#writing fantasy nations

[rs-hawk]

Kinda gross you're sexualizing your culture. Literally playing into colonist fantasies about the "sexy savage Indian"

I have been trying to find a way to respond to this because I think this brings up the debate of cultural appreciation versus cultural appropriation. This is my personal take, and if any other Indigenous people disagree with me, that is their opinion, and they are right to have it.

Here's the thing, you're talking about my culture. My heritage. My ancestorial beliefs. I have talked a few times about how growing up I didn't have much positive representation for that part of myself, and how hard it was for me. That is a large part of why I write about Indigenous coded characters or about Indigenous creatures. Before I began writing my own stories, I had never read a single romance novel with any Indigenous main character (if you know any, definitely let me know!), aside from Cowboys and Indians novels, which for me is not included in "positive representation" (but if other Indigenous people want to, that is up to them).

If you were to bring this up about say the Straggele, I would understand more because just because I have studied folklore and culture from around the world, doesn't make it mine. If someone who was Swiss reached out to me and said something, I could understand where that came from. However, allowing parts of my history to influence my writing, getting to create characters that I see myself in, reading more into the history of my nations and our cousin and sister nations, amongst so many other things, is not sexualizing my culture. I am not appropriating myself or playing into stereotypes by writing what makes me happy.

I also want to add that the colonist fantasy includes a lot of racist stereotypes, which I don't put in my writing. There are no Indigenous women who use their body to get what they want or trick European men into helping them. There are no damsels in distress Indigenous women who just blink their big brown eyes and sling their braids over their shoulders as they ask for help. They're not naked and flaunting themselves or anything like that. Also, how are any of my characters "savages"? All of my stories are written in roughly this day and age aside from an ongoing commission.

It is not playing into colonist fantasies to write about Indigenous people. It is not playing into colonist fantasies for me to want to write about creatures from my own culture. Just like it would not be playing into colonist fantasies to sexualize a Kelpie as I'm also mixed with Celtic, or a Babau as I'm also mixed with Italian.

I am allowed to celebrate and use aspects of my culture and history, any and all of it from any part of my culture from any part of my family.

[jasminewalkerauthor]

A thought has just popped into my mind of that trope where a woman leaving her baby on the door step of a mansion thinking it belongs to a rich family that will give her child a better life but what she doesn't realise is that it's actually a frat house and it becomes a whole 3 men and a baby situation but with frat bros and now it won't leave my mind

[ashintheairlikesnow]

If I ever won the lottery, I wouldn't tell anyone, but I would suddenly start having a lot more time to write and I think you'd all figure it out pretty fast

[milligramspoison]

“Irrelevant? I got two words for you, Sephiroth- bulletproof.”

“That would be one word, Milligram.”

Right so- I should probably explain the context of this entire story you just read haha

Said poll is real! It was hosted on April 1st after I decided to be a little shit on April Fool’s Day and changed my pfp from Mike to Sephiroth (and it’s now going to be held every April 1st)

Said jokes are also real which you can check out on the following links -> x, x, x

This was inspired by a conversation I had with @starspaceace on their post, which you can see here

And finally- let’s just pretend this is some au where one, fictional characters across any kind of media can meet up in one digital space and two, an au where Sephiroth can possibly adopt his human traits again 😭

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Today I had to do a lot of looking back through my worldbuilding master document, which is all of my answers to a brilliant online questionnaire that I will post the link to if anyone wants it. So now you get some of the best quotes I found that I wrote months and months ago and had completely forgotten about until going through this questionnaire:

“There are laws against that but they're easy to find loopholes in (sorta loosey goosey)”

“Does the culture value strength or compassion more highly? - excellent question, don’t know”

“Oh but not if you say you like fish, then it’ll get controversial super quickly, Etelljin people are WEIRD about fish”

“Picture a human English city, then replace the Chinese restaurants with Fae restaurants and then replace the Indian restaurants with Elven restaurants and then continue in that fashion with all the restaurants”

“What do people drink? - whatever they want? But you DO NOT want to make Etelljins drink from the water in their capital city, they’d riot. That’s where the fish live”

“Are some foods poisonous to certain people? - yeah, I’d say so”

“They probably have a magic version of Ikea somewhere (maybe the furniture builds itself to reduce stress and improve the mental health of the buyers)”

