Writing References: Character Development

Writing Post Masterlist

All my posts about writing - plus some I absolutely loved by other writers.

Masterlists by Other People (all good)

"Writing Tips Masterpost" by @deception-united - Deception-United has an incredibly wealth of resources available, far more comprehensive and detailed than mine. Go check it out!

"WQA Post Master Lists" by @writingquestionsanswered - Another fantastic and wonderfully comprehensive resource that covers damn near everything you need to know about writing. Genuinely one of the best free resources on writing that you could find on the internet.

General Advice for a Happy Writing Life

"The Myth of the Martyr Artist" - An incredibly important post, perhaps my most important one ever, that discusses why mental illness is a burden, not a benefit. I have no idea why this even needs to be said, but it does, apparently.

"Advice to Beginner Writers: The Good, the Bad, and the Unpleasant" - How long it takes to become a good writer, what to focus on when learning, and why fanfic is such a useful tool.

"Mindset Shifts: Fanfiction -> Original Fiction" - What fanfic writers should know about deciding to take on original characters and stories.

"Defeating Protracted Writer's Block" - What to do when you find it impossible to write for days, weeks, or months at a time.

"Five Common Anxieties of Newbie Writers, Demystified" - Explorations of five mindsets that can set younger writers back as they learn their craft, including overcompetitiveness, overdescribing, and fearing they're "too old."

"Good Motivations for Continuing to Write" - Why it is crucial to have a passion for writing beyond fame and fortune.

"Extremely controversial writing opinions that will make you mad (but I'm going to say them anyway)" - Things you really don't want to hear, but need to be said. A bit of tough love, including the insignificance of ideas, the cold hard truth about how non-writers react to your writing, and the essentiality of having a well-rounded life.

"Why Mindfulness Is a Key Practice for Writers" - On the need to slow down and let our brain rest - plus some options that are categorically not sitting there in dead silence (boring).

"Writing When Happy" - Wherein I hijack someone's question to discuss the Myth of the Martyr Artist, why we might self-limit because of it, and how to do the impossible: write when we're happy.

Generalish Writing Advice (multifactorial)

"'How Do I Start Writing?'" (Or; A Psychoanalysis of Newbie Writer Fears) - Inspired by the dozens of Reddit posts that ask this exact same thing, often with useless responses. So why do people ask this? I offer my theory.

"How to improve your writing style : a 5-steps guide" by @writer-logbook - Especially great information on why reading widely is so helpful for your craft!

"Some Writing Advice" by @whispers-whump - Especially great discussion of why you shouldn't write what you mean.

"Practical Writing Advice Part 2" by @so-many-ocs - Does what it says on the tin. Simple, easy-to-follow advice that can break you out of writer's block.

"25 Prose Tips for Writers" by @thewriteadviceforwriters - I absolutely love the emphasis on sound and harmony here. As someone whose entire book series revolves around the magic of poetry, of course I think this is incredibly important advice!

Writing tools

"How to Build a Sustainable Writing Habit Through SCIENCE (Fuck Off, NaNoWriMo)" - Why NaNoWriMo doesn't actually motivate young writers and how to do better through a spreadsheet (yes, really, a spreadsheet). It also explains the importance of intrinsic motivation!

"'I've Outlined Too Much and Now I Can't Write!' (Or: the Double Outline Method for Overanxious Plotters)" - Some of us tend to go absolutely ham on our outlines, to the point where they're practically their own books. But then we also tend to not actually do the writing attached to said outline. Does this mean outlining is useless? Of course not. My method lets you have your outline and eat it too. (.... Wait.)

Worldbuilding

"Stop Making Everything So Damn Complicated!" - Why fantasy (and scifi) does not need to be dizzyingly intricate to be enjoyable.

"Grounded vs. Airy Fantasy" by @aethersea - Excellent breakdown of different levels of groundedness in fantasy and why it's important to understand your own approach.

"Fantasy Guide to Building a Culture" by @inky-duchess - Thorough and methodical analysis of what can create a compelling fantasy culture, including those things that many fail to think about when writing.

"Writing tip - Research" by @pygmi-cygni - Fantastic assessment of the importance of research, including for fantasy stories. As Pygmi-Cygni said, a lot of people claim that they don't need to do any research for fantasy novels, which isn't true! Any parallels to IRL need to be realistic, or you will lose credibility.

Plotting

"How to Find a Plot When All You Have is Characters and Setting" by @rheas-chaos-motivation - This is a common problem for many writers, when you have cool characters or an intriguing setting. This short post can help you kickstart your ideas for how to create an intriguing plot that has built-in tension.

Description

"Remembering Perspective When Writing Descriptions" - Key factors to think about when describing other characters or settings from your POV.

"Description, Momentum, and Tension; Or, How Not to Bore a Reader" - Why, when, and where to put description so that people don't skip over it. Hopefully.

"Writing Notes: Seasons" - Each season has both benefits and downsides. In this post, we look at the negatives and positive aspects of each so you can decide how a particular season may strengthen your themes - plus some descriptions to help inspire you.

"How to Write Smut?" by @unfriendlywriter - Wonderful examples of how to write heartstopping smut.

"How to pull off descriptions" by @fictionstudent - Fictionstudent has a ton of great posts, both about film analysis and about the art of writing. I especially liked this one because it discusses how important perspective is for descriptions and the importance of filling in the details as a character would rather than just throwing it all at the reader at one time.

Characterization

"How NOT to Write a Character" - Wherein I give you some examples of annoying characters we want to punt off a cliff so you can watch yourself.

"Writing Strong Female Characters" - Why you should give your female characters a secret goal, as well as how to avoid common 'strong female' stereotypes.

"Writing Compelling Trauma in Fiction: Dos and Don'ts" - How to avoid melodrama and create intriguing emotional wounds for characters.

"Writing Notes: Thought Distortions" by @literaryvein-reblogs - Some psychological concepts you can use in your writing to add depth to characters.

Revisions

"Common Writing Issues that Reduce Readability" - Examples of fixes for four common issues: double describing, long sentences, overexplaining, and head hopping.

"Differential Diagnosis When Your Writing Is Getting Worse" by @ariaste - Fantastic explanation by a professional writer about why you might feel like your writing is getting worse and what to do about it.

"How to Make Your Writing Less Stiff Part 3" by @physalian - Physalian's whole blog has some excellent advice, so definitely give it a look!

"How to Improve Your Writing" - Also by literaryvein-reblogs, this offers some excellent exercises to help with sentence-level issues, such as modifiers, parallelism, and details.

Publishing

"How to promote your book online : a discussion about social media (and few tips)" by writer-logbook - Great tips about how to get more interest in your book. I especially enjoyed the emphasis on patience and consistency. Writer-logbook has some excellent info overall about the nitty-gritty of writing, so I definitely recommend poring through their blog in general. (That's why they're included here twice!)

Specific Research Advice

"Assassination Methods Through the Decades: A Writer’s Handbook" by @hayatheauthor - A thorough review of different assassination methods, including a section discussing common assassination methods by region!

"How to Write Someone in a Wheelchair" - A group effort! This is a reblog chain discussing body language in manual wheelchairs, the mechanics of power wheelchairs, wheelchair propulsion methods, and a reminder that just because someone is in a wheelchair doesn't mean they can't walk short distances.

"Writing Research Notes: Caves" - Oh caves how I love them. Caves. Let me tell you about them if you want to write about caves. Blessed.

Little Funsies

"What Painting Style Is Your Writing?" - A short exploration of different writing styles to help you better understand your own approach.

I'll be adding onto this as I continue to scroll through my old likes and, of course, as I find more resources.

I've just realised that all this Indra/Madara/Sasuke VS Ashura/Hashirama/Naruto has nothing to do with who's right or wrong. Both projects were flawed. It's not about logic, reason or making concession. It's not even about good or bad, not at all. It's about power struggle. One side has a policy of imposing without consulting anyone, bluntly, straight to your face. The other one is imposing a project by using steps, like a soft power getting harder the more you resist their will. First I'm talking to you, if you're not convinced, I harass you for years, if you're still not convinced, I'll beat you and force you to accept with or without your consent (because you can't ignore me anymore now that I control you). And if you ever had the silly idea of changing your mind I'll kill you and all your family.

I quote the founders but there is millions of situations where I could have quote Naruto himself but you already know my attention span for him is super low so...

You missed the mark! (Time Travel)

Extra: Otsutsuki

(they learn Kurama is willingly there)

anndd more sketches to give

What an amazing and informative analysis! Was wondering about indra's eye makeup for a while, actually

The history in fiction: Parallels between historical Japan and the Narutoverse

Part 1: The era of the Six Paths

Naruto may not be a historical fiction and most people will think that the utmost historical reference in the series is the fact that ninja were a thing in feudal Japan. But what if I told you that there is an insane amount of historical parallels in the series? That we could actually place the events of the main timeline within real periods of Japanese history? In this two-part series, I’ll be explaining the many parallels, references and design inspirations of the main events and generations that shaped the course of the series that we all know and love. I’ll start with the era of the Six Paths (starting from Kaguya and ending with Indra and Ashura), and part 2 will be about the Warring States (dynamic between the Senju and Uchiha). At the end of each part, I’ll add useful links so that you can deepen your investigation and see my sources. Without further ado, let’s start overanalyzing.

Historical references and parallels in character design and dynamics

I’d place this particular era of the Narutoverse in the Heian period of Japan (or at least the most important people, the brothers Indra and Ashura). Considering that we’re spanning 3 generations here, I’ll separate the individuals involved in the following way:

Kaguya: End of Nara period (710 AD - 784 AD)

Hagoromo and Hamura: Early Heian period (794 AD - 1185 AD)

Indra and Ashura: Heian period (794 AD - 1185 AD)

Kaguya

On a side note, I’d like to add that I’m not really considering Tenji in the list above because he’s an anime only character. However, his case caught my eye so I’ll discuss him as well. Let’s start by evaluating Kaguya and Tenji then. Kaguya’s character design is a very classical archetype of Heian beauty standards and clothing. Long, straight hair with flowy kimono and a delicate face. Her unusual eyebrows are no coincidence as well, as in the Heian period the practice of hikimayu was commonplace in noblewomen. 

"Hiki means "pull" and mayu means "eyebrows". Aristocratic women used to pluck or shave their eyebrows and paint new ones using a powdered ink called haizumi, which was made of soot from sesame or rapeseed oils." (source)

Left: Filler anime episode // Right: Manga panel

Above: Hikimayu through the ages of Japan

Another interesting fact that I’d like to point out is that Kaguya is a character with striking similarity to a Japanese folk tale, in this case the Tale of Princess Kaguya (Kaguyahime no monogatari), whose origin we can trace back to Heian Japan. The Tale of Princess Kaguya tells the story of a little baby girl who “fell from the skies” and was found by a couple of old farmers inside of a bamboo. She grew up to be extremely beautiful and was courted by lots of noblemen, but she rejected them all insisting that somebody would come for her, as she looked at the moon. Of course, Naruto provides us with a different ending to the story but this similarity can’t be overlooked.

Above: "The Receding Princess" from The Japanese Fairy Book, 1908

Moving on to Tenji, it gets a bit more complicated to place him in an exact historical moment as he has elements of many different periods. His hairstyle resembles the styling of the Jomon period, whereas the entire setting in the filler episodes are more similar to the Nara period with the many small kingdoms fighting for dominance within a vast land, just like pre-unification Japan. Therefore, I place Kaguya and Tenji at the end of the Nara period, because we see how Kaguya takes over Tenji’s rulership and is regarded as a noblewoman after she casts the first Infinite Tsukuyomi. I have to rely on some filler in this case because otherwise I can’t find a logical explanation as to why Hagoromo was so well settled and had a large group of people following his teachings if it wasn’t for Kaguya ruling some land that originally belonged to Tenji. 

Hagoromo and Hamura

Let’s start with the second generation. Following the events of the end of the Nara period I quoted in the previous section, Hagoromo and Hamura would go in the beginning of the Heian period. Their character designs feature long, flowy tunics without a visible belt. Here you have an image of men’s clothes through Japanese history, the third one being a feudal lord of the Heian period. Compare and contrast with these anime and manga images.

