To me, the dynamic between WATCH and the PD is like so
WATCH is a very disgruntled neighborhood to employed a small handful of cats to manage the rat problem. Theyâre not good at it at first, because they need practice, and along the way they pick up a fourth member.
In their attempt to catch a big rat they accidentally let out a Rat King which causes disease for everybody. Then the cats disappear as everyone starts getting sick, one less member.
Since then, the neighborhood has been trying very hard to wrangle these three now-stray cats. Traps, bribing, whatnot, and the one (1) person who manages to earn their trust is the one person who didnât immediately also try to wrangle them
Lightspeed and her 3 stray cats that have been unintentionally tormenting the neighborhood <3 <3 <3
William Wisp thoughts because I started rewatching PD again
Part of the reason William is so self conscious about his spirit form is for a few reasons
1) Itâs monstrous. Everchanging with few common characteristics: a white glowing skeleton wrapped almost halfhazardly in similarly glowing blue muscle tissue and nerves and feathers. He can make himself look more human, but his appearance is based on how he subconsciously views himself: monstrous
2) Its not a clean âflash and his spirit form is there.â Every time heâs transformed into his Wisp Form by separating from his body, itâs a brutal process of ripping himself out of his own body, basically. It takes effort to tear that connection apart, only because he still tries to stay connected to it
3) He probably discovered his Wisp Form with the UPP, accidentally doing it in front of them when faced with some threat. I like to think that it made them all have to do sanity rolls <3
Slightly bridging the gap between UPP and PD by making
Sanity Rolls/Bouts of Madness being known medical events within the world of PD, brought upon primarily due to people using powers that may alter othersâ perception. It was researched because of these powers, but since Deadwood doesnât have superheroes, they just. Donât have that same research.
Theyâre probably considered a side effect of mind altering powers, especially if the mind was altered to experience something distressing. You see my vision. Yes?
Cycle Group.11 - A look into the larger World Mechanics of the Scavenger Tribe Project Universe.2
This one is pretty un-canon to Rainworld, but I personally think that if you could die permanently from Old Age then it almost defeats the purpose of one of the biggest parts of the game and setting; Ascension as the only escape from life :3c
[ WARNING: Contains Spiders, Centipedes ]
Lobster Aging
Death via Old Age is not present within the Scavenger Tribe Project universe, rather, creatures operate under Lobster Aging rules.
Lobsters, at least as far as we've observed, can theoretically live forever. However, the process of molting and simply being alive for these species is incredibly taxing and dangerous, making immortality simply impossible in practice.
They grow and grow, and to a point, growing further just becomes too taxing on the animal and they die, the strain from molting, inevitable disease they just can't fight off, parasites, predation, etc, etc.
Biological Aging does not define Lobsters as it would for most other animals, and this applies to every single creature in the STP Universe, outside of certain artificial organisms. This is part of why Ascension is near-universally pursued.
However, some species who have lived for extremely long amounts of time with few deaths experienced may undergo something known as "Elder Evolution." Elder Evolution has the chance to occur in many species, but typically only in species that haven't been dramatically altered; the times and extent to which it occurs depends primarily on genetics and individual circumstance.
Elder Creatures typically become larger and gain traits that help them in their environment and how they live. They have survived long enough for their body to rewire itself to survive even better. Some species, however, have lower Elder Evolution barriers-for-entry, though their Elder forms will be more generalized. All evolutions come with much higher nutritional requirements, leading to more aggressive hunting behavior.
Some examples include...
Red Lizards
Red Coloration
Large Size
High Aggression
Tongue
Spit
Sturdier Body
Complete removal of Fear Instinct
100% Bite Lethality Rate
King Vultures
Large Size
Harpoons
Sturdier Body
Red Centipedes
Red Coloration
Armored
Large Size
Tougher Body
Ability to Hear
Stronger Sight
Spitter Spiders
Large Size
Red Coloration
Paralytic Venom Projectiles
Elite Scavengers
Vibrant Coloration
Smaller Eyes
Downturned Eartlers
Sturdier Body
High Aggression
Leaping
Faded Patterns
Elder Slugcats (Artificer & Gourmand)
Patterned
Darker Coloration
Sturdier Body
Larger Size
Even the ones of Old went under Elder Evolution, though unlike other animals, they simply never stopped growing.
so I heard we were doing rain world crossovers over here (I know itâs been like a whole month shush)
scugifications of Shiverstep, the Audience, and Rootgrove from @forestclan-clangen! Inspired by @/vallkaryâs wonderful scavifications found here. Much fun was had turning Rootgrove into a rot cyst. Sorry bud your torment is really fun to draw
Cycle Group.10 - A look into the larger World Mechanics of the Scavenger Tribe Project Universe
As a writer and someone who is insane about Rainworld, I couldn't really help but make things. Silly. Because of that, some parts of Pearl Log probably don't make sense, so I'm going to take some moons where nothing interesting happens to share worldbuilding, both a mix of Canon Rainworld, my own Headcanons, and Interpretations. Here's the first instance of that.
