When Building A Fictional Nation:

Poison list

While it's important to approach writing with creativity and imagination, it's crucial to prioritize responsible and ethical storytelling. That being said, if you're looking for information on poisons for the purpose of writing fiction, it's essential to handle the subject matter with care and accuracy. Here is a list of some common poisons that you can use in your stories:

Hemlock: Hemlock is a highly poisonous plant that has been used as a poison in various works of literature. It can cause paralysis and respiratory failure.

Arsenic: Arsenic is a toxic element that has been historically used as a poison. It can be lethal in high doses and can cause symptoms such as vomiting, abdominal pain, and organ failure.

Cyanide: Cyanide is a fast-acting poison that affects the body's ability to use oxygen. It can cause rapid loss of consciousness and cardiac arrest.

Nightshade: Nightshade plants, such as Belladonna or Deadly Nightshade, contain toxic compounds that can cause hallucinations, respiratory distress, and even death.

Ricin: Ricin is a potent poison derived from the castor bean plant. It can cause organ failure and has been used as a plot device in various fictional works.

Strychnine: Strychnine is a highly toxic alkaloid that affects the nervous system, leading to muscle spasms, convulsions, and respiratory failure.

Snake Venom: Various snake venoms can be used in fiction as deadly poisons. Different snake species have different types of venom, each with its own effects on the body.

Belladonna: Also known as Deadly Nightshade, Belladonna contains tropane alkaloids such as atropine and scopolamine. Ingesting or even touching the plant can lead to symptoms like blurred vision, hallucinations, dizziness, and an increased heart rate.

Digitalis: Digitalis, derived from the foxglove plant, contains cardiac glycosides. It has been historically used to treat heart conditions, but in high doses, it can be toxic. Overdosing on digitalis can cause irregular heart rhythms, nausea, vomiting, and visual disturbances.

Lead: Lead poisoning, often resulting from the ingestion or inhalation of lead-based substances, has been a concern throughout history. Lead is a heavy metal that can affect the nervous system, leading to symptoms such as abdominal pain, cognitive impairment, anemia, and developmental issues, particularly in children.

Mercury: Mercury is a toxic heavy metal that has been used in various forms throughout history. Ingesting or inhaling mercury vapors can lead to mercury poisoning, causing symptoms like neurological impairment, kidney damage, respiratory issues, and gastrointestinal problems.

Aconite: Also known as Wolfsbane or Monkshood, aconite is a highly toxic plant. Its roots and leaves contain aconitine alkaloids, which can affect the heart and nervous system. Ingesting aconite can lead to symptoms like numbness, tingling, paralysis, cardiac arrhythmias, and respiratory failure.

Thallium: Thallium is a toxic heavy metal that can cause severe poisoning. It has been used as a poison due to its tastelessness and ability to mimic other substances. Thallium poisoning can lead to symptoms like hair loss, neurological issues, gastrointestinal disturbances, and damage to the kidneys and liver.

When incorporating poisons into your writing, it is essential to research and accurately portray the effects and symptoms associated with them. Additionally, be mindful of the potential impact your writing may have on readers and the importance of providing appropriate context and warnings if necessary.

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Expanding a thought from a conversation this morning:

In general, I think "Is X out-of-character?" is not a terribly useful question for a writer. It shuts down possibility, and interesting directions you could take a character.

A better question, I believe, is "What would it take for Character to do X?" What extremity would she find herself in, where X starts to look like a good idea? What loyalties or fears leave him with X as his only option? THAT'S where a potentially interesting story lies.

In practice, I find that you can often justify much more from a character than you initially dreamed you could: some of my best stories come from "What might drive Character to do [thing he would never do]?" As long as you make it clear to the reader what the hell pushed your character to this point, you've got the seed of a compelling story on your hands.

Injuries For Your Characters To Receive When You’re In The Mood For Angst (And How To Treat Them.)

A: A bite wound. (Wash the wound with soap and water, then cover the area with a bandage. Afterward your character will need medical care from a doctor to make sure that they aren’t going to get rabies or an infected bite area.) 

B: A sprained wrist. (Your character should ice the area and avoid activities that cause pain. It’s also important to compress the area with bandages (But not so much that it cuts off circulation!) and keep it elevated.) 

