#askgeneral

[loominggaia]

Can you explain the general timeline of looming gaia

I have a character/story-centric timeline and a world-centric timeline. Both are unfinished, but here's what I have so far.

CHARACTER-CENTRIC TIMELINE:

4904 – Summer: Mr. Ocean was born.

5300 – Dario was born (approximate, exact year unknown).

5376 – Summer: Solveig was born.

5591 – Summer: Roach was born.

5853 – Autumn: Morbus was born.

5876 – Autumn: Tarajeen was born.

5878 – Spring: Felice was born. Ojio was born.

5906 – Winter – Ekwame was born.

5917 – Spring: Feredil was born.

5930 – Summer: Jeimos was born.

5938 – Spring: Oggsa was born.

5939 – Summer: Foster was born.

5943 – Spring: Sofia was born.

5948 – Summer: Moswen was born.

5950 – Summer: Sebastian was born.

5952 – Spring: Jeimos fails their teleportation final. Winter: Rene was born.

5955 – Autumn: Gwyneth was born.

5958 – Winter: Che was born.

5960 – Summer: Linde was born. Autumn: Brogan was born.

5961 – Autumn: Skel was born.

5962 – Winter: Balthazaar was born. Itchy was born.

5963 – Spring: Calamity is incarcerated, leaving Itchy with Mr. Sarfeesha. Philippa was born. Winter: Abigail was born.

5964 – Spring: Zeffer was born. Summer: Lilian was born.

6965 – Summer: Lukas was born. Jelani was born.

5966 – Spring: Javaan was born.

5967 – Spring: Evan was born.

5969 – Winter: Ginger was born.

5970 – Late winter: Lilian is taken in by the Dusk clan. Spring: Elgavara was born.

5971 – Itchy, nine years old, receives a lute for his “birthday”.

5973 – Summer: Hundelgi was born. Autumn: Elska was born.

5974 – Spring: Lilian and Dario are hunting men in Taybiya. Late spring: Itchy joins the Order of Love and Light. Summer: Lukas, at ten years old, has his wheshpala. 

5975 – Autumn: Olof was born.

5976 – Autumn: Alaine was born. Winter: Deanne was born.

5977 – Evan, at ten years old, accidentally “kills” Rye Lin Del.

5978 – Winter: Glenvar is born.

5980 – Spring: Balthazaar marries Feredil. 

5981 – Summer: Skel flees Barha. Autumn: Javaan joins Yerim-Mor military.

5982 – Summer: Lukas, age 18, loses virginity to Itanya. Winter: Linde gets kidnapped by slavers. Steel Knuckle Squad is formed.

5983 –Late winter: Dario gets caught assaulting Lilian. Spring: Alaine, 8 years old, becomes a mermaid. Winter: Evan, at sixteen years old, contracts lycanthropy and kills Foster.

5984 - Spring: Evan, at seventeen years old, meets Zeffer and forms the Freelance Good Guys.

5988 – Autumn: Lukas meets Evan.

5989 – Spring: Lukas and Evan fall in love.

5994 – Glenvar joins the Freelance Good Guys. Autumn: Frederick was born.

5995 – Autumn: Itchy and Ginger move to Drifter’s Hollow. Tomato is born.

5996 – Autumn: Alaine joins the Freelance Good Guys.

5997 – Autumn: Jeimos joins the Freelance Good Guys.

6000 – Summer: Isaac joins the Freelance Good Guys. Autumn: Isaac discovers his gift with animals.

6002 – Summer: “Tomb of the Skorpius” takes place. 

6004 – Summer: Freelance Good Guys defeat Disgrace for the first time and acquire Shadow. Steel Knuckle Squad joins the Freelance Good Guys. Autumn: Elska joins the Freelance Good Guys.

6005 – Spring: “The Sundown Room” takes place and Isaac finds out Evan is a lycanthrope. Summer: Evan starts dating Jelani. Late summer: Tojum moves to Drifter’s Hollow.

