#from a worldbuilding perspective

[ursiday]

I'm loving your oc stuff too!!! Do you think we could get some (non spoilery) info about them?

Sure :] Cameron (right) is a barista living in her hometown with her younger sister she and is not thrilled about any of these things. Ari (left) writes articles about paranormal/hokey true crime stuff for a buzzfeed-knockoff type of website after quitting her phd. Theyre both mid-20s and also both gay but Cameron is very closeted

Ari's phd program was in vertebrate evolution, specifically feline phylogenetics, which segues into my worldbuilding that I've also wanted to talk about lol. All the characters in this world are based on cats from subfamily Felinae – basically all small wildcats combined into one sapient species instead of humans. The characters I've designed so far are inspired by specific cats (Cameron is based on a serval and Ari on a pampas cat) but I'm not trying to stick too closely to that since they're all meant to be the same species from a worldbuilding perspective. No domestic cats (furry or animal) but regular big cats are still a thing, basically akin to great apes vs humans. Anthropomorphic cougars and cheetahs are a thing but are extinct, like extinct hominids. Basically my effort to shove cats into a human evolution parallel lol

[probablybadrpgideas]

Wyrms, drakes and wyverns are actually just regular dragons affected by the magical equivalent of thalidomide.

immediately distracted by the idea of dragon morning sickness (ig this is in a setting with viviparous dragons?)

[lemonhemlock]

look. not to be too mean on main. the rightful heir thing. if you don't care about the intricacies of property law or legal writs and just want to focus on characterization and other aspects of storytelling, fine.

but it truly does look very goofy when you start "debating" this while lacking historical context and methodological tools. sometimes a constitutional crisis (that was already resolved in the 12th century and whose results you can always look up) can't just be settled by appealing to one's anachronistic opinion and accusing those who disagree of misogyny.

there's a difference between suggesting how things should be (i.e. prescriptive, i.e. women should never inherit the throne) and analysing how things were for a myriad of socio-political reasons.

also, trust me, the Dance being fictional is not the gotcha people think it is. it's plenty obvious. i'm sorry to say but the premise is so flimsy it would never have happened like that irl.

final idea: likewise, perhaps being condescending about people who do take the time to criticise the premise is veering a little bit towards anti-intellectualism. 'idc about succession laws ergo i'm more enlightened bc i've unlocked an edgelord-y way to enjoy fiction'. a medievalesque fantasy setting is going to attract commentators who are interested in medieval history or at least aspects of it. they may find copy-paste scenarios from real history and think it interesting to compare and contrast. it's not immediately equivalent to treating aegon and rhaenyra like your ballot choices next election, and, equally, they're not discussions without merit.

comparative analysis is a transferable skill! if someone doesn't want to partake, fine, but i think this attitude of turning one's nose at it is a tad coarse. there are many fans who take the time to write informative posts and contextualise this fictionalised universe and it's a shame to automatically write-off what is ultimately a rich tradition in internet asoiaf spaces

[movie-robotnik-positivity]

Something I noticed about the Knuckles trailer. The main villain of the series, "The Buyer" is using what look to be Knuckles' quills in his inventions. But how did he get access to them?

We see him cutting open one of Robotnik's drones, so here's my idea: during the time Robotnik and Knuckles were allies, the doctor borrowed some of his quills to use as a power source for his weapons. The Buyer has been harvesting these quills from the tech left behind.

[salemoleander]

Maybe I'm just overly focused on how lore/canon works with the life series + HC, but I haven't seen anyone discussing how Bdubs very very directly references Cleo scolding him in Double Life in Ren's Audition Tapes video. (I mean, some people are joking about it, but I haven't seen any meta posts/ analysis of it yet)

At 14:00 in Ren's video: "Just from what I know of Cleo- She scolded me so badly, one time, that I felt like a little child. And she was right to scold me! I was a bad guy, I did a bad thing- I was lying, and she caught me, and she put me in my place."

Especially bc this ep was so very "in character", this to me is a direct confirmation that the Bdubs on Hermitcraft remembers the life series + events therein. (And as a result, the Crastle is named with full knowledge of what happened with the previous Crastle!)

[aroaceleovaldez]

i really think there’s so much untapped potential with messing around with the pjo gods canonically having different regional/historical/epithet forms and near constantly existing in multiple places at once. mostly in that I think it’d be extremely funny for more demigods to interact with different historical versions of the gods.

give me Nico interacting with Mycenaean Dionysus who both is and isn’t his dad and also is his therapist. All at once. weirdest therapy sessions ever. or Percy interacting with Mycenaean Poseidon and being confused why this version of his dad is both king of the gods and also a chthonic deity. or Hermes kids and satyrs having the very awkward situation of super old Hermes and Pan are the same guy. The gang meets Zagreus and Everybody Has A Weird One cause this guy both is and isn’t Zeus, Hades, and Dionysus, and/or some combo of their kids? What.

[gl1tchxr]

haven't drawn any of these guys in a while

[transingthoseformers]

What else could transformers find attractive and what kind of beauty standards might they have?

