Badly Summarized Magic System

Badly Summarized Magic System

Thanks to @mysticstarlightduck and @aalinaaaaaa for the tag! I'll be explaining the magic of Crown of Blood.

Rules: "Explain the magic system of your current WIP as poorly as possible. Bonus points if you use bullet points."

! Incoming Trade Offer !

Rules??? What're you, a cop?

I like your funny words, magic man!!

The trick is, there IS no trick!!!

! TRANSLATION ERROR !

Magic, culture, religion. Synonyms. Siblings, even.

No, this isn't Yu-Gi-Oh! Why? Because, because-

404, Spell Not Found

Imperialism? In my good magic system?? It's More Likely Than You Think

Gently tagging: @amaiguri, @elizaellwrites, @writernopal, @lordfenric-writes

@athenswrites, @owlsandwich, @bunnymermaidwrites

OC Questionnaire Tag!

Thanks for the tag, @anyablackwood (here)!

I'll go with Deimos Soll from Supernova Initiative, Lady Vivaldah Lariach from The Forgotten Ones, and Kane Mylestrom from Song of Thorns!

Your OC Questions:

What is a thing that would break your trust in a person immediately?

What is your favorite animal? Have you ever had a pet/or want one?

Who do you look up to the most?

If you were to wake up in another universe, what is the one thing you would take with you?

Deimos: "My sniper rifle, or food. One of those two options, it depends on what hypothetical 'universe' I happen to wake up in."

Vivaldah: "My sister's necklace, which is also the sigil of our House. It's one of my most prized possessions."

Kane: "I wouldn't call my dragon a 'thing', because she is a sentient and mighty being who deserves all the respect, but yes, I would take my dragon with me."

2. What kind of person pisses you off the most?

Deimos: "People who think they can do anything to others just because they have the power to - snobbish tyrants who think it's their birthright to screw others over. Also, people who objectify others or who think torture is 'okay' just because they think it's justified for a 'greater cause' are a kind person that makes my blood boil immensely."

Vivaldah - "Those who justify cruelty in the name of their 'Gods', and who think they can kill anyone whom they consider 'heretics' just for thinking differently than them. I also hate people who are rude and who like to make fun of others."

Kane - "Cowards and people who turn tail and run at the first sign of trouble, along with liars, manipulators and people who have no moral compass. I also despite royals who consider their subordinates as pawns to be manipulated and discarded once we're no longer of 'use.'"

3. How often do you dream? Are they usually dream-dreams, or nightmares?

Deimos: "Well let's see: I was kidnapped from my homeworld by slavers when I was sixteen, escaped, and grew up as a street urchin - with the duo who became my adoptive siblings - on one of the most crime-ridden moons of our galaxy, and then, as an adult, was captured by an insane warlord who tried to torture me into being her living puppet weapon. So... you can imagine the kind of 'dreams' I have are far from pleasant most nights."

Vivaldah: "I used to have the sweetest dreams in the past. When I was just me being a princess who lived in a rosy-tinted world, sheltered in my family's ancestral palace. Then the Iron Inquisition came. Now my sleep is haunted by the memories of the day my family was slaughtered by them."

Kane: "Eh. I'm not the kind that usually has a lot of dreams, and when I do they're usually the most nonsensical, stupid mess that makes me question my life and sanity, and then wake up and not remember anything about that dream in the morning. So. My dreams aren't bad, they're just weird and I rarely remember most of them."

Tagging (gently) @your-absent-father @ray-writes-n-shit @diabolical-blue, @saltysupercomputer @agirlandherquill

@sleepy-night-child, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @smol-feralgremlin, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab,

@winterandwords, @cowboybrunch, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @illarian-rambling

@agirlandherquill, @anoelleart @sm-writes-chaos

@leave-her-a-tome, @writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers

@i-can-even-burn-salad, @cakeinthevoid

@lassiesandiego, @thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams and OPEN TAG

Questions to ask beta readers

General:

Were you confused at any point of the story?

What genre would you say this book is?

When did you put the story down?

Is the ending satisfying?