“Do people mostly eat meat, fish, or vegetables? - NO FISH”

“Do people make sacrifices to gods? - sacrifice isn’t a big thing because of the aforementioned fear of death that shaped their entire society, but […]”

“Imagine houses but magic-er”

“Are there professional guilds/institutes/etc? - If I may answer your question with a question, what the hell does that mean? Because I googled it and it did not help”

“What constitutes a social faux pas? - ok erm… saying you like to eat fish. That would be a big one. They have a real thing about fish”

(By the way, these are all from just a few questions and I do have plenty of real answers alongside them, but if y'all find this funny I have a lot more content to draw from to keep sharing them with you lol)

[theeccentricraven]

OC Questionnaire (warning, long post!)

Thank you @willtheweaver @kaylinalexanderbooks @buffythevampirelover @winglesswriter @drchenquill for the tags! I've wanted to do this for ages, but I was so busy. I figured out how to kill two birds with one rock by using these as character sheets for my Camp NaNoWriMo project. All of the characters mentioned below are from my WIP The Keeper of Maralla, which I describe as a nontraditional epic fantasy. Sorry the post is so long. I hoped to capture as many of the posts I had been tagged in as possible and limited to four characters. I hope I didn't give away too much.

1. Do you like the company of others?

Juva - If you mean in the company of animals, yes. If you mean what I think you mean….I’d rather be in the corner reading a book.

Maralla - I love to be around people. I bring them joy. I make them laugh. I see the good in everyone.

Jorem - I can put up with people so long as they don’t give me crap.

Mrs. Terila - A day cannot go by without my visiting a friend, giving counsel to someone who asks, or addressing the people under my charge.

2. What do you like to do in your down time?

Juva - Ride horses on my farm, read a good book, listen to the radio, go watch a movie with my dad, ride tractors, and watch a good TV show.

Maralla - Sing, dance, ride horses, explore forests, go shopping, and play outdoor games, pick flowers, and try on new clothes.

Jorem - Learn new spells

Mrs. Terila - I don’t have much spare time, but when I do, I’m having conversations with dear friends and practicing my magic.

3. Do you believe in ghosts or the supernatural?

Juva - Our people believe that the dead join with the Higher Beings in the Otherworld. Ghosts are the result of when necromancers trap their souls on earth. That’s why necromancy is evil.

Maralla - I’ve glanced Afterlife by visiting the Fay in the Otherworld. I have seen where the dead go. 

Jorem - I’m a necromancer. What do you think?

Mrs. Terila - As a mage, I know how the forces of evil fight to control souls. I know that happiness awaits the free souls.

1. What does the perfect day look like?

Juva- Pastry breakfast, visiting the most beautiful places in the colony, riding horses, watching a concert, and doing something fun with my dad.

Maralla- A festival with lots of songs and dancing, running in a race, and visiting a sacred site.

Jorem- Learning a wave of new spells, casting them to gain the control of more souls, and growing in power. Winning a fight would make the day better. 

Mrs. Terila- Sitting in a chair and reading a good book.

2. What time of day is your favorite?

Juva- Dawn. I love the sunshine, the birds singing, the cool air, and the fairy dust before it fades. 

Maralla- Late morning. Not too early, but bright.

Jorem- Night. When everyone else is asleep, it’s my “me” time.

Mrs. Terila- Dawn. I have to start at dawn for everything or else I’ll never get anything done during the day.

3. If you were granted one wish, what would it be?

Juva- To see my mother again.

Maralla-To see my parents again.

Jorem-Bring back my family, our home, and the life we used to have.

Mrs. Terila- Peace for our country.

1. What is your favorite game/sport?

Juva- Horseback riding

Maralla- Racing

Jorem- Competitions for who is the best sorcerer

Mrs. Terila- Hide and seek, believe it or not!

2. Do you prefer day or night?

Juva- Day. I get scared in the dark.

Maralla- Day, though I love to make beautiful songs either way. Oh, I rhymed. When you have spent as much time with the fairies as I have, you will rhyme a lot.

Jorem- Night. Best time for necromantic spells and there’s no one awake to bother me.

Mrs. Terila- Day, when I’m most active and productive.

