THe Art of being big

So - now I will present some of my Thoughts about really big People. Does anyone of You know Carcharodon Megalodon? Sure You do... Right besides me lies one of his Teeth - and it´s HUGE. As Megalodon is huge, too - he was as big as a male Sperm Whale. Some Scientists think a Meg would not have recognized a swimming Man in the Water - because he ist just too small. And if the Meg did - he just didn´t even give a Shit - because a Man is too small to be of any Interest to him - because a Meg was a Whale Hunter. Okay - big People need big Meals - we have learned that.
Another Problem ist the sheer Height and Weight - how big in Numbers is a Giantess? The highest Animal on Earth is the african Giraffe - with a powerful Heart to push the Blood over 4 Meters up to the Brain - and Sinew-Stockings for the Veins in the Legs. A Giraffe is an anatomical Wonder. Okay - now to the Weight: A Hornet is a common Insect for everyone. Then there comes a japanese Hornet along - which is as twice as big - and therefore as sevenfold as massive. No Joke. It´s Head looks like Jason´s Hockeymask in Yellow and the Wing membranes are so thick, they aren´t transparent anymore - they are brown like... Sunglasses. So - is the Hair of a Giantess some Millimeters thick? I wonder...  
Back to the Food - there are mannnnny Animals with small Size (like Mice, Rats and so on) - and not so many, that are bigger. The bigger an Animal gets - the fewer in Numbers it is - like... Elephants. Or Blue Whales. I think Giants are rare - but You will recognize them, if You see them, that´s for sure.

I have some Experience with Giants, too - in our DNA-Chronicles-RPG there is Mirage LaGrange, Daughter of Jetplane-Designer Thadeus LaGrange - and she is able to grow by psychoreactive Redesign of surrounding Matter - Mirage can be 17,4 Meters tall. And the first Times were great, I swear... Clumsily rampaging around like a little natural Disaster...

"Man, look at me - that´s unbelievable!"
"I look at You - it´s hard not to." said her Father with a big Smile.
"Why can´t I have some cool Powers? I mean, hey - I´m so ridiculously huge - I need a House to take Cover!" she looks down to her Father - and the baffled Soldiers. Sgt. Buttercup with his Cigar looks up to Mirage and growls: "Stop that damn Whining, Girl! What are YOU needing to take Cover for? If anyone seriously is planning to take You down, he needs at least a big STS-Missile - or a friggin´ naval Gun! And You can run up to 320 Km/hs! And I think, THAT is where it´s gonna start to be ridiculous!"
"Hey, that´s right! I´m fast! And strong!" she begins to realize her Powers.
"Yes, You are, Dear - and normally that shouldn´t be possible in such a Scale!" her Father says.

Ah, you are definitely correct, and as always people have, and are still trying, to explain just how this size is possible. My first issue was overheating and weight, and a mammal that big should be spending most of its time in water to cool off. One of the explanations is that they are ectotherm and use this to warm up instead of sunbathing.

My 2 cents would be to add that asides from having many hearts, Felarya might be a lot cooler then an Earthen jungle, seeing as how it's not a planet, and instead remains warm because it is to rich in energy like a volcanic area. Furthermore, it's possible that their personal magnetic field is a lot stronger, thus explaining both how blood gets around, enough air is breathed in, AND their skin being somehow bulletproof.

Oh, and Stabs calculated last week the speed of a traveling Naga, and it was 50 mi/h

Body Temperature is one Thing - that aside, Argentinosaurus was TITANIC (Not the sunken one, okay?). And when he lived, Earth was much warmer than today. This is not such a Problem. I think about the effectice Way of getting Food. It´s what Lions and Tigers do - the Amount of Energy wasted in getting Prey should be smaller than the Energy You earn from this Prey. So a Predator does not go for some small Stuff if he can avoid it. On the other Side: Small intelligent Beings, that live in  interacting Communities always think of Options to avoid landing on the Dinner Table - so You have Villages in Africa and India surrounded by thick and thorny Hedges. Or You know some Badass-Guys with fat .50BMG-Rifles. Or both.

Those are good points as well.

This might seem a bit controversial, but I always figured that the reason why predators go for intelligent prey and swallow it whole, is like some sort of blood magic/ Necromancy. When it dies inside of you, you not only get the nutrients of the body, but also the magic and spirit, and that is why they are satisfied with only a few humanoids.

Furthermore, "Your body is a temple". We humans got a lot of circuits inside of us, and in fiction this is enough for basic spells. When we want bigger spells, we use arrays to draw more energy from the surroundings, like those floating spell matrixes that appear in the air when casting, but if we want BIG spells then we make ritual circles.

Now, just imagine how many human-sized circuits a giant's body is composed off. They're living, walking, temples, with gigantic magic arrays gathering and refining Felarya's life energy! Sure, most of it will be dedicated to keeping them alive, but we could work with this. I myself am working on giant exclusive magic--or I should be, but I haven't written anything in 2 weeks.

I see... I´m a little inexperienced with this Magic-Stuff. I see it this Way: A normal Being uses the Brain for a mere 12-14%. Means, what we need for our all Day Duties needs a Brain the Size of an Apple.
These Monks in Tibet that can sleep 1,20 Meters above the Bed uese it for nearly 30%. Use it for 100% Vou can do all Things You can imagine - and if You are well trained You can imagine using the cerebral Energy for more than 100%. So a so-called `magic Item´ is some Thing that is loaded with cerebral Energy. If You use Your own Energy, some may call it PSI-Effects.
If You are able to use magnetic Fields or the Energy of someone else, You may call it `Magic´. And of Course, every living Thing is brizzling with Energy - You know Pictures of the Kirlian-Camera? So I think Giant `Magic´ has also huge Effects - like local Earthquakes or little Thunderstorms. Think of standing nearby a huge Being that is used to work with some strange Kind of Powers - it must feel like standing on a glass-like black Kilauea Lava Field, where You can feel the rumbling Lava under Your Feet - and You think You can hear some deep rumbling Infrasound, like a deep, deep Resonance...

Just by standing by such a Being. THIS is... just epic. And You instinctively know, You shouldn´t be there, if this Being gets angry.

As magic is still not a concrete science it is hard to put definite rules on it, but usually giant magic in Felarya is rather large indeed, though to be honest, most of canon's largest spell casters use illusions, weather, and plant life mostly.
In short, there are 2 views on magic: either it negates the natural laws, meaning that you could for instance shoot lightning straight forward even in water, or it works with the world, drawing in energy, and would then shoot forth ionized gas or something.

The thing is that few people agree on the how and why of magic. For instance, a human mage has, let's say 50 Magic Points, and needs 5 to cast a Fireball spell with a blast radius of 5 feet. Would a giant mage, who is 10 times bigger, cast a 50 feet radius Fireball with the same 5 MP, or would she use 50?

And you say "filled with cerebral energy", so does this item defy physics, or would a magic item be build like an electronic device that channels energy and patterns it in a spell? Usually, authors simply don't explain nothing, and this way no one can argue with it, except for calling it a cheap plot device.

It is to realize that a Giant is a Being `bigger than Life´ - in any Aspect. That´s what makes him a Giant. He is like a Dinosaur. Fast, strong and very robust. He has to be, otherwise he wouldn´t be able to just walk along this sized. And if he is used to Magic, he logically can also bear an enormous Potential of magic Power. He doesn´t have to - but he can. If he isn´t used to Magic - he just isn´t meant to.
That´s Life. You cannot do this - go do something else.
A `magic´ Item can´t replenish itself (if it is not designed that Way by lying it on an earthmagnetic Line for some Time for Example). Usually the Owner has to `refill´ it from Time to Time.

That´s what I think.

I've heard theories that Felarya has an arcane influence that influences and multiplies bone mass in relation to flesh, to compensate for normally weak bone structures. But I'm not sure if Karbo's heard about them. They WERE just rumors and speculation from a few years.

