Nerdy Vixen Right Now

Fixed that ask link. Thanks, anon!

 
That is one helluva question…or several. I’ll do my best to answer them!

Magic in this world is done by blood. It doesn’t work unless people add some of their blood to however they do the spell, and the one taboo is using someone else’s blood. Sometimes people do, but that kind of magic, vampire magic, corrupts. It changes people, makes them into worse versions of themselves, and it doesn’t stay quiet. The taboo is so strong that most will never venture into it, and the pressure to maintain the masquerade of normalcy is such that magic that big would not often happen. When it does spring up, vampire mages have a way of…disappearing. The mob family is considered the likely source of justice, but the magic community largely takes care of its own. Justice like that is dispensed on a higher level out of the public eye; John Doe is not going to have any inkling of how it plays out.

Magic is largely genetic. The true nature of it is relatively unknown, but it appears to be that most everyone has the potential to do it; it is just locked away, so to speak. There are few true Muggles, if you will; pretty much everyone is a wizard or a Squib, though the mundies live in ignorance of blood magic. The unlocked magic runs mostly in families, though it will sprout up now and again in random individuals. Once a person realizes they can do it, they tend to seek out a teacher or are sought out by the community. From there, the ability is refined.

One way to tell a magician’s class or background is actually to watch how they get their blood for spellwork. Those in lower class families who do more blue collar jobs will prick fingers or thumbs to get just enough blood to do small, personal spells. They’ll tend to do things to keep the energy bill low, to keep their shoes from wearing out, to stop their knees from hurting so badly at the end of the day. Middle class families who can afford to take some time off work will produce magicians who can slice open the pad of their thumb or use knives or razor blades to get more blood and do larger spells; they may put glamors on things, use spells that improve their physical appearance, or do magic that enhances their natural abilities. Truly upper class families are not above slicing open a palm to get blood; they can afford the aftercare and the time off work, and their spells are bigger, more frivolous, and ultimately more powerful.

Ooh, probably Marty.

Marty is a drunken Eeyore of a man with some anger problems, raised by his grandmother after his parents kind of just…buggered off. He has a secret love of antiquing and also a failed marriage and a half. His excellent biceps probably are what keep bringing the ladies back, but his problem with emotional availability doesn’t make them stay.