Witches

Witches Emblem by Rin Garnett

Witches

Bringing the magic of life back into psionics

Status

Operational (3203-present)

Location

Unknown

Total Members

Estim. 18

Member Demographics

Most between 17 & 28 yo
All some degree of psionic

Summary

This reclusive group of psions objects to the typical means of psionic instruction. Their secret location is a sanctuary where they can learn without external pressure. They have a large online following who read blog posts, watch video entries, and write in with their own questions.

Despite their peaceful intentions, many claim they're corrupting young minds, stealing away children, and encouraging harmful practices.

by sunnybirdboi via Canva

Origins

In 3203, four Blue Spire Academy students dreamed of a place that let them explore their Psionics in their own ways, at their own paces. They wanted it to be a magic, not a science.
Instead of returning to school, they formed their own community at an undisclosed location. They called themselves "Witches", after ancient humans whose abilities were feared out of misunderstandings. They assured others through public journals that they were not only safe, but also happy. And they did not wish to return.
Their families pleaded with authorities, but the witches were legal adults. Until they proved a danger, there were no grounds to initiate a search for them.

Why BSA Sucks

• Pushes unreasonable expectations
• Forces people into categories
• Refuses ambiguity
• Prohibits self-expression

— From a witch's notebook

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Goals

Name

They've often considered changing their name to one less historically gendered, but never found one that fits as well. Others are too aggressive, too hard to say, or too loaded with other meanings.
They relate to witches being misunderstood as villains and hunted for having different talents. Though their membership is skewed more femme, they hope 'witch' can become a more open term, just as they hope psionics becomes more open.

The Witches' main goal is to create a safe space for psions to learn and explore their abilities on their own terms. To them, institutions force psionics into a defined science and tool to be used, when it should be treated as a looser magic and something you build a relationship with. They collect like-minded people and keep their location hidden, to avoid both societal pressures and those who might cause them harm.
While they don't directly teach psionics, the Witches believe a psion's mental and emotional state influences their abilities. They use tools like guided meditation, talk therapy, journaling, and various creative endeavors to work through their emotions and find peace with who they are. As they change throughout life, so too do their abilities and relationship with psionics.

We psions are the bridge between this world and the metadimension. We're not ships to be engineered, or experiments to be dissected. We're people, and we're magical.

— A witch's journal entry

Website

Their website hasn't visually changed since its creation in 3203, and the antiquated style has become iconic. Its infrastructure, however, receives regular upgrades to hide all location data.
Members who are comfortable doing so post regular updates in written, audio, or video journals shared on the witches' website. Followers can write to the group, such as for support or advice, and sometimes receive responses.

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Response

If someone had told 20-year-old me that I don't need to force myself through years of misery, that there were other options... I would have saved thousands on therapy.

— Anonymous supporter

Positive

The initial plea for the Witches' return drew attention to the new group, and much of it was supportive. Psychologists agreed that structured instruction doesn't work for everyone, and that having options for different ways to learn is far healthier. Thousands across the sector came forward with anecdotal evidence of how stressful, frustrating, and otherwise harmful societal pressures can be on young psions.

Negative

Others weren't so understanding. The Anti-Witch Coalition formed in 3206 and claims the Witches kidnap children, turn them into anarchists, and engage in destructive, immoral behavior. They run awareness programs and have advocated in favor of banning the Witches' website. The Congregation of the Enlightened also uses the Witches as evidence that psions cannot be trusted.

They can read your mind, teleport into your home while you sleep, or kill you with a look. That these witches exist is proof psions see themselves as above the rules of society.

— Congregation pamphlet

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Timeline

3203

First transmissions aired

Tenets

Explore

Try new things and follow where the metadimension leads you. Relish the unfamiliar.

Express

Create art, live how you want, and find who you are. Be open to change as you learn and grow.

Uplift

Support everyone as they find their own paths. Advise only when asked, and never judge.

Pace

Don't push yourself beyond your limits. Torching is a last resort, not the way forward.

Remember

You are a conduit of magical energy. Embrace who you are and your in the universe.

Connections

One of the founding Witches, Yasmin Ada now lives on Nisora as a psionics tutor who is highly selective about which students she accepts.

Blue Spire Academy Crest by Rin Garnett

The antithesis of the Witches is the psionics university, which exemplifies the high standards and strict guidelines the Witches rebel against.

Author Commentary

Inspirations

The mages in the Dragon Age series and orogenes in N. K. Jemisin's Broken Earth Trilogy were inspirations for this group, though psions in the Talos Sector aren't treated nearly so poorly (except on Livonia).