Looking for guidance about depicting "action" in a fantasy story

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Bdonoho

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So I have a few irons in the fire right now and many of them involve action-packed fantasy stories. I am a huge fan of Miyazaki, Tolkien and N.D. Wilson, and I’m trying to better understand how to depict action that is not just “safe”, but congruent with the Church’s attitudes towards violence.

My concern is that in this era of the Church’s life, gunfights, swordfights, monster fights and, well… fights, may not be a good idea (not sinful, but… also maybe not timely). I mean… I LOVE warriors, knights, superheros and samurai, not because they kill people (I hate that part), but because they’re cool! They do cool things with great prowess and skill, and when they do cool things to save the innocent and stop evil, then it’s frankly glorious. It’s no wonder that when the early Prophets described the moral glory of God, they used military terminology.

My works are already pretty tame as far as violence goes. I don’t even want bloodshed or death. Similar to most Japanese Shonen Manga, when a villain is beaten, they can often turn good, and fights are done with fantastical energy weapons or martial arts that are less about bludgeoning or breaking bones, and more about redirecting the villain’s attacks (the main character in one story uses bubbles and traps enemies in bubbles that renders them unconscious).

having said all that, my question is this: in what ways can I show the drama of conflict resolution that is exciting and fun without glorifying violence? If another character is determined to want to fight, how can that situation be diffused without more violence?

P.S. I want you to know that I have scrupulosity, and am sincerely trying to be teachable. If you think I’m deluded and need to be yelled at or rebuked harshly, then please wait until you see evidence of obstinacy before doing that.
 
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Have the bad guy locked in some kind of force where he can go all crazy but he cant’ break through the force to get to the good guy who’s trying to reason with him. ?? idk…that just came to mind. I’m not into the fantasy genre but my husband is so I’ve been exposed to it and I see what you’re saying and commend your intentions.
 
Thank you TheLittleLady.

One of The settings I’m working on is a western where Elves and fantasy creatures have migrated to a part of Arizona called the”Hiddemn Frontier”.

My thoughts are that romanticizing guns just isn’t a good idea in our climate, and opted to replace the method of self defense with lassos and elven “energy swords”. The swords can block projectiles and knock out living things, but only can cut when there is wrath in the user (so good guys never let the sword get that way).

My reasoning is that swords are impractical weapons in our age, and kids play fighting with sticks has never been seen as violent.

Am I off base with this? I’m running it past my confessor when I see him next.

Edit:
the more I think about it, the more that I find that good action avoids, stops, and outmaneuvers, while bad action “hurts”. Hitting someone with a baton or a rubber bullet is still something I wouldn’t want to show a kid, so I’m thinking that heavy, kinetic confrontation is something I will intentionally avoid in these stories.
The hidden frontier is a big place, and overcoming treacherous terrain or outsmarting nasty monsters or outlaws is more satisfying than slaying and fighting. One of the characters (a cowboy elf) has a falcon made of living light that can swoop in and confiscate a person’s arms. Showdowns are something I’m going to either avoid or subvert in the service of nonviolence.
 
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