Ignis Hirundus, more commonly known as the “Fire Swallower”, is a type of flower found on the island of Kebakaran. As its name suggests, this unique plant absorbs fire and lava to grow. First starting out as a large pod, it needs copious amounts of fire and lava to emerge from its shell. Once it does, it blooms into a flower with white petals that have red flame-like edgings. It is quite common for dwellers of Kebakaran to place these unique flora on the outside of their fields; protecting their crops and homes from a potential disaster. The long stigmas that stick out glow brightly in the night; giving the onlooker a sight to behold. This plant can grow as large as a house and has a unique defense mechanism. Merely touching this plant will burn the individual. Pursuing further will cause the flower to spit up fire or, in extreme cases, lava. If you see this flower out in the wild, it is best not to touch.
Tag: #Magitotum
A Closer Look: Mens Moderatoris Fungus
More commonly known as the Mind Controller mushroom, this bright blue glowing fungus grows naturally in the land of Floresta in the region known as Bosque. Creatures foolish enough to try and harm this fungus will find their minds going hazy. By approaching the mushroom with any kind of intent to harm it, the blue fungus will release a cloud of spores. When inhaled, it is able to control the minds of its victims. Usually, the attacker is ordered to march blindly in one direction until the effects wear off. On occasion, the mushroom will cause the subject to attack itself or even in extreme cases, kill itself. It is interesting to note that if given the right nutrients and environment, this unique fungus will form an attachment with another creature.
Wishes of a Happy New Year and a belated Happy Holidays
A new year has begun as the world moves ever forward; to what is the question and the concern for most. Every year we hope for the best as we set for ourselves goals, or most call them New Year’s resolutions. Sure it is easy to say what we would like to change in the coming year, but the trick is to stick with it. Never backing down from the challenge of how it interrupts our normal habits. So I say to you, engrave it in your mind. Make yourself even better than who you are now, but do not let it discourage you if it is not achieved. Change is not easy for us as humans; after all we are creatures of habit. With that said, I wish you all a happy new year and a belated happy holidays.
As for myself, my new years resolution is to finish two different writing projects and get an agent. The first being the second book of my Scales series, Shimmer of Scales. The first leg of the journey in this one is proving to be the longest and most thought consuming part of the whole book. Although, the most complicated parts to write end up being the greatest parts in the story. After that, I am assuming the rest of the book will flow easy. Then again, my characters do have a mind of their own and shape the tale to their own path. Second project to be completed would be a collection of short stories. Including such fairy tale classics of Sleeping Beauty and Little Red Riding Hood told in a hero’s epic journey. You may have seen a few snippets of such stories on my site under the samples category. The agent part of this resolution will be the difficult part. I am not very good at selling myself as a person; proving to be a thorn when writing cover letters and apply for jobs as well. Slowly, I am learning on how to show myself and skill within a one page letter and will get that agent this year.
Finally, I wanted to talk about my holiday with you all. Many Christmas parties came to be as I bent my work schedule to fit them all. It may just have made me a zombie during work, but it was well worth it. Christmas day I spent the morning with my family opening presents that we bought each other before going to town on playing games. So many were given this holiday as we spent time trying them all. These included but were not limited to Villainous, Crib Wars, You Are A Liar, Utter Nonsense, and so many more that we have not even gotten to. Utter Nonsense ended up hilarious as I heard for the first time and hopefully not the last, my Pepere rap. I laughed so hard at how creative he made it. Another funny one was You Are A Liar. For some reason my family seemed to think that I would always lie. Although they were correct half the time, it still proved to be a fun time. I think my favorite out of all the games given was Villainous. This was a gift I gave my fiancee since we are both Disney lovers. After two hours of figuring the game out and coming up with strategies, we were really enjoying it. Since then we both have played every character and now striving to win as every one of them. So far, it is tied at three wins each. We eagerly await the expansion packs that are said to come out after voting is complete.
Happy Holidays to all. May you find happiness and warmth around you from those you love and hold dear. Cherish them as the new year begins and continue to form new bonds to tie this broken world together.
About the Author: Update
Greetings again one and all, just thought I would give you all an update on my life. Those of you who had not seen my previous birthday post, I have turned twenty-four with another year of survival under my belt. A present that appeared with this occasion was to see Lion King on Broadway. Super excited to be going to New York again to see a show I have been yearning to see for a long time. Also in recent weeks the date for my fiancee’s and I’s wedding has been decided. Much excitement comes along with this news accompanied by oh my goodness the cost of such things, but in the end all that matters is the love for each other. Hopefully with the date we have set we can both save up the money to have a splendid day to celebrate our love… and of course to get to a little place called Ireland for the honeymoon. Why here? Both of our families come from the Emerald Isle and it has long peaked our interests to visit this land of rolling hills and fences made of stone. Excitement fills my very being of celebrating such a joyous occasion and traveling to a place that I have wanted to visit since I was young.
On the writing frontier, my efforts with agents have been less than successful. However, I will say that none of them have said that my book was terrible or poorly written. The only reason they passed it was on their gut feelings. It gives me a bit of encouragement but at the same time frustration. I can feel myself having my goal at my fingertips but not able to grasp it. More annoyingly is the fact that my followers are waiting so patiently for my book to appear and I cannot produce it yet. For that I am truly sorry that you have to wait to see the fantastic tale. I promise it will get to you, of that I am sure; just unsure when that will be. Hopefully in the coming days I will have the good news of finding an agent. On a side note, I have gotten half way through writing A Collection of Epic Retellings of Classic Fairy Tales of which I will be posting another story of tomorrow. When not working on this, my thoughts linger back to the story in Magitotum. Yes, indeed friends I have started to write the second book in my Scales series. Looking on the bit I have already done, my head begins to spin. The very first place that the group ends up in at the end of the first book is filled with a mixture of many different cultures. What I mean is I used influences of many different countries’ mythologies to form this land. The tricky part is blending them in a way to give proper homage to each. Before I forget, if you have not noticed in recent posts or looking at old ones, I have almost caught up on my illustrations. Now, I do request that you be gentle with me on the artistry; it is not my strong suit by any means of the word. I do hope you are enjoying what you find on my page and the posts that are soon to come.
About the Author: Birthday Reflections
Another year on this planet has passed as I tread upon my path. Mistakes and frustrations have beset me, but there was much good as well. Spending more time with my beloved is at the top of that list. With her support, I was able to experience much that would have frightened me many years ago including amusement park rides, scare fest, visiting New York City, etc. She is my inspiration to write and share with you all the stories that I so do love to write.
Upon the previous year, my dream of being a writer did spark. Since I was a kid, I enjoyed spinning tales for my cousin, brother, and friends as we acted out our imaginary games. As years passed, opportunities arose to show my wordsmanship, but I always seemed to come in behind everyone else. My confidence was shot as for many years I suppressed this dream; spending my days in high school filling journals with ideas that I would expand upon later. It was not until my second year of college that I would relearn the joys of writing when one of my professors challenged me to write a story. At first I treated the assignment as an assignment just to get the job done. She took one look and handed back with a retort that I could do better. (She had seen some other writing assignments I had turned in on a more research based level where I had to put a lot of work to get it up to par). With a bit of an eye roll at the time, I went back and instead decided to do a different story. I quickly found that spark I once had of writing and wove such a tale that made me smile. Eagerly and timidly, I brought in this new story. Applauds were met by this professor as she asked if I had ever thought of being a writer. At that moment, I had nervously laughed, saying that it was a career that was not stable enough for someone with anxiety. She chuckled remarking that if I ever did change my mind, that she would be thrilled to read anything that I wrote. Thinking on that, I wonder if I still have her contact information.
Anyways, that spark stayed in my bones as over the next few years I started to write my first book Scars and Scales, I only had time to make a paragraph here and there while I went to college. Unfortunately, during the beginning of my third year my leg ended up needing surgery, effectively draining my account of any money for school. It brought my drive to my original plan of becoming a music teacher to a halt. With this time to stop and look at my plan, I realized that I still could feel that electricity in my body. I felt more like me when I sat down and wrote rather than when I was doing my studies. With a new found vigor, my book became complete before I gave it to my fiancee for an edit. Nervously I waited for her feedback when, to my relief, she came back that I was entertaining and interesting. After pointing out my mistakes, the next few months were spent polishing the story. At long last while visiting her mom in Florida, I had gotten to a point where the book was at its best. Now, at that point that was going to be it. I more wrote this to empty out the space in my head to allow more ideas to flood in. It was not until talking with my fiancee and other friends that I was inspired to try to get this book published. At the moment, that has not happened yet. However, my drive and hope does not waiver. My dream will be achieved.
And what is that dream you ask? It is much simpler than you think. All my life, all I have wanted is a job that a thoroughly enjoy, a house that I design, and a loving wife that I can spend my life loving right back. One part of this dream has been achieved and another is in the works of becoming reality. I would say that it was pretty good year over all, in no small part to my family, friends, and fiancee who support me. Not to mention those who enjoy my writing and share it with others across the web. I thank you as my goal is almost within sight. May you all remember and recognize what is important in each of your lives.
KC J. Hutchins' Blog- A Journal of a Creative Creature 