#we love worldbuilding

[mahi-does-some-art]

What if, instead of the Sorcerers' Society being just a small organization with a headquarters, it was instead a hidden city or capital where not only could sorcerers go to for assistance and to get their licenses, but could safely live and learn without having to put so much effort into hiding their magic from general human public? (Something similar to Witch Hat Atelier perhaps)

A hidden away capital with houses and apartments and magical shops selling everything a sorcerer would ever need. Where they can safely converse on the street and network and apprentices can talk to each other and swap tales of their lessons and masters.

Out in the expanse of the human world, it's hard to come by each other so having a place to live like that would be great.

But also it would make Solomon getting chased out by a dragon so much funnier (or sadder) since he and the mystery apprentice would have been the ones to found the Sorcerers' Society in the first place.

He would probably own his own house there and come back there whenever there was a meeting he had to attend or some urgent matter to discuss. Solomon wouldn't stay there longer than he usually had to and his property is usually empty.

But when sorcerers usually take in an apprentice, that apprentice lives with their master in order to make the most of learning opportunities and a lot of them tend to move back to the Sorcerers' Society for convenience.

If Solomon was able to convince MC to live with him for "educational purposes" completely separate from the brothers and Devildom, who's to say he wouldn't give living amongst his peers an honest try once more?

[atissi]

The kickstarter for Book of Devotion is now live!

Book of Devotion is an artbook dedicated to clerics, paladins, and the divine beings they worship. I've gotten very fond of the weirdass technocleric I designed, and I'm excited to share more about them (as soon as the mods let me). In the meantime though, the kickstarter will be open from April 29th to June 13th.

[deconstructthesoup]

Truly in awe of how Ify decided in the moment that the action heroes could communicate with the Dave's Video workers and everybody grabbed it and ran with it

[viiioca]

[ roevember day 1 - name ]

From the journal of Estelle de Laussienne, 12th of the 5th Astral Moon, 6 7A.E.

Of late, I have been thinking of names.

I am lucky to be one of the few with direct knowledge of a past life. Astarte, they said, was named for the brightest star in the sky, and by all accounts, she embodied this name with precision. ("Demanding" and "vain" were the descriptors Emet-Selch preferred, predictably, though Hythlodaeus had far kinder words.) When she took the seat of Azem, it is no great leap of imagination that she would have brought this certain intensity and clarity of self with her in her wanderings. She -- and those who came before her -- can be tracked as if by game trail, wending the length of the world. Azem, Azeyma, Azim. A sun-stamped coin; a painting on a cave wall; a fixture in the night sky.

I, too, am named after the stars. My parents did not have any ambition of doing so directly, of course; Ishgard has always found it most fashionable to name its children after saints and martyrs, and any meaning beyond that is incidental. Saint Estelle was a woman of high birth who ran afoul of her heretical family, and her devotion to Halone was such that they rushed to condemn her before she could do the same to them. She invoked her right to trial by combat rather than the simple exoneration of the Witchdrop and -- by witness accounts -- channeled the miraculous strength of the Fury Herself, laying a full outfit of Inquisitors low before succumbing to her wounds. That this is considered something auspicious to name a child is a particular quirk of our culture; more interesting to me is how it seems to have come to us from Duskwights fleeing persecution in the Shroud, its relation to Ishgardian's own word for star revealed by squinting. Étoile, estela, Estelle.

One must wonder if a name does not have its own tendency for wandering; if a name, separated from its soul, filters through new lands and peoples, and when it is ready to return to its owner, it is scrubbed of its old shape as neatly as if the Aetherial Sea itself has done it. Azem, Azeyma, Azim. Astarte to Estelle. Is it not appealing?

(G'raha has theorized instead that it's a corruption of a -- of course -- Late Allagan name that means "well-groomed," absorbed into a branch of the Elezen language at some point before the Hyuran exodus following the Fourth Umbral Calamity. It's good to know even his romanticism has its limits when matters of academic correctness are at hand. Could he not simply let me have this one?)

[rhinocio]

NOW WITH PODFIC ACCOMPANIMENT!

