Fallen Heroes Resources Blog

Good Evening sir, madam, or non-binary being, my name is JARVIS and I am here to assist you with all of your roleplaying needs. If you require any additional help or have any further queries, you may refer them to the ask-box.

[touchofstrange-rp-archive]

How to Easily Write 500+ Word Replies

Long paras are a staple of TOS, but we know it can get a little intimidating when you don’t know how to match the colossal para you just got, or that 500 word limit is just a little too far away. So we’ve compiled a series of tips to make replying to someone that much easier, and ultimately, hopefully, to help make more confident writers. Obviously none of these are rule rules, just advice to give for a spin when you do get stuck.

Try to give your rp partner 3 active things to respond to. An explicit action, dialogue (asking questions is great), or a change in the environment worth commenting on. This is especially important in the starter, because replying to starters that only have one thing to respond to is hard. The more you give in the starter, the easier your next reply is. If you’re the one replying, make sure to respond to what your partner gives you, both verbal and nonverbal, active and passive. If both players are actively making sure there’s plenty for their para partner to respond to, you’re making it easier for the both of you to reply in much longer ways.

Ask for more to work with! It really is okay, and most people won’t have an issue writing a couple more sentences to help you out, or give you a description your character can respond to– especially if you’re in their character’s office or something like that. You can also ask if it’s okay to progress to the next plot point if you have something planned out, or if you can introduce a new element altogether. Communication is the bomb. 

Describe the other character. You can obviously do this in one big chunk in one para, or space it out. We don’t mean like “He was wearing blue clothes”, but rather, how does their appearance affect your character’s opinion of them? Do they think her clothes are as disorganized as she must be? Does their abuse of the color yellow put your character off? Does he look as tired as your character does, and what could that mean. We all judge people by their appearances, and those judgements depend on how much you like the person, and don’t have to be right in reality or wrong. It’s also a really cool way to show character development and their connection changing over time if the way you describe someone changes. Someone who at first may come across as haughty may later be interpreted as nervous, and it’s fun to play with that. 

Additionally, if a character is disabled don’t be afraid of mentioning that in your writing or having a character interact with that aspect of the other character. If you’re not familiar with something or some aspect of a character and are maybe afraid of being offensive, don’t be afraid to look things up or ask the other player for some more information. Your character might not always be 100% PC and that’s okay. Just be sure to use appropriate trigger warnings when that’s the case.

Have a plan. Long paras can go on for a long time, and sometimes it’s hard to know when to dash or how to keep it in one timeline. Even if the plan is as vague as “They fight. She wins.” If you have a vague idea how it ends, you can base future interactions on it while you’re still writing it. It also helps with inspiration. If you could go anywhere it’s harder to pick which way to go. When you have a destination in mind you know heading East will get you there faster than going West will. 

Is your character someone who looks forward or looks back? Having them reminisce and connect the current situation to the past is a great way to slide in your neat little headcanons and give everyone perspective on your character’s motive. If they’re looking forward, how does this link to their future, what they want? For example, someone who wants a relationship someday talking to a “taken” character– how does the relationship they perceive match up with what they want of their relationship, and how doesn’t it? This can also help build tension or specific dynamics, and, when use consistently, introduces new characteristics. 

Use your setting. It’s there, it’s around you. It can help build mood through language choices and details, or show how your character feels in certain environments, as well as drive plot points. Maybe they’re really chilled out outside, and agitated in an office. Maybe meeting new people makes them want to examine a leaf on a nearby tree. Maybe there are glowing eyes in the forest nearby that are kinda freaking one character out while the other is oblivious. By doing so, you’re making them real people in a real place, not a person detached from reality in an endless void, or someone obviously pasted onto a CGI background. The world is real to them; make it real to you. 

Write in a word document or something and make the font size 8, single-spaced. Not advisable for those with bad eyesight, but it’s kind of a neat way to trick your brain into writing more. 500+ words looks and feels like a lot less when it’s tiny. Then you make it big and… hey, when did you write that much?

Sometimes starting is the hardest part. Try having a word war with yourself– write for 10 - 15 minutes straight, no pauses, no editing. Once you’re in the groove, you’re more likely to keep going, and you’ll have a good chunk of it done. Try this.

Try not writing in order! When you read a para, try writing down your immediate responses– a dialogue, a thought, an action– and then building around it. It also helps having a framework. Say you make 6 bullet points of things to say/do/think. You write about 85 words on each bullet point minimum, you’ve got it down pat, and make sure you’ve remembered to include things for your partner to reply to. The first sentence chronologically can be the last one you write, and things can always be rearranged or changed.

Try waiting to read replies you receive until you can reply yourself. Some people are the planning types and need 24+ hours to mull over the kind of response they want to write, and that’s fine! However, reading a nice reply that gives you things to play off of can give you an immediate surge of ideas and inspiration that dwindles the longer you wait to get typing. If you’re the second type of person, then waiting to read the reply until you know you can write yours might result in increased productivity and flow of ideas. 

Don’t get hung up on using colorful language or describing details. Try using the first word that comes to mind, because 99% of the time, it’ll be the best and most genuine choice, and it means not getting stuck in one place and needing to find your groove again. You have something you want to accomplish with your reply, so do that and fill in the other details around it afterwards. Editing can always come later. 

Use the Plot/Character/Mood rule. This ties into other advice listed, but it’s a great way to decide whether something is relevant or filler. If you’re worldbuilding, character building, advancing the plot, or showing the mood, it isn’t filler; it’s building a story. 

