L.G. Estrella's Blog, page 27

Wonderful Word #3 – Perspicacious

There are words… and then there are words.

I’ve always felt that perspicacious (and its derivatives) is a word.

To be perspicacious means “having a ready insight into and understanding of things”. In other words, a perspicacious wizard would be expected to grasp the intricacies of any magic they encounter fairly quickly.

What I really love about the word, however, is how it sounds. To be perspicacious means, to some extent, to be intelligent, and the word just sounds very intelligent. It is, in ...

“Cosmic Delivery” Boy is Now Available On Amazon

Cosmic Delivery Boy is now available on Amazon! If you’re up for more fun, action, and adventure, then give it a try! The life of a delivery boy might seem simple at first, but that all depends on what they’re delivering and where they’re delivering it to.

You can get Cosmic Delivery Boy from Amazon here. And here is the blurb.

Simon is the best delivery boy that Mr Edwards’s restaurant has ever had. He’s on time every time, and he’s gotten nothing but good reviews. But he needs more money. His ...

Why Being A Dragon Is The Best

Dragons are obviously awesome, but why is being a dragon the best? Here are five reasons why being a dragon is the best, courtesy of Spot and Timmy from The Unconventional Heroes Series.

Eating your problems is a legitimate strategy. Your typical human can’t solve their problems by eating them. A dragon can. Do you have bandits prowling around? Eat them. Is there a lion/bear/hydra/giant mongoose menacing the local neighbourhood? Eat it. Are there pieces of metal or rock that you need to get rid...

Understanding the Specialisation of Magic

One of the most common tropes in fantasy fiction is the development of specialised schools of magic. This idea occurs so frequently that one might think that it is simply a staple of the genre that has become widely accepted over the years. That might well be so. However, you can also make an argument that the development of specialised schools of magic is perfectly logical. In fact, you could even argue that is basically inevitable in any civilisation that has parallels with our own.

Let us beg...

Basic Needs and World Building

World building can be a difficult task, but considering the basics needs of the people that exist within the worlds you create can make the task much easier.

But what are basic needs? Simply put, basic needs are the things people need in order to survive. They are the needs around which civilisation grows. If a civilisation cannot satisfy these needs, it will soon collapse. Likewise, an individual who cannot meet these needs will not survive for very long. How individuals and civilisations satis...

Happy New Year

A Happy New Year to you all! May it be safe, prosperous, and good.

Australian Christmas

“Taste the righteous fist of Christmas, you marsupial fiend!” Santa cried as he heaved a mighty blow into the chin of the drop bear.

The punch was backed by all the good cheer and joy of the holiday season, and the vile creature reeled back. However, no sooner had it fallen off the sleigh than another one of its accursed kin leapt out of a gum tree to continue the assault. Santa’s eyes narrowed in grim determination as the beast bared its claws and fangs.

“I haven’t missed a delivery yet, a...

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Stay safe, be happy, and may you all find something most welcome under your tree.

P. S. If you should find a black dragon curled around one of the gifts, I’d suggest bribing him with a pineapple and some candy.

Chess

Watching the match between Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi reminds me of the term ‘mental disintegration’ as it has been used by Australian cricketers.

Through nine games, Carlsen has withstood every attempt by Nepomniachtchi to seize a decisive advantage. The steadily increasing pressure culminated in a titanic game six in which Carlsen essentially strangled Nepomniachtchi over the course of almost eight hours. That sort of victory is precisely the kind that can just mentally break an opponent, a...

On Television and Movie Adaptations

It has become increasingly popular to adapt books for film and television. Some of these adaptations have gone rather well. Others have gone less well. I personally do not have any problems with people trying to adapt books for film and television. I think that when such adaptations are properly handled, they can entertain both fans of the original work and new fans. The early seasons of Game of Thrones are a good example of this, as is the original Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.

The issue, I ...