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Lounge II (The Lounge Strikes Back)


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13 hours ago, Ammanas said:

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a traditionally published book roasted and mocked for poor writing as much as the just released Ready Player Two by Cline. 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbr.com/ready-player-two-bad-reactions/amp/

*Spits drink* Oh boy, I'm morbidly curious what is in that book, But I just know I'll fall asleep from that one paragraph they showed. Yeesh.

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You ever start talking with your friends about characters and how they are made and then realize that you have no idea how you make and made characters? Like, you started with three, and only 1 you had any real idea for, then that changed to 8, to 13, to over twenty, and when you look back, you don't know what you did or how you did it, but you look at what you have now and just stare. And then you realize that is for one storming series and you have other series with more characters and your brain just explodes as you don't understand how you got here without even realizing it or seemingly doing much but you know you did something and you remember glimpses of random moments when you make a side character a storming main character or rivaling your main character all from one conversation where you started making some stuff up on the spot and then realize the idea is genius and you look more into it and somehow developed it and you then throw your hands in the air as you don't understand if there is supposed to be a process but that you certainly don't or if you do you yourself don't understand it at all and you just somehow spontaneously made characters and somehow it works and you don't know if a process would help or not and you're just confused how you made something that just fit without really intending it to?

Cuz boy, did that happen to me.

Edit- Boy, that is one really long sentence.

Edited by Aspiring Writer
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There is a process, and you are going through it, even if you don't realise. Writers know that process (Edit: as it is for them), or need to learn it, and use it to tell interesting and intriguing stories. Good stories don't happen by accident. Also, I would argue that too many characters is not a good thing, it only results in diluting the impact of your main characters. Depth is the important thing, not width. Quality, not quantity.

And, harking back to the comments on the first sub I read, and why people didn't connect with Q, you need to show the reader (not tell) the depths of each character. You need to get it(or the promise of it) on the page from the very first encounter with the character. We need to know what's in your head, because it's no good to us if it stays in there :) 

Also, be careful about throwing the word genius around. I've critiqued over 200 submissions in this group and none of them have been genius. I'd don't know how many books I've read, and plenty of them are good, very good, excellent, amazing, but the word 'genius' needs to be reserved for the one-in-a-lifetime stuff that changes the world, IMO.

Edited by Robinski
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5 hours ago, Robinski said:

Also, I would argue that too many characters is not a good thing, it only results in diluting the impact of your main characters. Depth is the important thing, not width. Quality, not quantity.

I used to keep an Excel Spreadsheet of all my characters back in high school. 202 characters for one story. 

Two hundred and freaking two. I don't know how I was supposed to remember everyone, let alone a reader. 

I mean, jeez, just in NotK's outline I had nearly double the cast and I cut or combined them once I actually started writing and revising. Cut the conductor, cut the artist who painted J's cane but gave her personality to Car, cut Lemon the fast talking dragon, cut the mouse seamstress... Good characters I may reuse one day in another story, but not this one. I have too large of a cast as it is. 

But, dude, I love creating characters. I love thinking to myself "What am I not? What do I want to be? What am I passionate about that I can bleed over to my characters?" Just look at Ir: she's a chef. When I gave her that ability, I couldn't make anything more than grilled cheese and brown clam chowder. She pushed me to actually learn how to cook real food so I can write her well. In return, I gave her my love for family (although thankfully my sister is nothing like Sue). 

5 hours ago, Robinski said:

Also, be careful about throwing the word genius around. I've critiqued over 200 submissions in this group and none of them have been genius. I'd don't know how many books I've read, and plenty of them are good, very good, excellent, amazing, but the word 'genius' needs to be reserved for the one-in-a-lifetime stuff that changes the world, IMO.

I don't think genius work shows up until the 100th draft XD

I don't even call Sanderson's work "genius" even though I will read his books like they're crack. They're a step down in the "brilliant" category. As much I love his work, even he has many flaws and weaknesses. 

I think I distrust the word "genius" simply because of how often it is thrown around by reviewers. Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Twilight, The Name of the Wind, Fifty Shades of Grey...sometimes I think that the word "genius" is only applied to works that can't speak for themselves and therefore need someone to claim it for them. If your work is genius, you'll never have to say a word. Everyone will simply know. 

