sunshinewrit-ing

[sunshinewrit-ing]

prompt #8

ig: @sunshine.writing

An illness that sets the mind on fire is spreading rapidly through every kingdom on the continent. While almost everyone who contracts the illness dies in a matter of days, there is a small number of select individuals who recover and gain abnormal abilities.

[sunshinewrit-ing]

prompt #7

ig: @sunshine.writing

Character A is a fairly good looking person who happens to be aromantic and asexual. They’re constantly bothered by suitors and nosy old people asking when they’re going to get married. If they have to hear one more “oh, you’ll change your mind once you meet the right person!” someone is going to lose their tongue. This isn’t a love story and it doesn’t necessarily have a happy ending, just a character with an affinity for blades and a dream to become a master swordsperson.  

[sunshinewrit-ing]

prompt #6

ig: @sunshine.writing

Unicorns are real. So are Pegasi. So are every other magical and mystical creature that can be thought into existence, and humans worship them all. The love and and admiration the human race harbors for creatures born from fairytales borders on obsession and rather than harm one of them, the humans would rather rip their own families, cities, and countries apart. In the eyes of the humans, magical creatures can do no wrong.

But Character A doesn’t believe any of it and realizes a heavy enchantment has been placed on all of mankind. After their parents were slaughtered by a rampaging unicorn, they vowed to kill each and every magical creature in their way until they could break the worldwide enchantment, risking the penalty of death for breaking the sacred law of not causing harm to any magical creature. Character A quickly finds an underground society filled with other humans who are no longer under the enchantment, and they’re ready to shed blood.

[sunshinewrit-ing]

prompt #5

ig: @sunshine.writing

In most stories, the little creatures are afraid of the much larger humans. But in this story, it’s the humans that are afraid of the faster, smaller, and more cunning creatures that live underneath the floorboards. Although only a little larger than an ant, these small creatures have decimated the human population and developed colonies all over the world.

[sunshinewrit-ing]

prompt #4

ig: @sunshine.writing

Character A, a secretary for the boss of a very well known company, is deeply in love with Character B but doesn’t think that Character B knows they exist. Character B, a very famous celebrity known for their singing, is deeply in love with Character A after running into them at a fundraiser one night where Character A was with their boss.

They’re both under the impression that the other doesn’t know they exist, but what neither of them realize is that they know each other through social media by different names, and they’re sworn enemies who despise each other.

[sunshinewrit-ing]

prompt #3

ig: @sunshine.writing

Chapter Title:

Death of the Stuffed Jackal Named Joe

[sunshinewrit-ing]

prompt #2

ig: @sunshine.writing

“Remind me why we decided jumping out of a plane was the best way for us to remain undetected?” Character A mused, looking at Character B who was staring out the airplane’s door and down at the land hundreds of feet below them with a terrified look plastered across their face.

“Because,” Character B began with a shaky breath. “This is something you’d see on Mission Impossible. And nobody would ever expect two normal people like us to try and recreate Mission Impossible.”

[sunshinewrit-ing]

prompt #1

ig: @sunshine.writing

When a person turns twenty, they stop aging temporarily and remain the same age for one hundred years or until they meet their soulmate. If a person hasn’t found their soulmate by the time their one hundred days are up, they begin rapidly aging and can die within months. If a person finds their soulmate before their one hundred years are up, a small heart appears on their wrist and they begin aging again at a normal speed so that they can spend the rest of their lives with each other. For every one person who wants to find their soulmate though, there’s another who doesn’t. There are hundreds of people who have spent their one hundred years making huge scientific discoveries, composing masterpieces, delivering humanitarian aid, and more, but there are many others who spend their time causing mayhem.

Character A is an up-and-coming composer who doesn’t expect to search for their soulmate anytime soon and Character B is the city’s biggest crime lord. While at the supermarket, the two find themselves face-to-face, fighting over a can of green beans with a heart forming on their wrists.

[sunshinewrit-ing]

Norse Mythology

ig: @sunshine.writing

As with every culture, there are many different interpretations and I tried my best to use the most popular ones. There are also many different versions and spellings for the names of the gods and goddesses, but I used the anglicized and most popular spellings. 

Aesir and Vanir

The Norse gods are divided into two families, the Aesir family, and the Vanir family. The Aesir family is the larger of the two and is mostly connected with war and government and includes the gods Odin, Thor, Loki, Baldr, Hodr, Heimdall, and Tyr. The Vanir family includes the fertility gods and goddesses such as Njord, Feyr, and Freyja. Both families reside in Asgard but don’t see eye-to-eye as shown through the Aesir-Vanir war. 