Ultimately, practice makes perfect. The more you do it, and the more often you do it, the easier it becomes. The more it gets put off, the harder it looks and the harder it becomes. We hope that with these tips, 500 words feel less like an unclimbable mountain, and more like a molehill. 

Some more awesome guides:

Tips and Advice for Describing Characters

Better Prompts, Starters, and Beginnings

Showing vs Telling

Exercises to Improve Writing

Writer’s Block Flow Chart

Tips for Writer’s Block

Roleplay Insecurities

TOS Specific Plot Ideas

[ssscuttlebuttt]

[0bubbledragon0]

The human body is fascinating

[yakimochi-ii]

I keep telling people this shit in real life and they don’t believe me. I’ve seen it from multiple sources, and this just adds another (albeit usually unreliable) source. This is actually legit, guys.  This is how your eyes move when you’re thinking about something.  It’s actually a good way to tell if someone is lying or not, because they’ll look to their left (your right, durr) when they’re constructing false memories, and to their right when they’re actually remembering them.

[northhelps]

Guide to Roleplaying a Character Who is Hearing-Impaired

This guide will focus on how to play someone who is hearing impaired. The guide will be going through common and politically correct terms/descriptions, means of communication, education, work, and everyday life, and some behaviours of people with hearing impairment.

Disclaimer: I am not hearing-impaired myself, and anything I write will be taken from the internet or from personal experiences interacting with the deaf community in my country.

Keep reading

[wern]

contrary to popular belief, someone who is fluent in their second language (L2) is unlikely to slip into their first language (L1)  in these circumstances:

if someone just said something to them in L2 (this a big unconscious cue, and you’d be really unlikely to respond in L1 right after that)

when swearing in the middle of a sentence (e.g. “oh merde, i forgot my keys!”)

during sex

when speaking to someone they normally speak to in L2

it is slightly more common in these circumstances:

swearing, as long it’s not part of a sentence (e.g. they might just mutter “merde” if they forgot their keys)

if they’re surprised (especially if falling/tripping or experiencing sudden pain!)

when speaking to someone they normally speak to in L1

in their sleep or talking to themselves

when very disoriented, such as when concussed or on certain drugs

that being said, it is very common for people to intentionally use their first language in front of people who don’t speak it for a variety of reasons (they might use a short expression they only know in L1, call their partner pet names, dirty talk during sex because their partner finds it attractive) – but this is on purpose!

also this doesn’t account for people who grew up in an environment where people often mix multiple languages in their speech (e.g. spanglish or franglais) – in that case, they may accidentally drop an L1 swear into an L2 sentence, though they’ll still generally stick to L2 when speaking to people who only speak that language

[berrybird-blog1]

Helpful things for action writers to remember

Sticking a landing will royally fuck up your joints and possibly shatter your ankles, depending on how high you’re jumping/falling from. There’s a very good reason free-runners dive and roll. 

Hand-to-hand fights usually only last a matter of seconds, sometimes a few minutes. It’s exhausting work and unless you have a lot of training and history with hand-to-hand combat, you’re going to tire out really fast. 

Arrows are very effective and you can’t just yank them out without doing a lot of damage. Most of the time the head of the arrow will break off inside the body if you try pulling it out, and arrows are built to pierce deep. An arrow wound demands medical attention. 

Throwing your opponent across the room is really not all that smart. You’re giving them the chance to get up and run away. Unless you’re trying to put distance between you so you can shoot them or something, don’t throw them. 

Everyone has something called a “flinch response” when they fight. This is pretty much the brain’s way of telling you “get the fuck out of here or we’re gonna die.” Experienced fighters have trained to suppress this. Think about how long your character has been fighting. A character in a fist fight for the first time is going to take a few hits before their survival instinct kicks in and they start hitting back. A character in a fist fight for the eighth time that week is going to respond a little differently. 

ADRENALINE WORKS AGAINST YOU WHEN YOU FIGHT. THIS IS IMPORTANT. A lot of times people think that adrenaline will kick in and give you some badass fighting skills, but it’s actually the opposite. Adrenaline is what tires you out in a battle and it also affects the fighter’s efficacy - meaning it makes them shaky and inaccurate, and overall they lose about 60% of their fighting skill because their brain is focusing on not dying. Adrenaline keeps you alive, it doesn’t give you the skill to pull off a perfect roundhouse kick to the opponent’s face. 

Swords WILL bend or break if you hit something hard enough. They also dull easily and take a lot of maintenance. In reality, someone who fights with a sword would have to have to repair or replace it constantly.

Fights get messy. There’s blood and sweat everywhere, and that will make it hard to hold your weapon or get a good grip on someone. 

A serious battle also smells horrible. There’s lots of sweat, but also the smell of urine and feces. After someone dies, their bowels and bladder empty. There might also be some questionable things on the ground which can be very psychologically traumatizing. Remember to think about all of the character’s senses when they’re in a fight. Everything WILL affect them in some way. 

If your sword is sharpened down to a fine edge, the rest of the blade can’t go through the cut you make. You’ll just end up putting a tiny, shallow scratch in the surface of whatever you strike, and you could probably break your sword. 

ARCHERS ARE STRONG TOO. Have you ever drawn a bow? It takes a lot of strength, especially when you’re shooting a bow with a higher draw weight. Draw weight basically means “the amount of force you have to use to pull this sucker back enough to fire it.” To give you an idea of how that works, here’s a helpful link to tell you about finding bow sizes and draw weights for your characters.  (CLICK ME)

If an archer has to use a bow they’re not used to, it will probably throw them off a little until they’ve done a few practice shots with it and figured out its draw weight and stability. 

