#It's from this sci-fi/fantasy setting

[tblsomedoodles]

I got done making my christmas presents so i started cooking up some og stuff for kicks. Then i got handed some MORE presents to make up so this thing has to go in the slow cooker for a bit to slowly drive me insane.

i want to do a whole little intro comic for this dude but, alas, that will have to wait. for now have this wip of my beloved farm hand (named Mer, They/It) who's exceptionally shitty at their job but loves doing it anyways.

[whatcannotbesaid-shallbewept]

Wicked is a piece of art with two best friends who are separated by their differing ideologies around the corrupt system (Elphaba is an idealist revolutionary, Glinda is a 'realist' working inside the system)

The story ends with them agreeing the Idealist Revolutionary's death will fix the plot

Code Geass is a piece of art with two best friends who are separated by their differing ideologies around the corrupt system (Lelouch is an idealist revolutionary, Suzaku is a 'realist' working inside the system)

The story ends with them agreeing the Idealist Revolutionary's death will fix the plot

Difference being that in Wicked, Glinda (the 'realist') is seen more in the right and in Code Geass, Lelouch (the 'revolutionary') is seen more in the right.

The context of the two planned deaths is very different - one is basically a cover up, to affirm the previous system while Oz still sees Elphaba as evil and the other is to subvert the system entirely

Wicked being affected by Bush era politics is well documented so the Realist being more in the right and the one who actually "gets stuff done" is a lot more reflective of that political mood. The writers thought change from inside the system was the correct way to go about things

Code Geass is a japanese story about Britain forcibly colonising and taking over Japan ... so the story ends with saying "go revolution" because obviously. The work from inside the system guy is clearly wrong (and I can't remember many times the narrative outwardly reinforces his worldview with any results)

Is this interesting

[alienjoyer]

theres a joke to make about doctor who (character) being transgender and doctor who (tv show) swapping genre these last few seasons and it includes the word transgenre. but i cant put it together someone else do it

[queerlyglittering]

most of the time I want my sci-fi set in space and my fantasy set in pseudo-medieval Earth

but sometimes I want my fantasy set in space and my sci-fi set in pseudo-medieval Earth. y'know?

[elvensemi]

Been working my ass off on a double length update for the premier of A Place Among the Stars, my original sci-fi... debut? I guess? In that it's my debut into sci-fi. Guys I've worked so hard on it hhhhh I hope people like it. There will be some teaser art coming out soon-ish.

It'll be releasing April 28th thru Patreon.

In May, I'll also be releasing a free ebook that contains the first few chapters from each of my stories, to allow you to sample Khajit's wares (is that joke too dated). Once it drops, please feel free to download it and also send it to every single group chat you're in that has a book recommendation channel lmao. Remember: you can't beat free!

[idiosyncraticrednebula]

Can I say something? I'm not into period (circa 19th century) romance drama media...

[birues]

I think my problem with "oooo ffxiv has smartphones now" is NOT that we have advanced technology now. We've had it since 2.0. My problem is, the recent technologies that are being implemented are direct copy paste from either the modern world or your generic sci-fi setting with NO creative spin to it. It's nothing unique. Therefore at least for me, it's boring and immersion breaking.

[deepwoundsandfadedscars]

OC brainrot is kicking in again 🥺

[murderandcoffee]

how tf does one gather an audience for a project they're working on? I am NOT an influencer and would rather die than become that sort of shill

(rundown of the overall plot of my podcast in the tags if anyone is at all interested)

[the-everqueen]

25 What reading goals do you have for next year? For the end-of-year ask game :)

finishing the Tale of Genji (i'm reading the Tyler translation). finally reading some books that i was too busy/exhausted to read in 2023, including Imani Perry's South to America, Ruth Wilson Gilmore's Abolition Geography, and Maria Rodriguez's Puta Life. getting back into poetry, which kept me alive during grad school.

