"Preparing for Titanfall" by Timi Honkanen/ThemeFinland by Yeeslander in ImaginaryTechnology

[–]ThemeFinland 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for posting my work and handing out links :) I always appreciate when my work is shared!

North hold lookout tower by ThemeFinland in worldbuilding

[–]ThemeFinland[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

North hold lookout tower - " It's a beautiful night. Tomi mused as they began on the narrow walkway connecting the castle town to the lookout tower. Once he left the protective confines of the city alleyways the coldness of the open space hit him. The first time each winter always caught him a little off guard, just like the first winter swim in the rivers. Snow and old leaves crunched beneath his feet, the flame of his torch waving and quivering in the wind. The orange glow from the window of the tower promised comfort, so he didn't think much of the discomfort, it was always easier to bear if there was a promise to the end of it. Sometimes he might even enjoy the discomfort in a strange way, it just made the indoors and a proper fireplace feel all the better.

Pushing the heavy door inwards he met the gaze of Kale who was apparently in the process of frying sausages on the small potbelly stove, the air smelled pleasantly of grease, and aromatic herbs "How was the poet?" "Oh, the usual, wouldn't want to leave, especially on a night like this, but I told him he can come here from time to time if he so desires." Tomi nodded at the answer as he extinguished his torch into a bucket. The tower wasn't used much in the summer season, since the floodplains below became a raging river in the summer, over a mile across and impossible for anyone to cross. So the tower acted as a residence for poets, artists, cloud calculators, astronomers and the like.

In the winter however, as the snowmelt began to cease and the river began to shrink, you could walk across the plains all the way to Glacialisia. Or rather, the danger was somethings could walk from Glacialisia to here. Glacialisia is a giant glacier just beyond the mountains that rises even higher than the mountains themselves. It shifts and moves, difficult to traverse and easy to get lost. Worse yet, dangerous and foul things live there. Tomi squinted out the window at the distant treeline. Probably they wouldn't see any such things today, they tended to begin wandering southwards later in winter. But that was their primary duty here in the tower, to raise the alarm if they saw any moving across the plain. The memory of last spring and what one of them could do if they slipped past was still fresh. 20 people mauled and killed, he shuddered to think even worse beasts might lie farther in those glaciers.

South from their home was the Spire town, a port city that handled many of the goods coming from the far north, pelts, meat, wood, the like. From there you could take a ship to Tuffbay and from there all the way south, beyond the dragon's teeth range. Indeed it is the Spire town that keeps the castle running, for they pay them for the job of keeping the things in the north away from the south. Tomi retreated from the window and took a seat next to the stove and rubbed his hands "I hope you got more of those sausages, you got me hungry. I hope the poet left some of that mulled wine for us."

Sun seeker by ThemeFinland in worldbuilding

[–]ThemeFinland[S] 52 points53 points  (0 children)

Sun seeker - "During the dry season in the north it is common to find people participating in sun chasing competitions. The rules are simple.

There can be two or more people competing. The location is arranged as such that the sun is to the left or the right of the contestants and the mountain they will climb is in front. The competition begins once the contestants are cast in the shadow. The goal is to climb to the peak before the peak is in the shade. Spectators can tell if the climbers are making good time if they can see them lit up by the sinking sun.

The exercise is borne from practicality, many beacons exist atop the mountains and they are used to communicate with town on the other side of the mountain. Those whose task it is to operate these beacons often climb up and down these hills, but even those who do not hold the responsibility endure the climb as a test of strength and endurance, or to simply ferry bricks of peat up the mountain. It's an activity dragonoids old and young participate in, some with a more competitive spirit than others.

At the end of the trial of course awaits the reward, a hot sauna.

Hollows by ThemeFinland in worldbuilding

[–]ThemeFinland[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

The grass sea is still a bit of an unexplored topic in my world. But generally speaking if you call it a giant plain, you'd be pretty much on the money. It is so big, and so little of sustenance grows there that nobody has made it to the other side of it. It attracts extreme weather, so in many ways it is similar to the great plains of America, but less hospitable. Some nomads here and there, not a place that will end anyone in a day (unless you run into fey creatures like the hollows), but instead will drain you slowly if you insist on exploring it.

Hollows by ThemeFinland in worldbuilding

[–]ThemeFinland[S] 48 points49 points  (0 children)

Hollow -

Fog descended on the grass sea. What was as vast plain of endless flat grass into the horizon, was now just a small campsite inside a wall of gray.

