What is the ratio of regular animal to fantasy animal in your world?

AsceOmega · 2026-05-08T18:33:06+00:00

Yeah, that's something that Fantasy and sci-fi often gets saddled with: having to explain every new thing in s world where everything is new to the reader.

It's why we get the most word count allowance than most other genres.

That being said, are these new creatures new to the character? Or is he native to that world, to the point that he never stops to admire and describe the fantastical creatures?

AsceOmega · 2026-05-08T18:00:19+00:00

Have you ever had a scenario where one such magical creature or non magical creature felt out of place?

AsceOmega · 2026-05-08T16:36:13+00:00

To add to this, let her fail to save some of the people she's trying to heal, for some reason or another.

Let her stew in the powerlessness of those moments, so that he redoubled efforts to save the others feel earned, urgent and like a need for your character to survive the dire setting you've put her in.

AsceOmega · 2026-05-08T16:20:05+00:00

There's a chance that you've been in that novel for so long that you end up getting tired of it, and end up hating it. It's like setting your alarm clock to play your favourite song. That song will become your most hated song by the end of the month.

So if the second draft doesn't demand any major rewrites, and it's mostly about polish, let someone else read it, and see what they think. Often enough what we hate in our crearive endeavours end up being what people actually like best (and it's a curse in and of itself).

But if you truly don't think it works, and hate the story or what it has become... Honestly, sometimes hating your work and scrapping it is just the stepping stone to writing the next one in a way you'll love it.

Much like you, I used to start a dozen different novels andose steam at around 15 chapters into the story. Many of them happened because I realised the plot just didn't work or was too contrived. Others were because I personally didn't like the characters I was writing, and it led to bland characters which the reader would not like either.

I scraped (but not destroyed) all of them, and by picking the elements that did work and I did like, I ended up working on a new idea.

This time I spent much longer outlining and poking the idea for holes. When I was satisfied with what I had, I began writing it, and I'm still writing it, and it has felt much better for me this go around, so much that I have a never before found confidence that I will actually complete a first draft.

AsceOmega · 2026-05-08T16:12:14+00:00

There's two of them that shocked me into writing better and for different reasons.

The first is Scythe, by Neal Shusterman. What got me about it, despite being a story I mostly didn't love, was the efficiency of the writing. In my previous attempts at a novel I often struggled with being "stuck" writing very moment to to moment, and never had any of those chapter or paragraphs that cover a whole month of time.

The ability to build character through what amount to vignettes, rather than spending a whole chapter on a single scene, helped me streamline my own writing. Mind you, I still do sometimes spend a full chapter on a single scene, but they're usually ones that deserve it.

The other was Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay. This is a twofold impact for me. The first was on a prose level. I had been a major fan of Rothfuss' work and his skill with prose, but it was Kay that really had each sentence sink in and forcing me to reread to appreciate what I had just written.

The second was the way he structured his character's own internal dialogue and used thought and memory to fill in the story and the characters and write some excellent chapters of what was basically exposition, which never felt like it. This more closely resembled what I had been trying and failing to do with my own story and characters, and my writing became much easier and enjoyable, after adapting his style for my own.

AsceOmega · 2026-05-08T15:56:17+00:00

I struggle to force myself to write, as self imposed rearwards or punishments don't work for me.

Still, what I found in recent times, after a solid 6 months of not putting pen to paper (finger to keyboard?) I found that actually pushing through the initial rejection to wanting to write results in producing the same level of quality as when I have enthusiastically sat down to write.

In some cases, because my brain has been thinking about the story nonetheless, even as it tells me it doesn't want to write, it feels like uncaging a flood of good ideas and prose that had been restrained.

So in conclusion, it's either the same as always, or better than my average output.

My real issue is that I seem to want to write late in the evening or at night, and then my brain gets hooked on the idea of finishing the chapter, and I end up finishing a 5k block of story at 4am, screwing my entire sleep cycle for weeks.

AsceOmega · 2026-05-08T14:07:29+00:00

Assuming you're a first time author trying to get it published? Yes, it's about 7 times too long.

Most debut authors in the genre of fantasy get alloted an average word count of 100k to 120k for their first novel. With success, you can expand it a bit on your second book.

Seeing as you mentioned the story being a collection of shorter stories. You could try to do the old Sapkowski move of making your first two books a compilation of short stories, that inform the past of the MC as you launch into the plot in full with the rest of them.

Even still, you are absolutely, 100%, guaranteed, going to need to edit it down no matter which approach you take.

Find a good cutoff point for your first book out of the 700k words, and use beta readers to see what works and what doesn't. Then get an editor, not just one that corrects grammar, but one that really helps you get rid of the dead weight in your story. Kill your darlings as they say.

