reminder to worldbuilders: don't get caught up in things that aren't important to the story you're writing, like plot and characters! instead, try to focus on what readers actually care about: detailed plate tectonics

@dragonpyre any chance you could elaborate on this

I grew up learning about land formations. Seeing fictional maps that don’t follow the logic and science of them makes me upset

What are the most common sins you’ve seen relating to this? I wanna know

Mordor.

Why is the mountain range square. How did the mountain range form. Why is there one singular volcano in the center. Why does it act like a composite volcano but have magma that acts like it’s from a shield. If it’s hotspot based volcanic activity why is there only one volcano.

And then the misty mountains!!!! Why isn’t there a rain shadow!! And why is there a FOREST where the rain shadow should be!!!!!!!!

So what is a rain shadow?

Wind blows clouds in from the sea, but mountains are so tall the clouds can't get past 'em, so you get deserts on the windward side of mountain ranges because clouds can't get there to water the land, or do so only very rarely.

Oh yeah nothing is more annoying than fantasy maps that can't get mountains, rivers and rain shadows right.

May I recommend my new favorite tool: Mapgen4. You start with a random seed and then add mountains, valleys, shallow water, or oceans as you like. You can adjust the wind direction to make wind shadows off the mountains fall where you want. You can adjust overall raininess to make the rivers larger or smaller, or have more or fewer tributaries. It works best for small, isolated landmasses (think islands more than continents) but as there’s no scale bar and it’s all slightly abstracted anyway you can do whatever you want with it. I’ve only just started playing with it but it’s SO FUN.

I do think this could be useful for writers! ...Caveat, if you're going to use this for making a map for anything published (digital or paper, even if it's only in a fanfic archive or whatever), please, please credit the creator and their program as how you made that map! The more ways information like this gets out there, the more useful it'll be to other writers, roleplaying game DMs/GMs, creators, etc.

One of my favourites for mapping plates, biomes, etc is Tectonics.js. If you're familiar with how tectonics shape a planet, you can guess where the features go by toggling plates, crust thickness, etc. Between Mapgen4 and Tectonics.js, we've got some pretty sweet tools at our disposal.

More stuff!:

Also I would recommend looking into Landscape Archaeology as well! That's because Landscape archeology is basically adding the social/cultural layer on top of all that geology and geography. Environments change when communities live in them, and communities likewise adapt to various environments.

This is a short free introduction to the concept: "Notes on Landscape Archaeology." To summarize, Landscape archaeology sort of like...studies the relation of people to places/spaces (that is, landscapes) in time.

Also this paper [An Archeology of Landscapes] breaks down/introduces the key concepts that I learned which is first that you can form the "construct paradigm" of a landscape from settlement ecology, ritual landscapes, and ethnic landscapes.

And then the highlights of their summary of what constitutes defining a landscape:

Basically a "landscape" is made by a community living in an environment. Once you have a geological environment that makes sense, landscape archaeology is like... Basically how I feel confident knowing where trade routes would be on a map, where there are areas of continual high conflict, what kinds of agriculture exists where, etc. once the geological stuff is hammered out, it's like...I know how that would influence the local cultures and vice versa. At that point, it's easy to start marking the natural borders, settlements, trade/port cities, and even strategic fortresses. If you have properly put rivers on a map, then marking your port cities is effortless, basically.

Also:

If you are like me and find it helpful to have video reference for a process/activity in addition to a written guide, Artifexian is a YouTube channel that does a LOT of world building stuff and specifically he's in the process of creating a world following a lot of Worldbuilding Pasta's methodology!

Yeah I said something similar yesterday but we can NOT let what happened to Renee Good cloud what happened to everyone else at the hands of these SS Demons!!!

Because we can’t disregard one person if we’re for human rights!

The above screenshot reads:

The second screenshot above reads:

And to all of our lovely WWC Followers, particularly those in the United States:

Take care. Take care of each other, your community, yourselves.

Travel in groups and make sure your loved ones know where you are. And absolutely know your rights.

And even in troubled times, try to find a spark of hope, creativity and comfort and hold onto it. For even joy is resistance.

Resources

For those who can support:

I've included the verified GoFundMe for Keith Porter's daughters.

~Mod Colette & WWC Team

If you’re a USAmerican and rightfully horrified by what the government is doing right now, I just want to rq share 5calls. They have a really simple tool for finding your reps and contacting them, as well as a variety of scripts for anyone not confident speaking off book. Emails can be filtered out, phone calls, voicemails, and physical letters are much harder to ignore. Calling your reps isn’t the end all be all of anti-war action, but it’s a place to start while you process what the fuck just happened.

*sends out email I've been putting off* ah finally :). ah that's a weight off my shoulders :). ah I can relax an-- *receive response to email* what the fuck. what the fuck. what the fuckkkk

Whose land are you on? Find out here

Are you wondering “how can I help native people?”? Here is a good start

Want to support indigenous businesses? Here’s a list of some indigenous owned brands

Happy Indigenous People’s day. Support us year around.

