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here's my artfight profile!

i'm team fossils!

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?

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hi, i was just rereading The Winds Promise and i love Polaris's name so much. Aris is already a very cool name, and then the reveal that it is short for Polaris, my favorite star? and he's the promised star boy

YES you got it! I knew he needed a star name, and that’s what I came up with—he’s the guiding star

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i saw a firefly today.

anyway, i'm changing the teleporting moths to fireflies (likely will be called true teleporters or true teleporting bugs)

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if you want to find interesting place to work at for your characters, might i consider looking at the NAICS codes? https://www.naics.com/search/

they have categorized basically all the industries in north america (some other places have their own industry classification codes) and reading through it there's just a lot of places that i don't think about but seem interesting

here's a selection: industrial sand mining (not the same as construction sand mining, apparently), hay farming, electric bulk power transmission and control, land subdivision, plastics pipe and pipe fitting manufacturing, printing and writing paper merchant wholesalers, floor covering retailers, charter bus industry, directory and mailing list publishers, direct title insurance carriers, formal dress and costume rental, marketing research and public opinion polling, offices of other holding companies, convention and visitors bureas, fine arts schools, blood and organ banks, marinas, casino hotels, upholstery and furniture repair, public finance activities

like. i love good specificity in a story, and oftentimes an interesting setting can really help a story, and there's just this huge list filled with industries that could be interesting to have a character work in

[on-noon]

Storytelling

I will tell you the story of the first emperor, of how he united the counties and made Rakan into a proper country with one government at the head. Back in those days, anyone could become a count by defeating the current count, not just a member of the house. Just like now, to challenge to become count it had to be a declared duel, in other words, you had to get the count you were hoping to replace to agree to your duel. Although now, no count would turn down a legitimate challenger, in those days counts would not entertain most challenges, especially those from strangers.

The first emperor was born somewhere rural, Salakat county most likely, over a days hike to the nearest portal. Once he was around fourteen years old, he left home and began to study. He studied under portal mages, water mages, skilled heat mages, swordmasters, along with academic men. He learned fast, by all accounts. He would dive into a new subject for around a year, while trying to master the ones he had already learned. It was when he was twenty that he was in Dathaw county. A thief had stolen the seal of the county. The first emperor hunted down the thief and returned the seal to the count. And that is where the Count of Dathaw made his first mistake. He offered the first emperor a reward, anything he could name.

The first emperor asked for a duel. The Count of Dathaw didn't realize it for the problem it was at first, he assumed he could beat the first emperor. And so he tried to talk him out of it.

"You know I have to kill you then, right?" was his line. This is where the phrase 'Dathaw strength' comes from.

And the first emperor smiled, and said, "I know the risks."

You surely know how this duel ended up, the first emperor defeated the count. He began to build up the military and economy of Dathaw, and then went to visit the Count of Jadarasak. He asked for a duel, both the counties on the line. The Count of Jadarasak refused at first, as is reasonable. However, the first emperor then cut off trade between Dathaw and Jadarasak, destroying any portal between the two.

The first emperor then went to Waradath, and dueled that count, and now cut off those portals to Jadarask as well. He went around gaining county after county, the threat of being treated like Jadarasak and the hope of potentially gaining control over multiple counties at once hanging in promise. After the first emperor had gained five or six counties, it was the Count of Kashanab who first gave up his county. He was a young count, his uncle had just died and passed the count position onto him, and he knew he could never win a duel. The first emperor let that count stay on as an advisor of sorts, still in charge of Kashanab just subsurvient to him. That led to a lot of the other counts just giving over their lands, not wanting to die to the first emperor, including Jadarask.

Bazathaz was the only county the first emperor didn't get. That was the second emperor, and is a story for another time.

Camp Tolkien: Free Day

Welcome back to Camp Tolkien!

Our two-week summer camp is a chance for you to work on the project of your choice in the company of other writers. No matter which stage of the process you’re in–brainstorming, outlining, drafting, revising–Camp Tolkien’s activities are here to help you make progress. Bring along your projects, and have fun!

At Camp Tolkien, Saturday is Free Day! Today, we bring back all the activities from the past week, and you can join in whichever one you wish. This is your opportunity to try an activity that you didn't have a chance to try earlier in the week, try an activity from a day you missed, or to repeat a favorite activity. Try one or try them all--it's your free day, so do what you like.

The activities will be listed under the cut. They will be listed in the same order they were provided during the week.

When you’re finished, reblog or reply to this post, telling us how it went, and/or sharing what you wrote for the day.

Have fun, go forth, and create!

Monday

Icebreakers: Tell the other campers about the project you’ve brought to camp by writing a one-paragraph summary.

Photography: Find or create at least five reference pictures that visualize settings and/or characters in your project.

Archery: Set a timer for two minutes. Write as many words as you can in that time. Repeat this four more times, for a total of five mini writing sessions. Keep track of your word count for each, and let us know your high score.

Nature Walk: Work on your project while you’re outdoors.

Tuesday

Orienteering: Draw a map of a location in your project–a building, a neighborhood, a town, a world, whatever you wish. Note that does not have to be an accurate map–it could be a certain character’s perception of their surroundings, it could be biased, it could be more about artistry than facts, it could just be a napkin scribble if you want.

