#[Headcanons:Morozko]

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ALSO TELL US ABOUT THE SYSTEM OF MAGIC LEARNING IN SOUL-BOUND PEASE AND TANK U

WOW OKAY COMING AT ME WITH A KNIFE ARE YOU LMAO

The magic system in Soul-Bound is! Pretty big actually. The best thing I can do is try to narrow it down into smaller chunks or we'll be here all day lmao--

There are many types of magic that can be learned (and instinctual), and we have recoil, the counter-balance to that system and the use of magic in and of itself. Most places of learning for magic are huge campuses that use ley-line transportation to get around them, and are equipped to support each type of magic (the largest category being spell crafting).

They're more or less divided by (in the easiest way for me to write and to digest):

Alchemy

Spellcrafting/casting (and the subsets ⬇)

Inherited/Naturally Attuned Magics

Learned Magics

Intent-based Magics

Then there's the four types of recoil:

Recoil from unlearned magic

Recoil with understanding but a lack of skill

Recoil from magic that a user is incapable of using

Recoil that comes from too much raw magical power used

What is Alchemy?

Alchemy is, while the smallest category, not necessarily the easiest. It is technically a science based magic, and does require a lot of understanding of the world around oneself and how to use it, especially the study of magically charged components that are used when making spells and potions.

While many know of alchemy via the rearranging of existing matter into other things, and that is still a subcategory of it, it's also specifically the form of using physical components to make up, cast, or enact spells. (I'd say that the idea of Witches and cauldrons technically falls into this category).

Existing material is required for alchemical spells. Example: You can't just make fire from thin air, but you can make a potion from a dragon's lung that can allow you to cast fire when drank or used upon other equipment (flaming sword anyone?).

Usually the tactic of employing alchemical knowledge into your arsenal is for preventing the occurrence of recoil when using magic. Since the spell is confined to the potions and materials that are being used themselves, there is no risk of recoil due to not drawing from oneself to use the magic. Example: someone with a water elemental skill could use lightning potions to cast, even if they're not capable of using lightning magic. Someone who doesn't even have natural magical talent can use alchemy, and many alchemists and apothecaries are utilized by the every day citizen for things ranging from using components to warm the house in the winter to healing wounds and getting over certain sicknesses and curses.

What about Spell Crafting/Spell Casting?

Spell Crafting is a far bigger category, a little in part because it covers all magic that isn't component-based. This usually comes from some type of Affinity to magic itself, whether one is naturally gifted in using magic, or they inherited magical traits from their ancestors, or sometimes they honed their skills into being able to use certain spells, or it's an unconscious use of magic in certain situations.

These kinds of magic-use can be learned if one has an affinity for magic naturally; having a strong sixth sense, or the gift of higher sight (the ability to see spirits, fae, among other things) usually is a tell-tale sign of someone that can use magic naturally. Sometimes there is generational magic-- the child of a parent that can use shadow-magic can probably also use shadow-magic, or at least has an easier time using it than other Elements. Equally, it can be a coin toss when both parents have different magics, if their child can use either one-- sometimes they can use neither, or can only use it to a mild degree.

Magics like Necromancy (and its subsets, I'd love to dive into this one more because, well, VESPER, and also cause it's fun), Elemental magics (fire, air, ice, water, earth, plant, lightning, shadow, metal, etc etc), Shapeshifting (natural shapeshifters AND the magic are separate things), Time magics (the ability to stop, slow, reverse, and skip in time), Healing magics (wounds to self, others, and environment), Prediction/Premonition magics (seeing into the future, past, or possibilities of oneself or others), and most other magical skills you can think of would fall into this category.

You'll note that I didn't include 'Holy' magic here, and that's because it doesn't... truly exist. There are many Gods in the Soul-Bound Pantheon, and thus there isn't one true type of 'Holy' magic, though the use of Blessings from these Gods to enact spells is a thing, and also still falls into this category.

Intent-based magics also count here, and are sometimes an unconscious thing; intent-based magics are often emotion based or thought based, and can even lead to the creation of an absence of magic like the Angels in the Soul-Bound universe.

You'll think of intent-based magic as curses, blessings, and wards.

The type of intent-based magic that makes blessings and wards usually require a lot of focus to make, born from repetition. They usually take the form of physical objects like charms and tokens, statues and jewelry, where the blessing/ward is constantly thought of while the item is being made (like making a necklace for someone, and only thinking good thoughts of them or for them).

Sometimes, however, they're made purely on a whim and without much more than extreme feelings or singular powerful thoughts; this kind of magic is dangerous in its unpredictability, usually resulting in a curse. When this magic is made in a large group where the majority lacks natural affinity, it can become an antithesis to itself, and take the form of a being that needs to constantly consume natural magic to keep form: we call these things Angels. They are unnatural, a type of walking curse, and can even absorb Gods into their bottomless forms.

Angels are ultimately a form of recoil that doesn't have a singular individual to redirect to, instead rebounding on the world around them, which leads to...

Recoil.

There's four major kinds of magic recoil that one can suffer from, and that is: recoil from magic that the caster is unfamiliar with, recoil that comes from a caster that is inexperienced in using the magic they're trying to cast, recoil that comes from certain magics an individual is incapable of performing, and recoil can come from an overflow-- a loss of control-- from someone attempting to use magic.

It is always a danger when using natural magics that come from the user/self, and cannot quite be prevented, even for experienced spell casters.

Naturally, trying to cast a spell you've never used or heard of before has a high chance of recoil, a dice roll that can either end up with a successful casting, or a powerful clapback that can scar or injure the user and have dire consequences. Think a more extreme version of playing with fire. At some point you can and will lose control, and you will be burned for it in some shape or form.

Equally, even when casting a spell with an affinity one excels in, if the spell is too advanced (think levels and intensities of the same spell), it can also result in recoil. This comes from spellcasting being a lot like exercising. Lifting a heavier weight than one's stamina is used to can result in pain, or worse.

Sometimes, though, a user can have all the knowledge of a spell, but not the affinity to use it-- like a water mage attempting to use fire, or a Necromancer attempting to heal. The magic they're attempting to use is essentially the opposite of their affinity, and can give them whiplash for attempting it.

Last, and the most rare form of recoil, comes from magical overflow. Certain individuals can have a larger pool of untapped magic, and when casting, can unintentionally pour more energy into a spell than required, causing a painful burst of power. This recoil can be considered the most dangerous, as it is hard for a caster to stop the spell or the energy they're putting into it, and tire them to the point of passing out, and sometimes even afterwards until they die from exhaustion.