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Personally, I reserve the word "genius" for the single work that deserves it:

Spoiler

5fbfd245b85e5_playertwo.thumb.jpg.750ad5eed8aa23e4ed00355d299f081f.jpg

For real though, this whole discussion is arguably just semantics, but genius is very very very rare in my opinion. For me, it's kind of like "true love". Neither happen instantaneously. They happen through years of working at it, sacrifice, compromise, and discussion. It very rarely happens with just a single person, too. 

Now, this is kind of beating a dead horse, and I apologize. I get what your original idea was. It can be quite surprising when you find connections in your own story that you didn't realize before! 

I am kind of the exact opposite with characters lol. I really don't like having to make up new one because then i feel like I have to give them realistic motives, not fall into caricatures, have something important to add to the story, etc etc etc. If I could, I would keep most stories around a dozen characters. Sure, huge sprawling casts like in SA or WoT can be cool and good for epic fantasy, but I find that I prefer when stories can be engaging without having to rely on a million CG soldiers for their climax, and when cool conflicts can arise between characters that would normally like each other and maybe even know each other well. I think that's one reason why I enjoyed Avatar Last Airbender so much, because even though there ended up being lots of side characters, who were all fun and cool, the main conflict remained between the Fire Family, the Water Family, and Aang. 

Also, could be that I don't like making new characters because most of my characters end up having the same voice XD (still working on that) 

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8 hours ago, Aspiring Writer said:

you then throw your hands in the air as you don't understand if there is supposed to be a process but that you certainly don't or if you do you yourself don't understand it at all

Took me some time to think of a reply to this, because I did want to make one. 

I didn't think about how I wrote or designed until I came here, but I do think that it is incredibly important to learn your own personal process in creation. That way, when mistakes are made (and they inevitably are) you can look back and fix the correct broken thing instead of misdiagnosing and removing the correctly made thing. Let's take out the appendix but not the kidney, 'kay?

I like metaphors, and I often compare the writing process to shipbuilding. I have been forced to sink many, many ships. But over time I've become to realize how important it is to reflect upon the process of creation. I build strong characters, but my weak plot undermined them. With the knowledge I have now, I can look backwards and know it was my lack of process towards outlining and plot building that has left me with the weaknesses I am now shoring up. I originally removed the romance, believing that to be the rotted mast, all while the plot holes were sinking my ship. Now I'm carefully patching those holes and replacing my romance mast with a (hopefully) stronger one. 

It's like being able to do mental math but not being sure how you're doing it. That means once you've reached an incorrect answer, you can't look back and figure out that you forgot to carry the four. Now your entire equation is screwed. 

It may be fun to reflect upon how you yourself make characters, which is surely different than how I make characters or how Robinski or Ginger_Reckoning or Kais or Karamel makes characters. To each their own. 

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7 minutes ago, ginger_reckoning said:

Personally, I reserve the word "genius" for the single work that deserves it:

  Reveal hidden contents

5fbfd245b85e5_playertwo.thumb.jpg.750ad5eed8aa23e4ed00355d299f081f.jpg

 

Okay, you win. 

I snorted so darn hard. God, you always know how to make me laugh. 

7 minutes ago, ginger_reckoning said:

Also, could be that I don't like making new characters because most of my characters end up having the same voice XD (still working on that) 

My first thought to this was, "Try pinching your nose and then talking."

Then my brain caught up. 

Honestly, when I switch voices, I literally change how I sit. Writing the BK? I wrinkle my nose nose in distaste and sit properly. W? I smirk and jut one hip out. When I practice writing for J's POV, I lean back (preferably with my feet up). I think this habit comes from drawing expressions. I make the expression I'm drawing, which sometimes leads to very interesting situations when people have thought I'm losing my marbles. 

Little do they know I lost them long ago. 

Edited by Snakenaps
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2 hours ago, Snakenaps said:

I love thinking to myself "What am I not? What do I want to be? What am I passionate about that I can bleed over to my characters?"

Yes, this is the gist of it. And also the converse is equally if not more interesting: "What am I? What do I want to avoid becoming? What am I indifferent to (that someone else might be fascinated with)?"