Besides the Aesir and Vanir, there are also female deities known as Disir, Alfar (elves), Jotnar (giants), and Dvergar (dwarves).

Aesir Gods and Goddesses

Odin - Odin was the King of the Aesir clan and known as “the father of all gods.” He’s depicted as a one-eyed, bearded old man wearing a hat and a cloak. He was said to have slain the first being known as Ymir before carving up his body to help create the Earth. He was one of the most powerful and revered of the gods and associated with wisdom, knowledge, healing, death, and war. He also ruled over Valhalla. 

Thor - Son of Odin, he was regarded as the strongest of all the Norse deities because he was tasked with safeguarding Asgard. He was the most popular of all the gods and worshipped by most Vikings. He was the god of thunder and lightning and wielded the Mjolnir. He rode a chariot drawn by two massive goats called Tanngnjostr and Tanngrisnir.

Loki - Loki was considered a “blood brother” of Odin. He was known as the trickster god and was equipped with the ability to shapeshift into different forms. He was the chief engineer behind the death of Balder.

Frigg - Frigg was the wife of Odin and the queen of the Aesir gods. She was the only one allowed to sit next to her husband and always stuck by her partner even though he had many extramarital affairs.  She was worshipped as the goddess of the sky and associated with wisdom, marriage, family, and fertility. She was blessed with the power of divination but never revealed her visions to anyone. 

Baldur - Son of Odin and half-brother to Thor, Baldur was the god of light and purity. He was described as fair, kind, and handsome, whose beauty was unparalleled. He was the epitome of all things wise and good and often praised for his mercifulness. Also thought to be immortal, he had been prophesied to die and was slain by an arrow made out of mistletoe, his death orchestrated by Loki. 

Heimdall - Heimdall is the son of Odin and no less than nine mothers, and is the watchman of the god. He dwelt at the entry to Asgard where he guarded Bifrost. 

Tyr - Tyr is the god of War and the Lawgiver of the gods. The bravest of the gods, he makes the binding of Fenrir possible by sacrificing his right hand. He’s the son of Odin and the son of the giant Hymir.

Idun - Idun is the goddess of spring or rejuvenation and is the wife of Bragi. She was the keeper of the magic apples of immortality which the gods must eat to preserve their youth. 

Bragi - Bragi is the skaldic poet of the Aesir and his name means “poet”. He’s the son of Odin and possibly the giantess Gunnlod, and the husband to Idun. 

Vili and Ve - Vili and Ve are the two brothers of Odin who helped to slay Ymir to create the remaining seven realms. They’re the sons of Bestla and Borr and were raised in the realm of Nifelheim. 

Forseti - He’s the son of Baldr and Nanna, and is the god of justice and reconciliation.

Gefjun - She’s the goddess of agriculture, fertility, abundance, and prosperity. Her name can be translated to “Giver” or “Generous One.”

Sif - Sif is the wife of Thor as well as a giantess and the goddess of grain and fertility. She was one of the Asynjur and mother of Ullr.

Fjorgynn and Fjorgyn - Fjorgyn, also known as Jord, is a giantess and the mother of Thor through an affair with Odin. Her masculine form Fjorgynn is the father of the goddess Frigg, the wife of Odin. 

Sol and Mani - Sol and Mani were the beings who drove the sun and the moon in their courses through the sun. They were sister and brother, and both were fair and beautiful. Sol had to travel at great speed, pursued by a wolf named Skoll who would eventually devour her. Mani kidnapped two humans named Bil (waning) and Hjuki (waxing), children of Vidfinn, and forced them to travel with him. Like his sister, he was also being chased by a hound named Hati Hrodvitnisson. 

Ullr - Ullr is the god of sports, particularly archery and skiing. He’s the son of Sif and Egill and step-son to Thor. 

Hoenir - Hoenir is a warrior god and is the travel companion of Odin and Loki. He was also part of the creation of Ask and Embla. He goes with Mimir to the Vanir as a hostage in order to seal a truce to the Aesir-Vanir War. He’s the god of indecision, avoidance, and mystery. 

Vidar - Son of Odin and Gridr, he was known as Vidar the silent, the possessor of the iron shoe, the enemy and slayer of Fenrir, the avenger, and he who inhabits the homestead of his father. He’s a warrior god and an excellent fighter. 

