unbothered character dialogue + prompts ⋆.ೃ࿔*:・
@celestialwrites for more!!
♡ “breathing air that you contaminate deeply unsettles me.”
♡ constantly putting their feet on their superior’s desk/table.
♡ “please remind me why you are relevant.”
♡ always commenting at the worst moment possible.
♡ “life was far more peaceful when i thought you were dead.”
♡ when someone is yelling at them, the character pulls out a book and just starts reading.
♡ “i gave my last fuck two decades ago, you’re going to need a time machine to find it.”
♡ sees a dead body and just sighs, turns around and goes to the breakfast diner across the street.
♡ “if he opens his mouth again i’m calling the cops for a noise disturbance.”
♡ has one hobby that they get really prickly about if people interrupt or make fun of it.
♡ “when did you finally decide to be helpful?”
♡ sees another character having a panic attack and asks them to quiet down so they can finish their crossword puzzle.
♡ “maybe if you were as tall as your ego you would have seen it.”
♡ other characters having to remind them to either pretend to care or not speak at all during important meetings/situations.
♡ “i could bring the heavens crashing down, remember that the next time you interrupt my coffee break.”
♡ being the key part of the team’s plan but will continuously sleep in.
REBLOG TO SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL WRITERS!!<3
Edit: Some posts may be deleted
Character Arcs
Making Character Profiles
Character Development
Comic Relief Arc
Internal Conflict
Character Voices
Creating Distinct Characters
Creating Likeable Characters
Writing Strong Female Characters
Writing POC Characters
Building Tension
Writing Grumpy x Sunshine Tropes
Writing Sexuality & Gender
Writing Manipulative Characters
Writing Mature Young Characters
Intrigue in Storytelling
Enemies to Lovers
Alternatives to Killing Characters
Worldbuilding
Misdirection
Things to Consider Before Killing Characters
Foreshadowing
Emphasising the Stakes
Avoid Info-Dumping
Writing Without Dialogue
1st vs. 2nd vs. 3rd Perspective
Fight Scenes (+ More)
Transitions
Pacing
Writing Prologues
Dialogue Tips
Writing War
Writing Cheating
Writing Miscommunication
Writing Unrequited Love
Writing a Slow Burn Btwn Introverts
Writing Smut
Writing Admiration Without Attraction
Writing Dual POVs
Worldbuilding: Questions to Consider
Creating Laws/Rules in Fantasy Worlds
Connected vs. Stand-Alone Series
A & B Stories
Writing YouTube Channels, Podcasts, & Blogs
Online Writing Resources
Outlining/Writing/Editing Software
Translation Software for Writing
Losing Passion/Burnout
Overcoming Writer's Block
How To Name Fantasy Races (Step-by-Step)
Naming Elemental Races
Naming Fire-Related Races
How To Name Fantasy Places
Character Ask Game #1
Character Ask Game #2
Character Ask Game #3
Writing Tips
Writing Fantasy
Miscommunication Prompts
Variety in Sentence Structure (avoiding repetition)
The funny thing with abusive misogynists is that however much they hate women who defy them, they always seem to find ways to absolutely loathe the obedient ones
Rain: cleansing, sadness, renewal, obstacles
Sunshine: happiness, hope, clarity, energy
Storms: conflict, turmoil, dramatic change
Snow: purity, stillness, coldness, isolation
Fog: confusion, mystery, uncertainty
Wind: change, freedom, unrest, communication
Eagle: freedom, vision, strength, courage
Lion: bravery, power, leadership, pride
Dove: peace, love, innocence, spirituality
Wolf: loyalty, cunning, survival, community
Snake: transformation, danger, temptation, wisdom
Butterfly: transformation, beauty, impermanence
Rose: love, beauty, passion, secrecy
Oak Tree: strength, endurance, wisdom
Willow Tree: sadness, flexibility, resilience
Lotus Flower: purity, enlightenment, rebirth
Ivy: friendship, fidelity, eternity
Cactus: endurance, protection, warmth
Mirror: self-reflection, truth, illusion
Key: opportunity, secrets, freedom
Bridge: connection, transition, overcoming obstacles
Candle: hope, spirituality, life, guidance
Clock: time, mortality, urgency
Mask: disguise, deception, concealment
One: beginnings, unity, individuality
Two: partnership, balance, duality
Three: creativity, growth, completeness
Four: stability, order, foundation
Five: change, adventure, unpredictability
Seven: mystery, spirituality, luck
Spring: renewal, birth, growth, hope
Summer: vitality, abundance, joy, freedom
Autumn: change, maturity, decline, reflection
Winter: death, stillness, introspection, endurance
Light: knowledge, purity, safety, enlightenment
Darkness: ignorance, evil, mystery, fear
Shadow: the unconscious, secrets, mystery
Twilight: ambiguity, transition, mystery
Fire: passion, destruction, energy, transformation
Water: emotion, intuition, life, change
Earth: stability, grounding, fertility, growth
Air: intellect, communication, freedom, change
first thing you might want to consider: is the pain mental or physical?
