#worldbuilding rambles

[sycamorality]

thinking abt my original worldbuilding and also abt rain world's worldbuilding. auhvckk . i love you rain world and i really wanna include rw's worldbuilding in some way in my own but i am bad at figuring things out

[autism-purgatory]

Uhhh here’s how naming conventions work in sculpted lands!

Vitran, Nordofan, Ambraian, and Vitusian just have kinda fucked up European names like Hanithan and Yostinian.

Osica works like this: Your Family has a Lineage name. For example, the royal family has the lineage name of “Os” and when you are born, you are given a personal name attached to it, usually based on what the parents want for you in the future.

Pyramis’ naming conventions work similary, except you are given a sort of nickname and your personal name is only to be used by a lover, family, or very very close friend. Only the Empress can bypass this and always refers to her subjects by their personal names. The “Public” name is made up by the person, while the personal name is, like Osica, rooted in what the parents want for the child in the future.

Yigdea is the strangest of them all, because the children aren’t given legitimate names until they pass The Guardian’s Trial and their offering is accepted by the Oceanbed Demon. Their childhood names are the word for bloom “Yig” plus a color. They start their trial at 16 usually, and it’s done alongside a group of other children. They all have to hunt and retrieve a Dwell, and are then given their markings after offering it to the Oceanbed Demon. (Also their marking day is also somewhat similar to Mother’s/Father’s day)

[aethersea]

another thing fantasy writers should keep track of is how much of their worldbuilding is aesthetic-based. it's not unlike the sci-fi hardness scale, which measures how closely a story holds to known, real principles of science. The Martian is extremely hard sci-fi, with nearly every detail being grounded in realistic fact as we know it; Star Trek is extremely soft sci-fi, with a vaguely plausible "space travel and no resource scarcity" premise used as a foundation for the wildest ideas the writers' room could come up with. and much as Star Trek fuckin rules, there's nothing wrong with aesthetic-based fantasy worldbuilding!

(sidenote we're not calling this 'soft fantasy' bc there's already a hard/soft divide in fantasy: hard magic follows consistent rules, like "earthbenders can always and only bend earth", and soft magic follows vague rules that often just ~feel right~, like the Force. this frankly kinda maps, but I'm not talking about just the magic, I'm talking about the worldbuilding as a whole.

actually for the purposes of this post we're calling it grounded vs airy fantasy, bc that's succinct and sounds cool.)

a great example of grounded fantasy is Dungeon Meshi: the dungeon ecosystem is meticulously thought out, the plot is driven by the very realistic need to eat well while adventuring, the story touches on both social and psychological effects of the whole 'no one dies forever down here' situation, the list goes on. the worldbuilding wants to be engaged with on a mechanical level and it rewards that engagement.

deliberately airy fantasy is less common, because in a funny way it's much harder to do. people tend to like explanations. it takes skill to pull off "the world is this way because I said so." Narnia manages: these kids fall into a magic world through the back of a wardrobe, befriend talking beavers who drink tea, get weapons from Santa Claus, dance with Bacchus and his maenads, and sail to the edge of the world, without ever breaking suspension of disbelief. it works because every new thing that happens fits the vibes. it's all just vibes! engaging with the worldbuilding on a mechanical level wouldn't just be futile, it'd be missing the point entirely.

the reason I started off calling this aesthetic-based is that an airy story will usually lean hard on an existing aesthetic, ideally one that's widely known by the target audience. Lewis was drawing on fables, fairy tales, myths, children's stories, and the vague idea of ~medieval europe~ that is to this day our most generic fantasy setting. when a prince falls in love with a fallen star, when there are giants who welcome lost children warmly and fatten them up for the feast, it all fits because these are things we'd expect to find in this story. none of this jars against what we've already seen.

and the point of it is to be wondrous and whimsical, to set the tone for the story Lewis wants to tell. and it does a great job! the airy worldbuilding serves the purposes of the story, and it's no less elegant than Ryōko Kui's elaborately grounded dungeon. neither kind of worldbuilding is better than the other.

however.

