spirit {
 Layer1 [
  emotion*CONCRETE (
   *45% <a ghost that is unwillingly tied to this world>
   *SUBTRACT^100% <a cat playing with a ball of yarn>
  )
  color*ABSTRACT (
   *ABSTRACT <an overcast sky an hour before rain>
  )
  light*ALLEGORY (
   *80% <car headlights drowning in a-|heavy fog/consuming darkness|>
  )
  clarity*ABSTRACT (
   *ALLEGORY^96% <pond water>
   *ABSTRACT^79% <a riddle-|that has never been solved/that holds fate in its power|>
  )
  depth*ABSTRACT (
   *ALLEGORY <the heart of a miser>
  )
  power*CONCRETE (
   <a peasant before his lord>
   <a shadow at noon>
  )
 ]
 Layer2 [
  emotion*CONCRETE (
   *36% <Scrooge confronted with Christmas cheer>
   *ABSTRACT <a teapot whose contents are ready for use>
  )
  color*ABSTRACT (
   *CONCRETE^53% <metal that has recently been pulled out of a furnace>
  )
  light*ALLEGORY (
   *ALLEGORY^80% <Ungoliant's webs>
  )
  clarity*ABSTRACT (
   *ABSTRACT <a fog that ever so slowly diminishes into nothing>
  )
  depth*ABSTRACT (
   <a pit – an abyss – a void>
  )
  power*CONCRETE (
   *ABSTRACT <Father Time in slumber/a storm mustering its army on the horizon>
  )  
 ]
 Layer5 [
  emotion*CONCRETE (
   <a mother-|snake/alligator|-attacking an intruder to her nest>
   <Riki-Tiki-Tavi on the warpath>
   <Túrin in the instant he is rescued and surprised by Beleg>
  )
  color*ABSTRACT (
   *CONCRETE^100% <magma from the eruption of a volcano>
   *CONCRETE^62% <a Sith's lightsaber>
  )
  light*ALLEGORY (
   *88% <a balrog being used as a reading lamp>
  )
  clarity*ABSTRACT (
   *61% <pain from a fresh bullet wound>
   *ABSTRACT^15% <the eye of Sauron>
  )
  depth*ABSTRACT (
   *ALLEGORY <Screwtape's uncle's mind>
  )
  power*CONCRETE (
   *ABSTRACT <a high-intensity laser beam intent on-|piercing/burning/destroying|-all things>
   *CONCRETE <Mount Doom>
  )
 ]
 Layer10 [
  emotion*CONCRETE (
   *61% <a girl being greeted by her dog>
   *67% <a specialist working in his field>
  )
  color*ABSTRACT (
   *70% <grass basking in early morning sunlight>
  )
  light*ALLEGORY (
   *ABSTRACT <dawn breaking on Pelennor Fields>
   *59% <sunlight breaking through clouds>
  )
  clarity*ABSTRACT (
   *95% <fresh spring water in a crystal goblet>
  )
  power*CONCRETE (
   *ABSTRACT <a crusader making his way to the holy city>
   *ALLEGORY <a longbow of exceptional quality>
  )
 ]
}

This is still in progress.

I realize that there is a lot of improving that needs to be done with what I have, and that a lot more content needs to be added, but I wanted to set what I have out there to be picked to pieces.

Thanks.

Wow, Sui! I would never understand all of the brackets and ... stuff. My favorite metaphor is "a shadow at noon", with "a Sith's lightsaber" being second. I like that you added in characters that most people recognize, to give it a very unique and enjoyable taste.

*laughs* Thank you.


I don't intend too. There are even a few in there that most people won't recognize like Túrin, Beleg, and Ungoliant (but they should *points people to Silmarillion* Read. Now. ). I'm glad you like how it's turning out though.


Incidentally, these are the three things I've noticed that I'm not doing so well with:

1) I overuse the tri-labels ALLEGORY, ABSTRACT, and CONCRETE.
2) I don't have enough metaphors under each category. (give me time ).
3) My mind hasn't grasped the use of putting metaphors in labels (hopefully, I'll figure it out when I come back to this part of the fractal ).

I haven't read Silmarillion, but I own it. (Don't you love library bookstores?)

I'm looking forward to what you come up with.

Then you must find time to read the precious. (Yes. )


Thanks.

Lookin good, Mark.

Thanks.

Yay! Sui! Good job!

Thanks, Jordan.

I was secretly hoping that at least one of the X+ experts would find this thread.

Any critiques (other than what I pointed out)?

