cw: like all of this is body horror descriptions described like an illness
this is less of a standard art post and more of an archival of some magical corruption thoughts for KC :]
Corruption occurs due to an overuse or overload of one particular type of magic. When this happens, something like a hole or window is torn open in the soul, forcing a constant stream of magic through the soul, which in turn will eventually overwhelm the mind and body. This is difficult to stop, and worsens over time, as the magic flow corrodes away at the soul until either the victim finds a way to stop the effects, or the soul is completely destroyed, effectively killing them.
The threat and effect is SIGNIFICANTLY amplified when the soul's intent behind this overuse plays into the respective sin. Though more prominently, these "sins" are the trait that is forced through when the corruption reaches the mind.
The physical aspect is obviously the more feared part, though. There's a large variety, but this stage is often the biggest red flag for curing action to be taken ASAP, because once physical mutation begins, it is not long before it takes hold on the mind.
Specific corruption effects are as follows:
Light Corruption > the body is warped into a pristine, intricately carved marble statue that seems to glow under the sunlight. Extremely fragile. Movement is already difficult in late stages, made worse by frequent cracks and breaks.
Dark Corruption > Soulstone protrusions break through the skin, jagged and sharp and ready to pierce through the skin of those who touch it. The crystals breaking through is painful, literally tearing apart the skin of the victim piece by piece until no flesh remains.
Temporal Corruption > The body is slowly transformed into an intricate complex of brass, cogs, and gears. This "mechanization" begins as something akin to cybernetics, but slowly kills the mind and consumes the soul, until the body is nothing but a lifeless machine.
Life Corruption > Plants use the living flesh as fresh soil and fertilizer, feeding off the skin and blood to grow exponentially over time. Effectively turns the corrupted self into living plant food, where the flowers and vines overgrow until no bodily material remains.
Spatial Corruption > The body is slowly torn apart and reassembled with thread. Each tear begins small, but worsens, with the threads covering more of the skin. The threads always fall out eventually, and left in each tear's wake is "stuffing" in place of flesh, made up of stardust. When the last patches fall away, the stuffing is all that remains.
Earth, Water, Air, and Plasma Corruption > Similar to Spatial, but without the threads- instead, these "elemental" corruptions involve the body slowly turning into the material used most heavily with the magic they studied. Skin falls away into dirt, melts into water, dissolves into fog, fizzles out into dying flames.
