I know adverbs are controversial, but "said softly" means something different than "whispered" and this is the hill I will die on.
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I know adverbs are controversial, but "said softly" means something different than "whispered" and this is the hill I will die on.

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some people think writers are so eloquent and good with words, but the reality is that we can sit there with our fingers on the keyboard going, “what’s the word for non-sunlight lighting? Like, fake lighting?” and for ten minutes, all our brain will supply is “unofficial”, and we know that’s not the right word, but it’s the only word we can come up with…until finally it’s like our face got smashed into a brick wall and we remember the word we want is “artificial”.
I couldn't remember the word "doorknob" ten minutes ago.
ok but the onelook thesaurus will save your life, i literally could not live without this website
REBLOG TO SAVE A WRITER'S LIFE
Oh my gosh. I just found this website that walks you though creating a believable society. It breaks each facet down into individual questions and makes it so simple! It seems really helpful for worldbuilding!
Heads up that this is a very extensive questionnaire and might be daunting to a lot of writers (myself included). That being said, it is also an amazing questionnaire and I will definitely be using it (or at the very least, some of it).
Words for Skin Tone | How to Describe Skin Color
We discussed the issues describing People of Color by means of food in Part I of this guide, which brought rise to even more questions, mostly along the lines of “So, if food’s not an option, what can I use?” Well, I was just getting to that!
This final portion focuses on describing skin tone, with photo and passage examples provided throughout. I hope to cover everything from the use of straight-forward description to the more creatively-inclined, keeping in mind the questions we’ve received on this topic.
Standard Description
Basic Colors
Pictured above: Black, Brown, Beige, White, Pink.
“She had brown skin.”
This is a perfectly fine description that, while not providing the most detail, works well and will never become cliché.
Describing characters’ skin as simply brown or beige works on its own, though it’s not particularly telling just from the range in brown alone.
Complex Colors
These are more rarely used words that actually “mean” their color. Some of these have multiple meanings, so you’ll want to look into those to determine what other associations a word might have.
Pictured above: Umber, Sepia, Ochre, Russet, Terra-cotta, Gold, Tawny, Taupe, Khaki, Fawn.
Complex colors work well alone, though often pair well with a basic color in regards to narrowing down shade/tone.
For example: Golden brown, russet brown, tawny beige…
As some of these are on the “rare” side, sliding in a definition of the word within the sentence itself may help readers who are unfamiliar with the term visualize the color without seeking a dictionary.
“He was tall and slim, his skin a russet, reddish-brown.”
Comparisons to familiar colors or visuals are also helpful:
“His skin was an ochre color, much like the mellow-brown light that bathed the forest.”
Modifiers
Modifiers, often adjectives, make partial changes to a word.The following words are descriptors in reference to skin tone.
Dark - Deep - Rich - Cool
Warm - Medium - Tan
Fair - Light - Pale
Rich Black, Dark brown, Warm beige, Pale pink…
If you’re looking to get more specific than “brown,” modifiers narrow down shade further.
Keep in mind that these modifiers are not exactly colors.
As an already brown-skinned person, I get tan from a lot of sun and resultingly become a darker, deeper brown. I turn a pale, more yellow-brown in the winter.
While best used in combination with a color, I suppose words like “tan” “fair” and “light” do work alone; just note that tan is less likely to be taken for “naturally tan” and much more likely a tanned White person.
Calling someone “dark” as description on its own is offensive to some and also ambiguous. (See: Describing Skin as Dark)
Undertones
Undertones are the colors beneath the skin, seeing as skin isn’t just one even color but has more subdued tones within the dominating palette.
pictured above: warm / earth undertones: yellow, golden, copper, olive, bronze, orange, orange-red, coral | cool / jewel undertones: pink, red, blue, blue-red, rose, magenta, sapphire, silver.
Mentioning the undertones within a character’s skin is an even more precise way to denote skin tone.
As shown, there’s a difference between say, brown skin with warm orange-red undertones (Kelly Rowland) and brown skin with cool, jewel undertones (Rutina Wesley).
“A dazzling smile revealed the bronze glow at her cheeks.”
“He always looked as if he’d ran a mile, a constant tinge of pink under his tawny skin.”
