#Futuristic wilderness

[robster2016]

Extraterrestrial Eden at Eventide

As the esteemed head of Galerie Lumière Céleste, nestled in the heart of Paris’s vibrant Le Marais district, it is with great pleasure that I, Étienne Lefèvre, offer my insights into the captivating oeuvre titled “Extraterrestrial Eden at Eventide,” an extraordinary otherworldly landscape painting. My tenure in the Parisian art world has been marked by an insatiable quest for works that defy the…

[writingwithfolklore]

When Your Antagonist Isn't a Person

Last time I talked about how to character create an antagonist (check it out here if you missed it!) but what happens when your antagonist isn’t a person?

                Antagonists don’t necessarily have to be another character (or even one singular character). Rather, an antagonist is anything that raises the stakes and creates conflict for your protagonist. You will likely find this antagonist in your worldbuilding.

1. What your world may say about your antagonist

                In a survival story, your protagonist will likely be out in the wilderness alone—thus, their antagonist may be creatures, starvation, dehydration, exposure (freezing, sunburn). Or something like a giant storm, or other natural phenomenon/disaster.

                In an urban setting, the antagonist may be the ‘system’ itself; politics, institutions, a way they’ve been disadvantaged or otherwise put down by their world. (Often these systems can be represented by a person, if you so choose).

                And a futuristic world opens up to technology being an antagonist; things aren’t working as they’re meant to, AI has gone wrong, or it’s gone too right—the technology is taking away from what the protagonist wants.

2. Goals and Motivations

Your non-human antagonist may not have goals or motivations, or very basic ones. Does a nasty storm exist to destroy humans? Probably not, it just is as it is. A creature’s goal may be to eat, it’s motivation being that it’s hungry.

However, a system or institution may have deeper goals/motivations. For example, Amazon is a company built to make Jeff Bezos money. Your institution may have a goal it presents to the public, and a true goal (usually monetary, but could also be religiously or politically motivated).

3. Additional sources of conflict

Sometimes non-human antagonists need some extra support to make your character’s life suck. A dangerous storm brewing in the distance is great, but you may also need some additional sources of conflict to keep your character moving until it reaches them.

If your character is taking down Amazon, they may be targeted by police, or drones with guns, or people who live off an Amazon salary, or require the convenience of it.

Often stories without one human antagonist tend to have multiple little antagonists. Survival stories are great for the amount of different conflicts you can throw at a character. You may even introduce small conflicts between other characters, even if those characters aren’t fully antagonists.

Next time I’ll talk about character vs. self, what do you do when your antagonist is also your protagonist?

[frozenfries]

Cozy Café : A VALORANT Headcanon

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve written for this game, but inspiration struck at a random time. This totally hasn’t been sitting in my drafts since last January

Prompt: If the agents worked at a café, what would their roles and/or signature drink be?

Amidst the chaos of battle, a quaint café stands as a sanctuary for the weary agents. Here, they can take refuge from their high-stakes duels, and trade their weapons for aprons to pursue a different kind of mission: the art of brewing the perfect cup of coffee.

Phoenix: with his vibrant personality and quick reflexes, he’s the charismatic face of the café. Entertaining customers with his barista skills comes naturally as he conjures up dazzling coffee concoctions with a flair of his hand, a burst of flame and a confident grin. His signature drink, The Ignition Latte, is a fiery blend that invigorates even the most exhausted of patrons. Jett: agile on and off the battlefield, she brings her lightning-fast speed and precision to the café. With a swift motion of her finger, she effortlessly crafts delicate latte art, transforming each cup into its own masterpiece. Her Cloud Burst Cappuccino is a smooth delight, creating a moment of feather-light happiness for those who drink it. Viper: the formidable chemist brings her scientific expertise to the world of coffee. With a touch of her gloved hand, she infuses her creations with unique flavors and aromas, leaving customers in awe. Her Venomous Mocha is a mysterious blend that tantalizes the taste buds and leaves a lingering, addictive aftertaste. Sage: with her nurturing personality and herbal knowledge, she adds a touch of serenity to the café and its menu. Her Rejuvenation Tea is a calming infusion that restores both body and mind, providing a moment of tranquility amidst the chaos of everyday. Omen: ever the enigma, he brings an air of mystery to the café. With a flick of his wrist, he conjures up ethereal and smoky concoctions, leaving people wondering how he manages to capture such unique flavors. His Shadowy Cold Brew is a chilling experience that takes customers on a journey through darkness and light. KAY/O: the robotic agent assists in the day-to-day operations of the café, precisely measuring ingredients, ensuring efficiency, and maintaining the coffee shop's cutting-edge technology. KAY/O's presence adds a futuristic touch to the atmosphere, making customers feel like they've stepped into a realm where man and machine coexist harmoniously. Sova: a master archer, you can find him behind the counter carefully crafting his signature drink, The Tracker's Shot: a potent blend of espresso and a hint of blueberry syrup, topped with a delicate foam art of a wolf's paw print. Sova takes great pride in his creation, often using it as a conversation starter with customers, enthralling them with tales of his adventures in the wilderness. Cypher: the watchful surveillance expert provides security for the establishment. He has a keen eye for detail, which translates seamlessly into his signature drink, The Watchful Eye Latte: a meticulous combination of steamed milk, a shot of espresso, and a dash of vanilla spice syrup, served with a meticulous swirl of latte art depicting an intricate camera lens.

