Metal-Fan/Tessen/War-Fan

[AnyaKimlin]

Which of the terms gives you the clearest image of a Far-Eastern Fighting Fan?

My character uses hers in the opening chapter and I used metal fan. It is made from a special substance and is a crystal/metal hybrid but I really don't want to have to explain or introduce the magic ore in the first chapter.

I'm leaning towards War-Fan as I think Tessen is too obscure?

 

[Abernovo]

Anya, I know what a Tessen is, but it is perhaps obscure. They are called war fans, although that can cover other types of fan, so I'd say that's fine. You can always describe them later. Completely irrelevant maybe, but they've also been called (incorrectly, really) assassin's fans, because they can be carried as a seemingly innocuous fan, not looking like weapons.

Always liked that such a weapon appeared in Le Pacte des Loups, wielded by Monica Bellucci.

 

[AnyaKimlin]

I think it suits my character, it is light, easy to carry and be used as long or short range (this one is throwable).

Assassin-Fan fits quite well as that is the race it is fro but again it is more information than I want to give on the first page.

Might stick with war-fan as it isn't entirely metal either.

 

[chrispenycate]

From the feghoot version; a fan club

 

[AnyaKimlin]

lol

A friend has suggested Razor-Fan which is interesting.

 

[Mouse]

When I read 'metal fan' in the subject line I thought this was going to be a thread about music.

So yes. War-fan. (Though I am seeing it a bit as warfarin).

 

[TheDustyZebra]

I think Tessen would be just fine, because undoubtedly you would provide some explanation in context and then everyone would know what it was. And it's an interesting word. Aside from that, I would use war-fan over metal-fan (the second of which should probably not be hyphenated and does, yes, tend toward connotations of music), though razor-fan is likely better than both of those.

 

[AnyaKimlin]

I this enough context?

Angus starts to bring his foot back to aim a kick.

“Stop right now. I’m aiming for the king’s jewels.” Sunlight catches the tessen as I fan out the mirrored blades. “If you want an heir…” I raise the weapon behind my body ready to let it fly.

He stops, puts his foot down and glares at me with the one eye not covered with an eye-patch. A circle of bruising is starting to form round it.

 

[BetaWolf]

Good. Maybe a line from Angus (or a comment in your narrator's internal monologue) that he thought it was just a fan?

 

[AnyaKimlin]

Good. Maybe a line from Angus (or a comment in your narrator's internal monologue) that he thought it was just a fan?

He's her husband and has seen her kill men with said weapon in the previous book. May just keep it to razor-fan or maybe death-fan.

 

[Glisterspeck]

Razor fan sounds pretty awesome for YA

 

[AnyaKimlin]

Actually I am liking it think I may go with it.

 

[prizzley]

Razor fan works for me. It makes it clear it's a weapon. War-fan doesn't. Thinks: terracotta warriors fanning themselves in the heat of battle. I'm sure I saw some doing just that at Xian!

 

[alchemist]

I know probably a few more Japanese weapon names than the average reader (I know the difference between shaken and shuriken, for instance) but I've never heard of a tessen. Razor-fan does the job for me too.

 

[AnyaKimlin]

LOL I am glad it was clearly problematic for others. I did wonder if it was a silly question - obviously not.