Wanted: Topics for May (Patreon)

Please choose one topic from each of the lists below, and reply with the respective letter and number of your two chosen topics in the comments below. Voting will end at 11:59 PM PST on April 21st.

Topics marked with the asterisk (*) have been chosen by backers at the $10-a-month tier. They will be available for voting this month only, unless they are suggested again for June.

Please reply with your choices in the comments below.

A Soldier's Guide to the Infinite Sea

A) Garing, Gutierrez, and Truscott - A History: A brief history of GG&T, from its humble beginnings during the Petty Kingdoms era, through its establishment as a major armsmaking firm during the Wars of Unification, to its current status as the Unified Kingdom's largest gunmaker.

B) The Saintly Martyrs: An overview of the worship of the Saints in the Northern Kingdoms, including biographies of selected Sainted Martyrs, iconography, and cosmology.

C) Old Calligia - What We Know: The Kian poet J'eanne Lieux once said that "The only thing we know about Old Calligia are the lies". While not entirely true, very little of the long-gone northern realm has survived. This essay from the University of San'heu attempts to put together the pieces.

D) Warfare Then and Now: A relatively broad overview of the history of war and warfare in the Infinite Sea, taken from a part of a Callindrian children's book.

E) Edmund Garing, In His Own Words: An autobiographical account of the junior partner of GG&T, edited by the Countess of Welles for her report on the War in Antar.

F) Clerks and Commoners: Selections from a children's book written for the scions of the Tierran nobility, meant as their first real education in the classes and dynamics of the Baneless classes.

G) A Report on Tutors and Tutelage: Commissioned by the Royal University of Aetoria, this report investigates the education baneblooded children receive before they are admitted to the University itself.

H) A Call to Arms to the Faithful of the Tree: A religious tract summarising the worship of the Tree of Life, and calling for a renewed age of religious devotion in an age of Takaran secularism.

I) The Compleat Knight: A somewhat tongue-in-cheek guide to the behaviours expected of a Knight of the Red.

J) The Senior Service: A rather self-serving pamphlet extolling the virtues of the Royal Tierran Navy in the context of the army's new prominence following the Dozen Years' War.

*K) On Irregulars: A circular describing the organisation and tactics of Antari partisans, how they might be fought, and what lessons the Tierran Army might take form them.

*L) The Mersdonian Transcripts: Acquired by Royal Tierran Intelligence, these transcripts are records of Antar's attempt to render Tierra Pariah-Among-Nations.

*M) A Richshyr Memorandum: A report from Takaran Military Intelligence (not Imperial Intelligence) regarding developments in Tierran gunsmithing.

*N) A Register of Honours and Awards: A list of awards and medals given out by the Tierran Crown over the course of its history.

*O) On Military Banecasting: An overview of the military applications of Banecasting, and the organisation of Banecasters within the Tierran Army.

*P) The Accursed Legends: A collection of stories and rumours regarding the mysteries of the Infinite Sea

*Q) The Noble Houses of Warburton: A brief overview of some of the baneblooded families of the Duchy of Warburton, from the poorest Barony to the Ducal house itself.

*R) The Queen's Regiments - The Queen's Own Rifles: Formed from the traditions and veterans of the Experimental Corps of Riflemen, the Queen's Own is the newest regiment in the army - and perhaps a harbinger of military developments to come.

An Adventurer's Guide to the Fledgling Realms

1) Festivals of the Fledgling Realms Pt 2:  Festivals from outside the Concordat's borders, like the Iron Marches and the Island-Cities.

2) On Creeds and Cults Pt 2: A description of the religious practises of the Island-Cities.

*3) The Vagrant's Handbook to Socially Acceptable Graverobbing: A tongue-in-cheek guide to adventuring amongst Flowering Court ruins in a way which leaves the explorer in question both wealthy and alive.

A Creator's Guide to Writing and Worldbuilding

A1) Using Genre Conventions: Every genre comes with its own traditions and conventions. Some of them can be helpful, others... less so. How do you tell the former from the latter?

A2) Adversaries Who Aren't: So we've covered the antagonists who are obvious, but what about the ones who aren't? How do you hide your antagonists' true intentions from your audience? And how do you tip them off if needed?

A3) Lords of Infinity - A Post-Mortem: Lords of Infinity has had a pretty successful release. But "successful" isn't "perfect". This is an overview of what went right, what went wrong, and what I've learned for the future.

*A4) Work Ethic and Self-Care: Professional writing isn't always easy. In a lot of ways, it's a job like any other - and just like in any other line of work, there are strategies to keep yourself focused and productive - or at least balanced.