From: ikonoqlast@gmail.com   
      
   On Tuesday, August 26, 2014 6:33:00 AM UTC-7, A. Tina Hall wrote:   
      
      
   > But behind that throughout the book it shows various ways of how the   
   >   
   > people are controlled by the magic in them; it dictates instincts and   
   >   
   > likes, dislikes, abilities (and the magic they can use, naturally), and   
   >   
   > even what environment is healthy or unhealthy, replacing evolution for   
   >   
   > these people. Smarter people have some control, are aware of how the   
   >   
   > magic drives them to do things and can work to counter it, but it's not   
   >   
   > easy. The magic is like a force of nature, perhaps best compared to   
   >   
   > water. How to stop a flood, or a wave, and what if that's not physical   
   >   
   > but in someone's head drowning out their conscious thoughts?   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   > There are 10 different tribes that each have different magic. (Plus the   
   >   
   > bad guys.) It's not called Seasons&Elements for no reason, there are   
   >   
   > Night people, Earth people, Autumn, Fire, Summer, Water, Spring, Air,   
   >   
   > Winter, and Magic people.   
      
      
   Ideas   
      
   1- people who don't fit the stereotype, or who fit the wrong stereotype.   
      
   2- nature(who you really are) versus demeanor (who you seem to others).  Even   
   if nature is externally fixed, if your demeanor doesn't match how will others   
   react to you?   
      
      
      
      
   > Some of the tribes and how they differ is introduced in the first book,   
   >   
   > while they hunt for the bad guys and then free those that had been   
   >   
   > abducted.   
      
      
   3 Are good and bad as obvious as they initially seem?  Contesting ideas of   
   good may look evil to one another.  And evil may call itself good, or even   
   seem so.   
      
   This is close to my heart because as an economist I often promote good that   
   others in their ignorance deem 'evil', while promoting ideas themselves that   
   they think are good, but are evil from where I sit.   
      
      
      
      
   > Another problem caused by magic turns up and is solved. Another minor   
   >   
   > problem might be heading for a solution. They are all gathering for a   
   >   
   > festival in a new area where people from different tribes live mixed   
   >   
   > (which isn't a good idea, but necessary right then).   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   > Now what?   
      
      
   4 Previous solution is now the problem...   
      
      
      
      
      
   > The tribe's areas are protected, I can't have someone being dumb and   
   >   
   > wandering outside the protected areas (not even the air-headed Spring   
   >   
   > tribe).   
      
      
   5 Why not?  People often don't listen or believe.  'Why should I heed YOUR   
   rules... blah blah blah'   
      
      
      
      
   > 15 more years have to be covered for the kids to turn into adults and do   
   >   
   > what the characters planned will fix everything. Their solution makes   
   >   
   > sense to me. But how to get there?   
      
      
   6 Ah, but the kids won't go along with the plan...   
      
      
      
      
      
      
   > Maybe I just need a viewpoint to start writing with (it's multiple tight   
   >   
   > third), but I don't even know who to pick for that.   
      
      
   7 Teen rebelling against older generation and their plans.  Can they even   
   comprehend the explanation of whys and wherefores?   
      
      
   In general I have two recommendations-   
      
   A) role playing games (other than dnd), they often have interesting takes.  I   
   got the nature v demeanor stoff from an old edition of Vampire, the Masquerade.   
      
      
   B) the podcast Ken and Robin Talk about Stuff, by Ken Hite and Robin D Laws,   
   both high order game designers.  They often talk about this sort of thing, as   
   storytelling is their lives.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)