Brain soup (no zombies) -- magic?

[Hex]

I'd like a prize, please, for the clearest thread title of 'em all.

Okay. My brain is soup (I stole the soup from PhyreBrat, but I'm a bit nervous of what DEO might do with it) and I'm stuck.

In my wip there is an occasion when the mc casts some magic. It's in a crisis (she's rescuing someone from a Dread Dungeon) and she does something she believes she cannot do.

The problem is, she mustn't do it again (as in -- plot reasons dictate that she shouldn't) but I'm really struggling to find a justification that doesn't scream "PLOT CONTRIVANCE".*

I'd happily absorb any suggestions into my brainsoup and see if anything, er, floats to the top (metaphor catastophe ahoy).

* Although actually, there's no really absolutely dramatic reason why not, just that there are a number of situations where she shouldn't because then there'd be no tension or anything, just Bam Pow Blast (vroom).

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Frightened. Didn't know it was her who did it. Been warned about it too many times. Scared it will take over her. Has to be touching something. The place she is in has an arcane build up of power for which she was a vessel. Thinking too much when she tries to.

Hands over nice soup tureen with a picture of some vegetables on it. Congrats!

 

[The Judge]

I'd agree with fear -- it's a powerful stimulus, so would break down any residual inhibitions she has about doing things, and also increase her strength, the more so if she is frightened for someone close to her. Anger would have the same effect. Then when she tries again, she isn't sufficiently frightened/angry. Or it's like a weapon that needs to be recharged, and it takes so much out of her, that she can't repeat the effect until she's rested.

Could she have had something to eat or drink which would make a difference? A magic mushroom (soup), or alcohol -- something she shouldn't have taken? Only she doesn't link the two and/or she doesn't know what's in the food/drink which has such an effect on her, so she can't replicate it afterwards.

 

[Juliana]

Or, to continue along TJ's line of thought, maybe she is wearing/carrying something she doesn't realize boosts her power temporarily and only makes the connection later...

 

[James Coote]

Whatever you use, don't explain it directly. Have her try to use it again and have to figure out why it doesn't work this time

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Yes, I think the fear and/or anger thing sounds likely. It's a kind of adrenaline rush, allowing her to do something otherwise impossible -- like when somebody lifts a car off of somebody who is trapped -- but when she tries to do it without that, it doesn't work.

 

[The Judge]

It's a kind of adrenaline rush, allowing her to do something otherwise impossible -- like when somebody lifts a car off of somebody who is trapped -- but when she tries to do it without that, it doesn't work.

Ooh, spooky! That was exactly what I was thinking of when I wrote my post! (In a story my mother told, it was a very petite woman lifting a car off her -- the woman's -- child, desperation giving her abnormal strength.)

 

[Abernovo]

Along with fear, there's also pain. Both could lead to distraction of the mind from the impossibility of the task. If you need a reason, perhaps it could be a great drain upon her, performing this task, as it's not of her normal abilities. So, the fear allowed her to discharge a massive amount of energy (kind of goes along with the abnormal feats in real life).

 

[Phyrebrat]

It's cold so soup is goooood..

Going with something Springs referred to, I'd be inclined to go with the 'it can kill her if she uses it too much'.

pH

 

[HareBrain]

I'm just about to have some soup!

Ooh, spooky! That was exactly what I was thinking of when I wrote my post! (In a story my mother told, it was a very petite woman lifting a car off her -- the woman's -- child, desperation giving her abnormal strength.)

I'm glad you added "-- the woman's --" otherwise it would make your mother seem a tad lazy.

 

[Brian G Turner]

What's the source of the magic? If it comes from an object, or from within her own body, there's a danger of either the item shattering and wounding her, or else her kidneys melting. Sounds like deterrent enough to me.

Will still be in danger of being seen to be a plot device, but don't fret too much - plenty of successful writers use them. So long as they are not overwhelmingly used it can be acceptable.

 

[hopewrites]

Real life example of "don't think just do it" over "don't think (i) can do it"

I am petrified of spiders. As in I once spent the night trapped in the kitchen because there was a baby one blocking the only way out.
But if one 'threatens' my son its dead before I know what I'm doing. Shoes, books, hair spray, whatever's handy. And I go back to being a quivering blob as soon as its dead, tearfully incapable of cleaning up the carnage.


So if she just leaps into action without giving herself a moment to think about the impossibly of what she's about to do and losses the ability as soon as she thinks "omg I can't do this what's going on" then I think you'll have hit all the plausible reasons for her to not be able to do it later. Provided she takes the time to think "Gah I cant" when you need her not to.

 

[Hex]

Mmmm. Thank you for the great ideas. I will stir the soup and hope.

 

[nubins]

Aside from whats been suggested above.. drugs. PCP is well know to allow people to achieve superhuman levels of strength and endurance. Numerous stories of police shooting people on PCP and them not even realising it. I think it stops all the feedback loops in the body that tells it when it should stop doing something as its dangerous (like how hard your muscles should contract without snapping the bone or ow that bit hurts, stop moving it).

So your character could be exposed to something in the air, a plant or fungal spores or something, that act in that way?

 

[David Evil Overlord]

We evil overlords can't waste our valuable time making brain soup for zombies.

We have minions to do that sort of thing for us.*

But on the subject of your writerly problem, I recall folklore abounds with examples of magic backfiring upon the wielder. All you need is something to boost her power for a little while (drugs, alcohol, copper, a gift of magic from a grateful faerie, etc). Then, if she doesn't know it's one-use only, or better yet doesn't even know about it (would you know if you were standing on the site of a Bronze Age copper mine that was never mined out?)...

*And I suspect they order take-away brain soup from some fast food restaurant.

 

[Jarshen]

There are consequences that depend on the magic system, in using the magic she may blind herself or the one she is trying to save, knock herself out or perhaps she must pay a price or breaks some taboo in casting the spell. Effects can be temporary or long lasting or permanent.

 

[Grinnel]

This is the first time she extended her magic this much. Magic is like muscle power or brainpower. It must be stretched slightly in order to grow. If you stretch it too much, like a muscle or an overworked brain, there is a price. Severe overuse will have a severe price, similar to (and as painfil as) a torn legiment or damaged or even destroyed cartelidge.

The damage is not yet healed, and/or the fear of that amount of pain continues to intimidate her. This gives you the option to have her powers grow in a sequel while still keeping her in control through this story. (I'm not sure why I thinking of her as a she, but there you go.)

 

[Hex]

Thanks, you guys.

Ahhh. I didn't think of pain. Interesting.

I hope I've fixed this now (fingers crossed).

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

Just as another thought, what if magic is something that some people have and can control, and some people have and can't control. It's an almost subconscious thing for them, and because it can be as dangerous to them as anyone else, they spend their days trying to repress it. Fear just gave her a brief moment of control.

Cheers, Greg.