.

Tips to increase tension:

1. Establish Clear Goals: Establish clear, compelling goals that are relatable to readers. The more readers care about whether the character succeeds or fails, the higher the tension.

2. Time Pressure: Introduce time constraints or deadlines. This creates a sense of urgency and raises the stakes.

3. Obstacles: Place obstacles and conflicts in the path of your characters, both internal and external. These challenges should grow progressively more difficult, making the reader wonder if and how the characters will overcome them.

4. Unpredictability: Surprise your readers with unexpected twists or developments. Subvert their expectations, but ensure that these surprises are rooted in the story's internal logic.

5. Character Flaws and Growth: Give your characters flaws and weaknesses that they must confront and overcome. As they evolve, readers become more interested in their journeys and outcomes.

6. Foreshadowing: Skillful foreshadowing can build anticipation. Drop subtle hints or clues about future events or conflicts to keep readers guessing.

7. Moral Dilemmas: Present characters with challenging moral choices. Preferably, all choices have high prices, making the reader unsure of which choice to root for.

8. Show, Don't Tell: Instead of telling readers about the tension, show it through the characters' actions, thoughts, and emotions. Let readers experience the tension alongside the characters.

9. Dialogue and Conflict Resolution: Use dialogue to create conflicts between characters. Tense conversations can reveal hidden motivations and escalate the overall tension.

10. Setting and Atmosphere: Craft the setting and atmosphere to complement the mood you want to convey. Dark, foreboding settings enhance danger and tension, while serene settings provide a contrast.

11. Cliffhangers: End chapters or sections on cliffhangers, leaving readers eager to know what happens next. However, use this sparingly to maintain its impact.

12. Relatable Characters: Ensure that readers can relate to and care about your characters. This emotional connection amplifies the tension as readers become invested in their fates.

im just saying that if netflix picked up the pjo adaptation it wouldn't be nearly as watered down

love it when a character that's hard to read intuitively for you has like a dedicated fandom interpreter who can just glance at their blank face in a panel and then give you a 3k word essay on their innermost thoughts & desires & fears and neatly tie it back into the themes & whatnot as if it's the most obvious thing in the world

in life you’ll find that siblings are often the same people in different fonts. that’s why i’m dwelling on twilight’s words here. “is this what being raised by yor does to someone?” isn’t a question that’s rooted in shock or frustration, but awe.

awe (n.) – a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder.

twilight is used to targets staying down once he strikes them. he’s a notorious legend in ostania and wise’s best for a reason. yuri rising to his feet again as if he is antaeus (the mythological ancient greek giant who became more powerful every time he was knocked down in a fight) is one thing, but for twilight to view it as an extension of his wife rather than a quality unique to yuri himself is a sign of near deference.

(tldr: what’s it called when little details remind you of someone close to you? when suddenly things aren’t simply things but phantom limbs attached to your significant other that you can feel too? i believe it’s a four-letter word that rhymes with dove, but what do i know.)

Reading a fic that's so well written I wish I could close my eyes and just let the descriptions and atmosphere wash over me, but the dilemma with closing my eyes is, well, I then would not be able to continue reading this fic, now would I.

AWEEE VINCENT AND RODY LOOKED SO CUTE IN THAT LAST PANEL!!! Also is Manon still with Rody or did she break up w him?

Vince seems a little upset..rody avoids eye contact. He looks a little upset too don’t ya think?

The audio standoff between Jonathan Sims and Rudyard Funn is exemplary

I saw you answered my ask, and I totally will reblog it (planning a little something), but I just want to ask, I’ve been listening to the Creaks OST, and I love it! Do you have any more video game OST recommendations?