(That are logical and not replicating human ones for humans titillation)

I always HC that biolights can be a good indicator of health and/or attractiveness, but I'm biased because I love them dearly. Because, logically to me, if a mech is sickly or stressed, their biolights and optics will be flickering slightly (or more than slightly) or sometimes / often dim.

Logically speaking having a clear and shiny paintjob would be a sign of attractiveness because it shows both they take care of themself and can afford to maintain a consistent paintjob (though I think this varies greatly, with scars in some areas being considered a badge of honor and a sign of winning, in some areas there are higher paint job requirements than other, some areas just forgo the custom entirely)

Bright colors = conventionally attractive makes sense with a similar psychology, especially with how common it is on earth too. I can see a whole ass THING too among the higher castes / classes about being able to afford all sorts of artificial highlights, temporary like makeup or "permanent" (though it wouldn't be permanent-permanent, simply difficult to remove and long lasting, especially if we believe in paint nanites here)

[luna-the-bard]

Bugs…

[frecklenog]

nobody:

me, disabled, and with special interests in both worldbuilding and disability accommodations, history, and advocacy: i wonder what kind of disabilities existed on gallifrey. would regeneration reset an autoimmune disorder, or would it follow through to their next form? can they regenerate into a body with an autoimmune disorder? is it there to stay once it hits?

what about limb differences? if gallifreyans can regenerate limbs (at the very least within the first 15 hours of regeneration, as seen in the christmas invasion), would that mean the majority of limb differences on gallifrey would be congenital? would a gallifreyan be encouraged to regenerate regardless of threat to their life after an amputation, or has gallifrey moved past that sort of ableism? (probably not, since fifteen's tardis being wheelchair accessible (or, the entrance, since the ramps within seem pretty steep) is considered remarkable by wheelchair user and unit agent shirley anne bingham. plus, from a doylist perspective, dw is very much a product of its various times, being a universe that started development in the early 60s.) would regeneration ""fix"" (heavy airquotes on that) such limb differences? is it possible to regenerate into a body with a limb difference? what sort of adaptive devices are/were there on gallifrey for those who either can't regenerate because they're very close to or at their regeneration limit, or simply choose not to do so?

a lot of these questions also apply to neurological disorders and injuries, too, if you change the wording a bit. tremors, chronic pain, weakness, paralysis, mobility issues, those sorts of things.

and are their blind gallifreyans? (if so, the doctor clearly didn't spend enough time around them.) deaf/hoh gallifreyans? similar questions there, too! (written gallifreyan language already makes my head spin, personally, but i'm intrigued by the idea of how they might go about designing an equivalent of braille! and i'd bet money that gallifreyan sign would include words and phrases that humans wouldn't think to consider, just like any other language. but then, why doesn't the tardis's translation matrix recognize and automatically translate british sign language, as we see with cass's signing confusing clara in before the flood?)

further, what about potential disabilities with no human analogue that relate to the regeneration process itself-?

my parents: hang on. slow down. what the fuck are you talking about

[kaleidoscope1967eyes]

Introduction to Drolism - The Gods

Many of the rich and mysterious cultural traditions of Iego stem from the planet's native religion, Drolism.

Drolism, known in Iegoan as Droltara, centers around the worship of a trinity of deities: Drol, the primary deity and namesake of the religion; his daughter, Ashi; and his son, Dasho. The deities themselves are the manifestations of different aspects of the life breath or energy of the universe. This is a Force-based religion, so "life breath" can be interpreted as meaning the Force itself.

There are many parallels between Drolism and the religion of the Mortis Gods. They are both Force-based religions centering around the worship of three deities--represented as a father, a son, and a daughter--so some scholars believe they may have originated from the same ancient belief system.

Drol, God of All Things, Supreme Lord of Iego, is the incarnation of the life breath of the universe. He is a neutral deity, as he is capable of both protecting and punishing the people of Iego, hence why the Separatists exploited people's faith in him to cover up their operations on the planet. He is strongly associated with storms--something that both nourishes and harms--and his primary symbols are water and lightning, which are deemed sacred. The Mortis God he is analogous to is the Father.

Ashi, Goddess of Light, Lady of Mercy, is the daughter of Drol. She is strongly associated with the Moons of Iego and the native Diathim, also known as "angels," who are said to have been created in her image. From an outside perspective, she represents an incarnation of the Light Side of the Force. The Mortis God she is analogous to is the Daughter. One of the most widely practiced sects of Drolism is dedicated to her, known as Ashideyi, or the Way of Ashi. A primary feature of this sect is its emphasis on medicine and healing; as a result, its followers on average have long and ailment-free lifespans, which is ultimately the basis of the belief that Iegoans are immortal.

Dasho, God of Darkness, Lord of Chaos, is the son of Drol. He is strongly associated with the underground caverns of Iego and the native Maelibi, also known as "demons," who are said to have been created in his image. From an outside perspective, he represents an incarnation of the Dark Side of the Force. The Mortis God he is analogous to is the Son. Legend has it that a deviant sect of Drolism exists known as Dashodeyi, or the Way of Dasho, that practices black magic in the form of ritual sacrifices.

OC Fic Lore Taglist:

@canon-can-fight-me

@aldhanii

@alexlifesonofficial

@dailydragon08

@coffeeorsomething-irl

@masterlukessaber

@rogue-kenobi

[ratboyugly]

happy nov 16 feeling very sentimental about dsmp today

[thats-a-lot-of-cortisol]

Aspect of Order: Primordial & Present-Day

One of the first deities, part of what is known as the Primordial Triad. It created the planes alongside the Aspects of Chaos and the In-Between and held dominion over the Material Plane. It embodied order in the way nature has order: the life cycle, gravity, the tides, the surety that the seasons will change, the patterns that appear in flora and fauna alike, the symmetry of pinecones and butterflies. It was associated with the night as a time of quiet preparation where the world rests, and when one can see the remains of creation in the darkened sky. It is said that the two moons of the Material Plane are its eyes, watching over its creations.

All three members of the Primordial Triad are referred to with "it", so ancient and unfathomable that applying a mortal, transient concept of gender to them seemed almost blasphemous.

Almost.

The modern-day conception of Order is quite different. Though she still reigns over the night and natural laws, her followers have placed her at the forefront of the creation process, reducing the In-Between's role and rejecting Chaos altogether. Though most present-day cultures think of her in this way, many of them do not emphasize her: she is an invisible Over-God, keeping the other deities and forces in line and maintaining cosmic balance from behind the scenes. In places where she is worshipped heavily, however, she is placed at the forefront of the pantheon. In those cases, worship of deities with overlapping domains is either illegal (ex local gods of justice) or considered secondary to her (ex the god of the Wilds). The worship of smaller, local deities is usually discouraged or suppressed over-all in these areas in order to encourage a more structured, uniform religious practice. While both aspects of Order championed paladins, Primordial Order also championed druids and rangers while Modern Order champions clerics.

Ancient theologians debated whether or not Order and Chaos were two aspects of the same being (ironically, there was no question that the In-Between was its own separate force). However, following the iconoclasm that effectively forced Chaos out of the pantheon and created the modern conception of Order, such lines of thought were considered heretical, and then blasphemous.

The iconoclasm did have an unintended consequence, however. Crying motifs appeared in some art of Primordial Order around that time, particularly in the areas that resisted the iconoclasts more intensely. Some scholars believe that it may have been a direct reaction to the event: Order mourning the loss of its counterpart. Others have argued, however, that the lack of such motifs (or equivalents) in depictions of the In-Between prove this wrong. After all, why would it not also be grieving?

[paradoxbeta]

wait you have a stellaris fic?

where can i find it?

short answer: so it doesnt exist yet *fingerguns* long answer:

i have a looot of worldbuilding that needs to be done before i can even begin to think of writing the fic. for context, the (terribly unfinished) notes, trivia, and misc-discord-conversation-snippets doc is a this-many words long behemoth

just one of 12 empires so far is detailed enough to barely satiate a 4 page long self-made template, and all of this hasnt even taken into consideration the backstories of the main cast (ʘ_ʘ") so you could say this project is a little ambitious and will maybe possibly take a very long time, oops. im having so much fun but at what cost i do have enough information mapped to vaguely shitpost and also to ramble about a character here or there (and way too much in my brain to keep it all capped), so sometimes alien rambles bleed out onto this blog. but i promise, when the stellaris fic becomes an actual tangible thing, you guys will be the first to know. because i will be shrieking about it from the rooftops.

in the meantime! id love to redirect you to @ozitrstudies, an in-universe blog run by my good friend with some truly phenomenal writing and worldbuilding skills. her empires take place in the same galaxy that mine do so if youre looking for alien stellaris lore related shenanigans the posts there might interest you. i can also redirect you to my #alien insp tag, which is exclusively dedicated to helping me design the fic (mostly visually but some other goodies are stored there too.)

thanks for reading down if you have! have a 5 second whiteboard doodle of the man of the hour

[childhoodgrave]

walks back in like ive been having a conversation with you the hwole time) and another thing i want elaborated on more in murderbot stuff is alien remnants.. whats going on with all that! obviously it means that aliens exist and in my head its a situation of like we know there were aliens at SOME point but the only traces of them left that were aware of are these synthetics and other stuff that everyone doesnt really know anything aboit but where did the aliens go.. did they all die off? do we know how? what do we know about them if we know anything at all?

[unclear-contributions]

Happy world building Wednesday! What is your absolute favorite part of world building to do?

My favorite part of worldbuilding is when the world locks into the story just so -- and I stop worldbuilding and the world starts telling me things.

I think of it like...I sink the world into itself, and once it reaches a critical mass of reference, and roots, and content, it starts creating itself. This is especially true of the big, worldbuilding-focused projects. Peasant is a character study before anything else, but the Legendarium is a setting that I feel is no longer at a point I write or build, but one I study to see what's there, and every once in a while, pour a little something something in the pot to see what it disturbs.

The only struggle is, I haven't figured out how to go back from worldbuilding to character. I really do enjoy what I'm doing with Peasant, making a clean world sculpted to the characters and the story, making it all fit together, but I do really want to learn how to do the reverse: go from a world to characters, and tell stories that way.

...some day....