Fantasy Dictionar

Chatterbox: Crowd Sorcery

Fantasy Dictionar

Fantasy Dictionary

Writing a fantasy story often involves world-building: creating the setting in which your story takes place. Physical location is an important part of this phase—the house, cavern, mountain, forest, town, ship, island, or any other space your characters inhabit. But it is more than just a place. Building a world may mean thinking about the history, art, music, language, clothing, and customs of the story’s people—how they earn a living, what they do on holidays, and what everyday objects they use.

Of course a writer can’t design every aspect of a culture. If you did that, you’d never get around to writing the story! But here is the key: you want to think carefully enough about these things so that the reader believes your fantasy world goes on beyond the edges of your story. You want this imaginary world to feel real. And you do that with some well-placed, clear, creative details.

So let’s do some world-building! Please come up with objects, places, words ... any ideas for a fantasy story’s world. Tools, animals, types of clothing, dwellings—any of these and more may become necessary elements in our story! You may suggest as many as you like, or even post a strange word and let others suggest meanings. If you want, you can also write a sentence using the word or describing the fantasy place. Here are two examples:

haloris – a lantern that gives off both light and a pleasant scent. It is used by people who live near the swamps to counter the odors of mud and decay.

“Quill’s boots sank into the moss, deeper at each step, and ahead she could see a swamp, moonbeams glittering on pools that lapped around the tree roots. Catching the stench of stagnant water, she pulled the haloris lamp from her pack and set it alight.”

gnawk – a large, black bird with a raucous cry and uneven feathers that always look ruffled and untidy. Gnawks have a fondness for pecking and chewing on rope, and they are notorious for setting free dogs and farm animals tied with ropes. They unmoor boats tied to docks, and have been known to free certain fortunate prisoners.

Can you see how story ideas practically ooze from your Fantasy Dictionary, once you get your imagination going?

submitted by Fred Durbin
(April 23, 2014 - 10:11 am)

Reshki- a red being that can morph into anything it desires. The only way to tell it is not what it seems is to splash it with vinegar. Then it will turn to its true, reddish shifting form.

Belarsky- an almost lark kind of bird sounding like sweet bells.

submitted by Moss, age 13
(May 28, 2014 - 7:41 pm)

ristwawtch - a small circular device attached to a strip of leather worn on the arm just below the hand used for measuring the movements of the sun and moon

 

Lynx - a small, catlike mammal with funny ears

 

Telum - a longsword that can, supposedly, defeat any foe in single combat. It's really just an ordinary, (but cool looking) sword with runes on the side of the blade.

 

Sydrine Malcon - a self-applied potion used to transform the drinker into any living creature of their choice for one year or whenever they drink the water of Amnondor, a sacred river that runs through Sydrus, whichever comes first. It works particularly well when transforming things into flying organisms. Sydrine refers to Sydrus, the realm of origin. (Malcon is the native's word for drink)

submitted by Cole D., age 14, Gainesville, FL
(June 13, 2014 - 4:35 pm)

I do believe that you could've been a bit more original. A ristwawtch is obviously similar to a wristwatch, Lynxes are real creatures, not fantasy, and "Telum" is just Latin for weapon. Sydrine Malcon, however is your idea. Good job.

 

Remember: 27-3y(8.5-7.2)=(13+8+1521)-(7z)5

submitted by Math Overlord (Mo), age 12=7/x+8, Lair of Subtraction
(July 14, 2014 - 4:26 pm)

I agree with you Math Overlord

submitted by Fairen S., age 12, Vermont
(July 22, 2014 - 11:42 am)

Me too!

submitted by harrypotterfan, age 12, hogwarts
(October 3, 2014 - 6:14 pm)

Decronal: A language used by dark creatures of the night

Muuw: A mommy's boy

Arach: A spider language

submitted by Loki (Brooke E.), age 1048 (11), Asgard (Arkansas)
(June 20, 2014 - 3:31 pm)

Is there going to be a poll for the words, or are there too many words? Are you going to pick out the words yourself? Just curious :)

 

 Good questions, Moss. Since this is the first time we've done anything like Crowd Sorcery, I'm not sure that has been decided yet. Fred may just see which words define things that fit into the story line. Please do vote for your favorite Hero/Heroines! That voting is live now until the end of June.

