Once-Majestic Cities that Sank Beneath the Ocean by VINCZE MIKLÓS via i09

A quick reblog of a stunning article with stunning photos and videos. The concept of sunken cities has always fascinated me, perhaps because of the threat of ocean levels substantially rising, perhaps within generation Y's lifetime, perhaps because there is a sort of romance involved with the concept of something being preserved in its destruction.

Pavlopetri, Greece

It's the same way with mummies, or artifacts found in peat bogs - carefully preserved, whether by accident or by design, but ruined. By no means does that necessitate that the ruination make the thing (or person) less beautiful - ruins can be gorgeous.

Baiae

If you are equally interested in sunken forests (which I heard referred to as ghost forests once, which of course stuck in my head), there's also Best 7 Most Incredible Sunken Forests on Earth, which covers forests living and dead and has some lovely pictures. I'm of a mind to set some sort of fiction in a drowned forest, though not sure how.

Happy scuba-ing, everyone.

Found Article: "Fight Write: Art, Sport, Subdual, and Lethality"

Tumblr bears great gifts. One of them from today is an article by bloggers ObsidianMichi and StarkeRealm, which rolled across my dash. It can be found at their Tumbleblog, How to Fight Write.

This is such a useful reference because it breaks down Martial Arts (MA) in terms of the intent behind the style: Art, which is primarily about introspection and spirituality; Sport, which is pretty self explanatory; Subdual, which is about injuring and incapacitating; and Lethality, which is about killing, quickly and effectively.

Though this is a great reference in and of itself, it also makes a good point about all characters who incorporate training or fighting into their daily lives, regardless of whether or not it has to do with Martial Arts. Based on their situations and their lives, they would look at fighting differently.

For example, my two main characters are a mix of subdual and lethal. Brother No.1, who was exposed to fighting early in his life, started out with a sport-based outlook; he was made to fight for money. But after some plot-related things he became more entrenched in a mindset that has two options: defend and run, or, in the event that escape is impossible, stand and kill. Brother No. 2, on the other hand, exists entirely in a subdual mindset and is trained with only that in mind. I wouldn't have considered the nuances of their mindsets without this article.

In short, it’s a good read. Go take a look.

Some Thoughts on Ladies' Armor

Thinking about arms and armor a lot lately, as those are the topics I am beginning to research for my novels. These are a couple of resources on armor, specifically ladies' armor, that I found on Tumblr. I hope you enjoy, and maybe I'll have an original arms and armor post for you next week.

Cheers

Martwhim's "Why do you hate the shape of breasts in plate armor so much?"

"Since people often ask “Alright, well this is fantasy!  Why can’t we have boob shapes in plate armor?!”  I decided to make a post about it.  My frustration has nothing to do with historical inaccuracy and I’m all for imagination and freedom— but I’d like to (very quickly) illustrate this for you..."


And, along the same lines,


Emily Asher-Perrin's "It's time to Retire "Boob Plate" Armor. Because it Would Kill You."

"Never mind the chainmail bikinis—what about those awkward breast plates in armor that we see frequently in fantasy artwork and at the Ren Faire? Whenever women complain about this convention, they are usually shot down for trying to erase women’s true bodies, for insisting that women make themselves more “male” in order to appear strong and capable.

But here’s the thing: those shapely bits of armor would actually get you killed. So the complaint is entirely valid! Now, let’s talk about why..."

This is not to say that one cannot or should not envision armor this way. If you, for example, own some of said armor and feel fabulous in it, by all means! But when it comes to designing characters who are in need of physical protection it's typically a good idea to know the rules before you break them.