karen & the babes

XXXIV - Abyss

First, thanks for all the positive feedback on the new theme! No one’s found any errors yet, so hopefully it stays that way. Will finish updating the side pages this week. And here’s my first chance to properly show off the new theme posts!

A new theme to share! This one is actually super, super simple and was originally created for the Theme Hunter Contest. The main feature is the drop down lists so you can now add loads of links even where there’s a fixed (or in this case, sticky) sidebar.

Please save and refresh the customize page before making any customizations/change. This will hopefully lower the number of problems. Feel free to customize however much you want, the more the better, but leave credits intact. It would also be great if you could ‘like’ this post if using the theme.

- Live Preview - Last Update: 08 July 2013  - Support: Installing / Customizing / FAQ

Main Features

Super simple classic layout. with a choice between 400px or 500px posts.

Extra space for links in the sidebar with the drop down menus, add up to another 24 links.

Even more space for links with page links enabled.

Choice to add sidebar image (either through tumblr’s upload feature or external hosting) which will be automatically resized to 180px.

Like and reblog button included.

A full list of features and how to use them included on the live preview.

Download the codes under the read more.

THEMES ARE OPTIMIZED FOR GOOGLE CHROME / 1366 x 768 RESOLUTION

it is the third theme heLL YEA. it is a collaboration project between the amazing scar and myself and i swear it really is not as cool as it sounds.

THEME #3 ZECAR (FANSITE THEME)

ᴘʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ // ᴘᴀsᴛᴇʙɪɴ // ᴅᴇsɪɢɴᴇʀ // ᴄᴏᴅᴇʀ

theme features:

two columns

500px posts

banner image

five custom links (one in the topbar, four in the middle bar)

top bar navigation

middle bar descriptions

bottom bar back-to-top + pagination

customizable colours

notes:

since the image is set to 100% and the height is set to auto, you can make the image as long as you want, but i would suggest not making it too long or it might seem awkward

the titles of the descriptions are links, along with the fourth link in the top bar

inspirations & credits: 

fansites: (x) (x)

ettudis: (x)

PLEASE LIKE/REBLOG IF USING! FEEDBACK IS GREATLY APPRECIATED ♡

My affiliate as of late has been bombarded with questions concerning underage smut and I myself have covered the topic briefly in the past, but because it is apparently a very confusing issue for most people, I hope this post will put your questions to rest.

First, I need to address the fact that a lot of minors feel offended when people of age refuse to roleplay with them because they are underage. This often leads to people who are underage to lying about their age to be able to roleplay with people who are 18+. I think it’s important to address that in doing this, you can cause someone to be labeled a sex offender for the rest of their lives.

Think it’s not possible? In this day and age, it is. 

Speaking about Tumblr, specifically, its run under United States laws. Therefore, even if in your country it is okay to roleplay smut underage, if you’re roleplaying smut with someone underage who lives in the United States, it can get them in trouble regardless.

To quote the actual Department of Justice on the section of child pornography, "Additionally, the age of consent for sexual activity in a given state is irrelevant; any depiction of a minor under 18 years of age engaging in sexually explicit conduct is illegal." [x]

This means that even if the age of consent in your state is 16, and the person you’re smutting with in another states age of consent is 18, they can still get into serious legal trouble.

Also, minors smutting with minors is also illegal. It is mostly relative to ‘sexting’ and the laws vary per state, but in most states, regardless of your age, you can be charged and convicted if found guilty. You can find information about your state [here], but regardless, it is safer and you keep not only yourself out of trouble, but your partner as well.

If the parents of a partner of yours who happens to be underage finds the logs of your roleplay, they can call the police and have it investigated and you could be charged. It is a very real thing that DOES happen and is capable of happening to you or your partner. Do not underestimate the power of the law through the internet. If someone feels that something is fishy, they can have it monitored if they think that their child is being exploited. It can fall under child exploitation laws.

It’s not about being able to consent between people. It’s not about being mature enough to handle such content. It is a legal problem. If you are underage, you don’t need to be smutting. You need to use ‘fade to black’ which is a term in the roleplay community that is defined as:

Often used within sexual scenes where the players end/skip a scene, though the actions are thought to be played out despite not being typed, and the scene picks back up after the skipped scene would have ended.

This means that none of the sexual acts are actually written out and you avoid any legal misconduct or issues because of this.

Writing out smut is not necessary. It is not necessary especially when in doubt of the other party and their age. If you feel that your partner is a minor, then you don’t need to smut with them. If you know, 100% that your partner is of legal age (eighteen) and you yourself are also of legal age, then smut is fine. 

Protect yourself. This goes for both people of age and people who are underage. 

It’s not worth it. It’s not worth to write erotica with someone with the result possibly ending with someone being a registered sex offender for the rest of their lives. 

Again, the age of consent in your state is 100% irrelevant when it comes to smut. You can still become charged by smutting with a minor if you’re of age OR if you’re underage as well. Smut when you’re eighteen. Period. Only smut. When you’re eighteen. Until then, don’t do it/use fade to black. 

Hopefully this covers everything, and I’ll update it if I’ve missed something.

Some werewolf mythos I consider canon for this verse (but anything could be changed if you’re not into something in particular). I’m using my character Finn as an example through most of all of this, which you may feel free to use as a supplement of sorts to your own character or plot ideas, et al. I don’t mind. That’s what I want!

Disclaimer: I don’t know if this could be considered a guide or mythos meta, but it mostly came from me and my ideas (and ideas I’ve read before) and it’s not what’s usually seen of werewolves, so take that into account if you read this. 

27 | Macini Mobster | "I want a normal life."

(+) Determined, kind, honest (-) Timid, paranoid, softspoken

Vincent may be quiet and somewhat paranoid, but he hides a heart of gold. He tries to be kind to anyone he meets and does not lie unless absolutely necessary, but he also makes sure to watch his back for those who might wish to stab it. He is a determined man and will do what he sets out to… he just might be a little mousey about declaring his intentions.

A newer member of the Macini mob, Vincent resents his job. He just wants to live a peaceful life, but now that he is a member of the mob, he knows backing out would be suicide. Instead he just tries to stay far away from gunfire so he doesn’t have to shoot anyone. In Chicago, however, that is easier said than done.

Just because Vincent grew up with the mob does not mean he likes it. His father was one of Macini’s men, and a good one too, one of Macini’s personal favorites. As such Vincent grew used to the flash of metal and the glint of a knife, often running for cover when a fight broke out in his father’s vicinity. He resented his father for dragging him into such a dangerous life but said nothing, only cowered and plugged his ears. As such he became quiet and reserved and, forever surrounded by lies and deceit, he became the exact opposite, fighting against his father’s influence with all of his might.

Things proceeded like this throughout the bulk of his life, although when he got older he was taught to use a gun and introduced to the inner workings of the mob. He knew he was being prepared to join Macini’s mob and gunsling with the best of them, but he couldn’t help but fight it with all of his might. It just wasn’t in his nature to fight and kill the way they did. He told his father as much, but it was to no avail. He was trapped.

Soon enough, his father was killed in a shootout when he was fifteen. That was where he met Stella, his current closest friend, a young girl who was investigating the death of her father in the very same shootout (he’d been there, after all, and eyewitness accounts were always very valuable). The pressure began to mount on Vincent to join up with the Macini, to continue the Pantiel-Macini tradition, but he held fast. For three years he managed to fend off the words of many a poisonous tongue, going about his own business, but at eighteen he finally cracked. Vincent, one of the most determined and resilient souls in Chicago, gave in. He joined the Macini mob and, though he hated it, did the work of a mobster, staying tight-lipped after he was pat on the back time after time for honoring his father’s memory.

Of course, once you’re in a mob you can’t get out. He knew that and he knew it well, the ramifications of it only amplified by his family’s history with the Macini. He fell into a cycle of hating himself for giving in—because really, just once was enough—and getting more and more involved in the mob almost inadvertently. He couldn’t help being in the right place at the right time, and that added in with the shine his family’s name gave him to others made him a favorite of Giovanni’s, and later, Felicity’s.

Though he had always pledged to be an honest man, the life he lives has become a lie. He resents himself for it and resents his fellow mobsters for pushing him into it, but says nothing. No matter how much he lies to himself, though, he strives to be honest with others, which is part of the reason he warned Roy Abraham about an attempt on his life. Stella Russell remains one of the people he’s closest to in life, and she’s always been a breath of fresh air from his mob life, since she knew him before that. He’s also getting to know Aidan Ross better, a mechanic who repaired his car after it was shot full of holes a few weeks ago, and hopes that that will go somewhere.

This character has a secret which will be revealed to the roleplayer upon acceptance!

Must-Read Bios

Stella Russell

Roy Abraham

Aidan Ross

winking

clenching

pulsing

fluttering

contracting

twitching

sucking

quivering

pulsating

throbbing

beating

thumping

thudding

pounding

humming

palpitate

vibrate

grinding

crushing

hammering

lashing

knocking

driving

thrusting

pushing

force

injecting

filling

dilate

stretching

lingering

expanding

bouncing

reaming

elongate

enlarge

unfolding

yielding

sternly

firmly

tightly 

harshly

thoroughly

consistently

precision

accuracy

carefully

demanding

strictly

restriction

meticulously

scrupulously

rigorously

rim

edge

lip

circle

band

encircling

enclosing

surrounding

piercing

curl

lock

twist

coil

spiral

whorl

dip

wet

soak

madly

wildly

noisily

rowdily

rambunctiously

decadent

degenerate

immoral

indulgent

accept

take

invite

nook

indentation

niche

depression

indent

depress

delay

tossing

writhing

flailing

squirming

rolling

wriggling

wiggling

thrashing

struggling

grappling

striving

Arouse -  agitate, awaken, electrify, enliven, excite, entice, foment, goad, incite, inflame, instigate, kindle, provoke, rally, rouse, spark, stimulate, stir, thrill, waken, warm, whet, attract, charm, coax, fire up, fuel, heat up, lure, produce, stir up, tantalize, tease, tempt, thrum, torment, wind up, work up

Just as a real person will, a character’s reactions change based on what situation they’re placed in. When a character is somewhere they find dangerous, they may be more jumpy or quieter. When a character is in a place that reminds them of happier times, they may be more jovial or relaxed.

