#it's the only thing keeping me mentally stable during the darkness of the manga

[phxntomhives]

My Kuroshitsuji AU

This started because I wanted to write something else. All this was supposed to be the introduction. But it is too long, so take this for now.

Spoiler for well, all kuroshitsuji manga.

Important premise: the fire didn't happen/it happened but the Phantomhive survived (sorry servants). R!Ciel is not a sociopath as he may be now as a bizzare doll, what we saw when he was a child was a slightly obsessive brother that wanted to stay with his twin, for this AU he just grew up and maintained a couple of those traits. Sebastian also isn't here.

The twins life at Weston!

Since it's a happy AU (mostly), the twins just get enrolled to Weston, where they both go to Sapphire Owl.

Lawrence takes a like on both of them, tho he is more comfortable with O!Ciel since he is less mischievious.

R!Ciel may affectionally bully O!Ciel and Lawrence would defend him, projecting on him a little.

R!Ciel then actively starts a fight against Lawrence when he sees them bonding a little too much.

"Leave my brother alone, if you want a younger brother ask your parents. This is mine" and proceed to stalk them both.

Edward has to come and stop him as the older cousin. It didn't work, but R!Ciel did decide to slow his obsession down a little.

R!Ciel also absolutely despises McMillan, at first. But since he is always with O!Ciel, he can't do anything about it but suffer in silence. After a while McMillan shows that he is extremely good at getting information so he starts to warm up to him a little.

O!Ciel is better at fags/drudges activities so he is noticed by the P4, and R!Ciel is extremely pleased and runs around showing off his little brother.

Then Maurice tricks O!Ciel and R!Ciel gets furious at him. He tried to defend him with the other students but since they are twins they don't trust him.

When he overhears the night conversation between O!Ciel and McMillan, McMillan finally earned his seal of approval. From the next day R!Ciel treats him almost like he treats O!Ciel and he doesn't know why but accepts gladly the change of pace.

Later, thanks to Soma, the twins discover about Maurice plan and together bring it down with the same plan as in the manga (tho they had to do the work instead of just using Sebastian, so it took a little longer).

When Maurice tried to harm O!Ciel, R!Ciel joined Herman and Edward in running to the rescue. He checked his brother, ignoring Maurice completely.

The day after they exposed the truth, R!Ciel went home for the day for "personal business". Some days after Maurice was "so embarrassed that his real look's was reveal that decided to quit school and went to hide at home". No one ever saw him again.

O!Ciel tried to ask about the sudden disappearance to R!Ciel but he just smiled and said he had no idea what he was talking about. They are both very good actors.

No one mention it again, but all the students are now slightly scared of R!Ciel. McMillan thanks God that he somehow ended up on his good side.

After this, they both get to join the cricket team because they showed how to be smart and quick-witted.

They also both train very hard, R!Ciel has an easier life adapting and improving on the physical aspect, while O!Ciel relies more on strategy and mental play.

When the tournament comes, it happens with the same strategies. Vincent is in the spectators seats and he is trying his best not to laugh too loudly from his seat. He is very proud.

Diederik is also present and he is fuming while watching the matches. He will scold them both later.

Rachel is loudly cheering them both and encouraging them.

R!Ciel can actually make a couple of points in a fair way! It's more luck than anything but he talks about it like they were decisive.

The final strategy of switching the ball was O!Ciel's idea, but he didn't share the part about being hit on purpose by Greenhill with his twin.

When he got hit, R!Ciel froze on the spot, but O!Ciel was focused on the game and went on with the plan.

After he recover from the shock, R!Ciel doesn't let anyone get close to him, almost growling, and somehow brings him to the nurse. Vincent and Rachel follow soon after.

While O!Ciel is being visited, R!Ciel is outside picking a fight with Greenhill who doesn't fight back bevause he feels guilty. Diederik has to stop him.

O!Ciel gets invited to the midnight tea party, he feels guilty about going because R!Ciel can't go. R!Ciel doesn't stop him but follows him until he can because he is worried something may happen.

Nothing happens tho! We are happy here!

No one shuts up about the blue miracle part 2. Vincent can't stop bragging, especially to Diederik. Rachel talks about it to anyone that has ears.

Every year after that, the twins made it a personal goal to win especially to flex about it to Vincent and because they need more material to annoy uncle Diederik. So they spend their free time at school coming up with more complex and wild strategies.

