#scifiwriting

[allnovellas]

Building a Fictional World for Your Story

In any story, the setting plays a crucial role, creating the stage on which your characters perform. In fiction, and particularly in genres such as fantasy and science fiction, the creation of a compelling, immersive world is paramount. But, how do you go about building a fictional world that feels real to your readers? Starting Points for World Building Before you start building your world,…

[krynos1]

The Economy of the Koran Imperium

The imperium’s economy is immense but stagnant. Several massive mega-corporations lead the economy, holding monopolies on almost every market imaginable. Much of the imperium’s economy is driven by the military-industrial complex. Shipyards churn out warships day and night while massive factory arcologies produce thousands of tons of munitions. This military equipment is produced on contract with the government, like many other goods that are produced.

The imperial government and the upper-class closely watch over and control the economy. They set the prices for everything that is bought and sold within the imperium’s borders. The upper-class also controls much of the wealth, holding between 48% and 51% of this wealth. The bottom 50% of the imperium's population only controls between 2% and 3.5%.

[creative-core]

Khushi Doshi

Title: The Game of Shadows (EXERCISE 2 DRAFT 1)

Year: 2104

They say the war didn’t start with bombs or armies. It started with data—little bits of information that no one thought would matter. But now, data is everything. It’s the new weapon, the new currency, and the battlefield is in the minds of children.

My name is Kara. I’m 12 years old, and I’ve been playing The Game of Shadows for as long as I can remember. It’s not like the games people used to play, with controllers and screens. This one is different. This game is real.

The world used to be connected by invisible lines, networks that held everything together. But when the hackers began to take control, those lines became weapons. Cities fell into chaos. Governments collapsed. Now, the war is fought in secret, not with soldiers, but with children like me—kids who’ve been trained to play the game.

I was taken when I was seven. They said it was because I had a special mind, one that could solve puzzles and see patterns where others couldn’t. They plugged us into the Grid, a massive network that controls everything. They call us The Shadows because no one can see us working, but we’re always there. Every move we make on the Grid can mean life or death in the real world.

The adults run things from the outside, but they need us to fight their war. They can’t navigate the Grid like we can. Our brains are still growing, still flexible enough to handle the speed and complexity of the system. So, they use us to break into enemy networks, steal their data, crash their systems. It’s like a game, but every time we lose, people die.

I have this headset. It’s wired directly into my brain, connecting me to the Grid. I can see everything—the firewalls, the traps, the pathways that lead deeper into the enemy's system. I move through them like a shadow, unnoticed, invisible. But sometimes, I wonder if they see us too. The other kids. The enemy has their own Shadows, and sometimes I think I can feel them, moving just beyond my reach, playing the same game we are.

The worst part? I don’t even know who the enemy is anymore. They say it’s another country, another faction, but all I see are other kids, just like me, trying to survive in a war we didn’t start, playing a game we didn’t choose.

The adults promised that the war would end once we won. They said the Grid would be ours again, that life would go back to the way it was before. But I don’t believe them. I think they just want us to keep playing, to keep fighting for control of a world that’s already lost.

The Game of Shadows isn’t about winning or losing. It’s about survival. Every time I plug in, I feel a little more of myself slip away. The Grid changes you. It’s fast, it’s cold, and it never lets you rest. But I have to keep going. I don’t have a choice. Because if I stop, if I lose, the world outside falls apart even more. And that’s not something I can let happen.

So yeah, I’m 12 years old, wired into a war that no one can see, playing a game that’s as deadly as it is invisible. What could possibly go wrong?

Thankyou

[fictionandreality]

RESPECT POWER: Writing Overpowered Characters the RIGHT way

Are you strongest because you’re the Strongest? Or are you Satoru Gojo because you're Satoru Gojo? Or whatever it was that he said.

Many of us wonder how to tackle the idea of creating extremely powerful characters, and as you all know, with great power comes great responsibility.

The responsibility, however, isn't just reserved for the character, but it falls upon the shoulders of the writers' themselves to give great care toward fleshing out the story of an OVERPOWERED character and balancing both their strengths and weaknesses.

This is extremely critical, as the way with which their power element presents will decide how others will react when faced with its presence, and if they’ll cower with fear, be charged with the obligation to overthrow the forces that be, or become a worthy ally.

If you're interested in learning about some of the mistakes I made when creating my own original "broken characters' and some mistakes I want to help others avoid, here is a more thorough analysis of my breakdown, involving some of my favorite characters (Jin Sakai, Kratos, All might, Madara, and Gojo (<---except him), https://youtu.be/5VQPzJ7KIW4

[strangerskies-wfiles]

[voidzlitmag]

I am literally begging writers to submit to this lit mag, I am a real person trying to start up a passion project but I am failing, pls send me your writing so voidz doesn't die like my dreams.

