off beats

Blog for my writing and what have you. Updates sporadically, but feel free to drop me an ask. Main blog found @dvske.

[weltenwellen]

Wildness Before Something Sublime Leila Chatti

[rowanclair]

In an ancient forest, shallow pools reflect not the trees above, but a luminous city of elsewhere.

[evenlyevi]

Goodnight.

[allthingseurope]

The Carpathians, Romania

[eddie-kruger]

[andewitt]

winter creature

[along-the-meadow-path]

Studio Ghibli + Running Water 2

[expressions-of-nature]

by Antoine Beauvillain

[erosofthepen]

LETS TALK ABOUT SPARRING

I’ve read a lot of fics, have seen many shows, and have watched many movies that are completely inaccurate when it comes to sparring. NOW, i know it’s fiction, and I greatly enjoy it nonetheless, but I would like to share a few things with you, as a person who trains in Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA). There are a few general things in this, as well as stuff more focused to a certain european weapon. (this is all Historical European stuff, obviously if you’re writing for a different region, this probably won’t apply that much.)

SPARRING

-you don’t practice with real sharp swords. Never. It’s incredibly dangerous, especially since sparring is trying to practice your killing/injuring skills. In older times, you would use wood, maybe wrapped in leather or canvas to practice. Today, you use weighted nylon swords/weapons, and you usually wear a mask while doing so. Steel is and was an option, but the blade will be completely dull, and the tip will be bent over itself.

-It’s practically impossible to knock someone off their feet while sparring, unless you are hooking your foot or weapon behind their leg. It’s hard to push back and cause someone to fall, since they can just retreat back a bit.

-YOU. DON’T. SPEND. HOURS. SPARRING. ESPECIALLY WITHOUT A BREAK. It’s exhausting, the most people usually go is 10 minutes before they have a break. During Training, you only spar for about 2-5 minutes before stopping and having a rest.

-You try your hardest never to cross your feet. It’s dangerous and it unbalances you. Your opponent can take advantage of you easily.

-Usually, you want to strike your opponent with the last ¼ of your blade, basically just the tip and a little below. That’s the sharpest point, and you get the most force behind it.

-Swords aren’t super heavy. Stop the giant, huge, I-can-barely-lift-this trope. Longswords are usually 3lbs. It’s not heavy when you pick it up. However, it gets heavy when you’re holding it up above your head for a while. Swords were not made to be heavy, especially since you would have to hold them up in battle for sometimes hours.

-It’s incredibly hard to engage in witty banter and such. You are constantly moving and trying to strike your opponent. Since it’s fiction, you can do what you want, but just know that trying to have a conversation while sparring is like trying to have one while running. It tires you out even more, and usually just comes out breathless and wheezy.

-Swords are not lightsabers. You cannot try and hurt someone with just any part of your blade. It will just annoy your opponent. Now, for sparring, you will want to focus on hitting your opponent with the edge of your blade, and you won’t really ever be trying to hit someone with the flat of your blade.

-In sparring, you will get hit. And get bruises. I count five from just 2 days ago. (Also reminder that bruises don’t form for 1-3 days.) If you happened to get a hard thrust to the ribs, they will probably fracture. It happens. I haven’t had it personally, but those who’ve trained longer have. The worst injury I’ve gotten is a bruise on my chest that didn’t fade for nearly a month.

-Grip!!! You don’t clutch your sword super tight. No. It limits movement. My instructor taught me to hold firmly with the thumb, pointer, and middle finger, and use the other two as more guiding fingers. You swing your sword with your wrist, not a big giant arm movement. That is tiring and slow. 

I will be focusing on using a one handed sword in this next bit, specifically a Scottish Regimental Broadsword. A basic sword to build off of.

-FOOTWORK. It’s not a super complicated series of perfectly planned out steps. It just isn’t. With Regimental Broadsword (which is what I will focus on, since it’s what I’ve trained with most), you have to have a good base (rear-weighted stance, front foot pointed at your opponent, back foot turned sideways), and then once you have that, you just have to move around and try not to get hit.

