FA+
Shop
281
Views
Views
6
Favorites
Favorites
Category
All / General Furry Art
Species Weasel
Size 253 x 317
File Size 52.8 kB
Report this content
More from CyberCorn Entropic
Listed in Folders
As mentioned in the comments section of Deidrei Leafbright 2005, Deidrei is a major supporting character in my unpublished novel Winterfur and a co-star in the sequel Isen's Bane. The main star is the ermine wizardess Baksrit of Albes, dubbed "Winterfur" by Deidrei's Artemin clan.
Born to a merchant house in the large city of Loma, Baksrit found that the mercantile business just didn't interest her. After human wizard Solomon rescued several people, including her parents, from a spell-wielding assassin, she impressed Solomon with her prudence and intelligence enough for him to take her on as his apprentice. As a result of a spellcasting accident (which might not have been the accident everyone thought it was) early in her apprenticeship, Baksrit's coat is permanently locked in ermine colors, has an increase in the power of her spellcasting abilities, is forced (to her chagrin) to an all vegetarian diet, and ages slower than other weasels (at twenty, she has been mistaken for a teenager; at fifty, she is likely to appear as if she were in her late twenties). At the time of my novels (one written, one half-written, and two planned), she is a journeyman wizardess; highly skilled, very knowledgeable, and potentially powerful, but still in need of practical experience. Usually, she's painfully aware of this, but sometimes she does tend to forget and overreach herself.
Baksrit has two younger sisters and two older half-brothers through her father. Her mother is her father's second wife who is often gleefully at odds with Baksrit's overbearing paternal grandmother. Baksrit is being courted by a male weasel from another merchant house, but they have chosen to delay being affianced for the time being. On rare occasions, Baksrit has seen the spirit of her dead maternal grandmother thanks to "damage" done to her brain by the accident. In truth, contacting the dead gives her the willies.
In Baksrit's world, magic is not the opposite of science. Instead, science is figuring out the world and how it works. The knowledge gained from science can be used in two ways: technologically, using physical means to do things, and magically, using mental means to do things. Mages of her world are to magic as mechanics and engineers are to technology.
Probably the biggest thing this particular picture helped me to decide about Baksrit is that she prefers to wear warm autumn colors.
Art and Baksrit "Winterfur" of Albes © 2008-2010 Marvin E. Fuller
Born to a merchant house in the large city of Loma, Baksrit found that the mercantile business just didn't interest her. After human wizard Solomon rescued several people, including her parents, from a spell-wielding assassin, she impressed Solomon with her prudence and intelligence enough for him to take her on as his apprentice. As a result of a spellcasting accident (which might not have been the accident everyone thought it was) early in her apprenticeship, Baksrit's coat is permanently locked in ermine colors, has an increase in the power of her spellcasting abilities, is forced (to her chagrin) to an all vegetarian diet, and ages slower than other weasels (at twenty, she has been mistaken for a teenager; at fifty, she is likely to appear as if she were in her late twenties). At the time of my novels (one written, one half-written, and two planned), she is a journeyman wizardess; highly skilled, very knowledgeable, and potentially powerful, but still in need of practical experience. Usually, she's painfully aware of this, but sometimes she does tend to forget and overreach herself.
Baksrit has two younger sisters and two older half-brothers through her father. Her mother is her father's second wife who is often gleefully at odds with Baksrit's overbearing paternal grandmother. Baksrit is being courted by a male weasel from another merchant house, but they have chosen to delay being affianced for the time being. On rare occasions, Baksrit has seen the spirit of her dead maternal grandmother thanks to "damage" done to her brain by the accident. In truth, contacting the dead gives her the willies.
In Baksrit's world, magic is not the opposite of science. Instead, science is figuring out the world and how it works. The knowledge gained from science can be used in two ways: technologically, using physical means to do things, and magically, using mental means to do things. Mages of her world are to magic as mechanics and engineers are to technology.
Probably the biggest thing this particular picture helped me to decide about Baksrit is that she prefers to wear warm autumn colors.
Art and Baksrit "Winterfur" of Albes © 2008-2010 Marvin E. Fuller
Category All / General Furry Art
Species Weasel
Size 253 x 317px
File Size 52.8 kB
Listed in Folders
Ah that is an interesting part. I like your clarification of magic v science, to me magic in a sense would just another genre of science. Your characters appear to have a lot of work done on them, I like depth of the descriptions.
