I thought that if in Cradle there is something like the champion agumentation treatments of Asylum(in addition to sacred arts in general) could be be effected by turning humans into a sacred beast (or a dread beast).
Though turning humans into dread beasts if possible could result into something rather ghoulish.
I plan to explore this concept in Book 7. The plan might change, but as of now, it’s something I’m including in 7.
I wonder what Simon what do if he could re do it?
If he kept his current memories? Tell Leah what was about to happen and get her to stop it, murder Cormac with a knife, and then head to Valinhall.
He would still go to Kai? Not Indirial?
No, he’d head to Kai and then negotiate with the doll.
How much of Cradle is influenced by Naruto? Is there a larger genre of Asian Martial Arts Magic?
Yeah, like the others have said, wuxia and (especially) xianxia stories are a huge genre, and Cradle is my attempt at making one specifically for a Western fantasy novel audience.
Naruto isn’t actually much of an influence, though I understand why you’d think that. I probably should draw more from Naruto; early Naruto has some really tight storytelling.
I enjoy rule based series like Cradle and I enjoy the audiobooks.
Yeah, I’m happier and happier the more of Travis’ work I hear, and he was my first choice from the beginning. He’s amazing to work with, too.
I think I may have given you the wrong impression in my earlier comment: I’m not looking for restrictions or “rules” for my next series. But there’s an interesting scenario that comes up fairly regularly that I’m trying to get to the bottom of.
Because people often ask for English novels similar to the Cradle series, and the suggestions they get are not very much like Cradle. It’s Sufficiently Advanced Magic, Dakota Krout’s books, Mother of Learning, etc.
I’m not saying anything negative about any of those books, they’re just not very similar to Cradle. SAM and MoL are JRPGs with a heavy focus on technical magic and a protagonist getting stronger by improving skill, not by improving through a cultivation system. Dakota Krout’s first series is a dungeon core series and his second series is a VRMMO LitRPG.
The plot, setting, characters, and even subgenre are different.
The cultivation element is the way in which Cradle is most similar to those series, and even so it is executed WILDLY differently in each series.
It makes me wonder what elements people are identifying in Cradle that resonate with them, so I can understand my readers better. I’m trying to drill deeper into what it is that people are reallyenjoying.
And it also suggests to me that there’s a market out there for more series similar to Cradle. And I don’t think the big appeal comes from the East Asian mythological style elements; I suspect that the superficial stylings could be easily changed.
So anyway, when people catch up to Cradle, they’re hungry for something similar. But what is it they’re really hungry for? That’s what I’m trying to figure out.
I've had this deep suspicion since BF, that the reason we got gems such as "Fierce River of Fierce Flowing Breath" was that Will came up empty on more epic names like "Void Dragons Dance", and decided to throw some humor in.
It’s honestly because epic names like Void Dragon’s Dance can sometimes be a little TOO serious to be taken seriously, so making some jokes about technique names helps to lighten the mood and kind of hang a lampshade on the edgier names.
There can only be so many Sword of Annihilation or Hellfire Sun Descends before they start to feel a little too grandiose.
I know she's a main character, but maybe writing something specific to Yerin would be cool?
One potential title I have for book (I think it’s 9, but it might be 8, or even not used at all) is Wintersteel. And it’s a Yerin-focused book. Lindon’s still in it, of course, but Yerin has the A storyline.
I have a plot for it and so on. The main concern is that it might not fit the story by the time I get there.
As of 9/29/2019, Will has changed his mind.
As many of you know, my original vision for the title “Wintersteel” was to use it for a Yerin-led book with Lindon playing the backup role that Yerin usually plays.
Uncrowned ending with Lindon being eliminated from the tournament suggests this as well.
However, I abandoned that plotline as soon as I began writing Book 7. As I said in the original quote, my big fear was that the plot I had in mind for the Yerin book wouldn’t fit by the time we got there, and that was the case here.
I tried to figure out a new title, but by the time I started Uncrowned, I had already developed a lot of Book 8 in relation to the title Wintersteel, so I still felt it fit the best.
However, this is the first time where I might re-title a book after announcing it. I’m still considering it. For one reason: because of what I said before, now fans (reasonably) expect it to be all about Yerin.
It won’t be. It’s a Lindon book.
Yerin obviously has her own thing going on as well, and it will be important, but Lindon will pursue a goal of his own like usual. As you would expect if I hadn’t said anything.
This is a good illustration of why I’m always hesitant to talk about my future plans for the series and should probably do so less frequently. What I say outside of the book creates expectations that you carry into the book.
That’s not a bad thing! But it is double-edged, as in this case with people now thinking that Yerin will be the only one doing anything that matters in the next book.
TL:DR - Wintersteel is a Lindon book like usual, though of course Yerin does have a major storyline. And even though I enjoy talking about the stories, I need to learn to keep my trap shut.
...and now that I’ve said all of THAT, let me include my usual disclaimer that I haven’t written the book yet and anything can change in that process.
It was a hobby, but what about now that he has a mind-enhancing constrict?
What would Yerin even do during her free time? All she knows how to do is train.
Well, that’s the point: she doesn’t know how to just spend time with somebody.
You say you aren't good at romance but honestly Lindon + Yerin feels like one of the more natural progressions of romance I've read.
How many dolls are there?
There are about fifty dolls. I never confirmed the real number.
What are Mercy's hobbies?
My favorite: “There’s an old saying about asking forgiveness rather than permission,” Eithan said, “but the essence of it is, ‘I’m going to do what I want.’” --Blackflame
Followed closely by: “Huan, how long have you known me?” “Long enough to know that you do what you want.” --Ghostwater
Hey, I’m glad you put this together!
I know I’m late to this thread, but that dialogue in Ghostwater was a callback to the line in Blackflame, and no one’s ever mentioned catching that before. It’s neat that you did!
+1 point for you (the points do nothing).
Do dreadgods have remnants?
Dreadgods do not have Remnants, nor do dreadbeasts.
How early on did you have the idea of remnants when you were designing the world of cradle, What happens to a remnant if a person dies with an empty core, is it weaker?
Strangely enough, I don't really remember where the idea for Remnants came from. I need to look through my notes and figure that out. It feels like it just kind of popped up at some point during development. If a person dies with an empty core, the Remnant is temporarily weaker, but not permanently.
How often does someone from Amalgam or Asylum join the abidan?
From Asylum? Never. From Amalgam? Very rarely.
Does creating a territory require using a way? Does this mean valin can access the way and is an amalgam equivalent of a sage?
Creating a Territory does involve using the Way in a sense, but not as directly as Suriel, for instance, does it.
Dross is an annoying little twat. My inner narrator voice wonders if he's sounds like Rodney Dangerfield, or more James Hong (duck dad in Kung Fu Panda, Covetous Shen in Diablo 3) or Taika Waititi (as he does Korg in Thor: Ragnarok). Are any of these close to what you imagined?
I imagine more of a British accent. Of those three, closest to Taika Waititi. I don't hear him as a New Zealander, but I could imagine that.
If pocket worlds like ghostwater can be used like territories in TG, what would a traveler of ghostwater be like? What would the incarnation be like?
I actually considered what a Traveler of Ghostwater would be like when I was writing the book. I imagine them as more about internal mental powers, while Avernus is about external psychic attacks and communication. They would also have the ability to summon giant sea monsters, so they'd be more dangerous in or near the water. They could also conjure seawater.
What happens to objects in a soulspace when the owner dies? Do they fall out onto the ground, get assimilated into the remnant, or are they lost forever?
It depends on the item in the soulspace. Some things integrate with the soul, while others break and are lost, or even literally fall to the ground when the Remnant emerges.
What is the "average" life span of Forged madra/scales?
If they're not sealed, they usually only last a few days before they degrade too much to be considered full value. So usually they're kept sealed behind a simple script.
