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Message no. 1
From: Erik Jameson <erikj@****.COM>
Subject: Paradigm Shift? (Re: Mages and Space)
Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 14:03:55 -0400
At 03:20 AM 4/28/98 -0500, you wrote:
>>
>>Astral space is a reflection of the physical world. Astral space
>>(and to some extent, the physical world) are sustained by mana (that
>>quasidimensional, poorly known, energy that makes magic possible).
>>
>>In space there is no physical world for astral space to reflect.
>>IMHO astral space and mana operate by different rules in space
>>(causing insanity in those mages that try to project, perceive, or
>>cast spells) or the lack of reflection creates a direct connection
>>between the physical world and mana (astral space isn't there to mute
>>the connection) in which case the excessive drain kills casters (when
>>physical) or drives them insane (when stun).
>>
>
>What about a child that comes of age in outer space and has magical
>ability, learning how magic works in his environment, not trying to work
>magic as it was learned on earth and its astral space?


Actually entirely possible. *IF* the problem with magic in space *isn't* a
lack of mana or a connection to the astral, but is instead simply alien. I
liken this concept to how we view a coin. Here, in our world, we have both
a strong astral and mundane geography and presence. Both sides of a coin.
But in space, one of those sides of the coin is missing; for sake of
arguement let's say that the void of space simply doesn't present a strong
enough mundane geography to present itself. Trying to reconcile that would
drive anyone mad, especially if they *had* to try and reconcile that concept.

Or, another thought, there is an astral place in space. But because of the
void, because of a lack of mana, whatever, there is a greater division
between the astral and the mundane planes.

Think of it like this. On earth, the Awakening happened when the astral
plane/dimension "bumped" up against the mundane plane. They had a certain
amount of synchronicity, a certain amount of similar geography. The two
worlds collided. In space, that hasn't happened yet. And because of the
nature of space, it may never happen. This would imply that it would be
extremely difficult to connect to the astral plane from space; there would
be a sort of "stretching" of the aura/soul to try and bridge that gap
(which is barely a gap on earth). That stretching warps the aura, perhaps
causing the insanity itself. And sometimes that stretching snaps the aura
like an old rubberband, killing the magician.

I don't know how much sense that made, considering I just came up with the
concept mere moments before typing it. But I think it may actually work.
It retains all the features of current SR magic, but also gives a strong
and rational reason why magicians have such problems with space. It is a
shift in the paradigm that we currently accept as gospel, but it makes just
as much sense (that is, the theory makes sense, I may not have worded it as
such this time out) as the old paradigm.

I like it.

Erik J.


"What was that popping sound?"

"A paradigm shifting without a clutch."
Message no. 2
From: Jonathan Andrews <jmandrews@*******.EDU>
Subject: Re: Paradigm Shift? (Re: Mages and Space)
Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 16:16:44 -0500
On Tue, 28 Apr 1998, Erik Jameson wrote:

> extremely difficult to connect to the astral plane from space; there would
> be a sort of "stretching" of the aura/soul to try and bridge that gap
> (which is barely a gap on earth). That stretching warps the aura, perhaps
> causing the insanity itself. And sometimes that stretching snaps the aura
> like an old rubberband, killing the magician.
>
You mean of the Awakened soul, I assume...

I don't know. I always thought of it more like sensory deprivation, to
borrow a loose comparison. Very loose, though, or you get interesting
questions:

If you're put in **total** darkness for long enough, you go completely
blind. If you lose your astral connection for long enough, do you lose
your astral ability?

If you're put in a silent room, you start hearing your own body functions.
If you remove the astral "noise" completely, do you become more aware of
the astral element within yourself?

And that's where my connections start breaking down. If the astral plane
draws its "substance?" from life--if life is the air/atmosphere of the
astral plane, from trees and people to the bacteria in the air (as I've
been concluding from my understanding), then the mage isn't really in an
astral vaccum.

There's the bacteria in the air around him. No matter where he goes, he
still has air around him, or he wouldn't be cognitive long enough to worry
about all this.

And so, there must be something about the removal of his astral sphere
from that of Earth...

Hmmm....

Gettin' nowhere fast,
Jonathan Andrews
Message no. 3
From: Spike <u5a77@*****.CS.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject: Re: Paradigm Shift? (Re: Mages and Space)
Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 23:40:47 +0100
And verily, did Jonathan Andrews hastily scribble thusly...
|And that's where my connections start breaking down. If the astral plane
|draws its "substance?" from life--if life is the air/atmosphere of the
|astral plane, from trees and people to the bacteria in the air (as I've
|been concluding from my understanding), then the mage isn't really in an
|astral vaccum.
|
|There's the bacteria in the air around him. No matter where he goes, he
|still has air around him, or he wouldn't be cognitive long enough to worry
|about all this.

I think you're thinking in the wrong terms here...
Think more along the lines of Mass and Gravity.
Where there is a large mass, like the earth, the gravitional force is
strong.

Now, if we draw a parallel with the Astral plane, if the astral plane is
based in the cumulative effects of the energy fields generated by every life
form on the planet.... I think you get my drift.

The "Astral field" generated by a small colony of astronauts and all their
accompanying plant life/bacteria/etc would be enough to generate a VERY
small field, but the cumulative effects would still likely cause explosive
decompression to a mage opening himself to the astral there...
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|u5a77@*****.cs.keele.ac.uk| Windows95 (noun): 32 bit extensions and a |
| | graphical shell for a 16 bit patch to an 8 bit |
|Andrew Halliwell | operating system originally coded for a 4 bit |
|Principal Subjects in:- |microprocessor, written by a 2 bit company, that|
|Comp Sci & Electronics | can't stand 1 bit of competition. |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|GCv3.1 GCS/EL>$ d---(dpu) s+/- a- C++ U N++ o+ K- w-- M+/++ PS+++ PE- Y t+ |
|5++ X+/++ R+ tv+ b+ D G e>PhD h/h+ !r! !y-|I can't say F**K either now! :( |
Message no. 4
From: Erik Jameson <erikj@****.COM>
Subject: Re: Paradigm Shift? (Re: Mages and Space)
Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 19:37:47 -0400
At 04:16 PM 4/28/98 -0500, you wrote:
>On Tue, 28 Apr 1998, Erik Jameson wrote:
>
>> extremely difficult to connect to the astral plane from space; there would
>> be a sort of "stretching" of the aura/soul to try and bridge that gap
>> (which is barely a gap on earth). That stretching warps the aura, perhaps
>> causing the insanity itself. And sometimes that stretching snaps the aura
>> like an old rubberband, killing the magician.
>>
>You mean of the Awakened soul, I assume...

Something like that, yes.

>I don't know. I always thought of it more like sensory deprivation, to
>borrow a loose comparison. Very loose, though, or you get interesting
>questions:
><snipped><
>And so, there must be something about the removal of his astral sphere
>from that of Earth...

Of course, that, and many of the other theories, depend on the belief that
the astral plane is dependent on life/mana. What if it isn't? What if the
Astral Plane has always been there? That is exists everywhere, but only
since the Awakening have the conditions been right to access the Astral and
mana.

Okay, so maybe it is merely a wacked idea. But I like it. To me, it
explains a lot.

Erik J.


"Forgive me FASA for I have sinned. It has been 6 days since I last played
Shadowrun and 15 days since I last bought a SRTCG booster pack."

Further Reading

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