Some Locations And Structures To Include In Your Forest

Some locations and structures to include in your forest

Abandoned shrine

Alchemist’s lab

Ancient ruins

Army encampment

Battlefield memorial

Boathouse

Bridge, log

Bridge, stone arch

Bridge, suspension

Bridge, wooden beam

Causeway

Cablin

Cable car station

Cairns- grave markers

Cairns- trail marker

Cave system

Caved-in tunnel

Cemetery

Clearing

Campsite

Castle (robber baron or otherwise)

Collapsed building

Dam

Dirt track

Ditch, defensive

Ditch, henge monument

Dock

Dragon’s lair

Elven settlement

Fairy ring

Farm

Ferry landing

Ford

Fort, earthen

Fort, stone

Fort, wooden

Game trail

Ghost town

Guardhouse

Haunted ruins

Hermit’s hut

Hollow hill

Hunting lodge

Hunter’s hide

Inn

Logging camp

Manor house

Mine

Monastery

Outlaw’s hideout

Overgrown ruins

Potholes

Paved road

Portal

Quarry

Railroad

Rail station

Raised platform

Roadside grave

Sacred grove

Sawmill

Sky burial platform

Signpost

Stone circle

Summoning ring

Switchback

Temple

Tollbooth

Treehouse

Troll cave

Tunnel entrance

Turnpike

Village

Waterwheel

Watchtower, stone

Watchtower, wooden

Witches’ cottage

Wizard’s tower

Zip line

To write something you have to risk making a fool of yourself.

- Anne Rice

Happy Storyteller Saturday!

When you finish a first draft, how does it look? Is it readable or does it have more holes than a swiss cheese? What are your next steps, and how much changes?

(If you haven't finished one yet, what do you think how it'll look when you get there?)

Happy Storyteller... Sunday? (:

(Sorry for the late answer!)

Usually, my first drafts are very messy but readable. I may skip a few scenes, or add quick notes instead - what I know the characters need to do, or what I don't know they are going to do, so that I can figure it out later. After finishing a draft I usually take the time to try and write in some of those skipped scenes, do a bit of editing to polish off the writing for the second draft, think of what went "wrong" or what I really enjoyed about certain scenes, or just like, erase whole chunks of the story that don't work anymore and think about what scenes could take their place, that sort of thing!

Then, depending on how I feel about the final version of this first draft, I may set it aside for a while and start some other WIPs (a hiatus, so to speak, to let the ideas for the next draft rest and develop, so that I can come back to it some months later with a fresh mind. For example, my WIP The Last Wrath is in that kind of hiatus rn!), or - if I'm really, really full of ideas and excited to write this next draft - I just move onto the second draft. (:

"Not A Villain Song" Tag Game!

I saw an open tag by @bunnymermaidwrites (here) <3

Rules: Pick a song for the antagonist/ villain of your WIP, but the twist is that it can't be obvious that it is a song for the villain. As in: if someone listened to the song and didn't know it was about the villain, they couldn't guess!

I'll go with Crimson Queen Meira (from my WIP Of Starlight and Beasts) and Lord General Arzhel (from my WIP - and possible comic in the making but we'll see - Jade Ruins) for this one!

[Also, if you guys want to, you could try and guess the meaning of the songs for these specific characters in the replies/reblogs! (: ]

CRIMSON QUEEN MEIRA - Wish by Eurielle

In a world of hope and promises I had a dream of love and blissful happiness, I imagined myself with the perfect life Where all that matters to me could be mine… But somehow it passed me by And left me stranded here I’m running out of time Too late for me, I fear If wishing alone could turn out the light I’d have drifted away to the welcoming night If I could escape just by closing my eyes, I’d already be safe under different skies

LORD GENERAL ARZHEL - Flares by The Script

Did you lose what won't return? Did you love but never learn? The fire's out but still it burns And no one cares, there's no one there Did you find it hard to breathe? Did you cry so much that you could barely see? You're in the darkness all alone And no one cares, there's no one there But did you see the flares in the sky? Were you blinded by the light? [...] Did you break but never mend? Did it hurt so much, you thought it was the end? Lose your heart but don't know when

Tagging (gently)! @lassiesandiego, @littleladymab, @oh-no-another-idea, @little-peril-stories, @rickie-the-storyteller, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @thepeculiarbird,@clairelsonao3, @steh-lar-uh-nuhs, @tabswrites, @memento-morri-writes, @moonluringfrost, @writernopal, @saintedseraph, @sam-glade and OPEN TAG

Tell me more about those snakes from The Frost 👀👀 or just The Frost in general lol

~ @tabswrites

Yay, now I have an excuse to rant about the Frosts!!!! Thank you so much for the ask, @tabswrites! (Sorry I couldn't answer yesterday, I was really tired. But I'm back now!)

Let's do this (:

The Frosts have an enchanted winter, that is everlasting (unlike the other regions of the realm which have regular seasons). The magic present in this winter is incredibly raw and wild, and much of the nature within the Frosts is untamed - this set of circumstances is said to have given rise to the first True Dragons and giant snakes, though that is uncertain, given that those creatures have been in the realm before humans even existed.

It is important to note why "True Dragons" are called that - in this realm there are some extremely rare shapeshifters, called Changers, who are able to turn into dragon-like beings. They're very similar in appearance and size to True Dragons, the key differences are:

True Dragons can live for eons, thousands and thousands of years if not killed by another dragon or an extremely lucky knight. Changers are humans with shapeshifting abilities, their lifespans are not that much longer than regular humans - they may life to 150 years maximum, if their magic is powerful.

True Dragons are nigh impossible to kill - their scales are thick and reflective, like reinforced gemstones, and their massive size and strenght make it nearly impossible to take them on a fight. They also have extremely keen sense and are terribly cunning and intelligent - sneaking up on one of them will not end well. Meanwhile, while Changers are incredibly strong and formidable in their dragon form, they're not nearly as undefeatable as True Dragons (they're slightly smaller, less instinctive and more liable to making human mistakes).

True Dragons are indeed sentient, but they do not speak like humans do. Instead, they communicate telepathically between each other. If they so choose, they may speak inside the mind of a nearby human, but they rarely do. Changers - because they're humans who turn into dragons - can speak in their dragon form and do not possess many telepathic abilities.

Now about those giant snakes!

Giant serpents/snakes are not dragons, and are their own, unrelated type of creature. The people of the Frosts consider those snakes as symbols of power and extreme intelligence, and they're considered guardians of the Frosts and those within it - still, they're extremely dangerous, and its best to not cross paths with them (they're not evil, they're a force of nature, like the ocean tides or the rain - they can be helpful, but also can cause deathly harm). They're extremely large, most of them rivalling True Dragons in size and strenght - the biggest serpent of that kind could possibly wrap around the peak of a small mountain - but they're not sentient, they're wild animals born of wild magic. Even True Dragons know to avoid them and respect them.

Fun Fact! The most powerful spymaster of the region - at the service of the five clans of the Frosts, and a personal friend of many of their rulers - Aesra Haell, has adopted the imagery of a giant snake as the sygil of his House, due to their unpredictability and role in protecting the Frosts. He was given the apt nickname of "The Serpent of the Frosts" because of this, and because of his reputation.

Some other important/interesting facts about the Frosts!

As you already know, the Frosts land is divided amongst five, proud, matriarchal clans. They do not wage war against one another, though they do not always see eye to eye, and cohexist in the Frosts through a harmony born of a strict sense of honor and a a warrior's code. They believe in strenght, might, intelliggence and adaptability - and above all things, a deep respect for the balance of nature.

The inhabitants of the Frosts are expert craftspeople, and with the rare, magical materials their land has to offer, their creations are often one of a kind.

Maryon 'Haell', one of the protagonists, is Aeras Haell's adoptive daughter. She was born somewhere along the borders of the Frosts and the other realms (it is hinted that her parents may have been traders from Orloch trying to make a voyage to the Frosts, which went very wrong, but nothing is confirmed. Either way she was very far from home). She four years old when was found wandering the frozen woods after trying to sneak into a caravan that was returning to one of the cities of the Frosts, where coincidentally Aeras Haell was. He saved the young child and decided to raise her as his own, perhaps as a successor in his spy network, if she one day so chooses that path.

I feel the need to clarify this - Changers are NOT necessarily native to the Frosts, they can be born there, just as they can be born anywhere else in the realm. Meanwhile all True Dragons are always born from the Frosts, and most choose to stay, with only a few migrating to other regions.

Some populations of the Frosts are nomadic travellers, but they always hail to a specific clan. Most, however, live within the underground cities and mountainous fortresses that pepper the snowy landscape of their land.

Their oceans have been - mostly - frozen for centuries.

I hope this was a good answer! I love talking about my worlbuilding, so always feel free to ask more! (:

Also, here, have some of the songs that inspired me aesthetically whilst writing about this land!

Frozen Heart - Colm Mcguiness

Battle Cries - Peyton Parish

Son of Man - Phil Collins (Peyton Parish cover)

Glitnir - Danheim

(@crowandmoonwriting just if you want to check this out! I know you love winter aesthetics!)

Smooth Sumac: What's something that's common & generally helpful in your story?

Thank you so much for the ask, @clairelsonao3!!!! I'm sorry for the very late answer, I'm trying to catch up with my old tags and asks this week!

Smooth Sumac: What's something that's common & generally helpful in your story?

Well, this is a complicated question lmao! I would say that, in the setting of my main current WIP Of Starlight and Beasts, something really helpful is magic. One can use magic to heal illnesses/treat infected wounds (ahem, for example like that one chapter where an enchanted potion literally saves Kyran from dying from an infection after being rescued at one point in the story -), to find their way in some specific locations, to make food taste better, to build extravagant buildings, to make combat easier, to tell children stories (like a little movie, only the sorcerer is casting images)! Almost, (and that's a very BIG almost), anything!

Another example of where magic is really helpful is Tomasa's shapeshifting ability, which allows her to turn into a giant, extremely shiny, dragon. This not only allows her and the other MCs to get from one kingdom to another more quickly (which, since they're literally racing against time to stop an ancient evil from destroying everything, is really a question of life and death. especially in a medieval world with no extremely advanced means of transport readily available for everyone) but literally saves their lives more times than I can count (after all, having a dragon on your side in battle definitely shifts the tides a bit, wouldn't you say, lmao?)!