#i like hard magic systems

[cloud-somersault]

i made a hard magic system to explain the powers in the show, and through that, I can like. Tell you which spell or school of magic was used to do most anything. and I did that because the show didn't have time to (giving them the benefit of the doubt) plus it's cool to just. sometimes let the rule of cool work instead of explaining things.

but that's also dangerous because then when we go into power levels or anything like that, we don't have that magic system to fall back onto to explain why one character beat the other or why one character is stronger than the other.

So I have a sort of list. And then I'm going to make a visual for people to understand. Let's dive into the magic system, shall we~?

Let's start with the basics of magic. To cast a spell, you need a base of magic, something to draw from, and the literal words of the spell. This is inspired from Wukong using magic in JTTW. A lot of the bones of this magic system comes from the novel and how they did things.

So, when I say, "you need magic" I mean you need some form of magic as a base to start with. And you use that base of magic to direct it to interact with something (elemental) or to like...use other spells (teleportation/manipulation/also elemental).

But let's get some visuals. I think that'll help.

So here we have some of the school of magic that are commonly used as a base to perform spells. For instance, Macaque uses shadow magic. Red Son uses elemental magic (fire specifically) as a base. Wukong uses celestial.

You'll notice that some subsets of magic are hooked to those that are used as a base. That's because those subsets of magic require that specific type of magic in order to be cast. For example, you can only possess someone using death magic. You can only use time magic with spatial magic as a base.

Now let's look at someone like Nezha. He uses celestial magic as a base, then uses elemental (fire) spells. That's where his pink fire comes from. Lady Bone Demon used death magic as a base, but then used elemental (ice) spells.

It's different from Red Son who uses fire magic as a base. Let's get another visual to help.

Here, we actually have the other subsets of magic. This is where all the meat is. Now, let's look at some examples with both these visuals.

Let's do Lady Bone Demon.

So, we need a base first. Her base was Death magic. Then we look at the second image, and she can use death magic to cast any of those spells in the green.

Let's say she wants to do some teleportation magic. She'd use death as a base and use that to cast the teleportation spell. The spell then changes because she used death magic as a base.

Compared to Macaque who uses shadow magic as a base, when he uses a teleportation spell, it looks different. He can travel between shadows. If Lady Bone Demon used a teleportation spell with death magic as a base, she'd...travel...between graveyards or corpses. Or bone pits. It would be death related.

Let's dissect Nezha. So, we go to the first picture and we pick celestial magic as a base. Then let's say he wants to cast a...wood spell (his pink flowers). So he's using celestial + wood = pink flowers for Nezha!

Let's do Azure next. He uses celestial magic as a base, then we go down to the second image and pick something. Azure wants to cast a...materialization spell (to summon his sword) and he does so! and his sword materializes from his hand. Celestia + materialization = sword for Azure!

Now, each school of magic visualized here requires something to work. Like I said before, we need the base of magic, something to draw from, and the spell itself (the words). So let's get into the specifics of what we're drawing from when we cast a spell in that second picture.

For transformation magic, we need to use breath+spirit+visualization. Wukong explains this to MK.

Here's are some other examples.

Celestial: soul/being Death: soul/being Elemental: motion Manipulation: mind+touch Shadow: mind+heart Illusion: Sign+mind+visualization Teleportation: visualization+soul/being+mind

Maybe if we break it down by individual spells, it'll be easier LMFAO. Let's say Wukong wants to use an earth spell. He'd use celestial magic as a base, then use motion, and then mutter the words of the specific spell.

Let's say Macaque wants to cast a manipulation spell. He'd use shadow magic as the base, then use mind and touch (meaning he has to touch the person/object he's trying to manipulate) and then he'd say the specific words of the spell.

The red subsets of magic on the second picture refer to them being in another class. Sleep/immobilization/mind control all fall into manipulation magic. I wasn't sure where to put them (I ran outta room).

So, Wukong wants to cast a sleep spell. He'd use celestial magic as a base, use mind and touch (manipulation), and then say the words of the specific spell.

Red Son uses fire magic as a base. So, everything he does takes motion. Let's say he wants to use teleportation spell. He'd use motion first (elemental) then he'd use visualization/soul/mind (teleportation), and then he'd mutter the words for the specific spell.

It's also entirely possible for characters to change what magic they use as a base. Macaque, for example, as a celestial primate has celestial magic inside of him at all times. However, he chooses to use shadow magic as a base.

Wukong, also, could switch to using let's say...fire magic as a base. That would mean if he used fire magic to direct the wind and cloud somersault, it'd make a huge cloud of flame! dangerous. Let's be glad he doesn't do that.

I think i've covered the basics. If you're confused and this doesn't make sense, feel free to send an ask. I mostly used this for reference and I haven't explained it to anyone else. So I may have fucked it up, but I hope the visuals help LMFAO

[oh-wow-im-still-here]

I saw a post once talking about a bingqiu scott pilgrim au where LBH had to fight all of SQQ's suitors, which is a cool concept and all, but have you considered the comedic potential and insanity of a bingyuan Scott pilgrim au where SY has to defeat LITERALLY HUNDREDS of bingge's exes??

[hellspawnmotel]

terranigma, a cool game

[spookygibberish]

I've sort of developed a strange relationship with the concept of "realism" in the things I make.

Something I was very into as like, an eleven year old (im not implying this was immature to be into, just that it was formative for me), was speculative biology specifically for dragons, and now, specifically in the case of dragons I find a lot of attempts to make them biologically plausible fully missing the appeal of dragons at all.

Thinking specifically about the supernatural elements of JoM and where the line is drawn. The dagnyds are made from the remains of godlike entities, and are not entirely earthly animals. They have a supernatural origin. It would be fully justified in giving them magic abilities or making magic an aspect of the setting, but have absolutely zero interest in doing so. It doesn't interest me. I think about shit like healing powers or glowy energy attacks and my reaction is just "what does this even add? Why do I need this? Does this make things more interesting?" And it simply doesn't. Healing is more interesting as a prolonged process, combat is more interesting with teeth and claws and metal and blood. These are options which are more realistic, closer to real life, but the realism isn't what makes them interesting: it's physicality.

When I design a creature for this world, I am not thinking about making it biologically plausible, and yet, I try to design things which look like they could 'move under their own power'. There is a sense of heft and mechanical "soundness" which I value more than realism, but often also aligns with looking 'realistic'.

I would say that it's better to serve a narrative than strive for absolute realism, but I don't actually write stories, although I do have ideas for them occasionally. I guess a version of this which is more relevant and applicable is that i prefer to strive for a particular vibe.

[bonesbuckleup]

Writing fantasy is so great because you make up all the rules! But writing fantasy is also terrible because you make up all the rules.

[metanarrates]

orv scratches that good gamer itch in my brain because i learned about the term "ludonarrative resonance" once in class and now every time i see a mechanic that serves as storytelling fuel i start screeching with delight

[reinedeslys-central]

when it's been so long since you've read a fic that you forget about it and you find it in the search tags and start reading it again

and it's great, if a little familiar, but you've read a lot of these sorts of fics bc you like this tag a lot, so you assume it's nothing

but then the deja vu starts adding up and you start to wonder

and then moments before the great big Plot Twist Reveal happens you're suddenly like ah hell this is the bloody sundial fic again isn't it

smh this has to be the fourth time yet

[jaggededges123]

Wait wait wait can you do more Z

whats good? Whats up? whats on your mind? do you like to combine your current interests? like maybe start mapping character traits to other series characters or think about crossovers?

OKAY IT’S THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT NOW AND I KNOW WHAT I WANNA TALK ABOUT—

i am gonna be running two events later this year, niecest weekend (august 9-11) and eighthcest weekend (it’s looking like september 20-22) and they’re gonna be GREAT! we’re voting on prompts for niecest weekend right now (dm me for a link if you’d like to vote btw i gave them out in servers but i know not everyone’s in them) and they’re looking really fun tbh 👀👀👀 and we’re still in the suggestion phase for the eighthcest weekend prompts (that link is public and i’ll probably try to reblog it again a day or two before i close the form and switch to voting) but there have been so many absolute banger suggestions already, i’m really really excited for that one as well! i’m gonna do my best to write for them both if i can too because 💪 the main reason i run events is to also participate in them lmfao. tbh lowkey ship weeks/prompt weeks aren’t that hard to run, but it helps to start the ball rolling a bit early for me because i struggle a lot with fatigue and i have a number of memory issues, so i also try to keep reminders in my phone, like “make and spread x google form today” or “don’t forget to ask luna to make a graphic for me pretty pretty please”. speaking of luna XD she is so helpful tbh bc i don’t know colors and if i tried to make a graphic i’m sure it would be so dull for the first several years because i have not trained for an artistic eye at all but she can do something nice in like an hour and takes payment in kisses lol. i don’t remember where i was going with all of this i got distracted but it’s meant to be a ramble so 🤷 that’s fine. i’m really excited for them both and i’m definitely going to use my mod privilege to get a little head start on writing my fics for them lol. ah, i still need to make the collection for eighthcest weekend as well, and maybe an email to go with it just in case i would at some point like to pass the torch along… lots to think about lots to do, but it’s in little flurries of activity tbh and i have a million other things i need to do rn so like 😅 maybe next week if i can get enough done!

[sunbeargames]

As a semi-professional homebrewer, the best advice I can give to get better at homebrewing is to live through a global pandemic just as you were getting into TTRPGs, then use homebrewing as a method of escapism during quarantine and to satisfy your fixation with the game while you don't have a group, so that your understanding of TTRPGs becomes inseparable from tinkering with rules.

[cloud-somersault]

it's kinda hard for me to discuss canon things because I always am like "oh yeah! in my AU--" and people are like "no...i meant in canon" and it's just

i don't wanna talk about canon LMFAO why would i do that when i've sunk all these hours into this fucking AU man

[laikahh]

gnomeboy ness.........

[sabraeal]

😂 🔁 💯 From the fic rec ask game!

3.) 😂 A fic that made you laugh out loud

Caulk Dirty to Me by @leewritingrecs. Lee absolutely balances both the hottest tension between Obi and Shirayuki while also making both their POVs screamingly funny. Shirayuki has no idea how to handle physical attraction and Obi is just constantly suffering during his stint of trying to be the goodest boy, and the first chapter alone had me covering my face from the way Shirayuki UTTERLY misunderstands what this hot plumber has been hired for.

2.) 🔁 A fic you’ve re-read several times

Seven Nights by @bubblesthemonsterartist. I refuse to explain myself.

7.) 💯 A fic that makes you think #writergoals

Arcana by rosa_acicularis. I came out of Sherlock mostly shipping agnositc, but I was recommended this Witch!Watson genderbend AU MANY years ago, and I go back to it at least a couple times a year. Once of the things I struggle with most as an author is making breathable magic systems, and this really hits the sort folk magic I wish came naturally to me.

[sysig]

Hm ok what's your favorite or a really cool worlbuilding thing you've done? For any fandom or original or even an unimplemented idea

Hmm well at least in the past decade, my big worldbuilding projects have mostly come down to three-ish stories: Other Side of the Gun, Adventures of Gæilo and Ethon, and Just Desserts

OSG was an Invader ZiM fancomic concept I started around 2013 to justify every single Irken headcanon I ever came up with lol - I never finished it, or even really started it, but I put a lot of time and energy into its roughs back in the day :)

^A stick figure recap of Ch. 1, inspired by - what else - the Vargas stick figure recaps lol

One that you can see over here is all the work I did for my DnD campaign, AGE! (Though its sideblog hasn't been updated in a while haha - the AGE tag over here works just as well) I basically homebrewed a pantheon and had an absolute blast designing all the gods and their forms before they became gods and even things like architectural differences in their churches and the BBEG and his motivations and just ah <3 Such a fun project :D

It also laid the groundwork for things like Pokemon Homestyle, specifically all my papercrafts! You can really see how I leveled up haha

And my latest has been Just Desserts! Even with less time under its belt, it's still pretty expansive, as evidenced by my icon and theme and the backlog lol, and it's the one I have the most AUs of! (Though OSG does come close actually haha) There are still some thorny details I'm trying to iron out, especially to do with the magic system, but all the characters and creatures and the fact that I made my own fighting minigame, ah, pleased! I've never been so happy with a sona before Charm! ♥ From the very beginning it's been so fun to work on and I still want to improve!

[thatoneluckybee]

if y'all keep this up i'm going to start talking exclusively in a Conlang to confuse you back.

[mayorofcattown]

Rereading a world unbent to fact check some things and noticed that Natori also has slitted eyes here

Normally I feel like he's drawn with rounder pupils, tho honestly midorikawa's art style makes it hard to tell sometimes

or maybe they do just dilate like cats eyes lmao

[yo9urt]

started playing ball dur's gait 3