you do have to know which one you're doing.

the whole reason I'm writing this is that I saw yet another long, entertaining post dragging GRRM for absolute filth. asoiaf is a fun one because on some axes it's pretty grounded (political fuck-around-and-find-out, rumors spread farther than fact, fastest way to lose a war is to let your people starve, etc), but on others it's entirely airy (some people have magic Just Cause, the various peoples are each based on an aesthetic/stereotype/cliché with no real thought to how they influence each other as neighbors, the super-long seasons have no effect on ecology, etc).

and again! none of this is actually bad! (well ok some of those stereotypes are quite bigoted. but other than that this isn't bad.) there's nothing wrong with the season thing being there to highlight how the nobles are focused on short-sighted wars for power instead of storing up resources for the extremely dangerous and inevitable winter, that's a nice allegory, and the looming threat of many harsh years set the narrative tone. and you can always mix and match airy and grounded worldbuilding – everyone does it, frankly it's a necessity, because sooner or later the answer to every worldbuilding question is "because the author wanted it to be that way." the only completely grounded writing is nonfiction.

the problem is when you pretend that your entirely airy worldbuilding is actually super duper grounded. like, for instance, claiming that your vibes-based depiction of Medieval Europe (Gritty Edition) is completely historical, and then never even showing anyone spinning. or sniffing dismissively at Tolkien for not detailing Aragorn's tax policy, and then never addressing how a pre-industrial grain-based agricultural society is going years without harvesting any crops. (stored grain goes bad! you can't even mouse-proof your silos, how are you going to deal with mold?) and the list goes on.

the man went up on national television and invited us to engage with his worldbuilding mechanically, and then if you actually do that, it shatters like spun sugar under the pressure. doesn't he realize that's not the part of the story that's load-bearing! he should've directed our focus to the political machinations and extensive trope deconstruction, not the handwavey bit.

point is, as a fantasy writer there will always be some amount of your worldbuilding that boils down to 'because I said so,' and there's nothing wrong with that. nor is there anything wrong with making that your whole thing – airy worldbuilding can be beautiful and inspiring. but you have to be aware of what you're doing, because if you ask your readers to engage with the worldbuilding in gritty mechanical detail, you had better have some actual mechanics to show them.

[dunmeshistash]

Incomplete/imperfect knowledge in Dungeon Meshi is so good isn't it?

The exposition I usually see in made up worlds tend to the side of being perfect explanations (or at least they eventually get explained to the audience) but in dungeon meshi we get a lot of speculation from in world imperfect understanding of the people living in it, it's so good.

The bad understanding that gets corrected later on it's like "Oh I see why they thought that" but some isn't even given a good answer at all.

Some examples is of course the living armors people assumed were moved by magic but were a monster. But there's also less obvious things, like the understanding about ancient magic, dungeons, the basilisk "which one is the main body", differences between humans and demi-humans etc

Even characters that know more than other characters still have blank spaces in their understanding they fill with misconceptions. Like the canaries not fully understanding the demon even tho they think they do.

This is one of the great parts about the ending 10/10

so what happens now that the world was changed? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[cubbihue]

What would Peri’s power level be if he didn’t have his inhibitor/stabilizer wand and just went apeshit?

While Cosmo deals with too much magic in his body, Peri suffers from a slightly different issue. Cosmo has the greatest amount of magic in Fairy World. Peri is incapable of regulating his magic.

Peri cannot, not then as a child and not now in the present, control his magic. Without his inhibitor, he can easily destroy an entire realm- just as he nearly destroyed Earth as a baby. This fact has not changed, although it is less plausible today than back then.

Peri's taken extra measures in the present-day to ensure it cannot happen.

Bitties Series: [Start] > [Previous] > [Next]

Instability: [Start] > [Previous] > [Next]

[tetrameryxx]

A catalogue of Akkrazaran dog breeds, found inside of a reference bestiary

[incorporeal-entity]

Here is why You should ship Vigilance x Diamond (Diamance)

(art by @aeg3an + permission to use)

1. Toxic Yuri

These two are at war with each other so naturally they hate each other but both are drawn to each other since they both know the stresses of being a queen. This is what drew them together plus the begrudging respect on how both of them are able to one up each other in war. When one side gains the upper hand the other comes up with a strategy to turn the tides back in their favor. This builds respect but also anger and resentment since they are losing dragons.