Painting: Write a detailed description of at least one character in your project.

Scavenger hunt: Incorporate the following five words in whatever you write for your project: friend, tree, march, red, finish. Alternately, find as many of those words as you can in what you already have written for your project, and share each sentence.

Rock climbing: Set a timer for thirty minutes and try to finish as much of a draft of a scene as you can in that time.

Wednesday

Alphabet Game: Make a list of twenty-six things that could happen in your story–each one starting with a different letter of the alphabet.

Dioramas: Write a detailed description of one room in one setting in your project.

Hiking: Go on a walk outside and use something about the experience (a sensory detail, something you saw) as inspiration for your project.

Zipline: Write as fast as you can for ten minutes. You are not allowed to backspace, cross out, or delete anything during that time.

Thursday

Friendship Bracelets: Tell us about two characters who are currently friends, or talk about a childhood/former friend of one of your characters.

Skits: Write a short dialogue scene in script format.

Relay Race: Start a stopwatch. Write 100 words. See how long it took you. Set a timer for the same amount of time, then see how many words you can write in that time.

Tumbling: Switch up the format of how you work on your project. If you usually type, write by hand (or vice versa). If you must type, type in a different program, or use a different-colored font.

Friday

Woodcarving: Take a previously-written portion of your project and try to reduce its wordcount by 25%.

S'mores: Set a timer for five minutes and write as many words as you can. Then do a ten-minute writing session. Then a fifteen-minute one. Then treat yourself to a snack.

Storytelling: Tell us about a story from within the world of your project. It could be a folktale, a bit of history, family lore, something from a character's backstory, whatever you like.

Movie Night: Listen to a favorite movie soundtrack while you work on your project.

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Okay I finally finished putting them all together. There's too many to put in one post. So here's 2021-2022 of Rhyin

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I finished another story called Bruised Peaches. Sort of inspired by The song Long White Veil.

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ooh, thanks for the tag!

i like my ability to play with words. sometimes i come up with a good joke or a line of poetry

i look like my family, especially my sisters. enough so that people have told me my one sister looks exactly like me (i did not introduce them to my sister. they just saw her in the halls)

i like the way my smile feels. i like the way my face is sore after a really good hour of discussion

i'm good at math. i just like manipulating equations and such

i can identify a few tree species. there's something so gratifying about seeing a tree and just immediately knowing what kind it is that is so satisfying

i'll tag @sleepyowlwrites @meadow-roses @plumsodapop @choasuqeen @aziz-reads @error404vnotfound @my-cursed-prince @hedgewitchnecromancer @saltysupercomputer @sonderden if you want to!

5 things you like about yourself tag game

Firstly, when you get this, you have to answer with 5 things you like about yourself, publicly. Then, send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers (non-negotiable, positivity is cool) <3

Thought this would be fun! Play with me?

Tagged by @dairogo

I have pretty hair. It's a nice, dark brown with a reddish tint to it in the right light, it's down to my waist, and it's got a pretty wave that comes out effortlessly if I let it air-dry. It would probably look better if I spent more time and money on it, but one of the things I like the most about it is how easy and agreeable it is for the most part. I've figured out how to keep it pretty healthy (though split ends are a never-ending issue), and found a conditioner it really likes. I never do anything with it except a simple ponytail when doing chores, but it thrives this way.

I have a certain...stubbornness? Sticktoitiveness? I might not be the best at figuring out the most effective or efficient or skillful way of getting something done, but I'm good at sticking to a project until it's complete. In terms of writing, this means that if I've gotten past a certain point of actually writing a story, I'll definitely finish it at some point, even if it takes years and isn't maybe the best thing you've ever read ^^' It also extends to other things, like...I'm not the best gamer ever, but I'll keep trying and trying until I eventually beat it. *glances sidelong at the 100+ hours I've put into Star Renegades without ever getting to the end*

A pastor once told me he thought my spiritual gift is patience. I struggle with other fruit of the Spirit plenty, but I do find it relatively easy to be patient most of the time. Part of this is probably due to me just not having a high energy level, so I'm perfectly happy to sit and wait. But yeah, I do think God has given me more patience than some, making it easier for me to sit and listen to someone, to put up with small annoyances, and maybe even lends itself to forgiveness?

I'm good at window-shopping and avoiding impulse buys. A lot of that probably comes from not having a ton of money growing up, not to mention being homeschooled for most of my childhood (and not even being part of a co-op, just me and my family on our own), and thus not having many peers with stupid trends to follow. So I grew up with the understanding that, however much I might want something that looked cool or fun, it was probably too expensive, so don't expect to ever get it. Even now that I'm making my own money and get to decide how to spend it, when I see something that looks desirable, I always check myself with the thought, "But would I actually ever do anything with it?" So yeah, that sword at the ren faire looks really cool, but I would never actually do anything with it, so maybe I'll keep my money and buy some books instead.