[emry-stars-art]

I don’t think I fully realized how funny the word ‘toddler’ is until I’m coming up with a mer equivalent. Baby mers don’t toddle. They probably like… wobble. Little wobbler sharkyards. Just babies

[cable-salamdr]

I really wanna know what the realm of Imperium looked like pre-merge, because all that we see is one giant city (which would either be the main city or even just the *only* city) and the Land(fill) of Lost Things. Does that mean everything else is just desolate desert? Were there ever any other civilisations that Imperium wiped out for dominance?? So many questions

[mistbix]

about like. 2 months ago. my clawthorne family fixation came back strong and i decided to draw a bunch of photos of them, like the kind you keep in photo albums (i'm still doing it) (it's mostly eda)

i dont plan on posting all of them, most are just for my own amusement, but i will share my favorites!! they won't be in chronological order but i will have a tag for these if anyone ever wants to check

i'll post one later

[fumifooms]

"It was something I could fix" Sevika Jinx brotp sooo real i need this i need them I need the "I’m gonna exterminate the family i have left" to include Sevika because of an accident during battle I want the girl Sevika always called a jinx to jinx her and for her to not even be mad, just tough as nails with even tougher love even in her dying breath.

[beneathsilverstars]

chatted with @horatiocomehome about how the underpinning logic of crafting might work, particularly in relation to wishcraft and loop's existence! it turned into a whole metaphor that i'm very happy with. i had a little fun with the prose towards the end so this is um 1.5k long? lmao, enjoy 💖

(major spoilers for all of In Stars And Time)

Each person is their own well of craft power. When you craft, you are creating a path for that water to flow through, like digging channels. Each act of magic, then, has two components: the energy source, and the channel.

We know people are naturally aligned to certain craft types. If the magic of your soul is aligned with scissors, it will flow much more intuitively through scissors-shaped channels. But it's still possible to use a rock shape instead — it just takes more effort and precision to get the results you want.

Across all craft types, of course, there are techniques to learn and skills to practice. You can work on building paths that can hold more power, or direct it more precisely, or filter out certain parts of it, or transfer it more efficiently. And you can build them towards all sorts of different destinations, for different purposes. Some of these skills are more universally applicable, and some are specific to the particular kind of craft you're doing.

Some types of crafting aren't so neatly divided into the three styles — maybe this one is technically under the paper umbrella but is fairly intuitive to scissors types as well; maybe that one can actually be accomplished equally well using any of the three approaches. Some, like bodycraft, are seen as an entirely separate type... but really, none of them are quite as separate as people tend to assume. They're all just different styles of controlling the flow of water.

The techniques for building channels are fairly consistent and scientific. A bit abstract, but they can be taught and even somewhat quantified. However, there's another component at play: the well of the soul. And this varies quite a bit by person.

There's the obvious craft types, of course, but there are also differences in flow strength and consistency, the amount of power the well holds and the rate at which it replenishes itself, and subtler quirks and inclinations. Even when you know the technical methods of a craft, it can take some fine-tuning to get it to work for you. Often this means customizing the technique, but it can also include altering the source.

Because, people change, from day to day and even minute to minute! Strong emotions can change the flow and flavor of the water. When you've got a favorite skill that you know inside and out, you can expect consistent results, perhaps even automatically adjusting the channel as needed to take advantage of variations in the source. But when a skill is new or already a bit of a poor match for you, you may need to put some real effort into centering yourself, or thinking papery thoughts, or hoping really hard that it will work.

Hoping really hard, because all craft is about willpower. You want to change something, and you change it, channeling your energy and emotion through specific techniques — or just pouring it out with minimal guidance, and whatever happens happens.

Which brings us to wishcraft.

A wish is just the energy, without any channel. You deliberately hold your wish in your heart and let it flavor your magic, then externalize it and let that magic flow where it may. This means it's much more flexible than rock-paper-scissors crafts, because you don't need to know the best path down the hill for the water to be able to find it! This also means it's much less predictable, because you can't know what will be the best path down the hill until the water finds it.

Since the magic has no guide other than your emotions, the effect of those emotions is much more obvious when performing this type of craft. Instead of just nudging the results, they define the results; your wish tells the water which way is down. The stronger the wish, the stronger the pull!

(In actuality, the pull is there during all types of crafting. But if you're building pipes that are pointed straight "down" anyway, you don't tend to notice gravity's exact direction and strength unless it's the wrong direction. You see "this isn't working well, I need to focus up" or "this worked just fine, and at the very end here you can see my own personal splash pattern", without much nuance between.)

When performing wishcraft, sometimes the destination is close enough that the pull of the wish is all you need. Sharpening a knife is well within the reach of deliberately channeled craft, so it's easy enough for Siffrin to whisper, "please be sharp," and let a trickle of their magic find the easiest path to sharpness.

If the destination is too far for your own magic to reach, though, there are other sources of power. There are puddles and storms and ice-melt waterfalls, the vast network of magical energy that keeps the universe running. Wishcraft lets you tap into these sources; performing a ritual signals your need to the universe in its own language, attempting to open up a connection through which power can flow. If rock-paper-scissors craft is creating a series of gutters and pipes and wheels to guide your wellwater, wishcraft is building a rain cistern or trying to dig deep enough to hit a natural aquifer.

The more complex and precisely-executed the ritual, the better the connection to the universal source. Once that connection has been made, the energy of the universe flows into your own, taking on the flavor and gravity of your wish. Now mixed, all of the water spills downwards, taking whatever path is necessary to reach the bottom.

Sometimes it doesn't make it. Sometimes the pull is not strong enough to pass the obstacles; sometimes there is not enough water, and it evaporates along the way. More of one can make up for a lack of the other, but only to a certain extent. But sometimes, it is enough, and the energy reaches its goal and pools. Once your wish has been fulfilled, you no longer have cause to wish it, and your connection to the universe's energy closes, and the stream dries up, and the water at the bottom stills. Eventually, it will evaporate into the air and sink back into the ground, returning to the sources from whence it came.

The King had a strong wish. He poured out his entire being, and that energy sang with longing. He is just one person, but he completed every ritual he could, tapping into every possible source. It all built up until finally, a terrible rain fell over Vaugarde, and each small drop fell towards perfect stillness.

Vaugarde had a very strong wish. So many people aimlessly poured out their energy towards "please free the country" and "please defeat the King", and these wishes merged into a confluence of craft with a powerful gravity — but since they weren't tapped into a greater source, there simply was not enough water to smash through the obstacles.

Until Siffrin made a wish that pulled in a similar direction. And Siffrin's wish had a tidy ritual behind it, a strike through rock to reach the spring water behind. A trickle of power from the universe mixed with Siffrin's wish, then joined with the people of Vaugarde's and suddenly that great gravity had a source to pull from. Power erupted from the spring of the universe, a river rushing towards "save the country" and "stay with my friends."

Eventually, eventually, the water nearly reached the bottom — finally, Siffrin beat the king — but from there, the gravities diverged. The water, having reached one goal, crashed back towards the other. Siffrin looped again, and... gave up.

A trickle with nowhere to go may slow and stop. A stream that is pulled nowhere may simply pool where it is. A rushing river, however, does not still so easily, caught between momentum ahead and vacuum behind.

In the awful torrent, Siffrin made a new wish, which pulled in a similar-but-different direction. A new source, a new goal. First a sharp drop sideways — cutting off from the initial sources — and then a deep pool, from which a stream of "I wish it could be over" and "I wish I could get out of here" and "I wish for someone to help me" continued to pour.

(A pool is not... the same thing as a well. But then, is not all water the same? A well, an aquifer, a spring, a river, a waterfall, a lake, an ocean, a storm. It's all water. And some parts of the universe are called people, and this part called themself Loop.)

Now sequestered, Loop's abandonment of their initial wish no longer tainted that wish's water. The well of Siffrin remained intact upstream, and poured out the same initial wish, with the same ritual connecting it to the same spring of the Universe. And the river continued to flow towards salvation and companionship, and its inevitable rocking between the two. (And the stream ran parallel, seeking freedom and help.)

Trapped between its goals, the water raged, great terrible waves one direction and then the other. The new Siffrin's wish soured, and the gravity of it distorted, until he gave it up. And oh, how the water crashed! How the valley flooded in terrible waves, how the world cracked!

