#i know its slightly different for conlangs but with natural language it has such terrible histories in bigotry and id really rather people

[jingerpi]

I should probably not be suprised when jan pi toki pona give me unsolicited toki pona advice but it still gets on my nerves. like, im willing enaging with the linguistics people and a constructed language i should expect people to be persnickety about it but that doesn't make it any less annoying @-@

[chiptunecookie]

11/11/11 Tag Game

Thanks to @michaelbjorkwrites for the tag. I can’t find the original list, so I’m going to answer the same questions.

1. Do you have a favorite OC?

I have two that I can’t decide between. There’s Saphren, a severely OP OC that I’ve developed over many years of writing snippets both mentally and digitally. Saphren is an anthropomorphic canine with ridiculous cosmic powers who is in love with a mortal cursed with immunity to all forms of decay, including time. She’s actually a Guardian of many of my fictional worlds, something like an anti-Galactus but slightly more ridiculously powerful. However, she can only exercise said powers when she’s abiding by the Universal Law of Balance, and correcting said balance. So, if she can’t actually super-fight, she knows she messed up somewhere. Second is Samma Dawn, a Witch-Kin servant of Goddess Emelis, the First Mother (basically my Gaia stand-in for a world I’ve been developing called Minera). Samma can commune with flora and fauna, make bonds with both and even manipulate them directly if necessary. Samma is dutiful, somewhat aloof and often puts Nature above all else, leaving a bitter taste for many who meet him, but he is honest, and does care deeply for other peoples who take the time to understand his values and choices.

2. Which WIP has changed the most? Why?

Probably my most recent one concerning a retelling of a popular fairy tale, because I’m just not sure how to start it, what exactly I want to say about it, and I’ve been stuck in outline phase for a dog’s age because of college.

3. Do you enjoy worldbuilding? Do you consider yourself good at it?

Without a doubt I love WorldBuilding (TM). Worldbuilding is probably my favorite part of the big picture. As for good at it?.. I’m confident in my ability to spitball a believable world. When it comes time for details, like religions or culture, I’m someone who tends to take less inspiration from specific things, and I just look at broad categories. Like, I’ll look at a bunch of cultures that hold some specific animal(s) sacred and find similarities to build off of, rather than make a direct/potential analogue with ten different details and a new name.

4. Have you ever made a conlang/fictional language for a WIP?

Yes and no. I made a cipher language with translation rules, which ended up being far too specific and I kept losing track of how to substitute my vowels... So I didn’t get far. It was a fun experiment, and I was inspired to do it by StarFox Adventure’s cipher.

5. Do you like to keep faceclaims of your OCs? Do you find them online or draw them yourself?

Technically yes... I have a very vivid idea of what Saphren looks like, because I simply associate an old Furcadia (uwu bois) portrait from my favorite map to her face. As for Samma, I’ve never had him drawn, and I cannot draw myself, so his face is very close to mine in my head, but if I described it, it’d be so different in your own that I don’t really think it’s terribly important.

6. Has anyone ever made any fanfic or fan art for you?

No, no. I haven’t posted anything worth it, to be fair.

7. Who is your writing buddy/confidant you always come to about your work?

Probably my wife. She usually reads everything I write before anyone else. As for the process itself, I’ve been very private about stuff that either isn’t finished or is just literally fanfiction of my own that I write as a self-indulgence because sometimes I want to go to a magical horse world without war and politics.

8. Big or small cast?

Medium. I prefer to have a cast of five to seven. Some people say seven is big, but I think nine and up is big, personally. Now, I usually split this up into Big P(rotagonist), Direct Support (1-2 aka sidekicks), Main Party (Includes previous, 2-5), Narrative Support (2-4 depends on many things, and can change members), and Just For This Scene (because we pass people every day that contribute but never become important).

9. Were any of your characters inspired by others you saw or read about?

Saphren’s love interest mentioned above, Lord Harken, is based on the Dunedain from Middle Earth as far as his lore is concerned; he came from a medieval world originally, but since he’s immune to decay, he got to watch it develop into a space-faring one, and eventually got a ship of his own. I had a character somewhat based on Inuyasha at one point, though he wasn’t a demon originally. His name is Taka, or at least that’s what he calls himself as even I can’t remember if that’s his real name or not. His younger brother was killed in a mercenary raid of their village. The two were orphans even before this, so Taka was furious, walked to the gates of Hell and even beat one of Hell’s jailors at a chance game for his brother’s soul. Dimone, the Demon Avatar of Wrath, took notice and told Taka that if he would eat a Pale Apple from the tree within Lucifer’s Crater, he could always protect his brother. Taka did so, and was cursed with a dark seed that basically turned him into a killing machine any time his brother was threatened, Taka got angry, or someone did something immoral and Taka found out about it. Dimone tricked Taka into being a soul harvester, essentially. He gets better, but his journey was not a happy one. His brother outgrew him and died peacefully, and Taka’s one comfort was that his brother always understood and stood by Taka, so at least neither was truly alone.

10. Favorite trope(s)?

So many... World of Cardboard Speeches are something I love. Even Evil Has Standards usually makes for some interesting depth or hilarious bits. Our (Insert thing here) Is/Are Different is one of my favorites. Crouching Moron/Hidden Badass is so much fun to play with. I think the crowning trope for me though is probably Refusal of The Call. It’s almost cliche these days, but it’s not just yet because there’s also so many Jumped At The Call stories/games that when the “Hero” is just like, “Nah, I’m good” I always want to see what circumstances arise that either light the fire or changes the course. It’s great when done well.

11. How do you waste time not writing?

Minecraft, but at the same time, Minecraft has inspired me so much. The open world becomes a story in and of itself for me personally. Minecraft inspired me to create the world of Minera, and Minera is based on Minecraft as an environment with many of my favorite mods being the basis for the rest of the world; its magic, its peoples, its history, everything. I absolutely adore the game and everything it has given me, done for me, and in some dark places in my life kept me from doing.

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