Standard Description Passage
“Farah’s skin, always fawn, had burned and freckled under the summer’s sun. Even at the cusp of autumn, an uneven tan clung to her skin like burrs. So unlike the smooth, red-brown ochre of her mother, which the sun had richened to a blessing.”
-From my story “Where Summer Ends” featured in Strange Little Girls
Here the state of skin also gives insight on character.
Note my use of “fawn” in regards to multiple meaning and association. While fawn is a color, it’s also a small, timid deer, which describes this very traumatized character of mine perfectly.
Though I use standard descriptions of skin tone more in my writing, at the same time I’m no stranger to creative descriptions, and do enjoy the occasional artsy detail of a character.
Creative Description
Whether compared to night-cast rivers or day’s first light…I actually enjoy seeing Characters of Colors dressed in artful detail.
I’ve read loads of descriptions in my day of white characters and their “smooth rose-tinged ivory skin”, while the PoC, if there, are reduced to something from a candy bowl or a Starbucks drink, so to actually read of PoC described in lavish detail can be somewhat of a treat.
Still, be mindful when you get creative with your character descriptions. Too many frills can become purple-prose-like, so do what feels right for your writing when and where. Not every character or scene warrants a creative description, either. Especially if they’re not even a secondary character.
Using a combination of color descriptions from standard to creative is probably a better method than straight creative. But again, do what’s good for your tale.
Natural Settings - Sky
Pictured above: Harvest Moon -Twilight, Fall/Autumn Leaves, Clay, Desert/Sahara, Sunlight - Sunrise - Sunset - Afterglow - Dawn- Day- Daybreak, Field - Prairie - Wheat, Mountain/Cliff, Beach/Sand/Straw/Hay.
Now before you run off to compare your heroine’s skin to the harvest moon or a cliff side, think about the associations to your words.
When I think cliff, I think of jagged, perilous, rough. I hear sand and picture grainy, yet smooth. Calm. mellow.
So consider your character and what you see fit to compare them to.
Also consider whose perspective you’re describing them from. Someone describing a person they revere or admire may have a more pleasant, loftier description than someone who can’t stand the person.
“Her face was like the fire-gold glow of dawn, lifting my gaze, drawing me in.”
“She had a sandy complexion, smooth and tawny.”
Even creative descriptions tend to draw help from your standard words.
Flowers
Pictured above: Calla lilies, Western Coneflower, Hazel Fay, Hibiscus, Freesia, Rose
It was a bit difficult to find flowers to my liking that didn’t have a 20 character name or wasn’t called something like “chocolate silk” so these are the finalists.
You’ll definitely want to avoid purple-prose here.
Also be aware of flowers that most might’ve never heard of. Roses are easy, as most know the look and coloring(s) of this plant. But Western coneflowers? Calla lilies? Maybe not so much.
“He entered the cottage in a huff, cheeks a blushing brown like the flowers Nana planted right under my window. Hazel Fay she called them, was it?”
Assorted Plants & Nature
Pictured above: Cattails, Seashell, Driftwood, Pinecone, Acorn, Amber
These ones are kinda odd. Perhaps because I’ve never seen these in comparison to skin tone, With the exception of amber.
At least they’re common enough that most may have an idea what you’re talking about at the mention of “pinecone."
I suggest reading out your sentences aloud to get a better feel of how it’ll sounds.
"Auburn hair swept past pointed ears, set around a face like an acorn both in shape and shade.”
I pictured some tree-dwelling being or person from a fantasy world in this example, which makes the comparison more appropriate.
I don’t suggest using a comparison just “cuz you can” but actually being thoughtful about what you’re comparing your character to and how it applies to your character and/or setting.
Wood
Pictured above: Mahogany, Walnut, Chestnut, Golden Oak, Ash
Wood can be an iffy description for skin tone. Not only due to several of them having “foody” terminology within their names, but again, associations.
Some people would prefer not to compare/be compared to wood at all, so get opinions, try it aloud, and make sure it’s appropriate to the character if you do use it.
“The old warlock’s skin was a deep shade of mahogany, his stare serious and firm as it held mine.”
Metals
Pictured above: Platinum, Copper, Brass, Gold, Bronze
Copper skin, brass-colored skin, golden skin…
I’ve even heard variations of these used before by comparison to an object of the same properties/coloring, such as penny for copper.
