Brainstorming: The Magic Comes Back (And So Do The Bad Guys)

[chrisnuttall]

Reposted from spacebattles, at request of a poster there.

While messing around with the ‘Schooled in Magic’ (http://forums.spacebattles.com/threa...-magic.233346/) story, I came up with a concept for another story. I’d like to brainstorm and flesh out the details.

The basic background is that magic, powered by mana, once existed on this Earth. (This is basically the concept behind ‘The Magic Goes Away.’) However, after a particularly nasty set of twelve evil sorcerers attempted to take over the world, a good wizard locked them up in a pocket dimension. Unfortunately, he got his sums a little wrong and the pocket dimension, which was meant to grant its inhabitants a form of immortality as a punishment, became a suction pump for mana. Over the following three hundred years or so, mana faded out of the world.

This was disastrous for society. Mythical beasts that couldn't survive without magic died out or evolved into something lesser. Semi-human creatures adapted to tap mana to some degree (Vampires, Werewolves) slowly became fully human because their altered DNA was no longer receiving the power it needed to work. Sorcerers lost their powers as the mana ran low (killing the ones who used it to stay alive, like the Warlock from TMGA). The magical underpinnings of society faded away (Niven has Atlantis crash into rubble when the spells keeping it above water fall apart.) Eventually, global civilisation collapsed, forming the basis for our half-remembered legends of a time when gods walked the Earth. By the time of the Persian Invasion of Greece, when true history started to develop and be recorded, mana was effectively gone.

Fast-forward to 2020 (or whenever).

The spell holding the evil buggers trapped has finally started to come apart, releasing mana back into the world. Some people discover that their ‘junk DNA’ actually makes them werewolves, vampires...or sorcerers. Worse, the mana flow interferes with advanced technology to some degree; the more advanced it is, the less likely that it will function. As the mana levels get stronger, modern technology will start breaking down. Think ‘Dies the Fire,’ but a slow decline into chaos. Oh, and the twelve guys are STILL out there, waiting for the mana to be strong enough to support them.

So...what might this mean for us?

I was thinking – as in ‘schooled in magic’ – that one could claim that magic is effectively a computer language. Combined with our programmers and engineers, what could happen?

How does the world react to the changes? Even if Tech isn't too badly affected (there will still be panic) what else might happen?

OR...would it make sense for the evil dudes to have a guardian? Someone who might try to warn modern society of the hell coming for them in the future?



Chris

[kilopi505]

Reposted from spacebattles, at request of a poster there.

While messing around with the ‘Schooled in Magic’ (http://forums.spacebattles.com/threa...-magic.233346/) story, I came up with a concept for another story. I’d like to brainstorm and flesh out the details.

The basic background is that magic, powered by mana, once existed on this Earth. (This is basically the concept behind ‘The Magic Goes Away.’) However, after a particularly nasty set of twelve evil sorcerers attempted to take over the world, a good wizard locked them up in a pocket dimension. Unfortunately, he got his sums a little wrong and the pocket dimension, which was meant to grant its inhabitants a form of immortality as a punishment, became a suction pump for mana. Over the following three hundred years or so, mana faded out of the world.

This was disastrous for society. Mythical beasts that couldn't survive without magic died out or evolved into something lesser. Semi-human creatures adapted to tap mana to some degree (Vampires, Werewolves) slowly became fully human because their altered DNA was no longer receiving the power it needed to work. Sorcerers lost their powers as the mana ran low (killing the ones who used it to stay alive, like the Warlock from TMGA). The magical underpinnings of society faded away (Niven has Atlantis crash into rubble when the spells keeping it above water fall apart.) Eventually, global civilisation collapsed, forming the basis for our half-remembered legends of a time when gods walked the Earth. By the time of the Persian Invasion of Greece, when true history started to develop and be recorded, mana was effectively gone.

Fast-forward to 2020 (or whenever).

The spell holding the evil buggers trapped has finally started to come apart, releasing mana back into the world. Some people discover that their ‘junk DNA’ actually makes them werewolves, vampires...or sorcerers. Worse, the mana flow interferes with advanced technology to some degree; the more advanced it is, the less likely that it will function. As the mana levels get stronger, modern technology will start breaking down. Think ‘Dies the Fire,’ but a slow decline into chaos. Oh, and the twelve guys are STILL out there, waiting for the mana to be strong enough to support them.

So...what might this mean for us?

