Tag: Fantasy

Welcome to the Doms! (WIP + Camp NaNoWriMo update)

S. J.1 Comment

Happy (Early) Mother’s Day!

Honestly, there’s so much happening right now that I am so glad I have my mother with me. She’s the most amazing homeschool mom that I know of, and when I grow up, I want to be just like her. (I could write a whole another blog post on this topic.)

Anyhow. Today, I will introduce you to a small aspect of my current WIP, Woodstone Abbey! I’m so excited! *squeals an A#6*

Anna captures my emotions perfectly.

 This was my project for Camp NaNoWriMo, where I wrote the first 50K. But I only got to the end of the introduction, so I’m thinking either I have to make it into a duology or a crazily thick tome. (Currently, I like a tome better. Who wouldn’t like YA fantasy tome?)

Okay, so the thing about the Doms are that they’re a type of dormitory at Woodstone Abbey, which is like a magical school. For those of you who do not know, I usually sort my characters using the MBTI and the Hogwarts housing systemTM. When I was just beginning Woodstone Abbey, I knew that it was going to be a classical artsy-magical school. (The entire magic system is based off the 7 liberal arts.) But I didn’t want to give it a housing system because I thought that would be too similar to Hogwarts. (Plus, the location is in England.) 

Me with all MCs.

However. 

I realised that it would be fun to have my own system for sorting out people, but not entirely like the Hogwarts houses. And a good idea is a good idea no matter.

So here is my take on the houses…

Basic Information: 

  1. Each Dom is like its own country. Hence, you must follow their law when entering their properties.
  2. To live at a Dom, you must meet the criteria set by that Dom.
  3. Each Dom has its own currency that can be used across the Abbey.
  4. A member of a Dom must always wear its signet and tie their scarves accordingly.
  5. Each Dom has its own governance. All the Doms’ heads come together to form the Abbey council. 
  6. Sometimes, a Dom may declare war on another Dom. A member in that Dom must observe the Code of War set by the Abbey.
  7. You may transfer from another Dom to the other if you do not fit in. You do this by first retrieving the Exchange item they gave to that Dom when they joined. (The Shoe Oath.)

The Rosemary: 

Known for/Motto: The Beautiful (or, the Lovestruck)…“Beauty is Strength”

Loc: In the South wing near the Greenhouse; entrance via Hessy House

Language: ‘Romar

Currency: 1M=one mary

Politics: Democracy

Signet/Scarf fashion: Earrings/Parisian tie

Tradition & Dish: Spring Fashion & Arts Gallery & Potato-rosemary chiffon cake

To Join: You must love beauty and art; showcase both upon entrance in the mirror at Hessy House

The Dandelions: 

Known for/Motto: The Chivalrous (or, the Brave!)…”Chivalry forever!”

Loc: In the towers of East wing; the only entrance via the  tower windows 

Language: Duvanki

Currency: 1L=one lion

Politics: Monarchy

Signet/Scarf fashion: Badge/Once-around 

Tradition & Dish: May Talent Show & Potato Beer

To Join: You must display bravery; the test is to entre the Dandelion dom via the only entrance up the stairs of east wing towers, and out on the roof of the tower, into the window.

The Sage: 

Known for/Motto: The Wise (or, the Smart!)…”Lovers of wisdom and intelligence”

Loc: In the wall apartment complex around the Abbey + the North Wing towers; entrance unknown

Language: Sofós

Currency: 1S=one sage

Politics: Republic

Signet/Scarf fashion: Watch (pocket or bracelet)/ Graduate or  Drape

Tradition & Dish: The Sagest (A competition of wit & genius) & Potato Pot Pie

To Join: One must display great wisdom and intellect by:

  1. Find the Sage Dom entrance
  2. Answer the Riddle at the entrance (changes every time)
  3. Offer a riddle about oneself to the President and Prime Minister

The Lavender:

Known for/Motto: The Gentle (or, the Mysterious!)…”Lasting Inheritance”

Loc: In the West wing library attics; entrance via the swing elevator

Language: laventeli

Currency: 1D=one der

Politics: Aristocracy

Signet/Scarf fashion: Necklace/ Artist or reverse drape

Tradition & Dish: Firefly tea with storytelling contest & Potato Cream CandyTo Join: There is no requirement but to read a certain book

So that’s the basic gist of Doms. Thanks for reading thus far!

How did you find the Woodstone Abbey Doms? Do you have one in favourite? How do you think it compares to Hogwarts? Let me know in the comments below!

