#Proxemics | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

a-study-in-sepia · 6 months

Text

Proxemics and Deduction 01

Proxemics is defined as the branch of knowledge that deals with the amount of space people feel is necessary to set between themselves and others.

It’s a fascinating field that we, as deductionists, pull from on a daily basis whether we’ve been aware of it or not. If you see two people walking together, how do you gauge their relationship? Lovers, family, friends, colleagues, mortal enemies; all options, along with many more. There are quite a few scenario-specific examples, such as coworkers carrying the same identification tag, or a couple each tending to a stroller, but without fail, as a supplementary measure, or more often, as an introductory observation, we fall to proxemics. We look for levels of comfort, and one of the best ways to gauge that is physical closeness. Proxemics is one of several modes of nonverbal communication, ranging from something as simple as touch (haptics), to something as obscure as use of time (chronemics).

To explain proxemics in its most concrete state, we can reference Edward T. Hall’s interpersonal distances of man.

Imagine four concentric circles, in the center, a person. The first three circles are at 4, 8, and 12 feet respectively. Now add one more circle at 1.5 feet. From nearest to farthest, you have the intimate distance, personal distance, social distance, and public distance. Each of these measurements is used to represent the acceptable levels of closeness in various situations. It is important to note that Hall’s model, and thus Hall’s denoted application, is limited to Western ideals of social conduct. While these same measurements may not fully apply cross-culturally, all human-hosting spaces will model some form of proxemics. There will always be bounds between intimate, personal, and public space, but occasionally, they will be marked at different points. The difference between a friend and a colleague may be a matter of a few inches, and yet breaching that unspoken rule, can cause immense discomfort. Gauging this space, or lack thereof, is a major aspect of social deduction. It’s one of the first behavioral observations we utilize as deductionists, both new and old.

Before marital status, even before handedness, we have social connection. We all see it, I would venture to say we intuitively understand it, so much so that the lines between observation and deduction begin to blur.

The basics are in the textbook application, but there’s much more to proxemics than reciprocal relations. What about the colleague who’s getting a little too close for comfort? The wife who’s preparing for an imminent divorce? The regular with the irrational phobia?

Deduction, in many ways, is best dissected through deviance.

Proxemics sets a baseline for us to observe and through this baseline, enables us to detect changes. These changes speak volumes. To take the first example. You notice two coworkers behind the counter in a cafe. Their relationship status is unknown - simply colleagues, barely acquaintances, best friends - it's unestablished to you. You watch them interact; there’s limited camaraderie, few words exchanged from one, a few too many from the other. Is worker B simply over communicative, or is there more to it? You see B encroach on what would be appropriate for a colleague (social/personal depending on the available space - which is something I’ll touch on in a moment), but A steps away, leaving B in the next available concentric circle. This is something we would likely notice without the knowledge of proxemics, but would be unable to categorize beyond a vague ramble about “intuitive social knowledge”. By referencing an established baseline we streamline the observation and solidify it in the process, creating a new building block to jump off of. “Individual A looks uncomfortable” turns into, dare I say, a mathematical reference point for any and all future behavior.

It is important to acknowledge that this particular example is not representative of Person A’s baseline. It is also important to acknowledge that not every person follows the same baseline, and that certain situations will inherently alter expected baselines. Let’s take the example of a very small area behind the counter in this imaginative cafe. Informal colleagues will likely be forced into what would be considered personal or even intimate space. Proxemic expectations change not only cross-culturally, but by environment. The best way to understand proxemic norms in non-standard situations, is to spend some time observing many people who are exposed to that specific situation. If you simply go off how you would feel in that situation, you are setting a baseline with a possible bias. People tend towards environments they're comfortable with. There is, after all, a reason they’re behind that counter and you’re not.

Now, one might argue that if the proxemic standards are constantly changing, the applications of the specific measurements are all but useless. While it is true that the baselines are constantly changing by environment, there is an overarching standard. When the space is provided to do so, people will revert to defined patterns. And in situations where the space is not available, using this model, you can deduce a whole host of things with the proportional proximal input and subsequent behavior. Personality, relationships, levels of comfort and discomfort are all vital bits of information.

One interesting morsel I feel like throwing in here is the fascinating subject of lines. Lines, queues, whatever you want to call them are one of the best places to observe shifting proxemics in action. As more people enter the queue (when the space is confined) the spaces between individuals will decrease until they reach a social breaking point, at this point the line will turn, often veering out of the designated queue area. Onto another cafe example (can you tell I got coffee this morning). One person walks up to the register. At this point, the only proximal opportunity is between the cashier and the patron - which is generally defined by the width of the counter between them. Now, another person walks up and starts a line - depending on this individual’s personal proxemic preference, the standard in the line is set. The next person who joins the line will tend to follow the set amount of spacing, and the next person, and so on, as space allows. The patrons up ahead, uncaring of what’s going on behind them, will typically not adjust their positions, leaving a continuous theme of compression as the line progresses, until someone breaks and opts to turn the line. If there is no way to turn, that same slinky effect will move its way back up the line as people become aware of the discomfort behind them. I observed this in action this morning while waiting at my local cafe. Because there is continuous movement, the comfort of the line is rarely at the forefront of anyone’s mind; their priority is to reach the front, not be optimally comfortable while waiting. If, for example, people were queuing onto a bus (which for some reason didn’t have seats) and had to stand there for a couple hours, everyone would evenly disperse. In scenarios with movement, one person’s typically insignificant social preference has a domino effect on those behind them. There’s an observable push and pull of conscientiousness and the introversion-extroversion spectrum. We adjust subconsciously to the line’s collective consciousness, bow down to the social conduct overlord, and occasionally get squished in the process. Take some time to observe this phenomenon next time you’re waiting. Be a menace and try standing too close or too far and watch how uncomfortable you, and possibly others, get. Next time you're first in line, set a weird tone, but remember, with great power comes great responsibility.

The last topic I’m going to be touching on is something I can find absolutely no research on (great intro, I know), so bear with me. I’d like to discuss proxemics in terms of the inanimate object - something that I’m very poorly defining, but I believe works in the context of this article. I’ve been taking notes on this subject for some time, but only in my own geographical area. It’s proved wildly effective at predicting where people will go, so I took some time this morning to watch live CCTV footage of city walkways in other cities, both in the US and nationally (London, Oxford, and Tokyo). This is simply anecdotal, but through this limited observation it became clear to me that people will walk in the middle of their perceived space, cross-culturally. This sense of available space changes depending on the presence of a roadway, varied storefront structure, as well as other people. If there is no one coming towards them, people will tend towards the middle of the walkway, often veering slightly towards the right or left side (driving/passing side of the given country). Individual patterns can answer questions about openness, day to day activities, and conscientiousness. For instance, a person on a walkway with no one coming towards them who is walking distinctly on the right side (in a right-driving country) may be very high on the conscientiousness scale, and/or their typical routine involves walking among many people. These sorts of deductions can be further parsed using other observations.

If we accept the premise that people tend towards the middle of their perceived space (which, if other people are approaching, may be one side of a walkway - effectively leaving their “middle” veered to one side), then deviance will usually stem from moving towards, or away from, something. There are a lot of fun applications to this, for instance, deducing how much of a hurry someone is in based on how likely they are to go for the most acceptable path or the quickest path, at baseline. For example, I tend to opt for the most acceptable/safest path, I have high conscientiousness and high neuroticism according to the OCEAN model. But today, I jay-walked through a busy street to get somewhere before my order was ready. This is an example of considering the safest path. Considering the most acceptable path has some predictive applications. As I was taking a break between shifts the other day, I noticed that people who wanted to walk into a store changed their path relatively far in advance. In this case, they were heading towards something. I was able to easily predict which store someone might go into well up to a block away, when utilized in tandem with other observations.

Early on in my research journey I found that in videos of people walking on the street oncoming individuals were encouraged to veer away from the person filming. I prioritized finding CCTV to avoid this, but found it to be an interesting example of people changing course to avoid something. There were also a few people who veered into the camera's view. Something as simple as this may give clues to an individual's level of openness and extraversion.

In public situations where a person must veer into an oncoming flow of people to cross to their desired destination, they will often wait until they’re near adjacent to it; in a more desolate walkway, they’ll veer much earlier. Possibly charting their whole course along the less-acceptable pathway.

I label this idea as the proxemics of objects because when walking, we seem to assign objects their own personal bubbles. We don’t walk near the table line of a restaurant unless there’s a specific reason to. We tend not to encroach on their space, in the same way we consider people. Perhaps it’s more for our comfort than the objects’, or perhaps we’ve all been traumatized by the videos of people dressing up as bushes. Either way, I found it interesting enough to throw in here, and if you’re seeing this, you found it interesting enough to read (yay). I’ll be further exploring the topic of object spatial awareness in a future article I have planned.

Thank you for reading - below are some relevant articles -

https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/11826_Chapter8.pdf

https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/understanding-personal-space-proxemics/

Hall, Edward T., et al. “Proxemics [and Comments and Replies].” Current Anthropology, vol. 9, no. 2/3, 1968, pp. 83–108. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2740724. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.

#deduction #deductive reasoning #sherlock #a study in sepia #sherlock holmes #social science #proxemics #social psychology

29 notes · View notes

slayingfiction · 9 months

Text

Writing Nonverbal Communication: Proxemics

After some research, we now know that nonverbal communication makes up 93% of all the messages we interpret when communicating with one another. “[Dr. Mehtabian] concluded that the interpretation of a message is 7 percent verbal, 38 percent vocal and 55 percent visual,” and this means an important element of communication can be forgotten when we are writing novels.

What is proxemics?

Proxemics, one of the aspects of nonverbal communication, is the study and use of physical distances between people who are interacting. There are four zones in which people are categorized within this study.

Intimate: This the closest distance you can get to someone. This space should be reserved for only those whom you have close relationships (partners and family).

Personal: This is the second closest space you should take up with someone whom you have a personal relationship but aren’t so close with that you want them within touching distance (friends and family).

Social: This is for people you know, but are not close with at all (colleagues, teachers, other parents at a school meeting, coworkers, etc.)

Public: This is the zone for those without any prior contact with and are still strangers to you.

Are these spaces always a specific distance?

Nope! In general, all cultures will have different opinions on their personal zones. For example, people will have smaller proxemic zones in Argentina, whereas Romania will have larger distances in their zones. Though, this does go beyond cultures as well. People who consider themselves to be more introverted will have larger circles to keep people at a distance, while extroverts prefer to be closer to those they are speaking with. Some people, such as people with autism, may opt to never have anyone in their intimate zone, in which case, all four zones would get shifted to whatever distance is most comfortable for them to interact with others, and have a dead zone around them that no one can enter.

How does this help me write?

Conveying targeted information into your writing helps with suspense, subtlety, and subtext. Readings do not like to be told what is happening, they like to figure it out themselves. This is a key element when faced with the classic writing advice “show don’t tell”. This opens up a whole new world for writers when utilized.

Let’s look at some examples of how this can improve your writing:

If your antagonist walks up to your protagonist, directly forcing themselves into the intimate zone, this could be considered a threat and cause fear, anger, or tension. Even if they use kind words, with a sweet smile and demeanour, it will not change the fact they they intentionally crossed into the protagonist’s intimate zone without permission.

A shy classmate joins others for a group project but chooses to sit in the seat directly next to the protagonist instead of other empty seats. Does this mean the classmate likes your protagonist, trusts them, feels most comfortable around your main character? That’s up to you to decide, you can convey this with their next actions, little to no dialogue needed.

After a fight between a couple, one joins the other to watch television after cooling off for a while, but still aren’t speaking with each other. Do they sit next to each other, meaning despite the fight, they still want this relationship to work, and enjoy the other’s company. Or do they sit on the opposite side of the couch to keep as much distance between them as possible, meaning they are still angry, processing, and don’t want their partner too close to them.

A student runs directly into another student’s intimate zone to show them they got an A on their test. If neither takes a step back, this likely doesn’t bother either of them because they have a very close relationship, and don’t mind having each other in their most intimate zones.

There are many ways that proxemics can be used in writing to show types of relationships, intimacy, fear, cause suspense or suspicion, and more when writing. Start by practicing little by little and reviewing places where you can add in proxemics around your dialogue to improve the overall message you are trying to convey without telling the readers what is happening.

Happy Writing!

#creative writing #writer #tumblr writers #writing #writeblr #writerscommunity #fiction #writing advice #writing community #novel writing #Proxemics #nonverbal

42 notes · View notes

john-keels-sinister-goatee · 4 months

Text

So my glasses broke yesterday, and I'm not sure yet when I'll be able to get a new pair. Now I can only see things clearly if they're closer than ten inches to my face. I keep thinking of this in terms of Edward T. Hall's proxemics - I can only see details within my own intimate space. And it's kind of an interesting awareness exercise. What enters my intimate space, on a usual day? I'm hyper-aware of that now because they're the only things I can see in detail. Are they the things I want there? How often is it another person? How often is it something besides my phone? I'm pleasantly surprised at how often it's food, because it's framing eating as an intimate activity, and that's not the way I usually think of it but it makes sense, and I'm enjoying thinking of it that way, and it's probably a good way to think of it.

#proxemics #anthropology #edward t. hall #intimacy #eating

3 notes · View notes

murasaki-sama · 1 year

Text

Looking for communication (studies) nerds

Hello! I have a BS in Communication (Intercultural) and I am looking for a few fellow nerds in the field. Do you like to talk about proxemics, group think, muted group theory, culture shock, high and low context cultures and how they differ, when public communication becomes mass communication, organizational culture and more related theories and topics and concepts? Are you fascinated by real world examples for these theories and concepts? what about fictional world/story examples? Do you just like to bullshit and rant about the concepts for fun?

I am creating a discord group for like minding fellow nerds, and one of the biggest groups I would like to have join is communication (studies) nerds! Also people who are queer, neurodivergent, have chronic physical and/or mental health issues, and like stories (reading them and/or writing their own!).

For now, though, I would really love to connect with some communication people! Send me an ask or a private message if you are one and would like to connect! I’ll reply with a link to the discord (its still a WIP).

Please reblog this so it breaks containment! Thanks.

3 notes · View notes

up2123753theories · 7 months

Text

Inclusive Design; Ergonomics, Anthropometrics, Proxemics

Definitions

Inclusive Design – ‘A design process that makes places usable by everyone, regardless of age, disability and circumstance.’

Ergonomics – ‘The study of people’s efficiency in their working environment.’

Anthropometrics – ‘The science of measuring size and proportions of the human body.’

Proxemics – ‘The branch of knowledge that deals with the amount of space that people feel it necessary to set between themselves and others.’

Inclusivity is the important factor of a design which ensures that the design is a comfortable and usable space for anyone of any age, religion, culture, ability and size.

Ergonomics in the built environment is where designers look at spaces and create designs and dimensions based on people. As Dul says in ‘Ergonomics for beginners’, “the word ergonomics is derived from the Greek words ergon (work) and nomos (law). In several countries the term ‘human factor’ is also used”. As the word ergonomics can also be referred to as human factor, it further iterates its importance and connection with peoples everyday lives. Dul further goes on to say that ergonomics within design allow and promote, “comfort and efficient performance at work and in everyday life”.

Anthropometry is explained by Julius Panero in ‘Human dimension and Interior space’ as a process of design which uses the dimensions of the human body to determine dimensions and spaces. Anthropometry uses the dimensions of human bodies in order to design and construct spaces which are inclusive for anyone.

Anthropometric tools: - Height - Length and circumference of body segments - Bone diameter - Skin thickness - Weight

Proxemics is different to ergonomics and anthropometrics as it can’t always be measured based on human dimensions, it’s more unseen and based on personal opinions. Proxemics is looking at personal space. It can be a tricky one to design by as everyone has different ideas of personal space – some may be happier to have people closer to them than others. Julius says “people boundaries don’t begin and end with skin”, which further emphasizes the difference between Proxemics and Anthropometry and Ergonomics. Proxemics is more than creating an inclusive and usable space for everyone, it’s about ensuring comfort and space between people.

References

“Adult Human Body Dimensions - Ventral .” Blogspot.com, archipaedia-archipod.blogspot.com/2011/12/anthropometrics.html.

BD Editors. “Anthropometry.” Biology Dictionary, 16 May 2017, biologydictionary.net/anthropometry/.

Dul, Jan, and B Weerdmeester. Ergonomics for Beginners. London, Washington DC , Taylor & Francis, 1993, pp. 1–4, archive.org/details/ergonomicsforbeg0000dulj_f6p7/page/2/mode/2up.

“Ergonomics Helps Us Harmonize Things That Interact with Humans Regarding Our Needs, Abilities, and Limitations.” MarketBusinessNews.com, marketbusinessnews.com/financial-glossary/ergonomics-definition-meaning/.

Fowler, F G, et al. Concise Oxford English Dictionary. New York, Oxford Univ. Press, 2008.

Panero, Julius, and Martin Zelnik. Human Dimension & Interior Space : A Source Book of Design Reference Standards. New York, Whitney Library of Design, 1979.

“Proxemics Illustrated.” What-When-How.com, what-when-how.com/paramedic-care/therapeutic-communications-principles-of-clinical-practice-paramedic-care-part-1/.

“What Is Inclusive Design.” Www.sensorytrust.org.uk, www.sensorytrust.org.uk/resources/guidance/what-is-inclusive-design.

Wikipedia Contributors. “Inclusive Design.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 May 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inclusive_design.

Whilst researching the different aspects of inclusive design (ergonomics, anthropometrics and proxemics) I have realised that there are so many more factors to inclusive design than just minimum dimensions. I have learnt that the width of stairs, hallways or lifts are just the basics of inclusivity and that within the design process we must consider a much wider variety of factors.

Whilst reading J.Dul’s ‘Ergonomics for beginners’ I agreed with his view that factoring in ergonomics within design is vital to ensure comfortable and sufficient designs. I further agree that ergonomics is an interdisciplinary factor – it is important throughout all fields of design. From buildings to fashion to toys, ergonomics will always be a relevant and important factor.

#architecture #interior architecture #design #ergonomics #anthropometrics #proxemics #inclusive

0 notes

authormarialberg · 1 year

Text

Abstraction, Expression, and Sonification

Abstraction, Expression, and Sonification #photography #abstractart #music

Conflict by Maria L. Berg 2023 I looked at expression as an abstract noun back at the beginning of my study in April of 2022, and created a facial expression out of wire for my images. But today, I’m exploring “a manifestation of an emotion, feeling, etc., without words” and communication of emotion through art. In Photography and the Art of Seeing by Freeman Patterson, he says, “Once you have…

View On WordPress

#abstract art #abstract photography #light-forming photography #proxemics #RNLN #sonification #synthesis #waffling

0 notes

icarusian · 2 years

Text

francis and arthur in leyendecker style. arrow collars, pressed suits, exquisite fabric lines. legs splayed and legs crossed. smoking and drinking. stern and longing glances, sharing just enough space to be subtle. hard parallel lines and white backgrounds. large hands that tell more about them than their expressions.

#j.c. leyendecker will always be one of the greats #and i think his style would do justice to arthur's harsh lines and francis' masculine elegance #arthur sits at his desk and francis sits on it #arthur is smoking. francis has one hand on his wine glass and the other flat on the desk invading arthur's space #leyendecker's use of proxemics as intimacy is so poignant because his subjects arent always touching #but the viewer knows they're close all the same #mine #fruk #aph fruk #hws fruk #hetalia

15 notes · View notes

heartyearning · 1 year

Text

one of the funniest things when you start studying theatre design (at our school anyway) is that u come in and for your first few scenography designs youre like im gonna use screens ,,,,, —and projection.... this is how i’m going to enhance the impact of my performance 🤯🧠💯 & then you go to theatre productions in which they use screens and projection & ur like All My Teachers Were Right This Sucks Severe Ass

#^so says guy who crucially is using screens in his concept rn #but its different bc the screen itself is the medium as opposed to enhancing theatre cause like the thing is #and this sounds fucking pretentious until you actually pay attn to it #but the thing is that when ur trying to balance screen/projection with live action ur projection is going to eat shit absolutely every time #nothing beats the tension of live theatre & if youre attempting to mix it too often it'll end up in comparison #(this is if you use the projection cut n dry i once saw a performance where the projection was done really well actually #but it wasnt so much a balance btwn the two things as it was like. certain scenes were a video the performer just danced along to #and it was more so about his individual experience vs the experience others have that he cant articulate on his own #it was rly fucking good it was called the history of the korean western theatre it was stellar)#but also like the thing i just left was an opera that used screens practically instead of doing anything on the stage #which is SO bewildering to me #there were a few more things wrong with it but the biggest thing to me was like #in these videos they were showing (during the performance of the scenes) it was basically the scene that was playing #except with an attempt at a real costume and somewhat more of an effort when it comes to proxemics #whereas on stage itself it was black clothes (not even interesting shapes) and people talking At each other #which not only does this become a really boring back drop for an even more boring live action part (which is nevertheless still more #compelling than the video) they were also speaking the lines in the videos just with the sound removed #so often it felt like you were watching out of sync videos #and also like even the costumes in the videos were boring as hell bc it was just patterns printed on top of fabric #which can work at times but not like this it was all so .... 2 dimensional but like quite literally #its not even that bad to be honest like ive seen far worse things its just a lot more egregious cause its unreal expensive and also doesnt #even seem to try #(+ im quite sure the director of this opera is my theatre history professor's dad & i am yelling & screaming imagining the family dinners)#(like all the actors were also white & it was the story of the indian queen which is abt mexico & peruvian incas & my prof is like. so #hyper socially aware this wouldnt ever ever ever fly with her #plus she's really creative & we saw a play by her last semester and its night & fucking day love)

6 notes · View notes

un-pearable · 2 years

Text

me and the homie at Intimate Social Distance but she’s french and thinks we’re just standing normally in the elevator

#girls night #THIS HAS BEEN IN THE DRAFTS FOR LIKE SIX MONTHS #agshdjdk. i only remembered it NOW. shoutout to my anthropological linguistics textbook <3 #love love love talking about proxemics though it’s so fuckin funny how much the pandemic fucked up all these peoples charts n stuff #anth n arch #anthropology✨

20 notes · View notes

frankensteinshimbo · 1 year

Text

I love Frederick and Stéphane! Love loses </3

Doing OC Kiss Week with them has been weird, but they are my best characters that fit the bill of people that would probably kiss with some regularity even if it's not for the right reasons.

