The State of the Chronicles, September 2010

--We continued responding to the fantasy rants and answered some questions on the basics of the world. In addition, work has resumed on The Video Game.

Thank you to all that read and support the blog

How Gemsinger Holds #97: Grasslands

1. The party won't be able to see far on the plains.

2. They will put up with wind, rain and snow.

3. They know herd animals are dangerous

4. It will be dry, and not have many trees at all

5. The avris are hardly Native American stereotypes (they are more influenced by Asian cultures)

Part of a Better Outline of the Story

...Or at least Book 1, anyway. This is still very tentative, and may change:


--Prologue: Young Miresa hears the Gemsinger story for the first time.
--In the present, Bradlin and Miresa are on their way home and discuss whether the story is really true.
--Meanwhile, Galia keeps seeing alarming visions of the Twelve Stones fleeing a dark wave--a sign that a Gemsinger will awaken soon.
--The stove incident I have written about before

Mini Games and Side Quests

What kind of mini games and side quests would you want to see in The Video Game?

Video Game Update

The latest on The Video Game: Possible boss scene

Break time

I'm taking a break today to plan some viginettes to illustrate what I've been debunking in the rants.

How Gemsinger Holds #96: History

1. Shokiyan history is preserved in items other than books

2. Not every book will be 100% accurate--as a general rule of thumb, the more recently written, the more accurate the book will be.

3. Historians will be caught making stuff up

4. The party will have good reasons to get skeptical

5. Libraries and storytellers will be mentioned early and often

How Gemsinger Holds #95: Limits

1. You will see the limits of magic, not just hear about them.

2. I will keep the psychology realistic and consistent

3. I will keep physical limits in mind as well

4. I will also keep age and time in mind

5. The story is not an idiot plot at all

6. I will be careful with loose ends

How Gemsinger Holds #94: Inconsistency

1. I will remember who is wounded or sick, and be realistic about healing times.

2. I will be careful with ecology

3. I will be careful to show, not tell

4. The prologue is important.

5. I will pick a description and stay with it

How Gemsinger Holds #93: "Dumb" plots

1. The threat Miresa faces will be an actual threat

2. The person with the royal items has as much respect as the items themselves

3. False Gemsingers have been known to appear, and struggle erupts when they do

4. Miresa and co. don't coast to an easy victory--they may not die, but they come close a few times.

5. Shokiyu will be more than a setting

How Gemsinger Holds #92: Stories

1. The stories of Shokiyu are not Earthen ideas trnsplanted there--the stories told reflect a Shokiyan view

2. I will be careful to explain where the stories came from

3. Shokiyan tales take both oral and written forms, and the tellers add their own spins on the basic storyline, so no two regions will hear the exact same tale the exact same way--the changes may just be a simple as a different name, but sometimes the entire story gets rewritten

4. Shokiyu has its own cultural tics.

Where to begin

I've been mulling several options on how to begin the story:

--Have a prologue explaining the Gemsinger legend before the story proper. (probably going to go this route)

--introduce Miresa from another character's POV

--Forgo a prologue entirely and just tell from Miresa's POV, filling in details as needed.

Which one would work best?

Hitting the Ground Writing

1. I have been writing (and thinking about) the scenes that strike me the most, and building the story around those.

I often work backwards as well, writing the ending first and then planning the story around how the cast got to that ending,

2. I know how the story will end, but that does not mean 90% of the story is a fantastic travelogue

3. However, the ending, (or any part of the story) is not set in stone.

4. I let the story show me what needs to be done

How Gemsinger Holds #91: Resistance Groups (part 2)

1. I will be careful when choosing the rebellion's defining moment.

2. If the resistance is outnumbered, I will show just how they become more than a match for the rulers

3. Even resistance groups have politics

4. Likewise, there are some on the other side that are sympathetic to the resistance

5. Actions have consequences, and the resistance knows that

How Gemsinger Holds #90: Resistance Groups (part 1)

I'm toying with the idea of Miresa and co. helping a resistance force somewhere in the story, so on that note:

1. The resistance leader will change in some way

2. I will make it clear what the group is rebelling against.

3. The group's tactics will match their modus operandi

4. I will be careful of spies, contacts, informants and neighbors

How Gemsinger Holds #89: Religion (part 2)

1. The Seer's job is to give guidance to the laity, heal and teach in more rural areas, and handle the day to day runnings of the temple

2. Holy days on the Shokiyan calendar revolve around commemorating events that Meikon and the spirits either did or had a hand in doing--in rememberance of the original event

3. The church and the state are two seperate entities, but they can and do work together when needed

4. The afterlife consists of the heavens, or the Holy Realm, and the Dark Realm, where demons dwell

How Gemsinger Holds #88: Religion (part 1)

1. The faith I'm making for Shokiyu is a blend of Christianity and Wiccan beliefs plus some of my own ideas. It isn't based completely on one or the other, but rather combines parts of both.

2. Each of the Twelve Spirits has their own personality.

3. Meikon and the Twelve Spirits are actively at work within Shokiyu, but they do not actually show themselves that often

4. The religion went through (and still does go through some bumps in the road. (eg. it was once thought that nonhumans were inferior to humans until 1000 years before our story begins)

How Gemsinger Holds #87: Redemption (part 2)

1. There will be other ways to be redeemed besides love, purity, and innocence

2. Katva has seen it all before, but he is too far gone to be redeemed.

3. Katva does have a motive--he wants a world of his own to rule (but it would require destroying Shokiyu)

How Gemsinger Holds #86: Redemption (part 1)

1. I will account for all redemption worthy incidents before I write

2. I will not stretch to find things to redeem characters from

3. Eyes will not be the only windows into someone's soul

4. Fighting will not be the only way to redeem someone

5. Sometimes ephipanies will be found on their own

6. Actions really will speak louder than words

How Gemsinger Holds #85: Healers

1. Healers will be more than the healer stereotype

2. Every healer has their own distinct personality

3. Wounds take time to heal

4. Healers are NOT a cure all

5. I will do the research on herbs

How Gemsinger Holds #84: Suspense

1. Reassurances will not dissapate any suspense.

2. I will not tell you a character's fate right away

3. I will be careful with foreshadowing

4. Silence=/=suspense

5. I will not hit someone on the head or put them to sleep as a cop out.

6. Confrontations will be worth the buildup

How Gemsinger Holds #83: Abilities

1. Miresa is not designed around abilities

2. The reason why Miresa will eventually wield all twelve elements when most beings can only wield up to half of that is because she is the latest in a line of heroes Meikon has called when Shokiyu is in danger.

3. Miresa will respond and react to her power at a realistic pace

4. Miresa will have a rival (it is NOT Halliwen)

5. I will try not to follow ability stereotypes

6. Her power DOES have a cost--fatigue.

7. I will show Miresa power, not just tell you about it.

8. I will be careful not to write myself into a deus ex machina

Physical and Historical Features, Day 1

◦In which geographical areas will the story take place? How much ground will the story cover?

Originally, the story was to have taken place on four continents, but I've since sclaed it back to just the eastern continent, which you will see in its entirety

500 Posts!

I can't believe we've made it to 500 posts already! The world has come so far since it was still named Sekiya.

To everyone that reads and supports the blog, thank you!

Where does the magic come from?

While Shokiyan magic comes from the Twelve Stones, they are not technically gods. Many magic items have been crafted, so there are plenty of quests to be had.

Entertainment overview

On Shokiyu, the entertainment is as varied as there are people.

--Games of chance are popular among all races, gambling included.
--Books are readily availiable, thanks to magic and mystic scrolls
--Shokiyans are huge fans of the stage, with concerts, lectures, plays and storytelling happening most every day
--Duels are limited to the non-lethal type (eg. the competitors or creatures tamed by the competitors will fight, but not kill each other)

How Gemsinger Holds #82: Backstory

1. You will not learn anyone's backstory all at once

2. The backstory will not have detail unless it is important to the story.

3. Flashbacks will have triggers

4. The flashback will be interesting, and tell the audience why smething is important

5. I will stay FAR away from purple prose.

6. Some parts of the backstory will be left unsaid

More Viginettes Coming Soon

Look for more viginettes in addition to the rant responses, as well as some actual worldbuilding.

How Gemsinger Holds #81: Servants

1. Some servants will be neutral or have no idea what is going on

2. If I say someone's sensitive to their servants, I will show the sensitivity too

3. Servants have lives outside of serving their masters

4. I will occassionally look at the masters in the servant's shoes

5. Of course the imbalance of power is meaningful!

6. Stereotypes =/= reality

How Gemsinger Holds #80: Description

1. I will be careful not to use adjectives willy nilly

2. The description will match the viewpoint

3. I will describe only what is important at that moment, and worry about different kingdoms' histories as they become relavent

4. Description will not overtake the story

5. Verbs and nouns will be there as well as adjectives