Showing 'Exhaustion' In Writing

How to introduce your character in 3 steps

A friend of mine was the source of this very pertinent question. So I decided to write a blog entry about it. Because how do you introduce your character without sounding fake ?

Remember that, in real life situation, no one calls you by your name. Have you noticed that none of your friends is adressing you by your name, unless they're trying to get your attention or that something serious is happening ? That should be the same in your story : find a situation where it is relevant to use names. Or stick to nicknames, which is a more common way to address your friends.

Use another character. If you can’t come up with a situation, you can always rely on a side character to introduce your MC. It’s also the perfect way to describe your character rather than simply using mirror, which is convenient yet very cliché. But the fun thing to do is to make several characters talk about your MC : their opinion might go in different directions due to their relationships, their own sensibility and attention to details. It’s also a good way to breath life into your side characters so please consider that option seriously.

The reader doesn’t need to know everything, especially on the very first page. Unless the info is relevant to the plot, there is no need for the reader to know MC’s favourite food or eye’s color. If you’re on character-sheet-side (which I’m not btw), you should be careful about wether the reader the story will progress or not. Try to be balanced !

What I really want to stress in this article is the importance of action when introducing your character. You want the reader to know your character is courageous ? Put them directly into a situation where they can show courage. You want to describe their hair color ? What about that moment when the light is flickering in a way that gives their hair a peculiar effect that catches the eye of another character ?

Don’t worry, your creativity will always find a way ~

this is a bit random but one thing I love about the genshin community is how when wanderer came out, everybody collectively banded together to come up with beautiful names to give him. And they didn’t just choose the first thing they saw on google either, no, these people put thought and research into these names. It’s so ironic that this guy who’s so convinced that people only ‘like’ him for his utility, or see him as some sort of weapon for their own benefit, actually has thousands of people who love and adore him universes away.

some honorable mentions of names I’ve seen:

-Icarus (son of Daedalus in greek mythology who created the labyrinth to hold the minotaur. I don’t actually remember why they gave him this name, or the real meaning behind it, but I still like it)

-Kunimitsu (light of the world, contrast to his previous name kunikuzushi, roughly meaning conquerer or destroyer of nations)

-Shinji (Evangelion reference, I believe? If you haven’t seen the show, I won’t spoil, but there are so many connections and similarities between Shinji and Wanderer. Abandonded by creator/parent who they seek(ed) validation from but will likely never get it, taken in by someone named Katsuragi, etc.)

-Zuko (my own personal addition) another character (Avatar: The last airbender if you don’t know) that shares so many similarities with him. Very conflicted individuals who were shown from the beginning that things were going to be extra unfair and hard for them. Both have parental/creator figures that for a while they sought to please until they discovered their own paths and what they actually wanted, as well as siblings they despise and envy because they hold the position they so desperately wanted. (that is, if you consider the shogun puppet a sort of sister to wanderer/scaramouche)

-Fujin (Japanese mythological god of wind who appears next to Raijin, the god of thunder)

that’s all i got off of the top of my head, but i’d love to hear what names everyone else gave to/came up with for wanderer if you have any!

like father like daughter

With Shen Yuan's name Yuan being a homophone for 原 yuán as in "original" (example given: the word 原创 yuánchuàng aka "original (creative) work"), and Shen Jiu's name meaning the number nine... It's bringing to mind some interesting questions about the supposed number of Shens separating the two

-opens door with coffee-

Our fandom needs more Weird Steve. Hear me out.

Tumblr

wut

I recently found out why my mom would never sleep around me when I was a kid. Like she’d never let herself take naps or sleep if I was awake

I can't explain it, but this feels like a Steve story.

Like, I feel like Steve is one of those people who seem so normal but have had so many not normal experiences it all just feels normal to them?

The type to tell stories that leaves a room dead silent when he expected them to laugh. Tommy was fascinated from day one "I can't let my best friend know how weird he actually is".

Say, imagine if he's traveled with his parents, I would not be surprised if little Steve talked to a serial killer at one point, he's super friendly when not bitchy. Face of a guy comes on the news while they're eating breakfast, Steve "Mom, my friend's on tv!"

It was the nice man who helped him cross the street and find his parents when he wandered off.

Steve having had actual Home Alone experiences at some point, inspiring the movie somehow.

