You started a scam religion for a quick buck. You begin to panic when your fake god was actually a real forgotten one awakened from new worshippers, declared you it's high priest, and granted you the power of healing.
Writing Tips
Punctuating Dialogue
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➸ “This is a sentence.”
➸ “This is a sentence with a dialogue tag at the end,” she said.
➸ “This,” he said, “is a sentence split by a dialogue tag.”
➸ “This is a sentence,” she said. “This is a new sentence. New sentences are capitalized.”
➸ “This is a sentence followed by an action.” He stood. “They are separate sentences because he did not speak by standing.”
➸ She said, “Use a comma to introduce dialogue. The quote is capitalized when the dialogue tag is at the beginning.”
➸ “Use a comma when a dialogue tag follows a quote,” he said.
“Unless there is a question mark?” she asked.
“Or an exclamation point!” he answered. “The dialogue tag still remains uncapitalized because it’s not truly the end of the sentence.”
➸ “Periods and commas should be inside closing quotations.”
➸ “Hey!” she shouted, “Sometimes exclamation points are inside quotations.”
However, if it’s not dialogue exclamation points can also be “outside”!
➸ “Does this apply to question marks too?” he asked.
If it’s not dialogue, can question marks be “outside”? (Yes, they can.)
➸ “This applies to dashes too. Inside quotations dashes typically express—“
“Interruption” — but there are situations dashes may be outside.
➸ “You’ll notice that exclamation marks, question marks, and dashes do not have a comma after them. Ellipses don’t have a comma after them either…” she said.
➸ “My teacher said, ‘Use single quotation marks when quoting within dialogue.’”
➸ “Use paragraph breaks to indicate a new speaker,” he said.
“The readers will know it’s someone else speaking.”
➸ “If it’s the same speaker but different paragraph, keep the closing quotation off.
“This shows it’s the same character continuing to speak.”
As the God of Fire, the Supreme God has tasked you to supervise and educate a newly manifested Goddess. You find a sad, terrified, and confused child, fearful of her powers and the destruction it caused the mortal realm. You are to guide a being born from Man's work, The Goddess of Explosions.
1. Start with a false sense of security
• The best plot twists work because the audience feels confident they know what’s coming.
• How? Lay down a trail of clues that mislead without outright lying. Create a sense of inevitability.
• Example: A detective follows all the evidence to one suspect, only for the real criminal to be someone they completely overlooked.
2. Plant the seeds early
• A plot twist is most satisfying when it feels inevitable in hindsight. Subtly sprinkle clues throughout the narrative.
• How? Use small, seemingly insignificant details that take on new meaning after the reveal.
• Example: A side character is always conveniently absent during key events—later revealed to be orchestrating everything.
3. Subvert expectations without betraying logic
• A twist should surprise readers, but it must feel plausible within the story’s framework.
• How? Flip assumptions in a way that feels earned. Avoid twists that rely on coincidences or break the rules of your world.
• Example: A character who appears harmless and incompetent is revealed as the mastermind, with subtle foreshadowing tying everything together.
4. Exploit emotional investment
• Twists land harder when they involve characters the audience deeply cares about. Use relationships and personal stakes to heighten the impact.
• How? Create twists that change how readers perceive the characters they thought they knew.
• Example: The protagonist’s mentor is revealed to be the antagonist, making the betrayal personal and devastating.
5. Use red herrings strategically
• Mislead readers by planting false clues that draw attention away from the real twist.
• How? Make the red herrings believable but not overly obvious. They should enhance, not distract from, the story.
• Example: A mysterious object everyone believes is cursed turns out to be completely irrelevant, shifting focus from the true danger.
6. Timing is everything
• Reveal the twist at the moment it has the most dramatic or emotional weight. Too early, and it loses impact. Too late, and it feels rushed.
• How? Build tension to a breaking point before the twist shatters expectations.
• Example: A twist that flips the climax—when the hero thinks they’ve won, they realize they’ve fallen into the villain’s trap.
7. Allow for multiple interpretations
• A great twist makes readers rethink the entire story, encouraging them to revisit earlier scenes with new understanding.
• How? Design the twist so that the story works both before and after the reveal.
• Example: A character’s cryptic dialogue is recontextualized after the twist, revealing their hidden motives.
8. Pair the twist with consequences
• A twist shouldn’t just shock—it should change the trajectory of the story. Make it matter.
• How? Show how the twist raises the stakes or deepens the conflict, forcing the characters to adapt.
• Example: After discovering the villain is their ally, the protagonist must choose between loyalty and justice.
9. Keep the reader guessing
• A single twist is good, but layered twists create an unforgettable story. Just don’t overdo it.
• How? Build twists that complement each other rather than competing for attention.
• Example: A twist reveals the villain’s plan, followed by a second twist that the hero anticipated it and set a counter-trap.
10. Test the twist
• Before finalizing your twist, ensure it holds up under scrutiny. Does it fit the story’s logic? Does it enhance the narrative?
• How? Ask yourself if the twist creates a moment of genuine surprise while respecting your audience’s intelligence.
• Example: A shocking but clever reveal that leaves readers satisfied rather than feeling tricked.
HOLY SHIT! TREES!
The creepy fair-folk elves from medieval folklore...are on holiday at the moment, so you've got Santa's Christmas elves trying their best to sub in.
Abandoned cabin haunted by the ghost of another, more abandoned cabin.
Various adorable animals working together to use a shotgun.
Non-ancient cult to a non-ancient horror. They were founded last week and their primordial god is a month old. You're actually their first human sacrifice, please say if you have any constructive criticism :)
Talking crows who have been on some very dodgy message boards lately. They're not dangerous but they're very problematic.
Legolas but he's done snapped
Very generic slasher who's fully aware that this is one of his late-franchise box office bombs. He's still gonna come after you with a machete, contractual obligations, but his heart's clearly not in it anymore.
Allegorical representation of the horrors of late-stage capitalism and the urban wasteland who showed up to the wrong setpiece and is hoping no-one notices.
A bear. Oh, a bear's too generic and mundane is it? Not scary enough? How about I put you in a clearing with an angry bear and see how calm you are? Huh? Thought so. There's a fucking bear. Make me a sanity check, asshole.
Heart of beast, blood of god.
[part 4/?]
I admit, these are a bit rushed because I have been ill the past few days :(
last part [3]:
An important characteristics of plot is that events must be connect to the next one seamlessly and logically. The three types of relationships between events must be either:
Therefore (a cause-effect relationship)
However (something that the readers don't expect)
Meanwhile (meaningful connection between two different scenes/subplots)
It should never be:
And.
While having multiple episodes to show character and build atmosphere is great, a story must be weaved in a way that the readers are introduced to a chain of plot-driven episodes. That way, your narrative will both flow better and capture the attention of the reader.
Happy writing!
─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* . ───
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💎Before you ask, check out my masterpost part 1 and part 2