Wbw - Tumblr Posts
Hehe wet beast Wednesday, photo credits: Greg Dodge
Happy WBW! Are there any special handshakes or pass phrases that exist in your world? I'm thinking like those really cloak and dagger things where a contact might give you half of a phrase and then you have to complete it to prove your identity.
happy (very very late) wbw !!! i don’t really have anything specifically like that but in the wip i was writing for camp nanowrimo earlier this year (about a group of immortal beings who watch the world go by from a spaceship) the characters have a special knock to let the others know it’s them trying to get in the ship so i guess that counts in a way :DD
Happy WBW! What hairstyles are popular in your world? Are these hairstyles you can do at home or ones that you'd have to pay a professional to get done?
hi !! happy (late (again)) wbw !! in elyrenia (nadia’s home country) a lot of people have their hair up often. whether it be in a bun (this is nadia’s go to) or a ponytail or another style similar most people with long hair will have it up and out of their face. there isn’t much reason for this other than they think it looks nice. most people can do their hair at home (although, if they’re going an event they’ll usually ask for help to do a more fancy hairstyle) but richer people (such as royalty) will go to a professional :D
Happy World-Building Wednesday! How do you think your own culture influences your world building? Yours dearly, @catinthesun2
Happy World-Building Wednesday!!! I think I'm going to actually look at my campaign world for this because I write a lot of more urban fantasy/generic medieval fantasy (in the case of Queer Storylines TM)? But Tirisea is my campaign world and I grew up in a very rural region of the central US, and I think that's why I'm specifically attached to city-states in my worlds as opposed to full nations? When there's only one big city within 100 miles of you, and that big city isn't actually all that big, the world feels very local, and I really really like my Regional Flavor because I do identify so strongly with the region I'm from, even if I was not encouraged to embrace it during my upbringing.
Also, being from the US, I have a special hate in my heart for capitalism, and that tends to make an appearance in my antagonists!
Thank you for the ask!!!!!! (i don't know if i need to tag you if you were tagged in the ask but @catinthesun2)
The beasts be wet
mandatory wet beast wednesday post, how are my skunks feeling today?
THE BEASTS ARE WET
IT IS WET BEAST WEDNESDAY
BEASTS BE WET!!
a happy wet beast wednesday to all who celebrate <33
ITS THAT TIME OF THE WEEK AGAIN
THE BEASTS BE WET
WET BEAST WEDNESDAY
❤️ Happy WorldBuilding Wednesday! ❤️
What are your cities or towns like? Feel free to talk about the layouts or the people or the architecture, etc. and to talk about more than one if you'd like!
You have no idea what you’ve asked for from me. Prepare for a full breakdown of what I have done with human built architecture in my latest world. I will hide it so no one suffers a wall of text without consent
Functionally I have decided to destroy government and economy on large scales. Each settlement has organisation but this is self contained. If anything requires a bigger effort, like a widespread national disaster, there is communication employed to organise between the leaders of cities/towns/villages. Because everything is so small scale, trading and favors are used for goods and services.
I am aware this is an idyllic way to run things, but its a fantasy world that i will write as i please. it's incredibly ancient world, but i am okay with that. An excuse is that the governments were built around the deities and so no one person was allowed to take over, and such a pattern had continued even after they were gone as tradition
Bit of background for the world itself in terms of magic, four goddesses asserted themselves on the plane a few centuries prior. They gave the world magic which was used to varying degrees across the plane.
In the local village where the story begins about half of the residents have magic from the goddesses, but not everyone used it beyond aiding in menial daily tasks. This, when magic disappeared with the goddesses’ banishment, they continued living with little readjustment.
This is not the case for all places. To fit with theme cos it makes me happy, each established place is categorized by the latent use of magic by residents. hearts is 0-29%, clubs is 30-49%, spades is 50-69%, and diamonds is 70-100%.
The magic is mixed with technology that is advanced as what was around during the first American Industrial Revolution/antebellum era. It powers the technology, boosts it, or is served by technology. The level of dependence each town had largely aligns with the level of disrespect they’ve fallen into. Hearts like the main village are mostly fine, while Spades and Diamonds are suffering or in complete ruin/are abandoned.
