repeat after me: i will not make myself small for other people's convenience.

power

These sounded poetic together :)

"We long for the lost"

-november-rage

Writer's Guide: Hand to Hand Combat

Your character is unarmed and all they have left to fight with is their bare hands. If they hope for the enemy to catch their hands, you will have to write an effective scene. So how can we write a good hand to hand combat scene?

Most Common Moves

Now, I'm not going to list 30+ martial arts moves. Most of your characters will not be masters of kung fu or mixed martial arts. Most people who get into fights are novices.

Punch: a punch is probably to go to strike. Try not punch anybody in the face because one, they will expect it and two, it will hurt your hand. If you can aim for the soft parts of an opponent, kidneys or gut.

Kick: Kicking isn't pretty but it is effective. A good swift kick to the back of somebody's knee will fold them like a lawnchair.

Go for the groin: Man or woman getting kicked in the nether regions is no picnic. A good swift kick with your foot or your knee can incapacitate your opponent. Its not the most honourable of moves but it works.

An Elbow strike is effective: The elbow is your strongest point of attack. Drive it in to a windpipe or a gut and you can but yourself valuable time to retreat or stall your opponent from answering back.

Eyes: they are weak points. Jab somebody in the eyes with a thumb and they will stop in their tracks.

Throat: You can end any fight by going straight for the throat either grasping it in a headlock or jabbing it with a fist which can collapse the windpipe.

Bite: If you are unable to snack your opponent, use your teeth. The human bite is perhaps not as strong as a hyena's but it is strong enough to shorten your opponent by a finger or two.

How to Escape from Grips and Holds

Pinned from behind with your arms pinned: You have to stop your opponent from getting to a headlock. Move your hips to one side and strike backwards toward the groin or gut. This should weaken the hold of your opponent. Once the grip is loosened, turn toward your opponent and snack them into the nose with the heel of your hand.

Held from behind: Bend forward as far as you can making it more difficult for your opponent to lift you. Jab with your elbows back into your opponent's chest or face. Turn toward your opponent once the grip loosens and strike at the face or the groin again to subdue your opponent.

Headlock: If your opponent has you in a headlock, DON'T STRUGGLE. You could break your own neck. Turn into your opponent's side as close as possible. With your hand that is furthest away, hit your opponent into the groin or gut.

Pinned down on the ground: Most likely your opponent is using their own hands and weight to keep you down. If you can move your knees, try to jab them in the side or the groin to unbalanced them.

Things to Remember

1. The whole 6-10 minute bout only happens in films or controlled sporting events. Fights are usually over within a few minutes. (when writing effective fights, keep the pace short.)

2. Girls are vicious. I've worked in nightclubs and broke up a fair few fights. Boys will knock the shit out of each other but girls will tear shreds out of each other. I have known grown men to break up fights between guys but nobody wants to break up a catfight.

3. One wants the fight to end quickly. If you keep slugging at each other, you'll get tired pretty fast. Have your character try end the fight as soon as possible.

4. Nobody emerges from fights unscathed. Even winners may come out with black eyes, broken noses or at very least a broken lip. If you punch someone, you will likely bruise your knuckles if not split them.

5. If your character is fighting to survive, they don't have to stick to etiquette. They will have to do anything to survive even if it means doing something unpleasant like fishhooking or hairpulling.

Singing at the top of your lungs with someone you care about is a love language. Randomly breaking into a dance together is a love language. Being weird together, knowing how the other person likes their coffee, saying “you’re brilliant” or “you’re beautiful” at unexpected moments are all love languages. Text messages that day “I’m thinking of you”, or “this song reminds me of you” or “how is your day going?” are all ways of saying I miss you and therefore a love language. “Let me know when you’re home safe” is a love language. “Do you want a hug” is a love language. Listening, truly listening to a rant and offering comfort is a love language. So is sitting in silence together. Saying “I believe in you” is a love language and encouraging your passions is a love language too. Look, just look at the thousands of ways people say I love you. They don’t have to use the words at all. All you have to do is listen. Just listen.

- Nikita Gill, Love Language

Shoutout to the people getting excited looking at the sky and can't resist without taking its picture

Ocean Vuong- On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

Whoever told you that you were hard to love didn’t truly see you when you spoke about everything you loved, didn’t understand your passion, didn’t know how hard it was for you to get up every morning despite the world trying to knock you down again. You are a bright burning galaxy and some people aren’t worthy of your light - but they don’t want to admit that the fault is their own. You aren’t hard to love. They just didn’t know how to love you for who you are.

Nikita Gill

I feel too small for the world tonight,

But that's okay.

Sometimes i like the thought of travelling the earth unnoticed.

Writer's Guide: Guns

I'm not the biggest fan of guns but I need them in my new WIP. Guns are probably one of the most used tools within most medias, besides being one of the most misused tools. So how can we write them? (my other post on guns focuses on the damage guns can do to a body so go there if that's what your looking for)

Part of a Gun

Action: The action is the brain of the gun. It is the part where you load, fire and eject the casings.

Stock: The stock is the handle of the gun. It is made up of the butt and the fore-end.

Barrel: The Barrel is the nose of the gun, the point where the bullets are fired from. Once a bullet is fired, it travels through the barrel and out the muzzle.

Muzzle: the muzzle is the hole the bullet exit from.

Bore: The bore is the inside of the barrel

Cylinder: The Cylinder holds the rounds in a revolver. It rotates as the gun is fired, pumping bullets into the chamber.

Grip: The Grip is where you hold gun.

Hammer: The Hammer on a revolver is a pin like instrument that strikes the primer which fires the bullet from the gun.

Clip: An clip stores the rounds of ammunition on a single line-like device that can be placed into magazine.

Magazine: The Magazine is a container that is spring activated, which can be detachable of fixed. It holds cartridges for a repeating firearm.

Trigger: The Trigger is what you pull yo fire the gun

Trigger Guard: The trigger guard is the loop that fits in front of the trigger to shield it from accidental firing.

Ammunition

Bullet: is the projectile that exits the gun.

Cartridges/Shell: This is the case, primer, propellant and projectile (bullet). The bullet sits in the cartridge case.

Shotshell: Are rounds of shotgun ammunition, containing pellets rather than a bullet.

Gun Safety

1. Keep the muzzle pointed downwards (not near your feet or others) when not using the gun.

2. Unload gun when not in use

3. Always check the safety.

4. Be sure of your aim. Don't fire blindly because you'll end up wasting bullets and you might hurt somebody

5. If the gun is jammed, don't look down the barrel to see why it's blocked. Point it away from you, open the action and remove the blockage safely.

6. Keep your barrel clean. Any excess cleaning fluid even dirt can mess up your shot or even cause blockages that can burst the barrel

7. Don't alter your gun in any way on your own. Even if you're a self proclaimed expert, don't touch the gun. You can fuck up the intergrity of the weapon.

How to Hold a Handgun

1. Your dominant hand should grip the gun, high along the back strap (back of grip). This will give you better leverage and handle the recoil better.

2. Place your other hand against the other side of the grip. Four fingers should sit snugly under the trigger, while your index finger should rest against the trigger itself.

How to Hande a Rifle/Long barrelled Gun

Hold the rifle with two hands, hold the grip of the rifle with your dominant hand. Your fingers should wrap about the base of the rifle, under the trigger guard.

Your non-dominant hand should be wrapped firmly around the base of the grip. Holding the gun right will help reduce recoil and ensure better control.

How to fire a Gun

Align your sights. Your gun has a sight at the front and at the rear. Aim and align your sights through these points. There should be equal space between the sights.

Set your sight. When you’re aiming a gun, you’re you are looking through the front sight, the rear sight, and your target. When you're aiming at the target, it will look blurry. The sights should but clear.

Press rather than pull the trigger. You should squeeze it, applying constant pressure until the weapon fires.

Things every Writer should know about Guns

Hollow Point Bullets are not more deadly than full metal jacket bullets. Though a hollow point will cause damage, full metal bullets are actually more likely to over-penetrate and move when with the flesh, causing a more devastating wound.

Guns are really loud. How loud exactly? Most heavy duty guns could cause hearing loss. It simply isn't possible for two characters to have a lovely chat while firing weapons.

Rifles with scopes make it easier to shoot but they won't make a beginner a sudden genius marksman. Scopes help but they don't perform miracles.

Shotguns shoot shells not bullets.

Your character should not tuck a just fired handgun into their waistband or else they will get a nasty burn.

Silencers or better yet, suppressors do not silence your shots. They actually lower the sound by a few decibels.

Don't have your character fire gun sideways. They will fuck up their wrist and look stupid while doing it.

Most rifles and shotguns aren't pump action

If you drop your gun, if won't fire itself.

The clip and magazine are two different things. They can't be used as synonyms.

When somebody is shot, they don't go flying back. They crumple on the spot.

The exit wound of a bullet is larger than the entry point.

