This part is entirely written in the present tense, which while not technically wrong will throw some readers off. I won't comment on it further unless you slip into another tense, however.
(12-27-2017, 07:50 PM)iii Wrote: [ -> ]Chapter 1
"Yes...YES! I've finally figured it out!" I loudly exclaim.
My mom scurries into my room, with a concerned expression on her face. Well, I can't really blam
blame
Quote:my parent. Anyone would have thought I was some sort of mad scientist who solved a new equation.
" Johnathon? What in the world are you talking about?" She asks.
no space after the opening quotation mark (this is a consistent error you should fix on each line, so I won't mention it again either) and the identifier tag is considered part of the same sentence so "she" should not be capitalized
Quote:I proudly explain my invention that will greatly benefit the Order.
" You know how we folk at Springbrool supply the Order with our one-of-a-kind, magical foods? I just came up with a new way to greatly assist the Order. The
It's not technically wrong, but the closely spaced repetition of "greatly ___ the Order" reads awkwardly. I recommend cutting the first line short at "invention" since the rest of the idea is included in the dialogue.
Quote:monsters can transform us humans into more of their kind, right? I just realized how its
it's
it's = it is
its = belonging to it
Quote:all done. Me and everyone
technically, this should be "I and everyone," but it's allowable in dialogue as most people do not talk like they have a grammar textbook shoved up their exhaust port. The rule is, always write it the same way you would if the identifiers were separate, except for number-dependent forms of is/are/am/etc. Example:
Me am sensitive to magic (no)
I am sensitive to magic (yes)
Everyone is sensitive to magic (yes)
∴ I and everyone are sensitive to magic (yes)
Magic affects you (yes)
Magic affects me (yes)
Magic affects I (no)
∴ Magic affects you and me (yes)
I'd like to say it's "I" when the narrator is the subject of the sentence and "me" when they are the object but I'm not entirely sure that's always true, and just separating it into two statements to see how they sound is the easiest way to test it anyway.
Quote: at Springbrool are sensitive to energies and magic, thanks to training.
suggest: "to our special training."
Quote:I sensed strange energy being radiated off of the monster
suggest: "strange energy radiating from the monster"
Quote: prisoners. It felt evil and wicked. But
wicked, but
This is one place where it's definitely not my run-on tendency speaking, "thing, but other thing" is always a single sentence and beginning with "But" is always wrong.
Quote: when I feel energy on a human, it feels so pure and clean. Then, I realized how corruption works. The
suggest: "works: The"
Quote:monsters flush out our energy and replace it with theirs, giving birth to a monster. I opt to do the opisite; flush out the monster's energy..."
"opt" is very awkward here, I suggest "plan" or "propose" or "think we/I/etc. could"
Also, "opposite," and that should be a colon rather than a semicolon.
Um. Given that this
is Monster Girl Encyclopedia, you should probably be clear: does a human infused with monster energy get impregnated and produce a baby monster, are they directly transformed into a monster, or both? At minimum, it sounds like this works on both men and women, so I hope it's one of the latter two...
Quote:" And create a human..." My mother finished.
Despite what autocorrupt will try to do, this is a case where the initial word should not be capitalized ("and," though "my" should also not be capitalized) since it's completing the statement that trailed off into an ellipsis. Also, shouldn't MC's mom be more excited about this, given the next line?
thus: "... and create a human!" my mother
if not using an exclamation point: "... and create a human," my mother
Quote:I saw probably the most pleased, joyful smile crept on her face. Next thing I know, she's reeling in for a hug.
"pleased" and "joyful" are redundant, I suggest switching "radiant" for the first. Also, "reeling me in"
Quote:" Johnathon, this is the most wonderful idea you've ever formed! The possiblies
possibilities
Quote:of this knowledge is limitless! Monster repeling
repelling
Quote:armor, reversing corruption..."
Monster repelling armor doesn't seem that connected to me, while reversing corruption is specifically what MC was talking about... also, this runs into the second big plot hole. If the sensing ability is a trained skill that everyone (or at least everyone local) has, how is it possible no one has noticed this before? Did they never manage to take monster prisoners until now? does MC have some special talent for sensing that makes him the first person who can sense the nature of the power rather than just its presence and/or strength? Did he unwittingly do something different that unlocked a new refinement of the skill, or practice it hundreds of times longer than anyone had previously bothered to?
If others have been able to sense the nature of monster magic versus human magic, how is it no one else has thought of making armor (or more usefully, a fence or area of effect) that repels monsters before, or of draining a monster's magic and replacing it with human magic to try to reverse transformation, or just draining it and using it to power some other effect?
Quote:She began to sound like an excited 10 year old,
As a rule of thumb, if it takes less than three words you should always write out numbers rather than using numerals in prose. It's not a hard and fast one, but for single word numbers you should always use the text.
zero through twenty: always
thirty through ninety by tens: almost always
two words, like twenty eight or forty thousand: probably
three words, like four hundred five: probably, unless it includes a -teen or -ty
four plus words or including -teen/-ty, like twenty eighteen or five thousand eight hundred seventy two: just use the digits
Aside from that, more description please. How does Mom normally talk? What's different? Does her voice turn into an excited squeak, get breathless, does she rush to get all the words out or stumble over some of them because she's already moving on the the next thought? You should probably also include a few more of the possibilities in her line to give it a proper babbly feel.
Quote: but I can understand. I can create all sorts of spells and gear that can easily fight of
off
Quote: the corruption. Especially reversing corruption. That's why I became so amazed at this.
This is a badly fragmented idea that's not so easy to patch back together into proper sentences, but as internal dialogue it's probably excusable. It would still be better if you can fold the "especially reversing corruption" fragment back into one of the other sentences, though.
Quote:Once a human coplates
copulates
Quote: with a monster, he's not a human any more. Now, I can give men and women a second chance to live life to their fullest. And most of all, I could have done this way before my relavation.
revelation
Why can someone not live their life to the fullest as a monster? Some of the MGE entries are innately stupid or lack mobility, hands,. or senses compared to humans, but most of them are just a different flavor of people, or at least pornworld people given the usual dietary specifications.
Quote: I'm not your traditional magician. I can freely manipulate the flow of energies, as with all farmers here, but that's it. That's what creates the magic charged foods. We force the mana inside the goods, adding al
all
If that's all there is to it, why is Springbrool the only place people have figured out how to produce them?
Quote: sorts of benefits, like lengthened life spans and increased nutrition. I could probably do the same to a corrupted human. Pulling out the monster mana can't be that hard, right?
If the difficulty of performing a purge is intended to be a plot point, Mom should probably know about it and explain that it's why no one has done this really obvious thing before - they tried, but failed. If not, again, why has it not been tried?
Quote:A loud knock rang on the door. I quickly answered it, knowing who it was.
how?
Quote:The Order considers our mana foods as an incredibly precious reason,
resource
Quote: and pay very handsomely for it.
The man in question was fully
suggest: "The visitor was a man fully..."
Quote: covered in knightly armor with embroidered Order crosses. He held a massive hailberg,
halberd(?)
Quote: also with crosses.
suggest: "also engraved/decorated/inlaid/etc. with"
Quote: In his other hand was a large, heavy looking sack. Gold!
How does MC know? If it's just a case of standard high fantasy coinage, "a heavy looking sack of coins" would probably be better. If gold coins are the normal currency for trade at their economic level, it's probably not that exciting to get another customer.
This brings up another point: Where exactly have MC and Mom been having this conversation? Is it a living area in their home? If so, why is some dude randomly walking up to knock on their door to buy stuff? Is it a shop, produce cart, or shopfront area attached to their home? If so, why does a customer need to knock in the first place?
If it's during working hours, why are they idle enough to be yacking about wild ideas in the first place, rather than one of them trying to attract customers in a market area and the other doing the extensive labor required for farming, or at least concentrating on infusing something with mana to sell? What do they even sell, glowing blue potatoes, baked goods, dried herbs and mushrooms? More setting narratation, please!
I couldn't see his face from his suit, but I remembered that these guys can't let our goods fall into the wrong hands.[/quote]
These two clauses don't seem connected in any way. If anything, not being able to see the dude's face should make MC ask for his identity, if controlling who gets their products is considered so important. Also, who is "the wrong hands" aside from (presumably) monsters, who the MC can sense by their corrupted energy?
I almost missed you slipping into past tense here. It should be "can't" and "remember," and so on for the rest of the scene as well.
Quote:" I am Captain Periwinkle of Herefoster. I reqest of
request a supply of
How much? How many people are going to need to live on the supply, for how long?
Quote: your special goods for my caravan." He formally asked.
caravan," he
" Yes sir." My Mom quickly replys.[/quote]
sir," my mom quickly replies.
Quote: She opens up a closet with a brown sack, holding our goods.
