InTheBox

AO3: Haunted_Boxes {Hopefully going to post prompt responses and one shots… but we’ll see}

[luna-azzurra]

Character Personality traits & Quirks LIST

Positive Traits:

˙⋆✮ Compassionate, empathetic, kind-hearted

˙⋆✮ Courageous, brave, fearless

˙⋆✮ Loyal, faithful, devoted

˙⋆✮ Intelligent, clever, quick-witted

˙⋆✮ Optimistic, hopeful, positive

˙⋆✮ Patient, tolerant, understanding

˙⋆✮ Honest, truthful, sincere

˙⋆✮ Creative, imaginative, innovative

˙˙⋆✮ Determined, persistent, resilient

˙⋆✮ Generous, selfless, altruistic

˙⋆✮ Confident, self-assured, bold

˙⋆✮ Humble, modest, down-to-earth

˙⋆✮ Charismatic, charming, magnetic

˙⋆✮ Disciplined, organized, methodical

˙⋆✮ Adaptable, flexible, open-minded

Negative Traits/Flaws:

˙⋆✮ Arrogant, prideful, conceited

˙⋆✮ Jealous, envious, covetous

˙⋆✮ Impulsive, reckless, hasty

˙⋆✮ Stubborn, obstinate, inflexible

˙⋆✮ Pessimistic, cynical, negative

˙⋆✮ Selfish, self-centered, egotistical

˙⋆✮ Dishonest, deceitful, manipulative

˙⋆✮ Lazy, unmotivated, apathetic

˙⋆✮ Judgmental, critical, harsh

˙⋆✮ Vengeful, spiteful, vindictive

˙⋆✮ Insecure, self-doubting, anxious

˙⋆✮ Controlling, domineering, authoritarian

˙⋆✮ Naive, gullible, trusting

˙⋆✮ Aggressive, hostile, confrontational

˙⋆✮ Passive-aggressive, indirect, evasive

Quirks & Habits:

˙⋆✮ Bites nails when nervous

˙⋆✮ Always arrives exactly on time (never early or late)

˙⋆✮ Collects unusual objects (bottle caps, ticket stubs, etc.)

˙⋆✮ Talks to themselves when thinking

˙⋆✮ Has to touch doorframes when passing through

˙⋆✮ Hums or whistles unconsciously

˙⋆✮ Avoids stepping on cracks in pavement

˙⋆✮ Counts things compulsively

˙⋆✮ Always carries a specific good luck charm

˙⋆✮ Taps fingers in patterns

˙⋆✮ Quotes movies or books constantly

˙⋆✮ Makes lists for everything

˙⋆✮ Rearranges objects to be symmetrical

˙⋆✮ Gives inanimate objects names and personalities

˙⋆✮ Always wears a specific color or item

[writersisland]

Ways to express the vibe of “Oh. Oh.” without writing “Oh. Oh.”

because we all know the line is a classic for good reason but perhaps a bit too cliche

Oh. Oh no, I know what this is.

Well. That’s inconvenient.

Wait, why is…. Oooooh….

Okay, I know what this looks like. But… Oh man, who am I kidding?

Wait… Oh.

“Oh.” A blink. Then, slower, “Oh…”

“Wait…” Fuck.

What? Why would I feel that way when… Oh.

This is going to hurt, isn’t it?

“What the—“ Oh.

Everything aligns just right then. I’ve been a damn idiot.

“Oh my God!” … Oh my god…

Oh. Oh no…

My hands are shaking and suddenly I understand why my throat feels tight and my heart is pounding. I’m an oblivious fool.

Nope, nope. Not happening. … “Fuck.”

Oh. Oh?

[promptcalender]

Types of Flirting

SUBTLE: giving looks, brushing hands, little comments that could be mistaken for an innocent compliment

PLAYFUL: lighthearted teasing & banter, exaggerated reaction, poking fun at behaviours, playful shoves, feigned offense, "Oh, you think you're funny, do you?"

SUGGESTIVE: straightforward, complimenting looks, casual physical touch, dirty jokes, expressing desire, "We could always sneak out somewhere quieter."

ROMANTIC: head over heals, thoughtful gestures, blushing, classically romantic gestures (holding doors, holding an umbrella, bringing coffee in the morning), "My soul knows yours from another lifetime and calls for yours in this one too."

ANXIOUS: freaking out over every text and interaction, discussing every move with their friends,

BOLD: direct, no subtly, relationships always labelled, "I've really liked being around you. Could I maybe take you on a date sometime?"

SHY: nervous, insecure, showing no interest until they are sure the other is interested, fidgeting, daydreaming about what could be if they had the courage to confess, using excuses to be close to them, "Um... you look really good today."

CARETAKING: acts of service, protectiveness, checking in, bringing snacks, offering jacket, fixing things, walking them home, "Brought you coffee; it's still warm."

CASUAL & INTENSE: platonic flirting with no further intentions, way over the top at times, effortless, fun, teasing, maybe eventually leading to more, "You look great, please break my back and reshape my inner organs."

[Prompt Calender: February 9th, International Flirting Week]

[sickfictropes]

"Were you hurt?"

"I'm fine."

"I'll rephrase. Where are you hurt?"

[deity-prompts]

hi! this might be a bit random but what could be reasons why two people hate each other? i wanted to go for something like gut feeling cause i don’t want too much angst but i’m scared it might come off as too shallow

Not random at all!

Reasons For Your Characters To Hate Each Other

Bad first impression: When A and B meet, A is in a bad mood. They’re snappier than usual and make a rude remark / completely ignore B. B decides then and there that they hate A, causing A to hate B back.

Bad reputation: B has been told time and time again that A is bad news (e.g A is mean, shallow, manipulative, stuck up, etc.). When they meet A, they decide not to give A a chance and presume the worst of them.

Association: A associates B with a bad person / a bad time in their life. For example, B is friends/related to A’s worst enemy or B had something to do with a bad experience that A had. B isn’t directly responsible for anything bad in A’s life, A just associated them with bad things and therefore dislikes them.

Conflicting ideas: Even if they’re on the same side, they may both have different ideas/opinions that they’re unwilling to give up.

Misunderstanding: Very simple. A believes that B wronged them in some way or that B is a bad person when, in reality, B did nothing wrong.

One of them has something that the other one wants: Jealousy is a vicious force, whether it’s for something physical, something emotional, or anything else. Your character might be jealous that the other one has a relationship, opportunities, acceptance, etc.

They simply don’t mesh: They feel like their personalities don’t work together. They may see the other as boring, stuck up, too loud, too quiet, stubborn or a million other things.

Also see:

More reasons for your characters to hate each other

Leave requests for other oneliners and prompts!

[glitchedoutpxie]

How to use Em Dash (—) and Semi Colon ( ; )

Since the ai accusations are still being thrown around, here's how i personally like to use these GASP ai telltales. 🦄✨

Em Dashes (—)

To emphasize a shift / action / thought.

They're accusing us—actually accusing us—of using AI.

To add drama.

They dismissed our skills as AI—didn't even think twice, the dimwits—and believed they were onto something.

To insert a sudden thought. Surely they wouldn't do that to us—would they?

To interrupt someone's speech. "Hey, please don't say that. I honed my craft through years of blood and tears—" "Shut up, prompter."

To interrupt someone's thoughts / insert a sudden event.

We're going to get those kudos. We're going to get those reblogs—

A chronically online Steve commented, “it sounds like ai, idk.”

Semi Colons ( ; )

To join two closely related independent sentences / connect ideas.

Not only ChatGPT is capable of correct punctuation; who do you think it learned from in the first place?

Ultimate pro tip: use them whenever the fudge you want. You don't owe anyone your creative process. 🌈

[luna-azzurra]

Prompts for Writing Romantic Tension

✧ Standing close enough that their breaths mix, but not close enough to justify it.

✧  A hand hovering near their waist, as if unsure whether to stay respectful or ruin everything.

✧ The way their names sound when whispered at the wrong moment.

✧ Shoulders brushing in a hallway too wide for accidents.

✧ Laughing too softly and privately, like the joke was meant only for the space between them.

✧ The moment they both reach for the same object and freeze, fingers trapped in indecision.

✧ A silence that feels thick enough to lean against.

✧ The smile that appears when one of them isn’t looking.

✧ A heartbeat quickening when their hands accidentally link and neither pulls away.

✧ Eyes lingering a second too long, apologizing and confessing all at once.

[prompts-in-a-barrel]

"Friends don't let friends commit treason alone."

"We're not friends."

"Do you want help or not?"

"...Right this way, bestie."

[creativepromptsforwriting]

do you have any tips for making a character more interesting and for making a morally grey character?

How to write a morally grey character

@creativepromptsforwriting on IG | do not repost!

There are good guys and there are bad guys. But the world is not just black and white and neither are everyone's morals.

What makes someone morally grey?

You could also call it morally ambiguous. They are real people with their own ideas and motivations and the possibility to change their ways when there is enough incentive. They are neither pure good, nor pure evil.

Which just makes them human and to an extend that includes everyone. So in fiction, this is often a character that is unpredictable, the reader can't be sure on what side they are on. It could change.

How to create them

decide on a balance between good traits and bad traits

give them understandable motives

give them motivations that would make them work for the good cause and motivations that would make them work for the bad ones

give them a moral compass and a set of rules that they would usually follow

but also give them personal goals that interfer with that

show them having to make decisions that can lead to real consequences

Tips

don't make them overly mysterious, the reader should understand where they are coming from with their decisions

but you can create surprise by giving two good and believable options to choose and make the readers be on the edge of their seat to find out which one they choose

decide between the character making active choices or the character passively letting things happen that puts them in both the good and the bad box

Examples:

A character who sees the good that the hero is doing and wants to support them in saving the city, but doing that would interfer with their personal goal (saving their family for example) - the reader can't be sure which way they will choose

A character is generally doing good things, but when something bad happens, they tolerate it and don't stop it, passively being on the side of evil.

- Jana

[luna-azzurra]

FACIAL MICRO EXPRESSIONS FOR WRITERS <3

[snowstories]

My biggest tip for fanfic writers is this: if you get a character's mannerisms and speech pattern down, you can make them do pretty much whatever you want and it'll feel in character.

Logic: Characters, just like real people, are mallable. There is typically very little that's so truly, heinously out of character that you absolutely cannot make it work under any circumstance. In addition, most fans are also willing to accept characterization stretches if it makes the fic work. Yeah, we all know the villain and the hero wouldn't cuddle for warmth in canon. But if they did do that, how would they do it?

What counts is often not so much 'would the character do this?' and more 'if the character did do this, how would they do it?' If you get 'how' part right, your readers will probably be willing to buy the rest, because it will still feel like their favourite character. But if it doesn't feel like the character anymore, why are they even reading the fic?

Worry less about whether a character would do something, and more about how they'd sound while doing it.

[mossbear-minese]

I don't remember where I saw this piece of advice so I can't credit it, unfortunately

But it was along the lines of "instead of asking whether something is out of character, ask 'what would it take for this character to do this'"

Which I think fits really nicely with this advice of making the actual action itself also feel in character

[anxietyproblem]

[quoteastic]

She was a storm. Not the kind you run from. The kind you chase.

[solarsthoughts]

it’s a canon event.

[i-will-write]

[mxrderscenes]

writing is so funny because i could write nonstop for 9hrs and then hit a block where im like "how do i transition between this moment and the next?" and then i just dont touch it for 6 months

[imastoryteller]

20 Compelling Positive-Negative Trait Pairs

Here are 20 positive and negative trait pairs that can create compelling character dynamics in storytelling:

1. Bravery - Recklessness: A character is courageous in the face of danger but often takes unnecessary risks.

2. Intelligence - Arrogance: A character is exceptionally smart but looks down on others.

3. Compassion - Naivety: A character is deeply caring but easily deceived due to their trusting nature.

4. Determination - Stubbornness: A character is persistent in their goals but unwilling to adapt or compromise.

5. Charisma - Manipulativeness: A character is charming and persuasive but often uses these traits to exploit others.

6. Resourcefulness - Opportunism: A character is adept at finding solutions but is also quick to exploit situations for personal gain.

7. Loyalty - Blind Obedience: A character is fiercely loyal but follows orders without question, even when they're wrong.

8. Optimism - Denial: A character remains hopeful in difficult times but often ignores harsh realities.

9. Humor - Inappropriateness: A character lightens the mood with jokes but often crosses the line with their humor.

10. Generosity - Lack of Boundaries: A character is giving and selfless but often neglects their own needs and well-being.

11. Patience - Passivity: A character is calm and tolerant but sometimes fails to take action when needed.

12. Wisdom - Cynicism: A character has deep understanding and insight but is often pessimistic about the world.

13. Confidence - Overconfidence: A character believes in their abilities but sometimes underestimates challenges.

14. Honesty - Bluntness: A character is truthful and straightforward but often insensitive in their delivery.

15. Self-discipline - Rigidity: A character maintains strong control over their actions but is inflexible and resistant to change.

16. Adventurousness - Impulsiveness: A character loves exploring and trying new things but often acts without thinking.

17. Empathy - Overwhelm: A character deeply understands and feels others' emotions but can become overwhelmed by them.

18. Ambition - Ruthlessness: A character is driven to achieve great things but willing to do anything, even unethical, to succeed.

19. Resilience - Emotional Detachment: A character can endure hardships without breaking but often seems emotionally distant.

20. Strategic - Calculative: A character excels at planning and foresight but can be cold and overly pragmatic in their decisions.

These pairs create complex, multi-dimensional characters that can drive rich, dynamic storytelling.

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