It’s That Time Of The Year I Suppose. (Audio)

fun, random questions

Do you have any “yeah I’m good at it but I hate it” kind of skills?

If you could make one type of food cease to exist, what would you banish?

You’re allowed to know everything about one highly specific thing/topic. What would you choose?

What’s a fictional character who you want to be like? In what way do you want to be like them?

If you had to live in and not leave a city for the rest of your life, what city would you choose?

Do you tend to say what you’re thinking? What would people think of you if you did the opposite? 

Is there anything that you’ve done/experienced so much you hate it now? Easiest to come up with are like, food or music. 

Were you afraid of anything “silly”/irrational as a child that you’ve since outgrown?

If you were to impart one moral lesson (think Aesop’s fables, Golden Rule, etc) on the world, what would it be? 

If you were a DND character or a game character (or something like that) what would your highest stat be? What would you want your highest stat to be? What about the lowest, to both of those?

Is there anything you judge others for when you probably shouldn’t?

Who are “your kind” of people?

If you had to come up with your last words right now… what would they be?

Do you have any “weirdly strong” opinions about things that don’t really matter?

Your goal is to completely confuse the people around you in as short a time as possible– what do you say/do?

What’s the most comfy place you’ve been in?

Did you have any “silly” beliefs as a kid? Where did they come from (parents, friends, out of nowhere, etc)?

If you were to add or remove one physical feature to yourself… what would it be? Can be from animals, can be from imagination… whatever. 

What could you happily give a two hour lecture on?

What would a mirror opposite version of yourself be like? It doesn’t necessarily have to be an evil version– any feature can be reflected! 

What’s an occasion you’ve done a double take? 

If you could only see one color (and its varying shades– dark/light) for the rest of your life… what would you choose?

Do your friends all share certain qualities? Major or minor! 

How do you motivate yourself to do things?

What’s one of your favorite jokes? Tell it to us! 

THEY KISSED!!!

OC questions that helped me with characterization:

On a scale of “is occasionally forced to bathe” to “Instagram model with sponsors to hoe for” how involved is your OC’s Skincare routine?

What are your OC’s food preferences (flavors/textures/spiciness/calories/ when and how they eat) and how did they get that way?

What’s something pointless/petty/unimportant that IRRATIONALLY ANNOYS THE HELL out of your OC?

What’s your OC’s response to being asked for money by a homeless person?

Does your OC get lost easily? What do they do when they do get lost?

What would STOP your OC from Doing The Right Thing in a tense situation?

Realistically, could your OC (in their normal circumstances- i.e. at thier own house/battlecamp/spaceship etc.) keep a small child alive for a week if they had to?  A Dog?  A Houseplant? A rock with a  smiley face painted on?

If your OC had to take the S.A.T. tomorrow with one night to prep, how would they do?  both emotionally and academically.

What would cause your OC to chose to do something petty/pointlessly cruel?

On a scale of “Complete and Justified nervous breakdown” to “Conquer The Entire Galaxy and become an Immortal God-Emperor”, how well would your OC handle being abducted by Aliens?

What song is 100% garunteed to get your OC beyond turnt and will be sung loudly and emabarrasingly, either in public or the shower?

What perfectly-normal-to-them-thing does your OC do that confuses/pisses off/terrifies thier neighbors?

Under what circumstances would your OC appear naked in public?

What thing did your OC’s parents do that your OC wishes they had a better explanation for?

How often does your OC “zone out” or do things on autopilot and how severe have the problems that have arisen from that been?

How strong or weak is your OC’s Impulse control? What’s the worst thing that happened becuase of thier Impulsivity or inability to be so?

How does your OC sabotage themselves? 

What’s the trashiest item in your OC’s wardrobe, when was the last time they wore it and why do they still have it?

How Dehydrated is your OC right now? Are they going to fix this?

What’s your OC smell like?  no, not that “Vanilla and Anxiety” evocative stuff, realistically.  Body odor? what have they been touching all day? When was thier last shower? Did they put on any kind of artificial scent?

Small physical things that give your characters personality

How they smile

What their “tell” is for lying

Posture

Volume of speech, if they’re verbal

Nervous tics

How much eye contact do they make

In a group conversation, how close do they stand to others? Are they off to the side just listening and occasionally speaking or are they right next to people?

When standing, what do they do with their hands? Talk with their hands, cross their arms, put hands in pockets, prop up against the wall, etc

The sound of their footsteps

Nonverbal greetings: do they wave, nod, hug, glare, punch, high five, something else?

How do they get others’ attention? Raise hand, clear throat, etc

Travel Time in Skyrim

(reposting from my Hero story)

Hires Map | Hires Travel Days Map

I wanted to make a note about Skyrim’s geography. I don’t recall where I found it, but someone else estimated that Skyrim was approximately the size of the country Poland. Early on when I started writing “Hero by Mistake”, I calculated distances between landmarks by road travel, and plugging in the maximum distance a horse could travel in a day whether carrying a person or dragging a cart. I am putting this at 16 travel hours per day for Skyrim’s hardy horses – this is twice the max for Earth’s horses, so we’ll blame this on magic, yes? Heh. I estimated how many travel days it would take to reach any given place, more or less. So, I estimated that horse-travel days by road from Whiterun to Windhelm would be about three (in Polish terms, this would be approximately from Bialystok to Lodz). Windhelm to Riften would be about four days byhorse or cart (approximately Bialystok to Rzeszow). Double that time if you’re walking. I don’t know how accurate my calculations are, but at least they’re more accurate than in-game travel!

