Friday, February 21, 2020

#FantasyMonth Tag

It's February is Fantasy month!

I stole this tag from J.L. Mbewe. But, I was given permission, so it's technically not stealing?

At the end of the post is a clean list of questions for copy/pasting to your own blog.




Click to see the original post!



The Rules!


Thank the blogger who tagged you.-- Thanks JL Mbewe!

Include the graphic somewhere in your post.-- Edit: I finally got the picture to post. Copy/pasting didn't work, using the image URL didn't work, fiddling with the HTML did zip...I ended up having to snip the image, save, then upload it. What the snik-snak, Blogger. :/

Link back to this blog somewhere in your post.--*points above*

Answer the questions.-- Done!

Tag a few blogger friends – and let them know they’ve been tagged--I tag Elizabeth and Merie Shen if they haven't done this yet.

Have fun!



The Fun!



1. In a strange twist of fate, you are transported into a fantasy realm of your choice. The catch? You have also been transformed into your least favorite fantasy creature. Where are you, and what are you?

Ooh, a hard question right off the bat. It would depend on my mood, methinks. Right now, I would choose someplace like Aerwiar or the world of Circus Phantasm (which, so far as I can tell, is an alter-earth.) Two totally different kinds of worlds, so sue me.

Least favorite fantasy creature? Give me a few...hours...here...
*pulls out ladder*
*skims through books, trying to find a creature I dislike*
Ooh, found one. Two, actually. Wendigo and draugar. Cannibalistic air-demon, or Viking zombie that can haunt in ways both physical and metaphysical. 0_0
I would be totally okay with that, provided I had the body but not the soul/temperament/function of said creature. Because then I could spy on dark forces, or have fun freaking everyone out.


2. What fantasy creature do you wish featured in more stories? What is your favorite story that has that creature in it?

Werewolf monkeys. Because. That would be absolutely terrifying. Never read anything with werewolf monkeys, but I keep hearing whispers of the existence of vampire armadillos in Kyle Robert Shutlz's Afterverse.
Check out Hannah Heath's 9 Epic, Underused Mythical Animals for Your Fantasy Novel for some other cool, underused creatures.
Ooh, unicorns in the traditional sense are awesome, too. The Last Unicorn, Tales of Goldstone Wood, Chronicles of Narnia...
3. As you are reading this, a voice rings in your ear proclaiming:
A hero true, a leader strong,
A quest is where you do belong,
So arm thyself, and take your stand
With an item to your left your fate is at hand.

Besides the fact that this prophetic voice is clearly incapable of sticking to a meter, what ordinary item do you now find yourself armed with? (And, for bonus points, what helpful magical properties does it now possess that will help you on your quest?)
Um...either a TV tray, or a muscle roller. XD
Let's see, I will be a berserker/brawler, and my weapon will have the ability to change density. Ideally it would change automatically to fit my situation, so that I can take down an opponent in one strike. That's useful in any situation, not just in battle. (Awkward Avoidance Viking, anyone? :P)
4. You happen across an ad in a catalogue promising a magical fantasy cruise that will allow you to stop in any three realms of your choice and explore each for several days before returning you home (and the ad promises your safe return or your money back, guaranteed!) Assuming this is not a hoax and that the tour guides will actually be able to cater to your requests, what three realms will you tour and what do you hope to see/who would you like to meet along the way?

What good would my money back do me if I'm dead? ROTFL.
Still, that would totally be worth the risk.
Middle Earth would be the first, of course. It would be fun to tag along with Legolas and Gimli during their trek after the whole "One Ring" plot is through. Provided that I magically have weapons skills, or can learn them along the way, of course.
Aselvia (Moonscript!)! I'd love to hang out with The Daisha (Mayhap help her brainstorm ways to bubble wrap Errance), explore the elven forests, hear what stories Kelm has to tell, maybe sit in on an elven class or two just to compare teaching techniques...
Location number three is a tie between Rizkaland (the world is a cylinder and colors affect how certain aspects of nature function, how cool is that?) and  the Patchwork. The latter is mine, featured in Trouble in Bookland. I'm pretty sure that would be considered cheating, since it's connected to all published fictional works (in that universe), and I could theoretically visit more than one place during my visit.
5. Congratulations! You are a fantasy hero/heroine about to start your adventure. You get to choose a small fantasy creature to accompany and assist you on your quest. Who/what do you choose?
Is it weird that I want Slepnir? Or a chimera (in that it's a conglomeration of creatures, not necessarily the traditional goat-lion-snake)? I would love to have a dragon-deer-wolf-demon chimera (bonus: named Slepnir). I have a basic sketch of it, too, and it would work because Fae magic. And it would help me guard my library. That would be beyond awesome.
Ooh, or a wolpertinger! It's like a jackalope, but it has wings and fangs.

6. Elves or dwarves?
Elves or dwarves...what?
I like them both! I'm particularly fond of a couple types of dwarfs that are in my fantasy worlds, but neither are published yet and I would like to keep them a secret for now. :P
Elves are always cool--unless they're snobs. Aloof, mysterious, otherworldly, yes! But snobs? Give me something to spill down their shirt, please. It'll be during a party and elves know that humans can't hold their liqueur, so it'd be an accident. Shh.
7. Do you prefer your dragons (we had to have at least one question devoted solely to dragons!) good or evil or a mix of both?

It depends on the story, but I love dragons no matter what, so...
I guess I prefer some blend of good, because then I can root for them all the way. Even if they're not, and lean more towards bad/chaotic/neutral, I will be pleased that they're included in the adventure. True majesty and terror belong in every decent story.
8. World building is a complicated undertaking full of many details. As a reader, what is a small detail you really appreciate seeing when it comes to diving into a new realm? What is something that helps you lose yourself in a fantasy world?

Maps are always good, but I find it isn't really necessary for me to enjoy a story. Unless, of course, the characters are going to end up traveling over the entire continent/more than three locations in one story. Then I need a map for reference.
I always appreciate nitty-gritty details, like what kind of food different cultures eat, differences in language/gestures/body language, and how social etiquette differs between races. And if there's a reason everyone speaks the same language despite having different everything else, tell me why.
Consistency is important.
9. You have been transformed into your favorite fantasy creature. Problem is… you’re still in your own bedroom and your family is downstairs, completely unprepared for this shock. What creature are you, and how (if at all) do you break the news to your loved ones? (Or how do you get out of your room?)
*deafening squeal of excitement*

I am a dragon. Preferably one that can change in size. Otherwise, my bedroom--which I share with two sisters and a bird--is toast. Literally, toast.
Assuming I'm large enough that my body is crammed in my room, I would wind my neck through the hall and lay there grinning. Then when someone stumbles upon me, I'll say, "So guess what?" and try not to burst into laughter and flames.
Starting up a dragon grill-house/restaurant/deli (still on the fence) would be near the top of my priorities afterwards.

--------


Clean list of questions:
1. In a strange twist of fate, you are transported into a fantasy realm of your choice. The catch? You have also been transformed into your least favorite fantasy creature. Where are you, and what are you?
2. What fantasy creature do you wish featured in more stories? What is your favorite story that has that creature in it?
3. As you are reading this, a voice rings in your ear proclaiming:
A hero true, a leader strong,
A quest is where you do belong,

Besides the fact that this prophetic voice is clearly incapable of sticking to a meter, what ordinary item do you now find yourself armed with? (And, for bonus points, what helpful magical properties does it now possess that will help you on your quest?)
4. You happen across an ad in a catalogue promising a magical fantasy cruise that will allow you to stop in any three realms of your choice and explore each for several days before returning you home (and the ad promises your safe return or your money back, guaranteed!) Assuming this is not a hoax and that the tour guides will actually be able to cater to your requests, what three realms will you tour and what do you hope to see/who would you like to meet along the way?
5. Congratulations! You are a fantasy hero/heroine about to start your adventure. You get to choose a small fantasy creature to accompany and assist you on your quest. Who/what do you choose?
6. Elves or dwarves?
7. Do you prefer your dragons (we had to have at least one question devoted solely to dragons!) good or evil or a mix of both?
8. World building is a complicated undertaking full of many details. As a reader, what is a small detail you really appreciate seeing when it comes to diving into a new realm? What is something that helps you lose yourself in a fantasy world?
9. You have been transformed into your favorite fantasy creature. Problem is… you’re still in your own bedroom and your family is downstairs, completely unprepared for this shock. What creature are you, and how (if at all) do you break the news to your loved ones? (Or how do you get out of your room?)

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Review: Fierce Heart

Since this is February is Fantasy month, and Valentine’s Day happened recently, I’m going to review Fierce Heart by Tara Grayce!
The focus of this FiF is worldbuilding, so those aspects will be mentioned first. :D


I wish this came in paperback...
Check it out!


SPOILER FREE!

———

5 out of 5 stars!

Worldbuilding

So much of the fun in this book came from the culture differences between elves and humans. It wasn't just "oh humans are emotional and exciting; elves are disdainful models."
Through Essie's eyes, we discover, among other things: the ties between the ruling class of elves and their people, the divisions among the people themselves, and nitty-gritty elements like food, gestures, and technology.
The elves have treehouses, comfy clothes, running water, and refrigeration. Tarenhiel (yes I had to refer back to the book to make sure I got the spelling right :P) sounds amazing, even if they have to deal with trolls.
I can't wait to learn more about Essie's homeland in the next book! Assuming that human culture gets the same treatment as the elf, and Essie gets a chance to explain everything to Farrendel.
A few things like weaponry and the state of the nation are referenced, but since Essie spends most of the book in Tarenhiel, we don't get much detail.

