I've not shared much about this particular project, mostly because I haven't worked on it very much. Inspiration called me to other projects and then life happened (a car accident, specifically) which meant that my focus was drawn elsewhere. Still, I remembered this project and have been world-building a bit here and there when I feel a lag in inspiration for the break-time project or want something different from The Agency.
I've not done terribly much with the idea at this point, though I do know a fair bit about the primary alien races for the idea and that the "idea" is no longer a space opera, not quite. The "idea" is more like a series of stand-alone novels that are all set within the same universe, but feature different characters and have different tones, spanning different genres.
For example, there is one novel idea featuring a salvage crew that finds a derelict ship that definitely falls into the horror category, but then there's a novel idea featuring a rogue synth that has gained sentience and is now on the run that falls under action or possibly thriller. There's also an idea has elements of the biopunk genre, such as genetic engineering and genetic modification. Then, of course, there's going to be intergalactic armies at war (military science fiction) and a ragtag group of heroes out to save the galaxy (space opera). Not to mention the disaster landscape Earth has become (post-apocalyptic) and the space habitats that the upper-class call home (dystopia). With so many different ideas that fit into different genres, it only made sense to have it be separate novels that occur within the same universe.
I mentioned that I know a bit about the alien races present in this idea. I don't have all the information about every race--or even all the information about one race--but I do know a little about each of them. Mostly, I know what they look like, but for some of them I also know their culture, normal occupation, how they interact with humans, and (in the case of one alien race) how they evolved.
The first alien race that I created was the Amphayans. Amphayans are a species that have moth-like wings, long barbed tails, four arms, two legs, antennae, compound eyes capable of seeing infrared and ultraviolet, and fluff (much like how some moths are fluffy). The Amphayans are a symbiotic race, protecting and caring for the alien race known as the Naem'i that incubates their eggs, but due to a plague (which may have been a bio-weapon that was released) that race is dying out and not healthy enough for the incubation. The Amphayan home-world is one with tall trees where the Amphayans live in massive, multi-level treehouses that can sometimes span multiple trees, and are connected to the other trees by bridges, though adult Amphayans are capable of flight. I have a lot more of their culture written down and even went so far as to make a calendar for them.
Next up there's the Lunulata. The Lunulata are a race that was inspired by the blue-ringed octopus. As such, they are very squishy, venomous, four tentacled, two legged, beaked, three-hearted aliens with crescent-shaped designs on their bodies that pulse and change color. They can survive out of water, but prefer to be in it since their gills are better developed than their lungs. Their planet is a very watery one, dotted with islands (those who play video games may have Subnautica spring to mind), and despite being very squishy, they are very war-like and have gone to war with (and conquered) a race of terrestrial crab-like aliens based on the porcelain crab, the Cellthonians. Single males of the Lunulata are the ones most likely to venture off-planet as slavers while the rest tend to focus on education, technology, and military advancements.
The race that appeared shortly after the Amphayans is the Culicivorans. This alien race is based off the jumping spider known as Evarcha culicivora, a spider that found only around Lake Victoria in Kenya and Uganda that feeds on mosquitos, but only those who drink human blood. Naturally, the Culicivorans have no need to feed on mosquitos and instead go straight to the source: humans. Culicivorans look like spider-centaurs (or driders, for those who are familiar with Dungeons & Dragons) where the upper half is humanoid while the lower half is that of a very large spider. Much like the spiders they're based on, Culicivorans are mostly gray with white and red markings. Unlike their namesakes, however, Culicivorans are very much capable of creating and using webs, mostly as nets to trap their prey. Culicivorans are hunters that originally preyed on a humanoid species from their home-world, but found themselves in need of a different type of prey when this species was almost hunted to extinction (the species is critically endangered now, but recovering). Originally, Culicivorans were more spider than human, but began to evolve the humanoid torso to better lure in prey. Throughout millennia, the evolution made the humanoid torso more detailed and more dexterous until finally becoming the Culicivorans of present. Presently, the Culicivorans are the ones most likely to pay the Lunulata to steal humans from Earth (which isn't doing so great, as mentioned briefly above) so they can hunt them on their home planet.
The fourth species that I have at least a little information figured out about is the Xethalians. Xethalians are an owl-like race with four wings (two large, two small), six eyes with astonishing eyesight, powerful tails, small pointy ears, a wide beak, and four small, clawed legs. Their skin is fairly weak and covered in short wide feathers that are primarily dark orange and gray, dulling with age. Unlike most bird species on Earth, the males have less varied colors and aren't as flashy. So far, this is all I've got on them, but it's more than a couple races I can think of that were briefly mentioned above.
That's all for the alien races at the moment. I do have more written down about Amphayans, but don't want to share too much too soon. I'm also still creating alien races as well. After all, it's a big universe.
I've been neglecting this idea and neglecting talking about it, but that's going to change. I'll be posting about either this idea or the break-time one in between the regular posts featuring excerpts from The Agency.
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