Yet another list for the sake of writing reference. I went with the more basic/well known mythological creatures so I didn’t really include some of the old and very obscure ones. I also want to specify that these a more European/American based mythological beasts. There is an enormous amount of mythological creatures special to every part of the world. Perhaps I’ll make more lists of fantasy creatures but more country/region specific?
“I did not fall in love. That makes it sound like a sort of accident. No, I did not fall. I descended a spiraling staircase, following it downwards, deeper and deeper. Sure, it was slower, but I was aware of every single step.
And the walk back up was so very, very slow.”
~ Excerpt from “Velvet Heart”, A story a began a year ago but never finished.
~*~
“I once met a fox who said, “lying is just another form of Story telling.”
“Yes,” I said. “That is true. But the intentions are never the same. A story is not built to manipulate.”
“Oh, but they are! Emotions and thoughts are twisted around the writer’s pen.”
“That is true. But the intention is to find beauty in manipulation. A means to an end. It is not a story woven to conceal and shadow. Fiction is called just that. ”
“Not all. Some are mislabeled and presented truthfully. Some are called history.”
“History is a story?”
“Indeed. Only ever told by the victors.” “
~Excerpt from “The Tales of Mr. Fox”, a short novel I started a year and a half ago. I hope to finish it eventually.
~*~
“Good can praise the Good, Evil can praise the Evil, but when Evil praises the good and Good understands the Evil is when it’s truly special.”
~Excerpt from a short story titled “Paper Girl”. Wrote it four years ago and never Finished it.
~*~
“I’ll tell you a secret:
You spot a romantic simply whether or not and how long they look at the sky.”
~Another Excerpt from “Paper Girl”
~*~
“I think I’d rather be an optimist than a pessimist- I don’t think I could take being wrong that often.”
~Excerpt from an unnamed short story.
“Take it from me, darling. I’d rather be single and happy then committed to the wrong person and miserable. “
~Another “Paper Girl” Excerpt
~*~
“Do you know what all stories have in common? They end.
Such is the human life.
Since the beginning of time, no one has escaped the sad truth that our human lives will meet a conclusion someday. Many have tried to escape this, but none succeed. Nothing is new under the sun. We live and die-that is life.
But how do we as humans cope with this unrelenting cold truth? That all we know will pass in the blink of an eye? The same way we deal with all hardships:
Art.
We tell stories. We sing songs. And create.
Through art we find beauty and solace in the saddest of truths. Because sometimes the loveliest things in life are tragic, and there is beauty in caring- therefore there is beauty in hurt. This is why we can smile a little as we realize the bittersweet truth- we cannot take anything with us, but we always leave something behind.
I am choosing to leave this behind. “
~Excerpt from “Space, Soul, & Death” which was intended to be a short story collection. I started it three years ago. Perhaps I’ll write enough pieces to finish it someday.
~*~
Thanks for sticking around to read this hodge podge of a post. Perhaps you might draw some inspiration from these dusty words and snippets of dialogue!
And the reference lists keep coming! But if you’re anything like me, you have a bookmark folder primarily for writing references and lists such as these to perhaps you will find some use for these! Though don’t get too distracted with lists and references. Keep writing!
Hello, ladies and gents! and welcome to another contest entry!
I’ve been enjoying getting more involved in the writing wordpress community and it’s been quite fun I must say! Especially considering all the fun little tags and contests floating around. So its no surprise that I’m participating in another community contest hosted by Inky. So, I present you my entry for Inky’s Custom Contest!
logo copyright credits- the ruby and flower are not Inky’s own images
Rules
add the featured image on the start of the post (but you can make your own design, and place Inky’s at the end.)
follow the selected categories: writing, painting, digital designing or baking.
max three entries (but you can only win one)
for writing, max words is 350. it also has to be family friendly.
for painting+ designing ; make sure it’s kid friendly. if you’re unsure; send it over to my gmail.
when pasting the logo; make sure to add the copyright credits. (caption)
use “inky’s custom contest” tag in the post.
