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general world information
✪ Urban fantasy meets historical fiction!
✪ Real magic exists, but the practice itself is hidden and comparatively rare – in theory, anyone could become a magic user, in practice, to get just about anywhere with magic, one would need to first find a skilled instructor and then get that person to actually teach.
✪ The bigger the city, the more likely there is a more active community of magic users, shifters, and magical beings –– think of it like a hobby. You're more likely to have an anime club in a school with thousands of students than you are to have one in a hundred-soul-village.
✪ Superstitions are, however, also alive and well – there's a lot of day-to-day pseudo-magic, especially in rural places – think stuff like making wreaths from birch branches to protect one's home from evil spirits. It works, because the spirits are, in fact, avoiding birch trees, but it's not magic in the same sense as, say, making plants grow or using one's powers to heal.
✪ As is in accord with actual historical 1820s Ireland, the Catholic church is trying to crack down on practices that are perceived as 'pagan' – such as celebrations around bonfires, dancing at crossroads, etc – even though they've become tightly interlaced with the Catholic faith in rural Irish villages. As in discord with actual historical fiction, friendly neighbour magical beings such as Flora are deeply worried about being excluded from the faith or chased from 'her' village by virtue of being... somewhat magical in nature.
✪ Shapeshifting, such as Flora can do it, is essentially a rare genetic anomaly – while Flora theorises that she would be very likely to pass it on to any children she might have, it's actually quite unlikely, unless her partner is also a shifter (and even then, it's not a guarantee for shifter-children).
✪ That's also the difference between shifters and were-creatures – a shifter's born with the genetic disposition to change shape at will, a werewolf is cursed or infected and has no control over when they turn, and doesn't have control over their body while they're in animal shape.
✪ Most of this, Flora simply isn't aware of: she just barely knows how to read, she doesn't have the means to travel, 'I can do magic' isn't a common topic between strangers. She firmly believes there are others like her out there, she's a harmony-driven being who wants to be part of a community that understands her – but she's got no clue how to find a community like that, or if it's all just wishful thinking on her part.
✪ Real magic exists, but the practice itself is hidden and comparatively rare – in theory, anyone could become a magic user, in practice, to get just about anywhere with magic, one would need to first find a skilled instructor and then get that person to actually teach.
✪ The bigger the city, the more likely there is a more active community of magic users, shifters, and magical beings –– think of it like a hobby. You're more likely to have an anime club in a school with thousands of students than you are to have one in a hundred-soul-village.
✪ Superstitions are, however, also alive and well – there's a lot of day-to-day pseudo-magic, especially in rural places – think stuff like making wreaths from birch branches to protect one's home from evil spirits. It works, because the spirits are, in fact, avoiding birch trees, but it's not magic in the same sense as, say, making plants grow or using one's powers to heal.
✪ As is in accord with actual historical 1820s Ireland, the Catholic church is trying to crack down on practices that are perceived as 'pagan' – such as celebrations around bonfires, dancing at crossroads, etc – even though they've become tightly interlaced with the Catholic faith in rural Irish villages. As in discord with actual historical fiction, friendly neighbour magical beings such as Flora are deeply worried about being excluded from the faith or chased from 'her' village by virtue of being... somewhat magical in nature.
✪ Shapeshifting, such as Flora can do it, is essentially a rare genetic anomaly – while Flora theorises that she would be very likely to pass it on to any children she might have, it's actually quite unlikely, unless her partner is also a shifter (and even then, it's not a guarantee for shifter-children).
✪ That's also the difference between shifters and were-creatures – a shifter's born with the genetic disposition to change shape at will, a werewolf is cursed or infected and has no control over when they turn, and doesn't have control over their body while they're in animal shape.
✪ Most of this, Flora simply isn't aware of: she just barely knows how to read, she doesn't have the means to travel, 'I can do magic' isn't a common topic between strangers. She firmly believes there are others like her out there, she's a harmony-driven being who wants to be part of a community that understands her – but she's got no clue how to find a community like that, or if it's all just wishful thinking on her part.