Chamber: the polished agent with a mysterious past has a taste for the unconventional, which is reflected in his signature creation, The Trademark Mocha: a rich concoction of dark chocolate, a double shot of espresso, and a hint of cinnamon, sprinkled with a dash of edible gold glitter that gives it an otherworldly shimmer.

Astra: with the ability to infuse her cosmic energy into any environment, she can elevate even a simple drink into an otherworldly experience. The Celestial Brew starts with a base of rich, smooth espresso, followed by a fusion of steamed milk and vanilla syrup, creating a swirling galaxy effect. To top it off is a dollop of homemade lavender-infused whipped cream, a touch of stardust and a sprinkle of edible glitter.

[meeeeeeese]

GW2 Profession Ask Questions or something IDK

General

1: Why did they choose their profession?

2: Did they have a teacher? If so, who were they and were they good instructor?

3: Have they dabbled in any other professions than the one they ended up with?

4: On the scale of absolute novice to complete expert, how good are they at their chosen profession?

5: Is there anything atypical about their usage of their profession? If so, what?

6: How are they regarded by others of their profession?

Guardian 🛡️

7: What are the convictions that keep their guardian magic burning?

8: Do they focus more on healing and protecting their allies or on incinerating their enemies before they can do harm?

9: How much do they rely on their magic in combat? Could they still be effective if they were stripped of their guardian powers?

10: What’s their fighting style like? (ranged, defensive, aggressive, etc)

Warrior 🪓

7: Do they incorporate any magic into their fighting or stick to pure physical might?

8: How big is their weapon collection and which weapons do they tend to carry with them?

9: What strategies do they have to deal with casters and other such enemies that of sit out of reach of warriors?

10: In terms of raw physical might, how strong are they?

Revenant 🌫️

7: How well do they handle their legends? Have they ever lost control?

8: Can they channel any legends not shown in-game?

9: What’s their feelings on the mists? Does it feel like home to them, or is it more a fearful feeling?

10: What’s their relationship with the legends they channel, be-it cooperative or adversarial?

Engineer 💣

7: What was their first invention? Do they still use it today?

8: How would they handle being forced to operate without their array of gadgets?

9: What’s their engineering style? (for example; steampunk, magi-tech, futuristic, jade tech)

10: What’s the biggest engineering accident they’ve had?

Ranger 🏹

7: What’s their favorite pet and why?

8: What kind of terrain do they feel most at home in?

9: What type of animal do they least want to see while out in the wilderness?

10: What kind of routines do they have to take care of their pets?

Thief 🗡️

7: Do they use their skills for ‘selfish’ ends such as pick-pocketing or assassination?

8: What’s the most concerning thing they’ve ever taken out of someone’s pockets?

9: Do they use much shadow magic, or do they stick to acrobatics and trickery to outwit their opponents?

10: What’s the most impressive assassination (if they’ve ever performed one) that they’ve ever pulled off?

Elementalist 🔥

7: What’s their favorite element and why?

8: Do they prefer to camp one element, only shifting when needed, or do they shift fluidly between the elements?

9: What’s the greatest feat of spell-casting that they’ve ever achieved?

