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u/Dioduo

▲ 8 r/scifi

What would the ending of Mass Effect 3 look like in my opinion if the writers had retained Drew Karpishin's idea of Dark Energy.

I know this is a hackneyed topic, but recently I came up with the idea of what the ending of Mass Effect 3 might look like, taking into account the original idea of the motivation of the Reapers by the author of the story of the first two parts, Drew Karpishin.

It's clear that everyone mostly complains about the tricolor fork when choosing an ending. But I've almost never noticed criticism of the writers' chosen motivation for the Reapers.

In fact, the motivation of the Reapers was the destruction of advanced races on the verge of creating artificial intelligence. The rationale for this act is the belief that any artificial intelligence will eventually destroy all organic life in the galaxy or even the universe if it finds a way to travel between galaxies.

There are several problems with this plot twist:

*● The theory of the destruction of organic life by artificial intelligence is a concept that is on the verge of sociological speculation and a bad-tasting narrative cliche inspired by Dune and Terminator. This is simply unconvincing for the motivation associated with the cyclical genocide of all intelligent life with the galaxy.*

*● It is not entirely clear whether the use of the mass relay and the Citadel is related to or is an indicator that an advanced civilization has created or is on the verge of creating AI. Given the experience from the real world, it is more likely that we will create a AGI before we can go beyond the solar system.*

*● Moreover, there is a political ban on the creation of full-fledged AI in the galaxy. This in itself is part of the solution to the problem, and perhaps should delay the Reapers' decision to destroy intelligent and organic life.*

*● And 300 years before the first part of the story, the Geth AI was created. What if they had destroyed the organic life in the galaxy before the Reapers? But even the way Geths behave does not correspond to how an artificial intelligence should behave according to the Reapers. The Geths simply moved out of the habitable part of the galaxy and disappeared.*

What exactly was Drew Karpishin's original idea?

It seems fairly simple, but the point is that it's such an elegant concept that it puts the elements of the lore in their place and makes those elements work for the story.

The idea is that the use of the mass effect, which at its core allows one to exceed the speed of light by warping the space-time continuum, releases dark energy that accelerates entropy in the Milky Way. Increasing the scale of this technology within the universe would simply lead to heat death. Although Drew Karpishin said it would lead to a Big Crunch, that is likely a mistake on his part, since an increase in dark energy cannot possibly lead to that.

Thus, the Reapers' primary motivation here was their attempt to prevent sentient races from making full use of mass effect technology until they found a way to neutralize the dark energy effect or a fundamentally different method of faster-than-light space travel.

With this premise for the Reapers' motivation, the existence of the mass relays and the Citadel makes sense and is tied to the Reapers' design, because these ancient objects serve not only as a physical trap for sentient races but also as a trap of ready-made technology, forcing sentient races not to create their own mass relay technologies. Moreover, dark energy is released on a strictly defined scale and in a controlled manner until the Reapers arrive.

SO IT JUST MAKES SENSE.

What thematic substance would the story have if we abandoned the "Organics vs. Synthetics" theme?

It could be a reflection on whether a civilization can make the sacrifice of self-destruction for the good of future species, or whether it is confident in its own strength. But if so, isn't such confidence self-deception? And if that civilization eventually understands that it truly was self-deception, would it be prepared to take all life in the galaxy down with it — just so as not to perish like cattle or a harvest, but to leave on its own terms, with dignity, preserving its autonomy? But again: if yes, is preserving autonomy under such conditions true dignity?

What kind of ending would I have wanted to see, considering everything said above?

Well, firstly, not a system where you literally choose an ending.

It would make sense to use a system where the gameplay and the decisions the player made over the course of the game influenced the outcome of the story. For example, making use of the storyline about building a coalition army and refining that aspect of the game to the level of micromanaging army resources, the state of which, up to a certain point, would determine whether one can stand against the Reapers. And that gameplay condition would become the trigger for a fork leading to large, hours-long epilogues, inside which one could optionally make small branching choices without changing the scenery.