Then

Settled

As Siffrin found their wish again

For this time salvation did not mean the end of companionship

So the wish, fulfilled, could let go of its source

And the calm water could gently flow back into the ocean

Until the last of the river ran dry.

(Though, there was still the cut-off pool. Loop's crashing hell of endless rush and wave was over, and finally they were out, all the way out. Maybe they got all the help they needed, too, and their wish quietly relinquished its star-source. Without a source, the pool would eventually dry up, but who could guess how long that would take?

Or maybe their wish continued to pull, pleading, "help me, someone, anyone." With the ritual connection still open, the pool would continue to replenish itself, each drop saturated with the flavor of their wish. And who could guess what ripples that would cause, the next time they tried to craft?)

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Road To Ruin

start of a postapocalyptic fantasy series set in an Asian-inspired desert world plagued by dangerous storms

follows a courier who transports romantic letters between a prince and princess, who helps the princess escape across the wastes towards the prince’s safe haven

but they’re pursued by bounty hunters, and accidentally uncover some ancient secrets. and also she’s in love with both of them

dinosaurs, magical motorbikes,

bi MC, start of polyam triad

[marlynnofmany]

I've been reading a lot of science fiction and fantasy stories lately, by a lot of different authors, and I've noticed an interesting trend. Not something that happens all the time by any means, but something that's more likely to happen in one over the other.

Magic fixes problems while science causes problems.

And it makes sense that it would be that way, because magic is something that we don't really have, and we can only imagine what we would do with it if we did. Magic is just altering reality in ways that logically shouldn't happen, given our current understanding of physics. If we could change reality with a snap of our fingers, oh man we would do so much good with it.

But science. We've seen what science can do. And before it can achieve the lofty goals that it sets out to do, it goes through any number of failures and setbacks. We've seen the mistakes. We've suffered through them. Then in fiction, we extrapolate what could happen with advancements that we haven't quite reached yet.

With science fiction, we tell cautionary tales of a that future could be. With fantasy, we tell fairy tales of a past that never was.

Not every time. But often enough to notice.

[aboredindividual]

Omega Fashion

The main difference between omega fashion and other dynamics is the division they use. In alpha and beta fashion, the clothing is divided by the first gender, male or female. In omega ones, the clothing is divided by development stages of the omega in question: Immature -> Mature and Unmated -> Mature and Mated -> During and Post pregnancy. Those stages show significant milestones that omega hit and every transition from one to another is often celebrated by their families.

The clothes in question have the most variety and complexivity of all the secondary genders. They often make a point to show off omega's social status in question, resulting in razzle dazzle type of clothing, regardless of division. The unsaid social rule states that omegas' overall image represent the wellness of the house, ensuing a custom where omegas are often pampered with multitude of robes, jewelry and trinkets.

Immature Omegas

Omegas typically wears those clothes from their presentation up untill the age of 18-19 where they will then be considered mature. The clothing style consists of Long, multilayered skirt, a long sleeved underrobe,strap tank and an overrobe with short wide sleeve. The clothes are to show off omegas innocence and childishness ( that they have, lets not forget that they are under 18 and considered a child). They are often easy to wash and breathable. When it comes to an omegas neck and wrist areas, they are often covered by simple neck necklaces and wrist warmers.

Mature and Unmated Omegas

It's the stage where omega is at 18 years of age and considered eligible for mating and marriage. The fashion favours many layers and body modesty. The clothes are often elaborate and eye-catching where omega's beauty is accentuated with careful layers and jewelry. They range from body fitting to loose, light to dark coloured etc. During this stage there will be time where omega will start to court people. You can discern fully single omega and courting one by one difference- the jewelry. Single omega's jewelry around ones neck is often simple but covering omegas neck fully with matching wrist bracelets covering their scent glands whereas courting omega's jewelry will be more elaborate and detailed. There is also a trend in fashion where omega will wear nail jewelry, that is small and unasuming but adding elegant touch.

