I took some historical sword-fighting lessons to make the fights in my novel more realistic - here’s what I learned.
To make the fighting scenes in my low fantasy novel more realistic, I went to see a trainer for historical sword-fighting last week, both to barrage her with questions and to develop realistic choreographies for the fight scenes in the novel. Since I figured some of what she told me might be useful for you too, I put together a small list for you. Big thanks to Gladiatores Munich and Jeanne for making time! (Here are some more pictures if you’re interested.)
Caveat: I’m by no means a sword-fighting expert myself, so take these nuggets with a grain of salt – I might have misremembered or misinterpreted some of the things Jeanne told me. If I did, feel free to tell me.
1.) Weapon choices need to make sense
Let’s start with a truism: always ensure your character’s weapons make sense for a.) their profession, b.) their cultural background and c.) the environment they’re going to fight in. A farmer probably couldn’t afford a sword and might use a knife or threshing flail instead, and someone who doesn’t want to be noticed probably wouldn’t be milling about sporting a glaive or another large weapon. Also, soldiers native to a country with wide open plains would be more likely to carry long-range melee weapons such as spears or large swords, than those from a country consisting of mostly jungle or dense forests. The same applies to situations: if your character is going to be fighting in close quarters (even just a normal house), he’d get little value out of a spear or even a longsword, as there’d be no space to swing it effectively.
2.) Boldness often beats skill
In real swordfights, recklessness was often more important than technique. The fighter less afraid of getting injured would often push harder, allowing them to overpower even opponents with better technique.
3.) Even a skilled fighter rarely stands a chance when outnumbered
While a skilled (or lucky) fighter might win a two-versus-one, it’d be extremely unlikely for even a single master swordsman to win against superior numbers, even just three and if they’re below his skill level. The only way to plausibly pull this off would be to split the opponents up, perhaps by luring them into a confined space where you could take them on one by one. The moment you’re surrounded, you’re probably done for – because, unlike in Hollywood, they wouldn’t take turns attacking but come at you all at once.
4.) Dual-wielding was a thing
… at least in some cultures. I often heard people say that people using a weapon in each hand is an invention of fiction. And while my instructor confirmed that she knew of no European schools doing this—if they did, it’s not well-documented—she said it was a thing in other cultures. Example of this include the dual wakizashi in Japan or tomahawk and knife in North America. However, one of the biggest problems with the depiction of dual wielding in novels/movies/games are the “windmill”-type attacks where the fighter swings their weapons independently, hitting in succession rather than simultaneously. Normally you’d always try hitting with both weapons at once, as you’d otherwise lose your advantage.
5.) Longswords were amazing
Longswords might seem boring in comparison to other weapons, but they were incredibly effective, especially in combat situations outside the battlefield. The crossguard allowed for effective blocking of almost any kind of attack (well, maybe not an overhead strike of a Mordaxt, but still), the pommel was also used as a powerful “blunt” weapon of its own that could crack skulls. Though they were somewhat less effective against armored opponents, the long, two-handed hilt allowed for precise thrusts at uncovered body parts that made up for it.
6.) “Zweihänder” were only used for very specific combat situations
Zweihänder—massive two-handed swords—were only used for specific purposes and usually not in one-on-one combat as is often seen in movies or games. One of these purposes was using their reach to break up enemy formations. In fact, one type of two-handed sword even owed its name to that purpose: Gassenhauer (German, Gasse = alley, Hauer = striker)—the fighters literally used it to strike “alleys” into an enemy formation with wide, powerful swings.
7.) It’s all about distance
While I was subconsciously aware of this, it might be helpful to remember that distance was an incredibly important element in fights. The moment your opponent got past your weapons ideal range, it was common to either switch to a different weapon or just drop your weapon and resort to punching/choking. A good example of this are spears or polearms—very powerful as long as you maintain a certain range between you and your opponent, but the moment they get too close, your weapon is practically useless. That’s also why combatants almost always brought a second weapon into battle to fall back one.