 

Admin

submitted by Moss, age 13
(June 21, 2014 - 1:34 pm)

Thanks, Admin! Maybe Fred will say so later since he's still deciding on the characters in the poll. I voted yesterday too. The characters are all really good... it was hard to decide just three!

 

I agree. All the characters are intriguing. I'm terrible at making decisions!

Admin

submitted by Moss, age 13
(June 22, 2014 - 11:29 am)

Me too! I think it will be just as hard to pick the sidekick and villain. So. Many. Characters! 

submitted by Moss, age 13
(July 8, 2014 - 10:55 am)

Hey guys! This is Joe the Stickfiddler. (Daffodil's words are in italics) I've been meaning to chip in on this for a while but I experienced a bout of writer's block while attempting to create a hero. Here is my Crowd Sorcery word:

Nescium - A magical drug, derived from the Nestic Herb, which, when taken, causes all life functions to cease for a short period, therefore placing the victim into a coma. Often used to immobolize and manage prisoners while they are in custody. However, large and/or frequent doses can be lethal, and the stuff causes disorientation and temporary loss of memory when the victim awakens, which can take anywhere from a few hours to several weeks to wear off. That doesn't make prisoners very useful when standing trial, so usually this is only used when the prisoner is believed to be dangerous and there are no other options.

And here is Daffodil's:

Pursleps: A root bitter in its raw form but with a taste much like turnip and a delicious aroma when cooked. Has a calming effect and is often offered or given when people are worked up or in a state of shock.

"Stella burst into the cottage, gasping for breath. 'Whatever is the matter, dear?' her mother inquired. 'There, there, sit down and tell me about it and I'll warm up some pursleps soup for you' "

I have one other word-- Snorple. I'm thinking it's some kind of slavering, wild, antagonistic creature.

Perhaps Stella would have said she had been chased by a snorple.

So those are our words. Peace out! 

submitted by JtSf + Daffodil, age 15 & 13, Nescium Vortex
(June 24, 2014 - 4:05 pm)

propheta:the title of a female prophet in the medieval times

maazakaku: legendary monster with razor-sharp claws, vampire fangs, poisonous drool. Its fur was said to change colors like a chamaeleon, sometimes white as snow, other times brown as a dried plant. Rumors had it that if you could take a single piece of fur from it, it will have to grant you one wish. 

 

 

submitted by Athena W., California
(June 27, 2014 - 2:08 pm)

Avi-Tur   -     Human looking, dual Hearts. Tend to be slightly smaller than us. All have Olive skin, almond-shaped brown eyes, and males and females have long hair. Life spans twice as long. When born, skin is like porcelin, but cracks and becomes skin after 20 months. They all wear long, lose robes of varying solid colors. Adults have an avarage wing span of 13 feet. Their wings are enlarged versions of different birds, depending on their anscestry. Yes, they can fly with them.

Pixies    -    are tiny people with the wings of insects. While in flight, they look like Tinkerbell, just a little blob of sparkle. They are Messengers, travelers, pranksters. Like hermes in Greek Mythology. One would seek out and agknowledge ( I cant spell that word. you know what I mean) a pixie before starting on a journey.

Nymphs     -     Nature Spirits. Each tree, rock, spring, wind, etc has it's Nymph. They are huminoid, but their coloring resembels what they're a spirit of. A willow tree, for example, would have pale, rough, gray skin, and her hair would be very long, green, and rustle like leaves. She would cry easily. Fire nymphs are the shape of horses, Moonlight Nymphs are wolves of pale, silver light, and sunlight ones are swans.

Those are my ideas. Hope ya'll like them!

submitted by Thalia G., age Not Sure.., Pine Tree, NY
(June 30, 2014 - 5:04 pm)

Their hair is always straight and black by the way

submitted by Thalia Grace, age Not Sure, Pine Tree, NY
(July 1, 2014 - 9:20 am)

Hi Thalia how are you doing?

submitted by Annabeth C., age Who cares, Camp Half Blood
(July 1, 2014 - 9:46 am)

Hi! Annabeth! Wazzup! Um... the ship might possibly be thretaning to blow up again, so could you cut the Iris message short and go to the engine room? Thanks, peace out and please don't kill me...

submitted by Leo V., age 16, Argo II
(July 3, 2014 - 2:30 pm)