Branches

From a game industry standpoint, it is unlikely that writers would dare to create a full-fledged story branch tied to the deliberate sabotage and destruction of all sentient life in the galaxy. Therefore, the structure of the final choices divides into three fundamental paths, depending on the player's success in the war and their willingness to accept the inevitable.

***Successful completion of the war:***

In any case, the player fights against the Reapers to the end. By making the right strategic decisions, you lead the allied fleet to victory over them.

In this ending, the Reapers are defeated, but the finale remains open: the objective reality is that no one in the galaxy knows whether the accelerated heat death of the universe can actually be stopped. However, having gained their long-awaited freedom, the sentient races do not give up — from now on, they will try to solve this fundamental cosmological puzzle on their own.

***Defeat in the war — Escape:***

In the event of making wrong or ineffective decisions that lead to a critical turning point in the war and defeat at the hands of the Reapers, an alternative path opens up for the player.

The remaining population of the galaxy makes a desperate attempt to flee to the most distant and uncharted sector of space. So that the Reapers cannot detect them, the refugees consciously and completely renounce the use of advanced technologies. The narrative in this branch shifts toward a profound humility — humility in the face of the destructive ambitions of sentient life that once tried to conquer dark energy, a force capable of destroying the universe itself.

We could observe in the epilogue how the great-grandchildren of asari or humans look at the stars and tell legends about "the times when we flew among them."

***Defeat in the war — Last Stand:***

If the war is lost and the Reapers gain the upper hand, the player is given the choice to follow the darkest path. Instead of fleeing and saving themselves, you can choose to keep fighting against all logic.

The galactic forces refuse to retreat or hide, choosing to fight all the same, to the very end, until the Reapers finally win. This is the most tragic, uncompromising finale of the trilogy, where civilization perishes entirely in battle but leaves on its own terms.

For the most part, these are my thoughts out loud. Have you had your own vision of what the ending of Mass Effect 3 could have been?

reddit.com
u/Dioduo — 6 hours ago
▲ 0 r/gamedesign

What would the ending of Mass Effect 3 look like in my opinion if the writers had retained Drew Karpishin's idea of Dark Energy.

I know this is a hackneyed topic, but recently I came up with the idea of what the ending of Mass Effect 3 might look like, taking into account the original idea of the motivation of the Reapers by the author of the story of the first two parts, Drew Karpishin.

It's clear that everyone mostly complains about the tricolor fork when choosing an ending. But I've almost never noticed criticism of the writers' chosen motivation for the Reapers.

In fact, the motivation of the Reapers was the destruction of advanced races on the verge of creating artificial intelligence. The rationale for this act is the belief that any artificial intelligence will eventually destroy all organic life in the galaxy or even the universe if it finds a way to travel between galaxies.

There are several problems with this plot twist:

*● The theory of the destruction of organic life by artificial intelligence is a concept that is on the verge of sociological speculation and a bad-tasting narrative cliche inspired by Dune and Terminator. This is simply unconvincing for the motivation associated with the cyclical genocide of all intelligent life with the galaxy.*

*● It is not entirely clear whether the use of the mass relay and the Citadel is related to or is an indicator that an advanced civilization has created or is on the verge of creating AI. Given the experience from the real world, it is more likely that we will create a AGI before we can go beyond the solar system.*

*● Moreover, there is a political ban on the creation of full-fledged AI in the galaxy. This in itself is part of the solution to the problem, and perhaps should delay the Reapers' decision to destroy intelligent and organic life.*

*● And 300 years before the first part of the story, the Geth AI was created. What if they had destroyed the organic life in the galaxy before the Reapers? But even the way Geths behave does not correspond to how an artificial intelligence should behave according to the Reapers. The Geths simply moved out of the habitable part of the galaxy and disappeared.*

What exactly was Drew Karpishin's original idea?

It seems fairly simple, but the point is that it's such an elegant concept that it puts the elements of the lore in their place and makes those elements work for the story.