-Slipping. (Continuation of footwork). With a rear-weighted stance, the goal is to be able to move the front foot anywhere. You should actually be able to keep your front foot an inch off the ground without having to adjust your back foot. Slipping is when this comes in handy. If your opponent takes a swing at your front leg, you should be able to just slip it back to go next to your other foot, and swing your sword up to get your opponents head. Slipping is really important.

-Advance and Retreat (other continuation of footwork). While moving forward or back, you always want to feel the ground with a heel-toe movement, so you can tell if there are rocks or branches and such. Advancing, you want to move your front leg first. Retreating, your back leg.

-Traversing (last continuation of footwork)(maybe). Transversing is basically advancing in on your opponent in a circular motion. You’re trying to get close and personal. Reminder to not cross your feet. You will loose balance and probably end up getting whacked with a sword. Traversing is a spiral motion sort of. Your opponent can avoid getting trapped If they do it as well.

I will probably come back and add more soon, because there’s more I know, but can’t remember at the moment.

[seabeck]

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep

[rhvme]

fool’s gold ;

#10 Not said to me, from ‘The Way You Said I Love You’ prompts.

In a reality where Red doesn’t exist, Sybil and Boxer collide.

She’s a string of one-time lovers, encounters of chance so inconsequential they blur, one into the next, one conquest after another. Hazy details. Forgotten names and places. Yet still, the sting-sharp memory of lips crushing against her own, of fingers catching along her every curve, of wanting hands charting a fumbled course in the dark —

Just to grasp at smoke, come sunrise.

Just to wake to her stark absence.

Each time, their blistered pride sours into resignation.

Each time, she relishes the silence that follows.

Temporary comfort.

It’s nothing new, she tells herself, no harm nor foul. They’ll weather. Move on. Find others to fill their lonely hours, as starving souls are wont to do. She’ll weather and keep on devouring as if it’s enough to fill her hollowed heart.

But it’s a shock with him.

He shouldn’t be any different.

But he is,

Was,

Is.

He looks at her like he’s trying to remember.

She wills herself to forget, burying the shards of memory his presence calls to mind.

(Not that it works. Never does.)

That’s why there’s no pretense when she finds herself on his doorstep, one night after the next, one surrender after another. No greeting. No negotiation, just an explosive friction of wills. Just rage simmering beneath all that lust. Skin in frenzied union, cries strangled from each other’s lips. Pangs of recollection with each tryst, phantom aches of lost places, lost time.

A woman's voice. A song drowning in static.

She swears she’s heard it before.

She looks at him, dies piece by piece as she remembers:

Alone, alone, she was supposed to be alone…

With me,

We had her, we had her, I had her…

Gone, gone, she’s gone, she’s…

Yours. Your fault, yours. She wasn’t supposed to be yours.

Why wasn’t it you?

Why is it you?

“Easy.” He grinds it out, his voice coarse and scraping at the unspoken sentiment hanging between them. It's different, this night. So different and yet entirely the same. Her hands are wrapped firm around his throat, pressing, squeezing, nails biting into flesh as she tosses back her hair and bucks down with merciless rhythm. He catches hold of her wrists, grunting, groaning, pleading, “Ease up, fuck.”

“Does it hurt?” The question’s a growl barely contained in her throat.

“Yes.”

And she tightens her grip, rides him for all he’s worth as he hisses out a breath and grinds his hips in time with hers, whether he means to or not. Helpless. Succumbed. Lost in the brimstone scald that is her gaze.

“Good.”

[ also on ao3 ]

[coolchaosqueen]

[wordsnstuff]

hey do you have any tips on plot development? how to do come up with relevant but dramatic things to keep the plot going? i also don’t want to make it too intense?

I actually have quite a lot of resources that I’ve created over the years surrounding plot development. I’ve linked as many as I could find for you:

Resources For Plot Development

Useful Writing Resources

Useful Writing Resources II

31 Days of Plot Development

Novel Planning 101

How To Write A Good Plot Twist

How To Foreshadow

What To Cut Out Of Your Story

Tackling Subplots

Things A Reader Needs From A Story

A Guide To Tension & Suspense In Your Writing

How To Turn A Good Idea Into A Good Story

Planning A Scene In A Story

21 Plot Shapes and the Pros and Cons Of Each

How To Outline Effectively

Tips On Writing Intense Scenes

Writing The First Chapter

Tips On Starting A Scene

Plot Structures

Finding & Fixing Plot Holes

[wildermouse]

the lake district, cumbria, england 🌿

photos by tony richards

[salt-and-a-dash-of-pepper]

Advice from an (Amateur) Archer on Writing About Archers and Archery

Admittedly, I don’t have the widest range of experience when it’s come to archery. I’ve only been shooting for a year now, and the time that I do take to shoot have long months between them. Still, I think it’s important to outline the basics for anyone who wants to write an archer in their book and wants to save themselves the embarrassment of having the archer do something that an archer would never do in a million years.

