#flock worldbuilding

(Above: The view of the garden from the second floor balcony. The massive “siren tree” in the center dwarfs all the other trees around it. Glowing plants from distant planets show their true colors during Pandora’s night cycle.)

With this strange tree thriving, the twins began building around it piece by piece, planting grasses, constructing water features, and protecting it with thick glass, creating a lush Eden in an inhospitable setting. The Oasis now hosts dozens of other edible plants and fungi, some of which are native to Pandora, though most have been imported or brought back with the twins when they return from other planets. Rows of exotic vines provide grapes for ceremonial wine (and also snacks).

(Above: Angel harvests mushrooms.)

The ecological balance inside the Oasis is so delicate that anyone who enters is required to be decontaminated. Because of this, the environment is meticulously maintained by trained and trusted cultists, known as priests. Soil and moisture levels are tracked and adjusted twice daily. Ground-level irrigation can be programmed in sections depending on a specific crop’s needs. Ventilation systems filter out any possible airborne threat and keep the humidity at an optimal level. Even though the priests are tasked with the day-to-day upkeep of the garden, the pets and the twins themselves often enjoy tending to the plants.

(Nearly every square foot of the Oasis is covered in lush grass and colorful plant life.)

In addition to plants, the oasis houses small animals, including the resident “pet pets.” Weed Bongwater, a Junpai-7 kelp eel, lives in the largest pond; Soup, Troy’s stalker kit, likes to sun on the rocks around the waterfall, and Ibby, a small creature similar to Hermes, does an impressive job keeping the soil grub-free. Other denizens include small birds and reptiles from other planets, honey-producing insects, and about a half-dozen chickens that provide fresh eggs.

(Below: The Oasis is home to flora and fauna both native and foreign, and special measures are taken to ensure everything thrives in one place, regardless of its origins. Here, a small spiderant picks through the dirt near the front windows.)

(Above: A ground-level view of most of the garden’s area. The floor of the second level creates a ceiling for the front third of the space.)

Naturally, the twins and their pets have first pick of harvests from the Oasis, but the extras are handed out to the masses of the COV. Usually, the foods are dried or preserved, but higher-ranking cultists can bid to receive collections of fresh fruits and vegetables. Oftentimes, clan leaders will try to exceed their sacrifice quota in order to procure fresh food for their clan members.

(Above: Ash and Angel sit and chat with Troy and Tyreen under a glass structure.)

The Oasis is not only a source of vital food production, it’s also a place for the twins and their pets to relax, whether by swimming in the ponds, tending to the plants, or just sitting and chatting. For some pets, the Oasis is the closest thing to “outside” they see when the twins are busy and don’t have time to take them out for public appearances. Even though it is fully enclosed, it’s vast and lush and the glass walls allow Pandora’s bright natural light to filter in at any time of the day.

This area is a personal favorite of mine and while my screenshots look very nice and it took me an extremely long time to build this, it will always look better in my head. That being said, if you have questions or just want to talk about this (or other things), all you need to do is ask!

What this AU includes:

collars (bells and leashes optional)

branding

microchip tracking

cannibalism; Troy’s got monster mouth mods and Tyreen likes to get in on the action too, sometimes

What this AU does NOT include:

incest or pedophilia

marrying the twins

having children with the twins (both of them have had sterilization surgeries in this AU)

2) Sounds interesting, how would I join? There are two levels of involvement. The first level is simply contributing to the 'Verse! Suggest ideas, write something, interact with our posts, and you're in! Further down in this post I’ve listed some of the established canon of this ‘Verse, along with some tags you can explore to get a basic understanding of what you’d be working with.

The second level is our Discord server. To get into that, you must be:

at least 18 years of age

willing to remain active and contribute ideas to the 'Verse

at least semi-interested in the ongoing narrative

In addition, you should interact with our members (most of whom are listed below) outside of the server enough for us to get a feel for what you're like and how well you'd vibe with the rest of us. This includes submitting an RP "audition" to @clockworkrobotic (Kat) so they can meet your character. We don't have a lot of hard-set rules about characters, but the main thing we ask is that they be canon-compliant. Borderlands canon is pretty crazy, but think about the type of people the twins would want to have as pets and keep it realistic (no crazy powers, etc.)

The actual auditioning process involves a character interview and questionnaire that we set up, so if you're interested in auditioning, send a DM to me or Kat and we can provide more info about the setup of the server, aside from what’s written below.

