thediagnosedweeb
They/them. Mostly post original poetry and such
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Latest Posts by thediagnosedweeb
some fucking resources for all ur writing fuckin needs
* body language masterlist
* a translator that doesn’t eat ass like google translate does
* a reverse dictionary for when ur brain freezes
* 550 words to say instead of fuckin said
* 638 character traits for when ur brain freezes again
* some more body language help
(hope this helps some ppl)
Body Language Cheat Sheet For Writers
╰ Facial expressions
These are your micro-signals, like the blinking neon signs of the soul. But they’re small, quick, and often lie harder than words.
Raised eyebrows — This can mean surprise or disbelief, sure. But it can also be a full-on, silent “Are you serious right now?” when someone’s being ridiculous. Or even curiosity when someone’s too emotionally repressed to askthe damn question.
Furrowed brow — That face people make when they’re doing long division in their head or trying to emotionally process a compliment. It’s thinking, yes—but also confusion, deep frustration, or quiet simmering rage.
Smiling — Can be happiness… or total fake-it-till-you-make-it energy. Some smiles are stiff. Some don’t reach the eyes. Show that.
Frowning — Sure, sadness. But also: disappointment, judgment, or the universal “I’m about to say something blunt, brace yourself.”
Lip biting — It’s not just nervousness, it’s pressure. Self-control. Anticipation. It’s the thing people do when they want to say something and decide, at the last second, not to.
╰ Eye movement
The window to the soul? Yeah. But also the window to when someone’s lying, flirting, or deeply trying not to cry in public.
Eye contact — Confidence or challenge. Eye contact can be gentle, curious, sharp like a blade. Sometimes it’s desperate: “Please understand me.”
Avoiding eye contact — Not always guilt. Sometimes it’s protectiveness. Sometimes it’s “I’m afraid if I look at you, you’ll see everything I’m trying to hide.”
Narrowed eyes — Calculating. Suspicious. The look someone gives when their brain’s saying “hmmm...” and it’s not a good hmm.
Wide eyes — Surprise, yes. But also sudden fear. The oh-God-it’s-happening look. Or when someone just found out they’re not as in control as they thought.
Eye roll — Classic. But try using it with tension, like when someone’s annoyed and trying very hard not to lose it in public.
╰ Gestures
This is where characters’ emotions go when their mouths are lying.
Crossing arms — Not just defensive. Sometimes it’s comfort. A self-hug. A barrier when the conversation is getting too personal.
Fidgeting — This is nervous energy with nowhere to go. Watch fingers tapping, rings spinning, sleeves tugged. It says: I’m not okay, but I’m trying not to show it.
Pointing — It’s a stab in the air. Aggressive, usually. But sometimes a desperate plea: Look. Understand this.
Open palms — Vulnerability. Honesty. Or a gesture that says, “I have nothing left to hide.”
Hand on chin — Not just thinking. It’s stalling. It’s delaying. It’s “I’m about to say something that might get me in trouble.”
╰ Posture and movement
These are your vibes. How someone occupies space says everything.
Slumped shoulders — Exhaustion. Defeat. Or someone trying to take up less space because they feel small.
Upright posture — Not always confidence. Sometimes it’s forced. Sometimes it’s a character trying really, really hard to look like they’re fine.
Pacing — Inner chaos externalized. Thinking so loudly it needs movement. Waiting for something. Running from your own thoughts.
Tapping foot — Tension. Irritation. Sometimes a buildup to an explosion.
Leaning in — Intimacy. Interest. Or subtle manipulation. (You matter to me. I’m listening. Let’s get closer.)
╰ Touch
This is intimacy in all its forms, comforting, protective, romantic, or invasive.
Hugging — Doesn’t always mean closeness. Could be a goodbye. Could be an apology they can’t say out loud. Could be awkward as hell.
Handshake — Stiff or crushing or slippery. How someone shakes hands says more than their words do.
Back patting — Casual warmth. Bro culture. Awkward emotional support when someone doesn’t know how to comfort but wants to try.
