#anyway let this post serve as a recommendation for Carol Berg although for the record her whumpees are almost always dudes

[radicarian]

suddenly recovered memories of that time in college when I read a bunch of Carol Berg in a short time and came away with the conclusion, "good worldbuilding is a magic system plus a justice system that both require your protagonist get WHUMPED TO HELL"

#legit started writing a story where the protagonist had Accidentally Unleashed Some Magic that resulted in multiple deaths right #but she was the only one who could put the thing back in the bottle so she was paroled. to stop the thing #but subjected to a curse whereby her parole officer could simply Choke Her Into Unconsciousness The Second She Did Anything Suspicious #also her parole officer was her ex-mentor whom she'd had an inappropriate crush on at the time!! #I wrote like 20k words of her being. consumed with guilt. hung over. universally despised. blacking out all the time. #trying to sacrifice whatever part of herself The Horrorterrors would find acceptable. failing that. necromancy #so much so that I forgot to write a plot. it was just 'look at this sweaty wreck of a sadgirl. I'm poking her with sticks' #anyway let this post serve as a recommendation for Carol Berg although for the record her whumpees are almost always dudes