Referential Media

A collection of things that are related to Wandering Star's larger vision. These are not law, just sources of inspiration.

The following list is for printed media. This can also include authors and their bodies of work.

• Ebenezer Cobham Brewer et al. - Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1870-Ongoing) - Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, sometimes referred to simply as Brewer's, is a reference work containing definitions and explanations of many famous phrases, allusions, and figures, whether historical or mythical. The “Revised and Updated Edition” from the 1890s is now in the public domain, and Web-based versions are available online. The most recent version is the 20th edition, published in November 2018 by Chambers Harrap Publishers.

• Wayne Barlowe - Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials (1979) - A 1979 science fiction book by artist Wayne Barlowe, with Ian Summers and Beth Meacham (who provided the text). It contains Barlowe's visualizations of different extraterrestrial life forms from various works of science fiction, with information on their planetary location or range, biology, and behaviors, in the style of a real field guide for animals, such as Roger Tory Peterson's guide to birds of North America. It was nominated for the 1980 Hugo Award for Best Related Work. It was reprinted in 1987, with a new foreword by Robert Silverberg. After the success of the work, in 1996 Barlowe and Neil Duskis wrote a second book, Barlowe's Guide to Fantasy.
• H.P. Lovecraft - The Call of Cthulhu, The Thing On the Doorstep, The Dreams in the Witch House, and Other Weird stories (1924-1941) - An American author who achieved posthumous fame through his works of horror fiction. He was virtually unknown and published only in pulp magazines before he died in poverty, but he is now regarded as one of the most significant 20th-century authors in his genre. Most of his work is public domain, and can be read on Wikisource.
• Arkady and Boris Strugatsky - Roadside Picnic (RUS 1972; ENG 1977, 1998) - A science fiction novel written by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky in 1971, and first published in 1972. The novel is set in a post-visitation world where there are now six Zones known on Earth that are full of unexplained phenomena and where strange happenings have briefly occurred, assumed to have been visitations by aliens. Governments and the UN, fearful of unforeseen consequences, try to keep tight control over them to prevent leakage of artefacts from the Zones. A subculture of stalkers, scavengers who go into the Zones to steal the artefacts for profit, has evolved around the Zones. The film Stalker, directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, is loosely based on the novel, with a screenplay written by the Strugatsky brothers.

• Cobra (1978-1984) - A Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Buichi Terasawa. Set in the far future, the series tells the story of Cobra, who lives an adventurous life until his enemies begin to hunt him down. Cobra surgically alters his face and erases his own memory to hide from his foes and have a normal life. Eventually, he regains his memories and reunites with his former partner Lady Armaroid. Publications for manga, anime and other media have compared the series to Star Wars and Barbarella, and the main character's attitude to James Bond.
  • Cobra is also host to an extensive series of anime and OVA adaptations, and even a couple of video games.
• The Goon (1999-Ongoing) - A comic book series written and drawn by Eric Powell (with colors often by Dave Stewart, Eric or Eric's brother, Robin). The series mixes both a comical and violent atmosphere with a supernatural slant, which pit the titular character against undead creatures/zombies, ghosts, ghouls, mutants, skunk-apes with an unnatural hunger for pies, giant squids, mob/gang leaders, extra-dimensional aliens, mad scientists and robots.
• The work of Junji Ito (1987-Ongoing) - A Japanese horror mangaka. Some of his most notable works include Tomie, a series chronicling an immortal girl who drives her stricken admirers to madness, Uzumaki, a three-volume series about a town obsessed with spirals, and Gyo, a two-volume story where fish are controlled by a strain of sentient bacteria called “the death stench.” His other works are Itou Junji Kyoufu Manga Collection, a collection of different short stories including a series of stories named Souichi's Journal of Delights, and Junji Ito's Cat Diary: Yon & Mu, a self-parody about him and his wife living in a house with two cats.
• Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. (2006-2007) - A humorous comic book series by Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen, published by Marvel Comics. The series was written exclusively in two-issue story arcs. The Nextwave series features a collection of minor Marvel superheroes: monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone; Monica Rambeau, the former Captain Marvel; Tabitha Smith, formerly of X-Force; Aaron Stack, the Machine Man; and new character the Captain. Nextwave consistently features extreme violence and comedy, and simultaneously satirizes and celebrates Marvel's superhero comics.
• Outlaw Star (1996-99) - A seinen manga series written and illustrated by Takehiko Itō and his affiliated Morning Star Studio. The plot follows protagonist Gene Starwind and his motley crew of an inherited ship dubbed the Outlaw Star, as they search for a legendary, outer space treasure trove called the “Galactic Leyline”.
  • Outlaw Star had a 26 episode Anime adaptation in 1998.