8.) Real fights rarely lasted over a minute
Another truism, but still useful to remember: real fights didn’t last long. Usually, they were over within less than a minute, sometimes only seconds – the moment your opponent landed a hit (or your weapon broke or you were disarmed), you were done for. This is especially true for combatants wearing no or only light armor.
9.) Stop the pirouettes
Unfortunately, the spinning around and pirouetting that makes many fight scenes so enjoyable to watch (or read) is completely asinine. Unless it’s a showfight, fighters would never expose their backs to their opponent or even turn their weapon away from them.
10.) It still looks amazing
If your concern is that making your fight scenes realistic will make them less aesthetic, don’t worry. Apart from the fact that the blocks, swings and thrusts still look impressive when executed correctly, I personally felt that my fights get a lot more gripping and visceral if I respect the rules. To a certain extent, unrealistic and flashy combat is plot armor. If your characters can spin and somersault to their heart’s content and no one ever shoves a spear into their backs as they would have in real life, who survives and who doesn’t noticeably becomes arbitrary. If, on the other hand, even one slip-up can result in a combatant’s death, the stakes become palpable.
That’s about it! I hope this post is as helpful to some of you as the lessons were to me. Again, if anything I wrote here is bollocks, it’s probably my fault and not Jeanne’s. I’ll try to post more stuff like this in the future.
I've been a little quiet on this account due to trying to juggle more than one piece of social media and honestly? It's definitely a hit or miss means.
Fiona was always a cautious woman, The once-pirate always kept an eye on every exit from the moment she first entered a room. She also had a way of taking a measure of a man within minutes of conversation. Simply put, for the captain, there were no more surprises.
And yet there she was, slack-jawed and speechless when Samara shoved a pile of wrapped bundles into her arms.
“Hey Fi,” Samara said with that familiar warm expression she always had. “These are for you.”
Fiona looked over the bundles as she searched for words for her friend.
The boxes were of various sizes, some small enough to fit in a palm and others wide enough to rest between two outstretched arms. Each box was wrapped up in colorful paper and tied down in striped ribbons that sparkled with glitter. Brightly colored labels were tapped to each package, with her name written on each.
While it was clear that the boxes were indeed meant for the once-pirate, Fiona still had to ask…
“But Sam, what be these for? Winter’s Veil isn’t for another month and I’ve no recent victories that warrant such celebration.”
Samara cocked her head to the side and rested her knuckles on her hips. She gave Fiona a teasing look then waggled her hips in a slow gentle motion.
“I was worried you’d have forgotten,” Samara said, “but tomorrow’s your birthday isn’t it?”
Fiona blinked and stared at Samara. While tomorrow was indeed her birthday, she didn’t remember mentioning so to anyone.
“But how did ye know?” Fiona wondered aloud. “Don’t think I e’er told ye, did I?”
Samara shook her head.
“Fi, you didn’t have to. We’ve been friends for HOW long? I can tell when you’re mood is brightest and you always get so happy around the same time each year. And I don’t think it’s just because of the Nightmare Before Winter’s Veil party.”
Fiona stepped past her friend and crossed the room. She set the packages down on the first table she could find, then turned around and faced her friend. Samara was leaning against the door to her room in Vagrant’s Respite. She had her arms crossed and a contented smile on her face.
“And furthermore,” Samara said, “you circled the day on your calendar. When I noticed I asked around among the crew and no one knew what the day meant to you.”
Samara counted on her fingers as she spoke.
“You weren’t starting or ending a voyage. You didn’t have any big plans, at least none you mentioned to anyone. And if it was a date, you would have told someone not to expect you for a few days.”
Fiona snickered and shook her head.
“Aye, true. But ye didn’t have to call me out. If I could I’d be blushin’ ye gremlin!” Fiona said.
