Magic/Psychic Abilities

Magic is a matter of manipulating energy. There are several methods of doing so, but it is primarily driven by emotion or willpower, depending on the philosophy of the practitioner.

Common Spell Types

Names can vary by practitioner, though there are often clues to the effects in the name.

• Empathic Projection
• Energetic Shifting
• Spirit Perception
• Horsing
• Cloaking

Effect

Varies, depending on the specific spell. Effects are almost always subtle.
Too Wyrd Quote

“Magic is more provable when you don't require proof. It's more solid and repeatable when you don't look for those qualities. It manifests without any cause when you don't require a cause.”

~ Mercy, Too Wyrd

Side/Secondary Effects

There is an addictive component to using magic/psychic abilities. Many people find it more interesting to play with energy and remember past lives rather than deal with the grind of everyday life.
Too Wyrd Quote

“People who don't learn to turn them off tend to go one of two ways,” Joseph said. “They use the suppressors, sometimes to an extreme. Or they stop living this life, and the other worlds, other lives – as in reincarnation, spiritual identities and such – they treat those like the priority.”

“Forget working a job just to pay rent, ‘cause ancient Sumerian princesses are better than that,” Nicola ticked off examples. “You were a warrior in another life? Try to live like a samurai in this one, buying expensive weapons at every urge. Haven't gotten groceries yet this month, but dropping a hundred bucks on a necklace ‘cause it reminds you of the one you had when you were an elf lord.”

Joseph took another hissing drag. “People forget to successfully live this life because their abilities give them insight into a more romantic or dramatic life. They want that one, not this one, so they focus on that one in a game of Ultimate Escapism.”

“And they refer to those other lives, past lives and spirit selves as their 'true' self.” Nicola shook her head. “’Cause living this life, rocking the here and now, isn't 'true' enough in comparison.”

~ Too Wyrd

Manifestation

Often abilities, including talents for specific spellcasting, manifest as a sudden breakthrough. The practitioner may or may not have been attempting to develop the ability before it manifests. Some abilities come about as a para-psychological reaction to events in their life.
Almost universally, abilities manifest full-powered and with little conscious control by the practitioner. Because of this, those who are less aware of the techniques behind abilities often become overwhelmed. Many have difficulty learning to control the ability even enough to just turn it on and off. Those who can't get this basic control down often self-medicate to suppress the abilities.
Control is important to living with any manifested ability related to magic. Some abilities, such as Horsing or Spirit Perception, can directly interfere with the practitioner interacting with non-magical reality.

Source

The source of magicks is either emotion or willpower, or some combination of both.
Too Wyrd Quote

The way to magic is through full-contact participation. You have to love and lose, hate and hope, have wonder and let yourself weep. Those experiences feed the emotional well inside your mind and soul. And those emotions are what you tap into to make magic.

Without those emotions, you make wishes without a star. Without that energy, the most profound spell is nothing more than a rhyming pentameter chanted in the darkness.

~ Nicola, Too Wyrd

Material Components

Many practitioners use symbolic components to help focus their power. The actual need of such components is highly questionable, though most agree it makes spellwork easier.

Gestures & Ritual

Many practitioners use symbolic gestures, rhyming words, or ritualistic preparations to help focus their power. The actual need of these is questionable, though less likely to be dismissed than material components and correspondances. Most practitioners agree it makes spellwork easier, often to the point of being nearly impossible for some to do spells without some aspect of these.

Applied Restriction

Magic/psychic abilities can be supressed in a variety of ways, including smoking, drinking, drugs, and sex. This is often done as a method of self-medicating to control one's abilities.

This suppression is not a fix or even a literal suppression so much as a form of energetic refocusing. It works similarly to how caffiene helps with ADHD, by creating a boost that gives the person the capacity to wrestle the ability into a semblance of control for a short time.

Lack of control is the biggest drawback of having abilities related to magic.

Too Wyrd Quote

Mercy cleared her throat. “I thought that... well, doesn't smoking do something to block psychic... powers or whatever? If you have those kinds of… abilities, why do you guys smoke?”

Joseph took a drag and blew it out. “Smoking does kind of stifle psychic 'powers'. That's why we do it.”

~ Too Wyrd