Steve dealing with the party and being a good babysitter cause he rolls with shit. "Yeah, this is normal kid shit, I'll go with it." It is in fact not normal kid shit, Steve, your experiences are not universal.

Just give me your weird Steve headcanons please, I crave them.

Alright! Branched out for this one but here is for the person who requested snirius(starprince?)

Addicted To Love by Florence + The Machine

sunny side up by KiNG MALA

Lose Control by Teddy Swims

Tell That Devil by Jill Andrews

Run Your Mouth by The Marías

I Can See You by Taylor Swift

Jaded by Miley Cyrus

@fairyofspringdays this isn’t my usually ship so please tell me how I did when you get a chance!

➠ Shared worship of Bodhisattvas associated with Megumi and Yuuji’s domains:

Since we know that Megumi’s domain hand symbol is associated with Bodhisattva Kannon (Japanese manifestation of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara) and Yuuji’s domain hand symbol is associated with Bodhisattva Jizō (Japanese manifestation of Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha), I wanted to mention a few connections in their worship from the Japanese Buddhist tradition.

To note, Kannon and Jizō are two of the most venerated Bodhisattvas in Japanese Buddhism, who have distinct roles and attributes, yet a notable connection (similarity) between them, reflecting the intertwined nature of the compassionate qualities they embody.

Generally, both Kannon and Jizō are revered for their compassion. Kannon is known as the Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion, who hears the cries of beings in distress and offers aid. Jizō, similarly, is the protector of children, travellers, and souls in the afterlife, often depicted as a compassionate figure who aids those in suffering. Additionally, they are both seen as saviours and protectors. Kannon offers salvation and relief from suffering, often invoked in times of need. Jizō is believed to help souls in the six realms of existence, particularly in the realms of hell, where he provides comfort and aid to suffering beings.

Now, let’s delve deeper into the intertwined nature of their worship. In this post, I mentioned that the veneration day of Jizō is celebrated on the 18th and 24th days of every month. Traditionally, the 18th day of the month was assigned to Kannon. However, the veneration of Jizō on that day is mentioned in a Japanese version of the Jizō and Ten Kings sutra, the Bussetsu Jizō Bosatsu Hosshin In’nen Jūōkyō (仏説地蔵菩薩発心因縁十王経), a product of the late Heian period said to be based on the Chinese version, the Yü-hsiu-shih-wang-sheng-ch’i-ching (預修十王生七經). According to more contemporary writings, commoners, merchants and townsfolk often held meetings together in honour of them throughout the Muromachi and Edo periods on the same date. In addition to this point, Reigenki (地蔵菩薩霊験記, stories of Jizō compiled by Jitsuei of Mii-dera in the mid-Heian period) and Konjaku (今昔物語集, ‘Anthology of Tales Old and New’) describe many Jizō devotees in the Japanese tales as Lotus Sutra reciters; a further examination of which shows that Jizō is expected to function rather like Kannon, who is a Bodhisattva most closely related to the Lotus Sutra, through the merits and virtue of it. When one thinks of Lotus Sutra, one usually thinks of Kannon, but old recordings show that their worship was shared not only in the manner of date but in the text as well.

The main reason is that the Lotus Sutra itself declares that the sutra will be of special value in the degenerate age and people were seeking benefits in their present lives as well as deliverance in the future. In satisfying such needs, Kannon, closely related to the Lotus Sutra, was an ideal Bodhisattva who would appear in this life, grant the mundane wishes of devotees, and even deliver them into Amida’s Pure Land (a concept of a celestial realm of a buddha or bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism where Buddhists aspire to be reborn). As repeatedly described in the above-mentioned Jizō stories of Reigenki and Konjaku, Jizō would also appear in this present life and help ignorant sentient beings in the age of degeneration. He would guide his devotees so that they would not fall into hell, and he would even save those who had already fallen into the pit. These characteristics of Jizō as a saviour parallel those of Kannon. The merit of the Lotus Sutra and the ultimate goal of these two Bodhisattvas were to assist their devotees’ rebirth in Amida’s Pure Land. Thus it is not difficult to understand why the Jizō cult was so closely related to the Lotus Sutra, why it was so widely accepted by the Japanese, and why statues of Jizō and Kannon often flank Amida Buddha. That Jizō would protect reciters of the Lotus Sutra and function similarly to Kannon is an idea continually appearing in later setsuwa (説話, a Japanese literary genre, consisting of myths, legends, folktales, and anecdotes) collections, particularly from the Kamakura period.

