I gotta say, since I realized that the qunari are based on Plato's Republic, I am almost feeling annoyed by this. Like, all the other cultures in Thedas are a mixture of several influences from the real world. And the qunari are just... Plato's Republic. Not like "Plato's Republic and then some other influences". No, they are just: "Plato's Republic, but what if everyone had horns?"
Like, Plato had this organization of his ideal society, with the three "classes" of people being philosophers, guardians, and workers, and these three groups paralleling the three parts of the the human soul (body, mind, spirit). It is not subtle. And there are folks who have written about this in blogs and forums. And yet, somehow the fandom as a whole is not really aware of this? I am so confused.
"Tracks. Someone was trespassing. Again.
It was the fourth time this month already and Morningstar has had enough.
But today, rain was on his side, creating a soft mud covering the ground. The intruder had left tracks all over the border near the Hills territory. If those pricks were trying to to hunt in the Treetops areas again...
Well, let's just say his clan would have to retaliate.
And Morningstar would happily be first in line."
Illustration of Morningstar for Saphir Miraza on Discord✨
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🌿 Hello ! 🌿
Since 2021, I have created a species called Haloed Fairy. If you enjoy animal centered species, lore and designs, then you might love our small community <3
Today's bonus prompt is favorite build, and while I do have a favorite build, I wanted to take it as an opportunity to focus a bit on the setting of this AU. This AU is based on S10 of Hermitcraft and much of the design of Hermitopia is based on the Hermits' S10 bases. The following descriptions include what bases each area of Hermitopia is inspired by. Don't worry, my favorite build is included in these. I wonder which one it is?
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Hermitopia is located to the south of the Solarian Bay and bisected by the Sola River. Development of the city involved an extensive plan to centralize the economic core of the city and allow for public transit to connect the various regions of the city. Six major districts of the city exist: Downtown, Midtown, the Marina, the Warehouse District, the Research Complex, and the Parks District. In addition to these, much of the outer reaches of the city are residential in nature and are more similar to that of suburban design. (Map designed by me :D)
Downtown: Inspired by Joel's base
Downtown Hermitopia is accentuated by tall buildings and bright lights. It stretches across the Sola River, though the tallest structures in the city are located in the northern section. This includes the Hero Coalition HQ, which is the third-tallest building in the city. As you get further from the center of the Downtown, the buildings slowly grow shorter and begin to hold a few more historical buildings, especially near the river. One of these buildings is the very same bar that holds Joel's Fight Club, the Sword and Shield.
As the economic center of Hermiptopia, Downtown rarely rests. During the day, employees from every part of the city flock to the offices, and at night, the local night life thrives. This part of the city is highly walkable and there are numerous transit options. Those going from the far reaches of the city often opt for the Lev, a mag-lev train that operates on elevated rails throughout Downtown.
Midtown: Inspired by Pixelpulse Valley (Impulse and Bdubs) and Pearl's base
As the Lev moves into Midtown, it dips underground, as it is far enough from the Sola River to operate safely. Other transit options help cover the reduced walkability in this part of the city as commercial and residential zoning collides. Buses and streetcars are the most popular means of transit within Midtown, though many residents also like to ride bikes or walk.
Similar to Downtown, structure height decreases the further it gets from the center of Hermitopia. While many of the tall structures are new and well maintained, there are a number buildings that are have faced the test of time and poor maintenance. Some are abandoned, but others remain in use. Structures of note include EGM Stadium to the northeastern side of Midtown South, the Hermitopia Zoo in the western Midtown South, and the Marvelous MACE at the Midtown-Area Community Engagement Center.
Marina: Inspired by Gem and Grian's bases
Along the northeastern coast of the city, the Marina is bustling at all times of day. The northern half is comprised of ports for cargo ships, tugboats, cruise ships, and other large vessels while the middle is designated for smaller boats, including those for personal use. At the southern end of the Marina, the Marina blends into the Research Campus with the main campus of the Hermitopia Marine Institute, HMI's aquarium, and a few coastal parks. Beneath the Marina, much of the sewers converge before reaching the city's wastewater recovery plant. Past the plant lies the High Trident, which sits along the outflow of the plant as it goes into the Solarian Bay.
