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spacemagics2022-01-11 12:11 am
practitioner) wrote in spacemagics2022-01-11 12:11 am
magic... IN SPACE.
SPACEMAGIC
This setting, which has no formal title, is a fantasy and science fiction mash-up story about witches who leave Earth at the apex of a war with non-magic humans and terraform their own planet to live on. Their decision to evacuate was done because they saw no other acceptable option: either the human forces would easily overwhelm them by virtue of having vastly larger numbers, or the magic users would be forced to fully mass annihilate them, and risk ruining the planet in the process. Instead, they gathered everyone up and bailed.
On Aesara, the 'mage homeworld', things are actually pretty decent— their "Utopia Experiment" has been a muted success. Though they are not without conflict: factions exist that wish to return to Earth, either out of spiritual imperative or the belief that they made a mistake not going with the nuclear option in the first place. A long-term project known as the Earth Mission, which involved witches and mages returning to the Solar System to observe Earth and the state of humanity, ended in total disaster after nearly two decades of work. The incident has become a catalyst for questioning the status quo, and things thought to be givens— Aesara is on the brink of potential massive change, for good or ill.
Meanwhile on Earth, global superpowers have united to forge their own space travel and colonization project, and have their sights set on a potentially inhabited system. Why there are mages still living on Earth, why the magic government doesn't want civilians to find out, why no one thinks it's a problem that Earth is potentially launching a military campaign to conquer the stars, and more! are among the questions and conspiracies permeating the times.
On Aesara, the 'mage homeworld', things are actually pretty decent— their "Utopia Experiment" has been a muted success. Though they are not without conflict: factions exist that wish to return to Earth, either out of spiritual imperative or the belief that they made a mistake not going with the nuclear option in the first place. A long-term project known as the Earth Mission, which involved witches and mages returning to the Solar System to observe Earth and the state of humanity, ended in total disaster after nearly two decades of work. The incident has become a catalyst for questioning the status quo, and things thought to be givens— Aesara is on the brink of potential massive change, for good or ill.
Meanwhile on Earth, global superpowers have united to forge their own space travel and colonization project, and have their sights set on a potentially inhabited system. Why there are mages still living on Earth, why the magic government doesn't want civilians to find out, why no one thinks it's a problem that Earth is potentially launching a military campaign to conquer the stars, and more! are among the questions and conspiracies permeating the times.
FUN FACTS
► Time/dates/etc: look homies i am not making up a new calendar for a planet that has a different orbit and day length than earth, even though there would be, and even though the astrology magic nerds would need it; this can be lampshaded uuhh via factions who want to create their own vs factions who want to return to earth because they feel linked to it. sure.
► Science inconsistencies: who cares, it's magic ✨
► Mages/witches: interchangeable terms for humans with magic. (falsely) believed to be hereditary (this is a Whole Thing). some magic users get real weird about the gendered term 'witch', and prefer 'mage' to the point of offense, but those people are little babies.
► Other fantasy/magic races: such as elves, werewolves, fae, vampires, etc - they no longer exist! their numbers were starkly dwindling by the medieval period, and any remaining became extinct soon after. (this is another Whole Thing, with some magic users including this in a list of grievances against non-mages/cowans)
► Cowan: a human who is not a mage/a witch/does not have magic. it is A REAL WORD!! and in modern wicca it can be used to refer to non-wiccans, and was probably borrowed from its archaic uses of 'person not initiated into a craftsman guild' or, incredibly, 'person pretending to be a member of the freemasons despite not being initiated as a freemason'.
► Earth mages: mages/witches born on Earth after the exodus.
► Focus (noun): a focus item, or magic focus, is an item that allows a magic user to, you guessed it, focus their magic. it can be anything from a wand or staff to taxidermy pets to shoes to equipment and beyond. anything. these items are not independently magical, and do not increase anyone's power or "allow" them to use magic, but they do help prevent accidental overloads, blowback, etc, and sometimes literally help aiming. they can also be used in ritual magic or whatever else seems fun. they are chosen based on personal preference, and may be discarded and replaced at will over a person's life.
► Trappist System: TRAPPIST-1 is a sun with several planets, and it's where the mages went to live after they left earth. they gave all the planets names, though they left the name of the system and the sun as-is.
- Trappist: - the sun!
- ✨ Aesara: - the inhabited new witch 'homeworld', formerly TRAPPIST-1e, or the most likely to be habitable planet. it was heavily terraformed and had its atmosphere transformed via magic, and given artificial moons. only one continent has stable terraforming, and the population is very low compared to earth.
