Fairy Tail
Figure I’ll use today to let people have some fun with Wednesday’s topic. This doesn’t even have to be solely for fantasy authors. Not that I know a lot of those, but I’ve found that many people don’t even try. All this requires is flexing your creativity and seeing what you can come up with. Here we go.
- What unique type of magic would you want to have?
- What are a few spells that you would create with this magic?
- Is there a downside to this type of magic?
Legends of Windemere 
1. Dance magic. These have to be legitimate moves—not made-up moves. I mean Glissade, Arabesque, Predicate jetes—that sort of thing. Think of martial arts, which has specific moves people have to learn.
2. The softer and more graceful the move, the more powerful it is. So, ballet moves can be deadly. This doesn’t mean you’re kicking people. You’re using dance moves to generate magical energy. Some moves are combination moves, like starting with a Tombé and moving to a Pas de Bourrée and then to a Glissade. Some moves could be the equivalent of a lobbed fireball, depending on the combinations used. (Think Avatar: The Last Airbender, where they use hand gestures and some foot movements to move elements.) Rapid-fire moves like tap dance moves could be defensive moves—like covering someone with a force field. A Pas de Deux takes two people to wield and should only be used when an enormous amount of power is needed.
3. You’d have to know the steps and be precise. One false step could get you an outcome you might not want. These moves also require energy!
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1. I think I’ve seen that a few times. I remember dancing being a magic style in a few Final Fantasy games. Usually with a Moogle.
2. Sounds very much like ballet magic then. Would there be an opposable type that’s less graceful, but still strong?
3. Love that danger.
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Great question! Since modern dance came about as kind of a rebellion against ballet, then modern dance would be the opposing force. 😊
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I can see this world having a generational war of magicians.
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I’m working on a short story right now that’s kind of a city mouse/country mouse with magic. There’s a Victorian-style university for magicians, which was built on the site of an ancient stone circle that they’ve walled off because they don’t understand it. A wise woman from the ancient faith shows up and hijinks ensue.
I’m enjoying this because I love stone circles. The wise woman calls on her gods for things in their specific area. She also has sewn runes and hexes into her clothing that protect her from being physically attacked. I think a downside would be if she couldn’t speak to call on her gods, then her power would be diminished.
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Losing her voice would definitely be a problem. Can she fall out of favor with her gods?
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If it was a novel, she might. The stone circle was abandoned for a long time. But within the scope of a short story, there isn’t room for it.
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The unique type of magic I would want is the ability to control any language in the universe.
The spells I would create with this magic is the understanding and speaking spell, where I could understand and speak to anyone. I would also make a spell where my enemies could no longer understand each other. I would be able to take advantage of their confusion. Another spell would be I am the only one people can understand. I could get everyone to do as I say.
The downside to this type of magic is that maybe people don’t need to communicate verbally to achieve a common goal. Maybe by casting the spell, I would make their actions more urgent through nonverbal communication. The other downside is that perhaps there is no way to break the spell once it is in place. That would be a problem and would have to be understood initially.
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Interesting school. I can see you having a problem with anyone who can’t hear you.
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Yeah that too.
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I’m thinking weather. I could soften the harsh events we’ve been having and work on the drought conditions out West. Might even find a way to turn a profit with it. The downside is some other area has to pay the cost of wherever I interfere.
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It’s always interesting when people include weather magic. Most don’t look at that downside.
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