If you had to cut 3 scenes what would they be?

When did you feel like the story really began?

What was the last book you read before this story?

Characters:

Do you get any of the characters names confused?

Which character is your favorite?

If you had to remove a character who would you and why? (you don't have to remove the character, just make sure their role is meaningful)

Which character do you relate to the most?

Which character do you relate to the least?

Do the characters feel real?

Are character relationships believable?

Are the goals clear and influence the plot?

Are the characters distinct (voice, motivations, etc)

Setting:

Which setting was clearest to you?

Which setting was the most memorable?

Am including enough/too much detail?

Plot and conflict:

Are the internal and external conflicts well defined for the main characters?

Are the internal conflicts and the external conflicts organic and believable?

Are there enough stakes?

Are the plot twists believable but still unexpected?

Looking for active writeblrs to follow!

I just realized that most of the writeblrs I follow aren't posting much anymore. A hazard of being on this site for so long, I guess. I'm particularly interested in:

Original fiction

Fantasy

Weird stuff that defies all categorization

... and everything else, because let's be honest I love all writing

I'm a writer and editor who mostly posts/reblogs writing advice and inspiration, although I occasionally share about my WIPs or recent publications/zines. Interact with this post, or follow me & I'll follow you back. Can't wait to fluff up my dash with new writers and writing! It's been dead much too long.

OC Interview Tag 2

Thanks for the tag, @pandoras-comment-box! I'll be using Luna from Traveling Bards.

What are you most protective of?

Luna: "Dinner."

Can you be trusted with a pet? A house plant?

Luna: "Both, I'd say!"

Iris (from another room): "No the fuck you can't!"

Luna: "What?! Yes I can! I had loads of plants in our old world! The only reason I didn't have a pet was 'cause my apartment had a crazy high pet fee!"

Iris: "Yeah, but all your plants were dead! Mom had to take them from you because you kept forgetting to water them!"

Luna: "Shut up! I was just busy! My work hours sucked!"

Iris (now in the doorway): "Luna can't be trusted with anything that can't audibly communicate. Or punch her in the face."

Luna: *offended gasp*

Do you like sports? Which ones?

Luna: "Sports are alright, but I mean, I've never really been an athlete? I guess martial arts, if that counts. I also working out. Especially now that there's literal magic benefits involved!"

I hope I did this right!

Questions for you:

If you were to wake up in another universe, what's the one thing you would take with you?

What kind of person pisses you off the most?

How often do you dream? Are they usually dream-dreams, or nightmares?

Gently tagging: @mysticstarlightduck, @tailsbeth, @wingedcatastrophe

Writing Progress Log 1

Seeing if maybe documenting my progress will help me keep writing/editing more consistently, even though no one will read this. Won't even try to pretend this is going to be daily or even weekly, LMAO. I've never found journaling appealing. But it's been suggested that I give it a shot.

So, into log 1:

Currently focusing on one particular WIP, which I'm calling "Traveling Bards" (official name TBD). Currently in the first revision round of the third chapter. My goal is to complete a general rough draft by the end of summer (because I will NOT be able to write as much while in school). Bit ambitious, but considering I'm not intending for this to be some massive saga (more like a light novel/novella tbh), I think it's doable.

It certainly won't be great, but it'll be done, which is when I can start focusing on REALLY editing it out. I generally re-read and edit the chapters after I write the first rough draft, but my main aim on those edits are centered more around the actual story; plot points, scene placements, etc. Things that I genuinely can't move forward from without fixing.

It'll likely need more plot revisions after that anyway, but it's easier to edit a story once it's already, y'know, written, than when you've got little more than a single paragraph and a string of concept notes. I've done that for years, it's yet to get me anywhere, so I'll be trying this method instead. I'll adjust accordingly as time goes.

For now, I can low-key feel writer's block already on the horizon; confused already about how to get from point A to point B (or I guess point C?) and I just know I'll be tearing my hair out about that soon. But for now, I'll focus on revising chapter 3 (and 2, because of a detail I added in 3). I can only hope an idea will come to me by then.

The next logs will probably not be nearly this long, lol.