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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)
From what Jaybells said, I think I agree that we could take the role of historians for part of it, but I think just for a while at the beginning. It could transition into more of an open style then and once in a while we could share little historical notes.
Okay everyone, don't let this thread die!
(March 31, 2022 - 12:27 pm)
Yeah, sort of like the prologue in Wings of Fire? A chapter of background info from a minor-ish character before the story starts?
(March 31, 2022 - 5:14 pm)
Or like a guidebook to the world/village/country.
(April 1, 2022 - 2:41 pm)
(April 4, 2022 - 1:57 pm)
This got deleted the first time through, so brief recap of what I was trying to say:
> I suggest more focus on the story for now, with world-building going on on the side so we don't all get super overwhelmed (remember, we can always go back and change things so they fit better with our world/cultures)
> Less focus on sand itself by the main cultures (on Earth, places like Egypt and other desert-dwelling societies seemed to focus less on the sand itself, and more the life, water, animals, sky/air, etc. comparatively. That's not to say the sand-stuff is off the table, it may be best if it is slightly less prominent.)
>> Kinda based off of that, maybe native cultures had less to do with sand, but when new settlers came in (think, similar to European colonisers) they asserted themselves as royalty with divine right and the ability to shape the earth/sand at will, along with their direct underlings(the sand shamans).
> More species diversity; in general and inspecific biomes (similar to how humans aren't the only things living in each area, and think of how this has historically effected events on a world scale.)
>> (Egypt idolised cats for killing destructive rodents and dangerous snakes, horses meant everything to Mongolians as a way of life, rats carried flees that vast trading roots allowed to spread The Plague/Black Death across the world, Chinese dragons represent fertility and water, while European dragons represented fire, destruction, death and the devil, etc.)
(April 8, 2022 - 7:51 pm)
Hey! Has anyone here heard of the Toki Pona?
It's a very simplistic artificial language (in fact, it only has about 120 words in total) and might be a source of inspiration for our most ancient/common desert language! What do you all think?
(April 26, 2022 - 11:37 am)
I've never heard of it, but it sounds interesting!
Okay, to be honest I now really want to learn that so I can have a (secret? I don't think anyone I know can speak it...) language to myself...
I think you should explore that. I'll try to help if you want, but I think you're much more suited to developing a language than I am.
Also, sorry I've been inactive on this thread for the past... month(s?). I don't really have an excuse other than I had no idea where to go and I thought telling people to not let this die while letting it die myself wasn't justified.
On a different note, I want to write a legend (like a myth everyone knows about sandbenders or a god or how the world was created or something) based in our desert-biome, but I don't have a good idea of how to start. Thoughts?
(April 30, 2022 - 7:56 pm)
I get it, down-time can be a good idea as long as it's not kept unchecked. No need to unnecessarily burn ourselves out! :)
(By the way, if you really want to learn it, you can just look up 'Toki Pona dictionary.' I'd advise that you remember that it's a language based on simplicity, so to communicate more complex ideas, you have to use compound words(Ex. 'phone' might literally translated to 'talk' + 'box' ). It's truly a very cool system!)
Also, please don't put yourselves down! A lot of times I too feel pretty lost and like I have no idea what I'm doing and that others could do what I'm doing way better. That's not true! In this case simply love language-related things, and have been keeping an ear out for such stuff for years; that doesn't really mean I'm more qualified to create a new language, it only means I have more background and amateur knowledge. The whole point of this group is to work together and help out to get to an amazing final product! I'd like it if everyone could be involved and feel free enough to make any suggestions or changes they feel might enhance the 'magic' of this fantasy we're building together!
Back to the story itself, it'd be great it you could write a 'beginning legend!' Maybe that could partially form the theme of the story, like what it's supposed to be about...