Apologies if this isn't legible, I've been sick for a few days and am half zoned out at any given moment <//3
The Pattern of all Life
All living creatures are bound to something called the Cycle, a pattern of life and death. Karma is what defines the creatures and how they fit into said pattern.
When a creature dies, it relives the day from the last moment it woke up in good health. Whether being eaten by a predator, killed via accident, or just fallen ill, the creature will wake up in a new day where they may have a better chance of survival.
However, the world itself does Not reset, only the Creature's experience of it does. Every other creature continues living, every other creature continues on in their own Cycle. The body does not disappear, loved ones still mourn, the consequences of death are still true and have effects in the world around them.
All creatures have their own cycles, and every death create splits of mirrored realities called Threads. Only one consciousness exist within each Thread, but all consciousnesses are still the same creature with a single, shared source, and all of these Threads are irreversibly intertwined with every single creature they encounter.
Any death that occurs within Pearl Log is just one of many that we don't see.
[ text transcription: Creatures born on the Same Day
From the moment of birth, only One Thread each.
One cycle, both alive. One Thread each.
A dies, and a thread split of B occurs. The two threads of B are of one surviving the cycle where A died; and the other is the version that A meets after they restart and survive the day. If you restart the day after dying, you will still be meeting the same creatures you woke up with; but they cannot be the same.
It is confusing. That's part of the point. Take this pattern of mirrored selves and realities and deaths and multiply it by every single creature in existence.
That's how the cycles are spun and continue. There is no mercy if a continuous death is inevitable, if a natural disaster is inescapable, that impossible cycle will still be relived indefinitely. It's an exponential increase that never stops on its own.
Creatures cannot die. Life cannot truly end. But there is still an escape. ]
Make of the Chains
The thing that ties creatures to the Cycle is Karma, one for each universal aspect of life.
The First Karma - Rage, Competition
The Second Karma - Lust, Procreation
The Third Karma - Friendship, Companionship
The Fourth Karma - Gluttony, Hunger
The Fifth Karma - Survival, Perseverance
Upon surviving a cycle, a Creature will Gain one Karma level, and upon failing a cycle, a Creature will Lose one Karma.
Ten Karma is enlightenment.
Karma 6 through 9 have no particular meaning, but they are all steps taken to Enlightenment. The only way to gain access to the Karma beyond the base Five are by speaking to Echoes of the past, or perhaps meeting a kindly god.
The Only Escape
Escape lies deep below the earth, where the ground is dissolved and slowly eaten away. Land gives way to an impossible material, Void Fluid gives way to the Void Sea. Submerging oneself in this Void Fluid is the only way to free something from the cycle, for better or for worse.
[ text transcription: Ascension is the only way to remove oneself from the Cycle.
It is a deeply personal process, requiring the individual to become Enlightened, and be willing to truly let go of their ties to the world. The creature must be able and willing to let go of their life, what it means to be alive, their wants and needs. All of it.
When a creature ventures to the Void Ocean, their body is dissolved and every single instance of their existence is wound together.
The result is that when a creature Ascends, even the threads who did not make the journey all disappear upon the next cycle's end. They are effectively cut from the world without a trace; often to confused and mourning loved ones. ]
Thanks to one of my beloved friends, I finally have a comparison to make when yapping about one of my Rainworld headcanons!!
No accompanying art this time,,
Basically, to me, Rainworld aging is like Lobster Aging. Theoretically, creatures can live forever, but things like the upkeep of a larger and changing body make it improbable to do without at least a few failed cycles due to some sort of complication or maybe even malnutrition. They do not die of old age, but complications do come of it, that unchecked, can lead to death!
Also taking this and running- Another thought I have is that if a Creature lives longer than their species typically does without ascending, they go through a sort of metamorphosis. My immediate example is Elder Mimics from Vita Carnis, except rather than it just being a very healthy mimic, it comes from time (and health but yknow)
Some simple creature examples
Elder Slugcat: Increased size, gained patterns, more teeth, darker coloration, etc.
Elder Benefactor: They just kinda Don't Stop Growing. The oldest Benefactors were probably massive in stature compared to their younger peers.
Elder Scavenger: They gain the ability to leap! This is how Elites are made 2 me
Elder Lizard: Honestly. I think that Red Lizards would be a form of this. The next step in Red Lizard evolution would be a Train Lizard, given enough time. Maybe.
The elder versions can be based on the ways of life of the creature!! I also think whether creatures can go through this evolution or how intense it'd be is Genetic.
so as long as tumblr keeps this, here's the tumblr version of etiquette that was maintained when twitter's quote-retweets affected artist visibility/notes:
for art that someone has added reblog commentary to (or removed the caption from), reblog from the source
otherwise, avoid adding reblog comments to art (as this will affect the artist's notes/visibility)âutilize tags and replies to provide commentary (which artists will absolutely appreciate)
reblog comments are comments added to the body of a post, not the tags and not replies.
Has it been stated in Riptide or Rolleds whether Chip being revived has reversed the process of him losing himself?
If not, consider: Chip is the most "okay" after being teleported out of the Black Sea because he's still missing so much of himself, he's forgotten how distraught people should act
Challenged myself to effectively create Rainworld versions of characters from Clangen blogs I really like! More details on the blog thatâs actually somewhat relevant to this particular topic
I canât exactly participate in the various art challenges like âdraw your clan in othersâ styleâ considering that my clan is based on a different game entirely, so I thought translate other Clangen blogs how I translate my own into Rainworld would be fun ^^;
@forestclan-clangen
Design inspirations:
Shiverstep, or for this purpose, Shivering Signals of Hope, is a Scavenger born with a mutation that allows her to pick up signals and receive them much like Spearmaster receives messages via Broadcast Nodes. Her design is meant to reflect this, with stylized node-shaped structures running along her back, as well as her Eartlers being the largest example. Maybe sheâs even from a bloodline of purposed Scavengers created by an Iterator for one reason or another, causing the unique patterning and signal receiving.
Her name, Shivering - Comes from her canon name, Signals - Receiving signals, could be âsendingâ them out to the audience if you squint , of Hope - Hope for Rootgrove, her clanmates, the Audience, etc.
Rootgrove, here known as Endlessly Rotting Cycles, is fairly simple. In this world state, rather than Woodcrawlers and co. from Gemini Home Entertainment, itâd make more sense for the setting to be within a/the Watcher timeline, where the Prince reigns and Sentient Rot spreads. He wouldâve been infected with the rot similarly to Rot Lizards, but perhaps since heâs a more intelligent species, he gets caught in the middle, still alive but the Rot has control. This also implies that the Iris is actually the Prince, which is an amusing visual. The cause of all your problems is a flower with whimsy <3 and perhaps a small rodent
His name, Endlessly - Meant to represent the feeling of the rot being Endless/Immortal, Rotting - Rot, Cycles - The thing all life is bound to. Death is not the end, but perhaps with enough fucking with reality the Rot could cause enough instability to âpermanently killâ something, dramatically raising the stakes.
@salt-clangen
Design Inspirations:
The biggest thing with Wolfstar and Lynxdawn is their names. Both are generally average Scavengers, but their names do not fit the typical Rainworld Naming Convention on purpose! Wolfstarâs name, Lizard Bite, is a thing of death, a common danger that kills many Scavengers, as Lizards are one of their primary predators. Lynxdawnâs name, Vulture Mask, is the literal shielding mask that another one of their common predators has, the Vulture. Itâs used to scare away Lizards, but once removed, the Maskless Vulture will never rest until whoever unmasked it is dead. They were named after strong things, a way to be fierce even if they donât match other names.
Only other real note is their masks and Eartlers. Lizard Bite is the tribeâs Chieftain, and Vulture Mask is a Templar. I donât think sheâd lean into the fighting that Templars do, but with her connection to what would be the Cycles, I felt itâd be at least somewhat fitting. Their Eartlers are meant to represent their canon namesakesâ actual ears!
@fourandtwentyblackbirds-clangen
Design Inspirations:
Iâm out of image space :( look up Echo Rainworld and perhaps Saint Rainworld for more context I supposeâŠ.
Otterstar, known as Four and Twenty Prayers for Ghosts, is another fairly simple design. He is meant to be a very average Scavenger, with extra âdetailâ colors color picked from her appearance in Starclan in the comic! Itâs meant to show how she was living very normally up until his sudden leadership- and the sudden disappearance of several of his clanmates. More so, the focus is on the almost Implixations of the wider world, which I do not yet know!!!
I felt making him an Echo-creature like Saint would portray the Vibe of reading the comic (very positive). Veering hard from Rainworld canon, maybe the Tribe has a way of âseeingâ into other cycles, maybe with Karma Flowers? To see what happened to their Tribemates, receive visions of the Void, etc. The setting would theoretically be in the Saint timeline, in the Undergrowth closest to Subterranean where the Void continues to rise. Perhaps their Tribemates disappeared because they came into direct contact with it, either accidentally or otherwise :)
Name, Four and Twenty- playing on the name of the blog, Prayers - literal prayers, whether to the Void or beyond to find her Tribemates, for Ghosts - Echoes are referred to as Ghosts in the gameâs code, her name is meant to literally be Four and Twenty Prayers (many prayers) for (to find, to help) Ghosts (echoes, unknown)
Challenged myself to effectively create Rainworld versions of characters from Clangen blogs I really like! More details on the blog thatâs actually somewhat relevant to this particular topic
