#*fantasy

[hollygscat]

the festivals of winsome

every celebration is a kind of prayer. a promise. a memory that lives longer than we do.

i just spent like two days on this jfc, next will be about the heirs and the kingdoms (probably multi-part)

🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿

✦ spring ✦

bare feet, salt-soaked hems, coral offerings to the sea. joy that smells like rainwater and freedom

the tide blessing

held on the first warm rain of the year. we step into the sea at dawn, barefoot, and offer coral, pearls, and poems to the water. fishermen and sailors pray for abundance and safety. children wear crowns with coral and sea-glass. those with water magic glow for days after

silent reverence, moss-covered trees, honey on bark, magic old as roots. the forest listens and answers

the communion

when the forests begin to bloom again, we pay respects to nature. quietly. the communion is less of a festival, more of a ritual. we speak to the trees, bury intentions and wishes, and leave bread and honey for the creatures that watch from between the trees

✦ summer ✦

lanterns glowing like fireflies, music echoing from wind, laughter echoing through trees

the forest dance

the most vibrant celebration. lanterns hang from every tree branch, music echoes through the valleys, and everyone wears flowers in their hair. it is said that if you dance long enough, the forest will choose a gift for you, a vision, a promise, a kiss. the line between human and myth runs thin here

glowing tidepools, starlit confessions, lips tasting of salt. a night where magic calls your name

oceanlights

by midsummer the sea is warm and inviting. this night is for love and longing, for confessions whispered over the sound of the waves. lovers swim in fluorescent waters and mages find themselves overwhelmed. it’s common to cry during this festival, and even more common to fall in love. sometimes it hurts. most times it heals

✦ autumn ✦

one long table, warm cider, even warmer stories. the entire kingdom gathering together for one golden night

harvest harmony

our most communal celebration. every village sets a table. strangers are welcomed like family. magic is used only keep the cider warm. even the palace open their gates for the people

masks and shadows, memory made myth. sometimes you lose yourself to be found again

wildsong

as leaves fall and magic begins to stir again, we hold a twilight festival in the hills. the wildsong is more chaotic, often unpredictable. old stories are reenacted in masks

✦ winter ✦

silence, wishes whispered to stars, truths burned into ash. sacred stillness

the balance festival

held on the longest night of the year. we light no fires until the moon rises. it’s a time of reflection and honesty. secrets are shared under the stars, then burned in small crystal bowls. the balance is personal, an inner festival. the land listens in silence. people cry in the snow. it means they’re real

✦ non-seasonal ✦

dust and glitter, chaos, deals made with smiles too wide. blink and it’s gone

the great trade festival

a traveling celebration that flows through the kingdoms. when it arrives in a town, it brings with it all the colors and crafts of the other six realms. fire dancers from éire, illusionists from róis, strange treats from aerys and more. it is a window to the rest of the world. beautiful, temporary, and a little dangerous

midnight feasts lit by floating lanterns. heirs in ceremonial finery, eyes watching each other more than the stars

the concorde

a time where all seven kingdoms get together and the only time it feels like peace might be possible. a once a year summit + celebration held in a neutral estate known as the heartland, said to be the last place the original rulers stood side by side. cultural exchange, each realm brings a delegation, performance or a gift

festival of flame, fang and wings

the fire festival

once every twelve years, when the twin moons align, there’s an ancient celebration for the mythblooded, creatures, beasts, and dragons that once ruled the skies. said to have begun as a truce festival between humans and dragons

[cultivating-wildflowers]

Potential June Reads

Switching gears again, this time to dig into a handful of printed books. I suspect it'll be a slow-and-steady sort of month. (I have a couple of audiobooks to fall back on, but that selection is currently somewhat limited.)

TBR:

Medusa's Gaze and Vampire Bite: The Science of Monsters by Matt Kaplan - 244 pages (library copy)

Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures (abridged) by Merlin Sheldrake - 239 pages (library copy)

The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien - 259 pages (I own)

The Two-Space War by Dave Grossman and Leo Frankowski - 519 pages (I own)

Other Potential Reads:

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - 520 pages (I own a copy; and will I finally get to this in June?)

Disorderly Knights by Dorothy Dunnett - 615 pages (this poor tome has been shuffled about on my shelves for the last few months; I own a copy because my record with this series has me taking several months per installment)

I predict I will finish between three and four books this month.

[tiredgremlintime]

Will the granblue community forgive me if I say I ship Nier and the Captain…….

[tamberella]

The unexpected reason why the drive-through line is so long

[velinxi]

Wedding night

(Part 1) (Part 2)

[littlestpersimmon]

Oarfish

[skeletonclaw]

Gav’s Tavern Here’s the culmination of what I’ve been working on for the past couple months. It’s different from what I usually do. Also it was a lot of work, but I think I’m happy with it.

