Creation Daily

[Quiver he/him]

I need a name for a country.

 

The religion is based on the skies, and rainbows are considered to be messages/gifts from heaven, so colors feature very prominently. If your name isn't a color, it's considered heretical. So the country would have to be in some way a color name, but it couldn't just be one color, because each color has its own attributes and stuff.

 

Anyone have any ideas? I'm terrible with names.

Spectra? Prisma?

[Mistrunner]

Spectra? Prisma?

Oooh thank you.

[Coinshooter he/him]

Color me intrigued. Any idea on what themes or concepts this setting would explore, or have you not figured that out yet?

Those are some good questions. I kinda imagine this world akin to the Final Empire, in that the good guys don't have much going for them, since the big bad has already taken over. So, it would be a fantasy setting - though I would also enjoy having plenty of science fiction elements to include. If anyone wants to help build up the idea (which is kinda the point), I'd be more than happy to take suggestions.

[A Joe in the Bush]

The following is a treatise on the magic of my World.

 

"The only limits to Magic are those of Fuel, Imagination and a willingness to destroy oneself. If you have all of those things, you can use magic to change the world around you, by altering physical structure, changing emotions, writing thoughts in others or something never before seen.

 

The first limit is that of fuel.

Everything you do with magic requires converting a bit of yourself that resonates with your action.

 

Physical Fuel: If you wish to transform a stone from iron to gold, you will need to burn convert part of your physical body. 

 

Mental Fuel: Changing how others or you perceive the world. Inserting or removing thoughts, blocking memories, quieting Impulse control, all require converting part of your own mind.

 

Spiritual Fuel: Changing who someone is. Changing how they feel, who they love, what they are willing to do, requires Spiritual fuel.

 

The Second Limit is that of Imagination:

Anything, theoretically is possible, as long as it can first be thought of. Magic is not instinctive, you must know what needs to happen in order to make it happen. If you wish to solidify a cloud that you might walk on it, you must first know what prevents you from doing it in the first place. then you must change those properties.

 

The final Limit, is the willingness to destroy yourself.

All magic takes fuel. Your body, your mind, or your soul. what happens to someone who removes too much? They lose themself. Go far enough, and you'll never return.

 

People who convert their whole body in order to make some monumental change, can never change the physical world again, with or without magic. They are forever cut off, they cannot hear or see us. they cannot feel us. Only with mental magic can they sense us. These shades of foolish people forever try to regain their lost bodies by stealing the bodies of others through Mental and Spiritual warfare.

 

The more of your mind you convert, the slower you get. your thoughts stagnate, your memories get fuzzy, your reasoning flees. Those people who convert their entire minds become little more than vegetables, surviving if taken care of, but never returning to who they once were.

 

The darkest art is spiritual magic. The spirit governs connections with others. The more of your spirit you convert, the less empathetic you feel. You lose all sight of morals and ethics. Your conscience departs, and is replaced with cold logic. you will never feel love again, only lust. Never feel hatred again, only disappointment. You will never care about anything, other than that which logically will let you survive. People who convert their entire soul become Psychopaths, uncaring and unfeeling. willing to go to any lengths to survive forever, knowing that without a soul, they will not survive death.

 

There's a reason Magic is available to all, but rarely used. What change is worth the possibility of losing everything?"

Edited July 31, 2015 by The Only Joe

[Curious Anamaximder he/him]

That is completely awesome, Joe. How do the destroyed shades make mental or spirtual warfare if they have nothing left?

[ccstat he/him]

Joe, wouldn't all of the disembodied shades be able to easily take over the bodies of those who had sacrificed their minds? And then it wouldn't even be their own body, so they would be more likely to do another giant physical spell and repeat. Sounds to me like the mental mages sacrifice a lot more than the others, and you have some ever-living physical mages who keep getting more powerful and proficient.