- Guirandana: - previously TRAPPIST-1b, a non-habitable magma ocean planet.
- Elspeth: - previously TRAPPIST-1c, non-habitable due to radiation despite it's Venus-like atmosphere.
- Lopamudra: - previously TRAPPIST-1d, potentially habitable but extremely hostile and environmentally inconsistent.
- Héloïse: - previously TRAPPIST-1f, a potentially habitable planet that is too cold to have liquid water, but is a "snowball" ocean environment.
- Fāng: - previously TRAPPIST-1g, another frozen ocean planet, but less potentially habitable due to radiation.
- Medera: - previously TRAPPIST-1h, the planet furthest from the sun, which is too cold to sustain life and is made up of a Titan-like atmosphere.
► The Weird Sisters - the Trappist System has no moons, and so, being all about moon shit, the mages have made three artificial moons to encourage new timekeeping, rituals, astrology, etc. they also serve defense purposes. they are Graymalkin, Paddock and Harpier, and are linked to the habitable zone planets (Aesara, Lopamudra, Héloïse).
► Draco System: tba
► Earth Expansion Coalition: tba
TIMELINE
* normal earth stuff!
* with the advent of more sophisticated tech in the 1980s and 90s, people with magic begin having a harder and harder time staying hidden. there are a few closed communities, but for the most part, witches and mages and sorcerers et al live amongst humans and just don't do magic in front of cowans.
* among the more obvious oopses was a secret internet magic social network that got hacked and put on the news. oops.
* by the 2010s, various governments were treating magic users as a threat, and lumping them together despite disparate origins, cultures, etc. the war began, and magic users were forced to band together to survive.
* when it became clear that there would be no potential for peace, the decision was made to leave. a temporary base was established on the moon, which bought them enough time to develop the equipment necessary to travel to the trappist system with terraforming spells ready to go.
* aesara is founded.
* several decades go by. mages, due to how hard everyone had to work to make their new home possible, by and large were alright with a harmonious and equal society, especially after experiencing late stage capitalism back on earth.
* the earth mission is launched due to partial humanitarian reasons and partial security reasons. it is discovered that cowans have appropriated the abandoned moon base for themselves, and are by now adept at their own form of space travel.
* a mars base is established, and stealth ships are used to observe earth itself. after nearly 20 years, the mission is sabotaged; the mars base is destroyed, as is all but one ship. the few survivors who make it back to aesara are welcomed with total shock, the government having apparently received intel that it had been destroyed months prior.
* survivors are sworn to secrecy under pain of treason.
* conspiracies begin!!
* with the advent of more sophisticated tech in the 1980s and 90s, people with magic begin having a harder and harder time staying hidden. there are a few closed communities, but for the most part, witches and mages and sorcerers et al live amongst humans and just don't do magic in front of cowans.
* among the more obvious oopses was a secret internet magic social network that got hacked and put on the news. oops.
* by the 2010s, various governments were treating magic users as a threat, and lumping them together despite disparate origins, cultures, etc. the war began, and magic users were forced to band together to survive.
* when it became clear that there would be no potential for peace, the decision was made to leave. a temporary base was established on the moon, which bought them enough time to develop the equipment necessary to travel to the trappist system with terraforming spells ready to go.
* aesara is founded.
* several decades go by. mages, due to how hard everyone had to work to make their new home possible, by and large were alright with a harmonious and equal society, especially after experiencing late stage capitalism back on earth.
* the earth mission is launched due to partial humanitarian reasons and partial security reasons. it is discovered that cowans have appropriated the abandoned moon base for themselves, and are by now adept at their own form of space travel.
* a mars base is established, and stealth ships are used to observe earth itself. after nearly 20 years, the mission is sabotaged; the mars base is destroyed, as is all but one ship. the few survivors who make it back to aesara are welcomed with total shock, the government having apparently received intel that it had been destroyed months prior.
* survivors are sworn to secrecy under pain of treason.
* conspiracies begin!!
NON-F.A.Q.
Q: how did the mages [practical science or logistics question here about moving a bajillion lightyears away and colonizing a planet without a human-safe atmosphere]
A: magic.
Q: why does it seem like you're villainizing humans
A: i am really mad about climate change and palm oil
Q: can i make an oc in this universe
A: but why! idk maybe, if i know you and our ideas mesh.