Happy WBW! What's the harshest part of your world? Be it a place, a law, something character-created or otherwise, what is just HARSH?
ooo this is a good one, thank you tori!
at the present point in the narrative in qcc/hoc the harshest places are probably the communities that relied almost entirely on magic. they've fallen into complete disrepair and are virtually uninhabitable.. it's ruined countless lives as people there have become desperate, some to the point of violence, while others abandoned what used to be their homes
it'll break maggie's heart when they come to these places
Happy WBW! What part of your world would your protagonist (& others if you want) change? Aaaand go! ♥️
this is super tricky on many levels. i don't have a single protagonist and I've created this world as a flawed version of my ideal realistic world, so I'm going to have to poke holes in my baby. still, I'll give this my best shot and go one by one.
cuckoo wants things to go back the way they were. she can survive without magic, but it was her sole comfort for so long she doesn't want to let it go. she wants her goddess back and she wants to live with her circus family again, she's sorry for what she did, promise
maggie wants an incredibly interconnected archive system. it's one thing to order books from nearby villages and salvage them from passing markets, but another to have catalogued and more easily accessible bank of knowledge (if anyone is starting a library it's her
alex wants better communication over long distances. trains are nice, and magic messages do in a pinch, but they miss their mum. she's lived far away for so long
ben wishes they could have been a bard. it's not a world changing thing, and maybe a career in tale telling might have burned him out, but right now it brings them joy. more joy than healing does, since anyone can be taught that. maybe he should get an apprentice
Happy WBW! In honor of Idalia and her looming approach on the SouthEast US, what is the most dangerous natural threat to your world?
hahhhh good inspiration. i have a friend that lives up there at the moment but thankfully she made it out okay. I'm feeling some winds and rains where i am, and I'm hoping other people in the area are being cautious and safe.
the most dangerous threat to the world I'm writing is the people and the crutch that was taken from them -- magic. it served as a tool in every way of life; it protected against threats like natural disasters or desperate raiders, served as a source of income, allowed for good travel, it saved lives, and grew food. The world is reeling from the loss of widespread magic, but many places are recovering in ways they couldn't with the goddesses present. magic is a blessing and a curse whether it's present or not at this point >:)
Happy WBW! To kick off the spooky Asks, what are monsters like in your world? Real? Fictional? Surrounded by their own Cryptidology?
Heya Tori!
In not my magical destiny (which I WILL write most of by the end of the year I am promising myself) a form of monsters are real.
Most of the world exists as we do, but the sins and virtues play a delicate power balance game underneath. Some of that includes petty squabbles where they create monstrous creatures to attack the opposing side. Also, arguably some of their minions look monstrous, being specific offshoots of whatever sin or virtue they serve
Happy Worldbuilding Wednesday! Thank you for the tag, @writernopal!
For the sake of doing something new, I'll talk about both of my main WIPs - The Last Wrath and Tales of Wilted Flowers.
THE LAST WRATH -
In Agrannor, there are many beautiful places and wondrous locations that can be quite cozy!
For example:
a tavern down the Scarp of Kestrall in the late afternoon and early night, when the recently lit fires start roaring welcomingly, providing shelter from the merciless winter air outside, and a bard's song echoes joyfully from within. Eating a warm meal after a long day's travel, enjoying the warmth and merry music before settling down to rest.
a Vellamerian beach during the early hours of the day. The way the sun's rays beam just right on the crystal blue waters, making a myriad of colors dance in the rocky shoreline, where colorful fishes - of all shapes and sizes - start coming out to hunt. The perfect place for a picnic or an early morning stroll.
the royal gardens of the Spring Palaces in Nethilor, where just about the most beautiful plants and flowers in the world flourish under the sun, blessed by Fae magic centuries ago. Taking a romantic walk through these gardens would be heavenly.
the kingdom of Liranthis is known for its wide and wondrous libraries and archives, where they claim all the knowledge in the world can be found. The archives are kept in pristine condition, within towers nestled almost as high as the clouds above, striving for peace and quiet, be it for a quick visit in the morning for a scroll or a late-night study session with a cup of tea.
the festivals and fairs of Etaruze and Faravvia are quite enchanting, especially during the Summertide and Yule Festivals, which are the pride of both kingdoms and a core tradition for their people. Imagine beautiful white cobblestone streets filled with new stalls and flashing colors, paper street lamps gleaming above your head as you buy candied apples and strawberries from one of the vending stalls while cheering and dancing fill the night around you.
the hills around one of the Imperial kingdoms, beautiful meadows covered in green grass sliding off the rocky hillside and leading into the forest, untouched by the Emperor's army, where some faery enclaves can still thrive, hidden from the world.
TALES OF WILTED FLOWERS -
I'll make this a bit different - instead of talking about places in general that are beautiful and cozy, for this WIP I'll talk about the places the main cast personally finds cozy, therefore being more specific!
While traveling through the kingdom, one of the coziest spaces for Rylisan is his bedroom tent, which he sets up personally every time they make camp. He has many pillows, of different fabrics and colors, and an insanely fluffy bedroll. Also, his tent is almost always lit up in a warm light, because he does not like the dark. I think that what Rylisan likes the most about his tent - other than the fact that it is very comfy - is that: it is his space, his privacy, and it is safe. The fact that his room is something he can control and make comfortable is very important to Rylisan.
