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I'm editing a an old piece (Fey Fighters) that's never been published.

I came across this line and smiled:

"We’re in a human-made, goblin-enchanted spacecraft, powered by a dryad that’s under the mistaken impression she’s a nuclear reactor, half-piloted by a pixie and half-piloted by a human. Is there anywhere we can go we won’t be shot on sight?"

That's my favorite line, which I'd forgotten about until a few minutes ago.

#writing #fiction #fantasy #scifi #sciencefiction #funny #quote

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This iron stylus (a type of pen for writing on wax or clay tablets) in scribed with the lines: "I have come from the City. I bring you a welcome gift with a sharp point that you may remember me. I ask, if fortune allowed, that I might be able [to give] as generously as the way is long [and] as my purse is empty."

Or to put it simply, "My friend went to Rome and all I got was this lousy pen.

Dated to about AD 70. Found in London during excavations by MOLA.

#History#Rome #writing #puns

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I remember when I was so optimistic about the techno-future. You know, "the #internet is the greatest advance in human #communication and #knowledge since the invention of #writing" and all that. I really believed we were headed for a golden age.

Maybe I was naive. But maybe not. Maybe we *could* have had that #future. And then the #techbros hijacked it and turned it to shit.

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One person anywhere, no matter how insignificant, who refuses to think as they have been ordered to think acts as a goad to the tiny people of authoritarian government.

The present and the future are always in YOUR hands.

#politics #comic #writing #books #vforvendetta#AlanMoore

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2024 was the year that I went back to working traditionally in a big way after decades of digital. Some of it was personal, some of it for my Dark Shepherd project and debut novel. I have been lucky in that I sold every piece of art I created. So here are my nine picks of the year, both digital and traditional, none are AI.

Happy New Year to you all and all the best for 2025.

#DarkShepherd  #book  #writing  #concept  #SciFi  #illustration  #art  #digitalart  #spaceships  #visdev

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A brief intro.

If you want to follow this account, please have a chat with me so I know you are not a bot or harmful. Thank you.

I am a #Maker. My background was in #Mechanical, #Electrical, #Engineering, #SocialHousing, #FurnitureMaking, and #Teaching.
I do #Volunteering, #RepairCafe, #MakersHour, and #Carer for an elderly Mum.

Semi retired maker of things from garden planters to #Museum installations.
I am currently part time employed as a caretaker, cleaner, and maintenance person.

Currently building a #Community#Workshop in Salford.
I also run the @MakersHour account.

I am #Writing and #Miniaturing about @HarrietMaker and Daisy in the fictional market town of Theraton.
#HarrietAndDaisy

The scene inside a 1:12 scale workshop. In the background are two blue doors, a Health and Safety at work act poster, a folded Brompton bicycle, a red dog lead hanging up, and an openroller shutter showing an enclosed yard outside the workshop.
There is also narrow gauge tram tracks set into the workshop floor.
The view outside is a work in progress.

Inside the workshop there are two Caucasian women doll figures. Harriet has dark hair, glasses, and is wearing a red tee shirt and blue jeans, Daisy has fair air and is wearing a grubby high viz coat. They are shaking hands.

In front of them is a large Wadkin AGS10 table saw painted green. It is on a wooden pallet and tied down with rope. The pallet is on an orange pallet truck having just been brought into the workshop through the roller shutter.

Outside in the yard is a grey and black needle felted mongrel dog called Monty Dog, and he is trying to pick up a black recycling collection box.

In the bottom right hand corner of the image is a watermark showing the Maker of Things logo consisting of an outline of a circular saw blade surrounded by a spanner, a hand saw, a ruler, a screwdriver, a cable and plug, and a pencil forming a hexagon. Inside the tools are the words Maker of Things.
The scene inside a 1:12 scale workshop. In the background are two blue doors, a Health and Safety at work act poster, a folded Brompton bicycle, a red dog lead hanging up, and an openroller shutter showing an enclosed yard outside the workshop. There is also narrow gauge tram tracks set into the workshop floor. The view outside is a work in progress. Inside the workshop there are two Caucasian women doll figures. Harriet has dark hair, glasses, and is wearing a red tee shirt and blue jeans, Daisy has fair air and is wearing a grubby high viz coat. They are shaking hands. In front of them is a large Wadkin AGS10 table saw painted green. It is on a wooden pallet and tied down with rope. The pallet is on an orange pallet truck having just been brought into the workshop through the roller shutter. Outside in the yard is a grey and black needle felted mongrel dog called Monty Dog, and he is trying to pick up a black recycling collection box. In the bottom right hand corner of the image is a watermark showing the Maker of Things logo consisting of an outline of a circular saw blade surrounded by a spanner, a hand saw, a ruler, a screwdriver, a cable and plug, and a pencil forming a hexagon. Inside the tools are the words Maker of Things.
In the carpark near the beach in CT I discovered a group of isopods up to no good.

The pill bugs had formed a pentagram of beach trash, mostly delicate bones of birds & fish. It was about the size of a quarter. They kept adjusting it and adding to it as I watched, horrified, yet fascinated.

I was so engrossed in the mysterious antics of the little woodlice that I didn't even notice the man who'd joined me watching, until he spoke.

"Amazing aren't they?" He said, his voice deep, but warm. 1/18

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I startled at his voice, nearly dropping my purse. But, seeing him next to me, standing with the same stooped sowbug-watching posture I was able to find the thread of calm.

"Oh yes." I managed --but then felt obligated to add. "But something here is very abnormal."

The man had been focused on the roly polies, but now looked to me-- he was a plain man in a black suit with a black tie. He even wore a fedora.

A frown creased his pale face.
"You think something is wrong?" #story #writing 2/

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#WritersCoffeeClub
Do you have a favourite author? Is your style influenced by them?

Maybe Mary Shelley... Loads of female authors and artists were such lovely, unabashed, eccentric characters that their stories inspire me. But honestly, the style doesn't influence me much beyond a certain fondness for having a bit of fun with arcane words and having Freya and Mona do a bit of bitchy sesquipedalian posh mean girl when it's called for.

#writing #witchy #fantasy

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#WordWeavers #writing Dec 6: Share a description of unusual or interesting clothes in your story.

Two words

Tactical,
Onesie.

In between burning Rau's house and catching a boat to chase Linue & Patrii across the sea, Parthia stopped at a clothier.
She had to replace the makeshift tunic and come up with a better solution to the bindle that wouldn't impead her movement when walking & running on all fours. This solution ended up being a garment that is essentially a sleeveless onesie made of medium weight canvas.
It leaves her arms and legs with full range, and there are a series of pouches on the _inside_ so nothing can fall out even during hard sprints. The bonus is that when she's walking upright it's impossible for someone to pickpocket her without instantly getting caught.. Someone foolish enough to attempt to pickpocket her would get yanked off the ground by their wrist & likely beaten for inadvertently feeling her up. She's not modest, but she has zero chill when touched without consent.
The onesie is also constructed such that the straps clip at the sternum for ease of use. If she needs to, she can disrobe with two sharp motions.

Her cloak. Her cloak is constructed from waxed canvas salvaged from a tent. It's constructed with a front panel that clips up so she can travel on all fours without it dragging.

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01.12.2024 Pitch the setting of your story as if you’re a travel agent trying to convince a tourist to visit.

Come with us to the magical world between the stars, follow in the footsteps of great heroes in Zero G, to a world so beautiful and various as your homeworld, the great and peaceful blue gem of sol. See how humans and non humans unites as Terrans made a plagued and tortured, wartorn world a new into the paradise it is today. Travel along with the fastest ship the Union has to offer to see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars. See all the 6 core member worlds in their strive for perfection, the 66 associated member worlds and all the various species they provide. Test the exquisite food.* Enjoy the fascinating weather.* Beautiful Nature.* And a universe full of joy.**

*Please check local Flora, fauna, food, air and ground composition for your safety before.
**The current size of the universe is unknown. Joy is relative.
#wordweavers 01.12.2024 #StarRyde#Writing#SciFi#WIP

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02.12.2024 What are the 3 most important things for a traveler to take to the setting of your story?

Military: your weapon, your armor, your Holo.

Civilian: your Holo, a backpack, interspecies travel Pharmacy.
There are 72 species in the Union and their home planets/colonies, if they are not outright intoxicating to your species, they can start allergic reactions, you may not stand their food. Believe me travel diarrhea is even worse if your body waste could kill an alien ecosystem.

Holo are like mobile phones today, if you add all your IDs, licenses, a local cluster communication device, environmental scanner, micro forge and and Swiss army tool box into it. So yeah you should keep it on you.

#WordWeavers 02.12.2024 #StarRyde#Writing#SciFi#WIP