#twhs

"Why is it called The Wiseheart Saga? I mean, isn't it the story of Mikhail and Alvina? I remember you told us the meaning of heart would come with Storm and Shadow, and yeah, now we know for sure Mikhail is the heart but...she's the mage? So, Mageheart, right?"

Mike looks up from signing the worn book placed in his hands, the ink in his pen pooling at the end of the last signed letter of his pseudonym. It sloppily reads in dark stained blue against yellow-tinted paper. He blinks a few times and pulls the pen away with a harsh chuckle.

"I mean, sure, they're, uh, together and everything but the focus is on Mikhail and Aeson accepting and coming into their magic--literally for Aeson, of course, but also metaphorically. It's innate, that magic." Mike feels his tongue grow thick. He can blame it on not revealing too much of his future plot all he likes but it's more than that. "They're...well, they get the ball rolling with the whole plot, right? Aeson disappears, Mikhail goes to get him." Both physically and emotionally. Mike stares at his signature and sighs. "There's a constant back and forth they can't escape, cradled by oaths and magic, which is pretty central to everything. So, yeah...Wiseheart Saga."

The avid fan nods with contemplative introspection before she suddenly gasps. A sly grin curls her lips as she rocks on her heels. "Ooh, I get it, now; their special dedication to each other." She winks at special and Mike wants to sink through his own chair and into the floor beneath him. "I'm excited for the final book; I can't wait to read how their story ends!"

"Me too," laughs Mike as he closes the book and ignores the way his hands shake as he passes the signed copy back to the fan.

His fingers brush over the cover art: a red storm shaped in the silhouette of a beast looming over the blackened valley. In the center of the storm against the horizon resides a humanoid shadow swirled in purple wisps emanating from a mage's outstretched hand. On either side of the mage stands a paladin and a cleric each with their weapons unsheathed. The styling echoes that of the Dragonlance series--art from Larry Elmore and Todd Lockwood and the like. Mike still remembers the reverence inside him when he first saw the finished cover art. So familiarly breathtakingly beautiful.

Now though, he ignores the way his heart thumps faster in his chest as the fan excitedly leaves his desk. He ignores the saliva pooling in the back of his mouth and the sweat lining his palms. He ignores why his eyes blur over and why the next few signings leave him mute but for half-whispered thank yous.

I can't wait to read how their story ends!

Mike looks out the window and sees a million billboards and posters lining the buzzing streets of the city. The Big Apple. He sees a billboard for a television show and a poster for an art gallery show. He watches men dressed in ironed out suits and women in thin stiletto heels mingle with baggy jeans and colorful t-shirts on the crowded sidewalks. He spots a glimpse of golden brown hair, hazel green eyes glowing in the sunlight, and feels his throat clench terribly.

Mike anxiously taps his foot under his desk. It's not him. It's not. It can't be. But deep-pitted anxiety takes over and he quickly stands, offering a hasty apology and a half-baked excuse to his fans and manager before darting for the closest door. It slams behind him as he sinks to the floor with a hurried gasp. He digs his hands into his slicked back hair, musing the gel and releasing his natural curls from their straightened state. His glasses slip down his nose but the blur of tears in his eyes won't matter much for his sight either way.

I can't wait to read how their story ends!

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Magic/Soul System:

• In Hamr-sál, the body, mind, and soul are one. People present exactly how they perceive themselves at any given time. Individuals can separate or meld together through mutual choice via magic.

• Reality is fluid. Feats like teleportation, telekinesis, and just generally magical acts are all possible.

• Some magical entities give off UV light to keep the areas without sunlight that need it lit.

• A sál mynd, soul shape, or soul mark is a marking on someone's body that is the truest representation of self. It can be on any part of the body, and is the one permanent part of someone's appearance. It's how identical individuals can be told apart. (Think cutie mark, that's essentially what it is.)

• You can't really copy someone's sál mynd, because it's the truest representation of self, so you'd literally have to believe with all your heart that you are the same person.

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Geography:

• Hamr-sál is in its own unique galaxy called "The Glimmer". There are additional alien planets (created by individuals OOC) with their own systems and geography.

• Very layered geography with plateaus, mountains, and floating islands. Generally speaking, the higher up the area, the more advanced the technology (with exceptions ofc). The celestial deities are in space. More physically present gods are on the grounds of their followers' settlements.

• There aren't any "races," due to the whole... "Everyone looks exactly how they perceive themselves at any moment, which is the whole point of the whole project" thing, but there are names for the people of the different regions.

• The regions: Terresta, the lower, "feral" region with more nature-based societies. Aeriela, the floating islands— mostly populated by avians, dragons, fairies, etc with a more modern, architecture-based society on average. And Galatia, at the tops of the tallest mountains and into sky and space, populated mainly by sentient works of science and minor deities.

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Community/Conflict:

• There are a plethora of communities both small and large across the surface and sea, sometimes grouped by species, sometimes not. "Species" is a concept that only exists in an abstract sense, anyway. When souls look and/or behave similarly, people form communities from their shared lifestyles.

• There's a general sense among most that all creatures are equal, and "self" is a limiting concept at times. This opinion may vary between individuals and distinct communities, of course.

• Socialism because I said so. We ain't bringing wealth inequality and monetized survival into my fantasy world.

• Not everyone gets along between or even inside communities, as one's perception of reality literally affects the shared reality sometimes, and opinions between people just naturally vary.

• If you wish to create your own community and thus be a leader, you get to decide the culture and beliefs of that community. But careful, individuals within may decide it's time for a change!

• Territory is one of the most constant features of this realm, and thus is solid enough to fight for. Communities may dispute or even go to war over territory if they have need or want for it.

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How it works OOC:

• This is not a Tumblr-specific thing! It's essentially fandom mixed with a ttrpg. You can make discord servers, fanfiction, fanart, video game rps, heck, even Minecraft worlds. Treat Hamr-sál like a piece of media, and engage with it however works best for you!

• Everything you make is canon! All of it! Like Miku! It's a community writing project. Every rp, fic, comic— they're all like individual books in a series.

• You, yes you, can host events, polls, contests, whatever you want. This is a public domain universe! Have fun! This world will never die as long as someone picks up the torch.

• Make ocs! Kinsonas! Homebrew whatevers! That's how this world is expanded. You can make multiple characters and have them interact, even! This is fandom made canon!