Belief magic

Belief magic is the most basic form of magic. It serves as a direct, abstracted form of prayer, connecting one to vaguely defined deities. Belief magic is like the stem cells of magic: if studied closely, it starts to take on stricter, usually somewhat arbitrary rules.

**Belief magic** is the metaphysical process by which consciousness' perception of reality alters the world.

## Functioning

Reality is fundamentally based off belief. Through a mind's inherent connection to The Dreaming, strong enough belief will change the properties of the universe that mind inhabits. The effects are more potent depending on the quantity of consciences believing and the stronger that belief is.

These metaphysical mechanics work above usual chronology, through higher temporal dimensions which make up hypertime. As such, belief magic has the power to not only change the present, but also retroactively change the history within a timeline.

Faith, by way of worship, can birth a god in The Dreaming off the object of worship. These gods are products of specific perceptions of them, and are reliant on constant belief. As such, over time, they are molded into reflections of cultural trends in their worship. Gods who lose worshippers will lose power and may physically wither and even die. Faith may also empower the original object of worship.

Other magical entities also depend on belief: fairies' health are depended on belief in their existence; Jack Frost depends on belief of him to be perceived in the physical plane.

Local belief can change an area's landscape.

## Hypertime

In a previous version of the universe, giant cats preyed on and ruled over humanity, until one human dreamt of a world where humans were the dominant species. He got a large amount of people to believe that if they all dreamt of such a world, it would come true. Because of humanity's belief, their dream became true through the connection between The Dreaming and reality, giving origin to a world where humans subjugated the much smaller cats.

## History

Fairies evolve to develop a biological connection and dependence on belief magic. After being hit by the Godwave, the Asgardians also evolve a connection to belief; their forms and minds are directly affected by the belief of those around them.

When humans start worshipping the Asgardians, their perception of them manifest as the Norse Pantheon in the Dreaming. At the same time, the Asgardians themselves are molded by this belief, making them almost indistinguishable from their non-physical counterparts.

13 millenia BCE, the Olympians start being worshipped in Latium after a conflict with Darkseid. They make avatars to act as emissaries for them, which are molded over generations by the population's beliefs.

In 813 CE, Vikings arrive in North America and worship Odin Borson there, which creates an American manifestation of Odin.

In the 1st Century CE, Jesus of Nazareth starts being worshipped as the son of God. A reflection of how he is seen by believers of this new faith is born in The Dreaming. As views of him diversify, multiple aspects of Jesus Christ come to being.

A magic tower is built in Fairy World that siphons belief from Earth to power the fairies' wands.

In the 20th century, the U.S.A. government founds the Department of Truth, a federal agency dedicated to controlling misinformation from manifesting as reality due to popular belief in conspiracy theories.

In the 1990s, Calvin Somebody finds a tiger plushie and imbues it with his Imaginary Energy which allows anyone who believes it is a real tiger to see it as an anthropomorphic tiger named Hobbes.

## Sources

1. ↑ Dark Nights: Death Metal Rise of the New God (2020) [comic book]
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 ***A Dream of a Thousand Cats** [comic], Issue 18* (1990), Sandman Volume 2 [comic book]
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Sandman Volume 2 (1989) [comic book]
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 American Gods (2001) [novel]
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 *Planescape* (1994) [campaign setting], Dungeons & Dragons [tabletop game]
6. ↑ Dungeons & Dragons (1974) [tabletop game]
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Peter and Wendy (1911) [novel]
8. ↑ Rise of the Guardians (2012) [movie]
9. ↑ New Gods Secret Files and Origins (1998) [comic book]
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Earth X (1999) [comic book]
11. ↑ *Issue 132* (1998), Wonder Woman Volume 2 [comic book]
12. ↑ The New Testament [book series]
13. ↑ The Fairly OddParents (2001) [TV show]
14. ↑ The Department of Truth (2020) [comic book]
15. ↑ FusionFall (2009) [videogame]
16. ↑ Calvin and Hobbes (1985) [comic strip]
17. ↑ Bloom County (1980) [comic strip]