6006 – late winter: Cinnamon is born. Spring: Isaac receives Destiny’s tome of infinity. Early summer: Itchy becomes a confectioner. Summer: Isaac encounters Red Orchid. Autumn: Evan reunites with his family. Jeimos and Linde start dating. Late autumn: Mr. Ocean joins the Freelance Good Guys. Early winter: Evan reunites with Zeffer in “The Aldfog Mystery”, only for Zeffer to leave again.

6007 – Late winter: Isaac obtains the Divine Executioner. Early spring: Lukas slays Morganya. Late summer: Elska and Philippa destroy Kelvingyard. Isaac takes his first solo job, encounters Lilian and poisons Dario. Early autumn: Evan escapes Dr. Lendon and Natoma escapes prison. Autumn: Drifter’s Hollow burns down, Olof loses a hand.

6008 – Early spring: Flora restores Drifter’s Hollow. Early summer: Zeffer reunites with the Dusks. Summer: Connor comes to Drifter’s Hollow. Summer: Zeffer and Lilian come to Drifter’s Hollow. Late summer: Balthazaar adopts Azadora. Early autumn: Jeimos gets a cool sword. Autumn: Connor contracts lycanthropy and is banished from Drifter’s Hollow.

WORLD-CENTRIC TIMELINE

(click here, it's an image)

[loominggaia]

What are the strengths and weaknesses of each race?

I think strengths and weaknesses are all relative, but from a human perspective...

(NOTE: in this context, “poor charisma” doesn’t necessarily mean the species is bad at communicating. It’s more related to how they’re seen by other species overall. Most species, for example, are naturally creeped out by gorgons. So a gorgon might be the world’s best speaker, but there’s a high chance that others will still be put off by their appearance.)

HUMAN

Strengths: Adaptable, innovative, excellent liars and communicators, inclination towards beast-taming, total iron resistance

Weaknesses: Squishiest and weakest of all commoners, prone to disease, no natural heat or cold resistance, no nightvision, overall just a fragile, short-lived species

DWORF

Strengths: Twice as strong as humans, partial nightvision, natural cold resistance, innovative, some airborne disease resistance, total iron resistance, can tell lies

Weaknesses: Short stubby stature, slow moving, don't do well in hot places, prone to obesity and heart disease, poor vision in bright daylight, short lifespans

ROSHAVA

Strengths: Naturally strong, fast-moving, four arms, high endurance, some heat resistance, can tell lies, total iron resistance, builds muscle easily

Weaknesses: Smallest population of all peoples, don't do well in cold climates, high chance of death during childbirth and high infant mortality, no nightvision

TROLL

Strengths: Naturally strong and tough, decent vision in both daylight and darkness, almost total disease resistance, good hot and cold resistance, total iron resistance, can tell lies, can tolerate raw and rotten food

Weaknesses: Short lifespans, poor charisma, slow-moving, high rate of discrimination

OGRE

Strengths: Strongest and toughest of all peoples, cold resistance, can pretty much eat whatever, strong sense of smell, total iron resistance, can tell lies

Weaknesses: Poor endurance, prone to overheating, poor charisma, lack natural sense of innovation

ELF

Strengths: Creative, highly adaptable to different environments, highly adaptable to different types of magic, sharp vision and hearing, *can naturally communicate with animals, good communicators, relatively long lifespans

Weaknesses: No natural heat/cold resistance, prone to disease, overall fragile and even weaker than humans, *allergic to iron, cannot tell lies

(*opposite applies to red elves)

GOBLIN

Strengths: Stronger than elves, excel at "mental magics" such as telekinesis and teleportation, never forget anything they learn, long lifespans, naturally intelligent overall

Weaknesses: Can't eat meat, their names can be used to oppress them, allergic to iron, cannot tell lies, somewhat poor vision, no nightvision

GNOME

Strengths: Can naturally communicate with and enthrall animals, small size may be a boon, long lifespans, despite size they have the same magic threshold as an elf, some iron resistance

Weaknesses: Small size may be a detriment, cannot tell lies, slightly allergic to iron, unlike most fae they wrinkle as they age, cannot tell lies

SIRENE

Strengths: Fastest of all Aquarians in the water, high charisma, natural beauty, good daylight vision and perfect nightvision, relatively long lifespans, strong tails make lethal weapons, excellent cold resistance

