User:GlobeGores/Magic (Artemis Fowl)

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Magic is an integral part of the Artemis Fowl universe. It is performed by many creatures, collectively called "the People." These magical abilities include healing, illusion, shielding, and mesmerizing.

[edit] Shielding

In the Artemis Fowl universe, shielding is the most basic part of any magical creature's weaponry. To shield is to vibrate at a very high speed too fast for the human eye to follow; this effectively makes the "wearer" invisible. Shielding is not the same thing as invisibility however, as a user can be caught mid-vibration and thus show up on a sufficiently powerful camera. This method of revealing shielded fairies is used prominently in the first novel of the series, where captain Holly Short and her colleagues are caught on a high-powered camera, whose video is then paused to reveal the vibrating fairies. Shielding reputedly requires a good deal of energy and magic; in the the fifth book of the series, Holly Short notes that she has used up too much of her magic to keep shielding for much longer.

[edit] Mesmer

The mesmer is another basic use of magic in the Artemis Fowl universe. To mesmerize an individual, a person with magic simply needs to stare into the desired person's eyes; the afflicted individual will then feel an overpowering need to do whatever the magic user asks or wants them too. According to the Artemis Fowl series, mesmerization is similar to hypnosis; the affected person has no control over their actions but is rather manipulated by the magic user to do whatever is required of them. The mesmer can be combated by avoiding direct eye contact; thus, wearing an object with a reflective surface (such as a pair of sunglasses or a two-way mirror) will prevent one from being mesmerized. Both these objects are used in the Artemis Fowl novels: in the first novel, Artemis and his assistants use sunglasses to prevent mesmerization; in Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code, he wears one-way mirrored contact lenses to prevent mesmerization.