10: Does their magic tend to leave a lot of collateral damage or are they fairly precise in their casting?

Mesmer 🦋

7: On a scale of ‘none’ to ‘I’m never even in the same room I appear to be in’, how many layers of illusions do they prefer to stay hidden behind?

8: What sort of tricks do they have up their sleeve if they’re caught out without any illusions?

9: Do they ever use their magic to touch up their physical appearance, making themselves taller and such?

10: Do they like pink as a color? And if not do they ever change the color of their magic?

Necromancer 💀

7: What’s the most unethical spell they’ve ever cast, and what prompted them to use it?

8: How do they feel about the unsavory reputation attached to many necromancers?

9: Do they use minions much? If so, do they rather mass-summon disposable soldiers or handcraft sturdier creations?

10: Has their necromancy impacted their feelings on death and loss at all?

[static-electric-dreams]

Hmm, this Other Skies party looks kinda familiar....

Design notes below 👇

Laios: Eshenali Knight

I obviously wanted Laios and Falin to be "dragons," but it was hard to decide what color scales to give Laios (Falin, who I'll draw later, is of course red and fluffy). I settled on white with golden eyes, lol. He has more futuristic power armor here and carries a light sword inhabited by a strange alien creature. I also want to say he cuts/shaves the fur off his tail and feet for Personal Reasons. In Other Skies, he's obsessed with alien beasts in lieu of monsters.

Senshi: Zair Survivor

Senshi is already perfectly suited for the survivor class, and it made sense to translate him to a hairy and magnanimous Zair with black fur and brown markings. He lived out in the dangerous wilderness of Palazair before meeting his current party, and makes sure to always have some grub around to keep people's psyche up. Think of how fast one could cook with four hands!

Marcille: Sucralite Psion

I had a hard time deciding what species to translate Marcille into, but I think the glamorous and androgynous Sucralites are the best analog to elves that I can think of. Other Skies!Marcille might have a more Sucralite name ("Ambrosia" might actually be a good one), or they might choose to present as feminine while traveling. Her staff has been translated to a high-tech device that can connect to her thoughts and amplify her psychic power, thus making her attacks stronger.

Chilchuck: Santornan Assassin

I chose the "assassin" class for Chilchuck because it's the one with the most lockpicking and sneaking related moves and skills; the name implies that killing is the end result, but it doesn't have to be. He's of course a Santornan because of their small stature and "cute" faces. He has a closed piercing hole where his wedding earring once was. As a side note, I considered changing his color palette to blues and pinks to match Santornan aesthetics, but I wanted the design to be recognizable so I didn't. Maybe another time!

In the future I also want to draw Falin, Kabru, Izutsumi, and perhaps Thistle.... We shall see.

[pjsk-story-summaries]

April Fools Year 3: Past and Future

TL;DR: Everyone has been transported into one of two mysterious, seemingly inescapable SEKAI: a prehistoric forest with ruins and dinosaurs, or a futuristic city with tech and aliens. They split up into groups to survive and find a way home.

In the Past? SEKAI,

Team Survival Masters consists of Shiho, Airi, Nene, Kanade, and MMJ Len. They set up base camp and prepare delicious meals for the others.

Team Food Hunt in the Primeval Forest consists of Ichika, An, Ena, and L/n MEIKO. They brave the wilderness to collect materials and food.

Team We are the Pegasus Exploration Party! consists of Minori, Toya, Tsukasa, and MMJ Miku. As long as they keep high spirits, nothing will stop them from finding the way back home.

In the Future? SEKAI,

Team Relief Space Cafe consists of Honami, Shizuku, Mafuyu, and n25 Luka. They serve coffee at the place where everyone can rest.

Team NicoNico☆Food Search consists of Saki, Kohane, Emu, Mizuki, and WxS Rin. They try and find food while befriending aliens.

Team Here and There in the Futuristic City consists of Haruka, Akito, Rui, and VBS KAITO. This chaotic yet responsible team searches for the way back home.

Full fan translation (Project Sekai in English)

This summary is currently a work in progress. Area conversations will be added periodically.

Upon login, Miku asks you to join her in exploring two special SEKAI of the past and the future.

