Just spent 45 minutes researching what a specific street in a city smells like in october so i could write the word "damp." the word is in the final draft. it is doing its job. it cost me 45 minutes and a mild obsession with historical weather records. worth it. the word is perfect. you would not believe how hard i worked on that word.
Necromancy is the magical science of working with the dead and with death.
More practically: it involves influencing the dead, commanding legions of corpses, and working with Death itself. More theoretically: necromancy can take different forms, but it is always directly or indirectly connected either to working with the dead (corpses, restless spirits, etc.) or with Death itself.
A corpse feeds on the energy of the living, just like any spirit that is fueled by people. If you constantly feed it with your grief and endless thoughts about who it was and what it used to be, that creates a channel between you and it. As a result, it starts to devour you. This is one way that parasitic entities attach themselves to people.
A necromancer learns to manipulate the dead in all their grim glory: send them on errands, scare someone, make them shit themselves (figuratively), and so on. Of course, just studying and actually mastering this are wildly different things — especially in the context of necromancy.
First and foremost, necromancy should only be practiced by people with nerves of steel, insane self-control, and a well-developed mastery of planetary and elemental magic. Otherwise, you'll end up dead yourself. Why? Just try accidentally seeing a corpse in your own apartment one day, with the feeling that you're drinking non-stop while on antidepressants.
Necromancy is not cool cemetery aesthetics or looking dramatic with a book by a grave, summoning someone's ghost. If you're inexperienced, the nearest spirits will kick your ass before you even reach the graveyard.
A corpse devours everything living — literally everything. Any energy from a living being that stands within a meter of it. In fact, a corpse is an energetic shell with an endless stomach, and if you keep feeding it, one day it will eat you too. Kind of like that green thing from the movie Ghostbusters.
So if you mishandle the dead, everyone is completely screwed.
In 90% of cases, a corpse no longer has the personality it had in life. It's like factory-resetting a phone — the shell remains, but the data is wiped. This, by the way, only applies to direct communication with the dead. The astral realm, dreams, and so on are a different story, because the dead don't actually need to transition from the immaterial world to the material one (which is why corpses at gravesites almost always appear in the form of something else, like a bird or an animal).
You could try to restore that so-called memory, but there's simply no point.
Most fantasy can be placed along a spectrum where there are 3 main points: soft magic at one end, hard magic at the other, and a middle ground between the two.
Soft Magic
Magic that is not well-defined for the reader.
Generally, we don’t understand where the magic comes from, who can use it, or what its limitations are.
Readers can see this type of magic being used.
But they can never anticipate when magic will be used in the plot because they can’t begin to guess how it works.
You can’t break a rule if the rules don’t exist!
Most stories that feature this system will have the magic users be secondary characters, allowing them to avoid explaining exactly how the magic works.
It’s also argued that without knowing everything about the magic, it tends to hold more wonder and excitement for readers.
Hard Magic
Has very rigid boundaries.
Readers know where the magic comes from, how it’s used, who uses it, and what its boundaries and limitations are.
We know the limitations of the characters and can understand why they can’t simply magic themselves out of any particular challenge.
Stories with hard magic systems do not need to avoid the main character being a magic-wielder, as they have the capacity to explain to the reader what is going on.
A lot of writers this system because it gives them very explicit guidelines to follow in their plot and creates some more satisfying pay-offs for readers.
The Middle Ground
The meeting point between the soft and hard systems.
We might understand a bit about the way the magic works, but not all our questions are answered.
While most of the content adheres to rules, these rules aren’t fully explored.
This system relies on the reader’s suspension of disbelief.
The main character can be a magic-wielder or not, and it’s up to the writer to determine when magic will be used in terms of plot.
How to Choose a System
You can and should use these guiding principles to build your magic system. Remember that you don’t have to choose one or the other. Your system can draw from aspects of both. Just stay aware of the weaknesses of the path you choose, and ensure you utilize its strengths.
Use a hard magic system if:
You are going to use magic to solve problems
Your audience is accustomed to the tropes of hard magic
You are okay with jumping through hoops to expand your system
Your magic doesn’t convey a theme
Use a soft magic system if:
You want to convey a theme through magic
You want to create a sense of wonder
You want the ability to expand easily
You want to be accessible to a broader audience
Your magic won’t regularly be used to solve problems
Branches of Magic
Like most writing processes, there isn’t really a correct place to begin designing a magic system. A common, and efficient, place to start, however, is by choosing what type of magic system(s) you wish to employ, such as:
Nature-based magic: water, earth, fire, air, and everything in between
Divination magic: see beyond sight and peer through time and space
Conjuring magic: move objects through space over any distance
Psychic magic: master the world of the mind
Life and death magic: tap into the very forces of life, death, and un-death with this surprisingly versatile collection
Animal- or creature-exclusive magic: some creatures just do it better
Magitech systems: the blurring lines of sorcery and science give magic a next-gen, high-tech flair
Eclectic magic: it doesn’t have to be “real” magic to have a real effect
Uncommon magic systems: the unsung heroes of fantasy magic
AALC Method
How to create your own magic system using the AALC (Appearance, Abilities, Limits & Cost) Method
Appearance
What the magic looks like
Makes the world feel more exotic
Can cause problems for characters but cannot solve them
Usually tied to a character arc
Abilities
What the magic does
Points calculated based on magical effect, range, number of people affected, and duration
Characters have a finite amount of fuel (mana) to use abilities
More powerful abilities require more fuel
The fuel does not have to be overt for the audience to understand
If points not overt, cannot solve conflicts unless a cost system is added
Limits
Unlimited uses of magical abilities
Abilities stratified in codified levels defined by their limits
The more the levels' abilities and limits are known by the audience, the more they can be used to solve conflicts
Focused on clever uses of abilities against stronger foes
Cost system can be added to enhance dramatic moments
Cost
Costs must be greater than or equal to abilities to make them dramatically satisfying
Costs can include time, exhaustion, materials, sanity, morality, etc.
Adds dilemma to magic by forcing characters to make choices
The greater the character's sacrifice, the more audience satisfaction at conflict resolution
Each system builds on the previous ones, so that Cost Systems use all four, while Point Systems only care about Abilities and Appearance.
Multiple systems can exist within the same story, and systems can harden over the course of the story.
The Force, for instance, has been a Soft, Point, Level, and Cost System depending on who wrote it at the time.
SOFT SYSTEMS (Appearance Only)
Window Dressing - magic for secondary characters; can instigate conflict but cannot solve it; e.g., Gandalf
Soft Villain - No explanation or upper limits needed; makes villains more powerful to make heroes greater underdogs; e.g., The Emperor
Chosen One - Unknown power keeps hero safe throughout story; can be considered plot armor unless earned through character arc
Sort Hero Incomplete - Curse or positive ability the character cannot control; hero still learning limits of ability at story's end; powers and arc continued in next adventure
Soft Hero Complete - Hero embraces ability to complete arc and solve main conflict; magic must become harder in subsequent adventures
POINT SYSTEMS (Appearance + Abilities)
Points Opaque - Non-explicit reservoir of energy fuels powers; cannot solve main problems without cost option because characters finding hidden energy reserve feels like deus ex machina
Points Hard - Both abiliites and points system must be explicit like in video games; becomes about resource management; easy to understand but takes sense of wonder out of magic
LEVEL SYSTEMS (Appearance + Abilities + Limits)
Soft Level Static - Unchanging power without upper limits; cannot solve conflicts because feels repetitive; power must be used cleverly; e.g., Wolverine's healing factor
Soft Level Advancing - Increased powers or new powers with unknown limits; cannot solve conflicts unless tied to a character arc like Soft Hero Complete, at which point "unlocks" new abilities
Hard Level Static - Unchanging abilities with clear-cut limits; can solve conflicts so long as setup is properly seeded, usually resulting in sacrifice; e.g., Genie
Hard Level Advancing - Well-established abilities with limits; can solve conflicts based upon clever uses of abilities, usually against stronger foes; e.g., Airbender
COST SYSTEMS (Appearance + Abilities + Limits + Cost)
Static Cost - Well-established cost remains consistent for each use of ability; can solve conflicts since based on personal sacrifice
Cost Fluctuating - Costs change based upon dramatic need; costs must be greater than or equal to ability; possible costs include lost time, money, sanity, health, memory, life, morality, etc.
