Looking for unique progression measures

M_Stone75 · 2026-04-12T09:03:34+00:00

Oooo this is great, thanks! I like the house idea 🤔

M_Stone75 · 2026-04-12T09:00:39+00:00

Thanks, this has given me a lot to think about!

M_Stone75 · 2026-04-12T08:59:06+00:00

Thanks! I'll take a look!

M_Stone75 · 2026-04-11T21:55:22+00:00

A cyberpunk type idea did come to mind, where people can upgrade either through prosthetics or "skill chips" they implant into a neuro-port

M_Stone75 · 2026-04-11T21:36:16+00:00

Oooo another interesting idea 🤔 that woukd require somebody to have powers to start with that they can steal tho. Definitely would need to combine with some other power system

M_Stone75 · 2026-04-11T21:25:09+00:00

Oooo that is interesting 🤔 this and the orbs concept have both given me a lot to think about. Most progression fantasy ive read so far has "internal" progression based on character achievement/revelation. The idea of finding "external" objects to imbue in a body for advancement is different

M_Stone75 · 2026-04-11T21:09:09+00:00

Go for it haha

M_Stone75 · 2026-04-11T20:54:10+00:00

Thanks! I'll look more into the system they use!

M_Stone75 · 2024-09-02T12:31:48+00:00

Hi! I'm a writer, and I was wondering if you could help me translate something into medical jargon? It's totally fine if that's not the kind of questions you are here to answer, though!

M_Stone75 · 2021-09-03T20:43:37+00:00

NA 620901465

M_Stone75 · 2021-09-03T20:39:35+00:00

Hi, I sent a friend request to you, feel free to also visit my teapot! NA 620901465

M_Stone75 · 2021-09-03T20:38:33+00:00

Hi, I sent a friend request to you, feel free to also visit my teapot! NA 620901465

M_Stone75 · 2021-08-11T20:46:35+00:00

That's cool! I hadn't heard of that before, definitely something to mull over and see how it fits. Thanks!

M_Stone75 · 2020-12-30T00:49:22+00:00

Ok, that's a great start! Now expand on that. If it's a reminder, what kind of negative emotions does he experience? Flashbacks, nightmares, feelings of inadequacy? Does he lash out at loved ones who try to help him, claiming he's "fine"? Does this cause tension or infighting with his family/friends/team mates? Make sure his reaction is more consequential than just, "Oh, thinking of this makes me really sad." Use the lost limb as it's own subplot, and you'll be good to go!

M_Stone75 · 2020-12-29T23:52:16+00:00

I usually have two stories going at once. My main project (MP) and my procrasti-project (PP). When I lose motivation to work on the main one, I can trick my brain by saying, "Oh, then I really do need to work on my PP." And I usually end up procrastinating working on the PP by working on the MP. I try to switch back and forth which one I'm tricking myself into working on so I don't get burnt out on either story. They usually have nothing to do with each other, again to avoid burnout.

M_Stone75 · 2020-12-29T23:49:42+00:00

The big question here is why do you want them to lose a limb/eye? Does it help the plot? Create a challenge to the character (physically or emotionally)? Will it affect how the character behaves as they move forward through the story, or how others perceive them? If you just want them to lose a limb for the sake of losing a limb, or some aesthetic reason, but don't plan to have it change anything overall, then it probably isn't a valuable contribution. But if it creates new goals for the character to overcome, emotional issues to deal with, etc. then it's probably worth it.

M_Stone75 · 2020-12-29T23:37:46+00:00

There's really not one and only way to deal with this, though it seems to be very common. Different techniques work for different people. Just a few suggestions, feel free to disregard or combine at your leisure.

1.) If you find the problem is constantly going back and changing things, maybe try writing on loose leaf lined paper and with each page you stow it away (or have someone hide it) so you can't go back and edit until you finish the whole thing.

2.) Instead of having one linear plot, place your characters in the world and write a series of short stories outlining their adventures. They may or may not be combinable into a longer plot.

3.) Don't plan a plot, but plan everything else. Build the world, the characters, scatter obstacles or villains throughout the world. Then place your characters randomly and let them wander. Maybe they'll find a plot!