You mentioned she ages slower, is that just in appearance or is it literal?
You mentioned she ages slower, is that just in appearance or is it literal?
Thanks. I've spent quite some time developing them. My parents did help with some ideas, but the vast majority of ideas are mine. Winterfur was started in 2004, and I reached the end of the first draft the following year. I began Isen's Bane the following year, but I haven't finished it yet.
It's more like magic vs. technology. Both are different and valid means of applying science to the real world. Magic progresses faster, but fewer can use it to a competent degree (theoretically, everyone can learn magic, but the vast majority won't learn because they believe it's beyond them). Technology progresses slower, but it's accessible to a lot more people. At first, this might seem like science would progress faster in Baksrit's world, but it doesn't. The hard part is getting the techno-scientists and mage-scientists to get past their egos and share notes.
Baksrit's slow aging is literal. She wouldn't hit menopause until probably her sixties or seventies and could possibly last until she hits two hundred.
It's more like magic vs. technology. Both are different and valid means of applying science to the real world. Magic progresses faster, but fewer can use it to a competent degree (theoretically, everyone can learn magic, but the vast majority won't learn because they believe it's beyond them). Technology progresses slower, but it's accessible to a lot more people. At first, this might seem like science would progress faster in Baksrit's world, but it doesn't. The hard part is getting the techno-scientists and mage-scientists to get past their egos and share notes.
Baksrit's slow aging is literal. She wouldn't hit menopause until probably her sixties or seventies and could possibly last until she hits two hundred.
Magic progresses faster, but fewer can use it to a competent degree (theoretically, everyone can learn magic, but the vast majority won't learn because they believe it's beyond them).
Sometime I'd like to see an author take the concept of 'everyone can learn magic' to its logical conclusion: That is to say, almost everyone knows a few minor spells, say a fire-starter, a light, one for water purification, etc, plus some spells related to their profession.
Sometime I'd like to see an author take the concept of 'everyone can learn magic' to its logical conclusion: That is to say, almost everyone knows a few minor spells, say a fire-starter, a light, one for water purification, etc, plus some spells related to their profession.
Stories that come to mind are Piers Anthony's A Spell for Chameleon and Alan Dean Foster's Spellsinger.
In the former, part of the premise was, "What if everyone had magic? What would happen if someone didn't have any magic?" In A Spell for Chameleon every human born in the magical land of Xanth has a magical talent, although the majority are minor "spot on the wall" varieties. The protagonist, a man named Bink, apparently has no magical talent and gets exiled despite evidence to the contrary.
In the latter, it was barely touched on, but one of the characters, an otter named Mudge, did demonstrate he could make pins dance despite knowing no other spells, implying anyone could learn spells, but few bothered to take it very far.
In the Winterfur world, Baksrit has taught a simple ball of light spell to a few children in Deidrei's Artemin clan under the stipulation that they teach it to anyone who wants to learn it. As it's a safe spell, she's also given her blessing towards them playing around with it. Not only does Deidrei learn this spell and how to levitate things, but she would agree with you on the usefulness of the other spells you mention. Also, the possibility of what you describe has been discussed with me before, and I am not adverse to it.
In the former, part of the premise was, "What if everyone had magic? What would happen if someone didn't have any magic?" In A Spell for Chameleon every human born in the magical land of Xanth has a magical talent, although the majority are minor "spot on the wall" varieties. The protagonist, a man named Bink, apparently has no magical talent and gets exiled despite evidence to the contrary.
In the latter, it was barely touched on, but one of the characters, an otter named Mudge, did demonstrate he could make pins dance despite knowing no other spells, implying anyone could learn spells, but few bothered to take it very far.
In the Winterfur world, Baksrit has taught a simple ball of light spell to a few children in Deidrei's Artemin clan under the stipulation that they teach it to anyone who wants to learn it. As it's a safe spell, she's also given her blessing towards them playing around with it. Not only does Deidrei learn this spell and how to levitate things, but she would agree with you on the usefulness of the other spells you mention. Also, the possibility of what you describe has been discussed with me before, and I am not adverse to it.
Menopause for 150 years.
Heh that battle between magic and technology, first thing that came to mind was religion v science. Ego's seem to have more impact on this/any world then anything else I can think of, especially when we are discussing about a leader.
