Setting: The world is in your hands

While Bandar Bermaya did not seem like much, it had heart.

Six-hundred square metres of seaside real-estate, a steady supply of travelers from trading ships making port while on the way to Stragunberg, and a friendly local community made it rather popular in the twenties. It was once a small fishing village, growing due to a rather enterprising young woman, named Sri Aini Bermaya, who expanded its port, after seeing its potential as a waypoint between the North-South Trade Line. It'd been eighty years, though, and things changed. Things changed a lot.

Traders started to settle in Bermaya. And then more traders. Bandar Bermaya grew from a sleepy port town to a bustling trade city almost overnight. In the thirties the town grew to almost twice its size in just under a decade. Vodens seemed to like the city very much due to its tropical clime, a change from their usual cold homeland, and more of them settled there.

Then the Great War.

A trade dispute between the Sultanate of Marterra and Proletarian Republic of Voddenhart (PRV), both of which had long been wary of each other, exploded into war in 3147. It was a simple matter; Voddenhart wanted more wheat from Marterra, but it was offering much less in return, so Marterra refused. Voddenhart responded by rounding up every single Marterran merchant within its borders and imprisoning them, until its demands were met. Marterra still refused. So Voddenhart, under Prime Minister Heimrich Dovstag, ordered a bold and controversial move: Executing the prisoners. This sparked much outrage from some of its neighbours, and the flames of war flared up into life.

While the war went on, trade in Bandar Bermaya all but disappeared. The Vodens who had settled down there were ostracised and shunned by the local Marterran community, and soon restrictions were put on former Voden citizens, as ordered by the Sultanate. Many fled across the border to escape discrimination, but some still stood firm, maintaining that they were now Marterran citizens, and were loyal to Marterra.

During the war Bandar Bermaya was suffering despite being far away from the theatre of war, and the rich lives of the traders who lived there were all but gone, replaced by war-time rationing and drafting of able men into the army. Once the war was officially over in 3153, trade was slow to return in Bandar Bermaya, being mainly a pitstop between the Republic of Sri Kezali to the northwest and the former PRV to the south. Again the inhabitants suffered, and many left the hollow-shell of a city that it was at that time. Again, there were still those who stayed, and they endured the post-war depression that followed.

In the wake of the new federal parliamentary monarchy in the seventies, Port Bermaya was reinvented by the Tourism industry as a destination for beach-lovers, with new resorts sprouting up along the long, sandy western beach, away from the bay that was once its harbour. Now named only Bermaya, housing developments were planned, and people soon filtered to the new resort-like city, cleaned up and changed irrevocably from its pre-war era. It was literally rebuilt from the ground-up, slowly but surely. And twenty years later, in 3202, it is a modern resort city, with resort after resort after resort along its beaches, and shopping malls and even a theme park. Of course, those places were not my goal.

Heaving along my haversack, I started to make my way to the centre of the Old Town District, to Bermaya Square. My name is Seri Aishah Bermaya bint Abdul Karim, and I am finally going back home, to see my great-grandmother.

The setting.

Important to some, taken for granted by others, it is a large part of a narrative story, no matter what kind it is (of course, like everything else in English, there's always exceptions). Whether it's an isolated island for a marooned character with everything that he needs to survive, to a hostile world filled with monsters and dangerous beasties, there always has to be a setting. And setting does not always mean the physical setting. How the people of the world react to each other, how the borders are drawn, and how the world works are all part of the setting. While this may seem overwhelming to some, others (Like me!) take particular joy in creating vibrant worlds just for our characters to live in, interact, save, or destroy. There are several things to take note of in creating a setting.

First thing is: Decide on how much you want to flesh out your setting, and how much work you wish to put in. You might just want a simple map of the area that your characters will stomp around in, or you might want to create a whole universe (!) for them. Just keep in mind that you're making it, and you're also, you know, supposed to be writing the story too.

Think about the themes and tone of your story, novel, etcetera, and reflect it in your world. If your story is a gritty dark fantasy, make the world a not very happy place to live in, with dark horrors/bandits/evil kings/whathaveyou.

Also, take into consideration the realism level of the world in comparison to our own, and try to think of how to explain something being there. For example, magic. Is there magic? How much magic is there? Is it rare or common? What are its effects? Is it limited to certain parts of the world, or to certain types of beings or peoples? This also applies to city locations and geographical features. Remember, the more you want to flesh out the world, the more you need to explain things which are there. Remember that something, like magic, has far-reaching effects which aren't limited to one single field. Think about economic or social effects, like how it affects trade.

Everything in this world is interconnected. Countries trade with countries, cities trade with cities, people trade with people. So it's natural that you should somehow make each aspect of your world interact with another. Make it feel like it belongs there.

I'll stop for now, but I'll give more helpful tips on worldbuilding again soon!

Worldbuilding Articles Part 1

"Mages think so that you don't have to."
Gla-Blek Gokk

Aether

Aether is like the lifeforce of the worlds, permeating it and sustaining it. It's a colourless, odourless substance that manifests itself on the physical plane as somewhere between a liquid and a gas, sort of like the old-style ectoplasm that the mediums used back in the 19th century. However, it does not actually exist on the physical plane often, but its presence can still be felt in many parts of the worlds. Mages utilise this substance as a catalyst as well as fuel for their magic, willing it to do a specific action. However, due to the inherent nature of Aether, the action has to be very specific, or it might have unintended side-effects.

The properties of Aether include its incredible ability to emulate any physical substance, property, or energy. However, it is driven by the imagination of the channeller, and even then, in the case of mages, it will only vaguely follow what the mage intended, unless if the mage constrained it within a very specific set of rules.

Reagents are items that have a high Aether content. Magically-infused substances, items associated with life, all that. The often-used reagent that many carry are, surprisingly, acorns. Acorns have unnaturally high Aether content, therefore the Mages often use them the most. Another reagent that I've established so far is Crystalsand, from a place called the Crystalsands.

The Crystalsands a highly-Aether-rich location where Aether was literally ripped from its plane and pulled to the site, causing a large area around it to basically have its reality warped. I liken it to a Chernobyl effect; inside the Crystalsands, there are pockets of concentrated Aether. Anyone who even walks in the general vicinity of one will either go insane, gain tremendous power, or be mutated irrevocably by the chaotic effects of pure Aether. Naturally, even the sand is powerful; a grain of crystalsand is about as powerful as a single acorn in terms of Aether content.

Alchemy

Aether also is very soluble in water or any liquid substance. This means that, yes, potions do exist in some form, and thus alchemists exist as well. Unlike real-world alchemy, it is a refined art, and its range from medicine, war, scrying, and enchantments. Unlike conventional fantasy alchemy, though, it isn't only the water that is important; it's the potion bottle. It's often covered in Aetheric formulae, designed to change the properties of the Aetheric solution within it.

The Solution itself also changes the Aether's properties; water, for example, is often the baseline, and often used when the potion is to be drunk, while quicksilver is used for scrying, and oil for (you guessed it) making things go boom spectacularly. In the latter case, the bottles come very cheap, as making Aether explode is much, much easier than making it -not- explode.

The bottle would be inscribed instead with a command to 'explode', with a condition being 'upon breaking', then they'd pour some lightly-aetheric solution in (Oil is usually used, but anything can be, really) and then throw. Boom, instant exploding potion. If one wanted to, for example, grant the user the ability to breathe fireballs, it'll take a little more work and a more concentrated solution of Aether, and, depending on the solution itself, the more concentrated it is, the longer the duration of the firebreathing. Of course, one has to worry about ingesting too much Aether, but Aetheric solutions often are much, much less dangerous than pure Aether.

Nether

Netheric energy is the complete opposite of Aetheric energy. Aetheric energy only changed or mutated the world around it, and Netheric energy stunts the mutation, effectively nulling the Aetheric energy's effects. And instead of something that is manipulated by the imagination and the strength of will of the person, Netheric energy can be manipulated by only the emotions of an individual. Netheric energy also deals in intangible things, like thoughts, emotions, ideals, psychology, as well as being able to create something, anything, out of only Netheric energy, a rare feat which earned it the name 'the Energy of Creation'. Netheric energy, therefore, is inherently impossible to control consciously by the mortal races, and its control is thought by contemporary scholars to only be of the realm of the Gods. However, it does come into play in other ways.

