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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 12:26 am
◐ The Elements==========A Fundamental Guide ◑ This guide is to help enlighten people about the four higher elements. I have seen to many people using them in a way that over steps boundaries, or not using it in a a way that is very... producible. My friend Revan and I worked on it quite a bit.
◐Air◑
Sadly, most people see controlling air as controlling wind, and wind currents. that is only one facet of the whole element.
In retrospect, Air is probably the second most powerful of the classic four. Control over air gives you you the ability to basically tear anything asunder or even crush anything to bit as long as you are within a place with an atmosphere. It extends to such things as air pressure, and one can increase or decrease it in certain spaces, leading to issues with density. One controlling air can create sharpened edges, and then create blades from there.
Or does it really stop there? In space, nebula are masses of gases and particles. Wouldn't those gases count as air? Food for thought, since we technically sit right on one...
◐Earth◑
The most powerful of all the elements. Why? Because in retrospect, aside from living matter, wouldn't all things found in a natural solid state be considered earth? And going deeper than that, wouldn't that also give them control over objects such as dark matter and star cores, both of which are made of highly condensed solid material? What's worse, liquid metal and molten rock is still earth. And thus, even liquid objects can be manipulated by earth elemental. This creates many loopholes in the earth element.
Most people only see earth as the ground underneath ones feet. If they restrict themselves to that single facet however, there are still many things to explore. Metals, dirt, rock, and even sand are of the earth element, allowing users to have control over all forms of it. Think of it like this, All earth starts off as flowing magma, and from there, hardens into rock. Depending on the pressure on the rock, it will turn into different types of rock. Weathering and erosion leads to breaking it into smaller and smaller bits, eventually leading to sand. Sand is normally on beaches. As the crust is constantly moving, the sand on beaches is pushed underneath the earth, and turned back into rock through magmafication. It's complicated.
◐Water◑
Of the classic four, Water is the weakest element because it is so restricting and plays into the powers of all other elements. Ice can be considered earth, as it is a solid material. However, even water can be made of objects that aren't water or have water dilutes in them. Mud is considered waterlogged dirt, where as murky water is simply dirty water. Thus, even mud isn't a water based. Water vapor is often used as a means of attacking via the air, but against an air user, the vapors would be part of his element more, no? However, for all of water short comings, it has many pluses. Like air and earth, water can be used to crush. But also, water CAN move through permeable surfaces like dirt and when pressurized, has more cutting power than an air blade. More than any naturally forged blade actually.
Just as well, there is a little secret to liquid water. Water can stay in liquid form if the concentration remains absolute, whether in the presence of heat or cold. There is liquid water in the arctic where the waters, which are mostly fresh water, remain in liquid form. Inversely, when you boil water, the water does change into a gas, but at the same time, not all the water turns to gas form instantaneously even though the water at the top is likely beyond the boiling point. The lack of changing form is based on the pressure given on the water, which a water user can entirely control.
◐Fire◑
There is a big controversy about how fire users make fire out of nothing. Fire traditionally needs fuel, oxygen and heat. In Avatar [ ******** AIRBENDER ], the latter are supplied, but we see a lack of the first requirement and shrug the act off as impossible and not theoretical and what not [as if the rest of the bending wasn't either]. However, what makes the sun burn? Controlled fusion. At that point, the traditional requirements aren't necessary. We simply need fuel and heat. The fuel is what Iroh, in Avatar described as the Breath. In other words, the very particles in the air give root to Fire bending.
But then, why does the cold negate this? Well, if you think about it, it's quiet simple. You are suppressing two of the requirements. Cold air is much denser and there for takes more heat to activate. Heavier fuel, harder to lite. It's like putting Diesel engine in an F1 racer. You might get it going eventually, but you aren't gonna get rolling real fast with that kind of fuel.
Now, if you want to talk about magical fire, then you're all basically bitching over nothing. Magical fire is feed magical energy and thus has it's support. In the same manner that a Mage could likely make water from magic in a dessert, a fire can be made from solely magic as well. Don't get magic fire and fire bending confused, because they work on two separate principles altogether.
But we are ignoring the other aspects of Fire here, aren't we?
