Creation Daily

[DreamEternal]

Suddenly, my Verse's version of angels became much more similar to extremely advanced aliens working under a non-intervention policy and exploiting its loopholes, despite retaining their semi-divine nature.

And many characters I still needed to develop further gained motivations linked to them as I found ancient alien shaped holes in their motivations and backstories.

It is interesting, how by developing one faction or filling a hole in your worldbuilding many lose pieces rearrange themselves to make a more complete picture.

[Seonid]

Since I posted here to get an idea of interest, I thought I'd let y'all know when the actual thread went up. Here is the new master worldbuilding thread for the Thousand Realms. Hope y'all enjoy it!

[DreamEternal]

Since I posted here to get an idea of interest, I thought I'd let y'all know when the actual thread went up. Here is the new master worldbuilding thread for the Thousand Realms. Hope y'all enjoy it!

I took a look at it and found your setting fascinating, Seonid. It also has many similarities to mine, in that in a way a purpose behind the creation of the universe is to prepare more creators, although in my setting it comes almost accidentaly.

I am currently writing my own master worldbuilding thread for my recently named "Garden of Mirrors", mostly because it gives me a motivation to focus on worldbuilding. Once I write it, I plan on making one of the planet of Argina, which is part of said universe and where the stories I am currently writing(more like outlining ) are set.

[Seonid]

I took a look at it and found your setting fascinating, Seonid. It also has many similarities to mine, in that in a way a purpose behind the creation of the universe is to prepare more creators, although in my setting it comes almost accidentaly.

I am currently writing my own master worldbuilding thread for my recently named "Garden of Mirrors", mostly because it gives me a motivation to focus on worldbuilding. Once I write it, I plan on making one of the planet of Argina, which is part of said universe and where the stories I am currently writing(more like outlining ) are set.

 

I'm glad you enjoyed it. I've drawn a great deal on Mormon theology - especially the speculative theologies of the late 19th century, and added to it a number of insights drawn from Canaanite and early Israelite religion (as reconstructed by modern scholarship). I've also drawn a great deal on modern physics, which is a field I am highly interested in. And then pushed and pulled and prodded in the ways that seemed the most likely to create opportunity for interesting fantasy writing.

 

I'd be interested in seeing your setting when you get a worldbuilding thread. I've found things like this to be immensely helpful for my worldbuilding, because folks ask questions and I have to come up with the answers. Nothing plugs holes faster than other people pushing on your world.

[DreamEternal]

I'm glad you enjoyed it. I've drawn a great deal on Mormon theology - especially the speculative theologies of the late 19th century, and added to it a number of insights drawn from Canaanite and early Israelite religion (as reconstructed by modern scholarship). I've also drawn a great deal on modern physics, which is a field I am highly interested in.

I have to look into that then. I can't really say where I got the inspiration from, since most of my ideas brewed in my head for years before I decided to take writing seriously.

Funny fact about the Garden of Mirrors: many great creation events were either accidental or atempts to understand those accidents throught imitation. That is where the "Mirrors" part comes from.

I'd be interested in seeing your setting when you get a worldbuilding thread. I've found things like this to be immensely helpful for my worldbuilding, because folks ask questions and I have to come up with the answers. Nothing plugs holes faster than other people pushing on your world.

Yes, I agree. I am quite fond of making things up and fitting them together, once I have a clear direction. By tomorrow I will post it. I would do so today, but it is getting late here in Brazil, and on my home the internet gets turned off when it is late because of my brother with poor impulse control. Edited February 24, 2016 by DreamEternal

[DreamEternal]

Annnd Microsoft Word crashed while I was writing to post later. Worldbuilding thread delayed until I am no longer angry.

Ps: is it ok to double post of my last post is from yesterday?

[Seonid]

Annnd Microsoft Word crashed while I was writing to post later. Worldbuilding thread delayed until I am no longer angry.

Ps: is it ok to double post of my last post is from yesterday?

Yeah, the double posting rule is more about not spamming a thread. If nobody has responded and you have more to say, and its been a while, go ahead. I don't know the exact amount of time that is considered polite to wait, but a day should be fine.

