What gets you wanting to write (or draw, or whatever) about Lusternia, gets your creative juices flowing?

Obviously everyone's first answer will be Lusternia itself: the stories, the places, the players, the events, the characters, even the OOC stuff. And probably everyone's second answer will be one of the things that influenced Lusternia's creation: classic myth, fantasy genre tropes, Lovecraft, anime, D&D, Lewis Carroll, other MUDs, etc. But what about things that have nothing particular to do with Lusternia, but inspire you anyway?

For me, the biggest one is the album Burning Times by Rumours of the Big Wave. (Not so much the well-known title track, more the other songs.) If I have no current writing project, it makes me want to start one; if I have one, it makes me want to go write; and if I am working on one, it will get me moving if I've gotten stuck. Some Jethro Tull albums, especially late 70s ones, can do it too, to a lesser extent.

What are yours?

I'm not that sure, my stuff tends to be rather random. Usually it starts with a very boring Chemistry period where my mind wanders. Or occasionally I'll be daydreaming about Silmarillion elves (especially the Kinslayers, who I've got a weakness for) and somehow it turns to Lusternia.

Listening to nice songs probably helps, though. I remember listening to something by Secret Garden and going "Hey, that sounds like the Moondancers!"

The possiblitiy of gaining 50 credits.

I say this only because you won't allow us to say "Lusternia itself"

Oh, and I guess the desire to make games.

I don't submit often, nor have I ever won anythin, but usually a song that I'm listening. Either from a cd I own, something that gets played during one of my classes for study of poetic value, or something on the radio.

(I did write something recently, and am waiting for it to be marked before I ever -try- sending it to Bardic )

The Last of the Mohicans sountrack makes me think of Serenwilde.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBpf9dfe1No...feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP71BfynALw&NR=1

It depends on what kind of mood I'm in. I'll admit, though: Even though I hate the outdoors, being outside here in Kansas can really help. The endless sky, the rolling plains...yeah, yeah, I know...it's all so cliche. But it really works.

I don't submit often but it really depends with what inspires me. I often get my ideas in those random flashes of insight so I don't really have something that I can say that triggers them. I gues boring classes help. Different music does, the Decemberists just because of the story like music. Life events too, taking my own things and asking myself how things would play out in Lusternia.

The Mars Volta also help when it comes to creative music. Perfect when I want to put my mind into crazy twisted disjointed thoughts without some hard drugs.

Creative Strategies:

-Relaxing on the couch in a dim room. Listen to complete Ipod music library on Shuffle mode until theme or idea is reached, then repeat the inspiring music while writing down everything that comes to mind.

-Read Wikipedia.org articles and/or browse Goggle Images for references and ideas about how to sketch an item.

-Go on a murder spree. In Lusternia, that is.

-Watch a fantasy/action/adventure movie online or on TV with a notepad and pen ready to scribble down thoughts.

-Go driving.

-Browse used video game section at game store, browse the general fantasy and/or anime sections at the bookstore, read material in bookstore and scribble down any thoughts in notepad or on back of hand.


I have some more, but that's just what I can remember as of right now.


*EDIT*



Helllll yeah. TMV is awesome daydream music

Dont forget the Mountain Dew, Snake

Although I write very, very rarely, I enjoy it quite a lot. Sometimes my hands are just itching to write something. Usually this happens in a state when I haven't slept for around 24h and I'm somewhere between drunk and sober. Any sounds or music usually sets me off. Also light, better little to none than a bright sunny day.
Was pretty much the same when I started Uni and studied computer graphics. I used to attend all my lectures... not all that sober.

Lusternia itself can be inspiration as well, though usually it's just when I get absolutely bored there and my mind just starts to... linger somewhere else.

Oh, and Aramel, Secret Garden is nice Nocturne and Adagio are my favorites...

Really, really bad wandering mind. Run it through a Lusternia filter.

That, or just what needs to be out there. That's how Page Fun got done.



Book titles are supposed to be in italics, right?

lets see...the sci fi channel, music in general, R.E. Feist books , D&D, poetry specifically T.S. Eliot=D, erm all things bad assssss.

mostly though its music: Murder by Death, Johnny Cash, mewithoutYou, he is legend, Maylene and the sons of Disaster, refused, circa survive, coheed and cambria, thrice, poison the well...seriously i could go on foreverrrrr

THE BIGGEST influence is Protest the Hero*********
Fortress=enough said. heh.

A penchant for being addicted to world design with incorporating elements of reality into fantasy (or vice versa), far too much caffiene, some absolutely ginormous reference/stock art archives, and lots, and lots of techno.

Ginormous is so not a word. Combining the elements of gigantic and enormous, its lofty aspirations are its undoing.

Anywho. FUNK!

Regarding music, I find that I have trouble writing when listening to anything with lyrics so I usually like to listen to movie soundtracks--how lame is that!

Not very. I love listening to soundtracks, movie, or... even nerdier... video game soundtracks.

Ditto on the movie and game soundtracks.

I'm usually not inspired by anything outside of Lusternia in particular. My artisan items have usually been "inspired" by Lyreth and now Eventru...otherwise, I just open the editor and pray for something to hit me.

My spouse (Auer) has been very constructive but encouraging and it inspires me greatly. Oh, and nights when I am unable to sleep, rain drumming on the window in the dark, myself safely tucked in bed.

Oh, and reading good books.

Music, of course. Especially ambient, classic, folkish.

For those who enjoy music without lyrics I would suggest giving Digitialy Imported a try. Their main focus is on electronic music, but there are also classical/jazz/etc stations.

As far as myself, I can not draw even stick figures, and I am doubtful of my writing abilities. I am most inspired by nature though, anything from the way a dead tree looks, to the sound of the wind, or the way a path twists though a forest. I find some element that resonates with me and causes me to think about a character concept or a way to add to an existing ones personality. This is ironic for me as I have never been able to get into any of the "nature" based orgs in any IRE game.

I don't know if how I choose my artisanal subjects can be attributed to "inspiration", mostly if I can envision a nice image out of it I go ahead.

The things that inspire me randomly are music and nature, nothing like a thrilling breeze or a dramatic tune. There's been this song I've been dying to make an animation about Ayridion's birth to, but I haven't found the time.