Caine's whimsical ass is gonna be very disappointed in you if you don't watch this video before commenting about the thumbnail. Don't make him cry (drool?).
One thing that I tend to focus on in my own magic systems is the concept of going deep into the tailored rules and conditions of every character’s individual power/technique. This way it’s more engaging knowing what kind of hand each characters is playing with
While watching this video, I've realized I've overthought my magic system, while also not staying true to what i want to write. I don't need all the gods and magic and crap in my story if i'm just gonna be writing cosmic horror again. Not to say i'm throwing it all away. Great vid
Sorry for spamming your comment section but yeah, I have pretty different prefrences than you do lol. For me, I love CE because of how simultaneously complex but easy to understand it is. I think a great example of this is the Gojo vs. Sukuna fight. A casual viewer can see it one way, a meatheaded powerfest with a focus on hand to hand attacks, domain expansion clashes, and Sukuna babysitting Mahoraga untill he can bypass infinity. More knowledgeable readers can obsess about the changing conditions of the domain expansions and sure hits, the increased applications for RCT, how anti-domain techniques can be used at the highest level, the way the use of chants and handsigns can be used to buff already conjured attacks, etc. I think this approach definitely has it's flaws, but as someone who is also (but more sporodically) writing their own story there is much I want to emulate. I'm not really a fan of Toiken fantasy in general, so if a show like Frieren wants to engage me with its magic, it has to do a lot more than something like JJK, which i personnaly love and (apparently suprisingly) fully understand.
32:06 You can even say Nen is just D&D magic Enchantment = Abjuration Emission = Evocation Manipulation = Enchantment Transmutation (same) Conjugation (same) Special = Wild magic depending on the DM
My recommendation for writing magic is similar to yours. Find the story you want to tell, the themes explored, and build a system around that. If you need to explain the system to your audience then do so. Otherwise small tidbits is fine.
Yeah, so far I thought up 2 distinct power systems using this thought process. And I gotta say, it feels very satisfying. Can easily lead to more emotional moments when the powers are relevant to the characters' role in the story, as opposed to just being a "cool side thing" that is forced into the story.
That’s also what i did instinctively, the theme i want to talk about should be represented and interwoven within the story. So it can peak out like a beak-a-boo and not really directly talked about. Edit: that’s what i learnt from JJK without noticing
I believe a big reason for why the conversation largely became about Hard Magic vs Soft Magic despite the fact that your previous video actually went further beyond that.... Is because when you emphasize the importance of keeping magic mysterious, it just innately raises questions over the validity of magic that are presented as a science. At least, that's how I felt when I wrote my own little essay about the appeals of detailed magic. I didn't really try to imply that you were against hard magic, as I actually agreed with a bunch of the stuff you mentioned, including the part where it could possibly be better of keeping most of the magic system's details for the writers themselves, as opposed to revealing everything to the audience. It just came out of being a twofold thing where I kinda may've just slipped off in not really addressing things I agree with in the video (which tbf, was more or less the whole thing), but also feeling like it was necessary to point out that there was still an appeal for the exposition, because your video didnt really go into that part beyond a general liking of hard systems. And then I just guess the over saturation of essays like mine just gave the wrong impression from viewers who have a tendency to read and post comments before watching the video... But yes, that aside, I think you did a great job in clarifying the nuance between what makes a magic system hard vs soft here, as honestly, even I kinda only had a vague understanding of that, even when not that far off. The only unclear part for me there I guess, is that there is also another element about supernatural abilities in fiction that is discussed a lot, and it's about the distinction between it being considered a Magic System as opposed to being plainly seen as a Power System. Cause from what I gather, they are often times used interchangeably in eastern media, even when sometimes like in a bunch of western comics, super powers are treated as a separate thing from magic, much how both are also often treated as separate from science.
@@TengokuEXEWell the explanation was merged with a bunch of character moments and other exposition because the implications of body swapping is pretty large. And it was a full chapter in terms of length spread over the course of a few chapters in the arc not nessasary one chapter in the manga.
@kid9448 In the vs Cursed Spirit Naoya fight it was revealed that heavenly restricted users can see the "foothold" in the air created by air density changes. Through a combination of precise movement and physical power they can springboard themselves off of these foothold. Basically they can jump on dense parts of air. Sukuna does something similar, but he presumably can't see the air as well as Maki does so instead he jumps on the density created from his CE.
@@bruhfunny8123I understand suspension of disbelief but ain’t no way somebody can just do that because the air is a bit denser. Even if they have super strength and reflexes.
@@bruhfunny8123 the thing is, the dense parts of air would br found in low altitudes(maki is scene at the height of buildings doing this) low tempature(idk how super strength changes tempature) and pressure(you could argue for super strength being strong enough to haul enough air molecules in dense packs,but other than that nothing would make sense) gojo's make sense because it was explained, if the Limitless can manuplate and divide space, then he can levitate or just change his coordinates, and sukuna doing is narratively undermining an HR wielder, him being physically stronger than toji and maki would kind of make them obsolete even if he's the king of curses
22:14 This is so we know why blood manipulation users arent just constantly using flowing red scale. Also because it makes the Choso vs Yuji fight more badass.
I personally don't think magic/power systems hard and soft is that good of a categorization method but should be more on the line of complex & simplistic, how many rules/components a magic system has plus strict & flexible, how easily or difficult it is to break/bend the rules/components of magic system.
Hard and soft makes sense it's just two extreme parameters You using complex/simplicity is literally serving the same purpose of two simple parameters and you then can scale in between
I always just kinda assumed that he difference between hard and soft magic systems is just that one has rules and, well, a system, and the other can do whatever in a "it's magic, I ain't gonna explain shit" way. °~°
Great magic systems serve the story in the most beneficial way. The Hobbit works best with soft magic because the story wants you to be as awestruck and confused as Bilbo. Full Metal Alchemist works as a hard magic system because the story wants you to understand the struggle Edward and Alphonse go through to understand the intricacies of how alchemy works. In either example, the story wouldn't work if opposite systems where employed because it damages the story.
24:08 The only question is what happens if you violate binding vows made with others. If you violate a self-imposed binding vow, you only lose what you gained.
Seems like people are abusing/mis using the binary presentation of hard /soft magic The binary should be used to explain two EXTREMES There are hot and cold drinks or food , everyone understands the spectrum in this it's not about defining what a cold drink is because that is relative to the meal.. same for magic systems it's relative to the story or magic world building And if like to add that hard and soft is dependent on what the AUTHOR chooses to expose to the audience Lord of the rings can very well be a hard magic system to it's author but the decision of exposure is what matters
I won't agree with your categorization of hard and soft magic, but I agree with it far more than I agree with complexity = hard magic. The way I see it, the stricter the rules around magic are, the harder the magic system is. By my own personal categorization of hard and soft magic, Frieren is actually a relatively soft system, die to the fact that the only true rule about magic is that it requires mana to cast. Likewise, DnD, a system with walls of text describing how the spells work, is also a fairly soft system, as the only real requirements for a spell is it takes a spell slots (if it's not a cantrip) and must adhere to one of the schools of magic, as well as the laws of magic having been rewritten on more than one occasion. My own personal magic system I've been creating, while it'd be considered a hard system by your definition, is relatively soft by my standards, but that's the fun part about debates. I don't have to agree with you, but so long as everyone is respectful, everyone can come away with a far greater understanding of their own views. Besides, I think it works as an excellent Y axis that could be used to complement my more rules oriented views. Strict rules vs Flexible rules (imagination based magic systems are inherently more flexible) Knowns rules vs Unknown/Non-existent rules.
@@ScritRighter I don't remember from where I read this, but there was a story where magic was as solidly defined as math is, where there's no true flexibility. You input variables, exactly one outcome happens. It was extremely strict with how magic operated, and as such, was also extremely predictable. Frieren, meanwhile, allows magic to be manipulated by the imagination and intent of the caster, which is how new spells often come to being. Fundamentally, the laws governing magic are more malleable due to that. While it's well defined how it works, it can still be shaped and molded much like clay can.
@@somewhereelse1235 While I feel something like this is certainly a hard magic system, I also feel like this definition doesn't properly serve the terms. I also think that Magic = Math =/= Magic. Since an element of magic is inherently meant to be mysterious and supernatural to some degree or another. Otherwise, it's more physics than magic. However, I think it's not necessarily the 'strictness' of the rules as much as it is what the audience knows about magic's limitations, costs, and consequences. Magic does not need to be equivalent to math in order to be considered hard magic. It just needs to be understood and the things it does must be consistent with what is understood. When the rule of a magic system says: "Magic can be cast through imagination, but only if the caster truly understands, believes in, and comprehends what they are trying to create" That is consistently followed in Freiren. Even when Ubel is looked to as an 'exception' to the rule, it is only because Ubel's comprehension is a result of her unique perspective. No one in Freiren learns a new spell without study or discovery (Through grimoires). No one is shown to be able to create something they've never seen before, or experienced first hand. Sure, the rule is broad and difficult to break (ie 'flexible'), however, that has no bearing on our understanding of it, nor the consistency we feel as a result of watching magic at work.
Now, what about multiple magic systems? What if both soft and hard magic existed at the same time? What about medium magic systems? What about magic and tech together? How does that work?
> What about magic and tech together? Its an abhorrent abomination that contributes to the degradation of both science fiction and fantasy genres. ...But I've also heard from people that Shadowrun is quite good.
@@poopsytheduck864 What? Influence of fantasy makes sci-fi less believable. Influence of sci-fi makes fantasy less... well, _fantastical._ Those two genres shouldn't mix, they hurt each other.
@@DarthBiomech > What about magic and tech together? Its an abhorrent abomination that contributes to the degradation of both science fiction and fantasy genres. Warhamer 40k wants to know your location
I just disagree with the axiom of your definition of hard and soft magic. Definitions are determined by how the majority of people use it (that's why dictionaries update over time). When people use terms like hard and soft magic chances are they aren't going to define by "how much we know about how the magic works" but rather how complex and structured it is or even just how it feels. So really my disagreement is in believing that your definition is how most people perceive the term to be.
@@Synchro-tq1mo Yeah and what I'm saying is that its origin doesn't matter because that isn't how the vast majority of people use the term. It would be like arguing a meme isn't a meme unless it's popular because that's how Richard Dawkins defined it.
This video is a lot clearer than the first one. I must admit I didn't agree with a lot of the points in the original video however, in this video I was able to interpret your points in the way that were intended. Examples like Gege unnecessarily explaining blood colts gave more content on what you were trying to say.
30:08 "having to justify Magic’s role in the story to your audience". I don't like killing the darlings I created as a child, so I feel like the only way I can keep all of them is by inventing a backstory that explains why they exist.
30:39 Conversely, I find frierens magic pretty boring for that same reason. Despite attempts at making the system unique like the barrier system and the fact that it is always evolving, the actual fight end up either being extremely predictable or culminating with a pure stat diffrence. For me, that lack of depth makes fighting feel hollow instead of engaging.
I agree with this, but a lot of fights in Frieren actually work against that stat-difference style that's present when they fight demons or monsters. In fights against other mages or the battle against Fake Frieren, they actually use a lot more depth and creativity in their fights to make up for the fact that most magic battles are battles of attrition. A great example of this is in the fight between Kanne and the earthbending mage, which uses the vagueness of its magic system to its full effect when it uses Kanne's inability to control water she can't see as the main reason for her losing most of the fight. There's also the fight between the 2 Übels which is much more based on tactics than it is based around the actual use of magic, since Übel is one of the most skilled mages in the verse.
@RushWheeler Fair enough. My interest in Frieren began to wane after the demon arc and I dropped it fully during the mage exam arc so there might be something I am missing. Maybe I'll come back to it on a few years and see if it hits different but in general I was pretty uninterested in the technicality of the fights up to that point.