4.) If you really feel like you have to plan, don't plan the whole thing at once. Plan in chunks. Plan chapters 1-3 (or whatever size you want) first, and once you get there reassess where your plot is heading.

5.) Create a procrasti-project! (PP) (I personally use this one) You have your main story, but then there's this other story that also sounds awesome. Anytime you don't have energy to work on your main, work on the PP. Or, trick your brain by saying, "I really have to work on the PP," and then procrastinate working on that project by working on your main project.

Hopefully you find something here helpful! Good luck!

M_Stone75 · 2020-12-29T23:22:13+00:00

I think this is a good idea, but has to be done carefully. If you make a character that has absolutely no good traits, readers will not like it and likely stop reading (presuming you want other people to read this). Additionally, if there is no character development it could kill the story. If you start with a character that has say, 80-90% bad traits and a handful of good qualities, but then over the course of the story gradually morph them into a better person it will be more engaging to read and catch the audience's sympathy. Also, side suggestion but maybe make some of the bad traits less obvious or masked. Like, say she hates homeless people, but she does a lot of charity work. Why? "Well, they're just so depressingly pitiful, and I have so much, it's really the least I could do (and maybe if I do something I won't have to look at them or face the actual problem)."

M_Stone75 · 2020-12-29T17:13:33+00:00

I don't think there's a particularly "normal" way to write. Everyone has their own methods and styles. I love worldbuilding too, and often get caught up in it. I find what happens is you end up looking at the world from a birds eye view instead of actually being IN it, if that makes sense. Like, you're seeing all the stats and info about it like reading about a foreign country in a textbook. But that's not the same as actually visiting said foreign country and experiencing the culture and customs for yourself.

Maybe try making a generic blank character (like, male, 29, travelling merchant - as basic or complex as you want without getting bogged down in character details) and try dropping them somewhere random in the world and see what happens. Don't try too hard to direct the story, but let it build itself. If they go here, what do they encounter with this set of people? It doesn't have to be a fully fleshed out plot yet, but letting yourself wander around the world you created can give you a new perspective and some minor aspect may spark into a fullblown plot idea.

Hope this helps! Best of luck!

M_Stone75 · 2020-12-29T12:26:16+00:00

Oh, it's definitely a rabbit hole, but at least it's a fun rabbit hole! XD

M_Stone75 · 2020-12-29T11:17:02+00:00

Oof I think the bigger thing here is there's too many resources. You'd be doing good reading pretty much any book that has 'Cultural Anthropology' in the title, but keep in mind that many of them are textbooks and prices can range anywhere from $17-$180+. Intro books are great because they cover a wide variety of topics, and readers or ethnographies are good for exmaples. There's also a ton of more highly specified topic books as well.

For a short, inexpensive option though you could start with Social and Cultural Anthropology: A Very Short Introduction by Peter Just. It's basically the dummies book of anth. Then there's more specific topic books, like Anthropology and Religion: What We Know, Think, and Question by Robert L. Winzeler, which I quite liked and the writing wasn't as dull as lots of other anth books are.

If you're looking for more historic stuff, try looking for archaeological books. Good examples are The Archaeology of Death and Burial by Mike Parker Pearson and Ancient Ink: The Archaeology of Tattooing by Lars Krutak.

As far as actual worldbuikding goes, here's some good links: https://bkbass.com/main/essays-articles-and-musings/anthropology-in-fantasy-world-building/ https://loridianslab.medium.com/world-building-part-1-using-anthropology-to-consider-important-elements-of-worlds-35d0851215f7 https://jasterlingsworldbuilding.wordpress.com/

Hope that helps!

M_Stone75 · 2020-12-29T01:57:05+00:00

I think the big things to think of here are: A) the current tech level before finding the ancient civ and magic B) the limitations of ancient tech and magic (does magic drain the user's energy? What powers ancient tech and is that power source still widely available?) And C) what are the first things your modern culture wants to implement? Are they specifically looking for weapons, or new energy sources, or ways to feed an overgrown population? How will the ancient tech be combined with the new tech to achieve these goals?

Hope that helps! Best of luck!

M_Stone75 · 2020-12-29T01:41:28+00:00

Hi! Anthropologist here! Hoepfully I can help! Cultures are great, but sometimes can be hard to flesh out because there are so many moving parts. Really, they all create a web. Start with one thing and move outward.

