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A symbolic puzzle
Mar. 14th, 2003 06:28 pmWorld-building is lots of fun. It's the subsequent search for a suitable plot bunny that gets annoying. So I tend to just world-build.
Now, however, I've been hung-up on something for months.
Without getting into all the background, I've been trying to devise a correspondence between the elements and weaponry. Imagine "Captain Planet" set in medieval times, if that helps. These aren't "magical" weapons (though they might as well be), but I suppose you can think of them that way, if it helps. The weapon needs to both symbolize the element and also act as a metaphor of sorts for controlling that element, channeling the intent of the wielder. So far I've got three of four:
Earth: mace or warhammer. Solid, blunt, forceful,just like the element. Striking the ground is the perfect means for causing shockwaves or opening cracks or whatever other sort of earth-moving action you might want to perform.
Air: whip. We're talking a massive, ugly, brutal thing, one that probably moves in defiance of natural law, but that's ok because it's "magic" (focus for psychic energy). It can be a potent weapon because you can do serious slashing damage with a hard-tipped whip...and at a distance too, flaying and slicing, etc. The whip flows like the wind, hence the symbolic connection. Crack it and project a shockwave, spin it more like a lariat and create a whirlwind (it sounds a bit silly, but could probably work if described properly).
Fire: sword, spear. The flaming sword is an old, old symbol. Spears also work symbolically, piercing, pointed, sharp, etc. I lean towards the sword myself, though it's a bit cliche. The control metaphor is just using the blade like a firebrand/flame thrower nozzle. Not too complicated.
Water: ??. This is the tricky one that's had me stumped for a while now. What weapon corresponds with water? We're not looking for a _modern_ weapon so the wiseacres who say "hose" are asking for trouble. What's a good metaphor for controlling water anyway? Is it only tubes? What characteristics of water might you find in a weapon? So far the best I can do is the trident, but that's not so much associated with water as it is with fish (and Greek mythology). I can see the trident as a good control focus, just not as a good direct symbol. The trident could treat the water as a semi-solid mass, like a pitchfork with hay or a fork with spaghetti, swirling around to stir up whirlpools and maelstroms, or flinging it like a geyser or water cannon (getting struck with a mass of water can be brutal. Lots of mass). But a trident doesn't look like water, right? Water is fluid and a trident is angular and pointy...something water notably is not, among other dissonances. So what then? I've almost given up and have started to regularly incorporate the trident into my mental musings, but maybe someone out in LJ land might have a brainstorm. It's a shot, at least.
::sigh:: These are the sort of baffling and completely irrelevant questions that haunt my life these days.
Now, however, I've been hung-up on something for months.
Without getting into all the background, I've been trying to devise a correspondence between the elements and weaponry. Imagine "Captain Planet" set in medieval times, if that helps. These aren't "magical" weapons (though they might as well be), but I suppose you can think of them that way, if it helps. The weapon needs to both symbolize the element and also act as a metaphor of sorts for controlling that element, channeling the intent of the wielder. So far I've got three of four:
Earth: mace or warhammer. Solid, blunt, forceful,just like the element. Striking the ground is the perfect means for causing shockwaves or opening cracks or whatever other sort of earth-moving action you might want to perform.
Air: whip. We're talking a massive, ugly, brutal thing, one that probably moves in defiance of natural law, but that's ok because it's "magic" (focus for psychic energy). It can be a potent weapon because you can do serious slashing damage with a hard-tipped whip...and at a distance too, flaying and slicing, etc. The whip flows like the wind, hence the symbolic connection. Crack it and project a shockwave, spin it more like a lariat and create a whirlwind (it sounds a bit silly, but could probably work if described properly).
Fire: sword, spear. The flaming sword is an old, old symbol. Spears also work symbolically, piercing, pointed, sharp, etc. I lean towards the sword myself, though it's a bit cliche. The control metaphor is just using the blade like a firebrand/flame thrower nozzle. Not too complicated.
Water: ??. This is the tricky one that's had me stumped for a while now. What weapon corresponds with water? We're not looking for a _modern_ weapon so the wiseacres who say "hose" are asking for trouble. What's a good metaphor for controlling water anyway? Is it only tubes? What characteristics of water might you find in a weapon? So far the best I can do is the trident, but that's not so much associated with water as it is with fish (and Greek mythology). I can see the trident as a good control focus, just not as a good direct symbol. The trident could treat the water as a semi-solid mass, like a pitchfork with hay or a fork with spaghetti, swirling around to stir up whirlpools and maelstroms, or flinging it like a geyser or water cannon (getting struck with a mass of water can be brutal. Lots of mass). But a trident doesn't look like water, right? Water is fluid and a trident is angular and pointy...something water notably is not, among other dissonances. So what then? I've almost given up and have started to regularly incorporate the trident into my mental musings, but maybe someone out in LJ land might have a brainstorm. It's a shot, at least.
::sigh:: These are the sort of baffling and completely irrelevant questions that haunt my life these days.