#then again #doing OC Kiss week as a deconstructive horror writer was always going to be weird #their proxemity with each other is supposed to inspire dread

1 note · View note

lemmetreatya · 1 year

Text

What’s Mine is Mine — Onyankopon x fem!Reader

synopsis: jealousy isn’t usually what onyankopon wears, but tonight he’s wearing it like cologne on skin.

content: afab reader, slight dom!onyankopon, established relationship, fingering, handjob, unprotected sex, cowgirl, car sex, they’re just goofy your honour

on the mission to try and make more people fall in love with this man!! we need more ony rep in this fandom puhleassse!! but for now idm being his sole cheerleader! regardless enjoy 🫶🏾💞

It wasn’t often that someone would find the guts to hit on you in Onyankopon’s presence.

If you were somewhere public and your husband was with you, potential admirers more or less respected his proxemics and didn’t pursue. Still, despite your attachments at the hips, it didn’t deter everyone.

“Get in the car.”

The flashy beep of the man’s AMG sounded as he pressed the key for it to unlock. As soon as he reached the vehicle he opened the door on your side.

Still lagging behind and reluctant to follow, you flailed your hands against your sides.

“Ony, now you’re just acting up! Jealousies literally written all over your face—“

“I said, get in.”

Yes, it wasn’t often that someone would find the guts to hit on you in Onyankopon’s presence, but it also wasn’t often that someone would try, and that Onyankopon would get pissed at the effort.

Tonight however, someone had tried it, and unfortunately happened to have caught him on an off mood.

You stopped trailing behind Onyankopon, standing still within the carpark as you dared to be defiant. Your husband still had a hand on the door, waiting for you to get in, but he didn’t have the restraint to look in your direction.

“Onyankopon, I hope you know that you’re being overly dramatic. Like it’s really not that deep.” You attempted.

Despite you having a strong conviction about what you were saying, your words felt lost as you voiced them within the massive open space. Even the cold night air that was whipping against your legs felt stronger than your words. Your midi dress did no justice protecting you from the breeze.

“He was just being friendly and you know that. Connies a good guy and he’d never go that far without playing it off as a joke — that’s his thing! He’s always joking around and being silly despite everyone around him.”

You wrap your top limbs around yourself. For warmth, you run your hand up and down your arm due to the wind blowing stronger.

Onyankopon still didn’t look at you. He only tapped his finger against the top seal of the opened car door.

“I’m not gonna ask you a second time.”

His voice was calm but low in pitch. That alone put the fear of God in your heart because you know he was anything but calm.

At this stage you didn’t dare continue arguing with him. If Onyankopon said get in then you get in.

A huff leaves your glossed lips once you walk the remainder of the way and slip into the passenger seat. As soon as your foot is lastly in the car, Onyankopon shuts your door with a slam. It was slammed a lot harder than it usually was.

Onyankopon was clearly not happy.

And if his clipped commands and door slam didn’t give it away, then the grumbling complaints he spat to himself whilst he travelled to his side of the car should have given a hint.

“Fucking think he is touching all up on my wife like that?…”

Subconsciously your body slinks into the chair. Not out of fear for yourself, but for Connie, because you know he’s done fucked up this time.

When Onyankopon gets into the car and shuts the door besides him, the first thing he does is get out his phone and starts rapidly texting away at the screen. For awhile, the only sound within the small space is the frantic clicking plops of his keyboard. You ignore it at first, because maybe he’s quickly catching up on any missed calls or texts he’s ignored whilst within the function.

But it’s once you hear him mutter “and i’ll…fucking show you…what it means to…mess with my shit.” under his breath, that you realise that he wasn’t writing a work related text.

“I hope you’re not threatening him over message—“

“I’ll do whatever the hell I want to someone who doesn’t know how to keep their hands to themselves.”

A loud groan leaves your throat.

You guess even a rather amicable and easy going man like him had his moments.

“Baby, come on.” Your hand stretches out to rest atop his thigh as you soothingly rub it up and down his suit pants. “He really ain’t worth it.”

Automatically, a defence in Onyankopon’s demeanour had broken down. You know it had because the tight knot that sat between his eyebrows started to dissipate.

“That’s not the point,”

He retorts back, his thumbs still tapping at the screen albeit slower.

“Connie knows not to push it with me, I’ve warned him about this before.”

A lot in you wanted to role your eyes because trust a man’s hubris to find a way to make everything about him. But you decide against it — the last thing you need was your husband to be mad at you too. With a soft squeeze at the meat of Onyankopon’s thigh, you pout over at him.

“But it’s not like he did it to spite you. Connie ain’t got the brains to do that.” You chide.

Onyankopon shrugs as his eyes stay focused on his phone, the blue glow reflecting onto his face within the navy-dark car. He lifts a hand to shake his wrist with an erred expression.

“It doesn’t matter. Whether he intended to or not, he has spited me because he knows full well not to touch my shit.”

Raising your eyebrows at his choice of words, you can’t but help let yourself smirk. Onyankopon was a possessive man in nature but never in practice — he liked what was his because he knew it was his, he never had to prove it. But with the way he was talking about you, as if Connie could ever be competition to him, made you see him in a different light.

It looks like Onyankopon was definitely capable of showing jealousy if pushed too far.

Sitting back, you glide your focus out of the windscreen, your hand still on his thigh.

“He ain’t touching your shit now though. But then again, neither are you.”

Onyankopon pauses typing.

He considers your words as they catch him off guard. Placing his phone down, he suddenly turns to you with an impressed expression.

“Wait, that was actually a real smooth line—“

“It was a good one, right?—“ You cheese.

“Yeah, like you actually got me there with that.”

The both of you chuckle between yourselves, giving the other a fist bump in the process. As the laughter dies down, Onyankopon cocks his head in a quick motion towards his side of the car.

“C’mere.”

His voice is low like it was before but this time, there’s barely any guile lacing his words. It was this side of ‘calm’ you were waiting for — the light-hearted, love struck version.

With glee, you’re shuffling onto your knees so that you could climb over the middle console and straddle your husband’s legs. It was never a comfortable fit; your shins always got caught up on the protruding plastic on the side of the car seats. But it was always worth it as you got to see the melting expression on your lover’s face. You’d suffer faint lines of ailment for him any day.

Even before his hands are squeezing the hold of your hips, Onyankopon’s words are tumbling out of his mouth with sincerity.

“I’m sorry, baby.”

You shook your head to assure him.

“Nah, you good. I understand how you weren’t cool with that shit.”

As your arms wrap between his neck and the headrest, you bend down to place a chaste kiss to the ball of his nose. Although suddenly, your demeanour changes.

“But don’t think you’re getting away with this though! Pulled me outta there like a madman, embarrassing the hell out of me, the fuck?”

With a mild hump, your palm softly collides with the hilt of his shoulder.

“Ow!” He shouts.

“Ow?! That didn’t even hurt you.”

Onyankopon feigns pain as he makes a short loud wailing noise, his hand dramatically flying to where your palm had previously been.

“Yes it did! Stop gaslighting me! Gaslighting is bad.”

