# Buffy question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 26, 2009, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-question/507716 "2009-08-26T00:21:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-question/507716/1 "2009-08-26T00:21:02Z")
If possible, please answer without spoiling season 4, as I’m only up to episode 16 or so. Is there an in-universe reason that all of the sudden in season 4 “magic” has become “magics”? I’m sure I would have noticed if it had happened sooner. Suddenly, almost every time someone mentions “magic” in Buffy, they refer to it as “magics.” I’m really enjoying the season, but this bit of kookiness is making me part :rolleyes: and part :dubious:. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-question/507716/2 "2009-08-26T00:27:53Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Is there an in-universe reason that all of the sudden in season 4 “magic” has become “magics”? Nope. Though I’m not sure why pluralizing it makes it any kookier than it already was :). ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-question/507716/3 "2009-08-26T00:43:22Z")
When you become a practitioner, you start referring to the whole of the mystical realm as a collective unit. Hence, “magics,” denoting that there are lots of different disciplines and approaches to the Occult Arts. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-question/507716/4 "2009-08-26T00:45:30Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > When you become a practitioner, you start referring to the whole of the mystical realm as a collective unit. Hence, “magics,” denoting that there are lots of different disciplines and approaches to the Occult Arts. Is this rationale given in-universe? ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-question/507716/5 "2009-08-26T00:46:54Z")
No. There’s no in-universe explanation. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-question/507716/6 "2009-08-26T00:50:34Z")
Okay. Time to invoke [Hodgson’s Law](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MST3KMantra). ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-question/507716/7 "2009-08-26T09:19:46Z")
They are different terms that mean different things. Think “science” vs “sciences”. This is a real life linguistic distinction and not something plot related. There is a second reason for some of the occurrences though. Joss characters have a particular way of speaking dubbed “Buffyspeak”, one of the elements of which is randomly pluralizing words to be trendy or cute. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-question/507716/8 "2009-08-26T14:59:52Z")
“Magics” I’m okay with, and that’s how they spell it in the Buffy subtitles. But for some reason “magicks” with a ‘k’ drives me crazy. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-question/507716/9 "2009-08-26T15:42:23Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > “Magics” I’m okay with, and that’s how they spell it in the Buffy subtitles. But for some reason “magicks” with a ‘k’ drives me crazy. I kid you not, after I posted the Hodgson’s Law comment above, I walked away from my computer muttering to myself, “At least they don’t spell it with a _k_.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-question/507716/10 "2009-08-26T15:55:01Z")
“Magicks” is an abomination. Everybody **knows** it’s spelled “majyks.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ArrMatey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrmatey/32/3522_2.png) [@ArrMatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArrMatey)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-question/507716/11 "2009-08-26T16:25:22Z")
I’ll see your ‘Majyks’ and abjure it with ‘maggyx’! ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2014, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-question/507716/12 "2014-07-28T15:58:53Z")
I randomly remembered this old thread after a possible explanation occurred to me: as Willow’s powers start to become addictive, the analogy is drawn pretty plain between magic and drugs. The _s_ on the end may just be a furthering of that analogy. After all, even if someone is exclusively a heroin user, we still say they’re hooked on drug_s_. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2014, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-question/507716/13 "2014-07-28T16:02:40Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > I randomly remembered this old thread after a possible explanation occurred to me: as Willow’s powers start to become addictive, the analogy is drawn pretty plain between magic and drugs. The _s_ on the end may just be a furthering of that analogy. After all, even if someone is exclusively a heroin user, we still say they’re hooked on drug_s_. Ah, but can you not also be hooked on a feeling? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2014, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-question/507716/14 "2014-07-28T17:04:42Z")
I have a hooked rug. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2014, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-question/507716/15 "2014-07-28T17:55:58Z")
I have no one to blame but myself. ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2014, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-question/507716/16 "2014-07-28T18:01:40Z")
And if it wasn’t for his sky hook, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would never have scored nearly 39,000 points during his career. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2014, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-question/507716/17 "2014-07-28T18:30:27Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > When you become a practitioner, you start referring to the whole of the mystical realm as a collective unit. Hence, “magics,” denoting that there are lots of different disciplines and approaches to the Occult Arts. Is this another math/maths divide? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2014, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-question/507716/18 "2014-07-28T19:08:22Z")
I think it’s more of a “Watcher’s Council are a bunch of pommy bastards” thing.