hey everyone, I don't know if you've ever seen the show Avatar: the Last Airbender, but if you haven't, the people in it control the elements through martial-arts inspired movements. I want to have something similar in a book i want to write. in Avatar it is called "bending" the elements. There are waterbenders, firebenders, earthbenders, and airbenders. The problem is i cant think of A title like "bending" for my book. "manipulating" is what it is, but its too many syllables to be used as a general term. anyways, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions to other titles similar to "bending" I hope this is the right place to put this = ] anything is appreciated!!
Hmm... Something like bending, huh? First off, I think you should explain your magic system. From what you say, we can know you're basing it on the elements, but there are endless possibilities. Avatar: The Last Airbender's element-bending is used via martial arts, so the verb bend just seems right. But I don't know. Maybe the verb flow?
I agree with Etan, do you really need a special term? If so, I don't think you should compare it to bending, otherwise people might think you're ripping it off.
thanks for the feedback well, no, I don't necessarily need a special term but it would be way easier to write about if I had a general term I could use when describing anything having to do with the action of element control. hmmm, I guess it would be a verb? As for the background, I'm not entirely sure yet. Its going to be like regular, weaponless combat, only with use of the elements. As opposed to standing relatively still and controlling them with your mind. I suppose the only other option would be a staff or something which I'm not sure I want. but yeah I was really just trying to find a special name for it. I want to be able to use that term rather than explaining it in more detail every time someone controls an element. I hope that made sense. if not, nevermind.
you call it elemental magic...or "aid" (water aid, wind aid), or control (fire control, earth control)
Kool Aid... ITS PERFECT! haha but I really like sculpting, maybe I'll look at that and some synonyms. I especially like it because the people that can sculpt can be called sculptors. thanks everyone, I don't want to rip off avatar but hopefully it will be easier to make it my own if I have a title of my own. ...sculpt...what a strange word now that I think of it.
My daughter likes the Avatar. She watched the last episode this past weekend. Anyway, maybe the word 'harnessing' would work? A few others: Binding Bonding Powering Wielding Summoning Plying Brandishing There's a lot of verbs out there to try. Hope you figure out a good one that works for you. Terry
Why not just use the traditional "-mancy/-mancer"? If sculpting sn't quite right, "molding" "forming" "carving" or somesuch might work for you. But the name should come after the system, so that it makes sense in context.
Or you could simplify it even more and use "working." Fireworker, Waterworker, etc. "Character X worked fire in Y way." ~Christian
My characters manipulate the elements through elemental "medicine," but seeing as my story is inspired by American Indian beliefs, I imagine that term wouldn't work for everyone, nor should it. The magic should have a name that fits the tone/culture of your story. I don't, however, use special terms for what they do. I just describe their actions. For example, flames leap to life atop one character's fingers, and form into a fireball which she hurls. Someone might flick their hand at the air, and the wind whips around everyone. Another person swings their arms forward and the earth cracks open and rocks fly into the air. Stuff like that. I think describing the exact thing that the character is actually doing to manipulate the element is more interesting than just saying, "So-&-So manipulated fire" or "Such-&-Such waterbended." (Waterbent? Ugh.)
Not my scene, but...Melding? Melding with the elemental force. Combining the essense of the controller and the force. That way the focus could be on the internal machination, along with the resultant external manifestation.
these are all great, thanks everyone for the imput. I might end up describing what people do, and use the term when things are being explained. such as the art of [whichever word I use] or something like that.
My boys like The Avatar as well. In fact I was forced to watch it all last week leading up to the big movie 'Sozin's Comet'. I have to admit though, by the time the movie came along, I was hooked. I like the term Elemental as well; it sounds powerful. I just used the term in a novel I wrote to describe several characters that are able to shift through solid objects and stop time. It’s actually the title of the book... ‘Elementals’. The term has a more direct link to the description of the powers your character possesses. So go for it, sounds great.
Yeah its a really great show, I myself am re-watching all the episodes now that it is over... Originally I had called the warriors 'elementals' in the story, but that was the only way I could use it, 'elementing' doesn't work, haha. I still have no idea how i will be using the term, weather it be to only describe the people, OR to describe them and their actions.
You could create your own compound word(s): For example: you cold have the act of "wind-forging" for calling up and shaping wind, or "fire-calling" for drawing fire out of the sky/earth, or "stone-shaping" to convert things to stone, or "water-growing" to command or form water in any of its forms.
I would just go with the classic pyromancer/ing aeromancer/ing aquamancer/ing geomancer/ing. Yes maybe it's over used but hey it works. edit: Sorry etan i didn't see your post
I had a similar Idea and I call the people who do it elementalists. I like the sculpting is cool though since you are using it as a verb. I prefer for the people themselves to be named since not everyone can do it. Plus I have a lot more elements or combinations of. for instance if a person is has both air elements and water element powers then he can only use powers during a storm and is called a storm elementalists. People with these combo elements are more powerful but they have limits as to when they can use there powers. whereas other elementaliss like a straight water one could use it anywhere near water but could never be as powerful. I also make the combos live in certain places.
Now as far as the avatar goes i like the way it worked over all as a serial. For me it was like watching an american version of naruto. i hate watching disjoined tv but shows that build with each epsiode that go somewhere are cool. that is probably why i like Anime
I like the idea of controlling the storms, thats pretty cool. I know I had thought about the weather as being one of my 12 elements but I decided it was a combination of the 4 basics rather than something vitally important to creating the world, the reason the elements are in existance. and yes, it was a great series in that each character went through dramatic change, they all had their own big arcs and it was cool to see them follow those as the show moved on. Plus I loved all the Asian culture they brought into it, very cool IMO. of course, now its all over which I say as I have an episode playing in the background...
That's because Cowboy Bebop is an anime It's stupid to say cartoons are only for kids, there's a lot of anime and American cartoons that are adult and pretty damn excellent. (Sorry, had to take that off my chest)
Umm, no. Can't say I have. ...However I just have returned from a quick googleing and it looks pretty interesting! I will def. have to check it out. And I couldn't have said it better myself. Sometimes I wish Avatar wasn't on Nick, that way it could be way more realistic and not be as overly-censored (well, for me, as a teenager.). But hey, whatever. its a good show.