None of those transported to the Past? SEKAI know how they got there. The same happens in the Future? SEKAI. All the units cross each others soon after arriving and decide to team up to survive together. They'd decided to split into base camp/rest, food searching, and exit-searching teams.

Past? SEKAI

Survival Masters Cover: Setsuna Trip

Kanade and Nene greet VBS Rin, MMJ Len, and n25 KAITO. Nene's extremely intimidated by KAITO's harsh demeanor. She questions if she did something wrong, but Kanade explains he's just like that.

Shiho greets Airi, WxS MEIKO, and L/n Luka. Airi leads the group based on her past variety show experience. Luka divides up material gathering roles, impressing MEIKO and Airi. Neither of them are used to a reliable Luka. Luka offers her lap when MEIKO expresses loneliness without her sleepy one.

Food Hunt in the Primeval Forest Cover: Six Trillion Years and an Overnight Story

An, Ena, and Ichika make a fishing rod out of sticks and strings. Ichika realizes they need bugs or worms as bait, but all three are too scared to look. n25 Miku finds a bunch of worms under a rock and picks them up without hesitation.

L/n MEIKO leads Ena, MMJ KAITO and VBS Luka search for water. Ena's a bit frustrated by how easy-going Luka is in such a strange scenario. KAITO explains how it's cool to get to experience nature, and Ena reluctantly agrees that it would be great for references. She's also extremely thrown off by how nice these Virtual Singers are.

We are the Pegasus Exploration Party! Cover: Booo!

Tsukasa prepares the members of the Pegasus Exploration Party. L/n Rin wants them all to get cool nicknames and form an adventure huddle. Minori tries her best to get n25 MEIKO to join. She's forced to put her hand in the middle, but doesn't cheer.

The Pegasus Exploration Team has been searching for some time now. WxS Luka had fallen asleep, so Tsukasa yells for her to wake up. The scream ended up startling a dinosaur, who begins to chase them. Toya leads them to hide in an ancient ruin.

Relief Space Cafe Cover: Meru

Shizuku suggests checking out a place she'd seen earlier. She tries backtracking based on the signs she'd seen, but Mafuyu points out they change color. MMJ Rin asks Shizuku to hold her hand, pretending she's nervous. She just doesn't want Shizuku to get lost.

Mafuyu finds a malfunctioning robot. Shizuku tries to help it out by clicking a button, accidentally triggering a self-defense mode. Everyone panics, but Mafuyu calmly tells it to stop. WxS KAITO notices something off in her demeanor when she said it, though.

Honami, L/n Miku, VBS MEIKO, and n25 Luka explore the back alleys. Luka teases Miku about being a senpai figure, but only MEIKO realizes the intent. Honami praises Miku.

NicoNico☆Food Search Cover: Alien Alien

Emu, Mizuki, and MMJ MEIKO head off on their food search with a wonderhoy, but n25 Len isn't quite sure what to do. Mizuki and Emu teach him how to do it. They do it one more time, this time with Len.

The group finds an octopus-like alien. Emu tries copying the alien speech, but it comes out like nonsense. The alien responds, to everyone's surprise. The alien then copies back Emu's wonderhoy.

Here and There in the Futuristic City Cover: Devil's Manner

Akito wants to leave the Future? SEKAI as soon as possible, but Rui and WxS Miku are too distracted by the futuristic technology. Miku keeps getting the number of "no"s in Akito's name wrong.

VBS KAITO thinks he saw an alien, but L/n Len and n25 Rin don't belive him. KAITO's thrown off by how different the two are here.

Haruka uses her idol charm on an alien. (There's likely more to this interaction, but the translation was cut off.)

Rui explains his exploration drone to L/n Len. He offers over the controller. Akito asks if n25 Rin wants to join since she looks curious, but she denies it since that's "just playing around". Akito asks for the controller for the spare drone and explains how it would help. Rin caves and takes the controller.

