M0th-b0nes - Hi :)

They killed our neighbor and his family because they were going home but it seems like it's a bad area Unfortunately banned and they were all killed

Be my valentine?

@eid_yara

Worldbuilding Questions

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Since it's Worldbuilding Wednesday, I've decided to write up a bunch of questions that might work for participants might work in WBW. Admittedly, much of these are oriented towards fantasy and non-Earth societies and cultures, but! Still useful.

I was heavily inspired by this list by the SFWA.

What is considered a normal family unit in your culture(s)?

What sort of magical creatures exist in your world? (Dragons, fair folk, spirits, etc)

What does a right of passage look like in your culture(s)?

How does someone propose marriage in your culture(s)? How long do they stay engaged, and what marks the marriage?

What weather-based customs exist in your culture(s)?

What customs surround death and burial? Are the people of your culture(s) even buried?

What distinguishes a formal dinner from a casual one?

What foods are considered taboo in your culture(s)?

If your culture is largely unable to get safe, clean water, what is considered a good substitute?

Are any gestures considered rude or vulgar? Why?

What is a way to show respect? To whom is it owed (parents, teachers, rank superiors, etc)?

When a visitor comes by, how are they greeted and treated? Is there special ceremony?

What is something your culture never talks about when talking to an acquaintance (e.x. religion)? What is something they always do (e.x. asking after the health of someone's family)?

What is considered courteous to gift to a visitor, if any?

How are people with magical talent treated?

How intertwined is magic and science, and how does this effect the views of it?

What is the calendar like? What celebrations are there?

What is the best way to get around? What's the cheapest?

Do many people own pets, like cats and dogs? What about magical pets?

How is war declared by a certain culture?

Does your culture have a concept of sin? If so, what do they consider a sin versus virtue?

What's a major historical event that changed the course of the culture forever?

If your world has magic, how did it get there? Was it always there? Or did it come about through other means (science gone wrong, melding of a separate plane of existence, etc)?

What is one major flaw or loophole in the law? Have people taken advantage of it?

How would a state of emergency be declared? Who can do it? Under what circumstances can it be declared?

They deceived us when they told us that there is an International Court of Justice, and they deceived us when they said that they are human beings or that they know humanity, and they deceived us when they said we are with you and will not leave you. They are developing and developing and developing everything in life in order to try to reduce the death rate and preserve the lives and safety of people, but all of this is a lie. Where is all of this in what is happening in Gaza? Why does the International Court of Justice not stop the war in Gaza? Why do they not stop Israel from committing massacres? Why do they let us die? Why do they let us starve? Why do they let us be besieged? Why do they let us leave our homeland by force? Why does this indicate? Where is their humanity? Where is the International Court of Justice that they boast about? Where is all of this about the thousands of children who were killed? Where is this about the thousands of children who were wounded? Where is this about the thousands of children who lost their families, fathers and mothers? Where are you regarding what is happening to us? Hundreds of innocent citizens die daily, hundreds are injured, and dozens of homes are destroyed. Why is all of this happening to us? Aren’t we human beings like you? Don’t we deserve to live like you? We want this? We want a normal life like everyone else. We don’t want to starve, we don’t want to be displaced, we don’t want to be besieged, and we don’t want to be killed. Show some of the humanity that you claim to have. Help us, please, help us. We don’t know how long we will live, so stand by us so that we can get out of here safely.

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feliz día de la independencia!!

Worldbuilding: Religions

Religions have many different aspects that should at least be given thought if not careful consideration. Use these to guide your creative process when developing new religions and deities.

Key Aspects

Deity/Pantheon: Your religion does not need to necessarily have a deity, and it can even have an entire pantheon. I would venture that while a trained priest might perhaps specialize in one deity, a religion can have many.

Dogma: What are the principles and teachings of your religion? What does the deity implore of their worshippers? What is and isn’t allowed? What are the ethics of the religion? Why must we follow these principles?

Symbols: As important as the religion’s dogma are its symbols. How is your religion recognized on flags, tabards, armor, weapons, artwork, and holy symbols? Does your religion have a holy color or color scheme that they could use for their priestly robes?

Temples: Where are the religion’s places of worship? They could be secluded and secret or in/near cities. What do they look like? Are they merely household shrines or grand cathedrals? Do they have any distinguishing features?

Religious Practices

Rites and Rituals: What sorts of special ceremonies do the clerics of your religion practice? Are there any special material components that have meaning for the religion, deity, and ceremony? How long do ceremonies take and what is supposed to come from them? Rituals always serve a purpose, even if that purpose is merely affirming your faith. Rituals are useful as story elements as well as for players to perform.

Affirming Faith: telling your god you’re there and in prayer. It can be as simple as a daily prayer or weekly ceremony or more in-depth like a monthly or yearly ritual.

Proving Devotion: proving your faith to your god, usually meant for those who might be in doubt or who have wavered.

