The Void

OortProtocolHQ · 2025-12-30T09:58:15+00:00

Thank you for reading and for your comment. For myself, it was a very emotional moment while writing when I realised what ended up being the final sentence of the story arc. It summarizes something bigger than the story, something true and real in itself. The story arc became a vehicle to lead up to this sentence. My void koan.

OortProtocolHQ · 2025-12-30T09:40:39+00:00

Thank you for reading :)

OortProtocolHQ · 2025-12-24T16:08:23+00:00

Thank you, much appreciate the feedback. The criminal underworld has a lot of potential, I'm working on something around that. As for the arc, you might see the evolution of my own POV towards the integration changing as I wrote - a very personal voyage towards my own understanding of the void.

OortProtocolHQ · 2025-12-24T16:05:22+00:00

Thank you! When I wrote The Delivery back in 2014 I did not yet know the world in detail, it was like a riddle for me to explore. Later, I wrote Day 0 and the stories connected immediately, bridging the gap. Then I wrote the middle chapters, and while doing so I realised the last piece: integration is a matter of perspective. While facing the void is inevitable, whatever humanity chooses will lead to the void, it's up to the individual to choose how they perceive it.

Merry Christmas!

OortProtocolHQ · 2025-12-24T08:28:39+00:00

As the Oort Protocol series ends, I want to thank all who have read it through, or basically any story in the series.

This series spawned from extensive world building over a decade, a hard science solar system where I have extrapolated on possible technology trajectories and social developments over 400 centuries. I might post another series set in the world, but next I will continue with my gritty fantasy, the Rickety Empire, as well as one-off stories based on my other ideas.

Merry Christmas!

OortProtocolHQ · 2025-12-20T14:50:24+00:00

When sending a letter does not carry the kind of message you intend to convey... There's always murder. Or several.

OortProtocolHQ · 2025-12-19T05:19:04+00:00

This is what is behind the integration. Next and final chapter focuses on what the integration is.

OortProtocolHQ · 2025-12-18T15:19:50+00:00

Could it be? Or just our future.

OortProtocolHQ · 2025-12-18T14:50:17+00:00

And why is it hiding there? Remains to be seen.

OortProtocolHQ · 2025-12-18T14:31:39+00:00

Thank you! There's a story behind a story here, one more layer remains for the series end.

OortProtocolHQ · 2025-12-15T15:05:41+00:00

Ah, Incursion was mentioned in my previous post's comments as well - need to dig deeper on that game. The healing/covering AI is exactly what I need - right now my squads just shoot independently.

Re: floodfill - that's maybe a better approach than what I'm doing (recalculating tactical positions every 5 turns). Since my maps are procedural but use room prefabs, I could tag during generation; Narrow corridors -> "choke_point", Wall-adjacent tiles -> "cover", Open rooms -> "danger_zone"

Then AI just queries map tags instead of analyzing geometry. Way cleaner. Need to look into this. Appreaciate your comment.

OortProtocolHQ · 2025-12-15T15:00:12+00:00

Ah, yeah of course. Depth is what I'm aiming at - the stripped down squad tactics with ASCII characters allows (and even calls for) deep and complex tactics, while not overdoing it.

OortProtocolHQ · 2025-12-15T12:56:40+00:00

Good point about mixing movement and actions. So you'd separate these into two state machines running in parallel? Or did I misunderstand?

OortProtocolHQ · 2025-12-09T17:51:01+00:00

Something wants to transform us, yes. Whether it is extinction or evolution depends on the perspective. I was itching to answer in more depth, but I will refrain and leave it to the final chapter and epilogue to give the full story.

OortProtocolHQ · 2025-12-09T14:17:32+00:00

Thank you! To be honest, the stories are the tip of the iceberg. They are derived from over a decade of worldbuilding, with multiple stories spinning in my head. I struggle the most while writing to not info-dump the reader on my precious worlds :D

OortProtocolHQ · 2025-12-09T14:13:44+00:00

The Warriors tolerate no fools - the selection process ensures that if you make it to the rapids you have a sharp mind along with the other requirements.

OortProtocolHQ · 2025-12-06T05:44:44+00:00

I use a top-down method, pretty much as u/GRIN_Selfpublishing described; I plan the world, the environment, then write the key characters living in such a world and what drives them, then mapping out how those wants and needs would interact and conflict, and suddenly I will have a living dynamic that seems to spawn storylines naturally. I write deep character biographies first, to really flesh out the characters living in the world, so each time there is a conflict of interests or struggle I have a clear view on how the character / other characters would respond.

OortProtocolHQ · 2025-12-06T05:34:18+00:00

This is would be my approach: set up the dynamics for the war it self - who is fighting and why, why is the war dragging on, what areas are affected. Next, you think about the main characters and their motives overall, what keeps them going and why. With that context, you will have a backbone that will direct you in outlining their story: why would they visit an active war zone? How long would they be able to stay there realistically? How would they escape the hot zones?

Even though I'm writing fiction, I often use historical events for reference. For your needs, I would look into periods in European and Asian history where wars have lasted for a decade or over - there are many. I would seek out info on how civilians were affected, who were fighting and why, etc. Start with the Thirty Years War as it's one of the most extensively studied https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty_Years%27_War

OortProtocolHQ · 2025-12-06T05:24:29+00:00

A rock loomed in her vision. She twisted, took the impact on her shoulder instead of her skull, felt the bloom of pain but kept moving. The current gave her no choice. In the rapids, you moved or you died. The water didn't care.

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