2 hours ago, Snakenaps said:

I distrust the word "genius"

Whenever it's used these days, I reckon there is another word that fits the situation, the context, better.

2 hours ago, ginger_reckoning said:

For me, it's kind of like "true love". Neither happen instantaneously. They happen through years of working at it, sacrifice, compromise, and discussion. It very rarely happens with just a single person, too.

Well put. I think someone's first novel can be genius, but they didn't get to that point solely over the year of writing it.

2 hours ago, ginger_reckoning said:

because then i feel like I have to give them realistic motives

Exactly! It's hard. It's meant to be hard (to do it well). They don't call a novel a 'work' of fiction for nothing. ;) 

2 hours ago, ginger_reckoning said:

huge sprawling casts like in SA or WoT can be cool and good for epic fantasy

Yeah, we are all just amateurs:

5fbfdf17f2523_ScreenShot2020-11-26at16_51_53.thumb.png.9de2dd1d4a411d4248207fd60e61ce52.png

That's just the POVs, not the named characters. This site (below) is awesome. Rand's POV is apparently on 21% of the stories; Perrin and Egwene 12% (Edit: each); Matt 11%.

https://wot.fandom.com/wiki/Statistical_analysis#Full-Series_Unique_POV_Breakdown

2 hours ago, Snakenaps said:

Honestly, when I switch voices, I literally change how I sit. Writing the BK? I wrinkle my nose nose in distaste and sit properly. W? I smirk and jut one hip out. When I practice writing for J's POV, I lean back (preferably with my feet up). I think this habit comes from drawing expressions. I make the expression I'm drawing, which sometimes leads to very interesting situations when people have thought I'm losing my marbles. 

This is really interesting!

Edited by Robinski
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On 11/26/2020 at 8:36 AM, Snakenaps said:

 

Honestly, when I switch voices, I literally change how I sit. Writing the BK? I wrinkle my nose nose in distaste and sit properly. W? I smirk and jut one hip out. When I practice writing for J's POV, I lean back (preferably with my feet up). I think this habit comes from drawing expressions. I make the expression I'm drawing, which sometimes leads to very interesting situations when people have thought I'm losing my marbles. 

Little do they know I lost them long ago. 

You do that too! I write alone so I only recently realized I do this :-)

For me, it's mainly facial expressions but I also find myself moving my neck and head around as though I'm talking for them while I write dialogue. 

Do you ever catch yourself using a character's speach patterns after writing? 

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5 hours ago, Sarah B said:

Do you ever catch yourself using a character's speach patterns after writing? 

Yes! Thankfully, I suppose, Ir's voice is like my default writing style now, so she doesn't affect me, but the BK absolutely does.

If I'm reading a book with really strong prose, my brain will feel the "rhythm" of those words for quite a long time afterwards and I'll want to speak in them. Such a bizarre feeling. 

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Ok, so i would like your writerly opinions on an issue I ran into in my NaNoWriMo project:

So, in this project there is a Lovecraftian cult kind of thing going on. I did my research, and I found that most of Lovecraft's entities/creatures are in the public domain. But I was wondering if just using one of Lovecraft's monsters for the cult (I was thinking Azathoth) would be in poor taste? Do you think it would be better to just come up with a generic entity that the cult could be based around? It's a pretty small part of the plot in this story, so I don't think it would really matter, its mainly just a matter of aesthetics really. But what is your opinion on this? 

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16 minutes ago, ginger_reckoning said:

Ok, so i would like your writerly opinions on an issue I ran into in my NaNoWriMo project:

So, in this project there is a Lovecraftian cult kind of thing going on. I did my research, and I found that most of Lovecraft's entities/creatures are in the public domain. But I was wondering if just using one of Lovecraft's monsters for the cult (I was thinking Azathoth) would be in poor taste? Do you think it would be better to just come up with a generic entity that the cult could be based around? It's a pretty small part of the plot in this story, so I don't think it would really matter, its mainly just a matter of aesthetics really. But what is your opinion on this? 

The point of Public domains is for people to take a story further and with new iterations, like King Arthur. I don't think anyone will think it's in poor taste to take a character in his books and expand on them.

