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NECROMANCY

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).

Magic - change wrought through unnatural means

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

continuing--

⊹ 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.

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...

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.

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!