C: A stab wound to the stomach. (This is an emergency room visit because abdomens have a lot of vital organs. Just straight to the ER.) 

D: A concussion. (A concussion is brain trauma so your character really should be checked out by someone at the ER. Afterward they should take it mentally easy and possibly take pills for pain.) 

E: A black eye. (An ice pack on the swollen area should help.) 

F: A broken ankle. (Your character will probably need to go to the Doctor to get their leg splinted. After leaving the hospital they’ll need to take it easy on their foot until it’s healed.) 

More Undercut

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The symbolism of flowers

Flowers have a long history of symbolism that you can incorporate into your writing to give subtext.

Symbolism varies between cultures and customs, and these particular examples come from Victorian Era Britain. You'll find examples of this symbolism in many well-known novels of the era!

Amaryllis: Pride

Black-eyed Susan: Justice

Bluebell: Humility

Calla Lily: Beauty

Pink Camellia: Longing

Carnations: Female love

Yellow Carnation: Rejection

Clematis: Mental beauty

Columbine: Foolishness

Cyclamen: Resignation

Daffodil: Unrivalled love

Daisy: Innocence, loyalty

Forget-me-not: True love

Gardenia: Secret love

Geranium: Folly, stupidity

Gladiolus: Integrity, strength

Hibiscus: Delicate beauty

Honeysuckle: Bonds of love

Blue Hyacinth: Constancy

Hydrangea: Frigid, heartless

Iris: Faith, trust, wisdom

White Jasmine: Amiability

Lavender: Distrust

Lilac: Joy of youth

White Lily: Purity

Orange Lily: Hatred

Tiger Lily: Wealth, pride

Lily-of-the-valley: Sweetness, humility

Lotus: Enlightenment, rebirth

Magnolia: Nobility

Marigold: Grief, jealousy

Morning Glory: Affection

Nasturtium: Patriotism, conquest

Pansy: Thoughtfulness

Peony: Bashfulness, shame

Poppy: Consolation

Red Rose: Love

Yellow Rose: Jealously, infidelity

Snapdragon: Deception, grace

Sunflower: Adoration

Sweet Willian: Gallantry

Red Tulip: Passion

Violet: Watchfulness, modesty

Yarrow: Everlasting love

Zinnia: Absent, affection

How fucking annoying is it when you feel so restless with creative energy but you can’t decide what to do with it and when you finally try to create something it comes out shit so you just give up and sit there being all creatively annoyed and jittery.

Interactive Fiction - Twine Resource Megalist

This Resource Megalist is intended to centralise the resources for the IF Tumblr community to create Interactive Fiction with Twine. While most will focus on the Twine formats, other useful resources will be included.

I don’t know much about other Interactive Fiction programs or format aside from Twine. Even then, I tend to only use Sugarcube. Though this list may try to cover all Twine formats in its resources, my bias for the SugarCube format will be obvious.

If you have a resource I should include, send it to me and I’ll add it !

Official Twine Links

Official Website : Twinery (you can download Twine or use it online) Official Discord: Twine Games, the creators of Twine and most formats, as well as Twine wizard hang out there to help. Official Reddit: Twine Games, answers Twine related questions too.

Twine Formats

Harlowe: Current version: 3.3.3 Repository, Documentation. Creator: Leon Arnott

SugarCube: Current version 2.36.1 Repository, Documentation. Creator: Thomas M. Edwards/TheMadExile/TME (Patreon - KoFi) also created the Tweego Compiler (all format).

Chapbook: Current version 1.2.2 Repository, Documentation. Creator: Chris Klimas (Patreon), who also created Twine!

Snowman: Current version 2.0.2 Repository, Documentation. Creator: Chris Klimas, but currently maintained by Dan Cox.

Many other formats have been created for Twine, and a non-exhaustive list can be found on this page. Please note that some formats may not be complete or available anymore.

Aside from Tweego, there are also other compilers. A non exhaustive list can be found here.

Forums and Guides

The Twine website has a guide to help with the Twine interface here, as well as Cookbook to help you choose the format you may want to use. The Cookbook includes explanation and tutorials on the ways the different formats operate. There is also the old Twinery Forum where many questions were solved before it closed in 2017 and the Twine Q&A (similar fate). Please note: Due to the Forum closure and the lack of update for the Cookbook, some examples/code may be out of date (though the logic may still be good).