The idea is that the use of the mass effect, which at its core allows one to exceed the speed of light by warping the space-time continuum, releases dark energy that accelerates entropy in the Milky Way. Increasing the scale of this technology within the universe would simply lead to heat death. Although Drew Karpishin said it would lead to a Big Crunch, that is likely a mistake on his part, since an increase in dark energy cannot possibly lead to that.

Thus, the Reapers' primary motivation here was their attempt to prevent sentient races from making full use of mass effect technology until they found a way to neutralize the dark energy effect or a fundamentally different method of faster-than-light space travel.

With this premise for the Reapers' motivation, the existence of the mass relays and the Citadel makes sense and is tied to the Reapers' design, because these ancient objects serve not only as a physical trap for sentient races but also as a trap of ready-made technology, forcing sentient races not to create their own mass relay technologies. Moreover, dark energy is released on a strictly defined scale and in a controlled manner until the Reapers arrive.

SO IT JUST MAKES SENSE.

What thematic substance would the story have if we abandoned the "Organics vs. Synthetics" theme?

It could be a reflection on whether a civilization can make the sacrifice of self-destruction for the good of future species, or whether it is confident in its own strength. But if so, isn't such confidence self-deception? And if that civilization eventually understands that it truly was self-deception, would it be prepared to take all life in the galaxy down with it — just so as not to perish like cattle or a harvest, but to leave on its own terms, with dignity, preserving its autonomy? But again: if yes, is preserving autonomy under such conditions true dignity?

What kind of ending would I have wanted to see, considering everything said above?

Well, firstly, not a system where you literally choose an ending.

It would make sense to use a system where the gameplay and the decisions the player made over the course of the game influenced the outcome of the story. For example, making use of the storyline about building a coalition army and refining that aspect of the game to the level of micromanaging army resources, the state of which, up to a certain point, would determine whether one can stand against the Reapers. And that gameplay condition would become the trigger for a fork leading to large, hours-long epilogues, inside which one could optionally make small branching choices without changing the scenery.

Branches

From a game industry standpoint, it is unlikely that writers would dare to create a full-fledged story branch tied to the deliberate sabotage and destruction of all sentient life in the galaxy. Therefore, the structure of the final choices divides into three fundamental paths, depending on the player's success in the war and their willingness to accept the inevitable.

***Successful completion of the war:***

In any case, the player fights against the Reapers to the end. By making the right strategic decisions, you lead the allied fleet to victory over them.

In this ending, the Reapers are defeated, but the finale remains open: the objective reality is that no one in the galaxy knows whether the accelerated heat death of the universe can actually be stopped. However, having gained their long-awaited freedom, the sentient races do not give up — from now on, they will try to solve this fundamental cosmological puzzle on their own.

***Defeat in the war — Escape:***

In the event of making wrong or ineffective decisions that lead to a critical turning point in the war and defeat at the hands of the Reapers, an alternative path opens up for the player.

The remaining population of the galaxy makes a desperate attempt to flee to the most distant and uncharted sector of space. So that the Reapers cannot detect them, the refugees consciously and completely renounce the use of advanced technologies. The narrative in this branch shifts toward a profound humility — humility in the face of the destructive ambitions of sentient life that once tried to conquer dark energy, a force capable of destroying the universe itself.

We could observe in the epilogue how the great-grandchildren of asari or humans look at the stars and tell legends about "the times when we flew among them."

***Defeat in the war — Last Stand:***

If the war is lost and the Reapers gain the upper hand, the player is given the choice to follow the darkest path. Instead of fleeing and saving themselves, you can choose to keep fighting against all logic.

The galactic forces refuse to retreat or hide, choosing to fight all the same, to the very end, until the Reapers finally win. This is the most tragic, uncompromising finale of the trilogy, where civilization perishes entirely in battle but leaves on its own terms.

For the most part, these are my thoughts out loud. Have you had your own vision of what the ending of Mass Effect 3 could have been?

reddit.com
u/Dioduo — 6 hours ago
▲ 9 r/CharacterRant

What would the ending of Mass Effect 3 look like in my opinion if the writers had retained Drew Karpishin's idea of Dark Energy.

