I do this thing when I just call out a random time to intimidate my younger sibling, bonus points if it's super specific and it's in the night. Like if they annoy me, I'll just say '9:36!' and leave the room.

What my OCs would do if they had tumblr:

Parker ~ their blog would be weird, just because the majority of the things they’d post would be vents and the like, but then they’d get scared soon after and delete them because they’re scared of people getting to know them and hating them after so you could swear they post a lot even though their blog is relatively free of original content. Otherwise, they’d post occasional pictures of themself and also reblog every single post of Roksi’s art or Quincey’s music.

Roksi ~ Oh she would be so chaotic. Reblogging everything. Her blog would be impossible to navigate. Most heinous colour scheme ever. Yet she’d probably have loads of followers. Her original posts would mostly be pictures of her art, makeup, or outfits. She would also send loads of asks to people and be so happy to answer them in return. Her main goal would be for her blog to be a safe space for everyone and to make people happy!

Harlyn ~ she wouldn’t post or reblog much, so her blog would be relatively empty, but she would still be silently spectating everyone. Even if you feel like she’s ignoring you, reality is that she’s probably read every single one of your posts. When she does make her own, they’d either be pictures of Roksi and Quincey, or making fun of Parker.

Quincey ~ very aesthetic, very pleasant, very calm. She wouldn’t post for a long time, but her friends would bully into posting videos of her singing and playing guitar, and she’d end up getting loads of followers for her talent, and maybe even start to believe in herself a bit. She’d reblog pretty pictures of the sky. She’d also probably try and use it as a space for activism and for spreading other people’s stories. Plus she’d send loads of positive and kind anons to everyone, but never confirm that it’s her :)

-I am going to tag a few people and try to start a tag game but absolutely no pressure to join in, also if I haven’t tagged you but you want to join feel free!-

@askyaphelion @snowfromfallenclouds @that-little-lychee @inedibleplastic @storiesbyemma @iamsanovice @theonetheonlyyogurt @purple-dinosaur17 @writingwithpen

Thanks for the tag!

Rowan: He posts his art, and probably has lots of followers because his art is really good. He doesn't believe this, and the support confuses him. He mostly reblogs other people’s art, he's too scared to post or reblog anything personal, not even text posts he relates to.

Faye: 90% shitposts. She loves anything that's nonsense, she practically collects them. The rest are reblogs of memes, food pictures, and the occasional cute animal video (but only if there’s an element of humor). Also she has no profile picture or header, she can't be bothered.

Rose: She wouldn’t be caught dead with a tumblr account. She reads all the weird heritage posts on Pinterest, though. She thinks they’re hilarious, and will never admit this. 

Sun: His blog would be really aesthetic, perfect color scheme. He posts positive affirmations that no one gives him in real life, and pretty pictures of scenery and wildlife. He reblogs all PSA and fundraiser posts as well. And he'd like all of Rowan's posts <3

@munamarvel14, and anyone else!

Roxy - Memes, memes and memes all the way. Changes pfp and blog themes all the time. Likes all of Layla (her gf) posts and sends the most random asks to anyone

Layla - still getting used to social media so mostly reblogs but her theme would be very aesthetic. She would also post her poems and follows everyone who likes them

Wendy - reblogs of very unhinged and dark posts. Don't go to her blog unless you want to be traumatized, confused or slightly disgusted. She is on a lot of DNIs and blocklists due to her disturbing habit of sending asks that mention personal things she has noticed about people.

Maxine - Is an admin and mod for MANY communities. She's on a few blocklist since people think she's a pedo cuz she has all these reblogs of little kids, especially girls, but that's because they remind her of her little sister who passed away in the accident that made her a cyborg :)

No pressure tags!

@stargazingdustbunny @lemonlimekodkod @elronthemage @elizabeth-astraea

✏️ Writing Dialogue That Sounds Like Real People, Not Theater Kids on Red Bull

(a crash course in vibes, verbal economy, and making your characters shut up already)

Okay. We need to talk about dialogue. Specifically: why everyone in your draft sounds like they’re in a high school improv group doing a dramatic reading of Riverdale fanfiction.

Before you panic, this is normal. Early dialogue is almost always too much. Too polished. Too "scripted." So if yours feels off? You’re not failing. You’re just doing Draft Zero Dialogue, and it’s time to revise it like a boss.

Here’s how to fix it.

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🎭 STEP ONE: DETOX THEATER ENERGY I say this with love: your characters are not all quippy geniuses. They do not need to deliver emotional monologues at every plot beat. They can just say things. Weird, half-finished, awkward things.

Real people:

Let your characters sound messy. Not every line needs to sparkle. In fact, the more effort you put into making dialogue ✨perfect✨, the more fake it sounds. Cut 30% of your clever lines and see what happens.

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🎤 STEP TWO: GIVE EACH CHARACTER A VERBAL FINGERPRINT The fastest way to make dialogue feel alive? Make everyone speak differently. Think rhythm, grammar, vocabulary, tone.

Some dials you can twist:

Here’s a shortcut: imagine what your character sounds like over text. Are they the “lol okay” type or the “okie dokie artichokie 🌈✨” one? Now translate that into speech.

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🧠 STEP THREE: FUNCTION > FILLER Every line of dialogue should do something. Reveal something. Move something. Change something.

Ask:

If it’s just noise? It’s dead air. Cut it. Replace it with a glance. A gesture. A silence that says more.

TIP: look at a dialogue scene and remove every third line. Does the scene still work? Probably better.

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💥 STEP FOUR: REACTIVITY IS THE GOLD STANDARD Characters don’t talk into a void. They respond. And how they respond = the real juice.

Don’t just write back-and-forth ping pong. Write conflict, dodge, misunderstanding. If one character says something vulnerable, the other might joke. Or ignore it. Or say something cruel. That’s tension.

Dialogue is not just information exchange. It’s emotional strategy.

Try this exercise: A says something revealing. B lies. A notices, but pretends they don’t. B changes the subject. Now you’ve got a real scene.

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🔍 STEP FIVE: PAY ATTENTION TO POWER Every convo has a power dynamic, even if it’s tiny. Who’s steering? Who’s withholding? Who’s deflecting, chasing, challenging?

Power can shift line to line. That shift = tension. And tension = narrative fuel.

Write conversations like chess matches, not ping pong.

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✂️ STEP SIX: SCISSORS ARE YOUR BEST FRIEND The best dialogue is often the second draft. Or third. Or fourth. First drafts are just you figuring out what everyone wants to say. Later drafts figure out what they actually would say.

Things to cut:

Readers are smart. Let them fill in blanks.

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🎧 STEP SEVEN: READ IT OUT LOUD (YES, REALLY) If you hate this step: too bad. It works. Read it. Mumbling is fine. Cringe is part of the ritual.

Ask yourself:

If you can’t say it out loud without wincing, the reader won’t make it either. Respect the vibe.

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🏁 TL;DR: If you want your dialogue to sound like real people, let your characters be real. Messy. Annoying. Human. Let them interrupt and lie and joke badly and say the wrong thing at the worst time.

Cut the improv class energy. Kill the urge to be ✨brilliant✨. And listen to how people talk when they’re scared, tired, pissed off, in love, or trying not to say what they mean.

That’s where the good stuff is.

—rin t. // thewriteadviceforwriters // official advocate of awkward silences and one-word replies

P.S. I made a free mini eBook about the 5 biggest mistakes writers make in the first 10 pages 👀 you can grab it here for FREE: