Bunnyburn

I am giving it a shot. It seems like a good motivating event, and motivation is my number one weakness. I've registered and put up my synopsis. I'm gonna try and outline the whole thing before the first, to increase my chances of completing it.

It's wonderful to know that they are still trying to make it happen. Thanks, Connor, for taking initiative and refreshing my hope. I had basically written it off, so I'm glad I don't need to give up hope quite yet.

I am considering another type of technology which is essentially a battery for psyv. The issue I have with that is it conflicts with my desire to make psyv volatile and unpredictable the longer it is kept from doing something. The installation of psyvitrons and the other requisite technologies is a serious operation. They can be removed and reused in another person, but between the trauma of removing them, and the mental trauma of losing all that input that a psyvic would be accustomed too, I dont think the person would survive. So practically, psyvitrons are permanent. If you lose control of psyv you are holding (by failing to give it proper instruction, or by holding it too long (I dunno what 'too long' is yet, probably in the ballpark of a minute, maybe two)) disaterous things will likely occur, from frying yourself out, destroying your psyvic tech and likley yourself, or unintended and uncontrolled release of psyv. I am thinking the main character might be naturally gifted. Perhaps not capable of manipulated psyv without the proper tech, but at least exceptional at comprehending the nature of some or all of the forces. The creatures that are naturally attuned to the flows of psyv in the universe, while intelligent beings in their own right, do not have any kind of conciousness we could comprehend (this will make them very difficult to write I think I haven't a clue where to start) Try and imagine what it is like to be a tree, or a star, or the sky.

You're almost dead on Lindel. The scaling you mention is the foremost kink I have to iron out. I am thinking that a skilled pysvic (thanks quiver:) ) would be skilled at finding every loose scrap of psyv they could, and storing it in their circuitry. In the instance of grinder use, they would not only draw psyv from the hot metal, but the high pitched grinding noise as well. Absorb the noise as the plates heat, building up a reserve, then supplement that with the heat. The process could be repeated for as long as the psyvic could concentrate on the forces. The more time these cosmic instructions spend in the rigid confines of human thought, the less likely the psyv will still know what to do with it. This is further exacerbated by the alterations that are made. (imagine building a house of cards. you can make it as big as you want as long as you know exactly where to place the cards. But the bigger the house, the bigger the mess if you topple it.) that comparison isn't perfect, but I trust you get the idea. Theoretically, with enough concentration, limitless psyv could be collected. It would continue to grow 'denser' and saturate the circuitry, increasing in pressure until it is released. Specialization will be hugely present. Given the complexity of the concepts, different psyvics will be more familiar with forces they have become accustomed to. (through practice and exposure) I keep typing 'pysv' instead of 'psyv' You have it right, I'm just clarifying in case anybody is confused by my typos. Psyv not pysv lol

The seperation of matter and energy into two distinct categories is something I am planning on sticking with. I plan on doing some research into the real-world parallels of the forces I am playing with, but it is important to note that this world doesn't operate on exactly the same principals as ours. I have some fundamental ideas on how energy works in this world. Basically, where I break the rules established by science, magic fills in the gaps. That being said, I understand the need for some coherency. I don't want all my figures to be pulled out of my chull. I want knowledgeable readers (such as you gentleman) to be able to stomach where I make things up. Thank you Lindel, for that list of types of energy. You have given me a few new ideas to toss around. I am thinking of having devices like grinders because of the way psyvitrons work. The device needs to be in contact with the force. Having red-hot metal within arms reach will be very useful, I think. You could always use the ambient temperature of the air, but temperature will be charged with more pysv the further from a 'base' temperature (I am thinking about room temperature). So extremes of hot and cold will provide more energy to work with. The other forces work in similar ways. Brighter light, louder sounds, etc. will have a higher charge of pysv. The psyvitrons work by absorbing the force, essentially removing it from existence, and seperating the raw pysv from the "idea" or "thought" that tells the pysv what to do. The person would tweak this sort of code in their mind (this is where things get a little abstract and dangerous) and then release the pysv back into existence with its new instructions. It is mentally taxing and something humans are going to be studying and learning. Pysv can be very volatile if clear instructions are not given. The universe (and the race of creatures after which pysvic technogy is designed ) understand this language instinctually. Humans are trying to teach it to themselves. I hope that makes sense. This is still magic we are dealing with.

