Speed
Scream if you wanna go faster!
Speed is a magic that is often learnt by athletes of all kinds, thus sporting events often do require those entering to state their prowess in it just so that they make make the playing field even for all participants.​
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Now as the name states, this Scientific Magic is based on the idea of controlling the speed of you and those around you. You could use it to make those pesky flies slow enough to swat even if you wanted to.
BASIC SKILLS
Speed 'n' Slow
Desc: This skill is a must have for any dopaline intending to run a marathon, it just gives that little boost they need to possibly end up in the top three, all while easily avoiding obstacles that they wouldn’t be able to without some quick deceleration. Speed magic is generally useful to any dopaline that sprints often, professionally or not, and this basic skill is a sure way to improve your abilities greatly.
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Learning: This one’s both fun and easy to learn, as all you need to do is find a racetrack or generally open area and start sprinting! Yep, that’s all you do, just start running like your life depends on it. A dopaline learning this skill should focus on the feeling of accelerating, then on how it feels to decelerate so they can charge both feelings into magical energy.
Limits/Risks: Unfortunately, you can’t quite accelerate yourself to breakneck speeds just yet, and it’ll still take you a moment to slow yourself down. That being said, it takes much less effort with magical energy! This skill simply speeds you up or slows you down faster, though you can use it to give yourself the occasional speed boost while you’re running a full sprint - just try not to go so fast you trip! Overuse of this ability can also result in a rather exhausted dopaline collapsed on the floor.
Energy Regen
Desc: Nicknamed by some as ‘the taking a breather skill’, some like to take this skill just because of its general utility use - struggling to do your job due to exhaustion? Running a race against some kid with a big ego? In the thick of battle with no time to rest? Take a breather, boosted by magic!
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Learning: Any dopaline learning this skill can best be advised to just sit down and take some deep breaths, possibly after expending some energy somehow. They should take in the feeling of their energy coming back to them, then try to bring that sensation to themselves magically this time.
Limits/Risks: It’ll take a moment to restore someone’s entire energy supply using this ability, and some find trying to regenerate more than a burst can actually end up just draining them more.
Faster Reflexes
Desc: With Speed comes the ability to react to oncoming danger faster than most! It’s as simple as charging magical energy into your natural reflexes to make the reaction come quicker. Many dopalines like to just have this as a general skill, though those in high risk professions may find extra use for it.
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Learning: Dopalines are expected to pair up for learning this skill, but if you can find something to throw a ball at you alone, then all the power to you. Some lone dopals have also found that making a precarious stack of books and letting it fall while they have their back turned also works!
Limits/Risks: This skill will only slightly increase the speed of your reflexes, and how noticeable it is depends on how fast they were before.
Quick Thinking
Desc: Some think Speed magic makes you smarter, some think it just makes you quicker at thinking up solutions to things and that doesn’t immediately define someone’s intelligence. Speed magic doesn’t necessarily increase your willingness to learn, but you can use magical energy and manipulate it to speed up your thoughts at least a bit! Many scholars adore this skill as it helps them work faster.
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Learning: This one may be a bit of a boring skill to some, especially with its most recommended learning method being…reading! Or solving a maths problem, generally anything academic. Some have found that making an obstacle course to practice on is a more stimulating method.
Limits/Risks: No, this skill doesn’t just make you able to solve problems immediately, you still need to give it some thought. It just makes you a bit quicker than your peers!
ADVANCED SKILLS
'Celerate
PREREQUISITE: Speed 'n' Slow
Desc: This is the skill most dopalines think about when thinking of Speed magic, the upgrade from your Basic Speed ‘n’ Slow! This one’s bound to win the race for ya, and almost all dopals in any sort of speed based sport will recommend it. It’s also good for the other end of the spectrum, perfect for if you find yourself too fast for all your friends, or tripping over air constantly! Now your friends can stop calling you out on your clumsiness.
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Learning: Once again, the best tip for learning this skill is to start running. Some dopals have found that using the obstacle course you may’ve created for Faster Reflexes also helps here, as it lets you really work on your agility.
Limits/Risks: Translating physical energy into magical energy can be tiring at first, but over time you’ll really be able to give yourself speed boosts at no cost at all! Be warned though, slowing down is harder than speeding up, so deceleration may take a bit more practice if you really want good results.
Speedy Recovery
PREREQUISITE: Energy Regen
Desc: A skill best used when you seem to be running low on energy, marathon runners often learn this to give themselves the kick they need to keep up the pace while they race. Though it has its uses throughout life in general of course, such as restoring magical energy to use an especially taxing skill just that little bit longer.
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Learning: Take a deep breath, but this time try to train your body to regenerate some magical energy alongside your physical energy. You should feel ultra energised in no time!
