AnimeSuki Forum - View Single Post - Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Character Creation and Discussion (second reincarnation)

Comartemis · 2008-07-01, 22:43

Spoiler for A Brief Treatise on the Nature of the Linker Core:

Alright ladies and gents, welcome to my attempt at sorting out the mess that is the linker core. As with so much that Seven Arcs has given us in this series, the linker core is an essential part of the magic systems we see in-series, yet there is little to nothing said about it beyond its’ status as the source of a mage’s power. This is my attempt at putting the matter to rest with a hypothesis based on what we see in-series.

Firstly: what do we know for certain about the linker core?

Canon sources define it as either a muscle or as an organ of some sort. There seems to be some confusion as to which of these is correct, and I’ve seen it referred to as one or the other numerous times on this thread; more on this momentarily.
Mages in Nanoha cannot use magic without a linker core. How exactly this works is also a subject of debate (I’ve seen interpretations that claim it creates magic, and others that say it lets mages draw mana from the atmosphere), but regardless, magic as seen in MGLN cannot function without a linker core. This may not, however, be the case with all systems which use magic sources unique to their universes; Slayers or Negima magic for instance. For the purposes of this treatise, we will ignore these other possibilities and focus on canon systems which do require the LC to use magic.
It should be noted, however, that Negima magic uses power taken from outside the body, and Negima mages have their own mage ranks using what is apparently the same scale as TSA mages; Takamichi, for instance, is described as being ranked AA+, and seems to be on a similar level to AA-ranked Nanoha mages. The system and the Negima universe in general may therefore be open for extensive and relatively easy porting when compared to other universes.
Not all people are born with Linker Cores. This contradicts the statement that the LC is a muscle or an organ, as both are a part of a person’s body and therefore one cannot be born without a linker core any more than one can be born without a heart or a lung. Therefore, it follows that all people are born with linker cores, just that the vast majority of them are too weak to be used to perform magic.
When the core is attacked with a draining technique such as Shamal’s Linker Core Grab, it manifests outside the body as a glowing sphere of light. Damage done to the linker core by attacks such as this require several days to heal and regenerate depending on the severity of the drain.
The usage of magic requires mages to take in large quantities of food according to the DVD booklets, which indicates that the usage of magic uses physical energy of the body. This corresponds with the LC’s status as a part of the body.
It is possible for one to strain one's linker core by overusing it, as Nanoha does while using the Blaster System.

Based on the gathered data, I have made the following conclusions:

Firstly, if we assume that the linker core is in fact an organ, then it most likely serves a constant function like the heart or the lungs, in this case being the constant creation of mana.

However if we assume the the core is in fact a type of muscle, we suddenly have an explanation for how a mage becomes stronger with training over time. This also corresponds with the presence of strained and damaged linker cores. Therefore, the Linker Core is most likely a muscle.

However, muscles are not ethereal globes of light, but a physical part of a person's body. This directly contradicts what we see in A's whenever the cores are forced outside the body of a mage targeted for an LC drain, so in order to avoid discarding outright one piece of information or the other, we must assume that both are correct in some manner, that the core is both a muscle and a glowing ball of light. The only way this works is if the core exists in more than one state at the same time, a dual-phase existence.

In Comacanon, this dual-phase existence is thought to be made up of separate states on the material and on the astral planes, as a muscle which is a part of a person’s body, and as a glowing sphere or light which can be attacked using certain types of magic. It is my belief that the spiritual aspect of the core is directly tied to a person’s soul in some manner, perhaps an aspect of the spirit that binds a person’s spirit into their mortal shell, hence the name “linker” core. An object which exists in both the mortal shell and a person’s spiritual essence would bind the two together for as long as the link remains stable, and it would be possible to drain substantial amounts of energy from the spiritual core, which grows in strength in time with changes to the physical core.

Learning to harness the spiritual half of the linker core would therefore allow a mage to utilize his/her own spiritual energy, or ‘ki’ (as opposed to mana, which is a purely external energy source drawn from the environment). This is the core of the “magic system” used by Asuna Kagurazaka in Comacanon.

Done for now, I’ll revise this once I get any missing data from the locals.