A fire user could technically control all forms of heat. Heat, as human's feel it, is the movement of atoms within a substance. If a fire user has control over heat, one could stretch it to say that he would control the movement of atoms. That could lead to the control of not only heat, but cold as well. In that way, a fire controller is the boss. He can freeze you in your steps, and there isn't any way you can block that. Or he can heat you to the point if making you turn into gas. You can't block that s**t either.
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 12:45 am
◐ Energy vs. Matter==========Because People Are Stupid ◑ "Energy is Energy, whether magical, natural, or artificial," -Gargoyles.
This fact reigns true. "Life force", mana/magic, chi, chakra, light, electricity, heat, radiation, spiritual, all forms of energy. In such a manner, no form of energy is beyond any other form of energy as all have levels that can exceed and or increase. As such, to use energy, energy must either be gathered and then used, or expended straight out.
Matter is, by scientific definition all particles and atoms that have mass.
In many cases people have taken their powers and have gone to great lengths to fancy up their moves and try and manipulate both even though they have not stated that they can necessarily do both. And why is that important? We often like to think of energy and matter as being equals. That is not true. e=mc² e = Energy m = Mass c = speed of light in a vacuum
Mass and Energy are not interchangeable because by definition matter CAN be destroyed were as mass CANNOT and can only be converted into energy. How is this so? Anti-matter is the polar opposite particle to matter. When they collide, they are destroyed and release pure energy. Therefore, nothing can be reduced to nothingness, just transformed into a different state of being.
I'll get to the point. If you character has the ability to control matter, to change the matter to meet certain criteria, they would have to be able to manipulate energy as well if they were going to turn rock into lava or even more so plasma.
My reasoning? Lava is molten hot rock. To get molten, the rock would have to have a significant amount of heat attributed to it. As for plasma, plasma is the state of atoms that are closest to either becoming energy or results of energy condensing into matter.
Where as the three classical states, gases liquids solids, have to do with the physical position of individual particles, plasma deals with intricate situation of matter going through a structural change itself, a highly unstable one at that.
Now, how is it possible to have mass without matter you ask? Simple. By definition of the above expression, energy and mass cannot and never be destroyed. If that were the case, that would mean energy would constantly leak out of the universe when stuff blew up and would eventually lead to the it decaying till there was absolutely nothing left. Even in RL, our universe is expanding into the vacuum of space. Yes, if this continues then the universe will become a cold empty expanse, but the mass and energy will always be there, just so far spread that they won't be able to come together and create matter.
Quote: Now, I have to say, thanks to Yummy, who has become an instant favorite in my book, has done something I've never seen anyone perform correctly in role-playing history. He explains, while not in gratuitous detail, but still in detail, how he is able to gather the necessary changes such as using the energy released from chemical changes to educe heat. - My other friend, Maxwell. I'm sorry for everyone else, if your power is manipulating matter, if you don't have some way of controlling the heat, then you can't expect to do something like turn rock molten.
◐ Types of Energy ======= Because People Are Stupider Than I First Guessed.◑
So, as far as I see, here is the list:
Physical energy-
Heat, electricity, radiation, microwaves, gamma rays and light. These energies are the classic examples and are known to be, simply by the way we define them, different types of physical energy. Tangible to the regular senses. Things that can be observed in nature through science.
Metaphysical energy-
This is where we get things like Life and mana energies.
Mana/spirit energy/chi/chackra- mana is the radiant energy of the that comes from spirituality. A strong spirit produces strong and/or abundant mana. As such, magic and spiritual magic, as I'm sure I've stated before, should be synonymous. Spirit magic, however, is just spiritual energy, the radiant energy of the spirit, should be synonymous.
Life energy- while we'd like to often think that as spiritual energy, and in some cases, that is true, life energy is actually the glue to the spirit soul and body. While Mana grows with spirit and only decays at death, and sometimes not even then, life energy simply is the fuse that slowly draws to a close. In a some cases, creatures are directly tied to their spiritual energy, such a immortals. When their life energy is dispensed they expire because it is their life fuel. In a vampire, they must feed off of the life blood of others to prolong their own lives.
