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jenonctcity · 5 years ago

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Charia Kingdom - Masterlist

An NCT Dream Fantasy Series.

Charia Kingdom - A place that has equal amounts of sunshine and rain, hot and cold, rich and poor, and, humans and creatures that couldn’t be identified as that of human status. Ruled by the Lee family with a king whose cutthroat and unforgiving nature is feared by many. The poor not cared for by people who have everything, where disease takes the lives of those unfortunate enough to not have the funds to purchase medicine. A place where humans live among creatures many would find terrifying. It’s no secret that Vampires, Werewolves, Wizards, etc live amongst them like normal people. Unless you murder someone, you’re considered normal. Everyone lives their own lives, whether it be a happy life, or a sorrowful life...

Mark Lee - Born into a family of renowned witches and wizards, there came a time for Mark to fly the nest. The nest being their comfortable home in the middle of the bustling kingdom. After the death of the castle’s witch, 17 year old Mark was brought in to take her place. He lives up to his family’s name and has impressed the royal family with his natural talents. Now 20 years old with the trust of the royal family and kingdom, shy, quiet Mark is given a new obstacle when a new maid is brought to work alongside him in the castle. Granted she’s mostly there to clean up his mess, but he finds she plays a much bigger role in his life than just that. With the new light in his life, Mark faces a new task at hand. Keeping her safe from the horrors of the castle.

Perils Brewing - [S], [A], [F]

Huang Renjun - Being chased from the royal family’s castle at the age of 16 was never something Renjun hoped for when he was growing up. Having lived in the castle since his birth, his mother, the castles witch, raised him alone. After finding out a huge secret and confronting the king, the king has Renjun’s mother killed, leading Renjun to use the dark powers he never knew he had to curse the Prince of the kingdom. After a bounty is put on his head for his crimes, he lives his life on the run, burrowing away in a cabin far out in the depths of the dangerous forest. A place where many lethal creatures live. Now 19, Renjun has lived in solitude for 3 years, and never expected a girl to break into his home in the dead of night. The girl he encounters is on the run herself, but refuses to tell him why. The stubborn, mentally strong, and brave girl persaudes him to let her stay with him. Can he live alongside another being when he’s still got dark magic flowing through his veins and a huge secret heavy in his heart?

Running From The Dark - [S], [A], [F]

Lee Jeno - Being the crown prince of Charia Kingdom was never something that worried Jeno. He was raised by his mother to smile when talked to, and to have a kind heart so that he would rule the kingdom differently to how his father had. At 16, he’s unexpectedly hit by a powerful curse after hearing a ruckus going on in the echoing halls of the castle. It flips his life around, his new status as a werewolf being a challenge he hates with all his heart. It turned the kingdoms sweetheart into an angry, brooding boy. Now 19, Jeno has learned how to control when he phases with the help of the remedies Mark brews for him. The only thing he can’t control is bursting into a gigantic wolf every time a negative emotion takes over his mind. No one apart from the workers of the castle know that he’s a wolf, it being kept a secret from the public. He runs in the forest in his wolf form calm him down, until he comes face to face with a rogue wolf who threatens his life with her piercing glare. After imprinting on each other, Jeno has to learn how to balance his new love, his duties as prince, his burning rage, and a secret that is revealed to him that changes his life once again.

Stepping Into The Moonlight - [S], [A], [F]

Lee Donghyuck - Donghyuck the cheeky, charismatic boy who wasn't born a demon. As a human Donghyuck was known for his greed and crimes. So when he died at the age of 19, Satan offered him an eternal life in exchange for completing tasks. At the age of 79 he was banished from hell for failing to take the life of someone he decided upon himself didn't deserve to die. For his sin, as punishment he was sent to live on earth forever. Being immortal and watching people you make connections with die from illness, old age, or suicide was a far bigger punishment than dying. Currently 128 years old, he’s seen many of his peers around him die in many ways, and every time it happens it chips away at his sanity and positive attitude. He swore never to fall in love, but upon meeting the princess of Charia, he can’t keep away from her. After falling in love with her, it’s becoming more likely that she will be ripped away from him sooner rather than later. With his emotions flipping completely, can he manage to stop himself from sinning to save the woman he loves?

Coming Soon...

Na Jaemin - At the age of 19, Jaemin was brutally beaten by a knight of the royal family and left for dead. He was found by a creature of the night and turned into a blood craving vampire. Many years later, he’s now 210 years old and lives life one day at a time. He’s rather peaceful for a murderous creature, only being considered dangerous when he’s starved of the only thing he needs; blood. Before his death, he was an orphan, abandoned with only a pile of letters telling him of his true heritage. Something that’s always planted in the back of his mind. After hunting one night, he hears screams coming from the kingdoms small hospital. There he finds a nurse being attacked by a patient. After defusing the attack, he has no other choice but to help the wounded nurse, not being able to leave her there half dead as he was once before. The addicting scent of her makes him keep her around despite the danger that he poses to her by having her in his home. He finds himself doing something he never would have dreamed of doing to keep her around. After finding out about his true heritage, she changes, for the good or bad? Will this be a love story, or a tragedy?

