Wherein Nova Steals Fearless's Idea

Are the people of this world limited to one form of magic? Or can they learn many different types or even all of the types? How is magic invoked? Spell? Incantation? Action (dance, motion)? Drawing of runes? Song? If magic is tied to emotions, can a strong enough emotion produce magic without intentional invocation?

 

brbgudbaicruleworl

 

Within spectral arts themselves, no one is limited to a particular color except by the limits of their own perception; depending on the personality, some styles/colors may be harder to teach, but they can be learned. Obviously there are multiple forms of magick in the world, and yes, it is possible for someone to learn several styles, but they are also deeply ingrained in the culture, so it's a lot harder than just learning a new color. It's like the difference between studying one of the tenets of a religion and studying a different religion altogether; things just don't click the same way, and often you have to defy or retrain your instincts to progress. In that vein, native Midheavans with poor spectral affinity all-around might find themselves better accustomed to another style, if they were to learn of it.

Spectra is primarily invoked by thought and secondarily by motion. Words and writing have no effect, and motions are simple and natural; you might draw back your arm as if aiming a bow and arrow and have one made of energy appear in your hands, for example. Items can be enchanted to carry spectral effects or cast spells on command, but the primary element is always internal - If you're not feeling it, you can't cast it. Emotions can and often do produce spectral arts uninvoked, and in fact this is how many spectrists first learn the art.

Spontaneous emotion also leads to one of the most powerful states a spectrist can achieve: the Noumenon. Another one of those hushed-whispers rumors the Midheavans talk about. When one's emotions spike to unprecedented levels, they may enter a state where enormous amounts of spectra revolve around them, flowing in and out seemingly from every direction simultaneously. Almost anything is possible in this state; a single Noumenon can cause spectral scarring in a city-wide radius. Just standing in their presence puts pressure on the average human, and the power they bring to bear is enough to topple mountains. The drawback is that this state is hard to turn off and dangerous for the user's health, unless they can temper it - and the Noumenon state may be a rarity, but controlling it is thought to be outright impossible. It's kinda like trying to bottle a hurricane.

While in the Noumenon state, the user is guided by a mantra, a three-word phrase that informs their thoughts and actions on a subconscious level. This is the one time when words matter, but mostly for their symbolical element. Everything the user does in that state is geared towards the mantra, but each one differs in properties: Some are promises the user makes to themself, others are commands they must force bystanders to obey, some may be personal imperatives or guidelines, and still others are simple, general themes the user reflects in everything they do. A simple example is "Bow to Me," which might cause the user to try and subjugate anyone they came across. Two mantras might look similar, but since they are personal statements by their users, their behaviors may differ wildly. These mantras will be in effect until the user exits the state, if they do at all.

Most people who go into the state are surrounded by smooth, stone-like armor in many different colors, made of intricate carvings and broad, sweeping strokes. Often this armor comes with a helmet featuring no eyeholes, artificial hair in back, and jagged teeth (kinda like a Lv. 3 Akuma), but not always; the helmet is usually reserved for violent Noumena. Items crucial to carrying out the mantra may manifest as well, all made of the same substance as the armor.

 

What if someone can't properly express their emotions in motion? If they best express emotion through writing or art or song? Would a vague emotion and a vague gesture ("I think I kinda like this person" *waves hand*) produce an effect? the desired effect?

 

I dunno, some useful cultural information could be pried from questions like those. Like underage drinking. Far more acceptable in Europe. The 4/20 thing works on a subcultural level, obviously not necessarily with weed, but still, the existence of a day that celebrates the use of a substance is a pretty valid expansion of mythos

(Also I absolutely LOVE that magic thing you came up with)

 

Oddly enough, that is what I was going for with the children smoking thing.

But the 4/20 thing was just a joke.

 

That's a gray area. Motion is typically applied to combat techniques; smaller, less deliberate gestures tend not to produce any effect, and while some author's works are said to be enchanted, proof is scarce, and more likely attributed to a deliberate enchantment of another kind. Given that the primary is thought, however, nothing's impossible; a painter could potentially imbue their paintings with, say, a memetic effect that causes onlookers to cry, or inspires them to paint something themselves.

Song is informed to be a gray area as well, but the protagonist of CotH teaches several people a song he learned as a kid, and tells them to sing it whenever they need him; thereafter it appears to have a summoning effect, as he does indeed appear when the song is sung. Though it's left intentionally vague whether the song is magickal or not, as he was close enough in each case that he could've just heard it and come running.

I understand that, and that's why I answered the first few in detail and at least said something about the last ones. But drugs aren't really my strong suit, so for this lore I'm keeping it simple.

Why thank you c:

Then I'll elaborate in that smoking as a whole is uncommon, be it tobacco or cannabis or otherwise. Most of the time, if you're growing a crop that isn't food, it's considered a waste.

 

Well in the same vein of drugs, just what kind of effect does magic have on people? It's fueled by emotions, so you people have highs or lows caused by this? What I mean is, would using magic of a certain type cause a person to feel drained of that particular emotion, as if it were a consumable presence? Or would they feel a sort of 'high' from the use of the emotion in question, assuming it's an emotion they enjoy? Or is it completely separate? And if it is, does that mean the magic is basically infinite as long as the person is feeling the right emotion?

Also on the magic, how has the existence of magic affected the world? Do they serve practical purposes? Do people use them in day to day activities? Are they used for people's jobs or livelihoods? Have certain technologies or other elements of society stagnated or not developed due to magic being an easier solution? Similarly, has magic been used to enhance any things like this? Like introducing technology that would otherwise be impossible in the circumstances of this world?

 

There's kind of a horizon. Most of the time it's draining in a general sense - more mental than physical, but not to any one emotion - but if you're a skilled practitioner, you can keep it going almost indefinitely. How much energy it generates, and how much of a toll exacts, is dependent upon the person. With enough of an emotional high, yes, you get a surplus of energy, but rarely does it last for long. Like any physical muscle it has to be exercised, overuse will exhaust the user, and severe overuse can cause the user damage to that area. That said, remember that the planet itself and the spirits of the deceased put forth their own energy, which a spectrist can manipulate given sufficient skill; this means less of a toll is taken on the spectrist in question, but it also means they're at the mercy of the local climate, so to speak. If you need anger, you better hope there's anger in the air.

Absolutely. Spectra itself has many devoted fields of study, each seeking to expand its capabilities; not to mention the many jobs it creates for teachers, warriors, and all-purpose enchanters. It has had a notable effect on technological progression as well. This is gonna take me AGES to flesh out to my satisfaction, and I'm not off to a good start - My notes are kind of scattered. So I'll just pull from a few tidbits that I know for certain:

• Architecture is at about early industrial standards: Housing is sturdy enough to survive the elements in well-off cities, and architectural styles vary wildly by region. This is less due to the development of hardier materials and more because weaker materials can be enchanted to survive harsher conditions. These enchantments have to be renewed, same as deteriorating housing has to be restored.
• Instead of gas lighting, most homes use white spectra to generate light. This is one of the few natural elements spectra can create freely.
• Firearms have been slow to develop; any skilled spectrist effectively has infinite homing bullets (or some shielding if they prefer), and objects enchant better when held, so close-quarters weapons are favored over projectiles.
• Iron armor has long shared the spotlight with other, more exotic forms made from enchanted materials, but all of it is being discarded piece-by-piece to save weight. Depending on the culture you may still find celebrated warriors clad in full armor, but it's not infantry standard.
• Non-spectral powers (steam, gas etc.) have been late bloomers as well, the only exceptions being wind and water which are not at all as widespread as spectral power. In this case spectra has been used as a crutch, and other forms of energy are resisted heavily by the old guard. Whether they truly would prove more efficient or not is a matter of debate, but it's all conjecture until someone, say, builds a car. That said...
• Transportation has a unique achievement under its belt: wayfinders. Wayfinders are structures made of one tall, central tower with smaller towers set around them, each aiding in an otherwise dangerous spectral art. The user transmutes themselves into a smoky, ethereal form in order to travel blindingly fast - At max speed, miles become milliseconds. The problem? If you mingle too much with other spectra on your way, you may come out wrong or not at all. Wayfinders provide a safe jump-off point (central tower) and landing point (perimeter towers), and enchantments set into the tower help guide travelers to their destination. The tradeoff is that you can't ferry a group of 10 or 20 at once; at best, one person can "pilot" four or five others in addition to themselves and still make the trip unscathed. For their uses, wayfinders (and thus the cities they occupy) are of immense strategic value. Makeshift wayfinders can be constructed by those with the know-how, but a proper one can take anywhere from a few months to a few years, depending how high you want it built. Building a set of incoming towers is just a little less effort than building one outgoing tower, and as such some areas have just one or the other.

And that's all I've got for now. I need to rap with my history buff to work out the rest.