#g/t worldbuilding

[litenmyra]

how do you think enamel care would work for tinies? do they gnaw on bark to keep their teeth clean and healthy, or do species like borrowers risk loosing their teeth early?

[gullivertravelstowonderland]

Y'know what? I wanna see more disability representation in g/t, but I espescially wanna see g/t disability aid services!

Tinies volunteering to do small tasks for humans with fine motor difficulties!

Minigiants acting as mobility aids!

Seeing-eye tinies and giant sign interpreters!

A human accidentally starting an assisted living service for tinies after helping a few struggling borrowers!

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT SIZESHIFTERS!

SIZESHIFTERS WITH SUPPORT HUMANS!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

[smolghostbot]

GT July: Home

Decided that words couldn't do justice to the idea I had of making a little drawing of Patch's room.

It's in the walls behind a power outlet on Melody's kitchen counter. The actual electrical wiring was moved (with Mel's help) to make room for them to have a little hidey-hole to call their own. Not pictured is a curtain inside which they can close for privacy (Which TBH is only missing because i can't draw fabrics to save my life, as you can tell by the bed and the fabric rolls on the shelves oops)

Also I'm aware literally nobody cares but I still had to add some bits of Sprite Script just for Lore Funsies(tm), I didn't make an entire written language to not fit it into every piece of art I make for them

[demonicfreakish]

| Shadow of Me | :Creature Concepts: Pt.1

Small update collection of some of the finished concepts of the creatures found in our headworld. Some of these are the lore/designs my husband Abaddon/Obsega(ObsidianAssassin) came up with. And some are mine. But we both did the writing on them all and developed their lore. I will tell a bit about them but not a lot. Most of their lore can be found on my Patreon~

Staggsguld - "term used for referring to the sun deer"

These creatures mainly feed on nectar from various flowers they find in Chreshera. But during high noon in the scarlet fields they will freeze themselves and open their membrane hoods to soak up the sun's rays for more sustenance. Sometimes you can catch whole herds standing still like statues doing this. Some males that live long enough for their crystalline horns to grow so large they begin to twist around themselves like trees. Even grow moss on them. This creature is also the flagship creature of our lore.

Chimerah - "term used for referring to the shade-toothed panther"

Though large and bulky these creatures are as silent as the chill of a cold voided room... Even the Staggsguld cannot hear them coming. The only chance you have at some hint of their presence is the prickling sensation you feel as all the hairs on your body stand up. Obligate carnivores in nature, their bodies made up of different animal parts. That most of which are from snake, feline, ursidae, and draconic. Like most if not all creatures in Chreshera they give off a soft bioluminescence. But they can fade, even turn this off, when hunting their prey...

Piquies - "term used for referring to the guinea hog sauropod."

These creatures are large in size but not nearly as large as the cows of our lore. Though being the pork in our world they still hold a lot of use rather than just as food to feed various cultures. They also serve as hearty steeds or as pack holders for weary travelers. Not much bigger than a Clydesdale horse these small creatures toddle along but aren't very speedy due to their robust stature. They mostly chew on various grasses and tubers for their sustenance but when farmed its more preferred to feed them a rich diet of various fruits and veggies for a more sweet meaty taste. Though be wary the small ones like to bunt your legs if you are not paying attention to them.

Those are just a few of the creatures from our lore, when we finish more I will likely make another post like this one. If you want to see more and our work in progress on this world and the story they hail from- Check my Patreon for more~ (Oh and we have started on the lore book to our world- the Penumbraverse/Penumbra Universe) Check the link below for more:

[giantisms]

there's not enough emphasis on g/t interactions with the environment in works. i think. focus is always put on interactions between characters and how they navigate the size difference- which isn't BAD, i'd say it's essential in g/t media even. but i wish we also explored how they do that with the world they occupy

like those little details about how borrowers use small, mundane objects or junk as tools, furniture and etc? LOVE IT. or how they domesticate small animals, traverse the house of a human, how different in volume food and drinks are to them at that size? how a fairy interacts with a (to them enormous) forest flora and fauna?

same for giants!!! i said before that i LOVE when a giant's bigness is emphasized through how they interact with the world - being careful with every step lest they crush something underfoot or cause earthquakes; being as tall as the trees in the forest (if not bigger); getting stuck in (to them) narrow and small places (human infrastructure am i right)

i don't know, i feel like it's rarely acknowledged in g/t works. or at least not enough

[tiny-brain]

This is really interesting! I can’t quite choose between the urban or suburban ones.

Also I am totally picturing an almost Rocket-and-Groot-like friendship between an urban borrower and a feral one

My borrower headcannons:

There are four main subgroups of borrower which coincide with different human styles of living.  Culture and appearance range widely between the types.  Borrowers living in the suburbs and the city have different lifestyles with some similarities, but borrowers living in rural places or completely in the wild have entirely different ways of life, and even different adaptations; they’re nearly two different species.  (Kind of like how polar bears and grizzly bears are technically the same species with different adaptations for their environments)

All borrowers have at least a semi-human appearance, and stay under a foot tall.  (The largest recorded borrower measured 10 inches tall).  They all come from a common ancestor: the feral subgroup, which adapted to an easier lifestyle of thievery over hunting.

Urban subgroup:

They can care less if they’re spotted, most humans just ignore the sighting after a moment anyway.  Being caught is a different story, of course.  A caught urban borrower can let out a deafening shriek loud enough to startle whatever’s caught them to drop them. They can fall a good 30 feet without serious injuries, so being dropped is completely fine.

They’re practically tone deaf, but have heightened visual senses and can even see in blinding light.

Have a type of sign language to communicate, and rarely make noise other than to show displeasure or affection (depending on the sound).

The smallest type; usually grows about 2-3 inches tall.

Homes look like nests stashed with every kind of material imaginable.  This type of borrower is a collector and will steal anything they want without need for it.  The shinier the object, the more valuable it is to them.

Body structure is nearly identical to humans with enhanced reflexes.

Many choose to live solitarily or with a small close family, but some live in larger groups for protection.

Suburban subgroup:

They have a type of sign language that they use between eachother, though most also learn whatever language the humans around them know to at least a basic level.

Homes look drastically different depending on how practiced a borrower is.  A normal home looks like a mix of an underground colony system and a den.  However, the better they are at stealing, the more resources they have to make things aesthetically pleasing.  Thus, borrowers who’ve perfected their skills have homes whose interiors are similar to human ones.

Their average height is 4-5 inches tall.

This is the largest subgroup, and also the most interconnected; they often have hidden meeting places spread out like small towns to come together and share stories, trade materials, get help, find mates, etc.  These are few and far between.  A borrower will consider any place close to these meeting areas prime housing, as living in these meeting areas is forbidden.

Many things are forbidden.  This group put together a series of codes that keep them in ‘perfect’ safety.  They also have professions they take on in order to help the community as well as themselves.  These range from perfecting ‘borrowing’ supplies (this is where their namesake comes from), practicing medicine and healing, crafting tools, becoming strong fighters, studying humans and other animals, etc.

These borrower codes contain many fascinating rules, including a contingency plan if they’re ever caught.  Upon capture, they are to “play dead, play dumb, then run.”  Closer studies have found that these borrowers can vomit bile on command, and use the stench to make themselves seem dead and rotting.  If they’ve been caught in the act, this trick fails and they move to playing dumb.  Using their surprisingly expansive knowledge of small animals other than themselves, they are able to mimic the actions of mice or even bugs to appear less intriguing to humans.  If both ruses fail, they will bolt at speeds seemingly impossible for their bodies to move at, and can maneuver with pinpoint accuracy.

They have longer and wider ears to hear potential danger, double-jointed limbs for maneuverability and manipulation, lankier legs for faster strides.

Rural subgroup:

These borrowers usually live outside the houses they take from, preferring natural burrows and tunnel systems than the walls of houses.

If the home has a garden, there’s a large chance there’s at least a small borrowers’ burrow there to stash items.

Some learn a human language as a second language, but most speak in their own language, which is a mixture of animalistic noises and human ones.  Their relations work more animalisticly; body language is a huge part of understanding one another.

Unlike the first two subgroups, these borrowers will attack when threatened rather than bluff.  Their pronounced canines can leave small needle-like holes in the skin, which can easily heal over and become infected.  When biting down, these borrowers’ jaws can lock into place, making it impossible to remove one without killing it.  Even shaking it does no harm due to its swiveling neck, which can turn 360 degrees in either direction.

Average height is 5-6 inches tall.

Their ears are long and pointed, they have thin tails to help balance their quick movements, and slightly padded feet and palms.

Feral subgroup:

These are, as the name suggests, the most wild of the subgroups, and also the oldest subgroup.  They live entirely away from humans and are completely independent, relying on the things they gather and make themselves.

They are the largest subgroup with an average height of 6-7 inches.

They live in long tunnel systems underground or inside trees.  These tunnel entrances can be told apart from other creatures’ by the rudimentary door system.  

If you see these burrows, DO NOT DISTURB THEM.  There can be as many as 30 borrowers per burrow and they are aggressively protective of their homes.  Springing open a large burrow will lead you to be swarmed.  Mind you, these are creatures that can be nearly as long as your forearm, and a dedicated group of about 5 or 6 can kill you if you don’t fight them off or run.  You will not be able to fight off 30 of them.  If you survive the initial attack, seek medical attention.  Their saliva has a good chance of carrying infectious bacteria.

Another caution:  They can and will lay traps.  Usually they aren’t strong enough to capture a human, and will likely only stun you.  However, again, do NOT stick around or you will be swarmed.

They have clawed fingers, long thin tails, and are capable of running on four limbs for faster movement, as well as the longer ears and padded hands and feet of the rural subgroup.  Their pupils can dilate widely enough to have fair night vision, which is useful for getting around burrows.

They are omnivores that can eat raw meat, and their teeth are sharpened versions of other subgroups’.

Due to the sheer amount of space between the habitats of different subgroups, it’s not often that they meet. When they do, the stories are often chalked up to tall tales. Most subgroups view the other subgroups as cryptids of sorts.

(quick ref I made for body structure & height, penny for scale)

[find-your-wings]

Guide to Olmia magazine- Moon Phases, Higum and Hium, Minkin, and Dolfolk!

These have been a ton of work but it's been fun to compile years of worldbuilding into some fun-to-look-at lore pages! Figured lore dumps might be easier to digest in magazine-like articles that cut a lot of the fat!

Most people probably won't read these so if you do, thank you lmao you're a real mvp

if you don't, hope you at least enjoy the doodles that go with them!

None of the concepts in these pages are set in stone! Many things may or may not change in the final version of FYW, and some things aren't super important. There's tons more pages I need to make, but I'm just posting these for now.~

[maisiit]

tiny fella from a colony! wanted to show the genetic variety of my tinies

[the-gt-fairy]

Day 18: Fire

--

Little late with this one! Was away from my computer most of the day, and also had a lot of characters to draw lol

Anyway, I like to think a big part of borrower culture is oral storytelling. They don't exactly have a good way to mass distribute books, and it's also nice to have a communal events with the other borrowers

Flashlight Girl aka Juliet (cuz I had a dream where she was named that) particularly likes telling spooky stories

[somescrap-paper]

Meet Caspien Aparajita!

Her playful, charismatic personality doesn’t cover up the fact that she’s a fugitive. During her time in the Entostellian realm, Caspien was frequently involved in criminal activity. Known for her fluency in colour-weaving and athletic evasiveness, she’s become quite a notorious pirate within the kingdom, easily out-maneuvering most of the Aurelian’s enforcers. One day, however, Caspien’s impulsiveness leads her to bite off more than she can chew, as she tries to steal a forbidden book from the Aurelian’s library for a mysterious, high-paying client. She ends up getting caught and thrown into prison. But Cas is a stubborn Entostellian, and eventually found a way out, eventually finding a way to slither into the apartment, and lives, of Tim and Albert.

OKAY SO-

- The Aurelian is basically the leader/monarch/emperor (like Celestia from MLP). They have been gifted the power of the “Arcane” and have more magic then the rest of the Entostellians of the realm

- The enforcers, or royal guard of the Aurelian, is called the “Aurelian’s Symphony.” I’ll explain it a lil more in Cecile’s post :>

- Caspien is an “Aquastellian.” They are great swimmers and have the ability to breathe underwater. When they come into contact with water, they have retractable fins. These types of Entostellians have tails+antennae designs inspired by certain shrimp, plankton, or sea slugs.

-I primarily use she/her pronouns for Caspien, but do know she is cool with any pronouns!

[litenmyra]

do you think the house-roaming borrowers might have mold immunity or at least hardened digestive processes due to developing alongside humans that frequently live in moldy environments (because usually it is not actually prominent or dangerous)?

[kxttsstuff]

Sense of humor

🧵;; You may find your borrower friend, despite being an avid survivor, also a great comedian in their own strange ways. This is not uncommon, as humor is a sign of inherent trust. Humor is essential for borrowers to cope with stress and the difficulties of their lives, but it is more reserved to close relationships since it can have ambivalent attitudes.

🧵;; Borrowers don't grasp sarcasm, or at least not the way humans do. For them it's very important (sometimes even related to their survival) to be direct and honest with each other, so sarcasm may be taken seriously and cause awkward moments or unnecessary misunderstandings, as it may come off as rude or inappropriate, and with the right tone and words, you may even start a fight. That is not to say borrowers don't have their own sarcasm, but it is less used when talking about someone with that someone, and more about describing particular situations or people to others. This is why borrower humor is HIGHLY context-based:

🐿️;; The borrower way of being funny and unserious often uses exaggeration as a resource (also a way of subtle sarcasm, eh?) For example; “This door is heavier than a bag full of thumbtacks!”

🐿️;; To show you are incapable of doing something that is considered “easy” on purpose (by being clumsy, slow, or manual tasks like sewing) can be seen as funny in a right context, with the right tone and expression. For example, faking being an idiot at climbing. Of course, you may be actually an idiot and it would be seen as equally if not funnier. Be careful to do this around those who are not your friends, or they'll make a poor opinion about you. Also, some borrowers may display a sense of ironic pity at someone else being poor at a task, whether on purpose or not.

🐿️;; Borrowers are a bit more desensitized to death, blood, and other “survival stuff” humans may find weird. So to make the most of it, they sometimes make jokes related to the unique struggles they face as a species. “You wouldn't believe it, but I've had mouse liver and it tasted better than this piece of old bread”.

🐿️;; Though some Borrowers do mock humans for various reasons (whether with shadowed honest opinions or just the dose of unique borrower sarcasm), it is not safe to assume they all share these kind of jokes or consider them okay.

🧵;; Borrowers love to laugh at themselves, especially the young. However, you might not ever hear them joke about their own traditions or ancestors, there is a well-defined limit they unconsciously know.

🧵;; Because it is required as a core value to “be a good borrower”, most of them are perceptive regarding this topic, and will notice when the joke they made went too far or went misunderstood, quickly going back to a safe spot. Same way they will notice when the other is trying too hard to be funny, which is not well received.

🧵;; If the joke wasn't funny or it didn't make sense, most borrowers won't laugh or even smile out of courtesy, rather asking questions (not pointing out how awful it was) as to not let the warm convo turn into a deep silence.

[smolghostbot]

not me deciding that yeah, sprites totally absolutely tame rats and use them as mounts and beasts of burden

like i'm just imagining a gigantic friendly rat the size of a horse and i'm like "yeah this is too adorable to not do"

...

i have no way of showing this in Patchwork Melody but just know in your heart of hearts that it is canon, somewhere there is a sprite riding around on a pet rat.

[drinkinboilingcoffee]

So in g/t writing, size matters a LOT for the Tinies. Depending on how tall they are in your world, they might be near-impervious to fall since they weigh so little, or seriously endangered by water since it’s tension can pull them under and refuse to let go. Here’s a pretty good resource if anyone is interested (it goes over superlarge animals briefly too, so it can help with Giant writing too):

[giantisms]

Do you have a pet peeve in g/t?

oh boy do i

hm. i think one of the biggest ones would have to be like. some worldbuilding stuff? for example you have established mixed size society, but then no emphasis on different sizes besides characters interacting with each other. you have giants and humans, and yet both parties' environments are... perfectly sized for each other...? you go to the "giant side" and suddenly animals and plants are their size? they're not even like. completely new species and types of flora and fauna they're just things WE are familiar with just. bigger. it completely shatters my suspension of disbelief. if you're calling them giants i'd assume they're, well, giant compared to not only humans but everything else as well

and then there's some logistics involved that make me question some things. if the giants in question also use cars and other vehicles, where do the resources for something so massive even come from? how would that impact the environment? how are they even useful to a giant that can already travel far and fast by simply walking?

idk maybe it's easier for people to write the "giant" party living the exact same life as humans for relatability and familiarity but it just makes me scratch my head. as i've said several times before my enjoyment for g/t also comes from the world interactions that emphasize that size difference, taking that away is just... eh

and in general this only really applies to works that base the idea around OUR modern society. in fantasy works and some sci-fi ones it's not that big of a deal because you already establish a world different to ours with different rules (and they tend to have good reasonings for all the issues i have above!). but if you're making something set in OUR reality with size difference involved then i expect a bit more realism going into it. the earth is only so big and has only so little resources that WILL run out one day. we don't have that much space or a good environment for all the animals already existing but giant sized and so on. maybe you can call me nitpicky considering the genre of g/t kind of inherently relies on the suspension of disbelief - giants and tinies aren't exactly "realistic" things as we know it - but a little bit of realistic approach makes it more enjoyable to me. it feels more real

[withoutend]

gt prompt 65

migrating borrowers that move to better climates

slowly

spending nicer seasons in the wild, while settling into a new house each winter