🪶 IzNomeWrites

A. Types of alcoholic beverages and what drinking them is like

0. What does alcohol taste like?

You know that chemical smell that hat sometimes has a taste in your mouth that you get while smelling dry erase markers, nail polish remover, or hand sanitizer? That’s what pure alcohol tastes like! Pretty much all alcoholic beverages taste like they smell, so if you’re willing to be a freak, sniff a friend who drink’s drink for help on describing flavor.

I should state that every individual brand of beer, wine, and liquor has brands that are prestigious and brands that are hot garbage. If you’re having trouble figuring out which is which, try asking around at your drinker friends, or go to the liquor store and check out what brands are cheaper and what brands are more expensive. Generally, things are layed out least to most expensive, with “bottom shelf” brands being absolute garbage and “top shelf” brands being luxury items.

Ⅰ. Beer

Beer, as well as other can offerings such as ciders or white claws, are about 5% abv (alcohol by volume). This translates to very little alcohol in it overall, which is why the serving size is a whole ass can/pint glass/glass you’d use for a nonalcoholic beverage. This also makes for easier drinking, because the alcohol isn’t as prominent so you can’t taste it as much. Beer is the primary drink of masculine men or otherwise masc people drinking for reasons other than getting drunk, and of plenty of people drinking to get drunk as well. It is high in calories and quite filling, hence the pop culture connotation of the “beer belly” (though any amount of binge drinking will cause weight gain if the drinker is still having three meals a day on top of it all; beer is just the most calories per serving out of everything else.) Lager and ale are two seperate kinds of beer. I’m not a beer guy so I don’t know the difference between them. Beer tastes first and foremost fizzy, and second has a very subtle sweetness to it, and third off Tastes Like Beer. You know how beer tastes, right? You’ve at least smelled a beer in your life? Your friend’s drunk dad probably smelled like beer. It tastes like that.

Ⅱ. Wine

Wine is stronger than beer, averaging out at about 12.5% abv. This is why wine is served in wine glasses, which serve considerably less than beer glasses of all kinds. There are four main types of wine: red wine, white wine, rosé, and mead. Red wine is the most common wine; some unusual properties of it are that it is usually “dry” (although it is a liquid, it dries out your mouth! It’s really freaky) and it also has a deeply bitter compound (tannins) that only a fraction of the population can taste, much like cilantro. That fraction of the population generally hates red wine. White wine is a lot like red wine but usually no dryness and no tannins. Champagne is a white wine. I’ve never had rosé wine, but my understanding is it’s between red and white. Mead is fermented from things other than grapes, usually honey. It is incredibly sweet, to the point it usually drowns out the alcohol, and is too much for some people. Wine is usually the go to drink of feminine women and other femme by nature people drinking for reasons other than getting drunk, although plenty of people also drink it to get drunk as well. Mead is a common fantasy drink. Red wine conveys sophistication in pop culture. There is a whole culture of wine tasting and wine snobbery that I know very little about.

Ⅲ. Cocktails

There are many cocktails out there. It is generally very hard to calculate amounts of abv for these beverages because it’s a mix of multiple liquors with multiple nonalcoholic drinks usually. Cocktails are generally seen as feminine, although there are exceptions (im pretty sure ordering most whiskey based cocktails are seen as masc in the eyes of cishet society but I might be wrong). Common cocktails include the margarita (tequila, triple sec, and lime juice), the martini (gin, vermouth, and an olive for garnish), popular hangover remedy the Bloody Mary (vodka, tomato juice, a bunch of other bullshit for garnish but usually at least a celery stalk), and simple mixed drinks such as the screwdriver (vodka and orange juice) and …rum and coke (rum and coca-cola). I don’t have as much about cocktails since I very rarely drink them but you can get super fancy and sophosticated with them and bartenders love making them.

Ⅳ. Straight liquor

First off, YOU USUALLY CANNOT CHUG LIQUOR!!‼︎ it’s usually anything between 20% and 50% abv, with the average at 40%, and that’s a LOT of alcohol. So it burns and is hard to chug properly! Second off, though there are some liquors that come in slightly bigger glasses that you sip and savor, such as the whiskey tumbler or the sake glass, the standard delivery method for straight liquor is a shot glass, roughly 1.5 ounces or one swallow of drink. You throw back a shot like you take pills. The five main liquors you find at liquor stores in the United States are vodka, gin, whiskey, rum, and tequila. There are stronger liquors, such as absinthe and Everclear (which can get all the way up to, say, 80-90% abv), but those are not sold everywhere. Vodka doesn’t taste like anything, just pure alcohol, although it is often found in flavored varieties that taste like artificial flavors. Gin tastes like you crossed alcohol with a pine tree air freshener. I’ve never had rum or tequila straight and the last time I had whiskey straight was a billion years ago so I can’t speak to those. Tequila sometimes adversely affects people in ways normal liquor doesn’t, ie makes them sadder or gives them more energy or something. I’ve heard old wives tales that this is because tequila has caffeine in it, but I’ve also heard old wives tales that that’s bullshit. Who is to say??⁇ liqueur is liquor that is very weak by liquor standards (about 20% abv), but is very rarely drunk straight and is usually a cocktail or recipe ingredient. The difference between liquor and beer/wine is that beer and wine are fermented, while liquor is distilled. Also important to note is that liquor is often measured in “proofs”, which is the abv x 2. For instance, a 30% abv liquor will be 60 proof, a 40% abv liquor will be 80 proof, etc. 100 proof liquor, or 50% abv, is very strong and the highest proof you’re guaranteed to find at any bum fuck liquor store whatever.

B. Stages of drunkenness

Initial disclaimer that this is all super unscientific and vibes based. Theres some data on this with official numbers but I have not consulted them for this this.

Ⅰ. Buzzed

This is basically when you can feel you’re not 100% sober but you’re also not intoxicated by any definition of the word. You feel a warmth inside of you and a mild pleasant mood, if you don’t drink often. If you do drink often it might be less happiness and euphoria and more “god I needed this”. I would not call the feeling “buzzing” and would rather describe it as “beginning to melt”, but I didn’t name slang, now did I?

Ⅱ. Tipsy

This is about when effects of being drunk start popping up, but if you absolutely have to, you can fake sober. More social daringness, like being a ham at karaoke or telling a crush they love them, but also enough of a cap on their emotions to not get outright annoying and avoid sharing dark secrets (although what counts as a dark secret and what is just a bit embarrassing might be blurred). For people who get flushed faces while drinking, the flush kicks in now. This is considered “having a bit too much” in polite society, but at bars and clubs and parties is nothing.

Ⅲ. Drunk

Oh, it is near impossible to fake sober without someone telling something’s up. You can’t go to the liquor store to buy anything anymore; they’ll deny service for safety’s sake. Your voice is loud and yelly, your enthusiasm crosses the line into boisterousness, you are certified annoying. Your grasp on “private feelings” is loosened. Your coordination is worse. Your singing is still hammy, but it might be so hammy it’s bad. If someone hits on you in this state they’re automatically scum.

Ⅳ. Wasted

This is about when the cliche physical effects of being drunk set in: slurred speech, not being able to walk in a straight line. You’re a mess at this point, and everyone can tell as you stagger towards them. No boundaries, a negative sense of shame, and the world is your oyster at a price. It is nearly impossible for you not to have a hangover the next morning if you’re this drunk, unless you are in your early twenties or younger. This is the point where, even at bars and parties, nobody will doubt “hey this person should probs stop now”.

Ⅴ. Blackout drunk

About what it says on the tin. Your memories are now spotty at best, nonexistent at worst. “Brownouts” (little patches of memories amidst many minutes of void) are much more common than blackouts. If you have executive dysfunction and it’s something you’d trust a nine year old to do, this is the most ideal time to do chores you’ve been putting off. Executive function is an inhibition, and you’ve had all your inhibitions lifted!

Ⅵ. Deathly You-Might-Die drunk

This is about the limit. You will very acutely feel when you’re here. As a disclaimer being this drunk ends in death maybe 1% of the time; the other 99% you make a post on social media like “if I don’t post for a week im dead” and then pass out. Your speech and texts are incoherent word soup, you may not be able to stand, if you CAN move around its with great struggle and you likely need the support of another person to not wipe out. A bartender will not serve you if you’re brushing up against this drunk, however, at a party or drinking alone you’re in charge of your own destiny.

C. How much it takes someone to get to that point

Ⅰ. Standard with an estrogen based endocrine system

If you are someone with an estrogen based endocrine system (most cis women, post-E trans women, and pre T trans men), you don’t drink often, and you’re hovering around societally average weight, generally the way it goes is one drink will get you buzzed, two will get you tipsy, three will get you drunk, four will get you wasted, five will affect your memory, and six will get you so fucked up that you’re incoherent. Depending on drinking speed, eight or more is life-threatening. If it’s a standard drink, you shouldn’t give your character more than thirteen drinks if you want them to not pass out/live to see another day. If you have a character that goes on estrogen HRT, you can make them note how their tolerance has gone down.

Ⅱ. Standard with a testosterone based endocrine system

Having a testosterone based endocrine system (so most cis men, post-T trans men, and pre E trans women) and hovering around average weight gives you roughly one extra drink of tolerance compared to someone of similar measurements and drinking frequency with an estrogen based endocrine system. That means it takes about two drinks to be noticeably buzzed, three to become tipsy, four to become drunk, five to be wasted, six to start losing memory, and seven to become incoherent. Depending on drinking speed, things start becoming life threatening around drink nine or ten. Upper limit in this case is about fifteen or sixteen drinks before it’s like “oh they’re gonna die”. If you have a character that goes on testosterone HRT, you can make them note how their tolerance has gone up.

Ⅲ. How weight effects it

People who are lighter have lower alcohol tolerance, people who are heavier have higher. You might have an underweight character reach certain levels of drunk a drink or two early, or have an overweight character reach it a drink or two late.

Ⅳ. How tolerance effects it

If you get drunk many nights in a row, with only a day or two off, it’s going to be harder to get as drunk than before, as well as lower the amount of sheer joy you get from being drunk. I can’t speak for everyone, but as a general rule, this means moving between echelons of drunk with everything else in a vacuum takes two drinks instead of one. This stuff isn’t scientific, however, so take with a grain of salt.

Ⅴ. How time effects it

One drink usually starts to wear off within twenty minutes, and if you only have one drink you’ll usually be completely sober within an hour. Because of this, five drinks in three hours is a wildly different story than five drinks in forty-five minutes, and you’ll be able to add a drink or two to get drunk over long periods of time, and subtract a drink or two over astoundingly short periods of time (for what it’s worth, most normal drinkers average out to one drink every fifteen to thirty minutes, with the absolute peak sustained only shortly being three drinks in ten minutes, since going faster than that risks nausea and vomiting).

Ⅵ. Medication effecting it

If you take certain medications (antidepressants are a common one), your tolerance goes down, sometimes to a dangerous degree because you overestimate how much you can drink. But if you get drunk multiple days in a row this is completely counteracted! (Have I said that this isn’t medical advice yet and you shouldn’t take it as such yet? Extremely extremely true here. Listen to your doctors in real life, kids).

ⅥI. Natural variances

A character may naturally be a lightweight or be better suited at holding their liquor for natural human body variance reasons, and because of this you can knock a drink or two off what is normal for their range just to make things fun! This is largely random and doesn’t adhere to anything.

Ⅷ. How a 270 pound testosterone based endocrine system heavy drinker man gets drunk

Ok, so im a bighugelarge man who gets drunk super frequently, so im about the upper limit for characters before things start getting eyebrow raise-y. It usually, if im drinking at a normal pace, and taking into consideration that my drink of choice is 70 proof shots when standard drinks are 80 proof, takes me 3 drinks to get buzzed, 5 to get tipsy, 8 to get drunk, 12 to get wasted, 15 to start losing my memory wholesale, and 17 or 18 to get incoherent. 20 is when things start getting dangerous, and my all time record had me pass out at shot 24. This accounts for maybe 90% of a liter of vodka, for reference.

D. Drinking safety and who might ignore it

Ⅰ. Water intake

Generally speaking, common advice is you should be drinking at least one glass of water for every glass of beer and wine/shot of liquor, to avoid/lessen hangovers and to keep you from being the most dehydrated person on planet Earth. However, most people partying or drinking for fun don’t bother to do this. A wise, well-seasoned drinker might force themselves into it, because anything for a better hangover, but most people are paying the price.

Ⅱ. Food intake

Drinking on an empty stomach will make you sick. Drinking on a full capacity stomach will also make you sick, especially if you had a caloric drink beforehand, like milk or beer (liquor before beer, you’re in the clear…). However, the emptier your stomach, the more you feel the alcohol, which means health teachers want you drinking on a full stomach so you’re disillusioned, whereas seasoned alcoholics may fast four or five hours before starting to drink for best results/chances at happiness.

Ⅲ. Drunk driving

This is really hard to do. Most people in my experience have the sense to not do it, but teens and people who are more drunk than they realize may do it. It absolutely kills people, both drivers and others on the road, so glamorizing it is not recommended. But im not your mom.

Ⅳ. Drunk sex

Here’s the thing. You should not be making any major life choices while drunk, and because disease and/or pregnancy makes sex a major life choice, drunk people officially cannot consent in real life. However, in fanfic a simple “I wanted this sober so doing it drunk is fine” flies for the sake of porn. But let it be known: because your senses are dulled when you’re drunk, both drunk mastirbation and drunk sex suck way more than doing it sober

E. Misc things about being drunk

Ⅰ. Dulled senses

Like mentioned in the previous bullet point, all your senses are dulled. Many people self medicate because it helps pain be more bearable, or because they’re autistic and are pretty much always going through sensory overload sober. Most notable of this is sense of taste, which is why nasty liquor is easy to choke down while wasted, and why Taco Bell tastes fucking gourmet: your senses are dulled and your expectations/taste in all things are underground.

Ⅱ. Physical feeling

Your vision may get worse when you’re drunk, or it might stay the same. You may be dizzy when doing pretty much anything. And of course there’s the issue of coordination and such.

Ⅲ. Nausea

Getting any amount drunk WILL make you feel sick to your stomach, and no matter how badly you want to get as drunk as possible as fast as possible, you will likely find yourself taking breaks of ten-fifteen minutes at some point for nausea’s sake. Sometimes, if you’re drunk enough, throwing up is inevitable, and it sucks but you feel better afterwards. Eat some crackers afterwards if you can, and continue onwards.

Ⅳ. Mental effects

You generally feel so much happier and joyous, and hate yourself far less. your issues seem easier to fix. It doesn’t straight up get rid of negative emotions, but it makes them more simple. Complex grief turns to just Sad, frustrations at the world and all its stressors turn to just Angry. Fear and anxiety are nearly always eliminated. The way I’d liken being drunk and thinking is your brain feels like a pat of butter in a pan slowly melting. There are subsets of people who have depression that just gets worse when they drink, and for those people they should not be drinking ever.

Ⅴ. Important caveat on drunk typing

If you have autocorrect on, you will not be making a billion typos! The truly wasted may have glaring spelling mistakes, but as a general rule everyone with crazy amounts of typos while drunk is either faking it or milking it because they think it’s funny. In my experience, the much more likely result of typing drunk is a lot of question marks, exclamation points, or emoticons/emojis in a row.

F. Hangovers

Ⅰ. Emotional effects

If you are hungover, you will hate yourself. You will feel immense shame, and if you did something regrettable drunk and/or are of a culture where drinking is banned or you were trying to be sober, you will also feel guilt. “Stupid dumb drunk idiot” is a common refrain in my mind. “I’ll never drink again, this sucks so bad” is another common thought for some, but it’s rarely true. Humans are weak and we forget consequences easily. I can’t think of anyone who got sober because of a really bad hangover. Change-your-life rock bottom is usually different than that.

Ⅱ. Physical effects

Most hangover symptoms come in three categories: common, weird, and gastrointestinal. Common symptoms include headaches and light sensitivity, along with malaise (the ill feeling you get when you have a fever or covid or something). Weird symptoms include vertigo and muscle pain. Gastrointestinal symptoms include diarrhea and vomiting.

III. How long they last

Hangovers usually last until about 11 am or noon if the person drank during the evening/night, unless the person drank significantly more than usual, as when relapsing after being sober for many months or when getting so drunk that their lives were in danger, in which case the hangover can last for up to twenty-four hours. Also, sometimes in a very rare while, you can lose the hangover lottery and not have your hangover go away until 3-4 pm.

IV. Situations in which someone is and is not likely to get hungover

Drinking water can either prevent hangovers or make hangovers less bad. People in their twenties usually are hangover-free if they drink less than they did the previous night, and more prone to them if they drink more than they did the previous night. Propensity towards hangovers increases with age, so an underage drinker may only rarely get a hangover, whereas someone in their fifties may get a really nasty one if they ever have multiple drinks, no matter what.

V. Hangover cures

There are no scientific cures for a hangover. However, some folk remedies include hair of the dog (drinking more to cure it), cold showers, and greasy breakfasts (famous choices are breakfast sandwiches, brunch offerings with lots of eggs and meat, and hot dogs/brats). The first of these does not make me feel better, just takes away the shame, but the second and third ones I swear by. They don’t cure it, but damn if they don’t feel good.

It's really, really rare that you see a redemption arc like Buddy's work so well in a romance, and that's because there's often some level of excusing abusive/harmful behavior on past trauma/characters/factors. I love Buddy so much, but early Buddy put in the WORK to make Chase's life hell.

Romance novels/webtoons are especially guilty of this--how often has the protag forgiven the love interest within two chapters? how often has the love interest even apologized for what they did, or illustrated remorse by actually trying to change?

And I think what really sets Buddy's arc apart from a lot of other redemption arcs is the decision to not give us any details about his past. We can somewhat discern Buddy isn't doing great, something Chase has picked up, but we also know Chase isn't doing great, something Buddy has not realized.

Chase said it best--regardless of whether it's morally right or not, if Buddy treats him shitty, Chase will call him out on it. Chase has the same amount of information as we do, and he makes it clear that it's not enough to justify the way Buddy treated him.

And Buddy CONFIRMS that, much later, by apologizing. Most importantly, we know Buddy's sincerity in the way he's clearly harboring guilt--his hesitation over Chase's injured hand, his scorn for his tendency to worsen a situation, and his reaction to Vampire-Guy's heart-filled speech.

What all this means is that we know Buddy feels upset and remorseful for what he did + how he treated Chase, without really knowing the angsty logic behind it. And that's brilliant, because Punko manages to use Buddy's facial expressions and cleverly-placed crumbs of information to help us sympathize with him without even giving us the trauma.

We as readers can't excuse his behavior (bc we literally do not know WHY he was that callous--the guy stuffed bugs in Chase's shoes and set traps to catch the kid), but we can compare who he was with who he's trying to be. And somewhere between the two, we can almost see the authentic, genuine Buddy.

