Sure, these sound like good stims. Neither of us have ever been werewolves, so I’m afraid I don’t know what possibilities there are. Anything that stimulates the nervous system could work. Maybe rolling around on the ground or scratching its back on the floor/grass/etc. like dogs sometimes do? I don’t know if rocking back and forth would work for a canine form, but maybe bobbing its head up and down, or other repetitive motions like going back on its haunches then back up, and repeating that over and over… Growling/howling could work, but of course it could lead to miscommunications, since these things exist for communication and would send a signal the werewolf might not intend to send, it’s just stimulating its vocal cords. Even something as simple as running could work. And obviously, in human form, all the usual stims are available.

It’s a bit difficult to make suggestions here without knowing what form you’re working in. Different types of text are going to have different ways of approaching this sort of thing.

If it’s a script for film or stage, you can check out movies like 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) which use music as a diegetic (in story) element that illustrates a lot about the characters and their relationships. The opening, for instance, of the film very quickly establishes the kind of school this film is set in, and how Kat fits into that environment, through the use of music.

Music is actually really important in a lot of the major scenes of the film. If you’re writing a film script, then when/ if the film gets made, you’ll need to get the licensing to actually use the music you want to put in it.

If it’s a written form, like short stories or a novel, then it’s going to be a little bit different. Obviously if you want to publish your story, you’re going to need to have the appropriate permissions to use whatever song it is that you’re quoting.

And here’s where things are tricky: it can be very expensive to license the lyrics of songs. A lecturer of mine at uni was writing a semi-autobiographical novel about growing up in rural Australia, and he wanted to use one (1) line from a Beatles song in one of his chapters. Thematically, it was very important and meant a lot to the character and story.

Turns out, that the licensing to quote that one (1) LINE from a Beatles song would have cost him almost the entire amount of the grant he’d gotten to write the book in the first place. Instead, he was only able to use word-for-word the name of the song, because you can use the title of the piece as fair use, but you can’t quote from a song line by line without the licensing.

Of course, that’s in writing a novel for formal publication. If you’re writing it only for your own enjoyment, or for publishing for free online it’s going to be less rigorous, though keeping in mind that unlicensed use of other peoples intellectual property can still be flagged takedown even if you’re not making money off it!

In short: I’m sorry, but there’s not enough information in this question for me to be able to give you a clear answer, and the matter of quoting songs in written works is going to depend heavily on licensing permissions.

Alrighty, we’ll begin with the process of mounting the horse. Generally speaking, a person mounts the horse from the left side by putting their left foot in the stirrup, putting their hands on either side of the saddle, and hopping a little on their right foot before jumping/pulling themselves up and swinging their right leg over. I have been riding for six years and still struggle to mount a horse from the ground. Your character may take a few tries to get into the saddle, but with a bit of struggling and an awkward flop over the horse’s back, he’ll probably get up there. His single ride at a friend’s birthday party will probably not aid him much, I’m afraid. Also, keep in mind not all horses stand nicely while being mounted and the rider does hold their reins in their left hand while climbing aboard.

Hope this helps!

There are several different methods of spell creation– see this post for some ideas on ways different types of spells are used– and every witch will do things a little differently, depending on their background and what kind(s) of witchcraft they practice. Here’s my usual method in its most general sense, and let’s walk through how a character (Let’s call them “Witch A”) might use it to design a spell to bring new friendship into their life:

1. Decide what I need the spell to accomplish. Sometimes I’ll write a statement of intention, but usually I just write what a basic “hey this is what it is” at the top of the page. So Witch A writes “New Friendship” or “New friends enter my life” at the top of the page.

2. Decide what combination of methods I want to use. Witch A decides they want to use plants, as well as use a candle to focus and magnify their intent.

3. Hit the books. My grimoire is full of information on herbal and stone uses, some notes on uses for different types of water (ocean, pond, river, etc), and how to incorporate the phase of the moon into a spell, and I usually go to it before anything else, but I also have a few books on hand for things I don’t know. Witch A searches their grimoire and other resources, and decides to use basil, apple seeds, and sugar, and to do the spell when the moon is waxing.

4. Do the spell! Witch A waits for the moon to be waxing, lights and charges a candle in a color they associate with friendship, combines the ingredients in a small jar, and uses some of the candle’s wax to seal the lid onto the jar. They extinguish the candle and set the jar on a windowsill to charge in the moonlight over night.

I hope this helps!

It would depend how fast and loose you wanted to play with the definition of ‘shifter’– Chinese, Korean, and Japanese myth all have dragons, and some can even take on human form to blend in (with varying degrees of success), but at the end of the day they’re very much dragons. There’s no human lineage involved. The shapeshifters in East Asian myth are overwhelmingly spirits, particularly fox demons.

The Chinese Dragon God is given a lot of flexibility in his appearance, varying from complete dragon form to human body with a dragon head. There’s also the Yellow Emperor, the legendary first ruler of China–he was so great that after his death he turned into an immortal dragon and ascended to heaven.

Other notable Chinese dragons are Ryujin, the dragon god of the sea, and his daughter Otohime. Both of them are dragons that can transform into humans.

