#urukril

[bridles-for-mulebugs]

A mulebug is a cow sized scarabidae beetle used by people of the island as a beast of burden.

The specimen pictured above would be actually quite a valuable animal. Animals with pure colored elytra are known to be of luxury and purebred stock. The markings seen on the elytra have been painted on by someone wanting to make their mulebug look nice.

The name of this blog came from the last world-building thing I actually attempted before making the blog. I was trying to imagine what a bridle and other tack would look like on an animal with a completely different cranial anatomy.

This is what I came up with. I do not have background in animal husbandry so I had to do quite a bit of research. The basic idea tho (that I kinda already had figured) is that you want an animal to be comfortable. An uncomfortable animal is a dangerous animal.

Designing tack for a mulebug turned out to be way simpler than I initially thought. The bridle is basically the same as a horse's but without a bit as the mouthparts aren't really able to accommodate such a thing. Instead there is a thick large pad of material situated just under the cranial horn with a strap wrapping all around the animal's 'chin' (there is going to be a lot of anatomical info in quotation marks. do you know how hard it is to make big bugs and a way to talk about them?). This connects to a medial strap that rests under the 'brow' plate. The connection between the two is where one may attach by some method reins. The medial strap attaches at last to another wraparound strap that rests in front of the 'cheek' plate. This whole arrangement allows for lots of leverage which I imagine is important for the animal and the driver.

I imagine that people tie hanging lanterns from the thoracic horns of mulebugs for when it gets dark. The end of the horn from dorsal view looks a little like a Fleur-de-lis.

The saddle lays on top of the thorax behind the horn. If it were on the abdomen, it would probably impede the animal's ability to 'vocalize'. I imagine these animals would retain their ancestral trait of making sounds by rubbing their elytra together quickly or hissing air thru them. If the saddle or any other part of the tack was on the abdomen, it would proably not make the animal very happy since it would use its vocalizations to ward off predators =:(

The stirrups hang at an angle and have foot rests at the ends. A mulebug is very wide so sitting with your legs completely open like on a horse would be uncomfy.

Finally, not pictured is the yolk for pulling carts. This would be on the 'shoulder', in front of the thoracic horn, where real-life scarabidae beetles put loads of pulling force. Other than that it would likely be pretty similar.

All of this tack was colored to look fancy, as the animal is a luxurious stock and would be prettied up often.

#urukril #beetle island #speculative biology #worldbuilding

[bridles-for-mulebugs]

Lighter than air animals

Hi sorry I haven't been up to much </3 But I did think about two ways that I believe to be somewhat feasible for lighter-than-air animals to evolve. They will be referred to as the Ground First Method and the Aerogenesis Method respectfully as tentative names unless someone shows me that someone else already came up with names.

Ground-First Method

Basically the idea behind this is since random mutations occur all the time, I believe it to be believable for an animal to evolve to store light gasses in an organ perhaps as storage before disposal. And maybe this organ gets bigger or grows a pocket specifically for the gas. And the buildup of gas eventually gets to the point that it affects the animal's weight. The animal might be extremely light on its feet and so harder to detect by sound. This makes the mutation beneficial and sparks it to spread thru the population. The pocket of gas might grow bigger and they might not dispose of it as much or find a way to recycle it. At first they will be able to glide around in perhaps a forest environment or a very rocky environment and survive great falls, until they are able to control their take-off and landing and propulsion thru various methods achieving true flight thru a lighter than air method.

Aerogenesis Method

This method assumes a thicker atmosphere than Earth. Much thicker. On Modern Earth, there exist Cyanobacteria and Microalgae within the atmosphere. These organisms are extremely EXTREMELY small. I imagine that in a denser atmosphere, it would be easier to live in the atmosphere exclusively and also to grow bigger. These bigger airborne organisms would be able to get super diverse and populous perhaps growing into macropredatory niches and filter feeders on the other vast swathes of aeroplankton. How big they grow would of course depend on the density of the atmosphere but certainly a similar organ as described in the Ground-First Method would be advantageous to increasing size. Maybe someday these organisms would spread and learn to live on the land? Producing an air-to-land takeover rather than Earth's water-to-land takeover.

Idk just some thoughts. I have no experience in aeronautics, especially lighter-than-aircraft so I don't know everything about what makes them actually work and be efficient, but hopefully this makes sense

#urukril #nonspecific #worldbuilding #spec bio

[bridles-for-mulebugs]

Hey Folks, its been a while, Been struggling with stuff. You know how it is. Anyway I managed to do something for the first time in a while fjdksalgj

This is the map of the Ibria Region! A valley nestled between large mountains, a quaint community lives peacefully alongside Pokémon. Barely making a name for themselves, if anything, Ibria is known for Ranching, Lumber, and farming one particular crop. But you don't have to be famous to be happy, so the people and Pokémon of the region live calm and content lives...

#urukril #the ibria region #maps #worldbuilding

[bridles-for-mulebugs]

Basinish

In the year 2983, The United States is long gone from living memory. Although its legacy lives on in pockets, folk songs, campfire stories, old heroes. The language of that Empire isn't lost but lives on in scientific jargon and the mouths of those who chose to invest the time into speaking it.

The western end of the old country is a loosely-tied conglomerate of states united by similar languages. This language has its roots in an old dialect of Imperial English that once had its choking vines in nearly all others but now lives on with a reputation of rurality.

The population that once lived primarily on the coast of the continent all moved inland to escape the increasingly violent storm systems. most of the people who live here are concentrated tightly in four major cities.

As those with monetary power gained more traditional power, the Government of The United States lost more and more resources to be able to maintain their power and so the people turned to the corporate state who could the necessities of structure. But in return, they gained enslavement. Eventually the people would be able to break free of the Corpratist Neo-Feudalism that arose and began to heal.

#basinish #basinish intro #urukril

[bridles-for-mulebugs]

Project Silver

At once, across the galaxy, all the 741 sapient races were greeted by a powerful, nigh-godly species. When they arrived, they taught the people that they had came to them before in different forms. Some sapients had only just discovered electricity, and were taught aerospace engineering in order to be able to keep up with the rest, and all were given technology to access the rifts, cracks in the galaxy that with the proper method, can allow one to travel lightyears in mere hours allowing all the galaxy the freedom of the stars.

Soon after, the 'Angels' left the galaxy to their own devices. Some used their new freedom to conquer, while others sought new resources. One faction claimed to have the authority of the Angels to control the galaxy in their name. Many other factions have risen and fallen since that fateful day.

#project silver #project silver intro #urukril

[bridles-for-mulebugs]

Beetle Island

Millennia ago, A continent far from the reaches of most was found by a group of people who nurtured the land they had found to an almost supernatural ability before one day disappearing. The love for their land manifested into a deity powerful as the people who worshipped and created them, but when the people disappeared, the deity began to grieve. In their anger and loneliness, they created an eternal storm surrounding the island that would allow any to enter, but none to leave. This would make anyone who landed on the island by happenstance to have to keep them company. Although the deity still had to wait many decades before the arrival of the first new wave...

This island has been separated from the mainland for millions of years. The flora and fauna are like none seen anywhere else. The 'plants' are actually photosynthetic fungi evolved from the vacancy of true plants. These fungi take many colors both passively and through bio-luminescence. While invertebrates were able to evolve the right characteristics to allow them to occupy megafaunal niches. They evolved active respiration and stronger chitin. From ant pursuit predators to giant grazing beetles, the land would be foreign to any newcomer.

There have been only a few waves of immigrants in significant numbers, although every so often a group of less than a dozen will survive entering the storm and integrate into the mixed, alienated society.

#beetle island #beetle island intro #urukril

[bridles-for-mulebugs]

Here's a map I did a while ago depicting the Köppen Climate Classifications of a world in a project I really haven't talked about on this blog, mostly because I haven't worked on it recently. I've been more preoccupied with other projects but I thought this was a cool map so I wanted to show it.

