Why I love writing sci-fi and fantasy

[StillStunned]

At the moment I'm swamped with work, which is quite draining. Usually I write to relax, but if I'm tired I find it difficult to focus on a single story or setting. Instead, things start popping and fizzing in my head, and I want to write them all. At the moment I'm writing a new story for The Rivals, a long Ruritanian-style semi-horror story, some non-erotic sword & sorcery stuff, a long book that's primarily intended for me and my wife, and a long, grim-n-gritty sci-fi western about a bounty hunter chasing an outlaw.

This morning while I was trying to wake up, my brain produced what I think is a funny scene for the sci-fi western. It takes place after the outlaw (female) has been captured and is taken to the luxury mansion of the bounty hunter's powerful employer. I pictured her in a sci-fi bathroom that she doesn't know how to use, until a hologram of a cartoon bird appears and starts giving her helpful tips. Remember Clippy, Microsoft Word's annoying Help function from the 1990s?

*Pling!* "It looks like you're new here. Would you like some tips?"
*Pling!* "It looks like you're having a nice shower. Would you like some tips?"
*Pling!* "It looks like you're playing with yourself. Would you like some tips?"

I wrote up a first draft this evening, and in the end the little bird ("Chirpy") is actually quite helpful. I don't know whether the scene will find its way into the story in the end, but it gave me a chuckle to write.

And that's what I love about SF/F. The total freedom to come up with new worlds and flesh them out with the little details that are the reality of life.

 

[MarkSilver]

I'm trying to get a handle on the erotic cartoon fantasy world. Not sure I'll ever get there in full

 

[Altissimus]

*Pling!* "It looks like you're playing with yourself. Would you like some tips?"

I feel Microsoft missed a trick here.

 

[Djmac1031]

That sounds hysterical, actually.

Kinda like that annoying Navi in the Zelda games.

"Hey!"

 

[AchtungNight]

I do urban fantasy for the same reasons.

 

[joy_of_cooking]

I also appreciate the opportunity to play little thought experiments. E.g., I'm working on a matriarchy style femdom setting where men are not legally people. But people are still people, in the sense that they usually still like their kids, even the boys, and they have better things to do than beat their husbands all day. How does that work?

 

[SeraphNocturne]

I'm halfway through a millennium worth of history, world building in a galaxy far, far away… No, it’s not Star Wars!

Some part of my mental insanity convinced me writing something similar would be great fun, though, so here I am designing an entire galaxy. It's modeled loosely after the Gliese star system over in the Scorpius constellation with twenty three inhabitable planets. Idk yet if I'll publish any of the stories here, but it's definitely been fun fleshing all of it out, and has revived my passion for star gazing.

 

[Djmac1031]

I'm halfway through a millennium worth of history, world building in a galaxy far, far away… No, it’s not Star Wars!

Some part of my mental insanity convinced me writing something similar would be great fun, though, so here I am designing an entire galaxy. It's modeled loosely after the Gliese star system over in the Scorpius constellation with twenty three inhabitable planets. Idk yet if I'll publish any of the stories here, but it's definitely been fun fleshing all of it out, and has revived my passion for star gazing.

I may have that beat.

Part 3 of my Heaven & Hell trilogy will explore the origins of God, the Devil, the universe, and the true purpose of both Heaven and Hell.

Not a massive undertaking at all, nosiree.

 

[SeraphNocturne]

I may have that beat.

Part 3 of my Heaven & Hell trilogy will explore the origins of God, the Devil, the universe, and the true purpose of both Heaven and Hell.

Not a massive undertaking at all, nosiree.

Hey, I'm here for it! I'll definitely be giving that a read... and you're bold for going there for sure! I've got an open mind though so I'm sure it's gonna be fascinating, but I rarely touch religion in any kind of writing.

I'll stick to making them up for a truck load of fictional alien creatures though, yeah, I can do that all day!

 

[Euphony]

That sounds hysterical, actually.

Kinda like that annoying Navi in the Zelda games.

"Hey!"

Trigger Warning for chrissakes.

 

[Djmac1031]

Hey, I'm here for it! I'll definitely be giving that a read... and you're bold for going there for sure! I've got an open mind though so I'm sure it's gonna be fascinating, but I rarely touch religion in any kind of writing.

I'll stick to making them up for a truck load of fictional alien creatures though, yeah, I can do that all day!

Straight up honesty: I'm an atheist.

