Creation Daily

[Quiver]

So, an idea occurred to me. Problem is, I'm sure its probably been done; I just can't remember where I read it.

(Or hell, maybe I didn't and did create this. But I doubt it.)

Has anyone heard of a story involving weaponising/using memories as a form of magic? The closest I can think is 'Rings of Akhaten', but I feel like I must have read it somewhere else...

[Kobold King]

Has anyone heard of a story involving weaponising/using memories as a form of magic? The closest I can think is 'Rings of Akhaten', but I feel like I must have read it somewhere else...

 

That's a really unique and awesome idea! I can't remember it being used anywhere else, but I'm not the most fantasy-literate person on the forums. Even if it's been done though, there's no reason you couldn't give it a blast of your own unique creativity.

 

(Also, the second I read the name of that episode this song came flaring to life in my head. )

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

So, an idea occurred to me. Problem is, I'm sure its probably been done; I just can't remember where I read it.

(Or hell, maybe I didn't and did create this. But I doubt it.)

Has anyone heard of a story involving weaponising/using memories as a form of magic? The closest I can think is 'Rings of Akhaten', but I feel like I must have read it somewhere else...

 

"Rings of Akhaten" was more using memories as a form of currency. If weaponizing memories has been done before, I certainly haven't read it…though I'd love to see it done.  

[Quiver]

Well, I mention Akhatan because I imagined them being traded and forming part of society too. I just kind of like the idea of a magic system which could, effectively, result in Alzheimer's for practitioners, for the whole nature vs nurture thing...

...but seriously, no ones heard of this?

[A Joe in the Bush]

Has anyone heard of a story involving weaponising/using memories as a form of magic? The closest I can think is 'Rings of Akhaten', but I feel like I must have read it somewhere else...

 

Ghost Story, by Jim Butcher. Ghosts can only fight other ghosts by turning their most cherished memories into psychic bullets.

 

But the fact that it's only been used once, in a very small part of the book means it's still original.

Edited May 24, 2015 by The Only Joe

[Gabriele]

Um….create a brutal dystopia where people can be beaten senseless for not wearing silly hats?

 

Cranial deformation has been done in history. The Huns and some eastern German tribes (at least, originally from the east; the Burgundians eventually migrated to the Rhine) practised it, for example. It was likely a way to express tribal affiliation, or - in case of some eastern Germanic tribes - imitating the conquering people to better adapt. 

[Gabriele]

Well, Cathair and the Battle of Nechtansmere are back on the stove to simmer a bit more.  I'll better concentrate on those two WiPs where I actually made some progress recently (I even won Nano with the Sichelstein saga, first time ever I managed that). 

 

 

The Saga of House Sichelstein (proabably a trilogy: Forged at the Fighting, Survivors of Spears, In War to Defend)

 

In the first half of the 10^th century, kings strive to expand their realms, noble lords turn rebels, longships prowl the sea and Magyar raiders plunder the land. In these turbulent times, four siblings of a minor Saxon house have to fight for survival.

 

Athalard of Sichelstein inherits the family's lands, but also a bloodfeud that will drive him, hunted and haunted, to the borders of the inhabited world. Wittilo, monastery-educated but with a longing for arms and armour, will become involved in the civil war between Heinrich the Fowler's sons Otto and Thankmar, and must decide which oaths to keep when old enemies play the strings. Ercenmar seeks a future of glory at the court of Æthelstan of Wessex to find it will turn to ashes when friends become enemies. Their sister Erelinda will have to face the masterful queen Gunnhild of the Danes, but to save the man she loves she will have to leave behind her home and her family.

 

The saga of the Sichelstein siblings is a tale of family, of love and hatred, duty and honour, of divided allegiances and battles, ranging from the glaciers of Iceland to the fertile plains at the Danube, from the swamps and forests of the Eastmarch to the islands of western Alba.

 

 

Never to Return (part of the series of loosely connected Roman novels)

 

The Roman officer Lucius Valerius Aurelianus must fight the demons of his past and his parents' ambitions, and protect the inept emperor Severus Alexander against the discontent legions. Then Severus Alexander is assassinated and Maximinus Thrax elected emperor by the soldiers. He brings with him a man from Lucius Valerius' past the young officer had hoped to never meet again.

 

The German warrior Ricmar is outlawed for a murder he didn't commit thanks to the schemes of his half-brother. His exile will lead him all the way to the lands west of the Rhenus that are held by the Romans. Maximinus Thrax offers Ricmar a future if he will betray the people that outlawed him; an offer even more tempting when Ricmar learns the truth about his father and his heritage.