2. The Drama

Since they are at war with each other how will they grapple with the fact they have feelings for their enemy? They would have to keep their feelings a secret between them or else a massive Royal scandal will occur. They will kill any dragon including advisors if they even think they are starting to grow suspicious. So they send letters mad at the loss of advisors or dragons fallen in war and how their army will reach their kingdom and tear it down but beneath the anger is a sense of longing and how they will be the one to deal the final blow to other and how the winner will hold the loser and look them in the eyes as the life fades form their eyes.

3. How will it end?

How will they end up? Will one finally manage to kill the other leaving nothing behind a feeling of triumph overshadowed by loss and longing? Will they both kill each other in battle with both of them finally being able to embrace each other as their lives come to an end? Will it be an enemies to lovers story to do what Arctic and Foeslayer couldn't? Or will it end like it did in canon the Nighwings leaving and both Queens feeling and immense longing and rage at the fact they weren't able to finish the job? Idk and honestly that is up to you to explore.

In conclusion

The sheer amount of potential this ship has is massive in the ways how the characters will react to their feelings, how they express them or if they try to hide it how their facade falters, and how their story will end. The possibilities and scenarios these ships have is immense and it's why you should ship Diamond x Vigilance.

[dragon-swords-prophecies]

@magic-is-something-we-create @did-i-do-this-write @akindofmagictoo @gr3y-heron AMAZING THANK YOU YOU'RE ALL MY FAVORITE PEOPLE EVER :DDDD

So, I went to a railroad museum this weekend (it was fantastic and I learned so much) and it gave me ideas. there is a cut here because this got LONG

So the world herald is in has three main cities that are relevant to the story: Valimore (the main setting), Lutetia (where Blake is from), and the unnamed one that I keep calling fantasy madrid in my head. They have roughly the same train & airship stuff.

They're both modes of transportation for cargo and people, and both are relatively quick. Trains are cheaper, but if you were trying to get over the ocean, you would take an airship, because there aren't any train tracks over the ocean. To get through the mountains, though, you can take either: airships take about a day to get over the biggest mountain range, and trains take two-three to get through the same one.

So, they do basically the same thing, why hasn't one died out, like cars vs horse drawn carriages, you ask? (well, maybe you don't, but let's pretend someone is asking).

BECAUSE sky ships are a very new thing, relatively speaking. they've been around for about 30-40 years. Blake, who's in her late 50s and has been a skyship captain for 20+ years and on the crew of one almost her entire adult life, signed on to one of the first major commercial skyships when she was in her very early 20s. They became very popular very fast, and there's airship docks in nearly every city now. (I'm not completely sure what they look like yet but airship docks look kinda ridiculous, I think. really tall-- OH MY GOD THE CLOCKTOWER SHOULD BE AN AIRSHIP DOCK THATS SUCH A FUN IDEA I LOVE THAT--).

So, the original airship captains were train conductors (like how in real life the first train conductors were steamship captains), and Blake's parents were both train conductors or otherwise employed on trains. this is how she got into it. Neither of her parents worked on skyships but some of their friends did.

Because of this, the command structure and bureaucracy surrounding airships is a lot like that surrounding trains!!!!

AND ALSO BECAUSE they're both for transportation, but different types of transportation!!! trains are used for shorter or medium length voyages, or if you don't need to get somewhere super fast, or if you can't/aren't willing to spend a lot of money on a ticket. skyships are used by people in emergencies, or for longer trips with several stops on the way, or if you're really rich. they aren't used by most of the population, cause they're not practical if you aren't super rich. for this reason, most airships (blake's included) are for cargo transport, mostly perishable goods that need to be moved quickly, or for a few passengers at a time.

there is more to this, but I'm not really sure of what it is concretely and also i need to go and sleep.

also. the car trip I typed most of this on we picked up a cat halfway through, and this is her and I love her and she's now my sister's cat and her name is either orla or french toast and have i mentioned i love her

hey does anyone wanna hear about how trains and airships coexist & interact in the herald at dawn world

[starmocha]

So there is this old manga series (Loveless by Yun Kouga) involving...cat people (have both cat and human ears). In this world, people lose their cat features (ears and tail) when they lose their virginity.

...

Are you guys picking up what I'm putting down? 😌

Yes. A world where losing your cat features means that you've just lost your virginity. That's it. That's the concept. Do with this idea as you will.

If anyone does anything with this, pls tag me, I will devour your fic/scenario/headcanon/art in a heartbeat 💖💖💖

[opal-owl-flight]

Decimation.

Youve been stealing back millions of eggs from Grizzco for years. And in a single night, they took it all back.

How does it feel to face a possible extinction?

Uhh lore abt Grizzco and the salmonids below!

So in my interp, Grizzco started somewhat small, bc back then Grizz and...an associate... were doing everything by themselves. When his associate went nuts, and almost ended the world by driving the nearby salmonid nations nuts as well, Inkadia launched Project Piranesi. (More on that another time.) Grizz had to think of another way to get those eggs..

…how perfect was it then, that Inkopolis, a fairly new city, was having a bit of a salmonid problem?

Grizz inserted his corporation as part of the damage control along the run routes. it only grew from there.

he expanded to the Splatlands later, though admittedly the folks there were more adapted to the salmonids compared to Inkadia. Its not as strong a hold but Splatsville and its surrounding establishments appreciated the extra precautions Grizzco provided.

Neos born fighting for her life and for her clans. Its why shes so aggressive and finds it difficult to be anything but. If shes not angry, fighting for her clans to have a life of peace…for a present and future where she can live -- what is she?

she and 3 arent so different, in that regard.

------------

Grizzco says that the last 7 big run locales had "unusual magnetic readings" and in my world that just means THEY DAMN PUT IT THERE!!!!

They intentionally put something there to confuse the migrators and to steal the next generation -- and the Inkfish? Ofc theyd fight for their homes.

The Splatlandians TRIED to avoid the routes when they built the city after thousands of years of observation. Sorta like the dykes and canals some cities build next to swelling rivers.

Another comparison is that the big runs are just like other natural calamities in the eyes of the nations. Its like a flood, an earthquake, a typhoon. Hell its somewhat announced that way too. The infrastructure is built with the runs in mind. The powers that be have built countermeasures.

*I say try bc some sleazy/unaware corporations still built along those routes bc of the cheaper land/other "economical reasons."

And then Inkadia just wasnt aware at all, being a newer city compared to the ancient splatlands.

Grizzco intentionally causes property damage for bigger gains. Theyve been suffering a "shortage" thanks to Neo3 and the platoon's banditry. In a bid to take everything back and more, they decided to make the biggest event in the Splatlands the salmonid's next target.

They know that EVERYONE will show up to it.

---------

I think seeing that counter keep ticking up gives Neo3 a sense of creeping dread. Thats the number of eggs she put back in the sea. And more. All done in a single night. All her work, down the drain.

The platoon does manage to get a LOT of it back but god. What about the fallen runners, who were supposed to get to the actual spawning grounds?

Those lives disrespected and their bodies unable to feed the spawn. (Theres only so much the survivors can drag back.)

I wonder too, how many of those runners arent there for the runs at this point. They are there to kill.

Ticked off by the persistent attacks and the misdirection. As Polyphemus says in Epic, "Take from you what you take from me."

----------

After multi-magnetic field disruptors in the biggest run, these salmonid have had enough and want to hit back. I wouldnt blame them...god, I wouldnt blame them

The salmonids have never resorted to kidnapping any inkfish. Theyve killed. Yeah. Part of the whole running ceremony. But it was always just a part of that.

To actually go out of their way to fight instead of spawn? Thats different. In the grand run, inkfish may notice that some bosses arent dropping golden eggs. Bc they were never here to spawn. Theyre here to drag every inkfish they find into hell.