[bluesstorycorner]

NEW BRAND LOGO LET’S GOOOO. I really wanted to get some sort of official text/logo that I can use on my socials and also as a watermark on my art possibly, so I commissioned the same guy who designed my book cover title text and I am BEYOND happy with it. He does such an amazing job every time omg 😭🫶

[stacksofarkadia]

🔺Core Concept - The Ark Initiative 🛰️🚀👩🏽‍🚀🚀🛰️ 2241 Mankind was met with the realization that life on Earth was longer sustainable after the geological and environmental attacks of the 22nd century. Fresh water had become increasingly scarce, and the climate had become erratic, creating weather that threatened more than coastal cities. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) had nearly halted, raising sea levels dramatically. The many wars for land and resources had collapsed the global economy more times than markets could recover from. AI was transformative in keeping the geopolitical environment stable but was soon deemed untrustworthy after massive military intervention. The most disruptive and disturbing aspect of the last generation on Earth was the failing electromagnetic field, threatening mankind itself. The Ark Initiative was set forth in 2241 as the final act of peace and was soon adopted throughout all cultures harmoniously. Thirteen arks would be built to navigate to our two nearest habitable planets, while one would stay on Earth. - #writersofinstagram #cyberculture #scifiwriter #cyberpunkstyle (at Cyberpunk) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqDbfvrs6xH/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[addisonmead]

About Me

Not sure what I should put here, TBH. Asks are open if you're not a jerk.

What do you do? Currently #amwriting, looking to jump into the shark pen that is Kindle self-publishing.

What do you write exactly? I have an interest in telling inclusive M/M stories, especially in the speculative fiction genre. I am looking forward to meeting other authors who are writing the same.

[chrisbannor]

531

Chapter 22: Research

When Wu DaQi woke the next morning it was with a lingering image of Chan Yi. He didn’t think it was a memory. He’d always had an active imagination and the way Chan Yi spoke about Two last night … it was easy to see that he’d loved Two and never gotten over that loss. DaQi had been alone for as long as he could remember. It wasn’t hard to understand why he’d dream about Yi in his bed. The man was the most beautiful person he’d ever met, and he’d saved DaQi from the people who’d lied to him and stolen his memories.

It would have been a good memory, if it had been true though.

He dressed in borrowed clothes and found Yi working at a desk. “I made you breakfast,” Yi said, pointing towards the kitchen before he returned to his work.

As much as he wanted to ask, he decided to get food first. He didn’t understand his body’s need for food if he was just an android. Why should he feel hunger or pain if it wasn’t real? Another set of questions added to the long list of things he didn’t know about his life.

A plate of waffles, warm syrup, and sausage links waited at the table for him and he tucked into it, putting aside his uncertainties. With any luck, they’d get to Obuo tonight and he’d know everything for himself.

He was nearly done washing it down with some damn good coffee when Chan Yi came into the room. “If I throw a feed at you, can you watch it?”

“Sure. What do you need?”

“I want to keep an eye on Obuo’s shop. I went through the feed since you last saw her, but I want to keep real-time eyes on her, just in case.”

“Yeah, of course. You can send-”

He hadn’t given him instructions on how to send it to him before the feed was loaded into his interface. He gasped at the smooth transition of information, but Yi had already walked out the door.

Normally a feed being routed through his augmentation caused some discomfort.

But it wasn’t an augmentation, was it? And Chan Yi, whatever they were, had the same processors that he did.

This was so fucked up.

He refused to get bogged down by those details. Tonight, he’d know if his situation was bad enough to warrant the breakdown that he was holding at bay.

He got up, washed his dishes, but filled his coffee back up. He filled a second for Yi and took it out to his desk. He dropped it on the corner and walked past without saying anything. He stood looking out the windows at the Skylines. It was an easy job to monitor the live feed to Obuo’s office, so DaQi opened another program and sent a message to an informant.

Madame, I need your assistance. Ever heard of a PI named Chan Yi? Can he be trusted?

Madame K was a businessperson in the Piles who had earned a reputation for fine services. She had a very firm hand with her Baubles and with the patrons of her establishment.

She’d offered him a job three times before she’d finally relented, but not without continued commentary about the amount of money she could make him.

As an agent of Mann Enterprises, he was supposed to inform the company about all his sources, but he’d kept Madame K off the books. No one knew about his interactions with her. And the one time Jackson had seen him walking out, he’d accept the lie that DaQi had been there for the entertainment.

Wu DaQi, I am always a willing servant. I know of a Chan Yi. He is a good man who comes to the Piles often. He runs business out of an office in the Builds.

Thank you. I will pay you a visit soon to show you my proper gratitude. I have another request. What do you know about Mariner Tech and the military?

