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We're so back

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a list of 100+ buildings to put in your fantasy town

academy

adventurer's guild

alchemist

apiary

apothecary

aquarium

armory

art gallery

bakery

bank

barber

barracks

bathhouse

blacksmith

boathouse

book store

bookbinder

botanical garden

brothel

butcher

carpenter

cartographer

casino

castle

cobbler

coffee shop

council chamber

court house

crypt for the noble family

dentist

distillery

docks

dovecot

dyer

embassy

farmer's market

fighting pit

fishmonger

fortune teller

gallows

gatehouse

general store

graveyard

greenhouses

guard post

guildhall

gymnasium

haberdashery

haunted house

hedge maze

herbalist

hospice

hospital

house for sale

inn

jail

jeweller

kindergarten

leatherworker

library

locksmith

mail courier

manor house

market

mayor's house

monastery

morgue

museum

music shop

observatory

orchard

orphanage

outhouse

paper maker

pawnshop

pet shop

potion shop

potter

printmaker

quest board

residence

restricted zone

sawmill

school

scribe

sewer entrance

sheriff's office

shrine

silversmith

spa

speakeasy

spice merchant

sports stadium

stables

street market

tailor

tannery

tavern

tax collector

tea house

temple

textile shop

theatre

thieves guild

thrift store

tinker's workshop

town crier post

town square

townhall

toy store

trinket shop

warehouse

watchtower

water mill

weaver

well

windmill

wishing well

wizard tower

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A couple of maps in my sci fi worldbuilding project, the capital systems of the NAU (New Aisling Union) and the Red Star Empire!

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Bringing this to my dedicated (and totally not dead) worldbuilding blog <3

Random Worldbuilding Questions

Are there any foods with symbolic meanings that are eaten on special occasions (e.g. katsudon for victory, or new years oranges for luck)? How did the tradition get started?

We all know about weddings and marriage, but are there any ceremonies that symbolically / legally / magically officialize a different type of relationship in your world’s culture? (Adoption, apprenticeship, friendship, etc.)

What’s a rule or social norm that is widely followed in theory, but in practice everyone knows it’s not a big deal and breaks it all the time?

Are there any trades or hobbies whose practitioners are stereotyped as weird or extraordinary? (E.g. the “mad hatter” trope.) Why? How true is this perception?

What are some cliches, tropes, and/or plots that commonly appear in stories written by your world’s inhabitants? What were they inspired by? Why are they popular?

What is a common way to subtly insult someone in your world, without crossing into overt rudeness? Gifting an item with negative connotations? Addressing them more familiarly or formally than normal? Backhanded compliments?

If you pulled a random average Joe off the streets of your world and asked them to draw a house, what would they draw? (Shape, roof style, position and number of windows, etc.)

Is there a place in your world that nobody has ever been to - the bottom of a cave, the moon, another dimension, etc.? How do people know it exists? Why haven’t they gone there? What do they believe it’s like, and how right/wrong are they?

What aesthetics are considered “advanced” or “futuristic” in your world - canvas wings, shiny chrome, smooth plastic? How has this changed over time?

What’s a fun fact about your world that you as the worldbuilder are dying to share, but nobody ever thinks to ask? 

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The republic of Masitochia

The republic of Masitochia, or simply Masitochia, is a prosperous democratic nation on the south coast of the continent. It's southernmost point extends to the base of the Marijan peninsula, its northernmost point a semitropical island in the Lake Amsa.

The Flag of Masitochia

Geographically, Masitochia is one of the largest nations on the continent, though it is smaller than the nation of Halaquflan and is roughly comparable to Saffranu, Corqafollain and a united Deskala Akri.

Geographically, much of Masitochian lands is forested, though the northern Mas lands are largely mixed grasslands with a few small deciduous woodlands and tropical marshes in the northernmost reaches. In the west, on the borders with Maelach and Deskala Akri, there lies the greatest mountain range, the Coski range, famous for its beautiful colors and famously harsh passes, which have historically protected the Masitochians from the historical Deskalan raids. Central easterm Masitochia is the home of the Quilan range, a less impressive but still significant mountain range that divides northern and Southern Masitochia. Southern Masitochia is the most inhabited and largest geographical region, boasting great stretches of woodland, vast flat plains, and plentiful water resources. In the southwest, lies the Nation's capital city, Facol Itoma, located on a major river near a lake. Facol Itoma has a long history and has, for centuries, been a major and significant place in the region. Farther to the south of Facol Itoma, you will come across the largest lake in the nation, Kiðik. A canal has been planned to connect the Deskalan and Marijian seas, and will use the Kiðik to connect east and west.

