Group Brainstorming Session

[JamesW he/him]

So I need some help with brainstorming for the new book I'm starting. I don't want to take numerous breaks to research random devices so I'm gonna throw this out there and see what people have rattling around their brains that they'd like to share.

Basically, I'm writing a fantasy novel but the main city has an economy based largely on valuable devices crafted to precision. Most of these are metal since that's the primary resource available to the city.

So here's the question: What cool devices do you wish you saw in books? What neat gadgets do you think would be cool to see in a book?

I'm looking for suggestions, and I'm hoping to build a pool of these things that I can draw from when I need to set a scene, or have someone using randomly.

Any help is appreciated, even simple devices, like watches, clocks, music boxes, random things that I didn't think of would be helpful!

Thanks again!

[Satsuoni he/him]

Ok, hope you don't mind my interruption then.

Depends on the nature of the world but the devices I would want to see... Let's see.

Bionics/human augmentation. A lot of it. From basic (limbs/etc), to more advanced, up to something that would allow tapping into a magic system directly, if there are people in the world that for some reason can't use magic.

Armor, of course. goes with the first item.

Sensitive measuring technology, that is also made relatively robust. From precise clocks that can stand a beating to sophisticated multipurpose trackers for field use.

What else? Not sure now. Is the world more clockwork or magitek? Or mix thereof?

[JamesW he/him]

I haven't crossed the two systems (Technology/magic) as intricately as I could, mostly because of the nature of my plot and the relative low prevalence of magic users, but I like your ideas.

Most of the magic is used in the creation of these metal works, or it can be used to craft them. Basically you can create gears/pieces that are as precise as you can see, namely if you can see it, using magnification or with the naked eye, you can make it that tiny and detailed.

[Satsuoni he/him]

Thanks!.

I see. (I think)

As usual, when I see a magic system I wonder how far you could push it. (still a bit bummed about lack of mass gholam/ balelance production in WoT)

Does that magic only works on metal? (Can you manipulate cells in such way? Could you do gene modification, at least on the nucleus level, with a microscope?)

What counts as metal? Is silicon one? Do metal oxides work? (For crafting better, high-precision lenses form Al or Si oxides)

I am guessing that no amount of crafting would give these gadgets independent power source, which kinda limits the options...

Hm, precision engineering... Well, analog computers (they will still be fragile, though)

Weapons and armor, as mentioned above, with improved crystalline structure for better durability.

Medicinal implants/sutures of metal, for or during precision surgery.

Can't really think up much else right now...

[JamesW he/him]

Different physical materials can be modified using different colors of light.

Metal (Red), Stone (Orange), Liquid(Yellow), Organics(Green).

Violet modifies the existing light, preventing it from being affected by others who use the magic, or enabling some external trigger to modify the element using the other colors of light (Like triggering a sudden pressure change in the air to push something onto somebody, or metal to shape around someone to form restraints).

Blue modifies gases, but can also function to modify weight of an object. It wouldn't lower the density but think like a small bubble of less dense gas surrounding an object pulling it up (Think helium balloon pulling something up by a string).

Not sure if that helps, but I'm thinking of other cool gadgets and crafts and such that can be made (Repeating hand crossbow, dart shooting things, mechanical calculator, stuff like that)

[Observer]

A small, foldable tray that unfolds to be about a square foot. Mounted on top of it are hundreds of tiny metal balls that rearrange themselves into the geography around you. An interactive map.

[Satsuoni he/him]

Hm, sorry for delay. Yes, the triggering system does help.

I apologize for the correction, but given how buoyancy works you would need more dense gas rather than less dense (it is essentially simple pressure difference between upper and lower parts of an object.) Although I see how your analogy would work.

So, triggered gadgets.

Well, as you said crossbows, guns (chipping off a bit of metal then altering either barrel shape in a high-speed wave or raising gas pressure for propellant.)

Powered armor based on Piezoluminescence (when you bend arm, a crystal emits, say, violet light to trigger the suit reaction).

Traps, of course, including self-resetting ones.

Calculators, pacemakers.

Using other colors - well, fusing armor onto animals Boosting their strength. Medicine.

Airships and jetpacks (blue).

Precision glassworks and color filters (orange).

BTW, which color is used for combinations? Ethanol, for example, is organic liquid that can be gas. So yellow or green?

[JamesW he/him]

And thanks for the suggestions, I like those, and I like your line of thinking on these things. Most of what I've been thinking on are things such as weapons and small contraptions that can be used for self defense or device type combat.

Thanks for the density thing, I knew what I was thinking before I typed it out.

If you're working with combinations then you'll use a mix of light. For example if you're working with molten metal, then you'd need to use red and yellow together. Same with mercury, which is special to say the least.

Edited February 3, 2013 by JamesW

[Satsuoni he/him]

A few more crazy ones: Melding metal and organics+biotech: sewage treatment organism that generates electricity while purifying water (by reducing organics into c02/water+nitrogen, essentially an overgrown custom-crafted bacteria).

Communication devices: Light-based( Line of sight) or short-range radio based, made with precision-crafted crystals, etc. Possibly built into human.

(Looks around)

Where are other people?

[JamesW he/him]

Haha, perhaps group brainstorming session was a bit ambitious of a title, Maybe other people haven't thought of stuff like this or don't wanna share because it's too awesome