Let's expand our ideas!
Sorry if this is torture to read, I'm on my phone. Since I was a little boy, I've loved superheroes and anime and whatnot. That kind of stuff is my jam, and NOTHING has yet compared to when I started Stardust Crusaders and saw a stand for the first time. I've been making fan stands since 2019, and I love seeing fan stands anywhere I can find them, which is why this sub is my most used by far.
I have a bit of a community suggestion, though. I'm really interested in everyone's creations, but I don't see as many unique ideas as I think is possible. Of course I'm not knocking anyone, but the vast majority of fan stands I see are limited by being built entirely for combat scenarios, and these types of stands are usually extremely high in raw power and can sometimes have vague power descriptions. I just want to help and encourage new approaches to creativity, so please hear me out.
I've been in the game a while. I've seen lots of fan stands and they mostly have advantages stacked atop more and more advantages. "User can fire a powerful beam/blast/fireball," "The stand is blindingly fast/nigh indestructible/as powerful as Star Platinum/King Crimson/etc," "" Stand abilities are often so vague that the user is omnipotent, and the only "limitation" you'll usually see is that the user can get tired. These kinds of abilites are usually arbitrary and only serve to allow their hypothetical user to dominate in combat. You can especially see that mindset in the use of words like "enemy projectile" or "incoming attack," but I think many people would be helped with a more versatile approach.
Stands reflect the user, right? I think we should put a lot more stock into what kind of personality an ability would match. When creating any aspect of the stand, from its form to its abilities and personality, try to think: What type of person would this stand fit? Be specific and purposeful in every single trait. Try thinking of a theme. For example Stone Free's theme is string. Tusk's theme is nail bullets & Spin. A great stress test for stand abilities is that they can be CLEARLY summarized in one or two sentences. "This is a versatile Close-range stand that can bring the user's drawings to life." Don't underestimate the power of a concise summary; it seems simple, but gives any writing a very strong sense of cohesion and purpose. Stands can be anything, functioning not only as swords and spears, but as binoculars, shovels, or lamps, so I hope I've encouraged some people to flesh out their stands in a new way. Let's get more comfortable sometimes saying "This stand just isn't really fit for fighting," yes? Thank u for reading