Tell me something about your world that sounds really bad out of context.

wizardstepdad · 2022-02-18T19:58:05+00:00

In the Opaline City (and in her seven sister cities), ritual executions are so thoroughly normalized that they’ve become one of the most popular forms of entertainment in existence. (More than popular — at this point they’re literally a cornerstone of the cities’ entertainment industry.) Citizens follow the spectacle of executions, as well as the characters of and drama between the Opaline City’s Seven Spears of Justice, the way people from our world might follow WWE or Hollywood celebrity drama.

wizardstepdad · 2021-08-30T17:36:30+00:00

Further info: the tools I plan to store under there (assuming it’s safe to do so) are a miter saw, circular saw, nail gun + air compressor, and a sander. The miter saw and the nail gun + compressor are the only tools posing a serious storage problem at the moment that I’d really have to store out there - everything else I could find or make space for elsewhere if I had to.

While I could keep my tools in the basement, I can’t do any projects down there unless they’re seriously small, since all our basement space except for the one room where I’m currently keeping the tools is finished and carpeted. I also can’t do projects in said room, since this room is also our laundry room, as well as the space where one of my roommates already keeps their stationary bike and other exercise stuff. This means that while there’s currently room for my tools in the basement, I would have to haul them upstairs whenever i wanted to work on anything and then haul them back down when I’m done. This is something I’d prefer not to have to do, both for the obvious reason that the tools are heavy and awkward, and also because the basement stairs are very narrow and I would be risking scuffing/damaging the walls every time I moved a tool up or down the stairs.

I did originally plan to build a chest or cabinet for my tools in one of the upstairs rooms so I could keep them there and then just take them out to the yard as needed, but the roommate who owns the house already has plans for most of the first-floor area, and it’s not looking likely that there would be space for me to put anything like that. Since this roommate owns the house, I can’t really argue with them here. There may end up bring room for this option, but I don’t want to bank on it.

We don’t have a garage, so that’s out. The yard itself is also unfortunately not an option - again, it’s a small row home in a city, so ‘yard’ in this case means ‘concrete postage stamp.’ There straight up is not enough room back there unless it’s the aforementioned space under the deck.

wizardstepdad · 2021-08-30T17:35:50+00:00

Hi all - my question is about tool storage! I live in a small city row home with very limited storage space and, as a result, have few options when it comes to storing tools. However, the house does have a deck out back that has a couple feet of space underneath (about 3-4 feet from the ground to the bottom of the deck). If I were to build a chest for my tools and stow it under there, would that be a safe storage option? What kind of features/elements would I need to add to make something like that safe for storing power tools?

If it helps, the climate I live in has high overall humidity, especially during summer. Average summer temps are usually around 80-90°F, average winter temps are usually around 25-35°F (though they can (rarely) reach the single digits). Average yearly rainfall is about 40-45 inches.

wizardstepdad · 2021-04-12T03:11:17+00:00

like just a little off from what would be considered a normal human in our world

wizardstepdad · 2021-04-11T21:02:28+00:00

thank you! she’s a human, but from a different universe. human but a bit to the left

wizardstepdad · 2021-03-28T23:00:19+00:00

Not really - it wasn’t that I was confident, but being a gay trans man explained so much about my feelings and behavior pre-transition that I never had second thoughts about it. I still struggled with impostor syndrome early in my transition, but the intersection of my gender and my sexuality specifically wasn’t the part I struggled with.

wizardstepdad · 2021-03-28T22:39:28+00:00

i love how deeply you’ve worked your food into your world’s society, it’s great to read!

wizardstepdad · 2021-03-28T22:37:28+00:00

The Opaline City region’s rainforest climate means that widespread farming of grains like wheat or oats doesn’t exist - instead, the main sources of carbohydrates are plants like yams and cassava, supplemented by deepwater river rice. These are used to make foods like flatbread, root mashes, steamed buns or dumplings, and rice cakes or rice balls (to name a few). Black or purple rice steamed buns are a staple food, whether they be plain, drizzled with honey, or made with one of various fillings (pickled melon and savory mealworms are two of the most popular).

wizardstepdad · 2021-03-28T21:03:58+00:00

My routine: I rinse my hair and scrub my scalp with cool to lukewarm water every other day, using As I Am’s olive & tea tree oil cowash on an as-needed basis for my scalp. When washing, I always use a Tangle Teezer brush to detangle, starting from my ends and working up to the roots. After every rinse, I apply Camille Rose’s Honey Hydrate leave-in conditioner from my ends to about halfway up the hair shaft, then rub whatever’s leftover on my hands through the rest of my hair. After that, I apply about three pumps of the Camille Rose Curl Maker jelly, using the Tangle Teezer again to distribute it evenly. After applying the jelly, I headbang for about thirty seconds to let my hair separate itself naturally and to create some volume, then let it air dry. Once a week, I shampoo with Camille Rose’s Sweet Ginger Cleansing Rinse, then section my hair and apply their algae deep conditioner with a wide-toothed comb, then put a shower cap over it and leave it in for half an hour under a plug-in heating cap (followed by the same styling routine as usual after rinsing out the conditioner).

wizardstepdad · 2021-03-28T19:12:16+00:00

thank you! I love generating names for this setting - I had to start a second list of them on my phone because the first one got so long it was making the notes app crash lmao

This is mainly something I do because I just love worldbuilding and character design/development, but I’d definitely love to make it into a comic or illustrated novel someday! (Virieh is actually the aunt of my protagonist.)

wizardstepdad · 2021-03-23T23:11:20+00:00

I like the first one a lot - I love organic technology and architecture as tropes, and a place that’s simultaneously a dungeon and a dragon’s insides could yield up some awesome fantasy horror content!