#urukril #keti #maps #worldbuilding

[bridles-for-mulebugs]

The Senarmates, known in scientific papers as Brachiscandia sapiens, live on the first planet from their star known to human scientists as Senarmates Star (Humans have proven uncreative when naming the stars local to other sapients for the sake of convention, boo).

Evolving on an island continent that is mainly thick, dense forest home also to the a senarmates greatest fear. A family of carnivorous plants have evolved noxious and even neurotoxic fumes to hunt for prey while disguised as ordinary plants, the senarmates evolved against them in an arms race.

This arms race has lead them to a culture filled with noise, noise, and more noise. When seen in stations, it is not uncommon for them to be wearing headphones or talking to anyone including themselves. If the world is quiet, then people are dead. Most of the communication that senarmates employ is auditory to be able to keep track of groups in dense forest with branches that block sightlines, however they still boast some of the best eyesight of any sapient species. They can see quite far from themselves and can see far into the infrared and ultraviolet spectrums with organs analogous to cones and rods in their eyes for nearly every color in between.

Because they evolved in such incredibly dense forest, they needed to be able to traverse the near web-like maze in the trees and became quite adept, but so specialized that they are unable to support themselves on the ground. Any senarmates seen outside of native infrastructure have to be hanging on mobile 'trees' roughly equivalent in purpose to wheelchairs used by other species.

They are roughly the size of a large-ish Earth Cat and position their torso, with the head on the tip of one side, parallel to the ground. They have a total of six limbs. The anterior and posterior pairs are the main locomotor limbs with the median pair used like hands. They have five fingers on each hand, however "finger" is a rather loose term here. Each of the five phalanges are made up of the main finger without joints each opposed by a jointed, smaller finger that closes around branches and other things. Each of these complex fingers can be orientated so that the jointed parts all face outward OR inwards in a circle or in a simple straight line. Each arm is capable of being used on the dorsal or ventral side, however the joints that allow this are also weak so they must be careful. Their heads are mostly spherical with the primary pair of eyes on the very tip and the mouth, usually closed by 4 small mandibles, sits right between the primary eyes. The secondary pair of eyes sits on opposite ends of each other in roughly the middle of the head. These secondary eyes cannot see to the same depth of field as the primary eyes but are mostly responsible for the extremely colorful vision. The head is capable of turning to let the primary eyes zero in on anything, tho not behind 90° of prone. Overall these sapients to the untrained eye seem like they don't have a bottom or top end and flip-flop themselves whenever they please.

#project silver #urukril #worldbuilding #speculative biology #this post is kinda messy over all but whatever I wanted to post actual info today #also I reserve the right to rename anything ever

[bridles-for-mulebugs]

I don't really like analogues in worldbuilding. Like 'oh hey here's basically a polynesian culture or arabic and they're basically the same but they call themselves something different' so I really want to make sure to make cultures that are wholly their own that borrow elements from many places or have their own things. This applies to cultures and clades of animals

#nonspecific #urukril #worldbuilding

[bridles-for-mulebugs]

I had an idea for a project that would be my only purely specbio as of now. Basically a whole island that is made into an urban environment without humans but with animals commonly found in NA cities as an experiment..... Maybe this will go somewhere hopefully

#various #urukril #worldbuilding

[bridles-for-mulebugs]

Phew! I made full intro posts for my main projects. I should go to bed!

#urukril #no project

[bridles-for-mulebugs]

Keti

A single massive continent was formed a few million years ago from the colliding of the two previous continents. The interior of the continent is a range of mountains that stretch high into the sky and far across the land. Humans live here, although they have yet to become sedentary, as well as many animals one might recognize from Earth's present and ages in the past.

#keti #keti intro #urukril

[bridles-for-mulebugs]

Project Desert Rainbow

A golden Spire rises from the desert, and from its base spreads The City. Other settlements exist, but pale in comparison to the majesty of The Spire and its city.

