Re: Re: RE:Common Magic for kids

From: Alex Ferguson <abf_at_...>
Date: Tue, 7 Oct 2003 19:02:04 +0100


On Tue, Oct 07, 2003 at 10:52:18AM -0700, Andrew Solovay wrote:
> Gerald Bosch <gbosch_at_...> wrote:
> > I think some of the common magic abilities are things people just
> > manifest without any training at all. Some people just have a "gift"
> > for doing certain things.
>
> Aye-- I think talents could just show up spontaneously.

Definitely, thirded. One could tie oneself in knots about this stuff about whether a given ability is magic per se (everything is magic; apart, of course, from p*m* p*rs*n shapechanging...), but this certainly fits *my* conception of 'natural/inherent/inheritted' abilities.

> On top of that, I think children could teach each other simple spells (the
> "hide from parents" spell might be solemnly passed down from one child to
> the next through the ages), or be given charms by their family (a fisherman
> might make sure his children had "swim" or "hold breath" charms). I'd think
> children would have some common magic, even if not very much.

I'm not so sure about solemnly. ;-) But yes, that seems again to be the most natural, the most entertaining, and the most gameable take. _Initiation_ is reserved for (and indeed defines) adults, but that doesn't mean for me that all magical activity in the broadest sense is. (And yes, I'd class it as common magic, to answer the original point.)

Cheers,
Alex.

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