An easy guide is using the above map of Skyrim. Diagonally, each grid square is one travel day by horse/cart, 1.5-2 days foot travel. If you want to “push” travel time (say, you need to get somewhere RIGHT NOW, extend beyond the grid square slightly). I tried to account for easier road travel, and more difficult travel across rough terrain.

Travelers might make use of landmarks for camp sites, such as huts and monuments. So for instance, one horse travel day could be between Rorikstead and Swindler’s Den, between Karthwasten and Sky Haven Temple, between Ivarstead and Froki’s Shack, or between Morthal and Meeko’s Shack. These distances would be about 2 days of foot travel at the very least. 

Comparisons

312 kilometers (aka Windhelm to Whiterun)

Horse travel: 3 days, 16 hours per day, 6-7 km/h, 48 hours total

Fit foot travel: 8 days, 8 hours per day, 4-5 km/h, 66 hours total

Child/family/unfit foot travel: 30-50 days, 3-5 hours per day, 2-3 km/h, 104-156 hours total

Example Calculations

Windhelm to Whiterun

Northern Path: Windhelm stables, Nightgate Inn, Lorcius Farm, Whiterun stables - three horse travel days

Southern Path: Windhelm stables, camp across the river from Cronvangr Cave, cross the river at Mixwater Mill, kill bandits at Valtheim Towers and camp there, camp in or near Stormcloak camp, Whiterun stables - four horse travel days

Windhelm to Riften

Windhelm stables, Kynesgrove, camp near Mzulft or Imperial camp, Shor’s Stone, Riften stables - four horse travel days

Whiterun to Solitude

Northern Path (avoiding Labyrinthian): Whiterun stables, Lorcius Farm, Fort Dunstad, Stonehills mine, Morthal, Meeko’s shack, Dragon Bridge, Katla’s Farm (Solitude stables) - seven horse travel days

Western Path: Whiterun stables, Fort Greymoor, Hamvir’s Rest, Labyrinthian, Morthal, Meeko’s shack, Dragon Bridge, Katla’s Farm (Solitude stables) - six horse travel days (not overnighting in Labyrinthian)

Winterhold to Windhelm

Winterhold, camp near Stillborn Cave, camp near Forsaken Cave, Windhelm stables - three horse travel days

Gwendis

i love her so much ♥

weird asks that say a lot

in

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans?

2. chocolate bars or lollipops?

3. bubblegum or cotton candy?

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you?

5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups?

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear?

7. earbuds or headphones?

8. movies or tv shows?

9. favorite smell in the summer?

10. game you were best at in p.e.?

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day?

12. name of your favorite playlist?

13. lanyard or key ring?

14. favorite non-chocolate candy?

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment?

16. most comfortable position to sit in?

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes?

18. ideal weather?

19. sleeping position?

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)?

21. obsession from childhood?

22. role model?

23. strange habits?

24. favorite crystal?

25. first song you remember hearing?

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather?

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather?

28. five songs to describe you?

29. best way to bond with you?

30. places that you find sacred?

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names?

32. top five favorite vines?

33. most used phrase in your phone?

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head?

35. average time you fall asleep?

36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing?

37. suitcase or duffel bag?

38. lemonade or tea?

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie?

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school?

41. last person you texted?

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets?

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket?

44. favorite scent for soap?

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero?

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in?

47. favorite type of cheese?

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be?

49. what saying or quote do you live by?

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have?

51. current stresses?

52. favorite font?

53. what is the current state of your hands?

54. what did you learn from your first job?

55. favorite fairy tale?

56. favorite tradition?

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome?

58. four talents you’re proud of having?

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be?

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be?

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.?

62. seven characters you relate to?

63. five songs that would play in your club?

64. favorite website from your childhood?

65. any permanent scars?

66. favorite flower(s)?

67. good luck charms?

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried?

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned?

70. left or right handed?

71. least favorite pattern?

72. worst subject?

73. favorite weird flavor combo?

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen?

75. when did you lose your first tooth?

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)?

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill?

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store?

79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo?

80. earth tones or jewel tones?

81. fireflies or lightning bugs?

82. pc or console?

83. writing or drawing?

84. podcasts or talk radio?

84. barbie or polly pocket?

85. fairy tales or mythology?

86. cookies or cupcakes?

87. your greatest fear?

88. your greatest wish?

89. who would you put before everyone else?

90. luckiest mistake?

91. boxes or bags?

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights?

93. nicknames?

94. favorite season?

95. favorite app on your phone?

96. desktop background?

97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized?

98. favorite historical era?