A Book and A Dream: An author’s adventure in writing, reading, and being an epic fangirl

Top Six Objects to Smuggle into a Fantasy Realm

July 20, 2020 Megan O'Russell Season 1 Episode 35
A Book and A Dream: An author’s adventure in writing, reading, and being an epic fangirl
Top Six Objects to Smuggle into a Fantasy Realm
Show Notes Transcript

You're being whisked away to a land of fantasy and wonder. You can choose one item to bring with you...what do you choose?

From the practical to the social media savvy, check out this week's episode of A Book and A Dream to hear Megan O'Russell's list of the top six things she'd try to smuggle into a fantasy realm.

As mentioned in this episode, Inker and Crown releases this week! To order your copy from your favorite online store, follow this link: https://books2read.com/InkerandCrown

Megan: [00:00:01] You don't know if you're gonna have to prove to people that you're a magician or fake being a magician. You know, one or the other. Whatever your situation may be.

 

Megan: [00:00:08] And a lighter and some flash paper could go a long way in convincing them that you're powerful and they should not mess with you.

 

Announcement: [00:00:16] Welcome to A Book and A Dream with Megan O'Russell: an Author's Adventure in Writing, Reading, and Being an Epic Fangirl.

 

Megan: [00:00:28] Hello, my name is Megan O'Russell, and welcome to Episode thirty-five of A Book and A Dream.

 

Megan: [00:00:36] Today, I have my list of top six things I would take if I were going to vanish into a fantasy realm. Now, whether you're going through, you know, the Narnia kind of means like slipping through a wardrobe or diving into a painting or if I don't know, some weird spell is summoning you because you're the chosen one. Whatever it is, if you're going into a fantasy world and you can only take one thing with you, you kind of have to really carefully consider what your one thing is going to be.

 

Megan: [00:01:08] Now for my top six...there are some conditions on a few of them. Like, take for instance, number six. If I knew I was going into a fantasy world and I was going to get to come back out, I would totally pack a camera as my one thing. First of all, so I could prove to people I had been there. And second, because I would have Instagram fodder for the rest of my life. I would never have to take pictures again. I could just be like, oh, remember that time I battled dragons? Well, now you do. Here's the picture. And I didn't even have to Photoshop it. So that would be really useful, but only if you were getting to come back.

 

Megan: [00:01:42] My number five pick would be a lighter and some flash paper. I know that that sounds a little bit weird, but hear me out.

 

Megan: [00:01:52] You don't know if you're gonna have to prove to people that you're a magician or fake being a magician. You know, one or the other. Whatever your situation may be.

 

Megan: [00:01:59] And a lighter and some flash paper could go a long way in convincing them that you're powerful and they should not mess with you. Also, a lighter is useful in case you get cold because, you know, not all fantasy worlds are tropical paradises. In fact, most fantasy worlds seem fairly inhospitable, so a lighter would be a good idea.

 

Megan: [00:02:18] Which leads me to my number four choice. A space blanket. Just one of those little, like, fold up emergency blankets that you take with you when your backpacking, or they like hand you after a marathon. Not that I know a lot about doing marathons, but I've seen people wearing them in pictures after marathons. That could totally save your life in a fantasy world, because, you know, a lot of fabrics that you're going to find that don't have, you know, modern manufacturing available are not going to be the warmest. Sure, if you managed to, like, stumble your way into being a rich person with fur or wool, you'll survive. But if you're wearing cotton and it's cold and wet out, you're going to die.

 

Megan: [00:02:56] So space blanket, super, super important thing to bring.

 

Megan: [00:03:00] Which brings me to my number three: a compass. But only if their poles work the same as ours, which is like questionable. So if you get to the fantasy world and what you brought with you was a compass, you'd have to figure out if they're North matches what we think of as north.

 

Megan: [00:03:24] You'd have to ask a lot of questions and hope for a map in order for a compass to be useful. But if you happen to land in a fantasy world where Compass Points worked, which, judging by fantasy books where a lot of them have maps and a lot of them have North, it should work, then a compass would be a lifesaver. Are you going on a quest to the mountains? And you've never been there before. You know what's going to help you get there? A compass. Not everyone gets an elven guide to tell them how to go on the quest.

 

Megan: [00:03:52] Not everyone has, like, some little person standing in a pool of light saying, you know, follow this path and you will go on your quest.

 

Megan: [00:03:59] You may need a compass. It's tiny. It's compact. People may believe you're a wizard. Super helpful.

 

Megan: [00:04:04] Leading me to my number two, which is also a very practical thing, which I feel like people should not take advantage of in the real world. Clean water is such an important thing and it's really hard to find. Not everyone is lucky enough to turn on the tap and have perfectly clean water come out.

 

Megan: [00:04:23] So a life straw would be my number two pick. Why, you might ask? Because if you're in some world where there's dragons, you can't drink the water that's been anywhere near where the dragon's nest is, also horses. Also bacteria, also all those things that they never really cover in fantasy books.

 

Megan: [00:04:43] But if you're running for your life from a horde of, I don't know, elves or orcs, trolls, evil knights, and you get thirsty, you're not going to have time to stop and boil water.

 

Megan: [00:04:53] And you really shouldn't just drink water out of random streams. So a life straw could be really important.

 

Megan: [00:04:59] But my number one pick, and it's always my number one, if they're like, if you were stranded on a desert island. If you could only take one thing to the moon no matter what it is. It's always my number one.

 

Megan: [00:05:10] I want a good packet of antibiotics, like I want a Z-pack, maybe like three Z-packs. Can you get like a three Z-pack packet so that it only counts as one item? Because, yeah, antibiotics, man. It's something that we don't think about. But all those, like, battlefield cuts that they're getting in Lord of the Rings. A lot of them aren't going to make it out of that. You know why? Antibiotics.

 

Megan: [00:05:33] You're goin' to a place where you don't have any immunities for any of those diseases. Antibiotics may not work for everything, but let's just assume that it's like a 50/50 chance that it might end up saving your life within the first week. You're locked in a fantasy realm. So, yeah, antibiotics. Also, all of these, like, should probably pack for like international adventures, too, which is kinda like a fantasy world. But, you know, definitely pack the camera because you're going home again.

 

Megan: [00:05:59] So what are your top picks for things that you would pack to go into a fantasy world?

 

Megan: [00:06:07] Have I skipped something? I know I, like, hopped over things like knives, swords, glistening headbands, you know, all of those things. You could probably get that once you get there pretty easily. But what are the things that you would bring with you? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

Megan: [00:06:22] In other huge book news, Inker and Crown comes out this week. There will be a link in the show notes, or, if you're watching the video, just check above or below the video, depending on your preferred platform, for the link to Inker and Crown. I am so excited for the first book in the Guilds of Ilbrea series to be out into the world.

 

Megan: [00:06:39] So check that out. And yeah, survival in a fantasy world. It's not all magic, people. Sometimes it's hard. We've got to be ready for it. I'll see you next time. Bye.