I've tried writing a magic system that has basically your same spiritual cost (though very different powers) and I had trouble making it work well. I'd be interested in seeing how you do it. (I think my problem was that I wasn't letting it cost enough, since I wanted the character to be unaware of what was happening until quite a ways in.)

Edited July 31, 2015 by ccstat

[Kobold King he/him]

The following is a treatise on the magic of my World.

 

"The only limits to Magic are those of Fuel, Imagination and a willingness to destroy oneself. If you have all of those things, you can use magic to change the world around you, by altering physical structure, changing emotions, writing thoughts in others or something never before seen.

 

The first limit is that of fuel.

Everything you do with magic requires converting a bit of yourself that resonates with your action.

 

Physical Fuel: If you wish to transform a stone from iron to gold, you will need to burn convert part of your physical body. 

 

Mental Fuel: Changing how others or you perceive the world. Inserting or removing thoughts, blocking memories, quieting Impulse control, all require converting part of your own mind.

 

Spiritual Fuel: Changing who someone is. Changing how they feel, who they love, what they are willing to do, requires Spiritual fuel.

 

The Second Limit is that of Imagination:

Anything, theoretically is possible, as long as it can first be thought of. Magic is not instinctive, you must know what needs to happen in order to make it happen. If you wish to solidify a cloud that you might walk on it, you must first know what prevents you from doing it in the first place. then you must change those properties.

 

The final Limit, is the willingness to destroy yourself.

All magic takes fuel. Your body, your mind, or your soul. what happens to someone who removes too much? They lose themself. Go far enough, and you'll never return.

 

People who convert their whole body in order to make some monumental change, can never change the physical world again, with or without magic. They are forever cut off, they cannot hear or see us. they cannot feel us. Only with mental magic can they sense us. These shades of foolish people forever try to regain their lost bodies by stealing the bodies of others through Mental and Spiritual warfare.

 

The more of your mind you convert, the slower you get. your thoughts stagnate, your memories get fuzzy, your reasoning flees. Those people who convert their entire minds become little more than vegetables, surviving if taken care of, but never returning to who they once were.

 

The darkest art is spiritual magic. The spirit governs connections with others. The more of your spirit you convert, the less empathetic you feel. You lose all sight of morals and ethics. Your conscience departs, and is replaced with cold logic. you will never feel love again, only lust. Never feel hatred again, only disappointment. You will never care about anything, other than that which logically will let you survive. People who convert their entire soul become Psychopaths, uncaring and unfeeling. willing to go to any lengths to survive forever, knowing that without a soul, they will not survive death.

 

There's a reason Magic is available to all, but rarely used. What change is worth the possibility of losing everything?"

 

 

This magic system is awesome.

 

Two questions:

 

1) Is it possible to use others to fuel one's magic, causing them to pay the cost of physical, mental, or spiritual magic while remaining whole oneself?

 

2) Does scientific knowledge make magic easier to perform? For instance, would a deep understanding of how clouds and the water cycle work make it easier to manipulate the weather?

[A Joe in the Bush]

That is completely awesome, Joe. How do the destroyed shades make mental or spirtual warfare if they have nothing left?

Shades, those Magi who have lost their bodies, still have Spiritual and Mental fuel. They can convert that to attempt to destroy or siphon other's Mental/Spiritual fuel, leaving just an empty body. The only reason a shade doesn't take control of a corpse is they can't sense corpses, there's no spirit or mind in them for them to sense.

 

Joe, wouldn't all of the disembodied shades be able to easily take over the bodies of those who had sacrificed their minds? And then it wouldn't even be their own body, so they would be more likely to do another giant physical spell and repeat. Sounds to me like the mental mages sacrifice a lot more than the others, and you have some ever-living physical mages who keep getting more powerful and proficient.

Mental mages do sacrifice the most. But most magi are smart enough to not do too much with their magic, and give it time to regenerate. 

As for taking over the Vegetables, yes, that is very possible. They still have to destroy the vegetables soul first though. There are several Body Hopping Shades who have grown quite powerful over the years.