People bleed. If they get punched in the face, they’ll probably get a bloody nose. If they get stabbed or cut somehow, they’ll bleed accordingly. And if they’ve been fighting for a while, they’ve got a LOT of blood rushing around to provide them with oxygen. They’re going to bleed a lot. 

Here’s a link to a chart to show you how much blood a person can lose without dying. (CLICK ME) 

If you want a more in-depth medical chart, try this one. (CLICK ME)

Hopefully this helps someone out there. If you reblog, feel free to add more tips for writers or correct anything I’ve gotten wrong here. 

[ave-aria]

How to apply Writing techniques for action scenes:

- Short sentences. Choppy. One action, then another. When there’s a lull in the fight, take a moment, using longer phrases to analyze the situation–then dive back in. Snap, snap, snap. - Same thing with words - short, simple, and strong in the thick of battle. Save the longer syllables for elsewhere. - Characters do not dwell on things when they are in the heat of the moment. They will get punched in the face. Focus on actions, not thoughts. - Go back and cut out as many adverbs as possible. - No seriously, if there’s ever a time to use the strongest verbs in your vocabulary - Bellow, thrash, heave, shriek, snarl, splinter, bolt, hurtle, crumble, shatter, charge, raze - it’s now. - Don’t forget your other senses. People might not even be sure what they saw during a fight, but they always know how they felt. - Taste: Dry mouth, salt from sweat, copper tang from blood, etc - Smell: OP nailed it - Touch: Headache, sore muscles, tense muscles, exhaustion, blood pounding. Bruised knuckles/bowstring fingers. Injuries that ache and pulse, sting and flare white hot with pain. - Pain will stay with a character. Even if it’s minor. - Sound and sight might blur or sharpen depending on the character and their experience/exhaustion. Colors and quick movements will catch the eye. Loud sounds or noises from behind may serve as a fighter’s only alert before an attack. - If something unexpected happens, shifting the character’s whole attention to that thing will shift the Audience’s attention, too. - Aftermath. This is where the details resurface, the characters pick up things they cast aside during the fight, both literally and metaphorically. Fights are chaotic, fast paced, and self-centered. Characters know only their self, their goals, what’s in their way, and the quickest way around those threats. The aftermath is when people can regain their emotions, their relationships, their rationality/introspection, and anything else they couldn’t afford to think or feel while their lives were on the line.

Do everything you can to keep the fight here and now. Maximize the physical, minimize the theoretical. Keep things immediate - no theories or what ifs.

If writing a strategist, who needs to think ahead, try this: keep strategy to before-and-after fights. Lay out plans in calm periods, try to guess what enemies are thinking or what they will do. During combat, however, the character should think about his options, enemies, and terrain in immediate terms; that is, in shapes and direction. (Large enemy rushing me; dive left, circle around / Scaffolding on fire, pool below me / two foes helping each other, separate them.)

Lastly, after writing, read it aloud. Anyplace your tongue catches up on a fast moving scene, edit. Smooth action scenes rarely come on the first try.

[freckledfanfiction]

Fluffy interactions to boost relationship progress

+ They find a reason to hold hands or do it accidentally + They/one of them have a death grip when cuddling + The “let’s be friends forever” talk + Play fighting/teasing to annoy them coz its funny + making food together + Reassuring them when they get scared + the “you talk about me?” question + Poking each other for attention + “I’ll hug you first” competition + giving each other nicknames + Fighting over food + sharing food that the other’s taken a bite out of + food/pillow fights + board/video games + they get reminded of the other’s likes and dislikes in everyday life + they get too close when naked + accidentally touch or face plant into others private parts + “I’m looking after you because you’re ill and that’s that” + singing in a public place together + When one talks about something they love + When one let’s the other rant + Bowling/movies/dancing/fort building + personal question/trivia/secrets + playful revenge + “I’ll show you my secret hobby/guilty pleasure” + deliberately holding hands (most likely leading to a confession) + “is this a date?” (Leads to confession) + private lessons/teaching the other + close together in a tight space + knight in shining armour + forced to kiss + flirting/winking + lingering touches and hugs/held gazes - especially effective if the reserved one is doing this + the “you’re special to me” talk, without the “no homo” + accidental love letter/confession in found diary + competing with others together + sleeping in the same bed + people forcing them together/having to do activities together + accidentally confessing they’d kiss the other/accidentally kissing the other + operation jealousy + getting the other presents/doing stuff for the other + annoying the other to get their attention + flattery and compliments + getting in the others way/ preventing them from doing stuff so they won’t leave + calling each other cute/attractive + waiting in the rain for the other at the meet up point + helping them after a fight/ when they get drunk/ when they get upset + pretending to date + head on the other’s lap/shoulder + one ruffles the other’s hair + catching them doing something stupid/ being a dork + “let me read your book/ see your art/ listen to you play/sing” + taking photos together + sharing clothes + pinning one to the floor/wall + dressing the other one up/ terribly doing the other’s make up + you have to be close to share an umbrella + studying together + massage + dragging them by their wrist/clothes + fixing the other’s bedhead/ “there’s something on your face” + telling a story together about something they did + feeding each other + talking about anything from tv shows to why humans are alive + visiting/calling/texting because they’re bored/to wish them happy birthday/Christmas + getting them out of situations they predict the other will be uncomfortable in + telling each other about their quirks + going places together + TICKLING + pranking each other + swearing at the other affectionately/ telling them “don’t be a dick” because the other is being rude to other people + putting up with something one person doesn’t want to do because the other wants to do it

(Note: not all of these work for OTPs that are strangers, some have to have known each other for years to do these things!!)