This leads back to my theme of 'belief'. If one believes strongly enough in something, it will somehow manifest itself. If many believe in something, it will eventually somehow pop into existence, and it will change as the people do. The true Gods themselves used this to create avatars whom they control to govern a particular world - these avatars often being the 'Gods' that the mortal races see. The power of belief is limitless in my universe, although the denizens themselves do not know it.

Netheric energy also plays into the resistance of Aetheric manipulation; If an individual strongly believes that 'Magic' does not exist, Aether ceases to have a significant effect on him, due to a build-up of Nether on his person, which nulls any attempt to 'change' him via Aetheric manipulation. For example, a fireball conjured via a mage will harmlessly engulf him, causing no damage at all. Several groups have made use of this, though the willpower and belief needed prevented many individuals from fully resisting a spell. The Mage City/University of my world actually employs a tribe of desert-dwellers that have this resistance to magic, as arbiters, police, and renegade-hunters.

For the same reason, if someone believes that 'Magic' flows through him like water, Netheric energy avoids him, causing much less resistance against the flow of natural Aether through his body and easing his spellcasting, while actually increasing his vulnerability to change via Aether. Often, one believes so much in this that Aether often runs unchecked through their systems, altering the body and the reality around the mage, resulting in the phenomenon known as 'Wild Magic'.

The thing about the mortal beings is that, to attain the high level of control needed, they'd have to be Godlike, since Nether is, inherently, as chaotic as Aether, if not more. Someone like that might have an ironclad resistance to Aether, but his or her grasp on the control of Nether will be little to none - of course, this could still be quite a bit, since mastery of Nether would mean that one can actually make a physical object out of only Netheric energy, which, as far as scholars can theorize, exists everywhere. The manipulation of Netheric energy is much, much more delicate than the manipulation of Aetheric energy.

Of course, there are some who actually have attained Godlike powers through mastery of the Nether. The Titans in my world's mythos, in fact, were one of them, and a few Dragons have 'ascended' as well. The more normal humanoid races, however, have rarely, if ever, touched the surface of it. I've been trying to keep an emphasis on how properly hard it is to even scratch the surface of Netheric control.

Religious Context

Religious figures are often created by the amount of belief of the mortals- without the knowledge of the mortals themselves. Somewhat like Terry Pratchett's system of belief, really. These figures or 'Avatars' then are often controlled by the 'True Gods' of the universe, each having their own domains. In some cases, these figures are actual people who have ascended.

Priests strive for Godliness, sort of. The thing about the 'Gods' in my world is that it doesn't matter what the Gods represent; it's just how much faith the people put in them. Morals, customs, etc are just that - Morals and Customs, which are determined by whatever prophet or priest or leader or focus or ideal or whathaveyou. The very godly nature of Nether is much unknown to many; only a select few, including the most learned scholars in the realm of Theological Speculation, even know of its ability to create. Heck, most dismiss it as just a resistor of Aetheric energy.

An older version of Aetheric Manipulation is what they call Natural Magic, which druidic and shamanistic magic fall under. Back before Controlled Aetheric Manipulation, these two were thought to have no connection at all. Shamans and Druids, however, are about the same as priests - they only believe in different things: nature itself, natural spirits or ancestral spirits. Their belief system revolves around having a symbiotic relationship with nature. Take what you need, give back what you can, protect the environment, and, whenever possible, never kill without reason.

All of these belief systems involve drawing Aether from a direct source, be it a Religious figure, an ideal, nature, spirits of nature, or ancestral spirits. The Aether actually is drawn from these sources, but the Aether that is taken is actually from the True Gods themselves.

Characterisation - Dick, a Case Study.

The men surrounded the palisades, archers at the ready just behind them. The levy soldiers then heaved the ram into place... and started to batter the walls down. I was behind them, heart beating in my throat, my knuckles white from gripping my gladius. The men behind the walls did not rain arrows upon our head like the last siege I've been in, and for that scant comfort I was grateful. The wait that ensued however was almost unbearable.

I began counting the seconds until the wall gave way. One, two, three, four, and five turned into twenty, thirty, fifty.

It was only then that the wall finally came down. Behind it was a wall of shields, held by the town guard. Some of them were younger than I am. My resolve shook slightly, till I saw their eyes.

It was then that I realised that each and every one of them were ready to kill me the moment I hesitated.

Our Centurion sounded the attack. Our century was the first to charge. I hefted my pilum in concert to my brethren as we had practiced, and threw. The soldiers in the opposing side were shaken by the attack, and most of those in the front rank fell from one or more of our pila. Then came the order to advance.

Shields first, left shin below shield, our gladii held just at the right edge of our shields, we advanced.

I stared at the young man, my age, right ahead of me as we advanced.

We closed the distance between us, carefully over the fallen ruins of the palisade as we advanced.

The pounding in my ears was almost painful as we advanced...

...and our shields clashed.

Without regard, I stabbed and stabbed hard with my gladius, hitting shield, flesh and bone, my head focused on the man in front of me till he fell and the next came to replace him; it became a cold, detached feeling soon, with none of the glory associated with the romance of war and making it. A man fell, another man came, and I killed him again. Soon we were ordered to withdraw in formation, and we backed away until there was sufficient room for the next century to advance. However, something happened then.

"Hieracosphinx! Above us!"

I looked up and saw the large paws of the birdlion bearing down on us.

We won the battle. But only at the cost of five hundred of our men.

Characterisation is a very good subject. Characters are the pen of the story as the setting and plot are the paper. They are the 'writers', so-called, as they are the ones supposedly dictating the actions that the reader sees. And if they're good characters, I believe they have to have several things:

Good, believable backstory.
-This does not mean a long and convoluted one.

Good character development throughout the story.
-A single character never remains the same throughout the book - they develop and grow, like all of us.

Behaves as if he belongs in the world.
-This however does not mean he has to absolutely follow every custom, just that he has to believably interact with the world. (See Otto and the Talking Eagle in one of my previous posts.)

Has links with the other characters in the book, or establishes links with them in the course of the story.
-This means your character has to have a friend or several in the story, or he has a contact/acquaintance/SOMEONE to talk to. Even Mario had Princess Peach, and the obvious example for this is Harry Potter and Ron Weasley/Hermione Granger. It makes for far, far more interesting dialogue aside from the angst and simmering hatred within your character *coughEmocough*.

Last but not least... They have to have a good, believable personality.
-That means no Mary Sues/Gary Stus - people who have a one-dimensional personality, everybody loves them, always gets the guy/girl at the end, etcetera. I don't believe such a person could ever exist, and so, they shouldn't. After all, with someone as perfect as that, there's no conflict there whatsoever, and so it turns into a boring soap opera.

Alright, now that I got all of them laid out, here's a case-study: Dick.

Let's make a character!

Name: Dick. The name is the most important, and at the same time the least important characteristic of the character, and I tend to do this part last instead of first. For example, Harry Potter has a mundane name, but everyone knows him for what he did just after hearing his name. However, take care that the name fits your world's naming conventions. Just for this case-study exercise however? Screw naming conventions!

Age/Sex/Location: Not important unless if it ties in with his backstory somehow. Age is slightly more important, since he will act differently when he's old than when he's young. Gender is sometimes already determined when you make up the name (Unless if you like the androgynous look).

-Let's say he's around... 25. Male, obviously, and lives in Newark, Fantasyland.

What he is and What he does: Two important questions, as it directly dictates his personality.

-Let's make him a dinky normal human like the rest of us. Let's also make him a caravaner, a person who drives trade caravans between cities and towns (Basically a trucker. See what I did there?).

His Past: Important somewhat. What was he before the story started? What happened to him? This is sometimes only applicable for the main characters or the main antagonists, and, at most, the supporting characters. Nobody wants to hear about the backstory of a random guy who appears in the middle of the story... unless if there's a very, and I stress very good reason for it.

-Let's make him... an everyman, a normal guy with a normal past. Caravaner who comes from a long line of caravaners, but with a brother who is incidentally an adventurer. Let's say the story starts with him on a caravan train to the province where he heard of his brother last.

---

Okay, I stop now for a while. See the above? That's your plot-line developing already, just by characterising your first character! And we already have another character out already. Isn't that incredible?!

Let's move on.

---

His Motivations: What makes him do what he does? What makes Dick the caravaner want to be a caravaner?

-Maybe he wants to go on with the family business, the whole 'my dad was a caravaner, my granddad was a caravaner, and so was his dad before him' thing. But maybe he's also worried about his wayward brother, whose whereabouts have been unknown. Maybe that's why he's going to where his brother has last been seen.

His Personality: What is he like? How does he act towards other people? Some people like to do this first, and some like to do this last. It all depends on what you're used to and what you like.

-Let's say... Dick is a good, jovial man, who's genuinely interested in his brother's well-being. He's still quite young in the business, and is wet around the ears, so he's very enthusiastic and listens to his elders. Almost a goody-two-shoes type of person.

His Description: The details are not very important to me at all, really, but still his description could have important, defining traits about a character. Taking another example from Harry Potter again, his scar has a lot of bearing on what happens in the story. But, I don't recommend giving your character two eye-patches. Unless, of course, if it's a goblin pirate.

-Dick is a plump man, rosy-cheeked most of the time and clean-shaven. He looks very much like a greenhorn in the caravaning business, and that might get him in trouble on the road.



---

And there you have it. A new character, tailor-made for all your caravaning needs! Of course he sounds a lot like the guy who'd die first in a bandit attack, or a background character... but who knows, maybe he'll pick up a sword in the middle of it and start defending himself out of desperation. Maybe he'll become an adventurer like his brother Bob!

Finally, I'll end with this little note.

'Why did the goblin pirate cut off his left arm and left leg?'

'Because he wanted to be all right.'

Thoughts? Flames?

Plot - To cliché or not to cliché?

It is not a bad thing when things go wrong sometimes, but, unfortunately for Caivs, this is not one of those times.

Surrounded by Faelie patrol guards, with a ship running low on fuel, and a malfunctioning weapons system, he wasn't in the best of situations. Of course, he could also note the fact that he was in unknown space, with hostile territories all around, but that was just pessimism.

He tapped on his old communications array as the ships blockaded him, preventing him from escape. A small screen lit up, covered in the grime of overuse.

The lithe, narrow face of the Faelie came up."This is Colonial Guard Patrol Captain Urda. Devan, shut down your primary drive and state your business. Why are you in restricted airspace?"

Caivs hesitated, turning down his engine before responding quickly. "Err, I am, uh, lost. Uh. Sir."

The Faelie furrowed 'his' brow. "It is 'Ma'am'. And there are armed sentry beacons along the border to alert travelers. How did you get by them, Devan?"

Crap. This is bad.

"... uh... maybe... I passed by a faulty sentry?"

Okay, think, Caivs. What will the Great Alexandros do in this situation?

"Tell the truth, Devan. How did you get past the Sentry's sensors?"

... He'd run and hope that no one manages to blast this firebird out of the sky.

"Devan, answer now, or else we'll be forced to board and put you under arrest."

Caivs turned the engine off standby - he really doesn't miss the money he spent modifying his baby now - and got it ready for a sprint of speed.

Don't fail me now, Gladivs. C'mon, baby, don't fail me now.

Don't fail me now.

The plot is the skeleton of all stories. It's what gives a novel its structure, what holds it up, and what gives it a sense of cohesiveness. There are many ways of creating a plot - some writers like building a world and a situation, and then build their characters around the plot. Some like to give their characters free reign, shaping them first and then building the story around the characters. Others practise a more holistic way - building it so that the characters AND the setting and plot are interconnected, all developed in a balanced manner. There are other ways as well, but this are the ones I'm concentrating on today.

