#academic magic

I count 4 big different types, or sources of magic. 

Elemental ; Witchery ; Academic Magic ; Alchemy. 

Emoji spell for motivation and academic fortune in the final weeks of the semester! It can be hard to stay on your game and get those grades at about this point in any semester, so here’s a little magic to keep you going!

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It has to be polished, but magic can be described by "taking your own energy and chaneling it".

What it means.

old magic used the very energy that powers your soul. Your life force. The very thing that keeps you alive.

so not everyone was found of that, and there was not a lot of people "strong" or "powerful" in magic because you'd just be dead.

the first mages were more on the wise and knowledge spetrum than on the power.

But it changed. People found a way to ease that "use your very life force" into "use your stamina". Which is still draining a lot of energy, but at least, it's less deadly (and actually less powerfull).

So you have :

old ass magic that use your soul. Is very powerful, but very limited. It's not like taking your breath away, more like taking your life span, decades for one spell. not worth it.

new magic !! that use your endurance/stamina, which means !! you can train yourself !! to last longer !! which makes magic much more durable, efficient, ethical, and accessible to (almost) everyone !

it still asks a lot of knowledges, but it's better now.

To add details,

Elemental magic started in random people as a feeling, an attraction toward an element. It was a feeling of connection. Of being able to communicate with a god, to dance, to pray, to chant with the element. And then it evolved with the ability to bend the element at will. In some rare circonstance, the element can refuse to obey.

This type of magic was said to be unruled. Each and every one did their best, no teaching beforehand. Sometimes they didn't care, and just lived their life, ignoring this gift.

Alchemy was the first formal use of (old) magic. You'd use your life energy to add value to physical object, to reapair broken objects, in way that couldn't have been done by non-magical hands. You use your life to conteract its time flow.

Which is a very powerful magic, but hasn't ever been used in a way that was worth it. A few did learn what 'mastering you soul' really meant, but that's for another time, and that knowledge was lost forever, since no one wants to go back that time.

Witchery is, in a way, Alchemy little's sister. For the few that never gained fame, power or grand abilities through alchemy, they mastered the potions, the prayers, the knowledge of herbs, spices and stones and passed it through time. They stayed at that level for a while, and when the 'new magic' grew popular, they incorporated it into their small spells, and developped curses and uncurses, that mostly relies on beliefs and potions.

Is it a placebo ?

Maybe. or not.

Sometimes. and not.

And then, you have the 'Academics'.

All smaller types of magic, of the 'new magic' that got assembled together, in a big university, dispersed around the world to teach to the most of people how magic works, and can be used. In this case, it's better to see it as 'science application in every day life'. You do find again potion making, repairing objects, curses and uncurses, and elemental spells... but you don't have to believe in some outside strenght as some witches may tell you.

Eat This While You Read That: Becky Jones

Today’s dish and book come from the inestimable Becky Jones, and really, it’s appropriate that I should be publishing this on Independence Day. As a former political science professor, she’s intimately familiar with the whys and wherefores of this great holiday.  You won’t find politics in her Academic Magic series, but as the title should tell you, the fun urban fantasy books are deeply rooted…

Book Review: Academic Magic

  Academic Magic by Becky Jones is a solid debut novel. I enjoyed the read, and would recommend it if you enjoy scenic campuses, academic politics, and talking squirrels. What? Why not? My alma mater has a clade of luxuriantly plump tree dwellers, so I immediately pictured one of those chonky bois as the squirrel who knocks on Zoe O’Brien’s office window and politely introduces himself…  But I…

Another ‘Brainstorm’ post from our new subreddit, /r/magicbuilding.

A large part of fantasy stories involve wizarding orders and a system of arcane education. It varies from book to book and series to series – Harry Potter is centred on Hogwarts, while Trudi Canavan (The Black Magician) and Jill Murphy (The Worst Witch) also put their stamp on magical school stories. There are apprentices such as…

Academic Magic is relatively common, as common a gift as a talent for art or mathematics. It is magic practiced with charms and chants and proper procedures. It becomes evident in children when they are very young, and the trace of it can be found easily by those versed in magic-testing, who are often referred to in common slang as “mage-sniffers." There are three main indicators of academic magic that children often display: moving things mentally, producing images in fire, and creating light.

Unlike ambient magic, where the power comes from the items with which a mage is attuned, academic magic comes from within the mage. This means that while it is rare for a student’s early work to leave them drained, it does take them time to build up the reserves of their power. It is also possible—although rare—for an academic mage to pour too much of themselves into their spells, draining their life force along with their power, if they push too hard.