Coming Soon...

Zhong Chenle - Born as an angel in heaven, Chenle had always been obsessed over how humans lived on earth. But forbidden to step foot on earth he had to always watch from above. Turning 18 he decided to take a risk. A risk that lead him to be ripped from his family, forced to live his life on earth like a mortal human. He has his halo taken from him, but is plagued by the wings that have a heavier feeling on his back than what they used to in heaven. Living the life he always wanted, he’s a happy soul, rarely being sad even if he can’t leave the house as much as he would like. His wings are hard to conceal, and with fallen angel’s being a more than rare thing, he’s scared he will be killed for his wings. You’d think if he was killed he would go to back heaven right? Wrong. After being thrown to earth, he had no means of survival other than stealing to stay alive. One night he meets the hyperactive, bubbly girl who works in the local bookstore. A friendship immediately occurs between the two. He soon finds himself falling for the girl and has hopes of living the normal life he always wanted. As he gets used to living as a human does, will life pan out the way sweet Chenle wants?

Coming Soon...

Park Jisung - In human form, Jisung looks like the worlds softest boy. His shy, slightly awkward persona often tricks people into thinking that he couldn’t even fight off a new-born baby. So why has the royal family put this lanky, slender 17 year old boy in front of the castles main gate as its protector when the rumours are that a terrifying dragon is the guarder of the castle. Well, something not many people know about the boy is that he’s a dragon hybrid. And can turn into an overwhelmingly huge dragon that has even the bravest of knights quivering in their chain mail. So far no one has ever gotten past the boy, and he intends on keeping it that way. So when a girl who looks around the same age as him slips past him and is found stealing from the castle, he’s not too impressed. She’s locked away in the dungeon, and the curious boy has to meet the only person to ever get past him. She’s sentenced to death but after pleading with his friend Prince Jeno, her crimes are pardoned, but only if Jisung keeps her with him as his assistant. He encourages her to change her thieving ways, but will he ever be able to change the hard-headed girl he argues with daily? What if you add strange feelings of love into the mix and a promise that one of them doesn't intend on keeping?

Coming Soon...

(A/N: Hi! I’m so excited to for this series I hope you enjoyed the teasers! whose are you most looking forward to? I worked really, really hard on these so please let me know your thoughts and give it loads of love! Also as all of this series hasn't been written yet, things may change in the plots and summaries but it shouldn't be anything too drastic. Also this series will contain smut, angst and fluff. Obviously no smut for Chenle and Jisung, and each story will get warnings and categories marked on them when they’re published.)

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thedeviltohisangel · 6 years ago

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You Are My Fire//1//The Way Your Fingers Fit In Mine

Everly Lannister learns the truth of her parentage and Tormund helps her through it.

sexual innuendos

masterlist in bio!

send any requests for these two my way!

Everly sat and stared at the fire as it flickered. There was nothing worse than having your world spun on its head. She felt dirty. She felt like she was wrong. Like no amount of water or soap could ever make her clean again.

She was confused about how she felt white hot with rage at her very core but be shivering in her wash bin. It was the conflict of the old and the new worldview that were crashing together in her soul. Fighting for dominance. Fighting to see who she would be when she stepped out of that tub.

The rumors about who her father really was had been around for as long as she had been able to hear the whispers. Everly had paid them no mind because the actions they were implying that had taken place were wrong. Immoral. Devious. There was no way her mother and her uncle would have participated in such blasphemous activities. But the more the whispers had persisted, the more she had begun to believe them. Her sister Myrcella had asked her one night if they were true. That she had overheard the Septa mutter something under her breath during a needlepoint session one afternoon. She hadn’t had the heart to tell her it couldn’t possibly be true. Hadn’t had the heart to lie to her.

There was a gentle knock on her door which broke her out of her self-loathing trance and snapped her into her persona of Princess. Straight back, face stoic and moving with the grace of a lion.

“Come in.” She picked up the bar of soap that she had discarded on the floor and pretended to be busy washing herself. There was risk in ever showing weakness.

“You left the feast before the pudding came out. It’s your favorite.” Everly froze her movements as she saw that it was Tormund who had entered her room. He was holding a bowl of her favorite dessert which he placed on the table that sat in her room. “Didn’t want you to be unhappy that you’d missed it.”

“Tormund.” He stopped in her doorway where he had been ready to leave her be. “Thank you.”

“Of course, Wildflower.” She chuckled.

“I am afraid I no longer deserve such a title.” Tormund had started referring to her as Wildflower after the incident at Hardhome. In the midst of the carnage of the battle he had looked across the landscape and seen her. Amongst the drabness of the dead and the snow and the fur of the Free Folk she had stood in a purple gown. Like a wildflower rising from the barren earth.

“It is not a title, it is what you are.”

