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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Resource The Fanon Thread

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction and Writing Resource' started by FanonSock, Nov 11, 2014.

  1. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2012
    Since Gand is shrouded in mist so do I take it that most/all animal life relay less on eyesight then the animals on Earth.

    I am a bit surprised that you did not have any tracking/hunting or riding animals since those kind of animals would be useful for findsmen.

    If you don't already have something in mind so do I suggest something based on the slug-worms from Nausicaä: "Slugs the size of small dogs, adept at tracking by scent. The Wormhandler people derive their name from their practice of domesticating and using these creatures. While they appear harmless, they are considered unclean creatures by many non-Wormhandlers."

    Here is what I could find, most of it from the art book, if you find them interesting so do I recommend looking up the manga since it has more pictures.
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Other things with big bugs that you may find interesting are the comics Space Usagi and Prophet and the Golgari Swarm from Magic: the Gathering's Ravnica setting

    One pic from Space Usagi
    [​IMG]
    Some of Golgari's bugs and giant insects.
    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]

     
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  2. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2012
    For my second world I use WEG’s Star Wars RPG: Planets of the Galaxy, Volume One, the results of my dice rolls are:
    Planet Function – Manufacturing/Processing
    Government – Representative Democracy
    Terrain – Jungle
    Temperature – Temperate
    Hydrosphere – Moderate

    From my list I get the results ‘Cyberpunk’ for concept, this to me means an advanced matrix with VR function that connect at least all the big cities and companies; cybernetics are advanced with much enhancing cybertech and rather common; mega-corporations that are more powerful then nations; salarymen; corporate & street samurais; lots of neon signs and bad weather; life is cheap and everybody is looking for an edge.

    I also decide to pick the ‘Unusual weapons’ quirk since I want the street samurais and ultra-violent gangs to use something different from the normal automatic pistols and submachine guns we see in cyberpunk settings.

    Concept – Cyberpunk
    Tech level – Elysium
    Architecture – Calmar union Scandinavia
    Fashion – Old tsarist Russia
    Youth fashion – Calmar union Scandinavia
    Belief system – Edo period Japan
    Painting style – Vikings
    Food – 1890-s & 1900-s Sweden
    Entertainment – Edo period Japan
    Close combat – Early Edo period Japan


    With all this as inspiration I begin to create a new world. Lets call it Vætte. I decide that it’s populated by bimm (near-human), mrlssi and lurmen, mostly because I like the idea of a hardboiled world populated by people all less than 1.5 meter tall :)
    Paging TrakNar since I heard she likes bimms.

    Vætte
    The third planet from a hard to get to star in the Mid Rim, Vætte has three continents, mostly covered in jungle and rain forests[1]. A large space station orbits the planet and there is also a city sized colony on its moon. [2]

    The Vætte civilization is spread across all three continents and some of the islands, mostly near the coast and rivers. The cities skyscrapers are mostly built in styles resembling the Romanesque and Gothic architecture found around the Baltic Sea [3] and are all built for humanoids who consider 1.5 meter to be tall, with the exception of a few embassies, hotels and other houses made for taller folks. Neon-signs hang in or over most shops and are also often used to mark out what companies owns or work in a building. Sometime they are also just used for decorations.[4]

    Vætte is governed by a representative democracy [5], but much of the real power is in the hands of the planet’s seventeen mega-corporations. The mega-corporations each have their own special forces, enough land for a smaller nation and the manpower of a large nation as employees. Together, they stand for nearly 100% of Vætte’s export and over 60% of its overall economy. It’s worth mentioning that, unlike many other worlds where corporations are in control, Vætte has strict laws to protect the environment which are firmly enforced.

    Beside mega-corp employees (who range from the near-untouchable members-of-the-board to overworked cleaners) there also exist a middle class; people who work for the state or smaller corporation, own their own businesses, or similar. There is also a significant amount of poor people on Vætte, some live as farmers-hunters-fishermen in the forests or beside the seas, but most live in favelas, shanty towns built between the skyscrapers where gangs rule or fight each other for control. The law only enters the favelas when the violence threatens to spill outside of the shanty towns or something highly unusual has happened.

    From those non-corp groups come the street samurais, free hackers and other mercenaries that the mega-corps and crime clans rely on to do their dirty work, so it won’t be traced back to them.

    Technology [2 & 7]
    Overall so is the technology on Vætte less advanced than the Republic standard, there are no speeders, hologram technology is rather basic, […] and their space station relies on a rotating system for gravitation.

    On the other hand Vætte has surprisingly advanced and quick ground-to-atmosphere vehicles for a non-hyperdrive civilization, the matrix [internet] is quick and allows for virtual reality immersion. Robots, most of them humanoid or semi-humanoid, are used by the mega-corps and the state as guards, SWAT:s and servants for the rich. All are, of course, modelled to fit bimm (near-human), mrlssi and lurmen standards.

    When it comes to cybernetics is the technology just as good on Vætte as it is in the advanced Core worlds and it is easier to get implants. This, together with an near-universal acceptance of the use of enhancing cybernetics, allows most people who can afford it to have some kind of enhancing cybernetics.

    The elite corp knights and street samurais use cybernetic linked exoskeletons.

    Something that outsider may find remarkable about Vætte is the lack of blasers and guns. This comes from an old law and tradition that forbid their use on Vætte. Instead, Vætti are armed with bows, crossbows and throwing weapons. They have developed many variations of crossbows: small one-shot handheld, double, pump-action repeater, semi-automatic and many more. [8]

    Among throwing weapons are bolas and shuriken the favourites, even if the simple rock never gets out of style in the favelas.
    For close combat, do the country and slum people prefer the machete while the street samurais who can afford it wield vibro-katanas and/or wakizashi. Naginatas or nagamaki are often seen in the hands of guards and guard-robots. The jitte is synonym with the police and a black jitte in a yellow circle is the symbol of Vætte’s police force. [9]

    Once again so is it probably worth to point out that all those weapons and technology is made to fit bimm (near-human), mrlssi and lurmen standards.

    Culture
    The vætti have one common culture with some differences among the three continents and the species. The mega-corporations have developed some cultural differences among each other to make the feeling of their logotyped products different. Since the majority of employees lives in company-owned houses, go to company-sponsored bars, send their children to company schools and spend their last days in their company’s retirement home, the corp-culture has been rather easy to develop. Because of this corp-culture do the employees vote for what their companies want, undermining Vætte’s democracy ideals.[6]

    Clothing is often loose and thin fabric is used because of the heat. An example of a common dress style would be a kontusz worn over a kaftan or a kosovorotka. Proper young ladies usually wear a sarafan. Klobuk, povyazka and kokoshnik are typical head gear and are worn by all groups.

    Clothes are colourful with different patterns, usually flowers, stylised animals or geometric symbols. [10]

    Since rain is very common all year around and all over Vætte so is an umbrella a standard accessory all over the planet.

    There are a number of youth trends, the most popular ones being chrome, ryx and heppy.

    Chrome (short for monochrome) style characterised by clothes in a unison, pale colour, usually without any pattern. A chromer listen to and/or plays jango music and Vætte jango is noted for its use of animal sounds. Bimm chromers usually shave their heads.

    Ryx is inspired by the Paradisoskar ryn traders and mercenaries who have been visiting Vætte for at least a century. The ryx wear clothes with puffed and slashed sleeves and knees, ever-broader flat beret-type hats and those who can, often sport a moustache. [11]
    Ryx gangbangers fight with cutlasses and staffs.
    They have a rivalry with heppies.

    The heppy style is noted by its lack of clothing, most heppies wear little else but a loincloth, kilt or shorts. The unclothed parts of a heppies body is covered body and/or fur paint and they usually have many earrings.
    Heppy music should be played without any electronic instrument and a hard-core heppie only listen to live music.
    Heppies have a rivalry with ryxis

    Trade
    Vætte import all tech they can not produce themselves and many different kinds of luxury products.

    The planets export is mostly in the form of substances harvested from the planets biosphere, both in natural and refined form, but there is an small but steady export of cybernetic items and cunning

    [1] ‘Terrain – Jungle’, ‘Hydrosphere – Moderate’ & ‘Concept – Cyberpunk’ “lots of neon signs and bad weather”
    [2] Tech level – Elysium
    [3] Architecture – Calmar union Scandinavia
    [4] Concept – Cyberpunk “lots of neon signs and bad weather”
    [5] Government – Representative Democracy
    [6] Concept – Cyberpunk “mega-corporations that are more powerful then nations; salarymen;”
    [7] Concept – Cyberpunk “an advanced matrix with VR function that connect at least all the big cities and companies; cybernetics are advanced with much non-medical cybertech and rather common;“
    [8] Quirk – Unusual weapons
    [9] Close combat – Early Edo period Japan
    [10] Fashion – Old tsarist Russia
    [11] Youth fashion – Calmar union Scandinavia

    -------------------------------

    I would say that this example is a better illustration of how my system could be used as inspiration. For example, when it comes to the Ryx youth trend, that was inspired by me getting ‘Calmar union Scandinavia’ when I rolled on the list for ‘Youth fashion’; but instead of using ‘Calmar union Scandinavia’ as an inspiration did I use landsknechts, who are near Calmar union Scandinavia time and geography-wise but not a part of it. This hopefully illustrates that my system is only there to help with inspiration and should not be strictly followed.


    Something I would like to ad is that after two examples have I also come to the realisation that my personal culture list needs to be expanded with some more non-European cultures since I have hade some roles that have been just to similar.
     
  3. FanonSock

    FanonSock Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Nov 11, 2014
    Your poor sock is back (or, well, more or less [face_blush])

    The index has been updated. Please everyone check the index post here and PM this sock AND Chyntuck to let me know if I missed anything.

    Also, thanks to Gamiel for taking the initiative and starting a discussion about world-building (have a look here). This is henceforth the official discussion topic of this thread, so go ahead and tell us how you proceed with world-building in your fics:
    • Do you borrow elements from profics? From fanfics?
    • Do you borrow elements from other fandoms?
    • Do you borrow elements from RL?
    • How do you make your world-building consistent?
    • What is the key to good world-building in your view?
    And a reminder: your fanon post(s) don't need to be related to the current discussion, so if you were intending to post about something entirely unrelated, go ahead and do it.

    Apologies again for neglecting this thread, DRL hasn't been kind to me recently.
     
  4. Gahmah Raan

    Gahmah Raan Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 2, 2015
    Here's my list again since I'm still a bit indecisive (I've been busy with other projects relating to Paranormalities, such as concept art and the prologue for Episode III; that and real life).

    - Forceless (in general)
    - Skakoan Commandos (Skakoan mercenary sub-culture and would include some more information on the Skakoan species)
    - Kur'Ada Equalists (Force-blind Miraluka terrorist cult)
    - Races of Valkor's Forceless Collective (species that have allied with or been possessed by said Collective)
    - Sleheyron (Legends canon planet)
    - Polus (Legends canon planet)
    - Kratzar (relatively young planet and Mustafarian mining colony)
    - Krantisi (former Infinite Empire world and home to several unusual creatures, some now extinct)
    - Chilades (former Infinite Empire world; notable for mutated predators, chemical-tainted water and perpetual winters)
    - Ockla Prime (former Infinite Empire world and capital of the Valkoran Empire)
    - The Valkoran Empire (pre-Paranormalities history, government and military structure)

    In response to the above, I usually take inspiration from professional works, not necessarily always Star Wars-related. The ideas that eventually formed into Paranormalities came after discovering the original StarWars.com databank and a few imaginative adventures as a kid (and I had a very loose understanding of the Legends EU back then). In hindsight, I'm kinda glad I spent years brainstorming (initially telling the story through the concept I produced) to start writing it as a fanfic. I initially brainstormed it as a video game (and this partially what led to the more lovecraftian parts of the story, such as the Forceless), but as I began actually writing, it forced me to get more inventive and realize some of the flaws in my older conceptualizations (and admittedly, while I do have an endgame planned, I still get new ideas as I go).
     
  5. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2012
  6. Gahmah Raan

    Gahmah Raan Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 2, 2015
    Species of Valkor's Forceless Collective - Warning: May contain some spoilers from Paranormalities: Episode II.

    Millennia before the formation of the Old Republic in another galaxy far, far away, a Forceless Collective was formed with the mysterious being Valkor as its herald and set up a very ambitious goal of universal conquest, in which all sentient beings would be assimilated into the Collective (whether willingly or through being possessed). Prior to focusing on this galaxy, the Collective had several creatures in its army and navy, whether they be assimilated from its other conquests or constructs created from Black Matter and other sources.

    Note: Since most of these creatures are from worlds outside the known galaxy, they may not have too much spilled out yet for the sake of keeping them a mystery, and some of these names may not be their actual names, but labels from the experience of others. And I may add more creatures to the list as they are introduced in Paranormalities.


    Black Matter Warrior - Classification: Construct

    When newly-generated Black Matter (dubbed Newborns) attains a slight degree of independent thought (they still share the same goal as their herald and lead symbiote), their attempts at mimicking humanoid races can come off as indecisively grotesque. These warriors on the otherhand (while still somewhat grotesque) are a bit more uniform even by the usual standards of the Collective. It's not entirely clear what they look like underneath their armor. They have four-eyed faces covered by a mask resembling a camera-lens and have somewhat lanky limbs as a means of deliberately unsettling their enemies. In worlds populated by a diverse array of alien races, they are used as scouts before an invasion. Afterward, they are used as the Collective's primary footsoldiers in addition to possessed cultists from other humanoid races.


    Nidracha - Classification: Possessed

    A sapient race of spiders with somewhat humanoid torsos and four forelimbs with opposable digits, the Nidracha serve mostly in ambushes and attack from vantage points such as walls or ceilings. Like most spiders, they are capable of secreting a thick web for binding prey and digest their food outside their stomachs (the more consenting or broken Nidracha like to digest prey alive as a psychological warfare tactic) and will spit their stomach acid from a distance. Like other arachnid species, caffeine can be intoxicating to them.

    The females are typically larger than the males. While the females are capable of combat, the males usually do most of the fighting while females are usually incubators for young Nidracha. However, mating rituals have a slight risk of the female eating their mate (take notes, interspecies romance enthusiasts). In the Collective's service, the females are usually used as unpossessed slave labor to avoid potentially fatal birth defects since younglings born from Forceless-possessed mothers of any species aren't born with their own symbiotes to make more soldiers (with the males being possessed for combat once they reach maturity), and possessed themselves once they are no longer able to lay eggs. To the males' benefit, Collective mentality has significantly reduced the rate of female-on-male cannibalism.

    A few female Nidracha and their children have been liberated by Admon Onae, with future generations fighting alongside him and his Murigan resistance movement.


    Silicth - Classification: Possessed

    Also known alternatively as Cthulopods, these three-legged behemoths are silicon-based lifeforms with a shell made from asteroid and crystalline cranium, with the only external parts of them that look remotely organic being their mouth tentacles and their legs. Their primary method of offense is a red jewel positioned above their single eye that can emit an intense laser can tear through all but the toughest alloys. However, if this crystal were to be fractured and they try to shoot, their crystal brain will explode. Unlike most other land-based Forceless (carried by loderoaches or cultist dropships and shuttles), Silicths are immediately dropped through a planet's atmosphere.

    Yes, these are essentially organic sentient Martian tri-pods.


    Loderoach - Classification: Possessed

    These flying bloated insects have been mutated into living dropships after being possessed, with their stomachs being converted into storage space for carrying troops, costing it the ability to eat. These mutations mean that the mutated loderoach is dependent on the symbiote for survival (a tactic sometimes used on other creatures for psychological warfare or taming defiant creatures).


    Juggernaut Beetle - Classfication: Possessed

    These massive insects - once used as war beasts by the Nidracha - are distinguished by two halves separated by an unusually-flexible spinal column. Their bottom half has four legs and their upper half is comprised of a large shell that they can use as a shield against most small-arms projectile (mounted weapons, on the other hand...), their head, two sickle-like arms and their main body. Their spinal column is their main weakpoint, and since they are aware of this, they will constantly position their shells to block any attacks towards their spinal column. If their column were to get severed, their movement would be impaired.

    When not on the offensive, they are capable of hunkering down to have their shell protect their entire body.


    Eyewing - Classification: Construct

    Based on some wyvern-like creature of unknown origin, Eyewings are essentially living starfighters. With a single eye positioned between a mouth-like structure, they have what look like laser cannons grafted between their wings and main body. They are capable of walking in addition to flight, and if they land on top of a larger ship, they can self-generate Black Matter in an attempt to possess the crew.


    Levioth - Classification: Construct

    These creatures aren't the original Levioths. These are actually clones of a captured specimen that have had their bodies converted into living capital ships, but still more animalistic in appearance than vessels grown by the Yuuzhan Vong. They function as both warships and carriers, using the original Levioths' ability to generate wormholes to travel through space quickly. It was the capture of one of the original Levioths that gave the Forceless Collective the means to travel beyond its homeworld (the world this one originated from hadn't reached its space age, and the Collective's takeover certainly halted progress) and reach other places.

    Younger Levioth clones are used as frigates or corvettes.


    Matterbug - Classification: Construct

    These mynock-sized wasps are used as a faster and more efficient means of possessing starships than the Eyewing secreting Black Matter. While lacking the offensive capabilities of the Eyewing, the Matterbug is small enough to land on fightercraft (sometimes, Eyewings will carry them as a weapon). Once landed on their target, they inject their stingers into the cockpit, release Black Matter into it, and then plug up the injection point with a mucus to prevent depressurization. Alpha Matterbugs, equal to the size of a shuttle, are used for taking over larger ships ranging from corvettes to capital class.


    Demolusk - Classification: Possessed

    A genetic relative of the Silicth, the squid-like Demolusk is also a silicon-based lifeform, and functions as a bomber. They are incredibly slow and large when compared to most manufactured bomber craft and have no means of defending themselves aside from their limited-range tentacles, but can take a lot more punishment than most fighters and bombers, and once they reach their target, it will release a payload of energy bombs - if in packs of three - strong enough to destroy a capital ship in one run. Similar to their land-based cousin, the Demolusk has a weakpoint in its eye and its fleshy mouth.


    Rapthound - Classification: Possessed

    These four-legged, carnivorous reptiles have a single eye (a mutation in of itself) in their throat protected by many sharp teeth. Their hooked forelimbs allow them to climb most surfaces. Their lack of eyes on their exterior body suggests they mostly hunted by scent and hearing (unless their eyes simply atrophied as a result of mutation). Tactic-wise, they function like attack dogs and are often used to track down targets. Without the Forceless symbiosis providing it sustenance, Rapthounds can go three galactic standard days without food. However, as the eye obstructs its throat, mutated Rapthounds have difficulty consuming solid food, to the point that the meat has to be chewed up into a gelatinous state that looses its flavor. The Collective frequently starves them to make them more vicious, and as such, they are often driven by a hunger they are unable to fully satisfy.


    Planara Manos - Classification: Possessed

    Despite their animalistic appearance, the worm-like Planara Manos are in fact sapient, with the most infamous member of the species being the Archfiend Terraris, who swore loyalty to the Collective after their homeworld was conquered. With a head resembling a two-thumbed hand (and as such the "fingers" and "thumbs" function as mandibles) and a single eye between them, the Planara Manos can quickly tunnel their way through even duracrete. Some of the more powerful members of the species, such as Terraris himself, exhibit a limited form of Force-sensitivity that allows them to control earth minerals without even touching them and even cause sandstorms and groundquakes.


    Py'Ko'Ra - Classification: Possessed

    These 20-foot tall huched-over humanoids often serve as heavy infantry. They have four eyes and a nose-like protrusion coming out of their face that can open to reveal a tooth-filled mouth (Dragon Ball fans, think like Imperfect Cell's mouth except with teeth). They have four arms, all tipped with pincers. Their main arms are more muscular and primate-like, while their back arms are more tentacle-like and can extend twice their length. Despite their brutish appearance, Py'Ko'Ras are sapient and of average intelligence, usually appointed as officers for lower-ranking Forceless. When not fighting on the front lines, some are appointed as wardens and overseers for slave camps and indoctrination clinics. However, since they are usually too large to fit into the facilities they oversee, they use the hive mind between them and their smaller subordinates to maintain order inside those places (although some facilities have doors built specifically for them).

    Cranaquia - Classification: Possessed

    [​IMG]

    These cold and calculating aquatics resemble giant brains with a stem-like tailfin, prehensile eyestalks resembling optic nerves and compactible arachnid-like legs. Appearances can be deceiving, as these relatively tiny and seemingly frail creatures are not only sapient, but are all Force-sensitive to some degree, using their ability to manipulate water in large quantities provided they were making physical contact with at least one source of water. They could chain multiple bodies of water together and form larger bodies to make themselves look more monstrous. Even more frightening, their manipulation of water also extends to the fluid-filled bodies of most carbon-based lifeforms. This made the Cranaquia the most dangerous predators in their homeworld's seas, as they could kill their prey with ease in very sadistic fashion whether it be by drowning them or rupturing their own internal organs. The most infamous member of the species is the Archfiend, Hydrojus, whose power was enough to cause tsunamis.


    Golubrum - Classification: Possessed

    [​IMG]

    The Golubrum are a war-like race of gargantuan, semi-bipedal reptiles with blade-tipped tails that also exhibit traits of insectoid species such as an exo-skeleton protected head and mandibles, the ability to disgorge their own stomach acid and produce fly-like offspring (who lose their wings once they reach adulthood). Hailing from a planet with no atmosphere protecting it, the Golubrum have developed a natural resistance to solar radiation (solar flares can still kill them, however). The race was conquered by the Collective when Belluzub - a sociopathic Dark Force-wielding dictator that flouted himself as a powerful god-emperor due to Force-sensitivity being unheard of among the species - sold them out, with Belluzub eventually becoming one of the highest-ranking Archfiends.

    As a Forceless host, Belluzub had a few drastic changes to his Golubrum physiology. His original two eyes atrophied in place of developing a single larger eye, his extendable tongue developed into a second mouth, he developed regenerative capabilities, and developed asexual reproductive capabilities. However, some genetic complications from the possession have caused Belluzub's larvae to have shorter lifespans than mayflies, making them little more than feral beasts that he would feed his enemies to (although Belluzub wasn't particularly kind to his heirs even before associating with the Forceless, as he only gave birth to them out of political formalities and ate them as soon as they were old enough to think intelligently).

    Armaloch - Classification: Possessed

    [​IMG]

    A communal species of amphibious, humanoid arthropods with long tusk-like mandibles and an armored hide, with paleontologists comparing them to a rather obscure species of extinct sea arthropods (that many people have trouble pronouncing or spelling the name of in any language). They are not only adept swimmers, they can move at 80 kilometers per hour on land by curling up into a ball, similar to species such as Colicoids, Amanin, and Lurmen. They kill their prey by either shredding them with their claws, rolling over them, or ensnaring them with their mandibles and then rolling around until their prey is rocked to death. Armaloch are also surprisingly durable, as their chitinous hides can shrug off blaster fire, explosions and even slightly resist lightsabers (that said, it is still outclassed by cortosis, phrik, beskar, or other documented lightsaber-resistant metals; it's just enough to keep them from immediately being cut to pieces). However, this natural protection can still be worn down by repeated attacks in one concentrated spot before exposing their vulnerable insides. Another faster way to bypass this protection is through continuous concentrated heat, such as electrocution and immolation (the best analogy would be like boiling a lobster). And while they are surprisingly fast and have long-reaching attacks, they are strictly melee fighters.

    In their original society, Armaloch were part of a hive mind with no individuality among single specimens, only driven by the survival and advancement of their colony. It took only a single specimen being possessed to enlist one particular colony into the Collective, and other colonies were conquered afterward. However, despite their loyalty to the Collective and developing minor degrees of individuality, some quirks of their original social structure show, such as individuals referring to themselves with first-person plural pronouns and each one only simply calling themselves "Armaloch" as if it were their name. Within the Collective's military build-up, Armaloch are frequently deployed as fast, heavy-hitters both on land and in aquatic environments.

    Author's Note: My plans for the character that would become the Armaloch species didn't start off being based on an anomalocaris. The original idea was something like an armadillo or pangolin, but then I thought not only would it be too much like Armored Armadillo from Mega Man X, I was worried it wouldn't be freaky enough for the Forceless Collective (that was also part of the mindset of turning Fafniros into a ten-eyed cyborg dragon with human-like teeth). Then I started shifting my ideas to something more insectoid inspirations. I then thought of doing a pillbug, but afterward, I thought to go with something more underrepresented in fiction.
     
    Last edited: Aug 6, 2021
    Gamiel likes this.
  7. MsLanna

    MsLanna Jedi Master star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 8, 2005
    If anybody is interest in more stuff I made up for the Chiss, I could post some 'info' about the following:
    • names
    • cities on Csilla
    • nature on Csilla
    • political system
    • formal robes and their patterns
    If anybody bothered to look at AO3 they will have seen the first 3 already, though.
     
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  8. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2012
    I think 'formal robes and their patterns' would be nice :)
     
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  9. Ewok Poet

    Ewok Poet Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2014
    I am most interested in nature on Csilla. Sounds intriguing. :)
     
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  10. Cushing's Admirer

    Cushing's Admirer Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Jun 8, 2006
    I'd love to hear anything on the Chiss. :)
     
  11. MsLanna

    MsLanna Jedi Master star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 8, 2005
    OK, I'll go over the nature essay again and post that. Then I'll sort my clothing into understandable order.
    Would both enxt week be OK, or should I space it more?
     
  12. Ewok Poet

    Ewok Poet Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2014

    We are allowed one per month, so as long as one is posted while it's still July and the other in August, I think the answer is yes.
     
  13. divapilot

    divapilot Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 30, 2005
    Would formal robes tie in with ceremonies, specifically marriage ceremonies? I'd love to read about the details of that.
     
  14. MsLanna

    MsLanna Jedi Master star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 8, 2005
    In my universe, the robes are actually the whole ceremony. [face_blush]
     
  15. gracesonnet

    gracesonnet Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    May 20, 2014
    I am curious about the Chiss because one of the OCs in my WIP is Chiss! (Ooh, would it be unrealistic for her to have a Human father?)
     
  16. Gahmah Raan

    Gahmah Raan Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 2, 2015
    I would assume it's possible considering Chiss are on the near-human spectrum (at least in fiction, which this is; in reality, most likely not). And last I heard, humans and near-human species are genetically compatible. In that case, your character would a Chiss-human hybrid.

    One of my human OCs is descended from a Chiss who married a human, but over time, the Chiss genes thinned out enough that for all intents and purposes, the OC in question is considered almost 100% human (too bad he didn't inherit the Chiss's tolerance to low temperatures).
     
  17. gracesonnet

    gracesonnet Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    May 20, 2014
    Thank you! I had the same feeling but there's so much to Star Wars that it's just overwhelming sometimes.
     
  18. MsLanna

    MsLanna Jedi Master star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 8, 2005
    My first OC was a humn/Chiss mix. Come to think aboout it, the exact opposite of the current one I write. Heh.

    And now CHiss fanon:


    Nature on Csilla

    As mentioned, I consider the cities under the ice to be well maintained micro-ecologies. Since there is a limited amount of space, air, and everything, the number and amount of species living in a city is restricted.

    There is no weather
    With no sky above but several kilometres of ice, there is no sun or rain or even wind. The light is artificial and has a cycle that copies that of the surface. Instead of sunrise or sunsets, the light is dimmed or slowly turned on.
    There are no stars above. During the night the sky domes are dark. The only light comes from occasionally passing skyrails. There are stars installed in the sky, but they are only lit for special occasions. This is a mix of tradition and energy saving.
    You will never need a jacket or worry for your garden party. Anything you wear is a fashion statement because the temperatures are always the same.
    Another aspect to a frozen sky only a mile and some above your head is a lack of birds. Some are living in parks or gardens but they are unable to fly long distances and generally stay put.

    Plants
    The plants are watered through irrigation systems running along under the whole city. In the inner districts plant serve only decorative purposes. Species are chosen by their ability to survive with the given light and if their procreation can be controlled. Hand-pollination is a big thing. Everything that reproduces as it likes is out. If you can afford constant weeding, you might have one or two of those for show. But regulatory authorities are watching you over your shoulder very closely.
    In the outer rings recreational districts have recreated woods or other landscapes. They are gardened meticulous, no matter how 'wild' they may appear.

    There are likely oxygen-refineries somewhere to make sure nobody has to suffocate. The plants alone will never produce enough oxygen for any of the cities to survive.

    Animals
    Like plants, all animals on Csilla are accounted for and purposefully placed where they are. Birds that don't fly around too much everywhere and other animals in the recreational districts. A little like a zoo.
    But no insects. No spiders, no bugs, no butterflies. They are too difficult to control so they have been abolished. It must seem awfully sterile in the long run. Though having no mosquitoes is probably a plus.
    There are probably 'archives' containing the native specimen so they can be reinstalled in nature should Csilla ever thaw.

    No Open Water
    Not natural, anyway. Streams and ponds are worked into the gardens. But there are no rivers, lakes or oceans. That means no big fish. No fish for consumption. No holiday at the beach. No tides, but who'd notice without an ocean?

    Consequences
    There must be hordes of gardeners and animal keepers in each city just to keep everything growing and decaying properly. Each leaf has to be removed by hand, each flower has to be pollinated by hand. If it is supposed to procreate.
    There are hordes of mechanics on and about simply keeping the sky up and the water flowing.
    You are living in a windless, weatherless, sterile wannabe-world. But it'd be pretty...
     
  19. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2012
    MsLanna do you have any fanon on Csilla's natural life outside of arcologies?

    Also I guess you don't know any Scandinavian language, do you? Because if you do it I have some reading suggestions.
    Big, big water tanks full of algae that produce oxygen, work as part of the water purification process and can be harvested for foodstuff.
    Any fanon ideas on what the main house pets are?

    I suggest some insects that are being raised for food. I think that is one of the ides on how to feed astronauts on long range missions.

    Also worms are good for the soil and can not really escape from the earth and/or damage any of the infrastructure.
    I suggest some kind of artificial lakes for recreation and as parts of the water system.

    You could have fish as part of the water purification process, those fishes could then be used for consumptions.



    Have you see the movie Elysium? In that movie so is there a large space station in which they have wall gardens in many of the rooms rooms and along the corridors, something I think could work in Csilla's arcologies as you present them.
     
  20. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2012
    What do people want to see from me this month?
    * Force techniques
    * Intelligent species from the Unknown Region
    * A near complete rework of the Kilian Rangers
    * A Force tradition generator system similar to my planet/culture one


    Also, should I do a third post that show how to use my system for word creating? I said that I would do three but I feel that I am taking up even more space than I usually do and maybe a third one is not needed.

    A reminder that if people have quirks that I can ad to my quirk list in my word building post http://boards.theforce.net/threads/the-fanon-thread-index-updated-19-july-2015-discussion-world-building.50024318/page-9#post-52495000 [face_batting]

    And I have also updated my word list http://boards.theforce.net/threads/...ussion-world-building.50024318/#post-51938990

    Have added:
    Bitey = 1) quick meal, 2) food​
    Breetmal = Blend of breetva and cybermal; an animal with combat oriented cybernetic implants. See breetva below and cybermal in 'Wordlist' below.​
    Breetva = Cyborg with combat oriented implants, especially claws or other cutting weapons.​
    Cybermal = Blend of cybernetic and animal; an animal with cybernetic implants, usually enhancing.​

    and possibly some other I have forgot. [face_blush]
     
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  21. Admiral Volshe

    Admiral Volshe Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    I'm going to try this (so someone let me know if I do this wrong). I have a couple of topics I feel good about sharing:

    On the Galactic Empire:
    -Ranks, Governmental Departments/Ministries, Branches of the Empire, and corresponding uniforms (these really all tie together, separating them would get confusing)
    -Imperial Celebrations, Events, and Holidays (includes military focused ceremonies as well as civilian celebrations)
    -Introduction to Imperial Military Protocol and Basic Laws

    Other:
    -Planets I have created (with brief info on their species, as well)
    -Health care in general (important medications, materials, droids, important medcenters, use of droids vs. real persons, important medical academies)
    -Factories/Corporations/Companies that are important in the Galactic Civil War era
     
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  22. Ewok Poet

    Ewok Poet Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2014
    Health care, health care, health care. Super-curious! :)

    IMHO, worldbuilding deserves a thread of its own and shouldn't have been just a fanon topic. It's something that's always relevant and contributes to quality of the story.
     
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  23. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2012
    Admiral Volshe I think 'Imperial Celebrations, Events, and Holidays' sound interesting :)

    ---------------------------------------

    Also regarding this months topic so would I like to explain a bit how I created my long list of Force traditions.

    I have slowly been going through the Force traditions and non-jedi Force using classes in Wizard of the Coast's Star Wars roleplaying game books in the 'Beyond the big two: lesser Force traditions in the GFFA' threat.

    Many of those classes were not Force traditions in them self but just concept and a template without a real background packages so that the players/game masters could create their own Force tradition that could come from any species and any planet. They are Force using classes but they are no more traditions then the soldier class represent a certain kind of soldier or warrior tradition.

    Something I missed with the presentations of those classes were some kind of examples of traditions as inspirations for the player and GM for how they could player at least some name dropping. Just for fun so did I begin to create names for different Force traditions that would fit with how the class was presented.

    Some of those names got my imagination rolling and in my mind I begun to create some fanon around them and with the creation of ‘the Fanon thread’ I got a reason to writ my ideas down.

    Since I just had a name to begin with most of them started as a variation of already existing concepts, both fictional, historical and now existing. And from that I tried to adapt the concept to Star Wars and the planet I mention the tradition belongs to.

    Some examples –
    Ordo Aurorae Aureae are a combination of the real life groups Golden Dawn and Freemasons.
    Gamorrean fire belchers begun as a reference to Thok and Gorc as they were presented in the blog article ‘Barely Tolerable: Alien Henchmen of the Empire, Part 2’ and later was fused together with my fanon that sumo wrestling is big among gamorreans.
    Disciples of Gouki are Street Fighters’ Akuma made into a tradition.
    Pzob’s Wildriders begun as just a name dropping below my post on the ‘beastwarden’ class and an image in my head of a gamorrean reading on a wholly rhino. And that image is inspired by Warhammer Fantasy Battle’s Ogre Rhinox Cavalry and WarCraft III’s Kodo Beast
    Glom Druids from Metellos also begun as a name dropping below my ‘beastwarden’ post and then developed in a way that was more inspired by the druids in Sláine Mac Roth then beastwardens who existed in a culture that was a combination of Celts and Warhammer 40k under hivers. When I look at them now I think they are in need of a rework since I find them a bit too much WH40k.

    In other cases I created traditions because I felt a need for them or had read something I liked and thought could be made to fit into SW.

    Some examples -
    Lal Roshan were created because I thought that there should be more tribes on Ossus then just the Ysanna. They are also a reference/homage to the Crescentia fraction in the game WarZone: Dark Eden.
    Kal-Dex-Ward alchemists are more or less Taoist alchemists as presented in the RPG:s and mangas I have read.
    The Order of Ororo come as an idea after I watched the movie Tjuvarnas jul – Trollkarlens dotter where one of the characters is a stage wizard who also know some real magic and uses advanced, for that time (late 19th centery) technology as part of his show.
    The sangomas from lower Metellos was created because I thought there was too few Force traditions that was focused on healing. Their name and main inspiration comes from real life sangomas who are traditional healers in South Africa.
     
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  24. Chyntuck

    Chyntuck Shelf of Shame - Winner; Word Race Champion star 5 VIP - Game Winner

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2014
    Worlds and species of the Unknown Regions -- Part I: Troukree and Talz
    (it turned out that I had far too much material for a single post, so I'll continue this later in this thread with more species)

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    TROUKREE

    The Troukree are a species that appears in Timothy Zahn’s novel Choices of One. They are described as short humanoids, with green scales interspersed with patches of fur, and dog-like pads on their palms and fingers. They are talented with blade combat and they craft quality knives. Many had to flee their homeworld when it was threatened by alien warlord Nuso Esva around the time of the Battle of Yavin.

    My fanon:

    The homeworld of the Troukree is Troukruka. It’s a savannah planet with a mild climate and a very diverse flora and fauna, including many predators. The Troukree are also skilled hunters and all hunting is done with their knives. They are a technologically proficient species, but they also believe that they should bend nature to their will, as can be seen in the fact that their favoured land vehicles are gravcars pulled by heavy, three-horned lizards.

    The capital city is Baanteera, which means ‘liberation’ in the Troukree language. The city was built after the Troukree re-conquered their homeworld from Nuso Esva with the help of Thrawn’s task force in the Unknown Regions. As of 3 ABY it’s a brand new city organised around the seat of government, known as the Houses of Council. There are four main avenues radiating from this central building and its esplanade, which divides the city into four quarters. The neighbourhoods closest to the avenues are the productive areas of town where offices, markets and workshops are located, whereas the more distant areas are residential.

    Each residential neighbourhood is organised around a small public garden with a pond in its middle. Streets are built in concentric circles around it. Where two neighbourhoods meet, the concentric circles will overlap, creating a maze in which visitors will easily get lost. The purpose of this is to make sure that a land invasion of the city is extremely difficult, as residents would know how to reach the central areas safely, whereas invaders would be bogged down in the maze (this is actually inspired from Aristotle’s comments on urban planning in the Politics).

    Troukruka is affiliated with the Empire of the Hand. A contingent of Troukree stormtroopers was trained there in 2-3 ABY by the Hand of Judgement and the Troukree also developed their own space fleet, which is part of the task force Admonitor and reports directly to Thrawn. Their flagship is called the Pride of Troukruka.

    In answer to Gamiel's questions:

    The Troukree never had their own shipyards. They became a spacefaring species by purchasing ships from other sentients who visited their planet, but they learned quickly about maintenance and mechanics so they kept their ships going for a long time. Now that they are part of the Empire of the Hand, their ships are supplied by the shipyards of New Alzoc. The technology is a combination of Imperial and Chiss, but everything is adapted to the Troukree's small size.

    As a reptilian species, the Troukree were originally cave-dwellers and this is reflected in their architecture. Their homes are stone domes with small openings for the doors and windows to keep fresh, humid air inside. The floor level inside a house is always below ground level for the same reason. Houses are always surrounded by a little garden and many Troukree grow some sort of ivy over the outside walls, again to ensure that their home remains fresh.

    The Troukree are the only sentient species on Troukruka, but they acquired enemies as they started travelling in space. One of the species they don't get along with are the Pineath.

    The Troukree diet consists of live insects, raw fish and small rodents, but they can adapt to Human food. When on their spaceships they live off ration bars.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    TALZ

    The Talz are a canon species (there’s one in the cantina scene in Mos Eisley) but I borrowed mostly from the Legends material to develop my fanon about them. They’re tall, furry bipeds with two sets of eyes who originate from the frozen world of Alzoc III in the Outer Rim. They were enslaved by the Empire circa 15 BBY.

    My fanon:

    A few years before the Battle of Yavin, a Talz shaman named Reis Azada, who was labouring as a slave in the Imperial shipyards of Bilbringi, managed to steal a recently-completed corvette and escape. He found his homeworld devastated by the Empire’s enslavement policy and brought a group of survivors to the ship. They fled to the Unknown Regions and, once they found an adequate planet, they settled there and named it New Alzoc.

    New Alzoc is an ice world similar to Alzoc III, although the climate varies slightly more depending on the latitude. The Talz colonists live in the northern hemisphere, not far from the pole. The colony is relatively small, but they want to establish better facilities before they seek out and bring over more of their kinsmen (kinsbeings?) because of the various dangers looming in the Unknown Regions. Like the Troukree, the Talz were threatened by Nuso Esva, and it was only thanks to Thrawn’s timely intervention that New Alzoc was not conquered. The Talz of New Alzoc are now affiliated with the Empire of the Hand and they are fanatically devoted to Thrawn, whom they call Padshah (overlord).

    The settlement on New Alzoc doesn’t have a name, because it is the only settlement on the planet and the Talz therefore didn’t deem it necessary to name it. The Talz were a relatively primitive species before the Empire of the Hand provided them with technology and training, and the settlement reflects this. The dwellings are quite basic and with little furniture, as the Talz prefer to sit on the ground. They are built of ice, which is coated by an insulating agent on the inside in order to prevent it from melting. Each dwelling is equipped with a fireplace where the Talz burn lava stones in order to generate and preserve as much heat as possible. The only luxury available in Talz homes is an endless supply or geothermal hot water.

