Wip Q&a - Tumblr Posts
Supernova Initiative Q&A!
Thanks for the tag @illarian-rambling (here)!
Rules/Premise: Open the floor for questions about your Stories/WIPs/OCs/creative processes, etc.
This is such a cool tag!!! I'm going to use it to start a Q&A for my science fiction/space opera WIP, Supernova Initiative (WIP Intro here)!
The Main Cast!
(The ones I've made character intro posts for already:)
Jack Tithus
Deimos Soll
Cassiopeia Tithus
Artemis Zreeth
Kye Thalax
Vesper Foxx
Meridian Shardd
Aleks Keldora
(The ones I've yet to make character intro posts for:)
Jasper Astrophell
Noctus
Pax Stellaryn
Ethean Mirannir
Gabi Ophyria
☆ Character Voice Headcanons/Voice Claims
The World (a.k.a - Important Places)!
The Junction
Important Places within the Junction:
Station Nexus
Cethea III
Ivion
Eoriah
Sorleah VII
Etc
The Khosmonian Galaxies
Important Places within the Khosmonian Galaxies:
Khosmo
Thypsiell
Acaeth
Thalassen
Stryxus
Etc
Prompt For Asks/Question Examples!
Attention! Multiple questions are ENCOURAGED! I want to ramble lol
You can ask about...
The character dynamics as a team or individually (friendships, rivalries, familial bonds, romantic pairings, etc)
The character's backstories!!!!!
General worldbuilding questions: (cultures, how the different governments work, what are the alien species in these settings, the political conflicts, etc)
ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN COME UP WITH!!!! PLEASE ASK WHATEVER YOU WANT lol
Tagging (gently): @littleladymab, @winterandwords, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @amaiguri
@agirlandherquill, @anoelleart,
@writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers
@i-can-even-burn-salad,
@lassiesandiego, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams and OPEN TAG
Supernova Initiative Taglist (-/+): @ray-writes-n-shit, @sarandipitywrites, @lassiesandiego, @smol-feralgremlin, @kaylinalexanderbooks,
@diabolical-blue @oh-no-another-idea
@cakeinthevoid, @clairelsonao3, @sleepy-night-child
@thepeculiarbird, @amaiguri, @lyutenw
@the-golden-comet, @urnumber1star, @ominous-feychild, @anyablackwood
@finickyfelix, @elshells
Let me know if you'd like to be added!
For the q&a! If Vesper is an assassin, who does she usually get her contracts from? Does she have any lines she won't cross, no matter how much money is offered!
Thanks for the ask, @illarian-rambling!!!
Vesper actually is a different kind of assassin, as in, she gets herself her own targets: she has a list of names of people, organizations, and teams that are involved with the Junction, namely those involved with the Junction's colonizing efforts - like the one that destroyed her planet and killed her brother. She is also very much on a "Kaz Brekker"/"Arya Stark" kind of revenge arc, as in she wants to destroy bit by bit those involved with the raid of Acaeth (a raid that destroyed her home and killed her mom), and has a special interest in finding the men who tortured her brother, so that she can kill the mercenaries just like they killed Atherys.
HOWEVER, she does accept contracts from time to time, namely from powerful crime families or rebel groups that also have a score to settle with the Junction, especially if the contract is to kill some high-ranking officer or otherwise important person to the enemy government. She mainly takes those high-profile contracts to pay for her robotic upgrades and the procedures to install them or to get herself more cutting-edge weaponry to aid her in her revenge quest. She also occasionally works as a mercenary/gun for hire to the highest bidder, as that is another way for her to get the funds she needs. This M.O of hers is actually how she met and joined Jack's crew - they needed a bodyguard/gun for hire to help them in a particularly risky heist, and she - being the most infamous assassin in the galaxy - fit the bill perfectly. They hired her, and initially, to her that was going to be just a quick business, a cash grab, and she'd move on, but things didn't turn out that way - during the progress of the heist she found that she actually cared for/liked this crew and decided to stick around for a little longer after the job was done, and eventually became a part of their "found family".
