#fandom writing
- Sticking a landing will royally fuck up your joints and possibly shatter your ankles, depending on how high you’re jumping/falling from. There’s a very good reason free-runners dive and roll.
- Hand-to-hand fights usually only last a matter of seconds, sometimes a few minutes. It’s exhausting work and unless you have a lot of training and history with hand-to-hand combat, you’re going to tire out really fast.
- Arrows are very effective and you can’t just yank them out without doing a lot of damage. Most of the time the head of the arrow will break off inside the body if you try pulling it out, and arrows are built to pierce deep. An arrow wound demands medical attention.
- Throwing your opponent across the room is really not all that smart. You’re giving them the chance to get up and run away. Unless you’re trying to put distance between you so you can shoot them or something, don’t throw them.
- Everyone has something called a “flinch response” when they fight. This is pretty much the brain’s way of telling you “get the fuck out of here or we’re gonna die.” Experienced fighters have trained to suppress this. Think about how long your character has been fighting. A character in a fist fight for the first time is going to take a few hits before their survival instinct kicks in and they start hitting back. A character in a fist fight for the eighth time that week is going to respond a little differently.
- ADRENALINE WORKS AGAINST YOU WHEN YOU FIGHT. THIS IS IMPORTANT. A lot of times people think that adrenaline will kick in and give you some badass fighting skills, but it’s actually the opposite. Adrenaline is what tires you out in a battle and it also affects the fighter’s efficacy - meaning it makes them shaky and inaccurate, and overall they lose about 60% of their fighting skill because their brain is focusing on not dying. Adrenaline keeps you alive, it doesn’t give you the skill to pull off a perfect roundhouse kick to the opponent’s face.
- Swords WILL bend or break if you hit something hard enough. They also dull easily and take a lot of maintenance. In reality, someone who fights with a sword would have to have to repair or replace it constantly.
- Fights get messy. There’s blood and sweat everywhere, and that will make it hard to hold your weapon or get a good grip on someone.
- A serious battle also smells horrible. There’s lots of sweat, but also the smell of urine and feces. After someone dies, their bowels and bladder empty. There might also be some questionable things on the ground which can be very psychologically traumatizing. Remember to think about all of the character’s senses when they’re in a fight. Everything WILL affect them in some way.
- If your sword is sharpened down to a fine edge, the rest of the blade can’t go through the cut you make. You’ll just end up putting a tiny, shallow scratch in the surface of whatever you strike, and you could probably break your sword.
- ARCHERS ARE STRONG TOO. Have you ever drawn a bow? It takes a lot of strength, especially when you’re shooting a bow with a higher draw weight. Draw weight basically means “the amount of force you have to use to pull this sucker back enough to fire it.” To give you an idea of how that works, here’s a helpful link to tell you about finding bow sizes and draw weights for your characters. (CLICK ME)
- If an archer has to use a bow they’re not used to, it will probably throw them off a little until they’ve done a few practice shots with it and figured out its draw weight and stability.
- People bleed. If they get punched in the face, they’ll probably get a bloody nose. If they get stabbed or cut somehow, they’ll bleed accordingly. And if they’ve been fighting for a while, they’ve got a LOT of blood rushing around to provide them with oxygen. They’re going to bleed a lot.
Hopefully this helps someone out there. If you reblog, feel free to add more tips for writers or correct anything I’ve gotten wrong here.
How to apply Writing techniques for action scenes:
- Short sentences. Choppy. One action, then another. When there’s a lull in the fight, take a moment, using longer phrases to analyze the situation–then dive back in. Snap, snap, snap.
- Same thing with words - short, simple, and strong in the thick of battle. Save the longer syllables for elsewhere.
- Characters do not dwell on things when they are in the heat of the moment. They will get punched in the face. Focus on actions, not thoughts.
- Go back and cut out as many adverbs as possible.
- No seriously, if there’s ever a time to use the strongest verbs in your vocabulary - Bellow, thrash, heave, shriek, snarl, splinter, bolt, hurtle, crumble, shatter, charge, raze - it’s now.
- Don’t forget your other senses. People might not even be sure what they sawduring a fight, but they always know how they felt.
- Taste: Dry mouth, salt from sweat, copper tang from blood, etc
- Smell: OP nailed it
- Touch: Headache, sore muscles, tense muscles, exhaustion, blood pounding. Bruised knuckles/bowstring fingers. Injuries that ache and pulse, sting and flare white hot with pain.
- Pain will stay with a character. Even if it’s minor.
- Sound and sight might blur or sharpen depending on the character and their experience/exhaustion. Colors and quick movements will catch the eye. Loud sounds or noises from behind may serve as a fighter’s only alert before an attack.
- If something unexpected happens, shifting the character’s whole attention to that thing will shift the Audience’s attention, too.
- Aftermath. This is where the details resurface, the characters pick up things they cast aside during the fight, both literally and metaphorically. Fights are chaotic, fast paced, and self-centered. Characters know only their self, their goals, what’s in their way, and the quickest way around those threats. The aftermath is when people can regain their emotions, their relationships, their rationality/introspection, and anything else they couldn’t afford to think or feel while their lives were on the line.Do everything you can to keep the fight here and now. Maximize the physical, minimize the theoretical. Keep things immediate- no theories or what ifs.
If writing a strategist, who needsto think ahead, try this: keep strategy to before-and-after fights. Lay out plans in calm periods, try to guess what enemies are thinking or what they will do. During combat, however, the character should think about his options, enemies, and terrain in immediate terms; that is, in shapes and direction. (Large enemy rushing me; dive left, circle around / Scaffolding on fire, pool below me / two foes helping each other, separate them.)
Lastly, after writing, read it aloud. Anyplace your tongue catches up on a fast moving scene, edit. Smooth action scenes rarely come on the first try.
As a reminder to myself as an author but good to know for everyone. @thehugwizard any other tips to add?
fandom kids these days really be out here pretending like fandom wasnt invented by housewives that were super into star trek
They were also kinky bitches.
Sex pollen? Trekkie house wives invented that trope.
Going into heat? Tekkie wives said were gonna write it.
Fuck or die was basically trademarked in Trekkie fic
Any common lewd or ship trope in fandom existance? Thank some 25yo+ ladies who were really into Star Trek.
Mary sue is literally named for a (i believe) self insert into Trekkie fic.
These bitches ran so you could bitch about people walking while you crawl.
Never forget
To source it:
Sex Pollen: 50/50 credit between canon Poison Ivy and Star Trek (1966/1967)
Heat: Star Trek’s Pon Farr, but also canon elements of Sime-Gen (which, haha still draws from Star Trek)
F/uck or die: see Pon Farr again
Mary Sue: was coined in 1973 by Paula Smith who wrote a parody fic entitled “A Trekkie’s Tale” in her zine Menagerie, basically as a rant response to a trend in characterizations.
“Any common lewd or ship trope in fandom existance? Thank some 25yo+ ladies who were really into Star Trek.”
Absolutely accurate. Star Trek fandom really had it and made it all.
Has the world seriously forgotten that the term “Mary Sue” actually came from the Author Named Mary Sue, whose books were so boring because her characters were so perfect that there essentially was no plot? That fandoms and fanfiction is absolutely the worst offender with “Mary Sue” characters because we have a tendency to love our fandoms and our stans and we just refuse to write their flaws unless it is in fact helpful in which case it isn’t actually a flaw…
Reader x readers!mother x stepfather x Klaus x Elijah x Alex x readers!sister
Fandom: The Originals
Authors note: This is the continuation of the previous part! So, if you haven’t read part one then I highly recommend. I hope you will enjoy. I know I did enjoy writing it. Let me know what you thought of it and if you would like part 3.
Warnings: Mentioning of blood and ripped hearts out, but if you watch “The Originals” it should not bother you.
Wordcount: 1774
‘Y/N’ You heard your name being called by a sweet, homey voice. ‘Y/N, open your eyes, honey.’ You felt something soft tingling your forearm. ‘Mom, stop’ You laughed because it was the way only your mother walked you up. And then you froze and rapidly opened your eyes. And you saw her, kneeling above you, examining your body. She cupped your face with her one hand and softly rubbed your cheek. ‘Oh, baby I am so sorry. It is all my fault.’ Your mom said with torment in her eyes. You sat beside her and allowed her to hug you gently. She stroked your hair while you breathed in the sweet, fresh fruity scent of the perfume that she has always warn. ‘Mom,’You broke the silence. ‘I don’t understand, how are you here?’ She looked at you not knowing what to say. When she finally spoke, it left you confused. ‘Honey, do you know what happened? Do you remember anything?’ Your eyes rested on her, but your sight else were. You were reliving past event with your stepfather in the led role, then you saw the men, and it all came to you. ‘Am I dead?’ You said breathlessly. ‘Not yet, time here slows down’ She answered and smiled shyly. ‘So, where are we?’ She thought for a second and then spoke. ‘We are in the “in-between”, it is a place for spirits that have either something uncompleted or if their body is still fighting or’ She didn’t have a chance to finish because you immediately got to your feet. ‘Lily!’ You shouted with wide open eyes. Your panic clearly vocal ‘I completely forgot about her, mom I need to go back!’ Your face tensed ‘How do I go back?’
Meanwhile at your house
‘C’mon, love, drink’ Klaus was feeding you his blood. He then heard a cruel laughter coming from your stepfather’s mouth. Klaus turned around, and his eyes turned gold, with a flick of an eye Klaus got to him and lifted him by his throat…
In-between
‘Y/N you are stronger than you think you are you just need to…’ She didn’t have a chance to finish when you felt a strong pull and feel to your knees. ‘Mom, what is happening?’ She grabbed your hands and squeezed them. ‘Your body begins to wake,’ She said with a serious tone in her voice and a loving smile. ‘Now, listen to me, we don’t much time. Rees (your stepfather) is dangerous, his true nature is reviled once each month.’ You looked at her confused, not understanding what she is talking about. ‘You need to take your sister and leave, never stop, never stay in one place for too long.’ ‘Mom’ You said scared by her words ‘No, listen you are powerful, strong, much stronger than you think. You just need to learn how to control it, you need to practice it.’ You grinned in pain. ‘Mom, I don’t understand. What do you…’ You were cut off, unable to catch a breath. The last thing you saw, was your mother ripping you necklace off your neck and saying, ‘I love you.’ and the tears running down her cheeks.The necklace that she gave you after your fathers’ death when you were nine.
You lifted into sitting position on the floor in your bedroom, unable to breathe. When you finally caught your breath, you fall to the ground in relieve. You then heard a choking noise and turned to where it came from. You saw a man holing Rees by his throat, and you immediately sat down shocked by what you saw. You froze in fear, tears streaming down your cheeks. The man had gold eyes and black veins around them and blood dripping from his mouth.
Your gaze then rested on your stepfather, who had a smirk on his face. He was also covered in blood, and you could not help but wonder whose blood was it yours or his? The man turned to face your stepfather. ‘Do you care to see your doing, lad?’ He said with a deep British accent. He then threw Rees towards you, this caused you to move back. Klaus then lifted Rees, who begin to struggle with him, and eventually hit Klaus. On Klaus’ face appeared a playful smirk. He grabbed him by his throat yet again, and pushed him against the wall, this time leaving crack marks behind. ‘Now, here is how this is going to play out’ said Klaus ‘You can either be a good doggy and live, or,’ Klaus smirked on this thought and carried on ‘you can die’ He said emotionlessly. ‘The choice is yours’ He then looked at you ‘You’re a fool, nothing but a fool’ said your stepfather and begin to laugh.
