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December 24, 2023 at 2:07 pm #170963
@highscribeofaetherium @thearcaneaxiom
The time dilation powers include a physics problem that I need to solve.
The question is one of energy. Normally when something is moving faster, it has more energy, and when it’s slower, it has less energy. But what about when you’re messing with time speed? If someone is slow and they throw a punch, is the punch going to deliver less force simply because it’s moving slower, even though the person put the same amount of power into it?
Basically there are two options:
- Time dilation affects energy. If you speed up, the energy increases. If you slow down it decreases. My problem with this is that it’s more like making yourself faster than actually dilating time.
- It doesn’t. This is more “true” physics in my opinion, but it has some wonky interactions, such as below:
A person uses Positive Dilation to speed their time up by a factor of 2. They then proceed to punch someone. Under the first option, this is simple—the punch delivers twice as much force, knocking the person back twice as hard.
Under the second option, however, we have a dilemma. The fist is moving twice as fast compared to the energy it delivers, so the person is knocked back the same amount as if the person was not dilating time. But this is not fast enough to move out of the way of the fist, so the fist should continue. How can it though if the person’s body is still there? If we say that the fist continues to transfer energy into the body until the body has more kinetic energy, then we are acting as though there is twice as much energy in the system, which we already stated is not the case. The only way I can think of to deal with this is have the fist sort of phase through the person after delivering the proper amount of force, and explain that time dilation messes with physics like that.
Perhaps I’m thinking about this wrong. If anyone has any insight about this, I’d be glad to here it.
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📚 Appreciator of BooksDecember 24, 2023 at 2:13 pm #170967Actually, thinking about the physics of collisions, perhaps the fist would experience extra recoil? Maybe I can think about this in terms of everything having twice as much inertia compared to the user.
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📚 Appreciator of BooksDecember 24, 2023 at 2:29 pm #170977Let me think through a simpler example.
Two identical balls collide in the air with equal kinetic energy. One is affected by Negative Dilation, and is moving twice as slow. It still has equal kinetic energy. If neither was dilated, and the collision was elastic, they would essentially reverse direction. So the time dilation will cause no difference to the normal ball, but the dilated ball will move away with half the speed. So from its perspective, it delivered twice as much kinetic energy into the other ball as it possessed, and received half as much as the other ball had.
So that works. The easiest way to think about it is that Positive Dilation seems decrease the object’s inertia, while Negative Dilation seems to increase it. This isn’t technically what is happening, but it’s essentially the same affect.
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📚 Appreciator of BooksDecember 24, 2023 at 2:41 pm #170979So to go back to the punch example, basically it’s going to feel like punching someone twice as heavy. It will be a little different, because every part of them will feel like it has more inertia. So if you punch them in the stomach, it’s going to feel twice as stiff. You will be delivering twice as much force, however, so they will still react the same as they would if you weren’t dilating, but it’s going to hurt your arm more, because that extra speed is being absorbed by you.
The opposite effect will be interesting. The person will feel like they weigh half as much, and there will be more give to them. This sounds powerful, but it will feel like you’re punching half as hard, so it isn’t. You will experience less recoil from your punch, but that is the only upside. Especially considering that from your perspective, your opponent will be able to move twice as fast.
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📚 Appreciator of BooksDecember 24, 2023 at 2:41 pm #170981Messing with physics is fun.
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📚 Appreciator of BooksDecember 24, 2023 at 9:53 pm #171006Alright, I have arrived at what I think is the final form of Crystal Binding, except the name (I still want to change that.)
My solution to the positive/negative/neutral naming scheme was to make that the generic type, but then use the terms “Connection”/”Amplification”, “Manipulation”, and “Separation”/”Detraction” as more specific name. The full names for each one is as follows:
Fusion the Resonance of Material Connection.
Mutation the Resonance of Material Manipulation.
Destruction the Resonance of Material Separation.
Escalation the Resonance of Energetic Amplification.
Dynamism the Resonance of Energetic Manipulation.
Reduction the Resonance of Energetic Detraction.
Conjunction the Resonance of Mental Connection.
Empathy the Resonance of Mental Manipulation.
Consciousness the Resonance of Mental Separation.
Positive Dilation the Resonance of Temporal Amplification.
Age the Resonance of Temporal Manipulation.
Negative Dilation the Resonance of Temporal Detraction.
Teleportation the Resonance of Spatial Connection.
