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  1. Hello! Here is the prologue for the story I've been writing. I'm going to try to get a new chapter out every week or so, but don't hold me to it, I'm an extremely slow writer. I hope it's not too bad, and feel free to point out any typos. That is all, enjoy:
  2. Welcome back! The third Chapter has been released, hope you enjoy it! Also, leave your theories down if you want, I'm curious what people think is going to happen. (Follow me if you want chapter release updates and if you like this, Check out my Sources of the Universe series. That one is much longer.) Ch1 Ch2 Ch3
  3. Yes! I have made my first fanfic! Welcome to the first Chapter of Daniel and Marisa. Tell me what you think of it and follow me if you want to know any updates on its progress (I will be probably releasing these far slower than my Sources of the Universe chapters.) Link to main thread:
  4. I’m not sure where this is supposed to go, so I’m putting it here: Challenge: Write a fanfic set in Era 2, where Kell drags Marsh to a showing of a play based on TFE so they can make fun of it - and remember old friends. Bonus: Dox and Ham are cast as women. Brandon makes a cameo as the playwrite. Era 2 main cast characters are present. Sazed gets dragged into the fun. Challenge 2: Write a modern age Scadrial fanfic involving Survivorist metal band (think Christian Metal) called the Survivor’s Crew. Bonus: Kell is the secret backer funding the whole thing. The Band members dress like crew members. Have actual music for the band. They don’t only do heavy metal. Write lyrics for the songs.
  5. I need some help. If you look at some recent topics, you will see that I am planning to write a book. The problem is, I can’t come up with any names. I don’t want any generic names from Earth, but I don’t know how to come up with names like Kaladin, Elend, or Raoden. If you can think of any innovative names, please post them below.
  6. This is a thread for all those little things that you want to share, but don’t quite need their own thread. Stuff like: ideas that you haven’t fully fleshed out yet, character outlines that you haven’t used, writing prompts you think could be fun, opening paragraphs that don’t have anything following them. Just those random Bits n Pieces that you want to share or want some feedback on. Here are some openings for some short stories that I wrote forever ago and haven’t continued. I wrote them late at night and hardly remember doing it, but they aren’t horrible, so I’ll share as an example for what this thread could be. “A Kingdom Conferred by a Handshake” “The Storyteller”
  7. Does anyone know what character archetypes Brandon used in the original crew of Mistborn?
  8. Hey all, I've been trying to write some music and I just don't know...any advice???
  9. So this game is pretty simple. The first person (me) provides the first writing prompt. Whoever is next responds to the prompt and then provides the next one. There is no minimum length, but at least a paragraph would be nice , and there definitely isn’t a maximum. If multiple people respond at once, then you can just pick a prompt to respond to. You also don’t have to have a prompt of your own. If you do not want to add a prompt, simply write “I Defer” in bold and someone else can write a prompt. In regards to formatting, please bold your writing prompt, so that people can easily see the prompts. With all that out of the way, here’s prompt number 1: You just got fired from your job. Unfortunately for your former boss, you are actually a super villain, who’s about to do what ever it takes to get revenge.
