What is needed for a magitech aesthetic?

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So?

I'm gonna make a fic where an ancient empire is gonna rise up from the ashes after spending 10, 000 years in stasis on earth.

Thing is, the empire has magitech.

But I need ideas for such a thing.
 
Shouldn't be the other way around? If enchantment can be applied to stuff of any shape, then the æsthetics of the empire's magical tools will be whatever is considered fashionable in it at the time.
 
Magitech pretty much seems to require colorful crystals and runes carved into things. Beyond that some magitech cultures go for graceful stone arches and pillars, usually paired with gauzy gowns or togas, and fancy gardens. This look probably has its roots in the neoclassical period in Europe where rediscovered Greek and Roman stuff were popular at the same time as fairies and romanticized nature. Other magictech is more like steampunk, using lots of metal plates for everything from robots to ships to walls. Both of these two types would probably use stained glass for accents. Or if it's bio-magitech, that would use contorted plants and animals; hardly any metal, everything would be wood, leather, scales, fur, bone/ivory, perhaps the occasional giant seashell or giant beetle shell.
 
Ok then.

What's the best kind of aesthetic for magitech?
Something that hasn't been used before for the same purpose [much]. Crystal spires and togas are overused, for example. So some ideas off the top of my head (sleepy and untested):
  • Clay tablets and statuettes.
  • Lots of weaved baskets and other shapes; stick figures; scale armour made of leaves.
  • Bones and skulls and the molding of bone-like substances into more statues and walls and stuff.
  • Carved wooden boxes, lockers, figurines etc., with or without runes burned into them.
  • Things made of coral and seashells.
 
Magitech aesthetic?

I think its simply magical components (glowy bits, crystals, runes, ect) joined with recognizable mechanical parts (gears, barrels, dials) or even electronic components for a more modern magitech look (glowing circuits, blinking lights, lcd screens).
 
...good grief people. Crystal spires and togas? Really?

Alright, let's break this down for a moment: magitech is magical technology. That is the core idea. So magitech has to be repeatable- even if it not within the current capablities of someone, there are no unique gems that none can surpass. It is also device focused- an I mean that in the the 'provide power to a device, and an effect comes out' sense. It also is divorced from spiritual aspects- magic does not require you grow or adopt certain minsets to work, or to call upon greater powers. You provide power to device and it works. It also typically has connections to a science based thing- math or programming are common, as are computer systems.

Visually, holographic displays, devices creating big fancy dispays usually provide the magic bit, along with the idea that the power ultimately comes from a person, at least on a personal level- big ships tend to have reactors and such. Crystals are common, but metal and computers work just fine- the important thing is it looks like a machine, or technology.

Crystal spires and togas. Have you people never played a JRPG- ei where the whole damn aesthetic comes from. Or watched something like Lyrical Nanoha. Why the hell is crystal spires and togas even remotely associated with magitech?
 
I just read the scroll of fallen races.

More specifically, the Dragon kings.

For one thing, they have crystal tech that enables them to project images, create aircraft, give off light and heat and fire lasers.

they also have biotech, involving bushes that literally grow swords, and then vines that serve as water and waste pipes.
 
I just read the scroll of fallen races.

More specifically, the Dragon kings.

For one thing, they have crystal tech that enables them to project images, create aircraft, give off light and heat and fire lasers.

they also have biotech, involving bushes that literally grow swords, and then vines that serve as water and waste pipes.
I love these guys. So much.

That said, their not really magitech in the classic sense- thats Lookshy and Wonders of a Lost Age. Their plant and stones tech- that happens to use magic. Their gear tends to be more... natural as opposed manufactured, so to speak. In that regard their actually closer the crystal spires and togas asthetic, except they ditched the
togas bit to be Aztec Dinosaurs.

Overall, their more a case of using limitations to create a unique asthetic- nothing the DK have is unique for the setting, but limiting them to stones and plants creates a very unique feel for the race.
 
...good grief people. Crystal spires and togas? Really?

Alright, let's break this down for a moment: magitech is magical technology. That is the core idea. So magitech has to be repeatable- even if it not within the current capablities of someone, there are no unique gems that none can surpass. It is also device focused- an I mean that in the the 'provide power to a device, and an effect comes out' sense. It also is divorced from spiritual aspects- magic does not require you grow or adopt certain minsets to work, or to call upon greater powers. You provide power to device and it works. It also typically has connections to a science based thing- math or programming are common, as are computer systems.

