Fantasy/sci-fi molecules

Cafe Society
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Unabashedly inspired by this thread. But since they’re using numbers and being serious, and I’m using atomic symbols and being silly, I’m starting this thread to stay out of their sandbox.

The only rule so far is that I’m trying to use real atomic symbols when available. I’ve barely scratched the surface: no clones, robots, wizards, or ray guns.

H Hero. The simplest element in sci-fi and fantasy, who knows virtually nothing about the complicated world, and through whose eyes the reader is introduced to the exposition. H is usually from a remote, isolated part of the world that happens to be almost exactly like Earth.

He Henchmen. This element bonds easily with both H and V elements and has hundreds of known isotopes. Without H or V, He does not easily form molecules on its own, though He[sub]3[/sub]H and He[sub]9[/sub]V are both quite common.

Li Library. Given the vast scope of the typical fantasy/sci-fi, and the vast ignorance of the reader, the Li element is most useful for quickly dropping exposition into a story. Example: the Library of Gondor in “The Lord of the Rings” and the libraries of damn near everything in “Star Trek” computers.

B Beast. Any animal so primitive and fantastical, or so futuristic and fanciful, that it can only be described and given a nonsensical name. For some reason, no matter how fanciful, the Beast generally is described in terms of a known Earth creature.

C Computer. May or may not bind with Technology (Te), often binds with Library (Li). A Computer is a source of information, usually lacking initiative and personality, which can potentially analyze for the Hero anything about that might be happening right now. However, it will always have some fatal programming error that prohibits it from telling the Hero any useful information sooner than the last possible minute. Examples include the L[sub]5[/sub]Te[sub]2[/sub]C molecule, found in “Star Trek” and Te[sub]2[/sub]Mg[sub]2[/sub]O[sub]2[/sub]CL, the Games Computer from “Split Infinity.”

N Names. Another primitive sci-fi/fantasy element, names are almost but not quite familiar to standard Earth names.

O Oracle. May or may not bind with Magic (Mg). An Oracle is a source of information that has the power to tell what will happen in the future, not that it ever does so in any useful way. Examples include the two Prophecies from the Belgariad (O[sub]2[/sub]) and Hari Seldon from “Foundation” (O[sub]3[/sub]Te).

Mg Magic. Chemically similar to Technology (Te) and in many cases can replace Te in a story molecule.

Ar Armor. Any protective gear, fabric, metal plating, or energy force designed to protect individuals, cities, ships, or other things of importance. Paradoxically, the more this element binds with Br, the less visible Ar becomes.

K The letter K. Binds easily with element N. It was once considered a universal law that N and K were the same element. N has now been isolated from K although it takes tremendous force, and sometimes an apostrophe.

V Villain. This is the ridiculously powerful, all-knowing, and generally inscrutable enemy found in these stories.

Cr Credits. The universal sci-fi unit of currency.

Fe From Earth. The not-so-surprising revelation that another element of the story is secretly from Earth as we know it. As an example, the FeH molecule (the Hero who is From Earth) is used in “The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" and other stories.

Br Breasts. Binds with just about every other element in sci-fi/fantasy.

Te Technology. Chemically similar to Magic (Mg) and can replace Mg in a story molecule.

Ho Horse. A free-binding element. Regardless of the amount of B present in a molecule there is always room for an Ho molecule. Example: “The Lord of the Rings” contains virtually no recognizeable animals or beasts except for the Horse.

Ac Ancient Civilization. Long ago, there was a race of Ancients who were better, nobler, stronger, and faster than the characters of today. They typically leave behind artifacts, ruins, magic items, or mysteriously functional technology for moderns to puzzle over.

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Pr: Prophesy. Often an essential component of a story molecule. A plot device used to secure the occurance of an otherwise unlikely event.

Si: Sidekick. Bonds quickly with the Hero if around, sometimes with multiple others.

Rb: Robot. An artificial intelligence constructed by man usually in the shape of man. Often made of metal, though sometimes has the exterior appearance of a human. Can be a component with Sidekick or Villain, or sometimes even with Hero.

Mn: Man. A bipedal ape-like organism that sets the standard for mannerisms and intelligence in the universe.

W: Wizard. A character with varing magical powers depending on the structure of the properties of nearby Li atoms. A combination of W and Mn will often form large amounts of Mg.

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Pb Leaders. This common element of sci-fi and fantasy combines with nearly any character element. While in other fiction it is common to build the story around ordinary people in a relationship or predictament, fantasy and sci-fi characters are nearly always princes, lords, barons, captains of the guard, military leaders, group wing commanders, king and queens, and other high muckety-mucks who had, have, or will have profound impact across the story world on an epic scale. Sometimes the Pb element is bonded to a character molecule during the course of the story itself.

U Ultimate weapon. An unstable and highly volatile element, U can be found in many isotopes in fantasy/sci-fi. It binds freely with Mg, Te, H and V to form a high-energy molecule that can destabilize or destroy nearby story molecules. This story molecule can cause sufficient energy to power an entire story if harnessed and refined properly. Many scholars believe the element of U is neither good nor evil in itself, but others have isolated samples of U which are inexorably bound to V. Examples abound: the One Ring, the multiple artifacts of Shannara, the Death Star, the Orb of Aldur, the Genesis torpedo, and so on.

Kr Hidden. This is another common and freely-bonding element with a number of isotopic variants that can fully bond with any free electrons of Fm, Pb and U. For instance, there is the H[sub]4/subMn molecule, also known as Taran the Pig-Keeper from “The Chronicles of Prydain.” Chemically similar is H[sub]2[/sub]Mg[sub]2/subMn, known as Luke Skywalker. One also must consider cases where Kr binds with Br, creating a female character that successfully masquerades as a man, such as Éowyn (molecule Mn(Kr[sub]2[/sub]BrPb[sub]2[/sub])Ar). In extreme cases, Kr can fully bond even with W, in the case of Terisa Morgan (Br[sub]4/sub[sub]2[/sub]FeH[sub]3[/sub]), the female hero From Earth who is secretly a powerful Arch-Imager in “Mirror of Her Dreams.”

Fm Family. The element of Family is common in many stories in many genres, of course, but in fantasy/sci-fi chemistry it has a tendency to bond strongly with Pb, H, V, and Kr, creating unlikely long-lost ancestry with grand leaders and wizards and villains. Rarely if ever does the KrFm combination reveal ancestry between the hero and some distant peasant who is of no consequence. Examples: Garion from “The Belgariad,” Darth Vader, Cor and Corin from “The Horse and His Boy,” and others.

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I like your definition of Rb, Yumblie, because it can include Rb[sub]2[/sub]Te chains like C-3PO, Br(KrRb[sub]3[/sub])[sub]2[/sub]Rn like the female robot Sheen from the Apprentice Adept books, and even golems in a RbMg[sub]2[/sub] configuration. I suppose there might be a way to combine Rb with something else to get zombies. :smiley:

(Thanks to Doug, who gave the ideas for several of these.)

Rn Romance. A contaminant.

Mt Mountain. This element is known to react with itself and form complex molecule chains in the presence of Te. The chain structure of Mt[sub]X[/sub] is effective as a buffering filter where X is greater than the number of Te atoms present. In its most basic form, Mt[sub]2[/sub] takes on the appearance of a mountain, ocean, or desert, forming Mt chains which prevent various warring societies from interacting except at strategic bottlenecks. In the presence of high amounts of Te, Mt chains can take on the appearance of nebulae, wormholes, hyperspace corridors, black holes, and tracts of otherwise impassable space which separate warring factions.

Ra Races. A common element of many fantasy and sci-fi story molecules, Ra can occasionally bind with H and V, but more commonly with Si and He. The various isotopes of Ra exhibit a wide variety of chemical behaviors that are often of particular interest to the serious student.

In Invader. This is a volatile element which binds in many unpredictable ways. It was manufactured synthetically during the 1950s in the simple InOs chain (Invaders from Outer Space), though there are occasional examples of In[sub]3[/sub]Fe[sub]2[/sub] chains, notably the Mundane invasions of Xanth, the episode “The Invaders” on The Twilight Zone, and other examples. In frequently binds with one of Os, Ra, or Fe.

Os Outer Space. Chemically similar to Mt in the absence of Te atoms.

Ba Battle. In the presence of the common Pb atom, Ba almost inevitably accretes. Ba combines easily with In, Ra, and Mn. The scope of fantasy/sci-fi is often such that Ba atoms appear in massive quantities or not at all. A single Ba atom is generally insufficient for adequate chemical reaction, because almost no war in fantasy or sci-fi is a minor unimportant skirmish: they’re always massive epic battles for the future of everything. See also Star Wars, the Chronicles of Prydain, the Belgariad, and numerous other examples.

Cm Chimera. A useful bonding element for linking Mn with otherwise incompatible atoms. Examples include MnCmRaMg (half-elves), MnCmRaOs (half-Klingons), MnCmHo (centaurs) and MnCmB (minotaurs). Often found in the presence of Ba.
Still unused:
Be, F, Ne, Na, Al, P, S, Cl, Sc, Ti, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, As, Se, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Cd, Sn, Sb, I, Xe, Cs, Hf, Ta, Re, Ir, Pt, Au, Hg, Tl, Bi, Po, At, Fr, Rf, Db, Sg, Bh, Hs, Ds, Rg, La, Ce, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Th, Pa, Np, Pu, Am, Bk, Cf, Es, Md, No, Lr

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Rg Rogue Can bond with H or Si molecules to add dramatic swashbuckling scoundrel-y (is that a word) traits. Can cause explosive situations when bonded with V.

Pt Pirate Chemically similar to Rg but includes the penchant for ships (ocean-going in the presence of M and space-going in the presence of Te).

Cl Clone This element can combine with another element or molecule to create a duplicate of said element or molecule. A common example of this is the He[sub]2[/sub]ArCl stormtroopers in AOTC.

Rf Reform When bonded with any V or He[sub]X[/sub]V molecule, causes a chemical reaction that converts the molecule to an H, Si or Si[sub]X[/sub]H variation of the original molecule.

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That should be “ocean-going in the presence of Mg” smacks forehead I even previewed that!

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**Se ** is Sex, of course. Goes well with every literary genre.

**Xe ** is Xenophobia, key ingredient in alien-invasion sci-fi. The xenophobia may be from the humans or the aliens.

**Mo ** is Monarchy, a form of goverment considered passe on earth but regularly revived on the space frontier. David Weber at least has an argument for it: as the oldest form of human goverment, it’s the one new civilizations are likely to use first.

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Np is Nipple. Np often forms a covalent bond with Br. It becomes more active in the prescence of Ro (and to a lesser extent Rg); this reaction is inhibited by Fm.

F is Future. This highly-electronegative element combines with just about anything else to form the tough non-reactive substrate of many a tale.

Bk is Book. Often found as the caged element in Li clathrates, Bk is a key catalyst in the formation of Te and Mg compounds.

Gd is God. This element can be very hard to detect, depending on the author’s experimental setup.

Tm is Time. Tm is a component of most stories. It is extremely flexible in its orbital arrangement, and when plentiful often forms cyclic compounds; the geometry of these compounds can be troublesome. Tm is polar; it tends to orient on lines that intersect the largest nearby concentration of F.

I is Individual, an older name for Po. This element often appears in tales told from the first-person viewpoint.

Po is Protagonist, a necessary catalyst for story formation.

:slight_smile: