McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
Power...
Quantus:
Sorry, didn't get back to the thread as fast as I intended.
Some general background on the world/story: the short explanation (which only makes sense to you guys who i know have read dresden), imagine all those thaumaturgical connections harry's always talking about, but in this case they are actually responsible for creation itself; and creation isn't an accident or even a divine plan persay, its a conspiracy. Humans are unique among creation in that they can naturally create these connections, which is teh real meaning of 'created in Gods image'. And its the reason he rested on day #7, because he wanted to sit back and see what we'd do. The cosmology pulls heavily from Zoroastrian mythos, along with various others that are based/influenced by it (such as christianity). So for example the world wasn't always round, that was an idea that was made popular specifically to unify the geography of the lands and to close the access from the Outside by convincing everyone there was no Outside; well, other than the sky/Heavens, which are innately harder to reach (yay Tower of Babel). These connections work similarly to molecular connection in that it takes energy to create, and releases energy when destroyed. Now there is plenty of mystical/supernatural stuff going on but in most cases it still follows the same rules/framework of "accepted reality" at least in a qualitative sense.
For the purposes of this thread Im thinking Power as in "Paths to Power". Think something that could become a villain's world domination scheme. Things like creation, while powerful, are more means to the end, whereas Money would be the end goal itself, as it is a natural lever by which you can affect change. Destruction would normally be like creation in that its a means only, but the threat of destruction can be a powerful lever all on its own, whereas Creation must be more a vector to one of the others if it is to affect any real change.
I could go on and on, but does that make it any clearer?
Paynesgrey:
Resources, as in access to and/or the ability to limit the access of others to resources. It can cover natural resources, industrial capability, information access, etc.
Quantus:
--- Quote from: Paynesgrey on July 22, 2011, 02:49:00 PM ---Resources, as in access to and/or the ability to limit the access of others to resources. It can cover natural resources, industrial capability, information access, etc.
--- End quote ---
Interesting. A less abstracted form of Financial Power (ie Money), but I like the idea of making them separate. "The Spice must Flow" :D
Orbweaver:
I suppose it depends on what sources you want and what genre you're writing in.
A lot of UF contains sources of power like Fate, Death, Time, Chaos, etc. Those forces typically manifest as a specific form of energy, which can then be manipulated by a user with the mental capacity and necessary skill level to apply a wide variety of effects. Gard, for example, has a touch of prescience- and is able to choose, almost to a hundred percent accuracy, which warrior will die on the battlefield. She pulls that power from Fate and Perception.
If we're talking about a strictly non-metaphysical level, the sources you listed are excellent. I would add in certain scientific forces and/or principles, though. Things like propulsion, ecological circumstances, etc.
Quantus:
its part energies, yes, but mostly Im thinking in terms of War Fronts. Creation is a conspiracy, but its not an uncontested one. The "good guys" are the ones trying to build something, and they do it in an organized, Ordered way; while the bad guys (demons torn from the essences of the Ahriman's Dragons) are trying to corrupt and destroy, with the ultimate goal of ending Creation (which they think was never a particularly good idea in the first place). So for example one aspect of the fight will be in the minds and hearts of the general populace (because the shape of creation is basically defined by consensus) which will be centered around Hollywood, etc. (not geographically, but the industries).
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version