diff --git a/characters/alicia.md b/characters/alicia.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..cc85103 --- /dev/null +++ b/characters/alicia.md @@ -0,0 +1,43 @@ +# Alicia + +Protagonist, Student, Snep, Anxious, Spellblade + +## Description + +Female anthro snow leopard (snep), about 6'1", chocolate brown hair down to +their shoulders + +**Personality** + +Awkward, anxious, acts before thinking, conflicted + +After realizing their power as a spellblade: + +Confident, determined, resolute + +**Pronouns** + +She/her + +After realizing their power as a spellblade: + +They/them + +**Background** + +From the mountains of Nord Sewlet. Has been a bit of a social pariah, early +talent for magic. Wrestled with the boys in the mud at times. + +**Inner Conflicts** + +Fear of missing out. Anxiety around "negative" social situations. +Simultaneously very highly ranked in their class and constantly getting in +trouble. Stress from getting inconsistent grades in the bladecraft school. + +**External Conflicts** + +Spellcraft and bladecraft + +## Notes + +- Grows to make peace with their anxiety diff --git a/characters/tistus.md b/characters/tistus.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..569a9fc --- /dev/null +++ b/characters/tistus.md @@ -0,0 +1,33 @@ +# Tistus + +Friend of Alicia, Athletic, Twinky, Dependable, Bladecrafter + +## Description + +Male anthro snow leopard (snep), about 5'8", light brown buzz cut + +**Personality** + +Cocky, bisexual, a bit of a disaster around Alicia, caring + +**Pronouns** + +He/him + +**Background** + +From the mountains of Nord Sewlet. Alicia's best friend from childhood. Has some +idea of Alicia's power but doesn't really care. + +**Inner Conflicts** + +Is very much in love with Alicia but very unsure of the right way to express it. + +**External Conflicts** + +Relationship with Alicia, trying to best Zekas + +## Notes + +- Actually builds up the balls to express his love for Alicia + - Is accepted by Alicia diff --git a/characters/zekas.md b/characters/zekas.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e4fb1bd --- /dev/null +++ b/characters/zekas.md @@ -0,0 +1,33 @@ +# Zekas + +Frenemy of Alicia, Blue Team leader, Fighter, Hunk, Morally Questionable, Chad + +## Description + +Male anthro tiger shark, about 6'4", no hair, blue and gray with black stripes + +**Personality** + + + +**Pronouns** + +He/him + +**Background** + + + +**Inner Conflicts** + + + +**External Conflicts** + + + +## Notes + +- Antagonist that tries to get Alicia expelled so he can take her place for + getting honors in the class +- diff --git a/plans.md b/plans.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f891339 --- /dev/null +++ b/plans.md @@ -0,0 +1,93 @@ +# Spellblade Plot + +https://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/articles/snowflake-method/ + +## One Sentence + +A woman realizes the gap between two opposites and their place in the middle. + +## Kick in the Pants + +> something I feel is missing from this set-up is, what is Alicia's overarching +> motive? What is she doing this for? Why the army recruiting process, and how +> would an underground school help her further her goals +> +> what is it that _moves her_? + +> This whole thing is meant to be an allegory for coming out as nonbinary. Her +> goal is to not be so afraid of herself. + +## Cover Idea + +Use the palette of the nonbinary pride flag, yellow sky, white clouds, Alicia +in purple holding her locus to the sky, black ground w/ yellow highlights. + +## One Paragraph + +Alicia is a student at the Zhalram School of Bladecraft, one of two schools +owned by a shadowy organization that oversees the Zhalrami army recruiting +process. Alicia is troubled in her schooling and attempts (and fails) to hide +her natural talent for magic; she tries to use her magic skills to assist her +team in the battle drills but gets caught. Alicia gets monitored more closely +and comes out to Tistus about her magical powers, Tistus is concerned for Alicia +but accepts her and they work together to make the suspicion go away. + +- Cover the setting + - Introduce the bladecraft school + - Introduce spellcraft and frame it as an "other" + - Introduce Alicia undergoing a magical awakening + - Get caught by Tistus + - Accidentally uses powers on the field + - Gets caught +- Teachers deliberate and propose a magical vivisection, something that would + purge someone of their magical powers + - Alicia argues she didn't ask for this, this just happened to her one day and + she would be okay to be rid of it + - One teacher proposes Alicia be evaluated for a magical vivisection, + - Flashbacks to her father noticing signs of this happening and teaching her + how to suppress her gift + - The magical side would effectively kidnap her from a young age and her + father wanted to be with Alicia as a kid, the Zhalrami army desperately + needs spellcrafters for battle with Usill + - Father died in the aftermath of an avalanche + - Alicia enrolled in the bladecraft school to get away from home because it + reminded her of her dad +- + +Alicia gets expelled and then roams +around the marketplace she talks with a spiritualist named Kala and ends up +getting roped into their underground school of mixed arts. + +## Slightly Longer + +Alicia is a student at the Zhalram school of Bladecraft, she is on the Red Team +and works with her teammates to get through various battle drills. Unbeknownst +to most people, Alicia has a talent for spellcraft as well (a large taboo for +someone in the school of bladecraft) and is desperately trying to