“Oh, shut—“ You pause, as you momentarily close your eyes and let out a sigh through your nose. “Whatever. Just make sure you find a way to make it up to me.”

“I’ll find a way, don’t worry.” Chides your husband as he leans forwards to surprise you with a kiss — his childish mood suddenly dissipating.

You quickly accept his affection, your lips automatically pursing in result, but you full well know what he’s got planned in mind.

“I’m not waiting till we get home for you to make it up to me in bed.” You muse.

“Good think you’re not gonna have to wait.”

You pull back to raise your eyebrows at the man but you don’t get the room to say anything else, not when he’s giving you a daring look whilst hooking your already raised midi dress further up your thighs.

“Up.”

He instructs, and you listen, because god you could listen to him all day. Slightly raising your ass off of his lap, you allow Onyankopon to pool your dress just above your stomach. Instantly, his hands are carefully caressing the skin of your belly.

“I do mean it though,” He says as his thumb hooks onto the material of your thong. He quickly lets it go so that it can slap against your skin. “I’m sorry for how I acted tonight.”

“It’s okay, Ony.” You coo.

Your hands move to caress at the back of his head, your fingers treading across his fade before he continues.

“I was being a jealous man, you know? Dunno what came over me but…I knew acting out in front of everyone wouldn’t be right so I took you and left.”

At this point, the man’s fingers had moved to stretching the long piece of your thong between your cunt, his watch trained on how your lips easily sucked them in.

“Took me and left coz’ you don’t like to share?” You tease.

“So I could have what’s mine all to myself.”

His eyes flick upwards towards you but in a manner that could only express wanton lust.

Hardly any sound passes your lips as Onyankopon moves your thong string to the side and breeches your pussy with two fingers. He swipes it just inside of your warmness but makes sure to keep his other hand sturdy on your hips. But alas, that’s all he does. Barely fingering you as he watches you closely to gauge your reaction. Once you’d had enough of his slow pedantics, you push for him more.

“Ony, come on, man.” You dutifully huff as you rut yourself against him, your slick juices staining his hands “You’re supposed to be making it up to me.”

“Mhm.” He hums as his eyes flicker with a glint of mischief. But once you realise he’s only teasing you, you huff once again.

“Man, you’re so…”

You attempt to lift yourself off of your husband but once you do, Onyankopons sliding his fingers in deeper. Unexpectedly, a sweet moan leaves your mouth as you pause where you are and look down at where his fingers disappear.

“I’m so what?” He taunts.

Nothing is able to leave your mouth in retaliation as you flick your eyes at him with a disgruntled expression. Still, you need him to know that despite him playing inside of you, you still weren’t up for games.

“Annoying, Ony. You’re annoying.”

Contrary to your words, angsty moans keep slipping from your throat and Onyankopon can’t help but grin slyly as his fingers continue to work in and out of you. He knows best not to engage with your taunts.

“Riiiight.”

Onyankopon’s palms is flat against the lips of your cunt — his fingers buried so deep they have nowhere else to go. As he curves his fingers towards himself, he feels your warm gooey walls clench around him.

Then and there, the carnal desire he feels at your touch and tinkly moans alters his brain. He needs to have you.

“Baby, get my cock out for me.” He says with forfeit.

You comply without needing to be told twice. Your bottom lip is snagged between your teeth as you hungrily unbuckle Onyankopon’s trousers and tug his member out of his boxers. As predicted, it’s already semi-hard.

From that alone, you already know he’s going to put it to good use.

Your forehead is placed against his as he wordlessly introduces a third finger inside of your heat. It’s hard focusing on two things at once; keeping your legs sturdy enough for you to hover over him and trying your best to not combust too soon.

“Don’t make me tell you what you need to do.” He smoothly states as he angles his chin towards his standing cock.

Even in lust, you still try and give him cheek.

“You don’t have to make me do sh-shiit.”

Onyankopon doesn’t give you time to talk back, he’s over it. Instantly his thumb presses at your clit and you keen forwards.

“Okay, okay, okay!”

You mutter as one of your hand clamps down onto his shoulders. A giddy hum leaves your throat as you lean forwards to take hold of his dick with your other hand and stroke the length. As an appeasing gesture, you slot your tongue between his lips.

Your husband entertains you just as well. A smirk still somehow decorates his face as he sucks at your tongue but the action is languid. Onyankopon watched you with a face of adoration as he continues to slowly pump his fingers in and out of your wet cunt.

“Imma need you soon though…” You mumble against his lips. As your hand swipes over his glistening slit, his thighs tense. “Wanna feel you in me for real.”

“Of course, boo.” He mumbles back with much assurity.

Onyankopon pumps you a few times more before removing his fingers from inside of you. He brings them up between your faces and offers them to your lips.

This, you don’t need to be asked to do.

Like an automatic button had been clicked on, you obediently unlatched your lips from Onyankopon’s before engulfing his fingers with your mouth.

Your Iris’ expanded even within the lowly dimmed car as you keep your husband’s eye contact. You lap and lick at his fingers with soft suckling, almost as if hungry to taste yourself. Unsurprisingly you can feel and hear Onyankopon’s breathing tighten and speed up.

It was the small things that always got to him.

“Look at you…” He coos with adoration.

The man uses your distraction and his free hand to guide his dick vertical of your entrance, the head softly gliding between your silky folds. However, as soon as you feel the contact, you momentarily unlatch your mouth from your husband’s hands so that you could concentrate on guiding him inside of you.

Onyankopon unhands himself but he’s tormented by how lucrative your actions ate and your seeming willingness for him.

As his cock breeches your opening, you’re holding back a moan.

“God, this’ll never get old…” He mumbles.

Onyankopon’s head is laid back against the head rest as his eyes flutter shut and the ball of his throat is exposed.

You take your time to sink down fully onto his cock. It’s definitely a difference, even with his three fingers previously in you, but eventually you take it. Despite the initial burn of his size, you work it through. You’ve done it many times before so whose to say you can’t now?

Once he gathers his composure just a tad bit more, he opens his eyes in order to watch you diligently.

“Whose you’se, baby?” Breathes your husband as he watches you adjust to him.

His hands find their way back to your waist as he squeezes at your flesh — a stimulant in trying to assimilate how good you feel around him. You mutter a curse underneath your breath before answering:

“Yours.”

And the confirmation through the struggling speech brings an an illicit yet seemingly distressed grin to his face. Not as high and mighty as you were five minutes ago, huh?

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Onyankopon slightly shuffles himself down on the driver’s seat so that he could prop his legs up at an angle and gently thrust into you as he slightly lifts you over his cock.

The first pull and sink almost makes you moan but you choke on the sound in your throat instead as you only letting out a pained whine. With your back arched, you attempt to ride Onyankopon in sync with his thrusts. If anyone was to simply walk past the front of the car, they’d instantly know what was going.

Onyankopon can’t help but look up at you in awe, his eyes glazed over in hazed lust but full of an adoration only capable from a man in love.

“My pretty smile, my pretty pussy, my pretty boo.” He mumbles up at you. “You’re all mine.”

“All yours.” You wetly breathe back before leaning down to lay your forehead just over his shoulder.

The two of you slow fuck into each other with barely any words exchanged. Its all just a mush of breathing, moans and the beckon of each others name.

Onyankopon lavishes his hands over the span of your ass cheeks when he’s close.

“Baby…”

“Mhm.” You mumble back because you know the tell-tale signs of his impending orgasm, you can feel the way he holds you closer and practically asks your permission to finish.

As you lean back to angle him deeper inside of you, you half caress his neck and cheek.

“Promise me you won’t…say anything to him.”

You don’t even have to mention a name for Onyankopon to know who you’re referring to. And you know he tries to fight it because you can feel his grip on your ass get firmer and his thrusts become more deliberate. His lack of reply is a sign of uncooperation.

“C-C’mon, Ony. You…you have me right now…n-not him…you.”

Onyankopon’s hooded eyes stay trained on yours.

“Me.” He grunts.

“Yeah, you baby. All yours. I’m all yours.”

Those are the words that send your husband reeling over the edge. His thrusts stutter to a halt and his hip slaps flush against your ass as he gutturally moans into the concave of your neck. You walls clench around Onyankopon’s pulsing cock, the feeling of being filled up immensely satisfying.

This is how he proves you’re his.

#onyankopon aot #onyankopon #onyankopon x black reader #onyankopon x reader #attack on titan #onyankopon smut #aot smut #attack on titan smut #aot x black reader smut #aot x black reader #aot imagines

1K notes · View notes

physalian · 5 months

Text

Humanizing Your Characters (And Why You Should)

To humanize a character is not to contort an irredeemable villain into the warped funhouse mirror reflection of a hero in the last 30 seconds to gain “narrative subversion” points. To humanize is not to give said villain a tragic backstory that validates every bad choice they make in attempt to provide nuance where it does not deserve to be.

To humanize a character, villain or otherwise, is to make them flawed. Scuff them up, give them narrative birthmarks and scars and imperfections. Whether it’s your hero, their love interest, the comic relief, the mentor, the villain, the rival, these little narrative details serve to make all your literary babies better.

Why should you humanize your characters?

To do this means to write in details beyond those that service the plot, or the themes, or the motifs, morals, foreshadowing, or story. These might be (and usually are) entirely unimportant in the grand scheme of things. So, if I wrote lengthy diatribes on pacing and why every detail must matter, and character descriptions and thematic importance, why am I now suggesting go free-for-all on the fluff?

Just like real people have quirks and tics and beliefs and pet peeves that serve our no greater purpose, so should fictional people. Your average reader doesn’t have the foggiest idea what literary devices are beyond metaphor, simile foreshadowing, and anecdote, but they can tell when the author is using motif and theme and all the syntactical marvels because it reads that much richer, even if they can’t pinpoint why.

And, for shipping fodder, these tiny little details are what help your audience fall in love with the character. It doesn’t even have to be in a book – Taylor Swift (whether you like her or not) never fills her music with sexual innuendo or going clubbing. She tells stories filled with human details like dancing in the refrigerator light. People can simultaneously relate to these very specific and vivid experiences, and say “not that exactly, but man this reminds me of…” and that’s (part of) the reason her music is so popular.

What kinds of narratives need these details?

All of them. Visual media, audio, written, stage play. Now, to what degree and excess you apply these details depends on your tone, intended audience, and writing style. If your style of writing is introspection heavy, noir character drama, you might go pretty heavy on the character design.

But even if you’re writing a kids book with a scant few paragraphs of setting descriptors and internal narration, or you’re drawing a comic book – if you have characters you want people to care about, do this.

Animators, particularly, are very adept at humanizing non-human characters, because, unlike live acting, every single stroke of the pen is there with intent. They use their own reflections for facial references, record their own movements to draw a dance, and insert little bits of themselves into signature character poses so you know that *that* animator did this one.

How to humanize your characters.

I’m going to break this down into a couple sections: Costume/wardrobe, personality, beliefs/behavior/superstitions, haptics/proxemics/kinesics, and voice. They will all overlap and the sheer variety and possibilities are way too broad for me to capture every facet.

Costumes and Wardrobe

In the film Fellowship of the Ring, there’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment where, after Boromir is slain by the Uruk-Hai, Aragorn takes Boromir’s Gondorian vambraces to wear in his honor, and in honor of their shared country. He wears them the rest of the trilogy. The editing pays no extra attention to them beyond a split second of Aragorn tightening the straps, it never lingers on them, never reminds you that they’re there, but they kept it in nonetheless. His actor also included a hunting bow that didn't exist in the book because he's a roamer, a ranger, and needs to be able to feed himself, along with a couple other survival tools.

Aragorn wears plenty of other symbolic bits of costume – the light of the Evenstar we see constantly from Arwen, the Lothlorien green cloaks shared by the entire Fellowship, his re-forged sword and eventual full Gondorian regalia, but all those are Epic Movie Moments that serve a thematic purpose.

Taking the vambraces is just a small, otherwise insignificant character moment, a choice made for no other reason than that’s what this character would do. That’s what makes him human, not an archetype.

When you’re writing these details and can’t rely on sneaking them into films, you have to work a little harder to remind your audience that they exist, but not too often. A detail shifts from “human” to “plot point” when it starts to serve a purpose to the themes and story.

Inconsequentiality might be how a character ties, or doesn’t tie their shoelaces, because they just can’t be bothered so they remain permanent knots and tripping hazards. It might be a throw-away line about how they refuse to wear shorts and strictly stick to long pants because they don’t like showing off their legs. It might be perpetually greasy hair from constantly running their fingers through it with stress, or self-soothing. A necklace they fidget with, or a ring, a belt they never bother to replace even though they should, a pair of lucky socks.

Resist the urge to make it more meaningful than “this is just how they are”. If I’m using the untied shoelaces example – in Spiderverse, this became a part of the story’s themes, motifs, and foreshadowing, and doesn’t count. Which isn’t bad! It’s just not what I’m talking about.

Personality

In How to Train Your Dragon, Toothless does not speak. All his personality comes from how he moves, the noises he makes, and the expressions on his face. There’s moments, like in the finale, when his prosthetic has burned off and Hiccup tells him to hold on for a little bit longer, and you can clearly see on his face that he’s deeply uncertain about his ability to do so. It’s almost off the screen, another blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment. Or the beat of hesitation before he lets Hiccup touch him in the Forbidden Friendship scene. Or the irritated noise he makes when he’s impatiently waiting for Hiccup to stop chatting with his dad because they have a giant dragon to murder. Or when he slaps Hiccup with his ear fin for flying them into a rock spire.

None of those details *needed* to exist to endear you to his character or to serve the scenes they’re in. The scenes would carry on just fine without them. He’s a fictional dragon, yes, but these details make him real.

Other personality tics you could include might be a character who gets frustrated with tedious things very quickly and starts making little inteligible curses under their breath. Or how they giggle when they’re excited and start bouncing on their toes. Maybe they have a tic where they snap their fingers when they’re concentrating, trying to will an idea into existence. Or they stick their tongue out while they work and get embarrassed when another character calls them on it. They roll around in their sleep, steal blankets, drool, leave dishes in the sink or are neurotic with how things must be organized. They have one CD in their car, and actually use that CD player instead of the phone jack or Bluetooth. They sing in the shower, while they cook, or while they do homework, no matter how grating their voice.

They like the smell of new shoes or Sharpies. They hate the texture of suede or velvet or sticky residues. They never pick their socks up. They hate the overhead light in their room and use 50 lamps instead. They hate turning into oncoming traffic or don’t trust their backup camera. They collect Funko Pops and insist there’s always room for more.

And about a million others.

