A Guide to the Universe

How the Universe works.

Written by littletoes101

The Universe [...] is filled with more life than we ever could have imagined. Everything we thought we knew is being challenged, slowly but surely. I have no doubt that by this time next year, our world and our understanding of it will have changed drastically.

— An Earthen scientist, circa 2025

The Universe teems with Life. Every planet is capable of holding something; from the biggest gas giant, to the smallest dwarf planet. This life is not always complex, intelligent, or capable of anything more than the most basic of life functions, but it is still life nonetheless. The potential of what it could be, given enough time, is enough to give it protection. Humans have redeemed themselves, now more interested in protecting the universe rather than colonizing it, making way for a great number of advancements in technology and diplomacy. With the added discovery of magic, nothing is impossible for the Universe.
Except, it seems, keeping the divine celestial beings who rule the Universe from turning to civil war. That might actually be impossible.

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The Concept

All planets in the universe are capable of supporting life, and they are also capable of supporting magic. Essentially, life comes to a planet when a celestial being, colloquially known as "a Divinity", is given a solar system to care for. From there, life usually blossoms quickly.
The Divinity is then able to create other gods, goddesses, and goddens to rule over these new life-bearing planets. The sooner a Pantheon is made, and the more Pantheons there are, the faster life appears and evolves. The rate of evolution also, naturally, depends on how long the planet and solar system has been around, and the star they orbit.

The Problem

All stories need a problem, and this one is no different. The problem here begins when a younger Divinity challenges an older one over the rules all Divinities are supposed to follow, believing them to be unjust. Other younger Divinities rally around them, agreeing with their message and challenging the older Divinities. This growing rift between the Divinities also causes problems with the Pantheons they have created, quickly making them turn on each other.
With war brewing in the celestial plane, it's up to a handful of rag-tag space explorers to solve the problems of the Divinities, and problems on the planets they visit. Should they fail, the entire universe as we know it may fall apart. The Universe of Life is being threatened, and its existence relies on a couple of teenagers.
What could possibly go wrong?

The Story

While the overarching plotline is the same, the individual stories of this universe are as varied as the life forms inside of it. The actual collection of stories will consist of tales from the past, present, and future, focusing on different protagonists each time. Everyone is the hero of their own story, and these tales are no different. As our rag-tag group continues to explore the universe, they will uncover the stories of others, and each story will lead them closer to their ultimate goal of keeping the universe together.

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Magic

While the entire magic system will eventually have its own article explaining how each individual piece works, it is briefly covered here. While the nuances of magic differs from planet to planet, there is always something to bring them all together in the end. Energy Magic is universal, and it is what is believed to help spark life on most planets. All living beings possess Energy Magic, however some were not aware of it until recently. Humans on Earth only discovered the existence of magic 4,500 years ago, which is a very short period of time for the universe.
Energy Magic allows people to use basic spells of all kinds, and can also allow for reproduction, should situations be good enough. However, Magic itself is split into many different categories, including physical magic (which requires some kind of object to be used to channel the magic, AKA a wand) and mental magic (which requires mental fortitude, but not necessarily an object for channeling). Essentially, Energy Magic controls simple and basic spells, and the more specialized magic allows for higher functioning creatures to do complex magic spells.