At that moment yet another man burst into your room. He was wearing an expensive looking suit. ‘Niklaus, we have company’ said the man. ‘Not now Elijah, I am trying to teach this dog a lesson’ Said Klaus pressing your stepfather harder into the wall. ‘Niklaus, there is no time for this, I will take the girl you take the dog’ The man approached you and give you his hand, at first you hesitated, and then you took it. ‘Keep close behind me.’ You waved your head “yes” unable to say a word.
You were walking outside when a pack of people trashed your never-ending garden. You looked at the man, and you saw black veins under his eyes. ‘Hide´ He ordered, and you listened.
You hid behind a great old tree. Your back rested on the tree, it supported your height because your legs were unable to carry out this task. What is happening, who are these people? The questions were spinning in your head. After a couple of seconds, you peeked to see what was happening. It was a bloodbath. You saw the two men, Klaus and Elijah rip the harts out of the chests of people who came near them. You could not believe what you were seeing. Tears were dripping from your chin. This is insane, just fucking insane. Mass murder in my garden You spoke to yourself with an amused voice. Someone must have added something to my drink, and now I am hallucinating some fucked up crazy shit. There is no any other option. Alex must have to sneak some of his “mood boosters’ into my tea. I am gonna kill this little fuck. Your monologue continued. But you were quickly pulled out of the trans when you heard a whistle, and then your sister’s calling filled your ears. She was calling for help. She was calling you.
You came out from behind the tree and saw how frightened she was. Some men held her and motioned her into a car, and your stepfather was walking towards it, with a proud expression on his face. He stopped for a brief moment and looked at you ‘What can I say sometimes you’re on top and other times you’re on the bottom, and you my dear are always on the bottom’ he said and continued to walk. You immediately looked around into chaos, the brothers were overwhelmed by the number of opponents they had a face.
And then you felt it, her presence. You smelled her sweet fresh fruity scent. You closed your eyes, filled with the power you screamed‘Stoooooop!’ You breathed heavily, when you opened your eyes you were amazed, everyone was down on the ground, shocked or simply unconscious. Before anyone could stop you, you ran to you sister. You lifted her like a little bride and run to your car. You let her climb through the driver’s seat on to the passenger’s seat, you then took your place, and with a shaky hand you pressed the “start” button to start the engine, and you speed away. ‘Thank you, mom.’ You smiled and looked at your sister who was staring at you. ‘Everything is going to be fine. Don’t worry. I will protect you.’ You said relieved when she managed to curve her lips.
You heard a ring of your phone and your body tensed, and then relaxed when you saw that it was Alex. ‘Where are you, I’ve been trying to reach you all day.’ He was speaking fast, relieved that he finally reached you. ‘Alex, I am leaving the city.’ He didn’t say anything, so you just continued. ‘I’m with Lily, something happened, and we have to run’ When he spoke you could hear that he was confused ‘Why? What happened? Where are you going? What about your stepfather, he will never let you leave.’ You took a deep breath and replied ‘That’s the thing I am running from him. I don’t know where, but I have to leave. It is not safe for us to stay here.’ Alex replied quickly ‘I am going with you’ He said full of confidence. ‘There is nothing here for me, I have only you, and if you leave, I will be alone.’ You knew it was true, so you agreed. ‘Alright, I will pick you up in five, get everything you need and grab a blanket and a pillow.’ You hang up and drove to his house.
Alex’s story might have been worse than yours or as equal. His mother abounded him and his dad. He had no siblings. The day he turned 18 his father abandoned him too. So, when he said he only had you it was the truth, you at least had Lily, he had nobody but you.
You got to his house, and you saw he was already outside waiting with his bag hanging on his shoulder and pillow and blanket in his arms. You stopped the car, and you said to Lily ‘Sit in the back’ She looked at you and obeyed unwillingly. Alex threw the blanket with a pillow on the back seat and took his place in front.
