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mtkiseki · 5 years

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on fanfic & emotional continuity

Writing and reading fanfic is a masterclass in characterisation.

Consider: in order to successfully write two different “versions” of the same character - let alone ten, or fifty, or a hundred - you have to make an informed judgement about their core personality traits, distinguishing between the results of nature and nurture, and decide how best to replicate those conditions in a new narrative context. The character you produce has to be recognisably congruent with the canonical version, yet distinct enough to fit within a different - perhaps wildly so - story. And you physically can’t accomplish this if the character in question is poorly understood, or viewed as a stereotype, or one-dimensional. Yes, you can still produce the fic, but chances are, if your interest in or knowledge of the character(s) is that shallow, you’re not going to bother in the first place.

Because ficwriters care about nuance, and they especially care about continuity - not just literal continuity, in the sense of corroborating established facts, but the far more important (and yet more frequently neglected) emotional continuity. Too often in film and TV canons in particular, emotional continuity is mistakenly viewed as a synonym for static characterisation, and therefore held anathema: if the character(s) don’t change, then where’s the story? But emotional continuity isn’t anti-change; it’s pro-context. It means showing how the character gets from Point A to Point B as an actual journey, not just dumping them in a new location and yelling Because Reasons! while moving on to the next development. Emotional continuity requires a close reading, not just of the letter of the canon, but its spirit - the beats between the dialogue; the implications never overtly stated, but which must logically occur off-screen. As such, emotional continuity is often the first casualty of canonical forward momentum: when each new TV season demands the creation of a new challenge for the protagonists, regardless of where and how we left them last, then dealing with the consequences of what’s already happened is automatically put on the backburner.

Fanfic does not do this.

Fanfic embraces the gaps in the narrative, the gracenotes in characterisation that the original story glosses, forgets or simply doesn’t find time for. That’s not all it does, of course, but in the context of learning how to write characters, it’s vital, because it teaches ficwriters - and fic readers - the difference between rich and cardboard characters. A rich character is one whose original incarnation is detailed enough that, in order to put them in fanfic, the writer has to consider which elements of their personality are integral to their existence, which clash irreparably with the new setting, and which can be modified to fit, to say nothing of how this adapted version works with other similarly adapted characters. A cardboard character, by contrast, boasts so few original or distinct attributes that the ficwriter has to invent them almost out of whole cloth. Note, please, that attributes are not necessarily synonymous with details in this context: we might know a character’s favourite song and their number of siblings, but if this information gives us no actual insight into them as a person, then it’s only window-dressing. By the same token, we might know very few concrete facts about a character, but still have an incredibly well-developed sense of their personhood on the basis of their actions.

The fact that ficwriters en masse - or even the same ficwriter in different AUs - can produce multiple contradictory yet still fundamentally believable incarnations of the same person is a testament to their understanding of characterisation, emotional continuity and narrative.

#THIS #MOOD #TOTAL MOOD #fanfiction

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mtkiseki · 5 years

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Progress

#holy shit #signal boost #this #science

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mtkiseki · 5 years

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tmw you realize you gave an extremely minor, and I mean extremely minor character a backstory, a plotline, and a redemption arc of all things...and it thus led you to a roadblock because you don’t know how to incorporate him long-term in the fic

#nanowrimo #writing #fucking nanowrimo #rip

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mtkiseki · 5 years

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Day 16; 10,570 words done

I’m so far behind qwq

Why did I decide to take a packed course load this quarter? I’m dying

Random Snippets down below as a sneak peek

01 | Aji-keshi | 味消し

“You requested our presence, Manager Cui Li, for what reason?” Ye Qiu’s voice cut through her thoughts, causing her to tear her gaze away to refocus on the situation at hand. “What could not have awaited the coming of the next day?”

Su Mucheng internally winced at the formality of this Ye Qiu’s speech. Cui Li had just opened his mouth to speak when Ye Qiu asked, no, demanded, an explanation.

Cui Li closed his mouth sharply, his eyes narrowing. This peculiarity did not slip by him either, but Ye Qiu’s shift in personality had thrown him off, his intended words changing.

“Some things, Ye Qiu, are best done swiftly, as you should know.”

Ye Qiu simply nodded, his eyes never drifting from Cui Li’s form. “Then shall we start the meeting? Seats first, for standing about while conversing on such urgent matters is not proper protocol.”

“There is no need for that,” Cui Li tersely stated. “As you can see, we are welcoming last season’s Best Rookie into Team Excellent Era. Management has already decided that Sun Xiang will take over your position as captain.”

Silence filled the room.

Cui Li, as if to aggravate the situation even further, added, “This should be of no surprise to you. Ye Qiu, you have done Excellent Era a great service, having led us to three consecutive championships. You have given us a dynasty, but—” Cui Li paused, meeting Ye Qiu squarely in the eyes, “Excellent Era seeks more than that. We seek the future; the past has no place where Excellent Era intends to soar. One Autumn Leaf’s title of Battle God has never once been in question.”

Su Mucheng watched on, frozen. No, this...this was not happening.

“Thus, hand over One Autumn Leaf to Sun Xiang. He will assume command and continue your legacy.”

Seek the future...

The past has no place…

Has never once been in question…

Continue your legacy…

02 | Aji 味 | Yú Wèi 余味

The walk felt like an eternity, each step wading deeper into the darkness, into infinity. Words rang in his ears, akin to the humming of cicadas, the buzzing of dragonfly wings, the rustling of reeds, the lapping of water against the shore. Still, he walked forward, back straight, head tossed back, eyes blazing. There was no hesitation in his movements, no regrets. What had he done to regret? Everything led to this moment, be it through fate or luck, this path was his own, became his own. Even though he knew, he knew from the look in Cui Li's eyes, from the presence of the outsider within the midst of their club, from the jeers and mocking eyes of his colleagues, he knew but did nothing.

This...this was meant to be, wasn't it?

Ye Qiu briefly closed his eyes for a moment, letting the aura sweep over him, letting the hidden malice within the surroundings to wash over him ineffectually.

Whatever he did, he would do it with honor, with glory, with pride.

“Mucheng,” he began, voice softening subconsciously. A laugh bubbled up within him, the taste of bitterness clogging up his senses, but he suppressed any visible reaction to the acridity. “Do you not understand? This is not the Excellent Era I have watched grow, reaching for stars that I do not favor. There is no place here for me, not any longer. I am but a money sink, a valueless piece on the board.”

“You’re not! How...how come you came to this conclusion? You’re the Ye Qiu! You set records and achievements that no one has been able to break even now! How are you a money sink? The only reason Excellent Era, the only reason I am getting those sponsorships, is because of you! Your strength doesn’t lose to anyone,” Su Mucheng argued vehemently.

“If that was all that mattered, Su Mucheng, then any team with a strong player would be victorious,” Cui Li interjected, shifting the room’s attention back to his person. His mouth curled into a ridiculing smile. “Anyone can play Glory, but not everyone can play Glory professionally. Sacrifices must be made, but Ye Qiu,” he sneered, “cannot make what must be made.”

03 | Joban 序盤 | Xù Pán 序盤

He was staring up at the sky, she realized. A faint shimmer of moonlight accentuated his sharp features, making him seem even more...more not Ye Qiu. She swallowed, her throat parched still. Licking her chapped lips, she finally found her voice. “Now what?”

“I’ll rest a year…” Ye Qiu began, but then he broke off, gaze suddenly withdrawing from the sky. His eyes were dark, a pitch black in this poor lighting. Her own eyes widened when she saw her reflection within his eyes, her reflection and nothing else.

“A year...and then what?” Su Mucheng asked eventually, the silence becoming too thick for her to bear.

Ye Qiu did not look at her, not really. He was seeing through her, as if she was but another face in the crowd.

“You’re still awake at this hour?”

Cradling the phone against his shoulder, he stirred the stew a bit more before withdrawing the wooden spoon and setting it to the side. He allowed his old friend’s words to wash over him as he began searching for that specific spice he needed but could never manage to remember where he last placed it. Around him, an array of ingredients decorated the kitchen counters in an unorganized manner.

“Are you even listening to me?”

“Eh.” He finally managed to find it behind the canister of sugar. Sprinkling a dash into the stew, he set it to simmer for the night. He readjusted the phone to his hand and walked toward the sink, his gaze drawn to the clear sky visible outside through the window. “Kind of.”

“Kind of? You—at least go to sleep a bit earlier; you have a match tomorrow, and you aren’t as young as you used to be.”

“Alright, mother.”

“Who would want to give birth to you? I would have demanded a blood test.”

“Tch, back at you.”

A laugh resounded in his ear, and he couldn’t help the smile crossing his face. “Night, Akira.”

“Good night, Hikaru.”

Hikaru stared down at his phone, his finger still pressing down on the screen. Would it be a good night? He glanced back outside at the star-filled sky and hoped it would be.

“I have another match tomorrow, Sai. Please, continue watching over me.”

【往昔之荣耀 | Glory of the Past 】

Author: MTKiseki

Genre: Fanfiction

Synopsis

Keep reading

#glory of the past #nanowrimo #往昔之荣耀 #quan zhi gao shou #hikaru no go #the king's avatar #my writing #fanfiction #crossover #TKAxHnG #aji-keshi #aji #joban #snippets

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mtkiseki · 5 years

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Celtic Deities

I will be adding more to this in the future

Abellio - Celtic God of the apple tree.

Aine - Celtic Goddess of love and fertility, later known as the fairy queen. Goddess related to the moon, crops, and farms or cattle. Aine is revered among Irish herbalists and healers and is said to be responsible for the body’s life force. A woman of the Leanan Sidhe (Sweetheart of the Sidhe). Some said she was the daughter of Manannan, some said she was the Morrigan herself. There was a stone, Cathair Aine, belonging to her and if anyone sat on the stone, they would be in danger of losing their wits, sit three times and they would lose them forever. Aine was very revengeful, and it was not a safe thing to offend her.

Airmid - A healing Goddess of the celtic order of Tuatha de Danaan, Goddess of medicinal plants and keeper of the spring. Regenerates, or brings the dead to life again.

Amaethon - Celtic God of agriculture, husbandry, and luck.

Angus Og - Celtic (God of youth, love, and beauty. One of the Tuatha De Danaan, name means “young son”. He had a harp that made irresistible music, and his kisses turned into birds that carried messages of love. His brugh, underground fairy palace, was on the banks of the Boyne River. Variants: Angus or Oengus of the Brugh, Angus Mac Oc, Oengus Mac In Og.

Anu - Manifestation magic, moon, air, fertility, prosperity. Celtic (Irish) Goddess of plenty. Mother earth Goddess and maiden aspect of the Morrigu.

Aoibhell - Another woman of the Sidhe, she made her dwelling in Craig Liath. Legend has it that she gave a golden harp to Meardha, Murchadh’s son, when he was getting his schooling at the Sidhe in Connacht and learned of his father’s death. Whoever heard the playing of the harp would not live long afterward. It was this harp that Cuchulain heard the time his enemies were gathering against him at Muirthemne, and he knew by the sound that his life was near its end.

Arawn - Celtic God of the underworld, terror, revenge, and war. Invoke during element of earth. Only when Christian conversion, did the Welsh look on the underworld as hell.

Arianrhod - “The Silver Wheel”, “High Fruitful Mother”. Celtic Goddess, the sister of Gwydion and wife of Donn. Deity of element of Air, reincarnation, full moons, time, karma, retribution. The palace of this sky Goddess was Caer Arianrhold (Aurora Borealis). Keeper of the Silver Wheel of Stars, a symbol of time and karma. Her ship, Oar Wheel, carried dead warriors to Emania (Moon-land).

Artio - Celtic wildlife Goddess.

Babd Catha - Celtic Goddess of war. Mother aspect of the triple Goddess. Symbolizes life, enlightenment, wisdom and inspiration. Sister of Macha, the Morrigan, and Anu, the name of this Goddess means “boiling,” “battle raven,” and “scald-crow”. Known as Cath Bodva in Gaul. A Mother Goddess and Triple Goddess and part of the trio for which Ireland was named including Eriu and Fotia or Fodla, Badb’s cauldron boiled with the ever-producing mixture that produced all life. Variants: Badhbh, Badb, Banba

Balor - Although he was born with two good eyes, one was ruined in an accident; the eye is so hideous that he only opens it in battle so that its venom will slay whoever is unlucky enough to catch glimpse of it; his daughter marries Cian. Also known as Balor of the Evil Eye.