Soul energy -
Probably the stupidest energy to use, but also the most powerful of those mentioned so far. Soul energy is energy that is "le gasp" wrought from the soul. It is one's will power solidified into raw energy. In most cases, soul energy is focused into "soul weapons" which are representative of a character. Having that weapon shattered or absorbed means that is a part of your soul lost. Some users even fire off beams and lasers. While in some cases I can let this slide, since users of Soul can will their powers to dye off, or rather return, you are still using your very soul, your own essence as a weapon. Examples of this would be Bleach's zanpakuto. In most cases, the breaking of a Zanpakuto means that the fighter's focus, their will, is gone, and it breaking usually signifies them being close to death. While this plays into spirit and life energy, I would like to note that the spirit and soul are not considered one entity in most teachings. Yes we hear body, soul, spirit, less than mind, body, soul, however, could you say that our mind is what tells the body to portray what sort of "spirit" we are in at that moment?
Dimensional energy -
This is a special category for shadow/ darkness users and high order alchemists. Ask for more info.
Shadow/Darkness -
I don't care what people want to say, when you bend a shadow and use it as a manner in which is akin to a blast, you are using dark energy, and I do mean the invisible energy that apparently around 70% of space consists of. As such for a shadow to become tangible, it must be given mass and since we don't want to claim is has an elemental make up, that simply leave the use of dark energy. Point blank. Stop bitching. If they argue, I press this
Alchemy -
There are a lot of cases where characters simply turn a large rock which is likely to be granite, into a steel sword. To pull this off, you would have to turn the matter which have mass, into pure energy of equal mass, and then into a new element. That's not impossible, since matter and and anti-matter are created and destroyed constantly in stars. And before you start whining about matter being destroyed, I repeat matter and mass are not synonymous(look up mass vs relative mass). However, that still means that energy was solidified into a solid state with relative mass.
Special -
Energy sword I'm putting this here because I've been bothered by a few users who have tried to argue that their swords would not be eaten my Revan's. Characters have claimed that, because a weapon appears and acts like metal it should be to solid. However, this is a load of bull. Sure you can take the elements burning in the heat and arrange them in a manner that seems fairly stable and would act in such ways against regular weapons, however, if a weapon is created from pure energy, then it is still pure energy. Point blank. Simply because you can't take a blow torch and have a Star Ears lightsaber-esque fight. The flames would simply pass through each other. Some have even tried to argue about the sun have a solid core. If they would check again, the core is often solid IRON not fire.
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 8:59 am
Only two characters came into mind when I read this. A character named Ruri, a telekinetic ad sound wave user. and André a multi-elemental (( He can only use about 2 to 3 elements and not very well, save if he finds a clever way to use what has been created )) but I'm more focused in the aspect that he's an alchemist, changing one material into another.
Ruri having the ability of sound, could of her own accord scramble brains, but what is sound anyways? It is the clashing of particles and atoms in motion right? And heat is a form of measure of those particles motion? This could fall into air, but then being able to vibrate these particles to create heat would probably make it possible for air users to create heat then, no?
And André as an alchemist he could gather particles or break them down, but ever since that lesson in Chemistry it has brought the possible fact of alchemy backfiring on the alchemist... If every time he broke down a substance and then created a new one this would probably create radiation of sorts. Which would be a hazard to his and everyone else's health.
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 2:37 pm
Hmm, i forgot to mention that vibrating air particles would create heat, which falls into Air as well. thank you for that.
But sound is simple. It is the movement of particles in a wave, through a liquid. I don''t mean the liquid state of mater, i mean a substance that acts like a liquid, i.e. water, air, etc. that is why there is no sound in space, becasue, it's well... empty.
Anyways, using sound would fall into the air element. It is all a matter of making the air behave in a certain way.
And i've used Alchemy to the extreme before. I've made it an art, by at least one guild's standards. I don't think radiation would be created as long as the alchemist was trained to use his form of alchemy correctly. I have also made a post about different alchemy types, but I wasn't planning on posting it until someone asked.