Clenched fists — Holding something in. Rage, tears, restraint. Fists mean tension that needs somewhere to go.
Hair tuck — Sure, flirtation or nerves. But also a subtle shield. A way to hide. A habit from childhood when someone didn’t want to be seen.
╰ Mirroring:
If two characters start syncing their body language, something is happening. Empathy. Chemistry. Shared grief. If someone shifts their body when the other does? Take notice. Other human bits that say everything without words...
Nodding — Not just yes. Could be an “I hear you,” even if they don’t agree. Could be the “keep going” nod. Could be patronizing if done too slow.
Crossed legs — Chill. Casual. Or closed-off, depending on context. Especially if their arms are crossed too.
Finger tapping — Time is ticking. Brain is pacing. Something’s coming.
Hand to chest — Sincerity, yes. But also shock. Or grounding—a subconscious attempt to stay present when everything feels like too much.
Tilting the head — Curiosity. Playfulness. Or someone listening so hard they forget to hide it.
Temple rub — “I can’t deal.” Could be physical pain. Could be stress. Could be emotional overload in disguise.
Chin stroking — Your classic “I’m judging you politely.” Often used in arguments between characters pretending to be calm.
Hands behind the back — Authority. Control. Or rigid fear masked as control.
Leaning body — This is the body betraying the brain. A tilt toward someone means they care—even if their words are cold.
Nail biting — Classic anxiety. But also habit. Something learned. Sometimes people bite because that’s how they self-soothe.
Squinting — Focusing. Doubting. Suspicion without confrontation.
Shifting weight — Uncomfortable. Unsure. Someone who wants to leave but doesn’t.
Covering the mouth — Guilt. Hesitation. The “should I say this?” moment before something big drops.
Body language is more honest than dialogue. If you really want to show your character’s internal world, don’t just give them lines. Give them a hand that won’t stop shaking. Give them a foot that won’t stop bouncing. Give them a mouth that smiles when their eyes don’t. And if you’re not sure what your character would do in a moment of fear, or love, or heartbreak, try acting it out yourself. Seriously. Get weird. Feel what your body does. Then write that down.
Finally now that the comic is fully public on comicfury, I get to share it with all of you here, too <3
If you enjoyed, please consider supporting by buying a PDF of the comic on itch.io: https://tawnysoup.itch.io/home-in-the-woods
Transness and allegory in media
"There has never been a time without unicorns. We live forever. We're as old as the sky, old as the moon. We can be hunted, trapped, we can even be killed if we leave our forests. But we do not.. vanish."
- The Last Unicorn
"Honestly? I feel worse when I don't do it. Like my insides are itchy. You know, like that second right before you sneeze? That's close to it. Then I shape shift, and I'm free."
".. what if you held it in? If you didn't shape shift?"
"... I'd die."
- Nimona
"And you don't even notice the box that you're in. Until someone comes along and lets you out."
- The Umbrella Academy
"This happens to trolls, Benjamin. Sometimes, our friendships with other species don't survive because of the change."
"It won't be that way with us. It's just uh, a little uncomfortable right now."
"I suggest that you allow yourself to feel comfortable with your discomfort."
- Star trek
"I will not be shackled by the failures of your God. The only blasphemy for me is to follow insignificance. I have taken refuge of your God's failures. And I have triumphed."
- Re-animator
"Do you think I'm an athlete?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Well, you know, I think I'm an athlete. And sometimes I feel like you guys don't see me that way."
- Fantastic Mr. Fox
"We're just.. scared."
"It will be alright, my son. People fear what they do not understand."
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Inspired by an edit I saw elsewhere :]
I Saw the TV Glow(2024) dir. Jane Schoenbrun // An Apartment on Uranus by Paul B. Preciado
FAVORITE MARVEL PAIRINGS: Eddie/Venom (special thanks to @the-borgias for their psd/tutorial!)