[Lindel]

I wasn't sure of the best place to bring this question, so if there's a better thread please direct me there.

This may initially seem strange, but bear with me. Trust me, the solution is of utmost importance.

I need to determine the safest, most reliable method of synthesizing an earthquake that would cause California and Nevada to break off from the continent, roughly along state borders, thus giving Utah a beach. Thoughts?

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

I wasn't sure of the best place to bring this question, so if there's a better thread please direct me there.

This may initially seem strange, but bear with me. Trust me, the solution is of utmost importance.

I need to determine the safest, most reliable method of synthesizing an earthquake that would cause California and Nevada to break off from the continent, roughly along state borders, thus giving Utah a beach. Thoughts?

With magic, or without?

[Lindel]

No magic, but any technology that currently exists or could feasibly be around within the next couple decades is fair game.

[Brightness Enna]

No magic, but any technology that currently exists or could feasibly be around within the next couple decades is fair game.

Uh... a covert operation of jackhammers along the borders? Haha. But more seriously, this article might help. (You might have trouble with Nevada, though, because there's not really a fault line on the Nevada/Utah border.)

[Zathoth]

If I remember correctly I think Tesla had an idea for an earthquake weapon. See if you can find anything on that.

[+Slowswift]

If I remember correctly I think Tesla had an idea for an earthquake weapon. See if you can find anything on that.

 

Tesla was a storming boss.

 

Actually, one of Writing Excuses' prompts was "It's 1912, and Nicola Tesla is the President of the United States."

[Oversleep]

Maybe try "What If"? If you're lucky, Randall may take on the subject.

[Lindel]

So looks like California's pretty easy. I personally prefer the method of injecting but Nevada presents a problem. Do we just blow the whole thing up?

EDIT: I've submitted the question to What If. Any other tips in the meantime?

Edited February 27, 2016 by Lindel

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

I noticed something about my WIP: So far, all of the female viewpoint characters have had mental powers (clairvoyance, empathy, retrocognition) and the male characters have had a mix of mental and physical powers. What's wrong with this? Well, nothing, strictly speaking; to this point, I'd been planning to use it as a sort of stealth commentary about how until fairly recently, female superheroes had powers that didn't force them into combat, for the most part. Not only that, but there was a meta reason: I'd intended to introduce Francine (the empath) early on, and at the time she was introduced, the Spokane County Police Department only hired women with mental powers because those were the only sort the NCO position utilized.

 

Now, I've gotten a firmer grasp on the plot, and I know that eventually, tensions will come to a boil and there will be a massive walkout of male police officers, who protest the chief's policies of hiring not only women, but minorities as well. Because of this, the SCPD will hire women for combat officer positions—pairing them with male officers as often as possible, because old-timey sexism, but the point is that a female police officer with power over fire or super strength will be allowed. I also know that Francine will join the SCPD around this time, meaning that her introduction would be a golden opportunity to introduce a woman whose powers are more combat-oriented. 

 

Pros: 

I'd be able to break the stereotype of women with non-combat powers. 

Francine is already pretty headstrong, the sort of character who doesn't let society define her. It'd be just like her to seize the chance to become a full police officer, rather than be pigeonholed into an NCO role. 

Francine is African-American, and there's rather a dearth of African-American superheroes. Giving her a power like empathy might make her a good detective, but it's not very superhero-like.

Giving her physical powers would be a good excuse to make her and Susan partners (lack of male officers leads the chief to pair two female Supers—one with mental powers and one with physical) 

 

Cons: 

I already worked out how she'd use her empathy; though I hadn't written anything yet, so I wouldn't lose a ton of work. 

No idea which power she'd have, though I'm leaning toward control over kinetic energy. 

I'd have to change her goals somewhat. 

 

….

 

Know what? I think I just talked myself into changing Francine's powers. 

[Edgedancer]

I noticed something about my WIP: So far, all of the female viewpoint characters have had mental powers (clairvoyance, empathy, retrocognition) and the male characters have had a mix of mental and physical powers. What's wrong with this? Well, nothing, strictly speaking; to this point, I'd been planning to use it as a sort of stealth commentary about how until fairly recently, female superheroes had powers that didn't force them into combat, for the most part. Not only that, but there was a meta reason: I'd intended to introduce Francine (the empath) early on, and at the time she was introduced, the Spokane County Police Department only hired women with mental powers because those were the only sort the NCO position utilized.

