Magely Courage

At the conference of apprentices, an informal matter, a consensus could not be reached as to which profession was the unhappiest to pursue, since each declared his own to be the worst save Emet.
"Candle-making, grave-digging, wagon-driving? It is fortunate there are still humble people like you in the world who expect nothing! Mining, bandit-hunting, guarding gates? You are all very brave! I cannot imagine having a job that would put me at risk!" That was how he taunted his peers before they parted.
He returned to his master, Hastef the great mage, who was engaged in altering eerie liquids confined to shallow silver vessels for some elevated purpose. Emet recognized, though of course could not reproduce, the Reinforce Glass Against Hail spell. That was not its genuine effect; his master's custom was to name his methods deceptively, seeing no reason offer rewars for rival mages whose arcane sight penetrated his defenses.
"Emet." Not every mage had the confidence to give a spell of that complexity less than his whole focus. "You must be reinvigorated by the society you keep. Enough to tackle the red one on your desk."
"Yes, Master." Emet picked up the red sleeve and looked at the first page within. A spell of My Stupid Apprentice Will Die If He Casts This. Very amusing. "What is its actual purpose?"
Emet looked up and discovered his master to be staring at him, his labors paused. The sleeve felt hot in his hands; no, it was hot. Emet dropped it with a cry, whereupon Hastef, his voice low, said, "Ascertain the purpose through use. You can try the black one if you prefer. But you must cast a new spell today. Either that or accept dismissal."
Emet looked at the black sleeve. He had noticed it before but had been unable to perceive it as an item with physical properties. Lifting the front away with a tentative finger, he saw that within was an Indicate Presence of Nearby Treasure spell. He jerked the finger away, not as a result of any definite sensation but simply from a sense it would be wise. He turned his eyes, the sole part of his body which consented to move, back to meet his master's gaze.
"Today you are to learn of what bravery consists in regard to magic," the great mage uttered.
Finis

Folklore Weaknesses Explained

Many wonder why werewolves are weak to silver. It's because all the ones that were weak to pollen died without accomplishing anything. Hope this helps.

Addendum

Similarly, while you could adjust the level or XP by the age of the candidate, why shouldn't age be an advantage? Unless there are age-based stat penalties, which there probably are. That means we have to consider stats etc. as well, making this an impossible calculation. Considering all this, it's no wonder everything in politics comes down to a fight in the end.

Power Scaling Question

Suppose you have a system in which different classes need different amounts of XP to level. In such a case, should the king's heir be determined by level or total XP? It's all well and good to say magic-users are stronger than fighters of the same level, but if they aren't the same level . . .

Social Events?

I've never attended one myself, but sometimes your characters might have to. Should such a dreadful eventuality arise, please consult the following table, your favorite chance-reflection implement at hand.

1. Wedding
2. Funeral
3. Baptism (local equivalent thereof)
4. Knighting
5. Measured observance of the outcome of a recent sporting event
6. Mass clemency offer on the ascension of a new ruler
7. THE GATHERING
8. Birth
9. A priest is gonna resurrect somebody? Don't see that every day!
10. Ritual bathing in the pool of the slain god to absorb powers (very likely the main character won't get any but then later it turns out he has the best one or can steal others or excels with wits or hard work, which is to say everyone else is incapable of figuring out how to open a door)
11. Important businessman's retirement
12. The sword dance (few survive the sword dance)

To determine who else will be attending the event, how about you come up with something on your own for a change? Sheesh.

Branching Out

Tired of Euro-limited fantasy? Try this: Dire Coyote. Oh, you think that wouldn't actually change much? Funny how that works out.

True Names

Most likely they're Mr. Human, Mr. Bee, Mr. Hedgehog, and so on. Wizards just obscure everything to keep their place at the top.

