Advice/Help I need help describing a facial expression!

[PinkSodaPopRemix]

There is this face some characters make where it basically just screams "Are you fucking serious?" or 'Seriously?" Their lid covers half their eyes and they look at someone like they are stupid. How do I describe this in novella type writing?

 

[nerdy tangents]

Incredulous or side eye

Ex1. Person A looked at person B incredulously. Why would they say something so stupid?

Or

Ex2. Person A gave person B a side eye as they fought the urge to roll their eyes at the nonsense being spoken.


** adjusting for the actual scene of course **

 

[TerrorKitty]

I would try something like;


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Macy wasn't going to deal with this shit, it wasn't her responsibility; having been roped into this whole mess just because Jason freaked out and wouldn't stop whining until she came to fix things for him. "No. You stop right there." The words that came from her lips were as icy and cold as the look on her face. Everyone in the room paused where they were as the scene before them played out.

"But Macy I-" Jason started, but the young boy's words got caught in his throat as his best friends older sister glared at him with an expression of pure apathy.

"I don't want any excuses. Does it look like I care?" Macy challenged; her eyes fixated on the boy in front of her, dull and cynical.

He said nothing and neither did anyone else.

Macy eventually sighed and her body physically relaxed while she closed her eyes for a good three seconds or so, as if she was attempting to quell the anger that had been building up since she'd been thrust into the situation earlier that morning. Even still, upon opening her eyes and a few more deep breaths, Macy's annoyance was heavily apparent. "Whatever. This isn't my problem. I'm not helping, so you better start mopping up all this blood before the store opens. I'll stay and supervise but I am not cleaning up a mess that's not my problem. Understood?" The girl raised a brow slightly as she ended her sentence.

Jason nodded slowly, glancing around at his friends who nodded with him. "Sorry Macy... We'll get started on our own, right guys?"
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Just as an example of various things ways to describe intended tone in a scene. It can be purely written as a facial expression, but it when trying to portray something like that you can do it in a lot of different ways.

It's also really helpful to add more than one emotion. People have complex emotions and as such writing characters emotions should reflect that if you want to make it seem more natural.

"Are you serious?" & Resting bitch face vibes can be shown with anger related emotions, depressive or languishing emotions, etc

Having a hint of a secondary emotion to blend with can really help make it easier to write and flow a lot smoother and more realistically. Giving hints at why that person is expressing what they are, etc etc

 

[PinkSodaPopRemix]

Thank you both! It really helped a lot!

 

[Uxie]

i might do something like this:

she fixed him with a deadpan stare, weary expression visible through half-shut eyes. "no way you're serious." her words were met with an uneasy silence that reeked of guilt, and an incredulous laugh slipped from her lips. "you are?"

but as others have mentioned, there are a lot of different ways to do so! you could always go for an alternate route through another character's perspective too; i find that's an easy way to do a bit of telling without having it be completely detached, i.e.

she was doing that look. they'd known her enough years to read it at a glance, and they could hear her voice now, even if her lips remained unmoving; in a dangerously calm voice, are you fucking serious?

but a lot of this stuff will ultimately come down to your personal style and preferences! just offering some other options (⌒‿⌒)