on the side of their published work, fanfiction is written by amateurs in their spare time. Do some of these amateurs write at a professional level? Yes, of course. But you shouldn't have the expectations going in that you would have for a book you paid money for. There's a bare minimum expectation of quality there, because it was written and edited by professionals (supposedly, in some cases). Is it extremely obnoxious to find a bunch of poor grammar and typos in something professionally produced that you paid actual cash money for? Yes. Is it appropriate to vent about the poor quality in a review on whichever platform you use to rate books? Sure. It's pretty unprofessional to put out a crap book that was half-assedly proofread and then charge, in this day and age, quite a bit of money for it

But a fic author doesn't owe you professionalism. You're reading a free story on the internet. Even fics with betas usually do not have actual professional editors working on them. There isn't even a veneer of quality gatekeeping the way there is in traditional publishing. The stupidest person you know could write some gay porn and throw it up online. Literal children are writing fics. People learning a second language are using fic to practice their skills.

If you find something unreadable because of the grammar and spelling, just click out of it. It's not that deep. It's not a personal affront. It's not something you need to bitch or snark about in the comments. It's usually pretty apparent very early on if something isn't technically well-written. I cannot even count the number of times I've read a paragraph or two of a fic and quit because I know the punctuation or writing style isn't something I can overlook. You don't owe the author your time and they don't owe you the correct 'their.' If you're so angry that a free story you found on the internet isn't well-written that you have to leave a scathing comment about it, go the fuck outside and breathe some fresh air.

[kiyasepicverse]

Looks like Wattpad is having a NSFW purge. People are talking about it on r/wattpad and r/fanfiction. Anyone here use wattpad and notice? I wonder what the scale and criteria they are using is.

--

Oh boy. AO3, brace yourself!

[kiyasepicverse]

When to describe setting

Anonymous asked you:

When describing setting, should i start with a character, go to setting, then setting in relation to character (i.e. Kayla lived in an old house. It had flower beds in the back and it had other stuff DETAIL DETAIL DETAIL. she was sitting on the front porch one day…) or trickle in details throughout the passage? (I.e. Kayla sat on the front porch one day reading her newspapers. She decided to water the flowers growing in the backyard, then she walked to the front and …)

The trick I’ve been using for description is “dominant impression”. Simply put, describe the setting as your character interacts with it, and “interact” can mean setting a book down on a nightstand or looking out across the field or feeling the weather as she walks.

“Dominant impression” also means alluding to a character’s investment in their surroundings. She eases down a thrice-read book on a mahogany nightstand that was once her great grandmother’s, and she’s very careful with anything she braves setting atop the scraped lacquer. This not only adds character to the scene, but also adds new dimension to your character.

So, in short, I’d personally advise as you said: trickling details. Readers are more likely to remember description if there’s significance to it (even if it’s just the fact that the top stair of the porch has creaked since she was a toddler in a diaper, or whatever the case may be).

Here’s a ton of other links that expand a whole lot on the above and might help you with how and when to describe setting:

Varying sentences

Victoria’s Vitamins #1

Victoria’s Vitamins #2

5 tips on describing your setting

Making your setting work harder

The story of exposition

Breaking writing habits

Descriptive writing and the five senses

Turn cliches into brilliant description

Our writing exercise on setting

Hope this helps!

[kiyasepicverse]

This is for all the unsung fic writers; the ones who don’t make the must-read lists, the ones who don’t get recced, the ones who don’t get hundreds of kudos, the rarepair writers out on the peripheries of fandom, the ones who toil away quietly for the handful of people who read and love them. You matter - you’re a writer too, and don’t you ever forget it. :)

[kiyasepicverse]

[kiyasepicverse]

Fanfic tiktok is wild... I see so many people saying shit like "I could never read anything below 60k!!", or "What story can you even tell in under 5k words?" or "A oneshot below 10k isn't even a story!" or "I always filter completed fics by 100k< only!"

And I'm like...

A) which fandoms are you reading fics for where you have this kind of offerings on the regular?

B) have you heard of short stories? If you truly think every story NEEDS to be longform to connect with people, I sincerely feel sorry for you.

C) Average novel length is between 50k to 100k. I'm sorry, but CONSISTENTLY demanding fic writers to push out fics of that length is insane. Just think about it: YOU DEMAND AUTHORS TO PUT OUT FICS THAT COMPARE TO COMMERCIAL NOVELS IN LENGTH (AND QUALITY) AS A BASELINE.

Yall are wilding.

[kiyasepicverse]

Foreshadowing Ideas

• Character themes/motifs. I’ve heard of one writer who tries to give each character their own theme for similes, metaphors, descriptions, etc so there’s like a theme to the way they’re portrayed. You could use that to foreshadow notable secrets about the character that will later be revealed, or if at any point they’re disguised then you can use that to tip off the reader that they have the same motifs and so might be related/the same person

• Tiny details hidden in lists. Say the MC was trying to work out the identity of a bad guy, who we know was wearing a red shirt on the day of a big bad event. A few chapters later, MC is checking around their best friend’s room to find them, with the place its usual mess with discarded takeaway boxes, the bed unmade, a red shirt left on the floor that could use a good sweep. The red shirt might not click with all the readers, but those who register it upon their first read will eat it up

• Inconsistent behavioural patterns. Once we have a good idea of what a character is like, having them act out of character can set off alarm bells and make us question what’s occurred to make them act this way. Let the other characters register it too, if it’s reasonable that they would, but let them ultimately brush it off quite quickly to keep it subtle. Or just call it right out, whichever you prefer

• Unreliable narrators. Let one character say one thing and a second character say another, even if they both ultimately agree on the same thing but get one or two small details wrong. Ideally do this two or three times in order for the reader to know it’s not just a mistake in the plot but an intentional inconsistency, but even if it’s only done once and it’s taken as a mistake it’ll still slot together like puzzle pieces in the end and they’ll be kicking themself for dismissing it

• In-universe red herrings. If you’re going to add red herrings as foreshadowing, it’s helpful if the red herring aligns with the intentions of someone person aware of the upcoming plot twist who’s trying to control the narrative. Say the plot twist was the reveal of a mysterious character’s identity to be the best friend of the MC, the best friend might have deliberately thrown the MC off their scent by planting suspicions in the MC’s mind that a different character was the mysterious character’s identity all along. This is less about foreshadowing the actual reveal, of course, but rereads will be a punch to the gut when everyone realises that all this misinformation and red herring business came from someone trying to cover their own ass rather than coming from misunderstandings or multiple other random sources