Herd’s Worldbuilding

I wrote a bit about a DnD Setting I Played in when I was younger. This is not a 100% as it was written but it is what I could Remember.

More Dragons of the world of twelve days.

Here’s a list of some of the dragon species.

As well as more species of dragons

Twelve days is a fantasy mystery series I’m sometimes working on. In it there are dragons. One of the protagonists are a dragon rider. Here is some of information on dragons.

Loung- long thin bodies, four legs all loungs can fly and jump incredibly high some loungs have downy feather manes. Even though some loungs have venom, the majority of loungs are constrictors. They use their serpentine bodies to swim through the air and water. They prefer living near water.

(Pronounced like long)

Whorms- long serpentine bodies, much like loungs and amphirians, but they only possess one pair of legs usually towards the anterior (head) part of the body. Many whorms are poisonous on top of being venomous whorms generally can’t fly, but some can breathe fire many whorms prefer to make their nests near water. (pronounced like worm)

Leviathans— are exclusively watered dwelling dragons generally only have four limbs, but can have a few as none. Rarely poisonous or venomous.

Serpent- lack any limbs they are as likely to be constrictors as they are to be venomous serpents are often on the smaller size. Few serpents can breed fire. (they are snakes.)

Basilisk- often sporting a more compact body, though they can have varied and differentiating body sizes and shapes. Generally of a smaller or medium size bales are best known for their unusual appearance. There are numerous eyes limbs or other such mutations.

Aspis- fast, two winged, two legged dragons they rely on their wings to walk.

Vipers- generally have venom can fly but make reliance on the flight fins or other such mutations as they have four leg legs.

Hydras- generally for legged known for their tough height and regenerative abilities. Most hydras can’t fly. It is relatively common for hydras to grow extra limbs or even heads and still survive and function with them.

Drakes- four legged like Hydra, but tend to be sturdier and even tougher in their hide. Drakes are strong, but not fast. It’s much rare for Drakes to fly unlike Hydras they usually have venom in their teeth. Can usually spit venom some can even breathe fire.

Wyverns- like aspis have two legs and a pair of wings, unlike aspis they do not assist their walking by supporting their body with their wings. They tucked their wings into their sides, much like birds.

Amphirian- serpent like bodies they only have wings and slither around like snake snakes, though I’m venom it is more common for them to constrictor. Pray they are often on the smaller size.

Lizards- just normal lizards. They come in a variety of shape sizes and species. They generally are not able to fly.

Here are a few drawings I have of various species.

More artwork but this time from Compass to the Stars (or CT2S)

A sketch from Mirth and Myth. Morgan admirers herself with her prom dress.

Alright so this post is 100% going to get flagged by tumblr as mature content.

This is a post about what historical fashion might look like in an Omegaverse setting. I find Omegaverse fascinating from a world building perspective but this particular exorcise came about by me asking myself: would a masculine omega wear a skirt?

It is a bit funny that I'm posting this bit of information on the Aphran before I actually post the info on my lesbian space lizards and their symbiotic space horses.

Aphran Hair

Transcript of lore below.

Aliens. These are old art pieces of Aliens I have created.

Up top we have the Symbiotic creatures of the Lasik and the Aphran. Their home world is overwhelmingly a desert. Despite the Aphran looking very mammalian they are not mammals. They are also all mor or less Female. The relationship between the Lasik and the Aphran is very complex and differentiates between different groups and cultures.

Diurnil, are a species designed after a drawing I once saw. They are the main predator of Snoorks.

Exalatiol like the Lasik and Aphran they also live on a highly decertified planet. their tails store the majority of the lipids in their body kind of like a camel's hump. They are reptilian-like and loosely inspired by the Tetramand from Ben Ten, very loosely.

Daiblern are jawless humanoid mammalian-like creatures, jaws like we know them did not evolve on their planet. Their planet has a lot of Mediterranean like climates, as the majority of the planet is covered in oceans. though there are plenty of deserts, beautiful yet dry forests and chilly and rainy mountains. They are one of the more humanoid (not anthropomorphised) aliens I have.

Jurona are another humanoid species, they have a particularly large brain and their "tail" is not located at the base of the spine instead is located at the base of their neck. this is common for a large number of species on their planet. Some of them have psychic abilities. Their society is very sexist. Its a matriarchal society.

A Didgital Drawing of creatures called Fellen.

They are from one of my world building projects

One that is still currently called “heroes of stone”

Fellen are a bit of the odd ones out among the species of the world as they are one of the two groups that are incapable of doing magic. Though they do absorb it.

They are also the most diverse species of the world’s people.

Here we have five individuals on break from their…work.

There are four races of Fellen here.

(From right to left)

-nemonian (lion): cat-like Fellen with large manes. When they’ve absorbed magic their skin becomes invulnerable.

-kikimora: a chicken like Fellen, there are two variants, one with horns and one without. The one with horns have a fiery venom. When they absorb magic they become telekinetic.

-Shuck (also the white one below): dog-like with sensitive hearing, sense of smell and  antenna that can detect shifts in vibrations, the weather or even blood pressure and other such things in other people. When exposed to magic they can see glimpses of things, such as the future, people’s emotions and intentions or the past.

Mirth and Myth.

Sometimes I start projects by Accident. This project is a prime Example.

Of Mirth and Myth is a side project I started regarding some loosely mentioned historical characters in a book I was playing around with in writing called “compass to the stars”

Compass to the stars follows the adventures of the crew of the StarWeaver. As they foil a conspiracy.

It’s a mostly lighthearted adventure story with some …interesting, aspects around every so often.

(Perhaps some more on that some other time)

Mirth and Myth is not that.

Mirth and myth follows the Misadventures of the three Darknesses, the first three wizards of the new age and the founders of the wizarding schools that exist in the world of compass to the stars.

It’s a loosely 1950s inspired setting, where relatively isolated communities thrive in synthetic perfection. Heavily influenced by American propaganda and advertising from that era. Everyone has their place in a perfect society and everything is perfec always (totally nothing sinister whatsoever, no ignore the girls going missing or the creeping darkness of the wastelands encroaching every day)

Mirth and myth (unlike star compass) takes place ~80 years after the apocalypse… might have forgotten to mention that the story is post apocalyptic. Not too much of an issue in star compass as it takes place roughly 400 years after the apocalypse. So umm yha, the apocalypse happened, but life goes on. People rebuild, people live and learn, people move on and hold grudges, and people pretends that the slow corruption taking over the world is not happening and has not been happening since the apocalypse.

These are Concept sketches of the three focus characters in Of Mirth and Myth.

Morgana,Mordred, and Merlin.

Each of these characters fall into their own roll and social group that they hang out with.

Morgana the Socialite:

-Miss prima-donna perfect

-the popular girl in school. She’s got it all, the bod, the bling, the grades, the boy. She also has a terrible secret and a penchant for homicide.

-she’s cheating on her boyfriend but also is only dating him to keep up appearances.

-Corruption of her soul, water and light: she is later associated with dragons.

Mordred the Outcast:

- they are the Greaser of the three, but somehow the least likely to actively cause trouble.

-They wanted to be a doctor until a “medical problem” forced them to be shut away from public eye by their parents. They sneak out and hang out with a gang, but otherwise thier only contact of the outside world are visits from their childhood friends Morgana and Merlin.

- the flowers that are in their hair grow there naturally and at sort of painful to remove.

-their designe is the one that stays least consistent and it’s sort of frustrating.

-corruption of Body, Darkness and Plants: eventually associated with Unicorns (aka murder horses)

Merlin the Misfit:

-he acts as the middle of the two extremes. Morgana perfectly fitting in, Mordred entirely outcast beyond the good will of their parents. Merlin sort of floats In the middle. Ostracized for being weird and different but not different enough to be a threat.

-he is relatively level headed for a while… but sort of goes off the deep end at some point, becoming known as The fire Devil.

-Coruption of mind, fire and air, he is a friend to the Phoenix.

so world building a city.

It’s a complicated subject, involving things of how the city came to be, who made it and why? Where is it located and why is it located there? A city trends to thrive on trade or defense. Where dose the city get it’s food and water and where dose it’s waste go? Who holds the power, who are its people? what shapes it’s streets? Is it planed down or did it grow naturally over time? These are all good things to ask about world building a city… but that’s not what this is about.

I’m here to ask about some small scale things you can ask yourself about these cites. 