Here are some ideas, but I'll leave it up to you, Hex, since you said you'd be intrested in writing this part:
- The tried-and-true 'sea-of-chaos, from which earth emerged' idea
- Some personal diety drama with the sand/earth, sky/air and water dieties
(maybe something along the lines of an alliance between Sand and Sky, who eventually defeated Water, but then the suffered because they didn't realise how important Water was until they were gone. Then Sky either defects, had a soft spot for, or simply comes to understand/sympathise with Water, or even is just concerned what will happen to the trio without Water and does the pragmatic thing, which is to sneak Water back into the world somehow. Maybe Sand is too proud and never fully accepts Water back, and Water is too upset to ever fully return(hence why water is so scarce in the desert); however, Water still remembers Sky(who sacrifices themself for Water whenever it rains, in a way) and as a tribute/sign of respect shows Sky instead of Sand on their surface in oases.)
Wow that got really complex really fast... What do you think? You could smooth out the details and give specifics, if you like that. (Wait, maybe Rain is actually Water and Sky's child, and Sky has to 'die' to birth Rain, who then clashes with Earth in revenge for making both of their parents disappear?) Anyway, it's all very symbolic and legend'y, and might represent a real war between people/spirits in the far past?
- A great war (relates back to the previous bullet, haha)
And of course, you're free to add your own! (We can even incorporate these into different parts/beliefs later on, if you want to use other ideas) Researching some more real-life mythology might help you too, especially less-heard-of tales, like African or Asian, or even North-or-South-indigenous American myths. Just a thought. :)
Anyway, I kind of crave structure and efficiency so I kinda want to split stuff up for each person to think about on their own, but I don't really know what to assign each person, or if that'll feel too annoying and dictatorial? Maybe each person could have a main subject(s, that are ranked in terms of importance/responsibility) to mull over, and then after that can post whatever they want? I was also considering a voting system but this is definitely sounding way to controlling, so I'll let everyone voice their opinions before I get too invested there, haha.
I've still got more ideas, but I kinda let them slip away while I was writing out that whole legendy scenario, so I'll let you all chew on the previously mentioned stuff. See y'all in a bit! :D
(May 1, 2022 - 5:43 pm)
I really like your Sky/Sand/Water idea... I'll work on that.
I'm fine if there's assigned parts for each person to look at, though tbh I'd probably forget and do everything and thereby get nothing done.
Toki pona is pretty cool. I'm learning it from youtube, but I'll check out the dictionary thingy.
Now I feel guilty because this post is really short. Oops.
(May 2, 2022 - 11:58 am)
You're good, you're good. We'll figure everything out! :)
(May 2, 2022 - 5:28 pm)
Hey, crew! Thanks for resurrecting this thing!
I checked out Toki Pona: the idea of having a very simple lexicon to express complex meanings is fascinating! Nice inspiration for us. The Sand, Sky, Water idea is a great one, and I can't wait to see where Hex goes with it.
So I don't really know where to start either, so are there any areas of this world you would like me to ponder in the dark watches of the night or something? I think just starting is the hard part with this kind of brainwork.
Happy worldbuilding!
(May 3, 2022 - 4:31 pm)
Hm, ok, maybe considering cultural slide/how peoples and practices change over time would be good to look into if anyone's not busy.
Like, what the first people were like, how they travelled to populate the areas they did, the associated myths and/or history. It'd also be nice if we could then designate an interesting point to start out from (like we could just start at the beginning, but at the same time, the daily life of hunter-gatherer nomads may not offer the best storytelling oppurtunities... I don't know, maybe Flamie or Eclipse can take over that section to mull over). Don't forget, we're just brainstorming, so you don't have to present anything too polished, just bullet-points or rough ideas are good too!
I guess I could tie that back in with the map, but I'll do that later in the day or week. I have a lot of upcoming tests, so it's not the best time for me to get super involved with the sprawling maps and historical tales and all that, but by the weekend or next week it'll probably mostly be settled.
(May 4, 2022 - 10:04 am)
Not busy... must be nice.
Good luck on your tests!
(May 4, 2022 - 3:07 pm)
Thanks for understanding, and for the luck! :)
(May 4, 2022 - 7:06 pm)
Okay, I'll see if I come up with anything.
(May 6, 2022 - 11:35 am)