#》. worldbuilding

[prokopetz]

Video game where the worldbuilding changes in real time to reflect the perspective of those in power in a very literal "the victors write the history books" fashion. You overthrew the monarchy? Whoops – it turns out those monstrous bandits you've been farming for XP were heroic freedom fighters all along, and you just retroactively took the mother of all alignment penalties!

[deltamune]

DND gonna be LIT

a list of 100+ buildings to put in your fantasy town

academy

adventurer's guild

alchemist

apiary

apothecary

aquarium

armory

art gallery

bakery

bank

barber

barracks

bathhouse

blacksmith

boathouse

book store

bookbinder

botanical garden

brothel

butcher

carpenter

cartographer

casino

castle

cobbler

coffee shop

council chamber

court house

crypt for the noble family

dentist

distillery

docks

dovecot

dyer

embassy

farmer's market

fighting pit

fishmonger

fortune teller

gallows

gatehouse

general store

graveyard

greenhouses

guard post

guildhall

gymnasium

haberdashery

haunted house

hedge maze

herbalist

hospice

hospital

house for sale

inn

jail

jeweller

kindergarten

leatherworker

library

locksmith

mail courier

manor house

market

mayor's house

monastery

morgue

museum

music shop

observatory

orchard

orphanage

outhouse

paper maker

pawnshop

pet shop

potion shop

potter

printmaker

quest board

residence

restricted zone

sawmill

school

scribe

sewer entrance

sheriff's office

shrine

silversmith

spa

speakeasy

spice merchant

sports stadium

stables

street market

tailor

tannery

tavern

tax collector

tea house

temple

textile shop

theatre

thieves guild

thrift store

tinker's workshop

town crier post

town square

townhall

toy store

trinket shop

warehouse

watchtower

water mill

weaver

well

windmill

wishing well

wizard tower

[yzegem]

Sirens of Encounters in the Frontier.

In my setting, sirens are a kind of shark, descendants of a creature most similar to an epaulette shark, wich adapted to hunt fish and mollusks trapped during the low tide and eventually evolved to be fully lunged and mostly amphibian.

There are 3 species of sirens, all 6 limbed.

-The continental mernewt is native to the vast beaches and coral reefs of the southeastern coast of the continent. It's similar in bodyplan to a mudskipper and just as agile. They have jaws strong enough to open shellfish and don a venomous spur next to their tail fin, wich can kill small animals and cause pain, swelling and even necrosis of the limbs in larger animals like humans.

Male mernewts are known to "fence" each other as they are very territorial during mating season. This fights envolve leaps into the air, stabbing with their spurs, biting and their characteristic shriek.

These animals are very important in the culture of the warrior caste in the Sun Empire and represent masculine violence and war, sometimes positively (they are kept in artificial ponds ocasionally) or as a critique in poetry of the futility of war, since the mernewts are vulnerable to birds of prey or other predators while exhausted after a fight.

-The lesser siren is the most terrestrial of all sirens. Its native to the eastern and southern coast of the continent, the north of alwaysummer and the Twisted Islands.

These creatures feed mostly on fish stranded during low tides but many hunt seabirds by staying still between rocks in the shore until the perfect ocasion to leap and catch its prey with their clawed pectoral fins. They usually drag their prey to the water and drown it there. They are very capable of climbing rocks and can be quite fast in short bursts of speed.

They can get quite large and pose a significant danger to some cattle and humans.

-Sirens are native to the Twisted Islands and are the most aquatic of the three, even though they can still return to the sea if they get stranded.

They spend most of the day in underwater caves and are actually quite good at hunting in the sea floor, as they use their long arm like pectoral fins to move rocks and expose mollusks and other small prey. Still, their prey of choice are terrestrial animals. Sirens are indeed quite intelligent animals, though far from sapient, as they resemble the intelect of a marine crocodile, wich manifests in very specialiced hunting tactics.

They have learned to attract land animals close enough to the water by leaving small pieces of fish in the shore as bait for seabirds or imitating animal cries for help to attract unsuspecting predators or worried members of the imitated species. When they get the chance, they rapidly extend their arm-like fins and drag the animal to the sea.