(Image: map of Masitochia, colored in orange)

In the current age, Masitochia exists as one of the most advanced and democratic nations in the world, in part because of it's dedication to maintaining high literacy rates and supporting its populace. This also has the side effect of attracting many of the greatest minds of many other nations, as intelligentsia across the world flock to the prosperous democratic nation. Migration is also a large part of Masitochia, as it is currently experiencing and encouraging perhaps one of the largest influx of immigrants ever recorded- hundreds, if not thousands of immigrants are accepted as citizens every day. This has resulted in a housing crisis, as you can imagine. One cannot visit a city without seeing massive housing complexes being built, alongside rows of tents and shanties. Despite this, the flow of immigrants has not faltered, in part because the State of Masitochia guarantees basic education for every immigrant.

Masitochia is no paradise, however. Inequality is ever present, the right to vote is only guaranteed to male citizens, and the political situation is, as you can imagine, very male-dominated. And, though the nation is markedly more tolerant than many others, the lack of immigrants in politics, even male, is painfully evident. Class struggles are equally as evident, the nation's capitalist system failing to aid the lower class and the homeless masses. Hope seems attainable, however. Women's suffrage protests are getting louder and harder to ignore, while the notion of gender roles themselves are being challenged by queer activists. The economic principles held by Masitochia are also being challenged, as Masitochia's western neighbor and young sister country, Maelach, has begun implementing socialist economic policies, as well as pushing for the same democratic government as Masitochia.

All around it, the world is changing. And Masitochia has proven in the past that it is more than capable of change. From kingdom to empire, from wounded kingdom, to proud republic. Masitochia stands tall as a beacon of progress.

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The Ridi Didicet

(Banner of the Ridi Unity, the unified faces of the Ridi in the galactic stage)

The Ridi Didicet, usually simply called the Ridi, are among the great spacefaring species in the galaxy, and are one of the first in the diplomatic community.

Physically, the Ridi are an imposing species, standing on average 9-12 feet, though it isn't unheard of for some individuals to grow up to 14 feet tall as they age. They are also very muscular in build, as they are native to a planet significantly larger than Terra. The most notable feature of the Ridi is their two heads, each boasting it's own sensory organs much the same as a human head, though more reptilian in appearance and with a colorful fan shaped frill at the back.

Despite the human rumors, the Ridi heads typically act as one individual, though roughly 1 in 15,000 Ridi have a mutation that does make the two heads act and think separately, this is not representative of the species as a whole.

The Ridi species also have a quite unique history shown by the strange archeological discoveries on their homeworld. It seems that there have been multiple waves of Ridi civilizations, there's evidence of near industrial buildings existing nearly a million years before stone tools in the same area.

With recent studies, historians have determined that each wave of Ridi civilization seems to have completely ended quite suddenly, civilizations thousands of miles apart seemingly being completely wiped out in the course of the same year. More spiritual theories suggest that these generations are waves of ascension, times when the faithful and good ascend and leave the sinners behind.

The more realistic theory places the blame for these complete collapses on occasional hypercanes that ravage the planet surface every few hundred thousand years, leaving the climate devastated for a while and civilization completely wiped.

As the Ridi homeworld is quite large and tropical, and historically has a singular supercontinent, making conditions for hypercanes large enough to have a circumference comparable to Terra.

All of this is not even to speak of the history of this current wave of Ridi civilization, which is unique in how incredibly bloody it is in comparison to the other modern species.

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Map of the Maelach nation.

One may not think much of Maelach as a nation. It is a very young one, after all, and a small one at that. It has only recently gained it's independence from the Deskalan nation which has oppressed them for years, gaining it's independence after a gruesome revolution.

The revolution was justified by cultural divides, as Maelach is a dominantly Mas nation, while it was ruled by the Deskalans of Deskala Akri.

Current flag of Maelach.

Many now consider Maelach to be on a tipping point. Though it is a small nation, it's leaders have promised to create an industrial, democratic power, offering the freedom to vote for every member of society, in stark contrast to the rigid caste society employed by their former overlord Deskala Akri.

As the nation begins it's steady journey into nationhood, questions are beginning to rise, many people claiming that Maelach has the opportunity to be the first truly socialist state, a haven for the workers and downtrodden of the world. Others claim that a capitalistic society would bring them allies in neighboring Masitochia, a valuable ally in a world of rising tensions and threats of war. Time will only tell whether Maelach will find it's place in the world. Be it a society driven by blind radical zealots or well minded citizens pioneering a new path forward, few will say Maelach is a nation with no future ahead of it.

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The Kikōll held the fragile human back. The Quklū beast stared at them through the reinforced glass of the enclosure. The Kikōll knew that if this beast were to so much as make a scratch in the glass, it would be killed on the spot, but the beast's cunning eyes still triggered an ancient, primal part of their brain.

"Friend shaped, human? This is a Quklū. It is a beast known to kill legions of warriors alone. It will not spare you the moment to 'pet' it."

