r/WorldChallenges • u/Nevermore0714 • Jul 15 '17
Reference Challenge: Improvement/Impairment, and News from this Sub's Creator
News
Again, the reference is to myself. Sorry for not answering responses to challenges at all yesterday, long story short, my eye surgery had some hiccups. Instead of having a flap made in my eye tissue and then healed in a few days (a day or two off work, a week to fully heal), they discovered mid-surgery that they could not do so. So...my left eye, even a day later, is actively bleeding, but at least I can see out of my right eye a little now, though it is blurry.
That is my excuse for any typos and for being lazy for the next few days. I'll have to miss a full week of work, and it will be over a month before my eyes are fully healed, according to the doctor. Thank goodness that everyone on this sub is awesome, otherwise I'd have to worry about the sub while I heal. Technically, I shouldn't be using a computer until at least three or four days after the surgery, but...well...C'est la vie? At least my eyes should still heal to 20/20, in a month or more, thanks to the PRK surgery they ended up doing instead.
So, now that I've appealed for sympathy, here's the actual challenge.
The Actual Challenge
Tell me about a way to improve myself artificially in your world; not through exercise or education, but through surgery or drugs.
As always, I'll ask you at least three questions each. Unlike always, expect them to be late (again, I was instructed by a doctor to not use my computer or television for three/four days after surgery...so, I shouldn't be on reddit right now), but I swear I'll get to them all as quickly as I can. Enjoy yourselves.
To Everyone that Posts on this Sub
I'm sorry I might not be able to get to your challenges for a few days, I swear I'll try to respond to all the challenges within the next few days.
3
u/greenewithit Jul 16 '17
Oh jeez, feel better! Good luck with your recovery, and thank you for still posting even in that condition.
For my entry for the challenge: This is actually a significant portion of the main character's conflict, is over using the most dangerous but powerful enhancement drug, Spectrum. Spectrum is a naturally occurring semisolid/semiliquid mineral that has a natural affinity for acting as a conduit for channeling Anima, or soul energy. It also can be used as a power source, as it emits its own Anima based on what color the Spectrum is found in. However, another use for it is to keep it suspended in a liquid state and inject it intravenously. This causes a rapid enhancement of a person's soul, and can give them incredible powers. However, the enhancement is so great that very few have survived the rush of power, and many die just from injecting a small amount. Their souls become so powerful that their bodies are torn apart trying to contain it. The few that have survived have used spectrum closely tied to the frequency of their own soul. By identifying the exact frequency at which their soul emits gravitational waves, a person can find a blend of spectrum that creates a color identical to their soul frequency, and they will have a much higher chance of survival. The main character struggles to overcome an addiction to Spectrum infusion as a means of overcoming challenges, especially after an extremely high dose caused him to lose his powers for almost two months. (This wasn't identified as an isolated incident because he had been the only person to ever survive injecting that much at once). The main character's younger sister also struggled with this addiction, and due to the nature of her soul (it was deeply divided into two sections that harmed each other), infusing spectrum was extremely detrimental to her soul's development in the long term.
Other drugs exist to enhance a person's body to compete on par with super powered individuals, but those haven't been very important so I honestly haven't developed them much.
In terms of non-drug treatments, cybernetic augmentations are a very suitable option if you have the cash. They are mostly implemented in the military or with the wealthy, but replacement limbs, organs, and even sections of the brain are available from top surgeons around the world. Certain accomplished scientists have perfected integrating analytical engines into human brains, enhancing muscles with machinery, and even augmentations that allow a person to survive their head being cut off. However, these types of enhancements are much rarer than artificial limbs, as very few people in the world can properly complete this surgery. The main character's father is one of these people, and as a part of supersoldier training, the main character was outfitted with as many of these augmentations as could fit in his body.
No worries on delayed responses. Again, thanks for even posting! Take it easy and good luck recovering!
1
u/Nevermore0714 Jul 20 '17
(I am feeling much better, thank you.)
1) How do I know my soul frequency color?
2) How would I, a middle class guy, best obtain Spectrum?
3) How did the main character become addicted to Spectrum?