  10. The epic fantasy genre is still relatively young, at least compared to other literary genres. The foundational work of creating an entirely new category of literature, one defined by the creation of an entirely new fictional world where the story takes place, is attributed to J.R.R. Tolkien. Everything Tolkien had done have become standard fantasy tropes: dark lords, medieval settings, elves and dwarves. Of interest here is the medieval settings part, which defines so much of the fantasy genre: fantasy world settings are mostly based on Europe, around the medieval time period in thought and technology and the nobility. I'm not referring to the quality here, which is it's own trope, but the idea related to class & bloodline & the divine right of kings. Brandon Sanderson is Mormon, so the portrayal of religion in his works is something that has been discussed a lot. You can find answers to most questions you might want to ask him regarding this on his site itself and there's plenty of discussion here on the forums, on reddit, etc. The trope of nobles and commoners in his works, however, is something that is not discussed enough in my opinion, and when it is, it's usually mentioned as a throw-away comment: "yes, we get it, Brandon, not all nobles (are bad)" This trope has evolved over time from its origin, the divine right of kings. In the Lord of the Rings the only difference between the line of Kings and the line of Stewards is their pedigree. Some people are apparently inherently superior and thus have the right to rule over the rest of them. Let's not get into the other critiques of LoTR like race or apologetics (I suggest looking into CS Lewis for more on this). Denethor was a bad ruler not just because he was a bad ruler but because he wasn't the rightful ruler. Aragorn comes and he's the rightful heir and everything's chill now. The themes are still kinda there in Sanderson's works too, the trope has been transformed but not truly subverted. In Mistborn era 1, book 2, Elend institutes a constitutional monarchy which is still very skewed with only 1/3 of the representatives being skaa. This assembly then boots him out, rightfully through Elend's own laws but Vin goes on a rampage of murdering and/or forcing his competitors to submit to his rule. In book 3, he decides that the time for debates and legislatures is later somewhere in the indeterminate future when the crisis is over. I do understand what the stakes were that motivated him to do the things he did. I'm simply pointing out a plot point. In era 2 of Mistborn, the legislative branch is divided into two halves: half elected and half aristocrats. The main protagonist is one of the aristocrats and one of the overarching character arcs for him was about accepting the responsibility of being an aristocrat. There are forces from outside of Scadrial who are involved in trying to topple this system. In Warbreaker, the God-King of Hallandren, Susebron was a figurehead ruler with the power being concentrated in the Court of Gods. The other main characters all belong to the ruling classes as well: two princesses, one of them also the queen, a member of the Court of Gods, and an enigmatic former ruler. The antagonists wanted to overthrow the system but are thwarted at the end by Susebron who comes into his powers after having been educated by the princess-queen and given back his tongue by magic. Hallandren's future looks just a bit brighter with its rightful ruler in power. In The Stormlight Archives much of the story revolves around the Kholin family, who reunified the broken kingdom of Alethkar. The idea of fighting against the Lighteyes does exist but that stuff is less important than unifying under them to face a greater threat. Also, Lighteyes are mostly descended from the ancient Knights Radiant whose eyes glowed the colour of their Order, that's where both the colour and the notion of superiority came from. In Elantris, the kingdom of Arelon moves on from plutocracy to monarchy, but we shouldn't worry because Raoden is pretty chill. ~spoilers for Aether of Night~ I'm not saying that these issues might not get resolved in future sequels. The Mistborn era 2 broadsheets seem to be hinting at civil unrest and discontent. And if @asmodeus's theory* is right, it might become a major plot point in eras 3 & 4 Stormlight might not just be about the fight against Odium but a fight against hatred. And again, I'm aware of the plot, circumstances and characteristics behind these noble characters. I'm just pointing out that these were actual plot points in the stories. Brandon has broken quite a few tropes in his prolific career but for now at least, it seems, that this is the trope that would not break *asmodeus' theory: Also, go read Powder Mage you guys! Edit: There is a subversion of this trope in Sanderson's work: White Sand. Making the Diem less dictatorial and more accountable is one of the most integral parts of the plot.
  11. ok so, I have a character (his name is Sage Myllen) who has powers of summoning and vanishing, and there is (almost) no limit to what his magic can summon/vanish (yes, he does magic like, 'is this your card, etc'). I've added a weakness, but it still feels a bit to OP (probably because of the fact the weakness hinges on one of his character traits). If Sage uses too much of his powers, it seriously injures and possibly kills every living thing in a five-foot radius, excluding himself, things too small to see, and anyone he's touching (and no, you can't make a human chain. It needs to be direct contact), this is a problem to him because he's a pacifist, and literally refuses to hurt a fly. I know the amount of magic he has to use to "turn on" the murder magic, but he doesn't, and it (figuratively) drives him crazy the whole story. I'm just wondering if there is anything I should add/subtract to make it so that if he's still not too OP, or if there are any critiques you have of the character.
  12. Hey everyone! I'm hoping for some assistance for myself and hopefully many others in the future. As many of you may know I (and my cousin) am now a self-published author through Amazon. If you're interested in what I've written please visit my website at Khesyc.com. Anyway, The reason for this post is to ask all of you to help me find a real publisher for my book. In that, I'm hoping everyone can look at their favorite fantasy/sci-fi novels and tell me the name of the publishing company as I'm not the best in the world at finding a good list of publishers. Obviously I know of TOR and Tom Doherty as some of the major publishers, but I was hoping you guys could help out with additional ones. Let me know if you have any other possibilities. And I want it to be known that we won't turn down a "small town" publisher if there is one that's willing to take up the cause of my book. Thanks in advance everyone!