These also work well with modifiers.
“The dress of fine white silks popped against the deep bronze of her skin.”
Gemstones - Minerals
Pictured above: Onyx, Obsidian, Sard, Topaz, Carnelian, Smoky Quartz, Rutile, Pyrite, Citrine, Gypsum
These are trickier to use. As with some complex colors, the writer will have to get us to understand what most of these look like.
If you use these, or any more rare description, consider if it actually “fits” the book or scene.
Even if you’re able to get us to picture what “rutile” looks like, why are you using this description as opposed to something else? Have that answer for yourself.
“His skin reminded her of the topaz ring her father wore at his finger, a gleaming stone of brown, mellow facades.”
Physical Description
Physical character description can be more than skin tone.
Show us hair, eyes, noses, mouth, hands…body posture, body shape, skin texture… though not necessarily all of those nor at once.
Describing features also helps indicate race, especially if your character has some traits common within the race they are, such as afro hair to a Black character.
How comprehensive you decide to get is up to you. I wouldn’t overdo it and get specific to every mole and birthmark. Noting defining characteristics is good, though, like slightly spaced front teeth, curls that stay flopping in their face, hands freckled with sunspots…
General Tips
Indicate Race Early: I suggest indicators of race be made at the earliest convenience within the writing, with more hints threaded throughout here and there.
Get Creative On Your Own: Obviously, I couldn’t cover every proper color or comparison in which has been “approved” to use for your characters’ skin color, so it’s up to you to use discretion when seeking other ways and shades to describe skin tone.
Skin Color May Not Be Enough: Describing skin tone isn’t always enough to indicate someone’s ethnicity. As timeless cases with readers equating brown to “dark white” or something, more indicators of race may be needed.
Describe White characters and PoC Alike: You should describe the race and/or skin tone of your white characters just as you do your Characters of Color. If you don’t, you risk implying that White is the default human being and PoC are the “Other”).
PSA: Don’t use “Colored.” Based on some asks we’ve received using this word, I’d like to say that unless you or your character is a racist grandmama from the 1960s, do not call People of Color “colored” please.
Not Sure Where to Start? You really can’t go wrong using basic colors for your skin descriptions. It’s actually what many people prefer and works best for most writing. Personally, I tend to describe my characters using a combo of basic colors + modifiers, with mentions of undertones at times. I do like to veer into more creative descriptions on occasion.
Want some alternatives to “skin” or “skin color”? Try: Appearance, blend, blush, cast, coloring, complexion, flush, glow, hue, overtone, palette, pigmentation, rinse, shade, sheen, spectrum, tinge, tint, tone, undertone, value, wash.
Skin Tone Resources
List of Color Names
The Color Thesaurus
Skin Undertone & Color Matching
Tips and Words on Describing Skin
Photos: Undertones Described (Modifiers included)
Online Thesaurus (try colors, such as “red” & “brown”)
Don’t Call me Pastries: Creative Skin Tones w/ pics I
Writing & Description Guides
WWC Featured Description Posts
WWC Guide: Words to Describe Hair
Writing with Color: Description & Skin Color Tags
7 Offensive Mistakes Well-intentioned Writers Make
I tried to be as comprehensive as possible with this guide, but if you have a question regarding describing skin color that hasn’t been answered within part I or II of this guide, or have more questions after reading this post, feel free to ask!