The more I learn the more I believe that are no wrong ways to write your story. There are just more sinkholes and bullets to dodge if you take a certain path. Like sure reactive magic systems are hard to design as your story will feel more chaotic/ deus ex machina esk. But if you have the mindset to have a few rules and then add believable exceptions to those rules when you need it, it can be a very interesting system as well. For example AtLA could be written with this idea in mind. Earth benders bend rocks and stones and buildings. However crystals or metal are exceptions because they are minerals. Alternatively you could prove your writers wrong by changing the premise to earth benders can bend minerals. Similarly Firebenders can feel the Chi of a person because the Fire chacra is the centre of the flow of chi. They don’t need to just attack. The premise changed from Fire benders can bend and create Fire to Fire benders can manipulate the chi in their body by using their chacra and emotions. To make something like this work I would say a few things: 1. You need simple rules that you can reasonably expand upon. Don’t do when A does B and C does D under the condition of B > D, D fizzles out causing E etc. Do A does B because B is a logical expansion of theme A. Because then if theme A changes A you automatically have to change B. 2. If a character advances the magic system either have them face consequences or make it believable that the character could find this loophole and only that character (Toph lived a sheltered life and got trained by the original benders who live in mountains, so it is believable that she didn’t figured it out prior but still had the expertise to find it out; Zuko found a new way to fire bend because he listend to his uncle and changed, so it wasn’t a deus ex machina and it also was set up by Iroh prior). 3. Allow your characters to fail or find character driven excuses why A doesn’t decimate B in this given scenario. 4. Don’t overdo it. You NEED consistency more than ever if you do this concept as otherwise it will become deus ex machina and deus ex machina just ruins your pacing as you need to explain a lot in retro perspective. Even if you think you have the time to explain it, it will become repetitive after the second time. Conclusion: I don’t think AtLA was designed like this, I said it could have been designed the way I described it. The only way to get better is to learn and to bang your head against a wall until you break the wall or got enough brain damage to realize that you can just walk through the door a few steps away. This includes this post as I have never written a book before so I could be wrong. Limiting your options is good however it won’t help you to write the story you want to tell, just getting you started. I think I have said everything I wanted to say So Have a nice day AEther
The funny thing is I love Brandon Sanderson's books and watch his lessons on YT so many times... And I agree with almost everything you said in that video.😂😂
Alright, I’m gonna lay out the rules for my worlds magic system that are gonna be told to the reader. I have my own explanation for why certain things work, but it’s still under construction so far so I don’t know how much I’m actually gonna tell: Rule 1: the physics of the universe the story takes place in makes it so that complexity and consciousness are linked in the same way space and time are. They are the same thing in different forms Rule 2: a sufficiently conscious or cognizant being (human level consciousness, or any being that displays use of complex emotions similar to ours) is able to utilize their mind to manipulate complexity around them within the confines of their understanding of reality. Rule 3: Virtual particles are largely what facilitates this process Rule 4: the laws of thermodynamics cannot be broken
You missed quite a bit about binding vows. There are both self imposed binding vows which do as you explained, and there are "agreement" binding vows which force both parties to keep a promise. Within the self-imposed bining vows there are a few types Tradeoffs-You gain imediently something for losing something longer-term (and vive versa). Stuff like skipping incantations for World slash, overtime, and Hakari losing his arm fall into this category. Finally, there is the range restricting/increading binding vow which modfies how your attack works permanently for a tradeoff. Stuff like Yuji's dismantles not being ranged in exchange for targeting the soul more, and Sukunas World slash widening its range in exchange for requiring incantations fall under here. Unrealted but do you really think the post shibuya cast was worse? I mean, Takaba and Higuruma are two of the best charcters in the series for me.
i've only discovered your chanel and this is the first video i watched. have you talked about how nowadays authors tend to write reactive characters only?
@@Sappysappster lol true but this video had a much larger pool of people misunderstanding. Something about that video was different. Maybe it was unrelated to his explanation but maybe not
Depends on how deep it is. If it's just new tech, that's just it. If it has pre-established rules that affect the actual world, it becomes a sort of magic system in itself.
i mean the dnd artificer class is a pretty interesting answer for ur question. a fusion of sci-fi tech guy + spellcaster who infuses mana into their inventions. its genuinely such a fun class to play (ive been playing curse of strahd with an artificer PC and i’ve been having the time of my life)
Another point I just realized: The question shouldnt be: What magic system should I have, but more like Why do I need magic in my story (aka why do I want to write fantasy). If the reason is emotional (like because it is cool or why not) then your job is it to create a magic system that doesn’t add to the themes but to use it as a empathizer. Your focus is to show magic in the dominant aspect of your story (usually fighting), while not focusing on the rest. If the reason is a thematic one you need to intertwine the magic with characters it isn’t a toolbox for you anymore to make the characters look badass but more of a tool for the characters to overcome the plot you planned. For example I usually write fantasy because I enjoy the toolbox I have as a writer (if you see a devil you know intuitively that thats probably not the nicest person in the room). So my objective is to find the key aspect of my story (usually worldbuilding) and to show how in this case the world impacts the characters that live there. Sure some of them can cast magic but it isn’t important as the fact that it is a magical world is dominant. So the magic system I need is more soft in nature as my characters usually don’t have the ability to know enough about the world to form it via magic in a meaningful way. This could create then conflict if I introduce a character that can influence the magic of the world because this character is quite literally part of the world at this point. And so this character automatically challenges the themes of the story opposes or sides with the main protagonist and all of this because I knew what I wanted to write about. Important: There are no wrong ways to the question what you want from a magic system. Just poor execution if you don’t understand why you want to do something.
Unrelated question: how do I write 'popular' characterst? The main five characters in my story are not the plucky underdogs, at least not in school. They're not the nerds who get picked on by the cool kids, they ARE the cool kids. While they still have flaws, they are at the top of the social ladder. So how do I write them, in the school seeing. Keep in mind the school is NOT the focus of the story, just a minor aspect.
If you want advice/critique directly from me, I offer that as a membership reward. But to answer you anyways, the first question to ask is whether you want the 'popular kids' to actually be cool, or if you want them to be antagonists. A lot of the time the 'cool kids' in real life are just people who are either more socially intelligent, wealthy, attractive, or privileged than the other kids. There are kids who are just fun to be around because they have good energy. And then there are kids who people see as a good connection to have for one reason or another. Whether that's because they are respected, or because someone they know is worthy of respect. There are also popular kids who gain their position by manipulating the 'politics' of school so that people know not to fuck with them/ to get in their good graces. Then there are popular kids who the other popular kids put up with because their dad has a yacht or something lol.
I would argue that the Amazing Digital Cicus is a Hard magic system that looks like a Soft magic system. It being code, is by nature hard, we just don't know its limitations. If you say Friren's magic system is hard(ish) because of visualisation, then so is Caine's magic system. He couldn't make an exit door because he doesn't know what to put in it, he can't visualize it because he doesn't know it. Within the story, I think its like 70% soft magic, but that 30% prevents it from being Mary Popins level
Im a computer science major, and it genuinely feels like I’m a grand wizard figuring out like if statements and for loops. I felt like a god finishing my plinko machine and making it actually work. Its literally just a hard magic system
Just finished Storm Light Archive. I haven’t read his other books but I just can’t stand the way he writes. The magic is interesting, but damn do I hate the themes used. When ever questions are raised about the world or magic system, it’s great and interesting 4/5 times. If it’s about character and themes, they make the story more interesting 1/5 times. It aggravates me so much because I fit the demographic for the books, but I just can’t stand it.
i think writers should focus on the lore and the world of their story first before creating their magic system. This way their magic system feels purposeful and organic to its story. The latest great example of that i can think of is the devil powers/contracts in chainsaw man
On topic of complexity vs simplicity: Even if your magic system is very complex, try to explain it as simply as possible. Then add more and more to it with the same goal of simplicity. Any idiot can make anything much more needlessly complex than it needs to be, but a smart person can take something complex and make it simple. As for hard vs soft, the less you explain, the softer it will be. But, at least have it follow some internal logic to avoid it becoming a dues ex machina, unless thats the point.
I'm gonna be a big nerd and still argue Caine isn't magic cause he's an AI in a game. I'd say AM from I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream is more magical cause I have no idea how a pissed off computer manage to become a god.
@@upg5147 I guess. I have very simple view when it comes to what is magic and what isn't even on a technicality. Some people might call the Force in Star Wars magic but to me the Force is the Force.