Some sirens have specialiced in hunting humans, specially those on boats, wich is a big problem given how common reed boats and low canoes are for transport in the twisted islands, often used to also transport cattle.

Sirens can easily climb on top of these boats or colaborate between many to topple a ship.

They don't hunt in organized groups, rather they all hunt individually but at the same time, if that makes sense, and later fight for the prey.

These human eating sirens have learn to stand on small islands or unlit shores ar night and waive their arm-like fins while screaming (they can imitate a great variety of sounds) to lure humans closer to them.

The Iliryi people (those native of the twisted islands) have developed many methods to sail safely, such as covering their boats with down facing spikes, tying themselves to the boat or just carrying harpoons and being ready for action. Still, these tactics are not very efective when overwhelmed by a large group of sirens.

The government of the twisted islands hires whalers and fishermen from all across the eastern sea during their low season to work as sirens hunters, wich escort other ships and keep the siren population at bay. This is a high risk high reward job for these fishermen.

[chocodile]

Worldbuilding time! Let's talk about vehicular travel in modern day Amaranthine, using the snowmobiles from this recent comic as a jumping off point.

"Prowler" - Ironfrost patrol snowmobile - (year of manufacture: 1912)

These half-track all terrain vehicles are used by Ironfrost soldiers to travel long distances over the tundra. Originally adapted from older, four-wheeled automobiles, the half-track Prowler design became increasingly standardized over the years as eternal winter continued to creep southward. They are capable of operating in a wide variety of terrain conditions and are fairly modular. Common mods include removable skis, hardtop and softtop roofs, gun mounts, and towing attachments.

Like all vehicles, Prowlers are steam-powered. The external combustion engine runs on kerosene. In snowy conditions, feedwater can be obtained automatically through a scraper port on the underside of the vehicle, though manual feeding is required in muddy or dry conditions.

Though not as fast, reliable, or efficient as trains, their agile nature have made them an essential part of life in the far north… and, increasingly, in the middle country as well. The Rising Dawn have stolen several Prowlers for their own usage.

"Aspire" - Classic automobile (year of manufacture: 1890)

Four-wheeled vehicles are an unusual sight in the modern day. Ironfrost-made cars were in vogue among the southern rim upper class for many years, but the worsening climate has made them more and more niche as road conditions outside of major cities deteriorate. The majority of higher horsepower automobiles were converted directly into half tracks, while older, lower-end vehicles were generally scrapped for parts.

The Aspire was the last four-wheeled vehicle widely available to the public. Advertised as a stylish, powerful, modern vehicle for the elite on the go, it boasted a sleek, classy aesthetic, a removable softtop roof, and a powerful steam engine with a large kerosene tank suitable for travel between cities. Preorders were advertised to southern rim wealthy in local papers. However, a series of unusually bad winters soon after its debut scared off buyers, shutting down production early and ultimately spelling doom for the entire four-wheeled automobile industry.

One of those Aspire preorders went to Baroness Jocosa North. Though she has since passed away, her son, Theopolis North, still maintains the now wildly impractical car in near mint condition. It is almost never seen outside of its garage.

"'Icebreaker' Class E 250" - Northern cross-country train (year of manufacture: 1903)

The majority of modern-day overland travel is accomplished via train. Massive long-distance rail lines, laid before the world became quite so cold, connect the remaining cities, allowing (relatively) safe travel and trade across vast expanses of tundra.

Southerly locomotives typically operate with only a basic wedge plow attachment. However, trains that run further north must be fitted with gigantic rotary snowplows. These complex machines require significant maintenance. Though they can and will chew up most things that get in the train's way, encounters with particularly large and bony beasts have been known to jam them.

Ironfrost's line terminates in a massive, sprawling rail yard where Icebreakers are fitted and maintained. Those who have visited it tell of a dark, dreary wasteland of twisted scrap metal and ice where coal dust and smoke have turned both the sky and ground black. All northern trains must pass through that place eventually.