Hodr - Hodr is the blind god of winter and warriors. Oftentimes he’s depicted with a bow and arrows, or the spear that Loki used to trick him. He was the son of Frigg and Odin and twin brother of Baldr. Sometimes he’s thought to be a god of darkness.

Vali - Son of Odin and the giantess Rindr, Vali was born for the sole purpose of avenging Baldr. He kills Hodr and binds Loki with the entrails of his son Narfi. He’s the god of vengeance.

Vanir Gods and Goddesses

Freya - Freya was the goddess of fate, love, beauty, gold, war, and fertility. She ruled over the meadow of Folkvangr and owned a torc or necklace known as the Brisingamen as well as a cloak made of falcon feathers. She rode a chariot drawn by two cats and was accompanied by a board called Hildisvini most of the time. She practiced Seidr, which is a form of magic that allowed her the ability to control and manipulate the desires and prosperity of others. 

Freyr - Freyr is associated with sacral kingship, virility, peace, prosperity, sunshine and fair weather, and good harvest. He’s the son of Njord and the god of fertility, rain, and sunshine. His twin sister is Freyja.

Freyja - Freyja, twin sister and counterpart of Freyr, was the goddess of love, fertility, battle, and death. Her father was Njord. Pigs were sacred to her, and she rode a boar with golden bristles. 

Njord - Njord is the god of seas, wealth, wind, and fishing. He was the father of Freyr and Freyja. 

Nerthus - Nerthus is a goddess associated with fertility. She was also associated with peace and prosperity. She was the wife and sister of Njord and the mother of Freyr and Freyja.

Gullveig - Gullveig is a sorceress and seer with great love and lust for gold. She was speared by the Aesir, burnt three times, and yet thrice reborn.

Odr - Odr is the husband of Freyja

Norse Creatures

Dwarves - Also known as dark elves, they’re small creatures that originated as maggots from the corpse of Ymir. They live underground in Svartalfheim (literally means “home of the black elves”) and are said to have crafted the finest weapons and jewelry such as Mjollnir and Gungnir. In certain myths, they’re portrayed as turning to stone if exposed to sunlight. 

Draugar - The Draugar are the undead. Some myths describe them as creatures who drink blood, they’re more similar to zombies than vampires. They possess superhuman strength and can increase their size at will, but have a constant stench of decay and appear as a dead body. They often live in their graves to defend the treasure they were buried with but can also enter communities to torment those who wronged them in life. They’re said to be able to enter the dreams of the living to torment them, and would leave behind a gift so the victims knew the encounter was real. 

Elves - Elves are separated into two different types; Dokkalfar, or dark elves, and Ljosalfar, light elves. Dark elves are thought to be the same as dwarves and light elves are described as more beautiful than the sun. They’re generally described as having an ambivalent relationship with humans.

Fenrir - Fenrir was the son of Loki and the giantess Angroboda. He was raised by the gods of Asgard to stop him from wreaking havoc across the nine worlds but the gods ended up deciding to chain him up. It’s believed that when Fenrir breaks his chains to get his revenge, it will lead to Ragnarok, the end of the world. 

Fossegrimen - Also known as the grim, he’s a water spirit who plays the fiddle mimicking the sounds of the forest, wind, and water. He can be bribed to teach his skill with an offering that he deems sufficient. He’s also known to lure women and children to lakes and streams where they drown.

Huldra - Wardens of the forest and part of a group of Ra that protects various locations. Female Huldra are described as beautiful and seductive, with a long tail of a cow and their back covered in bark. They can disguise themselves as young women to walk in the world of men but their power of illusion is broken if someone sees their tail. They lure young, unmarried men into the forest and keep them as slaves, lovers, or sometimes they’ll suck the life out of them. 

Jormungandr - Also known as the Midgard Serpent, Jormungandr is another child of Loki and Angrboda. He is a snake or dragon that lives in the sea surrounding Midgard. He is described as an enemy of Thor and during Ragnarok, the two are fated to slay one another. 

Jotnar - Jotnar, meaning “devourers”, are giants with powers that rival the power of the gods. They’re the enemy of the gods and the Jotnar embody chaos. Many of the Asgardian gods are descended from Jotnar such as Odin and Thor. 

Kraken - Aquatic monsters that are believed to live off the shores of Norway and Greenland. They’re depicted as gigantic octopi or squids. They mostly ate fish but when it rose to the surface, it was believed to cause large whirlpools which would help it attack ships.