If you are looking for a Forum style-community for help (or discuss Twine), you should go instead to the IntFiction Forum!

Other Guides, Tutorials and Communities

The documentation for each formats may still not be quite easy to get, as it often use very technical description. Below are some guides and tutorials with maybe easier explanations. There might be more (please let me know!).

Guides and Tutorials non-official

YouTube Channels:

Dan Cox

Adam Hammond

Yi Weng

Note: The Twine interface changed in 2022, some aspects of these tutorial may be outdated.

Written Guides:

The 100% Good Twine SugarCube Guide by @manonamora-if (me), includes all SugarCube macros and more.

The Twine Grimoires (Harlowe and SugarCube - focus on visual) by @gcbaccaris (Patreon)

Introduction to Twine (Harlowe 2.1)

Interactive, Nonlinear Stories and Guided Interviews with Twine by the UVic Libraries

Narroscope Chapbook Talk

Kira’s SugarCube Guide (code)

@townofcrosshollow SugarCube Beginner Tutorial &  Tutorial 1.02

Guide for ChoiceScript to Sugarcube/Twee Transition by @manonamora-if

Tumblr coders

Below is a list of IF creators using Twine and having created tutorials/answered asks. Please check the creator’s FAQ before sending an ask/contacting them. There might be coders for other formats making tutorials, but I do not know of them.

SugarCube

@manonamora-if : I have #coding support masterlist

@idrellegames also answered a lot of Twine questions over the years (coding asks) (Patreon - Ko-Fi) Note: she does not currently take new coding asks.

@cerberus-writes answered asks here. (Ko-Fi)

@nyehilismwriting has a coding tag. (Patreon - Ko-Fi)

@townofcrosshollow made some tutorials too.

@ramonag-if Tutorials (Patreon - Ko-Fi)

@outoftheblue-if coding/tutorials posts (Ko-Fi)

@larkin-if​ has started making tutorials (Ko-Fi - Patreon) 

Harlowe:

@heart-forge used to answer asks. (Ko-Fi)

Coding Communities

Below you will find Discord servers focused on coding with Twine or Interactive Fiction where you can ask question. I am sure there are others Discords or Forums out there (especially with other languages) !

Decoding Twine Discord - run by multiple IF Creators on Tumblr.

Interact-If Discord - mainly an IF discord, but coding questions can be asked there too.

Fiction Intéractive - similarly to the one above, this one is mainly an IF community but Francophone.

Other Twine Resources

Custom Macro (GitHub + Patreon/Kofi links)

There are A LOT of people who created custom macros for Twine (SugarCube especially).

SugarCube:

Official Add-ons

Akjosch (GitHub) : Modules

Chapel (Website - GitHub - Ko-Fi): Macros.

Cycy (GitHub) Macros. Also created the T3LT extension for VSCode (syntax highlighter and macro checker-ish)

Greyelf (Forum + Forum) : Harlowe style animations + Right-Sidebar

Gwen (GitHub) Macros.

HiEv (Patreon): Macros, Inventory System

Hituro (GitHub - Website): Macros (+ Gordian/Paloma Format)

Hogart (GitHub) Macros.

Maliface (GitHub - Ko-Fi) Macros

Mike Westhad (GitHub) Macros and some StyleSheets

SleepyFool (GitHub) Macros

SjoerdHekking (GitHub - Patreon) Macros.

TME (GitHub) : Language Setting

Harlowe:

Chapel: Audio Library, Macro API

Inventory System

Greyelf (Forum + Forum): CSS styles

Templates (Visual or Code)

Note: I have not tested all of these below.

SugarCube

100% Good Twine Sugarcube Templates by @manonamora-if (3 Visual, 1 Setting Code)

Sugarcube Template & Twine - Sugarcube Template by @nyehilismwriting (Visual)

twine sugarcube template by @cerberus-writes (Visual)

ChoiceScript-like SugarCube template (code for copy-pasting) by brushmen (Visual & Code)

Twine/Sugarcube 2 Template by @innerdemons-if (Visual)

Fallen London Twine Template by thesharkwrites (Visual)

Tutorial: Coding Pronouns and Verbs in Twine SugarCube by Sylveranty (Code)

Twine Template and Twine Template II by @outoftheblue-if (Visual)

Simple Visual Novel Template for Twine by Sun Labyrinth (Visual)

PC98 Layout for Twine by fia glas (Visual)

A Quick Guide to Character Pages by @gamesbyalbie (Code)

Coding Pronouns and Verbs by @sylveranty (Code)

Harlowe:

Twine 2 (Harlowe) CSS Pack #1 by Candy✩Giants (Visual)

Custom Pronouns - Twine Tutorial by chewiethedoggo (Code)

Gender Inclusive Twine 2 Harlowe Code Tutorial by autistmouse (Code)

Harlowe Stylesheet (Github, Visual)

Twine 1:

Twine Texting Project by shindigs (Visual & Code)

Other Twine Resources

Tweego

Tweego Installer from Chapel

Ready-To-Use Tweego Folder + Guide by @manonamora-if

Other

Turning a Twine Game into a Google App

Interact-If Twine Resources Tag (you may find some of the resources above there) : #twine #twine resources #twine templates 

Other Coding/IF Resources

Knowing a bit about other coding languages can help you with customising the visual or the gameplay of the project. CSS/HTML are most helpful when understanding templates or how to build/edit the visual size; JavaScript for the gameplay/animation.

W3Schools is more accessible to new users and the explications tend to be easier to understand overall. However, MDN is thought to have the superior code and will let you know more easily if a code/rule is compatible between browsers. Both websites will include explanation for JavaScript, HTML and CSS.

If you want to learn JavaScript, you may want to start on this website.

Accessibility Resources

An important point that should be included is how to make your project accessible (for screen-readers, colour-blind, visual sensitive, etc…). While the way Twine/Tweego compiles the project into an HTML file already takes some of these into account (especially for screen-reader use), but the way one codes may hinder this accessibility.

Colour Contrast Check

ARIA-rules (used by Twine)

Firefox Accessibility Inspector

Game Accessibility Guidelines

Misc Stuff

Codepen is useful to test HTML/CSS/JavaScript. There are also some cool code out there (but edits are required to work on Twine).

Pattern of CYOA Games is more of an IF Planning resource than a coding one, but is always useful to have.

Interact-If has also reblogged some resources (see the Platform Ref Tag Subsection).

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Again, this list is non-exhaustive. I’ve only added what I know/have seen around the internet. If you have Twine resources not included in this post, please let me know so I can add it.

If I have forgotten Patreon/Ko-Fi links for any of the people mentioned above, please let me know ask well!

Writing a Story from Start to Finish - Guide

                I see you guys in the tags and reblogs talking a lot about how you have a desire to write, but have no clue what to write about, or where to even start figuring that out. While starting any project can be incredibly daunting, I wanted to put together a little guide to hopefully make it a bit more accessible. Be warned, this will probably be a long post.

Step 1: Form an idea

All writing begins with this: an idea. Ideas can start as small as an object, or as big as a world or cast of characters. What’s important is that your idea genuinely interests you, and makes you want to explore it more.

                There are a million ways to gain inspiration for ideas, but my favourite method is a sort of brainstorm/mind map of all the little and big things you find interesting. Any tropes, characters, places, concepts, objects, animals, other stories, etc. you love—write them down. Then, start connecting the pieces. Each connection is one concept or idea you could explore further.

                If this doesn’t work for you, try using some writing prompts or check out 15 ways to spark new ideas.

                If you are a planner, proceed to Step 2. If you are a pantser, skip to step 7.

Step 2: Create your Protagonist

Now that you have a sort of concept or inspiration to work off of, you need your main character. There are about as many ways to create characters as there are characters themselves, and each method is going to work better or worse for every writer.

                At the barest minimum, all your protagonist needs is a Goal to work towards, a Reason for wanting it, and a Flaw that keeps them from having it right away.

                These three things can form a baseline character. Consider what the thing they want, why they want it, and what’s keeping from it says about them as a person.

                Rapunzel (from Disney’s Tangled) wants to see the ‘floating lights’ on her birthday. She wants to because she believes she will learn more about herself through seeing them. Her fear over disappointing and disobeying her ‘mother’ keeps her from it.

                My favourite character creation technique is actually Here—it takes you through creating character in order to create story.

                If that one doesn’t work for you, try this one. It is more focused on defining traits and figuring out the personality of the character first.

Step 3: Your Plot is your Protagonist’s Arc

As stated in the character creation technique I shared in Step 2, character is plot. By that I mean, the character’s journey is the plot of the story. We’re here to see the protagonist transform because of the circumstances incited in the beginning.

                So to form a plot, we need to know who the character is at the beginning, and what they need to learn by the end.

                Your character’s arc is A but B so C:

                A – your character and their flaw

                B – The conflict they go through

                C – how they change

“Obsessed with success, Jenny Beech works tirelessly to earn the approval of her strict parents and graduate top of her class, but when the new girl in town pulls her into a whole new world of excitement and fun, she must stand up for herself against her impossible standards and learn how to be a teen again.”

                This one sentence has everything we need to know about this story and character: “Obsessed with success (character trait/flaw), Jenny Beech works tirelessly to earn the approval of her strict parents and graduate top of her class (goal), but when the new girl in town pulls her into a new world of excitement and fun (conflict), she must stand up for herself against her impossible standards and learn how to be a teen again (change).”

                If you have these three things, congratulations! You already have a story. If you’d like, you may begin writing it now (skip to step 8). Or…

Step 4: Theme

                I did a whole post on theme you should check out here. Essentially, the big takeaway is that your theme is a lesson to impart to the readers—which means it is not a question, it is an answer.

                For the example given above, our theme would likely be something like, “Teens need to balance their additional responsibilities as they mature into young adults with the joy of being young and having fun.” Or, “Friends and a close social network is more important than having the best grades.” Or, “It’s important to take frequent time away from work in order to maintain one’s humanity.” Etc. Etc.

                Theme is conveyed through what your characters need to do to succeed (or what they do that causes their failure). If Jenny lets loose and suffers consequences for it in the end, we’re saying that she should have stuck to her studies rather than letting herself have fun. If she lets loose and is rewarded with a greater relationship with herself and her parents, we’re saying that was the correct thing to do.

Step 5: Outlining

                Now that we have a plot and a theme, we can outline our story. An outline is like a roadmap of what you’re writing. It can be as specific or broad as you want. My outlines tend to follow this structure, and I improvise the little stuff in between, but if you need to get all your ideas within your outline, that’s good too!

                Just make sure your notes make sense to you so when you need to know where to go next, you have a handy tool just for that.

Step 6: Worldbuilding

                Worldbuilding is probably where you’ll spend the most time because there’s just so much. However, I also find it one of the most fun parts. The minimal thing you need to know is your world’s normal, and how that normal is disrupted in the inciting incident.

                Jenny’s normal is school work and trying to impress her parents. The disruption is the new girl in town.

                Rapunzel’s normal is the tower and her hobbies. The disruption is Flynn breaking in.

                I did a more in-depth post on worldbuilding here, but the basics is just ask questions, explore consequences, and do plenty of research.

                Which brings us to…

Step 7: Research

                This can also be done after your first draft, but can’t be skipped entirely. It’s important when trying to convey experiences that may not be wholly your own, or unique perspectives, that you understand the context behind those things in the real world.

                Once again, ask questions, talk to people, and remain open to what you find.

Step 8: We can start writing now

                Now that you have all your planning ducks in a row (or have a good inspiration to jump from) it’s time to start writing! Either go from the outline you built, or just try out scenes. I have some tips for actually writing the dang thing that I’ll put here:

                Let me know how your writing goes, good luck!

questions to make each character unique**

** y'all you don't need to be able to answer all of these for every single character. just things to think of :]

have they / would they dye their hair?

do they maintain eye contact when talking?

what is their tell for lying?

do they have an accent?

what languages do they speak?

what kind of music do they listen to?

describe them in one word. what could happen to make them the opposite?

do they have any ghosts?

what is their worst fear?

what is a secret they do not tell anyone?

what motto do they live by?

if they were a famous figure, who would they be?

