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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.

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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?)

4 comments:

  1. Awesome! Thanks for joining the fun! And weremonkeys? They totally need to be a thing!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks again for letting me steal the tag. :D

      And thanks for stopping by!

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  2. Loved reading your answers so much! (And goodness, we've read practically all the same books)

    Weremonkeys totally need to be a thing. *nods*

    I've really enjoyed watching everyone hem and haw over the least favorite creature question, it's really neat to see how many different answers there are.

    *grin* the first few people to do the tag did not mention the plot-hole in the "money back guarantee" - I was starting to worry that nobody gets my sense of humor. I appreciate you pointing it out! :) :) And those would all be EPIC places to visit!!

    Ooh, I had forgotten about wolpertingers, but those are fun. (And fun to say)

    Also, I just purchased Trouble in Bookland because the description sounded like great fun. :)

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    Replies
    1. Reading through some of the posts, I was surprised, as well. I found that hilarious, because the guarantee was the first thing I noticed. XD

      Yeeesss. I'm considering doing a Twilight-type short story with a weremonkey, because that would be hilarious and give me an excuse to write weremonkeys into a story. (And make fun of Twilight.)

      Ah, thanks, I appreciate it! Now I just need to not stress that a successful, published author is reading my high school grad project... ('^.^)

      Thanks for stopping by!

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