• Gunnerkrigg Court (2005-Ongoing) - a science-fantasy webcomic created by Tom Siddell. It is updated online three days a week, and the first volume of the comic was published in print format by Archaia Studios Press and Titan Books (in the United Kingdom and Ireland). The comic's style and themes include elements from science, fantasy creatures, mythology from a variety of traditions, and alchemical symbols and theories; the literary style is heavily influenced by mystery fiction and manga.

The following list is for music, either singles, or albums.

• Leslie Fish and Vic Tyler - Carmen Miranda's Ghost (1989) - An album of sci-fi oriented Filk songs composed and sung by Leslie Fish and Vic Tyler. Originally released as tapes at a science fiction convention, the songs were uploaded to Youtube later. The songs were also the inspiration for an anthology of short stories titled Carmen Miranda's Ghost is haunting Space Station 3.

The following lists are for movies, films, short movies, cartoons, or anime.

• Aliens (Franchise) - A science-fiction horror franchise centred on a film series that depicts Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and her battles with an extraterrestrial lifeform, commonly referred to as “the Alien” or “Xenomorph”. Produced by 20th Century Fox, the series began with Alien (1979), directed by Ridley Scott. It was followed by three sequels, released in 1986, 1992 and 1997. A prequel series directed by Scott is in development, beginning with the 2012 release of Prometheus, and continuing with the 2017 Alien: Covenant.
• Blade Runner (1982) - An American neo-noir science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott. It is an adaptation of 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. The film depicts a dystopian Los Angeles in which genetically engineered replicants, which are visually indistinguishable from adult humans, are manufactured by the powerful Tyrell Corporation. The use of replicants on Earth is banned. Those who defy the ban are hunted down and killed (“retired”) by special police operatives known as “Blade Runners”.
• Fifth Element, The (1997) - An English-language French science fiction action film directed and co-written by Luc Besson. The film's central plot involves the survival of planet Earth, which becomes the responsibility of Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis), a taxicab driver and former special forces major, after a young woman (Milla Jovovich) falls into his cab. Dallas joins forces with her to recover four mystical stones essential for the defence of Earth against an impending attack.
• Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) - An American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name, produced by Marvel Studios. It is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film was directed by James Gunn, who wrote the screenplay with Nicole Perlman, and features an ensemble cast lead. In this movie, Peter Quill (Christopher Pratt) forms an uneasy alliance with a group of extraterrestrial misfits who are fleeing after stealing a powerful artifact.
• Mad Max (1979) - An Australian dystopian action film directed by George Miller, produced by Byron Kennedy, and starring Mel Gibson as “Mad” Max Rockatansky. The film presents a tale of societal collapse, murder, and vengeance set in a future Australia, in which a vengeful policeman becomes embroiled in a feud with a vicious motorcycle gang. Principal photography took place in and around Melbourne, Australia, and lasted six weeks. The film became the first in a series, giving rise to the sequels Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981), Beyond Thunderdome (1985), and Fury Road (2015).

• Farscape (1999-2003) - An Australian-American science fiction television series, produced originally for the Nine Network. The series was conceived by Rockne S. O'Bannon and produced by The Jim Henson Company and Hallmark Entertainment. Farscape features a diverse ensemble of characters who are initially escaping from corrupt authorities in the form of a militaristic organization called the Peacekeepers. The protagonists live inside a large bio-mechanical ship called Moya, which is a living entity. In the first episode, they are joined by the main character, John Crichton (Ben Browder), a modern-day American astronaut who accidentally flew into the entrance of a wormhole near Earth during an experimental space flight.
• Firefly (2002) - An American space western drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The series is set in the year 2517, after the arrival of humans in a new star system and follows the adventures of the renegade crew of Serenity, a “Firefly-class” spaceship. The ensemble cast portrays the nine characters who live on Serenity.

• Cowboy Bebop (1998) - A television series animated by Sunrise. The twenty-six episodes (“sessions”) of the series are set in the year 2071, and follow the lives of a bounty hunter crew travelling on the Bebop (their spaceship). Cowboy Bebop explores philosophical concepts including existentialism, existential ennui, and loneliness - all accompanied by a Yoko Kanno soundtrack.
• Space Dandy (2014) - A science fiction comedy anime series produced by Studio Bones. The series follows the misadventures of Dandy, an alien hunter who is “a dandy guy in space”, in search for undiscovered and rare aliens with his robot assistant QT and his feline-like friend named Meow.
• Vision of Escaflowne, The (1996) - A 26-episode Japanese anime television series produced by Sunrise Studios and directed by Kazuki Akane. The series focuses on the heroine, Hitomi Kanzaki, and her adventures after she is transported to the world of Gaea, a mysterious planet where she can see Earth and its moon in the sky.

The following lists are for computer, video games, tabletop games, visual novels, or other interactive experiences.

• Antechamber (2013) - A first-person puzzle-platform game created by Australian developer Alexander “Demruth” Bruce. Many of the puzzles are based on phenomena that occur within impossible objects created by the game engine, such as passages that lead the player to different locations depending on which way they face, and structures that seem otherwise impossible within normal three-dimensional space.
• Caves of Qud (2015) - Developed by Freehold Games, this roguelike puts you into the science-fantasy, post-apocalyptic world of Qud. Play the role of a mutant indigenous to the salt-spangled dunes and jungles of Qud, or play a pure-strain descendant from one of the few remaining eco-domes—the toxic arboreta of Ekuemekiyye, the Holy City; the ice-sheathed arcology of Ibul; or the crystal mortars of Yawningmoon. Live and drink!
• Doom Franchise (1993-2016) - A series of first-person shooter video games developed by id Software, and related novels, comics, board games, and major film adaptation. The series focuses on the exploits of an unnamed space marine operating under the auspices of the Union Aerospace Corporation (UAC), who fights hordes of demons and the undead. Doom is considered to be one of the pioneering first-person shooter games, introducing, to IBM-compatible computers, features such as 3D graphics, third-dimension spatiality, networked multiplayer gameplay, and support for player-created modifications with the Doom WAD format.
• Earth Defence Force (Franchise) - A series of third-person shooter video games. The series is published by the Japanese company D3 Publisher as part of the Simple series, and developed primarily by Sandlot Games. The player assumes the role of an EDF soldier during an over-the-top alien invasion in each of the games. Primarily a console series, the latest release Earth Defence Force 4.1: Shadow of New Despair bucked the trend, and is available on PC.
• Hotline Miami (2012) and Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number (2015) - A pair of top-down shooter video games by Jonatan Söderström and Dennis Wedin, collectively known as Dennaton Games. The game was published by Devolver Digital. Set in 1989 Miami, the plot consists of two protagonists, Jacket and Biker, who have been receiving phone calls instructing them to commit massacres against the local Russian Mafia. The games blend top-down perspective with stealth, extreme violence and surreal storytelling, along with a soundtrack and visuals influenced by 1980s culture. The second instalment acts as both the sequel and prequel, showing the background and aftermath of the first game.
• Metal Slug Franchise (1996-2009) - a series of run and gun video games originally created by Nazca Corporation before merging with SNK in 1996 after the completion of the first game in the series. The gameplay consists of run and gun elements as well as in later releases, shoot'em up mechanics. The first game's story involved the Peregrine Falcon (PF) Squad, a small but skilled team of soldiers serving under the Regular Army's special operations division, who fight against the army of General Donald Morden in order to prevent a massive coup d'état and the creation of a New World Order. Later games featured characters from the Sparrows Unit, which is under the control of the Regular Army's intelligence division.
  • Beginning with Metal Slug 2, the PF Squad also battles an alien threat to Earth (the Mars People), as well as several other supernatural threats including yetis, zombies, ambulatory Venus flytraps, giant crabs, and mummies.
• No More Heroes (2007-2011) - An action-adventure hack and slash video game for the Wii. It was developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and published by Marvelous Entertainment, Ubisoft, and Rising Star Games. The game was directed, designed, and written by Goichi Suda, also known by his nickname Suda51, with the game's title coming from the album title No More Heroes, which was released by the British punk band The Stranglers. The game follows Travis Touchdown, a fan of video games and anime who wins a beam katana in an auction, from which he inadvertently becomes involved in the United Assassins Association and forced to kill assassins higher in rank to prevent other assassins from targeting him. A sequel, No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, was released for the Wii in 2010. A spin-off title, Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, was released for the Nintendo Switch on January 2019.
• Perfect Dark (2000) - A first-person shooter developed by Rare and released for the Nintendo 64 video game console in 2000. It is the first title of the Perfect Dark series and follows the story of Carrington Institute agent Joanna Dark as she attempts to stop an extraterrestrial conspiracy by rival corporation dataDyne. The game features a single-player mode that requires players to complete a series of missions under certain difficulty settings. It also features a range of multiplayer options, including a co-operative mode and traditional deathmatch settings. Perfect Dark was developed over the course of three years and is technically one of the most advanced games for the Nintendo 64, offering an optional high resolution graphics mode, widescreen support, and Dolby's surround sound. A Nintendo 64 Expansion Pak is required to access the game's single-player mode and most of the multiplayer features.
• Risk of Rain (2013) - A roguelike platform video game incorporating both Metroidvania and roguelike elements, developed by a two-student team from the University of Washington under the name Hopoo Games. The game, initially a student project, was funded through a Kickstarter campaign to improve the title, and was published by Chucklefish to Microsoft Windows in November 2013. The player controls the survivor of a space freighter crash on a strange planet. As the player progresses through levels, selected randomly and with some procedural placement of objects within the level, they attempt to survive by killing monsters and collecting items that can boost their offensive and defensive abilities. The game features a difficulty scale that increases with time, requiring the player to choose between spending time building experience and completing levels quickly before the monsters become more difficult.
  • A 3D sequel, Risk of Rain 2, was released in early access in March 2019.
• Serious Sam Franchise (2001-Ongoing) - A video game series created and developed by Croteam. The series started on Microsoft Windows and has been released on a number of different platforms, including the Xbox, Xbox 360, Palm OS, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2 and GameCube. The series follows the adventures of protagonist Sam “Serious” Stone (Voiced by John J. Dick.) and his fight against the forces of the notorious extraterrestrial overlord Mental who seeks to destroy humanity. The fan-made game Serious Sam Classics: Revolution was developed by online community Alligator Pit and released onto Steam Early Access in 2014.