Generations of Courage

"I am afraid that because of that pact, Galegmos may be harmed by nothing but the sword Condita, lost long ago. I can give you my notes to help you find it, but . . ."
"But?" The brave young members of the desperate band leaned forward to ensure they heard every one of the sage's words.
"But Condita may only be wielded by the descendants of Bevler, into whose hands the spirits first gave it!"
The rapt listeners gasped in dismay. "Are there any alive today? How can we find them?"
The sage held up his fingers and began to count. "Well, I'm one. And three of you. Sorry, little Yodly. And that shepherd passing by right now." They all paused to look outside at the whistling peasant. "Then there's most of the villagers in Hurglen down the road, except for the Rundels of course. They're later arrivals. Then, if you go to Trantose, eight thousand, six hundred nine trace their blood back to Bevler. I have suspicions about a couple thousand more there. After that . . ."
The eager seekers assured the sage that they had enough candidates to get started.
Finis

Addendum

That's 33% over $90, of course. The only way to get people buying non-ebooks is to make them premium items. Each volume must be printed in the author's blood (cloning will be employed for the purpose).

The New Formatting Innovation

Everybody's going to skip to the end anyway, so why not include an author-chosen bookmark at the most favorable point? Of course ebooks should have one or even a set, but a "physical release" can have one at a markup of a mere 33%.

Addendum

That isn't an endorsement of anything else that goes on in Star Wars books. This is, though: People would definitely watch and bet on blob-racing if it existed.

A Hint of Maturity

When I was young, I thought it was silly when some author of Star Wars licensed novels decided to use "slicer" as an in-universe equivalent of "hacker." Now that I'm venerable, I still think that's a silly practice but I realize slicer is a cooler term for it anyway.

Nintendo Direct Reflection

When one is reminded that Nintendo is making Splatoon, one is compelled to consider where today's popular fantasy and science fiction ideas originate. Do books have any influence, or are they just like TV shows that have lower viewership than mid-tier Youtube channels?

Cryogenics Shmryogenics

People used to put their colonists to sleep for interstellar voyages, but we all agree these days we're going to send out a cloning station with engines attached and clone volunteers when it reaches the destination, right? There's the danger that the clones will worship the cloning facility as a god, but it probably isn't a big deal if they do. In addition, there can be a complex designed to effect terraforming. If there is, the cloned colonists (clonolists for short) will almost certainly create a Manichean sort of religion around those two facilities, but that's still fine.

The Puzzle at the Core

A kingdom once suffered from a terrible drought. The king sent a letter to the king of the moon, asking if he could see anything wrong with the weather from up there. The response suggested that the rainclouds he wanted were gathered around Mt. Hustis to the north.
The king went himself to investigate. The clouds there told him this: "We wish to continue on to your kingdom and other lands, but a strange creature asks a question of everyone who tries to pass, even us, turning aside those who get it wrong, as all do."
The king challenged the creature without delay, for at his side he had councilors wise in riddles.
"You wish to pass?" asked the beast, a terrible thing which had two hands, two claws, and two pincers at the end of its mighty arms, and four distinct tails beside. "Then give me the right answer. Where are my glasses? I can't find them anywhere."
"They're on that," the king said while pointing to a flat rock he had passed earlier.
"Oh, thank you. You may pass."
"I would rather the rains pass instead. But tell me, what is the use in asking clouds for help? They cannot see."
"Neither can they speak."
"Ah! That is true!" Starting then the king began to question the nature of the local clouds, leading to consequences unforseeable and widely felt.
Finis

Magic Words

Remember silly magic words and phrases? I don't see much of those nowadays, and that means it's time to bring them back. Specifically, for you to bring them back. I won't be participating.

Guild Wars 3

Guild Wars 3! And it's a prequel! That seems like a terrible idea! I'm not excited about it at all! Go play Guild Wars instead.

Addendum

Now in games it's different so long as you still get XP, which is why Dragon Quest XII can stride confidently.

The Core Problem With Dream Sequences

Many dislike dreams in fantasy and science fiction. Who, and how many exactly? Shut up. Anyway, in a modern materialistic setting, dreams are comparatively fanciful. In fantasy or science fiction, the stuff in them can simply happen, perhaps in the holodeck or fairy world. If anything, fantasy/scifi dreams often seem mundane, and who wants a mundane interruption in the middle of his thrilling and thought-provoking speculative fiction narrative? Many, but possibly fewer than the many mentioned earlier.

Addendum

In the future that feature can expand to allow people to swap your book with a better one, so please look forward to it.

Needed E-Reader Feature

In most books, changing every member of x fantasy race into y fantasy race wouldn't affect much, for which reason that ought to be a toggle included in the device itself. Writers can indicate the level of race-swap compatibility in a file included with the text.