Creative Corner

not an "official" lore thread by any means; just a place to muse and get feedback on the bones and setting for my lore!

the wandering city, about a thousand years before my lore is set to take place (i’m thinking aethers and sandsurges built it!), was built to be a hub for professors and historians and scientists to convene and trade information and whatnot, as well as host labs and experiments.

one such experiment was to visit deep space and the stars using technology that relies on wormholes and black holes. unfortunately contact with the wormhole vaporized the entire city and the residents instantly.

there were angels (or creatures similar to angels) inside the wormhole. they felt bad that these little creatures were wiped out like that. so they put the residents and the city back together the best they could.

but they're angels, and the city / residents were a different matter entirely. so there were unintended consequences.

so think: cosmic horror but it's well intentioned, but doesn't... entirely understand. like a child trying to save some bugs.

the residents and the city were morphed and mutated into something almost angelic. something almost not. they exist in between stages. like the way time exists at midnight or at dawn or sunset.

they exist both in angelic realms, in sornieth, only in folklore, and not at all.

oh and the city gained a mind of its own because angels dont understand entirely what is or isn't sentient in sornieth. the city routinely scoops up dragons because it's purpose was to provide a hub for academics and whatnot, after all.

i've got a couple characters that need to be written down, but right now im slowly working through the bones and setting of the lore. the closest to completed lore that i would like to show off as well would be keeper! which serves more as a tourist board for newcomers to the city rather than an actual character.

touchstones include wtnv, star trek: deep space 9, and event horizon.

