Staging

Discussion
There are three eras of the world

The Mythic Era

The Masquerade Era

The MagePunk Era

A thought that comes to me is rarity of magic. If it’s rare, it might be kept relatively secret even though magic users are fully integrated into their local culture. That permits some secret identity story telling. An alternative is maybe a kind of magepunk world?

Magic is ubiquitous enough to have an impact on culture and economy without moving it into a full fantasy setting. And then there’s the huge secret world of magic one. I’m not opposed to it per se and big secrecy is fun as long as it doesn’t create an imperialist narrative. - Fifth-essence (talk)

I think it could be fun to kinda do both. Like in the Lore we have a Masquerade World at first then later transition to full MagePunk. - Liberonscien

That gives the possibility of writing fun big secret world stories and also complicated MagePunk stories that are high stakes for non-magic endowed people. - Fifth-essence (talk)

Yep! I like to keep my options open, right? I’d also love to have super science fantasy stuff be in the distant future of the setting. I’d love to have magic space ships that travel through the Not Warp. :) - Liberonscien

One thing I want is for us to not antagonist code entire schools of magic. Individual magic users, sure, but not entire schools of magic. I like exploring how seemingly Definitely Evil Magic could be used benevolently. - Liberonscien

European Magic is kinda soft and cuddly whereas American Magic is more raw. European magicians are kinda used to European magic. American magicians are still figuring it out. Though… we don’t necessarily need to have the world match up with ours I’d like to because it would make things easier. - Liberonscien

There is definitely, like say the movie Trollhunter posits spaces magical Scandinavia has survived, but I can definitely see Europe having a lot of established tradition and bounded-out magical landscapes and a contrast.

America would have deep-seated indigenous traditions that are tied to its land and people. But other traditions are definitely more experimental and cut off from their lands and cultures of origin, the occultism based mages but also power situated in traditions like Appalachian folk magic and rootwork. I don't feel like I'm presently qualified to expand on some of these traditions within this particular reality. - Fifth-essence (talk)

Necromancy
Necromancy is usually villainous but what about having it be acceptable to raise your deceased to ask them questions? I imagine that there could be entire philosophies on how to approach necromancy in a way that is totally okay, ethically.

I’m currently thinking about a benevolent necromancer who helps settle wills and stuff by raising the recently dead to ask them questions on exactly what they meant in their will. - Liberonscien

Necromancy just means divination via the dead, it's exactly what you're practicing consulting a spirit about a legal question and not at all when you create an undead thrall.

''Not that there's not room for undead thralls, but like you said, it's richer with differing ethical interpretations! I think that's something a modern setting really lends itself to, a give and take with realism. -'' Fifth-essence (talk)

I like the idea of a necromancer losing an arm in an accident then raising their arm from the dead and reattaching it only to find out “huh, my dead arm is stronger… I better consult the ethics committee, don’t wanna head down the evil lich path on accident”. - Liberonscien

Me realizing in a magepunk world you can actually get drafted into the Skelton War. - Fifth-essence (talk)

I know the Skeleton War is a bit of a meme but I’d love it if it and related magic memes were real in our setting. - Liberonscien

Yes!! Like, that's a necromancy ethics debate. Drafting bodies into the Skeleton War! Meanwhile, there's a Skeleton War. And I just remembered a D&D meme that's stuck with me forever. "I got that lich a phylactery. Liches love phylacteries." - Fifth-essence (talk)

“How’d you afford this place?”

''“Oh, I signed up for the Skeleton Armed Forces. You get a bonus for signing up.”''

''“But you’re a lich. You’ll never die.”''

“Haha, they didn’t know that, haha!” - Liberonscien

I was thinking some about liches, and at first I was like, yes, a beautiful and powerful lich, and I pictured her in a flowing fantasy dress and I was like. Wait. What would a contemporary lich who doesn't necessarily have to hide in a dank crypt wear?

Even if like, there's this thing they do in Catholicism where they put jewelry-for-skeletons on saints. But even jewelry-for-skeletons might be modern!

They put so much love into designing these gorgeous and unique jewelry styles for the saints. A lich who has centuries to get dressed day to day and update her style would have so many innovations on it. - Fifth-essence (talk)

''Yeah, I imagine that a being would have an unusual style after a while. ;)''

''Haha, they’re neat! I’d probably embed circuitry in my skeleton and stuff. Imagine being an undead Minecraft server. :3 -'' Liberonscien

Since it's the first quirky character in my mind, I'm letting myself think more on the able-to-be-social lich. And I wanted to make a note I think there's a lot of overlap between lich'dom and transhumanism, generally!

I also just remembered in this fantasy story I was toying around with years ago, in the future setting part I had this only-a-mental-image-now of an ancient now-cyborg dragon neurally integrated with a mainframe (we've invented the cloud since then ofc). - Fifth-essence (talk)

''Bruh. I’m such a transhumanist. :)''

''Well, a posthuman transhumanist but whatever. :)''

''No reason why we can’t have multiple liches. :)'' - Liberonscien

Oh yeah! I imagine liches are like. So, in the mythic past, so to speak, it was like... terrifying undead skeletons who probably had to maintain lairs? Maybe in the present, there's possibly still contention about the nature of the magic they're using but they're able to be a part of the magical society, they're still pretty terrifying to people who just got initiated from the wider world. In a MagePunk future, they have a lot of open options. Although I imagine actually achieving lich-hood is rare and very difficult. - Fifth-essence (talk)

Yeah, a lich kinda has to do some stuff to become a lich and it isn’t always great stuff…

''I imagine that becoming a lich requires a lot of study and stuff. -'' Liberonscien

Yeah! And even if you did a lot of unethical stuff to become an immortal necromancer, you're an immortal necromancer so you have a lot of time for self-growth! You might not be the same person. - Fifth-essence (talk)

Miscellaneous
(social contract conversation with Alpha)

Mechanically involved rituals

It's possible to transition through magic. Involving potions and lightning could be fun.

magic staffs!

giant animated walking golem made from the pieces of a warship