Marina, 2020 - 2023
Summary
Additional Locations & plot suggestions
The Magic Academy series tells of a fictional fantasy universe I have created as yet another means to express my creativity. After a long time, in April 2021, I decided to start playing Minecraft again as a way to remedy quarantine boredom, and initially I’d only make a few random builds here and there, uploading the footage to Youtube and making the builds available for download. On June 1st, I went looking for inspiration and had the idea to make a treehouse - which would eventually become Starflower. Two weeks later on June 15th I started working on a simple tower design which, after completion, was simply named “Magic Academy”. Eventually I decided I should make those builds part of a broader fictional continuum, so I reworked and rebranded those maps to reflect that decision.
Eventually, I thought I should name the series “Magic Academy”, and that original tower map was renamed Windhorn. Other random maps I’d already made, like the Sky Tower and the Pyramid were then incorporated into the Magic Academy universe, and work on the third and fourth schools began shortly afterward. I also took the time to reorganize, rename and recontextualize every build I’d made until that point. Though the backbone of this project is the Minecraft maps, I didn’t want the whole project to just be Minecraft maps, so I decided to flesh it all out by writing more about the places, creating fictional backstories and creating a proper world with a timeline. I have thought of a prototype plot through which this world is integrated, and also of a few characters to give it all some context, but no main characters have been conceived just yet. The vague plot is presented at the end of the setting, but I shall leave it to the reader to think of their own adventures in this world of mystery and magic.
Finally, I must say I wasn't inspired by any series in particular when I came up with this world. I realize it probably feels somewhat generic or derivative, perhaps Avatar or Harry Potter-ish, but I do not like or know much about either series. I’ve based some names on lore from games I’ve played over the years, but other than that, this whole worldbuilding exercise is the fruit of my own labor and imagination. I hope you enjoy it!