[b][/b] [b]Hello Cosmo, nice to meet you[i]![/i] I noticed this post yesterday & wanted to take some time to process this concept & look into some relevant dragons in your lair first before providing constructive feedback on this[i]![/i] [emoji=heart size=1] [/b] -------- [b]Firstly, the idea you have going is highly attention grabbing -[/b] it captures the familiar Sci-Fi feel adeptly with the Wandering City scape, all the while integrating a cosmic-biblical horror twist that I haven't quite seen being executed before. [b]The most intriguing aspect to this lore, in my opinion,[/b] is how the storyline thus far handles the idea of scientists stumbling upon divine beings living amidst a vortex; it's an unexpected enmeshing of [b]Science vs. Divinity[/b] emphasized by the collaboration amongst both Aethers & Sandsurges [b]([/b][i]elementally speaking[/i][b])[/b] that could bring up a lot of probing lore questions - in other words, there's a [i]ton[/i] of ways you could explore this union further ... [b]To relay a few things I'm curious about in particular :[/b] [LIST] [*] Do these cosmic angelic entities [b]revolve around a religion,[/b] or do they eventually become integrated with the creation of one [b]([/b][i]notwithstanding folklore[/i][b])[/b] [i][b]?[/b][/i] [*] If there's no such religion involved... then what is [b]the structure like for the wormhole[/b] in which they reside[b][i]?[/i][/b] [b]([/b][i]I noticed after reading [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/88095189]KEEPER's bio[/url] that there is an established Temple, so this sparked my fascination[/i][b][i]![/i][/b][b])[/b] [*] 'Science' [b]&[/b] 'History' are fairly broad career paths with many different branches available. I noticed you have an [b][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/68235869]Engineer[/url][/b] in the works. Are there preferred branches of Science [b]/[/b] History that the civilians lean towards, or is it meant to be a little bit of everything[b][i]?[/i][/b] [*] I'm curious as to what the overall goal is for those in the Wandering City; [b]how does each dragon plan on utilizing their discoveries & archives collectively[/b][b][i]?[/i][/b] [*] Provided the angelic beings exist within an abyssal wormhole up in space, are they involved with [b]The Shade[/b]; if so, how[b][i]?[/i][/b] If not, [b]are they [i]aware[/i] of[/b] The Shade's influence on Sornieth at all[i][b]?[/b][/i] [*] Given they felt enough empathy towards the dragons vaporized in the Wandering City, [b]what are these entities' moral values - & do these ethics ever change[/b] as they interact with one another[b][i]?[/i][/b] [*] As the angelic space beings did their best to recreate their interpretation of the dragons' technological advancements, [b]in which ways did that differ[/b] from what was established [b][i]prior to[/i][/b] the vaporization[b][i]?[/i][/b] [/LIST] [b]These questions aside, there are some critiques I can provide[/b] as to some other details you mentioned here that piqued my interest [b]:[/b] [b]One of the things I noticed that stood out to me[/b] was the notion of [i]a city having a mind of its own,[/i] due to the angels not fully comprehending [b][i]sentience vs inanimation[/i][/b] in both beings [b]&[/b] objects [b]/[/b] locations. This is something you'll really need to dig into as an abstract concept in order to fully get the picture across; to clarify my point, it may help to determine in expansive detail how the civilians of the Wandering City view themselves [b]&[/b] the rest of Sornieth [b]([/b][i]after the recreation[/i][b])[/b], as well as how they treat the outer divisions of land [b]&[/b] other dragons - as I'm assuming not all of the residents plan to permanently stay in the Wandering City with no other connections involved[b][i]![/i][/b] Even more so, due to the idea you mentioned about the city [b]'scooping up dragons'[/b] to integrate as part of its academic hub environment. ... I'm also really curious as to how a living [b]&[/b] breathing city would tackle any form of [b]maintaining a sense of structure ([/b][i]both in terms of self-preservation; i.e, like how human cells require hydration,[/i] [b]&[/b] [i]in terms of keeping an actual societal management intact[/i] [b])[/b] in addition to how its relationship with the residing wildlife would look like. Speaking of which ... I wonder, would the wildlife in the Wandering City behave differently than those in the rest of Sornieth, do you suppose[b][i]?[/i][/b] [b]After taking a look at [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/65591679]DATA[/url],[/b] I noticed the fact that you created a [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/88706289]user-insert dragon[/url] for the intention of having a pseudo-ARG type of exploration of your lair. This is an incredibly interactive [b]&[/b] efficient means of retaining interest in your lore setup that I can honestly admire[b][i]![/i][/b] It certainly inspired me to start thinking of a way to try something a bit similar; although of course, not exactly the same in execution. [b]That being said :[/b] I'm very excited to see how you plan on further delving into a first-person POV adventure, in a way that seems immersive for most any kind of person. My suggestion would be to try [b]&[/b] guide the player along without forcing any decisions [b]/[/b] dialogue made on behalf of the user - but having a few options in mind would be fascinating, even if it's as simple as a [i]virtual signpost[/i] of various locations. [b]Reading KEEPER's bio once more, these paragraphs caught my attention :[/b] [quote] [i]Today, the Wandering City serves the scientific and historical communities by providing a fully mobile hub for the intrepid trailblazers of our time. That is, if they would seriously consider our offers and stop acting as if we're some kind of practical joke. Come and explore the streets and canals of the Wandering City, and finally forget the past you have tried so hard to abandon. And yet you will be unable to fully find the peace you didn't try hard enough to obtain. Our fully functional and automated services are just delighted to meet your every need![/i] [/quote] [b]Regarding this first paragraph, I have to admit that I'm a bit confused [/b][b]([/b][i]although it honestly could just be a 'me' thing to some degree[/i][b])[/b] - I think it may help to elaborate more on why the [i]'Trailblazers of [their] time' [/i]aren't taking the residents of the Wandering City seriously, despite everyone there all being dedicated to the pursuit of scientific discovery. [b]The second paragraph does capture the cosmic-horror, abstract thinking[/b] type of feel adequately; you've got the implication of a quizzical [b]&[/b] contradicting sentiment laid out very clearly. Such as to say, [b]'You want to have a new life[i]?[/i] Come and join us[i]![/i] [s]Except, you won't ever find inner peace, actually.[/s] But that's ok, it doesn't really matter because we're always around to help anyway[i]![/i]'[/b] ... Point being, it's a kind of statement that gives off a sense of everything being wrong when you squint hard enough, [b]&[/b] it merges well with what you're trying to accomplish lore-wise. But it's also something you want to utilize in moderation to avoid a sort of 'eye-rolling' response where possible. [b]([/b][i]What I mean by that is ... Think of how Hannibal Lecter, for example, is almost always using poetic language about taste, hunger, craving, etc. that [b]NO ONE ELSE[/b] seems to think deeper about, to cover up the fact that he... you know, [i]eats people.[/i] Great [b]&[/b] morbidly funny in its execution, but can be frustrating as he continues to do so without any raised suspicion from other characters. I hope I'm making sense with this in relation to your intro of the Wandering City[b][i]![/i][/b][/i][b])[/b]. [b]... So, in summary, my only real concern with this so far is the overall pacing -[/b] in order to avoid creating whiplash that is counterintuitive against immersive plot progression, I would recommend taking some more time to fill in a couple of these gaps - explaining about the Trailblazers [b]&[/b] trying not to overdo the false sense of security to the point where it's glaringly obvious that it's covering up something sinister. [b]AAALLL of everything else in mind that you've provided at this current point, I'm fully aware that this is a heavy work in progress[/b] [b]&[/b] I have faith that you will create an amazing storyline that's easy to follow along with[b][i]![/i][/b] This is an incredible concept so far [b]&[/b] I am seriously invested [b]&[/b] impressed with your creativity. You've got a highly solid foundation, a clear tone that fits well with your chosen genre, [b]&[/b] an amazing setup as to how you plan on displaying this story. ------ [b]I know this was an incredibly long post,[/b] but I hope that my input was helpful[b][i]![/i][/b] Your lore skeleton has truly inspired me [b]&[/b] I would be honored to be a potential lore-building buddy if you would ever be interested in the idea ♥ Please keep me posted on how the Wandering City continues to expand[b][i]![/i][/b] [b]Thank you for sharing your ideas here, & best of luck to you on your writing & character development[i]![/i][/b]

@MystikOmen

good afternoon :) firstly, i want to thank you for taking the time to read through my lore and check my lair! it means a LOT to me and seriously brightened up my day yesterday when i saw how indepth you went !

i realize my lair is sparse, character-wise, aha. i've got a LOT of ideas, but haven't gotten around to putting down the bios yet. that's next on my to do list, though!!

thank you so much for noticing the theme of science and divinity and magic! it's something i love a LOT and i haven't really seen it explored to my satisfaction in most sci-fi media.

before i get to answering and analyzing and explaining, i'd like to say that i would love to be a lore building buddy with you!! with your permission, i could send a friend request and we can bounce back and forth ideas in pms! im highly flattered you've taken such an interest in my skeleton!
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first off, i read back on my original post and realized i missed a key point / didn't clarify it up enough to make sense! which is completely my fault; i have a bad habit of forgetting.

so! the original crew that set off into deep space and the wormhole are in deep space! they made it through to the other side after the recreation (thanks to the help of the "angels") and are now trying to get back home. this left the wandering city empty and alone, but now sentient somewhat. the city, knowing that there should be scientists and historians and citizens, goes around and essentially scoops up wayward dragons to be their citizen!

i imagine, then, the conflict is trying to figure out what's going on and why they're here, from the scooped up dragons point of view, while the aether / sandsurge crew is trying to get home. on top of resulting petty dramas and personal problems and lives intersecting.

and then at some point, conflict will then shift to the crew arriving home, discovering what has happened in their absence, and everyone having to adjust to each newer and weirder circumstances once again. with, of course, contending with the shade, the angels, and the city itself.


Do these cosmic angelic entities revolve around a religion, or do they eventually become integrated with the creation of one (notwithstanding folklore)?

that's something i've been going back and forth with myself for a very long time. i want them to be separate from the deities established in flight rising canon. i'm honestly going back and forth on if i want them to be gods for beastclans or if i want them to be their own thing that eventually has a religion formed around them, based off of the first encounter in the wormhole.

they're not unknown in my lore, by any means, even before the encounter in the wormhole. but they do exist more in folklore and "mythology" and are initially dismissed as such before the encounter. i went with the term angels for the time being (because i love angels) because its the closest term i could think of for their current status. holy, divine beings that are certainly there, but did not partake in the act of creating or governing mortals.

If there's no such religion involved... then what is the structure like for the wormhole in which they reside? (I noticed after reading KEEPER's bio that there is an established Temple, so this sparked my fascination!)

this is an angle i have not considered! ill have to get back to you on this ;;

'Science' & 'History' are fairly broad career paths with many different branches available. I noticed you have an Engineer in the works. Are there preferred branches of Science / History that the civilians lean towards, or is it meant to be a little bit of everything?

you're completely right! it is broad! thanks for pointing out that weak spot!

i've decided; the original aether and sandsurge crew focused mostly on ecology and cosmology, while historians decided to hitch a ride on the wandering city, seeing it as the prime opportunity to study different forms of religion, folklore, occult going-ons, and other related subjects spread out throughout beastclan and dragon society!

dragons that were collected when the original crew was gone aren't all scientists and historians. but there are a few! eridanus, for example, is an astronomer. name pending is a zoologist that mostly focuses on cataloguing various species around sornieth, midora was a librarian and is now trying to study the city itself, and lastly, homm is a bit of a mad scientist who mainly focuses in transformations, genes, and mutations.

I'm curious as to what the overall goal is for those in the Wandering City; how does each dragon plan on utilizing their discoveries & archives collectively?

for the original crew, their initial goal was to explore deep space and make contact with other alien species, and to gain a better understanding of the universe itself, believing that science and magic together would help them best, instead of just one area favored over the other.

right now, their goal is to get home! they're unaware of their changes and recreation for now.

as for newcomers and scooped up dragons, who i've had much more development with character-wise, its a bit of a mixed bag and really depends on to whom you're speaking with! the overall goal, for most dragons, is to understand what happened to them, why it happened, and if there's any way to get out, as well as to understand the city and the weird going-ons around.

but time went on and most dragons started to settle into their new life, developing their own home. most dragons that were taken were out and alone for a reason, having no real home or anything to go back to. a good few of them honestly see this weird city as their new home / second chance.

as well as just making do with the unusual things that happen - such as the entire city accidentally going into lockdown mode. little things like that. some want to leave, but most do not.

Provided the angelic beings exist within an abyssal wormhole up in space, are they involved with The Shade; if so, how? If not, are they aware of The Shade's influence on Sornieth at all?

this is a really good question! the shade is, in fact, involved with my character lore

to make it short: pris was adopted and raised by shade devotees. she grew up, had a child with another follower, and initially was going to give up the child to the shade to act as a sort of proxy / emissary for it, but fell in love with a dragon outside of the following, stopped the ritual halfway through, and ran away with her child and new partner.

but that's about as far as i went. i think i will need to do more development on the angels before i can decisively state their opinions on the shade, but i can say right now that i don't think they like the shade at all and may attempt to aid in protecting sornieth from the shade. but i get the feeling what they can actually do is pretty limited, going off of how "successful" it was helping the crew and the city.

Given they felt enough empathy towards the dragons vaporized in the Wandering City, what are these entities' moral values - & do these ethics ever change as they interact with one another?

for now, ill say they're mostly good hearted and usually well intentioned. while they are capable of malice and destruction, their feelings towards sornieth is curiosity and love. it may, however, be derived from new entertainment provided by watching this world go about. since they weren't involved in creating any of this and don't have any stakes, i want to say that at the beginning of the story, it's like a kid seeing an anthill and deciding to care for it. over time, though, i think they'll grow to be more genuine and better towards handling things.

i wasn't originally going to make them into concrete characters, but honestly now i think i will!! :) tysm!

As the angelic space beings did their best to recreate their interpretation of the dragons' technological advancements, in which ways did that differ from what was established prior to the vaporization?

ohhh this is a really good question i didn't consider before! thinking about it now, the boundaries between science and magic are a LOT softer and more difficult to define.

in my lore, at least, magic is an innate, inward force, while science is more outwards and relies on components that didn't directly come from the wielder, if that makes sense at all.

now that i think about it, ill have to get back to you on this as well! i absolutely want to play with the idea of technology and spells, and ill need to do some deep dives on it! thank you for bringing this up!
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to answer your questions about the city's sentience, i'm thinking it's a spirit or some kind of metaphysical mind that occupies the very city itself. of course, it's not completely alone and not the only aspect of life the angels brought into the city. but i absolutely am going to keep following this train of thought :) !

woahhh i did not expect anyone to be inspired by this!! you absolutely should follow that inspiration! and that's the goal! once more characters, stories, and locations are established, the signboard will have links in it to direct the reader / player to wherever they'd like to go!

yes, so, regarding that - i should have been clearer. my intention was to essentially lean into "we don't quite exist here". but the city itself doesn't know or understand that. to outsiders, the city attempting to invite in lead scientists would be like... if someone called the WHO claiming to be baba yaga and wanting them to come on over! which is why they're dismissed as a practical joke. or if atlantis hit up - you get the point, haha.

i see what you mean, regarding moderation in that. while i've been writing horror and whatnot for... ever, it's the first time i've tried to do it in a lighthearted manner and more hidden away rather than outright about it. thank you, ill absolutely keep this in mind!

and thank you so much, again! i did not seriously expect anyone to express such interest and investment in the bones of my daydream world!! i am absolutely interested in becoming lore building buddies :)) ill need to sit down and look through your lore as well!! looooving the aesthetic you have going on right now!!! (and i just want to say i am interested in the tarot + have autiadhd too!!)

Aaaaaa, I don't have anything especially eloquent to say here, but I wanted to let you know that I read your post and snuck around your lair a bit, and I'm really excited to see where you go with this! The concept you have is really fun and unique, and I can see a lot of wiggle room to develop it over time.

[i][/i] @syzygyy [b]No problem, it was a pleasure to sort through your ideas & provide insight[i]![/i][/b] I'm very glad to hear it brightened your day too ♥ especially because I was a bit worried that I sent something potentially overwhelming. [b]Totally understood[i]![/i][/b] My own lair is a massive work in progress as well; most of my bios are unfinished, so definitely I can relate. Take all the time you need, I'll be more happy to catch up on your progress later. Science [b]&[/b] Divinity are amazing themes to visit ... it's something a majority of my story [b]/[/b] character concepts outside of FR exhibit, actually[b][i]![/i][/b] So when I read your skeleton, best believe I was immediately invested. [b]Heck yes, you're welcome to add me[i]![/i][/b] I'm always down to talk ideas, thank you so much ♥ ------ [b]Ahhh I see - thanks for clarifying that aspect to your lore.[/b] No need to worry though; my memory is also not the best - it's definitely in part due to being [i]"neurospicy"[/i] [b]&[/b] that's completely ok. [b]This definitely adds another interesting perspective to the mix,[/b] as you try to find a storyline balance between the group of dragons in deep space vs. those within the sentient city scape. The situation makes me think of something vaguely like the movie [b][i]ALIEN[/i][/b] ... except [i]significantly[/i] less horrifying ... what I mean is, it would be interesting to delve into what can go wrong outside of interpersonal issues, considering how vast [b]&[/b] abyssal deep space can truly be. Since you're going for a lighthearted horror route, I'd love to see what you could come up with for the original crew's external conflict during their travels. [b]Eventually leading into that perspective shift will be amazing, I just know it.[/b] The crew returning home would probably wonder at first if it's truly the right location, because everything would seem so vastly different [b]&[/b] bizarre. Oooohh you got me excited thinking about it[b][i]![/i][/b] [LIST] [*] [b]Regarding the Religion / Folklore :[/b] [/LIST] [b]Oh, I had a feeling they would be separate[/b] from the usual Sornieth deities[b][i]![/i][/b] You could definitely utilize both ideas; for example, having the angelic beings not be of a defined religion for a duration of the storyline - [i]until[/i] it's revealed by one of the Beastclans that they've mentioned the entities vaguely in ancient scriptures - [b]&[/b] soon the dragons most involved with the angels can begin to shift their belief systems. That way, you could stick to the idea of them 'existing' prior to the wormhole incident but not in an obtrusive way to the lore's pacing ... [b]([/b][i]But this is just an idea - it's honestly your choice[/i][b][i]![/i])[/b] [LIST] [*] [b]Regarding the wormhole structure :[/b] [/LIST] [b]Not an issue at all - take all the time you need[/b] to figure it out. I'm more than open to discuss any concepts on this in the future with you[b][i]![/i][/b] [LIST] [*] [b]Regarding the Science / History branches :[/b] [/LIST] [b]Oh this is a very good balance between the studies of the land & its cultures,[/b] nice[b][i]![/i][/b] I'm glad you decided on this, [b]&[/b] I am extremely eager to know more about the characters later on; including how they tackle the obstacles set by the strange, sentient environment. I know for a fact that if you manage to pace this story in a way that makes it seem as though the scientists are working together [b]&[/b] gradually [b] uncovering multiple mysteries[/b] bit by bit, eventually showcasing a [i]grandiose plot point,[/i] that would simply be incredible. But I may be getting a bit ahead of myself here, hehe[b][i]![/i][/b] [LIST] [*] [b]Regarding the overarching goal :[/b] [/LIST] [b]I'm loving the contrast between the original crew & the citizens[/b] of the reconstructed wandering city. It feels almost like an Alice in wonderland ordeal with them having to explore the peculiar environment, vs the internal conflict of the residents figuring out themselves [b]&[/b] their subjective situations. I'd imagine those dragons with less innate willpower would easily succumb to the influence of the land's whims - while those of a particularly sharper intuition would begin to see the obscure patterns of what's happening around them.[b] I love the spooky uncertainties of it all[i]![/i][/b] ♥ [LIST] [*] [b]Regarding the Shade:[/b] [/LIST] [b]Loving the synopsis on Pris' backstory[i]![/i] I'm eager to see how you'll continue[/b] to expand on her history, as well as the angelic space deities' relation with The Shade. I'm highly interested in the idea of their direct influence being capped to some degree; as it could, consequentially, put any potential Religious [b]/[/b] Folklore beliefs into a critical light between the city's more devoted denizens. [LIST] [*] [b]Regarding the Angels' moral views :[/b] [/LIST] [b]Your comparison of the entities viewing Sornieth's dragons[/b] with a childlike curiosity [b]&[/b] desire to protect is actually very heartwarming to think about - [b]&[/b] I think it's a beautifully harmonious touch to an otherwise suspenseful & elementally chaotic plotline. I'm beyond happy to know I was able to inspire you into further expanding on these beings as individual characters[b][i]!!![/i][/b] There is amazing potential here [b]&[/b] I'm super excited to see what you end up doing with it all. [LIST] [*] [b]Regarding the Reconstruction of technology :[/b] [/LIST] [b]Ahhh I see, that makes perfect sense to me.[/b] Magic can definitely be considered a more [i][b]intuitively inclined[/b][/i] force, usually [b]([/b][i]but not always[/i][b])[/b] granted upon birth [b]&[/b] defined over time through consistent use. Science is more of the nature of [i][b]mental acuity;[/b][/i] it depends a lot more on a cognitive drive to experiment [b]&[/b] desire to discover novelties - sharpening only through external experiences, as well as trial [b]&[/b] error. -------- I see, I see! That's really cool, imagining a city that has a metaphysically sentient [b]&[/b] self-aware core. One of the things that I thought of prior to you explaining this was the city potentially having a network - sort of like [b]plant roots[/b] - reaching deep underground, that function similarly as the brain's neural system; always firing off as it collects more information about the world [b]&[/b] makes emotional connections with its inhabitants. I also imagined it could possibly utilize an [b]intermediary [i]"appendage"[/i][/b] to observe the actual ecosystem as it thrives; perhaps through the plant life, or even something harder to precisely categorize, like colonies of mysterious fungi strewn around. But again, it's solely your decision, I'm just adding my 2 cents[b][i]![/i][/b] Do with this braindumping as you will ♥ Thank you so much for taking the time to explain some additional info, as well as being so receptive to my feedback - it's not often that I experience someone being equally as immersed in lorebuilding & willing to take my constructive criticism for what it is. This has been a really refreshing exchange [b]&[/b] I appreciate you immensely for sharing it with me[b]![/b] [b]I also enjoy writing horror themes quite a lot -[/b] [b]([/b][i]particularly psychological in nature[/i][b])[/b] - so I do want to apologize for any misunderstanding on my end of you wanting a less intensive plotline. In any case, I have very high hopes for your clan development, [b]&[/b] I would love to figure out a way for our clans to interact somehow[b][i]!!![/i][/b] My lore isn't organized here at all because I'm still trying to figure out if I should finish writing out the story first, or finish dragon bios LOL. But I'm open to discuss with you more in PMs anytime[b][i]![/i][/b] [b]Also I am SO THRILLED - AuDHD & TAROT BUDDIES YESSSSSS [i]!!![/i] [/b][emoji=heart size=1]