She found that having a team to watch her back would prove helpful both in giving her the support she needs to complete her revenge quest with more ease, and also that she actually liked having friends.
As for the lines she doesn't cross:
Vesper NEVER hurts children or teenagers;
Vesper doesn't kill families, and if one of her targets has a kid she won't kill the target in front of them (because she knows how traumatizing that would be to the kid, cause she saw her brother die when she was a kid), and will wait for another opportunity
Vesper avoids collateral damage and will always choose the course of action that causes the least amount of risk to innocent bystanders
Vesper tends to be a quick killer and avoids torture when unnecessary - HOWEVER, she does have an "eye for an eye" outlook and will often kill wrongdoers precisely the same way those wrongdoers killed someone else. This also means she makes an exception for her "no torture" rule when it comes to killing the raiders involved in the death of her older brother - she kills those raiders exactly, meticulously, the same way they killed him, no matter how long it takes. No "mercy killing" for those guys.
Vesper NEVER hurts animals. Like ever. If she has no other resort (like an animal is trying to kill her), she prefers to just stun them rather than hurt or kill them.
Supernova Initiative Taglist (-/+): @ray-writes-n-shit, @sarandipitywrites, @lassiesandiego, @smol-feralgremlin, @kaylinalexanderbooks,
@diabolical-blue @oh-no-another-idea
@cakeinthevoid, @clairelsonao3, @sleepy-night-child
@thepeculiarbird
@the-golden-comet, @urnumber1star, @ominous-feychild, @anyablackwood
Let me know if you'd like to be added!
Thanks for the ask, @kaylinalexanderbooks!!! And that's a great question!
It does have multiple galaxies. Both the Junction and the Khosmonians rule over specific galaxy clusters, each cluster having around a few dozen galaxies, though the main storyline takes place within around 3-5 main ones give or take.
As for how intergalactic travel works, there are a few, main ways: some rare, cutting-edge starships are equipped with a special hyperdrive capability that can take them to other galaxies by exploiting wormholes but that's hella expensive. There are also official "portals" that connect the galaxies by a similar technology that those spaceships use, except those portals can help transport even common, non-intergalactic starships/spaceships through the wormholes with no danger and are a lot cheaper, so that's how the main bulk of intergalactic travel takes place, through those portals/terminals!
Currently, the Khosmonian Galaxies and the Junction Systems are at war with each other, as they have opposing political views and both want the territory the other has, as well as both have an age-old feud between each other, and countless lives have already been lost because of it, but the main cast has found a way to maybe, finally bring peace to both sides, though it will definitely be a struggle.
Supernova Initiative Q&A!
Thanks for the tag @illarian-rambling (here)!
Rules/Premise: Open the floor for questions about your Stories/WIPs/OCs/creative processes, etc.
This is such a cool tag!!! I'm going to use it to start a Q&A for my science fiction/space opera WIP, Supernova Initiative (WIP Intro here)!
The Main Cast!
(The ones I've made character intro posts for already:)
Jack Tithus
Deimos Soll
Cassiopeia Tithus
Artemis Zreeth
Kye Thalax
Vesper Foxx
Meridian Shardd
Aleks Keldora
(The ones I've yet to make character intro posts for:)
Jasper Astrophell
Noctus
Pax Stellaryn
Ethean Mirannir
Gabi Ophyria
☆ Character Voice Headcanons/Voice Claims
The World (a.k.a - Important Places)!
The Junction
Important Places within the Junction:
Station Nexus
Cethea III
Ivion
Eoriah
Sorleah VII
Etc
The Khosmonian Galaxies
Important Places within the Khosmonian Galaxies:
Khosmo
Thypsiell
Acaeth
Thalassen
Stryxus
Etc
Prompt For Asks/Question Examples!
Attention! Multiple questions are ENCOURAGED! I want to ramble lol
You can ask about...
The character dynamics as a team or individually (friendships, rivalries, familial bonds, romantic pairings, etc)
The character's backstories!!!!!
General worldbuilding questions: (cultures, how the different governments work, what are the alien species in these settings, the political conflicts, etc)
ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN COME UP WITH!!!! PLEASE ASK WHATEVER YOU WANT lol
Tagging (gently): @littleladymab, @winterandwords, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @amaiguri
@agirlandherquill, @anoelleart,
@writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers
@i-can-even-burn-salad,
@lassiesandiego, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams and OPEN TAG
Supernova Initiative Taglist (-/+): @ray-writes-n-shit, @sarandipitywrites, @lassiesandiego, @smol-feralgremlin, @kaylinalexanderbooks,
@saturnine-saturneight @diabolical-blue @oh-no-another-idea
@cakeinthevoid, @clairelsonao3, @sleepy-night-child
@thepeculiarbird
@the-golden-comet, @urnumber1star
Let me know if you'd like to be added!
Q&A QUESTION!
Firstly: Love your cast from Supernova Initiative.
Secondly, and this is my classic thing that I ask everyone: What's up with the food in your WIP? What do people eat? How do they get food? How is it shaped by the cultures?
(I love food and geopolitics, so this is my life. I'm sorry. I hope this isn't too much XDDDD)
Hii!! Thank you so much for the ask, @amaiguri!!! And don't worry, this isn't too much at all!!! I adore these kinds of questions and I myself love creating intricate details for my WIPs' cultures, politics, and worlds (and I love rambling about those details lmao)!
Also, I'm super glad you liked the cast of this WIP! If you want to ask something about the team or about any particular character, you're also more than welcome (and encouraged) to!
So let's get to it!
What's up with the food in your WIP? What do people eat? How do they get food? How is it shaped by the cultures?
Man, this is such an AMAZING question! I love it!
There are so many different planets and cultures in this WIP and thus there are many different kinds of food/diets as well, many being specific to certain settings and to the biology of different alien species! Let's go over some of the three main ones!
In Cethea III, which is a downtrodden mining settlement that is also one of the most crime-ridden places in the galaxy, abundance is not something that is a part of the day-to-day lives of most of that moon's inhabitants. Most food there comes from cheap, greasy diners or shady restaurants scattered around the settlements, though miners often receive weekly packets of rations from the mining companies they work for (though those rations are awfully tasteless and are more of a "last resort" for many).
As for what are the most common dishes in Cethea III:
Dried fish stick sandwiches and hot chocolate made with milk powder (this is the favorite dish of the main trio of this story - Jack, Deimos, and Cassie - as it was an affordable and tasty meal that was also a very good source of energy).
Fried pocked cheese tarts (a common snack present in most of the many greasy diners in the settlements, these tarts often come in considerable portions, packaged in a simple cardboard box).
Prairie rodent roast (the dusty, desert-like prairies of this moon are crawling with packs of medium-sized, hare-looking rodents that are often hunted by the population as a free source of game meat for roasts and stews. Some people also dry the rodent meat to make it last for longer and to make "beef jerky" out of it)
Glow-Slug Pudding (by far the most... concerning and rather disgusting dish in this moon's culinary culture, is an expensive dessert enjoyed in some of the few more high-brow and "fancy" establishments of this moon. The appearance of this pudding depends on the color of the slugs used in its mix, often having a glowing, neon look to it in various shades of purple, pink, and deep blue. Some of these puddings are cooked and served cold, but some versions of it are raw and include living slugs- the latter being even more expensive and considered a delicacy. Most of the main cast of this book has never tasted this dessert and even now that they can afford it they consider it far too disgusting to be edible. And honestly, I think they're right lol)
In Ivion, which is a giant ice planet that Cethea III orbits, the cities sprawl underground, and are vast places built out of pitch-black stone. The original inhabitants of this planet, the Zatrian people, have a large carnivore diet - while they technically are omnivores, their diets require a much larger protein intake than that of other humanoid species. They are skilled hunters, and many Zatrians have evolved to have keener eyesight and hearing in order to be able to track their gigantic prey fast without risking prolonged exposure to the cold of the planet's surface, making them even deadlier at marksmanship.
