On Building Worlds
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the stories we build for ourselves. We all have our private universes, the worlds we escape into in books, games, and shows. They’re safe harbors, but they’re also static. You can’t change the course of the Enterprise. You can’t open a weird little bar on Deep Space Nine. The story is set, the canon is immutable, and you’re just a visitor.
For a long time, I wanted something messier. Something alive.
That want is what eventually became the Solar Federation Universe. It’s a sprawling, open, shared-fiction project set about a thousand years from now. The central hub is a place called Intergalactic Social, which is exactly what it sounds like: an in-character social network where the inhabitants of this universe: humans, giant warlike teddy-bear people, and pop-culture-obsessed nerds from Aldebaran can interact.
The flagship story follows the Jupiter’s Ghost, a once-proud battle cruiser now refitted for exploration and running on grit, goodwill, and constant repairs. It’s part of the Space Corps, a non-military, mutual-aid organization trying to do good in a Solar Federation that’s slowly showing its authoritarian cracks. It’s a setting that lets us tell stories that are hopeful, cynical, adventurous, and mundane, sometimes all at once.
For a while, the project was quiet. Not dead, just… percolating. But that’s changed.
We’ve been working behind the scenes to make it more welcoming, to sand down the rough edges that keep new people from jumping in. We’ve got a new video game in beta, the podcast crew are working on putting out new episodes, and the whole thing feels like it’s humming with energy again.
And that’s what this post is really about.
This universe was always meant to be built together. If you’ve ever wanted to slip into the background of a sci-fi show and actually stay, to be a cynical engineer, an enthusiastic xenobotanist, or a cadet just trying to log their star hours, your spot is open. The canon isn’t a fence; it’s a playground. The story isn’t set; it’s waiting for you to help write it.
If you’re interested, here’s how to start:
- Come register and make an account. (Give me enough info when you do that I can be sure you’re a real person!)
- Get a feel for the Lore and Canon.
- Read up on How to Contribute.
- And please, read our Code of Conduct. We’re building a welcoming place, not a mirror of the internet’ worst impulses.
You can also just dive in and listen to an episode of the podcast to see what the vibe is. Or check out the incredibly cool, retro Jupiter’s Ghost video game beta.
The story’s accelerating. It’s a good time to come aboard.
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