Visually, holographic displays, devices creating big fancy dispays usually provide the magic bit, along with the idea that the power ultimately comes from a person, at least on a personal level- big ships tend to have reactors and such. Crystals are common, but metal and computers work just fine- the important thing is it looks like a machine, or technology.

Crystal spires and togas. Have you people never played a JRPG- ei where the whole damn aesthetic comes from. Or watched something like Lyrical Nanoha. Why the hell is crystal spires and togas even remotely associated with magitech?
That's not where the aesthetic comes from, is why you're confused. Magitech is based on the idea of magical artifacts, such as those in the card game Magic The Gathering, which predates Lyrical Nanoha by 11 years. Magic the Gathering in turn takes heavy inspiration from Dungeons and Dragons, which dates back to 1974. The illustrations on magic cards and in D&D books take direct inspiration from the sketched inventions of Leonardo Da Vinci, along with drawings of actual medieval siege weapons and torture devices, and also drawings of steam-era machines. Many of the pre-steam "machines" were made entirely of wood and rope, so they didn't look particularly machine-like. The artist then has to convert the source image to look magical, which is generally done by substituting in glowing crystals, glowing carved-in runes, and/or bones. Remember, magic can evolve to a level that can be considered technology without the culture having access to large amounts of metal or inventing mass production. Each magical appliance can in fact be a one-of-a-kind invention by a wizard.

 
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The important part about magitech is, as has been alluded to above, that it is device based and that it is recognisable as technology. Frequently, this means devices that are essentially magical versions of mundane modern technologies -- airships, but they fly due to a specific kind of magical reactor that generates lift when magical energy flows through it or whatever. So, you're kind of asking the wrong question here. Or putting the cart before the horse. If you're going to decide on a general aesthetic for a magitech society, you're going to need to answer at least the following couple of questions:

1. How does this technology work?

Crystals are popular -- they're associated with magic and mysticism in many different cultures and enchanted gems have been a staple of fantasy for-basically-ever. They're also really easy to visualise as a power source or a container for magical energy. As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing wrong with using something that other people have done before as long as it's not a carbon copy, but if you want to go with something else, you need to decide what you're going to use instead. When you find a device made by this culture, what is its power source? How does it work, what do the internals look like, generally? What do you need to make it work? What kind of affect can it have on living creatures or the envitonment if they're exposed to it? That's going to inform a lot about how the general aesthetic of the culture, which brings us to the second question:

2. What designs and materials make sense for your imaginary fantasy technology?

If you know roughly how your technology works and what the magic behind it fundamentally does, you can then decide what kind of materials and designs make at least intuitive sense. Do certain kinds of wood or metal conduct or insulate against magic better than others? What's going to be practical in terms of constant use or wear and tear? Does your culture produce machines that are sturdy and robust, in practical blocky shapes, or do they create intricate works of art that look more like something out of nature than a machine made by humans, or is it something else entirely? Our modern technology is primarily electrical or fossil fuel based -- it uses metal wires, plastic and easily refined metal, because those are the materials that are practical for the technology we use and the society we live in, and that's a similar mindset to what you want to have while you're designing your magical equivalents. It's your world and your magic system, so you can make shit look however you like, but the important thing is that it's internally consistent and can at least make sense in a reader's head. Always keep in mind that these devices are meant to be things that real people use in their everyday lives.

There's no real "best aesthetic" for magitech, there are only best aesthetics for specific settings and stories, and it's going to depend a lot on what you want to tell us about this culture and the sort of story you're going to tell. How the objects a society produces look can tell you a lot of things about them, and that's a world building tool you should stay cognoscente of. Personally, as I kind of implied above, I would avoid the knee-jerk urge toward novelty just for novelty's sake. Familiar looks and ideas with a new spin on them can work extremely well and be very memorable, and they became familiar in the first place because they resonate well with people. Don't avoid using shiny metal gears and crystals and glowy lines and shit just because the Elder Scrolls and a million other properties have done that already, if that really is the best fit for what you're doing -- just make sure your story still feels unique and memorable.
 
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I love these guys. So much.

That said, their not really magitech in the classic sense- thats Lookshy and Wonders of a Lost Age. Their plant and stones tech- that happens to use magic. Their gear tends to be more... natural as opposed manufactured, so to speak. In that regard their actually closer the crystal spires and togas asthetic, except they ditched the
togas bit to be Aztec Dinosaurs.

Overall, their more a case of using limitations to create a unique asthetic- nothing the DK have is unique for the setting, but limiting them to stones and plants creates a very unique feel for the race.
Oh no, not that.

The tech is called biotech.

What I'm looking for is tech that works and looks different from the rest.
 
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