Boy I'm getting more and more interested in these stories of yours, I love your setting development of magic and technology on the population. It seems the two would work well together, yet each almost an opposite of the other; and seeing how afraid people are to incorporate "opposites" in reality I can already imagine this struggle in your story. Such a world would offer me so much more in metaphysics, an understanding of the science of "magic" would give an awesome extra perspective to nature.
Heh that battle between magic and technology, first thing that came to mind was religion v science. Ego's seem to have more impact on this/any world then anything else I can think of, especially when we are discussing about a leader.
Boy I'm getting more and more interested in these stories of yours, I love your setting development of magic and technology on the population. It seems the two would work well together, yet each almost an opposite of the other; and seeing how afraid people are to incorporate "opposites" in reality I can already imagine this struggle in your story. Such a world would offer me so much more in metaphysics, an understanding of the science of "magic" would give an awesome extra perspective to nature.
One of the drawbacks of having an extended lifespan, I'm afraid. However, that's not what would effect Baksrit the most. How would you feel when you see friends and family, most younger than you, grow old and die while you're still plodding along trying to get to old age? That's something Baksrit won't like dwelling on when she gets older (assuming I ever depict that part of her life).
Truth be told, I haven't really delved too much into how technology conflicts and works with magic yet. Mostly, I've focused on the magic side of things as both Baksrit and Deidrei are more interested in spells and things like that. In fact, Baksrit is considered something of a showoff when it comes to her knowledge, in that she likes to share it with anyone who shows interest. That gives me ample opportunity to explain how magic works in Baksrit's world. (I do my best to use real world concepts rather than invent a "magical energy field" that exists in their world but not ours. In short, I try to treat it something like science fiction with magic.)
I have written two stories for the Ironclaw world (I'm sure you've seen them on my site) which is unrelated to Baksrit's world (although I lifted a few things from it). What would you think of my reposting them on Fur Affinity, complete with Author's Notes?
Truth be told, I haven't really delved too much into how technology conflicts and works with magic yet. Mostly, I've focused on the magic side of things as both Baksrit and Deidrei are more interested in spells and things like that. In fact, Baksrit is considered something of a showoff when it comes to her knowledge, in that she likes to share it with anyone who shows interest. That gives me ample opportunity to explain how magic works in Baksrit's world. (I do my best to use real world concepts rather than invent a "magical energy field" that exists in their world but not ours. In short, I try to treat it something like science fiction with magic.)
I have written two stories for the Ironclaw world (I'm sure you've seen them on my site) which is unrelated to Baksrit's world (although I lifted a few things from it). What would you think of my reposting them on Fur Affinity, complete with Author's Notes?
I've got my own theories of how "magic" could exist through science [fiction]. I imagine it would be something like learning to bend the magnetic poles of the world...yadda yadda
Those two works actually got published? I haven't read them yet though.
If you want to put them on here it's all up to you, your website already provides me with the works.
Those two works actually got published? I haven't read them yet though.
If you want to put them on here it's all up to you, your website already provides me with the works.
In Baksrit's world, magic is directing energy (from ley lines, one's own body energies, etc.) through mental means – that is to say, psychic abilities are the "arms and legs" of spellcasting. That doesn't mean a psychic automatically knows spells any more than you or I automatically know how to build a house (for example) just because we've got some tools in the garage.
Those two Ironclaw stories were published in the Ironclaw/Jadeclaw emagazine Bitemarks. It doesn't get a very wide distribution, so I may indeed someday upload them here just to get the word out.
Lastly, as I'm sure you already know, I polished up an excerpt from Isen's Bane and uploaded it onto Fur Affinity. Hopefully, I'll find other bits and pieces to upload.
Those two Ironclaw stories were published in the Ironclaw/Jadeclaw emagazine Bitemarks. It doesn't get a very wide distribution, so I may indeed someday upload them here just to get the word out.
Lastly, as I'm sure you already know, I polished up an excerpt from Isen's Bane and uploaded it onto Fur Affinity. Hopefully, I'll find other bits and pieces to upload.
I have nothing from Winterfur proper posted here yet. Much of it needs revision before it's presentable enough, thanks to character and world development from Isen's Bane. However, I do have two excerpts from Isen's Bane here on Fur Affinity – Coyote Folk Songs and The Woodcarver's Geis.
Comments