Magic
From DirtyWiki
"Because it's magic. Magic has to be believed; that's the only way it's real."
Contents |
Magic, and the Supernatural World
The one thing that all people must remember is that the magic here is incomprehensible. One day, perhaps in a few thousand years, technology may develop that can accurately detect the magic in the world. Until that time, until humans even care to think there is a magical atmosphere, magic cannot be scientifically analyzed.
The Supernatural and Our Atmosphere
Magic comprises a secondary atmosphere within the detectable layers science has proven exist.
The layer of magic has not always existed, just as life hasn't always existed. No record remains that can precisely pinpoint when the first magic began to creep into the atmosphere, forming its own abundant layer, but there are magical creatures that predate humanity and some of these creatures may have existed for hundreds of millions of years.
What caused the second atmosphere to form, no one knows. It may have been a glitch, but whatever caused it, life seemed to have partially formed with it.
The atmosphere is a sensitive object. It thinks, feels and moves with the rhythm of life. What humans know is true, but the supernatural layer is undetectable and unfathomable. For thousands of years, souls of the deceased became ghosts and wandered the earth with no point or purpose, until a bubble in the magical atmosphere began to grow, forming a pocket that let the souls in and expanded out. Evolution at hand, as it were.
As stated, around this time a division in souls formed angels and humans. Just as there are splits in the evolution between different living species, so were there splits in what souls turned into angels and which simply crossed over. Any soul that stayed behind during this initial formation essentially began to regain its humanity. Those souls became angels. More detail on that is found in the angel section.
Where did their humanity come from? The atmosphere began to bond with them, having been so familiar with their presence and, essentially, made from the same exact material. The longer they stayed, the more 'magic' began to control them. Angels are literal extensions of the earth. They are also merely mimics of life. Very good mimics.
The Dimensions
A way to picture the magical world is in four different dimensions.
- There is that which you see before you as you walk down the street. Tangible things. Living things.
- There is that which became the afterlife, which is actually occupying the same space as the tangible world, but you cannot see or sense it.
- There is the atmosphere covering earth that is wild, untamable, unpredictable magic.
- This atmosphere also feeds the magic that flows through the tangible world outside of the afterlife. The free flowing stuff that can be manipulated the easiest. Think of it as oxygen. You can't see it, hear it, or taste it, but it's all around you.
Magic
- A.) What is magic?
1.) An atmosphere undetectable by humanity and this point in time. It contributes to bizarre occurrences that defy human logic.
i. It can be controllable, but it can also be random, just as things happen in life. Magic itself was a random occurrence.
ii. While some forms of magic have aspects that can be explained by science (such as the biology of some species), the phenomenon itself is beyond human comprehension.
- B.) What can magic do?
1.) Anything.
- C.) What creatures have access to magic?
1.) Anything on earth, even that which is not alive (but that which has died does not count), has access to magic. The more common occurrence is that magic sticks to someone, not the other way around.
i. A magical occurrence in anyone or anything may only be temporary. Temporary magical effects (ie, alteration of appearances, temporary transference of powers) last for one rotation of the earth on its axis (a day). This is the 'undo' button.
2.) The first humanoid creature to have complete use of magic was the angel. They became a part of the atmosphere itself, therefore they had complete access to all the magic contained within it. Previously, magically-created creatures existed, such as animals and plant life. These did not generally use magic in a conscious way, but were conceived out of the magic atmosphere and were inherently magical. Fairies and other humanoid creatures may have predated angels, but have very little manipulation of the magic.
Bridges
Bridges are the direct connection between the afterlife and the living. They are formed around the place an angel was born, extending as far as a mile (but never more than that) in any direction. Hospitals are almost always bridges now that home births are less common, but bridges, once formed, never disappear naturally.
For those sensitive to ghosts, there is nothing about a bridge that can be sensed. The dead don't peer out, and the living don't wander in.
These bridges are often where you find smaller supernatural flora and fauna, and are the only places where angels can bring back someone who has died.
Bridges are intense concentrations of magic and have had a hand in many bizarre creatures. It's supernatural radiation.
Creatures and the Supernatural World
How does the supernatural world look to the supernatural?
As a human, do you understand how all humans everywhere work? All races, all cultures? Do you understand how everything around you works, down to the last minute detail? Do you know every animal on the planet and where they are and how they act--even without researching? No.
Likewise, this is the case with supernatural creatures. One must understand that there is no worldwide alliance of magical animals. It is every man or beast for himself. Just as there are thousands of unions and thousands of families and thousands of schools, clubs, organizations, and, most significantly, governments, there are a thousand ways any supernatural creature could acquire his or her knowledge of the supernatural world.
Just because you are born into a society does not mean you know everything about the society. The supernatural world is incredibly difficult for even an elderly angel to understand because the world doesn't operate in a supernatural way. The knowledge most people get is from the human view of the world. There are no text books or libraries where anyone can go in and research their own history. Most angels, if not almost all, don't know how they came to exist, how old they are as a species, or that they aren't technically living creatures. There are no studies of anatomy done to angels because it's impossible to dissect them. Not even the most ancient angel in the world, not even the first angel, would know that they are comprised of magic and nothing else. And very few angels know the full extent of their powers. (These same things apply to demons and other creatures, but I'm using angels as an example.)
The point is, it takes more learning to understand the supernatural world than it takes for a human to know the human world. Civilization and industrialization have expanded all over the world, pushing out even the ancients of the angel world and relegating such things as werewolves to seclusion in many areas. Humanoid magical creatures have no choice but to live as humans, and most don't even think of it or have a problem with it because they most likely view themselves as human but with magical powers. Because of this, they would need to endure quite an undertaking to discover everything there is to be found in their world. They may not even realize they are a part of a secondary world. It is essential that, in order to really understand and control their abilities, they have a teacher of some sort, either a parent or a friend of the same species, because otherwise they will be at an extreme disadvantage.
They have the capacity to know more than humans do, but most supernatural creatures don't ever know much more than humans do. This may be disappointing, but it is simply the way the world works.
Overview
- No supernatural creature is born knowing all about their own species.
- No supernatural creature is born knowing anything about the supernatural world.
- Knowledge depends entirely on their upbringing and access to knowledge.
- Control is learned.
- Supernatural humanoids, such as angels and demons, live, by default, as human. This is not even a conscious decision, but a natural one.
- Because the human world is more dominant than the supernatural one.
Humans and Magic
How does magic react to humans?
Since the dawn of humanity, humans have been enamored by that which is mysterious. For millennia, mysterious meant something as straight-forward as ‘what makes it rain?’ But there were always the more bizarre stories and illustrations, things that historians can associate as naïvete on early humanity’s part. This naïvete seems to have lasted well into the modern era.
Think of magic as a static cling. We have the method and the vessel for magic to work because our souls are a part of that atmosphere (which is why angels, and later demons, came to exist), but! Unless you are a species that is already magical in some way, magic will not be active within you for very long. Of course, ‘very long’ can mean almost a century, but this is still temporary, and there are many magical creatures to whom a century is but a blink of an eye.
Now, because of this 'static cling' effect on humans, magic manifests itself differently in everyone, just as style and taste vary in everyone. People are different. They have different genetics, different levels of comprehension, different physical statistics, and the more these vary, the more the magic varies. Magic, as mentioned, is a sharp mimic. But that doesn’t mean that a person who is physically fit will have more magic than someone who is sickly. It could be the very opposite!
Magic in humans will never be much more powerful than the ultimate static electric shock. A story of a man who had 40,000 volts of static electricity built up in his body is no exception to this theory. But no human, no matter how much magic sticks to them, will be more powerful than a being that controls magic, that is a part of magic, that is not human. Humans can't sense magic, even when they have magic, the way a magical creature can. This is their disadvantage. Additionally, magical creatures can manipulate human magic, and there is no way for the human to get it back.
There are humans who can bend spoons with their minds, but then there are humans who can vaguely read the thoughts and emotions of others just by standing in a room with them (this is not reading their mind as much as being suddenly very aware of their moods and how they shift, like people are aware of angelic moods). Their affect on the atmosphere is only where they stand, whereas an angel can change the weather across hundreds of square miles.
Again, magic will never do the same thing in every human, and will never last the same amount of time, either. Some is also easier to control, but some is ultimately uncontrollable. For the most part, artificially acquired magic (as in, transferred to them and not accidentally picked up) will be gone within twenty four hours.
Control is based in the fact that humans have no ingrained, genetic magical theory in their bodies, just this organic stuff that has been outside the magic realm for thousands of years and only serves the function of preserving their consciousness after death (ghosts being the exception). They are not designed to deal with something so foreign. Most humans who attract magic will not be able to control their magic.
To whom does magic cling? Anyone at all. There is no person more attractive than the next. It is a random occurrence.
However, a human who hangs around with supernatural beings, or lives in an old bridge or near one (that is, a bridge between this life and the next), will be more susceptible to having magic enter their bodies than someone who doesn’t have any contact with anything supernatural. They are simply around more magic.
Remembering that magic in humans is generally classified as random and uncontrollable, understand that the 'conditions' currently accepted in common knowledge, such as psychic powers, are not exactly befitting their definitions. Reading someone's mind can't extend much past immediate emotions and a taste of memory. Bending spoons can't evolve much past lifting a car about six inches off the ground. Car, not eighteen-wheeler.
Because humans can't control it, not much can come of anything. Of course, there are people who get powerful bursts of magic that cause them severe problems, but there is little they can do about this and no way to focus it.
No human can accomplish things that supernatural creatures cannot. Including making a mess of things.
Overview
- All humans are susceptible to magic because human souls are made of magic.
- Magic in humans is generally temporary, lasting, on average, twenty four hours.
- There is no real way for a human to control much of their magical ability.
- No one can be more powerful than a supernatural creature.
- A magical creature of any kind could manipulate the magic of a human.
Humans and the Supernatural World
How are magical humans perceived in the supernatural world?
A human with magical ability will be sensed by a supernatural being. Most supernatural beings know when there is something non-human near them, even if it’s not the same species. Of the playable humanoids, angels, demons and vampires have the highest sensing capabilities when it comes to knowing something isn't quite right about a person. Humans have little to no ability to 'sense' anything. They simply use their intuition to come up with answers.
Angels can direct the magic away from a human who does not want or should not have the powers they possess. They can heal wounds and injuries inflicted by these powers, because angels have the ability to manipulate the magic around them to heal and right things again, most of the time (always in humans).
Again, no human can be or is or has ever been more powerful than a supernatural creature. Whether or not they learn everything there is to know about what is going on, they still cannot fully comprehend any of it. Like it or not, humans have limitations that supernatural things to not. They cannot see what the supernatural can see. Things simply won’t make sense to them, no matter how hard they try to accept it.
Likewise, what supernatural creature could really understand what it means to be fully human?
Witchcraft
Because humans do like to attempt to control what magic they think exists, we feel the need to include this section.
Humans can believe whatever they please. They can believe they are magical, they can believe they are powerful, they can believe there are gods and goddesses of all kinds. But there is no true witch, no working spell, no authentic ritual. Magic is not directed by any incantation or instrument. And while a human who is experiencing magic may accomplish some of what he or she tries to do with their spells, this will not be because of their spells.
There is no working witchcraft.
Flora and Fauna and the Supernatural World
Several times, the distinction has been made that there are many different kinds of supernatural creatures and living things. Humanoid species are relatively recent in development and these include anything that is mostly or partially human (including shape-shifting) in appearance and mannerisms (mannerisms is key).
But the ultimate divide in the supernatural world is not as easy as plant and animal. Some are combinations of both or are technically one but act as the other. Still, we can give an overview of the peculiarities that the magical flora and fauna contain.
Humanoid
As stated, humanoid creatures can live fully functional lives in a human way. As in, they behave and look as a human would for at least half of their lives. Humanoid creatures include such things as werewolves, vampires, angels, demons and therianthropes.
Human-looking creatures, while technically humanoid in appearance, sometimes cannot feasibly operate in the human world due to physical or cognitive mannerisms that make it impossible or otherwise uninteresting (ie, mermaids or selkies).
The defining quality of a humanoid species is one that looks and acts human without changing much of their natural demeanors. Whether they choose to live such a life is their decision. It's conscious control of what they are and an awareness and understanding of the human world.
Humanistic
Here is a better category for creatures that cannot operate in a human life, despite having human characteristics. Such things include fairies, troll-like creatures, mermaids, brownies, selkies, arguably doppelgängers, and dozens of others.
The defining characteristic is higher intelligence (as in, strong cognitive reasoning), and at least some physical qualities shared with humans. Similar facial structure, similar body structure, similar biological makeup in general, etc. They might not look totally human, or very human at all, but they have unmistakable human qualities and often have organized languages or even laws.
Animal
Animals in the supernatural world encompass a wide variety of things. From the purely supernatural (dragons) to the occasionally supernatural (chickens), there is no limit on what can potentially possess more than the usual amount of magic.
The purely supernatural animals evolved naturally. Some are older than humans and some walked with dinosaurs and even before dinosaurs dominated the land. Some are supernatural holdovers from the dinosaur species. Whatever the individual history of each individual species might be, the fact remains that there are a great many of them and they are capable of living outside of bridges, unless they are particularly small or evolved in a different way. There are always exceptions.
Most of these animals are known in mythology but there are differences in every reality, as with human myth.
Supernatural animals aren't able to specifically use magic in the way that humans can, but they may have individual abilities and characteristics that, for some, may seem just as important, if not moreso.
The occasionally supernatural creatures are freak accidents in the supernatural world. While they have evolved into genuinely supernatural species, they, like demons, didn't start out that way. But unlike demons, these occasionally supernatural creatures don't really live beyond the boundaries of a bridge. The reason for this is that they are usually rather new and usually very sensitive to non-magical environments because of it. They can stray, but often won't. It was the overexposure to magic that caused the mutation in the first place.
'Occasionally supernatural' does not mean that they are only magical for part of the time. This means that they might be a species that has a non-magic counterpart. There are magical variations of almost every species on the planet, but the ones around humans or the oldest species on the planet are more likely to be found with a supernatural copy. (Domesticated animals, for instance, or insects.)
These animals are often less evolved to blend in. Some of them may be rather wildly obvious.
It is also possible that certain animals have been bred for supernatural purposes, but these cases vary.
Plant
The most common scenario for a magical plant is that they grow where they shouldn't be able to grow. This can only take place in a bridge. They do not rise with a spell, but rather, with the needs of the living things in the area. These plants don't die but can be affected by the weather. They will produce even without proper care.
Additionally, there are some plants that are simply magical on their own. They are often found in bridges but can survive elsewhere and crop up randomly. They may provide miracle cures or change colors or any number of things. They will often look different than the surrounding plants and won't be simply a magical version of an existing type of plant. These are rare finds, often deep in forests if they are away from a bridge.
Unclassifiable
These are the creatures that are not quite human and not quite animal. They range from creatures that could fall into either category (odd forest creatures with humanoid bodies), to the very obviously supernatural. Most of what humans have thought exist do exist but don't quite fit the descriptions given by myth. There are mysterious house-dwelling oddities (akin to brownies), haunting omens, disturbing phantoms (doppelgängers), garden vortexes (aka, 'fairy rings') that pull anyone into a new world, pond horrors, and groups of organized mischief makers. They vary from location to location.
Again, they are strongest and most commonly found near bridges or in utter seclusion. Depending on the creature, crossing its path could either be dangerous or unremarkable. There are a few that will go after humans or other humanoid creatures, without disguising its presence. While Bigfoot/Sasquatch, Nessie and other legendary creatures are most likely as false as has been presumed, that doesn't mean there aren't other odd things out there not wanting to be discovered.
