Realistic or Modern Wished (OOC Planning Thread)

[linden]

The World of Wished

In this world much like our own, young people gain an extraordinary gift as they grow into adulthood. Sometime between their thirteenth and sixteenth birdays, they develop The Belt, named for the constellation. The mark appears as three almost perfectly aligned white dots located on the underside of the forearm. Each dot grants the individual a Wish, a bit of true magic so ubiquitous that in this world it is hardly seen as magic. Wishes are a rite of passage. If not used before a person’s twenty-first birthday, the Belt and the Wishes disappear for good.

The Story

It’s another year at Victoria University. Located in scenic Victoria, British Columbia, this mid-sized, liberal arts college attracts students from all over the world. Enter our cast: a group of underclassmen assigned to Bear Hall. They don’t know each other, but they will soon enough. Dorm living is so intimate after all.

What We Know about Wishes

Absolute Rules: Wishes

》Wishes cannot grant life
》Wishes cannot end life
》Wishes cannot affect the mental, emotional, or physical states of another person
》Wishes cannot grant more wishes
》Wishes cannot grant unnatural abilities
》Wishes will always expire on the twenty-first birthday, down to the minute
》Wishes cannot be transferred, traded, or given
》Illegitimate requests (e.g. wishing for more Wishes) will not result in any repercussions or actions​

Laws: It is illegal to attempt or otherwise execute the following:

》Trading wished items for real money
》Trading Wishes for real money
》Using wishes to harm or damage people or property
》Using wishes to aid in illegal acts (such as robbery, fraud, breaking and entry, etc.)​

Common Legitimate Wishes

》Changes in one’s own attributes, both physical and relating to personality*
》Changes in one’s own skill or talent proficiency
》Immediate reversal of one’s own action (there is usually a ten minute window in which to make the request)
》Production of physical inanimate objects (they will disappear after roughly twenty-four hours)

* Game mechanic note: if your character wishes to change personality traits, please keep in mind that this is not a free pass to write your character one way and expect other characters to treat your character another way. With this Wish, you are essentially allowed write your own character differently than described in their character sheet without raising questions about consistency. I realize there are small ways where this system might encourage god-modding; let’s stay away from that.​

Wish Game Mechanics

I will determine the outcome of our characters’ Wishes to make sure they affect our chacters consistently. Please do not write in the outcome of your character’s Wish before I’ve weighed in. Where Wishes with vague wording are concerned, I will roll a 20-sided die to determine the accuracy of the Wish.​

 

[BrokenRemedy]

I... have arrived!

 

[BrokenRemedy]

As for items disappearing after 24 hours, if I wished for like, a million dollars, would I have 24 hours to spend it all before going broke again?

I know these are super hypothetical but I'm genuinely curious now.

 

[Ali]

dang it i wasn’t first

also yay planning thread !!

i kinda wanna expand on what i said earlier— so what if on your thirteen birthday (i believe it was), you’re left from an unknown entity a gem, charm, trinket, whatever we come up with, that is specific to the person holding it. maybe it’s a reflection of their personality, values, past, whatever. but it’s silver. and you just gotta touch it (maybe add something else, like holding it in the hand for a certain time, or pressing it against the dots on your arm!), then either think or say aloud your wish or think it, and it either comes true if it follows the rules, or doesn’t— and then on your sixteenth birthday, it turns gold or bronze or something different from silver, to show that the wishes are up. maybe the symbol of the trinket replaces the dots on the arm like a permanent tattoo.

 

[KodomoSekai]

I'm home~!

 

[linden]

Question from K KodomoSekai : Ah, now I have a question. What if someone were to wish for something like a fictional character to become real? Would they be considered a physical object and disappear?
A: Ha! That's sneaky. I wouldn't consider the fictional character an object, so if they were somehow able to be wished into existence, I don't think the object rule would apply. However, I have a feeling that there's an addendum on the Not Bringing the Dead Back to Life rule that also prohibits the bringing to life of things that were never living. Interesting idea, but my gut says this wouldn't be possible. I'm open to the idea though. Group, how do we rule on this category?

Question from BrokenRemedy : Oh! How would one go about asking for their wishes. Would it be verbal, as in someone simply saying "I wish for ___" or would there be another mechanism to differentiate real wishes from absent minded ones (like "i wish I had a pizza right about now...")?
A: Excellent question! We could go about this in several different ways. The options I'm bouncing around now are:
1. A person would merely have to say "I wish for..." while touching the dots on their arm. This way, just saying the words have no effect (and can give the wisher a chance to get the wording right beforehand).
2. We could come up with specific wording that "activates" the magic, something like a couplet perhaps? Not too long or difficult to say, but nothing common enough that someone might accidentally say the words without meaning to make a Wish.
3. People could just say, "I wish..." but in this world, it is culturally ingrained not to say these words unless you mean to make an actual Wish. Other phrases, such as "It would be nice if...", "I want...", and "I hope..." take the place of "I wish."