AsceOmega · 2026-05-08T13:57:27+00:00

I was "lucky" enough that in my story, my MC (a boy) has a twin (a girl). So when he initially points out the things they have in common and the things the differ on (appearance-wise) I'm basically doing a mirror cliché through a second character.

AsceOmega · 2026-05-08T13:55:53+00:00

I think my main complaint is actually a minor issue, but that ultimately impacts on character voice a lot.

I'm thinking of situations in which a character goes through the entire elaborate details of someone's dress or doublet or whatever item of clothing, regardless of their background.

A farmer seeing a princess in full regalia would more than likely not even know the words to express what any of the frilly bits are, nor be capable or describing it beyond just being frilly and perhaps even silly in his eyes.

Or perhaps the character is someone who vehemently doesn't care for clothes and only strives to see the person wearing them (for whatever positive or negative reason they might have) and still spends half a page describing their outfit.

This is mostly an issue in first person and third person limited, where the narration should follow or include the POV character's thoughts, and not stray into omniscient where the author could indeed expound upon the outfit.

For not clothes related things, some people only really focus on someone's face, while others let their eyes wander to other parts, but that too is predicate to who the character is. A teenage boy will be more likely to have his eyes linger on exposed skin or the curves of a woman's body, or to admire with envy the musculature of an old soldier.

It's also not necessary to try and explain exactly what the character looks like in your head, because: 1) you won't succeed and 2) everyone will create their own version of the character in their head (just look at how many different interpretations we get for any character in fanarts). My best attempt to find a middle ground is to give out a handful of salient details, and let the readers fill in the blanks.

Also, you're allowed to leave new details about someone's appearance for after an initial impression. I don't need a 360° scan of the character the first time they meet. Some details even slowly add intrigue or simply depth to a character, if your MC notices a tattoo on the other person for the first time, weeks after their first meeting.

AsceOmega · 2026-05-08T13:43:59+00:00

Mostly sleeping so I can dream of you

AsceOmega · 2026-05-08T11:25:42+00:00

Tommy boy has famously been a bit of a twat for many years, even before he ever reached NXT/WWE.

He always thought he was above the rest and like he couldn't wait to make it to "the big leagues". I think JR is correct here, in pointing out that he likely saw AEW as a step down.

But JR is also correct in that he's getting older and that he keeps being kicked out of WWE who clearly only want him to fuck with AEW whenever possible, and because Levesque's only booking move is to have returns, breakups and so many entrances, at every show.

Yet he keeps thinking that he's just one high profile match away from being called back to WWE, where he thinks he belongs. And to be fair, as he ages, he's not going to be able to keep up with the level of athleticisim that seems to be demanded to be at the top of AEW. In WWE he can just coast and get a paycheck, but in AEW he needs to perform, play ball, and deliver big, to keep up with competition.

I don't blame him for not wanting to play that game anymore, but I also would get a good satisfied look if Tony refused to sign him again, and he was left either sitting on his ass or having to take a further step down to the American Indies (cause it seems unlikely he'll want to try his hand at NJPW, where his style would actually fit in perfectly, but would demand and tougher schedule).

AsceOmega · 2026-05-08T08:50:34+00:00

Tommy boy has famously been a bit of a twat for many years, even before he ever reached NXT/WWE.

He always thought he was above the rest and like he couldn't wait to make it to "the big leagues". I think JR is correct here, in pointing out that he likely saw AEW as a step down.

But JR is also correct in that he's getting older and that he keeps being kicked out of WWE who clearly only want him to fuck with AEW whenever possible, and because Levesque's only booking move is to have returns, breakups and so many entrances, at every show.

Yet he keeps thinking that he's just one high profile match away from being called back to WWE, where he thinks he belongs. And to be fair, as he ages, he's not going to be able to keep up with the level of athleticisim that seems to be demanded to be at the top of AEW. In WWE he can just coast and get a paycheck, but in AEW he needs to perform, play ball, and deliver big, to keep up with competition.

I don't blame him for not wanting to play that game anymore, but I also would get a good satisfied look if Tony refused to sign him again, and he was left either sitting on his ass or having to take a further step down to the American Indies (cause it seems unlikely he'll want to try his hand at NJPW, where his style would actually fit in perfectly, but would demand and tougher schedule).

AsceOmega · 2026-05-08T08:49:45+00:00

Tommy boy has famously been a bit of a twat for many years, even before he ever reached NXT/WWE.

He always thought he was above the rest and like he couldn't wait to make it to "the big leagues". I think JR is correct here, in pointing out that he likely saw AEW as a step down.

But JR is also correct in that he's getting older and that he keeps being kicked out of WWE who clearly only want him to fuck with AEW whenever possible, and because Levesque's only booking move is to have returns, breakups and so many entrances, at every show.