Edited by Aspiring Writer
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1 hour ago, ginger_reckoning said:

 Do you think it would be better to just come up with a generic entity that the cult could be based around? It's a pretty small part of the plot in this story, so I don't think it would really matter, its mainly just a matter of aesthetics really. But what is your opinion on this? 

I've read a few books that tie directly to the works of Lovecraft (The Fold and 14 being my favorites), it can be a fun mini trope :-)

You might just be cautious of invoking Lovecraft if the tone of your story isn't conpatable with the existential terror/psychological horror that he was known and loved for. Not for any ethical reasons, just to avoid disappointing readers who might get drawn in by the promise of a Lovecraft-like story. 

That's just my opinion though. It would be sort of like reading a book featuring Sherlock Holmes characters, but with no mystery. 

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Just now, Sarah B said:

You might just be cautious of invoking Lovecraft if the tone of your story isn't conpatable with the existential terror/psychological horror that he was known and loved for.

Yeah, I was just going to say this. Nothing wrong with playing around with stuff in the public domain, but, especially with really well-known stuff like Lovecraft's work, it's really hard to cherry-pick; not an issue if you're setting out to write a Lovecraft-esque story, but if you're just looking to borrow one or two things it might be difficult to convince readers that it's not a Lovecraftian story, if that makes sense.

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Cool cool, thanks for the feedback everyone, and good points. I guess it looks like I'm good to go then. I think the tone is compatible, and as I said its not a huge part of the plot, but the story is a pretty soft sci-fi/horror romp and I thought it might be cool to include :) 

 

 

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Slight change of topic, but I have an interesting Worldbuilding exercise that I need help with. Essentially, I'm trying to come up with a magic system that can replicated any version of any power, that is to say, a skilled practitioner using it would be able to replicate the effect of any kind of magic spell, superhuman ability, or any other version of a power found in literature, though not necessarily all from the same source. Why I'm doing this is for two reasons, 1) because the vast spread of powers means that I have a lot of freedom to work with when it comes to character concepts and 2) because I think it's very cool to create a system like this.

Anyway, if you're interested in the technical details, read the spoiler, if not, skip to the challenge which actually works better if you have no knowledge of how the system works. (Once you help with the challenge, you can take a look at how the system works - it won't spoil anything.)

Spoiler

I'll use Superman as an example for a spread of powers to show that I can replicate. Let's use the Silver Age, post-Crisis, most basic powerset. Superman's powerset is super-senses (fine), heat-vision (easily doable), frost breath (same as previous), invulnerability (a bit harder), x-ray vision (actually tricky), flight (lot of options), powered by the sun (complicated) and a weakness to Kryptonite (which is just weird in my system because it's a specifically chosen power which makes you weaker in the presence of the stuff).

The way the system works is as follows: there are about 32 or so basic 'words' which each represent a specific power - strength enhancement, heat, gravity, etc, though each can be used as symbolism for certain concepts. Each of those allow the wielder to use the power at a minimum level by using said 'word'. So, super-senses is just the [Enhance] word being used as a stronger basis.

Furthermore, you can combine 'words' into 'sentences' to get more powerful abilities. [Fire] might just allow you to heat up the air in front of your hand, but for heat vision you combine [Fire] + [Project] and you get a focused beam of light. Frost breath is the same, just [Ice] + [Project]. X-ray vision might be something like [Light]+[Enhance]+[Inverse], a complicated sentence which gives you access to special magic light that doesn't act the same as normal light. Flight is weird just because of how many different ways of flying there are - but for this case, I'd argue just for [Air]+[Project].

Then you have more complicated abilities - like Superman's power being fueled by the sun. In this case, you'd need a 'paragraph', that is, a whole string of sentences working together to achieve great affect. Something like perhaps [Light] + [Sympathy] + [Conduit] to fuel the sun's power into Superman and [Conduit] + [Enhance] to fuel the power back into a spell. Combine that to get a 'paragraph'.

Then you have magic spells which change the fundamental nature of the world: laws. Kryptonite is weird and can be done one of two ways - either it's just a vulnerability created by a 'sentence', or it's a vulnerability created by a 'law' - an incredibly powerful 'paragraph' that can change the fundamental nature of the world. This would actually be rather simple - [Strengthen] + [Inverse] + [Sympathy] + [Field] + [Kilo] + [Iron] would do the trick, though given that it has six words (remember there are only a total of 32!) that means this is incredibly complex and thus attains the status of a 'law'.