[clevergirlhelps]

Fighting Words

Attack

Advance, assail, assault, beset, charge, drive, foray, hurtle, launch, lunge, maul, press forward, push, rush, storm, surge

Break

Blast, breach, carve, cleave, cleft, crack, cripple, crunch, demolish, destroy, disable, disfigure, disintegrate, divide, fragment, impair, mangle, mar, perforate, pulverize, rend, rift, ruin, rupture, sever, shatter, snap, splinter, split, wreck

Enter

Access, barge in, barrel in, horn in, infiltrate, intrude, invade, penetrate

Explode

Blow up, bomb, burst, detonate, erupt, fragment, go off, ignite

Fall

Collapse, descend, dive, drop, fall prone, header, lapse, plummet, plunge, slip, slump, sprawl, topple, trip, tumble

Fast

Agile, electric, fleet, hasty, nimble, quick, rapid, speedy, swift

Grab

capture, catch, clasp, grasp, grip, latch on to, nab, seize, snag, snatch, take

Hit

Bat, batter, bash, blow, bludgeon, box, buffet, bust, chop, clobber, clout, cuff, flail, hammer, haymaker, jab, knock, lash, paste, pummel, punch, rabbit punch, slap, slug, smash, sock, strike, swat, swipe, thrash, thump, uppercut, wallop

Jump

Bounce, bound, hop, jerk, jolt, leap, pounce, rise, skip, spring

Kill

Annihilate, behead, dispatch, eliminate, eradicate, erase, execute, exterminate, extirpate, finish, immolate, liquidate, massacre, murder, neutralize, obliterate, purge, slaughter, slay, snuff, terminate, waste

Run

Bolt, dart, dash, escape, flee, gallop, hurry, lope, pace, scramble, race, rush, sprint, whisk

Scream

Bark, bellow, call, cry, holler, howl, roar, screech, shout, shriek, wail, yell, yelp

Shoot

Blast, fire at, gun, open fire, nail, pick off, plug, pop, pull the trigger, salvo

Stab

Cut, gash, gouge, hack, hew, impale, incise, lacerate, pierce, prick, puncture, slash, slice, stick, thrust

Stop

Avert, bar, block, cease, check, defend, deflect, fend off, guard, halt, hold off, keep at bay, lull, obstruct, parry, push back, prevent, rebuff, repel, repulse, resist, shield, stave off, stun, ward off

Throw

Cast, catapult, chuck, eject, fire, fling, hurl, launch, lob, pelt, pepper, pitch, project, propel, shoot, shower, sling, spray, strew, toss

Other

Accelerate, ambush, barrage, barricade, beat, bombard, buck, bushwhack, brandish, careen, clash, cleave, clench, clip, collide, crash, crawl, creep, crush, damage, dance, disappear, dodge, emit, exhaust, expel, fence, fly, freeze, frenzy, glance, grapple, grind, hasten, heave, hem in, hook, leave, lift, lurch, maneuver, net, onslaught, overtake, overwhelm, provoke, pursue, push, rally, reach, recoil, regress, retreat, rigor, rive, scatter, shove, shrivel, slip away, smatter, splatter, step, strain, stretch, strive, stroke, struggle, suppress, swerve, swing, swish, swoop, thrash, twirl, upset, urgent, vanish, vanquish, volley, waylay, wield, wither, wrestle, yield

[dunedainblood-deactivated201402]

An important post!

[resourcesforourfallenheroes-blog]

dunedainblood-deactivated201402:

If you have your character and need a translation, all you need to do is type in the html <a title=”translation here”>foreign words here</a> and it will come out like this foreign words. It gives the person the ability to read the translation if they hover over the foreign text. That way your roleplay partner knows what your character is saying without having to ask for the translation.  

[belt]

[resourcesforourfallenheroes-blog]

belt:

I like to have white or ambient noise playing while I study, so I thought I’d share a list of my favourite websites in case anyone else was interested.

Rainymood - Allows you to play rain, with suggestions of ambient music to play at the same time. Has an iOS and Android app, my personal favourite.

Calm - A visually beautiful website. Provides moving backgrounds and an option for guided calm which allows you to immerse yourself in the music and to relax. Has a free app for iPhone. Another one of my favourites.

Showertime - The experience of taking a shower without the water. Allows you to control features such as length of shower, size of room, water pressure, etc.

Coffitivity - The background noise of a coffee shop. Allows you to choose between different locations such as lunchtime lounge, morning murmur  etc. Has an app for iOS and Android as well as a desktop app for OS X.

Soundrown - A website with a sleek minimalist design, allows you to choose between rain, coffee shop, ocean, fire, bird noises, or a combination of the five.

Relaxing Snow - Visually beautiful falling snow, the website gives you the opinion to play music with the scenery, or to choose your own.

Raining.Fm - This website gives you the ability to adjust the rain to exactly how you’d like it, with options to tweak thunder, rain and storm noises. Has an app for iOS and Android, as well as a timer and snooze option.

Rain For Me - Simple rain effects with the option to download the audio files for offline listening.

Snowy Mood - Inspired by Rainy Mood, this website really makes you feel like it’s winter. Perfect for playing while snuggled up in a warm bed.

Rainy Cafe - Combines the sounds of a bustling cafe setting with the sounds of drizzling rain. Allows you to select the volume of each setting, or turn one off completely.

[anomalously-written]

[resourcesforourfallenheroes-blog]

anomalously-written:

The transition from spoken to written language can often be a bumpy one because the way we talk tends to be a lot less formal than the way we write. When we try to translate spoken ideas into writing, it is often hard to remember correct grammar. Also, we hear incorrect grammar used so often that correct grammar might sound odd or even wrong to us… [via] 

Accept vs Except -Accept is a verb meaning to receive.  -Except is usually a preposition meaning excluding. 

