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[SPOILERS] Discussion Thr
[SPOILERS] Discussion Thread for the story we're planning!
If you're not Hex or Flamarestii and don't want spoilers on our story, please don't read this thread!
Anyway, we can plan and discuss more here!
submitted by Jaybells@Hex&Flame, age Obscure, Lost in the Universe
(February 15, 2022 - 8:42 am)
(February 15, 2022 - 8:42 am)
I can't wait for the start of the language! The pronouns sound great- just a clarification, may I use she and him pronouns in some of my writing? I am fine with using sa/san/sars if you are more comfortable with it.
I agree that the past was dominated by patriarchs far too much, and we need a neutral term. The idea of rulers claiming the throne because of their own intellect is a nice concept.
And backstories- I LOVE backstories! Oh, the rabbit trails I get lost following when I'm writing . . . I've been busy this week, but hopefully next week I can start working on some of this stuff!
Over and out, and read you soon!
(March 10, 2022 - 1:42 pm)
- Oh, that's absolutely fine! Sarai isn't human, which is why sa uses the pronouns sa does (her 'species' doesn't reproduce the same, and thus doesn't have humanistic gender roles). However, for human/beings with a similar method of reproduction/culture of more typically binary genders can definitely still be referred to as female/male, she/her, etc. if it works with their characterization!
- I'm thinking out using other different pronouns for new groups that are introduced later on, since animals/different 'species' don't have to function the same way as they do on earth, and we can really experiment in some cases. That being said, humans/human-like civilizations may have a similar cultural development/reaction to binary reproductive bodies, or be much more Queer-inclusive(of which their were and are several, even on Earth), depending on what y’all think. (Speaking of Queer-inclusivity, I've heard that thousands of years ago, there were cultures who had the typical male/female roles, but then accepted non-binary people, and even exhausted them as slightly superior being who were supposedly closer to the gods... Maybe we can incorporate that idea in in some way!)
- Omagoodness, I knowwwww! It is... Aghhhh. Difficult to stay focused once you start with the side-stories, back-stories, what-if's and alternate timelines... Something like WorldAnvil might help organise that kind of thing, but I'm afraid it won't do much for our poor, overactive story-teller brains...
- Ooh, and I was sorta inspired in the middle of reading your opinions on the rulers titles... So what if there was an all-encompassing term in our language that sorta meant "strong" with a grain of salt. Like, not necessarily as in "might" which would be physical strength, but as a term to describe a generally skilled and/or outstanding person. It could refer to a specific skillset, or being well-rounded; to physical strength or skills, or mental fortitude or emotional intelligence, or just generous or whatever. Good--ability/justification to rule, I guess. Then they could be referred to as their specific title, in addition to "strong", like instead of Empress Catherine the Great, "The strong-one, Catherine the Generous" or however they were perceived, ya know?
(March 10, 2022 - 5:42 pm)
I'm thinking of the sanctuary/refuge as being a floating island in the clouds above the mountains that boarder the desert and Eastern region... Thanks for that sliver of an idea, Eclipse!
Also, I'm working on the language/script some now, and will start working on vocab and structure sentence structure shortly! (Hopefully with the help of a new member or two?)
< Hex, if you want to, it would be great if you could start brainstorming and/or making adjustment to the map, and placing settlements, or at least planning them out. Eclipse can help if they like that idea as well!
- Remember, there can be multiple desert-countries, with them each having separate cultures, languages and the like! You can play around, or just list ideas for other tribes/societies that you might want to see in an attempt, to get your creativity worked up! (They don't have to be human, Earth-like, or at all typical. Just anything you think'd be interesting!)
- If you're interested, you can also start writing draft snippets of history/legends; whether they be passed down orally, or in writing, or some other method!
< Flamarestii, you too can help with the varying societies, especially on character designs or specific cultural details, like what they wear, what their architecture/living spaces look like, etc. Anyone else is welcome to give feedback/suggestions, if they'd like!
- I'd specifically like to make these new cultures different from Earth's, but still believable, so I think it's important we start thinking about that sooner rather than later.
Please, if any of you are dissatisfied with my role suggestions or have something else you'd prefer to do, just say so! I know we're all busy and it can be hard to being yourself to do extra work you're not thrilled about! All contributions or ideas are welcome, since they can be used as jumping-spots for our project to take off with. :)
Good luck and happy brainstorming! <3
I'm impressed that you're considering language and vocabulary, but please keep in mind that Admins will only review and post comments in English. We don't have time to check codes or translations.
Admin
(March 13, 2022 - 9:41 pm)
Okay, I'll start thinking!
(March 14, 2022 - 4:36 pm)
Of course, I'd assumed we couldn't post entire chunks or comments in other languages.
Would it be okay if I post a picture of a chart/list with the translations side-by-side, since it's all made up and just made for us to more fully immerse ourselves in this fantasy world? Then we could incorporate a few words in here and there, without the entire thing being either jibberish(effectively), or totally English, which would spoil the spirit of it.
(Like how we may be allowed to say "Omg, no bueno! I hope things get better for you!" Even though there is a small phrase in Spanish.)
Jaybells, the editors have conferred and agreed upon this on a trial basis: We will allow up to five invented words per submission, providing the definition of each invented word is given at the end of each submission. We hope this will be satisfactory and fun for all.
Admin
(March 14, 2022 - 5:41 pm)
Thank you admins!
(March 15, 2022 - 1:15 pm)
Sounds great, thank you! I think that'll work out nicely.
(March 15, 2022 - 1:58 pm)
Oh, awesome!
(March 16, 2022 - 10:44 am)
Yeah this sounds good! What's the program you created the map on called? It looks really cool.
(March 14, 2022 - 9:21 pm)
It's called Inkarnate, and you can access most/all basic functions for free! I think it works best on PC rather than mobile, just so you know. :/
(March 15, 2022 - 2:51 am)
Thanks!
(March 15, 2022 - 12:30 pm)
Thanks, Admins!
I’m happy to help with the making of tribe and landscaping if Hex is cool with it.
I have a couple ideas:
First, I think I some sort of sailing, port town where the river meets the sea in the southeast could work well—depending on earth V.S. not earth, the explorers could possibly land there.
If we are going to populate the desert, having a roaming animal (like buffalos on earth) and a tribe that migrates with them would be interesting, maybe? Obviously fish could be a food source, as well.
Also, the typical mountain village and/or lakeside towns are good standards. I think the idea of underground cave network was suggested? We can add to those by labeling the “glass making town” or “home to the royal family,” ect.
Thoughts?
(March 15, 2022 - 11:09 pm)
hey guys:D
If it's okay with you guys @Hex, Flamie, Eclipse, I'm gonna be popping in here and there to give suggestions help and stuff?
Yeah
So
Some stuff
>>Jaybells, I saw a few pages ago you were talking about what sounds to use in the language? (That's genius, by the way, making a language out of what the desert feel sounds like to you) You were talking about whether or not to use f, m and d, I think? What if there was f, but it was sort of like the Japanese f where it's sort of a combination between f and h and just blowing, I guess?
>>What are the barriers for magic in this world? Are there specific "elements" or "categories" of magic, does it have to run in your blood or your ethnicity or can anyone in the world practice it? Is it linked to certain conditions or objects?
>>Gods, right? So are they real and everyone knows it and there is proof in the story? Or do the beliefs of the gods fluctuate between the communities? Or, are the gods real, but each community worships a different sections of the gods? Are there atheists? How does that contribute to the story and the experience of the characters?
>>What does the villain want? World domination, world elimination, revenge, tradition, an already established prince/leader becomes cruel or something? What is the villain?
>>Why is the main character involved? Revenge? Feeling threatened? Is pressured into it or swept up into it? Is on the wrong side of the s†ory in the beginning?
(March 16, 2022 - 12:21 pm)
Hi Tsuki! Welcome!
-I think we decided that magic isn't hereditary, but the ruling people keep the knowledge about it among themselves, so it's restricted from the common people. There's also a tribe that lives out in the desert and practises magic. Sand is a big part of life, so there are sand-shamans who can "sandbend". There could be other categories like water practised in the port city Eclipse just suggested, but we don't have set "rules".
-I suppose they are like gods, but we need to draw a line between whether they are just respected or all-out worshipped.
-We planned on having a monstrous evil thing inhabiting caves/ruins, but that was before we got to all this good, deep stuff. The ruling family also appears to be corrupt and losing their magic. So we don't exactly have a set villain, though that is an excellent point of discussion.
-Which character are you refering to? I would guess that the existing ones would be swept into it/maybe voluntarily go to fight whatever villain manifests itself, though a side character could be on the wrong side in the beginning, I like that idea.
(March 16, 2022 - 5:01 pm)
Hiiiii, sorry for the late response! Everything Flamie said sounds about right!
- I agree, we don't have a main character yet, but that may change as we figure things out. If anybody wants to, do propose a character sheet to take that position (we actually have a promising candidate for either a hero or villain / something in-between in that lone figure from the Elusive Desert tribe, who returns to "civilized society"(in other words, the Central Sands ruledom, for lack of a better term) to usurp the last remnants of the mal-intentioned magic users/ nobility + royalty). We could even have a foil to directly oppose them...
- As a further thought on the nobility/royal system in the Central Sands Empire, maybe there should be several ruledoms joined together under a central banner (think, similar to the German states of the Holy Roman Empire, Greek city-state coalition, or even the United States to a degree).
-> On a similar note, we could have the actual CSE social classes somewhat similar to the Indian Caste System, where the highest members of nobility are priests(our 'sand-benders'), off-shoots/more distant relatives of the royal family, warrior generals/ etc, and scholars, in that order(and then the working class, and those cast out from society). We could also have hybrids that are check two of the fulfillments(I think we should limit it to two, perhaps legally as well, since if they have 3 or 4 mastered roles, they'd be a little OP :p)
- Personally I tend to prefer ambiguity in the supernatural, so I’d rather have figures who are claimed to be gods, characters who fervently believe and don’t believe, and we could have actual being that are much more powerful than the standard, and they could be considered deities by those weaker than them, even if they are not technically “devine.” So yeah; basically we imply that there are higher beings, but never outright confirm it? However, this is just my personal style, so feel free to form your own beliefs of this world.
->If y’all are cool with it, we could even assume the roles of in-world historians/writers looking back on the history of this world, who each have different perspectives and biases that tint their interpretation and stance on the legends and history that they tell. That could offer an interesting bit of perspective/insight for the audience, too!
- Oh, and as for Tsuki's suggestion of combining "f" and "h," or at least letting them overlap like in Japanese, it definitely sounds cool! Maybe there could be a bit of uncertainty in how to pronouce it in certain words after all these years(think, similar to the vowels in ancient written languages like Hebrew and Egytian, where they were implied but not written in). Also, maybe certain dialects prefer the use of one over another? Anyway, just some more language brain-food to mull over...
- I think all your questions are good ones, Tsuki! I don't think we're absolutely certain what direction the story is going to go in, since we started out with wanting to build a world, and then creating a story out of that, but it would be great to figure these kinds of things out! You can definitely make suggestions if you want.
- On that topic, maybe we should seriously start considering format? Like, is this going to be a grand epic told by different authors throughout the ages, is it a book of legends recorded by contemporaries, is it a narrative with an actual focus on characters, or is it just an anthology of something that happens in a fantasy world? We don't have to answer this immediately, but I think that it would be wise to consider these as we continue world- and language-building!
To be honest, I'm more used to open-world-game and comic plots at this point, which usually hold more of an anthology element, so currently I'm kinda not sure what to do myself...
What do you think, especially Hex and Eclipse?
(March 17, 2022 - 11:26 pm)