More Aged Up first years AU postings (Co created by @violenteconomics) because I am strange!
Do you ever think about how in the Twisted universe unique magics -as cool as they are- are probably not that applicable or useful to most daily life because of how combat focused and difficult they are to master in the first place?
And do you ever think about how without the resources and circumstances specific to NRC most of the first years would have never discovered or understood their unique magics completely?
How would the people they turn into without the influence of each other and the school affect their incomplete perspective on their magic and vice versa?
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Well while the nature of all their magic stays the same, without the events of book 7 Ace’s UM wouldn’t have even been discovered in the first place.
But if we suppose he does accidentally discover it (maybe during an argument gone south with another mage or something) I don’t think it would be all that strong or reliable.
Without the stable income nor the mindset needed to seek out education Ace wouldn’t have been able to improve upon it or even practice much.
And in the event, he does use it the magic is a last resort, applied without flare or wonder. Because this version of Ace is intimately familiar with the concept of impermanence. He is used compromises and mediocrity. And he believes the same goes with his magic.
It doesn’t have to be great; it just has to be enough. Enough to get him out of a pickle, enough to turn the tide, enough to distract.
Because of all those reasons this version of Ace’s UM would be "Jack of All Trades".
A skill that lets him borrow only a fraction of another person’s magic, but in return lets him keep multiple borrowed spells as backup in the form of a card for a longer period of time.
(“Jack of all trades, master of none” isn’t that just so funny for the person he’s become. He’s too much for anybody to stand, yet too little to be anything at all.)
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In the case of Deuce, his unique magic would have been neglected even if he did manage to discover it. Not only caused by the circumstances of his life and work, but also his issues with himself.
This version of Deuce never got the quality that NRC provided and his work as Riddle's assistant leads to him prioritizing magic for the medical field. Those factors in tandem leading to a natural degradation of skills not deemed "useful".
But this version of Deuce can't see that. What he sees is just another symptom of his own incompetence. One in a long chain of failures in trying to live up to the expectations of those around him (and ultimately himself.)
A fault he thinks is unfixable, and in a situation as demanding as his it might as well be. So, all he can do is bear with what he has now and try to make that enough, no matter how it harms him.
Therefore, his UM is called "Eye for An Eye".
Similar to his canonical signature spell it allows him to counter spells with magic of the same strength, but his version of it is incomplete.
While the strength remains the same, other aspects like accuracy, speed, and stability become more unpredictable the stronger the spell is, often resulting in other targets (Deuce included) being affected as well.
("Eye for An Eye" what a crass name. What better to be a remnant of his own failure he cannot outrun. A past he keeps trying to "get back at" for what it did to him. Yet, like all revenges, only leaves him tired and hurts those around him.)
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Jack's signature spell, however, is a more difficult matter as he already had it before the events of the story. But it would see less and less use the older he gets.
We've all seen the comments, the jokes -even if they are unserious- about how cringy Jack's UM can be. Even if Jack doesn't see it that way others like his coworkers definitely will. They will see his magic and call it overly flashy and cumbersome. That, in combination with the restrictions that adult life brings, will make it so that he won't be able or willing to upkeep it.
To this version of Jack who has grown to be just another adult, another part of the system. Another cog that's just floating along without complaint, forced into a mold of what "maturity" is supposed to be, his unique magic is just another embarrassing symbol of his immature nature he can't shake off.
Something minimized into a party trick at best and a guilty pleasure at worse.
And so, he simply calls his UM "Unleash".
It allows him to transform himself into a wolf... partially. He can pick what parts and how many parts of his body to alter, but the more he selects the harder is it for him to hold his form and the less time he can do it for.
If he wants to turn fully it requires him to focus completely and even if he is successful, the magic only lasts for a few minutes at best.
("Unleash"... what a stupid name. It reeks like something out of a teen metal album. It grates like cheesy superhero shows that always have a happy ending. He should get rid of it. Yet, he can't. Because what does a dog want more than anything than to be unleashed and free?)
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Epel, similarly, is an interesting case. His spell is not particularly aggressive nor is it truly useful for the daily life he is leads in most cases. However, the person he becomes still leads it to be used in one very specific way.
Being one of Vil's carriers would mean he would rely on rudimentary magic more: flight to move around quicker, levitation to move objects, so on and so forth. In other words, magic for the express purpose of making the process of filming and shooting more efficient. So, while Epel's UM can be used as a barrier its inaccuracy and effect of forcing people to sleep makes it unfit for work.
Not only that Epel's lack of proper training and opportunity in this universe would make it even weaker, even less accurate if he ever tried to aim anywhere, but at his own feet.
However, this version of Epel is obstinate and confrontational. The way he was treated by others lead him to treat them in what he thinks is the same way, with a willful ignorance of everything he doesn't like. To put himself to sleep just to block them out.
So, his signature spell ends up being "Glass Tomb".
His spell allows him to put himself into a glass barrier at the cost of being slowly put to sleep the longer he has it up. The strength of the barrier is determined by his own will power.
("Glass Tomb" how ironic despite everything the one whose dead is you. A miserable existence just to prove a point. An uncomfortable, lonely cage that he chooses to never leave. Better to stick to the anger you know than the unknown you don't.)
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Ortho, technically, doesn't have a unique magic. The ability he does have is an extension of his nature as a technomantic soul. As a result, what it can and can't do is an expression of what Ortho believes he can and can't do.
Therefore, his UM (as I am calling it for the sake of simplicity) is one of the most well developed and versatile of the cast, but it still is limited in one very important way.
This version of Ortho, on a technical level, is vastly superior as a humanoid. He has been upgraded time and time again, tweaked and polished by the best engineer of their generation routinely. Yet, that is precisely the reason he is restricted.
Ortho can only change though the hands of someone else. Someone who loves him dearly, yes, but someone who can't truly understand him for him. He does not have the autonomy to choose who he wants to be. In the eyes of all he is only the extension of his brother. A belief he has internalized.
So, his signature spell is now called "River of Data".
It allows him to use radio waves to transfer his consciousness to any form of technology and even follow its path of electricity to other devices. However, he can't alter any of it. He can only see what the coding is.
("River of Data" so fitting for someone so lost to the currents of fate, so pliant to wherever the streams take him. Someone who wants nothing more than to leave yet doesn't.)
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Sebek's signature spell is another case of a spell discovered before the events of the story but, compared to the rest of the first years, he does have the incentive and the resources to develop it. What that development means, however, is different story.
Sebek is already someone that holds himself to a high standard. Not getting into NRC and the expectations that come with knighthood only heightens that to its extreme. He would use all that he was given, give all that he was just to prove himself worthy.
But despite how hard he tries that standard of "worthiness" was never something he could ever achieve simply because the world around him, the court of Briar Valley, and even himself have judged him lesser because of his humanity. Which creates just another reason for him to be stricter with himself.
This Sebek can only see one version of himself that is worthy. He can only strive to be one thing. He can only imagine power in one way. The combination of those factors creating a spell that is exceptional, but extremely limited
Therefore, his UM would be called "Lightning Armor"
As the name suggests, it allows him to turn his body into lightning. In this state, any damage he sustains will be null as the lightning will always return to his original body shape. However, for those same reasons, he cannot manipulate the lightning in any way either; moving, lowering the voltage, jumping across surfaces.
("Lightning Armor" what a pathetic name. A knight who can do nothing but hide behind a flashy title and a half-made purpose no one needed him to fill, too cowardly to even face himself, stuck in a prison of his own making.)
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I hope y'all enjoyed this reading :D I am still a bit unsatisfied with a few of their UM names so if you have any good suggestions feel free to tell me!
