#magical system

For all our Nouveau Woke  followers, I’m sure you’re wondering: what exactly is the Negro Spirit?  Put simply, it’s the magic that Black people have. Though other magic  schools only teach people with “magykal bloodlines”, here at the Noire Occult Laveau Academy(aka The HBCU),  we’re trying to end that practice by teaching all Black people how to access  their ancestral power. Whether you’re a medicine woman, manbo, or a Tarot girl, you’re more than welcome  to come and explore your craft at the Noire Occult Leveau Academy. And  don’t let nobody tell you otherwise!

Challenge #03207-H298: Solution Evolution

They knew their name, Lillian, named after the lovely flower. They knew that they'd gotten hurt, possibly died. They knew they'd fallen into the mana pool. Now the pool was gone, but they could still feel the upwelling of mana, the raw essence of magic, everywhere. When the magi told them they were a walking, talking, mana fount, their body had become the container for it, they laughed it off. Now, they were learning to take pieces of amber and fill these pieces with raw mana as new containers for it, at least until they learned to control the flow. -- Anon Guest

There were days when Lillian wasn't sure they were Lillian any more. They retained the name, but all the memories that had made Lillian were gone. Distant, unfocussed echoes at best. Frustrating hints at worst. They called themself Lillian Font, since they had essentially become the well of magic.

The guards of the well weren't certain what to do with them. Lillian could understand that. The well used to be an inanimate thing, a wellspring in the center of a temple. Things had changed.

The acolytes of the temple wouldn't tell Lillian how they had come to fall into the well, nor how they had technically survived absorbing every atom of magic in the world, but now... it still had to flow. It still had to exist. It still had to be stored and portioned out to make the entire world work.

MAGIC SYSTEM: Overview

What is magic called?

The Metaphysical Arts or Sciences, depending on what side of the debate you’re on (those who favor ‘sciences’ discourage the idea that magic is in any way ‘intuitive,’ while those who favor ‘arts’ strongly defend the idea that there are aspects of magic that can’t be taught). There are, of course, specialized sub-disciplines of the Metaphysical Arts/Sciences which all have their own specific denominations.

Who can do it?

Absolutely everyone is born with the potential ability to do magic. However, magic is above all an adaptive ability, much like hyper-vigilance is an adaptive response to being exposed to danger. Under stress, most individuals will resort to more mundane coping mechanisms, like avoidance or denial. However, a few individuals will respond by taping into their dormant metaphysical ability, which is in essence a desire to change the state of the world so intense it bends the fabric of reality. During their awakening event, these individuals, henceforth known as metaphysicians, display a certain proclivity for one type of magic or another, such as telepathy or necromancy. Nonetheless, it should be noted here that this ‘talent’ doesn’t bar the awakened metaphysician from learning other types of magic. Most, however, choose to work within the sub-discipline closely related to the ability displayed during their awakening event. It is also worth noting that metaphysicians generally experience an awakening event during the first thirty years of their life. It is very rare for this to occur later in life.

Extra: The matter of whether magic is a maladaptive, that is, unhealthy coping strategy and whether it should thus be discouraged or not is the subject of heated debate. “Magic is the wound that never heals” is a common saying.

Who can excel at it?

Though all metaphysicians are able to perform magical feats there are several obstacles in the path to true mastery. The primary socio-political impediment is a lack of access to education. Some cultures strictly forbid metaphysical practices and therefore impede their population, or select groups of the population, from developing their skills. For example, it is a well known fact that women have been barred from metaphysics institutions for most of human history. Still, even within those cultures that do encourage the study of the metaphysical arts/sciences for all, high tuition fees can make it difficult for those from a lower socio-economic background to receive adequate instruction. Without said instruction, metaphysicians are unlikely to ever exercise magic at a level equal to or beyond that displayed during their awakening event. Generally speaking, the talents of untrained metaphysicians remain at such a rudimentary level, they often fade over time, being gradually switched out for more common and (in comparison) effective coping mechanisms. 

If, on the other hand, a metaphysician is lucky enough to secure a place at an institution offering a degree in the metaphysical/arts, there are other hurdles to be overcome if they are to realize their potential. In order to succeed, the metaphysician must not only be magically gifted but also intellectually talented (1). They must have the capacity to grasp complex study materials quickly and pass the required examinations. In addition, given that magic is performed on and by a body, the student must also perform adequately in a physical discipline (2) of their choice (popular options include: dance, fencing, badminton, etc). The level of magic each individual will be able to perform upon graduation will depend entirely on their natural aptitude and application in the two aforementioned areas.

What is the cost?

For the great majority, excelling at the Metaphysical Arts/Sciences takes many, many years of dedicated study, as well as the corresponding quantity of funds (the price is life itself). The process tends to produce individuals who are highly specialized in only one or, at most, two sub-disciplines, if it produces specialized individuals at all. The correlation between the pursuit of magic and mental illness has been extensively documented. Indeed, today it is a well known fact that since magic blurs the line between what is real and what is possible, those who study metaphysics are at a greater risk or losing touch with reality. Many a talented metaphysician has been driven irreparably insane by their gifts. Furthermore, magic is a volatile and sometimes unpredictable force. Should a practitioner incorrectly perform an incantation (of moderate or advanced difficulty), there is a fair chance they may suffer a serious or disfiguring injury, or that the magic will produce a completely different effect than was desired. Most accomplished metaphysicians have their share of scars. Finally, there is also a social costs to be considered. Given the various pitfalls and difficulties described above, it should come as no surprise that individuals who have managed to emerge as proficient, qualified metaphysicians tend to be viewed as brilliant but dangerous, intimidating and pretentious people.

