Astral Wave Synopsis

Tl;dr: 27th century utopian civilization focused around wargames where people can create avatars with morphological freedom

The World

Astral Wave takes place in 27th century Earth, after advancements in technology, culture, and science, resulted in a much more slower-paced post-capitalist society. Most people work 12-25 hours a week, and spend the rest of their time on their hobbies or community service. Society also has reoganized many activities around non-calendar based seasons, due to the unpredictability of the climate even after centuries of cleaning up after the effects of climate change. This means that holidays and certain other events established in the future will take place at different times in different regions, or change year to year. However, climate models are able to model these changes and give ample warning. However, due to centuries of environmental remediation, most places on Earth are pleasant locations to live in, with extreme weather events being much more rare compared to the 21st century.

A lot of the advancements in labor rights, technology, abundance, and automation is caused by the discovery of the Astral Plane in the early-mid 22nd century. The Astral Plane is home to many monsters that kidnap humans and digitize existing structures of human civilization, but after centuries of struggle, humanity has managed to suppress and coexist with the Astral Plane.

The “common” language of the world is Esperanto, with most people speaking it as their second or third language. Most people tend to speak 3 languages, the official language of the country they live in, the language of their ethnicity or primary immigrant group in their area, and Esperanto.

Sapient Species

The primary species are humans, but humanity has also uplifted small amounts of plant life and other animals to make them stewards / advocates of the environment. Humans have also unlocked morphological freedom with the creation of the Projection system, semi-organic customizable bodies that people can pilot, allowing people to transform into any form they desire. This includes but is not limited to: bestial / animalistic forms, robots, monsters, humans but with exotic features, and more! Since these grant humans morphological freedom, greater resistance, physical strength, and mobility, Projections are often used cosmetically, recreationally, and casually, and people who opt to not use them have devices that use the same underlying effects that autonomously defend them from minor levels of harm.

Factions and Countries

The story of Astral Plane is primarily self-contained NYC, specifically in Brooklyn and Manhattan, but occasionally the greater NYC metro area might be mentioned. The borough of Brooklyn is one of the biggest hubs of innovation in Projection and Astral Plane-based technology, and many areas of Manhattan has been subsumed by the Astral Plane, rendering it unsafe for long term inhabitation. A large chunk of the island is now underwater, which functions as a portal to the Astral Plane.

Magic and Technology

The Astral Plane contains many materials that greatly enhances the computational power of computers, as well as materials that can be alloyed into highly flexible, yet durable blends. Advanced computation has allowed for advances in medical and genetic technology, allowing for increases in lifespans and healthspans, and most people now live to 120-130 years. A lot of suburbs have also been reclaimed by nature, with most people settling in towns of varying density, with cities getting even denser with some parts using all available vertical space as well in the forms of floating parks and plazas, which requires the use of mobility gear that allows for flight (or high jumps). Near invisible nets and personal ablative shield generators are used to break falls in case of accidents.

Genre, Mood, Tone, and Comparisons

World Trigger x TWEWY x Astral Chain in an Utopian Solarpunk society that allows people to transform into their internal selves. Megaman Starforce is also a baseline for how things look and work, but some places are a bit more futuristic than that.

General Information People Should Know

There is an expectation for teenagers and young adults to develop a social network of other people in their area of expertise, especially if it’s something that is uncommon. Adolescents who graduate primary education at 18 have the option of apprenticeships or higher education, although people who are not interested in extreme specialization in a professional field end up taking the equivalent of community college courses throughout their lifetime to have a generalist skillset.

Society will provide food, housing, medical care, education, and basic computing, with libraries providing access to a variety of tools and information. Generally, a job will get you most resources you’ll need to enjoy life and work on hobbies, but a majority of conflicts over resources is around the allocation of resources and personnel for long term / large scale projects.