Above: “Men’s Japanese clothes” by Glimja

Left: Filler anime episode with both // Right: Hagoromo manga panel

Again, since we get very few manga panels related to Hagoromo and his sons, I’ll refer once again to the filler episodes where he is shown as the ruler of a village. The spot within the Heian period in which I’m placing Hagoromo would be around 100 years after the Taika reforms which established one of the first codes of law in Japan and (Taihō code) and divided the country in provinces ruled by feudal lords. Curiously, around the time where the Taika reforms happened, there was an emperor called Tenji. 

Indra and Ashura

The third generation of the alien-human hybrids is here, and I place them in the Heian period as well. My main reason to consider Indra and Ashura in the Heian period is the fact that this is the exact time period where the samurai originate. A common misconception is that a samurai is a Japanese warrior highly trained in the martial arts and weapons. While this statement holds some truth, the samurai were the military social class of feudal Japan, which means that there were people who were of the samurai class but had never touched a weapon in their lives. Therefore, samurai clans were not entirely composed by warriors but also had a number of people who lived a more “civilian” lifestyle. And you may be wondering, “what do the historical samurai have to do with the ninja that we see in Naruto?”. The answer is: more than you think. Historically speaking, the ninja is a samurai specialised in stealth and sneaking, the only difference with the Naruto universe is that the ninja we know and love from the show possess chakra and perform techniques with that. 

The story of Indra and Ashura is strongly tied to the origin of ninja clans in Naruto, just as the Heian period is the origin of the samurai clans. From this time period I’d like to highlight the myth of Minamoto no Yorimitsu, more commonly known as Minamoto no Raiko. His story says that he slayed demons (yes, really) and saved many maidens from being abused by drunk oni with his great sword, Dojigiri Yasutsuna. The difference between myth and legend is that myths hold some kind of historical fact whereas legends are purely fictional. Minamoto no Raiko has been heavily mythified and his story sounds unbelievable or too much like a fantasy story until you realise that he did exist and that his sword is kept in a museum. Doesn’t this resemble how the origins of ninja in Naruto are almost like fantasy stories up until Hagoromo shows up in the 4th war and explains that everything was real all along? 

Above: Ukiyo-e of Minamoto no Raiko and others fighting the demon Shuten Doji.

Just as Minamoto no Raiko is considered the first samurai, Indra could be considered the first shinobi. He was the first to channel and shape chakra to create jutsu, and he was considered as part of the legends surrounding Hagoromo. Please compare these two panel sequences, one is from earlier in the story and the second one is Hagoromo’s version. 

The brothers’ character design can also be correlated with the Heian period. Indra’s eyebrows seem to be real but resemble the hikimayu design of Kaguya’s eyebrows, however he does add eye makeup. The people who wore makeup in the Heian period were nobles (mostly noblewomen), once again reinforcing my point that this family started out as feudal lords and eventually fused with the warrior class, becoming ninja clans. Although the character design for Indra and Ashura isn’t 100% equal to Heian Japan’s male clothing, the inspiration is subtle yet visible. I’d say that the inspiration is mostly for the plot rather than the appearance of the character. If you’d like to see more real Heian period clothing, this link has recreations of the outfits of the characters in the Tale of Genji, by Murasaki Shikibu.

Sources

These are some useful links that I’ve referred to while writing this post. I’d like to invite you to read them if you’d like to do further research on the beautiful history of Japan.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tenji

https://www.britannica.com/event/Taika-era-reforms

https://www.japanhousela.com/articles/princess-kaguya-a-tale-for-the-ages

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikimayu#:~:text=Hiki means "pull" and mayu,from sesame or rapeseed oils.

https://www.thoughtco.com/beauty-in-heian-japan-195557

https://history.hanover.edu/hhr/22/HHR2022miller.pdf

https://www.tumblr.com/heian-collection/30869762024/beauty-ideal-in-heian-japan?source=share

https://thegate12.com/article/264

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for part 2, the Warring States era. Special thanks to @al-hekima-madara-blog for actually motivating me to write all of this down 💜

Sensational

How reincarnation works in the Narutoverse? Like, it's the soul/spirit that reincarnates into a new body or is just the chakra that is passed down to a new person?

Reincarnation and Souls in Naruto

Hey Anon! This is gonna be a bit of a longer one. I have seen many people getting reincarnation in Naruto wrong. Term definitions, mistranslation allegations, and misconceptions about the involvement of souls in the reincarnation process. For some of these (particularly the mistranslation allegation), I had to look up Japanese raws.

