Starchasers: Phase 1 · 7:55pm Oct 13th, 2014
Alright boys and girls, lets talk about the next project.
If you haven't seen my previous blog post about this story, I would take a second to go back and read it. Go ahead, we'll wait...
Caught up? Great.
So as of this moment, Dawn and I have been churning out future technologies, cultures, races, planets, and even some future science. Once we establish all of our tech and such, I'm thinking about releasing all the Codex entries for everyone to read. They will contain descriptions of important technology, explanations of how some of the future science works, descriptions and expanded explanations for all the known races in the galaxy, and descriptions of planets that will include everything you could possibly want to know about them.
Would these source documents be something you guys would want to see?
Second question. Let's talk about ratings. E, T, and M. As it stands, we'll be operating under a Teen rating due to swearing, violence, and some sexual themes. I'm totally fine with doing this. However, it has crossed my mind to bump the rating up to M and get a little more gritty with the details. HOWEVER, I'M NOT WRITING CLOP. Not happening. I'll dance the line and hint heavily at sexual encounters, but I'm not gonna go all the way. Violence will be present, though not a main driving force. This is an adventure story, after all.
So what would you all rather read? Something Teen rated that's a little more tame on the graphic violence and sexual themes, or would you actually be interested in reading an M story that uses much more graphic detail in both violence and sexual themes. AGAIN, NO CLOP.
I'll be posting another blog this weekend with a bit more of a description of what the universe is turning into.
I would love to see your feedback. After all, I'm not just writing this for my own amusement. You guys are the ones who get to read it.
Questions, comments, concerns, things you like, things you don't like, haiku poetry, toss 'em below.
I would like I little more description and Gore in fics that would require such elements. Oh and
MCDONALDS!!!!
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to be fair, the Mane 6 will be playing almost no role in this story.
2530876 Meh, still plan on reading it
. Especially sinse it sounds so interesting
keep it T please.
Rated M, Don't be light or sparing on the details, and, not everyone's definition of what is appropriate will be the same, and, I don't know how mine compares to yours. Go ahead. Do it, the universe is not always pretty. And, I would like to see how good and bad it can be at once in a beautiful amalgamation of intricate details. I love what you write and believe you can do this. But, most of all, do not give in to being anything but who you and Dawn are. I will await what you write with zest and zeal. I just believe there is a certain humanity to being honest and sometimes brutally so. But do so with respect. Keep 'em Running!
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2530876 That sounds a bit refreshing! No mane 6!
If you want a technical consultant on science or on figuring out the implications of magitek, I'm willing to act in that capacity. iisaw can vouch for me. Private messaging is my preferred method of contact.
Be warned that I have a habit of mercilessly pointing out plot holes (which you may have gathered from my comments on Voyage's End).
M all the way
And um well I am a total Sci Fi nerd don't know bout magic but bio organic warships grow in the depths of Jupiter by nano swarms. fueled by meta stable liquid matalic hydrogen in a matter antimatter reaction to punch a hole through the fabric of space time to reach FTL etc etc I'll try to to help if you want at the very least your tech won't be boring I am sure me and
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Can have fun working all this out for you
Just saying if you're interested
Rating M and I'd like to the sources.
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Since you asked for a nitpick, I'll give one; just remember the "I tend to shoot down things" warning.
"Nanoswarm" and "bioship" are both possible technologies, but you wouldn't find both used together - they do the same thing. Advanced nanotech and advanced biotech would each give you the ability to build structures with molecular precision from simple feedstock, and would let you put automated self-repair systems in anything you built.
The main difference is the feedstock (biotech is easiest with CHON and either water or ammonia as a solvent), but you can accomplish the same things with either technology.
Regarding growing within Jupiter, that gives you ok access to feedstock (way too much hydrogen), but Jupiter's escape velocity is very high. Somewhere like Neptune would be better: half the surface gravity (almost Earth's), much shallower gravity well, and an atmosphere dominated by "ices" (hydrogen compounds) rather than by hydrogen.
If you're using antimatter, you don't need enough hydrogen for storage density to be a problem, so metallic hydrogen isn't needed. Both metallic hydrogen and antimatter have the same serious problem: safe storage is very difficult, and if anything goes wrong, you have a large explosion on your hands. Antimatter is far worse for this, of course.
Antimatter involves enough headaches and has enough consequences that you'd only use it in a story if you had a plot that absolutely needed it, with no possible alternatives. This usually happens in a hard sci-fi setting where you really, really need to travel between star systems at high speed and cost isn't an issue. In fact, even in that situation, you'd build launch lasers for sailcraft or other alternatives instead. So it only ends up being useful if you're going to an uncolonized system (and for some reason can't use the Forward scheme with two sails for slowing down).
Part of developing the setting will be determining what the actual power needs of the spacecraft are. That in turn will determine the list of fuels that could meet that, and power plant specs that would be useful. If "magic" is on the table as a power source, this helps nail down what constraints there are on it (a very important thing to do).
Deciding how FTL works in this setting will be important. It causes a lot of headaches; some of the headaches are due to military applications of a ship (or torpedo) that can arrive anywhere before you can detect it, and some of the headaches are due to time travel being a consequence of FTL (when combined with a large-delta-v drive or a launch cannon).
It might even be possible to avoid FTL entirely if Equestria is close enough to Earth. Moving at any significant fraction of lightspeed has its own problems, though: your launch laser can burn planets in another star system if you're using sailcraft, and any self-contained craft with that much delta-v can burn planets all on its own (or ram them with a yield somewhere between "huge fusion bomb" and "huge antimatter bomb").
This sort of thing has strong effects on the setting (both in what's possible now and what was done historically), so it's important to think it over very carefully.
...And that should give TDM some idea what he's in for if he does decide to take me on as a technical consultant.