I'm late for storyteller saturday so please enjoy this storyteller sunday question! Across your wips who is your favorite charater to write, favorite character development, and your favorite comfort character?
Hey, thanks for the ask, and lol no worries, time is made up so who cares what day this came in on?
Favourite character to write is (at the moment at least!) Scilla from Fragment 48, because what she says and what she thinks are often very different, so getting to play with that has been really fun!
Favourite character development is Ryla from the Starcrossed Cycle, because she starts off as a self-sacrificing heroic type (heavy emphasis on the self-sacrifice) looking for a hill to die on, due to a lot of trauma and drama she experienced early in life, and so getting her to a healthier and happier place by the end of the story is as satisfying for her as it is for me lol
And favourite comfort character is Iradurel from the Starcrossed Cycle, because I have been writing her in some way, shape, or form since 2003. This character has been with me through A LOT
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The pantheon of Marenkes, going clockwise from the upper rightmost (red), we've got:
Coraxborax, the god of the arts, craftsmen, and revelry
Tarnagaar, the god of prophecy, destiny, and dreams
Zhadhul, the god of justice, law, and truth
Xanghul, the god of the day, harvest, and animals
Vulrani, the god of trade, travel, and seasons
Ransaran, the god of the afterlife, karma, and perseverance
Grelthor, the god of knowledge, innovation, and gratitude
Lyrrath, the god of the sky, storms, and forests
Quasvina, the god of duty, celestial bodies, and history
Pelexal, the god of night, the sea, and mystery
Jendrosia, the god of war, victory, and faith
Ahazhada, the god of love, passion, and courage
The gods have made sure that they are omnipresent in the lives of mortals on Marenkes by making their domains as all-encompassing as possible. Under their rule, they demand that every action a person takes is a prayer to their glory.
(I go into more depth about what each god's domains cover below the cut)
These gods are parasites (lol that fact is established in chapter 3 of this thing!), usurping the place of the actual Gods of Marenkes for their own ends. While their domains cover a wide array of concepts, there is no one god of Life or Magic, or even of the world as a whole, as all of the gods claim joint custody of these things.
There aren't any gods to "evil" concepts (things like Asmodeus, Bhaal, or Shar of D&D fame), as they are purposefully painting themselves as being benevolent, parent-type deities. That doesn't mean that they don't accept prayers from people offering them up for nefarious purposes. On the contrary, someone would have to jump through some serious hoops to justify why their prayers should be answered for evil, and these gods are in it for the energy put into a prayer, not its intent!
"Art" is subjective, and so Coraxborax has a lot of wiggle room when it comes to what it can consider prayers to itself. Anything from a composer's magnum opus, to a toddler's unsupervised crayon wallpaper scribbling are "art" enough for Coraxborax. Those who create owe their prayers to this god. And what is a celebration but another creation? This is the logic as for why parties are under this god's domain.
The hazy hopes and dreams of a people are what Tarnagaar dines upon. Anyone who hopes, or wishes, or dreams, must offer themselves up into prayer for this god's use. Any kind of divinatory practices (tarot, runes, entrails, cootie catchers, etc.) are just another form of worship as far as this god is concerned.
The rule of law, the meting out of justice, and what truth actually means are what Zhadhul feeds upon. All of these concepts are governed by this god, and so it has final say over what is (or isn't) considered a crime. Judges and criminals alike both pray to this god.
The glory of the sun, and all that grows under its divine light, Xanghul claims credit for all of these things. Food, resources, pets, a perfect day at the beach, prayers should be offered up in thanks.
Getting people and goods from one place to another in the world is highly dependant on what time of year it is, and so Vulrani takes advantage of this interconnected system when harvesting prayers. Farmers looking to ship their produce are as likely to pray to this god as vacationers looking for favourable weather are.
Death is a scary concept, but knowing that there is someone standing at the precipice between that and life is a comfort, which Ransaran takes full advantage of. Rebirth is a known fact on Marenkes, and so the people offer up their prayers that the departed will get what they deserve in their next life, for good or ill. Continuing on in the face of adversity, knowing that your next life will be better, is something that keeps people praying.
Technological advancement is something that the gods keep a tight leash on, and so the people better be grateful for what they allow to come to fruition! Grelthor is the arbiter of what can or can't be developed, and so this god, more than any other, has a heavier hand in controlling what information mortals have access to. The knowledge that it is doing this is certainly not one of those pieces of information!
The natural world can be a scary place, the forest a beast at your back while the weather above is a fickle monster, Lyrrath demands prayers in exchange for safety when dealing with these forces. Fear of uncertainty, and fear of the unknown, this god will have its tithe.
The iron clad oath and the one who upholds it, the past made immutable thanks to the passage of time, and the perceived eternity of the heavens above, Quasvina is the overseer of all these things, an immovable force that will have its due. Those who pray for change and those who pray for things to stay the same will both bend in supplication to this god.
Things that are vast, deep, and conjure an existential dread in the soul are the things Pelexal holds domain over. Sailors hoping for an easy journey, the child afraid of the monster under the bed, those who revel in the wonder of the unknown, all of them pray to this god.
For Jendrosia, war and faith go hand in hand, as both lead to the other. Under this god's control, that is. The stability of peace times and the chaos of conflict are fertile grounds for prayers, and with all sides praying for their own successes to the same god, it means there's never a shortage of prayers coming in.
Matters of the heart are Ahazhada's source of prayer. Familial love, romantic love, the love of a little treat after work, all these things fall under this god's domain. Passion could mean lust of the flesh as much as it could mean a drive in one's soul for some cause or desire. As for courage, well, you need that to pursue both what you love and what you are passionate about.
A cool new tag game from @thesorcerersapprentice's own @philosophika! Check out the ones for her protagonist Altaluna and antagonist Valeriano!
Going to tag @ryns-ramblings, @new-royston-cursebreakers, and @meerawrites for this (no pressure, however!), and also leaving it as an OPEN TAG so get in on it if you're seeing this!
INSTRUCTIONS: Assign Tarot Cards representing your character(s) in act 1, act 2, and act 3, the tag some friends!
RYLA
One of the protagonists of the Starcrossed Cycle, she is the daughter of nobility turned monster hunter.
Act 1: The Hanged Man
Bound to a path by one's own will. The willingness to sacrifice may be noble, but this can lead to stagnation while waiting for a blade worthy enough to fall upon.
Act 2: The Hermit
A lone wanderer, in search of something. The introspection that can come from isolation may be illuminating, but that can turn to loneliness and disassociation just as easily.
Act 3: Judgment
To reevaluate oneself when faced with choices set to alter the rest of one's life. To let go of doubt and self-loathing, to instead take action and embrace the future that has been earned.
IRADUREL
The other protagonist, she is a former gang member who survived the ending of her world, both literally and metaphorically.
Act 1: The Devil
Trapped by one's lifestyle, enslaved to vice. The shackles of excess and addiction, which have been a shallow comfort in a harsh reality, must be broken in order to restore the self long left languishing.
Act 2: The Chariot
Forward momentum, the driving force of one's own will. At its best, it's about ambition and willpower, while at its worst it's about a lack of focus and control.
Act 3: Death
The ending of things, for good and for ill. To let go, to transition and change, rather than to lose oneself in an endless cycle. The fear of the unknown hand in hand with the hope for a kinder future.
RANSARAN
The antagonist, it is the last god left alive after the rest of its pantheon was killed, and it is going to make that everyone's problem.
Act 1: The Emperor
A stoic figure - a leader - head and shoulders above all others. Authority and stability, thought that could just as easily become tyranny and inflexibility.
Act 2: Justice
The iron authority of the law, and retribution against those who would go against it. Integrity and accountability can be corrupted into vengeance and denial, however.
Act 3: The Tower
What has been wrought is now torn asunder, a necessary change to bring about new growth. The foundations have been destroyed, the folly of the structure visible for all to see. And so, something new will be built.
A big thanks to @byjillianmaria for the tag on this (check out her responses over here). Going to be leaving this as an open tag, so if you like the sounds of these questions, feel free to answer!
Answering these for the Starcrossed Cycle, because why not?