[queenboimler]

now that i finally have time to myself i can start writing my queer cosmic horror scifi/fantasy about a mad scientist accused of war crimes who is sentenced to death by black hole but miraculously comes back years later utterly changed

[clanoffelidae]

Now that I’ve mentioned it I wanna infodump about my alien dragons bc I haven’t talked about them in a long time and mentioning them just activated the neurodivergency

Doing everything in brief bc I’m on mobile and also have to work on moving today which I. Haven’t done yet. But I WILL-

Anyway. The basic premise for them is I wanted to tell a story about aliens living on Earth for so long people didn’t realize they weren’t originally from Earth. The fact that their biology is similar enough to an Earth organism to be mistaken for one by people without genetic sequencing or looking through the evolutionary lens at things (not realizing they seem to have no common ancestors) is the whole point.

The fact that they can breathe Earth’s atmosphere, the fact that they can consume the food that grows on Earth to meet their dietary requirements, the fact that they have surface level similarities to Earth life is all intentional! Because their story is that a ship crash lands towards the end of the last Ice Age, enough survive that they manage to gain a foothold on Earth, but soon enough they themselves have forgotten their own history, and now both humans and dragons believe that they have always shared this planet. Dragons have their creation stories, they say they were born of a giant, metal egg that flew in the heavens and spewed fire; that’s why they’re scales are as tough as that metal egg’s shell, that’s why they fly just like the egg, and that’s why they can spew fire as that egg that bore them; but those stories are the only remnants of their history.

But I also wanted them to still be alien, to still be such that a reader would look at them and the assertion that they are from Earth and start to see that things aren’t what they seem, it’s just the characters who never question it, because that’s the way it’s always been. Dragons have been here as long as human history recalls. But the reader can start to see that things might not be what they seem. (But neither side is hiding the truth, because neither side knows.)

And so we have the dragons. No special name, no special words to refer to them, they’re just dragons. In this world the mythos of dragons isn’t mythos, they’re right next door and you can go talk to them. Stories of dragons aren’t of mythical beasts, they’re stories of heroes of legend, just like humans.

Of course, the reader would quickly notice that they don’t quite line up with our classical ideas of dragons.

For one, they’re human-sized. They typically walk on four legs, but will often stand up on two to work with objects or even just have conversations. Standing up on two legs has the same social connotations as standing up from sitting; you might hang out on four legs with your friends, but if someone you want to be respectful towards approaches you you will stand up on two and straighten up unless invited to return to four. Of course, there are exceptions. It is not unheard of for groups of solely dragons to walk on all fours even in formal settings, though it is not the norm. Not the majority, but not unusual either. With humans present, however, it is considered quite rude to remain on all fours in a formal setting (barring, of course, obvious physical maladies necessitating it).

Dragons have opposable digits like humans, although they possess six rather than five, having a thumb on either side. They have similar ranges of dexterity and so both species are fully capable of using one another’s tools and machinery. Dragons also have lips dexterous enough to allow human speech, and so can speak human languages with no issue. Their digestive systems can also process human foods, including dairy; dragons themselves nurse their young.*

Their eyes are often noted to be exceptional, one of the most blatant indicators of their non-Earth origins to those looking. Their eye structure doesn’t match that of any known species.

In a way they could almost be likened to proto-eyes, for the whole organ is dark and light receptive, functioning similar to a pupil. In order to adjust focus and reduce the amount of light let in dragons have thick, dark membranes around the outside of the eye, that constrict to a circular opening like a drawstring bag. This opening moves and changes sizes, the eye itself remaining fixed in the dragon’s skull. The ocular membrane is not distinct from the rest of the eye’s color, the best indicator of where a dragon is looking being where their eye has a reflection rather than matte, as the matte black indicates the presence of the ocular membrane rather than the eye underneath. Many common nicknames and pet names used by dragons for humans they love; be it platonic, familial, or romantic; often involve the eyes. ‘Jeweleyes’ is the most common, akin to ‘sweetheart’, for the first dragons who grew close enough to look into a human companion’s eyes long enough to truly observe them likened them to precious gems for their multitudes of colors, both across the species and within the individual.

Dragons have three sexes, not two, and quite differing familial structures as a result. Dragons have males and females, akin to many Earth species, with the males having similar ranges in overall size to human females and draconic females conversely matching human males in this way. This, along with their scaled hides, is why many believed they must be related to reptiles in some fashion when draconic origins were first being investigated.

However, dragons have a third sex, known as nesters.

Nesters are non-reproductive, bearing no genitalia. Their size ranges are double that of the average draconic male, and they are so heavy that few are able to sustain flight after puberty. They have a front facing horn from the center of their foreheads akin to a unicorn, although it is curved like a blade. This horn sheds from time to time much like claws shed their sheathes. Nesters also grow a mane of hair-like fibers around their shoulders and upper chests akin to a lion’s mane after reaching puberty.

Nesters are the primary caretakers of draconic young, with their evolutionary purpose in times long past being to guard the children while the males and females hunted. Males and females produce eggs, but once the eggs are laid, it is the nester who takes over and broods over them, later raising the hatchlings who come from them in time, nursing* them when they are newly hatched and caring for them until they are adults. As such, they are what would be considered a dragon’s parent, with many dragons sharing the same parent, but with many different biological ‘parents’. The term ‘guard’ is used akin to ‘mom/dad’.

Long ago, dragons had only males and females, but lines that produced nesters produced more successful offspring, although the nester did not directly contribute genetics. In time, nesters became a commonplace part of draconic biology, and dragons grew to have three sexes as opposed to two.

Nesters were archaically considered the leaders of their clans, being the strongest as they were. Nesters would fight for clans not unlike male lions might fight for prides, their front facing horn being used for combat against both predators and other nesters. Thankfully, unlike lion prides, nesters did not kill any offspring present upon defeating the previous guard, as they themselves are non-reproductive. The reason they had to fight for a clan is because they require a lot of resources, they need a lot of food to remain healthy. A clan could only afford to have so many nesters before the resource consumption outweighs the protection provided when every day is a fight for survival.

Thankfully, this was long ago, and there is more than enough food to go around in the modern day. Many dragons still live in clans composed largely of males and females with a few nesters, but many also choose to live their own way, and many also intermingle with humans and their families. Gender stereotypes have also diminished, with nesters no longer being upheld as natural leaders and the voices of males and females rising to prominence. (Dragons never had much stereotyping or equality differences between males and females, only between those two groups and nesters.)

Common nester stereotypes include a mixture of those attributed to male and female humans, with nesters being seen as both child-rearers while also being ferocious combatants. To be weak is seen as undesirable, and a nester who doesn’t want to raise hatchlings might often be told they will change their mind later, especially by older generations. They are expected to be strong and brave, the last line of defense but the most powerful one of all. Thankfully, time lessens the strains of these expectations, but they have still shaped draconic society and influence it to this day.

There’s so much else I could say but I mostly just wanted to pick up nesters and show them off. Non reproductive third sex twice the size of the others whose ‘role’ is to raise the children, lead the clan, and absolutely annihilate threats that get too close.

Dragon kid to human kid on the playground: my guard could beat up your dad >:(

Human kid who’s never actually seen a nester: nuh-uh >:(

Elementary school teacher who knows nesters are like 10 feet tall at the shoulder and can lift entire cars: I have no doubt about that sweetie how about you two talk about something else-

* = Dragons produce a milk-like substance from glands in their throat that is fed to hatchlings orally similar to birds. To make it easier for them to feed without spilling it is first curdled internally to create a cheese that is then deposited into the hungry mouthes of young hatchlings. Dragon mouth cheese is my favorite form of psychic damage :)

Instead of pre-filled baby bottles there’s mouth-cheese charcuterie boards

God bless the unknowing human who thought to snack on their nester friend’s weird cheese plate

[nohoney]

just discovered your hunger games!bkg and now i’m sitting on the floor in my living room crying with wet hair and no pants 🥲 i am in so much pain

would you ever consider doing a mini series on it?

put your pants on, dry your hair, and wipe your tears my love (っ´ω`)ﾉ(╥ω╥)

i can probably dedicate some small blurbs to the au! i think it’d be fun!

[vicontheinternet]

How do y’all feel abt the second chance trope but it’s with the children taken over the parents if done right I love it

[violetaeons]

tired of seeing endless youtube comments like "nowadays women are just written as men" "female characters are being turned masculine" "they're stripping women of their feminine softness and giving them toxic masculinity"

yet people praise like, three female leads from the 80/90s who 1) had many of the qualities they claim to hate. 2) one of these women is Ellen Ripley - who was actually written to be a man

[light-wrath-paradise]

Sci-fi worldbuilding is like a thing that really hates you and wants you dead