Unveiling the World of Pirates, Witches, and Evolving Landscapes

In the world of Pirates and Witches and Other Obsessions, Earth is split between two realms: the familiar yet decaying towns on the ground and the bustling, enchanting sky cities above. Though both lands are ruled by a formidable demon Queen, they couldn’t be more different. The small-town remnants of Earth, isolated and worn, are a stark contrast to the posh, steampunk grandeur of the Queen’s domain in the sky. Pirates and Witches narrator and main character, Mycroft’s journey between these realms thrusts him into a collision of wonder and danger, revealing stark contrasts in culture, technology, and social dynamics.

Life on the Ground: Frozen in Time

On Earth, survival has meant simplicity. Small communities have clustered together in relics of the past, like towns preserved in time, where life feels frozen in the 1940s. With the world as we know it having collapsed, technology and modern conveniences have been lost. The remnants of humanity are eking out a living in structures that have withstood the ages—often tourist spots, museums, or historic sites that have survived decades of neglect. These places now serve as homes and gathering places, where people rely on what little knowledge they’ve salvaged from films, books, and relics to build a life from what’s left.

Mycroft’s hometown is close-knit, where everyone knows each other, and neighbors depend on one another to survive. There’s a nostalgia and warmth to these communities, a contrast to the bustling, grandiose cities in the sky. Here, people are resourceful, making use of items they find or barter for, rather than having the luxurious resources of the sky cities. This Earthly existence is steeped in camaraderie, resilience, and a sense of kinship, where people band together to make a simpler, shared life.

The Cities in the Sky: A Steampunk Wonderland

The cities in the sky are a world apart—one of splendor, refinement, and enchantment. The sky dwellers live in a highly steampunk-inspired realm where Victorian fashion has evolved to a chic new level. The citizens don top hats, corsets, shortened Victorian skirts, and leather accessories, embracing a high-society elegance that echoes the past but with a fantastical twist. Life here is posh, refined, and marked by a culture of elegance, but it’s a world tinged with enchantment and allure, as the demon Queen keeps her subjects under a subtle spell of obedience and satisfaction.

The Queen’s rule is iron-clad, yet many sky dwellers don’t notice their subservience, accepting it as part of their culture. Their lifestyle feels both familiar and alien, lost in a dreamlike era frozen in time. The people live in luxury compared to the Earth dwellers, using advanced, steam-powered machines and technology. They inhabit grand flying cities full of glinting brass, gears, and steam-driven marvels, where enchantment is part of daily life and no one questions the Queen’s dated fashions or rule. Here, the line between reverence and enchantment is blurry—sky dwellers are seemingly content, though their world is ultimately a gilded cage.

Clash of Two Cultures

When Mycroft ventures into the sky, he encounters a world that is both mesmerizing and unsettling. Used to the friendly, open-hearted ways of his hometown, he’s taken aback by the cool refinement and formality of the sky dwellers. He’s out of place, surrounded by etiquette and customs that seem overly posh and constrained compared to the familiarity of Earth’s grounded communities. The sky’s lavish decorum and subtle enchantment are a far cry from his resourceful upbringing, where trust and cooperation were paramount. The sky dwellers, while not hostile, are distant and disinterested in the lives of those on the ground, creating an almost unconscious rift between the two worlds.

As Mycroft tries to blend in, he must grapple with this culture shock, learning to adapt and maneuver through the sky cities’ nuanced social dynamics. His Earth-born resilience and inventiveness clash with the cultured lifestyle in the sky, forcing him to navigate new dangers and opportunities alike. His journey is one of both wonder and caution, as he learns that the Queen’s sky-bound society, while alluring, hides dangers that threaten not only his mission but his very sense of identity.

Two Worlds, One Queen

At the heart of both realms is the demon Queen, whose reign bridges the ground and the sky, yet she governs them differently. On Earth, her influence is more distant, felt in whispers and rumors of her power. But in the sky, her rule is absolute, the people more directly under her spell, enchanted by both her charm and her authority. This dual rule has fostered a division between the two worlds, one bound by resilience and survival, the other by enchantment and elegance.