Magic System Monday

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Magic System Monday is a podcast where we delve into, investigate, and rate magic/power systems in fiction as well discuss how they affect writing. You can make suggestions and send us stuff on twitter @MagicSystemMon.

Magic System Monday


    • Jun 5, 2023 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 21m AVG DURATION
    • 17 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Magic System Monday

    Naruto's Legacy of Contradicting Itself

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2023 71:21


    I'm sure no one here is a stranger to the many contradictions in Naruto. Despite this, many people still hold out believing that the magic system somehow isn't that bad. I've encountered many excuses and lies meant at justifying this, but nearly none of them are true. So lets talk about them.

    How Not to Ditch Your Main Characters

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2023 11:06


    Sometimes we take side character development too far. When is that? when we forget what the main character was supposed to be doing.

    Stop Ditching Your Main Characters

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2023 9:50


    Sometimes we take side character development too far. When is that? when we forget what the main character was supposed to be doing

    Revisiting The Original Criteria

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2022 21:48


    It's been over a year on Magic System Monday, and I have had plenty of time to think about how I feel about my original claims in the key qualities of a magic system. Do I still agree with them? Well yeah, but I suppose I have some additions to make for the sake of being clear.

    The Writing Cards: Writer Restraint

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2022 12:57


    No matter what you plans areas a writer, you have to actually refrain form taking part in things that are bad for your work. If you can't do this, no amount of writing advice can help you.

    Podcast update and the new Youtube channel

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2022 1:53


    Works Of Fiction Are Inherently Separate From Each Other

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 21, 2021 8:53


    Works of fiction are generally considered to be separate. We all know this to be true, however there are occasions where our own opinions, preferences, or bias affect our ability to apply this notion in practice. Today's episode is a matter of recognizing this degree of separation, the ramifications of neglecting this premise, and making a distinction regarding how works can affect each other to some limited degree.

    We're Not Doing High Guardian Spice

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 7, 2021 1:33


    "As it turns out, low hanging fruit doesn't always go down so smooth." -- Isaiah, probably.

    high guardian spice
    The Ship of Theseus and A Letter To Those Who Care

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2021 28:33


    Today we talk about the principal of "The ship of Theseus" and how it pertains to some aspects of world building as I have seen recently. We continue on and ask a serious question that the ship of theseus forced me to ask, in what may or may not be a tangent that doubles the length of the episode.

    Little Witch Academia's Method of Limits

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2021 12:59


    On this episode of magic system Monday we will discuss my takeaway from specific aspects of the magic system in Little Witch Academia, specifically as they pertain to how the series addresses limits. It wasn't the most unique thing every, but the goal isn't always to make something completely new. Often, the way we structure a thing itself if the determining factor of it's success.

    The Butterfly Effect and The One Percent Barrier: Steins;Gate's ideas on time travel

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2021 13:01


    The concept of time traveling is a common one in fiction, giving rise and prominence to the concept of the butterfly effect. But is the butterfly effect accurate? And how much of a place must it hold in the case of writing time travel? Steins;Gate has entered the chat to put a lid on the matter with its clever time mechanic called "The once percent barrier" which limits the degree of the butterfly effect's reach. Join us as we talk about the interact of the one percent barrier and what we can draw from it conceptually to enrich the way we execute time travel in our work.

    MSM Tweaking for Results - Featuring DnD's Invisibility

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2021 16:08


    On today's episode of magic system Monday, we have an odd change of pace. We'll be discussing not the magic system as a whole, but a specific spell in dnd as well as an odd player made workaround surrounding it. The invisibility spell seems to have some clever players coming up with ideas that may ruin it's respective place in the meta, so today we expirament with how to solve this issue with the addition of a few small qualities with the purpose of demonstrating how ironing out some finer details or phenomenon in a magic system can effect the overall result. TLDR: we defeat flour,GG-no-Re. We'll, except the trail. But with what we have in this episode, I'm sure we've drop enough hints for you to figure that out.

    Dramatic Magic, Formulaic creation, and Foci

    Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2021 38:18


    People often say that a good magic system needs to have a cost, but what really is a cost? And is it true? Well that depends on your definition,which varies far more than reasonable. But perhaps another interesting question to ask would be wether or not your cost is too dramatic, as I've seen a trend of making magic dramatic to raise the stakes seem almost mandatory to some. So join me as we take a look at these two questions and the implications on the community due to even having to ask them.

    Avatar: The Last Airbender Pt3 - Earthbending

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2021 19:49


    In this episode we will discuss the Earth elemental as well as it's expression within the series as a demonstration of the benefits of a hard magic system

    Avatar: The Last Airbender Pt2 - Waterbending

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2021 36:15


    This is part two in the series on ATLA which covers water

    Avatar: The Last Airbender Pt1 - The Basics and Airbending

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2021 36:29


    The first in the series of episodes covering A:TLA. Firstly we have an explanation for the the basics of how the bending works, what the Avatar is, as well as the the principles and origin of Airbending.

    My criteria for grading magic systems.

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2021 30:41


    To day we start with some basic info: what a magic system is, why it is useful, and how I go about grading one.

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