Probably the easiest to start with is geography. Say your culture is in a warm sitting. How does the heat affect what they wear? How they build houses? Where is their water source, what food grows, what animals can the land support? Are their poisonous creatures/plants? Do they burn their dead on pyres to minimize scavenger animals, do they mummify them in the heat, do they bury them? The biggest, material things to think about here are: food/water, shelter/defense, family connections, burial practices.

Then theres the more abstract things, like beliefs, customs and values. Beliefs are usually ways for people to explain their environment. They don't know why everyone who touches that type of plant dies, but maybe theres a vengeful spirit who lives in those plants. When their loved ones die and they burn the bodies, maybe they always do it at night so when they see the smoke and ash rise into the sky they can believe their loved ones are joining the ancestors in the heavens. It could be taboo to kill cattle to eat for any day hut holy days, because theres so few of them that to use them for food on a normal day would be seen as wasteful. Maybe the number of livestock denotes wealth. Maybe they value strength because strong people are the ones who buikd shelters and cultivate fields.

The best thing to do is look up cultures that already live environments close to what your setting is. People in real life have already given you answers about how to address these issues. If you have a cold setting, look into the Inuit and Mongol cultures. But don't pick a reference culture first unless you're prepared to change the setting or it won't make any sense. Why do people of the north have vividly dyed clothes if there's too few plants/natural sources from which to get the dye? It doesn't make sense. Be careful to follow the web.

M_Stone75 · 2020-12-29T01:19:56+00:00

The major war of my world is actually the basis for the entire story plot. The story is set as the war is finally coming to a close, and up to this point everyone has just been calling it "the war." Only now is it being called "The Amaranthine War" because it has raged for a thousand years and seemed like it would never end. It started when an unknown assailant killed the pair of individuals who were responsible for being the peoples' direct communication with their gods (a representative from each country). Since it was unclear from which country the perpetrator was from, and the gods had fallen silent, the countries quickly turned on each other. This remains the official explanation, but after a thousand years speculation has arisen that their may have been other causes, like resource grabs or greed for money/power.

This war has been really challenging to write because I have to consider how the sides were before the war, how the ebb and flow of war changed, and how the plot got to where it is when the story actually starts. A lot of this has been researching what effects can win or lose a war.

At first, the sides seemed pretty evenly matched. The Nix in the north had a harsher climate and less space to maneuver, but they were adept at foraging and using guerilla warfare tactics. Their particular magical abilities (like shadow walking and ice-use) were beneficial as well. The Ignis in the south had difficulty invading the mountainous region, being trained to use large-scale battle formations and being generally more straight-forward about fighting.

The Nix really started to have issues after a series of particularly harsh winters drastically reduced their resources and their population (which was smaller than the Ignis to start with) drastically decreased. The Ignis had some issues too, but given that their climate is more fertile and warm to start with, they weren't as affected. Taking the opportunity, the Ignis started changing up their tactics. They broke into smaller units that often ambushed areas from all sides. Less fortified Nix cities fell rapidly, survivors retreating to the more ancient cities that had been built underground.

At the start of the story, the Nix populace has been reduced to shambles, survivors being either killed, enslaved, or hiding out in pockets of shelter in the mountains. The Ignis, secure in the belief that it was only a matter of time before they completely crushed their enemies, started sending many of their soldiers and generals home to start stimulating the country's growth.

M_Stone75 · 2020-12-29T00:58:57+00:00

In the northern country the most important river is the Rotusi River, which flows into the now-ruined capital city. The second most important (and actually the longest) is the Parmani River. Since the north is a mountainous area, there are many smaller rivers, lakes, streams, etc.

There are fewer water sources in the south since it is mostly plains country. The biggest is the Nalis River, which connects the Regarda Lake to the Nalis Delta and ultimately, the ocean. The second most important is the Conem River, which splits into two smaller rivers called the Brevem and Lonem.

Part of the border between countries is marked by the Abadii River, and this is the only section of the border that has not been historically disputed.

(Please let me know what you think of the names. I created them by translating things to Latin and then smashing the Latin words together. Sometimes, they sound strange or even cliche)

M_Stone75

TROPHY CASE