Warehouse District: Inspired by Cub, Tango, and Pixelpulse Valley (Impulse and Bdubs) bases
The Warehouse District is comprised solely of warehouses. There are two Lev freight trains that are routed between the Marina and the Warehouse District to allow for transport from the port. Additionally, there are a few docks in the Warehouse District that are designed for small boats that provide transport between the Marina and the Warehouse District along the Sola River. Due to the enforcement of no residential properties in this district, the only people who frequent the district are those who work there or have business. This does pose some problems for the Fireworks Folly Fight Club, located in the district's northwest, but Cub has solved this issue by providing warehouse uniforms for anyone who is staying there.
Research Complex: Inspired by Joe Hills and Ren's bases
The Research Complex stretches along the north half of the city and is home to two universities, multiple research labs, a state-of-the-art power testing facility, and more. The HMI campus takes up much of the coastal part of the complex along the Solarian Bay, while some of the more explosive labs, such as the lab Cub works at, are in the western part of the city.
Parks District: Inspired by Bdubs, Pearl, and Keralis' bases
The Parks District encircles the city, creating a boundary between it and the suburbs. The district is composed of a number of nature preserves, sports fields, playgrounds, and a few community gardens. The Parks District is often a point of community engagement and many of the city's citizens are proud of the green spaces the Parks District maintains.
Residential Neighborhoods: Inspired by Mumbo's base
The residential areas of the city are primarily comprised of single-family housing and mixed-use occupancy buildings. There are a number of locally-owned businesses that are located centrally within the neighborhoods, including Hypno's 24-hour store and a few HPS post offices. The zoning in this part of the city is designed to be walkable, and transit options such as the Lev, buses, and bicycle allow for access to the other parts of the city.
🥩 Meat - What is your character's (Murder) bodycount?
Im not gonna include villains here so:
No exact numbers but
Armadeus Dowry( sea-in-a-bottle) and Grey(Evriwher) both were soldiers so they've probably been responsible for more than a few people pushing up daises
Freya(Eceter) is the closest thing to pascifist I have so even though many character of my characters have never been responsible for a death I think she's worth mentioning as the lowest
These vampires are not the cursed/undead kind of vampire. They born, grow up and die vampires! Their lifespan is a little longer than humans (by a hundred years or so) and their system can only absorb nutrients directly from other animal's blood. They can eat human food, but their system won't get anything fron it, and depending on the food they may get sick. Their skin is highly sensitive to UV rays and sunlight, and long-tern exposure might result in illness, and if not treated correctly, death. Poc vampires do exist! Their skin is usually a greyish brown, and they also blush very very easily. Some vampire/vampire-included nation's fashion looks like edwardian fashion
Midjourney AI Prompt: stunning illustration, of a pretodactyl city in a primeval jungle clearing, fusion of star wars and ancient mayan architecture, sumerian, precise geometry, clean lines, lush nature
Hello! Firstly I just wanna say I love your work, both your own personal drawings and stories, as well as the collaboration pieces with Isei. I was just wondering what your process was for your building of your Yautja clans?? I wanted to try my hand at making my own, so I was wondering what pointers you may have.
Hi! Thanks so much for the kind words, it actually makes me really happy that anyone is enjoying the stuff I enjoy making. Worldbuilding can be a lot of fun, and awesome that you're gonna try your hand at it!
I have a lot of thoughts on worldbuilding, and to be honest my approach varies here and there depending on what I'm making or writing, but I'll see if I can't gather my general thoughts into something more succinct instead of going off on a long ramble haha
STARTING INFO
When you're worldbuilding for a pre-existing IP, it's good to keep in mind the stuff you already know about the race/species. This seems really obvious, and imo you can mess around in and out of canon if you want bc it's your clan and you should have fun first and foremost, but it's something to consider.
(But also keep in mind that this isn't something you necessarily have to think about right away, it can come later in your process, but I'm just mentioning it here.)
With Yautja, there's the physical aspects that make them distinct (mandibles, crest, reptilian/mammalian, tendrils, claws, tall on average, tend towards warmer climates, strong, etc) and what we've seen of them culturally (glory/trophy hunters, honor code, matriarchal, etc etc). The cool thing though is that when you're coming up with a hook for your clan, you can either choose to follow these rules, or you could find something interesting in subverting them.
What if it's a clan of smaller yautja? What if these live in the cold? What if their clan doesn't give a shit about hunting? etc etc
Speaking about Hooks...
