Finding Meaning Within the Fractures

Ollie's Writing Blog | Writer, TTRPG GM & Designer | Icon by the very talented @chosqrd

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Hail and Well Met, Stranger!

Welcome to my writing blog! I'm Ollie, a writer, TTRPG GM, and, to an extent, TTRPG designer. As I work on projects, I post here to hold myself accountable. Have a comment or a question, whether about a project or about something else? Drop me an ask!

Important Links:

Main Blog

TTRPG Review Blog

Current Projects:

Mianthra | A comic collaboration with @chosqrd taking place in a dark fantasy setting reminiscent of the 1800s where the gates to the afterlife have been locked, leaving those who die to have their souls twist into monstrous entities.

Tapetum Lucidum | A supernatural horror setting spanning a bunch of towns and stories, used in a majority of the roleplay groups I run.

Old Universes | A sci-fi apocalyptic setting where life took to the stars and never looked back; planets have been abandoned and no one can remember why.

Death at a Low Price | A sci-fi dimension-hopping story about the employees of an interdimensional convenience store and the troubles far out of their control that plague them.

...And More! | I work on plenty of other settings on the side. This includes zombie apocalypse settings, settings regarding small fae in big houses, TTRPGs about writers room drama, and other such nonsense that I will post here over time!

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Map progress! We're moving onto the climate overlay next. In order:

1. map with just land-level nations

2. map with the floating islands (sans the land under them)

3. map with floating islands and all land-level nations

4. nation overlay (just floating islands)

5. nation overlay (just all land-level nations)

6. nation overlay (everything)

7. map with everything + mountains

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If I Make Another Map I'm Gonna Be Sick

Sprawling text below

So, I've gotten into making maps for projects recently. The one above is going to be for the webcomic, once I settle all of the water depth stuff. This is my third map I've made, and I'd like to think I'm getting better at it. We (and by we, I mean I) are planning to have a climate map overlay. My first map looked like this:

And while it's fine, there was always something about it that didn't rest right with me. I'm already feeling better about this latest projects map.

[golly-ollie]

After much deliberating on a project and fucking around without purpose, finally I am putting pen to paper to produce something. Even more stunningly, however, is I'm doing a complete pivot in terms of media type! Not a lot of folks follow me here, but I am happy to announce I'll be writing for a webcomic with the lovely @chosqrd as the artist (who you should check out, because their work is STUNNING!). For now I'll be updating here with what I'm working on, probably sporadically as usual, until we have enough to put up a full social media set. We live in exciting times!

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Those document lists will be added to over time! And if you read them and have questions or comments, I'd love to hear them :) As usual, my ask box is open. Interaction is the fuel for the content-making beast that is my brain, I won't lie.

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Old Universes Lore Documents

The current documents for Old Universes, a space-based post-apocalypse setting. This will be updated with more as I make them.

The Before-Times

The End-Times

The After-Times

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Tapetum Lucidum Lore Documents

I realized this is my writing blog and thus I can post world lore. Here's some lore documents I've made for the Tapetum Lucidum universe, specifically made for players of mine who are playing in the space of Origin, Michigan as well as NoName, Nebraska:

Magic & Witches

Psychics

Death & Ghosts

Deities, Mad Gods, & the Calamity

The Dream Realm

Souls & the Well

Entities, Phenomena, & Demons

Bestiary (Current)

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Well anyway now that you’re all here (lie) I’m playing around with the idea of one of them secret magic worlds but the way each individual does magic is different and is connected to who they are as a person (ie. someone might do it through playing an instrument, someone might be able to sew enchantments into clothing, etc). Shes in the early stages though (lie) (i have thought up characters)

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Oh and you can only do magic if you have a patron (any being with excess energy) and do magic pertaining to whatever their domain is. So basically individuals magic revolves around whoever your patron is and whatever your personal form of magic is. Each patron-caster duo has an agreement as to why they're sharing magic etcetcetc.

Main character is a guitarist that was kicked out of her band and finds out she can do destructive fire-magma style magic connected to her music. But she doesn't know who her patron is.

[golly-ollie]

Well anyway now that you’re all here (lie) I’m playing around with the idea of one of them secret magic worlds but the way each individual does magic is different and is connected to who they are as a person (ie. someone might do it through playing an instrument, someone might be able to sew enchantments into clothing, etc). Shes in the early stages though (lie) (i have thought up characters)

[golly-ollie]

Made another little town in the TL universe that's somehow worse than Providence AND Copper Springs. A warm hearty welcome to Knowhere, a sleepy little town in the middle of Not Maine

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@drwizard​ thanks for the enthusiasm in welcoming Knowhere : ) its in the middle of the woods with nothing else for miles. everything is run down. and it is filled with town-related folktales to keep the kids from breaking rules

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Made another little town in the TL universe that's somehow worse than Providence AND Copper Springs. A warm hearty welcome to Knowhere, a sleepy little town in the middle of Not Maine

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dusting off this place and sighing. yea okay so im back to it again

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had a world building revelation for TWO stories on here. wow the wonders of leaving academia 

[tapetum-lucidum]

the quills, 41

41. What's the silliest thing they've used magic to do? If they don't have magic, what's something silly they'd use it for if they did?

Lucky Quill | Lucky is in charge of the yearly haunted house and uses her magic to make the experience...unique. Mostly to lure her siblings inside and cause them distress. She finds it pretty silly. They definitely do not.

Monroe Quill | Monroe has very few silly moments. He's a square. He only uses his magic 'responsibly' or whatever.

Melvin Quill | Melvin dabbles in the world of enchanted lobster cage fights. They're the creator of Butterball, a lobster that ping pongs around the ring due to being imbued with magical butter abilities.

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oh yea baby this is currently whats happening in terms of my writing

[herbariumpodcasts]

Tapetum Lucidum Podcast

Tapetum Lucidum is a fictional podcast currently in the writing stage of production. Based in Providence, a tourist town on the coast of Maine, it follows a cast of strangers as they navigate through the various weird happenings in the town and deal with the odd dreams that seem to be haunting them.

Progress for Tapetum Lucidum can be followed on its blog, @tapetum-lucidum. The ask box is open for any questions or comments of any kind. Casting calls will open when the writing stage draws to a close.

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does a weak lil peace sign we’re doing it we’re making it happen

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taking asks CONSTANTLY? okay question about malady, how often does the funeral parlor actually get business. what's the death rate. or rate of people who actually wanna get laid to rest there

yes. constantly. all the time. inbox? open.

Anyway! I had to think about this. You know I'm bad at estimating things. But I would say it isn't OFTEN....at the moment. Providence has this thing going on where it was, not too long ago, population of mostly elderly folk, but once they moved/passed on, younger families moved in, and so the cycle continues. But some people do actually get laid to rest there from out of town due to like, it being their original home town and it being their dying wish or whatever. Not many people. I'm not sure who would want to get buried in Providence. It seems like a lackluster plan.

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hey do you have a 🤡 fun fact about *throws a few darts* whichever Quill sibling can do the most push-ups

Lucky hands down. If given the chance she could bench press both of her siblings no issue. She's buff she needs that muscle mass for pulling back her bow string.

Meanwhile Melvin is the weakest. Mx. Noodle Arms. Tries doing a plank for .5 seconds and then gives up. Its not worth it.