He knew something was different when he could no longer spill things. He turned a cup of water upside down, and the mere nervousness of it spilling and making a mess would cause the water to stay inside--as though he hadn't turned the cup over at all.
It would stay...as long as he focused on it--even peripheral focus was enough. Which was hard to stop doing, if he wanted it to spill.
It started to annoy him when squirt guns stopped working against him.
Today, he'd realized real guns didn't work against him either.
He wasn't the sort to become a hero. He'd always admired the villains. Not because they were evil, but they just seemed so fascinating.
Too fascinating. Too far out of reach.
That which he didn't understand, he would try to emulate. Just to understand it.
What, he thought, would a villain do with such powers? He couldn't just imagine it. He needed to live it. Otherwise, where was the real understanding? It was just imagining. Never mind comic books. This was dirty, messy real life.
Which meant he would have to be far more careful than any sort of fictional hero or villain might be. And he knew, even now, he'd make mistakes.
But who would believe he had superpowers?
Someone would. If he had such abilities, certainly there were others who would, too.
In this, he was wrong. He was unique. But he still seeks to find others like himself.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Little known facts about wizards...
- Wizards have 35 days in each month.
- Wizards can think and practice while they sleep.
- Wizards can't be harmed by fire.
- Wizards live about 300 years longer than most folk, give or take a couple hundred years.
- Wizards don't technically die.
- Wizards can understand computers, and are computer literate.
Friday, June 15, 2012
The wall of headaches
A group of scientists finds an ancient alien building. One of the inside walls, at the end of the hallway, at first seems like a simple dead end save for markings down most of the hallway.
But people notice that looking at the far wall for any length of time induces headaches. One person forces themself to look at it so long that they begin to have seizures and goes into a coma.
But one person who looks at the wall feels not the minor headaches, but an immediate surge of debilitating pain--which then subsides. Then, they notice they can "sense" the cause of the headache. The wall is an illusion, he realizes. He goes to touch it--something nobody has done for some reason. But it isn't an illusion.
The person is convinced of the illusory effect, but starts to realize he is sensing far more than another shape of the wall--he can sense all shapes and movements around him. With eyes closed, he cannot drown it out. He has trouble sleeping. As time passes, he becomes sensitive even to liquids and gasses in motion--to the point of distraction. He's committed to a mental hospital, because nobody can confirm what he claims.
In the hospital, the person's new sense takes more solid shape, and he convinces a doctor he can "see" things that he shouldn't. Like fingers under a table, people in another room, heartbeats of people around him...
Then, he realizes that he can push these sensations away. At first, it merely makes him able to sleep. But soon he realizes the push actually has a physical manifestation. Things push away from him. Once, he catches himself--and catches things in midair as they push away.
He has discovered telekinetic abilities.
He goes back to the wall, and there is able to push the shapes nobody can see. It unlocks a room...
But people notice that looking at the far wall for any length of time induces headaches. One person forces themself to look at it so long that they begin to have seizures and goes into a coma.
But one person who looks at the wall feels not the minor headaches, but an immediate surge of debilitating pain--which then subsides. Then, they notice they can "sense" the cause of the headache. The wall is an illusion, he realizes. He goes to touch it--something nobody has done for some reason. But it isn't an illusion.
The person is convinced of the illusory effect, but starts to realize he is sensing far more than another shape of the wall--he can sense all shapes and movements around him. With eyes closed, he cannot drown it out. He has trouble sleeping. As time passes, he becomes sensitive even to liquids and gasses in motion--to the point of distraction. He's committed to a mental hospital, because nobody can confirm what he claims.
In the hospital, the person's new sense takes more solid shape, and he convinces a doctor he can "see" things that he shouldn't. Like fingers under a table, people in another room, heartbeats of people around him...
Then, he realizes that he can push these sensations away. At first, it merely makes him able to sleep. But soon he realizes the push actually has a physical manifestation. Things push away from him. Once, he catches himself--and catches things in midair as they push away.
He has discovered telekinetic abilities.
He goes back to the wall, and there is able to push the shapes nobody can see. It unlocks a room...
Crystal/Glass bones
Idea:
A character has never had a broken bone in her life. She hasn't ever had an x-ray taken. She doesn't think much of it. And she's been through the airport plenty of times, with no problems.
But this time, she gets into line for an x-ray scanner. And the operator thinks something is wrong. They think the machine broken--because they can't see a single bone in her body.
