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saraswritingtipps · 6 months

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Developing Characters in Different Genres:

1. Understand the genre conventions: Familiarize yourself with the key characteristics and expectations of the genre you're working with. Each genre has its own tropes, themes, and narrative styles. Knowing these conventions will help you develop characters that fit within the genre while also providing opportunities for unique twists and originality.

2. Establish the world-building elements: In genres like fantasy, science fiction, or historical fiction, the setting plays a crucial role in shaping the characters. Develop the rules, limitations, and unique features of the world in which your characters exist. Consider how these elements influence their abilities, traits, and conflicts. Ensure that the characters are grounded in the genre's world-building, but also explore the human aspects that make them relatable.

3. Align character traits with genre elements: Integrate genre-specific traits, powers, or abilities into your characters' development. For example, in fantasy, characters may possess magical abilities or belong to distinct races with specific characteristics. In science fiction, characters might have advanced technology or genetic enhancements. Ensure that these genre-specific traits are relevant to the plot and contribute to the character's growth or conflicts.

4. Balance uniqueness and relatability: While genre-specific traits are important, it's crucial to balance them with relatable human qualities. Even in fantastical or futuristic settings, readers want characters they can empathize with. Give your characters relatable emotions, desires, flaws, and personal struggles. This balance between genre elements and relatable human characteristics will make your characters more engaging and memorable.

5. Create multidimensional characters: Regardless of the genre, multidimensional characters are essential for reader engagement. Provide your characters with a range of strengths, weaknesses, fears, and aspirations. Avoid one-dimensional heroes or villains. Characters with complex motivations and internal conflicts are more compelling, regardless of the genre they inhabit.

6. Consider the impact of genre on character arcs: The genre can influence the character's journey and growth. In mystery or thriller genres, for example, the protagonist may undergo a transformation as they uncover secrets or solve a puzzle. In fantasy, characters may embark on quests that test their bravery and lead to self-discovery. Tailor the character's arc to the genre, ensuring that it aligns with the story's themes and pacing.

7. Use genre-specific conflicts and challenges: Explore conflicts and challenges that are inherent to the genre. In mystery, characters may face life-or-death situations or navigate intricate plots. In historical fiction, characters might grapple with social or political upheaval. These genre-specific conflicts add depth and tension to the characters' journeys while immersing readers in the story's world.

8. Give characters agency: Regardless of the genre, characters should have agency and drive the plot forward. They should actively make choices and take actions that influence the course of events. Avoid making characters passive recipients of the plot or relying solely on external forces to drive their development. Active and motivated characters make for engaging reads across all genres.

9. Pay attention to dialogue and language: Language and dialogue can be shaped by the genre. In fantasy or historical fiction, characters may speak in a more formal or archaic manner. In science fiction, characters might use technical jargon or futuristic slang. Ensure that the language used by your characters is consistent with the genre while remaining accessible and understandable to readers.

10. Embrace genre-bending and subverting expectations: Don't be afraid to challenge genre conventions and subvert expectations. Introduce unexpected elements, twists, or characterizations that defy the norms of the genre. This can add freshness and originality to your characters and story, making them stand out from the crowd.

#writing #writer on tumblr #writerscommunity #writing tips #character development #writer tumblr #writblr #writing advice #oc character #writing help #oc development #fictional characters #creative writing #writers on tumblr

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adarkrainbow · 6 months

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Hello! Love your ogre research, first of all. So something weird here, in my English translation of Ariosto the monster that threatens Angelica (the orca) is translated as “sea orc”, and the blind ogre who acts like Polyphemus (the orco) is translated as “land orc”. (And by extension “sea orc” evolved into a dragony thing in some modern fantasy books). Any idea why that happened instead of just calling them “orca” and “ogre” or something?

Ah yes the Orlando Furioso. I meant to include this in my big "What makes an ogre" series but never got the time.

So... I have to admit I am not an expert on Italian language, especially old fashioned Italian language, and I also am no expert on the full Orlando Furioso (it is a very complex work I only got started on recently). But here's the thing...

It is well-known that the Orlando Furioso was put together by taking elements of Greco-Roman mythology and reinventing them completely. The Orco and Orca are this. The Orco is basically Polyphemus reinvented - but here with two eyeballs made of bone instead of one eye promptly gouged out. The Orca meanwhile is the sea-dragon of the Andromeda story given a new name. So far so good.

But "Orca" is not meant to evoke the sea animal of the same name, the "killer whale", and that's something everybody has to remind people of (even the Wikipedia article for the Orca in Italian points out it is NOT the "orca" as in the sea creature). Orca is used here as the male form of "orco" - and the "orco" is indeed the same name of creature used by Basile to designate his proto-ogres. The "uercos", which is just "orcos" spelled differently.

So should we translated "Orco" as "ogre" and "Orca" as "ogress"? Well... No, it wouldn't work. At least for the Orco it can work since he sports typical ogre traits and DID influence the rise of the ogre figure in France (I don't think it is a random choice if madame d'Aulnoy's ogres are cyclops). But the Orca clearly isn't the same kind of creature - it is a sea dragon, or a sea monster, or some big sea snake. So this hints at the fact that "orco/orca" doesn't actually translated, in the context of the Orlando, as "ogre"...

You see, by Basile's Pentamerone, the "orco" is clearly an "ogre" in the fairytale sense of the word - though some English translators decided to go for "ghoul" because they didn't understand why an ogre would have magical powers, unaware that ogres were originally sorcerers/fairies of their own rights. They preferred to evoke the shapeshifting Arabian demons, allowing for an easier explanation of "Oh yes the ogre turns into all sorts of animals and curses people when it can't eat them".

[Note: As I write this I realized "orchi" is apparently the plural of "orco"? Well... I'll keep calling them "orcos" for now, but another proof I am not expert when it comes to these things]

But the author of the Orlando Furioso seems to have had a different and more ancient meaning in head for "orco". If you ask me, what seems very likely (though I am no expert) is that "orco"/"orca" is here taken as meaning "man-eating monster". Not just a fairytale ogre, but any kind of creature that wants to devour human beings. As a result the "orco" is an ogre-like giant, while the orca is a sea monster-dragon. "Orco/a" is used in the same broad sense as how "fairy" could be used in the British Isles to refer to all sorts of creatures, or yokai in Japan - or at least, that's what it seems to me. This is probably why the translator chose to prefer the term "orc", more neutral and evoking the older roots and mysterious figures behind the word "orc" before Tolkien made it famous. Calling the sea creature "orca" feeds the confusion with the killer whale ; while calling the land monster "ogre" might remove the idea that he is another form of the sea creature met earlier. One could keep the cohesion by having "ogre / ogress" but it would be mistranslating to call the sea monster "ogress" when it is clearly not just a female version of the land creature. So ultimately I think this is why the terms "sea orc" and "land orc" were chosen - it keeps the unity, while pointing out that the term does not designate a specific type of being, more a large class of man-eating beings. You could easily go with "sea monster" and "land monster" too.

At least that's how I perceive things - but again I am NO expert and any actual Italian insight on this topic would be more than welcome.

#orlando furioso #orco #orca #ogre #sea monster

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libbee · 8 months

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Jacques Lacan had Venus in the 8th House

And that is quite visible in his work. Some of his quotes are shared below. These are the words of someone who must have felt the tragedy of losing a grip over their reality. Who must have lived a fantasy first and seen it tear apart later. Therefore comes the school of psychoanalysis.

What does it matter how many lovers you have if none of them gives you the universe?

Love is giving something you don't have to someone who doesn't want it.

All sorts of things in this world behave like mirrors.

His description of psychology and the unconscious touches the depths and borders of the unknown. It is the exploration of the 8th house but in a scientific way rather than spiritual or magical. Perhaps it is the closest we can get to understanding this house of astrology:

I always speak the truth. Not the whole truth, because there's no way, to say it all. Saying it all is literally impossible: words fail. Yet it's through this very impossibility that the truth holds onto the real.

I identify myself in language, but only by losing myself in it like an object. What is realised in my history is not the past definite of what was, since it is no more, or even the present perfect of what has been in what I am, but the future anterior of what I shall have been for what I am in the process of becoming.

Desire, a function central to all human experience, is the desire for nothing nameable.

As to why 8th house Venus could influence Lacanian psychology, we find its answer in the nature of this house. This excerpt is from Barbara Pijan's article on her website:

Whichever graha occupy bhava-8 become fuel for the Kuja (Mars) -Ketu magical-transformation engine of hidden and secret tantric processes in the human consciousness. Will the native become a victim of this process or an instigator of it? A long-lived and wise magician, or a tragic childhood death? A brilliant surgeon or psychiatrist? An attorney of wills and estates? Or a sorcerer, caster of curses, agent of superstitious fear and petty control? Will"self-destructive" urges be recognized as healing transformations, or will the native and-or his culture adjudge such behaviors to be undesirable?

True to this description, Lacan did indeed become a brilliant psychiatrist. If you read how he speaks of psychoanalysis, it is not merely his profession or source of income, it is rather something that has touched something inside him, that he cannot articulate but knows it is connected to psychology. How do we even know if something is scientific work and not the gibberish of a mystic who speaks whatever he wants? Anyone with planets in the 8th house or aspects to this house is bound to experience a similar psychic fate: of self-undoing and psychological analysis.

The madman is not only a beggar who thinks he is a king, but also a king who thinks he is a king.

Yet, analytical truth is not as mysterious, or as secret, so as to not allow us to see that people with a talent for directing consciences see truth rise spontaneously.

Obsessional does not necessarily mean sexual obsession, not even obsession for this, or for that in particular; to be an obsessional means to find oneself caught in a mechanism, in a trap increasingly demanding and endless.

In other words, the man who is born into existence deals first with language; this is a given. He is even caught in it before his birth.

#astrology #astro community #astro observations #astrology observations #astro notes #astroblr #astro tumblr #astrology blog #astrology notes #shadow self #8th house #sidereal astrology #sidereal zodiac #venus in 8th house

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skeleton-mischief · 1 month

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Nightmare Sans

Oh sinful child, wash off your bones but never forget that blood is thicker than water. Nightmare, was it all really worth it?

