The Brainstormatorium (Thinking-caps required)

AetherDreaming

AetherDreaming

Deep Dream Diver
INTRO: Writing is hard. I know, bold statement. Coming up with ideas that you're confident to share with a prospective audience or roleplay partner can be even harder. On top of that, most of the time, writing is a solitary road (even when produced in response to a post) which can lead to writer's block. The last thing we want as creatives is to come up against that wall and putting off for another day in hopes of an easier obstacle to overcome. So what can we do about it? Well, hopefully we find spaces that allow us to talk through our ideas and get constructive feedback. I aim to make this thread one of those spaces.

RULES:
- This is a safe space so feel free to bring your ideas at any stage of development.
- Characters, settings, plots etc. are welcome pretty much anything you want help with, bring it on by.
- Really, this is a safe space so when you're offering your thoughts to someone who has asked for help, keep it constructive and friendly
- Let the ideas fly anyone is free to offer help to someone who is asking for it. This is a big ol community!
- If you're found being a butt you will be kindly asked to leave. So, don't be a butt.
- Be open minded creating is tough and sometimes we become attached to ideas, but try to be open minded to change and suggestions made here.

With all that said, The Brainstormatorium is OPEN!
 
Here is a general concept and introduction to a part of my world Essenia (incomplete project). There are still a lot of ideas and locations to add, but this is my most detailed kingdom at the moment. There are probably many inconsistencies to sort out as well. It is not the main setting in which the story revolves around though. Thoughts?

Addition and Edit to the Kingdom of Rose (Thank you, Jas, for amazing inputs)
  • Rewrote details of seed and budding celebrations.
  • Edit to the flower celebration entry.
  • Edit to the withering celebration entry.
  • Addition of Seeds (Rose Petal Bearer) entry.
  • Addition of the Rose Academy entry.
  • Addition of the queen entry.
  • Addition of the guardians entry.
  • Edit to the Rose Council entry.
  • Edit to the Rosette Knights entry.
  • Edit to the Curses of the Witches’ Broom entry.
  • Removal of the details in the Roseless Period entry.
  • Addition of the incomplete map of Essenia.