~ Mod Colette

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Resources For Fantasy & Mythology Writers
Designing A World
City and Town Name Generator
How To Create a Believable World
Fantasy Religion Design Guide
Fantasy Map-maker
The Language Construction Kit
Fantasy Name Generator
The Pagan Name Generator
Writing Fantasy: Tools & Techniques
Fractal World Generator
Creating a Magic System
The Middle Ages
A Large List Of Articles On The Middle Ages
Middle Ages Weapons
Medieval Clothing
Medieval Clothing Pages
Medieval Name Archive
The Domesday Book
European Nobility Titles
Mythology
General Folklore
Various Folktales
Heroes
Weather Folklore
Trees in Mythology
Animals in Mythology
Birds in Mythology
Flowers in Mythology
Fruit in Mythology
Plants in Mythology
Folktales from Around the World
Egyptian Mythology
African Mythology
More African Mythology
Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
The Gods of Africa
Even More African Mythology
West African Mythology
All About African Mythology
African Mythical Creatures
Gods and Goddesses
Aztec Mythology
Haitian Mythology
Inca Mythology
Maya Mythology
Native American Mythology
More Inca Mythology
More Native American Mythology
South American Mythical Creatures
North American Mythical Creatures
Aztec Gods and Goddesses
Chinese Mythology
Hindu Mythology
Japanese Mythology
Korean Mythology
More Japanese Mythology
Chinese and Japanese Mythical Creatures
Indian Mythical Creatures
Chinese Gods and Goddesses
Hindu Gods and Goddesses
Korean Gods and Goddesses
Basque Mythology
Celtic Mythology
Etruscan Mythology
Greek Mythology
Latvian Mythology
Norse Mythology
Roman Mythology
Arthurian Legends
Bestiary
Celtic Gods and Goddesses
Gods and Goddesses of the Celtic Lands
Finnish Mythology
Celtic Mythical Creatures
Gods and Goddesses
Islamic Mythology
Judaic Mythology
Mesopotamian Mythology
Persian Mythology
Middle Eastern Mythical Creatures
Aboriginal Mythology
Polynesian Mythology
More Polynesian Mythology
Mythology of the Polynesian Islands
Melanesian Mythology
Massive Polynesian Mythology Post
Maori Mythical Creatures
Hawaiian Gods and Goddesses
Hawaiian Goddesses
Gods and Goddesses
List of Gods
Encyclopedia Mythica
Mythical Creatures & Beasts
Questions To Ask When Worldbuilding
The World
Physical and Historical Features
Magic and Magicians
Peoples and Customs
Social Organization
Commerce, Trade, and Public Life
Daily Life
Basics
Alternate Earth
Not Earth at All
Climate and Geography
Natural Resources
World History
Specific Country(s) History
Rules of Magic
Wizards
Magic and Technology
Miscellaneous Magic Questions
Customs
Eating
Greeting and Meeting
Gestures
Visits
Language
Ethics and Values
Religion and the Gods
Population
Government
Politics
Crime and the Legal System
Foreign Relations
Waging War
Weapons
Business and Industry
Transportation and Communication
Science and Technology
Medicine
Arts and Entertainment
Architecture
Urban Factors
Rural Factors
Fashion and Dress
Manners
Diet
Education
Calendar
Magic
The Hypertext List of Spells
Gemstone Properties
Gemstone Meanings
Crystal Healing
Fairy & Other Spirits
Elven Phrases
neat stuff.
I found this awesome resource recently and thought some of y’all might be interested in it as well!
It’s a full fantasy-style map generator, complete with optional country names. I haven’t messed around with it too much, but there’s a lot of flexibility in the number of countries, the overall style, and how much info to include on the final product. It looks like it could be a really useful tool!
[and the url in case the above link isn’t working: https://azgaar.github.io/Fantasy-Map-Generator/]
the suffering never ends
This is the real process
Resources for you!
Character Ideas:
Character creation masterpost
Character Alignment Chart
More character alignment descriptions
Muslim Character questions
Characters with magical powers
Building a new character advice
How to create a character for an online or tabletop RPG (also a good guide on creating characters in general)
Royalty/nobility TV Tropes page
Basic character profile
OC masterpost
Random character generators - (1), (2), (3), (4)
D&D Character Building Tool
Character Design Ideas:
How clothing affects a character’s personality
Character Design Inspiration blog
Concept art, fan art, cool art to be inspired by
Character design references and inspiration
Sources for POC character design ideas and models
Create your own character model using HeroForge
For horned characters
Body and hair types guide
Random outfit generator
Naming Help:
Amazing site with an endless amount of naming resources
General advice on avoiding naming appropriation
Hispanic Surnames
Gothic Victorian names
Huge master list for character things in general
Masterlist of names of all types - including but not limited to ancient/old world names, Celtic, African, Northern European, Southern and Central American Native names, Japanese, Chinese, Mongolian, Polynesian, and more
Another name masterlist
How to pick a character name guide
Yet another names masterlist
Creating Background/backstory:
Character Sheet/Development Sheet
Another character development list
In-depth character personality, motivations and traits sheet
320 talents and passions for characters
On writing likes and dislikes that aren’t frivolous
Why you should write non-human characters non-conforming to the gender binary
Stereotypes, tropes, and archetypes
Random backstory generator
Assassin and thief character tropes to avoid
Character Interactions and putting your character into your world/story:
Comparing character height/height references
Characters who are scientists and writing about them doing science
Describing what different voices sound like
Describing skin tones
Writing friendship interactions that are platonic
Why having one character knock their friend unconscious to prevent them from doing something is a bad idea
Advice on shipping OCs with canon characters and what to avoid doing
Sweet Polly Oliver and Sweet on Polly Oliver situations (think of Disney’s Mulan for an example)
How to write multiple viewpoints/juggling a main cast of more than 4 to 6 characters
How to make readers care about your morally gray hero/anti-hero
On platonic OC and canon character relationships
How to avoid Godmodding in RPs
When it’s cheap to kill off a character
Writing dialogue
Things you shouldn’t do to canon characters
Avoiding purple prose in writing and RPs
Slang resources
Dialogue tips
Websites to chart your story/plot/character relationships
Bonus art masterlist!