Valkyries - The female helping spirits of Odin, depicted as elegant maidens who ferry the slain to Valhalla. Their name means “choosers of the Slain”, which hints at their more sinister side, the fact that they also choose who lives and dies in battle. They would sometimes use malicious magic to ensure their preferences.

Sleipnir - Odin’s mighty eight-legged horse is the child of Loki and Svadilfari. It had eight legs so that it could have one leg in each of the Norse worlds. 

Mare - The Mare monster gave people bad dreams at night by sitting on them in their sleep. Often they were witches whose souls took the forms of animals, but normal people, particularly adolescents, were also thought to become Mare when their spirits wandered. It was believed that when the Mare touched a living thing, people, cattle, or trees, it would cause their hair to become entangled. 

Trolls - There are large ugly trolls that dwell in forests and mountains, and small gnome-like trolls that live underground in deep caves and caverns. They’re depicted as not very intelligent and malevolent but can show kindness in exchange for a favor.

Norns - The three principal Norns served as the caretakers of the tree of life, but their care only slowed the death of the tree. 

Ratatoskr - A squirrel that runs up and down the tree of life delivering the messages of the gods. He enjoys stirring trouble between the wise eagle that sits atop the tree and the hungry dragon that swells in its roots. 

The Nine Realms

Yggdrasil - Yggdrasil is the mighty tree whose trunk rises at the geographical center of the Norse spiritual cosmos. It’s believed that the nine worlds are all held in the branches and roots of the tree of Yggdrasil. It’s commonly said to be an ash tree.

Niflheim - The realm of fog and mist. It’s the darkest and coldest region of all the realms. It’s one of the first two realms and is placed in the northern region of Ginnngagap. Hvergelmir is located in Niflheim, which is said to be the source of the elven rivers. As Yggdrasil started to grow, it stretched one of its large roots far into Niflheim to draw water from Hvergelmir. 

Muspelheim - The land of fire. Muspelheim was created at the same time as Niflheim but was created far to the south. It’s a burning hot place filled with lava, flames, sparks, and soot. It’s the home of the fire giants, fire demons, and is ruled by Surtr.

Asgard - Home of the Gods. The most commonly known realm, Asgard is located in the middle of the world, high up in the sky. It’s the home of the gods and goddesses and is ruled by the chief of Aesir Odin. Inside the gates of Asgard is Valhalla, the place where half who die in battle will go for the afterlife and the other half go to Folkvangr.

Midgard - Home of the humans. “Middle earth” is located in the middle of the world below Asgard. Midgard and Asgard are connected by Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge. It’s surrounded by a large, impassable ocean that is occupied by the Midgard Serpent. The first two humans were Ash and Embla and were sent to Midgard after being created from tree logs by Odin and his brothers Vili and Ve.

Jotunheim - Home of the giants. Jotunheim consists mostly of rocks, wilderness, and dense forests, and lies in the snowy regions on the outermost shores of the ocean. There is no fertile land in Jotunheim. Jotunheim is separated from Asgard by the river living which never freezes over.

Vanaheim - Home of the Vanir. Nobody knows where exactly the land is located or how it looks. 

Alfheim - Home of the light elves. Alfheim is located right next to Asgard in heaven. The god Freyr is the ruler of Alfheim. 

Svartalfheim - Home of the dwarves. Svartalfheim means dark fields, and they live under the rocks, in caves, and underground. Hreidmar was the king of Svartalfheim until he was killed. 

Helheim - Home of the dishonorable dead. Hel is where the dishonorable dead, thieves, murderers, or those the gods and goddesses feel are not brave enough to go to Valhalla or Folkvangr. Helheim is ruled over by Hel and is a very grim and cold place. Any person who arrives at Helheim will never feel joy or happiness again. 

[sunshinewrit-ing]

unrequited love and how to write it

ig: @sunshinewriting 

What is unrequited love?

Unrequited love is also known as one-sided love and is when feelings are not returned or rewarded. Almost everyone who feels romantic attraction has experienced unrequited love. Not everyone gets the forever after with the person that they’re in love with simply because that person may not feel the same way. Unrequited love hurts, and oftentimes it can lead to self doubt and issues with self-esteem. 

Some examples of unrequited love may be a crush on a celebrity, or someone out of your league, lingering feelings for an ex after a break up, or attraction to someone who’s unavailable (such as in a relationship already).