I know this is a hackneyed topic, but recently I came up with the idea of what the ending of Mass Effect 3 might look like, taking into account the original idea of the motivation of the Reapers by the author of the story of the first two parts, Drew Karpishin.

It's clear that everyone mostly complains about the tricolor fork when choosing an ending. But I've almost never noticed criticism of the writers' chosen motivation for the Reapers.

In fact, the motivation of the Reapers was the destruction of advanced races on the verge of creating artificial intelligence. The rationale for this act is the belief that any artificial intelligence will eventually destroy all organic life in the galaxy or even the universe if it finds a way to travel between galaxies.

There are several problems with this plot twist:

● The theory of the destruction of organic life by artificial intelligence is a concept that is on the verge of sociological speculation and a bad-tasting narrative cliche inspired by Dune and Terminator. This is simply unconvincing for the motivation associated with the cyclical genocide of all intelligent life with the galaxy.

● It is not entirely clear whether the use of the mass relay and the Citadel is related to or is an indicator that an advanced civilization has created or is on the verge of creating AI. Given the experience from the real world, it is more likely that we will create a General AI before we can go beyond the solar system.

● Moreover, there is a political ban on the creation of full-fledged AI in the galaxy. This in itself is part of the solution to the problem, and perhaps should delay the Reapers' decision to destroy intelligent and organic life.

And 300 years before the first part of the story, the Geth AI was created. What if he had destroyed the demonic life in the galaxy before the Reapers? But even the way Geths behave does not correspond to how an artificial intelligence should behave according to the Reapers. The Geths simply moved out of the habitable part of the galaxy and disappeared.

What exactly was Drew Karpyshyn's original idea?

It seems fairly simple, but the point is that it's such an elegant concept that it puts the elements of the lore in their place and makes those elements work for the story.

The idea is that the use of the mass effect, which at its core allows one to exceed the speed of light by warping the space-time continuum, releases dark energy that accelerates entropy in the Milky Way. Increasing the scale of this technology within the universe would simply lead to heat death. Although Drew Karpyshyn said it would lead to a Big Crunch, that is likely a mistake on his part, since an increase in dark energy cannot possibly lead to that.

Thus, the Reapers' primary motivation here was their attempt to prevent sentient races from making full use of mass effect technology until they found a way to neutralize the dark energy effect or a fundamentally different method of faster-than-light space travel.

With this premise for the Reapers' motivation, the existence of the mass relays and the Citadel makes sense and is tied to the Reapers' design, because these ancient objects serve not only as a physical trap for sentient races but also as a trap of ready-made technology, forcing sentient races not to create their own mass relay technologies. Moreover, dark energy is released on a strictly defined scale and in a controlled manner until the Reapers arrive.

SO IT JUST MAKES SENSE.

What thematic substance would the story have if we abandoned the "Organics vs. Synthetics" theme?

It could be a reflection on whether a civilization can make the sacrifice of self-destruction for the good of future species, or whether it is confident in its own strength. But if so, isn't such confidence self-deception? And if that civilization eventually understands that it truly was self-deception, would it be prepared to take all life in the galaxy down with it — just so as not to perish like cattle or a harvest, but to leave on its own terms, with dignity, preserving its autonomy? But again: if yes, is preserving autonomy under such conditions true dignity?

What kind of ending would I have wanted to see, considering everything said above?

Well, firstly, not a system where you literally choose an ending.

It would make sense to use a system where the gameplay and the decisions the player made over the course of the game influenced the outcome of the story. For example, making use of the storyline about building a coalition army and refining that aspect of the game to the level of micromanaging army resources, the state of which, up to a certain point, would determine whether one can stand against the Reapers. And that gameplay condition would become the trigger for a fork leading to large, hours-long epilogues, inside which one could optionally make small branching choices without changing the scenery.

