'Tis Worldbuilding Wednesday!

'Tis Worldbuilding Wednesday!

How did major cities come to be in your world? What are some places of interest?

Happy Worldbuilding Wednesday! Thank you for the Ask, @jasperygrace!

How did major cities come to be in your world? What are some places of interest?

Well, long ago - and this means like, millennia ago, thousands of years - the first civilizations of Agrannor were formed from formerly nomadic human tribes, which created the kingdom's first cities, which soon thrived into massive kingdoms. This gave rise to an Era known as the Old Legacies/First Dynasties, which lasted for centuries. Many of the cities during the beginning of the Old Legacies period were Elven, and the elven folk were a thriving empire amidst the recently settled humans, and they were allies. The alliance between Humans, Elves, and Mageborn (as well as other sentient beings of Agrannor) allowed the small cities to quickly thrive into vast kingdoms known for splendor and knowledge.

That period was known for its thriving lands and for the birth of many of the kingdoms that still exist on Agrannor today (Kestrall, Adrellios, and Nethilor are especially ancient).

However, the start of the Ancient Wars - along with the emergence of the Secret Court - brought a swift end to that era, but the kingdoms that were created in that period still remain to this day on Agrannor. Most of the Elven kingdoms fell during the Wars and did not rise again.

Happy STS!

Your story is over. Villains defeated. All loose ends/dangling plot threads are tied up. Happily ever after is achieved. What is the first thing your MC(s) do to relax, chill, and unwind?

Happy Storyteller Saturday! Thank you so much for the Ask, @clairelsonao3!

I'm terribly sorry for the long delay on this one, I was trying to figure out a way to answer this without spoiling too much of the end of my book series. To keep things simple and avoid spoilers, I won't talk about much of the MC's occupations, situations, or roles after they defeat the villains, but rather only their random hobbies!

Your story is over. Villains defeated. All loose ends/dangling plot threads are tied up. Happily ever after is achieved. What is the first thing your MC(s) do to relax, chill, and unwind?

Raelen would definitely spend a while just exploring the woods nearby and just being around nature in general, like she used to do before all the chaos of the book began. She'd likely take Vallerius with her for a romantic picnic trip to a meadow or a hidden forest after the battles are over.

Julyan would just relax. Literally, do nothing. He spent all his life toiling away in low paying jobs to keep him and his siblings alive for another day and then spent almost 2 years trying to escape the Secret Court after he was captured and experimented on. He deserves some time to just be himself and do nothing, just have fun, read a book, and sleep until late. Not having to worry about his powers or anything else. Some time to just be.

Quinn would enjoy his newfound freedom from the Morosyn Empire to dedicate himself to his artistic endeavors, which he couldn't do much before. Now, he'd spend hours just painting and drawing in his room, happy to know there aren't threats to worry about. He'd teach his ward to draw as well too.

Zephyr would take one long trip through the Free Realms to just enjoy the best festivals and historical spots available in their world. He always dreamt of traveling the continent - without being, you know, on the run - and now he gets to.

Tanwin and Darian would spend hours creating new potions together and overall being nerdy cinnamon rolls. When the war was over, Darian has a certain position that allows him access to all alchemist supplies in the kingdom he's in, and he is determined to make the most of this opportunity, as long as his boyfriend gets to have fun too. Tanwin likes making potions - it's a lot of fun - but mostly he's just glad he and Darian can do this together.

Innara takes Helios to one of the traditional festivals of her kingdom, where she and her cousins used to go as kids. Helios has no idea of what is going on but likes the celebration a lot. In normal days, they'd probably spend hours reading together in the Libraries and around her family's castle grounds.

Oryon goes swimming alone without worrying about drowning, for the first time in ages.

And so on!

Happy Blorbo Blursday! Which one of your characters would benefit from modern medication the most? If your characters are modern, what medication would help them that they're not on?

Happy Blorbo Blursday! Thank you for the Ask, @stesierra!

Which one of your characters would benefit from modern medication the most?

Definitely Zephyr Tellian. That sorcerer boi needs some modern painkillers asap because his curse is no joke (he also needs a hug lol).

Maybe some antidepressants for Elyren Tyrvommira, Bryn Seperi, and Yuna Thyren? There is some heavy self-loathing and trauma going on with those kids.

Also, someone better get a modern poison antidote kit to Maeryn Renfelli, because his uncle is trying to kill him in every way possible known to man.

Happy STS!

Today, I'm asking writers to take two of their OCs from one of their WIPs (two MCs or hero and villain, etc.) and switch them, so they're now playing each other's role in the story and/or life in general. For The Last Wrath, you have quite a few to choose from, so feel free to pick more than one pair! How would they cope? Would they survive/thrive? Would they not last a day?

Happy Storyteller Saturday! Thank you for the Ask, @clairelsonao3

Take two of their OCs from one of your WIPs and switch them, so they're now playing each other's role in the story and/or life in general. How would they cope? Would they survive/thrive? Would they not last a day?

Wow, what a cool Ask! I love it! For the sake of being more challenging to myself and more compelling to those who read this post, I will choose characters who have vastly different life experiences. This will be fun, lol.