I'm a little overwhelmed with ideas right now, so I am coming to you guys for help. I don't really know where to start, but I've seen you sharders in action, so I trust you can follow along. I feel like putti.g this down and discussing it will help me more that brainstorming by myself. Alright, to start off, we have 'psyv', the base energy of existence. Except for physical matter, everything consists of pysv in some configuration. This includes: light, sound, heat, gravity, and any other non-physical forces. (I'm still a little unsure what other energies fall under this category) Then we have some fictional technology, (this is where it gets a little more abstract.) We have the psyvitrons, which act like sensory organs for psyv, and psyviline, which acts like a neurological pathway for this energy. --I feel the need to sidetrack for a moment. Now eyes are already sensory organs that take in psyv in the form of light, and the brain converts this specially configured psyv (rays of light) into an image. The psyvitrons bypass this conversion, cognizising the 'light itself' rather than converting it into an easily comprehended medium (sorry for the abstraction, you may see why I am lost) The same goes for heat and sound. Normally the brain uses the psyv in these energies to create manifestations that we can comprehend. By bypassing the normal pathways in the brain and nervous system, this psyv can be manipulated into any other fundamental force, and ejected back into the world through the pysvitron. --- Back to the science. psyvitrons are installed in the hands, and psyviline connects these devices to the brain. This circuit acts as a secondary nervous system that ferry light, sound, heat, etc. to a part of the brain where they can exist in pure form, and be understood in pure form. (this understanding does not come easy. I am likening exposure to these sensations to what a newborn baby comprehends as it takes its first breath, but it can come to particular strong-minded individuals skilled at abstract thought.) When they are held in the mind in this unconverted form, a trained mind can manipulate the configuration of this pysv into other forms, limited by their understanding of the configurations, and the quantity of pysv they have to mold. There is also technology designed to generate forces to draw from. One of these, called a grinder for now, is a series of gears that are wound tight, and as they unwind they grind a pair of plates against one another to generate friction, ergo heat and sound. This device can be rewound whenever a handy source of psyv is necessary. I have some basic ideas on the world this will all take place in: Since these systems are augmented into the nervous system, medical practice is fairly advanced, as is the field of psychology and the study of thought. I am envisioning a somewhat 'steampunk/Clockwork era world, but with psyv-power driving industry insteead of steam power. The technology being developed is based off of another sentient race on the planet. This race is far more attuned to psyv and the forces of the world, and their natural biology allows them to manipulate psyv naturally. pysitrons and psyviline are based on their natural organs. I am sorry if this is confusing, I myself have only a tentative grasp on what I am trying to do here. I hope you have critical questions and that you can find lots of holes in my system so I can fill them and flesh this into something real. I have idea on how the act of drawing psyv into oneself will work, and applications for it, but I want a firmer grasp on the basics first, and I hope some critical analysis from you guys can help. So please, if you are confused, ask me to clarify. If you think this is stupid, tell me why. And if you think you understand what I am getting at, help me solidify it into something less abstract.

Oh gosh I can't believe I forgot Wolf Larsen from The Sea-Wolf by Jack London. He is a self-educated genius pirate captain with a serious temper and a fatalist streak. I liked the way he forced the soft main character (a socialite and writer) to toughen up and discover what he is truly capable of.

So much Sword of Truth hate. Richard is definitely one of my favorite characters. Kerbouchard from Loius L'amour's The Walking Drum is a great character too. A jack-of-all trades: scholar, warrior, lover. Kelsier is great too. I love when good guys have a dark side. Outside of books, I've always had a soft spot for Freya from Final Fantasy IX.

Depends on my mood. I've played them both from the start, and I like each equally.

I'm a trumpet player myself, at least I was for 8 years of school. Since graduating I haven't played. That was 4 years ago I have played guitar for six years, and I loveto sing, although my deep bass isn't suited to the rock musicI like to play. I can nearly sing in the tenor range, but not with enough control to consider myself a multi-octave vocalist (I swear there is a term for that.) I sang bass in a jazz choir for a couple years, and that was a blast. Now I am more casual with my music, but it is still a great passion of mine.

Oh boy, this is a toughie. I lesrned of Brandon through TWOT, although I was only halfway through the series when I learned of him. I figured, since Brandon will be finishing my favorite series, I might as well read somr of his stuff and see if I should even bother finishing TWOT (I was not optimistic) I read Mistborn, and The Wheel of Time was pushed to the wayside. I was so taken with Brandons work that I read the rest of the Mistborn trilogy in a week. I immediately began looking for more. I next read Steelheart, which I purchased from Wal-Mart. Again, I was impressed. Next was Warbreaker, which I read from his site. Warbreakr is when I realized that I had found my new favorite author. I was hooked. I borrowed The Way of Kings and Alloy of Law from my library, and about this time I started becoming Cosmere aware. Way of Kings blew my mind. I was so lucky to have read it just a few months prior to WoR's release, so I suffered no real wait to continue. I ordered, WoR, The Rithmatist, Elantris, and The Emperors Soul from Amazon, and the rest is history. I would really like to read Legion, the sample chapters have me very interested, and it is Brandon, so I didnt need a sample to tell me I wanted it. Pre- Words of Radiance I would have said that The Mistborn trilogy was my favorite of his works, followed by Elantris, Warbreaker, and then The Stormlight Archive. But WoR redefined what a fantasy novel could be to me. In my opinion, The Stormlight Archive has transcended your normal fantasy series. If I may make a bold statement, I consider Words of Radiance the greatest piece of fiction ever written. 100 years from now, The Stormlight Archive will hold the place occupied by The Lord of The Rings today.

I just finished The Great and Secret Show by Clive Barker, and so have moved onto the sequel, Everville. I really enjoy the disturbing imagery and eroticism. Clive Barker isn't afraid to be vulgar, and his characters feel more real because of it. He takes the dark thoughts we like to pretend we don't have, and shoves them in our face.

The Shadow Rising is perhaps my favorite of RJ's installments, mostly due to the immersion into Aiel culture. It is also the only WOT book I own, and was a gift from a friendship I trashed, so it means a lot to me. I definitely agree with the sentiment that Rand should trust Moiraine. Although, it would have significantly shortnened the series, and eliminated quite a few cool conflicts, so I suppose RJ knew what he was doing.

Interesting. From a totally ignorant point of view, it could be missed. I still remember my bafflement when So I am not surprised I missed that on my first read. I think I chalked it up to random luck. They are the greatest band in the history of time. ...(imo)... Congrats on getting to see them.

I did a quick scan through a few pages to see if this had been discussed, so sorry if I missed it. I am currently re-reading the series, and I am about halfway through Eye of the World, and I have been surprised at the number of times Rand touches/uses the Power, that are simply invisible on the first read. The first one I caught was when the group was fleeing after Winternight. Rand uses the Power to refresh Bela. 'If Bela fell back, he would fall back, too, whatever Moiraine and Lan had to say about it. Back where the Fade and the Trollocs were. Back where the Draghkar was. With all his heart and desperation he silently shouted at Bela to run like the wind, silently tried to will strength into her. Run! His skin prickled, and his bones felt as if they were freezing, ready to split open. The Light help her, run! And Bela ran.' And again in Baerlon, after Mat plays the prank on the Whitecloaks. 'Rand moved to cover the sword, but instead swept his cloak back over his shoulder. In the back of his head was a frantic wonder at what he was doing, but it was a distant thought. "Accidents happen," he said. "Even to the Childreb of the Light.....' Bornhald asks some questions..... '"I just arrived in Baerlon." A tingling thrill ran along Rand's arms and legs. He felt flushed, almost warm.' Some more cocky banter from Rand.... The tingling filles Rand; the heat had grown to a fever. He wanted to laugh, it felt so good. A small voice in his head shouted that something was wrong, but all he could think of was how full of energy he felt, nearly bursting with it.' A fee paragraphs later, it describes Rand releases the source. Ans once again, he uses the Power while sitting atop the mast of Domon's craft, after the flight from Shadar Logoth, but I am tires of transcribing from the book with my phone, so I will let you guys find it. I am sure plenty of folks have notices these instances, or possibly seeked them out, but I haven't yet. Anyone see any more instances? I don't remember exactly when Rand discovers and recognizes that he can channel, but let's stick to finding moments of unintentional and unrecognized instances of channeling.