if it’s physical, what type of pain is it causing? — sharp pain, white-hot pain, acute pain, dull ache, throbbing pain, chronic pain, neuropathic pain (typically caused by nerve damage), etc
if it’s mental, what is the reason your character is in pain? — grief, heartbreak, betrayal, anger, hopelessness, fear and anxiety, etc
because your character will react differently to different types of pain
sharp and white-hot pain may cause a character to grit their teeth, scream, moan, twist their body. their skin may appear pale, eyes red-rimmed and sunken with layers of sweat covering their forehead. they may have tears in their eyes (and the tears may feel hot), but they don’t necessarily have to always be crying.
acute pain may be similar to sharp and white-hot pain; acute pain is sudden and urgent and often comes without a warning, so your character may experience a hitched breathing where they suddenly stop what they’re doing and clench their hand at the spot where it hurts with widened eyes and open mouth (like they’re gasping for air).
dull ache and throbbing pain can result in your character wanting to lay down and close their eyes. if it’s a headache, they may ask for the lights to be turned off and they may be less responsive, in the sense that they’d rather not engage in any activity or conversation and they’d rather be left alone. they may make a soft whimper from their throat from time to time, depends on their personality (if they don’t mind others seeing their discomfort, they may whimper. but if your character doesn’t like anyone seeing them in a not-so-strong state, chances are they won’t make any sound, they might even pretend like they’re fine by continuing with their normal routine, and they may or may not end up throwing up or fainting).
if your character experience chronic pain, their pain will not go away (unlike any other illnesses or injuries where the pain stops after the person is healed) so they can feel all these types of sharp pain shooting through their body. there can also be soreness and stiffness around some specific spots, and it will affect their life. so your character will be lucky if they have caretakers in their life. but are they stubborn? do they accept help from others or do they like to pretend like they’re fine in front of everybody until their body can’t take it anymore and so they can no longer pretend?
neuropathic pain or nerve pain will have your character feeling these senses of burning, shooting and stabbing sensation, and the pain can come very suddenly and without any warning — think of it as an electric shock that causes through your character’s body all of a sudden. your character may yelp or gasp in shock, how they react may vary depends on the severity of the pain and how long it lasts.
grief can make your character shut themself off from their friends and the world in general. or they can also lash out at anyone who tries to comfort them. (five states of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and eventual acceptance.)
heartbreak — your character might want to lock themself in a room, anywhere where they are unseen. or they may want to pretend that everything’s fine, that they’re not hurt. until they break down.
betrayal can leave a character with confusion, the feelings of ‘what went wrong?’, so it’s understandable if your character blames themself at first, that maybe it’s their fault because they’ve somehow done something wrong somewhere that caused the other character to betray them. what comes after confusion may be anger. your character can be angry at the person who betrayed them and at themself, after they think they’ve done something wrong that resulted in them being betrayed, they may also be angry at themself next for ‘falling’ for the lies and for ‘being fooled’. so yes, betrayal can leave your character with the hatred that’s directed towards the character who betrayed them and themself. whether or not your character can ‘move on and forgive’ is up to you.
