I'm concerned this hasn't been established enough and that there isn't enough time in a novel length narrative to devote to *both* her descent into "villainy" by aligning with her father *and* her redemption. I think there would certainly be enough space to have her join the "dark side" and perhaps her redemption could be in "Book 2" if we write one. (That's if her joining her father is a route we'd want to take. I have a suspicion that Barnabas wouldn't actually desire to parent her, but I might be wrong on that front)
For sure, we need to give everyone screen time. Something to think about. Maybe, instead, the quest of the three young women can have something to do with Barnabas, something they do together.
I honestly don't really think about this roleplay in terms of novel length. So, I think it's really up to @Louanne Learning for what she wants to do. I think Katara being lured away by her father and his power would be really interesting. Also, it would add a change for Katara to later show that she's not as 'stuck up' as the reader might think at the moment. And honestly, I don't think Baranbas is interested in being a dad. Rather he might be more interested in finding a successor/person he can use to do dirty work/make him look good.
I'd like to keep it a secret from Katara that Barnabas is her dad until she has to confront him for Olive's sake
This seems like the right choice. But I wouldn't force it into the story right now. Maybe if Katara ends up siding with her dad for the time being, it's up to Olive and Ravenna to talk to her or something. I think I was leaning toward Olive's memory arc as it seems like the BIG plot of the story.
It's all Greek numerals. They all end with -gonist. The rest are the numbers. Protagonist ― From the Greek word Protos (first) Deuteragonist — From the Greek word Deuteros (second) Tritagonist — From the Greek word Tritos (third) I don't know why English is full of so much Greek, but it does make my life much easier sometimes. Definitely not. That's for the very end. Olive's memory is the motive. It's what drives Olive forward. If you look closely, Gamma used that to motivate Olive in my last post. The big plot will have to do with the queen and those below her. I imagine that our characters will clash with them at the very end (the climax). I don't think we're near this point yet. I don't know about everyone here, but I'm very interested in finishing this. I hope we can reach the end. We're at 22k words now, so if we're thinking in terms of structure, we really need to think about moving the story towards its next act. @Louanne Learning's idea to do a quest is brilliant. I'm in full and complete support of this. We're not quite yet there though. For the story to reach its next act, we need a turning point. Olive has pretty much had hers and she's ready. I know this is a story written largely by discovery, but I think we should do some thinking about how to flip the story into its next act and what that act should be. The turning point is meant to be a point of no return. If we don't do this, there is a risk that we'll plot ourselves into a corner. Right now, the story has the following elements: The tavern is currently inoperable Dusca is terrified by Barnabas potentially returning a second time Katara is also scared of Barnabas. Ravenna is sick The queen is planning to do something major, destructive and order shifting. As I see it, there is potential for Bossman to send the three characters away. I don't know under what reason or what for, but the tavern's state is not what it is was, and that could be reason enough. It's also pretty good opportunity to leave the tavern. Our characters haven't gone beyond that at all. Thoughts?
Some more thinking... The queen is currently collecting some crystal fragments for her big purpose. What if their quest is about collecting one of them to prevent the queen from getting all, which she needs? The problem with this is: Why would Bossman and the Alphabets trust Olive, Katara and Ravenna with this? If we do end up going with something along those lines, each character could have their own unique purpose. Olive is the mage. She can attack/defend from potential danger. Katara is very smart and is the brains of the operation. Ravenna? I'm not sure, but we can think of something. Take this only as thinking of course. I'm just throwing ideas around.
Thank you, I would love to see those young women bonding. Maybe - Olive finds something out from Gamma - and confides in Katara - and strong-headed Katara sets out - and Olive and Ravenna join her
I like the sound of this. But I was talking about their roles rather than how the quest would start. If you think about it, every character must have a meaningful place. It wouldn't be very structurally sound if, for example, Olive did absolutely nothing but follow the other two around during the quest. That's why I suggested what I did. Olive is the power of the operation. She has power and can attack and defend. Katara, on the other hand, is a poet and Barnabas' daughter. Her smarts can make very good contributions to the quest. She would be the brains of the operation. Ravenna is what I'm not so sure about. What would be her role in the quest? Maybe she doesn't have one. Maybe she discovers one midway. It could be part of her arc. Regardless, to go back to what you said, I'm liking the thought of Katara setting off and being followed. That'd be enough to start the quest. But what would Katara find out? Same! It's something I've thought of many times before, actually.
She needs to get a spark - something gives her some gumption - maybe a clue to help her find out who doomed her to the life of a lab rat. Maybe - Katara expresses interest in her father - Dusca forbids her from even mentioning him - but then blurts out who he is, thinking it will turn Katara away from him - but instead it propels her to find him.
Agreed. I imagine @Gravy would need to decide on this though since it's her character. I like this. Both of them are your characters and I think you are pretty much free to do as you like here. I'm looking forward to what you'll write! It is your turn now, I believe?
@SoulFire - will there be character profiles coming for Wren, Olten and Pria? reading over your last entry - it seems they tried to "bluff" that it had been the queen who sent them to investigate - but it wasn't the queen, then. Have you figured out who sent them to Cliffcross to investigate? Or is that still something that is up in the air?
I didn't mean to imply the Queen didn't send them, but rather due to Wren's rank people would just not believe him when he tried to subtly threaten them. In reality, Wren wouldn't dare complain to the queen about the citizens not helping him. He would look weak and likely just have the job ripped from him and given to someone with more competency or authority. I think the Queen sending them makes sense. In part to research the affects taking the gear fragments had, but also as a way of having ears all around the country. No doubt the alphabet society (or their envoys) will find their way there to investigate as well at some point. And yeah, I can write up character profiles for Wren, Olten, and Pria!
Oh, I never knew this! It's awesome!! Good to know! This makes me wonder if there might a second RP in the same world. But that's for us to all decide when this one is done. Yes, it is written by discovery. But yeah, I think a little planning could do us some good. I think sending the trio off on a quest would work well. Yeah, because all these things could move characters to act on something or other. I think the tavern being closed is our queue to move onto the next arc. We could plan a bit collectively like we are here. I have ideas on where Ravenna's story might go. But is rather flexible in terms of timeline and location. Agreed! I think we need to get out in the wide-open world here. This sounds good. But it's kinda of a Thanos Collection list. But it could work. I think Bossman sends them on this quest, because they are in the dark. So, if something happens, it's easier for them to know nothing. Ever seen spy movies were the main character stumbles into a international incident? That's kinda how I see this happening. I think Ravenna is most likely the tank. She can't do magic, but I can see her being useful in a fight. Alisso has fun fighting, so letting him do what he enjoys is a good idea. Yes, Olive can fight with magic, but I think Ravenna might be more adept to hand-to-hand fighting. Especially in the beginning, Olive might not know how all her powers work from the start. That is up to you, though. @ps102. I want to make this balanced. But I do see Ravenna being the underground connection/tank of the group. That sounds about right. Or, it could be that Katara sets out, or Bossman sends them away for the time being in search of that gem. I know 2 things for certain about Ravenna's story arc. 1. She wants to find her family. Even if she learns they are dead, it would make her feel better to know what happened to them. 2. She's going to die by the end of the story. I don't know if this is going to be due to an epic/meaningful fight or if her liver is going to give out. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. I think she knows she's dying at the moment, but just hasn't told anyone. Because she doesn't want them to worry- wants to enjoy peaceful life at the tavern. This makes sense and is what I was saying before, more or less. But yes, I think Katara's plot is woven in with Barnabas'.
Sorry I didn't reply earlier. I was busy. I don't know about a "sequel". If everyone likes the world enough, I guess it's possible. The story is currently 22k. I imagine that we'll be at the next act by 25k words. If we take a three-act approach, we'll be done at 75k words. At the current rate, we'll be done by September. I guess if there is agreement, we can make a sequel then. I've heard of Thanos and his stones but I've never watched the movie. I have a lot planned for those crystals and the lore around them will only keep getting complex. I want them to have a philosophical depth. Side note, they look like crystals, but they're actually gear fragments. It's my fault I didn't make that very clear That is definite. Olive can't use magic at all right now. Well, she can, but it's not very useful. Gamma has some plans. No spoilers though!
Pria - introduced in the post of @SoulFire - is an air mage. Can anyone provide me with more information about air mages?
Very good question, actually. I don't think we've had any air mages yet, so I don't think we have much info on them. But in your average fantasy, air-type attacks involve high-current gusts. I imagine that this is what your average air mage does. I did a quick Google search and found that wind is created when air moves from high atmospheric pressure to low atmospheric pressure. A factor in atmospheric pressure is temperature, so I propose that air mages do something like this: They create low pressure in one hand, and high pressure in the other. The difference is great so air moves so fast from one hand to the other, it shoots at a point they aim. Basically, their hands are like air guns. I'm not sure if this would work in the real world because I think that air would stop moving as soon as it go to the low pressure point, but this is fiction, and I think we're allowed a little bit of creative license. Every air mage would be different though and this sort of thing would simply be a typical way. This is just a base for how air manipulation could work and some mages could get very creative or even do something entirely new. That said, regardless of whether we go with the above or not, Pria's magic hasn't been introduced yet, so you can just treat her like any normal non-mage character. I hope that's helpful.
He's an Earth mage, it's stated in my post here: Also, I'm writing the character profiles right now, I'll have them posted very shortly.