Specifically about Graffiti

- what is graffiti in the city like?  cities have a lot of graffiti, sometimes its small, sometimes its rare, in some places graffiti mainly takes the form of writing. in other places in the form of drawings.

Is graffiti big and bold or is it small and intimate? Is it both? Is it generally found out in the air or indoors? Graffiti out in allies and on walls vs the small stuff you find in bathroom stalls, school desks and on benches.

what sort of writing is favored? is it short phrases, “like Gorgeio was here.”  is it Tags (small words or names written on objects to claim something in some sort of competition, used by individuals or groups, to show territory or just to show off by getting them in the oddest places.) or perhaps graffiti is away to spread news about something, a bit like how graffiti in Pompeii was used. is grafiety used as markers and cyphers for people in the know?

Do people use graffiti to communicate in an indirect manner?

Think phone numbers written on toilet doors.

Is graffiti used as a more direct form of communication? Such as hobo signs that where used to tell eachother where it was safe to rest, or perhaps thieves guilds to quietly signal to eachother where a target or safe house is. Or perhaps it’s used by magic users for instructions or tests or pointing out the local supernatural hot spot. or wandering cultures telling eachother stories and warnings about the city they are passing through or even as sighn posts that only they can read. Like trail trees.

street art.

stickers, posters, and flyers.

Sometimes more physical things like a wall of gum, flags, shoes hung up places, necklaces strung up high where no one can easily reach them or locks chained to bridges.

I have even heard of small constructions; like fairy or mouse doors and little statues glued to trash cans or in cracks in the wall.

It can be a drawing and paintings or even something more physical like scraps of cloth tide to poles, yarn woven around trees or stickers slapped onto trashcans and signs.

In one place I have lived most graffiti is in the form of spray painted tags on everything and stickers. While in another place tags are rare as the buildings are painted with murals and art and trees with knitting tied around the branches. In another place most of the buildings where wood so graffiti was carved into it.

What kind of things are often drawn? What imagery do people use?

Graffiti will look different depending on what era of history it is, but it will still be around. It might be smaller in earlier time periods.

Is all the graffiti in this city you are building visual? Perhaps some of it is auditory, like wind chimes in a park, or poles carved to whistle as the wind blows through it, or perhaps it invokes a sense of smell or touch? Is the graffiti only able to be sensed or seen by the magical?

-what dose your city smell like? Do different districts in the city have different smells?

-what dose your city sound like? Is it mostly quiet humming of conversation and rustling of leaves, is it car horns and loud construction, is it water lapping on brigades and electricity buzzing through wires. Is it street musicians and local bird? Are some areas of the city different in sound pollution and how dose that contribute to graffiti?

Dose a certain kind of graffiti have a certain kind of well known meaning? Like initials carved into a tree surrounded by a heart, meaning romantic or sensual love.

- is there a code of conduct for graffiti? 

note that I am far from an expert in graffiti, I know like shiltz about it. im simply going off my observations.

I know that there is a loose hierarchy of tags.

If you can’t outdo it don’t tag over it, and if it is a memorial then do not tag over it. These guidelines are not enforced in the same way everywhere, but breaking them will get the other people that tag to come after your tags with a vengeance.

Or at least that’s what I have heard…

Another guideline that might exist is what can and cannot be tagged.

Street signs, utility walls, underpasses, abandoned buildings, train cars are free game.

While things like windows, cars and residential homes are often off limits (though I have seen plenty of exceptions to this too)

Trees and natural rocks seem to me a hit of miss on if they are in limits or off limits. - how dose the city deal with graffiti? 

Do they paint over it? Wash it away? Leave it to be.

Is it the city or private residents who deal with it? Dose the city even think it worth dealing with or do they let it alone?

Are there certain things that get graffiti more than other thing? Such as benches, utility boxes, lampposts, under bridges or one specific wall.

Dose the city do something to prevent this graffiti such as have anti graffiti seats in tram and rail carts.

If a city doesn’t have graffiti why is that? Are punishments so harsh that no one dares or are things allowed elsewhere so no one bothers or is it covered up as soon as it’s thrown up?

Dose the city install public works of art? And if so for what purpose? Public art is usually political in some form or another, be it from a statue to commemorate some historical event or another statue to be an ego bust to a certain people in political power or as a pice to try appease one group or another. It can also be used to hide things that the city dose not want it’s citizens paying attention too. Either in a benign way such as hiding vents or utility wires from view or more malicious things like Anti-vagrancy architecture hidden as “art”.

