BoM/TWS Message Forum

1) Yes, I know CRISPR is real. (It's an invaluable tool in modern genetical engineering.)
2) Yes, I know CRISPR can't do much. (You can't give someone super-strength by splicing a particular set of genes into someone's DNA, because that'd apply only for the cell in which you did it. Macro scale vs. micro scale.)

When a story's good, any indications of lack of realism can be plausibly ignored. "Suspension of disbelief" is a very real thing, particularly in a world where magic exists and can be used relatively easily. ("Relative", since symbolic magic is very complicated.) Fane, as it's been presented, essentially combines magic and technology by a combination of justifying said magic with technology, using technological means to use that magic, and using magic to break the limitations of technology. CRISPR is just the way that scientist found to extract a person's imago (specifically, their physical imago), by conflating the information contained within chromosomes with the metaphysical concept of physical imago. Really, it's a very creative solution to what's essentially handwaving - in fact, part of what saddened me is that it didn't go any far, because I love looking at the mechanics behind how things work. You could say I like disassembling concepts to do so. Seeing the birth of the tattoo system was something I looked for so much.

As for what BoM is... It's not just high school drama. High school is the medium, but you could do an impressive high-school drama without the overarching concept of magic. The supernatural is a very important aspect of BoM. If BoM was exclusively school drama, then it wouldn't make sense that the longest branches in the interactive often do with branching out of Westside. I mean, one of the longest branches deals with the repercussions of taking Blackwell out, and Blackwell isn't a teacher at Westside. Another is exploring Cuthbert, and what goes out of it. Both are equally important - Westside, and to an extent Eastman, St. X and Agape (and we're not talking about Schuyler or Keyserling!), are hubs to explore, but they're contained within the larger and more important hub that is Saratoga Falls.

Now, it's pretty obvious that the focus is on high school drama, for various reasons. High school is an important formative period in a person's life - it's the twilight between childhood and adulthood, the moment where people are only limited to finish learning and are given less restrictions, allowing them to experience life. College is the second half of that period, where you're effectively given freedom to pursue what you want. It's an escapist fantasy, more than anything - the masks allow you, the reader, to escape mundane life not just by getting into the skin of a high schooler, but one that can turn into other people (not just high schoolers!) and experience their lives. Not just that, said high schooler happens to be one of the few people that has a specific relationship with others that deal with supernatural threats - however, that's the realm explored in "The Wandering Stars". Ultimately, high-school drama is just the vehicle by which said escapist fantasy manifests.

(I mean, of course it's not a family-centric slice of life story within a supernatural frame. But it bears to mention - you could do an amazing family-centric slice of life story without the supernatural, but it wouldn't be the story you're trying to write. BoM wouldn't be this interactive if it focused so exclusively on high-school drama that the supernatural is shoved aside; at some point, it'll resurface, and strongly.)

And finally: you're saying that you're the least popular of the regular contributors as a response to the n00b. I'll leave it at that.