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coatntails:

anghraine:

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ellatholmes:

writting-in-blood:

Creating a magical system is sooo hard Does anyone have any advice that can help me?

I remember seeing a tweet about it somewhere that has stuck with me for a long time. Since then, I have built my own list of points, and I always use them as building blocks for my magic systems. Hopefully they’ll be of help to you!

♤ The main foundations:

• What can be done with magic?
• What can’t your magic do.
• Is there a price/cost of using said magic?
• What does it feel like to use magic?
• For conflict reasons: What can go wrong by using or having said magic?

♤ I also expanded these points to write down the following:

• Who does magic affect?
• What can/can’t magic affect?
• Can everyone do magic?
• Does magic have a feeling even when not being used?
• Do people have to learn magic or is it intuitive?
• Who teaches magic?
• Is magic inherited by blood?
• Does the magic tie in with the religion of my world and if so, how?
• Do people need instruments through which to use magic? ie. a talisman or wand
• Is magic a thing a person has or is it acquired? ie. do they just have magic they can access at any time or do they need to drink magic juice™️ for a quick burst of power?
• How is magic used in daily life?
• Can anything stop a person’s magic?
• Can magic be found anywhere?

For an extra bit of pizzazz, I sometimes like to write down different scenarios using the answers to these questions, and that helps me decide on whether I like the way I’ve set up the magic system!

You can also look at the worldbuilding and characterization you’ve already down to see how your system would affect and be affected by said magic system.

I hope this helps, and good luck!

Sanderson’s First Law

This has helped me a lot with building my magic system. I think Brandon Sanderson does a really great job of explaining here how he goes about creating magic in his worlds.

Hello Future Me/Tim Hickson on YouTube has some videos about creating hardandsoft magic systems that I thought were pretty cool (a bit old, visual quality-wise, but cool). They incorporate Sanderson’s takes without being completely reliant on him.

For those who aren’t familiar with the terms, fantasy writers often discuss magic systems in terms of a scale from the mystical and mysterious (soft) to the strict and rule-based (hard). Both (and the fuzzy areas between them) have their advantages and disadvantages, but they can operate pretty differently, and the two videos dig into qualities that can be particularly important for softer and harder systems.

@emptymanuscript 

First tip to make everything easier: Follow the Golden Circle. See Simon Sinek’s TED talk on “How great leaders inspire action” (which is the short version of his book, Start With Why) which is about the Golden Circle.

The Golden circle is easy, you start with WHY.

WHY are you making a magic system? Every decision you will make will flow from this. Be as precise as possible and every other decision you make will get easier. 

Next level out: HOW will you make your magic system to fulfill that specific WHY? (That’s most of everything you’re going to get advice on)

Only after that do you actually get into the nitty gritty of WHAT system you are making. 

Onto the Hows.

The most un/popular how is to steal the system. I say un/popular because it’s the answer that most people hate and yet it is what most successful systems actually do. People want magic but the art of creation is in the vast majority gruntwork.

The best article on writing is, incidentally, the best article on how to do this most un/popular thing. Holly Lisle’s article How to Legally (and Ethically) Steal Ideas lays out how to turn what you want to steal from other works into crystalizing Diamonds of your own work.

But here’s the real trouble with no matter how you approach system building, a system is as complex as you want it to be. So if you want it to be easy, you have to MAKE it easy. On purpose. We’ll calll this the KISS principle. K and I stand for Keep It. One of the S’s stands for Simple. The other S depends on your preference. I’ve heard stupid, super, scary, surprisingly. It doesn’t really matter, whatever works for you to remember to keep it simple.

The simplest way to make a system is to derive it, building toward a specific goal (dictated by your WHY). Take a very small list (1-3) of magical effects you want and a very small list (1-3) of magicl effects you do NOTwant, and try to make up a rule set that would explain those. Keep the rule set as simple as possible.

Now try to break the world on the ruleset. What effect can you make with the ruleset that would totally ruin your goals? Can you add or change just one rule to prevent that breaking? Or does breaking do something that you actually want? Do you want to keep it and run with it? That’s fine, too.