After an escalating scene of calling in a technician and a manager, she is sent through one of the ordinary scanners--but is stopped when the other machine works with someone else.
And eventually she's taken aside, searched in detail, and refused permission to fly. She goes home, shaken.
No longer able to fly, and suspicious of what's going on, she sees a doctor for made-up reasons and demands x-rays. Once again, no bones show. A CT scan, however, shows she has something like bones, but made of entirely different material...
A week later, she goes back to the doctor's office. He has a new secretary who claims they have no records of her being there. There are no billing records either. She shows a bill, and the secretary asks to borrow it. She never returns to the desk. She is unable to see the doctor, and the doctor is not accepting new patients at this time. A staff member pulls her aside outside, and tells her that something is wrong, and not to come back--but refuses to say anything further.
The airport calls with an apology, and tells her she is allowed to fly again. They reimburse her flight at 150%. Since it's for business, she mentions little of it to her boss, and flies to the same city as planned before. When she goes to the ticket gate, she is given a VIP pass and does not pass through any metal detectors. This is slightly more disturbing than before.
Several months later, she has put together some things: never a broken bone, despite some rather rough falls. She has never really bruised either, she realizes. She has never had a cut, bruise, or abrasion. She has torn clothing, though. She finally has courage this evening to try something. A pinprick, she decides.
The pinprick hurts. It draws a small amount of blood, but that's it. It closes immediately. No continued bleeding. She has given blood before. She goes to give blood again. She is mysteriously on a no-donors list.
She checks her vaccination records. They seem normal. She walks into another doctor's office, and takes an impromptu appointment. She finds out that a new law has been passed requiring a pharmaceutical approval for x-rays, and her SSN is refused an x-ray. He apologizes, and after she tries to insist he shows her the door.
She tries more and more severe pricks, until she has escalated it to a knife. She cuts herself, and blood comes out, but it is as though there is no cut as soon as the knife is pulled away. She is freaking out at this point. She tells a friend, who laughs at her and tells her she is crazy. The friendship is severely damaged.
She takes a meat cleaver one evening and dares herself up to a severe chop. She whacks it in, and feels it hit the bone. The pain is excruciating. There is blood. She scrapes the flesh up, filleting her own arm.
The flap of flesh folds back. There is no bleeding. It's like looking at a bloodless cadaver arm. But she sees the bone. It's like bluish crystal. It has no nick or scar from the knife blade. The pain subsides, despite the exposed flesh. She taps the "bone", and feels it as if she were touching skin--ultra sensitive.
She folds the skin back. It seals as if nothing had happened.
She checks herself into a mental asylum.
A character has never had a broken bone in her life. She hasn't ever had an x-ray taken. She doesn't think much of it. And she's been through the airport plenty of times, with no problems.
But this time, she gets into line for an x-ray scanner. And the operator thinks something is wrong. They think the machine broken--because they can't see a single bone in her body.
After an escalating scene of calling in a technician and a manager, she is sent through one of the ordinary scanners--but is stopped when the other machine works with someone else.
And eventually she's taken aside, searched in detail, and refused permission to fly. She goes home, shaken.
No longer able to fly, and suspicious of what's going on, she sees a doctor for made-up reasons and demands x-rays. Once again, no bones show. A CT scan, however, shows she has something like bones, but made of entirely different material...
A week later, she goes back to the doctor's office. He has a new secretary who claims they have no records of her being there. There are no billing records either. She shows a bill, and the secretary asks to borrow it. She never returns to the desk. She is unable to see the doctor, and the doctor is not accepting new patients at this time. A staff member pulls her aside outside, and tells her that something is wrong, and not to come back--but refuses to say anything further.
The airport calls with an apology, and tells her she is allowed to fly again. They reimburse her flight at 150%. Since it's for business, she mentions little of it to her boss, and flies to the same city as planned before. When she goes to the ticket gate, she is given a VIP pass and does not pass through any metal detectors. This is slightly more disturbing than before.
Several months later, she has put together some things: never a broken bone, despite some rather rough falls. She has never really bruised either, she realizes. She has never had a cut, bruise, or abrasion. She has torn clothing, though. She finally has courage this evening to try something. A pinprick, she decides.
The pinprick hurts. It draws a small amount of blood, but that's it. It closes immediately. No continued bleeding. She has given blood before. She goes to give blood again. She is mysteriously on a no-donors list.
