Just like the title says, which one do you prefer? An advanced technologycal character from scifi type like mass effect or stars wars (fallout like included).
Or are you guys more into fantasy stories with more myths from Earth?
Or perhaps you guys prefer a more modern take with a little pinch from both of the other tropes?

7961580
I personally like the mix of the two. Using scientific tech and incorporate them with the use of magic, making something unique and rarely seen in today's society like advanced medicine and newer vehicles.

I enjoy Sci-Fi, but yeah, I'm more of a Fantasy nerd. But I'm not opposed to mixing the two genres as long as they do so in ways that work. After all, the third of Clarke's Laws is, Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

While that would typically translate to an advanced piece of technology seems like magic to a mind that does not understand it, I like to think that advanced technology itself could be made to work with or be powered by magic.

Magical technology is in various works of sci-fi/fantasy, whether as literature, video games, tv shows, films, animation, and so on. Even in Dungeons & Dragons, there is a class called Artificer, which is a person who approaches magic in a scientific way and employs it as such, whether in making magical technology, constructs, golems, or even alchemy. A similar approach is taken in Warcraft, especially by gnomes and dwarves and goblins.

If you pay attention to certain examples of fantasy whether it's mixed with sci-fi or not, you'll find some instance or example of magical technology, even if it duzent seem that way at first. Like temples, dungeons, and such, having these archaic yet complex locks, traps, triggers, levers/buttons, and needing the right key to unlock, open, or disengage them. Sometimes the idea of magical technology is implement in the form of some elaborate architecture.

It should be noted that sometimes magical technology, in spite of the magical element, can actually be rather simple, as in using simple machines, like the lever, the wedge, the pulley, and so on. Magic is just used to make even simple machines more advanced in some way(s).

Another common element in magical technology is actually Crystals, which are either the power source or the facilitation of how these technologies work. The quality of the crystals can affect the efficiency of these sorts of magical technologies. A certain example I can think of is a animated show called Stormhawks, where the setting made use of all kinds of crystals with seemingly magical effects and were used in all sorts of ways, as power sources, weapons, and so on.

In recent years, even Star Wars has veered in this direction more definitively. The Force wielded by the Jedi, the Sith, and other Force-related entities was always a mystical energy field that spans the universe, holding it together, and force-sensitive beings could tap into the Force to wield what could be considered supernatural powers in a setting of advanced sci-fi technology where interstellar travel, alien beings and species, etc., are the norm. To people who didn't understand the Force, the powers it could bestow upon those who could tap into it seemed like magic users even though it's not magic (at least not necessarily). Even the Armorer in The Mandalorian referred to the Jedi as sorcerers at one point. Not to mention, during the Clone Wars, we were introduced to the Nightsisters of Dathomir, witches who used strange powers of the Force in ways that they considered to be magic and how different it was from how the Jedi and the Sith use the Force.

At one point, I heard that the relationship between the Sith and the Dark Side of the Force is parasitic whereas the relationship between the Nightsisters and the Dark Side is symbiotic. This leads me to believe that the Nightsisters use the Dark Side in such a way that are truly in tune, in harmony with the Dark Side whereas the Sith absolutely are anything but.

But I digress; while Sci-Fi and Fantasy are basically opposites, I see them as two sides of the same coin, and they can find a middle in which to meet and work in ways that make them stronger together than they are apart

7961585
Yeah I always like the scientific approach to magic, like the arcane series use it like a power source.
But I always like the aestethic of retro futuristic results of it, like for example power armors from fallout and not something super advanced like Halo for example, like magic itself improves the object and doesn't turn it into an OP object.
Or the idea of using modern day technology fused with magic, like having a spell book stored in a cellphone.
One of my favourties was a story in which Humans couldn't use magic or to be directedly affected by spells BUT could use objects like a conduit to acces it, can't remember the name though.

7961600
The retro-futuristic or even the steampunk aesthetic always work when mixing Sci-Fi and Fantasy, it's just the approach and/or the presentation that needs to be handled correctly.

Arcane was and is an incredible presentation of this, and I wish they'd get the second season out already!

I agree, making magical technology too... modern can have a sour taste, but as I said, the right approach and presentation can make up for that and make it work. Like in RWBY, where "magic" isn't the actual fantasy element used in their technology, but rather Aura and the supernatural element of Dust. One of my favorite pieces of tech in RWBY were their Scrolls, which were basically their form of smartphones and tablets, yet were presented in a way that mixed Sci-Fi and Fantasy in a small and subtle yet interesting way that works.

Halo is more sci-fi with subtle touches of fantasy, but not to the point where it could be considered magic. Mystical at best, but not supernatural.

I'm not really familiar with Fallout other than the basic ideas of it.

As for the idea of humans not being able to directly use magic... I'm not particular towards it. Not that it's wrong, but it just doesn't appeal to me. In my own fantasy work, I went with an approach that magic comes from Mana, a standard concept and name for magical energy, but also implemented the idea of Mana being a byproduct of life-energy.

Like... pollen from a flower or fruit from a tree. In my work, wherever there is Life, there is Mana.

But by itself, Mana can't be used by a regular person... unless it is given the right element to tap into it, to... turn on a proverbial switch, thereby awakening one's potential for magical capabilities. In other words, everyone has the dormant potential to wield magic, they just need the right element to awaken that potential.

In RWBY, a similar concept was shown to us by Pyrrha and Jaune, when she awoke his Aura, and it was also shown how individuals have finite supply of Aura that can run out and need time to replenish it.

I went with a similar concept in my own work, but not in the same way as Pyrrha and Jaune; in my work a person's dormant mana can't be awoken by one with active mana; they need a certain element in order to do so, a... supernatural substance that awakens that dormant mana, therefore awakening the person's potential to learn and wield magic. I also implemented the idea that an individual has finite amounts of mana that can run out and needs to be replenished after exhausting one's mana supply, otherwise one could be considered OP if they could just use a seemingly endless amount of magic

This was something I noticed in Harry Potter, where wizards and witches used magic all the time... without it looking like it wore them out. At least not in a way that we recognized. But the way they flung spells around as they did made it seem like they never really ran out of magical energy

I look at virtually any form of fiction involving magic, fantasy, or even sci-fi for inspiration or ideas to figure out my own work and how it can work in a narrative

7961585
And both in Legends and Disney canon, there were many other numerous other Force using groups

7961580
I like all three really, depends on whether its a pre-existing setting, or an original

I enjoy both when you combine both wich is difficult to do but when if done properly man they rock

The exact order as the title.

Originally wrote fantasy but moved to sci-fi over time with some blending of the two in the middle even though mainstream publishers aren't overly fond of the blended stuff. While I will read it, I'm not much of a fan of writing modern myself. Snap-shotting a current place, time and feel just feels off in my brain when I try.

7961611
Yeah the Rwby series is a great example of it, love how they some what get all 3 mushed together by leaving grey areas because their world is a "Remnant" of another.
When it comes with humans I like idea of a sleeping source, like the body slowly adapting to the world it self or like a muscle begins to being used for the first time.

7961708
Another example i enjoyed was in "The Dragon Prince", where one of the main characters, Callum, despite being told that humans couldn't truly wield magic of their own becuz they had no connection to the arcanums aka the primal sources of magic, until he found enlightenment that allowed him to connect to the Sky Arcanum and then later the Ocean Arcanum, allowing him to truly wield his own magic

The idea that enlightenment and perspective could allow one to understand something from a different angle thereby allow them to tap into a power they didn't know how to before, was creative, wise, and inspirational

7961580
The mix of science and tech would be science fantasy. You take some of the tropes of sci-fi and mix in some or all of the tropes of fantasy.

Science fantasy can be set in a space opera(the Wild West in outer space), it could be set in a highly technologically advanced society where both high technology and magic are commonplace, the options are near-limitless. You could even blend in other science fiction genres such as cyberpunk, steampunk, dieselpunk, modern fantasy(where I feel that a story set in our current timeline could work best). You could have that magic has slowed down technological progression because why would nations invest money into technological solutions for the societies and armies when they can invest in magic-users who create the solutions, often literally out of thin air? Alternately magic could cause a technological boom, because not only could magic-users cast spells, but devices could be created to store magical energy for all sorts of uses and why wouldn't they? After all the 3 main driving forces of scientific progress are: What's just over the next hill? What's just beyond the horizon? What's the most efficient way to burn down the neighboring village?

A few examples of science fantasy are: Warhammer 40,000, Star Wars, Shadowrun.

Magic and modern tech is cool, but I've always been a huge fan of magic and steampunk aesthetic. Things like tech backpacks with rune covered copper pipes and diodes glowing with Eldritch light. It always feels like it meshes better than magic and modern tech.