There is the first emperor of Japan, Jimmu, who is said to be descended from this line, so you could take creative license a bit here and include a shapeshifting aspect in the human lineage.

There’s also Kiyohime, a woman who fell in love with a travelling priest, but he spurned her so, in her rage, she transformed into a dragon and killed him.

There’s also the Lindworm Prince--it’s similar to Beauty and the Beast, but a bit scarier with a bit of the Twelve Swan Princes story tossed in. In the end, the guy is only able to shapeshift once, but there’s room to play with the story,

I would say tools? Like I would say that like a pipette is to science as a chalice or a wand is to magic if that’s what you mean.

However, tech magic is a thing that exists! Emoji spells are a thing and I’ve talked to witches who code who’ve coded spells. If you’re interested in that, I can recommend some resource blogs.

Oh, goodness, I love all these animals so answering this was real fun.

The animals you’ve chosen are all pretty good choices for that climate. Donkeys, mules, and goats are hardy animals (donkeys especially, since they can fluff up and flatten their fur to retain/dispel heat).

Mules/donkeys are less susceptible to disease than horses are (but it does still happen). They also have a strong sense of self-preservation, and tend to conserve their energy rather than overwork themselves. It’s why a lot of people think they’re stubborn - the animal doesn’t know how long they’re going to work, and if it gets tired, it stops. This is why, when mine animals were more of a thing, mules and donkeys were preferred to horses.

I’m just wondering how big your island(s) is (are). Is it enough to keep them all comfortable, and to grow the food they’ll be eating…maybe they’re going to trade for the food?

All of the animals you’ve chosen have smaller appetites than horses or cattle do, but each have different diets.

Ewes between 130 and 150 lbs (58.9 to 68 kg) need 3 to 3.5 lbs (1.4 to 1.6 kg) of alfalfa, clover, or mixed grass hay. They can also survive on pasture land, provided there’s enough. Your colony can practice flushing (giving the ewes more to eat before and during the breeding season) if they want - this is actually linked to an increase in the birth of twins. If they’re going to do this, then each ewe requires about 4.5 lbs (about 2 kg) of alfalfa/clover/mixed hay daily (or can be put to pasture). A nursing ewe (and, since I added flushing, she’s got twins) will need 4.5 to 5 lbs (2 to 2.25 kg) of alfalfa/clover hay, plus 2 lbs (a scant 1 kg) of coarse-cracked corn, or can be put to pasture.

Rams are alright with 5 to 6.5 lbs (2.25 to 3 kg) of hay or pasture all through the year. But around breeding, they may need more (0.5 lb or 0.25 kg of coarse-cracked corn, or 10% extra of their daily hay intake).

Compared to sheep, goats are (somewhat) easier to take care of. You can’t (or shouldn’t) feed them hay, because they have a harder time digesting tough fibers and cell walls, but trees and shrubs are fine (goats can detoxify the bitter tannins in bark, and don’t seem to mind the bitterness). You didn’t mention the colony raising goats specifically for meat, but I’m going to add that sometimes meat goats can eat as much as twice the amount of feed as cattle can. And for nursing/lactating does, protein is important! Alfalfa hay is pretty much the only hay with enough protein for them.

Donkeys and mules need a 4 to 1 ratio of hay to legumes. Alfalfa hay, and other rich feed, should not be fed to them. Friends of the family actually had a mule die because his feed was too rich…

It’s also important to know what size you want your animals to be. There are lots of different donkey breeds, for example, and a miniature is definitely different than a mammoth jack (whose average height is 13 to 15 hands high). Mules, too, depending on how big their parents were. And I bet you already know this, but mules are sterile (although there have been very rare accounts of a female mule birthing), and their average lifespan is around 20 years; if your characters are going to breed their own, then stud donkeys should be kept (the mammoth jack is good for this!).

Does the island have any predators? The donkey and mule are good guard animals, too…and they can be dangerous if they don’t know to be friendly around smaller animals. They’ll bite, chase, kick, step on, and even fling around intruder-animals (the mule I mentioned before loved to chase around his owner’s chickens, and pretty much hated the dog, but he didn’t ever get close enough to step on them).

If the number of animals you have are limited you can have multi-purpose animals. Donkeys can give milk (donkey milk cheese and soap are actually luxury products, although I’ve never tried them :P ), goats can be harnessed to carts (light work, though, no plowing), etc.

The ground might be a problem for animals, if it’s too muddy or swampy. I live in a part of the state where the ground can very quickly go from dry, grassy areas to swamp land (complete with l’eau de decay, how charming). The hooves of donkeys, horses, and mules are like suction-cups in the mud…

And fantasy animals are always good to solve problems. You could make up a breed of sheep/goat/donkey native to the area, or come up with a new species entirely!

Sure, it’s a starting point. It’s not sterile, but neither is gravel. Use gauze for what’s bleeding heavily. Other stuff may just be left open, depending on what it is. It’s all good. I’ve seen T-shirts, towels, paper towels, napkins.... Oh, here’s one: grab a pantyliner*. Very absorbant! Any of these could be something a character reaches for in a pinch.

xoxo, Aunt Scripty

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