This is really neat, Mark! I know zero about X+, with all the little % and stuffs. But I like your metaphors.

Thanks, Azlyn.

Good job!

An essence map of your impression of Beorn from the Hobbit?

My favorite parts:



My especially favorite parts:



My favorite part of all:



Bye the way, the irony of "balrog being used as a reading lamp" gave it an element of humor, but you could take that out with SUBTRACT: irony (I think that is how it works; is that in X+, or X++?).

Encouragements!

Thanks.

No, this is the first draft of an essence map I'm creating for a character who I have, temporarily, named after Beorn from The Hobitt (though I would love to work on one for Beorn sometime... *puts the real Beorn on list of characters to map*).


Good point.
I remember SUBTRACT being used in X+, but it has been awhile since I worked on this and I cannot remember how to correctly encorporate it at the moment. However, I will make sure to do so when I start essence mapping again. *reminds self to do so in the gdoc* There is such a thing as X++? I don't think I've come across X++ on the forums. I would love to hear about the differences between X+ and X++ sometime via PM, if you don't mind.

Thanks for commenting. Not only was it very encouraging; but it gave me an excuse to skim over my map and note things I want to change in the next draft, and also helped me to put into coherent thought a question on X+ I've been trying to formulate for months. *leaves to find appropriate thread*

Your welcome! I like sorting through an essence map. I would like to find a little more readable format though, I think I will put the separate "like" categories into separate quotes.
(Have edited. Is that easier to read? Actually it makes it easier for me to read *chuckles*)

Excuses to do work are nice. Coherent thought is nice too.

*plays with the little info button, and starts quacking "...gdoc, gdoc, gdoc..."*

I was really excited when I saw your map in here. I rarely get to read any Xmaps but my own, except for Patrick's, and he doesn’t really use X+ a whole lot. * sticks tongue out at him *

So I started reading it, and – this is a really cool X...! I love it. I was nearly dancing reading it, it made the character seem so real to me. I feel like I made him, you described him so well. The map isn't all bits and pieces, it seems to be one person, whole, even when the pieces are a little surprising. (Though there's plenty of room for adding more.... ) And your metaphors are really good...

And the character... * thoughtful * .... Suffice it to say he is extremely interesting, and I am not precisely sure whether he is the sort of person I would like to take with me on a quest to dangerous lands, or not. * laughs * Or even if he is the sort of person I would like to shake hands with....

And the tenth layer was surprising to me. * queer look * Even if I wouldn't like to shake hands with him after all, I would definitely like to know more about him....


Just on a note of technicalities, however...the keywords ABSTRACT, ALLEGORICAL, and CONCRETE are not ones that would be used for labels...as far as I have discovered. They are more pertaining to the actual quality of the attributes themselves, rather than the way in which they affect their siblings, you know how I mean? So

*ABSTRACT <an overcast sky an hour before rain>

would be instead

<an overcast sky an hour before rain – ABSTRACT>

And it would work the same with the attributes larger than elements as well. Like this:

emotion*CONCRETE (
......*45% <a ghost that is unwillingly tied to this world>
......*SUBTRACT^100% <a cat playing with a ball of yarn>

becomes

emotion(
......<CONCRETE>
......*45% <a ghost that is unwillingly tied to this world>
......*SUBTRACT^100% <a cat playing with a ball of yarn>


And, though I am not sure, I think some of the other labels you used might fit your meaning better as bits-after-dashes as well. Like some of the percentages.


Oh, and did you mean the bits in this element – <a pit – an abyss – a void> – to be nested? Or are they simply several words, like synonyms, to describe the same thing?

*grins* I was really excited to see another reply on this (even though this essence map is on the back burner).

Thank you! I do hope to fill this out a lot more once I'm back to working on this.

This is just what I need to hear; and it gives me ideas for how to tweak his essence in the right direction. Now I'm nearly dancing.

(regarding the tri-labels): I think that was the way my mind was trying to make me use them (and apparently succeeding). That would probably fix a lot.

I could be wrong since it has been so long since I've worked on this, but I think I meant to nest them.

*pushes tongue back into mouth *
I will when I finish some of my other big essence maps.

I am glad Juliet could give you some technical advice. I need to know that kind of stuff too.

I'm glad I helped you. I enjoyed reading this X very much, so there is no debt, though. * laughs *

* nods * We took a while getting those labels all sorted out into their proper senses, so I even use them wrong sometimes myself still.

Good, because I loved it that way. That is an awesome element. * grins *

No debt intended.

That makes sense.

*grins back* I'm glad you liked it.