Branches

From a game industry standpoint, it is unlikely that writers would dare to create a full-fledged story branch tied to the deliberate sabotage and destruction of all sentient life in the galaxy. Therefore, the structure of the final choices divides into three fundamental paths, depending on the player's success in the war and their willingness to accept the inevitable.

Successful completion of the war:

In any case, the player fights against the Reapers to the end. By making the right strategic decisions, you lead the allied fleet to victory over them.

In this ending, the Reapers are defeated, but the finale remains open: the objective reality is that no one in the galaxy knows whether the accelerated heat death of the universe can actually be stopped. However, having gained their long-awaited freedom, the sentient races do not give up — from now on, they will try to solve this fundamental cosmological puzzle on their own.

Defeat in the war — Escape:

In the event of making wrong or ineffective decisions that lead to a critical turning point in the war and defeat at the hands of the Reapers, an alternative path opens up for the player.

The remaining population of the galaxy makes a desperate attempt to flee to the most distant and uncharted sector of space. So that the Reapers cannot detect them, the refugees consciously and completely renounce the use of advanced technologies. The narrative in this branch shifts toward a profound humility — humility in the face of the destructive ambitions of sentient life that once tried to conquer dark energy, a force capable of destroying the universe itself.

We could observe in the epilogue how the great-grandchildren of asari or humans look at the stars and tell legends about "the times when we flew among them."

Defeat in the war — Last Stand:

If the war is lost and the Reapers gain the upper hand, the player is given the choice to follow the darkest path. Instead of fleeing and saving themselves, you can choose to keep fighting against all logic.

The galactic forces refuse to retreat or hide, choosing to fight all the same, to the very end, until the Reapers finally win. This is the most tragic, uncompromising finale of the trilogy, where civilization perishes entirely in battle but leaves on its own terms.

For the most part, these are my thoughts out loud. Have you had your own vision of what the ending of Mass Effect 3 could have been?

reddit.com
u/Dioduo — 2 days ago
▲ 5 r/writingscaling

The MAIN problem of comparing FMAB and FMA. How to evaluate the structure of a story and its quality [Big Talk]

This is an old post of mine that I once published in r/FullmetalAlchemist, but I think it will fit here.

When we trying to compare both adaptations, there are 3 approaches.

*‐ FMAB is better because...*

*- FMA is better because...*

*- No need to compare them because they are good in their own way.*

The last approach I like the least is because it excludes the possibility of any dialogue, but I understand why many people prefer this approach. This is because the first two are in most cases associated with a large amount of toxicity. I want to try to uncover the cause of this toxicity on both sides.

What claims are used on both sides?

● Fans of the Brotherhood accuse the fma that it is inconsistent, incomplete, thematically controversial, the characters do not behave as they should.

● Fans of the original series accuse the Brotherhood of schematicity, cliched, predictability, unoriginality. Thus, the advantages of both series follow from the shortcomings of the competitor.

The fact is that most debaters come from opposite systems of evaluation. I do not mean the personal subjective views of each individual, but 2 objectively existing views on the essence of storytelling.

FMAB is primarily a genre-oriented story, while FMA is not. It doesn't characterize every story as something good or bad. It's just a given.

Problems begin when FMAB is evaluated in terms of a non-conventional view of storytelling, and FMA in terms of genre requirements (for example, completed arcs of characters of the corresponding genre)

What is the difference between a non-genre story and a genre story?

A genre story is first of all a model of the story and only then the story itself. repeat that I write this without evaluation. The genre has the function of telling the story in the most effective way. Efficiency is achieved primarily due to specific techniques, characters, and story arcs inherent in this genre.

Also, the effectiveness is achieved due to the closed composition of the genre story.

What is the effectiveness of the genre?

For the viewer familiar with the genre, it is easier to enter the plot, so he is familiar with the canons of the genre, but at the same time the story supports his interest, since most often a huge number of genre characteristics are difficult to fit in one story and the author can use what he needs and combine all this so as to surprise the viewer

Any emotional experience, including one caused by an object of art in some way, is always traumatic. This is the meaning of the concept of catharsis. In a genre story, the emotional experience takes place inside the hermetic space of the genre, and the genre itself helps the viewer with the discharge of a strong emotional experience

That is, the genre helps both to enter the story and to exit.