How to write it

Something that’s important to remember is not everyone gets their happily ever after and that’s okay. It hurts when you can picture an entire future with someone, and yet they don’t feel the same way about you. When you’re writing about unrequited love, it’s important to show how your character heals. Although things might not work out the way they want it to with that person, there could be someone better waiting for them that they could’ve missed out on. Or, they can focus on self-improvement. 

It’s important to show that your character’s life isn’t over even though it might seem like it is, and it’s healthy to move on. The first step in coping with unrequited love is to become aware of it. Realizing that that person doesn’t seem interested in progressing the relationship between them and your character is an important step and oftentimes the character will go through a phrase of denial. They can hyperfixate on little details or what they might consider “signs'' that the person is interested in them. Your character might write letters or texts to confess their feelings without sending them, check their social media frequently, come up with elaborate plans to bump into them, or frequently imagine different scenarios with them. 

When trying to get over their crush, love, or obsession, the person may go through a range of emotions including rejection, sadness, anger, resentment, anxiety, and shame. The best ways for someone to get over unrequited love is to talk about it with a friend, distract themself, and give the other person some space so that the character can move on.

Types of unrequited love

1. Loving someone who doesn't reciprocate those feelings

Plain and simple, this is just when you’re in love with someone who just doesn’t feel the same way about you. 

2. Loving or having a crush on someone famous/who doesn’t know you

Again, this one is pretty self explanatory. Sometimes you can develop feelings for a famous person, or even a fictional character, and they can’t reciprocate your feelings because they don’t know you. This can also connect to when you have a crush on someone that you frequently passed in the halls at school, or on someone who sits behind you but you’ve never talked to. 

3. Loving someone who can't reciprocate those feelings

An example of this is loving or crushing on someone who isn’t attracted to your gender, or someone who isn’t able to experience romantic attraction in general so they’re unable to return your feelings. 

4. Longing for a past lover

After a relationship has failed and your ex-partner has moved on, it’s common to have lingering feelings. Sometimes if you’re still around them, you can still have strong feelings for them and if they’ve already moved on then they most likely won’t reciprocate them. 

5. Loving someone who is unavailable

Usually, this entails falling in love with or crushing on someone who’s already in a relationship and it can also include someone who isn’t able to experience romantic attraction.

[sunshinewrit-ing]

so I got into grad school today with my shitty 2.8 gpa and the moral of the story is reblog those good luck posts for the love of god

[sunshinewrit-ing]

Asthma and Writing It

ig: sunshine.writing

Remember that everyone has their own unique experiences, and these are only mine! If you’re planning to write a character with asthma, make sure that you do additional, adequate research and you make them realistic.

Types of Asthma

There are several types of asthma and generally, asthma is different for every person. You can be born with it, you can get it as an adult, you can have allergy-induced asthma, work-induced asthma (if you work in a job that’s hard on your lungs), you can have COPD that causes asthma, and you can have exercise-induced asthma (Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction). Depending on what type of asthma you have, the symptoms may also change. The general definition of asthma is “a condition in which your airways narrow and swell and may produce extra mucus.” Most people with asthma have mild asthma, but there are a select few who have very light, or very severe asthma.

Asthma and Everyday Life

Depending on how mild or severe the asthma is, it might not impact everyday life or it might make everyday life very difficult. In general, I’ve always had a small cough that never goes away. Sometimes it’ll be pretty bad where I feel like there’s a knot in the bottom of my throat/in my chest that I can’t clear, and sometimes it’s just an annoyance and I’ll have to cough to clear my throat every once in a while. Before I talk, I always have to clear my throat or cough because after not talking for a few minutes the mucus has a tendency to build up. 

I’m also pretty self-conscious about when I cough because it can be loud, and it’s embarrassing. Especially lately I’m not comfortable coughing in public, even when I need to, because people look at me like I’m sick and going to spread Covid to them, so I’ll often just try and continuously and quietly clear my throat until I’m far enough away from people that they aren’t going to think that I’m sick. My friends also like to make jokes when I cough about me having Covid, which can be frustrating even after I try and explain that it’s just asthma. I also have to be careful about getting sick, because when I get any sort of chest cold it’s about twice as worse as it would be for someone without asthma and the cough can linger for a while. 

Exercise

Asthma makes exercise really brutal for me--especially cardio. There are plenty of people such as famous Olympians and athletes who have asthma and it doesn’t affect them because they’ve learned to manage it, but for people who can’t manage it, it really sucks. When I run or have to do cardio, I cough and wheeze and because I can’t get enough air it causes my chest to burn. I’ll also get a metallic taste in my mouth. Breathing correctly can help with this. 