BLESS EVERYONE IN THIS POST.
I will always reblog this!
YESSSSSS. GOOD SHIT. GOOD SHIT FOR CREATIVES <3
Holy shit, this is gold
things that always make me happy: serial commenters. there are three types
1) reading a longfic chapter by chapter, leaving an increasingly emotional comment on every chapter, descends into keysmashes near the end: outstanding
2) read one fic by accident, clicked the author name, now working steadily through the backlog and commenting on everything, I wake up to an AO3 inbox full of enthusiasm: precious beyond words
3) the longterm serial commenter whose comment begins with I don’t even know this fandom but because they have followed me from somewhere else: stunning. humbling. magical.
these are all *chef’s kiss* and I want to add one more: 4) left a comment a while ago, comes back and leaves another comment on the same fic, telling you that they’re coming back to reread the fic: angels. blessings. lifesavers.
OK but real quick here: how many times can I comment on the same fic before it gets creepy???
IT NEVER GETS CREEPY
Why would reading and commenting on fic be creepy. It’s not creepy to reread stories you like. I have read The Hitchhiker’s Guide SO MANY TIMES.
FINALLY 👏 SOMEONE 👏 SAID 👏 IT. 👏 ALL OF IT. 👏ALL AT ONCE. 👏
(Thank you @fallingawkwardly for bringing this to my attention.)
Brandon Taylor is great.
while brandon taylor is p cool, actually stopping to address like half of these would bog your story down in some of the most fantastically pointless, reader unfriendly, and unnecessary detailing ever written since the silmarillion was slapped down on the intake desk at george allen & unwin, and amounts to little more than pedantic nerd-flexing, “how did they agree on a systematised measure of time”? are you KIDDING ME?? more like how the fuck could you possible convince your read that yes, it matters, please don’t go, just another 500 words on my in-universe ‘mathematics in the context of social sciences’ textbook that my illiterate character happened to be thumbing through. it’s important to work on your world building, obviously, but there is a pretty hard limit to what you need to show your reader, and when you cross that line, unless you happen to be the reincarnated soul of terry pratchett, it becomes flabby, boring, and distracting from the actual story. YES to getting rid of senseless misogynistic tropes and putting more effort into crafting your story, NO to including the fucking ancestral migrations of horses.
Like it’s great to address a lot of these, but honestly, unless it’s a key part of explaining major plot points, it belongs in like your unseen Bible of Your World™ or as fridge logic for the reader.
Sometimes, suspension of disbelief is the way to go so as to get on with the fucking story.
Yeah, @brood-mother mentions the Silmarillion, but critically Tolkien did not publish the Silmarillion (his son published it after his death). Tolkien wrote the Silmarillion for him, and then drew from its lore when he was writing the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. Which is the right way to do it, if you want your Lore to get that granular. YOU have the master copy of the all the background shit, and you can have one of your characters bust out singing part of the Song of Beren and Lúthien if it becomes relevant. But not if it gets in the way of the story being told.
And if people DO get that invested in your lore later, then that’s still a different book.
