@lsmz.bsky.social
A preachy vibe emanated throughout the TPUSA half-time show, including the reminder that outside of God, one “should be getting married, having children.”
Meanwhile, Bad Bunny's performance included a real-life wedding. No judgment. No spite. Just an invitation for all to join the happy couple.
Silhouette of a surfer carrying a surfboard along wet sand at low tide, with a long pier stretching across the horizon. A dense red cloud layer fills most of the sky, breaking into blue near the right edge, while orange light glows near the horizon and reflects in the shallow water.
Tonight’s sunset. One of the best I’ve ever seen. Ocean Beach, San Diego, California
#SanDiego #sunset #OceanBeach #landscapelovers #surfing
1: Title, Date, & Prompt Introduction This slide features a large torn piece of lined paper with the text 'August 26th' at the top and the writing prompt 'Effective Fight Scenes' in big script letters. There is a typewriter in the corner with a note saying 'TOOLS not RULES'. On the right, there is a speech bubble with prompt questions, a Bluesky butterfly, and a palm leaf background. Transcription: August 26th Effective Fight Scenes What's your take on this writing technique? Have you used it before — or do you avoid it? Share your thoughts, drop a snippet, or tell us how you'd use it in a scene.
2: What & Why This slide looks like a piece of lined notebook paper with teal palm leaves in the background. Headings 'What?' and 'Why?' are taped to the page. A blue butterfly decorates the corner. Transcription: What? Effective Fight Scenes do more than describe choreography. They serve a clear narrative purpose, reveal character through interiority and choices, and anchor the action in meaningful stakes. Good pacing and clarity keep the reader oriented and engaged, avoiding the blow-by-blow density that tempts skimming. Why? Fight scenes are among the most skipped passages in fiction when they read like blow-by-blow choreography. Anchoring them in character, stakes, and story gives readers a reason to care, turning action into drama instead of filler.
![3: In Practice
This slide looks like a piece of graph paper with teal palm leaves in the background. On the left, an excerpt from The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is shown in a beige box. On the right, a taped paper section explains how the scene conveys panic and fear through character interiority instead of focusing on tactics. A blue butterfly decorates the page.
Transcription:
Character-Driven Action
[Excerpt from The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller]
“MY HEAD CRACKS the ground again, leaving me stunned and breathless. Around me a blurring crowd of faces gathers. Have they come to help me? And then I feel: the prickling chill of air against my sweat-dampened forehead, the loosening of my dark hair, freed at last. My helmet. I see it beside me, overturned like an empty snail shell. My armor, too, has been shaken loose, all those straps that Achilles had tied, undone by the god. It falls from me, scattering the earth, the remnants of my split, spilt shell.
The frozen silence is broken by the hoarse, angry screams of Trojans. My mind startles to life: I am unarmed and alone, and they know I am only Patroclus.
Run. I lunge to my feet. A spear flashes out, just a breath too slow. It grazes the skin of my calf, marks it with a line of red. I twist away from a reaching hand, panic loose and banging in my chest. Through the haze of terror I see a man leveling a spear at my face. Somehow I am quick enough, and it passes over me, ruffling my hair like a lover’s breath. A spear stabs towards my knees, meant to trip me. I leap it, shocked I am not dead already. I have never been so fast in all my life.
The spear that I do not see comes from behind. It pierces the skin of my back, breaks again to air beneath my ribs. I stumble, driven forward by the blow’s force, by the shock of tearing pain and the burning numbness in my belly. I feel a tug, and the spear point is gone. The blood gushes hot on my chilled skin. I think I scream.”
