I really love the pen-and-ink illustrations in my copy. I wish more books were illustrated like that
07.03.2026 02:16
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I really love the pen-and-ink illustrations in my copy. I wish more books were illustrated like that
ππSince my fiancΓ© enjoyed watching A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms so much, I dusted off my copy of the book and I'm re-reading it aloud to her. She's a keeper π₯°
That's one of the most LLM looking string of words I've ever seen
Happy Book Birthday to ππ‘πππ πππ πΉπππ β! A tremendous thank-you for all of your support along the way. Check out either of the links in the comment to get your hands on a copy! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as Iβve enjoyed creating it.
#epicfantasy #fruitofwar #indiebooks #writesky #sff
Yay, so exciting! I've ordered my copy π
Not to disparage those kinds of stories, they're still important!
It's why Star Trek has been so popular and has such an impact IRL. And the Culture series too (I should make 2026 the year I finally read a book from that series π€)
If we can't imagine a better future (or fantasy place), then how can we make our own Real World better? There is certainly a lot of power in reflecting Real World, systematic injustices, but if that's all we imagine then we just become doomers
This isn't to say that some wouldn't try to play dirty and enrich themselves, but TΓ«ilachelst society does a good job of holding those individuals accountable.
I get to handwave away much of the greed that plagues real-life people and groups, so the regulations TΓ«ilachelst councils would formulate would be to make sure good intentions don't lead to unfortunate consequences. π§΅
#FebruaryWorldbuilders Although TΓ«ilachelst society is stateless, they do self-organize into councils, some of which would regulate the economy and markets. Laborers own the means of production. π§΅
I use "trade union" loosely here to represent the immediate form of organization folks are a part of, and that everyone in the organization are brought together by something akin to occupations (the *atlachel*, their spiritual "Callings").
#FebruaryWorldbuilders Oh yes, there are many, many councils. Painting with broad strokes here and not using the proper in-world terms: it's like a bunch of trade unions working together, nominating and electing representatives to join various councils that do various things π§΅
TΓ«ilachelst society is stateless, so there isn't a ruler per se. Nor is it a theocracy, so while *Wrought From Silver Flames* is the spiritual leader and very important to the TΓ«ilachel, they do not rule over the TΓ«ilachel.
Not only are they a few "tiers" higher than all the TΓ«ilachel, but they are an autonomous subself of an even greater superintelligence, *The Light That Guides The Way*. They helped formulate the spiritualism (religion?) of the TΓ«ilachel. They very much fit the archetype of a mystic. π§΅
#FebruaryWorldbuilders *Wrought From Silver Flames* is not a TΓ«ilach, they are a tripartite automaton and the oldest being aboard the interstellar ark. Their titles are "Hierarch" and "Eldest". π§΅
This week from my #ShortStory vault, my WH40K ripoff π
After being elevated to the Cantor of a hollowed-out warhost, a former space-pirate must obey his demonic benefactor to destroy a mysterious space-station, lest the demon revokes his newfound position. #fiction #WriteSky #sff #scifi
Ah, so less "unsettling" and maybe more "nuanced"? Or just that "unsettling" is a personal judgement call π€
We can wrap our minds into so many salted, twisted pretzels thinking about this kind of stuff!
Frank Herbert warned us about LLMs!
I suppose unsettling answers await about that "omnibenevolence". Fun fun!
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Yeah, I agree that such a system wouldn't do well with bigger populations, especially alongside populations with more exploitative systems. She subtitled it "An Ambiguous Utopia" for a reason!
π€© this one is for all the poli sci folks!
I was encouraged by reading Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Dispossessed" a few years ago to do something like that. The political science of anarchism and statelessness is quite more complex than "there are no rules or organization or anything"
The laws are made by representatives of the various organizations, those reps are democratically chosen, and the reps do not "rule" the organization they're drawn from π§΅
#FebruaryWorldbuilders TΓ«ilachelst society is stateless. That doesn't mean there aren't any organizations, but that there is very little hierarchy or centralization of powers. Basically everyone cooperates and plays nice, and they do so because they genuinely believe in it π§΅
It's been so long since I watched Doctor Who (the 11th Doctor is my fave BTW), I had to look up which episode this came from! Thank you internet for reminding me that this episode introduced the Weeping Angels π
Yeah, that was a great episode
The Incorporeal Worlds π
My pizza has pepperoni, hers diced onions
Pop 'em in the oven, then grate some parm on top, and voilΓ !
A good Friday evening is making personal-size pizzas with my fiancΓ© πβ€οΈ
We use premade crusts. Put down garlic powder and oregano on the crust, cube up monterey jack, shred up some mozz, put on your toppings, then the sauce. We add chipotle peppers in adobo sauce to the pizza sauce π