The most common dishes in Ivion:
Intricate, meat-based dishes, with strong condiments and often a vibrant appearance. Those dishes vary from different kinds of stews, roasts, soups, and fillets, often being served extremely hot, and fresh from the oven. A single portion of those dishes is often so vast/abundant that it can feed at least a dozen people with ease.
Boiling Frostberry (a common drink that has a staple deep blue color with glittery swirls. It has a sweet yet tangy taste and as the name implies is typically to be drunk hot. This juice/beverage can both be served as a celebratory drink as well as a day-to-day beverage for all walks of life and is known for providing an astounding amount of warmth, as the berries have a capability to warm the body from within and are impossible to freeze)
Burrow-Wyrm Eggs (often harvested from Burrow-Wyrm nests during a specific season of the year - Burrow-Wyrms have hundreds of giant eggs per mating season, and the Zatrians often only poach around 5-10 eggs or so per year - these eggs are boiled then roasted over a fire with a strongly spicy pepper. Reserved for special occasions, those astoundingly large eggs (they're as big as two basketballs stacked onto each other), are a part of the traditional Zatrian diets and are only consumed in new-years festivals and coming-of-age ceremonies)
In Stryxus, the bustling dwarf planet known for its sprawling tropical fungal forests and also for being the home to some of the most dangerous crime families in the whole Khosmonian Galaxies has many different cultures that cohabitate within its sandy-colored cities, thus having many different culinary traditions spread evenly throughout the small planet.
The most common dishes on this dwarf planet:
A lot of the dishes on this planet are mushroom or fungi-based, as is to be expected of a dwarf planet that contains the largest fungal forests in the system. Mushrooms of all kinds are used in a variety of dishes, ranging from savory salads, roasts, barbecues, and even sandwiches, serving as the main source of protein for the population of this planet, both rich and poor. Sweet fungi are also a common ingredient for local desserts, especially cupcakes, puddings, and some varieties of ice cream.
This planet is also known for its sprawling cantinas and saloons, having some of the most varied alcoholic beverages, from common drinks like wine, beers, and specific brands of whiskey, to rarer, more exotic drinks that are only found and brewed on this planet, often using some rare fungi as a basis for the fermentation process, which grants theses neon colored, bubbling drinks an extremely rare taste and a varied range of appearances.
Swamp Fowls are abundant in Stryxus, and thus are a common ingredient for roasted sticks and nugget-like delicacies enjoyed by both young and old in the planet's pubs and restaurants.
I hope you enjoy the answer! Once more, thanks for the ask, and feel free to ask many more if you so wish to!
Supernova Initiative Taglist (-/+): @ray-writes-n-shit, @sarandipitywrites, @lassiesandiego, @smol-feralgremlin, @kaylinalexanderbooks,
@diabolical-blue @oh-no-another-idea
@cakeinthevoid, @clairelsonao3, @sleepy-night-child
@thepeculiarbird
@the-golden-comet, @urnumber1star, @ominous-feychild
@finickyfelix, @lyutenw, @elshell, @thecomfywriter
Let me know if you'd like to be added!
Okay so another question for your Supernova Initiative Q&A -- So I saw you mention somewhere it's happening multiple places at once or something like that. Is it multi-POV? Or what's the story structure look like there?
Hii!!! Thank you so much for the ask!
And yep! It is a multiple-POV story. While most of this story is centered around the trio of main siblings, the POV changes according to which character is more relevant in a certain scene. It also changes according to what the audience needs to know in the scene, and in order for the story to be told in multiple places.
Usually, when the team is all together, the Main POV is Jack Tithus, but if the team splits up the POV can be Deimos, Cassie, Artemis, Kye etc, or whichever character has something relevant to add to that chapter.
