Uncommon Words / Phrases to be Inspired by

• Absquatulate: to leave without saying goodbye
• Cassandra Complex: a psychological penomenon in which someone's accurate prediction of a crisis is ignored or dismissed
• Cicatrize: to find healing by the process of forming scars
• Even a Worm will turn: the belief that even the most docile creature will retaliate if pushed too far
• Fernweh: the ache for distant places; the urge to leave everything familiar behind
• Hamartia: a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero
• Hiraeth: homesickness for a home you can never return to
• Ichor: a fluid that flows like blood in the veins of gods
• Jester's Privilege: the ability and right of a jester to mock his king without fear of punishment, for nothing he says seems to matter
• Lachesism: longing for the clarity that comes with living through a disaster
• Lotus-Eater: a person who lives their life in a constant state of dream and fantasy
• Novalunosis: the state of relaxation and wonder experienced while gazing up at the stars
• Pyrrhic Victory: a victory with such devastating consequence and collateral that is becomes a 'hollow victory'
• Swan Song: a final act or effort given just before death
• Wanderlust: a strong desire to wander and explore the world free from any obligation
• Weltschmerz: the pain that comes with the realisation that the material world will never satisfy the demands of the soul
• Whistle in the Dark: to make a show of bravery despite one's fear
• Yhprum's Law: 'everything that can go right will go right'

[Prompt Calender: January 9th, National Word Nerd Day]

Scully and Mulder: *conferring in hushed tones, making the softest eye contact you've ever seen only breaking it to look at the others lips, with their noses inches away from each other*

The suspect they're supposed to be interrogating sitting like 5 ft away from them: ಠ_ಠ

write it down. write it down, not because you're afraid you'll forget about it. write it down, not because you think that you need someone else to validate your feelings. write it down, but not because you just want this shit to get over. write it down, not because you want people to not misunderstand why you did what you did. WRITE IT DOWN. because you deserve to feel validated by your own reflection first. write it down. because someday you will look back at time and think "wow! did i write that?". write it down because it might make someone else feel alive. write it down because I DON'T KNOW! PEOPLE MIGHT START TO LIKE YOU FOR WHAT YOU FEEL. THEY MIGHT START TO FEEL YOU. they might start to look up to you even. IDK MAN JUST GET THAT NOTEBOOK OUT OR OPEN THAT GODDAMN WORD DOC AND WRITE. DONT STOP BECAUSE YOU FEEL THAT YOU MIGHT NOT BE GOOD AT IT. PEOPLE HAVE THE ABILITY TO GET BETTER. DO IT. DO IT. DO IT RN. please don't stop.

feeling random so um

TAG ONE PERSON WHO YOU THINK DESERVES THE WORLD AND WHO YOU LOVE VERY MUCH

(can be platonic or romantic love, feel free to specify)

and to the person being tagged...

YOU ARE SO LOVED, YOU DESERVE THE WORLD, AND HAVE A FANTABULOUS DAY

obvi my tag is my bf <3 @choucon

JOIN THE TRAIN PEOPLE

How to Make a Character's Inaction & Indecision Work

Inaction is an action. Indecision is a decision. 

It's often a terrible idea to write a truly passive protagonist, when it comes to the plot. You can have a characteristically passive protagonist--a character who wants to be the laziest person in the entire world, but feels she can't, because she needs to stop the antagonist. This sort of thing often creates a reluctant hero, where the protagonist hopes to quickly defeat the antagonist to get the status quo back, to return to her ordinary, passive lifestyle. 

But when it comes to the plot itself, the protagonist must be an active problem-solver. At least, she should be, if she's going to be a true protagonist. (And if she's not, there is a good chance she isn't the true protagonist, and she's just the viewpoint character of the story.)

With all that said, though, there are times when passivity can work, for a short while, when inaction is an action, and when indecision is a decision.

These moments are certainly exceptions, and not rules.

Pretty much the only way to make true passivity, inaction, and indecision work, is to tie significant consequences to them. When not acting carries consequences meaningful enough to change the trajectory of the story--either for the world or the character.

But perhaps this is best conveyed with some examples.

In The Lion King, in the third quarter (Act II, Part II), Simba's goal is essentially passivity. Hakuna Matata--it means no worries. And as Timon says, they've turned their backs on the world. He, Simba, and Pumba have pretty much decided they are going to do nothing but eat bugs, relax, and hang out. There is very little productivity. Very little action. And there is certainly no problem-solving.

Unfortunately, though, it carries great ramifications. Back in the Pride Lands, Scar has taken Simba's place as king, and he's overhunted the area to the point that animals are starving and his subjects are leaving the kingdom.

When Nala finds Simba, she asks him to come back, take his rightful place as king, and save the Pride Lands. Initially, he refuses. But he ultimately can't live with himself. He has forgotten who he is, and as a result, the whole Circle of Life has been thrown out of balance.

He realizes he must return and take his rightful place as king. Both for himself. And for his subjects.

In here, Simba's inaction worked, because it brought about terrible consequences.

However, it should also be noted, the only way it works for an entire quarter, is because not only is the film short, but because the audience gets to follow Nala and Scar in here a little bit. While Simba, the protagonist, isn't acting, they are. If this was a longer story, we may even argue that Nala is the protagonist, within this quarter, because she's the one being proactive.

If we didn't see what was happening to the characters in the Pride Lands, this would likely be a very boring quarter that would have brought the pacing to a grinding halt.

But thankfully, we see, that Simba's passivity is creating major problems.

A similar thing happens in Spider-Man 2, when Peter decides he's going to stop acting as Spider-Man. Unfortunately for New York, this comes with significant consequences. Crime is on the rise, and Doc Ock moves forward with his plans. A fire claims the life of an innocent that Peter believes he could have saved as Spider-Man. While Peter himself is succeeding in his personal life, the "world" is falling apart.

One of the reasons this example works, is because, while Peter is being passive in the primary plotline, he's being more proactive in other areas, like school, and in particular, his relationship with Mary Jane (the secondary plot). He's not just sitting around watching TV. He is not progressing the A Story, but he is progressing other areas of his life (and most notably, the B Story).

Eventually, of course, the negative consequences become too much, and he puts on his superhero suit again.

In a series I like, Trigun, we have a similar scenario. The protagonist, Vash, is characteristically passive, and he would love nothing more than to kick up his feet and enjoy a peaceful day. At one point in the story, Vash actually gives up fighting the antagonists, adopts a new identity, and lives a (relatively speaking) ordinary life. He feels like whenever he tries to stop his enemies, things turn out worse for him and his loved ones. So he abandons all that, and stops attempting. He chooses inaction.

Unfortunately, though, while it's terrible and costly being involved with the bad guys, it turns out not being involved with them is even worse. The main antagonist wipes out an entire town.

No one else can stop this guy, so choosing to do nothing, comes with steep consequences. It turns out, regardless of how costly it is to him personally, the world is better off with Vash at least trying to stop his enemies.

Inaction is a choice, but it needs to carry significant consequences.

So far, all of the consequences I've laid out have been rather "broad"--meaning they affect many people and large places. But it's also possible to layer on "deep" consequences--meaning they affect the character more personally.

In The Good Place, Chidi's fatal flaw is indecision. And the person who is usually most impacted by this, is himself. Whether he is trying to decide which soulmate to pick, or which muffin to buy, he feels stressed and tortured. In fact, his indecision led to his death. The reason he is in Hell, is because his indecisiveness caused those around him to suffer (so while he is most affected, it does still affect others).

It's the very fact that Chidi is so tortured by indecision, that the writers get away with such an indecisive main character. They also show how indecision can lead to worse outcomes than a wrong decision. A simple example is when the characters get to choose a pet for eternity. Chidi can't decide between a black puppy or a blond puppy. He takes so long to decide, that both puppies are gone by the time he returns, and he gets stuck with an owl, which attacks him.

Indecision is Chidi's personal hell, and it works because it carries negative consequences. (It also puts him in conflict with himself.)

So while, generally speaking, we want our main characters taking action and making decisions--being active problem-solving characters--you can get away with creating the opposite, on occasion. You just need to show how inaction, indecision, and passivity lead to worse consequences. This will compel the character to eventually do something.

I LOVE U DANA SCULLY

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.”

when i catch myself calling them jamie, gray, xan, sav like they my personal friends i have sunday night roast with

How to Fix Underwriting

1. Slow down at emotionally important moments.

Big emotions need space to land. If a scene feels rushed, pause the plot briefly to show how the moment affects the character.

2. Add reactions, not explanations.

Instead of explaining what a character feels, show it through physical responses, hesitation, or small actions that reveal emotion naturally.

3. Ground every scene in the senses.

If a scene feels thin, add one or two sensory details—sound, texture, smell, or temperature—to make the moment feel lived-in.

4. Let thoughts interrupt action.

A line of internal thought can deepen a scene without slowing it too much. Thoughts show stakes, fear, longing, or conflict beneath the action.

5. Expand consequences, not events.

You don’t need more things to happen—you need to show what matters. Focus on how events change relationships, decisions, or self-perception.

6. Strengthen setting where emotion peaks.

The environment should echo or contrast the emotion of the scene. Setting is not decoration—it’s emotional reinforcement.

7. Add specific details instead of general ones.

Underwriting often relies on vague language. Swap “they argued” for one sharp line of dialogue or a specific breaking point.

8. Let dialogue breathe.

Short dialogue exchanges without pauses can feel flat. Add beats—silence, gestures, interruptions—to give the conversation weight.

9. Show transitions between scenes.

If scenes jump too quickly, readers feel disoriented. A brief transition helps establish time, mood, and emotional continuity.

10. Clarify stakes early in the scene.

If readers don’t know what can be lost, scenes feel empty. Make sure the character wants something specific and fears losing it.

11. Use the “what are they feeling right now?” check.

After each major beat, ask what emotion is dominant in that moment. If it’s missing on the page, the scene is likely underwritten.

12. Expand scenes that feel “too clean.”

If a scene resolves too neatly or quickly, it probably needs more tension. Messy emotions and unresolved feelings add depth.

★ How to: Tumblr Dividers ★

personally i had a really hard time trying to make dividers so i'm making this to hopefully help others who may be having the same problems as me.

1. Programs

i like to use clip studio paint since that is what i have but there are other free options too like: Photopea (free, browser), Canva (free, browser),IBIS Paint (free, ios/android), ect...

2. Canvas Sizes

this is where i struggled the most since it can be hard to judge how something will look in a post vs how it looks when you're making it. i put together some "guideline" dividers so its easier to see how things will look:

^ small divider 2000 x 40px ( good for pixel art )

^ medium divider 2000 x 100px (good for small doodles)

^ large/ medium divider 2000 x 140px (small text and drawings)

^ large divider 3000 x 225px ( good for titles )

obviously you don't have to follow these exactly but they are a good reference for what looks good at different sizes

3. Saving

the way that you save your drawings will affect how they look if you want parts to be "clear/ see through" make sure to save in .png these files may be a little bit bigger but they will keep any transparent parts of your divider / drawing.

^ a good example of this is my star divider

if you're ok with having no transparent parts/ a solid colour, pattern divider you can save in .jpg these files are smaller than .png so are good if you don't have a lot of space on your device.
All of the above "size example" dividers are .jpg so they don't have any transparent parts.

[Side note: if you have transparent parts in your drawing but save it in .jpg they will become white]

i hope that this was a helpful little tutorial, i didn't go through everything but i tried to give some good starting points!