The collected Fiction Inspirations for Mage: The Ascension

[Ambrosia]

You want a science fiction novel that is dripping with Mage?
Read Greg Egan's 1992 novel "Quarantine".

I will hide the Wikipedia link behind a fat spoiler tag, because, seriously, MASSIVE SPOILERS right up front.
I really, really, really suggest reading the book without opening this. It's simply here for people that reaaaaally aren't into books:

Clicky

The ISBN is 978-0-06-105423-5


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[Papa Bear]

Not sure if it's already been mentioned, but the podcast Welcome to Night Vale needs to be thrown into the mix. It's a good atmospheric piece for the World of Darkness in general and some episodes I've heard recently (I'm going thru the back catalog, so they're still older episodes) are very appropriate for Mage. It's almost like someone is trying to form their own Reality Zone, but what Tradition they could be, I have no idea. It's almost like they're experimenting with numerous variations. In my own head, I think the populace is filled with Imbued, kinfolk, acolytes, etc, etc, etc. People who can see the weirdness, but can't really do anything about it but play by the bizarro rules to survive. There's even a woman who can see angels even though everybody denies they exist, per City Council orders, of course.

Episodes 47 and 48 from back in 2014 are basically a Technocracy/Traditions battle, so I'm throwing them against the wall here to see if it sticks.

[THe Guide]

How about the first season of Heroes? It was an amazing show with a lot of different power displayed by the characters,

In video games, I thought of Mass Effect 1-2-3 and Andromeda for VE inspiration. Even Iteration-X (technology) and Progenitor (DNA and biotic powers)

[Fat Larry]

How about the first season of Heroes? It was an amazing show with a lot of different power displayed by the characters,

In video games, I thought of Mass Effect 1-2-3 and Andromeda for VE inspiration. Even Iteration-X (technology) and Progenitor (DNA and biotic powers)

Mass Effect 1-3 for sure, but let's not mention Andromeda. lol.

Not sure if it's been mentioned yet, but Equilibrium is totally a Mage movie.

[No One of Consequence]

Michael Crichton's novels Prey and Next, which cover some interesting stuff potentially relating to Iteration X and the Progenitors, respectively. Some of the material in Next I also found inspirational for Virtual Adepts who might engage in garage-punk bioengineering.

[AldoSalt]

How about The Prisoner?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv813f2Xtrg

The surreal Environment that is the Village could easily be a New World Order Prison/Indoctrination camp, while the increasingly surreal imagery and events that occur is Number 6 gradually Awakening to the greater truths of Reality.

Heck, NWO agents use the slogan 'Be Seeing You' all the time in the game fiction!

[Alucard]

The works of Rumiko Takahashi should be here. Her manga and the anime that were based on them have a lot of good inspiration in them.

Inuyasha for running a Dreamspeaker shaman from a Shinto perspective.

Ranma 1/2 for the Akashic Brotherhood

Mermaid Saga for weird bygone inspired horror

[Onkwe]

The Magicians Trilogy by Lev Grossman.
-There's some great inspiration for Hermetic style magick, the difference between a formally trained mages and Orphans, mages living in the modern world, themes of hubris, and even some examples of chantries, horizon realms, and Umbral adventures. The TV adaption isn't bad, but not as good of a source of inspiration as the books. An exception to that would be the show's version of the Beast, who would make a great Maurader. The final novel and TV show coming out around the same time as M20 really sucked me back into Mage.

The Void (2017)
-Poor hapless Sleepers end up in a Nephandi labyrinth.

Residue (2017 movie)
-Seems like some NWO or Syndicate barrabri is going around trying to corrupt people with a Lovecraftian book. Could also serve as an example of Quiet. Very reminiscent of the humor in Odd Thomas.

Residue (2015 Netflix series)
-A mini series that seemed like it was going to be the leap off for a bigger series, but never happened. None the less it could serve as a Sleepers' eye view of uncovering hints of the Technocracy covering up some kind of extradimensional incursion or a paradox backlash gone really bad.

Hackers (1995)
-This movie is obviously dated, but I still like it. I caught it a few years back on Netflix, and it held up to my childhood lens of what constituted a good movie, lol. This and the Matrix movies were the first things I thought of upon my initial reading of the Virtual Adepts.

Strange Days (1995)
-This film is hilarious to watch in hindsight. It takes place in the last few days of 1999, but it's like a cyberpunk-lite movie with technology that's beyond even now. However, I liked how it presented a shittier 'present day' - depicting police corruption, how it entangles into entertainment and the criminal underworld, and racism (very post 92 LA riots) - without getting into sillier notions this theme sometimes goes down in popular cinema. Overall, IMO, a good general view of a 1st world city in the WoD.

Fringe (2008-2012)
- The characters in this show could either be a more light hearted take on a Technocracratic amalgam or my view of a Tradition-Technocrat cooperative effort. Walter strikes me more as a Son of Ether than a Technocrat, but he could easily be a more liberal minded Technomancer. He can also showcase the price of hubris and the quiet many masters suffer from. The last season can also serve as a counterpoint of a kinder, gentler earth-side Technocracy and Threat Null.

