Multifandom || please look at pinned post and Dont talk about NSFW with me please|| more focused on Platonic and Familial Relationships than Romantic ones|| any pronouns ||
So I think a lot of us are struggling with being an online artist these days, with the navigation of various socials being increasingly obscure and even perilous at times
It’s why I had an idea: The Online Artist Handbook
What is the Online Artist Handbook ?
It’s a collaborative google doc where all artists all over various social media websites can contribute their knowledge of said socials to help everyone thrive ! This includes becoming more familiar with various customs and ways to post as a part of building your online presence, and things to watch out for.
The document is completely free and open-source: everyone can use it, edit it, cite it, download it, whatever !
How does it work ?
There are two documents: one document is used for submitting notes about various social media platforms, and a second one is a read-only document where all the information is properly written out to ensure clarity and ease of reading.
I’d like to contribute !
That’s so awesome ! Thank you so much ! You can contribute to the document yourself here: [Google doc link]. The clean version of the document can be found here: [Google doc second link]
Remember to add yourself to the contributors section to be credited for your help !
Let’s go Tumblr ! Let’s create a community artist resource !
its so fun to see the diversity of tags on this ranging from "they're literally just standing next to each other" to "deep bonds dont have to be romantic/sexual!" to "yeah friends can fuck nasty, platonically. coward." we're all so correct, there are, in fact, a million platonic explanations for this
I think it's important to let guys be gender non conforming without telling them they're a girl, cause actually misgendering people is still shit even when you are pro trans. "You're a girl, an egg waiting to crack, and that's ok" how about you are a boy and a man and it's still ok if you want to do something that doesn't align with traditional ideals of your gender. You can still be he/him in a skirt and makeup.
it's so important to actually spend a second to think about the hairstyle you give a black character, especially one with tight curls! these styles take time, they take attention, most of them take specific technologies--from combs to chemicals--and all of them are going to be an ongoing process to maintain.
a butch lesbian automechanic is going to be making some different decisions than a homeless anarchist punk who is going to be making some different decisions than a middle class male accountant who is going to be making some different decisions than a sword-slinging mercenary.
on tv these guys have clueless writers and professional stylists-- on your page, they have a history, and how they do their hair is a significant part of that history.
honestly love when artists draw copious amounts of fanart for a character and then start adding more and more personal touches or headcanons to how they depict them and then just change their name and adopt them as an original character. its like watching nature heal in real time
Ever since Gregory was first announced I believe most of the fandom have interpreted him as this frail child who was always on the verge of tears and needed G.Freddy’s protection (think C.C 2.0), but once the game came out most ppl were shocked to see this kid actually has a lot of bite to him and kicked ass (ppl’s first reactions to him destroying the animatronics still make me laugh).
This was MY first introduction to him, so I wasn’t completely taken aback but still pleasantly surprised. Most if not all his actions made sense or at least made sense for a 10yr boy to think/act. Giant robots coming after me with the intention to kill (and insulting me for no damn reason)? Yeah I’d probably add an extra kick in there for good measure. Then came the first repair scene, when Vanessa revealed the high possibility of Gregory being an homeless orphan everything just clicked into place for me.
OF COURSE that’s why Gregory was so aggressive, he had to learn how to fight on his own to survive he’d probably had to face even worse than this! He wasn’t going to let that all go to waste bc some weird murderous rabbit lady wanted to drag him into her plans. It explains why he brushed off G.Freddy’s worries about him bc he’s used to have to just keep moving and bare thru pain, especially in an environment where that’s really the ONLY thing you can do. It’s why he’s so blunt and can come off as rude bc he was most likely never taught how to behave “correctly” bc really who has the time?
He was just using all the knowledge he learned on how to survive from a cruel and harsh environment for another. But this time he has an ally for once, an adult (father) figure who actually cares about his wellbeing, it’s no wonder why he became so attached (but struggles to show it bc he’s not used to it). And through all that easily irritable aggression, there are moments to remind us he’s still a kid.
A useless fridge magnet? Yeah that is pretty lame man.
Now imagine my shock when I see others hating on him and calling him a villain. “How could he KILL the poor animatronics? He was so mean, he’s the true monster!” Wh- DID WE WATCH THE SAME GAME? You mean the same animatronics that says he doesn’t have anyone to care about him? Yeah real sweethearts they are. Gregory isn’t a damn monster, he’s a survivor! He’s doing what he only knows best, IT’S TO SURVIVE!