Initiation: rituals for new members to the religion.

Induction: rituals for new clergy members or clergy moving up in hierarchy.

Satiation: your deity demands sacrifice of something valuable to you or to it.

Boon/Blessing: the ritual seeks something of your deity, perhaps a bountiful harvest or victory in battle.

Magic: a ritual might be held to cast certain spells or perhaps to increase the power or scope of a spell. These can also be used in creation of magic items.

Healing: rituals for performing healing magic.

Funerals: ceremonies for the dead.

Marriage: ceremonies for binding individuals together spiritually

Holy Days: Often rituals can coincide with special days or times of the year. Holy days can be predicted and often signify important seasonal or historic events. Harvest, springtime, solstice, and equinox holy days are common, as are those commemorating the deaths of martyrs or important dates in the religion’s history.

Myths/Legends: Are there any stories or parables that your religion teaches? What stories of the gods do they tell? Do they have any specific myths relating to things like the creation of the world, the creation of elements, the invention of everyday things, or perhaps the invention of morality?

Prayers/Sayings: To help you roleplay priests of this religion, you can come up with some common greetings, farewells, and blessings that might be associated with the religion. “Pelor shines upon you” and whatnot.

People

Titles/Hierarchy: What are the ranks of the clergy and do they have any special titles? Are there any notable NPCs in the religion’s hierarchy? For instance, those that worship Mammon, the archdevil of greed are often called Covetors.

Clergy: Do the clergy perform any services for the rest of the population? Usually this involves healing or holding ceremonies, but they could have a broader scope in a theocracy or a narrower scope if secluded or unpopular. What do the clergy look like and wear? Do they favor certain classes other than clerics?

Worshippers: What sort of people are drawn to the religion? Are there certain races, classes, or kingdoms that worship them? What convinces them to follow the religion’s dogma? Is it out of fear, necessity, protection, comfort, or prosperity?

Relations: Does this religion have allies or enemies? These could either be allied or rival churches, deities, or religions. Furthermore, certain kingdoms or people could ally with or oppose the religion. Think of how each faction and religion in your world sees this religion.

Culture

Art: How does your religion express itself? Define your religion’s art, architecture, fashion, and songs and how they compare to other religions and cultures.

Relics: What sorts of holy relics belong to your religion? These can be body parts or objects belonging to important martyrs or high priests or heroes that champion the religion. These might be kept in temples or may have been lost to time. Perhaps some are magic items being used by chosen (or unscrupulous) adventurers.

physical intimacy

holding hands under the table

touching your lover's thigh under the table

hiding behind a wall, pulling your lover into a kiss as they walk by

''you need to stop doing that.'' ''do what?'' ''that little eye thing you do when i walk into the room.''

leaving notes in obscure places for your lover to find

pinned against the wall in the elevator

we kissed last night but we have to pretend like nothing happened

your hand is touching mine and i can't stop myself from taking it

making eye-contact with your lover from across the room, gesturing at them to follow you outside

tracing a finger across your lover’s scar

leaning in for a kiss but pulling away last second

whispering ''i love you'' in-between kisses

smiling in-between kisses

intertwining fingers

comparing hand sizes

straddling your lover’s thighs

tying your lover’s tie

falling asleep in your lover's arms

very obviously checking each other out while undressing, trying to deny it even though it's obvious

tending to your lover's wound

kissing your lover's forehead or knuckles

scooting closer to your lover in bed

good morning/good night texts

looking into your lover's eyes, then *gaze drops to lips*

i'm AWARE this is a stupid hill to die on, but like. trope vs theme vs cliché vs motif vs archetype MATTERS. it matters to Me and i will die on this hill no matter how much others decide it's pointless. words mean things

domestic/relationship situation prompts that make my heart warm:

building a new piece of furniture from a flat pack together

baking a new recipe together

playing a competitive video game together (may i suggest mariokart)

painting their nails 

bringing them their favourite hot drink in bed

reading to them late into the night

sleeping in and cuddling the entire morning

going clothes shopping and trying on outfits for an event they’ll be attending together

preparing/packing for and going on a picnic 

doing laundry

making them tea/coffee (exactly how they like it)

saying goodbye over and over because they keep forgetting things and coming back

leaving notes for them around the home

repairing a broken appliance 

changing the bedsheets

exercising together

deep cleaning the home

deciding what takeout to order

bingeing an entire season of a trashy reality show in one sitting together

reorganising the bookshelf

listening to them rant

running them a bath with their favourite products 

covering them with a blanket when they’ve fallen asleep on the couch

going grocery shopping together (+ bonus: putting away the groceries)

dancing in the kitchen whilst cooking dinner

encouraging them to finally buy that thing they definitely deserve to treat themselves to

fixing their hair/clothes just before they rush out the door

getting the giggles together over something that isn’t that funny

swapping gifts for a holiday

brushing their teeth together