2008-07-01, 22:43	Link #2148
Comartemis He Who Smites Shippers Join Date: Mar 2008 Age: 36	Spoiler for A Brief Treatise on the Nature of the Linker Core: Alright ladies and gents, welcome to my attempt at sorting out the mess that is the linker core. As with so much that Seven Arcs has given us in this series, the linker core is an essential part of the magic systems we see in-series, yet there is little to nothing said about it beyond its’ status as the source of a mage’s power. This is my attempt at putting the matter to rest with a hypothesis based on what we see in-series. Firstly: what do we know for certain about the linker core? Canon sources define it as either a muscle or as an organ of some sort. There seems to be some confusion as to which of these is correct, and I’ve seen it referred to as one or the other numerous times on this thread; more on this momentarily. Mages in Nanoha cannot use magic without a linker core. How exactly this works is also a subject of debate (I’ve seen interpretations that claim it creates magic, and others that say it lets mages draw mana from the atmosphere), but regardless, magic as seen in MGLN cannot function without a linker core. This may not, however, be the case with all systems which use magic sources unique to their universes; Slayers or Negima magic for instance. For the purposes of this treatise, we will ignore these other possibilities and focus on canon systems which do require the LC to use magic. It should be noted, however, that Negima magic uses power taken from outside the body, and Negima mages have their own mage ranks using what is apparently the same scale as TSA mages; Takamichi, for instance, is described as being ranked AA+, and seems to be on a similar level to AA-ranked Nanoha mages. The system and the Negima universe in general may therefore be open for extensive and relatively easy porting when compared to other universes. Not all people are born with Linker Cores. This contradicts the statement that the LC is a muscle or an organ, as both are a part of a person’s body and therefore one cannot be born without a linker core any more than one can be born without a heart or a lung. Therefore, it follows that all people are born with linker cores, just that the vast majority of them are too weak to be used to perform magic. When the core is attacked with a draining technique such as Shamal’s Linker Core Grab, it manifests outside the body as a glowing sphere of light. Damage done to the linker core by attacks such as this require several days to heal and regenerate depending on the severity of the drain. The usage of magic requires mages to take in large quantities of food according to the DVD booklets, which indicates that the usage of magic uses physical energy of the body. This corresponds with the LC’s status as a part of the body. It is possible for one to strain one's linker core by overusing it, as Nanoha does while using the Blaster System. Based on the gathered data, I have made the following conclusions: Firstly, if we assume that the linker core is in fact an organ, then it most likely serves a constant function like the heart or the lungs, in this case being the constant creation of mana. However if we assume the the core is in fact a type of muscle, we suddenly have an explanation for how a mage becomes stronger with training over time. This also corresponds with the presence of strained and damaged linker cores. Therefore, the Linker Core is most likely a muscle. However, muscles are not ethereal globes of light, but a physical part of a person's body. This directly contradicts what we see in A's whenever the cores are forced outside the body of a mage targeted for an LC drain, so in order to avoid discarding outright one piece of information or the other, we must assume that both are correct in some manner, that the core is both a muscle and a glowing ball of light. The only way this works is if the core exists in more than one state at the same time, a dual-phase existence. In Comacanon, this dual-phase existence is thought to be made up of separate states on the material and on the astral planes, as a muscle which is a part of a person’s body, and as a glowing sphere or light which can be attacked using certain types of magic. It is my belief that the spiritual aspect of the core is directly tied to a person’s soul in some manner, perhaps an aspect of the spirit that binds a person’s spirit into their mortal shell, hence the name “linker” core. An object which exists in both the mortal shell and a person’s spiritual essence would bind the two together for as long as the link remains stable, and it would be possible to drain substantial amounts of energy from the spiritual core, which grows in strength in time with changes to the physical core. Learning to harness the spiritual half of the linker core would therefore allow a mage to utilize his/her own spiritual energy, or ‘ki’ (as opposed to mana, which is a purely external energy source drawn from the environment). This is the core of the “magic system” used by Asuna Kagurazaka in Comacanon. Done for now, I’ll revise this once I get any missing data from the locals. __________________ Kill the Darkfic. Burn the Angst. Purge the Bad End.