A New and Growing World: Part Two

2/19/2022

How the realm of Crossworlds REALLY formed, in REALITY.
by Rose Channing

Ever seen one of these in real life? Me either, at least, not yet.

Okay, so I guess the last time there was a post here about how Crossworlds formed, it was by some pretentious lunatic who thinks she owns my world? Like, okay, cool, you had imaginary conversations with Ellie and Savannah through the mirror. We all did. But have you ever ACTUALLY met them?

Let me tell you how Crossworlds really formed.

Dang, Ellie and Savannah would laugh at me if they saw this early attempt to draw them.

The magical world was built on dreams. Maybe these dreams came from multiple dimensions and worlds, including this one. Maybe some of them were yours. And some of them were mine. These dreams floating out in space began to swirl together, slowly forming their own little planet. I don’t want to dive too deep into the stories of the early days, I wrote a whole book on it. Banged my head against the wall the whole time, so read it and and appreciate my effort, please.

Anyway. Some people can travel dimensions. I don’t know how, or I’d do it too. But these were “new explorers,” were enlightened to the ways of finding new realms. So, I came up with a stupid name for them, the “Realm Enlightened New Explorers,” or, less stupid but still cliché, the Rene (I didn’t say it, my friend René did. Love you babe!)

So, the Rene began bringing these dreams to life, and forming the world based on a union of reality and dreams. Which is basically my entire life as well.

I formed Crossworlds by basically by doing what the early people did, basking in dreams for long hours until they told me how to shape them. And I did my best to listen and write from there. All the while balancing my own life with my friends, who are far better writers than I’ll ever be. I don’t understand this holier-than-thou attitude of “my writing MEANT something because it wasn’t just the shiny idea of the day!” I mean, I knew Crossworlds was a long-term relationship for me, but it’s not like Lucy and Nick’s writing is just a series of meaningless flings. I actually think they have a higher purpose, because their long-term relationship is with writing itself. I’ve always admired their versatility, their ability to pull ideas out of the air, and their courage to actually share what’s going on in their heads. I was always too terrified. And I’m not sure where that comes from. Maybe because part of me knew I was doing something real? Ugh, now I’m starting to sound obnoxious too.

I guess it comes from finding that perfect “click” moment—having one person who vibes just right with you so there’s no fear, and sharing doesn’t feel like work, or an invitation to criticism. It was just fun. It was perfect. And I think I took it for granted. Then it got taken away from me.

Since then, I don’t really share. And sure, I’ve got a wonderful and supportive group of friends around me, but it’s just weird to talk to them about this stuff because for me “it’s my dream” and for them it’s their reality.

And there they all are. Most of these people I'd consider my friends. Not sure what some of the others think of me.

Okay, enough of that. Back to this world-forming biz…

Magic in the developing world was chaotic, but several things helped it calm down. First was the Labyrinth built around the Northern border, keeping the most potent magic limited to a realm where people could handle it. Next was the “Stream” that connected all the realms, as a way of balancing the world’s magic. After that, it was less common to see people born with the godlike power of Claire and Dimitri. The various gifts became more common, like the world was trying to break up and evenly distribute its magic. And that’s kinda where we’re at now…

This doodle is a little better, but I'm still not sure I'd show it to them.

It is a young world, still rapidly developing. It’s been around longer than I have, but our world was here first… I did plot out the timeline once, but I don’t feel like digging up those old notes, they’re probably still buried in boxes from the last time we moved. But yeah, it’s still kind of a baby world, and it’s still rapidly growing and changing. The stream can, and has been altered in the past. I’m sure it will be altered again, probably a few more times. I mean, I’m not 1000% sure, like, I haven’t planned beyond The Mansion’s Family. But there probably will be a few more natural alterations.

This is a pretty quick overview, and if you want more detail, it’s all there in Stories of the Early Days. But if you’re totally new to this world (welcome!), start with The Mansion’s Twins. Come meet my friends!

I wish you light and magic.