settlersoferia

[settlersoferia]

my first fan ❣️

I will hang your art on my fridge, that is a threat

a brief description of Eria (the planet)

Eria is pretty big and so is the timeline so however you imagine it - there was at least once such a place there

(I'll be leaving plenty of space unexplored so that people can write their own stories into it, I want to try to make a TTRPG out of it too but I don't know how that will go)

the sky

the most striking thing is that the sky is pink

that's because the force field around it is pink / purple (like most magic)

it doesn't actually affect the light passing through, the planet is well lit, the sky's just pink because I had to make something everything weird (it's fantasy, how could I not)

I like to imagine the force field with a hexagonal pattern on it, sorta like a wire fence but it wouldn't be noticeable from the surface (but might be from aircraft if it goes high enough and it absolutely will be from the space station)

speaking of the space station, it will be built later of course, after the settlers figure out how to leave and rediscover space travel

it will be located through(?) the force field and serve as a border station (I don't think that's the thing I mean but idk what else to call it)

entering / leaving Eria requires passing through border control due to its strange magic & flora

we don't want that spreading to other planets, it may or may not be because these things are what makes Eria unique and I want it to stay that way

I have notes about a few plants that I'll post in a bit

[settlersoferia]

[settlersoferia]

I do this one in November. I was waiting for my appointment with the doctor. When we started this campaign I gived them some baby feathers in the tail. But… well my baby is bigger now.

[settlersoferia]

Eria trivia because if I'm gonna play bingo with the list I might as well share

how about no currency? how about people genuinely wanting to help each other? barter exists and in tight knit communities like the villages, everyone will have some kind of chore (a job, normal people call that having a job) like hunting or chopping down trees for the fire, so that everyone contributes within their abilities and everyone is taken care of

totally not because making up currencies is the bane of my existence, what the heck do I call it??

30 hour clock,

° 1 marks sunrise and most people naturally wake up soon after since the magic comes from the sun, and they get an energy boost

° work / school doesn't start till 3 (or even later) so that everyone has plenty of time to eat, get ready and get there with no stress

° getting up before sunrise is considered unreasonable, few do it, expecting someone to do it will earn you a hit to the head and no compliance

° sunset is at 16

° night time is rest time, you go chill at home with family or friends or alone or sleep

° unless you're nocturnal ofc,

° or partially nocturnal, then insert whatever routine (or lack there of) works for you

° to indicate time more specifically than to the hour you can say '2 and a half' or '2 and a quarter (or 3)', people don't watch time too closely so that's all you'll hear in daily use

there is an official precentral time measure system that goes to 100 but who needs that, written 2'50 for 2 and a half and so on, you get it

don't have seasons worked out, maybe there aren't any or they make too little sense to predict with reasonable regularity, magic, you know how it goes

magical weather anomalies, will work out the kinks eventually

3 moons, no planetary rings on Eria but I love them and I will put them somewhere, that is a promise, maybe on a moon, that'd be interesting; ooh wait can a moon have mini moons? I wanna

whatever colour roads the city wants to have, maybe even rainbow or iridescent (the whole planet is gonna be lively and colourful)

dragon bone jewellery and other trinkets, it's a culture thing for them but can be given to friends too

(dragons are sentient, not animals)

their bones are famously dense and durable (and black)

there's a synthetic material called dragonbone or blackbone with similar properties (less durable than the real thing but easier to get) (dragons and magic sensitive individuals can feel the difference)

+ dragon hide armour (really comfy and durable, should be gifted not bought)

the equivalent of marriage is soul binding

° there are magic perks like some minor telepathy, feeling when the other is hurt, etc

° there aren't any restrictions on how many you can have & you can soul bind with friends

° the strength of the connection depends on how close you are

legal names only matter for documents and can be changed relatively easily, you can take partner's name if you wish, no need for any ceremonies as religion and stuff exists separately of law (as it should)

people like to give each other nicknames so you might not even use your legal name much

no concept of virginity or bastardry ✅

no proper concept of gender because multiple species live here and every species has some different cultural norms so over time it just kinda blends together and none cares

idk if it's monotheism but over time some people took to seeing the planet as a goddess and there are legends of her Children™ who are perceived as either gods of their own or some sort of semi gods

and no creationism because everyone knows where they (or their ancestors) came from and it's not Eria

although some might believe they're descendants of The Children, whether it's true I cannot tell

'gods that don't look like people' a whole planet goddess

don't really have anything on pets yet but I'll make a separate post about animals and I can do some funky pets

nonverbal communication - Erian sign language may not be the most advanced one but it's commonly used so you can communicate to some extent with most people across the planet

I'm actually planning to explore the creation of it in the book

and I'm sure there are some proper versions of it around, will probably figure out more eventually because it's a shame not to have any

Small fantasy worldbuilding elements you might want to think about:

A currency that isn’t gold-standard/having gold be as valuable as tin

A currency that runs entirely on a perishable resource, like cocoa beans

A clock that isn’t 24-hours

More or less than four seasons/seasons other than the ones we know

Fantastical weather patterns like irregular cloud formations, iridescent rain

Multiple moons/no moon

Planetary rings

A northern lights effect, but near the equator

Roads that aren’t brown or grey/black, like San Juan’s blue bricks

Jewelry beyond precious gems and metals

Marriage signifiers other than wedding bands

The husband taking the wife's name / newlyweds inventing a new surname upon marriage

No concept of virginity or bastardry

More than 2 genders/no concept of gender

Monotheism, but not creationism

Gods that don’t look like people

Domesticated pets that aren’t re-skinned dogs and cats

Some normalized supernatural element that has nothing to do with the plot

Magical communication that isn’t Fantasy Zoom

“Books” that aren’t bound or scrolls

A nonverbal means of communicating, like sign language

A race of people who are obligate carnivores/ vegetarians/ vegans/ pescatarians (not religious, biological imperative)

I’ve done about half of these myself in one WIP or another and a little detail here or there goes a long way in reminding the audience that this isn’t Kansas anymore.

