u/Academic_Ad8989

Hello, hello, and welcome to my first post here on this subreddit. There are many things that fascinate me from Isaac Arthur’s channel and the ideas he proposes, but this one from his “Fleet of Stars” video really captured my attention. Fair warning, my post is a little long.

So much so, that it inspired me to create a new space opera series with a setting that reflects this shift from our typical Milky Way Galaxy to as he described, “a super galactic Dyson swarm”. Where the galaxy was remodeled by one of the few ancient advanced alien civilizations in the universe into “a billion planets, moons, and stars all artificially moved to orbit around the galaxy’s supermassive black hole” which has a custom Topopolis orbiting it serving as the literal center of intra-galactic civilization.

Of course, there will be a host of other megastructures at play, like conglomerates of networked space habitats, orbital rings, stellaser highway systems with laser relays, Cycler ships, shellworlds, and more. The core logic behind why the advanced aliens did this was to make our galaxy, along with many others inhabited by sapient life, more conducive for spacefaring civilizations by bringing things a little closer together.

Now, my big question is, after all this is done, what shape would the galaxy look like after the process is done? On top of that, how long would such a process take? What types of megastructures would play pivotal roles in making the galaxy this way? The ones that come to mind are possibly advanced Matrioshka brains linked to stellar engines with Dyson swarms around the Sun and other major stars. And what would need to be done to maintain this shape or continue to better optimize it?

Sorry for all the questions, I’m honestly very excited about this project.

Thank you for reading my post. Please share your thoughts, suggestions, and recommendations on how to iron this idea out. I’m no expert but I am willing to do the work. Keep it civil, and have a good day.

Hello, hello, and welcome to my post. Like the title says: What would you like to see in a Lich villain protagonist?

For my context, I’ve been developing a dark science-fantasy series that will have a more multi-media approach. I wanted the protagonist to be someone deeply rooted in the fantastical and one of my favorite fantasy beings. So, it stars a calm, civil, and calculating Lich (who’s more of a classic Archlich) of ancient Nubian origins. In terms of style and personality, think Gus Fring, Professor Moriarty, Darth Plagueis, Master Xehanort, and Szass Tam.

He’s a scholarly undead overlord who desires to control human civilization to bring about his twisted vision of a geniocratic world order and operates in a clandestine manner. He hides in plain sight while conducting his truer activities with his shadow network and secret society under the radar.

Naturally, he would have all kinds of enemies. Ranging from various heroes & villains to detectives and truth seekers who get too close to the truth, official magical orders, the more dogmatic agents of Life & Death, scheming immortals & divinities, other Liches both good & evil, and rival cabals with their own designs for the world.

I don’t want to go too far into over-describing him, but ultimately he’s meant to be a straightforward villain protagonist who’s nuanced and engaging without being tragic or too sympathetic. Not pure evil, more affably evil, but still evil.

Now, I have researched online for stories with a lich protagonist, villain or otherwise beforehand for inspiration, but most stories are usually not based on a lich rather an undead character who blurs the line between anti-hero and villain. Or they’re in stories largely from sites like Wattpad and rooted in either the Isekai genre or settings where fantasy operates by video game mechanics if it’s not already set in an advanced game simulation.

I did find two series that were compelling, the anime “Overlord” and the manga series “The Executed Sage Who was Reincarnated as a Lich Started an All-Out War” (mouthful of a title, I know, but it’s pretty good). However, what they both do is have the main lich characters operate as overt evil overlords who serve in DnD-lite fantasy universes, where I intend for my character to be more of a covert evil overlord. And since I mentioned him, I am planning to read “The Haunted Lands” trilogy starring Szass Tam as a major character soon.

So, while my personal research has turned up a little cold, I’d like to hear from all of you what you’d like to see more of in a lich villain protagonist.

Thank you for reading my post. Please, share your thoughts, suggestions, ask any reasonable questions and I will try to answer them within the day. Keep it civil, and have a good day.

Hello, hello, and welcome to my post. Like the question says, what are some ways to incorporate Spellbooks, Grimoires, and other forms of Inscription-based Magic items into Magic Combat or Warfare?

For my context, I’m working on a dark yet pulpy science-fantasy series starring a calm & collected Archlich as the villain protagonist, who’s more of a sophisticated shadow mastermind like Gus Fring and Professor Moriarty. While working on the character’s design, it got me wondering how he might incorporate magic items, like an ancient spell book he had for several millennia, into combat.

At the time, I couldn’t think of any practical ways he could incorporate a spell book in combat without it becoming a burden to carry or an easy target for opponents. Then I remembered how DnD’s updated design for Vecna had his spell book held in his rib cage. It got me thinking about how I need to think outside the box for ways to incorporate not only Spellbooks but other inscription-based magic items into Magic combat.

My latest ideas, nothing too grand or original, include their information being melded to the user’s body or spirit so that they’re easy to recall on the spot without exposing them. Perhaps the “Spellbooks” seen in combat are actually astral projections while their true forms are safe far away.

Thank you for reading my post. Please share your thoughts, suggestions, and recommendations, keep it civil, and have a good day.