It's such a brilliant way to set up/carry out the redemption of Buddy. If you check out episode one Buddy (please do), and you compare with episode 53 Buddy, it's an absolutely insane difference. You think ep1 Buddy would cry out for help? Would hug Chase? Would even consider apologizing to Chase, let alone saving him from a creep? Excluding the bit where Buddy tricked Deacon into nearly getting mauled by wolves, of course, but that was character-consistent and hilarious and honestly, would he be our boy if he wasn't slightly maschotic

- this is awesome

- this is slightly less awesome

- this is shit

- I’m shit

-oh god oh fuck what the hell am I doing

-wait this might not be that bad actually

- How the fuck is this working

While lethal injuries often take center stage, non-lethal injuries can create lasting effects on characters, shaping their journeys in unique ways. If you need a simple way to make your characters feel pain during a scene, here are some ideas: 

Sprained Ankle

A common injury that can severely limit mobility, forcing characters to adapt their plans and experience frustration as they navigate their environment.

Rib Contusion

A painful bruise on the ribs can make breathing difficult and create tension, especially during action scenes, where every breath becomes a reminder of vulnerability.

Concussion

This brain injury can lead to confusion, dizziness, and mood swings, affecting a character’s judgment and creating a sense of unpredictability in their actions.

Fractured Finger

A broken finger can complicate tasks that require fine motor skills, causing frustration and emphasizing a character’s dependence on their hands.

Road Rash

The raw, painful skin resulting from a fall can symbolize struggle and endurance, highlighting a character's resilience in the face of physical hardship.

Shoulder Dislocation

This injury can be excruciating and often leads to an inability to use one arm, forcing characters to confront their limitations while adding urgency to their situation.

Deep Laceration

A cut that requires stitches can evoke visceral imagery and tension, especially if the character has to navigate their surroundings while in pain.

Burns

Whether from fire, chemicals, or hot surfaces, burns can cause intense suffering and lingering trauma, serving as a physical reminder of a character’s past mistakes or battles.

Pulled Muscle

This can create ongoing pain and restrict movement, providing an opportunity for characters to experience frustration or the need to lean on others for support.

Tendonitis

Inflammation of a tendon can cause chronic pain and limit a character's ability to perform tasks they usually take for granted, highlighting their struggle to adapt and overcome.

Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks? 

So this is my addition to @cinderellaboyincorectquotes Last week of October Challenge and their anonymous submitter. I thank you both for the prompts!

Unfortunately, I wasn't aware of it until now, so I'm just doing the latter days before Halloween while I can. This entry comes with an angsty short story too, the first fic I've actually written for Cinderella Boy, so I hope you all enjoy~

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FOUND THE BOY

Cinderella Boy OneShot || 850 Words

It was just one of those nights... another book closed, another day wasted, spent chasing after two boys as they tried to awkwardly stumble their way through a narrative that should have been simple to follow. Yet…

Subtle gestures can convey deep affection and understanding without the need for words. Here are 10 subtle ways to reveal just how much your character cares, without using words:

Surprising Them with Their Favorite Snack

Character A notices Character B eyeing their favorite treat at a store/party, and later surprises them with it, showing they're paying attention to the little things.

Fixing Something Without Being Asked

When Character B's favorite [object] breaks, Character A quietly repairs it and leaves it for them to find.

Leaving a Hidden Note

Character A slips a small note into Character B's bag or coat pocket, something sweet or funny; could be good after a minor fight.

Covering Them with a Blanket

Character B falls asleep on the couch, and Character A drapes a blanket over them gently. Again, cute if it's after a fight.

Warming Their Hands with Theirs

On a chilly day, Character A takes Character B’s cold hands into their own without a word, offering warmth and comfort.

Offering Their Jacket

As Character B shivers in the cold, Character A instinctively hands over their jacket without waiting to be asked. Post-fight cuteness x3

Cleaning Up After a Tough Day

Character B comes home exhausted, and Character A has already tidied up the space. Great if they're married with kids.

Brushing Something Off Their Face

When Character B has a strand of hair or speck of dust on their face, Character A gently brushes it away; a classic, intimate action.

Waiting Up for Them to Get Home

Character A stays up late just to make sure Character B gets home safely, greeting them with a warm smile or a cup of tea when they walk in.

Running an Errand They Dislike

Knowing Character B dreads a particular chore or errand, Character A does it for them without making a big deal, or when they’re stressed/sad. 

Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks? 

Alchemy ⚜ Antidote to Anxiety ⚜ Attachment ⚜ Autopsy

Art: Elements ⚜ Principles ⚜ Photographs ⚜ Watercolour

Bruises ⚜ Caffeine ⚜ Color Blindness ⚜ Cruise Ships

Children ⚜ Children's Dialogue ⚜ Childhood Bilingualism

Dangerousness ⚜ Drowning ⚜ Dystopia ⚜ Dystopian World

Culture ⚜ Culture Shock ⚜ Ethnocentrism & Cultural Relativism

Emotions: Anger ⚜ Fear ⚜ Happiness ⚜ Sadness

Emotional Intelligence ⚜ Genius (Giftedness) ⚜ Quirks

Facial Expressions ⚜ Laughter & Humour ⚜ Swearing & Taboo

Fantasy Creatures ⚜ Fantasy World Building

Generations ⚜ Literary & Character Tropes

Fight Scenes Part 1 2 ⚜ Kill Adverbs

Food: Cooking Basics ⚜ Herbs & Spices ⚜ Sauces ⚜ Wine-tasting ⚜ Aphrodisiacs ⚜ List of Aphrodisiacs ⚜ Food History ⚜ Cocktails ⚜ Literary & Hollywood Cocktails ⚜ Liqueurs

Genre: Crime ⚜ Horror ⚜ Fantasy ⚜ Speculative Biology

Hate ⚜ Love ⚜ Kinds of Love ⚜ The Physiology of Love

How to Write: Food ⚜ Colours ⚜ Drunkenness

Jargon ⚜ Logical Fallacies ⚜ Memory ⚜ Memoir

Magic: Magic System ⚜ 10 Uncommon ⚜ How to Choose

Moon: Part 1 2 ⚜ Related Words

Mystical Items & Objects ⚜ Talisman ⚜ Relics ⚜ Poison

Pain ⚜ Pain & Violence ⚜ Poison Ivy & Poison Oak

Realistic Injuries 1 2 ⚜ Rejection ⚜ Structural Issues ⚜ Villains

Symbolism: Colors ⚜ Food ⚜ Numbers ⚜ Storms

Thinking ⚜ Thinking Styles ⚜ Thought Distortions

Terms of Endearment ⚜ Ways of Saying "No" ⚜ Yoga

Compilations: Plot ⚜ Character ⚜ Worldbuilding ⚜ For Poets

There are SO many ship dynamics out there and I absolutely love exploring them; so, let's talk about some of the most popular tropes out there!

Best Friends to Lovers

"When did you become something more than a best friend?"

Usually includes: Wholesome fluff, angst, confusion, denial, lots of miscommunication, two dense characters, second-guessing, slowburn

Childish x Mature

"It's oddly unsettling when you don't act as chaotic as usual."

Usually includes: Super cute fluff, less angst, endearing moments, headache-inducing moments, stupid moments, wholesome interactions, some comedy, fun, average pacing

Delinquent x Class President

"You stand for everything I'm against, yet I just can't walk away..."

Usually includes: Fluff, angst, questioning morality, some confusion, second-guessing, lots of character development/change (a bit of character study, even), average to slow pacing

Delinquent x Delinquent

"Why are you in detention all the time?" "I could ask you the same thing."

Usually includes: Denial, initial (and brief) animosity, awkward cuteness and fluff, some angst, tension (iykwim ;)), average to slow pacing, a sad backstory, fun

Notes: This is mainly for spiciness, fun, and clumsy fluffiness with less angst. However, most of the angst tends to revolve around one, or both, of their backstories.

Dramatic x Cold

"I love it when you play hard to get."

Usually includes: Some fluff, some angst, entertaining interactions, obvious character differences, "hate" (usually from the "cold" character), denial, poor communication, average to slow pacing

Emotional x Emotional Support

"Don't tell me to 'chill out!'" "Chill." "Okay."