Building a plot around a character or a set of characters is a good way to make a story full of believability - something in short supply especially in the Fantasy genre. No longer will someone wonder why the Knight named Bob is saving a princess from the evil dragon for absolutely no reason other than to follow the story. Characterisation first gives the characters motivations, wants, needs, loves, hates, and most of all, a little bit of consciousness in the writer's mind - and in the reader's mind, if the writer is good enough. However, this is also a dangerous path to tread - if one simply mashes characters together without a good solid setting and a good, structured story, you get a very, very confusing party, especially if all of the characters diverge paths. A good character does not immediately cause a good story, and vice versa.

The other way around is the same too. You can have a story with the epic feel of the Crusades, with twists and turns and a masterfully-done history of the world - along with a shiny new map - but if your characters have the depth of Milla Jovovich's character in Resident Evil, it falls flat, it seems very contrived, and it just feels like a railroad, tugging the characters along, leading them to their next destination instead of the characters seemingly dictating their own actions. That is not to say a good story is still not something to be proud of, though. If one can make a story as dramatic as the European courts of Medieval times - backstabbings, schemes and all - and a setting as rich as Tolkien's very own, that will draw the reader in, and make them want to know what happens next.

Still, a balance must be struck between the two. Good story and setting, and a good set of characters. I will go into detail with characterisation and plot in the next few posts. In the meantime, what do the plebes think about plot creation and generally plot?

That means you guys by the way.

Langsuyar

Genres within Fantasy

It was strange. This is Düsseldorf, isn't it?

Otto kept asking himself that, looking out at the wasteland before him. Just minutes ago he was on the subway. When he left, he felt a tingle in the air. He thought nothing of it. When he saw no one was around, he thought nothing of it.When he realised that the subway train was totally empty - during the usual rush hour on Sunday - he felt something was amiss, but thought nothing of it.

Of course, he couldn't ignore the fact that he was in the middle of a cracked, barren wasteland where Düsseldorf was supposed to be. Otto looked back, at the stairway. It didn't disappear. He knelt down and felt the ground, before punching it. "Ngh..." He flinched, drawing his hand back. It was definitely solid and real.

Otto was bewildered. What was happening? As he walked around the wasteland, trying to make sense of things, he felt the wind pick up. A sandstorm, he thought?

Then, he heard an ear-piercing call, and looked around.

A gigantic bird - about a hundred times larger than the largest eagle he had seen on the Discovery Channel - was hovering several feet away from him, flapping its voluminous wingspan as it stared hard at the man before it. Otto widened his eyes. This must be a dream. It can't be real. He was rooted to the ground for the next several tense seconds. Was the bird going to attack him? Was he going to die in this strange world that he arrived in not several minutes ago?

It was to his relief that the bird only landed on the ground, bowing its head slightly to the man, keeping its eyes on him. What happened after made Otto start doubting his sanity.

"Greetings, Imperial. Are you alright?" The bird asked.

Fantasy comes in a variety of flavours. This post shall discuss the different parts of Fantasy subgenres. Mind you, these are not absolute genres - most people really mix and match depending on what they like and what ideas they have.

First and foremost, there's High Fantasy. High Fantasy is the most common type of Fantasy that everyone associates the whole genre with. It is basically related to an epic struggle in a Fantasy world, with a clear hero and a clear Big Bad Evil Guy (Related to Emperor Palpatine, Sauron, and Morgoth). There is a clear all-encompassing evil that has to be stopped or the known world will be subjugated/massacred/blown up/burninated/rocks-fall-everyone-dies'd by an empire/evil race/totalitarian nation/aliens from outer space/really evil gods. In this genre, Gods are as common as politicians, and act about the same as well. All joking aside, this is the most grandiose and most common subgenre of Fantasy, although it is also the most clichéd one as well. This is often a budding writer's first genre. One example of a High Fantasy novel series is the Belgariad by David Eddings.

Heroic Fantasy, also called the Sword and Sorcery story in some circles, is the second most common genre, and about as bad in terms of being overdone. However, it is understandable, as some of the novels that fall under the Heroic Fantasy subgenre are J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings Trilogy (A brilliant bastard, that guy. Brilliant, but also a bastard) and Conan the Barbarian by Robert E. Howard. Also, George Lucas' Star Wars could also fall under this as well, due to its plotline following almost exactly like a usual Heroic Fantasy plotline.