Headcanons below. Warning though, I changed some stuff up for the og story to fit how I like it teehee

- Official height changes, but he can be from 5'7 to 6'6(Jesus 💀)

- He/They

- Nihilist, he despises Fate and the Creators

- The embodiment and King of Negativity/A God if you will

- His castle was created when he was corrupted, and later on decided to make it himself

- Naturally cold to the touch, he's not easily affected by temperature

- Has synesthesia, he can see and smell others emotions/aura

- He likes sea animals, they're odd and yet so pretty and mysterious

- Has khopesh blades for weapons because they're twin blades

- He dreams of other versions of him, but he can never find them and often he is haunted by them

- An angry crier, hyperventilates and gets frustrated. Tries to be quiet, but sometimes ends up being loud anyways

- Pessimistic, cynical, observant, responsible, sarcastic, serious, assertive, untrusting, cunning, ruthless, manipulative, reserved, blunt, bitter, intelligent, patient, authoritative, cocky, and stubborn

- He is outright nasty to others, the type to jab at others when possible

- He grows more exhausted overtime once his resentment and bitter anger starts to fade over time

- he is more emotionally driven when his brother is involved in fights that he gets involved in, while more logical otherwise since Dream is the only one to get him like that

- He knows he's fucked up and deep down wants to repent for the wrongs that he has done towards the multiverse. And yet, he has his duties to fulfill

- He fears being vulnerable and doesn't get close to others as a result

- He makes deals and can "play" with his victims when he chooses to. Alliances are all well and good as well, but he is only loyal for as long as the contracts are fulfilled and as long as the other is loyal

- Time thaws his heart, in truth he can feel just as much as a child as Dream at times

- They have a giant library that they read

- Has wonderful manners and speaks very formally. Due to their origins, they also happen to have an accent of some sorts

- His goo tends to always return to him so one ability of his is flicking goo before it can harden and sharpen like spikes at a location

- He can be hit with anything and not get affected unless it's a weapon from his brother

- Strong positivity makes him nauseous, lightheaded, and weak

- Can sense other people's emotions but has the most influence on negativity

- Can analyze others extremely well, reading their body language and analyzing their words

- Hobbies of theirs include reading and writing, or even playing piano since he has a fondness for it

- His magic smells of something akin to earthy scents and moisture, like oak with wet dirt that carries a faint sweetness of decay. His magic tastes something akin to apple

- He's intolerant to children being injured, bullied, or abused. It reminds him of his childhood and thus he is protective of them

- Despite scaring most children, he refuses to harm them and is quite patient and kind to them

- He misses his brother, he does. He tells Dream things he doesn't mean in moments of anger or to get at him, but he doesn't mean pretty much most of it. He doesn't actually blame Dream, at least since he's matured over time

- He never got closure when Dream turned to stone, so those wounds opened up easily when he found out that he was alive. He tried to bury his past but his brother, whose bone is of a porcelain memory to his origins, haunt him

- He can't stand the color yellow, it reminds him of Dream. But, he has secret items that are of a yellow color

- He is fond of flower language and his favorite flower is the purple hyacinth. Fun fact: hyacinth blossoms under full sunlight, and they have wonderful symbolism. Dahlias, orchids, and hydrangea are those he is fond of as well

- He treasures the few things he's gifted, but rarely does he receive anything

- He gets slightly uncomfortable around stone, even if he knows that no one is inside. It just makes him secretly nervous

- Loves animals, but he won't touch them due to his goop and negativity

- His teeth can form into sharp fangs and he has clawed hands, his bone sharpened over time

- He avoids water because if he's fully submerged you can see the inner body that negativity possesses. Aka his original one

- He usually is covered in goop but rarely does it remove around him as a sort of venom situation. In fact, the two are separate entities in some ways, working as one

- Funnily enough he's a perfectionist who likes his things organized, especially when it comes to plans

- Does not use or understand slang

- He is a wonderful strategist, he even plays chess and can use the pieces as a visual understanding of it

- Hates sleep and avoids it until it's impossible to do so

- Can go into other people's dreams and cause intense nightmares, but he cannot do the same for his own and he is forgotten the moment the individual awakes

- He actually cares deeply for a lot of things, but he refuses to acknowledge this under most circumstances. If he vocalizes it, he threatens others to not do anything towards it

- He doesn't hate Error or even Ink, but he finds both to be a pain in the ass. Ink is one of the few he can't wrap his head around and he is one of the few who suspects Ink, especially because his emotions and aura seem....odd

- A more quiet and reserved being, he doesn't talk much unless he has to address someone or when he chooses to respond

- He's hard to read due to his air of apathy, he has learned how to avoid others detecting how he feels

- Even after eons, he won't let anyone else harm Dream

- The stronger the negativity, the larger he grows

- His original name is Night, him and Nightmare are separate but very much intertwined

- His original job was to protect those from negativity and also balance emotions in hard times to guide others, allowing sadness to occur

- Used to Call Dream Sunny as his nickname, and he refuses to let anyone call him Nighty since only Dream called him that

- People like to think of Night being manipulated by negativity but also it's important to note that what if that negative entity actually did feel that pain Nighty went through and was a source of comfort for him when Mother Tree wasn't? Yes, it eventually hurt him by convincing him to eat the apples to be corrupt, but if it's a parasite in my interpretation? I'd want to be maybe like- a situation where the corruption was also genuinely caring of Nighty while simultaneously being the reason Nighty indulged in his anger and hurt

- Multilingual, he knows every language fluently

- He had time to learn how to read and write, he forgot that Dream didn't the first time he saw a tree inside an AU carved by Dream with horrible writing underneath. That realization sort of made his "soul" crumble at the thought

- He has severe thanantophobia, he actually is deeply afraid of dying despite his circumstances. It's something he stresses out about and when Dream became more dangerous, he grew more nervous

- He's actually insecure about his aura at times, especially near those he doesn't wish to harm. He worries if they don't want to be around him because of it, which just worsens his aura

- He thought Dream died long ago, as he was disoriented and was too busy grieving. He didn't actually want Dream to die, and I actually hc that he threw the cloak over Dream to protect him as an apple happened to fall underneath with Dream. He was ashamed when Dream saw him again, and saw who he became. Still, he didn't want to change his ways because of the resentment he still held at the time

- He used to visit Dream and would cry next to his statue before he went off to feed off negative timelines. Even then, he would visit on their birthday

- He destroys mirrors and refuses to look at himself. He doesn't want to remember what he used to look like or who he's now become

- He has a secret painting that he was able to create deep inside his castle, one of Dream. He has destroyed previous ones due to finding them imperfect, a disgusting reminder, etc. this one though, this one he keeps

- His favorite fruit is pomegranate, he can perfectly deseed it and it's his favorite snack other than apple pie

- He used to be great with animals, barely do any of them approach him however

- He likes forests, the scent and even the sensation. He just wishes that he could feel Mother Tree again

- He enjoys herbal tea, actually much more than coffee and his favorite is lavender tea

- He avoids anything related to apples or fire, it reminds him of his past and in fact he grows nervous about it

- Doesn't realize that his tentacles react to his emotions, going so far as to flick with irritation at times

- His tentacles often just appear at will or with extreme emotion, but when they do appear to be actually quite painful since they tore through his back bones. Nowadays, he's numb to it and the bones have attempted to grow back due to magic healing he's attempted to find

- His tentacles actually can act like tree branches or at least resemble them. Firm, shaped similar, etc

- Genderless but prefers masc pronouns

- He actually never lies, but twisting the truth so hard involves enough intellect and leaves him to be a dangerous figure

- on the aroace spectrum

- Gets really goopy when sleeping, to the point he looks boneless

- Out of respect and guilt after coming back to his senses after the incident, he used parts of Mother Tree as custom furniture inside his castle so that she doesn't go to waste at all.

- He actually could hear her screaming when he was corrupted, and that sound haunts him

- He forgot what a hug feels like, the only time he was ever hugged in his life was with Dream. Time caused him to forget

- I feel that his form, present, isn't his true form but he keeps it up because it not only was the turning point in his life, but what protected him. It's why I think it works as something else when it detached itself. The goop at this point is a different part of who he is, and only when he is alone does it detach to speak

- Even if he causes nightmares and enters inside other monsters minds, he actually just has dreams. He dreams of what would've happened if they were happy, being raised by the mother tree, if he and his brother grew up without being guardians. It haunts him, makes him question if he was actually just justified in what he did. Was his actions worth it?

- He hates losing control of situations, absolutely throws a fit

- Struggles getting drunk, so he only drinks wine and magical drinks. Smoking doesn't please him, goop covers it anyways

- He doesn't discriminate, fools. Useless hatred feeds him, sure, but that doesn't mean he agrees and even will react violently towards blatant hate crimes

Closing Notes: no one talk to me, no one look at me. I don't exist, these two are the reasons I need therapy

#headcanon #undertale au #alternate universe #nightmare sans #nighty #utmv sans #utmv au #utmv #dreamtale #he deserves better #i want to cry #i want to hold him #tell him that hes going to be okay #he was just a kid #hes so traumatized #ourgh

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rapha-reads · 4 months

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The Church on Ruby Road [spoilers]

First of all: Fifteen is AMAZIIIIIING. I swear I'm going to try and be normal about him, but his energy! His joy! His connection to his feelings, the emotional depth! That moment when he says "I've adopted, I've just discovered that recently", and then his tears when he realises what happened to Ruby, and then how soft and gentle he was with baby Ruby.

