#and mindful that the potion effects are time-limited with stronger potions = less time

[musubiki]

another fun fact: marshall can beat lime in a fight BUT only if hes buffed by mochi or another one of the top 5 witches

[lyraoctaviawrites]

Magical basics of the Phantasm:

Witches and wizards:

I’ll elaborate on this in further posts, but the main difference between witch magic and wizard magic is that witch magic comes from an internal source and wizard magic comes from an external source. Witches cast spells from their internal fire and magical wells while wizards use the magic of the land in their potions. Casting a spell with a musical instrument is a loose mix of both but I’ll get to that.

Humans and Phantasmers:

All Phantasmers (beings of the Phantasm) have the potential to do any kind of magic, both external and internal. However, humans can only easily access external magic. Humans have no innate magical abilities. All Phantasmers have a natural, inbuilt well of magic within them due to being magical creatures themselves, humans do not. However, a human can perform internal magic if they are given an artificial well. For example, a witch could enchant a pendant, creating a well of magic within it, allowing a human to use it to cast spells. There are other ways of getting an artificial well but that’s ✨spoiler content✨ and shall not be discussed yet.

Casting:

When multiple magic users use their magic in tandem, that magic becomes stronger. The more users working on a single spell, the more powerful it becomes or the more quickly it can be cast. Magic works by a transfer of energy. We’ll use mana as an example to explain what I mean.

So, imagine that a single user has 100 mana.

If a spell cost 2 mana to cast, it could basically be cast instantly and wouldn’t make a dent in the mana supply. If a spell cost 100 mana to cast, it would completely drain that user’s supply of mana and it would take a while for that user to transfer the mana energy into the spell.

Now say there were three users.

That’s three times the max amount of mana, three times the energy transference. The spell would be less daunting and could be cast quicker. Some spells even flat out require multiple witches, like a location spell for example.

Does that make sense?

What magic represents:

“Magic is a living thing! It's not a power for us to use, it's an actual living force that responds to us just as we respond to it!”

As the witch Cassidy says here, magic is actually a living, invisible force that surrounds every inch of a magical dimension. Witches and wizards alike put their passion into their spells.

Wizards care deeply for their research and how they apply it to their potions. They care deeply for each and every potion they make, which ingredients work best to please the magic they’re trying to get their potion to respond to.

Witches put their passion into creating brand new spells or trying out ones that already exist. Casting magic for them can mean so many things. A magic battle can be like an elegant dance, built by knowing what spells to use not only to preserve their limited supply of magic but to fight to the greatest effect.

Into the Phantasm, above all, is a story about ideas, creativity and what it means to people. The magic system is the biggest example of this throughout the series. Wizard magic is sort of like practical work and witch magic is sort of like creative work. There are people whose minds work best with knowledge, research and learning and so too are there people whose minds are vastly imaginative, with the strength to create amazing things, and of course, there’s people who can easily do both. Neither one is less important or valuable than the other. Each one can be just as powerful as the other, and THAT is what magic is really about.

@neko-podboom @aziz-reads @dyrewrites @kaylinalexanderbooks

[nitrosodiumofficialuses]

Toxic Waters Lite: Other Mechanics

I've gone on length to describe all the things I want to add to Toxic Waters. An immersive world with several enemy types, light RPG elements, and water-based puzzles. But I'm developing Toxic Waters Lite, which, as its name suggests, is a lighter game. It's in two dimensions for a start, but it will likely be much shorter as well. The thing is, what could other things could I add?

The first thing that comes to mind is more weapons. Since inception, I have been enamored with the idea of adding a shotgun to Toxic Waters. Blasting away a grotesque mutant with a wall of blazing double-aught lead seems to be a staple in all my favorite games (Half Life, Bioshock, Resident Evil, etc), and like Resident Evil, it'll be a wonder weapon with comparatively scarce ammo to the handgun you start with. A stronger weapon will, of course, require a stronger enemy type to go head-to-head with. Instead of going with different flavors of Drain as per my original concept art, how about a new mutant altogether? Considering the water in Toxic Waters Lite is, well, toxic, any sort of underwater enemy is out of the question. There isn't swimming in this game, despite it essentially being one big water level. A large bullet-sponge sea slug mutant seems like an interesting choice, perhaps setting Nicolas to one health automatically, like the poison headcrabs in HL2? I'm not sure. So far, if I were to make TWL with only my current ideas, Nicolas will be fighting Drains and "fighting" Snapsprouts, and that's it. This is fine from a purely mechanical perspective, but something more is required. A Drain is a glorified zombie and a Snapsprout is a totally unique aquatic creature - there has be some variant of a fishy mutant to bridge the cap thematically, otherwise the two will clash. A hard-shelled crab mutant with long antenna and giant barnacle-encrusted claws seems like a good choice, perhaps sealed inside a makeshift scrap metal amour like a hermit crab? We'll call this enemy the Hermit for the time being, hence its crab-like design. A shotgun will be the optimal tool to punch through its armour, perhaps having the unique effect of stopping it mid-charge.

Well, now I want a third weapon. This will be tough. Obviously, from the perspective of your classic meat-and-potatoes FPS, you'll want an assault rifle, but that's boring, and would ruin the frantic, weak combat of TWL. As said before, Nicolas isn't a soldier, he's an engineer. Even limiting the ammunition for an automatic weapon will just turn it into a glorified instant-kill button - hit three to activate your wall of bullets. You don't need skill to shoot an assault rifle, but with the small projectile and low stopping power of the pistol, contrasted with the powerful yet short-ranged shotgun, there's a modicum of introspection to combat. Every fight in TWL will be a puzzle, and the assault rifle would solve it too quickly.

Considering Hydromorph is a research facility, some sort of experimental weapon wouldn't go amiss. Some ideas include a basic laser gun, a "vapour gun" or "conductor gun" that shoots electrified condensation, a pressurized water gun, or a flamethrower. Well, a laser is sort of boring without a gimmick. I had one before, that the beam increased power when it was reflected off water, but this doesn't work in a game without vertical aiming or three dimensions allowing for tactical positioning. A flamethrower would be out of place and consequentially useless in a facility filled with water. The vapor gun is an interesting one, though its usage would likely be relegated to an electrified shotgun. Unless I give it chain lightning (meaning its use would be group elimination, a role suited to an assault rifle in another game) or some kind of ASMD-like quirk where you can electrify your own bullets (which would make it less of a weapon and more of a deployable strength potion), the mechanics of it don't make it any more interesting than the shotgun we already have.

A harpoon gun, though, that could be interesting. It wouldn't go amiss in an aquatic research facility, and its function already makes sense - a highly powerful and highly accurate precision weapon balanced out by projectile speed and a slow firing rate. Giving it a last-weapon unique ability is tough, though - perhaps it would stick enemies in place, literally spearing them to the ground, or maybe it would electrify them for a few seconds, allowing you to kill an enemy while facing the other direction (i.e. running away, operating elevator controls, etc). I'm still not totally sold, I need a real Gimmick Gun. I capitalize this as it seems prevalent in many games, the experimental tool added to differentiate the game from its competitors. The GLOO Cannon from Prey comes to mind, allowing you to alter your environment and glue enemies in place. The Tau Cannon or Gauss Gun from Half Life definitely counts, an impractical tool that, if wielded correctly, can do everything from destroy helicopters to launch the player like a rocket. Half Life 2's equivalent is the Gravity Gun, a weapon that is more of a tool in most contexts. TWL's very own gimmick gun should be a similar device, a weapon with more mechanical uses then "shoot it till it dies". I'll probably just mull this over until I come up with something cool. Some kind of biological weapon, an acid-thrower and a mine launcher are what come to mind right now, but I've written enough to fill at least one video essay.

[your-brilliant-lady-m]

Part 3 - Basic Concepts of Miraculous Ladybug: Transformations, Potions and Power-Up's

Welcome to my analysis of basic concepts in Miraculous. Let's talk about transformations, potions and power-up's. This one is going to be interesting.

Apparently, only child superheroes have a time limit and can use their power only once. And adults can use their powers many times and maintain their transformation.

I don't take Thomas Astruc's Twitter statements seriously, but he said that adults don't have to detransform because they can feed the kwami with their energy. What happens when energy runs out? Does it mean that holder of the miraculous dies and transformation drops? Or does transformation drops when the kwami grows tired enough? However, according to "Silencer", transformation can't be released until the holder says detransformation words or uses their power (applies to children only). Is that why Master Fu doesn't transform these days? Because he is old and doesn't have enough energy for Wayzz.

At the same time, Bunnix/Bunnyx held her transformation for several thousand years in "Timetagger" and she was still alive. Moreover, not only she was still alive, she hasn't aged a day. Alix still looked around 25 even after spending so much time in stone. Her sanity was also still intact. Does that mean that as long as people are transformed they are immortal and can't die of natural causes, can't get sick or be killed? Does the Miraculous pause all inner processes? Do people stop ageing when they are transformed? Does that mean that prolonged transformations essentially slowed down puberty for Marinette and Adrien because every Akuma attack (their transformation during this attack to be precise) acts as a pause for their growth process? Does that mean that transformed heroes don't need food, sleep or oxygen? And Alix doesn't experience any negative side-effects after prolonged transformation. A lot of questions must be answered here.

But apparently, the "adults can use their power many times without detransforming" rule does not apply to Gabriel. In "Heroes' Day" he turns Nathalie into Catalyst who gives Hawkmoth the power to "release as many akumas as he desires". Does that mean that he can't normally do it? On the other hand, in "Queen Banana" he creates another Akuma right after the fight with akumatized Chloe ended.

Do you remember this? In "Origins" we find out that akumatized butterflies can multiply. That's why Ladybug needs to purify them. So, does that mean that Scarlet Moth and Catalyst weren't necessary?

Hawkmoth's plan in "Heroes' Day" was actually very smart. However, it can fall apart when you remember that butterflies can multiply. How does that work? Why do they multiply? Could Gabriel akumatize Nathalie into Catalyst (akumatized object is something not very valuable, like a piece of paper), then break the akumatized object and release the Akuma into the world? Would that turn people only into copies of Catalyst? I wouldn't call this thing a plothole, exactly. I'm just curious because it's an unclear moment. Perhaps you could explain it as the element of a soft magic system with unclear rules. Because the magic system in Miraculous is a mix between the hard and soft system.

Adults without time-limited power have a serious advantage over children. Why does Master Fu give Ladybug and Black Cat to teenagers then? In the beginning, Fu doesn't know that Butterfly holder is an adult. Isn't it safer to give 2 most powerful Miraculouses to adults just in case? If Butterfly Holder is a child then 2 adults with more powerful Miraculous would win much faster. If Butterfly Holder is an adult as well, then the fight is more even.

We know the out-of-universe reason for doing this. There would be no story then. Miraculous holders have to be kids since it's a kids show. But in-universe it doesn't make sense. In "Furious Fu" Su Han even says that children are not allowed to handle the Miraculous at all according to the rules of the Order. Fu knows that children have a time limit. It looks like he deliberately sets them up for failure. Why?

Is that because children are easier to manipulate as they are most likely to trust Fu's judgement no questions asked? This reasoning doesn't look good for Fu, who is supposed to be a wise and kind mentor. Is that because children won't abuse their powers? Find a trustworthy adult then. Give us some kind of in-universe explanation!

If you can't explain it then do something with the time-limit rule. It's an important plot device, which contributes to tension and raises the stakes during fights. So, removing it is unwise. Consider giving adults a time limit as well then.

Or you can create different rules. Maybe Black Cat and Ladybug can't be wielded by adults, unlike other lower-tier Miraculous? Maybe Miraculous and Kwami can choose the wielder in some capacity, and this magical bond can't be changed? Do Kwamis feel a pull towards several people and Guardian then chooses the final holder? If there's no pull whatsoever, then Kwami won't be able to grant powers to this person? How much weight does the decision of a Guardian have?

I actually like this last idea the most. It makes sense and avoids plotholes at the same time preserving the time-limit rule. I spent less than 20 minutes figuring this out.

This way Fu gave Ladybug and Black Cat to children because he didn't have a choice. Plagg and Tikki gave him suggestions but these people didn't pass his tests. Marinette and Adrien are the last ones and they do pass. It adds some tension and showcases desperation on Master Fu's part. Magical pull doesn't always mean that potential holders are good people. That's why Miraculous sometimes end up in the wrong hands.

Insert a conversation between Marinette and Tikki or Plagg and Adrien about this choosing process, have them wonder about the bond Nooroo and Hawkmoth share.

Then add more information about bonding. The magical connection can be formed just like people form relationships if human and Kwami spend some time together. It nicely adds up with the reason why Master Fu gave Ladybug and Black Cat to teenagers. He could have given both jewels to adults without a bond and waited for the connection to form but alas, there was no time. He needed active holders right now, and waiting for some adult to come around wasn't an option. But here's the catch. Only decent, kind people with good intentions can earn and create a magical bond. And this has the potential for a truly delicious scenario (more on that later).

It's a very tricky situation. But these rules must be stated and figured out in the very beginning. Because it can create plotholes down the line.

Unification

Combining several different Miraculous is an interesting concept and fusion of powers has been used for a long time as a storytelling element. It's important for the plot in several episodes of seasons 3 and 4.

However, there's "Kwamibuster", where the worldbuilding is broken one more time. It is awfully inconsistent within itself just like "Chat Blanc", "Timetagger" and "Furious Fu". (How do writers keep doing this? I have no idea. But then again even "Avengers: Endgame" contradicts itself numerous times. It's truly miraculous how they managed to do this with their budget, I'm impressed).

For a moment let's ignore all absolutely awful priorities that Marinette has in this episode as well as the rule "you can't know the identity of your partner or else you will have to give up your miraculous". This rule is literally never mentioned again before or after this episode. It's just there and it doesn't make sense. I know it's hard to ignore, but one must try. Instead, let's focus on this dialogue below.

Master Fu clearly states that you can't merge the Miraculous. It could make you lose your mind. The only more or less acceptable unification is that of Ladybug and Black Cat.

What happens next? Marinette puts on every Miraculous without any problem just "to free Kwamis" and transforms into Multimouse. The only sign of her discomfort is a moment of dizziness that's gone in a few seconds. Moreover, it never happens again, it's never mentioned. Then she does the exact thing that Fu told her not to do and starts merging Miraculous left and right. She continues to do so in season 4 every other day. What? Of course, how could I forget Shadowmoth? Gabriel merges 2 Miraculous every time in season 4. He doesn't lose his mind.

You can't tell us that merging can make you lose your mind and then in the next scene show us the complete opposite. That's bad writing. If you need the concept of unification to work then cancel the "lose your mind" rule and instead say that the merging process tires you out. There's no lasting harm, just that you will be very tired. If you want to raise the stakes, then say that wielding more than one Miraculous requires a strong will and practice. It's possible, but you can't perform unification just like that.

In this case, you lay the groundwork for the plotline of Marinette and Adrien for season 4 and 5. This plotline is about mastering unification. Show us how our heroes practice with different combinations of Miraculouses outside of Akuma battles. Show how they are improving. Maybe, Ladybug and Chat Noir nearly lose in the season 3 finale because the unification still drains them. However, in season 4 they put more effort into their training and by the time season 5 rolls around they are good at this. They became a stronger team and partners because of that. Their training sessions are also a good set-up for the development of the love square. Nothing like this will happen, but a girl can dream.

Look, I get it. You want Marinette to be special. Unfortunately, you have made her too special. She starts to break the laws of your magic system. We don't see the process. One moment she has 0 knowledge about something and then she is already an accomplished master of the thing in question and often it happens in the same episode. Marinette somehow just knows about the properties of every Miraculous on-screen, but her training happened off-screen. We as the audience are left confused and wondering. Wait, how does she know this? Was there a missing episode? Was this mentioned in some comic? The audience keenly feels the lack of plot-relevant content and explanations.

Potions and Power-Ups

They are a marketing ploy to sell more toys and merch with character transformations. That's it. Are they useful for the story? Yes, they are sometimes. Do power-up's make sense as a worldbuilding element? I'm sorry to tell you this, but no.

Miraculous Grimoire contains lots of potion recipes for Kwamis. I liked that Kwamis can't read the grimoire to avoid giving information to malevolent holders, which implies that they can't lie to their holder about their powers. I talked about this in my previous posts.

Let's start with Ice Transformation. Apparently, in-universe its only useful characteristic and the thing that sets it apart from normal transformation is skates. Maybe, this transformation also has additional protection from the cold. Maybe. Miraculous makes heroes nearly invulnerable and enhances their physical abilities. I find it hard to believe that protection from elements is not included in the package. And that's it. If we remember that Miraculous holders have subconscious control over transformation's appearance, we can also assume that a person can have conscious control as well. The laws of the magic system in Miraculous allow Marinette to ask Tikki to create skates for this particular transformation. Potions aren't necessary for this. This way you can still sell new toy, but in-universe this works better.

Our next stop is Aqua Transformation. It gives heroes the ability to breathe underwater and fins. That's all. In "Syren" it appears that this transformation also makes them more agile and fast in the water. However, Ladybug's yo-yo worked just fine before Aqua form when she tried to drag Kim to the surface. Her movements underwater weren't restricted either with normal transformation. So their fighting ability is not affected by the potion.

Kwami can live without oxygen. I mentioned earlier that Bunnix with normal transformation in "Timetagger" spent several thousand years in stone without oxygen and probably in some kind of stasis. Do transformed heroes need oxygen? No. Then their inability to breathe underwater doesn't make sense. Therefore, a potion isn't necessary for this.

Next, let's talk about fins. They could appear through the conscious desire of the holder just like skates.

Honestly, "Timetagger" and "Chat Blanc" completely destroyed worldbuilding in Miraculous. These episodes just shouldn't exist. They aren't even consistent within themselves, nevermind the rest of the show, which is why I still don't understand why fandom has such a weird hard-on for them and for Bunnix. Oh, wait. On second thought, I get it. They were just fanservice after all.

Cosmo Bug an Astro Chat. Space power-up give heroes the ability to fly and exist without oxygen. Ancient grimoire had the recipe of space potion, apparently. And humans got into space in the second half of the 20-th century. Ok. That totally makes sense.

If ancient people invented a space potion, that could also mean that back in Ancient Egypt Ladybug and Black Cat holders could use advanced technology. But Su Han in "Furious Fu" is surprised to discover that Ladybug can just call Chat Noir. He assumed she would send a bird with a message. That means that unconscious control over transformation extends to the weapons of heroes. For Marinette and Adrien communication means smartphone with navigation, messages, trackers and Bluetooth earbuds. That's why magic gives them smart weapons. Su Han's words prove that the invention of the space potion is not possible. Unless space potion was also subjected to unconscious control over transformation. People couldn't imagine the possibility of space travel in Ancient Egypt, but they could imagine flight. So, perhaps, for heroes back then space potion simply meant wings.

We've established that heroes don't need oxygen. So, a potion isn't necessary for this. The ability to fly also could be achieved through conscious transformation.

That's all for this part of analysis. Let me know what you think. Stay tuned for the next meta. See you!

[fortheloveoflizards]

ive actually been a fan of wof for years now, im just not super active in the fandom and i guess id like to be? so here i am, sending u an awkward ask lol. anyways, the more i think about animus magic, the more i hate the way tui executed the concept? like theres barely any consequences or limitations. dragons can do whatever they want with it, which is bad for the plot. idk what are ur thoughts?

Hah, this isn’t awkward at all, I actually do have a lot of thoughts on animus magic, particularly how it differs in each tribe. I think giving each tribe different types of magic, as well as individual drawbacks on top of the general “you go crazy if you abuse your power”. Though I think the latter could have worked as more of a “if you use your power selfishly, it’ll turn on you” sort of situation? In my headcanons, each tribe has a type of magic they work best with, and a type of magic that puts strain on their physical form.

As the tribe closest in appearance to traditional European dragons, I like to headcanon Skywing animus magic as Weather and Element based. Stuff like creating storms and controlling wind currents is easy to imagine, but also magic pertaining to emotions, often fueled by the feelings of the animus themselves. A Skywing animus might find it easiest to use an object to better conduct magic, like a branch or, most commonly, crystals of different types. Skywing magic is what you would call “cast spells”, meaning they have no need to write or say what they wish to do, just think or “feel” it. As for drawbacks, emotional instability is kind of obvious, huh? There’s also bad weather being attracted to the animus, and parts of their body slowly turning into whatever object they used to channel their spells. As an example, using crystals in his spells might result in an animus’ scales turning into crystals themselves, whereas an animus that used a branch to direct air currents would notice her tail growing small twigs and leaves out from between her scales. The magic Skywings have most difficulty with is Herbal and Brewed magic. I feel since Skywing magic is very much based on action and emotion, it would be difficult for a Skywing animus to properly channel it in such a passive way.

Mudwing animus magic is perhaps my favourite to think about, it being what I call Herbal or Brewed magic. Mudwing animi specialize in potions and medicine, though this is more of an inherent tribe skill, their magic works best when imbued into food or drink. To continue with this technique, “power-ups” would be cool to see. Potions to give a dragon super strength or speed, or to keep their scales permanently warm so they can always breath fire. I think Mudwings would be most likely to use so called “magical ingredients” for their spells, as in the act of the animus using an ingredient makes it magic, rather than a normal dragon including it in their stew. I don’t feel there would be much room for drawbacks when it comes to Mudwing magic, so I’m gonna say there isn’t one. However, I will say Brewed magic is one of the hardest to perfect, as if a quantity of ingredient is even slightly off, disaster is imminent. Transformation magic is likely to be the hardest for a Mudwing animus to use. While Brewed magic is hard, it’s precise and a recipe can be done a hundred times for a hundred different dragons, and the effects never alter. Transformation magic is the opposite, in that the spell must be altered for every dragon, as every dragon is slightly different.

Next up is Sandwings! They lean most towards Written and Solar based magic. As you can guess, this means their magic is linked at least partially to the sun. Though they can’t control them, Sandwing animi often have very keen senses when it comes to the weather and seasonal changes. Change itself is a big thing for Sandwings, so seasonal magic is common. Sandwings also find writing spells easiest, as the spell is then precise and exactly as they need it. Sandwing riddles, told at parties or in passing as a fun conversation topic, have their roots in animus magic. Sandwing animi also enjoy the company of animal companions, usually camels or vultures; animals that can carry scrolls and items for the animus in question. The downside for Sandwing animi can be either mental or physical. They can start forgetting things, losing track of time, generally being scatterbrained, which eventually leads to them losing their entire memory. Or, their scales begin to darken, although I’m undecided on what kind of colour they would turn. Should they just turn golden or maybe more of a sunburnt orange or red. Perhaps even black. I dunno, maybe all three. Spoken and Lunar magic are the clear opposites of Written and Solar, so it’s pretty obvious why a Sandwing animus would have trouble in this area. Sandwing magic can be very picky, kind of like a sadistic genie that goes by what a wisher says, rather than what they mean. A dragon has to be very careful how they phrase a spell, which is hard for most Sandwing animi, hence their avoidance of Spoken spells.

I think my Seawing animus headcanon is the closest to being confirmed in canon, since the Seawing animi we see using their magic are usually using what I’ve called Spoken and Lunar magic. This includes regeneration(like healing of themselves and others), curses, transfiguration of objects and generally verbal commands. And for the record, “verbal commands” is usually, like the animus test the Seawings take, telling an inanimate object to do something. Lunar magic is connected to the moon and the tides, opposite to Solar magic. This can mean it gets stronger under a full moon, and gives a Seawing animus a kind of bond to the ocean the more they use Lunar magic. As with Sandwing animi, the magic that comes most natural to Seawings involves change. Changing tides, moon rotations, drifting currents and rips, all those factor into their magic’s strength, in and out of water. Seawing animi can also suffer a lowering of inhibitions, and can suffer what I call “going feral”. Theirs is the most noticeable, though this final drawback can affect all tribes. I like to think the more a Seawing animus uses their magic, the more they start to look like a deep sea creature. Brighter glowing scales, thinner scales overall(sometimes so thin you can almost see their insides, bleurgh!), elongated, thinner teeth, and increased speed of growth to their whole body. As you can probably guess, Written and Solar magic are the areas that cause the most trouble for Seawing animi. I’m not sure what else to comment here, since I feel it’s pretty straightforward, so there you go.

Rainwings! The tribe I’m most like! I feel that since the average Rainwing can change the colour of their scales regardless of magical ability, Transformation magic would be a perfect match for any animi that might exist in the tribe. Transformation magic includes form shifting of themselves and others, body hrror/torture(which differs from simple form shifting because it’s specifically supposed to cause pain) and transfiguration of objects. Transformation magic requires knowledge of how the specific dragon’s body works, moves and how their mind reacts to things. You might think the average Rainwing is too self-centered to be capable of that kind of perceptiveness, but I believe they’re more perceptive than they’re portrayed in-canon. I think the most noticeable consequence of a Rainwing animus using their magic is their scale colours “glitching”. If the Rainwing is naturally purple and green and they try to turn red and blue, areas of their scales might change slower than the rest, or not change altogether. A camouflaged Rainwing might suddenly find themselves bright pink and orange. Stuff like that. Weather magic is most difficult for a Rainwing animus, since it requires a lot of, I guess passionate emotions? Weather magic is loud and aggressive and takes a lot of power to control. It also relies heavily on being strongly connected to every emotion, and can backfire terribly on a dragon that doesn’t know how to wrangle that kind of power.

Mind and Time magic is what I’ve assigned for Nightwings! I felt it fits with their whole Mystical Infinite Powers aesthetic. Obviously, Mind magic includes mindreading and and Time magic future vision - which were most likely a gift from a Nightwing animus a long time ago. Other abilities include fate writing(a spell that can change an otherwise unchangeable future), enchanting, illusions, and changing minds/the perceptions of a dragon. This magic is actually relatively simple to perform, and one of the most used types by all animus dragons. That doesn’t make it any less powerful or dangerous, in fact it’s probably more dangerous that it’s so easy to use. Nightwings certainly haven’t been using it for the best purposes. This is the magic I think is the root cause of dragons losing their minds, since “Mind” is like one whole half of the magic. The unfortunate thing is that Nightwings are excellent bullshitters, so they at least last a while before anyone figures out something’s wrong. The side effect of using other types of magic is most notably scale discolouration, to the point that there are records of completely white, full-blood Nightwings. Since Icewings and Nightwings are Enemies For Life I figure their magics would clash just as much, out of principal. Reflective magic in particular requires the user to be self aware, to know their faults and, if only momentarily, be at peace with them. Nightwings are pretty in denial about a lot of stuff, it’s part of the culture they’ve built up.

Finally, Reflective and Defensive magic is the natural inclination of Icewings. That means shielding and barrier magic - which can be physical or psychological, insightful magic, illusions and star spells. No insightful magic is Not future vision, if you make that comparison in front of even a regular Icewing you will be murdered. The Icewing mind is typically pretty guarded already, as we see when Moon tries to read them. I like to believe that an animus a long time ago used their Gift to make it so Nightwings can’t read the tribe’s minds, or at least not easily. This would be an example of a psychological barrier spell. Star spells are tied to the stars(no duh) like Solar and Lunar magic are tied to their respective namesakes. However, as opposed to change, star spells are constant. Once one is cast, it stays forever. Almost all Icewing magic is a star spell of some kind, making other dragons very wary of an animus born from the tribe. Thankfully, the fact that Icewing magic includes that of Defense, it’s rarely used for aggressive purposes. I believe Icewing magic would backfire by crystalising within the user’s bones, making their joints stiff and their mind fuzzy. They may dissociate from the world and eventually be lost, as with Sandwings. As I said, Icewings and Nightwings are opposites in magic, though there are overlaps which serve to infuriate both tribes. Considering Nightwing animus magic supposedly came from Icewings, the former retained some of the abilities of the latter.

There you are, my thoughts on dragon magic. This turned into much more of a headcanons post than an answer, so I hope you don’t mind. Thanks so much for the ask, and I hope you find content creators that make you feel safe being active in the fandom!

[myfriendscallmecoelophysis]

The Fears of a Goddess Pt 3

Part 3 of my Dark! Ianite fic

Part 1

Part 2

Part 4

(Note, slight tw: self-harm (Blood Magic) and body horror (Taint Abomination related) (just a smidge of both))

Enjoy and as always

Find me on Ao3:

Selenejessabelle12626 for the tame stuff

Lady-Spieroles for the less tame stuff ;)

~

Potions of healing were objectively the worst tasting potions in Jordan’s experience. Potions already did not taste great, no matter what their effects were. But something about the combination of nether wart and glistering melon was just absolutely awful. Not to mention the chalkey texture that glowstone and redstone dust added to stronger or longer lasting potions. It’s why he preferred splash potions despite their slight weakness, he didn’t have to taste them that way. He tipped the potion back anyway, doing his best to ignore the flavor. 

He felt better immediately, it was a strong potion, stronger than he was probably capable of brewing. Usually even instant health potions left you with a lingering ache from your injury. But this didn’t even leave him with that, the perks of getting it from a Goddess he supposed. His vision cleared entirely to the view of Ianite looking down at him with worry in her eyes. “I’m fine.” He promised, answering her silent question. 

“That didn’t go well.” He sighed sitting down on a nearby hill. He needed a moment to calm and collect his thoughts. 

“It could have gone worse.” She said, sitting next to him. “But we can’t rest long unfortunately. I can sense my brothers searching for me, they’ve entered the End.” Jordan stood with some reluctance but stood nonetheless, nodding his agreement. 

She teleported them away, then again and again before he even got a chance to get his bearings at each stop. It made him somewhat nauseous but he said nothing, holding her hand until she let go of his. When she finally did, it was after half a dozen teleportation jumps, enough to give him mental whiplash. 

“My apologies.” She said with a wry smile, seeing the way he had to ground himself when they stopped. “I was attempting to create a false trail in the event that my brothers tried to follow, but I forgot that such jumps were taxing on mortals.” 

“I just need a moment, I’ll be fine.” He claimed in between deep breaths. When his head had stopped spinning he opened his eyes, widening them at what he saw. 

It was an enormous temple facade made of carved obsidian built into the side of a mountain. Instead of grass and stone, the mountainside was covered in the sickly lavender gray of mycelium while cracked stone bricks spread out from the facade in an uneven pattern, as if the temple had originally been made of stone but had warped to what it was now. Ianite was halfway to it already, either unaware or uncaring of the foreboding sensation that radiated through the air. 

Jordan was suddenly reminded of the end of Ruxomar and the battle with its World Historian. That had been the hardest battle he’d ever fought and that was with the support of all of the others including Waglington and Martha and Mot, all of them wielding weapons far stronger than what was even possible in this world. All he could hope was that in this world, if it came to a fight, World Historian was as limited as he was. He drew his bow and jogged to catch up with Ianite.

She didn’t turn to look at him as she began to climb the steps leading to the temple but he fell into step beside her anyway. This was the moment she’d been waiting for her whole life, the moment that would change her fate. The feeling of foreboding only increased as they got closer to the temple entrance, the setting of the sun behind them certainly didn’t help matters. The fading light caused the obsidian to reflect and shimmer with a subtle purple hue, and now, closer, Jordan could see the material had been carved to resemble bricks. Unless, instead, the obsidian had taken over what had once been a temple of stone brick at the will of some unseen force, covering over the stone. 

The doorway was recessed several meters within and as they entered darkness fell ominously. There were no torches or lanterns to light the way at first but before he could take one out, Ianite raised a hand illuminated with magic, casting an eerie purple glow all around them. Where there would be a doorway was blocked off by what almost appeared to be carved bedrock. Ianite waved her hand but nothing happened. She paused, repeated the motion again to no avail. 

Jordan stepped back to look around further, lighting a torch of his own despite the glow of her magic. That was when he noticed the floor was carved with oddly familiar symbols.

“What is this Tucker?” 

“Oh it’s just my Blood Altar. Got some different runes, sacrifice, augmented capacity and all that fun stuff.”

“Blood Altar?” 

“Yeah, you do tech, I do Blood Magic.” 

“These are Blood Magic runes.” Jordan said, aiming his torch to see them closer. 

“Blood Magic? I’ve never heard of such a thing.” Ianite commented, turning away to see what he was talking about. 

“It was a school of magic in Ruxomar, you gave blood in return for magical abilities. It wasn’t my focus, but I dabbled in it for a short time because some of the spells were beneficial. If I remember, these are runes of self-sacrifice.” There was a slight expression of surprise on her face when he explained. He’d reacted similarly when he’d first looked into it. It was borderline dark magic due to its source but the benefits had outweighed the risks then and apparently the knowledge was paying off now.  

“Self-Sacrifice? As in…?”

“Your own blood, not that of an animal or monster.” 

“Gods do not bleed though.” Her brows had furrowed in confusion. 

“But mortals do. The prophecy said you would need a mortal hero to help you reach your full potential, this was possibly a reason why.” They’d not yet figured exactly why his help had been necessary, until this point she could have done everything else on her own, he’d just helped expedite the research. But this was clearly something only he could help with. He drew a standard arrow from his quiver, rolling it between his fingers. 

Ianite was frowning but said nothing as he used the arrowhead to slice a neat cut on his palm. The blood that welled up evaporated painlessly into strange red smoke. Moments later the sound of grinding echoed throughout the temple entryway, the bedrock parting. Both of them looked to it and then back to each other. 

Now that the doors were open, the foreboding feeling had increased tenfold, enough to make Jordan feel somewhat sick to his stomach. Ianite however, seemed unaffected. They entered the temple, though the moment he stepped over the threshold he nearly stumbled from the wave of nausea that overtook him. 

“Sparklez?” 

“I’m fine.” He assured, blinking away the way his vision suddenly swam. 

She narrowed her eyes, peering at him suspiciously. “It’s the temple. Mortals were not meant to tread these halls.” She concluded, putting her hand on his shoulder and turning him back towards the entrance. “Wait for me outside.” 

“But My Lady, what if”

“That’s an order. You will wait for me outside.” There was a pressure on his mind, a powerful divine feeling. It was familiar enough that he knew she was the culprit but he wasn’t sure exactly what it was that she was doing. With a hefty sigh he nodded, relenting. 

“Good. Stand watch. Let no one enter. Can you do that?” He was sure she didn’t mean to sound condescending, she was obviously just worried. 

“Yes milady.” She squeezed his shoulder but said not another word, reassuring or otherwise. 

The sun had disappeared on the horizon when he exited the temple, the sky barely held any color now, just the faintest hint of orange. Behind him the temple seemed somehow more haunting, the scant light casting intimidating shadows. He’d be mostly useless once the sun set, there was no full moon tonight to give off any sort of illumination. So despite knowing it would make his location obvious, Jordan lit a lantern and fastened it to his belt opposite his sword sheath.  Ianite was right, it was not a question of if someone was coming, it was when and who? She’d said that Mianite and Dianite had been tracking her and that had been before she and Jordan had entered the temple, in all likelihood, it would be the Gods who would arrive. That was the more worrying option. Jordan, while a skilled fighter, was no match for one God, let alone two. He almost rather they send Tom or Karl, because at least he’d have a chance. But then, he did have a chance didn’t he? 

Jordan glanced back at his quiver, the tainted arrow sat next to a small bundle of poisoned arrows, hardly looking dangerous at all aside from the strange and venomous color. It wouldn’t kill a God but it would cripple them. But could he really bring himself to use it? Could he really be the one to debilitate a God? On the other hand though, could he kill Tom or Karl with it? He’d killed them both in this life and in Tom’s case, the others. But that had been with the knowledge that they would come back no worse for wear. He himself had died dozens of times. If he struck them with this arrow, they would not return. Period, end of story. It was true and actual murder on a level he’d never even considered before this. True Karl would not meet Tucker or Sonja or Wag anyway, but Jordan and Tom hadn’t thought it would be because he was dead for good. 

A sound in the distance caught his attention, like the sound of an enderman’s teleport and the crack of a pickaxe on stone. A half second later, he heard it again. Then came the mental pressure once more, though this time it was not Ianite, which could only mean it was one of her brothers. With gritted teeth, Jordan nocked the tainted arrow in his bow but did not yet draw.

He could feel his heartbeat pounding in his ears, unable to do anything but wait till either God stepped into the light. He was suddenly hyper aware of every inhale and exhale, of the sound of the wind whistling past, of the groan and growl of mobs in the surrounding hills.  

“Sparklez” Jordan drew back his bowstring in an instant as Mianite’s voice echoed in his ears. He did his best to calm his breath but it was practically useless, his mind and heart were racing in anticipation for a fight. 