Kingdom of Rose
  • Celebrations
    • Seed (Held every six years)
      • The seed celebration gathers pre-teens at the palace as candidates to become the queen, shield-maidens, or thorn mothers.
      • The families of the seeds (candidates) gain prestige.
      • All of the children will undergo strict education (of many forms) at the Rose Academy until the age of 18.
      • Many of the candidates become shield-maidens or thorn mothers.
    • Budding (Held when the future queen is chosen right after the withering celebration)
      • The successor is chosen by the Rose Council (the heads of Rose Academy)
      • The successor will be strictly educated at the palace until 21 years of age in preparation for the responsibilities of the queen. The current queen rules until then.
      • The remaining candidates are trained for various jobs and services for the palace which includes shield-maidens and thorn mothers.
      • Seed celebrations are still held every six years.
    • Flower (Held when the new queen reaches 21 years of age)
      • Queening ceremony.
      • The queen rules alongside the council.
      • The council began the process of suitor selection.
      • The queen began meeting the chosen suitors
    • Pollination (Held when a suitor is selected six years after flower celebration)
      • The queen selects the king.
      • The wedding ceremony.
      • The king becomes the rosette knight commander.
    • Rosehip (Held at the birth of Princess Rose)
      • Birthday celebration
    • True Bloom (Held on the 18th birthday of Princess Rose)
      • Princess Rose takes the role of the true ruler.
      • The princess has the highest level of authority.
    • Withering (Held at the death of Princess Rose)
      • This celebration marks the beginning of a new cycle.
      • It is followed by the budding celebration.
  • Princess Rose
    • Currently the fifth generation.
    • Spiritual Manifestation: Reincarnation.
    • She remembers all the memories from her past life.
    • Her visions (goals) never change.
    • She is always kind, smart, and just.
    • The ability to manipulate raw vital energy.
    • The kingdom has always thrived under her rule.
    • She usually leaves the tedious management to the council.
    • She is a dreamer.
  • Seeds (Rose Petal Bearer)
    • Blessing of the Rose guarantees spiritual manifestation (powers).
    • The candidates for the future queen, shield-maiden, or thorn mothers.
    • They are assigned a guardian (usually former seedlings) until the age of 15 when they move into the dormitory.
    • They are to live in the Rose Academy.
    • They are to formally enroll at the academy at the age of 13.
    • Strict education entails physical, mental, spiritual training, etc.
    • Graduation at the age of 18 into the positions of the queen, shield-maiden, thorn mothers, or other roles serving the kingdom.
  • Guardians
    • Guardians are former seedlings that are charged with early education of current seeds.
    • They impart common sense and knowledge upon the children.
    • They teach the children to control their powers granted by the rose petal.
    • A guardian can be in charge of multiple children.
  • Rose Academy
    • The academy occupies an entire territory dedicated to the education of the seeds and young knights.
    • The age of students ranges from 13 to 18 years old.
    • Dormitories are provided for those of age 15 and above.
    • Any seeds and young knights of 18 years old graduates.
    • The Rose Council (heads of the academy) reserves final decisions to grant knighthood and elects shield-maidens from the candidates.
    • All graduates have opportunities to serve the kingdom.
    • The exile process exists to remove Seeds.
  • The Queen
    • Chosen by the Rose Council
    • Primary responsibility: Gives birth to the next Princess Rose.
    • Secondary responsibility: Rules the kingdom alongside the council.
    • Commander of the shield-maidens
  • The Rose Council: A council of six appointed by Princess Rose to serve the country’s best interest in line with her personal vision.
    • All advisors devote their entire life to the role until Princess Rose replaces them. In the absence of the princess, the status of an advisor may be stripped with the universal consent of the queen, king, and all other advisors. Then the queen elects a new advisor.
    • The princess always has the right to overrule the council.
    • The princess reserves the right to a tie-breaking vote.
      • Queen in the absence of the princess.
      • Knight commander in the absence of the queen.
  • The Rosette Knights
    • Knight commander: the king of rose. He commands the knights and the military.
    • Official title granted to the protectors of the princess. They also have a duty to defend the kingdom.
    • The Rosette Knights are trained at the Rose Academy. Those who did not rise to knighthood are given different roles to serve the kingdom.
    • The status of knight is given at the age of 18 once the witch hunt is completed
    • The knights have a responsibility to hunt down witches.
  • Shield-maiden
    • The maidens were once crown candidates.
    • They are charged with the protection of the queen and the kingdom.
    • The maidens have a responsibility to hunt down witches
    • They are often paired with the Rosette Knights.
  • Thorn Mothers
    • The mothers of the Rosette Knights.
    • They are usually Shield-maidens.
  • Curses of Witches’ Broom: Women marked by a strangely deformed rose petal birthmark.
    • Bearers are called witches.
    • Those bearing curses of witches’ broom at birth are due to the sin of their immediate family members (for example being murdering another rose petal holder).
    • A curse can develop on the rose petal bearer when they commit a great sin.
    • The curse locks the bearer's spirit permanently (seals power) and inflicts some form of permanent debilitation upon the bearer.
    • The curse draws evil that can grant power.
    • Bearers are executed without question.
  • The Roseless Period: A time when the rose cycle was interrupted for decades.
 
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So, my first impression upon reading this is that the cycle you describe might be a bit tricky to keep track of all the details. I'm not exactly sure if I understand it completely myself. Quick question, what if the Queen has a son instead of a daughter? Do they need to keep having children until they have a daughter? What if the Queen gives birth to twins or triplets or more?
 
I like the plant-theme you have going on and it's richly detailed which is excellent.

My only concern is that this all sounds a bit too perfect if that makes sense. I don't really believe in ideal kingdoms, every system should have it's flaws. Like the way our system in real life has corrupt politicians and lobbyists and the like.

Also, shouldn't Rosehip be called Roseship or Rose-ship?
 
I see where you're going with that, but rosehips are an actual thing related to the flower, so I'm sure that's what they were going for. The rosehip is the fruit of the rose, so there is a nice symbolic parallel between that and birth.

Though, I will point out that you say that the seed celebration takes place 12 years after rosehip, but based on what I read, it should take place 12 years after withering. Is that correct?
 
