The Science of Final Fantasy

[JET73L]

Just thought I might add a thread on plausible ways things in the FF universe could work, according to basic laws of reality as we know them, without having to bring any impossible causes into the equation (ie magic. Spells would have plausible causes. And it has been proven that field forces can be manipulated by the mind)

MP- Stored energy in the body that can be released at a later time in the form of spells. Limited because if one loses more MP than one has, one would die of exhaustion.

Elixers- supercoffee. Like how coffee is somewhat of a replacement for sleep, elixers are somewhat of a replacement for resting at inns. Does not give you stationary time to heal injuries, so does not restore HP.

Potions-medicated fluids designed to increase the healing process top a superhuman ability for a short period of time (with potions, long enough to heal the equivalent of 50 hp, super potions long enough to heal the equivalent of 500 hp {going by FFIII scale. For games like FFX, the numbers on the scale chanbnge, but the potion remains the same strength)

Ether- potion+elixer. simple.

inn- restorative powers of sleep replenish MP, while time spent sleeping allows injuries to heal and HP to replenish. May also have energy fields that are inducive to healing.

Fire spells- releases MP as a direct, aimed form of heat, generally hot enough to ignite the oxygen in the air. For alternate possiblility, it could just be an ice spell (see below) in reverse.

Ice spells- uses same energy to create intensively endothermic reaction with chemicals present in atmosphere. May also revert resulting compounds to original elements and compounds in an exothermic reaction on side of attack torwards caster to guard caster from effects of spell, as well as to keep from having large deposits of the chemicals remainiong on sites of battles.

Thunder spells- use MP to force an electrical current. through the target. Uses none of the body's own electricity, but forces electrons to jump between atoms in a cyclical path that coincides with the location of said target.

Aero spells- uses MP to manipulate air currents, either to make strong attack-deflecting winds to shield the party, or to direct fast, intensely focused winds to damage the opponent.

Cure spells- uses MP to directly aid healing processes of injuries. May also at lower levels simply stimulate natural healing processes.

Summon materia (FFVII/FFIII)- uses MP to activate reaction that releases one of several elemental effects, basically a stronger version of a regular spell. Is accompanied by a visual reperesentation, possibly a result of refractiing light through the air, or as a result of the actual, high-density materia/spell changing shap[e to a lower-density solid representation of the summoned creature.
Leviathan summons: using water attacks when ther is no water: could be pulling moisture out of air, or underground, or could be changing hydrogen and oxygen compounds into water.
Earth-type summons: when over water, or even in the air, it may bring the densest trace elements of (elements torward the bottom of the far right column of the periodic scale, such as krypton and xenon) from the air, and salt or sand paticles from the water, to lump them together into mineral buildups large enough to do damage to the target
Direct damage/chocobo summons: Could be the materia changing it's high-density form into a lower-density solid representati0on of the summon, could be the materia manipulating surrounding particles to form a simulacrum, which is replaced when the summoning is complete.

Aeons: Similar to summons, but not quite the same. The summoner's dance calls attention from the fayth, who then (having been preserved using the fayth tablet/statue as a pure-energy being) eithr moves to the site of the summoner or participates from the battle from a distance. Either way, it would be necessary to pull the required particles from the surrounding area to build the body of the aeon, as it directly interacts with others (Yuna in some summoning clips, the opposing target for direct attacks) and stays on the battlefield for several turns (at which point it is more likely to cost more energy to keep up a holgraphic and occasionally solid representation than to simply create a simulacrum from actual matter). The Anima summon may be able to cause an enemy to move in another dimension than the basic three, but it is unlikely that the summons actually come from that or a similar dimenion, ready-made,m unless it is in the form of basic subatomic particles that are pulled through micro- or quantum-wormholes located across the surface of the summoning circle. Additional inspiration that the aeon's bodies are composed of local materials: Notice similarities between the circles shown in the summoning sequences and the transmutatiuoin circles of Fullmetal Alchemist and other less widely remembered stories.

If I think of anything else, I will add it later. Feel free to bnote reasonable criticisms, or your own theories for things already stated or not yet mentioned. If you actually read through this entire post, thanks for bothering.

[Terminal Est]

My God. Very interesting, Jet. I thought of a few things which might apply, because I do not know very much about science...but I shall stick with the thread indeed.

Status ailments-

Poisoning-Well, there are many plausible ways for wildlife and some of their natural defense mechanism and then man made biologically concocted matters to render one ill. They do not show it in the games of course, but I imagine that, depending on the nature which poisons one's body, intervals of nausea, vomiting and convulsions would occur-which would make one lose their ''HP''.

Confused or ''muddled''-Psychologically related attacks such as telepathy might render one confused when the brain is not familiar with such intrusion, and could make one lose their sense for a little bit...hence thinking your allies are all foes, and attacking them as well.
Of course, such things as telepathy or pushing the brain's boundaries outside the norm to lend temporary ''insanity'' and how one would do this is beyond me, but I know it happens in real life...under different circumstances, of course.

Simple hard hits could, as well, shake up the basic senses one uses everyday, and render normal functions invalid.

Paralysis-Again, things such as poisons or supreme fear can easily stop the body for a short while.

There are actually many things which could apply for this thread.

[JET73L]

You get the idea! Thanks for posting.

Confuse- As well as telepathy, may also be caused by a mild neurotoxin.

Blind-could be anything from a disruption of the optical nerves or a thick cloud of dust or vapor blocking light from the eyes (as suggested by the Blinded graphic) to another telepathic effect, (unlikely, considering the number of mentally weak monsters that can use it) or having one's eyes melted/dissolved (the eyedrops being a direct regenerative too strong to injest, or formulated specifically to replace the gel inside one's eyes, whereas a potion would not be able to properly)

Phoenix Down- characters may automatically be charged with a suspended animation function that effectively stops time from progressing after a character loses enough HP to lose consciousness, but before they can die. The phoenix downs could be potions treated so that they target only damage, deactivate the suspended animation at exactly the same time that they heal. Otherwise, the character would either die before the restoration could go far enough to preserve life (if the sus-an function was deactivated all at once), or the affected areas would just act as if they had been removed from the rest of the body and die of gangrene or cellular hypoxia (because if it did not continue healing every last affected cell until the body could be fully removed from suspended animation, it would effectively be separatefrom the rest of the body, by moving at a different rate from adjoining cells, tissues, and bloosd vessels.) Very complicated, sdon't know If I explained it properly. If the suspended animation function was only activated in battle, that would also explain
Spoiler
why noone bothered giving Aeris a phoenix down in FFVII.
/spoiler. Yeah, I know pretty much everyone knows about it already, but so noone gets mad at me.

[Chaos' Master]

y'know, this is very interesting, I just have a few things that I'd like to add/change in the above posts as an alternate reason.

Confusion - usually in the games, they have some sort of gas floating around the affected character, so it may be a chemical attack such as a hallucinogen(sp?). Niot necessarily incapacitating them, but simply blurring the usually clear lines between friend and foe on the battlefield.

phoenix downs - maybe not intended to revive. simply to rejuvenate. such as, in some games, instead of saying dead, they say KO(knock out) and it may just be that the phoenix down is a medicine strong enough to heal wounds and bring someone back from unconsciousness. And the reason they would die is because if you are unconsious, surrounded by monsters that attack you, what do you think would happen?

the chocobo's ability to fly/siwm/float and their different colors - they are all the same species(as you all would probably guess), but the strain of DNA in their feathers and throughout their bodies alot them different abilities, such as the blue chocobo's ability to swim may be a result of something like how a duck swims. and the chocobos who fly may have lighter bone structure than the others and also the feathers of the tail and wings may be larger than normal to allow for greater lift, even with a rider.

the creation of sentient black mages(in FFIX) - simply dolls automated with advanced AI that is programed originally to obey and store MP to release at a later date, but the AI learns from its surroundings(as an AI is supposed to do) and eventually becomes sentient such as Vivi or the mages in the black mage village.

[Miss Lockheart]

Espers- mythical creatures, usually guardians in places of great treasure or a tomb, but also found scattered throughout Ivalice. One is required to defeat the Esper in order to obtain its service, after which the Esper when summoned will fight alongside it's summoner until it is defeated.

[JET73L]

that's what an esper is, but how is it? for example, it is a soloidification of Mist, but the Mist is a material that is more susceptible than most matter to field forces such as thought. The espers could be solidifed by philosophers or alchemists determined to think of the ultimate warrior, and once you defeat it, you have gotten some idea of how it fighs and what it's attacks are. Thus, you can summon it yourself, though it will take a while before you can get used to the intricacies of the esper, which is why the one you summoned isn't as strong as the esper you had to fight to get it.

Like that.

Plus: the point of the phoenix down/suspended animation was that in battle, there would be a way to keep a KO'd character from being attacked by monsters until they were revived. Although I like the chocobo theory, and the nuts and greens could contain different development chemical things.

[Terminal Est]

Espers could be a natural concoction of scientific properties, sort of like petrified fossils...perhaps all the different ''beings'' which inhabit them are the memories of famous people throughout history, sort of like the aftermath theory of a ghost and how it manifests itself through some sort of photosynthesis scheme, and which the latter is fuelled by time, read, the pattern of the Earth as it revolves around the sun...Like how a ghost is said to appear every fifty years for example, due to the Earth revolving and ''going back'' to give the site of death energy from the moon and star alignment, this coupled with everyone's memories of this person, and what made them famous in life, serves to ''manifest'' the ghost.... Only that, this process is regulated and accelerated freely and whenever by human emotion and memory of this person, or what they have heard of them, and their amazement and interest. It could be some weird emotion channeling stone or some thing, the effect of each Esper depending on the person's perception of said famous being.

We always change history through the books apparently, why not this way too...?

These are old fossils and relics coming from the death site of these famous beings, and the memories which gives rise to them in respect to this theory are triggered by the wielder's emotional force, such as fear, anger and even lust.

Maybe it works slightly as a plasma being channeled by its electrical components, only with zits and premature ejaculation and hissy fits...XD Did that make any sense or...

But then...who remembers dragons and blue women and...maybe it takes the shape of your mental image.

[Son of Sephiroth]

This thread makes the scientist in me weep.

[Terminal Est]

Hey you are like the big scientific mind around here, so have you anything to share?

[Son of Sephiroth]

I have nothing to add except for the complete impossibility of magic. People could reach the herculean levels of strength and speed of the games. but no magic. And the ways that made you have the strength speed and all that funky physical bells and whistles would probably give you a lifespan of about a year and render you sterile.

Note: in the final fantasy games 0hp isn't death it's being KO'd. A pheonix down is probably just smelling salts.