Stop there. This is your basic system. 

The reason to start with just this much is an old RPG principle, never design more than you MUST. Otherwise you’ll design forever and play never. Get it GOOD ENOUGH to produce the results you want, and move along. Only when you get to a point where you NEED more that you cannot possibly get with what you already have, repeat this process to the degree which you must at that time. Make sure that the new rules don’t make the old ones stop working OR be willing to rewrite the old to better reflect the new. That’s your choice. But the easier way is to exercise all your creative power to avoid altering what you have already done. 

Speaking of RPGs and harkening back to the un/popular opinion: an EXTREMELY useful toolbox for system development is GURPS. GURPS is extremely good as a system for developing other systems. IMHO, it’s better as a way to make an RPG than it is as a way to play itself. GURPS POWERS is extremely useful for developing more than mundane capabilities. 

The important thing to remember when you get these kind of blatant systems is that what YOU, the creator, know about how things work doesn’t have to have anything to do with what either the characters or the audience knows about how things work. 

The magic in my book, The Hidden and the Maiden, is originally based on RPG spells. I simply neglected to put in any of the RPG element details when I describe the magic. My magic users are simply unaware of the rules I use to govern what is, to them, an incomprehensible universe. To the outsider, it appears very different than the simplified rules I keep for myself to make everything feel consistent. I had a finite number of spells I wanted, I made a simple ruleset that took care of that, and I went on from there, iterating as necessary.

And that’s about as easy as it gets.

YMMV

dramaticvoiceover:

So my take on character “flaws” is that there’s actually kind of two categories. 

One is the type of “flaws” that ~hinder~ a character in their goals, in a sense. It could be poor social skills, a bad memory, being too gullible or too impulsive or too passive or whatever. A lack of talent in a needed area. Idk. this is probably what we normally think of when we think of flaws. The key is that things would be easier in some way for the character if they didn’t have this flaw. They can be aware of it or not, but if they are aware of it, they probably wish that they didn’t have that trait. 

The other type of “flaw” is more of a flawed motivation. And this is where it gets kind of abstract, because a “flawed motivation” doesn’t have to be inherently bad. In many cases they can be pretty worthy goals. The key question here is “what does the character want more than they want to do the ‘right’ thing?” (”right” being subjective according to the story you want to tell.) For example, a character could be so ambitious that they won’t risk helping anyone else. Or they could be so bent on revenge that they won’t help with a more important task. They could love their family so much they save them at the cost of an entire city. They could be so intent on keeping a secret that they let it destroy all of their relationships. 

Ideally, a character should have both kinds of flaws. My point is that the second type of “flaw” is a simple way to create really strong character arcs, especially in the model of a character giving up their “flawed motivation” for something better. Working with the second type of “flaw” can give you a lot more emotional resonance than just making your character clumsy or bad at math and calling it a day. 

Found amazing Spoken Word content on Spotify that I decided to make a playlist for it. Give it some love and appreciation.

I’ve never found sunsets to associate with hope, if anything they are the most depressing of the things.

The best love stories are the ones which lasts enough for you to love and find yourself and ironically they are also the worst.

The night I realised I needed therapy

It was 2 in the night, and I was watching

a reaction video on my phone. It was 2

in the night, so I let my mind go and let

it roam freely wherever it wanted to. It

had been on the leash the entire morning.

It was 2 in the night and I didn’t anticipate

what might happen.

I remember distinctly that I was breathing

fine. I was breathing fine, a moment and

the other I was racing along with my

thoughts. It wasn’t too late, and my body

started racing around my room too. It was

2 in the night, so I decided to not wake

people up. People, what people? I’m alone.

Sometimes I wish to sleep this feeling away,

but if I sleep now, I’ll be caged in my mind

where my sleep demon awaits my arrival,

and I am not ready for that rendezvous.

Hence, I’m awake. Trying to breathe, trying

to sleep, failing at both.

I clearly remember, meeting him, them,

when I briefly closed my eyes. It happens,

not a lot but in the night, when it’s 2, that’s

the only thing that my brain does. When I see

them, I don’t see colors, I don’t hear their

voice, I see them and I see myself through

them.

When I look at myself, through them, I see a

sack of blood and flesh, lying on the bed,

Immobile and frozen. I see a pathetic body

not even trying to fight it, using the 21

seconds rule as an escape to not move. It’s

almost as if she wants to stay in this state

forever.

When I see myself looking at me, I feel

frantic. I hate myself at that moment, but I

can’t, I just can’t move. I know if I stood up

right now, I’ll fight it. I’ll fight with everything,

I’ll run away, and I’ll be gone and if I lay there

all night, without moving, my judgement

would stare me down and leave me in my

misery.

They are getting closer with each thought

that chokes me. I want to break the barrier

and just hide in the bathroom. Why am I

resisting this? They are here, reaching out

to me and there’s nothing more for me to do

than join them and live in this vulnerability.

ज़िन्दगी का फलसफा भी कितना अजीब है शामें कटती नहीं और साल गुज़रते चले जा रहे है.

-पीयूष मिश्रा

Translation -

How strange is the philosophy of life, the evenings do not end and the years are passing by.

- Piyush Mishra

25. Anxiety

One moment you are sitting still,

the other you’re not. The worst

moment for anxiety to hit is

probably when you least expect

it. Can you expect it though? It

waits for you to be weak, or to

be your happiest self. It strikes

when you feel nothing and then

your whole world comes collapsing.

Anxiety, holds you hostage in your

own body. Sucks your soul and

keeps it that way, lifeless and

unattended. It’s the feeling of heat

in an air-conditioned room, the dip

in your heart while taking a dump,

the paralyses induced when you

hear about that one trigger that you

just discovered is triggering.

ANXIETY, the word is enough to

render you inactive, perplexed,

agitated, sad, and all the other

emotions you can’t name. This

blank document writing itself

and bringing within it the anxious

scrolling while the heart still dips

and beats in tones not understood

by me.

24. A paranoid hate poem

The walls piercing through their plaster,

as if watching me, mocking me, there

are four. I’m locked in a room and my

demons are feeding on my mind. The

bed shakes sometimes, and sometimes

it refuses to move, it holds me close

and screams that it’ll never let me go.

I’m locked in a room and my demons are

feeding on my mind. My bookshelf sits

there, waiting for me to run my fingers

through it like I used to, but I don’t have

that childlike enthusiasm left in me like

I had in November. I’m locked in a room

with my demons who never let me sleep.

I’m locked in this room with my demons,

and they are feeding on my soul. I’m

locked in this godforsaken room, seeking

an out and these demons are sucking the

life out of me. I’m locked in this room

awaiting my sweet release.

I know it’s a difficult time and a difficult world that we are living in. I hope you haven’t lost your hope. I won’t say that it will get better because I don’t know if it will but I’m certain that we can live this through, one day at a time. I hope you all the power and strength.

Love and prayers your way.

23. PSA

Breathe in……..

..2

..1

……..Breathe out

..4

..3

..2

..1

Repeat

22. To whomsoever it may concern

Can you breathe?

The air passing you by, the

moments too. The undesired

quest of knowing and not

knowing. The inability to rest.

Can you smell?

The bodies, rotten and dunked

in blood, with no one to pay

heed to. Then waiting in despair

with no one in the waiting.

Can you taste?

The salt in their eyes, the misery

imposed by the system. The

horrible, sour, bland flavor of

a failed regime.

Can you hear?

The screams, the wailing, the

howls, their cries. They are still

waiting and screaming. Can

you hear them?

21. Notes from the journal

For those who alone did trot,

waiting for a miracle to come,

they often are not looking too,

for a sign to pass them by. Done

with the world, evading their

shadows, holding it by the helves.

For they don’t need anyone to survive,

they are whole in themselves.

20. Incredulous

They tell me not to read mythology and

believe aimlessly what is forever told.

Of the formation of this universe, the

chaos that metamorphed into the sun,

the stars, the planets, you and me. The

violent rage and act of defiance by

Amnon and his death acting as a deterra

-nce, probably the first where the crime

did someone free. Did you know of all the

Greek tragedy, my favorite is the one told

bySophocles? It talks of love, honor, the

duty, oppression and tyranny as it unfolds.

They tell me not to read mythology and

believe aimlessly what is forever told.

I recall now that I once read, of woman so

strong, warriors she fed. Madhavi was her

name and she bore it with pride, she was

used as a fortune by them. Alas, it was

written by men. Forever, I did try to find the

genesis of his highness Macbeth or of

Sisyphus, who twice cheated death. If you

close your eyes, you can hear poor Orpheus’

lore.

They tell me not to read mythology and

believe aimlessly what is forever told.

When they ask me to believe, I do often

gather, the four horsemen making their way

to end the world, but I’d take hurricanes and

tsunamis rather. Fearless as they are, it’s the

women who call me from the narrative they

are written in, always longing to be at par.

The mightiness of the men, their heroism is

at what the story is often sold.

They tell me not to read mythology and

believe aimlessly what is forever told.

19. Questions unanswered

In the quest of knowing and not

knowing, the remembering is

what baffles me profusely.

For I shall never know

what it holds for me

and what it holds

against

my solemn

self.

18. Yugen

Can you hear the music

echoing in the streets?

There are voices too doleful

to take no notice of.

Can you hear them scream

and crying in the streets?

The voices now deafening

destroying the credence.

Can you feel their voices

calling out for help?

The agony, the distress

still calling, but now it’s too late.

17. We exist

I don’t know which type I am. The A

type which is always ready to for an

adventure, would want to talk on the

phone and not really on the message

Or the B type, the one who really lie low,

loves to be left alone with their

thoughts, just need a book and coffee.

I don’t know which type I am. I am the

one who wants to be there, always,

with my friends, having fun and seeking

adventure but not always, I carry my

favorite book to my favorite places

alone and in that quest, I start feeling

lonely, the kind of lonely that comes

when you’re surrounded by people. I

don’t know which type I am, I think

these types were created by us to make

the people conform to the set principles

and to understand ourselves the way

we perceive everyone else, ordinary and

vanilla. So, I don’t know which type I am.

I am the type who gets a bout of spunk

only sometimes. The kind of courage that

forces me to download a dating app but

doesn’t help in actually going out and

meeting people. The type that enables

my every act of sneering insolence and

makes me believe that I am a product

of these baseless by-laws, and I’m ought

to be like this and act like this. I don’t

know which type I am, but I know that

I am not what the world wants me to be.

We exist.

16. Welcome to my Ted talk

I’ve come to a halt. My body

doesn’t want to move, it is

breathing out air, inhaling and

exhaling but moving, no. It is

done, I am done, my brain, my

body, every nerve in my system is

done. I recently watched this

show called “Feel good” in hopes

to feel good myself, and it hit me

like an epiphany, how comedy

often masks the complexities

of nature, we call it mental health.

So, now that I’ve watched

something that was supposed to

be feel good, and I don’t feel good

after it, I think that the feelings that

are resonated by my mind, my body,

will go unnoticed. I don’t know how

to feel about it and whom to talk

about it. So, now, my body is in this

state of self loathing with an ounce

of anxiety because I wanted to watch

something that’d make me feel good,

but instead I watched something that

made me miserable.

hey you.

yes, you.

go write that chapter you’ve been procrastinating for ages.

yes, i know you’re busy staring at the wall but your book misses you, so go write.

Sometimes love is blind faith, standing hand in hand above a ravine and imagining freefall, buoyed up by the wind until you’re hurtling toward the sun, and wondering who will catch you if both of you are falling.

But sometimes love is the quiet comfort of knowing how to navigate the fluorescent aisles of your favorite corner store, certain as the sunrise that when you turn the corner, what you need will be waiting for you.

insp.@nosebleedclub‘s musings about love