I made some Gav stickers too if you liked this.

[monstermonger]

I'm convinced mama dragons carry their babies around in their mouth for protection, like how crocodiles do...

[blumineck]

Huge thanks to Richard of the Order of the Blade for throwing me around!

(If you’re in the UK, consider checking them out! The order are a combat school with a really fun and welcoming ethos)

And as always, more bows, swords, and nonesense on Patreon

[yeepof]

I understand that tall men are our POV characters, but surely being like a foot taller than everyone around them would have some occasional consequences

[hollygscat]

✦ about me ✦

name: anne of the quartz court (i’m very creative about names as you can see)

title: heir to the kingdom of sea and forest

vibe: stuck between the lines of girl and ruler. curious, emotional, intuitive. has the kind of magic that flows with feeling and burns in grief

magic: rare, multi-elemental and emotion-based. her happiness blows the winds, her rage lights fires

role: second-born made heir when her older brother was born without magic. now, is she the salvation or ruin?

currently: should’ve been crowned, but wasn’t. haunted by dreams, hunted by fate

✦ the setting ✦

winsome: the kingdom of sea winds, dense forests, and emotion-based magic

known for harmony, intuition, and magic tied to blood and emotion

royal court filled with gardens, glass, and silence

quartz, flowing water, blooming flowers

the people love deeply, rule gently, and listen to nature

the coronation: interrupted by a bell tolling from nowhere. the prophecy was being spoken again. no crowns were placed

✦ the seven realms ✦

each kingdom has its own magic, stone, and spirit

winsome: quartz, multi-elemental/emotion-based magic, green fields, blue horizon

virelis: aquamarine, water magic, cool exteriors, storm in their eyes

maëlys: emerald, earth magic, large mountains, tradition, strength

éire: ruby, fire magic, artistry, and loud, loyal hearts

alvar: black star sapphire, unbreakable, physical magic (idk the proper term, stronger, faster and heal quicker), strategic, born for war

róis: amethyst, mind magic, mirrored illusions, observant

aerys: citrine, air powers, big wings, big smiles

✦ the prophecy ✦

let the bell toll once for truth

twice for silence, thrice for youth

seven shall fall

crowns to dust, kingdoms to coal

a prophecy once thought dormant, now very much alive

the first toll rang during the coronation. it wasn’t supposed to

the final line is never spoken aloud.

it names a child of storm and stone, winsome and alvar

no one was crowned. and the king of alvar is the first one to fall

✦ the tribes ✦

outside the kingdoms are the tribes, never conquered, never invited to the table, never messed with and never talked about

they hold older magic. even older stories

some claim the prophecy is theirs. stolen and twisted

others mention a second bell, one that could rewrite destiny

the velren: bone and blood, magic in memory and blood

the kaedrin: earth and beast, shapeshifters who listen to the forest

✦ where am i now? ✦

ruling without a crown in a kingdom waiting to fall

tied to a prophecy I was never meant to hear

dreaming in riddles

searching for the second bell and hoping to find it before the next death

[miggylol]

Surprise! Tumblr just got turned into an epic fantasy RPG, just like [your favorite appropriate media franchise]. And the Tumblr RPG's plot needs to have all of its characters covered, in roles both large and small.

That means that you are assigned to a stereotypical RPG role inside our new fantasy world. Spin this wheel to find out what you are now doing for a living.

[physalian]

Small fantasy worldbuilding elements you might want to think about:

A currency that isn’t gold-standard/having gold be as valuable as tin

A currency that runs entirely on a perishable resource, like cocoa beans

A clock that isn’t 24-hours

More or less than four seasons/seasons other than the ones we know

Fantastical weather patterns like irregular cloud formations, iridescent rain

Multiple moons/no moon

Planetary rings

A northern lights effect, but near the equator

Roads that aren’t brown or grey/black, like San Juan’s blue bricks

Jewelry beyond precious gems and metals

Marriage signifiers other than wedding bands

The husband taking the wife's name / newlyweds inventing a new surname upon marriage

No concept of virginity or bastardry

More than 2 genders/no concept of gender

Monotheism, but not creationism

Gods that don’t look like people

Domesticated pets that aren’t re-skinned dogs and cats

Some normalized supernatural element that has nothing to do with the plot

Magical communication that isn’t Fantasy Zoom

“Books” that aren’t bound or scrolls

A nonverbal means of communicating, like sign language

A race of people who are obligate carnivores/ vegetarians/ vegans/ pescatarians (not religious, biological imperative)

I’ve done about half of these myself in one WIP or another and a little detail here or there goes a long way in reminding the audience that this isn’t Kansas anymore.

[em-iliart]

slowly spiraling

[ukrainian-groove-metal]

“my sentient sword came out to me as transmasc, i mean, talk about un-she/they-ing your blade!”