And the structure of this story is very much experimental! The best explanation I can give for how its going to work is: Supernova Initiative isn't going to be a novel in the traditional structure sense. It's going to be a "book series" but the structure in which the story is told is going to be more akin to that of a TV series, like The Mandalorian or The Last of Us (TV show), where the chapters work as series Episodes, and the story is divided in different acts (and seasons) that take place in specific time frames.
Supernova Initiative Taglist (-/+): @ray-writes-n-shit, @sarandipitywrites, @lassiesandiego, @smol-feralgremlin, @kaylinalexanderbooks,
@diabolical-blue @oh-no-another-idea
@cakeinthevoid, @clairelsonao3, @sleepy-night-child
@thepeculiarbird, @amaiguri
@the-golden-comet, @urnumber1star, @ominous-feychild, @anyablackwood, @lyutenw
Let me know if you'd like to be added!
HELLO I am here for Supernova Q&A!!! I love world building and planet building in scifi. Love to get in the weeds about it. Can you please ramble at length about your favorite aspect of inter-planetary politics? Specifically within the Khosmonian Galaxies (just to narrow it down). How is trade? Weirdest planet import/export? Is there a 'galactic basic' of sorts, or are politicians expect to know multiple languages? A fun little tidbit of world building that won't ever come up in the story?
Thanks for the ask, @littleladymab!!!!
Can you please ramble at length about your favorite aspect of interplanetary politics?
Absolutely!!!!
So, it's hard to pick a favorite, since there are a lot of different political angles and details that eventually make up the story's current political context, but here go a few aspects that I find particularly important, intriguing, cool, or haunting!
The Junction came to power centuries ago with the promise of bringing utopian-like progress to a galaxy in shambles after the downfall of an ancient civilization that had once ruled over it. And in a way - as far as the common citizens of the rich, metropolitan central planets and space stations of the Junction are concerned - they kind of did, in a twisted, flawed way. Their capital cities and main Stations are highly technological, clean, and supposedly safe, though that safety is maintained by the steel watch of the Junction Sentries (who are infamous for being particularly ruthless to rulebreakers). However, most of the other planets and moons under Junction jurisdiction do not bask in the same "utopian" reality as the main Stations and capital planets do. Most of the planets on the outer rims of the Junction galaxies, and those that compose the main bulk of the Junction's ever-expanding empire, merely serve as the feedstock that provides the main planets and stations under the regime with the resources they need to maintain their so-called Utopia, while those planets - the vast majority of the Junction galaxies - are strip mined, colonized and have every resource of their milked dry and sent to the main planets. This makes it so that this dichotomy causes a lot of tension in the population, generating a strong, generational hatred between settlers (the Junction) and the planets they conquered for resources, a pressure box that eventually breaks and culminates in the Civil War currently going on in the story.
The planet of Thalassen has infamously gigantic sea creatures, with some behemoths reaching almost 300ft with ease. Though it does have smaller, and even microscopic creatures, almost everything within its oceans is larger than it is in other planets, almost double the size. This makes for quite an interesting wildlife that lurks on the inky depths of the planet. Thalassen is located on the edge of one of the Khosmonian galaxies but is a mostly neutral or independent planet that hasn't sided with either the Khosmonians or the Junction, though it is eventually invaded by the Junction, which does seal its position against it. The population of Thalassen lives on giant, floating, mountain-like islands that fly/float scattered across the pinkish skies of this planet thanks to a gravitational anomaly (the same anomaly that allows its sea creatures to grow so gargantuan), and their cities are amongst the safest and most technological in all the galaxies, while they do remain close to their ancient traditions as well.
The Khosmonian Galaxies are by far much larger and much more ancient than the Junction Galaxies. They've been here before the Junction even existed and before the downfall of the civilization that preceded the Junction. They are a varied, culturally vast cluster of interplanetary civilizations. Due to their vastness, their galaxies are represented by chosen leaders that form the Khosmonian High Council, a political alliance between all the different galaxies under the Khosmonian Rule, and who represent the people, in theory. In reality, the members of that Council have become just as corrupt and belligerent as the Junction, eventually allying themselves to infamously murderous warlords like Eldora Thalax or even demanding weapons from AstraCorp, founded by the genius ye political extremist and anarchist, Zenyth Astrophell.
