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This week: Son of a ---! Edited by: Storm Machine  
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| "The indications are that swearing preceded the development of cursing. That is, expletives, maledictions, exclamations, and imprecations of the immediately explosive or vituperative kind preceded the speechmaking and later rituals involved in the deliberate apportioning of the fate of an enemy. Swearing of the former variety is from the lips only, but the latter is from the heart. Damn it! is not that same as Damn you!" ~Ashley Montagu |
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Son of a -[insert preferred word, or not]-! You know the insult to which I am referring. Yet this type of insult isn't the same in other cultures.
So many people learn to swear at a young age. I'm sure this also happens in fantasy (and science fiction) worlds. But unless they're built on our societies, do they really say the same things or value the same ideals?
Rowling did that well with Harry Potter - while the muggle world existed as is, the magical world had different terms to insult each other like mudblood and squib. These labels came directly from their upbringing and a reader had to learn along with the muggle-raised hero.
Another example is Sacre Bleu! I hear this one every time my daughter watches Beauty and the Beast, and I know it translates to Holy Blue, but the words don't bring me the meaning.
So what is it that your society holds dear? Following Rowling's example, the people want magical ability, with some of them requiring that it only come from those born to other magical people. These insults show another character's value lacking.
Figure out your values within your characters as well as your society. Your hero might be focused on finding a girl with brains, while society might be appraising others for their bloodlines. The city or kingdom or island across the way might be focused on beauty with a penchant for poison or other horrific pranks. This will lead you into a world of insults, compliments, and sometimes even how others are treated.
Those people who don't have a pure bloodline, the ones who can't pass their math tests, the others who don't measure up - they're also left out. Any society who pretends to make all equal quickly becomes a dystopia- a topic for another newsletter. |
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BIG BAD WOLF is Merry 
Sometimes the weather causes history to happen. If the weather had been nicer, my Zena might have lived an average life. However, the forecast had something else planned, and Zena lead a different life.
Zena is a victim of the weather. Poor girl.
Gaby 
Thanks for sharing this, Stormy. I've never thought about the weather, just included it at times where it was needed.  This definitely shows a different perspective to writing and location.  Great NL!
Thanks! Include it as needed is also great advice.
ENB 
My world is flat (like Narnia) so the whole thing about seasons and weather is totally different. I even had to find a way to make one side of the moon black so as it rotates it would have the different phases. But it definitely is an important thing to think about when you make your own world.
Wouldn't it have been easier to create a magical moon that has different phases? Does it really need to have phases if won't change the tides?
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Fantasy: April 16, 2014 Issue [#6260]
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