Beliefs, Behaviors, and Superstitions

*If you happen to be writing a story where superstitions have merit, maybe skip this one.* Usually, inevitably, these evolve into character centerpieces and I can’t actually think of one off the top of my head that doesn’t become this beyond the ones we all know. A few comedic examples do come to mind:

The Magic Conch in “Club Spongebob” and the sea-bear-proof dirt circle in “The Camping Episode”

Dean Winchester’s fear and panic-driven actions in “Yellow Fever” and “Sam, Interrupted”

The references to the trolls that steal left-foot socks in How to Train Your Dragon

I’m not a fan of wasting time writing a religious character doing their religious thing when Plot Is Happening, but smaller things are what I’m talking about. Like them wearing a cross/rosary and touching it when they’re nervous. Having a specific off-beat prayer, saying, or expression because they don’t believe in cursing.

The classic ones like black cats, ladders, broken mirrors, salt, sidewalk cracks can all be funny. Athletes have plenty, too, and some of them, particularly in baseball culture, are a bit ridiculous. Not washing socks or uniforms, having a team idol they donate Double Bubble to and also rub their toes. A specific workout routine, diet, team morale dance.

Other things, too. A character who’s afraid to go back downstairs once the lights are off, or fear the basement or the backyard shed. Or they’re really put-off by this old family photo for no reason other than how glassy their eyes look and it’s creepy. They like crystals, dreamcatchers, star signs, tarot, or they absolutely do not under any circumstances.

They believe in all the tried and true ways of predicting the weather like a grizzled old sailor. They believe in ghosts, vampires, werewolves, witches, skinwalkers, doppelgangers, fairies. They talk to the cat statue in their kitchen and named it Fudge Pop. They whisper to the spirit that possessed the fridge so it stops making all that racket, and half the time, it works every time. They wear yellow for good luck or carry a rabbit’s foot. They’re not religious at all but still throw prayers out to whoever’s listening because, you know, just in case. They sit by their window sill and talk to the moon and the stars and pretend like they’re in a music video when they’re driving through the city in the rain.

Haptics, Proxemics, and Kinesics

These are, for all you non-communication and psych majors out there, touch and physical contact, how they move, and how they move around other people.

Behold, your shipping fodder.

Two shining examples of proxemics in action are the famous “close talker” episode of Seinfeld (of which every communication major has been subjected to) and Castiel’s not understanding of personal space (and human chronemic habits) in Supernatural.

These are how a character walks, if they’re flat-footed, clumsy, or tip-toers. If they make a racket or constantly spook the other characters. If they fidget or can’t sit still in a seat for five seconds, if they like to sit backwards or upside down. How they touch themselves, if they do a lot of self-soothing maneuvers (hugging themselves, rubbing their arms, touching their face, drawing their knees up, holding their neck, etc) or if they don’t do any self-soothing at all.

This is how they shake hands, if they dance while they cook or work. It’s how much space they let themselves take up, if they man-spread or keep their limbs in closer. How close they stand to others or how far. If they let themselves be touched at all, or if they always have their skin covered. If they always have their back to a wall, or are always making sure they know where the nearest exit is. If they make grand gestures when they talk and give directions. If they flinch from pats on the back or raised hands. If they lean away from loud voices or project their own. If they use their height to their advantage when arguing, puff their chest, square their shoulders, put their hands on their hips, or point fingers in accusation.

If they touch other characters as they pass by. If they’re huggers or victims of falling asleep on or near their comrades. If they must sleep facing the door, or with something solid behind them. If they can sleep in the middle of a party wholly uncaring. If they sleepwalk, sleeptalk, migrate across the bed to cuddle whoever’s nearest with no idea they’re doing it.

If they like to be held or like to hold others. If they hate being picked up and slung around or are touch-starved for it. If they like their space and stick to it or are more than happy to share.

Do they walk with grace, head held high and back straight? Or are they hunched over, head hung, watching their feet? Are they meanderers or speed-walkers? Do they cross their arms in front or lace their hands behind them? Do they bow to authority or meet that gaze head on?

I have heard that Prince Zuko, in Last Airbender, is usually drawn sleeping with his bad ear down when he doesn’t feel safe, like on his warship or anywhere in the Fire Nation, or on the road. He’s drawn on his other side once he joins the Gaang. In Dead Man’s Chest, just before Davy Jones drives the Flying Dutchman under the waves, two tentacles curl up and around the brim of his hat to keep it from blowing off in the water.

When they fight, do they attack first, or defend first? Do they touch other characters’ hair? Share makeup, share clothes? Touch their faces with boops or bonks or nuzzles and eskimo kisses? Do they crack their knuckles and necks and knees?

Do they stare in baffled curiosity at all the other characters wholly comfortable in each other's spaces because they can’t, won’t, or don’t see the point in all this nonsense? Do they say they’re happy on the outside, but are betrayed by their body language?

Voice

Whether or not to write an accent is entirely up to you. Books like Their Eyes Were Watching God writes dialogue in a vernacular specific to its characters. Westerners and southerners tend to be written with the southern drawl or dialect, ripe with stereotypical contractions. Be advised, however, that in attempt to write an accent to give your character depth, you could be instead turning off your audience who doesn’t have energy to decipher what they’re saying, or you went and wrote a racist stereotype.

Voice isn’t just accent and dialect, nor is it how it sounds, which falls more solidly under useful character descriptions. Voice for the sake of humanizing your characters concerns how they talk, how they convey their thoughts, and how they become distinct from other characters in dialogue and narration.

If you’re writing a narrative that hops heads and don’t want to include a big banner to indicate who’s talking at any given time, this is where voice matters. It is, I think, the least appreciated of all the possible traits to pay attention to.

First person narrators have the most flexibility here because the audience is zero degrees removed from their first-hand experiences. Their personality comes through sharply in how they describe things and what they pay attention to.

But it’s also in what similes and metaphors they use. I read a book that had an average (allegedly straight) male narrator going off and describing colors with types of flowers, some I had to look up because I just don’t know those off the top of my head. My immediate thought was either this character is a poorly written gay, or he’s a florist. Neither (allegedly), the writer was just being too specific.

Do they have crutch words they use? like, um, actually, so…, uh

Or repeat exclamations specific to them? yikes, yowzers, jeepers, jinkies, zoinks, balls, beans, d’oh!

Or idioms they’re fond of? Like a bat out of hell. Snowball’s chance.

Do they stutter when they’re nervous? Do they lose their train of thought and bounce around, losing other characters in the process? Do they have a non-Christian god they pray to and say something other than “thank God”? Are they from another country, culture, time period, realm, or planet with their own gods, beliefs, and idioms?

When they describe settings, how flowery is the language? Would this grizzled war hero use flowery language? How would he or she describe the color pink, versus a PTA mom? Do they use only a generic “blue, green, red” or do they really pay attention with “aquamarine, teal, emerald, viridian, vermillion, rose, ruby”?

How do this character’s hobbies affect how well they can describe dance moves, painting styles, car models, music genres?

This mostly matters when you’re head-hopping and the voice of the narrator serves to be more distinct, otherwise, what’s the point of head-hopping? Just use third-person omniscient.

If you really want to go wild, give a specific narrator unique syntax. Maybe one character is the ghost of Oscar Wild with never-ending run-on sentences. Just be sure to not go too overboard and compromise the integrity of your story.

In the book A Lesson Before Dying, a somewhat illiterate, underprivileged and undereducated minor has been given a mentor, a teacher, before they face the death penalty. At the end of the book, you read all of the letters they wrote to their teacher. There’s misspellings everywhere, almost no punctuation, and long, rambling sentences.

It’s heartbreaking. The subject matter is heavy and horrible, yes, but it’s the choice to write with such poor English that has a much bigger impact than perfect MLA format.

