Fantasist's Scroll

What is the art of magical writing?

Well, I think it would be called “chirography”. It’s not really a popular way to do magic in the West, but the Eastern magi have used it for generations. Taoist charms and such are all mainly written spells on special paper with special ink and blessed by special ceremonies and prayers. Of course, Western wizards have the Runes, but it just doesn’t have the same feel. Runes are usually engraved on stone or wood and they seem so primative with all their sharp angles and simple forms. But, Eastern calligraphy is so flowing and exotic that it just seems to be made from magic.
I was first introduced to this kind of magic via anime and manga. A priestess holds up a strip of paper with Chinese symbols on it, shouts out a “prayer”, and a fireball launches from the paper. What fun! Every so often, I search for information on this, but rarely come up with much. The latest time, though, I found Yellow Dragon Talismans.
It occured to me that this would be a great way to do magic in a fantasy fiction world. It’s not really something that I’ve seen before and it has some nice limitations that generate some good plots. Also, as a writer, I like the emphasis on how magic the written word is! In any case, it’s an idea that captures my imagination, so I thought I’d throw it out for anyone else who might be fishing for an idea for their constructed world.

No, I mean really psycho toys…

It all started with a harmless, little article on Wired about new cube toys. (Make sure to read the article. It explains a lot about the rest of this.) Then I Googled on a few of the artists and came up with SweatyFrog Toys, KidRobot and finally XL-Shop online. Oh, my stars and garters, as a favorite comic-book hero was known for saying. The toys are truly mad and more fun than a barrel full of developers! They do get a bit pricey, though. SweatyFrog Toys has the best prices, but the other two have a better selection. In any case, it’s great fun to window shop there. And, hey, it’s Friday, go have fun!

Oy! I finally get it!

This morning, while thinking like Martin Luther, it occurred to me why I have trouble with some of my fellow conlangers. It’s a simple difference of philosophy. They are opposed to my automated tools on the basis that they somehow degrade the “art” of conlanging. I think, to them, that the process of conlanging is the whole point.
To me, though, a constructed language isn’t relavent without a constructed culture to go with it. That is the fun of conlanging for me. Seeing the interplay of culture and language in a new way, or even an old way that I’m controlling, is the fun thing. The language creation itself is just a means to an end, so it only makes sense to me to crank it out as quickly as possible.

It’s interesting that this never occured to me before. Of course, I may have been so busy being defensive that I didn’t take the time to figure out what was going on. And, I have to admit, I let my temper get the best of me. I got irritated with the snobbery I percieved in the arguments I heard against using automation. I guess technology has become such a part of my life that I take for granted what it can do for me and that not everyone else exploits it the way I do. Go figure.
Anyway, I thought it was an interesting observation….

You know what “they” say….

And, just who are “they” after all? What makes them an authority? How do “they” get their message out? What channels tdo “they” use? Is what “they” say really true?
Well, I don’t know about any of that, but now, you can decide for yourself! That’s right, you can actually create “them” and their nefarious plot. No matter what you may have heard, conspiracies aren’t born, they’re made. And, you can make them! A new show over at TechTV focuses on nothing but conspiracy theories and the nutjobs that come up with them. Well, they thought the general public might like the chance to invent their very own conspiracy theory, so, they put up a guide on how to do it.

While it is fun all by itself, the steps involved are perfect for creating a dastardly plot for your villian to carry out against your hero. And, I hope, it will stimulate some creativity, as well.
Enjoy!

Let’s make some history!

I love timelines. They’re a great way to summarize history and a wonderful way to stimulate sociological creativity.
Using timelines to outline historical development is a technique I first saw discussed in Dragon Magazine as a way to make the game world more “real”. The writer used it to great effect in an example from a post-apocalyptic game called Gamma World. He sketched out a timeline that made a small tribe seem more three-dimensional because they had a history. I think a lot of culture is history, or, perhaps a lot of culture is the result of history.

In any case, I’ve messed around with timelines for some time. In my search for ideas, I came across a little program that would, given a few parameters, generate a timeline for you. Sure, it was random and simple, but it had enormous potential for creativity. So, of course, I had to steal it. Well, at least, “co-opt” it. So, now, I have a simple, web-based version available for free.
Y’all enjoy the new Timeline Generator.

This is for all you Monty Python fans…

Someone with way, way too much time on their hands has answered the timeless question “How fast can an unladen swallow fly?” Now, if you’ve seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail, you know that this is the question asked of the rather rude Frenchman when he insisted that the coconut which hit King Arthur on the head was dropped by an African Swallow. Of course, it doesn’t matter since such a small bird cannot possibly carry something as heavy as a coconut. What?! You doubt me?!? Well, your aunties smell of elderberries!!

Ever wanted to have a blog recorded in Shire Reckoning?

How about Islamic dates? Well, now, you can do just that in MovableType thanks to my CustomDates plugin. I started with code from a plugin done by zumaidi and posted on the MovableType Support boards. Then, I added a CPAN module by Tom Braun for calculating the date according to Shire Reckoning.

As far as I can tell, no one has done this before. Not sure why no one’s done anything sooner, but I was totally dissatisfied with the lack of a custom date feature in MovableType. Luckily for me, one of the better features of MT is that it’s extendable with PERL. So, I put this little baby together. It’s not perfect, but it does a fairly good job. I still need to make some improvements and add in some more date systems, like Hebrew and the Forgotten Realms, but it’s good enough to release now, I think.
You can see and example of it running at my test blog. Of course, as I add and test new features, that test blog will change a bit.

Enjoy!

No, really, that’s what it’s called!

Cartoon Network has put together the “Ultimate Wishlist” of stuff from their network. And, man, is it ever the ultimate!! Ever wish you could have Space Ghost’s desk? It’s in there. How about Dexter’s Lab? There, too. Bascially, every cool, wild, or crazy thing from Cartoon Network’s in-house shows is on sale here. Of course, they’re all expensive, but, if you have the cash, it’s worth it!!
All this and just in time for Christmas, too!!

(This post is too good to pass up, so it’s also appearing on my other blog at the same time. I know, it’s kind of weak, but this is just too much fun! ‘Sides, it’s my birthday, so I get to do what I want!!)