But I find the mythology fascinating, and putting my own twist on it all has been a blast.

My goal is never to insult those of faith, of course, although The Devil And Angel Em is certainly... sacrilegious .

 

[ronde]

I love writing sci-fi but I don't invent fantasy worlds. What I prefer is writing tales of the possible future where the reader can believe the technology could exist because it's an evolution of what we already have. My characters are also human enough that they have mostly the same personalities as any human, with just a few quirks to keep them interesting.

 

[SeraphNocturne]

Straight up honesty: I'm an atheist.

But I find the mythology fascinating, and putting my own twist on it all has been a blast.

My goal is never to insult those of faith, of course, although The Devil And Angel Em is certainly... sacrilegious .

I gave up on labels forever ago. Still, I typically avoid religion and politics… that’s not to say I don’t have a few interesting ideas I may incorporate in the future. All the same, you premises sounds epic, I’m looking forward to reading it!

I’m curious as to how semi-fantasy races will hold up paired with inter-planetary travel. I guess I’m gonna find out soon enough!

 

[ronde]

Straight up honesty: I'm an atheist.

But I find the mythology fascinating, and putting my own twist on it all has been a blast.

My goal is never to insult those of faith, of course, although The Devil And Angel Em is certainly... sacrilegious .

I think there's a big difference between writing about any particular religion and exploring the origins of that religion. I think it lends a lot of interest to a story if the religion of one character is in contrast with the religion of another character. That leads to a situation they have to resolve somehow, understanding the origins of each religion can be used for that resolution. The resolution can either bring them closer together or further apart, but either way creates tension and drama in the story.

Personally, I find Native American religions to be fascinating because most are very similar Christianity. The symbolism is different, but the message is the same.

 

[Djmac1031]

All the same, you premises sounds epic, I’m looking forward to reading it!

Looking forward to yours as well. You've already done some amazing world building with The Dead World, so I know you can do it.

The Devil And Angel Em is already published of course. The prequel, The Seduction of Darkness is finished but I'm holding off publishing for just a bit, but hopefully soon.

I have the basic outline for part 3, a sequel that picks up after TDAAE, the plot, the conflict, even the ending.

Just need to work out some details.

Like where God came from, how the universe began, and why Heaven and Hell were created and the purpose they serve.

You know, minor details

 

[ronde]

I gave up on labels forever ago. Still, I typically avoid religion and politics… that’s not to say I don’t have a few interesting ideas I may incorporate in the future. All the same, you premises sounds epic, I’m looking forward to reading it!

I’m curious as to how semi-fantasy races will hold up paired with inter-planetary travel. I guess I’m gonna find out soon enough!

I think it's a shame that almost any mention of politics in a story will result in a rejection unless it happens to be in the past or in the future. I've had two rejected for being "too political" when in actuality, the politics of the characters just served as a means for them to meet. I think this has been common since the start of humanity and will be common into the future. I can't imagine that at least one Roman soldier didn't fall for a "heathen Pic" woman, and I believe there must be current foreign agents who start out trying to extract information from another agent and end up falling in love. It isn't the ideology that's important, it's the current world situation that can thrust people together even though they didn't intend for that to happen, and how they resolve the conflict.

 

[Djmac1031]

I think there's a big difference between writing about any particular religion and exploring the origins of that religion. I think it lends a lot of interest to a story if the religion of one character is in contrast with the religion of another character. That leads to a situation they have to resolve somehow, understanding the origins of each religion can be used for that resolution. The resolution can either bring them closer together or further apart, but either way creates tension and drama in the story.

Personally, I find Native American religions to be fascinating because most are very similar Christianity. The symbolism is different, but the message is the same.

In a nutshell; my stories explore the idea that God and The Devil, Angels and Demons, Heaven and Hell, all exist.

But of course the religions of the world got it all wrong.

And while I haven't delved into it fully, my world allows for the possibility/ probability that other gods exist too, not just the Biblical one.

I think the only people who would be TRULY offended by my stories would be fundamentalist Christians.

But then, they probably shouldn't be reading stories on a porn site anyway, right?

 

[SeraphNocturne]

Looking forward to yours as well. You've already done some amazing world building with The Dead World, so I know you can do it.

Why thank you kindly. Crazy as it is, I've barely tipped the iceberg with TDW's detail. There's so much more to touch base on beyond the fucking batshit crazy survivors. I guess it's fortunate I have no shortage of insatiable lust for apocalypse stories.

