Random Idea · 4:36am Feb 28th, 2015
Slight warning, this blog contains potential spoilers for Destination: Thataway. Nothing discussed here is final but in case it does make it into the story and you're worried about spoilers; you have been warned. For those of you who only see this blog because you followed me because of my Pantheon story, well, sorry but I've got nothing new for you.
tl;dr of this blog post: possible lumomancy/light magic for the main character of Thataway. Comment with thoughts and opinions. Explanation of how and what I actually mean by this is explained below.
So I was just re-reading this story (which is the most recent story in a series that I greatly enjoy, which starts here, Foal of the Forest) when I had a random thought completely unrelated to the story I was reading. What if I made the as-of-yet unnamed protagonist of Thataway even more overpowered?
The random thought I had was what if I expanded on his ability to shoot lasers from his hooves, turned it into full-on lumomancy/light-based magic. Basically what I'm imagining is the ability to make simple constructs out of solid light, the ability to bend/refract/reflect light (essentially making temporary mirrors, prisms and the like), and also to throw in a subtle metaphor saying "hey, I'm the good guy, look at my wholesome and virtuous magical powers."
The actual mechanics of how this lumomancy works are as-of-yet undetermined, but I was thinking something along the lines of having the protagonist using his front hooves to direct and shape the light which, in the case of the solid-light constructs, also flows out of his hooves like a very viscous liquid which he then shapes like putty. This magic would, in my mind, fall under the category of "elemental magic", and I would be borrowing heavily from this other story, Fallout: Equestria- The Last Sentinel which I also very much enjoy. I have no idea if the ideas presented in The Last Sentinel are original or not, but it's what I'm gonna go with. For those of you who don't want to read through a few hundred thousand words of a Fallout Equestria side story in order to learn what I'm talking about, here's the short version:
Certain ponies, (and some non-ponies, it isn't picky) are born with an "elemental affiliation" for a specific element. These elements can be any of the classic RPG elements, fire, water, light, dark, etc. The main character of The Last Sentinel, Frost, has an elemental affiliation for ice and his cryomancy is an essential story element. The only way someone can figure out if they have an elemental affiliation is by trying the elemental magic out for themselves. Elemental magic in a school that you are affiliated with comes naturally and easily to you and, with a little bit of practice, advanced techniques are well within your potential. Continued practice of elemental magic results in the forming of an Elemental Union. An Elemental Union makes it even easier to cast elemental spells (in rpg terms it cuts the mana cost for those spells), at the cost that your physiology and psychology start to become more in tune with the element. For Frost from The Last Sentinel, his elemental union with ice drops his internal body temperature way down, he never gets cold, but he's extremely vulnerable to high temperatures and fire. For the protagonist of Thataway, I'm gonna say that an elemental union with light would make him constantly emit a soft glow that would curtail any attempts at sneaking around and would give him an irrational, almost paranoid, fear of the dark. I am, of course, open to suggestions for any side effects and/or powers that would stem from lumomancy.
The TL:DR of the short version is this: I can finagle an explanation for how the main character of Thataway gets light magic, if I do he will start to glow constantly and have an irrational fear of the dark.
Thoughts? Feel free to leave a comment. I don't know if I want to implement this or not, and even if I do I'll probably wait until the sequel to go anywhere with it.
Also, have a marmot.
Yes, I'm totally going to end any blogs I make with marmots from now on.
Question: will Unnamed Protagonist at some point recite Lux's double rainbow /joke line (and/or "I'MMA FIRIN MAH LAZOR")?
Luminomancy. I like it. Lasers on their own are so limited. Full-on light magic is much more versatile. Plus I like the idea of him trying to sneak by someone while glowing incessantly (and probably getting away with it, because logic).
TL:DR, DOO EET.
Write on,
Legion
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Answer: Yes. All of the yes.
On the topic of sneaking:
Guard 1: "Hey, do you notice that?"
Guard 2: "What?"
Guard 1: "I dunno, I thought I saw something, but it's just too bright in here to make out any details."
Guard 2: "Should we be worried that it's this bright in our underground dungeon which is normally so dim you can't even see the walls?"
Guard 1: "Nah."
Guard 2: "Meh, alright. Got any threes?"
Guard 1: "Go fish."
2836864
Oblivious guards are the best kind!
Except, you know, for the person they're working for. But other than that, they're the best!
I can only imagine the incredulous looks everyone will give U.P. after his long-winded and mostly scientifically accurate explanation of rainbows. Especially since that's not at all how they work in Equestria.
Write on,
Legion
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Legion, I'm not gonna say anything specific, but your last comment totally influenced what the unnamed protagonist's name is gonna be. Congratulations, I draw inspiration from random sources and you are one of them.