Just as importantly, they’ll change based on the person they’re set in front of; like human’s own personality will alter depending on who they’re talking to. Human beings are creations built of several faces which can interchange flawlessly or with great difficulty, all depending on their own history and mindset.

With characterization, showing is always better than telling. The one of the greatest ways to show to your readers the character’s personality — without directly saying ‘he’s confident on the outside but can be insecure’ — is to place this character in a situation where they’re allowed to show their confidence, and then face them with a person who makes the confidence flee them; whether they like it or not.

Even if your character is the classic ‘confident, fearless leader’, take into account if they meet someone who intimidates them, they may be more withdrawn and submissive. Even if your character is naturally withdrawn, be aware that if they meet a very boisterous and charming person, they may be inclined to reach out more than usual.

In order to do this while staying in your character’s personality, you have to know their Causes and Effects. Is your character withdrawn because they find everyone else beneath them or because they’ve never found someone that engages them enough? If the latter, then that charming person may be just the one to pull them out of their shell in a way that seems ‘out of character’, but is actually a realistic scenario. This shows them as more than ‘shy’, but in fact a human being with dimensions to their personality.

Do you have that rebel character who orders everyone around and never takes no for an answer? If you have them face someone who is just as strong and unwavering, and they’ll conflict. However, have them meet someone who is skilled in persuasion – and maybe manipulation — and the rebel may end up conforming.

It’s all about dancing around the edges of their Limits without actually pushing them too far. This also helps you in the way of backstory, to show previous character growth without a lot of extra explaining.

For example: say you have two characters, Alpha and Beta, who were in the military. Alpha was Beta’s commander, but later they left the military and went their separate ways. In his other life, character Beta is tough, capable, and always the leader of his group. Character Alpha, his former commander, comes rolling in just as capable, even tougher and demands to be the leader. Character Beta conforms.

That’s a sharp change in their personality that could be considered out of character if your reader took it in a glance. But once you hint to their past – though random mentions of rank or ‘yes, sir’ – the reader can see that Character Alpha has always held authority over Beta, and so it’s natural to Beta to conform, even if it’s outside their current natural behavior.

That makes it character development. Beta has grown past the subordinate position and is able to take command for themselves now — but it’s very easy for them to fall into old habits. Alpha may be friendly and open to opinion, but they’re used to giving commands to Beta and always default to their previous relationship.

These dimensions to a character matter. This is what makes your character bounce off a page with tones your readers can recognize and relate to. This creates conflict, tension and general spark in a story, even if it’s at the low point of a plot. It’s your characters who draw us and we have to believe in them to really connect. While writing, make sure to stop and evaluate how your character reacts with the other characters.

Imagine a character that is very frank in manner, who tells his mind to anyone no matter who they are, and never is intimidated by anyone. There is definitely one person out there they’re hesitant about, one person they’ll hold their tongue to. Maybe it’s their children, who they are afraid of offending and driving away. If so, there has to be a cause. It might be they find their children too valuable to lose, while everyone else is fun but not necessary to be around.

Maybe it’s their mother, whose good opinion they take great stock in; but they think very differently than her and most of their confrontations have led to a tainting of that opinion. Maybe it’s a celebrity they admire as a better person than them, so they’re afraid of lessening themselves more than already by one off word. That requires a cause as well — a root of the reaction. They might find themselves more confident with others because they feel they have nothing to lose, while with those of great value to them, they feel they have everything to lose.

This leads us back to the rule of thumb; Cause and Effect will answer all your questions. Taking a moment to think of how your character reacts to individuals will shed light on how they see the world and themselves, which is fundamental for their character and its development. As the writer, you must know all of this information, and your character will give it to you; you only have to test it.

Happy writing!

I received an influx of antagonist questions in the past few days, so I thought I’d compile my posts on the topic. I think I might have written a few others, but I think these are the most helpful. Thanks for your questions!

Understanding Your Antagonist

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about how to make an antagonist realistic/relatable without excusing their bad behavior. Many of the questions are afraid that giving the antagonist back story is a poor way to give the villain a “pass” for all the terrible things they’ve done.  I’ve previously posted about antagonists and how you should focus on making them as real as your protagonist, which explains you need to develop their back story just as much as you would any other character. Here are a few tips that should help:

If you’re having trouble developing your antagonist, try to think about the story from their point-of-view.

For the most part, making your antagonist evil for no reason doesn’t make any sense. There’s usually a reason, even if it’s not 100% exposed to your readers. Everyone in your story should have a motive, just like they would in real life. Your antagonist thinks he is the main character. Your antagonist thinks he’s doing the RIGHT thing. Very rarely do villains with no motive work out or feel realistic (I know they have, but it’s a very hard thing to pull off). In the mind of your antagonist, your main character is stopping them from accomplishing their goals.

Discussing your antagonist’s bad childhood is not the same as trying to give him a “pass” for his evil ways. 

You just need to find a way to interweave his back story without it feeling forced. If you say “He was abused as a child and that’s why he treats other people so badly”, your story will feel flat. Finding a way to show that information instead of telling it is very important. You don’t need to flat out say why the antagonist is so bad, but you should help the readers come to their own conclusions. For example, maybe your antagonist becomes furious when someone mentions something about their father. The readers will be able to infer that there’s been some sort of issue between the antagonist and their father and we might start to understand the source of their rage.

Like I mentioned before, developing a realistic past for your antagonist is the same as developing any other character. 

Your main character has to have flaws and their flaws need to come from somewhere. I would suggest doing some research on real life serial killers and see what sort of places they came from. Sometimes it’s impossible to tell why people snapped, but there are usually some clues or some build up from that person’s past. You’ll get ideas for your own antagonist.

In order to make it seem like you’re not excusing what your antagonist has done, you need to remind the audience about free-will. 

If your antagonist has a past that seems like he was driven into doing evil deeds, there needs to be actions your antagonist has done while making his own decisions. Your readers need a way to understand that your antagonist is capable of making his own choices and can also stop what he or she is doing. Having a sympathetic antagonist is not a bad thing, but you need to make sure your readers relate more with your protagonist. Your readers should usually want your protagonist to come out on top.

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Why Bad Characters Aren’t Always Bad

This is a follow-up to my Why Good Characters Aren’t Always Good post, but this time I’m going to focus more on antagonists than protagonists. I previously talked about the differences between writing a strong character (well-written, developed, interesting) and writing a morally strong character. This time I’m going to talk about writing a strong antagonist that might also have strong morals. It’s important to remember that your antagonist will not always be wrong; they are just someone who opposes your protagonist.

Your antagonist won’t always do the wrong thing

Just like your protagonist won’t always do the right thing, your antagonist isn’t always trying to destroy the world. In fact, your antagonist might actually do the right thing every once in a while and they might be the one with all the right ideas. They might decide to save your protagonist, even if they don’t necessarily agree with what they’re doing. They might even side with your protagonists on some issues. The antagonist doesn’t always have to be out to completely destroy your protagonist, so keep that in mind. Take time to discover their motivations and how it will fit into your story.

Good vs. Good is an interesting way to think about characters

If you want to write an interesting story, think of your character conflict as good vs. good. Your protagonist thinks they are doing the right thing, but so does your antagonist in most cases. I know there have been cases when the antagonist is just an awful person, but most of the time they do think what they’re doing is necessary. If we find reasons to side with both your protagonist and antagonist, your story becomes very fascinating. Consider that both characters believe they are in the right.

Your antagonist might have the best intentions in mind

You protagonist is only the protagonist because it’s the character your story is focusing on. They’re the main character of your novel and the one we’re told to care about more. However, that doesn’t mean your protagonist is making all the right decisions and what they say goes. Your antagonist might also have the best intentions in mind. Some of the best stories are when your protagonist realizes that they might not have been making the best decisions OR when they see themselves in the antagonist. Remember, your antagonist might think they’re doing the right thing and they might intend to do something good.

It’s possible for your antagonist to care about your protagonist

Your antagonist and protagonist do not have to hate each other. As I mentioned before, your protagonist does not have to be the good one and your antagonist doesn’t have to be the evil one. They just oppose each other in some way. Usually whatever they want they can’t have unless the other one fails. This doesn’t mean that your antagonist can’t care about what happens to the protagonist. Stories become more interesting when the protagonist and antagonist have a relationship that goes beyond hating each other.

This post is intended to help you switch up how you look at antagonists, so hopefully you can explore this in your writing. Antagonists and protagonists come in many shapes and forms, so don’t always think one has to be “good” and one has to be “evil”. I usually think of the “wrong” character as the one who doesn’t change or develop throughout your story despite the information presented to them and the experiences they go through. Figure out what works for your novel and what helps make the plot most interesting/exciting.

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Reasons Why Your Antagonist is the Antagonist

Any antagonist or villain that doesn’t have a reason for being the antagonist will come off as a flat character. Even if you know as the writer why a character is doing something, you need to find ways to explain it to your readers. When you reveal this information is up to you, but you need to do it at some point to make your characters relatable and believable. Here are a few things that might explain why your antagonist is the antagonist:

Family behavior

Looking at your antagonist’s background is always a great way to explain why they are the way they are. Think about how your character’s parents had treated them in the past. Maybe their father was busy at work and didn’t have time for your antagonist. Maybe their mother left the family or never wanted a child. Though these particular situations do not make people “evil” or “bad”, they do help shape your character. Build the individual situations of your characters and use them to help explain why your character turned out the way they did.

Again, family behavior doesn’t always negatively affect a person and turn them into something bad, but it might have an impact on your character. Try to only include information about this behavior if it has helped develop your character in some way. Or consider the reverse. Family behavior like a mother being too caring or suffocating might have caused a character to act out. There are so many ways to do it!

Personal background

Outside of family behavior, your antagonist might have had some bad things happen to them.  Maybe they were bullied when they were younger or there’s something they wanted badly that they never got. Looking into your antagonist’s personal background will help you understand a lot about your character. Were they constantly made fun of? Did they witness something violent that helped shaped them as an adult? If a character has felt weak at certain times in their life, they might want some control over other people.  Consider these factors.

Mob mentality

An antagonist might be an antagonist simply because they got caught up in something bigger than themselves.  They might have heard something from other people and decided to join the cause. They might have gotten swept up in something they didn’t fully understand and gained power. Something might be so ingrained in them that they can’t see your protagonist’s point of view. A character can be susceptible to what everyone else is thinking, so conformity might be a factor that turns them into the antagonist.

Desperation

If someone is in a desperate situation, this will definitely shape their behavior. Consider the idea that your antagonist is just as desperate as your protagonist. They need to succeed. If they don’t, maybe something horrible might happen to them. A villain doesn’t always do things just because they want to stand in the way of the protagonist. They’re not just simply evil. There’s always a reason behind their actions and desperation might be one of them.

Remember, your antagonist isn’t always the bad person; they’re just someone who doesn’t want to see your protagonist to succeed. Their ideals clash and they believe different things. You should develop your antagonist just as much as your develop your protagonist. Explaining why they’re doing the things they’re doing will help your readers understand what’s happening.

I was sitting on the computer last night trying to be productive and actually write something. My first sentence included the character listening to a voice through an intercom and my first thought was, “What kind of voice is it?” 

appealing (adj): an appealing look/voice shows that you want help, approval, or agreement

breathy (adj): with loud breathing noises

brittle (adj): if you speak in a brittle voice, you sound as if you are about to cry

croaky (adj): if someone’s voice sounds croaky, they speak in a low, rough voice that sounds as if they have a sore throat

dead (adj): if someone’s eyes or voice are dead, they feel or show no emotion

disembodied (adj): a disembodied voice comes from someone who you cannot see

flat (adj): spoken in a voice that does not go up and down; this word is often used for describing the speech of people from a particular region

I did a post on religion a while ago, but I can do a better job with it.

Part I: World Building Considerations: Religious Hierarchies

Part II: World Building Considerations: Deities and Mythologies

THE BASICS

Religion is the belief that supernatural or spiritual powers exist.

There are four “branches” of beliefs that form the way a person feels about their religion (or lack of) and other religions. They are:

Theism: A theist believes in a god (or more).

Atheism: An atheist lacks the belief in a god (or more).

Gnosticism: A gnostic believes it is possible to know that a god (or more) does or does not exist.

Agnosticism: An agnostic believes that it is not possible to know that a god (or more) does or does not exist.

These create people who are one of the following (this can change throughout a person’s life):

Gnostic Theist: These characters believe in a god (or more) and are absolutely sure that it exists. Depending on the personality of this character, they might take offense if other people tell them they are wrong or that their religion is false. Others will brush it off and not care.

Agnostic Theist: These characters believe in a god (or more), but do not claim to know for sure if this god exists. These characters might struggle with their religion if this existence is important to them.

Gnostic Atheist: These characters are absolutely sure that there is no god (or more).

Agnostic Atheist: These characters do not believe in a god (or more), but do not claim to know of its existence for sure.

THE BEGINNINGS

Most early religions began with animism. This is when supernatural powers, life, souls, or spirits are attributed to the natural world as well as objects.

Sometimes, deities can be created when certain attributes as parts of the natural world are viewed as more important than others. A population may give a name to a particular spirit (like the sun) and thus make a deity out of it. Over time, this leads to polytheism.

The earliest deities were most likely female because back then, humans believed that women had the ability to create life from nothing. This is why “virgin” deities, goddesses, beings, and religious figures are common. They are seen as being able to make life by themselves, but the concept of virginity has changed to being “clean” or “pure”.

Early monotheistic religions often came from polytheism, but not always. What happens is one deity becomes more important than all the others for whatever reason. Here are some reasons for why monotheism might have come up in your world (with the exception of the spread of religion):

A person claims that one deity is the true deity. All other deities are slowly forgotten or reassigned as lesser religious beings, but not deities.

One deity may be more important than the other deities. Over time, this deity becomes the sole deity. All other deities are slowly forgotten or reassigned as lesser religious beings, but not deities.

A historical figure transforms into a deity over time through myth and legend, thus becoming a major deity.

One deity might “absorb” other deities and their attributes due to its importance, thus becoming a single deity who is a mixture of other deities.

Religion does not always evolve in this order and it does not have to. There is no “ultimate” form of religion. Monotheism is not “civilized” and animism is not “primitive”. They are both valid religions, they just exist in different ways.

One source of conflict for your story could be the switch from one form of religion to another. If polytheism is moving into monotheism, a minority of the population might be trying hard to hold onto old deities.

Of course, there are more types of religion other than animism, polytheism, and monotheism, such as naturalism. Look around at various religions for some inspiration.

NAME

The name! You have to name your religion. The followers of this religion need a name to refer to themselves by. You can also have names for the various branches of a religion or for the followers of a specific religious figure. If you’ve made up a language, you can use that language to create a name. You can also name the religion after a deity, a historical figure, or a religious figure. You can also name it after the founder of the religion.