The manual with the rules for cricket became twice its size by the time they graduated, because they had to keep add rules to not make the twins cheat. But they still won for all the years they frequented. After the second year they win, both the twins just annoy Vincent with "What would you know about sport? You only won once"

Do you want more? I have so much more, this arc is my will to live.

Edit: I made part 2 here

[lostinlogicerror]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: ゴールデンカムイ | Golden Kamuy (Manga) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Kikuta/Tsurumi Tokushirou Characters: Kikuta (Golden Kamuy), Tsurumi Tokushirou Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Pre-Relationship, Attraction, Cheesy, Humor, Horseback Riding

Usually, Kikuda offered group lessons only, but this particular client was absolutely adamant about attending a private beginner course — "in need of a more personal approach" were his exact words according to his secretary Ariko, who was in charge of booking appointments.

Tsurumi. The name did ring a bell, but even after a quick little dig in his memories, he couldn't place it. That is until the scheduled day came to meet the man face to face.

He had a striking face you couldn't possibly forget.

They met at the precinct once, Kikuda remembered now, eyeing the man in front of him fiddling with the chin straps of his riding helmet. Back when he was called to the questioning concerning one of his trainees.

Kikuda could still recall vividly the professional demeanor — worthy of a police investigator — the man carried himself with. Now the air of sternness and seriousness around him were all but gone, replaced with a casual atmosphere and cordial expression, which made it all the more harder to reconcile this image with a man who made him feel as if he was the one under intense scrutiny at the time.

Perhaps even more shocking was the equestrian attire he specifically chose to wear for this occasion — a well-fitted black jacket, paddock boots with matching leather half chaps and high waisted beige breeches which accentuated his lithe figure and gave off an impression of being tailor-made. Standing next to him, a riding instructor almost considered himself underdressed.

He kept eyeing him from head to toe before it finally hit him he was rudely staring. Feeling his cheeks heat up, Kikuda tried to find his words after the initial surprise worn off.

"What a coincidence, dete-"

"Please," the aforementioned detective immediately cut into his sentence, raising his hand in an imploring gesture "I rather we not refer to my profession during my leisure time. Tsurumi's just fine."

"Ah, right, of course. Tsurumi then." Kikuda corrected himself hastily. Still feeling out of it, he extended a palm in greeting to cover up for his jittering nerves, only to be met in a handshake much firmer than he expected from detective's slender fingers. It felt grounding and Kikuda couldn't be more grateful. "It's Kikuda."

"I'm aware. And as much as I'd like to subscribe our meeting to a stroke of luck, it is, in fact, intentional," he began to explain, breaking their eye-contact "I figured since I'm a total beginner, I'd be more comfortable having a familiar face show me the ropes."

Kikuda could swear he could detect a put-upon modesty in his voice but didn't think much of it.

So that's how he ended up here at his riding stables. Presumably. Kikuda was surprised he even registered on the detective's radar. They only exchanged a few sentences before. As a matter of fact, he did not have much information to share at the time of the inquiry and thus couldn't imagine he contributed in any way to the solving of the case. But then, given the nature of his job, the detective must be keeping track of most people he deals with daily. He struck him as a meticulous sort of person.

"Horseback riding, huh? Whatever gave you an idea?" he asked conversationally and with a shall-we gesture started leading the way toward the stables.

"I had someone recommend it to me." Detective Tsurumi matched his fast pace without missing a beat. "It's supposed to help improve one's focus and coordination, or so I heard, and-" he paused as if for a dramatic effect, before dropping his voice into conspiratorial whisper "Apparently, I'm in a desperate need of a hobby. At least according to my subordinate."

A workaholic then? Kikuda could think of plenty of other hobbies, not as time or money-consuming, but if this is what detective needed to take his mind off work, who was he to question his flight of fancy? It certainly couldn't hurt his salary of a horse riding coach.

"I applaud the spirit." Kikuda wasn't sure what prompted him to slow down his stride or to chuckle playfully at the man next "But, you know, you didn't need to go all the way out with your-" he gestured offhandedly at his, as impressive as unnecessary, custom outfit "A safety helmet and proper footwear would more than suffice."

"Oh, but I absolutely had to. I'll have you know I don't do things half-heartedly."

The detective's retort was imbued with more gravity than it warranted and Kikuda struggled not to read too much into his statement, which sounded almost like a challenge. Or a threat. Feeling all too self-aware under an intense stare, he cleared his throat. "Let me introduce you to the horse we'll be working with then."