Affect vs Effect -Affect is usually a verb meaning to influence.   -Effect is usually a noun meaning result.

Allusion vs Illusion -An Allusion is an indirect reference. (to allude/reference something) -An illusion is a misconception or false impression.

Capital vs Capitol -Capital refers to a city, capitol to a building where lawmakers meet. (Capital also refers to wealth or resources.)

Climactic vs Climatic -Climactic is derived from climax, the point of greatest intensity in a series or progression of events. -Climatic is derived from climate; it refers to meteorological conditions.

Elicit vs Illicit -Elicit is a verb meaning to bring out or to evoke. -Illicit is an adjective meaning unlawful. 

Emigrate from vs Immigrate to -Emigrate means to leave one country or region to settle in another. In 1900, my grandfather emigrated from Russia. -Immigrate means to enter another country and reside there. Many Mexicans immigrate to the U.S. to find work.

Hints: Emigrate begins with the letter E, as does Exit. When you emigrate, you exit a country. Immigrate begins with the letter I, as does In. When you immigrate, you go into a country

Principle vs Principal -Principal is a noun meaning the head of a school or an organization or a sum of money. -Principle is a noun meaning a basic truth or law. The principal taught us many important life principles.

Hint: To recognize the spelling of Principal first think of yourself as a greedy opportunist. You definitely would want to be a pal of anyone who is in a position of power or anything to do with money. This principal has pal in it.

Than vs Then -Than is a conjunction used in comparisons -Then is an adverb denoting time. (That pizza is more than I can eat. Tom laughed, and then we recognized him.)

There vs Their vs They’re -There is an adverb specifying place; it is also an expletive. Adverb:   Sylvia is lying there unconscious. Expletive: There are two plums left. -Their is a possessive pronoun. -They’re is a contraction of they are. Fred and Jane finally washed their car. They’re later than usual today.

Hints: -If you are using there to tell the reader where, both words have h-e-r-e. Here is also a place. -If you are using their as a possessive pronoun, you are telling the reader what ”they own. Their has h-e-i-r, which also means heir, as in someone who inherits something. Both words have to do with ownership. -They’re is a contraction of they are. Sound out they are in the sentence and see if it works. If it does not, it must be one of the previous versions.

To vs Too vs Two -To is a preposition; too is an adverb; two is a number.   -Too many of your shots slice to the left, but the last two were right on the mark.

Your vs You’re -Your is a possessive pronoun; you’re is a contraction of you are. (You’re going to catch a cold if you don’t wear your coat.)

—-

Lie, Lay Lie is an intransitive verb meaning to recline or rest on a surface. Its principal parts are lie, lay, lain. Lay is a transitive verb meaning to put or place. Its principal parts are lay, laid.

Hint: Chickens lay eggs. I lie down when I am tired.

Set, Sit Set is a transitive verb meaning to put or to place. Its principal parts are set, set, set. Sit is an intransitive verb meaning to be seated. Its principal parts are sit, sat, sat. She set the dough in a warm corner of the kitchen. The cat sat in the warmest part of the room.

Who, Which, That Do not use which to refer to persons. Use who instead. That, though generally used to refer to things, may be used to refer to a group or class of people. I just saw a boy who was wearing a yellow banana costume. I have to go to math next, which is my hardest class. Where is the book that I was reading?

—-

Supposed to: Do not omit the d. Suppose to is incorrect.

Used to: Same as above. Do not write use to.

Toward: There is no s at the end of the word.

Anyway: Also has no ending s. Anyways is nonstandard.

Couldn’t care less: Be sure to make it negative. (Not I could care less.)

All walks of life: Not woks of life. This phrase does not apply to oriental cooking.

Chest of drawers: Not chester drawers.

For all intents and purposes: Not intensive purposes.

[cassieisnotapie]

41 Emotions as Expressed through Body Language

[resourcesforourfallenheroes-blog]

cassieisnotapie:

Found Here x

41 Emotions as Expressed through Body Language Unique 

This list, while exhausting, is soooo not exhaustive; it barely scratches the surface. And each entry could easily become cliché (if it isn’t already). But, it should be enough to get you started. Want more? Start watching people (not in a creepy way), and take notes of what they seem to do when expressing different emotions. Your repertoire of expression will double in no time. PS—do not use these for actual, real-life body language reading; you will fail. These are strictly novelistic.

Awed  -Slack -jawed, raised eyebrows, staring  -Frozen, slack body language (Self? What self? There is only Zuul.)  -Take a step back and put a hand to his heart

Amused  -Smiling and throwing back her head laughing  -Slapping her thighs, stamping her feet, clapping her hands  -Shaking her head (That’s so wrong!)