‘So, do you wanna tell me what happened?’ He said when you started the engine. You turned around and looked at Lily. ‘Do you wanna watch a Disney movie?’ You asked her, and she nodded in agreement. ‘Put headphones on.’ You then turned to Alex and told him everything. Starting from the truth about your stepfather and ending with what happened in your garden. He turned his face away from you drowning in thoughts. You turned around, Lily was already asleep. You were not surprised because it was already dark.
You stared at the wide empty road. Now you were finally free. Your lips curved slightly it wasn’t how you planned to escape that powerful man, but you did.
Thank you for taking your time and reading it. Again, I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what your thoughts are and if you would like part 3.
tagged:@graysonmalfoy
for real, if you see a fic that seems abandoned but you really want to see if it might be completed
i would genuinely suggest not mentioning the fact its abandoned at all. instead, just leave the most effusive comment you can. tell the author specifically what you liked. if they are in a position they might continue it, you might remind them what they liked about the story, and thus maybe revive it.
that is probably your best bet to get a story finished, much more than asking “hey is this abandoned” or asking for it to be continued.
This
By My Side (Part 2)
Fandom: The Moomins (1990)
Ship: Snufmin (Heavily Implied)
Content Advisory: Hunger, stomach growling, caretaking, stomachaches
Read part one here!https://hungry-tum-stuff.tumblr.com/post/685368609293336576/by-my-side-part-1
Snufkin woke up with Moomin’s arms around him.
For a moment he was disoriented; it was winter, right? Why was he at Moominhouse? As he began to wake up and get his bearings, the days leading up to hibernation quickly came back to him. Moomin and Snufkin had arranged to travel together in the spring, and instead of his annual journey south, Snufkin had agreed to stay the winter so he had the energy to travel after winter.
But if he was awake, did that mean hibernation was over already? Perhaps it had gone by much quicker than he’d thought.
That couldn’t be it though; his ears twitched as he picked up the sound of the wind still howling outside, and upon titling his head his suspicions were quickly confirmed: A blizzard was roaring just beyond the walls, and in this moment Snufkin couldn’t be more grateful for Moomin’s warmth pressing right up against him as he slept soundly. Snufkin spared him a glance and smiled before closing his eyes once again, content to go back to sleep until winter had finished her rampage on the valley.
But just as soon as he did, Snufkin’s stomach growled ferociously.
Sothat’s why he’d woken up. As filling as Moominmama’s Hibernation Feast had been, he’d had an inkling that it wouldn’t last him the entire winter. Mumriks weren’t made to hibernate after all.
Snufkin frowned and pressed a hand into his stomach as it panged hungrily, feeling the usual softness of his belly sink into itself now that it was empty. How long had he been asleep, anyways? Snufkin looked at Moomin’s stopped clock on the wall in vain: He certainly felt like he’d slept more than a day, he still had that same lingering tiredness that stuck around when one slept longer than they usually did. But it was hard to tell if winter was anywhere near being over. If this was the very last stretch of the brutal season, then Snufkin figured he might as well try to stick out the last leg of hibernation on an empty stomach.
His stomach moaned a complaint at the thought. While that would certainly be unpleasant, it would be even more unpleasant if he’d woken up near the very beginning of hibernation, and he had to go rifling around Moominhouse for another feast that could sate him through a good portion of the hibernation season. Which meant he’d have to periodically wake up to eat. Which meant he’d wake up absolutely famished each time.
Snufkin wrapped his arms around his aching belly, his tail flicking as he considered the little predicament he was in. When his stomach voiced its complaints once again, he didn’t need much more convincing to get up and go find something to eat.
Except, he couldn’t.
Moomin had Snufkin locked in his embrace.
