J. Maxwell - Author

Excited to participate in #MythAugust, where I'll be spending sometime on one particular religion in the world of Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social).

The Vizrani Empire has a state religion that can be thought of a "polytheistic bureaucracy of the gods." Within the Vizrani...

#AugustWorldbuilders Prompts Day 2: What subjects are students taught?

#AugustWorldbuilders
2: In Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), the Universities of Atmoriel and Freeport predominantly train the next generation of scholars in alchemy, geography, history, and the other natural sciences (with the latter university just beginning the study of...

#MythAugust Day 2

The Vizrani Empire in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) has a gaggle of various gods (including some with multiple domains and "faces") and demons, and identifying "main" gods outside of Vizra, the God Emperor of Social Order is challenging. While all are...

Check out my #books on #Amazon and read them for free with #KindleUnlimited! The 1st book is about me surviving #AgapeBoardingSchool and the #TroubledTeenIndustry and the 2nd is about #ChristianFascism #ChristianNationalism and the history of #racism #religion and #colonization of the #UnitedStates.

#AugustWorldbuilders Prompts Day 3: Are there specialized schools e.g. for magic or specific professions?

#AugustWorldbuilders
3: In Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), the Universities in Freeport and Atmoriel predominantly teach and train scholars and scientists, and the schools of the Vizrani Empire teach law to the barristers and the rules of the bureaucracy to the bureaucrats.

#MythAugust

3: This is a tricky question for the gods and demons of the Vizrani Empire in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social). A very plain-faced and simple reading for the followers of the religion is that the gods are "good" and demons are "evil." However, given the gods...

#AugustWorldbuilders Prompts Day 4: What is the culture like at school?

#AugustWorldbuilders
4: In Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), the Universities of Freeport and Atmoriel both highly value rigorous academic pursuits. Oddly enough, the University of Atmoriel is one of the freest institutions in a mostly authoritarian society, while the...

#MythAugust

4: In the Vizrani Empire in Karnasia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), there are the broad camps of "gods" and "demons," and then there are certain gods with multiple "faces" (such as Kuixa with his expressions of Kuixin, Kuixal, Kuixol, and Kuixi). There are also the...

#AugustWorldbuilders Day 5: Does/did your MC go to school?

#AugustWorldbuilders
5: Of the Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) main characters, most didn't go to school (Morella is the one exception I can think of, Sri'Mirr having received private tutoring and Rashad having military training), though Zri'Denn does wind up attending...

#MythAugust

5: In the Vizrani Empire of Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), Vizra is treated as the leader of the gods and in fact, some versions of the founding story argue that what separates some of the demons was specifically their unwillingness to recognize Vizra's...

#JuneWorldbuilders Prompts Day 29: How are you feeling about your WIP currently?

#JuneWorldbuilders
Day 29: Feeling pretty good currently with where @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social and I are at with Karnassia stories. Drafted the four stand alone books, with the fourth draft sitting for a minute before I revise. Working on drafting the second book in the first series. Progress!

#JuneWorldbuilders Prompts Day 30: Was your worldbuilding pre-planned or do you build as you write?

#JuneWorldbuilders
Day 30: For Karnassia, @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social and I did a significant amount of pre-planned worldbuilding. Like, objectively, maybe an excessive amount by any reasonable metric. I'm glad we did it this way, but for other worlds, I definitely do a more build-as-I-go approach.

Paige Allen (@paige_allen_89) on Threads

www.threads.com/@paige_allen...

#JuneWorldbuilders Prompts Day 28: Common punishment method in your story

#JuneWorldbuilders
Day 28: In the Karnassia stories (co-authored with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), the most common punishments observed are hanging or decapitation by sword (in Hroth), len'ctha (in the Vizrani Empire), and exile/banishment (in the Beadaoga towns of Stoneburrough and Rockdale)

#JuneWorldbuilders Prompts Day 25: Justice system

#JuneWorldbuilders
Day 25: In Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), justice systems vary by nation, with some like Avenad and Freeport having systems of rights to factors like representation in court and trial by jury, while others (like Hroth and the Vizrani Empire) tend to...

#JuneWorldbuilders Prompts Day 17: Enemy monsters

#JuneWorldbuilders
Day 17: In Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), most of the predatory creatures are adversarial with the average person in Karnassia. these include the wolf-like Kanai, the cat-like Sicari, the ape-like drullars, and the massive Ursae bears, of the forest...

#JuneWorldbuilders Prompts Day 18: Companion animals

#JuneWorldbuilders
Day 18: Within Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), the human nations have standard domesticated animals, while the ral have domesticated some unusual animals. The Valestrals of Valestra have domesticated both the hacidea (ostrich-sized peacock like birds)...

#JuneWorldbuilders Prompts Days 19-21: Ecological niche, Dens, nests, families, and Myths or legends about creatures

#JuneWorldbuilders Prompts
Days 19-21: Getting caught up in Karnassa (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social)

19: The tunnels and caves beneath the desert and mountains of Avenad feature a number of creatures specifically adapted to the dark, with bioluminescence and dark vision common...

#JuneWorldbuiilders Prompts Day 22: Crimes committed in story

#JuneWorldbuiilders
Day 22: The Rise of Villainy quartet set in Karnassa (co-authored with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) predominantly follows a group of characters as they establish a criminal organization. The story contains the following crimes: drug dealing, manufacturing, and trafficking...