 

1) Is it possible to use others to fuel one's magic, causing them to pay the cost of physical, mental, or spiritual magic while remaining whole oneself?

 

2) Does scientific knowledge make magic easier to perform? For instance, would a deep understanding of how clouds and the water cycle work make it easier to manipulate the weather?

1) Kind of. It's possible to siphon away other's fuel, it's part of Magical Warfare, but doing so converts your own fuel at an equal cost. Basically you're expending someone else to do nothing, for no gain other than killing them. And there's no way to do it quickly. They will have time to retaliate.\

 

An easier way is to use Spiritual magic to increase someone's devotion to you, than have them simply convert their own fuel into yours, giving you bonus fuel at the cost of their own. (That's how the Gods of this world were created. Cult leaders, all of them)

 

2) Yes. Knowledge is Power. (Literally) Not only does knowing more things give you more Mental fuel, it allows you to be more efficient with that Fuel. Mages and Scientists are often one and the same thing. Having the vague idea of what causes rain allows you to make it rain, but at high cost. But if you know exactly what is needed, you can start with the simplest needed action.

 

 

Regeneration:

I mentioned Regeneration earlier. Fuel does Regenerate, as long as you haven't used too much. Working out, sleeping, or eating are all good ways to regenerate your physical fuel. Mental puzzles, such as crosswords or SuDoKu, help your mind to regenerate. And the easiest way to regenerate your soul is simply to be Human. Laugh. Take pleasure in something. Make others happy and your soul will grow.

 

There are, as always, limits. If you use more than about half of your fuel, you'll lose the ability to regenerate. 

 

Combination Fuel loss:

Some people end up losing two sources of Fuel. The only ones that really matter are those who lose their Mind and Soul. Those who are still alive, but have no sense of self, no control, no intelligence, and no sympathy. They are slaves to all of their basest instincts. Ravagers. They do whatever comes to mind, whether that's eating food they find, falling asleep as soon as they're tired, or indulging their lust. These kind of people are hunted down and destroyed as soon as possible, either by humans or by Shades looking for new hosts. Some governments keep kennels of bound ravagers to release in enemy countries during warfare. Others keeps some in case of total body loss.

[Kobold King he/him]

Awesome stuff, Joe.

 

 

 

So, today I hatched an idea for a quasi-religious movement in my fictional galaxy. A sort of cult started by an extremely advanced race, centered around the transfer from organic to mechanical bodies and the customization of the mind. They encourage beings of flesh to upload their consciousnesses to machines, where they can edit their own minds however they see fit.

 

I worried about making them too similar to Doctor Who's Cybermen, but I think as long as I stressed the choice that they're giving others, they'd come across as different.

 

As an example, here's a random advertisement I wrote for them on a whim.

[A Joe in the Bush]

I love the Cold Kobold. And their offer doesn't creep me out at all. I'd accept in a heartbeat.

 

As for my magic system, I need some help.I found a rather large Inconsistency. People who lose their minds become like Vegetables, but people who lose their Minds and their souls become Zombies? I need a plausible reason for that to work. Can anyone think of one?

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

I love the Cold Kobold. And their offer doesn't creep me out at all. I'd accept in a heartbeat.

 

As for my magic system, I need some help.I found a rather large Inconsistency. People who lose their minds become like Vegetables, but people who lose their Minds and their souls become Zombies? I need a plausible reason for that to work. Can anyone think of one?

 

Maybe not everyone becomes a zombie? Perhaps people who just lose minds and souls become easier for unscrupulous necromancers to animate, and thus become fodder for zombification? 

[A Joe in the Bush]

This is the magic system I used to make my Lightwards Reanimation Headcannon that is now Ascended Fannon. I suppose that Works. Thanks Twi!

 

Also, can I get a link to your Pug Project?

