I compiled questions from Royal Road and Discord:
Title Explanation: I chose the title Realm of Monsters for a few reasons. The simplest reason is that the story is set in the Ebon Realm of the 10 Null Realms. Since I hope to write other stories in the same universe of the Null Realms I wanted the title to allude to that connection.
A more complex reason is that though the Realm has magical monsters that roam the land, not all monsters look like horrid creatures. People can be monsters as well. The Ebon Realm is an example of a grimdark society that follows many backward practices.
The cityfolk tend to see Stryg as a barbarian who comes from a savage society, without realizing that behind the fancy clothes and buildings, the cityfolk have just as savage practices. Stryg has to learn that monsters exist everywhere and that while he’s been trained to fight and survive against them, he himself may be viewed as a monster by others.
“Will Book 2 be continued under this fiction, or will it be listed as it's own fiction?”
Book 2 and future books will still be listed under this fiction, Realm of Monsters.
“Will you take a break for some time, or continue book 2 with the usual schedule?”
Book 2 will continue on the usual schedule, there will be no break at this time.
“How come there are six prime mages? If 1 in a 100 people are mages and then 1 in 100 mages are manifold mages with two colors and so on. The chances would be 1%^10 or 10^-20. That’s one in a hundred quintillion chances of being a prime mage.”
Simple answer, prime mage aren’t as rare as 1%^10. I didn't state that 1 in 100 people are magi. There is a statement in the glossary that says 1 in 100 magi have 3 chromatic colors, but that is not a pattern for 4 colors, 5 colors, etc. Prime magi are rare, but not infinitesimally rare.
“Since mana can be manifested outside the body as seen during the aptitude test where you push your mana from within you into the crystal , is it possible then to conjure a layer of mana to cover your body without using the chromatic colours? Not necessarily your whole body.like your hands or something”
No, it is not. The moment mana leaves the body it dissipates into the air, unless it was transformed through a spell, such as orange mana becoming fire through a flame spell. Magestone is unique in that it can absorb mana like a battery.
Stolen story; please report.
“Is the magic system based on something else? Or how did you come up with it?”
My system isn’t based on anything in particular. I have read, watched, and played various fantasy stories and games throughout my life. I’ve used those experiences and my imagination to create the magic system.
“why did you hide stryg's face till now? I imagined him as a cute but definitely goblin character and not this lady killer. You sir have cheated.”
The commission for Stryg was just finished the same day as I released the chapter 70. I’m glad I was able to release it at the end of book 1, it seems a fitting time.
Stryg’s Portrait:
A little background on the commission. While the picture is definitely in a handsome/beautiful style, many aspects of Stryg were done as intended.
Goblins in the story are not intended to look like the stereotypical goblin. One of the main reasons being that goblins are often portrayed as being monsters in stories.
I think the idea of a monster is more of a psychological aspect, than a physical one. I wanted to reflect that with goblins. While the goblins in the story do have certain traditional features, such as yellow slit eyes, green skin, pointed ears, none of their features are caricatures i.e. they don’t have enormous noses, ears 2 feet long, etc. Goblins are still a species like any other, elves, humans, and so forth.
I did notice many readers may have forgotten various details regarding Stryg’s appearance. Stryg is mentioned to be handsome throughout the story, as well as looking like a drow. While he does have fangs, they are very small, and so don't jut out while his mouth is closed.
A point I wanted to make within the story is that Stryg doesn’t look like a monster but is often treated as one. People see someone who doesn’t look like others or doesn’t quite fit in with them and decide to ostracize that person, as often happens in real life.
Stryg is very self conscious of what he looks like not because he is ugly, but because he is different. He has been treated so poorly by the Blood Fang tribe for so long that he genuinely believes he is ugly and undeserving. Many people who grow up in abusive homes don't value themselves and believe that they are ugly and are ashsamed of their appearance. Stryg is no different in this regard.
An example would be when someone like Plum came around and pointed out his looks (and even thought he was bragging of how handsome he was), Stryg couldn’t bring himself to believe her.
That all being said, I understand and fully support that everyone has their own idea of what a character may look like, especially when used with common words such as goblin or elf.
Several readers have asked how much planning and effort I spend for the story:
I have already plotted out the story as a whole. There are smaller details, such as names, specific descriptions, minor characters, that have not been completely fleshed out for future books past book 1&2, but in general the story is planned.
I don’t come up with the idea for a chapter on the spot. I plan out in detail all the events that will happen within the book and then try to divide those events into chapters. I must admit that oftentimes the events end up taking longer than I had originally planned, simply because there is more I wish to tell and the story would lose quality if I tried cutting it short.
As such, aspects like Byrel being Plum’s mother are not a coincidence. The story’s events are very much planned with many little details connecting to future chapters.
As for how much effort it takes? A lot. It takes a lot of time and planning to try and connect events throughout the story, preventing plot holes, building character relations, creating foreshadowing, etc.
Thanks for the questions! Had a blast answering them. If you have more questions feel free to drop by the discord!