Annabel's ^U^ Place

✧ Relapse doesn't mean failure. Recovery isn't linear. Your character can be doing great and then have a bad day/week/month. It's part of the process, not the end of it.

✧ Cravings don't just disappear. Years into recovery and something can still trigger that want. It gets easier but it doesn't fully go away for everyone.

✧ The substance isn't the whole problem. Your character's probably self-medicating something, trauma, mental illness, unbearable circumstances. Taking away the substance doesn't fix what's underneath.

✧ Withdrawal is hell. Not just "feeling bad", it's physical torture. Shaking, sweating, nausea, pain, sometimes actual danger depending on the substance. Your character isn't just sad, they're ILL.

✧ Sobriety is boring at first. All your coping mechanisms, social circles, and ways to have fun involved the substance. Now what? Your character has to rebuild everything.

✧ People treat you differently. Some are supportive. Some are judgmental. Some ask invasive questions. Some don't trust you anymore. The stigma is real and it sucks.

✧ Triggers are everywhere. Certain places, people, smells, times of day, emotions. Your character's constantly navigating a minefield of things that make them want to use.

✧ You lost time. Months or years where you weren't really present. Relationships damaged. Opportunities missed. There's grief for the person you could have been.

✧ Recovery is active work. Meetings, therapy, building new habits, sitting with uncomfortable feelings. It's not passive. Your character's putting in effort every single day.

INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (2022-)

SANTIAGO BE LIKE:

Keep the Group Size Manageable. Smaller groups are easier to develop. Limiting the cast ensures each friend has purpose, personality, and meaningful screen time.

Give Each Friend a Distinct Role. Clear roles (leader, caretaker, skeptic, wildcard) help readers instantly understand the group dynamic and avoid character blur.

Let Roles Shift Over Time. Roles should not be static. Stress, growth, and conflict allow characters to take control, fall apart, or step back when needed.

Avoid the Hive Mind. Friends should disagree. Conflicting values, fears, and goals create tension and make the group feel realistic.

Create Unique Pair Dynamics. Every relationship within the group should feel different. Best friends, rivals, quiet alliances, and emotional distance add depth.

Use Shared History as Subtext. Inside jokes, brief references, and old wounds imply years of connection without slowing the story down.

Show Loyalty Through Action. Friendship is proven through choices and sacrifices, not dialogue. Let characters risk something for one another.

Balance Spotlight Moments. Each friend should influence the plot in some way. Avoid turning side characters into background props.

Use Natural, Intimate Dialogue. Friends interrupt, tease, speak in shorthand, and say the wrong thing. Their dialogue should feel loose and lived-in.

Put the Group Under Pressure. Stress reveals cracks, loyalty, and priorities. Conflict tests whether the friendship can survive change.

Allow the Group to Evolve or Break. Friendships grow, fracture, or end. Knowing what holds the group together—and what could destroy it—adds emotional weight.

I would have been 11 at the time my mom was making sure to catch this show and I realized last night that Wolf was the first man- not boy, I'd noticed boys- I noticed. He's good looking, though no Aragorn, but part of the charm is that the actor is clearly having a great time. I think if they had more budget, he would have occasionally turned into an actual wolf on screen, but they had budget for one very plot necessary well-trained animal.

FEAST, GLADLY / MOON STEALER / WARM BLOODED

I forgot to proof read it.

Wolf & Virginia

The most brilliant Wolf!x))

“Love of my life! - Let down your lustrous locks!” fav phase from the show