tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3764159777348916628.post1233698963687209229..comments2024-02-18T00:11:11.490-08:00Comments on Heroines of Fantasy: The Essential Face of FantasyHeroines of Fantasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07169664399606524540noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3764159777348916628.post-75884930934484101212012-01-12T15:47:05.940-08:002012-01-12T15:47:05.940-08:00haha! Yes, I definitely feel a serendipity post co...haha! Yes, I definitely feel a serendipity post coming on; even if oboolo doesn't quite fit the pattern...Karin Rita Gastreichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13788750258292938903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3764159777348916628.post-88597463302431722182012-01-12T08:15:52.370-08:002012-01-12T08:15:52.370-08:00Break that down even more and you have canta being...Break that down even more and you have canta being close to chant, or enchant, which could be related to ritual words or songs, or even beyond that, you have the Spanish phrase "me encanta", which relates to love. Or quite literally, "you have enchanted me." Where you have song, magic, and love all entwined.<br /><br />My capcha was "oboolo". I'm not even sure that's a real word.Clinthttp://wendigomountain.livejournal.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3764159777348916628.post-57714853632837967732012-01-09T19:52:38.545-08:002012-01-09T19:52:38.545-08:00Karin--last week praye, this week, canta...I would...Karin--last week praye, this week, canta...I would say serendipity indeed! Or a really savvy program that's messing with us!Terri-Lynnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11468004163467894720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3764159777348916628.post-955954765497941952012-01-09T18:59:30.676-08:002012-01-09T18:59:30.676-08:00Hi Terri --
Yeah, I guess I was feeling a little ...Hi Terri --<br /><br />Yeah, I guess I was feeling a little deep last weekend. When I sat down to write my post, I had just finished story 3 of 'The Botany of Desire', about the history of Cannabis, and now I'm thinking maybe there were fumes coming off the pages. ;) <br /><br />I wonder if that Hermione discussion was at World Fantasy? <br /><br />Words are pure magic for me, just like music. <br /><br />Clint -- Very nice analogy with music! I've always thought it interesting that Terri & I independently decided to incorporate music as a kind of magic in our respective novels. <br /><br />I also like the idea of how magic is a reflection of each individual; how one's soul goes into it. Very well put. Thank you!<br /><br />(btw -- My word verification is CANTA, which is Spanish for SING, the ultimate integration of words and music. At some point on this blog, we need to tackle the topic of serendipity...)Karin Rita Gastreichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13788750258292938903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3764159777348916628.post-19932736111551806512012-01-09T11:19:27.951-08:002012-01-09T11:19:27.951-08:00Clint--as always, you've added a fine chunk to...Clint--as always, you've added a fine chunk to the discussion. I love the connection, magic/music. I, too, like the notion of one having a flair for it, then honing it to something bigger, grander, more beautiful. Music must have been a sort of magic, once. Something everyone had access too, but few had mastery of. It is still a mystery to me, how one melds sounds into something like The Messiah, or even Three Blind Mice. Then again, I suppose there are those who have no idea how some people can take words and ideas and write a book with them.<br />:)<br /><br />Magic is EVERYWHERE! It's in everything. And it's in the eye of the beholder.Terri-Lynnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11468004163467894720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3764159777348916628.post-46851409191204107762012-01-09T11:02:24.470-08:002012-01-09T11:02:24.470-08:00Also, my analogy of music and magic is a little sh...Also, my analogy of music and magic is a little shaky, but it goes hand in hand with the science fiction example. Yes, I know that music is comprised of meter, notes, the science of accoustics, and a vigorous system of writing, reading, and playing it, but it wasn't always this way. Once upon a time, people just sang or beat on logs, or made whistles or drums out of bones and hides. They didn't know what the hell a C-Major half-step was until they started formalizing music in the Age of Enlightenment. Traditions were passed on through culture, through tradition, and inspiration.Clinthttp://wendigomountain.livejournal.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3764159777348916628.post-84876943661726207952012-01-09T10:46:55.920-08:002012-01-09T10:46:55.920-08:00I'm kind of split on magic. Part of me harken...I'm kind of split on magic. Part of me harkens to Robert E. Howard's barbarian, where you should never trust a wizard, unless you've just cut him in half with a broadsword. Another part of me loves the shamanistic aspect of magic, where arcane practices come about from the spirit of nature or the essence of things such as runes or words. <br /><br />I never liked the Dungeons and Dragons use of magic, which was entirely too technical. It was a system that relied on spell components, heirarchical pedagogy, and everything seemed so clinical and *gasp* scientific, that I couldn't help but think it was little more than alchemy disguised as magic. (the two are cousins, in my mind, but not mutually inclusive).<br /><br />In my worlds, unlike Rowling, magic users aren't born into it, but like musicians, they tend to have an ear for it. Like music, it can be imitated, but mastery of it requires dedication. I like the idea of runes and potions, but at the core, magic is something that has to be worked on, a part of the person's soul goes into it in some degree. Those adept at it without hardly trying are like musical prodigies, and like the star that burns twice as bright, they usually last half as long. <br /><br />My tastes for magic are similar to my tastes in science fiction. I don't need to know how the engines work to go faster than light, I'm just there for the ride. I don't need to know what some bird beaks and knots do in a spell. My imagination only needs to see them to go "oh cool!"<br /><br />And like music, every artist would be different, to a degree. Sure, you might know the same tunes, but I don't like the cookie cutter "Melf's Magic Missile" sort of spells. Magic isn't a wrench that affects machined parts, it's organic plus.<br /><br />A spell should be more like a jam session or a symphony.Clinthttp://wendigomountain.livejournal.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3764159777348916628.post-12032642710913288312012-01-09T07:49:17.724-08:002012-01-09T07:49:17.724-08:00Wow--so many big thoughts! Like you, I prefer the ...Wow--so many big thoughts! Like you, I prefer the magic to be steeped into the culture, and the "boundaries" of it shaped by that culture, whether it be social taboos, religion or even environment.<br /><br />Magical societies need readers who can suspend belief. Without them, it doesn't matter how well-crafted, we fail. Thank goodness for readers who can!<br /><br />Recently, and I can't remember who or where, but I was part of a discussion concerning when magic goes wrong, when it breaks its own rules, and Hermione Granger's Time Turner came up. It was used so well in The Prisoner of Azkaban--maybe too well. Why couldn't it be used to go back in time and prevent certain events concerning Dumbledore? It could have been! And if there was a reason why it couldn't be, then it should have been mentioned. It was a huge piece of PoA to simply forget about.<br /><br />Then again--I'm still picking nits over the way Crookshanks got to be the hero in one story, then largely forgotten. I suppose, with a cast of characters THAT big, you can't keep every plate spinning no matter how brilliant you are.<br /><br />I have more to say! But I'll save it. You KNOW I'll be posting more than once.Terri-Lynnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11468004163467894720noreply@blogger.com