At night I dream of public transportation networks so efficient they make cars obsolete
i remember learning the word melancholy at age 7 or something and thinking oh this word's gonna be huge for me
“Anderson argues that Louis did not enter his romantic relationship with Armand out of spite — he feels there was a genuine love between them, and Armand represented a “calmer” and potentially more healthy partner than Lestat ever was.” - The Hollywood Reporter
“I think Louis has something else that lights a fire inside Armand again…He’s enthralled and enraptured by Louis at this point, definitely, for sure.” - Assad Zaman, Autumn Brown Interview
“Vampires are the most human monsters. They really desperately want this happiness, and to be fulfilled. And Louis finds that with Armand, certainly, in episode 4.” - Adam O’Byrne, Episode Insider
“Lestat has never gone away. Lestat is there to pass judgement on decisions that Louis is making, and one of those is his falling in love with Armand.” - Mark Johnson, Episode Insider
“There’s an inevitability about Armand for Louis. It’s like, ‘he’s nice to me.’…as Louis sees it, Armand is not without complication, but is nowhere near as messy as Lestat…With Armand, it’s like ‘we can coexist nicely, and I care about you’…Lestat is his great love. I think he does love Armand, but in a different way.” - Jacob Anderson, Collider
“This is a new dynamic for Louis and Armand together as a couple, but also, Armand's relationship with his coven because of the choice he's made in choosing love, in choosing his pursuit and happiness with Louis.” - Assad Zaman, Entertainment
“For Armand, I think in that moment, that’s Louis seeing Armand for the child that he is, for the sort of innocent that he is, and that’s what makes Armand melt…He kind of sees Louis as his protector.” - Assad Zaman, Katie O’Shaughnessy Interview
“This is really representing Louis letting go of Lestat so he can move on and build a relationship and new persona with Armand.” - Sam Reid, TV Guide
“Armand is seemingly calmer, and kind of a more, I think, gentle creature.” - Jacob Anderson, 92NY Panel
“I think he also got into that relationship knowing that there was an edge to Armand, but he kind of just chose to focus on the sides of him that were gentle and sweet and seemingly the opposite of any of the relationships that he’s had so far.” - Jacob Anderson, TV Insider
“Louis has such a curiosity and zest for life, still, and curiosity about the purpose, and I think Armand has lost that, or keeps losing it…I think there’s a light in Louis that, I don’t know if Armand understands what it is, but he just wants it, he just wants it because it keeps him going.” - Assad Zaman, ATX TV Festival
“But I think that scene in Magnus’ dungeon tower is the beginning of the spike in Louis and Armand’s relationship. I think he continues the relationship with Armand out of spite for the next 70 years.” - Jacob Anderson, The Hollywood Reporter
“…Everybody in the room relives their worst fight with someone they shouldn’t have been in love with but wanted to be; that’s the episode you come up with.” - Rolin Jones, Vulture
“The real tragedy of Armand is that even with Louis, he hasn’t fully given himself, shown himself, and revealed himself. I think, if you can’t be true to yourself and to the person you claim to love the most, if they can’t trust you to be authentic, how can you ever really be authentic?” - Assad Zaman, Autumn Brown Interview
tweet
Something like this would be so colossally helpful. I'm sick and tired of trying to research specific clothing from any given culture and being met with either racist stereotypical costumes worn by yt people or ai generated garbage nonsense, and trying to be hyper specific with searches yields fuck all. Like I generally just cannot trust the legitimacy of most search results at this point. It's extremely frustrating. If there are good resources for this then they're buried deep under all the other bullshit, and idk where to start looking.
Well fucks? Get to it!
urgh
why would you do this to me
same.
My most toxic trait is fully believing that I could get a Vulcan to like me
her: she must be thinking about other women
what i’m thinking about: louis! what? WHAT? it’s morning. i lost time. things got a little heated- with a boy! things got heated with a boy. i was at home picking lint off the sofa- i said to join us! the night’s gone, the room’s soiled, and once again i’m sat here with mop and mindlessness to clean it up. so the room got dirty, so what? i’ll clean it up. no, i clean it up! you make the mess, and i clean it up! mark it on the calendar, align it with ursa major, louis’ tri-annual FUCK OFF AND FIND ME with apologies to follow. i’m sorry. to seek comfort in the arms of lowlifes, and unfortunates, and broken children? fine. oh fine? fine. it doesn’t sound like fine. BUT REVEALING OUR NATURE TO A REPORTER YOU MET IN A BAR TEN HOURS AGO? what if it was published? I WAS HAVING SOME FUN! like we don’t have enough to fear after paris- i was in the middle of ending things when YOU- no, you nearly passed out on the floor next to him, louis! out on your feet from the drugs you stuffed him with- oh this is boring! you’re boring! YOU ARE SO BORING! and here come the drugs. COLORLESS. up the fangs. FLAVORLESS. down the throat. DULL. into the heart and off the fingers, feet, and wallowing brain. DULL NIGHTS, DULL WEEKS, DULL MONTHS, DULL AS FUCK! suffocation by the world’s softest, beige-est pillow. the ten hours i spent with that boy were more exciting, more fascinating than DECADES with you. oh there it is, the half-blank, half-apocalyptic look. but what does it mean tonight, huh? does he wanna lick my boots, or chop my hands off? is it the gremlin or the good nurse tonight, huh? okay, okay, perhaps. but am i as boring as the blather committed onto the ferric tapes of your FASCINATING boy? oh, oh it’s so hard to be me! picking lint off the sofa? it’s so hard to kill humans! i can feel their feelings as i drain them! louis de pointe du lac, it’s so hard to be me! everyone i know wronged me! okay, okay, let’s wake the boy up and let’s try you. i’m the vampire armand and my daddy vampire groomed me into a little BITCH! my brother, he tossed himself off a roof- but the vampires have heard of my daddy- my sister, she buried me alive! so he made me pretend i didn’t have a dick for 240 years. my daughter was my sister was my throw pillow. well he wouldn’t look at me kindly, lestat, lestat, lestat, lestat, lestat, lestat, lestat, lestat, lestat, lestat, lestat- I TALKED SHIT ABOUT HIM THE WHOLE TIME-THE NAME! THE NAME, UNUTTERED IN OUR HOME FOR 23 YEARS SAID OVER AND OVER AGAIN UNTIL IT WAS POUNDING IN MY BRAIN LIKE A HAMMER! our problems aren’t about HIM! and you threw HER name around just for cover, but it always circled back to him. i loved her. BUT SHE DIDN’T LOVE YOU! not like he did, not like i have. i know. I KNOW!
In the future, children will think our ways are strange. "Why do old people always grow so much milkweed in their gardens?" they'll say. "Why do old people always write down when the first bees and butterflies show up? Why do old people hate lawn grass so much? Why do old people like to sit outside and watch bees?"
We will try to explain to them that when we were young, most people's yards were almost entirely short grass with barely any flowers at all, and it was so commonplace to spray poisons to kill insects and weeds that it was feared monarch butterflies and American bumblebees would soon go extinct. We will show them pictures of sidewalks, shops, and houses surrounded by empty grass without any flowers or vegetables and they will stare at them like we stared at pictures of grimy children working in coal mines
No no listennnn it’s the way Obi-Wan drags out the first ‘a’ in Anakin’s name. It’s the way everyone else ignores the hyphen in Obi-Wan’s name and runs it all together but Anakin pronounces every syllable slowly and clearly. It’s how Anakin was the only constant in Obi-Wan’s life from the time Qui-Gon died, how he threw all of his energy into keeping Anakin safe and sheltered, because he’d already seen too many horrors as a slave. It’s about how Anakin went to Obi-Wan’s room every night for a year because he was afraid he would disappear like Qui-Gon and his mom, and Obi-Wan lost sleep because he doesn’t know how to swim. It’s how Anakin grumbled and complained about Obi-Wan’s teaching to others because his feelings were so muddled and confused and yet he would die for him in a heartbeat and thrived on his approval. How Anakin, hours after losing his mom horrifically and suddenly, threw himself into a battle with Count Dooku on Geonosis and lost his arm to save Obi-Wan because he couldn’t lose him too. How Obi-Wan tried to steer Anakin from attachment but in the process became irrevocably attached himself, admitting multiple times to loving Anakin, passing down the gift his own Master gave him for his birthday years ago that meant nothing to Obi-Wan when he got it but meant everything to Anakin because it was from Obi-Wan, holding onto Anakin’s lightsaber and cloak when all else of him was lost, taking care of his children because they were living pieces of him. It’s that they called each other and asked after the other constantly when they’re apart during the Clone Wars. It’s that Ahsoka was technically Anakin’s Padawan but they thought of her as theirs and she called them her parents to others. It’s the little things like Anakin modifying Obi-Wan’s R4 droid to look like his own R2 unit. It’s the big things like them being able to sense one another from lightyears away even after Anakin turns. It’s Obi-Wan willfully turning a blind eye to Anakin’s violations of the code because he wanted him to be happy more than he wanted him to be a good Jedi. Anakin still referring to him as “Master” even after their apprenticeship is over, to their last battle; Anakin wishing that Obi-Wan would stay with him in his time of need rather than go to fight General Grievous and end the war; that they were the greatest Jedi to live, at the end of the age of heroes, “the best for last” and they were so insanely, disgustingly, beyond attached despite the Code’s teachings on what made a Jedi good, and they were the best. They were the best because they were together. Because they were Kenobi and Skywalker and that became one name, the name of the Open Circle Fleet, name of the greatest duo the Jedi had ever seen. I consider almost nothing from the sequel trilogy canon EXCEPT for the force dyad because you can’t tell me they weren’t one and never even knew because that was just how they were. They just figured they matched each other’s freak too hard. That’s just them.
some fucking resources for all ur writing fuckin needs
* body language masterlist
* a translator that doesn’t eat ass like google translate does
* a reverse dictionary for when ur brain freezes
* 550 words to say instead of fuckin said
* 638 character traits for when ur brain freezes again
* some more body language help
(hope this helps some ppl)
Oh, to be Thanatos. You are tied to the House you were born in, title already in your hands, godhood all ready to shape you, with the starry sky of your mother's eyes holding you close. You don't really like the noise of the busy souls that crowd the hall, it's not that you didn't enjoy being a child, but the announcement of the Gentle Death was too big that your little bones had to learn how to carry it for your mother, and for the House.
And then, he is born. He is tiny, so so tiny. And he is bright and he is fire and he burns. He laughs and it echoes all throughout the house, running around with you hand in hand, a complicit smile on your face when he touched things he shouldn't, or toed the rules clumsily, falling headfirst into them. He always got on his feet, brushed the pain off his knees and smiled and giggled for you.
He used to pluck leaves off his laurels and give them to you, hide in obvious places in such a way it had to be on purpose. He always wanted to find you, and to be found. He would stand at every corner of the House of Hades, awaiting the toll of your bells. He liked your hair, and your eyes, and your smile. You don't understand how every strand of his being can radiate warmth.
You are being pulled, always. By him, and by what you must do. Cries and dying breaths, and blood of thousands of men, praying for someone to take them to a good place. Praying for one second more. And then, two seconds, for one hour. You never really understood, life can only last so much. They have to let it go, traverse the waters, so other people can see the sun, the night.
They won't stop existing. Because after the crossing of the river there are other places they can go to. Places where higher forces tell them they belong to. Just like you. Everything born in this house is tied to it. To its walls and ceilings. No one ever goes so far. No one ever leaves forever.
Except her, of course. But it's not for you to presume, whether she left because she belonged too much, or if she didn't. Neither or both, it doesn't really matter right now.
You grow up, and so does he. He is always fluttering around, the House bends at his feet. He stares bored at his papers. Spars and he looks like he is soaring with a sword in his hand. He loves. So much. So much it hurts you. It's written across his face, lettering all around his body.
You however, choke with your own thoughts, too many to ever stop and contemplate, because when you think about him there is always a glowing tangle of things you want to say, but you can never. He looks, like he knows what you want to say, but you feel like you're pushing yourself from him, when you swallow the sentences to the pit of your stomach.
They will always come back though. Acidic and a bad aftertaste of loneliness and regret, you mull their bitter ends and chew them as you wander the upper land, far away so he cannot read you. Because he is an all consuming presence, and even far away, he is around you. The bending flowers at the river. When the clouds embrace the sun, you couldn't help but think of holding him like that, too. Covering him for a moment, draping him with your figure, a breath near his own.
But that's too much. Too much. You can't, you are not there, and the war unfolding just makes you longer for him more. For the House and your mother, and the cold, gold pillars.
And then he leaves. He fucking leaves. You have to pull Hypnos's teeth and stare at your mother until she raises a brow, still shielding him. How can he go? Why would he leave? He was born here, he was here all the time. Your world, the world you love is down here, why would he discard it so easily as well?
The House is in shambles, and the steps close to the river are never fully clean. Blurred footprints that leave a messy trail.
You find him. Because how could you not? Why would you not? You have to shake him awake, remind him that his life is down here, very deeply burrowed in this realm. That upstairs and above there's nothing for them, nothing for you or him. That a search for the silhouette of a mother gone is absurd. That dying and waking, and dying and waking will drive him inside. Making you insane as well. The river Lethe is a few steps ahead, and you feel like drinking all of it so you can forget how it feels having him cut his way out of your chest. Out of your heart.
You just don't get it. Maybe you never did. Maybe you should've told him all those things that you left up there, maybe that's why he is leaving. Or maybe, he was never supposed to be known by you. Maybe he was being lended to you, and now the world wants him back.
Or maybe he just doesn't get it. Swan diving directly to the pits of seething heat, and cooling swords. To the gritty of the plagues, just to be stopped by a spear. A spear all of you know.
And he finds her. And you still don't get it. You say things that freeze his face; and he retorts back with a crackle of a flame. You used to blend so well together. Now you can't even remember how to talk to him.
It comes slowly, in long, suffering waves. He is not leaving. Just searching. Maybe because you never had to, you never understood. Maybe it's not that people are made for places; but they carve their own shapes into them. Maybe he just had to figure out the knife or his shape. But he's not leaving, he would never leave you, he says.
He would always come back and hold his breath for the toll of your bells, so you can both learn how you can blend once again, how it would feel to hold Zagreus with no choked words. Or no scathing heart breaks, left uncompleted all across the Underworld, for no one to find them, or run into them.
You never really liked the sun. But if it means that Zagreus brings back its light everytime it returns, as if he stole it or took a piece of it, to bring alight everything else; then, you wouldn't mind its warmth for a while. Life and Death, one and the same.
Thanatos and Zagreus, forevermore.
Liking star trek as a woman is the hardest job in the world
On being Good
I want to be Good, I yearn to be Good and yet I'm still me
twoheadedfawnn// Tongues & Teeth by The Crane Wives// susitse.art//Never Love an Anchor by The Crane Wives// Sweet Hibiscus Tea by Penelope Scott// ugly, bitter, and true by Suzanne Rivecca// Sept 15 1893 by The Mountain Goats// calling a wolf a wolf by Kaveh Akbar// House Song by Searows// We'll Never Have Sex by Leith Ross// ruinedangel777// I'm Your Man by Mitski// Into the Woods: Last Midnight sung by Meryl Streep //Captain Curly's character section on the TVtropes Mouthwashing page// flowrrs4u & Our Bodies & Other Fine Machines by Natalie Wee// suistse.art // A Burning Hill by Mitski// Wild Geese by Mary Oliver//
I am good. I am loved.
sometimes you need dialogue tags and don't want to use the same four
another entry in my fantasy sketchbook. pen and watercolor.
the intimacy of being a weapon. your body is an extension of their power, your words an extension of their will. you are made significant in the way a gun is only dangerous with a finger on the trigger, and a blade only swipes through the actions of a swordsman. to have one end of yourself fit perfectly, comfortably in their hands while the other sheds blood. you are given purpose because of them, and they are given strength because of you.
grinding for gaza while trying to keep my sanity intact. i'm just here on tumblr writing post after post, asking, begging for donations, for help. i craft these words carefully hoping someone somewhere might care enough to hit that reblog button or send a few dollars. then i go hunting for the tagging list hoping someone with a bigger reach than me will help amplify my voice because seriously what else can i do? message after message, waiting for a reply, a reblog, anything. the silence is deafening. i wait for the donation notification to pop up like it’s some kind of life raft. maybe just maybe it’ll float my family out of this hell. but mostly i’m sitting here clicking, praying, hoping while my phone keeps buzzing with more bad news. sighs deeply. well back to the grind i guess. shuffle away quietly. maybe trip on a rock this time. who knows.
