The Ripple Effect of Magic

[Tamwen]

So, my setting is basically an alternate America were magic was introduced at some point in the timeline. I'm thinking... WWI or a bit earlier. It's currently modern day in the story, but the world itself is quite different. The Midwest is basically a highly dangerous expanse of land where there is a constant fog (sometimes it changes color) and zombies and banshees attack unwary travelers. Thus, the East and West Coasts are cut off from each other. Elves, werewolves, vampires and fairies are all part of the world. Dwarves are either extinct or hiding, but their tombs are often rifled through for artifacts and other goodies, and doing this is an excellent, if dangerous source of income.

Here's what I'm worried about. I know what was sort of taken over by magic, but I don't know enough about the interconnections of technology to know what would be affected by this. Any help would be appreciated in figuring out this ripple effect.

Here's what I know. Lightbulbs were invented, but after magic came along they were replaced by werelights, a type of magic literally anyone can learn with a little effort. Cars were also invented, but transportation magic has taken that over as well, so most people either do that or walk. Bicycles exist too, and unicycles.

The Rift, which is the new name for the Midwest, disrupts transportation magic so the only way to get across the Rift is by train or zeppelin. Trains are used by the less wealthy.

As far as medicine, healing magic has taken its place mostly, but things like diagnostic imaging and such are still very much in demand, since healing magic is only really helpful if the mage knows exactly what's wrong.

As far as weaponry is concerned, offensive magic is a particular kind of study, so certain kinds of weapons still exist. Guns are around, but their advancement sort of stuttered to a halt around the 20s and 30s. Swords are still used due to the fact that it's easier to enchant swords over guns, so swords can easily be just as destructive as guns.

So, considering that this is basically modern day and thus things like iPods and kindles and laptops CAN exist... WOULD they exist with these differences in technology?

 

[sashamerideth]

If light I so easy to create, can it be harnessed for use by computers? Instead of silicon gates in computer chips, light could be used. That kind of research is only now becoming possible because of minitiaurization of the light creating and controlling components. If they were not necessary, then that would have been the first place researchers would have gone to. Light based computers would be faster than what we have now, and would have been developed earlier because the minitiaurization technology wouldn't have needed to be invented.

I also think lazers would be more prevalent. Create light of only one wavelength, focus it through a lens and you have a cutting tool and a weapon.

 

[Azza]

First of all can I just say, sounds like you've got a really interesting idea on your hands there! Good luck with it, I hope to read some in the future.

Are there non-magical beings in your story which would be unable to create werelights and such? If so they would still use e-mail and phones I'm guessing. I really liked your idea of having the Rift that disrupts the magic and therefore people require modern transport as a means of getting around. Could there be something else in your world that disrupts other magical influences such as communication for example. You'll have to work out: Are there people who want to disrupt the magic? Why do they want to do this and how will it benefit them? To what extent can this occur?

Sorry, I've not been much help! I think you've got some great ideas, keep developing them and it'll turn out great I'm sure!

 

[drkpyn]

Well the Internet as we know it was originally created with the purpose of allowing researchers in different locations to have access the limited number of powerful computers available at the time. Whether it exists in your world or not would really depend on the focus of research universities in the world. Are they schools for aspiring students to learn the arcane, or are they more like the university system we have in place now?

 

[terence.soule]

Well, a lot of the early development of computers was driven by need during WWII: calculations for artillery fire, decrypting German codes, calculations to design the atomic bomb. Later the shift from vacuum tubes to transisters to integrated circuits was driven by the goal of smaller cheaper electronics for radios, TVs and the like. (Clearly a very broad generalization.)

So, is/was there a need for a lot of calculating power to get things rolling? Was there the commericial drive to make things small and cheap? If both answers are yes then there's a good chance those things would be around.

 

[Queshire]

Ah, this is slightly off topic, but as a Midwestern native myself, I think you need to appreciate just how much of an effect cutting that place off would have, for one thing you would need a type of magic to produce food due to the lack of midwestern farms, what happened to all those people that were living in the midwest before the rift formed, what about the logging and iron industries that rely on the midwest?

THE MIDWEST ISN'T JUST SOME EMPTY SPACE TO BE DRIVEN THROUGH! PEOPLE LIVE, LOVE, AND DIE THERE!

 

[TWErvin2]

Just a few observations and comments:

Why would people feel the need, especially in the eastern part of what was the USA, to cross to the west and face the dangers, especially if there is Europe, which is easily accessible? Yes, the Pacific ocean would be a major barrier for people hoping to trade, but there is alwasy Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico, and Canada to go around.

People will do what is most expedient and easiest. If it's hard to build and maintain telegraph or phone lines as compared to magical means of communication, they'll favor one instead of the other--barring outside circumstances.

Even the guns of the 1920s and 1930s can be pretty effective. I'd take a shotgun over a sword any day (unless I didn't have any ammunition or the sword had some handy magical power built into it) and during the U.S. Civil War, a trained soldier with a muzzle-loading rifle armed with a bayonet generally came out on top when facing someone with a saber. And and a machine gun or a tommy gun, well, they can do a lot of damage to a lot of folks or creatures in quick order. Not saying that magic couldn't, but folks who don't have access to magic or the ability--a firearm might be a pretty good equalizer, or at least force users of magic to expend energy and resources protecting oneself from bullets and explosives.

While not exactly the same, I had to think through some similar concerns when creating my world and writing the novels in my First Civilization's Legacy series. It's good that you're pondering this and getting it figured out before delving into the writing of the story.

An example of my thought process while pondering your post: I am not sure what you mean by diagnostic imaging, beyond X-rays, which have been around a lot longer than MRIs. But if MRIs are around, think of all of the steps and technology needet and developed before they became possible. So, would magical diagnosis be easier, if it was possible? Would someone with money and influence go to a magician who could scan/diagnose health issues, where someone poor would be forced to a clinic with a nonmagic using physician with a stethescope and an x-ray machine. A rich person gets the bones healed magically, while the poor person wears a cast for six weeks?

 

[Darwin]

Well, aside from the fact that I want to read this story now . . . . .

I would say that things like laptops and computers do exist, because while magic does exist I'm sure that there are still people (if not a major population) that can't or don't use magic. For them they still need to be able to work within the world. For them a click of the computer is just as powerful as an enchantation.

One thing though that always concerns me with magic and things of that nature. Is there a limit? Such as, can a person only use so much magic a day? Is there a price that comes with each bit of magical energy used? If there isn't then what's to stop someone from completely taking over and becoming all powerful? I'm ranting but it feads into your question. If there's a limit, and your characters reach their ceiling then most likely they would have to use what modern technology is around. Or they could just die, but I don't think you want that to happen. Hope I helped!!!