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PROMPT #396

AU for when the spell to summon Deadpool’s Heartmate is cast. – Peter shows up but not in costume (maybe in his lab coat) and Deadpool is like WTF? because he doesn’t really know Peter Parker. But he figures Spider-man likes Peter Parker. And he is Deadpool’s Heartmate. So Deadpool decides to try and woo Peter.

Submitted by Anon

baeddel

I know its a old point but it is really striking just how much of world history is reconceived in technological terms. Colonialism is often read as, as they put it in Civ 5, the triumph of “muskets over spears”, when really this was not how any of the involved generals perceived it at the time. Colonial wars were hard won, the natives were not crushed. During the invasion of (what we now call) South America, Cortez himself wrote about his fear and bewilderment at the Aztec’s weapons (which were made out of stone, despite their advanced metallurgy) for being remarkably effective against their cavalry. In 1899 John Ardagh, a British colonial administrator conducting a campaign in the Phillipines, turned up to the Hague on the day they ruled the use of expanding bullets a war crime to make a breathless argument that (get this) regular bullets don’t work on Phillipinos! (He was laughed out of the trial, nach.)

But people also extend it to the succession of the bronze age over the stone age, and the iron age over the bronze age - the bronze weapons just couldn’t compete with the iron ones, we tend to think. This is not true in any case, as far as I know. It would actually be quite late in the iron age that iron weapons would surpass bronze ones in terms of quality. The reasoning was a little more like the succession of LCD screens over CRT ones - ease of use and distribution, etc. In particular, bronze was greatly restricted by access to the ‘tin belt’, a slim region in South East asia which was the only part of the world where tin was available outside of the Americas. Countries closer to the tin belt were the first to enter the bronze age and typically the last to leave it.

bigwordsandsharpedges

Early iron weapons kinda sucked, actually. Soft iron is bendy, hard cast iron is brittle as glass. Some soft iron could be on par with bronze, but mostly on small blades like axes and spearheads. Sword blades were relatively long, so you could get enough leverage to really bend them badly.

Bronze offered the best combination of hardness and durability until some clever smiths in a couple locations figured out how to make iron into steel, which is basically perfect.

Steel is hard and tough and springy, but most of all, it’s controllable. Changing a few additives, or slightly altering the heat treatment, can give you the exact performance you ask for. Modern high-alloy supersteels are like magic.

Aluminum is good for stage props, but an aluminum sword has few benefits over bronze except light weight, and that only useful for some types of blade that depend on velocity to cut.

Titanium blades actually kinda suck. It’s extremely tough and durable, but that makes it extremely difficult to forge, or even grind. Ask any knifemmaker, titanium fucking eats abrasives.

Flint and obsidian are actually superb for making blades. The edge can be astoundingly thin and smooth at a microscopic level, and even good steel looks like a saw at that level. They make great surgical scalpels, they even cause less scarring.

That’s why the macuahuitl, a sort of wooden sword edged with obsidian, allegedly decapitated Spanish horses with a single blow. It was made with a special flaking method called prismatic flaking, which produced long, consistent, replaceable razor blades.

Cortez had a good reason to be afraid.

roach-works

quick note: aluminum and titanium *can’t be smelted* through conventional means, they don’t form lumps and veins in stone the way iron, copper, and tin do, it’s basically always blended on an atomic level with other elements, usually as oxides and sulfides. you need control of electricity to get aluminum ore in any quantity– you get aluminum oxides and sulfides in a big acidic tank and then zap it with a very particular kind of electric current, basically–and the reason titanium is *still* so goddamn expensive is the refining process is incredibly complex and fiddly, it involves a hell of a lot of precisely milled and cast parts that you only get after a lot of industrial manufacturing, plus various insane, fiddly applications of crazy high heat and pressure.

we are still a long, LONG way from titanium swords.

christinaroseandrews

Perfection is a myth… especially in the first draft stage. Get words down. Get ideas down. Editing is where you can make your story shine!

christinaroseandrews

Perfection is a myth… especially in the first draft stage. Get words down. Get ideas down. Editing is where you can make your story shine!

bookishdiplodocus

How to write YA school, and how time-hop seamlessly

I saw somebody ask how to write school in YA novels without showing every class of every day. (EDIT: it was @erinisawriter). That’s two questions in one: what to show of the classes (spoiler: not a lot) and how to show time passing without making it explicit.

I will take the classes in the Harry Potter series as an example - and I’m writing this from memory, so forgive me if I misremember things.

So, the courses and professors are introduced once, when Harry is introduced to them at the beginning of the school year. He forms an opinion about them, and then they become the background event. Rowling gives us enough to imagine what’s typically going on in that class, but doesn’t describe every class. They become a backdrop for conversations Harry has with Ron and Hermione, or locations to walk to while conversations, observations, fights or other plot-related things take place. He actually ignores large parts of the class. If Harry is not paying attention to it, Rowling doesn’t describe it.

