Assignment 17: definitions

Required: Definitions List ▼

Generate a list of relevant definitions for which you'd like to keep track of details.

As an example, here is a possible list of definitions for the Harry Potter series:
* rules of magic
* the Ministry of Magic
* modes of transportation (apparition, Floo network, portkeys, flying, etc.)
* the four Houses at Hogwarts
* the sword of Gryffindor (note: this would also make a good plot background story)

Non-speculative examples requiring definitions:
* a fictional student organization to which your protagonist belongs
* the fictional company or division of the FBI for whom your protagonist works
* the disease afflicting your protagonist, which is a real condition that you need to research
* the antique artifact your protagonist intends to heist

In your definitions list, you'll flesh out details that you'll want to remember later for consistency. You won't have to dig through pages and pages of scribbled notes to find whatever you decided about these definitions - they will all be compiled into a neat list / binder / database / note cards / whatever your favorite form of organization happens to be.

Bonus: Definitions Database ▼

Compile your definitions list into a format that is easy to update (see "Character Database" assignment for ideas.) Keep your list handy for future updates throughout the Prep.

Rollway/rollbar: Sidewalks that move in one direction. Speed and stops are controlled by a rollbar that line the rollway.
Robotics: mechanical device that does routine functions in place of a human component.
Vortex: energy disruption of standard space and time.
Gateway: device used to create the vortex used to transgress time and space from one dimension to another
Rage: Best or the one most sought after
rad gig: fun and profitable performance venue
spike chips: academic currency allowing experience credit to replace classes, allowing a student to get a degree sooner.
Symples: tablets that either calm nerves or enhance nerve responses, works off neuromodulations to determine what degree and what direction the reaction will take.
Orphan train: Trains dedicated strictly to moving orphans from urban areas to families in less populated portions of the U.S. Operated from 1854-1929.
Transcontinental train passage: train line that connects the Eastern part of the U.S. to the Pacific coast.
Mail order brides: Popular form for a male dominant country to obtain wives. The women were not always attractive and often did not have a dowry.
Child labor laws of the mid 18th century: Children had always worked, especially in farming. But factory work was hard. A child with a factory job might work 12 to 18 hours a day, 6 days a week, to earn a dollar. Many children began working before the age of 7, tending machines in spinning mills or hauling heavy loads. The factories were often damp, dark, and dirty. The working children had no time to play or go to school, and little time to rest. They often became ill.
Pay envelope: an envelope that contains your wages
Quantum physics: science that explains what is really real
Credits per annum: The world is on a “credit” system and off the cash/currency system.
Epoch calendar: In chronology, an epoch is an instant chosen as the origin of a particular time scale. The epoch serves as a reference point from which time is measured. Days, hours and other time units are counted from the epoch, so that the date and time of events can be specified. Events that took place earlier can be dated by counting negatively from the epoch. Epochs are generally chosen to be convenient or significant by a consensus of the time scale's initial users. Must be used in conjunction with Unix time.
Unix time (also known as POSIX time or Epoch time) is a system for describing instants in time, defined as the number of seconds that have elapsed since 00:00:00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), Thursday, 1 January 1970,[1][note 1] not counting leap seconds.[1][2][note 2] It is used widely in Unix-like and many other operating systems and file formats. Because it does not handle leap seconds, it is neither a linear representation of time nor a true representation of UTC.