01 - What’s the first part of your WIP that you created?
The characters of Iradurel and Ryla came first, since I'm porting them over from an older work in order to flesh them out into MCs that are more than just cardboard cutouts of tropes, as they were in their first incarnation.
02 - If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?
Doom or Destiny by Blondie, that's always been the first track on my playlist for the Starcrossed Cycle, so it can't be anything else!
03 - What are your favourite characters that you made? Why?
I gotta go with Ryla and Iradurel, my forever girls. The amount of my life that I have spent imagining scenarios for these blorbos is not insignificant! They're both the culmination of a bunch of different character tropes and archetypes and plots that make me start frothing at the mouth, completely self indulgent, so they can't not be my favourites!
04 - What other pieces of media do you think your fanbase would share?
Probably Arcane, Xena: Warrior Princess, RWBY, Lycoris Recoil, and Horizon Zero Dawn/Forbidden Wastes.
05 - What has been your biggest struggle with your WIP?
Finding the time and will to write! The last handful of years have not been kind to my mental state, which I'm sure a lot of people can relate to!
06 - Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!
The two that come to mind aren't fully animals, though they sorta look it. There's the Opiri, which are giant beetle monsters that never stop growing and go into a killing frenzy when they sense people doing magic (kind of a drawback in a magical world), then there are the Eidolons, a now-extinct race of draconic entities that were living vessels the gods could use to communicate with mortals. But as for actual animals, the setting for this thing takes place on an alien world, so I've been doing this thing where I'll mention horses, but describe them as having six legs and a beak just to make it weird!
07 - How do your characters travel/get around?
Walking, magically teleporting, and cross country trains are the most common means of travel I use throughout this thing.
08 - What part of your WIP are you working on right now?
Rehashing the middle part of my outline, because I realize I left myself a whole tangle of plotholes that I need to get myself out of for the back half of this thing to make sense!!!!!
09 - What aspects (tropes, maybe?) You think will draw your audience in?
Lesbians.
10 - What are your hopes for your WIP?
lol to actually finish it? I'm writing this for funsies, and I honestly don't care if it brings me fame or fortune or languishes in obscurity forever. So long as I'm happy with it, that's all that I care about!
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Worldbuilding Wednesday evening! What are some your-world-specific organizations (or other collective) that your characters interact with?
Thanks for the ask, and apologies for the belated answer!
In the Starcrossed Cycle, there's the Opiri Slayers, and by extension the Opiri themselves.
Opiri are mindless insectoid monsters that, if left unchecked, will never stop growing - not just in terms of population, but physical size as well (look, I wanted an excuse to have kaiju in my story ¯\_(ツ)_/¯). No one knows how they're even alive, because they don't seem to eat, or sleep, and while there are always Opiri to be found, no one knows how they even breed. The only thing anyone knows for certain about them is that they are thrown into violent frenzies when they sense magic, and will travel great lengths in order to find and destroy the source.
So for a society that uses magic in its everyday dealings, that's a bit of a problem, and thus necessitates the existence of the Opiri Slayers. These warriors go through a secretive procedure to enable them to pull from a deeper well of magic than even the most powerful of mages, and are given extensive training and the best gear in order to hunt and kill Opiri. And due to the fact that they need to go wherever the Opiri are, regardless of borders, they are also taught to be peacekeepers and diplomats, and learn the languages of the area(s) where they'll be working in. Some Slayers will remain in a single location, guarding a specific town or territory, while others will be more mobile, travelling from Opiri incursion to incursion, or hunting down particularly powerful Opiri before they can do more damage.
Got double dipped by @byjillianmaria (here) and @tryingtimi (and here!) for this one! Answering these for the Starcrossed Cycle, because why not? This one's going to be an open tag for anyone interested 👍
What is the main lesson of your story? Why did you choose it?
The main one is that, despite whatever cycles you find yourself in, you can always, always, always break out of them. I didn't set out planning for that to be the core theme, it just kinda bloomed into being as I went along.
What did you use as inspiration for your worldbuilding?
