#Tips for Runners

[artist-issues]

Hello hello I have very big and complicated questions that started out broad and complex but got more and more specific and more and more personal like my questions to my family and friends always do. Whoops lol. Buckle up.

I wanted to ask about fanfiction. I've really been thinking about that post you made about how a lot of fanfiction can be just used as a form of escapism, and not in a good way like Tolkien described it, but as a 'I hate life so I'm gonna read and write extensively about fictional characters rather than working hard/trying to improve my own life' Which I really want to avoid and not do. In the past I've certainly fallen into that trap- I would get so caught up in writing Marvel or Percy Jackson or Harry Potter fanfiction (not to toot my own horn, but was objectively good and I do think grew my skills a lot as a writer and character analyzer) that I would spend every free moment and many of ones when I really should've been working on school or chores or spending time with my actual family reading and writing it. I was probably doing that 5-8 hours a day when I was 11/12. (Yikes) Thankfully, my parents smacked some sense into me lol. It really just goes to show you how, for lack of a better term, soul-consuming, that these kind of fantasy pursuits can really be. Thankfully, I don't do that any more. I actively limit myself to a max of 3 hours of reading and writing fanfiction over the course of a week, which is a big improvement.

So yay! Now I have a definte separation from writing fanfiction to improve my writing and writing it to waste time because all of my energy is focused on it to the point where it is in my every thought. Good! Growth!

But now my new thing is this- I want to make sure that any and all fanfiction I write has a definite point. I want it to point to good things and have clear messages and blue flowers and point to Jesus, even if it isn't specifically a 'Christian' fanfiction.

For example, let's just point at that Voice in the Dark one shot I wrote, which is one of, if not the, best singular fiction piece that I've written. I think the reasons why it was so good was that A) I expanded on the story in a way that was intriguing, and got inside my characters heads and accurately depicted their thought processes through it B) Made it pleasant to read with details and action and emotion and everything, C) set everything up for a part 2 conclusion of Sam and Five really connecting and talking about what they both said/thought, and becoming friends (which after procrastinating for months, I'm finally working on), but most importantly, D) Had clear themes of hope, perseverance, connection, trust, and encouragement. Which is really what I think made it so much more excellent than other fanfiction pieces I've written. I had a clear point and intention going into it that was more than just 'Have it be something I love and just for my entertainment' although that was one of the reasons I did decide to write it I will say- you do have to love what you want to write in order to write it well after all. But this is absolutely what I want the point of all my fanfiction writing to be like from here on out, being morally great, as well as well-written.

So now, because I really enjoy ZR and its really is kinda perfect for a fanfiction format, I want to turn it into more of an ongoing piece with my favorite missions and Five's relationships with the characters. But how do I go about this trying to intentionally bring in blue flowers and good messages and beautiful themes, and not just only write it for my entertainment because its a piece of media I love? How to I make sure to firstly know what themes I can bring in, and then do it in such a way that's well-written, while also being able to have those fun moments and situations that are both in the game and I've thought up?

And finally, last thing, is I'm wrestling through if I should continue writing fanfiction to 'fix' a story (which is why I started a Percy Jackson and Marvel fanfictions, I wanted to take the parts of each story I didn't like and were poorly done and make them better) rather than make my own point with it. For most of the fanfiction writing I've ever done, my goal was to improve it, to act like a ghostwriting editor the author hired to fix their fundamentally flawed story. But now I'm realizing that I was spending so much time and effort (which don't get me wrong, I do not fully regret, I really do think that I've gotten far better at fiction writing through this) and I didn't even add any more goodness or morals to the story in a way that made it more soul-sustaining and truly good. I wanted to add a lot of bits that made be as a reader squeal and get happy over which... I don't think is bad per say, but its not what I want my fanfiction to be like any more. With my writing, I absolutely do want to improve on the source material, yes, but I also want to figure out what sort of themes and goodness I'm going for with it. So should I continue writing these large projects (cause each piece covers several books/movies) for improvement and also try to expand on the good ideas and themes the authors had, even bringing in my own, or should I just set it aside as that was great, but now I need to focus on making writing morally good and not just for entertainment?

I know a big part of this is wisdom and descretion- things that God has blessed me with but I know I always can pursue more of. So I know a absolute perfect answer to this question will require time and experience. But after sorting through my word-vomiting (sorry lol), what would you say to all of this? Thank you!! <3

Hey! First of all, I love getting questions from you, and I especially love it because you take enough time to read the previous things I say that we can have a very level conversation, and a deep back-and-forth, which is not always the case with everybody who sends me questions (I like those questions too, I’m just saying.) So thanks for typing all that up!

Second of all, I’m no expert on fanfiction writing. You’ve read what I have to say about making sure the “Tone & Style” and “Themes” of any “Continued Work” stay true to their source material when it comes to like, sequels and expansions? Well, I guess I would apply that philosophy, generally, to fanfiction, too.

But the point of my “second of all” is actually, there are better people to ask about this than me. I can answer you in a broad “here’s how I apply my storytelling philosophy to this hypothetical scenario” sense, but other people have more experience actually doing what you’re talking about with fanfiction. Specifically, @doverstar, who, if you don’t follow her or read her stuff, I seriously think you’re missing out.

So in summary, talk to Doverstar. She’ll answer this better. But if I had to try and succinctly respond, I’d say: “Intentionality is always better than doing something by accident. But if you genuinely value goodness, beauty, and truth, in your own personal worldview, in a way that is genuine, and you cultivate that…it’ll come out in your writing on accident.” So in a way, even when you’re being intentional, as long as you remember that, you don’t have to be too militant whether you’re writing fanfiction or fiction.

(That’s a thought I’m still learning to put into practice, myself. I err on the side of “control everything to a T, outline everything, everything has to have a tie-in to the theme—if it doesn’t you’re failing—“ and I don’t recommend that mindset 😅) That’s the “short” answer to your ask. I’ve got a deep-dive below the cut if you’re interested, though.

How do I make sure to firstly know what themes I can bring in?

This has to do with knowing the source-story.

ZR unfortunately gets very political and social in further seasons, but to do it credit, the main, recurring, broad theme of Zombies, Run continues to be “Something greater than yourself is all that’s worth living and dying for.”

They keep coming back to it with literally every villain, and every hero, from multiple angles. You’ll see. They say, “the pursuit of pure happiness alone is bad because it’s selfish—the pursuit of immortality is bad because it’s selfish—the pursuit of everyone’s affections is bad because it’s selfish; but sacrificing for others is the real happiness, the real immortality, the real love, etc.”

So any fanfiction—even if, surface-read, it appears to be about Five falling in love with Sam or Janine learning to communicate, etc—that comes back to “Something greater than yourself is all that’s worth living and dying for.” is a success. Because it carried on the Main Point of ZR. Or it carried on a point that could be tied to the main point, whatevs.

But your question (for other fandoms) is “How do I know what themes I can bring in?”

Okay, well, that’s actually not so hard. Lots of “sub-themes” fit under the umbrella of the main theme. “Something greater than yourself,” well, that entails “self-sacrifice, gaining a broader perspective, finding empathy,” etc. (something you can see they do with sheltered characters or brittle, mission-focused miopic characters like Janine.)

But how did I find the main theme to begin with? This post. In summary:

Take in the Story, With the Single Expectation that They’re Trying to Tell You Something.

Take Note of Where You Felt Something. Then Figure Out Why You Felt It.

Figure Out What Each Character Wants, and If They Have a Moment of Change.

Look at What Decisions the Storytellers Reward, and What Decisions They Punish.

You can apply this to Marvel, to Percy Jackson, to anything. Once you figure out the main theme, it’s not so hard to break that down into little supporting ideas. And inject those into your own story. And you can even figure out where the storytellers dropped the ball, or lost their theme and did something totally out-of-character, and then fix that with your fanfiction.

