Into the Tides Book Bonus: Music Powers

Today is a little book-bonus! In posts such as these, I'll give you extra information from my novel that you won't find in the book itself.

In Into the Tides, people who have magic are called "Powers." Each type of magic has a different set of capabilities, which is based on genetics. And for each Power type, there are 6 different levels of ability, called classes, with 6th class being the weakest and 1st class having the most magic. How a person's class is determined is based on what they can do.

I've been working on creating descriptions that explain what each Power type can do, by class. If you're reading the book and wondering what the characters are capable of, and what they would be capable of if they were higher in class, you can find out!

Today's post is on music Powers. The protagonist, Kelly, should have been a music Power--had she not been born tone-deaf, that is! Here's what she should be able to do, what her father can do, and what other music Powers can do.

A non-exhaustive list of some Magic Types
Power	Class	Capabilities/Limitations
Music	6-	Passive: hear most nuances in speech; perfect pitch Active: minor alterations to moods of 1-2 willing listeners (within 15 feet); help 1-2 willing subjects sleep (ignoring pain or illness)
	5	Passive: perfect pitch; hear full nuance in speech within normal talking distance (apprx. 10 ft; with training can be used to detect lies vs truth with moderate accuracy--about as well as a polygraph; not effective through electronic media such as phones or television [which may alter sound] but fully effective through records); hear most nuances in sounds within 20 feet; hear most unimpeded sounds (no barriers between sound and person) within 100 feet with concentration (words in speech not be discernible, although tone of voice may be) Active: moderate alterations to moods of up to 6 willing listeners within discernible hearing distance (able to make out words of songs); minor mood alterations of up to 12 willing listeners; able to help 4-6 willing subjects sleep; help up to 2 listeners ignore moderate pain while listening
	4	Passive: hear most nuances in sounds within 40 feet; hear full nuance in speech within 20 feet (unimpeded); hear most sounds sounds within 300 feet with concentration (impeded included); perfect pitch  Active: help up to 4 listeners ignore moderate pain when listening to music (lasts 20 minutes after cessation of music; lingering effect with humming x2); strongly alter moods of 10-15 willing listeners (60 min post-music duration; lingering effect may be extended up to double by listener humming tune)
	3	Passive: hear most nuances in sounds within 40 feet; hear full nuance in speech within 30 feet (unimpeded); hear most sounds sounds within 500 feet with concentration (impeded included; words not discernible); perfect pitch Active: help up to 10 listeners ignore moderate pain when listening to music (lasts 40 minutes after cessation of music; lingering effect with humming x2); strongly alter moods of 10-15 willing listeners (120 min post-music duration; lingering effect x3 by listener humming tune); moderately alter moods of up to 30 willing listeners (120 min duration; x2 lingering); help up to 30 willing listeners sleep; project voice up to 20 feet away (voice is heard as if emanating from position of that distance away; magic cannot be worked through projected voice)
	2	Passive: hear most nuances in sounds within 60 feet; hear full nuance in speech within 40 feet (unimpeded or impeded); hear most sounds sounds within 750 feet with concentration (impeded included; words not discernible); perfect pitch Active: help up to 30 listeners ignore moderate pain when listening to music (lasts 40 minutes after cessation of music; lingering effect with humming x3); strongly alter moods of up to 30 willing listeners (120 min post-music duration; lingering effect x3 by listener thinking about tune); moderately alter moods of up to 60 willing listeners (120 min duration; x3 lingering); cause moderate alterations in moods of up to 1 unwilling listener (takes 3-4 minutes to take effect; lasts only as long as music Power continues channeling magic and singing; affects mood only and not reasoning--does not force unwilling listener to take any particular action; subject may choose to pass out [will automatically do so if magic would cause medical danger]); help up to 30 willing listeners sleep; project voice up to 20 feet away (magic can work at 1/10th efficiency)
	1+	Passive: hear most nuances in sounds within 80 feet; hear full nuance in speech within 50 feet (unimpeded or impeded); hear most sounds sounds within 1000 feet with concentration (impeded included; words not discernible); perfect pitch Active: help up to 45 listeners ignore moderate pain when listening to music (lasts 60 minutes after cessation of music; lingering effect by thinking about song x3); may cause addiction by mood alteration or pain relief by overriding biofeedback; may cause "overdose" death by numbing too much pain or altering moods too strongly for brain to handle; strongly alter moods of up to 40 willing listeners (120 min post-music duration; lingering effect x3 by listener thinking about tune); moderately alter moods of up to 100 willing listeners (120 min duration; x3 lingering); cause major alterations in moods of up to 2 unwilling listeners (takes 3-4 minutes to take effect; lasts only as long as music Power continues channeling magic and singing; may cause brain damage or even death if done too long); help up to 60 willing listeners sleep; project voice up to 40 feet away (magic can work at 1/5th efficiency) or 160 feet (without magic)

