1. Shimario

    Shimario Member

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    Describing fast movement

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by Shimario, Dec 13, 2016.

    So in my book, i have people that can move as fast as cars and trains on foot, thanks to their powers. And i was wondering if it was ok to use this as a form of travel instead of using like a horse or something. I can give an example of what i've written if need be.
     
  2. David Lee

    David Lee Member

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    So are you asking for an idea on what fast movement is like for the person moving, what it feels like or what the social effect is or what? It's an interesting thought on all levels. Since the people in your book already have this ability then it would be the norm for them. Is it a select group of people? I feel like the backstory on this would shed a little more light, can you explain more?
     
  3. Mikmaxs

    Mikmaxs Senior Member

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    That depends. Does it tire them out? A normal human can run at 10-15mph in short bursts, but it's not something that's practical because it wears them out quickly and causes unpleasant side effects in the immediate short term. (Sweatiness, mussed hair, mussed clothes, etc.) Are they immune to weather and cold? Because if not, then running at 80mph during a chilly day is going to be absolutely miserable, and running at 80mph during a day with freezing rain and high windspeed is going to be hellish. Are they also indestructible, or at least hyper durable? Because if not, getting into a traffic collision is going to kill them. (Heck, running into someone or tripping on a loose stone by the road is pretty darn deadly.)
     
  4. WNP

    WNP Member

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    You also need to consider if they have super reflexes too. It's all well and good being able to run at super speeds, but human reflexes aren't designed for it, so people would end up running into walls or a car that pull out in front of them, and killing themselves.

    I always liked the idea of superheroes with these types of limitations, as it makes things more interesting
     
  5. tonguetied

    tonguetied Contributor Contributor

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    I think David Lee's question is important to give you decent feedback. If humans can run at 80mph say, does that mean a Cheetah can run at over 200mph? Compared to a tortoise humans look like Flash Gordon. The ability to carry things while running this fast is also important, we use things like horses and donkeys to carry our burdens and of course have cars which I assume in your story are not existing. If you do have vehicles how fast do they go? The energy needed to move generally goes up exponentially, so double your speed you need about four times as much energy. Our circulatory system really doesn't supply enough oxygen enriched blood to support this so you would either end up with cramps after every burst or you need to change the overall physiology of their bodies or just simply hand wave it all and do as you please.
     
  6. Shimario

    Shimario Member

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    Well their not normal humans since they have powers. Basically they can draw energy from the void to increase their speed and they use this to travel and fight fastly if need be. Yes they get cold, but they can warm themselves up with clothing as well as with their abilities. And no their not indestructible either, but they can endure lots of things (again thanks to their powers). Also, they're not going to be running on the road, they're going to be running through the wilds or dirt roads with no cars on them. Also, they can survive getting hit by a car, because again their not normal humans, but at the same time their not indestructible either.
     
  7. Shimario

    Shimario Member

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    Well basically in my book there are people called Psiphers (warriors who draw power from the void) that can basically do all kinds of things by using the void (almost anything). And they can use the void to move really fast, kind of like the Flash and i was just wondering if it was ok to use this as a form of travel for them and if i would need to describe their surroundings while they were moving.
     
  8. newjerseyrunner

    newjerseyrunner Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2022

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    Runners divide types of running into their strides: walking, jogging, striding, running, sprinting. I assume in order to move up again, our stride would change again and we'd just call it whatever we call that stride (personally I'd call it a gallop.)

    Have humans evolved differently in your world? There is no reason for humans to be fast, we're distance runners. We can't outrun an antelope, but we can jog behind it and not let it rest until it heat-strokes. We sweat, so we can cool ourselves and breathe at the same time. We are the most efficient runners that have ever existed in earth (by a very very wide margin.)
     
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  9. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

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    I'm not clear on what you mean by "OK". It sounds a little like you're asking for a rules opinion on a game. But this isn't a game; it's your fiction. You pretty much get to decide what's OK, what should be described, what can be assumed, and so on.

    Can you clarify exactly what you mean by "OK"?
     
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  10. antlad

    antlad Banned

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    If you don't, then think of why they don't. Readers will expect them to do it. Things like this are often offset by doing good deeds for normals.
     
  11. NiallRoach

    NiallRoach Contributor Contributor

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    Absolutely not! Article 4.637 of the treatise on superpowers in fiction, 1957, explicitly forbids the use of such abilities as super speed, strength, and hair growth for any activity but the smacking down of evil geniuses and comic effect in the bedroom!
    The secret police will be with you shortly to take you to camp Dickens, where you will be reeducated.
     
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  12. Shadowfax

    Shadowfax Contributor Contributor

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    More efficient than, say, African Hunting Dogs?
     
  13. NiallRoach

    NiallRoach Contributor Contributor

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    Try getting a dog to run a marathon at a constant jog.
    Canines are sprinters. Catch the prey in a couple of seconds and tear their hamstring out.

    The fact that endurance hunting exists, chasing an animal until it drops (almost) dead from exhaustion amongst some hunter gatherers says an awful lot about how we are built. Slow and steady wins the race. Unless you're racing a leopard, in which case slow and steady gets you gored. You win some, you lose some.
     
  14. Shadowfax

    Shadowfax Contributor Contributor

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    NO.

    Felines are sprinters, canines are distance runners.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_wild_dog
    The African wild dog...is a specialised diurnal hunter of antelopes, which it catches by chasing them to exhaustion.

    They are also, like humans, highly social animals, employing their social skills to combine for the hunt. (Something that lionesses also do.)

    Incidentally, a leopard won't gore you, it doesn't have the tusks for it.
     
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  15. Simpson17866

    Simpson17866 Contributor Contributor

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    Which is actually the reason we never domesticated hunting cats the way we domesticated hunting dogs: cats couldn't hunt with us ;)
     
  16. newjerseyrunner

    newjerseyrunner Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2022

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    Yes, by a huge margin. Being erect gives us a massive mechanical advantage and our respiration system only adds to our advantage. Dogs are faster, but we burn a tenth of the calories that they do going the same distance.
     
  17. Seren

    Seren Writeaholic

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    I think using this as a form of travel will really depend on the situation. At some point, they probably are going to want to get in a car so that they can actually ferry stuff around. Or travel on a horse and cart, if modern technology does not exist. Right now I'm picturing this ability to be somewhat like what Edward and his sparkly vampire friends can do in Twilight, except a lot faster. They run quickly when the situation requires it, or when a normal human would walk anyway, but they still drive to most places. No matter how strong your people are and what powers they have, no one can ever have an endless energy reserve. If they're running through a rainstorm, surely they can't use their powers to run quickly and keep themselves warm for very long. They're now spending their energy on two things that are going to drain them a lot faster than doing one, like keeping themselves warm while they ride a horse. If the situation is not life-or-death, doing things manually and like a normal human would probably make more sense. Especially if they ran somewhere the day before, and the day before that...
     

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