#returner's magic

[mayhemart]

A Returner's Magic Should Be Special 

(귀환자의 마법은 특별해야 합니다)

[thewizardingtoad]

Time, Chess, and the Tower of Magic

(novel: 29-35)

(manhwa: 44-45)

I just reread the scene in the novel, and I'm kind of obsessed with it, but also am in awe of how well it established the dynamic between Desir and Zod, something that I feel like the manhwa didn't really do, so, I'm doing a bit of comparing under the cut.

Also, if you like these characters in the manhwa, then you should 100% read at least these few chapters, because, as I said before, they are amazing.

So the manhwa starts us off with how Zod is an "odd fellow", he's always been that, and how he lead civilization into a new era of magic, he's achievements are endless, and is Desir's irreplaceable friend.

Now, in the novel, Desir says that Zod accepted his request because he was intrigued by it. (True) He says that Zod single-handedly renewed interest in magic.

(Also, fun-fact: someone wrote a book about all of his accomplishments, and it's thicker than most encyclopedias.)

(Also also, in the manhwa he looks like 40, in the novel that's 30)

The next scene plays out almost the same, except that we learn, in the novel, that Zod has an 'archaic feeling to his words'.

While in the manhwa he's all nice, and smiley etc. novel!Desir points out that until the North Sea's rules are mentioned, Zod's so impatient to get on with the match that it can almost be heard in his tone, which for this old man is VERY impatient.

And then of course Desir drops the bomb, that yeah, he wants to play the Rule set that originates from Zod's homeland and n!Desir immediately points out how much more relaxed Zod gets from hearing that.

The chess match starts, and in both mediums Zod's like, this kid is pretty good, but he's still just a kid, and "[He's] too hasty with [his] moves"

Desir, when he's on the verge of losing, makes the bet. It goes in the novel as it goes in the manhwa, except that a) Zod's like, 'I know that everything you did so far was to make this wager, and I hope you see how suspicious you are.' and b) At this Desir's just like, 'Wow, you're very interested, huh? Then I won't tell you until I win.'

And then the whole 'you play like a whole different person' thing happens in the manhwa, 'oh, well, I played against him in the future so of course I know how he plays', 'I've been the same person this entire time' etc. etc.

So. That does not happen in the novel.

What happens instead is we get the explanation as to why is Desir losing:

He's been playing with Zod for 6 years, yes,

However, this Zod plays differently than other Zod

In the future, his play style is more aggressive

Now he focuses on counter-play and he's more reserved

And Desir deduced this in the first few steps in their game, and been sacrificing pieces since then to analyze Zod's play style.

And also, yes, Desir did figure the greatest mage of all time out in what? 20 minutes?

And Desir might be losing, but because of the time limit Zod's going to make some stupid moves, which Desir deducted will happen, then he makes even worse moves, and the next thing Zod knows is that he got ripped to shreds in 3 minutes.

In the novel, Desir mentions that in the last minutes of the match, Zod's straight up panicking over how bad the situation has gotten for him.

Then, when Desir mentions the trade, Zod tries to calmly explain to him why that's not possible "You're asking to exchange a bar of gold for a peanut"

Desir of course doesn't budge and after a bit of "bartering" it's clear just how fed up with this "boy"'s bs Zod is and reading this scene after the manhwa is kind of shocking

Zod expressed disdain at the boy's choice. "I expected you to choose more wisely. You've rejected my offer, and I can't accept your deal. With that, the negotiations are over." The man rose to get up from his seat.

(...)

"So you think this is a fair deal." The Tower Master was audibly upset by Desir's words.

And I'm very sad that this scene in this form didn't make it to the manhwa, because while we see Zod being dismissive and uninterested in Desir's idea before he sees it to himself, we don't see him being, well, like this.

Prideful, kind of cocky, and straight up offended that a mere student would even dare to suggest that his idea worth as much as support from the Tower of Magic, upset to the point that Desir has to actively put out 'fires' during the conversation so that it can progress.

Which is a beautiful way of showing us how, yes, Desir does know this guy, he knows why he's upset he knows what to say to get him to calm down enough to listen and also how to say it.

What in the manhwa is essentially just 'Well if I show you that my idea is worth it then it will be fine, right? Let me show you then.' in the novel is Desir going on first about how of course what he's saying is outrageous, and Zod is right to be upset, but shouldn't Zod know that impossible things are sometimes real? And then he starts explaining how 20 years old Zod Exarion becoming the Tower Master was an impossible feat, or maybe, perhaps, even more impossible, a student defeating him in chess! Which happened just now, and That is when Zod tells him to show him his idea.

This scene alone reaffirms to the reader, that Desir doesn't just know Zod as a tactician, but as a person, he knows how to talk to him, he knows how to talk sense into him, and that Desir did this enough in the past that this comes like second nature to him.

Zod being stone headed and stuck to his ways until Desir reminds him that he's been just like this boy in the past is also one of the most Old Person Thing TM Zod does in the entire novel, showing and not just telling us that the G is not just for show in that GILF he is actually old.

