Healing characters in fiction is always a challenge. You don’t want to make it too easy or you lose tension. Too hard and there’s no point in having the option. The methods are a challenge as well because you have spells, potions, powers, etc. We tend to box ourselves into the established norms as well since healing can feel secondary, especially in fantasy stories. Just plop a priest down and have them pray the damage away. That can get boring. Then, there’s the following question
What does the woman with a chainsaw have to do with healing?
Akiko Yosano is from the series ‘Bungo Stray Dogs’ and she has a healing ability. She brings her companions back from the brink of death all the time. Unfortunately, ‘brink of death’ is the key phrase. She can only heal people when they are on the verge of death, which means some injuries require that she . . . Well, you see the chainsaw. This is all implied and not shown, but it got me wondering about unique methods of healing characters. Never heard of this version before, which got me wondering if there are more ways to pull off this rather basic action.
I can’t think of any other strange ways to heal others. I’ve seen healing kisses and characters with blood that acts like potions, but that might be it. The genres of fantasy, superheroes, and science-fiction tend to be where you find people willing to try something new. Even then, it’s usually a technology that is fairly easy to understand or a spell/ability that is simple. The more complicated the healing ability, the harder it might be to rationalize using it so often. ‘Bungo Stray Dogs’ went the route of implying or casually mentioning Akiko used her ability after the initial introduction. This made it that limbs were restored within a scene or two. This is why I think complication can be an issue, but it might be a way to stand out.
A question that should be asked is if going so far with a healing ability is necessary. The presence of these skills opens the door for characters to take risks because there is a certain level of damage that will be erased. They might not do it consciously, but the author will have them get hurt just to rationalize having the unique skill. You can lose tension and suspension because the audience no longer thinks the characters are in danger of death. As long as their healer is around, they’re fine. This can result in eliminating the healer, which gets rid of the skill that an author put so much work into crafting and establishing. Doesn’t seem worth it if that’s what you have to do.
Personally, I don’t think I would go too far with the healing abilities in my stories. I established auras and their manipulation as the source of magic, which includes healing. The healer uses their energy to repair the damage of another and the success depends on the strength of those involved. The more complicated the spell, the higher the chance of failure or the need for a second requirement. For example, resurrection in Windemere requires some of the dead’s aura and a person who has a strong mental/emotional connection to them. That person needs to remain focused on the ritual to make it successful, which is difficult. It’s why the spell isn’t used often. It sounds complicated, but it’s fairly standard and simplistic to avoid confusion.
So, what’s the weirdest method of healing you’ve ever seen in fiction? Any methods that you can come up with for your own stories?
Well, it’s Super Bowl here and I’m sure most people don’t care. You have those who watch solely for the commercials. You have those who watch only if their team is in it. You have those who are here only for the halftime show. You have those who apparently are watching for Taylor Swift even if she isn’t there (I’m writing this on December 31st.). It really doesn’t matter. My family has always had a Super Bowl party, which has dwindled in size since the Covid year. It’s a tradition, so I like this day for the memories I’ve made and will make. Now, enjoy some funnies while watching the commercials or only caring about the Puppy Bowl.
Guess I succeeded in my goals. Didn’t get to spend as much time with my son as I would have liked. Lots of appointments, homework, and other stuff showing up during my days of the week. Feels like everything was a blur too. Even last weekend was less than relaxing due to some drama. Some battles don’t really end. They simply move on to the next phase of things.
Darwin & the Fate Bracelet got a little progress last weekend. I hoped to do more, but Saturday afternoon fell apart to heated texting. I got chapters 8-most of 10 done. The week was too rough with work and other drama for me to get more done. Not doing much for my self-esteem and hope to publish this later this year. I might be able to finish the editing during the upcoming break, but I was really thinking I’d get this all done by the end of January. Will it really take me 2 months to edit one book? I’m not even being thorough. It just takes that long to find time and then I move slowly through everything, which could be meticulousness. I’m noting up this thing a lot with changes, corrections, and notes to check continuity.
With it being Super Bowl weekend and me having my son, I’m not going to get any editing done this weekend. Maybe if I wake up early and can’t go back to bed. Get a few pages in while the house is quiet. Beyond that, it’s going to be a lot of Pokemon Go, time with family, and resting up for the week before break. I don’t get the first half of winter break with my son, so I want to make what little time I get count. We’re getting a visit from my 3-year-old niece for Super Bowl too. The rest of the family is coming as well, but we all know toddlers are the main event.
