The project I'm working on right now is an urban fantasy set in modern-day Seattle. The thing is, unlike most fantasy novels, in which the supernatural is handled in a very secretive, Men In Black fashion, here, the world of magic has been made public. It got me wondering: In a world where the people you see on the street could very likely have supernatural powers, where does that leave fantasy and science fiction? Would Harry Potter capture children's imaginations when someone could say, "No, it's not like that at all"? Would kids pretend to be comic-book superheroes when the orthodontist down the street can fly?
Interesting idea, but it is not necessarily as dismal as you make it out to be. I think human nature would still supply a lot of drama. I imagine that you'd still have someone burning up with envy because So-and-so's superpower is slightly better than this person's own ability. Or you might have someone jealous because the object of his/her affection seems to favor someone with a tiny bit more talent. Or you might have a group of people deciding that anyone who can't boil water with a spell (for pity sake!) is inferior enough to need to be considered a second class citizen. Or a group who drinks tea as a form of worship but who themselves can't boil water enslaves a group who can. Or anybody in your world can fly faster than a speeding bullet and look great in tights while doing it, but no one can survive actually getting hit by a bullet. So, due to human failings, possibilities abound for stories even in a supernatural world.
Your question really made me think. In the end though, I realized that kids learn a lot of things by mimicking those around them. So IMHO, they would still pretend to be superheroes, just as they pretend to be policemen and doctors nowadays. That is if they still play like that, is this a world without electronics? If I was tackling it, I would go and hang around a school playground to see what they're doing. Then I started wondering how you would control a four year old who can fly out of his bedroom window. Your project sounds very interesting, hope you have fun.
I like it ! Sounds like it has a lot of potential But please PLEASE dont make the herione human while the hero has superpowers. SO overdone. Just saying Have fun though, sounds like a really great story on the way. I would read it.
What a great idea! And those questions which you have asked us (children as superheroes, etc.) you should really be asking yourself: would human nature and culture change if magic was public and common? These questions could be asked during the course of the book, and it would make a good subplot, or even a main plot. Think about the answers and let them simmer in your head. Twist them, turn them, and shape them until you have your book's story. I hope this has helped you.
It is still a world with electronics. It's basically our world, but those who possess magical powers no longer hide it. And I think you can get arrested for watching kids at schoolyards.
IT wasn't that the children are superheroes, just that they pretend to be. I know I did. But would a fantasy novelist still be able to make a living if someone can say "Um, you do know magic doesn't work like that, right?" After all, the science in science fiction can be fantastically advanced, but still has to be based on scientific fact.
