Thursday 29 August 2002

Pic of the day: Here should be a picture of my imaginary magic hero, Glorrus Fud. Sadly there is no picture of him and I can't draw. So until I get a good idea, I'll just have to keep this blank and get some much needed sleep.

Lightwielder fantasy

The last few days I have enjoyed writing on and off on a background story for my latest RP character, Glorrus Fud. The previous Lightwielder story was about a young teenage boy and his first day as a Lightwielder. In contrast, Glorrus is an apprentice Lightwielder who has too much power for an apprentice and too little life experience for an acolyte. So the mysterious adept sends him on a quest. In the end this quest is going to turn into the role-play we are about to start up in the Acid Reflux Forum. I hope.

I agree with Al Schroeder of Nova Notes that super powers are no good without limitations. But in contrast to the esteemed Mr. Schroeder, I find super powers most interesting when used in daily life rather than in battle against cosmic evils. For instance, imagine that you have X-ray vision. You also have a job, perhaps a secret identity. You walk around all day having X-ray vision. The way this impacts your life is at least as interesting as how you can fight against cosmic evil using X- ray vision. (Actually I have no idea how to fight cosmic evil with X- ray vision, but that's another matter.) And of course the best part of all is your interaction with the few who know your secret identity or at least your superpower. Whenever you enter the superhero club room, everybody feels like they are just stepping out of the shower. Finding and keeping friends is going to be a challenge of cosmic proportions...

Glorrus doesn't have X-ray vision, at least not for a good while yet. He can see in the dark (in grayscale only), and he has a kind of danger sense and some healing powers. His challenge is not his powers, at least not usually. It is the side effect: He is not able to lie without experiencing intense pain and possibly physical damage. This may not sound like a big thing, but it does interfere with daily life a lot. Here is some dialogue from chapter 4 where Glorrus is explaining to the prophesied Woman with Strange Hair:

"The Light is like some kind of cosmic power which is everywhere. It seems to be unlimited, too. But that's hard to say since there are so few people drawing on it at any time."
"Why is that? I mean, it sounds like a great bargain. Unlimited power everywhere you go!"
"The Light is allergic to all kinds of lie and deception. It sees them as darkness and tries to burn them away. That hurts. It hurts a lot. It could even kill me."
"I don't see the big deal. It would be kinda nice to have a man that couldn't cheat on me for fear that I would simply ask him."
"Yeah, but what if you ask him 'does my butt look big in this?'"
"Well, does it?"
"Let me first point out that it is natural for women to have comparatively larger hips ..."
"You are right. It could kill you."

(The actual use of the Lightpower is not unlimited ... each person can only channel it according to his level of attunement, which works like a skill. Besides, the higher your attunement, the more sensitive the Light is to any deception. The mysterious adept cannot even wear clothes because they hide the naked truth.)

I acknowledge that I have included elements of Christianity, New Age, and a tad of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time with its One Power. I still think this particular blend of white magic is reasonably unique, unless we have a case of cryptomnesia here. I'm certainly having fun with it alone, and I hope to have even more fun once the roleplay starts. But that's for another day, if any.