#mos: asks

[minecraftbookshelf]

was thinking about mos joey again, and i was wondering if you had any lost empire lore youd be willing to share?

MoS Joey lives rent free in all our heads and its what he would want.

The Lost Empire is, quite frankly, a bit of a mess and its something they are working very hard to cover up. Joey became Emperor under some very tense internal circumstances and they had a pretty significant infrastructure breakdown that was a major motivation for Joey choosing to drop the barriers that kept them isolated and rejoin the larger world, socially and politically.

So the Empire in general, and Joey in particular, are constantly in "it's fine! don't look too closely!" mode and Joey didn't begin his affair with Xornoth as a distraction tactic but it sure has been a nice side effect!

Ironically, their somewhat contentious new trade relationships with the Ocean have been huge as far as rebuilding and regaining economic stability. Both the Ocean and the Jungle have a long culture of haggling and honestly, they have been having so much fun. Just about any merchant or craftsperson or fisherman involved in the trade between the two kingdoms has A Nemesis that they will rant about at length regarding how "difficult" they are and how they "rob them blind" and that is their favorite person in the world.

[minecraftbookshelf]

Are there any fun (or traumatic) facts you can share about Xornoth and Scott's childhoods in MoS, I know you mentioned before that Scott has slept in the snow before

Scott has slept in the snow, yes. He gave the slip to his caretakers many times and just wandered off into the winter. Fortunately when he was small he wasn't able to go far. But he absolutely gave more than one servant a heart attack when they found him curled up asleep, covered by a thin layer of snow that wasn't melting, even on his skin.

Xornoth was the first person to hold Scott after he was born. They were smitten immediately and promised to do everything in their power to keep their new baby brother safe.

Scott doesn't get cold and Xornoth doesn't overheat and they absolutely spend a lot of time being each others hot water bottle/ice-pack.

Xornoth almost froze to death their first winter and Scott almost died of heatstroke his first summer. Everyone knew, after that.

Xornoth knit a little blanket for baby Scott. It was Scott's comfort item for as long as he was allowed to keep it, even though he never needed it to stay warm.

They were each others' first friend.

Scott was very young when Xornoth was exiled, about the elvish equivalent of second grade. (Xornoth was the elvish equivilant of mid-teens)

[minecraftbookshelf]

Not sure if you've ever answered this before (I'm not done catching up on the master post from last time I saw the au) but in MoS does Jimmy's Ocean God/Swamp Creature status (he's immortal so I'm kinda assuming) ever affect anything with Scott given the whole Champion of a God thing?

Like does it kinda set off Scott's religious trauma or anything? Would insane Exor in the back of Xornoth's head have any thoughts on it?

It kind of does and kind of doesn't. (It probably should affect it more, Jimmy is just oblivious to divine omens. Somehow. It's a little bit embarrassing actually. He usually just assumes it's Lizzie trying to communicate something to him and decides to ask her about it next time they meet up in person.)

Mostly it doesn't really change much of anything. This is very much an overarching culture of "as long as you don't blaspheme my designated god from the pantheon, do whatever you want about yours." Like, i wouldn't go so far as to call it religious tolerance, if someone were to straight up say "I don't believe in X god" it wouldn't go over well. Part of that is because it isn't really about belief, its about the fact that most of these deities are tangible beings who can and will smite you.

There's no real expectation for Scott to preside at major religious festivals, for instance, because these are for water and ocean gods and Scott is not a water or ocean being. At all. (Despite the ice). It would in fact, be disrespectful and potentially blasphemous for him to do so. Depending on the occasion he would either attend quietly, or observe from a distance. (Outside the stuff that is literally just Jimmy performing observances in secret that no one gets to see)

It doesn't so much set off his religious trauma, partly because that's more or less a constant state for him and also it's a separate thing tied directly to Aeor and specifically the practices of the church in Rivendell and the expectations it put on him. Beyond some concern over Aeor being jealous or displeased that he left the mountains, its pretty separate.

Exor does have lots of thoughts and most of them are pretty disparaging. Xornoth actually agrees with some of it because why is everything so moist. It's weird. Exor does consider this an insult to Aeor, trading his champion off to a whole different corner of the pantheon, and he has mixed feelings about that. Xornoth hates it unilaterally.

[minecraftbookshelf]

(marriage of state) you've mentioned a couple times that the Rivendell siblings are pretty fucked up, but i'm not sure if they're like, an unusual amount of fucked up for their peer group. so on a scale of 1 to 10, where would you place all of the marriage of state rulers? are there any particular standouts we should know about, besides our beloved Scott and Xornoth?

I waited to answer this because I was going to draw a diagram but apparently that's just not going to happen right now so we'll just use our words.

Not Actually Doing Too Badly, Weirdly Enough:

Pearl. We love an unbothered queen. She is the sanest of the whole lot which is. Saying something. The desire to punch things in the face is unrelated to any sort of trauma its just her idea of a good time.

By the time of the main arc, Lizzie also fits here. She's dealt with most of her issues already. She knows who she is and she is comfortable with it. (Almost no one else is but that's not her problem)

Joel is vibing. An unbothered king. Living his best life, happily married. Definitely Unhinged but like, weirdly healthy about it.

Would Be Doing Fine If Not For Plot:

Shrub Berry was having a very normal time as a very normal gnome up until they very suddenly weren't so like, there is technically some fucked up-ness but its very recent and hasn't settled in yet. There is hope.

Jimmy has 99 problems and most of them are named fWhip and Mythical Sausage. A little insecure but like, he's got a supportive family and is doing alright.

There Is Something Wrong With You But Its Hard To Tell If It Has A Specific Root Cause Or If You Are Just Like That TM/Cumulative Effects of Your Environment:

Joey was raised in a temple under threat of assassination and also all kinds of magical things with strong potential to kill him but like, other than that he's doing alright he's just. Him.

Believe it or not the only thing Wrong with Mythical J Sausage is that he was raised in a family where power-hungry imperialism is the norm. Its mitigated somewhat by being close with Pearl especially but also like. He had loving supportive parents they just also taught him that Mythland is superior and the peak of civilization.

fWhip also falls into this category. He also had a good supportive, loving family but is also very undeniably one half-step in the wrong direction away from going full supervillain. Maybe its the redstone poisoning, maybe its being pushed into a position of leadership at too young an age with absolutely no preparation or even real warning.

Very Clearly Has Something Wrong With Them but Is Pretending So Hard to be Normal:

The Rivendell Siblings think they are doing so good at being normal. Especially Scott. Scott things he is The Most Normal. Everyone else is Very Very Concerned. Sucky parents, sucky situation what with the whole gods and possessions and prophecies thing. Religious Trauma personified x2

The only person who thinks they are More Normal than the Rivendell siblings is Gem. She is pretending so hard to be normal she's convinced herself of it. Beneath her traditional Wizard Character Faults (arrogance, tunnel vision) are some very deep-seated abandonment issues and self-loathing and identity issues.

Seems Very Normal Until You Realize Holy Shit You Are So Fucked Up Please Get Help:

Katherine Elizabeth was raised similarly to Sausage except her mother was not loving or supportive and instead of attempting to shield her from the uglier side of politics and power plays actively exposed her to them and trained her to commit them. The mortals that live around the Overgrown borders were very very lucky that Katherine decided early on that she likes mortals. Just like she likes sheep!

Pixlriffs. Just. Pixlriffs.

[minecraftbookshelf]

In the Marriage of State au, did Scott and Xornoth have any adults in their early lives apart from their parents? A caretaker, teacher, servant, guard, etc kind of adult that had an impact on their lives? Especially a positive one?

There were staff members, but those were almost never actual relationships, due to class differences and such. There are a few people who were kind to them, and most of them are either retired now with handsome pensions, or still work for the royal family in trusted positions. But very, very few and the power imbalance was too prominent for it to be a secure relationship.

They had regular adult figures in their lives. Their parents were there, but distant at best and actively abusive at worst. And of course their various educators and attendants were also present consistently, though they were unable to be people to each other, for lack of a better way to say it.

The lives of the Rivendell princes have been very lonely ones, which is a massive contributor to their unhealthy levels of codependence.

[minecraftbookshelf]

As a huge history and woldbuilding nerd I cannot emphasize enough how much I love your marriage of state au, I’ve been here since it was the au in which all the marriages are arranged and I’m obsessed!! I’ve been catching up and I’m so looking forward to everything else you output about this universe.

(also if possible could you tell me smth abt the fashion of one or some of the empires? I’m huge on costume designs and the importance of clothes in cultures)

Thank you!

Hello and thank you! Sorry for the long wait, I had a very busy and yet somehow not super exciting last couple months of 2024 so I'm hitting up the ask box now for New Years Eve!

I've talked some about Rivendell, Mezalea, the Ocean, and the Swamp in the character design posts I've put out so far, beyond that...hmmmm

Silk comes from the Overgrown, they make both "irl silk" from silkworms and also magical spider-silk. Because what is the point of being fae if you can't do a few magical things!

Copper jewelry is very, very common in Pixandria and the amount of weathering on it has social significance. Pix's is the most multicolored.

[minecraftbookshelf]

Stumbled across MoS and have now binged the entire tag. And I loved it!!! So much!!!!