RARRRGHHGGHHG IM SO HAPPY TO HEAR YOURE LOVIN THE CREAKS OST!!!!! Seriously I think it's one of my top favorite OSTs to listen to whenever I need some music while I draw/write, or if I need inspiration for a very specific tone. It's just oogoughughugh soooo phenomenal. As for other recommendations!! I'll suggest some that immediately popped into my head when I first read this question! Night In The Woods - This game has a wonderful soundtrack, it's also another game where I'll put on the complete OST as background sound. But my two favorite songs out of them all have to be: Astral Alley & Astral Coal , specifically these two versions [which I've provided through the links!] where the creator mixed and matched different instrument tracks to see how they'd sound & what emotions they'd evoke. Honestly I think they accomplished their mission perfectly, I swear this is the only version of these songs I listen to and there's certain segments throughout them that just go insanely hard.

Super Paper Mario - Another fantastic game with an equally fantastic soundtrack. Honestly I need to give it another listen cause it's been a little while, but some of my favorites that came into my mind instantly were: The Ultimate Show, The Woah Zone [especially 1:30 and beyond, something about that repetitive 'falling' sound is just so perfect to me], and Memory [a very very beautiful mashup of multiple songs throughout the game]. THIS VERY SPECIFIC SONIC SONG --> Solaris Phase 2 ITS LITERALLY SO PERFECT FOR IMAGINING AN INTENSE FAST FIGHT SCENE BETWEEN TWO OR MORE CHARACTERSSSS RAAARRGHHGH NIGHTS JOURNEY OF DREAMS!!!!!!!!!!!!! PROBABLY ONE OF MY OTHER FAVORITE OST TO LISTEN TOOOOOOOOOO ESPECIALLY THE BOSS MUSIC Some of my personal favorites: Drifting Donbalon [something about those voices that come n go throughout this song is just sooooooo fantastic], Queen Bella's Ball [SUCH A BANGER SUCH A BANGER I could listen to this one for eons], and NiGHTS and Reala [Specifically from 1:25 to the very end, it brings such an ecstatic and freeing feeling it's just rhaogughurhgsdjgjfddg melts its so awesome]

Definitely recommend giving any of these bad boys a listen! Thanks so much for askin!!!

Asuka is a tragic figure, a figure of mystery, a wild card, all because the only thing she wants in life is peace and quiet for herself and to feel in control- yet her secret heritage that may be hidden from her for her own protection and the reality that life is unpredictable and will go on with or without you keep ruining that delusion, that vision of how the world is meant to work to her, and she suffers regardless of what she wants, what she does, and how little she understands anything

She was born into a family preaching peace and balance and order while being a creature of violence, and puts a dozen mental locks and excuses over this truth to justify giving into her impulse for fighting by pretending she's justice when she does it

She keeps trying to build a place of safety but she's using sand and life is a wave that destroys, yet she stubbornly persists rather than give up, not drowned to the point of self centered suicidal loathing like Jin- there's contrast, where Jin is cloaked in death Asuka stubbornly clings to life and humanity as a normal person in a terrifying world

She's not a fucking narrative clone for Jun's own purpose, Asuka's purpose must be determined by Asuka herself

*Enid & Thing are checking out the Old Ruins they found in the forest*

Enid: "This place has major creepy vibes. No wonder Wednesday said she'd come here"

Thing: *not saying anything*

*footsteps*

Enid: *turns* "Wednesday?"

**link click spoilers for s1!**

lu guang never telling xiaoshi about seeing emma’s death on the news, because it wouldn’t do any good for xiaoshi, only make him feel terrible about himself and his ability.

lu guang choosing to bear the knowledge of xiaoshi’s consequences himself, because he only meant the best for emma, he didn’t know any better and most importantly lu guang could never bring himself to see xiaoshi shattered by the reality of what he’s done. so he hides it from him, all so that xiaoshi can live in ignorant bliss.

lu guang helping xiaoshi through his childhood trauma, firmly pushing him to work through the hard truth that he can’t change anything about his parents’ fate, but never being so harsh about it to the point of being unkind. he could never be unkind to xiaoshi.

this one line: “cheng xiaoshi, exit the picture if it’s too hard for you.”

lu guang silently kneeling to xiaoshi’s level and offering him a hug after that job, even after being punched in the face, because what xiaoshi needs the most right now is someone solid there to let him process everything that just happened.

lu guang telling qiao ling they need a break and making sure to say that he specifically wants one too, to shift the focus away from xiaoshi and protect him from even the possibility of feeling like a burden for needing some time off

lu guang asking qiao ling to stay at home with xiaoshi instead of coming to the police station while he was panicking about shanshan, “look at the state he’s in.” “now’s not the time to let your thoughts run wild,” lu guang doing his best to prevent xiaoshi from letting his own guilt consume himself.

lu guang refusing to accept the job that involved emma’s death because of the impact it would have on xiaoshi if he realized it was his actions that doomed her. him shoving the picture back into the envelope before xiaoshi could catch a glimpse.

lu guang panicking himself when he sees xiaoshi entering the image of emma alone, with no way of contacting him, that idiot, and him running straight home in an effort to do something, anything to bring him back despite knowing there isn’t actually anything he can do but wait for him to return.

lu guang stopping xiaoshi from impulsively accepting the job to go into shanshan’s photo, “are you sure you’d be able to handle it?” making sure xiaoshi really thinks through the fact that he’s gonna have to face the consequences of his actions, and he might not be mentally prepared to accept them.

and xiaoshi listens to him, he actually takes a step back and looks at it from a distance before making a decision, because that’s how much he’s grown to trust lu guang over years of him protecting xiaoshi ever so subtly like this.

xiaoshi is a person ruled by emotions, and lu guang knows this, which is why his highest priority has always been xiaoshi’s emotional state, and why xiaoshi physically needs him to regulate himself and survive.

i just. have a lot of feelings about these two

WHICH IS WHY I NEED AN EXPLANATION FOR WHAT HAPPENED AT THE END OF S1?? i will FOREVER be grateful that i found this series after s2 was done releasing, i don’t think i would’ve survived otherwise HHHH

bonus: qiao ling not even questioning when lu guang asks for a break for both of them, and not hesitating to turn down an offer with a smile without missing a beat when a client comes in. i love her so much??

Writing Tips: Conflict, Tension, and Suspense

Conflict:

A struggle between opposing forces, propelling the narrative.

Forms: Character vs. character, character vs. self, character vs. environment.

Example: "Avatar: The Last Airbender" - Aang’s quest to oppose the Fire Nation’s war of conquest propels the plot.

Tension:

Definition: Emotional strain from unresolved conflicts or challenges.

Build-up: Simmers beneath the surface, creating a constant undercurrent.

Example: “The Hunger Games” - In the early stages of the Games, the ambiguity of Peeta’s intentions give rise to tension between Katniss and him.

Suspense:

Definition: Anticipation of an impending event.

Nature: Heightened state of excitement or anxiety.

Example: "Murder on the Orient Express" - Revelation of the murderer kept a mystery until the end.

Relationship between Conflict, Tension, and Suspense:

Conflict drives the narrative, creating obstacles for characters.

Tension arises from unresolved conflicts, building through anticipation.

Suspense is similar to tension in that both are the anticipation of a happening. Tension is defined. We know the conflict, characters, and stakes involved. Suspense is vague. We know something is about to happen but we usually do not know what, or how, exactly.

Imagine tension as a taut string connecting a character to unresolved conflict. The conflict acts like a force, pulling the character through the plot.

Imagine suspense as a character, well, suspended in open water. They face unknown dangers, such as a potential monster, storm, or rogue wave. We are aware that something bad is about to happen, but not exactly what.

This is part of my Writing Tips series. Everyday I publish a writing tip to this blog.

"Not so cocky now, are ya?"

Are all your victims this lucky, Valentine?

1 to 1 now. Follow up to Jay winning at tag lol

abusive husband and gaslighting husband can fuck off and die

Leonardo is the funniest turtle on account of trying to disarm a bomb (after successfully saving all of the building’s occupants), failing, and then diving out of the building as it explodes. He ripped out random wires from a bomb at risk of being immediately blown up, and when it didn’t stop the timer, he fled the building so that he wouldn’t be immediately blown up. There wasn’t anyone else in there. Why did he risk that.