Nut Notes

Nut Notes is C.M. Weller's term for the author's notes, world-building and trivia that may or may not make it into the finished work.

These notes are often disorganised and chaotic, and are meant to serve as a handy reference file in case of memory lapses.

EXAMPLE NUT NOTES FILE
Below is the Nut Notes file for the entire Hevun's Child trilogy.

I&R Facts

In the future we sent a colony ship through a wormhole to a distant star system. After our ancestors settled their new paradise, they got invaded by a race of reptilian aliens who took over and made us their slaves. Now it's time for someone to step forward and be the saviour we've been waiting for, the saviour we need.

Hevun's Child series.

Hevun's Rebel

For all the girls

who climb trees

and skin their knees

and have adventures

no matter what they're wearing.

Hevun's Ambassador

For everyone who's had to fight

for the right to stand up for themselves.

Hevun's Gate

For everyone who's been told

covertly or overtly

that they're not allowed to speak.

Sahra's family [Johnstons]

Karl & Leyna (18) (twins frat) (p1)

Darvan (17) (p2 Dan)

Kara & Laura (16) (twins ident) (P3)

Elle & Fai (15) (twins frat) (p4)

Judi (13) (p5)

Paul (11)(p5)

Mari & Netta (9) (twins frat) (p6)

Older

Sahra (6) (p2 Dan)

Younger

Tessi & Una (4) (twins frat) (p1)

Tom and Ben (2) (twins ident) (p3)

David (1) (p7 Tod)

Brae (0) (p7 Tod)

Planet: Hevun

Settled by a back-to-basics lot who turned their technology into ploughshares the instant the planet was fully terraformed. Turned everything back to the speed of a human body or a horse.

Gender equality under their interpretation of the word of god. Women are seen as stronger than men, in that they can withstand the rigors of birthing. "Men are strong in the arms and legs, women are strong in the body."

Gender dysphoria and homosexuality are shunned subjects. Attempts were made to genetically purge them in the earlier days of the colony, but those attempts failed.

American law and american religion have merged into a quasi-theistic whole. If twelve souls can speak up for another, then that soul may be allowed into spiritual paradise.

Invaders: Tu'atta

Basis species: Tuatara

Yes, they have an 'eye' in the backs of their heads. It is vestigial, but it still works to detect an approaching body and judge if said body has hostile intent.

Prefer warmer environments.

Quadradactyl.

Egg-laying. Plan their children's gender via temperature control. Thusly view humanoid reproduction as messy and disorganized.

Tu'atta empire consists of five solar systems, and possibly a military station/nexus in otherwise empty space.

Matriarchal. Leader title: Majestrix.

"Yoomin" - Tu'att slur against the humans.

SYSTEMS:

Tu'att - Tu'atta homeworld [Majestrix Tarqa]

Maq'eck - Fur-bearing cogniscents akin to lemurs. Nocturnal. Jewellers. [Captain Diin] M

Vanel - society based on the masked lapwing, aka Aussie Plover. Farmers. [Captain Kriix]

Trudai - Saurians. Mostly used for their technological prowess. [Captain Jhaq] F

Hevun - Humans live here. [Sahra]

Heq'tak - Military nexus base. [n/a]

Galactic throng --> Hevun --> Vanel --> Trudai & Heq'tak --> Maq'eck & Tu'att

Have nucleated haemoglobin, thus rendering DNA in their blood more plentiful than humans.

Do not have deciduous teeth. The younger Tu'atta enjoy 'crunchy' foods - including insects - while the elderly are pretty much forced to eat softer fare.

Earlier invaders would devour cooked human flesh, as it was softer and tastier than prior alternatives. This practice stopped 200 (almost completely) years after they realized the humans were cogniscent. Same process with human pets, but that took a bit longer.

Metabolic reduction(chilling) is used as a medical procedure.

Believe humans to be a lesser species because of socio-theistic assumptions. Initial contact with the humans lead to the still-held belief that humans do not have DNA. their religious texts declared them, if not 'demonic', then of demonic stock. Tu'atta hold that their sacred duty is to control this abnormal species until such time as it can be properly civilized.

Have a mating season. Known as the Festival of Fertility.

Are scandalized by the concept that humans can breed all year round. Inhibit the breeding of humans to match their mating cycle.

Disgusted by menses/ejaculation in humans.

Reduced age of consent in humans to age of fertility. Then obliterated consent.

Pat themselves on the back for "Teaching those animals how to behave properly."

Instigated the consonant-last naming for human males to "better tell them apart."

Stole the idea of false teeth from humans and refuse to give credit.

Racist asshole stand-ins.

Social standing(s):

Majestrix. Top cat. Ruler of the roost. Has a harem of 'kept men'. Corrupt as all heck and still has all her teeth because she indulges in softer foods. Has a servant whose job it is to brush her teeth for her. Owns a private playground.

Council of Elites. People who actually get stuff done. Capable of extreme mental gymnastics so they can 'interpret the Majestrix's wishes' and still not fuck up the entirety of society.

Administraat. Buffer zone between the Council and everyone else. It's their job to sort and filter the concerns of the people. Easily bribed.

Militia. Enforcing arm of the Tu'atta regime. Rank indicated by the number of 'claws' and 'fangs' on their gauntlets and helms, respectively. [Max claws 6, max fangs 6]

Artisans. Makers, creators, crafters. The people who make everything everyone else needs or wants. Obviously, those who make things for the Majestrix are in higher standing than those who make things for the Council, etc.

Producers. Those who are responsible for the raw materials. Miners, farmers, harvesters. Slave overseers are part of this group.

Serviles. Those who see to the needs of others. Medics, bus-people, sanitation workers, messengers, transit operators, etc.

Slaves. Always human. All colours and races, though the Tu'atta have been meddling based on fashions for certain types. Right now, gingers and redheads are in and the Tu'atta who own them expose them to UV/sunlight to mottle their skins in elaborate patterns. [After, of course, treating them with chemicals so that they can "start anew with a blank slate"]

Ranks within slave society follow almost parallel to the Tu'atta social order. Display and decorative slaves rank above administrative assistant sorts, who rank above battlers, who rank above craft workers, who rank above farm workers or 'breeders', who rank above the service industry, and everyone is above the 'tunnel rats'.

Cast:

Sahra [SAH-ra]. Begins the series at about age six-seven. Tunnel rat. Plethora of sibs. Closest in age to elder brother Darvan. Smarter than she sounds[WAY smarter than she sounds]. Speech defect owing to the fact that nobody really taught her how to talk properly.

Darvan [DAR-vun]. Pain in the ass. At least until Sahra manages to save him from rebel activity.

Eon. Faiize stolen by a string-runner, now deceased. Became a popular curiosity amongst the Tu'atta because he didn't have any blood to test. Achieved work under the Majestrix as both an ore processing overseer and 'toy' to the Majestrix. Believed to be deceased in a sabotage event caused by human rebels. Found by Sahra and renamed "Simy"[SIGH-me].

Traumatized by Everything-You-Know-Is-Wrong.

Raven. One of the rebels. Gay as all heck. Poses as a trader to smuggle rebels in and out of the station. Flirts with everyone.

Julian. Rebel. Perpetually angry and aggressively cishet. Annoyed by Raven's constant flirting.

Eva. Rebel. Trying to keep the men under control whilst simultaneously avoiding detection. It's never easy. Quietly Bi.

Graak Jeshi'ig. Security chief. Actually pretty damn good. Worked under Eon when Eon ran security. Turned into a paranoid mess by Sahra's sabotage.

Majestrix Tarqa. Corrupt, sensual, and downright dangerous when pissed off. A rose made out of arsenic. Rarely does anything for herself and plays virtuoso-levels of helpless. Uses her power against any who oppose her. In for a well-deserved nasty shock.

Princess Qek'rit - her daughter.

Captain Wapun. Native american descendant of the Cree. Long hair bound up in cloth-wrapped 'ponytail'. Grandmother and great-grandmother. 80+ and nowhere near retirement.

Bayabaatar - the UFTP ship that finds Sahra and Simy.

Ombila - medic, Aborigine.

G'zek, team teep. Melil

Sgt Teal. Human female. Blonde pixie cut. Tough as old boots.

Jax, one of the reserve Melil with experience in Faiize teeping.

Heckart - military. Male. Chosen by Sahra to offset Teal.

Mari Johnston - Sahra's mother.

Gemma Weidvass }

Gemma Carlich  }

Gemma Uwg      }

Gemma Natt     } Collective of Elders garnering secret power.

Gemma Smith    }

Gemma Akin     }

And a bunch of others, too.

First book: Sahra's rise to Inside Woman/rebel takeover of station.

Second book: Eon's story/rebel takeover of Hevan. Possible intro of Terran Galactic Survey....

Third book: Rediscovery of the rest of the universe/adaptation to Galactic ways/schooling the Tu'atta.

Misc:

evriyong[ev-REE-ong]: common critter like a rat, except it's a lizard.

Koni (CON-ee): much like a bunny, except it's a lizard.

kivit [KIV-it]: tree-climbing, brachiating lizard onomatopoeically named for it's call.

skezzit [SKEZ-it]: partially airborne insectivorous lizard.

Moshikaan slime dog: result of genetic experiments done on the DNA samples the dead string-runner had. Named after their 'creator' (plagurist) Moshikaan, and their obedient nature.

Dogs are still kept, but not by (many) humans.

Ranks:

Matrach : Higher-ranking member of the Tu'atta militia.

Kuin > Om'r > Barba > Matrach > Vasht > Kadyn > Taan.

Curses:

1 wet weather, yellow weather

2 blood

3 disease

4 vermin (evriyong)

5 filth

6 rain of sweat

7 Newborns

Of course, this file is provided for your entertainment and to spot where the changes were made.