The Mark Williamson Creative Universe

Warning: Memes Operating in Lab. Science is a difficult business.  It is further complicated by scientists and scientific organizations misusing science or claiming non-scientific matters as science. But at the end of the day, the bulk of scientists want to learn more about the world and share that understanding with others.  So let's relax and have fun with some memes.  I said fun, not snarky! What did I just say? That's better. You're getting it. Not particularly relatable, but I appreciate the effort. Good save.  Reeling it back in. Aaaaaaaaaannnd you lost me again.  Back into the deep end.   Saucy, but acceptable. Sigh...

Draw a card, a baffling card.   Week five, the final week, for uncut game cards from my combination card/board game.  I still haven't fixed on a title, so I will pencil in more title ideas.  Battlev erse.  Spellswords.  Eon Champions. Well, whatever the game is called, here are some cards. Lurgefon (Creature):  A cosmic monster of unbelievable power and defense, which requires sacrificing multiple creatures to summon. Snorkyle (Creature):  A funny little beast with the swimming ability. Seeker Mole (Creature):  An artifact creature with the digging ability. Living Fireball (Creature):  A magical flying construct that can be sacrificed to deal damage to an adjacent creature.. Frozen Blood Icicles (Spell):  A dark spell that deals modest damage to a creature and requires the health of one of your creatures to summon. Naga-Mushroom (Creature):  A hybrid creature with the ability to poison an opposing creature during combat. Fire B...

Welcome to the Jumble.   I found a delightful book in the children's section of my local library.  My children and I greatly enjoyed Myth Match .  With over a thousand possible combinations, I couldn't help putting a few together for your consideration. Nyamirir : A combination of the African river spirit Nyami Nyami   and the Norse wolf Fenrir . Unichú:  A combination of the otter-like, Celtic  Dobhar-C hú  and the mystical Unicorn . Draraj : A combination of the fierce, reptilian Dragon  and the rabbit-like, Arabian  Al-Miraj.

Invaders from an incorporeal realm.   I have the first of two rounds of spectral enemies.  Ghosts, phantoms, and other spooks.  Better call you-know-who. Watery Needle Phantom:  A slender spirit attuned to the movements of water.  Is often paired with its fiery counterpart.  Fiery Needle Phantom:  A slender spirit attuned to the movements of fire.  Is often paired with its watery counterpart.  Phantasm Scout:  A spirit summoned by wizards to investigate remote locations.  Imparts visual and audio sensation directly into the summoner's mind. Spectral Comet:  A ghost inhabiting a chunk of ice and rock.  Benign or even helpful, this little spirit holds secrets from the astral realms. Level 1 Ghosts (Red and Orange):  Run-of-the-mill spirits with basic telekinetic abilities.  Easily banished with a low-level Clerical spell.

Breakthroughs by Way of Constraints.     There is something to be said about limitations and achievement.  Jocko Willink says " Discipline equals freedom ."  Flannery O'Conner explained that "Art transcends its limitations only by staying within them."  G. K. Chesterton's quip was that  "Art consists of limitation. The most beautiful part of every picture is the frame." Why is creativity enhanced by limitations?  Here are some thoughts I had. Normal problems are already solved, so terribly difficult problems remain salient and can only be unlocked at the edge of human ability Limitations require serious and creative thinking, thus unlocking new pathways that are hard to reach otherwise Limitations represent a real challenge that engages your mind and will to a higher level than a standard endeavor Whatever the link between limitations and creative breakthroughs is, I find it a helpful exercise to think of ways to intentionally limit myself from t...

A line drawing for every stopwatch.    I've done a quick Science Fiction book cover .  Now it's Fantasy's turn. A reminder of the rules (along with a bonus*): Pick a random topic Set a five-minute timer Draw that topic until the timer goes of One more minute to touch up Two more minutes to add color* My book cover name was generated using this generator .  For extra points, I'll do two book titles.  Go for the gusto! Title 1: Thorns and Shadow Title 2: Warrior's Crypt

Draw a card, a baffling card.   Week four of uncut game cards from my combination card/board game.  Here are some more ideas for a proper title.  Tiles and Titans.  Planar Chaos.  Duel of Destiny.   Enough musing, on to the cards! Doubled-Ended Cobra (Creature):  A serpent with the ability to poison nearby creatures. Lighning Runner (Creature):  A spirit with the ability to gain flying and massively increase speed. Rum-Bot (Creature):  An artifact creature with the ability to heal. Googolafon (Creature):  A baffling creature with stats determined by dice rolls. Thraw Adapter (Creature):  A mysterious species of alien (thraw) with the ability to mutate other creatures. Thraw Creator (Creature):  A thraw with the ability to create weak creatures and put them into play. Thraw Evolver (Creature):  A thraw with the ability to boost stats on adjacent creatures. Thraw Dissector (Creature):  A thraw with the ab...

Characters more interesting than a magic wand.   I recently read The Game Master's Book of Non-Player Characters.  Aside from the occasional piece of nonsense, it was a solid resource for creating memorable characters for role-playing games.  It got me thinking.  Why limit it to games?  Good books need good characters.  Even bit characters can be more than generic cutouts. Using a similar design as the book, I made a character card to fill in.  A blank version is found below. With the setup out of the way, let's get down to creating some memorable characters for a Fantasy novel.

Greater monsters smote from damnation.   I have below the second of two rounds of infernal enemies.  Fiends and horrors of twisted power.  These foes of fire and darkness will take the mettle of meritorious champions to defeat. Abyssal Fiend: This fiend towers over its prey, lunging out with an outsized neck.  When fangs won't finish the job, its claws are long enough to parry blades.  Infernal Fiend: This fiend is eternally engulfed in flames.  Once it chooses a target, it will never stop pursuing. Shelled Horror:  This demon is covered in a hard shell that is impervious to most attacks.  Its multiple appendages are adept at climbing walls and towers. Horned Horror:  A demon with a squat body and massive horns.  While somewhat slow on its two stubby legs, once it catches up, it can devour an adventurer whole, armor and all. Twisted Horror: A demon that moves like an amalgamation of smoke and tentacles.  It's even taller than ...