[transmutationisms]

What do you think each of the kids are fundamentally motivated by? Obviously they’re all motivated by their father’s approval but Kendall & Shiv (for example) display an actual drive for power Roman lacks. Roman is in turn motivated by familial belonging & affection that Kendall is somewhat motivated by but not really. Not sure what Connor is motivated by but he seems like a (relatively) chill guy.

that's so funny. i think connor is fucking insane. the thing about connor is like, yeah he knows logan thinks he's a loser and would never in a million years give him the company, so he doesn't even bother trying for it, but in every other possible way he has 0 chill and legiterally sees himself as some kind of be-toga'd greek warrior wielding an ak and a boar-hunting spear in one hand and napoleon's beef-jerkied cock in the other. he lives on a ranch in the american west because he thought he could manifest destiny his way into logan's heart but then he named it after a piece of napoleonica because he doesn't understand political signifiers and also no one comes to visit him so he has to be boy besties with his loser ass fertiliser neighbour and wheedle willa into keeping him company. his political platform is antisemitism and believing that cum and money are the same thing, which is why he needs to preserve both and use them only in an appropriately productive manner, except he has no kids and literally throws away millions on a terrible play to continue buying willa's attention even though he thinks theatre is like, culturally degenerate. he's literally running for president because daddy wouldn't hand him an empire and he thinks he can take the reins of a different one, and also he's doing that with a shitlib dc think-tanker he offered the state department to when he was supposed to be ass kissing for waystar. at any given moment he's like 5 seconds from going beast mode and he also can't bear to euthanise a dying dog and his father decided he had no value as a kid and now he financially contracts his girlfriend but has to pretend she's anything other than a courtesan. by the way he used to have a ponytail and drop acid in the desert, he owns 30,000 acres of wilderness, and he would rather see his dead dad cryogenically frozen and techno-futuristically resurrected than buried wearing a kilt.

sorry i thought too hard about connor roy and entered a fugue state. anyway, to be reductive, kendall wants to become logan, but more well-liked. the heir with the flair. shiv wants to become logan, but morally superior. what if a good person ran waystar. roman wants to be loved by logan, and uses the business as a means to that end. you and me up in a little pod above the city, fucking startups and shitting on pension funds. connor wants to be noticed by logan but it's too late for that so he'll settle for prowling around his empty apartment talking to his ghost. i don't need love it's like a superpower.

[flowers-blooming-in-winter]

A Futuristic Encounter (open rp)

There were reports of a mysterious pokemon in the wilderness. Some Pokémon and humans were attacked by it, but most haven't really gotten severely injured. The reports claimed it looked like a robot with features of a Gallade and a Gardevoir.

Investigate?

[deepdreamnights]

I Wonder What's Over There?

Also, I hope it's oxygen.

The image(s) above in this post were made using an autogenerated prompt and/or have not been modified/iterated extensively. As such, they do not meet the minimum expression threshold, and are in the public domain. Prompt under the fold.

Prompt: the glowing mountains on a futuristic planet, in the style of neon-infused digitalism, sharp perspective angles, interlacing artifacts, purple and cyan, majestic ports, #vfxfriday, zone system:: a colored dinosaur, in the style of greg hildebrandt, solarization, terragen, light green and magenta, diorama, romanticized depictions of wilderness, raphael lacoste:: woman wearing a yellow batman shirt standing next to a pickup truck, in the style of infused symbolism, bronzepunk, organic designs, made of wrought iron, simplified, wavy, humor meets heart --ar 5:4 --v 6.0

Confusing the robot by making it do multiple unrelated prompts at once produces some great colors and other effects, even if the results are unpredictable.

[fraseris]

as someone with little interest in sci-fi i have to say my limited exposure has shown me very few examples of nature being a primary component in a futuristic world. the hunger games would be an exception and its so cool how you see further progressed industry, capitalism, and dictatorship interacting with poverty and how that forces some people deep into unsafe urban areas and others into wilderness ish places

[sickbaysaturdays]

Topics for Sickbay Saturdays, April and May 2023

Featuring: genre weeks, fandom weeks, “meta and medical” focus weeks, May the Fourth, He Who Controls The Spice Controls The Universe, Wilderness Medicine on the Final Frontier.

As always, you can participate by lurking, dropping prompts or favorite tropes in the inbox, recommending favorite instances of whump, writing meta, tagging us in gifsets, writing original or fanfiction, making art, or whatever else floats your boat elevates your hovercraft.

April 1: Field medicine

April 8 (Genre Focus): Cyberpunk

April 15: Futuristic Drugs

April 22 (Medical focus): Disability in Science Fiction  

April 29: Cryosleep

May 6 (Fandom Focus): Star Wars

May 13: Field medicine

May 20: Body horror

May 27: Torture

[revirag]

I loved the new spiderverse movie, amazing job for everyone working on it. There are so many things I could and should praise, from Miles's growth to the parent-child relationships showing up in the movie, from the absolutely show stopping animation that was gorgeous through out the whole movie, but I really have to scream about one thing specially.

This movie had hundreds of spidermen. Hundreds of them! And they were all unique while simultaneously sharing so many features to make them be the same character? Their fighting and general moving styles were just so GOOD. Obviously Gwen uses balett and balett-esque techniques, while compared to her, Miles is a lot looser in his motion, with his limbs. You can see that he has learnt from her: the pointed feet so often seen on Gwen appears on Miles as well in a shot or two. I think Pav is is inspired by some kind of indian martial art that I really have to look into, while compared to them Jess is a lot heavier - either because of the motorbike or pregnancy either way, she seemed like the least acrobatic from all her peers. Miguel was a lot wilder, his futuristic get-up balanced by his wide, sharp motions and claws.

I need to find some better words to describe what I mean, but I had to yell about it for a tiny bit. I adore how much work the creators had to put into it, to not 'simply' use different art styles (I already want to kiss them all for that), but also use different 'motions' for the different characters. I am aware animators do this, aware that there are many great movies where this can be seen, but this is the first superhero movie in a while where i have seen it so clearly.

[tulusrauta]

Tag games yes

More of these tag-games, thanks @lexiklecksi ! I piled a few of these together. Anybody seeing this you're tagged

historical or futuristic

the opening or closing chapter

light+fluffy or dark+gritty

animal companion or found family

horror or romance > i don't want to choose both are good

hard magic system or soft magic system

standalone or series

one project at a time or always juggling 2+

one award winner or one bestseller

fantasy or sci-fi

character description or setting description

first draft or final draft

love triangle in everything or no romantic arcs > hating both

constant sandstorm or rainstorm

GET TO KNOW ME

Relationship status: 9 years going strong, we own a house and pretty much everything together

Favorite color: Can't pick only one, but black, green and brown are best

Stuck in my head: Cha Cha Cha by Käärijä to nobodys surprise

Last song I listened to: Not really a song but I spent a whole day listening this kind of stuff, fire crackling the best

Three favorite foods:

Grilled salmon, as simple as that

I'm just gonna say potatoe, as a soup or in a casserole, or baked whole. Add cream, cheese and onion and you can't go wrong

Halloumi cheese, grill it or put in the oven with some vegetables ah perfect

Last thing I googled: What halloumi is in english - for some reason it's the same though

Dream trip: A long trip into the wilderness, with a cottage and a palju (kind of a hot tub outdoors) in the middle of nowhere. You can't really affect it but no mosquitos please and some cool encounters with wildlife and northern lights and pretty creeks and caves and.......

[accidental-spice]

*quietly saddles up next to you*

*pokes indexes fingers together*

*whispers so as not to be obnoxious: …got any book recommendations?

*gasps with joy* of COURSE!!!!!!!! And don't worry, I could NEVER find you obnoxious, anon! I love giving book recs!!!

I'll give you an assortment, based on various different genres and tropes!

So, fantasy is my main wheelhouse, of all sorts. Particularly, Christian fantasy. If you like, say, Lord of the Rings, I highly recommend the Dragonkeeper Chronicles, by Donita K. Paul. There are tiny pocket-sized dragons!!!! And the depiction of Christianity is so well done!!

More recs under the cut...

Another Christian fantasy book! If you like elves, Moonscript by H. S. J. Williams is INCREDIBLE. There's found family. And redemption!! And a SMUGGLER. Plus, it's good if you like more of a platonic focus, as opposed to romance, but there's still background romance! Absolutely INCREDIBLE. Makes me cry

Another Christian fiction series I love is the Out of Time trilogy, by Nadine Brandes. It's about a post apocalyptic/futuristic world where everyone has a Clock that tells them how long they have to live. The main couple is GOALS

Another fantasy series I love is The Vengekeep Prophecies, by Brian Farrey. It's about a hilarious family of thieves!!! Plus, their magic system is really unique!!

In the not as fantasy realm, I ADORE this steampunk duology by Joel Ross! The first one is called The Fog Diver! It's about a post-apocalyptic world where all but the highest mountains have been enveloped in a deadly Fog. There are airpirates in this one, who I ADORE, and a found family!!