“A wilted wildflower, maybe.” The soap slowed on her leg. “I don’t think I belong in the North. Everyone thinks I am the child of the most evil creatures participating in a sinful act. They will never view me as anything other than a creature meant to be put down.” Everly noticed the glares of the Northmen wherever she went. She was a Lannister. Her mother had raised her to glow but now she was struggling in her attempt to stamp it out.

“They would have quite a difficult time getting through me in order to do so, I can promise you that.” She believed him. In the short time she had known Tormund he had shown he was fiercely loyal and protective. They never discussed it but she knew the man who had tried to grab her ass in the Great Hall the night before received the crooked nose and blackened eye from the ginger in her doorway. “Your arms are very red. Is the water too hot?”

“I have been trying to get clean,” she whispered, “I am afraid that I will never feel clean.” Her fingers gently traced over the red and irritated skin that was inflamed from her harsh scrubbing when she first began her bath.

“Wildflower…” His voice was so soft that she broke. No one had spoken to her with the reverence that Tormund did. Wrapped up in his voice was warmth and safety and everything she had been missing from her life since the death of John Arryn.

“I feel like I am wrong, Tormund.” He knelt down beside the basin and offered her his hand. Everly took it gratefully. There was something comforting with the image of her tiny, manicured hand wrapped up in his dirtied one. Those hands had killed men. Men who had wronged her. They had worked hard to keep him alive and provide for the people he considered his family. They had been cared for by her in the dungeons of Castle Black. Guided her to safety in Hardhome. Reached for her during the Battle of the Bastards. Brought her pudding on this very night.

“No one as beautiful and strong and free as you could ever be wrong.” Tormund was a simple man. To him, Everly was who she was. She was not her mother or her father or any other that had come before her or would come after. She was the woman who made his soul ache. Made his heart break every time she looked sad or lost. Made his blood boil every time she was treated less than the Queen she was.

“Perhaps it is the wine or how soft you look at me and how soft you touch me but-”

“May I please kiss you, Everly?” She nodded and stayed still as he leaned over the edge of the tub and pressed his lips against hers. Tormund moved his hands slowly to cup both of her cheeks, giving her the chance to object before settling there. Her reaction was quite the opposite. Everly leaned forward until the wooden basin was digging into the soft skin of her chest yet she still pushed closer in the hopes she could get more. More of his lips. More of his touch. More of Tormund.

“Close your eyes.”

“What?”

“Please, Tormund.” All he really wanted to do was continue kissing her but he followed her request out of respect. She placed her hand over his eyes for good measure, checked to make sure his beautiful blue eyes were squeezed shut, then quickly stepped out of her bath. Tormund held his breath at the sound of sloshing water and ehr gentle footsteps. They meant she was on full display if he opened his eyes. He does not know a time in his life that required more willpower than keeping his eyes closed did in that moment. Everly quickly grabbed her silk robe from where she had thrown in over her dressing screen and tied it around her waist with shaking hands. “You can open now.” Tormund did so slowly in order to still make sure it was what she wanted and once he did, he was left wondering how she looked more mouthwateringly gorgeous clothed than she had naked.

“That looks very nice on you.” He swallowed thickly as Everly walked over and offered him her hand.

“I thought kissing might be easier without the basin between us.” It was her who took the lead now. Her hands felt like heaven as they cupped the back of his head and guided his lips back to hers. It was easier and it was better. It gave Tormund the opportunity to hold her entire body closely against his. She molded against him easily. His hair was softer than she had imagined it would be. The mere thought made her blush. It was rare she got caught fantasizing about a man. It seemed like such a childish thing to do. But Tormund made her feel like anything but a child.

“I have been thinking about you, like this, since Hardhome.”

“Just since Hardhome?” Everly had been flush with romantic thoughts since one of their very first meetings in the cells of Castle Black.

“For some reason,” he gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, “I had viewed you as my enemy back then. It wasn’t until Hardhome that you became my Wildflower.” He knew he had no right to be possessive towards. Had no right to attempt to claim her as his own.

“I know you lost much of your brethren that night at Castle Black, but I couldn’t be happier you chose to invade that night, Tormund Giantsbane.” She smiled up at him. It was her first genuine smile since arriving in Winterfell. All of them that had graced her face since her arrival in the North had been gifted to him. He cherished these gifts more than he would any other.

“And I am thankful you were able to survive your journey from your home.” Everly shook her head.

“It was never my home. Just walls that kept me in and others out. I am still searching for my home.” If she survived the battle with the dead, she was going to make the journey to Casterly Rock and if that didn’t feel like home, maybe Storm’s End would. Anywhere besides King’s Landing. Anywhere she might welcomed. “Will you show me yours when this is all over?” Instead of answering, Tormund pulled her back against him with such ferocity that her toes her left dragging against the ground in her attempt to match him. Everly settled for resting her feet on top of his but it still didn’t feel close enough.

“Do you trust me?” She nodded and he began to slowly walk her backwards until they landed on the bed.

“Now height is not an issue,” she breathed with a laugh as she used the new equality to take control of their kiss. Her legs fell open to accommodate him in between and she pulled away with a gasp as his groin rutted against hers by accident. “Tormund.” His eyes snapped up to hers at the breathy moan of his name.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t-” He thought he had ruined everything. He had taken it too far. Had taken advantage of her willingness to be open with him.

“Do not apologize. It felt...it felt good. So good.” She had coaxed such sensations from between her legs with her own fingers before. But she had never had a man, much less one she cared for, elicit them. It felt different. But right. Everything with Tormund felt right. She was not scared of him the way she had been other men. He never puffed his chest in an attempt to intimidate her. He gave her the power in their relationship, whatever the status of it was, and showed her more respect than any supposed cultured man had.

“Maybe-” Tormund’s proposition was cut off by a knocking at the door.

“Everly, I am sorry about what happened at the feast. Please let me in.” It was Jon. Before she even had time to react, Tormund was removing himself from the bed and making his way towards the door. “Listen, I-Tormund?” Jon peeked around him to see Everly lying in bed in just her robe, her hair slightly mussed and her cheeks burning red.

“I appreciate the visit, Jon, I really do. I am feeling much better now than I did at dinner.” Jon looked to the ginger man with a narrowed gaze.

“Tormund.” It sounded like a warning. Jon didn’t have romantic feelings for the Lannister woman but felt he had adopted her as a sister. He felt protective of her and knew the love Tormund had for women.

“We are just kissing, crow.” Tormund smiled at the little giggle that fell from Everly’s lips at his confession.

“Goodnight, Jon. I will see you tomorrow for our archery lesson.”

“I’d tell you to stay warm but…” Jon left before he could finish his quip, the door slamming as soon as he turned away.

“You’re taking weapons lessons with that one?”

“Just archery. Perhaps you could show me what it is that you know.” Tormund quirked up an eyebrow.

“Oh don’t worry, Wildflower. We have forever for that.”

#tormund #tormund giantsbane #kristofer hivju #game of thrones #tormund imagine #tormund one shot #tormund fanfition #tormund giantsbane imagine #tormund giantsbane one shot #tormund giantsbane fanfiction

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atlantic-riona · 6 years ago

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1-6, 28, 39?

thank you! this ended up being pretty long :)

1. Your first OC ever?

that depends! the first character I ever came up with on purpose was this Pilgrim girl who gets transported to the future and everybody believes that she’s the cousin/niece of this one family, except for that family’s daughter who doesn’t believe her, and the two eventually find the person who sent her forward in time (spoiler alert: it’s a mad historian) and defeat him. I was about 10 or 11 when I came up with this, I think? HOWEVER, recently I was rereading my old stories from when I was about 5 onwards, and there’s a character who looks, sounds, and acts exactly like my character Briar (who didn’t get her own story until I was twelve) in nearly half of my stories, but who is unnamed and appears in many different plots, so…I’m not actually sure which one came first?

2. Do you have a personal favorite among your OCs?

I don’t have favorites, but I will say the character who’s most fun to write is Briar, because she’s always cracking jokes and making bad puns, and I love making bad puns, but never get to do so in my other stories.

3. Have you ever adopted a character or gotten a character from someone else?

like from another author? no, but I do often find inspiration for characters in people I know and borrow from them to create characters, and there is one character in Briar who is based on someone who asked me to put them in my story and have them die a good death.

4. A character you rarely talk about?

hmmm…I haven’t really talked about any of my characters with anyone beyond a few people online and my family. so I guess all of them could count? but I’ll talk about Dawn, a character from Briar!

she’s a princess, mostly inspired by my love of Disney princesses as a kid. she is an incredibly cheerful, glass-half-full, softhearted young girl. (ofc she sings and dances randomly, because that’s what true princesses do!) she’s not very good at fighting, but she’s very smart and kind!

and one reason I love her is that she balances out Briar so perfectly, but another reason is because she’s a “girly-girl” who isn’t dumb and isn’t made to become “tough” in order to be seen as a strong woman - she’s already strong, her strengths just don’t include roundhouse kicks

5. If you could make only one of your OCs popular/known, who would it be?

thERE ARE TOO MANY CHOICES HERE

umm…I think it would come down to Briar or the nin Roys (the question says only one but let’s be real, the nin Roys are a package deal)

and if we’re only going with ONE (1) character, which would eliminate the nin Roys, it would probably end up being Briar

6. Two OCs of yours that look alike despite being not related?

Briar and Cait nin Roy - both are short, with green eyes and reddish hair in a long braid. I didn’t realize I did that until my brother pointed it out to me!

28. Your most dangerous OC?

really want to say all the villains here, but there are too many. so instead I’m going to say Bran nin Roy, because he will never. stop. ever. if you become his enemy, you’ve already lost, because he won’t forget AND he’ll track you down, even if it takes him the rest of his life.

39. Introduce any character you want.

going to introduce Briar here, because a lot of the answers (read: all but one) referenced her, which I did not expect

Briar is a thief who winds up getting thrown in the dungeons, but then rescued by the princess, Dawn, who has a mission for her: save the kingdom. Briar is Not Interested, but forces beyond her control end up making it so she not only goes with Dawn on her quest but also ends up meeting up/traveling with a bunch of other people on this quest

she is a smart-aleck who Does Not Know When To Shut Up, rarely takes anything seriously, is cleverer than most people think (which is how she likes it), and a loner who suddenly ends up with a group of friends that she doesn’t really know what to do with

also, footnotes abound in her story, because her thoughts go everywhere all at once

and she’s very bossy, especially to me, the poor writer, who has to keep up with her antics

#asks #hobbitsetal #my writing #writing #I answered publicly this time #because I realized recently I need to get over my fear of talking about my stories before they're complete and perfect #so...yeah!#here you go!#thank you again!

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academiablogs · 7 years ago

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Is Genre a Four-Letter Word?

Here are the plots to three novels: can you tell which are fantasy novels? * The son of a twisted duke is killed in a bizarre accident, and his innocent fiancée finds herself a prisoner of a haunted castle, pursued by the duke himself. Only the strange, twisting corridors of Otranto can save her now, where statues cry bloody tears and giant helmets exact their unholy revenge.

* A sailor is shipwrecked on an island and wakes up to find that ant-sized people have captured him. They dub him the “Man Mountain” and force him to do various menial tasks (like saving the entire kingdom with his own urine), until, terrified by his potential power, decide to kill him and parcel off his body to various parts of the kingdom. But the “Man Mountain” has other ideas...

* Two knights are captured in battle and thrown into a dungeon for life. Through the bars, they glimpse a garden outside tended by a beautiful woman: both of them fall madly in love with her, and vow eternal hatred on the other, since only one can lay claim to her heart. Eventually, one knight is pardoned while the other manages through subterfuge to escape. Once free, the second knight prays to Mars to assure him victory, while the other prays to Venus; both god and goddess grant each one success in love and battle. This causes quite a debate in Olympus, and Jupiter has to stand in judgment as to which lover will live with the maiden—and which will die in defeat.

So which are the fantasy novels? The answer is simple: none of them. Each one is a work of “classic literature” published by academic presses and used in tens of thousands of high school and college classrooms each year. The first one, and the trickiest, comes from Walpole’s early gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto (1764). The second, a little more familiar to most, is from Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels (1726). And the final one, a plot which the author borrowed, and which Shakespeare also stole for a very late play, is from “The Knight’s Tale,” the very first installment of The Canterbury Tales (1476). So search as you will through the fantasy and science fiction section of the bookstore (or clicking through the same section in Amazon), you won’t find a single copy of these books. They’re all great literature, classics, poetry, or the more popular term, literary fiction.

And yet, if someone borrowed one of those plots today to weave together a novel where an astronaut lands on a strange planet of tiny aliens who abduct him, would that also be literary fiction? Or even just “fiction”? No, it would be science fiction, genre fiction, and to some people, merely “pulp fiction.” The same is true for any number of books with knights, haunted castles, shipwrecked sailors, or indeed, most works set in the ancient past. Fantasy. Juvenile literature. Maybe Young Adult at best. The implication is that these plots aren’t sufficiently literary to engage our minds or to make us think, feel, and examine the “human drama” that continues to be enacted.

Unless, of course, a book sells particularly well...then people start hedging their bets. The Harry Potter books, for example, have always held a respected place in the fantasy section...though you can also find them in Young Adult and mainstream fiction (depending on the bookstore). Or what about The Martian? Basically Robinson Crusoe set on Mars...yet you will rarely find it in the science fiction section. No, it’s “fiction” through and through. Why? Simply because it sells well and people like it—and that goes for people who have never watched an episode of Star Trek or read ten pages of Dune. So if a plot doesn’t doom a novel to a specific genre, why is that so often the case in traditional publishing? Why isn’t Frank Herbert (who wrote the Dune books) also found in fiction, when his books are more complex and interesting than The Martian, and why does J.K. Rowling get the literary mantle when it is forever denied to someone like Clifford Simak or Robert E. Howard (both of whom have sold countless books themselves)?

(Herbert’s Dune series pictured above). In the end, the problem lies with the bugbear of “realism,” which is hilarious given that we’re talking about fiction. If a book isn’t sufficiently realistic then it is seen as less important, or less serious, than the more “sensible” books in the market. Even among the science fiction community, there is often great snobbery about books that don’t pay tribute to hard science and instead fall back on the softer science of Star Wars (I’ve heard day-long debates on whether or not ‘parsecs’ is a measurement of speed or distance—as in Han’s comment, “it made the Kessel Run in less than 5 parsecs”). The Martian is given a pass since it’s composed of wall-to-wall hard science—and very impressively, too. Yet Dune, which is far less technical when it comes to “folding space” is seen as a talky space opera which is more suitable for nerdy preteens than your local biology professor.

