In this episode of Richardson’s Rubicon, I’m joined by Evan Kidwell, author of Timeaous Spark and the Luck Curse.

Evan’s world is built around a brutal sorting system: students are put through the Trials to force powers to surface early, so society can classify them, place them, and keep control. That control is reinforced through a rigid bloodline hierarchy, where status shapes everything from opportunity and education to who it is socially “acceptable” to associate with. We also get into the danger of becoming an outlier, what happens when a power is hard to manage, and the protagonist’s central trap: reveal what you are and risk severe consequences, or hide it and accept a life of servanthood.

If you write speculative fiction, listen for the practical stuff: how to design a sorting mechanism that isn’t just “lore”, how enforcement shows up in ordinary choices, and how to turn social hierarchy into day-to-day pressure rather than background wallpaper.

Name guide (correct spellings and pronunciations): Professor Undermeyer; Fayngel (FANG-gul); Mazidi (maz-ZEE-dee); Anom (eye-NOM); Non-Crea (non-CREE).

Find out more at the authors site: timeaousspark.com

Here's our official episode page: https://richardsonsrubicon.com/worldbuilding-trials-and-consequences-evan-kidwell-timeaous-spark-and-the-luck-curse/

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