Trutharchivist

Yes. Mainly because in different ecosystems there will be different animals, though the sapient mind won't change all that much. This magic is at least partly about perception. Though I don't know much about ecosystems, so most of what I wrote here is throwing ideas and ignoring ecological logic.

So, here's another update! First, I want to say that I actually wanted to keep it at seven kinds of animals, maybe up to ten. It's not to say I meant that the world will have only seven kinds of animals in the Faunologos, but to focus on seven species. The Faunologos actually is supposed to include otherworldly non-sapient creatures, and to be really vast. Still, I want to chose a smaller amount of creatures. What I mean is, even though I probably will only build the world around the animals I stated below, you are free to keep offering. One more thing before I actually list what I thought of: I actually never meant to enter any invertebrate or sea creatures. @Ixthos has an interesting idea about bees and so I took it, but I prefer not to take an octopus as a Faunologos creature. Sorry, @Somebody from Sel. They can be in another portion of the world, but I intend to stay on land, more or less. It could be another portion of the world, with a completely different set of Faunologi. I liked the idea of the Freedom Center, though, and don't you think cats could have this Center just as well? Maybe not, but I think it might work. And so, to what I thought to take from your ideas! I'll make it a full with abilities post, though I'll try to keep it short. Cats, with the Center Freedom. Hope it works. The abilities Somebody from Sel gave this Center are sound, though I have some things to add: Harvest won't make the patient feel trapped - they will feel fine with boundaries. The Harvest will make the patient a little more obedient. The Planting will be on the scale from feeling uncomfortable with being constrained (a little claustrophobic, maybe?) to wanting to break all boundaries. The Cultivation will be generally about expansion of things - making open spaces bigger. Maybe opening portals by widening existing holes? Fertilization stays as Somebody from Sel stated. Bears, with the Center of Stubbornness. I thought to try pairing some creatures as opposites, like wolves and hyenas, but now I'm not sure if Stubbornness is the opposite of Change or Freedom (I wanted it to be Freedom). Anyway, as I see it, their Harvest will make people... more obedient, apparently. They won't stand for their own much, and will mostly agree with other people. Their Planting... well, it's pretty clear, no need to say anything. Their Cultivation would be hardening things so they don't move, maybe also contraction of spaces, as the opposite of cats. Actually, contraction of spaces could be their way to harden things, contracting spaces on the mulecular level. They may open portals by making a natural portal stabilize and stay open. Their Fertilization is very clear - they will be stubborn, and hardly ever change their mind or their traditions. Snakes, with the Center Deception/Secretivity. Their Harvest will make people less close, and more open to share secrets. Their Planting will range from small desire not to share things to Scadrial levels of secretivity - "There'sss allwaysss anottther ssssecret." (Sorry, had to. Sounds nice, don't you think?) Their Cultivation will be... I'm not sure if illusion should work, because it's about light. I don't believe the other powers messed around with natural forces not directly connected to their Center. Anyway, it's probably the best idea. I think the method of opening a portal will stay the same as Ixthos wrote, though it might seem a little out of the pattern. I think it still might work, anyway. Fertilization follows as usual, no need for further explanation. And, last but not necessarily least, bees. There is, of course, the problem that I prefer not to enter insects to the system, but the bees demand I cooperate with them, and I guess I must obey. The Harvest of the bees will make people prefer acting alone and being alone, while their Planting can range from a simple desire to be with someone else up to wanting to work inside and with a crowd. Their Cultivation will probably be something very much like Sympathy from the Kingkiller Chronicles - which is to say, making objects connected to each other so they'll move together. Opening portal will be along the lines of Ixthos, making the universes cooperate. Fertilization is, again, unnecessary to explain, I think. They love working together and cooperation. Intuition was my idea for a Center, and so I probably should be able to come out with powers. Monkeys sound good to it, only I'm starting to feel that we have too many mammals here; we have only one reptile, one bird and one insect, and I just removed the only cephalopod. The result is that more than half of the Faunologos are mammals, while other classes have only one example each. I guess I can also give up on cats for now to make it even, though I probably won't go for cephalopods but for sparrows, who's Hebrew name actually also means freedom. So, lets first make the powers of the Intuition Center, then decide. So, Harvesting, in this case, will make the patient thought process a little less jumping to quick conclusions and a little more thoughtful. It will make them want me to explain at more length what Harvesting Intuition means and what is it's Planting, because it's harder to them to make the jump from one to the other. Of course, as I'll have to explain them, the planting will only make this easier, and will range from vague intuition about something to a specific, strong intuition and quick thought process, though it won't necessarily make the patient smarter. The Cultivation of the Faunologi with this Center will be a little like the owls, only with sharper changes. Things like a very strong gust of wind that will change drastically the object's direction, and such things. The portals also work similarly to the owls, only with a lot less need in a close Collision. Fertilization will make them able to understand intuitively what their Fertilization will be, though even if your intuition isn't enough for it you can logically deduce it by yourself. I might need one other animal, but I'll need to think more about it. Anyway I probably have an idea for both Center and animal, I only need to think of it a little more. Thank you for reading, and sorry for writing at length after saying this will be short. Edit: I just saw it's the 12th post, so hooray! Because the duodecimal system is far better than the boring decimal one. Twelve points to whoever points out the hypocrisy in this message.

Well, I still haven't decided on a method and meaning for shardbuddies, but I believe @Condensation likes having new shardbuddies if you want to (hope I'm not wrong about it).

Gal looks up immediately, then groans. Apparently, he's not only messed up in a prophecy, but with politics too. Bother. He could never decide which was worse.

Gal looks up, and seems merely a little annoyed. "If you wish so." He then completely ignores the riders, and returns to reading his notebook.

