[Nebula 3, morning] Nothing ventured...

[gathersnomoss]

[Normally Zelgadis keeps the camera off when using the ICP. Today he's not doing so.]

Since missions seem to come around every month, I wanted to get this out of the way before we end up on some strange new place, but after the train picked up new passengers.

I want to talk magic. And I don't mean everyone's weird powers, but the sort where you learn and cast spells. Because it occurs to me that it might be possible for one person to replicate another world's spells using their own magical framework. Well, not impossible. Worth testing.

If that's interesting to you, I'll be in the library for most of today, but I can hear the ICP. Might help to hash out the theory before we experiment.

[Zelgadis looks like he's about to end the message, and hesitates a moment.]

Also, it might be worth discussing what limits there are on magic. I know what sorcerers in my world consider difficult problems, but not if those are universal.

[another hesitation]

I have a particular interest in magic used to transform. It's not something I've had much luck with in my own world.

[This time he does end the message posting. He doesn't want to publicly ask straight out. Well, not yet. He's not feeling desperate yet. But he has to know, and if this also turns out something everyone finds useful, so much the better.]

Comments

[gathersnomoss]

What my world calls shamanism. We use the power in the five elements to manipulate them. I know a bit of the other sorts as well. Most sorcerers have to specialize a bit.

[blitzcheer]

Ohh. [ ...hmm, so-? ] So... fire's one of them, right? And if someone lit a fire, you could use it?

[gathersnomoss]

Fire is easy enough to call up on its own. Heat is everywhere. Air is the same way, and so is electricity. Water and earth are trickier, but there's usually enough water vapor in the air for most water and ice spells. And some ice spells just work by cooling what exists, rather than creating ice.

[blitzcheer]

Ohhh, [ for the second time, ] I get it! I think a guy here used something like that. He told me he dried his clothes by using what's in the air.

... Uh. Something like that. [ It sounds weird repeating it, and not he's not so sure he understood Casper right. But it sounds the same? ]

Where I learned magic, they use the energy already around and turn that into the spell. Doesn't matter what it is. But the woman who helped teach me, Lulu, she knew how to use elements in magic. They call it 'black' magic.

[gathersnomoss]

[Zelgadis frowns] That's not what we call black magic. Black magic is something different.

[blitzcheer]

What's it for you?

[gathersnomoss]

Calling on the forces of destruction from our world, whether it is a specific being or just in general. It's not evil, per se, but you can't do much with it except destroy things.

[blitzcheer]

Uhhh... yeah, we don't have anything like that. [ ...well. ] I mean, there's summoners, but they just summon. And the one I knew learned healing, protection magic with it. White magic.

[ So, the 'in general' wasn't under the same umbrella. ]

[gathersnomoss]

Summoning is its own thing. Most black magic is just drawing some of the power of a being into a spell without bringing the being itself to you. Energy without intent or personality is dangerous enough.

[Given Zelgadis has seen both the Dark Lord Shabranigdo and the spell that calls on his power, he can make a comparison.]

But white magic sounds like it's the same as what we call white magic.

[blitzcheer]

Hmm... it doesn't sound the same, but when they summon in Spira, you're not bringing anyone to you. It's kinda... they had these people in stone, and they prayed to them, and they'd lend them their strength, in the forms of beings called 'aeons'.

[ He's gestured a little, motioning to the side at the speak of 'people in stone', as if gesturing to one there. ]

They're not emotionless, but that sounds kinda like what black magic summoning is for you guys?

[gathersnomoss]

[Zelgadis shakes his head] I

t's not even that clear. More like, borrowing a bucket of their power for a spell. It's not my area of specialty, so I couldn't tell you why one spell might call on Chaos Dragon Gaav and a different one calls on Dynast Grausherra, but to a non-spellcaster, it doesn't look that much different than casting a Fireball.

[blitzcheer]

Huh. Well. [ Similar, but not so similar. ]

Soo, you wanted to try learning, like... spells from another world? I guess learning how to cast 'water' wouldn't be interesting when you can already do that your own way.

[gathersnomoss]

Right. Though some of the theory might be interesting if they are getting the water a different way than I do. I'm not much of a magical theorist, but I've had friends who have invented their own spells.

[blitzcheer]

What I told you's the basic of how we do it where I'm from. Uhh, but I'm not really well-learned... I had to learn it on the road. And there was always a lot of magic around?

[ He waves his hands, as if...motioning to magic being around. ]

You could see it! Well, things that react to magic. And death. Oh, but there's a book for magic potions I got that might have something in there?

[gathersnomoss]

That does sound useful. I don't know a thing about potions.

[blitzcheer]

Same thing! Still don't. [ Heh heh. ] It's in the medcar if you grab it before I do. Hand-bound, doesn't look like most of the books in here.

[ Which are far more 'modern'. ]

[gathersnomoss]

Thanks. I can't promise I'll make any more sense of it than you do, but reading would be nice.

[blitzcheer]

Sure. Sounds like you're ready to get down to learning some stuff too. How about we do a trade? I'll buy you a book on magic where I'm from, annnd you buy me a magazine back? Or a photobook. I really want to see pictures of seas and beaches.

[ And this would be the book already available on the train, on potions. which isn't a canon thing but has to exist. Praise Yevon. ]

[gathersnomoss]

I can do that.