I keep remembering Bill's words about Twelve: "With some people you can smell the wind in their clothes." - and that's exactly it with Fifteen. You can feel not only the age, the experience, the heartbreak and trials the Doctor has gone through, but also, and maybe more importantly, the healing, the love, the joy, the endless curiosity about the universe, the limitless desire to always learn and discover new things. Fifteen is the sum of all the previous Doctors, and he's carrying that weight, but he's also something new, something exciting. The trauma is still there, but he's not letting it weigh him down anymore. Even when he has a moment of doubt, when he says "Maybe I'M the bad luck", a previous regeneration would have left - he stayed and let Ruby make her choice. There's growth there.

We definitely are in a new era of Doctor Who. New New Who? New Who 2.0? Modern Who? Do we have a name yet or is still being debated?

Anyway, secondly. Ruby! Aw, she sounds so cool and kind! The mystery around her birth mother is thrilling without taking the precedent over anything else. Either her birth parents aren't that important, though it's Doctor Who - there's always something else, and I wouldn't be surprised if she's a Time Lord kid, or even the Doctor's child themself - or maybe Jenny's child, the Doctor's granddaughter? I'm just wildly theorizing at this point, never mind all of that.

What's interesting is her relationship with her adoptive mother. That scene where Ruby disappears and her mother forgets about her, and the colours themselves literally bleed out, and the joyful, kind, generous woman we've come to know suddenly turns bitter and sad and cold... Man, that scene messed me up. Makes you think about coincidences, about how and when you meet people and you can never know how important they are in your life, because sometimes the influence they have on you are so subtle, so diffuse, it's impossible to see it. Not the first time this happens in Doctor Who, though, time travel does have that impact. Butterflies and all that. But the impact is always the same heart-wrenching feeling.

Third, the language of rope! By which I mean, I was talking with my brother (huge Whovian like me), and he was telling me that he's a bit worried about RTD's decision to go towards fantasy stories. Well, magic is just another language, after all, isn't it? It's just science that we haven't been able to decipher yet. So, fantasy and science-fiction? They go hand in hand, actually. If the TARDIS is a wooden box that's bigger on the inside and can travel through time and space, then sure, why not, goblins exist, they eat baby, they can also move around time, and their science is the science of ropes and wood. Totally plausible in this world. Wouldn't be weirder than that time Ten met Satan in a pit, or Eleven had an ongoing feud with evil snowmen, or Twelve rode on Santa's sleigh, or Thirteen talked to a frog from another universe. That's cool. Love it.

Right. Well. I'm excited for this new series. It's shiny and fresh, it's something else! Moving forward without forgetting the past. And apparently we're going to meet the Beatles? I love historic episodes! And go to some new planets, meet some new aliens, deal once again with holes in the fabric of the universe (not new, but maybe done in a new way?)... This is going to be great. Next episode in Spring, though? At least it's not another full year of wait.

#doctor who #doctor who spoilers #dw spoilers #doctor who christmas special #the church on ruby road #fifteenth doctor #ruby sunday #russell t davies #rapha talks #rapha is being a whovian #dw episode review #dw review #dw theories #whovian rambles

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thebearthatreads · 7 months

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Writeblr Intro

Hi, so I've been a part of tumblr for quite some time but I've only really begun to be active again in the last month or so. I figured given my long absence perhaps it was time to introduce myself and open up to connecting with other writers here.

So who am I?

My name is Sasha Hanton (She/Her), I'm the author of It's All Magic To Me which was originally released in May 2022. For a long time, I struggled with openly describing myself as a person of colour, coming from a mixed-race background it's always been a bit strange figuring out how to define myself. However I now feel more confident in how I describe and define myself.

I'm Australian but I have Eurasian heritage, meaning my family come from a combination of Asian and European backgrounds. I know some people don't like the term Eurasian, and that's perfectly fine you don't have to label yourself with something you don't identify with but for me, I'm proud to call myself Eurasian. My family have identified as Eurasian for more than three generations now, and we've always been proud of our mixed ancestry (feel free to ask me more about this if you're interested).

Coming from a mixed background I like to bring that mix into my writing, injecting influences from a variety of cultures and mythologies. Whilst I'm a cis, heterosexual, neurotypical woman I try my best to be an ally and am always happy to bring more diversity into my writing and to read more diverse stories (if you know any good books by diverse authors please send me your recommendations I'm always happy to build up my tbr).

My writing

Currently, I'm in the limbo of waiting for feedback on projects and I generally try to stick to having one WIP on the go at a time (as otherwise I'm prone to overwhelm) . Predominately I write urban fantasy, generally with new adult-aged characters but written to be middle-grade and up friendly. Here's a quick breakdown of my works:

It's All Magic To Me - This is my novel, originally published under contract in 2022 but now out of contract and out of print but I will be re-releasing it in May 2025. It follows Willow, a university student, who discovers she has magical powers and goes on to be taught how to use them by Sphynx, a cat. Urban Fantasy inspired by the likes of Buffy, Charmed, Sailor Moon, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Themes involve family, responsibilities, and friendship. Venatores de Mythos Trilogy - My major WIP at the moment, I've written drafts for all three books but am waiting on feedback for book 1 before continuing editing. Urban Fantasy, follows three different characters who are all recruited by a mysterious agency that hunts and tracks down mythological creatures and artifacts. Globetrotting features a mixture of languages (Arabic, French, and Spanish with the main composition being in English). The main characters are from varying cultural backgrounds, each wildly different from the other with their own reasons for agreeing to join the agency. Percy Jackson kind of vibes. Chimera - Currently in the process of writing the first draft. Inspired by a short story I wrote for a recent competition following a mixed race, mixed species, witch and her family who are being hunted for parts. Dark Urban fantasy based in Australia, will feature lots of mythological influences. Adult because there's body horror, probably going to be some explicit sex scenes (not sure yet), and just generally dealing with heavier/darker themes. The Short Story Press Collection - A collection of short stories, currently available as an e-book on Amazon or in print (the print edition is newer and contains more stories than the e-book). Stories cover a range of genres from sci-fi, fantasy, gothic horror and more. Customerpocalypse - My first novel, currently available as an e-book on Amazon. Post-apocalyptic fantasy, written during a time when I was struggling with my mental health and it shows. If you've ever wondered why in post-apocalyptic video games there are NPCs who work in what's basically customer service then this might be for you.

Please shoot me an ask if you'd like to know more about any of my writing projects or about me. I'm hoping to share more on my WIPs here and to engage more, so please feel free to tag me in tag games!

You'll also see plenty of shares from fandoms I'm part of here, I have no intention of segmenting my Tumblr into two separate accounts so my apologies if you get spammed with Fairy Tail posts or DnD stuff (or anything else).

If you'd like to follow me on other social media or want to find my books here's a link you can follow for all of that: https://bit.ly/m/SashaHanton-Links

#writeblr #writer #writers on tumblr #my writing #about me

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astarab1aze · 1 month

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vampires

...come in all shapes, sizes, colors, creeds, etc etc. there is a clearly drawn line between them and other nightfolk genetically, but there are many vastly different ways one can be made - and who they can turn out to be, what abilities or talents they could have. it's a mixed bag between the undead and those who live but are of colder blood, and bloodlines / sires heavily influence genetics, inherited abilities, tolerable diet, general health issues, and plenty more ( for example: the morteatum family has a unique affinity toward the water element. moving water is a danger to most vampires (the psychic and energy varieties excluded) except the morteatums, as their affinity occasionally births a child capable of traveling over bodies of water safely, without bursting into flames & the power to manipulate it; a trademark of their genetic line is pale pink irises and silvery hair )

there are two types of vampires, however; blooded vampires, who are natural-born, and turned vampires, which needs no explanation. blooded vampires have a distinct advantage over the others in that they're able to call upon multiple elements in the same manner as sorcerers and wizards. turned vampires, unless already possessive such control, do not, only capable of the typical vampiric shapeshifting (wolf, bat, cat), mist step, short-distance teleportation, vampire telepathy, and so on - they inherit all the same weaknesses too ( uv light, silver, iron, sanctified objects, garlic allergies, bloodthirst, compulsive counting, etc )

they can naturally charm, bewitch, and enthrall, glamour themselves and hypnotize others into doing their bidding. they can transform into bats, cats, and wolves from birth / turning, mist through select physical barriers, fly, levitate, teleport, call upon insects, bats, wraiths, use various necrotic spells, disappear in mirrors, are immortal but not invulnerable, telepathically communicate with those they've bitten, have high resistances to necrotic and ice magic.

unfortunately for everyone, the non-monstrous sorts are incredibly beautiful. ethereal, elf-like, even fairy-like in some respects. beautiful creatures who ensnare their victims in charming webs of sex, intrigue, mystery, and indulgence before entreating them to a vicious end.

in the modern day, vampires are barred from feeding on the living, forced to find sustenance from blood donation centers exclusively. there is a schism among them in part for this reason, headed by the vampire separatist group the red hand (comprised of the morteatum, mausolea, montgomery, and morningstar families as well as other, non-familial members). anyway, blood is vitally important for them to survive and with limited or heavily restricted access to it, they are effectively starving under the u.s. department of regulatory sorceries. there is a lot of political fuckery going on among the vampire nobles; some are in positions of governmental power, beyond the drs. plenty more occupy other positions of power in sanguinarian churches, hollywood, meatpacking, medicine, and other industries. they're quite the enterprising bunch and love politics - manipulating people into doing their bidding never gets old.

they have their own language, but there are very few who know it well. only the oldest vampires such as dracula, some members of the sanguinarian clergy, and certainly the vampire nobles know it. there are a handful linguists who may happen to know some of it, but it's notoriously difficult to learn in the first place and vampires aren't too keen on having their secrets exposed.

the 600 headcanons thrown into this all deserve their own post, but bloodthirst desperately needs to be mentioned here as it is a very difficult part of being a vampire. it's an intense hunger that, if ignored for too long, results in a steady degradation of the mind and reversion to a primitive, feral, or doll-like docile state. it starts with anxiety, impulsivity, hypersexuality, compulsion, obsession, mood swings, blackouts, and random fits of desperate violence. crimson shadows in the periphery, tainting irises deep scarlet, and the sclera blackens. often, a vampire will suffer dizziness, exhaustion, panic, achy joints, temporary loss of cognitive function... the list goes on. advanced stages of bloodthirst will cause a vampire to regress into a more bestial state, morphing them into a twisted, monstrous exaggerations more commonly found in folklore. ghoulish creatures with translucent, skin and gnarled fangs, too-long fingers and a complete loss of identity, hair, sight, rationality, and more; they become no better than gangly undead rats with no fur. on top of this, they lose their resistences to all magic, physically cannot stop themselves from going into a frenzy and drinking insatiably-- it's a mess, it's a mess, and transformations as well as symptoms can change depending on the individual. in any event, they become something else, something that is vampire no longer. it's an extremely terrifying prospect and potentially a certainty for most of them.

#☿ || Headcanons.#/ nothing revolutionary here

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goldyke · 9 months

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if you have the time, what are your favorite ttrpgs? I'm interested in getting into the genre but dnd is kind of hard to break into. Again, you don't have to answer if this would take too much time to explain. Thank you!

So I’ve played about 35 different games, mostly one shots. I’ve had the benefit of playing with people I trust which can greatly influence game play. Below I’m going to include the full list of games with brief descriptions, but favorites first.

I definitely prefer non-traditional, narrative, and gmless games, so that will be a running theme.

Tales From the Loop has to go first because it’s the game that made me fall in love with ttrpgs. This game has Stranger Things vibes. You play a preteen in the 80s in a town where weird shit is constantly happening. This game is more on the traditional side. There’s a GM running the story, you roll for skill checks, there’s probably a specific story playing out that your gm will try to hook you on to. This game uses only 6 sided dice. There is a sequel listed below for teens in the 90s.

Fall of Magic is a narrative rpg with at most 3 dice rolls in the entire game. FoM is played on a beautiful, handmade map. Your characters progress through the cities on the map as you collaboratively tell the story of your journey to the birthplace of magic. Every city on the map has locations in it with a narrative prompt. Each player decides what location to visit and acts a scene at the location answering the prompt. Anything you say becomes true. There are no rolls. Nothing makes me want to write an epic fantasy more than a good game of Fall of Magic

Pasión De Las Pasiones is a PBTA game, which is one of my favorite systems. In it you play a character from a long-running telenovela. I suggest only playing with a gm familiar with the genre who can do justice to the setting. There’s lots of scandal and intrigue. In fact one of the possible characters to play is the secret evil twin of any of your fellow players. PBTA gamesone are closer to traditional with dice rolls and a gm, but emphasizes the narrative more. Rolls are based on you committing to certain tropes and are boosted by narratives rather than any sort of character skills. (I also suggest checking out other PBTA games.)

A Quiet Year is a map drawing game. All you need to play are a deck of cards, a printout of what the cards mean, and drawing materials. You tell the story of a community rebuilding after a harsh winter, answering prompts from the cards for each week of the year. As you build the village and create the story, you draw a map to show all you have done. No artistic skill is necessary. You do not play a character in this game. There is no gm. There are no dice rolls. This is the map from my last game. (I prefer to use wrapping paper for more space)

Dialect is a language building game in which you collaboratively make up new words that become completely normal to you through play. You play as members of an isolated community of any sort (lost mars colonies, online message boards, a thieves guild) which breaks down over the course of the game. You play out the evolution and eventual dissolution of your joint language. Each turn comes with a prompt for which you create a word and then play a scene. This is great as a stand-alone but I love the idea of using it as worldbuilding for a larger campaign.

I will hopefully do another post talking more about someone games tomorrow

(Warning for q slur used once below cut)

This is a list of all the games I’ve played with a short description for each. I do not recommend all of these, but feel free to ask more about any of them. I’ll talk more about some of these in future posts.

Masks (teenage super heroes. PBTA)

Paranoia (dystopian bureaucratic comedy horror)

Weave (app based multi genre. Left very little impression for me)

Tales from the loop (80s teenage horror mystery. D6 based game)

Things from the flood (90s teenage horror mystery. Sequel to above)

Descent into Midnight (map drawing game. psychic underwater entities in a community fighting an influence. PBTA.)

Dream askew (queer enclave as society falls PBTA. Book also contains a jewish companion game set in a shtetl, Dream Apart)

Rippers (dark Victorian. supernatural hunters)

Pasion de las Pasiones (telenovela the rpg. NDNM)

Fall of magic (map based, gmless, story telling game. High fantasy. I own but have not yet played their second scroll game City of Winter)

Fiasco (multi genre heist-gone-wrong game. Gmless. D6 based)

Inspecteres (ghostbusters-esque, bureaucratic comedy. Some mockumentary elements.)

Dnd (we all know this one)

Quiet year (map drawing, gmless game on the growth of community)

Dialect (linguistics based game telling the story of a collapse of community)

Microscope (world-building game played over the course of an era. Great for works building for a larger campaign)

Lady blackbird (single scenario game- helping a noble escape arranged marriage. Steampunk)

Lasers and feelings (Star Trek, basically. One pager. Great for new players and gms. Good system to build a home brew based on)

Castle falkenstein (steampunk+fantasy adventure)

Headspace (cyberpunk, anticorp. Emotionally intense/triggering)

Mouse guard (mouse fantasy adventures)

Numenara (science fantasy adventure game. Earth based, 1000 years off)

Manifest (sci-fi western)

Damn the man save the music (employees try to save their dying indie record store and achieve their personal goals. 90s)

Ryutaama (npcs travel and experience the joy of existence)

Dead Halt (a hotels AI has gone rogue. You work there. Try to survive. Horror-ish but in a campy way)

Knave (a very simplified fantasy adventure game)

Thirteenth Age (similar to dnd with a few unique interesting features. Made by creators of dnd 3&4)

Anomaly (tarot based gmless game about a sinister organization investigating supernatural anomalies)

Visigoths vs. Mall goths (conflicts and romance between the warriors who sacked Ancient Rome and 20th century spooky teens. Takes place in a mall in 1996)

Arcana Academy (magic school game. Don’t play with strangers because they will fall into HP tropes)

Alice is Missing (silent game played over discord or similar. A mystery is solved through texts and group chats

Worlds Without Numbers (large world fantasy adventure game. OSR. Similar in concept to dnd but with plenty of differences. More human centric)

Nahual (Mestizo shapeshifting angel hunting underdogs)

Sign (sign language building game. Deaf children develop their language collaboratively in a new school setting. Played silently.)

#ttrpg #ttrpg community #dnd #fall of Magic #tales from the loop #a quiet year #pasion de las pasiones #long post #dialect #dnd isn’t the only game #answered #lucky charms #one of the six or one of one of the sixes

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gonna-need-you-to-not · 11 months

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Spn Episode Categories

Today in "Is it Autism or ADHD?", I put all the Supernatural episodes into categories by episode name.

ALLITERATION Dark Dynasty Monster Movie Plucky Pennywhistle’s Magical Menagerie Soul Survivor Tall Tales Twigs & Twine & Tasha Banes Various and Sundry Villains War of the Worlds

BELIEVE Clap Your Hands if You Believe Do You Believe in Miracles

BIBLICAL Exodus In the Beginning Inherit the Earth Lazarus Rising Lucifer Rising Moriah Proverbs 17:3

BLOOD Blood Brother Bloodlines Bloodlust Bloody Mary Dead Man’s Blood First Blood Fresh Blood Let It Bleed My Bloody Valentine There Will Be Blood

BOOKS Bedtime Stories Book of the Damned Fan Fiction Meta Fiction Reading is Fundamental Slash Fiction The Monster at the End of this Book

CHILDREN Adventures in Babysitting Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things Destiny’s Child I Believe the Children are Our Future Pacman Fever Playthings Slumber Party The Kids are Alright

COLOURS Black Crossroad Blues Paint it Black Red Meat Red Sky at Morning Yellow Fever

DEAD or ALIVE Advanced Thanatology Bring Em Back Alive Dead in the Water Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid Death Takes a Holiday Death’s Door Defending Your Life In My Time of Dying It’s a Terrible Life Live Free or Twihard Rock Never Dies

DEVIL Beat the Devil Devil in the Detail Devil May Care Devil’s Bargain Devil’s Trap Sympathy for the Devil The Devil You Know

EMOTIONS Everybody Hates Hitler Everybody Loves a Clown Love Hurts Optimism We Happy Few

FAMILY All in the Family Family Feud Family Matters Family Remains

FIRE/HEAT Caged Heat Halt and Catch Fire Out of the Darkness Into the Fire

FIRST/LAST/NEW/OLD First Born Last Call Last Holiday Meet the New Boss Out With the Old

GIRLS/BOYS/MEN/LADIES A Most Holy Man About a Boy Bad Boys Girl Next Door Girl With the Dungeons & Dragons Tattoo Girls Girls Girls Hook Man Inside Man Ladies Drink Free LARP and the Real Girl Man Who Knew Too Much Man Who Would Be King Mans Best Friend with Benefits Repo Man Slice Girls

GODS & MONSTERS Atomic Monsters Good God Yall Hammer of the Gods How to Win Friends and Influence Monster Remember the Titans

GOING SOMEWHERE? Appointment in Samarra Beyond the Mat Carry On Dark Side of the Moon Don't Go in the Woods Exile on Main Street Frontierland Heroes’ Journey Hollywood Babylon Into the Mystic Lebanon Long Distance Call Mystery Spot No Exit Our Little World Phantom Traveller Point of No Return Road Kill Road Trip Sin City Stranger in a Strange Land

GOOD/BAD Bad Day at Black Rock Bad Place Bad Seed Born Under a Bad Sign Damaged Goods Good Intentions Let the Good Times Roll

HEART Angel Heart Heart Heartache My Heart Will Go On

HEAVEN & HELL All Dogs Go to Heaven All Hell Breaks Loose (Part 1 and 2) Heaven Can’t Wait Hell’s Angel Holy Terror I’m No Angel King of the Damned Raising Hell Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell Stairway to Heaven

HELLO/GOODBYE Hello Cruel World Goodbye Stranger

HOUSE & HOME Hell House Home Houses of the Holy Safe House

IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD Don’t You Forget About Me Galaxy Brain Just My Imagination Memory Remains Peace of Mind Wishful Thinking

LATIN/OTHER LANGUAGE Hunteri Heroici Jus in Bello Malleus Maleficarum Reichenbach

MOVIE TITLES/REFERENCES Back to the Future Blade Runners Born Again Identity Hunter Games I Know What You Did Last Summer Real Ghostbusters Taxi Driver The Usual Suspects There’s No Place Like Home Tombstone You Can’t Handle the Truth

NAME A Little Slice of Kevin Alex Annie Alexis Ann Are You There God It’s Me Dean Winchester Ask Jeeves Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox Criss Angel is a Douchebag Curious Case of Dean Winchester Dog Dean Afternoon Don’t Call Me Shurley It’s the Great Pumpkin Sam Winchester Jack in the Box Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets Party On Garth Patience Sam Interrupted Shut Up Dr Phil Simon Says There’s Something about Mary Thin Lizzie We Need to Talk About Kevin Weekend at Bobby’s

NATIONALITIES American Nightmare British Invasion French Mistake

NIGHT Game Night Night Shifter Nightmare Nightmare Logic Nightshifter

NUMBERS 99 Problems Hibbing 911 Magnificent Seven Mannequin 3: the Reckoning Route 666 Season 7 Time For a Wedding The One You’ve Been Waiting For The Third Man Two and a Half Men Two Minutes to Midnight

PAIRS Alpha and Omega Form and Void Freaks and Geeks Gods and Monsters Heaven and Hell Lost and Found Prophet and Loss Scorpion and the Frog Sex and Violence Torn and Frayed Trial and Error

RELATIVES Brother’s Keeper Mamma Mia Mommy Dearest Mother’s Little Helper O Brother Where Art Thou Our Father Who Aren’t in Heaven Rising Son Wayward Sisters What’s Up Tiger Mommy

SAYINGS/EXPRESSIONS Abandon All Hope And Then There Were None Fallen Idols Jump the Shark Keep Calm and Carry On Mint Condition No Rest for the Wicked Of Grave Importance On the Head of a Pin Rock and a Hard Place Southern Comfort Survival of the Fittest

SINGLE WORD #thinman Absence Asylum Baby Breakdown Bugs Byzantium Captives Croatoan Despair Faith Funeralia Ghostfacers Hunted LOTUS Metamorphosis Nihilism Ouroboros Pilot Plush Provenance Roadkill Sacrifice Salvation Scarecrow Shadow Skin Unity Wendigo

SONG Executioner’s Song Song Remains the Same Swan Song

SONG TITLES All Along the Watchtower Dream a Little Dream of Me Folsom Prison Blues I Think I’m Gonna Like it Here Like a Virgin Paper Moon Stuck in the Middle With You

SUPERNATURAL A Very Supernatural Christmas Scoobynatural

TEETH Bitten Citizen Fang Sharp Teeth

THE Benders Big Empty Chitters End Foundry Future Gamblers Great Escapist Mentalists Prisoner Purge Raid Rapture Rupture Scar Spear Trap Vessel Werther Project

THING/SOMETHING Something Wicked The Thing The Things They Carried The Things We Left Behind

TIME As Time Goes By Golden Time Time After Time Time After Time After Time Time is on My Side

TV After School Special Changing Channels Clip Show

UN Unfinished Business Unforgiven Unhuman Nature

WHO/WHAT/WHEN What Is and What Should Never Be When the Levee Breaks Who We Are

YOU & ME Drag Me Away From You Free to Be You and Me

Some obviously qualify for more than one category, so I just picked one 🤷‍♀️

#supernatural #dean winchester #castiel #sam winchester #spn fam #spn family #supernatural family #spn fandom

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kevinsreviewcatalogue · 4 months

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Review: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

Rated PG for action/violence, rude humor/language, and some scary moments

Score: 5 out of 5

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a movie I missed last year, which made it kind of annoying to hear so many people praising it to the heavens as one of the best animated films in years, not least of all because I'm the kind of guy who does not like spoilers. Flying down to Florida just in time to share a house with three little kids over Christmas break gave me the perfect opportunity to check it out, and the only thing I'm disappointed about is not seeing it sooner. It doesn't reinvent the wheel or have any pretensions of being a particularly revelatory movie, but it's still an outstandingly well-put-together one in everything from the animation to the characters to the humor to the mayhem. Putting it side-by-side with Shrek, the film that put DreamWorks Animation in the spotlight and which this one is a sequel to a spinoff of, shows just how much the studio has evolved in the twenty-plus years since then, going from mischievous, Looney Tunes-esque pop culture spoofs with barbs aimed directly at Disney to a kind of family-friendly, character-driven adventure comedy that's clearly inspired by the Mouse but still has enough unique style and dramatic edge to stand out. I don't really have much to add to the conversation on this one except to say that it's easily one of the best films that DreamWorks has ever made, especially given what I thought of the movie they released just eight months before this, and one that I expect to stick around as a classic just like Shrek itself.

Set in a fantasy/fairy-tale version of Spain, our eponymous protagonist is an intelligent cat who has exploited his nine lives to become an adventurer who doesn't fear death... at least, not until he loses his eighth life thanks to his carelessness fighting a monster attacking a town. Suddenly, he no longer feels so invincible, especially once he encounters a mysterious wolf bounty hunter who seeks to claim his ninth and final life after watching him squander his previous eight. Going into retirement in an elderly cat lady's home after burying his sword and gear, Puss is dragged back to the world of adventure when Goldilocks, the thuggish leader of the Three Bears Crime Family (guess who her "enforcers" are), seeks to hire him to find the Wishing Star, a magical rock that would grant one wish to whoever discovers it -- and she won't take no for an answer. Puss decides that this star is his key to regaining his nine lives, and with help from an old flame named Kitty Softpaws, he sets out to find it himself, staying one step ahead of Goldilocks, the evil businessman "Big" Jack Horner who wants it for his own ends, and of course, the Wolf.

The look of the film is one of the most immediately striking things about it. While it's not the first film to use cel shading to make computer animation emulate the look of hand-drawn animation while being distinct from both (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and The Mitchells vs. the Machines did something similar recently), it's going for a different set of influences than those films, its look instead resembling a mix of the fairy tale artwork that the Shrek movies have always spoofed and anime in the action scenes. The settings feel lifted almost from a highly stylized painting or storybook, while the action looks downright sublime, the film's characters doing battle, chasing one another, and facing various treacherous foes on their quest for the Wishing Star in all manner of awesome ways. Even as cats, Puss and Kitty came across as credible and cool adventure heroes, especially with Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek Pinault leaning heavily into their live-action screen personas, Banderas playing Puss as a riff on Zorro where the only real "parody" element comes from his species and Hayek playing Kitty as the cool femme fatale who has history with the hero that they'll inevitably have to settle. Florence Pugh was hilarious doing her best gender-flipped Ray Winstone impression as Goldilocks, especially with the real Winstone himself voicing one of the three bears (alongside Olivia Colman and Samson Kayo), while John Mulaney made Horner into an absolute bastard who I couldn't wait to see get his well-deserved comeuppance. At first glance, with three separate groups of characters all racing for the Wishing Star, this film can feel sprawling, and yet it always manages to tie these three stories together in a way that feels organic.

The key to doing this was the Wolf. From the moment we're introduced to him, he's presented as a metaphorical representation of death itself, an impossibly skilled fighter who trounces and nearly kills Puss in their first encounter and who is seemingly unstoppable from that point onward, every meeting he has with Puss feeling like it could be their last. The film's comedy stops dead cold whenever the whistling announcing his arrival starts up, Wagner Moura's performance lending him an almost demonic menace without going over-the-top into cackling supervillainy. He is one of the best villains I've seen in any animated film in a long while, a no-nonsense monster whose evil combines the most terrifying elements of an unstoppable force of nature and somebody who hates you personally, the closest thing that a family film could come to an outright slasher movie villain. There have been many jokes made about this film having one of the most realistic depictions of a panic attack in any animated film, but watching it, it was no joke: I understood immediately how this guy completely disarmed Puss' suave, arrogant demeanor and left him a trembling wreck running for his life. The Wolf wasn't just scary, he was a perfect villain for Puss, a representation of how his wasted life is finally catching up with him, and watching Puss reach a place where he can finally confront the Wolf and turn the tables on him was immeasurably satisfying.

From this, we get a fairly simple moral that largely boils down to a celebration of living life to the fullest rather than either wasting it on hedonism or remaining stuck in an idealized past. It's nothing revolutionary, but not only is it exactly the kind of thing that the fairy tales this movie is sending up have long embraced, it's well-told enough that I fully bought into it. If the original Shrek was a deconstructive parody of fairy tales that sent up their moral messages while offering a few of its own, then this film serves largely as a more faithful, straightforward throwback to them, amped up with a swashbuckling action/adventure plot and some jokes for the parents but otherwise falling squarely within the modern, post-Kung Fu Panda DreamWorks wheelhouse.

The Bottom Line

It's a very straightforward movie once you get past the stylish animation, but hardly to a fault, as it's still a riotous, heartfelt, and just plain awesome ride that delivers exactly where it counts and doesn't overstay its welcome. Easily one of the best family films of the last ten years.

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riverwriter · 6 months

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20 Questions Game

Thanks for the tag @suzyq31

How many works do you have on AO3?

2. What's your total A03 words count?

1,044,549

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Only Harry Potter, though I’ve written for others that were never published.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

A Second Look: Her best friend's life was a mess and she would have done anything to make things better for him and his sons. So, when she found her former enemy in a similar situation her heart went out to him as well... and the beautiful blond baby in his arms didn't hurt his case. It was certainly enough for her to give him a second look.