They had reached the box stall, where a dark bay horse was waiting — with his ears pointed forward and eyes attentive — already alert to their presence. "His name is Nagant. He's generally a gentle gelding, this one." Kikuda's pride and joy. One he picked with a fidgety greenhorn in mind. He certainly did not expect to deal with a man projecting nothing but self-assurance after hearing that special request. Not being a people person himself, Ariko must have misunderstood, clearly.

The dete-Tsurumi stared at him blankly before recognition dawned on him, an earnest smile brightening his features.

"Nagant. As in a gun model?" he looked particularly pretty when he smiled "Are you by chance a gun enthusiast?"

"Uh. I collect old models in my spare time," he answered mechanically, somewhat caught by surprise. Normally he'd feel defensive about admitting to it, too often met with uncalled-for disdain in return. It's not a crime. But something told him the detective's curiosity came from a genuine place of interest.

"Nagant, is it?" Tsurumi directed his attention toward the horse, the bright smile never leaving his face. "Well, aren't you a handsome fellow?"

Without being prompted to, he gently raised his hand to Nagant's nostrils, allowing him to sniff at his knuckles. The horse nickered softly in greeting. "I'll be in your care, then." Tsurumi turned his gaze back to Kikuda just as he was finishing his sentence, leaving it ambiguous which one of them he was actually addressing. Kikuda could feel his cheeks heat up for a second time that day already and cursed inwardly. Unfair.

He took a deep breath trying to regain his composure, it wouldn't do if he transferred any of that nervous energy to Nagant and made him in turn apprehensive toward Tsurumi. Really, there was no reason for him to feel this flustered. "Actually. While I'm sure you're itching to get started already," he said scratching at the back of his neck "I would like to, well, for you two to get familiar with each other first."

"Yes?"

Met with Tsurumi's confused stare he felt he had to elaborate.

"You see, I'm of the opinion developing a mental connection with the horse is equally as important as perfecting a riding technique."

Kikuda didn't know whether he expected more of a cheeky or defiant response in return, but he sure wasn't counting to be met with this withdrawn expression. Eyes cast downward, posture slouching slightly, the man looked positively dejected.

"Naturally. It's important to me as well, that we do this at the right pace," his voice sounded strangely small, missing the exuberant mirth from earlier and-

Oh. It finally occurred to him he might have completely misinterpreted Tsurumi's overconfident flair. Just like a hardened detective front he wore at work was merely one of the various facets there were to this man. In actuality, he most likely wasn't as certain of himself as he wanted to appear to the world.

And wasn't it a failure on Kikuda's part to not pick up on this earlier? The realization raised a prickle of annoyance with himself. It wasn't like him to judge a book by its cover.

He couldn't begin to guess at the man's insecurities, but, at the very least, he could offer to be a rock of stability.

"Hey." Feeling bold and resolute, Kikuda grasped Tsurumi's hand gently and guided it to the horse's mane, encouraging him to start rubbing the side of Nagant's neck, knowing full well both of them will find the experience comforting. "It will be alright. One step at a time."

It was Tsurumi's turn to blush this time.

Kikuda stepped aside to collect the grooming kit, while Tsurumi compliantly followed his cue and began to stroke the horse's neck and shoulder in a careful, steady manner — his palm open.

"You're doing fine," he reassured, taking note of Nagant's calm and relaxed demeanor.

"I would hope so." Tsurumi said under his breath before he caught his blunder "I mean, it's petting. There are only so many ways you can go wrong here."

Kikuda couldn't quite stifle a snort in response. "You'd be surprised how many people approach horses as they would their dogs. Even using their fingernails to try and scratch them."

And even though there was no ill intention behind this common mistake and beginners' ignorance, bringing it up would normally rise an ire in him all the same. Something about this time was different. He wondered briefly whether the soothing atmosphere didn't rub off him as well.

At any rate, Kikuda was relieved Tsurumi sounded normal again.

"We'll start with some basic grooming before I show you how to tack him up properly," he said, in the meantime arranging the necessary combs and brushes.

Tsurumi stopped what he was doing. His hands went up to his chin strap buckles and started undoing them, clearly foreseeing this is going to take a while and he might as well get comfortable. He took off his riding helmet in one smooth motion, the alluring effect somewhat ruined by his previously meticulously slicked back hair looking all disheveled now.

