Places & Possessions: Poppets
How small, handmade objects reveal a different kind of magic
In All Souls, magic is often tied to large ideas. Ancient manuscripts. Lost knowledge. Systems that define who can use power and how.
Poppets are something else entirely.
They are small, handmade objects, simple in appearance and made from whatever materials are close at hand. They don’t carry the weight of history in the same way other objects in the series do, and they don’t draw attention to themselves.
But they matter.
Because poppets represent a different kind of magic, one that is physical, immediate, and personal. This is not magic discovered in a book or inherited through a system. It is something that is made.
That distinction is important for Diana.
Her relationship to magic has always been complicated. Early on, it is something she avoids, tied to loss and uncertainty. When she begins to engage with it more fully, it often comes through structure—manuscripts, teaching, rules.
Poppets move in the opposite direction.
They require touch and intention. The act of making becomes part of the magic itself. It is not about control in the abstract. It is about what she chooses to do, in a specific moment, with her own hands.
That makes them feel different from the other objects in this series.
The Book of Life carries knowledge. The Lazarus pendant carries discipline. The Old Lodge carries memory.
Poppets carry intention.
They are not inherently dangerous, despite how they are often portrayed. In many traditions, they are used for protection, healing, or focus. They are a way of directing energy toward something specific, often quietly and without spectacle.
That fits the direction Diana’s magic begins to take.
As her power grows, it becomes less about accessing something external and more about understanding what she can shape herself. Poppets reflect that shift. They are not about unlocking power. They are about using it.
And they require trust.
Not in a system, but in her own ability to act, to decide, and to follow through. That kind of trust is harder to build, especially for someone who has spent so long trying to keep her magic contained.
Which is why these small objects matter so much.
They represent a version of magic that is not overwhelming or distant. It is close. It is made. And it is hers.
Seen this way, poppets are not just tools. They mark a shift.
A move away from inherited systems and toward something more personal, more flexible, and more responsive to the moment.
And the question is no longer whether Diana has power.
It’s how she chooses to use it when it is entirely in her hands.