Got a few things I wanna share in the next day or two (including a 5th anniversary tribute I may or may not finish in time, woops) but! While I do so, I’m… musing over some longer term Monster + Insert Setting stuff…

Say you have a setting that is Magical in nature, and requires being separated with others into teams/factions/houses/guilds/groups/etc for a multi-year duration; you can think Undertale soul types, or h*gwarts houses, or divergent factions, or the academy groups in the Magicians, or even something more intrinsic like bending/elements in Avatar: the Last Airbender (and Korra). The key point is though it would be required; there are no ‘drifters’ (though possibly there could be a single medium/jack-of-all-trades guild/etc, I could see that, or even a shorter-term group you could be part of towards the beginning while exploring your options, with the ability to switch/dedicate at a pre-determined point in time)



… what sort of sorting would you find most enjoyable?

Personality based (if so, any particular preference as to what aspects of personality?)



(if so, any particular preference as to what aspects of personality?) Goal based (regardless of affinity, what you want to do - eg, choosing a major or a vocation/career to train for; this would be an option regardless , but the question here is whether your choice should also determine your ‘team’/guild/group)



(regardless of affinity, what you to do - eg, choosing a major or a vocation/career to train for; this would be an option , but the question here is whether your choice should also determine your ‘team’/guild/group) Intrinsic magic/affinity based (elements in avatar, ‘witchy’ affinities, etc…)



(elements in avatar, ‘witchy’ affinities, etc…) Chosen interest based (not necessarily a career, but more like, the angle of your favorite hobbies? this one’s broad on purpose, definitely say what sort of interest you’d be inclined to have it based on!)



(not necessarily a career, but more like, the angle of your favorite hobbies? this one’s broad on purpose, definitely say what sort of interest you’d be inclined to have it based on!) Other? (list below!)

Bonus details, if they help:

the setting would be adult-based; eg, adults on average 20s to late 30s would be the majority



the setting would involve learning magic/magic-adjacent things (loosely, an academy, mixed with a vocational school?)

the setting would absolutely involve monsters (coughcough romanceable cough)

Please comment below!! Any extra thoughts on favorite aspects or pet-peeves in this sort of setting welcome. Got a thing brewing on the back of my mind that’s part excuse-to-learn-new-interactive-thing, and part worldbuilding, feel-free-to-insert-yourself shenanigans. I’d like to angle it towards what you guys are already interested in. :)