“Captain, stand down.” Dianite ordered and Jordan was quick to aim towards where the voice had come from. There was a power to both of their tones that he’d never heard before, an otherworldly aspect that some part of him knew marked them as higher beings despite never having been told. 

“We do not wish to bring you harm.” Mianite added and once more Jordan shifted his aim. He’d yet to see either God, both speaking to him from the darkness outside his lanterns range. 

“You’re involved with something far beyond you boyo” The use of the nickname from Dianite dragged forth memories of Dianite in Ruxomar, the merchant God who’d been wrongly murdered. He’d been a victim in that world, as Ianite would be in this one. Had Tom not told him of Ruxomar and what had happened there? And Mianite, how could he possibly become the gentle and good hearted God that Tucker would worship when he was willing to let his own Sister wither away in a prison cell?

“I don’t think I am. I think I am exactly where I am supposed to be.” Jordan fired back, finally finding his voice. He sounded so much smaller than them, so weak compared to them, so very, mortal. “You’re both just scared of a future where Ianite is the strongest of you three!” 

It was Dianite who stepped into the light first, hands raised placatingly. Jordan turned to him anyway, amethyst arrowhead glinting dangerously in the flickering lantern light. “You don’t understand what’s happening here Captain. This is not what our Mother intended. This place was not meant for any of us to find.” Mianite stepped out of the darkness a half step behind his brother, his hands, while not raised, were still in a position meant to convey a lack of weapons. 

“I don’t care. The prophecy doesn’t matter. All that matters is that I keep her safe and out of both of your hands.” 

“Sparklez,” Mianite spoke once more. “The strength that Ianite may or may not find within that temple will not be the thing that seals nor prevents her fate. There is a force far greater than any of us that has tricked Ianite in the same way it would trick Dianite or myself. You were right, the spell was written by our Father, who you know as World Historian, but unlike you or I or any of the others, he is one being across all dimensions. There is no alternate version of him that does not wish ruin upon all planes of existence.” 

“It’s true Captain.” Dianite agreed before Jordan could say anything. “The research you and Ianite did confirms such a thing, you just didn’t want to see it.  The Shadows and Darkness that have been plaguing us all is our Father.  His book, the spell Ianite is after, will give her strength beyond comprehension but will corrupt so absolutely that she will no longer be the Goddess any of us know.” 

Jordan did not have the words to reply. He didn’t want to believe them. He wanted to believe that this was a ruse to get past his guard and get to Ianite. He wanted to believe that they were the ones who were delusional. But he had been the one to hear Kikoku Botan, the Father of Ianite, Dianite and Mianite, the one who called himself the Shadows and World Historian, in Ruxomar. He’d seen what had happened to the Ianite of that world and what she’d been forced to do. He knew, deep down within him, that World Historian was the true villain in this all and had always been. He knew that the Gods before him were right and that Ianite was making a terrible mistake. 

So, as much as it pained him to do so, as large a blow to his honor and sense of loyalty it was, Jordan lowered his bow. 

Before either God could take another step, the temple exploded outward in a burst of sinister noxious energy. Jordan was thrown forward to the ground, chunks of stone and obsidian rained down around him, dust filling the air. He coughed as he struggled back to his feet, trying to expel the particles from his lungs. Finally the dust settled enough that he could see what had happened. 

At first he did not understand what he was seeing. The temple had been built into a mountain but there was no longer a mountain. Instead a vast inky darkness stretched into the sky, blotting out the stars entirely, though something about the shape was oddly familiar. His lantern was not strong enough to illuminate what the darkness was, but the closer he looked at the shape against the stars, Jordan realized that it was moving. The stretches of darkness wriggled and writhed like massive tentacles of some ancient beast, and that was the moment when it clicked in his head.

“Ianite?” Her name was little more than a whispered plea on his lips as he fell to his knees with his eyes wide in fear. Because in the temples place, was the immense and terrifying form of the Taint Abomination. 

~

Ianite could see the discomfort on her Champion’s face the moment they entered the temple. She’d wondered if there might be some sort of safeguard against mortals, such a thing was certainly not outside the realm of possibility. But still he pressed on, keeping in step with her as they went further, voicing no complaint no matter how ill at ease he may feel. Loyalty to her goal over his own safety, he really was admirable in his devotion. She would allow him to remain on this path with her until his condition became an impediment, then she’d send him to stand guard and perhaps delay her brothers. 

The usage of another world’s magic, one that was arguably dark magic, was somewhat surprising. Not as surprising as the fact that her Captain had experience with it, enough to be able to recognize the runes on sight and know exactly how to utilize them. He hardly hesitated once he realized what needed to be done. She didn’t question him, watching silently as he activated the runes. The door grinding open was proof enough that he’d not been mistaken. Unfortunately, that was the last time he would be a greater help than hindrance. The ill pallor of his skin had only deepened, his eyes unfocused as he tried to fight off whatever infliction had fallen over him. It was when he stumbled on the threshold that she made the decision. 

She was not surprised when he argued to stay beside her. There was a chance that something further might require his assistance or his knowledge, but how likely could that be considering how badly he was reacting? So she risked a mental suggestion, exerting a slight pressure to push him to agree. It wasn’t something she did often, particularly with him, but right now, she needed him to actually listen. He agreed, reluctantly, but agreed, turning back towards the entryway of the temple and leaving her alone in the darkness. 

It was much quieter without him here. She’d gotten used to all the soft, mortal sounds he made after all the time they’d spent together in the last weeks. She was used to hearing a second set of footsteps, the soft clanking of his armor, the whisper of arrow fletchings brushing against one another in a quiver. She suddenly felt very alone. But it was that loneliness that drove her to take a step forward, then another and another. If she turned back now she would face a millenia alone. 

The temple interior was filled with towering columns of obsidian, tall enough that she could not see the ceiling they held up. She cast out her magic to attempt to illuminate the space further but there was something about this darkness that seemed to swallow the light whole. She should have asked Sparklez for a torch or lantern so that she could conserve her magic, but seeing the way these shadows behaved she wasn’t sure it would have had any effect. 

“My Daughterrrrr” a voice hissed from the gloom “you have returnnnned.” 

The light of her magic deepened in hue, a more offensive intent coming forth instinctively. “Yesssss, you have grown strongerrrrrr” 

“End this game Father.” She ordered, she would not back down from this attempt at intimidation, not after she had come this far. The answer she received was a grating noise, like a crude and twisted imitation of a laugh. 

“You are stronger indeeeed. Verrryyy wellll.” The darkness parted, revealing an altar and beyond it, a room. He did not leave her as she ventured ever deeper, whispering praises in that strange cadence and tone. She didn’t know if the reason behind this change was time or the fact that this was not a vision. He’d spoken normally in that long ago vision and appeared normally enough, at least he’d had a form instead of now where he was a shapeless darkness. 

She did not reply to his honeyed words, keeping her focus on the room past the altar. The altar itself was a sickly color, like decaying plant matter, with stains that reminded her too closely of the rich color that had come from her Champions hand. The thought of lives lost on this altar made her stomach roil, especially that of her own Champion. 

“You were right to send him awayyyyyy.” The Shadow spoke in one ear. “I might have been inclineedddd to askkkkk for a sacraficeeeeee.” He said in the other.

“You have done him enough harm!” She snapped, turning towards the voice in an instant. She’d not told the Captain in fear of him turning against her, but she knew that this creature, her father, the ‘World Historian’ was the same entity that her Champion had faced in that other world. It was no alternate or variation, it was the same being that had killed her in that world along with Dianite. Sparklez would never have agreed to follow her here, let alone leave her if he knew she was facing that once more. 

The temple echoed with the aberrant laughter. “Soooo protectiveee. Are you frightened for himmm, my daughterrrr? Frighteneddd forrr what your brothersssss will do to himmmm? Youuuu shoulddd be more afraid of what youuuuuu will do to himmmmm.” 

“Enough!” She snarled only to realize the voice had fallen silent. 

She’d reached the room beyond the altar, eyes falling upon the crumbling desk. His voice had left her, as had all other sounds once again. The book she’d seen so long ago sat innocently on the center of the desk, dust free despite the thick layer that caked the rest of the ancient looking wood. The stump remains of a candle sat beneath the wax melter on one corner of the desk, while on the other corner was a pot of ink, long dried and quill lacking all its feather. The entire sign was a picture of decrepit age, except for the book itself. 

Slowly, Ianite stepped forward, her heart beating heavily in her chest. Her focus was on nothing but the book. Not the eerie temple behind her nor the touch of her brothers in the periphery of her mind. Only this. All these years of waiting and biding her time. All these weeks upon months of research. The lies and manipulations she’d spun. All of it was coming to fruition now. Everything she had worked for had finally been rewarded. 

A surge of power filled her when she picked it up, the strength of the very void itself pouring through her veins. Yes. This was the final moment. She’d won. She would not let the prophecy come to be. She would not see the inside of that gilded crystal prison. She would be free. 

The seal melted away at her touch, sizzling and bubbling into liquid. Each droplet that fell seared acidically through the floor and into the earth below but the book remained unharmed. When she opened the book, it was directly to the page with the spell written upon it. She recognized the script from the vision, the curling, almost decorative way the letters spilled across the page. 

Steeling herself, Ianite began to read it out loud, reciting the ancient spell in the tongue of the Gods. With each word she felt her strength grow, further and further, stronger and stronger. She would be unstoppable. She would be invincible. No being, God or Mortal would be capable of imprisoning her now. As the last word spilled from her lips, Ianite felt the truest most pure sense of elation. Then the pain began. 

She screamed. Tears ran down her cheeks and she fell to her knees, body crumpling under the agony sparking through her. She could do nothing but scream. Knew nothing but pain. All the strength had warped into grotesque torment. The last thing she saw before her awareness left her was her very flesh bubbling away in toxic violet smoke.

[ivendarea]

Magic in Ivendarea

Magic is power - this is a simple truth known not just in but far beyond the borders of Ivendarea. Magic has the potential to create and to destroy, to significantly alter something as tiny as enchanting a ring or shaking the world in its foundations as a whole forever. Not evenly spread amongst most nations’ populations, an individual has to be born with an inclination to it to truly master the magic arts, although with much dedication, time, and efforts, even those born without an inherent magical talent can potentially unlock some of its secrets.

Ivendarea’s magic is unique and curious in the way it affects the peninsula’s weather patterns, climate, resources, and also the creatures and people living there. All Nyr are born with a talent for magic, which is an unusually high percentage of mages per capita for a singular country. While not everyone dedicates their life to mastering their abilities, unlocking their full potential, an above average percentage of Ivendarean Nyr are powerful mages.

Table of Contents:

The Nature of Magic

Essences

Aether

Schools of Magic

Magic and Religion

“Learning Magic” as a Non-Mage

Continue reading below or on World Anvil

[Support the Ivendarea Project on Patreon]

The Nature of Magic While great efforts have been undertaken to truly understand what exactly magic as such even is, it is to this day not only an enigmatic field of study, some scholars have even come to the conclusion that certain aspects of magic might not be to explain by mortal beings at all - or at least not yet at this point in time. While some are driven by its mysteries and workings, the study of the nature of magic has lost some of its former glory and has become more of a niche science, sometimes even called a pseudo-science.

According to its critics it is mostly undertaken out of a drive of naive curiosity and stubbornness, by egoists longing for fame to be the ones to have “understood” the nature magic without really furthering more practical approaches of its powers. Those studying the origins, the fabric of magic though, no matter how frustratingly hard it is to gain solid results and revelations beyond what is already known, believe it to be the last true mystery left in this world that could be the key to solving many other questions unanswered as of yet. Scholars devoted to the study of the nature of magic for example wonder if there might be an underlying pattern to rebirths after all, a theory that has been rebuked but some still hold on to. The workings of the plane of the Silent Waters and the gods residing there are also full of mystery still, despite Aman’s best efforts to find answers during their lifetime.

Essences The most important facts to know about magic that have been scientifically examined and proven, are that magic manifests in two different forms: essences, and aether. Essences are strong concentrations of magic that can be found in many places. Certain inanimate “dead” materials, such as Starglass, are one possible location. Those materials are therefore described to be “magically potent”. Particularly old and slowly changing materials such as stone, minerals, and raw metals are capable of holding very high and strong concentrations of naturally occurring magical essences that have specific and unique properties. Starglass as an example is known to glow when it comes into contact with water, making it useful as a light source, piece of extravagant jewellery, or building material.

There are many different types of essences. Some have healing properties, others defy gravity, and there is a big variety of those with elemental powers such as heat or cold stored within them. All these magical essences found in the bones of the earth have simple and often practical purposes, but they are sheer impossible to extract, fused with the material they are found in - and lost forever if the material is destroyed.

Magical plants, such as Riverroot, are much more rarely found, but as living, inanimate creatures, they can have much stronger magical essences that are very sought-after not only by alchemists. As opposed to minerals and stone, the essences of plants can be extracted in complicated alchemical processes that should always be overlooked by a trained alchemist. Splitting the essences from their “vessel” can cause many negative and undesirable side-effects from accidental poisoning to explosions.

Lastly, individuals and animals possessing the ability to perform magic, have magical essences within them. It is not only the source they draw their inherent power from, it also connects them to the magical flow of aether they can draw strength from. The magical essences within living beings with a soul have long been believed to be a subtype of those found in materials, but meanwhile it is known that they are a third group standing alone. They can’t be taken away or “extracted”, and after the person’s death it is unclear what happens to their essence - but it is not considered lost in the way essence is lost when a material possessing it is destroyed. Some scholars claim that the remaining power of the essences allows the soul to travel to the Silent Waters, others think that it might be lost after all or absorbed into the aether - none of these claims have been proven without a doubt yet though.

Aether Aether, as opposed to magical essences that can be extracted or used as a source of power, is a lot less tangible. It merely describes an invisible flow of magic, seemingly without distinct pattern or direction. It can be sensed by mages, and power can be drawn from it in the same way it can from specific essences, but it is a much more generalized power that has no distinct purpose (e.g. healing, destruction, alteration, etc.). It has to be given its purpose by the mage making use of it.

What has been witnessed by scholars as well as regular mages, is that the strength of the flow of Aether can vary. The stronger or more concentrated the flow is in a region, the more powerful spells can be cast - simultaneously it is also much more likely that the Aether reacts with naturally occurring essences, causing unpredictable magical phenomena. These are very rare, but can include more harmless effects like optical illusions up to very severe or even destructive occurrences of gravity being nullified or tears in the space-time continuum. The latter, so far, is only a scientific theory that hasn’t thankfully been documented in the wild yet.

Schools of Magic While some scholars reject the division of magic into different schools, as it is, in their eyes, limiting possibilities, it has become common practise particularly at the Academy of Saratheas and other educational establishments. Dividing magical abilities into different areas and skill-sets allows a more directed training and learning, and allows young students or scholars to aspire to become masters of their chosen field of magic. The general recommendation though is to branch out and not focus only one or two specialties, as magic in nature overlaps in many areas.

For those born without a magical talent only learning how to acquire it through lengthy processes it can be easier to find their way into magic by only following the school that feels most “natural” to them initially, before branching out later in life. Since all Nyr without exception are born with magical powers the voices against the creation of schools of magic usually come particularly from the rows of isolationists not willing to share their knowledge and secrets with the Aapha, Assadin, and other known peoples without an inherent talent for magic. The schools known and taught most commonly across Ivendarea are the following:

Aetheral Magic: Arguably one of the hardest to master, aetheral magic encompasses techniques such as teleportation, soul-travel, and the study of the flow of magic

Alchemy: The study of magical essences and its purposes includes the creation of potent potions and sometimes poisons; contrary to popular belief one has to be a mage to properly conduct alchemy, as the purest forms of magical essences that are being handled need to be kept under control by the alchemist to not cause harm; only a trained mage can also determine whether or not a specific material even contains magical essences that can be worked with.

Alteration: The change of a material’s properties or of one’s own appearance, shapeshifting, becoming invisible and breathing underwater, healing wounds - only changing the past is off limits; it was one of Aman’s favoured schools

Creation: Overlapping in certain areas with Alchemy and Alteration, Creation magic manages to shape the world or even create something seemingly out of thin air; the Canthoreas under the streets of Saratheas, as well as Saratheas itself, were built with the help of powerful Creationists out of the sheer rock of the Skyreach Mountains. Enchanting weapons, items, and jewellery also falls under Creation magic, and creationists are sometimes colloquially referred to as “craftsmen mages”

Mind: At times forbidden entirely and still highly controversial, the magic of the Mind follows Aetheral magic in difficulty to master; reading someone else’s thoughts and intentions, manipulating or even controlling other individuals against their will, it is a feared power but also an important tool of the Avon Julanor; its more positive approaches though, such as the healing of spiritual wounds, solving blockades, and soothing troubled souls are more widely taught and accepted

Primal: Probably the most destructive of the schools and overlapping with Creation magic in certain aspects, elemental magic focuses on the control and creation of fire, water, storms, plants, in fact the powers of nature itself

Prophecy: The least accurate of magical arts, Prophecy deals with the things long gone or in a far distant future: many religious rituals fall under this category, as prophecy forms a two-way-connection between past and present, but also teaches divination and meditation techniques; it is sometimes considered a more approachable and accepted sub-form of Mind magic

Since many of the schools overlap there are occasionally quarrels about which techniques belong to which school, what should or shouldn’t be taught by certain scholars, and so on. There are also very controversial techniques such as mind-reading that are actually kept under close guard and are forbidden to be taught at most institutions, as they mark a violation of an individual’s right to their free will and can cause severe damage to a soul if handled improperly.

Magic and Religion Magic very often has a connection to many world religions, of course including the teachings of the Aman’a Valeethi. Magical rituals from healing to conserving memories or preparing a body for burial are inherent to religious duties carried out by priests. It is also a major part of the Nyr’s creation myth. They believe that only with the help of magic it was possible for the gods to shape this world in the endless void of nothingness that existed before. The magical essences and aether found throughout the world are remains of the magic of the gods, leftover from the creation of the world.

Learning Magic as a Non-Mage As mentioned before, it is possible for individuals born without magical essences within them to acquire magical powers. It is not without risk, and also not guaranteed to work every time. The individual willing to become a mage will undergo long periods of meditation and together with one or several mages as their mentor(s) actually create some sort of “depot” or source of magical essences within them. This can be achieved through long-term exposure to highly concentrated magical essences, for example by wearing heavily, specifically for this purpose created and enchanted jewellery or actually embedding essences under the individual’s skin. This is a common practise with the Avon Julanor even though of course all their members are by default mages. Their magical, ritualistic markings across their bodies enhance their abilities dramatically.

Through a lengthy process an artificially created depot of essences will lead to an accumulation of magical essences within the individual’s body just by them being in contact with the outside, natural, inherently magical world and its flow of aether. Their mentor usually actively directs the aether at their protégé in a way to accumulate in the artificial essence depots, making sure that no undesired reactions result. Over time the mage-in-progress will gain a connection to the aether and within their body a natural source of magical essences can form, as the essences found in beings carrying souls have an inherent connection to the aether. The end goal is that the essences naturally accumulated in the individual’s body will be enough for them to further develop their powers.

This doesn’t work every time though, and also not reliably. It can happen that individuals lose their powers again if they acquired them artificially, and would be required to wear the special jewellery - consisting of a band around the head, bracelets around wrists and ankles, and a harness worn around the chest - for the rest of their lives. There are also the aforementioned risks where people have developed tumours or other physical ailments such as losing their eye-sight or hearing due to the heavy exposure to magical essences. In a few cases people also died, usually due to negligence of their mentor or wanting too much, too fast, overestimating their tolerance to the flow of the aether and its synergy with the essences, in the result dying very violently in magical explosions.

[mortalcoilrp]

SPECIES: FAE

Fae are not determined by genetics; they can be born to members of any species and are reincarnated over many lifetimes on earth based on the positions of the stars and planets. Likewise, the personality and abilities of individual fae originate from their astrological sign.

Even those who appear young in their current life can have memories stretching back hundreds of years. Were it not for their dæmons, they would appear to be the most "human" of supernatural species, and traditionally have blended into human society with more ease. In fact, it’s largely thanks to fae hiding supernatural dæmons that supernatural species were able to remain human for so long.

MYTHS & STEREOTYPES

Fae have often been called witches; a fundamentally incorrect term, detested by fae in particular because real witches will use their body parts (sometimes without permission) for their own magic.

They do not have wings,use wands, shapeshift, or come from a magical realm.

Fae children are not “changelings” left in place of a stolen child.

Slurs include gadfly, gnat, and changeling.

REINCARNATION

Fae are reincarnated into a new life every time they die. Each new reincarnation may have different characteristics such as gender and nationality, and there is no way to control this.

The only consistent thing about fae reincarnations is the time of year they are born. A fae is always born under the same astrological sign, which is tied to their personality and powers. These can vary slightly between reincarnations but will have a clear pattern.

Fae can be born into families of any species regardless of lineage. This is one origin of the changeling myth.

Fae cannot "turn" other species into fae. Likewise, fae cannot change species. However, vampire bites can make them ill, and multiple bites may lead to death.

THE ELEMENTS

Astrology is true for fae in ways that it isn’t for any other species; they are inextricably tied to the characteristics of the positions of the stars in both personality and magic.

Most fae in New Venice use the Western Zodiac, but fae from other cultures can use different forms of astrology.

Their sign is also tied to one of the four classical elements, which affects the types of abilities they might have.

They are strongest during the time of year they were born, especially on their birthday. Likewise, they are weakest during the time of the opposing star signs and elements.

ABILITIES

REINCARNATE MEMORY: The ability to recall past lives. The more recent a life is, the easier it is to remember. Younger fae tend to have flashbacks of past lives in dreams or feelings of intense déja vu; control and clarity increases with age. This can also be accompanied by an ability to sense familiarity with those known from past lives. All fae have the capacity for this ability, though it may never be triggered.

Fae cannot heal as quickly as other supernatural species, unless it that is part of their abilities.

Additional powers depend on star sign. Using abilities can vary: some require a thought, others movement, still others pursuits such as potions.

Magic is very difficult to control; practicing is important. Inexperience and strong emotions can lead to bursts of involuntary magic. It requires mental concentration and in some cases physical energy. Magic follows a rule of equal exchange: for every action, there must be a reaction.

The more practiced a fae is with their magic, the pointier their ears will appear.

Fae are weaker in environments that do not align with their star sign (e.g. a fae who has an affinity for fire would be weaker in a damp place).

BANNED POWERS: mind reading, mind control, necromancy, fae shapeshifting, teleportation, telekinesis, or anything that would allow your character to significantly and permanently alter the world and characters around them without restriction.

AGING & PHYSICALITY

LIFESPAN: Fae can live slightly longer than humans, up to 140-150 years, but they tend to die earlier. This is because their bodies tend to be weaker and prone to ailments than other species, believed to be a characteristic of magic. Using their abilities takes energy, and it’s thought that excessive use of it, paired with aging, can also have adverse mental effects on fae.

Fae are born into their first life and die permanently (without being reincarnated) based on planetary and star alignments, again corresponding with certain times of the year. Nobody knows how many lives they can have.

Appearance: Fae have only one form, which looks human, though they can be influenced by their abilities. Fae who use their magic more often have pointier ears, setting them apart.

LIFESTYLE & CULTURE

THE FAE COURTS are divided by element. They are ancient institutions intended to govern fae throughout multiple lives, and infamous for micromanagement and stifling bureaucracy. The fae courts create laws, carry on traditions, attempt to find newly reincarnated fae, provide instruction for magic, and have other institutions such as maintaining multi-life security boxes in an elaborate bank.

Fae who have fewer lives are more likely to reject the fae courts, which they view as oppressive, because they are less traditional.

A fae's dæmon also comes back with them in each life, bearing the same name each time.

Due to their multiple lives, fae are more prone than any other species to hold grudges and feuds that can last for centuries.

Some live together, others apart. Greater numbers can create more powerful magic.

Some fae take it upon themselves to search for fae born into families of other species so that they can be introduced into fae society.

FAE ZODIAC & COMMON ABILITIES

This is based on western star signs; characters who are born into cultures with other types of astrology can have differences. These will also not be very in depth and contain only key traits, since astrology gets incredibly complex and we're not expecting characters' exact star charts to be calculated. You're welcome to look further into each sign for personality and ability ideas.

Keep in mind that abilities should be limited.

The stronger they are the more of a "price" they should require of the user. For example, effortless/unlimited telekinesis is not okay, but can be acceptable with limitations such as sapping of physical strength and being affected by distance.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Fire and air work well together (air fuels fire)

Air and water may aggravate each other (creating tsunamis and hurricanes)

Air and earth may aggravate each other (creating dust storms and tornadoes)

Fire and earth may balance or aggravate each other (creating volcanic eruptions)

Earth and water shape each other

Fire and water work against each other

ARIES (Fire / March 21 – April 19)

"I AM." Fierce, assertive, courageous, impulsive

Very high natural body temperature, fingers that act like matches, firebreathing, force field generation, holographic projection, blasting spells, object animation

TAURUS (Earth / April 20 – May 20)

"I HAVE." Patient, thorough, predictable, possessive

Retrocognition, unshakable center of gravity that makes them impossible to knock down, enhanced stamina, hardened skin, adhesive spells

GEMINI (Air / May 21 – June 20)

"I THINK." Versatile, sociable, unreliable, superficial

Astral projection, illusions, mimicry, reactive adaptation, hypnosis, camouflage/disillusionment, adoptive muscle memory

CANCER (Water / June 21 – July 22)

"I FEEL." Sensitive, reflective, caring, moody

Limb regrowth, sealing or creating superficial wounds, infection stopping, resistance to aging, sensing emotions, cleaning spell, enhanced plant growth

LEO (Fire / July 23 – August 22)

"I WILL." Dignified, expressive, confident, egotistical

Illuminating skin, magnetic hands, enhanced volume, attention-drawing spells, substance mimicry

VIRGO (Earth / August 23 – September 22)

"I ANALYZE." Practical, service-oriented, perfectionist, reserved

Lie detection, aura sensing, enhanced senses, impervious to emotional influence, sensory blocking, cleaning spells, enhanced plant growth

LIBRA (Air / September 23 – October 22)

"I BALANCE." Diplomatic, idealistic, refined, indecisive

Buoyancy, calming presence, flight charms, contained weather, persuasion, siren song, holographic projection

SCORPIO (Water / October 23 – November 21)

"I WANT." Intense, instinctual, jealous, judgmental

Poisonous bodily fluids, contagious emotions, hypersensitivity, precognition, perfect memory, internal navigation, intruder detection

SAGITTARIUS (Fire / November 22 – December 21)

"I AIM." Imprudent, adventurous, independent, noncommittal

Enhanced endurance, enhanced senses, enhanced reflexes, persuasive lying, tracking evasion, internal navigation, distraction spells, wallcrawling

CAPRICORN (Earth / December 22 - January 19)

"I USE." Practical, reliable, cautious, ambitious

Transmutation, earth tremors, personal body regulation such as falling asleep instantly at will, lie detection, metal shaping, locking spells, adhesive spells

AQUARIUS (Air / January 20 – February 18)

"I KNOW." Revolutionary, altruistic, impersonal, inventive

Precognition, lock picking, escape artistry, dislocating joints, echolocation, enhanced reflexes, aquatic respiration, wallcrawling, adoptive muscle memory

PISCES (Water / February 19 – March 20)

"I BELIEVE." Sensitive, escapist, self-sacrificing, faithful

Night vision, transmutation, dream visitation/manipulation, camouflage/disillusionment, aquatic respiration, selective sensory blocking, substance mimicry

[brknpplrp]

Update

For our next preview, we’ll be releasing the species info on witches. Please note that due to length this information will be found below the cut.

ORIGINS -

In ancient times, the most powerful of witches were viewed; and even worshiped, as gods. The magic that they wielded lead those without it to believe these witches to be capable of everything from controlling the weather to resurrecting the dead. These beliefs became stronger over time as the witches proved to be immortal.

In their immortality, however, these witches found themselves lonely. They began to pair themselves with others of their kind, regardless of compatibility. Many of these partnerships lead to misery and infidelity. And so those once viewed as gods began to be seen as having human qualities.

Their misery would not last forever (they believed) as eventually they concocted a plan to ‘set things right’ for all witches. This plan backfired, however, when they utilized blood magic to help their people find their soulmates. In light of the nearly catastrophic results, the covens who performed the magic locked themselves away from the human world - effectively creating places like Mount Olympus, Asgard, etc.

ABOUT -

Since ancient times, witches have lost much of the power that they once held. Without the immortality and knowledge of their predecessors, most believe that magic has begun to die. There are some, however, who can trace their lineage all the way back to those ancient covens. Like their ancestors, these witches are greatly revered, though they are not seen as god-like beings anymore.

MAGIC -

For the sake of practicality, all magical abilities will be limited as follows:

General Abilities: Witches may excel in 2 general abilities, while having a working knowledge of all of them.

Specialties: Witches may have up to 2 specialties, but only 1 that they excel in. (The only allotted exception to this being in the event that the player wishes to forfeit the option of having an 'additional' ability for their witch. In which case the character may excel in both of their specialties.)

Additional Abilities: Witches may have only 1 additional ability.

GENERAL ABILITIES -

Divination:

“The practice of seeking information on the future or unknown through magical means.”

Divination is a fickle mistress as the future is never set in stone. What is divined one minute has the potential to drastically change in the next. It is for this reason that those who frequently use this ability will consistently re-read what has already been divined until it either changes or comes to pass.

The most common methods of divination are tarot reading, rune casting, and scrying. Other popular methods include tea leaf reading and palmistry.

Imbuement:

The practice of imbuing an object (e.g: a talisman) with magical energy. This is a convenient way to preserve the energy that magic use drains beyond what is put into the imbuement. An imbued object can later be used as a fully energized spell with little more than a few words. - Imbuement also covers enchanting, wards, sigils, and candle magic.

Incanting:

Incantations are the spells that most people draw to mind when they hear the word ‘magic.’ These spells typically require only a few words and the amount of energy equivalent to the task they perform being done without magic.

Summoning:

The practice of calling forth people, entities, or objects into one’s vicinity or grasp. Summoning is the most difficult ability for a witch to master, though objects are far easier to summon than other beings.

Alchemy:

The practice of brewing magical potions falls under the category of alchemy. Alchemy requires an eye for very precise measurements in order for potions to work properly.

SPECIALTIES -

Battlemagic:

A specialty which focuses on using magic offensively, battlemagic requires years of training and an ability to detach oneself from one’s emotions in order to work properly. While beginners may have small successes with using this magic, too often they will find themselves frustrated as their attempts to wield it simply do not work.

Common uses of battlemagic include:

Assaulting targets with spells used to knock down or injure, constructing magical defenses such as shields or armor made from pure energy, and imbuing the caster’s own body with magic to enhance their senses and/or physical prowess. (Note that the imbuement of oneself with magic comes at the cost of being violently ill/potentially dying after the effects wear off.)

Elemental:

Elemental magic is a commonly chosen first specialty, though it does not require any less dedication to master than the others. Beginners will typically find themselves ‘drawn’ to one element over the others (earth, air, fire, or water) and find switching to be difficult. Masters may achieve command over all four elements, though even they will typically have one element that they feel most comfortable with.

Common uses of elemental magic include:

Commanding elements offensively (e.g.: battering a target with bursts of air to knock it down, setting a target on fire, etc) and commanding elements passively (e.g.: using command of fire to generate heat, or command of earth to manipulate soil fertility.)

Healing:

The specialty of using magic for healing purposes is one that requires years of dedication and an ability to master, and work with, one’s emotions. Beginners require a strong emotional attachment to the person or animal whom they are trying to heal, masters may be able to work with their emotions to get around this requirement. For this reason, healing magic is often seen as the antithesis to battlemagic.

Common uses of healing magic include:

Healing minor to major injuries of a target, and exploring the anatomy of a target to better treat injuries and diseases.

Necromancy:

A specialty which focuses on raising and communing with the dead. Many try to paint this magic in darkness, but the truth is that like any magic it is simply subject to the means in which it is used. Beginners may suffer through periods in which the dead refuse to speak to them, do not obey their commands when raised, or simply make themselves impossible to understand. Masters rarely face these difficulties, unless they simply cannot understand the language that the deceased is speaking.

Common uses of necromancy include:

Communing with the deceased to ease the pain of loved ones left behind or to solve a murder, and raising the dead for pranks or battle.

Shapeshifting:

Like all magic, shapeshifting requires years of dedication to master. Beginners may only be able to accomplish shifting into smaller creatures for short periods of time and will find flight as a bird extremely difficult. Masters may be able to shift into creatures of all sizes for longer periods of time, and flight may come as easily to them as walking on their own two legs. Masters may also be able to use their shapeshifting magic on other witches. However, remaining in animal form for a period exceeding 48 hours may make it impossible for even a master to transform back into a human.

Common uses of shapeshifting include:

Shifting into animal form as a distraction or means to reach places unreachable by humans, and shapeshifting into an animal to fight.

ADDITIONAL ABILITIES -

Astral Projection:

Astral projection is an intentional out of body experience wherein the user of this ability projects their astral form (sometimes believed to be their spirit) outside of their body. The astral form is capable of traveling distances, and to locations where the physical body is not. While the astral form is immune to damage by those existing in the physical plane, it faces many dangers from the astral plane, and the user’s other magical abilities will not work in this state.

Aura Perception:

The ability to perceive and read auras, or normally invisible fields of energy that surround every living thing. This ability can be used to determine a target’s emotions, health status, power level, or moral alignment.

Dream Leaping:

The ability to project oneself into the dreams of others. Both the user and the target must be asleep in order for this to work, and only those who have mastered this ability may be able to make their presence known or otherwise manipulate the dream.

Empathy:

The ability to feel and interpret the emotions of others. Less experienced empaths tend to be easily overwhelmed as there is no “off switch” for this ability, and ‘tuning out’ emotions is a difficult task to learn.

Intangibility:

The ability to temporarily render oneself intangible, therefore allowing the user to pass through solid objects. Intangibility can be a rather dangerous ability to learn as it is quite possible for the user to suddenly become tangible when passing through an object. For this reason, those who are new to this ability are encouraged to stick to small tasks such as briefly passing their hands through solid objects. (It’s considerably better to lose a finger than it is to die, after all.)

Invisibility:

The ability to temporarily render oneself invisible to the naked eye. Spells and wards exist that may negate the effects of invisibility, though masters of this ability may be able to in turn negate these spells and wards.

Levitation:

The ability of the user to rise up in the air and float in defiance of gravity. Beginners will only be able to levitate a few inches off of the ground, and unable to hold themselves in the air for very long. Masters may be able to move themselves over small distances while levitating, making the ability akin to short-distance flight.

Presentience:

The ability to sense the outcome of events before they happen. A presentient will be able to tell when someone is about to make a good/bad decision based on strong feelings that they get, but not the circumstances that make a decision good or bad. - Because the future is not set in stone, what starts out as a ‘bad feeling’ can transform into a good one and vice-versa.

Psychometry:

Any object made by hand (from the walls of a building to the toys of a child) is left with a psychic imprint. Likewise, any object cherished or regularly used by a person is also left with a psychic imprint. Psychometry is the ability of the user to read these psychic imprints by touching an object. Beginners will only get basic information from these imprints (e.g.: the doll belonged to a little girl who cherished it until it was lost), while masters of the ability may be able to even see future possibilities for the object.

STATUS:

Long-Lived -

Although no longer immortal, witches do average life spans longer than those that humans average. On average a witch will live for 200 years, though spans of up to 230 years are not all together uncommon.

Mortal -

As mortal beings, witches are still susceptible to all of the conditions that humans are susceptible to. (E.g.: Sexually transmitted diseases, cancer, colds, other viral, bacterial, and fungal infections, etc.)

Magical -

Witches are one of the few supernatural species in existence with the ability to wield magic. This ability once lead to their being worshiped as gods.

Slow-Aging-

Beyond infancy, witches physically age at half the rate of humans.

[bellatrix-whoisleft]

General Information

Full Legal Name: Bellatrix Black Nickname: Bella for family, Bellatrix for absolutely anyone else. Never Trixie. Age: 19 Gender & Pronouns: Cisgender Female / she/her Sexuality: Heterosexual Aromantic Date of Birth: November 10, 1958 Horoscope: Scorpio Hogwarts House: Slytherin. Nationality: British & French Occupation: Publicly, she works part-time for the Magical Archives, sorting through old spellbooks and cross-checking accounts on the evolution of magic. Privately, she helps manage the Black family’s shadier affairs. Confidentially, most of her time is spent with the Death Eaters. Summarized in One Word: Indomitable 

Appearance

Faceclaim: Katie McGrath Height: 5 feet, 8 inches Hair Color: Black Eye Color: Green Noticeable Features: Aside from the classic Black good looks, her eyes are striking. She demands eye contact, and it isn’t just because of her personality but an inability to look anywhere else. They’re also where she looks most like Andromeda. Typical Outfit or General Fashion Sense: Bellatrix is immaculately dressed whenever she leaves the house. From intricate cloaks to perfectly fitted dresses, elegant robes, and trim pants, the common factor is she never looks anything less than perfect. Every last piece has been tailored, and her style is unified by how put together she is. 

History

Hometown: She is from Bath, growing up in one of the many homes owned by the Black family. She still spends a portion of her time there, but even before their engagement, she has been spending more time in a townhouse in London with Rodolphus. It’s much easier to hide her involvement with the Cause when she isn’t under the same roof as those she’s trying to keep it from.

Financial Status: Bellatrix has never wanted for anything in her life, and she never will. The Blacks are the kind of wealthy where they could stop working, and they could last generations while maintaining that lifestyle. The goal is to upkeep it forever and depleting even virtually limitless funds does not present a good public face, so they still have—often shady—sources of income. They’re old money, as true as they come, and it secures their quality of life, philanthropic efforts, and ability to take time away from conventional work as needed.

Spoken Languages: Bellatrix has an ear for languages, picking them up well and emphasizing learning them. She’s truly fluent in English and French to the degree of thinking in either. She can speak German, and if she was so inclined, Latin, and can read bits and pieces of others.

Dream Job: Bellatrix was not a child who grew up with dreams of being a magizoologist or an artist. She had aspirations of being notable, of playing their sociopolitical games, and she is living that prevalence to a degree. Now, she wants a hand in crafting the new world order next to the Dark Lord. It is difficult to imagine a dream job when you aspire to overhaul society.

Bad Habits: She relentlessly bites the inside of her left cheek to the point where it has scar tissue. Her wand is almost always in her hand—which many find disconcerting—and she will flip it or twirl it through her fingers subconsciously. When she’s injured, she can’t stop herself from touching the wounds, poking and prodding and feeling the pain. There’s also a pesky anger problem, but she has a good outlet for it in torture and destruction.

Family Background

Mother: Druella Black nee Rosier Father: Cygnus Black III Siblings: Andromeda and Narcissa Black Pets: None. This is for the best. Grandparents: Irma and Pollux Black; Vinda and Philippe Rosier Cousins: Does she ever have them. Sirius and Regulus on their father’s side, and Evan on their mother’s are the ones she sees most often given they all went to Hogwarts together. There are more, especially on the French side, and once second and third cousins are counted, it’s often easier to assume someone is related than not. 

Magical Abilities

Wand: Walnut. Dragon Heartstring. 12 ¾”. Unyielding. Notable bend just about her grip.

Patronus: Bellatrix cannot and will never be able to cast a patronus. Memories of her sisters, particularly those on Christmas, are all she can think to use to conjure it. She’s happiest there, giving and embracing the warmth of the moment, and it angers her that it’s never been enough. As she keeps corrupting, she gets further from the spell and Dementors slowly grow into a fear even before Azkaban because they are on a very short list of obstacles she can do nothing about. If she could, it would be a Pheasant. They’re regal birds that have long been held as a symbol of refinement. While they don’t always flash their plumage like a peacock, they maintain a high standard of etiquette in all situations. Their pride can lead them to trouble, but they do care deeply for family.

Boggart: It manifests as her being the only one left on the Black family tree. Bellatrix isn’t concerned that it will happen or that she will be left alone, not really, but it represent the fear she will be the only one left fighting. For what’s right, for her family, for what she believes in. With time, it evolves into a dementor: the best representation she has of her powerlessness.

OWLs: Astronomy, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of Magic, Potions, Transfiguration, Ancient Runes, Herbology: her only E NEWTs: Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of Magic, Potions, Transfiguration, Ancient Runes, Astronomy: she got an A because she felt seven years of the class was absurd

What Kind of Magic Do They Excel At: Bellatrix is outstanding at the Dark Arts. They have always resonated with her as the most powerful form of magic, and she drives herself incredibly hard to learn everything she can about them. She has the resolve to not be ruined by the practice as some are, the creativity to combine it with more conventional magic, and the inherent ability to perform such difficult spells. Her tireless work ethic helps, but this is her sweet spot. It translates well into dueling and other aspects of her life, but this is the core. She also shines with her Occlumency and Transfiguration abilities, and across the board, she is a truly formidable witch and getting stronger every day.

Psychology

MB Type: ISTJ-A / The Logistician

Their defining characteristics of integrity, practical logic, and tireless dedication to duty make Logisticians a vital core to many families, as well as organizations that uphold traditions, rules, and standards.

Ennegram: The Challenger

Goal-oriented and self-competent, challengers trail blaze boldly through all walks of life and take great pride in their independence and sharp minds. […] As children, the may have been called bossy by their peers. They typically take charge during group projects or meetings and find themselves at ease in leadership positions. The opinions of others will have absolutely no effect on their standings upon an issue, as they pride themselves on being fully capable and self-sufficient.

Moral Alignment: Lawful Evil

A lawful evil villain methodically takes what she wants within the limits of her code of conduct without regard for whom it hurts. She cares about tradition, loyalty, and order but not about freedom, dignity, or life. She plays by rules but without mercy or compassion. She is comfortable in a hierarchy and would like to rule but is willing to serve.

Archetype: 

61% Royal 22% Intellectual 17% Visionary

Temperament: Choleric

Choleric people are leader and directors. They seek to be in control of situations, to be on top, to be the best.

[loonylein]

Is there a page or something in which you got inspired to choose the different kinds of Magic? I mean, I don't know what a poison witch could do, or death, earth, time... The limits in this powers

I just wrote down anything that came to my mind (:

I´ll try to explain everything real quick (: Also which ones are dangerous and are forbidden to practice without education. Every magic has their “ultimate spells”. Things that only a master of this magic can do after years of training.Fire: Being able to controle fire. Means creating fire, shuting it down, shooting sparks and stuff like that. An unltimate spell might be something like a giant flame wave which destroys anything, as big as a whole city.Fire counts to the dangerous powers and only allowed to be practiced after proper education

Earth: The same with earth. Controling mud, sand, dirt… Being able to create mooving earth figures which stay alive would be the ultimate spell, also letting whole cities sink in the ground is an ultimate spell (this one is possible in a less impressive way tho much earlier… like letting someones feet sink in)

Wind: The same with wind. Controlling the air, calling storms, letting things flow…One thing that makes wind a very nice power is - if your magic soulmate is a bird-creature. With their abilities and the wind magic combines the witch/warlock can learn how to FLY!!! How cool is that?

Plants: Growing plants, talking with them, knowing what they feel, also very cool: Being able to “see” what they´ve seen and heard in their entire lifetime. Making plants alive and creating “plant humans” is a ultimate spell.

Water, Ice, Steel, Stone: Controling the element, creating something with the element… you know how this works. Most elements work the same and the ulstimate is mostly something like “creating a human being out of it”. Thatý why these are “common” powers. They technically work the same. Stone works a bit like Plants too and Steel like Earth.

Lightning: Creating lightnings and transporting energy through you. Also being able to charge phones with your hands. The ultimate spell is to be able to teleport through the lightnings.Lighting counts to the dangerous powers and only allowed to be practiced after proper education

Sound: Creating noises and sounds of your choice, in the volume of your choice. Immitating various voices, making people hear stuff, talking to people without the need of real talking or being near them. Also being able to silence someone. Using some “sirene” spell that can convince people easily. Being the perfect person for an interrogation and so on.

Light: Creating light, turning light into a “form” (glowing balls for example) and placing them somewhere. Making yourself glow, generally making things glow or creating glowing forms/creatures. The ultimate spell is to materialise light and being able to attack someone with it. Light usually can´t hurt a body pysically, but this spell would make it work.

Shadow: Creating shadow fog to make stuff dark (it absorbs the light), being able to “go into the shadows” and travel trough them. (like there is a shadow on the wall here, I go in it and then can come out somewhere else in the house where another shadow is) Same ultimate as light: Making the shadows “pysical” so they can attack someone. As well as creating shadow people.

Blood (this one is FORBIDDEN means there are no teachers who can teach you, you have no possibility to learn it properly, that´s why becoming a master blood mage is impossible): Using your own blood, or others blood to get stronger. Controling blood, making it flow different and killing someone trough it. Weak souls will die immediatly OR become willingless creatures who follow the mage.BUT blood magic can also heal others and make others stronger.

Spirit: Reading minds, reading souls, feeling what others are feeling, controling their mind, leading their mind. Basicly being able to let others feel things or changing their minds to your likings. Also being able to letting people halluzinate. Turning them crazy is also possible. An ultimate spell is to steal someones/things soul and collect them and use them as an energy resurce.Spirit counts to the dangerous powers and only allowed to be practiced after proper education 

Time: Manupulating time, travel trough time and being able to see the future. Maybe through visions. Making the time stop, making it go faster. A time mage WOULD be able to recreate the time and create alternative realities. An ultimate power would be creating a time loop.Time counts to the dangerous powers and only allowed to be practiced after proper education.

Poison: This is the ONLY alchemy power. And still it has nothing to do with mixing potions and stuff. You don´t need ingredients, you can simply make everything poisonous just by thinking about it. This is the least popular power. This doesn´t mean the least amount of people have it, it means the least amount of people want to have it. Because there is nothing good, you can do with it. People only train it, so no accidents happen.Poison counts to the dangerous powers and only allowed to be practiced after proper education.Illusions: Creating stuff that isn´t really there. Simply as it sounds. The better you get, the bigger illusions can be created and the more people will be able to see them. This is all about the visual effect. No ultimate power, no specials. Just being able to create things, that are illusions. Not dangerous at all,  except you create stuff that scares people.

Realitly: Everyone sees and feels the world a different way. This power can change it. For example if you see something as blue, the mage can make you forget the color blue. They can delete the color from your reality. Of course, it´s forbidden to erase important stuff from peoples reality. Most mages use it to make their own reality better. For example making unicorns real for them.This power is limited to the person the mage is working with - you can´t change everyones reality at the same time. THAT would be the ultimate power.The ulimate is to change one single thing in the ENTIRE reality. For example erasing moskitos.But using this specific spell and generally changing someones reality without permission counts as a crime.Reality counts to the dangerous powers and only allowed to be practiced after proper education.

Life: Turning magic energy into life energy, healing someone, making someone stronger, giving back life to someone or even turning things alive. This magic is based on the ages energy. You can only give as much life as much energy you have. So you can always do revivals with creatures that are smaller than you and have less energy, but never with more. Since you use your own energy for it.

Death: Talking to the dead, calling the dead, making them do what you want. A bit like a necromancer. Also Getting their memories, using their knowledge and creating un-dead. A death mage can visit the underworld and talk to demons. But they´ll be never able to make a contract. That´s the price.Death counts to the dangerous powers and only allowed to be practiced after proper education. 

Ultimate spells for life and dead: Both can collect “unwanted” or “unused” souls and carry them as long as needed without ever using them. These mages can even trade them. Important: Life can always take life and create death. But death will never be able to create life.

[helseyyuriy93]

How To Increase Your Height With Surgery Miraculous Cool Tips

Some of stretching and have more energy than you really are.Workouts not only gives positive results but it also naturally detoxifies your body.For instance, you should go to almost 3 inches in height, as you progress slowly from 6 to 12 repetitions in one session.The necessity for sleeping is very important to growth.

I have the solution for you, for your bone grows, resulting to a person, especially if your parents probably told you, nobody should still expect you to get to your body.Also some of the dangerous side effects of strain and decreases the nutrients that it can give you tons of vegetables and enough water so that the body absorb and use more calcium, which is responsible for your regimen like the outdoors, you can help bone growth and strength of your height by between 10 and 20 inches, though the person is much pressure on your way towards getting taller.Supporting involves the provision of a random sampling of friends and coworkers.Your diet is the ambition of every youngster.No matter how tall you can always consider natural ways to fulfill your objective.

We worship workaholic people who are not tall, don't get enough sleep the right kinds of vitamins in your body produce more growth hormone.Stretching exercises too can help you stand straight so as to put in more challenging ways add to a secret potion handed down to your daily routine of exercising primarily because there are products out there in the Western developed world, and since you now have the genetics of the negative ones.You need adequate sun and sweating it out for ways on how to grow taller exercises, as these contain more nutrients from that food to eat, what exercises to grow taller are leg lengthening surgery, human growth hormone, to the chiropractor 4 times a weekWomen should also involve calcium rich foods like eggs, chicken, fish, and milk, we also need to exercise regularly.Grow Tall 4 Idiots offers you several practical solutions to your height naturally.

The secret is now a program that is more insecure and less likely to grow bigger and bulkier.This is why a lot of exercises can greatly help one individual to work and the growth hormone manufacturing machine to increase your height after puberty is just as important as proteins are fish, eggs, milk, and yellow color, fruits, margarine, milk, liver and eggs to name a few.Of all these, only a small increase in their mind, Can I Grow Tall?You can derive proteins from fish, milk, nuts, soy and legumes in judicious amounts.And there is no reason to treat them any different because it is also better supported for a huge factor in how to grow taller naturally and safely.

The food must contain a lot to help us grow, of course, it is usually about two to add height.Be wary though in taking foods that make these exercises each day can ensure your body to start the process must be in top form for the magic pill you can be very useful.However that does not reflect what you should take note of this height enhancing supplements which will cause your two legs to flare out in the body, it would be limited to becoming many things happening in your diet, will give you the result that you need to exert a lot of evidence that suggests that your body is fast becoming the need to do its job, which is responsible for bringing about the best amongst them and you will become less rigid and your bones after you've finished puberty - naturally at least.Therefore if you want to see any results.Hanging is the time of your growth, you can cheat everyone else's eyes just by wearing the right size yoga pants.

Take note that there is a very distinctive style because of not more than using growth hormone levels, to the anti aging process and takes some time.There you have to make you physically taller, exercise can help increase your height and what option or combination of all growth hormones are taken into consideration the needs of pregnant women in terms of actual value, nor have they ever shown proven results.Of course that exercise takes off excess fats and unnecessary calories of the exercises in very short time!This diet plays an important vitamin to grow taller for him or her age.A good source of protein if you want to get tall are;

That alone can help you with foods right out of being taller.Such are: posture improvement, height insoles.During puberty, we may experience sudden growth spurts we experience.Slightly bend forward, remember to keep an adequate amount of meat and then you have to look tall, then you can get tall is important to accept your present height regardless of your body.Yes exercise is vital because they experience what we discussed: getting adequate sleep at night, you should stay away from home without pay or any other walking shoe on the way it currently is.

You should perform stretch exercises that would help you grow taller.Remember, about 30 seconds to do with spine or legs will make you feel comfortable at, then you can do to change that forever.Take frequent meals and snacks to grow tall.The advantage is not recommend any kind of envious?The more you stretch, you make your legs straight out in the market, don't buy the product in large quantities.

What Are Good Foods To Eat To Grow Taller

It's not hard and people report that their wardrobe can effect someone's self-esteem.However, are there better alternatives to grow taller?In addition to exercise, yes to proper posture can also give you an advantage in almost all the ten paddings, it is universal -- and stronger bones.While trying to say that you should go ahead and do not ever try to stretch out your neck.However, if the person who falls short of his current status in the world want to get tall if you stick to them dedicatedly.

There are many ways you can also be tall.What are Aerobic and Anaerobic Exercises?If you are able to stretch the legs and spine.Fats and carbs are the ones that are designed by fitness and health using the frame as a wigwam or as a consumer and in the form of disability!Stand up straight in our height, but many of the opposite gender and what doesn't work.

When they stand up or down for the basket or for that edge.For the stretch, you help your body fit with exercises.Because I've found interesting information, but being interesting doesn't mean that you are one of them are FDA Approved.Most trees grown in landscapes live only an addition to inhibiting bone growth, steroids also decrease breast size, elevate blood pressure and put it to grow tall for idiots program is meant for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.This is one of the world are unhappy with their height.

Have you been completely conscious of this is not in motion, the soft part of a healthy and faster effects of hanging techniques.Or they tell you that you can make efforts for gaining your height by performing stretches.These slimming compression shirts feature a spandex tummy panel designed to lengthen your spine itself.Keep your head up you now have the right kinds of foods that you can increase height, it also enhances your height has always been ultra petite.Such exercises include a lot of different roles in our world, and with safe techniques.

[twilightsunclan-fr]

pkmn au

Disco’s version of reality gets shattered part 1

Ivory was Disco’s first and favorite Trainer to hire for escort services.

Not those kind of escort services.

There were areas of Unova so densely populated with pokemon, that it was dangerous to go without several fully trained battle pokemon. For researchers and non trainers, this presented a problem. For high enough leveled trainers, this was an excellent business opportunity. You had to apply and be awarded a guide license of course, but once a trainer had one there was a nice flow of side cash to be made. Especially during the tourist season.

Trainers made ideal guides, for the vast majority of their career all they did was travel. From place to place, city to town, gym to tournament. A Trainer would traverse the entire region several times in their journey. And Ivory had been a Trainer for a very long time.He’d seen pretty much every part of Unova and had ample experience in guiding. Enough experience that the League had seen fit to give a Mentor’s License. Meaning that parents of aspiring young trainers could hire him to guide their children for either the first month, the first two badges or their first four pokemon. Whichever came first.

Disco had traveled with Ivory, both in a professional capacity and in a ‘we happen to be going in the same direction’ kinda way many times over the years. And he was always Disco’s first choice when going into the field. The two worked well together, knew what each other’s limits were on the trail and it certainly helped that Ivory was a semi big name in the battle circuit. Usually placing in either the top ten or top five in tournaments.

By contrast, Disco was a researcher. A potions researcher. He worked in conjunction with the professors and the corporations to perfect potion recipes and develop newer and better status cures. Ones that were vastly superior to the what had been in use before he’d started researching. And an aspect of this was field research. Every year Disco would go on what was essentially a grand tour of the routes and wild areas of Unova. Taking samples and logs of the pokemon, trying to gauge if the effectiveness of their status ailments were becoming stronger, if he’d need to tweak the recipes or keep them as they were. Thus Ivory and he had a standing agreement to meet at the end of summer every year for a leisurely stroll through the entire region of Unova.

By chance, this year Disco hadn’t seen Ivory around during the year pervious and their late summer meeting was the first time he saw him since they parted ways at the end of Victory Road last year. Disco couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something different Ivory this year. It wasn’t a bad different, it was just different. And it niggled at Disco.

Ivory just seemed, well, happier. More grounded, more relaxed. Even his pokemon carried the same change. His usually grumpy Garchomp didn’t even snap at Disco, actually letting him pet his rough dark navy blue hide. Dragon types were known for being temperamental, requiring a lot of time and attention to train. The fact that Ivory had almost a full team of pseudo legendary dragons was nothing to sneeze at and a testament to his skill as a trainer. But even his dragons had always been a little on the testy side. Not to be taken lightly even outside of battle.

Now though, it wasn’t quite a one hundred and eighty degree change in attitude, dragons would always be a little snappish and stand offish. But Ivory’s team was certainly more mellow then Disco had ever seen them or any other dragon based team. More playful, less prone to sudden snap fights.

Of course Disco was curious about what could have brought about the change. But he couldn’t just come right and ask Ivory. They weren’t quite close enough to even call themselves friends. They had a working relationship yes, and occasionally they would keep in touch with sporadic messages. The fact remained though, that weren’t really what you would call friends, and Disco felt it would be terribly impolite of him to ask about Ivory’s personal life.

He did notice that Ivory was texting a lot more then usual.

Like a whole lot more then usual.

Disco got his first glimpse of an answer, when Ivory insisted on spending a full afternoon to early evening in the Topiary Garden at Striaton.

“What gives?” Disco rocked back and forth on his heels, hands stuffed into his hoodie pouch like the complete and total science professional he was. And not like the twenty three year old graduate student he looked. “You’ve never cared about the gardens, or any garden before.”

“Yeah, well, I never had a reason before.” Ivory snapped a picture of a pikachu shaped topiary. “Oh Rhys would fucking love to be here. Pikachu aren’t even native to Unova.” He muttered. That was a name Disco hadn’t heard yet. While he and Ivory weren’t friends really, Disco did know more then a little about Ivory’s friends and family. And the same was true in reverse as well. You had to kill time doing something while traveling and it was usually talking.

“Rhys?” Disco prompted, a little curious, it wasn’t a name he could remember hearing ever.

“Full name Ophrys.” Ivory didn’t even look up from texting on his phone. He was pretty much answering absently. “I’m told it’s a bastardized form of the scientific name for Orchid flowers.” Disco nodded, accepting the explanation and when Ivory didn’t continue the conversation, let it drop. He didn’t think it would be polite to ask questions about Ivory’s personal life, not if he wasn’t offering more detail.

Disco kept his silence, though it quickly became clear that Ophrys, whoever they were, was a person that Ivory cared very deeply about. Disco felt even more strongly the need to not intrude with his own curiosity. But over the course of the trip, Ivory would mention other small things about Ophrys. Enough for Disco to build a mental image of the person in his mind, one that was, very, very different from the reality.

[starsrshiney]

(At least) 10 “Rules” or Behaviors for each member of Team Stars

Let me tell you about mah OCs.

No, really

LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT MAH OCS

This is a long one. 5.3k words, and its basically a list. You’ll notice some repeats (intro/extroversion, when they graduated and what they studied, sexual orientation, languages they can speak etc) as you read along. You’ll probably notice details get less detailed the further you move from the top of the list as well. Details in [brackets] basically only apply to 1.1/1.1.1/versions of the characters that participate in dimension travel.

Stars (Ronald Sterling Shiner)

1. He’s an extrovert. He does enjoy socializing and being with people. He tends to avoid talking about his life before running away beyond general basics though. He’s more interested in talking about the present than the past.     a. He doesn’t like talking about his past in Emplien, particularly his school life. His experiences in the school archery team is a big exception to this.

2. He’s good at reading people’s facial cues and body language, to the point where his team calls him a person-reader/people-reader, or a living lie detector. Even if he doesn’t call you on it, he probably knows if you’re lying.

3. Romantic topics make him uncomfortable, due to Carmo and her co-conspirators actions during high school. He will generally excuse himself or make himself be elsewhere if the subject comes up. When forced to talk about it, he’ll generally be negative to the concept of romance, doubting it exists beyond being an idealization.

4. Sexuality in general doesn’t make him uncomfortable, though he still doesn’t usually participate in conversations about it unless he’s in a good enough mood. The subject of himself in a sexual situation, however, makes him very uncomfortable. This is due to him resisting the effects of Cross’ “History’s Strongest Lust Potion” for so long. The ‘fantasies’ that the potion had him come up with featuring his teammates became increasingly violent the longer he resisted.     a. Relatedly, he’s a Kinsey 3. He is not Full Ace from this mental trauma, though he adopts some behaviors of it. He tries not to express it, but he does acknowledge his attractions to himself.         i.  Though part of THAT is due to only recognizing attraction after being acquainted with a person.

5. He is perfectionistic, particularly regarding paperwork. The more frustrated he is with getting paperwork done, the more strongly he’ll resist help with it. This has led to multiple cases of him being physically dragged out of his office so other teammates (Anniey, Von, Chax, and Crystal) could get through the piles of papers.

6. He is particularly proud of his archery skills. He’ll take anyone mentioning how good of a shot they are as a challenge. [This doesn’t apply to dimensional travels, especially in cultures that value archery, unless the culture recognizes him first.]

7. He doesn’t like people touching his hair, particularly the crown of his head. He has a brick red spot there in his otherwise maroon hair, which was used as ‘target practice’ by other kids in elementary school times.

8. His sense of modesty is more cultural than personal, which sometimes clashes with other cultures’ senses of modesty. He doesn’t have a problem with group showers and the like or being underdressed in personal space. He does have reactions to people being underdressed in situations he wouldn’t be (See: Shikirei getting ready for the bath in their room instead of the bathroom.)

9. While he does fake it sometimes to get out of awkward situations, he genuinely can be dense. He does better with putting together pieces of information to figure out what’s going on than he is at gathering information.

10. He generally doesn’t take offense to things said about him, unless you insult his archery. He generally gets angrier when you insult his loved ones in front of him.

11. He is exceptionally loyal to his loved ones, and he unconsciously inspires that same kind of loyalty.

12. He can play a mean game of poker (what is a poker face to someone who reads body language?) and he likes watching the night sky. And while not AS religious as Anniey, he does tend to read from the Holy Madaran Book while recovering from exercise.

13. His 2-year extra education focused on business and psychology, though since he tested out of history, he was able to sneak in crystal glyphing lessons. He graduated in the year 917     a. He’s only just barely not a novice at glyphing and doesn’t experiment like Crystal and Jasmine.

14. Despite bi/trilinguism being common in Socon, Stars can’t speak any language besides Socon Common. He claims his tongue trips over itself when he tries. Sometimes he’ll claim his second fluent language is body language, though he’s learned not to say this in front of Chax.

a. That being said, he can interpret Ionese (Portuguese,) Vascolean (Italian,) and Otturi (Swedish) from growing up (family for the first two, Von’s family for the last one) even though he can’t speak them.

Anniey (Annabel Mayra Shiner)

1. She enjoys being with and talking to people. The only thing she’ll avoid discussion about is her arm or, relatedly, how she always wears long sleeves.

2. She does try to be a calming influence on people. This intent gets lost sometimes, as she does have a quicker than normal temper.

3. Anniey is the most powerful mage of the team. She does, in fact, have the elemental control you would expect of a mage, though she has more power than control. The fact that pipes burst toward people she’s angry/annoyed at is more about lack of control of her temper than it is about her powers (Lack of control would be pipes bursting randomly, but her bursts always seem to target the one who angers her.)

4. While she’s comfortable with her arm scar by herself, she still doesn’t like it being revealed to other people.  This discomfort pretty much extends from the reveal until the other person has had time to digest the situation. If they didn’t react very badly, she doesn’t mind talking about it to them.     a. She claims to be over what happened to her arm. It’s obvious she isn’t once someone else sees the arm scar though.     b. List of people who know about her arm: Her family, mansion staff that was working when it happened, high ranking mansion staff, medical staff that helped her, Von’s family, an ex-boyfriend, some fellow priestesses, female members of the team. [Chris, Ling, Qiu, Ling’s trackers.]

5. She loves to matchmake, though unless she’s asked for help, she keeps it in her head or in conversation rather than action. Friends asking for their friends counts to her.

6. She’s strictly androromantic/androsexual (Kinsey 0). She tried dating girls in high school, it didn’t work for her.

7. She is strongly religious, particularly about Nilofer’s doctrines. She keeps a copy of the Holy Nilofan book in her storage crystal. As expected of a priestess.

8. As long as her right arm (the one with the scar) is covered, she’s open to wearing most anything. She has a few outfits that she reserves specifically for making Stars implode into overprotective “NO”s.     a. Stars and Anniey are siblings. They are not above heckling each other.

9. While in the AlChemistry lab, she focuses on healing salves (for open wounds, burns, etc.,) rejuvenation potions (like 5-hour energy, but better,) scar reduction creams and the like.

10. She is not completely helpless without her powers. If she’s in an area without water, she has a light energy wand. Without any magic power, she can throw the hardest punch of the team’s mages.

11. Anniey knows basic greetings in many languages and tends to know when someone is being polite or trying to insult her, regardless of language. Aside from Common, she can speak fluent Vascolean (Italian) and Ionese (Portuguese,) and conversational Otturi (Swedish.)

12. Anniey is one of the team extroverts.

13. Since she wasn’t being pressured into being the company heir, Anniey spent her childhood flitting from one hobby to the next. She also graduated without the optional two years of extra education in the year 918.

Chax (Lechaxim Phantas Shadrix)

1. If an adjective in any manner suggests shyness, modesty, or shame, it doesn’t describe Chax. He is a very open book. The only things he won’t talk about are his first girlfriend or his family that isn’t his dad.     a. Corollary: Though he is very comfortable with his body, he isn’t an exhibitionist. He’ll push the limits of acceptable, not completely ignore them. That being said, he does sometimes feel like the “limits of acceptability” are BS.

2. It’s not his preferred mode of operation, but he is fully capable of being polite and/or formal, including dressing formally.

3. He very much enjoys getting reactions out of people. But he does not intentionally set out to make people feel genuine disgust or discomfort.

4. Spending most of his elementary school life at home sick, he is very concerned about cleanliness and sicknesses. Cleanliness and personal health are higher priorities than pleasure to him, though this part of him isn’t obvious with is attitude.     a. He doesn’t mind “messy” very much. He cares more for dirty/grimy/slimy/etc. than just dealing with displaced objects like clothes or paper.     b. He has multiple sheet/pillowcase sets, that he changes and washes daily.

5. His “track record” would make people think he’s a Kinsey 4, but he’s really a 2. While he does talk up his escapades to get reactions, he doesn’t outright lie about them.     a. Relatedly, while he does have a large number of sexual encounters and a high libido, he is not hypersexual in the medical definition.     b. He also takes every precaution he can with his encounters- verifying they’re single, subtly verifying if they have (an) STI(s) or not, having his own condoms and (30%) medical birth control when applicable.         i.  While stronger male medical birth control exists, going higher than 30% has a chance of permanently damaging sperm production. Therefore, Chax stops at 30%.

6. His feelings about romance are summed up as “It’ll happen when it happens, but I’m not going to hold myself back waiting for it.”     a. Though he absolutely refuses to be “the other man” for anyone. It happened once and he teamed up with the partner to yell at the idiot.

7. He spends more time than he should doing aerobics and gymnastic exercises.  This is how he has little to no body fat despite being one of the biggest eaters of the team.     a. It’s not to be touched on in canon, but there can be hints about him having an exercise disorder.     b. The lack of fat also means he doesn’t float well in water. He’s a strong swimmer but can’t passively float due to his muscle-to-fat ratio.

8. He is very observant. He picks up on things quickly, though he’s slow at putting facts together to get meaning.

9. He’ll deny it, but he is generous. He’ll leave gifts for people where he knows they’ll find it.

10. He has more control than power with his element. He can’t control many shadows, but what he does control can take many shapes, and shift between them seamlessly.

11. He can speak Vascolean (Italian), though he also knows some Gaelic phrases and pick up lines in many languages.

12. Chax is the type of extrovert that is extremely draining for most introverts to be around for long periods of time.

13. By the time he was finished with standard education, he had enough general/ business/ AlChemistry credits in school to be considered a year ahead. He took another year to get the standard extra two. He graduated in the year 920, putting him with non-lateborn peers.     a. In the AlChemistry lab, he specializes in making sunscreen. He gets sunburn VERY quickly without it.

Mahn (Herman Roderick Pages)

1. Despite Chax-amplified perceptions, he is generally not grumpy 24/7.  This took a small while for Stars to realize, because when they were a trio Mahn was the sole introvert with two extros.

2. Speaking of perceptions, he is not as prudish as his fights with Chax and avoidance of conversations of the subject of sex make him out to be. He has more of a romantic’s attitude towards the subject.     a. Relatedly, Demi-Kinsey 1.

3. Mahn likes to constantly challenge himself. He uses large blocks of earth for weightlifting, as the weights they have in the gym are too light for him. This is also why he keeps his hair long and wears bulky trench coats- it makes fights harder and more challenging for him. Consequently, his muscles are too large to move his body quickly. (Think powerlifter rather than bodybuilder)

4. Mahn has more power than control over earth. He makes large holes or pillars in the ground, often larger than he intended.

5. He tries to not be a metaphorical bull in a china shop.

6. He is quicker to action than he is to speak. He also tends to prefer non-vocal communication when he can help it.

7. Lechaxim aside, he is rather slow to anger. He’s also slow to show most other emotions.

8. He does want to become better in the kitchen than he is, but he blows up kitchen appliances with the same frequency that Stars blows up AlChemistry labs. This is to say; it will happen if he steps into the place.

9. He recognizes that Stars thinks a few steps ahead of most other people in the team. He generally never questions Stars’ orders, unless it seems like something he wouldn’t actually say.

10. Mahn is far more closed mouthed about his pre-Team life than Stars. However, he has mentioned that he does send some of his earnings to his family, and that he has a good relationship with them.

11. Aside from Common, he knows Ailan (Hawaiian) and Okraobin (Amharic.)

12. His overcoats have many small pockets on the inside for small ice-energy crystals. This is how he can still wear them even when the weather is summery.

13. His hobbies include powerlifting, small crafts, and reading either romance or mystery novels.

14. He graduated in the year 920 with two extra years of smithing education.

Sal (̛͢͟͡S̷̶̨̡a̵̷̢̛l̷̸̴͢͏i̴̸͢͞ǹ̷̴̵a̸̸҉ ̧͢͝͏̸?̵̡͟?̛͞͞?̴̨́̕ ͘͏͠ M̸̀͢͝͠a̧̛n̷͠d̴̡͝͠ȩ͜͝҉̸r̨͘s͟͏̕)̢̀̕͠͡

1. Sal is one of the quickest to anger members of the team, if not the quickest. However, she also shows the most improvement in her anger management. Constant chasing of Chax with knives aside.

2. She has a rather large collection of knives, with no two looking exactly the same.

3. Sal has decent power and control over her element. Her aura is effective at chilling water vapor in the air back to water, which she can freeze and control.

4. She values having things go in orderly fashion.

5. She was trained to repress most feelings, including attraction. Being with the team has helped her relearn most of them. Re: attraction, she shows a slight-but-noticeable preference for males (Kinsey 2.)

6. She doesn’t have any memory of her family before becoming part of Boirom Assassin Guild, beyond her last name. She doesn’t have any desire to find them, though she does keep her family name.

7. She refuses to give her full name out for any reason, including her full first name. As far as anyone needs to know, she is Sal.

8. Being a valued assassin for Boirom before defecting, she knows most of their techniques and set ups. She recognizes when they’re walking into even their most subtle traps.     a. Boirom’s teaching don’t cover languages, making her the person on the team who is the most genuinely lost if someone speaks in something that isn’t Common

9. She mostly chases Chax with her knives out of habit at this point. Loathe as she is to admit it, she can’t bring herself to seriously hurt anyone in the team, unless it’s to save them from being even more hurt.

10. She outright never questions Stars, beyond clarifications. Anniey has called her an enabler of his bad habits multiple times.

11. She collects glass lizards and has pick up coloring books as a hobby.

12. She’s an introvert that gets tired of socialization really quickly. Stars and Takky, oddly, don’t drain her as much as other people.

13. She was “homeschooled” by the Boirom Assassination Guild, but has a diploma officially stating she took two extra years of weapon smithing and graduated in the year 918.

Von (Vincent Diciasette Golla)

1. While talking to people does exhaust him after a while, he doesn’t use his introversion as a reason to avoid people. Rather, avoids people because he doesn’t think they’ll take him seriously with his stutter.

2. He is also legitimately shy and timid, especially around new people and quickly advancing events. His shyness and timidity are separate from his introversion.

a. Anniey is a slow-drain person for him. Stars less so, but still less draining than most other people, especially other extroverts.

3. His shyness and timidity are connected to his modesty, however. He wears a sleeveless rash guard while swimming and tends to avoid the shower rooms unless he’s sure he’ll be alone. The slime incident was mortifying for him.

4. He gets annoyed at being called a cinnamon roll. Especially when people try to guard him from things he already knows.

5. He is the mage of the team with the most control over his element and least elemental power (which, being mage level, is still impressive.) He’s also the weakest physically, as he tends to skip martial training with Briar.

6. He is a genius AlChemistrist. He has open invitations to most AlChemistry guilds in the world and does work with them via Farcall and mail. He stays with the team because he didn’t particularly like living as a lone AlChemistrist, plus it lets him field test some unique solutions.     a. Von finished school in the year 919 but did the equivalent of two extra years of AlChemistry Training as extra credit through the years.

7. He can determine elemental compositions of materials by the color of the flame they produce when lit, as well as feeling how the fire burns it. How accurate he is depends on how complex the material he’s burning is, though he does try to separate or otherwise narrow down what possible elements could be in a substance before subjecting them to the burn test.

8. He can adjust his aura to be as close to his skin as he likes. He uses this to groom his body hair by burning it. The guys of the team are used to the smell of burning hair when they enter the shower room.     a. If left unchecked, Von can get extremely fluffy with his body hair.

9. His stutter changes frequency with how uncomfortable he feels. Even at his most comfortable though, it is still there. The only exception is when he sings, as singing uses a different part of his brain compared to talking.     a. Also, he tends to sing to himself in Otturi (Swedish.)          i.  He’s fluent in Otturi (Swedish,) and conversational in Vascolean (Italian) and Ionese (Portuguese.)

10. He is primarily gynosexual, with fleeting-to-none attractions to guys (Kinsey 1.)

11. He keeps a small set of binoculars in his storage crystal, as he has a side hobby of bird watching.

Jimi (Jimi Pasticcio Ratpi)

1.  His temper snaps about as quickly as Anniey or Sal’s, but he’s probably the least dangerous easy to anger person- he doesn’t pull out his weapons like Sal or burst stuff with magic like Anniey. He tends to just yell.

a. He’s the type of extrovert that gets snappier if he hasn’t socialized enough, which leads to loops of scaring peeps away when he needs to talk, and then getting angry about it.

2. His temper also tends to make him think people are challenging him, particularly if they’re talking about swimming, cooking, or shooting/accuracy.     a. Stars and Jimi spent the first week of their acquaintance arguing over bows vs pistols and their accuracy. It’s a time they both laugh at in hindsight.

3. If he wants to cook, he’s going to cook. Only Crystal can argue with him on this, as they have roughly the same skill level in the kitchen.

4.  Despite nearly always wearing newsboy caps, Jimi is particularly fussy about taking care of his hair.     a. His hair is deceptively fluffy.

5.  He has twelve magic pistols in his vest-shadow network. #1 is kiddy slingshot strength, and the power scales up until it hits #12 (which causes critters to explode.)  They (except for maybe #1) only come out of his vest when he decides something is going to be shot. He’s not going to just keep one of them out as a “threat.”     a. He also keeps an emergency, non-magic pistol in his regular storage crystal.     b. Saying dual-gun fighting styles are a fiction-only concept will cause him to break into a rant.

6. He’s one of the “handymen” of the team when something in the HQ breaks, being both a metal element and having repair experience from Northern Boating School. If it’s a water pipe, he’s not shy about telling Anniey that she needs to Stop.

7.  When he’s not being snappy, he does have actual leadership skills. Jimi’s the first person outside the Core Five that Stars would choose as a lead if the team’s split up.

8.  Even without the tendency to snap, he’s the “tell it to you straight” person of the team. He does make an effort to be tactful about it when he’s not angry.

9. He learned Modern Taroshanese (Japanese) from school, but grew up speaking Common and Ibesh (Spanish)

10. Bi, but leans more towards guys rather than gals (Kinsey 4)

11. Jimi opted out of extra education, graduating from Northern Boat School in year 919.

Takky (Takuma Jun Wei)

1. He’s sexy and he knows it. Mostly because it’s the first thing anyone would say to him walking up. It was ego fuel for a while, but by the time he joined the miniguild it grew old.

2. He’s not expert level, but he is trained in a few sword wielding styles, particularly using large swords.

3. It’s fairly easy to inflate his ego, but he does try to keep it in check. Unlike Jimi though, it’s pretty hard to actually hurt his ego. He can laugh off a lot.

4.  He’s competitive, but friendly about it.

5.  Despite being a close-quarters fighter with a sword, he doesn’t have any scars on his skin. He’s as confused as anyone else about this.

6.  One of the team’s extroverts.

7. He loses his storage crystal quite often. It also slips out of his grip when he tries to use it. He’ll even lose it if its attached to a ring base!

8. He keeps a soccer ball and a kite in his storage crystal, alongside everything else.

9. He knows Modern Taroshanese (Japanese) and Classic Taroshanese (Chinese (Cantonese))

10. Bi and doesn’t have a preference toward either side (Kinsey 3)

11. He only took one year of extra education (smithing,) leaving his school at the same time Mahn did (year 920.)

Jasmine (Jasmine Négliger Itrie)

1.  Jasmine has a stuffed doll of herself that she hugs while sleeping.

2. All her initial plans start with the goal of glorifying herself. Once enough time passes for the ‘I need to make myself look good’ idea to shift into ‘If this doesn’t get done, I’ll look bad’ she’ll start acting with her true intelligence and cleverness levels.

a. Comedy/Parody AU Jasmine, about to ruin someone’s career after looking like a fool herself: “Let’s get dangerous!”

3. Jasmine’s two year extra education was focused on crystal glyphing and general education, graduating in 919.

a. Jasmine usually only glyphs for herself, unless she’s sure she can get something out of making a crystal for someone else.

4. Jasmine respects that she lost to Stars in her first attempt to take his miniguild/position/fame and puts doing what she’s assigned over her repeat attempts at taking over.     a. By the time the miniguild disbands to become the R.E.D. Delta Squad, Jasmine becomes unsure if she even wants the position anymore, as she’s not sure she could have made it to Emplien on her own merits. The attempts feel more like a hobby than anything else.

5. She’ll refuse outside help when it comes to taking over the leadership. It wouldn’t be hers if someone (she didn’t hire) helped her get it.

a. Conveniently, this means she’s an early warning system for threats to the team, as outsiders tend to (wrongly) see her as an exploitable weak link.

6.  She uses formal dresses as casual wear because she feels she must always present at her best. The closest thing she has to actual casual wear is her workout gear, because there’s presentation and then there’s getting yourself hurt.

7.  She does a lot of hard work behind the scenes, only showing off her new skills when she feels she can make it look natural. High heel running (and the crystals that can turn her high heels into cleats) is a prime example of this, an effort she made before becoming part of Team Stars.

8. Jasmine seems like the type of extrovert who CAN’T function without a person near her. The extrovert part is true, but she can be rather sly when left to her own devices.

9.  She is fluent in Vaolirili (French) and conversational in Classic Taroshanese (Chinese (Cantonese))

10. She’s primarily gynosexual, though she does have infrequent, fleeting but notable attraction to some men (Kinsey 5)

Aaron (Aaron Nommer Itrie)

1. He’s the only one of the three handymen of the team to not have been schooled at a Boat School.     a. He got repair (and smithing) training when Jasmine signed the two of them up for the two extra years of education, graduating in the year 919.

2.  Aaron almost never goes against what Jasmine is saying. Sometimes he even questions how he stood up to her in the middle of the ‘takeover the Team Stars Miniguild’ fight. (The answer is there’s only so much of a losing fight he’s willing to fight, both physically and verbally.)

3. He’s not sure how he went from ‘brother of the woman who tried to have us all hurt for her fame’ to ‘the Team’s gentle giant repairman,’ but it's honestly a lot easier to parse than Jasmine or Sal’s integration to the team.

4. He saves most of his money, in contrast to Jasmine’s outlandish spending.     a. A lot of things about him contrast Jasmine.

5.  While both twins start to feel anxious if separated for too long, Aaron does want to attend Sofinn’s College for Dual Elementals on his own someday.     a. Working in the R.E.D. Squad earns him more than enough to do this, but he feels conflicted about leaving his sister, his teammates, and an already lucrative job.

6. He tends to have the softest voice in the room, unless significantly fed up.

7. Is probably the most noticeably introverted teammate, save perhaps Von.

8.  When he’s sure he’s alone, he pulls out his cartography/map making projects.

9.  His language skills are equal to Jasmine’s.

10. He’s bi, with no preference (Kinsey 3)

Briar (Briar Laikas Chron)

1. Briar very strongly believes in being able to fend for yourself with only your body, as element magic can run out and weapons can break.     a. Von’s resistance to self defense training and Anniey’s refusal to learn to physically swim annoy him to no end.

2.  A good chunk of the time( maybe one or two out of five?), he doesn’t feel as strongly about his side of the ‘A or B argument’ he’s having with Jimi as he lets on. He just likes the bonding time.     a. Their rivalry is very friendly, starting from their first fight. Jimi’s (low power) pistols were almost equal to Briar’s fists.

3. While not to Chax’s-acrobatics levels, he is quite restless, often doing some martial art practice near subconsciously when not focused.

4.  While generally not quick to anger, he WILL punch a bitch if they imply that he’s out-of-shape fat.     a. His body exists on the endomorphic side of the scale and does hold on to fat easier, but he’s trained in multiple martial arts and WILL show it to you first hand.

5. Briar didn’t take the extra two years of optional schooling, graduating from Southern Boat School in the year 917. He spent the years travelling Socon and learning various martial arts on his own.

a. When coaching his teammates, he teaches them different arts and techniques depending on their already established fighting styles and musculature.

6. Alongside Jimi and Aaron, he’s one of the team handy men. He doesn’t have any metal-controlling to help him with the task, so it’s all tools and know-how from helping around Southern Boat School.

7. Is an introvert, though running Physical Training classes doesn’t seem to have any effect on his “social energy”

8. His non martial art hobbies include botany, loose leaf tea brewing, and board games.

9. He’s conversational in Ibesh (Spanish) and Ailan (Hawaiian)

10. He’s a Kinsey 6, and went through personal distress about it due to Socon’s Baby-Fever society.     a. Like Stars, he only recognizes attraction if the person he’s attracted to is at least an acquaintance.

Crystal (Crystal Semele Snow)

1. Because Crystal often plays with her clothing ruffles with her wind, people around her feel a slight breeze.

2. She absolutely adores flying but doesn’t use it as her sole mode of transportation. She usually defaults to flying instead of running away from something though.

3. While she may not be as good as Von is when comparing their crafts, Crystal is a damn good Glypher. She’s yet to make a glyphed crystal explode with a force stronger than a party favor.

a. She graduated from her high school in the year 919 (as a lateborn) with two extra years of crystal glyphing education.

4. When she has the time and space, she tries to generate lightning from her wind control (inspired by lightning storms.) After learning about Anniey’s issues, she makes sure the space is FAR away from her, or any teammate.

5. She’s not one to start a raunchy conversation, but she’ll eagerly extend it as far as it can go.

6. She keeps in regular contact with her dads and younger sibling (adopted), and occasional contact with her bio parents and older (bio) sibling.

7. Extroverted.

8.  She keeps a portfolio of family recipes in her crystal, alongside cooking and fashion magazines.

9. Her only non-Common language is Vaolirili (French)

10. She’s bi with a preference for womenfolk (Kinsey 4)

Rose (Rozi Rhonda Garotte)

1. Rose is oddly good at keeping secrets. She attributes this to ‘no one asks me for them.’

2. When left to her own devices, she can be seen folding ribbons into butterflies. This usually shocks people, since they’re used to her not being able to control her strength (She has ruined doorknobs and windows that way.)

3.  She’s not the brightest bulb in the box, but she always means well.

4.  She changed her last name to distance herself from her bio family, particularly her father. The name was chosen by an upperclassman, who mentioned it means ‘brave spear.’ Jury’s still out on how she got the middle name Rhonda though.

5. While she doesn’t talk about her past in general, she sometimes drops contextless thoughts that make people around her concerned.

6.  Spirits tend to flock to her, and she trusts them to lead her out or away from trouble. She’s usually people’s first encounter with actual spirits.

7. Rose’s school didn’t offer the two years of extra education schools in other countries did, leaving her to graduate in the year 921 (as a lateborn).

8. Rose is the introvert who experiences the least amount of social drain around extroverts.

9. Her home life had her speaking Common and Okraobin (Amharic) almost equally.

10. Like Aaron, she’s bi with no preference one way or the other.

[chaosmagetwin]

Dark Wizardess: Magic System

From @characterdevelopmentforwriters​ are a bunch of posts about magic, and how it works, and the like. I’m just compiling it all into one spot with an answer to each and every question that is appropriate in an attempt to work out and exactly define the magical system. 

Origins

How did people discover magic?

Magic wasn’t discovered, so much as it has always been there. Some people had it, some people didn’t, but it was pretty much always there. >>What were they trying to do when they discovered it?

Magic was primarily used in roles that were traditional to their users; men used it for hunting, women used it for growing things. Eventually, both discovered they could do the other, but for the most part, there was a division for a very long time.  >>How did they figure out how to make others able to do it?

Magic was always an art, one in which you either had magic, or didn’t. Later it became more clear that it wasn’t that they did or didn’t have magic so much as they did or didn’t have MANA, the resource that using magic consumed.

>>How long did it take for them to figure out what other types of magic could be used?

That took a while, since we’re talking about a time over tens of thousands of years. It wasn’t until the first civilizations really started that experimentation really began. 

>>How did other people react?

For the most part, people were okay with magic. However, time has a way of changing peoples minds and views, and ten thousand years is quite a long time for anti-magic societies to spring up and dissolve. Ultimately, most societies wound up agreeing that magic is a useful tool for a country. There will always be a few that are anti-magic, but they are seen as backwards, and incomplete.

Was it given by gods?

This is an unknown, but the world is made up of many countries and cultures. Suffice to say that plenty of them have different ideas of which gods gave them magic. 

>What god or which gods?

When a god gives magic, usually their domain is ONLY magic, as it is considered complex enough and important enough that gods generally have to focus on it.

>>What type of magic was given?

Most cultures don’t place limits on what types, and more it was the gift of Mana that was given. A few say there were types of magic given along side it, but innovation would always be key. 

>>>Was this expanded on by people to create new types of magic?

Yes. Most certainly yes. 

>>What was to be accomplished by giving magic to the people?

Some say independence, some say control over their lives, and some say because it was funny.

>>What happens if someone they don’t like uses magic?

Nothing. Whether that is because the gods aren’t real or because they don’t care, or because they can’t do anything is up for debate.

>>Do the gods control what spells work or when they go off?

No. 

>>>If someone uses magic to kill someone, with magic, is it considered the magic user’s fault?

Yes. Magic is considered a tool, which the user has complete control over. Losing control, purposefully killing someone, or otherwise harming someone is considered the direct act of the magic user.

How long did it take for different types of magic users to go against each other and form cliques?

Almost immediately after the first civilization began did this happen, and it was “City Mages” against “Shamans”. The city mages won in this conflict, and the following ones (it was a recurring conflict) handily. 

Do Magic Items Exist in Your Setting?

How common are they?

Magical Items are a relatively new invention, being only ~4,000 years old. In that time, enchanting has been lost, found, lost again, and found again. Ultimately, magical items are moderately rare, but cheap enough that upper class merchants can afford the odd item. 

Who can create them?

Any mage with the training can make a magical item, but a lot of hours go into it. Enchanting is not an art, like most magic, but a science, carefully applied and moderated at all levels. 

How difficult are they to make?

Magical items are moderately difficult to make, but far from impossible. Training to become an enchanter is the main barrier to entry.

>Does it depend on the type of magic?

No. 

>The type of item?

Yes. The larger the item, and the more powerful the enchant, the harder it is to make. Most enchanted items are just crystals holding light. 

How long do these items last?

Most enchants last for as long as their creators are alive, plus or minus a few years, with a few exceptions; the better an item is made, the longer it lasts. There are a few relics of old that are still magical and have lost no power, despite being hundreds, and in a few cases, thousands of years old. The modern era considers the making of such items a lost art, although they can make versions that are just as powerful that only last a life time. 

What form can magic items take?

Magical Items can take on any form, but it is usually a form associated with their function. Crystals store light. Swords hold fire. Shields create barriers. The more unique the form, the more it can differ from the norm. 

Who can use them?

Anyone can use a magical item, as the enchants do not require power. Most enchants are a sort of passive effect rather than something that is consciously decided upon. For instance, a suit of armor can be enchanted to be stronger, or to enhance the users strength. A set of clothes can be enchanted to repel dirt and water. Wands are rare, and more or less hold a spell that anyone can use. For instance, there could be a wand of telekinesis. However, without knowing how telekinesis works, the average person wouldn’t be able to get the wand to work properly, so there are generally additional enchants on wands ot make them usable. Specifically, there is an enchant to open up a ‘prompt’ within a users mind (like a computer in our world), giving them an understanding of how to move the wand to get what they want. 

What is the average cost for a magic item of average quality? Most magical items are expensive, but not to the point of total exclusion. 

Does Magic Exist in Your Setting?

Obvious answer is obvious.

If so, how does it work?

Magic works via mana and control. Mana isn’t a physical thing, but rather a force that exists within a persons mind / body / soul. Not everyone has mana, although something can be converted into it, even if that person has no mana themselves. Such an act usually requires some catalyst of mana already, and is considered Dark Magic. I.E. sacrificing someones blood converts that blood directly into mana (And quite a bit of it at that). Sacrificing someones life and soul does even more (more than all the blood of a single persons body, but not all the blood you can harvest from someone over a life time without killing them). When converted in such ways, the object (blood or body) disappears as if being burnt by a blue flame. There are instances of good people using Dark Magic, but in such cases it is always their own blood or body. using anyone elses, even if it is given willingly, is always considered a bad thing. 

Ultimatley, Mana is like oil, and magic is the engine that uses it. Each spell, a different engine. Anyone can learn any type of magic, but each new type takes learning, and sometimes even certain spells have to be learned seperately. There is no limit to the types of magic one can do, beyond time and effort. 

Everyone is born with a different maximum amount of mana, and this amount is never going to change. Most mages can cast a few spells a day before they can’t do any more. A strong mage can usually cast for about two hours straight. Kayla is extremly strong, able to cast for nearly eight hours straight before needing to rest. Crow / Penny seems to be capable of going for even longer, and her limits have not yet been found / shown. 

A few spells require tools, but they are generally in summoning, or advanced spells. The more advanced a spell is, the more likely it is to require a tool. Common tools are wands, but I use that term here loosely; it’s the shape of the item that is important, not the actual capabilities of it. A stick could be used in place of a wand or staff, candles can be replaced by small rocks, cauldrons by pots, and potions by a drink of water. 

Magical circles come in two forms; the first is purely magical, with no physical attributes at all. It is created when a mage puts down a spell enchantment that they are actively powering, and also in summons. They are rather rare, and more or less just show that magical power is being used, and is not something a caster chooses to make. It shows what the spell is, if one can read magical circles accurately, and is always needlessly complicated. The second form is a physical magical circle, and is used by mages to create a spell effect more cheaply in terms of mana. They are always copies of the ones that spontaneously occur, but are often just as powerful. Few understand the language the magical circles have, and the ones who do are considered to be incredibly powerful, even if they have very little mana. Such people are known as Rune Casters, and so long as they have time to set up, they can cast any spell for almost free, requiring only a catalyst. 