Most beginners will have trouble with recoil. Bloody noses and black eyes are common is one doesn't know what their doing.

-Benedict Smith, I wish I wrote the way I thought

You know what I love about good people? Somewhere someone in this world remembers them solely because of a simple kind act they did. What a beautiful legacy to leave in someone’s head. That they deserve kindness because once, a complete stranger was kind to them.

The last time we saw each other, I forgot to tell you one thing. That if we meet each other again, know that I'll never be the same. That somehow, I'll try to create another version of myself better than who I was before.

it has always been for me // ma.c.a

sometimes i feel more like a house than a person with the way i decorate my body and my face to hide damaged walls and empty spaces; my heart is more like a door with changed locks because i've made multiple keys for people who walked all over me with filthy shoes, people who said they could live here, but they were just passing through. i hope my eyes are not windows, because i fear what the world might see—all of my flaws and insecurities on display like a coffee table or some shoddy love seat. sometimes i swear i left the oven on and forgot because my mind feels like a smoke detector with the way my apprehension never calms. i smell smoke, but i can't see it; i'm told things are never as bad as i make them, but every wildfire starts with a spark and it's easy to burn when you're a house made of straw.

- "house made of straw"

Ocean Vuong - On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

The difference between people is simple. Some see Medusa as the monster, others see Poseidon. Some see the Minotaur as the monster, others see Minos. It depends on who is telling the myth, and who is listening. Some prefer the obvious, others know the insidious speaks louder than most things.

Nikita Gill, Excerpts from Maidens, Myths and Monsters

I am slowly learning how to stop fighting for things and people that weren't meant for me.

patiently // ma.c.a

Writing Theory: Writing Children

I for one do not like children. They're small and completely irrational at some times. But children are often a intregal part of stories, especially if they are the ones telling the story. So how can we write the little buggers?

Do's & Don'ts

Don't make child wise and omniscient. It's creepy and just plain stupid.

Don't try make the kids cute. Forced cuteness is sickening and will no doubt bring up some annoying memories for your older readers.

Don't treat child characters as if they're stupid. Kids can be pretty aware of things going on around them. They're not stupid.

For the Love of God, no baby talk.

Do give them a personality. They are still people. You have to give them characterization on par with that of those around them.

They should have their own goals, wants, tastes and opinions. Kids have a lot of opinions.

Treat them as people rather than objects. They are not there to be passed around and looked at. They are kids.

Children through the years

Children are dynamic, they are constantly changing as they age. They will begin to grow traits as they age, grow a personality and become people.

1-2 Years Old

Children are beginning to learn basic skills as walking and talking by age 1. At age 2, called the Terrible Twos, children are easily excitable, speaking coherent sentences (though they may need encouragement) and able to create chaos. They are able to begin learning to tools like forks and cups but they will not be coordinate just yet. As kids are still getting to grips with their emotions, they are likely to have mood swings, ranging from happy one minute to pulling out your hair the next.

3-4 Years Old

Kids at this age can start to take care of themselves. They are dress themselves, go to the bathroom by themselves and generally keep themselves together to a certain point. They will begin to understand and follow directions. They will be able to speak complete sentences and understand most words. They will ask a lot of questions. They can be very imaginative at this age, likely to exaggerate. They will try to copy friends and older siblings.

5-6 Years Old

Children at this stage are more active and sure on their feet. They can play more elaborate games, actively interested in hobbies. They can safely use things like scissors, are able to be left in charge lf their appearance and tie their own shoelaces.

7-8 Years Old

Children at this age will cease to exaggerate and embellish stories. They are better at making friendships but are likely to get into spats. They are beginning to understand the social world around them and are more interested it it before. They will have formed a distinct personality at this stage and will use it. They are more independent, able to look after themselves.

9-11 Years Old

Children at this stage will begin to edge into the horror known as being a teenager. They will begin to learn life skills, able to take care of themselves and will begin to think they know it all but they are still kids. They still need supervision even if they think they don't. At this age, they will begin to gain an independent view and opinion of things. The whole social imagine problem will begin to become important to them, they will consider friends and imagine as important factors in their lives.

Kids as Narrators

Though children can be a font of truth sometimes, they often have a way of muddling facts and being confused by certain aspects of the story they are not versed in. Using the age ranges above, you have a clear idea of what aspects kids aren't saavy in yet. Children narrators are often thought of as one of the kinds of unreliable narrator and they can be, depending on the age and maturity. But remember, most children do not intend to muddle things or elaborate and most certainly narrate what they think people want to hear. (though sometimes it can be true).