“Oh dear…” He breathed, trying carefully to push Moomin’s arms off of him and slip out of his hold without waking the troll. But it seems that Moomin was intent on keeping Snufkin as his snuggle buddy this winter, because as soon as Snufkin began moving to make his escape, Moomin only readjusted his hold on the mumrik and pulled him closer to his body in an inescapably tight hug.
“That’s just like you, to want me to stay…” Snufkin sighed in mock annoyance before wincing as his tummy grumbled desperately. It slowly began dawning on Snufkin that he may just have to wake Moomin and actually ask him to get up. The thought alone was terrifying, but it was just as horrid to think of what would become of him if he didn’t get something to eat. “As much as I’d love to keep cuddling with you Moomin, I’ve got to get up… I fear I may waste away if I don’t.” He joked idly, which unsurprisingly garnered no response from the sleeping Moomintroll. Instead, Snufkin’s stomach only rumbled an angry response.
“Oh, hush you…” He whispered, his tail flicking nervously. In the very least, if he couldn’t wake Moomin up, then his tummy sure would. Moomin was holding Snufkin firmly against him, but embarrassingly enough, his paws were resting around Snufkin’s middle; right where his stomach was. “Please don’t startle Moomin awake… Though, I’m not sure anyone could, he’s sound asleep.” The mumrik informed his stomach with a wry smile before snaking his tail beneath Moomin’s snout and tickling his nose. While it earned him an unintelligible mumble, the other was still nowhere near being awake.
“Well, this is rather hopeless…” Snufkin sighed, leaning back into Moomin’s soft fur and closing his eyes. “I will admit that I’ve never been more well-rested, but I don’t believe I’ll be able to adventure with you in the spring if I’ve withered away to skin and bone. So if you could wake up and let me go, I’d be very grateful.” He spoke softly, despite the fact that Moomin was far too deep in his slumber to hear him. However, Moomin was awake enough to feel Snufkin’s stomach growling against his hand.
“Snufkin…?” The Mumrik nearly jumped out of his skin as Moomin started to rouse, his voice still bleary with sleep. “Are you awake?”
“Ah, yes, I apologize if I woke you up.” He said, twisting within Moomin’s arms so that his upper half was facing the troll. Moomin just shook his head and blinked a few times, his big blue doe eyes looking around for a moment before they landed back on Snufkin.
“No, you didn’t. At least, I don’t think you did, I’m not sure what woke me-“ He was promptly cut off when Snufkin’s stomach roared emptily. Moomin’s eyes widened, a hint of worry beginning to creep into his features. “…up. Oh Snufkin, you sound like you’re starving!” He exclaimed, patting Snufkin’s tummy where his paws were resting. “How long have you been awake?” Moomin finally loosened his his grip on Snufkin to sit up.
“Not long at all, you haven’t got to worry over me… How long have we been asleep anyways?” He asked, resting his own hands on his aching stomach and hoping his question would divert Moomin’s attention away from it.
“Two weeks.” Moomin pointed over to the clock, where the hour hand was stopped at two. Ah, so the clock wasn’t stopped, it had just been cranked to count the twelve weeks of winter. “Gosh, no wonder you’re so hungry…” Moomin took the opportunity to rest their own paws on Snufkin’s stomach, gently rubbing the slightly sunken space beneath his ribs.
“Well, at least now I know how long I can hibernate for.” Moomin’s methodical rubbing loosened up a long string of hungry grumbles, causing Snufkin’s face to flush in embarrassment. “Which isn’t very long… We’re not even halfway through the winter.”
“Oh, now that doesn’t matter Snufkin. You haven’t eaten a thing in two weeks, so I’d say you’re more than in need of a snack.” Moomin climbed out of bed and took Snufkin’s hands, pulling him up and along with him. “Come on, lets get something in that tummy. I remember Mama storing some smoked fish in the cellar before hibernation.” He recalled, causing the mumrik’s stomach to rumble expectantly.
“I could certainly go for some fish.”
