Worldember 2022

 
Welcome to Solaris, traveller! This is a slower-than-light science fantasy set in our own solar system.
About Solaris | Guide to Solaris | Prologue
We're halfway through November, which means Worldember is soon upon us. Worldember is a yearly challenge here on World Anvil where we're challenged to write 10k words across a bunch of new articles. Not only is Worldember coming, but so, too, is Best of 2022. Worldember is an excellent opportunity to prepare towards it.   I'm beyond proud of what I've accomplished with Solaris, but I don't quite feel like it's a contender for Best Of yet. To get there, I want to have some short articles in place for most of the things people are going to want to look up. That includes, but is not limited to; each of the planets, an explanation of what keystones are, and what a sentinel is.   Even though I hope to give a cursory glance at the other planets, the focus remains on Mercury and specifically Penumbra. I have a whole bunch of articles I'd love to write, and these I can explore a bit further.

Mercury, and life at Penumbra

Penumbra
Settlement | Aug 17, 2024

In the shadows of the Iron Spires, migrating along the terminator, walks Penumbra. Soldiers, mercenaries, and civilians alike warily watch the sky, always prepared for another Solar Pulse.

  Caduceus
Caduceus is a satellite station orbiting Mercury and Penumbra's command centre. It’s attended by a small host of lesser satellites: weapons platforms, and sensor arrays, and all sorts of lethal tools of war directed at the enemy.   Project Ikarus
Project Ikarus utilizes smaller squads or even lone ace fighters against solar invasions. These teams and individuals are highly capable and are given free rein to use their powers as they see fit against the enemies.   Interplanetary Solar Defense Council
The coalition formed for the purpose of defending against the Solar incursion. The ISDC sets the grand strategy for Penumbra.   Scorching of Mercury
The first Solar Invasion and the ensuing ecological collapse.
Scope
I want to build off of what I already have for Penumbra. That means writing about the event that lead to the formation of Penumbra, and the organizations that make it happen.
 
Themes
Isolation Morality of War Identity Horror of Heaven Grief
 
Inspirations
  • Blue Planet: War in Heaven
  • Neon Genesis Evangelion
  •  

    Other Potential Articles

  • Regional Flora & Fauna
  • Mercurian Triumvirate
  • Penumbra Supply chain
  • Borealis Ice Mining
  • Focus: Character

    A drawing of a in-world picture. Fighter pilot Eun takes a selfie with Blue NM-2.
    Selfie by Annie Stein
    Scope
    Eun and Blue NM-2 are the main characters, and while I don't want to go too indepth on their articles (I'd rather you get to know them in the story), I do want to flesh out some of the related concepts. For Blue this'll be what being a Sentinel usually entails, and what the training is like.   For Eun, that'll be an overview of the Catamite Wars, where she served as a Mercenary, and some of the people she came across. It'll do Solaris good to have some more characters in the roster.

    Blue NM-2

    Blue NM-2
    Character | Jul 17, 2024

    Blue NM-2 is a Sentinel; a living weapon. It has been provided for Project Ikarus from Neptune. Even in the low humidity atmosphere of Mercury it poses a notable threat, but has been deemed acceptable considering the consequences of failure.

    Sentinel
    Living weapons that are deployed in the Kuiper Field to defend against horrors from the Oort Cloud and beyond. Sentinels go through harrowing training to prepare for the ordeal of spending the rest of their life fighting eldritch horrors in complete isolation.   Oceanid
    A telepathic species native to the oceans of Neptune.  

    Eun

    Eun
    Character | Aug 18, 2024

    Squadron Leader Eun is an ex-mercenary fighter pilot employed in Penumbra under the aegis of Project Ikarus. Eun has an irregular history, like many of the pilots of Penumbra, but has shown competency and good fit to a military structure.

    Catamite War
    The bloody struggle for Ganymedean independence.

    Organisation

      So it's no secret that I really enjoy organisation. Making sure I've got my ducks in a row before Worldember will free me up to create a mess then.   My tag structure is fairly simple. I tag everything with index-# where # is the first letter of the article. This puts it in my Index A-Z. I also tag stub articles and have an index made to give me an overview of those. That tag also displays the box in the header about why the article is so short.   When I get a lot of one kind of article, I consider giving them their own index too. So far I've made the Spacecraft Index, because I know people will want to compare the different spaceships. As part of my preparation, I'd like to make a Character Index.   Outside of creating a character index, I also want to write a quick sentence for each category, and do a general review of Solaris, fixing any minor issues I encounter.   Minor Fix Log
  • Updated comic to show most recent page
  • Updated monthly follower blurb
  • Made character articleblocks mobile friendly
  • 22/22 Category pages added
  • Fixed article tooltip arrows
  • Imagery

    Iron Spires
    Iron Spires by Annie Stein
    Illustration of a Crystalline Symbiont. Red crystal shards are growing out of the hosts shoulder.
    Crystal Symbiont by Annie Stein
    Illustration of a coral symbiont. Blue coral fans out over the neck, and red coral peeks out on the clavicle and on one shoulder.
    Coral Symbiont by Annie Stein
    Human with Filter Organs by Annie Stein
     

    Completed Articles

    Airship of Theseus
    Settlement | Sep 2, 2024

    The oldest and most grand of Uranus' floating cities, Theseus Eyrie, is the only airship that still drifts through the Aer. She has been in flight for millennia, although scholars argue that her extensive repairs mean she is no longer truly ancient.