Bandur Khan wrote:

It is to realize that a Giant is a Being `bigger than Life´ - in any Aspect. That´s what makes him a Giant. He is like a Dinosaur. Fast, strong and very robust. He has to be, otherwise he wouldn´t be able to just walk along this sized. And if he is used to Magic, he logically can also bear an enormous Potential of magic Power. He doesn´t have to - but he can. If he isn´t used to Magic - he just isn´t meant to.
That´s Life. You cannot do this - go do something else.

Wow, nice wording. I will need a lot of practice until I can write like you.

Anyway, I guess that by now you answered your own question. Giants can be gigantic because they are just that awesome--they are giant because they are giant. Or to put it another way, since we see that it exists, it must be possible.

Good to hear - sounds logic. If supernatural Powers are Part of this World, perhaps a certain Amount of this Lifeforce in every Being also is meant to let Giants exist. So can anyone tell me how big they usually are? That´s what interests me the most.

Why, thanks! I was afraid my English might be somewhat awkward - but this is a Bunch of Flowers! Yes, Giants seem to have existed here on Earth too - that´s what some strange prehistorical Founds do suggest...

Bandur Khan wrote:

. So can anyone tell me how big they usually are? That´s what interests me the most.

Felarya size chart on Deviant Art
The rule of thumb is that a human is about the size of a giant's index finger. Personally I use a 1/16 scale for easy calculating. At first, predators were smaller, but they got enlarged during an update a few years back.

Bandur Khan wrote:

Why, thanks! I was afraid my English might be somewhat awkward - but this is a Bunch of Flowers! Yes, Giants seem to have existed here on Earth too - that´s what some strange prehistorical Founds do suggest...  

Technically, your English is awkward, but you make it work. I really like reading it. And did Giants really exist? I had no idea.

It seems to be so - there are some oversized Bones found in Mesopotamia and in South America.

Well - as I am very unexperienced in this World, I have some funny Ideas for a future Character. In this Concept even my crude English would work out just fine.

I send you a PM. You can tell because the "Messages" at the top of the page blink. You are an interesting person.

??

No Messages so far.

Well, if you must...

Bandur Khan wrote:

Body Temperature is one Thing - that aside, Argentinosaurus was TITANIC (Not the sunken one, okay?). And when he lived, Earth was much warmer than today. This is not such a Problem.

Not really a problem, true. If you lower the basal methabolism, it's actually an advantage: by having a lower surface area, they reduce both their energy intake and their sensitivity to outside temperature.
If you want to talk about big, try the Amphicoelias Fragilimus. It even mysteriously disappeared...

Bandur Khan wrote:

So - now I will present some of my Thoughts about really big People. Does anyone of You know Carcharodon Megalodon? Sure You do... Right besides me lies one of his Teeth - and it´s HUGE. As Megalodon is huge, too - he was as big as a male Sperm Whale. Some Scientists think a Meg would not have recognized a swimming Man in the Water - because he ist just too small. And if the Meg did - he just didn´t even give a Shit - because a Man is too small to be of any Interest to him - because a Meg was a Whale Hunter. Okay - big People need big Meals - we have learned that.
I think about the effectice Way of getting Food. It´s what Lions and Tigers do - the Amount of Energy wasted in getting Prey should be smaller than the Energy You earn from this Prey. So a Predator does not go for some small Stuff if he can avoid it.

Actually, if a lion had a dead mouse, they'd eat it. Lions take more than 50% of their food from the kills of other animals, and dead meat is never eaten at an energy loss. Though there's a familiarity factor- maybe the lion would rather not risk eating an unknown, possibly poisonous mouse as long as they had gazelles and other prey they are certain they can consume.
A better example would be wolves- a wolf can weigh 43-45 kg, and it eats mice. Wolves eat primarily ungulates, but they aren't fussy eaters, and they'll eat hares, mice, hamsters, voles, frogs, duck eggs, and even small insects if they have a chance. For the record, mus musculus, the house mouse, weighs 10-25 grams. It's less than a thousandth times the mass of a wolf, and the wolf still comes for it and its whole family. A wolf can wolf down (pardon the pun) 30 mice a day.

Bandur Khan wrote:

Another Problem ist the sheer Height and Weight - how big in Numbers is a Giantess? The highest Animal on Earth is the african Giraffe - with a powerful Heart to push the Blood over 4 Meters up to the Brain - and Sinew-Stockings for the Veins in the Legs. A Giraffe is an anatomical Wonder. Okay - now to the Weight: A Hornet is a common Insect for everyone. Then there comes a japanese Hornet along - which is as twice as big - and therefore as sevenfold as massive. No Joke. It´s Head looks like Jason´s Hockeymask in Yellow and the Wing membranes are so thick, they aren´t transparent anymore - they are brown like... Sunglasses. So - is the Hair of a Giantess some Millimeters thick? I wonder...  
Good to hear - sounds logic. If supernatural Powers are Part of this World, perhaps a certain Amount of this Lifeforce in every Being also is meant to let Giants exist. So can anyone tell me how big they usually are? That´s what interests me the most.

Scry has kindly provided you with a size chart, so... that's that. As for mass, assume they go 120-135 pounds (55-60 kg), and multiply by x16 three times (or x18, if you'd do it my way. The end result is either 4096 or 5832. Protip: multiply instead by 4.1 or 5.9, and change the kilograms to tons. Less than 1/1000 error). Tauric giants are more difficult, but assume half of that, plus the mass of the animal minus its head, multiplied by the same factor.
The diameter of human hair varies from 17 to 180 micrometers (0.017 to 0.18 mm). Yes, giants could have hair up to 4 mm thick.

Structural integrity:

Circulation:

Bandur Khan wrote:

Why, thanks! I was afraid my English might be somewhat awkward - but this is a Bunch of Flowers! Yes, Giants seem to have existed here on Earth too - that´s what some strange prehistorical Founds do suggest...

Hmmm? Oh well. Could be, I suppose.

Bandur Khan wrote:

On the other Side: Small intelligent Beings, that live in  interacting Communities always think of Options to avoid landing on the Dinner Table - so You have Villages in Africa and India surrounded by thick and thorny Hedges. Or You know some Badass-Guys with fat .50BMG-Rifles. Or both.

We love seeing what we can come up with, BK. We're always trying out new ways of explaining how all species stay alive.

Bandur Khan wrote:

??

No Messages so far.

Click on the Messages button, next to the Log Out button.

Hehe, I did: No Messages so far.

Wolves and Foxes do hunt Mice - that´s right - But a Lion doesn´t.
And picking up a dead one will not need much Energy. Good - so my Thoughts about Giants do seem to
be not so wrong after all - good to know, thank You!

Whenever people talk about why giants are so big and how their bodies support that weight, I honestly get the impression that people are overthinking things. Let me offer my simple perspectives to the discussion, and maybe if you find them interesting we can all build on them?

First, consider this: what if giants aren't huge? In our world, we consider things large or small in relation to ourselves. I can't say the exact reason; maybe it's because we're the only species that thinks about it, or we put ourselves higher than other creatures because we're the only sapient species we know of. The point is, Felarya doesn't have that. In that world, things come in all sorts of different sizes, from tiny races like tomthumbs and neeras, to truly gigantic beings like leviathan mermaids, and whatever lies north of the map's edge! To judge things sizes relative to ourselves in a world like this is, frankly, an arrogant and shortsighted way of thinking. O.o What if we're small, and giants are normal-sized?

I also have this to say: perhaps giants work the same way we do, just on a larger scale. Felarya is an entirely different world from ours, and it works on different principles. The laws of physics in our world don't all necessarily apply. Maybe, because they're larger, the world treats them different way it treats us and tinies? What if they don't actuall weigh any more than a normal human? What if their magic isn't more powerful than ours? O.o

Welp, those are the only different perspectives I can offer now, What does everyone think?

Wow - these are the Thoughts my Character would have, when she appears there. You don´t can read Minds, can You?

Nyaha wrote:

Whenever people talk about why giants are so big and how their bodies support that weight, I honestly get the impression that people are overthinking things. Let me offer my simple perspectives to the discussion, and maybe if you find them interesting we can all build on them?

First, consider this: what if giants aren't huge? In our world, we consider things large or small in relation to ourselves. I can't say the exact reason; maybe it's because we're the only species that thinks about it, or we put ourselves higher than other creatures because we're the only sapient species we know of. The point is, Felarya doesn't have that. In that world, things come in all sorts of different sizes, from tiny races like tomthumbs and neeras, to truly gigantic beings like leviathan mermaids, and whatever lies north of the map's edge! To judge things sizes relative to ourselves in a world like this is, frankly, an arrogant and shortsighted way of thinking. O.o What if we're small, and giants are normal-sized?

I also have this to say: perhaps giants work the same way we do, just on a larger scale. Felarya is an entirely different world from ours, and it works on different principles. The laws of physics in our world don't all necessarily apply. Maybe, because they're larger, the world treats them different way it treats us and tinies? What if they don't actuall weigh any more than a normal human? What if their magic isn't more powerful than ours? O.o

Welp, those are the only different perspectives I can offer now, What does everyone think?

Basically.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB-JzPBJalA

Lockheed X-17 wrote:

Bandur Khan wrote:

I see... I´m a little inexperienced with this Magic-Stuff. I see it this Way: A normal Being uses the Brain for a mere 12-14%. Means, what we need for our all Day Duties needs a Brain the Size of an Apple.
These Monks in Tibet that can sleep 1,20 Meters above the Bed uese it for nearly 30%. Use it for 100% Vou can do all Things You can imagine - and if You are well trained You can imagine using the cerebral Energy for more than 100%. So a so-called `magic Item´ is some Thing that is loaded with cerebral Energy. If You use Your own Energy, some may call it PSI-Effects.
If You are able to use magnetic Fields or the Energy of someone else, You may call it `Magic´. And of Course, every living Thing is brizzling with Energy - You know Pictures of the Kirlian-Camera? So I think Giant `Magic´ has also huge Effects - like local Earthquakes or little Thunderstorms. Think of standing nearby a huge Being that is used to work with some strange Kind of Powers - it must feel like standing on a glass-like black Kilauea Lava Field, where You can feel the rumbling Lava under Your Feet - and You think You can hear some deep rumbling Infrasound, like a deep, deep Resonance...

(I shalt practice Necromacy on thee.)

The normal human brain doesn't consume only 12% to 13% of the brain. It is a myth. The normal human brain uses all the neurons in the brain to work, and mostly these are involuntary commands. But nice post though...

So only a Fraction of the Energy is put to effective Use.

Now think about making this a 100% Rate.

And that´s what I mean.

Speaking of `The normal human brain doesn't consume only 12% to 13% of the brain.´, that sounds a bit weird - even for me, who isn´t even from an english speaking Country. I would be happy, if my Brain would consume only 12 - 13% of itself - so it would last a bit longer.

Nyaha wrote:

First, consider this: what if giants aren't huge? In our world, we consider things large or small in relation to ourselves. I can't say the exact reason; maybe it's because we're the only species that thinks about it, or we put ourselves higher than other creatures because we're the only sapient species we know of. The point is, Felarya doesn't have that. In that world, things come in all sorts of different sizes, from tiny races like tomthumbs and neeras, to truly gigantic beings like leviathan mermaids, and whatever lies north of the map's edge! To judge things sizes relative to ourselves in a world like this is, frankly, an arrogant and shortsighted way of thinking. O.o What if we're small, and giants are normal-sized?

If you're going to overthink the realism of giants in Felarya, this is pretty simple: giants are large and we're normal-sized because of the general properties of the carbon compounds that make up life. If giants eat humans, they have to be made up of similar compounds, and they have similar proportions. Given that humans on Felarya can't go all John Carter and leap ten meters in the air, Felaryan gravity can't be much lower than 1g. Or, from a less scientific perspective, humans are about right in the middle if you look at common Felaryan size ranges on a logarithmic scale.

That said, I'm fine with just saying that Felarya has dimensional screwery causing an effective omnidirectional buoyancy based on volume, because then the Vishmital can make even bigger robots without me having to grab the newest fancy real-life material as an example of materials science and extrapolate it a few hundred years into the future for mass-produced unobtanium.