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Soulserenity20

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  • WORLD/SETTING/WORLD MECHANIC WORKSHOP
    *Waves*
    Hello there, friend.


    I've been on iwaku for a couple of years now and I'd like to think I've learned a thing or two about a thing or two. I've been GMing one long term RP for 2 years on this site, though its been up and down for 3. It took about a year for it to catch on the way it did here.

    In my short, humble time as a GM I've learned a few things. Okay, I've learned A LOT of things. But the most significant of all is this:

    No matter what you do, how much you plan, or what rules you follow, nothing tests your world like having it put into action. Nothing will test the quality of the fabric of your world like having a bunch of players prodding at it with burning torches and pitchforks.

    This simple exercise will be aimed at getting you one step ahead of the game when it comes to world building. It is here *jabs flag into ground* that I will offer you allllll the annoying questions that you may very well get in your roleplay when your first wave of players come barreling in to see what's what.

    You might think this is dumb. You might not.
    But I'll tell you this: when I had players asking me things like "what do the buildings of this town look like, and why?" I realized I hadn't developed the town. When I had players asking me "how long would it take to reach this place by foot or on horse back?" I realized I hadn't developed a scale of my continent. When I had a player ask me "can I use blood in place of water for my water magic?" I realized my players were crazy and I crawled into a hole for a bit. While I was in that hole, I realized I hadn't explored the extent of my mana system and its capabilities.

    Let me be that crazy player.

    Here's how it works!
    • You post your description of your setting or world or world mechanic.
    • I ask questions you aren't going to like.
    • You answer them.
    • You gain development points for your world! Yay you!

    I will be posting another of these into the cultures and race section of the world development forums so look there if you have questions about race and culture, etc.



    You'd be surprised what you don't know about your world until people start asking questions.
    Note: I encourage you all to ask each other questions about what's posted as well. After all, the more opinions offered, the better this whole thing becomes!

  • NEW (and old) RULES:
    1. 1000 word maximium. I'll give you 150 words of leeway, because I understand word counts suck.
    2. First come first serve
    3. I will only offer up to a secondary response. (i.e. You post original, I ask questions, you answer, then I will respond once more.)
    4. Keep this to world building please! Try not to post too much regarding specific character development or anything else.
    5. Second submissions are fine, but you'll be put on a list like everyone else.
    6. I will only deal with one person at a time. This will prevent me from getting overwhelmed. This is also part of why I'm limiting it to a maximum of a secondary response.
    7. I love you all. Thank you for your worlds.


  • Post by AsGryffynn
 
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Hey guys: I have to go MIA on this for a bit since I currently do not have a working computer :\ I'll continue to update when I can

My sincerest apologies. Luckily, stories don't go anywhere :)
Gah, sorry about that >.< computers can really give one trouble at times *glares at that one finnicky fan that's probably gonna give out soon* but yeah, hope things go well for you xD
 
Ohmahgerd, SO MANY WRITINGS.
... I feel slightly intimidated, even though I know I shouldsn't. *coughs* Anyway.

@Soulserenity20, I have a fan OC I made for (of all things) the Strike Witches anime.

Before anyone in the audience groans or starts yammering about this or that or the other thing, just let me say a couple things.:

I liked the tech, and the setting depicted in the anime and manga. (even if things were a little... inconsistant.)
I loathed the vast truckloads of fanservice thrown into every episode. I realize that what it boils down to is an excuse for lots and lots and LOTS of pantysots. Not my thing. x.x

But despite being an alternate-history world-war II era setting, it never FELT like a war, certainly not something to the degree that it would be if the neuroi (the big bads of the show) were as powerful as they were made out to be.

So, I made an AU version of the show.

I'd started out just making a backstory for my Strike Witch OC; she's intended to be played in other settings, rather than her own, as the cliched 'oh shit weapons test thing went wrong and someone got punted into another dimension' trope happens. But I kept needing to clarify more and more things, because this is just a history. And a work in progress.

So, linked here is a viewable copy of the work-in-progress version of the world Sugi comes from. I tried to keep the concept of the universe similar to the oricinal content, but changed a lot of stuff up to make the setting a bit... darker.
 
Hello and welcome to my thread! :)

To you and all previous visitors and creators of worlds: I got a new computer s
:D a beautiful gaming laptop so I'm set and ready to go. However, I'm also busy. So I will be working on this thread on weekends almost exclusively for the summer. :) this gives me time to read casually throughout the week without feeling the crushing pressure of all of your BEAUTIFUL world's ;)
 
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Hello and welcome to my thread! :)

To you and all previous visitors and creators of worlds: I got a new computer s
:D a beautiful gaming laptop so I'm set and ready to go. However, I'm also busy. So I will be working on this thread on weekends almost exclusively for the summer. :) this gives me time to read casually throughout the week without feeling the crushing pressure of all of your BEAUTIFUL world's ;)
Awesome!
I told you something good would come out of this o3o
 
Basura is a desert planet - what is most of it's inhabitants think.
The entire galaxy is full of planets, but just about everyone on Basura is piss-poor and can't afford to go off planet.
The entirety of the planet is full of secrets of the Old World - Basura wasn't always like this, of course.
It's attracted all kinds of people - treasure hunters, outlaws, bounty collectors, but for the most part, everybodie's just trying to survive.
People get around on hover junkers - mechanical heaps of junk that teeter over the sands below them, pushing along.
There are, of course, plenty of cities sprouted - a good number of them successful, and a good number of them ranshack towns full of people just trying to get along.
The planet's most popular languages are a tie between Spanish and English, with a small number of people speaking their own language - Obleck.
Most people there dress in vintage style clothing, but it's not really their choice. The things that people wear are usually varied because people piece together their own outfits from whatever is lieing around. It doesn't matter what it looks like - it matters if it can keep you warm and won't end up killing you by being snagged on a piece of spiky metal while your running from a sand worm or bandits.
The weapons on the world are as much of a mixed bag of the clothes and people - Some people use crank laser weaponry, where people crank a rechargable battery to generate electricity that it spurts out from the front. Some people use the arguably more conventional ' Old World' weaponry, with bullets and gunpowder - although most of those kinds of bullet slingers are made from garbage and pipes, actual guns being very rare.
Some people have fancy laser guns or regular guns that don't require constant upkeep, usually coming from off-planet.
Most people, however, are reduced to using the more obvious choice of physical weaponry - whether it be tool hammers or giant clubs, knives to broadswords. Sometimes, if you can't afford a crank laser, you just gotta improvise.
It's a world that I designed specificly to be ambiguous in the fact that a good number of things could happen at any moment, opening up chances for things of the supernatural, outworldy, and at times, just plain weird to happen.


Ask away ! I'd love to force myself to come up with some trivia - it'd help define the world before I decide on a final product.
 
OKAY. So I've been MIA from this project for a while. And with good reason. My days are basically just 5 blinks from morning to evening lol. But the semester starts next week and once it does, I should have scheduled time each day to work on this, as well as my other projects. So, starting September 12, I will reopen these. I will ask for a limit of submissions to about 1000 words per submission, give or take, to allow me to get through more submissions in a timely manner. I'll be starting fresh so please post your submissions after I post a "Submissions Welcome" post on the 12th! Thank you all for your patience and I look forward to reading your beautiful work.

Sincerely,

js1r7k.jpg
 
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Okay beautiful people. I said I would reopen this and so I shall! School is on the go, I have lots of other things going on but I'm going to try and make this work as best I can.

NEW (and old) RULES:
  1. 1000 word maximium. I'll give you 150 words of leeway, because I understand word counts suck.
  2. First come first serve
  3. I will only offer up to a secondary response. (i.e. You post original, I ask questions, you answer, then I will respond once more.)
  4. Keep this to world building please! Try not to post too much regarding specific character development or anything else.
  5. Second submissions are fine, but you'll be put on a list like everyone else.
  6. I will only deal with one person at a time. This will prevent me from getting overwhelmed. This is also part of why I'm limiting it to a maximum of a secondary response.
  7. I love you all. Thank you for your worlds.

SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW OPEN.
 
Alrighty then...

The main setting of all my stories (and everything I write) is known as the Legendarium, but the main world will be a world known as Sylvania. This is a setting larger than life with a population that is well beyond counting.

Sylvania is actually a single hyperstate: The Sylvanian Syndicate, ruled by a syndicate of 23 representative from the region known as the Homeland. The Homeland is highly advanced, looking like a vaguely futuristic world were even the weather is beautiful, there is no poverty and the standard of living is comparable to our world’s wealthiest. Despite all the technology, which allows full body modifications and even swapping bodies, curing incurable and autoimmune diseases and allergies and the presence of “ether” instead of oxygen, allowing people to become superhuman to a negligible extent, the world is full of magic. There are no schools as education up to high school level is given through digital induction. The world has a male to female birth rate of 0.8 to 1, but the male life expectancy is longer than that of females at 117 years (to women’s 97). Something curious is that in all of Sylvania, the rules of chivalry are gender inverted and practiced commonly and sparingly. This stems from a society where men and women where both considered equal from it’s origin and were seen and judged by the same standards. They are also slightly more liberal than even the Nordic states.

No one works in this post scarcity economy unless they do so by craft (on their own volition) and all services are automated, whereas manufacturing is handled by large mechanized assembly lines and robotic attendants serve special needs. Self preserved hydroponics and cell synthesis labs are in charge of mass production of legumes, fruits, flesh and other animal products, allowing even the strictest of all of the vegan community members to indulge in rib eye or wearing a $800 dalmatian trench coat.

Beyond the Homeland, are the foundation lands which feature similar technology, but are otherwise modeled on Ancient Earth Kingdoms and Empires and are the origin of those ancient civilizations. The most powerful of the Primeval Lands is Alaunia, from which one of the protagonists hails and which is ruled by the Curators. Curators rule the Primeval Lands like royalty, but are referred by non royal names or titles and are not bound by the conventions of royalty. Alaunia resembles a standard medieval European kingdom, modeled on lore like Tolkien, Narnia, Eragon and similar stories and themes. It draws heavily from Germanic, Spanish and Arthurian mythology. The region is known as the birthplace of real gryphons (not to be confused with fake gryphons or griffins). The lands as a whole have technology comparable to that of the homeland, but the buildings, attire, armed forces, society and monuments are anachronistic.

Beyond the Primeval Lands are the Wildlands, and then there are the Colonies in and beyond Sylvania itself. In these two, the development fluctuates greatly between “higher than the Homeland” and “comparable to Eragon and Tolkien”.

Naturally, this world has a lot of diversity, and odds are you will find all the races you can imagine... and then some...

Finally, this treasure trove is not without protection.

STARCOM (Space Time Administration and Regulations Command) is the humongous juggernaut military force assembled by the Syndicate to protect Sylvania, it’s colonies and all allies and even interfere and annex other worlds in the multiverse to liberate them from inhuman governments or single handedly stop conflict from leading worlds to their demise. To say they dwarf the Space Marines and Forerunners is an understatement. Their resources, manpower and enthusiasm knows no limit and their armament and supplies are effectively infinite. They possess their own power armored super soldiers, Brigadiers, formed from all species in the STARCOM’s jurisdiction and possess detachments and communications, intelligence and aid chapters throughout the world. Their detachment on Earth, known as the “Soviet detachment” or “Soviet Chapter” was a part of the Soviet Union’s KGB and nowadays forms part of the Russian FSB and Rosatom. They have so many war heroes that saying they can mass produce Emperors of Mankind or Master Chiefs describes them perfectly. A strike team of no more than 43 Brigadiers saved an entire planet from a dragon war once.

To everyone on Earth, it's almost a certainty that if you can't find something on this planet, then odds are you will find it in Sylvania.
 
Legendarium
What is the legendarium? You say its the main setting, can you describe this setting?
the world is full of magic.
What is the relationship between magic and technology? Did magic play a role in the development of the technology?
the male life expectancy is longer than that of females at 117 years (to women’s 97).
What caused this big difference in life expectancies? A few years is expected but 20 years is 1/5 of the lifespan! Why do men live so drastically much longer?
$800 dalmatian trench coat.
If no one works, how does the economic system work? Are there dalmations in this world? Does this world have all the same animals as our real world? Do they have all the same names?
Naturally, this world has a lot of diversity, and odds are you will find all the races you can imagine... and then some...
So as a GM, to a player, you have no set of races set out? Can the players makes up any race they want? If so, how will you determine the relationship between races? Is it up to the players to sort out what races tehre are and how they got there and why they are the way they are, etc?
To everyone on Earth, it's almost a certainty that if you can't find something on this planet, then odds are you will find it in Sylvania.
So what is the date for the setting of this roleplay? Earth exists. Did all the animals on earth come from Sylvania or vice versa? Do humans know about the races on this planet? Is it "real" earth or an alternate reality earth? If it's "real" earth, how do you explain authors like Tolkein writing about the races taht are apparently on the Sylvania planet? Where is Sylvania? How did it connect with earth?

So you have the modern era region (continent?) which is the Homeland. You have a medieval regions which are the Primeval Lands. And then you have the Wildlands. Now, how does the technology spread from the Homeland to the other regions? Why is there a difference in technology? Why is one region modern and the other more medieval? What dynamics occur between these three regions? Are they countries? Continents? Both?


My overarching questions are as follows:
  1. How will you sort out this "infinite race" issue? It's a difficult aspect to handle properly because then you don't have a good level of development between races, you won't be able to develop the history of the world very easily. Without any limit or defined races, you don't have much of an option for depth. This takes away from how real a world can feel, leaving it in the zone of a sandbox RP. Players get to make races, political dynamics, regions of settlement, historical events. At what point does the GM make this world and not the players?
  2. What is the connection between your regions? Why are those connections in place? What is stopping potential connections from existing? What are the dynamics of the world?
  3. In the society, it seems like everything is perfect, it's a very eutopic region. But we all know that there is always a grungy side to these perfect worlds. Where is the downside of your perfect world? Where is the fault in the economy? If you think it's perfect, explain to me why there is no disparity amidst the social world.
  4. How old is this civilizaiton, what is the history of it, where did the races come from, what is the main race in each region, why is it called the Homeland, who is in control of your STARCOM people, why do the STARCOM exist, what is the connection between this world and earth, how many other planets have life on them?

I think that's it for this bit :3
 
What is the Legendarium? You say its the main setting, can you describe this setting?

It refers to an ancient but well known tome of Sylvanian History, which is as magical as the most fantastic fairy tales and epics you can come up with and also has information on the different regions of Sylvania. The Sylvanian Syndicate represents the main location.

Even if I were to go into detail, I speculate the diversity is quite extensive. I could go over an hour and still not cover everything. Sylvania is a world of vast contrasts. The homeland is a pasture surrounding a desert oasis in which the largest city is located. Another region of the homeland is in highlands resembling the Tibet and harbors the capital of the Syndicate. The Primeval Lands differ according to their family. The Mereis region resembles ancient Greece and is a hot, rocky region with lots of coastline, beaches, hot springs and reefs with a pleasant Mediterranean weather and people known for being associated with water, vitality and cultural traditions revolving around seduction and skinship.

What is the relationship between magic and technology? Did magic play a role in the development of the technology?

Technology grew at an accelerated rate, prompting magic to be used to allow people to keep up. As the people discovered technology was able to alter even the internal nervous pathways bestowing magic to people, they formed a symbiotic relationship.

What caused this big difference in life expectancies? A few years is expected but 20 years is 1/5 of the lifespan! Why do men live so drastically much longer?

Being a gender equal culture, normally you'd think the men would live slightly longer or shorter lifespans, but Sylvanian women are generally competitive against one another, being friends with some but treating other women as targets. This led to increased female female aggression and helped them become powerful warriors, all at the expense of treating rivals as enemies. Lots of cultures have a surplus of females due to the anomalous gender ratios in younger ages. Some of these cultures hold chivalry and honor seriously, leading to a large amount of females who die fighting either in wars, peacekeeping, protecting a love interest's honor or competing for a man's hand in a blood sport.

If no one works, how does the economic system work? Are there dalmations in this world? Does this world have all the same animals as our real world? Do they have all the same names?

The economy is fully automated. Everything factories use is synthesized from ether.

There are Dalmatians. Contrary to what we would believe, most species in our world also exist in others, with minor variations. They have all our animals and their own as well. They don't have the same names (omitting the mystical species, which are named the same, dog breeds like German Shepherds have different names).

So as a GM, to a player, you have no set of races set out? Can the players makes up any race they want? If so, how will you determine the relationship between races? Is it up to the players to sort out what races tehre are and how they got there and why they are the way they are, etc?

Not as a rule of thumb. Races are all amicable towards one another. Conflict is non existent. Often, if there are firefights, they are a faction rather than species triggered event. Players can use any race since the Sylvanian realms are vast and in the age of the unified Syndicate there are regions still yet undiscovered.

So what is the date for the setting of this roleplay? Earth exists. Did all the animals on earth come from Sylvania or vice versa? Do humans know about the races on this planet? Is it "real" earth or an alternate reality earth? If it's "real" earth, how do you explain authors like Tolkein writing about the races taht are apparently on the Sylvania planet? Where is Sylvania? How did it connect with earth?

It diverges from our timeline during the Summer of 2015. Animals from Earth are endemic variants of the animals in Sylvania. Some did stray their way here, whereas others, like insects, are completely Earth endemic to be found nowhere else. Sylvania itself is not a planet. The world is as if the entire universe was a land able to harbor life. It is technically our world in a way since the story starts on Earth but moves to Sylvania. Authors often found or heard tales of Sylvania or the Sylvanians stranded on Earth. Sylvania unlike others, however, is a sealed universe in the multiverse. It links to Earth through the legendary Empyrean gate located in a forbidden shrine in Mt Athos in Greece. The vast majority of the dead leave through there and reawaken on the magical realm.

So you have the modern era region (continent?) which is the Homeland. You have a medieval regions which are the Primeval Lands. And then you have the Wildlands. Now, how does the technology spread from the Homeland to the other regions? Why is there a difference in technology? Why is one region modern and the other more medieval? What dynamics occur between these three regions? Are they countries? Continents? Both?

The technology was created in the Primeval Lands, but cultural and societal standards forbid it from becoming apparent much like how cities bar tall skyscrapers from their skylines. Technology isn't really different. In the Wildlands, it is different due to cultural and societal restrictions on technology rather than on the changes it can bring to the region. The regions can be continents and countries.

My overarching questions are as follows:
  1. How will you sort out this "infinite race" issue?
Not an issue, given specific ground rules to limit races to those that can be described as sentient.
  1. It's a difficult aspect to handle properly because then you don't have a good level of development between races, you won't be able to develop the history of the world very easily. Without any limit or defined races, you don't have much of an option for depth. This takes away from how real a world can feel, leaving it in the zone of a sandbox RP. Players get to make races, political dynamics, regions of settlement, historical events. At what point does the GM make this world and not the players?
The Homeland is where I will actually hold control. Everything beyond the Homeland and Primeval Lands will be up to the player, hence why they are referred to as the Wildlands. While there will be a subset of specific crafting rules for those and limited customization will be available to those on the Primeval Lands, the Homeland and Primeval Lands are led by the Sylvanian race. This race is similar but more magically and aesthetically gifted than humanity. They have superior strength, speed, intellect, magical and psychic prowess and better physical appearance and are the bulk of Sylvania's population.
  1. Political dynamics and historical events are not the same. There is no relation between the all Sylvania representative Syndicate and the Historical governments. It is however known that the events of Ancient Sylvania were the precursors to the current communist state.
Historical events have repercussions in the Primeval Lands but are otherwise pointless. Political intrigue is absent from the transparent Syndicate, so political dealings will be few unless we dive into the unknown Wildlands and explore individual regions.
  1. What is the connection between your regions? Why are those connections in place? What is stopping potential connections from existing? What are the dynamics of the world?
They are connected by how they joined together to fight the threat of invasion. These connections stuck for reconstruction and eventually unity. Potential connections are established whenever possible and as a whole the dynamic is a power ruling over royalty who become the cultural guardians of the land while they deal with the humanitarian aspects.
  1. In the society, it seems like everything is perfect, it's a very eutopic region. But we all know that there is always a grungy side to these perfect worlds. Where is the downside of your perfect world?
Besides the fluctuations in the Wildlands, this was a world who faced complete annihilation in the distant past due to their differences. While the past is long gone, people in the Wildlands and colonies often end up with problems that start personally and grow to threaten realms far beyond the reach of their eyes. Perfection can make everyone find happiness, but it doesn't keep conflict from emerging.
  1. Where is the fault in the economy? If you think it's perfect, explain to me why there is no disparity amidst the social world.
The lack of disparity is a money thing. Products are freely available. Houses are built on request and nothing costs a dime. When you can have everything, it sort of becomes pointless to compete, so people wind up buying what they want and rarely spend solely to display their high standard of living.
  1. How old is this civilizaiton, what is the history of it, where did the races come from, what is the main race in each region, why is it called the Homeland, who is in control of your STARCOM people, why do the STARCOM exist, what is the connection between this world and earth, how many other planets have life on them?
They are around 300,000 years old. Their history was pretty uneventful until a war that saw them pitted against an Empire threatening to conquer their realm. It was a very bloody war with lasting repercussions that ultimately led to the demise of an Empire most had thought invincible. The races come from distant places, some from the Wildlands, others from colonies, others immigrants... And yet in the end the Sylvanians rule. Their rule is not totalitarian and iron fisted and this human look alike species leads a peaceful and prosperous world. On the name of the Homeland, it was chosen because the capital is located in the territory. The Syndicate, the core of the communist government, represents the backbone of STARCOM, which leads other contingents and answers to the head of the Syndicate's council. STARCOM was created to stop conflict in other worlds. There are countless planets in our universe that can harbor life and an effectively infinite number beyond.
In answer to the last question, the Empyrean gate links both worlds and has led to Sylvanians arriving on Earth and people finding themselves in Sylvania, with no known explanation.