After that the "reveal" scene plays out pretty similarly except that Zod gets a bit more info out of Desir, one of them is that he didn't necessarily discover the technic but he "knows of it", and Desir lets the reader know that the person who discovered it was in fact Zod, just 3 years into the labyrinth, and as he starts explaining the theory Zod catches up extremely quickly, actually taking over Desir's explanation of how resonance is better than the enchant method.

When Desir mentions that he has more ideas like this, Zod tells his secretary to cancel every plan he has until he says otherwise, which is a very entertaining turn of events in my opinion.

So to wrap it up, while I love how the manhwa did this scene, (this is probably my favorite two chapters from it) I'm kind of sad that most of the little tidbits of building up the relationship between Zod and Desir, that would be important later got lost in adaptation.

[dunmeshistash]

Dungeon Meshi Magic System - Bits about Magic

[hotcinnamonsunset]

when art (below left, print by Anna Haifisch) inspires art (below right, follow up by @molabuddy) inspires art (above, hand knit cardigan by me)🐕

[prlssprfctn]

Dick watches as the newly proclaimed crime lord, Red Hood, storms off on his bike, without a care in the world. Logically speaking, Nightwing should try to chase after him — he was an awful headache to his family lately, wasn't he? — but he had no power to deal with this right now, not when it was useless anyway; Red Hood escaped Batman as if it was his hobby, there was no way Dick himself would succeed, especially while he is wounded.

'Stuck-up,' he still murmurs faintly.

'You hate him?'

Dick almost flinches. Almost, because he is already used to the ghost of his little brother appearing out of nowhere, in day and night. Even now, little Jason is sitting atop of someone's car, swinging his feet in the air mindlessly. He flashes his brother a smile once their eyes meet, and Dick mirrors it in the instant.

'Hate is a strong word, Little Wing.'

'Well, I hate geometry. That's not that complicated,' Dick snorts at that.

'Why does it matter, anyway?'

Little Jason hums mindfully. There is a hint of hesitation in his actions, before he admits:

'I like him.'

Dick blinks a few times.

'You like Red Hood? Why would you like Red Hood?'

This doesn't sound like something Jason would say, right?

...Then again, Dick knew very little about his brother, and these things he knew, he started to forget a long time ago. It would be probably easier, to keep these details in mind, if only he had someone to talk about it — someone, who knew Jason, too. But Bruce is stubborn in his grief, and Dick cannot speak about Jason with no one else but his own ghost.

'He protects Crime Alley people in the way they need it,' Jason insists firmly. 'So, I like him. Can you not hate him, too?'

This is so fucking strange. Why Dick's consciousness tries to reassure him to like that red asshole? Isn't that just... bizarre? Is he finally going insane?

'Uh,' Dick rubs the bridge of his nose. 'Listen—'

The comms crack faintly, catching his attention. Barbara asks about the status of the mission, and he reports it quickly before turning around again, to look at Jason once more and resume their conversation.

But the ghost is gone again.

And Dick is still puzzled.

Maybe he should go through Red Hood's case one more time?..

[faramirsonofgondor]

AU where Boromir survives but literally nothing changes because they all think he’s dead and he’s still recovering and by the time he’s actually okay again everything important is already over. Like lowkey imagine how fucking funny it would be if during the one scene where Frodo wakes up after destroying the ring and everyone is coming in, Boromir just walks in nervously and Frodo, who is trying to distract from the fact that he very clearly does not know Legolas’ name, pretends to pass out. Everyone is just like “oh dear!”, Sam goes into overprotective mode (“I told you it was a bad idea Mr. Gandalf!”) Aragorn is trying to reassure Boromir that it’s not his fault and that everything will be fine, Merry and Pippin are trying to comfort each other, Gimli and Legolas are just standing awkwardly in the corner because they know nothing about hobbit biology and what normal reactions are for this sort of thing. Gandalf is the only one who knows Frodo is faking it but he says nothing because Gandalf loves drama and being a bitch. Eventually they’re all ushered out to give Frodo more rest, except for Gandalf, who insists on staying to watch over him. After everyone is gone Gandalf tells him he can open eyes, and the first question out of Frodo’s mouth is very much not about Boromir’s miraculous return, or the state of the world, or about what happens to him now, but rather “Gandalf, what the fuck is the elf’s name?”

[miscellaneousrenaissant]

Ep 3 AU in which Evan succeeded on his death save but lost his arm, so K made him a prosthesis while the group was still on Galamanis

[ayilings]

do we fuck with black parade hatsune miku [wip] 💀🖤

[lilybug-02]

Explaining that this mountain of a creature is a juvenile. pt 2

Bug Fact: Cucubanos are a type of Click Beetle native to the island of Puerto Rico. They can emit light from their thorax and two top “headlights”. Pictures Below

V2 First || Prev // Next

Volume 2 Masterpost

▴♥︎▴ Patreon ▴♥︎▴ Buy Me A Coffee ▴♥︎▴

[geeknexus]

A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special: Novo trailer revela data de estreia A aguardada adaptação em anime do manhwa “A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special”, escrito e ilustrado por Wookjakga, ganhou um novo trailer durante o evento Aniplex Online Fest 2023. O vídeo confirma que a estreia está marcada para o dia 7 de outubro

[catxolotlquoise]

I saw that magical girl sequence and I said BET @askoverkill

Programs Used: - Toonboom Harmony - Clip Studio Paint - After Effects

SFX/Music - ISAT menu theme put in reverse...idk how to music... - RPG Maker sfx - Pixabay

[miscellaneoustofu]

Bad and evil German teenagers who are mean to their only friend/situation-ship get sentenced to learning 10,000 magic tricks to make up for it.