How to implement these details

Most of these, in the written medium, need only show up once or twice before your audience notices and wonders why they’re there. Most fall squarely under character design, which falls under exposition, and should follow all the exposition guidelines.

These details exist to be random and fluffy, but they can’t exist randomly within the narrative. If you want to have your character be superstitious, pick a relevant time to include that superstition.

Others, like ongoing speech habits or movements, still don’t overuse, especially if they’re unique. A character might like to sit backwards in a chair, but if you mention that they’re doing it every single time they sit down, your audience will wonder what’s so important and if the character is unwell.

And, of course, you can let these traits become thematically important, like a superstition being central to their personality or backstory or motivation. These all serve the same purpose of making your character feel like a real person instead of just a “character”.

Just think about tossing in a few random details every now and then and see what happens. One tiny sentence can take a background character and make them candidates for the eventual fandom’s fan favorite. Details like these turn your work from “This a story, and these are the characters who tell it” into “these are my characters, and this is their story.”

#writing advice #character design #writing tips #writing resources #exposition #writing tools #writing a book

206 notes · View notes

conhivemindcent · 1 year

Text

So I’ve been consuming a lot of the posts about Oceangate and now that it’s safe to assume the passengers are dead, I want to give my own take. Feel free to disagree.

Firstly, I never heard this on the news. I did hear about the boat where 78 immigrants were killed and hundreds missing off the coast of Greece. This may be a cultural and proxemics thing though, as I’m British (we have shit immigrant laws) and the Oceangate fiasco took place closer to America and Canada. So those claiming this is probably a case of Tumblr once again being American-centric.

Secondly, i don’t know how to feel about the deaths. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. They knew what they were getting into with this, and that their deaths were very likely. I do think this was a failing of their own hubris and also a huge waste of money. Insert something about capitalism and the woes of such here. But if the ship didn’t implode, it would’ve been a living hell. Starving, cramped, excrement everywhere, dark. It sounds like something out of a nightmare rather than something real. I don’t know if I feel sorry, as it’s most likely I won’t experience this ever in my life, but I definitely feel bad about it.

Third, I hope Oceangate gets sued. This was unsafe af, and where most of my anger is directed. These people tried turning a tragedy (itself also being rooted in capitalism) into a tourism spot for only the elite. Not to mention the unsafe conditions and the knock-off Xbox controller used to pilot the ship. This definitely seems like a scam and I hope they suffer repercussions for their actions, especially now it’s likely the CEO is dead.

Forth, I hope the ship imploded. That seems like the most humane way for this all to end. Battle about humaneness all you want and whether the rich deserve it, whether a 19-year-old nobody knew about prior to this deserves this, but I hope they all died quickly rather than long, drawn out, and suffering from lack of oxygen.

Fifth, some of the memes are funny. Mostly the ones about the Xbox controller. I don’t really like memes making fun of people dying. But then again I’ve never liked to make fun of death, whether deserved or not. (Exception to the kind of things in r/peoplefuckingdying because those are over-exaggerations of the most mundane stuff.)

Sixth, this should be taken as a cautionary tale. Don’t underprepare and do your research on shady seeming stuff. Don’t think you’re above death because you’ve got a spare load of money.

Seventh, leave the damn titanic alone. Everyone who was on it is now dead. The ship itself is crumbling. Leave it to rot, and let it echo through history books and that one James Cameron movie. Let children learn about it and use it to learn how to write newspaper articles and as a fun research project, which fun fact: is how I learnt about it. As an 8-9 year old. The novelty’s worn off in the past few years. Let’s just leave it as something cool for kids to learn and not add onto it with stupid stuff like Titan.

#con(versation)#titanic #oceangate #titan submersible

248 notes · View notes

i-dont-know-i-just-like-dragons · 6 months

Text

I think it would be really cool if some of the dsmp characters got off the smp and started doing things that weren't starting nations with 20 or less people and scratching, kicking, and killing people because they're sick of being in proxemity to them.

I think it would be cool if Techno and Phil got off the server together. I think it would be cool if Techno started applying to collages and went for a history degree. I think it would be cool if Phil helped him create a book club that was actually a book club this time. I think it would be cool if they got a dog and Phil met a nice lady named Kristin.

I think it would he cool if when Wilbur left for Utah he wasn't going to kill himself and he took Tommy with him. I think it would be cool if Tommy got a job at a caffe a few blocks from the gas station Wilbur works at. I think it would be cool if Wilbur took breaks and went to the caffe to fuck with Tommy. I think it would be cool if Tommy got to go to a real therapist.

I think it would be cool if Dream went looking for Tommy. I think it would be cool if he got arrested when he violated Tommy's restraining order on him enough times.

I think it would be cool if Quackity stopped in a gas station and when he went to the register was met with dark eyes which were far too familiar. I think it would be cool if he went back there the next day to make sure yesterday was real. I think it would be cool if he recognised a barista from the caffe a few blocks away.

I think it would be co- *gunshot*

72 notes · View notes

divinatorydoll · 1 year

Text

planets in the eighth house: 📝

last month, i ran a poll on twitter and my followers asked me to write a thread about pluto in the eighth house (8H). so i decided to make a post about every planet in the 8H:

the sun: these people can feel like they're constantly uncovering more about themselves and always going through some sort of transformation. they can really care about public judgment, but feel like they must go about life as if they are unaffected by the opinions of others. usually have a fluctuating relationship with attention

the moon: prone to bottling their emotions, but go out of their way to absorb the emotions of others. brilliant at dream magic and interpretation. they become more merciful as they experience hardship throughout their lives; compassion is very central to them. sensitive to misunderstanding and can take it personally

mercury: this placement makes for excellent actors. naturally very inquisitive and perceptive people — they have a somewhat compulsive need to understand the details of things, even if they're unimportant. can have a 'speak when spoken to' personality and are quite sensitive to body language, proxemics, etc.

venus: known to be tattoo or piercing lovers. exceptionally drawn to witchcraft and other spiritual practices. very contract-based people in the sense that they often examine things as a transaction; they don't borrow without the intention to pay back. they usually enjoy art that is disturbing or creepy to others

mars: these people can struggle with resentment and hide their anger from others to not seem explosive or uncontrolled. their appearance is often a subject of discussion or gossip due to jealousy. always develop abundant talent in what they're passionate about; they continuously seek improvement in their skills

jupiter: gifted at understanding agreements and reaching them — they are very diplomatic people. these placements particularly benefit from having an altar or praying to their spiritual guides. they have a tendency to look at all of their dreams as prophecies or messages from a divine entity

saturn: extremely selfless and humanitarian people; they can end up draining themselves because of their altruistic personality. often feel that marriage is a bit controlling or overly bureaucratic. they're regularly disappointed by elder figures and those around them with power due to their standards of maturity

uranus: have an inherent talent for capturing people's attention. though, they can have a complicated feelings about friendship and social expectations as a whole. they also have an on-and-off relationship with technology. these placements strive to make unique contributions to society and those around them

neptune: known to be smokers. particularly skilled at digging through their own emotions and understanding why they experience things the way they do. they enjoy finding meaning through suffering (much like 8H jupiters). as a consequence, they can ruminate over their sadness for a very long period of time

pluto: tend to enjoy psychology and love examining people's thought processes. pluto here can cause them to be especially private and protective over their personal lives; they really do not like feeling supervised or watched by others. have a love for thriller films and video game horror

do you have planets in your 8H ? let me know how you resonated with my interpretations !!

book a reading !!

my linktree

384 notes · View notes