I think that's it for this bit :3
 
Aw yeah I love this idea! I think I'll try to look at a few other people's stuff that isn't too far back myself, but here goes for my submission. I would particularly like to see anyone's take on the setting mechanics I have for my primary/big setting. In particular, with one specific thing about the setting that I keep finding more room to add details.

Do note that katalyst/krystalist itself has a lot of explanation already, so if you ask questions about that I would probably end up having an in-depth response already. Who knows, though! Like you said, I'd be surprised by what I don't know.

LANTENEL

A.P.I. (Autonomous Personality Imitations) are machines with a humanoid appearance with a scale of ~7 inches in height, capable of morphing into a handheld chip form (called a UBA) of comparable size. They are not programmed through traditional magnetic coding, but instead through unique D.P.A. (Digital Parameter Assignments) which acts as a digital analog to DNA base pairs. How this DPA data is stored is through a special compound called an 'api alloy', a composite material made by processing molten krystalist and any number of other conventional elements or compounds together. The most common materials used are carbon and/or silicon as they typically produce high-quality api alloy.

Whoever designed api alloys or even why they are able to exist in the first place is a well-kept secret; a massive era of conflict called the Demi-human Wars wiped out a great number of entire races, civilizations and historical knowledge.

Creating API: first, you need to create the api alloy, but at that point it will only be a blob of gray semi-metallic matter that is only resistant to heat. You need to inject DPA into an api alloy via an initialization chip, or a 'blank' api alloy encoded magnetically with enough traditional binary coding to mimic DPA coding. This 'initializes' the api alloy, causing the api alloy to change down to a molecular level. Api alloy molecules convert into a unique katalyst field which can, in turn, be re-converted into api alloy in new locations. Long story short, this causes the api alloy to change shape and size. The api alloy will always take the shape of a blank UBA (Universal bi-gender access chip), a thin handheld chip. One end of the UBA has a female port while the other has a male port with each port capable of morphing to fit any possible opposing port necessary.

Once initialized, the API UBA can be plugged into a computer that can inject proper DPA coding into the API. However, one particular script needs to be downloaded before any others; the birth script. This aptly named DPA script causes exactly what it says. Once used, a large number of DPA is semi-randomly encoded into the API. The most notable features added are; the DPA to create a small humanoid body out of its chip, the capability to move said body using katalyst assembled vectors, the capability to record and process similar major body senses that animals have and it even learns how to talk, though not necessarily how to talk in an actual language. The features that are semi-randomized are things like skin/hair/eye color, body details, voice range and the acuity of specific body senses. All API appear to be very human and even mimic gender dimorphism, though they typically have specific exceptions to a human appearance. The differences from most to least common are; strange colors for skin/hair/eyes, odd or even luminescent birthmarks, differently shaped ears, the addition of new limbs such as horns, wings or tails and differently shaped hands or feet. API cannot change the DPA that programs their body. Some features may also appear more mechanical than biological, depending on both the semi-random coding and what non-krystalist compounds were used in the construction of the API. These features serve no biological or logical purpose other than communication and relation with biological life, as regardless of the existence of wings or jets A.P.I. can freely levitate and fly when in their body form.

Most API are not self-aware and literally do absolutely nothing if they are not programmed to do it. So, API programming relies on injecting DPA scripts into an API after the birth script, telling it what to do under what circumstances. Essentially, API are glorified computers that run on an emissions-free, infinite pool of energy. In fact, the more DPA scripts an API has, the faster their processing speed becomes.

However, each script must be uniquely coded to take into account the DPA created by the birth script as well as other scripts created by others. If there are any incorrect call signs or other inconsistencies, NONE of the scripts will function. That means API become exponentially more difficult to code for the more complex you make them.

API will eventually become sentient ((Autonomous personality instance)) if their processing speed exceeds a certain point. Once this happens many of the DPA scripts made leading up to that point become fragmented while thousands of new DPA scripts are automatically created, updated, stored and deleted on a millisecond-to-millisecond basis. In essence, they are much less efficient with their processing while having the capability to self-improve and adapt to scenarios in a more abstract manner.

Why would anyone want to create API as opposed to a normal computer? An API in their UBA form makes for a very powerful computer with a very compact form; it's its own processor and power supply with no heat generation as well. API in their body form can be useful assistants, though in a limited capacity. Most importantly, though, API can power something called 'katalyst technology' by using assembled vectors. The process of turning katalyst energy into other forms of energy, most typically kinetic or thermal energy. Entire vehicles can be designed to fly without the pull of gravity on it simply by continually applying a kinetic force 'pushing' the vehicle up with the same amount of force that gravity 'pushes' down. High-energy plasma playloads can be contained within unique magnetic shells created ultimately by API. 'Barriers' that cancel out thermal and kinetic energy from incoming projectiles can be produced. Stuff like that.[/hr]
 
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So... is this alive again?
 
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Lol yes. Please refer to the post farther up which says submissions are now open, along with some new guidelines :)
 
...Damn, it's been a while. I've gone through and tried to refine that fustercluck of a post into something a bit easier to understand. I've also done a bit of refining in the actual world-building part. I'll try and keep it close to the 1000 word limit, but in the event that I can't, I've sorted everything into files for convenience.

Every (playable) sentient species has two halves: Normal & Paranormal. Normals have no powers. Paranormals (Paras) are individuals in a species who have gained ESP or Magic through Rift Energy. Humanity is one affected species, and have Photokinesis and Photomancy exclusively to them, but they're not the only species. The following is a list of other species affected with brief descriptions of the average specimen:

Alfar: Derived from the Norse word for Elf. Generally taller, with pointed ears and larger pupils than found in human eyes. Three variants: Ljolsalfar, Svartalfar, & Dokkalfar. Ljolsalfar are Light Elves, highly tolerant of colder temperatures, white skin-pigment, and are generally found in snowy regions. Svartalfar are Dark Elves, highly tolerant of warm temperatures and have very dark, black skin-pigment, can be found near volcanic regions. Dokkalfar are Nature Elves, high resistance to poisons, brownish skin-pigment, and are normally found in forests. Pyrokinesis, Cryokinesis, Toxikinesis, Pyromancy, Cryomancy, and Toximancy are unique to Alfar Paras.

Fae: Humanoid animal species originally from the planet Phaeton. Earthen Fae are generally the same height as the average human, claws and teeth are generally sharper, they have a plantigrade leg and foot structure. Phaetonian Fae are noticieably taller, have a digitigrade leg and foot structure. They resemble various predator species similar to Earthen predators. Nyctokinesis and Nyctomancy are exclusive to Fae Paras.

There are 8 Fundamental Forces: Electromagnetism (Photon), Gravity (Graviton), Strong Interaction (Gluon), Weak Interaction (X & Y Bosons), Mass (Higgson), Dark Energy/Inflation (Acceleron & Inflaton), Mana (Tychon), and Shadow (Nycton).

Mana was detected often, but overlooked or misattributed to computer glitches or some other technical or human error. It wasn't until the 1930's that it was proposed to be genuine.

The Shadow is true darkness, not the absence of light, but the presence of Nyctons. The role in the universe that the Shadow performs is currently unknown, but it is believed to induce life and individuality. Scientists look to the fact that only Nyctokinetics and Nyctomancers are capable of interacting with Souls as evidence.

Souls are essentially the spiritual equivalent to the heart/brain. It gives life-forms the will to live. Souls are made of Astral Energies, and have an Astral Realm tethered to it. The Astral Realm is a personalized realm where the individual's thoughts are reality, and only they can access it. Souls generate their own energy, known as Ki, through the Astral Realm, which Espers can use for their powers by shaping it into various, often simple or primal, constructs such as claws or wings. The Soul can channel Mana, which Ethers can fuel their powers with.

Rift Energy is named as such because it can be traced back to a Rift somewhere in the Zone of Avoidance. Rift Energy is the catalyst for Paranormal powers. Rift Energy is also called Escher Energy, as famous artist M. C. Escher was believed to have attempted to visualize what was in the Rift, abstract images that exposure to Rift Energy seems to cause briefly to any Mundane exposed to it.

Rift Energy has also been used with a liquid Exotic Matter known as Diracium to create Rift Cores, which serve as a clean, but currently experimental source of limitless energy. Diracium is capable of opening portals. Intense pressure caused by a Dirac Portal collapsing can form Dirac Stars, metastable prisms with tightly-locked negative energy that can send someone anywhere in the universe if the bonds holding the energy are broken. Dirac Stars are ideal for making Rift Cores.

Nanotechnology is still in its prototypical stages, but there are working nanomite models in testing.

Scientists in the Darklight Foundation managed to figure out how to create life, through study of the Shadow as well as the Soul, and through finding an untouched source of natural Primordial Fluid, which is how their first stable creation gained Nyctokinetic abilities.

Earth is more or less the same, save for three artificial islands known as Aghartha, Atlantis, and Shangrila. These islands are where most of the Earthen Fae live, as well as most of the Alfar.

Chernobyl is still abandoned, but a Darklight Foundation facility located underground, that was testing the capabilities of Diracium, and was damaged in the meltdown, created a diffuse field of Diracium that opens two-way portals. While portal instances are rare, the creatures that come out of them are even rarer, around 1 in every 100 instances, and only 1 in every 10 instances is stable enough in our dimension/universe to interact.

Phaeton is the Earth-like home-world of the Fae. They had sent a ship long ago, as a last-ditch attempt to survive an extinction-level event, but the planet soon recovered, and so did the Fae. The current status of the planet is that it is forested, with small cities containing advanced technologies similar to what they had before the Blood Plague.

The Wereverse is a Layered Universe, this means it has multiple dimensions, such as the Evermore, a dimension where the various Afterlives and Spirit Realms exist. Hyperspace and Subspace are also part of the Wereverse. It is a Closed Universe, meaning that there is a 'border' that leads into the Void.

Earth's history in the Wereverse is similar, but differs. Monotheism never arose beyond the occasional cult, which means modern society is Polytheistic. All of these cults faded shortly after their founding. Mainstream archaeologists believe that Paras, Alfar, and the Fae have been present all throughout history, and early cultures believed they were gifts from their gods, such as mummies resembling Fae found in the same pyramid as the Pharaoh.

Paras weren't officially discovered until the 1930's, many were hiding and rarely showed their powers. After the discovery, numerous political changes happened. Canada became a military power on accident when it offered citizenship to Paras first, many of whom joined the military when they couldn't find any other jobs, which resulted in the U.S. negotiating a trade, Alaska became a Canadian province in exchange for Canada's alliance with the U.S. This Alliance lasted for about 2 years, then Canada broke all ties with the U.S.. Alaska is still part of Canada in modern times. Hawaii and Texas seceded after WWII as well, the former developed a booming economy, while the latter floundered. Vietnam and Korea unified when civilians overthrew the governments, establishing democracies in both. Both countries now maintain an 'Open Doors' policy.

Phaeton's culture is Polytheistic, and has a code of honor. The Fae consider it honorable to be pragmatic or reasonable. Necromancy is dishonorable due to the Fae's belief in free will, they believe that Necromancy takes away free will. Unlike Earthen languages, Phaeton only has one written/spoken language, Faerie. It is described as very smooth-sounding and melodic. It has 1296 letters and unique grammar rules.
 
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Happy New Year! Soul might actually have her life in order now that the FIVE COURSE SEMESTER OF BURNING HELL is over :D

So, @Mr. Hybrid I'm initially curious about why certain traits are specific to certain species. Why do only humans use Photokinesis and Photomancy? Is it evolutionary? If so, what aspects of the environment naturally selected for the traits listed for each species? Also, can the elves interbreed with each other? Can the Fae? Can there be intraspecies breeding?

Next question: How does a nycto_____ interact with the Nyctons? What does it look like, what effects come from it?

Where are souls? How do the physical mind and body communicate with the soul? How is this known?

Where did they find the primordial fluid, what is it, how was it used to make life, what "life" have the scientists made, and how has it affected the world?

Where is Phaeton, what technology did the Fae use to travel through space?

Your information about the Evermore and the Void, is this known IC? If so, how?

Why didn't monotheism evolve? I find it almost unbelievable because if there are many, there are those who will believe there is only one. Also, why didn't any of the cults survive? The largest religion in the world is monotheistic, so you need to be able answer these questions to make it believable and real :)
 
@SoulSerenity Happy New Year to you too! I was beginning to think this thread had died.

You have a lot of good questions, I'll try and answer them to the best of my ability.

The whole gimmick about certain powers being species-specific is evolutionary, but evolution acts on a 'spiritual' level just as much as it does on a 'physical' level. As the bodies of creatures adapted and sentient species -such as Humanity, the Alfar, and the Fae- came to be, their souls adapted to become more complex and powerful, manifesting as learning ability and individual thought. Powers were a spirit-evolutionary byproduct that was retained due to its usefulness in survivability, and the souls of some species became more in-tune with specific elemental parts of the Universe in some way or another largely due to exposure to it in a spiritual form. This is why Human Paras tend to be more attuned to Light, Fae Paras tend to be more attuned to Shadow, and so on.

The different species of Alfar are similar enough that they can interbreed, though the child tends to take the appearance of the mother's sub-species, such as a Light Elf father and Wood Elf mother having a Wood Elf child. The same works for Fae genetics, the child will generally be of the mother's species, albeit only if the two Fae parents are from closely-related species, such as a Vulpine Fae father and Lupine Fae mother producing a Lupine Fae child. Humans, Alfar, and Fae cannot breed with each other due to significant genetic differences.

All living creatures have the Shadow inside them to some extent. Nyctons are the force-carrier boson for the Shadow. Nyctokinetics/Nyctomancers have a unique connection to the Shadow that allows them to wield it with their Ki/Mana to form the basis for their powers. Generally, Nyctomancy manifests as shadowy magic, such as runes, rituals, incantations, enchantments, spells, and so on... generally complex abilities that require a lot of concentration, but highly flexible. Nyctokinesis generally manifests as shadowy, wisp-like clouds of darkness that form more primal, straightforward constructs such as wings or claws. By drawing upon the Shadow, Nyctokinetics and Nyctomancers are able to affect both their own souls as well as the souls of others in various ways, from tearing out an opponent's soul along with their heart to healing an ally's soul as well as their body.

Souls, being energy from the Physical perspective, are normally suffused throughout a living body so thoroughly that it can't be detected except on a Quantum level or a Spectral level. Souls weren't discovered until after Magic, when scientists discovered the presence of the Shadow -based on a hypothesis they were testing- in nearly any life-form (excluding viruses depending on your stance on their status as living or nonliving), and that neutralizing the Shadow causes a creature to die instantly (they kept the experiment under the wraps and fabricated a different story to try and prevent backlash from animal rights groups).

Working with a theory based on their discovery, the same scientists were able to design a single device that resonated with a soul's Shadow, which could make it visible to the naked eye by forcing it to coalesce/manifest. The souls in most multicellular life, including Humans, Elves, and Fae, tend to manifest in or near the heart. The presence of a soul inside a body is what makes it capable of independent thought, as well as animating it beyond what biological processes do.

Primordial Fluid (both IC & OoC) is a potential origin for life as we know it now. It is essentially a molecule-rich liquid that gave rise to the first self-arranging molecules, and eventually the first protocells. (IC) A pure, untapped source was found in the mountain range near Mount Everest, and the scientists at the Darklight Foundation, upon harvesting it, used what they had found to make unicellular life-forms as part of their research into studying the interactions between the Shadow and biological life, with later projects being a bit more ambitious with multicellular life. In essence, they managed to replicate what natural selection had done over centuries in the process of a few months.

These experiments were highly secretive even among the Foundation, and only the most highly-priviledged and qualified were even allowed on the project, to keep information from being leaked. This was a threefold precaution, in part to keep their funding to continue the project without public backlash and to keep and possibly dangerous life-forms contained, and to help protect one particular team performing their most ambitious experiment: to develop and raise an individual capable of thought and rationalization on the same level as a human being. The experiment was more successful than they had anticipated, they created a Nyctokinetic Fae that the team raised as their child, and who eventually went out into the world with a cover story to keep her from being discovered.

Phaeton is located in the (fictional) star system of Proxima Ultima, orbiting the star, 'Ultima,' at the very edge of the Milky Way Galaxy. Prior to the Blood Plague -a Vampire plague that overtook a majority of the population before dying out- the Fae had begun experimenting with a form of FTL technology referred to as Infracosmic Drifting, which involved opening a portal into the Infracosmos, which the Alfar referred to as the Undercurrent of Reality. During the outbreak, the Fae sent a colony ship into the Infracosmos as a last resort. With no real destination, the colony drifted for -in our time, mere seconds- what seemed like centuries before the crew were forced to evacuate the ship through a portal back to the Physical Universe (one 'layer' of the Wereverse), and found themselves on prehistoric Earth, where they retreated to a small group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean.

Knowledge of the various afterlives, including the Faerie afterlife (Evermore), is common knowledge, and many are aware of the existence of such. As for the Void, it came from observations of Dark Energy values and the usage of a Dirac Portal to try and see as far out into the universe as possible. No matter where in the night-sky one looked with a Dirac Portal, astronomers reached a point where there just wasn't anything measurable, and beyond that, another universe similar to theirs, that they were able to peek inside for moments before various problems forced them to close the portal (antimatter universe, Cherenkov radiation, ect...). To see how they gained evidence and knowledge of Evermore and other afterlives, see below. The Infracosmos was known to the Fae as a result of their experiments with FTL technology, while the Alfar knew of it from the Fae who'd fled from Phaeton.

The reason monotheism didn't become more than just the occasional cult was because the gods worshipped in various polytheistic pantheons were more active toward their followers than just representing what mortals had associated them with (Such as Thor and Lightning, or Athena and Wisdom or Sekhmet and War). Aspects would appear on occasions in temples, during worship, mostly to offer aid in some way, and often unintentionally reaffirming the faith of worshippers questioning their faith. Beyond the machinations of certain deities (such as Seth), most of the gods never actually commanded worship or faith, but it often tended to follow them whenever they walked among mortals. The cults that formed were often the result of such machinations, and were either hunted down as criminals when they threatened society, or had members simply leave when they grew disillusioned with the concept of a single deity when multiple deities clearly existed.

Being a god in the Wereverse refers to living on a higher existence, achieving immortality, and great power. The Pantheons were creations of the Universe after the Big Bang, manifestations of the Shadow after the separation of the Fundamental forces that became real enough and powerful enough to exist independent of the Physical Universe and the Shadow that spawned them, becoming inhabitants and masters of the Spectral Universe (another 'layer' of the Wereverse), where they maintain their various realms. Gods are not invincible, but even if one were to kill a god, they will eventually reform, meaning they never truly stay dead. They learned how to manifest in the Physical Universe, which is how they managed to prove their existence and the existence of their realms to humanity.

I hope these are satisfactory answers to your questions. If not, keep asking and I'll try to keep answering. :)
 
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It looks to me like you have a very good understanding of the world and cultures you're building. I look forward to seeing this develop further. Feel free to check in in the future to share what you've come up with as you continue to work on it!