#JuneWorldbuilders Prompts Day 23: SNIPPET: Crime

SNIPPET from Book 1 (Rise of Rogues) of the Rise of Villainy Quartet: "Rather than cheers, simply stunned silence met these words. It was Arron McCord who finally broke it, by asking, “But what about the decree?” Zri’Denn laughed in response, waving a dismissive hand. “Ah, yes, Arron, the decree, the decree…” Zri’Denn turned to Rashad who sat near the side of the desk at his right hand. “Rashad, my friend! What is the first rule of the Silent Hand!” Rashad breathed out from his pipe, nicotonia smoke surrounding him as he spoke in a voice far louder than was typical for him. “DON’T. GET. CAUGHT.” The silence remained over the crowd, as Zri’Denn walked around to his right, past Rashad, and now stood in front of his desk. “Precisely… Don’t. Get. Caught. There is a reason that this is our utmost rule, that even with the heat coming down on us, the authorities can’t be sure who we are! They might try to threaten us with decrees about law and order and who will hang but let me be clear: the only criminals who will hang are those who get caught!” He leaned back against the desk behind him, his eyes sweeping over the assembled crowd. “And this is an elite group of the best criminals in the world. So, none of us will get caught, and none of us will hang. And so, nothing will fundamentally change. Understood?”"

#JuneWorldbuilders

Day 23: SNIPPET: Went with "criminal" instead, but here is Zri'Denn reassuring the rest of the organization that harsher punishments against criminals shouldn't change the way the Silent Hand does their business (co-authored with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social)

#JuneWorldbuilders Prompts Day 24: Organized crime/gangs

#JuneWorldbuilders
Day 24: The Rise of Villainy series in Karnassia (co-authored with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) details the rise of one particular criminal gang, The Silent Hand, due to the discovery of the alchemical process to create drugs, as well as its splinter organization Time's Loss...

#JuneWorldbuilders Prompts Day 16: SNIPPET: Beast, monster, or creature

SNIPPET from The Second War: The creature was clearer now as more torches threw it into relief. It had reared up like a massive cobra, interlocking chitin plates in shades of yellow, brown, and orange repelling arrows as glancing blows. As bloodspawn archers continued to fire, the sound of cranking came from the rear as a great crossbow the size of a horse was wheeled up. Rashad ran forward quickly, blades out and balanced in each hand. With all eyes on the centipede, Rashad was able to get behind the line of bloodspawn. He struck at their necks and heads from behind, splitting skulls and decapitating them as he went. Despite the flying heads and sprays of blood, no eyes flashed to him, all remaining on the larger, greater threat. Three bloodspawn worked to crank the mechanism on the massive crossbow, a bolt itself the length of a sword being steadily brought in. Rashad bridged the distance between them, swinging swords like a creature of the wild. One he took across the back of the skull, caving its helmet in and dropping it. When the next turned, Rashad slashed across its face, sending a spray of blood and several teeth flying across the massive crossbow and clattering against the wooden instrument. Screams emerged, pulling Rashad’s eyes and the vision of the last of the three bloodspawn to the sound. The centipede had struck in a downward darting motion, pulling a bloodspawn into its mandibles and rearing back up to standing. With its pincers, it crunched loudly through the creature whose legs hung out of its mouth. Blood fell in splatters and more arrows continued to glance off the beast. Rashad turned back to the other bloodspawn on the crossbow and struck across its neck, sending its head flying. He climbed on top of crossbow, kicking at the mechanism and allowing it to misfire, the bolt falling uselessly to the ground. More screams. The half-eaten bloodspawn had been dropped to the ground, and the centipede had reached back down and grabbed another. Surveyin…

#JuneWorlbuilders
Day 16: SNIPPET: Here is a scene that @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social and I had alluded to in another story before it made its way into chapter 35 of The Second War. This particularly beast/monster/creature is a giant centipede.

#JuneWorldbuilders Prompts Day 15: Are the monsters in your story scary or cute?

#JuneWorldbuilders
Day 15: The monsters and creatures of Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) are predominantly scary, though they are overwhelmingly megafauna creatures (e.g., giant sloths, giant beavers, giant insects) and similarly non-magical creatures on the whole.

#JuneWorldbuilders Prompts Day 14: Clothes worn by special classes (nobles, clergy, etc.)

#JuneWorldbuilders Prompts
Day 14: In the Vizrani Empire of Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), the Emperor wears a gold crown an additional head high with the letter of the Empire and great rubies. This contrasts with what is worn by the His Imperial Majesty's Inquisition...

#JuneWorldbuilders Prompts Day 13: What does the villain wear?

#JuneWorldbuilders
Day 13: Given both the sprawling and morally gray nature(s) of Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), it is hard to identify one singular villain, and one revealing one particular character as a villain might wind up being a spoiler for many different stories...

#JuneWorldbuilders Prompts Day 12: What does the MC wear?

#JuneWorldbuilders
Day 12: While Karnassia stories (co-authored with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) have a number of main characters, Zri'Denn is probably the most interesting here since he works to acquire a number of different outfits and disguises for various deceptive (criminal) purposes.

Getting ready for the swole moon

Every flashbang could instead be a meal for a poor kid. Every hotel room for a National Guardsman deployed to fire at our neighbors could house a homeless vet. Every "less-than-lethal" bullet pulled from a journalist's eye could be already needed healthcare for anyone else. All of this is a choice.

Double.

Sober Thoughts From the Crazy House Amazon.com: Sober Thoughts From the Crazy House: 9798333864598: Maxwell, J.: Books

It's my birthday. 35 and trying to thrive. Give me a follow, throw a like at a post, and if you're feeling frisky, go get a copy of my book.

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