Drugs in a fantasy setting...

[Kaiser Khorosho]

Now, I'm not talking about elves getting high on weed or dwarves snorting cocaine, but rather drugs in an entheogenic (think Peyote and other "religious drugs) function. In this sense, they'd be used to channel spirits or cast spells for those who are magically challenged. I don't want to use needles and such like in the Bio Shock franchise, but rather through smoking or drinking magic-ridden substances.

Could this go off without being seen as "Oh, they're taking drugs?" I can't think of a way for the characters to...embibe said spells without it seeming like "DRUGS GIVE U SUPERPOWERZ!!!"

Although...I plan on having one of the characters having an addiction to them; a smoking spell of some sort. He's always smoking from a pipe and when he's first introduced produces a spell before the other guy can use his own because he's ALWAYS magically infused.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. Start your own. smile

[I_Write_Ivre]

Drugs aren't significant in my stories.

The most mention they get is the influx of new drugs killing people in one story. Since drugs aren't outlawed because its always dose and hoe they're taken that determine the ill effects, the only laws where the new drugs are taken to are 'do them inside regulated drug houses.'

[Kaiser Khorosho]

I_Write_Ivre

Drugs aren't significant in my stories.

The most mention they get is the influx of new drugs killing people in one story. Since drugs aren't outlawed because its always dose and hoe they're taken that determine the ill effects, the only laws where the new drugs are taken to are 'do them inside regulated drug houses.'

I guess what I'm saying is will it be criticized (by readers) because they're using drugs?

[I_Write_Ivre]

Kaiser Khronos

I_Write_Ivre

Drugs aren't significant in my stories.

The most mention they get is the influx of new drugs killing people in one story. Since drugs aren't outlawed because its always dose and hoe they're taken that determine the ill effects, the only laws where the new drugs are taken to are 'do them inside regulated drug houses.'

I guess what I'm saying is will it be criticized (by readers) because they're using drugs?

In that story, God's a Satanist, Jesus is female and a gnostic, two people are created out of Eden to watch over humanity and one becomes a Buddhist. I doubt people would pay attention tot he drugs.

[Kaiser Khorosho]

I_Write_Ivre

Kaiser Khronos

I_Write_Ivre

Drugs aren't significant in my stories.

The most mention they get is the influx of new drugs killing people in one story. Since drugs aren't outlawed because its always dose and hoe they're taken that determine the ill effects, the only laws where the new drugs are taken to are 'do them inside regulated drug houses.'

I guess what I'm saying is will it be criticized (by readers) because they're using drugs?

In that story, God's a Satanist, Jesus is female and a gnostic, two people are created out of Eden to watch over humanity and one becomes a Buddhist. I doubt people would pay attention tot he drugs.

rofl

[marshmallowcreampie]

Well, I'm working on a comic series, one of the storylines I've done featured drugs sometimes used in a magical way. It's a comedy fantasy series that takes place in a wizarding school, one of the first storylines I did was about pixie dust abuse. It's an ingredient they use in a lot of spells, but then the students learn that ingesting it induces hallucinations. So pixie dust abuse to get high becomes rampant in the school, and the teachers and the headmaster and trying to figure out how to combat this. It mostly parodies anti-drug techniques used in real life schools. I haven't looked at fantasy drugs in a serious sense, though.

[Cogent Dream]

Kaiser Khronos

I_Write_Ivre

Drugs aren't significant in my stories.

The most mention they get is the influx of new drugs killing people in one story. Since drugs aren't outlawed because its always dose and hoe they're taken that determine the ill effects, the only laws where the new drugs are taken to are 'do them inside regulated drug houses.'

I guess what I'm saying is will it be criticized (by readers) because they're using drugs?

Nope. They're cultists/religious fanatics and no one cares because we know they're crazy, or there is some purpose behind the taking of the supplement that is based on a functional purpose rather than the feeling of getting high or whatever. Nothing wrong with it unless you get too graphic about it.

[Jesters Mana]

There is a lot if nature that has drug elements to them, plants with relaxation abilities and healing qualities. Shamans and witches use plants like mugwart for visions and relaxation, and a lot of fantasy has shown elves smoking opium through a pipe. Even in world of warcraft the blood elves have opium bongs all through the town lol. I think it suits a fantasy setting perfect smile

[Klaark]

When I write stories, I don't envision them being used as guides to life, so I don't mind writing about people abusing drugs and making poor decisions.

What bugs me about fantasy settings is this need to come up with fake drugs. Ale, mead, all fine, but we need to substitute some bullshit if we want cocaine or another opiate thrown in there. Guess crack isn't medieval-sounding enough...

[Rotsab M. Hyolf]

Klaark

When I write stories, I don't envision them being used as guides to life, so I don't mind writing about people abusing drugs and making poor decisions.

What bugs me about fantasy settings is this need to come up with fake drugs. Ale, mead, all fine, but we need to substitute some bullshit if we want cocaine or another opiate thrown in there. Guess crack isn't medieval-sounding enough...

You hear about how they supposedly found cocaine on some mummies? Pretty hilarious stuff. One guy still had part of a beetle carcass in him (I think it was the first attempt at a red M&M).

Kaiser, I fail to see how those are different from 'magic' potions. Magic potions in fantasy have always caused super-powers, and yet I've never seen it treated in a context where they were drugs/'bad'. Not in the realistic sense that many drugs are, anyways.

It depends on whether or not you see them as drugs, though. Your own personal bias will probably reflect a lot in your writing. Remember, too, that there are many beneficial drugs/'magic' in life; pain-killers, vitamin and mineral tablets, vaccines, so forth. You might want to figure out where you personally draw the line of 'bad drugs' as well, so as to avoid it or cross it at will.

Personally, I agree with Klaark. I'm a little tired of fantasy settings that try to apply good or 'Disney dressings' to a time that was horrific and disgusting. I would love to read about some warrior going between snorting crack off of some no-toothed eighty-year old brothel worker's knee and trying to fight a dragon while wondering about his next fix. Everyone does the grouchy old alcoholic who miraculously pulls through for everyone in the last bit; I'd love to see that subverted, too.

But, that's a story not many people are interested in writign, much less reading, haha. Again, it all comes back to what you want out of it; don't worry how it will look to others.

(I say this while avoiding a social taboo in my own story so I won't be accused of committing it in real life. Woo, go hypocrites! )

[Mortok]

If people do decide to interpret it as saying "drugs give you superpowers", so what? It's not your job to be a role model or teach a moral lesson. You can't be held responsible if some absolute retard reads about your magic, fictional substance and decides that crystal meth is a good idea

[Samadhi23]

Jesters Mana

There is a lot if nature that has drug elements to them, plants with relaxation abilities and healing qualities. Shamans and witches use plants like mugwart for visions and relaxation, and a lot of fantasy has shown elves smoking opium through a pipe. Even in world of warcraft the blood elves have opium bongs all through the town lol. I think it suits a fantasy setting perfect smile

This

[phantomkitsune]

Klaark

When I write stories, I don't envision them being used as guides to life, so I don't mind writing about people abusing drugs and making poor decisions.

What bugs me about fantasy settings is this need to come up with fake drugs. Ale, mead, all fine, but we need to substitute some bullshit if we want cocaine or another opiate thrown in there. Guess crack isn't medieval-sounding enough...

Ye Olde Cracke. Coqayne.

. . . pseudo-medievalizing street names for drugs seems suddenly like an endless font of hilarity.

Kaiser, go read Nabokov. Now come back and tell us if you have sudden urges to do awful things. An occurrence of something in a story does not necessarily come off as an endorsement of it.

[Kaiser Khorosho]

phantomkitsune

Klaark

When I write stories, I don't envision them being used as guides to life, so I don't mind writing about people abusing drugs and making poor decisions.

What bugs me about fantasy settings is this need to come up with fake drugs. Ale, mead, all fine, but we need to substitute some bullshit if we want cocaine or another opiate thrown in there. Guess crack isn't medieval-sounding enough...

Ye Olde Cracke. Coqayne.

. . . pseudo-medievalizing street names for drugs seems suddenly like an endless font of hilarity.

Kaiser, go read Nabokov. Now come back and tell us if you have sudden urges to do awful things. An occurrence of something in a story does not necessarily come off as an endorsement of it.

Oh, I've read some of Lolita. Point taken. NOW...supposing he was addicted to spells and potions AND was a *****? That's walking the line. xd

[Blue Hex]

Mortok

If people do decide to interpret it as saying "drugs give you superpowers", so what? It's not your job to be a role model or teach a moral lesson. You can't be held responsible if some absolute retard reads about your magic, fictional substance and decides that crystal meth is a good idea

I agree with this one. Drugs are a part of life in if they slip into a sci-fi setting in someway, be it the actual drug or something entirely made up, its not your fault or responsibilty for how the reader sees it. In fact, that's one of the best things about writing ficition. You write how you want to write, and the reader reads how they want to read. I have read/written something only to speak to someone else that read it and found out that they got a totally different feeling from it then was intended. But it wasn't a bad thing.

Substance abuse in a fantasy setting can be very fun and amusing to write. SUch as the old drunk mage that is always tottering around and accidently turning people into animals because he's so out of it. Or the warrior that ate something they shouldn't have and are fighting illusions on the battlefield.

Even fantasy writing in some ways reflects real life, and people in real life use drugs and such for a variety of reasons. So who cares how you make a substance represent in your story so long as it makes sense in the long run and you like it. Honestly I would read that story and probably love the smoking addicted over powered guy biggrin I love characters like that.