    Deep Space Leviathan
    Species | Sep 2, 2024

    In the massive deep space above and below the planetary disc, gentle giants drift through the void. Leviathans, also known as astracetaceans and space whales, are gargantuan filter feeders.

    Dutrius Atlas
    Character | Jul 17, 2024

    Duty runs deep in the veins of the Atlas family, even among its black sheep. Dutrius has dedicated his life and vast amounts of the family coffers to his cause: discovering why the Scourge turned on the planets they once swore to protect.

    Fei
    Species | Sep 2, 2024

    The Fei are the plantlike people of Venus. Their striking appearance demands attention, with coloration in all shades of the rainbow. Their breath is toxic to other humanoids, so travelling Fei wear masks to avoid poisoning others.

    Guide to Solaris
    Generic article | Oct 21, 2024

    Your Guide to Solaris, the Solar Invasion, and more!

    Jupiter
    Planet | Aug 13, 2024

    Countless moons orbit Jupiter, the self-proclaimed cradle of civilization. Internal trouble has kept the Jovians focused inwards, handling a succession of wars for lunar independence known as Catamite Wars. Now that these wars have been decisively ended,

    Keystone
    Rank/Title | Sep 2, 2024

    Each age the planets choose a mortal to embody them. A young girl is granted immense power, the potential of the planet itself, and from that point on she is known as a Keystone.

    Mars
    Planet | Sep 2, 2024

    Mars is a planet of great contrast, from the colourful padi fields to the monochrome cities that stretch up towards the skies. Its inhabitants believe they have forged today's technologically advanced Mars through the power of rationalism and meritocracy.

    Oceanid
    Species | Sep 2, 2024

    Oceanids are one of the nymphs native to Neptune. Oceanids have a natural aptitude for hydrokinesis, which allows them to propulse themselves through the seas despite their lack of hydrodynamic anatomy. Oceanids seem more attuned to mysticism than most.

    People
    Species | Sep 13, 2024

    Humanoids are a catch-all term for sapient bipedal beings that vaguely resemble humans. Humanoids are not necessarily related species, but instead an example of covergent evolution.

    Saturn
    Planet | Aug 13, 2024

    The brilliant skies of Saturn are ringed with advertisements. Merchant Princes carve out their domains on the planet and her moons. Saturn is known as the Grey Market, anything can be acquired for the right price and any law broken with the right bribe.

    Sentinel
    Profession | Sep 2, 2024

    and there in the distance is the sentinel, named after the asteroid that shall one day serve as its grave

    Sol System
    Geographic Location | Nov 1, 2024

    Between a resentful sun and a hostile galaxy, life persists. Orbiting around the nuclear heart known as Sol are eight planets, each rich in history and culture.

    Symbiosis
    Condition | Jul 17, 2024

    Symbiosis is a mutualistic and natural form of body modification. People can get live corals, plants, crystals and more embedded into their skin. It has been practiced in Neptune since ancient times, and spread across Sol with spacefarers.

    Uranus
    Planet | Aug 13, 2024

    Constant storms whip across the skies of Uranus. On those wild winds fly the Eyries; floating vehicle-cities. No one lives on Uranus without knowing how to fly, be it with craft or their own wings.

    Venus
    Planet | Sep 2, 2024

    Brilliant toxic smogs protect and obscure Venus from outsiders. The planet is a lush and hostile paradise, and it's inhabitants are the strange and alien Fei.

    Wordcount Goal
    10 000
    100%
    Notice: This article is a stub. It may be expanded later!


    Comments

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    Nov 17, 2022 13:09 by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

    More characterssssss! I love the themes you have got here - particularly horror of heaven. Like I don't know what that means exactly, but it's really evocative. :) Really looking forward to reading some more Solaris! <3

    Emy x
    Explore Etrea
    Nov 17, 2022 14:44 by Annie Stein

    Thank you so much! Distilling the themes and deciding on how to present them was a bit of a challenge, but I'm happy with how it turned out. Horror of heaven is my favourite theme too, and I haven't gotten to explore it much yet!   Best of luck with worldember, and I hope that you take good care of yourself <3!

    Creator of Solaris -— Come Explore!
    Nov 18, 2022 00:58 by Aster Blackwell

    I love Blue's character design! I'm excited to learn more about them.

    Nov 18, 2022 10:25 by Annie Stein

    Thank you so much!

    Creator of Solaris -— Come Explore!
    Nov 22, 2022 17:07 by Deleyna Marr

    I learned so much just from reading your article! I look forward to seeing what you build in December!

    Deleyna
    Nov 22, 2022 19:23 by Annie Stein

    I'm glad to hear it! Thank you so much, best of luck during worldember!

    Creator of Solaris -— Come Explore!