Paracosm questionaire

[sartorias]

A person contacted me, who is doing a study on paracosm--those who write about other worlds. How cool is that? I never knew there was a name for what, when I was a kid, was referred to as "stupid little stories about magic children

Comments

[steepholm]

What a fun project!

[sartorias]

Isn;t it awesome?

I hope this questionnaire will flush some other paracosmists out of the cosmic loom (or loony bin).

[cedunkley]

So, who knew I was a paracosmologist?

If only Carl Sagan were alive so he could narrate my paracosmic creation!

[sartorias]

I know!

I was thrilled that we had, like, a real word with classical roots and all!

[alanajoli]

Wow, that sounds like something you'd have to have a medical degree for. :)

[sandy_williams]

That has to be the coolest word ever! Next time someone asks what I do for a living, I'm so telling them "I'm a paracosmologist!"

[sboydtaylor]

Ooh, a whole array of words just opened up:
Paracosmology
Paracosmicism
Paracosmaturgy
Paracosmic Imbalances
Paracosmic Embolisms

This, of course, must be a close cousin of Paracarmology, which is the field of telling stories about owning a car you can't possibly ever afford -- common in singles bars.

[sartorias]

Yep! So . . . how about some answers?

[sartorias]

oops, I think I answered you but it showed up in response to someone else.

Doh!

[haikujaguar]

I admit I am confused that the first question implies multiple paracosms, but the other questions treat it as a singular phenomenon. It makes me wonder if I'm misinterpreting the word....

[sartorias]

I think the person is trying for longterm worldbuilding as opposed to "Hey, I'll create a world for this cool new idea." and then dump it.

Though the question about creating and dumping might cover those who have a bunch of worlds they may or may not have abandoned.

[haikujaguar]

I'd have to issue passports, geez. :)

And traveler's guides.

Also, pocket translation cards with common phrases...

[sartorias]

See electricpaladin's response below--seems to be another serial paracosmologist. (How's that for a phrase, wow!)

[electricpaladin]

1. At what age did you first construct your paracosm?

My first paracosm (I've made many over the years - I have multiparacosmosis) must have been the setting I created to tell interactive stories with my brother (think roleplaying games, but with an increasingly blurry line between Game Master and Player as we grew up, and with no dice, because they were played while we walked the dog). I must have been around ten.

2. Do you remember what aspects of paracosm you began with-story, history, environment, character?

I think I started with a historical theme: an area once part of a large, corrupt empire, now embroiled in chaos as the newly liberated territories struggle to define themselves in the absence of an external power - wow, I was a precocious kid. It's a wonder I didn't go into politics.

3. Were you moved to represent your paracosm outside the privacy of your head? If so, by what means?

I drew a map and wrote abstracts (largely incomplete) about some of the countries and brief biographies of some of the major players.

4. Did

[electricpaladin]

12. If you would, write a paragraph or two sketching in the broadest outlines of your paracosm for a lay reader. (What are its customs and myths? What does the material space look like? Who or what populates your paracosm? How is your paracosm most different from (or most similar to) the world we know?Sure

[sartorias]

This is extremely awesome! Thank you for answering!

[electricpaladin]

Thanks! And thank you for asking. It was fun to think about that world again. I haven't visited it in a long time. I wonder if they miss me... :-P.