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[themappedlands-btb]

Jewelry and piercings as a status symbol is something that can be sooo personal

[themappedlands-btb]

So there’s one major natural disaster that went in the history books (as well as marked when the Age of Independence began) and that’s Desprand’s Uprising, when the pantheon split in two and some of the deities tried to overthrow Sola.

It began when Desprand, god of the sea, tried to expand his domain to cover as much of the continent as he could, temporarily flooding some coastal cities and permanently submerging others.

This made a great deal of the old elven cities in the southern part of Sunstrae unreachable and destroyed most of the major cities in the Coast.

Sunstrae recovered, by virtue of the mountains and cliffs in the area keeping the major human cities just above sea level, but the Coast is a floodplain. All those major trading ports were lost to churning water and the countries on the coast don’t recover until closer to the beginning of the Normal Era.

During the Normal Era, many historians regard Desprand’s Uprising as a theological explanation for a year of bad monsoons/tsunamis, or some other event that caused water levels to rise/the land to sink like a major earthquake

WBW 3/23

Happy Worldbuilding Wednesday! Today, I wanna talk about *gasp* disasters! Massive landslides, volcanic eruptions, city-wide fires, noxious plagues - what are some truly awful things that have happened in the history of your world? What kind of impact did it have? How did folks overcome it?

This is an open ask, for anyone to answer. For most open asks, be sure to check out @worldbuildingwedasks

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Healers are the most common magic users among humans—every village will have someone who can at least make a cut scab over faster or make a fever cooler, and someone who can treat sickness and more major injuries probably wont be more than a day’s travel away (except in the North, since magic is more rare there)

In a more rural setting, people with less of an affinity will have a job and just help with their magic on the side, but if they come from a family of skilled healers or are/were apprenticed to one, then being a healer becomes an actual, full-time job. Full fledged healers are massively important members of the smaller rural communities, so the town as a whole will provide for them, mostly in the form of gifts/favors for their services.

In cities, full fledged healers often get hired by guilds or governments to provide medical care in exchange for a salary. If they have formal education itll be more likely for them to get an official position, but often theyll take on assistants or apprentices, who they sometimes provide for materially and often receive a paycheck from the organization itself.

Gonna go ahead and break of some pieces of @lunarmoment 's mega ask since there haven't been any other submissions/tags this week:

How do medical services work in your world? How do doctors/healers get paid (by the patient, the government, crowdfunding in the community, etc.?), and if they are not paid, how do they survive? How common are doctors/healers? Are there a couple per town or do they have to travel long distances to provide medical care? How does this affect accessibility of medical treatment?

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My time has come…..

So Edivitaer is one of many pocket realms connected by the Folds. Each pocket realm is a sort of bubble, made of stuff that keeps it separate from the rest of infinity. This material that keeps things separate is pretty thin in Edivitaer, and shifts and clumps together a lot like water.

So light doesn’t occur naturally in the pockets, but instead comes from the Folds, through little gaps in the sky called stars. There’s only one star thats permanent, though it does fluctuate, and that’s Sol—the sun. Edivitaer is a planet that revolves in this little pocket, which creates night and day.

The stars are the holes poked in the container so the mortals can breath.

They do get clouds, but they tend to stick closer to the ground than irl. They don’t get any milky way or anything, but their stars do “twinkle” as they shift and change. Moon rights revoked tho.

What does the sky in your story’s world look like; does it differ from our own? Different colors, different amount of moons, different weather patterns, different constellations, anything goes!

Thanks for the submission!

Keep reading

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Cause of death: trying to write a fight scene.

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Merciless Gods

WC: 310

@flashfictionfridayofficial

*

Clovis had hated Sola. She was a tyrant, a megalomaniac, a hypocrite, but at least Clovis knew what she hungered for. At least Sola had something to lose. The humans might have lost her favor at the end, but before that? She wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize her latest pet project.

It was a relief when she finally disappeared into the Folds, even if she left the pantheon in shambles.

The mortals were right to dub the time after the Sea’s Upheaval the Age Of Independence. There was no structure to how the deities operated anymore, no forced camaraderie. They all kept to themselves, despite all the tasks that wove through more than one domain. None even bothered to answer prayers.

So Clovis was relieved, but they weren’t satisfied. By the time Afferitus showed up, Clovis would have done anything to piece them all back together. They might have ruled over the most ruthless of creatures, but they were still a mother first and foremost.

And then Afferitus.

They should have known what was happening when Morta started acting weird. No more annual visits or subtlety witty remarks, no more knowing smirks or cryptic advice. But Clovis longed for their family back, for Arbor back, and Afferitus was so different from Sola.

They didn’t realize what he was doing before it was too late.

They didn’t realize what was happening until things started dying.

They didn’t realize what was happening until the world began to end.

Sola was horrible, but at least she left everything alive.

Sola was bad, but Afferitus was horrifying, and the only deity Clovis could beg for help to keep their world hated them, had sided with Sola when Desprand was trying to right things.

Maybe Arbor would listen to them, or maybe Edivitaer would fall.

The gods of this world had never been merciful, anyway.

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Well considering Edivitaer is canonically mostly unexplored and the stars are the holes poked in their container to let the light air in

Anyways people who suggest the mortal races are descended from the elves are my version of flat earthers. Evolution just doesn’t exist

There are some radicals who believe that Edivitaer is the only place with life and deities or that the deities are dead

And magic being bad was like. The Pear Earth of ideas. It was prevalent for a hot minute but quickly disgarded (mainly bc people stopped believing in it)

What kinds of beliefs do people have that are uncommon in your world? The sort of thing where if someone opened their mouth about it, the average listener would be thinking ‘oh god(s)’?

What are the conspiracy theories? The flat-earthers, or round-earthers ahead of their time? What are the extreme (or even comical) positions on controversial topics?

Keep reading

[themappedlands-btb]

Star-Cast Shadows

Word Count: 303

@flashfictionfridayofficial

*

Kia had never really understood the stars. It’s like she’s ever taken an astronomy class or anything, but she’s listened to plenty of Caseu’s rants. He didn’t really talk about the basics, mostly just the latest thing he’d read about predicting changes—where they’d open, when they’d close, if they were getting bigger or small. After someone published a paper hypothesizing that Sol was slowly starting to close, he didn’t talk about anything else for the next week.

So Kia knew some stuff, but she didn’t really get it. Like why Sol was permanent but the other stars all closed, sometimes only a few hours after they’d opened. Or why there weren’t more, since the…what did Cas call it, the atmosphere? Since the atmosphere was weak enough to get holes in the first place, shouldn’t there be more? Wasn’t the atmosphere still being there after thousands of years proof that it should be strong enough to not open at all, or to be able to mend Sol? Why was there only one permanent star?

Science never came easy to her, anyways.

The stars did still fascinate her, just not in the same way they fascinated Cas. She liked the patterns they would sometimes fall into, liked the rippling edges you could see through a shaded telescope, loved the light and warmth that seeped through every little tear in the fabric of their world.

Casey was a scientist, and Kia was an artist. Talk of atmosphere consistency and redistribution rates was all elvish to her, but the light from those stars was her breath, the shadows they cast the language she spoke with every stroke of her pencil.

Casey could keep his obsession with the stars and what lie beyond, Kia rather liked them as just the sources of light that made her compositions interesting.

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Its queerplatonic, but Jaqueline and Feryn are probably my closest nonromantic nonfamily pair. They are married, and do live together, mostly for immigration reasons, since Jackie is a member of a sunstraen guild, and having an official (legally recognized) romantic partner outside of Sunstrae will p much guarantee a permanent placement in that Kingdom. Jackie actually started working at the Orta Mercenary guild about a decade back, and thats where ey met Feryn. When jackie’s working arrangement was about to end and she was going to be summoned back to Sunstrae, Feryn quickly agreed to marry her so that she coukd stay in Elmenya, where she felt she would be most needed. Theyve been coworkers and roommates since, since Jackie offered him the extra room in her house in return for marrying her, and theyve bonded over workaholic solidarity. Its mostly a time-forged bond sorta thing, but living together and helping to kinda have healthier work-life balances and a steadier schedule

Tender Tuesday Open Ask

Late Night Edition  (Adulting sucks) so you’re welcome to treat this as a question to meditate on for the week if you’d like. We’re chill about time in the house of Rat.

So the burning question for you in these wee hours:

Tell us about the closest non-family platonic bond in your story. Chosen family counts if they have or will establish a household. Let us hear if they came into the story with it or found it on the way, what binds them so tightly and by what actions they evidence this bond to each other - and to the world.

I look forward to hearing all the soft and tender connections you’ve woven!

@tendertuesdayasks open to all, both SFW and NSFW if you like

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With Daniel and Emyr, they were both fairly young when they met (14 for Daniel and 20 for emyr, tho it should be noted that Latira arent considered mature until they hit 25, so they were both adolescents). It was p much an instant infatuation for daniel, with emyr catching feelings somewhere between 1-2 years after they met, and confessing his feelings the beginning of his next visit (visits were for a month, month and a half once a year). Daniel confessed that he returned the feelings closer to the middle/second half of that visit. They werent sexually involved until they made it to the Centerlands about a year and a half after that. After about two years together total they broke up, and spent the next year switching between friends, friends with benefits, and romantic partners, so it varied the next few times, but the final time they became romantically involved, after Daniel started dating Rial, it was preceded by a completely platonic relationship

With Rial and Daniel, they met when rial first joined the guild, when daniel was 20 and rial was 17, but didnt start regularly interacting for another 3/4 of a year, when they started training together. After ~1/3 of a year rial joined daniel’s team, and daniel confessed his feelings about a year after that, when rial’s identity got revealed, and they started dating. they took another half year to become sexually involved

Kylu and Jaqueline are only romantically involved, and that was less of a confession and more of a mutual openness to the idea of a relationship, so its a very casual romance

Rial and Troy were sexually involved for a little while, and Troy confessed romantic feelings about a cycle after they met, but they didnt end up romantically involved because of lifestyles that didnt fit well together

Bancha and jinx grew up together, and she went with him when Jinx was driven out. Jinx did end up confessing a little bit after they left together, but they never had a 100% romantic relationship, and were only occasionally sexually involved, when they get older

An ALL ask:

How long did it take for your characters to admit their feelings, and were they sleeping together beforehand?

🔥🔥🔥🔥

Spicey ask alert!

@pheita @arodynamic-enby @booksrockmyface @crystallized-ink

@nora-theteawriter @happyorogeny @stormbrightwriter @adie-dee

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Daniel’s love language is quality time, emyr’s is physical contact, Alex is acts of service, Rial is also physical contact

Since daniel’s first (and only other) romantic partner, emyr, has the same love language as his current partner, rial, he’s super used to giving/receiving physical contact being a sign of affection

They all know each other fairly well, since theyve lived and worked together for years now, save for rial, so they all p much just Get how their companions show affection (alex will offer to go out to buy groceries for daniel, bc he likes to cook, and then hang out downstairs and read or write reports while he cooks, emyr will Be There, too, most likely leaning against Alex and sewing something. They just do Family Time a bunch. When Rial joins she ends up cuddling/sleeping with Emyr or helping Daniel cook)

Tender Tuesday Open Ask!!!

How do the love languages of your characters (friends or partners) interact? How do they express their love and care to each other? Are certain things more common than others? Giving vs. receiving?

Tagging @tendertuesdayasks

Anyone can answer!!! 💖

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Love to imagine an au where Afferitus never showed up. Like… would the deities eventually mend their relationships? Realize Sola isnt coming back and try to restabilize the pantheon to keep their world in balance? Would Morta have to step up, or something?

And the deities would probably end up fading into obscurity, being treated sort of like the gods of old civilizations that we Know Of but nobody believes in anymore? Where the mortals think they never actually existed

And when the deities decide to become more involved again and start appearing to mortals and making sprites and then you just have a mortal waking up one day being able to understand animals or see spirits or with an extra pair of eyes like “what the fuck is happening???”

[themappedlands-btb]

Nature Boy

(Song Inspiration)

(Leaves Story List)

Word Count: 774

Setting: Undetermined, Age of Independence

*

I was settling down to camp for the night—tying the horse down, getting a fire going, prepping dinner—when the stranger sidled up, asking if I had an extra place by my campfire for em. Of course I said yes; my family raised me to help people when I can.

Ey sat down on the ground beside me, hands wrapped in cloth, hood pilled low, and cloak bundled up tight. I didn’t think anything of it, just thought ey was too poor for proper mittens or something.

We talked while I cooked us food. Ey was a largely travelled person, if eir stories were anything to go off of. While I stirred my little pot of stew ey rambled on about how people on the Coast would smoke their meat with wet leaves, and how villages in the North would have huge community pots that they filled with meat and broth so that everyone could have their fill.

Ey asked me a lot of questions, too. Where I came from, where I was going. I told em about my mo’s family farm, how I helped her out with the cows and chickens growing up. I handed em a bowl of what I had made while talking about the mischief I’d get up to with my cousins, and my Unty’s meatloaf recipe.

Ey complimented me on my cooking, I told em my Granfa taught me how. I told em what all I added, ey talked about other ways ey’d heard the ingredients used. That stranger was good company, even as our conversation turned to nonsense like what I thought about the rulers of other places, or what I thought the greatest thing mortals could ever experience was. I don’t know much about my own king, let alone the others, and I told em that I thought the best thing would always be a hearty meal with family in a loud, busy home.

Ey laughed at that answer, told me that most people said it was falling in love.

I scoffed. My mo had never wanted that, never even asked my father to marry her, and had always made sure I knew how important family was, that they’re important even if you found your One, and I’d always been sure that the group of people I saw around the stove in the mornings had more love to give me than one person ever could. I told em that.

Ey chuckled again, patted me on the back and stood. Told me ey’d remember that answer, and that I had a great point there.