"Chariot of the Dawn" - One-of-a-kind luxury automobile (year of manufacture: 1920)

The only place where four-wheeled automobiles still thrive is the City of the Sun. The eternal summers and paved roads are well-suited to cars and trolleys, though they are, of course, still something of a luxury good. Licenses for ownership and operation are ultimately controlled by the church, with His Radiance having the final say. (His most devout followers, of course, tend to get preferential treatment here.)

The City of the Sun manufactures its own vehicles, adapted from Ironfrost designs in a sort of divergent evolution. Freed from the road and weather concerns of the outside world, their automobiles favor sleek, swoopy body shapes, ornamental trim, low-slung bodies with limited ground clearance, and pastel paintjobs. Additionally, the engines are far less powerful and far more finicky, requiring regular maintenance.

His Radiance himself owns several custom automobiles, all of which are egregiously bedazzled to a degree that would look grotesque to anyone who wasn't used to it. Some are open-top, allowing his loyal followers an audience with his beautiful face and glittering halo, while others feature tinted windows. You know, in case he wants subtlety.

[hemipenal-system]

the Common Fulgur (avato furgilla), a false-dragon originating from Kaloe, exploded in population during the advent of electrical power, formerly a rare, gargantuan creature but now a common sight in cities. Often the size of a cat or smaller, city fulgurs feed off minimal residual electricity from unprotected wires, outlets, and breaker boxes instead of the lightning strikes they used to subsist on.

Fulgurs are intelligent and affectionate, and can often be found as eager-to-please, easily trainable household pets. with sufficient training, a fulgur can be trained to modulate the electricity they naturally radiate or suppress it entirely, making them entirely safe to be played with, [and] cuddled, and fucked.

(Editor’s note: cmon man don’t put that in. don’t write that down)

Owing to their hunger for electricity, fulgurs are common working animals in fields such as electrical and network engineering, power plant management, or anything else involving the generation, storage, or transportation of electric power. Many a Kastan lineworker can be seen with their trained fulgur perching on their shoulder, sniffing at a line or taking a devious snap at it hoping to siphon off some of the sweet electricity within.

Besides household pets, the place the average worker is most likely to encounter a trained fulgur is in a kink space. Fulgurs are popular in sadomasochist spaces that involve the use of electricity for play, both as a method for stimulation and as a punishment for disobedience. This author has spectated scenes in which a bound sub is strapped down nude with their legs spread and a fulgur is let loose onto their body to do as it wishes with them, shocking them all the while. Fulgurs owe some of their popularity for this to the odd phenomenon that makes their electricity strongest around their mouth and genitalia, as well as their mischievous nature which often leads them to latch onto presented fingers, tongues, genitalia, or nipples, often to the dismay of the submissive being punished.

(Editor’s note: ok you can’t add any of that. you can’t publish any of that part. we’re just saying whatever now huh)

-excerpt from Amalean Reference Beastiary, vol. 3

[winterpower98]

Soooo... I did a thing

While I was working on my redesigns of MLP characters, I kept talking with my friends about the different species in this franchise (both the show and the comics).

And because I hate myself, I guess, I started taking notes so that I could draw each species in different ways until it turned into... whatever this is.

These are just about the three main ponies plus bat ponies because I thought they could use some extra lore to them, but I have at least 6 more that are either finished or just about finished.

You can use these however you like. You can read them just for interest, use them for reference, or do whatever else you like.

[b1asho]

How would it feel to give each of your sophonts a hug? Would they like it? Or find it weird? What's their social equivalent?

The wh huggability scale, where most of the sophonts unfortunately fall on the "????? !!!!!! hey don't do that please" side of things

[haematinon]

Weapons of the Holy Moon for my upcoming novel Ergo Cosmos, there is a free chapter available! I will put a link in the comment, if you are curious :)

[furhirepress]

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[raayllum]

Immortality & Longevity in TDP

Because season 7 brought up some very interesting Threads to contrast with the series' previous sentiments on immortality / ridiculously long lifespans. So let's go.

Those Who Naturally Live Forever(-ish)

There are three main camps of characters who experience longevity in TDP.

