Formation of a Substance and Manipulation

[Smurthwaite]

I'm very new to this site. I found it the other day when I was looking for a forum where I could ask questions about a name for a substance in my story. A certain [awesome] member gave me some advice, which led me to the name Prometheum, and perhaps even a derivative substance, Prometheocite. I chose this name because of the Prometheus myth, in which he accidentally created human kind from clay. My intent is for Prometheum to have been this clay, and more besides. It is life force, magick, everything. It's in everything. It is everything. But it of course has a raw, physical form, as well. Which is what directly enables the conflict in my story, really. There is already an element called Promethium, which is why I replaced the 'i' with an 'e'. However... I'm kinda stumped again. I need it to have different forms, such as a solid, a liquid, and even a crystallized form (which, I suppose, is also a solid, but still...). I need to know what sort of processes it would have to endure in order for this to happen, or how to go about finding out, at least. I would also like to define it chemically, as to how it is related to other elements, such as which groups it would be relative to in the periodic table, etc. I suppose it obviously needs to differ, from form to form, as in some it would be a metal, others a liquid... I don't know. I'm confused. I'm not even sure if this is the right place to ask this kind of question, but I figured I'd give it a shot, seeing as I had so much success last time. I hope this makes sense.
Thank-you for you time!

 

[skip.knox]

I think you have a clever idea here. Is there a reason why it needs to align so closely to Real World chemistry?

I'll assume 'yes' for now and try to answer. Warning: I'm a historian, not a chemist!

You want this to be able to change states. Just about all elements can change state, from gas to liquid to solid (there are only those three -- distinctions like crystal and metal are something different). Since those states represent how excited the atoms are, it's all about energy. We tend to think of energy in terms of temperature, so: apply more heat to move from liquid to gas; remove heat to move from liquid to solid. Some elements require extremes, so it takes a lot to create liquid nitrogen, for example, because it really, really wants to be a gas.

I have a couple of thoughts here. One, you could have elements in your world have a fourth state, a Promethian state. That is, normal objects should be shifted to being magical by application of more Promethium.

To take a different tack, you could have the application of ... heat? something else? ... be what shifts other elements into the Promethian state.

But you have posited that you want Promethium to be its own substance. If you look at a *modern* periodic table you will find all kinds of funny inserts and callouts containing weird elements you've probably never heard of. Modern chemistry didn't know how to fit those elements into the traditional periodic table either. So you could just invent a new callout, your own little side-ribbon. It might be Promethium only, or you could invent a little family of Promethian elements, each having unique properties. That'd be handy because any time a story needed something specific, you could just invent it!

hth!
-= Skip =-

 

[Smurthwaite]

Thank-you! I appreciate your input. It was very helpful! I intend to mix real-world events, etc., and I wanted the Prometheum element(s) to align closely with real-world figures for a smoother transition. I rather like your idea about a 'Promethian family'. I considered something like this as well, but I wasn't sure where to go with it. My intent is for Prometheum to be the natural base form, and for the Prometheocite (a black, crystalline derivative form that has an adverse effect from Prometheum), to be man-made. However, aside from these two forms, I'm not sure where to go with it.

Should I have a name for each state (solid, liquid, gas, etc.) or do I just tack Prometheum on each of them and leave it at that?

I really love your idea about a 'side-ribbon'. I had no idea I could do that, so I'm rather relieved, as this will allow me more creative freedom. If you have any other suggestions, I would love to hear them! Thank-you for all your help! :bounce:

 

[skip.knox]

Well, so what do you want this substance to do? Will it modify the behavior of other elements, or does it operate on its own (that is, it affects the behavior of spells and charms, for example)?

Have you written stories in which it appears? How did you use it there? Or in stories still in the planning stage? For myself, I have found that I get a much clearer idea about fantasy elements -- magic, creatures, etc. -- once I've actually started telling stories.

 

[Smurthwaite]

Well.... I've been writing this story since I was ten years old. I am now twenty-three. (Wow, that sounds even worse than I thought it would.) I've finished four different versions, and written countless more besides without completion. I have never published because I've never been happy with it. I tend to skip over the whole planning period altogether and dive right into writing. Thus, my characters come out rather one-dimensional, my plot-lines unrealistic, etc. It is for this reason that I'm here. I want it to be different this time.

I have written the Prologue thus far (for the bazillionth time), as well as part of a first chapter. I've been trying to do more research and planning, in the hope that this time it will be different.

This is the first version in which the element Prometheum has appeared. I would like to post what I have here, but I can't yet because I don't have enough posts... or whatever. lol It's always something.... >.< I'm very bad about over-editing, so the Prologue is continuously changing and expanding and being re-organized. It is meant to act as a portal into a modern world within our own. I wanted to just drop the reader right in, so that they know what's going on before they really know what's going on. It is written in third-person and centers around the main-antagonist. I thought it might be interesting to introduce my bad guy(s) before I introduce the good guy(s). That way the reader is immediately exposed to the center conflict of the story. Damn. This is harder to explain than I thought it would be. I want to say it's like I'm intentionally letting them cheat; like looking at the last page without it being the last page. Of course, the antagonist is referred to by a nickname, so that his true identity is not entirely disclosed.

Prometheum is the basis for all life. It appears in everything. It is everything. In its natural form, it improves life, magick, etc. I intend for it to be a substance that must be mined, or something to a similar effect. Where large deposits appear, humankind (and other races) thrive; i.e., children are born healthier, more intelligent, etc. That sort of thing.

And this is very long, so I'll just stop here. I hope I touched on most of the questions you asked. Like I said, I tend to just dive right into writing. :spin: