big nerd question coming up: what do you think of the magic system (the way magic works) in the owl house? from what you've seen of it so far that is.
Oooh, this is an interesting question!
(cut for length)
Hmm. From what I've seen of it so far, I think I'd say that the magic system in The Owl House strikes me as something of a soft/chaotic magic system, but one whose users are trying to pretend is the opposite, if that makes sense? It seems to be inherently loose, without a lot of rules and clear explanations for how things work, but the school and coven system still insist on putting all sorts of unnecessary restrictions on it.
The first thing we really hear about magic is from Eda in Episode 3, when she says that it's wild and unpredictable. Immediately afterwards, we're introduced to Hexside, which splits its students into rigidly defined categories, and then in Episode 5, we learn that covens will restrict their members' use of magic to certain types. This would suggest that it's at least possible to explicitly categorise different types of magic... but in general, I get the feeling that Eda's assessment of how magic works in the Boiling Isles is more accurate.
For example, take the magic tracks and the main 9 covens. First of all, "construction" isn't a form of magic! This coven's members don't actually do a lot of spellwork, as far as I can tell; rather, they're focused on manual labour, enhanced by glyphs that increase their physical strength. What are glyphs? How do they work? Are there glyphs that do anything else? Who knows!
(My current theory is that the glyphs are actually reusable spell runes, seeing as they're made up of a fancy symbol that can be drawn on paper that has some sort of effect when you touch it, but that's beside the point.)
And then we come to potions. How do potions and elixirs fit into the magic system alongside spells? It makes sense on a meta level that they'd be a part of it, since potions are a classic witch thing, but what actually goes into making them? Is spellcasting involved, or is it all manual technique? If it's the latter, why is potionmaking taught separately from tracks that teach witches actual spellcasting, since it should technically be a thing anyone can do?
(Personally, I get the feeling that this is because it's very easy to separate potions from spells, so in a societal system as rigidly structured as the coven system, it's very easy to set a boundary there even when there doesn't need to be one.)
And speaking of spellcasting itself, what's the significance of magic aura colours? So far, magic auras have remained fairly random, as far as I can tell. The leader of the demon hunters has green, like Willow, but he seems to have some sort of electricity-based ability, which is a far cry from her plant magic. The Moonlight Conjuring is represented by a pale blue colour. The Bat Queen's magic is yellow. What does it all mean?
As for spells themselves, how do you determine what type of magic a spell is, anyway? Gus specialises in illusions, but he's capable of creating tangible objects, and imitations of people that can think for themselves. What's the limit to what counts as an illusion? What would one categorise basic spells like light or fire as? What about Lilith's teleportation spell?
How do curses work and how are they cast? What are the mechanics behind rare events like the Moonlight Conjuring and the Wailing Star? What type of spell was the oath spell that Amity used in Episode 5? What about the bodyswap spell?
There are a lot more questions where this came from, and the show doesn't seem all too eager to answer them. I don't think this is a bad thing at all! But it does give me the impression that the magic system here is one where stuff just happens sometimes, and trying to figure out the why and the how of it all isn't really important. It's a chaotic magic system for a chaotic world.
Well, that got a bit long, but I hope this was a decent answer! I could very well be reading the magic system completely wrong, or I could be proven wrong later if the show goes into how the magic system works in more depth in future episodes, but these are my thoughts on it from where I am in the show right now.
(Obligatory disclaimer: if anything I've mentioned here gets explained later on in the show, please don't tell me about it. Thanks!)
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can you believe that we have fanfiction. that we have websites dedicated to fanfiction. that there is a place that you can go and read tens, hundreds, thousands and thousands of pieces of writing that strangers have made. people who are not "writers". people who come home at the end of the day and have feelings and say, i am going to put that into words. i am going to share those words. short, long, sweet, sad, horny, funny, wonderful words. we are all just human and we all love to make and remake and share that with others. can you believe that.
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