It's so fun because like Comedy + Everyone has Issues(TM) is the ultimate combination, but the entire thing also has a level of detail that I both adore and envy because I don't think I'll ever be able to achieve it

The worldbuilding is- slfjsjshldjdjk I love worldbuilding and there's so much here!! Seriously I've have the best time ever reading through this

I just love the dynamics so much- all of them. So I feel the need to rant (yes I took notes as I went)

This is going to be long buckle up and I'm so sorry

(there will be a lot of questions in this that you really don't need to answer) (you can of course, I'd be thrilled!) (but most of them will probably be major spoiler territory) (and there'll be a lot, so feel free to ignore) (they're just part of the rambles :D)

First off Pix's whole immortality thing is absolutely amazing- and so is Joel's, I mean my guy just politely declined Death without realising. Insane. Fantastic. I love it

Rivendell siblings and their mounds of trauma and Issues I love them. Having an insane God in your mind that you staunchly ignore is absolute icon behaviour Xornoth is amazing (i thoroughly enjoyed his pov in the first chaper of Mistakes are Made)

I'm worried about how Scott's whole magic thing ends up working out. Elsa arc is reportedly a thing which doesn't bode great. Similarly, what's going to lead to Scott accepting the Champion of Aeor thing?Because I'm rather concerned about that too

The whole thing with Plot and Seablings eeveelution. I'm so curious. I'm SO curious please I need to know. What plot?? What happens??? What on earth kind of insane event will this be? (my guess is something Ender Dragon related)

Speaking of insane events, what was the one during Pix's (early) time? Why did that one happen?? Speaking of the past what about the Salmon people and the Ocean Empire?

Again Events, what's with the assassinations of the former rulers of the WRA? Deeply suspicious, and pretty concerning- something's gotta be going on here too

The fact that Sausage meddles with time-space and drags poor Shrub into all this hilarious and so very accurate

The snippet with Jimmy and fWhip and the alliance was amazing, I absolutely loved it! (after some obviously very concerning things happened) (I'm so curious I want conteeeeext- all this very /lh I swear this isn't meant to sound pressuring I just really love it)

"No blowing up the world with fish." - I laughed so hard I love Pix

But yeah here we are I've exhausted my rambles for now

Thank you for sharing your writing, and I hope you have a wonderful timezone! <3

\0/

I'm a huge fan of mixing in comedy and emotional devastation, I think it makes them both more effective, personally. Like a roller coaster!

World-building is my obsession hobby. It's so much fun to just poke at things until all the pieces fall into place.

I am absolutely delighted by note-taking and long rambles, apology not accepted, I love asks, especially about this AU XD

I love Pix and Joel as the "immortal but not supposed to be" squad. They're totally sane, don't worry about it!

There is more Xornoth pov incoming, once Chapter Two stops being my nemesis, and it'll have quite a bit more insight into the dynamic between Xornoth and Exor and I'm looking forward to getting that out!

Elsa Arc will indeed be a thing :)

I'm sure Scott will never accept being a full champion! Don't worry about it! (I'm saying that a lot, I'm realizing. Nothing to see here, everything is fine!)

Ender Dragon is a pretty good guess but I can neither confirm nor deny anything!

Both Pix's past and The Ocean Wars (and the mortal political ongoings that lead to a bunch of near-simultaneous assassinations) will be covered in main arc fics and backstory oneshots. Pix, in the space of his original mortal lifetime, got to live through several world-changing events at much closer range than he really would have liked. The kinds of events that get remembered as legends and myths in only a couple of generations. As for why it happened...The world changes sometimes. People change. Sometimes gods change, sometimes they break.

Sausage has never made sensible choices in his life and he's not about to start now! XD

The tldr for "no blowing up the world with fish" is that I wanted to explore some long-term ramifications and trauma recovery and such and so obviously, we can't have the world end, that would put a damper on things. So, Pixlriffs Ex Machina it is!

Thank you so much for the message, I'm so glad you are enjoying this au, it's been a bit slow lately due to rl things and low spoons but its very much not gone! Have a wonderful timezone!

[minecraftbookshelf]

i just read the textiles worldbuilding post for marriage of state, and i was wondering about some of the logistics behind the magic fabric arts things. like, is it more of a "intent makes the magic do its thing", or a "certain knots/stitches/etc do certain parts of the spellwork", or something else entirely?

It’s a little bit of both!

Knotwork for example, the magic is in the knots themselves. And a lot of the active charms are made using gold thread to embroider runes (enchanting table)

Mostly what it is is a very passive sense of “this is just a Very Good pair of socks” because these are, essentially, Tolkien’s elves, and so its not that there are examples of big, flashy magic and more that the items are made with such a degree of skill that they are magical. Because ultimately, is there much of a difference between a cloak that keeps you warm and hidden because it’s magical, and a cloak that keeps you warm and hidden because it’s just that well made?