ORIGINS

Where did this religion originate? With older religions, it might not be clear. Other religions have a clear start, or at least are known to have started in a specific area or with a specific person. If there is a founder of the religion, create this character and their history.

You also need an origin story for the world. A lot of religions have them.

REASON AND APPEAL

There are three general reasons for why people practice religion:

Sociological: Religion is used for cultural conformity. It unites a community through similar morals and values and can be used to control a population or to bring general peace among worldviews. If you can influence a person’s thoughts, you can control their actions.

Cognitive: Religion has been used to explain the unknown and to help people make sense of the world they live in. Myths, legends, and deities have been used to explain why the seasons change or why storms happen. Religion offers an explanation.

Psychological: People turn to religion in times of need or emotional struggle. They might turn to religion because they have a sick family member or they might turn to religion because they need an end to a drought. Having a reason to hold on (religion) can help people get through the hard times.

It’s common that all three reasons exist together, but one reason may outweigh another in an individual or a population. For example, in a time of famine, the majority of a population might turn to religion for reason 2. In a society with little understanding of science, the majority of the population might use religion for reason 1.

When creating a religion, think about why your characters are religious or why they are not religious. Think about situations that would make them approach religion. All characters will differ based on their personal needs, how religious they are, and how they were raised. Some characters might only turn to religion when they are extremely desperate.

SACRED TEXTS

A sacred text is a general term that refers to a text that is important to a religion. The Bible is an example. Sacred texts do not have to exist in a religion. Oral histories can take their place or exist alongside them.

If there is a sacred text, decide how it is supposed to be read. Some religious texts are meant to be read by a religious official, who teaches others what it says (the Bible). Other texts are meant to be ready by everyone and interpreted on an individual level (the Qur’an).

If the sacred text is meant to be read by a religious official and no one else, religious officials will be educated while most of the population will not be (depending on the society, available education, hierarchy, and technology available to spread written texts). Lack of literacy might be used to control the population.

Sacred texts might be a part of the government. If so, create laws carefully and make sure you know all the details about the religion and the government you’ve created.

Another option for a sacred text is one that is created by an individual or by a community. These sacred texts are filled with whatever information a person sees as important to the way they practice their religion. They may collect information through religious officials, oral histories, or their own experiences. These sacred texts can be passed down to another generation.

Here are some things you can put in a sacred text:

Historical Accounts: If a sacred text is just a historical account of a religion, you’ll need to come up with mythologies that fit into this text.

Laws & Guidelines: Sometimes, a sacred text is used to write down laws and guidelines of a religion.

Prayers, Songs, etc.: If prayers, chants, songs, and other spoken words are important to a religion or hold meaning, they might show up in a sacred text.

PLACE OF WORSHIP

Not all religions have a place of worship. However, places of worship can be as grand as the Hagia Sophia or they can be as simple as a personal altar in one’s home.

Within certain religions, such as Catholicism, there can be a hierarchy of places of worship. For example, a Cathedral is a church, but it also acts as the seat of a Bishop for a given area. Places of worship, in times when the majority of the population could not read, used lots of common symbols within the architecture so that people knew it was a place of worship for a certain religion. This is why many medieval religious buildings portray religious stories or figures within the architecture.

If there are places of worship in your world, put them in your story. If they are in a city or near a trading center, they might be more grand than others due to available resources. If a government official commissions one of these buildings, it will likely be large and detailed due to available expenses. Places of worship in isolated areas are likely to be smaller and simpler.

Make these places known in your world. Give them a feel. A lot of religious buildings are meant to give the feeling of grandness and divinity. Some might make a person feel small and insignificant. Give these buildings a demeanor. This will help readers get a feel for this religion while also setting the mood and tone for the scene.

BELIEFS

Create the main beliefs and philosophies of your religion. This will impact your society as a whole. However, there should be differing opinions and beliefs within a religion. People are going to interpret parts of a religion in different ways and will have different opinions on how to approach a religion.

Opposing Forces: Some religions have opposing forces within it, such as good vs evil. Some religions don’t have opposing forces and rather see everything just as it is without attributing morality. Decide how your religion views the world.

Opposing Forces 2: This refers to the opinions of people within the religion. Having differing opinions within a religion can be mild, but it can also be extreme. The latter can cause lots of conflict and even a split in religion, creating two different branches or a new religion altogether.

Common Values: The main values and morals of this religion will affect the way your characters think and behave, even if they are not religious. Being raised around this religion can sway their opinions. This might create conflict for your characters when faced with a decision that goes against what they were raised with.

Afterlife: Everyone, at one point, wonders what happens when we die. As I mentioned above, religion is often used to explain the unknown. What is the afterlife in this religion? If there are no opposing forces of good vs evil, there will probably not be a hell-like place.

Sins: You don’t need to put sins in your religion, but it can help with conflict and character morals. Decide what this religion has outlawed or what it has looked down upon. If you want, sins can become law through the government.

