And here is where my NaNo 2010 novel, Faded, gets its name. This is the intriguing bit of cobha on my parallel world (Erde) that I think makes the book. Opinions greatly desired...

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"FADING" PREMISE
Erde has one very simple and pivotal rule of cobha – everything fades as it ages. Like human hair in our world gradually turns white or gray in old age, so everything in Erde gradually fade into grayscale, usually white. Literally everything, living and non, is affected by this premise. Rocks, fabrics, foods, human skin – nothing is exempt from this cobha.

This fading is gradual. Objects turn a paler shade of their color before going grayscale, and most objects end up pure white at their end. In humans and other sentient beings, the eyes are the last thing to lose color; there are no naturally gray-eyed people in Erde. The rate of fading is regular, making color a relatively consistent judge of age in Erde. People and things that have color are fresh, young, and strong; those that are faded are weakened, old, and dying.

While some objects fade quickly (such as bread) and others fade very slowly (such as rocks), all objects are generally affected by the fading in the same way. Mold, rust, burns, and other chemical damage will result in hastened whitening; the object will fade in the affected area as opposed to becoming scorched, rusted, etc. However, an object will not fade if it is merely torn or broken. (Think the difference between chemical change and physical change.) Similarly, living beings will fade rapidly if injured or ill, depending on the severity and permanence of the damage; if a person heals from an injury, they will not fade significantly as a result from it.

The one major exception lies with sudden death. If a living being dies without warning, they will go white instantly. Color is not an immunity or a guarantee of immorality.

It is definitely very intriguing. You seem to have thought it out well.

Thank you, Jonathan!

It would be visually striking to see in a movie.

Talk about CGI. Don't encourage me to pick up another script, mister. But thank you for the suggestion and encouragement. I've never thought of it as a script.

CGI, and make-up for the people. Watching people "fade" would be quite unique.

Come to think of it, it wouldn't actually be as difficult as I first thought. Because the book doesn't cover a huge amount of time, most people stay at a constant level of color. So some characters would need to be painted very pale, but they don't need to grow paler as the film goes on. I can think of only one instance off the top of my head where more complicated makeup/CGI would be necessary for a human being. Someone is killed suddenly and goes from young and colorful to completely white in a matter of moments. I don't know off the top of my head how much fading I show of objects. But most of it could be done between scenes - it doesn't have to happen on-screen. Hmm.

BUT I am going to write it as a novel first. Neat ideas, though. Thanks, Jonathan!

Thank you so much, Evening!

No, he is not. Because he comes from America, he (and his stuff) is not subject to fading. That has interesting consequences...

It's a neat idea. But how does it effect your story?

(about the movie idea. I could see this as an anime and have the "faded" people be in different states of uncolored all the way to just drawings.)

Now that is a really neat idea, with people fading into sketches... I'm going to have to stew over that one. I've been dragged into manga...

This premise plays a large part in the story because my MC is from our world and doesn't fade. That causes a stir of misinterpretations. My main antagonist believes Carter possesses special powers and, after testing him, captures him and demands the impossible. Carter himself wonders if staying in this fantasy world is a way to extend his life - in the real-world, he has cancer, but in this other-world, the inhabitants think he's near immortal because of his colorful skin. Carter learns that color is no indication of lifespan, and that he can't "hide" from God in this fantasy world. He can't control the future - but that's okay.

There are other nuances, but that is the main purpose the cobha plays in the novel.

Tsahraf raised a question about my fading premise in another thread. I thought I'd post the answers here since I found the question helpful for explaining some of the logic of the fading premise:

Wow. A terribly interiguing and fascinating premise!!! As someone pointed out before me, you've certainly thought it out.

My favorite part was the eyes and how you said they faded last. That just sparks such a sad, sad picture in my mind.

And now my mind is working overtime...

Would you mind if I wrote a poem based on this idea?

Regardless, wonderful idea.

I've finally remembered the question I've been meaning to ask: what about clouds? In our world, they sort of do the opposite of this "fading," because they start out transparent and move through the spectrum from white to light and then darker grey to (perhaps) black as they accumulate moisture, and then (if I understand correctly---I haven't studied meteorology since sixth grade, I think) dump their moisture when it becomes too heavy for them and essentially vanish. How does the water cycle work in Erde?

I'd be honored! Go right ahead.

That's a good question, Jon. I feel like I had some material written about the water cycle, but I know it will need more development when I resume work on this world.

Thank you very much!