The Switches that Wouldn't Work:

Bryn Seperi and Nadinne Ahmirah:

If those two switched places, it would be so chaotic, omg. Nadinne probably wouldn't last a day living Bryn's life, and even if she did, she would probably not make it through with a sane mind. (I mean, he is literally one of the most dangerous mercenaries in the continent, plus, his life is basically a compendium of very brutal traumas from a very young age, and that's bound to screw someone up, even more so if that person is as sweet and innocent as Nadinne). Bryn living Nadinne's life on the other hand, would probably enjoy it a lot, and feel right at home amidst the nobility, though he'd yearn for some kind of fight or challenge to break through the monotony of everyday life in the nobility. (It is worth noting that Bryn was once the son of a powerful and wealthy general from the Borderlands, who was very close to the royal family of the kingdom he once lived in. So, before Bryn lost everything very early on, he did get a taste of a life much similar to the one Nadinne has). His brashness and aggressiveness would likely get him into a fight with someone important and he'd likely be cast out of the noble circles very quickly.

Emryc Thorne and Julyan Ashiren:

NAH DON'T LET THESE TWO SWITCH LIVES, FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING - It would go so horribly wrong so incredibly fast. Emryc is not built for caring for children, in any way, and Julyan can't do a heist to save his life. Emryc would take the siblings with him to a tavern/store and then promptly forget they were with him until two hours later when he goes "OH SHIT - Where those kids at?". Julyan would try to rob someone with a very shitty plan of "How To Heist" and then feel so bad about it that he'd be caught before he even left the person's property, like, he'd trip every possible alarm and make so much noise that he'd be like "Just arrest me already will you? I don't know what I'm doing, and I really don't want to know."

Myrah Faron and Nethen Fahris:

This is what I call: A Disaster Waiting To Happen. Are you kidding me? Myrah has zero comprehension of how to keep her thoughts to herself and will cuss out a noble if they as much look at her the wrong way. Plus, if she saw someone she cared about die the way Elain died in front of Nethen, she'd lose control and it would end up with either everyone around her dead or her being executed next. Likely both. She lacks completely what it takes to be a political manipulator - she's too blunt, wild, and ready to speak her mind in very clear terms should she need to. Meanwhile, Nethen living Myrah's life would likely end just as badly. I mean, what let Myrah survive was her fierceness and lack of restraint, but Nethen is a very calculated guy - he thinks too much before acting, and if he led Myrah's life, that would be his downfall right there. He overthinks too much, and in that situation, that's precisely what he could not afford to do. It wouldn't end well for either of them.

Trystan Grayspear and Helios Maevel:

It would end in chaos. Helios does not know anything about fighting - unless, very vaguely, in self-defense - so he would make for a pretty disastrous knight. Meanwhile, while highly intellectual and book smart, Trystan does not know anything about being an alchemist - he knows the names of every potion and of every component, but ask him to put them together and you get an explosion in your hands. So yeah, chaos ensues if they switched places.

The Switches that Would Work:

Jamie Tellian and Isolde Kierah:

Both are knights-in-training, both have a strong sense of justice and both fight to keep their respective families safe, the only difference is their background (Jamie was a very poor street kid for most of his life before getting the chance to train as a knight while Isolde grew up wealthy and sheltered as the daughter of a Royal Knight of Faravvia), but other than that, their personalities are pretty similar. They would cope very well with switching places.

Darian Caelestis and Innara Renfelli:

Though their personalities are vastly different, their backgrounds are largely similar. Both are noble children who grew up in the midst of conflicts (though different kinds of conflict) and who joined the rebellion by accident while trying to make things right. Plus, Innara is very close to her family (who are everything to her) and Darian largely wants to make his dad proud of him again. Another interesting point - both have a fascination for alchemy and though Innara only buys the potions she needs and Darian always makes his own potions, they're just as nerdy about it.

happy sts!! what are your favorite/least favorite parts of plot structure? like what's your favorite part of a wip (the beginning, rising action, climax, etc.)? & are you a fan of the 3 act structure or similar plot organizing devices or do you just wing it

Happy Storyteller Saturday! Thank you for the ask @cabbojage!

What are your favorite/least favorite parts of the plot structure?

Oh, this is a good one! And a complicated one at that lol. I really do love many parts of the writing process as long as I am having fun writing it, but, if I had to choose which ones are my favorites and which ones are my least favorites then:

Favorites: The Inciting Incident (I guess I just love seeing the protagonists' life turning into chaos and then writing their following decisions/reactions. Plus, it is literally the event that really gets the story going, and the one event that creates a "point of no return" for the MC) and the Rising Action (especially around the middle! I just love seeing the plot come together, the character's plans start to fall into place, new friendships being formed, enemies being made, etc lol). The Climax/Final Battle is always incredibly compelling to write, especially if it includes some form of a face-off against the villains or an unexpected turn of events/reveal of some sort! It is always great.

Least Favorites: I don't actually hate these but, um, the Beginning, Falling Action, and the little bits and moments between plot points that exist to connect them but when not much happens (not the Build Up or Set up, which I adore, but those oddly calm moments where usually things have already fallen into place and things are going slow). While those moments are necessary, and I do like writing them, I feel that this is the point where the plot meanders and where it feels like it takes forever to get to the "good stuff", you know? Especially if those slow scenes are needed in full and I can't just skip them or shorten them.

Are you a fan of the 3 act structure or similar plot organizing devices or do you just wing it?

I am a fan of the 3 act structure, as well as a few other ones, such as the 7-act structure, but I only use it as a guideline to help me establish the "Core Scenes", which are the bones on which the plot will then be built upon. Then, once it is done, it is a matter of populating that fictional world with additional cast members, minor plot points, and subplots until the plot is all done! There is always a lot of brainstorming (more of just picking a document and braindumping the ideas and stringing them together like a crochet piece), daydreaming (with music to set the vibe and inspire me, I always make character or WIP playlists for this reason, and pretty much every character of mine has a "signature song", which helped me figure out who they are), and creation of character profiles/moodboards, as the plot slowly thickens into one cohesive thing in the end.