The following list is for websites containing content relevant to Wandering Star.

• The Pathology Guy http://www.pathguy.com - An extensive website full of various information, ranging from medical observations on pathology, pathology relating to specific organs and body parts, and thoughts on various literature. In particular, Pathguy has an extensive archive of content relevant to tabletop roleplaying games, including setting information on Planescape, and character generator tools.

The following list is for artists or pieces of artwork. For artwork by members of the community and more, check out the Creativity Forum.

• Roger Dean (b.1944) - An English artist, designer, and publisher. He is best known for his work on posters and album covers for musicians. The covers often feature exotic, fantasy landscapes. The artists for whom he did the most art are English rock bands such as Yes and Asia. His work has sold more than sixty million copies worldwide.
• M.C. Escher (b.1898 - d.1972) - A Dutch graphic artist who made mathematically-inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints. His work features mathematical objects and operations including impossible objects, explorations of infinity, reflection, symmetry, perspective, truncated and stellated polyhedra, hyperbolic geometry, and tessellations. Although Escher believed he had no mathematical ability, he interacted with the mathematicians George Pólya, Roger Penrose, Harold Coxeter and crystallographer Friedrich Haag, and conducted his own research into tessellation.
• H.R. Giger (b.1940 - d.2014) - A Swiss surrealist painter, whose style was adapted for many forms of media, including record-albums, furniture and tattoo-art. Best known for airbrush images of humans and machines linked together in a cold 'biomechanical' relationship. Later he abandoned airbrush work for pastels, markers, or ink. He was part of the special effects team that won an Academy Award for design work on the film Alien.
• Jean “Mœbius” Giraud (b.1938 - d.2012) - A French artist, cartoonist and writer who worked in the Franco-Belgian bandes dessinées tradition. Giraud garnered worldwide acclaim predominantly under the pseudonym Mœbius and to a lesser extent Gir, which he used for the Blueberry series and his paintings. Mœbius also contributed storyboards and concept designs to numerous science fiction and fantasy films, such as Alien, Tron, The Fifth Element and The Abyss.
• Syd Mead (b.1933) - An American “visual futurist”, industrial designer and a neofuturistic concept artist. He is best known for his designs for science-fiction films such as Blade Runner, Aliens and Tron. Of his work, Mead was once moved to comment: “I've called science fiction 'reality ahead of schedule.'”
• Simon Stålenhag (b.19??) - A Swedish Neo-Futurist artist, the blending of everyday life in 70s Sweden with highly advanced technology. The contrasting elements of his paintings create a strange, anachronistic, and at times uncanny portrayal of the world. He has a gallery website, and a tumblr.