what great moment shaped them to be who they are? have they lived through the moment yet?

what is their fatal flaw?

how do they feel about jewelry? painted nails?

what kind of art are they?

do they play a sport?

do they have a speech impairment? how would that translate across paper?

what could you do to betray their trust?

what makes them smile?

if you had to choose something to make them go all john wick, who would it be?

do they swear? in what language?

how comfortable do they feel around strangers?

are they extraverted or introverted?

do they stand straight? what is their posture like?

what is their sleep schedule like

would they consciously invade someone else's body space? even a stranger's?

how do they feel about contact with other people? do they flinch?

are they the first to hug?

what would make them kill / stop them from killing?

how do they smile? do they have dimples?

what about their teeth -- braces? sharp teeth? dentures? yellow teeth? what about spots?

how do they get others' attention? clear their throat? punch them?

do they talk with their hands?

what is their final goal?

how would they describe happiness?

what is their biggest conflict? it doesn't need to be big for everyone else, only for them.

how do they react to death?

do they cry? how do they cry -- silent tears, sobbing, a swallow?

how do they react when someone else is crying? can they comfort a stranger?

how are they around pets? are they allergic to any?

following up, do they have allergies?

do they take off their shoes going into a stranger's house? would they offer to do the dishes?

do they call strangers by their first name or title?

how do they show fear? trying to hide it? shaking? etc.

what is their impact on other characters?

how could any of these change by the end of the story?

sometimes you need dialogue tags and don't want to use the same four

A Quick Guide on POVs and Tenses

First person

First person perspective uses I/my and typically also accompanies present tense:

"I walk over to see what’s happening"

However, it can be used with any tense. It is the closest you can get to the character—it tends to have unfiltered access to their thoughts, feelings, ideas, memories, etc. and is the most intimate. It goes great for stories that want to stay ‘in the moment’ and rely on lots of internal dialogue.

2. Second person

Probably the least common—I’ve only ever seen it in fanfic and maybe a choose-your-own-adventure novel or two. This perspective uses you/your, and also tends to go with present tense.

                “You walk over to the stall and survey the goods.”

It’s a really unique way of telling a story that brings the reader the closest to the action—however, it doesn’t have a lot of room for character development as it relies on fitting anyone who is reading it, leaving the POV ‘character’ a shell to be filled by the reader rather than its own character.

3. Third person omniscient

Third person perspectives are outside of the character. Typically they are joined with past-tense. They use pronouns he/she/they/his/hers/theirs, etc.

'Omniscient' means this narrator has full access to the knowledge of the narrative, as well as all the characters in it. It is a bit of an uncommon perspective, as it means the narrator can and will easily “head-hop” which can be a difficult technique to do well.

                “He inhaled, staring icy daggers at Kate across from him. She knew instantly she had said the wrong thing, but had no idea how to take it back.”

                (Notice how we’re both in the male character’s head, as well as Kate’s.)

                This perspective keeps the readers at a distance, but allows them access to every character in the story. Beware, it can be difficult to build tension or keep secrets when using this perspective!

4. Third person limited/subjective

This perspective is probably the most common and my personal favourite. It has the same rules for third person, but instead of the narrator having full access to all the information, they only have access to the information the character they are following knows, or the thoughts/feelings they are having.

                “He inhaled, staring icy daggers at Kate across from him. She had said the wrong thing, and now just looked back at him with big eyes, her mouth agape as she hesitated on what to say next.”

                (Notice how in this example, Kate’s thoughts are only guessed at from our character’s POV. He doesn’t actually know what’s going on in her head, so neither does our narrator)

                Third person limited is probably the most popular because it is really effective at being a very invisible way of telling story. As well, it’s great for building tension, keeping secrets, and can explore unique character perspective and miscommunication.

Tenses:

Present tense

Things are happening right now.

“I begin my walk to the store.”

“He says as he steps through the gate.”

“You follow a long path through the trees.”

2. Past tense

Things already happened.

“I began my walk to the store.”

“He said as he stepped through the gate.”

“You followed a long path through the trees.”

3. Future tense

Things will happen—things to come.

“I would begin my walk to the store.”

“He will say, stepping through the gate.”

“You will follow a long path through the trees.”