It was rather endearing, Kikuda decided, and in that moment thought himself silly for ever finding this man so intimidating.

"Let's proceed then."

They met with no further hurdles afterward. Tsurumi seemed to pick up on things quickly as Kikuda instructed him, step by step, on the correct procedure of cleaning the horse's coat, followed by his mane and tail. But fast learner or not, Kikuda preferred to play it safe and handled hoof-picking himself, the relatively more complicated and sensitive part of the whole ordeal. Working in sync, they did a thorough job, and Kikuda could tell Nagant was pleased with their efforts.

Saddling and bridling were more of a complex task on the other hand. Being realistic, Kikuda did not expect Tsurumi to memorize the entire process on their first try, albeit he proved to be an attentive student so far. That was fine, there'll be more opportunities to work on that.

"I know this whole thing might look daunting at first but it's not really as difficult as it seems. In no time, it will become a routine to you," he said while checking the latigo straps one last time, just to be safe. Satisfied, he patted Nagant on the neck in appreciation, earning himself a head-rub against his shoulder in return "Thank you for being so patient, buddy."

"Do you think he's ready then?" The slightest hint of anticipation could be heard in Tsurumi's voice. To be fair, he wasn't alone in his feelings. Though Kikuda did not stop to ponder why that was.

"Absolutely. I think you're ready to lead him out," he thought it a good idea to allow Tsurumi to establish some control over the horse before he actually gets on Nagant for the first time.

With his brows scrunched slightly, and his equestrian helmet already put back on, Tsurumi accepted the lead rope. "I trust your judgment."

Positioning himself on Nagant's left side and folding the excess of the rope so it doesn't dangle, he started to lead him — Nagant didn't show any resistance as he clearly has taken a liking to Tsurumi already, Kikuda couldn't help but smile to himself at the thought — until they reached the paddock area, and Tsurumi halted him effortlessly.

"Now comes the hard part." Kikuda closed the gates behind them prior to making a quick sweep of the area with his eyes, checking for anything out of place. Safety first. "Would you like to use a mounting block? There's no shame to it."

Tsurumi leveled him with an unreadable gaze before he broke into a self-pleased smile, mischief in his eyes. "I think I'll manage. Thank you."

Oddly enough, it's all it took for Kikuda to feel reassured that everything's going to be just fine. So he smiled in return.

"Just make sure to not tense up. There's nothing to be afraid of. I'll be right there to catch you."

Tsurumi only raised an eyebrow at him incredulously, as if saying "good luck with that". Cheeky.

"Focus now," Kikuda put on his most authoritative voice, pushing down his own embarrassment "Rest your left hand on his neck — don't let go of the reins — and grab the saddle fork with your other hand. Your left foot goes into a stirrup-" which Kikuda held for him, in assistance.

Following the instructions to the T, Tsurumi swung himself into the saddle in one swift motion and landed on it softly. He found the right stirrup on the other side without missing a beat.

Kikuda let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. True to his word, the man was fit enough to pull it off. He chuckled.

"Alright. Well done. Now that you're in the saddle, the first thing I want you to understand..." Kikuda trailed off realizing Tsurumi was no longer listening, his attention somewhere else, as he adjusted his position and straightened his posture before squeezing with his lower legs to signal Nagant to move forward.

And move forward they did. Seemingly in no time and with little effort, Tsurumi appeared to tune in with his center of balance. It didn't take more than the subtle cues — a slight pull of reins here, push of heels there — for Tsurumi to coax Nagant to walk a circle and this, this normally would have given anyone a pause but...

Nobody could possibly blame Kikuda for being too caught up in this bewitching display taking place before him.

He watched, enthralled and rooted in place, their graceful dance — at ease with each other, and in seamless rhythm — as their walk kept transitioning into a trot, a canter and then back again, in even intervals. Not every day he could witness Nagant caught up in such zest.

And Tsurumi. Tsurumi who appeared to be lost in a world of his own, riding against the wind, as the sun outlined his elegant figure in motion and the rays caught his flushed face just right — in that moment, looked so raw, honest, Kikuda could feel his heartbeat rise at the sight. Breathtaking.

Then the buzz of a phone filled the air and the moment was gone.

Nagant pinned his ears in apprehension when halted so abruptly, but still, he stopped in his track, obedient. At first, a clear confusion spread through Tsurumi's features, looking as if he forgot where he is in the meantime, before he collected himself and reached into his pocket to retrieve a message.

"Ah. It's work," Tsurumi sighed audibly, frowning at the screen "I'm afraid we'll have to cut this lesson short."

"What? Already?" Kikuda's voice came off as hoarse and he had to clear his throat, willing his pulse to slow down. He closed the distance between them in a few strides, before continuing, mindful to keep the disappointment out of his tone this time "I thought this is your downtime."

"There's no such thing as being unavailable in this line of work." He smiled down at him, but the sentiment didn't quite reach his eyes "My apologies."

Though he did his best to hide it, Kikuda could tell, Tsurumi seemed just as affected by this interruption. Such contrast to how exhilarated and open he looked just moments ago, and Kikuda felt even more reluctant to part with him yet. Especially now, that the vague idea has taken root and wouldn't leave him.

He wanted — needed — to say something. "Listen-" but this time he was cut off by the same phone ringing and-

Shit.

Of all things to overlook.

Everything happened in an instant and yet, to Kikuda, it felt as if time itself slowed down. A high pitched whinny reached his ears. Normally docile horse reared up, startled by the piercing sound — sensitive to such noises, of which Kikuda was aware of and he'd chide himself for not warning Tsurumi earlier, if there was time for that — in an attempt to throw off the source of it, that in this very moment he perceived as a threat.

He could see Tsurumi sliding out of the saddle, despite his best effort to hold on to and Kikuda suppressed his primal instinct to get out of the way of a frightened horse in favor of rushing to his aid instead. Don't let him hit the ground!

A solid weight knocked the wind out of him.

It was impossible to tell how long it took Kikuda to come back to himself. First, a muffled sound of neighing reached his awareness, while the ringing in his ears slowly subsided. Warily, he opened his eyes again to spot Nagant standing a few meters away, looking anxious but otherwise fine. At first glance at least.

He couldn't tell whether he rolled them both out of the way in time or they were just this fortunate the horse didn't stomp all over them. Clearly someone, universe? was looking out for them.

Oh, right. Tsurumi was lying on top of him. Very still. Kikuda could feel a cold dread spreading through his chest, rapidly, as panic started to rise. "Hey! Are you conscious?! Can you move your neck, or your toes or-?!"

"I'm fine. I'm fine," with a languid lift of his hand, Tsurumi interrupted his frenzied tirade, Oh, thank heaven, before bursting into a fit of uncontrollable giggles, which made Kikuda question the validity of his answer. A concussion? "You did catch me after all."

Huh? Kikuda frowned, utterly perplexed at Tsurumi's words before it finally hit him what he was referring to. He couldn't resist a snort in response. "You little..." In the end, he only shook his head, too grateful and relieved at the same time to resort to name-calling. And oddly enough, he could only think of some cutesy labels to call him with. That'd be rather... inappropriate.

"Do you feel well enough to get up?" He asked the man still sprawled on top of him, his most pressing worries alleviated in the meantime, but he needed to make sure.

"Well. I could certainly try." Tsurumi paused, considering his next words "But, to be honest, I'm still weak in the knees."

"Oh." Kikuda could detect the note of uncertainty, of hope, in Tsurumi's voice and had to smile to himself. He didn't fight the fondness spreading through his chest, it was a lost battle already. He certainly didn't mind the other man's weight. Or lying down here a while longer. Or never letting go, for that matter. But he couldn't see his face from this angle, and that wouldn't do. "That-That's fine. Then just try turning around. Do you think you can do that?"

He got a peeved hmph in response but Tsurumi started to move all the same. Gingerly, as he was bruised all over no doubt, despite Kikuda's body cushioning his fall.

"And you're sure I'm not too heavy?" Tsurumi asked once they were face to face, looking him straight in the eyes. Finally. They could talk properly like this.

"I would let you know if that were the case." Carefully, Kikuda put his arms around Tsurumi in an embrace and shifted him closer to accentuate his point. He meant it. If anything, he found the solid weight against his chest heartening.

"But first, listen," he had some explaining to do, so Kikuda tried on his best scolding tone, with some measure of success "Those maneuvers you did earlier... You're not new at this, are you?"

So why take up lessons at all? Kikuda kicked himself internally for not figuring it out from the start. In hindsight, it was so obvious.