 

Now, I've gotten a firmer grasp on the plot, and I know that eventually, tensions will come to a boil and there will be a massive walkout of male police officers, who protest the chief's policies of hiring not only women, but minorities as well. Because of this, the SCPD will hire women for combat officer positions—pairing them with male officers as often as possible, because old-timey sexism, but the point is that a female police officer with power over fire or super strength will be allowed. I also know that Francine will join the SCPD around this time, meaning that her introduction would be a golden opportunity to introduce a woman whose powers are more combat-oriented. 

 

Pros: 

I'd be able to break the stereotype of women with non-combat powers. 

Francine is already pretty headstrong, the sort of character who doesn't let society define her. It'd be just like her to seize the chance to become a full police officer, rather than be pigeonholed into an NCO role. 

Francine is African-American, and there's rather a dearth of African-American superheroes. Giving her a power like empathy might make her a good detective, but it's not very superhero-like.

Giving her physical powers would be a good excuse to make her and Susan partners (lack of male officers leads the chief to pair two female Supers—one with mental powers and one with physical) 

 

Cons: 

I already worked out how she'd use her empathy; though I hadn't written anything yet, so I wouldn't lose a ton of work. 

No idea which power she'd have, though I'm leaning toward control over kinetic energy. 

I'd have to change her goals somewhat. 

 

….

 

Know what? I think I just talked myself into changing Francine's powers. 

It's a bit hard to give advice on this without knowing how you'd have to change your plans but generally, I'd say that it would be better to use what you already have than create an extra character that only exsists to make a point about gender roles ect and then not do anything with it proper.

 

Also, did you ever consider Supers with control over kinetic energy creating forcefields?

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

It's a bit hard to give advice on this without knowing how you'd have to change your plans but generally, I'd say that it would be better to use what you already have than create an extra character that only exsists to make a point about gender roles ect and then not do anything with it proper.

 

Also, did you ever consider Supers with control over kinetic energy creating forcefields?

 

Yeah, I'd already planned for her and Susan to become friends, so it'll just be easier to change her powerset than to add an entirely new character. 

 

No, I did not, but go on.  

[Edgedancer]

Yeah, I'd already planned for her and Susan to become friends, so it'll just be easier to change her powerset than to add an entirely new character. 

 

No, I did not, but go on.

Of course there's aslo the option of inserting a kickass female villain that's properly dressed.

 

Well, I can think two options for that with the potential of working from what I've heard of your current system. Although, I admit the term "forcefield" is somewhat vague here. The first would be to have them consentrate on sucking the kinetic energy out of an area while there isn't yet anything they could draw from, so the moment something comes into said AOE the the kinetic energy would be drained forcing the object to stop.

The other one would be that when drawing energy their equivalent of storing it would be to turn it... let's call it inert and put it into the air. It doesn't do anything on it's own but the moment something exerts force on the area it is stored in it automatically pushes back.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Of course there's aslo the option of inserting a kickass female villain that's properly dressed.

 

Well, I can think two options for that with the potential of working from what I've heard of your current system. Although, I admit the term "forcefield" is somewhat vague here. The first would be to have them consentrate on sucking the kinetic energy out of an area while there isn't yet anything they could draw from, so the moment something comes into said AOE the the kinetic energy would be drained forcing the object to stop.

The other one would be that when drawing energy their equivalent of storing it would be to turn it... let's call it inert and put it into the air. It doesn't do anything on it's own but the moment something exerts force on the area it is stored in it automatically pushes back.

 

Later, maybe.  

 

I think the second option would work better with my current system. I'd previously focused their abilities on, say, slowing the motion of a bullet, but storing and then moving the inert energy into the air would be even more effective, depending on how much energy they'd had stored. Not all of them would be capable of outright deflecting bullets, since they all have upper limits to how much energy they can swipe and store and the exact limit varies from Super to Super, but this would be an awesome defense mechanism. 