And some of those are not good points, thanks. There’s a reason for feminist stories about women disguising themselves as men to be warriors. It’s fucking historical fact that women did that. For millenia. Do we also need stories in which women just get to be warriors? Yes. But FFS, a story is not automatically antifeminist for using that trope. And as long as male specfic fans keep saying that women can’t do things like pass as male warriors, we will continue to need both factual stories and fictional ones about women doing those things. Also, peasants can have a few high-quality goddamn sheep and make their own few outfits. Not that any fantasy novel I’ve ever read says anything about everyone having high quality wool. Thick oak forests can grow in places with cold winters as long as they have warmer (but not necessarily very warm) summers, and continue to exist because they are fucking vast and nobody’s had time to cut them all down, and sometimes when they’re less vast because they’re protected by the crown and nobody’s allowed to cut them down. The same soil that makes for good forest doesn’t necessarily make for good farmland, especially right after it’s been forest. Some of these things have good story reasons. Some of them are based on things that have good historical or physical reasons.
Not saying he has no good points. He does. But some of this list is bullshit. And, as has been pointed out, you can’t actually include most of this shit.
As a worldbuilder who is currently dealing with “attempting SOME SORT of logical economy (ironically for The Fair Folk who have magic) because I want to see a ruler who actually RULES, and her unwilling adventures get in the way,” working out the nitty-gritty details of the culture and environment and religion is both fascinating and tedious as shit!
“Who domesticated that wheat you’re making into your bread?” Bitch, I don’t know that about our world! It happened at least seven thousand years ago, probably closer to twice that, and I’m not even convinced I know where (was it the fertile cresent?)
If I, a person with access to the internet and a decent interest in history, cannot answer that, why should a random character in a fantasy setting know that?
“You spent an entire book telling us about the succession of the king, but forgot about all the succession laws in the individual fiefs”
Oh! It’s because the book isn’t about the individual fiefs. Hope this helps!

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Absolutely fucking incensed by this ad. I can get unlimited months of unlimited reading and listening through Libby on my phone you dumb sack of shit Amazon I will not let you kill libraries I will not let you kill libraries I will not let you kill libraries
Listen to me. You can read any library's digital collection via Libby in America and apparently in uh 78 other countries. If that doesn't do it for you, the internet archive has two million digitized books you can access for free. The only thing I can't help you access is books self-published through Amazon but even then sometimes they're ALSO published through separate websites. Do not fucking give in to this amazon bullshit. Amazon has a vested interest in destroying libraries and replacing them with for-profit bookstores or book rentals. Do not fucking let them do that. It's up to us to support libraries and keep literature free and accessible and we have to do everything in our power to act in that vein
Amazon can afford to throw money from exploited workers towards random shit like making an MMO and trying to destroy libraries. Libraries cannot fight that kind of financial might. It's our job to see amazon, tell it no, and choose libraries instead. As often as we can.
If anyone has info on other ways to ethically access self-published books on amazon feel free to add it
Project Gutenberg is also a really useful source for free ethical eBooks! They're volunteer run, and have free PDFs and eBooks for any out of Copyright book-- both fiction and non fiction! So if you're after a copy of Pride & Prejudice, or The Great Gatsby or The Communist Manifesto, that you want to download and keep -- check them out!
writing tip #3265:
some people write for money, some people write for fame, some people just want to tell their story. however, the only correct reason to write is to make keyboard go click clack click clack
I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who has trouble remembering developmental milestones. I put these together, but can’t take credit for any of the photography. Hope someone finds them helpful!
This is very useful to me i have absolutely no gauge for how old children are and what they can typically do at what ages
I’ve been on Tumblr too long I was definitely expecting this to turn into some existentialist meme
Every writer needs to see this because I’m really tired of otherwise competent novels in which a two year old is like “mother dearest I do believe I am quite frightened” or conversely they’re supposed to be five and going “me hungie!!!”
stop using hospitals as horror settings
fun alternative: cruise ships. cruise ships exploit workers and can pollute as much as a million cars on a daily basis while dumping endless shit into the ocean and endangering all passengers on board because the on board air quality rivals some of the most polluted cities in the world while being a breeding ground for disease. cruise ships deserve to have negativity associated with them
also all crimes commited aboard a cruise ship is under the juristiction of whichever country they’re registered to once they’re a certain distance away from land so you have the added bonus of the crimes being very unlikely to be properly investigated (due to usually being physically so very far from the actual police whose juristiction they’re under)
terrifying!