Of course, fantasy is also expected to worship at the altar of realism—we need psychologically believable characters who are always consistent and plausible (and preferably, anti-heroes). With realism goes an expectation of defying the conventional tropes, even if doing so becomes a convention in itself: every heroine is a badass, basically usurping the ‘male’ role and saving the day. Wonderful on the face of it, but what about a novel that goes back to older traditions and stories? The beauty of folklore and fairy tales is their defiant refusal to make sense: characters act strangely, as in a dream; events appear and disappear following their own logic, and it’s the work of the reader to stitch them together. God help the modern novelist who attempts such innovation! Surely there are some women who long to be princesses, or who would rather be magic users, or bards, or scholars? Does ever hero or heroine have to wield a sword to be “heroic”? Is kicking ass the only way to “kick ass”?

Worse still, if you use magic, it had better work like science! The idea that magic should follow strict rules and laws probably comes from role playing games, where it does by necessity...but this is storytelling! In the Arthurian Legends, does Merlin explain the logistics of his spellcraft? What about Circe? Do we see the actual recipe that goes into her spells transforming men into beasts? Of course not. It’s fiction, fantasy, make-believe. The sense of wonder and mystery that surrounds it is half the fun, and all the author’s intention (whoever they were). If magic existed, I imagine it would work differently for each person, much the way writing does. No one writes the same way, or understands exactly how it works. It just does. That’s why there are so many self-help books for authors, most of them contradicting each other. Would it be any different for magic and magicians?

While we all like to read a story and believe in it—Coleridge called it the “willing suspension of disbelief”—we can also take it too far. An agent once told me that Young Adult readers will only read a heroine that is the same age as they are, more or less. They want to see themselves in the novel, like wearing a costume and playing make-believe. I couldn’t disagree more. I never read to wear borrowed clothes. I read to be a spy—I want to peek on a world of wonders that I don’t personally take part in, and that looks nothing like myself. I don’t need to see myself writ large (or small) in a novel; I just want to experience something mysterious and divine, or else see the mysterious and divine in the world around me. Either one will do, but I’m not a literary narcissist; I want to read beyond and outside myself. And I don’t demand that the books make sense or follow the rules of my own world. I only ask for one thing and even that is negotiable: make me never want to close the book. Keep me turning the pages in wonder, delight, confusion, anger, and frustration. Any story that does that, in any genre, has done its work.

In conclusion, I will admit that works of fantasy and science fiction (even if they’re not classified as such) tend to keep me turning the pages more than others. I read widely and in every possible style and genre, but nothing excites me more than a story set in the distant past or the far-flung future. These are stories that simply delight me. Even when they’re old, they seem brand new. The very cover of a castle enveloped by mist with twin moons on the horizon makes me eager to crack open the book and get lost in the pages. I wager that a lot of people would feel the same if we removed the stigma of genre of “fantasy” (or whatever other genre). Look at the run-away popularity of the Lord of the Rings movies; everyone seemed to love them, even people who would have gagged at the very sight of a hard bound copy of The Simarillion. Why? Because films are almost genre neutral, as we also see with superhero films (how many fans of Wolverine actually own any X-Men comics?); the point being, that when we look at books as books, and fiction as fiction, we expand our horizons. We look at stories, and not types or genres or categories.

Reading is fun. It makes life worth living. So why reduce it to a dry set of analytics or algorithms? Only a complete idiot thinks that numbers can encompass the diverse reasons that we read and value art. Or not “idiots”—that’s too strong a term. Let’s call them “people who don’t read books.”

#amwriting #blog #writing #genre fiction #literary #writer's life #academia #writers #fiction #booklr

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entergamingxp · 5 years ago

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Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl

March 10, 2020 4:00 PM EST

Snack World combines a tongue-in-cheek story with dungeon crawling, a loot system, and roguelike mechanics to make one surprisingly fun package.

Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl – Gold is the enhanced Nintendo Switch port of the original title Snack World: Trejarers, which was released in Japan in 2017 for 3DS and in 2018 for the Switch. This version includes all the DLC and expansion packs from the original version.

Immediately upon starting Snack World, you’ll notice the subversive, fourth-wall-breaking style of humor. It’s on similar levels to a game like Half Minute Hero. The game’s extremely meta introduction begins in which King Papaya points out all the issues that would realistically come with taking in some random adventurer passed out on the road outside his Kingdom and how doing so would put his people in danger. This, of course, is then thrown completely out the window once his incredibly spoiled daughter, Princess Melonia, decides that she needs a little excitement in her life and that this mysterious and amnesic adventurer, your customizable player character, is her ticket to alleviating her boredom.

However, once you’re all settled and medically treated, Melonia proceeds to completely forget about your existence as she goes on about a gem that she wants. The caveat is that this gem is located in an extremely dangerous area in which the normal kings’ guard cannot traverse. So, since your character clearly has nothing better to do at this point, they are tasked with retrieving this gem.

