Moon image courtesy of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZXc8Vsh3bE (learn to draw the moon!)
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The Selenite (14)
Project: Television mini-series (“Wells”)
Known as: The Selenite
Real name: Unpronounceable
Group affiliation: None
Physical description: The Selenite is a 5-foot tall insect-humanoid. Its body is beetle-like, but its four limbs are long and spidery. It has a somewhat human head and is capable of speech.
Personality: The Selenite is very formal and reserved. It believes that every being has a role to play and dutifully playing that role brings one the highest honor. Being in 2018, and separated from its people, is quite vexing for the Selenite. Inevitably, it will find some task to dedicate itself to.
History: The moon was a very different place during the heyday of magic. An active land with moon gods and goddesses and exotic flora and fauna. One could travel there if they knew the mystic paths or if they could fly the distance (this took a degree of caution).
One of the most remarkable things about the moon was that underground there lived a race of insectoid “people.” A highly regimented society, these Selenites (as they were known believed to be a creation of Selene) were incredibly organized and self-sufficient. Like insect colonies of Earth, the members of the society had unique roles and performed them diligently. They had an amicable relationship with the surface dwellers largely driven by the fact that neither side particularly needed anything from the other.
As magic began to move into decline, the moon went through major changes. It grew colder, the air less breathable. The surface dwellers evacuated (likely to some other plane) and eradicated all trace of their existence there.
No one knew what became of the Selenites however. The loss of magic also curtained journeys to the moon and there was no method for the Selenites to remain in contact with the people of Earth. As they lived self-sufficiently below the surface, it was always possible that they were still there. Even in modern times visits to the moon by humans were so infrequent and brief that they may have simply failed to encounter the Selenites.
Given that a race of magical creatures may still exist on the moon, Wells knew this was another opportunity to bind the waning magic in existence to science. He wrote “The First Men in the Moon” and cast his spells upon it to tie any remaining magic of the Selenites to stories of science one day getting people to the moon.
Then his spell that brought him to 2018 also carried a single Selenite. The Selenite was separated from its people and miserable. Furthermore, it could not reasonably blend into modern society. However it was perfectly comfortable living underground and moved into the sewers. Selenites need purpose, and this one had been a shepherd of “mooncalves” on the moon. Mooncalves were large, fat beasts that was the primary food source of the Selenites.
What is a Selenite to do on Earth? Why not start keeping a herd of mooncalves in the sewers? Of course there are no literal mooncalves available but perhaps the Selenite can find an alternative
Role in the narrative: Setup and surprise. The Selenite will not be overtly hostile to Morgan nor Wells. They will have some cordial exchanges with it and will begin to believe that some of those swept up in Well’s spell might be able to live in peace.
It will eventually be revealed that the earthly “mooncalves” are something…troubling.
On the more pure entertainment front: it is possible that the Selenite will lay eggs, or perhaps the Selenites are still on the moon and will make contact. Morgan and Wells will end up with some hard choices. Can the Selenite be given a new perspective, or does it need to be ended as a real threat to humankind?
Abilities: The Selenite with its insectoid armor and musculature is much faster, stronger, and more durable than a person. It also has a venomous bite that will typically render a person unconscious, but may sometimes kill.
Inspirations: As usual, the true Wells’ story (The First Men in the Moon). Bug from the Micronauts crossed my mind when writing this, but I don’t see a direct inspiration there. Space bugs as a threat aren’t new Starship Troopers leaps to mind. Mostly I thought about the Wells story and used it as inspiration to plug into this fictional universe I’m not sure I can list all the unconscious influences that probably guided me here.
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