She checks her vaccination records. They seem normal. She walks into another doctor's office, and takes an impromptu appointment. She finds out that a new law has been passed requiring a pharmaceutical approval for x-rays, and her SSN is refused an x-ray. He apologizes, and after she tries to insist he shows her the door.
She tries more and more severe pricks, until she has escalated it to a knife. She cuts herself, and blood comes out, but it is as though there is no cut as soon as the knife is pulled away. She is freaking out at this point. She tells a friend, who laughs at her and tells her she is crazy. The friendship is severely damaged.
She takes a meat cleaver one evening and dares herself up to a severe chop. She whacks it in, and feels it hit the bone. The pain is excruciating. There is blood. She scrapes the flesh up, filleting her own arm.
The flap of flesh folds back. There is no bleeding. It's like looking at a bloodless cadaver arm. But she sees the bone. It's like bluish crystal. It has no nick or scar from the knife blade. The pain subsides, despite the exposed flesh. She taps the "bone", and feels it as if she were touching skin--ultra sensitive.
She folds the skin back. It seals as if nothing had happened.
She checks herself into a mental asylum.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Writer's block
I read a story once about someone who had a writer's block. A professor
told them to start describing a building brick by brick. It helped.
I think the point is that if you feel like you're in a block, one way to get out of it is to try and think of several approaches to writing something. Here are a couple I brainstorm now:
I think the point is that if you feel like you're in a block, one way to get out of it is to try and think of several approaches to writing something. Here are a couple I brainstorm now:
- Do some non-poetic writing. Get some ideas out without trying to put them into meter or rhyme yet.
- Come up with some nonsensical rhymes. Then try to add meaning to them.
- Describe something tiny. Inconsequential. Ordinary. Like a vampire's checkbook, or the key to his/her car. Or his shoes. Or the pavement he walks on. Or how he greets people in the morning/dusk. Or his desk job. Or how he flips burgers. Start with the most mundane, ordinary silly or serious things. Focus on tiny details, and keep going.
- Paint broad strokes. Describe a world, an economy, a social class, or a family hierarchy or family line. Then add details: economic, spiritual, social, political, emotional, physical, health, etc...
- Describe relationships between people. Use one word. or Use one sentence. or Use one paragraph.
- Find adjectives in a dictionary. Model a situation, character, job, conversation, or relationship on it, and describe it.
- Describe the things in a person (vampire's) life. What's in their bedroom? What kind of mattress? bed sheets? etc.
- Describe the people surrounding a person's life. Which people give them meaning and purpose? Which ones don't? Why?
- Describe the why's of a person, or thing.
- Describe how the person feels about the physical things around them. Start by being ridiculous. Perhaps it's easier to tone down emotion/feelings about something than tone them up. Maybe start with adjectives.
- Describe the events in person's life (vampire). Major events. Timeline. Do the same thing for an ordinary day. Ordinary week. Describe stupid, ordinary things that happened to said person this day/week/month. Like stubbed toes, gum on the shoe, or finding out something was sold out when they went to buy it. Or, perhaps just describe how things go according to plan, even if ordinary things. There is the usual like of 3 to 4 people at the coffee shop. When s/he asks for (details of drink here) they get it in the same (time frame here). He walks out and turns (direction) while (doing something else ordinary). Takes (cab/bus/road/sidewalk) to (location). What do they see, all the time, along the way?
- Go back to something you've written and try to make the character or yourself see it in a new way, or a new old way. Victor Vampire has been meaning to look at that store he passes daily. Today he realizes he's been putting it off (that's what is new), and decides to do something about it tomorrow.
- Describe decisions.
- Describe choices character has made recently.
- Include decisions that are: significant, minor, silly, while tired, while inspired, etc.
- What was enticing about each of the alternatives?
- Were there more than two choices? Did the character recognize all the alternatives right away? If not, have they yet?
- Describe weaknesses. Those the character is aware of, and not aware of. Brainstorm and be ridiculous. Open to random dictionary pages or encyclopedia entries and force yourself to invent weaknesses out of the first things you see.
- Write alternatives.
- Eg. "what kind of wristwatch might this character wear? None. Seiko. Diamond studded. Velcro...."
- Describe someone's style.
- Clothing. Speech mannerisms and accent. Body language. Writing style. Manners.
- Lifestyle. Messy? Timely? Addicted? Pedantic?
- Dating. Relationships. Family.
- Communication styles. Humor style.