Contemporary or 'Modern' Fantasy is set in the 'Real World', so called, but with elements of Fantasy such as fantastic creatures, magic, and Fantasy concepts. The above excerpt could very well fall under this subgenre. This is actually a subgenre with a broad spectrum of different types of stories - The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling falls under this, as well as Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Alternate History, or Historical Fantasy, is an intriguing subgenre. What do you get when you cross dragons with the Napoleonic wars? You get Temeraire by Naomi Novik, a novel where the wars are fought with Dragons as well as muskets, grenadiers and riflemen. How about if you introduce Julius Caesar's style of backstabbing into an European-style Monarchy, complete with an exiled prince and lots and lots of incest? You get A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. This is all about taking history or historical concepts, turning it around and putting in a lot of 'what ifs'. A very interesting mix, I'd say.

I'd say more, but I think I've said enough for now. The rest of the list is as follows:

Bangsian fantasy
Dark fantasy
Erotic fantasy
Fairytale fantasy
Juvenile fantasy
Fantasy of manners
Mythic fiction
Romantic fantasy
Science fantasy
Superhero fantasy
Comic fantasy
I'll update each one as I have time. I'm also not saying that the rest of the list is not as interesting, just that I, personally, have had less experience with the latter subgenres - I need some time!

And with that, I shall go.

The Beast Approaches...

Sharma looked warily around the islet - already the feeling of dread started to overcome him. He let out a small hiss of breath and moved onward to the cave. This was where it was supposed to come back to every night. The smell of sulphur was heady and hung in the air like cheap, foul-smelling perfume, and heat radiated from the walls of the cave. There was probably a hotspring inside, and where he found it, he would find-

Something was moving.

It coiled and hissed inside the cave, growled and roared, bleated and honked all at the same time. Then it came out - towering over him, twice his height and thrice lengthwise - and reared its three ugly heads at him, snake, goat and lion. It unfurled its batlike wings, twice the creature's length, and snarled at Sharma, who held his 7-metre-long sarissa spear in the direction of the beast. This was bad. He hoped to have the advantage of a confined space inside the cave, attacking it from afar, not allowing it to use the advantage of flight - or the chance to use its quills.

The chimera reared forwards then, its tail rattling, shaking the needles on the tip threateningly. The only thing Sharma could do was raise his shield and wait.

This was bad.

Yes, this is Fantasy. Dragons, heroes, swords, magic, and corrupt kings' advisors. Fantasy is a genre in itself, having its own nuances and its own fluff in addition to the usual ones included in any kind of fiction writing. For one thing, it's much, much easier to fall into a clichéd plot. A cliché is a worn-out novelty, something that gets old after a while. Of course, with all the usual ideas about Fantasy, it is very easy to get into a cliché, and once you're in that line, it's hard to get out of it.

Of course, the good thing is, you're allowed much, much, much more freedom in creating a story of your own. You can create and rearrange ideas outside of this world, from peoples, beasts, worlds, planets, and even tear the fabric of the universe apart and remake it in your own way. It's your own little universe, your own little baby, yours to take care of and yours to destroy.

However, I'm not going to cover mainly world-building. My focus is on writing Fantasy. This is not to be interpreted as how to write 'all Fantasy', but just my own opinions, and it is open for negotiation and change, which is up to The People™. Which, in all actuality, means you guys. Comments and criticisms are fine, by the way, but rough-housing and flaming is not. Don't make me throw Mjölnir at you.

Lastly, one more note: Some people think Fantasy is a child's game, a little dream reserved for the little children.

Well, screw 'em.

Jabberwocky is open for Business

Hello there, ladies and gents, guys and gals, children of all ages, Jabberwocky is open for business! Come in, come in.

This is a writing blog, focusing on Fantasy. There will be large blocks of text. They will be denoted by a smaller font and a different colour, so people can skip ahead of a story fit for a great-grandfather's life story. Well, not that much.

This is a new blog, so the first order of business for me would be: Setting up the template, the tagboard, and several other things such as links to some other blogs and such. This first post would not contain anything much, but another will be coming up soon. Look for it!

Langsuyar out.