the ko muchi and jung bareum dynamic is kind of insane because it’s like. what if your parents were killed by a serial killer when you were eight years old and you become a detective and your life goal is to get put in prison so you can murder that serial killer because the government hasn’t given him the death penalty yet. and then another serial killer shows up and you’re the only one who can figure out how he thinks. and then this rookie officer begs to get assigned to the case with you and you get close to him and you solve the murders together as they progress and then you get one (1) thing wrong about the serial killer’s motives on the broadcast that the serial killer made you host and then the serial killer murders your estranged older brother in cold blood on national television for the express purpose of taunting you. and then you’re depressed until your new rookie friend brings you the last thing your brother cooked for you before he died. and your rookie friend goes to confront the presumed serial killer and gets his head bashed in and you shoot the presumed serial killer and the presumed serial killer dies and when your rookie friend wakes up he has amnesia. time skip to a year later and your rookie friend remembers most things so you two start solving some new cases together and get closer, and on your dead brother’s birthday you decide you don’t want to be drunk and depressed alone so you go to hang out at your rookie friend’s house and you ask him if he wants to be your younger-brother-figure and he says yes. and then you find out that your rookie friend was actually the real serial killer all along except after his head was bashed in he forgot about it and only recently regained his memory of that and feels really guilty about it now and is no longer diabolically evil. but also. he killed your brother and manipulated you for months for fun. but you still care about him. so then you confront him except he turns himself in before you can shoot him and gets sentenced to death and then accomplishes your original goal of killing the serial killer that killed your parents. because he doesn’t want that blood to be on your hands and because it’s the last thing that he can do for you. and then you visit him in prison and he apologizes to you and thanks you for everything even though you tell him he can never make up for what he did. and then he dies and you’re the one that puts the marker on his grave. ko muchi genuinely so much stronger than me because i would have ended it all at least fifteen times over the course of those events to be honest
⊹ How do they treat people who can't do anything for them? Waitstaff? strangers? people they'll never see again? this is the oldest trick in the book for a reason. It works. How someone behaves toward people with no social utility tells you everything about their actual values versus the values they perform for an audience.
⊹ What's their relationship with their own body? Are they comfortable in it or is it something they carry around like a problem? do they take up space or make themselves small? are they aware of how they look or completely indifferent? Physicality is psychology and most writers forget the body entirely until someone needs to throw a punch.
⊹ What do they lie about and why. Not dramatic plot lies necessarily. the small everyday ones. the things they exaggerate or omit or reframe. Because people don't lie randomly, they lie to protect something. Find what your character is protecting and you'll find what they're afraid of. That fear is the ENGINE!!
⊹ Who did they used to be? not their whole backstory. just: who were they before the thing that changed them. because that person is still in there somewhere, showing up in small ways, wanting things the current version of them would never admit to. The ghost of a former self is one of the most interesting things you can write into a character without ever stating it directly.
⊹ What would make them walk away?? from the goal. from the relationship. from the person they're trying to be. everyone has a breaking point and it should be specific to them, and please not a generic "too much" but the exact thing, the particular betrayal or loss or realisation that would finally be enough. know this even if the story never reaches it.
⊹ What do they love that has nothing to do with the plot?? a specific kind of light in the afternoon. the smell of old paperback books. bad television they watch without apology. something small that belongs only to them. details like this cost you nothing and they make the reader believe in a person completely. characters who only care about plot-relevant things are not people. they're chess pieces. sorry not sorry.