Other Religions: For a post on what happens when other cultures come in contact with each other, look at the lower part of this post. Sometimes, religions can exist peacefully side by side.

Like I said, beliefs will impact your characters and the world they grew up in. People are a part of whatever culture they were raised in and it’s impossible to completely cut off those ties. The morals, values, and beliefs of your world’s religion impacts your characters in a much larger way than you think.

BRANCHES

Lots of religions have different sub-religions, branches, and denominations. If the religion you have created it widespread, it’s likely that this religion will have sub-religions and different forms of worship. If a religion has influence on another religion, those religions might end up combining.

Region: Different branches of a religion tend to be dominant in certain regions, even in multi-cultural places. Decide where certain branches are more common or where they are limited to.

Interaction: Two different branches within a religion might hate each other to such extremities that war can occur. This is another source of conflict for your fictional world.

Difference of Beliefs: If applicable to your story, think up some differences between the branches of religion.

VISIBILITY

Religion should be seen in your story if you make up one. It doesn’t matter if it’s not a huge part or if none of the characters are extremely religious. If you have created a religion, it should  have some visibility. It could influence language, dress, architecture, holidays, and more.

Architecture: This will most likely be places of worship, but religion can appear in all types of buildings and structures. Certain symbols might be seen in windows or on doors. Certain architectural styles might hold symbolic meaning, like how tall buildings are seen as reaching up to the heavens and therefore are seen as divine.

Clothing: Religious clothing can be obvious or subtle, but it still affects fashion. People might mimic the style of a religious figure or they might wear something that shows which deity they worship. If you show this, you can let the reader know what certain characters value. For example, wearing a certain symbol in the form of a pin might show that a person worships the deity of bravery, thus showing that this character values bravery.

Language: People mention parts of their religion in common phrases all the time, sometimes without realizing it. You can come up with exclamations and common phrases in your world through their religion.

Calendars: A lot of calendars surround important dates in religion. If you’re looking where to put year zero, go to religion. Did someone important die in that year? Were they born? Did something else important happen?

SYMBOL

Most religions have some kind of symbol. This symbol is often important to that religion (like the cross for Christianity). Creating a symbol can add depth to your world while also bringing reality to this religion. You can put this symbol in various places to help show readers where this religion has spread.

It’s not necessary to have a symbol.

POPULARITY

Decide how far this religion has spread and what people think about it. Religions, if small, are sometimes viewed as cults. If they gain popularity and start overcoming another dominant religion, they might be seen as threats.

Region: Know the region that your religion has spread to. There can be small regions within larger regions that resist this religion. If your characters are traveling, knowing the boundaries of this religion can help you create scenes and cultures that have this religious influence.

Subscribers: Decide how many people subscribe to this religion. If this is the dominant religion in a region, this religion will be more visible in your world.

Influence: Religion has massive influence on culture. If you are writing a world where religion is important, it will greatly influence your characters’ lives and worlds.

Spread: Does this religion have a goal to spread to other places? If so, your religious characters might try to convert others or there might be conflict with the spread of religion.

JOINING

Is there a certain way to join this religion? Many religions have rituals, ceremonies, and initiations that are used to accept a person into that religion.

Invitation: A few religions are invitation-only. This can be rigid or more free. A rigid invitation means that only a certain person can invite others into this religion. For example, if a person wants to bring a friend into their religion, they might have to bring their friend to a religious official to get permission. Less rigid invitations can be as simple as allowing any member of a religion to bring in others.

Open: An open religion allows anyone to join whether they were invited or not. These religions can spread fast while invitation-only religions are able to stay small and private for a longer period of time.

The Initiator: Who performs the ceremony? Most often, it is a religious official, but it doesn’t have to be.

The Ceremony: How they are brought into a religion? What happens during the ceremony? How long does it take? Are there any preparations that need to be made? Does it have to happen at a certain age? If so, your characters might have to go through this.

Birth: Most people are born into a religion. Sometimes, they are given the choice to leave this religion at a certain age or they can be officially initiated (like within some Amish communities). This might cause stress for characters if they come of this age and if their parents or guardians are expecting them to turn a certain way.

Forced: Sometimes, people are forced to join a religion.

RELIGIONS IN YOUR WORLD

It’s realistic to have more than one religion present. They don’t have to exist equally and probably won’t.

Outlawed: An outlawed religion is one that is not allowed to be practiced. What are the punishments for practicing an outlawed religion? Why are they outlawed?

Minority: A minority religion is simply one that has a lesser amount of followers than a dominant religion. They do not have to be oppressed religions.

Oppressed: An oppressed religion is one that may or may not have been outlawed and one that is rejected by society as a whole. Practitioners experience discrimination. What this discrimination is depends on you.

Dominant: The dominant religion is the one that is most common in a given region. It does not have to be oppressive to other religions.

Secret: Secret religions are unknown to the general population and are invitation-only.

Mythical: Mythical religions are secret religions that may or may not exist. The general population might have conspiracies about the existence, but they have no hard proof.

Dead: These religions are no longer practiced.

Revived: These are religions that were previously dead, but revived by a population. The practices in the revival will not be the same as the original religion.