I was thinking – as in ‘schooled in magic’ – that one could claim that magic is effectively a computer language. Combined with our programmers and engineers, what could happen?

How does the world react to the changes? Even if Tech isn't too badly affected (there will still be panic) what else might happen?

OR...would it make sense for the evil dudes to have a guardian? Someone who might try to warn modern society of the hell coming for them in the future?



Chris

Posting this for him since he can't currently sign in Beast's Lair. Something about captcha.

Anyways, this is also because there are more people here, and the best fanfic writers of this genre are here...so...tips for Mr. Chris? Please?

[Xamusel]

Uh, hate to break it to you, but I think you have the wrong part of the forum. Shouldn't this be moved to the Doujin Projects in the category under the Type-Moon category?

EDIT: *ahem* Guess I got excited over nothing. There's already a post in the Doujin Projects forum about this idea.

[Mike1984]

What does this have to do with Type Moon...?

[kilopi505]

Sorry people, it's just I really want to help this writer with his story. I mean, have any of you read HIS stories? They're good. Really good.
Now he is trying his luck in the Fantasy genre, crossed over with the Real World...and I want to see what he makes.

Of course he is only starting in this genre, with only one fantasy story to his name, "Schooled in magic"

http://forums.spacebattles.com/threa...-magic.233346/

which is still continuing, but maybe, with tips and some advice about the topic from some of the best fans and writers in the Nasuverse, an already good story becomes better.

That's why I put it here in the high traffic section of the website. More people to notice and give advice or comment.
Sorry, I was just a little zealous.

[chrisnuttall]

Sorry people, it's just I really want to help this writer with his story. I mean, have any of you read HIS stories? They're good. Really good.
Now he is trying his luck in the Fantasy genre, crossed over with the Real World...and I want to see what he makes.

Of course he is only starting in this genre, with only one fantasy story to his name, "Schooled in magic"

http://forums.spacebattles.com/threa...-magic.233346/

which is still continuing, but maybe, with tips and some advice about the topic from some of the best fans and writers in the Nasuverse, an already good story becomes better.

That's why I put it here in the high traffic section of the website. More people to notice and give advice or comment.
Sorry, I was just a little zealous.

Confession time; it isn't the first I've written.

Still, any help would be welcome.

Chris

[ItsaRandomUsername]

Unless it's got anything to do with Type-MOON it's still kind of in the wrong location.

Now, if you don't mind me I'll be doing the moderating thing to do and I'll just get this thread to redirect to the true place.

- - - Updated - - -

Alright, all is well with this little part of the world!

Now get crackin', all ye who may be interested.

[Mike1984]

That's why I put it here in the high traffic section of the website. More people to notice and give advice or comment.
Sorry, I was just a little zealous.

Yeah, I can understand that, but it's the "high traffic" part of the forum because it contains TM fanfic. A lot of the people who read the fanfic forum aren't really interested in non-TM fics.

[Incarnite Azurnum]

Okay, lemme look through this.

The basic background is that magic, powered by mana, once existed on this Earth. (This is basically the concept behind ‘The Magic Goes Away.’) However, after a particularly nasty set of twelve evil sorcerers attempted to take over the world, a good wizard locked them up in a pocket dimension. Unfortunately, he got his sums a little wrong and the pocket dimension, which was meant to grant its inhabitants a form of immortality as a punishment, became a suction pump for mana. Over the following three hundred years or so, mana faded out of the world.

You're going to have to define the mechanics of magic for us. Generally magic in fantasy tends to be a combination of 'Force of Personality' and 'Force of Will'. The only real splash of maths or thinking power would be in spell design.
Though the angle you seem to be going for is more akin to Nanoha where spellcasting is intrinsically linked with your ability to chew through equations in your head.

Worse, the mana flow interferes with advanced technology to some degree; the more advanced it is, the less likely that it will function. As the mana levels get stronger, modern technology will start breaking down.

Firstly, how or why? How is the mana interfering with generic 'technology'? Or if it is more relevant, why would mana not play nice with technology?

I was thinking – as in ‘schooled in magic’ – that one could claim that magic is effectively a computer language. Combined with our programmers and engineers, what could happen?

If we assume that numbercrunching is related to spellcasting capabilities, then the spells that sorcerers make would be perform more complex or multifunctioned spells.

However, the [possibly] gamebreaking spells would be out of reach until more mana has returned.

As for the Vampires/Werewolves business, you're going to have to define them for us. The audience has seen or are aware of a very large variety of vampires/werewolves.