In this scene…](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:nes4etret7vzek5ja5dlii4q/bafkreic36izruc3vnqel774ej2poczh37arsxxo2ryh7i6uwpjkn2ytb5q@jpeg)
3: In Practice This slide looks like a piece of graph paper with teal palm leaves in the background. On the left, an excerpt from The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is shown in a beige box. On the right, a taped paper section explains how the scene conveys panic and fear through character interiority instead of focusing on tactics. A blue butterfly decorates the page. Transcription: Character-Driven Action [Excerpt from The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller] “MY HEAD CRACKS the ground again, leaving me stunned and breathless. Around me a blurring crowd of faces gathers. Have they come to help me? And then I feel: the prickling chill of air against my sweat-dampened forehead, the loosening of my dark hair, freed at last. My helmet. I see it beside me, overturned like an empty snail shell. My armor, too, has been shaken loose, all those straps that Achilles had tied, undone by the god. It falls from me, scattering the earth, the remnants of my split, spilt shell. The frozen silence is broken by the hoarse, angry screams of Trojans. My mind startles to life: I am unarmed and alone, and they know I am only Patroclus. Run. I lunge to my feet. A spear flashes out, just a breath too slow. It grazes the skin of my calf, marks it with a line of red. I twist away from a reaching hand, panic loose and banging in my chest. Through the haze of terror I see a man leveling a spear at my face. Somehow I am quick enough, and it passes over me, ruffling my hair like a lover’s breath. A spear stabs towards my knees, meant to trip me. I leap it, shocked I am not dead already. I have never been so fast in all my life. The spear that I do not see comes from behind. It pierces the skin of my back, breaks again to air beneath my ribs. I stumble, driven forward by the blow’s force, by the shock of tearing pain and the burning numbness in my belly. I feel a tug, and the spear point is gone. The blood gushes hot on my chilled skin. I think I scream.” In this scene…
4: What do you think? This slide is a torn piece of paper with discussion questions for writers about using effective fight scenes. There's a speech bubble repeating 'TOOLS not RULES', a Bluesky butterfly, and palm fronds in the background. Transcription: What do you think? What's your take on Effective Fight Scenes? Do you think the best action works when it's choreographed blow-by-blow, or when it's rooted in character and stakes? Do readers need to feel the tactics, or the emotions? Can you share a gripping fight scene — not because of the punches, but because of what it means for the characters or story? Share your thoughts, drop a snippet, or share an example you love (or hate). Hot takes welcome — just please don't set anyone on fire!
Hello #SummerOfStory!
Day 26: Effective Fight Scenes
Disclaimer: This is a prompt game to discuss common writing tips & techniques, not an attempt to tell people how to write
Over to you: Do you agree a good fight scene is all about narrative purpose, stakes, and character?
#WritingPrompt
A mood board - from left to right, top to bottom, the images are: Top left: a viking-esque helmet sat atop a chainmail shirt beside a sword Top middle: a dark, heavy anvil and set of tongs, as in a blacksmith's forge Top right: a spell book with images of pentagrams and arcane symbols, surrounded by pieces of chalk Bottom left: scenes of a mountain and clouds Bottom middle: a young woman with dark hair and a sword, apparently after a battle; there is dirt and blood on her face, she looks weary but determined Bottom right: an historical piece of art, depicting skeletal undead warriors riding into battle upon horses, fighting against armoured knights
Short Pitch: When Bronwyn becomes the apprentice of the last Wizard of the Great Houses of Magic, a Necromancer threatens to restart the war which plunged the continent of Riviera into chaos. When her teacher refuses to answer the call to battle, it's up to Bronwyn herself to go in his place, and in the process she becomes entangled in a world of magic, secrets, and death. Can she survive the responsibility being placed on her young shoulders?
A reader's summary: Imagine a medieval world of magic: Then a new age dawns, where rifles and muskets put power back in the hands of the non-magical. Blasting through the defences of the wizards, the magical ruling class is brought low in a continent-spanning war. Left in the ashes is Bronwyn, orphaned by battle, and apprentice to one of the last remaining wizards. She is a young woman whose existence asks the question: what do you do with knowledge that makes you into a target? Are you inherently dangerous? Should magic ever be learnt again? (Thanks to Ellie, my only reader, for this summary!)
