In Jack Vance's sf novel Big Planet, there's a society in which everyone is an aristocrat and has servants -- part of the time. Rest of the time, it's their turn to be servants.
The right kind of telepath could acquire skills from other people. However, individual differences would make this tricky. Telepath is a short woman, who takes fighting skills from a tall man -- she would then have to work at adapting what she'd picked up. Telepath is visually-minded; takes skills from someone who's tactile/kinesthetic and doesn't look to see if a tool or weapon is in the right position. (Hmm; I can see making sure an enemy gets the opportunity to find that kind of telepathic talent, and then is presented with an opportunity to use them....)
That last idea is truly fascinating and the restrictions you noted are what make it that way. Because you're correct, anything that she picked up would probably have to be adapted to her. (The only thing is how often this distinction would have to be pointed out, with different reasons each time, to keep the interest going in that direction. Though even ignoring the limitations/mild set-backs, because it really wouldn't happen every single time, that's still pretty neat.) The character would probably become a Jack-of-all-Trades and master of none, eventually. Which has some minor set-backs too (she's good enough to try but she can make considerable mistakes on everything she does simply because she isn't as skilled as a specialist.)
There's a superhero character in the Marvel Universe called Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man who can split himself off into endless duplicates which he controls. So he decides that instead of picking a skill and learning it, he'll send off his duplicates to try all these different skills/lifestyles so he can experience this when he reabsorbs them. So one of them becomes a Buddhist monk version, another a private detective.
But what's fascinating is that he also has a hard time making important decisions, because he usually just tries everything. Also, the farther away the duplicates get away from him, the less control he has over them. For example, Madrox shows up to confront an special anti-superhero police force, and discovers that one of his duplicates is on it. And naturally, the members of the police force won't let him reabsorb one of their agents.
Cool way to examine the drawbacks of a seemingly useful power.
I like this rant. It covered a lot of things that I'm vaguely aware of, but have never taken the time to codify.
I recently nutted out a plot about a couple of commoners who find themselves working with gentility or nobility, and trying to keep the class distinctions of who's doing what work and attitudes towards each other - while implementing change in everyone, even at a personal circle basis, if not a broader one. (ie. A member of the nobility might make an exception of assumption for someone that they know well - say, a personal servant and confidant - but will class others of that social group with the appropriate characteristics of that 'class' of people)
It's actually quite difficult to work in the cracks of class-conscious mindsets without breaking the mould entirely.
It is very challenging. In one sense, I can't blame authors who prefer to ignore class, because it structures life in many fantasies, if paid attention to properly, that gender or race may not (because authors often choose to skip gender issues or assume that everyone's equal, and of course non-white characters are rare in fantasy).
But to insist that class provides certain advantages and then ignore the disadvantages is intellectually dishonest, I think, so I hope your experiment works out!
I am now automatically cynical about any aristocratic, high-class, or otherwise non-working character who has oodles of compassion, but only for people just like them. Really? I'd prefer that a lot to the magical aristocrat who loves all people regardless of class prejudice (and somewhat condescendingly, though the author usually can't recognize it). Or do you mean that kind of Selectively Compassionate Aristocrat portrayed positively?
Yes, portrayed positively. The author often seems to think that aristocratic characters are the only parts of society worth paying attention to, so if someone is contemptuous towards servants, it somehow doesn't contradict the notion that that character is compassionate towards "everyone." I'd rather see more sharply limited compassion, too, but I wish it would coexist with acknowledgement that, hey, other people are also human. Yeah, the aristocrat might not think so, but the author can portray the character's worldview as not 100% correct.
Honestly, most of this rant is highly applicable to the real world. Who washes my clothes? (me) But who makes the washing machine? (a factory in Sydney) Who makes the washing detergent? (I don't know)
Living in rural areas most of my life (first beef, currently dairy) I have a fairly good idea where my food comes from and try to buy local as much as possible. My home town was also a coal mining, electricity generating town with five power stations nearby, so I have solid basic knowledge about that, too.
But everything else - clothing, computers, cars, shoes?