hide it from +others, but slips up and is discovered. The school elders have discussions about +this and then decide to put Alicia under academic probation. Alicia roams around +the merchant district of Zhalram and happens across a spiritualist that offers +Alicia a magical locus that is shaped like a sword and hints at the bladecraft +and spellcraft schools being operated by the same person. Alicia experiments +with it and then hides it in her room. + +## Old Chapter Checklist + +- [ ] Introduction to the school of bladecraft. Alicia is shown to suppress + her magic and tensions between spellcraft and bladecraft are hinted at. + Zekas starts to get suspicious of Alicia. +- [ ] Alicia has a chance encounter with a spiritualist that points out Alicia's + twin aura and pulls her into an alley to talk about magic. Alicia refuses + an offer of a spellblade locus for her magical talent. Another battle, + another narrow victory, another scolding. Zekas talks with a teacher about + Alicia. +- [ ] Alicia meets with the spiritualist again and accepts the locus, getting + shown how to wear it as a bit of jewelery. Alicia wears it into her next + battle and her team wins, but Alicia is called out for cheating with + magic. +- [ ] Interrogation by the school's headmaster, threats of expulsion for daring + to mix bladecraft and spellcraft. Alicia attempts to come out as a + spellblade to the headmaster and is laughed back to her barracks. Various + drama ensues. Tistus offers support to Alicia and they cuddle to sleep. +- [ ] Another battle day, Alicia uses her locus to empower herself and takes + point to defend the flag point. diff --git a/samples/scene-1.md b/samples/scene-1.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..146581a --- /dev/null +++ b/samples/scene-1.md @@ -0,0 +1,51 @@ +# Chapter 1 + +Alicia scanned across the clearing. The battlefield was a wide open grassy field +without any good spots to take cover. Her team was losing. Badly. Her team's +flag was solidly in the hands of the enemy and every attempt to wrestle it free +had failed. She saw the possibility of an opening among the chaos and gestured +her squadmates to follow her lead. + +They sprinted down the battlefield, the noise of their approach alerted her +teammates of the plan and they joined in, creating a phalanx with their wooden +shields. The other team realized what was going on and attempted to block it. +It almost worked, if only the force of Alicia's impact didn't knock two of the +blue guards on their backs. Alicia ground to a catlike halt and raised her +wooden sword to the flagbearer. The poor person looked terrified but raised his +sword back to fight. Alicia struck the flagbearer in the leg to make him lose +his balance, and Tistus came in from the side to claim the prize, snatching it +and holding on for dear life with his claws. + +In the confusion, the blue team turned towards Alicia, thinking some of the +blood she had spilled from an earlier fall was the flag on their hip. This gave +Tistus room to escape with the real flag in his paws. Alicia grit her teeth +and braced for impact as the blue team's swords were raised all around her like +a pack of hungry wolves. Zekas, the blue team leader, reared back to hit +Alicia's weak side. + +The horn sound resonated throughout the area. Tistus had made it to the base and +the exercise was over. + +Red team had won. + +Zekas growled at Alicia, "No fair you get to have the best sprinters and all we +have are these burly hunks that can't run to save their lives." + +Alicia smiled back and looked down to her side, there was a red streak down +their left leg that wasn't there earlier. "Some burliness would have helped +here. Can you pass me a bit of cloth? I need to get this leg to an apothecary." + +Zekas begrudgingly gave Alicia a bit of cloth as she bandaged herself. As Alicia +dressed her wound she felt a surge of power to her right hand. + +_Nononononono, not around others._ + +She focused her mind and let the surge subside. Alicia balanced herself with her +tail and looked up at Zekas. + +"Thanks, let's go see what our teacher thinks we messed up, eh?" + +Zekas laughed, "At least you didn't let that witch beat you." and he lead the +way towards the teacher's garrison. + +Alicia nervously laughed back and followed suit. diff --git a/src/chapter-1/plans.md b/src/chapter-1/plans.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6c307a2 --- /dev/null +++ b/src/chapter-1/plans.md @@ -0,0 +1,19 @@ +# Plans + +Introduction to the school of bladecraft. Alicia is shown to suppress their +magic and tensions between spellcraft and bladecraft are hinted at. + +- [x] The first battle between team red and team blue, team red barely wins, + Alicia has to hide their magic from Zekas +- [ ] A dressing-down from the instructors, Alicia starts to feel fiery rage and + has to suppress their magic again lest they fireball the instructors +- [ ] Dinner with rumors spreading about an affair between Alicia and Zekas, + Alicia feels embarassed and has to stop themselves from turning invisible. + Tistus attempts to defend Alicia but has difficulty putting things to + words +- [ ] Alicia lays on her cot and remembers their dad telling them why they + needed to hide their magical talent. + - [ ] Full on flashback scene + - [ ] Alicia falls asleep +- [ ] Zekas complaining about Alicia in his team's bunk, one of his teammates + comments on Alicia's hand glowing during that last stand. diff --git a/src/chapter-1/scene-2.md b/src/chapter-1/scene-2.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e69de29