Dose the city encourage certain kinds of graffiti in certain places. Think street art vs graffiti Tags. Or the before mention news walls in Pompeii.

Is some graffiti seen as vulgar while other kinds of graffiti are tolerable or even encouraged?

What is the legal punishment for graffiti, if any?

Is some graffiti seasonal? Such as graffiti that occurs during certain festivals. For example beads caught in things after Mardi Gras or toilet paper during Halloween.

Do cities see vandalism in the same light as graffiti or are they viewed in a different way?

Is morality ascribed to graffiti? Is it seen as a symbol the degradation of civilization or is it just an active that is seen as fun? Is it something in between?

- how dose the graffiti interact with the citizens?

Is graffiti used in political messaging? Who in your world or city tends to use it that way?

Dose graffiti contain hate speech? Are there other groups who go around covering up the other groups messaging?

What groups tend to make what certain graffiti and who is the other group that tries to cover it up? Is it a gang? A secret society? A political activist group? A cult? Or just a group of petty artist trying to one up each-other?

Dose advertisement interact with graffiti? In example posters that advertise an event or painted art and words on a cross walk advertising a local concert.

Do people steal posters or graffiti when they can? Are there collectors of graffiti or is it seen as only something vulgar?

For example Alphonse mucha the most recognizable artist in the art nouveau movement did a lot of work in advertising. The main form his advertisement took was posters. I have heard that these posters where stollen at such a high rate it was difficult to actually get the advertisement out… though that may have been for an other artist. I also know some people who steal advertisement posters.

Are there any famous graffiti artists or is it an anonymous work for fear of harsh legal action.

How much attention do the average person walking the street notice the graffiti or pay attention too it?

Is there a specific pice or tag that everyone in the city knows about or is especially well known for one reason or another. Like wings painted on a city wall.

Is there a certain graffiti that is found in multiple cities or even travels to multiple countries.

In example; Kilroy was here, a small pice of ww2 graffiti that is still making its was across the world.

(I will not be confirming or denying if I have added to the collections of world wide Kilroys)

Is there graffiti that a person from one city in your setting wouldn’t recognize as graffiti if they traveled to another city?

Are there certain areas of the city that has more graffiti than others? Is there a city district know for its murals or a famous ally or street. Or something seen as a curiosity like the island of dolls in Mexico City.

Is there a certain group of people in your world known for a specific type of graffiti? If so why do they make this graffiti?

Is there religious graffiti? Either invoking or dameing one group or another?

Is religious motifs used in graffiti?

Is there graffiti involving superstitions?

For example (blue) bottles hung up in order to trap spirits, copper coins wedged into wood to ward against good luck. Pices of paper tacked to walls or posts with the wishes of the citizens.

What about public memorials? Do people make small plaques or remembrance? Do people create make-shift shrines? Have candle lit vigils? Or paint a mural? Do different communities in the city grive different ways?

How do the different cultures of your world, especially those living in any given city influences the kinds of graffiti found there? Do the patterns and styles of art change depending on what culture is more dominant in any given area of the city?

What kind of vibe dose the cities graffiti give? Is it chill and relaxed? Is it rebellious and provocative? Is it artistic and hopefully? Is it desperate and territorial? Hostile and hateful? Helpful and fun? Dose the over all vide of the graffiti change from one city district to another or is the city rather harmonious in its cloterr?

After all a sticker for a favored sports team slapped on a sighn post has a very different vibe from a sigh post littered with bullet holes.

-is there magical graffiti?

If you have a magic system, would people use it to make graffiti? Would there be something unique about graffiti made using the magic system?

Is there enchanted graffiti that changes and moves? Graffiti that looks different for everyone who sees it? Paintings of laughing women, chalk fish that swim on sidewalks or tags that translate themselves into many languages?

Can graffiti be organic in nature? Living pods and biological bits used as gag inducing decoration or bones hung up carved in runes? Sculpture made of feathers and fur.

Are magic users used to get rid of graffiti? Or are they the ones who make the most graffiti?

Is it used as protective wards? As a way to put a curse on someone?

And so much more!

As I mentioned I am no expert in graffiti, I don’t even know a lot about it.