Then ey thanked me for dinner and walked into the forest. Ey wasn’t even going in the direction the road was, just due south.

I kinda wished I had asked what eir name was. I never even saw there face, with that hood pulled up, and I’d never be able to recognize em in something else because of how close ey held the cloak, even while ey was eating.

For some reason, when I got back home, I didn’t tell any of my family about the stranger. I thought about em almost constantly, though.

The first person I ever told about em was the priest in town. There was just something about that stranger I thought she would understand, for some odd reason.

I described the stranger as best I could for her, said all we talked about, how ey disappeared.

She was quiet for a minute, before she said it sounded like a sprite of Therit. All the questions, and the weird knowledge, and hiding eir face and hands. It made sense, I guess, but something in me was sure it couldn’t have just been a sprite. That ey had clutched eir cloak so tight because of the four arms, that the hood stayed low to hide eir eyes, that those hand wrappings would have hidden more than just one extra set of eyes.

I didn’t tell the priest that, just told her that she was probably right and went on my way.

The next time all of my aunts and uncles and untys came over for dinner with their kids and their spouses, the chaos of all those people I shared blood with seemed just that much sweeter. Almost like what that stranger had said to me, sprite or not, had made me cherish this even more.

I made sure to hug everyone just a little bit tighter before they went their ways.

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All That You Can Drawgust, Day 1: Opposites

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Emyr made his own weapons and armor, and Daniel’s sword was a gift from him, from right before they ran away together

hello writeblrs, tell me something random and seemingly insignificant about your characters/stories/worlds!

I’m curious to see what stuff people might find insignifcant in their own stuff, and whether it’s because you GENUINELY think it’s pointless or if you’re taking a guess at what tiny details may appear pointless to others

[themappedlands-btb]

So gods and deities are a Legitimate Thing in Edivitaer, they exist and have interacted with mortals, and theres a difference btwn the two—gods can move between dimensions, deities are tied to one

In Edivitaer theres a pantheon of one god, Sola(light/life/agriculture), and seven deities, Morta(death/time/order), Therit(magic/knowledge), Clovis(beasts/the wild), Arbor(the hunt/rituals/violence), Desprand(sea/storms/monstrosities), and Laur(earth/artisans)

Different regions have different attitudes towards each of the deities, but Sola is generally considered Really Important since she created everything, including the deities themselves (there are a few smaller sects who discredit Sola, tho, especially since she hasn’t shown up in centuries)

come talk to me about fantasy religions in your wips, i’m on a kick rn

[themappedlands-btb]

I keep writing these prompts to be abt Desprand’s uprising :p

@flashfictionfridayofficial

*

Morta always hated when the other deities fought. They were all so destructive, so uncaring for the lives that got caught in between their petty squabbles. That was why xe favored Therit—at least ey wasn’t destructive.

Xe sighed, leaning onto xyr shepherd's crook, glancing over the now-unflooded streets of Thom’ma. Morta could feel the souls strewn throughout the old city. They were in distress—why wouldn’t they be, when they had died so traumatically? It would take time to usher them all to their new lives, and Thom’ma was only one of the places Desprand had flooded. There would be scores of beasts along the coast that got swept out to sea, that Morta would have to find and shepherd on.

Even if Morta had supported the idea of pulling Sola’s influence from their dimension, xe had thought the others would take more care with the lives around them. That Desprand would remember the water beasts his waves stranded on the land, the land beasts that got plunged under sea. And xe had hoped Sola would appear sooner, to spare more humans from this fate. Wrongly so.

The other deities, and Sola, would do best to remember that they were just as responsible for the life of Edivitaer as xe. Perhaps Morta should remind them somehow. It would be unfair to the souls here to let them linger on, trapped in death, but xe could leave the others, for a little while. What did the mortals call it? Going on strike? That would certainly remind Sola of xyr importance.

But not with these ones.

Morta slipped into the city’s ruins, calling softly at the souls to follow xem. Xe would give them a safer life, next time. Something simpler. Ground creatures, maybe? There would be a swathe of Marenim born soon, perhaps some of them would enjoy being on the other side of the sea’s attention.

Xe ran a finger against one of the souls—what had, until now, been a human child.

The soul leaned into xyr touch. This one wouldn’t do well in a life of solitude. Xe would make sure to place him with a large family. Wolves, maybe.

The soul hummed at the idea.

That settles that, then.

Morta offered a hand to the soul. “Come along, little one. Would you like to help me gather the rest of those lingering in the city? Perhaps there are some you would like to be close to in your next life. You’re going to be born with three others.”

The soul let out a small trill, pressing emself into Morta’s side. It seems like ey already had an idea for who.