I Made This Post Like A Month Ago And I Have No Idea What It Means

Nobody: what are you reading?

me: abandonment issues 😊

One of my favorite tricks for designing alien species/cultures is to take a real animal with an interesting lifecycle and think about what that biology would translate to if they had human intelligence

Things that Witch!Wei Wuxian knows: his next job is going to be a pain in the ass, he needs to figure out what (if anything) he's going to do for his twenty-two birthday, he has a video call with his sister tonight to discuss the mural he's going to paint in Jin Ling's nursery, and that the little bunny he just picked up from a dingy alley is definitely not a normal animal. No animal has bright golden eyes and a pissed off expression quite like this one. Will he still take it home? Of course.

Things that Witch!Wei Wuxian maybe knows: half a dozen purification potions and some talismans for repelling nightmares will likely do, he wants his siblings to be there, his nephew definitely won't get a peacock, he can't just upload a picture of the bunny to the MagiNet and hope that no one comes knocking with the intention of sacrificing the little guy—yeah, he checked—in some strange ritual. So he tells Jiang Yanli and trusts her to spread the word to sensitive people. Meanwhile, he makes sure the bunny is warm, full and rested, and only threatens to eat him a few times. Who can blame him! It's so fluffy, it triggers his cute agression. Also, it could easily be made of cotton candy. No one can really know with magical animals.

Things that Witch!Wei Wuxian definitely doesn't know: his job is about to be interrupted by a strange ass man accusing him of stealing his familiar, that is going to be interrupted by his brother calling him because guess what! His nephew is being born, and the little bunny that has been sleeping in his bed and hearing every thought that crosses his head and following him into the shower is actually a shape shifter. And not even any shape shifter: Lan Zhan, Wei Wuxian's old high school crush that turned him down so many times his story still gets told in the School of Magic for Young Practitioners. One Hundred and Thirteen Rejections Wei Wuxian, that's him.

Right up until Lan Zhan accompanies him to the hospital along a magically stunned Su She, who apparently had drugged him to make him stay in his animal form and try to force a familiar bond—which, yes, it's as heinous and illegal as it sounds. Dude is so going to jail. But whatever. The important part: why is Lan Zhan by his side while Wei Wuxian is holding Jin Ling for the first time? And why is he going home with him after? And why is he... confessing... his love for Wei Wuxian... and saying he wants to be his familiar...?

Oh. Oh.

And so they magically bound their souls for eternity. And Su She gets his wand broken as well as his hand by Lan Xichen!

"Stop saying 15 year olds with weird interests are cringe, they're 15" this is true however you should also stop saying adults with weird interests are cringe because who gives a shit

Looking for Ways to Make Your Unintelligent Villain Scary? Here are 10 Traits That Can Help!

Somebody on my TikTok asked about ways to make a villain who is technically unintelligent (i.e. probably not smart enough to play 3D chess with or come up with insane plots to trap your protag) unsettling and it really gave me something to think about!

1.) They have an unrelenting persistence: Without the intelligence to know when to quit, they'll keep firing at something until it gives way. This can create a sense of dread, because they will always keep coming, no matter what happens.

2.) They're completely detached: Because they're too unintelligent to have a sense of empathy or morality, they might cause harm without realizing the gravity of their actions, and they'll never understand why what they did was bad...because they quite literally can't!

3.) Lacking logic = no chance of reasoning: If they're technically too low IQ to understand basic logic, then good luck reasoning, bargaining with, or manipulating them. They might be stupid, but that stupidity could protect them from potentially being influenced by their foes, thus potentially making them much more dangerous.

4.) No sense of emotional regulation: Without the intelligence to regulate how they feel, your villain could be prone to flip-flopping emotions with very little warning. They could go from joyous, to forlorn, to violent in one fell swoop, with very little provocation, and their foes might never see it coming.

5.) Or, maybe they're REALLY in touch with their emotions: Without intelligence to worry about, you can use that space to toy with their emotional core, and how they process their own and other's feelings. They might be so in touch with the idea of emotions that they can use those of their foes against them. Or, they consciously use their own as fuel for their actions.

6.) Weaponized innocence: Why have an dumb angry brute as a big bad when you can have one that's far more innocent-minded? With a childlike approach to everything they do, from their actions to their goals, a villain can become much more unsettling when characters (and readers) realize that nothing they're doing is inherently malicious; they just don't know better.

7.) They have goals that change with the tide: Because your villain might not have the intellect to really understand the concept of objectives, any goals they might have could seemingly change at any moment, which can leave their foes scrambling to pin down their next move.

8.) Most of the destruction they cause is accidental: Because they might not be intelligent enough to regulate themselves physically, whether that's through their raw power or something of a more magical nature, the might attempt to approach things from a logical, more refined angle...only to leave a trail of unintended destruction in their wake.

9.) Put your characters in a moral dilemma in your villain's regard: If your villain is too dumb to really comprehend the gravity of what they're doing, is it fair to harm them? Giving your villain's foes a chance to answer that question, perhaps as your villain is laying waste to the countryside, can build on just how horrifying your villain actually is.

10.) Harmless now, dangerous later: It might be interesting to build into their unsettling factor by starting them off as a pitiable, almost pathetic presence in the story before it becomes increasingly clear that despite not having many lights on upstairs, a mix of some of the previously mentioned traits come out to make it clear that they are indeed a threat.

As always, happy writing <3

20 Emotional Wounds in Fiction That Make Readers Root for the Character

Abandonment: Characters who have been abandoned by loved ones or caregivers can evoke sympathy from readers.

Betrayal: Being betrayed by someone close can create deep emotional wounds that make readers empathize with the character.

Loss of a Loved One: Whether through death or separation, the loss of a loved one can be a powerful emotional wound.

Rejection: Characters who experience rejection, whether in relationships or by society, can be relatable and evoke empathy.

Abuse: Physical, emotional, or psychological abuse can create complex wounds that shape a character's personality and behavior.

Neglect: Characters who have been neglected, especially in childhood, can evoke sympathy from readers.

Failure: Experiencing a significant failure or loss can create emotional wounds that make characters more relatable.

Guilt: Characters who carry guilt for past actions or decisions can be compelling and evoke empathy from readers.

Shame: Feelings of shame can create internal conflict and make characters more relatable and sympathetic.

Injustice: Characters who have experienced injustice or unfair treatment can evoke strong emotions from readers.

Trauma: Characters who have experienced traumatic events, such as war or natural disasters, can be sympathetic and relatable.

Loneliness: Characters who feel lonely or isolated can evoke empathy from readers who have experienced similar feelings.

Fear: Characters who face their fears or struggle with phobias can be relatable and evoke empathy from readers.

Self-doubt: Characters who struggle with self-doubt or low self-esteem can be relatable and evoke sympathy.

Identity Crisis: Characters who are grappling with questions of identity or struggling to find their place in the world can be sympathetic.

Addiction: Characters who struggle with addiction can be complex and evoke empathy from readers.

Betrayal of Trust: Characters who have had their trust betrayed can be sympathetic and relatable.

Unrequited Love: Characters who experience unrequited love can be sympathetic and evoke empathy from readers.

Isolation: Characters who feel isolated or disconnected from others can be relatable and evoke sympathy.

Fear of Failure: Characters who struggle with a fear of failure can be relatable and evoke empathy from readers.

nobody has any idea on how many times I have used nonetheless in anything and that fact both fascinates and intrigues me

Nonetheless thank you for your opinions

i hate the word nonetheless

like

what are you even doing

youre just three words stacked in a trench coat

you can live just fine as 'none the less'

grow up smh

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