Let me explain some vocabulary first.

Reincarnation in Japanese

In Japanese, there are different ways to say "reincarnation". Similarly, in Naruto, we encounter multiple different expressions and uses for "reincarnation" and even a few terms that are a little misleading. The two best translations for "reincarnation" are, however, "Umarekawari" (生まれ変わり) and "Tensei" (転生).

"Umarekawari" seems to refer to both rebirth and reincarnation. Meanwhile, "Tensei" appears to be more specific to reincarnation and the transmigration of souls. My friend who knows Japanese explained that "Tensei" is also commonly used in Buddhist contexts.

Fun fact! "Tensei" is also very commonly used in Isekai titles like "Mushoku Tensei" (Jobless Reincarnation) and "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime" (Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken).

Tensei and Umarekawari in Naruto

In Naruto, "Tensei" appears, for example, in the context of "Edo Tensei" (穢土転生). "Rinne Tensei" (輪廻天生) uses a similar spelling, composed of the characters for "Heaven" and "Life", translating to "Heavenly Life", according to the Naruto wiki.

"Shinra Tensei" (神羅天征) and "Chibaku Tensei" (地爆天星) use the same pronunciation for the "tensei" part but not the same spelling. Hence, those terms do not translate to reincarnation. Instead, "Shinra Tensei" translates to "Heavenly subjugation" and "Chibaku Tensei" translates to "Heavenly Star" or "Heavenly Body Bursting".

As previously explained, "Tensei" translates to "Reincarnation". Now add "Sha" (者) and you get "Tenseisha" (転生者) which translates to "Reincarnated Person". "Tenseisha" is what Hagoromo uses to describe Naruto and Sasuke as reincarnates of Ashura and Indra. There are English translations of the manga that instead say "successor" but those are incorrect as you can see here.

Obito uses a similar expression when referring to Nagato, but combines it with "Umarekawari". Interestingly, Obito doesn't refer to Nagato as an actual reincarnation but as the "reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths' wish for peace" - so it is not an actual reincarnation.

Jiraiya also refers to Nagato as "Umarekawari" when suggesting he might be the rebirth of the Sage of Six Paths.

Reincarnation Lore in Naruto

Since Nagato wasn't actually a reincarnation of any particular person, the only in-the-sense-of-the-word reincarnates we know of are Ashura's and Indra's reincarnates.

In their case, it is an endless cycle initiated by Indra and then always followed by Ashura. We know that the cycle takes its origin with Indra thanks to an elderly Madara, who had to die of old age first, years after Hashirama's own passing, before new reincarnates could be born. And even then, Sasuke (the Indra reincarnate) is born first ahead of Naruto (the Ashura reincarnate), who is born second.

Hagoromo describes the situation as "reincarnation", but that is not all he says. Specifically, he explains that Ashura's chakra is clinging to Naruto and that Naruto can feel his presence. Hagoromo doesn't explicitly state, however, whether that presence belongs to Ashura's soul or chakra.

Hagoromo makes it sound as though Indra's and Ashura's chakra are merely tagging along with Sasuke and Naruto, rather than being the same person. That makes the chakras of reincarnates still distinct from one another. It might be a similar situation as with Jinchuriki, basically, in which one soul uses another body as a host.

A reincarnate may retain access to Ashura's or Indra's chakra even in and after death, as seen in the case of Madara. This is what allows Hagoromo to return to the mortal world during the war arc. It is unknown, however, whether this chakra (Indra's) is naturally part of Madara's own reserves or whether it is exclusively stored in Madara's Rinnegan and his borrowed Hashirama Cells.

Regardless of which, a person will lose their status as "reincarnate" upon death. This means that chakra alone doesn't make a reincarnate, implying the existence of yet another component, such as the quantity of chakra or the existence of a soul.

And in spite of seemingly popular belief, Indra's and Ashura's souls (魂 "Tamashi") do indeed reincarnate alongside their chakra. This is confirmed in the fourth databook. This makes sense considering the use of the term "Tensei" - because why would you refer to a transmigration of souls specifically if no souls are involved?

Souls and Chakra

Ashura's and Indra's reincarnation cycles bring up an interesting question: What is the connection between chakra and souls in Naruto? While the manga doesn't make any explicit statements, we are shown time and time again just how closely related and deeply intertwined these two concepts are.

Chakra, in general, is not just an energy source. It often transports core aspects of a person. We are being told in multiple instances that chakra contains, is mixed, or clings to a person's will, consciousness, or memories. The most notable example is probably the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Same thing with Minato and Kushina. While, supposedly, Minato only sealed his and his wife's chakra within Naruto, the chakra in question appears to possess a certain consciousness. Alternatively, it may be capable of summoning Minato's and Kushina's souls for a short amount of time (similarly to how Hagoromo's soul gains access to the mortal world if there is chakra for his soul to cling to). Either way, the manifestations of his parents that Naruto meets inside his mind have personalities, thoughts, feelings, and memories.

This chakra is not able to self-sustain, however, possibly due to chakra's nature of being the product of physical and mental/spiritual energy that requires a physical body (please refer back to chapter #17). Although, it could also be argued that, if a physical, working body is not available, a soul might suffice as well (as is likely the case with Kurama).

While it could just be a coincidence, the appearances of Obito's soul in Kakashi's mind and Kushina's chakra in Naruto's mind follow a similar pattern. Both Obito and Kushina appear in a white void, share their special abilities with a loved one for a short amount of time, and then dissolve into something flame-like before fading away.

A potential connection between soul and chakra becomes even more likely when looking at two Jutsus: The Edo Tensei and the Shiki Fujin.

The goal of the Edo Tensei, as Kabuto describes it, is to bring back a target's soul from the Purelands (ninja heaven, basically). This requires a piece of the person's DNA and, in the end, their body's specific chakra is fully restored or replicated. Hence Madara is capable of recognizing Hashirama's chakra on the battlefield. Looking at Hagoromo's appearance during the war (see the screenshot from chapter 686), chakra seems to be a necessary component for a soul to return to the world of the living.

In the case of Shiki Fujin, the jutsu is supposed to seal a target's soul. But it is not debatable that the jutsu seals the target's chakra in equal measure, as seen in the case of Kurama.

Compiling all of this information together, and assuming that souls and chakra are not synonymous, it appears as though souls in the world of Naruto cannot exist without chakra. Perhaps even vice versa. The presence of chakra within the mortal realm immediately allows for if not causes the retrieval of a person's soul from the Purelands, as is the case with Hagoromo and likely Minato and Kushina as well.

It only makes sense that reincarnates, who inherit the majority if not all of Indra's and Ashura's chakra would become hosts to their souls as well.

Difference to Real World Reincarnation

Quite obviously, reincarnation in Naruto doesn't operate like it does in real-world religious beliefs. While in Buddhist/Hindu traditions, a reincarnate is the reborn person themselves, in Naruto, the reincarnate is more of a host to a soul.

But does that mean that the definition of "reincarnation" no longer applies to Naruto's and Sasuke's connection to Indra and Ashura? The answer is no.

Fiction does not always follow the standard definitions laid out by religion or mythology. It always takes its liberties. Take chakra for example, which, in Hindu beliefs, describes energy centers inside the human body. In Naruto, chakra is a mana-like resource that reflects a character's stamina. It is so unsimilar, the 8 gates are actually a much better parallel to real-world chakra.

Kishimoto often bends religion and mythology to suit his story's needs and make them his own. Had Kishimoto made a different choice, Madara's and Hashirama's revival during the war would have either been impossible or made no sense.

Pretties

how does tumblr work omg

been brainrotting over this ship might as well share :P

I just had to do fanart of cressie by @gravityfying and @paneyneygirl I just loved this girl from the very beginning (*≧∀≦*)

:((

Indra Ōtsutsuki (大筒木インドラ)

*no one appreciates me :'

A HOUSE OF THE DRAGON FANCOMIC

Warning: OOC (Out of Character). I don't recommend reading this if you don't enjoy watching Targtowers interacting.

This is the first time I've drawn a comic this long. I tried my best and glad that I made it. I couldn't finish this project without the help of Sylva from Aegond group chat, Kac Flextem_FK and Minh Nhật. Thank you all very much!

Fanart of Jam and Elizabeth from @moringmark’s ship war au٩( ᐛ )و I love these cinnamon rolls(≧∀≦)