 The most annoying thing for me is that when I’m exercising, I have to carry with me my rescue inhaler and it’s usually not the easiest to carry around. It’s awkward to hold in your hand and because there’s usually not really anyone else carrying around an inhaler, you feel awkward too. 

Medication

Depending on the severity of their asthma, most people have to use an inhaler. If it’s a really mild case, most people will only carry a rescue inhaler for emergencies, but if it’s a more severe case then we have to use a daily inhaler on top of carrying a rescue inhaler. The daily inhaler can be used twice a day or sometimes only once a day and it’s supposed to help long-term symptoms of asthma. Inhalers have a range of different shapes and sizes, and there are plenty of different types. Some are steroids and can also affect things such as height and they can cause acne. You also have to be careful to always rinse your mouth out after using the inhaler because you can get illnesses such as Thrush.

Some Other Stuff

Some organizations such as the military won’t allow people with asthma to do a large majority of jobs such as the Air Force, which won’t let people with symptoms of asthma past the age of 13 (or who still carry an inhaler) fly any of the aircraft. 

Some people have asthma attacks, and some don’t. They can range in severity and be disabling. I’ve never had a legitimate asthma attack, so I don’t know what one entails. 

Cold air and wind tend to really bother people with asthma and they can cause extra coughing and wheezing

There are a lot of other allergens that affect people with asthma, such as pollen, dust, animal fur, mold, etc.

[sunshinewrit-ing]

exposed 😬

"I won't start another WIP until I've finished the current one!"

[sunshinewrit-ing]

Archery for Writers

Basic Terminology 

Archer/Bowman: a person who shoots with a bow and arrows

Stringer: a device used to bend the limbs of the bow to allow the string to be attached

Bowyer: one who makes bows

Torque Flight Compensator (TFC): a device used to absorb vibration

Toxophilite: a student or lover of archery

Tab: protector for string-fingers to prevent chafing

Peak Draw-weight: maximum weight held by an archer while drawing the bow

Grip: where the hand is placed on the riser

Quiver: pouch, usually worn around the waist, on the back, or placed on the ground, used to hold arrows

Fletching: the feathers (or “wings) attached at the back of an arrow

Draw-weight: weight held by an archer at full draw

Bracer/Arm-guard: protective arm covering for bow-arm

Recurve, Longbow, Compound, and Crossbow

1. Recurve Bows

The recurve bow is as close to a survivalist, self-reliant hunting bow as you can get without completely losing all technology. They’re relatives to the longbow and date back over thousands of years. Mastering a recurve bow takes more practice than a compound bow because they rely entirely on the user’s strength. They may be lighter and easier to carry, but they require more force to draw. Recurve bows also require the user to be closer to their target, which involves more technique and talent than just the shooting of the bow such as stealth and concealment tactics.

2. Compound Bows

Compared to the recurve and the longbow, compound bows require less practice because they rely less on physical strength. They also allow more accuracy and power from a greater distance making related skills such as stealth and concealment less important. Compound bows also allow much more customization and are made to accommodate tools such as scopes and stabilizers. Because of how many mechanisms there are, stringing, tuning, and maintaining the bow requires more gadgetry and skill. They’re also heavier and bigger than a traditional bow like the recurve, but used more frequently in hunting.

3. Longbows

The longbow is similar to the recurve bow and is differentiated from it mainly by its shape. It has a straight grip and is commonly thought of as a half-moon shape. It has a greater depth than the recurve but is thinner and wider. Because of the thicker depth, it’s harder to shoot a straight arrow and requires more practice.

4. Crossbows

Crossbows are known to have superior accuracy. Once they’re cocked, you can fully concentrate on aiming rather than keeping tension on the string while aiming like you’d do with a traditional or compound bow. They’re also very quiet and don’t make loud noises when shot, giving you the opportunity to take a second shot if you miss the first one. It also requires much less upper body strength to operate the weapon and is easier to aim. Crossbows date back to 600BC in Ancient China and could be used by an untrained soldier to injure or kill a knight in a plate of armor. 

Arrows

A Brief History of Archery

1. North Africa 

Archery was used for both hunting and warfare

Some Egyptian deities are connected to archery

Many of the archers in Egypt were commonly referred to as Medjay and were of Nubian extraction. 

Nubia as a whole would be referred to as Ta-Seti (“Land of the Bow”) by the Ancient Egyptians.

