WaterFish
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- Apr 1, 2023
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I’ve heard some people saying that one should plot backwards from the end of a story.
I have the beginning of my story and the end plotted out, but I’m unsure of how to construct a bridge to each goal post.
There are five arcs in total I’m planning and the first is in a Magic Academy setting where the MC becomes a ‘Hero’.
In this society that’s similar to The Novel’s Extra but without a System, those with ordinary talent becomes ‘Jobless’ and those who are awakened with a Gift get to choose between 12 complete Job Classes. They are collectively called ‘Heroes’.
‘Jobless’ can choose two Stigmata Gifts and can potentially learn a Combat Gift if they get the right training. Those who choose a Class after awakening a Innate Gift can further improve it.
The main commonality is that even an F Rank can become strong, as the human limit without a special bloodline is the D Rank in Magical Talent globally. Everyone gets to have two Stigmata Gifts even if they don’t get a Combat Gifts.
As always, the main character is different.
Coming from a poor family, he initially seeks the profit so that his single father could live a better life. After all, his father was strong… but to fully inherit their family techniques meant the breadwinner would lose his powers in the process of passing it over to the MC.
Af first, the MC believed he was lucky enough since even though his Innate Gift, ‘Empty’, was useless, it at least meant he would be able to choose anything else from being ‘Jobless’.
This was when his hopes were squashed.
He was excited when he saw the unique ‘Hero’ Class instead of the other Jobs others chose.
It was proof he was special everyone recognised.
However, the drawback was that this specific Job Class gave no Stigmata Gifts whatsoever.
Only being a ‘Hero’ in name only. No hidden powers or special attributes from his bloodline.
He despairs, and his father assured him that even if he has no Stigmata Gifts, their family exorcism techniques were worthy enough to make him recognised. At least he wasn’t weak.
Among the regular cadets, he wouldn’t be weak.
However, having the ‘Hero’ Class was like a brand that attracted bullies. One of them being his first hurdle to overcome. A bully that eventually beats him in a contest to get a higher rank and leaves for greater heights than the MC.
Fast forward to high school, the MC vows to get revenge on that bully and become stronger regardless of his U(nqualified) Rank. Being even lower than an F Rank due to having no Mana.
He gains his five-man band and becomes friends with two girls i based off Honkai Impact 3rd characters of Kiana Kaslana and Raiden Mei. He also meets two others while escaping the high school after Raiden Mei’s incident happens.
That being her demon lord evil superpower self taking over and killing nearly the entire city.
This including his father.
He breaks down and curses his own weakness at that moment. His negativity boosting the special legacy strength he’d inherited as an excoriated (Jujutsu Kaisen style). He loses control and almost kills his party in the process.
This is when those from a higher echelon find them and subdues him in his feral form.
He is then forced to admit into an Academy with the others until he learns to control his powers.
The enemies from here range from his bully, who also happens to go to that Academy and thought the the MC wouldn’t get in, along with the ‘friend’ who went insane and killed his father.
The story is about whether him existing as a ‘Hero’ means anything when he doesn’t have the makings of one. After all, the MC inherited strength that grows stronger with negativity and his main fighting style is pretty much ‘inelegant’.
I’ve got antagonists being disasters, a man-made disaster, humans, and more as ideas… but I’m unsure of how to work backwards from them to what I’d just described.
It feels like a tree branching out since I can’t seem to easily find a thread connecting the incidents due to them being wildly different. The circumstances and reasoning.
Any advice on how to work backwards from antagonistic forces when writing a plan?
Draft design on main character:
I have the beginning of my story and the end plotted out, but I’m unsure of how to construct a bridge to each goal post.
There are five arcs in total I’m planning and the first is in a Magic Academy setting where the MC becomes a ‘Hero’.
In this society that’s similar to The Novel’s Extra but without a System, those with ordinary talent becomes ‘Jobless’ and those who are awakened with a Gift get to choose between 12 complete Job Classes. They are collectively called ‘Heroes’.
‘Jobless’ can choose two Stigmata Gifts and can potentially learn a Combat Gift if they get the right training. Those who choose a Class after awakening a Innate Gift can further improve it.
The main commonality is that even an F Rank can become strong, as the human limit without a special bloodline is the D Rank in Magical Talent globally. Everyone gets to have two Stigmata Gifts even if they don’t get a Combat Gifts.
As always, the main character is different.
Coming from a poor family, he initially seeks the profit so that his single father could live a better life. After all, his father was strong… but to fully inherit their family techniques meant the breadwinner would lose his powers in the process of passing it over to the MC.
Af first, the MC believed he was lucky enough since even though his Innate Gift, ‘Empty’, was useless, it at least meant he would be able to choose anything else from being ‘Jobless’.
This was when his hopes were squashed.
He was excited when he saw the unique ‘Hero’ Class instead of the other Jobs others chose.
It was proof he was special everyone recognised.
However, the drawback was that this specific Job Class gave no Stigmata Gifts whatsoever.
Only being a ‘Hero’ in name only. No hidden powers or special attributes from his bloodline.
He despairs, and his father assured him that even if he has no Stigmata Gifts, their family exorcism techniques were worthy enough to make him recognised. At least he wasn’t weak.
Among the regular cadets, he wouldn’t be weak.
However, having the ‘Hero’ Class was like a brand that attracted bullies. One of them being his first hurdle to overcome. A bully that eventually beats him in a contest to get a higher rank and leaves for greater heights than the MC.
Fast forward to high school, the MC vows to get revenge on that bully and become stronger regardless of his U(nqualified) Rank. Being even lower than an F Rank due to having no Mana.
He gains his five-man band and becomes friends with two girls i based off Honkai Impact 3rd characters of Kiana Kaslana and Raiden Mei. He also meets two others while escaping the high school after Raiden Mei’s incident happens.
That being her demon lord evil superpower self taking over and killing nearly the entire city.
This including his father.
He breaks down and curses his own weakness at that moment. His negativity boosting the special legacy strength he’d inherited as an excoriated (Jujutsu Kaisen style). He loses control and almost kills his party in the process.
This is when those from a higher echelon find them and subdues him in his feral form.
He is then forced to admit into an Academy with the others until he learns to control his powers.
The enemies from here range from his bully, who also happens to go to that Academy and thought the the MC wouldn’t get in, along with the ‘friend’ who went insane and killed his father.
The story is about whether him existing as a ‘Hero’ means anything when he doesn’t have the makings of one. After all, the MC inherited strength that grows stronger with negativity and his main fighting style is pretty much ‘inelegant’.
I’ve got antagonists being disasters, a man-made disaster, humans, and more as ideas… but I’m unsure of how to work backwards from them to what I’d just described.
It feels like a tree branching out since I can’t seem to easily find a thread connecting the incidents due to them being wildly different. The circumstances and reasoning.
Any advice on how to work backwards from antagonistic forces when writing a plan?
Draft design on main character: