Board Thread:Crash Course/@comment-33513896-20180228234831

A perfect spell description. Ah yes, something as sacred as my aunt's shitty casserole.

Actually, writing a good, understandable spell is pretty much like following a recipe, and much like a recipe, it's all to your personal taste.

So before we get into my "recipe" for a perfect spell I would like to remind you all that what follows is my personal opinion and tips as a veteran on the wiki. I would suggest reading this, where I talk about writing style and how to optimize your own style for the most impact on FTF.

Now, let's get into it.

The Perfect Spell Recipe
 * x1 Solid Translation
 * Always start a spell with a translation, formatted as such: Spell Name (Kanji, Romaji):
 * If your spell can't easily be translated and has a fancy name, most people format it like this: Spell Name (, Katakana Romaji lit. "Kanji Meaning"):
 * This version makes use of the Ruby template.
 * Some good translation sites for Kanji are Nihongodict and Tanoshii Japanese and for Katakana I use this.


 * x1 Introductory Sentence
 * The first sentence should introduce the spell. Is it a basic level spell? Is it their favorite spell? Give a brief overall sentence to pull the reader in.


 * Preparation Sentence(s)
 * How does the spell form? Do they recite an incantation? Is it a simple thought? Does ethernano cluster around their hand into the fireball they are about to cast?


 * Appearance Sentence(s)
 * What does the spell look like, how does it move. Is it a giant sword of ice? Is it a lightning bolt that can strike the opponent in the blink of an eye?


 * Affect Sentence(s)
 * This is where you describe the major effects of the spells. Is it a high-level defensive barrier to block attacks? Does it burn the opponent? Be creative, use metaphor and simile to strengthen the description of this awesome ability.


 * Personalization Sentence(s)
 * This is where things get different. When you're writing a spell on a Magic Article you most often use "the user/the caster" and "they" when describing spells and end it after the Affect Sentence(s). For me, when writing a character's spell on their pages, I like to use their name and pronouns, customizing the description to their skill level. This can be sprinkled throughout the Introductory Sentence to the Affect Sentence(s) but comes into play as a closer, defining how they personally use it in a fight.

Here's an example of what I deem to be my perfect spell recipe from my character Loki:
 * Ace of Pentacles (銭貨の最優, Senka no Saiyuushu): Ace of Pentacles is a forceful spell stemming from Gravity Magic, that gives Loki both an offensive and defensive countermeasure in a fight. By exerting and compressing his magic power around his body, Loki is capable of rapidly exerting an omnidirectional pulse of gravity, forcing anything backward with the force of a freight train. In an offensive manner, Loki uses this to knock his opponents backward with power great enough to send them flying, breaking their ribs in the process. In a defensive manner, he can use it to keep opponents away from himself, as well as their projectiles and spells to make him literally untouchable.

Like I said before, your perfect spell recipe might include more sentences or fewer sentences than mine. It all goes back to your unique writing style. What you should strive for in a spell is that it defines the abilities and appearance of the spell in a clear manner that can be easily understood by readers.

I hope you got something out of this blog and that it helps explains the components of a spell. And as Ina Garten said, if you can't get homemade, store-bought is fine.

&mdash; User:Astrarche 