 

When the Romans invade Germania in a punitive expedition, it will not only be a war between the Germanic tribes and the Roman army, but also the culmination of a family feud where brothers fight each other during a battle on the slopes of a mountain in the Hercynian Forest.

Edited May 24, 2015 by Gabriele

[mail-mi]

If I understand you correctly, the planet is located at the L1 point of the two stars. I guess I was extrapolating an additional effect on top your description, which may or may not factor into the system you've designed. 

 

If the planet is like earth in that its axis of rotation is not perpendicular to the (two sun's) orbital plane, then the suns will occupy distinct arcs in the sky for a given observer on the surface of the planet. I assume that, even in the absence of any movement relative to the two suns, the planet's axis will still precess. If so, this will result in a regular ("year-long") cycle in which the north pole points towards one star, then the other, and back again. This would result in earth-like seasonal variations, except that with diametrically opposing suns one would be in summer mode (longer days in the northern hemisphere) when the other is in winter mode (longer days in the southern hemisphere). These disparate seasons would, presumably, even each other out and therefore result in no net change in average temperature.

 

If the axis is oblique, the two suns would be unmistakably unique, so I guess your initial description of it seeming to the residents as though they might be the same implies that there is no axial tilt, and the above would not apply.

If there is axial tilt, and it precesses, I can imagine some fascinating cultural elements, such as mythology of the two dieties exchanging places in the sky...

 

Having mentioned that, it also occurs to me that it could be particularly interesting to describe philosophy/religion on a world that is, in fact, the center of everything. The suns orbit us; we are immobile, therefore we are the fulcrum of the universe! (Not having read your work yet, I don't know if you already incorporate any or all of these things. I suspect you have thought of yet cooler things to include.)

 

I lost you in that second paragraph when you said "axis will still precess" Could you dumb that down for little high-school astronomer me? Yes, they believe that First Sun is heaven, and that Second Sun is hell, as evidenced by this cool little rhyme my friends and I came up with: "First Sun brings day and chases evil away, but demons run when rises the Second Sun."

[ccstat]

I lost you in that second paragraph when you said "axis will still precess" Could you dumb that down for little high-school astronomer me?

No dumbing-down necessary, but I will add some diagrams so that my words make more sense. Not being an astronomer myself, I know these things can be hard to visualize sometimes. (As a side note, there actually are some real astronomers/astrophysicists here on 17S including Peter. So if one of them decides to weigh in, you may get a more exact explanation.)

 

Seen from the side, your system looks something like this (obviously not to scale). There are two possibilities here. Either the planet's axis is perpendicular to the orbital plane [A], or it is tilted some .

 

If the axis is perpendicular, then as the planet rotates the suns will pass right over the equator all the time. If you are on the surface of the planet and look up at the sky, the paths  of the two suns could be traced to follow the two arrows in this diagram. From what you've said so far, this is probably the way your system is set up. If so, no need to complicate things further.

 

If the axis is in fact tilted, and we look down on the system, "North" can be pointing in any direction relative to the two suns.

Now, that direction could be constant.  For example, in addition to always pointing the same face towards Earth, our moon also always has its "North" pointing the same direction relative to us. That means that even though Earth doesn't pass directly overhead when you stand on the Moon's equator, it does always follow the same path in the sky. So, even if you decide you want some axial tilt to your planet, you could still choose to have the path of the suns remain constant. However, in this scenario sun#1 and sun#2 will not share the same path. Basically you would be picking one configuration out of the possibilities described below.

 

It is very common, if there is axial tilt, for that axis to "precess" relative to the overall system.  That's just the word we use for "rotate" in this case, since lots of things are rotating and it can quickly become confusing if you don't have special words like "orbit" to describe this kind or rotating instead of that kind. If you think of a spinning top that has some wobble to it, the top end of it will move around in a circle, sometimes slowly sometimes quickly. In fact, spinning things almost always precess. In the above example with the moon, it just happens to precess at exactly the same rate that it orbits the earth, so that there is no net change (very similar to the tidal locking that keeps the same face pointed at us). The Earth, as you know, has a tilted axis that precesses relative to the sun, which gives us our seasons. If your planet behaved similarly relative to its two suns, you would get something like this as it moved between the positions noted in the top-down image as 1-4.

Hopefully that helps. :-)

[Gabriele]

But what about the whole gravitation thingmajig? Would that poor planet not get terribly confused about which sun's gravitation field to follow? 

Edited May 28, 2015 by Gabriele

[ccstat]

But what about the whole gravitation thingmajig? Would that poor planet not get terribly confused about which sun's gravitation field to follow?

Short answer is no. The planet is at a location where the two gravitational fields result in zero net acceleration. These are called Legrangian points, and objects in space really do inhabit such points.

In this example the planet is sitting still in the center while the two starts orbit each other. It is extremely unlikely to arise naturally, but apparently something was messing with the system.

[Gabriele]

Well, a universe that has black holes and is bent in the 4th dimension is allowed to have some crazy spots for planets to hang out, or in.

 

Thanks for the clarification. 

[mail-mi]

Thanks so much! In this image, 

 

 

...wouldn't the summer and winter suns just cancel each other out, resulting in just a much colder day and a much warmer day? And is it at all possible to get one sun to always be winter, with the effects of precessing? That would make the Devil's Sun either always freezing, or always warm, which makes for loads of religious significance. Again, thanks so much for this help!

Edited June 1, 2015 by mail-mi

[ccstat]

My Creation Daily find: Here is a very cool video describing different counting systems from cultures around the world. It looks like great material for world building.

 

 

@mail-mi: Yes, you are correct; the summer/winter labels just describe the state of that sun. In practice the two days would basically cancel out the seasonal effect.

The axis can be "frozen" in any position you like if the right rotation speeds are chosen, but it would affect both stars. You can't choose just one to stay the same and let the other vary.

[Lindel]

A recent world concept of mine revolves around a continent on the dark side of tidally locked planet, Aliyrá, where a symbiotic relationship between nature, technology, and magic is an integral part of the ecosystem. The flora and fauna of Aliyrá host specialized implants, which are passed on through nanotechnology on a cellular level. In humans, the implant's primary circuit is built up along the spine, and is visible as a series of flexible metallic links that stretch and reshape themselves as their host grows. The central implants in trees are found as clusters of tubes and pipes embedded in the trunk and roots.

 

These implants are fueled by the lifeforce of their host, and in exchange producing an extra boost of energy to maintain a healthy body temperature despite the intense cold. In plants, the implants also produce energy to substitute the need for sunlight in photosynthesis. 

 

Now, technical details aside, since I honestly have no clue what I'm talking about there, here's what I envision. An ancient, sprawling rain forest, lit only by the bioluminescent glow of the towering trees and draping vines, where technology is as much a part of nature as the plants themselves. All details of the science behind these implants has been lost to history. They run themselves, as they have for hundreds of years. A layer of frost covers the ground, sparkling in the soft, unearthly light. Your breath mists in front of you, and the occasional puff of snowflakes filters through canopy, but you don't feel cold. Warmth spreads from the hinged plates of metal embedded in your skin, reaching all the way to the tips of your fingers. 

 

There's also a magic system to go with this, but that's a whole other story. If the concept seems kinda odd, that's fine. I just need to work out a way to explain it in writing so it sounds as cool as it looks in my head. 

Edited June 6, 2015 by Lindel

[Gabriele]

Anyone going to participate in the Nano July Camp?

[+Slowswift]

Anyone going to participate in the Nano July Camp?

 

Maybe...? I don't know. I'll try, certainly, but if past years are any indication nothing will come of it.

[Gabriele]

I'm not doing that well with the camps, either (November is usually better and last year I even won, yay) but I can't resist playing. I blame the German regional forum on the Nano site.

[Seonid]

A recent world concept of mine revolves around a continent on the dark side of tidally locked planet, Aliyrá, where a symbiotic relationship between nature, technology, and magic is an integral part of the ecosystem. The flora and fauna of Aliyrá host specialized implants, which are passed on through nanotechnology on a cellular level. In humans, the implant's primary circuit is built up along the spine, and is visible as a series of flexible metallic links that stretch and reshape themselves as their host grows. The central implants in trees are found as clusters of tubes and pipes embedded in the trunk and roots.

 

These implants are fueled by the lifeforce of their host, and in exchange producing an extra boost of energy to maintain a healthy body temperature despite the intense cold. In plants, the implants also produce energy to substitute the need for sunlight in photosynthesis. 

 

Now, technical details aside, since I honestly have no clue what I'm talking about there, here's what I envision. A ancient, sprawling rain forest, lit only by the bioluminescent glow of the towering trees and draping vines, where technology is as much a part of nature as the plants themselves. All details of the science behind these implants has been lost to history. They run themselves, as they have for hundreds of years. A layer of frost covers the ground, sparkling in the soft, unearthly light. Your breath mists in front of you, and the occasional puff of snowflakes filters through canopy, but you don't feel cold. Warmth spreads from the hinged plates of metal embedded in your skin, reaching all the way to the tips of your fingers. 

 

There's also a magic system to go with this, but that's a whole other story. If the concept seems kinda odd, that's fine. I just need to work out a way to explain it in writing so it sounds as cool as it looks in my head. 

 

That just sounds awesome!!!

[Lindel]

Thanks, glad you like it!

[DanTheSeamonster]

So I need some help. 

 

I like to make it a habit of using relatively unknown/unused fantasy races in my stories. I will usually take the base fairytale creatures, than kind of "rewrite" them and make them unique and my own. I've used variations of Trolls and Bugbears in two of my novels, and plan to use Ghouls and Werebears in others. Also trying to decide if I should use some kind of Harpy or Siren. But anyhow, I've run out of such races. Any suggestions, whether races or cool variations of races? 

Edited June 7, 2015 by The Crooked Warden

[Kobold King]

So I need some help. 

 

I like to make it a habit of using relatively unknown/unused fantasy races in my stories. I will usually take the base fairytale creatures, than kind of "rewrite" them and make them unique and my own. I've used variations of Trolls and Bugbears in two of my novels, and plan to use Ghouls in another. But anyhow, I've run out of such races. Any suggestions, whether races or cool variations of races? 

The Adlets are a favorite of mine; they're like the Inuit version of satyrs, but with the legs of dogs instead of goats. The Bunyip of Australian Aboriginal mythology is also a fantastic mythical being to play with, as is the Mapinguari of South American legend.

 

The Wikipedia category for mythical creatures is a godsend for this kind of research. Have fun, and be sure to tell us about what you create.

[Lindel]

This artwork of Trolls from MTG's Mirrodin block has really intrigued me lately. I'm now picturing a race of solitary, enigmatic sages whose extensive knowledge of magic is a central part of their culture and their way of life. 

 

I've actually found Magic: the Gathering art in general to be an excellent source of inspiration when I'm creating races. I used the Djinn from Khans of Tarkir as inspiration for one of my more recent races, the Efreets. My Efreets came out looking very different, but that artwork was what got me started. 

[Quiver]

So I need some help. 

 

I like to make it a habit of using relatively unknown/unused fantasy races in my stories. I will usually take the base fairytale creatures, than kind of "rewrite" them and make them unique and my own. I've used variations of Trolls and Bugbears in two of my novels, and plan to use Ghouls and Werebears in others. Also trying to decide if I should use some kind of Harpy or Siren. But anyhow, I've run out of such races. Any suggestions, whether races or cool variations of races? 

 

I'd recommend checking out this website. As well as having interesting articles and reviews, they talk about different cultures and mythology sometimes, so maybe something there might give you some ideas? 

 

Anyway... an idea I've kind of been toying with for a few days, mostly because I kind of like the visual... I kind of had an idea for a world where... cities and societies are built on top of (or inside) the bones of larger animals. 

 

Specifically, the idea i had in mind was that human cities are built on the bones of what we would recognize as the Elder Gods, with each god being large enough to constitute it's own city-states; so there's one society that's built around the remains of Cthullu, one around the fossilised remains of Shub-Niggurath and it's thousand young, and so on.

 

I haven't quite figured out what to do with it, exactly; I might adapt the idea and use it with the Printing Magic system I invented waaaaay back when... but I imagine that building your home on top of an Elder God burial site would not be productive to sane living.

[Tyson]

So I need some help. 

 

I like to make it a habit of using relatively unknown/unused fantasy races in my stories. I will usually take the base fairytale creatures, than kind of "rewrite" them and make them unique and my own. I've used variations of Trolls and Bugbears in two of my novels, and plan to use Ghouls and Werebears in others. Also trying to decide if I should use some kind of Harpy or Siren. But anyhow, I've run out of such races. Any suggestions, whether races or cool variations of races? 

 

I once started writing an epic fantasy where the world was split by an immense desert sea. A nomadic race travelled between oasis' riding inside enourmas tortoises, carving doors and windows inside the shells and using the beasts like living caravans to shelter from the unbearable sun.  

 

I just thought it would be a cool way to live. Tortoises live and grow forver, so imagine a young tortoise with a shell the size of a minivan ranging to an ancient one with a shell the size of a large house.

 

In war they would be used like tanks. Just wading through a battle lines carrying warriors like a trojan horse. 

 

__

 

Another idea I had was to write a vampire story with a twist. Vampire aren't parasites, rather symbiotes. They were created as a method of humans living forever. Humans age (born young get old), vampires rejuvinate (created old, grow young). They feed on the invested time of humans body, reversing the affects of aging for the benefit of both symbiote and host.  Memory of their purpose faded as human society grows. As kingdoms rise and fall, ages pass and Vampires become misunderstood and feared. Men now hunt them. As the vampire population dwindles, humans age and die. If Vampires are hunted to extinction, eternal youth is lost forever. 

 

I think the race needs a better name than vampire though.