A Word Of Advice To Anyone Writing Sci-fi Or Fantasy For The First Time: Take It From Me, Maybe Don't

a word of advice to anyone writing sci-fi or fantasy for the first time: take it from me, maybe don't come up with key worldbuilding details on the basis of making obscure jokes that are literally funny to you and only you

FUCK YEAH RAYCATS!!! I never see anyone talk about raycats these days!!! Let me introduce you all to the catchiest song in the universe, designed to embed in the collective human consciousness that a cat changing colors means danger. I love raycats so much.

‘Ray Cats’.Vintage poster-style design inspired by an article I read about the many theories and proposals made on how best to warn future civilisations about buried nuclear waste, one of the weirdest being to genetically engineer cats so that they glow when in the presence of nuclear radiation.

I'm starting to come back around to Astra Planeta in a really substantial way, and if you don't mind I'm gonna think out loud here for a little.

Astra Planeta is categorically hard science fiction, in that it adheres to the definition of the genre: the scientific and technological elements presented in the world's canon are within the realm of what we consider possible with our current collective knowledge of science and technology. However, ASP breaks the mold of hard science fiction by being optimistic in three key ways: technological, social, and existential.

Astra Planeta is technologically optimistic in assuming that any engineering problem standing between us and efficient interstellar travel can be solved. According to the canon timeline, fusion power is relatively commonplace by the mid-21st century, and by the start of the 22nd century humanity have developed a proper torchship. Human health issues stemming from long-term space travel are easily resolved with high-power magnetic shielding and centripetal pseudo-gravity, plus a touch of good ol' genetic therapy to keep the body strong and healthy. Wormhole technology is developed for instantaneous communication by the 22nd century, and by the end of the 23rd century humans have begun to unlock faster-than-light travel by engineering our first warp drive. In the few centuries between the first spaceflight and the first extrasolar mission, humans figure out (non-cryogenic) stasis, perfect closed-system environment maintenance, and build AI with thought patterns so similar to people they might as well have souls. We have our cake and eat it too. All of this is within the scope of "scientifically possible," though certain parts are hotly debated in academic circle. But the rapidity with which we achieve these milestones is shamelessly optimistic. It has to be, or else the premise of the setting falls apart.

Astra Planeta is socially optimistic in assuming that humanity, as a global entity, can overcome -or at least overlook- the cultural divisions which set people apart and cooperate as a singular civilization. I've talked about this extensively elsewhere, but one of the keystones of the project is the thorough demilitarization of planet Earth and all her nations. By the end of the 21st century, "war" is a word that has passed out of the news cycle and into history books. It took some doing, sure, but in this reality humankind was faced with the imminent degradation of their home planet and collectively decided that there were bigger fish to fry than each other. Complex issues left unresolved for generations were gradually untangled and sorted out, with a lot of patience and a bit of nihilism. Implanting a profound sense of human fragility into the global consciousness helped give them all a sense of perspective. Nothing can last forever. There's no point to being the best. The only solace we have in the vast and indifferent universe is each other, and isn't it important, then, to make life better for ourselves and everyone around us? This is how we finally reached the stars: together. Upon making contact with other sapient beings, we carried this lesson with us and did our best to befriend them. Astra Planeta operates on the principle that the Great Filter is the shedding of tribalism, and assumes that the human species is smart -and kind- enough to achieve this.

Astra Planeta is existentially optimistic in assuming that life is not rare in the universe at large, and thus there are not only dozens of worlds nearby which harbor biospheres, but there are also several advanced, peaceable civilizations in close proximity -both in space and time. Statistically, the number of civilizations in the setting implies a maddeningly large number of contemporary civilizations present in the galaxy at large, which does not line up with current evidence whatsoever. It breaks from expectation not only with first contact happening at all, not only with first contact going relatively well, but with multiple first contact events all going relatively well. It assumes that mutually intelligible communication is possible for all contact events, and that most contemporary civilizations share our basic morals and aspirations in some sense. All of these elements are, given our current hypotheses on alien life, immensely improbable –but not impossible. Granted, this isn't baseless contrivance purely to make the setting interesting; there is underlying justification for most of the more conspicuous contrivances. For example: taking our planet Earth's biosphere as a point of reference, it seems likely that if complex life exists anywhere in the universe for a long enough span of time, it will evolve some degree of sapience. Odds seem to be very slim that any of these hypothetical sophonts would develop advanced technology, and even less to the point of globalization and multi-planetary society. But the fact remains that they could, and in a universe where life is far more abundant than expected, a small fraction of biospheres generating spacefaring civilizations still makes for quite a few spacefaring civilizations. ASP does not posit that the clockwork of reality has a conscience and is merciful –it is often explicit in stating that the universe simply is what it is. What it does posit is that, however statistically improbable this may seem given our current level of understanding, the cosmos is practically teeming with life. Without this concession to "realism," the premise of the setting falls apart completely.

All three of these assumptions are crucial to the Astra Planeta canon, as their interplay forms the diverse interstellar near-utopia that is the United Spacefaring Sophonts Coalition –which, of course, the setting centers on. As mentioned, ASP does not assume that the forces of nature are kind; the randomly catastrophic nature of the universe is the prime source of narrative conflict here. But Astra Planeta stands as my monument to hope: a world that is better, but still interesting.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk :)

diffrrence in pokemon trainer love

charizard owners: this is maximillion, he has won every trophy in our region, he has perfect evs, and we are going to take over the world together.

venasaur owners: this is bong rip hes an idiot

I can't believe Wizards of the Coast destroyed the Open Game License (OGL) just to stop the world from enjoying my very controversial and highly unauthorized add-on: "How to Play Slowpoke in D&D 5E" 😔

joking aside i'll probably have to take this down eventually so download it now while you still can 💾💦

Nerevar: Well, Voryn, I made it- despite your directions.

Dagoth Ur: Welcome, Moon-and-Star, to this place where destiny is made! I hope you're prepared for an unforgettable luncheon.

Nerevar: Meh.

Dagoth Ur: Oh, ye gods! My stew is ruined! But what if I were to purchase fast food and disguise it as my own cooking? Ohoho, delightfully devilish, Voryn!

Nerevar: Ah- Hmm.

Chorus: Dagoth Ur with his crazy explanations / The Hortator is gonna need his medication / When he hears Dagoth's lame exaggerations / There'll be trouble on Red Mountain tonight!

Nerevar: VOOORYYYNNN!

Dagoth Ur: D’ah, Moon-and-Star! I was just- uh, just stretching my calves on the windowsill. Isometric exercise! Care to join me?

Nerevar: Why is there smoke coming out of your mountain, Voryn?

Dagoth Ur: Uh- Oh. That isn't smoke, it's steam! Steam from the steamed clams we're having. Mmm. Steamed clams.

Dagoth Ur: Whew.

[transition jingle]

Dagoth Ur: Hortator, I hope you're ready for mouthwatering ash yams.

Nerevar: I thought we were having steamed clams.

Dagoth Ur: D'oh, no. I said steamed yams. That's what I call ash yams.

Nerevar: You call ash yams "steamed yams?"

Dagoth Ur: Yes. It's, uh, a regional dialect.

Nerevar: Uh-huh. What region?

Dagoth Ur: Uh, Vvardenfell.

Nerevar: Really. Well, I'm from Balmora, and I've never heard anyone use the phrase "steamed yams."

Dagoth Ur: Oh, not in Balmora, no; it's an Ald'ruhn expression.

Nerevar: I see. ... You know, these ash yams are quite similar to the ones they have at Kwama Burger.

Dagoth Ur: [chuckles] Oh, no. Patented Dagoth yams. Old Sixth House recipe.

Nerevar: For steamed yams.

Dagoth Ur: Yes.

Nerevar: Yes. And you call them steamed yams despite the fact that they are obviously grilled.

Dagoth Ur: Ye- You know, the- One thing I should- ... Excuse me for one second.

Nerevar: Of course.

Dagoth Ur: [loud yawn] Well, that was wonderful. A good time was had by all; I'm pooped.

Nerevar: Yes, I should be- BY AZURA! What is happening in there?!

Dagoth Ur: Aurora borealis.

Nerevar: Uh- Aurora borealis?! At this time of year, at this time of day, in this part of Tamriel, localized entirely within your mountain?

Dagoth Ur: Yes.

Nerevar: ... May I see it?

Dagoth Ur: No.

Sleepers: Voryn! The mountain's on fire!

Dagoth Ur: No, companions. It's just the northern lights.

Nerevar: Well, Voryn, you are an odd fellow, but I must say- you steam a good yam.