Magic is abound within the land in sight of The Spire. The most powerful of the magics has been gifted to the people by the Sun. One may cast from their fingers, constructs of light capable of colliding with one another and others. Mages of this magic are only the most powerful of scholars attending the great sanctum's University, as this power can only be unlocked by the Sage, one who is blessed by the Sun, allowing them to cast their magic and reveal to the world the color of their soul.

Although this magic is given by the Sun, because it is made of light, it is difficult to cast during its journey across the sky, leaving lesser wizards to nocturnal magic.

Other magics exist but have a different origin and thus are much less regulated. Golemancy exists for one to create a temporary servant of clay to achieve simple tasks, or combining golemancy with enchanting glyphs, one can make a prosthetic that feels as if it merges with the body and becomes one with it. As well, a great many things are capable when one mixes esoteric ingredients in the practice of Alchemy.

There have been rumors of those who wield the power of the Sun-Mages but do not have the blessing of any Sage. Such hearsay is branded as not worth listening to. Especially not when it comes to anything said by the herders who live outside any city and do not even have homes.

#project desert rainbow #project desert rainbow intro #urukril

[bridles-for-mulebugs]

The Ibria Region

West of Unova exists a region of similar physical size, but a much smaller population. One of, if not THE smallest officially sanctioned leagues make their home here. Most of the sparse population live in the eastern-most corner of the region, at the base of the mountains. A large river flows thru the entire region that makes for a very nice cultural unifier and economic necessity.

The Pokémon that make their home here are just as diverse and interesting as any other, but without any flashy gimmicks or significantly famous people to spread the word of their charm. Except one. A retired champion found success in inter-region tournaments and became a world-renowned name for a short period before leaving the scene due to the pressure of being a public figure and unwitting representative of an entire region.

#the ibria region #the ibria region intro #urukril

[bridles-for-mulebugs]

Welcome the virtual representation of my brain!!

This is @soup-crime's side-blog for worldbuilding because god if I don't have a lot of stuff in my head and I wanna share!!

This blog will be (hopefully) well managed and all posts will be tagged with the relevant project name so anyone can find everything (as long as Tumblr allows jfdslagjds).

Most of the posts will be just me talking a little about any particular topic in any of the projects I'm working on. Maybe sometimes they'll be diegetic?

My current projects are as follows:

Beetle Island: A fantasy spec-bio project focusing on an island continent populated by megafaunal descended from insects of the clade Endopterygota where several human groups have accidentally landed and settled.

The Ibria Region: A Fakemon region based on the area I grew up! I kinda wanna see if anyone can guess where it is if I give enough clues hehe =:3c

Project Silver: My giant Sci-Fi project that is basically my excuse to play with the expectations of what sapient life could look like. Do not get me started on normal sci-fi sapient races.

Project Desert Rainbow: A desert populated by 2 groups of people with access to various forms of magic including medicinal alchemy and golemancy as well as a Heavily-regulated organization controlling a style of magic based on summoning constructs of light that manifest in a unique color for each person.

Keti: Basically I wanted a linguistic and cultural playground. The idea is that its like earth but I start over and build the entire history and culture of a planet.

Basinish: The future of the Western United States looks very different from now. Mostly focusing on the linguistic aspect of the language spoken in the area called Basinish but also some of the socio-political landscape.

Various: My catch-all for projects that I don't think have enough quite yet to warrant a tag but maybe someday may get promoted!!

#urukril #pinned post

[bridles-for-mulebugs]

Beowulf is, as far as I know, a pretty standard showing of storytelling of its time. A poem with modern-for-its-time themes.

For my Basinish project (which I'm thinking about changing the name for honestly) I kinda wanna find a similarly "normal" story to preserve in-world that people in the future to ponder over.

I could write a whole novel theoretically that would be fine but I think it would be fun to use a novel that already exists. Theoretically it would be passed down as a story for a few generations into the future until it stops making as much sense and maybe is found by future scholars and preserved since.

I just really have no idea which book to borrow. Something that works well as a stand-alone story more or less, it doesn't have to be perfect

Open to suggestions (as always)

#urukril #worldbuilding #basinish