Sometimes the content of the classes have other functions. Divination is often used as foreshadowing. Moody Mad-Eye’s classes often further the plot. So do Lupin’s classes. And almost all courses are also used as comic relief: the pixies set loose by Lockheart (comic relief + characterization), Snape in Neville’s grandmother’s dress in Lupin’s class (comic relief + foreshadowing), almost all of Hagrid’s classes…

Rowling not only jumps in the day, she also jumps in the school year. Some weeks contain no events, and they aren’t mentioned at all. The school year starts, the professors are introduced (unless they taught him the same class last year - in that case they become backdrop immediately), Harry has the first Quidditch practice of the year (in which the team is re-introduced: enough for us to imagine practice sessions), fights with Draco, discovers whatever incites the book’s plot, homework increases, Quidditch increases, plot events happen and tension increases, and boom, time to celebrate Christmas. I just counted: There’s 16 weeks between the first school day and Christmas, but she doesn’t describe all 16, or doesn’t even jump in time (”3 weeks later”). She writes it as if there are about 6-7 weeks in the first semester, and gives the reader enough suggestion that more of the same (homework, quidditch practices etc.) has happened in the meantime.

I hope this was useful. Feel free to ask me more questions if it isn’t clear. If anyone else has more advice, feel free to add it. Happy writing!

thewritershandbook

Phobias vary in severity. They are irrational, and writers can use them as sources of conflict in their books.

hiranyaksha-deactivated20220613

Parents Picking Their Child’s Name: Eh, I like the way it sounds. Sure.

Writers Picking Their Character’s Names: What genre is it? How old are they? Active or passive? Blood type? Country of origin? Is it a family name? What does the name mean? Is it pretentious? Is it not pretentious enough? Can it be used as a metaphor? What position was the planet to the stars at the exact moment of their birth? Is the name gay enough?

cerula

Alternatively-

Writer: Looks around room. Spots a can of Lysol on a table.

“The great king Lyson, ruler of the nation of Tablelria…”

helly-watermelonsmellinfellon

I have done both! XD

sunnydwrites

49 Questions for Creating a Religion

What is it called?

Is it monotheistic or polytheistic?

What is the name of each deity?

Are they considered a god?

Does their name carry a special meaning?

Do they identify by any gender considered “traditional” in the context of your world?

What are they the deity of?

Is there any one myth or legend that they are most known for?

Is there a certain way for people to worship them?

Do they have any special abilities or responsibilities in the world?

Do people use “God” or “god”? Does it depend?

Are there any temples in your world?

Are they dedicated to any one deity, or open for all worship?

Are there any events held there? (Like weddings, funerals, scheduled times for group prayers, anything like Mass in the Catholic Church?)

How well decorated are they? Why?

Is it considered commonplace to offer sacrifices to any deity? What are the most common sacrifices?

How do people pray?

Is it out loud or silent?

What do they usually pray for?

Is there a specific time during which people are supposed to pray? Does it matter at all?

Is there a position in which they usually pray? (Kneeling, standing, bowing, etc.)

Is praying a group activity or meant to be solo?

Are there any religious holidays? What is celebrated?

Does anything religiously involved occur during or soon after birth?

Does anything religiously involved occur during or soon after death?

Do people believe in an afterlife?

Is there anything like a heaven/purgatory/hell system? What is yours like?

If so, how can someone guarantee themselves a spot in any one place?

Is there anything promised in each part?

Who are the most well-known figures of your religion? Why are they so well-known?

Is there a special book or anything like it that people following the religion go by? (like the Quran, the Bible, the Torah, etc.)

What does it state?

How closely is it followed, and why?

Is there a hierarchy of sorts in religion?

Who holds the highest position, and how did they get there?

What are the following ranks, and what comes with each of them? Special responsibilities/abilities, etc?

What is the lowest position? Is there anything lower than a regular follower of the religion? How did they get there?

Do expectations change at all with age?

Are children brought into the religion at a young age, or are they given a choice?

If they are brought in very early, is there ever a period where they are given the opportunity to leave?

Do the deities, if any, view children and adults differently? Is it about age in any respect?

How does this religion treat people who aren’t followers?

What is the general opinion on trying to convert “non-believers” to their religion?

How are the general interactions?

How much does religion affect the relationships a person might have?

How does this religion, as a whole, view and treat people of different varieties?

People of Color?

Members of the LGBT+ community?

Anyone who falls outside of what bigots might consider “normal” or “right”?