3) The Discord server sounds cool, if I ended up in it, what could I expect? First and foremost, it is a kink server. Our focus is on pet kink and ownership and obedience. If you act up or get into a big enough argument with our twins, they will punish you accordingly. That's not to say you're not allowed to be soft and mushy and have fun, but we have lots of highly-specific channels for other flavors of twin-loving, so heed where everything should go and you'll be fine.

It is a private kink server and we ask that you be respectful of what people are choosing to share.

(Further note: our twins are played by real people and they really do their best to stick to canon characterization, which means they can be pretty villainous sometimes. Go figure. If you're very sensitive to discipline or the occasional sibling shouting match, the main RP may not be the best place for you. We want everyone to have fun and we know that tolerance levels and triggers vary from person to person. The twins will get mean because we (the mods) told them to be, given the understanding that this is a server about being owned by two fairly awful individuals.)

4) You still haven't scared me away yet! Is there any established Flock canon I need to include when I contribute? Yes! Our canon is constantly evolving, and the structure of the narrative outside of the server is quite a bit looser, but we do have established aspects for this AU. A good tag to check out (included at the end of this post) is '#flock worldbuilding.' Some main points include:

the twins' powers are a little tweaked. The leech ability is paired with a healing ability, and the twins can trade these powers back and forth at will

the twins and their pets (us) live in a large building known as the Holy Inner Compound, located near the Cathedral, so it's part of the same Dahl refinery, but the twins have renovated to make themselves some comfortable living quarters

in the center of the Holy Inner Compound is a huge garden. The twins discovered early-on that their healing was just as strong and just as reckless as their leeching, and a burst of siren energy created a beautiful tree that bears a strange fruit. The garden has grown ever since, housing all kinds of vegetables, fruits, and flowers both native and foreign. A pond of fresh water feeds small streams that meander throughout the garden. A good tag to look at is '#tsf: the oasis' (tagged below)

there is a conditioning process that new pets go through. It varies from pet to pet depending on personality and comfort level around the twins (they want you to trust them, ideally) and ends with a collaring ceremony, a public, live-streamed ritual that involves an official collaring and a reminder to the cultists that the Flock is to be treated with the same reverence as the Twin Gods

we focus heavily on the more religious potential of the COV, leaning into ritualism and ceremony; the twins are still streamers with huge personalities, we just ramp up the religious undertones the game didn’t really explore

we have a huge collection of animal pets (affectionately referred to as petpets) and if you want to see them, @glowydruglord did some adorable illustrations for us. Just check out the '#pet pets' tag on my blog to find them

I've started posting some supplementary material and will continue to do so for the next month or so. This includes:

maps of the compound (sketched floor plans and screenshots of my accurate-as-possible Sims build)

detailed information on the progression of the conditioning process

breakdowns of the different areas of the compound

overviews of the ceremonies and rituals used to induct new pets into the Flock

I think I covered the most important stuff, and you can check out the tags below (check them from inside my blog to get relevant results) to take a look at what this 'Verse has to offer. Most importantly, please interact with us if you want to be a part of this! We're all very friendly and me and @clockworkrobotic especially want to get to know the people who are contributing. We'll be happy to answer any questions or just chat!

Here are some of our most active members!

@afterthedreamer @bettersafethandicks @circiva @vialandmortar @cacklefrendly @vaulttouched @constantfantasymind

The “interrogation” room is dark, imposing, and industrial. Sharp tools cover the walls and drains under every table and chair collect any...byproducts. (Or at least whatever doesn’t end up on the walls.)

The holding cells are sparsely furnished. Concrete walls, concrete floors, minimal bare-bulb light. No one ever stays here for long, so the twins don’t feel the need to make things comfortable.

The archive room is the safest and most secretive room in the entire compound. The twins keep relics, notes, and anything relevant to their goals and background in this room. A multi-screen monitor setup hangs from the ceiling, visible from any angle.

A few bookshelves hold notes and journals, including copies of Eridian cyphers, starmaps, and any and all personal anecdotes from their travels and childhood.

Shelves and filing cabinets are filled with eridium, relics, and myriad other odds-and-ends. Anything that could be relevant gets collected. Below, the twins have a discussion while the Vault Map floats suspended over a map table.

That’s it for the compound, everyone! Every room has been made and explained (some more thoroughly than others). All we’ve got left are a couple “ceremonies” (they’re not really but I don’t know what else to call them) and then I’ll pull everything together into a master post so it’s easy to find!

In the meantime, as always, if you have questions or want clarification or just want to chat about the ‘Verse, feel free to ask!

Troy’s workshop, in addition to being a space for projects, also provides storage for painting supplies, scrap parts, and electronics. While it’s much more utilitarian than his personal quarters, Troy’s still comfortable spending hours, sometimes even days, at a time working and has adjusted the workshop accommodations accordingly, installing a basic bathroom and bringing in a couch. Easy access to the curtain wall stairs means quick trips to the kitchen.

Tyreen’s lab is a short walk from Troy’s workshop, across a storage space. The lab is more protected; not positioned against or near any of the more utilized rooms. Below, Tyreen observes a large Eridium shard in a suspension tank.

The space between the lab and the workshop provides more storage for supplies. The ceremonial dressing room can be seen - albeit with the lights off - in the back right.

One more compound section to go and after it’s up, I’ll work on a masterlist so you guys can find everything in one place! In the meantime, if you’ve got any questions, just ask!

Step 1: General socialization. New pet is introduced into the compound, left alone to observe and socialize with other pets. Established pets give the new arrival a tour of the compound, including where to find food, medical supplies, etc.  They are also introduced to the garden and the sanctum, which are summarized below. Each location will get its own detailed post as well, which I’ll link once they’re posted.

The Oasis: The Oasis is a massive 2.5 acre garden that makes up around 60% of the compound’s total size. It is fully enclosed within the walls of the compound and the exposed back section, as well as the roof, is made of bulletproof glass. This garden houses various species of fruiting plants, a large waterfall and pond, small exotic animals, and a chicken coop.

The Sanctum: The sanctum is a large, soundproofed room on the second level of the compound with a kitchen, beds, and various activities and areas to relax. The twins are not allowed to enter the sanctum.*

New pets are temporarily housed in the sanctum until their collaring ceremony, which gives the twins time to curate a new, permanent room.

*Although the twins are not allowed into the sanctum, there is a single exception. A new pet always receives a tracking microchip on the first night of their arrival. The other pets are aware of the process and will even go so far as helping to covertly dose the new pet with sleeping pills. The small chip is injected subdermally in a location that makes it difficult to remove without risking serious injury if the proper procedures are not used.

Step 2: Indirect contact. After the new pet has begun to settle in, the twins make sure to spend time socializing with all the pets in group settings. New pets aren’t necessarily required to interact directly with the twins, but it is encouraged.

Step 3: Direct contact. Once the new pet has become relatively comfortable in the presence of the twins, they make a more determined effort to interact with the pet on a personal level. Reciprocation is not forced but still heavily encouraged. This step is often the part of the conditioning process that takes the longest.

The remaining steps in the process focus on mental and physical familiarity between the twins and the new pet. The days remain pretty much the same as the previous step; casual interaction with both the twins and the established pets, but the nights are reserved for one-on-one time between the new pet and the twins. Although both twins participate in the conditioning process, more often than not the new pet was chosen for the desires of one twin or the other and the pet will be designated as theirs. 

Step 4: Subconscious trust. The first night consists of nothing but sleeping, ensuring the new pet is comfortable and trusting enough to sleep in the presence of the twins.

Step 5: Basic physical familiarity. When the new pet feels safe enough to comfortably sleep in the same bed as both of the twins, the next phase moves onto physical contact. The new pet is encouraged to become familiar with Troy's modifications and prosthetics, which entails learning how to remove Troy’s arm and spinal brace and exploring his jaw mods. The new pet will also experience the effects of the twins’ abilities, allowing one to leech and the other to heal.

Step 6: Intimate familiarity. After a basic level of physical familiarity is established, the process moves into more intimate contact. The actual actions taken during this step depend highly on the new pet’s preferences regarding sexual activity or the aversion to it. In any scenario, the twins always start small, with easy, non-invasive actions, letting the new pet initiate and gradually work up to situations that require more trust. (DM me or @clockworkrobotic for more info on the specifics.)

By the end of this process, the new pet should be comfortable interacting with the twins on at least a physical level. Once the pet has been conditioned, they are formally collared and inducted into the Sacred Flock.

Just inside the door is the large social space. Chairs, couches, and tables line the walls, accompanied by multiple TV screens, gaming systems and bookshelves; perfect for entertaining guests, spending time with Tyreen and the pets, or just winding down after a busy day. (The skag pups in the foreground aren’t usually allowed into the compound, but every once in a while they’ll get a treat.)

To the right of the doors is a long cosmetics counter. White light simulates natural daylight and a low window looks out onto the balcony.

The bathroom is large and luxurious. Soft rugs offset the dark tiling and red accents and potted plants provide warmth and color.

Troy’s closet, while nowhere near as opulent or extensive as his sister’s, is still large and well-lit with plenty of space to store clothes and accessories. Full-length backlit mirrors opposite the wardrobe doors provide a comfortable dressing area. The closet also serves as a hallway between Troy’s bed and another entrance to the bathroom.

Troy’s bed is tucked into a corner, not entirely closed off, but mostly hidden from the living area by short walls (as shown in the overhead photo). The area around it is simple, decorated with side tables, plants, shelves, and soft lighting. Troy rarely sleeps alone; even when his human pets aren’t spending the night, he’s usually sharing the bed with his golden stalker, Soup.

(Above: Troy heads toward the editing room with his hovering camera drone in tow behind him. The biometric door to the safe room can be seen to the left.)

The work room (and adjacent safe room) is the only part of Troy’s living area protected by the curtain wall. It sits directly against the side of the editing room, allowing easy access when putting together CoV broadcasts. The walls are decorated with an array of posters, memos, file folders, and Troy’s own graffiti projects. Much of the floor space is taken up by cabinets and desks with various functions.

(Below: Troy uses a desk setup to stream a simple video for the CoV and anyone else who might happen to be tuned in.)

The safe rooms in each of the twins’ living quarters serve as storage for high-value items (money, eridium, etc.) but are also a facade for a deeper level of secrecy. The door in the back corner leads to a hatch down to the hidden section of the third floor where Troy’s workshop and Tyreen’s lab are established. In addition, these rooms also provide survival storage in the event of an attack on the compound.

(Bonus picture of Troy making a cute face while he streams a video.)

Approximately a week before the ceremony, once the pet feels comfortable, measurements are taken for making custom regalia. Each pet’s style is unique and the same types of design elements are carried through every formal outfit, regardless of the occasion. (Angel’s designs always feature sheer fabric, long feathers, and tiny strings of lights sewn directly into the cloth. Sunniva’s style incorporates furs and bone jewelry. Ash’s outfits include multicolored, iridescent accents and fine, detailed beadwork while Vixen’s focus on asymmetrical cuts and multiple layers.) Collaring regalia, specifically, always includes a hood which is pulled back before the pet receives their formal collar. In the event that a pet chooses not to show their face, they will have the option of wearing a veil or mask during the entirety of the ceremony.

Prior to the ceremony, the pet is bathed and fed (usually an assortment of fruits and desserts) and any final alterations are made to their regalia. The ceremony itself is relatively short, although widespread and broadcast to the full extent of the COV’s influence. It begins with all established pets, also in their ceremonial collars and regalia, lining up at the back of the third floor balcony. Once the lineup is finished, the twins escort the newest pet to the front and center and address the audience.

The induction begins with a fairly uniform opening about bringing a “new lamb” into the Sacred Flock. Minor details about the pet’s acquisition are shared before the twins issue a warning regarding punishments if the pet is not respected. At this point, the pet is prompted to step forward, their hood is pulled back, and the new collar is placed around their neck.

The closing words of the ceremony, transcribed below, are always the same.

Twin claiming the pet: This collar signifies your loyalty to the Twin Gods, granting you protection and privilege. Wear it with pride.

[established pets kneel with bowed heads and recite the following]: The Children of the Vault welcome you, Blessed Lamb. Live your life bathed in the glory of the Twin Gods.

After this, the established pets stand and turn to face the center of the balcony. The newly-collared pet enters the compound first, followed by the others, with the twins bringing up the rear. Once inside, the pets change out of their ceremonial dress and leave the newest pet alone with the twins for a final night in the conditioning bedroom. As an induction gift, the twins will honor whatever the new pet chooses to do, with the exception of a few hard limits. There are no expectations on the twins’ part, as past requests have ranged from simply sleeping to an extended cannibalize-and-heal session to livestreamed sex. The rest of the pets (and the COV at large) spend the night celebrating.

The following day, the new pet is branded and/or tattooed with the symbol of the COV and their life as a formally-collared member of the Sacred Flock officially begins.