Crossworlds (1996)
-Caught this on Netflix a while ago. It's about a secret war over some magic-is-science artifact that will allow the antagonists to control a interdimensional nexus point or something along those lines. It gave me me mage feels.

The Craft (1996)
-I'm surprised this one hasn't popped up. Great Orphan inspiration or young out of control Verbena.

Witch Hunter Robin (2002)
-This anime series could be inspiring for hunters as well as Technomancers. The later could especially be useful for a mystic defector to the Union in regards to Robin herself.

Bio Hunter (1995)
- Progenitor experiments gone awry or even something more Nephandic seen through the eyes of Damage Control hunters cleaning up the mess. I've only seen the anime movie, but there is a manga series its originally based on.

[No One of Consequence]

Hackers (1995)
-This movie is obviously dated, but I still like it. I caught it a few years back on Netflix, and it held up to my childhood lens of what constituted a good movie, lol. This and the Matrix movies were the first things I thought of upon my initial reading of the Virtual Adepts.

Strange Days (1995)
-This film is hilarious to watch in hindsight. It takes place in the last few days of 1999, but it's like a cyberpunk-lite movie with technology that's beyond even now. However, I liked how it presented a shittier 'present day' - depicting police corruption, how it entangles into entertainment and the criminal underworld, and racism (very post 92 LA riots) - without getting into sillier notions this theme sometimes goes down in popular cinema. Overall, IMO, a good general view of a 1st world city in the WoD.

I heartily approve of both of these. I'll also add David Cronenberg's EXistenZ (1999).

[Onkwe]

I heartily approve of both of these. I'll also add David Cronenberg's EXistenZ (1999).

Thanks.

I really need to see EXistenZ, and you've given me even more of an excuse now.

[No One of Consequence]

If you are a fan of the World of Darkness, you really need to see as much of Cronenberg's horror/sci-fi work as your mind can take. While I was vaguely aware of his work from seeing this behind the scenes special effects show that used to air on Nickelodeon in the afternoons (this was the around 85 IIRC) that would show some stuff from Scanners or Videodrome, it was really when I saw his remake of The Fly in jr. high that I first really became aware of who he was. But Scanners (1981) and The Dead Zone (1983) have always heavily influenced my idea of what psychics in the WoD should be like, while Videodrome (1983), Naked Lunch (1991) and EXistenZ (1999) are all wonderful examples of someone's reality breaking down. The Fly (1986), The Brood (1979) and Rabid (1977) are pretty good Werewolf/fomori inspiration. His acting turn in Clive Barker's Nightbreed (1990) is also fun.

[Tazmaniacs]

Hhas anyone mentioned Alejandro Jodorowski's work? the Holy Mountain, The Mole and so on? i think its interesting inspiration for Questings. i been told to read The Incal for inspiration but i havent been able to get it on my filthy hands

About Jodorowsky - one of my favorite - the Santa Sangre movie seems to have been overshadowed by the Holy Mountain movie & his comics. I personally think it's his best movie, full of crazy personnages, like Luis Bunuel loved. Probably inspired the Carnivale TV show.

Flatland - this short novel is incredible for its depiction of a 2 dimensional world, where women are triangles who can kill men just by turning on the side (and becoming invisible). An alternative on Alice in Wonderlands, which can give ideas for intellectual-Umbra realms.

Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Nephandi or not, Mage or not, is a must-read (and please, for non-English natives, in English!).

For those into philosophy, or not afraid of not fully understanding what they're reading, Deleuze & Guattari's Thousand Plateaux (and Professor Challenger!) might give some quirky ideas... and even if you don't go with the "tale", it's so full of reading-ideas you will get something out of it. I'm not sure how it would translate into Mage, but it's definitely an alternative paradigm !

Same,philosophical stuff but quite easy reading (well, relatively, but... there's a reason it was a bestseller in the 60s), Marcuse's Unimensional Man as a description of a Unified Paradigm killing (almost) all hope... and how to wage war against that...

[No One of Consequence]

I am currently rereading Peter Milligan and Chris Bachalo's early 90s run of DC/Vertigo's Shade: The Changing Man and finding it every bit as interesting and weird as I remember it. It's a good look at both period weirdness, the sort of world view(s) that might be experienced by Marauders or those in deep Quiet, and has a villain that works well as corrupted Incarnae or other major spirit.

[Crowley]

Ready Player One is Virtual Adepts the movie.

[Bluecho]

I've praised the Mage-ability of the band Muse before on this thread, but I'd like to point out the recent song, Thought Contagion. In addition to the awesomely 80s music video - with its electro vampire zombies that dance the Thriller - I just love the idea of a "Thought Contagion". It holds well to Mage's theme of memes-as-magic. The song also continues the band's running commentary on the abuses of shadowy governments, which is extremely Technocracy.

While we're on the topic of music, the band Savlonic also used the 80s retro aesthetic for their recent album (and accompanying animated music videos), Neon. Just look at the video for Broken, as see how 80s techno (and therefore classic era Virtual Adept) it is.