[settlersoferia]

writing? oh, i’m definitely writing. in my head. during the most inconvenient times. like in the shower or when i’m about to fall asleep. actual typing? no, no, we don’t do that here.

[settlersoferia]

shipping two characters not in a romantic way and not in a platonic way but in a secret third way

[settlersoferia]

my 10 holy grail pieces of writing advice for beginners

from an indie author who's published 4 books and written 20+, as well as 400k in fanfiction (who is also a professional beta reader who encounters the same issues in my clients' books over and over)

show don't tell is every bit as important as they say it is, no matter how sick you are of hearing about it. "the floor shifted beneath her feet" hits harder than "she felt sick with shock."

no head hopping. if you want to change pov mid scene, put a scene break. you can change it multiple times in the same scene! just put a break so your readers know you've changed pov.

if you have to infodump, do it through dialogue instead of exposition. your reader will feel like they're learning alongside the character, and it will flow naturally into your story.

never open your book with an exposition dump. instead, your opening scene should drop into the heart of the action with little to no context. raise questions to the reader and sprinkle in the answers bit by bit. let your reader discover the context slowly instead of holding their hand from the start. trust your reader; donn't overexplain the details. this is how you create a perfect hook.

every chapter should end on a cliffhanger. doesn't have to be major, can be as simple as ending a chapter mid conversation and picking it up immediately on the next one. tease your reader and make them need to turn the page.

every scene should subvert the character's expectations, as big as a plot twist or as small as a conversation having a surprising outcome. scenes that meet the character's expectations, such as a boring supply run, should be summarized.

arrive late and leave early to every scene. if you're character's at a party, open with them mid conversation instead of describing how they got dressed, left their house, arrived at the party, (because those things don't subvert their expectations). and when you're done with the reason for the scene is there, i.e. an important conversation, end it. once you've shown what you needed to show, get out, instead of describing your character commuting home (because it doesn't subvert expectations!)

epithets are the devil. "the blond man smiled--" you've lost me. use their name. use it often. don't be afraid of it. the reader won't get tired of it. it will serve you far better than epithets, especially if you have two people of the same pronouns interacting.

your character should always be working towards a goal, internal or external (i.e learning to love themself/killing the villain.) try to establish that goal as soon as possible in the reader's mind. the goal can change, the goal can evolve. as long as the reader knows the character isn't floating aimlessly through the world around them with no agency and no desire. that gets boring fast.

plan scenes that you know you'll have fun writing, instead of scenes that might seem cool in your head but you know you'll loathe every second of. besides the fact that your top priority in writing should be writing for only yourself and having fun, if you're just dragging through a scene you really hate, the scene will suffer for it, and readers can tell. the scenes i get the most praise on are always the scenes i had the most fun writing. an ideal outline shouldn't have parts that make you groan to look at. you'll thank yourself later.

happy writing :)

[settlersoferia]

🫣

Some writers will understand

[settlersoferia]

[settlersoferia]

a brief description of Eria (the planet)

Eria is pretty big and so is the timeline so however you imagine it - there was at least once such a place there

(I'll be leaving plenty of space unexplored so that people can write their own stories into it, I want to try to make a TTRPG out of it too but I don't know how that will go)

the sky

the most striking thing is that the sky is pink

that's because the force field around it is pink / purple (like most magic)

it doesn't actually affect the light passing through, the planet is well lit, the sky's just pink because I had to make something everything weird (it's fantasy, how could I not)

I like to imagine the force field with a hexagonal pattern on it, sorta like a wire fence but it wouldn't be noticeable from the surface (but might be from aircraft if it goes high enough and it absolutely will be from the space station)

speaking of the space station, it will be built later of course, after the settlers figure out how to leave and rediscover space travel

it will be located through(?) the force field and serve as a border station (I don't think that's the thing I mean but idk what else to call it)

entering / leaving Eria requires passing through border control due to its strange magic & flora

we don't want that spreading to other planets, it may or may not be because these things are what makes Eria unique and I want it to stay that way

I have notes about a few plants that I'll post in a bit

[settlersoferia]

settlers of Eria before and after entering the planet

[settlersoferia]

[settlersoferia]

Hello, my name is Dante, I'm an amateur writer and I'm working on a book, the current title of which is Settlers of Eria

In order to help me find motivation I decided to post some lore online

Please ask me questions and give constructive criticism

my notes are a mess and I'm busy with exams so the blog might have to wait until I get everything under control

Dante Rosemary is not my legal name, but if nothing goes wrong it will be my pen name.

Summary:

In an uncharted part of the galaxy a strange new planet is discovered. It's surrounded by a strange force field that prevents anything and anyone from entering.

Eventually, a few spaceships, filled with people of various races seeking new homes, with enough desperation to try searching for it on this eerie planet, manage to break through it's atmosphere and find themselves stuck. The force field becomes impenetrable once again, their trusted machines malfunction and the planets flora starts affecting their bodies in strange ways.

But left with no way out the settlers have to make themselves at home. It's not so bad here, where none of their enemies are present. So they build new homes, overcome their fear to befriend creatures roaming the foreign lands and seas and they explore.