To top
3 Jan

Mass Matters

Ok I don’t usually post about how stoopid I am but I’d like to remember this moment should I ever finish this cool idea I have. I was writing a short story, might continue, about a few characters being tortured by monsters. They discover that the only reason for their torment is to create pain which is needed to fuel a spell to locate a magickal tool. Cool huh? Ok I guess I’ll finish it. BUT I had this cool idea to have them pray. Which became a whole story about a war and evil sorcerer all told through prayer. Book of Prayers was born. I love writing prayers. I love creating deities, forces and primal energies and setting them in the hands of villagers. ANYWAY to do all of this I have to, of course, know where the story takes place. Like where the fuck are they? So I start creating a continent or island on which they can roam and battle. When suddenly (ha ha ha) I realize I have no concept of space.

Like how far anything is from anything else. Years of not following directions I guess. I get lost going to work if I don’t follow the same route! Anyway, so after much stress I decide to start with a master: Tolkien. After a few hours of research I find Frodo lives in England and ends up around Rome. Ok. I have been to both of those places and have some idea how far that is. Do I? I google. Turns out it take 14 days to walk, you know what I mean, between each. Ok 14 days sound too far. How about 9 days? SO I then google how far I could get if I walked for 9 days from good Ole LA. Turns out it’s pretty damn far! So Began to dissect my new world, which fyi looks like an old hag pointing to the west (I know it’s a bit LOTR and Undying Lands but when I flipped her east to rising sun it looked weird), anyway so I created my mass on which to roam, cast spells and do other cool shit. It was a nice learning curve. And yet when all said and done. I am again reminded why I get lost all the time: I have zero understanding of distance and time. But I think the story is kick ass so here’s to knowing what you don’t know and knowing it, if even for a day or 3 and then re-forgetting it. Because I am sure I will have to revisit this post in the future when I forget how far my hero has to walk to be awesome. (FYI the answer is always: he was always awesome. There you are!) Oh and I found this cool LOTR interactive map thingy!

David LeBarron
Instagram Gallery