@@Gat720Dua And you can play into that. In Star Wars, I'd say it's rather lazy, but it's easy to explain it as "an unknown force". However, this only works if the magic is so vast that trying to study it is a fool's errand (so if you can cast the same spell the same way consistently, it doesn't fall under this type of magic) or the magic is so new to the world that research is ongoing and only working theories are available. If you aren't doing either of these, it's hard to make the "just magic" explanation not seem lazy. In your world, if psychic magic is "bad" or the dark side of magic since it corrupts, make it have a reason. Is it from a twisted Eldritch god? The negative emotions of humans? The reason doesn't have to play a huge role in the story if you don't want it to. The dark god never has to come down and threaten the world, but you need to be able to show people slipping into a special kind of madness and explain it as Eldritch like or what have you.
I don't agree that hard or soft is mostly determined by how much the reader knows or even the complexity. I think hard and soft mostly refers to the rigidity of the boundaries of a magic system. A hard magic system can seem soft if you don't know the rules but the fact that it has defined rules makes it hard in my opinion. Hunter x Hunter is a soft magic system that seems hard because most characters have rules and conditions to their powers but knowing the rules doesn't make the overall magic system hard. The fact that Frieren's magic can be described as "if the user believes it works some way then the magic will work in that way" is an obvious indicator of a soft magic system to me. When that girl cut the invincible cloak simply because she believed she could, I was completely convinced that this is a soft magic system because there's no way to actually measure the strength of any spell at that point. It has some harder elements in that mana is quantifiable and they seem to develop magic like a science but the actual implementation of the magic is relatively soft. It just wouldn't make sense to me that hardness is mostly determined by writing style. Like, in the mistborne series (at least the first one since that's the one I read), the magic only works on metal and you have to ingest specific metal to do the magic and you have to be genetically capable of doing magic... all of which points to a hard magic system. Not because it's explicitly stated in the story but because it has defined pre-requisites and predictable effects. A girl being able to cut an invincible cloak just because she believed it was fragile is intentionally unpredictable which is why they make it a point to give us that backstory. Just because they gave us that understanding doesn't mean the magic is now harder, it's still a soft system with flexible boundaries.
Here's how my magical system works... so far. Only a select few can use it since it takes time to master and due to cultural taboo. There's two types of magic, elemental and psychic. Elemental magic is basically Avatar powers while psychic powers are more like traditional witchy magic. The more magic you use, the more corrupted you can become. You need balance between both the natural world and the unnatural for pure balance, otherwise you can lose yourself... a story my main villain didn't learn. Magic is held inside a select few and some can have random outbursts that can be mistaken for natural powers. Freak accidents that give people powers are actually the chemicals in the magic user's body being amplified and awoken. How does this sound so far? Also, the story takes place in modern times and I haven't yet decided what makes someone magic and what doesn't. I'm considering it has to all do with the brain.
@@upg5147 ALL magic is frowned upon. Even elemental magic. To balance yourself, you need to have some kind of weapon as well. That's where most wands and staffs come from. Physic magic may come FROM the natural world but you are still using magic.
Also... this is VERY much a work in progress so please share your loopholes and ideas so we can fix this together. Constructive criticism is very welcome.
@@sapphirepinefruit23 Using items to take the toll off the body is good. Both magics being frowned upon is fine. Now we have to ask why does any magic do bad things to you? Is it mental? physical? Both? Give your reasoning.
@@upg5147 It slowly corrupts your soul. I guess I should have mentioned that. That's why staying connected to reality is important so your soul can heal. Too much strain on your soul can corrupt it to the point it breaks and you become a monster. I guess magic may come from the soul rather than the brain like I imagined it originally.
Haven't watched yet but I'm gonna guess this whole vid is an excuse for you to talk about the elf anime again? Edit: 7:38 mins in and he hasn't talked about it at all? Wow, I'm impressed. Kudos for resisting an opportunity to blab about it again, i know it can be hard, but in the end, abstinence brings the most reward to mind and body! Edit: No way
Caine's whimsical ass is gonna be very disappointed in you if you don't watch this video before commenting about the thumbnail. Don't make him cry (drool?).
It is only because of your thumbnails that I begun watching TADC. Yes, I watched your video before commenting. Just letting you know.
No.
can you make a video on bleach
We have GOT to find something else you can clickbait
No
i dont think sooooo
@@ScritRighterbased
@@ScritRighterStop Clickbaiting
You should make a video on Digital Circus and then not put it in the thumbnail at all
One thing that I tend to focus on in my own magic systems is the concept of going deep into the tailored rules and conditions of every character’s individual power/technique. This way it’s more engaging knowing what kind of hand each characters is playing with
While watching this video, I've realized I've overthought my magic system, while also not staying true to what i want to write. I don't need all the gods and magic and crap in my story if i'm just gonna be writing cosmic horror again. Not to say i'm throwing it all away. Great vid
Sorry for spamming your comment section but yeah, I have pretty different prefrences than you do lol. For me, I love CE because of how simultaneously complex but easy to understand it is. I think a great example of this is the Gojo vs. Sukuna fight. A casual viewer can see it one way, a meatheaded powerfest with a focus on hand to hand attacks, domain expansion clashes, and Sukuna babysitting Mahoraga untill he can bypass infinity. More knowledgeable readers can obsess about the changing conditions of the domain expansions and sure hits, the increased applications for RCT, how anti-domain techniques can be used at the highest level, the way the use of chants and handsigns can be used to buff already conjured attacks, etc.
I think this approach definitely has it's flaws, but as someone who is also (but more sporodically) writing their own story there is much I want to emulate.
I'm not really a fan of Toiken fantasy in general, so if a show like Frieren wants to engage me with its magic, it has to do a lot more than something like JJK, which i personnaly love and (apparently suprisingly) fully understand.
My man, he doesn't understand how jjk's magic system works.
@pavelvurbanov3802 how so
32:06
You can even say Nen is just D&D magic
Enchantment = Abjuration
Emission = Evocation
Manipulation = Enchantment
Transmutation (same)
Conjugation (same)
Special = Wild magic depending on the DM
*Enhancement = Abjuration
My recommendation for writing magic is similar to yours. Find the story you want to tell, the themes explored, and build a system around that. If you need to explain the system to your audience then do so. Otherwise small tidbits is fine.
Yeah, so far I thought up 2 distinct power systems using this thought process. And I gotta say, it feels very satisfying. Can easily lead to more emotional moments when the powers are relevant to the characters' role in the story, as opposed to just being a "cool side thing" that is forced into the story.
That’s also what i did instinctively, the theme i want to talk about should be represented and interwoven within the story. So it can peak out like a beak-a-boo and not really directly talked about.