    The Talz name for dwelling is kashana and it is a word that they refuse to translate to any language, because their dwelling is the only thing they consider private property. They have no other concept of private property and they will ‘borrow’ items from their neighbours or give away items that don’t belong to anyone in particular.

    The Talz love snow and ice, and one of their favourite activities is to create ice sculptures. The streets of the settlement are dotted with such sculptures and new ones appear every day or whenever a Talz feels like creating one. The dwellings and the landing areas for ships are protected by weather shields that are made to appear like sculpted ice domes. The ice sculptures multiply particularly around the time of feasts such as the Festival of Stars.

    The Festival of Stars is the Talz’s most important celebration. It is not as impressive on New Alzoc as it was on Alzoc III, because Alzoc III had no moons, making the stars more visible. New Alzoc has two moons, but every few years a moonless night with coincide with the date of the festival. Talz celebrations are extremely quiet; there is no dancing or singing. Instead, the Talz burn lava stones for several days on the central square of the settlement in order to melt and evaporate the snow and ice until the ground is dry, and they spend the evening lying down, huddled against each other to protect themselves from the cold and observe the stars.

    Because of the Talz’s aptitude for heavy labour, the Empire of the hand established its shipyards in orbit above New Alzoc and trained the Talz. By 4 ABY there is a battalion of Talz stormtroopers on the planet and the Talz have their own fleet which is part of the task force Admonitor. Their flagship is the Talz Liberty.

    The Talzzi words I came up with are butchered Persian.

    In answer to Gamiel's questions:

    I didn't think of any specifics for New Alzoc's animal life, but hunting is a common activity for the Talz, so there are definitely animals out there :) My idea though is that, because the Talz don't like fighting, hunting to them means placing traps on known animal migration routes, so I would probably go with smaller animals (although there should be a good old-fashioned wampa-style creature on New Alzoc too).

    Regarding technology/gadgets, since the Talz are a primitive species, there's a lot they don't have :p What is truly unique to them is the weather shields I mentioned above. Weather shields are indispensable on New Alzoc because of the cold. The Talz had already acquired/developed this technology on Alzoc III, but the Empire of the Hand helped them improve and stabilise it. The Imperials wanted to turn the shields into plain, transparent domes, but the Talz insisted to keep them looking like ice sculptures.

    I spent a lot of time cudgeling my brain about Talz food when I was writing the relevant chapters of my story, and the only conclusion I could come up with is that Talz food is edible but disgusting for Humans. Sorry, that's all I've got ;)
     
  25. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Traditional Gender Roles in Alderaani Culture

    Note: People have been bugging me to start posting Fandom stuff here, and this has been a requested topic, PLUS it kinda sorta goes along with this month’s topic of World Building, so I decided why not. Also, the obligatory, this is all made up and in no way reflect my personal views on Gender Roles IRL, so don’t think I personally believe this.


    Overview

    Gender Roles on Alderaan evolved over millennia until the Empire destroyed the planet. These are the traditional gender roles and how they manifested themselves in Alderaani society and government over many years. By the time of the Clone Wars, men and women were generally considered equal and gender roles became very fluid, however, many still reflected traditional gender roles simply out of respect for their long heritage.

    Alderaan was a Matriarchy ruled under a Constitutional Monarchy. This meant that women were the head of households – thus the man took the woman’s name in marriage – HOWEVER if the male had a higher social standing on Alderaan, she took his name (for example, when Breha Antillies married Prince Bail Organa, she became Princess Breha Organa, however, if Princess Leia Organa had married Han Solo pre-desruction, he would have became Han Organa). This ensured that Royal House names did not change. The Constitutional Monarchy was headed by the Queen of Alderaan, although by the time of the Queen Mazicia (Queen Breha’s predecessor) much of the power had been ebbed away, leading to a mostly figurehead role.

    When the few Alderaani people alive post-destruction created New Alderaan, they decided to integrate themselves better into the New Republic and to accommodate for the millions of other refugees that eventually settled there – thus the government became 100% elected – and gender equality prevailed, meaning couples could pick what names they wanted to go by when married.


    HISTORY! (FOR CONTEXT!)

    In the early era of hyperspace travel, families (who had settled the planet after the Killiks departed) divided Alderaan. This era is steeped in mythos, so not much is known for fact in this era. These families formed clans based on planet of origin and often went to war with each other. When a man fell in love with a woman outside of his family ‘clan’, he joined the family, by permission of her father, to help protect her. Even after the first Queen, from the Organa Family, united Alderaan with the aid of many prominent families, many roles and ideas remained.


    Traditional Masculine Roles

    Men were seen as controlled by their bodies and desires, as they often initiated the clan wars of the past, based on pre-existing intergalactic grudges. They were warriors and served to protect their families. After Alderaan was united, men were considered secondary to women. Their physical strength made them ideal for physical labor. As time progressed, however, many men made their way into politics and government with the aid of the first Prince Consort. The Prince Consort – who was the Queen’s husband – established the High Council of Alderaan, the predecessor to the Parliament of Alderaan. The High Council acted as a review council after the elected parliament was established. To balance the queen’s power, her husband or son was always First Chairman of this Council.

    In the family, fathers often taught their sons in their prospective careers after their mothers had taught them the basics of Alderaani culture and identity.


    Traditional Feminine Roles

    After the great clan wars, and the fact that a woman had united Alderaan, women were seen as controlled by their intellect and compassion. The first Queen had called an end to conflict based on past alliances as all citizens who lived on the planet were Alderaani. She formed the Alderaani identity; which included a love for peace and the environment. Because of her, it was decreed that a woman should always hold power and for the first few centuries after her rule, women dominated politics because men could not be trusted with her vision of a united Alderaani identity. Alderaan became a matriarchy under her rule, which lasted until Alderaan’s destruction. Women traditionally held higher intellectual positions, such as medics and professors, however, as time wore on, these fields became equal.

    In the family, the mothers taught the children the basics of lives, then encouraged their daughters to follow in their footsteps.
     
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