Weaknesses: Almost immobile on land, allergic to iron, cannot tell lies, dehydrate quickly, must give birth and rear infants on land, prone to disease

CECAELIA

Strengths: Extremely long lifespans, cannot be killed unless brain is destroyed, fast wound healing, tentacles, high threshold for magic power, perfect nightvision, high intelligence, strongest of all fae, wide field of view

Weaknesses: Slow-moving and clumsy on land, dehydrates quickly, cannot tell lies, allergic to iron, prone to disease, needs to eat fish regularly, almost totally blind in daylight, poor charisma, high infant mortality

SATYR

Strengths: Naturally strong and very tough, some nightvision, wide field of view, high hot and cold resistance, fast-moving, rock-hard skulls, some disease resistance, can tolerate some raw and rotten food, naturally graceful dancers, creative

Weaknesses: Poor magic users, high rate of discrimination, unpredictable hormones, low emotional intelligence, prone to substance addiction

FAUN

Strengths: Second-fastest of all peoples, flexible and agile, naturally inclined towards magic, high emotional intelligence, good charisma, convincing liars

Weaknesses: Weak and squishy overall, often mistaken for and treated like satyrs, low resistance to heat and cold, prone to disease, no nightvision

GORGON

Strengths: Strong disease immunity, strong and tough, good heat resistance, innovative, fast-breeding, great swimmers, perfect nightvision

Weaknesses: Very poor charisma, poor cold resistance, must eat meat daily, poor liars, can't jump, relatively slow-moving

MINOTAUR

Strengths: Very strong and tough, excellent cold resistance, females generate nutrient-dense milk, high infant survival rate, high maternity survival rate, can eat most food raw

Weaknesses: Low overall intelligence, very poor communicators, high rate of discrimination, no nightvision, lack innovative drive, struggle with complex spells, relatively short lifespans

CENTAUR

Strengths: Fastest of all peoples, very strong and tough, decent heat and cold resistance, can eat most food raw

Weaknesses: Large and cumbersome, will die if they're sedentary for too long, burn calories quickly and require a lot of food, poor liars, struggle with independence and relies heavily on others, no nightvision

[loominggaia]

How are the security measures of the World Athenaeum ? Do they have spare pocket dimensions just in case ? More or least militarized than Area 51 ?

Well, in the story Knowledge and Power, the Divine of Hate and his minions were able to breach one wing of the Athenaeum and kidnap a bunch of minervae. This is...not a good look for the Athenaeum.

However, that was a pretty extreme and unexpected event. In general, security is very tight around this place.

In the story Lycanthrope's Laboratory, Athenaeum security is so strict that they won't even let a Matuzan noble through the gate without permission from a director. Under normal circumstances, a Matuzan noble should pull rank over everyone, but the Athenaeum director gets a special exception from the High Ruler of Matuzu Kingdom. That's a pretty big deal.

In Ratbone Throne, Destiny explains that the Athenaeum can't hire the same mercenaries to work for them twice because they're afraid those mercenaries will use the first visit to scope the place out, then future visits to rob it or cause trouble.

Based on those little tidbits, we can assume their security protocols are pretty hardcore.

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Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

[loominggaia]

For races who hatch from eggs: is their birthday the day the egg was laid or the day they hatch?

Good question! Some cultures observe both dates and celebrate them differently, but the vast majority consider the hatching day to be the official birthday.

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Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

[loominggaia]

Is there any way or hope for the extinct species to come back without dying horribly, getting enslaved, or being put into permanent stasis?!

Wellll....I've said this before, but I'll say it again: they went extinct for a reason. They had their prime time in history, but when conditions changed, that time came to an end.

For whatever reason, these species couldn't thrive in the new "modern" world. Maybe they would do alright if they were isolated in small communities (like the hogmen are today), but speaking on a large scale, I just couldn't see them doing very well. The face of Gaia has changed too much since their heyday.

Not even Gaia herself expected to change this much since she laid herself to rest. In fact, she created nymphs to prevent exactly this. But modernization and overpopulation is happening, like it or not, and some of her creations paid the price for it.

I'll say that if the Body of Gaia rose and rampaged again, reducing the Great Kingdoms back down to stone-age villages, the extinct peoples could make a comeback. And maybe things would turn out differently for them next time.

