CHARACTER FACIAL EXPRESSIONS (WRITING REFERENCE)

CHARACTER FACIAL EXPRESSIONS (WRITING REFERENCE)

EYES/BROWS

his eyes widened

her eyes went round

her eyelids drooped

his eyes narrowed

his eyes lit up

his eyes darted

he squinted

she blinked

her eyes twinkled

his eyes gleamed

her eyes sparkled

his eyes flashed

his eyes glinted

his eyes burned with…

her eyes blazed with…

her eyes sparked with…

her eyes flickered with…

_____ glowed in his eyes

the corners of his eyes crinkled

she rolled her eyes

he looked heavenward

she glanced up to the ceiling

she winked

tears filled her eyes

his eyes welled up

her eyes swam with tears

his eyes flooded with tears

her eyes were wet

his eyes glistened

tears shimmered in her eyes

tears shone in his eyes

her eyes were glossy

he was fighting back tears

tears ran down her cheeks

his eyes closed

she squeezed her eyes shut

he shut his eyes

his lashes fluttered

she batted her lashes

his brows knitted

her forehead creased

his forehead furrowed

her forehead puckered

a line appeared between her brows

his brows drew together

her brows snapped together

his eyebrows rose

she raised a brow

he lifted an eyebrow

his eyebrows waggled

she gave him a once-over

he sized her up

her eyes bored into him

she took in the sight of…

he glared

she peered

he gazed

she glanced

he stared

she scrutinized

he studied

she gaped

he observed

she surveyed

he gawked

he leered

his pupils (were) dilated

her pupils were huge

his pupils flared

NOSE

her nose crinkled

his nose wrinkled

she sneered

his nostrils flared

she stuck her nose in the air

he sniffed

she sniffled

MOUTH

she smiled

he smirked

she grinned

he simpered

she beamed

her mouth curved into a smile

the corners of his mouth turned up

the corner of her mouth quirked up

a corner of his mouth lifted

his mouth twitched

he gave a half-smile

she gave a lopsided grin

his mouth twisted

he plastered a smile on his face

she forced a smile

he faked a smile

her smile faded

his smile slipped

he pursed his lips

she pouted

his mouth snapped shut

her mouth set in a hard line

he pressed his lips together

she bit her lip

he drew his lower lip between his teeth

she nibbled on her bottom lip

he chewed on his bottom lip

his jaw set

her jaw clenched

his jaw tightened

a muscle in her jaw twitched

he ground his jaw

he snarled/his lips drew back in a snarl

her mouth fell open

his jaw dropped

her jaw went slack

he gritted his teeth

she gnashed her teeth

her lower lip trembled

his lower lip quivered

SKIN

she paled

he blanched

she went white

the color drained out of his face

his face reddened

her cheeks turned pink

his face flushed

she blushed

he turned red

she turned scarlet

he turned crimson

a flush crept up her face

WHOLE FACE, ETC.

he screwed up his face

she scrunched up her face

he grimaced

she winced

she gave him a dirty look

he frowned

she scowled

he glowered

her whole face lit up

she brightened

his face went blank

her face contorted

his face twisted

her expression closed up

his expression dulled

her expression hardened

she went poker-faced

a vein popped out in his neck

awe transformed his face

fear crossed her face

sadness clouded his features

terror overtook his face

recognition dawned on her face

SOURCE

my fave angel concepts:

angels smoking on a street corner bc they kno it won’t hurt them

angels crying

their wings only being visible when they’re angry or experiencing strong emotion

u can feel the buzz in the air when ur around an angel, like ur in a thunderstorm

an angel wearing their halo on their wrist and disguising it next to like 5 glow stick bracelets

they can all sing beautifully and hauntingly

angels being able to play any musical instrument n just generally having a deep connection with music

if ur asleep around an angel u always have vivid dreams

relationship stuff I want to see in fiction

more couples in happy, committed, established relationships

families that don’t fit the “nuclear family” framework

relationship dynamics between 3+ siblings instead of focusing on the relationship between two siblings

actually good parent-child relationships

characters who are adopted but it’s not a plot point

characters who are adopted as adults

characters in their 50’s/60’s who are obviously Very Much in Love and affectionate and all sappy and romantic over each other

characters who are over 50 finding romantic love

father-daughter and mother-son relationships

A character says no to sex or physical affection, and it’s okay and doesn’t denote some kind of rift in their relationship. A character respecting their partner’s “no” being used to establish the strong, loving nature of their bond, rather than the partner’s “no” being used to suggest there is something wrong in the relationship

Characters in intimate relationships that don’t want to have sex and it’s not for Trauma Reasons or “overcome” for character development.

characters that want to wait to have sex, for religious reasons or other reasons

older female characters that don’t have or want a romantic partner or kids but that aren’t portrayed as cold and emotionally constipated

crazy cat lady but it’s dragons instead of cats

a female character that can’t have kids but wants kids, and instead of being a huge source of angst for her she..........adopts

characters with “atypical” sexual boundaries or that just don’t like certain “vanilla” activities and it’s fine

physical affection (hugs, naps together, cuddling, backrubs etc) with no sexual undertones

platonic relationships between men and women without any Romantic Tension

teenage characters that aren’t fixated on romance

characters who used to date still having a good relationship with one another and it’s not used for Drama

“ex-best-friends” being used for drama instead of “ex-lovers” because oof

The only reason we can't walk through mirrors is because our reflection stops us. Vampires, however, have no such restrictions.

“accidental co-parents of the found family group to lovers” is an underrated trope that i really want to see more of