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Okay wyverns based on hummingbirds

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ooh is the united provences of inah a united states/united kingdom situation where theres a bunch of states/"kingdoms" that generally do their own thing and have their own governments that are united together with one larger federal government? if so how man proveneces are there and how do they different from each other culturally (like how wales is different than england and georgia is different than california)

Yes!! So Inai has 11 provinces, each with their own local government and culture, but they also have an overarching “monarchy”. The position of monarch is not hereditary, however, and instead is chosen from among candidates put forward by a council of elders from each province once per generation. Each province typically choses its candidate during their youth, and the council will teach and train them within their home province for the majority of their lives. They will likely begin appearing before the current monarch during young adulthood, and spend some time in the capitol to prepare for the possibility of becoming the next monarch. It is the responsibility of the current monarch to name their successor prior to their death. If, for some reason they are not able to do so, it falls to the elder councils and royal advisors to agree amongst themselves. Usually, the candidates who are not chosen will return to their own provinces, and eventually form part of the council themselves. The monarch is expected to represent all the peoples of Inai, and be well educated, sophisticated, and respectable, but always remain humble, with their priorities being the people of the land - they should never forget that they themselves were chosen from among these people. It is relatively unusual, but not unheard of, for successive monarchs to come from the same province – the monarch is expected not to show any favoritism towards their own home province, indeed they are expected to adopt the capital city as their home once being chosen, and adopt its culture and mannerisms in place of the province they hail from.

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Maybe I wanna know everything 🙄😤 tell me about Dia then

Dia my beloved <3

Dian cultures are somewhat mysterious to most outsiders. Although the country is generally quite warm and lush, because of their geography, surrounded by a nearly impassible mountain range on its western side and an ocean to its east, the interior of the country is rarely visited by outsiders. Its main point of contact with the outside world is its largest city, Hila, which is situated in a wide valley of its mountain range along the coast, where traders from the east come over land and from the west by boat. Here Dia’s three main peoples and their traditions mix with those of outside countries, but the influence of this foreign trade is relatively limited outside the city. The city has architectural elements of all three cultures, including cave dwellings along its cliffs and many narrow streets of low, rounded houses that bleed into the surrounding forests, as well as rafts and foreign trading ships docked within the bay.

Dia’s three peoples are separated by geography as well, into mountain-dwellers, forest-dwellers, and coast dwellers. These people consider each other to be cousins, and will typically refer to each other as such. Although mingling between groups is relatively limited, they do trade with each other for everything from necessities to highly valuable items, and friendships and marriages between groups are not uncommon. The mountain dwellers subsist primarily on two forms of agriculture, growing hardy plants and keeping small animals on specially engineered terraces on the mountain sides, and keeping honey moths in large hives within caves, which are sacred to their people. They also dwell in complex cove dwellings, which according to their own legends the designs of which they learned by watching the moths build their hives. They also raise large dogs to guard their fields and hives, which have a second set of eyes which they use for night vision (this second set sees Infrared light). Of the three cultures, they are the most secretive, and control who enters their mountains by the few maintained routes carefully – visitors to the mountains must leave a small gift upon entering, to signal their good will. The forest dwellers have cultivated their forests to produce ample amounts of fruit and nuts, and hunt small birds and rodents as well, mainly during their dry seasons. They live in somewhat conical dwellings reminiscent of the shape of beehives, a distant connection to their mountain dwelling cousins, sometimes built out from the bases of large trees. When they marry, the couple will plant a tree to symbolize what they wish to grow in their union, with different trees symbolizing different things. Coast dwellers live most of the year on large rafts that they have built and float within coves along the coast, fishing for most of their food, and withdrawing to cliff-side dwellings during stormy weather. They are more open and friendly than their cousins, since sometimes lost vessels will wash up on their shores, who they will typically care for and help to return to their own homes once they’ve recovered.

These three peoples have their ancestral meeting place where the city of Hila has now grown up around, and in the fall season, after harvest, many will still travel to Hila for its annual harvest festival, where they exchange things they will need during the coming winter, and celebrate with one another for many days. During this festival, a special soup using ingredients from each of the three cultures is often made, and paper lanterns in the shape of fruits are hung throughout the cities narrow street corridors, and it is common for many weddings to take place, so visitors from out of town can all celebrate together. The city’s second main festival is known as the festival of the sweet-toothed man, and takes place in the spring, when traders from the mountains arrive with the remainder of last seasons honey, signalling the start of the new year and the coming of spring. Children will dress as these traders in moth keepers clothes and parade through the streets, and many sweets are made with honey and wax candles lit and placed on window sills.

Dia has no established currency, mainly trading with one another for the things that they need, or when someone has nothing to trade, usually they will simply be cared for by those around them, because they consider one another to be family, and trust everyone to contribute what they can and take no more than they need. When dealing with foreign traders, sometimes gold and silver will be used as stand ins for things the citizens of Hila really want, because they know they can use them to acquire goods from other traders, but they hold little value to Dian people themselves, outside being used to ornamentation. Dia also has no centralized government, but usually conflicts between people are simply debated between those involved until a solution that each party is satisfied with can be found. If outside help is needed to resolve a conflict, usually village elders will be asked for their opinion and assistance, since their experience and knowledge is highly valued to the Dian people.

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What’s your story about?

AAAHHHH thank you so much for asking!!

The story has as its main character Luca Mertillot, a young member of the hunter pack known as the Wyverns, a group of highly trained fighters who track and apprehend dark sorcerers. On one of his hunts, he encounters a village burned to the ground by agents of the Sorcerer Akir, who 20 years ago violently seized power and built an empire in the west. A resident of the village tells him that these sorcerers were searching for a woman who had betrayed and abandoned the Sorcerer just before he rose to power, taking with her the knowledge of an even more powerful source of magic, which he now seeks to aid in the expansion of his empire. Worried about the possibility of war, Luca believes it is the responsibility of his pack to intervene, to find this woman and prevent her magic from falling into the wrong hands. His leader, however, assures him that the concerns of the west are not theirs to share, as they are beyond their own territory. They quarrel, and Luca leaves the pack who raised him which he swore his loyalty to at the age of 16 to find her on his own. Using the knowledge of the villagers who protected her at great cost, and his own training, he is able to track her journey to the small, isolated country of Dia on the southern continent. When he arrives, however, he learns that he is too late – years ago she was killed by rogue hunter who wanted her to pay for her involvement in the Sorcerer’s plans. Instead, he finds her two children, Horatio and Evelyn Goldenbough. Evelyn, who has had a sheltered life since her mother’s death, protected from the outside world by her brother and father, longs for adventure, purpose, and glory, and is eager to help Luca. Theo, meanwhile, distrustful of hunters due to his mother’s fate, is reluctant to get involved, though he eventually agrees to go along in an attempt to protect his sister as best he can.

Evelyn and Theo’s mother left behind information which they believe will allow them to find the hidden source of her magic, and the three of them set out on a journey through mysterious places, dangerous wilderness, and occupied territory to far away lands to find it before it can be used against their own people and lands. What they discover in the process is not what any of them could have expected, and draws them deeper into the brewing conflict that they are more intimately connected to than they have yet to realize.

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Please god tell me about the world, give me that delicious world building lore

Crystal thank you I adore you but this is not NEARLY a specific enough question like you gotta at LEAST specify a country because they're all pretty different and I could never summarize them all in a single ask

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The most recent version of the map of my world. Because maps are fun apparently 

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God I could give everyone such bad whiplash if after all these sweet little interactions I just started posting some absolutely foul early Theo/Luca stuff instead

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Hello 👋

I just want to ask if you use some program to make your maps?

Yeah! I use Azgaar's Fantasy Map Generator!! I basically built mine from scratch, but you can customize a randomly generated one and save it for later use too. It's super great actually!

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Theo explaining to Luca that the people of Dia all consider themselves to be part of one family and he's like Yeah no I got that immediately. But the reason is because in his culture people only really undress or show skin in their homes with people they really trust (typically their family). But because Dia is such a warm climate people there are ALWAYS in various states of undress to him. The cultural version of using the wrong formula but still getting the right answer

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I am constantly just thinking about cultural differences between my characters and honestly I think Luca spending like one week with a bunch of Dian old women would fix him

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It's soup season! Somehow Evelyn always manages to convince Theo to make her favorite dish, despite his detest for it. Her power...

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4, 10, 19 w the darling angel light of my life <4

4. Is your oc good at keeping secrets?

This was an interesting question for me because it forced me to think about whether Luca actually has any secrets to keep - I don't really think anyone has ever asked him to keep one of their secrets (a rather sad comment on the state of his personal life, I think), and as for his own I think he doesn't really tend to keep a lot of things hidden, except maybe things that involve a lot of emotions he's not ready to deal with. I don't really think he'd be very good at keeping them if he had to. Like if you told him a secret he wouldn't go around gossiping about it or anything, but if someone brought it up or asked him about it he'd probably just tell them, both because he tends to be pretty blunt and not super emotionally intelligent, and also because he's a terrible liar...

10. Who’s the first person your oc goes to to talk about something that made them happy? Sad? Angry?

Bro you think he can talk about his emotions? For real though, back in his hunter days when he was upset he might go to his friend Wyn if he really needed someone to be there for him, but usually he just wouldn't talk about things. It's harder for him to do that with Theo and Luca because Theo will just keep pick pick picking at him until he cracks, which does sort of establish a dynamic where he'll vent to Theo, which eventually transitions into him opening up to him on his own as well

19. How would an enemy describe this oc?

To put it simply, Luca is unnervingly competent. When he's on a hunt, the person he's hunting isn't so much an enemy as they are a job to him - and he is very good at his job. The first rule of hunting is to protect the innocents, and not to cause unnecessary harm even to the target, but if he has to he won't hesitate to. He's an extremely skilled warrior and tracker, some might even say cold and relentless, and not someone you want to be on your tail, because you probably won't ever feel secure again if you think he might be

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💐🌵🍀 with my best boy

💐- Where is this oc's favorite place to relax?

Horse girl Luca be relaxing in the barn with his friends (his horses and like his only human friend)

🌵- How does this oc feel about physical affection?

Luca is like, extremely touch starved, so while he actually really like physical affection and to be touched and held and what not be is also very easily overwhelmed by it, although that lessens somewhat over time (Evelyn and Theo are both very physically affectionate, so he kind of has to get used to it)

🍀- Around when does this oc get up in the morning?

Luca and the other hunters always awaken and start their days at sunrise, which happens to be fairly early in summer and late in winter where he's from.

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the Thai iced tea is an essential part of the outfit

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OC Ask Game!! Send an OC and an emoji!

🌸- What's this oc's favorite and least favorite color?

🌹- What's this oc's biggest fear

🌷- How does this oc take their coffee?

🌻- What's this oc's mental health state?

🌼- What's your favorite thing about this oc?

🌺- Which family member(if any) is this oc closest to?

💐- Where is this oc's favorite place to relax?

🌱- Does this oc have any pets? Do they have any pets they want?

🌲- What is this oc's greatest strength and weakness?

🌵- How does this oc feel about physical affection?

🌴- Who is this oc's favorite person?(Can be another oc, a fictional character, a celebrity, anyone)

☘- Does this oc have any piercings? Do they want any?

🍁- What's this oc's favorite genre of movies/tv shows/books/etc?

🌾- How does this oc get along with people they just met?

🍀- Around when does this oc get up in the morning?

🍂- What music does this oc like?

🌳- Does this oc collect anything?

☀️- Does this oc make good or bad first impressions?

🌙- Does this oc have any unusual hobbies?

🌟- Is this oc good at expressing themself through words or do they have to use other means?

🌈- What does this oc like and dislike about themselves?

❄- What is this oc's favorite and least favorite food?

☁️- What is this oc's clothing style like?

⚡- How well does this oc sleep?

💧- What is this oc most passionate about?

🍃- Describe this oc in one word

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2,9 and 11 for any of OCs

2. What were they like as a child? Were they quiet and reserved, outgoing, or a bit of both?

Evelyn was as boisterous as a kid as she is as an adult, loud and strong-willed and not afraid to say or do much of anything. Theo was more outgoing as a kid too, he was very curious about the world and all of its things but could be a bit shy at times. Luca was a pretty shy and quiet kid, especially after he lost his parents, except around a few certain people were he would open to.

9. What was their first kiss like?

Evelyn hasn't had a first kiss. She thinks she has a lot better things to do with her time than waste it trying to get someone to kiss her. Theo's first kiss was just one of those cute little kid peck things that kids do sometimes when they have crushes on each other, but his first real kiss wasn't until he went away to his apprenticeship. He felt very lonely there, being in a different country where he didn't really know anyone and everyone saw him as an outsider (the Dian culture doesn't really mesh that well with a lot of the Moriacan ways), but he got to know another girl who was also a foreigner at his university, and they became pretty close because of that. They kissed during a Moriacan festival, and it was pleasant enough but it didn't really work for either of then. They realized they were both trying to force something that just wasn't working, and for a while that left Theo feeling even more alone, but neither of them wanted to give up their friendship so they worked to change things into something that did work. We do not talk about Luca's first kiss but we'll just say that it was bad

11. Who was their child hero/heroine?

Evelyn's hero as a kid was an Inaitian sailor woman who would port and trade in her home city and would visit her father in their shop (because he was also from Inai) and would tell her all kinds of fantastic stories about her adventures around the world (she wanted to be just like her). Theo's hero was his mother. Luca's were the man and woman who rescued him and took him in after his village was raided by sorceres, and it was after losing this man that he decided he wanted to follow in his footsteps and become a hunter as well.

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OC ask prompts

1. Who are they closest to? How did they meet and what do they like to do together?

2. What were they like as a child? Were they quiet and reserved, outgoing, or a bit of both?

3. Are they an early bird or night owl?

4. What are 3 of their irrational fears?

5. How affectionate are they? What are their top love languages?

6. On an average day, what can they be found doing after dinner?

7. What are 3 foods they can’t live without?

8. What will always make them smile? What will always make them cry?

9. What was their first kiss like?

10. Favorite place? Do they go there often?

11. Who was their child hero/heroine?

12. Are they hot-headed or even-tempered? What frustrates them the most?

13. What special abilities or talents do they possess? Did they develop through training or were they born with them?

14. Choose an AU you think would be interesting for them to be a part of. Who would they be?

15. Are they the type to adopt strays (animals or people?) What or who have they “adopted” over the years?

16. How do they like their baths/showers? Hot/cold, long/short?

17. Do they consider themselves to be romantic? Why or why not?

18. How has their hair changed over time? What is their favorite hairstyle?

19. What do they wish they knew more about?

20. How many friends do they have?

21. What are they most afraid of? What made them fear this?

22. What is something others admire about them? Are they aware that people admire them for this?

23. Where would they fall on a politeness/rudness scale of 1-10 (1 being the most polite and 10 being the rudest)?

24. Where did their name come from? Does it have meaning?

25. What events changed them as a child?