“How could he be so mean to G.Freddy??? Those are his friends! He made Freddy feel bad!” Trust me when I say that Gregory cares about G.Freddy ALOT, did you see his reactions whenever G.Freddy got hurt??? That’s his father thank you very much!
“How could he have killed Vanny in that one ending?! He’s the real villain!” …Do I even need to explain this one?
And ohhhhhh don’t get me started on the awful “bratty gremlin devil” Gregory HCs. Now this isn’t to say that Gregory can’t be a gremlin or whatever. He can be, he is a bit cheeky, but then some started to intensify it and made it his entire personality. No, Gregory wasn’t just itching to rip Roxy’s eyes out or do the next batshit insane thing, he noticed the other upgrades and put two and two together (It gets more weird and slightly disrespectful when they add in the homeless thing as if that automatically makes someone act “feral”….tiktok.)
And then we have the complete opposite where some portray him as what I mentioned in the first paragraph. The poor helpless child who cant handle anything by himself…even though that’s complete bullshit (he’s also usually portrayed to be obnoxiously sweet for some reason). I don’t think many ppl realize how often were not in G.Freddy during SB, and Gregory is described to be quick on his feet and wits (plus his tools) and he doing damn well by himself! [Obviously this isnt to say that he didnt need G.Freddy’s help and protection, ofc he did, he just didnt need to RELY on it like some ppl make it seem he did].
(I know we went a bit off-topic for the last two paragraphs, trust me it connects)
All of this comes down to simply that some just can’t accept the fact that Gregory isn’t their perfect victim. He doesn’t crumble to the floor and beg for G.Freddy to help him up like they want him too. He’s not shy and sheepishly asking for help like they think he’s supposed to. And when they realize that part they try to push him into the other far end where he’s crazy, cold, and cruel. But he’s not. He cares, and he cares deeply. He’s still a little boy, he cried and tried to cover his face when he saw Vanny die. He should be leaping in victory, he killed his killer after all right? But he didn’t, bc despite everything she was still a human being, and he was so scared.
He has complex trauma (duh), he’s not this way or that way, and I get it. It’s hard to write or draw that kind of trauma for Gregory, especially when SB didn’t really give us much. But the way ppl act as if that’s what he actually is is soooooo frustrating. In my opinion the fact that his trauma is so complex and the fact he’s not your typical written victim is what makes him so interesting! And I feel like a lot ppl were slowly getting around to it…
Until GGY and Ruin happened and the hate came back so much worse, Welcome to the real Freddy Hell.
reblogging this again because you make such good points. begging for GGY to not be canon (I wouldnt be THAT mad.. but I think this is better) and for homeless Gregory to be. itll always be my fav and has my heart forever and ever
writing relatable characters may seem like an easy task, especially when you’re constructing your protagonist. but what if you want to make your antagonist likeable? what if you want people to hate your protagonist but still root for them? all of this and more requires that your characters be relatable. they need to feel real, so how do you do that? here’s how:
- flaws: this is probably obvious. everyone has flaws, so we should give our characters flaws, too. this applies even if your character is non-human; they cannot escape the personification that we as writers or readers project onto them. we are humans reading, so we expect to see human qualities everywhere we look. if you’re having trouble of identifying your character’s flaws, here are some prompts for ways to think about flaws beyond a list:
what skills do they lack? what do they struggle with?
can their strengths be turned against them as a weakness?
what makes them react emotionally or impulsively?
are they aware of their flaws? if so, do they want to improve them or change them?
- quirks: these are what make your character unique or special, and no, i don’t mean purple eyes or unique physical traits. i mean: what makes your character authentically themselves? what traits define them that few others have? some ways to think about this are:
how do they react when nervous? do they have a tell? similarly, how do they react on behalf of any emotion?
what skills do they have that hardly anyone else has?
what obscure thing are they obsessed with?
do they have a unique outlook on life compared to their peers?
- values: these come from life experiences: where we were raised, our family and friends, our community, religious affiliations, etc. i suggest identifying eight to ten values that define your character and then narrowing that list down to five values that mark their core or essence. think about how these values influence their choices, decisions, and ultimately, the plot of the novel. here are some more prompts to think about values:
how do they react when their values are challenged? are they one to speak up or do they sit back in the shadows?
what, if anything, will change or shatter their values?
are their actual values misaligned with their believed values?
- stakes: what is at risk for your character? what is motivating them? stakes don’t need to be over the top or life or death; they can be as simple as maintaining a relationship or reaching a goal. unless there’s an outside influence (ie. percy’s mother being kidnapped in The Lightning Thief), most stakes—especially those relatable—tie back to values. even those influenced by outside factors can tie back to values: the only reason percy is motivated to get his mother back is because he cares for her and she is the one person who has always advocated for him and cared for him. he values family and riordan uses his family to motivate him and incite the plot. generally, there will be one overarching stake for your character, but throughout your novel, there should be several smaller stakes. these may not service the plot but should elaborate on your character nonetheless. some ways to think about stakes include:
how can i use internal or external factors to create convincing, relatable stakes that tie back to basic values?
why does the overarching stake matter to my character? why do they care?
how can i raise the stakes or introduce new ones that are relevant to my character and illustrate them as a relatable being?
- connection: even if your character is an introvert, they will still be connected to someone, something, or even an idea. we, as humans, look to certain people, pets, objects, and ideas to maintain our sense of reality whether we realize it or not. if your character prides themselves in having no attachments, think about the ideas or themes that mark the cornerstones of their reality. most human beings strive for some form of connection, so here are more prompts for thinking about your characters and connection:
what does connection mean to my character? how do they show how they value their connections or relationships?
how does my character’s behavior change when around different connections?
what connections define my character and their reality? how will these connections influence my character and/or the plot?
how will removing or challenging a connection change, influence, or motivate my character?
a good rule of thumb is to treat a character as a human, not a plot device. there is a time or place in which a character must act as a plot device, but if you’re wanting your readers to be compelled by your narration and the characters within them, you should strive to write your characters as human (aka as relatable). one of the greatest pleasures i find in writing is when other’s identify themselves in my writing.
you’re not just here to tell a story, you’re here to connect with others through the illustration of your characters. let the reader navigate your prose as a detective, to search for and identify the evidence provided by you. that is to say, show us how these things manifest in your character. don’t tell us.
happy writing! hopefully this post gave you some ways to start thinking about how to show the relatability of your character. if you have any questions about implementing these tools or about writing characters, our ask box is always open.
I’m gonna be honest, I don’t really get why people almost universally give background fire nation characters Japanese names in fics when most of the named fire nation characters have either Latin inspired names (Ursa (bear), Azula, Azulon (both blue)) or real Chinese names (like a number of minor characters, also Zhao) or fictional Chinese names (like Zuko 祖科 Ozai 敖載, Iroh 艾洛, Ty Lee 泰麗 and basically most of the fire nation characters like Lu Ten, Jeong Jeong etc etc etc).
Like I get that people do it because they’re drawing real-world parallels with Japanese imperialism in history, but that’s not the only source of inspiration taken in the actual show. It’s not and has never been a one to one parallel.
Honestly, the place in the ATLA universe that does mostly use Japanese inspired names is Kyoshi Island tbh. Given that it’s actually where most of the Japanese names are actually seen in the series. Like Kyoshi, Suki, Oyaji, Rin…
Like there will be the very occasional Japanese inspired name in the fire nation, but they’re the exception, not the rule. They’re about as common as the Korean inspired names in the fire nation, which also exist.
Like, the lack of Japanese inspired names in the fire nation is pretty noticeable, to the point that Izumi’s name in Korra actually really stands out…
And now I’m thinking of reasons why exactly that would be the case…
Why would Izumi have a Kyoshi Island name…
Oh no…
Did this petty nitpick just turn into me theorising that Izumi’s mother is actually Suki?
Okay, but back on the topic of how the Fire Nation isn’t Fantasy Japan…
I really do wish that the fandom would stop imposing Japanese cultural traditions that don’t exist in canon at the expense of the existing traditions actually shown.
It’s like people assume that they’re making it more realistic, and that the things they’re ignoring are made up fictional versions of Japanese things, rather than being things from other asian cultures.
Like, the clothing, architecture and food in the Fire Nation take so much inspiration from Thailand.
The gold and red, the dragons, the dramatic points and spires…
And then there’s the social/cultural aspects in Thailand, with the way Saving Face there differs from the Japanese concept, and how the Thai version would better fit with the concept of Agni Kai’s etc…
I dunno, I just feel like people are sleeping on adding more Thai influences to the fandom, and it would be nice to have some Thai names for background characters rather than the jarringly Japanese names the fandom uses for like…… everything Fire Nation related
