Benedict Jacka

From: Apollo

Hi Luna. Sorry about these extra questions. I know you hate separate questions so I’ll try to keep them short. If you don’t have the time leave these questions till later

Are mages naturally mentally unstable or does magic (or mage society) lead to mental problems? Journeymen and Apprentices unless they are dark mages rarely have these problems while most senior mages seem to be little unhinged. Even Alex has some trust issues but thats understandable.

Now that’s a creepy thought. I’ve never made that connection but it would be really, really scary if it was true, given how much power the older mages have.

Sorry if I word this badly. Lets call what a mage can do, magical potential. Does power (I have more possible powers/ a bigger fireball than you power) and skill factor into magical potential? Here are some examples: You have a very powerful curse but little skill when it comes to controlling it (at least compared to what chance mages can do). But it gives you powerful protection. Alex is a weak mage but for that is very experienced and skilled at divination. He hasn’t got as much protection as you but has far greater utility. Anne is a very powerful and skilled life mage. She has the potential to turn into one of the worlds nastiest mages being able to survive bullets and take life.

I . . . think so? Power helps, skill helps. Though I’m starting to think that being smart ends up mattering more than either.

Last short question. When mages make a team do they normally try to find an ally who works well in conjunction with their power (Fire and Air, Water and Earth, etc) or do they just pick the best mage for the job?

Again thanks for the time and effort.

I think they usually pick the ones they know best and trust the most. Mages don’t worry about picking the right magic type, they worry that if they let someone get close to them then that someone is going to put a knife in their back (figuratively for Light mages, literally for Dark ones).

From: Elana

Dear Luna,
Has anyone thought of putting together one of those online personality quizzes that tell you what type of mage you would be?

Looks like! A quick Google search turned this up. Haven’t tried it personally!

From: Nepene

Heya Luna. I’ve enjoyed your previous answers and had more questions.

1. What other worlds do you know about? I mean other ones that people can access magically that aren’t bubbles or shadow worlds. I’m curious where a certain Dark Mage may have gone visiting and what you and Verus will be facing.

If you mean real other worlds, as in parallel universes, I think there was supposed to be one a long time ago called Alata. It was a mirror world that could be reached with gate magic, but something happened and the connection got cut off. I think it ties in with some of the big wars from back then. Since then it’s been bubbles and shadow realms only as far as world-to-world travel goes.

Would it be possible for you to use your sway to get a encyclopedia entry or several on them? Elsewhere, wherever the Gate Rune went to, wherever the precursors got their magic, where magic creatures come from, whatever the magic academia knows about. I’m very curious about them.

Hope you’re not expecting all those at once. I’ll see what I can do, but I’ve got a few other things on the list first.

From: Gordon

Hi, Luna. So I have a question. Might be considered a few questions actually. It sounds like it’s very unusual for an adept to become an apprentice to a full mage. Are there any adepts in the apprentice program with you? Have any taken the journeyman tests and actually succeeded? I’m also kind of curious how the tests would even apply to an adept, since they’re probably geared towards mages. You still won’t be have the abilities of a full mage when you graduate, so what exactly would change in he grand scale of things? Ok, that was definitely more than one question…

In a way it kind of is just one question. It’s a big question, though, especially for me.

Officially, the Light apprentice program is for mages. As in, only mages. Thing is, though, the difference between mages and adepts isn’t as clear-cut as a lot of mages make it out to be. An adept’s supposed to only be able to use magic in one way – but what if you figure out how to make that do a lot of different things? Mages have tried to come up with lots of definitions, but they always end up either cutting out people they don’t want to cut out or letting in ones they don’t want to let in. So the way it works in practice tends to be that if you can keep up, you can stick around.

So it’s hard to be sure if there are other adepts in the program with me, because the last thing they’re going to do is SAY they’re adepts. They’re just going to say they’re mages who specialise. There are a few who I’m pretty sure are in the same boat as I am, but it’s something you’re careful about saying out loud.

As for the journeyman tests . . . that’s a whole other problem. I’ll worry about it when it comes.

From: Gordon

Hi, Luna. It’s me again. I know that you’re a busy gal, so I’ll try to keep this short.

1) Does magic usage differ from region to region? Are there different “traditions” of magic in Europe, Africa and Asia? For instance, the idea of there being different elements is very common in Europe and Asia, but I have a harder time seeing it from an African stand point. I wonder if the type of culture that a person grows up in influences how magic develops.