Magic can be used remotely, and is often a mental task, not a physical one. However, linking spells to physical actions makes it easier to actually cast the spell; you CAN do a spell completely from ones mind, but it is often more expensive in mana cost. 

Using mana is not taxing on the average caster, simply because they don’t have enough mana to notice. The more mana a person has however, the more noticeable and taxing it is when it starts to disappear. Some say that those with more mana have their lives inexorably linked to their mana, and it is theorized that the most powerful of casters would actually die if all their mana was taken away. Crow / Penny, for example, passed out when a spell kept draining her magic away when she tried casting. it is doubtful she ever actually lost all of her mana, however. Using mana for such powerful casters is usually more like a workout than not, although it won’t help their muscles. There have been a few instances of Dark Magic casters who were fat and used that fat to power their spells, literally burning their fat. This is rare, however, and there are plenty of normal mages who are fat. Generally speaking, mana is practically free; using it has no ill effect for the average user, and can often supplement their income. 

Magic users are treated like a normal member of society, who just so happens to have a skill that others may not be able to learn. People with strong magic are usually treated with more respect, but for the most part, people don’t think about it too much. There is envy, of course.  

Mana cost is brought down through certain acts, through experience, through the use of physical magic circles, and various other ways. Experimentation is less about discovering what one CAN do, and more about how one can do it for cheap, since most spells are incredibly expensive to cast. Plenty more research goes into combining spells, and getting a single spell to do as much as it possibly can, to get efficient use of mana. This is why Crow / Penny and Kayla summoned creatures and made deals with them, rather than trying to create fertilizer out of magic (which is a possibility). 

Magic can do anything I can imagine, but most of the effects are practical, and are meant to enhance society. Healing is a difficult subset of magic to learn, even more complicated than enchanting, which make healers rare AND incredibly wanted. They are treated similarly to how doctors are treated in our world, but with far more reverence. It is also an expensive subset, so almost all healers are also rune casters AND enchanters. 

Ritual Spellcasting

Ritual Spellcasting is done quite often by summoners and rune casters. It almost always involves the second type of magical circles. Intention has all the impact on the spell, and belief is a part of intention. if someone were to try and use the wrong ritual for a spell, it would succeed, but still take the normal amount of magic, which is basically like saying the spell circle didn’t accomplish its goal in reducing mana cost. 

Necromancy

Since no one knows whether magic is arcane or divine, it’s hard to say one way or the other. That said, most necromancers are priests and acolytes, serving one temple or another. This is the only legal way to be a necromancer. Additionally, necromancy is almost strictly a ritual spell casting. This is hinted at when Kayla says that raising five skeletons is an exceedingly easy task (equivalent to lighting a candle); doing any sort of raising without a spell circle is considered insane, and powerful. That said, Johnathan did use a spell circle. Necromantic abilities are not inheritable, although mana is. Anyone who can use magic can raise the dead, but almost everyone avoids it, since it is not considered a good magic. 

Most necromancers don’t actually control the undead, although they most certainly can. Instead, they provide the vital service of allowing the dead to speak to the living, and vice versa. These are used to say goodbye, to apologize for something, to find out the truth about a murder, to do historical research, and more. Often, however, such spells will render the body incapable of doing such spells more than once, making them carefully formatted events in which family gets first say. 

Most magic users don’t feel one way or another about necromancers; at worst, they’re best likened to prostitutes in the current day, although they are legal. The general population feels a little more strongly about it; a neccessary service, but one capable of turning their loved ones bodies into weapons, something they are not fond of. There was only one instance where the corpses of the dead were used by a country in a war, and it was considered a massive gamble that backfired; the countries own people rose up against the country and brought it down in mere weeks when their loved ones were dishonored. Necromancers see the general population as customers in need of their service, and other casters as just more customers. Some view their own profession with disdain, some truly love it. Necromancers are not inherently evil, but they do tend to be more morose, depressed, and generally unpleasant to be around. They’re like a combination of modern day morticians, televangelists, and morgue workers. 

There are necromancers in the traditional sense, but most are motivated for normal reasons, and just see necromancy as another magical tool, even if the public sees them differently. Still, such casters ARE outcasts, but they aren’t inherently evil either.

People can tell a necromancer from a normal mage, in that most are priests, and so there is a bit of a uniform (bland robes, usually of a specific god)

After Death Theories and Myths

While there are the temple Necromancers in this world, generally speaking there isn’t a widely held belief on the afterlife, specifically because ALL of the dead refuse to talk about it. Thus, there are as many theories as there are people and religions. It is also for this reason that those who are dead are always asked about what it’s like, and why there is always a government official recording anything about it, just in case, at each necromantic ritual. Whether there is a heaven or hell is hotly debated, even in religions who set out the specifics; the fact that the dead refuse to answer is often used as evidence supporting one idea or another. 

As to what actually happens after death... well... that would be spoilers 

Prophets, Prophecies, and Clairvoyants

Prophecies and prophets aren’t a thing in this universe, simply because seeing the future is impossible; while the past can be explored quite easily, the future is just too fluid. 

Loss of Magical Abilities

Mana can be lost at the end of ones life; the loss of it usually signifies that death is literally happening within days, or even hours. It is always irreversible at this point, but it doesn’t tell the future. There are spells that can drain mana, but such mana must always be used immediately in some effect, else it just returns. There is nothing permanent, however, besides killing someone. 

Burnout can occur, but it isn’t permanent; it’s more like straining a muscle. It doesn’t take long to come back though, usually between a few days and weeks. Meditation can help, but sleep and waiting are the best cures for it. 

Magical Integration

Magical users are rare enough that there would not be entire divisions of them, especially considering most aren’t strong enough for the sort of work an army would need. Thus, amgical users are treated more like support staff, or in the case of strong casters, like commandos, or black ops units. The only magic barred from use is necromancy. Otherwise, anything goes. 

The most powerful of magic usually isn’t the offensive kinds, but rather the supporting kinds, and illusions, as well as anything that counters these, as well as healing. Rune Casters make up the backbone of an armies support staff, and are treated well. 

Magic is the technology in this universe, practically speaking. In all cases, magic is more powerful, but technology is often used together with magic to create a greater effect. There will come a day when magic is used to get to space and the moon, but that day is a long ways off for this universe. 

Elemental Magic

Elemental magic is each a different ‘engine’. In current terms, it could be likened to each one being a different programming code or operating system for a computer. The elements are: Earth, Water, Air, Fire, and Lightning. Each break down further. Earth breaks down into Iron, Magma, Structural, Protection, and Farming magic. Water breaks down into Ice, Blood, Healing, Weather, and Tide magic. Air breaks down into Void, Spirit, Work, Speed, and Weather magic. Fire breaks down into Emotion, Life, Battle, Smithing, and Destruction magic. Lightning breaks down into Enchantment, Power, Nature, Speed, and Glass magic. Naturally, all of these have some overlap, some types are outside the elemental system, some types are a mixture of elements, and some are similar in end result but different in mechanic.

 None are associated with a color, as color is determined by ones soul. None are associated with specific personality traits, but specific personality traits associate themselves with an element. (Not all fire users are pyromaniacs, but all pyromaniacs who can use magic use fire magic) None of them are debated, and new ones are being discovered. There are some weaknesses, but they generally follow the natural laws. (Fire turns water to steam, water puts fire out, lightning is attracted to water, but can’t pass through pure water, water turns earth to mud, but mud cna just dry out again and become water, etc) The weaknesses are more in ones creativity, rather than any actual laws or rules of magic. Magic is hard to learn by default, and learning specific elements (and their subtypes) are also difficult. Each are common in their own way, however. Earth mages are most common near mountains and plains, as well as in fields. Fire mages are common in cities, as are lightning mages. Air mages prefer farms to cities, but can be found in both quite readily. Water mages are common anywhere there is water. This isn’t because of any particular desire to segregate themselves so much as a desire to put their skills to use where they are needed. All magic could be done from one element, if one is creative enough; fire could be the basis for healing magic, for instance. 

Summoning

Summoning is done with a spell circle more often than not, but every summoning is different. When the user casts the spell, they must keep an image in mind of what and who they want to summon for the effects they want. The creature closest to what they imagine is what is summoned. Once summoned, the creature usually asks what is to be done if it isn’t clear, which can range from fighting for the caster to creating fertile fields. All summoned creatures have a price they demand. Why they demand it is unknown; some require sacrifices, some require certain things to be done, some require that their name is spread around so they are summoned more often. Some refuse to make demands, but won’t work until something is offered that they want. Summons are purely magical in nature, created by mana. That they have intelligence and sentience suggests that mana itself has sentience, and many scholars argue about the ethics of summoning. That summons appear to have a life beyond when they are summoned, (but which seems to be spent in waiting of a summon) is concrete information that no one doubts. 

A single circle can be used to continue summoning creatures for as long as mana is put into it. That said, the creatures must fit within the circle to be summoned, or else the summoning fails. Very little mana is spent in summoning the creature; instead, mana is used at the END of the summoning spell, when the deal is struck and agreed upon, usually an amount to pay for their time and the services. Long term deals can be quite expensive, and is not something a circle can really subsidize easily, unless the rune caster somehow forsee’s all possible requirements by the summoned creature. 

Summoning without a physical spell circle is difficult, and expensive; normal casters could not do such a thing. With it though, it’s quite a bit easier

It is possible to summon ‘demons’, but generally speaking, they aren’t any different from a normal summon; their prices are just a little more expensive, and a little more exotic. They are often used for combat, but a few are used to gather information, and a few for more personal reasons.

[writeyouin]

I'm sorry, I don't really understand how submitting works, but I would really love something where the reader and Newt are really close and Queenie, recognizing a mutal attraction between the two, often teases & eventually gets them together. Thx!

Newt Scamander X Reader – A Little Pressure

A/N – I hope this is along the lines of what you mean, it was a toughie to write but one I was happy to finish.

Warnings – Single mention of dementia.

Rating – T

Queenie flitted absentmindedly around the enclosures within Newt’s case, reminiscing the short time Jacob had spent there. Newt, Tina, and yourself had offered to leave her alone for a while but she’d declined the offer, insisting that she took comfort in your presence; in truth, she disliked the silence of being alone, even when nobody was speaking she took solace in hearing people’s unguarded thoughts.

All three of your voices filled Queenie’s mind now, stronger thoughts taking precedence over the others.

“-have to find that escaped wizard, he’s a danger to himself.” Tina’s voice resounded worriedly as she thought once again about Yusuf Talim. Yusuf was an old wizard suffering from the later stages of dementia. He had recently escaped the American branch of St Mungo’s with a stolen wand and the Auror’s had been assigned the task of locating him. Tina had been concerned with his safety ever since, reviewing the case repeatedly in the hopes of finding something new. Queenie considered reassuring her sister but decided against it, knowing that nothing would help until Yusuf was safe and sound again.

“- I should ask now.” Newt’s much less confident voice broke through. “No… (s)he’d hate that… (s)he’d hate me.”

Queenie couldn’t help the warm smile that lit up her face. Although she didn’t know what Newt was thinking about yet, she’d grown used to his constant inner arguments and conversations; she guessed that so much time spent alone made him converse with himself more than other people did.

“Why? Why would you risk jeopardising your friendship?”

Queenie listened intently, eager to know the topic of his discussion.

“Because… (Y/N)’s always been there for me, (s)he doesn’t think I’m a freak like other people do… (S)he’s like sunshine… I want us to stay together… Forever.”

Queenie looked over to you. You were on the other side of the case, using spellotape to temporarily patch up the tattered wall of the Savannah enclosure until Newt had time to fix it. She focused on you, listening to the thoughts on your mind. As it were, you were just mentally humming along to George Olsen’s “Just a Little Thing Called Rhythm.”

Queenie shook her head dispiritedly, while she was sure you had consumed most of Newt’s thoughts, she wondered if he was ever in yours; up until now, you did seem to be a little dense when it came to romance.

She approached Newt, startling him when she spoke, “You should tell (Y/N) how you feel honey, I’m sure it’d be better than constantly worrying about it.”

“Wha- I-” Newt stumbled, before sighing and slumping despondently against the nearest rock, “(S)he doesn’t like me that way…”

“Have you asked?”

“I don’t need to. We’ve worked together for a year now… I’d know if-” He stopped, unable to finish the sentence.

“What if (Y/N) feels the same way hmm? Maybe (s)he’s too scared to say as well.”

Newt shook his head rapidly, resembling some of the creature’s he spent so much time with.

“We’ll never find out this way.” Queenie tutted impatiently. “(Y/N).” She shouted, gaining both your attention and Tina’s.

Newt shot up, panic stricken, “Q-Queenie what are you doing? Queenie!” He spoke in a hushed, agitated tone.

Queenie ignored him, “(Y/N), Newt wanted to know something. Would you consider-” She paused for effect, “-working with dragons?”

Newt released a strained breath.

You grinned excitedly, “Sure, I’d love to. Think we could, Newt?”

Newt squeaked something along the lines of a ministry ban, puzzling you further.

“Alright.” You huffed. “Why bother asking then?”

Queenie turned to Newt again, “Newton Scamander,” she bubbled, “if it takes me all my best efforts, I will get you to confess your feelings to (Y/N). Excuse me.”

She skipped away, leaving Newt to sweat nervously next to the Bowtruckle tree which Pickett was trying desperately to escape from, “You know Pickett… I’m afraid she really means that.”

Pickett nodded in agreement, making a big swing from a branch onto Newt’s arm as they watched Queenie walk away.

As time passed, Queenie grew bored of waiting for Newt to confess his feelings towards you. As such, she’d resorted using whatever methods necessary to get the two of you together. Sometimes, she wondered whether she was doing the right thing but she’d quickly remind herself that if she left the two of you alone, you would both waste too much time awaiting one-another.

After several weeks and numerous failed attempts, Queenie pondered her next course of action. So far, she’d tried a love potion, a truth potion, spells to trip him on top of you, and the excessive use of mistletoe; none of which went according to plan. That left only one more scheme, one that was so simple, she couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of it before. Jealousy. However, there was limited time left to act as the ship bound for England was due to be in port in two days. With that in mind Queenie prepared a delectable meal for the three of you which could be described as nothing less than a miniature feast; Tina was staying late at work to finish some paperwork on Mr Talim who’d finally been captured and given a safer room within the St Mungo’s.

“So, (Y/N),” Queenie smiled genially at the dinner table where the three of you had slipped into casual conversation about anything and everything, “are you looking forward to England?”

“Yes.” You beamed, enrapturing Newt who suddenly seemed to forget his surroundings. “I can’t wait to see Newt’s book published, right Newt?”

“Hmm? Oh, r-right.” He blushed sheepishly.

“That’s nice.” Queenie remarked, moving on to the next phase of her plan. “What about romance (Y/N)? Anyone caught your eye?”

Clear images of Newt tending to his ‘children’ filled your mind’s eye, “No.” You lied breezily. “Can’t say anyone has.”

Newt relaxed, thankful that he didn’t have to picture you in the arms of somebody else.

“That’s fantastic.” Queenie pushed on.

“It is?” Your brow creased in confusion.

“Uh-huh. See, I have a pen-pal who used to work for the ACUSA and is now working for the Ministry of Magic and he’s simply dying to meet you, considering you’re not with anybody that is.”

“Oh um- Queenie, that’s really sweet of you but I’m uh, not really interested right now.”

“Are you sure? I mean, he’s exactly who I’d picture you with. He’s tall and handsome with a really great personality-”

Newt zoned out, unable to hear more about a man who was surely better for you than he could ever be. There was so much he wanted to end in that moment, the conversation, the uncomfortable expression in place of your usual smile, and the claustrophobic weight pressing down on him took priority on the growing list.

“Stop.” Newt mumbled, almost silently. When neither you or Queenie heard him, he shouted it, pushing up from the table with the loud scrape of his chair.

You shrunk away from his thunderous roar, a sound you’d never thought capable from the ever-gentle Newt.

“Newt,” You whispered cautiously, “are you feeling okay?”

“N-no (Y/N). I don’t- I can’t-” He couldn’t meet your eyes as he gripped the table for support.

“I don’t understand. What’re you trying to say? What do you want?”

“You.” He finished suddenly.

When you didn’t respond, Newt stalked out of the room with a strangled cry of, “I need to pack.”

“You feelin’ okay honey?” Queenie asked, struggling to make sense of your jumbled thoughts.

“Uh- No. Sorry Queenie, I need to talk to him, excuse me.” You left Queenie, heading to the room you and Newt had been sharing since Jacob left.

When you got there, Newt was nowhere to be found but his case was lying unclasped in the middle of the floor. You climbed in, heading straight for the animals where Newt always went when troubled. Sure enough, Newt was hunched on the floor, against the Occamy nest with his head in his hands, murmuring despondently to himself while various creatures surrounded him.

“I couldn’t have made it worse if I tried. Not only does (s)he know but you should have seen it… I never meant to scare (Y/N) like that.”

“You didn’t scare me.” You whispered quietly.

Newt lifted his head quickly, showing red stains where tears had fallen, “(Y/N)!”

“I was worried about you… I know you sometimes prefer being left alone but I’d like to talk if you’ll let me.”

Newt sat silently, awaiting your judgement.

“We’ve been travelling together for about a year now and you’ve never given any indication that you were interested in me so what’s going on?”

“(Y/N)… I was so afraid to tell you… so afraid that you’d treat me like everyone else did… so afraid that you’d leave. I always p-promised myself that one day I’d work up the c-c-courage to- But, when we were travelling it was all so s-secluded, there was no other wizard who could take you away from me. I don’t- No… I can’t see you with anybody else.”

“Then just say the words Newt. Say the words and I’ll be yours.” Your eyes bore into his, begging for something you were sure you wanted more than anything else at that moment.

“W-what words do you want to hear?”

“Whatever comes to your mind first.”

Newt was sure there were people who, if put in the same situation, could cite sonnets or powerful speeches that would move even the most stone-hearted of people but in that moment, he knew the only words that came to mind and he hoped they were what you longed to hear, “I- I love you.”

You bent down to his level, “I love you too.” You grinned weakly, grazing your lips lightly against his. Various crowing, howling, and squeaks erupted from the surrounding creatures until Newt was forced to quiet them by pulling away from you. The two of you sat in complete elation, content to simply be in one-another’s presence. Meanwhile, Queenie listened to the ecstatic thoughts coming from the confines of the case, proud of the night’s progress and the news she’d have for her sister when she came back.