Dimension the Resonance of Spatial Manipulation.
Presence the Resonance of Spatial Separation.
Enhancement the Resonance of Arcane Amplification.
Conversion the Resonance of Arcane Manipulation.
Absorption the Resonance of Arcane Detraction.
You may notice that Connection and Separation are always paired (i.e. Fusion is a connection power and Destruction is a separation power), and Amplification and Detraction are always paired. Also, there are three of each pair. Both of those are coincidences that just happened to work out. The Material, Energetic, and Mental powers are known as the Natural Resonances, and the Temporal, Spatial, and Arcane powers are known as the Fundamental Resonances.
Now, you may also notice some new names. Some of those are new powers, while others are just renamed old powers. I also added a name for the users of each power. If you have any alternative ideas, I’d be glad to hear them. Some I’m really happy with, but others are just meh, and some I particularly dislike, “Morpher” for example. Without further ado, here is a list of the Resonances.
Fusion
Fusion is the Resonance of Material Connection. It allows the Resonator to attach objects. There are three types of attachments possible.A person who uses the Resonance of Fusion is known as a Joiner.
Pure Fusion
The objects become telekinetically attached to each other’s center of mass. A force exerted on one will be exerted on the other.Adhesive Fusion
The objects are physically stuck together with great force. This requires physical contact between them.Links
Links are intangible tethers only visible to their caster that can attach objects. The links themselves do not affect other objects in any way. The caster can control the length and tension of the links.Mutation
Mutation is the Resonance of Material Manipulation. It allows the user to change an object’s material at a touch. The process is not instantaneous and the more complex the material, the harder it is. When changing, the new material will appear to “stain” the old one, radiating out from the point of contact with the user.A person who uses the Resonance of Mutation is called a Morpher.
Destruction
Destruction is the Resonance of Material Separation. It allows the user to disintegrate an object at a touch. It severs molecular bonds, but channels most of the energy safely away, preventing destructive explosions. A user of Destruction theoretically could influence this process so that more energy is released, potentially causing great damage.A person who uses the Resonance of Destruction is called a Flasher.
Escalation
Escalation is the Resonance of Energetic Amplification. It allows the user to increase energy within an object at the cost of Resonance. The object must already have some energy in order for that energy to be increased. This power uses Resonance up very quickly.A person who uses the Resonance of Escalation is called a Burster.
Dynamism
Dynamism is the Resonance of Energetic Manipulation. It allows the Resonator to absorb energy from objects and infuse it into other objects. Stored energy leaks at a gradually accelerating pace. As it leaks, it transfers into the environment, but the effects are usually not noticeable. Energies that can be absorbed include kinetic, thermal, gravitational, radiant, vibrational, magnetic, and electrical.A person who uses the Resonance of Dynamism is called a Floater.
Kinetic
Absorbing kinetic energy causes the object to slow or stop completely. Infusing kinetic energy causes the object to move or speed up along the same directional vector.Thermal
Absorbing thermal energy causes the object to cool. Infusing thermal energy causes the object to heat up. The greater the difference in temperature from its surroundings the faster the heat will flow, making it difficult to get an object to very low or high temperatures.Gravitational
Absorbing gravitational energy causes the object to stop attracting or being attracted by other objects. Infusing gravitational energy causes the object to attract and be attracted more strongly. It can be infused in large bursts for greater force, or slowly for less force over more time.Radiant
Absorbing radiant energy causes an illuminant object to dim. Infusing radiant energy causes an object to glow. As with gravitational energy, it can be infused in large bursts for greater luminance, or slowly for less luminance over more time.Vibrational
Absorbing vibrational energy mutes sounds or other vibrations. Infusing it re-emits the sounds.Magnetic
Magnetic energy works along the same basis as gravitational. The differences to note are that it can only be absorbed from magnetic objects, although it can be infused into nonmagnetic ones, and that magnetism is much stronger than gravity as a force.Electrical
Absorbing electrical energy blocks electrical flow. Infusing it applies the electricity to the object. This can be used to protect oneself from electrocution, and to electrocute others.Reduction
Reduction is the Resonance of Energetic Detraction. It allows the user to strip energy away from an object, converting it to Resonance. Some types of energy cannot be easily brought to nothing, thermal for example. At a certain point, heat will flow into the object faster than it is removed.A person who uses the Resonance of Reduction is called a Damper.