What can’t it do?

Ok, I promised to several people I would post this today so there it is! (@beautifulterriblequeen​, @kotikala​, I’m sorry I don’t have all the account... Julia, mama and the others ;_;) 

It’s long (so I separated it in two post... but it will be long anyway, especially the second one. So I wish you a lot of courage to go through this until the end...) but it’s because it’s the result of some month of searching and digging. It’s still not complete, however. But if you have some time to lose and in love with this world, maybe this theory (and I insist, it’s a theory, maybe I’m totally wrong) will interest you:

Anyway, let’s just begin! 

You can see the magical system in TDP like a diamond with several facets: we saw some of them, and some of us dug to find more.

For me, this theory _ the idea that the magical system in TDP is wider than what we saw_ started from a simple thing in Callum’s spellsbook, the “secret” we can find in the ASL section, the one Sarai repeated when she was alive.

My first reaction was “greeeeaaat! Another show where “love is magic. Yaay! =_=’”

Okay, "love" is an important theme on the dragon prince, yes. But magic ?

But let’s be honest: I don't think they would have placed something like this in the book for nothing. After all, we have to admit that, in this show, NOTHiNG is ever done simply. So maybe this time “love is magic” would be more elaborate than usual?

We do know that the first thing the creators talked about when they started to imagine this world, was the magical system. Not the characters, not the creatures or landscape or anything, but the magical system.

And what do we have so far? Primal magic and dark magic. Is it really that simple? I had to think it through!

1. My first thoughts about dark magic:

Thinking about this above led me to think about dark magic, about how it's "wrong", like Callum said. That point have already been discussed by many of us and a lot disagree, it's too easy to classified it as "wrong" like it’s stated in the show, because the reason you had to use it can be understandable.

Only... the creator of the show have NEVER chose easy/simple road in writing. So why just put dark magic as "wrong" without explanations? Maybe there's something more here too?

I understood dark magic as bad, not for the reason, but for the concept, about what it represents: it's taking (life, will) without asking. It's stealing, it's killing, no matter your excuse. You can invoke righteousness, justice, revenge, self-defence, strengh, power and all, the result is always the same: death. And as you kill to achieve your goal, you pay a heavy price. It staint you, it... "take" something for you (like it was implied in several interview and even in the book, but we’ll talk about this later). (ok, nothing new, here)

But you must have noticed this: those aren't only related to dark magic. It's darkness and everyone can do it. Sol Regem did it, Runaan did it, Harrow did it. They chose to kill and they tainted themselves too, even if it's not in the way pure dark magic does.

So you have the "dark" side with death and all, and opposed to this, the "white" one. Life, forgiveness. love. And all the people have to choose between those white and black sides, between life and death. Only the area they moved in to make their choices is grey. It's the result who, in the end, is more black or white than grey _ but sometimes still a little grey_.

 So, it’s absolutely interesting (hehe… hem^^’) but these thoughts are the ground of the theories and analysis that will now follow in this post and the next one!!!!

 2. The “reward theory”

Use for your own world building. Helped figure something out for my world that I believe will make things fun for me X3 Found it on Pinterest. have a lot of writing pins if ya guys are interested: https://www.pinterest.com/dragonlover14/world-building/ | https://www.pinterest.com/dragonlover14/writting-stuff/

Anyways:

1. How is it learned and executed? Some races/creatures have natural born magic inside of them from the planet (need to figure out the history of this part, like how the magic resided in them?). Human’s/residences that came from somewhere else (the majority) need to learn the geography, and how the energies flow through the planet in order to use it, or the magic chooses them (It’s alive).

2. How is it accessed? Through the planet or within a person with magic within them.

3. Does it have a will of it’s own? Yes, and it’s alignment is mostly Chaotic good. You can imagine the magic having a similar attitude as morph from Treasure planet.

4. Is it restricted in space and time? I would say yes, and no. This is because a race (known to the residence of the planet as gods/goddesses) that had thier magic be absorbed within the planet. This race is something outside of “physical reality” that humans, or any other living being knows. The magic itself is not, but the magic on the planet is restricted to that planet.

5. What does available magic do? Anything really. It depends on the will of the magic, or maybe the user. The magic residing in someone makes the person a manifestation of magic. Someone that has magic within them has more magical freedom then someone who is not.

6. How does it relate to the character, plot and theme of the book? I’m making a world so I can write multiple stories set in this world, so this answer will vary. In the novel I’m writing now, It doesn’t exactly serve a major purpose, maybe to show that Kelly is growing as a person.

7. What is the cost of the magic? The potential lost of resources, environment and life. The user that has magic within them can die from too much use of magic, and people could take too much and drain the lives of fauna and animals in the area.

8. What can it not do? Kill others. Period. It’s against it’s nature to kill. 

9. How long does it last? It depends on a variety of things. The will of the magic, user, and the capabilities of the planet (can’t make too many helpers/creatures, for example.).

10. Who can use it? Anyone with an understanding of the planet, or geography, The magic could choose to help people, or there is magic within the user.

11. How do others react to it? Those that cannot use it (mostly humans) doesn’t like the idea of staking their lives to magic users that must use the planets magic. Magic users that use the planet’s magic are mostly discriminated against.