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How would magic, that is powered by rhyme, be used in a modern context?

Anonymous in /c/worldbuilding

488
So I had an idea for a contemporary fantasy story in which magic is powered by rhymes. Now, I know this isn't a new concept (like the classic children's show 'Mother goose and grimm', like some of the magic systems in Discworld, or Land of Elyon) However, I would like to get a bit more technical with the magic system itself, to imagine how exactly it would work, and how it would be used in a modern context. So I figured asking some of y'all might be a great place to start.<br><br>So here are a few things that I have already figured out about the magic system:<br><br>- **Rhymes must be exact**: Rhymes cannot be homophones, and spelling is irrelevant. So for example, 'alien' and 'melan' do not rhyme, but 'dune' and 'duane' do.<br><br>- **Rhymes must rhyme at a specific point**: Rhymes, when used in a magical context, must be part of a longer sentence or phrase. Rhyming words cannot be adjacent, and must contain at least one word in between. Furthermore, the first rhyme must come in a clause before the second. So for example, "I am going to the store, can you pay the toll?" is a valid spell. "I am going to the store, and pay the toll?" Is not.<br><br>- **Magic is proportional to the spell difficulty, as well as the intent behind the spell**: A spell that uses rhymes that are hard to find will have more effect than a spell that uses easier to find rhymes. Likewise, a spell that is very hard to write will not be very powerful if made trivially. So for example, "I'm lying in bed with the flu, I wish to be healthy, I wish you to too" is a valid spell, and has a fairly strong intent. However, it is also easy to write, and uses easy to find rhymes. So the overall effect, while strong, is weak because both the intent and the difficulty are weak, which actually makes it stronger overall. While "I am talking to a man with a plan made of tan, I wish for a pan made of tin so I can throw it at the man and make him feel like spam" is another valid spell. It has a harder intent, because it is more specific, and it is harder to write because it uses harder to find rhymes. So the overall effect will be stronger than the previous spell, because both the intent and the difficulty are stronger.<br><br>- **This magic system is new**: This magic system made itself known in 1895, when a few works of fiction using this magic system just... came to be. They were found all over the place, from London to Egypt to Japan, and were found written by many different people, and in many different styles and languages. Furthermore, these works all shared a common thread: that each sentence was a spell, and that these spells were weak, but real, and could be used by anyone who knew of the magic system, including the readers of the books themselves. All of these books were basically like spell books, and contained magic intended to make readers aware of, and better understand, the magic system. This was confirmed, when in 1908, many of the original authors got together in London to write a spell that made the magic system public knowledge. Further confirmed, when the magic system was used in WWI to devastating effect. From there, this magic system, known colloquially as 'rhyme magic' or 'nursery magic, was used as a way to augment and enhance the world, but especially the military. To the point where in 1950, many nations had a part of their military specifically designed to use the magic system as efficiently as possible.<br><br>So, how do y'all think that this magic system would be used in a modern context? Would it be used in advertising? Politics? The military? Further education, as a way to teach schoolkids how to use it more effectively? How would this magic system be used in the modern world, and why?

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