u/improbablyoutofdata

Hi Discord Bot creators. I may be posting this in the wrong subreddit, so feel free to direct me to the correct community. I am very very new to Discord bots (I know that they exist). I have a private Discord set up to record my various hobbies. One of those hobbies is movies. I want to be able to put in Discord when a movie is coming out, then, around a week before the movie releases, a bot will remind me about it in that channel. I'm aware that this almost certainly exists, but I just don't know where to even think about looking at this point.

Again, if this is not the right community to post this in, save your tomatoes for someone else and please just point me in the right direction.

Hi again. I posted yesterday asking for feedback on a magic system, but many responses argued against my worldbuilding rather than the system itself. That's not the feedback I'm looking for, so I'm trying again with a clearer explanation. I'm also going to hold back on specific rules until I develop the system more. For now, the basic rules are as follows:
- Magic is primarily confined to what the caster perceives closely around them.
- Magic primarily follows real-world physics (ex. heat produced magically still disperses naturally).
- Magic requires a caster, a spellcasting focus (wand, staff, orb, etc.), and a magic source (solar, aquatic, etc.).
- Magic and modern technology do not mix.
- There are some areas where magic is less effective and completely ineffective, likely based on ley lines (it's meant to be subversive on purpose).

The premise is that magic was discovered around the late 1800s and became more common in the 20th century, developing alongside technology. However, technology advanced faster because it already had infrastructure to support its growth: factories, skilled workers, supply chains, etc. Technology was also built for consumers, which helped with adoption.

Magic, on the other hand, had to be developed from scratch. It's also a learned skillset that requires more of the caster. A light switch can be flipped on by a young toddler, but the same cannot be said of magic.

I compare magic to math. Everyone takes it in school. Relevant formulas and concepts stick, but most are forgotten if they're not used. I personally use the formula (percent x whole = part) because I shop clearance sales and calculate tip. Many people opt to use the sale sheet or the suggested tip on their receipt.

A magic equivalent in this world would be a simple flame spell. A smoker would take the time to learn it because they light up constantly. Someone who only lights birthday candles, though, would likely just keep a lighter in their junk drawer.

Similarly, only a fraction of the population uses advanced mathematics, and those who do work in specialized skills like structural engineering or applied mathematics. Likewise, your more "magical" spells like pocket dimensions and mind-reading exist, but are uncommon, costly, require licenses, or all of the above. Cool magic exists, it's just not everywhere.

And for those that will likely have questions about the worldbuilding - yes, I'm considering terrorist organizations. Yes, I'm considering the impact on different economic systems. Yes, I'm considering how Lutherans would respond to magic. I know that magicbuilding and worldbuilding are intertwined, but I'm primarily focusing on the magic system building for the purpose of posting in this subreddit.

Based on this post, what issues should I prepare for when developing a lower-impact magic system with a higher barrier to entry for complex spells? And more broadly, do you have any advice for this type of system?

Hi magic system builders! I am currently writing a story with a magic system, and I have a few spells in mind, but I'm coming to a roadblock. I want my world to have both magic and modern technology, so I want to put significant limits on magic so it's not so integrated that modern technology isn't used. For example, I want there to be spells that create heat, but I don't want the microwave to be obsolete.

There will be limits by the casting focus and source of magic used. For example, a small flame spell used for candle lighting would mostly be used by wands using solar magic, but until someone researches it, the same cannot be said for an orb using water magic. And it may not be possible at all. Think of finding spells more like searching through JSTOR for relevant sources to your research topic if that makes sense.

The system is limited by a caster's perception. For example, you can't cast through walls or across the city; it typically has to be through line of sight.

Magic Cannot:

- Move existing matter through telekinesis; spells are, for the most part, effects that cannot be controlled by the caster once its casted

- Cannot change substances (such as lead to gold)

- Cure or accelerate healing; it can only make healing optimal (like removing dirt from an open wound)

- Interact with modern technology (cell phones, cameras, etc); ex. cameras and microphones don't pick up on illusions

- Affect time

Magic Can, with Significant Limits:

- Cast large area spells; created with runes, which can be damaged, and take hours to cast with a significant amount of magic source to use

- Create pocket dimensions; no matter is in these pocket dimensions, but matter can be brought in and stored there

- Teleport; extremely costly and only in the line of sight

- Heighten senses; causes short term headaches and long-term sensory damage

Magic Can:

- Create physical barriers (like shields and temporary surfaces)

- Generate and remove heat

- Generate light

- Detect magical residue from spell casting

- Create visual and sound illusions

- Make things less visible (but not completely invisible)

- Separate mixtures (such as removing salt from saltwater)

I know this is in its very early stages. Right now, I'm looking for major critiques, such as huge areas of exploitation within the system, as well as additional limits and allowances to consider. For those that are interested, I specifically need to have pocket dimensions in the story, and I currently have a bit that a character has messy handwriting and gets in trouble too often for using magic to correct her handwriting. I...think that's all. Please give me any feedback.

Alex was definitely bitten by a tick, right?

At the beginning of the book, "Whenever they returned, Lori spent an hour cross-legged on the floor, eyes squinted, checking Chivas's fur for ticks with unbroken attention that bordered on the erotic. "It's the worst season on record," Lori had noted, multiple times. "Ticks are everywhere. The deer are crawling with them."" Chivas is later described as being "studded with ticks."

On Night 2 of Surviving the Hamptons, "She tried to tamp the grass down more. Wasn't that where all the ticks were supposed to be hiding, in the grass? Better not to imagine what dark specks might find her in the night, tap into her bloodstream and funnel bacteria straight into her brain."

When Nicholas explains that George does, in fact, do okay, he says that the actress George has been with has Lyme disease. A disease famously associated with ticks.

I don't know if it directly relates to the ending, but it just seems like something that was narratively brought up several times. I've read that Lyme disease can affect your sight in the first stage (generally the first week), which I think would explain her eyelid swelling (which the reader would probably assume was her stye coming back) and her sensitivity to light ("the sun like a sodium flash"). Anyways. Let me know your thoughts!

Hi all, thank you in advance for any advice you can give!

My husband and I are going to Disney Orlando with his family this year. Most if not all of his family has already decided on getting the DDP (although jury's still out on which one, leaning towards table service). My husband likes the dining plan because it takes off the pressure of making finacial food decisions on the trip. I understand that, and I know the plan can be beaten, but I'm wondering how much his piece of mind would really cost.

First, the elephant in the room: Neither of us drinks alcohol.

I am a relatively picky eater. At a given table service restaurant in a theme park, I lean towards the Caesar salad options. My husband is definitely more adventurous and, with the dining plan, would likely be getting the most expensive meal he could. He would also be happy with getting the snack credits. While I like snacks on a conceptual level, we'll be standing on our feet all day and I don't want to be making myself more full than I need to be. Especially with theme park snacks.

With that being said, even if we don't get the dining plan, we will probably be eating at the same restaurants as his family most days, and they will likely be choosing the more expensive restaurants and character dining.

Given those factors, would it be more work on my end trying to maximize my dining plan even if my husband does it easily?