A more modern day book I love is The Trouble With Shooting Stars! It's about a girl who's recently been injured in an accident, and her new neighbors, who are magical!!

Oh, if you've read, say, Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen, or if you're into wilderness survival, that sort of thing, I definitely recommend My Side of the Mountain, which is about a kid named Sam Gribley who's like, screw it, and moves out of his parents house to live off the land on a mountain. It's SO good

Last, but FAR from least, I recommend Greenglass House, by Kate Milford. It's a mystery set during Christmas in this really cool fictional town called Nagspeake, at a smuggler's inn.

Let me know if you want more recommendations, especially if none of these appeal to you, and I hope you enjoy them!!!

[miraclecereal]

MagiGal

Chapter 1 

[Author’s Note: I’m not the best as buildups but oh well.]

    When you’re young, everything is extraordinary. Rene remembered when she got her first phone. It was a hand-me-down from her sister, it was slow with a large crack in the top left corner yet it was new and exciting to her.

Now the phone lie in the shoebox underneath her bed along with all the other things her sister had given her. The phone is no longer as high tech and futuristic as she once thought it was. 

She remembers looking out the window with amazement. The smell of gas and old food mixed with screaming children and scolding chaperones was overstimulating, but in such a way a child could tolerate. It was exciting because she knew where the bus was taking her. It was taking her to a place where she could be with her friends all summer, a place of competition and learning about the nature around her: Summer camp. 

Rene remembers when her sister was a junior camp counselor at the summer camp. She would look at her sister with dazzling eyes. To her child brain, her sister was the epitome of cool and mature. Now she’s fifteen and when the summer ends, she’ll be a freshman in high school. Much like her older sister, she’s returning to summer camp to be a junior camp counselor. 

Looking around the bus she can see some familiar faces from both elementary and middle school. There’s a lot of new faces too. Some girls who are talking with friends or looking out the window with determined faces. 

The bus takes a sudden stop and she looks out towards the camp. It was no longer the beautiful, nature palace she once thought it was. It was only slabs of jagged wood that somehow formed stable cabins and a canteen. There were no children running around, at least not yet. The junior camp counselors came a couple of hours early to set everything up for the little kids. Rene wasn’t exactly excited to be doing errands in the blistering heat. She wanted to curse her parents to sending her out into the bug infested wilderness to do some glorified babysitting on a whim but she knew they were only doing it because they were worried about her. 

Rene steps out of the bus with all the other teens who are enthusiastically talking to each other. Even in the morning the air is hot and suffocating, she can already feel a bug crawling up her arm. 

The magic had worn off, she was no longer a child. This was no longer a magical place of play and exploration. Why couldn’t she just be home? Getting her bag out from under the bus reminded her of being in an airport. She couldn’t understand how all of her peers could have so much energy. 

For a few minutes the group of teens talked amongst each other until a whistle blew, revealing a tired looking adult wearing the ugly yellow shirt the summer camp’s crest on it. “Welcome junior camp counselors.” Despite the tired look in her eyes she still tries to appear friendly with a smile. “Here you will learn about leadership and responsibility. We promise to teach you skills that will help you in your day to day life as well as important survival skills.” 

With how her eyes dart down to her clipboard, it’s obvious she’s reading off of a script. The woman uses her free hand to motion to the name tag stuck to her shirt, it’s decorated with yellow stars. “My name is Amanda and I am one of the counselors here. If you need anything at all you come to me or another camp counselor, we’re here to help and make this enjoyable.” There was something about Amanda. She wasn’t intimidating but she held herself up with confidence. She looked plain, plain enough for people to pass by her without a second thought. The only thing that stood out to Rene was the star hairpin that was clipped to the left side of her hair. Unlike her shirt, it was a pretty yellow. She didn’t know what it was made out of but it looked expensive.

Rene didn’t mean to be rude but she ended up zoning out after that. She had been to this camp so many time, she already knew the rules. Like all the other teenagers, she got her bag from under the bus and placed her things onto one of the cabin’s bunk beds. When she was child, she didn’t mind sleeping on stiff mattress that had a plastic cover over it. The scratchy blanket she was given was the most comfortable thing in her young mind. 