GENERAL QUESTIONS

What is the dominant religion in your character’s region? How do they feel about it? Is it their religion? Do they agree with the dominant opinions?

How much power does religion have? Are government rulers considered divine or close to divinity? Is religion above the law? Does it dictate your character’s world?

What is the most well known story? What does this story explain? Does it give morals or does it explain a natural occurrence? Or something else? How does this story affect your characters and their world?

How important is religion to your character? Do they turn to religion in times of need? Do they take offense if someone puts down their religion? Do they try to spread their religion?

Why do people follow this religion? Did it appear in a time of need? Or is it used as an explanation? Does it bring a community together? Is there a reward (like in the afterlife)? Were they forced to convert?

What sacred days are there? Are there any at all? If so, how are these days viewed? How often do they come along? What do they celebrate?

How did this religion spread? Some religions spread unintentionally, as do languages and other cultures. The Phoenicians never had the intention of conquest, only trade. Their trade led to widespread cultural exchange. Was your religion spread on purpose? Is it actively spread? Was it forced upon a population?

How does the environment affect religion? Available resource might determine what is used for places of worship. Weather might create deities. Positions of the sun might create holidays. Geography in general might impact the origin story of the world.

How does this religion feel about various topics like marriage, death, sex, sexuality, drugs, magic, incest, and murder? What this religion says about such topics will determine what is considered “the norm” in your world and how your characters act. If incest is considered a sin rather than just taboo, people might be afraid to get too close to their sibling.

What conflict does this religion create? Does it create internal conflict for your character? Does it create wars or fights between people? Is it dangerous for your character to travel in a certain area because of their religion?

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Being a writer is hard, especially if you’re ever going to have a significant audience. People are going to hate on you for your plot, shame you for your conflict, and call you lazy for your characters. I generally make a point of ignoring the particularly vitriolic feedback because it’s rarely very helpful, but more legitimate criticism will still make you think. Did I do this wrong? Is this character a Mary Sue?

I can’t quell your fears about the entirety of the story, but I’m going to do my best to quell your fears about your possibly Mary Sue character, and give you the tools and direction to make your character less Sue-like if character fails the test.

This article defines a Mary Sue as “an idealized character, often but not necessarily an author insert.” That’s kinda vague, but if you keep reading it get’s more specific.

The negative connotation comes from this “wish-fulfillment” implication: the “Mary Sue” is judged as a poorly developed character, too perfect and lacking in realism to be interesting.

We’re going to ignore the “wish-fulfillment” part because what part of writing isn’t wish-fulfillment?

So, the definition of a Mary Sue I’m going to be using here is A character of any gender that is unrealistically perfect or ideal, thus poorly developed.

Now, the test. It’s going to be pretty simple.

Is your character:

Unrealistically attractive, smart, envied, loved, fortunate, selfless, righteous, powerful, or otherwise perfect for the world and situation in which they’ve been put?

Does your character:

Stay the same throughout the story, never developing or growing?

Always succeed?

Is it impossible to recall:

A significant flaw that your character has?

A time your character has said, done, thought the wrong thing?

If you answered yes to all of these things, your character is a Mary Sue. Don’t freak out.

If you answered yes to some of these things, your character might still be a Mary Sue. Don’t freak out.

If you answered no to all of these things, you’re off the hook. Your character is realistic, developed, and flawed. Character is not a Mary Sue. Feel free to put your time and energy into worrying about something else.

Basically, if you answered yes to some/all of those questions, all you have to do is tweak your story so that your character is more realistic/developed/flawed. I said that’s “all you have to do” like it’s no big task, but I know it can be a big task. It can hurt and take time and be frustrating to rewrite a character, especially when you feel like this is your character and that’s just who s/he is. But it’s really important. And you’ll be glad you did it. You’ll be glad you did it.

For those who’ve been an admin for a roleplay know that it’s not an easy task. In fact, it can be very stressful, especially if you have no experience balancing your admin duties, your characters and real life. From the get go, you become very concerned about how the roleplay looks, the number messages and applications that need to be looked at in your inbox, the number of promos on your queue blog, and a growing list of other things. Without even realizing it, you’re spending 90% of your time on admin duties. After spending so much time on the main blog, you’re more likely tired and have no time and/or energy for actual roleplaying. 

Perhaps this comes from the mentality that you have to go hard when you open your roleplay. You have to promote your roleplay constantly. In all, you always have to be online, available and always producing new biographies, plot drops, and events. It can be easy to burn out and have no energy to keep up your roleplay. No one can constantly be available to answer questions and produce new biographies for long periods of time. This is why, I suggest admins to schedule days off for admin duties. As I’ve pointed out earlier, doing so might

give you time off to relax from running a roleplay

give you more time to roleplay on your character blogs

help you get on the main and be productive for short period of times on specific days instead of trying to be productive all the time

Of course, this sounds nice for admins but can is it something that can really be done? As an admin, you become worrisome and attached to making things go as smoothly as possible. Believe it or not, you can still be productive and on top of things even if you take time off from admin duties. Under the cut, you’ll find some tips that can help with that.