Fictional Characters Can Kill As Many People As They Want But It’s Illegal For Them To Be Annoying

Quick editing tip: Passing time

Hey all, here’s a quick tip about showing the passage of short amounts of time in a scene. I see a lot of beats like this:

She hesitated

He paused

A few seconds later

There was a long silence

He waited for her to answer

She didn’t respond

Instead of telling us there’s a brief moment of silence or pause in your scene, try showing us by creating the feeling that time has passed through action, description, or inner monologue. Here are a few examples.

Before:

“Are you coming or not?”

He waited for her to answer, but she didn’t respond.

“Clare? Did you hear me?”

“Huh?”

After:

“Are you coming or not?”

Clare scrolled through her phone, her face illuminating with a eerie blue glow.

“Clare? Did you hear me?”

“Huh?”

Before:

Jared lingered at the suspect’s front gate. If this guy didn’t answer Jared’s questions, he was screwed.

“Hey you!” a voice shouted. “Get off my property!”

Jared hesitated. Finally, he turned to face the man. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

After:

Jared lingered at the suspect’s front gate. If this guy didn’t answer Jared’s questions, he was screwed.

“Hey you!” a voice shouted. “Get off my property!”

Jared patted his holster. He had a gun, but he certainly didn’t want to use it. Taking a deep breath, he turned to face the man. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

Not only does creating a pause instead of describing a pause allow your reader to feel the moment more vividly, it gives you a chance to explain what exactly that pause is about. People hesitate, pause, don’t respond, etc. for all kinds of reasons. Give us as much insight as you can into your weird quiet moment.

Of course, you don’t need to do this every single time. Sometimes it’s fine to say “he paused” or “the room was quiet for a moment”—it could be the best choice for that scene. But look back through your draft and see if you’ve used those “telling” descriptions more often than you needed to. If so, try to create the feeling of a pause—perhaps one that gives the reader a bit more information—using these techniques.

Hope this helps!

I've been down lately going through family and adult stuff and responsibilities. I was wondering if you can recommend a fic that's got a very sad/hurt Dick where someone helps him out? Those really help a lot especially when they talk to him. Thanks

Oh no, I’m so sorry that life’s got you down, friend. Sorry it took me so long to respond, but I was working. Anyways, here’s the list, and I hope you enjoy!

As always, you can check out my fic recs here.

To be seen and not heard - Dick’s hurt, has to hide, and he meets someone unexpected in his chosen hiding place. It just keeps getting better as you go.

Every Fiber of My Being - birdflash, but it’s really good at showing the strain on Dick’s shoulders after Bruce dies. Plus it’s a longfic.

All your resolve (dissolves) - YJ fic. This doesn’t actually have much of a happy ending, but it does show the how stressed Dick was during the invasion through Tim’s eyes.

Short of Stable - Hurt Dick with worried Damian and Alfred

The Mechanics of a Hug - Dick is literally being hugged the entire fic and it’s great.

There Is This Space - Super short, but it’s a fear toxin fic and I can never resist.

Seven Days a Week - Dick’s family takes care of him, even when they don’t know what’s wrong.

The Winter of Our Discontent - Dick gets super hurt in this one, and there’s worried batdad. And it’s 10k.

the man with guns for eyes - Dick comes home from Spyral and everyone’s got issues with everyone. They figure it out with a little help, plus some minor (major) injuries.

With a Broken Wing - Bruce is there for Dick, even when no one else is.

 Save You - YJ fic. Warning for suicidal thoughts. Dick has a really rough time here.

Come One, Come All - Dick’s hurt and his family keeps him company.

To Pass Through This Night - Deals with the fallout Forever Evil never really got around to dealing with. Dick cries.

Even When You’re Down - Sick Dick and worried Jason and Bruce.

Handle with Care - Dick’s sick and Bruce and Damian try their best.

Shield - Bruce is hurt and Dick doesn’t handle it very well.

The Only Moment We Are Alone - Dick and Damian dealing with each other’s nightmares.

You Won’t Wake Up Alone - Dawn wrote this for me, and it’s kind of another fallout fic from Forever Evil, and I’ve read this at least fifty times.

Breather - Dick’s sick and Bruce is there.

Second Generation - Deals with the aftermath of Tarantula and Blockbuster. Mostly Tarantula. Warning for deep, deep depression. I’d recommend taking time to read something else or go on a walk every few chapters.

edit because I forgot a few:

The Gotham Vigilante’s Guide to Christmas - Dick’s hurt and doesn’t tell anyone

There’s Nothing to Fear Here - Dick’s whammied with fear toxin

there’ll always be a few things, maybe several things - Dick has a hard night and goes to Tim for help

It’s a long list, but I hope it helps!