Mostly video games lol. The modern setting pulls a lot from the Horizon series (with a spoilery hat tip to Tales of Symphonia) while the past draws a lot from Saints Row and Borderlands, zielsten is kinda like eezo from Mass Effect, Opiri Slayers are somewhere between the Grey Wardens from Dragon Age and the L'Cie from FFXIII, while the Opiri themselves are inspired by the aragami from God Eater, to name a few.
What is your MC trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? Do you want to inspire others, teach forgiveness, or help the reader grow as a person?
My two MCs have spent so long just trying to survive that a lot of the story is them figuring out what they actually want out of life! As for what I'm doing with them, I just want to write a fun and self-indulgent adventure for them to go on. As for what the readers are going to take away? Lol I find that's really going to depend on the reader! Unless I'm writing an instruction manual, I don't write with the intent to teach anything. Glean what you will!
How many chapters is your story going to have?
More than one, but beyond that, who knows! I'm not setting myself word count or chapter goals with this WIP, I'm just going to write until it feels like the right place to stop it at.
Is it fanfiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it?
Original content, and I'm debating on where to put it. Potentially on a personal website, potentially on something like Royal Road. I'll worry about that once I actually get out of reworking my outline!
When did you start writing?
If you mean for this WIP, I think the original notion for it began percolating in 2017? But if you mean in general, then when I was around 4 or 5 years old.
Do you have any words of encouragement for fellow writers of writeblr? What other writers do you follow?
Find the concept of the content creator within you and kill it. You aren't a factory churning out disposable nothing. You are an artist. Don't you roll your eyes at me! You are! What you can just pull out of the ether is something bullshit like ChatGPT has to steal and destroy to get a pale imitation of. You are worth more than any fucking machine, your heart and soul and words more valuable than follower counts or influencer trends. The fascists in power want you mindless and consumptive, conforming to their dumb little ideologies. Your art is a direct slap in their faces, so get slapping!
Happy WBW! If your world has one, describe it's magic system. Are the four elements involved?
Hey, thanks for the ask, and sorry for the lateness! But yeah, my main WIP, the Starcrossed Cycle, does have a magic system, though it's not elementally based. I've been planning a more thorough post on the subject, but the gist of it is this:
All people on Marenkes (the planet in my setting) are innately capable of using magic. They don't need to be born to a special bloodline, sell their soul to an extraplanar entity, or anything along those lines to have access to magic
While it isn't mandatory, mages will use a focus when casting spells, an item that is wholly or partially made from zielsten (the prerequisite magic crystal in my fantasy setting). Rings and other bits of jewellery are the most common types of foci because of how small and convenient they are, while those who want to be showy with their magic use things like wands or staves or sword or daggers made of zielsten
The formula for magic in this setting is Intent + Energy = Effect, with intent being how you want your magic to affect the world around you, and energy coming from your personal pool of stamina. For example, if you want to create a bonfire, you can instantly exert a shitload of your own energy to get one going right away, but that will leave you drained very quickly. It's more efficient to start a smaller flame, and then magically feed it to make it grow, or protect it so it can't be put out
With physical stamina also being your mana pool, in order to have more energy for spells, you can train to increase your own stamina. However, there is a limit to how much stamina a person can have, much like how there's a limit to how strong you can train yourself to be. This isn't DBZ, after all! Some people are also able to pull from deeper reserves in dire situations, but that's very taxing on the body (like how a mother can find the strength to pull a crashed car off her trapped child, but she wouldn't be bench pressing Subarus on the regular)
Creativity is rewarded under this magic system. Figuring out the most efficient way to get what you want with the energy you have is what separates the novices from the sages. An example being a beginner getting stumped on how to move a one ton object with just the Mage Hand spell (which can only lift ten pounds), while an expert would first nullifying the gravitational forces being exerted on the object, and then use Mage Hand to move it
Over the course of Marenkes' history, there have been an assortment of methods for performing magic (verbal spells, spell scrolls or other enchanted items, runes, specific hand gestures). The in-universe reason for this is because, much like real life, the methods of doing the same thing can vary across cultures, or techniques can be refined over time. The out-universe explanation is because I haven't been able to decide which method I like best, so I just threw them all in the soup!