Angry/Aggressive  -Sharp movements, like shaking a fist, pointing, slashing, or slamming a fist on a table  -Flushed face, patchy red blotches  -Tension in neck—chords standing out, veins throbbing—and jutting or tucked chin  -Arms akimbo, or clenching fists  -Entering someone else’s space and forcing them out  -Poofing up with a wide stance (I am big! Very big!), arms wide (Bring it!)  -Lowered eyebrows, squinting eyes  -Teeth bared, jaw clenched, snarling

Annoyed  -Pressing lips together into a thin line  -Narrowing eyes sometimes with slight head tilt (Why do you still exist?)  -Rolling eyes, often paired with a long-suffering sigh

Anxious  -Fidgeting, such as tearing grass into little pieces, playing with a ring, or chewing on a pencil  -Biting lower lip, swallowing unnecessarily  -Quickened breathing or holding breath  -Darting eyes  -Pallor, sweating, clammy palms  -Unusually high-pitched, “nervous” laughter  -Hunched shoulders  -Pacing

Attentive  -Slow head nodding with a furrowed brow  -Leaning forward, toward the speaker, and sitting up  -Taking notes  -Looking over the top of her glasses

Bored  -Resting his head on his palm, peeking out between the fingers, maybe even slipping so his head “accidentally” hits the table  -Tapping toes, twirling pencil, doodling, and otherwise fidgeting  -Staring out a window, or at anything remotely more interesting (Which is everything …)

Confident  -Arms clasped behind body  -Head lifted, chest out, standing tall  -Walking briskly and making firm, precise movements

Confused  -Tilting head with narrowed eyes  -A furrowed brow  -Shrugging

Contempt/Superiority  -Lifted chin (The better to look down the nose.)  -Pursed lips, sneering, slight frown  -Circling a shoulder, stretching her neck, turning away—anything to indicate she doesn’t see the person as a threat or worthy of her attention  -Grabbing her lapels, or tucking her thumbs in her waistcoat (See this clothing? It is much nicer than yours.)  -Dismissive hand-waving

Cynical/Sarcastic/Bitter  -Twisted lips or a half-smile  -Sneering, sometimes with shaking the head and other defensive body language  -Pressed lips with a slight frown  -Eye rolling

Defensive  -Crossed arms, legs, crossed anything, really (Well, maybe not fingers … or eyes …)  -Arms out, palms forward (Stop!)  -Placing anything (sword, shield, book, backpack) in front of her body

Disgusted  -Crinkling his nose  -Curling his lip and/or showing the tip of his tongue briefly  -Flinching back and interposing a shoulder or turning away  -Covering his nose, gagging, and squinting his eyes shut—hard—for a moment. (It assaults all the senses.)

Displeased  -A plastered-on fake smile (You suck; but I can’t tell you that. So here: a fake smile! Enjoy.)  -Pouting or frowning (I’ll cry if you don’t give me what I want—don’t test me, I will!)  -Crossed arms and other defensive/frustrated body language (I will not let that terrible idea influence me!)

Distressed  -Wide eyes and shallow, rapid breathing  -Beating the walls, or huddling into a corner  -Clasping hands over his head protectively  -Rocking himself  -Handwringing  -Running his hands through his hair

Earnest/Passionate  -Leaning forward, nodding, wide eyes with strong eye contact and raised eyebrows  -Hand on heart, or presented palms-up, or otherwise visible  -A double-handed handshake (I really want to make sure you understand me!)

Embarrassment  -Blushing  -Stammering  -Covering her face with her hands or bowing her head (I’m so embarrassed, I can’t look!)  -Difficulty maintaining eye contact, looking down and away

Excited/Anticipation  -Rubbing hands together (I can’t wait to get my hands on it!)  -Licking lips (It’s so close I can taste it!)  -A vigorous, pumping handshake (I can’t wait to get started!)  -Jumping up and down (Look at me being literal here! I am jumping for joy.)  -A wide and easy grin

Flirty  -Eye play, like winking, looking up through the lashes, over the shoulder glances, and eye catching   -Preening, like hair flipping or smooth, clothing straightening, spine straightening, etc.  -Striking a cowboy pose, with his thumbs gripping his belt tight

Frustrated  -Shaking his head (You are so wrong!)  -Massaging temples (My brain—it hurts.)  -Clasping his wrist in his opposite hand, behind his back (Bad arm! No biscuit.)  -Running his hands through his hair (All this frustration is making my hair mussy. I can feel it.)  -Grabbing onto something like armrests, or white-knuckled interdigitation (Restrain yourself!)

Happy  -Smiling and laughing  -Eyes and nose crinkling  -Swinging her arms, spinning loosely, dancing, jumping

Impatience  -Quick head nodding (Get on with it!)  -Toe/finger tapping (Hear this? These are seconds. Wasted. Listening to you.)  -Sighing, checking the clock/sundial/freckles (Time. It is moving so slowly.)

Jealous  -Tight lips, or a sour expression  -Narrow eyes locked on the perpetrator, to the point of a stare down  -Crossed arms, and additional frustrated, angry, possessive, or bitter body language

Lying  -Scratching their nose, ear, neck, miscellaneous part of face  -Sudden change in behavior or demeanor, including shifty eye contact, lots of long blinking, shrugging -Ill-timed smiles or laughter (This is how I normally smile, right? Right???)  -Additional anxiety body language  -Shaking head no while saying “yes” (I can’t believe I just lied.)  -Licking lips, covering mouth, touching mouth, etc.

Overwhelmed  -Both palms to forehead, fingers splayed (This gives me a headache.)  -Covering eyes with one hand (If I can’t see the world, it can’t see me …)  -Eyes wide and staring into space, hands gripping the table in front of her (… Woah.)

Playful/Friendly  -Winking  -Waggling eyebrows  -Tiny shoves or nudge

Pleasure  -Head tilted back, lips parted slightly, eyes wide or closed  -Slow, languorous movements, stretching (such as arching her neck or back)  -Slight flush, quickened breath and pulse

Possessive  -Handshake with arm clasp  -Putting hands on or around someone’s shoulders, neck, waist, back, or even just the wall near them  -Standing in someone’s personal space, body positioned toward that person  -Any one-sided act of intimacy, like running a knuckle down someone’s cheek  -Staring down any who get too close

Proud/Dominant  -Chin up, chest out, shoulders back  -A painfully hard handshake that not only squishes the bones, but also forces his hand on top  -Leaning back with his hands behind his head, and his feet up  -Strong, unblinking, focused eye contact

Reluctance/Resistance  -Arms crossed, sometimes with fists (Not happening.)  -Dragging feet (But I don’t wanna!)  -Pinching nose (You want me to do what now?)  -Clamping hands over ears (La la la la!)

Sad/Upset  -Droopy body (and anything held, like a sword), bowed in shoulders, wrapping arms around self  -Slow movements with hesitation  -Bottom lip jutting out and/or quivering  -Crying, sobbing, body shaking, sniffling, wet eyes

Secretive  -A tight-lipped smile (My lips are zipped.)  -Hiding her hands in her pockets (What has it got in its nasty little pocket?)  -Looking away

Scared  -Hunched shoulders, shrinking back from others (Don’t hurt me!)  -Wide eyes and lifted eyebrows (The better to see them coming.)  -Shaking, trembling, or freezing  -Rocking from side to side, sometimes holding self (It’ll all be okay, self, it’ll all be okay.)

Shame  -Slumped shoulders (Don’t look at me.)  -Trouble meeting your gaze, looking down and away  -Burying her face in her hands or bowing her head (I can’t face the world right now.)

Shocked  -Hands covering her mouth, or mouth hanging open, sometimes with a gasp (If I had words, I would be saying them.) -Freezing and staring with wide eyes and eyebrows raised (Diverting all resources toward staring.)  -Smacking a palm into his forehead (Clearly, my head isn’t working right, or I wouldn’t have seen that)

Shy  -Avoids eye contact, or has only fleeting eye contact (Eye contact means you might speak to me.)  -Keeps a fair distance from everyone, and will back away if someone steps closer (Space invaders!)  -Folded arms, head down, and other defensive body language (If I make myself small, they can’t see me.)

Smug  -Slight, close-lipped smile (occasionally one-sided) and sometimes one raised eyebrow (I know something you don’t know.)  -Chin slightly tucked, Mona Lisa smile, raised eyebrows (I know better.)  -Finger steepling (I am so smaaaht.)

Suspicious/Skeptical/Disbelief  -Narrowed eyes, sometimes with a sidelong glance or raised eyebrow (Perhaps if I look at it out of the corner of my eye, I will catch it unawares.)  -Rubbing his eyes (I can’t believe what I’m metaphorically or literally seeing!)  -Shaking his head (I—I don’t believe it.)  -Blowing out cheeks (Well , I don’t know …)

Tired  -Rubbing his eyes, eyes staring into space, raised eyebrows (Raising my eyebrows helps keep my eyes open.)  -Yawning and/or stretching (I am tired—see? Tired! Too tired to care!)  -Almost nodding off and jerking awake (Cannot. Stay. Awa—snnnnurzzzz.)  -Gritting teeth to stay awake (Cannot—yawn—dang it!)

Thoughtfulness/Thinking  -Steepling fingers (I will think better if I center myself and focus.)  -Pinching nose, sometimes with closed eyes (Focus, focus—I just need to focus.)  -Tugging on an ear (This will help me remember!)  -Stroking a real or imaginary beard (People with beards look smart.)  -Furrowed brow, narrowed eyes, sometimes tilted head and pressing lips together (I can’t see it—I will try harder!)  -Resting his chin on his hand (Thinking makes my head heavy.)

Triumphant  -Hands clenched and held above head while grimacing (She is invincible!)  -Head tilted back with a yell (She is fierce!)  -Arm pumping in the air, jumping (Woohoo!)

[themodelwrites]

[resourcesforourfallenheroes-blog]

themodelwrites:

Under the cut you’ll find a masterlist of 100+ words that can be used instead of the bland and boring word, “said”. This is a great resource people who find themselves consistently using common words such as “said”, “replied” and “sighed”. Enjoy and please like or reblog if you found this helpful!

Keep reading

[resourcesforourfallenheroes-blog]

Words to describe someone's voice

adenoidal: if someone’s voice is adenoidal, some of the sound seems to come through their nose

appealing: an appealing look, voice etc shows that you want help, approval, or agreement

breathy: with loud breathing noises

brittle: if you speak in a brittle voice, you sound as if you are about to cry

croaky: if someone’s voice sounds croaky, they speak in a low rough voice that sounds as if they have a sore throat

dead: if someone’s eyes are dead, or if their voice is dead, they feel or show no emotion

disembodied: a disembodied voice comes from someone who you cannot see

flat: spoken in a voice that does not go up and down. This word is often used for describing the speech of people from a particular region.

fruity: a fruity voice or laugh is deep and strong in a pleasant way

grating: a grating voice, laugh, or sound is unpleasant and annoying

gravelly: a gravelly voice sounds low and rough

gruff: a gruff voice has a rough low sound

guttural: a guttural sound is deep and made at the back of your throat

high-pitched: a high-pitched voice or sound is very high

hoarse: someone who is hoarse or has a hoarse voice speaks in a low rough voice, usually because their throat is sore

honeyed: honeyed words or a honeyed voice sound very nice but you cannot trust the person who is speaking

husky: a husky voice is deep and sounds hoarse (=as if you have a sore throat), often in an attractive way

low adjective: a low voice or sound is quiet and difficult to hear

low adverb: in a deep voice, or with a deep sound

matter-of-fact: used about someone’s behaviour or voice

modulated: a modulated voice is controlled and pleasant to listen to

monotonous: a monotonous sound or voice is boring and unpleasant because it does not change in loudness or become higher or lower

nasal: someone with a nasal voice sounds as if they are speaking through their nose

orotund: an orotund voice is loud and clear

penetrating: a penetrating voice or sound is so high or loud that it makes you slightly uncomfortable

plummy: a plummy voice or way of speaking is considered to be typical of an English person of a high social class. This word shows that you dislike people who speak like this.