  13. Hey guys! I'm trying to create a magic system for my book and keep bumping into the same problem when I work on the source: Magic is power bigger than mankind, and thus implies that either a deity must exist in the book or a Force, like in Star Wars. Does anyone have any ideas on how to avoid gods and also avoid having magic be a well of power like the Force?
  14. I'm trying to experiment with my writing. Widening my voice so to speak. I mostly read Sanderson due to limited time but I worry that might limit what I think is good writing. Among people with wide tastes I generally hear that Brandon has good ideas, plotting, world building and characters but his prose is very utilitarian. What authors would be an example of good prose, like the kind of thing that is a pleasure to read just because of the wording and flow. How would tolkien or jim butcher compare on your personal scale or prose? Feel free to info dump, I'm mostly looking for a large chunk of knowledge to look at and digest.
  15. Hey everyone, Long time reader, first time contributor. Just kidding. I've always wanted to say those words. Anyway, my cousin and I have written a novel and decided to post something here for everyone to look at and let us know what you think. As a side note, this novel is ready for publishing and we're currently awaiting cover art to self publish on Amazon (so if you know a good artist who's willing to work on commission or just for prestige, please let us know as our last attempt fell through). Please enjoy the below copy of our prologue to our book. If you like what you see, please let me know and I can give you the information for our website (since my account is so new that it won't let me post links). Prologue It had been thirteen years since the wizard's order had left their library in Illyria. Those were brighter, more peaceful days for magicians; with the high wizard and his counsel living at the library, no outside force dared to attack them. No force but Xardan Ta’Caran, Faelhart's Knight of the Black Era. A pleasant summer breeze blew past a lone man as he made his way back to the once great city of the magi. The last time he had been in Illyria was the fateful day of Xardan's attack. The nightmares of that day haunted him waking and sleeping, but the need for rare knowledge had become too great for him to put off the inevitable any longer. As the man approached the city, he accelerated his horse as though running from the memories that would soon overtake him. He was at a full gallop when the images of that horrific day invaded his thoughts. Dark bolts of Shadow Lightning announced the Knight's arrival as they extracted the heavy gate from its hinges. Dozens of soldiers passed through the gate on Xardan's heels, cutting down any mages that came within arm's reach. The wizards at the library at the top of the city sent great flaming spheres screaming toward the intruders at the gate, but the Knight reacted faster. Walls of shadow surrounded and extinguished each and every one of them as his soldiers formed into columns and pressed into the city. Rows of mighty oak trees rose to either side of the road to greet any visitors. Suspicious of a potential ambush from the many pillagers and looters seeking magical artifacts, the man slowed his tall warhorse to a walk before he cautiously approached the rubble that was once the proud gate. The city beyond was a mere shadow of its former glory. Large blocks of white granite had been used to construct the walls and buildings, with magical bonds causing the blocks to fuse together giving each building the appearance that it had been carved of a single slab of the stone. Never the less, the tall buildings and towers rose up to shattered walls and rooftops wherever the magi had made futile attempts to defend their city from the Knight of the Black Era. The man followed the destruction to the library in the center of the city; while Xardan was ruthless in his massacre of the mages, he hadn't needed to go out seeking them as they fought to defend their home. The main street from the gate to the center square was ruined, but the rest of the city was surprisingly intact. A wide staircase led from the center square to the library's front door. He dismounted and tied his horse to a fallen beam before he ascended the stairs with the practiced calm his nightmares had forced him to master. Xardan had wasted no time in the city. His Shadow Lightning carved a path through the ranks of mages and his soldiers jumped into them before the Illyrians could close their lines. He rallied his men in the center square and led them up the stairs in perfect, practiced formation. Lightning and fire lashed out at the column, only to clash uselessly against Xardan's shadowy defenses. Xardan moved mercilessly as his shadow magic both protected his men and leveled the entrance. The library had never been set right after Xardan's attack, and the man had to resist the urge to straighten the various toppled tables and bookshelves. With the door blasted from its hinges and one of the far glass walls shattered, the valuable contents of the library had become victim to the unpredictable weather that the ocean threw onto the mainland. A thin layer of dirt and dust that the wind had allowed to settle revealed a dozen pairs of footprints that would have led the man to what the other visitors had come here for, but he only paid them enough mind to determine that none were fresh enough to be less than a week old and went straight toward the central courtyard. In the brighter days, the wizards had used the stone floored courtyard to facilitate their cauldron fires as they experimented with various potions and brews. The open roof allowed the smoke to drift harmlessly upward, while the glass doors and walls surrounding the courtyard protected the books inside from the weather while still brightening the interior of the building with natural sunshine. Xardan arched his blade around to slay another wizard before he finally turned toward the courtyard. Several wizards smirked through the glass they had reinforced with their magic. The Knight of the Black Era tapped the enchanted glass walls with the tip of his blade before turning to walk deeper into the library. Cheers and shouts rose up from the wizards at the Knight's apparent defeat. One by one the cheers silenced as the nearby shadows thickened, darkened and twisted obediently onto Xardan's blade; the gleaming steel turned to a dark, forbidding black. The Knight of the Black Era shifted his foot back, turned, and threw the black blade. Shattered glass lay strewn around the courtyard among the various skeletal remains of dead wizards that scavenging animals had left alone for whatever reason, proving undeniably that Xardan's attack had scattered the wizards too quickly for them to clean their former shrine. Preparing for long hours he was planning to spend in the library, the man dropped his saddlebags, pulled various supplies from them and lit a small fire. Various ingredients and spices made their way into a pot followed by several strips of dried meat and within minutes the man had a stew simmering nicely over the flames. Pulling a torch from its wall sconce, the man lit it from his fire and turned into the deeper reaches of the library. He knew the tome he wanted was rare and powerful and could only be found in the high wizard's collection; if it was here at all. The high wizard's fire landed harmlessly against Xardan's Shadow Shield as he stormed into the office. Xardan passed the wizard a wicked grin as he spun his blade mockingly. The high wizard started casting a spell that Xardan knew he would never finish as the wizard’s shadow started rising up his legs. The Knight of the Black Era had placed dark wards of deep shadows across the door leading into the high wizard's quarters. After careful examination, the man saw that none of the wizards had even attempted dispelling them, and used his own magic to lift them. The high wizard's skeleton still lay slumped against the glass wall where Xardan had left him all those years ago. Out of the corner of his vision, the man saw a shadow run through his camp in the courtyard below. The man's blade flashed from its scabbard and the shadows bent to block his torchlight from passing beyond the windows, though he knew it was likely too late already. Cautiously, the man continued back into the high wizard's personal collection of books and shelves. Before he could react, a firm hand pressed against his back and a small blade rested against his neck. Binding spells restricted his knees, ankles, and wrists and forced him to drop down to the floor. "No gag?" the man asked. "I can't get answers from you if you can't talk," a female voice replied. "You got up here fast. You Traveled, I assume?" "Why would you assume that?" "I saw you running through the light of my camp only seconds ago." "And how do you know it was me? It could have easily been a companion of mine while I was up here all along." "A companion!? You? I would sooner believe the Trelain had left Talar!" The blade lifted from the man's throat and the Binds released his hands and legs. "You know me too well, Xardan Ta'Caran; but times are changing. Faelhart’s war is escalating uncontrollably! I have to travel with companions and you are going to have to let others help you." “So you do have a companion then?” The woman scoffed as she replied, “Not yet.” A brief moment of silence passed over the room as Xardan stood and brushed the dust from his pants. "Why are you here, Ilays?" Xardan asked. "The same reason you are, though I only stayed this long to save you time." Ilays replied, "The tome you seek isn't here, but the high wizard had notes on some of its last known locations." "And where are those?" “One is an old Lythrain city, buried in an earthquake ages ago; it is my intent to search there.” “And the others?” Xardan pressed. "There is only one other location listed: Ealthen’s Monastery." Ilays answered. "I see…” Xardan muttered, “So that’s their secret…”
  16. Hello everyone! For a little while now, I've been planning to make a fun project. It is (Drumroll) a guide to investiture! Wait, it said that in the title? Whatever. Basically, I've searched many a time for things similar to this, and have found no results. I am going to change that, and have been planning for a little while now, so here it is! Click this link and you can comment, if you want full editing powers, PM me and ask! Please note it is nowhere near completion, so I would really appreciate anyone's help!
