ooc Salem University OOC (Open)

[Buck Testa 5,503]

@Denim&Venom Child of the corn I love it. Made me think of Corn Stalks turned ballistic missiles 

[reader8363 1,281]

I'm going to be offline for two days, will be able to post Wednesday

[Buck Testa 5,503]

@Duality Question. Is there a name for magic users? Something that non powered people would call them? Or they'd call themselves?

I'm working on a post and I want to know if that is a thing.

[dragon4111 914]

@Duality@Buck Testa@Passion

Actually yeah is that a thing?

[Duality 10,738]

3 hours ago, Buck Testa said:

@Duality Question. Is there a name for magic users? Something that non powered people would call them? Or they'd call themselves?

I'm working on a post and I want to know if that is a thing.

1 hour ago, dragon4111 said:

@Duality@Buck Testa@Passion

Actually yeah is that a thing?

That's a good question, actually. Duality's referred to magic users as mages a good few times, but that's mostly just due to ease of use on my part; I hadn't really thought it over until now.

I think that words for 'magic user' would be distinctly region-variant, as with most slang, but for America (the university's general location) 'magus' shall be the conventional term, unless anyone would prefer it otherwise. 'Mage' shall henceforth be the British term for magic-users (since the America/Britain dialect divide is notorious and Duality uses quite a lot of exclusively British slang already), 'thaumaturgist' shall be the formal scientific term, 'magician' shall be derogatory (implying merely sleight-of-hand/smoke-and-mirror powers), 'warper' and similar variants shall be heavily derogatory (implying that magic-users are abominations), and 'gramaryian' - one who practices gramarye - shall be an archaic term that is only found in very old tomes (in case anyone wants to implement that).

Are those sufficient names to meet your needs? 

Edited August 8, 2018 by Duality

[dragon4111 914]

@Duality

Hmm well I think titles is what we're thinking of my friend.

[Duality 10,738]

1 minute ago, dragon4111 said:

@Duality

Hmm well I think titles is what we're thinking of my friend.

What sort of titles? Like a title that all magic users are granted regardless of power level or an accomplishment-based system?

[dragon4111 914]

@Duality

Like based on their powers for Ghalan.. His title could be Ghalan of the void or Ghalan of the Blackhole.

[Passion 3,478]

Ira's already known as "Frosthawk", a nickname given to her by people who had the pleasure of seeing her powers and which she gained over the time studying at University.

 

Ley will never adapt a nickname of sort. She is already known as the descendant of the Crimson River and this should be enough. In her eyes, adapting a nickname is like telling your enemy what kind of powers you possess. Why give them the upper hand?

[Duality 10,738]

23 minutes ago, dragon4111 said:

@Duality

Like based on their powers for Ghalan.. His title could be Ghalan of the void or Ghalan of the Blackhole.

I mean, there's nothing stopping your character from giving himself a title dramatically describing his magic - it's pretty traditional, after all, and Ira's already got one -, but I advise not showing it off, since it would almost certainly come across as arrogant. The university makes a policy of refusing to give out official titles for people based on their magic for similar reasons (normal people would end up regarding all mages as prideful snobs if they all walked around flaunting their fancy official magic-titles), but they do give out special titles for those who have done exceptional good with their magic (in very rare cases, approximately analogous to knighthoods).

[dragon4111 914]

@Duality

I know my friend

[Buck Testa 5,503]

2 hours ago, Duality said:

That's a good question, actually. Duality's referred to magic users as mages a good few times, but that's mostly just due to ease of use on my part; I hadn't really thought it over until now.

I think that words for 'magic user' would be distinctly region-variant, as with most slang, but for America (the university's general location) 'magus' shall be the conventional term, unless anyone would prefer it otherwise. 'Mage' shall henceforth be the British term for magic-users (since the America/Britain dialect divide is notorious and Duality uses quite a lot of exclusively British slang already), 'thaumaturgist' shall be the formal scientific term, 'magician' shall be derogatory (implying merely sleight-of-hand/smoke-and-mirror powers), 'warper' and similar variants shall be heavily derogatory (implying that magic-users are abominations), and 'gramaryian' - one who practices gramarye - shall be an archaic term that is only found in very old tomes (in case anyone wants to implement that).

Are those sufficient names to meet your needs? 

That's perfect, thank youz.

Also, is there like, class levels of threats?

Mutants in marvel for instance have:

Epsilon class: These mutant abilities are more like disabilities and hamper quality of life. No real advantage is gained.

Delta: A minor and rather unimpressive ability with very specific applications and downsides. 

Gamma: Versitile powers that dont have much force behind them. 

Beta: Strong mutant abilities that aren't very Versitile. Wolverine and Mistique for example.

Alpha: Powerful and Versitile mutant abilities with no clear downsides. They do have limits to how far their abilities can go however.

Omega: These mutants have no upper limit to how hard they can push their mutant abilities. Among their ranks include reality warpers and people who can affect things on a planetary level and far beyond. 

 

[dragon4111 914]

@Buck Testa

So what level of that would make Ghalan?

[Buck Testa 5,503]

7 minutes ago, dragon4111 said:

@Buck Testa

So what level of that would make Ghalan?

If he were a mutant? Not sure as he really didn't get to show off. Probably in the high Alpha range or low Omega (Omegas are really bullshit).

[dragon4111 914]

@Buck Testa

Alright just asking my friend

[Duality 10,738]

On 8/8/2018 at 3:31 PM, Buck Testa said:

Also, is there like, class levels of threats?

Mutants in marvel for instance have:

Epsilon class: These mutant abilities are more like disabilities and hamper quality of life. No real advantage is gained.