Just one? Is it a tiny closet, or more likely a cabinet or cubbyhole, or are MC's faily now out of wares to sell? Is that good, the end of a busy day, or bad, they've had a poor harvest or some disaster ruined their supplies? Is it just time to trudge down to the cellar and bring up a new load of glowing blue potatoes to restock?
Quote:She hands the food sack over to the captain, who quickly drops his sack for ours.
Just... drops it? Like on the floor? On a counter? In MC or Mom's hand? At a minium, you should probably switch that for "trades" or "exchanges," but soe more description and probably some kind of record keeping like writing out a receipt would probably be good, here.
Quote:" Thank you for the transaction, miss. Keep the gold." Periwinkle says
gold," Periwinkle says
Wait, what? No haggling, not even counting to see if he's got more or less than the asking price in the (assumed) coin sack, or weighing the pieces if it's nuggets or bars? How is this guy a successful caravaneer if he's so careless with his finances? Of course, he's pinging a bunch of "hidden bad guy" vibes and is probably actually a Dullahan with gender-concealing armor or something, but presumably the act is convincing enough not to arouse suspicion.
[/quote] before strolling out. Although he was a little monotone, I could help but think that he was beaming under that helm.
The captain is adruptively [/quote]
abuptly
Quote:interrupted by a panicky farmer who just ran through the main gate where the caravan lies.
not technically wrong, but "is waiting" would probably be better than "lies."
" Sir! Sir! B-Blue skinned d-demons are a-aproaching!" He reports before runing [/quote]
"a-approaching" and "running"
Quote:off in terror.
Everyone one else in Springbrool must've heard the news, because the people started preparing in their own ways. Some took out weapons some formal and others improvised farming tools. Others ran through the gates holding barricade supplies, and others... took cover in their homes.
awkward, and the tense shifted to past again. I suggest:
Those who are fighting fit begin to prepare, some with actual weapons and others improvising with farming tools. Others gather up heavy items to build a barricade at the gates, while everyone else hurries to close shutters and doors to shelter in their homes.
Quote:" Men, unhook those horses. This farming village is an important asset for the Almighty, and we can't let it fall into the enemy's hands. Now!" The Captain barks.
Now!" the captain
Quote:The two other soldiers, who have the same gear as their leader, disconnected their horses from the caravan wagon and mounted them. The horses are were
disconnect
mount
remove: were
Quote:just as prepared for war as their jockeys, with pure white armor that reflected the sunlight.
I was about to join the upcoming battle, but my mother quickly pulled me back and inside and shut the door.
pulls me back inside and shuts
Quote:" Johnathon, I can't lose you to the monsters."
should have an identifier tag, and preferably a bit of description for Mom's tone. Is she afraid? Angry? Distracted?
Quote:" You never said that during the last monster raids."
Again, even with only two people left in focus, you should tag the speakers most of the time. How is MC taking this? Is he confused, angry, saddened by a lack of trust in his abilities or reasoning?
Quote:" You can't fight this battle. You must get to Herefoster and spread the word of this knowledge of energies. It will far more assist the Order than the foods."
assist the Order far more
Quote:I couldn't believe it. My mother would send me to a city just to spread an idea. But the world needs this idea. Humanity needs it.
" I'm ready." I say.
With the same character thinking and speaking, it should usully still be the same paragraph. I also suggest changing the period after "idea" to a question mark, to give it a little more variation in voice.
Quote:My mother hands me fruit and a map leading to the city.
" The food will help you in a pinch. Now go!"
My mother reopens the door.
same as above, but also, just one fruit? A sack, net, bundle, or basket? Are they fresh, candied, jellied, dried? What kind(s) of fruit? Does she get it from the same closest/cabinet/cubby/etc. as what they sold to Capt. Periwinkle, or is this something different?
Quote:" I'll change the world forever, mother." I say before runing
mother," I say, before running
Quote:out the door and through the gate. I didn't care what the people said as I sped through the gate. If I was lucky, I could put a stop to the demon horde before it even reaches the walls.
Wait, so, did MC just totally blow off what Mom told him and run at the incoming attackers alone? Did he at least grab a sword or something first? A spear, a hoe, a pointy stick? Some armor, or magical supplies? How does he get past the barricade? Does anyone shout at him to come back, don't be a fool, you'll die or worse, get cooties? They'll fluoridate your precious bodily fluids!
Are any of the other defenders in armor, or just the three knights? Some kind of heavy leather jacket, work apron, helmet? Wearing a sauce pan on their head at least?