My Entries
Originally, I wanted to enter in the Writing, Painting, Baking, & Digital Designing categories but, alas, as I am running low on time to work on creative projects these days (Yay College! :D), I’ll only be entering in the Baking, Painting & Digital Content categories.
Digital Design Entry
Fun fact about me (if anyone cares but I’m gonna tell it anyways), I started doing digital editing & Art when I was 11. And oh boy, was it bad. Like really bad. But now, 9 WHOLE YEARS LATER, I can look at my creations without cringing (sometimes). My favorite digital pieces have always been ones in that disney-esque CGI style (because the animation of Tangled enraptured me). If you’re interested in seeing more of my pieces, I generally upload them to my pinterest & I have a instagram for it. (I would love to see my fellow bloggers on other platforms! Also pinterest is like 90% of how I waste my time…)
Baking
These are Pecan Pie Tartlets (I freaking LOVE tartlets. They make me want to throw a teaparty or something, I swear). Generally they’re best right out of the oven and look so cute on a little plate. ❤
Painting
Blasted people are so hard to paint but they also feel so rewarding when you’re done if they turn out right. You really feel like you’ve accomplished something, yaknow?
Nominations:
And that concludes my entries! Nominations for entering are open right now so feel free to enter and tag Inky so she can see your lovely works of art! See ya, readers!
Hey there bloggers! Just like with my superpower masterlist (which you can find here), this is done for character creation and writer reference for whatever story you’re working on. I plan to do more lists like these in the future. I have one in the works for a list of fantasy creatures and a list of medieval/fantasy town jobs. Until then, enjoy my extensive list of fantasy classes.
Just another tag I saw floating around on weheartit. You can find the original post that I saw here. Feel free to do it too if you’d like!
a – animal i love
A humming bird. A Ruby throated humming bird to be precise. I saw one once in my homeschooling science textbook when I was about 9 and decided they were the most gorgeous creatures ever.
b – best feature/trait
Hardworking. I tend to overwork myself a little in fact. I’m sorry, there’s just so much I want to do! The struggle is real. I want to try everything and do all the things.
c – color i like
Any shade of blue really.
d – dream of mine
To get a book published. This is no secret. It’s been my goal since age 11. And someday I hope it will come to fruition. Fingers crossed!
e – element i connect with
This is hard. I like water but my personality seems more akin to air. Hmm.. air and water…so maybe like…steam? Rain? I don’t know man.
f – favorite tv show
Probably Merlin. It made me cry but I love it so, so, so much. I also adore Avatar The Last Airbender- the show of my childhood. I was into watching RWBY for awhile too until the very unfortunate and sudden passing of one of the main creators, Monty Oum, and the show took a strange turn as they switched writers.
g – great achievement
I survived high school? I have a blog? I finished the rough draft of my novel? I don’t know, while I love these achievements, I don’t really think about them a lot because I always want to do better or move on to the next thing.
h – height
5’1 and 1/2. Don’t forget the 1/2. (though that might be my shoes??)
i – in love with
Sleeping. And rain. Sleeping while it rains.
j – job of my dreams
Author! Shocking to no one.
k – kids i want
Like 2 or 3 maybe? Depends on what my life ends up looking like.
l – languages i speak
Sorry, dumb American here- I speak English. Das it. I took Latin in high school then quickly forgot everything I learned in the class when I graduated.
m – magical powers i want
I want to control elements of nature! Either that or control time. That would be pretty stinkin awesome. Or shape shifting… ummm… its hard to decide, what can I say?? Final answer is shape shifting I think.
n – number of siblings
Three. Two younger, one older. I am one of the dreaded middle children.
o – one favorite song
Just one, huh? Okay… the Narnia soundtrack? Just all of it.
Crud, I already failed, that’s like 20 songs.
p – personality
I honestly don’t know. Quiet if I don’t know you that well, loud if I do? Introverted? Sometimes moody?
q – quote i live by
Probably one from Tolkien but I personally have a lot of quotes that I adore and want to integrate into my existence. But for now, we’ll settle on this one by Van Gogh.
“It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done.”
*Slinks into a corner to weep*
r – reasons to smile
I’m alive, aren’t I? Sometimes that fact is great weight to me, but often it is a gift.
s – style
Warm. I get so cold. Bring the sweaters and the fuzzy socks. I want them all.
t – time i wake up
Varies like crazy. I have the morning shift at work when I do work in the summer so I would get up at like 4:30 AM, but during school its about 7AM. During breaks, I am a lazy slob so the time can range from 7:30-9:30AM depending on what I have to do that day or how late I stayed up the night before.
u – underrated feature/skill of yours
I can cut strawberries very nicely (I used to work at a tea shop where cutting fruit to look cute was VITAL).
v – vacation place
New Zealand.
w – worst habit
Was Nail-biting but I’ve actually stopped within the last year. I’m pretty addicted to thrift shopping but honestly my worst habit is probably isolating myself when I’m depressed or upset which makes stuff even worse. Angsty girl problems. I also have an unhealthy addiction to iced coffee. White girl problems.
x – x-rays i had
Only one, on my collar bone when I broke it. I was so small I had to stand on a chair while they took it. The chair nearly slid out from under me and I very nearly broke the other one.
y – your comfort movie
How to train your dragon, Toy Story, Rise of the Guardians, Inside-Out, Aladdin, any animated movie I watched young especially. The Lord of the Rings movies could be included in this list as well. And the disney Narnia movies.
z – zodiac sign
Capricorn. The Mermaid goat, ya know?
And that’s a wrap! Farewell for now, bloggers! Thanks for sticking around to know a little bit more about me! Feel free to do this tag if you so desire!
New year’s is not going how you expected. Not in the least. During the New Year’s Eve celebrations, you noticed a strange cloud on the horizon of the sky that no one else seems to pay attention to. Quickly, it culminates into an enormous storm before blowing everyone and everything about. Somehow, perhaps by falling and hitting your head, you’re knocked out. Only to wake up and find yourself on January 1st of the previous year.
★Vulnerable
You’re a reckless teen who has little to no regard for your own safety. Fed up with your act, your guardian angel quits. But little did you know what he was really protecting you from….
★A Mysterious Read
You go to check out book at your local library to find there is a book reserved at the desk for you. The cover is blank so you don’t know the title. Confused and unable to remember whether or not it was you who reserved the book, you take it home and begin to read. To your surprise, the book describes the beginning of your day, right up until you checked the book out. But there is more to read….
★Fish Bait
You are a farm boy who lives near a lake and herds goats and sheep for a living. One day, you decide to fish for your supper. But, to your surprise, you find something much bigger than a fish at the end of your line. You have caught the famed Capricorn.
★Cursed Castle
You are the daughter of a wealthy family who happens to own a castle. You don’t exactly live like a princess like expected. In fact, the castle is simply a tourist attraction and is the means by which your family makes their living. One day, while helping your mom clean the basement of the castle, you see a full suit of armor walk from one end of the hall to another before disappearing around the corner. Confused and amazed, you inform your mother who of course doesn’t believe you, chalking it up to the wild imagination of a child. But you know what you saw. And other weird things begin to happen….
★ Garnet Heart
The year is 2052, and you are a robotic scientist who has achieved much in your life. Your specialty is developing incredibly intelligent AI, and, for an upcoming Science Event, you decide to design a new, and innovative Robot: The GEM. The GEM design is a humanoid robot design with a chamber in the robot’s chest where you can place an item. You chose a Garnet, and your first GEM robot comes to life. You later find out that the personality of the robot depends on the gem you place in their chest.
A few days ago, I got together an extensive list of Super Powers to aid in people’s character creation. In a similar vein, I wanted to create a post with a few tips and tricks one might employ when making a gifted vigilante or superhero sort of character.
Though one thing to keep in mind when developing the areas below for your character, that each thing is generally connected to create a cohesive and believable MC. For example, the outfit/armor of your hero may tie into their power and/or their backstory. Or vice versa. All of the elements of a super hero character- the clothes, the powers, the backstory, everything, are generally connected in some way.
The Clothes/Suit
There are a few things to consider when creating your character’ super suit. First, how does it tie into the hero’s identity? Generally, it can tie in a few different ways…
It ties into their powers
It’s design and overall style could harken to the hero’s powers. Like Mr. Lightning bolt man having a lightning bolt on the chest of his suit. This is pretty common with most superheroes though it doesn’t have to be the case.
Another way it can tie into the character’s power can be done by functionality. Think about The Incredibles and how each person’s suit is designed to match their powers. For example, Violet’s suit disappears along with her. In general, the functionality of the armor or suit of your hero should definitely be taken into account, especially where their skills are concerned. We don’t want Inferno Man’s costume going up in flames constantly, now do we?
It ties into their backstory
Sometimes, a character’s outfit can harken back to their roots. Where they came from. Got a hero who was once a pick-pocket living on the streets? Maybe give him some slightly tattered street clothes. This can be done with many characters though generally this outfit is changed out for a new, more suitable (and generally more stylish) super suit later.
It ties into their position with a group or team
This isn’t always the case as there tend to be a lot solo heroes out there, but if you plan on putting your character on a team with other individuals, maybe consider if they have a uniform? Or a symbol of sorts that appears on all of their suits?
The Powers
Figuring out powers for you character can be the most fun part of character creation (and often is the first place I start when make super hero OC’s), BUT sometimes if I’m starting with a backstory, I can get stuck. Generally powers tie into the character’s backstory but this can also be left up to speculation.
Below are a couple things to consider when picking out your character’s power if you haven’t already done so.
A Weakness
Overall, it’s a good idea to give you character a weakness of sort or some clear limits of what they can do once you’ve picked out their power. Every well designed power should come with its own “rules”.
Their superhero name
If they have one, tying it back to their super powers is the common choice. You can get really creative here. Animals or creatures of sort are often used as names. Colors are often employed as well. Or you can just go for an alias for your OC. It’s all up to you.
The Backstory
The backstory, when done well, should cover a few elements. The origins of their powers/skills, their relationship with their support system (and often, how they lost that support system. Backstories generally involve the death or a romantic partner or family member), and what led them to the life they now lead.
The Team
This is an optional element, but deciding whether your hero works solo or with a group is vital to the story. If you do choose to drop your hero into a group, you need to develop the other characters and figure out whether they’re other fighters like your MC or if they’re more of a support crew. You also need to consider whether or not they work under an umbrella organization or if they operate under their own terms.
The Tech
Technology in super hero media and stories tend to be a little more advanced or bizarre than that of the real world. It’s a good idea to flesh out exactly where technology is at in your story and time period as this often plays a role in the storyline of most super hero tales.
The Villain
And finally, we get to the second most important element of the story. There are tons of different avenues you can take with the Villain. You can make him sympathetic, have personal ties with the hero or another “good” character to complicate things, give him all sorts of cool gear…the possibilities are endless. But, in all this fun, don’t forget the MAIN AND IMPORTANT THING TO DO WHEN MAKING A VILLAIN FOR YOUR STORY-
Make it make sense as to why your hero is opposing the villain. Hero development and Villain development are tightly linked as this is where you should start considering MOTIVES. And motives, are often what give SPICE to a hero’s tale. Because these motives can be shockingly different or similar in some cases. But at some point, the villain and hero are going to need to butt heads. And it needs to make sense to the reader as to WHY.
And I think that’ll do it! There’s much more to say on this topic but there’s a brief overview of what I personally find important when developing a Super Hero OC. Good luck on creating your supers!
By the Brooke 