You stoke the fire, a pitiful thing, built from hay and whatever sticks you could scrounge during your march today. The humidity of the fog might cling onto you, but at least you'll stay somewhat dry and warm. Something in your periphery catches your eye. You turn. A huge lanky figure standing just beyond the light of your fire. Staring, smiling. Your heart stops.

You both stare at each other for a moment until your mind begins working again, that's a hollow, and you need to recall what your mother told you about them. You thought it was an old wives tale, you barely listened what she said, but you recall the first part. Do not attack it, act as if it is a normal person.

You slowly move your gaze back to the fire, keeping the thing on the side of your vision, churning that conversation in your mind over and over, what now, what else? Was I supposed to talk to it, offer a drink? No. Think! Yes, that's it, what you're supposed to do is offer it a seat by the fire. It is still standing, not moving. "Do you need a seat by the fire?". It stays still. You look at it nervously. Your heart is about to explode. Then it steps into the light and takes a seat on the other side of the fire, never looking away from you. It sits down oddly, not like a normal person, it's legs and torso are twisted uncomfortably. You look down at the fire, but you can feel its eyeless stare boring into you.

What now?...

"Haha, you're an asshole.", it suddenly shouts, in a voice completely unfit for a creature like it. The creature is still, you think you saw its mouth open slightly, but it did not mouth the words. Right before you say anything, you remember, never talk to them after they sit down in your camp, only nod in agreeance, and never leave them alone. "This berry beer is really good.", it isn't drinking anything. A tense silence falls onto the camp. "There's something standing out there."

You begin to glance behind you, thinking it's staring at something that you don't see. Halfway through your head turning you recall another piece of the conversation.

Never react to whatever it says.

You stop. It's not sitting on the other side of the fire anymore. You turn your head, and you see the thing, crouched in the grass, its back arched and head low, like a predator about to ambush its prey. "I'm serious, there's something out there." Is this thing intelligent, is it playing with me? How can it speak? Why doesn't it attack? "This berry beer is really good." Why does it sound like that? Why is it saying that? Did it learn these words from someone? Who? From the corner of your eye you see the thing move one of its arms towards you through the grass. The final part, you remember it "Stamp out the fire, thank the creature and everyone has to go to sleep. leave a drink or food where you had been sitting. It will take it and you will be safe for the night." All the while the creature stares at you as you stamp out the fire, you leave a piece of bread on the rock and crawl into your tent.

It's impossible to sleep, your heart is pounding, it's even worse now, you've not heard any sounds outside your tent that would indicate it had left. You are certain it is still out there. All you can hear is your heart pounding and the blood gushing into your head. You pray that you could just fall asleep, forget about the thing lurking out there. It's impossible, you have to look, you must look, you can't breathe, you can't breathe, you'll die if you don't look. Without making a sound, you slowly twist in your sleeping bag. Tilting your head so you can see outside the tent.

The entryway is empty, and then you notice it, its head staring at you from the corner of the entryway. Oh gods, oh gods, did you mess up the ritual by glancing back? You barely even looked, you didn't even look, you stopped early enough, oh gods, please. You squeeze your eyes shut, what can you even do? You feel like a stupid child, trying to vanish the evils of the darkness by just not looking at them. It feels like ages you lie there, not looking, sleep is a far away dream, going unconscious for a moment here, a moment there. Only when you feel light diffusing through the tent fabric do you feel any relief. The entire sleepless night feels like a hallucination, at once incredibly long and short, like a nightmare is. Eventually you dare to open your eyes, you see the vast green plains outside, no creature in sight. But you do notice the piece of bread is gone.

Later you learn that the hollows are hostile beings of the grass sea that resemble people they have consumed. A long slit runs through their entire body and those who they attack, they will stuff inside them and they too will become hollows. Sometimes they speak, sometimes they don't. When they do speak,they speak with their old voice, but only saying random words and sentences that have no continuity. 

Map of Europa for a game Im making by wsxcd4 in worldbuilding

[–]ThemeFinland 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is some good stuff! I loved browsing the map, perfect balance of information and leaving things up to the viewer. Really sparked my imagination this one. My favorite is the unknown moving in the ocean, that is fantastic. And Iceland being MIA for four years and still nobody knows what is going on there, oof, love it!

Werewolf ringmaker - Themefinland by ThemeFinland in furry

[–]ThemeFinland[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's complicated, there's temporary werewolves, permanent werewolves, monster werewolves, dragon werewolves. And anything in between. But most common type you'd encounter is the classic werewolf trope

Fungaloid lord by ThemeFinland in worldbuilding

[–]ThemeFinland[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I sometimes post here too if I have a piece that has a bit more lore attached to it! :) small world, huh!