Edit: that’s what i learnt from JJK without noticing
I believe a big reason for why the conversation largely became about Hard Magic vs Soft Magic despite the fact that your previous video actually went further beyond that.... Is because when you emphasize the importance of keeping magic mysterious, it just innately raises questions over the validity of magic that are presented as a science.
At least, that's how I felt when I wrote my own little essay about the appeals of detailed magic. I didn't really try to imply that you were against hard magic, as I actually agreed with a bunch of the stuff you mentioned, including the part where it could possibly be better of keeping most of the magic system's details for the writers themselves, as opposed to revealing everything to the audience.
It just came out of being a twofold thing where I kinda may've just slipped off in not really addressing things I agree with in the video (which tbf, was more or less the whole thing), but also feeling like it was necessary to point out that there was still an appeal for the exposition, because your video didnt really go into that part beyond a general liking of hard systems.
And then I just guess the over saturation of essays like mine just gave the wrong impression from viewers who have a tendency to read and post comments before watching the video...
But yes, that aside, I think you did a great job in clarifying the nuance between what makes a magic system hard vs soft here, as honestly, even I kinda only had a vague understanding of that, even when not that far off.
The only unclear part for me there I guess, is that there is also another element about supernatural abilities in fiction that is discussed a lot, and it's about the distinction between it being considered a Magic System as opposed to being plainly seen as a Power System.
Cause from what I gather, they are often times used interchangeably in eastern media, even when sometimes like in a bunch of western comics, super powers are treated as a separate thing from magic, much how both are also often treated as separate from science.
21:03 UiUi's technique had a full chapter of explanation.
That sounds like a lot of info just to explain one technique.
@@TengokuEXEWell the explanation was merged with a bunch of character moments and other exposition because the implications of body swapping is pretty large. And it was a full chapter in terms of length spread over the course of a few chapters in the arc not nessasary one chapter in the manga.
u seem proud of ur magic system and happy to talk about it. i am happy for u
21:01 Gojo can just use infinity to stand on air. Sukuna can jump on air like maki. This was explained
why can maki jump on air? i assumed for sukuna it was just him using dismantle on his feet as a boost but what about maki?
@kid9448 In the vs Cursed Spirit Naoya fight it was revealed that heavenly restricted users can see the "foothold" in the air created by air density changes. Through a combination of precise movement and physical power they can springboard themselves off of these foothold. Basically they can jump on dense parts of air.
Sukuna does something similar, but he presumably can't see the air as well as Maki does so instead he jumps on the density created from his CE.
@@bruhfunny8123I understand suspension of disbelief but ain’t no way somebody can just do that because the air is a bit denser. Even if they have super strength and reflexes.
@@bruhfunny8123 that's badass!
@@bruhfunny8123 the thing is, the dense parts of air would br found in low altitudes(maki is scene at the height of buildings doing this) low tempature(idk how super strength changes tempature) and pressure(you could argue for super strength being strong enough to haul enough air molecules in dense packs,but other than that nothing would make sense) gojo's make sense because it was explained, if the Limitless can manuplate and divide space, then he can levitate or just change his coordinates, and sukuna doing is narratively undermining an HR wielder, him being physically stronger than toji and maki would kind of make them obsolete even if he's the king of curses
oh boy Scrit just dropped
22:14 This is so we know why blood manipulation users arent just constantly using flowing red scale. Also because it makes the Choso vs Yuji fight more badass.
Now I have a video to eat too
DO NOT EAT MY VIDEO!
Ohhh Yummy 😋😋
local girl dies after she ate without watching youtube 💀
I personally don't think magic/power systems hard and soft is that good of a categorization method but should be more on the line of complex & simplistic, how many rules/components a magic system has plus strict & flexible, how easily or difficult it is to break/bend the rules/components of magic system.
I agree, sanderson did a number on the community with that one but i think its a good jumping off point
Hard and soft makes sense it's just two extreme parameters
You using complex/simplicity is literally serving the same purpose of two simple parameters and you then can scale in between
I always just kinda assumed that he difference between hard and soft magic systems is just that one has rules and, well, a system, and the other can do whatever in a "it's magic, I ain't gonna explain shit" way. °~°
@@DarthBiomech he didn't said that
Scrit in his controversial era whatever pays the bills😭
The best magic systems are the ones that need 10 pages of explanation yet still don't make any sense
*cough* homestuck *cough*
Great magic systems serve the story in the most beneficial way. The Hobbit works best with soft magic because the story wants you to be as awestruck and confused as Bilbo. Full Metal Alchemist works as a hard magic system because the story wants you to understand the struggle Edward and Alphonse go through to understand the intricacies of how alchemy works. In either example, the story wouldn't work if opposite systems where employed because it damages the story.
Your thumbnails are the best! I'll always support whatever gets my favorite video essayist more views!
24:08 The only question is what happens if you violate binding vows made with others. If you violate a self-imposed binding vow, you only lose what you gained.
Seems like people are abusing/mis using the binary presentation of hard /soft magic
The binary should be used to explain two EXTREMES
There are hot and cold drinks or food , everyone understands the spectrum in this it's not about defining what a cold drink is because that is relative to the meal.. same for magic systems it's relative to the story or magic world building
And if like to add that hard and soft is dependent on what the AUTHOR chooses to expose to the audience
Lord of the rings can very well be a hard magic system to it's author but the decision of exposure is what matters
I realised he expounded on my second point
Also tho most horror movies have soft magic too
I won't agree with your categorization of hard and soft magic, but I agree with it far more than I agree with complexity = hard magic.
The way I see it, the stricter the rules around magic are, the harder the magic system is. By my own personal categorization of hard and soft magic, Frieren is actually a relatively soft system, die to the fact that the only true rule about magic is that it requires mana to cast. Likewise, DnD, a system with walls of text describing how the spells work, is also a fairly soft system, as the only real requirements for a spell is it takes a spell slots (if it's not a cantrip) and must adhere to one of the schools of magic, as well as the laws of magic having been rewritten on more than one occasion.
My own personal magic system I've been creating, while it'd be considered a hard system by your definition, is relatively soft by my standards, but that's the fun part about debates. I don't have to agree with you, but so long as everyone is respectful, everyone can come away with a far greater understanding of their own views.
Besides, I think it works as an excellent Y axis that could be used to complement my more rules oriented views.
Strict rules vs Flexible rules (imagination based magic systems are inherently more flexible)
Knowns rules vs Unknown/Non-existent rules.
What do you mean by 'stricter rules'? And what is an example of a 'flexible rule' which makes Freiren soft magic in your opinion?
@@ScritRighter I don't remember from where I read this, but there was a story where magic was as solidly defined as math is, where there's no true flexibility. You input variables, exactly one outcome happens. It was extremely strict with how magic operated, and as such, was also extremely predictable.