Bel - Celtic Fire and sun God, also God of purification, science, fertility, crops and success. Symbolizes element of fire, health. A sun and fire God closely connected with the Druids and the festival of Beltaine (May 1). Variants: Belenus, Belinos, Beli Mawr (Wales).

Blodeuwedd - Celtic Maiden form of the Triple Goddess. She was changed into an owl for committing adultry and plotting to kill Lleu. Symbolizes wisdom, lunar mysteries, initiations. Known to help a garden or a child grow. Known as the Ninefold Goddess of the Western Isles of Paradise and Flower-Face, Goddess was created by Math and Gwydion as a wife for the God Lleu.

Boann - Celtic Goddess of the River Boyne and mother of Angus Mac Og by the Dagda. She was the wife of Nechtan, a god of the water. Likewise, Boann was herself a water-goddess, and one of her myths concerns the water. According to legend, there was a sacred well (Sidhe Nechtan) that contained the source of knowledge. All were forbidden to approach this well, with the exception of the god Nechtan (as was noted, Boann’s husband) and his servants. Boann ignored the warnings, and strode up to the sacred well, thus violating the sanctity of the area. For this act, she was punished, and the waters of the defiled well swelled and were transformed into a raging river, a river that pursued her. In some versions, she was drowned; while in others, she managed to outrun the currents. In either case, this water became the river that was known henceforth as the Boyne, and Boann thereafter became the presiding deity.

Another aspect of the myth of Boann is that she bore Angus. She and the All father of the Tuatha De Danaan, the Dagda, engaged in an illicit affair that resulted in the birth of this god of love. However, since both Boann and the Dagdha wished to keep their rendezvous a secret, they used their divine powers to cause the nine month gestation period to last but a single day - or so it seemed, for the sun was frozen in the sky for those nine months, never setting and never rising. On this magical day, Angus emerged into the world. She held the powers of healing. Variants: Boannan, Boyne.

Bran - Celtic God of health. A beautiful woman appeared before Bran and told him to search for a group of islands where there was no sorrow, sickness, death, or evil. He voyaged until he found these islands, most importantly the Isle of Women. He eventually was lured away by a friend, but when he found he was unknown in his native Ireland, he left again. Brother of Branwen and Angus Mac Og. Also known as Bran the Blessed.

Branwen - Celtic Goddess of love and beauty. The sister of Bran the Blessed and Manannan mac Lir, daughter of Lir, and wife of the Irish king Matholwch. Died of a broken heart after Bran’s death. Known as Venus of the Northern Seas

Brighid - Celtic. One of the triple Goddesses of the Celtic pantheon. She is the daughter of The Dagda, the All Father of the Tuatha de Danann, one of the most ancient people of Northern Europe. Some say there are actually three Brighids; one is in charge of poetry and inspiration; one is in charge of midwifery and healing, and the last is in charge of crafts and smiths.

She probably began as a sun Goddess. According to legend, she was born at sunrise and a tower of flame beamed from her head.

As Goddess of fire and water, she is immortalized by many wells and springs. Most important of her monuments, though, was a shrine at Kildare where there was a perpetual flame burning for Brighid. It was tended by nineteen virgins called the Daughters of the Flame, wearing deep crimson habits and bearing swords. They would not talk to men, nor could men come near the shrine. Her feast is St.Brighids Days in Ireland and is the Pagan Festival of Imbolc

When Christianity began its onset, so loved was Brighid that she was made a saint. However, the upkeep on her flame was considered pagan by the church and it was extinguished out of more than a thousand years of burning. St. Brigit remains one of the most popular Irish saints today, along with Saint Patrick.

Identical to Juno, Queen of Heaven. Symbolizes human potential. Also known as Brigit, Brigid, Brigindo, Bride.

Caer Ibormeith Celtic - Celtic Goddess of sleep and dreams; and perhaps a less violent version of Mare; daughter of Ethal Anubail, a faery king of Connacht. She often took the form of a swan who lived on a lake called Dragon’s Mouth, and wore a copious golden chain with 130 golden balls on a silver chain about her slender neck.

She was loved by Aengus MacOg, God of young love. When he awakened from a dream of her he sought her out. After he found her, he too became a swan, and the two of them flew and sang the sweetest, most restful music ever heard upon this earth. Together they flew away to Bruigh na Boinne, his megalithic site north of Tara, where they sang so wonderfully that the whole of Ireland fell into a peaceful sleep for three days and three nights.

Cailleach - Celtic Goddess of disease and plague. A Destroyer, or Crone, Goddess, she was also called “Veiled One”. As the Crone, she ruled with the Maiden and the Mother. Monsterous Dogs guarded the gates of her afterworld realm where she received the dead. Celtic myth has her gatekeeper dog named Dormarth “Death’s Door”. Irish bards who could curse with satire were often called cainte “dog”.

Camalus - “Of the Invisible Sword”, “Heaven”. Celtic God of war and sky. Similar to Mars, only more vicious.

Cernunnos - Celtic God of virility, fertility, life, animals, forests and the underworld. The Horned or Antlered God is born at the winter solstice, marries the Goddess at Beltane, and dies at the summer solstice. He alternates with the Goddess of the moon in ruling over life and death, continuing the cycle of death, rebirth and reincarnation.

Symbolizes element of earth, love, fertility, death the virile male aspect and the dark half of the year. The two fold aspect of the God year with the Greenman or Jack o’ the Green being his light aspect. This takes on a similarity to the Oak King and Holly King legend. Leads the wild hunt at Samhain, hence the day best associated with the Dark Lord.

Also A consort to the mother Goddess. Druids knew him as Hu Gadarn, the Honored God. Ancient Celtic images show him seated in a lotus position, naked, with antlers or horns on his head. Christians demonized this benevolent God for easy conversion and is where the image of the Christian devil comes from (Couldn’t be further from facts nor truth but alas yet another tragedy of misdeed and “bearing false witness”, to quote a commandment).

Animals that were sacred to him: bull, ran, stag, and horned serpents. Variants: Cerowain, Cernenus, Herne the Hunter.

Cerridwen - Celtic Moon, Grain and Nature Goddess. Cerridwen’s symbol is a white sow. Patron of the poets, greatest of all the bards.

She prepared in a cauldron a magical brew which stewed for a year and would yield three precious drops. These would bestow on the receiver the wisdom of the past, the knowledge of the present, and the secrets of the future.

Cerridwen symbolizes luck, element of earth, death, fertility, regeneration, inspiration, inspiration, the arts, science, poetry, astrology/zodiac.

Cian - The father of Lugh

Creidhne - God of metalworking; one of the trio of craft-gods of the Tuatha De Danaan.

Creiddylad - Celtic Goddess of flowers, love. A daughter of the sea God Lir, connected with the festival of Beltane and called the May Queen. Variants: Creudylad, Cordelia.

Cyhiraeth - Celtic Goddess of streams, her scream fortells death. Coincides with the Beansidhe or Banshee

The Dadga - Celtic (God of the Earth and All Father. He mates with his wife The Morrigan or Raven on the Celtic New Years Eve (Samhain) Also had a secret love of Boann. Also a God of death; the father of Brighid.

A formidable fighter, but a God of simple tastes who dresses in a brown tunic, hooded cape and leather boots. Dagda had a club which could slew nine men with one end, but could bring back life with the other end. He possessed two swine, one of which was perpetually roasting, the other perpetually growing. His other symbols are the bottomless cauldron of plenty and a harp with which he controls the seasons and is the harp that is seen on many Irish flags and symbolizes Ireland to this day(Hehe, Including the signature symbol for Guiness Beer). God of the arts, knowledge, magic, music, prophecy, prosperity, regeneration. Known as the “Good God” and “Lord of the Heavens,” he was one of the high kings of the Tuatha De Danaan and had four great palaces under hollow hills.

Danu - Celtic Goddess, the mother of The Dagda the All father, Creation Goddess, and Mother of the Tuatha de Danaan. Aspect of the Morrigan or Triple Goddess. Considered to have been an early form of Anu, the Universal Mother. Patroness of wizards. Symbolizes rivers, water, wells, prosperity, magick, and wisdom. Tuatha de Danaan literally means Children or Clan of Danu. The Tuatha de Danaan are the Fae folk of Ireland. EXTREMELY potent Goddess form I easily connect with and work very closely with, personally for most of my rituals and castings. Her celebrations were either Beltane and/or Litha (Summer Solstice)

Dewi - An old Celtic God represented by a red serpent or dragon.