I know I'm not doing a good job explaining of how the various systems work, and that's because my notes of the magic system are currently several thousand words so I'm not sure I can explain the system in full depth here, but this is just a brief introduction on how the system works. Don't get caught up in the specifics of this example and how everything works. If you want even more details, we can discuss further, or just send me a message, because this stuff is complicated.

Worldbuilding exercise: I'm creating a magic system that can be theoretically used to replicate any power, so what I'm asking for is as follows: Would you kindly rattle off your favorite power that you've seen in all forms of media so I can see if my system can be used to replicate it? Just saying the power is fine, but giving me a bit of context so I can understand the power is even better. Everything here is available, give me the most outlandish and weird powers you can think of so I can see if my system works against it, everything from Gambit's kinetic energy abilities; the spells used in Harry Potter; whatever Brandon Sanderson magic system is your favorite; take your pick.

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Guest Somebody from Scadrial
48 minutes ago, aeromancer said:

Slight change of topic, but I have an interesting Worldbuilding exercise that I need help with. Essentially, I'm trying to come up with a magic system that can replicated any version of any power, that is to say, a skilled practitioner using it would be able to replicate the effect of any kind of magic spell, superhuman ability, or any other version of a power found in literature, though not necessarily all from the same source. Why I'm doing this is for two reasons, 1) because the vast spread of powers means that I have a lot of freedom to work with when it comes to character concepts and 2) because I think it's very cool to create a system like this.

Anyway, if you're interested in the technical details, read the spoiler, if not, skip to the challenge which actually works better if you have no knowledge of how the system works. (Once you help with the challenge, you can take a look at how the system works - it won't spoil anything.)

  Reveal hidden contents

I'll use Superman as an example for a spread of powers to show that I can replicate. Let's use the Silver Age, post-Crisis, most basic powerset. Superman's powerset is super-senses (fine), heat-vision (easily doable), frost breath (same as previous), invulnerability (a bit harder), x-ray vision (actually tricky), flight (lot of options), powered by the sun (complicated) and a weakness to Kryptonite (which is just weird in my system because it's a specifically chosen power which makes you weaker in the presence of the stuff).

The way the system works is as follows: there are about 32 or so basic 'words' which each represent a specific power - strength enhancement, heat, gravity, etc, though each can be used as symbolism for certain concepts. Each of those allow the wielder to use the power at a minimum level by using said 'word'. So, super-senses is just the [Enhance] word being used as a stronger basis.

Furthermore, you can combine 'words' into 'sentences' to get more powerful abilities. [Fire] might just allow you to heat up the air in front of your hand, but for heat vision you combine [Fire] + [Project] and you get a focused beam of light. Frost breath is the same, just [Ice] + [Project]. X-ray vision might be something like [Light]+[Enhance]+[Inverse], a complicated sentence which gives you access to special magic light that doesn't act the same as normal light. Flight is weird just because of how many different ways of flying there are - but for this case, I'd argue just for [Air]+[Project].

Then you have more complicated abilities - like Superman's power being fueled by the sun. In this case, you'd need a 'paragraph', that is, a whole string of sentences working together to achieve great affect. Something like perhaps [Light] + [Sympathy] + [Conduit] to fuel the sun's power into Superman and [Conduit] + [Enhance] to fuel the power back into a spell. Combine that to get a 'paragraph'.

Then you have magic spells which change the fundamental nature of the world: laws. Kryptonite is weird and can be done one of two ways - either it's just a vulnerability created by a 'sentence', or it's a vulnerability created by a 'law' - an incredibly powerful 'paragraph' that can change the fundamental nature of the world. This would actually be rather simple - [Strengthen] + [Inverse] + [Sympathy] + [Field] + [Kilo] + [Iron] would do the trick, though given that it has six words (remember there are only a total of 32!) that means this is incredibly complex and thus attains the status of a 'law'.

I know I'm not doing a good job explaining of how the various systems work, and that's because my notes of the magic system are currently several thousand words so I'm not sure I can explain the system in full depth here, but this is just a brief introduction on how the system works. Don't get caught up in the specifics of this example and how everything works. If you want even more details, we can discuss further, or just send me a message, because this stuff is complicated.

Worldbuilding exercise: I'm creating a magic system that can be theoretically used to replicate any power, so what I'm asking for is as follows: Would you kindly rattle off your favorite power that you've seen in all forms of media so I can see if my system can be used to replicate it? Just saying the power is fine, but giving me a bit of context so I can understand the power is even better. Everything here is available, give me the most outlandish and weird powers you can think of so I can see if my system works against it, everything from Gambit's kinetic energy abilities; the spells used in Harry Potter; whatever Brandon Sanderson magic system is your favorite; take your pick.

The more you use the power the stronger it gets, but you will feel the opposite effect stronger as well, this can be anything, my favorite example is awareness: the more you use it the less sleepy and the better your senses get, when not using the powers, you get really drowsy with bad senses.

Also I will summon

@Aspiring Writer 

Edited by Somebody from Sel
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6 minutes ago, Somebody from Sel said:

The more you use the power the stronger it gets, but you will feel the opposite effect stronger as well, this can be anything, my favorite example is awareness: the more you use it the less sleepy and the better your senses get, when not using the powers, you get really drowsy with bad senses.

Also I will summon

@Aspiring Writer 

You didn't have to summon me. I already saw you messaged here and got curious.

 

51 minutes ago, aeromancer said:

Slight change of topic, but I have an interesting Worldbuilding exercise that I need help with. Essentially, I'm trying to come up with a magic system that can replicated any version of any power, that is to say, a skilled practitioner using it would be able to replicate the effect of any kind of magic spell, superhuman ability, or any other version of a power found in literature, though not necessarily all from the same source. Why I'm doing this is for two reasons, 1) because the vast spread of powers means that I have a lot of freedom to work with when it comes to character concepts and 2) because I think it's very cool to create a system like this.

Anyway, if you're interested in the technical details, read the spoiler, if not, skip to the challenge which actually works better if you have no knowledge of how the system works. (Once you help with the challenge, you can take a look at how the system works - it won't spoil anything.)

  Reveal hidden contents

I'll use Superman as an example for a spread of powers to show that I can replicate. Let's use the Silver Age, post-Crisis, most basic powerset. Superman's powerset is super-senses (fine), heat-vision (easily doable), frost breath (same as previous), invulnerability (a bit harder), x-ray vision (actually tricky), flight (lot of options), powered by the sun (complicated) and a weakness to Kryptonite (which is just weird in my system because it's a specifically chosen power which makes you weaker in the presence of the stuff).

The way the system works is as follows: there are about 32 or so basic 'words' which each represent a specific power - strength enhancement, heat, gravity, etc, though each can be used as symbolism for certain concepts. Each of those allow the wielder to use the power at a minimum level by using said 'word'. So, super-senses is just the [Enhance] word being used as a stronger basis.

Furthermore, you can combine 'words' into 'sentences' to get more powerful abilities. [Fire] might just allow you to heat up the air in front of your hand, but for heat vision you combine [Fire] + [Project] and you get a focused beam of light. Frost breath is the same, just [Ice] + [Project]. X-ray vision might be something like [Light]+[Enhance]+[Inverse], a complicated sentence which gives you access to special magic light that doesn't act the same as normal light. Flight is weird just because of how many different ways of flying there are - but for this case, I'd argue just for [Air]+[Project].

Then you have more complicated abilities - like Superman's power being fueled by the sun. In this case, you'd need a 'paragraph', that is, a whole string of sentences working together to achieve great affect. Something like perhaps [Light] + [Sympathy] + [Conduit] to fuel the sun's power into Superman and [Conduit] + [Enhance] to fuel the power back into a spell. Combine that to get a 'paragraph'.

Then you have magic spells which change the fundamental nature of the world: laws. Kryptonite is weird and can be done one of two ways - either it's just a vulnerability created by a 'sentence', or it's a vulnerability created by a 'law' - an incredibly powerful 'paragraph' that can change the fundamental nature of the world. This would actually be rather simple - [Strengthen] + [Inverse] + [Sympathy] + [Field] + [Kilo] + [Iron] would do the trick, though given that it has six words (remember there are only a total of 32!) that means this is incredibly complex and thus attains the status of a 'law'.

I know I'm not doing a good job explaining of how the various systems work, and that's because my notes of the magic system are currently several thousand words so I'm not sure I can explain the system in full depth here, but this is just a brief introduction on how the system works. Don't get caught up in the specifics of this example and how everything works. If you want even more details, we can discuss further, or just send me a message, because this stuff is complicated.

Worldbuilding exercise: I'm creating a magic system that can be theoretically used to replicate any power, so what I'm asking for is as follows: Would you kindly rattle off your favorite power that you've seen in all forms of media so I can see if my system can be used to replicate it? Just saying the power is fine, but giving me a bit of context so I can understand the power is even better. Everything here is available, give me the most outlandish and weird powers you can think of so I can see if my system works against it, everything from Gambit's kinetic energy abilities; the spells used in Harry Potter; whatever Brandon Sanderson magic system is your favorite; take your pick.

Interesting magic system, though I will say be careful with it, as it seems to have both hard and soft elements and those soft elements seem very difficult to deal with in a plot. Magic power I shall suggest is time manipulation, i.e. slow down, speed up, freeze, and that's it. No time travel. That and superspeed. Superspeed is OP.

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Guest Somebody from Scadrial
10 minutes ago, Aspiring Writer said:

You didn't have to summon me. I already saw you messaged here and got curious.

 

Interesting magic system, though I will say be careful with it, as it seems to have both hard and soft elements and those soft elements seem very difficult to deal with in a plot. Magic power I shall suggest is time manipulation, i.e. slow down, speed up, freeze, and that's it. No time travel. That and superspeed. Superspeed is OP.

Ok 

From what I've seen I think it could be: [light] + [enhance] for wakefulness and [light] + [enhance] + [inverse] + [over time or something like that] for the opposite and you already have senses

Maybe try... elemental powers

Edited by Somebody from Sel
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@aeromancer

My favorite super power to see done well are the different forms of kinetic mimicry/ skill absorption. You see this in comic type stories in characters like Task master, tv in Sylar from Heroes, and in manga/anime in characters like Kakashi. Star trek plays with this too in a light form as mind melds and the Krill, depending on the version. 

There are always drawbacks, what has to be done to acquire new skills and how long they last. 

I think what appeals to me about it is that the ability doesn't seem to be anything at first, but is crushingly powerful when developed 

Flight is a close second though :-)

 

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8 hours ago, ginger_reckoning said:

Cool cool, thanks for the feedback everyone, and good points. I guess it looks like I'm good to go then. I think the tone is compatible, and as I said its not a huge part of the plot, but the story is a pretty soft sci-fi/horror romp and I thought it might be cool to include :)

This would be my concern. For me, if you put Azathoth in the story, there's a good chance it will distract the reader, and make them think it's a story about Azathoth. Az will have more weight than anything in your story in terms of history, fictional gravitas, etc. I think it could be a huge distraction for the reader, when you want them to be concentrating on your story and your characters. Example: Imagine I'm writing a space opera, and I have a colourful crew of n'erdowells pootling around my universe. They go from planet Urdoglf to planet Dddanan, then they get a message that there's a new job for them on Tatooine. it has no important part in the story, but just dropping that name in evokes all the readers memories and associations with Star Wars, and their brain goes flying off in a different direction. That's my 10c :) 

Edit: on the other hand, it occurs to me that if there are other pop culture references, and if the reference to Azathoth is a knowing one, I guess it can work. All down to the tone of the piece, I suppose.

Edited by Robinski
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4 hours ago, aeromancer said:

Just saying the power is fine, but giving me a bit of context so I can understand the power is even better. Everything here is available, give me the most outlandish and weird powers you can think of so I can see if my system works against it, everything from Gambit's kinetic energy abilities; the spells used in Harry Potter; whatever Brandon Sanderson magic system is your favorite; take your pick.

Flame on! - Fantastic Four was the first comic I started buying waaaaaay back in the...late 70's. Human Torch/Johnny Storm (always Chris Evans for me) was my favourite character.

Magneto - Because, of course!!

Harry Dresden - for the simplicity of the system, while remaining coherent, IMO. Not overthought. Does what it needs to to serve the story.

Edited by Robinski
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