Female lead's magic style

[Queshire]

My main female character is a witch, but I don't know what that should mean...

some background information;

There is A LOT of different magic styles, somewhere in the hundreds of thousand of them. They're like different martial arts, different philosophies / training methods to do the same thing, in this case create magical effects. Some magic styles are more common / popular then others, but very few are considered intrinsictly evil. The main lead's style of witchcraft is considered quaint and simple by users of the more popular styles, but nothing else.

The current version has witch craft be powered by emotions. If you're happy you can fly, if you're spiteful you can curse others, if you're angry you can toss fire balls, etc and so on.

The new version I'm considering is a theurgic type. She could communicate with spirits, gods, etc, and have them do the heavy lifting of the spell casting. What spells you can cast depends on which spirits and gods you can invoke.

Option 1 is more original, but just being original doesn't mean it'll be good, and it doesn't really fit the trope of witch.

Option 2 contraywise, is more faithful to the original idea of a witch, and the witch trope as a whole. However, I'm worried about her just ending up being a stereotypical witch or offending groups in real life that might not like that portrayal of witches, such as wiccans... which admittedly I know nothing about and would probably end up portraying as horribly stereotypical if I tried.

What do you guys think? Option 1, Option 2, or maybe a third choice?

 

[Saigonnus]

Well, alot of alchemy was likewise considered to be magic to those who didn't understand it. Mixing certain things can produce a given effect. Fireballs could be nothing more that a sheeps bladder filled with a special oil and set alight before thrown. You can do alot, especially mixing it with a more traditional magic form. The only drawback is the amount of time it would take to gather materials for the alchemy.

 

[Shockley]

It's a fantasy story, and to be honest, the idea of a witch has been around a whole lot longer than the idea of Wicca. I wouldn't worry to much about stepping on toes there.

Personally, I prefer number two. Option one seems to me like it would limit your character, and force you to maneuver the plot in a way to allow her to use her magic. That's not good.

Edit: Also, your second magic thought sort of reminds me of the first with in cultural history, the Witch of Endor.

3 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.

4 The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and set up camp at Gilboa. 5 When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. 6 He inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. 7 Saul then said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.”

“There is one in Endor,” they said.

8 So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. “Consult a spirit for me,” he said, “and bring up for me the one I name.”

9 But the woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?”

10 Saul swore to her by the LORD, “As surely as the LORD lives, you will not be punished for this.”

11 Then the woman asked, “Whom shall I bring up for you?”

“Bring up Samuel,” he said.

12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!”

13 The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid. What do you see?”

The woman said, “I see a ghostly figure[a] coming up out of the earth.”

14 “What does he look like?” he asked.

“An old man wearing a robe is coming up,” she said.

Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.

15 Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”

“I am in great distress,” Saul said. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.”

 

[DavidJae]

The emotional magic sounds more interesting, as a focus for their powers, providing some good characterisation and tension. This would encourage your character to have to develop some of the darker sides of their personality.

 

[Hans]

I don't think it's my place to tell yo to do this or that with your story. All kinds can be interesting depending on what kind of story you want to write.
I am working on a story with a witch as main character myself at the moment (no need to worry, there are lots of different possible stories with main witch characters). The setting, which I have already used for other things only allows spirit magic (and daemonology. But I don't want her to go down that road). But who am I to tell you that is what you should do too?

The emotional magic sounds good for self finding stories. Explore yourself to find out which magic you can use. "How am I able to use this spell? I never knew I had feelings like that." and so on. May be an excellent basis for a coming of age story.
If that is what you want to do, go for it.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

I can see the emotion-based abilities as being frightening to her. I'd probably be afraid to feel anything if I knew I could create all kinds of explosions when angered. Depending how you write her, I could see a conflicted character trying to keep her emotions in check... and allowing anger to take control when there's an army after her or something like that.

Flight could be dangerous if she gets lost in her thoughts while miles in the air and is worried about someone close to her or saddened by memories of a childhood friend who never got a chance to grow up. Flashbacks mid-flight = really dangerous!

Just brainstorming, but option 1 sounds like the most fun to me.