[DreamEternal]

I will stop updating my worldbuilding thread for now, because ironically it is slowing down my writing, since I now have to deal with annotations in both english and portuguese.

[Oversleep]

You probably remember my ideas for the story (magic is basically reality warping fueled by belief of normal people...more or less.)

I had the idea of a Christmass/winter story when my heroes are hunting the cult trying to summon/resurrect some ancient spirit on the Winter Solstice (because it was a holiday before christianity); the story would be doubled with the Christmass atmosphere plot, showing the duality of the lives the heroes lead and how they manage to balance it.

As yesterday was the Leap Day, it got me thinking: what if certain days (which have some significance in human culture) had impact on the magic beings: for example, solstices, full moons, eclipses, carnival...Leap Day... you know the stuff. What do you say?

Edited March 1, 2016 by Oversleep

[DreamEternal]

You probably remember my ideas for the story (magic is basically reality warping fueled by belief of normal people...more or less.)

I had the idea of a Christmass/winter story when my heroes are hunting the cult trying to summon/resurrect some ancient spirit on the Winter Solstice (because it was a holiday before christianity); the story would be doubled with the Christmass atmosphere plot, showing the duality of the lives the heroes lead and how they manage to balance it.

As yesterday was the Leap Day, it got me thinking: what if certain days (which have some significance in human culture) had impact on the magic beings: for example, solstices, full moons, eclipses, carnival...Leap Day... you know the stuff. What do you say?

If your magic is based on belief and a colective unconscious of sorts, it seems logical and easy to implement. Perhaps certain time periods have ressonance with certain spirits, making it easier to summon them. Or perhaps the particular history of those days gave them some sort of power of their own, that warps spirits summoned on these days towards different aspects or earlier forms. Edited March 1, 2016 by DreamEternal

[Oversleep]

If your magic is based on belief and a colective unconscious of sorts, it seems logical and easy to implement. Perhaps certain time oeriods have ressonance with certain spirits, making it easier to summon them. Or perhaps the particular history of those days gave them some sort of power of their own, that warps spirits summoned on these days towards different aspects or earlier forms.

The thing is... there was this Event few years ago where all the mages disappeared from the face of the Earth. They initiated new Generation (Gen0 I call them) but the Gen0 know only pretty basic stuff. Like if Allomancers were given a bag of metals and told that if they swallow it they would get powers. And then the new Allomancers would have to figure out metal compositions, base-alloy rule, Pushing-Pulling, external-internal, bronze pulses on their own...

So the "belief and collective unconsciousness" is an in-universe theory, but not necessarily is it completely correct. They have some proof, but as the creator I'm still not sure whether it is the premise of the magic or not. Maybe I would leave it to be vague.

I also worry that if I go with that I'd have to use it more often and explain why there aren't random ghost sightings on the 1st of September (spoiler for clearness)

(both the anniversary of German invasion on Poland [self-explanatory] and the end of holidays [thousands of students getting sad over it] and the beginning of school year [again, thousands of students getting excited/scared, parents getting hit with nostalgia over their kids growing up]).

It carries a lot of emotional charge and is integral part of the culture.

There is also a mage descending from both vampires and werewolves (or another two inhuman races, haven't decided yet). He's a mage, so he can pick the abilities he wants to use at the time, but still gets the "full moon effect". It's psychological/cultural thing, not a supernatural one (his subconsciousness is convinced that full moon should have effect on him. Magic works by imposing your will on reality. Do the math.). Once he gets over it, it won't have much effect on him. If I incorporate "magic calendar" thing then full moon will have to have effect on him, no matter whether he is convinced it should or not.

Ah, the joys of a writer.

Edited March 1, 2016 by Oversleep

[DreamEternal]

Heh. Maybe it could be based on a "ressonance" of sorts, that has to come from both sides. Your mage is not enough of a werewolf to suffer the influence of the moon unless he subcounciously accepts it, and a ghost will only come to haunt the living on September 1th if the date has strong enough personal meaning, and in the right place or with a proper anchor.

Edited March 1, 2016 by DreamEternal