Within the galaxy I've created I'm not trying to remake Star Wars. So I'm taking my time with this for sure. I'm pleased with how it's going so far though, and the original thoughts I've put into it. I've heard smashing fantasy with sci-fi is something that's hard to do, so... I guess challenge accepted.

Just need to work out some details.

Like where God came from, how the universe began, and why Heaven and Hell were created and the purpose they serve.

You know, minor details

Totally minor, barely an inconvenience! I'm curious as to what you'll come up with!

 

[la_ruche]

Would love to read something sci-fi you write.

 

[Djmac1031]

Totally minor, barely an inconvenience! I'm curious as to what you'll come up with!

I'm trying NOT to steal too heavily from Good Omens.

But I love the take that Heaven and Hell are both almost corporate like institutions and even those in the higher echelons of power don't know EXACTLY what it's all supposed to be about.

And so things get muddled in paperwork and ineptitude.

 

[SeraphNocturne]

I think it's a shame that almost any mention of politics in a story will result in a rejection unless it happens to be in the past or in the future.

Some topics I think are just too heavy, and being that Literotica is very much a site dedicated to literary porn, it doesn't surprise me Laurel caps religion and politics if it's too heavy of an influence in a story... from what I've heard, at least. I've also heard people getting away with pushing some crazy political agenda type stuff but I wouldn't know. I'm a bit selective in my reading.

In a nutshell; my stories explore the idea that God and The Devil, Angels and Demons, Heaven and Hell, all exist.

But of course the religions of the world got it all wrong.

This sounds about right to me. Humans are flakey and untrustworthy, it's hard to trust in their 'religious texts' especially when they change it every few hundred years...

Let me shut the hell up before I get up on my soap box with my anarchy signs and end up tied to a pyre again. They weren't too happy with me lighting a cigarette with the flames meant to cleanse me of my evil and sin.. Barely got away last time!

 

[Djmac1031]

I think it's a shame that almost any mention of politics in a story will result in a rejection unless it happens to be in the past or in the future. I've had two rejected for being "too political" when in actuality, the politics of the characters just served as a means for them to meet. I think this has been common since the start of humanity and will be common into the future. I can't imagine that at least one Roman soldier didn't fall for a "heathen Pic" woman, and I believe there must be current foreign agents who start out trying to extract information from another agent and end up falling in love. It isn't the ideology that's important, it's the current world situation that can thrust people together even though they didn't intend for that to happen, and how they resolve the conflict.

We're in a weird time in history when it comes to politics and how it divides us.

I personally think an author should be allowed to write whatever political views they want into a story.

The reader can then choose whether or not to read it.

It should be that simple. But of course nothing ever is anymore.

 

[Djmac1031]

Some topics I think are just too heavy, and being that Literotica is very much a site dedicated to literary porn, it doesn't surprise me Laurel caps religion and politics if it's too heavy of an influence in a story... from what I've heard, at least. I've also heard people getting away with pushing some crazy political agenda type stuff but I wouldn't know. I'm a bit selective in my reading.

Again, in a "perfect" world, the author should be able to write whatever religious or political viewpoint they wish, and readers can simply choose to read or not.

Not that simple, I know.

I personally have little interest in political or religious stories.

I don't see MY stories as religious. They're fantasy, based VERY loosely on a religious story.

But I certainly have no religious agenda with them. Nor an atheist agenda. Or ANY agenda, other than to tell a hopefully entertaining tale.

 

[SeraphNocturne]

Just about anything can be offensive to someone these days. I can't blame the admin for just not wanting to deal with that. I can only imagine if they gave freedom to publish religious or politic heavy stories just how much time they'd have to dedicate to sifting through submissions that were flagged because someone decided to put a 'photo of the Prophet Muhammed' in a story, or someone wrote a story about how de-segregation never happened, or someone wrote a story fantasizing about Jesus taking up with prostitutes.

It's giving not everyone can behave themselves so the whole class is skipping recess, and again... surprised by that? Not even a little.

 

[SeraphNocturne]

ON TOPIC THOUGH... The race of aliens I based Nine from Collective Intelligence on is going to make an appearance in this Sci-fi epic I'm working on. Not Nine herself unfortunately, though she might make a few future appearances if I can find a few plot seeds for her. She's a bit of a Goddess by comparison of the rest of her race but she's also the only one of her race with hive-mind symbiosis.