Expendable

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

J'eon the Blacksmith

Loud noise and a flash of light up on the hillside caught the massive blacksmith's attention, but by the time they arrived, there was little to see, aside from a scorched spot in the grass. Jeon knelt down and rubbed the spot, taking in the carbon and the curious sour smell.

"This... I would learn as well," J'eon replies. Truly, the humans were a font of knowledge.

---

Jack Mallory, X.O.

It was the beep from his phone that woke him, linked into the time server of the ship. Jacks' fingers fumbles for it on the desk, silencing it quickly. He signs, rocking slightly in the makeshift hammock, his bed occupied by some of the involuntary guests they picked up, a music group that was supposed to be performing before the shooting started.

"Didn't expect this gig," he muttered softly. Apparently, they didn't object to sharing a bed.

Gripping the sides of the hammock carefully, he rolls his legs slowly over the side and leans forward, slowly tipping his feet to the cold deck. He changed quickly, slipping on a pair of crew's coverals and his boots, then grabbing his toiletries kit. Softly crossing the room, he slid open the curtain and spied the three lumps in his bed, softly snoring still. Giving his head a shake, he pressed the door button and it slid open, revealing an otherwise empty corridor as he made his way to the ship's head.

Grabbing a ration bar and a cup that audaciously tried to pass itself off as coffee, he made his way to the bridge.

"Good morning," Jack muttered, taking in the compact bridge with a glance. "So, what happened in the night?"

Mundane fantastic slice of life

@Expendable magic is an accepted part of the the natural world in this setting. Your questions keep centering around magic and science as opposing forces, but in this setting they are not. Magicians didn't come out, because they were never hidden.

I recognize the instinct to try to fit everything together, because you're right that the world would be drastically different if magic were real. But the premise of this roleplay is that magic is just another part of modern life. I know there are aspects that are unrealistic, and if I were trying to make a movie or publish a book I might try harder to address them.

As Naomi points out, yes, anyone can use magic.

@Gisk

I'm just trying to twist my mind around to how this came about so I can better image a character to fit within its framework. I'll probably file the bits I brought up for a future rp.

Escape from the Prison Mine

No, it wouldn't be the same, really. And there's no time for it.

Just say'n hey

Greetings and salutations, Dear Jack. I've found this to be a very welcoming place, myself.

So, what sort of games are you into? What are your interests?

Escape from the Prison Mine

Ah! So Rizx can rip out his... awww.

Mundane fantastic slice of life

Oh, something I should ask - is everyone capable of working magic in the world, or is it a talent only some have? Typically along family lines (but talent doesn't always appear), but sometimes especially in the 60's, some children were born out of wedlock with the magic genes?

Mundane fantastic slice of life

<Snipped quote by Expendable>

I know this was a rhetorical question, but I don't think it should be. "Magic as technology" is one approach, and many well-respected stories use it, but it's not the only way, and I don't think it's the approach @Gisk wants to take. As long as magic requires a witch, it will never replace electricity - no one's going to contract a witch every time they want to put the kettle on. To be clear, I'm not trying to argue for the superiority of either approach; I'm just not sure we're collectively on the same page about what sort of story we're trying to tell here.

Gisk, am I correct in understanding that you see the setting here as more or less like the real world?

@naomimyselfandi

There's a movie, Onward. In it, people could use magic, but it was difficult to learn. So when someone comes up with the light bulb and a means of powering it, they started moving towards tech, and not many people use magic. To me, that seems to be a logical progression.

Then there's the world of Harry Potter - the mages keep themselves hidden from the muggles, so you have cars and flying broomsticks. And that makes sense to me.

---

In this world, we have magic which is still being practiced despite the existence of technology and a cost to work that magic....

So I have to ask how that works?

Edit - Okay, I accept that science and math classes are a necessary part of the curriculum, so there would be development along these lines.

---

There is another series I've read by Patricia Briggs - Mercedes Thompson. Basically, the main character is a VW mechanic working in Seattle who also is a skinwalker - she can transform herself into a coyote. And she was raised by a werewolf pack - her neighbor is the Alpha of the Seattle Pack. And one of her customers is a vampire who had a van customized into the Mystery Machine from Scooby-Doo.

In this setting, like Harry Potter, the magical world maintains a separation between itself and the mundane. To quote MIB, "People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it."

But the various factions of magical beings realize at some point they're going to be exposed (same argument for supers, what with face recognition software, etc). So the fairy folk came out first, and wind up having to move to a reservation but they were able to control somewhat how they got represented.

The werewolves at the start of this series are trying to work out how to come out to the public themselves. Turns out there's a lot of werewolves in the military...

---

So, in the 80's, we had the satanic panic, where religious groups were denouncing Dungeons & Dragons, while people and places like pre-schools became suspect due to the McMartin case (children were encouraged to tell stories about rituals, etc.) and lead to cameras being installed in them.

What if part of that panic was wizards coming out of the closet? (The government was aware of the wizards but hid their involvement as it wouldn't look good to admit they were working with them. Some UFO sightings were, in fact, wizards. But not all of them....)

Sanctuary was originally built to be exact that - a sanctuary. A magic bunker, as it were, one of many scattered around the country. (They haven't forgotten Salem.) Thus we have secret societies, much like today's preppers and militia groups preparing for Armageddon, against the day the government comes for the wizards.

The town itself is warded to prevent errant magic from leaking out....

MIB Incident Report GH-601024

...but things sometimes happen.

Some of the mages are not happy with the decision to come out when they did. We could also have busses arriving at various times with protesters.

Ladies and gentlemen, we will be having a protest at the main gate by the Westboro Baptist Church today. While you may defend yourself as necessary, we would like to remind you that turning the protesters into frogs or any other offensive magic will result in immediate expulsion, no matter who started it.

But yeah, there may be more things hidden away or even forgotten, little (and not so little) caches of various magic weapons, creatures, or even minor gods.

Because where there's ghosts, there's....

Mundane fantastic slice of life

@kalanggam The Blue Ridge Mountains actually span multiple states! But funnily enough, most of the features listed in Country Roads are in fact in VA, and not WV.

Great character, happy to have him.

@Expendable Yes, absolutely!

I think a great real world analogue for magic is electricity. It's a powerful force that exists in nature in various forms. Humanity, through study and experimentation, have learned to harness and refine it, to the point that we can use it for amazing things.

It is common knowledge, feature in every day life, and anybody would recognize it immediately if they encountered it. People have varying degrees of knowledge about it, and how to use it. There are a variety of professions and fields that utilize it, and some people even work with it as a hobby.

The RP takes place the summer of 1994.
SHU was founded in 1790.

@Gisk

Okay, magical alternate world scenario. What is the level of technology in this world? Keep in mind that most of the things in our lives were created out of need - ships, planes, cars, etc. Who needs electricity if you have magic? Want to preserve food? Make a preserving cabinet. You can put hot food in, then come back days or weeks later and the food is still hot on the plate.

Why build cars or planes if you have a flying broomstick or carpet?
Why build motors or engines if you can craft golems who do all the physical work - pumping water, winding gears to make ship's propellers turn, etc?
Why build telephones or computers if you can use crystal balls?

DO we have classes in the natural sciences?

Mundane fantastic slice of life

Hmm. So in this world, actual magic is public knowledge?

Tryliin Blues - A Merc's Life

@Arthanus
Could we chat together IC? That'd be nice. Something like a rec-room for the corp. Maybe a saloon?

Maybe the corp should be called "R.A.M., Risk and Asset Management"?

Or we could just go with "Phoenix Asset Management". Be part of the PhAM!!

@Steel Legion

Just as long as we avoid *Slay & Rescue.*