“Exactly. Fi, you are a very open book. Everyone who loves you knows your feelings and thoughts almost as soon as you have them. But tomorrow? It was a big huge mystery. So I got to thinking. I knew it wasn’t the day you died, since you died close to the start of the last war…in August I believe. And it wasn’t the day you got this ship, since you told me it was in April. And then it hit me! It had to have been your birthday! And judging by your reaction, I was right.”
Fiona couldn't help but laugh. She raised her hands and clapped for her best friend.
“Aye aye! Ye got me. Wonderful bit of sleuthin’. But tell me, mate, what about all these gifts?”
Samara’s expression softened. She looked towards the pile of gifts and gestured to them with a sweeping hand.
“Oh that? Once I had a guess, I told as many people as I could find about it and asked if they wanted to give you a surprise. So, I convinced a lot of people to keep quiet and give me things they wanted to give you. I then had to keep them out of view whenever you visited and wrapped each up whenever I had the time. Then I hred a mage and bribed your first mate to help smuggle me and the gifts aboard when you weren’t looking. I figured if I was wrong we’d have a good laugh and if I was right, I’d make your night.”
“Well…I’m honestly surprised.” Fiona said. “It’s the most surprising thing I’ve ever had happen. I can’t believe I’m sayin’ it, but ye pulled the wool over me eyes.”
“I’m glad. I did have one small question though.”
Fiona blinked beneath her strapped leather mask.
“Aye? What’s on yer mind?”
“Well…why don’t you talk about your birthday with more people? You love celebrating and I’d think a birthday is the best possible excuse.”
Fiona looked away from Samara and rubbed the nape of her neck.
“Aye, that be true. But, I wasn’t quite the same woman in me living days. I was bitter and angry at me father cause I didn’t know the truth and I was afraid of witches like me mother without asking meself why. I was selfish, slothful, and always up to schemes and didn’t ever think of the value of earnin’ a fair coin. The day I died was the day I began to live and though I think about me birthday, I can’t say it’s one I always think of fondly.”
“I understand…” Samara said, “...but do you mind if I offer a perspective?”
The once-pirate nodded at her best friend.
“Because the way I see it. You are the result of years of growth. Good, bad, and everything in between. Just like you told me when we revisited our homes in Drustvar. What you were doesn’t HAVE to be who you are. And I think we both know that you are a lovely person now.” Samara gestured towards the pile of gifts. “I mean, look how many people joined in my scheme just so we could try and surprise you?”
Samara breathed in. “I’ll respect your wishes if you don’t want to talk about your birthday ever again. But, I think today you can reclaim your birthday as something to celebrate with the people you love. What do you say?”
Fiona considered Samara for several minutes. She was right about everything she said. The once-pirate was always an open book who faced the past with as bright an eye as her future. So the fear and anguish that arose from her birthday felt both out of character and pitiable. Furthermore, she had truly changed from the woman she was in life.
She had friends now, a crew of her own, and a ship that was known far and wide with awe and wonder. The lady skulls and crossbones flag that waved highest upon the mast was a welcome sight in ports across at least four continents across both halves of the faction divide. She had reclaimed the destiny that she thought was lost to her and had clawed her way to something far better than she could have ever imagined.
So perhaps…
“Ye know…” Fiona said, “...maybe it’s time to stake me claim and make this day mine again. What do ye say I open these gifts, then, if yer free, we can chat over drinks while I write to everyone of those rogues ye gathered fer this scheme.”
Samara laughed. “Gladly. And I promise to gloat that I tricked you ONLY for the first hour.”
Fiona chuckled then gestured for Samara to come closer.
Her best friend crossed the room and offered her hands. Fiona took those hands in hers. Both women looked into each other's eyes with a warmth and love that could only come from years of support. There was a camaraderie and kinship in that gaze that surpassed even their shared lineage in Drustvar into something that needed no name or title.
“Thank ye, Samara. Thank ye fer making this birthday the best it could ever be.” Fiona snickered and lowered her gaze. “I thought I had everything I could ever want and yet ye find me a treasure that shines brighter then all the gold and gems I’d ever plundered or spent. Yer friendship and love.”
