Mind of a Worldbuilder

Just a place where I post things that inspire my writing and worldbuilding.

[crushgaunt]

I think one of the potentially interesting ways to implement the “always evil races” fantasy trope is something like “Group A emmets magical radiation that is specifically harmful to Group B” - a thought inspired by the way some of the Exalted from the TTRPG of the same name produce solar magic which is harmful to beings of darkness and shadow

[leefsnakesnake]

There's an EU initiative going on right now that essentially boils down to wanting to force videogame publishers with paid games and/or games with paid elements such as DLC, expansions and microtransactions to leave said games in a playable state after they end support, or in simpler terms, make them stop killing games.

A "playable state" would be something like an offline mode for previously always online titles, or the ability for people to host their own servers where reasonably possible just to name some examples.

I don't think I need to tell anyone that having something you paid for being taken from you is bad, which is a thing that routinely happens with live service and other always online games with a notable recent example being The Crew which is now permanently unplayable.

Any EU citizen is eligible to sign the initiative, but only once and if you mess up that's it. You can find it here. (https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/initiatives/details/2024/000007_en)

Even if you're not European or you signed it already, you can share this initiative with anyone who is, even if they don't care about videogames specifically because this needs a million signatures and there is different thresholds that need to be met for each EU country for their votes to even count and could also be a precedent for other similar practices like when Sony removed a bunch of Discovery TV content people paid for.

[guyinasuit]

OK that's it the hype for Waybound is taking over I'm gonna use the incorrect quotes generator and no one can stop me.

[the--grin--reaper]

On the surface, the gang is just a happy found family but

Lindon has struggled with self worth all his life, being told that if he was murdered his clan would have to apologise to his murderers, and generally being treated like he's less than dirt. He didn't even start to see himself as important or strong until book ~eight that's how deep his insecurities ran. That is 3 years away from the valley, as a guy in the top 16 of the Uncrowned Tournament. He still felt lesser. When he saw his family again it all got worse and set him back probably months on the measure of his self worth because they still saw him as a useless unsouled. It makes it worse that his underlord revelation was literally "I practice the sacred arts because I don't want to be useless anymore".

Yerin has abandonment issues. Her whole village got killed by a monster, a monster that then lived inside her. Then her master got killed and she was left alone again and in her povs you can see how deeply this affected her, especially in the early books. She was enraged that the Sandvipers attacked her and Lindon whilst he was advancing to Copper because it was cowardly, sure, but she also thought "they wanted to leave her alone again. That was unacceptable." Her Underlord revelation was about never being alone again. She always panicked when Lindon leaving was mentioned; when Cassias told him that they would send him home she froze up, worried that Lindon would leave her alone. She didn't want him to leave her behind, the mere thought of him leaving her frightened her.

Eithan has a deep set loneliness and is the antithesis of what he wants to be. He has been ahead all his life. A prodigy, a genius. But that means that he left all his friends behind. He had no equals, still doesn't, even among the most powerful beings in the universe. He was alone his whole life. When he manifested the broom icon for fun, a bunch of people killed themselves. He wanted to be a healer but he became the literal God of Death. He found a way to reverse death to manifest the Life Icon, and instead manifested the Death Icon. He was compatible with every Abidan type, except a healer. The one he wanted. He created a weapon called Penance. Penace. As penace for everything he's done. Then he had to spend millenia reaping worlds - billions, trillions of people. Regularly. A change in the system could lessen this, he wouldn't have to reap so many lives (lives that he feels the sorrow of) if they just changed the system. But they won't because this one works "so well". At the expense of the one Judge that can never stop, never leave, because he doesn't have anyone that could take his place.

Mercy has mommy issues and was the victim of gaslighting. Throughout the series Malice treats her like a prized possession to be discarded once her worth is lessened in her eyes. Malice shamed Mercy over the fact that her friends are better, she made her feel lesser and weak. She was horribly manipulative towards Mercy and tried to hold her hostage. She lied to Mercy to keep her on her side, and only ever showed Mercy love when Mercy needed to be manipulated. Mercy feared her. Malice also publicly humiliated Mercy, in front of friends and family. Meanwhile all Mercy has ever wanted was to make her mother proud. She even physically abused Mercy, when Mercy was trying to urge her to ascend, and verbally abused her because she didn't want to see the truth.

Ziel got tortured and lost the will to live. He wasn't suicidal, but he didn't care whether he lived or died. He was forced to watch as his whole sect died, then got mutilated and crippled by a mad scientist that took pleasure in torturing him and fixing him up wrong. Then this same scientist threatened to hurt him again and he was prepared to let it happen, prepared to endure it again, because in exchange Yushi and Calling Storms would send the others to help Lindon. He was so apathetic and depressed because of what he went through, and suffered for years, his spirit causing him pain, hardly considering himself a sacred artist. And the worst part is, that he is just a genuinely nice guy. He helps Lindon in Ghostwater. He stays with Lindon after his contract to Eithan expires. He tries to cheer the group up by jumping out from behind a couch, pretending to be Eithan, because they miss him. He doesn't deserve to have suffered so much, but even then, he still finds a way to be kind. Despite his suffering, and having lived with it for so long.

[auth-z-bypass]

I spent way too much effort on this stupid joke

[lyssq]

Imagine how the other divisions see the Reapers. Like you’re a mid-level Phoenix and Suriel’s pretty nice but she’s a Judge and your boss and she’s not talking to you unless it’s to give orders. Then one day you visit the Grave for whatever reason and find the Reapers all playing monopoly with Ozriel. The girl with the swords just stabbed him because he landed on her property and the one with the scary arm is trying to steal his money while he’s distracted. You turn back around and decide to come back later.

[crushgaunt]

And Heavens forbid you’re a tightly wound Hound

[atlasaurelius]

CRADLE MUTUALS CRADLE MUTUALS CRADLE MUTUALS

this fandom is so tiny lol

CRADLE MUTUALS

CRADLE MUTUALS

CRADLE MUTUALS

Okay every single cradle fan revlog this so we can all find each other NOW

[nomorerealitys-blog]

Dark Emissary by PhilByers

[ex0skeletal-undead]

Wraith, Ember, and Fury - Dragon Shield by Dominik Mayer

[thecollectibles]

Art by Seiko Yoshioka C

[thecollectibles]

Art by Pablo Rivera

[70sscifiart]

1977 Chris Moore cover art for “Cemetery World,” by Cifford Simak

[st-just]

Exalted Warlock Bogdan by Lucas Torquato

[ex0skeletal-undead]

Works by Bogdan Rezunenko

[mysterium-solis]

Sword Illustrations by Ma-Ko (2018-21)

[skittlebits]

You know how we all joke that writers should stop writing kids in the Chosen One roles because they’re kids and have no experience, etc., and how older people would actually kick ass in that kind of role?

Try telling someone 30-60 years old that they need to put down all of their commitments because they need to save the universe. If it were a book trilogy, the first book would just be the messenger trying to convince the Chosen One that saving the universe is more important than them losing their job for not showing up, their pets home alone, or the risk that their insurance won’t cover whatever injuries they may sustain.

[lasrina]

Well, in fairness, Bilbo Baggins never did get all his furniture back.

[artmagine]

The amazing digital art of Lorenzo Lanfranconi