"Memorycrafting"--what concept am I really working with?

[Feo Takahari]

One of my projects (which I've delayed working on until I complete some other stories) utilizes a modified body-mind-soul dynamic for its magic system. I've been referring to the lost fourth magic as memorycrafting, but I'm starting to realize that the concept I'm dealing with doesn't have much to do with memory. In fact, I'm not sure what the concept I'm dealing with is.

Basically, the three primary magics all change something's present state. The fourth magic retroactively changes the path something followed to get to its current state. For instance, a soulcrafter could rust a sword by imbuing it with the "soul" of rust, but a memorycrafter would make it so that the sword was left out in the elements to rust--at least, from the sword's perspective. This isn't changing history, and the sword's wielder would still remember how the weapon had actually been treated.

So what is this? Pastcrafting? Personal narrative-crafting? Is this even coherent?

(As a side note, no, the memorycrafter isn't the hero. I'm not dumb enough to make a protagonist that overpowered, but he's dumb enough to function as a threatening but defeatable antagonist.)

 

[Ankari]

Phasecrafting. That's the best I could come up with.

 

[Queshire]

Retconjuration? >= ]

Let's see..... so from how I interpret it, you're basically replacing an object with it's equivelant from an alternative reality where events happened as you want it to, yes?

Personally I would keep it at memorycrafting even if it doesn't fit, just to keep with the theme of your other three, maybe loosen up what the other three can do to make it better fit.

 

[Feo Takahari]

^ The pattern's a little skew--the three standard magics are rock-paper-scissors (flesh beats thought beats soul beats flesh), but also easy and limited versus difficult and versatile (thought is easiest, soul is most versatile.) Memorycrafting is even more versatile than soulcrafting, but it's also weak against all three other types. (There are also four "null" counterparts, but there's no need to get into those now--this is complicated enough as it is.)

 

[Queshire]

how about storycrafting? Since you're essentially changing the story of the object.

 

[Feo Takahari]

^ You know, I never thought of it in those terms. In fact, I don't think I've ever tried to write anything in terms of "the power of stories," although I've read and liked a lot of works that took that approach to things. You've given me something very interesting to think about. Thank you.