[Kobold King he/him]

I love the Cold Kobold. And their offer doesn't creep me out at all. I'd accept in a heartbeat.

 

As for my magic system, I need some help.I found a rather large Inconsistency. People who lose their minds become like Vegetables, but people who lose their Minds and their souls become Zombies? I need a plausible reason for that to work. Can anyone think of one?

 

Thanks! ...Personally I find the concept behind the Cold extremely creepy and I'd be too suspicious of them to accept their offer, but hey. I was hoping for them to occupy a moral shade of grey, and if they have one supporter already I guess I'm on the right track.

 

 

Maybe soulless bodies are vulnerable to possession from incorporeal spirits? Some spirits might be mindless themselves, and cause the bodies to shamble about as zombies. Other spirits might possess more intelligence and malevolence, becoming vampires, barrow draugs, or other forms of undead.

[Lindel he/him]

Those are some good questions. I kinda imagine this world akin to the Final Empire, in that the good guys don't have much going for them, since the big bad has already taken over. So, it would be a fantasy setting - though I would also enjoy having plenty of science fiction elements to include. If anyone wants to help build up the idea (which is kinda the point), I'd be more than happy to take suggestions.

 

I've had an idea kicking around based on the theory that our entire reality is actually a massive simulation. Not "brains in a jar" style simulation, but that everything in our world, including our minds, are actually simulated by a complex supercomputer in some ancestor universe. 

 

In such a universe, the magic system would essentially be hacking the Simulated reality in which you're living; finding loopholes in the code of your own universe. 

 

That's what I thought of when you mentioned the idea of a shared universe where everything is canon. There could potentially be an infinite number of Simulations, each with its own unique variations. 

 

Also has great potential for the "omnipotent overlord who controls reality itself" theme.  

 

EDIT: Another reason I thought of this was your use of the term "Open-Source". 

Edited August 5, 2015 by Lindel

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Science-y people, I need a bit of help. I have a world in which the magic system relies on the sun. Certain people can access the power by drinking or bathing in certain types of water that are left out in the sun, called Sunwater. Certain nationalities or races can absorb the sunlight directly to use it as magic, but with physical drawbacks. Is there a plausible reason as to why people in certain parts of the world developed the ability to absorb the sunlight directly and some have to use the water?

[Kobold King he/him]

Science-y people, I need a bit of help. I have a world in which the magic system relies on the sun. Certain people can access the power by drinking or bathing in certain types of water that are left out in the sun, called Sunwater. Certain nationalities or races can absorb the sunlight directly to use it as magic, but with physical drawbacks. Is there a plausible reason as to why people in certain parts of the world developed the ability to absorb the sunlight directly and some have to use the water?

 

 

Well... I'm not a science-y person myself, but I bet a dose of evolution could explain it. Some races on this world might have developed specialized proteins capable of absorbing the magical radiation. These people would thus be able to utilize the energy directly, while other groups would have to rely on indirect means.

 

Sunwater... Sunwater's more complicated to talk about, since I'm not sure what physical property of the light is stored in the water. However, if you want to explain the two groups solely through the presence or lack of a special protein, I think that would work just fine. You could even include that same protein in the hides of animals or the leaves of plants, allowing even more avenues for magical specialization.

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Well... I'm not a science-y person myself, but I bet a dose of evolution could explain it. Some races on this world might have developed specialized proteins capable of absorbing the magical radiation. These people would thus be able to utilize the energy directly, while other groups would have to rely on indirect means.

 

Sunwater... Sunwater's more complicated to talk about, since I'm not sure what physical property of the light is stored in the water. However, if you want to explain the two groups solely through the presence or lack of a special protein, I think that would work just fine. You could even include that same protein in the hides of animals or the leaves of plants, allowing even more avenues for magical specialization.

I realized as I typed that that I have no idea how Sunwater works.    Only certain people can access the magic from the Sunwater, so would it work if there was a protein in both the Sunwater-user and the Sunwater itself that when the two proteins reacted, the magic could work? 

[ccstat he/him]

Maybe it has to come through water regardless, but some people sweat a lot so the sun is automatically filtered through water for them?

I'll have to think about some other options. What sort of powers do they access this way?

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Maybe it has to come through water regardless, but some people sweat a lot so the sun is automatically filtered through water for them?

I'll have to think about some other options. What sort of powers do they access this way?

Here  is much more information regarding the story. There are 3 powers. The set is: 1. Physical strength and speed 2. Mental speed and strength 3. Internal(Intestinal and immune system, essentially) strength. I think this is the direction I'm going for now. Those who don't require the Sunwater to gain powers have one of the following drawbacks: 1. Physical magic-age quicker than normal 2. Mental magic-fatigues easily 3. Internal Magic-requires a lot of sustenance. 

 

None of these are necessarily set in stone, but are the basic outline I'm working with.

[Kobold King he/him]

I realized as I typed that that I have no idea how Sunwater works.    Only certain people can access the magic from the Sunwater, so would it work if there was a protein in both the Sunwater-user and the Sunwater itself that when the two proteins reacted, the magic could work? 

 

I like ccstat's suggestion of making it about sweat. Though you shouldn't discount microorganisms; I could imagine a population of magical bacteria or protists could also have something to do with making Sunwater special.

[Mailliw73 he/him]

I like ccstat's suggestion of making it about sweat. Though you shouldn't discount microorganisms; I could imagine a population of magical bacteria or protists could also have something to do with making Sunwater special.

Sweat could definitely be interesting. And it would fit with the jungle or desert terrain I was considering for that nation. Maybe living organisms have a protein(maybe the wrong word?) that comes out of people's sweat and when the sunlight mixes with it, it reacts to give them magic. Since some of the nations aren't hot enough to sweat constantly, they'd have to leave the water in the sun where small organisms mix in and that gives it the reaction. Does that even make sense?

 

The problem is trying to explain this in a narrative that isn't about the science at all while still making sure it makes sense to the reader.

[Seonid he/him]

Well, I'm just the neighborhood wormhole physicist, not a biochemist, but I'll see if I have anything useful to add.

Before we can figure out a reason that some people can just absorb it without needing the water, we first must know what makes the water so special.

First question: you say "certain types of water that have been left in the sun." So, is it water from a certain place? Or maybe water with a certain mineral balance (which is not exclusive with water from a certain place)? Or, to blatantly steal from Kobold's post above, is it a microorganism that lives in the water? Or maybe three, since there are three magical effects. This also has the possibility of water that grants one power, and not the others, or just two of the three, or whatever.

If it were a microorganism, you could have some sort of genetic adaptation that allows people who drink the water or bathe in it to enhance themselves temporarily. It could be that the body's natural immune system normally kills off this microorganism, so most people with the genetic adaptation must re-imbibe it periodically.

For a few people with this adaptation, however, the microorganism is capable of surviving in their body. Since it draws power from the sun in the water, it would make sense that it draws power from the sun in the body, too. These people might have compromised immune systems, or systems that just can't recognize the microorganism (or organisms). This stops them from defending against it. No need for special water, but they are infected by a foreign organism, possibly hostile. Aging more quickly can be accomplished by damaging the telomeres in the cells (bits in the DNA, from the little I understand). Fatigue is a common side effect of infection, so no need for super special magical intervention there. I even think that there are some illnesses with the side effect of eating large amounts. Just food for thought.

Edited August 8, 2015 by Seonid

[Mailliw73 he/him]

First question: you say "certain types of water that have been left in the sun." So, is it water from a certain place? Or maybe water with a certain mineral balance

(which is not exclusive with water from a certain place)? Or, to blatantly steal from Kobold's post above, is it a microorganism that lives in the water? Or maybe three, since there are three magical effects. This also has the possibility of water that grants one power, and not the others, or just two of the three, or whatever.

If it were a microorganism, you could have some sort of genetic adaptation that allows people who drink the water or bathe in it to enhance themselves temporarily. It could be that the body's natural immune system normally kills off this microorganism, so most people with the genetic adaptation must re-imbibe it periodically.

For a few people with this adaptation, however, the microorganism is capable of surviving in their body. Since it draws power from the sun in the water, it would make sense that it draws power from the sun in the body, too. These people might have compromised immune systems, or systems that just can't recognize the microorganism (or organisms). This stops them from defending against it. No need for special water, but they are infected by a foreign organism, possibly hostile. Aging more quickly can be accomplished by damaging the telomeres in the cells (bits in the DNA, from the little I understand). Fatigue is a common side effect of infection, so no need for super special magical intervention there. I even think that there are some illnesses with the side effect of eating large amounts. Just food for thought.

First off, thanks to you guys all for your awesome help!

 

The thing is that it's not the type of water that grants the type of power, it's the person that can only access a certain type of power. So three microorganisms don't quite work. It has to be the same type of water and microorganisms that reacts differently to four types of people. To one, large group, it does nothing. To the three others, it grants a certain type of power. The water does have to be used every day for the power to work.

 

So, your post gave me a few ideas, and I like the idea of the microorganisms causing a certain virus sort of thing. How would some people not react at all-a strong immune system?-while others are granted powers? And the physical drawbacks are only a side effect for those who don't need to draw on the water every day.

[Seonid he/him]

First off, thanks to you guys all for your awesome help!

The thing is that it's not the type of water that grants the type of power, it's the person that can only access a certain type of power. So three microorganisms don't quite work. It has to be the same type of water and microorganisms that reacts differently to four types of people. To one, large group, it does nothing. To the three others, it grants a certain type of power. The water does have to be used every day for the power to work.

So, your post gave me a few ideas, and I like the idea of the microorganisms causing a certain virus sort of thing. How would some people not react at all-a strong immune system?-while others are granted powers? And the physical drawbacks are only a side effect for those who don't need to draw on the water every day.

Ok, so any water left out in the sun works? Then any microorganisms would have to populate every water source on the planet (or at least the continent - actually, question: could sea water be used to make Sunwater). Not an impossible thing, though, to be sure.

Glad you liked my ideas, too. To change my thoughts to meet your specifications:

You could have a set of three genetic adaptations, which allow the magic users to access the energy stored by the microorganism in your three different ways. If you make the adaptations exclusive, then nobody could use more than one type of magic.

It might stretch credulity to have the same microorganism be able to be tapped for three different effects, so it might be better to have a whole cocktail of organisms in the water, and have humans adapted to use magic from only three of them. So, one organism port power, but only people with the adaptation can use the power.

Now you've got the water using people, and the non-magic using population.

Now to ask why the water-users need to keep drinking it - their immune system kills it off after a day or so.

This happens to normal people, too, just they can't use the organism for power because they don't have the genes.

Then, if the sun-users have a weak immune system, that could explain why the organism stays in them (so they only need to soak up the sun, instead of continually drinking water), and also why they have side effects (because they are infected with a disease/virus that they can't shake off).

Hope my thoughts are useful for you!

[ccstat he/him]

The problem is trying to explain this in a narrative that isn't about the science at all while still making sure it makes sense to the reader.

Do the characters understand how it all works? If it is just an explanation for your world building but the characters find the magic mysterious, I think it's totally okay to leave it mysterious for the reader, possibly providing a few circumstantial hints.

 

If the mechanics of the magic are well known in-world, but you don't want to focus on the why of it, I think the best approach is bits and pieces along the way (rather than an up-front explanation). Alternatively, if it matters in-world (e.g. they have a medical test where they can screen the population and find out what powers you might get; OR they just installed water sanitation plants, and suddenly a bunch of people's magic doesn't work any more) then an early scene or two experiencing/discussing that would be appropriate.