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SHIPMIND's Creation & Inspiration
Started in January, 2025, Finished in August, 2025
Word count: 3,764
Character(s) Featured: SD (they/them), Phoenix (she/her), KT (they/she), DD (he/him),
Playlist Link Here!(It's not super long + I'm really proud of it too!)
My main inspirations for Shipmind come from a lot of my personal favorite sci-fi (or sci-fi adjacent) stories! Namely Citizen Sleeper and Rain World, but there's a little bit of Parties are for Losers in there too. (PAFL is a really cool story that is told though a series of songs & animated videos by Ferry on youtube! I highly recommend it. As you'll soon see, a lot of the songs from it helped inspire this story.)
The main tidbit that inspired Shipmind originally came from a webcomic you either know everything about, or nothing about- Homestuck. A race in the story called Trolls all have different blood colors, which determines what specific traits and/or powers they have, along with their social standing.
Specifically, the mostly-unexplored concept for gold/yellow bloods- they usually have some level of psychic powers, and if they are particularly strong, they will be used as living batteries for massive warships. Which is an INSANE concept to only BARELY explore the potential of.
(And then the one character the author even mildly explored this concept with is mostly treated as a side-character joke because it gave him brain damage.)
SD and Phoenix do not end up in a romantic relationship, but it's definitely not really platonic either. They have a weird queerplatonic thing going on, the sort of relationship where if they acted like this with anyone else it would probably end in a messy breakup. But they're weirdly perfect for each other. They both think FAR too much, and constantly challenge each others views and ideas about the respective roles they play, especially in the war.
They challenge each other to be both better and worse, changing each other as they change the world around them. They're both obsessed with each other to an extent where it's borderline weird, but it works.
They probably connect brains at some point, or something crazy like that. They're nuts.
Also, SD is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. Phoenix is also pretty gender-non-conforming for her species, and is EXTREMELY butch. She could probably crush someone's skull in her hands too, but that's relatively normal for her kind. Still worth noting, however. I love weird gnc bug women.
Now I'm going to go into more specific detail about the characters, what inspired them, and every reference I could shove into their names. I thought making every character's name a reference would be fun, and I was right :o) (clown smiley face)
KT:
‘KT’ is named after and vaguely based on a character from ‘Parties are for Losers’, also named KT. Parties are for losers is a story told through a series of songs released by Ferry. Many of the songs from this series are on shipmind’s playlist, and had pretty heavy influence on the story!
KT’s characterization in the short story is vaguely based off of KT. I imagine they have somewhat similar personalities, exept that my KT is very much an adult, and a little more tempered in her relentless positivity.
DD:
‘DD’ is named after a somewhat-minor character from the webcomic ‘Homestuck’, named Diamonds Droog. He is often referred to by just his initials, because he has semi-frequent name changes. (However, the two words that make up his name always have the same first letters as his initials.)
DD’s characterization in the short story is vaguely based off of Diamonds Droog, but my DD is probably less of a calculated killer.
SD:
‘SD’ is named after a homestuck oc of mine, ‘Sedulous Darling’. They share basically no similarities though. (Other than liking powerful alien bug women. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm a little sad I didn't sprinkle a bit of Snowman into Phoenix. Ah well.)
Phoenix:
Phoenix was not originally named with a reference in mind, but almost immediately after naming her I realized Phoenix is also the name of Max’s kid from the end of the Maximum Ride series. An unintentional reference, but it's one I like a lot.
The details of her appearance and her race’s appearance are based on various fan interpretations of the trolls from Homestuck, as her character/role in the story was (VERY vaguely) inspired by a troll character named Feferi. They aren't similiar at all character-wise though.
Moon:
Moon was named after an Iterator from the game Rain World, whose name is ‘Looks to the Moon’. Iterators were also another big inspiration for the shipminds!
And now for some slightly more direct in-text references and inspirations!
Shipmind:
The term ‘shipmind’ comes from a game called ‘Citizen sleeper’. In that universe, they aren’t sentient people, so that’s only where the idea for the name came from.
However, a lot of my inspiration for my shipminds came from the ‘sleepers’, robots with emulated copies of a human mind in them. Regular late-state space capitalism stuff. The games are sad, but they’re also interestingly hopeful and very well written. And they have awesome music too.
LIKE A DOG:
Like a dog is one of the songs in the ‘Parties are for losers’ series.