Also, there are some more fics that deal with Dick and depression I have on hand, but I didn’t want to recommend them right off the bat if you’re in too deep of a funk. I know that when I read some of them, they’d send me deeper into my depression than I already was, and I’d end up having to call someone to talk me out of hurting myself or talk me down from panic attacks.

If you would like me to recommend them, I’d feel better if you messaged me personally. Hope you’re alright <3

The Kids Pt. 2

Prompt: Don’t Let Them See You Cry

Fandom: Original Work

@badthingshappenbingo

Part 1

The past week had been hell.

Liv paced around her room massaging her sore shoulder.

The tests had been impossible. Yesterday Liv was told to climb the rock wall for hours. If she tried to stop she was met with an electric shock. So, she kept going. When they finally let her go back to her room, she was too exhausted to resist.

She was not looking forward to today’s test.

When the door slid open, she turned towards the people entering the room.

“Hands.” They said sharply.

Not having the energy she held out her arms.

They stepped forward and locked a pair of handcuffs around her arms. They pulled her forward, and she followed them down the hallway.

When they reached the gym, they unlocked her handcuffs and pushed her into the room.

The door slammed shut behind her.

Liv expecting to be the only one in the room was surprised when saw another figure standing in the corridor.

“Conner. What are you doing here?”

Conner turned to face her. His eyes were bloodshot. He probably hadn’t slept in the past few days. That was his teachers favorite “assignment.” With lights that stayed on and noises that would sound every hour, Conner could be kept awake for days.

“Liv, why are you here?”

“This is my class time. Why are you here?”

Conner’s eyes started darting around the room. “I-I don’t know.” He started walking back and forth. His hands running through his hair.

“Hey. Hey, it’s ok.” Liv stepped forward, motioning for Conner to come closer.

He glanced at her and took a few steps forward.

Suddenly a shock sent them both flying away from each other.

Conner hit the wall behind him and crumpled to the floor.

Liv slid across the floor until her head hit the wall.

Blinking back tears, she jumped to her feet and ran towards Conner. He hadn’t moved since he hit the wall. She knelt and shook his shoulders.

“Conner, you’ve got to wake up.”

He let out a small grunt, and his eyes fluttered open. “What happened?”

“Just the teachers being rude. Try and sleep.”

Conner didn’t argue and closed his eyes again.

Liv pushed his messy hair out of his face. Conner had been the strongest person she knew. The fact that they had reduced him to this mess made her angry.

Tears started to form in her eyes.

No. She would not let them see her cry. That’s what they wanted. They were trying to break her, and the others, and she was not going to let it happen.

She turned towards the camera in the corner of the room. “What do you want from us?” She yelled still holding back her tears.

There wasn’t a response. She grunted in frustration and started to pace the room again. After a few minutes, the door slid open. The Principal strolled in followed by a guard. The door slid shut behind them.

“What do you want with us?” Liv said through gritted teeth.

The Principal let out a soft laugh. “We want you to start trusting us.”

Liv couldn’t help but let out a sarcastic laugh. “And you think the best way to do that is to put us through hell?”

He shrugged, “If that is what it takes.”

The tears started to well up in her eyes again. Pushing them back she pointed at Conner. “Does that look like someone who trusts you?”

“Yes. The next time we ask him to do something, he will.”

“Because you’ve broken him,” Liv yelled. “That is not the same as trust.”

“Maybe not, but he will do what I want, without questions.”

Liv stood, stunned, staring at him.

The Principal stared back with a wide grin on his face. “Now you get it.”

He motioned to the guard, and he stepped forward and grabbed her arm.

Liv didn’t struggle as they walked back to her cell.

“Don’t worry. You will start to trust me just like Conner does.” The Principal’s words echoed down the hall, and Liv shuddered.

Prompt: “Hi!! I’m a big fan of your Spider-Man fics!! My birthday is on the 20th and I was wondering if you’d write a fic with a really disoriented Peter (concussion or fever whatever you prefer) and tony trying to get through to him to calm him down. Maybe in the process Peter opens up about really feeling guilty about Ben. If not no worries!!”

What is up with you guys and the sad Uncle Ben requests?? It’s like you guys want to suffer? [soft whispers] who hurt you??

Lol, ask and you shall receive. Happy Birthday @ijustlovecfa!! (Won’t let me tag you, sweets.)

I think I’m going to go with concussion for this one since I just did a fever-related Uncle Ben one!

It’s a minor miscalculation, a slight shift in his arm that makes the web miss the light post he was aiming for, and it’s just enough to have Peter falling to the ground, his head smacking hard against the pavement below him.

