this post was submitted on 01 Apr 2026
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Im making a post after a nightmare I just had. I considered letting sleeping dogs lie, but if I damn my eternal soul, so be it /jk… or am I? hehe

So, entertain the thought for a moment: magic is real. You yes, you could do magic and put hexes and spells on people after some studying.

But without any organizational backing, that seems like a bad idea. Of course, big nation-states would have their own sorcerers and witches. So youd have to get organized, or you might get taken out by some ops unit or a rogue operative while youre binding a level 7 demonic entity.

What I’m saying is: if magic were real (and let’s just entertain it for worldbuilding purposes), the USA would 100% be practicing advanced, high-level magic through various organizations that serve it. And not just any magic, but the darkest kind human sacrifices, blood magic, ritual orgies, that type of stuff.

So, as someone whos always been curious about the paranormal and has a bunch of different magical tomes around the house, it seems very dangerous to practice magic alone without the backing of an organized movement, or at least a coven of like-minded people.

I dont think trying to put a spell on a US president, for example, would work just like that. There must be counterspells and powerful wards in place.

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[–] purpleworm@hexbear.net 6 points 1 week ago (2 children)

For worldbuilding purposes, yeah the US would do that stuff but it's kind of fantasyslop thinking to assume that because they are the bad guys their domain would overwhelmingly be Bad Guy Magic. If magic were real, it would require fewer assumptions to suppose that it's a tool like any other and not necessarily have a moral affinity. Nuclear weapons are easily among the most catastrophic inventions of humanity, but nuclear physics can also be used for power generation, treating cancer, dating rocks and fossils, etc. The real differences for a wealthy state-level actor are the ability to extensively study it in a scientific manner and experiment with it with very few limitations, and to use it on an industrial level.

This is, incidentally, why I think many people who claim to believe in non- or less-theurgical magic don't really believe it and know on some level that they are just doing roleplay, because there are so many implications of that belief in terms of replicability and the broader political/humanitarian salience of supernatural powers that they seem to just dismiss.

[–] Acute_Engles@hexbear.net 5 points 1 week ago

dating rocks and fossils

crush

[–] Moidialectica@hexbear.net 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

my biggest disappointment in fantasy and magic is when they don't follow it to the natural logical conclusions it brings and adapt accordingly for the world building they desire

[–] purpleworm@hexbear.net 2 points 1 week ago

Yeah, I feel that way a lot too.