forum Urban Magic

Started February 11, 2018 by Cheyenne

tune

I was looking into the idea of starting some modern/urban magic au world building for a story that I am working on. any tips on how to make that work?

Depends on if you want to write a masquerade or not! Do you want magic to be hidden from the world at large, with a minority knowing about it, or do you want it to be integrated so thoroughly into everyday life that your characters couldn't possibly think of a world without, say, the weird potion-seller in the bird mask that hangs around the bodega across the street - but only on tuesdays - or setting an alarm with magic to get up and set out offerings for fairies before work?

All I am doing is imagining one of those plague doctors from 1400's Florence selling potions. It is mildly terrifying so thanks for that. Yet its also intriguing. I think I was going a little for a half and half idea. Like the concept of magic is still widely known and coveted in the world, but there are things that are highly frowned upon and taboo about it too. like dragons for example. I kind of had the idea that dragons had to evolve into shape-shifters after the early centuries where they kept being hunted and killed. So after a time people stop believing they exist. Also the idea was there to have a character that ran an 'underground' clinic for magical creatures because human doctors refused the care of them because of a lack of understanding in the physiology/government refusal to insure them or adjust to the needs of some creatures/the oversight of the fact that magic can go lengths that modern medicine can't.

You're welcome! I aim to please lol. Your dragon idea sounds like it would have a lot of potential plots in it, especially getting around to the hows and whys of why they would evolve to become shapeshifters. Was shapeshifting natural to them to begin with, or was it bred in over hundreds of years? What do they shift into, you know? Humans? Other magical creatures?

The clinic idea also sounds super cool, especially if humans are the main "species" and everything else has to adapt to life around them. You could also peer into how having access to magic would change modern medicine - especially if it's a highly coveted art.

I actually got the universe started, but the main idea I think was that they had the ability to shapeshift to begin with but it wasn't necessary so it was a selective trait up until a certain point in the history where as a defense it evolved to something the entire race could do rather than being a recessive type gene. Magic is actually separated into 4 parts in this universe. Learned magic (spellwork, potions etc.), element based magics (born magic things like fae, elemental witches, gods fall in here), psych based magics (psychics, oracles, dream travelers those types of things), and kinetic magic (telekinesis, gravity manipulation, energy field manipulation those types of things.)

I like what I'm reading above, looks interesting. :D Any other help you want with urban magic, or you good?

I am more than willing to take any help given. so if you have suggestions I'm all ears.

Okay cool. Well with the information you've given so far, I don't really have anything to critique. Is the plot going to have some sort of end game involving a "war" with these shapeshifting dragons?

I haven't gotten that far. I mean the initial idea was based off a prompt I found that said something about being a veterinarian for dragons. It was kind of like that one die hard quote where the guy's like "do this one little job,' they said. 'It'll be fun," they said." so I got to thinking of this idea where a woman who runs kind of an underground clinic for supernatural creatures humanoid and otherwise. and one day her friend or someone she knows asks for her help and then she's introduced to these seven people who turn out to be what they think are the last dragons.

Oh okay, well it sounds awesome so far. I'd love to hear what else you come up with.

Go watch The Last Unicorn, it will inspire your idea of a mythical creature turning human and the struggles of it. It's a cartoon, but it has a really cool concept of what could happen to mythical creatures when dealing with humanity. I could literally give you a whole analysis on every aspect of the movie, but I suggest you watch it first.

I think I saw it a couple times when I was a little kid but it may definitely be worth a rewatch if it could help.

My favorite lines in the movie were said by Molly- "Where were you twenty years ago? Ten years ago? Where were you when I was new? When I was one of those innocent young maidens you always come to? How dare you! How dare you come to me now, when I am this!" She said this because it was tradition that a woman sang to unicorns to prove she was a virgin in order to be married off, but when Molly sang the song there was no sign of any unicorn. Thus her father disowned her and she lived a life of poverty and loneliness. This could be potentially used in your story where a character was in need of a dragon's presence but didn't receive it.

that's actually an interesting idea. right now for the world I have built I only have three of my characters and none of them are the dragons (go figure.) but the twins could definitely have used a saving grace at some point whether it was dragons or otherwise.

If you ever end up writing a story based on this, please let me know, it sounds fascinating

Likewise the concept has already captured my attention!

OH MY GLOB I LOVE THE CONCEPT OF URBAN MAGIC I HAVE LIKE 5 UNIVERSES BASED OFF OF IT (although not all on Notebook.ai since I don' have premium) LIKE, IMAGINE MODERN WITCHES BUYING HERBS FROM THE GARDEN SHOP AND USING HOROSCOPE APPS ON THEIR PHONES AND CHARMING THEIR KEYS WITH A SPELL SO THAT THEY NEVER GET LOST sorry I just get really excited about this thing lol.

ALSO GENIES RUNNING THE LOTTERY AND IF YOU WIN YOU GET THREE WISHES, OR HAVING POTIONS CLASS INSTEAD OF CHEMISTRY IN HIGH SCHOOL AND CYCLOPS CITIZENS HAVING TROUBLE FINDING STORES THAT SELL GLASSES WITH JUST ONE LENS AND OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

cool dragon idea btw!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

Do you have any stories available that we can read then?

I have an ao3 account but most of the work there is unfinished and some of it i am in the process of fixing or changing around so it isn't great

Whenever I think of urban magic, I immediately think of magic working with things found in the city. Obviously, you've got your baseball bats wrapped with magic roots and covered in sigils, but I enjoy the idea that Infamous 2 runs with. Rather than taking the train, just move through the power lines as a miniature bolt of lightning, or hovering around using smoke from factories or apartments. Clubs with their main acts being guys in the middle of the stage using the neon lights to create a light show, or they leave a streaky trail of colors when they dance. Underground fighting rings with bruisers decked in concrete, slugging it out round after round, chipping away at their armor until one of them falls.

I haven't even PLAYED Infamous and I love the idea so much!

Durarara? That's what I'm picking up from all this.

when I think of urban magic, I usually think of technology too, because we dont even know where the tech will lead us but in some movies or books, tech seems so close of magic that I like to think it will slowly brings us to a word of magic.. haha im still a little child that wants magic to be real

Hey, I don't know if it will help but maybe having a dragon system like that in Breath of Fire 3 would help. They have different 'genes' they can collect and those genes can be combined to create different dragon forms. However, maybe having the dragons have one gene already and finding other hidden genes (in the form of small colorful eggs about a centimeter large that are shaped like chicken eggs.) and using them to combine with their natural power.

Why doesn’t this site have the ability to give likes this whole thread is gold