Happy belated WBW! Can you tell us a little bit about magic fatigue in your WIP? What causes it? How does it manifest? How do you treat it, and what happens if it doesn't get treated?
I am so late, sorry!! But thank you for the ask!
As a whump writer, magic fatigue is one of my favourite things in my world 🥰It is Not A Good Time. Let's begin!
I'll start with talking a little bit about how magic works. Magic comes from Aether, an energy that is as natural to the world as oxygen. It flows through everything, every living being, even the the stone in the depths of Aeltaeon. (earth - subject to change) Most people inherently have trace amounts; you need to train it to become stronger. It's dangerous and time-consuming, and expensive, so most don't bother. Of those who do, only a few will become truly great.
Now! Magic fatigue! Think of it like a video game. You have a visible Mana bar, that slowly runs out and you need it to wait for it to replenish. (or use potions, but that's another topic) It's like that. Now think of a video game where you consume HP to use magic. That's aether! Aether is, in itself, a lifeforce.
Using magic consumes aether, which will replenish - as long as there is just a tiny bit left. If you somehow use all of it, well you're in for a bad time, but we'll get to that later. Proper training consists of learning your current limits and extending past them in a safe way to your true capacity. There are professionals who help carefully monitor the levels of their students to keep them safe.
I have more on my magic system here, but let me talk about magic fatigue now, which was the point of the question! Sorry, I'm a rambler sometimes lol
So, the overuse of aether causes magic fatigue. In the average, safely trained sorcerer, this means a temporary shut down of their magic. if they really try, they can still use magic, but it is extremely dangerous and runs the risk of running out completely, at which point they will never cast magic again. So the brain does it's best to prevent this by shutting down the required systems. It takes a powerful and desperate mage to override that.
Typical symptoms include physical fatigue, brain fog, and a chill you can't seem to shake; you may feel a bit nauseous, but it's important to eat to give you energy and help you recover while you let your aether replenish. Rest, don't use magic, and you'll bounce back in a few days.
Some people, like my beloved OC Eldwin, have pushed far beyond their safe limits. This makes them incredibly powerful, but opens them up to increased danger. Normally, the brain shuts down the aether systems; but the aether is stronger, now, and it overrides other systems to shut down what it deems "unimportant" to allow it to continue to grow without being suppressed.
All the same symptoms as before, worsened - brain fog lasting for days, weeks, entire months existing in your memory only as blurred flashes. The chill, except now it's as though your very marrow is turning to ice. You can't retain any body heat; you must rely on external sources, and it's so hard to stave off the deep-rooted freeze. You are exhausted, your limbs weighed down with lead and your open eyes burn with the strain, all you want to do sleep. Some people report bad dreams in this state - it is unclear why that is.
Your vision goes dark, and blurry. Your hearing muffles, accompanied by a constant high-pitched ringing disturbing your sleep. You need to eat, you must eat but the thought of doing so makes you feel ill, and you're so so tired, you can barely lift your head.
You are the Host, and the aether doesn't care if you thrive. It doesn't need you. If you die it can use your body as it wants, or return to the earth.
Recovery from this state may take weeks. It is vital not to use magic in this time. Do to so would be to worsen your symptoms and risk organ failure. Remember; you are merely the vessel.
Happy Early Birthday (and Happy STS)! What book/piece of media have you experienced recently that's really inspired you? It could be the storytelling devices, or the worldbuilding, or even just a single line that really grabbed you? If you haven't got an example of something recent, can you tell us about something older that stuck with you instead?
Thank you for the birthday wishes XD and happy (belated) STS!!!!
This is a really good question because I feel like I have multiple answers for both new and old media haha.
Recently, I finished reading a book series called the Great Library. I really fell in love with the characters and the world. The plot was really compelling, too. Those are the types of things I hope to replicate in my story. There were a lot of similarities to this story and mine.
Also, in terms of TV, I've been taking a lot of inspiration from Severance. The way the story is structured and information is hidden and slowly revealed. It's also just really good haha.
An old favorite of mine is Person of Interest. Specifically the way they approach characters and detailed backstories of them. They put a lot of focus on the "how did our characters get here" idea and they use flashbacks really well and it taught me a lot about character writing!