Limits/Risks: This skill can be difficult to learn as your body will prioritise physically restoring itself, but with enough focus and practice you should succeed. It’s also ill advised to use this too often, as the body can find itself relying on this ability entirely to restore itself.
Lightning Reflexes
PREREQUISITE: Faster Reflexes
Desc: If you thought Faster Reflexes was a good skill to have, just wait ‘til I tell you about Lightning Reflexes. Now nobody’ll be able to hit you with a surprise attack, as you’re gone before they can even start to say “Gotcha!”. Of course, it might annoy the pranksters of your friend group, but it can also get you out of a potentially…dicey situation.
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Learning: To learn this skill, it’s advised you just do what you did for Faster Reflexes, but perhaps use something with higher threat to really kick your body into sixth gear.
Limits/Risks: Learning this skill can be a bit dangerous if you’re daring enough, so just try your best to avoid injury before you’ve even got it under your belt, alright? It can also be a bit hyper-reactive. By this I mean you may find yourself jumping at even the slightest of sounds and movement, though this depends on the user.
Speedy Solving
PREREQUISITE: Quick Thinking
Desc: A scholar’s best friend, also pretty good for anyone playing a superhero character in some movie or TV show. Teachers also tend to like this skill, as it helps them answer any spontaneous questions their students may give! This one might also give you a little boost for exams, so keep that in mind if you’re thinking of learning it! You might have to deal with the teacher saying you finished the test too fast though.
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Learning: How you train your mind to respond to Speed magic really depends on how you learn. The obstacle course method may work for some, while others may prefer to just find a puzzle book or rubix cube and time themselves completing it over and over. Maybe you’ll try a variety of methods!
Limits/Risks: Once again, this skill doesn’t actually increase your intelligence. It just makes you quicker at problem solving and generally thinking. Some dopalines may find the latter fact a little overwhelming at first, so it’s advised you don’t speed up your thoughts all the time - it can be pretty tiring to keep this up for too long anyway. Use it when you need to and you should be fine.
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
Spindash
PREREQUISITES: 'Celerate & Faster Reflexes
Desc: Now I see why this skill’s so popular with dillodins, if used right, the Spindash can pack a real punch, speed often contributing well to the power as you smash into your foes at breakneck speed. Don't break their neck in the process of course. Not to say I have any prior experience in that...
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Learning: First, one should practice curling up into a ball, dillodin style. Ask a dillo for help if you need to, they’re the experts! After that, you should focus using ‘Celerate to make yourself spin on the spot, really charge it up. Don’t worry about not being able to see, as that’s where Faster Reflexes comes in! You’ll be rolling around the room at full speed in no time.
Limits/Risks: As with any form of constant rolling around at the speed of sound, you can get really and I mean really dizzy using too much Spindash. Try to conserve your energy, that's my advice. You can also end up seriously injuring someone if you slam into them full force, so try to be at least somewhat aware of your surroundings.
Speedrun
PREREQUISITES: Speedy Solving & Speed 'n' Slow
Desc: Now while streamers may have made this term take a whole new meaning, Speedrun is still a skill I do recommend for your real life, not your online one. One comparison I’ve heard from my own students is that it’s almost like a lifelike Quicktime event, whatever that is, forcing you into thinking up a solution to whatever bad incident you’re stuck in quick and fast so you can escape in a flash using your magic!
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Learning: This is another skill where LARPing tends to help you along, putting yourself in a dangerous situation but in a controlled environment so you’re not actually in any trouble. Some dopalines learning this skill also like to simply create a large puzzle for them to solve, though in the end, much like with all magic, you should just go with what works for you.
Limits/Risks: If you use this skill too much, you may just end up with your brain feeling a bit fried. It’s definitely more suited for dire situations where you might not be thinking straight otherwise! Also, be warned that this situation may have you thinking of the best objective solution to a thing, and it may not take emotions or anything of that sort into account. It’ll try to play into your best interests, but it’ll prioritise efficiency over feelings.
Limits/Risks: Using this too often in a fight can really start to wear on you, and eventually you may find it’s only effective in healing up any really dire injuries while leaving smaller scratches wide open and energy only half restored. This skill may be good for a few short bursts at the start of a fight, but it can’t carry you through the whole thing if your opponent is relentless.
Second Wind
PREREQUISITES: Speedy Recovery & Quick Thinking
Desc: Perfect for wrestling, other vaguely combative sports, or for dopalines that find themselves losing fights too often too quickly! This skill is your best friend, a way to heal yourself and jump back in with renewed strength! Your enemies will never see it coming!
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Learning: Sparring with friends or a training dummy is perfect for this one, though you may need to get yourself a bit roughed up for this one. It’s been found that getting yourself fired up on adrenaline(not through drugs) also helps if you don’t want to get hurt. Take a moment to rest when you think you can’t fight anymore, really charging that magical energy into your recovery, and you should find yourself jumping back in as though you were never harmed in the first place!