Xarian Argyris feels coziest when he is in a bustling tavern, especially if there is good music and wine, and there’s no unwarranted chaos to be found. He also feels particularly comfortable during general festivities, becoming especially fond of the Severmoon Festival in the time he and his friends spent in the kingdom of Grimpass Keep, even mentioned that this was the most fun he had in years. He also likes finding hidden nooks and crannies around the cities he is in, especially if he manages to find somewhere beautiful and unique, like when he and Lorelai went stargazing after a party in their time in the kingdom’s capital. Having been trapped and isolated (by the villain) for a long time before breaking free, Xarian despises complete solitude and is irked out by silence, so his favorite places in the world are the exact opposite - they’re bustling with life, with freedom and options.
Lorelai Wildwood's favorite place in the world, where she feels most comfy at, is to be reading something interesting - especially if it is an ancient tale - by firelight, with a cup of a warm beverage (like her favorite, lavender tea - with cookies, of course) and a comfy blanket. It doesn't matter if she is curled up in her bedroll while camping on their journeys, or if she is in a lavish armchair in the libraries of a castle, just the act of reading so comfortably makes her feel cozy. Another thing that makes her feel cozy is when she and Xarian go stargazing together, because she likes his company (and vice versa) and because her boyfriend gives the best hugs according to her.
The place Arista Bryar finds coziest are potion shops, especially cozy ones run by kinder witches and alchemists. It gives her warm memories of her past, since she grew up in her mentor’s potion shop before everything went wrong. She just loves the general flowery smells, the woodcarved funitures, getting to stare at the intricate vials on the shelves and try to guess which potion does what, and her favorite, actually being able to see someone make a new potion. Not only do these shops feel homey and comfortable overall - having a general tea shop vibe - but she just generally likes to be there, she feels like she is in her element when amongst all those vials, components and potions. Alternatively, in the absence of a potion shop, Arista likes anywhere that is not crowded - as a dhampir who was once hunted, humans give her a lot of mixed feelings and she generally prefers only the company of the few human friends she trusts - especially if it is somewhere she can get desserts, so bakeries are her next most cozy spot to visit.
Kaladin Morgrove considers rowdy taverns and pubs in general as his definition of cozy, especially if there is plenty of wine available. However, if he is being truly honest with himself, Kaladin feels quite comfortable in his group’s campsites, especially after a long day’s travel where they can just chill around the fire, eat something freshly cooked and just talk - surprisingly, Kaladin likes to tell stories, mostly exaggerated and almost always about himself, and they are very funny.
Despite being a thief in the main land, Micah Rook quite enjoys going to the seaside, even if it’s just to chill out at the port, but especially if he gets to go to a beach in the kingdom’s rocky shore. Micah’s true parents used to be seafaring adventurers, so Micah feels incredibly at ease when travelling in a ship in the open ocean, and loves anything to do with the act of sailing. Sitting in the crow’s nest of a galley at night and just watching the sea flowing below the ship has to be his favorite spot in the world. He is also unusually comfortable while exploring forgotten ruins and the like, finding the general dusty emptiness of those once important places something surprisingly comforting.
Neoma'ka feels most comfortable when she can eat a good roast and large amounts of anything she can find, especially ale. As such, this goblin warrior feels incredibly comfortable at feasts, though she much prefers the informal ones - like the ones in taverns, festivals and her tribe - over the uptight ones, because part of the comfort of a feast is being able to relax.
alright, i'm running on fumes today but I still want to send out some kind of WBW ask so we'll do it this way instead!
Tell me about the coziest place in the world of your WIP that I could spend an afternoon. Is it a beautiful meadow with magical, singing creatures? Maybe a cute library or used book store built into the trunk of an ancient tree? Or maybe a cool little thrift store with cats in the parking lot! Tell me about it!
Tagging a few of the usual suspects but feel free to participate if this comes across your dash anyway! The more the merrier!
@sam-glade @writingmaidenwarrior @writeblr-of-my-own @mysticstarlightduck @pheita @crowandmoonwriting @acertainmoshke @callahanscorner @void-botanist @tabswrites
Happy Worldbuilding Wednesday, Sam!
What is the most otherwordly/strange/ethereal (positively or negatively) location in the world of your WIP? Is it somewhere anyone can have access to at some point or is it restricted/unreachable in some way? + What makes that place so unique?
Hi @mysticstarlightduck, happy belated WBW💜
I'm going to talk about the Sun King's Palace in the Clouds here.
It is very much otherworldly in that it has been created initially as a palace on an artificial floating island, made by the Dancer, the King's spouse, who was the most powerful Elemental Dancer in history. It was a show of her mastery, the pinnacle of what can be achieved with human hands.
With time, people's beliefs took hold of it and raised it higher and higher, until it was pushed out of the earthly plane and became another dimension entirely. Nowadays, only those with level of power comparable to a dragon can reach it. Also, they need to have means of flying.