Frieren, meanwhile, allows magic to be manipulated by the imagination and intent of the caster, which is how new spells often come to being. Fundamentally, the laws governing magic are more malleable due to that. While it's well defined how it works, it can still be shaped and molded much like clay can.
@@somewhereelse1235 While I feel something like this is certainly a hard magic system, I also feel like this definition doesn't properly serve the terms. I also think that Magic = Math =/= Magic. Since an element of magic is inherently meant to be mysterious and supernatural to some degree or another. Otherwise, it's more physics than magic.
However, I think it's not necessarily the 'strictness' of the rules as much as it is what the audience knows about magic's limitations, costs, and consequences. Magic does not need to be equivalent to math in order to be considered hard magic. It just needs to be understood and the things it does must be consistent with what is understood.
When the rule of a magic system says: "Magic can be cast through imagination, but only if the caster truly understands, believes in, and comprehends what they are trying to create" That is consistently followed in Freiren. Even when Ubel is looked to as an 'exception' to the rule, it is only because Ubel's comprehension is a result of her unique perspective. No one in Freiren learns a new spell without study or discovery (Through grimoires). No one is shown to be able to create something they've never seen before, or experienced first hand.
Sure, the rule is broad and difficult to break (ie 'flexible'), however, that has no bearing on our understanding of it, nor the consistency we feel as a result of watching magic at work.
Now, what about multiple magic systems? What if both soft and hard magic existed at the same time? What about medium magic systems? What about magic and tech together? How does that work?
> What about magic and tech together?
Its an abhorrent abomination that contributes to the degradation of both science fiction and fantasy genres.
...But I've also heard from people that Shadowrun is quite good.
@@DarthBiomech bruh
@@poopsytheduck864 What? Influence of fantasy makes sci-fi less believable. Influence of sci-fi makes fantasy less... well, _fantastical._
Those two genres shouldn't mix, they hurt each other.
@@DarthBiomech somebody here hasn't heard of sci-fi fantasy
@@DarthBiomech > What about magic and tech together?
Its an abhorrent abomination that contributes to the degradation of both science fiction and fantasy genres.
Warhamer 40k wants to know your location
I just disagree with the axiom of your definition of hard and soft magic.
Definitions are determined by how the majority of people use it (that's why dictionaries update over time).
When people use terms like hard and soft magic chances are they aren't going to define by "how much we know about how the magic works" but rather how complex and structured it is or even just how it feels.
So really my disagreement is in believing that your definition is how most people perceive the term to be.
The definition he is using comes directly frol the writer who first introduced this terminology
@@Synchro-tq1mo do most people use he terminology tho?
@stuffjuststuff6067 I wouldn't count misinformed people with negative media litteracy
@@Synchro-tq1mo Yeah and what I'm saying is that its origin doesn't matter because that isn't how the vast majority of people use the term. It would be like arguing a meme isn't a meme unless it's popular because that's how Richard Dawkins defined it.
This video is a lot clearer than the first one. I must admit I didn't agree with a lot of the points in the original video however, in this video I was able to interpret your points in the way that were intended. Examples like Gege unnecessarily explaining blood colts gave more content on what you were trying to say.
30:08 "having to justify Magic’s role in the story to your audience". I don't like killing the darlings I created as a child, so I feel like the only way I can keep all of them is by inventing a backstory that explains why they exist.
30:39 Conversely, I find frierens magic pretty boring for that same reason. Despite attempts at making the system unique like the barrier system and the fact that it is always evolving, the actual fight end up either being extremely predictable or culminating with a pure stat diffrence. For me, that lack of depth makes fighting feel hollow instead of engaging.
I agree with this, but a lot of fights in Frieren actually work against that stat-difference style that's present when they fight demons or monsters. In fights against other mages or the battle against Fake Frieren, they actually use a lot more depth and creativity in their fights to make up for the fact that most magic battles are battles of attrition. A great example of this is in the fight between Kanne and the earthbending mage, which uses the vagueness of its magic system to its full effect when it uses Kanne's inability to control water she can't see as the main reason for her losing most of the fight. There's also the fight between the 2 Übels which is much more based on tactics than it is based around the actual use of magic, since Übel is one of the most skilled mages in the verse.
@RushWheeler Fair enough. My interest in Frieren began to wane after the demon arc and I dropped it fully during the mage exam arc so there might be something I am missing. Maybe I'll come back to it on a few years and see if it hits different but in general I was pretty uninterested in the technicality of the fights up to that point.
The amount of JJK dis in this video 😢
The more I learn the more I believe that are no wrong ways to write your story.
There are just more sinkholes and bullets to dodge if you take a certain path.
Like sure reactive magic systems are hard to design as your story will feel more chaotic/ deus ex machina esk.
But if you have the mindset to have a few rules and then add believable exceptions to those rules when you need it, it can be a very interesting system as well.
For example AtLA could be written with this idea in mind.
Earth benders bend rocks and stones and buildings.
However crystals or metal are exceptions because they are minerals.
Alternatively you could prove your writers wrong by changing the premise to earth benders can bend minerals.
Similarly Firebenders can feel the Chi of a person because the Fire chacra is the centre of the flow of chi. They don’t need to just attack.
The premise changed from Fire benders can bend and create Fire to Fire benders can manipulate the chi in their body by using their chacra and emotions.
To make something like this work I would say a few things:
1. You need simple rules that you can reasonably expand upon.
Don’t do when A does B and C does D under the condition of B > D, D fizzles out causing E etc.
Do A does B because B is a logical expansion of theme A.
Because then if theme A changes A you automatically have to change B.
2. If a character advances the magic system either have them face consequences or make it believable that the character could find this loophole and only that character (Toph lived a sheltered life and got trained by the original benders who live in mountains, so it is believable that she didn’t figured it out prior but still had the expertise to find it out; Zuko found a new way to fire bend because he listend to his uncle and changed, so it wasn’t a deus ex machina and it also was set up by Iroh prior).
3. Allow your characters to fail or find character driven excuses why A doesn’t decimate B in this given scenario.
4. Don’t overdo it. You NEED consistency more than ever if you do this concept as otherwise it will become deus ex machina and deus ex machina just ruins your pacing as you need to explain a lot in retro perspective. Even if you think you have the time to explain it, it will become repetitive after the second time.
Conclusion:
I don’t think AtLA was designed like this, I said it could have been designed the way I described it.
The only way to get better is to learn and to bang your head against a wall until you break the wall or got enough brain damage to realize that you can just walk through the door a few steps away. This includes this post as I have never written a book before so I could be wrong.
Limiting your options is good however it won’t help you to write the story you want to tell, just getting you started.
I think I have said everything I wanted to say
So
Have a nice day
AEther
This guy is clickbaiting! LET’S GET HIM!
yeah!