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“It’s refreshing to delve into an RPG that doesn’t overly concern itself with some super epic, complex tale of world conflict.”

This entire ridiculous scenario reflects the overall plot of the game — if you can even call it a plot. To be fair, there is an actual story to Snack World, as the player and their party are eventually tasked with taking down the evil Sultan Vinegar as he attempts to resurrect the Deodragon, Smörg Åsbord. Yet, there’s such an intentional lack of urgency in actually achieving this goal that it becomes an almost running joke itself.

To be honest it’s refreshing to delve into an RPG that doesn’t overly concern itself with some super epic, complex tale of world conflict, an oppressive religion or government, or one that spends hours navel gazing about the duality of man. It’s a simple tale about an adventurer going on adventures because the princess wants things and then sometimes you fight a bad guy.

Joining you on your quest is Chup, the actual main character of the media franchise, and his party comprised of an inelegant witch, Mayonna; a muscular warrior, Béarnaise; a goblin-like creature, Gobsan; and a female pig-nosed dragon, Pigsy. Naturally, they’re as fun and dysfunctional as you’d imagine. That applies to the NPCs populating the world as well, as they often have witty, fun, and humorous dialogue that’s a blast to watch unfold as they interact with each other and your protagonist.

Snack World combines the genres and mechanics of action RPGs, dungeon crawlers, loot games, and roguelikes. So not only is the exploration and battling the main focus of gameplay, but there are also other systems that have a huge influence on how you play.

Because it’s a roguelike, dungeons are procedurally generated, which requires you to adapt to a brand new map and adjust your exploration accordingly. This gives the dungeon crawling a sense of tension and exhilaration and also pairs well with the loot system.

The loot system the title implements is one where item drops are randomized, which encourages repeated visits back into those randomly shifting dungeons in the first place, especially if you’re aiming to complete your collection or to optimize your equipment. The complementary nature of these two mechanics working in tandem creates this synergy that makes for very addictive gameplay all around.

Combat is action-based, normally implying fast-paced, no turn-based frills that allows players to dive right into the fray. However, you’ll find that before you can even begin to learn the fighting system, you need to adjust to the game’s clunky and cluttered UI. Players first have to overcome the obstacle of learning how to read and parse through the information that the UI displays on the screen, and then you realize that the gameplay system is actually pretty simple, making its presentation that much more frustrating.

Then there’s adjusting to the combat itself, as the controls — both attacks and the targeting system — can be a little slippery. But once you get past that hurdle, the actual combat system offers some great strategic depth. You’re allowed to carry six types of weapons, called jaras, on you at all times, along with two kinds of items. And you’ll find you’ll be needing to switch out jaras frequently thanks to the main mechanic: JP.

JP is measured in a gauge that goes down with every attack. It does recharge on its own but very slowly. Once you use up the JP for that jara, your wielding becomes compromised; your blows are much slower and much weaker to the point of being nearly completely worthless. Each jara has a type and foes are strong and weak to different types. For example, some enemies may be weak to swords but strong against hammers, or vice versa. This means that you have to constantly switch out jaras depending on enemy weaknesses as well.

These are simple mechanics but brilliant ones that prevent Snack World from being a mindless hack-and-slash. You have to think about what weapons you’re using and how often you’re using it, forcing you to pay attention to the information presented on the screen as you’re fighting. And if you choose to ignore this and dive headfirst, enemies, and especially bosses with their excellent AI, will absolutely punish you for it as early on as the tutorial levels.

The “Snack” mechanic, which is what the franchise is named after in the first place, allows you to summon whimsical creatures to aid you in battle. You can even trade these snacks with other real-life players. And though it’s a cute mechanic, I feel that it could have been more thoroughly utilized in battle, as it’s not difficult to ignore. Though you can make a case for these mechanics being easy to avoid, since it lets players fully customize the kind of experience they want to have. As a side note, Snack World also has online multiplayer and local four-player co-op for those who prefer to battle alongside friends instead.

Your character uses two types of equipment, which ties right back to the loot system. The first equipment type is the normal armor that denotes your offensive and defensive stats. The second type is your casual wear, which has a unique purpose. Located in the main menu is a tracker that informs players of the current daily fashion trends in the Kingdom, such as the most popular name, brand, or color. If you’re invested in collecting items, it’s imperative to pay attention to these trends because by properly outfitting your character with what’s most chic, you get a free percentage bonus on rare item drops.

And if you’re not that keen on the whole gear optimization because you simply enjoy the combat and exploration — a more than viable path as the game doesn’t punish taking the more conventional route — you’re free to almost completely ignore the more complex aspects. But if you decide that you want to collect rare and valuable items or equipment, these easy to obtain extra boosts are always available to you. Also, I find it a nice extra bit of world-building as it gives you a glimpse into the Tutti-Frutti Kingdom’s daily functions and routine.