Subsequent big runs may end up with more and more of those eggless bosses.

----------

Happy 700 mil!! I HAD MANY NEO3 AND SALMONID THOUGHTS. THINGS ARE GETTING SO FUCKED UP IN SPLOONWORLD. The platoon as a whole is trying to restore peace between the Splatlands, Inkadia, Octaria AND the Salmonid nations, but unless Inkadia and the Splatlands change (COUGHS mostly Inkadia), nothing can really be done.

This is the shit 3 fights for. That harmony is what they dream of. The whole world rests on their shoulders and they press on, ever forward.

[getvalentined]

I mentioned this elsewhere but I can get into more detail about it here: one of my favorite things to do when writing fic for a series that isn't placed on some AU version of Earth is to use legitimate but archaic or obsolete terms for things: "dioxidane" instead of hydrogen peroxide, "bhanga" instead of marijuana, "shellshock" instead of PTSD, and so on. I think it gives the work a more realistic air while also solidifying the setting as being somewhere else, and still being something that a reader can look up if necessary.

Also a huge fan of repurposing common idioms for the fictional setting in question. I play in FF7, and these are a few of my favorites:

In for a penny, in for a pound → In for a gil, in for a grand

Rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic → Washing windows in Midgar at Meteorfall

A bull in a china shop → A grandhorn in a glass boutique

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth → Don't look a gift bird in the beak

Boss makes a dollar, I make a dime, that's why I [verb] on company time → Boss makes a fortune, I make a gil, that's why I [verb] while I'm paying the bills

Cold as a witch's tit → Chilly as Shiva's armpit

Hung like a horse → Built like a behemoth

If wishes were horses beggars would ride → If wishes were chocobos beggars would fly

Idioms catch on because there's a particular flow and rhythm to them, so you can't always just swap out a word and expect it to work—you can't just plug in "chocobo" everywhere common turns of phrase use "horse," for instance, because the extra syllables throw off the flow and make the phrase awkward to say. You gotta figure out the pattern in the idiom, where the emphasis hits, etc., and then rework that to work in-universe.

Stuff like this is very silly, but it really makes a difference to me with regard to readability and suspension of disbelief, so I really enjoy doing it in my own work, and it's always fun to see it in someone else's!

[steelthroat]

Guys.

Cybertron, but the surface and the buildings are shaped like bismuth crystals...

Look at how pretty it is please!!!!!

[autism-purgatory]

Categorization in the Fluff & Tendrils universe:

So, Cryptids are categorized the same way animals are, what family they’re in, what genome they are, their scientific name, etc.

there are certain monsters that aren’t categorized as cryptids because they have the cognitive functions of humans, and thus are viewed in a similar manner. “Monsters” view cryptids similar to how humans view apes.

Ghosts are categorized based on behavior. (Btw there isn’t an afterlife, ghosts are usually still existing bc they have unfinished business). The major categories are Shades, Demons, Poltergeists, and Dwellers. Shades are usually shy, and are rarely recorded. They are only seen via a shadow, which could look like a regular dude or a freaky lanky monster. Demons are easily the worst, they’re aggressive, vengeful, and powerful (this includes altering reality, following people no matter how hard people stave it off, and setting stuff on fire for shits and giggles). They are heavily linked to Eldritch Magic due to how they can be summoned via Skin Grimoires. Demons are extremely rare. Poltergeists have no visible form. They make their presence known by interacting with objects or messing with electricity. They can also manifest via extremely graphic and traumatizing nightmares. And finally, dwellers. People who are bound to a certain property or land and can never leave, they constantly fade in and out of existence. They can physically interact with things and also they look like how they died (which usually isn’t a very pleasant sight)