"But it's so cute! There's no way something like that could kill! Look at it's eyes!" The human widened his own eyes to the Kikōll. Those eyes spoke of compassion, sympathy. The eyes of the beast behind the glass held nothing but cruel bloodlust. As the Kikōll looked, they observed the... 'cuteness' the human did. It was waist height to the human, quadrapedal. It's skin bore sleek iridescent scales. The Kikōll noted it was not unlike the wolves the humans had tamed in their early years. The beast was staring at the human intently, and the Kikōll felt a pang of protective instincts. It took all the willpower in the Kikōll's mind to stand still.

"The Quklū is a vicious predator, human. It may look similar to friendly creatures from your homeworld-"

"Puppies!"

"Puppies. But be assured that it is not friendly. It is a predator nearly as intelligent as us, it is known to lure its prey into a trap. It is fast, and it's claws are sharp. In the past, many tribes of my people were slaughtered by the fangs and claws of this monstrosity. Ripped apart alive. It's claws could cut a limb clean off. It dashes back and forth, lacerating it's prey for sport. It revels in blood."

"... I see."

"It is for the Quklū that my species evolved to never rest. If a tribe existed in quiet, that simply meant this beast had killed any creature that could threaten us, and intended to toy with us. To kill a tribe of hundreds one by one and leave us to rot. Those eyes, that you spoke of as 'cute' are watching you. It sees you only as an exotic new meal. A game. When it looks at you, it is not curious. It is simply salivating at the idea of how it will bleed you out."

The human suddenly did not look at the Quklū the same way.

"Let us leave." The Kikōll said, as much to their own conscience as to the human's

"I- yes. Yes, let's."

“IF NOT FRIEND, THEN WHY FRIEND SHAPED!?” the human cries out after you denied to let them pet your homeworld’s most dangerous predator.

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The New Aisling Union (shortened to NAU) is the greatest human power, based on the Grand planet Aisling and being known for its massive scale and widespread acceptance of immigrants and refugees, as well as it's dominance in human politics.

[Pictured: the flag of the NAU, a white background with a thin, purple horizontal line through the center. Slightly to the left is a large full circle of the same shade purple. A bright red open circle surrounded by 8 crown shapes, resembling a sun's flare.]

The NAU is the largest remaining human nation, though it is not a direct successor to the original Terran Nation, rather, the NAU was preceded by the Halyzsan empire, a short lived rump state of the First Terran Union that lasted only a few decades before crumbling. The result was various independent planets, almost starving as the stability of the Nation fell and trade routes broke down.

After many decades, these Planet states slowly began the process of joining forces once again. The planet Aisling, notable for being the first exoplanet settled by humanity, and as such, the oldest human inhabited world to still stand.

Planets joined together and unified, forming the NAU, named after the grand planet which organized it, the Union grew, and expanded, diplomatically incorporating the scattered worlds and instilling peace and unity as humanity still fought and bickered as if the civil war had never ended. In the current age, nearly 400 years have passed since the inception of the NAU, stands strong with thousands of systems, easily dwarfing the other straggling remnants of humanity.

Though humanity is no longer united under one banner, and may never be again, truly, it may as well be. The other human nations are... pathetic pretenders, at best. The petty states who refuse to rejoin the rest- the cultists and fascists- they are unrecognized governments and do not reflect the greater human character.

The NAU currently serves as a very influential figure in modern politics, often acting as a mediator in the negotiations of many various other states, and even as the center for the as of now hypothetical League of interconnected galactic peoples. The name of the league is a working title.

Long may the Union last, the last remnant of Earth. Long last Humanity and her allies.

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The homeworld is dead.

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In the great, northern empire White Stone, tensions are on the rise.

(The White Stone and her provinces)

See, the White Stone is a stagnant thing. In the years of political upheaval, rising democracies and republics, flourishing of new forms of thoughts, the Empire has stubbornly held on to their old, anachronistic ways. Despite the new age, they function as if they were still in the feudal world of their formation. The emperor still seizes absolute power and his vassals tremble beneath his mighty legions.

But as the world changes and leaves the White Stone behind, the emperor and his court recoil. They grip onto their realm with an iron fist of hatred anger and vitriol towards the modernizing world. And now, as the Iklama people of the east begin to rebel, tensions are once again at an all time high. Militias are being formed, arms stores are being raided, and there are calls for reform.

To the outside world, it appears that the monuments of White Stone are beginning to crumble. If this period of instability reaches it's zenith, it's unlikely the Empire could ever make a comeback.

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Why hello there. I'll do further personalization on this tumblr, but that's for another time.

Welcome to this Tumblr, made to share the internal thoughts from my brain babies. Expect worldbuilding, storytelling, or even just talking about my funny little ocs. Peak of cringe right here, and I will never apologize for that.