An Unexpected Malfoy: Once upon a time Hermione Granger literally ran into Draco Malfoy in a bookshop. His mother sees a connection between her son and the muggleborn that she can't ignore and determines to get to know the girl. An imagining of how things could have gone if Hermione had been taken under the wing of the Malfoy family.

A Few New Looks: Glimpses into Draco, Hermione, and Scorpius' life as a family. A sequel to my story, "A Second Look."

The Beginning of Everything: Draco extracted a box from his pocket and flipped it open to reveal the most exquisite ring Hermione had ever seen. She gasped. "No Granger, I meant I literally have a proposal for you," he held her gaze as he spoke. "What do you say? Marry me and help me put one over on the Ministry. I know you're dying to stick it to them." This is a fic which is ostensibly about a marriage law.

Calla: She had been missing for more than ten years. But then she had dark magic cast on her in the Department of Mysteries, and that insidious curse did more than just injure her physically. It revealed a secret, a truth. Hermione Granger could finally be recognized as the girl she’d been at birth: Calliope Nott.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try, but not always.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don’t think anything I’ve written would qualify. I”m all about the HEA.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Haha, see above.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Yep, it seems to be, unfortunately, part and parcel to posting things on the internet.

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Yes. I was very shy about it at first. I think I’ve relaxed but it’s still not a major aspect of my fics. (Just not my style.)

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I don’t. I’ll never say never but the closest I’ve ever come is “The Other Side” which is heavily influenced by the TV show “Fringe.”

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I’ve had fics posted on other sites without my permission, but as far as I’m aware, nobody has ever taken credit for my work.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

People have started but never finished. It’s one reason I have stopped granting permission for translations.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Haha yes, unfortunately my cowriter and I live too far away from each other that we couldn’t make it work. It’s been years but we still talk about trying to figure out how to finish it. (fingers crossed)

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

I spend most of my free time writing Dramione so I suppose that’s the answer. But I love so many ships, even outside of the HP fandom.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Yeah, I refuse to admit that will happen. Unless you count “Various and Sundry” because-by its nature- it has no beginning and no end.

I16. What are your writing strengths?

When I get going I am very plugged in. I occasionally wake up and scribble a thought down so I don’t lose it.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Action scenes. And I stupidly wrote a huge fic that concludes in a…battle. If any of you wonder what I’ve been doing for years, it’s been figuring out my own brain.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I’m not a fan. Also not a fan of writing out an accent.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Bones. But I was never brave enough to post any of those fics.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

“An Unexpected Malfoy” It’s my baby and probably always will be.

This part gives me anxiety, because I never know who to tag, so anybody who wants to participate, please do! (And if you want to tag me, do that as well, because I’d love to read your responses)

#fanfic writing #riverwriter #hp

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moonlight1237 · 22 hours

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RUNES HISTORY AND FACTS

There are many types of rune systems, including Younger Futhark, Anglo-Frisian Futhorc, Medieval runes, and Elder Futhark, which are the ones I’ll be talking about.

The Younger Futhark (long twig) has 16 runes and is typically used in translation with Old Norse. It was used in Scandinavia during the Viking Age, from 800 A.D to 1200 A.D.

Then you have Anglo-Frisian (Frisian being Dutch), which had around 30 runes and was used in Britain. It’s also known as Anglo-Frisian Futhorc.

The latest and closest to us is the Medieval Runes, which fall back into a 24 system (like Elder Futhark) with the Roman/Latin alphabet, which is also used in translation to Old Norse.

Finally, the Rune system we’re talking about is the Elder Futhark used in a 24-rune system and is used to translate proto-European languages (proto-Germanic, high Italic, proto-English, etc, NOT Old Norse!) None of the names of the Elder Futhark have truly been written down; they have come from reconstruction and guesswork from scholars. The names have come from Old English/Gothic sources and the Rune poems that feature names and pieces associated with names.

Norse=Runa English=Rune both meaning “a secret” or “mystery”

Old Norse=Rún Old Irish=Rún Middle Welsh=Rhin “to whisper” “secret” or “mystery”

Scots=Roun “To whisper” or “speak often about one thing”. It’s also associated with the Rowan tree in Scots, which is a very well-known magical tree in many folklores (also known as the “rune tree” or “the whisper tree”).

It was believed the Elder Futhark came from the Rome/Latin alphabet and had ancient Greek relations—due to the closeness of the Germanic tribes there and the mingling of Elder Futhark and High Italic.

The runes were not traditionally used as magical symbols. they were used in divination but were not considered magical themselves until later centuries, far after the Viking Age when they became popular as magical symbols. The furthest back they were found to be used was theorized to be Germania, as typically (but not always) female diviners would “cast lots” which were believed to later influence the Norse people to cast the runes. It was widespread for Norse kings, warlords, and explorers of this time to have a rune caster or diviner with them wherever they traveled. Diviners and Rune Casters at this time were well respected and always welcomed into people's homes.

Then in the myths, we find where Odin discovers the runes and shares them with the other gods. Later the gods share them with humanity. The god Odin stabbed himself with his spear, Gungnir, and hung himself from Yggdrasil for 9 days and nights without food or water sacrificing himself for the runes till they appeared to him in the Well Of Urd. This myth differs depending on the source you found it on. Then in the Havamal 80’ page, 31 of Jackson Crawford's translation of the Poetic Edda (elder edda), it states, “What you ask the runes will prove true; they are gifts of the Aesir, made by the gods and painted by Odin. You’ll learn best with your mouth shut.”

Freyr’s Aett

Fehu Uruz Thurisaz Ansuz Raidho Kenuz Gebo Wunjo

Hagal’s Aett

Halagaz Nauthiz Isa Jera Eihwaz Perthro Algiz Sowulo

Tyr’s Aett

Tiwaz Berkana Ehwaz Mannaz Lagaz Ingwaz Dagaz Othala

24 runes in total for the Elder Futhark

Freyr’s Aett

Everything for your basic human existence, talking with the divine, human social life, and the earth and its bounty, and how to live our lives happily or at least contently.

Hagal’s Aett

shows us how to navigate the difficult parts of life when things take a rough turn and you don’t know what to do. This Aett shows us how to move forward in life and cause change and unexpected luck for ourselves.

Tyr’s Aett

This Aett shows us how to connect with life around us like. We learn to connect with and communicate with Humanity, deities, and nature around us, as well as how to connect our physical worlds to the unseen spiritual worlds we work in.

Getting into the runes themselves and the meanings and associations

Fehu

Letter-F

God/Goddess-Freyja, Freyr

Meaning-Wealth or cattle

Association-Wealth, Livestock/cattle, prosperity, abundance, fulfillment, stability, success, new beginnings, things earned and won, reward, good health, unexpected good luck

Runic poems- Old English, “Wealth provides comfort, but you must share it who hopes to cast lots for judgment before the gods.”

Norwegian, “Money causes strife among kin; the wolf grows up in the woods.” Icelandic, “Money causes strife among kin, and the fire of the flood tide and the path of the serpent.”

Uruz

Letter-U

god/goddess-Ullr, Audhumla (the creation cow), Thor

Meaning-Ox or bull sometimes bison

Association- challenges, endurance, courage, strength, untamed potential, good health, good luck, moving forward after being stuck in stagnation, sudden breakthroughs, overcoming challenges, trials, power, creative forces

Rune poems- Old Norse, “The wild ox has great high horns with which it gores; a fierce fighter who boldly stamps the moors.”

Norwegian, “Slag is cast from bad iron; reindeer cross the hard snow.”

Icelandic, “Drizzle is the weeping of clouds, and blights the harvest and is hated by the herdsmen.”

Thurisaz

Letter-Th

god/goddess-Thor

Meaning-Giant or Thorn

Association-Strength, breaking down barriers, Thor's hammer, defense, reaction, temptations, resisting temptations, disruption, passion, protection, conflict, power

Rune poems- Old Norse, “Thorn is wickedly sharp and causes pain to those who grasp it, hurt to you who rest among them.”

Norwegian, “Giant causes the sickness of women; bad luck pleases nobody.”

Icelandic, “Giant is the torment of women, and the dweller of rocky vales and husband of Varthrun the giantess.”

Ansuz

Letter-A

God/goddess-The aesir, Odin

Meaning-Aesir, the ancestor god

Association-communication with the gods, wisdom, divine power, knowledge, creativity, understanding, passing tests, understanding, communication

Rune Poems- Old Norse, “Mouth is the source of the word, bringing wisdom and counsel to the wise, hope, inspiration, and a blessing to all.”

Norwegian, “Rivermouth opens most journeys; but the sword belongs in it’s sheath.” Icelandic, “Odin is the ancient creator, and Asgards king and lord of Valhalla.”

Raidho

Letter-R

God/goddess-Sol

Meaning-Wagon or chariot

Association-Rythme, journey, travel, personal development, change, evolution, decisions, taking the opportunity, movement

Rune poems- Old Norse, “Riding is easy for heroes inside a hall; it’s much harder astride a strong horse pounding against the great mile.”

Norwegian, “Riding is said to be the worst for horses; reginn forged the best sword.”

Icelandic, “Riding is a sweet sitting and a swift journey and the toil of the horse.”

Kenaz

Letter-K and C

God/goddess-Loki

Meaning- the torch

Association-Knowledge, Light, warm, illumination, visions, enlightenment, intuition, learning, Improvement, creativity, Inner voices, Breakthroughs

Rune poems-Old Norse, “The torch we know by its flame, which brings illumination, and light wherever noble souls encourage.”

Norwegian, “Ulcer is the curse of children; grief turns us pale.”

Icelandic, “Ulcer is the bane of children and a grievous blight and the house of rotting flesh."

Gebo

Letter-G

God/goddess-Odin

Meaning-gift

Association-Love, partnership, giving and receiving gifts, generosity, sacrifice, balance, joy in relationships, talents, abilities

Rune Poem-Old English, “A gift returns to adorn the giver with greatness and honor; it helps and heartens those who have nothing.”

Wunjo

Letter-W

god/goddess-Baldr

Meaning-Joy

Association-happiness, light, perfection, comfort, harmony, recognition of worth, reward, success, good health, prosperity, flourishing, bliss

Rune poem-Old English, “Joy comes to you who know no sorrow, blessed with grain and plenty, content in a strong community.”

Halagaz

Letter-H

God/Goddess-Hel

Meaning-Hail

Association-interference, disruption, corrections, changes for long-term good, change, being tested, nature, overcoming obstacles, wrath, chaos, misfortune, transformation

Rune poem-Old English, “Hail, whitest of grains, whirls down from heaven, is tossed by the wind, and turns water.”

Norwegian, “Hail is the coldest of grains; All-Father shaped the world in ancient times.”

Icelandic, “Hail is cold grain and a shower of sleet, and the bane of snakes.”

Nauthiz

Letter-N

gods/goddess-Skuld

Meaning-Need

Association-resistance, demand, desire, personal development, constraint, willpower, endurance, self-reliance, patience, necessity, kindling passion, recognizing your needs

Rune poems-Old English, “Need constricts the heart but can bring help and healing if heeded in time.”

Norwegian, “Need leaves one little choice; the naked freeze in the frost.”

Icelandic, “Need is the bondmaid’s grief, and a hard condition to suffer, and toilsome work.”

Isa

Letter-I

God/Goddess-Skadi

Meaning-Ice

Association-cold, lack of change, stagnation, challenge, self-control, harsh reality, concentrated self, clarity, watching and waiting, delay, obstacles, danger

Rune poems-Old English, “Ice is cold and slippery; jewel-like and glistening, fair to behold, the frozen field.”

Norwegian, “Ice we call the board bridge; the blind need to be led across.”

Icelandic, “Ice is the rind of the river and roof of the waves, and a mortal danger.”

Jera

Letter-J

God/goddess-Freyr, Idunn

Meaning-Year, Harvest

Association-cycles, harvest, efforts rewarded, plenty, good spirits, change, completion, fertility, growth

Rune poems-Old English, “Harvesttime brings joy when the goddess Earth gifts us with her bright fruits.”

Norwegian, “Harvesttime brings bounty; I say that Frothi is generous.”

Icelandic, “Harevsttime brings profit, and a high summer and a ripened field.”

Eihwaz

Letter-Ei, Y

God/goddess-Ullr, sometimes Skadi

Meaning-Yew tree

Association- strength, endurance, protection, movement, balance, death and life, Yggdrasil, change, magic, rebirth, friendships

Rune poems-Old English, “Yew has rough bark without but holds the flame within; deeply rooted, it graces the land.”

Norwegian, “Yew is winter’s greenest wood; it splutters when it burns.”

Icelandic, “Yew is a taut bow, and brittle iron and the arrow of Farbauti.”

Perthro

Letter-P

God/Goddess-The Norns, Frigga

Meaning-Lot cup/casting cup

Association-fate, gambles, hidden things, unknown outcomes, chance, destiny, pregnancy/birth, luck, common sense, revelation,

Rune poems-Old English, “Gaming means to play and laughter among the high-spirited who sit merry together in the mead hall.”

Algiz (Elhaz)

Letter-Z

God/goddess-All the Aesir, Heimdall

Meaning-Elk, the white elk

Association-Protection, awakening, teachings of the divine, ward off evil, defense, guardianship, opportunity to grow, fulfilling dreams, employment, shelter

Rune poems-Old English, “Elk sedge grows in the fen, waxing in the water, grimly wounding; it burns the blood of those who would lay hands upon it.”

Sowilo

Letter-S

God/Goddess-Sol, Baldr

Meaning-The Sun

Association-motivation, action, the sun, guidance, health, victory, cleansing, life purpose, enlightenment, spiritual will, goals, light, energy, self-confidence

Rune poems-Old English, “The sun guides seafarers who ferry across the fish’s bath until the seahorse brings them to land.”

Norwegian, “Sun is the light of the world; I bow to its holiness.”

Icelandic, “Sun is the sky shield, and a shining radiance, and the nemesis of ice.”

Tiwaz

Letter-T

God/Goddess-Tyr

Meaning-The god Tyr

Association-Courage, victory, peacekeeping, faith, loyalty, leadership, logic, sound judgment, compassion, honor, passion, masculine energy, truth revealed

Rune poems-Old English, “Tiw is a sign that spells confidence to the noble; unfailing, it holds true though the night clouds.”

Norwegian, “Tyr is the one-handed of the aesir; often has the smith to blow.” Icelandic, “Tyr is the one-handed god, and the leavings of the wolf and ruler of the temple.”

Berkano

Letter-B

God/Goddess-Nerthus, Freyja, Frau Holle

Meaning-birch tree

Association-New life, life changes, growth, healing, new beginnings, femininity, birth, regeneration, renewal

Rune poem- Old English, “The birch thought fruitless sends out countless shoots; leafy branches, high crowned, reach to the sky.”

Norwegian, “Birch has the greenest-leafed branches; Loki brought the luck of deceit,”

Icelandic, “Birch is a leafy limb and a little tree and a youthful wood.”

Ehwaz

Letter- E

God/Goddess-Freyja, Gullveig, sleipnir, loki

Meaning-horses

Association-momentum, trust, harmony, change, healthy relationships, progress, transportation, loyalty

Rune poem- Old English, “The horse brings Joy; proud on its hooves, by heroes praised, it is a solace to the restless.”

Mannaz

Letter-M

God/Goddess-Odin, Thor, Heimdall

Meaning-Mankind

Association-Humanity, soul, divine influence, social order, society, friendship, teamwork, self, family, support

Rune poems-Old English, “We are each other’s mirth yet must one day take leave, for the gods will allot our frail bodies to the earth.”

Norwegian, “Man is the waxing of dust; mighty is the hawk’s talon span”

Icelandic, “Man is the joy of man and the increase of dust and the adorner of ships.”

Lagaz

Letter-L

God/Goddess-Loki, Freyja, Hel

Meaning-Water, Lake

Association- Emotion, cleansing, intuition, dreams, flow, guidance, love, memory, feminine, physic abilities, renewal

Rune poems-Old English, “Water to land folk seems never-ending when they set sail on a heaving ship; the huge waves overwhelm them and the seahorse won’t head the bridle.”

Norwegian, “Waterfalls free from the mountain; gold trinkets are so highly prized.” Icelandic. “Water wells from the spring and the great geyser and the land of fish.”

Inguz (Ingwaz)

Letter-Ng

God/Goddess-Freyr, Ing

Meaning-The ancient god

Association-love, peace, internal growth, harmony, approval, agreement, completion, Masculinity, time of rest, goals, common sense, home, channeling force

Rune poem-Old English, “Ing, first seen by the East Danes, later rode his wagon away eastward over the waves; thus was the great god named.”

Dagaz

Letter-D

God/Goddess-Dagr, Baldr, Sol

Meaning-Day, dawn

Association-Dawn, daylight, change of direction, prosperity, clarity, awakening, breakthrough, hope, completion, balance, transformation

Rune poems-Old English, “Day is the gods’ messenger; the light of the gods grants ecstasy, good hope, and a boom to all.”

Othala

Letter-O

God/Goddess-Odin, Hel

Meaning-Home, Ancestors

Association-Family, inheritance, Home, Knowledge from the past, heritage, experience, value, group prosperity, positive mental state, good health, good financials

Rune poem-Old English, “Home is loved by all who prosper there in peace and enjoy a frequent harvest.”

Bind runes

Bind runes are 2 or more runes combined to make one bigger Bindrune. Used historically as a way to shorten up writing or just as a fun way to write, we now use them as stronger versions of runes, or as a way to have many runes together without having to write them all out.

Famous ones, Vegvisir and Aegishjalmaur (Helm of Awe) aren’t runes or bind runes, but instead Sigils that came around centuries after the Viking Age, and were found to be from the 1800s. Vegvisir is a path finder, not a compass. The Helm of Awe is used as a warding symbol but historically wasn’t actually used for anything as far as our sources note.

Resources

https://oreamnosoddities.com/blogs/news/how-to-make-a-bindrune-Bindrune explaining

https://oreamnosoddities.com/blogs/news/rune-meanings-the-elder-futhark-elder futhark source

http://www.shieldmaidenssanctum.com/blog/2019/3/12/the-elder-futhark-runes-and-their-meanings- elder futhark sources

https://youtu.be/nK51UmwJxRU-bindrune source from witches view with a little misinfo on Helm of Awe and Vegvisir

https://youtu.be/wG9d95vJibk-Bindrune source from Jackson Crawford

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLATNGYBQ-TjrPCf9YGy0qzqca1ypcGs50-Jackson Crawfords videos on runes through historical source

https://youtu.be/IROvre0w6hc-Vegvisir info

https://youtu.be/kW9KbtjyHN4-intro to runes

https://youtu.be/Gjmxu7z04kk-explaining the connection between the runic writing and languages

“Runes For Beginners” Lisa Chamberlain

“A Little Bit Of Runes” Cassandra Eason

“Nordic Runes” Paul Rhys Mountfort

“The Poetic Edda” Translated by Jackson Crawford

“Tales Of Norse Mythology” Helen A. Guerber

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F5INHBpAeUZ8Ux632760FbNQ0SUHDUGX/view?usp=drivesdk-Reading Past Runes book

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1p5L1BFpUFRte-BVq7XgBdXLjAqqZKKkI/view?usp=drivesdk-Nine Doors Of Midgard book

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EGtRedzunDGtUYkAbtdDrOQS0ppBBH9t/view?usp=drivesdk-The Big Book Of Runes book

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burlveneer-music · 3 months

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Jamaaladeen Tacuma & Odean Pope - The Lighthouse - Philly jazz greats together on new album