Or, galaxy-brain, is when you figure out what the story was trying to say—and it was saying something bad or wrong, but you liked some of the setting or characterizations, you can fix that. Like I’ve always wanted to do with A Streetcar Named Desire.

What you don’t want to do is try to make the story about a theme that has nothing to do with any good or true thing—it’s just gratuitous. For example, I see about sixty fanfics for Twisters (one of my new favorite movies, you may recall) and they’re all about Tyler (the main guy) needing to be defended from his abusive alcoholic dad.

There is no mention of his dad, or alcohol, or Tyler having any emotional trauma, at all, in Twisters. Because the point of the movie Twisters is the girl character’s trauma (and her best friend’s,) and Tyler’s role in all of that is to be the guy who pushes her past that. Because he’s lived a lifestyle of “you ride your fears, you don’t run from them, you don’t even just face them.”

So why would a character who’s whole conception, who was created to say that, be curled up in a sad little miserable ball because his out-of-nowhere made-up father is back in town? He wouldn’t do that. His lifestyle is “ride your fears.” He’d be the guy reaching out and inviting his dad to lunch to see if something he does can make the outcome different, even though his dad never shows up, or always makes a scene, or whatever, because that would be “riding his fears.” That’s Tyler’s character. So why would you have him curl into a little ball and need his 126-lb girlfriend to defend him?

I’ll tell you why, it’s because the point of your story was not the point of Twisters, or anything good. The point of your story was, “I have a thing for emotional scenes where a man gets all weak and vulnerable and needs his love interest to take care of him,” and it shows. So you just hung skin-puppets and names of established characters on “your thing” and that’s trash storytelling. The characters are supposed to serve the story, and the story is supposed to serve the audience, not serve you.

That would be an extreme example of what not to do.

And then do it in such a way that's well-written, while also being able to have those fun moments and situations that are both in the game and I've thought up?

If my fanfic is all about Sam and Five coming clean about their feelings together, that’s fine—but they should be driven to do that because not doing that is selfish. And selfishness is the opposite of “something greater than yourself is all that’s worth living and dying for.” So I’d have Sam avoid admitting to himself that Five means so much to him because if he does, he opens himself up to crippling worry after what happened to Alice. So out of fear, which is ultimately self-protection, he doesn’t admit that he has feelings for her. But then eventually he comes to realize that caring about someone else actually drives him to work harder for the Greater Good, etc.

See what I mean? Your fanfic can be a string of scenes of will-they-won’t-they, romcom popcorn, as long as the thread holding them together is that character arc that points back to the game’s main theme.

To make it well-written, you just have to be genuine. I know everyone has lots of good tips like “show don’t tell” but books like Jane Eyre tell much more than they show. Some people say, “break up the pace with dialogue,” or “cut the tension with comedy, then ramp it back up,” etc., but there’s no cut to the tension in Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. There’s breaks to every rule. There’s an audience for every style. Just do what C. S. Lewis says and “tell the truth, without caring two pence if it’s original.”

If you know your source material and love the loveable parts for what it is, and then you marry that with what you really believe and value in the real world, you’ll get it.

Know what you’re trying to say, love what you’re trying to say, and sacrifice to say it.

I think now that you’re thinking about this stuff, you’re going to have a hard time not writing something morally good, with entertainment as a supporting pillar.

[roberttingle]

runner really did not have ☝️ good hair day. he was always looking crazy. best his shit looked was on the boat home😭

[averagecatdoodlesenjoyer]

my IELTS preparation tutor asked me to describe the structure of an umbrella and i believe she thought she asked me something easy but little did she know how complex umbrellas actually are... she got confused about what a runner is and tried to move on after i described the ribs but i just kept going

[rinasorefined]

I've been running for a while now, and I must say, I'm loving myself a little too much! My initial goal was to stay trim all around, including losing a bit of my bust and hips. But I'm still rocking that figure 8.