Those who experience it naturally, but can still die (the Archdragons, some elves)

Those who acquire it through dark magic means

Those who cannot permanently die (the First Elves, Aaravos)

I want to talk about the Group Number One first, because it includes the most characters and was the basis for this meta. Besides Lujanne and Akiyu, we don't know too many elves who have lived for hundreds of plus years, although it wouldn't surprise me if Aditi did. Lujanne and Akiyu are both mages as well, with Lujanne living at the most powerful concentration of Moon magic in the world, so that could be part of the reason why she's lived so long, and Tidebound elves (as Finnegrin had Sea Legs' sister for 40+ years) just naturally live much longer than other types of elves (Moonshadow, Sunfire) as far as we know.

The Archdragons themselves also don't talk much about the length of their lives, since it's a species-shared trait and so second nature to them. However, whenever they do talk about it, we get a very clear picture:

It's not exactly... positive. Now, some of this is because of their mental states. Sol Regem lost his beloved mate a thousand years ago, lost his position as the king of the dragons, and been effectively cut off from Xadia's political sphere / the other archdragons for a long time. Rex Igneous is similarly isolated (though it seems more self-inflicted) and we know he had a previous falling out with Avizandum (presumably over Zubeia). We also see Zubeia grow increasingly listless both times she falls ill / almost loses her family (S3, 5x09) so it seems that despite being very rare and accordingly isolationist, Archdragons don't tend to do well alone and without families (understandably).

But the verdict seemingly from at least 2/4ish known archdragons is that

In this way, the Archdragons' view of their quasi-immortality isn't that different from how Aaravos views his literal one:

The stars have never smiled upon their creations. This world was made by cruel, unfeeling hands. It is an instrument of pain, of torment. To exist within this world is to suffer. Even death is no reprieve.

So what about the characters who disagree to the point of doing terrible things so that they can exist forever?

Kpp'ar and Kim'Dael (Crafted Immortality)

Although there's only two characters in the "dark magic induced immortality" category, they paint two such completely different pictures that, in many ways, it shows the full spectrum of just how one can achieve an unnatural immortality.

On the one hand, we have Kim'Dael, who takes dark magic's canonically to its long believed natural conclusion of cannibalism. Kim'Dael takes parts (blood) from magical creatures (in this case, elves) and consumes it to enhance her own abilities and her livelihood. This doesn't always mean fully killing and draining someone, but often can (Bloodmoon Huntress) with multiple individuals / sometimes whole families at a time as she must experience semi-regular rejuvenation; it is unknown if she needs to eat or consume anything else in her day-to-day life.

Her magic use was also confirmed to be a form of dark magic in this interview:

the way that she does, is beyond primal magic. She’s found ways through dark magic to extend her primal moon powers. It’s very evil how she is able to do what she does and extend her life

Despite the dragons who don't have to work to be immortal being far more despondent about their long, long lives, it's not hard to think of reasons why Kim'Dael would want to be immortal. Death is a scary unknown, she (like Finnegrin) is out of tune with her primal knowingness on a fundamental level, and she can do so without harm to herself. Like most dark mages we've seen, her dark magic use requires using and taking from the people around her more, accordingly, than it's taking from her. She takes from others to give herself power: dark magic 101.

Kpp'Ar's search for immortality is way fucking weirder, IMO. It's not necessarily that dark mages, or dark magic, never uses the caster's body for spells. It inherently saps energy (hence the white streaks, nosebleeds, collapsing, etc) and drains life from the body; each spell harms the caster in at least a small way. It's also not like we've never seen a dark mage use their own body parts for a spell; Claudia uses and drinks her own blood mixed into the pentapus ink in 5x09, and Viren mutilates his own heart in 6x08 rather than use someone else's.

It's just, that if Kim'Dael has a way to chase immortality that does mean using somebody else's body... why on earth would you use your own?

It seems that before his change of heart, Kpp'Ar was experimenting with one of the darkest of all magics. A way of extending life. Indefinitely. A horrible and strange kind of immortality. The ancient and disturbing practice of self-eating.

Now, some of this may come down to access or skillset. Presumably Kim'Dael could drink human blood and use it for her spells, since the arcanum of the elf she's drinking from doesn't seem to matter. However, even if you can use human blood, Kpp'Ar at this point was older and used a cane (if we assume this was a later in life pursuit, and not over decades); he likely wasn't going to be able to kidnap and haul back anyone but children back to Puzzle House, and while we know he's willing to sacrifice children (6x06) it's not canonically clear if he's willing to use them.

