Her hypnotic stare seared into my soul.
Worldbuilding Wednesday 7/31/19: Detective Novels
The gruff private eye who investigated crimes with a world-weary cynicism had his start with author Dashiell Hammett amidst the throes of Prohibition when organized crime ran amok. Paperbook books began to be widely available in the decade after, and the two combined for masterpieces of vintage kitsch like the above (actual) novel by Fredric Brown, who also wrote horror, science fiction and fantasy. The sultry brunette is clearly based on 1940s actress Veronica Lake and if you look closely, her shoulders are way too broad to be a woman’s. There’s also no way that red-gloved hand could belong to her, either, in the position the arm is in. But who cares? The whole is pure magic.
Looking for an imaginary detective novel to use in your work? Or perhaps gain inspiration from? A bunch of randomgenned titles below.
Hardboiled Detective Novels
| The Waitress in the Cement Mixer
Death at the Luau Larceny in Hell Naked Came the Radical Uptown Call Girl… she was pure sadism in go-go-boots! The Blonde in the Bathroom Mirror The Hairdresser of Muscle Beach Boxing Club Temptress The Claw Machine Murders The Case of the Hamburger Killer Diary of a Part-time Forger The Case of the Hungry Fireplace The Cinnamon Stick Killing The Ferrari Murders Brutal Ransom Unlucky Reahead Red Hot Emeralds Murder in the Cat’s Eye Kidnapping of an Escort Death by Doberman Blackmail at the Bikini Plant The Gangster’s Moll Beside Me Main Street Loser The Tea-Time Murder Farewell, But Don’t Tell Anyone |
Anatomical Pastries
Baking art by Miss Insomnia Tulip
Hungry yet?
Worldbuilding Wednesday 7/24/19: The Best of
xxxxTwittersnips II (Characters)
Scalpel-fingered cyberpunk Molly Millions.
Iconic female characters for SFF are hard to find… and by iconic I mean they will be easily known by any reader with a good knowledge of the field even if rendered by disparate illustrators. Elric of Melniboné, who was in last week’s post, is one: armored albino man with a sword. Molly Millions, who made her first appearance in William Gibson’s Neuromancer, is another: leather-jacketed punk girl with surgical steel fingernails and mirrorshade sunglasses embedded into her face. (Admittedly, I always found the idea of embedded sunglasses ridiculous. What happens when you cry? Get an itch in your eye?)
Here are more memorable names culled from my daily Twitter posts, up to June of 2019, that may be used for characters in a story or in a gaming situation.
Twittersnip Characters II
| Sgt. Asglen Pepperwater of the Dragoons
Gandane Fiddlewater, a minstrel Chindalf the Unexpired, a wizard Hanolne, the Mountain Enchantress Ysselve, the Illusionist of Steam Sir Fanchon Disblaes Mistress Fornhook, character in a BDSM novel The Marquise of Leatherwood, character in a BDSM novel Lady Irina Forcemouth, character in a BDSM novel Kaliestes, a hero of Greek legend Gilliam Lodespear, an English playwright Babette Bainbridge, a silent movie actress The Ravenwidow, a superheroine Vyrmanson the Shapechanger Ushaline, a mermaid Lalöysses the Red, a pirate captain Spinefeld the Prudent Eugulus of the Orange Cap, a bard Ankhbren of the Voiceless God Isonaul, Magus of Water Jandzar the Red Dragon, a barbarian Cytest Roseblossom, a courtier |
Flaming Heart
My heart burns for you.
¡Lengua de Cerdo!
This is a fresh pig’s tongue as might be available from a specialty butcher. Not very appetizing, is it? What if I told you it was most delicious, and that I created a recipe to cook it?
Pork Tongue prepared in a pressure cooker
3 fresh pork tongues, cleaned
3 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1/2 medium onion, sliced thickly
3 peppercorns
Salt to taste
Place tongues in pressure cooker, any kind, and add 1 cup water or broth and all other ingredients. Put on lid and bring to a boil. Cook at medium-high for 20 minutes. Cool off under cold running water in the sink and remove. The rough skin on the outside will peel off.
Eat as is, or shred for tacos. Pork tongue has a light flavor than beef tongue, which is on the gamey side. Once it’s shredded you can feed it to guests and they won’t know what they’re eating. Imagine the surprise when you tell them!
Worldbuilding Wednesday 7/17/19: The Best of
xxxxTwittersnips I (Characters)
Elric of Melniboné, by Mathew Stewart.
A pretty memorable character himself.
I’ve posted almost 1,000 randomly generated names on Twitter so far, and I thought it would be interesting to showcase my favorites. These are names up to June of 2018 that may be used for characters, either in a story or in a gaming situation.
Characters I
| Queen Kapranje Liegestrud, an imaginary Scandinavian monarch
Chanphry of the Hollow Eye, an evil sorcerer Queston, Necromancer of the Wounded Finger Valdandis Oorf, AKA The Red Beetle, a notorious scoundrel and thief Laird Corbrit Glengally, a Scottish highlander Lady Taffuma Grinform (Steampunk) Lyrilette of the Brown Kirtle Chryserto of the Numinous Phoenix Pirate Captain Squint-Eyed Nicholas Satatareth, The Angel Of Good Hygiene Outlaw Gold Tooth Pearl Shenplen of the Violet Shoes, a mystic Lady Khanstandia Torjanelle Smerri Peachlake, a Hobbit Halina of the Genteel Cloak Whiskey Wesley, a cowboy of the old west Sally Hawk, a cowgirl Gosti Threeclasp, a Hobbit Gandian Graymurgh, a wizard of Middle-Earth Injun Dutch, a cowboy Preacher Ford, a cowboy Luthnox the Slippery, thief and rogue Pellaphor the Eternally Amused, a wizard Grantliet Moonbull, Man at Arms Tal Avoch, a Star Wars villain |
Leatherheart
Toxic, perhaps, and firing on all cylinders.
Worldbuilding Wednesday 7/10/19: Arabian Nights Tales II
Illustration by Virginia Sterrett
It’s not only the translations of One Thousand and One Arabian Nights that have changed over the years; illustrations of the classic have changed as well. The oil painting Alnaschar’s Fortune, by William Ewart Lockhart, embodies a realistic, dramatic Victorian style, but starting in the 20th century, children’s book illustrators showed a move towards abstraction and fancifulness influenced by the larger art trends of their time. The above watercolor by Virginia Sterrett has a slinky 1920s Art Deco feel, halfway between the more realistic Maxfield Parrish and the later stylizations of Erté. The empty space above the princess may have been left for the book’s title, but many interior illustrations of the time showed generous amounts of unoccupied space as well, such as this illustration by Sterrett’s contemporary Kay Nielson.
As the Arabian Nights hodgepodge of Persian, Indian, Arabic, and Jewish tales is presented as belonging to a unified mythical “East” that never really was, the illustration combines elements of various Eastern cultures as well: a Chinese-style headdress on the princess, Ancient Egyptian collar, sheer North African pantaloons, Indian slippers, and Turkish minarets in the background, with the small pursed red lips and sultry eye makeup of a 1920s It Girl.
Unwritten Arabian Nights Tales II
| The Tale of the Serpent-Charmer and His Father
The Porter’s Tale of His First Brother The Mishaps of the Concubine and the Parakeet Queen Taryal and Her Slave-Girls Zariq and the Swallow’s Curse Princess Awaryet and the Amiable Miller The Fat Serpent-Charmer and the Lazy Fakir Garden of the Forty Mice Kelemen the Gem Cutter The Hyena, the Spider, and the Acrobat The Six Lamps of Al-Ibhreen The Wise Son and the Silent Daughter The Gazelle, the Devil, and the Jewess The Voyages of Zartu the Traveler Princess Zulakka and Her Flying Coffee-Set A Letter to the Renowned Imam of Zarrush The Barber’s Tale of His Grandfather Six Times Removed The Ten Cunning Pilgrims Khefren and the Mishap of the Forty Melons The Twelve Daughters of Rhanaziah King Quryn and His Sons, Baraz and Sidyal Bendaisha the Ghoul Queen Faykhaat and the Learned Seamstress The Sultana Who Became an Envoy The Tale of Young Wasdul and His Grandmother The Old Weaver and His Magical Loom The Dillemna of Emir Quaaz and His Elephant The Twelve Queens of El-Zarinda The Lady Arzeena and the Ghost of the Cripple The Journey of Queen Rubanja and Her Brother Sharqeera the Baggar-Woman and the Talking Spider Faldan and the Golden Orange |
Naughty Arabian Nights
Some kinky, Aubrey Beardsley-like shenanigans are going on in this
Arabian Nights illustration by early twentieth century book
illustrator Kay Nielson. Not for kids.