Your opinions on possible story idea

[BOMB]

It's more so that he believes magic is what he wants, but its not. Becoming an all powerful wizard may seem like an answer to him when he's at a low point, but it's a shallow dream that doesn't actually give him anything.

He thinks magic is a cure all but it won't be.

It's like when a person in a mid life crisis suddenly finds God. They use religion as a way to avoid their actual problems, and because religion is supposedly a good thing, they don't feel in the wrong like they would had they found drugs instead.

His building a working totem is him learning who he is. Only after he's done that will he actually know what he really wants because then he'll know what he actually values and cares for as well as how he feels.

[BOMB]

I haven't decided what the specific magic will do yet, but I was thinking like the totems it would be unique to each person.

Totems can only be used by the person that made them, so even if it happens that one person, Person A, made a perfect representation of another person, Person B, person B wouldn't be able to use it because they didn't make it themselves.

Totems can be made in any way the user wants. One person might use yarn and thread, and another person might use metal. I'm thinking the main character will use woodworking.

If totems are broken, they won't work, they'll have to either be fixed, or a new one will have to be made entirely.

I'm probably not going to use "cult" in the title because while the group might be like a cult, I don't think they'll actually be a cult.

I do have ideas of totems other characters might have.

One would be a sweater that on the outside is covered in dangerous shards of glass, but on the inside is soft and delicate because the user would be a woman that hurts people but is also easily hurt or is soft on the inside.

Another one would be a rubber ball the size of a baseball that's full of coins because its user is a guy that not only plays with money, but he plays with people's values.

[NickRowler]

The main character would be a young man (19-23 years old)

I think you need to decide what their age is suppose to be. You mentioned them hating their job and friends which makes me think they are more 23 than 19. I personally see 19 as more college age and more naive.

There's just one problem. To use magic, he needs to create a Totem.

Uuuuuuuuhhhhh. So totems, like totems IRL are things that come from an indigenous group in Northern part of America (Northern US and Southern Canada). The animals on totems represent people, clans, and tribes. I think it is important to be aware of indigenous culture before you start to appropriate it into your story. And if you are going down the whole "magical cult" route to maybe use a different word.

[Kaisei]

"The Wood Workers Wand"

Um, maybe I've spent too many years on the internet, but that title sounds a bit suggestive.

I would definitely make the character on the older side of your range, or older. 19-year-olds aren't far enough into life to be in a rut. Most people don't expect to stay in their teenage job for the rest of their life and keep all the same friends. Youth is moldable. It's when you are older that you feel like you can't change.

I'm unclear on what he's supposed to do with this Totem after he creates it. What is its function (besides some sort of konmari quest into his real self)?

[BOMB]

I'm not using "totem poles." If I were using Totem poles I'd somewhat agree with you, but I'm not.

The word "totem" may have origins with particular groups of people, but so do most words. Actually the concept of totems can be found in a lot of different cultures across the world.

A totem is a person or thing that symbolically represents something else, I doubt anyone is going to get mad at me for using a word that fits. Sure I could call them symbolic objects, but that's literally what totems are.

Maybe if I was using actual "totem poles" then id get where you were coming from. But I feel pretty safe right now considering I'm using a word where it's definition fits. And on top of that, even if the word only had a singular origin, I'd still feel OK using it considering those people aren't the only people to place symbolic meaning on objects, they just happened to come up with a word for it. I'm not including a cultural practice, style, or heritage, I'm using vocabulary, and I'm not even changing the vocabulary. I'm using the word in a situation that fits it's definition.

Should I not call a specific style of braied hair corn rolls because that's a black hair style, even if the hair style is corn rolls?

Should I not call hard shelled layered Mexican food tacos because tacos have Latin origins, even if I'm talking about tacos?

It's not appropriation to use a word if it's definition fits, regardless of where the word originated.

Again if we were talking about Totem poles, it would be different, but were not.

I'm not portraying any actions or cultural ideas, I'm naming something. And even if I were portraying something that was unique to a single group of people, I'd still be doing it correctly because I'm using the word in the right context of its definition.

Ps: I'm only being this long winded because I know this particular line of subject discussion can lead to a lot of heated back and forth, so I feel a need to really cross all my Ts so I'm as clear as possible.

[BOMB]

Lol I see what you mean about the name. I'm glad you said it too because I would have completely over looked internet context had you not.

[NickRowler]

I never said "totem poles". I am talking about the concept of totems.

Why do you want to use the word "totem"?

I think a better word to use might be "token" which is closer to what you are describing in your story.

[BOMB]

Because it's a good word that people easily equate with representation of something else.

Also

And the word token is more easily related to payment, transaction, or value. That's not to say it couldn't work, it just doesn't feel like it's nearly as strong a word choice for objects that are meant to represent other things.

[NickRowler]

Do you understand the issues of using a concept that is commonly misinterpreted from indigenous culture and using that to equate it with magical cults?

I am not trying to argue with you. I am giving you my honest opinion like you asked for. You asked what people think of your magic system and I am telling you that you should use different terms.

[BOMB]

Totems are objects that represent things, in my story people are calling objects that represent things totems. If I were changing the definition of the word, maybe then I'd get your point, but I don't feel it's anything to worry about.

And the group is "like" a cult, they probably won't be an actual cult.

And you're good, I appreciate the difference in opinion. I sorta made this quest for the purpose of discussion so discussion is a good thing.

But I don't think people miss understand the meaning of totems.

Like I said, plenty of cultures all around the world place meaning on objects. I guess I could use another word but it would probably be the same issue your bringing up because every word has an origin from somewhere. I don't think just because a particular group came up with a word should necessarily mean I have to second guess using it, especially if my use of the word lines up with its definition.

In my opinion it's just a word, but even if it were more than that, I'm using it in the right context.

[BOMB]

This is actually a good subject to talk about now that we're getting into it. But I also want to bring in a few sources to back up why I feel how I do.

[Kaisei]

You could use the term talisman, which has more of a magical connotation. Also, talismans are often accessories you'd carry around with you.
I agree that "token" is too weak for the concept you want to portray.

Does your MC have a history of woodcarving or does he take it up for this task?

[BOMB]

I'm not sure yet, I've recently gotten into woodworking myself (watching it, not so much doing it yet) so right now having him be a woodworker is just what I'm feeling. I'm not sure how I'll introduce it yet.

[Lensing]

Why does he think that magic is the answer to all his problems?
What is the goal of the story, what exact goal does the main character have?

[BOMB]

Well he believes magic is the answer because at that point in his life he's looking for an easy solution and what could be easier than actual magic.

And there isn't an exact goal. It's not a mission based story. It's more so about the development of the character and his self discovery through failure and continuing to try again.

He's alone in the world and realizes that the world he's built up is the dream life other people have pushed on him or convinced him he wanted. He sees now that he's pretty much been living as a sort of willing puppet. But the puppeteers are gone now. He doesn't know what he wants but he knows he doesn't want to continue being what other people made him into. Finding happiness and satisfaction in life are very abstract ideas, but I suppose you could say those are his goals.

[Lensing]

The conflict is that he is not happy with his situation and that´s good.
The second conflict is good too, that he has to do things to get to his goal (totem etc)
The reader (me) has to understand why magic is the solution to his problems and that´s
something I have not understand yet and I think that this is very important for the story writing.
I think that there has to be a strong reason that the reader understands why he thinks so

[BOMB]

Magic isn't actually the answer, it's not really the solution. It's just a quick fix a "magical solution" that the main character latches on to.

[Lensing]

Then my opinion of the possible story idea is that it has some good elements but doesn´t work for me as an interesting story because I would not be able to relate to it when I don´t understand what´s going on

[NickRowler]

I am not sure why you sent me this to back up what your idea. I think you need to reread it over.

In Native American culture, sometimes they would use things like animals to represent a person or tribe.

This guy is stating that other cultures use that for similar things. His example GOP uses an elephant. So Mickey Mouse is a totem of Disney. Mario is to Nintendo. Ronald McDonald is to McD.

Heck, even that definition you circled in red is like this. Fast food is to Western Economy.

There is no deeper magical or mystical meaning to it. It just an abstract symbolic representation of someone or something, like a mascot or persona.

But even googling totem, more results pop up for totem poles than this second definition. What I am arguing against, as stated in my original post is that you need to do your research. When you start adding magic to the equation that complicates things. Maybe try to reach out to a Native American who has more insight on this and see what they have to say. But if you do that, please be respectful.

[BOMB]

I showed that particular example/reference because it further distinguishes the separation from the word totem and the item of totem poles. It also explains that more than a single group of people use the idea of giving objects meaning.

But the most important part is the distinction between totems and totem poles. Totem is a word that has origin with a group of people, while totem poles are specific objects with cultural practices in their history.

I will say that totems do typically represent more than one thing, but in the context of the story it will relate to more than one thing, those things just all relate to specific people.

But you actually bring up another great point that also makes me feel more than confident that I'll be alright. When you Google this particular word, it in itself isn't shown to be an issue alone. Totem doesn't become a problem until it has the word pole after it. Just like spirit doesn't become an issue until you add animal to the end of it. Alone they're just words.

And I actually want to show more of the article because towards the end it talks about what qualifies as appropriation as well as how because of how most of the English language has origins from other cultures.