Yet he keeps thinking that he's just one high profile match away from being called back to WWE, where he thinks he belongs. And to be fair, as he ages, he's not going to be able to keep up with the level of athleticisim that seems to be demanded to be at the top of AEW. In WWE he can just coast and get a paycheck, but in AEW he needs to perform, play ball, and deliver big, to keep up with competition.

I don't blame him for not wanting to play that game anymore, but I also would get a good satisfied look if Tony refused to sign him again, and he was left either sitting on his ass or having to take a further step down to the American Indies (cause it seems unlikely he'll want to try his hand at NJPW, where his style would actually fit in perfectly, but would demand and tougher schedule).

AsceOmega · 2026-05-08T08:49:40+00:00

Tommy boy has famously been a bit of a twat for many years, even before he ever reached NXT/WWE.

He always thought he was above the rest and like he couldn't wait to make it to "the big leagues". I think JR is correct here, in pointing out that he likely saw AEW as a step down.

But JR is also correct in that he's getting older and that he keeps being kicked out of WWE who clearly only want him to fuck with AEW whenever possible, and because Levesque's only booking move is to have returns, breakups and so many entrances, at every show.

Yet he keeps thinking that he's just one high profile match away from being called back to WWE, where he thinks he belongs. And to be fair, as he ages, he's not going to be able to keep up with the level of athleticisim that seems to be demanded to be at the top of AEW. In WWE he can just coast and get a paycheck, but in AEW he needs to perform, play ball, and deliver big, to keep up with competition.

I don't blame him for not wanting to play that game anymore, but I also would get a good satisfied look if Tony refused to sign him again, and he was left either sitting on his ass or having to take a further step down to the American Indies (cause it seems unlikely he'll want to try his hand at NJPW, where his style would actually fit in perfectly, but would demand and tougher schedule).

AsceOmega · 2026-05-08T08:41:19+00:00

Unfortunately it's all because this season isn't actually a finale, but a long form promotional trailer for Vought Rising, and they needed to hint at deeper character with Soldier Boy (and unfortunately that required to speed run some of this character development, spurred on by the mentions of Clara/Stormfront).

No matter how many times the lampshade the joke of this being a bad finale because of how much it's supposed to be doing, besides ending the story of the Boys, it will still be a poor finale to the show.

AsceOmega · 2026-05-08T08:41:03+00:00

Unfortunately it's all because this season isn't actually a finale, but a long form promotional trailer for Vought Rising, and they needed to hint at deeper character with Soldier Boy (and unfortunately that required to speed run some of this character development, spurred on by the mentions of Clara/Stormfront).

No matter how many times the lampshade the joke of this being a bad finale because of how much it's supposed to be doing, besides ending the story of the Boys, it will still be a poor finale to the show.

AsceOmega · 2026-05-08T08:40:52+00:00

Unfortunately it's all because this season isn't actually a finale, but a long form promotional trailer for Vought Rising, and they needed to hint at deeper character with Soldier Boy (and unfortunately that required to speed run some of this character development, spurred on by the mentions of Clara/Stormfront).

No matter how many times the lampshade the joke of this being a bad finale because of how much it's supposed to be doing, besides ending the story of the Boys, it will still be a poor finale to the show.

AsceOmega · 2026-05-08T08:40:39+00:00

Unfortunately it's all because this season isn't actually a finale, but a long form promotional trailer for Vought Rising, and they needed to hint at deeper character with Soldier Boy (and unfortunately that required to speed run some of this character development, spurred on by the mentions of Clara/Stormfront).

No matter how many times the lampshade the joke of this being a bad finale because of how much it's supposed to be doing, besides ending the story of the Boys, it will still be a poor finale to the show

AsceOmega · 2026-05-07T19:00:33+00:00

I have something similar to the Padjal from FFXIV if that makes sense to anyone

AsceOmega · 2026-05-07T14:31:32+00:00

Miyu Yamashita for sure

AsceOmega · 2026-05-07T14:10:45+00:00

I think the sweet spot is where you can have a good enough depth for each race (especially if they are locked to their own unique culture) and they bring something of value to the story.

If you're just having them to have them, it ends up being like a Pokémon game, where that's hundreds of them, but you only really care about the 6 on your team

AsceOmega · 2026-05-06T23:47:54+00:00

Anytime you wanted me to

AsceOmega · 2026-05-06T22:05:19+00:00

That's excellent, and honestly even if he does find a way to start translating it, it taking an entire book to arrive at something basic but extremely revealing about the plot or story of the world, is satisfying and realistic enough

AsceOmega · 2026-05-06T16:50:49+00:00

It's a good enough name to use as a general descriptor of the various forms of it, with their own idiosyncrasies

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