She turned on the spot again, and the candlelight fell over a corpse. Grey, desiccated skin on the verge of sloughing away from pale bones. Rotted lips peeled away from jagged shards of teeth protruding directly from bone, and black eyes more like those of a cave-dwelling fish than a human being stared out at the world with unmistakable hunger. The corpse had not been there before. Bronwyn was certain of it. Hesitantly she approached, every nerve on edge, her heart pounding in her ears. She reached the toe of one boot forward to nudge it – and the corpse twitched.
Good morning BluePit!
For your consideration: DAUGHTER OF THE SWORD, a high fantasy tale of swords, sorcery, betrayal, and war.
I'm Rob, ADHD writer based in the UK, currently working on the third draft of this book, with a hope to get it published this year!
#BluePit📖
#YA #A #NA
#F #HS
#W
#ND
#pixelart #artpost
11.08.2025 18:08 — 👍 4201 🔁 600 💬 39 📌 16They did the for the optics. And they won big time!!
26.06.2025 00:30 — 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0🚨MAJOR BREAKING: Moments ago at the Russel Senate Office building Medicaid activists in wheelchairs were arrested by Capitol police for staging a sit in. Their banner was snatched and their wrists tied with zip ties.
#WeWontGetOverLosingMedicaid
26.06.2025 00:29 — 👍 33 🔁 27 💬 1 📌 2
22.06.2025 00:52 — 👍 30 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0
![(Top of timeline) Scott Shapiro: “I’ll say it again: it was a huge mistake for Congress to abolish itself.”
(Next in timeline) Dave Itzkoff: [picture of Jar Jar Binks voting to give emergency powers to the future Emperor Palpatine]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:wnza2qwgghhwibirqbcbsfsg/bafkreicdhkspwwfm4tlbsyc65resdrs7ixybrrwkdzgi3hzbeoxp5renaq@jpeg)
(Top of timeline) Scott Shapiro: “I’ll say it again: it was a huge mistake for Congress to abolish itself.” (Next in timeline) Dave Itzkoff: [picture of Jar Jar Binks voting to give emergency powers to the future Emperor Palpatine]
Thought my timeline was showing this as a reply for a sec
22.06.2025 00:30 — 👍 141 🔁 7 💬 1 📌 0The Truth Will Set You Free
And Make You Laugh
Sometimes
Infinite love and support to the people of Iran and Palestine and anywhere else on earth unfortunate enough to be caught in the stupid, bloodthirsty gaze of America and Israel
22.06.2025 05:34 — 👍 3538 🔁 1189 💬 19 📌 2
When you discover a year-old potato in the back of the pantry cupboard:
20.06.2025 13:32 — 👍 7554 🔁 933 💬 124 📌 51Mayor Karen Bass standing on business🔥
His name is Senator ALEX Padilla.
ALABAMA: Leonardo Garcia Venegas is an American Citizen. He had a "Real ID". It didn't matter — because to Trump's American Gestapo, brown is brown.
21.06.2025 01:52 — 👍 194 🔁 108 💬 10 📌 11How much you wanna bet that some of these masked “agents” were among the pardoned? I’m going with “highly likely.”
21.06.2025 05:32 — 👍 9395 🔁 1648 💬 752 📌 138🚨If you read nothing else today read this!
Resistbot 50409 - All states emulate CA’s “NO SECRET POLICE ACT”
👇
I've recently heard that tow truck workers are organizing to tow illegally parked, ICE unmarked cars. ✊
21.06.2025 01:26 — 👍 1923 🔁 404 💬 86 📌 50
Deploying the military on U.S. soil against Americans was on page 555 of Project 2025.
This was always their plan, and people voted for it anyway.
America failed an open book test.
Compton, CA: A masked, heavily-armed man wearing body armor jumped out of a SUV today to kidnap a local resident.
He forgot to put the vehicle in park, causing it to roll down the street damaging other cars. He jumped in the vehicle (which had no platess) and drove off without identifying himself.
21.06.2025 06:15 — 👍 48 🔁 11 💬 0 📌 1
Fuck ICE!
In San Diego ICE waited outside of an asylum hearing, until it concluded, so they could arrest an interpreter that worked with the U.S. Military in Afghanistan
They don’t even know his name & refuse to produce a warrant!
Fuck ICE
