In the world of EGS, Magic describes several types of energy. Together, they form the official explanation for all the odd things that occur throughout the story, especially the ubiquitous gender-bending and other forms of body transformation.
- See also: Uryuom Magic
Magic rules division[]
In story it's explicitly stated that Uryuom Magic is different, but it's not explained what it is different to. Most likely, the default is supposed to be human magic, but it could be earth magic in general with humans just being the only ones who actually use it. Other universes have different magic, or, as seems to be the case with the Other half of the Main Universe, the same magic but with slightly different rules.
It is also not always clear what is valid for magic in general and what is merely valid for the kind of magic we've known so far (the non-Uryuom kind). Most of this article is probably specific for humans, but some points might be applicable to magic in general.
Magus and Nioi might be using different rules of magic even while on Earth. We don't have any details about that, it's just one possible explanation for difference in their abilities compared to other magic users.
Nature and Occurrences of Magic[]
Magic is, according to Edward Verres, "a type of energy that can be used to defy the supposed rules of our universe." The only known thing that magic (and its related technologies) definitely cannot do is time travel. All other abilities, such as making someone fall in love, can only be confirmed to be possible if a given magic user can do it; at this point, nothing (with the aforementioned exception of time travel) can be confirmed to be impossible.[1] Magic has been used in the comic via wands,[2] the Dewitchery Diamond, verbal triggers (The Hammers and the Demonic Duck), Uryuom technology, and mere willpower; the Alpha universe character Nioi has also been seen using it to view remote activity through a crystal ball.[3] In addition, it has been used outside continuity or canon via a board game.[4]
Basic (human/earth) Magic[]
This form of magic is the type used by humans and immortals. While not all humans currently have the ability to use it, it is theoretically possible for any human to train in its use.[5] Tedd was formerly believed to be an exception to this;[6] however, it turned out that he is a seer and the Magic analysis wand results suggesting that he was magically impaired were probably due to Tedd resisting the wand.[7] It is unknown if there are people who are actually magically impaired. In addition, all Immortals that have appeared so far know how to use it.
Humans can build up magical powers of this type within themselves (either by study or training), can have them bestowed on them by immortals by magic marks, or can be born with them. When a human starting from scratch reaches a certain point of magical development, an 'awakening' can be triggered in that person, which allows him/her access to a wide variety of magic. The awakened magic user will gain access to new spells at a rate proportional to his or her use of magic, and the nature of new spells learned will be related primarily to the magic user's personality and secondarily to the purpose and manner of recent magic use.[8] An awakened magic user can be given a spellbook with information about their spells. A magic user who isn't awakened, for example one with a magic mark, is said to be dreaming. Wizards are humans who are born with the distinction of having the ability to learn the spells of other awakened beings.[9]
Though the process leading up to an awakening is, as Mr. Verres says, "more like building muscles than waking up", awakenings do require some external trigger.[5] The two most proper trigger conditions are a period of intense study or training and an intentional action by a powerful magical being. Awakenings under these conditions immediately allow the magic user to begin using and gaining spells suited to their personality with no ill effects. Improper triggers are numerous and fairly diverse; those encountered so far are the use of the Dewitchery Diamond by Elliot and Ellen (because of the powerful magical abilities it granted them) and the excessive angst triggered in Susan when Jerry the immortal enraged her with his explanation of The Hammers[10] (although since it did involve an immortal, it is debatable if or to what degree it was improper). Improper triggers cause excessive buildups of magical energy within the user which will eventually cause unintended use of magic if not dealt with by casting spells on a regular basis. In addition, an improper awakening will initially grant the awakened magic user spells related to the trigger event and the condition of the user at that time.[11]
Obtaining spells[]
It's normal or possibly even guaranteed to get one new spell after awakening,[12] in addition to keeping the mark spell and turning it into a "normal" spell. After that, a magic user will get more spells by using the spells they have - similarly to video games where you gain experience and after obtaining enough you gain another level.[13]
Types of (human) magic[]
There doesn't seem to be a complete categorization of all possible magic in EGS. So far, every spell we have seen is at least a little different from every other, and Adrian Raven didn't mention any classification when talking about what magic can and can't do.[14] That said, it is obviously possible to group similar spells into categories on the basis of similarity of effect, with some spells combining multiple categories or not fitting any.
The clearest categories so far are:
Along with those, there are also less clear categories (might be divided or renamed later if we get some explanations)
Magic change[]
How magic works for humans can change drastically.[15] There are constants in magic, such as that there will always be people born with magical talent and there will always be ways for non-talents to use magic. Changes for human magic don't affect Uryuom magic, or at least not in the same way. How magic power can be gained beyond heredity, how spells work, and how difficult magic is to use, are all flexible, can change and have changed.[16]
There have multiple changes during the "age of man".[17][18] The last change before the comic's main timeline was hundreds of years ago.[19][16]
The Magic energy clog, along with Pandora Raven marking people, went against the objectives of magic itself[20] which include wishing to be used but not to be known too widely. They caused magic to consider changing[21] and ultimately to change.
Note: The magic change would not affect the Other half of Main Universe.[22] Presumably, the other half can change independently simultaneously but is not likely to. How that connects with both halves having the same magic is unspecified.
Seer meeting[]
The magic change doesn't happen automatically; if conditions arise which the Will of Magic deems to necessitate a change, eligible Seers - ones which have used magic, but do not know about this function of seers - will be called to a meeting in a sort of dream world (during which they sleep... very deeply[23]) to provide human perspective to help determining the severity of magic's change.[24] Recently, in response to Pandora causing a light show involving all immortals on Earth in order to kill most of the aberrations,[25][26] the Will of Magic summoned the three eligible seers, Tedd,[24] Arthur and Van, to such a meeting.[27]
If a severe change (described above) is chosen (as it has been in all previous instances), all seers will be made aware of magic, how the new system works and how to teach it to others.[24] This is to ensure that there is always at least a small percentage of people having knowledge of magic, though if that number gets too big another meeting will be triggered regardless of the time since the previous severe change.
The alternative is to prepare for magic going public, which is referred to as minimal change, and which would end the cycle of changes.[17] That basically means ending the intervention the Will of Magic was performing to keep magic in check, because it wouldn't be capable of performing it when magic is too common. Specifically, it means that basic human resistance to magic will go even lower that it was and that all previous systems of magic will became accessible again, including artifacts (magical objects and wands) rendered inert by previous magic resets which will start working again.[28]
The decision is not reached by voting.[17] Instead, the Will of Magic needs to be convinced what option will be better. This is done with logic ... and possibly drama, but mainly in a way it can understand, as the Will of Magic is ancient, incorporeal, stretched over an entire world and not good at understanding humans or subtlety.[29] During the last meeting Tedd convinced the Will of Magic that the severe change would backfire and would actually make more people aware of magic than before the change.[30][31] Thus magic decided to make a minimal change.[28]
Second magic change[]
As part of the minimal change, magic stopped helping magic users cast complicated and costly spells correctly. This effect was delayed, which caused it to appear to be a second magic change.[32] This change caused spells to be less predictable to those who relied on that help, but also more flexible to those who can control every detail of their spells manually.[33][34] It did not affect people with magic marks.[35] Examples of spells affected include:
- Nanase Kitsune becomes less intelligent while she has Fox summoned.[36] Dan has suggested that the version of the spell that she used to cast was so costly that she could only cast them with the help that magic no longer gives.[37]
- DGB's magic wands have unpredictable effects, so that a spell from agent Knight's wand backfired and had stronger effect than intended whan he tried to shoot a suspect.[38][39]
- The abilities of Elliot Dunkel's Cheerleadra spell are now customizable.[40]
Tedd's Magitech[]
After Elliot awakened, Tedd realized that TF Gun based transformations and magic transformations are related.[41] He then used this knowledge to start scientific research of magic. This lead him to created Magic Watches, which are technically type of wands, Tedd's Glove and Tedd's Gauntlet.
Known Human or Part-Human Magic Users[]
- Note: Immortals, and similar beings like Heka, use magic, but it might be different magic than the "human" kind. They definitely use it subject to different rules.
- Note: All Uryuoms, Seyunolu and (presumably) Lespuko are technically magic users by default (of the Uryuom variety). Only Noah among greater chimeras (assuming he is one) seems to be capable of using the human kind of magic instead of or in addition to the Uryuom one.
Known Non-Human Non-Uryuom-Related Mortal Magic Users[]
As these are kind of exceptional, we are not sure how much of the content of this page is valid for them.
References[]
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-07-15
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2009-11-03
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2003-11-17
- ↑ EGS:NP Comic for 2004-07-06
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 EGS Main Story Comic for 2008-11-13 ("Take THAT, Science Fiction!")
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2012-07-06
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2017-07-17
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2007-06-05 ("We Haven't Hear the Last of Any of This")
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2008-11-26 ("Last Minute Notes are Always on the Test")
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2010-07-07
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2008-11-18
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2010-07-12
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2007-01-31
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-07-15
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2014-03-21
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 EGS Main Story Comic for 2016-08-05
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 EGS Main Story Comic for 2018-01-29
- ↑ danshive tumblr post ID 173294161577
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2018-04-25
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2014-03-20
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2016-08-03
- ↑ danshive tumblr post ID 148594366152
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2018-04-13
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 EGS Main Story Comic for 2018-01-22
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2018-01-15
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2018-02-09
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2018-01-24
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 EGS Main Story Comic for 2018-02-21
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2018-02-12
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2018-02-14
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2018-02-16
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2021-05-10
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2021-04-26
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2021-10-08
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2021-04-30
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2021-04-05
- ↑ Reddit comment, March or April 2023
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2021-04-14
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2021-04-16
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2021-04-21
- ↑ EGS Main Story Comic for 2010-03-01