Typecast
“Have you ever had a passion for something, Denzil? A passion to do Hamlet, or play a grizzled detective in a TV drama, or a great warrior in a sweeping multi-part series. You know, something I can really get my teeth into.”
Steve Dean
Steve Dean’s Blog
The Princess and the Golem
A Golem is a humanoid creature made of mud and often used for protection. Of course, the ever-inventive fantasy community has taken the initial idea and developed it further.
“Why don’t you go and see what’s inside?” the king said to Camellia.
“Oh my!” she laughed.
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The Colours of Fantasy
As you might have guessed by the title, I’d like to talk about Fantasy in all its splendorous variety. This might be a broad definition but let’s say if it’s got magic in it, it’s fantasy, if it hasn’t, it ain’t.
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Almost Epic
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of military science fiction and indeed own dozens of such books. Sometimes though, I find myself thinking maybe they’ve gone a bit too far or perhaps forgot something. Suffice it to say, some people forget the world is three-dimensional.
A Clash of Giants
Which one is best, technology or magic? Technology is a product of science. Magic is produced by the manipulation of esoteric power. If it’s got batteries, it’s technology, if you put a finger in your ear while fondling a hamster, it’s magic.
Living in The Real World
Today I’m putting two states of reality against each other; the real world we live in, and the game world we imagine we live in. I’ll be comparing the relative merits of each, and then deciding which I prefer. I’ll let you decide the exact meaning of ‘real’.
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Removed Blockage
The number five thruster wasn’t working they said, no output at all. Probably just a stuck valve they said, get down there and give it a whack. Ten minutes tops. With the last bolt removed and stowed, Mag lifted the inspection panel off and looked inside.
Vanitocracy
The news is all doom and gloom: a certain individual is being blamed for the actions of a certain terrorist group thousands of miles away, the Earth is half on fire and half underwater, and a “vegetarian” dog chose dog meat over salad live on camera. Now, there’s plenty of inspiration there for any writer, but I was looking for something a little more light-hearted to cheer us all up. Light-hearted triggered light entertainment, and this is what came out.
The Emperor and the Carrot
What tiny events could lead to a world-changing apocalypse? This fantasy tale about a mighty empire and the tiny pebble might be less of an adult tale in the beginning, but I found it much more amusing in this version. I also think it could be a great prologue for a novel, maybe even a trilogy, which maybe one day I’ll write.
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Languages in Fantasy
Our screen heroes often meet non-human beings on their travels, most of which don’t speak any Earth languages, of course. So how do scriptwriters deal with the problem of portraying language as spoken by beings such as elves and aliens? Sit back, relax, and I will explain.
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