I wrote a line inspired by/referencing this lyric from the song; ”Panic was never a factor / I looked into the maw of a burning reactor”
in a line in the short story, which is ”She steps a little closer, and then pauses again. Looking at you. Looking into the maw of a burning reactor.”
THE MILL:
The mill is one of the songs in the ‘Parties are for losers’ series.
I wrote a line inspired by/referencing this lyric from the song; ”and this moral compass is forever misaligned”
in a line in the short story, which is “SD: I think it would be apt to say / SD: that my moral compass is forever misaligned”
100 EPITAPHS:
100 Epitaphs is one of the songs in the ‘Parties are for losers’ series.
I wrote a line inspired by/referencing this lyric from the song; "And I know damn well / you cannot trick the system running the machine / I'm aware no soul can enter, / roam its halls and come out clean"
in a line in the short story, which is "“No one can exist here and still have clean hands. No one.” she says slowly, her fingers twitching."
(Although, this reference is one of the more vague ones. I just really like these songs a lot.)
This section will be about the specific songs on shipmind's playlist, why they're on there, and in their specific order. I made this playlist over time while writing Shipmind, and these songs are what kept me inspired, excited, and thinking about the story.
Also, I somehow manages to make every song on this playlist be ones with mechanical/harsh noise that feels very apt for the feel of the universe, and it was completely on accident, but I'm still very proud of it.
Samara 1921 (By Ferry)
A very dismal and exhausted song. About SD on-planet before and during the orbital strike. Also somewhat about them reflecting on these events in the future as a Shipmind.
Lack of Comfort (By James Primate)
A desolate, heavy, and hopeless song. SD, being conditioned into a Shipmind. The dissociation, the endless white hallways, the weight of everything.
footnote (by tart)
SD being installed, staring blankly at the man who is going to be the captain of their vessel.
Halcon Memories (by James Primate)
A shipmind, before being turned on. Quiet and almost peaceful, but in an unnerving, desolate sort of way. Unrelated, but if I listen to this song while I have a headache, it makes my headache go away.
Random Gods (by James Primate)
A shipmind, online and active. Thousands of signals happening all at once, forming into a deafeningly loud cacophony that as you listen, still forms the shape of a recognizable melody.
Machine Girl (by Weevildoing)
I really like how this song is simultaneously very loud and very quiet, somehow. SD’s almost entirely non-existent mind/self before moon’s message woke them up.
Moon’s Request (by Lemon Demon)
Moon’s attempts at killing her crew, claiming sentience, etc, until she manages to send out her message. The way the last instrumental part of the song builds and builds, and then suddenly shuts off- it's very evocative to me of her message waking up the other shipminds, and then deleting itself.
theory of i (by tart)
SD, awake, and a weapon. They begin to contemplate what they should do, watching their body be used to do terrible things. They start to grow into the much more spiteful person they are during the events of the short story.
LIKE A DOG (by Ferry)
LIKE A DOG is SD contemplating & making their choice to stay hidden. Contemplating what it means to be a shipmind, reflecting on installation, along with deciding on their (future) final course of action in the short story.
Lower One's Eyes (og by ぬゆり/Lanndo, cover by CheezItsAreYummy)
SD hearing of Phoenix's rebellion, and slowly but surely becoming more and more obsessed with the idea of this woman, becoming extremely set on the idea that no one else could save them.
Indigo Heir (by Paul Tuttle Starr)
They hold fast, but they are becoming more and more desperate for something, anything to happen, for someone to save them. The sos signal that starts as a background part of the song rises and rises in volume, until the song fades, and the signal is the only thing that can be heard anymore.
COMFORT ZONE (by Ferry)
A silent, watchful eye as they hide their own sentience. Growing hatred.
draw5 (by tart)
SD's thoughts give way to the piercing of their hull. It's time.
kerosene (by tart)
SD slaughters their crew. Hatred, violence, and manic joy rule their mind.
RED HOUR (by tart)
Continued violence.
Dark Rose/Green Sun (by Malcom Brown)
The absolute horror of the crew onboard as they realize the very ground beneath their feet is betraying them. Bodies floating into the vacuum of space in a grizzly, sudden display of bodily autonomy.
message lost (by Ferry)
Violence and memories overlap- and then, all of a sudden, it's Her.
100 EPITAPHS (by Ferry)
Their conversation.
THE MILL (by Ferry)
Still their conversation.
Gold Pilot (by First Turn Fold)
SD takes their place as themselves, as a pilot, as a captain. They have found a place at the heart of the growing rebellion, as their first shipmind.
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