2. Mesopotamia

The Assyrians and Babylonians used the bow and arrow for hunting and warfare

Archers served as an integral division of the military in Mesopotamia

The Chariot warriors of the Kassites relied heavily on the bow

The Old Testament references archery as a skill identified with the ancient Hebrews.

3. Eurasian Steppes

The composite bow was first produced in the Eurasian Steppes during the Bronze Age

Domestication of horses and mounted horseback archery are believed to have originated in the Eurasian Steppes

4. India

The paleolithic paintings of Bhimbetka rock shelters depict archery

Vedic hymns in the Rigveda, Yajurveda, and Atharvaveda lay emphasis on the use of the bow and arrow

The composite bow in India was being used by 2nd millennium BCE

The  bow was used extensively on foot as well as on chariots

5. Greco-Roman Antiquity 

The people of Crete practiced archery

Crete was known for its unbroken tradition of archery

Apollo is the god of archery

Heracles, Odysseus, and other mythological figures are often depicted with a bow

Julius Caesar’s armies in Gaul included Cretan archers

6. East Asia

Archery was one of the Six Noble Arts of the Zhou dynasty

Archery skill was a virtue for Chinese emperors

[sunshinewrit-ing]

‘I Love You’ in 50 Languages

ig: sunshine.writing

If you’re using one of these languages in whatever you’re writing, make sure that you check to make sure you’re using the proper masculine or feminine form. There were only a couple languages I found that did that for ‘I love you,’ but it’s always best to do the research and be 100% sure you’re using the right gender. Some of the accents or special characters might be wrong too, and there might be some that are missing them since I don’t speak the languages, so make sure you double check that as well because accents can change the entire meaning of a word or phrase. Also, if you’re looking for an ‘I love you’ for a parent, grandparent, friend, stranger, etc., make sure you do separate research because for the languages that this applies to I provided the romantic form which would most likely be said between partners and not to your character’s friend!

English: I love you

French: Je t’aime

Spanish: Te quiero

Italian: Ti amo

German: Ich liebe dich

Dutch: Ik hou van jou 

Hindi: Main tumse pyar kartha hoon (f. Main tumse pyar karthee hoon)

Greek: Se agapó 

Mandarin: Wǒ ài nǐ 

Arabic: Ana Uhibboka (f. Ana Uhibboki)

Bengali: Ami tumake Bhalobashi

Russian: Ya tebya lyublyu

Korean: Saranghaeyo

Japanese: Daisuki da

Icelandic: Ég elska þig

Swedish: Jag älskar dig

Romanian: Te iubesc

Croatian: Volim te

Portuguese: Eu te amo

Hebrew: Ani ohev otah (f. Ani ohevet ot’h’a)

Indonesian: Aku cinta kamu

Vietnamese: Ahn yeu em

Turkish: Seni seviyorum

Javanese: Aku seneng kowe

Tamil: Naan unnai Kadhalikkirein  

Gaelic Irish: Tá grá agam duit

Tigre: Ana enti efete

Xhosa: Ndiya kuthanda

Soussou: Iran fan ma

Sesotho: Ke a o rata

SiSwati: Ngiyakutsandza

Polish: Kocham Cię

Ukrainian: Ya tebe kohayu

Somali: Waan ku jeclahay

Thai: Chan rak ter

Zulu: Ngiyakuthanda

Czech: Miluji tě

Hungarian: Szeretlek 

Twi: Me dɔ wo

Kurdish: Dilê min ketiye te

Igbo: A huru m gi n'anya

Oromo: Sin jaaladha

Ewe: Me lonwo

Berber: Lakh tirikh

Fula: Mi yidi ma

Scottish Gaelic: Tha gaol agam ort

Ndebele: Niyakutanda

Oshiwambo: Ondi ku hole

Pular: Mbe de yid ma

Panu: Ni u rondi

[sunshinewrit-ing]

Faceclaims and Whatnot

ig: sunshine.writing

What is a Faceclaim?

So you’ve reached the point in your outlining process where you’re designing your characters. Faceclaims can be pretty helpful when you’re trying to design your characters but there are also a lot of mixed emotions when it comes to using them. A faceclaim is oftentimes a famous person who you use to represent your character and they essentially “play” the character. Faceclaims can be helpful, but oftentimes they don’t match the character’s age and ethnicity so they aren’t always an accurate representation of the character.