It's said to be a place of incredible beauty, a land of eternal summer, where there's no death or illness. The Sun King and the Dancer live there with their honour guard.
Happy WBW!
I've got two questions for you:
In the world of your WIP, is there a main pantheon of deities/gods that is worshipped? Are they actual celestial beings that exist or are they figments of the people's imagination? If they exist, do they have anything to do with the magic that exists in that world?
Do you worldbuild before writing your WIPs first draft, like a form of plotting, or does worldbuilding come naturally to you as you develop the story?
Thank you! This one is also super relevant to the Champion & Mage novella I'm working on:
Pantheon:
Yes! There are 5 deities that used to be more directly involved in humans' lives until they started an incredibly destructive war. Thanks to that oopsie, they're now self-banished from the humans, with only their Champions as channels for their influence. (Each deity gets one Champion.)
Their destructive war left behind a ton of magic remnants, which humans harvest and use to create enchanted objects. This has spawned a whole field of mages: novices, harvesters, artifcers, overseers, etc. However, given that the gods aren't around anymore, this scavenged magic is finite, so it's very valuable.
World-Building:
I usually try to have all the relevant bones of the world in place before I start plotting, but things will always come up as I'm drafting for the first time! For example, when starting the first draft of the story, I had to stop to think about details like food, clothing, jewelry, superstitions, architectural style, and traditional offerings.
Worldle-Building Wednesday Tag!
Thanks for the tag, @oh-no-another-idea! I've never heard of this Wordle before, but I hope I was able play this game right!
Rules: using this Wordle maker, come up with a relevant word for your WIP, and share the link! Then, below a cut, share why the word relates to your current project.
Explanation below the cut! (:
The word ARISE, is very relevant to my WIPs - mainly Realms of Loss and Enchanted Illusions. For Realms of Loss, arise means to rise from the ashes of what their world once was to build a better future, like a phoenix. For Enchanted Illusions, it means to rise in favor of justice and freedom for all, despite the corruption of their peers.
I'm glad you liked the question, @oh-no-another-idea! Thanks for turning it around, I'll try to answer it! (:
I am a huge fan of worldbuilding, so most of my WIPs are very high fantasy settings, lmao. I've mentioned the pantheon of gods from The Last Wrath and Tales of Wilted Flowers in a few other posts, so in this one, I'll cover the pantheon of Celestials from Realms of Loss - which happens to be a huge part of the story, because some of the MCs are half-deities and the plot vastly revolves around the return of a dead god (who is actually a demigod ascended into Godhood, but details, details...)
In Helvastte, the main continent of that WIP, the actual Old Gods are dead, having perished in a dreadful battle centuries prior, which ravaged the lands and caused the appearance of a terrible curse. So, the main deities who rule over and are worshipped in Helvastte are the Celestials, who were born of the remnant strings of magic from Ichor, the blood of the Gods, after the fall of the first pantheon.
Celestials are immortal and incredibly powerful beings, but not nearly as powerful as the Old Gods. For example, Celestials cannot create or destroy worlds, which the Old Gods could easily do, nor change the Tides of Fate, which didn't affect the Old Gods. They also aren't immune to the Forgotten Curse, because - much like them - it was created out of the Ichor spilt by the Old Gods in their battle.
But what can Celestials do in Helvastte? They hold incredible power over specific domains, such as the Storms, Chaos, or Marriage to name a few - and so, because of this, there are many demigods, some more or less powerful than others depending on their Domain. They are also magical entities and have a lot - and I mean a lot - of sway over the decisions and wars waged by the human kingdoms sworn to them. They can be patrons of some specific orders of Casters, and often sire half-deities, known as Divine Heralds, who are the magical elite of the realms - the most powerful kinds of mortals.
For example of a half-deity in the actual story, Kassien Vann was a highly trained Divine Herald of the elite royal guard, son of the Celestial of Storms, Moyrah, and a human man.
There are two rival Celestial Courts in Helvastte, which favor specific human kingdoms in their neverending war to decide who will rule what remains of the continent, as conquests are paramount for survival in a land ravaged by a curse even the Celestials aren't immune to. Some Celestials aren't a part of the Courts and are often called the Unseen.
Happy WBW, Cass!
In the world of your WIP, is there a main pantheon of deities/gods that is worshipped? Are they actual celestial beings that exist or are they figments of the people's imagination? If they exist, do they have anything to do with the magic that exists in that world?
Hello, pal, thanks for the ask! <3 Man you've managed to hit me right in the chink of my armor! As a writer who is low on world building, I don't think a single one of my WIPs has any sort of new or imaginative religions/gods. 😭
This is still a terrific question though--may I turn it around and ask YOU the same? 💛