Working on a magic system that involves 4(5?) elements. (Not a mechanics thread)

[sparkletwist]

On a modern computer, if a program tries to write into memory that doesn't belong to it, the MMU (memory management unit) says "no way" and tells the operating system to kill the offending process. This is the root of many a program crash. However, on most old computers (early 90s and before for home, earlier for high end stuff) there was no MMU. Nothing stopped a broken (or malicious) program from writing into memory that didn't belong to it, and as a result, it could potentially break other programs and more than likely cause the whole machine to crash. Device drivers, operating system routines, and other low-level stuff are immune to this memory protection for a variety of reasons, so they can still bring down the whole house of cards.

The analogy to this could be some force in the universe that attempts to keep a certain "natural order" against the interventions of magic. If an incantation is malformed or otherwise oversteps its bounds, the "Order keeper," much like the MMU, steps in and (relatively harmlessly) obliterates the offending spell. Just like the fallout from a crashing program, there may be a bit of ugliness or pyrotechnics, but things should be able to go on pretty much as normal. However, just like low-level programming, perhaps there is a way for casters to mess around in the "low level routines" of reality. Just like in a computer, this adds a lot of power and flexibility-- but probably puts the caster in mortal danger in case of any mistakes, and could quite possibly cause a far uglier disaster.

I used killing the caster or causing some other catastrophe that would likely do the same as an analog for "crashing the whole system" rather than, like, blowing up the universe, because that would make magic far too dangerous... :P

[Superfluous Crow]

If the world is a self-contained cosmic system it will probably "see" the caster trying to rewrite its history as a malicious entity and will try to delete/obliterate him. Every ounce of magic poured into a spell just makes the universe a tiny bit more hell-bent on the casters immediate and utter destruction. Eventually, the earth will bend and open and try to swallow the lyricist, the skies will darken and flare up with lightning, waves will turn lakes and seas alike into a frothy mass, animals would launch themselves suicidally at the offender, etc.
Of course, the World can only work its revenge within its own structured framework. Intent doesn't come easy to the World and change is gradual. Only the most major of spells would cause anything like the upheaval mentioned above. Minor spells would probably only turn the caster into a beacon for small accidents or maybe shatter nearby glass or make animals rear up in disgust, if the world even notices his insignificant misdemeanours. And as soon as the magic is released it will dissipate slowly and naturally, as if it had always been part of the natural order, letting the lyricist himself off the cosmic hook.
(to continue the computer metaphor, lyricists are programmers/hackers trying to rewrite the code of a self-correcting program - the World - using the language it was written in originally)

[Weave]

I was thinking of lyricists actually having their own individual "programs" that worked off of a much bigger system, so I had only been thinking in terms of something disagreeing within their own system's parameters. Like, each lyricist used a program created from the language of the universe. Perhaps periodically newer, more efficient programs would be created using the same base language, but for now lyricists work off of the most up-to-date program. They would be given these programs (much like a traditional wizard would a spellbook) and make their own alterations as they saw fit to create their own spells. To use the technological metaphor, each lyricist would have their own sort of personal computer that would harbor the program that they'd be, well, hacking.

However, the idea of the world rising up to quell these would-be offenders of reality is a very interesting idea that works especially well in the context of the system (a slightly modified Dresden Files FATE) I'm using. It provides a flavorful and mechanical reason for the checked power of magic. Hmm...

I'm torn between these two concepts. On the one hand, the idea of the world acting out against lyricists as a sort of "order keeper" or making them a "beacon of misfortune" is really cool. On the other hand, I like the idea of lyricists exchanging "programming" tricks with each other and actually having a physicalized three dimensional code crystal (or whatever) with them.

EDIT: I'm not even sure if they're all that dichotomous, actually. I'm going to have to think about this.