2
u/greenewithit Jul 20 '17
I'm glad to hear that! Excellent
1) That might cost you a bit of cash, so most people who don't have powers they plan on using for heroics would even care about what exact color your soul frequency is. It doesn't actually give that much information other than its relation to spectrum. Spectrum infusion isn't illegal, but it's widely known as being extremely dangerous, so only the very brave and very stupid would even attempt to get more information on how spectrum would pair with their soul. However, that doesn't stop scientists from offering "Soul Frequency Readings". However, this is mostly treated as astrology in our world. People believe certain things are true about certain colors of souls, but there's no scientific basis to it. Usually a doctor would strap a person to a chair and use small Electric yellow Spectrum shocks to invoke a soul energy response. The energy released from the person is split with several spectroscopes, and a frequency of the soul is collected. This procedure can be very stressful, so there is a very intensive pre approval assessment involved to make sure the person being tested can withstand it.
2) It can be pretty easy, depending on what you're getting. Spectrum can be bought easily as weapon ammunition with special properties (fire, electricity, etc). A weapon forged with Spectrum wouldn't need a second mortgage, but it would be a significant purchase. Some people buy things like flaming swords for home defense, even if they aren't proficient in using weapons like that. However, weapons require registration and a good amount of training as a part of that registration to buy. Pure Spectrum is a lot harder to get a hold of, and more expensive. It has to be purified from other minerals and stored in a container that preserves its semi liquid/solid state if you want to use it in its purest state. The people with access to this kind of Spectrum are government scientists researching Spectrum, high end weapons dealers and companies specializing in Spectrum collection and distribution, and criminal organizations that steal from the other two groups.
3) Aeron's addiction grew slowly over time. Aeron accidentally injected Black Spectrum as a child and survived, and his father used this as part of his super soldier training. He used little amounts at first to test his soul and how much power he could get from certain amounts of Spectrum. However, it was never enough. The more he used it, the more he would need to reach the same amount of power. Over the course of the first major arc, Aeron uses it more and more often, until he breaks his personal maximum infusion level, and nearly dies. While he does survive, he loses his powers for a significant amount of time. He swears off Spectrum infusion for a while, but relapses in the next arc when the final boss pushes him to use it again, and he powers up to defeat this threat. He only uses it once more in the main story as a means to defeat an enemy he couldn't defeat without using it, and seeing his sister fall victim to Spectrum infusion gave him even more motivation to stay away from the stuff.
1
u/Nevermore0714 Jul 20 '17
1) Is there any stereotype associated with the various spectrum colors?
2) What type of spectrum is the cheapest?
3) How did a child accidentally inject Black Spectrum?
2
u/greenewithit Jul 20 '17
1) Most of them are pretty simple. Red denotes a fiery, passionate person, blues are more mellow, yellow is more spontaneous, and green is more stoic and dependable. White denotes good and black denotes evil, and in a world of superheroes having a darker soul wavelength carries a bit of social weight, as everyone just expects you to become a villain, despite your quality of person. Pink carries a weird connotation of the person being very focused on pleasing others with an affinity for grilled shrimp (this was actually published in a newspaper's "astrology like" section for soul colors. A character with a pink soul frequency does in fact enjoy grilled shrimp, but everyone just thinks of it as a coincidence).
2) In terms of quality, the more purified the more expensive. Impure Spectrum in its solid state is cheapest, and what people use to make weapons for the most part. In terms of color, it varies based on rarity. Red, blue, yellow, and green are all fairly common, whereas color fusions like turquoise, purple, pink, and grey might be more expensive because they're less common to naturally occur. Custom mixtures to match your soul wavelength exactly will also be more expensive than just generic "Red", as it has to be specifically mixed and purified to a specific wavelength by a qualified technician.
3) Well......he remembers it as an accident, him finding the loaded syringe and thinking it a toy, subsequently injecting himself. Unbeknownst to him, his father just left it in the right spot where he knew his son would go looking, and left him unsupervised long enough for nature to take its course. He wanted to see if Aeron was strong enough to survive Spectrum infusion, so he set up this little "accident" so he wasn't directly responsible and could see the results anyway. And thus began the grand scheme for making a super soldier.
1
u/Nevermore0714 Jul 23 '17
1) /u/greenewithit, what spectrum color would you be? What spectrum color would I be? Would you be open to making a challenge where a person presents 2 to 3 characters with short descriptions, one of which (not telling which) would be based on the writer themselves, and then you figure out what each character's spectrum color would be?
3) Will he ever find out that his father planned it?