Or perhaps there are extinct divines hiding out somewhere in the world (or right under the Athenaeum's noses, in their stasis chambers...) who are waiting for the right time to reveal themselves.

I would like to write some stories that take place in Gaia's early history. Back before the Great Kingdoms became monstrously powerful, back when all of Gaia's peoples roamed her face together, etc. Not sure when I'll get around to it though.

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Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

[loominggaia]

What would happen if each extinct race suddenly just reappear, as if Gaia just forged more to reintroduce them?

This isn't a satisfying answer, but a realistic one: they would get slaughtered or enslaved pretty much immediately. Or the Athenaeum would swoop in, capture as many as they can, and just throw them in stasis with the others to be studied.

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Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

[loominggaia]

Okay let's say reintroducing gnolls, orcs, ect is greenlit. What would happen?

This situation could go a lot of different ways. I would say no matter what, there would be mass global protests because of the incoming ethical/legal disaster, not to mention fear over what these new populations would/could do to existing ones. People are afraid of change. I think there would be a lot of bigotry and ignorance on display from all sides.

Let's first talk about the ethical dilemma these researchers face...

So, they have a few very small populations of these species in their possession. Some of these individuals in stasis are blood relatives, confirmed by genetic testing. In some cases, they have several males and only one female.

No matter what, some degree of inbreeding is inevitable because you're starting with such a small population. Also, what if researchers unfroze these people and the females were like "I don't want kids". Should the researchers force them to breed anyway, for the "good of the species"? Should they play god and attempt to clone them? And once they unfroze them, putting them back in stasis for any reason would be immensely fucked up. Just keeping them frozen means...well, no harm no foul.

If they unfroze the specimens and just unleashed them into the world, their chances of survival are slim to none. They're being cast into a world that doesn't resemble the one they came from at all--a world they won't understand.

If they unfroze the specimens and kept them in a sanctuary, that's imprisonment. They're keeping these people locked up even though they've committed no crime, which is unlawful.

If they unfreeze the specimens and let them grow old and die, well, bye-bye research. Tons of important data just got fed to the worms.

That's why no research director has agreed to take on this project yet. It's a logistical and ethical nightmare that's sure to spark worldwide unrest.

Then again, maybe a researcher will come along who's just a bit unhinged and ready to tackle this beast...who can say?

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Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

[loominggaia]

Seeing as we may be getting more extinct race articles soon I gotta ask, which race do you think is the most at risk of going extinct? Also which of the extinct races currently has the highest chances of making a comeback?

I don't think any of the peoples are in danger of going extinct currently, not for a very long time. They all have such robust and well-spread populations now that something especially strange and catastrophic would have to happen to wipe out an entire species.

If Zareen Empire continued their pollutive ways for a few more centuries, maybe plopped a few cryptomining facilities on the coast and really committed to being assholes, they could acidify the oceans and wipe out sirenes. Cecaelia would just move inland, but that would be quite a bit harder for sirenes since they don't have legs.

Roshava are few in number and fairly concentrated in their location compared to other peoples, so if a pandemic ripped through their species and proved to be contagious enough, I could see them succumbing to it completely. (The same thing could happen to red elves--but they're not an entire species, just a specific race of a species.)

TL;DR: Sirenes would be the first to go, probably, followed by roshava.

To answer the second question...

Of all the "extinct" species, hogmen have the biggest chance of making a comeback. I say this because they actually have sparse but healthy populations in the wild. The other extinct species are smaller in number and exist only in captivity or in stasis.

I believe if the World Athenaeum actually put some laws in place and enforced a big enough sanctuary for them, hogmen could reach a respectable population.

However, there's still a big problem...there's a reason all these species went extinct in the first place. For whatever reason, they couldn't adapt to the changing world around them, and they all got outmuscled or outsmarted by other species.

That said, if hogmen repopulated, I think their population would quickly spiral down again the moment protections were removed. That goes for all the extinct species. They all had their time to shine, but the world outgrew them and they faded away.

The World of Looming Gaia is always changing, and it's very likely that given enough time and dramatic events, other species will fade away too.

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Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost