Originality of Magic
Worldbuilding. My strength and my downfall.
I know I’m a worldbuilder ... or at least, an avid magic-system creator. It frustrates me that the consequences for using magic is always bleeding nose, a headache, perhaps a cool-looking blackout, and exhaustion. If they’re feeling really creative, maybe they’ll throw in problems with body temperature regulation.
But why is that? There are so many things the body can do and that’s what everyone goes with? And why do I feel I’m one of the few who’s interested in applying this type of creativity to my stories? I know I’m not smart--I just have spontaneous obsessions. I’m certain I’m not the only writer who’s spontaneously interested in learning about gangrene (note: do not ever look at pictures of gangrene or necrosis immediately before or after eating).
The picture you see above is a very small list of consequences for a certain type of magic user in one of my stories. Granted, I’m being a bit hypocritical since the majority of my other magic users in my current WIP don’t have creative consequences. (I won’t make that mistake again.)
Tell me, why would you settle for bloody orifices when you can go for something far deeper? Bloody noses usually come from being dehydrated, so the skin inside of your nose has dried up and cracked open. From personal experience, I know that dehydration can bring severe headaches (the point just above and to the side of your eye), sensitivity to light, lightheadedness (therefore mild vertigo), and nausea. Just from those symptoms alone you have an easy way to make your magic user want to avoid doing magic, and so it will create a lot more exciting tension in the story because magic won’t be fixing everything. It will also be a lot more original and originality is what stands out.
In my WIP, there is a certain type of magic user called an aeryth, which has subcategories to determine their magic and the coinciding consequences. In one such subdivision there is a magic-user known as a skin-peeler, which is a person born with tattoos (and/or who may “grow” more tattoos as they age) and whose tattoos can “peel” off their bodies and become actual things. If you have snake tattoos you can have snakes at your command, if you have a lantern you’ll have light, etc. Skin-peelers are a part of a subdivision I call Creative Self. Anyone in this division will have similar or the same consequences for their powers, including:
⦁ Attachment issues
⦁ Loss of self control
⦁ Temperamental issues
⦁ Cancer
⦁ Over oxidization
⦁ Over-active adrenal glands
⦁ Blood clots
⦁ Overheat
⦁ Hypothermia
⦁ Heart failure
⦁ High blood pressure
All of that is far more exciting than just dehydration. But what’s fascinating for me as a writer, as a worldbuilder, is figuring out which consequence to which power and why.
I have one character who can control micro vibrations, which means she can freeze things, heat things, and create wind. One of her consequences for that is she’s oversensitive to sound, because the vibrations make her ears more sensitive, which makes her more prone to ear pain, which can cause balance loss and nausea. If she’s slowing down vibrations, she freezing things, and as a consequence she chills her own body as a sort of echo reaction. If she heats things, she heats her own body.
And that’s just her. In a future WIP I have a character who can create illusions. Illusions are all about tricking the mind. Her consequence? Amnesia. (I can’t describe how excited I am about that story--only a few months and I can write it! *commence squealing*)
I admit to writing this because I’m proud of what I’ve done, but I also think the originality of fantasy stories would be kicked up several notches just by working out small details like this. Also ... I’m just 100% writing nerd, so it’s just fun doing this.
So, go on. Geek out. Just remember when you edit the story, 10% is what you reveal to the audience, 90% is what you keep to yourself.
And here’s a link to how long it takes for a body to decompose, because who knows when you’ll be writing a murder-mystery, or even just a murder.
https://www.enkivillage.org/how-long-does-it-take-for-a-body-to-decompose.html