As Ali suggested, we could also use a magical artifact or location (such as a well...hahaha) to make the actual Wishes. The added information about the trinket is interesting! My only question is where does this trinket come from? I went with a symbol that appears on the skin to equal the playing field, so to speak. No matter a person's socio-economic status, race, religion, education, what have you, they will absolutely have their Wishes. With the trinket, we may need to address accessibility, which would be a cool area to explore. If it something that must be made, what is it made of and how do people acquire these materials? If a trinket is lost, what happens? Can people steal each other's trinkets? Can someone somehow stockpile Wishes? I hadn't thought about this before so I'm not entirely sure. Group?

Question from Remedy :
As for items disappearing after 24 hours, if I wished for like, a million dollars, would I have 24 hours to spend it all before going broke again?
I know these are super hypothetical but I'm genuinely curious now.
A: Hypotheticals are wonderful! They help us determine the limits of this type of magic. I have thought about this question too. Technically, yes, you have have a million dollars which you could try to spend in 24 hours. However, this is illegal. Wishing magic has been around long enough for laws to have been passed concerning the use and abuse of certain Wishes, like wishing for currency. Assuming your Wish presents you with real money (and not, say, Monopoly money - see why being specific matters?), it is still counterfeit. Businesses are shrewd enough to be on the lookout for large amounts of cash being spent by teenagers. However, small amounts spread out everywhere... Well, that's harder to catch, isn't it? (;

-------
lisbeth Just tagging you here so you know where the conversation went!

Sorry that took so long! There was a lot to think about in those questions. Good stuff, everyone.

 

[Ali]

yeah!
the idea of a small tattoo or marking instead of a trinket or small charm could be fun-- but like you said, factoring in accessibility and such could be fun to play around with. or if someone LOST their trinket like an irresponsible young teenager, well, theyre a little screwed lol

maybe like, governmental distribution of these could be cool. but that's hella indepth, and i'm willing to go there with ya if you wanna bounce ideas around!

an idea i've seen in places before is like, black market stuff. in a world where only the upper class can locate the highest quality trinkets, maybe the poor and less fortunate are forced to use backroom, black market forged trinkets that can have deadly side effects. that could be a fun area to explore!

 

[KodomoSekai]

I'd say wishing for fictional characters to become real would be fair game, so long as the character did not die in their original media it wouldn't technically count as bringing back the dead.

I'm all for exploring the ramifications of a trinket or charm being what grants wishes. I'm all for chatting about it, but I think the tattoo idea would be a safer route to go down and would keep the focus on the wishes themselves and the consequences of them, as with trinkets the possibility to go off rails into losing one or having one stolen is something that may happen.

 

[BrokenRemedy]

You could always combine the two ideas. The dots on the arm can be the basis for the wishes, so no matter what you will always have them (until you use them all, of course), but the trinkets can also be given to maybe the middle-upper class people as a family heirloom of sorts. Maybe people believe that the trinkets increase the power of the wish and the likelihood that it would work. That might not be the case at all, but superstitions are always something that exist no matter what universe you’re in.

Side note: I like you people. You all are really creative and I feel like we’ve got some good vibes.

Side side note: I’d say bringing a fictional character to life would be ok so long as the character enters the world normally. If theyre a wizard in their book, they lose their magic. Werewolf? Bye bye wolfie. They turn to common people. That would level the playing ground so no one could wish for like Jesus or someone to come be on their side.

But that alternatively brings up another issue, if the “summoned” characters get to be aspects of society, or would they be seen as property of their wisher. Totally brings up a huge branch of inequality and civil rights, but its fun to think about.

 

[JustJazzy]

new to the group, sorry, but I love all these ideas and have some of my own!

so let's say everyone is born with these perfectly golden dots on their arm but over time, as you get closer to expiration, the color starts to shift to black. so the bracelets/trinkets were invented, and they are a purely cosmetic sort of thing, a luxury afforded only to wealthy.

they are worn directly on your wrist where the dots are, keeping them from turning black with 'age' as everyone sees it, keeping them perfectly gold on your wrist and giving the impression that you have wishes left even if you don't really?

