Like many modern “fads” and “trends,” most forms of body modification actual

Like many modern “fads” and “trends,” most forms of body modification actually have long and cultured histories that reach around the world. The art of tattooing, for example, has been a common cultural staple in many societies since neolithic times. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, of course, that the practices of Muggles and their magical neighbors would not be so different, even if Mages around the world were able to create effects their mundane peers couldn’t imagine.

In the modern AWC, many of these ancient arts have met and merged in the great cultural crossroads that is North America. The wayfaring inks of the Philippians met the battle wode of the ancient Celts, breeding new and fascinating enchantments the likes of which their creators had not imagined. Recent advancements in subdermal implants have been adapted into ancient sorceries that believed one’s shape inherently affected the expression of one’s magic, and numerous young Mages have found that whether it is psychological or thaumaturgical in nature, having the shape of a devil has cast a fiendish flavor to their magic.

Other transformations are more practical, but just as startling. Transformations to give a Mage the sight of a cat, or piercings that can sense the flows of back-ground magic have become very popular amongst young Mages across the AWC. Hair dyes that emote color or allow one to control the shape of their locks and tresses have flown off the shelves of magical shops, even as recipes for home brews circulate through classes and schools.

A warning must be given to any Mage, young or old, however, who pursues these sorts of transformation. While most of these effects can be achieved without surgical magics, the effects cannot always be removed without more serious and invasive procedures, and a great many of them also count as breaches of the Statute of Secrecy if they come to the attention of Muggles or their authorities. Having the night vision of a cat might be extremely useful, but when one’s eyes glow in the dark it can be quite distressing to our non-magical neighbors, and most Muggles do not see steel barbs erupt along their jaws in the presence of dangerous spirits and hostile ghosts. Even now the Department of Secrecy and Obfuscation is reviewing guidelines for which of these procedures should be outlawed and which may be allowed under special license.