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Near Midnight Thought
Posted 3 months agoTo change the world you must first change yourself.
My Butterfly Garden
Posted a year agoThe 2010s was a time when I wasn't in the best mental state. I needed something, something to do to feel like I was making an impact that I could see. I wasn't a great crop grower, I tried- I've got a green thumb but I'm not very good at the 'knowing when to harvest' part of it.
But the experience, it gave me something. I put seeds in the ground, I tended and saw them grow. In the 2020s I decided that as that was something I could see, an action of mine with tangible results- I would plant again but this time it'd be flowers. I started a butterfly garden and even with a tree limb falling on it I saved it during the winter and my bushes grow- I even added blue berry bushes to the lot. Planted some herbs caterpillars like hoping to have some around and even carrots as they like the leaves of those. It's an interesting garden I have and it's something I can always go back to when I'm feeling down.
It's helped me and I figured I'd share for anyone who may need that sort of thing in their life too.
But the experience, it gave me something. I put seeds in the ground, I tended and saw them grow. In the 2020s I decided that as that was something I could see, an action of mine with tangible results- I would plant again but this time it'd be flowers. I started a butterfly garden and even with a tree limb falling on it I saved it during the winter and my bushes grow- I even added blue berry bushes to the lot. Planted some herbs caterpillars like hoping to have some around and even carrots as they like the leaves of those. It's an interesting garden I have and it's something I can always go back to when I'm feeling down.
It's helped me and I figured I'd share for anyone who may need that sort of thing in their life too.
Arelu Project Status
Posted a year agoMy positive science fiction setting and stories to revolve around the traveling Arelu and the living starship Melissa has been slow coming. I wrote a good bit recently but haven't been satisfied with it.
I know what the typical arc in the series should be; Arelu and Melissa arrive on a planet, Arelu does some tasks in exchange for supplies, Arelu learns about the locals and leaves a positive impact on them before she and Melissa depart.
Other arcs I've considered are ones of wonderment about an alien biome, arriving on an uninhabited planet and collecting in an ecologically conscious fashion things for Melissa's bio-reactor such as rotting fruits, dead foliage, etc. A chance to talk about unusual nature and maybe give a little focus on Arelu and Melissa interacting with each other.
A third possible one to do is a focus on Arelu and Melissa providing transportation for someone or a small group and them interacting in transit talking about various subjects.
I have a goal with Arelu; I don't like that it's very common in sci-fi works for the religious or spiritually minded to be antagonistic. I want to show Arelu's spirituality as complimentary to her benevolence and explore the positives of religion in a space fiction setting. Designing what her spirituality is has been slow. In the setting it derives from the Star League of Elom and is presently a pantheistic religion with a dichotomy of positive and negative universal energies- the light and the dark. So Arelu is consciously striving to be empowered by the light and to spread it through positive action believing that one gets what they put into the world or more specifically that the world around one's self becomes darker or lighter by the actions of those souls within it and for the sake of a better tomorrow for those who come after one must strive for positive action.
I know what the typical arc in the series should be; Arelu and Melissa arrive on a planet, Arelu does some tasks in exchange for supplies, Arelu learns about the locals and leaves a positive impact on them before she and Melissa depart.
Other arcs I've considered are ones of wonderment about an alien biome, arriving on an uninhabited planet and collecting in an ecologically conscious fashion things for Melissa's bio-reactor such as rotting fruits, dead foliage, etc. A chance to talk about unusual nature and maybe give a little focus on Arelu and Melissa interacting with each other.
A third possible one to do is a focus on Arelu and Melissa providing transportation for someone or a small group and them interacting in transit talking about various subjects.
I have a goal with Arelu; I don't like that it's very common in sci-fi works for the religious or spiritually minded to be antagonistic. I want to show Arelu's spirituality as complimentary to her benevolence and explore the positives of religion in a space fiction setting. Designing what her spirituality is has been slow. In the setting it derives from the Star League of Elom and is presently a pantheistic religion with a dichotomy of positive and negative universal energies- the light and the dark. So Arelu is consciously striving to be empowered by the light and to spread it through positive action believing that one gets what they put into the world or more specifically that the world around one's self becomes darker or lighter by the actions of those souls within it and for the sake of a better tomorrow for those who come after one must strive for positive action.
