My Latest Comic For The Nib Was Written By My Friend Mike Thompson- It’s His First Published Comics

Advice from an (Amateur) Archer on Writing About Archers and Archery

Admittedly, I don’t have the widest range of experience when it’s come to archery. I’ve only been shooting for a year now, and the time that I do take to shoot have long months between them. Still, I think it’s important to outline the basics for anyone who wants to write an archer in their book and wants to save themselves the embarrassment of having the archer do something that an archer would never do in a million years.

- Archers usually unstring their bow after battle. Unstringing a bow is exactly what it sounds like: removing the string from the bow’s limbs. Usually, archers then wrap the string around the now-straightened bow so they don’t lose it as easily. Archers unstring bows because everytime the limbs are bent by the string, there is a large amount of tension in the limbs. If the string is on too long and the bow has not been shot for a while, the limbs will start to wear down and lose their power, resulting in an archer needing to buy new limbs or an entirely new bow.

- Archers always retrieve their arrows after battle. Arrows are expensive and take a long time to make, so archers want to conserve as many arrows as possible. Sometimes they have a repair kit with them at the ready, in case they find an arrow with a loose arrowhead or broken fletching that can easily be repaired. 

- Training arrows are not the same as battle arrows. Training arrows have thinner shafts and usually blunted tips so they can easily be removed from targets. Thinner shafts break more easily, and the blunted tips – whilst they can pierce skin – usually won’t get very far in the flesh. They’re also easier to make. Battle arrows are thicker, and their heads are pointed at the tip and have two pointed ends at its sides. This arrowhead is designed to easily pierce through flesh, and is incredibly difficult to pull out because its two pointed ends snag onto flesh. If you want to pull it out, you’d have to tear the flesh away with it, which can lead to an even larger wound.

- Arrows are fatal, and one can incapacitate a soldier for the rest of his life. Arrows are not easily snapped off like you see in movies. The draw weight is too strong, and they can sometimes be as strong as bullets. They will pierce through bone and tendons, which do not easily heal. Furthermore, if you want to remove an arrow, you either have to go through surgery, parting the flesh away from the arrowhead so it doesn’t snag onto anything, or you have you push – not pull – it all the way through the body.

- Bows are not designed for hitting people with in close combat. The limbs are specifically made to flex. Imagine hitting someone with a flexing piece of wood. If you hit with the middle of the bow, it still does very little because there is no weight behind the bow, and so you might as well be hitting them with a pillow. It might be annoying to the opponent, but it won’t save you. Archers need a secondary blade in close combat. They cannot strike people with their bows and expect to win.

- Draw weight affects speed, range, and impact. Draw weight is measured in pounds, at least in America, and it is measured in how much weight must be pulled when you draw back the string. A high draw weight means stiffer, thicker limbs that can shoot further and hit harder. But, this is at the cost of speed. A low draw weight means thinner, more flexible limbs that can shoot smaller distances and have low impact, but can be shot faster. Before you acrobatic fanatics immediately seize the smaller bow for its speed, understand that a bow’s advantage is in its range. No one can hit an archer from 300 meters away with their spear or sword. The archer has complete dominance over the battlefield in this way, and their arrows can kill anyone who gets too close. Not hurt. Not annoy. Kill. And a higher draw weight means a better chance of piercing through specific armor, then flesh, then bone. A lower draw weight means less range and, even worse, a lower chance that the arrow would even pierce through armor if the arrow even hits its target. 

- Bows will always be outmatched in close combat against any other weapon. Bows take too long to draw and shoot, and at such close range, the opponent has an easier chance to dodge oncoming arrows. I already explained that the bows themselves cannot be used to take down a foe. 

- Bowmen on horseback are utterly terrifying. Archers usually can’t move from their spot because range is more important than mobility, and at such a long range, you usually don’t need to move from your spot anyways. Bowmen on horses, however, are closer to the battle, and worse, they are faster than almost anyone on the battlefield. Not only are they difficult to hit, you have no way of predicting where they will shoot next because they can circle around you in confusing ways. If you want an interesting archer character, I’d advise trying these guys out.

- Never underestimate armor and padding. Arrows will never be able to pierce through plate armor because its curved surface will always deflect oncoming arrows. Arrows can pierce through maille because maille is made out of metal rings that can be bent and can fall away. However, padding usually lies underneath, which is surprisingly durable and can stop an oncoming arrow, as well as absorb some of its impact. Because of this, make certain that the archer is focusing on gabs in the armor. To know this, you MUST study armor. Gabs usually lie where the joints are because soldiers need those gabs open so they can move. Typical gaps lie in the neck, the armpit, the inner-elbow, the knees, and the palm of the hand. Impact is also an archer’s friend. A war arrow shot by a hundred pound bow, hurtling at incredible speeds and gaining momentum the further it travels, can evoke serious damage. To be hit by one of these arrows will feel more like being hit by a horse than being hit by someone’s fist. 

tbh the implications hunter is cloned after rascal’s previous owner makes his face in this scene so much funnier and more interesting.

like he and luz are both going though emotional whiplash looking at hunter , but for incredibly different reasons.

I am SO excited for this movie I can’t believe it’s coming out THIS FRIDAY

When your friend messages you about Monster High as you’re writing a Kieran Valentine fanfic

Can we just talk about kieran’s handwriting for a second. I imagined him having more of a calligraphy/cursive handwriting

✅️Vetted by @gazavetters, my number verified on the list is ( #329 )✅️

Urgent Appeal: Help My Family Before the New Year

My name is Ahmed, and I am asking for your help. My family – my parents, brothers, and sons – are in a desperate situation after our home was destroyed in an airstrike in Gaza. We are now sheltering in a flimsy tent, exposed to the cold and rain, with no food, clothing, or shelter to survive the coming days.

My sister-in-law is nine months pregnant and is severely malnourished and anemic. She is weak and vulnerable, and we have nothing to prepare for the baby due in a few days.

We urgently need to raise $15,000 by the beginning of the new year to provide us with the basics: food, warmth, and a safe place to stay.

Your support, no matter how small, can make a life-changing difference. Together, you can help my family and start the new year with hope and dignity.

To donate:

gofundme.com

Donate to Help Ahmed And His Family Survive In Gaza Crisis, organized by Abi Lass

My name is Abi from Lincoln, NE, and I'm raising money for Ahmed and his fam… Abi Lass needs your support for Help Ahmed And His Family Surv

Your kindness today may bring us safety, warmth, and a chance to heal.

I feel this in my soul

so, uhm?

when are you dropping the val backstory? I AM STARVING FOR VALENTINE CONTENT

Bro don’t even bring that up 😭😭 It’s moving along much slower than I thought it would (I thought I’d be done by April 😬).

I’m also considering rewriting bits of it to speed everything up and possibly increase its reception. The first half is pre-Rome, so it’s very OC heavy and I don’t know what the response to that will be. I want the story to be good more than anything because once it’s out there, there’s no real getting to start over.

With my pace and the story I have, i haven’t even written Kieran’s death yet. The fic come out at some point. I’m hoping that I’ll have more time now that school is over, but then again, if I force myself to write it, it’ll be a chore and the story will suffer.

Just bear with me please 🫶

(I do have something smaller in the works for him as well to try and out something out. I feel bad taking so long so I want to give you a little treat. That’ll probably come out within the next week or so 🤞)