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On the topic of Lovepotions


This is an intriguing topic to write about, and while there are lots of interesting subtopics to discuss – if it is morally right to do this; if magical love is to be considered less than real love; the dangerous ingredients of love-potions and how to get them; the complex process of creating a love-potion; if making a love-potion is worth the trouble – I will in this text focus on the subject of how to administer the potion.

 

The traditional type of love-potion is used by feeding it to the target in some way, which will then fall in love with the first thing it sees after that. Most potions also limit the effect of the potion to humanoids of the opposite gender; after a few incidents happened when people started using these potions. Though even with these restrictions the potions can prove really impractical. Obvious drawbacks are that it is not always easy to be the first person seen after the potion is given to the target and the fact that these potions have no effect on blind people.

 

The not-so-obvious drawback which still is quite important is that these potions don’t really make the target fall in love with a person; but rather with that persons looks. Hence you have to wear the same kind of clothes to ensure that you will be continued to be loved; and anyone crafty enough to change appearance to match your own can also claim that persons love; not to mention the problems if you were to have a twin.

 

There are a lot of not so commonly used potions types that work similarly, but use other senses like smell, touch or voice. Those naturally have the same problems as the previously mentions method, yet the problems often turn out to be even graver, since those senses aren’t as easily controlled. It’s best to refrain from use of those potions, particularly those using smell. There is also a variety featuring taste as the sense of choice, though it is normally difficult to get the target to taste you.

 

The best method of making sure that your chosen one falls in love with the right person is a shared potion, be it two- of one-way. The idea behind the shared potion is that both of the two persons in question have to drink in order for the potion to work. For some reason, though, this type of potion is widely unknown to the public; most likely because the makers of love-potions want to keep the best ones to themselves. But since they are so useful, it is appropriate to deepen the subject here.

 

Two-way shared potions make the two persons who drink it fall in love with each other. Note that they really fall in love with the other person and not some sensorial image of the other person. That the love is to the person itself is one of the great advantages of shared potions, which also applies for one-way shared potions. Two-way shared potions also are very powerful against one of the most common methods of proving that something isn’t poisoned. The situation is that the target mistrusts you when you try to offer it a beverage; in this case the mistrust is justified, as you actually are trying to give the target a love-potion. The target then asks you to drink yourself, to prove that nothing is wrong with the beverage offered. Conveniently for you drinking yourself is exactly what you want to do to seal the deal with the love-potion.

 

One-way shared love-potions actually consist of two separate potions; on for the lover to be and one for the lovee. It is very important is this situation to make sure you know which potion is which. For both types of shared love-potions it is a good strategy to wait drinking your own share of the drink; just in case the wrong persons gets the other half. Should that happen you can safe things by giving the half originally designed for you to someone else; and try again. The ability to do this is the main advantage of shared love-potions above pre-chosen love-potions, which are the next type we’ll consider.

 

 

Pre-Chosen love-potions in some way determines with whom the potion will make the drinker fall in love before the potion is drunk; usually by adding some part of the body to the potion (frequent choices include hairs, nails and, very popular, blood). Pre-chosen potions normally make the target fall in love with a person; though some variants exist that work for senses instead. Caution is important here; it is all too easy for the wrong person to drink some of your love-potion. As an extra note of advice; when trying to get a vampire fall in love with you it usually is a bad idea to use your blood for making the potion; as the vampire in that case may fall in love with your blood instead of you. This will lead to him craving to drink said blood; instead of craving to be with you.

 

While it is usual to restrict love-potions to two persons, that isn’t always the case. It may also work for a group; which is popular in certain elvish societies to bind groups of adventurers together; so that they can trust each other. Though in this case it might be a little strong to call it a love-potion; the feeling isn’t the kind of love between lovers but rather a kind of sibling love (note that this applies to elvish siblings, who actually do care for each other; as opposed to orcs, for instance).

 

Theoretically the size of a group that can be affected by a love-potion isn’t restricted at all; practically though the time to make the potion and the amount of mana required set restrictions. Still there are examples of masters of love-potions being able to affect large groups. The most notable example being Witch-Queen Sourn, who actually managed to make the entire country of her country fall in love with her using a potion she poured into the river which runs through her entire country.