Can’t really get into work or other dramas here. That doesn’t leave me with much since the puzzle stuff is kind of boring. I started a Pokemon one, but didn’t make progress due to exhaustion. Television was minimal after the weekend. I did manage to watch a new anime called ‘Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead’, which is the opening above. It’s a fun series about a guy who works a soul-sucking job. Then, the zombie apocalypse happens and he realizes he doesn’t have to work ever again, so it’s time to live his life. He makes a list of things to do before he becomes a zombie. Enjoyed it a lot more than I expected even though it was highly recommended, so I knew I’d like it.
Wish I had more to share, but I don’t. Last week was about making it to the weekend and next week is going to be about making it to break. Got some big training on one day as well, so less time for editing. I might use what little free time I have to work on April blog posts. Don’t have any ideas for May, which is worrisome. Anybody know of any good topics about books, writing, authors, etc.? I feel like I’m out of the loop on a lot and am grabbing stuff from things I’m watching or reading.
Chopped salads and rice bowls are working for lunch. Still having trouble getting the rice to be soft instead of clumpy by the time I eat it. Putting three ice cubes in and nuking it for 1.5 minutes helps. The cubes aren’t melted right away, but the container is warmed up. So sealing it and putting it in my insulated lunch bag helps. Going to be tough to make all of my lunches this weekend due to the fridge being full for Super Bowl. I think I can get the salad in there, but I’ll have to wait for Monday before I make the rice bowl. Not going to be easy.
I should stop dancing around with this post and get on with the goals. My brain is too mushy to figure more out. I’m really hoping to have a better post next Saturday even though next week is going to be crazy. Good luck to anyone who is cheering for one of the Super Bowl teams or Taylor Swift or whatever. I’m focused on the pizza, wings, and commercials this time.
This post might not be as long as I planned. I mean, it’s pretty self-explanatory. You can boil power catalysts down into two categories using what I mention in the title. So, let’s look at each one.
Permanent Power Up
First example that comes to my mind is Spider-Man. The radioactive spider bite was the catalyst and it created a permanent change. He cannot go back to normal without going through a bunch of hoops. This is Peter Parker’s new life and he needs to figure out how to live with powers. He can’t turn them off, but can restrain them. They’re still there though, so he can easily access them when needed. As the story progresses, the powers can evolve due to continuous use too. It opens the door for a lot of possibilities in terms of abilities branching off the original.
A potential downside here is that the villains need to be boosted to maintain a threat to a hero who is never without their abilities. As those abilities are honed and new ones acquired, stronger enemies will be needed. You can end up going to an incredibly high power scale, which can create some boredom. It can be avoided if you simply figure out new ways the basic power set can solve problems, but staleness is a constant threat. This is something you can find with any story that involves a superpowered character though, but I feel like it’s easier to fall into this trap with a permanent power up.
You do tend to pigeonhole yourself with this category. Going back to Spider-Man, you have to stay within the range of spider abilities. You can’t suddenly give him heat eye beams or an electricity form. Even real-world spider abilities can be a stretch since not every species can do every trick. You would have to explain how the one type of spider gives him the powers of a different one. So, you can get yourself stuck in a tight box of powers, which is a headache for superhero stories that tend to go without an ending.
Temporary Power Up
Let’s look at Popeye. He’s a pretty strong fighter to begin with, but he becomes nearly unstoppable when he eats spinach. The boost doesn’t stay forever though. He has to consume it again after the previous can wears off. Yes, it’s definitely an analogy for steroids either by accident or on purpose, but we’re not getting into that. It’s more how this type of power up works. You get incredible power for a limited time by using this catalyst.
The downside to this is pretty obvious. A character who depends on a catalyst being used repeatedly can be caught unprepared. If they are separated from whatever gives them a boost, they are rendered harmless. Might be a problem for the character, but it’s an easy way to create tension. Of course, it gets repetitive if you’re always having to figure out a new way for them to get to their catalyst. Again, we run into an issue if this is a long, on-going story like we see with cartoons and comics. You won’t really have this problem in a shorter adventure where it can only happen once.
You get limitations with a temporary catalyst as well. It’s more of a pigeonhole than the permanent situation I mentioned. Unless the character has a variety of items to create multiple abilities, they really only get the one thing. For example, Popeye only gets incredible strength, which can be used in a lot of ways. This can limit the evolution of abilities or remove any growth at all. How can these be enhanced if they disappear and return at base level? They don’t last long enough to improve upon, so a character can only come up with new tricks. This is why a temporary power up tend to be massive in scale and scope. The jump in power is enough that one wouldn’t really need or couldn’t expand it any more.
So, what do you think of these two categories? Have a preference?
(Well, this is a dark one. Came from a really rough time where I was using poetry to just get my emotions out. Definitely needed the release. Reading it over, I definitely remember the job that caused this poem. Very glad I left before I broke and am now at a place that I love going to.)
Legends of Windemere 