- Entertainment style. Elegant? Tawdry? Silly? Would you guess their entertainment preferences by looking at or talking with the character?
- Places. Where does a character go? Why? What other places? Avoidances?
- Significant places. Mundane ones. Routes. Stores. Transportation. Vacations. Sleeping.
- Is the character consistent in where they go?
- Write alternative whys. "Why does this character not wear a wristwatch? Uncomfortable. Outdated. They remind him of (something). He forgets." etc.
- Ask five whys for stupid details. Make up alternative answers.
- "Why does he forget his watch? he's forgetful. Why? Because a vampire hunter hit him on the head with a frying pan back in 1992 and he's never been the same since. Why? Because he was too focused on a car he wanted to steal. Why? He was out of cash and couldn't afford it and was feeling depressed during the fight. Why? Because his girlfriend kicked him out and got him fired. Why? Because he brought a giant pink kitten home and it ate her favorite three-headed-dog. Why?...etc."
- Go back to any of the ideas you wrote above, and make up alternatives:
- Is the character consistently this way or that way? When?
- How else might you model this character?
- How else might you describe this character?
- Add depth.
- Use more specific words. Use less specific ones.
- What/what/when/who/how has (fill in blank) influenced a characteristic, situation, or relationship?
- How has this changed over time? Through different environments.
- Describe the character's uncertainty in describing something.
- Have the character focus on something, and try to analyze it. Emote over it. etc.
- What makes it complicated?
- What makes it simple? Was effort put into it to make it simple, or is it naturally that way?
- How do different people feel about the same thing? Offer different perspectives using different characters.
- Examples: What shade of green? What words can you find for describing voice/tambre?
- Research personality types
- Start with stereotypes. Then describe exceptions.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Cb (C-flat) Press Release
Microsoft is releasing C-flat, its new programming language. With Blunt Objects, you can avoid project cuts and bleeding edge solutions that many C# designers suffer from. With Blunt Objects, pound out solutions that otherwise wouldn't fit the problem. Flat interfaces guarantee a dull, familiar user experience with no surprises or innovation.
Their test project was the Microsoft Office Paperclip, which proved to be a resounding success, especially with more technically-oriented users (who affectionately dubbed it "clippy").
Each public release will be assigned an irrational number. The first public release is sqrt(2), or approximately 1.414. When asked why, a press representative said it would make it easier to fill up the documentation with an answer--whether or not it was the needed one. "The answer to every question will lie somewhere in each version number."
Press representatives said that language efficiency took a back seat to other priorities, but assured programmers that it would meet specifications.
Their test project was the Microsoft Office Paperclip, which proved to be a resounding success, especially with more technically-oriented users (who affectionately dubbed it "clippy").
Each public release will be assigned an irrational number. The first public release is sqrt(2), or approximately 1.414. When asked why, a press representative said it would make it easier to fill up the documentation with an answer--whether or not it was the needed one. "The answer to every question will lie somewhere in each version number."
Press representatives said that language efficiency took a back seat to other priorities, but assured programmers that it would meet specifications.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Elements of a Good Fictional Mechanism
For a technology or magic to be satisfying and believable in a work of fiction, it needs to be consistent, predictable, and limited in scope. I start by giving some examples of good but disappointing fiction, some good examples, then explaining what I meant by limited, predictable, and consistent.
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7), I couldn't help but feel a bit cheated. How secure was Gringotts, really? I just didn't feel convinced that most of the action in the book was planned, or even explained well. It just happened, and that was that.
In Star Trek, a lot of cool things could be done with transporters. But the Federation wasn't age-regressing their most valuable admirals and captains, then duplicating them with a double buffer transporter, and transporting the duplicates over subspace straight into battle zones--nor were any of their men traveling in time and dimensions to find out how to win the next fight or evade that idiotic treaty that prevented them from developing cloaking devices. Oh, and the Borg missed each of these technologies too. Why doesn't anyone occasionally say “Let's go have a beer and sing about the good old days when you knew that we really were who we think we are--and what and when and where we seemed to be. End program?” They don't even joke about these uncertainties (well, maybe they do a little). The theme song and end credits must scramble their memories or something.
On the other hand, the societal implications of telepathy or empathic abilities got scary in Babylon 5, Star Wars, Firefly, Buffy, and in Asimov's foundation series; in Harry Dresden's world, and in Dean Koontz's books they also had both dark and light sides. Things get messy and complicated. Perhaps I stopped liking Star Trek because rules and formulae were a bit trite or overly simplistic. But there was a time I liked Star Trek (TNG) despite the Prime Directive and magic reset button.
