We're working on some X-treme magic effects over at The Magic Nook Forum and are inviting those who like a magical challenge to participate if they wish.

Here's what we're working with at the present time. It starts with an attempt to define X-treme magic.
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If you can buy it at a magic store, practice a bit and go out and perform it, it's not extreme magic or even close to being "X-treme!"

It's easier to define what X-treme magic ISN'T, but basically, if you are willing to go to a LOT of TROUBLE and EFFORT to produce even a single simple unexplainable effect, you are venturing into the X-treme.

X-treme Magicians may work in teams, make elaborate preparations to a site days or weeks in advance, all for the desired effect of making a spectator's mouth drop open in awe. They have no hesitation about breaking the "traditional rules of magic" that were set upon them by a generation of lazy magicians. Impromptu means one thing to the traditional magician, and another to the X-treme practitioner of magic awe.

The first challenge effect goes like this: A water globe has an innocuous Valentine sentiment in it at the start. A spectator shakes it and sees that it is filled with water, and has little plastic hearts that float around when it is shaken. The spectator drops it into a little bag. Now the bag is passed from spectator to spectator until the first spectator (who may be blindfolded) calls out STOP!

The spectator who is holding the bag opens it and finds a photo of him or herself sealed inside the water globe. The spectator has no memory of when or where the photo in the water globe was taken, but is seeing it for the first time.

I could add one more level of impossibility if BEFORE opening the sack and seeing the photo, the spectator is asked to think of a place in the world he or she has always wanted to visit, close his or her eyes and make a wish to help that dream come true. Now when the photo is seen, in the background behind the person's image is the Eiffel tower (if the desired location was Paris, for example).

The water globe is then given to this spectator to put on his or her work desk every day and shake it once a day until the wish comes true. A sticker on the bottom of the waterglobe has your contact information on it for advertising purposes.

If you find yourself shaking your head and saying, that's impossible... it can't be done... no way... and other negative phrases, you're not ready for X-treme magic.

But if the above plot makes you go ... hmmmm... I wonder how that could be done... maybe if I .... and other positive phrases, you might just like working on some X-treme magic.

First spectator is confederate.

If you previously take photo of person (you can alter in phototshop/gimp to put hazy, unrecognizable stuff in background, change color of shirt etc.), you can place this photo in globe beforehand "face down" (white side up) at bottom of globe. As first spectator/confederate places globe in bag he jiggles it loose (or triggers mechanism to trigger it loose) so it floats easily in the water.

Signal the confederate with something simple like vibrating cell phone when bag gets to the selected "photo-spectator", who looks at globe and is hopefully suitably blown away.

Another similar freaky effect might be to take photos from the front of someone from before, a stranger, some guy who sometimes goes to the Café you go to, then Photoshop this into multiple pictures of *you* from, say, Berlin or something, then you "accidentally" bump into the guy at a Café the next time you see him and say "Tommy, what's up?" They will look at you confused etc until you insist they look *exactly* like this guy Tommy you knew in Berlin. Bring out the photos and show unbelievable similarity (you have obviously photoshopped in a few differences, different shirts, maybe the guy in the photo has sideburns etc.)

Obviously it's all acting to convince this guy that he actually has a "double" wandering around europe somewhere. Every time the guy says anything important you say, "No way! this is freaking me out! Tommy was a graphic designer too!" Obviously don't say everything the guy does is the same as "Tommy", just enough to freak him out a little.

The climax: the guy will eventually ask you if you still know this Tommy etc., but be evasive. Finally, reluctantly, reveal that he was killed in an auto wreck last year. *Today* last year.

I think that might spook people...ethically of course you should really agree to pay the person's therapy bills for at least the next year...

--William