My absolute favorite nitty-gritty detail: conditioner. Essie, the determined and clever heroine, uses elven conditioner as a tool to help seal the peace between human and elves. Sure, her marriage was supposed to do that, but people are silly and need something more tangible than their princess’ willingness for such an odd arranged marriage.

One thing I appreciated was the fact that this world's equivalent of modern conveniences/beverages weren't horridly renamed (eg, "hot brown morning potion" instead of "coffee." Lookin' at you, Dragon Prince. :/). They were just there, and their functions accepted as a part of everyday life. Running water, refrigeration, more modern/steampunk weaponry, etc.

The politics, thankfully, were minimal--enough to understand the situation and get an idea of how slow and tedious the processes were, and how they helped/hindered, but not so long that they took up pages of explanation and backstory.



Romance

THIS IS A CLEAN ROMANCE. THE ADULTS KNOW HOW TO COMMUNICATE.
Also:

Quote: Ugh. She gave herself another mental shake, harder this time. She was not going to turn into one of those princesses. The ones in books where they went on and on describing the absolute perfection of their handsome lover’s face, chest, muscles, and so on.

Do I need to say more? XD

The sensuality part of this romance lies in the realization that friendship is growing into something more. 
The couple shares two kisses--semi-detailed, near the end of the story--and they mean so much. 😭

I have a few quote blocks to share, but it may take a little while. Adobe Spark and my computer are being weird...
This review has been sitting in drafts for over a month, and I want to hurry up and get it posted.

Characters


I'm going to stick to gushing about the two MCs, and summarize everyone else. Otherwise I'll be here all day.



Essie (full name Elspeth) asks questions, is aware of herself, and mischievous while also having a good amount of sensibility. I'm tearing up right now, I'm so happy she wasn't a ditz. 💗
She's not the standard "strong female character" that everyone loves to hate. (I know you can't technically define something by what it isn't, but gosh it was refreshing that not even a whiff of that trope existed within her character.)
She's curious, determined, tender, and ready to face the world's challenges--whether she's prepared or not. Are you getting what I'm putting down? I've re-written that line no less than ten times trying to make it clear... XD

While Essie was a...uh, chatterbox (quote: “You’re lucky I only say a fraction of the questions I have in my head.”), and it got on my nerves sometimes, her willingness to face her fears and conquer them more than made up for that light annoyance.

Farrendel is a quiet and wounded warrior, not a broody jerk. He treats his subjects with patience, even if they scorn his scars. He's also kind, inventive, and willing to risk/suffer insanity to protect his family and homeland. His slow but steady opening up to Essie was gush-worthy. But, I don't want to copy/paste the whole book here, so I'll stick with this brief paragraph. ;)

The family dynamics are amazing. Essie's brothers cornering Farrendel after the human wedding ceremony, Farrendel's sisters confronting Essie about not hurting Farrendel, Essie's letters to her mother...
I'm tearing up again; it's not often I hear of, let alone find, a romance story with strong family dynamics.

Friday, February 14, 2020

Reblog- Spec. Faith, Dreams and Dragons

How to Find Signs of God in Many Fantastical WorldsGod has many ways of showing up in the real world, and he can show up in fantasy in just as many ways.

Elements that Make (or Break) a WorldHey'a, everyone! It is February, and that means it's Fantasy Month in the bit of the blogosphere that Jenelle Schmidt influences, including this blog! This year's themes are Worldbuilding and Fantasy Creatures...today, we're talking about worldbuilding elements that really make (or sometimes break) a world for me. These range from the big and mostly-obvious to the small and easily overlooked, but they're all things that, if done well, will take a world to the next level (in my opinion).

Valentine's Day Special: Beauty and the Bard- Ok, so this is not actually a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but I was stuck for a title, so there you go. Anyway. For Valentine's Day, my D&D players requested that I write a short story about how two of the romantically-involved NPCs, Lady Tiria Serys (aka the chief quest-giver) and Ardent the bard (aka Bardent), met. (They all ship this couple to some degree or another. It's great and makes me SO PROUD.) Since I was already planning to write a Valentine's Day short story, I happily complied . . . and then, because I'm an overachiever, I decided to write two versions of the story, one from each perspective.

Take the time to read the comments in the article; they often get into some interesting conversations/expound on the article, and have great book recs.

I'm thinking about re-branding my blog, since I've not been able to keep up with any sort of regular schedule or theme (aside from being sporadic and somewhat random, that is. Hmm, "Sporadic Musings: book reviews, random stories and such from an absent-minded halfling.")
Anyways, look forward to a belated Valentine's Day book review, and (hopefully) some participation in February is Fantasy month.