In 2022 Jamaaladeen had been awarded an “Art Works” grant From Forman Arts Initiative and Philadelphia Foundation. This grant afforded him the opportunity to gather seasoned musical icons and the “next generation” ( of icons) that caught his eye for several studio sessions that all exemplify Philadelphias rich musical legacy and artists that resides here which gave birth to his new artist collective THE PHILLY IMPROV SOCIETY. Jamaaladeen’s sessions are meant to amplify the voices of these artists and pass on the mythical magical language of black creative music that happens in Philadelphia to the next generation of musicians . He is gathering not only Philly based artists but also prominent International renowned master improvisers he has met through his 50 year career. Tacuma starts where it all began with one of his musical mentors that was a teacher in the “Model Cities” Music Program in Philadelphia in the 1970’s Composer Odean Pope. He has influenced generations of musicians worldwide with his charismatic approach to education, mentorship and musical mastery and along side a teenage band mate from his earliest days playing live music in Philly, G. Calvin Weston. He invited music brother Marc Cary composer and keyboardist who has made his own mark on black music for his generation and Paul Giess an emerging star composer who exemplifies Philly’s next generation of musician that is carrying on the legacy of improvised music and Introducing on the scene Ru-Deep a mysterious sonic explorer on guitar and percussion . Odean Pope Sax Jamaaladeen Tacuma Bass G. Calvin Weston Drums Paul Giess Trumpet and Electronics Marc Cary Keyboards Ru-Deep Electric Guitar and Percussion

#Jamaaladeen Tacuma #Odean Pope #philadelphia #jazz #funk #fusion #g. calvin weston #Bandcamp

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comicaurora · 2 years

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Hey Red, longtime fan of your channel and as of yesterday Aurora binge-reader

I have a few questions about your comic, answer as many or as few or as none at all as you want, and I apologize in advance for my physics-and-worldbuilding-junkie lizard brain that absolutely adores and wants to grok your awesome fantasy series, Please know this all comes from my own insatiable curiosity and passion for your comic

First of all, the metal caste gets their free will from recieving a spark at puberty, or from being struck by lightning and being "chosen", but could a mage give a spark to an unsparked metal caste by zapping them with lightning? could you be zapped multiple times? what happens if an already sparked metal caste is struck by lightning?

Do certain subgroups of humans that were elementally influenced or evolved show specific proclivities towards respective elements? (like are there a lot of stone mage metal-castes)

What are the crystal caste and where did they come from/were first mentioned either in a post or in the story? Rattle off as many varieties and their general deal as you want

Would the inhabitants of aurora ever have to retool or add new holidays if in the future any significant enough conceptual gods arise?

Is the white dragon real in the sense of as VD's opposite or is she just not real/is just a created god

If so, what's the actual source of the paladin's magic and how does it fit in with the elements?

Can gods channel the elements and be mages?

If so, why didn't VD posses the twins or have a god created for him to channel magic through?

how is VD even able to influence anything if he's stuck inside the adamantine prison?

if the white dragon is real, does she correspond to an eighth element?

is the eighth element soul?

if not what is soul? and is anything in this world not made of "elements" in the "stuff made from a primordial or whatever made them" way?

is adamantine made of the same stuff as soul?

are there more than eight elements?

where do stars come from?

where did the moons come from?

are there more planets besides the world we know?

do they have living things?

does the amalgam star look kind of like the green sun from homestuck (look it up)

do the other 4 promordials (and the 1-2 dragons) have progenitors like life's amalgam star and fire's two mysterious parents?

is or was there a whole society of primordials out in space?

If the promordials happened to develop a different language/alphabet would their great runes look different?

And some fun meta questions and comments:

I love the auroran calender, being that it is far more mathmatically clean and consistent than our own, (I watched your Thoth gambles with the moon video), is this sort of wish fufillment? I also love how you incorporated some chaos back in with the red moon sword and added a three day intercalery period

What are some common tropes you knowingly subverted or played with when writing the story?

It's extremely refreshing that Kendal doesn't have "chosen one" angst, instead he has much more subdued "no one will get hurt because of me" and "am I human?" angst

What's your opinion on tv tropes, (I for one, have wasted so many hours on it)

Did the primordials have a super-fun six man band dynamic?

who was the comic relief?

What's your actual opinion on Erin (I find his character super fun/compelling and I find his hubris hilarious)

The god mechanics have kind of a neil gaiman feel, I love it!

Vash gives off extreme shonen protagonist vibes (like goku + thor + spiderman) Is this on purpose? I love it

Kendal also seems pretty shonen protagonisty

Could you make an entire chapter where Erin just reads one of his magic textbooks and we get an in depth look at the study of magic and everything the people in the story know about it (I'm kidding of course but I also would actually eat that up like chocolate pudding because I'm a total lore junkie)

And sorry this is soooo long, you prob won't respond and I don't want to annoy you, just really curious and excited about your comic!

Holy heck, okay, let's count it down

The lightning that sparks a metal-caste cannot be influenced by another will - so a mage's lightning won't have this effect. If an already-sparked metal-caste is struck by lightning they receive a Second Spark and become a Stormbreaker.

Yep! For instance, almost all Ignans are fire mages.

The Crystal Caste live on the Helm-East continents and were influenced by the increased presence of Stone's bones, which are the source of all natural crystal. They haven't been mentioned in the comic yet, but have been discussed some out here. They're allegedly ruled by the Adamant Caste located on the northern continent, a family descended from the first Adamant King who led a rebellion against the magically dominant Glassfolk that once ruled the region. They possess the unique ability to control and redirect magic other people cast, even more rare among the Crystal-Caste who are very rarely mages of any kind. Under the Adamant Caste on the equatorial continent are three empires in a tense stalemate - the militarily powerful Sapphire Empire, the naturally-protected Ruby Empire shielded by a mountain range and a vast desert, and the weaker Emerald Empire that sprawls on the eastern coast and has only maintained its power at a level comparable to the other two through uniquely cunning tactics and a habit of accepting the talents of non-Crystal-Caste into the court - even some ferin.

Not unless they wanted to. The gods that get festivals are the ones it's easy to theme a party around.

Unknown!

See above!

Nope! The gods control the elements in a completely different way than mortals do. Rather than channeling elemental energy/primordial souls, they seem to impose their own soul on the elements they wish to manipulate, embodying it and reshaping it that way.

See above!

The Void Dragon is a living primordial being. We have no parameters for what abilities we can expect him to have, as all the other primordials we know of are dead. Evidently he can exert a degree of surveillance and physical control outside of his body. Maybe that's something all primordials could do!

Presumably the Light Dragon would correspond to an eighth element.

If soul energy is an element like the other primordials, it doesn't behave the same way any of them do, and it seems to universally permeate everywhere anyone has looked so far.

The nature and origin of soul energy is unknown. The Collector would very much like an answer to the same question!

Adamant is the perfect balanced fusion of the six elemental primordials, and it's a physical substance. Soul energy is a typically invisible energy that permeates everything. They are not the same thing.

Confirmed yes, starmetal is not any of the known elements and is theorized to be literal cooled shards of dead stars. Thus we know there are more elements out there, even if it is just one more element.

The origins of stars are largely unknown, but some observers with very good telescopes claim that new stars sometimes appear in luminous gassy nebulas.

The moons are the destroyed remains of Stone's armaments - a sword and a tower shield. Without him, over time they crumbled and gravity took over. That's why they're called Sword and Shield.

Unknown!

See above!

Pretty dope but no, it's much weirder than that

Yes!

Unknown but possible!

Evidence suggests that the runic language is the writing system of the Primordials, so by definition the runes would look the same.

META QUESTIONS:

Definitely wish fulfillment on my part. I just like it when things evenly divide other things. Is that so wrong?

Oh so many. Chief among them is the Easy Romantic Subplot Between The Male Lead And The First Girl. There was a draft (when I was like eleven) where of course that was going to be a thing, and then I realized I super didn't need to do anything I didn't want to do, and their relationship can just be whatever. Outside of that I don't tend to think of storytelling in terms of what tropes to avoid so much as I let the characters do what makes sense for them, and sometimes that means skipping over more easy stock plots or sources of conflict.

Kendal's flavor of angst is, in my opinion, significantly more relatable than "boohoo having a cosmic destiny and awesome sword is really sad and I wish my life was boring", like even though that's probably what WOULD happen I like this a lot more

love me some TVTropes, I spent like six months in highschool devouring as much of it as I could find and emerged changed - an elevated being, one could say. To this day I like going on TVTropes after I finish a series and just reading through the bite-sized analysis and highlights.

yeup!

definitely Lightning

I love Erin very much. I write a lot of paragons who will always try to do the most morally right thing they can manage - so it's very refreshing to write somebody who literally thinks he's too smart for that. Erin has a moral compass - he even follows it sometimes - but he prides himself on prioritizing real things like knowledge and power. Erin will use any tools he has available to succeed - in theory. In practice he's rigidly principled and it frustrates him immensely. Erin is like a "season 1 villain turned season 2 grumpy ally" except we fully skipped season 1. Erin is also convinced he's the main character, which is very funny to me. Also sometimes it's just fun to write someone being a huge dick to people who deserve it, and since I have a lot of protagonists who either can't or won't stand up for themselves, letting Erin loose on the people hurting them is very cathartic.

Thanks! Neil Gaiman's attitude towards gods definitely influenced me, although I put my own spin on it to make it work in a way I actually fully enjoyed.

Vash's protagonist vibes are absolutely intentional. He is the hero of the wrong story - every brash, powerful, badass protagonist trait I like rolled into one. Literally the most mortifyingly known I've ever felt was when I sent the first chapter to a friend of mine and she saw the first page he talked on and immediately responded "so this dude is based on Inuyasha right?"

Kendal has the outward appearance of the most classic hero I could construct, but on the inside is very different - a lot more melancholy and very laser-focused on his task, caring achingly deeply but slowly learning to let himself be cared for in return. Many hero's journeys focus on the protagonist's personal desires and flaws distracting them from their inevitable quest, but I thought it would be interesting if Kendal had the exact opposite problem - a being driven by a singular heroic purpose learning to let himself do and feel literally anything else.

if we ever get to the Mage Academy this could very well happen and that is a threat

#asks #aurora #long post

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