If you can't donate via GoFundMe, you can use PayPal instead. Please note that 100 SEK is approximately 10 USD, and 200 SEK is around 20 USD.
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@anneemay @tamamita @postanagramgenerator @mxwhore @rooh-afza
@amygdalae @stuckinapril @neptunerings @sabertoothwalrus @ankle-beez
@inkskinned @akajustmerry @mxwhore @pissvortex @catgirl-kaiju
@pryexel48 @nillabean @mintaii @b0nkcreat @pitbolshevik
@balaclava-trismegistus @ripley-stark @irhabiya @gaynfl
@feluka @zsnes @bug-slappy @rikebe @comrademango
@txttletale @tpwrtrmnky @brittklein18 @lakesbian @shadowofmoth
@gauntletqueen @gauntletqueen @extremelycursedimages @evilponds @vacillator
@metamatar @joeyclaire @communist-ojou-sama @soul-hammer @omegaversereloaded
@chilewithcarnage @prokopetz @cowboy-queer @bluesturngold @sjukvarld
@danijaci
thanks spotify wrapped
Spock would be a Mitski girlie
He’s gotta analyze why the song gives him such an intense emotional response
Show, don’t tell
"Show, don’t tell" means letting readers experience a story through actions, senses, and dialogue instead of outright explaining things. Here are some practical tips to achieve that:
1. Use Sensory Details
Tell: "The room was cold."
Show: "Her breath puffed in faint clouds, and she shivered as frost clung to the edges of the window."
Tell: "He was scared."
Show: "His hands trembled, and his heart thudded so loudly he was sure they could hear it too."
2. Focus on Actions
Tell: "She was angry."
Show: "She slammed the mug onto the counter, coffee sloshing over the rim as her jaw clenched."
Tell: "He was exhausted."
Show: "He stumbled through the door, collapsing onto the couch without even bothering to remove his shoes."
3. Use Dialogue
What characters say and how they say it can reveal their emotions, intentions, or traits.
Tell: "She was worried about the storm."
Show: "Do you think it'll reach us?" she asked, her voice tight, her fingers twisting the hem of her shirt.
4. Show Internal Conflict Through Thoughts or Reactions
Tell: "He was jealous of his friend."
Show: "As his friend held up the trophy, he forced a smile, swallowing the bitter lump rising in his throat."
5. Describe the Environment to Reflect Mood
Use the setting to mirror or hint at emotions or themes.
Tell: "The town was eerie."
Show: "Empty streets stretched into the mist, and the only sound was the faint creak of a weathered sign swinging in the wind."
6. Let Readers Infer Through Context
Give enough clues for the reader to piece things together without spelling it out.
Tell: "The man was a thief."
Show: "He moved through the crowd, fingers brushing pockets, his hand darting away with a glint of gold."
7. Use Subtext in Interactions
What’s left unsaid can reveal as much as what’s spoken.
Tell: "They were uncomfortable around each other."
Show: "He avoided her eyes, pretending to study the painting on the wall. She smoothed her dress for the third time, her fingers fumbling with the hem."
8. Compare to Relatable Experiences
Use metaphors, similes, or comparisons to make an emotion or situation vivid.
Tell: "The mountain was huge."
Show: "The mountain loomed above them, its peak disappearing into the clouds, as if it pierced the heavens."
Practice Example:
Tell: "The village had been destroyed by the fire."
Show: "Charred beams jutted from the rubble like broken ribs, the acrid smell of ash lingering in the air. A child's shoe lay half-buried in the soot, its leather curled from the heat."