I’ve been meaning to ask, but how does magic work in the Guilty Gear-verse?
I discussed this more specifically in the Magic+Defined tag and Magic tag, but it might still be hard to visualize and process if you can’t fully picture it.
In simple terms it’s like a code language with functions that “tell things” to happen. A lot of the middle-work needed for most common spells is pre-written on objects like Instroments, even Zeal is its own kind of key function command, though it appears as liquid fuel.
On an even more basic level, it’s energy itself. Fire, Lightning, Water, Wind, Ki (Qi or Life Energy), Kinetics, Physics, etc. Even Sound is a kind of mixture of elements.
Most fundamental of all is Ki energy, which is what sustains life in the world, though beings like Gears and Demihumans (and Valentines) have a much higher capacity for Magic than most untrained Humans do. But it can also be said that a trained Sorcerer (Magic Arts user) is superhuman in and of themselves.
The key difference is how individuals tap in to their own Magic, increase it, and manifest it. Just like how Meditation can calm the mind and spirit, Breathing techniques and internal energy control can bring out the true potential, even of Humans.
It may be hard to visualize, but most active Gears have a sustained connection with the Backyard as an energy source, through their core, almost like a living rechargeable battery cell.
While Humans don’t have that constant connection, we have the ability to tap in to and harmonize with surrounding energy, and sometimes make it our own on an elemental level.
But even that surrounding energy comes from the Backyard space, it’s all part of what defines this world AND us as living beings.
It does, however, require a great deal of concentration, focus, and the capacity to visualize it. Just like Demihumans are born from Human Folklore and Fictional Tales, our Imagination is vital to establishing that link.
And it’s not something you can absolutely physically visualize, either. Often it comes in the form of sensing a change in the flow of things like circulation, pulse, or even just a warm or cool pressure when in proximity to things around you.
It’s also easier to visualize an element you most commonly associate yourself with. Your natural predisposition, habits, and environment in other words.
Water, for example, is an everyday necessity for living, even if we don’t always think about it, it’s also partially in the air we breathe to an extent. If we are in regular contact with it, it becomes much easier to visualize.
Of course, more energy-intensive elements are harder to establish a link with, particularly Fire and Lightning. But, with some safe preparation and prevention, we can also experiment with those elements too. Often users of those elements use Instroments as a medium or trigger for their Magic. Just like a Zippo Lighter can produce a spark and small flame.
For users of the Ki element, it is quite literally a mastery of the body they have to focus on. Not just strength, but senses and awareness, reflexive speed, and familiarity with various techniques and stance forms to bring out and optimize that power. Often a sword or various other weapons and tools are needed to bring out that potential.
Even things like Dreams and Strong Emotions can influence our internal state. That may sound obvious, but it has a stronger effect on the Backyard than even we are often aware of. It even has the power to harmonize with people around us we come in contact with or show concern for!
Sympathy, Empathy, “Reading the Air in the Room”, Love, Piety, are all very much a part of that. It’s also part of our instincts and senses.
In conclusion, it is in your common everyday experiences, things you touch and that surround you, even if you’re not always aware of it all.