D&D Likes
Posted 2 years ago=Races=
-Human
-Halfling (not PoL lore)
-Dwarf
-Dragonborn (not FR lore)
-Kobold
-Yuan-Ti
=Sapient Inhumanoids=
-Dragons (Green, Silver)
-Sphinxes
-Unicorns
=Classes=
-Artificer
-Cleric
-Paladin
-Sorcerer (Draconic)
=Forgotten Realms: Realms=
-Empire of Shou Lung
-Kingdom of Cormyr
-Kingdom of Mulhorand
=Forgotten Realms: Religions=
-Adama
-The Triad
-Mulhorandi Pantheon
-Yondalla's Children (Halfling Pantheon)
-Shou Ling
=Points of Light: Deities=
Bahamut
Erathis
Moradin
Pelor
-Human
-Halfling (not PoL lore)
-Dwarf
-Dragonborn (not FR lore)
-Kobold
-Yuan-Ti
=Sapient Inhumanoids=
-Dragons (Green, Silver)
-Sphinxes
-Unicorns
=Classes=
-Artificer
-Cleric
-Paladin
-Sorcerer (Draconic)
=Forgotten Realms: Realms=
-Empire of Shou Lung
-Kingdom of Cormyr
-Kingdom of Mulhorand
=Forgotten Realms: Religions=
-Adama
-The Triad
-Mulhorandi Pantheon
-Yondalla's Children (Halfling Pantheon)
-Shou Ling
=Points of Light: Deities=
Bahamut
Erathis
Moradin
Pelor
Arelu Notes - Today I learned....
Posted 2 years agoIn world building for the Arelu Leweway stories that I've still only managed to write fragments of- tales of an alien traveling aboard the living starship Melissa from world to world helping others and leaning about how things are done among other cultures I established the Star League of Elom.
Elom being a world orbiting the star Eloheim inhabited by the silver haired and eyes tall near Humans known as the Elo. The Elo have a natural ability to manipulate their own electromagnetic fields and this attribute is used to operate much of their technology. Within in the setting the Elo are central founders of the Star League which is a loose confederation joined together by a common spirituality.
The benevolence of the Elo, their unifying fellowship and morality is what makes them angelic like in what I've planned. Well, today I learned about Psalms 82 where upon the world Eloheim is translated as either judge or god (lower g not big g). I also learned how Psalms 82:6 is used by the New Age community.
Given as I started writing the lore of the world of Arelu at a time when I was curious about those beliefs I suppose that curiosity influenced my world building. The full chapter of Psalms 82, it's meaning when taking into context, has me a little uncomfortable featuring the Elo as they are currently in my notes.
Though part of me thinks it's made better by that... overall I'm conflicted. On one hand it's still a fitting name for the Elo, but on the other it does gives some uncertainty regarding the Star League.
All I was aiming for was to depict a loose spiritual union (a confederacy sharing common spirituality) in a positive way as secular or athiestic leaning sci-fi tends to put spiritualistic societies in a negative light. I wanted to change that, have their beliefs and morality what makes them egalitarian (the 'all men are created equal' route) and compassionate for all life. Why no matter how hard things are they keep going with hope for betterment. I wanted to show how faith can bring people together rather than feature it as a devisive force.
I suppose a quick fix would be changing the name of the Elo, their world, and the star it orbits- yet some how I still feel it's fitting. Even given that biblical chapter. Eloheim is used elsewhere in the bible, and I did intend for the Elo to be angelic like. At the same time I made it a very constant point that they are not worshipped- the spirituality of the Star League originated on Elom so their culture is at a central position in the league but they are not gods. I suppose this is something I'll have to work out.
Elom being a world orbiting the star Eloheim inhabited by the silver haired and eyes tall near Humans known as the Elo. The Elo have a natural ability to manipulate their own electromagnetic fields and this attribute is used to operate much of their technology. Within in the setting the Elo are central founders of the Star League which is a loose confederation joined together by a common spirituality.
The benevolence of the Elo, their unifying fellowship and morality is what makes them angelic like in what I've planned. Well, today I learned about Psalms 82 where upon the world Eloheim is translated as either judge or god (lower g not big g). I also learned how Psalms 82:6 is used by the New Age community.
Given as I started writing the lore of the world of Arelu at a time when I was curious about those beliefs I suppose that curiosity influenced my world building. The full chapter of Psalms 82, it's meaning when taking into context, has me a little uncomfortable featuring the Elo as they are currently in my notes.
Though part of me thinks it's made better by that... overall I'm conflicted. On one hand it's still a fitting name for the Elo, but on the other it does gives some uncertainty regarding the Star League.
All I was aiming for was to depict a loose spiritual union (a confederacy sharing common spirituality) in a positive way as secular or athiestic leaning sci-fi tends to put spiritualistic societies in a negative light. I wanted to change that, have their beliefs and morality what makes them egalitarian (the 'all men are created equal' route) and compassionate for all life. Why no matter how hard things are they keep going with hope for betterment. I wanted to show how faith can bring people together rather than feature it as a devisive force.
I suppose a quick fix would be changing the name of the Elo, their world, and the star it orbits- yet some how I still feel it's fitting. Even given that biblical chapter. Eloheim is used elsewhere in the bible, and I did intend for the Elo to be angelic like. At the same time I made it a very constant point that they are not worshipped- the spirituality of the Star League originated on Elom so their culture is at a central position in the league but they are not gods. I suppose this is something I'll have to work out.
Standard Format Study/Reference Notes
Posted 2 years agoIndent at the start of each paragraph except when the paragraph begins with " . (does not always show on a .txt file)
Paragraph break when scene, topic, or speaker changes. The indenting is no longer required (I think) but familiar from my school days as something I was reminded to do when I forgot to. Getting back into the habit of indenting paragraphs helps me feel as if I'm getting back into learning productively.
Important, understand that tagging a " " line isn't a bad thing but should not be done often. Do so when tone changes or words are joined by plot essential action. For example, if a character is gonna use a tool in an upcoming paragraph and prepares it during dialogue it's alright to tag the words in which such happens. Another example would be a cornered character drawing a weapon behind their back so as to conceal it from an agitator before utilizing it to escape.
As much as it pains me, trimming down (but not completely cutting out) character defining expression and behaviorisms is apparently the norm in order to show rather than tell. This is still a confusing concept for me to grasp do to the literal understanding of showing rather than telling as literature is a visual rather than auditory artform but the more I work with standard format the more I should grow accustomed to it.
*Personal note - There are auditory and visual learners, the way my mind visualizes a scene likely differs from the means in which an auditory learner does so. This is more of a personal theory as I'm not able to gaze into another's mind but, it's a theory that is helping my drive to keep this up. Where as I visualize a scene and then animate with sound others likely mentally conceive the sound and visualize motion and surroundings around such and in doing so a scene materializes in their mindscape.
Note; you CAN use more than just 'said'. The important aspect of using words other than said is to know when to. Asked, questioned, insisted, shouted, etc are all acceptable. Colorful expressions such as 'roared' or 'hissed' are where it gets tricky and one should keep in mind the previous (non-personal) note when utilizing these.
Paragraph break when scene, topic, or speaker changes. The indenting is no longer required (I think) but familiar from my school days as something I was reminded to do when I forgot to. Getting back into the habit of indenting paragraphs helps me feel as if I'm getting back into learning productively.
Important, understand that tagging a " " line isn't a bad thing but should not be done often. Do so when tone changes or words are joined by plot essential action. For example, if a character is gonna use a tool in an upcoming paragraph and prepares it during dialogue it's alright to tag the words in which such happens. Another example would be a cornered character drawing a weapon behind their back so as to conceal it from an agitator before utilizing it to escape.
As much as it pains me, trimming down (but not completely cutting out) character defining expression and behaviorisms is apparently the norm in order to show rather than tell. This is still a confusing concept for me to grasp do to the literal understanding of showing rather than telling as literature is a visual rather than auditory artform but the more I work with standard format the more I should grow accustomed to it.
*Personal note - There are auditory and visual learners, the way my mind visualizes a scene likely differs from the means in which an auditory learner does so. This is more of a personal theory as I'm not able to gaze into another's mind but, it's a theory that is helping my drive to keep this up. Where as I visualize a scene and then animate with sound others likely mentally conceive the sound and visualize motion and surroundings around such and in doing so a scene materializes in their mindscape.
Note; you CAN use more than just 'said'. The important aspect of using words other than said is to know when to. Asked, questioned, insisted, shouted, etc are all acceptable. Colorful expressions such as 'roared' or 'hissed' are where it gets tricky and one should keep in mind the previous (non-personal) note when utilizing these.
Stories I Have Enjoyed
Posted 2 years agoThe following also features comments on the stories so could contain spoilers.
=FAVORITES=
> 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne - May have contributed to how I frame conflict and grew my interest in the undersea world.
> Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne - Had me thinking about moving to Iceland due to the library policy depicted in the narrative.
> Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle - My favorite Sherlock Holmes story and it mostly features Watson.
> War of the Worlds by H.G. Welles - I read it in my senior year of High School in Chemistry class as I had little work to do and upon finishing such went to reading it as I enjoyed the 1953 film. I enjoyed the book even more.
=OTHERS=
> Othello by William Shakespeare - A play I had the delight of taking part in though the audience was my class mates. It got me recognized for my acting talent and eventually landed me a role in the only school play I took part in. So it's got a fond memory associated with it.
> The Crucible - May have got a bit more into this one after my father relayed our own family's connection to the events. I have a recollection that my English teacher wasn't thrilled that my favorite character was John Proctor.
> The Red Headed League by Arthur Conan Doyle - My second favorite Sherlock Holmes story largely as Jabez Wilson is the client I most remember and perhaps it is because of his character that I became invested in the case.
> The Scarlet Letter - Was required reading in High School but I remember liking it.
> The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare - Another play though I didn't act in this one physically but with my voice lent to Brutus for a reading of it in class. Brutus continues to be my favorite character from this piece.
-Books of the Bible-
Genesis - My favorite book of the bible. While I'm distant from the faith now I still remember that it is my favorite as it 'explains why humanity suffers and sets the stage for the second Adam through which we shall receive salvation'. To me it served as a foundational stone to my resolve in the faith and key to my understanding of scripture.
Leviticus - Read while writing a personal study paper on biblical law, a project I enjoyed.
-ALMOST FORGOTTEN-
> ??? - In high school I read every, at least every published and available, book in a series that featured a female protagonist who was a magical bard. Despite recalling that I read it with great investment and talked excitedly about it the name of the work and characters now eludes me. I recall one particular moment where someone tried to kill the protagonist but the details are sketchy. I do think they where in a room at the time. I'm mentioning it here in the off chance that someone my have an idea of what I'm vaguely recalling.
=FAVORITES=
> 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne - May have contributed to how I frame conflict and grew my interest in the undersea world.
> Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne - Had me thinking about moving to Iceland due to the library policy depicted in the narrative.
> Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle - My favorite Sherlock Holmes story and it mostly features Watson.
> War of the Worlds by H.G. Welles - I read it in my senior year of High School in Chemistry class as I had little work to do and upon finishing such went to reading it as I enjoyed the 1953 film. I enjoyed the book even more.
=OTHERS=
> Othello by William Shakespeare - A play I had the delight of taking part in though the audience was my class mates. It got me recognized for my acting talent and eventually landed me a role in the only school play I took part in. So it's got a fond memory associated with it.
> The Crucible - May have got a bit more into this one after my father relayed our own family's connection to the events. I have a recollection that my English teacher wasn't thrilled that my favorite character was John Proctor.
> The Red Headed League by Arthur Conan Doyle - My second favorite Sherlock Holmes story largely as Jabez Wilson is the client I most remember and perhaps it is because of his character that I became invested in the case.
> The Scarlet Letter - Was required reading in High School but I remember liking it.
> The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare - Another play though I didn't act in this one physically but with my voice lent to Brutus for a reading of it in class. Brutus continues to be my favorite character from this piece.
-Books of the Bible-
Genesis - My favorite book of the bible. While I'm distant from the faith now I still remember that it is my favorite as it 'explains why humanity suffers and sets the stage for the second Adam through which we shall receive salvation'. To me it served as a foundational stone to my resolve in the faith and key to my understanding of scripture.
Leviticus - Read while writing a personal study paper on biblical law, a project I enjoyed.
-ALMOST FORGOTTEN-
> ??? - In high school I read every, at least every published and available, book in a series that featured a female protagonist who was a magical bard. Despite recalling that I read it with great investment and talked excitedly about it the name of the work and characters now eludes me. I recall one particular moment where someone tried to kill the protagonist but the details are sketchy. I do think they where in a room at the time. I'm mentioning it here in the off chance that someone my have an idea of what I'm vaguely recalling.