The funny thing is I love Brandon Sanderson's books and watch his lessons on YT so many times... And I agree with almost everything you said in that video.😂😂
Alright, I’m gonna lay out the rules for my worlds magic system that are gonna be told to the reader. I have my own explanation for why certain things work, but it’s still under construction so far so I don’t know how much I’m actually gonna tell:
Rule 1: the physics of the universe the story takes place in makes it so that complexity and consciousness are linked in the same way space and time are. They are the same thing in different forms
Rule 2: a sufficiently conscious or cognizant being (human level consciousness, or any being that displays use of complex emotions similar to ours) is able to utilize their mind to manipulate complexity around them within the confines of their understanding of reality.
Rule 3: Virtual particles are largely what facilitates this process
Rule 4: the laws of thermodynamics cannot be broken
The Digital Circus clickbait doesn’t even make sense this time
I literally talk about Caine in the video lmao
@@ScritRighter Silence Scrit, we're coming to conclusions about you and things you've said in the video without actually watching the video >:/
@@ScritRighter My bad I haven’t gotten to that part yet
Caine is "great for the SEOs and Thumbnail of the video" afterall.
@@ScritRighter Yeah and he still doesn't have any magic. They're _in a computer._
I'm curious what's your problem with Black Clover's magic system explain yourself
Changing your thumbnail made me watch your video sooner. I would have watched it but a lot later
You missed quite a bit about binding vows.
There are both self imposed binding vows which do as you explained, and there are "agreement" binding vows which force both parties to keep a promise.
Within the self-imposed bining vows there are a few types
Tradeoffs-You gain imediently something for losing something longer-term (and vive versa). Stuff like skipping incantations for World slash, overtime, and Hakari losing his arm fall into this category.
Finally, there is the range restricting/increading binding vow which modfies how your attack works permanently for a tradeoff. Stuff like Yuji's dismantles not being ranged in exchange for targeting the soul more, and Sukunas World slash widening its range in exchange for requiring incantations fall under here.
Unrealted but do you really think the post shibuya cast was worse? I mean, Takaba and Higuruma are two of the best charcters in the series for me.
i've only discovered your chanel and this is the first video i watched. have you talked about how nowadays authors tend to write reactive characters only?
If a lot of people misunderstood your video them maybe you didn't explain your point well
Have you considered that Twitter is just stupid
@@Sappysappster lol true but this video had a much larger pool of people misunderstanding. Something about that video was different. Maybe it was unrelated to his explanation but maybe not
Well, that comment about TADC brings up the question; Can sci-fi tech be a magic system?
yes actually, if theres a system of combat/energy/interaction in the world that's beyond our ability, it's a magic system
Depends on how deep it is. If it's just new tech, that's just it. If it has pre-established rules that affect the actual world, it becomes a sort of magic system in itself.
i mean the dnd artificer class is a pretty interesting answer for ur question. a fusion of sci-fi tech guy + spellcaster who infuses mana into their inventions. its genuinely such a fun class to play (ive been playing curse of strahd with an artificer PC and i’ve been having the time of my life)
15:11
OMG, I totally agree with that!!!
Another point I just realized:
The question shouldnt be: What magic system should I have, but more like Why do I need magic in my story (aka why do I want to write fantasy).
If the reason is emotional (like because it is cool or why not) then your job is it to create a magic system that doesn’t add to the themes but to use it as a empathizer.
Your focus is to show magic in the dominant aspect of your story (usually fighting), while not focusing on the rest.
If the reason is a thematic one you need to intertwine the magic with characters it isn’t a toolbox for you anymore to make the characters look badass but more of a tool for the characters to overcome the plot you planned.
For example I usually write fantasy because I enjoy the toolbox I have as a writer (if you see a devil you know intuitively that thats probably not the nicest person in the room). So my objective is to find the key aspect of my story (usually worldbuilding) and to show how in this case the world impacts the characters that live there.
Sure some of them can cast magic but it isn’t important as the fact that it is a magical world is dominant.
So the magic system I need is more soft in nature as my characters usually don’t have the ability to know enough about the world to form it via magic in a meaningful way.
This could create then conflict if I introduce a character that can influence the magic of the world because this character is quite literally part of the world at this point. And so this character automatically challenges the themes of the story opposes or sides with the main protagonist and all of this because I knew what I wanted to write about.
Important: There are no wrong ways to the question what you want from a magic system.
Just poor execution if you don’t understand why you want to do something.
Unrelated question: how do I write 'popular' characterst? The main five characters in my story are not the plucky underdogs, at least not in school. They're not the nerds who get picked on by the cool kids, they ARE the cool kids. While they still have flaws, they are at the top of the social ladder. So how do I write them, in the school seeing. Keep in mind the school is NOT the focus of the story, just a minor aspect.
If you want advice/critique directly from me, I offer that as a membership reward.
But to answer you anyways, the first question to ask is whether you want the 'popular kids' to actually be cool, or if you want them to be antagonists. A lot of the time the 'cool kids' in real life are just people who are either more socially intelligent, wealthy, attractive, or privileged than the other kids. There are kids who are just fun to be around because they have good energy. And then there are kids who people see as a good connection to have for one reason or another. Whether that's because they are respected, or because someone they know is worthy of respect. There are also popular kids who gain their position by manipulating the 'politics' of school so that people know not to fuck with them/ to get in their good graces. Then there are popular kids who the other popular kids put up with because their dad has a yacht or something lol.
Should use Demon Slayer as inspiration, it's got the best written, executed and integrated system (though it's half magic half power, not full magic)
I would argue that the Amazing Digital Cicus is a Hard magic system that looks like a Soft magic system. It being code, is by nature hard, we just don't know its limitations. If you say Friren's magic system is hard(ish) because of visualisation, then so is Caine's magic system. He couldn't make an exit door because he doesn't know what to put in it, he can't visualize it because he doesn't know it.
Within the story, I think its like 70% soft magic, but that 30% prevents it from being Mary Popins level
Im a computer science major, and it genuinely feels like I’m a grand wizard figuring out like if statements and for loops. I felt like a god finishing my plinko machine and making it actually work. Its literally just a hard magic system
Just finished Storm Light Archive. I haven’t read his other books but I just can’t stand the way he writes. The magic is interesting, but damn do I hate the themes used. When ever questions are raised about the world or magic system, it’s great and interesting 4/5 times. If it’s about character and themes, they make the story more interesting 1/5 times. It aggravates me so much because I fit the demographic for the books, but I just can’t stand it.
i think writers should focus on the lore and the world of their story first before creating their magic system. This way their magic system feels purposeful and organic to its story. The latest great example of that i can think of is the devil powers/contracts in chainsaw man
Gurren Lagann reference!!
Row Row, Fight the Powah!