Tsurumi had a gal to avoid his gaze as if feeling bashful now that the cat was out of the bag and started worrying on his lower lip. Kikuda couldn't help following the movement with his eyes. Unfair. So unfair.

"I couldn't figure out a better way to approach you. Seemed like a good excuse at the time."

Tsurumi finally confessed, and even though Kikuda felt beyond exasperated at the absurdity of this whole situation, he couldn't help the swell of affection overcoming him. Not quite sure what to with it, or himself, he took Tsurumi's face into his hands and pressed a chaste kiss against his nose, then his cheek, wherever he could reach at this awkward angle.

"Promise me something. Next time, do us both a favor and skip all the unnecessary steps. Just ask me out directly."

A content sigh followed in response. Satisfied with this outcome, Tsurumi attempted to settle and make himself more comfortable, leaning his face down and bumping the hard shell of his helmet against Kikuda's chin in the process.

"Ou. Please, take that thing off."

[catescher]

Common mistakes in Worldbuilding (Part 1)

Okay, first off: This is advice and personal. With that, I mean that this isn’t ironclad and it’s stuff that annoys me. Furthermore, this is geared to Fantasy, simply because it’s the genre I’m most familiar with. Some of it is also applicable to Sci-Fi, but I won’t guarantee everything. And please keep in mind - I was, am and will be guilty of all those points.

Alright. Mistakes in Worldbuilding. I won’t say that those grievances I will present you in the following entry are the devil but you should know what you’re doing when you’re doing something. Just saying.

Also, some of these complaints/rants/thoughts/whatever you might call them sometimes contradict each other. Sue me.

This is a two-parter, because, as it turns out, I have a lot to say on some topics. More will follow early next week.

Rules and Research

Photo by freddie marriage on Unsplash

A) DID NOT DO THEIR RESEARCH

Sorry. Major pet peeve incoming.

Also, please sit down and listen, especially those who say research is not necessary because Fantasy World.

For God’s sake, research is important. Even in Fantasy.

But why?

Say, you have a monarchy and a lot of political stuff going on. You know, fun stuff: assassination, rebellions, revolts, revolutions, and so on. But, and here is the question: How would that influence the king/queen/emperor for example? Is there an heir already lined up? Is there a council, does the monarch actually have power and is not a figurehead? How is the monarch legitimated? Mandate of the Heavens (Chinese Emperors), a descendant of a god (Japanese Tenno, founding date isn’t correct by the way), elected (Germanic Tribes or certain persons of influence in the Holy Roman Empire who voted for the Emperor) or simple power (tyrannis)? Absolute power for the monarch or is he kept in check by a constitution, the people or a parliament? How is it decided who inherits the throne?

And all of that above, as well as politicians, monarch’s parents, and even more people and offices would play a part in a plot about a rebellion against a monarch. But for all those nuances to feel real, whether the rebellion, the monarch or even both are justified in their actions, you need to do a bloody lot of research. Not to mention things like race, gender, and everything you (hopefully) haven’t experienced such as war, a specific sickness, mental sickness, and so on.

I mean, it’s not just worldbuilding. Research makes for a better story overall, even if it is only some minor detail.

Photo by Alex Iby on Unsplash

B) MAGIC AND WHATNOT

So… Magic. Fantasy world. Goes together like peanut butter and chocolate.

Or at least it should.

I mean, does magic influence your world somehow? You have magic floating around, so how is it making life easier or harder or different?

Consider magic-based transportation methods, teleportation for example. Why bother using airplanes or cars if you can just click your heels and be wherever you want to be? So you need to think about it in terms of economy and practicality: Is it a service that costs a shit ton of money? Can only few beings/persons use it? Does it have limits when it comes to distance? Why doesn’t everyone use it? You’ll need to keep that in mind when not only building your world but also while writing your story as in “Why wouldn’t the Big Bad simply teleport to the McGuffin’s location and destroy it before it destroys him?”.

On a related note: Magic should have rules. Brandon Sanderson wrote about it for example. How it looks like in his books I can’t say, I have yet to read any of his books.

But still: Do your characters only need to snap their fingers and can break reality? If they can, why haven’t they revived everyone the Dark Lord killed? This is why you need rules for your magic, to not resurrect someone if you want to - or, at least, not without an appropriate price to pay.

Let’s call it a drama-preserving handicap. Otherwise, your book would be over in a paragraph with a powerful wizard.

