Tag Archives: science fiction

Spectacular Science-Fiction: Yen Ooi’s Speaker Session

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Image by GooKingSword from Pixabay

By Heide R. Orleth

My favorite guest speaker session this year was Yen Ooi’s talk about her writing journey. She has a fascinating career in the publishing industry, and got her master’s at Westminster! She was a finalist for the 2023 Hugo Awards, and is co-editor of Ab Terra, Brain Mill Press’s science fiction imprint.

I really enjoyed her presentation, especially because of her clear enthusiasm for the science-fiction genre and the projects she has been involved in. Yen even dressed up as a zombie to help develop a mobile game! I have not yet read her fictional prose, but her novel Sun: Queens of Earth is on my to-be-read list, along with the Ab Terra short story anthologies she edited.

I am a big fan of nerdy conventions, so hearing about her experiences promoting her work at WorldCon (a global sci-fi convention) was exciting. I think conventions are some of the best places to express your nerdiness and knowing that I could theoretically display my work in a similar way was encouraging.

Image by Pikurā from Pixabay

In addition to her novels and publishing career, she also has experience in a lesser-known writing form: writing for video games. It is an entirely different beast than ordinary prose writing. The game she writes for is called Road to Guangdong, and it is simulation racing game set in China.

According to Yen, there are key differences to writing for games. Unlike readers, players of a game have agency within the story. They can shape it and interact with the world to variable degrees. However, it is impossible to account for every single decision a player might want to make. Writers must toe the line between letting the player feel like they are in control and making an impact in the story, while also leading them to a finite number of outcomes. I find this to be a really intriguing challenge.

The video games I usually play are more sandbox/simulation types, but thanks to Baldur’s Gate 3 I’ve been obsessed with the sheer volume of writing that goes into a roleplaying-game of its caliber. Constant choices, countless moments that make or break relationships with NPCs (non-player characters), and the ripple effect of every decision can be felt as you make your way through the adventure. It speaks to how I want my readers to feel: immersed in the story and emotionally invested in its outcome.

Perhaps I will try my hand at games writing someday. I can only hope that someday my career is as fascinating and fulfilling as Yen Ooi’s!

Heide R. Orleth is a 2nd year Creative Writing & English Language student at the University of Westminster. She loves to write fantasy & science-fiction, and is an avid reader, anime enjoyer, and occasional cosplayer. Instagram: @aechrwrites.

Time Travel: Innovative or Incomprehensible?

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By Heide R. Orleth

My favorite icebreaker when meeting new people is simply asking “What are your thoughts on time travel?” I find that it gives me an impression of the person and whether or not we will get along.

Time travel has been a tool in fiction writer’s metaphorical toolbox for generations. From Star Trek to Tokyo Revengers, it applies to a wide range of mediums and scratches our innate human itch to imagine what we might do if placed in an era outside of our lifetimes.

I have a complicated relationship with time travel, because if it’s done poorly, I become more infuriated than entertained. I tend to avoid things with time travel because it is so easy to fall into a classic time paradox, or alternate timeline shenanigans. There are countless plot holes that can spawn from a poorly designed time travel mechanic, and if the story continues without consequences from such fallacies, it kills the magic for me.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Time travel fails

  • Primer – It’s a decently produced movie for an indie film, but the timeline is utterly incomprehensible and loops back in on itself a ridiculous number of times. The main characters meddle with their past selves and the editing makes it unclear when they travel back, and how many times they do it.
  • Avengers: Endgame – if you want an understandable time travel tale, this is not the best choice. Not only do you need to have seen all Avengers movies to understand the context, but the alternate timelines created make the plot muddled and contradictory.

Time Travel Excellence

When the time-meddling is unique, fleshed out, and follows a semi-logical path (pseudo-scientific or not), I am more on board. There are many time-travel-centric books and films, but these are a few of my favorites.

A couple books including time travel that I’d recommend are:

  • The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle By Stuart Turton – [Murder mystery, Time Loop, Body swapping] A super creative take on a typical mansion murder mystery. The main character wakes up in a different character’s body each day, and his hosts vary in helpfulness. The final twists are excellent, and I had a lot of fun reading this rollercoaster of a book.
  • Furyborn By Claire Legrand– [YA Fantasy, Badass women, Grey morality] This story is told in 2 time periods, a thousand years apart. As the story goes on, the lives of the heroines become more and more intertwined, and there is a compelling corruption arc in the earlier timeline that plays out in real time, and its effects had a massive impact on the present from the outset.

Movies with time travel that I recommend:

  • Arrival – [Aliens, Drama, Linguistic nerd heaven] This is an Oscar-nominated film that richly deserved that prestige. It is beautifully shot, well-paced, has an excellent allegory, and the time aspect is understated yet essential to the story as a whole. Plus, the deep dive into linguistics is compelling for a language nerd such as myself.
  • The Terminator – [Robots, Apocalyptic, Action] The first two movies in this franchise are a masterclass in science-fiction action. The story is fast-paced and connects with the era’s fear of nuclear war and rising influence of technology that is still relevant to this day. **I only really recommend the first 2 movies in this series as they are a full story on their own, and the following sequels cheapen what made T1 & T2 so special.**
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

There are, of course, exceptions to my standards. The Back to the Future film trilogy has alternate timelines, a “what if my parents never met?” debacle, and more holes than a sieve, but its infectious charm compels me to overlook inconsistencies in favor of riding along in the iconic souped-up DeLorean.

I hope that you all develop your own thoughts on this wild sub-genre, and beware, if I meet you in real life, I will absolutely ask you what your thoughts on time travel are.

Heide R. Orleth is a 2nd year Creative Writing & English Language student at the University of Westminster. She loves to write fantasy & science-fiction, and is an avid reader, anime enjoyer, and occasional cosplayer. Instagram: @aechrwrites.