Addendum

Does all that mean there should be at least one character clad entirely in power ribbons? Yes.

The Many Powers of Ribbons

Obviously you can have special ribbon handed down through centuries which must be won in a fighting tournament, and obviously there might be orders of fancy warriors marked by ribbons infused with magic which not only confer powers but allow the wearer to be tracked, but don't forget about collections of nanomachines which resemble ribbons which respond to their owner's thoughts, either because of a neural implant, psychic powers, or technology subtler yet such as monitoring muscle contractions.

Trends Circulate Like Magma Beneath the Crust

Rotted: Non-evil empires.
Allotted: Power ribbons

Addendum

Though if your setting doesn't resemble the early 18th century, I encourage you to reconsider.

When to Ignore Anachronism

You may think of "ha-ha" as an early 18th-century term, but go ahead and use it no matter what time period your setting resembles.

Practical Kingseeking

Usually you can find out who the king is by being exiled for injuring him, but as reliable as that is, the time expended and the injuries required make this difficult without a large grant enabling a large staff.

Numismamonstra

When the leading men of Terschyria invited at public expense Gallos, a man renowned for his insight, it was not without hope of benefiting from the visit. They put to him the following question.
"The king's death has left us without any heir, even disputed. Neither does tradition present a clear procedure for this case. How ought we to decide who shall rule us? Tell us and be rewarded."
Gallos pondered the matter. He said this at last. "This is a simple matter, but as for the rewards, it must be in coins minted after the king's death. Show me those and you will have your answer."
The leading men relied on his reputation and had it done without demur. Soon they conveyed to Gallos a plate covered in new coins. He picked up one, satisfied himself with an inspection, and tossed it back.
"Turn over the coins and behold your new king!"
"What is this? Is this not a portrait of Lundaros the quarry owner?" The men looked through the coins and marveled. "And on each and every one. Certainly he is respected, able in his affairs, and unknown to scandal."
"It that is he, then go find him! I know nothing of it. But did you imagine that the god to whom the inscription on the obverse entrusts the kingdom's welfare is indifferent to you? That is impossible, and for my reward I will take a single coin as proof that the signs of beneficence are everywhere, when we remember to look at them!"
Finis

Addendum

I won't be participating. I need my characters to be always wanting more.

Sudden Writing Challenge!!!

Quick! Have a character slake something that isn't thirst! We've gotta get out of this rut!

The True Potential of Space Militarization

We finally have a chance to get rid of all the dumb ranks like colonel, major, general, and now that I think about it, what are the good ones? Sergeant and captain? Any others? Commodore is all right.

Addendum

If you reach the god retirement planet yourself, you can see a miracle. The miracle is that you are asked to leave rather than being killed right off the bat.

Speaking of Gods

Do you think gods use all those offerings they got to build a mansion on a way cooler planet? I bet that's true. It's why you don't see Zeus hanging out at the mall these days. Imagine that malls weren't dead for this thought experiment.

The Godless City

To remind all men that fortune is never constant, a storm afflicted the victors of the great naval battle so that within an hour they might have wished to have lost it instead that retreat could save them. Of one ship tossed far and then low, sinking, an officer and a portion of his soldiers made the shore.
The officer declared it a miracle and vowed to give offerings to the god who preserved them, and if there was no shrine for the purpose already, he would have one made, and the same for a temple when his means permitted. He encouraged his men to join him in that. "Certainly, but what god is it?" they asked.
The plain and uninhabited shore gave no answer to that. Stymied, the officer led his men away from there and succeeded so well that not a single one of them died before seeing home or whatever other destination he liked.
That duty done, the officer turned to the other, and in furtherance of it he settled a colony where he washed up. It flourished, whereupon the founder attracted scholars and philosophers whom he tasked with determining the god in addition to their other studies.
It flourished still more and soon became prosperous enough that its founder had erected the grandest temple known, though he refused to have it consecrated before his rescuer was known. More than that, he forbade the building of any other temple within the city limits before then. The injunction is observed today. Therefore, stranger, to answer your question at last, your devotions must be done outside the walls.
Finis

The Curse of Traditional Knowledge

These days, if you ever say "larboard," people will presume you have a speech impediment. That can be handy sometimes, but be honest: You sometimes think those dullards need to be controlled by someone like you, don't you? Then, when you search for rebuttals, you realize there are none. Well, that's all true, but it's not as if you can do anything about it. Not till you level up a few times at least.

Cyclical Trends in Science Fiction

I used to think all science fiction of a certain age suffered from not having the internet in it, but now I think we might get tired of it pretty soon, what with all the bots and the viruses and the fetish-dodging and so forth.

Enigmas in Play

In a fantasy world somewhere, people are playing a board game. One of the pieces is a car. Nobody recognizes it as such. That's just what the piece looks like.

Addender

Gothic can just be kothic. We don't need to get complicated here.

Addendum

Wait, no, that's what you call quinine. How about the Ankwin style? That'll do it.

How to Discuss Architecture in Fantasy

Everybody only cares about Queen Anne, and if your setting has a Queen Anne, people probably built different stuff during her reign. What to do? Give it a fun fantasy label such as qui'nan. Blam!

Fearsome in Its Parts

A terrible creature ravaged the lands all around. All who saw it gave this description:
"The beast has the head of a dragon, the body of a wyrm, and the hindquarters of a drake!"
The greatest slayers of monsters converged on the kingdom and assayed to strike down the creature in response to the king's pleas (to say nothing of the rewards he promised). The search demanded skill and the battle unflagging courage, but they killed their quarry and presented it to the king before all his people, who objected.
"That is a fearsome creature, certainly, but it has the body of a drake."
"Does it?" the hunters wondered.
"It does," all agreed.
Confused but moved by kindliness and integrity, the slayers sallied forth again and brought down a beast that had the head of a drake, and one with the hindquarters of a dragon, and one that was a wyrm all the way through.
"I am beginning to question," one among them opined when away from the capital, "whether we are not being deceived."
"I have had the same thought," another concurred. "Looking at him, the king's body is not immune to weaponry, and while I have said nothing about it before now, I . . . What is that?"
They saw in flight far off a creature that was obvious in having the head of a dragon, the body of a wyrm, and the hindquarters of a drake, so much so that they marveled they had ever made any mistake about it. Soon they freed the kingdom from its worry.
Finis

Monster Q&A Corner

Q. Why are centaurs partly human?
A. The human ones killed all the goblin ones. Don't feel too bad for them, though. They took out the lizard ones first.
Q. Why are manticores seldom depicted with human faces?
A. Because it looks dumb. God Emperor of Dune is a similar case.
Q. Aren't most manticores in fiction really just chimeras?
A. Hold on, let's not pass over "in fiction." Or "really." Tell us what you know.
Q. Gotta go!

On Colors

Doesn't chartreuse sound like it should be some type of pink? Be honest.

Addendum

Or is the counterweight somewhere else, such as the caboose or the calves? I'm no Linnaeustician, but thinking about it logically, they probably produce gold internally that either rests in deposits or circulates constantly while the unicorn is alive. Now that we have the theory, empiricism informs us of our next step.

Anatomical Speculation

Unicorns are probably stupid, right? 'Cause they got all that weight in their noggin as a counterweight for the horn? Or maybe it's hyper-dense brain matter and unicorns are really smart. I doubt it though.

Addendum

Though if underground horrors keep popping out, the digging of holes might be highly regulated. Maybe people in that situation invent air golf.

Sporting Contorting

The problem with coming up with a fun fantasy equivalent of golf is that everybody would probably just invent golf. You hit a ball into a hole. Everybody has those.

A Lamentable Rejection

The officials presented their recommendation. While both plans for the new palace appeared to them both feasible and admirable, one far exceeded the other in excellence.
"Then we shall have the worse one."
The decision befuddled the officials involved, those not involved, and the entire cloud of courtiers and functionaries, to say nothing of the architects themselves, who had been permitted to hear the conference. Perceiving the sovereign to be in a calm and even mood, the officials begged for a few more words that they might understand the decision.
The emperor made them be silent. "Say nothing more about it. We have our instructions. The creator of the better plans, is he here? He is to leave, unaccompanied."
The sovereigns' words added to the general bafflement, but what could be done? The officials bowed and the discouraged architect backed out of the audience chamber. Downcast as he was, he did not notice, standing before the great portal to the palace, the herald of the great god, not till that luminary spoke.
"You, architect. You are recommended by the only human we heed as the candidate best suited for the work. Come with me now to beginning planning the new heaven." Saying that, the architect was taken away, and when he returned, he held wondrous treasures.
Finis

Addendum

Deciduous tree monsters look like warriors in summer and wizards in winter, but they're actually rogues. They're just limited in their opportunities.

Nuances of Fantasy Professions

I bet successful lumberjacks are both educated and canny beyond most, what with all those dryads and forest spirits and whatnot that can cause them trouble. If there are outright tree monsters, the lumberjacks must be powerful champions as well.

Degrading Appropriation

Gambit used to be a perfectly good word, but now people think of either chess or X-men when they hear it, which is desirable occasionally but not in the majority of circumstances.

Changing Course

Tired of your main character? Don't want to write about him anymore? Simply start the next book by having him hear about the adventures of a different, far more interesting character. You'll fool everybody.