#hopefully everything I wrote was coherent lmao I try to save these for when I'm actually awake but I was too excited to finally work on it

[spaceratprodigy]

OC Superlatives Tag Game

Thank you for the tag @the-lastcall 💖💫

The Favorite

I don't think this comes as a surprise to anyone. Faith is so very dear to me she is quite literally a part of myself. She brings me so much comfort and has been an outlet for me for the past like? 3 years?? Gosh look at how far she's come. She helps remind me that everything is going to be okay.

The Oldest

While technically I have some ocs that are even older than her, Cookie is my first self insert lmao. Nowadays I don't think any but a couple of y'all would even know who she is and that makes me a lil sad! She's very special to me and was very beloved by people who meant a lot to me. Very few know me and her story well enough to see how on the nose it is an escape from my own life. Not shown here but she has burn scars on her right wrist/forearm. An exaggeration of my own burn scar in the same place. Cookie has always been there as a way to not feel alone, to see myself in someone who has been through similar experiences and made it out through the other side. To remember why it's so important to keep fighting.

The Newest

Okay maybe not the newest.. but Iris is the newest oc I've actually been putting a lot of time and love and effort into! I love her a lot! I know I still don't talk abt her as in depth as I would like to but I swear she's got more going on than I share. I just can't help wanting to draw her so self-indulgently full of love all the time, it makes me happy to have silly fun! I really really have been meaning to doodle her more vulnerable and serious moments because she's got a lot of grief in her heart she isn't letting out.

The Meanest

I suppose she was going to have to make her debut sooner or later.. okay but I genuinely don't have much to say abt Poppy. She's been a priv exclusive oc for a lil while and she's not developed.. like.. at all.. I ramble about her a LOT but I'm also literally every day scrapping everything bc my ideas are constantly changing so she's fr not ready yet lmao. Even I don't fully know what her deal is yet! But I can confirm she is the most ruthless (should I admit she's my lowkey nuka-world raider oc I made specifically to fuck Porter Gage nasty as hell likeeeee)

The Softest

Maril is my BABY!! She does not have a mean bone in her body and the closest she'll ever get is when she's defending her friends! She's so generous, she wants to help others any chance she gets and sees the best in everyone.

The Most Standoffish/Aloof

Faith is quite reserved, honestly. Becoming Captain wasn't exactly the life she chose for herself but it was the role she had to take on. For Phin, for her crew, for Halcyon, it was something she would grow to take seriously in time. She doesn't like to let on just how stressed and overwhelmed she is until she crashes and burns and has to be forced to rest before her stomach ulcer incapacitates her (speaking from experience, it's excruciating). When allowed to, she's pretty quiet and keeps to herself. She was never exactly the most social person and struggled to maintain any sort of relationship with anybody. She'll eventually warm up to her crew and come out of her shell. Sometimes you just need to meet the right band of misfits who get you.

The Smartest

I swear this isn't just me tooting my own horn. I genuinely built her character favoring her intellect and charm. Her highest levels were in engineering, science, and medical. She's got a head on her shoulders, and she's often pretty lost in it. Faith loves to build and tinker with things and loves reading and learning as much as she can. One her own comforts, really. Maril and Iris aren't necessarily too far off on this one, Faith just has a little more under her belt. (Maril is also dedicated almost exclusively to being a gummi ship mechanic and Iris is best at carpentry!)

The Dumbest

Poppy is by no means a moron and shouldn't be underestimated. But her skills and knowledge are very strong in fighting and survival. She does however qualify as my dumbest oc here because.. she was my melee heavy idiot savant build! Girl never at any point got a single level put into her INT lmao.

The One I'd be Friends With

Hands down Maril would be the bestest friend I could ask for. She would be so sweet and considerate and let's be real.. I'd want to also work on the gummi ships with her. I love my gals but I just know Maril would be a ray of sunshine and a great friend. She'd also love to listen to me talk abt all my own projects and we could build so many cool things together..

#this was super fun I've been wanting to work on it for a while but!! i wanted cool lil oc banners too #okay it's super late and I should def be sleeping so I'm gonna pass tf out as soon as I hit the post button fr fr #hopefully everything I wrote was coherent lmao I try to save these for when I'm actually awake but I was too excited to finally work on it #ocs #captain of the unreliable #sole survivor #maril highwind

[grubliinu]

Hello, apologies if this is interrupting your day but i absolutely in love with your writing which is very immersive! I want to write like you. Do you have any recommendations for sources and tips of writing for beginners? Also thank you so much for all the fics. Love them <3

Aaaa oh my gosh this comment just made my day, thank you so much I'm really flattered you think so highly of my writing skills! Sorry it took me a while to reply, I have been busy and wanted to take my time writing a reply. Hopefully, you'll find this useful!

I can't think of any specific sources I have used but my tumblr should have some stuff if you search the ''writing'', writing stuff'' and writing reference'' tags (I think those are the ones I use but man, I really should organize them better lmao) But here are also some other tips I use frequently while writing that I can think from the top of my head:

1) Make a separate document to ''doodle'' on This is a big one for me. I'm not quite sure what kind of writer you are (are you the type to meticulously plan everything before you start writing, or do you go with the flow?) so I don't know how useful this is for you, but I am strictly the former. When I start planning a fic, I make two files – the actual fic, and a separate document that is basically a sketchbook but for writing. There, I write down everything, from ideas to random bits of dialogue that I thought sounded cool and could be used in the future.

Another thing this doodle document is super useful for is creating summaries. Since I write a lot of angst, I often have to write scenes that deal with the character's emotions and inner thoughts. While I like writing that type of stuff, I often struggle to articulate my thoughts and interpretation into something coherent that I can put into words and I have discovered that simply writing a short breakdown essay of every aspect I want to explore in that particular scene. For example, in chapter 4 of Lungs Full of Roses, when Childe destroys the hilichurl camp, in that scene, I wanted to establish how he views his relationship with the tsaritsa and family, as well as reveal how he really feels about Zhongli, so I wrote separate sections for Tsaritsa, Childe's family, and Zhongli, and how Childe feels about them using very simple terms.

I also tend to never erase anything from those documents so that I can revisit an idea in the future. Instead, I just make the font smaller for those parts!

2) Balance between purple prose and ''pragmatic'' (idk what to call it really) This is especially related to your question since this is something that is constantly on my mind as I write – I love using a poetic style of writing full of words that I think sound pretty. However, I personally can't read writing that only consist of that type of purple prose, so I often have to resist the temptation to add more poetic flair to the more mundane parts. But honestly, sometimes you just gotta focus on making the plot move from point A to point B and that's okay! Every sentence doesn't have to be a work of art – in fact, I personally think (or hope in the case of my own writing) that saving the poetics for the more emotional scenes makes them hit even deeper.

3) Use gestures to convey emotions This is like an actual tip from writers but it's also something I try to be aware of when I write. Instead of using something like 'he felt angry', try something like 'he clenched his fist' etc. to convey the anger. The Internet is full of lists of body language and gestures that are created for writers and I recommend checking those out! You can also use metaphors to convey emotions – using the example above, you could write something like ''anger surged through him like a wave''. I like to mix gestures and metaphors.

You can also use the structure of the sentence to convey emotion. For example, if the character is angry, use short sentences. If they're panicking, convey that panic by using a longer sentence that just kinda spirals into panic. (I don't know how to explain so here's an example from Lungs Full of Roses where Childe is both angry and panicking lmao)

[Childe breathed in. Out. He felt trapped, like a giant beast in a small cage, and Archons how he hated it. Hated how his skin crawled with the need for action, hated how his instincts were screaming at him about nonexistent eyes watching his every movement even though he knew that he was alone. A part of him, the part that had been forged by the suffocating mists of the Abyss, itched to destroy his room, no, actually the room wasn't enough – destroy the hotel, the city, the whole goddamn region that prided itself on the fictitious freedom and cloying wine until nothing but ashes remained.] 

As you might have noticed, I wrote ''he felt trapped'' – which is what I just said to avoid. However, I remember thinking that the scene needed something short and simple and I figured that this was the way to go – which goes to show that the rules of writing aren't set in stone and you can absolutely break them if you want (imo the only rule I think everyone should follow is to USE PARAGRAPHS if you write fics, it is really hard to read fics that don't use them)

Annnd that's about what I can currently think of, hopefully, there was something that you find useful! My writing style is something that has been developing for over ten years so it is hard for me to like actually explain it so I'm really sorry this is so disjointed. Again, thank you so much for your kind words, I'm so glad that you sent me this message anon!