So what is it that makes a spell or gadget system believable? What makes it satisfying? Why is it anticlimactic if the dashing hero of the show wins the day by pulling out a heretofore unmentioned Divine Demon Gun and shooting the Hydra from Hell? It's because this gun came out of nowhere, and we feel like the writer didn't have time to actually find a logical way out for the hero. The victory is cheapened because it was stolen, not earned. It's only creative and clever when Dresden can't always use his blasting rod, or Hari Seldon's mathematics can't always predict the future accurately, or something else makes the path forward possible but not guaranteed.
So what elements make for a believable spell, gadget, techology, or magic? What makes the supernatural or the futuristic stuff more interesting, believable and satisfying? I have identified 3 or 4 categories.
Limited, or Scoped - This means that the machine or magic has limitations. A guy that breathes fire can't engulf a plane with his fiery breath. Limitations can come in many flavors: an expendable item; a slow or a delayed effect; technology that is unreliable; spells that half the population is immune to; a spell or gadget is expensive or has nasty side effects; and so forth. These limitations make it possible for the audience to know that not the heroes have hope, but victory isn't guaranteed--that even though the villains have power, they also have weaknesses. Not anyone can afford kryptonite; Luthor has to be close to superman to use it, and its effect is only temporary. Buffy isn't Hercules, and Hercules isn't Zeus; Luke can't defeat Darth Vader with a simple Jedi trick, nor can Vader destroy all the rebels without luring Luke to the dark side.
Consistent - This means that the power mechanism operates on the same principles as it did when it was introduced. The force doesn't operate differently for Luke than Obi-wan--their difference is in experience and mastery alone. Wolverine's adamantium is susceptible to magnetic forces, and this just isn't going to change unless something drastic happens (which it did). The One Ring always makes its wearer invisible and menacing (no matter who wears it), but it also gradually darkens his heart into selfishness and greed. These rules of consistency doesn't mean new twists can't be introduced (such as an antidote to mutant powers), but they have to be explained or foreshadowed first. Consistency means that the writer sticks with the natural consequences of his imaginary inventions, even when it's annoyingly inconvenient. The reader is not kept in the dark when all the characters in the book know what is going on.
Predictable - This means that thoughtful readers can understand the fictional mechanism well enough to predict whether something is possible or not, and what the likely side effects would be. For example, once you learn how Wolverine's claws work, you can reasonably predict that he can't cut down the Hoover Dam with them. You also know he is dangerously vulnerable to Magneto's powers. Because the readers understand how and why things are happening (at least partially), they can anticipate, predict, and guess at the future possibilities. This is where Harry Potter fails--we can never guess what spells the characters will pull out of their hats or what limitations they might have; magic is opaque to us. Good mechanisms allow the reader to say "cool--I wish I had seen that coming," because they know they could have or even should have. A reader will feel cheated if a completely random solution pops out of nowhere. This isn't to say that the entire world has to be explained well. In Lord of the Rings, we didn't know exactly how powerful the One Ring was, and we never did find out. But neither did the characters we were traveling with, so our limitation was also theirs--and it became a weakness: they were burdened by it, surprised by it, and afraid of it (rightly so).
Synthesizable - This is part of the predictable element, but it deserves some of its own discussion. There are logical, creative uses or combinations of various mechanisms that give rise to unexpected but undeniably logical choices and effects dealing with the fictional mechanism. For example, in one novel a protagonist uses an powerful air spell (which had been introduced earlier) to propel an elevator car up its shaft and crush a monster on top of the elevator. These are the kinds of uses that make the reader realize there is some real creativity: magic is used along with the laws of physics, or vice versa. Someone mixes technology with political influence. Military strategy changes because of a seemingly innocuous new spell.
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7), I couldn't help but feel a bit cheated. How secure was Gringotts, really? I just didn't feel convinced that most of the action in the book was planned, or even explained well. It just happened, and that was that.
In Star Trek, a lot of cool things could be done with transporters. But the Federation wasn't age-regressing their most valuable admirals and captains, then duplicating them with a double buffer transporter, and transporting the duplicates over subspace straight into battle zones--nor were any of their men traveling in time and dimensions to find out how to win the next fight or evade that idiotic treaty that prevented them from developing cloaking devices. Oh, and the Borg missed each of these technologies too. Why doesn't anyone occasionally say “Let's go have a beer and sing about the good old days when you knew that we really were who we think we are--and what and when and where we seemed to be. End program?” They don't even joke about these uncertainties (well, maybe they do a little). The theme song and end credits must scramble their memories or something.
