#worldbuildiiiiiiiiiing

[sovinly]

samyazaz replied to your post “It’s probably not good how quickly and completely I get attached to my...”

for what it's worth I was thinking about the whole where-do-you-guys-want-to-play-in-this-sandbox-next and the prospect of leaving Mir behind and got really sad at the idea of not being able to pop in on Athan and Kian

Awwww! I am glad you like the space husbands! (I am very fond of them, in case that wasn’t totally and dreadfully obvious) But yeah, it’ll definitely be sad when you can’t pop in to say hi (*cough*and heavily imply you’re going to go commit murder but hey *cough*)

theladyragnell replied to your post “It’s probably not good how quickly and completely I get attached to my...”

I definitely want to ask you about gnomish superstitions but I feel like it might be spoilers. Also you're wonderful.

Aww, you’re wonderful too! <3

And okay, some of those miiiiight be spoilers, but you miiiiight have a chance of finding out what Elyn does/doesn’t know about some of those here at some point soonish! But there are definitely non-spoilery/spoilers elided Gnomish superstitions!* E.g.:

Many gnomes firmly believe that you should not name your children after tools, because that’s just inviting bad luck!**

Most Gnomish ships carry talismans of a particular constellation, and it’s considered good luck to touch it as you pass (even gnomes who aren’t generally superstitious have been known to do this).

You should keep the first thing your child makes and gift it back to them when they’re an adult, because a first creation has significant emotional value!

In Gnomish cultures where marriage (with cohabitation) are a thing, it is often considered auspicious for spouses to give one another new nicknames on the wedding day!

There is a very old, old superstition that the first nickname parents give their child (while they’re still gestating/are just born and not Officially Named) is held close to the soul, and, if you use that nickname while attempting a resurrection/greater restoration, you have a better chance of calling that person back to themselves.

It is good luck/does not bring bad luck to transform a gift from your ancestors into part of a new creation (especially if you give it to a younger family member in turn)!

Naming vessels (space, water, or otherwise) for Real People with good/applicable qualities is good luck - you guys probably learned over the last few days, but the Seles Emsel is named for Mink’s great-great-grandmother, a notoriously lucky woman.

To the gnomes of Lambda Concordia, with their honeycomb architectural structure, it’s considered auspicious if there are thriving beehives near a newly-built home.

Material that doesn’t take transmutation well/the results of failed transmutation are sometimes considered unlucky, or likely to bring or signal ill luck.

Gnomish teenagers in many places definitely have a silly game/have heard rumors that if you cast an illusory shadow, you can make out the first letter of the name of your crush/future partner/person who has a crush on you.

* With the caveat that there is, of course, a wide variety of cultures and things vary, etc etc.

** Whether this is because Weird Laws of the Universe or just because gnomes have realized that naming a kid after a tool usually ends up with a kid feeling pressured to take up a certain vocation, which is generally uncool. Nicknames are cool though, kids have like 50 of those, it’s not gonna scar them for life unless you are being shitty about it.

... This was going to be like three bullet points and then this happened. WHOOPS. ANYWAY THERE’S SOME GNOME SUPERSTITIONS.

WORLDBUILDING. \o/