[ ooc ] Game of Fate Magic
w h at ' s . i n . t h e . p a r t y . b a g
Also known as "Why these witches are special."
Aside from them generally being psychotic.
█ Magic (wait, duh)
█ Empathy
█ (Mild) Healing
█ Links
█ Prices for that Magic
█ Fancy Title
STEP ONE: magic
To best understand, well, everything in the GoF world, it helps to start with the basics of the magic used there. This is likely the only truly unique thins about this breed of witches. Hurray.
Magic in the Game of Fate world follows a simple rule "the world is driven by emotion". Every human being has a heart-- in the spiritual sense for this, but also in the physical sense, I hope-- and thus, the potential to create magic.
Sort of.
The steps of magic are a bit complicated. But it all begins with emotions. For every feeling a person feels, they give off emotions in "waves" of sorts. The raw energy is constantly given off, with strong emotions creating stronger "waves" (this will become important in the empathy section). Some plants and animals also give off these waves, and the emotions can stick to objects and places, but this will also be covered more deeply in the empathy section.
And while everything has the potential to create emotion, the raw energy used for magic, it is only magic users who are capable of controlling it. This will bring about a quick term classification in a few seconds.
The emotion must be spun into magic like you would spin wool to thread. Being able to do this yourself is a genetic trait, and involves your spiritual heart absorbing, or 'comprehending', the feeling and then spitting it back out in the form of magic. As mentioned, it is a genetic trait. The ones who can use magic naturally are called witches and wizards. Oh my, so Harry Potter-isc. However, "magic blood" does not pass along to the next male generation very well, and only in very rare cases. For this reason, wizards are so few that they are nearly unheard of. That is why you will hear more of witches than wizards and why there are more magical girls than magical boys.
But don't give up hope now, boys. There are other ways to use magic, one of which will be covered in the section on links.
There is also a "device" method. Magical devices can be constructed by witches, wizards, and insanely smart people. A device can tune in to the waves that emotions give off and spin them into magic spells, providing you have programmed or taught it the spells you wish to cast.
AKA, a device is a 'wand', by normal standards. Those who wield devices are called mages, and magic users.
However, these two terms are very broad, as they can also be applied to witches and wizards that use devices. In fact, it is highly encouraged that even those with magic in their blood employ the use of a device; 'channeling' magic through yourself puts strain on your physical heart if you are not careful, and can lead to health problems and premature death. For this reason, it is not a recommended practice, and almost everyone has shifted to the use of devices.
For those curious, the first devices came out at around the start of World War I, though poorly crafted "charms" were common before then. Charms could only be used one or two times before they were destroyed. Some still practice the making of charms, just to keep the tradition alive.
STEP TWO: empathy
As mentioned earlier, EMPATHY. It plays a huge role in magic. HUGE.
Empathy is a separate trait from magic. Some non-witches have been known to show signs of it. However, while it can be used without the magic trait, magic cannot be used without the empathy trait.
Anyone who can naturally use magic has some degree of empathy. Empathy is nurtured through personality, and it's strength is linked to how sympathetic you are.
In short, someone who is open to the feelings of others will have very strong empathy, while an oblivious person will have weak empathy. As an example, Satou is very cautious about the feelings of others, almost to a fault, so has exceptionally strong empathy. Mikale, on the other hand, is an idiot, so has very little empathy. He does, however, care a lot about Satou's feelings, so his empathy towards her is strong.
Which does bring up a nice point; empathy is stronger towards those a mage cares about.
And now, to bring up those waves mentioned in the magic section. Emotions come off in waves, and the strength of the waves depends on the strength of the feeling. So when it comes to empathy, strong emotions will always be easier to sense. However, only those with sensitive empathy can sense the weaker, calmer feelings.
For those wondering how this can effect a witch's social life, it is entirely witch dependent. It mainly depends on the strength of their empathy. In most cases, a witch will only sense feelings that she looks to sense, and can turn her empathy on and off however she pleases. But there are cases where that is not the case; some dumbskulls, such as Satou, constantly think about the people around them, which in turn means their empathy never turns off. In these cases, the reverse is true; they must consciously think to turn it off.
However, for all of those with empathy, it turns on while they sleep, or when they are unconscious. While a witch is sleeping, their body naturally creates small bits of magic and stores it up. Since they are restfully sleeping and only creating in small amounts, the health problems that generally come with creating magic on your own (without a device) are negated. This store of magic is small, but can be used by the body for automatic reactions. Such as the self-healing.
STEP THREE: (mild) healing
It sounded awesome in the list, but the details of this will probably disappoint you to death.
Anyone with the combination of magic and empathy is capable of very mild healing, but it is generally only towards themselves. As mentioned previously, they create magic and store it while they sleep. When they get hurt, this magic is automatically used to naturally speed their healing, sometimes to as much as twice as fast to nearly instantly, depending on how severe the injury is.
However, some people choose to heal others. The danger of healing is that there is a huge recoil on it, which will be elaborated on in the price section. In short, to avoid magic users trying to revive the dead, a wound cannot be made to disappear by The Rules. The wound can just be moved to a new living body, and that body is generally the caster of the healing spell. Of course, flicking it on someone you hate or a wild animal is also an option. But that's mean, and frowned down upon.
STEP FOUR: links
Those with magic in their blood have a special ability that they can train, though it needs some empathy to achieve. "Linking" refers to the process of a witch connecting her spiritual heart with someone else. As it probably sounds, the process is usually reserved for people the witch trusts. However, she can make the link with anyone, regardless of their magic potential, and with it give them very mild magic abilities.
People with links are called "partners", though many other terms have been associated with it. "Knight" is a romanticized term used for boys linking with a witch, while the somewhat rare inverse is usually "Lady". Other terms include guardian, contractor, and Warrior.
Okay, that was a quick summary.
Now, to the nitty-gritty of all of that.
Making a link is very easy. All that has to happen is something is exchanged, usually an object, to signify the bond. Rings, necklaces, toys, kisses--- whatever you want. A ceremony sort of procedure accompanies this, so that random gift givings don't become accidental links, but the link can be broken without the ceremony. All you have to do is return the object exchanged, or destroy it.
Links come in varying strengths as well. In order to fully take advantage of it, both sides need to acknowledge what you can do with it. It also helps to give items of real sentimental value, that are full of feeling from your heart, as that makes the tie tighter and well, stronger.
So, a link could really be made with anyone. But the perks that come with it make witches picky.
As previous stated, the link is between two spiritual hearts. But this not imply lovers; friends have a link as well. Any sort of relationship is essentially a link between hearts. But what makes a witch's link special is that it is reinforced with magic. Should they choose, either side of the link would be able to peer into the other's feelings. This should obviously explain why most witches prefer to only make links with people they trust not to invade their privacy. Strong links imply more access to the feelings of the other end, while a weak link can only give you a passing glimpse.
So essentially, one perk of the link is one sided empathy, allowing a non-magical person empathy towards their partner. A very strong link also allows the partners to influence each other's feelings, which really comes in handy if you're paired with a psycho who needs to be instantly calmed down.
Another perk of empathy is magic. There are two ways to achieve it; having the witch cast a spell through you, or for you to cast a spell through her.
The first way in easiest, and most common. Even the weakest of links can be used for this. The witch simply casts a spell as normal, but rather than use herself as the point it is activated from, activates it from her partner's location. She is in complete control of it, and her partner is merely used to give her a location away from herself to activate it from.
Just trust it isn't a bomb she's making.
The second way is more complicated, and requires a strong link. Even someone without magic can be train to use their partner's empathy and natural magic ability to create a spell. The witch is used as the tool for creating the magic and spell, while the partner decides what type of spell is created, where and when its cast, and anything that goes along with it. As this puts strain on the witch, it's generally discouraged.
Finally, telepathy is a trained ability that both sides of the link can use. But it is essentially a mental telephone. If you strongly want your partner to hear your voice, then they will be able to hear it. The link's strength determines how far apart you can be and still expect your telepathy to work.
Now that all sounds like fun, let's make links with everyone!
Not so fast there.
The number of links a witch can make depends on their empathy. If you have weak empathy, you should only expect one or two. If your empathy is stronger, you can collect links like Pokemon. But like Pokemon, six is considered the "limit", just because otherwise people think you're a link slut.
STEP FIVE: magic prices
This is one of those super important sections.
A key part of the witches in Game of Fate is the prices on their magic. This can sometimes make a witch very angsty.
The Magic Price System dates back to the days that the MASQ was founded. It is a curse that is genetically stuck on every magic user ever. Okay, well, 1% of the population is free from the curse... but that's a really small number and will probably be 0% by the year 2000. The only exceptions are Vinita, Fate, and Ana.
So what does this horrible curse do? Well, actually, it's not really horrible. More just humbling.
Everyone under the price system have restrictions on their magic. The restrictions are like limiters that prevent a person from using their maximum magical potential. Going over your limit costs you something of equal emotional value to the spell you just cast.
For example. Say you create 100$ with magic. In exchange, you lose something that is worth 100$ of importance to you.
In most cases, this doesn't mean losing something physical. For example; Fragaria is a witch who is very loyal to her Mistress and adores her above all else. When she goes over her power limit, Fragaria loses her ability to acknowledge her Mistress' presence; this has meant slowly going blind specifically to her Mistress and being unable to feel her Mistress' touch. The price you pay is enforced with magic.
Therefore, you'll be glad to know that the prices you pay can be reversed... just not by you. The ones who can reverse price payment are the witches and wizards working in the MASQ organization. Punishment is still punishment and they will not reverse payments for free. Instead, you can apply to work for the MASQ as an agent and pay off your debt with community service.
For those curious, the limitations are as follows;
STAGE ONE: 10% allowance to those below ten years of age. Your magic allowance automatically goes to the next stage when you reach the age of ten. This is to prevent children from abusing their magical powers before they're mature enough to make some sort of educated decision with them.
STAGE TWO: 25% allowance to those without a title. Your witch's title is how the MASQ keeps tabs on you so it would be dangerous to let you have much magic when they cannot be there to keep you from abusing it. Normally, you have to at least fifteen years old and pass a competency exam to receive your title. When you turn eighteen, and can be legally tried as an adult if you abused your power, your powers automatically progress to Stage Three and have a title assigned to you.
STAGE THREE: 50% allowance to those with a title, or who are over age eighteen. The MASQ officially enters you into their system at this stage. You will probably be assigned a mentor for the first few months of this stage while you adjust. Most magic users don't progress past this stage.
STAGE FOUR: 75% allowance to those employed by the MASQ. This isn't the same as being an agent doing community service. This 75% allowance applies to those who take an officer's exam and pick up a real part-time job with the MASQ. They're allowed this high allowance because they are something like magical police officers and need an advantage over criminals. Becoming a MASQ employee who does desk work doesn't get you the 75%.
STAGE FIVE: 100% allowance to... um... Vinita? You really ever get to reach 100%. Sorry. Vinita will hand out 100% allowance to those that she really truly trusts so that they can enforce the system in her absence. The only other exception is someone whose overall capacity is so teeny tiny that they need this 100% to be able to protect themselves.
Worldwide there will normally only be 10 witches with 100% magic access (that have significant power) at one time. That's a really small number.
STEP SIX: magic titles
Titles are generally really unspecial. They don't usually come with specific powers, other than allowing you to reach Stage 3, but are merely a ways of referring to other magic users without giving their real name away--- to be careful of witch hunters.
They consist of a magic type and then the identifying word.
The magic type refers to whether you're a witch (magic blood) or mage (device-based), or perhaps a knight or lady linked to a witch, as they get special title recognition too.
The identifying word sets them part. For example, "Blue Roses" for a witch who is known for making blue roses. In the case of links, the identifying word is typically the witch's name or word. For example, Mikale sometimes goes by "The Knight of Sin", as he's linked to "The Witch of Sin". Never should you be "of" a proper name. Mikale wouldn't risk calling himself "The Knight of Satou", since that reveals her real name and defeats the purpose of a title in the first place.
Some titles are associated with a unique ability that a witch has, but they never actually come with it. Satou's sin-related abilities don't come from her title; her title comes from her abilities.