Woodstone Abbey

S. J.1 Comment

The Go-To Stats:

Status: Draft 1.0

Word Count: 155.7K/ Aiming for 200K

Genre: Dark Academia Fantasy

Audience: Young Adult

Feat: 7 Liberal Arts + Magic + Friends like Siblings + Earl Grey Tea

Woodstone Abbey Pinterest Board

Story, &c.

Woodstone Abbey is a prestigious institution of the Arts–or magic, as our world calls it. It is located in the World Next Doors, and one can enter it only by divine intervention…

S. J. Barnard

When I was twelve, I failed the entrance exam of a prestigious magical institution, known as Woodstone Abbey to some. This academy, located in the Mirrored world where everything was the same as the world you and I live in but–you guessed it, yes–it had magic. And surprise, we’re stuck in the non-magical side of the mirror, and we have to try extra hard to get into a magical institution. I know, it sounds pretentious. 

But it really wasn’t in our situation.

Woodstone Abbey

Elijacomb Alexei Fleur the Seventeenth

S. J.1 Comment

The Go-To Stats:

Status: Draft 1.0

Word Count: 20K/Aiming for 50K

Genre: Soft Sci-fi

Audience: Middlegrade

Feat: Violist + Children’s Organisation + Science Experiments

Elijacomb Pinterest Board

The thing is, I’m not entirely sure how the story will work out. Yet. For now, I’ll share the rough character sketches I came up with.

Definition:

Elijacomb Alexei Fleur the seventeenth: Is a violist living in Takadanobaba. He is precisely eleven and three months old. He homeschools in a very typical old Japanese house that creaks and freezes over in winter, and he has a twin brother named Jacov that no one can see except for the friendly neighbour granny Yoshiko-san. He is wearing a thin-framed, rectangular silver glasses that make him look like a cold and calculating scientist, but he is not. He has silver blond hair that makes him look funny. 

He is the finder of Imaginogen, a lost element. From this finding, he is invited into the Children’s  Union of Teracelestial Expedition (CUTE). 

Ichigo Sanada: Is a mathematician living in Toyama Icchoume. She is exactly eleven and three months old, sharing the same birthdate as Elijacomb. She goes to a prestigious Japanese all-girls school that she hates from her heart, but her mother takes none of that. As an act of rebellion, she one day dyed her hair sparkling sky-blue with the help of her best friend, Alice. She is usually seen wearing her hair in knee-length twin tail, crisp peter pan blouse, baby pink skirt and black stockings, with a beige lab coat thrown over no matter what the weather is. 

She solved the lost equation of the heart-intellect age index that was proven to be faulty when she was four, making her the youngest member of CUTE.

Sir Yamato: Is the thirteenth Captain of CUTE. Despite having an unlucky number, he calls himself the luckiest person alive on earth, proving this fact by all the odds he had defied for the past three years. He is fifteen (or turning sixteen in three weeks to be exact), but his heart-intellect age index is still in the 300s, placing him well between the standards of “Child” in CUTE. He wears a dimpled smile and dresses like Black Jack, the unlicensed doctor he believes is still alive somewhere in the city of Tokyo. He also believes that Elijacomb is incarnate of Mozart, despite the fact Elijacomb is allergic to cats.  

Setting his absurd personal details and beliefs aside, he is an accomplished World Peace Mission Ambassador, also holding similar positions since he was ten. He jokes that this Advocate role started with being class president when he was nine, and still goes to a normal public school.  

Silvia: Is the Chief Secretary of CUTE who has been working for Sir Yamato for the past two years. She has held high positions in CUTE, to begin with when she entred the aforesaid organization at age seven. She is twelve and half-years old, with a somewhat high H-IA index of 500s, and fears she may end up in the 600s which places you in young adult soon enough. She is extremely attractive with platinum blond hair tied in intricate braids, and fashionable business attire. Her brother, Josh, was the tenth Captain of CUTE.

She was accepted due to her unusual skills in organization and her book based on it at age seven: The Art of Organization for Children, written with the help of her brother which became a best seller. 

CUTE (Children’s  Union of Teracelestial Expedition): Is a worldwide organization that was founded thirty-nine years ago. Its goal is to promote childhood that was becoming increasingly lost in the modern era. Some of its core values are attested in The Way of Childhood, or Kodomo-dou, which was written by the founding siblings, Frankie and Fredrika Fontebilleski. From the start, CUTE was highlighted as the top 10 Children’s Entrepreneurship list by Times, and now it is a global phenomenon and has received multiple awards including the Nobel Peace Prize, as well as being featured in the United Nations.