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Okay I JUST realized I never posted these on here—- BUT BASICALLY, about a year and a half ago I started doing these experimental black hairstyle posts that were threads long on Twitter, to give artists a source of inspo for their black ocs whose hair they wanted to try something new with! There’s more to black hair than just the selected styles portrayed in media, and I thought it would be fun to show people how much texture, shape, fades, length, and style can be combined when drawing black hair—-cause it’s a kind of manipulation our hair can do irl! The OG thread from when I made these a year ago were lost with the hacking of my original Twitter account (@/bagels_donuts) but I’ve since reuploaded the whole thread to my new Twitter (@/ItsDonutsFR)! I hope artists on tumblr find these useful, sorry it took me so long to post them here😭🙏🏾 I’ll upload them all in parts!

Part 1: Long masc hairstyles + playing with fades

Tumblr

Post by @donutsbagels · 7 images

💬 2  🔁 715  ❤️ 1008 · Part 2: shape, style, and length with femme styles!

Words To Use Instead of Said (Advanced Version)

Part One: Dialogue Tags

Reminder to use these sparingly and not every line of dialogue needs a dialogue tag.

To Say Something Quietly:

whispered

murmured

breathed

sighed

simpered

hummed

mumbled

muttered

To Say Something Loudly:

exclaimed

cried

squealed

shrieked

shouted

bellowed

roared

declared

declared

proclaimed

hollered

To Say Something Angrily:

snapped

snarled

growled

barked

grumbled

complained

huffed

nagged

blustered

thundered

seethed

fumed

ranted

demanded

taunted

scoffed

cursed

grunted

insulted

hissed

badgered

sneered

To Say Something In An Amused Manner:

laughed

chuckled

giggled

joked

quipped

teased

cheered

crowed

To Say Something Unsurely // Nervously:

faltered

stammered

stuttered

hesitated

guessed

blurted

trembled

speculated

quivered

equivocated

denied

countered

babbled

slurred

squeaked

yelped

cautioned

gulped

squales

quavered

hesitated

trailed off

Part Two: Action Tags

The use of action tags will make your writing more interesting and creates variety in conversation-filled scenes. Make sure to add both in your writing and do your best not to over do it.

Reminder: When using action tags that aren’t one word, always use periods instead of commas. Example:

“Idiot,” Camille rolled her eyes out of annoyance, continuing to file her nails. Wrong.

“Idiot.” Camille rolled her eyes out of annoyance, continuing to file her nails. Correct.

Positive:

smiled

grinned

smirked

beamed

his eyes twinkled

flashed a chesire smile

looked pleased

her ears reddened

his cheeks flushed

the corner of her lips tugged up

Neutral:

crossed her arms

folded their arms

blew their hair out his their face

twirled her hair around her finger

massaged his temples

bit her lip

chewed the insides of her cheek

batted his eyes

angled her head

tousled his hair

nodded in agreement

feigned confusion

Negative:

clenched his fist

dug her nails into her palm

picked at his nails

glared

narrowed her gaze

withheld his anger

his head pounded with anger

You can mix and match, using a dialogue and an action tag as well. Example: Dialogue, Action.

“I don’t think I can,” she stammered, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

That’s his girl

The bulge is to distract you in combat dipshit

if bellamy in the 100 book isn’t a fuckign mood

“Bellamy! Are you alright?”

Can we discuss how likely it was Stack was still inside the juke joint and it was the reason why the place had been locked up? So yeah Smoke killed the kkk for revenge but also it was his final act of protecting his brother who would have died had sun light been let in???

Also the fact that Stack could have watched everything and been the one to give Smoke a proper burial in the end? I just hate how they were separated in life and death. So unfair!

u survive literally every single event in your life & still every time a new event happens you feel like this is the event that will kill you and that you will never move on from but actually you will continue to survive like you always have bc u have a 100% win rate of surviving events. btw

They really said^

The funniest part of Sinners was when the Native Americans just said “yeahhh good luck with that”

Ways I Show a Character Who Believes They’re the Villain in Everyone Else’s Story

╰ Behavioral Red Flags

They assume the worst intentions in themselves, even when they act out of love. They brought you coffee? Probably just guilt. They helped you move? Must be manipulating you so you "owe" them later. (They just care. But they can't believe that's true.)

They over-apologize for existing. You bump into them and somehow they’re the ones apologizing, looking like they've personally inconvenienced your entire bloodline.

They self-monitor everything. Every joke they make. Every word they say. Every look they give. Constant little glances at people's faces, desperate for signs that they’ve messed up again.

They let people treat them badly because they think they deserve it. Rudeness? Sure. Being overlooked? Of course. Public humiliation? Absolutely par for the course. Standing up for themselves feels wrong, like a thief demanding a refund.

They preemptively distance themselves when things get good. Got a close friendship brewing? Time to pull away before they find out I'm terrible. New romance? Better end it now before they hate me.

They assume jokes about "bad people" are secretly about them. "You know those selfish jerks who never change?" someone says. Their inner monologue: That’s me. They mean me.

They play up their flaws. Self-deprecating humor, but not cute self-roasting, deep, almost aggressive, like they’re trying to hand you the knife before you even think about stabbing.

They struggle to accept forgiveness. Apologizing feels natural. Being forgiven feels alien. Like wearing shoes on the wrong feet.

╰ Thought Patterns That Wreck Them

"Even when I try to do the right thing, I mess it up." Trying doesn't absolve them. Trying just delays the inevitable hurt they’ll cause someone else."People are nice to me because they don't know who I really am." Kindness isn't acceptance to them — it's a ticking time bomb, waiting to explode when the "truth" comes out.

"If someone is angry at me, they must be right." They don't even question it. Anger directed at them must be justified. They deserve it.

"If I succeed, it's by accident. If I fail, it's because I suck." Zero credit for wins. Full credit for losses. The math of their self-esteem is so rigged it should be illegal.

"If I ask for help, I'm manipulating people." Needing something feels like emotional blackmail in their mind. Better to suffer in silence than risk "forcing" someone to care.

╰ The Tiny Physical Tells

Laughing after their own serious statements, as if to soften the blow of speaking honestly.

Keeping their hands visible when talking (subconscious "I'm not a threat" behavior).

Flinching when someone raises their voice, even if it’s not directed at them.

Making themselves physically smaller—shoulders hunched, arms crossed, shrinking into themselves like they can disappear if they just try hard enough.

Dropping eye contact when complimented.

Holding their breath without realizing it when waiting for someone's reaction.

╰The Relationships They Gravitate Toward (And Why):

Fixer-Upper Friendships: They think they have to earn affection by being useful, by helping, by being "the strong one."

Unbalanced Dynamics: They let people use them because "at least I'm being helpful, even if they don't actually care about me."

Romantic Partners Who Validate Their Worst Fears: They often fall for people who treat them like they’re a burden—because it matches the script in their head.

Or... Relationships That Terrify Them: Because if someone genuinely loves them, they’re always waiting for the moment that person "wakes up" and sees the "monster" they believe themselves to be.

╰ How They Might Heal (If They’re Lucky)

(And if the author isn’t an emotional sadist. 👀)

A relationship where mistakes are allowed, not punished.

Someone calling them out, not for being bad, but for being unkind to themselves.

Tiny acts of trust that stick over time, slowly poisoning the idea that they’re inherently toxic.

Learning that being flawed and being villainous are not the same damn thing.

Being told, over and over, "You don't have to earn love by being perfect."