This is a big one for me, because the Novie of a couple decades ago would be flabbergasted at me saying it: I like that I cry easily. I'm very empathetic - if you're crying, I'm probably crying. I cry when I'm sad, when I'm happy, when I'm angry, when I'm scared. I cry for movies, I cry for beautiful music, I cry when my friends (even distant acquaintances!) are struggling. I've even cried because the full moon was really pretty! XD During the depths of my teenage angst, this was something I hated about myself, something I tried to stifle, but my emotions are simply too big and can't be contained. And I think I can finally, finally accept that this is simply the way God made me. It can be inconvenient sometimes, but I think tears are a pathway to empathy and connection. There's something instinctive in us when we see someone crying, to want to try to draw near and help them. And that's a good thing.

Tagging @rainintheevening, @sailforvalinor, @valiantarcher, @pippilotta-the-philologist, @authortobenamedlater

@elanorpevensie, @thetreasurechest, @nerdy-catfish, @mislamicpearl, and @bunnyscar if you want to do this!

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i had an terrible idea that i must consider seriously to see where it leads.

what if Rakad just. doesn't show up in the first half of the book?

this is not a very good idea because he is the main character, but its very interesting to consider how i would tell a story about him without him being there

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Gabriel is a faerie working for Symon as a headhunter and personal valet. He scours the city for humans and faeries alike, who may seem to gain from a deal or employment from Symon.

Gabriel is the first to join Maria in her efforts to take down Symon, but that's primarily because he has a huge crush in her. Having known her from before she was made into a changeling, he helps her remember who she was, and catches her up on what Symon has been doing all this time.

Gabriel has illusion magic. He can change anything (including himself ) within a radius of himself to resemble anything else of his choosing, making it appear as such to all of the senses (ie. sight, touch, taste…). Gabriel can see through his own illusions at will, but can just as easily join into them.

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Dust to Dust I really enjoyed reading, and it felt like the scenes came alive to the extent that they come alive for me (alas, i do not visualize what is happening in novels) but i definitely felt like the characters were somewhere real, y'know?

💖 Which of your fics is your pride and joy?

Lead Me Home, which is currently a W.I.P. It's a friend's abandoned collaboration project, which is probably why it's my pride and joy-- it's someone else's brainchild that I've been given the honour of adopting. It's a Wingfeather Saga fic set centuries in the future after the series ends, so I suppose it only counts as a fic in the vaguest sense-- it takes place in a setting that someone else created, but is otherwise entirely an original story.

Since LMH only counts on technicalities, I'll say that my other pride and joy is . . . well, technically another fic that isn't published yet, so I'll go with third place: Dust to Dust. This one's another Wingfeather Saga fanfic, written for a friend. I think this is the fic that was the most impacted by the music I listened to while I wrote it-- it seemed that the music wrote it more than I did. It's a somewhat gloomy fic, but I like it in spite of itself. It fits well (I feel) into the section of the story that I was filling in, and the imagery and mood hopefully convey that.

Speaking of imagery, it's the one of my fics that I can "sense" the most as I read it back, just as when I wrote it-- I can "feel" the temperatures at different points of the story, I can "smell" the scents, I can "see" the scenery as clearly as if I was really there. (As someone who regularly pictures things in stories like 3-D models and sets, trust me-- this is a *way* higher level of imaginary sense than usual.) So that's one thing that I do really love about it, but that's just me.

Sorry; I'm rambling. XD Thank you so much for the ask!!

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The line between healing magic and necromancy has always been pretty thin.

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Kalr for 15?

ok so this ask made me realize a few things.

1) i made a typo in the tags, missed the second a in kalar. which should be fine, their naming system doesn't use vowels anyway

2) Kalro (different character) and Kalar have very similar names

3) i don't know very much about Kalar's character anymore? like. she's Larath's daughter, but beyond that? I took the character traits from earlier versions of Kalar and gave them to Larath

4) it shouldn't be this hard to come up with a fancy event she'd attend? she is the emperor's daughter, afterall. anyway, this is an event at the academy where the students and the current sorcerers have a dinner and are supposed to network or whatever. because i decided this is Kalar from timeline 2, she is nervous that somehow one of them will recognize her, or figure her out or something

5) i didn't know what Kalar looked like. (at least this iteration of Kalar) at all. so i made up a design (the coat, however, is from very early in this stories design. based off of my fall coat)

thanks for the ask!

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Could you do me a favor and reblog this with some good things in the notes? People helping people, everyday grace and kindness or big gifts of joy, the last thing that made you smile or laugh out loud, the last person who made you feel really seen and loved, etc?

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High Republic Week day 4: (NOT JUST) FIREBRANDS FRIDAY

THRシリーズのキャラクターの組み合わせはお気に入りがが多いので、誰を描こうか迷ったけど…やっぱりこの３人組を描きたくて🥺

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Happy 10th anniversary to #StarWarsRebels !!🥳

Rebelsシリーズが始まってから10年！おめでとうございます！ このシリーズはファンアートを描くきっかけを私に与えてくれたし、沢山のSWファンと出会わせてくれたのでとても思い入れが強い作品です。もちろん今でも大好き！！

このエズラとチョッパーは古いファンアート(インスタには載せていない)の再描画です。再描画はあまりやったことがないけど楽しかった😁