Samara gave her best friend a look.
“Fi, that was incredibly cheesy.”
“Aye, and since it’s me birthday yer just going to have to put up with it.”
Her best friend rolled her eyes and then gestured to one of the gifts atop the pile.
“Fine, but only if you start unwrapping gifts. I’m pretty sure you’ll find more than a few surprises by the time we’re through.”
As Fiona reached for a small box wrapped up in paper as green as her hair, she couldn’t help but think that perhaps there were still surprises out there for her.
the rudest most helpful thing anyone ever said to me is "why do you keep hurting your own feelings long after [the person who once hurt you] probably forgot about it" like literally just dear god you've split me open so neatly my entire soul is just flopping around on the ground between us now but thank you
Just fyi if you're autistic/adhd and struggle specifically with this sort of thing, please know what what might be happening is something called perseveration, which is a common neurodivergent behavior that can include, among other things, revisiting emotions repeatedly and being unable to break loose from processing or managing stressful events.
Don't keep hurting your own feelings. But don't feel bad if you get stuck there, either. Something else could be going on.
This is a terrifying norm I’ve been seeing in fandom recently, with a lot of people asking for photo ID’s to enter a server or for 18+ commissions or to follow a private Twitter account. While I understand the sentiment and realize that there’s an issue of minors trying to get into adult spaces, this is an incredibly dangerous practice that needs to stop.
I have seen this popping up more and more in the past year and frankly, I’m sick of sitting back and watching it become a social norm. Not to mention, there is a huge difference between a company with a team of lawyers and legal statements with the intention to protect your information and giving this to a random person online.
Here is an article from IAPP discussing more in depth the current difficulties for age verification online. Thanks to @murmurkins for digging around to find this!
Here is also some resources for Discord specifically on how to moderate and run a server that has 18+ channels and designating a server as 18+. Discord also notes that if you are locked out of 18+ channels, you can appeal this by sending a picture of yourself and either a photo ID or your Discord tag. Again, while not a perfect solution, this is their last resort, not the intial requirement. It’s dangerous to do, and Discord recognizes this, which is why they have a system to protect your information AND they require that all third-party individuals have a privacy policy telling individuals how they will protect others’ information.
If anyone wants to respond to this post with more information on other websites, feel free! The biggest issue I have seen with this is on Discord, so that is where my information is focused.
TL;DR: Don’t give your ID out online to random people for your safety. Make sure who you are giving personal information to has a privacy policy. While it is an issue that minors are accessing 18+ content, this is not a safe solution to the problem.
I remember when Y!Gallery tried this back in, like, 2012. And most of us flatly refused. This blows my mind. What happened to the never share personal details online mindset of the 90s and early 2000s?
There is NO VALID REASON for anyone online to ask for your photo ID.
Because - and hey, this is a BIG THING - you show photo ID in person so the viewer can look at it, and you, and say, “yep, those match.”
If you are conversing via email or chat… they cannot look at your face and confirm it matches the card.
If they CAN confirm it matches the card (like you’re meeting in Zoom)…. you can photoshop the damn card to attach your face to it.
You cannot usefully check photo ID online. The vast majority of people asking for “photo ID” are identify fraudsters, and the rest are people who don’t understand tech & security.
Facts about your body after you turn 25, AKA things I wish someone had told me:
you will get hair in fun new places. this is normal and fine.
these places include (but are not limited to) if you don't already have them: your asscrack, your back, your ears, and moles. it's fine.
some of you, dick or not, will also lose hair. this is normal, but also if you have ovaries maybe get this checked out for PCOS.
your acne will probably change. some people get better. some people get worse. it's fine.
your nails will probably get an infection or a fungus at least once in your life. this is fine. (but also let your doc know).
how you gain and lose fat and where you do so will change. this is fine.
how you smell will change. this is fine. (fishy or rotten smells mean doctor time though)
if you have a prostate: it gets harder to pee. prostates enlarge as you age (get this checked regularly). this is fine.