He blacks out almost instantly, but he’s only out for a few seconds because a gripping wave of nausea brings him back to consciousness with just enough time to lift up on shaking elbows, push his mask up just past his nose, and roll over, heaving onto the road.

The sounds of his own gagging appear muffled; in fact, the sounds of the battle around him sound far away, as if he’s hearing them while emerged in water. There’s only a prominent ringing sound piercing through the muted sounds around him, and when his stomach settles, he flops back down onto his back, huffing as he watches the sky above him spin.

“Tony, Peter’s down!”

Peter frowns; the voice in his ear is far too loud, as if it’s competing with the ringing.

“What? Peter, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

Peter wants to reply because he knows the second voice is addressing him directly, but there’s a pressure building in his head, feeling as if his head’s going to split into two, and while he can hear the words and process the words, he can’t seem to get his mouth to form a coherent reply. He only manages out a muffled groan in response.

“Shit. Cap, cover me? I’ve gotta get to him.”

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Game-Changing Sites for Writers

A recent search for a specific type of site to help me build new characters led me down a rabbit hole. Normally, that would make me much less productive, but I have found a treasure trove of websites for writers.

Bring Characters/Places to Life

There are a few different places you can use to create a picture of something entirely new. I love this site for making character pictures as references, instead of stock photos or whatever pops up on Google Images.

thispersondoesnotexist: every time you reload the page, this site generates a headshot of someone who doesn't exist. This is great if you're thinking about a character's personality or age and don't have specifics for their facial features yet.

Night Cafe: this is an AI art generator that takes your text prompt and generates an image for it. I tried it for various scenery, like "forest" or "cottage." It takes a minute for your requested photo to load, but no more than maybe five for the program to finish the picture.

Art Breeder: this website has endless images of people, places, and general things. Users can blend photos to create something new and curious visitors can browse/download those images without creating an account. (But if you do want to make an account to create your own, it's free!)

Find Random Places on Earth

You might prefer to set a story in a real-life environment so you can reference that place's weather, seasons, small-town vibe, or whatever you like. If that's the case, try:

MapCrunch: the homepage generates a new location each day and gives the location/GPS info in the top left of the screen. To see more images from previous days, hit "Gallery" in the top left.

Atlas Obscura: hover over or tap the "Places" tab, then hit "Random Place." A new page will load with a randomly generated location on the planet, provide a Google Maps link, and tell you a little bit about the place.

Random World Cities: this site makes randomly selected lists of global cities. Six appear for each search, although you'll have to look them up to find more information about each place. You can also use the site to have it select countries, US cities or US states too.

Vary Your Wording

Thesauruses are great, but these websites have some pretty cool perspectives on finding just the right words for stories.

Describing Words: tell this website which word you want to stop repeating and it will give you tons of alternative words that mean the same thing. It typically has way more options than other sites I use.

Reverse Dictionary: type what you need a word for in Reverse Dictionary's search box and it will give you tons of words that closely match what you want. It also lists the words in order of relevancy, starting with a word that most accurately describes what you typed. (There's also an option to get definitions for search results!)

Tip of My Tongue: this website is phenomenal. It lets you search for that word you can't quite place by a letter in it, the definition, what it sounds like, or even its scrambled letters. A long list of potential options will appear on the right side of the screen for every search.

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Hope this helps when you need a hand during next writing session 💛

I love this quote so much. It is such a good reminder. Thanks Jack, for all your PMA, and you want to help people. I love it so much!!

I can't believe I didn't post this sooner!!!

Thank you @jacksoopticboop for the fantastic art!!

I also really enjoyed the little notes that came with the art!

You're the best, and I hope your day is full of PMA!!

SUPERKIDDOS, Part 2! So pumped to see people excited about this project. Jon doesn’t appear in this part but he will in the next. Poor Dami gets himself kidnapped (as Damian Wayne, son of rich Bruce Wayne?)

The five meep meeps are Meepo (red), Meepina (green), Mee-Mee (yellow), Meepsa (blue) and Meepalleen (purple). Colin got Mee-Mee because its personality reminded him most of Damian (but don’t tell him that!)

(update: made a small edit on page 8!)

Valentines Prologue << Part One << Part Two >> Part Three

So I zoomed into the picture with 20 in the corner and you can very faintly see 19 after it :) something big is happening this year!!

The First Phase

A Timeline of random hints, clues, and cryptic stuff starting from August of 2018 til the very end of that year. 

Buckle up (yet again- 4th time’s the charm).

Here we go!

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happy one year anniversary to overnightwatch, the time that Silent Night was forever tainted for everyone in this community