Well, I suppose it might be a bit less of an issue in a fantasy world, since many of them are pre-industrial and there's not as much international trade going on. But I do notice it with food. When somehow people who've never cooked their own food start turning out gourmet meals- and from roots and berries they find in the forest, no less- I get a bit skeptical. And I'm also one of those anal people who starts wondering where people are getting all these expensive spices in a Britain-like country, sugar or oranges in a northern climate, ice in a southern climate, that kind of thing. It doesn't take much effort to give an explanation, so I don't know why more people don't.
The lack of work and work ethic in fantasy is probably an unconscious carry-over from our modern society -- our lives are easy. If we're sick, it's no big deal; we just call in to work and forget about it. Travel is fast and comfortable. There are water taps everywhere, so don't care where the nearest river or well is. Many children think that food comes from the grocery store and that's literally all there is to it (heck, some adults probably do, too). When we're all tiny cogs in such a huge, commercialized machine, it's easy enough to forget that there was a time when nothing came easily. Not that that's an excuse for wearing blinders while writing a medieval-esque story, of course
( ... )
The lack of work and work ethic in fantasy is probably an unconscious carry-over from our modern society -- our lives are easy.
Eh... I've read an awful lot of oldfashioned fairytales where the 'hero' doesn't have to think about work at all. Though there are a few where he or she demonstrates unbelievable prowess in common endeavours, like doing the work of five men, or pulling up large trees to clear a field.
In fact, fairytales are great havens for 'just because', really. The land of the Mary Sue...
I was thinking of fantasy written in the last fifty years, but true, there's no shortage of work avoidance in classic fiction. I guess the difference is that folk tales are thinking, "Boy, wouldn't it be great if we didn't have to think about these things all the time?" instead of, "Real life is boring, let's go do a cool fated quest instead!"
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The right kind of telepath could acquire skills from other people. However, individual differences would make this tricky. Telepath is a short woman, who takes fighting skills from a tall man -- she would then have to work at adapting what she'd picked up. Telepath is visually-minded; takes skills from someone who's tactile/kinesthetic and doesn't look to see if a tool or weapon is in the right position. (Hmm; I can see making sure an enemy gets the opportunity to find that kind of telepathic talent, and then is presented with an opportunity to use them....)
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I'll stop rambling now.
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But what's fascinating is that he also has a hard time making important decisions, because he usually just tries everything. Also, the farther away the duplicates get away from him, the less control he has over them. For example, Madrox shows up to confront an special anti-superhero police force, and discovers that one of his duplicates is on it. And naturally, the members of the police force won't let him reabsorb one of their agents.
Cool way to examine the drawbacks of a seemingly useful power.
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I recently nutted out a plot about a couple of commoners who find themselves working with gentility or nobility, and trying to keep the class distinctions of who's doing what work and attitudes towards each other - while implementing change in everyone, even at a personal circle basis, if not a broader one. (ie. A member of the nobility might make an exception of assumption for someone that they know well - say, a personal servant and confidant - but will class others of that social group with the appropriate characteristics of that 'class' of people)
It's actually quite difficult to work in the cracks of class-conscious mindsets without breaking the mould entirely.
But a challenge! :)
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But to insist that class provides certain advantages and then ignore the disadvantages is intellectually dishonest, I think, so I hope your experiment works out!
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I am now automatically cynical about any aristocratic, high-class, or otherwise non-working character who has oodles of compassion, but only for people just like them. Really? I'd prefer that a lot to the magical aristocrat who loves all people regardless of class prejudice (and somewhat condescendingly, though the author usually can't recognize it). Or do you mean that kind of Selectively Compassionate Aristocrat portrayed positively?
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Living in rural areas most of my life (first beef, currently dairy) I have a fairly good idea where my food comes from and try to buy local as much as possible. My home town was also a coal mining, electricity generating town with five power stations nearby, so I have solid basic knowledge about that, too.
But everything else - clothing, computers, cars, shoes?
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But really. The United States has become a service economy, which is what's drilling it into the ground.
But I'm going to shut up now.
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Eh... I've read an awful lot of oldfashioned fairytales where the 'hero' doesn't have to think about work at all. Though there are a few where he or she demonstrates unbelievable prowess in common endeavours, like doing the work of five men, or pulling up large trees to clear a field.
In fact, fairytales are great havens for 'just because', really. The land of the Mary Sue...
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GOD I hate that thing. And considering my age, I can't do a damn thing about it.
Any recommendations to turn it off?
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