Last Of The Animal Terrarium Series~ I Had To Take A Long Break Due To Being Super Sick For A While But

Small fantasy worldbuilding elements you might want to think about:

A currency that isn’t gold-standard/having gold be as valuable as tin

A currency that runs entirely on a perishable resource, like cocoa beans

A clock that isn’t 24-hours

More or less than four seasons/seasons other than the ones we know

Fantastical weather patterns like irregular cloud formations, iridescent rain

Multiple moons/no moon

Planetary rings

A northern lights effect, but near the equator

Roads that aren’t brown or grey/black, like San Juan’s blue bricks

Jewelry beyond precious gems and metals

Marriage signifiers other than wedding bands

The husband taking the wife's name / newlyweds inventing a new surname upon marriage

No concept of virginity or bastardry

More than 2 genders/no concept of gender

Monotheism, but not creationism

Gods that don’t look like people

Domesticated pets that aren’t re-skinned dogs and cats

Some normalized supernatural element that has nothing to do with the plot

Magical communication that isn’t Fantasy Zoom

“Books” that aren’t bound or scrolls

A nonverbal means of communicating, like sign language

A race of people who are obligate carnivores/ vegetarians/ vegans/ pescatarians (not religious, biological imperative)

I’ve done about half of these myself in one WIP or another and a little detail here or there goes a long way in reminding the audience that this isn’t Kansas anymore.

RIP Joann, now what?

I wanted to make a post I could copy and paste and or link when I see folks asking where to buy fabrics when Joann is gone. I sew a lot, generally between 100-200 items a year and I don't do it on a big budget. Stores are not in a particular order.

Notions:

Wawak.com - start here, mostly stay here. Wawak is a supplier for professional sewing businesses and have the prices that show it. I will not pay for gutermann Mara 100 anywhere else. I buy buttons, tools, thread, and most elastic here.

Stitch Love Studio - this is where I buy lingerie supplies https://www.etsy.com/shop/StitchLoveStudio?ref=yr_purchases

Fabric:

Fabric Mart - this is one where you want to sign up for emails and never buy unless its on sale. They run different sales every day and they rotate. Mostly deadstock fabrics but I buy more from here than anywhere else. Fantastic customer service and if you watch you can get things like $6 wool suiting or $4 cotton jersey. https://fabricmartfabrics.com/

Fabrics-Store - again, buy the sales not the full price. Sign up for the emails but redirect them to a folder because it is TOO MANY. They stock linen or good but not amazing quality. https://www.fabrics-store.com/

Purple Seamstress - This is where I buy my solid cotton lycra jersey. They have other things, but the jersey is what I'm here for. Inexpensive and very good quality. If you ask she will mail you a swatch card for the solids. https://purpleseamstressfabric.com/

LA Finch - deadstock fabrics with a fantastic remnant selection https://lafinchfabrics.myshopify.com/

Califabrics - mix of deadstock and big brands, easy to navigate and always seem to have good denim in stock. https://califabrics.com/

Boho Fabrics - good variety, nice bundles. I have also gotten some really great trims from here. https://www.bohofabrics.com/

Firecracker Fabrics - garment and quilting fabrics, really nice selection and great sale section. I've bought $5 yard quilting cottons here several times. https://www.firecrackerfabrics.com/

Hancock's of Paducah - Quilting fabric and some limited garment fabric. AMAZING sale section. Do not sleep on the sale section. This is my first stop when buying quilting fabrics. Usually the last stop too. Not particularly speedy shipping. https://www.hancocks-paducah.com/

Itokri - This is something a little different. Itokri is an Indian business with incredible traditional fabrics. Shipping to the US is expensive, but the fabric is so inexpensive it evens out. I generally end up paying like $30 for shipping. Beautiful ikat and block prints. https://itokri.com/

Miss Matatabi - this is a little treat. This isn't where you go to save money, but there are so many beautiful things in this shop. Ships from Japan incredibly quickly. https://shop.missmatatabi.com/

Lucky Deluxe - Craft thrift store, always has an incredible selection and fantastic customer service. I need to close the tab fast because I never go to this website without finding something I need. https://www.luckydeluxefabrics.com/

Swanson's - the OG of online craft thrift stores, but I find their website harder to navigate. https://www.swansonsfabrics.com

Honorary Mentions: I haven't shopped at these places yet but I have had them recommended and likely will at some point.