Mature and Mated Omegas

This clothing stage focuses on showing off shoulder and neck area, where mating bite resides. This fashion division makes it known that omega is off limits and dazzling with happiness. There is present large amount of decorations, jewelry and layers. Those mated omegas often really invest in how they look to show off themselves and their mates as a sign of pride and fullfilment. Furthermore this fashion isnt only reserved for omegas without children, Omegan mothers can fluidly switch between the maternal fashion and mated one as both of them kinda coexist together, it is matter of preference tho which fashion individual omega prefers. The nail jewelry is also present where omegas lets their nails grow to bigger lenghts while still being unobtrusive when permorming tasks.

During and Post Pregnancy

This fashion is reserved for expecting and present mothers, where they want to show off omega's belly and neck area on full display. Those clothes offer more mobility and freedom than all previous divisions and try to put omegas in ,,godlike'' clothes to represent their strength and beauty while carrying their young. Even omegas who are after childbirth often still remain in those clothes to show off their ,,mom bod'' and fertility.

Edit: I shifted Ming dynasty clothing up to the post pregnancy region because i kinda thought about it. While the two piece clothing that shows belly is fine, it would be pretty irresponsible to wear it on cold weather. Plus the Ming clothing covers whole body, doesnt obstruct belly and looks pretty cozy (at least on pictures), hence the change :)) Toodles

[reinedeslys-central]

more!! again!! for the nico after blood of olympus fic!! actually I thought of this while writing the last one but I just finished it.

His elbows buckle and he lets himself fall into Will, snorting at his theatrical groan under the weight. They lay there for a second until Will shoves him gently, and Nico lets him manoeuvre them into a more comfortable position.

"Hi," he whispers, moving a curl away from his cheek. The greenish tint of the loft window casts a weird shadow over Will's face.

"Hey yourself," Will murmurs back, winking.

Nico rolls his eyes. "You look like Apollo when you do that. Please stop." Will squawks in protest.

"I do not! Also, since when do you remember what Apollo looks like? Actually, no, don't answer that, you can't bring up my dad while we're in bed, Nico, why would you do this to me?"

Now it's Nico's turn to sputter and whack Will in the chest - getting another dramatic oof and a laugh in return - before turning around to face Hazel's bed. He's not sure when he'll ever be able to sleep facing the wall. Will can't do it either.

As Will's arms curl around his waist and draw him back against him, just like they did back in the infirmary that one day, he thinks maybe he'd be okay trying that with him sometime. One day, in a house with gates, no longer wary of monsters.

Will noses the back of his neck, causing him to twitch. "What is it?"

Will's answering smile presses through the rough cotton of his t-shirt. "Nothing, sunshine."

Nico frowns under the covers. "Hey, what do you think of houses with gates?" He whispers.

"Gates? Well, it'd be safer, I guess, but we'd lose the neighbours coming over -"

"As if you want to see random people at the door anyway. What if they're monsters?"

"Oh, come on, darlin', I'm from Austin. Of course I gotta keep space for the neighbours to come knocking."

"…Fences? Actually, hey, why'd you assume I was talking about us? Obviously - Obviously I was talking about random. Random houses. For architecture reasons."

Will muffles his laugh into the back of his neck, again. "Oh, my bad. And I'm only here because you ripped a stitch on the lava wall yesterday."

Nico feels his ears warm.

"Shut up."

"I didn't say anything."

"..Still."

Will reels him in closer until his back hits his chest and he can press a soft peck to Nico's still-red ears. "I think a fence is a great idea, by the way. We could ask Hazel for help with some ward stones too, like you have in the cabin. Gotta make sure we've got at least one window and standing space in every direction, though, or at least in the east, because you know my dad would sulk if he didn't get to scream me awake in the morning."

Nico's blush gets worse.

"Now who's talking about your dad in bed?" He gives up on pretending. Will sees him through every time, anyway. "Also, shrines, obviously, and we need a spot to stargaze."

"Yeah, shrines, obviously. Maybe just yours, mine, and Lady Hestia's though, or else everyone else is gonna get pissy."

Nico barks out a laugh like it's shocked out of him. "Pissy? Don't let them hear you say that."

Will holds him tighter and settles against the pillows. "Sure thing, sunshine. Now can we sleep?"

"Yeah, yeah."

It's not long after that that Will's breath evens out behind him, his muscles untensing. Nico knows he's got a few minutes yet, so he thinks.

Today was…. good.

Today was nice. Normal, even. Just a day of camp schedules, working in the infirmary, an admittedly short campfire, and this. No monsters, and no mistakes. No deaths, but..

Unbidden, the moments in the infirmary come to mind. He thinks of helping Will scrub in for his one surgery of the day, a kid that had gotten parts of an arrow stuck in their leg a week ago and hadn't noticed til yesterday. He thinks of yesterday during capture-the-flag, stepping in and desperately trying to copy what he'd watched Will do, because Lydia was hanging crooked from a tree and there was no one else around but him-

He thinks of Patroclus tying the straps of Achilles' armour, watching his lover sleep peacefully. He thinks of what Connor had told him about at the campfire weeks ago, of Silena Beauregard taking on a drakon when Clarisse declared the Ares Cabin wouldn't be fighting.

He thinks he might understand.

Lydia wasn't the same (thank the gods), but if there was something to be done that only Will could do right, yet couldn't, and the only way Nico could take up his mantle would be to die trying - then, yeah. He'd do whatever it would take for these kids. To do what Will would do. He's gone to Tartarus already, hasn't he? At worst, he'd try his best and greet his father early if he failed to survive. Nico could even give Charon a tip on the way in for the hell of it, why not?

If there is a luxury that comes from being a child of Hades, after all, it is that dying is not the thing that scares him.

There's a brazier still lit outside the window. Its glow falls in slits across their bed.

Will grumbles, pushing his feet forward until their ankles are wound together. The sheets shift.

Nico smiles into the dark, into the chirping of crickets and the soft glow of the fireflies out the window, and falls asleep.

more for this fic:

scene 0 - prologue-ish scene 1 - the library of social awkwardness or here (or in my heart, 'kidney function is not a right, it's a privilege' lol)

general writing directory

also lmk if you want more lore. I am so down to talk about this fic + the worldbuilding ideas I have for it in the notes it is unreal

[tumblweeds-omegaverse]

random omegaverse thought:

There must be people who experience specific instinct things with indifference or boredom.

Procreative cycle coming up? "Crap, I've got plans this weekend...stupid skip weeks."

Caught an intriguing scent while walking? "But I need to get to work! Shut up brain."

Had a snap response to a distressed sound? "Who was it?! ...right, it's my day off, I can go back to sleep."

Somebody growled at them? "Kid, I'm not a rival, that's my sibling."

Super cozy cuddle session happening nearby? "I'm gonna pass tonight guys, no social battery left, maybe next time."

Group of friends heading out to flirt and check out other singles? "I'm coming with you but only to make sure you all get home safe."

Setting where fated mates or soul bonds or permanent marks are a thing? "Meh. I don't really want one or care if I ever get one."

People in the actual omegaverse would get as bored of their stuff, as we do of ours, you know? It could be interesting to see that kind of vibe in fics. Biological demands faced with all the excitement of paying bills or doing laundry or tying your shoes.

Even if that kind of energy might not drive a plot, it could be interesting to have as a contrast to the people who do have big feelings about them - good or bad.

There's the friends who can't wait til they have a pack of their own, and the one friend who isn't against it but couldn't care less. There's the group in the office who are all about scent compatibility tests and figuring out one's best match and what sprays most highlight it, and the coworker who has no intentions on putting that much effort in. There are parents who hover and protect their offspring by scenting them multiple times a day, and others who don't see what the fuss is as long as it's done in the morning.

...also: packs with introverts who show care by giving each other space. So often, closeness is depicted through physical touch and tactile affection, but comfortable silence is meaningful too. Knowing people are near, but not having to interact until you're ready. Sitting in the same room doing different things, knowing that all it takes is a "hey, look at this" to share what you're up to. People understanding and accepting each other's differing or fluctuating needs for how and when to recharge. Seeing somebody reaching out or sharing space, beyond what's their norm, as a signal of the fact that they care.

[scribefindegil]

With scifi/fantasy/similar genres, there’s a continuum from “this is About the constructed world; the characters are vehicles for exploring it” to “this is About the characters; the worldbuilding exists entirely in service of them,” and they’re both good and valid ways to tell stories! But they have different goals and different standards and if helps to figure out what a story’s priorities are so you aren’t critiquing it for failing at something it never set out to do in the first place.