On topic of complexity vs simplicity:
Even if your magic system is very complex, try to explain it as simply as possible. Then add more and more to it with the same goal of simplicity. Any idiot can make anything much more needlessly complex than it needs to be, but a smart person can take something complex and make it simple.
As for hard vs soft, the less you explain, the softer it will be. But, at least have it follow some internal logic to avoid it becoming a dues ex machina, unless thats the point.
I like this channel.
I am sorry but your hook magic system looks way worse that jjk magic system 🤔
hook magic system?
No way Caine solo you Favorite verse he uses the power of skibidi sigma
Don't get me even started on the Nebulous vs Rational magic system debate
What is that about
How's your RUclips Money been going?
Currently on the poverty line 😂
@@ScritRighter I can tell you're desperate given the titles of your videos.
@@arkfounder7056 dawg, this isn't the only thing I do. I don't care about the money.
I'm gonna be a big nerd and still argue Caine isn't magic cause he's an AI in a game. I'd say AM from I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream is more magical cause I have no idea how a pissed off computer manage to become a god.
For all intents and purposes, it's magic in that world. It does things that shouldn't be possible in the normal world.
@@upg5147 I guess. I have very simple view when it comes to what is magic and what isn't even on a technicality. Some people might call the Force in Star Wars magic but to me the Force is the Force.
@@Gat720Dua And you can play into that. In Star Wars, I'd say it's rather lazy, but it's easy to explain it as "an unknown force". However, this only works if the magic is so vast that trying to study it is a fool's errand (so if you can cast the same spell the same way consistently, it doesn't fall under this type of magic) or the magic is so new to the world that research is ongoing and only working theories are available. If you aren't doing either of these, it's hard to make the "just magic" explanation not seem lazy.
In your world, if psychic magic is "bad" or the dark side of magic since it corrupts, make it have a reason. Is it from a twisted Eldritch god? The negative emotions of humans? The reason doesn't have to play a huge role in the story if you don't want it to. The dark god never has to come down and threaten the world, but you need to be able to show people slipping into a special kind of madness and explain it as Eldritch like or what have you.
If LOTR turned out to be a simulated reality in a single, throwaway line, would that turn the entire series into SciFi?
@@Bluejay-ri1yf No that would just be a video game.
gods why is this so complicated? i just want to fix RWBY like you said before
Have you read the Scholomance series? If so what do you think about the magic system there?
I have not.
lol you making fun of the trashy comments at the beginning of the video was genuinely HILARIOUS 🤣
Next video idea:
The difference between dark story vs edgy story
I don't agree that hard or soft is mostly determined by how much the reader knows or even the complexity. I think hard and soft mostly refers to the rigidity of the boundaries of a magic system. A hard magic system can seem soft if you don't know the rules but the fact that it has defined rules makes it hard in my opinion. Hunter x Hunter is a soft magic system that seems hard because most characters have rules and conditions to their powers but knowing the rules doesn't make the overall magic system hard. The fact that Frieren's magic can be described as "if the user believes it works some way then the magic will work in that way" is an obvious indicator of a soft magic system to me.
When that girl cut the invincible cloak simply because she believed she could, I was completely convinced that this is a soft magic system because there's no way to actually measure the strength of any spell at that point. It has some harder elements in that mana is quantifiable and they seem to develop magic like a science but the actual implementation of the magic is relatively soft.
It just wouldn't make sense to me that hardness is mostly determined by writing style. Like, in the mistborne series (at least the first one since that's the one I read), the magic only works on metal and you have to ingest specific metal to do the magic and you have to be genetically capable of doing magic... all of which points to a hard magic system. Not because it's explicitly stated in the story but because it has defined pre-requisites and predictable effects. A girl being able to cut an invincible cloak just because she believed it was fragile is intentionally unpredictable which is why they make it a point to give us that backstory. Just because they gave us that understanding doesn't mean the magic is now harder, it's still a soft system with flexible boundaries.
one minute ago huge
Read the Stormlight Archives, dawg.
i tried reading brandon sanderson mistborn but i already got so confused in the beginning that i dropped it skjdfhk maybe i should try it again
Here's how my magical system works... so far.
Only a select few can use it since it takes time to master and due to cultural taboo.
There's two types of magic, elemental and psychic. Elemental magic is basically Avatar powers while psychic powers are more like traditional witchy magic.
The more magic you use, the more corrupted you can become. You need balance between both the natural world and the unnatural for pure balance, otherwise you can lose yourself... a story my main villain didn't learn.
Magic is held inside a select few and some can have random outbursts that can be mistaken for natural powers. Freak accidents that give people powers are actually the chemicals in the magic user's body being amplified and awoken.
How does this sound so far? Also, the story takes place in modern times and I haven't yet decided what makes someone magic and what doesn't. I'm considering it has to all do with the brain.
What makes Psychic magic "unnatural"? It's coming from somewhere, same as the elements so why is one considered okay but not that other?
@@upg5147 ALL magic is frowned upon. Even elemental magic. To balance yourself, you need to have some kind of weapon as well. That's where most wands and staffs come from. Physic magic may come FROM the natural world but you are still using magic.
Also... this is VERY much a work in progress so please share your loopholes and ideas so we can fix this together. Constructive criticism is very welcome.
@@sapphirepinefruit23 Using items to take the toll off the body is good. Both magics being frowned upon is fine. Now we have to ask why does any magic do bad things to you? Is it mental? physical? Both? Give your reasoning.
@@upg5147 It slowly corrupts your soul. I guess I should have mentioned that. That's why staying connected to reality is important so your soul can heal. Too much strain on your soul can corrupt it to the point it breaks and you become a monster. I guess magic may come from the soul rather than the brain like I imagined it originally.
Then answer me this mr.scrit in a world of ragdolls & dolls( toys) what magic system would they have then 🤔.
Great video by the way , I learnt alot
Something that would reach to infinity and beyond.
@@ScritRighter no seriously
Do an evaluation of the power system of Skibidi Toilet.
What exactly do mean?
Make a top 10 magic system video
So basically you like both hard and soft magic (with your book LITERALLY being hard magic)
It's just that Twitter hate-waffled you?
Let's go 46 seconds ago
5 minutes ago for me lol
Funny enough gege recently said characters can fly
*Jump on air* and that is only for people with near perfect CE control or fully awakened physically gifted users.
WAITER WAITER GET THIS MAN 100000000 VIEWS!!
scrit man
can u give me a pitch 4 ur book
what is it like
Haven't watched yet but I'm gonna guess this whole vid is an excuse for you to talk about the elf anime again?
Edit: 7:38 mins in and he hasn't talked about it at all? Wow, I'm impressed. Kudos for resisting an opportunity to blab about it again, i know it can be hard, but in the end, abstinence brings the most reward to mind and body!
Edit: No way
Jjk has always been my fav anime but DAMN sometimes i get mad for how random the power sistem can be 🤌