Creation Daily

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Remember how in the original draft of my WIP, Stombaugh was a precog like Susan? 

 

Now I'm considering making him a retrocog. (So yes, Kobold, he'd be like Backtrack, if Backtrack were a badchull. ) Thoughts? 

[Kobold King]

Remember how in the original draft of my WIP, Stombaugh was a precog like Susan? 

 

Now I'm considering making him a retrocog. (So yes, Kobold, he'd be like Backtrack, if Backtrack were a badchull. ) Thoughts? 

 

That sounds awesome. Retrocognition is a power with a lot of untapped potential in literature. The sheer power and majesty of the past, all laid out in front of you? The ability to stand beside a building and see all the days of its existence, the work put it into its construction, and even the layout of the land centuries before men first laid eyes on it? Can you picture standing on a street and seeing the footsteps of everyone to ever travel it, or to stand in a field and watch every storm that's ever swept across it? I shiver to imagine what a retrocog's eyes would grow accustomed to.

 

When I was a kid I used to constantly bewilder myself by sitting outside and imagining what had transpired before me, from yesterday all the way back to the time of dinosaurs. Of all superpowers, I must say retrocognition excites me the most to think about, and I've got a rough draft for a character in my original setting who uses it. (Backtrack is a poor example of what a retrocog would be capable of, but I like to think I've made his power at least vaguely interesting in his PoVs. )

 

But... I'm talking about myself again. What brings about this change in your mind? What would Stombaugh use his powers for?

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

That sounds awesome. Retrocognition is a power with a lot of untapped potential in literature. The sheer power and majesty of the past, all laid out in front of you? The ability to stand beside a building and see all the days of its existence, the work put it into its construction, and even the layout of the land centuries before men first laid eyes on it? Can you picture standing on a street and seeing the footsteps of everyone to ever travel it, or to stand in a field and watch every storm that's ever swept across it? I shiver to imagine what a retrocog's eyes would grow accustomed to.

 

When I was a kid I used to constantly bewilder myself by sitting outside and imagining what had transpired before me, from yesterday all the way back to the time of dinosaurs. Of all superpowers, I must say retrocognition excites me the most to think about, and I've got a rough draft for a character in my original setting who uses it. (Backtrack is a poor example of what a retrocog would be capable of, but I like to think I've made his power at least vaguely interesting in his PoVs. )

 

But... I'm talking about myself again. What brings about this change in your mind? What would Stombaugh use his powers for?

 

It's definitely an interesting power, though it could be truly incredible in the hands of someone who isn't too timid to use it.  

 

Well, one way Susan uses her clairvoyance is to give herself a taste of an individual's personality. If she were on Roshar, for instance, she would be able to determine that Kaladin is stubborn, brave, and more than a little brash by glimpsing a number of potential futures in which he mouths off to Adolin, and she could determine that he knows better by noting that he ultimately holds his tongue. (Mostly.) She could determine that Shallan is a scholar by noting the sheer number of potential futures where she chooses to study plants rather than idly watch the scenery pass her by, and glean other tidbits about her personality by studying the futures where she chooses to let her thoughts wander. She couldn't see inside either Shallan or Kaladin's heads, of course, but reading their facial expressions and hearing what they say to their companions would tell her plenty. 

 

Stombaugh would use his retrocognition in a similar manner, though he would arguably be even more powerful in this regard. He wouldn't know every detail of an individual's past instantly, but the more time he spent with them, the more he could learn, and the more his notes would improve. This would take his capabilities beyond mere blackmail (though he would certainly use that when necessary), allowing him to effectively predict an individual's future based on their past choices. He wouldn't have the precision Susan does, but the broad sweeps he did have would allow him to plan accordingly. 

 

There are far, far more applications retrocognition would have in a battle for control over a city, but that is one of them. 

[DanTheSeamonster]

I came up with a new race, guys! Although they are basically giant, bipedal porcupines.  Their social standing revolves around the length of their spines, those with longer spines are respected more than those with short spines. Outcasts have their spines ripped out as a mark of shame.

 

......That's really all I have at the moment, but I'm still working on them.

[Kobold King]

There are far, far more applications retrocognition would have in a battle for control over a city, but that is one of them. 

 

I'm late to say this, but all of that sounds really awesome. I can't wait to start seeing your characters in action.

 

 

As for me, I was browsing through the archives of an old collaborative worldbuilding wiki I used to be part of, and found the classification system we used for measuring a civilization's technological prowess. Thought y'all might be interested in seeing it, since it's the best system of its kind I know of:

 

I- Intraregional, this species can travel within a small country-sized area.

 

II- Interregional, this species can travel between several small country-sized areas.

 

III- Intracontinental, this species has explored an entire continent.

 

IV- Intercontinental, this species has explored several continents. Likely technologies: Steam power, metal alloys. Later, mains electricity.

 

V- Intraplanetary, this species has explored an entire home world. Likely technologies: Nuclear fission, jet aircraft, particle accelerators.

 

VI- Interplanetary, this species has explored multiple planets. Likely technologies: Break-even nuclear fusion, reusable spacecraft, hydrogen power.

 

VII- Intrastellar, this species has explored an entire star system. Likely technologies: Large-scale nuclear fusion (possibly He-3), production of grammes of antimatter.

 

VIII- Interstellar, this species can travel between stars. Likely technologies: Production of kilograms of antimatter, antimatter power sources. Repulsor fields and Hyperdrive.

 

IX- Intragalactic, this species has explored a single galaxy. Likely technologies: Weaponised antimatter, Hyperdrive denial.

 

X- Intergalactic, this species has explored multiple galaxies. Likely technologies: Ultradrive, repulsor sheets, very primitive megastructures.

 

XI- Intrauniversal, this species has explored a single 'verse (a 'verse could be a universe, microverse, etc.). Likely technologies: Uberdrive, megastructures.

 

XII- Interuniversal, this species has explored multiple 'verses. Likely technologies: Unknown.

 

It also reminded me that I haven't been considering differing technological levels in my own sci-fi 'verse, so I'll have to get cracking on that.

[RandomRevival]

via Imgflip Meme Maker

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

I'm late to say this, but all of that sounds really awesome. I can't wait to start seeing your characters in action.

As for me, I was browsing through the archives of an old collaborative worldbuilding wiki I used to be part of, and found the classification system we used for measuring a civilization's technological prowess. Thought y'all might be interested in seeing it, since it's the best system of its kind I know of:

I- Intraregional, this species can travel within a small country-sized area.

II- Interregional, this species can travel between several small country-sized areas.

III- Intracontinental, this species has explored an entire continent.

IV- Intercontinental, this species has explored several continents. Likely technologies: Steam power, metal alloys. Later, mains electricity.

V- Intraplanetary, this species has explored an entire home world. Likely technologies: Nuclear fission, jet aircraft, particle accelerators.

VI- Interplanetary, this species has explored multiple planets. Likely technologies: Break-even nuclear fusion, reusable spacecraft, hydrogen power.

VII- Intrastellar, this species has explored an entire star system. Likely technologies: Large-scale nuclear fusion (possibly He-3), production of grammes of antimatter.

VIII- Interstellar, this species can travel between stars. Likely technologies: Production of kilograms of antimatter, antimatter power sources. Repulsor fields and Hyperdrive.

IX- Intragalactic, this species has explored a single galaxy. Likely technologies: Weaponised antimatter, Hyperdrive denial.

X- Intergalactic, this species has explored multiple galaxies. Likely technologies: Ultradrive, repulsor sheets, very primitive megastructures.

XI- Intrauniversal, this species has explored a single 'verse (a 'verse could be a universe, microverse, etc.). Likely technologies: Uberdrive, megastructures.

XII- Interuniversal, this species has explored multiple 'verses. Likely technologies: Unknown.

It also reminded me that I haven't been considering differing technological levels in my own sci-fi 'verse, so I'll have to get cracking on that.

Wow. That is an awesome breakdown of technologies and exploration. How long did it take them to come up with that?

[+Slowswift]

What's the name of that wiki?

[Kobold King]

Wow. That is an awesome breakdown of technologies and exploration. How long did it take them to come up with that?

 

Holbenilord--basically the most awesome Wikia user in the history of Wikia users--complained about the vagueness of the Kardashev Scale and how it wasn't quite fitting for our purposes. So he spent an afternoon creating this one for us to use instead. We spent a couple of years creating strange and exotic civilizations on that wiki, and never once did we conceive of a species that couldn't be assigned a measure on the scale.

 

 

What's the name of that wiki?

 

Multiverses.wikia.com. Though after a scandal occurred in which it was revealed Wikia was exploiting a license loophole to sell users' work without their consent, we moved most of the best articles to Multiverses.shoutwiki.com.

 

Sadly, that wiki has been dead for a few years now. There were less than a dozen users, and only four or five of those were continuously active. Eventually we just sort of ran out of creative juices, and everyone drifted off to different corners of the Internet. Last I heard, Holbenilord was the moderator of a speculative evolution forum, my friend Styracosaurus Rider took Fanfiction.net by storm, and I found my way to the wonderful world of fantasy, and thus to the 17th Shard.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Holbenilord--basically the most awesome Wikia user in the history of Wikia users--complained about the vagueness of the Kardashev Scale and how it wasn't quite fitting for our purposes. So he spent an afternoon creating this one for us to use instead. We spent a couple of years creating strange and exotic civilizations on that wiki, and never once did we conceive of a species that couldn't be assigned a measure on the scale.

Multiverses.wikia.com. Though after a scandal occurred in which it was revealed Wikia was exploiting a license loophole to sell users' work without their consent, we moved most of the best articles to Multiverses.shoutwiki.com.

Sadly, that wiki has been dead for a few years now. There were less than a dozen users, and only four or five of those were continuously active. Eventually we just sort of ran out of creative juices, and everyone drifted off to different corners of the Internet. Last I heard, Holbenilord was the moderator of a speculative evolution forum, my friend Styracosaurus Rider took Fanfiction.net by storm, and I found my way to the wonderful world of fantasy, and thus to the 17th Shard.

Pretty sure pre-war Time Lords would be on the Interuniversal end of the scale, though I don't know if you should classify TARDISes (which are living beings) as technology. But I'm sure their cybernetic implants used during the Time War would qualify.

[+Slowswift]

Pretty sure pre-war Time Lords would be on the Interuniversal end of the scale, though I don't know if you should classify TARDISes (which are living beings) as technology. But I'm sure their cybernetic implants used during the Time War would qualify.

 

I was thinking the same thing! But doesn't time travel in general count? As well as extreme and thorough knowledge of dimensions? The TARDISes are indeed alive for the most part, but the TARDISes didn't invent time travel. That was achieved  by the Time Lords with Omega's help, IIRC.

 

Oh, and the Time Lords did create the TARDISes, right? They're just alive... sorta. 

Edited June 25, 2015 by Slowswift

[Kobold King]

Pretty sure pre-war Time Lords would be on the Interuniversal end of the scale, though I don't know if you should classify TARDISes (which are living beings) as technology. But I'm sure their cybernetic implants used during the Time War would qualify.

 

Several of the species on Multiverses, like the Veiled Ones and the Daemons, made considerable use of living technology. We always counted their biomechanical creations as part of their collective technology, since it clearly takes a lot of inventive ingenuity for a race to advance to the point of making such constructs.

 

We were all Whovians on Multiverses, so we applied a lot our classification system to several Doctor Who races. Since the Tenth Doctor talked about the Time Lords easily crossing into parallel universes, we categorized them firmly as a Type XII race. The Daleks we suspected to be a Type XI species powerful enough to force the Time Lords into withdrawing their out-of-universe forces back into their home dimension, thus causing the Time War to be fought predominantly in the primary Whoniverse.

 

Of course, on good ol' Multiverses we had races that could have beaten the tar out of both the Daleks and the Time Lords at the same time. I'm a bit nostalgic, if you can't tell.

[+Slowswift]

All right. Astronomers, mathematicians, and generally science-y people, help me out here?

 

So I'm doing some worldbuilding for my Camp NaNoWriMo novel. The planet this book takes place on has an almost Earth-like rotation, so 24 hours per day. Then the months are one lunar month, so 29.5 days. 240 days per year, with some extra days towards the end or something to balance it out. There are 8 months a year.

 

I don't know if I want there to be classic seasons or not, but assuming I do, and assuming I haven't figured out the placement of the extra days yet, what the crap? I was going somewhere with this. Help?

 

As you may have noticed, as much as I love science, I am rather not good at figuring stuff like this out easily. And I probably botched the math too. Sorry? If y'all could take a look at it so I'm not completely lost when I wrap up the planning and start writing, that'd be great.

 

I can clarify in the morning after 1) I've gotten some sleep and 2) you've asked questions for me to clarify.

 

Thanks in advance and sorry I have so little coherent material to go on. You are all really quite wonderful.

Edited June 26, 2015 by Slowswift

[Mistrunner]

Oh. Wow. You're going deep. Mine is kinda... Almost... Lame.

Speaking of Camp NaNo, anybody up for creating a private cabin? Sandercabin? I don't know.

I need some help too! If somebody can help me with this that'd be great. I have a character- the king- who wasn't supposed to be king, but his older brother died and he ascended too early. He's extremely paranoid- he's got spies everywhere, and some of them were trained so well they aren't even loyal to him anymore. He created a group of elite assassins just to keep him safe (they turn on him). His entire castle is booby-trapped and he's subtly allowing the entire kingdom to be drugged. What would make him that paranoid? He's highly intelligent and he isn't lacking in common sense. He acts cool and collected. He should know better, but he doesn't! Why?

[A Joe in the Bush]

Someone close to him and his brother was behind the death of his older brother, and he feels he should have been able to prevent it with his high Intellect.

 

Or, if the brother's death was an accident, the common people and much of the nobility believed he was actually behind it, greedy for the throne. Since he ascended there have been several revenge assassination attempts on him.

 

Or He doesn't believe his brother is actually dead, and is afraid his brother is going to come back and try to retake the throne.

 

Or he's just neurologically predisposed to paranoia. (I know people like that. They know no one's out to get them, but they still keep their back to a wall, count the exits and people, and only eat food they themselves have prepared.)

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Oh. Wow. You're going deep. Mine is kinda... Almost... Lame.

Speaking of Camp NaNo, anybody up for creating a private cabin? Sandercabin? I don't know.

I need some help too! If somebody can help me with this that'd be great. I have a character- the king- who wasn't supposed to be king, but his older brother died and he ascended too early. He's extremely paranoid- he's got spies everywhere, and some of them were trained so well they aren't even loyal to him anymore. He created a group of elite assassins just to keep him safe (they turn on him). His entire castle is booby-trapped and he's subtly allowing the entire kingdom to be drugged. What would make him that paranoid? He's highly intelligent and he isn't lacking in common sense. He acts cool and collected. He should know better, but he doesn't! Why?

 

He killed his brother, or was responsible for his death in some way, and is afraid of being implicated. 

 

It's a case of mistaken identity and he knows the kingdom will crumble if he's found out. 

 

He made a Faust-type deal with a malevolent supernatural entity and is terrified of the entity coming back to collect. 

 

On the day he ascended, he received a death threat from his brother's murderer. 

 

He believes, truly or falsely, that if he is killed then a plague will wipe out his kingdom. 

 

His life is tied to the life of someone even more important so that if he dies, that other person dies too. Alternatively, someone close to him could have died on the same day as his brother, making this king believe that these things were connected. 

 

By law, his nieces and nephews became his children upon his brother's death, and if he dies, not only will the scheming chancellor person become king, but he will gain custody of those children. 

 

By law and cultural tradition, the king views his subjects as his children, they view him as their father, and all laws treat this relationship as such. They grieved the true heir's death as they would a father figure. This king doesn't want to entrust his kingdom into the hands of another, doesn't trust his successor, or simply believes his people couldn't handle another death. 

 

Conversely, the king doesn't know who his successor will be, and fears his death will pave the way for someone terrible. This might imply that the royal line preceding his family's line was a line of tyrants, making him believe he is the kingdom's last hope for decent rule. 

 

Some parties within the kingdom have been advocating a massive cultural, technological, magical, religious, or other sort of change, and the king knows or believes that if he dies, this change will take place and wreak havoc on the kingdom. 

Edited June 26, 2015 by TwiLyghtSansSparkles

[Mistrunner]

Ooh.. I like these. Thanks Twi! Thanks Joe! You're both amazing!

Edited June 26, 2015 by Mistrunner

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Ooh.. I like these. Thanks Twi! Thanks Joe! You're both amazing!

 

No problem. Feel free to play around with those, come up with your own reason, use those as a starting point, or whatever suits your purposes best. 

[ccstat]

@slowswift: No need to sweat this one. The solar calendar and the lunar calendar don't have to match up in any particular configuration, so you can make up whatever you want. Earth cultures have a dozen different ways of trying to reconcile the disparity between a lunar year and a solar year, so basically anything you pick can be plausible.

The only astronomical rule of thumb, if you are doing traditional seasons, is to split the year up into fairly even summer and winter lengths, with more or less spring/autumn in between.

[Kobold King]

He killed his brother, or was responsible for his death in some way, and is afraid of being implicated. 

 

It's a case of mistaken identity and he knows the kingdom will crumble if he's found out. 

 

He made a Faust-type deal with a malevolent supernatural entity and is terrified of the entity coming back to collect. 

 

On the day he ascended, he received a death threat from his brother's murderer. 

 

He believes, truly or falsely, that if he is killed then a plague will wipe out his kingdom. 

 

His life is tied to the life of someone even more important so that if he dies, that other person dies too. Alternatively, someone close to him could have died on the same day as his brother, making this king believe that these things were connected. 

 

By law, his nieces and nephews became his children upon his brother's death, and if he dies, not only will the scheming chancellor person become king, but he will gain custody of those children. 

 

By law and cultural tradition, the king views his subjects as his children, they view him as their father, and all laws treat this relationship as such. They grieved the true heir's death as they would a father figure. This king doesn't want to entrust his kingdom into the hands of another, doesn't trust his successor, or simply believes his people couldn't handle another death. 

 

Conversely, the king doesn't know who his successor will be, and fears his death will pave the way for someone terrible. This might imply that the royal line preceding his family's line was a line of tyrants, making him believe he is the kingdom's last hope for decent rule. 

 

Some parties within the kingdom have been advocating a massive cultural, technological, magical, religious, or other sort of change, and the king knows or believes that if he dies, this change will take place and wreak havoc on the kingdom.

 

 

Did you just write ten incredibly imaginative fantasy writing prompts on a whim?

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Did you just write ten incredibly imaginative fantasy writing prompts on a whim?

Um...maybe?

[Gabriele]

Did you just write ten incredibly imaginative fantasy writing prompts on a whim?

 Like we need more plotbunnies hopping around in a writing related thread. And here I thought they graviatate to Brandon and leave us in peace.  

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

I'm considering changing a few names and roles around in my WIP--making Whitelaw the main antagonist instead of Stombaugh, giving Whitelaw the retrocognition power, and making him a minister. Though I'm still trying to decide on the last one; is the Sinister Minister trope played out, or do you guys think there are still ways to play with it? Or should I give him another occupation entirely? I'm thinking he's the reason Susan doesn't go to church anymore, and making that the root of their conflict and eventual enmity.

[Kobold King]

I'm considering changing a few names and roles around in my WIP--making Whitelaw the main antagonist instead of Stombaugh, giving Whitelaw the retrocognition power, and making him a minister. Though I'm still trying to decide on the last one; is the Sinister Minister trope played out, or do you guys think there are still ways to play with it? Or should I give him another occupation entirely? I'm thinking he's the reason Susan doesn't go to church anymore, and making that the root of their conflict and eventual enmity.

 

 

I think that could work. Making Whitelaw the sole antagonist would put more of the spotlight on him specifically, potentially allowing you to render him as a more complicated, three-dimensional character than he might otherwise be.

 

As for the Sinister Minister trope, I'm of the opinion that no trope should be discarded just because it's been done before. It would certainly be fascinating to show the darker side of a profession not often explored, but if exploring the corruption of religion is more important to you than, say, casting Whitelaw as an evil plumber, then you'll wind up writing a much more solid story than you would have if you tried to force yourself into doing something that's never been done before.

 

I'm hardly an expert, but I'd say you should write the story you're passionate about, not the story you think will break more ground as a work of literature. If you want to change Whitelaw's profession, then I'd be happy to help you pick another; however, if you want to write him as an evil preacher, I don't think you should change him just out of a fear of treading on old ground.

 

Most of Shakespeare's plays were derivative, after all. What set him apart was how passionate he was about using old, lackluster tropes with fierce passion and intelligence. 

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

I think that could work. Making Whitelaw the sole antagonist would put more of the spotlight on him specifically, potentially allowing you to render him as a more complicated, three-dimensional character than he might otherwise be.

As for the Sinister Minister trope, I'm of the opinion that no trope should be discarded just because it's been done before. It would certainly be fascinating to show the darker side of a profession not often explored, but if exploring the corruption of religion is more important to you than, say, casting Whitelaw as an evil plumber, then you'll wind up writing a much more solid story than you would have if you tried to force yourself into doing something that's never been done before.

I'm hardly an expert, but I'd say you should write the story you're passionate about, not the story you think will break more ground as a work of literature. If you want to change Whitelaw's profession, then I'd be happy to help you pick another; however, if you want to write him as an evil preacher, I don't think you should change him just out of a fear of treading on old ground.

Most of Shakespeare's plays were derivative, after all. What set him apart was how passionate he was about using old, lackluster tropes with fierce passion and intelligence.

"Heheheh....once this half-repaired leaky pipe bursts in the middle of the night, I shall have my revenge and it shall stink to high heaven! But not for me. No, for me it will smell sweet. Metaphorically speaking."

Somehow, I don't see the Evil Plumber trope catching on.

I wasn't worried about the fact it's been done before, exactly; more the way it's been done before. In everything from Doctor Who to X-Men comics, the Sinister Minister is pretty much obviously evil from the beginning, and he always claims that he's doing "the Lord's work" while punching orphans and punting puppies, and everyone always falls for it and the writers act like they're breaking new ground. I want to go for a more...I don't know if "reconstructive" is the right term, but I do want to make it more grounded. Show how ministers allow their beliefs to be tainted by personal prejudice and pride, until they can't even see where they went wrong anymore.

Maybe I was worried about falling into those pitfalls of the trope. Like, if I go this route, would I wind up derailing his characterization out of convenience or something similar? And at the same time, I know it's a trope some people find irritating or offensive, so that worried me too.