Talent Instead Of Magic

[BunnyJen90]

I always had this idea of a fantasy world since I was really little and still think about it from time to time. Lately as interesting as magical powers may be I find myself getting less interested in that kind of stuff. Instead I have been thinking if I'm going to ever write about this fantasy world instead of people having magic they will have talent instead. For example one person may be a talented artist while another may be a talented mechanic. Not sure if everyone in my fantasy world will have some kind of talent thinking more likely not everyone will have some kind of talent. What do you think about my idea of talent instead of magic.

 

[CupofJoe]

My worlds tend to have little or no magic, so a world where some people can have extraordinary talents seems reasonable.

 

[Finchbearer]

I think that would just be like the real world as we know it. There are plenty of people, as we all know, who are incredibly talented. Some individuals possess savant like abilities too, usually neurodivergent people. What would else would make it fantasy? Would be a different ‘world’?

 

[BunnyJen90]

Yeah I don't really want magic in my world. Originally I had thought about it but like I said I'm losing interest in that kind of stuff. And yeah I kind of want it to be like the real world. I'm kind of thinking maybe in this world those with talent are considered better than those without talent causing some conflict between those with talent and those without talent.

 

[Finchbearer]

Some considerations for your idea might be;

What are considered ‘talents’?
What talents will you specifically choose to write about?
Why would those with said talents be seen as better than others without talents?
Are these talents random, or hereditary?
Can you gain talents or lose them?
What are the caveats for those who have talents?
What political system does your world or country have?
How does the political system affect those with talents and those without?
What does that social divide look like?
Does having a talent equal wealth, and does this create economic disparity, or do the two not necessarily correlate?

 

[pmmg]

I would ask the same question, if its just ordinary people and some are talented, how is that different from just plain old Earth?

Course, Batman is pretty cool, and talented. Not too many of him around.

 

[BunnyJen90]

Maybe what I'm thinking of is more of our own world going to have to make it different somehow. Maybe as I think more about the questions I'll think more about how to make it different than our own world. And yeah in the real world there aren't very many talented people.

 

[Finchbearer]

And yeah in the real world there aren't very many talented people.

Really? I would disagree. But then that brings about the question of what constitutes a talent? What is your version of talent or talented?

 

[pmmg]

There have been a smattering of stories recently that have shown neurodivergent people as being a type of evolution of the species. Many indicating that great specialty in some areas, and less capable in others. It would not be a stretch to pace a story in today earth, and make the same suggestion. And plenty of stories are showing people who are a little extraordinary doing extraordinary things. Batman, for sure. But James Bond is another of these. They just seem more capable than others. And they usually have a team of specialized people as well. They are always meant to represent something greater than the everyday types, while still technically, being one of them.

 

[Foxkeyes]

Perhaps you could develop magic as a technology instead of some magical mystery thing.

If a cave man appeared in our world today, they'd consider electricity magic, while it's simply technology to us.

Or maybe give your talented guys some exceptional talents. Ex: Give your artist the ability to create some superior type of sculpture or painting that has more uses than simply hanging on a wall or sitting on a plinth.

 

[Pegzy]

Or you can make them super talents. So the world is divided between the super-talents and the un-talents creating room for conflict.

 

[skip.knox]

If the setting is this-Earth, talents begin to sound like superpowers. Or, at the more ordinary end, just people with skills. You might start with picking one specific talent and seeing where you would draw the line between talent, extraordinary talent, superpower, and magic.

 

[ThinkerX]

I went through this coming up with the 'magic system' for my worlds.

Originally, that was almost a carbon copy of the D&D magic system - but that didn't translate well to writing. Plus, I wanted something that was at least semi-plausible not just on a fantasy world, but here on mundane Earth as well. The magic system in the old 'Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying Game' along with the career system which seemed 'updatable' to the modern world grabbed my attention...but in the end, it didn't work either.

So, I approached it from another direction. By that time, I'd read a huge pile of books on mythology, magic in the ancient world, modern day magic...and a great many accounts of individuals who demonstrated extraordinary abilities - Cayce and Gellar being two of the more notable. I also read accounts of legitimate researchers who attempted to investigate the abilities displayed by these individuals, along with haunted houses, past life experiences, and the like. Now, many of these scientists were not so much 'investigating' as they were 'debunking' - and that showed in their writings. Others, though, were able to make quasi-credible cases for the existence of abilities such as ESP, clairvoyance/remote viewing, telekinesis, and similar abilities.

So, what I did was to assume that for story purposes, these paranormal abilities existed and could be trained or improved with the correct regimen. To this, I added some of the more common elements of magic in the ancient world, specifically 'true names.' True names were an obsession with the sorcerers of antiquity - the reasoning being that knowing the 'true name' of a demon, spirit, or godling would give the sorcerer power over that being letting him/her command it to do miracles (this sort of thing is all through the bible, btw - the prohibitions against 'familiar spirits' and the emphasis on God's name.) In my case, I took a more Lovecraftian bent.

Then there are the 'ancient aliens' who came to Earth in ages past, whisked them away to the fantasy worlds as servitors and test subjects, and greatly enhanced the PSI abilities of a few of them, making these talents genetic (inheritable.)

'Wizards' in my settings typically have two or three paranormal knacks they are fairly good at - and have so-so ability in two or three more. The ones with the most talent, who apply themselves can double those numbers.

 

[Queshire]

Oh, this thread looks fun.

Well, figuring out what scale you're going with is important. If you wanted to you could basically make a magic system out of the idea. Ya know, have stuff like someone that's Talented enough at cooking that their food actually heals injuries or someone Talented enough at painting that they can conjure items that they paint. If you don't want it to be as obviously magical as something like that then you'd still need to figure out just how talented the talented people are.

I would recommend avoiding linking it to neurodivergence though. The whole disability superpower thing is kinda cliche by this point.

 

[Karlin]

I'm thinking of Michelangelo as an example of an extremely talented person. To the extent that he was nicknamed "Il Divino", the Divine One.

 

[BunnyJen90]

I'm kind of realizing this idea is too much like the real world that I either should set it in the real world or scrap it. As for neurodivergent people from my personal experience is that they might have some talent in the case of a savant but really no one seems to care because they still have disability. Sorry if that sounds really harsh but this is my personal experience. I'm thinking for my story people such as savant will be described as not fully talented because of the fact that despite their talent they still have disability also it avoids that cliche that pmmg mentioned that I kind of hate anyway. Again if this sounds harsh but don't see how people can appreciate those with disabilities when a majority look down on them.

 

[Karlin]

I'm kind of realizing this idea is too much like the real world that I either should set it in the real world or scrap it. As for neurodivergent people from my personal experience is that they might have some talent in the case of a savant but really no one seems to care because they still have disability. Sorry if that sounds really harsh but this is my personal experience. I'm thinking for my story people such as savant will be described as not fully talented because of the fact that despite their talent they still have disability also it avoids that cliche that pmmg mentioned that I kind of hate anyway. Again if this sounds harsh but don't see how people can appreciate those with disabilities when a majority look down on them.

I've often wondered if the world's potentially greatest military leaders never had a chance because they weren't in good enough physical shape to prove themselves on the battlefield. Like a brilliant tactician confined to a wheelchair since birth.

 

[Finchbearer]

I think it would be trite to ignore neurodivergence - Einstein was thought to have been autistic, do you see him as having had a disability? I understand that it can be a disability, it’s a very personal thing, but what can be ones disadvantage can also leave room for a disability then becoming an advantage…

There’s a lot more people out there who have ASD than you probably think