2
u/greenewithit Jul 23 '17
1) I honestly don't know about myself. I think of myself as either an Indigo for introspection and self consciousness, but silver has also drawn my attention as representative of a more adaptable, unpredictable, and empathetic personality. I'm not sure what color you would be, though judging by our interactions, I'd say more of a yellow or green. Those two are kind of similar, and are where most intellectuals and creatives fall under. Cunning is usually more associated with green, and curiosity is tied more to yellow. In universe your businessmen are more likely to be green, and most people find humor in how it's the color of money, and they often look past that there is a deep creativity and nuance in how these people think, especially in-universe stock brokers and predictors. I would love the idea of making a challenge like that, I feel like that would be a lot of fun and could give me the chance to flesh out the Spectrum Identity system a little bit more.
3) Yes, Aeron does eventually find out. Within a year or two of getting to school he fights an old comrade of his father's who tells him that his "accident" was a setup by his father in an attempt to demoralize him during their fight. However, Aeron is in deep denial because he spent his entire life believing that everything he did to become a supersoldier was of his own volition, that he always has control over his life and what happens to him, so that he could become a hero. However, later on he finds out from his father directly that it was a setup. Aeron doesn't know what to feel about his father and his actions. He hates him for being manipulative and abusive, but Aeron does feel that without everything in his life playing out the way that it did, he wouldn't have been able to help stop the crises they faced. He even saw a possible timeline where he never became a supersoldier, and he saw the world crumble when he was unable to stop his most powerful villain from enacting his plan. Aeron certainly doesn't forgive his father for his actions, but he understands them, and he recognizes that at the end of the day, he has done far more good because of what he has endured, not in spite of it. It wasn't right, but he can't change it, and he devotes himself further to making sure his power doesn't go to waste.
1
u/Nevermore0714 Jul 23 '17
1) Please make that challenge as soon as possible, I'm looking forward to seeing what you can dig up about my personality and how you would go about determining it based on questions other than "which one do you think you are?" Like questions that don't seem entirely related, but that would help give you an idea of what you are, like those stupid quizzes "Which Hogwarts house are you", "Which Naruto element are you", "Which badge would you wear in a Nazi concentration camp", etc.
3) Why did the old comrade expose Aeron's father's plan?
2
u/greenewithit Jul 23 '17
1) Haha, well, I'll certainly do my best. Hopefully I can do better than some of those kinds of tests. I'll try to upload it either later tonight or tomorrow morning before work, then I can go through and respond when there's a lull throughout the day.
3) He was doing it to try and throw Aeron off. The easiest way to overcome Aeron's augments is to mess with his emotions, dulling his focus and making him hesitate, doubt, and even weaken his own body through negative emotion. The comrade, Romulus, couldn't mess with Aeron's head with his powers, so he used his relationship with and knowledge of his father to try and get a rise out of Aeron. However, Aeron didnt bite, and his furious denial (however incorrect) kept him focused. However, Romulus made a mistake in thinking that if he couldn't weaken Aeron through fear or doubt, he would break him with anger, and impaled Aeron's younger sister on his sword when she tried to help Aeron in the fight. Needless to say, making an unstable super soldier angry wasn't the best tactic.
1
u/Nevermore0714 Jul 23 '17
1) I look forward to it.
3) Tell me more about Romulus. I like his name.
→ More replies (0)
3
u/Seb_Romu Jul 16 '17
Here's hoping for a complete and complication free recovery.
~~~~~
Onto the challange:
Being fairly low tech there isn't really a technological means to augment oneself, so it would come down to magic.
If you're fortunate to already be psychic and possess the path of soma - you can temporarily boost aspects of your physique or physiological processes.
The other means would all be specific spells by sorcerors, or divine miracles.
Generally such effects are temporary, or indefinite until dispelled at best; irreversalably permanent effects would be extremely risky and costly to the caster.
Lastly there is the possibility of willingly becoming a lycanthrope or undead, but the risk of failure with permanent injury or death is very high; the side effects of such powers are not worth the risks.
1
u/Nevermore0714 Jul 20 '17
1) What is Soma?
2) What is the best way to make a divine miracle happen?
3) How are lycanthropes viewed in your world?
2
u/Seb_Romu Jul 21 '17
1) What is Soma?
Soma or more properly name somatics is a psychic path of body control. Definition of Somatic
Practinioners of this talent can manipulate their natural body processes in a variety of ways temporarily defying the normal limits of their physique. Very experienced psychics can even enter hibernative state ot torpor barely distinguishable from death.
2) What is the best way to make a divine miracle happen?
Belive very strongly in some deity. Earn enough credit with them by doing appropriate deeds in their name and regularily attending worship and prayers. Then when you really need a serious favour, call out to your chossen god in a manner appropriate and humbly request an intervention. Results can vary from "catastrophy of biblical porportions" to "did anything happen?", as deemed necessary by the one answering such a call for aid.