The Hook is just sort of a jumping off point where you can start building your clan out of. It doesn't necessarily have to be a hook for the audience, and it might even change or be discarded as you go along writing, but it's always good to have a place to start.
Hooks can honestly be anything and inspired from anywhere. I'm going to be honest that most of the time I don't really go searching for hooks, they're moments of inspiration that kickstart stuff. They're usually what causes the worldbuilding.
A lot of that (and a lot of worldbuilding, actually) is actually input. Being curious and learning things, consuming things, etc etc. Expanding your visual/mental library. It's not something that i do purposefully, necessarily. It comes from stuff I've read about, movies and documentaries I've watched, some tweet I saw, a picture on my dashboard, a wikipedia article I stumbled into somehow, a story a friend told, so on and so forth.
That being said, you can totally find a hook if you just ask yourself the right questions.
But the things that can be hooks, like I said, can vary greatly. It could be an idea you had out of nowhere, a novel question, a theme you want to explore, a cool image you saw, a costume you wanna try out, anything! For example:
Maybe you already have a character that you designed that you want to build the clan around. The character can totally be the hook. What are things about the character that might hint at what society they grew up in? Do they have a specific attitude? Quirk? Is there something about their appearance? The clothes they wear, the way their tendrils look, their coloration?
Maybe you saw a location that was really neat! What if Yautja lived in a place like that?
This clan is stealthy!
This clan likes animals!
This clan makes art that looks like _______.
This clan engages in a lot of warfare.
I liked this idea touched upon in a predator comic I read, can i expand on that?
What if a Yautja did Basejumping?
Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera...
Brainstorming! Ask lots of Questions!
I ask a lot of "why" and "how" after I figure out my hook (or hookS). It's an easy way to get stuff kickstarted.
How do they do that? Why do they do that? Is it ritual? Is it something else? Is it based on their history? On their environment? On their Lore? On their social structure?
And then just keep asking why after you answer that question, and then you'll have a pretty good foundation that you can maybe mess with or discard or change completely or use for an even better idea.
Like...lemme use the "Yautja Basejumper" as an example.
Why would this Yautja base-jump? Is it for a practical reason, like it helps them hunt a specific animal? Is it for a ritual reason? Is it for the thrill? Is it to prove themselves?
How do they do it? Do they use high tech to do it, or is it low tech? If it's low tech, what materials do they make their parachutes or gliders out of? In human base-jumping, what tools do they use, and how can I translate that into Yautja maybe? Or is it a completely different approach?
Do they basejump off of mountains? Is it something they do because they live in the mountains? Or is it maybe something they have to travel to a specific place to go do? What is this place? Why do they go there? Is it for a spiritual reason? Coming of age? Is the place itself significant? Does this have something to do with their history, or a legend that they have?
If base jumping is important, how does this affect what they find attractive or cool? Do they like really tenacious yautja? Is being more aerodynamic a boon? Would the wear anything specific for the act, bits of decoration? Is there an animal they want to look like?
So let's say just going through those questions, and asking myself why and how and other questions from that intial hook and then the answers I gave. Here's a (very very very rough) potential initial thought:
This Yautja clan base-jumps as a coming-of-age ritual. They live at the foot of a tall mountain, and young hunters climb to the top to prove their courage and tenacity. Part of the ritual is making your own glider--and if your glider doesn't hold up because you rushed it, then you get really hurt or die, and that's your own fucking fault. They're doing it to mimic large flying animals that once-upon-a-time roosted on that mountain but don't exist anymore, which had cultural/mythical significance to them. Maybe their ancestors used to ride them. This clan are able to fight in flight, unlike many other Yautja.
And then you can build off of that or change it, do research and look stuff up related to it to see if you can add more stuff, keep asking more questions about the things you decided on, etc.
Forever and ever and ever.............
Anyway, that's my worldbuilding approach, haha. It's basically "learn a lot of stuff, ask a lot of questions."
I don't know if that was helpful at all, but there ya go!
I just wanted to take a moment to tell you about my new Kickstarter for The Story Engine: Deck of Worlds, a set of open-ended worldbuilding prompts for creating imagined lands, local lore, and story-driven maps for creative writing and tabletop RPGs!
Check out the Kickstarter at https://shorteststory.com/kickstarter!