One thing I've noticed is that my waist beads have become super loose. My waist is slimming down, and I'm obsessed! However, my ultimate goal is to stay strong. A medical professional on Instagram made a point that resonated with me: "The strength you gain now is what you'll use to carry yourself when you're old."

Sometimes, I judge my younger self for not starting this journey earlier. But I'm excited to run my first 10K this month! It's going to teach me something new, and I'm eager to kickstart my year with a bang. I'm truly my own dream girl!

This is a reminder to stay true to yourself and your goals. To me, real self-love means dedicating yourself to your happiness, and that looks like consistency. Happy new month, lovelies!

[frary-us]

[awesomek00]

Lovely Runner(선재업고 튀어) Filming Locations Tour

1. Banghwasuryujeong Pavilion - Harmony of Tradition and Nature

 One of the key locations in the drama is the Banghwasuryujeong Pavilion. This traditional pavilion, located in Suwon, blends beautifully with the surrounding natural landscape. In the drama, the main characters share emotional moments here, perfectly matched by the tranquil and peaceful atmosphere. Visiting Banghwasuryujeong offers a serene walk through the beautiful gardens. In spring, the cherry blossoms bloom, making it an ideal spot for photos. I highly recommend visiting this location for a peaceful stroll and picturesque views.

[everythingwasnormalhere]

elaborating on m5 playing jugger, kyle would def be a runner or a shield guy, no hesitation here

[padalecksis]

i'm going to run a 10k race for the first time in my life on saturday and i'm kind of excited but also scared i might die

[eventblogger]

Running Your Dream Marathon - 5 Factors That Impact Your Performance

It has been quite a long time since you last ran a marathon. It was your kids and then your big promotion at work that kept you busy. But everything is settled now. Things are finally coming back on track. You want to get out on the ground and make the most of the time that you have. You have also chosen the marathon event that you want to be a part of. It is all very exciting.

 Image Source: Unspalsh.com

But there are certain factors that you will have to keep in mind because they are going to impact your performance directly. These factors are given below and shed light on a lot of unsaid facts and truths that we all end up denying or neglecting most of the time. Let's have a look at what they are and how you can successfully overcome them and run a marathon just like you used to in your early days:

1. How Long Your Sabbatical Has Been:  

If you are getting back into the game after a long break, things are going to be a little different. The duration you have been away is going to play a pivotal role in your marathon performance. The longer you stay away from any physical activity, the more difficult it becomes for you to get back to your previous fitness level. This is a factor that impacts your marathon performance directly.

2. Your Genetics Play A Role Too:

Your genetics are going to play an important role as well. There is only so much that you can do to alter your stamina, endurance, body frame, and fat percentage. You might have also done your research on how to choose the best running shoes but at the end of the day, your genetics are going to determine how soon you are able to get your fitness levels back to where you want them. 

It is quite obvious that you will have to re-learn several running techniques and also make changes to your lifestyle to enhance your recovery after strenuous exercise. Making changes to your diet and sleep cycle will also be important to help you overcome your inherent/genetic shortcomings.

3. The Body Weight You Have Put On:

The heavier you are, the longer it will take for you to get to your desired body weight. This body weight is ideal for a marathon runner. If you are planning for a long-distance race, you will have to shred all those extra kilos that you have put on during the holiday season.

4. Your Experience Matters As Well:  

This is going to be helpful and will enhance your performance significantly. The more experienced you are, the easier it will become for you to train for your newest marathon race. Once you make up your mind and set a specific goal, everything becomes easy. 

You just have to find a guide to select the right running shoes and take out at least 1 hour a day for your regular running sessions. Once you get back into the flow, everything is going to start coming back to you such as your previous habits, muscle memory, recovery routine, stretches, diet charts, and sleep discipline.

5. Sports Gear You Have Invested In:

This is one thing that you can never compromise with. You need to make sure that your feet are comfortable. Open YouTube and find out how to choose the best running shoes for the type of race that you want to run. 

Examine the shape of your feet and determine whether you should go for extra soft memory foam soles or regular sportswear with conventional cushioning. If there's a pronation or flat sole problem you deal with, there are special shoes made for such individuals. This will make sure that you do not face any problems or suffer any pain when running your dream marathon.

In the end, remember that your expectations should be aligned with your age, abilities, and your overall endurance. Over time, you are bound to experience a slight decrease in your overall stamina and strength. Remember to eat healthy, sleep well, and watch your body weight at all times.

[cvsette]

Got my ass beat at work so bad but also got $617 in tips on $3040 in sales so like. Net gain overall ig

[adastra-sf]

Writers: Note the detail on this thing, the usability and damage, how stickers have been added and removed over time, the ridiculously tiny fine print. Imagine what it would be like to use it - at night, in the rain, in full sunlight, and show all this to the reader when a character uses [the thing].

These are all details of a lived-in world, bringing the story to life by immersing the audience in a realistic setting that feels as if it's existed for years (or, for architectural and other artifacts, perhaps centuries).

Blade Runner (1982) is a perfect example of this done well, so check it out for ideas - watch every part of the world looking for such details. Your worlds will feel so much richer and more real.

SP. Blade Runner Phone Booth, Vid-Phon.

[purpledragon18]

Recently realized that they’re paying the hosts sub-minimum wage at work just because we tip them out 3% of food sales each night for bussing our tables in between seating people. So you’re telling me, the owners are paying this person less, because he’s doing MORE work for us, and it falls on the servers to make up that difference? Fuck off.

[www-surdashery-com]

www.SURDASHERY.com

New Balance Running Shoes Fresh Foam X More

V4

The New Balance Fresh Foam More has become one of the core shoes in the burgeoning max cushioning category. They bring an unmatched level of cushioning for anyone spending a lot of time on their feet, whether you're a runner training for a marathon or a nurse working a 12-hour shift. The More offers more energy return than most other max-cushioned running shoes, so you can pick up the pace if you really want to.

[bushnb1]

Running Workout Plan - Bushnb for Fitness and Running

Boost your endurance, speed, and overall fitness with the Bushnb Running Workout Plan. Designed for all levels, this structured program includes interval training, long runs, and recovery sessions to help you achieve your running goals. Stay motivated, track progress, and enhance performance with expert-backed workouts. Lace up and start running today!

[luca-ercolani]

Come allacciare le scarpe da running: 12 modi per migliorare la tua corsa

Conosci il tuo piede, conosci la tua corsa! Ecco 12 tecniche di allacciatura per scarpe da corsa che si adattano a diversi tipi di piedi. Che tu abbia il piede stretto, largo, grande o piccolo, c’è sempre uno stile di allacciatura perfetto per te!

12 tecniche per allacciare le scarpe da running

Narrow Feet: Allaccia le scarpe in modo più stretto per una calzata sicura.

Narrow Heel + Wide Forefoot: Regola la tensione per evitare scivolamenti del tallone e dare spazio all’avampiede.

Heel Slipping: Utilizza una tecnica che blocca il tallone senza stringere troppo il resto della scarpa.

Toe Pains: Allaccia le scarpe in modo da ridurre la pressione sulla parte anteriore del piede.

Too Tight on Top: Scegli uno stile che allevia la pressione sulla parte superiore del piede.

One Area Too Tight: Allenta solo la parte che causa fastidio.

Flat Feet: Usa una tecnica speciale per ridurre il dolore da piedi piatti.

Swollen Feet: Lascia un po’ più di spazio per permettere al piede di gonfiarsi senza restrizioni.

Wide Forefoot: Aggiungi spazio dove ne hai più bisogno, mantenendo il resto della scarpa aderente.

Wide Feet in General: Allenta l’intera scarpa per maggiore comfort.

High Midfoot: Riduci la pressione su questa parte sensibile del piede.

High Arches: Fornisci supporto sotto l’arco per compensare l’alto arco del piede.

(Image via: coolguides on Reddit)