On top of THAT cruise ships tend to have their own morgue, as people tend to die on ships all the time. Good for those spooky scenes.
plus u can just like…leave a hospital. good luck escaping a killer or a monster or a curse or w/e in the middle of the fucking ocean
As an ex cruise ship employee, let me give you some stuff to work with!
Water tight doors! You get a special training video on interacting with these correctly because they will literally cut you in half if you try and go through them while they’re closing!
Freezer vaults for food in the sub decks - you can only get into these with the correct code and they have very thick walls. Good luck if you get shut in one of these just after the last round of checks bucko
There are cameras everywhere…except in the crew cabin corridors. Also there are no windows down there because unless you’re an officer, you live below the waterline. Day and night have no meaning because everything is in the same slightly unsettling yellow light.
Don’t piss off the guys who deal with the rubbish. They have machines down there that can crush metal barrels
As well as morgues, cruise ships usually have one basic operating theatre with all the attendant horrifying equipment in it
One cigarette thrown carelessly in the wrong place WILL start a fire that will gut half the ship.
When we’re pitching side to side, the anchor swings out and then back in, striking the metal outer shell with a noise that shakes half the ship
People disappear overboard more often than you’d really want to be a thing
A lot of cruise ships now have theatres on board (usually towards the front) with all the potential for dark corners, creepy costumes and electrical calamities you could want.
And as op says, you can’t really escape a ship in the middle of the ocean. Particularly during a storm, as then you can’t even evacuate to lifeboats unless the whole ship is going down. On the upside being on board during a storm means most guests hide in their cabins and the staff walk around like drunks, which would likely throw off a skilled murderer’s plans.
Takes notes
You also have the bonus of a corporate overlord who doesn’t give a shit about anything but profits and can be reliably counted on to downplay any disaster in an attempt to avoid publicity.
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According to the website:
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Just take a brief look at what the index page provides:
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Please check out the Mynoise Index for yourself, donate if you can, and tell your friends who might be interested ♡

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How to Kick a Reader in the Gut
Disrupt the reader’s sense of justice.
This generally means setting a character up to deserve one thing and then giving them the exact opposite.
Kill a character off before they can achieve their goal.
Let the bad guy get an extremely important win.
Set up a coup against a tyrannical king. The coup fails miserably.
Don’t always give characters closure.
(Excluding the end of the book, obviously)
A beloved friend dies in battle and there’s no time to mourn him.
A random tryst between two main characters is not (or cannot be) brought up again.
A character suddenly loses their job or can otherwise no longer keep up their old routine
Make it the main character’s fault sometimes.
And not in an “imposter syndrome” way. Make your MC do something bad, and make the blame they shoulder for it heavy and tangible.
MC must choose the lesser of two evils.
MC kills someone they believe to be a bad guy, only to later discover the bad guy was a different person altogether.
Rejection is a powerful tool.
People generally want to be understood, and if you can make a character think they are Known, and then rip that away from them with a rejection (romantic or platonic) people will empathize with it.
MC is finally accepting the Thing They Must Do/Become, and their love interest decides that that’s not a path they want to be on and breaks up with them
MC makes a decision they believe is right, everyone around them thinks they chose wrong.
MC finds kinship with someone Like Them, at long last, but that person later discovers that there is some inherent aspect of MC that they wholly reject. (Perhaps it was MC’s fault that their family member died, they have important religious differences, or WERE THE BAD GUY ALL ALONG!)
On the flipside, make your main character keep going.
Push them beyond what they are capable of, and then push them farther. Make them want something so deeply that they are willing to do literally anything to get it. Give them passion and drive and grit and more of that than they have fear.
“But what if my MC is quiet and meek?” Even better. They want something so deeply that every single moment they push themselves toward it is a moment spent outside their comfort zone. What must that do to a person?
Obviously, don’t do all of these things, or the story can begin to feel tedious or overly dramatic, and make sure that every decision you make is informed by your plot first and foremost.
Also remember that the things that make us sad, angry, or otherwise emotional as readers are the same things that make us feel that way in our day-to-day lives. Creating an empathetic main character is the foundation for all of the above tips.