  17. I was wondering if anyone could provide some input on the magic system in my novel. It's not fully fleshed out yet and I need some help developing it. The wizards in my novel have certain types of magic that they are born good at, and others that can be developed over time. There are also aspects of it that they can never master (example: A character who is born exceptional at influencing the elements. They struggle with telepathy, but they can still perform it to some degree. However, they are never able to shapeshift). My question is: What could be a determining factor of the magic they can and can't do? My friend had the idea that it could depend on genetics and ancestry, say someone who's ancestors were from Antarctica had power over heat and fire. Or we had an idea that maybe wizards with different powers came together in clans a long time ago and they all migrated to different places, meaning that where you're from could determine your power set. I'm just trying to come up with a better plan for my magic system, since it's not very together at the moment. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
  18. Okay. So, I came up with this amazing first line three-ish years ago. (I don't know what woke me. The gunshot, the screaming, or the pain). This amazing story started forming. But my pacing was terrible, and i couldn't figure out why. Finally, after listening to several episodes of WE, I figured out that i had two problems. One: not enough bad stuff was happening. Easy enough to fix. Two: I needed to get rid of two of my characters. The ones i named after my cousins. Those two characters are in over half of what i have, and removing them will result in me basically having to rewrite the whole thing. (It's only around 23000 words, but it's the longest (and best) thing I've ever written). So i was wondering if anyone has any tips for getting rid of these characters, or anything. (Oh, and does anyone have any idea how to saddle a horse)?
  19. Brandon was a guest on The Legendarium podcast last week discussing The Truth by Terry Pratchett, as well as other Discworld novels. Check it out! It’s always really interesting listening to him talk about other authors’ works. What are some other podcasts he’s appeared on?
  20. Hey guys so I'll be hosting a Weekly writing competition over on the SE creativity server https://discord.gg/2kUugpF Thor Ragnarok is released in one month here in Australia. For this week’s Prompt- Pick a fable, an epic, myth, an old play, any of those archaic texts (if you’re unsure PM me) and adapt it for the modern era. Beowulf is a young businessman saving his corporation from a lawsuit by Grendel Incorporated. Zeus is a young child exiled from the family business, and returns one day to wrest control of the business from his father and become head of the family. The Ride of Asgard is a stock market undertaking which through underground contacts and manipulation wroughts calamity upon the stock market. (I use wrought archaically). Anyway you get the point….why does everything to do with the modern world have to do with business or something A question for another day, I’m sure you all will find your own creative ways to adapt those musty old tales. Submissions and details are over in the channel. https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/generic?iso=20170930T19&p0=240&msg=Voting&font=cursive&csz=1
  21. If anyone has thoughts about how to handle writing information starved scenes, such as anything from the perspective of a newborn or a less than sentient animal (especially a newborn animal), that's the nut I'm trying to crack right now. It's hard to explain things if the point of view character lacks the needed context to understand, so it's been an interesting challenge.
  22. Hey all, just a hobby author interested in the Writing Excuses forums. If anyone has thoughts about how to handle writing information starved scenes, such as anything from the perspective of a newborn or a less than sentient animal (especially a newborn animal), that's the nut I'm trying to crack right now. It's hard to explain things if the point of view character lacks the needed context to understand, so it's been an interesting challenge.
  23. Hey there! After my binge of Cosmere books this year, I figured to try my hand at creating my own magic system somewhat in the same vein as Brandon's works. Here is a quick overview of what I've come up with so far: The three categories: The magic is basically subdivided into three essential categories from which abilities stem. These categories are the Expansive, the Compressive, and the Distributive category. Expansive here means that, by spreading something of your own being into the outside world you bring about magic effects. Opposite to that, Compressive abilities work based on drawing something of the outside world into yourself to perform the spell. Finally the Distributive category is neutral in this sense and works just through, well, re-distributing things within yourself or your surroundings. Now, each category supplies three basic abilities, resulting in nine basic arts. These nine arts are then distributed to nine classes of magic wielders in pairs of twos. Thus, each class can access two basic abilities, and each ability is used by two different classes. In some cases, the basic abilities bring forth class-specific sub-abilities. The nine abilities and classes: Expansive abilities: Ruin: Matter is aged or broken by touch, which accelerates decomposition or straight up breaks material bonds. Used by Cometflingers and Tyrants. Aura: One's own presence is spread out into the surroundings and amplified