 

[Ali]

The dots on the arm can be the basis for the wishes, so no matter what you will always have them (until you use them all, of course), but the trinkets can also be given to maybe the middle-upper class people as a family heirloom of sorts. Maybe people believe that the trinkets increase the power of the wish and the likelihood that it would work. That might not be the case at all, but superstitions are always something that exist no matter what universe you’re in.

yes!! this is exactly what i was thinking! upper class users get trinkets as a heirloom, which is believed to just amplify the power of the wishes- and this could lead to black market of sorts for things like that!

and i like u too this is already seeming like it's gonna be awesome !!

 

[BrokenRemedy]

Alright guys, loving these ideas. Keep working on this because its got so much potential. I’m gonna crash, but I’ll be right back here in the morning to help flesh things out!

 

[Ali]

alrighty, sleep well! ♡

also linden , if you want any help with writing up lore or with the character sheet, just pm me or let me know, i'm gonna be up for a while haha

 

[JustJazzy]

also I don't think there are any rules against this but still wanted to check, even though it might count as an action?

what if someone were to wish that were someone else were 'gone'? what would be the consequences of that, if any?
edit: Or even wish someone out of existence?

 

[Ali]

i feel like that could come off as really over powered, though maybe if the situation really warrants it, it could happen like, in severe situations?

just my thoughts, but it seems like it could be a pretty devastating thing to use haha

edit: 1. Wishes can neither bring back the dead nor can they kill. i suppose if someone doesn't exist, they're dead, so i think it'd be killing? not sure lol JustJazzy

 

[Aato]

Or, maybe, you couldn't wish for someone else to be "gone" or leave, but maybe yourself? In that way, there's no infringement on someone else's being... if that makes sense.

 

[Ali]

hmm
like trying to wish yourself out of existence?
i'm probably way off its 11pm and i haven't had coffee today lmfao

 

[Aato]

hmm
like trying to wish yourself out of existence?
i'm probably way off its 11pm and i haven't had coffee today lmfao

I suppose in whatever regard JustJazzy intended. Though, I think they mean just to displace someone, like, say if A and B are in an argument and A wished that B was "gone". Light example, but I'd take it they'd simply disappear from the current setting and reappear elsewhere/somewhere random?

 

[Ali]

ah, gotcha,

i mean, i suppose it could be possible if it caused no harm to the person who's 'gone', but that seems like a waste of one of three wishes

if you've got a temperamental and irresponsible character then i mean, go ahead lol

you'll have to ask linden for a final answer though, i'm just dropping ideas and trying to give feedback as soon as i can

 

[Aato]

Ali - I could see it being most useful in a criminal situation - like a kidnapping or something - but that's just throwing ideas around. We'll get Jazzy's perspective, though, and see what the GM says.
______

As for general questions/ideas...

As far as how to solidify a wish goes, I like the simple concept of holding the dots to make the wish or that the language of the culture is different... But it seems the more intricate idea is more popular. I'm fine with any decision, really.

And on the same concept of bringing characters to life, what happens if someone wishes for a sibling (well, I suppose that could come about naturally) or, moreso, a twin - which would be more controversial? Because, obviously, if you weren't born with one, they gotta come outta thin air... Unless the magic works to basically birth someone a new siblings who's a look alike.

Also, can one wish for eternal life or reverse aging?

 

[Ali]

eternal life seems a bit wild, and earlier, linden said that "Wishing magic has been around long enough for laws to have been passed concerning the use and abuse of certain Wishes, like wishing for currency," so there's a big chance that something like that would be outlawed, or at least really frowned upon.

but yeah, i can see that in a criminal situation too, so ye

 

[SomebodyElse]

Can I wish for attributes or powers?

Attribute being something like being good at something like sports or games, or being smarter or more charismatic
And powers being like control over fire or levitating or whatever

 

[linden]

You are such an amazingly collaborative bunch! As soon as I've written up a reply, I see two more replies have come in that totally change the way I thought about my previous response. I think I've rewritten this one three times now! ><

Firstly, JustJazzy , Howdy and hello! Welcome to the Wishes Planning Thread! Your and Ali's ideas about the bracelets have given me this thought: rather than amplify Wishes, these heirloom trinkets (the origins of which are ancient and generally unknown) delay the Wishes' expiry date. Maybe those fortunate enough to have these trinkets use them so they'll have a Wish or two when they're adults? Or, as someone mentioned (I'm sorry, I can't recall who), these trinkets may allegedly grant more Wishes. Perhaps only the blank market variety claim to do this?

BrokenRemedy That's a good point about the fictional characters. Here's what I think: if we're to bring fictional characters to life, then those characters will come to life exactly as they are in their books (assuming the wording of the Wish is specific and accurate enough to give these characters three dimensional life). HOWEVER, the characters have no life beyond what is written on the page. Therefore, they can only say the things they've said in print. It would do you no good to ask Lizzy Bennet what she thinks of global warming because Jane Austen never wrote her opinions on the matter. Voldemort could not effectively perform the Killing Curse; it would merely be an illusion -- a flash of green light and nothing more. A vampire could try to bite someone, but it would be like biting air. How does that sound to everyone?

Thanks so much for your input so far! See ya on the other side.

Ali Dude. Appreciate the offer. If I weren't heading off to bed soon myself, I'd totally take you up on it. But hey, there's no reason you can't think of things on your own and share with the group later! (:

I so, so appreciate that you are all comfortable bouncing ideas off each other while I'm lurking in a corner (I'm totally following what you're all saying, but like I said, as soon as I type a reply to one thing, two more replies pop up in the meantime! It's great, but apologies if I seem neglectful.

As for the wishing people away question, here are my thoughts:
1. Wishing someone (yourself included) out of existence is akin to wishing them dead. So, no go. Wish wouldn't be granted and no consequences incurred.
2. Wishing that someone simply were not near you may or may not result in something happening, depending on the wording of the Wish. For instance, if a character wished another character would go to their room or some place specific, this would constitute manipulating their actions by physically moving that particular person to another location. Again, no go. If a character wished another character were a thousand miles away, well, it wasn't specified which character had to be relocated so by default the wisher would be transported. This, as you might imagine, would cause severe problems.
3. There are no circumstance in which a character can change the physical state or location of another character. Can you imagine the consent laws?? Oy.

Aato Thanks for your input! We're still bouncing ideas around, so when the group is finalized I'll run a poll to see which option on wish making is most preferred. By then, we'll all be familiar with the options so it should be easy to make a decision.

As for your first question, wishing people who never were into existence is possible, but not worth a Wish. And it is also illegal. It's been tried and the results were never positive, hence laws. Magic and biology just do not mix. Don't do it, man.

As for your second question, a person could not wish for a longer life. No one knows when they will die. Even in this world that is not predestined. The Wish would have nothing on which to take effect because even the magic would not know how to make you live longer. It can heal and reverse terminal illnesses, though. So, if your character were dying of brain cancer, then yes, they could use their Wish to eradicate the cancer cells, thereby extending the potential for a longer life.

Yes, characters can use their Wishes to physical alter themselves. These changes are permanent unless reversed by Wish, which would then have wasted two Wishes. Keep in mind, too, that most of the people who have access to Wishes are 13-21 years old, even if we rule in favor of black market trinkets or family heirlooms that grant more Wishes. So, yes, these teens can wish to age themselves, but why would they wish to look younger? They're already quite young. They may wish to age up, but why would they do that when they will age naturally in a few years anyway? This is one of those fairly benign Wishes where I would say just because you can doesn't mean you should. (:

SomebodyElse Yes and no. Characters may wish for skills but not attributes, only for the practical reason that I cannot force other players to treat your character as though they were more charismatic or intelligent. It would be low key god-modding. So, I'm afraid a personality characteristics must boil down to the writing. And I'm afraid that's another no to your other question. Wishes cannot imbue your character with magical or supernatural abilities. Sorry!

Oh my goodness. That took a looong time to write out. I love the ideas and the questions. I love that you're all finding the loopholes and figuring out what works and what doesn't. This is my kind of world building. Alas, it took me so long to write this response that I never got around to that character sheet. But think about the kind of character you want to create. Remember, they are college-aged students. To ensure our characters have sufficient cause for interacting, I'd like them to live in the same dorm (either a group of freshmen/sophomores or junior/seniors).

I'll see you lovely people tomorrow evening!

 

[lisbeth]

i'm finally here !! didn't ditch, was sleeping. that was a lot to read but i reckon i've figured out what is happening atm. my creativity isn't all there since i've only woke up a bit ago and have some things to do.

however, an idea i thought of, albeit it's wild and y'all will be like "lol no". but what if, when a person has their wish granted, they lose something from their life. possibly an important item, maybe even SOMEONE important. a fair trade i suppose. it raises the stakes of using these wishes and can be an opportunity to reflect on the characters and think of what person they truly are. will their wishes basically be disposed of, not used to their utmost potential? or will actual consideration be put into them; what they wished for managed to outweigh what they lost. it could also work as, the bigger their wish is, the bigger their loss is.

that was a complete stretch and only came to me as i was reading through what the rest of you wrote. oops

 

[Noivian]

Ah, hello! I stumbled over the interest check a little while ago and thought it was kinda interesting! I'm still boiling over who to use as a character and what they'd wish for, since part of what they'd wish for are things I'd wish for (like the ability to fly, for example) so color me interested.