Happy STS! Where did you get the inspiration from for your magical/ancient artifacts? Did you go into a museum one day and spy something cool, or perhaps you read about something that captured your imagination instead?
a lot of the artifacts i’ve come up with are inspired by jewelry actually!
the stone of three (the stone itself, not the wip named after it haha) is based on malachite, which is a green (and toxic 😄!) precious stone that used to be used for a lot of jewelry before people realized that it was dangerous and also dissolved in water
the harper’s rose (haven’t written about it yet :p) is based on a brooch i saw in an antique shop once. i miss her
the blood-pin is based off of antique hat-pins, especially decorative ones embedded with gems
i think those are the only Artifacts™️ that i have in my head right now, but i love looking at pretty jewelry so there’s probably more brewing lol
Happy WBW! Can you tell me a bit about a location? A building, a city, a forest, a country, an island, whatever you like :)
oops it’s very late 😔 definitely Not Wednesday anymore haha
The Cathedral of the Buried Altar is recorded as having been the largest Nennen cathedral in Maslanen, and it is dated back to the very beginnings of the Golden Age, making it almost as old as the foundations of Castle Ahrilon itself. No accurate depictions remain, and no one has been able to verify whether the cathedral even still stands. It was barred off with the rest of the catacombs after the Limorentilen, and has remained untouched since.
Nimlon, the only current Nennen royal and one of the only Nennen nobility, prays there regularly. The catacombs beneath Castle Ahrilon have been locked off, but locks can be picked. The Cathedral of the Buried Altar has become a memorial to the past, a fragment of history deep beneath the ground. It has not been marred by the bleak simplicity of the Faith, and it testifies of a time when Nennism was universal, when people held faith instead of blindly following the Faith.
A cathedral underground, only a small window offering up sunlight to stream through the dusty air. For centuries it stood untouched, until a little girl began to pray there again.
Hey, happy STS! Can you tell us about any books/movies/tv shows that have really inspired you lately? If not, are there any from a while back that still inspire your writing even now?
Happy belated STS!
Sooo, I read Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom last year after watching the show when it came out and I loved them so much, I adore the Crows. And it's a bit of a weird one because I actually watched them because they already reminded me of what I had going on, so I wasn't inspired in that sense bc I had already started, but I guess it helped inspire things like, character dynamics and what not? I took some inspiration from Ketterdam as I fleshed out the main city Forsaken takes place in (well, they'll leave but the city is important at least)
I'd already planned the Azura (magic enhancing drug) thing so I really enjoyed seeing it in Six of Crows with the Jurda Parem, and I actually did half-write out a scene in Leigh Badugo's style of introducing this drug. Never finished it and not how I would do it in the full story, but it was at least a fun exercise in getting to know this power.
The designs of my dragonkin species are somewhat inspired by the Sunfire Elves in The Dragon Prince. I can't remember what came first honestly lol, but at the very least there is a scene where the elves can like, harden their skin with magma cracks which I thought looked cool. I have something a little similar with dragon scales rather than magma cracks. Also from TDP, some Skywing Elves can use magic to turn their arms into wings, a spell the main character Callum learns. I thought that was a neat way of doing it! Some are just born with wings iirc, but it's very rare. I just think that's cool :P I really like the variety of elves TDP has and definitely take inspiration from that, although it is also a typical fantasy trope
Happy STS Zac! Can you tell us a bit about your favourite piece of your own writing? Is there a line or a paragraph you are particularly proud of, or perhaps you have a fic or a whole story that just brings you joy to have created?
Happy (belated) STS! Thank you for the ask!
Something that I wrote that brings me joy is this little snippet I wrote for my OCs for a prompt my friend gave me: Approve, Exile, Pest. It was very fun to write and in character and it gave me a lot of ideas for worldbuilding. A small little fun idea gave me a lot to work with and think about XD also, I think I made it pretty funny lol
Happy STS! What part of Paragon are you most looking forward to writing, and why?
Happy (belated) STS! Thank you for the ask, I appreciate it!
Last time I answered a question like this, I said it was the very end, which isn't a lie, but I realized I am also looking forward to writing the First Big Fight in the narrative.
It is sort of a precursor to The Big Finale and it sets up some of the dynamics, power struggles, backstories, and its fucking EPIC (assuming I am able to Write It Good). I am super excited to get to that scene!!!!