But overall from my experience in writing? Restricting magic from becoming too overpowered it feels better or more real- as much as a world with magic can be.

Photo by Joel & Jasmin Førestbird on Unsplash

C) THE WORLD’S RULES AND MORALITIES

On a related note: What kind of rules do your world/society have? Do they have any, for example, morality? Sure they do.

What I mean with this is that outside of magic, your world has specific rules or phenomena. I mentioned resurrection above and to continue this line of thought, are there rules and laws against it? Why are they in place?

An example for not only resurrection but also against using powers to create gold, is in the manga Fullmetal Alchemist in which it is forbidden to use alchemy to turn other stuff into gold. Why? Because it would crash the economy because gold would become worthless if too much of it would exist. A rule that makes sense when someone just has to clap his hands to have some gold on his hands.

How about societal rules? Political Rules? Unspoken laws everyone adheres to because of immense social or religious repercussions?

On a related note: Even if you based your world on a medieval European One (wherever you may choose exactly) does not mean it should inherit its rules completely. With that I mean that a sexist culture can exist in your world but making a reboot of what we commonly view the Middle Ages as so it’s basically an alternative history version of it? Come on, guys, we are writers! We are supposed to be creative!

As for a slightly different topic: What do you call a French Braid if there are no French in your world? Serious question - how do you describe it or how do you call it otherwise? Same thing with other similar named concepts or objects. I mean, do you still call it Braille if it is in another world with no Mister Braille to create it? How do you describe it? Calling it Braille still sounds weird to me.

Perfection and Flaws

Photo by Simone Hutsch on Unsplash

A) UTOPIAS

Of course, your world can be perfect. No bad things ever happen, no racism, sexism, or xenophobia, no wars and if there is a war it’s against someone who deserves it. The king is just, it has a stable economy and everyone lives happily ever after.

Sounds great. Utopian.

Seriously, give me a break. This is boring. A utopian society won’t exist, for fuck’s sake. Humans are too flawed for that. I’m not running around screaming realism all the time (I hope) but this won’t fly for me. Also, it takes a lot out of the conflict - why would there be conflict if the world is so great? No matter the world, the political system or the society - for someone there is going to be a flaw in it. There will be injustice. There will be bitterness. There will be rebels. There will be people who defend the status quo.

Photo by Phil Goodwin on Unsplash

B) A PERFECT HISTORY

History seems pretty clear-cut if you open a history book at times. But in truth, it is a mess. Take school books about WWII for example - depending on the country the book is from it might tell a completely different story with a different focus on certain events. Some Japanese schoolbooks at times, for example, leave out or whitewash certain events during WWII which are barely in use. With certain events, I refer to the hideous war crimes Japan committed to make it clear. Germans, however… let’s just say I had about one school year worth of learning about the Third Reich in history alone, not to mention other subjects. Still seems like a miracle they haven’t managed to cover it in Maths as well.

In any case, how history is represented can be vastly different, it’s not always clear-cut and one true version. Sometimes, three people have six different opinions about one historical event.

This is for the retrospect. Now for the actual happening history and events.

Take one event - be it a new law being introduced or a conflict happening - and people will have different opinions on it depending on their personal worldviews, religion and who they are. They will comment on it, protest it if they want to or full-heartedly support it for a reason or another. Furthermore, event A does not necessarily lead to event B and then to War Z. It’s not linear or single-minded.

Photo by Joel Filipe on Unsplash

C) DETAILS MATTER

Details such as a nomadic tribe living in wooden huts in the desert. I hope you see what I mean.

To spell it out:

1) They are nomads. Nomads don’t settle for long, so they don’t need stationary buildings.

2) It’s a desert. No wood, or at least not enough to justify building wooden huts.

Okay, this what it is: It doesn’t make sense. Nomads are more likely to have a tent or something easy to move around than a “normal” building. You need to keep a lot of details in mind, how they live. You need to pay attention to this kinda stuff.

Another detail that is often missed out on relates to stuff like basic economy or infrastructure. Who makes the food they eat? Why does it seem that everyone eats the same no matter if they are in a desert or on top of a mountain? Details like that matter a lot because the reader can suspend their disbelieves only for so long.

On a side note, conservation of detail is annoying but it’s important. If you established a rule in your world - such as revenants being killed by nailing them with silver in the heart - you can’t just go ahead and use iron or behead them. If you need to break established rules, you need to know your rules and then break them consciously.