Usually includes: Wholesome fluff, some/less angst, a unique, but cute dynamic, emotional moments (panic attacks, etc.), fast to average/slow pacing.

Notes: Emotional doesn't mean your character has to be depressed; maybe they struggle with anger issues or psychological problems and your other character helps lift them out of it!

Enemies to Lovers

"I hate that I love you."

Usually includes: Denial, fluff, angst, confusion, miscommunication, secrets, character growth, "odd" obsession with their "enemy", average to slow pacing

Fake Dating

"So, are we like, dating?" "Technically? Yes."

Usually includes: Some fluff, angst, lots of confusion, miscommunication, reluctance to confess, inner guilt, internal conflict, average to slow pacing

Notes: This is an interesting trope to write because the characters aren't actually together, so some of the romantic gestures could or could not be genuine.

But what if you got partnered with your biggest rival... and your ex-best friend? 😱

Read "That's The Spirit" on Webtoon! 🌟

i often see writers sharing a sentiment of struggling with writing kiss scenes which honestly bleeds into other portrayals of physical intimacy. i see it a lot in modernized styles of writing popularized by the recent trend in publishing to encourage short, choppy sentences and few adverbs, even less descriptive language. this makes intimacy come across awkward, like someone writing a script or clumsy recounting of events rather than a beautiful paragraph of human connection.

or just plane horniness. but hey, horny doesn't have to be mutually exclusive with poetic or sensual.

shallow example: they kissed desperately, tongues swirling and she moaned. it made her feel warm inside.

in depth example: she reached for the other woman slowly and with a small measure of uncertainty. the moment her fingers brushed the sharp, soft jaw of her companion, eliza's hesitance slid away. the first kiss was gentle when she finally closed the distance between them. she pressed her lips lightly to gabriella's in silent exploration. a tender question. gabriella answered by meeting her kiss with a firmer one of her own. eliza felt the woman's fingers curling into her umber hair, fingernails scraping along her scalp. everything inside eliza relaxed and the nervousness uncoiled from her gut. a warm buzz of energy sunk through her flesh down to the very core of her soul. this was right. this was always where she needed to be.

the first complaint i see regards discomfort in writing a kiss, feeling like one is intruding on the characters. the only way to get around this is to practice. anything that makes you uncomfortable in writing is something you should explore. writing is at its best when we are pushing the envelope of our own comfort zones. if it feels cringy, if it feels too intimate, too weird, too intrusive, good. do it anyway! try different styles, practice it, think about which parts of it make you balk the most and then explore that, dissect it and dive into getting comfortable with the portrayal of human connection.

of course the biggest part comes to not knowing what to say other than "they kissed" or, of course, the tried and true "their lips crashed and their tongues battled for dominance" 😐. so this is my best advice: think beyond the mouth. okay, we know their mouths are mashing. but what are their hands doing? are they touching one another's hair? are they scratching or gripping desperately at one another? are they gliding their hands along each other's body or are they wrapping their arms tightly to hold each other close? do they sigh? do they groan? do they relax? do they tense? are they comfortable with each other or giddy and uncertain? is it a relief, or is it bringing more questions? is it building tension or finally breaking it?

get descriptive with the emotions. how is it making the main character/pov holder feel? how are they carrying those emotions in their body? how do they feel the desire in their body? desire is not just felt below the belt. it's in the gut, it's in the chest, it's in the flushing of cheeks, the chills beneath the skin, the goosebumps over the surface of the flesh. everyone has different pleasure zones. a kiss might not always lead desire for overtly sexual touches. a kiss might lead to the desire for an embrace. a kiss might lead to the impulse to bite or lick at other areas. a kiss could awaken desire to be caressed or caress the neck, the shoulder, the back, the arms etc. describe that desire, show those impulses of pleasure and affection.

of course there is the tactile. what does the love interest taste like? what do they smell like? how do they kiss? rough and greedy? slow and sensual? explorative and hesitant? expertly or clumsily? how does it feel to be kissed by them? how does it feel to kiss them?