I was thinking about all the fun TV shows about magic I grew up on, like Wizards of Waverly Place and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. This kind of fun-time-no-harm view on magic is what got me interested and I really wanted to be a witch when I grow up.
But all book about magic are boring and complicated, not fun at all. Not to mention all the new shows that treat magic like dark and dangerous... Between boring books and "back to medieval times TV" I have to wonder: Where did the fun in magic go?
And I want it back
And links to much fun :
www.imdb.com/title/tt0799922/
www.imdb.com/title/tt0115341/

I don't know how on earth did you come up with Sabrina! Was there a rerun i don't know of?
But yes, 90's had a number of kid's shows that featured magic in a fun way and as fun powers. I loved Salem the cat from Sabrina so much I wished that my cat starts talking all off the sudden. Sometimes, I still do
I think outlook on magic in show-businesses has changed the moment Underworld came out. It transformed it from pink-fun-bubble-gum to a total badass-weapon kind of magic. And in more and more big movies in a past decade the way magic is shown is in a form of a weapon. I think it is good thing, and I support it. It is good for the geekdom, and for the people actually practicing it..

I was thinking the same the other day! Weird
All the kids shows about magic are gone and replaced with "magic is a weapon" adult view! I remember, when I was a kid, we used to play Sabrina and pretended that we had magical powers Good times... We always thought about magic as a good way to change the color of our clothes or run away from class, and my generation i still surprised with this new weapon view on magic! I never thought that magic can be used for hurting people... For me, magic was for fashion and shenanigans

If I had magic powers I would use them solely for fun and fashion I would change my hair every other day and my house would always be perfect
Like Marry Poppins
When I was kid and saw how she cleaned the room with a little song and wished that I could do It also

IF i had those witchy powers my only wish would be to have that Trekkie replicator thingy. anybody knows that?

That way i could be free from constant time and money wasting in supermarkets. Imagine gmo free life

So, make it so witches. teach me how to cast

Oh, I always wanted that! The Earl Gray making and perfect pizza all the time

Hmmm, I don't know about magic being benign and only recently turning violent
Maybe it's because I wasn't watching kids shows as much as I was reading the lord of the rings, getting into greek mythology and european fairy tales, but if you ask me, magic has always had it's dark and powerful sides. Although that's just my humble opinion

Having said that, I have to agree that such violent, destructive magic is no fun at all. Whenever I am faced with the question what element I would choose if I suddenly got the power to control them like the benders in the Avatar cartoons, I'm always torn between water and air (all the while thinking which could be more usefull/fun when it comes to mundane everyday things), while most of my friends instantly go for fire.
I always ask them why? Why would they go for such a "useless", if admittedly very cool, element? You could only do flashy light shows and destroy things, but that's it. No real useful magic in your day to day life.

My younger kid was obsessed with Wizards of Waverly Place for a few years, that show reminded me of my own teen days, and some great laughs
Marek, we where talking more about TV shows for kids and teens than real geekdom, but I agree with you

Wizards of Waverly Place! That was a fun one! I was to old for their targeted audience but it was fun to watch from time to time

Something is legit here and Boamund knows it. I would engineer that replicator with rare joy. As Im aware, there is allready some models in a form of 3D printers. Yea. Thats the next generation fun magic. I just wish I was born with this mind...few decades later.