It was said that rich men spend their money with Madame K. Smarter men though, understood that her most valuable service wasn’t what the girls did for their clients, but the information they gleaned from them. Information Madame K was willing to sell to a trusted few.

You don’t want to get involved in that line of questioning, Wu DaQi.

I don’t have a choice.

There was a considerable pause before her words appeared across his ocular display.

They had contracts with the military, but they’ve mostly dried up. Whatever they were making though, they haven’t stopped. They took one of my girls last week. I haven’t seen her since. Is she tied up with this mess?

I don’t know. If I can find her, I will.

Thank you. It is I who would owe you then.

He closed the program and looked over at Chan Yi who was sipping his coffee. His eyes were on the display in front of him, but somehow DaQi knew he was looking at something else.

“When are we going to go see Obuo?” he asked.

Chan Yi looked at him then. “Once she closes shop. I’ve been checking into her past but it’s too well scrubbed. It tells me everything I might look for, but not the truth.” He shook his head. “That sounds stupid, I know.”

“I might not be a PI, and I might not remember being a super spy, but I’m a damn good security agent. I know what a scrubbed file looks like.” He was slightly offended, but then Chan Yi smiled at him and he let it go. He wondered if Two had ever been stupid over that smile.

“Yeah, alright. Then do something about it.” He got up and walked over to DaQi, the port of his forearm opening as he did. DaQi opened his own in response and again he felt the smooth transition of information that he’d only felt with Yi.

“How do you do that?” he asked.

“What?”

“Every other interface feels disjointed. With you, it’s easy.”

Chan Yi nodded, but he looked at where they were connected. “Same processing units. I’m giving you everything I have on Atieno Obuo. See if you can figure out her connection to Mariner Tech. She was booted out, but Mariner doesn’t boot people. Especially not from secret government contracts. She wasn’t silenced and I want to know who protected her.”

“I’ll do what I can. What are you doing?”

“Looking into Sandus and Mariner Tech. I don’t like how quiet it is today.”

“I have an informant that said Mariner Tech lost most of its military contracts.”

“What?”

“Yep, but she said they’re still making whatever it was they’ve been making. And I know they’ve had shipments of military tech stolen. It’s why I was holding Fulmer in the first place.”

“We know that was a set up though. Sandus and Charity Fulmer were using him to get me involved in all this.”

“But if the military contracts are gone, why do they still have warehouses of gear?”

“That is a good question. I’ll run it down. You stay on Obuo. She’s the most immediate danger to us.”

“Because she knows who we are?”

“Because I’m trusting her to open up your head. I don’t care if they send the whole damn company against us. I need to know that you’ll be safe with her when the procedure starts.”

Chan Yi pulled his port free and finally looked up. DaQi nodded, uncertain of what else to say. When Chan Yi went back to his desk, DaQi walked over to the couch and sat down, focusing on the intel Chan Yi had given him. It was fairly detailed, but there were gaps he could exploit and histories he had access to that he wasn’t supposed to.

With one last look at Chan Yi, he delved into Dr. Obuo’s life. It was only fair after all. Tonight, she’d do the same to him.

Author's Notes: Thank you so much for reading the latest episode of 531! I would love to hear your thoughts about the story!

[espaulsonauthor]

Happy National Sci Fi Day!

Sci fi helped me to find my passion for reading and it’s still one of my favorite genres. I even created a website with maps of Star Wars planets.

Bonus points if you can name all of these planets from some of my favorite sci fi universes 🪐 (check back tomorrow for answers)

[nolitethoughts]

November Reading List #7

the long way to a small angry planet by Becky Chambers

The first book of the Wayfarers series and I'm pumped up to start a new science-fiction journey after (and in between) the Expanse. By the way I saw that a new series is coming from them so I feel like 2024 is going to be a good year regarding books and games too.

I love the fact that first this novel was self-published by a Kickstarter campaign and I also love how the author basically grew up to be a science-fiction author. To my little Astronomy and Planetary Science undergrad self with writing ambitions this is way more meaningful than just simply being inspirational.

If you are interested in the book follow the link below:

Happy Reading!

[jojo-vakarian]

Finally out of my drawing funk.. been like 8ish months 🙃.

ANYWAAAAAY

Here’s my OC Cece from my Vella series 5th Moon—the ships only communications officer and one of 2 albino Half-blood sisters in the crew.

A woman proud of her alien Crow blood but just as proud of her Dominican side as well 🇩🇴❤️

Hope y’all love her 😊

[kandiliotis]

A Hostile Takeover

Corporate Banksters are increasingly adopting unscrupulous strategies and tactics. Dangerous slumlords have infiltrated every facet of the economy and run their gangs like small quasi-nations. GET THE BOOK

[voidzlitmag]

give me ur wordz

submit (ur poems and other speculative writing) to meeeee

voidzmag.com/submit/