More or less. I’m not sure if basic magical abilities are any different, but the way they’re developed and the spells that get used change a lot from one place to another. Chinese mages use a different element set to British and American ones, and South American mages use a weird mix of elements and something else.

2) It sounds like Alex have a bit of a soft spot for how sensitives and adepts are treated mage society. Is it likely that he’ll start trying to help more of them or even take them under his wing, the way that he sort of did with you?

He already does, kind of. It’s what he uses the shop for. A lot of the time when sensitives and adepts drop by, they aren’t really looking to buy stuff, they’re looking for advice.

He hasn’t shown any signs of taking any others on as apprentices, though, which I’m glad about. Kind of selfish, I guess, but I wouldn’t like him to split his time between training me and someone else.

From: Yolani Perera

Hey Luna,
I found “Fated” at the library and fell in love with the series… Where can I buy the other books(hard copies)? The library won’t be updating their collection anytime soon-I asked-and online stores don’t ship to Sri Lanka(where I live)…
Please help!!
Thanks 🙂

Uh . . . second hand stores? Ebooks? I don’t know much about shopping in Sri Lanka, sorry.

From: Apollo

Hi Luna. Sorry if I spam questions this week but I’m naturally whimsical. I guessed you hate single questions from last weeks posts

What gave it away?

and I will try to not to do this and be clearer than last time. Feel free to split these up between multiple Ask Lunas if they are a bit much.

You mentioned focuses previously but not in detail. Are they like a magnifying glass: in that they can focus power (light) and change it‘s type (putting a coloured filter over it)? Do they have a limit on how much they can change the magic? Fire to Earth perhaps but not to Divination or Chance?

The magnifying glass thing is pretty close. You put in magical energy of one type, and it changes it to a specific type and spell. Focuses are generally weaker than a mage who can use that type of magic naturally, though, and they have some really annoying catches, like the fact that nearly all the important variables of the spell get locked in by the focus creator. So a gate focus will always take you to the same destination, a fire focus will always produce the same kind of heat in the same direction, and so on. I’ve gotten pretty good with my whip, but I have trouble with the general-use ones.

P.S: Force Magic has been hinted to be widely accessible by other focus users. Is this true?

First I’ve heard of it. Could be.

Can you tell me a little about Wood Mages? No offence intended but their apparent powers seem to limit their utility massively. They are certainly useful but are only so in certain situations. I presume they can warp wood, shrink it , grow it, so on but can they do anything else? Perhaps you can mention signature spell like a Fire Mage’s fireball or Space Mage’s teleport?

No clue, sorry. Wood magic is kind of obscure over here, you mostly get them in China and the countries around that part of the world. There’s a bunch of classes in the program that cover it but I didn’t take them.

Out of curiosity is there a mage who can command nature? Similar to Radagast the Brown but more magical? (If you don‘t know Radagast then go out, treat yourself to the Hobbit DVD/Blueray, and preferably watch the Lord of the Rings before it and watch 10 hours of Tolkienesque glory) (Or just Wikipedia). Would that come under a Mind/Life Mage Hybrid?

I . . . guess? I know about mages who can do all of those things individually, but I don’t think I’ve seen one who can do all of them together in that specific way. I think some of the old druidic traditions were supposed to go in for that kind of thing.

(And yeah, I’ve seen the movies. I thought the Lord of the Rings ones were much better than the one with the rabbit-mage guy.)

Gravity Mages sound awesome. Do they just control weight, such making things float/tear themselves apart and things heavier/crush themselves, or do they have any other tricks up their sleeves.

Yes, and yes.

Final question: Magic seems to be the ultimate lottery. You either get it or you don’t. Then your abilities and field are completely random as well. Sure some are more rare than others and so on but mostly it’s sheer luck. But it seems to be that the odds of being magic improve if you come from a dynasty. Do dynasties share the same type of magic too (like the Abuchons all being Spacial Mages)?

Thanks for taking the time and effort.

Kind of. Dynasties tend to get a reputation for being one family of magic, or one or two types, so there’s definitely a tendency that way. There’s no guarantee, though – you’re more likely to be a mage if your parents are mages, but I think the odds are still against it. Dynasties usually don’t last that long, because sooner or later there’s a generation where all the kids come up as normals or sensitives, and the line fades out until someone appears X many decades later who’s a descendant (or says they are).