Aliens are tricky, because some are considered cryptids due to their animalistic nature, while others aren’t. Many aliens have arrived or been left behind on earth over the centuries so it’s kind of a pain in the ass to strictly categorize them. The general categories are Changelings, Tinkerers, and Apostles. Changelings are usually shapeshifters or replace/hijack someone, only to abandon society to have offspring, rinse and repeat. Tinkerers are more intelligent with better technology and a habit of kidnapping animals or humans. Many have dens that contain labs or destroyed ships. And finally, Apostles, terrifyingly powerful entities from the 4th dimension, who are usually sent by a god from there. The only thing each Apostle has in common is that they can rip through the fragile skin of reality to dimension hop. There’s a general vibe on which god they serve that helps define their abilities. For example, if an Apostle is seen dissecting/stealing bodies from a morgue to analyze them, then they probably serve Zur’Guran, who’s whole shtick is gathering knowledge on the corporeal realm.

then there’s Vampirism and Lycanthropy, which is categorized similar to viruses or parasite strains. Both are viruses/transferrable parasites that spread worldwide and adapted to different regions. The same also applies to the undead, which range from shambling corpses to regular people that are just rotting faster, or even just plain old humans who need to eat flesh to survive.

[ecosystem-administrator]

Okay it's four in the morning and I'm not entirely right in the head and I absolutely have not thought through the ramifications of this in its entirety, but

Garleans can't use aether, but they can affect and be affected by dynamis. we've seen this in canon.

Culturally Garleans seem to have a lot of emotional repression, breaking through only when pushed to extremes, which has no doubt prevented them from actualizing the combat potential of dynamis in the past. There is now an opportunity for this to change.

as they rebuild and reform their culture we should see Garlean bards becoming a thing, and they should invent heavy metal

[da-shrimping-station]

Devildom having traffic not only on the ground but also in the skies is interesting af.

A good chunk of the population have wings (let's say it's a 50/50 split between winged and tailed demons) so surely it's a norm that you see demons flying around doin their own business.

You seen those crowded streets where pedestrians bunch together while crossing the road? That but with winged demons, flying at different heights and speeds trying to get to their destination.

Imagine MC going outside and being careful of not only foot traffic but also air traffic cuz some demons don't bother warning others that they're landing or passing by. They'd hear a woosh and needing to duck cuz some idiot flew too low and nearly clipped them with a wing or two.

There would also be exclusive no-fly zones around certain places. Also needing to check the weather if it's a good day for flying (i bet the weather and climate in Devildom can get unpredictable at times) or if it's better to walk or commute instead because air traffic is so stupid today and you can't be late for an appointment.

Imagine you chose to commute home for today cuz your wings are tired but the vehicle broke down and goddammit I wanna go home asap i guess i have to fly.

One of the reasons Lucifer agreed to Mammon getting a car cuz there's 3 of them who can't fly.

Mammon and Satan arguing about which route to take for faster travelling while Levi plays in the back seat with Belphie leaning against him and napping. Meanwhile up above, Lucifer, Asmo, and Beel keep pace with them.

Sometimes Asmo sits in the back cuz he can't afford to ruin his hair from all the flying. Sometimes Belphie shimmies out the window [[(while the car is going really fckin fast mind you) (Mammon driving at a reasonable speed? Hell nah his car was built for speed and he will go fast)]] so he can hold out a snack for Beel to snatch. Levi makes sure Belphie doesn't fall off using his arms and tail. Sometimes they'd do rock paper scissors on who gets to ride shotgun this time (may or may not include threats, blackmail, or bodily harm)

Lucifer just hopes they get to their destination on time and in one piece.

On another note, once MC gets the hang of flying with magic (I'd imagine they'll use a broom but come on why not imbue a skateboard with magic and use that to fly instead), they'd try a stab at flying and experiencing the air traffic (in all its fascinating and frustrating glory).

Alternatively, MC in the car but the brothers being little shits is becoming unbearable so they ask Mammon to stop and get out to fly with the others instead.

I fckin live for Devildom being some sort of an urban fantasy setting.

[justshapesandshitposting]

anyway, I have a couple of different interpretations of corruption but the 'corruption as a disease' is the one I do the most often (sue me i think it's cool)

plus it's fun to draw amorphous blob of roots, veins, and tendrils with lumps and uncanny floating disembodied eyes-