I was approached by a promising co-writer for this story, and we did a lot of world building before he disappeared. It's been a month now, so I feel OK (after checking with a few people on here) about offering the more developed idea to see if others might get into it.
We are in a city called Peace, after an apocalyptic terrorist event has nearly destroyed the known world. Until that event, Peace was an initiative of collaboration between the two major cultures of this world. The two cultures were historically situated on separate continents, without any knowledge of each other for centuries. Their development was completely independent: one continent developed a scientific and technological civilization, the other a magical one. When their mutual development inevitably led them to encounter one another, the clashing (and seemingly incompatible) worldviews led to centuries of conflict and bloodshed. Nevertheless, and perhaps inevitably, both sides learned from one another, and initiatives for collaboration developed. Them oust important initiative was the creation of the city named Peace, whose purpose was precisely to incarnate the possibility of fruitful interaction between technology and magic. Sadly, on the very day when the city's success was to be hailed in a festival of peace, a destructive engine of massive power - magically-enhanced technology? technologically-enhanced magic? - was set off, destroying life not only in the city, but also for hundreds of thousands of kilometres around.
The city is now the epicentre of the renewed conflict between technology and magic. A wall divides the city between the two factions. On both sides of that wall, narratives have developed that blame the other side, dehumanizes them, and makes of them scapegoats for every problem that exists. On both sides, suspicion and fear have created oppressive state systems, one magical, the other technological, complete with constant surveillance, mass arrests, etc.
A few survivors on both sides remember the days of cooperation, but they are old and dying off. There is an underground organization that works to liberate people on both sides and restore some kind of encounter between magic and technology. This underground organization is perceived by the powers that be on both sides as a terrorist organization, since it undermines their power. New narratives are emerging that lace the blame for the apocalyptic event on this group, which did not exist at that time.
One character is a native of the city, on the magical side. He is an archivist, a dangerous figure in a political structure that strives to control memory and erase the past. He is recruited by the underground organization. The other main character is a university professor of ethics from the technology side, also a dangerous profession in a state that runs on oppression. But not a native of the city - he is a visiting intellectual who has come to the university for research. He is also recruited by the organization.
There you go. Anyone interested?
We are in a city called Peace, after an apocalyptic terrorist event has nearly destroyed the known world. Until that event, Peace was an initiative of collaboration between the two major cultures of this world. The two cultures were historically situated on separate continents, without any knowledge of each other for centuries. Their development was completely independent: one continent developed a scientific and technological civilization, the other a magical one. When their mutual development inevitably led them to encounter one another, the clashing (and seemingly incompatible) worldviews led to centuries of conflict and bloodshed. Nevertheless, and perhaps inevitably, both sides learned from one another, and initiatives for collaboration developed. Them oust important initiative was the creation of the city named Peace, whose purpose was precisely to incarnate the possibility of fruitful interaction between technology and magic. Sadly, on the very day when the city's success was to be hailed in a festival of peace, a destructive engine of massive power - magically-enhanced technology? technologically-enhanced magic? - was set off, destroying life not only in the city, but also for hundreds of thousands of kilometres around.
The city is now the epicentre of the renewed conflict between technology and magic. A wall divides the city between the two factions. On both sides of that wall, narratives have developed that blame the other side, dehumanizes them, and makes of them scapegoats for every problem that exists. On both sides, suspicion and fear have created oppressive state systems, one magical, the other technological, complete with constant surveillance, mass arrests, etc.
A few survivors on both sides remember the days of cooperation, but they are old and dying off. There is an underground organization that works to liberate people on both sides and restore some kind of encounter between magic and technology. This underground organization is perceived by the powers that be on both sides as a terrorist organization, since it undermines their power. New narratives are emerging that lace the blame for the apocalyptic event on this group, which did not exist at that time.
One character is a native of the city, on the magical side. He is an archivist, a dangerous figure in a political structure that strives to control memory and erase the past. He is recruited by the underground organization. The other main character is a university professor of ethics from the technology side, also a dangerous profession in a state that runs on oppression. But not a native of the city - he is a visiting intellectual who has come to the university for research. He is also recruited by the organization.
There you go. Anyone interested?
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