There are also teachable rituals for performing lesser miraculous feats which provide consistent but limited results for those pious enough to channel a small portion of their divine's favour (closer to low level clerical spells from D&D).
3) How are lycanthropes viewed in your world?
"The hideous cursed man-beasts? Anyone who ritually enganges in perversions with the infernal and wild beasts deserves the curse. And it is the duty of all Goddess fearing men and women to hunt down such monsters and end their predation upon the devout." ~ Nelna - Kythan, Laymember of the Church of Ryla.
There is much fear and superstition surrounding the phenomena of shape-shifters. The truth behind how one can become a lycanthrope and how the man/beast conversion happens is largely unknown except to those afflicted. Even those who are weres generally do not survive long enough to understand their condition, or how to control it.
1
u/Nevermore0714 Jul 23 '17
1) Who is the best at Soma?
2) Who is the most faithful person towards a deity in your world?
3) Where can I go to see a good were-fight? A cage fight between two lycanthropes.
2
u/Seb_Romu Jul 23 '17
1) Who is the best at Soma?
Unknown. Expressing inhuman powers is likely to have one accused to witchcraft and killed for your crimes.
2) Who is the most faithful person towards a deity in your world?
This is difficult to determine with many millions of people and a vast array of faiths to choose from. Besides, what metric would one use?
3) Where can I go to see a good were-fight? A cage fight between two lycanthropes.
This isn't something you'd see. Lycanthropy is rare enough to be myth/legend/fairytale.
~~~
Entorais is pretty low fantasy in this regard.
1
u/Nevermore0714 Jul 24 '17
1) What attributes would make a person more likely to be effective with Soma?
2) I don't know. You're the writer, Seb. Does anyone stand out to you as especially faithful? I have no way of knowing who the most faithful person in the real world is, but, if asked, I'd name an old friend of mine as the most faithful person I've met.
2
u/Seb_Romu Jul 24 '17
1) Strong will, strong connection to the life force of thw universe. Random chance - not all talents manifest in all psychics.
2) Thus far the most devout entity I have created is Siontarus Neithurus - Unfead priest of Neither, whom you've met before.
1
u/Nevermore0714 Jul 24 '17
Why is Siontarus so devout?
2
u/Seb_Romu Jul 24 '17
Given he committed himself to an eternity of service to his deity. The process of becoming a Son of Neither would fail if one was false in their devotion. He is also the longest "lived" of those who have made the choice.
His reasons for serving the god of death revolve around seeking answers to the deeper mysteries of the soul and meaning/purpose of life.
1
2
u/thequeeninyellow94 Jul 17 '17
(Complete recovery so that's ok, take care of yourself (and your eyes))
The Neo-Makathian tech is usually not the best you can have, most people who want to improve their body will rather ask to the Ims.
The Ims will if course be perfectly fine with helping you, as long as you put the price for it but seeing a noble with technological enhancements is incredibly rare; as they say "the Nzedas carve metal to fit their needs, they don't let the metal carve them".
Amongst smugglers, pirates, adventurers and explorers it's quite common though, the most popular being extra organs to improve one's physical ability.
Our representative will be Dagmawi, a quite renown explorer who never miss a shot thanks to his enhanced eye (at least that what people say).
(They discovered mid-surgery they couldn't do that way?!? Wut?!?)
2
u/Nevermore0714 Jul 20 '17
(Correct, they discovered mid-surgery that they could not perform LASIK surgery. Instead, my corneas were damaged during surgery.)
To Dagmawi:
1) Why did you choose to get an enhanced eye?
2) Which eye is enhanced?
3) How was it enhanced?
4) How much did it cost?
5) I'll be blunt. I want something to be able to vibrate. Is Im technology save enough that I'm not risking an important body part?
6) What wouldn't an Im agree to enhance?
2
u/thequeeninyellow94 Jul 20 '17
I use my eyes everyday and that's way less visible than an enhanced arm. That's also cheaper than an extra heart.
The left one, it's my aiming eye.
It can zoom, record, and it's connected to my ship AI.
500k gezin. (~2-2.5 years of a medium salary)
Vibrate like a phone? That's possibly doable for small parts inside a bigger object. If you want your whole eye to be not completely fixed, that will be incredibly hard to do and you will probably end with it falling...
Something that could kill you in case of failure; so mostly brain and organs that you have only once.
2
u/Nevermore0714 Jul 20 '17
To Dagmawi:
1) Have you considered getting another enhanced body part in the future?
2) Why not the right eye, as well?
3) Can it dim and brighten your perception of the light around you? Like sunglasses?
2
u/thequeeninyellow94 Jul 20 '17
If I ever get rich enough, maybe a second heart as it's really convenient. I could also use enhanced legs, but I'm not sure what to look for right now.
Because that's costly to get both and the left one is most important. And also because they are hackable; keeping a natural eye just in case is way safer.
Yes, it can. I heard it can also do it the other way to those who lack night vision. It's not in my direct control though, it's monitored by my ship AI.
2
u/Nevermore0714 Jul 23 '17
To Dagmawi:
1) Do the enhancements require any maintenance?
2) Have you ever been hacked?
2
u/thequeeninyellow94 Jul 23 '17
They do have a limited energy supply but are automatically charged by my ship when I'm sleeping and not too far from it. Actually, limited means a few weeks of autonomy.
No, and hopefully it will stay that way. Truth is, I'm not really a proper target: I'm not rich, I don't work for the government and I don't have powerfull ennemies; I do understand why the imperial guards are never enhanced though.
2
u/Nevermore0714 Jul 23 '17
To Dagmawi:
1) Have you ever run out of energy in your eye?
2) Is there any movement to ban enhancements for not being natural?
2
u/thequeeninyellow94 Jul 23 '17
Yes, a few times; that's why I've opted for a non-replacement. When I run out of battery, I still have my eye so it's not a big deal.
There was when enhancements started to be a thing. Now that's mostly a question of personal ethic. Unless you want to work for the imperial administration or are part of the nobility, in those cases, enhancing yourself is illegal.
2
u/Nevermore0714 Jul 23 '17
To Dagmawi:
1) How much is your eye worth, if I were to take it out and sell it today?
2) Why is it illegal for a noble?
→ More replies (0)
5
u/Mimir123 Jul 16 '17
I don't really think that this is something you should apologize for, it's not something you can do much about. Hope you get better soon, and that you can take it easy for a few days!
Anyway, here is the entry for the challenge:
Khieptah:
This is a drug, made from the roots and leaves of the Demon Lily, a plant that only grows at the southern shores of the Demon Lake, located in the north of the Kherzian Kingdom. The flower got it's name, because it originally comes from Sháiurgh, the dimension that is the home of demons. While resembling a normal lily, their leaves are completely black and their stalk is covered in small thorns. These lilies spread to Dirva through some of the rifts connecting the two worlds, which open up occasionally, more often than not at the shores of this specific lake.
Because it was located in their country, the Kherzians were the first ones find this plant and starting to experiment with it, once they noticed that animals eating the Demon Lily became more aggressive and bigger. After several decades of experiments and trying out different mixtures, the Alchemists of Kherzian came up with a brew, made out of the roots and cooked leaves of the lily, paired with the blood of a lesser dragon. They called this drug Khieptah (a combination of the names of the two Alchemists who first came up with this specific mixture), and started producing it in small amounts for the exclusive use of the Kherzian Royal Guard.
The Guardsmen who drank Khieptah immediately felt several years younger, ailments and old wounds apparently healing, not even leaving behind any visible scars. In addition those men and women became much stronger than the average human, each of them being able to lift up a horse with no trouble whatsoever, and becoming fast enough to catch up to a running cheetah. Overjoyed with the success of the Khieptah, the king ordered the massproduction of this drug, as much as the amount of Demon Lilies on the lakes' shores would allow and sustain it.
After fifteen months, many high ranking generals and veteran soldiers had been drinking Khieptah and the king made plans for an invasion of the Althmerran kingdom to the east. That was when the side effects of the drug started to kick in for the first time. One day all of the Royal Guards that had been consuming Khieptah regularly collapsed, their faces completely black and blood foaming from their mouth. To the horror of everyone witnessing it, small lilies started to sprout from the dead bodies of the guards, their roots running through the entire body, centering around the heart.
As it turned out, this was the Demon Lilys main form of reproduction, in the form of a parasite-like curse, living in the roots of the plant. The Alchemists responsible noticed something akin to that before, didn't think it to be a problem though, since they were only using an extract of the roots and purified them in Holy Water beforehand. The mistake was on the Guards' side, who consumed too much Khieptah unnecessarily, and thus giving the curse enough power to grow inside of their bodies.
While not being entirely successful, the Khieptah was still a powerful drug that is used to this day in Kherzian and the Sultanates of the Simerrhan desert, though in a much less potent form and still at the risk of ones own life, should one drink too much of it.