3. How would you react if someone close to you betrayed you?

Juva-I was betrayed by someone close to me. It feels like the end of the world to me. No one hurt me so much. No one stole so much from me. I was cursed, too. I thought I was worthless. I would have given up on life if it wasn’t for Maralla.

Maralla-I was betrayed by someone I thought could be trusted. The best I could do was press forward and continue to fight to survive. 

Jorem- If a friend betrayed me, I would make them miserable. I would not rest until they regretted it.

Mrs. Terila- I would remind myself that corruption can haunt any soul, run to a friend for protection and comfort, and summon the fairies to guide me. 

1. Did you have any formal education? If so, what was it like?

Juva- I am fourteen years old and still a student. I’m homeschooled like many of the colonial clan members. Mrs. Terila is my teacher.

Maralla- Back in my day, I would have been able to earn admittance into a prestigious academy. Circumstances caused my mother to need to homeschool me. 

Jorem- Before I lost my family, my home, and our whole town, I was an ace student in the academy. I earned the best grades in every subject. My parents were so proud.

Mrs. Terila- I was trained by the brightest scholars of the clans. When I was young and foolish, I didn’t like school. When I realized my full potential and what I could do in the world, I became a dedicated student.

2. What is your stance on friends and friendship?

Juva- I love friends, though it’s hard when I feel so nervous talking to people. I try to spend as much time as I can with the few friends I have because I feel the most comfortable with them and don’t want to lose them.

Maralla- Friends are the best, second to family. It’s even better when they know how to have fun.

Jorem- You never know if friends could go away someday, whether they ditch you or die on you. Just show that you’ve earned respect. That matters most.

Mrs. Terila- I can never have too many friends. They are everywhere. I politely request them to respect my busy schedule. 

3. How would you describe your relationship with your family?

Juva-I love my dad more than anyone in the world. I work beside him, eat with him, pray with him, and laugh at the TV with him. I miss my mom. She was so beautiful. She was the kindest person in the world. I don’t understand why she was taken away from us. She must be happy in Paradise.  

Maralla- I was small, but I still have fond memories of my father. I was close to my mother while she raised me with the help of the sons of Moras. I miss them.

Jorem- The images of my mother, my father, and my sister still linger in my mind, impossible to scrape out of my head. Of course I loved them. Of course we lived a wonderful life. They were good people in a world where we have almost none.

Mrs. Terila- I love my husband, sons, daughters, and grandchildren. I wish times were like how they used to be, before my work had to call me away.

1.Where do you wish you were at this very moment and why?

Juva- On the farm because I love the horses and love being with my dad.

Maralla- I wish I was back in Faeryland because it’s the best place to be.

Jorem- I wish I was with my mentor Zorik because I enjoy learning necromancy from him. 

Mrs. Terila- With my husband because I miss him.

2.What's something you wanted as a child that you have/have done now and how has this impacted your life's path?

Juva- Visiting the beautiful city of An Lurska. It’s a city of magic that demonstrates the power of the Fay. I’ve heard you're never the same after you visit. They’re right. Walking the streets with the magic around me made me feel like I walked on the air.

Maralla- I wanted the fairy’s kiss when I was young because it is known for being the greatest boon that the Fay may grant. I was given it when I was fourteen. I was given more than I dreamed of. I will never touch death. 

Jorem- I had wanted to learn magic since I was young. Ever since I learned necromancy from Zorik, I have felt a power and fulfillment like I never had before. I’m not going to let the past control me. I control my future.

Mrs. Terila- I wanted a husband and a family. My married life and motherhood were happy and fulfilling. Now that the forces of the demons have gotten in the way, I regret that I can’t enjoy that life again.

3. How do you take your tea?

Juva- With whipped cream

Maralla- With sugar

Jorem- I don’t drink it. I use the tea bags for spells.

Mrs. Terila- Iced

1.How good are you with people?

Juva- I’m so quiet around them, they get frustrated by how quiet I am. I can’t tell someone to do something because it feels wrong.

Maralla- I talk to them, ask them to do something and they follow with a smile, sing to them, and get them to join in games.

Jorem- So long as people aren’t stupid, I can tolerate them. 

Mrs. Terila- Anyone who knows me knows I’m patient and a good leader, but I don’t let troublemakers get away easily.

2. How would you function in a group project?

Juva- I would listen to the group leader and follow their instructions.

Maralla- I would bring flowers and cookies to everyone.

Jorem- I would tell people how it’s done and remind the stupid people of how easy it is.

Mrs. Terila- I would be the leader, give everyone their task, emphasize on expectations, and offer my helping hand to any who ask.

3. What's your most valuable possession?

Juva - My mother’s locket.

Maralla - Love

Jorem - My diary

Mrs. Terila - My husband’s ring.

1. Which color do you hate?

Juva- Black. It’s the sign of all that is unknown, evil, and frightening.

Maralla- I’m actually quite fond of all of the colors, though red reminds me too much of blood. 

Jorem- Brown. It’s boring.

Mrs. Terila- Gray. It doesn’t look good on me.

2. If all the sounds in the world ceased to exist, which sound would you miss the most?

Juva- Birdsong

Maralla- Laughter

Jorem- My voice.

Mrs. Terila- All singing

3. What is the first rule you learned as a child?

Juva- The Fay are above us and the Higher Powers are above them. We must respect the Higher Beings who created this world and the faeryland. We must show that we are purehearted and good in nature to earn a place in the Otherworld.

Maralla- Obey Mother and Father and never stop hugging.

Jorem- Life is all about being happy. When Mom and Dad tell you to not touch a mad dog, they just don’t want you to get bit.

Mrs. Terila- Follow the example of the Order of Elders.

1.What would you say to yourself from the past?

Juva- I would tell myself to keep closer to Koti in hopes of preventing her from turning to the dark side. I would also tell myself to never break the oaths of my clan. 

Maralla- I would tell myself to be braver.

Jorem- I would tell myself to study magic sooner and spend more time practicing.

Mrs. Terila- I would tell myself to not waste my time when young as well as to not work so hard I burn out.

2. If you could send a message to your future self, what would it be?

Juva- Don’t break your oath.

Maralla- Keep spreading happiness.

Jorem- Great as it is to be a sorcerer, don't forget about the other precious moments in life.

Mrs. Terila- Don’t give up on hope.

3. If you could redo your life, is there a moment, an event, that you would never change?

Juva- I would never change taking the oath to be Maralla's keeper.

Maralla- I would never change the friendships I made with my keepers. 

Jorem- I would never change becoming a necromancer.

Mrs. Terila- I would never change marrying the man I loved.

1.What's your deepest regret?

Juva- That I didn’t realize how upset Koti was. I feel like I failed her as a friend.

Maralla- I couldn’t save my mother or my father.

Jorem- I was the only one who survived when my family and neighbors died in the fire caused by a dragon.

Mrs. Terila- Failing to catch the sorcerers who followed the demoness Arsha. 

2.What's your secret wish that nobody knows about?

Juva- To marry my crush.

Maralla- For everyone to visit the Faeryland.

Jorem- Make poison that could kill dragons. And…okay, I denied it, but it’s true. I would like to have a girlfriend. 

Mrs. Terila- Go hide out as a hare again.

3. If you were an animal, what would you be?

Juva- A horse, running and jumping elegantly.

Maralla- An ox. I admire how strong they are.

Jorem- A wolf. The teeth and claws would be handy.

Mrs. Terila- A hare. In fact, I have experience….

Tagging (No Pressure, and open!): @tryingtowritestuff24 @revenantlore @fairy-tales-of-yesterday @gottestod-writes @distortedsense @infinnative @primroseprime2019

Your Questions:

Are you good at telling jokes?

What do you believe is the worst crime someone could ever commit?

How do you decide what to do on a given day?

[arijensineink]

Guess What Came Out Today!

Me newslettie :3

This one has links to a couple in-depth blog articles, as well as a nice questionnaire you can use to reflect on your year of writing <3

My newsletter is a labor of love. Each new subscriber I get truly brings me joy, and I can only hope my little writings bring some encouragement and inspiration to you, dear writer.

So if you like, please share with your friends and hit that reblog button. It means the world to me.

Muah<3

-Ari

[dandelion-jester]

*chanting under my breath whilst I write* he's here, he's here, he's here, he's here, he's here, he's here, he's here!