I LOVE GAANG SMM!! And yes, Suki is part of gaang. I can’t stand the suki under representation. I love my queen sm. ALL CREDITS TO THE ARTIST!! @schwesterchiz in Insta
Him retracing the echo and remnants of her touch on his cheek and of her kiss on his lips, lingering there with his hand, trying to replicate her caress, as if her touch was permanently seared inside his flesh for all eternity. Reminiscing, his face flushed while lounging stark naked and wet in his bathtub...
He does that often, doesn't he? Always thinking of her and analysing their relationship naked and wet...
There is something so raw and intensely sultry and sensual on a level I can't remember in a kdrama. There have always been shirtless shower scenes since early kdrama days but they were always superficial never so intimate.
hi monica! can you share a list of your top 5 favourite gl shows?
OH HELL YEAH I ABSOLUTELY CAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it's gonna be so hard to pick only 5 tho, there are just SO MANY great GLs out there and more are coming out each day (GOD BLESS) so i feel like this list is bound to change very soon ;;;;;;;;
but in the meantime, here we go!!!!!!!
1) clairebell. not only the best GL to date but one of the best shows i've ever watched PERIOD. set within the harsh environment of a prison, the series hooked me up from start to finish by blending raw storytelling with a deeply human exploration of love, survival, and vulnerability. the narrative finds the perfect balance between keeping the romance between claire and bell front and center while also exploring the microcosm of the prison, the rules that keeps it running, and the inmates who inhabit it. the production quality is also off the charts and it contributes to create a gripping, visually striking, and emotionally resonant experience that lingers long after the final episode.
2) the loyal pin. a period piece GL with a (believable) happy ending and a fairytale-like quality to it that was able to charm me from the very first episode. while the pace of the story can definitely be slow at times, i was personally just too absorbed in the world that this show created to mind it. the display of traditions, customs, and food from thai culture, along with the beautiful cinematography and the colorful cast of characters, all helped to achieve this fully immersive experience, giving the perfect frame for anin and pin’s romance. becky as anin was also a revelation.
3) love design. centered around two talented architects, the series blends romance, ambition, and personal growth into a heartfelt and engaging story. the relationship between aokbab and rin doesn’t rely on instant attraction but instead develops through shared challenges, mutual respect, and emotional vulnerability, making it feel genuine and earned. all this, paired with the soft tones of the cinematography and the cute pop-up drawings, makes it the perfect feel good show: cozy, charming, sweet, and full of warmth.
4) runaway. i wasn't sure whether to include this show in the list or not because i know it may not be everyone's cup of tea for a couple of reasons, one of which being that it's a horror GL. however, i just love it too much to leave it out. the story follows a woman given only 168 hours to escape a vengeful spirit, creating a constant sense of urgency that drives both the plot and the characters’ emotional journeys. it's definitely not a conventional love story, but for viewers willing to embrace its tone, it offers a unique and memorable experience that explores themes of guilt, memory, penance, and unresolved pain. the plot twist left me - pardon my french - absolutely GAGGED.
5) us. i admit i have a couple of grievances with the series, mostly narrative wise (as it often happens with GMMTV shows ;;;;;;;), but it still remains a fantastic, tender, character-driven romance that resonates deeply and is elevated not only by emibonnie's phenomenal chemistry, but also by mim's incredible performance as nene. at its core, the story follows the romance between pam and dokrak as they navigate everyday life, family matters, emotional healing, and learn to love each other with honesty and care. the show is soft, grounding, and introspective, creating a love story that feels authentic and comforting.
I love Inej Ghafa so much. I actually don't think anyone else understands how much I adore this woman.
She joined a gang after being forcibly prostituted at fifteen, and after having to commit acts of violence, she didn't lose herself. She didn't become cold. She held on to her religious beliefs, even after her world had repeatedly hurt her and forced her to hurt others over and over.
And when she finally got enough money, she chose to make a difference in the world by hunting down slavers-- using the same violence she had once hated! And she didn't hurt them out of cruelty: she hurt them because she had learned in Ketterdam that violence had its purposes just like any other thing.
She stopped being afraid of what she could do, of how her actions fit into her religion, and just started making a change!
"Innocence was a luxury, and Inej did not believe her saints demanded it".
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