Diancecht - Celtic God of healing and medicine. Once saved Ireland. Held sacred to the Druids due to healing powers and often called upon for such castings and rituals.

In the first battle of Moy Tura, Nuada lost his hand. Diancecht fashioned a new one of silver and joined it to Nuada’s arm. One day, Diancecht’s son Miach took what remained of Nuada’s original flesh hand, placed it next to Nuada’s arm, and spoke an incant. After three days and nights the hand was rejoined to the arm seamlessly.

Nuada rejoiced, but Diancecht was furious that his son was a better healer than he was. Diancecht struck Miach thrice on the head with his sword. Miach was able to heal each wound. Diancecht, more furious now, split Miach’s head in two, killing him. From Miach’s grave grew 365 herbs, each one with curative powers for one of the 365 nerves in the body. Miach’s sister, Airmid, picked these herbs and arranged them according to their curative powers.

Diancecht became so enraged that his son rivaled him even after death that he scattered the herbs about, hoplessly confusing them. If Diancecht hadn’t done this, man would be immortal.

Dis Pater - Celtic God, originally of death and the underworld, eventually the chief of Gods. It is said that Dis Pater is the ancestor of all the Gauls.

Don - Celtic Queen of the Heavens and Goddess of air and sea. Ruled over the land of the dead. Corresponds to the Celtic (Irish) Goddess Danu. Symbolizes control of the elements, the moon.

Druantia - “Queen of the Druids”. Celtic Fir Goddess and Mother of the tree calender. Symbolizes protection, knowledge, creativity, passion, sex, fertility, growth, trees and forests. Her feast day was Beltane.

Lleu - Celtic God of harpers, healing, poets, smiths, sorcerers, and waters. Son of Arianrhod and raised by his uncle Gwydion. A curse prohibited him from having and earthly wife, so his uncles made him one out of flowers and named her Blodeuwedd. She and her lover, Gronw Pebr, plotted Llew’s death, but because of Llew’s divine origins, the death simply became an annual duel between the two men. His symbol is a white stag, and is celebrated on August 1, the Celtic ceremony of Lughnasadh. Variants: Llud Llaw Ereint, Llew, Lleu, Lugh

Macha - Celtic Goddess of war, life, and death. Goddess of cunning, death, sheer physical force; protectoress in both battle and peace. Known as the Crow or Raven as she wore a cloak of RavenÆs feathers, often appeared as a Raven or Crow, Queen of Phantoms, and the Mother of Life and Death, she was honored at Lughnasadh or Samhain. Variants: Mania, Mana, Mene, and Minne.

Myrrdin - “Merlin”, Celtic (Britania, Irish & Welsh) Sorcerer, Druid, Wizard and Magician. Originally an ancient Welsh Druid, priest of the old religion, and great magician. He was transformed in the later Arthurian sagas. Tradition says he learned his powerful magic from the Goddess in her forms of Morrigan, Viviane, Nimue, and Lady of the Lake. Legend says he now lies sleeping in a hidden crystal cave. Variants: Merddin, Merlyn.

Scathach - Celtic Goddess of healing, magic, fighting arts, prophecy. Called the Shadowy One, She Who Strikes Fear, and the Dark Goddess, she was a warrior woman and prophetess who lived in Albion, possibly on the Isle of Skye, and taught fighting arts. Variants: Scota, Scatha, Scath.

#celtic mythology #writing reference #mythology #celtic

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mtkiseki · 5 years

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Writing Asexuality in Fiction - Masterpost

I’ve finally built up a nice series of essays on writing asexuality and asexual characters in fiction. Here they are, all together in one place. They’re intended to be useful for asexual and non-asexual writers alike. They are also meant to be inclusive of gray-asexual and demisexual characters, although my knowledge is limited there.

These essays assume you already have a basic knowledge of what asexuality means: a general lack of sexual attraction to other people. This is not Asexuality 101; for that, check out the links on my resources page.

Character Development Questions

Demisexual Characters and Relationships

Glossary of Words and Concepts Used in Asexual Communities

Fetishization of Asexuality

How to Show That a Character is Asexual

Negative Responses Asexual Characters May Get When Coming Out

Plot Ideas

Potential Sources of Conflict For Asexual Characters

Sex Scenes with Asexual Characters

Stereotypes to Avoid