On Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Related Topics
My mission is to post Chaos.
Friday, April 24, 2026
Science Fiction Worldbuilding Challenge
Come up with a reason for future people to have generally good handwriting. All I can come up with right now is that it helps with getting through capchas.
Thursday, April 23, 2026
Turning Regional Differences to Your Advantage
It will in nearly all circumstances be unnecessary to clarify, for example, "Raghald Bloodletter paced the first floor, by which I mean the one on the bottom and not the next one up." However! Consider the word count. Really think it over.
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Addendum
You can, if you're being needlessly thorough, add in whether he can spell "questionnaire" without looking it up. I admit that I cannot. Hey, there's another question for the list. You see how it is. Pointless questions proliferate while the pointed go unaddressed.
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Character Questionnaire
When creating a character, be sure you can answer the following questions about said character:
What's his fighting style?
How mighty is he?
That covers everything a proper narrative requires.
What's his fighting style?
How mighty is he?
That covers everything a proper narrative requires.
Sunday, April 19, 2026
Paying the Mage Fee
Obeying the long-standing decree, every mage recognized by the realm save those currently abroad presented himself at the palace to enrich the treasury by one magical item. Fifth-rank mage Hufden handed over a bronze frog whose tongue could be pulled in order to receive an aura discouraging to flies for five hours, after which he returned returning home.
The next morning, he awoke to find the single chair near his bed occupied by a person who happened to be the king.
"Fifth-rank mage Hufden, what was that?"
"Well, Your Majesty, as commanded, an item 'proportional in power to the skill of the producing mage.' Wasn't it?"
"Either you are attempting deceit or else you yourself have no comprehension of your capabilities. Either is a great crime, detection of which is the point of the annual mage fee."
"Your Majesty . . . isn't the point to strengthen the kingdom?"
"Any policy possessing fewer than three sharp points such as a mighty trident has is unworthy of its proclamation. Now forget you heard that, for it is a lesson for rulers, irrelevant to the mage's lessons you have neglected."
Then began deep, assiduous study on the part of the mage overseen personally by the king or, when that august figure was busy, a strangely rare circumstance, the royal executioner. The next year, fifth-rank mage Hufden submitted a bronze frog whose tongue could be pulled in order to learn one secret of the swamps each month. He went on to destroy six armies on the plains of Yezniss, reduce a dragon to draconic extract, raise the Ninefold Bastion, and in general justify the assessment of the king, who knew little of magic but much of men, suitable priorities for his office.
Finis
The next morning, he awoke to find the single chair near his bed occupied by a person who happened to be the king.
"Fifth-rank mage Hufden, what was that?"
"Well, Your Majesty, as commanded, an item 'proportional in power to the skill of the producing mage.' Wasn't it?"
"Either you are attempting deceit or else you yourself have no comprehension of your capabilities. Either is a great crime, detection of which is the point of the annual mage fee."
"Your Majesty . . . isn't the point to strengthen the kingdom?"
"Any policy possessing fewer than three sharp points such as a mighty trident has is unworthy of its proclamation. Now forget you heard that, for it is a lesson for rulers, irrelevant to the mage's lessons you have neglected."
Then began deep, assiduous study on the part of the mage overseen personally by the king or, when that august figure was busy, a strangely rare circumstance, the royal executioner. The next year, fifth-rank mage Hufden submitted a bronze frog whose tongue could be pulled in order to learn one secret of the swamps each month. He went on to destroy six armies on the plains of Yezniss, reduce a dragon to draconic extract, raise the Ninefold Bastion, and in general justify the assessment of the king, who knew little of magic but much of men, suitable priorities for his office.
Finis
Saturday, April 18, 2026
Supply Problems
Sphinxes probably didn't reproduce but rather emerged from the footsteps of hero-kings, which is why we don't see any today. Once there are planet kings, the situation will likely reverse.
Depiction Demystification
Is it possible that sphinxes are depicted with human features in order to commemorate both the beasts and their brave riders? No. It's certain. Now what sphinxes really looked like is impossible to tell at this remove of years, but most likely they could fire blasts from their mouths.
Friday, April 17, 2026
Thursday, April 16, 2026
Undersea Kingdom Categorization.
1. Formerly a land kingdom but just look what happened.
2. Currently operates like land because of magic, divine providence, supertechnology, etc.
3. Sea creatures.
Those are the categories I can think of. Do they cover everything? Watery aliens are three, ghosts and undead are one, the future is two. Atlantis one, Jabberjaw two, Snorks three. Yeah, I think that just about does it, but I'm open to correction.
2. Currently operates like land because of magic, divine providence, supertechnology, etc.
3. Sea creatures.
Those are the categories I can think of. Do they cover everything? Watery aliens are three, ghosts and undead are one, the future is two. Atlantis one, Jabberjaw two, Snorks three. Yeah, I think that just about does it, but I'm open to correction.
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Addendum
The state of suffering from excessive dark spew will be called spewganza, and the sufferer will be referred to as a spewganzatic.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)