1. Sarah Everheart

    Sarah Everheart New Member

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    Need help fleshing out plot

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by Sarah Everheart, Feb 21, 2015.

    So my plot idea is rather unformed, but overall goes something like this. Based upon the multiple worlds theory governed by quantum physics, there are multiple worlds abundant throughout an influx of space and time. It's relatively difficult to traverse but it does exist. And our world, yeah we're better off if we didn't mess up other worlds on top of our own.

    One day though, our world is visited. In another world, one governed by a magical form of science and one where people aren't always fully human. their world is dying, and their powers no long work on it as their universe has grown too used to their magic to be effected by it. it's built of a natural immunity, and without their magic to help them with everything from growing crops to cleaning their water to everything else, their society doesn't know how to function or survive. Which is when they came up with the idea. They traversed the multi-verse and came up with the short end of the straw and settled here.

    Coming to this world they introduce themselves with this story and set up shop, agreeing not to get into this world's countries squabbles or take any one side against the other in the human's wars. The humans are skeptical at first but eventually grow to accept the other group.

    There are obviously many ways I could take this story like perhaps generations later the same thing that happened to their world is happening to ours and they know this and they do this jumping from world to world.
     
  2. GingerCoffee

    GingerCoffee Web Surfer Girl Contributor

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    Hi Sarah, welcome to the forum.

    Were it me, I'd need something more purposeful than just this skeleton. It's like you have a setting but don't know what story to tell within it.

    Instead of pondering what events, pieces, characters to put in your story, try thinking instead, what story do you want to tell? Multiverse sounds interesting. But is this a universe or a planet? I doubt people on one planet would be peachy with a new population invading their space even if the new group promised to be nice. But if you changed universes, wouldn't there be trillions of planets to choose from?

    I notice you think America is sad. Why is that? Is that a story you want to tell?

    It sounds like a big piece of the story is determining the characteristics of the populations. Are they humans? Is your story about human flaws or their better qualities? By exaggerating or eliminating particular characteristics in the populations of these different universes you could tell a story about that side of humanity.

    But you first have to decide, what is the story you want to tell?
     
  3. Aled James Taylor

    Aled James Taylor Contributor Contributor

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    Are you aiming for a short story or a novel?

    I'd think about an individual rather than the big picture. What is life like for one person, what problems does he/she face, what does he/she do to bring about a resolution to those problems?

    I'd choose the setting to suit the story. If it's essential to the plot that there be no telephones, a historical setting etc, whatever best suits your story. There'd be no point in explaining all about the multiverse, if you then tell a boy meets girl type of story, unless there is some essential element that can only be there in this scenario.
     
    GingerCoffee likes this.
  4. Megalith

    Megalith Contributor Contributor

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    seems interesting, but like you said, unless you add something like 'this death of worlds' event, you are missing some conflict. You could have this idea be specifically about these otherworldly people and their attempt to merge with humans.

    You can say a lot by what type of people these magical beings are like. they seems pretty friendly but that can be what makes it hard for them to relate and connect to humanity. Maybe they initially have a hatred for how apathetic we are and merely co-exist because we could overpower them with numbers easily. Maybe their is a division between the magical beings, ones that see humanity as, 'not so bad' and the ones that are hellbent on our destruction 'for the sake of the world' type of thing. You can even relate that to this 'Death of worlds' event. Something like, the magical beings who want to enslave/destroy/harm/control humanity can use the event to accomplish their goal in one mission, but the people who believe in humanity's goodness,(You can have their human friend get in on the action) try and stop it.

    Just a few ideas, but their is still a lot to work out. Like characters and so forth. It just depends, like @GingerCoffee said. It's more about telling the story you want to tell.

    EDIT: Wanted to add that the ideas I have are fairly unoriginal by themselves. It's taking the basic things we all know and twisting them to your own. So keep that in mind if anything I said interested you. :)
     
    Last edited: Feb 21, 2015
  5. HelloImRex

    HelloImRex Senior Member

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    In the infinite universe theory the laws of physics still apply to all the parallel universes. There wouldn't randomly be magic in one. There is the thing about rare events happening like being able to walk through a wall with a 1/10^70 chance, but it wouldn't suddenly be less rare in another parallel universe. I suggest going the way where the newcomers have technology so advanced it seems like magic but it is still technology.

    I think the main draw of parallel universes is to have the same characters in both and highlight their similarities and differences. If it is done well it brings up questions of free will since it makes one wonder how much circumstance matters.
     
  6. Megalith

    Megalith Contributor Contributor

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    You are limiting yourself. Magic in a different universe is fine and can be explained using convincing sophism all the same, if you even need the explanation. parallel universe's do not have to have duplicates of people either. And the physical laws fundamental variables are expected to change between universe's, depending on what multi-verse theory you are using.
     
  7. HelloImRex

    HelloImRex Senior Member

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    If its talking about parallel universes, each parallel universe is made based on a probability. If a coin is flipped a parallel universe is made where it lands heads and a universe is made when it lands tails. That is oversimplification as actually an infinite number would be made just on the angle of the coin flip and place it landed, but they stem from a common point and diverge from there. At the beginning of the universe the physical constants were set so they would be the same. Each universe would have the same set of physical laws.

    If its talking about a completely separate universe then it is possible however unbelievable. If it is a separate universe everything becomes a problem. What if that universe isn't made out of atoms? Why wouldn't everything just explode upon entering like antimatter to matter? Why would it randomly exist in three dimensions if the constants were all different? How could life even exist if the constants were off by that much, much variations would probably yield an inhospitable universe.

    I think limitations are good as too many coincidences become too improbable for the reader. Saying that the other universe has technology so advanced it seems like magic is a likely explanation that doesn't limit the mechanics of the story.
     
  8. Megalith

    Megalith Contributor Contributor

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    The problem with that theory is that every fundamental building block of 'matter' is composed of these probability functions. I'm all for Copenhagen's interpretation, but the 'parallel' multi-world's' theory that it spawned is more than slightly farfetched.

    The theory requires that new universe spawn with each of these probability calculations, determined with their interaction with the rest of the universe. That is an infinite number of universe being created every planksec that are in a slightly different superposition than our universe. That means there is a me spawning in front of his computer, typing away without ever knowing he was just created by such a small amount of varying energy.

    Personally I like the theory which posits that their is a universe for each slight change in the variables of our current one. With an infinite amount of possibilities, it would be problematic to assume that all other arrangements would result in a universe that doesn't do anything but make a bunch of black holes. We don't have the kind of knowledge to say such a thing. Or to even determine what would happen to a being who entered such a different place.
     
  9. Stephane Levas

    Stephane Levas New Member

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    Quick idea:
    As we know more about these outsiders, the protagonist of the story discovers that their world was similar to ours, a long time ago. I our world and in their world, the first inhabitants were hunter-gatherers. But at some point in history, they began to manifest magical abilities while in our world, we developped science and invented agriculture. The protagonist of the story realise that if we didnt choose the science path, we could have evolved magical abilities. He decides to test his hypothesis.
     

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