Magic use in contemporary fantasy

[Velkyn_Faer]

In the world I write about, magic is more than just fancy words and cool effects. It is something inside the character, and can be as addicting as the strongest drug. I don't think many people get a high from pulling a trigger, but channeling the force of life or death itself through you, making you feel almost like a god, if only for a moment, is intoxicating. The characters don't know it, yet, but the power they wield is drawing them deeper into its hold.

Also, the strength and will needed to channel that power is enormous. To keep it from enveloping you is a constant fight. So, the characters won't be able to blast away with giant fireballs of doom for hours on end.

I also think that 'spells' and 'magic power' are two seperate terms. A spell in my stories is empowered by outside items and the force of the user. A spell would be magic cast around a summoning circle to call a demon forth.

Magical power, however, comes solely from the user, such as calling a burst of fire or wind.

[Magus]

Magic, to me. is one of the most powerful energies in the world. But every great power has its risks. One word can change the whole world. If you use one wrong spell you could end up disrupting the climate for a few hundred years.

[Cyclone Jack]

Magic in my world is based on the nature and construction of the Universe: which is divided into the Material (the 'real' world), the Nothing (elemental entropy) and a buffer zone known as The Howling. The latter is a realm of creatures (imps, daemons, furies, banshees, rievings, etc.) and the humans who can communicate with and control (to a degree) these creatures are known as witchkin. They have been fighting a secret war throughout history with the animus of the Nothing, a force they call The Crumbler. Each witchkin finds their own unique and personal focus to do this. One of my heroes, Kevin Forrest (aka Mr. Slip) uses computers:

He flipped the screen open and popped the gig stick into the USB slot. The static charge of connection to the little trapped pocket of The Howling raised the hair on the back of his neck and caused the longer strands on his head to sway in suspicion. On the gigstick, reduced to six sided runecode, denizens of the Howling cast beady eyes on a new interface.
      The screen lit, a baleful pulsating red. After a moment, it flashed to black and the familiar-but changed stylized logo bled through the LCD in luminous pixels: 'Inferno Inside.'
      Kevin shook his head, chuckling. The more intelligent of the Howling creatures -- the imps and furies especially -- found it endlessly amusing that most humans thought they were demonic creatures with an interest in their souls. Nothing could be further from the truth. They didn't have much interest in timespace in general. The idea of wasting time and energy tempting humans to corruption -- something humans needed no help with -- was the most boring prospect imaginable. They did have a rather mean spirited sense of humor, though, and their endless teasing of Kevin was an aspect of that.
      What they did find fascinating about the material universe -- and the humans that inhabited it -- were machines. The tools that humans designed and created were viewed as crude but filled with potential.
      They swarmed the laptop and began re-designing it, from the molecular structure up. Kevin felt it heat and shiver in his hands as the higher-energy lower planar creatures did complex things to its inner workings. After a few minutes, the screen shut down and repowered -- now drawing energy from the ambient charge of the pocket dimension.
      Cat gave up her habitual hunt in disgust. She retired beneath the bench for a nap.
      The 'puter booted, the runic OS installing quickly from the gigstick, dumb daemons (imp servants, created for specific tasks) preparing  and setting up the build saved microseconds before the last box had been destroyed.

Part of the fun in writing this novel is finding new ways to 'explain' old fantasy tropes like possession and magical swords and ghostly apparitions.

[Mario Di Giacomo]

I'm developing a project now where magic is described in computing terms, as the manipulation of the informational component of the planet (the "noosphere", if you are familiar with the concept).  In essence, a magician has admin access (hacked or otherwise) to reality's operating system.

[RMatthewWare]

To me, magic should be very limited.  It should be hard to do, and there should be costs.  If it is ever easy, then you end up having fake superheroes running around with unlimited power.  More of what someone can do should come from brains, or cleverness.  I think Jim has handled the use of magic very well. 

For me, I would have two sides of magic.  The 'good' guys know how to use magic because they have researched how to use it, what the best spells are, and take the time to get it right.  It comes for from an intense knowledge of forces than anything else.  The 'bad' guys can wield a lot of power because they are willing to do dirty things to get it, such as murder, human/animal sacrifice or whatever.  They take power from others and use it.  The power that comes from good sources can always be more powerful, but if you draw from evil sources, then you can get a lot of power quick.

But I like the idea that if two wizards end of fighting, magic won't be a huge factor because they can block each other.  Magic might just be a finishing move for when the other guy is out of strength.  Until then, you need to outwit your opponent.

Matt

[Cyclone Jack]

I'm developing a project now where magic is described in computing terms, as the manipulation of the informational component of the planet (the "noosphere", if you are familiar with the concept).  In essence, a magician has admin access (hacked or otherwise) to reality's operating system.

Neat.

Mr. Slip is the only 'cybermage' in my novel. In fact, every single user of magic has to find and develop their own system -- there are as many systems as users. His father, for instance, does something similar with mechanical devices. His mother is a more traditional user of herbs and 'potions'. Marie Jensen, the nine year old girl at the center of the book, has a vast and uncontrolled talent that -- thanks to a lifetime of subtle manipulation by The Crumbler -- manifests as her viciously evil doll. She has to literally keep the thing bound and hobbled and torture it into doing what she wants....which of course, has it's own psychic ramifications...

[Cyclone Jack]

But I like the idea that if two wizards end of fighting, magic won't be a huge factor because they can block each other.  Magic might just be a finishing move for when the other guy is out of strength.  Until then, you need to outwit your opponent.

Matt

LOL! Flashed on an image of two vastly powerful wizards -- terrors of their world -- confronting each other and reduced to a hairpulling slap fight. 

[RMatthewWare]

LOL! Flashed on an image of two vastly powerful wizards -- terrors of their world -- confronting each other and reduced to a hairpulling slap fight. 

Hey, use it if you want

Matt

[Erlkoeneg]

'Magic is an infinately large tapestry, painted by every soul that has ever touched reality, an an unfathomable number of styles, mannerisms, and ways. We have, thusfar, figured out what some of the most common colours of paint might be."

my description of magic for my universe.

[The Corvidian]

"Science seeks to define the framework of reality; magic seeks to exploit the loopholes that exist in that framework."  A slogan from one of my writing ideas.

[Dom]

I have different magic systems, depending on the story.

For one world, magic is an alternate form of life, separate from cells and DNA.  Unfortunately it can be very vulnerable to odd things from the physical world.  Whereas our biological life is very vulnerable to certain magical things.  So, as is the nature of any type of life to keep on reproducing and continuing, every so often both types of life combine.

The "magical realm" is made up of people and creatures that have combined both types of life.  These hybrids show a "hybrid vigor" that surpasses either form of life by itself, which is why magical creatures have long lifespans, surprising abilities to heal, etc.  Actual magical talents possessed by these creatures varies wildly; mutations pop up every so often and found bloodlines of differently talented people, mages, and creatures.

My other magical system is more based on nuclear energy...sorta kinda.  It's semi atom-punk, lol.  Magic has different types and half-lifes, and mages have to periodically decontaminate themselves because magic that will disrupt their bodies will build up and kill them if they don't.  So magic used by mages is typically made up of unstable isotopes of various longevities.  A poorly made spell can actually poison everyone around it as it decays, if it decays into a particularly bad isotope, or if different types of magic in the spell decay into isotopes that are not compatible with one another (kaboom!).  Occasionally a mage will make a "silvered" spell, a spell that won't decay over time and is stable, but like the periodic table only has so many elements, there's only so many spells that can be silvered.  They're rare and hard to make, and often don't resemble their non-silvered counterparts at all, because if the quick'n'dirty way of getting a result was stable, it wouldn't be a quick'n'dirty way to do it.  Sort of like bees can fly, and birds can fly, but the actual physical wings and mechanics differ drastically.