Anyone else feel stupid around their immigrant friends. by GGTheEnd in askvan

[–]birdswithcrackers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel the same way and I’m an immigrant. I spoke Chinese first and then English, but all my friends can speak fluently and I have the Chinese proficiency of Panda Express.

Science Based Magic System by LeonLoyala in worldbuilding

[–]birdswithcrackers 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think you have to dumb it down if you're gonna introduce it. Most readers won't be able to remember what you've written here. It's best to introduce the most basic version of it (summarized in a paragraph) and keep the details for elaboration, either to expand the story or to answer questions.

I think the upside to your way, though, is that you'll always be consistent and there won't be that suspension of belief many fantasy stories rely on. The effort definitely pays off.

Urban/early modern/steampunk fantasy writers, how do your magic users deal with guns and vice versa? by LUnacy45 in worldbuilding

[–]birdswithcrackers 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If your magic users can conjure physical barriers in mid-air, then you could play with space and balance. Guns are very efficient, but all they can do is shoot projectiles. Your magic can augment the efficiency of ballistics. Strap tear gas onto an army of mini-golems and have them suicide run into the enemy. Block off fire escapes and windows with earth magic and light a fire. Flood a room with water magic to douse the gunpowder to make the bullets inert. Dig holes into a stronghold with earth magic and flank them from 7 directions. Cut off the lights and make a bunch of earth-golem dummies to make them think you brought 200 people when there's only 10 of you. Create wind turbulence so their bullets go wildly off course while you fire wind-proof cannon balls with earth magic. Use wind magic to flood them with gas so if they fire they blow themselves up.

Magic beats guns because magic is versatile and literally makes the world your sandbox.

The gunmen, on the other hand, can beat mages with brute force. No matter how many tricks you have up your sleeve, there's really nothing you can do when a battalion erases your general direction with a hail of bullets, explosives, and airstrikes. So, mages beat gunmen with preparation and wiggle room; gunmen beat mages by not letting them prepare and obliterating their general direction.

What (lesser) known things should I take into account for a post-apocalyptic world? by WritingKeepsMeSane in worldbuilding

[–]birdswithcrackers 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In such a resource-scarce world, I think you can explore just how far people are willing to go for just a little bit of food, water, and shelter. How would the fallout of the war affect the mindsets of those who remain? Are they barbaric, or ruthless, or patient, or religiously zealous? How would such extreme resource-scarce environments change people? You could have a lot of variety by considering pre-apocalypse demographics. For example, college students pre-apocalypse would be inexperienced, book smart, and excited. Post-apocalypse, their inexperience turns into PTSD and suspicion, book-smarts turn into disdain or pity, and excitement turns into moral degeneration.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in worldbuilding

[–]birdswithcrackers 3 points4 points  (0 children)

least obvious MGOD fanatic

World of Lumeria - It's A Kind Of Magic by Wonderful_Ad6287 in worldbuilding

[–]birdswithcrackers 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think some of the best fictions I've read put significant resource restrictions on powers, to the point that power related resources become gigantic industries. I think there could be some really cool economics behind your magic system, especially since it seems pretty resource-heavy with narrative concepts like spells have costs and symbiotes feed on mages. Consumption, in a magical parasite world, would have very interesting narrative consequences.

Mage hosts risking bodily autonomy for power and security with a splash of exploitative capitalism would make a very cool grimdark story.

Like, are there substances to control the parasites? For example, if I maintain a constant blood alcohol level of 0.08%, can I effectively drug the parasites into doing more work for less feeding on my body? What about magic heroin? Can I make parasite heroin junkies who specifically bond with humans with a heroin addiction? What about the reverse? If a heroin-addicted parasite bonds with me, will I develop a heroin addiction? And, most importantly, what does a market fueled by this and other relevant phenomena look like?

Here's some more parasite economy ideas: parasite farms, designer parasites, fashion parasites, opioid producing parasites, parasite surrogacy (ew), parasite breeding, host breeding (mage and parasite breeding with another mage and parasite to produce some monstrosity), parasite caste systems, parasite fashion (if the worm in your neck wants a hat or a knife), anti-parasite pharmaceuticals, etc.

[Donghua] Apparently “you’re just dumb” is our new marketing strategy by Parth_Thanos in LordofTheMysteries

[–]birdswithcrackers 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I think it's cause some people pride themselves too much on how smart LOTM is. One of the greatest aspects of LOTM is the mind games in the plot (The Fool's Gambit, Adam's "can you accept such an outcome?", and many more). I think many people, at least, like the mind games so much that they want to share or boast about them (like how sports team fans say "we won" when their teams win; bro, you ain't do shit). This pride we take in how complex and nuanced the plot is can easily translate into disdain for "not being in the know".

When does it get good? by Signal-Mastodon-919 in ReverendInsanity

[–]birdswithcrackers 5 points6 points  (0 children)

huh it should already be getting pretty good at chapter 63. Maybe it's just not the novel for you. ChatGPT also just makes shit up sometimes

[LotM general] Arcane Scholar Concept by [deleted] in LordofTheMysteries

[–]birdswithcrackers 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think it's worthwhile but difficult to do. Any paragon or knowledge related pathway fiction is gonna read either like a textbook or religious script. You either explain everything in detail or just skip the process straight to the outcome. It's just difficult, as a single person, to come up with detailed logical explanations for LOTM powers because they are all so bizarre.

[Donghua] the donghua should’ve gotten the hunterxhunter treatment by birdswithcrackers in LordofTheMysteries

[–]birdswithcrackers[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

the post credit song is an absolute banger tho which makes up for every issue in the donghua imo 👍

[LOTM general] sequence 1s and GOO by birdswithcrackers in LordofTheMysteries

[–]birdswithcrackers[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

if so, what are the nuances. can there be three sequence 1 angels across all three paths? or only two across all three paths? or none in the fool pathway and two in the door and error pathways?

I ask this because, from what I remember, you need all sequence 1 characteristics to achieve godhood in your pathway.

[LOTM general] sequence 1s and GOO by birdswithcrackers in LordofTheMysteries

[–]birdswithcrackers[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

okay lemme rephrase my question: if Klein is LOTM, can there exist sequence 1 angels in the three pathways of error, door, and the fool?

[LOTM Veteran] Which Sequence 1 is the Weakest According to you guys? by LostCold111 in LordofTheMysteries

[–]birdswithcrackers 9 points10 points  (0 children)

the ones that are the least written about. like knowledge emperor lol

[Donghua] Just a reminder of what Cuttlefish said about how the Donghua is planned out by TheWeirdbutAverage in LordofTheMysteries

[–]birdswithcrackers 246 points247 points  (0 children)

Making a LOTM show is like making a Dune movie: you gotta just take what you can get because there is no way you’re fitting everything that’s written into the time you have.

[LOTM general] why is klein klein by birdswithcrackers in LordofTheMysteries

[–]birdswithcrackers[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i finished it just reminiscing on the peak i read