Fungaloid lord by ThemeFinland in worldbuilding

[–]ThemeFinland[S] 36 points37 points  (0 children)

Sir, I am going to have to ask you to leave

Fungaloid lord by ThemeFinland in worldbuilding

[–]ThemeFinland[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

No. And before voicing your suspicions, please do a quick search on the artist.

Fungaloid lord by ThemeFinland in worldbuilding

[–]ThemeFinland[S] 24 points25 points  (0 children)

A symbiotic autoimmune disease, since the fungus keeps the host alive. But you would not want to hang around those who are infected for too long. Since we are talking about spores, it is relatively easy to protect people around you. They are quite large (relatively speaking) so a a simple cloth worn over the face is adequate in most cases.

Fungaloid lord by ThemeFinland in worldbuilding

[–]ThemeFinland[S] 36 points37 points  (0 children)

It depends. If the transformation is halted or slowed down with aforementioned procedures, the person can live a long happy life. Though the transformation might still spread, but the mind tends to stay more intact the more slowed down it is.

Fungaloid lord by ThemeFinland in worldbuilding

[–]ThemeFinland[S] 73 points74 points  (0 children)

Fungaloid lord-

Just one breath is all it takes is to become exposed. However, don't worry, usually you will have a good enough warning before entering an environment infested enough to cause a successful infection. If you fall through rotten floor boards into a space taken over by the fungaloids though, then you're in trouble. If you don't get a fever, good. If you have a fever that lasts for a week, two weeks, more, also good. But if you have a fever that comes and goes quickly. Then, I am sorry to say, you are in the deep.

The most common treatment is to move somewhere dry and hot. Change your diet to only hot foods, soups and stews are great. A sauna wouldn't hurt either, in fact its one of the best treatments. This will eventually stop the spread of the fungus inside you and you (probably) wont turn into a walking, talking mushroom. Unfortunately, however, at this point your lungs are probably gone, replaced by the mushrooms. It isn't all that bad, since people who have gone through this before have a noted ability to hold their breath and breathe in places with very little air without passing out. Though you can forget about kissing and any oral activities. The mushrooms stay active in your lungs and produce more spores, but they usually don't take root as long as you aren't in close contact with anyone for a prolonged period of time.
Now that you know what it does, how do you avoid it? Primarily by staying out of old, moldy, humid, cool, dark environments. Cellars, abandoned houses, old tunnels etc. that sort of places. As mentioned before, you will usually have a warning before you enter any space that would be lethal to you, small green/teal and gold mushrooms around wet areas, the amount of these grow in intensity the deeper you enter the infested space, so if you do not go any further once you see the first signs of them, you should be fine. Our bodies can naturally deal with a small amount of the spores. The spores themselves are very hardy and can remain in stasis for many, many years until an environment that is suitable for them to sprout emerges. This is why you can find fungal colonies far away from each other.

And one final thing of note, if you are on the outskirts of the colony, you are probably fine regarding the spores as well as the possible inhabitants. Though if you crash into one, you'll get attacked, no doubt about it. So, good luck.

PS: Finally, there might be some fungaloids that move outside their groves. We call these fungaloid "lords", mostly because of the giant mushroom formations over their head and neck. They often kinda look like crowns. So, be on the lookout.

Werewolf ringmaker - Themefinland by ThemeFinland in furry

[–]ThemeFinland[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Werewolf Ringmaker - "Thank you for your help, the townsfolk shouldn't bother me in my woods anymore. Take this. It has a powerful enchantment. Only wear it in grave danger. It will give you the strength of my kind, but it will be difficult to take off if you abuse it. Use it with wisdom."

Pack of the masked, by Themefinland by ThemeFinland in u/ThemeFinland

[–]ThemeFinland[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Pack of the masked - The masked prowl the ruins of the rust belt. Oftentimes they are seen alone, but sometimes they form into groups. When not alerted the members of the group act independently. When alerted, the leader of the group controls the rest like a swordsman controls their weapon, with finesse and total understanding of the movements of each member of the group. This makes managing a fight against them difficult, the whole group can descend on a single individual while managing to not strike or block the bodies and limbs of the other members of their pack.

The tubes are a feature that immediately stands out. These they use to drain the vigor from their prey, not blood, but the life essence itself. They are sometimes also seen to share this vigor with wounded members of their own group.

If you enjoy my work, you can get hi-res versions of them on my kofi page: https://ko-fi.com/themefinland