The Scriptor of Strange Tales

This is my personal blog wherein I will be taking prompts for writing, and probably just generally futzing around on the internet. The occasional fanwork may also make an appearance because I really need to kick myself in the pants and finish some of the fanfics I started but never seem to be able to get through.

[thecalloffantasy]

Word Upgrades & Adverb Replacements

Not banning adverbs, just helping you avoid the icky ones.

1. Swap the adverb, not the meaning. Instead of: “He whispered angrily.” Try: “He hissed the words between his teeth.”

2. Replace “said” only when it changes tone. Not every line needs flair! But sometimes: • mused (thinking aloud) • snapped (tension) • muttered (quiet frustration) • chirped (bright and quick)

3. Alternatives to ‘almost’ that aren’t icky. Objects: brushing against, bordering, adjacent to Actions: poised to, ready to, about to States: akin to, resembling, not quite Misc: a whisper from, at the cusp of, within reach of

Example: Instead of: “She was almost smiling.” Try: “A smile hovered at the edge of her mouth.”

Punctuation as a Writing Superpower

Punctuation is mood.

1. Em-dash = drama or interruption. “The decision — reckless as it was — already felt final.”

2. Semicolon = linked thoughts. “The storm hammered the walls; inside, her hands wouldn’t stop shaking.”

3. Colon = emphasis or explanation. “He wanted only one thing: answers.”

4. Ellipses = hesitation or fading thoughts. “I thought I saw someone behind the shed, but…”

5. Intentional fragments = emotional punch. “The letter fell from her hands. Silence. Then breathing. Then panic.”

[brainstreams]

Ways That Fear Can Show Up (Without Saying “Fear”)

When it creeps: • Foreboding — the air feels wrong before anything actually happens. • Ominousness — silence that feels almost... purposeful. • Misgiving — your instincts tugging at your sleeve, whispering, "Don't."

When it hits fast: • Shock — your brain blanks • Startled— your heart slams, you inhale • Panic — thoughts fracture; your instincts beg for escape

When it lingers: • Tension — jaw locked, shoulders up near your ears. • Anxiety — background noise that lingers in every thought • Dread — knowing something bad is coming and having to wait for it.

When it turns physical: • Shivers — cold crawling up the spine. • Sweat, dilated pupils, skin gone pale — your own body betrays you. • Weakness — knees like jelly, grip unreliable.

When it overwhelms: • Terror — too big to think around. • Horror — something has gone wrong. • Paralysis — body refusing orders.

When it distorts reality: • Paranoia — patterns where there are none. • Suspicion — every sound feels intentional. • Unease — the sense of being watched without proof.

If you liked this, a small Ko-fi tip would mean a lot. No pressure!

[ariesrin]

20 Ways Characters Show Longing Without Admitting It

Does your character have a desire for someone that's just out of reach?

Longing lingers in the pauses, in the almost-touches, in every moment that could have been something more. Let your reader understand just how your character can't confess what (or who) they want using these subtle ways.

Looking at them a moment too long before glancing away.

Re-reading old messages they (never) sent.

Memorising their routines without meaning to.

Smiling at something hours after it happened.

Taking the long way home just to pass by their favourite place.

Pausing before knocking on their door, hoping it’ll open first.

Imagining multiple scenarios of confessions (from either side).

Letting their fingers hover over a call button they never press.

Feeling their chest tighten when they see them with someone else.

Keeping small objects that remind them of the person.

Laughing softer when it’s their joke.

Asking mutual friends about them too casually.

Finding excuses to stay a bit longer.

Touching an empty seat beside them as if expecting company.

Taking photos of things "they'd like."

Replaying conversations, searching for meaning.

Holding back words that almost spill out.

Growing quieter when they say they're leaving.

Smiling at their name.

Watching them walk away with desperation in their eyes begging to join them.

Yearning for someone that you can't have is a heartbreaking experience, let the emotions bleed into your writing.

[ariesrin]

20 Ways Characters Show Trust Without Saying It

Trust is built slowly over time. It's rarely given immediately and instead is revealed in the smallest vulnerabilities, the quietest choices, the moments where a character lets their guard down without realising it.

I've outlined some ways you can prove to your reader the trust your characters build together.

Sharing secrets they don’t tell anyone else.

Letting someone see their vulnerable side: emotional, disheveled, or undone.

Falling asleep around them without worry.

Admitting confusion instead of pretending to know everything.

Asking for help, especially when they never do.

Walking beside them instead of behind or ahead.

Allowing silence without trying to fill it.

Letting them read unfinished drafts, art, or work-in-progress ideas.

Showing up at their door in a moment of panic.

Not hiding their flaws or insecurities.

Giving them the spare key without overthinking it.

Delegating an important task without hesitation.

Relaxing their shoulders when that person arrives.

Sharing food straight from the same plate or drink.

Telling the truth, even when it’s messy or uncomfortable.

Revealing old scars: physical or emotional.

Accepting advice they’d reject from anyone else.

Allowing touch without stiffening.

Letting that character enter their space.

Looking at them like they’re a place, not a person. A safe place.

Trust can be woven into every quiet moment, even when broken and needing to be rebuilt.

[luna-azzurra]

FACIAL MICRO EXPRESSIONS FOR WRITERS <3

[sorayachemaly]

Women scientists made up 25% of the Pluto fly-by New Horizon team. Make sure you share this, because erasing women’s achievements in science and history is a tradition. Happens every day.