[fic--writer]

Chapters: 1/2 Fandom: Baldur's Gate (Video Games) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Rolan/Tav (Baldur's Gate) Characters: Rolan (Baldur's Gate), Tav (Baldur's Gate), Lorroakan (Baldur's Gate) Additional Tags: Magic, Magic-Users, Sex Magic, Post-Canon, First Kiss, True Love's Kiss, Teacher-Student Relationship, Teaching, Studying, Relationship Study, Passion, Training, Fantastic, Fantasy, Fluff, Flirting, Drama, Sex, Penis In Vagina Sex, Oral Sex, Vaginal Sex Summary:

If Instinctive Charm were a spell, and Rolan had asked Tav to teach him the art. But the only way to achieve focus remains primal passion.

[wealmostaneckbeard]

Signalis: Unsubstantiated History Lesson

In the beginning there was the Empress, who had Bioresonant powers and used them to unite humanity. These powers were studied and reverse engineered to create technology that allowed humanities expansion beyond Vineta.

Telepathy industrialized became the production of Replikas. Telekinesis industrialized became artificial gravity. Conjuration industrialized became Klimaforming.

There was a great flourishing of art and culture. Studies of natural sciences and technologies struggled to catch up to the achievements of Bioresonance. Mysticism and esoteric rituals became widely practiced. Every world and several moons within the Sol system were colonized.

...And then the Empress committed suicide.

Why?

Perhaps she realized that she wasn't changing the universe to accommodate humanity. That she was changing humanity according to the whims of an incomprehensible terrifyingly sentient universe.

Perhaps she realized that humanity would never be free as long as she was alive. That the survival of the human species was pointless if every person's individuality was lost due to bioresonant subjugation.

Perhaps She wanted no part to play in the coming future but was trapped by her own supernatural powers in a position of political authority. Unable to retire to a quiet life and finally rest she had no choice but the deadly alternative.

Without the Empress, her empire fell slowly into chaos. Politicians, Corporate Executives, and Bioresonant Cultists formed a new aristocracy while collectively maintaining the veneer of a unified empire. These leaders were mere mortals, their longevity and power was inferior to the Empress. Their cruel incompetence begat competent revolutionaries. So those allegedly in control formed military and police forces to maintain their grip over their subjects.

Then a cult on Heimat successfully cloned the object of their worship, ironically an achievement of practical science. She was raised to do what the Empress would not. She would want to live forever, have absolute authority, and redundantly, even have an heiress.

When she was revealed to the worlds, The War started. The Eusan Empire was fighting for their freedom and the interests of their nobility. The nascent Eusan Nation fought for a future ruled by the Great Revolutionary. It should be spelled out that both sides were hypocrites in this apocalyptic interplanetary conflict.

Humanity was spread too far out and so their re-subjugation beneath a godlike figure was never going to be recreated.

As the war stagnated, The Great Revolutionary became concerned about threats from within her Nation. The cult that had created her could create her replacement if she did not obey them. In the interest of her own survival, she had them and any means of creating a challenger purged from existence. Even with her power, this was not easily done due to the cults integration with the Nation and the vast size of both organizations.

Cultists would purge themselves from the records and continue living under new identities. More intense law enforcement tactics were required to catch them. The Nation's war against an external foe shifted to face an enemy within.

Human suffering continues, and yet in these dark times two women fall in love with each other aboard the low-cost scout ship Penrose-512...

[rs-hawk]

I really like your writing but I'm tired of the political stuff. When it was like public fruit trees and unions and stuff, okay, but your whole personality being native and queer and hating Trump is getting old. Please go back to writing about dragons dicking us down or us strapping down dragons

No. Lol. I'm gonna keep posting about it if I want to. I still write stories more than anything else. Want me to write a story for you? Send it to my ask box for a chance, sub to a specific tier on my Ko-fi where it's guaranteed, or buy a commission. Until then, enjoy what I write or unfollow. I love writing and want to make it a career, but I've said it once and I'll say it again. I'd rather never make a hot red cent from writing than be supported by people that see me as less than human.

