An Introduction to Heliox Stardust

Heliox Stardust is, like most of my works, home to myriad themes and ideas. Most broadly is tone— Heliox is not pinned to either light or dark, simply whatever feels appropriate.   It will likely lean into dark territory more often, but given the nature of a world with powerful heroes— it'll be home to lighthearted moments, too. As Heliox is set in the future of our own world, diversity is a must. Pockets of humanity survived across the globe, and thus, carried their cultures into the future with them. I won't 1:1 copy any of these, beyond those I have direct connections to— and even in those cases, I'll be spinning them in a different direction entirely. Rather, I plan to think about how today's world may influence that of the future's world— taking inspiration from extant cultures, rather than directly copying them.   And, of course, plenty will be here just because I enjoy writing it.  

• Indoctrination. How does one become indoctrinated into an idea? How do those in power leverage this?
 
• We are small. The scale of the cosmos dwarfs everything humanity has ever done— things lurk among the stars that we may never understand.
 
• You cannot help everyone. Beyond the logistical side of this truth, you cannot understand everyone, and many do not wish to understand you.
 
• Power does not come with wisdom, nor compassion. Dusters within Heliox can be found acting both for and against the wellbeing of others.
 
• Transhumanism. We can become something greater than human through our ingenuity. Not all are ready for this.
 
• Tradition and family often hold us back. Progress often requires uprooting your beliefs.

 

Inspirations

There are so many intriguing things within our own reality, it's hard not to find inspiration in it! I'm inspired by various cultures, histories, and science. Even governments, clothing, architecture, and geography inspire me! My own background has a fair bit of weight on Heliox Stardust, as well— I mean, what writer could avoid this?   Of course, it's also important to note the dream that kicked this whole thing off, which has remained an inspiration for years.  

Media

I've been inspired by a lot of different media! The lore behind the Destiny games is a huge influence. Warframe is shortly behind that, with a bigger aesthetic influence.   Beyond those, a wide array of science fiction has inspired me. This includes things like the Half-Life games, Ray Bradbury stories, and artists such as Ariel Perez.   Last but not least, the fantastic work here on World Anvil! Most notably on the sci-fi front are the worlds of Ethnis, Felth, and The Void Between.  

Origins

Heliox Stardust first came to me in 2019 as a dream, which included the cremation, the Chariot, and the Redwood Arcology.   It also included a bizarre and fascinating vampire concept that I'm unsure what to do with, they may turn up as cultists later on.   I wrote half of a short story based on this dream, yet never finished it. It remained in the back of my mind for well over a year, however.   I've been itching to write a sci-fi world for a long while, and was even beginning to write out-of-context short stories set in one to vent that desire— which only made it stronger.   Then I realized that dream could combine with those stories, and was beginning to wonder how to even add another world to my plate!     A friend was also looking to work on a sci-fi project around the same time in early 2020. So, we got together, and Heliox Stardust's first incarnation was born from both of our concepts!   It wasn't to last, however, as between the hell year of 2020 and the realization that attempting to combine two entirely different worlds into one wasn't a great idea— we had left the world largely untouched.   In early 2021, we both agreed to can the project.   Yet, I still desperately wanted to create that world I saw in my dream.   I immediately got to work rebooting Heliox Stardust in the vein of my concepts— and here we are today.