Ambition.

phoebe. eighteen. slytherin. infj. united kingdom.

[writting-in-blood-archive]

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

[ellatholmes]

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

♤ The main foundations:

What can be done with magic?

What can’t your magic do.

Is there a price/cost of using said magic?

What does it feel like to use magic?

For conflict reasons: What can go wrong by using or having said magic?

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

Who does magic affect?

What can/can’t magic affect?

Can everyone do magic?

Does magic have a feeling even when not being used?

Do people have to learn magic or is it intuitive?

Who teaches magic?

Is magic inherited by blood?

Does the magic tie in with the religion of my world and if so, how?

Do people need instruments through which to use magic? ie. a talisman or wand

Is magic a thing a person has or is it acquired? ie. do they just have magic they can access at any time or do they need to drink magic juice™️ for a quick burst of power?

How is magic used in daily life?

Can anything stop a person’s magic?

Can magic be found anywhere?

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

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

I hope this helps, and good luck!

[kcsmall]

Sanderson’s First Law

Introduction I like magic systems. That's probably evident to those of you who have read my work. A solid, interesting and innovative system

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

[anghraine]

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

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

[belles-etudes]

final little stretch before the semester is over 🌿

instagram: sabyidk

[lvnnsi]

03/05/19 // the harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun

[stu6y]

[09.03.17] august was a great month and hopefully september will be soo much better! i hope it will be good to you, too.  ✧

follow my instagram 

[popotinn]

08.19

I moved into my dorm for my last year of undergrad! Crazy to think how quickly uni went by…

[unwrittenambition]

im so happy to have your year 12 guide! i start year 12 on the 7th september and your post fell into my hands at the right time! also i feel likes it rare to find uk-based studyblrs? :)

I’m glad you found it useful! I guess you’re right, a lot of studyblrs are US based but there’s some of us out here representing the UK too! 

Good luck for starting year 12, I’m sure you’ll have an amazing time. 

[onlyfangz]

hey guys im curious, tag yall’s star sign, hogwarts house, and what you’re currently studying/wish to study. I’ll start I’m libra, a Ravenclaw, and I study Performing Arts.

[the-bookshop]

Source.

[brewstudies-deactivated20210919]

18.08.2018 // Breaking my usual rule and working at the weekend to draft a conference paper. I’m going camping next week, and seeing lots of friends, so I’ll be having lots of time off next week! I’m having problems shortening a 15,000 word piece of writing into a twenty minute talk - I just want to keep everything in! I’ve got it down to about 30 minutes, so I just need to cut a third of it now - easy ;)

–

For the further whingings of a PhD (DPhil) student at Oxford, see my studygram: https://www.instagram.com/_ellenbrewster/ 

[drawingcambridge]

To anyone getting A level results tomorrow, I hope it all goes well for you!

Whatever happens please remember that you’ve done your best and everything will work out aright in the end x

if anyone wants to chat to quell the nerves feel free to send us a message ✨✨ from someone who’s been there before I know how stressful it is!

[decaffs]

so one thing that totally stressed me out in first year of uni was the emphasis on auditory learning! personally, i’ve never been able to learn when i’m just being talked at or told information, my brain just doesn’t work that way. 

if you’re like me, here’s some of my top tips on how to get the most out of lectures when you suck at listening:

01. always come prepared

preparation is key when you know you won’t be concentrating for the full duration of your lecture. the night before a lecture, your priorities should be to print off your lecture slides, read over them and look over the extra readings (if any have been set). i always find that it’s easier to listen and i’m more likely to pay attention in a lecture when i know the basics of what’s being talked about! it’s a lot easier to learn and pay attention when what you’re being told about is building on some basic knowledge that you already have. if i’m going into a lecture completely blind, then i’m going to get distracted in the first ten minutes and the rest of the lecture is a write off!

prepare, prepare, prepare!!!

02. sit where you lecturer can see you

if you sit in teacher’s line of sight, you’re going to be 100% more aware of what you’re doing and how you’re acting in your lecture. being conscious of what you’re doing is really helpful in stopping yourself becoming distracted and letting your mind wander! if i make eye contact with my teacher and i’m not totally concentrating, it’s zones me back in and i can continue trying to listen

03. take audio recordings of lectures

even if your university provides recordings for you, having personal audio copies of your lectures will be a life saver. recordings give you something to constantly refer back to when you have gaps in your notes and knowledge because you couldn’t pay attention in lectures. listening back to them can also reassure you when you were listening but weren’t sure if you understood the concept at the time!  i use a combination of voice memos on the iphone and audio recorder on microsoft onenote, depending on whether i have my phone or laptop with me

04. stay hydrated

having to stay focused on one person talking for hours at a time can be really draining and exhausting when that’s not what your brain likes. being dehydrated can also make you tired and irritable too! if you can tackle one source of your tiredness then you’re going to feel invigorated and ready to learn, so drink lots and lots of water! a bottle of water will stop you feeling sluggish and boost your productivity during lectures

05. invest in textbooks and key texts

i mentioned before how preparation is key, but continuing your learning after your lecture ends is just as important! in my first year, i made the bad mistake of getting angry that i struggled learning content during a lecture so i just left the lecture and didn’t go back to it again. i now know that it’s so important for me to access the course’s key books and texts and use them after the lecture to consolidate what i heard and to expand on some points i was struggling to understand during the allotted lecture time! textbooks have completely saved me ass this year

06. reflect when you’re distracted

if you find yourself becoming distracted or you can feel your mind beginning to wander, take a second to stop and ask yourself why you’re getting distracted and why you’re not learning. most of the time, the problem is going to be something small that can be fixed there and then. if you’re struggling because you’re hungry, have a snack! if you’re struggling because you’re thirsty, have a drink! if you’re struggling because you’re uncomfortable, stretch your legs and your arms and try again!

obviously all of these tips are personal to me and things i find helpful so they might not work for everyone, but i still hope i’ve helped at least one of you non-auditory learners out here! 

[isthsnametakenyet]

100 Days of Productivity x3 - Day 61/100 July 24, 2018

Today I completed writing up an economics fact sheet and writing a paragraph response to an economics practice question. I also worked on editing my extension English draft. I feel as if I am not making the most of my time when I get home in the afternoon from school, so I really want to try and be more conscious of how efficient I’m being in the next few days. Let’s see how it goes!

Insta @ isthisnametakenyet

[desirablenesss]

[galina]

Moving (again). The room doesn’t feel like home yet but I am already in love with this light ✨

[elrood]

I really love my sociology class room, the old book shelves look so nice :’) I also went to an art museum on Thursday ✨💡

[literaryhistories]

I’m visiting my grandma for a week which means I get to read on these dreamy bed covers and pretend I’m in a Jane Austen novel.

[unwrittenambition]

Pass the happy yaaay~~ when you get this, reply with 5 things that make you happy and send this to the last 10 people in your notifications! ♥♥♥

This is so nice!!

1. Reading!2. Late nights with friends.3. My gorgeous loving loyal dog Jester.4. Music.5. Hugs, people sleeping on my shoulder. (weirdly specific, but it’s one of the first things I thought of and it’s just so lovely)