Some of us might need this.

When you learn how to crochet/ knit or really any type of fiber arts, there will be a voice in your head that tells you that you should make something for everyone for the holidays.

Do not listen to that voice, for it is the devil.

It’s a good day to pay reparations. Natives may reblog with your own payment links.

https://www.herringpondtribe.org/

https://www.wampanoagnationsingersanddancers.com/

Official Post of Massachusetts

Why "Precolonial" Indigenous North American History Matters: A Mini Syllabus

Okay I had this half-finished lying around so I prettied it up into something vaguely usable and added links wherever possible (most of them being totally legal...)

This is not a full treatment of Indigenous history before European contact. It was originally created to be a 15 week class, so it was not intended to cover everything but to give a taste of various regions and histories. Unfortunately, certain essays I would highly recommend are in the Oxford handbooks I listed at the end, and I have been unable to locate free-to-access versions.

Each section includes a question to consider that is intended to suggest ways that these precolonial histories have reverberations into the present. In a course I'd be able to draw them out more clearly, but keep them in mind as you read, if you like. Finally, please keep in mind that few of these sources will read like a "straightforward history" of "precolonial [xyz region/tribe/nation]." Be open-minded and critical-thinking!

Part 1: Foundations

Questions to consider:

Readings:

(Parts 2-6 under the cut)

Maggie Dietz, "November" [ID in alt text]

sunrise on the reaping raises an incredibly important ethical question: how many generations does it take to erase history, to the point of blind, unquestioning acceptance?

i fear the answer is far fewer than any of us are comfortable with.

Hey, people in the US! Did you know that the Department of Homeland Security is trying to implement mandatory biometrics and fingerprinting for all foreign travelers entering and exiting the US?

And that there’s a public comment period OPEN RIGHT NOW? It only has 18 comments. Let’s get this circulating!! Public comment period ends on 11/26/25. If enacted, it would go into effect 12/26/25.

I hope I don’t need to explain why this is a problem, especially in our current administration. But a few key reasons why this is a very bad idea and sets a very bad precedent:

- privacy and security. HIPPA and other privacy laws exist to protect the unnecessary collection of data so that it’s less likely to be leaked. Is this data going to be stored securely? Who will have access to it? For what purpose? What safeguards will be in place to protect the proper use of this data? Surely there could be no reason to collect personally identifiable information about “foreigners” and “aliens”. Surely this wouldn’t be used for mass deportation efforts.

- the public comment is aimed at “the specific collection process as well as costs and benefits” for the process. So in your comment, the most effective arguments will center around how this system is infeasible to implement, cost prohibitive, and has no benefit. Focus on how the collection process will cost a lot of money, infringe on rights to privacy, etc.

Others please feel free to add ideas or template messages!!

You know what, I bet Cheney would have fucking love this. Today, the day of his death, and in his memory, go and tell the government what you think of this bloated, invasive, performative nonsense.

You’ve been visited by the Halloween moose. May god have mercy on your soul.

Jesus, look at the size of that thing. Bloody hell. His pumpkin now. 

It took some time for my brain to parse the antlers, and until then, I thought this was a bear.  

So the first time I saw this, I thought the moose was really short with a weirdly big head, because it was the height of the mailbox. I've now realized it's kneeling and am once again afraid of just how /big/ moose are.

I like how the pumpkin at the base of the mailbox looks like it's watching this attack and screaming in horror.

Reblogging again for commentary.

@sielustaja​

Happy Halloween Moose

🫎 HAPPY HALLOWEEN MOOSE, Y’ALL!!! 🫎

sometimes i see people say “indigenous people” as if it’s a big homogeneous group with one core belief set like “oh well indigenous people believed that…” what all of them? all of the unbelievably large amount of different indigenous peoples from around the entire planet who all have wildly different histories and beliefs and stories? all of them? damn that’s crazy

literally

I am love’s weakest soldier. I don’t believe in making that shit work. Don’t like their family that they’re super close to? Break up. Don’t like their friends? Break up. Wedding planning drama? Break up or elope. They cheated? IMMEDIATE break up. They’re jealous? Break up. They don’t like your pet? Break up. You hate the squalor of their apartment? You’re not obligated to teach a grown adult how to do basic chores, break up. They keep trying to start arguments? Break up. There is nothing definably wrong with them but you’re not feeling it? Out the door.

I get fighting for your relationship in some of these scenarios if you share assets or are married but if you’re just dating and they’re already making your life worse than it would be if you were single, go be single.

a sluge 😔

Have you seen the new movie? It's on library. It's literally on the library. It's on library without ads. It's literally on your local public library. You can probably ask for it on your library. Dude it's on your library. It's in the original case too. It's on library. You can watch it at the library. You can go to your local library and watch it. Register onto your local library right now. Go to your library. Dive into your library. You can watch it. It's on there. Your library has it for you. Your library has it for you.