A Thrifty Notion - https://athriftynotion.com/

Creative Closeouts - https://creativecloseoutsfabric.com/ being rebranded to sewsnip.com on March 1 - quilting deadstock

Hawthorne Supply Co. - I just got this rec and I think I need to not look too closely or I'm going to slip with my debit card. https://www.hawthornesupplyco.com/

This is not an exhaustive list of everywhere you can buy fabric, or even a full list of where I shop. There are SO many options out there in the world. You also need to think outside the fabric store box. I thrift men's shirt fabrics for quilts and sheets for backing fabric. I don't do a ton of in person thrifting and my local stores don't get a lot of craft materials but every thrift store is its own universe and reflects the community it is in. Go out and find something cool.

Oh and final note: Don't shop at Hobby Lobby.

Changeling Boyfriend

Given that the town you live in is tiny and isolated, the amount of men you could court is awfully small. As the other girls begin growing into womanhood, the boys started to be snatched up faster than you can blink. Given that you had very little interest in marriage, much to your father’s chagrin, you ended up getting the leftovers of the pot when you were finally convinced to settle down.

It is not as though you don’t like any of the boys, you just don’t see how you can raise a family with them. Deciding who to spend the rest of your life with, for better or for worse, is no small task. Your mother calls you overly picky, but how can anyone blame you?

After quickly shifting through the others, you manage to start courting one of the Miller boys. Duncan has a mop of red curls, his skin peppered with countless freckles. He is a few inches taller than you, strong from carrying bags of grain to and fro, and has the most charming laugh. There is the slightest limp in his walk from an accident at the mill, barely noticeable to anyone who does not know him. Maybe not the most handsome of the town, but certainly reliable.

Keep reading

I'm sick in bed, someone rub my head and read me a story

One of the most common ways you preserve pork without refrigeration is keeping it in really salty water. This makes the pork borderline inedible because it’s so salty. What you don’t see in medieval fantasy is people soaking their meat in water for a bit before they cook it.

That’s also a reason to boil your meat though. Like yeah meat tastes better if you sear it first but sometimes you’ve gotta get that salt out.

At the library I picked up Venomous by Christie Wilcox, a nonfiction book about venom, on a whim and holy shit. I just finished it. I’ve never torn through a non-fiction book this fast. Absolutely fucking amazing i am just reeling from the pure wonder and fascination and the absurd amounts of cursed knowledge

Classifications of Magic Users

I thought I’d share with you my own system of magic and how to classify how powerful a witch is. Fair warning there’s 12 I use so this will be long

For starters Witch is the umbrella term. If you use magic you’re a witch or thaumaturge if you prefer a term without a specific gender.

1) Magicians: Magic of the spells. The lowest rank of witch and most common. Magicians can only ever really master one spell. There exists one magician for every spell in existence. It may seem kinda sad but every magician can always perform their spell perfectly and successfully. Always. In a direct comparison no other witch will ever be able to cast the same spell as flawlessly as the magician who’s mastered it.

2) Mages: Magic of the elements. These witches can only ever master one type of magic. Be it fire magic, mental magic, cleaning magic, etc. like magicians they are also the most skilled at the magic they specialize in. Different from magicians in the sense that there are more than one mage who masters a type of magic.

3) Alchemists/Witch Doctors: Magic of objects. studious witches who specialize in potion making, magical item crafting and charm making. They create the magical artifacts that all kinds of witches can use...for a price. Any craft made by an alchemist, or potion brewed is guaranteed to work. They invented brooms, wands, charms, etc. Some prefer the term witch doctor.

