do you all see my vision here
An awesome way to motivate yourself to write: leave an open bag of chocolate next to your computer or notebook, and go head and reward yourself for each paragraph (or sentence; either one works!) you write with a piece of chocolate
Unhealed Wounds Your Character Pretends Are Just “Personality Traits”
These are the things your character claims are just “how they are” but really, they’re bleeding all over everyone and calling it a vibe.
╰ They say they're "independent." Translation: They don’t trust anyone to stay. They learned early that needing people = disappointment. So now they call it “being self-sufficient” like it’s some shiny badge of honor. (Mostly to cover up how lonely they are.)
╰ They say they're "laid-back." Translation: They stopped believing their wants mattered. They'll eat anywhere. Do anything. Agree with everyone. Not because they're chill, but because the fight got beaten out of them a long time ago.
╰ They say they're "a perfectionist." Translation: They believe mistakes make them unlovable. Every typo. Every bad hair day. Every misstep feels like proof that they’re worthless. So they polish and polish and polish... until there’s nothing real left.
╰ They say they're "private." Translation: They’re terrified of being judged—or worse, pitied. Walls on walls on walls. They joke about being “mysterious” while desperately hoping no one gets close enough to see the mess behind the curtain.
╰ They say they're "ambitious." Translation: They think achieving enough will finally make the emptiness go away. If they can just get the promotion, the award, the validation—then maybe they’ll finally outrun the feeling that they’re fundamentally broken. (It never works.)
╰ They say they're "good at moving on." Translation: They’re world-class at repression. They’ll cut people out. Bury heartbreak. Pretend it never happened. And then wonder why they wake up at 3 a.m. feeling like they're suffocating.
╰ They say they're "logical." Translation: They’re terrified of their own feelings. Emotions? Messy. Dangerous. Uncontrollable. So they intellectualize everything to avoid feeling anything real. They call it rationality. (It's fear.)
╰ They say they're "loyal to a fault." Translation: They mistake abandonment for loyalty. They stay too long. Forgive too much. Invest in people who treat them like an afterthought, because they think walking away makes them "just as bad."
╰ They say they're "resilient." Translation: They don't know how to ask for help without feeling like a burden. They wear every bruise like a trophy. They survive things they should never have had to survive. And they call it strength. (But really? It's exhaustion wearing a cape.)
stem
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I'll be at Tomo arts market this Sunday~!
hey relax for a second and watch the cat
Vibes for Softly Tortured Characters
For the ones who make you want to wrap them in a blanket and also scream “JUST TALK TO SOMEONE.”
Always looks like they didn’t sleep (because they didn’t)
Talks like they’re about to say something else, but never does
Constantly touches their sleeves/jewelry/lip, like if they’re not holding something, they’ll fall apart
Laughs too easily, but it never quite reaches their eyes
Over-apologizes for things no one noticed
Craves affection but flinches when they get it
Body language = trying to take up as little space as possible
Flashes of unexpected rage, like pressure finally cracking glass
Always says “I’m fine” in a tone that screams “Please ask again”
Cries alone, then wipes their face like it’s a secret
Feels safest in chaos because stillness feels like waiting for pain
Thinks being loved means being a burden
Cannot remember the last time they were truly, fully relaxed
Keeps people at arm’s length, but is the first to drop everything if someone else needs help
Treats their own joy like it's a luxury they didn’t earn
(aka: I crave you in silence, and if you notice, I’ll die and also be thrilled)
・❥・Letting their hand hover near yours but never quite touching. Every atom screaming: please reach back.
・❥・ Saving the last bite of something, “just in case you wanted it.” (They always do. You always remember.)
・❥・ Fixing their backpack strap, even when it’s not falling.
・❥・ Offering your umbrella wordlessly. Standing a little closer than needed.
・❥・ Sitting beside them at a group thing before your brain catches up. Like it’s instinct.
・❥・ Casually mentioning something they said weeks ago. Something small. Something they didn’t think you’d remember.
・❥・ Carrying an extra pen, just in case they forget.
・❥・ Letting them rant. Letting them ramble. Letting them be.
・❥・ Your eyes finding theirs in a crowd before your brain says, look away.
・❥・ Brushing against them “by accident” and apologizing even though it lit your whole nervous system on fire.
Cats getting caught doing crimes
as a reader, I LOVE a slow burn
as a writer, I hate them <3