quietly: in a quiet voice

raucous: a raucous voice or noise is loud and sounds rough

ringing: a ringing sound or voice is very loud and clear

rough: a rough voice is not soft and is unpleasant to listen to

shrill: a shrill noise or voice is very loud, high, and unpleasant

silvery: a silvery voice or sound is clear, light, and pleasant

singsong: if you speak in a singsong voice, your voice rises and falls in a musical way

small: a small voice or sound is quiet

smoky: a smoky voice or smoky eyes are sexually attractive in a slightly mysterious way

softly spoken: someone who is softly spoken has a quiet gentle voice

sotto voce adjective, adverb: in a very quiet voice

stentorian: a stentorian voice sounds very loud and severe

strangled: a strangled sound is one that someone stops before they finish making it

strangulated: strangled

strident: a strident voice or sound is loud and unpleasant

taut: used about something such as a voice or expression that shows someone is nervous or angry

thick: if your voice is thick with an emotion, it sounds less clear than usual because of the emotion

thickly: with a low voice that comes mostly from your throat

thin: a thin voice or sound is high and unpleasant to listen to

throaty: a throaty sound is low and seems to come from deep in your throat

tight: a tight voice or expression shows that you are nervous or annoyed

toneless: a toneless voice does not express any emotion

tremulous: if something such as your voice or smile is tremulous, it is not steady, for example because you are afraid or excited

wheezy: a wheezy noise sounds as if it is made by someone who has difficulty breathing

wobbly: if your voice is wobbly, it goes up and down, usually because you are frightened, not confident, or are going to cry

[artsyongallifrey-blog]

Awesome reference for writers or general curiousity

The Crime Museum in Washington D.C. has a great website for anyone with an interest in crime and criminology. Not only that, but they have a whole friggin library full of anything you want to know.

I mean look at this

T H E Y  H A V E  E V E R Y T H I N G

Need some info on famous serial killers?

YOOO I’ve never heard anything about female serial killers!

Yeah, remember the Craigslist killer?

Okay, but I want some stuff on the basics of forensic anthropology for a fic I’m wroking on. Anything?

GO FORTH, MY CHILDREN, AND LEARN

[sonamhelps-deactivated20180506]

I was wondering if you could help me finding some material about how to play a businessman(my char is a CEO, actually)?

I couldn’t find any guides on Tumblr (if anyone knows of one reply to this please!), but I found a few useful resources that you could apply to your character:

The Three Qualities a CEO Must Have to Succeed 

Good Qualities for Businessmen 

Skills you need to be a CEO

You could use these aspirational qualities for a businessman to build your character around, and you could also think about which of these qualities they lack/need to work on. This could help you a lot with character development as he works to become a capable CEO.

Here are some resources about what being a CEO involves:

5 Core Responsibilities of a CEO

Investopia definition of Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

What do CEOs do? A CEO Job Description.

The Role of the CEO

These should help you understand what your character does on a daily basis, and to get to grips with language used in that kind of environment. 

Finally, these are some interesting resources about the daily life of a business person:

Daily Routine Of A Successful Businessman 

Daily Routines Of Successful Entrepreneurs

The daily routine of 17 CEOs

30 Daily Habits of the Most Successful Entrepreneurs

This was actually really interesting. If any of you want to go into business I highly recommend you have a look at some of these links!

I hope this helps you ‘non! :)

[dear-indies]

Hi! I have an OC who is an expert in martial arts but I have a tough time writing fight scenes for them. I remember seeing a guide to writing martial arts or something to that effect but I can't seem to find it. Do you have any advice for how I can make writing these replies seem more realistic? Thanks!!

Tumblr:

Writing Fight Scenes In First Person → howtofightwrite

Making Action More Interesting → writing-questions-answered

Writing Fight Scenes → nightfoot

Writing a good fight scene → chris-pine-rpc

A Fight Scene Masterlist → psychictwinsrph

How to Write a Fight Scene Masterlist → writeworld

Other:

How to Write an Authentic Martial Arts Fight Scene → freelancewriting

How to Write Martial Arts Fight Scenes → kisawhipkey

Word-Karate: on Writing Action Scenes → terribleminds

The Kung Fu Panda Guide to Writing Action Scenes → helpingwritersbecomeauthors

Here’s How to Write a Damn Good Fight Scene → standoutbooks

Pacing Dialogue and Action Scenes → hollylisle

Writing Fight Scenes → storysensei

How to Write a Fight Scene → quickanddirtytipsa

Creating Fight Scenes and Battles → marilynnbyerly

Pow! Boom! Ka-Pow! 5 Tips to Write Fight Scenes → thewritepractice

A Fight Scene Masterlist → audenstreasury

If you have any unanswered questions @howtofightwrite is a great resource! -C

[dfanningrph]

Barista Need-to-Knows

First off, I’d like to ask a certain very large coffee empire to not sue me for using a phrase that is probably trademarked. I simply couldn’t find a better title to fit the theme and since work is inspiring me to write this in the first place, work shall provide the title as well. Please note that this is not a comprehensive guide to working at a coffee shop but it does have a lot of the basics that a lot of people don’t always understand; in fact, a lot of this is comprised of things that I find myself explaining to customers  on a fairly regular basis.

Keep reading