Inshadowsidream

Thank you all. I had no idea how to handle it as I have never tried writing something that required the gender of a person being concealed. 
 
This is why I came back, the people here are so willing to help. It is so nice. 

Thank you all. I had no idea how to handle it as I have never tried writing something that required the gender of a person being concealed. 
 
This is why I came back, the people here are so willing to help. It is so nice. 

A friend of mine decided to try her hand at writing and asked me a question I couldn't answer. If you don't want the gender of a character to give clues as to their identy, how do you go about hiding it? Her protagonist is being helped by an unknown person, a person with fair hair. All her character sees is this person from the back, and since they wears baggy clothes, the gender isn't clear. 
If she types "blonde" it gives away the gender, if she uses "blond" it misleads the reader into believing it is a male helping out, which would later be discovered to be a lie. She wants to keep the reader guessing, but with the gender specific spellings, that is proving impossible. After reading what she has written so far, I agree, using "fair haired person" or a variance, is awkward in many of the situations.

Thank you all. I had no idea how to handle it as I have never tried writing something that required the gender of a person being concealed. 
 
This is why I came back, the people here are so willing to help. It is so nice. 

I can't remember exactly when I started playing. However, I do remember pouring over books, rolling dice that seemed very odd to me as I had only seen six sided dice until then. The DM had only one character sheet so everything had to be copied onto loose leaf paper, and I agonized over what sort of character to make. I ended up making a druid and a cleric. One of the other players kept barging into rooms, and although the DM was going easy on us until we learned the ins and outs, this guy didn't seem to learn. He barged into a room and a grey ooze dropped on his head. He was our first casualty, and I was hooked. After that, if it had oddly shaped diced, and characters with attributes, I was in. Some of my fondest memories are of playing D&D or one of its spin-offs. Being able to print things out just isn't the same as browsing the books and other needed items at the hobby store, at least in my opinion.

In The Lord of the Rings, they had a crystal ball like thing in which Sauron and Sarumon communicated with. I don't know why this popped in my mind, but I thought that maybe the angels could have scattered something similar about, but they worked as transceivers instead of direct communication. Not sure if this is plausible, but maybe phones are the results of humans improving on the original means of communication?
I hated those lightning beetles. They killed me more than anything in the game other than the bosses. However, I can see them being used as a source of energy. Maybe they are confined, and computers at least, can be charged by placing it on the cage, for lack of a better word. 

Okay, you have completely lost me, I haven't played D&D in well over a decade, and all I know about it now is that it has changed drastically. My 14 year old nephew was trying to tell me about a campaign he had just joined and I just sat there going wft? I had to ask if he was sure we were talking about the same game.

I can't remember exactly when I started playing. However, I do remember pouring over books, rolling dice that seemed very odd to me as I had only seen six sided dice until then. The DM had only one character sheet so everything had to be copied onto loose leaf paper, and I agonized over what sort of character to make. I ended up making a druid and a cleric. One of the other players kept barging into rooms, and although the DM was going easy on us until we learned the ins and outs, this guy didn't seem to learn. He barged into a room and a grey ooze dropped on his head. He was our first casualty, and I was hooked. After that, if it had oddly shaped diced, and characters with attributes, I was in. Some of my fondest memories are of playing D&D or one of its spin-offs. Being able to print things out just isn't the same as browsing the books and other needed items at the hobby store, at least in my opinion.

I scared the crap out of my cat when I read this, because I just burst out laughing. I wish I could write something like this. Unfortunately, my humor doesn't make it well when crossing over to the written word. I am now left scratching my head and thinking ugly thoughts about my muse, as she got me into this mess. Yeah, I blame her. She came bursting awake, shouting "Oh Yeah!" like a demented version of the Kool Aid man, and planted the idea in my head.
Now, I can't see phones being an option. Computers could be something like a traveling library on demons that updates itself in each town, but there is the deal with batteries. Solar maybe? I don't know what to use to replace phones. Radios, walkie-talkies and other like items have too limited a range. Owls carrying packages and letters works for wizards and witches, but what about Muggles? 
I have people waiting on an update on the other site, I am waiting to post here until I do some editing, but now I am snagged on this. 

That’s possible… phones could be a form of communications portal… I like it!

In The Lord of the Rings, they had a crystal ball like thing in which Sauron and Sarumon communicated with. I don't know why this popped in my mind, but I thought that maybe the angels could have scattered something similar about, but they worked as transceivers instead of direct communication. Not sure if this is plausible, but maybe phones are the results of humans improving on the original means of communication?
I hated those lightning beetles. They killed me more than anything in the game other than the bosses. However, I can see them being used as a source of energy. Maybe they are confined, and computers at least, can be charged by placing it on the cage, for lack of a better word. 

In The Lord of the Rings, they had a crystal ball like thing in which Sauron and Sarumon communicated with. I don't know why this popped in my mind, but I thought that maybe the angels could have scattered something similar about, but they worked as transceivers instead of direct communication. Not sure if this is plausible, but maybe phones are the results of humans improving on the original means of communication?
I hated those lightning beetles. They killed me more than anything in the game other than the bosses. However, I can see them being used as a source of energy. Maybe they are confined, and computers at least, can be charged by placing it on the cage, for lack of a better word. 

“Oh god, We’re gonna die.” Said Pam bleedingly heavily.  The pack of Wendigo had been a nasty surprise. The sun was setting and somewhere in that dark forest those things waited.
“But look on the bright side. We have full bars.” Jon stated morbidly content as he showed her his phone screen though cracked to hell in back the bars were fully visible
“Nobody’s dying tonight ya dipstick.” Came a third voice.
“Thank god your phone still has those third-party apps installed.” They both turned to see a group emerge looking wary but unbowed. The End had come and gone and they remained.
“Jon, You owe me a keg even at the end of the fricking world your bad taste in apps saved us.” 

Possible to have them as artifacts, but with such isolation and desolation, they may not work very far outside those little areas of gathered people, because upkeeping the cell towers would just be too damn dangerous. Hell, getting signal could be such a relief because you knew you were close to a pocket of civilization. 

Good idea. I had planned to leave angels in the back ground, but after talking to a friend, I decided to bring Castiel in. Someone else suggested that maybe the world was post apocalyptic, with the manufacture of cars, phones, and computers being among the few technologies that survived. That rises the question for me if maybe instead of a smartphone, they had just the ability to make calls. 

Thank you! I am always happy to help our members, really. That’s the best part of this job, in my opinion. 

Thank you. I wonder if anyone has told you lately that you are a nice, helpful person. Patient too, at least with me, and I appreciate it.

Thank you. I wonder if anyone has told you lately that you are a nice, helpful person. Patient too, at least with me, and I appreciate it.

I'm so glad you're in! Welcome back!

That may have done it. I have to admit, I’m not as versed in Android as I should be. I’ll remember this for next time I get a question, though, so thank you!

Thank you. I wonder if anyone has told you lately that you are a nice, helpful person. Patient too, at least with me, and I appreciate it.

That made me spew juice all over my cat, and now he is peeking out from under the coffee table glaring at me, fluffy tail just a swishing.
I can just see Seamus doing that, lol.

As a Diablo player, why not have the smartphone as an artifact, something which landed along with the angel (as per Diablo 3)? Holy artifacts are always a good way to explain tech..

I now have a mental image of the Diablo 2 Sorceress’s lightning powers being harnessed towards charging a smartphone.
*Hits chain lightning*
*Phone explodes Samsung style.*
“Whoops! Too much juice there….”
 

That made me spew juice all over my cat, and now he is peeking out from under the coffee table glaring at me, fluffy tail just a swishing.
I can just see Seamus doing that, lol.