Another detail that ties the two Bodhisattva together is found in the Shijū Hyaku Innenshū (私聚百因縁集) that specifically mentions a sutra called the Renge Sanmaikyō (蓮華三眛経) which states that Kannon had entrusted all sentient beings in the Six Realms to Jizō and that this Bodhisattva consequently had six different names, one for each of the Six Realms where he appears, remains, and saves sentient beings. It shows their cooperation to aid all sentient beings.

The same cooperation can be found in Mizuko rites (水子供養, a Japanese Buddhist ceremony for those who have had a miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion). While Bodhisattva Jizō, a saviour figure devoted to children, has been the dominant figure in these rites, Kannon has also been given a prominent place in a number of temples devoted to this practice, given the long history of identification of Kannon with the needs of mothers and children-both to care for spirits in the ‘other world’ and to comfort those in the world of the living who oftentimes are struggling with personal remorse, regret, and guilt.

Whether Akutami Gege had such shared attributes of compassion, salvation and protection of the two Bodhisattva in mind when creating the hand symbols for Megumi and Yuuji’s domains, we cannot know, but it is still significant to find that characters as closely intertwined as Yuuji and Megumi throughout the storyline have elements drawn from the figures who could be considered as closely intertwined despite their distinct individual roles.

hnggg shen yuan time traveling back to when shen jiu is still alive (before the novel starts) so now sy has to try his best not to let cqm know that he's not sj and sj has to deal with this kinder version of himself easily making friends and garnering support from everyone

there are now two sqqs. they look alike. you cannot tell them apart if they don't say anything. sy figures this out and badgers sj into fucking with the pls

sj, perhaps bc he wants to find out the secrets of this kinder, older version of himself, agrees. it's chaos in cqm

lqg: shen-shixiong—

sy, who was trying to scowl and keep himself tense and dignified so he looks like sj, scowls

lqg:

lqg: shen qingqiu?

sy, immeditely smiling: yes, liu-shidi?

lqg: ???

mqf, upon spotting a sqq: shen-shixiong, will it be alright for this doctor to check your meridians?

sj, currently trying his best not to hiss and stay far, far away from mqf's touch: mhm.

mqf, gently checking sj's meridians: i

mqf: shen-shixiong, what the fuck

sj, immediately defensive: if you have nothing good to say, then it's best for mu-shidi to keep his mouth shut

mqf: oh no, no, we are going to fix this. how are you not insane yet from the pain??? we are going to get you medicine, salves, and i will be giving you qi exercises so your hands don't hurt as much.

sj, deeply suspicious of mqf's desire to "help":

sj: why

mqf: i am a doctor and i took an oath to help every person i come across if they are in need of medical attention

mqf: and also because as your shidi, i am personally concerned about you. the grumpiness is understandable now

sj: ??? bitch???

yqy is the only one that can tell them apart. the pls are so confused

yqy, in a meeting: oh, shen-shidi (sy)! is xiao— qingqiu-shidi not going?

sy: he's painting. best not disturb him

the sqqs are sitting on a pavilion, wearing the same robes and hair ornaments, wearing the same hairstyle, using the same fan...

yqy, immediately to sj: xiao jiu! :D i mean, qingqiu-shidi

sj: tsk. (happy that yqy knows it's him)

yqy, to sy: shen-shidi, we found a lead on how to return you to your original timeline

sy, smiling: i appreciate that, zhangmen-shixiong

qqq, who's watching the three of them: HOW???

yqy also doesn't tell sqqs off even when the pls beg him to. xiao jiu x2 is happy, why would he do anything to hinder that?

Mu Qing, who was on a mission in the mortal realm with Pei Ming, is cursed and his soul is now stuck inside Pei Ming’s body. Convinced that no one will notice his absence from heaven, Mu Qing persuades a dubious Pei Ming (who absolutely knows this is going to end badly) to not tell anyone about the curse while they solve the issue themselves. And for the first time in his entire existence, Mu Qing now has a front row seat for watching Feng Xin and Xie Lian loose their shit over Mu Qing’s disappearance.