‘Magic Academy’ or ‘General Life’ Poll

[WaterFish]

Doing a poll about whether to make my story all about and in an Academy, or make it general life instead.

Honestly, Academy life is easier for people to write simply because you can say all their time offscreen is doing studies. Because regardless of who they are they gotta still have their own lives.

While general life is trying to make several people who already have a life come together somehow, Not usually done because the reader feels no attachment to why they are together.

Academies give a reason why the main characters would meet, but general life has to make it up as they go along,

But harder might not be less interesting to read.

Thus, I’m making this poll.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

You can set in an academy but make the characters mostly adults in their 20s and above with or without jobs.

 

[Deleted member 113259]

Do magical academy but don't do that stupid thing you said.

 

[LilRora]

Magic academy route gives your mc more opportunities for meeting people and growing as a person. Imo the best choice is to start with an academy arc, do some character development and introductions, and move on to graduation or some other life-changing event in the second arc. In that way you avoid a lot of red flags that come with a story placed in an academy, but you can easily make use of its good points.

 

[AnonUnlimited]

Magic academy - Teenager sex is bad
General life - Adult sex is good

 

[Succubiome]

What things have you decide about your story so far?

 

[ThrillingHuman]

What story do you want to write? Because the two kinds of stories would obviously end up very different

 

[WaterFish]

What things have you decide about your story so far?

I’ve decided to make my main character a guy with an Afro. And a gun that takes in some of his hair that is enhanced and shot. He has ‘Hair Craft’ as one of his skills but no Innate Gift.

He’s similar to the main character of the novel he’s transported into as an Extra, but has none of the protagonist halo benefits. While the protagonist has refined his body to have his stats all at A Rank, he’s weaker and has less time to grow even if he chose the same path as him.

Those without Innate Gifts can only choose their class as ‘Jobless’ and pick two Skills from other Job Classes they must learn from scratch.

The protagonist chose one skill that increases his constitution and another that sharpens his mind.

The Afro Extra chooses a Fighter Skill similar to the protagonist and Necromancer Skill instead.

Story is similar to The Novel’s Extra but if that novel was Chivalry of a Failed Knight.

What story do you want to write? Because the two kinds of stories would obviously end up very different

Saving the world while trying to help the protagonist keep his McGuffin safe from those trying to take it from him. Because if stolen the world will end.

 

[Rhaps]

Saving the world while trying to help the protagonist keep his McGuffin safe from those trying to take it from him. Because if stolen the world will end.

I am going through something similar with my novel, but saving and preserving humanity is the subplot.

 

[RepresentingCaution]

Do what inspires you the most, and your passion will shine through.

 

[ThrillingHuman]

Saving the world while trying to help the protagonist keep his McGuffin safe from those trying to take it from him. Because if stolen the world will end.

The two stories will be different then. I cannot imagine the setting not changing it into two drastically different stories

 

[Prince_Azmiran_Myrian]

Please no more school life stories

 

[StrongArm]

Please no more school life stories

100000000000000000000000000000000% Agree.

 

[AnonUnlimited]

Please no more school life stories

If it’s school life then make it a bullying revenge one.

 

[Theirl]

lol make a drop out magic academy, where u describe ho stagnant the magic educational sistem has become and how much better and cheaper is learning the old way how to become an adventurer became. lol u can even make an sub plot of how the bad goverment used it to have a tigher control of the country mage population

 

[Temple]

Write what you want, not what readers want. You're not even getting paid here to do what other people want. What are you going to be paid with? Likes? Dopamine of having readers? That's not worth it for your time writing. You'll just end up dropping it or going into hiatus, and then readers will leave just the same.
For me, only do what readers want if you're going into webnovel writing as a serious business. As in, you're aiming for Patreon.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

If you are doing the magic school setting, you can't play it straight. You have to lean into the formula. I'm doing that setting for HKN, so the MC can run rough shod through the setting like a cybernetic bull pumped full of crank in a glass soap bubble retail outlet.

Half the fun is him cutting off the bullies fingers, expecting that to get him expelled, only to find out because he gave an oath as the king's personal knight, he effectively the king as far as privileges are concerned, so the bullies lose and he can't get himself kicked out no matter what shit he pulls.

When they try the trashing his reputation route, he doesn't care because he's a killing machine and has no respect for them anyways. When they pull a prank on him, he sucks it up and just ignores it. Then after he saves their lives and they wanna suck up to him, he throws it back in their face.

Instead of being Rudolph, happy to join the reindeer games, he tells them all to go fuck themselves, because he doesn't need them.

THEN I had the consequences of not being a team player and ignoring society's rules come back to bite him in the ass.

However, playing with the tropes and saying, "What happens if the school gets attacked, the hero saves everyone, but then says, "fuck you. I saved you because it's my job, not because I like any of you."

Stumbling through complicated plots and intrigue by just being himself and baffling everyone, only to show that everyone one has a plan to rule the world until they get shot in the face.

Women? Dating? Back stabbing harpies, you mean. He just wants to max out his Stats and build his Orbital Death Laser for when the demon lord attacks.

How does a bunch of nobles deal with a complete social outcast that is better than all of them at everything who has no desire to gain their respect? When you have no leverage and no control over someone who just solves everything with a earth shattering kaboom, where does that leave you? They were the best of the best, the center of the world and the main characters of their lives.

Only to find out they are just a mob in someone else's story, and the shattering of their self confidence in the process.

Instead of inspiring the school, he leaves them feeling pathetic and demoralized. Not exactly what you want when you need these kids to turn into the soldiers to defend your country against an attacking army of demons.

See?
Lean into the setting and do something different.

 

[NotaNuffian]

I'm not a fan of school life because it is not my favorite setting wth too much contraints here and there. A student's life is shit to me, plus side is that friendship should be easy. Should be.

At best you can make it into a university style with freedom of timetable as well as throwing in "internship" and "co-curricular activities" such as dungeon crawling and going to war with kingdoms and sects.

If you are doing the magic school setting, you can't play it straight. You have to lean into the formula. I'm doing that setting for HKN, so the MC can run rough shod through the setting like a cybernetic bull pumped full of crank in a glass soap bubble retail outlet.

Half the fun is him cutting off the bullies fingers, expecting that to get him expelled, only to find out because he gave an oath as the king's personal knight, he effectively the king as far as privileges are concerned, so the bullies lose and he can't get himself kicked out no matter what shit he pulls.

When they try the trashing his reputation route, he doesn't care because he's a killing machine and has no respect for them anyways. When they pull a prank on him, he sucks it up and just ignores it. Then after he saves their lives and they wanna suck up to him, he throws it back in their face.

Instead of being Rudolph, happy to join the reindeer games, he tells them all to go fuck themselves, because he doesn't need them.

THEN I had the consequences of not being a team player and ignoring society's rules come back to bite him in the ass.

However, playing with the tropes and saying, "What happens if the school gets attacked, the hero saves everyone, but then says, "fuck you. I saved you because it's my job, not because I like any of you."

Stumbling through complicated plots and intrigue by just being himself and baffling everyone, only to show that everyone one has a plan to rule the world until they get shot in the face.

Women? Dating? Back stabbing harpies, you mean. He just wants to max out his Stats and build his Orbital Death Laser for when the demon lord attacks.

How does a bunch of nobles deal with a complete social outcast that is better than all of them at everything who has no desire to gain their respect? When you have no leverage and no control over someone who just solves everything with a earth shattering kaboom, where does that leave you? They were the best of the best, the center of the world and the main characters of their lives.

Only to find out they are just a mob in someone else's story, and the shattering of their self confidence in the process.

Instead of inspiring the school, he leaves them feeling pathetic and demoralized. Not exactly what you want when you need these kids to turn into the soldiers to defend your country against an attacking army of demons.

See?
Lean into the setting and do something different.

HKN?

What's that?

Also, that premise sounded similar to Isaac.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

HKN?

What's that?

Hara-kiri Nonfeasance.

Just finished the first complete draft. Doing the polishing on the final 10 chapters. 275k words long, effectively a trilogy in size in its own right, but it's only the first book.

Heavy on the psychological. Very serious. Very dark. The main character is put through hell. He wins, he loses, he screws up. He tries, he fails, he learns.

It takes 20 chapters before it starts to turn happy and to start, you might think the mc is an idiot, but everything happens for a reason.

Everything.

Everything has a logical cause and effect. Very little plot armor. Except you know the mc won't die. Now, He'll wish he was dead. Many times. But trust me...


I won't let him escape that easily.

It's 275k because it has to be to tie everything together, and set up the next two books, of course.

 

[Deleted member 54065]

Doing a poll about whether to make my story all about and in an Academy, or make it general life instead.

Honestly, Academy life is easier for people to write simply because you can say all their time offscreen is doing studies. Because regardless of who they are they gotta still have their own lives.

While general life is trying to make several people who already have a life come together somehow, Not usually done because the reader feels no attachment to why they are together.

Academies give a reason why the main characters would meet, but general life has to make it up as they go along,

But harder might not be less interesting to read.

Thus, I’m making this poll.

I suggest writing what challenges you, so you grow as an author.