Once upon a time, in a small village nestled deep within a dense forest, there lived a mysterious old woman. People referred to her as the cruel witch due to her dark and eerie appearance. The village folks would often catch a glimpse of her through the creaky windows of her dilapidated cottage, which stood tall among the gnarled trees. The cruel witch ornamented her house with all kinds of disturbing objects. Bats, snakes, and even skulls adorned the walls, creating an atmosphere of fear and dread for anyone who dared to approach. However, the most peculiar and haunting ornament was a peculiar doll she hung outside her front door.
However, the most peculiar and haunting ornament was a peculiar doll she hung outside her front door. This doll was no ordinary doll; it was a life-sized replica of the witch herself. Its beady black eyes seemed to follow all those who passed by the cottage, casting a foreboding feeling upon the village.
How to prevent tiny mistake in 'programmable language' magic spell causing horrible disasters?
I have seen a few stories use the programmable magic trope. The most well known I believe is the wiz-biz series, though it's rather old now. The idea is that magic works just like a programming language, you put together words that have meaning and give it power and the spell is compiled and cast immediately, doing whatever you programmed exactly as written. In this case 'power' as a mage usually equates to either having a large number of 'programed' spells you know, or being better at 'programming' a spell on the fly. However, as everyone who has ever programmed knows, bugs happen. Even a simple Hello World! program will likely have a missing semicolon or misplaced bracket 1/3 of the time someone writes it. It's hard for humans to write anything without at least small mistakes. The Wiz Biz series addressed this by having a huge disaster in the past due to such mistakes (sort of), and massive effort put into 'testing', as best they could, the spell. Other worlds doing this have always said something about how dangerous mis-writing a spell can be, and yet often the protagonist still manages to code up a spell on the fly with a massive degree of accuracy and no mistakes. In honesty I think all series with this concept have, for all they discussed the potential risk of such magic, failed to represent how absurdly likely and common mistakes would be, and thus how horrible the side effects within the world would be. Let's say I want to write a world that is more realistic regarding the potential of mistakes. However, I don't want a world where everyone who studies magic ends up accidentally destroying everything around them and then themselves within a year of starting to study it. So how can I minimize the risk of disaster due to programming error, while acknowledging errors exist? I'm looking both for how the magic itself could be designed to lower the potential harm and for how citizens of the world may further lower their risk. Assume the world has some level of adherence to thermodynamics. The larger the effect of a spell the more magical energy needed; thus preventing entire world from blowing up when someone typo's. However, there are still lots of horrible small scale disasters to be avoided. I'm okay with some 'bad stuff' happening, but I want it limited in effect if it does. Someone probably won't die from chanting oya instead of oiea in his spell. Negative effects are fine so long as their severity is low enough to not make magic too dangerous to use, or can be identified before the severe harm is done. At a minimum I'm looking for ways to mitigate the risk for spells written well before they are cast. However, ways to allow someone to write a spell on the fly, or even just modify existing spells on the fly, without lethal risks are good too. In all cases I want to stay realistic to just how common typos or even logical errors are in 'programming'. PS: to give credit while due this was inspired by How do sorcerers attempt to prevent common people, or other sorcerers, from duplicating their spell scrolls?, though the question has been in the back of my head for a while I never thought of asking it here until now.
Follow 17.7k 9 9 gold badges 75 75 silver badges 111 111 bronze badges asked Dec 18, 2015 at 17:31 dsollen dsollen 33.5k 8 8 gold badges 104 104 silver badges 222 222 bronze badges $\endgroup$$\begingroup$ All I can think of is "magical unit testing." But I have no real answer as to what that looks like. $\endgroup$
Dec 18, 2015 at 17:33 $\begingroup$ magical sandbox. $\endgroup$ Dec 19, 2015 at 4:30$\begingroup$ Put in mechanics like magic taking up a certain amount of energy to use (like in Eragon), that way if there is something that was programmed wrong the user won't have enough energy for the spell to do any serious damage. $\endgroup$
Dec 21, 2015 at 11:56$\begingroup$ The 40,000 arrows a minute + womp's comment reminded me that there's a book a friend recommended to me about a programmer who gets shifted to a magic universe. The best wizards can summon "a fireball." The protagonist can summon as many as he wants by looping the original spell. for(int i = 0; i < 40000; i++) < fireball(); >Shame I can't remember the title. $\endgroup$
Dec 21, 2015 at 15:06$\begingroup$ "You shall not pass!" - Gandalf messes up a 128bit encryption on the bridge. "Whoops, the bridge collapsed. um, that was intentional, yeah". The Wizprogzardmers simply take credit for all their mistakes, like in the Landover series. $\endgroup$
Dec 23, 2015 at 8:10Some claimed that it possessed a malevolent energy, with rumors spreading that anyone who touched the doll would fall victim to a dreadful curse. Children in the village dreaded walking past the witch's cottage, with tales of the doll's eerie magic being passed down from one generation to the next. They would make sure to avoid eye contact with the doll and would run past the cottage as quickly as their little legs would carry them. The cruel witch seemed to take great pleasure in the terror her ornament evoked among the villagers. As the years went by, the villagers grew accustomed to the doll's presence, albeit with a lingering sense of unease. Some even began to wonder if the tales of its curse were merely concocted stories to keep children away. Yet, none were brave enough to challenge the cruel witch or tamper with the sinister ornament. One dark and stormy night, a young girl from the village named Lily found herself lost in the forest. Rain poured heavily, drenching her to the bone. Seeking shelter, she stumbled upon the witch's cottage hidden among the trees. Lily hesitated, knowing the tales of the cruel witch and her horrifying ornament. But in this moment of desperation, she had no other choice. With trembling hands, Lily knocked on the cottage door. To her surprise, the door creaked open, revealing the witch standing beside the doll ornament. The cruel witch peered at the shivering girl with a sinister smile, seemingly delighted by her misfortunate circumstance. Much to Lily’s surprise, the witch offered her a warm blanket and a hot cup of tea. Despite her initial fear, Lily realized that the cruel witch was not as terrifying as the stories had led her to believe. As they sat by the fireplace, the witch shared tales of her life, the hardships she had endured, and the loneliness that had consumed her world. Lily listened attentively, finding empathy for the witch's loneliness. Without hesitation, she reached out and touched the doll, letting go of the belief in its curse. To her astonishment, nothing happened. The doll remained still, its eyes fixed in their haunting gaze. From then on, the village's perception of the cruel witch and her ornament transformed. They realized that appearances could be deceiving and that the true story of the witch was far more complex than the legends had portrayed. The doll, once seen as a cruel reminder of the witch's malevolence, became a symbol of her resilience and longing for connection. In the end, the cruel witch's ornament served as a reminder to the villagers that it is essential to look beyond appearances and not let fear dictate their judgment of others. And so, the tale of the cruel witch ornament became a lesson for generations to come, teaching them to embrace compassion and understanding in the face of the unknown..
Reviews for "The Wicked Artistry of the Cruel Witch Ornament: A Dark Delight for Decorators"
1. Sarah - 1 star - This cruel witch ornament was a total disappointment. The craftsmanship was shoddy and the paint job was sloppy. It looked nothing like the picture online. It was also much smaller than I expected. I definitely wouldn't recommend wasting your money on this.
2. Michael - 2 stars - I was really excited about the cruel witch ornament, but sadly it fell short of my expectations. The material felt cheap and the colors were dull. It lacked that wow factor I was hoping for. Additionally, the shipping took forever and customer service was unhelpful when I tried to voice my concerns. Save your money and look for something better.
3. Emily - 2 stars - I ordered the cruel witch ornament for Halloween, but it arrived broken. The packaging seemed flimsy, and it looked like it had been mishandled during delivery. I reached out to customer service for a replacement, but they were unresponsive. Very disappointing experience overall. I won't be purchasing from this retailer again.
4. John - 1 star - This cruel witch ornament was a complete waste of money. The design was poorly executed and the colors were faded. It didn't have the vibrant and eerie look I was expecting. To make matters worse, it arrived with a noticeable scratch on the surface. Such poor quality and lack of attention to detail. I regret buying it.
5. Melissa - 2 stars - I was really excited to receive the cruel witch ornament, but the actual product didn't live up to the hype. The paint job was messy and there were noticeable flaws on the surface. The overall quality was subpar, especially considering the price I paid. I thought it would be a standout piece for my Halloween decorations, but it turned out to be a letdown.