All About Star Stones
Q: Is it star stone or starstone?
A: It’s “star stone”!
Q: Where does supernova magic come from?
A: Supernovas get their magic from the stars, and it comes from within. The star stone acts as a conduit for one’s magic.
Q: How do you become a magical girl?
A: Make a pure-of-heart wish on a shooting star, and when you awake in the morning you may find a star stone in your hand.
Q: What’s a star stone dream?
A: The night a supernova receives their star stone, they will have a dream representing their magical connection to their theme. Some novas don’t remember theirs.
Q: What is a star stone made of?
A: A star stone most commonly resembles a small or medium sized gemstone, like malachite, diamond, or larimar. They may also resemble man-made minerals like sea glass or opalite, or hard organic material like pearl, amber, or fossilized wood.
Q: Can star stones talk?
A: For the most part, no. Star stones that are very old may be able to communicate with their users through human language in their mind, but generally any communication a holder has with their star stone is vibes based. A star stone is a part of the holder’s soul, after all!
Q: Can someone take another person's star stone?
A: Star stones can only be given willingly and cannot be taken by force or removed from someone’s person without their consent. As such, letting someone else hold your star stone is a significant gesture.
Q: Can you lose your star stone?
A: Under the couch cushions? No. Novas have an intrinsic sense of where their star stone is at all times. The stone may crack when a nova becomes a fallen star, but it will still function.
Q: Can multiple people share the same star stone?
A: No.
Q: Can a nova have an animal sidekick? Does it get a star stone too?
A: A supernova can have an animal sidekick or a familiar. These animals do not have their own star stone, but inherit a bit of magic from their person and may help them in battle.
Q: Does having a star stone make you gay?
A: Yes.
Supernova? Fallen Star? Normie?
Q: What is a supernova? What’s a normie?
A: A supernova or “nova” is a person with magic powers. They’ve made a wish on a star and been granted magic. A normie is the average person without any magic.
Q: How does a nova become a fallen star?
A: A fallen star or “rogue” is a supernova who lost sight of their wish or lost their “hope” and whose magic has been corrupted by this loss in some way.
Q: Can a fallen star become a nova again?
A: Yes, a fallen star can “rise” and become a supernova again, although this is rarely achieved without the power of friendship. The council has a program to support fallen stars who wish to redeem themselves.
Q: Can you start as a fallen star?
A: Yes, your character can start out as a fallen star. Just keep in mind that they must have made a hopeful supernova wish at some point to have gotten their star stone.
Q: Can I start as a normie/non-magical girl?
A: Yes. Characters don’t need to be magical to participate in the Starbrite universe. You can also make a normie that gains magic later on, if you want to.
Q: How old is a nova, usually?
A: Most novas are in their teens or twenties, although they may have received their star stone as early as nine or well into their thirties. For play purposes, the youngest a character can be is 15.
Q: Wait, where is Perla Point?
A: On one of our maps, you’d find it in place of Bodega Bay, California. It's an incorporated city of Sonoma County.
Q: What happens to a supernova that gets defeated?
A: A defeated supernova will have to make the walk of shame home. If they’re very badly hurt they may be rescued by a roaming healer, or taken to a checkpoint by another nova.
Q: What happens when a fallen star gets defeated?
A: A defeated fallen star will disappear in a puff of smoke and sparkles. They’ll vanish from the battlefield and wake up at home.
Q: What is a constellation?
A: A constellation is a group of supernovas who work together as a team.
Q: Are constellations permanent?
A: No, constellations are not permanent. Teams can grow, change members, and dissolve. They’re an agreement between supernovas and are not magically enforced, but there is safety in numbers.
Rules of Magic
Q: Can novas use each other’s magic weapons?
A: Using someone else’s weapon requires their consent, otherwise it will vanish in a puff of smoke and sparkles.
Q: Can novas summon weapons or use nova powers out of nova form?
A: Yes. Supernovas using magic without transforming will find their powers weaker and their weapons flimsier, so it isn’t preferred in a real fight, but it can be useful for other things. Certain supernovas have some magical abilities that are always active, such as those who can communicate with certain animals, have a heightened sense, or control of an element.
Q: How does a supernova get their name?
A: A supernova gets their name, or alias, directly from their star stone. Most novas will just “know” as soon as they transform for the first time. More willful characters may choose to believe they thought of the name themselves.
Q: Can your theme change over time?
A: Yes, sort of. A nova’s costume, powers, and weapon will often change as they grow and learn about themselves and form new relationships. They may even change their alias and the interpretation of their wish, resulting in a very different take on their nova identity, but their wish and their star stone should remain the same.
Knowledge of Magic
Q: How much does the average person know about magic?
A: Most residents of Perla Point know the word “supernova” and acknowledge magic exists. There are a few famous heroes and villains that may be recognized by the average person, especially young people, but anything beyond that would make you look like a huge nerd.
Q: What kind of information can you find online if you look up supernovas?
A: You’ll find…
The Starpedia, a community wiki maintained by the public. It has profiles of new and old novas with their names and themes, a few candid photos and whatever bits of information someone somewhere decided were true or relevant. It’s a good place to start, but it isn’t always accurate or reliable.
The Starboard, Starpedia’s forums full of threads dissecting nova team dynamics, arguing which ship is better, and comparing what-nova-am-i quiz results.
A professional women’s volleyball team in Omaha. It’s unclear if the team has any magic.
A scientific explanation of the definition, a violent explosion of a dying star. In this context, the plural form is “supernovae.”
People also ask:
What exactly is a supernova?
What is the most famous supernova?
Does supernova is LGBT?
What do you need to become a supernova?
Many micro forums, blogs, and social media profiles discussing supernovas and as we would celebrities, made mostly by fans and occasionally by the novas themselves.
A shady website advertising free mentorship from a supernova, a listing for Supernova Studies being taught at the local college, and the occasional supernova-themed event or supernova guest appearance.
Q: How would a newly made nova go about meeting other novas?
A: It’s tricky. Claiming to be a nova when you’re not transformed is usually met with ridicule or disbelief, and there is no centralized place to meet other novas online. The best technique is to transform, go outside, and hope you run into one. They’re usually pretty conspicuous.
History of Magic
Q: How long have novas been around?
A: Supernovas have been around for over a thousand years, but they were few and far between until the number of wishes granted began to increase in the 1980s and 1990s.
Q: Where do the monsters that they fight come from?
A: There are generally three types of monsters that supernovas fight.
The first and vastly most common are creatures created by the powerful fallen star General Dodea. She’s responsible for your typical monster of the week style fights, and her monsters come in a wide range of general purpose threats.
The second and much less common are starbeasts, which are rare animals that live in the wild. They look like regular animals, but are larger and have starry pelts. They can’t be killed through normal means.
The third and by far rarest are fallen stars that are too far gone to return, and are stuck as monstrous versions of themselves. There has only been one documented occurrence of this phenomenon in recent history.
Q: What happens to the star stone if a nova dies or retires?
A: A star stone will typically die with its holder. A star stone won't always deactivate if its holder chooses to retire, just in case its holder needs it again.
Q: What is a legacy nova?
A: A legacy nova is a supernova with a star stone that was previously held by another person. Legacy novas are very rare. The star stone itself chooses the next holder, and each one has its own criteria.
Q: What is the veil? Can someone figure out your secret identity?
A: The Veil is, functionally, magically enforced face blindness. It's the in-universe answer for why nobody realizes Superman is Clark Kent: because magic prevents you from making the connection. However, it's not completely infallible, and someone might be able to figure out your identity if they have enough pieces to put it together. The Veil is a narrative tool for us the writers before anything else, so use it for dramatic (or comedic) effect.
Q: Does every nova have a secret identity?
A: Almost every nova intentionally keeps their identity secret, telling only the people they would trust with their life. Supernovas and fallen stars tend to make enemies, and having their identities exposed puts them at risk of being attacked on the street or ambushed in their homes.
Q: Can novas get hurt or killed while transformed?
A: Yes. They’re tougher than regular people, but supernovas can get hurt and sometimes gravely injured in a fight or a disaster, even if they are transformed. Novas were occasionally killed in costume prior to the 2000s, but it has since become extremely rare. This is thought to be due to the strengthening of the Veil, which correlates to the increase in star stones and active novas in the world.
Infrastructure of Magic (The Council)
Q: What is the council?
A: The Supernova Council is a liason between the supernovas it serves and the non-novas who surround them. Their job is to absorb legal liability of the damage done to property and persons during supernova battles that happen in the city. They must maintain a positive relationship between normies and novas, monitor fallen stars' threat levels, provide rehabilitation services, fund checkpoints, and advise novas on how to conduct themselves as heroes. The Council is made up of volunteers and led by those with the most experience.
Q: What's a checkpoint?
A: It’s like a hospital for supernovas. There are a handful of checkpoints scattered throughout the city disguised as normal businesses. Treatment is administered free-of-charge by a nova with healing powers, and despite what you may hear, fallen stars are allowed in, too.
Q: What’s Novalert?
A: Novalert is an app created by the Council to alert people about monster attacks and rampaging fallen stars. Normies use it to avoid danger, and novas use it to report sightings and decide if they’re experienced enough to join the fight.
Q: How do supernovas pay rent?
A: Unfavorably for your rent, supernovas don’t earn money for their heroism. Perla Point has a more robust safety net than we do, so novas are less likely to find themselves homeless within the city, but if you want to live well you’ll need a regular job or a wealthy benefactor.
Q: What’s the council’s fallen star program?
A: Fallen stars who wish to redeem themselves can turn in their star stone to receive free meals, housing, and supportive check-ins from a council member to keep them on track as they turn their lives around. After completing the program they will have their star stones returned to them.
Q: Who's getting the money from the Hot Take nova collabs if the novas have secret identities?
A: Big fashion has novas over a barrel because they’d have to doxx themselves to get a cut, but some of that money is getting put into the Council’s pocket to fund their programs.