Anyway, that’s all I can think of for now! This was a long list but I have lots more where this came from, so you can probably expect to see more like this in the future. Until next time, much love! <333

kiramartinauthor

Simple writing tip: throw your phone across the room

stevonnie-forever

An alphabetized list of adjectives to use instead of “hot”

Baking

Blazing

Blistering

Boiling

Broiling

Burning

Feverish

Flaming

On fire

Parched

Roasting

Scalding

Scorching

Sizzling

Steaming

Sweltering

Toasting

Warm

thewritershandbook

This list will help you create well-rounded characters not only by listing strengths your characters might exhibit, but by presenting an even more useful option for choosing character weaknesses.

thewritershandbook

I'm an underwriter. When I write a novel, they hit my intended word count, but still tend to be on the short side. I've tried Googling so...

thewritershandbook

Hey, hey! I'm so excited you're here, friend. Today, I'm sharing one of my all-time favorite articles with you. It's all about building some seriously impressive characters. Ready to get started? One of the most popular debates in the literary world, especially among writers, is whether cha

just-4-thought

Have you ever read a book where every character feels like the same person? Or sometimes a character does something that feels like it was simply to move the plot forward and not because it fit with what that character would actually do in that situation.

I know a lot of authors do character sheets and delve into backstories, motivations, morals, and even how the character will grow(devolve) through the plot to avoid mismatched morals or faulty backstories.

I wanted to share a template I created for myself that can offer quick comparisons of what your characters would do in different situations. For me, it forces me to think about why these characters behave certian ways and really flesh them into organic beings. It also tells me how each character would respond to a situation when they are in a group setting and reminds me that not every character has to agree with my morals.

I started creating graphs like these one day after I had a scene where 6 of my characters were in an abandoned wearhouse and one of them screamed. For the plot, it was very important who arrived at the source of the scream and when. I created a series of graphs having to do with speed, protection instinct, loyalty, duty, self-preservation, curiosity, desire for control. It sounds like a lot of work but it only took me a few minutes. Here’s what I discovered with just a few x’s:

Character 1 would be there first because his protection instinct was so strong (having to do with a backstory) that he runs towards screams almost on reflex. Character 2 had an emotional connection with the screaming character and would, pause for a moment before running. Character 3, who was in the military and motivated by duty, would take just a little bit longer to process whether or not it jeopardized the mission or the potential for traps before she ultimately would decide to run towards the scream. Character 4 and character 5 would both run away from the scream and later turn up after they discovered the people were safe. The problem was that I needed character 5 to be the first person on the scene for the plot and when I wrote the scene originally he was, but it felt extremely fake. I eventually had to place him very near to the source of scream in order to have him be the first witness so, even if he froze and then started to run away, he still would get a glimpse of the action.

Now, this is a ton of writing, notes, etc that I never had to do on paper because it was all in my head. I just wrote a few x’s and voila, I knew my scene wasn’t true to my characters. When I rewrote it, it felt much more realistic and less like blank action pushing the plot forward.

I am showing you all a sample of character graphs because it’s really helpful for me to just add a few x’s and let my brain do the work instinctively. I’m using them today as I start a new short story, and it’s been nice to have this old trick.

git-writing-good

Sorry for the really dumb ask but is it ok to write emotional sentences in all caps? Or is that considered unprofessional? Like in Harry Potter it’s done for emphasis.

Oh anon, this isn’t a dumb ask.

In my opinion, all caps shouldn’t be used in formal writing to show emotion.

The only place I’ve seen all caps used well in writing is Terry Pratchett’s works. His personification of Death speaks in all caps with no quotation marks, making it obvious whenever he speaks. Even in books in which he hasn’t yet appeared, even outside of the Discworld books, if you know what you’re looking at.

So I strongly advise you to avoid the caps, or to only go all out on a word or two for great emphasis. If you tag your dialogue with “he bellowed, shouted, roared” or the like, readers will understand. Then caps might show which words are being shouted. “This is the last BLOODY time you sneak out at night!” can go without mentioning that the speaker is shouting, for instance, and it certainly looks imposing.

Without knowing exactly what you’re writing and who you’re writing for, it’s hard to say. I feel that younger audiences would appreciate all caps, as that’s how yelling is seen, whereas older folks might view it as unnecessary or distracting. But that’s just my two cents.

Thanks for the ask, anon. Good luck and happy writing!

inky-duchess

Fantasy Guide to Addressing Nobility

It can be hard to remember how to properly address your noble or royal characters when writing a fantasy court. Here is a quick guide:

1. King/Queen:

Usually addressed as either “Your Grace” or “Your Majesty”. Consort (married to a ruler and not reigning in their own right) can be addressed the same. Sire or Madam can be used also.