- Archers usually unstring their bow after battle. Unstringing a bow is exactly what it sounds like: removing the string from the bow’s limbs. Usually, archers then wrap the string around the now-straightened bow so they don’t lose it as easily. Archers unstring bows because everytime the limbs are bent by the string, there is a large amount of tension in the limbs. If the string is on too long and the bow has not been shot for a while, the limbs will start to wear down and lose their power, resulting in an archer needing to buy new limbs or an entirely new bow.

- Archers always retrieve their arrows after battle. Arrows are expensive and take a long time to make, so archers want to conserve as many arrows as possible. Sometimes they have a repair kit with them at the ready, in case they find an arrow with a loose arrowhead or broken fletching that can easily be repaired. 

- Training arrows are not the same as battle arrows. Training arrows have thinner shafts and usually blunted tips so they can easily be removed from targets. Thinner shafts break more easily, and the blunted tips – whilst they can pierce skin – usually won’t get very far in the flesh. They’re also easier to make. Battle arrows are thicker, and their heads are pointed at the tip and have two pointed ends at its sides. This arrowhead is designed to easily pierce through flesh, and is incredibly difficult to pull out because its two pointed ends snag onto flesh. If you want to pull it out, you’d have to tear the flesh away with it, which can lead to an even larger wound.

- Arrows are fatal, and one can incapacitate a soldier for the rest of his life. Arrows are not easily snapped off like you see in movies. The draw weight is too strong, and they can sometimes be as strong as bullets. They will pierce through bone and tendons, which do not easily heal. Furthermore, if you want to remove an arrow, you either have to go through surgery, parting the flesh away from the arrowhead so it doesn’t snag onto anything, or you have you push – not pull – it all the way through the body.

- Bows are not designed for hitting people with in close combat. The limbs are specifically made to flex. Imagine hitting someone with a flexing piece of wood. If you hit with the middle of the bow, it still does very little because there is no weight behind the bow, and so you might as well be hitting them with a pillow. It might be annoying to the opponent, but it won’t save you. Archers need a secondary blade in close combat. They cannot strike people with their bows and expect to win.

- Draw weight affects speed, range, and impact. Draw weight is measured in pounds, at least in America, and it is measured in how much weight must be pulled when you draw back the string. A high draw weight means stiffer, thicker limbs that can shoot further and hit harder. But, this is at the cost of speed. A low draw weight means thinner, more flexible limbs that can shoot smaller distances and have low impact, but can be shot faster. Before you acrobatic fanatics immediately seize the smaller bow for its speed, understand that a bow’s advantage is in its range. No one can hit an archer from 300 meters away with their spear or sword. The archer has complete dominance over the battlefield in this way, and their arrows can kill anyone who gets too close. Not hurt. Not annoy. Kill. And a higher draw weight means a better chance of piercing through specific armor, then flesh, then bone. A lower draw weight means less range and, even worse, a lower chance that the arrow would even pierce through armor if the arrow even hits its target. 

- Bows will always be outmatched in close combat against any other weapon. Bows take too long to draw and shoot, and at such close range, the opponent has an easier chance to dodge oncoming arrows. I already explained that the bows themselves cannot be used to take down a foe. 

- Bowmen on horseback are utterly terrifying. Archers usually can’t move from their spot because range is more important than mobility, and at such a long range, you usually don’t need to move from your spot anyways. Bowmen on horses, however, are closer to the battle, and worse, they are faster than almost anyone on the battlefield. Not only are they difficult to hit, you have no way of predicting where they will shoot next because they can circle around you in confusing ways. If you want an interesting archer character, I’d advise trying these guys out.

- Never underestimate armor and padding. Arrows will never be able to pierce through plate armor because its curved surface will always deflect oncoming arrows. Arrows can pierce through maille because maille is made out of metal rings that can be bent and can fall away. However, padding usually lies underneath, which is surprisingly durable and can stop an oncoming arrow, as well as absorb some of its impact. Because of this, make certain that the archer is focusing on gabs in the armor. To know this, you MUST study armor. Gabs usually lie where the joints are because soldiers need those gabs open so they can move. Typical gaps lie in the neck, the armpit, the inner-elbow, the knees, and the palm of the hand. Impact is also an archer’s friend. A war arrow shot by a hundred pound bow, hurtling at incredible speeds and gaining momentum the further it travels, can evoke serious damage. To be hit by one of these arrows will feel more like being hit by a horse than being hit by someone’s fist. 

[salt-and-a-dash-of-pepper]

More facts:

- Archers should never rest the tip of their bow on the ground. Dirt and dust can wear away the tip, which in turn can eat away at where the string notch is. If the string notch is worn away in any shape or form, the string can fall off or the bow not shoot correctly.

- ARCHERS SHOULD NEVER LEAN ON THEIR BOW. This is the same as keeping the bow strung when you’re not using it. Leaning on the bow causes the limbs to flex, which can be damaging when you’re not shooting anything.

- Never shoot a bow when there is no arrow notched. This is known as “dry firing,” and is incredibly damaging to the bow. Because there is no arrow to transfer the energy of the shot through, the energy instead shivers down the bow. If it is a strong enough energy, the bow can shatter.

- When any archer is shooting at a target, everyone is instructed to stand beside or behind the archer. This is common safety sense, as archers’ fingers might slip and the arrow is shot in a different direction than intended.

- It is incredibly rude, as well as dangerous, to shoot near another person simply to show one’s skill. Unless the person voluntarily agreed with the archer to stand in place and is willing to be shot, it is incredibly rude to shoot near someone to prove one’s skill. It would be the same as a gunman shooting at another person to prove he can hit a can at their elbow. The gunman, as well as the archer, would be thrown behind bars.

- Archers use an “anchor point” to aim. Archers rest either their index or middle finger at their chin or the side of their lip when drawing the bow.  This is known as their “anchor point,” and it is used to steady the hand as well as aim. If an archer does NOT use an anchor point, his shot can go wild. If you see actors holding their fingers behind their chin and hanging in the air, you’ll know that they are not an archer.

- It is both unnecessary and damaging to pull the bow’s string further than your chin. It has a higher chance of breaking or bending irreversibly than shooting further, faster, or higher by drawing the bow string further.

- You use your back muscles the most when drawing a bow. Most people assume that you’re using primarily your arm muscles. Whilst the muscles in your arms are incorporated, the back muscles are used to pull back the weight of the bow moreso than your arms.

- It is easier to swing a sword than shoot a bow. I’m certainly not talking about skill or practice. Swords and bows each have their own difficulties to overcome, but there is a common misconception that bows are lighter than swords. The weight of a sword varies, but most sit between 2 to 5 pounds and are well balanced so you don’t feel the weight of the sword pulling at your tendons. Bows, on the other hand, have a draw weight that varies from 20 to 100 pounds, sometimes more. Whilst different muscles are used to do different things, it’s clear that bows take far more strength than expected to use.

- A proper bow needs proper care. Damages are common after use, no matter what you do. The string may fray, the string’s nock locator might fall off, the arrow rest may wear down, and so on. Archers, therefore, should bring wax, which keeps the string from fraying, an extra nock locator, and perhaps a kit that can either repair the arrow rest or replace the entire thing.

- It really effing hurts when the string strikes your forearm. Because of this, bracers are a thing. Anyone who has shot a bow knows exactly what I’m talking about. Sometimes when you shoot and your forearm is angled a certain way, the string can strike the soft flesh of your forearm when you loose an arrow. Understand that it stings like fire, and does not die down until half an hour, sometimes more. To combat this, most archers wear bracers, which clasp around their forarms and protect them from the string. Experienced archers know how to angle their forearm away from the string so they are never struck.

[datable]

[mydarkenedeyes]

Chris Hytha