Oh, and Kaiser must travel back in time and re-create all of Harry Potter so it isn’t written by like the worst person ever. I just know Ness made Harry Potter his whole personality for at least 3 years straight. Is this even a debate? We just know.

Anyhow, it’s crazy how a couple of good analysis on Twitter and YouTube can change my mind so completely about two characters.

Less than a month ago I was completely indifferent. Despite how I always thought Kaiser’s design was stellar and felt sad for Ness, I was never invested enough to make art for them. Like they’re pretty boys, that’s mega cool, but they’re not my Bachira.

Now I adore the heck outta them.

I think it’ll take time, and it’s for the best that bllk is fiction, but I think they can become good for each other.

Kaiser needs someone like Ness who’s still able to dream. Considering how abuse has made concepts like wanting love and freedom feel like chasing the impossible. And Ness deserves someone who can make his dreams real after years of getting put down by people who were supposed to love him.

Idk I like them. Isagi dismantling their entire world was the best thing that could’ve happened.

Sometimes things gotta break before you can start fixing them?

[thewizardingtoad]

Why I hate the anime chess scene (aka. I still refuse to let it go a year later)

I wrote about how this scene establishes Zod's character and also his and Desir's dynamic pretty much perfectly, but how did the anime 'ruin' it? I mean, a scene can be bad for a large number of reasons, but "ruin" or "destroy" is a completely separate term that I think shouldn't be thrown around so easily.

The problem is that the scene doesn't work anymore.

In both the novel and the manhwa, Desir doesn't win the chess match because he is better than Zod, he wins because he makes him hurry. He says in the novel, that he never defeated him in chess before, and also that he is now at a disadvantage, because this Zod plays differently than in the future, so he doesn't know how he will react to his moves.

The only reason he manages to win, is because Zod has a meeting in less than half an hour, and he is a cocky old man, and makes a harsh move that loses him the match.

After this, Desir shows him his idea, and he pretty much loses any and all interest in anyhing that isn't this new shiny thing that he doesn't understand. He cancels his meetings, he gives Desir his credit card, he does not give a fuck! He needs to know what Desir did and he needs to know it NOW! That's his character. This side of him is shown in the novel and manhwa multiple times. If there's a shiny new magic trick he will not care about anything else but that.

And the anime made Desir show him the 'shiny new magic trick' before finishing the match. If Zod's character is the same as the novel and manhwa one, there is no meeting anymore. There is no 'I only have x minutes I need to hurry'. There is no 'There's no way this kid can beat me'.

There is however 'Oh fuck, I have to win, no, I NEED to win, I NEED to know how he did that, I can't risk not winning, there's too much on the line.' and Desir, if this scene made any sense, would now lose. Lose the match, lose the sponsorship, lose the whole story.

And he knew it. He knew how Zod works, he knew how to make him lose, and he made him lose in every other iteration of this story, except for the anime, because anime Desir is apparently a fucking idiot.

And that's why I'm not excited for the 2nd season, and why I hate everything about this, because the story should be over. Desir lost. He didn't have to, of course, but the anime needed half an episode of filler, so something had to be cut, and you know, why not the chess scene? It doesn't have any significance after all. Not like you can ruin the whole show by cutting it, right?

Right? :D

[theside-b]

BL DRAMAS + 'Postcards from Japan'

[mikeywayarchive]

Instagram story by yallhavingbirthdaycake

[Jul 28, 2024]

[gurggggleburgle]

personally, I think for moshang baby trapping I don't even think they had sex for the baby trapping. I think mbj just walked in and said he was pregnant and told sqh the kid was his and sqh filled in the blanks with wifeplot and weird mpreg artifacts and did not think twice on it because he's sleep deprived and at this point just rolls with this shit. We're already in this deep. Sure we stood in front of the magic mpreg mirror and ate some fruit or something and now I'm a father on top of overworked; just throw more synonyms for exhaustion at me and we'll add them in. What's more.

There's already a baby in there might as well get hot sex before i die. Really though Mobei-Jun needs like one more ingredient in his mpreg plot contrivance and it's Shang Qinghua to confess his love and manages to get that before the end of his first trimester through hard work and emotional honesty and becomes magic pregnant. So Mobei-Jun completes his ass backwards plan so he can ride that dick hard enough to get a perfect A+ in pregnancy and banks on the fact that Shang Qinghua doesn't know enough about this to notice the timeline is off