4) Wizards: Magic of space. Wizards deal with magic from other worlds, be it the realms of the gods, the faerie realm, or something else entirely. They draw their power from the secret places of the secret worlds and pluck power from between the stars. Their secrets are guarded zealously and due to their unearthly magic it is quite difficult to overcome.

5) Warlocks: Magic of the dark. Warlocks know all the dark magics and are particularly gifted at curses, jinxes, hexes, and all manner or malevolent magic. Unsurprisingly they are often sought out for wars or as soldiers or for revenge. Their dark magic is the best. Their power level is equal to Wizard ranking witches

6) Sorcerers: Magic of the mind. this rank is often looked to for guidance and wisdom. Sorcerers and sorceresses posses great psychic power. Often having multiple extra sensory abilities. The most powerful among them can know the future, hear thoughts, sense emotions, know the past and astral project. It is extremely difficult to surprise a sorcerer/ess or keep news from them.

7) Shamans/druids: Magic of the people. one of the most respected and revered rank of witch. A shaman or druid is deeply connected to the magic of their culture and environment. Similar to sorcerers and wizards there is little these witches do not know about their people and the power that fuels them. It is whispered they can directly commune with the deities that watch over their people and that they can even make contact with the spirits of ancestors, former leaders, and the spirits of nature. They have particularly strong connections with local animals.

8) Soothsayers: Magic of the voice. All soothsayers cast spells or work magic vocally. They are particularly feared since they are not bound to strict incantation rules. Some say that whatever a soothsayer says is bound to happen. Be it a prediction, a command or even an alteration in reality. Incidently no two soothsayers cast spells the same, one might rhyme, anither sing, and a third uses another language. (Like backwards speech for example ;).

9) Sages: Magic through science. Sages are perhaps the most crucial rank to witchcraft. Sages and scientists and inventors. Because of their genius they are slways advancing magic and creating new spells, formulas, potion ingredients, blueprints, etc. They are also one of three ranks able to perform magic of every kind. Without them magic would stop progressing.

10) Shades: Magic through chaos. Shades have the ability to command dark magic energy itself. The very fabric of curses and hexes they weave and cut like greecian fates. Dark magic bows to their whim.

11) Enchanters/esses: Magic through craft. Enchanters And Enchantresses are considered to be the most versatile witches. They control pure magic energy. The very essense of witchcraft. They dont adhere to any of the laws of magic because magic adheres to them. They make their own laws.

12) Necromancers: Magic in life: Necromancers are the most powerful of all witches. The rarest rank of all. Elusive and mysterious these witches have mastered the powers over life and death. Toying with the balance as thet see fit. Strong potential for destruction or salvation. It is rumored they are immortal and that there is never more than 7 on earth at a time. Some say they’re gods, others claim they are cursed by the gods.

(Zee is a soothsayer, John is an alchemist or maybe wizard, swamp thing is a shaman, Boston and Black Orchid or Mages, Xanadu is a sorceress, Circe is an enchantress, June Moone and Klarion are Shades in my opinion lol but i consider this system separate from the dc canon)

Writing Notes & References

Alchemy ⚜ Antidote to Anxiety ⚜ Attachment ⚜ Autopsy

Art: Elements ⚜ Principles ⚜ Photographs ⚜ Watercolour

Bruises ⚜ Caffeine ⚜ Color Blindness ⚜ Cruise Ships

Children ⚜ Children's Dialogue ⚜ Childhood Bilingualism

Dangerousness ⚜ Drowning ⚜ Dystopia ⚜ Dystopian World

Culture ⚜ Culture Shock ⚜ Ethnocentrism & Cultural Relativism

Emotions: Anger ⚜ Fear ⚜ Happiness ⚜ Sadness

Emotional Intelligence ⚜ Genius (Giftedness) ⚜ Quirks

Facial Expressions ⚜ Laughter & Humour ⚜ Swearing & Taboo

Fantasy Creatures ⚜ Fantasy World Building

Generations ⚜ Literary & Character Tropes

Fight Scenes ⚜ Kill Adverbs

Food: Cooking Basics ⚜ Herbs & Spices ⚜ Sauces ⚜ Wine-tasting ⚜ Aphrodisiacs ⚜ List of Aphrodisiacs ⚜ Food History ⚜ Cocktails ⚜ Literary & Hollywood Cocktails ⚜ Liqueurs