.

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/News-Article.php?page=20150712

[optimysticals]

70 seconds over 9 years and 3 billion miles…

…I just… Damn 

[lyrangalia]

Launch to Pluto flyby for New Horizons took 3,580 days, and she was off by 70 seconds. That’s like… That’s an error of 0.000000226%.

That’s fucking insane.

That’s not even a rounding error!

[optimysticals]

Thank you for putting words & numbers to my awe of her precision.

[puppygirllaika]

Don’t forget that not only was the flight long, it also involved a gravity assist from Jupiter, meaning the calculations had to account for the probe whipping around our solar systems largest planet and being flung off towards Pluto after already speeding away from earth for a full year.

[alanaisalive]

The other night husband and I were watching a documentary about the yeti where they were doing DNA analysis of samples of supposed yeti fur, and every one of them came back as bears.

Anyway, the next night we watched a thing about some pig man who is supposed to live in Vermont. People said it had claws and a pig nose but walked upright like a man. Now, I happen to know that sideshows used to shave bears and present them as pig men. So every piece of evidence they gave of this monster sounds to me like a bear with mange.

So now the running joke in our house is that everything is bears. Aliens? Bears. Loch Ness monster? Bear. Every cryptozoological mystery is just a very crafty bear.

Bears. They’re everywhere. Be wary. Anyone or anything could be a bear.

[iguanamouth]

oh shit

[throughshadow-to-the-edgeofnight]

[alanaisalive]

As the OP of this post, I’m going to threaten that if this gets to one million notes by the 10 year anniversary on 1 June 2026, one year from today, I will get a lower back tattoo of the loch ness bear monster.

[docd666]

Y'all know what to do Tumblr.

[wyrd-woman]

I’m doin’ it.

[emeraldcity1900]

I like how the homestuck pilot stuff is just giving everyone a rude awakening that a lot of indie creators know each other and respect each others work and that your individual cringe does not exist in a vacuum. And that at the end of the day you’re all clowns.

[nebby-the-not-protogen]

united we stand

[butchfemmespuffy]

close enough, welcome back superwholock

[beemovieerotica]

?????? rich people are losing it

[beemovieerotica]

to be clear, yes i would also do some of this if i had the money. im experiencing blinding envy over the dr pepper mirror dimension.

[bartfargo]

[auntieautumn]

Same goes for continuing to buy Harry Potter shit.

[mirrormirror2]

Beautiful Street Art in Hollywood. Walk of shame. By the way .....FUCK DONALD TRUMP!

[ralfmaximus]

Fun fact: every time his star is destroyed he has to reapply to the Walk Of Fame people to have the star reinstated. The fee for that was raised in 2020 to $50,000 per incident.

[tenthfloorghostgirl]

[uni416]

...There I was, veritably myself again.

[uni416]

This life is a F*CKING NIGHTMARE

[miragethepheromosa]

You know it's bad when people are outright wishing to wake up in Skyrim than stay in this hellhole

[bees-with-swords]

"Do you ever dream of land?" The whale asks the tuna.

"No." Says the tuna, "Do you?"

"I have never seen it." Says the whale, "but deep in my body, I remember it."

"Why do you care," says the tuna, "if you will never see it."

"There are bones in my body built to walk through the forests and the mountains." Says the whale.

"They will disappear." Says the tuna, "one day, your body will forget the forests and the mountains."

"Maybe I don't want to forget," Says the whale, "The forests were once my home."

"I have seen the forests." Whispers the salmon, almost to itself.

"Tell me what you have seen," says the whale.

"The forests spawned me." Says the salmon. "They sent me to the ocean to grow. When I am fat with the bounty of the ocean, I will bring it home."

"Why would the forests seek the bounty of the oceans?" Asks the whale. "They have bounty of their own."

"You forget," says the salmon, "That the oceans were once their home."

[hearnoweevil]

Last year I finally had an excuse to illustrate this simple little Tumblr story I've had bookmarked forever for class.

I hope you like it :]

[memeuplift]

[pensivetense]

[zevveli]

[sacred-portal]

[cherryberg]

[a-sentient-cup]

[pyrobot1cs]

[withoneeye]

[wilwheaton]

Why is this horse in the middle of a creepy room?

Because it wants you to know that Trump is in the Epstein files and the entire Republican party is protecting him and his fellow pedophile rapists.

[pangur-and-grim]

I accidentally derailed a book discussion because the prof asked what we thought about it, and I said “at one point the author says ‘raccoons the size of huskies. which is a seriously big raccoon.”

and everyone started moving their arms to approximate the size of a husky and frowning. and I was like “because huskies are mostly leg, but raccoons are mostly body, so a raccoon scaled that large would be like a bear.” and then the prof said that he liked the ‘raccoons the size of huskies’ line, and tried to move on, and I interrupted again with “but that’s so big!”

[pangur-and-grim]

huskies range between 51-60cm at the shoulder, and pandas range between 60-90 cm, so these would be raccoons roughly the size of an adult female panda

this is important because, unlike pandas, raccoons love meat. they already go after chickens and kittens at their current size. a panda-sized raccoon (especially a city raccoon, which have NO fear of people) might predate upon humans in the same way as their polar bears cousins

[pangur-and-grim]