gizkasparadise:

lol oh god this is where everyone finds out i’m a nerd. okay first! disclaimer: i know nothing about fighting. seriously, like nothing. also i’m very much a visual learner/thinker, so that sort of Influences my approach to these things

for the sake of me organizing things, i’m going to focus this on lightsaber/Force fights!

lightsaber forms: a crash course by nym

one thing that helped me was to get a clear idea of what lightsaber combat form i wanted to use for each of the more major characters. they’re kind of bunk with TFA + i definitely don’t think they’re necessary to use/know for a good star wars fic, because the EU is nonsense, but for me it useful to get into the Mentality of how i wanted to write the person fighting. there’s seven main ones:

shii-cho/way of the sarlaac /determination form: the basic starting point–foundations of everything else, lots of sweeping motions/Jedi Training Wheels.

makashi/way of the ysalamiri/contention form: used for dueling, very precise strikes– i think of this one a lot like fencing, EN GARDE DOOKU

soresu/way of the mynock/resiliance form: a defense form, great at blaster deflection, good for YOU SHALL NOT PASS sorts of moments

ataru/ way of the hawk-bat/aggression form: PARKOUR. I Will Fuck Up Your Day form, super IN YOUR FACE, lots of flips and OTT acrobatics. think Xena fights where the chase scenes are conducted entirely in cartwheels

shien/djem so/way of the krayt dragon/perseverance form: a defense form, like soresu, but after you block you PUNCH THEM IN THE THROAT. big on counteracts/using the opponents’ strength against them using MAXIMUM CHILL during the fight and then taking them out when they’re Unaware. a Beware the Quiet Ones of forms

niman/way of the rancor/moderation form/diplomat’s form: the her?? of lightsaber forms. In terms of lightsaber combat using the actual lightsaber this is the “You Tried” goldstar, no advantages or disadvantages, it’s just kind of. You know. There. BUT this is a good form if you have a character who would rely more on Force powers in battle. One-handed techniques usually

juyo/vaapad/way of the vornskr/ferocity form: you thought ataru was gonna fuck up your day? JUYO IS THE SAMUEL L JACKSON OF LIGHTSABER FORMS. no really mace windu mastered it. juyo channels the negative/aggressive emotions of a jedi and lets them PUT THEIR WILL INTO THEIR BLADE. very shounen. like imagine jedi!ichigo

For characters i’ve written who don’t already have a form in “canon” (remember: the eu is nonsense), i headcanon rey as using ataru + juyo, kylo ren as niman, and finn as soresu + shien 

lightsaber fighting! Let’s get a reference: Star Wars Edition

so when i was trying to figure out how to write lightsaber fights, i first started by watching my favorite ones from the movies! here’s some handy dandy video links of the ones i dig the most:

• qui gonn & obi-wan vs. darth maul
• obi-wan vs. anakin
• finn & rey vs. kylo 
• luke vs. darth vader (bespin duel)

but hey, that can get old to draw inspiration from after a while. so there’s also non-movie lightsaber duels:

• all the lightsaber duels from the clone wars + rebels
• check out the duels from The Force Unleashed games! I’ve used this one before: Starkiller vs. Darth Vader
• The old republic cinematic trailers: hope (my favorite one), deceived, sacrifice (second favorite), return

but nym, i don’t want to just draw from boss lightsaber fights! Okay!! Let me show you my Strategy 2.

lightsaber fighting! Let’s get a reference: a more elegant weapon edition

so disclaimer x2, i watch a lot of martial arts + action movies. one thing i’ve tried when i get stuck is to think about fights scenes that would have similar styles to characters. it’s not so much the weapons being used as it is the movement of the fighters that i draw on. here’s some of the resources i’ve used

rey references or characters with a double-bladed or saberstaff
some suggested weapons to use for reference videos: bo staff, quarterstaff, spears, pikes

reference videos i’ve used:

• donnie yen in hero (donnie uses staffs a lot in his movies, good ref for the visual movements there)
• goodbye bafana stick fight scene (also good if you have a character who fights with two lightsabers!)
• jet li in forbidden kingdom
• kilik in soul calibur (lol @ my taste)

kylo ren references
some suggested weapons to use for reference videos: broadsword, longsword, axe, cleaver, hammer

reference videos i’ve used:

• nightmare from soul calibur (fighting starts at about 1 minute in)
• broadsword fight exam (has slower movements to help you see the motions better!)
• brienne vs. jaime in got

but what about Force powers?

check out the TOR trailers i linked earlier for integrated fighting examples! “Hope” has been An Influence

some wookieepedia pages that might be Of Use:

• force powers by type
• damn near all the force powers

final note
always follow your own Rule of Cool. because the EU is nonsense, and it’s in space and doesn’t matter.