How do you use magic in your stories?

[Escape The Fate]

How do you use magic in your stories?

[Maedhros]

As little as possible...

Generally I prefer using subtle and " mysterious" magic. Most often I dislike the typical magical effect where someone shouts "gibberibbedishamon" and then blasts someone with a fireball. I like innate or divine force more than spells per say.

Also I use to let humans be quite oblivious, with other beings (such as the Fair Folk in my Daencyr stories) being magical instead. If a human knows some fragment of magic I let it be because they are "fae-touched" or something, off-spring of the Fair Folk.

[Donut]

In my stories, which I have written a few short ones, magic comes into play in weaponary. I will often times have the hero's sword become enchanted with a powerful magical attack.

[Sir Kohran]

I like to have magic few and far between, but when it does appear, it must be impressive and important. The whole idea of magic is to surprise us and defy our own rules; it must live up to that reputation.

[The Shadow Knight]

I actually just use magic by having wizards cast spells.

[Emp.Justinian]

I like a little bit of traditional lightning hurling wizards, but I also like to have certain instances where characters use magic by way of diine intervention. other than that magic is normally reserved for powerful weapons and evil creatures.

God's speed

Emp.Justinian

[smcginnis]

Well, so far, I haven't written more than two non-CC stories in the same style as each other. In some of my stuff, it's clearly fantasy despite the lack of non-human sentient species or magic. In others, I've got the usual spell casting wizards. Then there's what I call 'ancient magic,' or 'world magic;' these are nature forces that don't really have anything to do with humans, unless the latter are very 'tuned in'.

So, really, I use it in all kinds of ways, or none. Sorry for the rather unspecific answer.

~smcginnis

[Hob Took]

I like to refrain from using magic. I might put in a little something here or there, like a special sword, armor, piece of jewlery, a magic cat. Ok forget the cat, but I don't want to get into a debate over where the magic's energy source is, what it is, or how only special people get to use it. I want to put in a little, but not too much where people start think about it, because thinking is bad. It brings on headaches.

Hob Took

[LORD DOOM]

Well, I don't really have a whole lot of elaborate story-lines anymore.

But back in the day I had a slew of characters I envisioned.

There were some pretty intense plots that ran through my mind and occasionally onto paper.

At that time I DID use some magic, but it was always limited as to who, how and why it could be utilized.

My antagonist is usually a powerful magic user, or has one working under his thumb.

My protagonist would usually have a limited ability to use suitable magic under circumstances that made it necessary.

If my protagonist had a mentor of any sort he was usually the most potent of my magic using characters but because of his nature was soley devoted to only using it in constructive ways. In order to teach and guide the young protagonist.

Pretty basic crap. I do have ACTUAL stories and some of them differ from this formula but I always think it works good.

Magic should be used sparingly. Hence why for instance, ANIME cartoons where they over-use magic always become monotonous and boring very quickly even when the character interaction is at it's peak.

Anyway...now I'm just rambling. That answer your question?

[Prince Imdol]

In my story, The Chronicles of Monarth, Shadow Wars, there is a race of the Magi. In this race, they use magic, mainly using four elements. Fir Water, Earth and Air. In this one of the main characters (Halaclaw) is formed. He is a wizard of Nynawin and does not yet know how much power he is capible of using.
I do use quite a bit of magic in my story. In the main characters sword (Fredric) it has aquired the power to blast foes high into the air, and killing them.
Benjamin Fredric's brother has the powers of a Moon Knight which enables him to move much faster, and have many enhanced abilities.
I guess I do have a lot more in my story, (Healing, spells, ect...)
But I will save them for you to read.


P.I

[HeartOfDarkness]

My men have just accepted it as a force of nature that can be harnessed. It's a good excuse for anything resembling an electric appliance. Of course, some folks who have embedded themselves in the occult can use it themselves. Good guys (and smart bad guys) rarely have anything to do with using magic personally. To them, it's just a good way to lose your eternal soul.

("How is that siege engine thingy moving by itself?"
"Magic!")

[Escape The Fate]

I see alright thanks, but feel free to keep posting

[ottoatm]

It's a good question... I'd say that like several of the other posters, I tend to use magic in small supply, but with a greater significance when it does "show up". I like magic to be the mysterious, shrouded element in the story that comes to a head and surprises people, for either better or worse results to our hero(s).

[Quickblade22]

ILLUSION.... I trick myself into thinking I have this great story to share, that people will read, and then the spell fades and I'm left with nothing
Seriously though, I try to use a balance between the whole 'earthly magic' like Merlin and Gandalf, and the 'D&D type fantasy magic', which I'm more used to. Now that I've said that though, I'll probably go and write something that contridicts my answer. Thus we go back to the whole 'illusion' idea where I trick myself into believing what I said is true.

[venvorskar]

In my stories, there is no magic, but there is the power of teh Bwee (the teh is intentional). And there are no wizards, but there are Bwizards, who use the power of teh Bwee. Teh Bwee is more similar to the Force in Star Wars than actual magic. There are no spells, or anything like that, although I do have a few items like Bwegical swords and flying cars.