Question for those

Chatterbox: Inkwell

Question for those

Question for those of you who write fantasy fiction, specifically that involving magic. 

Assuming you have categories of "light" and "dark" magic (which is pretty standard fare, so I'm guessing that most of you fantasy writers do), how do you distinguish between the two fields? Is it merely a distinction of good/evil, or something more concrete? In the case of the former, how does one distinguish between good and evil? And are there certain types of magic that are considered "neutral" and don't fall under either category?

Or, in other words, how is magic set up in your universe(s)? 

I'll wait until this actually gets posted to explain mine.

submitted by TNÖ, age 18, Deep Space
(April 29, 2012 - 12:56 am)

back to the Inkwell

In my world, it has nothing to do with good and evil. The magic just looks different and does different things. It depends on the person, really. Mr. Viri uses light magic, for example. There is neutral magic, but there are too many types of it. It's all really confusing, because there's Deren and Runi and TIffany and the other Tiffany and Obsidian and all of them live in different worlds and have different types of magic. If they have magic. 

submitted by Tiffany W.
(April 29, 2012 - 9:52 am)

((Hey, I can post from my iPhone now! That's new...it used to throw a fit if I tried...))

So! Magic in terms of Light/Dark in the TNÖniverse goes like this:

There are two rough categories of magic, commonly known as Light and Dark Arts-names which derive from a quasi-industrial revolution-era perception that Light magic was more "tame" (in the sense of "domesticated") and thus enlightened. The specific rulings on what is Light and what is Dark vary slightly from country to country, but in general there are five criteria given, and a branch that meets two or more of them will fall into that category. The more criteria met, the Lighter or Darker a type of magic will be. 

The criteria are as follows:
Light Arts:
1. Minimal amounts of residual magic
2. Spontaneity/little prior preparation required
3. Technical precision can often compensate for a lack of innate talent
4. Use of predictable, stable magic
5. Superficial altercations that are easy to reverse
Dark Arts:
1. High levels of residual magic
2. Ritualized casting, often including sacrifice of some description
3. A lack of set rules, with far more individualized methodology
4. Use of unstable or volatile magic
5. Effects are often much more difficult to reverse except by the original caster 
It should be further noted that any branch of magic dealing with mortality/immortality is Dark by default since it will almost certainly hit all five criteria. 
There is also a certain amount of overlap with certain fields. Healing is the most notable of these, since it meets criteria one, three, and four for Light Arts as well as two and five for Dark Arts. In cases where there is overlap of this nature, whether a field is Light or Dark will often depend upon who is asked. 
In modern times, Light magic is perceived as standardized and therefore safer, which has led to the rise of an anti-Dark movement. The movement aims to further separate the Dark Arts into the Neutral and Dark. It has seen little success, since their penchant for demonizing the Darker branches of magic gives the impression that their use of "neutral" means "good" and their "dark" means "bad." Since large portions of the government are made up of Dark witches and wizards, this is a viewpoint that leaders have a vested interest in suppressing. One notable success of this movement was to reclassify potionmaking as Neutral rather than Dark, based on the logic that certain potions meet Light criteria while others are Dark. 
That said, Dark Arts are much more heavily regulated than  Light Arts, because the nonstandard nature of the magics used in Dark Arts are much more likely to blow up in one's face if something goes wrong. 
submitted by TNÖ, age 18, Deep Space
(April 29, 2012 - 2:32 pm)

My book has two kinds of people. Good and evil. They're all normal when they're little, then as they get older, they change. By the time their 16 (or 17, or 18. I haven't figured out yet) their true nature shows completely and their mind works in that way. The two halves are always trying to get control.

submitted by Sally
(April 29, 2012 - 2:45 pm)

So what determines whether someone is good or evil? Is there an actual test, or is it decided on an individual basis (i.e. "I've decided I'm going to be [alignment] from now on.") or... Or is it something like a Jekyll/Hyde scenario, where one personality is dominant but the other is constantly trying to break through? And is it possible for someone to switch from primarily good to primarily evil (or vice versa)?

submitted by TNÖ, age 18, Deep Space
(April 30, 2012 - 11:09 pm)

I don't. Actually the whole idea that there could be certain types of magic that are nessesarily evil never really made sense to me, it's all in how you use it. Like in the Pearls of Penthallia universe, there are Light and Dark Faeries, but there isn't really any light and dark magic. The powers are:

Storm (control over weather/wind/lightning)

Flame (control over fire)

Flora (Control over plants)

Light (Control over, well, light, also invisibility)

Terra (Control over earth, metal, spesifically iron)

Water (control over water)

And that's it. The powers aren't "light" or "dark" in themselves, it's how you use them. Like lots of people own a gun who have absolutely no intention of shooting anyone, you can't say any weapon is inherently evil. It's what you do with it.
I suppose if there was a type of magic which by its very nature could only be used for evil purposes, then that might qualify as "dark". But I think that a lot of stuff people call "dark", especially in the Harry Potter universe, doesn't fit that definition. So yeah.

submitted by Emily L., age 16
(April 29, 2012 - 4:45 pm)

Annnnnd also in terms of your ten criteria:

Let me copy & paste:

Light Arts:
1. Minimal amounts of residual magic
2. Spontaneity/little prior preparation required
3. Technical precision can often compensate for a lack of innate talent
4. Use of predictable, stable magic
5. Superficial altercations that are easy to reverse
Dark Arts:
1. High levels of residual magic
2. Ritualized casting, often including sacrifice of some description
3. A lack of set rules, with far more individualized methodology
4. Use of unstable or volatile magic
5. Effects are often much more difficult to reverse except by the original caster 

Storm: dark usually, light sometimes
Flame: light
Flora: dark
Light: dark, light sometimes
Terra: Light usually, dark sometimes
Water: dark

So pretty much all dark. There are exceptions for all of them, of course. But mostly dark. That's just how magic works in PoPverse. (ooh, funny name.) I notice that Flora, the most typically good power, is dark, and Flame, the most easily weaponized power, is light. :D

 

submitted by Emily L.
(April 29, 2012 - 8:46 pm)

I should point out that, in the TNÖverse, all magic is fundamentally the same and the Light/Dark distinction is a largely political one that's only been around for a few hundred years. Although the types of magic that fall into the Dark category have been around longer, generally speaking, than Light ones, which were mostly discovered/developed/designed a few decades before the Light/Dark labels appeared in the first place (which was, as I have mentioned, in the quasi-industrial revolution-era). /runon

submitted by TNÖ, age 18, Deep Space
(April 30, 2012 - 5:51 pm)

In my story, people use the same spells, just some use it for good, some use it for evil.  I don't normally distinguish between light and dark magic, except for this one story, but I haven't gotten that far in it yet.

submitted by Melody, age 13, Just being awesome
(April 29, 2012 - 5:43 pm)

I don't usually write "magical, fantastical" stories but when I do, it goes something like this.

Dark magic is either achieved through pain, misery, sadness, death, etc. etc. (meaning the spell requires them like they're items. Think Horcruxes) Or causes pain, misery, death, sadness etc. etc. Basically, anything that doesn't "help or contribute to the general well-being of a person, place, creature or item."

Light magic is the exact opposite. It's magic that "helps or contributes to the general well-being of a person, place, creature or item." It is meant specifically for helping a person. Magic to help the magician does not count. That, in my mind, is either neutral (i.e. a dress) or dark magic. Making yourself fly will be seen as selfish unless the circumstances are dire. Selfishness = dark magic.

Creating dresses for another person also does not count unless they need one. Warming a person's hands does.

Neutral magic is harmless little frilly things for entertainment. Like safe, controlled, and non-flammable fireworks and, as I said before, making yourself or someone else a dress just out of want.

submitted by Olive
(April 29, 2012 - 5:54 pm)

I don't do light/dark magic at all usually. In my world everyone has the same magic, and what they use it for depends on whether the character is actually good or not. Plus I try to make the good/bad relationship less concrete, like it is in real life. Everyone thinks they're doing things for the right reasons, and it's up to the reader to decide who they're rooting for. :)

submitted by Snake
(April 29, 2012 - 6:29 pm)

I have two: The "bad" guy, who is the adviser, who twists all of his advice to his own good, and wants to "take over the world." The "good" guy, who we don't meet yet, is basically all for defeating the bad guy.

submitted by PiperC., age 12, Atlantis
(April 30, 2012 - 7:55 pm)

In my universe, the difference between light and dark magic isn't that much. This is because light and dark are not the only categories. Light magic is traditionally the user focusing their inner power and releasing it either all at once or in a controlled manner. Light magic can be used as a form of attack or for healing purposes. On the other hand, dark magic is traditionally the manifestation of either spirits or bad intentions from outside of the user, gathered in, and concentrated into a destructive force. I'd say that dark magic is harder to use than light magic because you need lots of concentration to control it and to harness it in such a way that it would not do self-harm. Of course, there are other forms of magic too, as mentioned earlier, and of all those, twilight (not the vampires) magic is the most powerful if used right.

submitted by Blue Moon
(May 11, 2012 - 7:49 pm)

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submitted by Blue Moon
(May 13, 2012 - 7:09 pm)

I don't specifically have light and dark magic, but I do have categories.  There is body magic, which is stronger, more reliable and doesn't need other activators (ie magic charm, wand etc.)   However, body magic pools from your energy resources and if you use too much, you die (somewhat borrowing from the Kane Chronicles and Eragon)  Wand magic is weak, not always reliable and needs a wand and a magic word/phrase to fully activate. This form of magic uses the wand's magical field, and therefore is highly limited. Body magic uses the same word/phrase principle.  Charm magic is in between body and wand in terms of strength, reliability etc.  It needs a charm and a chant (normally at least a short stanza) and for the charm to work well must have a magical core.

submitted by Holmes S., age 11, The Hudson Valley
(May 14, 2012 - 4:24 pm)