I went only minimally into the School of Smell in the WW post for 1-14-26. Today I’ll go into further detail. The School of Smell is considered one of the minor schools, along with Taste and Touch. This isn’t to say the sense is valued less, only that Sight and Hearing are more popular with students, …
I realized I went all-in on WW 1/14/26 on describing magic centering around the sense of smell, but didn’t give any background information. Today I’m going to rectify that. First I’d like call attention to the marvelous illustration above by Wenjing Yang. It’s typical of the artists’s style, using fresh, garish pastels, futuristic shapes, and …
The Sultan of the Doggoman Empire has a special harem consisting entirely of husky dogs. The creatures are pampered in every way. Going to the baths is always a fun activity. So is dancing. Of course, from time to time they simply observe the goings-on of the world outside. And add their occasional bark. (All …
My favorite magic items of the year 2025 from my X feed. 2025 Magic Items (Best of) Bell of Freedom and Captivity: When struck once, this bell will free prisoners from confinement. Rung twice, it will put them back into whatever confinement they left. Cape of Un-bearable Deflection: Made from the shaggy brown fur …
My favorite magic spells of the year 2025 from my X feed. 2025 Magic Spells (Best of) Anti-exotic Eyes: Changes a human’s eye color from gemlike or unique (purple, emerald, etc.) to an ordinary brown. Drachenrippe: Also known as Dragon Ribs. Makes the recipient’s torso incredibly strong and sturdy with an AC of …
Clement Moore’s version of Santa’s reindeer team was not the only one. Children’s author L. Frank Baum, known for his Oz series, offered a competing version: A team of ten (!) named Flossie and Glossie, Racer and Pacer, Reckless and Speckless, Fearless and Peerless, and Ready and Steady. The names used a rhyming, alliterative style …
Since I’ve been posting about reindeer, let’s see Santa’s flesh and blood creatures changed into sleek, tireless robot servants. It makes sense that Santa would eventually move in this direction. Such a compassionate soul as he would want to avoid stress and strain on the mortal creatures. They would be semi-retired and serve only as …
In my original plans for this post I wanted to generate some names for new members of Santa’s flying reindeer team, but instead I went down a rabbit hole of Christmas canon. For example, much of our (meaning American) ideas about Santa Claus came from poet Clement Moore’s work “A Visit from St. Nicholas” which …
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