Setting things up for the little kids wasn’t as bad as Rene thought it would be but she wasn’t enthusiastic about it. She was introduced to the other counselors, made her own name tag, and helped clean and set up the cabins for the younger kids. 

Then the bus carrying the younger kids came. Most of them were smiling and bouncing with excitement. She couldn’t bring herself to be annoyed by the loud children. She did envy their boundless energy though.  

Rene mostly stood back and watched, occasionally helping a child get their heavy bag, then helped a few children make their own name tag. A part of her enjoyed doing something other than sitting at home all day but another part of her wanted to be back in her room, wasting her time watching videos on her phone. Most teenagers ignored the rules of not bringing a phone to camp. While the children played on the playground in the center of the trees, the teenagers like her sat at the wooden benches enjoying their plastic wrapped lunches as they chatted and “discreetly” played on their phones. She wished she could have brought her phone but her parents were strict about that. 

Rene watched the children play, bouncing her leg. She could see some kids her age that she knew from elementary school but she didn’t have the courage to talk to them. So she sat alone amongst teens that didn’t even seem to acknowledge her existence. It wasn’t their fault, it’s not like she was trying to talk to anyone. She had a few friends she met in middle school but they weren’t here at camp, she couldn’t even text them either. 

She sighed, looking past the children and beyond the trees. How was she supposed to survive being here for ten weeks? 

[jjtheblackgoat]

Welcome all of you, wary travellers – to the Den of the Storyteller – and make yourselves at home

The homeowner may not be present right now, but I, The Black Goat, shall be greeting you here. Make yourelves comfortable, and let me entertain you with tales, maybe not as skillfully crafted as those of my Master, but no less unique – and *mindboggling*.

The stories of mine consist of many installments, separated into shorter, loosely conected adventures.

These, for example, are:

,,From Fantasyverse” – Tales from the universe of magic powers and otherworldly monsters - Idris, where brave warriors live their day to day lives, between the forces of both good and evil, and tempted by luxury and power. These storylines consist of: Moonlight Eclipse, Beast Fang, Atlantic Grimm, Shadow Presence, Northern Guard ,Fool’s Crown, King of Sun, Order of The Roundtable, Dark Rose, The Great Delegation, The Seven Sins, Ares' Wrath, Station 12

,,From Cyberverse” – Tales from the universe of futuristic technology and interplanetar schemings – Drix, where common citizens must face discirimination and segregation from the hands of The Council, whilst fighting against dangers of the Outlands. These storylines consist of: Southern Warriors, Dark Eons, City of Sin

,,From Spookverse” – One colective of episodic scenes, showing the lives of the residents of Hell and the Netherworld, which consists mostly of dreadful boredom – unless you are a high class demon, or even better, one of The Six Fingers.

,,From Postapoverse” – Stories set in an alternative version of Earth, where the coming of the Nuclear War destroyed over half of the world’s population, and turned the survivors into maniancs with no moral compass. Consists of two stories, happening within ten years of each other – Heroes of the Wasteland and Urban Heist

,,Danganronpa: Dirty Damsel’s Distressed Calling (D3C)” – A seamingly innocent school trip, which soon turns into a Camping Trip from Hell, when a masked individual, naming himself The Monoman, kidnaps half of the Ultimate Students’ class, and sends the other half to death in the wilderness, by making them fight with nature, and slowly disappearing resources. A videogame concept, which i do not think will ever be realised

,,My Hero Bakademia” - To deal with problematic students, The School for Superheroes, UA, has created a special class for troublesome students – Zero. Although none of its students are perfect teenagers, they all share a common dream - to become a true hero. Their teacher will face quite a task, but who knows, maybe he will be able to lead them onto the right path...

,,The Loving Dead” – Fana, a potentially talented, but not very eager witch is drowning in debt, and the Witcher Associantion thinks of deeming her not a usefull member of the society, and taking away her magic license . As a specialist in necromancy, she makes up a grand scheme, which will bring her both money and fame – to create a zombie idol group. Because, what’s easier than that?

… and way more yet to come

If you find the works of mine interesting, feel free to stay for longer, and maybe give me some additional advice, as im still an amatour. Everyone is welcome!

 Sincerely, The Black Goat

*alternate host sites include; Deviantart, Instagram, Youtube*