“Overall, Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl – Gold is a fun title. It’s exactly what it sets out to be and it does so surprisingly well.”

The art style and graphics are, for lack of a better term, adorable. The use of a bright and vibrant color palette reflects the playful nature of the world well. Not to mention, the simplicity of the designs complement and enhance the simplicity of the plot as well as the style of humor. The variation in each dungeon’s designs, as well as the general environments, stand well on their own, too.

Snack World has a solid soundtrack, with each piece well suited for the setting, mood, characters, and scenery. While there’s no single track that’s worth writing home about, that’s no demerit. As an example, until Dragon Quest XI came by, the franchise had been using simplistic and retro-sounding tracks that never detracted from the overall experience. Although Snack World has higher quality music, it’s a similar scenario in the sense that the music is composed solely to compliment the game and not to be grand pieces that will be heralded as classics for years to come.

Overall, Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl – Gold is a fun title. It’s exactly what it sets out to be and it does so surprisingly well. While it’s not particularly complex in terms of either gameplay or story, there are surprisingly layered mechanics worth delving into if you enjoy light dungeon crawlers, roguelike games, or loot-based systems. Because of its jack-of-all-trades nature, each individual component isn’t as fleshed out as it would be in games devoted solely to one mechanic. However, when these components are combined, Snack World creates a unique system more than capable of scratching that itch for fans of those genres. In other words, it’s a game that’s greater than the sum of its parts.

March 10, 2020 4:00 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/03/snack-world-the-dungeon-crawl/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=snack-world-the-dungeon-crawl

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ecuenglishprof-blog · 7 years ago

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Is Genre a Four-Letter Word?

Here are the plots to three novels: can you tell which are fantasy novels?

* The son of a twisted duke is killed in a bizarre accident, and his innocent fiancée finds herself a prisoner of a haunted castle, pursued by the duke himself. Only the strange, twisting corridors of Otranto can save her now, where statues cry bloody tears and giant helmets exact their unholy revenge.

* Two knights are captured in battle and thrown into a dungeon for life. Through the bars, they glimpse a garden outside tended by a beautiful woman: both of them fall madly in love with her, and vow eternal hatred on the other, since only one can lay claim to her heart. Eventually, one night is pardoned while the other manages through subterfuge to escape. Once free, the second knight prays to Mars to assure him victory, while the other prays to Venus; both god and goddess grant each one success in love and battle. This causes quite a debate in Olympus, and Jupiter has to stand in judgment as to which lover will live with the maiden—and which will die in defeat.

Unless, of course, a book sells particularly well...then people start hedging their bets. The Harry Potter books, for example, have always held a respected place in the fantasy section...though you can also find them in Young Adult and mainstream fiction (depending on the bookstore). Or what about The Martian? Basically Robinson Crusoe (which reads like fantasy) set on Mars...yet you will rarely find it in the science fiction section. No, it’s “fiction” through and through. Why? Simply because it sells well and people like it—and that goes for people who have never watched an episode of Star Trek or read ten pages of Dune. So if a plot doesn’t doom a novel to a specific genre, why is that so often the case in traditional publishing? Why isn’t Frank Herbert (who wrote the Dune books) also found in fiction, when his books are quite more complex and interesting than The Martian, and why does J.K. Rowling get the literary mantle when it is forever denied to someone like Clifford Simak or Robert E. Howard (both of whom have sold countless books themselves)?

In the end, the problem lies with the bugbear of “realism,” which is hilarious given that we’re talking about fiction. If a book isn’t sufficiently realistic then it is seen as less important, or less serious, than the more “sensible” books in the market. Even among the science fiction community, there is often great snobbery about books that don’t pay tribute to hard science and instead fall back on the softer science of Star Wars (I’ve heard day-long debates on whether or not ‘parsecs’ is a measurement of speed or distance—as in Han’s comment, “it made the Kessel Run in less than 5 parsecs”). The Martian is given a pass since it’s composed of wall-to-wall hard science—and very impressively, too. Yet Dune, which is far less technical when it comes to “folding space” is seen as a talky space opera which is more suitable for nerdy preteens than your local biology professor.

In conclusion, I will admit that works of fantasy and science fiction (even if they’re not classified as such) tend to keep me turning the pages more than others. I read widely and in every possible style and genre, but nothing excites me more than a story set in the distant past or the far-flung future. These are stories that simply delight me. Even when they’re old, they seem brand new. Even the cover of a castle enveloped by mist with twin moons on the horizon makes me eager to crack open the book and get lost in the pages. I wager that a lot of people would feel the same if we removed the stigma of genre of “fantasy” (or whatever other genre). Look at the run-away popularity of the Lord of the Rings movies; everyone seemed to love them, even people who would have gagged at the very sight of a hard bound copy of The Simarillion. Why? Because films are almost genre neutral, as we also see with superhero films (how many fans of Wolverine actually own any X-Men comics?); the point being, that when we look at books as books, and fiction as fiction, we expand our horizons. We look at stories, and not types or genres or categories.

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