to intimidate/terrify others or inspire loyalty/awe in them. Used by Tyrants and Strongholds. Suppression: A thick mist is created which suppresses sight, hearing and smell. Used by Strongholds and Mistwalkers. Pneuma: Additionally, Strongholds can combine Suppression with Aura and use the mist to raise and control the dead. They themselves, however, will be unable to move while doing this. Compressive abilities: Perception: Gives enhanced awareness to other people's presence and furthermore enables one to recognize the patterns of their emotions, resulting in an indirect sort of mind reading. Used by Mistwalkers and Gutthinkers. Mimicry: Eating lifeless matter and digesting it allows one to take on a property of that matter, i. e. digesting glass could make you translucent. Only works once digestion has begun, and you usually wanna use up all of your material as to not poison or harm yourself. Used by Gutthinkers and Starchewers. Convergence: Events in the immediate future, which have already become inevitable, can be foreseen. Used by Starchewers and Dancers. Dancers can furthermore use Convergence to slow down time around themselves, resulting in more precise and quicker movement. The ability lasts only briefly, however, as it requires stopping your own heart for the duration of it. Distributive abilities: Polarization: Objects are polarized by touch to magnetically attract or repulse each other. It's possible to use this ability in fractions and on yourself. Used by Dancers and Shifters Shiftminds. Focus: Reflexes can be enhanced significantly, but only at the expense of your cognitive abilities. Used by Shifters Shiftminds and Changeminds Couriers. Regeneration: Changeminds Couriers can significantly accelerate and amplify healing functions of their bodies by entering a trance. Arsenal: Objects that the wielder can hold in their hands can be stored away in a pocket dimension and be retrieved from there. The latter requires some concentration, however. Used by Changeminds Couriers and Cometflingers. Eye Colour, Asheyes, and the Iridescent Elixir The fuel required to use any of the nine abilities is Eye Colour, directly corresponding to a person's irises. Eye Colour is consumed when utilizing the abilities and cannot be retrieved or restored by humans. When a human runs out of Eye Colour, they become what is known as an Asheyes. The name stems from the white-grey colouring of their irises and the little red and orange specks therein, looking like dying embers. Eye Colour can be replenished or even stored beyond normal humans' capacity through use of the Iridescent Elixir, a colorless liquid that someone else's Eye Colour has been stored in. Applying it like you would eye drops, Eye Colour is absorbed by your body. The eye's actual colour is not linked to what Eye Colour was stored in the Elixir and instead depends only on the person receiving Eye Colour. The process of making Iridescent Elixir and putting Eye Colour in it is called Extraction and is jealously guarded by an order of monks. Since generally anyone could Extract Eye Colour from other people, the monks have made it their duty to keep the details of Extraction a secret and to manage and guard all Eye Colour economy so Eye Colour is only Extracted with consent of its owner. They have set up countless stations across the country to Extract and sell Eye Colour to armies or noble families or rich wielders. Selling your Eye Colour is somewhat of a last resort way to get quick money during hard times. Alright, that's about all that I've worked out so far. Some things that I am still developping: How does Extraction actually work? What do the monks do to people, and how is the Iridescnt Elixir made? Is there only a select few people who can even use the nine abilities to begin with? How are they distinguished from others? How do you find out you can use the magic? What criteria decides which of the nine magic wielding categories a person falls into? How quickly is Eye Colour drained? How much do the different abilities consume, and does it happen instantaneous or at a fixed rate over time? What other changes could come with becoming an Asheyes? Now, I would be thrilled to read your feedback on all this! I personally am a little worried if some of this hits too close to Surgebinding and BioChromatic Breath. I also haven't been able to come up with a nice name for the system, and some of the categories and abilities probably aren't quite up to par yet either. Anyhow, looking forward to comments, suggestions, critique, questions, anything. :>
  24. I'm writing a series of Shakespearean sonnets derived from the powers and personalities of the 16 shards. Check them out!
  25. Hey guys, I'm not sure if I should post this here on in the Writing Excuses forum, but I'll just post it here and you can let me know if it needs to be moved. Anyway, I'm working on this story right now, and I've been wracking my brain for months trying to come up with tests of skill for a fantasy world. All of the ideas I've had either just don't work, or they don't fit into the world. I've submitted parts of this story before, so some of you might remember it. But basically, it's a massive desert world, with only 1 city, which is sustained by a kind of sand magic. And this test is used to sort through the younger population of the city to find which ones should be allowed to learn the magic. The test basically needs to test intelligence, strength, creativity, agility, etc. It can also be multiple different tests. I'm really struggling with ideas and would really appreciate some help if anyone has any ideas.
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