"Sounds Like A Lot Of Hooplah To Be Making Over A Couple Of Animatronics, Right?"

a list of 100+ buildings to put in your fantasy town

academy

adventurer's guild

alchemist

apiary

apothecary

aquarium

armory

art gallery

bakery

bank

barber

barracks

bathhouse

blacksmith

boathouse

book store

bookbinder

botanical garden

brothel

butcher

carpenter

cartographer

casino

castle

cobbler

coffee shop

council chamber

court house

crypt for the noble family

dentist

distillery

docks

dovecot

dyer

embassy

farmer's market

fighting pit

fishmonger

fortune teller

gallows

gatehouse

general store

graveyard

greenhouses

guard post

guildhall

gymnasium

haberdashery

haunted house

hedge maze

herbalist

hospice

hospital

house for sale

inn

jail

jeweller

kindergarten

leatherworker

library

locksmith

mail courier

manor house

market

mayor's house

monastery

morgue

museum

music shop

observatory

orchard

orphanage

outhouse

paper maker

pawnshop

pet shop

potion shop

potter

printmaker

quest board

residence

restricted zone

sawmill

school

scribe

sewer entrance

sheriff's office

shrine

silversmith

spa

speakeasy

spice merchant

sports stadium

stables

street market

tailor

tannery

tavern

tax collector

tea house

temple

textile shop

theatre

thieves guild

thrift store

tinker's workshop

town crier post

town square

townhall

toy store

trinket shop

warehouse

watchtower

water mill

weaver

well

windmill

wishing well

wizard tower

10 Actionable Tips to Help You Get to Know Your Characters Better

Here are 10 actionable storytelling tips for writers to get to know their characters better:

1. Create Detailed Character Profiles:

Write out a comprehensive profile for each character, including their background, personality traits, physical appearance, and quirks. This helps to flesh out their individuality and makes them more real to you.

2. Conduct Character Interviews:

Write out a list of interview questions and answer them from the perspective of your character. This can include questions about their past, desires, fears, and daily life.

3. Write Backstory Scenes:

Develop scenes from your character’s past that might not appear in the main story but inform their motivations and behavior. This can include significant childhood events, first loves, or pivotal moments.

4. Develop Character Arcs:

Plan out your character’s development throughout the story. Consider how they change from beginning to end and what events catalyze their growth or decline.

5. Explore Relationships:

Write scenes or dialogues focusing on your character’s interactions with others. This can reveal how they relate to different personalities and social dynamics.

6. Utilize Character Diaries:

Have your character keep a diary or journal. Writing entries from their perspective can provide deep insights into their inner thoughts and feelings.

7. Engage in Role-Playing:

Spend time role-playing as your character. Respond to hypothetical situations or daily routines as they would, helping you understand their decision-making process and emotional responses.

8. Write Monologues:

Create monologues where your character speaks directly about their dreams, struggles, and philosophies. This can help clarify their voice and mindset.

9. Build a Character Playlist:

Compile a playlist of songs that resonate with your character’s personality, story arc, or current emotions. Music can evoke a deeper understanding of their internal world.

10. Use Character Maps:

Create visual maps that chart your character’s relationships, key life events, and emotional highs and lows. This can help you see patterns and connections in their story.

These tips can help you delve deeper into your characters' psyche, making them more vivid and relatable in your writing.

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These two are precious beans and no one can tell me otherwise! I loved the scene where Dazzle and Sun hugged each other after she got her new body. It was very sweet and I had to draw it.

I love the bond these two have with each other so much. And I can't wait to see what else they’ll get into.

Okay, I got another idea!

In preparation for seeing Inside Out 2 tomorrow (NO SPOILERS PLEASE EVEN IF IT'S BAD), I watched the first movie and came up with ideas as to what the SAMS cast would be if they were emotions.

For starters, I think Sun would definitely be disgust because he is the sass master. Master of Sass. Sassy Sun (Okay, I'll stop now.) Either that or fear for... obvious reasons.

I would say Moon would be anger, but that would be a disservice to his efforts to change. I'll say Nexus is though, since...yeah.

I think Lunar would be joy, but only because he's usually upbeat, even when he's not okay.

And Earth would be sadness because she helps people work through hard feelings. Though, it's not hard to picture her as Joy.

Okay, thanks for listening to my nonsensical rant. If the Time Police asks, I was never here.

Dialogue Thing #9

"WHAT'S THAT, DEPRESSION!? I CAN'T HEAR YOU, MY MUSIC'S TOO LOUD!!"

"Dude, it is three in the morning..."

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU, EITHER!!"

*Earth tucking Lunar into bed*

Lunar: Good night, Earth.

Earth: (kisses Lunar's head)

Lunar: (holding up Spigot) And Spigot.

Earth: (kisses Spigot's head)

Lunar: (pointing out the window) Now Jack.

Earth: (Turns around to see Jack watching them on the balcony)

Earth: ...

Lunar: ...

Jack: Returning to the darkness...

I don't know I'm sorry it's early

okay so yeah this short is very obviously poking fun at fans and fandom at large but also. aside from being a stereotypical fangirl. emberlynn is also very, very similar to early-episodes stolas.

i mean. the immediate sexualization of their first encounter (or at least, first encounter as adults)

the pose.

the nickname.

the obvious projection of submissive sexual fantasies.

the over-reliance on fiction to inform their sexual expectations.

and, yes, the harassment at work.

i feel like maybe this short was also speaking to some fans who don't quite get how blitzo didn't see stolas' feelings as genuine. this is how. embrlynn and stolas aren't exactly the same, but they have some (i believe, intentional) similarities, and i think this short makes it clear how fetishized their actions made blitzo feel.

don't get me wrong. there are differences. and it's clear by now that stolas and blitzo have genuine feelings for each other. but this is an aspect that i think a lot of fans missed and need to see more clearly.

Thanks for participating!!

But follow-up question: Why do most of us want to be Solar (Me included?)

I ran out of slots, but Blood Moon, Solar Flare, and Monty count, too.

Have fun!

Symbolism in Writing

Weather Symbolism

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

Animal Symbolism

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

Plant Symbolism

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

Object Symbolism

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

Number Symbolism

One: beginnings, unity, individuality

Two: partnership, balance, duality

Three: creativity, growth, completeness

Four: stability, order, foundation

Five: change, adventure, unpredictability

Seven: mystery, spirituality, luck

Season Symbolism

Spring: renewal, birth, growth, hope

Summer: vitality, abundance, joy, freedom

Autumn: change, maturity, decline, reflection

Winter: death, stillness, introspection, endurance

Light and Darkness Symbolism

Light: knowledge, purity, safety, enlightenment

Darkness: ignorance, evil, mystery, fear

Shadow: the unconscious, secrets, mystery

Twilight: ambiguity, transition, mystery

Element Symbolism

Fire: passion, destruction, energy, transformation

Water: emotion, intuition, life, change

Earth: stability, grounding, fertility, growth

Air: intellect, communication, freedom, change