there are several ways a character can react to anger; they can simply lash out, break things, scream and yell, or they can also go complete silent. no shouting, no thrashing the place. they can sit alone in silence and they may cry. anger does make people cry. it mostly won’t be anything like ‘ugly sobbing’ but your character’s eyes can be bloodshot, red-rimmed and there will be tears, only that there won’t be any sobbing in most cases.
hopelessness can be a very valid reason for it, if you want your character to do something reckless or stupid. most people will do anything if they’re desperate enough. so if you want your character to run into a burning building, jump in front of a bullet, or confess their love to their archenemy in front of all their friends, hopelessness is always a valid reason. there’s no ‘out of character’ if they are hopeless and are desperate enough.
fear and anxiety. your character may be trembling, their hands may be shaky. they may lose their appetite. they may be sweaty and/or bouncing their feet. they may have a panic attack if it’s severe enough.
and I think that’s it for now! feel free to add anything I may have forgotten to mention here!
When inventing a fantasy religion a lot of people a) make the mistake of assuming that everyone in fantasy world would worship the same gods and b) assume that polytheistic religions see all of their gods as morally good
(How your character defends their soft core and what could shatter it) Because protection becomes prison real fast.
✶ Sarcasm as armor. (Break it with someone who laughs gently, not mockingly.) ✶ Hyper-independence. (Break it with someone who shows up even when they’re told not to.) ✶ Stoicism. (Break it with a safe space to fall apart.) ✶ Flirting to avoid intimacy. (Break it with real vulnerability they didn’t see coming.) ✶ Ghosting everyone. (Break it with someone who won’t take silence as an answer.) ✶ Lying for convenience. (Break it with someone who sees through them but stays anyway.) ✶ Avoiding touch. (Break it with accidental, gentle contact that feels like home.) ✶ Oversharing meaningless things to hide real depth. (Break it with someone who asks the second question.) ✶ Overworking. (Break it with forced stillness and the terrifying sound of their own thoughts.) ✶ Pretending not to care. (Break it with a loss they can’t fake their way through.) ✶ Avoiding mirrors. (Break it with a quiet compliment that hits too hard.) ✶ Turning every conversation into a joke. (Break it with someone who doesn’t laugh.) ✶ Being everyone’s helper. (Break it when someone asks what they need, and waits for an answer.) ✶ Constantly saying “I’m fine.” (Break it when they finally scream that they’re not.) ✶ Running. Always running. (Break it with someone who doesn’t chase, but doesn’t leave, either.) ✶ Intellectualizing every feeling. (Break it with raw, messy emotion they can’t logic away.) ✶ Trying to be the strong one. (Break it when someone sees the weight they’re carrying, and offers to help.) ✶ Hiding behind success. (Break it when they succeed and still feel empty.) ✶ Avoiding conflict at all costs. (Break it when silence causes more pain than the truth.) ✶ Focusing on everyone else’s healing but their own. (Break it when they hit emotional burnout.)
Tender, Subtle Ways to Show a Character Cares
For the characters who will literally die before saying it out loud, but their body and habits scream devotion.
Letting them walk on the inside of the sidewalk
Memorizing their coffee order
Keeping extra gloves/scarves/snacks just in case they forget theirs
Texting: “Are you home safe?” instead of “I miss you”
Tucking their hair tag in
Offering the last bite, even if they really wanted it
Taking mental notes on what makes them nervous or happy
Saying “Call me if you need anything” and meaning it
Sitting close enough that their shoulders brush
Keeping an umbrella in their bag. Just. In. Case.
Being the first to notice when something’s off
Defending them behind their back
Refusing to let them feel dumb, even for a second
Remembering little details from a single offhand comment
Turning down the music when they walk in without asking
We’ve all got our comfort words—those trusty adjectives, verbs, or phrases we lean on like a crutch. But when certain words show up too often, they lose their impact, leaving your writing feeling repetitive or uninspired.
1. “Very” and Its Cousins
Why It’s Overused: It’s easy to tack on “very” for emphasis, but it’s vague and doesn’t pull its weight.
Instead of: “She was very tired.” Try: “She was exhausted.” / “She dragged her feet like lead weights.”
💡 Tip: Use precise, vivid descriptions rather than vague intensifiers.
2. “Looked” and “Saw”
Why It’s Overused: It’s functional but flat, and it often tells instead of shows.
Instead of: “He looked at her in disbelief.” Try: “His eyebrows shot up, his lips parting as if words had failed him.”
💡 Tip: Focus on body language or sensory details instead of relying on generic verbs.
3. “Suddenly”
Why It’s Overused: It’s often used to create surprise, but it tells readers how to feel instead of letting the scene deliver the shock.
Instead of: “Suddenly, the door slammed shut.” Try: “The door slammed shut, the sound ricocheting through the empty room.”
💡 Tip: Let the action or pacing create urgency without needing to announce it.
4. “Said” (When Overdone or Misused)
Why It’s Overused: While “said” is often invisible and functional, using it in every dialogue tag can feel robotic.
Instead of: “I can’t believe it,” she said. “Me neither,” he said. Try: Replace with an action: “I can’t believe it.” She ran a hand through her hair, pacing. “Me neither.” He leaned against the counter, arms crossed.
💡 Tip: Don’t ditch “said” entirely; just mix it up with context clues or action beats.
5. “Felt”
Why It’s Overused: It’s a shortcut that tells instead of showing emotions.
Instead of: “She felt nervous.” Try: “Her palms slicked with sweat, and she couldn’t stop her leg from bouncing.”
💡 Tip: Let readers infer emotions through sensory details or behavior.
6. “Really” and “Actually”
Why It’s Overused: They add little to your sentences and can dilute the impact of stronger words.
Instead of: “I really don’t think that’s a good idea.” Try: “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
💡 Tip: If a sentence works without these words, cut them.
7. “Walked” or “Ran”
Why It’s Overused: These are go-to movement words, but they can feel bland when used repeatedly.
Instead of: “He walked into the room.” Try: “He strolled in like he owned the place.” / “He shuffled in, avoiding everyone’s eyes.”
💡 Tip: Use verbs that convey mood, speed, or attitude.
8. “Just”
Why It’s Overused: It sneaks into sentences unnecessarily, weakening your prose.
Instead of: “I just wanted to say I’m sorry.” Try: “I wanted to say I’m sorry.”
💡 Tip: Delete “just” unless it adds essential nuance.
9. “Thought”
Why It’s Overused: It tells readers what a character is thinking instead of showing it through internal dialogue or action.
Instead of: “She thought he might be lying.” Try: “His story didn’t add up. The timelines didn’t match, and he wouldn’t meet her eyes.”
💡 Tip: Immerse readers in the character’s perspective without announcing their thoughts.
10. “Nice” and Other Vague Adjectives
Why It’s Overused: It’s generic and doesn’t give readers a clear picture.
Instead of: “He was a nice guy.” Try: “He always remembered her coffee order and held the door open, even when his arms were full.”
💡 Tip: Show qualities through actions instead of relying on vague descriptors.
Final Tips for Avoiding Overused Words:
1. Use a thesaurus wisely: Swap overused words for synonyms, but stay true to your character’s voice and the scene’s tone.
2. Read your work aloud: You’ll catch repetitive patterns and clunky phrases more easily.
3. Edit in layers: Focus on eliminating overused words during your second or third pass, not your first draft.
* body language masterlist
* a translator that doesn’t eat ass like google translate does
* a reverse dictionary for when ur brain freezes
* 550 words to say instead of fuckin said
* 638 character traits for when ur brain freezes again
* some more body language help
(hope this helps some ppl)
119 posts