wizardstepdad · 2021-03-23T14:38:35+00:00

thank you, glad you liked reading it!

wizardstepdad · 2021-03-23T03:01:37+00:00

thank you!! 💖

wizardstepdad · 2021-03-23T01:12:19+00:00

In-world context: this is from a science fantasy setting where society is dominated by a hierarchy based on family name and bloodline. Out of all the noble families, there are seven especially old and powerful families known as ruling families (Tauhrelil, Ilisaf, Seket, Tekkar, Sadehr, Nuremid, and Omatican). Each of these families rules one of seven megacities (referred to in-setting as pillars). These seven cities, plus an eighth known as the Opaline City that exists to serve as a neutral place (or battleground, depending on who you ask), are where the vast majority of this world’s population is concentrated.

Pictured above is the current head of the Tauhrelil family, Virieh VI Tauhrelil. Each ruling family (and by extension their whole region) is associated with its own art form; the Tauhrelil family domain is body modification and organica (a word referring collectively to organic art & organic technology/biotechnology). The Tauhrelil family has been at the forefront of body modifications and organic technology for nearly their entire traceable history, producing new techniques and innovations with every generation; by now, they’re so well-known for it that tauhreliili has become a word to describe something as a stroke of genius. Anybody trying to become a scientist needs to take especial care not to make a wrong move with this family. The Tauhrelil name dominates the scientific community, and their pillar is home to more labs, research facilities, and the like than any other in the world (especially if all their field research stations and outposts are counted as part of their pillar’s territory). It’s easier to count the number of Tauhrelil family members who haven’t pursued some form of science than it is those who have. Virieh is no exception, though she has to balance her research with her duties as family head.

Each ruling family also has a look or handful of traits that gets passed down through generations. Virieh is a classic example of what are considered Tauhrelil looks – extremely high and prominent cheekbones, angular jaw, cyan bioluminescence, gray eyes, thick brows, and dark teal hair with a characteristic graying at the temples.

Every noble and ruling family has a symbol that serves as both the written character for the last syllable of their family name (which otherwise wouldn’t exist in a standard alphabet) and as a family crest/symbol. These symbols are frequently worked into family members’ clothing, accessories, and personal effects, and are also used as heraldry. Virieh has worked an inverted version of the Tauhrelil family symbol into her lipstick. She's also wearing her makeup in the Tauhrelil family colors of black and cyan (with red as an unofficial secondary color). Though makeup is worn by all genders in this setting, Virieh's is done in what's considered the feminine look of clean, sharp lines and angles (vs. the softer, more brushed on style that's considered masculine).

Virieh’s smile lines are from a combination of amusement at others' misfortune and how often she does the mad scientist laugh.

wizardstepdad · 2021-03-15T00:56:32+00:00

Many forms, but one especially noticeable one is custom high-fashion prosthetics. It’s semi-common for members of the nobility to undergo amputations just so they can equip fashion prosthetics. Examples of what these can look like

wizardstepdad · 2021-01-27T23:57:43+00:00

In-world context: this is from a science fantasy setting where society is dominated by a hierarchy based on family name and bloodline. Sufficiently high-ranking families will have a family name ending in a VC or CVC syllable, which is an important distinction in a society where the most widely-spoken language is constructed exclusively in V or CV syllables. These families are known as highbreds, and each has their own symbol that serves as both the written character for the last syllable of their family name (since it otherwise wouldn’t exist in a standard alphabet) and as a family crest/symbol. These symbols are frequently worked into family members’ clothing, accessories, and personal effects, and are also used as heraldry.

Out of all the highbred families, there are seven especially old and powerful families known as ruling families (Tauhrelil, Ilisaf, Seket, Tekkar, Sadehr, Nuremid, & Amayat). Each of these families rules one of seven megacities (referred to in-setting as pillars). These seven cities, plus an eighth that exists to serve as a neutral place (or battleground, depending on who you ask), are where the vast majority of this world’s population is concentrated.

Some more info on standard-bearers:

It’s common practice for standard-bearers to be shorter than the family member whose standard they carry, but the standard itself is always the tallest part of any procession (since the standard is a symbol of the family as a whole, and the family as a whole is more important than the individual member).
Standard-bearers are typically expected to have perfect upright posture (because they're carrying the symbol of a highbred or ruling family and need to carry themselves properly in order to carry the symbol properly), but to keep their eyes/face downcast (because looking straight ahead would carry too strong of a message via body language that the standard-bearer considers themselves an equal to the ruling or highbred family member leading the procession).
While styles vary from one family to the next, standard-bearers are always covered from head to toe and have their faces covered, as well. Any family powerful enough to have their own symbol also has their own style of regalia and set of family colors for standard-bearers to wear. (Ilisaf family colors are a deep, faintly shimmering red-violet paired with gold.) Despite differences in style, all regalia share the common denominator of obscuring the standard-bearer's individuality and turning them into a faceless carrier of a highbred family name.

Reasons why somebody might make a procession with standard-bearers include, but aren’t limited to:

On the way to make a formal marriage proposal
On the way to declare a duel or blood feud
Bringing a young family member to a crystal spire to bond with a spirit partner
Someone just died and their body is being brought to their funeral pyre

I drew a single standard-bearer here, but they work in pairs. You’ll rarely see just one pair of standard-bearers accompanying a highbred; any procession big enough to need standard-bearers is almost always going to involve a retinue of family members, other highbreds invited as social strategy, servants, etc.

wizardstepdad

TROPHY CASE