On the other hand, the societal implications of telepathy or empathic abilities got scary in Babylon 5, Star Wars, Firefly, Buffy, and in Asimov's foundation series; in Harry Dresden's world, and in Dean Koontz's books they also had both dark and light sides. Things get messy and complicated. Perhaps I stopped liking Star Trek because rules and formulae were a bit trite or overly simplistic. But there was a time I liked Star Trek (TNG) despite the Prime Directive and magic reset button.
So what is it that makes a spell or gadget system believable? What makes it satisfying? Why is it anticlimactic if the dashing hero of the show wins the day by pulling out a heretofore unmentioned Divine Demon Gun and shooting the Hydra from Hell? It's because this gun came out of nowhere, and we feel like the writer didn't have time to actually find a logical way out for the hero. The victory is cheapened because it was stolen, not earned. It's only creative and clever when Dresden can't always use his blasting rod, or Hari Seldon's mathematics can't always predict the future accurately, or something else makes the path forward possible but not guaranteed.
So what elements make for a believable spell, gadget, techology, or magic? What makes the supernatural or the futuristic stuff more interesting, believable and satisfying? I have identified 3 or 4 categories.
Limited, or Scoped - This means that the machine or magic has limitations. A guy that breathes fire can't engulf a plane with his fiery breath. Limitations can come in many flavors: an expendable item; a slow or a delayed effect; technology that is unreliable; spells that half the population is immune to; a spell or gadget is expensive or has nasty side effects; and so forth. These limitations make it possible for the audience to know that not the heroes have hope, but victory isn't guaranteed--that even though the villains have power, they also have weaknesses. Not anyone can afford kryptonite; Luthor has to be close to superman to use it, and its effect is only temporary. Buffy isn't Hercules, and Hercules isn't Zeus; Luke can't defeat Darth Vader with a simple Jedi trick, nor can Vader destroy all the rebels without luring Luke to the dark side.
Consistent - This means that the power mechanism operates on the same principles as it did when it was introduced. The force doesn't operate differently for Luke than Obi-wan--their difference is in experience and mastery alone. Wolverine's adamantium is susceptible to magnetic forces, and this just isn't going to change unless something drastic happens (which it did). The One Ring always makes its wearer invisible and menacing (no matter who wears it), but it also gradually darkens his heart into selfishness and greed. These rules of consistency doesn't mean new twists can't be introduced (such as an antidote to mutant powers), but they have to be explained or foreshadowed first. Consistency means that the writer sticks with the natural consequences of his imaginary inventions, even when it's annoyingly inconvenient. The reader is not kept in the dark when all the characters in the book know what is going on.
Predictable - This means that thoughtful readers can understand the fictional mechanism well enough to predict whether something is possible or not, and what the likely side effects would be. For example, once you learn how Wolverine's claws work, you can reasonably predict that he can't cut down the Hoover Dam with them. You also know he is dangerously vulnerable to Magneto's powers. Because the readers understand how and why things are happening (at least partially), they can anticipate, predict, and guess at the future possibilities. This is where Harry Potter fails--we can never guess what spells the characters will pull out of their hats or what limitations they might have; magic is opaque to us. Good mechanisms allow the reader to say "cool--I wish I had seen that coming," because they know they could have or even should have. A reader will feel cheated if a completely random solution pops out of nowhere. This isn't to say that the entire world has to be explained well. In Lord of the Rings, we didn't know exactly how powerful the One Ring was, and we never did find out. But neither did the characters we were traveling with, so our limitation was also theirs--and it became a weakness: they were burdened by it, surprised by it, and afraid of it (rightly so).
Synthesizable - This is part of the predictable element, but it deserves some of its own discussion. There are logical, creative uses or combinations of various mechanisms that give rise to unexpected but undeniably logical choices and effects dealing with the fictional mechanism. For example, in one novel a protagonist uses an powerful air spell (which had been introduced earlier) to propel an elevator car up its shaft and crush a monster on top of the elevator. These are the kinds of uses that make the reader realize there is some real creativity: magic is used along with the laws of physics, or vice versa. Someone mixes technology with political influence. Military strategy changes because of a seemingly innocuous new spell.
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