Genre: Crime ⚜ Horror ⚜ Fantasy ⚜ Speculative Biology

Hate ⚜ Love ⚜ Kinds of Love ⚜ The Physiology of Love

How to Write: Food ⚜ Colours ⚜ Drunkenness

Jargon ⚜ Logical Fallacies ⚜ Memory ⚜ Memoir

Magic: Magic System ⚜ 10 Uncommon ⚜ How to Choose

Moon: Part 1 2 ⚜ Related Words

Mystical Items & Objects ⚜ Talisman ⚜ Relics ⚜ Poison

Pain ⚜ Pain & Violence ⚜ Poison Ivy & Poison Oak

Realistic Injuries ⚜ Rejection ⚜ Structural Issues ⚜ Villains

Symbolism: Colors ⚜ Food ⚜ Numbers ⚜ Storms

Thinking ⚜ Thinking Styles ⚜ Thought Distortions

Terms of Endearment ⚜ Ways of Saying "No" ⚜ Yoga

Compilations: Plot ⚜ Character ⚜ Worldbuilding ⚜ For Poets ⚜ Tips & Advice

all posts are queued. will update this every few weeks/months. send questions or requests here ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

if you’re a white creator and your brown/black characters are always sassy, reckless, aggressive or cold and your white characters are always soft, demure, shy and introverted you should think about maybe why you did that

Writing References: World-Building

20 Questions ⚜ 100 Words for World-building

Basics: World-building ⚜ Places ⚜ Imagery ⚜ Setting

Exploring your Setting ⚜ Habitats ⚜ Kinds of Fantasy Worlds

Fantasy World-building ⚜ World-building Vocabulary

Worksheets: Magic & Rituals ⚜ Geography; World History; City; Fictional Plant ⚜ A General Template

Editing

Setting & Pacing Issues ⚜ Editing Your Own Novel

Writing Notes

Animal Culture ⚜ Autopsy ⚜ Alchemy ⚜ Ancient Wonders

Art: Elements ⚜ Principles ⚜ Photographs ⚜ Watercolour

Creating: Fictional Items ⚜ Fictional Poisons ⚜ Magic Systems

Cruise Ships ⚜ Dystopian World ⚜ Parts of a Castle

Culture ⚜ Culture Shock ⚜ Ethnocentrism & Cultural Relativism

Food: How to Describe ⚜ Lists ⚜ Cooking Basics ⚜ Herbs & Spices ⚜ Sauces ⚜ Wine-tasting ⚜ Aphrodisiacs ⚜ List of Aphrodisiacs ⚜ Food History ⚜ Cocktails ⚜ Literary Cocktails ⚜ Liqueurs ⚜ Uncommon Fruits & Vegetables

Greek Vases ⚜ Sapphire ⚜ Relics ⚜ Types of Castles

Hate ⚜ Love ⚜ Kinds of Love ⚜ The Physiology of Love

Mystical Objects ⚜ Talisman ⚜ Uncommon Magic Systems

Moon: Part 1 2 ⚜ Seasons: Autumn ⚜ Spring ⚜ Summer

Shapes of Symbols ⚜ Symbolism ⚜ Slang: 1930s

Symbolism: Of Colors Part 1 2 ⚜ Of Food ⚜ Of Storms

Topics List ⚜ Write Room Syndrome

Vocabulary

Agrostology ⚜ Allergy ⚜ Architecture ⚜ Baking ⚜ Biochemistry

Ecology ⚜ Esoteric ⚜ Gemology ⚜ Geology ⚜ Weather ⚜ Art

Editorial ⚜ Fashion ⚜ Latin Forensic ⚜ Law ⚜ Medieval

Psychology ⚜ Phylogenetics ⚜ Science ⚜ Zoology

More References: Plot ⚜ Character Development ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs