magic.
Magic is woven into the very fabric of Holocene.
Because the living beings in Holocene are so connected with the rest of the world, magic comes as naturally to people as language. It’s something that children are trained to control from their earliest years, alongside walking and talking and learning to read.
Magic in Holocene is cast through art. Just like art - song, dance, painting, weaving - it’s an integral part of the culture and of self-expression. Magic in Holocene is also just as diverse as the art that creates it, and is unique to each person, almost like a signature.
Like all things in Holocene, magic relies on the interconnection of everything. On a more abstract level, art, as an act of creation, is almost like a prayer, offering, and celebration: by creating art, you are celebrating both an expression of individuality and honouring beauty in the world around you. The universe is unknowable but not unkind, and so it responds to those prayers by manifesting as magic. Magic is inherently a give and take between yourself and the larger tapestry you are a part of.
— art as magic
Magic is as diverse and individualized as art, and magic and art are deeply intertwined. It’s nearly impossible to have one without the other. Even the simple act of idly whistling your favourite tune is an act of magic, even if only in subtle ways. Maybe the sun feels a little warmer, or the colours on the flowers are a little brighter.
In fact, art as defined in Holocene is any form of creative self-expression or celebration. It can be more commonly-practiced forms of magic, such as song and dance, or things that are not as quickly thought of but no less important, such as storytelling or flower arranging.
The magic that each art can create not only depends on the caster, but also the medium, and takes on traits of that medium. For example, someone who casts magic through song will find that they can cast magic more instantaneously, but whose active effects wear off when the song ends. Even the type of instrument used to play the tune can effect how the magic manifests. Plucking strings might manifest the magic as vibrations that travel through the earth to shape boulders, or playing the flute might summon the north wind to aid in sailing. If someone casts through sculpting, the effects of their magic might reflect the art form and manifest in longer-lasting effects. Prosthetics carefully sculpted remain durable and lightweight for many years, and carvings left in stone may emit light centuries on.
Just like how anyone can learn any type of art, any being can learn any form of magic. And just like art is universally present and part of the human experience, so too is magic, at its basic level. Mastery, of course, takes many years of training and diligence in refining the craft and the spells, hand-in-hand. Often, the magics that people are adept at are the types they learned growing up through their culture, but with diligence and a curious mind, people can learn the ways of any form of casting. (Even the forbidden spatial magic, if you’re brave enough - or reckless enough - to try.)
spatial magic and rifts —
Spatial and temporal magic are both highly dangerous and taboo. There are many myths of people who have tried to control this magic, only to instead cause catastrophe. The legends say that misuse of this magic can level towns, forests, or even entire nations. These stories are told to children as a cautionary tale.
Some of ruins left behind by that ancient civilization seek to harness this magic. In some cases, it’s controlled, limited to gateways or windows that allow for instant travel across long distances. In the cases where the seals wear down or the magic breaches that containment, however, it can tear the fabric of space itself. These manifest as giant rifts that can split the sky and earth.
Once these rifts form, the reverberations can be devastating. Natural disasters intensify, the seasons are unpredictable, and sometimes, even strange creatures from far parts of the universe can crawl through these rifts to wreak havoc.
Angels can feel the places in the leylines that focus spatial magic, and can feel where these rifts tear them. Even for angels, spatial magic can be volatile and unpredictable, but they have a more innate understanding and drive to fix these rifts.
If left unchecked, the rifts can widen and fester. No one knows what happens if they become too large. It’s unlikely that anyone who has seen such a thing happen has lived to tell the tale.