How is trade?
Trade depends a lot on which part of the galaxy we're talking about, but it is mostly a pretty crucial part of both daily life and politics in the galaxy. While there are far too many different exports and imports to explain here and they all depend on which planet, moon, or even galaxy we're talking about, one important detail about trade is that most of it heavily relies on the intergalactic portals built to facilitate the travel between the Junction and Khosmonian Galaxies and that while regular trade is pretty bureaucratic and heavily monitored by both governments, especially given they're in the middle of a civil war, there is a sprawling network of the underworld, black market trade that is controlled by powerful crime families on both sides of the war, most notably the Saphyr crime family, and almost every planet and moon - some more than others have some form of underworld marketplace where the smuggled goods and contraband are sold.
Weirdest planet import/export?
Hmm. Tough question!
I would definitely say that the Glow-Slugs from Cethea III, used in the traditional glow slug jiggly pudding of that moon and often considered a delicacy in a lot of other planets are among one of the most disgusting/weird/unusual exports in the galaxies, especially when considering that some of those Glow-Slug Puddings are literally made raw and with... still live, wriggling slugs?
There are a couple of others but my Insectophobia tells me the Glow-Slugs are the Top 1 Weirdest Export/Import of all time lmao
Is there a 'galactic basic' of sorts, or are politicians expected to know multiple languages?
Yes to both!!!
There is a galactic basic language that is generally referred to as "Common", "Basic", "Base" and other synonyms. It's used as a common tongue in most of the Junction as the Main Language and is widespread in most of the Khosmonian planets as well as a Second or Third Language, though the Khosmonians do tend to speak their native languages or dialects as a first language, differently than the Junction settlers.
As for the politicians: while all politicians from both sides are perfectly fluent in Common or at least have some form of automated translator device, most politicians, diplomats, figureheads, and generally influential people are expected to know at least three to five extra languages, especially those from the planets in their region of influence.
A fun little tidbit of world-building that won't ever come up in the story?
While the following tidbits/fun facts are at least mentioned or referred to/implied in the story, they aren't main plot points so I think it counts! Here it goes:
Zatrians - the native species of the planet Deimos Soll comes from - have mammalian-like biology but are born from actual eggs, which are incubated in communal Nests, that are beloved and protected by the community as a whole. The species is also known for practicing alloparenting, and the hatchlings/kids of a certain Nest consider each other as Nestmates (best friends/surrogate siblings) regardless of whether or not they come from the same bloodline until they come of age.
The dwarf planet of Stryxus has fungi/mushrooms instead of trees in its sprawling tropical forests and some of those fungi species can be as tall as some skyscrapers.
This is actually important to the plot but it is really cool so I'll mention it: sentient robots, despite being fully made of artificial materials and synthetic imitations of organic matter, actually are capable of feelings and complex decision-making if they are freed from their original programming (like Meridian Shardd did), and cyborgs, while often confused with sentient robots, are traditionally humanoid alien/human beings like any other that "upgraded/added" cybernetic implants to their naturally organic body gradually, so cyborgs are a mesh of metallic servos and actual organic flesh.
Sad Fact: Individuals of the Melieth species have special neural connections to those they share blood with. This means they can communicate to their family members telepathically and also sense what they're feeling as if it's their own emotions/sensations. This unfortunately means Kid!Vesper not only witnessed Atherys' torture but also may have physically felt some of it as if it were her that was in pain, because of their neural connections as Melieth siblings.
Supernova Initiative Taglist (-/+): @ray-writes-n-shit, @sarandipitywrites, @lassiesandiego, @smol-feralgremlin, @kaylinalexanderbooks,
@diabolical-blue @oh-no-another-idea
@cakeinthevoid, @clairelsonao3, @sleepy-night-child
@thepeculiarbird
@the-golden-comet, @urnumber1star, @ominous-feychild, @anyablackwood, @amaiguri
Let me know if you'd like to be added!