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 8:37 pm
Well that could be useful as of now. Since my character André does tend to use plenty of alchemy in a serious battle i.e.: creating bullets to replenish his magazines- though he won't have as many as he originally had. Equivalent exchange isn't exactly my way of flow. You'd need a little more than the given, like the appliance of energy, to just repair a single object.
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 8:45 pm
The way i use Alchemy is simply. Asu, my character, has control of matter within a space. This space can be changed at will, as long as it has the same amount of volume within it. He can also move this area at will.
Imagine it like this. You have a bubble. Inside this bubble, you can do anything. You can even change the shape of the bubble, as well as move the bubble with your will. Simple as that.
Anyways, within his area, that is where Asu will use his Alchemy. I use the simile to knitting needles. He will usually use the air itself to begin, and using a plethora of techniques, he will actually change the number of protons, nuetrons, and electrons, to change each atom into a different substance. He controls the radiation by using said radiation to further power his technique, and carefully gauging it.
At this point, Asu can use the collected atoms to begin fashioning objects. As the object is fashioned, air is used up, creating an area where air isn't. In this case, air being liquid, more air rushes in to take it's place. So as the finished object comes through one end, more of the needed air will funnel in.
Knitting needles.
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Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2011 5:26 pm
I can see how that would work with Alpha and Beta radiation, but not so quite with Gamma, if at all Alchemy could very well create an atom bomb if the Alchemist decided to go kamikaze.
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 9:36 am
Do you think a water user could control someone's body/blood, being made mostly of water?
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Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2012 10:13 pm
Wow, I missed this. My bad guys.
Anyways, you are right. If an alchemist, at least how I see alchemy, was to wish it, he could make an atom bomb. I've used controlled nuclear reactions in roleplay before. Let me explain;
A nuclear bomb works by the breaking of an element's atom, lets say hydrogen, and turning it into helium, which is one less. That is essentially taking a ball, and cutting it in half. The first ball is hydrogen, the two balls helium. By breaking the atom in half, you will have a release in energy. The controlled explosion created in bombs comes from the process repeating hundreds upon millions of times, in which case making a huge explosion. Using that knowledge, I have, in the past, used smaller nuclear explosions. Instead of having the explosion carry on to hundreds of thousands of explosions, i created only a few, smaller ones, which led to a much smaller explosion.
That is the much smarter case to use, when in a roleplay.
Now onto blood.
No matter how much I hate to admit it, yes, you can. But it applies to the same rules as using mud would. It isn't all water now, is it? There are tons of other materials within your blood. Plasma, Blood cells, blah blah blah. those are made of baser proteins and lipids, which then gets into biology and such. But as I stated, a water bender wouldn't be able to control all of what's in blood, making blood more of an earthen area by my standards. Same with bone; Bone being made of 65% non organic stuffing, with only a 35% organic structure. If we are going to control stuff in one's body, I'd say go for an earth bender who could make your bones get spikey, or even go so far as to disconnect the tissues from your bone, rendering the target a blob.
In retrospect, I'd say while it is possible, it'd be more difficult to bend than normal water would.
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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 1:06 pm
Well I would imagine a "water bender" could sap the water out of an opponent's body and dehydrate them, or be able to gather water in certain parts of the body, say the lungs drowning the victim, or perhaps even a lymph node rupturing it and filling the victim's vessels with their own bodily toxin. The the process would be somewhat difficult since the water would have to go through a whole bunch of membranes.
Hunh, when you think about it, living organisms can be so fragile and easy to manipulate.
I have thought of using alchemy to break down blood cells and whatnot to create metal poisonings. And perhaps a tumor or two.
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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 1:14 pm
It's all about difficulty then, don't you think? It would be hard as ******** to just go and separate water from a human body. There is just so much stuff wither bonded to water, or holding water back that it would be too difficult to use in a combat situation. I've seen people try it, and seen them trying it against me. It's easy enough to counter, with both the time it takes, and the energy required to perform such a thing.
Same with the tumors and such. It's just difficult enough that it isn't good in a combat situation.
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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 5:05 pm
Well I wouldn't imagine giving another character a fully blown needs-to-be-removed-immediately tumor. One small defect created in the body and it's just a matter of time, which I think makes it all the more brutally cold.
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