Subject: Because that's how the magic works.
Author:
Posted on: 2013-11-07 10:44:00 UTC
Maybe the goddess Seramis just doesn't like the elderly?
In out-of-universe terms, it's because otherwise, they wouldn't be called gerontomancers.
hS
Best of luck to everyone involved.
Now, go out there and knock out a couple thousand words.
-Phobos
IntelligentAirhead and I are currently working on That Star Trek AU Where Everyone Is A Writer.
Jim Kirk is a bestselling author. Spock has writer's block. Spock also thinks Kirk is writing Mary Sues, among other things. There's a lot of arguing, broken up by Dr McCoy, who functions as the group's editor and medical advisor.
And people aren't sure whether or not Scotty's writing robot porn.
I wonder how it's going to turn out....
I'm doing stuff about superheroes, for example.
It's bizarre because I'm pretty much adding in anything I think of, which has resulted in magicians known as gerontomancers who employ skeleportation. Among many other things.
hS
So they only teleport peoples' skeletons, or it's a type of teleportation that only works on skeletons, or something else based on a different word basis for "skele" or "portation"? If it's the first, that would be an incredibly effective attack against enemy wizards. They'd be preparing for one of their spells, and then all of a sudden, BAM! Organs spilling around in the ribcage, legs collapsing into puddles of goo, and on the whole, completely incapacitated. Only an incredibly brutal-minded wizard would probably plan ahead to do that to a living being, though. It would more likely be a last thrashing-out in desperation.
Wow, only one sentence before a direct question turned into off-topic rambling. That's a new personal best.
Turns you into a, uh, skeleton, with black smoke acting in place of muscles when needed. Of course, you can hardly skeleport back - your body is dead - so it's lucky(?) gerontomancers also have the ability to possess others on contact.
Of course, they can only possess those over the age of 70 - hence the name...
hS
Re: Only possess > 70
Maybe the goddess Seramis just doesn't like the elderly?
In out-of-universe terms, it's because otherwise, they wouldn't be called gerontomancers.
hS
And if not, what happens to the black-smoke-skeleton when the gerontomancer is possessing someone? Does it go inside the elderly bones and enhance them through magic? Does it collapse for the duration of the possession? Some third thing?
It's how gerontomancers are (functionally) immortal - constant body-transfer whenever their old one becomes too, well, old. The skeleton, being a skeleton, falls apart into a pile of bones.
You may be realising that gerontomancers aren't particularly nice people. ;)
hS
Specifically, I've got my vaguely-Steampunk novel about revolutionaries and airship pirates chasing conspiracy theories (+ bonus Alternate Reality girl!), but I've also got, er, two PPC missions, the Blackout Interlude, and bonus fanfics. I'm very good at writing a lot of things at once, jumping from idea to idea, so...I kind of just decided to count all fiction writing I do this month. (What can I say, I've been testing out ways to 'win' NaNo for a couple of years now. I'm already doing a lot better than previously, which is lovely, and hopefully I'll get a lot of [good] writing out of it...)
~DF
...in Hebrew.
Should be fun!
~DF
She's like that. You get used to it.
{Well, you get used to it. I don't think anyone else ever has.}
... point.
{Anyway, hi, DawnFire. I'm former-agent-and-former-everything-else Lou. Would you believe it took years to get him to give me a story in which I could settle down with someone I actually liked? Before that it was all 'oh, now for some reason we're in space and we have to kill the bad guys because of stuff'. Terrible.}
Seriously, did you ask to post just so you could gossip about me?
{Yes. Well, all right, not just. Ehm... oh, right. Hi, DawnFire. I just thought I ought to warn you that letting characters talk to their narrator can lead to waaaay more than you might expect.}
... Lou.
{Yes?}
You haven't read DF's stories, have you?
{And how would I have done that, exactly? I don't have a whole lot of computer time inside your head, chuckles.}
I figured you read over my shoulder.
{Eyeballs.}
Whatever. Anyway, I'm pretty sure she's done this before. She knows the risks.
{Who said anything about risks? Are you characterising me as a negative consequence?}
... not intentionally?
{Good. 'cause I'm awesome.}
Er. Right. I think we're getting off topic.
{This is the PPC Board. Everything's off-topic. Anyway, that was it. Oh, also, if I run into your agents in HQ anywhere-}
You quit the PPC.
{I'm bad at quitting. If I run into them, I'll try not to tell them who I am. Might be awkward.}
... you done rambling?
{Just getting started! But you can sign off now.}
So kind of you. Right, so, sorry about her, she's a bit crazy.
{I can hear you...}
You arguing?
{...}
Thought not. Anyway, sorry about her.
hS
I've been working on this a bit over a year, actually, inspired by some experiences I had on my school's paper.
Basically, I'm running three parallel reincarnated lives of a protagonist, who is central to the rise of the first civilization of crows. Her incarnation in the modern era gets to experience the apocalypse/fall of that civilization during the Missoula Floods, through a series of flashbacks and dreams.
I have no idea why I thought I could get 50,000 words out of this, especially since I'm still without a laptop.
I'll send it to you at 50K or when it's done, whichever ends up being possible, with the fervent hope that you don't win up regretting that request.
I'm doing an adaptation thingie about Swan Lake.
I am, instead, writing PPC stories. I hope to have at least one story ready to go to beta by the end of the month.
-Phobos
I'm 561 words in right now
Where did the time go? Ah well. Do or die now! Good luck, y'all!
I have a coin to toss to decide the sex of every secondary character, and I know the plot until at least, oh, tomorrow. I think I'm set!
hS
Too bad my computer's crapped out so I can probably barely do any actual writing.
I didn't actually remember. And I'm spending the weekend with my friends, too.
...this should be interesting...
(and thanks very much for the reminder).
Good luck to everyone!
~DF
I'll need it.