if you do not have a prostate: it gets easier to pee but not in a good way. as in as you get older, your pelvic floor muscles tend to lose some of their strength. this makes it harder to keep pee in. this is fine.
all breasts and pectorals eventually sag, with the rest of your body. this is fine.
a decent percent of the population will experience a cyst at least once. some of you will make up for the rest with multiple. this is fine, but keep them checked out by a doctor. (sometimes this is a condition! get checked for that too!)
almost half of everyone gets hemorrhoids. it's a good idea to just expect them since your chances of getting them get higher the older you are. your toilet will look like a murder scene. definitely get your booty checked out BUT this is almost always perfectly normal. just eat more fiber. "but I already-" eat more fiber. and maybe suck it up and buy some hemorrhoid cream, you'll thank me later.
yes, this means you will probably need to make an appointment for a doctor to see your butthole. it's okay. not only do they really not care but 1. they've seen weirder that day and 2. they'd far rather you see them now than later when it's been going on for forty years and now it might be colon cancer. it's okay. consider it a rite of passage.
adults need more sleep than children. don't believe the myth that you need less than they do. that is capitalist propaganda to make you give up more of your life to the work grind, comrade.
vitamins and medicine, something you are more likely to take as you get older, sometimes make the toilet turn weird colors. it's okay.
if you still have your tonsils and get those little stones and get sore throats more than once a year you should plan on getting those suckers out before the tonsils cause an infection and go septic. if you're getting stones at all you should get those reevaluated every year, especially if the stones are bigger than a needlehead (or get bigger over time). it's gross and yucky. I don't care. get them looked at before you end up in the hospital.
you'll probably need to add foot support to your shoes if you don't already do. this is fine.
your body changes. sometimes it can feel sorta weird and upsetting that it isn't what it used to be. that is okay, and it is okay to be upset. just know that this is normal, it's normal to be upset or not upset, but don't let it hinder your quality of life. trans or cis, there is a certain level of acceptance you just gotta give your body and forgive your body for as you get older. it's okay.
Hello, due to me recently being let go from my job (thanks A/I/) I decided to spruce up my commission carrd and get that ready for doing art commissions again!
If you are interested please feel free to fill out the commission form found within the carrd and I shall get back to you ASAP!
Find everything here!
We're three weeks out y'all! Time to get those costumes sorted and packed - the Hoot will be here before you know it! We know you're curious, so have a tantalizing peak at this year's raffle artists!
A big ol' Fence thank you to this year's artists: @irishmoo, @itsjustbeek, @soppendeuff and @wooflings!
Find out everything you need to know, including how to get in on the October 7th raffle [here].
We're three weeks out y'all! Time to get those costumes sorted and packed - the Hoot will be here before you know it! We know you're curious, so have a tantalizing peak at this year's raffle artists!
A big ol' Fence thank you to this year's artists: @irishmoo, @itsjustbeek, @soppendeuff and @wooflings!
Find out everything you need to know, including how to get in on the October 7th raffle [here].
Those around me likely have seen the changes, but I will be switching up what I do with this blog. Apologies if you had hoped to interact with me a long while back, but, my spark was gone to continue the main story on tumblr after the death of our good friend and loremaker, Dave.
Considering his last wishes on his own characters, I am shelving my main universe for Samara for now. It does not feel right to continue using his work, even if he gave us his blessing, it just isn’t the same without his input or his characters being a major part of development. I had long stood idle on this and well over the pandemic.. but it’s finally time to make a decision.
Sadly, this means this is no longer an interactive blog for Samara, but it certainly will be a resource on my end. Samara still exists and I do still roleplay, but I have been experimenting outside of my comfort zones and into different universes, writings, and with people whom have given me the inspiration to develop her more as a person.
This will become a place I put aesthetic, headcanons, and maybe some idle tabletop writings in the near future.
dededos
turnnoffyourmind
origamiaround
snowghoul
discoholicmusic
jbbartram-illu
yousharknotpass
areudirty