From: Larry

So after reading Chosen seems there maybe something going on between Anne and Alex? He was pretty upset at the end of the book. My wife and I were thinking he would end up with you…

If you’re talking about what happened last year with the Nightstalkers, then I don’t think Anne and Alex were exactly getting on afterwards. More like the opposite.

And I’m not sure I’m going to end up with anyone, which is something I avoid thinking about.

From: Amba Wade

Will there be a Alex Verus/ Harry Dresden collaboration piece?

I keep telling you guys, I have no idea who this Harry Dresden guy is. You’re going to have to give me some details here.

From: Dan

Hey Luna, can space Mages create shields? and can life Mages use focus weapons to increase their death touch range? Thats all thanks.

No, and no.  

From: Dan

Sorry one more thing,could we have an Encyclopaedia entry on Mage power, what affects it, what limits it and how it can be made stronger.

That’s kind of a vague question.  ‘Power’ can mean a lot of things.  Generally it’s just like strength in any other area – what you start with is a lottery, but you can train it up with work and practice.  

From: Dan

Hey Luna I have another question I hope its not a silly one? You have said that other chance Mages can negate your curse’s effects, could a probability Mage also negate the effects by seeing when they’re going to be hurt and avoiding it.

A probability mage can negate just about any attack, in theory.  Doesn’t always work that way in practice – just because you can see something coming doesn’t necessarily mean that you can do anything about it.   

From: Dan

Dude.  Just put your questions in ONE email.  This is all going to my email account you know.

Hey I have another question about space magic. Do you know what a Space Mage can see? I mean Fire Mages can see infrared and Divination Mages see the future but what do space Mages see? 

Space mages see the same thing as everyone else, but they can shift their point of vision.  It’s called scrying.

By the way I think that space magic is the most interesting and useful magic. What do you think Luna? 😉

You have a thing for space magic?  Gosh, I hadn’t noticed. 

From: Dan

One last question about Space Mages (I think). 

What a surprise.

Can space Mages create miniature black holes? (Here’s the Wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro_black_hole?vm=r&s=1) 

If so this would give them the ability to basically create nuclear explosions of almost any size. Making them the most potentially destructive of all magic types.

What is it with some guys and wanting to blow everything up?

Okay, just out of morbid curiosity, I actually skimmed that article.  Here are the bits that jumped out at me:   

“hypothetical”
“minimum energy is 10¹⁹ GeV”
“far beyond the limits of any current technology”

Now I’m no scientist, but to me that sounds a lot like “no, you can’t have one”.  The fact that the UK doesn’t get blown up on a regular basis by nuclear explosions whenever mages get into an argument could also be taken as kind of a hint.  

From: Dan

Luna if you have the time could we please have an encyclopaedia entry on each of the more common hybrid types. Ice, Storm, Snow and Shape Shifting would be great. Thanks 🙂

Sure, I’ll pull them up right now . . . oh wait, I can’t, because I’m spending all my time answering your questions.  

From: Dan

Hey luna, sorry for bogging up your Inbox but this has been on my mind. Is there anything that is resistant to magic? That negates magic or cannot be affected by it?

If you’re looking for something really resistant, your capacity to take hints might be a good place to start.  Doesn’t look like anything’s getting through that.

From: Claire

I just realised the other day on my way to work that Morden (the evil villain who kidnapped Alex, threatened everyone with a slow and painful death and was generally a bit of a bad egg) shares his name with a station on the Northern Line. I realise this doesn’t actually count as a question but I just thought I’d point it out. Did anyone else notice that? Maybe his parents decided to do that thing where they name the child after where it was conceived, or maybe they just didn’t like him very much. Either way it can’t have made school very easy, that’s probably why he became a raging psychopath!  I know I’ve probably wasted a question but, hey, if it means that I’ve managed to make a complete psycho feel slightly uncomfortable then surely it’s worth it.

While the idea of a tiny little six-year-old Morden crying in the playground because the other kids were bullying him about his name is hilarious, I’m going to have to burst your bubble.  Mages take a new name when they hit journeyman status (if they’re Light) or get Chosen (if they’re Dark).  They pick the name themselves, so it’s a pretty safe bet that Morden’s called Morden because he wants to be.  

Dark mages tend to be touchy about their names – they do not like getting called by their birth name.  Alex told me a story about someone last year who decided to call Deleo by her first name when she was in a bad mood, and it really didn’t end well.