Delta: A minor and rather unimpressive ability with very specific applications and downsides. 

Gamma: Versitile powers that dont have much force behind them. 

Beta: Strong mutant abilities that aren't very Versitile. Wolverine and Mistique for example.

Alpha: Powerful and Versitile mutant abilities with no clear downsides. They do have limits to how far their abilities can go however.

Omega: These mutants have no upper limit to how hard they can push their mutant abilities. Among their ranks include reality warpers and people who can affect things on a planetary level and far beyond. 

The university isn't primarily a threat-countering task force, so standardised labels aren't really necessary for them to use. If precise classifications of mages were needed in a given situation, "GIANT PLANT MONSTER DESTROYING THE ENTIRE DUELLING HALL" would probably contain all practically necessary information, methinks. 

I could whip up a reasonable class system if you were planning on a source more militant than the university using it, though.

[Denim&Venöm 16,517]

On August 7, 2018 at 8:07 PM, Duality said:

That's a good question, actually. Duality's referred to magic users as mages a good few times, but that's mostly just due to ease of use on my part; I hadn't really thought it over until now.

I think that words for 'magic user' would be distinctly region-variant, as with most slang, but for America (the university's general location) 'magus' shall be the conventional term, unless anyone would prefer it otherwise. 'Mage' shall henceforth be the British term for magic-users (since the America/Britain dialect divide is notorious and Duality uses quite a lot of exclusively British slang already), 'thaumaturgist' shall be the formal scientific term, 'magician' shall be derogatory (implying merely sleight-of-hand/smoke-and-mirror powers), 'warper' and similar variants shall be heavily derogatory (implying that magic-users are abominations), and 'gramaryian' - one who practices gramarye - shall be an archaic term that is only found in very old tomes (in case anyone wants to implement that).

Are those sufficient names to meet your needs? 

How about enchanted? And the duragatory term could be 'chant', like chanting a curse.

[Duality 10,738]

3 minutes ago, Denim&Venom said:

How about enchanted? And the duragatory term could be 'chant', like chanting a curse.

Feel free to add your own character-specific terms for magic-users, my post is just there to serve as something of a general idea portfolio. 'Chanter' does have a firmly demeaning implication of dead-eyed, droning spellcasters, though; I like it. 

[Passion 3,478]

Just try to make sure we all will be able to understand what you guys have in mind, as we're playing around word formation and I'm worried we'll soon have terms I'll have no idea how to refer to, as their meaning will be perceived differently by others than the OP.

[Buck Testa 5,503]

1 hour ago, Passion said:

Just try to make sure we all will be able to understand what you guys have in mind, as we're playing around word formation and I'm worried we'll soon have terms I'll have no idea how to refer to, as their meaning will be perceived differently by others than the OP.

It's more that we are trying to flesh the world out. People have proper and derogatory names for all kinds of things and people in reality. Harry Potter for instance has a number of these examples. 

[Denim&Venöm 16,517]

Me thinks ordinary folk should be referred to as mundanes, or mundies for short. . 

[Duality 10,738]

7 hours ago, Denim&Venom said:

Me thinks ordinary folk should be referred to as mundanes, or mundies for short. . 

That term, however, smacks of elitism bordering on racism (magism?), so make sure your characters keep their voice low when they use it if you don't want them to get in trouble. 

[Denim&Venöm 16,517]

9 hours ago, Duality said:

That term, however, smacks of elitism bordering on racism (magism?), so make sure your characters keep their voice low when they use it if you don't want them to get in trouble. 

Exactly.

When you walk around with magic powers, why would you keep your voice low, unless it's to avoid ticking off those with even stronger magical powers.

So what would you recommend in terms of less demeaning terms to describe the non-magic folk, that hasn't been used by Harry Potter? 

BTW what is the ratio of magic users to nons? Oh there's one we could use. Nons. 

[Duality 10,738]

32 minutes ago, Denim&Venom said:

When you walk around with magic powers, why would you keep your voice low, unless it's to avoid ticking off those with even stronger magical powers.

Or to avoid getting publicly shamed online in a veritable firestorm of retaliation from untold thousands of magic-equality keyboard warriors.

Ain't no powers that can shield you against that. 

32 minutes ago, Denim&Venom said:

So what would you recommend in terms of less demeaning terms to describe the non-magic folk, that hasn't been used by Harry Potter? 

The best one I can think of at the moment that doesn't sound overtly patronising is the term 'Arthurs' (in the sense of contrasting the non-magical King Arthur to the famously magical Merlin), but some further thought might be in order.

Edited August 10, 2018 by Duality

[Passion 3,478]

10 hours ago, Duality said:

That term, however, smacks of elitism bordering on racism (magism?), so make sure your characters keep their voice low when they use it if you don't want them to get in trouble. 

 

I'm pretty sure this would be a matter of preference and personality. I can absolutely see more power-driven and control-mad characters remain absolutely ... racist, towards non-magic users due to the superiority they'd feel they possess.

I think Ley, if not for her family image, would be one such example.

 

35 minutes ago, Duality said:

Or to avoid getting publicly shamed online in a veritable firestorm of retaliation from untold thousands of magic-equality keyboard warriors.

Ain't no powers that can shield you against that. 

 

Y'see, the issue I see here is that in our world this works because there are quite effective ways of putting you down should you take your views to public. I'm not sure people would be just as happy, outside of online, to go out and tick off a person who can wipe you off of the ground of earth with one snap of fingers.

Sure, there are laws etc etc, but would you normally joke about or mock a man with a gun pointed at you?