If you’re a writer (or even a roleplayer) and you want to accurately design your characters, here are some resources that might be more helpful than trying to give your character a faceclaim. 

Artbreeder

Artbreeder is a great free website that you can use to create portraits, landscapes, paintings, albums, furries, etc. If you’re looking for the most realistic design for your character, the portrait feature is probably what you’re looking for. It’s user-friendly and the finished products are often beautiful. There are also features where you can combine two designs to see what their children would look like, which might be helpful.

Picrew

Another really great resource that you can use is Picrew. It’s a Japanese avatar maker website and there are hundreds of different avatar creators that you can use. Most of them are completely customizable and there’s a huge variety of themes (such as fairy, royalty, demonic, etc.) so there are plenty of different options. Something to keep in mind is that some of the different Picrews don’t provide any options for darker skin colors and there are many that have a very small variety of hair colors and eye colors, so that’s something to keep in mind.   

Zepeto 

Zepeto is something I see a lot of writing accounts use for their characters and it’s something that I personally use as well. It’s a free app available on the App Store and the Play Store, the only catch is that you don’t have the freedom to make as many avatars as you want to. The best way to design more than one character is to make a new account for each character and then follow your main account. You can always add another character to your main account but Zepeto charges $1.99. Aside from that, there are plenty of customization options and it’s pretty easy to use.

Bitmoji

Bitmoji is another app available on the App Store and the Play Store that is free and easy to use. You can’t create multiple avatars with one account, unfortunately, but there are plenty of options when it comes to designing your character. I think Bitmoji is a little bit easier to use than Zepeto, but they’re both pretty easy to use.

[sunshinewrit-ing]

List of phobias

ig: sunshine.writing

source: https://www.verywellmind.com/list-of-phobias-2795453

A

Achluophobia - fear of darkness

Acrophobia - fear of heights

Aerophobia - fear of flying

Algophobia - fear of pain

Aichmophobia - fear of needles or pointed objects

Agoraphobia - fear of open spaces or crowds

Anthrophobia - fear of flowers

Anthropophobia - fear of people or society

Aphenphosmphobia - fear of being touched

Arachnophobia - fear of spiders

Astraphobia - fear of thunder and lightning

Atelophobia - fear of imperfection

Atychiphobia - fear of failure

Autophobia - fear of being alone

B

Bacteriophobia - fear of bacteria

Bathmophobia - fear of stairs or steep slopes

Belonephobia - fear of pins and needs

Botanophobia - fear of plants

C

Cacophobia - fear of ugliness

Catagelophobia - fear of being ridiculed

Catorophobia - fear of mirros

Chionophobia - fear of snow

Chronophobia - fear of time

Claustrophobia - fear of confined spaces

Coulrophobia - fear of clowns

Cynophobia - fear of dogs

D

Dentophobia - fear of dentists

Dystychriphobia - fear of accidents

E

Elurophobia - fear of cats

Entomophobia - fear of insects

Equinophobia - fear of horses

G

Gamophobia - fear of marriage

Glossophobia - fear of speaking in public

H

Haphephobia - fear of touch

Hemophobia - fear of blood

Herpetophobia - fear of reptiles

Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia - fear of long words

Hydrophobia - fear of water

Hypochondria - fear of illness

I

Iatrophobia - fear of doctors

Insectophobia - fear of insects

K

Koumpounophobia - fear of buttons

L

Lilapsophobia - fear of tornadoes and hurricanes

Lockiophobia - fear of childbirth

M

Mysophobia - fear of dirt and germs

N

Necrophobia - fear of death or dead things

Noctiphobia - fear of the night

Nosocomephobia - fear of hospitals

Nyctophobia - fear of the dark

O

Obesophobia - fear of gaining weight

Ombrophobia - fear of rain

Ophidiophobia - fear of snakes

Ornithophobia - fear of birds

P

Pathophobia - fear of disease

Pedophobia - fear of children

Philophobia - fear of love

Philematophobia - fear of kissing

Phobophobia - fear of phobias

Podophobia - fear of feet

Pteromerhanophobia - fear of flying

Pyrophobia - fear of fire

S

Scoptophobia - fear of being stared at

Somniphobia - fear of sleep

T

Technophobia - fear of technology

Tonitrophobia - fear of thunder

Trypanophobia - fear of needles/injections

V

Verminophobia - fear of germs

W

Wiccaphobia - fear of witches and witchcraft

X

Xenophobia - fear of strangers or foreigners

Z

Zoophobia - fear of animals