If someone was talking to you casually and they said that
some character in a relatively recent book, comic, game, or movie used “magic”,
what would you think you know about that character, without any further
information? I don’t think you’d know any more than this: said character uses
means apparently unrelated to his ends to achieve them. In addition,
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| Magic... |
those ends
may be impossible under conventional circumstances. Really, that’s it; after
the countless fictional worlds containing countless variations on the theme,
that is the dry and general, basic understanding of magic we are left with.
Does the character make grim bargains with other-worldly spirits? Does the
character tap into an invisible force and bend it to his will? Is there no
explanation whatsoever? To know that, knowing it was “magic” isn't enough.