Either way, we know Kpp'Ar was pursuing immortality as well as the location of the Garden of Innocents concurrently. We don't know if this was interrelated, but we do know that unicorns are connected to the Star arcanum, which is presumably what makes First Elves immortal-ish so... maybe? It's not clear why Kpp'Ar would want immortality in general, especially that type of immortality, for himself, but clearly there will be a reason. It could be that he wanted to transfer it to someone else (Soren) and gave up, but that's not fundamentally different than what Kim'Dael does, so... again: why himself?

(Arc 3 come home to me)

Cannot Die

Last but not least, we have Aaravos + the other First Elves in the 'cannot die' category, except when they can (Leola). I've written more before about how... odd the info surrounding what the Cosmic Council can and cannot do and what we may be missing, for lack of a better term. Quick rundown:

The Cosmic Council can execute Startouch elves. Aaravos did not have enough power to stop them. (*At the time of Leola's death, as things may have changed since then)

Aaravos seems to be utterly unconcerned that the Cosmic Council conceivably could, if they became aware of his actions, execute him in the same manner. Aaravos does not seem to care if they notice, given that he asks, "Are you watching?" in 7x08.

When Aaravos' mortal form (like the one Leola had/used on earth) is destroyed in 7x09, there are noticeable visual differences to the destruction of his daughter's.

Aaravos seems to want to bring the First Elves into "this world" as it is an instrument of pain that begets only suffering, and "I want them to suffer."

We also know that Aaravos believes the First Elves don't care about / love their creations at all, so destroying the earth can't be the endgame goal. We also know that something is keeping Aaravos from accessing/attacking them, otherwise he would've done so before being imprisoned.

Presumably, something in the interim has changed with either 1) Aaravos is no longer able to die or 2) He has found a way to be able to kill the other First Elves if they went after him, rather than the other way around. Potentially dark magic is the road to get there, or a form of ancient magic the First Elves tried to keep hidden that became the basis for dark magic.

Either way, we know that the First Elves are able to end an otherwise truly immortal being's existence permanently (at least so far) and that it's a power at one point Aaravos did/does not have. I'll be curious to see what we learn about all of this and self-eating in the future.

[ray-moo]

>Broke MC is skeptic of main religion

>Woke MC is skeptic of part of main religion's doctrine and affirms an alternate interpretation that fell out of popularity 500 years ago.

Tired of stories where the author worldbuilds a whole religion only to chicken out at the last moment by making the main character a skeptic. You mean to tell me that there’s all this richness in lore and culture, but you’ve trapped me with the one person in this society who doesn’t care about it? So bland. I could meet an agnostic easily enough by walking down the street, but your story is my one chance to hear the perspective of someone who follows whatever religion you’ve contrived. You made this whole world; convince me that your character really is from there.

[starscream-is-my-wife]

Skywarp in my AU where Megatron is second in command, AKA I want to try to explain outlier powers

Context for Megatron having space powers from the Transformers cartoon production bible:

That's awesome, I miss gun megatron so much

[zsakuva]

hi saku! so about the last question you answered, do you plan on writing a book in the future ? or maybe a movie or show?

Also i would like to ask, you may have already answered , but did you do a lot of writing in high school , or even before that? i want to get into writing because its a huge part in my career choice and i never know if my writing is good or if im being blinded by delusion, but at the same time im kinda embarrassed? or maybe hesitant to show and tell people my narratives. Do you have any tips on this? I enjoy the beauty of being able to create different universes and any character to my heart’s desire, but i really don’t know where to start.

I've been writing one book since 2018, but I recently gave it a complete overhaul so I'm essentially starting from scratch. I also have another that's connected to my fantasy world, but I haven't touched that in a while. I would spend my time just writing and focusing on my novels, but alas, work takes priority.

I've been writing since I was young.

I think a lot of people can relate to that, including myself. The great thing about writing is that no matter what level you're at, there is always something to learn. If you're unsure about yourself, ask other writers you trust to read your work and offer their opinion. But always take their opinions with a grain of salt because writing is so subjective—from outlining and story beats to tenses and prose structure—and you will no doubt have your own preference.

I understand feeling embarrassed to show your work. But I always remind myself that the only person who can tell this particular story in this particular way is me. And if I don't, it'll remain an idea.

All writers hope to improve their craft, and I think the majority will welcome you because they are no doubt exactly where you are. So, my advice would be to start writing! Join a few communities, or find friends who are also writers to exchange stories. Read good books, 'bad' books, bestsellers, and debuts. The more you consume, the easier it'll be to refine the way you want to write and tell a story.

Hope this helps!

[xenophorusrachid]

Albian finally gets the long-awaited horse armor DLC. And the horses are gorgonopsids that spec'ed into camel/horse physics. Isn't that just nice?

additional info below.

The Therigour is an equine-like synapsid with a history of domestication that goes back to the 'archaic' period of Albian-Aptian civilization. The images above depict the 'wild-type' morph, but Therigour can be bred to display various coat patterns in four main colors (red, orange, black, white (including bicolor and tricolor patterns). Their feet have adapted for quick travel across sand, with their hoof-like claws spreading out into a circular shape to keep from sinking.

They are carnivorous, and are characterized by high intelligence and rambunctious personalities. To remediate this, most Therigour are raised by human hand from birth, and undergo extensive training until they are 4 years of age. This ultimately builds a personal bond between trainer/rider and beast, and results in a terrifyingly loyal creature. You do not want one sic'ed on you (because they will bite you! and possibly maul you if their prey-drive is strong enough. lol). Because of the necessity of a long-maintained bond, Therigour are typically raised by warriors themselves, and breaking in a Therigour successfully is seen as a rite of passage.

In Albian, Therigour have a key presence in some religious rituals, and are culturally regarded as blessed beasts - that is, they are not to be sacrificed to any particular god, and they are often given burials similar to that of humans. This is due to the purposes they serve humans in the living realm, primarily draughtwork and personal transport. Aptian boasts similar practices, but their Therigour are often purposefully killed once they reach an age where they can no longer work (circa. 20 years old).

NOW: What's up with the armor?

The image up top is what it is - ceremonial barding worn during key Albian religious festivals, such as the New Year's Feast and the 'Days of Creation' - a three-week long festival celebrating Albian's founding. The large ox horns inlaid with gold that lay across the Therigour's back are used to harness the beast to a chariot, and these creatures are then paraded around.

Albian and Aptian warrior barding is more practical than it is ceremonial, though they do both include ceremonial motifs - such as intimidating 'eye' details. These protective symbols grant protection to both rider and beast, though their specific protections vary culturally. Creatures with eyes - or multiple eyes - are seen as worthy of godly protection by default, and erasing these eyes (or removing an animal or human's eyes) is seen as a final effort to destroy the soul of the creature.

There's also like. casual barding, but it's pretty much a simple halter + saddle + blanket/leather sheet combo...These are just the coolest.

[just-an-idiotic-nerd]

It's not just "Get Out" it's "Get Out And Don't Be Followed"

The ruined portals have chunks missing and pieces replaced by crying obsidian. What was following you that you needed to not only break it, but to replace parts of it with something you know won't work, but look like they should?

The fortresses are abandoned and the bastions broken. How much time did they buy you? Was it enough?

The strongholds are buried deep underground, beneath dozens of meters of rock and stone. Why were you hiding so far below the earth? It's halls are a maze of random twists and turns, with the floor, walls, and ceiling turning into monsters. What were you trying to keep out?

The portal lies disassembled, sometimes partially, sometimes fully, but never intact (not in any naturally occurring realities anyways). Who stayed behind to take it apart? (In those realities with completed portals, did everyone make it through? Or were you discovered before you could destroy it?)

Your ships that sail the voidsky avoid the main island, where the portal exit is. Were you scared of something following you home?

What were you hiding from?

Fuck, you ever think about the pressing urgency to get out that permeates Minecraft?

Ruined Nether portals, empty End portals, and now whatever these massive frames in the Ancient Cities are. . . whoever used to live here did not want to stay

And I can’t help but wonder why