Yeah, they state that it's a divine right to rule inherited through reincarnation, and they also state that in the withering the seeding begins (children are born with the mark), which tracks with this. And if the princess lives for 30 years after being crowned, it doesn't make sense to start looking for her successors 12 years after she was born, because she cannot have reincarnated yet.
 
AetherDreaming said:
So, my first impression upon reading this is that the cycle you describe might be a bit tricky to keep track of all the details. I'm not exactly sure if I understand it completely myself. Quick question, what if the Queen has a son instead of a daughter? Do they need to keep having children until they have a daughter? What if the Queen gives birth to twins or triplets or more?
Click to expand...

Yes, it is very tricky. I have a very hard time keeping track of all the details right now. Frankly, I don't even understand what I have created. Fortunately, the Kingdom of Rose is not the main setting; it is just the most developed as of now. Great question, that is an inconsistency in my world. It is an issue that I need to explain in detail. Perhaps the queen can only give birth to one queen, but I think there are many possible interesting ways of tackling it as well (I don't have one on mind right now).
 
Rosewood said:
(1) I like the plant-theme you have going on and it's richly detailed which is excellent.

(2) My only concern is that this all sounds a bit too perfect if that makes sense. I don't really believe in ideal kingdoms, every system should have it's flaws. Like the way our system in real life has corrupt politicians and lobbyists and the like.

(3) Also, shouldn't Rosehip be called Roseship or Rose-ship?
Click to expand...

Thank you :) (1).

Yes, it does sound perfect at the moment (2). I do think it is not an ideal system and if we look hard enough, we can find flaws to exploit (I have some ideas for that right off the top of my head. Nothing solid though.). What if the queen wants to keep the power for herself, or maybe the Rosette knight commander?

I will have to redirect you to Jas's reply (3).
 
KrultySenpai said:
Yes, it does sound perfect at the moment (2). I do think it is not an ideal system and if we look hard enough, we can find flaws to exploit (I have some ideas for that right off the top of my head. Nothing solid though.). What if the queen wants to keep the power for herself, or maybe the Rosette knight commander?
Click to expand...

It would indeed be boring if it works exactly like this, but as a setup for an aberrant event (perhaps this Princess Rose has a bit of a mean streak? Reincarnation didn't go to plan, or something) it could be interesting. An apparent utopia hosting a dystopian story actually sounds pretty interesting to me.
 
Jas said:
I see where you're going with that, but rosehips are an actual thing related to the flower, so I'm sure that's what they were going for. The rosehip is the fruit of the rose, so there is a nice symbolic parallel between that and birth.

Though, I will point out that you say that the seed celebration takes place 12 years after rosehip, but based on what I read, it should take place 12 years after withering. Is that correct?
Click to expand...

The timing is very tricky. I think I may have to force Princess Rose to live for only up to some maximum amount of years. The seed celebration gathers all the candidates for the future queen which will give birth to Princess Rose. They are chosen at any age from infancy to pre-teen. Sorry for the lack of details, but they are trained until the age of 18. If they are not chosen as queen, then they will receive apprenticeship to become the shield-maidens and eventually the thorn mothers.
 
Jas said:
It would indeed be boring if it works exactly like this, but as a setup for an aberrant event (perhaps this Princess Rose has a bit of a mean streak? Reincarnation didn't go to plan, or something) it could be interesting. An apparent utopia hosting a dystopian story actually sounds pretty interesting to me.
Click to expand...

Yes, that would also pair very well with the secondary story (which is not fully developed yet). Princess Rose is actually a dreamer (think of it as someone from another world, the real world actually). It is a theme that I want to incorporate into all my worlds (from Iceneom, Thoia, to Essenia which contains the Kingdom of Rose) that we are connected to many different lives in an uncountable number of worlds and dreaming gives us a glimpse, and sometimes control, of our other lives. In general, death would mean disconnection from the world, but Princess Rose is a special case.
 
Ah. It seems silly now, but i was missing that detail in the writeup.

Still, that brings up another strange thing. So then when the Princess takes over (at 18), the blossoming could already have happened (or be about to happen) so her queen won't even be her mother?
 