So you basically don't have any shardbuddies and don't follow anyone? You could answer o 4 that you have no idea how to chose both shardbuddies and people to follow. Technically, that's a relation.

Gal keeps talking, ignoring the approaching riders: "Yes, I'm sorry for the unclarity. So, will you share your talent? Or is it too personal?" @Condensation

I actually wondered about whether the fire ability and the flight ability could be part of the same magic system, but thanks. Discworld is an interesting series, though it's more of a comic fantasy. It's basically a satire on our world, sometimes on the fantasy genre.

How exactly this magic system work? Can't it also make them able to fly? (Have you read Discworld? there are some weird dragon stuff in the Night Guard mini-series in it.)

"I mean, can you tell the different between a magically talented cook and a very good cook who's not magically talented? Is the magic noticeable?"

"The real question is whether there can be a hetero-chromatic without a Grace." Gal nodded slowly. "Every legend has a seed of truth, or at least most. This isn't my area anyway, and so, I have one other question: are your talents visibly different from natural or acquired talents?"

"So, you are an ethnic group of humans, very far removed from normal humans?" Gal actually seems to be curious - well, more than usual, which is to say, more than you've seen up until now. "And the split is so ancient you only remember it by legends. Interesting." He frowns at Minuet's statement. "Is heterochromia a reason to the Grace, or just a sign that the person is Graced?" He asks her.

"As far as I know, Graces aren't hereditary." Said Gal, looking at the notebook. He then looked up. "So, you are an ethnic group, a matriarchal one, perhaps? You said you share origins, I believe you meant with all tribes of Draoidhs. What do you know of this ancestry?" Gal turned to Minuet. "By the way, is Grace something hereditary? Do you have Graced relatives?"

Gal flips some pages in his notebook and starts scribbling. "Too bad about the faërie. You were one of the possible confirmation lines. So, does every person in your clan have a talent like this? When intermarrying with other ethnic groups, does the magic stays intact in the descendants?" He stopped for a moment, then, glancing at Minuet (@Ookla the Grammatical), asked: "Do you think your magic might be related to Graces?"

Well, not in my country, though I probably will be up all of the American night. If I knew I would. Maybe there is no difference. TPBM thinks that staying up all night at the winter solstice is a cool idea, though tiring.

Gal was about to start questioning Chrys of the Draoidh when the Shadow spoke. He turned to the Shadow, huffing in annoyance. "Yes, I have some experience with prophecies, though probably not in the way you think. Part of my training as a researcher included learning a lot of prophecies by heart, and believe me, if you would've had to memorize this amount of prophecies you'd hate them as much as I do. I also learned a little about the mechanics of prophecy-giving, and if you wish I could lecture you in that, but right now, I'm trying to talk to this Draoidh here, so please don't interfere." Gal turned back to this Chrys: "So, does your tribe have inherent magical abilities? Do you count yourselves as an ethnic group or as a different species, as some people think you are? Do you have any connection to the legendary faërie folk?"

"It's about a prophecy. I've heard the warning too, as it was part of the prophecy. I think Valzwyn was a first-hand witness, and so has little choice over whether to join or not. I advice you to just get away - though I made that mistake, you really shouldn't get tangled up with prophecies. They can be messy." Gal hesitated for a second. "Since I don't believe it probable that I'll meet your people at any other opportunity, can I ask you a few questions?"

Gal pointed in the direction the boy went. "Greetings." answers Gal. "Draoidh, you said? Fascinating. I have heard a lot about your people, though I never met one." He considers this for a moment. Races of sapient beings weren't his area of expertise, though some had inherent magic, and this people probably had. "I am Owlson, a magic researcher. I would like to talk to you later. How could I contact you? I am a little busy at the moment, so I'd like to make an appointment in the future."

I wish we had snow here, but sadly, we don't. I do sort of want to build a snowman. TPBM understands the difference between a shardbuddy and a friend on the Shard.

I understand what your saying, but "in Rome, act like a Roman", as they say, so I have no problem using the term shardbuddy. So, for you, following and friendship have a direct correlation. I'd hazard a guess that you don't chose friends based on agreement or appreciation, since you said nothing about whether upvotes enter said correlation. Am I right? So for you, "shardbuddy" is merely a term, as used in: "Do you want to be my shardbuddy?", and so it's not connected to upvotes and the people you follow. Following and upvotes have the same root, enjoyment (and appreciation?), and so are related. So, another general question: 5. What are the implications of someone being your shardbuddy?

"I saw one of our company running to the woods when that bear came, it might be him."

@Ookla the Empyreal

When the knights arrived, Gal listened and gathered that Minuet was wanted. He then recalled something he heard about Gracelings: that in some countries they have to work for the king or his family. Hearing that her uncle was searching for her, though, made him frown. So... it means she's probably royalty, or at least related to royalty, isn't it? He wasn't sure he wanted to be entangled with politics. He probably should've remembered this specific detail earlier, though. Anyway, he was probably stuck with a prophecy, which definitely was worse than politics. Then that giant bear came, and seeing its eyes, Gal stumbled back. Glowing eyes are usually a sign to non-physical entity manifesting through a physical being. which, technically, you are, reminded him a part of himself. He was a little uncomfortable with that. His eyes didn't glow, but that was due to... some reasons. The color, anyway, was important. Orange? He probably should remember that. He couldn't recall at the moment what kind of non-physical entity it meant, but he should check later. After the bear was defeated, something clicked in his mind, and his head turned to Orpheus. Asking about demons, which are an unproved non-physical entity. The first to notice the bear was coming. Reacting weird to wounds made by it - though confirmation through comparison is needed. Anyway, Gal noted to ask Orpheus later about non-physical entities. @Ookla the Grammatical, @Knight of Iron