Conjunction
Conjunction is the Resonance of Mental Connection. It allows the user to create a mental bond with another person. Thoughts, memories, and emotions can be passed through this bond, and a person can access the other’s mind. The caster of the bond usually has greater control than the person they share it with.Forming a bond with a user of other Mental Resonances is dangerous, as both are capable of causing great damage through the bond. It is also possible for a user of Empathy or Consciousness to hold the bond in place even if the Conjunction user tries to break it, as their powers are closer to Conjunction than others are.
A person who uses the Resonance of Conjunction is called a Linker.
Empathy
Empathy is the Resonance of Mental Manipulation. It allows the user to absorb thoughts, emotions, and memories from a person and infuse them elsewhere, even an object. This power requires physical touch.If someone uses Connection to form a bond with a user of Empathy, this power will work on them without physical contact.
A person who uses the Resonance of Empathy is called a Siphon.
Consciousness
Consciousness is the Resonance of Mental Separation. It allows the user to split their consciousness, forming aspects of themself that exist only in the spiritual plane. These aspects can be reabsorbed, but it can be a difficult process.This power can also be used to break the bonds created by the Resonance of Connection. More dangerously, when two people are connected this way, Consciousness can be used to break off aspects of the other person’s consciousness.
A person who uses the Resonance of Consciousness is called a Splitter.
Positive Dilation
Positive Dilation is the Resonance of Temporal Amplification. It allows the user to accelerate an object’s pace through time. This effect will wear off eventually if the user is not touching the object. It can be used on oneself as well.Despite making objects move faster, it does not increase their kinetic energy. This has a number of strange side effects. Essentially, to a dilated object, all other objects seem to have greater inertia (proportional to the degree to which time is dilated.) In a collision, the dilated object will transfer less kinetic energy than it seems to possess.
A person who uses the Resonance of Positive Dilation is called a Warper.
Age
Age is the Resonance of Temporal Manipulation. It allows the user to change the age of an object. The effect is almost always temporary, and the greater the change in age, the greater the difficulty. It is also more difficult to use on living things.A person who uses the Resonance of Age is called a Winder.
Negative Dilation
Negative Dilation is the Resonance of Temporal Detraction. It allows the user to slow an object’s pace through time. This effect will wear off eventually if the user is not touching the object. It can be used on oneself as well.Despite making objects move slower, it does not decrease their kinetic energy. This has a number of strange side effects. Essentially, to a dilated object, all other objects seem to have less inertia (proportional to the degree to which time is dilated.) In a collision, the dilated object will transfer more kinetic energy than it seems to possess.
A person who uses the Resonance of Negative Dilation is called a Dragger.
Teleportation
Teleportation is the Resonance of Spatial Connection. It allows the user to connect points in space, creating “windows” through space. These connections take energy to keep open and disappear quickly. The greater the distance between them the more Resonance is used, making it extremely difficult to teleport a greater distance than a few hundred feet. The user must also have a clear mental picture of the desired location.A person who uses the Resonance of Teleportation is called a Jumper.
Dimension
Dimension is the Resonance of Spatial Manipulation. It allows the user to subtly stretch, compress or bend space.A person who uses the Resonance of Dimension is called a Bender.
Presence
Presence is the Resonance of Spatial Separation. It allows the user to phase objects between planes of existence. The user can have parts of their body in different planes, which is necessary to prevent you from falling towards the planet’s core. When an object returns to the physical realm, gasses or liquids will be pushed away from the point of reentry. Solids will not, however, which can lead to negative effects. On an atomic scale, the atoms of the two solids become intermingled. This disrupts molecular structures and will essentially lead to the destruction of both objects.A person who uses the Resonance of Presence is called a Phantom.
Enhancement
Enhancement is the Resonance of Arcane Amplification. It allows the user to empower another Arcane Artist’s powers by transferring Arcana to them remotely, converting between types of Arcana if necessary.A person who uses the Resonance of Enhancement is called a Pusher.
Conversion
Conversion is the Resonance of Arcane Manipulation. It allows the user to absorb and infuse Arcana. It can be converted in the process, but the user has to have a clear idea of the form they are attempting to convert into.A person who uses the Resonance of Conversion is called a Vessel.
Absorption
Absorption is the Resonance of Arcane Detraction. It allows the user to absorb Arcana from nearby sources, converting it into Resonance in the process.A person who uses the Resonance of A-Absorption is called a Drainer.
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📚 Appreciator of BooksDecember 24, 2023 at 10:04 pm #171007Note: I accidentally use the term Connection to refer to the Resonance of Conjunction, several times, which is a mistake. At the end, I also used the term A-Absorption instead of Absorption. This is leftover from when Reduction was called Energetic Absorption and had to be distinguished.
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📚 Appreciator of BooksDecember 26, 2023 at 10:00 am #171084Here’s another thing I’m wondering about with time dilation: aging.
You might think the answer is simple: negative dilation makes you age slower, and positive dilation makes you age faster. But what causes aging? From my understanding, it’s largely caused by cosmic rays from outer space. Because of that, I think that Positive Dilation will increase your lifespan from your perspective, while Negative does the opposite. Because if you’re moving faster, you’re still getting hit by the same amount of cosmic rays and if you’re moving slower. However, from your perspective, if you’re moving faster, the cosmic rays are moving slower, and vice versa. So I think that means that from the outside, time dilation won’t affect your aging, but from your sped up or slowed down perspective, it’s going to seem that you age slower or faster respectively.
I’ll have to do some more research. Another thing to note is that people on Ildin live underground, so I’m not sure if that would have any effect on all this.
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📚 Appreciator of BooksDecember 26, 2023 at 2:50 pm #171108I know I said I was done with this magic system. But there was one power I didn’t really like: Age. I have now replaced it. Introducing the Resonance of Destiny.
Destiny: The Resonance of Temporal Manipulation
Destiny is the Resonance of Temporal Manipulation. It allows the user to explore alternate pasts and futures, focused on one object. When the user uses this Resonance on an object, they can travel experientially to a specific point in the object’s past or future. The occurrences in these visions do not affect the real world, but they do accurately reflect what would happen in alternative situations. One of the primary uses for this is to see into possible futures, as well as discovering the requirements to bring about a desired outcome. While the user is engaged in this process of temporal exploration, they are locked in place and unaware of events happening around them. Resonance can be expended to accelerate events in the vision relative to events outside, allowing a user to potentially live through an incredible amount of time within a single instant. This is dangerous, however, as the sheer amount of information being processed in a short amount of time can stun them upon leaving the vision. Users who use this power often can be affected mentally as this power essentially warps time to flow through the brain in a simulation. This power uses the most Resonance of any power.
This is probably one of the craziest powers in this magic system. I tried to give it a lot of limitations, such as the sheer amount of energy it takes, the time it takes, and the mental toll. Do you think it’s nerfed enough?
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📚 Appreciator of BooksDecember 26, 2023 at 2:56 pm #171109Okay, I’ll also go ahead and say that Dimension and Conversion are also not my favorite powers, so it’s also possible I will change them. I can’t think of anything very interesting to do with the Resonance of Arcane Manipulation, so the result was Conversion. I’m not planning on having any of the Arcane powers being particularly important to the story, especially Conversion, because Arcana is not something the people on Ildin understand, but Conversion could potentially be incredibly useful for people who do know about multiple types of Arcana. Dimension also isn’t really something they will use because when I say it “subtly stretches, compresses, or bends space” I mean subtly. You’re not going to really notice anything usually, but this could potentially be used to shorten distances in outer space, although it would take a ridiculous amount of Resonance. If I come up with something more interesting for either of them, I’ll probably replace it.
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📚 Appreciator of BooksDecember 28, 2023 at 5:13 pm #171428So I’ve been really bad at following up on this thread for quite a while now, as well as KP in general lately. I’ve sort of skimmed through, but you’ve probably done a lot since you last posted. Is there still anything specific you would like my thoughts on still?
He is perfect in Justice, yet He is perfect in Mercy, even when we fail Him. For this, He is good.
December 28, 2023 at 5:34 pm #171430No problem! I did post a lot of stuff here!
The main thing is do you think there is anything particular overpowered in this magic system? I don’t think any of the individual powers are particularly OP, and nobody can have more than one, but by having people team up, there might be some OP effects that could be achieved.
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📚 Appreciator of BooksDecember 28, 2023 at 8:36 pm #171476Just looking at Fusion, destruction, amplification, and dynamism, I feel like there’s much potential interaction. I think there’s a whole lot of interesting you could do mechanically. Using destruction to precisely carve any kind of shape out of any kind of substance is nice, and that in tandem with pure fusion, connecting objects at a distance is going to give rise to some innovative technology, and can be manufactured fast. If you have a tree log, and someone uses destruction to essentially cut it in half, then have someone use fusion to reconnect both sides through their mass. To clarify on true fusion though, is it fusion such that they act like one object, as if physically connected, or is it something more like the fabrials in stormlight? Either way, there can be cool combos of those two. Amplifying one object while that object is in true fusion will also have unique impacts. Also, what about positive/negative dilation, teleportation, presence, and dimension on an object that is fused with another? I’m not sure about any OP effects, but strange things would happen. You said that dilation won’t increase kinetic energy, but what if you positively dilate one object fused to another, allowing the other object to move at greater speeds?
He is perfect in Justice, yet He is perfect in Mercy, even when we fail Him. For this, He is good.
December 28, 2023 at 9:02 pm #171491Just looking at Fusion, destruction, amplification, and dynamism, I feel like there’s much potential interaction. I think there’s a whole lot of interesting you could do mechanically. Using destruction to precisely carve any kind of shape out of any kind of substance is nice, and that in tandem with pure fusion, connecting objects at a distance is going to give rise to some innovative technology, and can be manufactured fast.
Destruction tends to be a bit…messy, but you probably could get it precise enough to do that. These powers are going to be just being discovered in the story this is for, so I will get to explore the technological effects of them. I think these are going to give you nearly perfect technology in a lot of areas.
To clarify on true fusion though, is it fusion such that they act like one object, as if physically connected, or is it something more like the fabrials in stormlight?
More like fabrials I think. So say you had a broken stick sitting on a table and you used true fusion on them. If you just push one around, the other will move with it and they will basically look like they’re a connected object, but if you try rotating them, they each rotate relative to their own center, so they would become unaligned.
Also, what about positive/negative dilation, teleportation, presence, and dimension on an object that is fused with another?
I haven’t really thought about what would happen with those, but here’s what I’m thinking the effects would be. For dilation, I think it would affect both objects. Presence would let you phase one but not the other, but it’s not going to break their connection. Teleportation would be useful in tandem with fusion, because the portals would let you change the distance between the fused objects which isn’t possible otherwise. Dimension’s effects are quite subtle, and so it’s not going to interact with Fusion too much. Theoretically there isn’t a limit to the distance between fused objects, but practically it’s going to be difficult to have them far enough from each other for Dimension to have much effect. I suppose if you use portals to move one object farther away after they get fused you might be able to do it. Bending space might affect how they move in relation to each other. Stretching or compressing space is just going to change the distance between them.
Thanks! One of the biggest challenges of this magic system is figuring out all the things that people would do with these, because they have huge technological implications.
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📚 Appreciator of BooksDecember 28, 2023 at 9:16 pm #171499Destruction tends to be a bit…messy, but you probably could get it precise enough to do that. These powers are going to be just being discovered in the story this is for, so I will get to explore the technological effects of them. I think these are going to give you nearly perfect technology in a lot of areas.
Yeah, that makes sense.
More like fabrials I think. So say you had a broken stick sitting on a table and you used true fusion on them. If you just push one around, the other will move with it and they will basically look like they’re a connected object, but if you try rotating them, they each rotate relative to their own center, so they would become unaligned.
Ok, that’s helpful, thanks!
I haven’t really thought about what would happen with those, but here’s what I’m thinking the effects would be. For dilation, I think it would affect both objects. Presence would let you phase one but not the other, but it’s not going to break their connection. Teleportation would be useful in tandem with fusion, because the portals would let you change the distance between the fused objects which isn’t possible otherwise. Dimension’s effects are quite subtle, and so it’s not going to interact with Fusion too much. Theoretically there isn’t a limit to the distance between fused objects, but practically it’s going to be difficult to have them far enough from each other for Dimension to have much effect. I suppose if you use portals to move one object farther away after they get fused you might be able to do it. Bending space might affect how they move in relation to each other. Stretching or compressing space is just going to change the distance between them.
Hmm, ok. Wouldn’t presence make both phase though? It’s extra-dimensional space, but it’s still a directional vector, unless I’m thinking about your idea of in-between planes wrong. It could still be rationalized I guess even then, just having a restricted spatial influence, just like 3d spatial restriction.
Thanks! One of the biggest challenges of this magic system is figuring out all the things that people would do with these, because they have huge technological implications.
Yep! And I’ll let you know if I think of anything else interesting!
He is perfect in Justice, yet He is perfect in Mercy, even when we fail Him. For this, He is good.
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