Willing listeners:

A person is considered a willing listener if they consciously choose to respond to the effect of the music, or if they are not consciously opposed to the effect of the music (such as being willing to no longer be angry.) The latter is half as effective; thus a music Power who could affect 4 conscious-choice listeners would only effect 2 subconscious choice listeners.

Many people, especially those who are disinclined to hold grudges, dislike the feeling of being angry or having heavy negative emotions. This is considered "not consciously opposed to the effect."

Someone who is drugged but who would prefer the effect of the music and would consciously choose to allow the effect if fully coherent is also considered "not consciously opposed."

Someone who is unaware of a music Power's presence, and who would not welcome the effect of a change in emotion (such as a shopper on a budget for whom a spending spree would be financially uncomfortable, but who enjoys spending sprees), would be considered "opposed" to the effect of the music magic. Knowing an effect might be disadvantageous is usually enough to cause a person to be opposed, unless the person consciously chooses to be affected (such as someone with anxiety asking a music Power to help them not feel guilty about making a specific, budgeted-for indulgence purchase. This effect may naturally trigger a long-term lack of guilt, but may not, depending on person).

Those who are opposed to having their mood influenced, consciously or subconsciously, are completely unaffected by music magic below second class. Those who are asleep or unconscious cannot be affected by mood-altering music, willing or not, except that which was cast before they went to sleep.

Extended duration:

Music Powers at fifth class and higher may have an extended duration effect. While a minute or two of an altered mood may have a much longer effect (such as a moment of happiness after an unhappy morning may cause a person's outlook to improve over the rest of the day), lingering is a magic effect. Because music magic stimulates the emotional centers of the brain, a non-magical person who recalls the music may continue the stimulation of the same emotional center for a duration in which the music has at least a minimal presence, even if that presence is not enough to normally cause an effect.

For effects that help willing patients sleep, falling asleep becomes easier, and the patient stays asleep longer unless interrupted. The effect typically lasts much longer than it technically should based on science's understanding of magic lingering--the exact reason for this phenomena is still being studied, but it is believed to be related to the natural processes of the sleeping mind. Waking is no harder than normal; in fact patients often wake up more quickly to negative stimuli (such as unknown, unexpected intruders) from a magically-enhanced sleep than normal sleep, while still being able to sleep through neutral stimuli (such as a nurse coming in to check on vitals). Blinking may occur during unexpected stimuli of any kind, allowing patient's subconscious to identify possible threats without waking them.

Addiction and magic:

Because the body cannot be affected beyond its normal capacity for Powers below first, the effect of music magic is non-addictive, regardless of cumulative use. Because it responds to the individual's biological pathways, it is also impossible to under or overdose, and is effective for those who (due to substance abuse) have an altered natural state. Some people who already have addictions to certain mood-altering substances may find a music Power's abilities an adequate substitute for the drug, which makes them invaluable to rehabilitation, but may also make music Powers above sixth class (who typically do not produce effects strong enough to affect addiction-altered brains) targets for addicts, dealers, and criminal organizations.