KrultySenpai said:
Yes, that would also pair very well with the secondary story (which is not fully developed yet). Princess Rose is actually a dreamer (think of it as someone from another world, the real world actually). It is a theme that I want to incorporate into all my worlds (from Iceneom, Thoia, to Essenia which contains the Kingdom of Rose) that we are connected to many different lives in an uncountable number of worlds and dreaming gives us a glimpse, and sometimes control, of our other lives. In general, death would mean disconnection from the world, but Princess Rose is a special case.
Click to expand...
Sort of an Isekai, but not from the MC's point of view. Interesting. I also like the idea of building up this multiverse. I'd be interested to see more about what you have dreamed up.
 
Jas said:
Ah. It seems silly now, but i was missing that detail in the writeup.

Still, that brings up another strange thing. So then when the Princess takes over (at 18), the blossoming could already have happened (or be about to happen) so her queen won't even be her mother?
Click to expand...

There is the biggest inconsistency that I was looking for, thank you very much. Would moving the seeding ceremony to 12 years after the true bloom fix this problem?
 
Jas said:
Sort of an Isekai, but not from the MC's point of view. Interesting. I also like the idea of building up this multiverse. I'd be interested to see more about what you have dreamed up.
Click to expand...

Also, I have a question about editing a post, does editing a post forces it to become invisible until reviewed by a moderator? It makes me scared of editing my posts.
 
It would, though it might introduce another one.

If we wait until 12 years after the True Bloom, but the Princess is assassinated or something when she's only been reigning two years (tragic, but it could happen, right? This isn't the only country on Essenia, right?), then that wouldn't have another seeding for ten years, leading to a roseless period.

For something so plausible, I find it difficult to believe that this government wouldn't have come up with some solution to that.

Perhaps the Withering and the Blooming coincide? Seeds are selected every X years (six, perhaps?), and most become shield-maidens. However, when the princess passes, the council selects a new queen, this queen candidate enters her private education while the standing queen rules as regent, and when the candidate is ready, the Flowering is held and she starts trying to pump out a baby.

KrultySenpai said:
Also, I have a question about editing a post, does editing a post forces it to become invisible until reviewed by a moderator? It makes me scared of editing my posts.
Click to expand...
No, you're good. You can edit it. It'll throw up a disclaimer saying you edited it, but that's reasonable. You'll be able to see it immediately.
 
KrultySenpai said:
The timing is very tricky. I think I may have to force Princess Rose to live for only up to some maximum amount of years. The seed celebration gathers all the candidates for the future queen which will give birth to Princess Rose. They are chosen at any age from infancy to pre-teen. Sorry for the lack of details, but they are trained until the age of 18. If they are not chosen as queen, then they will receive apprenticeship to become the shield-maidens and eventually the thorn mothers.
Click to expand...
Ok, so about this, another question. Is it possible that there could be two Queens existing at the same time? Because if that's possible, I imagine that would cause a pretty significant power struggle?
 
AetherDreaming said:
Ok, so about this, another question. Is it possible that there could be two Queens existing at the same time? Because if that's possible, I imagine that would cause a pretty significant power struggle?
Click to expand...

After the recent changes, with the help of Jas. There will often be two queens existing at the same time. One currently ruling, and one selected to replace her. Yes, a power struggle is possible. I will need to specify in my post, but the blessing of the rose petals is not randomly given. The mark that qualifies a child for the crown is given to children that are like fated for goodness (if no external force twist that fate). Yes, there are a lot of details to fill in.
 
Jas said:
It would, though it might introduce another one.

If we wait until 12 years after the True Bloom, but the Princess is assassinated or something when she's only been reigning two years (tragic, but it could happen, right? This isn't the only country on Essenia, right?), then that wouldn't have another seeding for ten years, leading to a roseless period.

For something so plausible, I find it difficult to believe that this government wouldn't have come up with some solution to that.

Perhaps the Withering and the Blooming coincide? Seeds are selected every X years (six, perhaps?), and most become shield-maidens. However, when the princess passes, the council selects a new queen, this queen candidate enters her private education while the standing queen rules as regent, and when the candidate is ready, the Flowering is held and she starts trying to pump out a baby.


No, you're good. You can edit it. It'll throw up a disclaimer saying you edited it, but that's reasonable. You'll be able to see it immediately.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your suggestions. I have edited the primary post, and I like it a lot more than before.
 
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