Inspiration!

So, I've had a few people ask me where this stuff comes from.  The truth is, I have an extremely active imagination, not to mention the ability to bullshit my way out of most situations.

It's a gift.

That said, I'd be lying if I didn't cop to some serious inspiration from a plethora of quality web comics and Scifi series, both written and visual.

Firstly, what I generally picture in my head when writing up the definitions for these, is the art of Jonathan Rosenberg.  I've been reading his webcomic, Scenes From A Multiverse, since it began a year ago, but you may already know him from Goats, which he started posting in 1997.  [That's quite an archive.]

SFAM never EVER fails to get a giggle out of me.  Some of my favorite characters include The Corn God, Doctor Whoa, and Mrs. Spelt.

Another webcomic that floats to mind when I'm thinking up a Mollexicon post is Drive, by Dave Kellett.  He's another one that you may know of from his other long-running [2001!] webcomic, Sheldon.

Kellett has gone to great lengths to build a rich, detailed universe for his space opera.  Sprinkled throughout the comic are pages of historical documents, personnel files, and encyclopedia entries.  Excellent world-building, hilarious characters, and an intricate, yet easy-to-follow story make for one of my favorite comics on the web.

Continuing to plumb the vein of Space Opera, I'll talk a little bit about the first series I read as an impressionable youth.  Anne McCaffery's THE ROWAN.  I only managed to read the first three books, before I either lost interest, or my Dad couldn't find the rest at the used bookstore he would squirrel them home from.  I don't really remember why I stopped, but I definitely remember why I kept reading as long as I did.  Psychic powers!  Important women!  Interesting locales!  Empathetic cats!  I remember sitting in my room, reading something else, when my dad walked in and tossed me the first book.  "I just finished that, you'll like it."  That has happened a LOT in my life, and we continue to swap books today.

Another Dad Recommendation that has had a lot of influence over most of my creative endeavors is the STARDOC series by S.L. Viehl.  It's another series that I started as a tween, never managed to complete, yet remember fondly.  At that point in my life, my ADD was kicking in something fierce, and I had to have all of the parts together or I wouldn't finish a series.  I was voraciously consuming books, and if it wasn't ready right then and there, I moved onto the next set.

Which is what I do with television now.  Such as Farscape [Netflix and Wikipedia ], which is probably the most influential, at least as far as making up words.

Then there's Stargate SG-1, which is my darling favorite.  [Netflix and Wikipedia]

And of course, Firefly. [Netflix and Wikipedia.]

The various lists go on and on, and honestly, there's no way I could talk about everything in a coherent fashion, but these are the big ones.

I hope this has been informative, at least as much as the Mollexicon itself!  Stop by every Wednesday for a new definition.  And please, please feel free to ask me anything about any of the entries, or just in general.  Answering questions is excellent world-building practice!  <3

Wjat, v, medicinal process.

Wjat - v, 2011. To wjat is to cough up sputum produced by inhaling allergens.  The sputum is then mixed with fermented wheat liquor and used as a tincture to improve ones immune system.  The process is used by the cave people of P3X-575, a technologically primitive planet located on the outskirts of the Vega solar system.  [Side note: One may argue that their advanced knowledge of medicine indicates a higher than advertised intelligence.  However, the cave people have yet to display truly advanced knowledge of physics or mechanics.]
pronunciation: "hoo-what"

etymology: 5/2/11

Lisa: wjat
i mean, what?
Molly: i'm confused myself
[REDACTED FOR LONG-WINDED PERSONAL STORY]
Lisa: wow.
ok
jeez
man your harem is crazy
look how worked up he got you
you didn't even define wjat
Molly: oh! wjat is the act of coughing up the sputum produced by inhaling a special pollen
Lisa: so THAT'S what that is...
Molly: wjatting is how the cave people of P3X-575 get vaccines
for allergies
Lisa: by wjatting?
Molly: yup
the sputum is then mixed with alcohol for a tincture

Niec, n, insult.

Niec, n, 2011. A pejorative term used by the indigenous population on the dwarf planet Flarg, located in the Deneb system.  To call someone a "niec" is to imply that they are nothing more than a smearing of feces.
pronunciation: "neek"

etymology: 5/11/11

Lisa: i like hamish macbeth a lot. more than i thought i would
Molly: oh niec!
er
nice
niec is an exclamation popular on a small planet in the Deneb system
loosely translated, it means "poop-stain."
Lisa: omg ew
MOLLEXICON
[jazz hands]

[Note - it is Lisa's [sole] job to tag all definitions as "MOLLEXICON" during the conversation for ease of searching. I usually leave these exclamations off, but she did this one with such flourish that I couldn't resist. - MP]

Abedila Curgle - n, Empress of Centuron

Continuing our Space Opera theme, this installment of the Mollexicon comes from the same region of the 'Verse as Officer Rtight.

Abedila Curgle - n, 2011. Abedila Curgle, first of her house, Supreme Commander of the Velurig Fleet, Imperial Protector of the Centuron System.  Empress Curgle led the Velurig fleet in a successful rebellion against the oppressive Flarid Dominion, a dogmatic hive-mind race.  Under Curgle's intelligent and steadfast leadership, an industrious and thriving community was established in the Centuron System.
pronunciation: "Ab-ed-ill-ah" "Ker-gul"

etymology: 6/16/11

Molly: I WILL GET HER TO TELL ME ALL YOUR SECRETS
Lisa: she doesn't know them all
Molly: mua ha ha ha ha haaaaaaaaaaaa*curgle*
Lisa: hey
careful
Molly: Abedila Curgle was the first Empress of Centuron.
Lisa: hahaha
Lisa: anyway i thought we agreed you'd start practising your evil laugh after POSITIVE things
Molly: She came to power after a long, bloody campaign against the Flarid dominion
Lisa: well shit
Molly: The Flarid Dominion are a hive mind
this was all several generations before Angrenade Rtight's time, of course
Lisa: of course

Rtight - n, Decorated Soldier

Angrenade Rtight - n, 2011. Angrenade "Annie" Rtight was a highly respected officer in the Centuron System Republic Defense Force.  Born the middle child in an average, working class family, Rtight was encouraged by her parents to pursue an education in mechanical engineering.  After several years as a level-2 mechanic for the CSRDF, Rtight was the technician on duty when the Hargris Rebels attacked the small space station to which she was assigned.  She leaped into the craft she was changing the oil of and turned the hull-mounted pulse rifle to space and the approaching attackers. With two shots, she obliterated a pair of insurgents attempting entry and damaged the bay doors, which prevented them from opening to further attackers.  Rtight received the Defense Force Medal of Valor and a battlefield commission as Second Lieutenant.
pronunciation: "Ann-gren-aide Light"


etymology: 4/7/11

Lisa: well that'll teach you to listen to me
Molly: RTIGHT?
Lisa: what's that
Molly: it's the name of a great war hero of the Centuron system's plague wars
Angrenade Rtight
Lisa: oooo
Molly: she led the Velurig fleet to victory against the Hargris rebels
Lisa: oh it's a lady!
Molly: yus!
she goes by Annie
Lisa: hehe

[Sorry for the late update! I forgot to schedule this one.]

Muh - noun, dangerous rodent.

Muh - n, 2011.  A close cousin to the domesticated motuh, the muh lives wild in the frozen deserts of Titan.  Smaller than the motuh by an average of 3 inches, the muh has a beautiful, vibrantly colored pelt. Muhs were hunted briefly for their fur by human colonists, but the practice was abandoned in favor of cheaper synthetic textiles.  The muh's main defense against predators is a projected corrosive acid burst from glands in their anal region. 



etymology: 4/27/11

Molly: i had to scroll up so muh
much
Lisa: oh
Molly: muh is a close cousin to the motuh
Lisa: i'm just talking out loud now
lol
Molly: they're essentially undomesticated motuhs, but instead of producing gum, they produce corrosive acid that they use as a weapon against predators
Lisa: o_o
cripes
Molly: yeah, they're pesky buggers
but they live in the desert, so humans don't come into contact with them too much

Piecse, noun, ceremonial tool.

Piecse - n, 2011.  A five to eight inch long curved knife used by an indigenous population of the planet Farlas, often for sentient fruit sacrifices to one of the many gods and goddesses of the polytheistic society.  The piecse is also used in cooking the family meal, as cooking is considered an act of prayer.  Food is a very important part of daily life, and ones piecse is treated with the utmost respect and reverence.  To steal or destroy another persons piecse is considered of the highest offense.
pronunciation: "peace"

etymology: 4/21/11

Lisa: oops
my hair clip broke
Molly: oops
it's the apocalypse
that's why your hairclip broke
HOLD ON TO THE PIECSE
THEY MAY BE YOUR ONLY WEAPON IN THE COMING DAYS
Lisa: oh shit
Molly: a piecse is a ceremonial knife used by the indigenous people of the Grogianton Quarter on the planet Farlas.
Lisa: oooooh
Molly: they use it mostly for cutting fruit sacrifices and sometimes dinner
Lisa: hahaha
Molly: they're vegetarians, but that word is different for them as plants are sentient on Farlas
Lisa: fruit sacrifices
oh god!
the monsters
Molly: well, their "apples" are basically like our rabbits
we shouldn't judge them, Lisa!
Lisa: o_o
Molly: it's their way of LIFE
Lisa: |judges|