Anyway, here's my Ko-fi link if you're wanting to commission that dragon piece 🤷‍♀️

[jasminewalkerauthor]

Should I make a post about the process of getting a book published? I was at a writers society meeting the other day and I found out nearly no one in the room knew even where to begin with publishing

[orcelito]

Ok I'm thinking about kabuto backstory again and thinking about how unfair and fucked up it all is like

> be Danzo

> threaten local orphanage mother into returning to being a spy (by threatening the kids there)

> force them to send One Kid too because he "lost a man" while obtaining the intel he's threatening her to spy over (the kid is Kabuto, who volunteered bc he overheard them threatening the mother over this) (Danzo knows he overheard)

> train kabuto to be a spy while orphanage mother is off on her long spy job as well

> bait spy mom with the promise of keeping kabuto safe to keep her agreeing to work with you

> decide they both are too good at their jobs (????) Of being spies (that work for you?????)(they've been loyal this whole time????) So they're too dangerous and both need to die

> keep mom and kid away from each other as kid grows up

> literally DOCTOR FAKE PHOTOS of the kid growing up to make it seem like he looks totally different now???? So she won't recognize him?????

> give her the assassination assignment of killing the Real Kabuto (who she won't recognize) so they'll kill each other

> whoops, Kabuto survived and killed her instead, oh well at least Orochimaru's watching him now

I'm just like. How fucked up is it to threaten these people into working as spies for you "for the good of Konoha", and then decide that these people (who have given NO INDICATION of intending to betray Konoha) are too good at being spies and thus Too Dangerous and should be killed for it. But no he can't just kill them in a normal way. He had to manufacture an entire scenario so that they'd kill EACH OTHER while making the mom not recognize him (with the express purpose of breaking the kid's spirit) like BROOOOOO I know you ordered the whole Uchiha clan to be massacred (conducting genocide for the sake of 'peace') actually now that I think about it he ordered this of itachi. Ordered him to kill his own family. Of course Danzo would get off on making a mother and son kill each other "for the good of Konoha" he's almost fucking cartoon villain level of horrible past the point of logic EXCEPT there really are people this awful that have existed. Plenty of them. And they have also justified it as being "for the good of [nation]" like that's the Thing, he's a war hungry nationalist that has decided He Knows Best so he's going to fuck up SO many people's lives, up to and including his own damn citizens!!!! And this bitch thinks he deserves to be kage?!?!?! Fucking Hiruzen letting him run wild like this. He knew Danzo was stealing children and indoctrinating them into a murder cult (where, keep in mind, he purposefully raises kids in pairs so they view each other as family AND THEN ORDERS THEM TO KILL EACH OTHER)(AGAIN!!!! with the family killing, what is his PROBLEM) but Hiruzen just let it fucking happen. Spineless fucking piece of shit. He fucked Naruto up he fucked Orochimaru up he fucked up Royally with Danzo like come ONNNNNNNNNN

Rattling the bars of my cage rn at how awful Danzo is and how he was able to just. DO THIS???? I know the bitch is dead but he's not dead enough. Give me the glock.

[amaiguri]

After recovering from the party at a yummy brunch, I got Yssaia's resident ecologist, Jay, in to record voicelines for their natural philosopher character, Riarian. Riarian is gonna play an important role in my upcoming creature mockumentary this December! Then we discussed future plans of Yssaia and aahhhhh😍😍😍 I'm so excited. My upcoing 27th year of life is possibly looking bright as long as the world doesn't collapse around me!

Speaking of Yssaia... we wrote a really good amount today! I did my little indoor walk first and then wrote out Kivihk's declaration of war. I can't decide if the scene needs more ZEST or not but I reached DEEP into my well of "Things Cult Leaders" say and put it straight into Kivihk's mouth. I think it's beautiful!

"O Children of Blood and Bone: Let a requiem to my passing be engraved upon your hearts and a paean burn your tongues at my return."

I want you to hear this guy trying to literally enslave all of humanity and still go "But hey: he has a point..." 💜

Folksies, if I started a cult but for good and NOT evil, you'd have my back, right? 🥺👉👈

JK 😜

[scifrey]

I was honored and delighted to be asked to participate in IngramSpark 's #AuthorSpotlight series!

The video has just dropped, and it's all about what inspires my creativity and pushes me to write.

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

It’s just occurred to me that I didn’t manage to complete nanowrimo last year but I’ve written the first 42k words of a fic in 16 days. Erm