The non-genre story, in turn, has no compositional background. The point is to convey the idea to the viewer or to involve them in a conflict within which they are less oriented. He has fewer familiar plot tropes, fewer characters with whom he is related in terms of genre, so he is not quite sure what to expect from them. This is not a" road " in the field, but several paths in the forest, some of which lead nowhere.

What is the advantage of an non-genre story?

This format does not include any pre-existing narrative model. Due to this, the viewer makes more effort to get involved in the narrative. He has a feeling that this is not a story created to be told to him by well-perceived means, but he, the viewer, has fallen into a story that seems to exist without him and does not pay attention to him. The characters don't have any genre-prescribed patterns of behavior, so their actions may be irrational, stupid, but because of this, they seem alive. This effect makes the story as authentic as possible.

This format is not constrained by genre features and each time it tries to build its own narrative language. This often leads to an unbalanced structure (a clear structure is important for a genre), but it also often contributes to the artistic goal of the author (Darren Aronofsky once said about his film "mama!": If it annoys you very much, then I did everything right).

Often, the non-genre story remains open. Openness does not mean incompleteness. This is important to understand. The meaning of openness is that the viewer is given the opportunity (unlike a genre story) to let go of the story independently, just as before he makes an effort to enter this story. Obviously, this process involves a significant expenditure of psycho-emotional resources. As a result, either the viewer receives an appropriate emotional payoff, or frustration due to the refusal to make an effort to engage.

This does not mean that any poorly written story can be covered with the label of an unconventional approach to storytelling. Ways to resolve the underlying conflict should be in any good narrative. The fact is that, as I said above, "there are several paths in the forest, some of which lead to nowhere" and the viewer's efforts should be directed to finding the right path.

FMAB

In FMAB, the transparency of the narrative structure is literally written into the plot.

There is an ancient incident, similar to the biblical flood, with which a new chronology began (It is the disappearance of Xerxes that fundamentally affects the development of the western and eastern worlds).

In the Western world, the Antagonist creates a state for his own selfish purpose (It is particularly worth noting that this world is totally dependent on it).

He develops a detailed plan of events that must occur in order for his goal to be fulfilled (Thus, all the most bloody events in the history of the state occurred according to the plan of the Antagonist).

The plot of the story is sealed between two global events (between the fall of Xerxes and the upcoming fall of Amestris) between which the Antagonist's plan of action is detailed. The main characters ' goal is to prevent a disaster.

In such a simple and clear narrative paradigm, the understatement in the actions and views of the characters breaks the clear structure and this... I hate those words... stops working. That is why it is important that the arcs of most characters are complete.

FMA

In FMA 03, there are no points of beginning or end to the evil that exists in the story. Edward and Alphonse are not trying to be heroes and participate in politics or save the world from evil. They have unwittingly exposed corruption in the country. And even after that, they didn't care about politics. And only after the state and supernatural beings declared a hunt for them, they began to act. That is, here you can see the main difference.

The main character is not involved and does not want to be involved in a global epic (in the literary sense) conflict.

The synopsis I have described is reminiscent of noir. But it is obvious that FMA is not a noir. This is another feature of a non-genre story - it includes elements of several genres at once.

In FMA 03, there is no personification of the world's evil. Basque Gran, Frank Archer, Joseph Kimblee's. They had no ties to Dante and did not share her views, even in absentia, unlike the brotherhood, where the entire high command was under the direct leadership of the "Antichrist".

That is why the claims to Dante as a petty and non-large-scale antagonist are not justified.

She's just one of the pieces on the chessboard. This was never a story about the main characters ' confrontation against Dante. This is a story about how a certain part of humanity is the beneficiary of an endless atmosphere of hatred and despair.

Getting back to the point.

In the brotherhood, you observe a story where each hero has his own place where events agree with each other. That is why everything must be extremely complete and clear, because otherwise the structure will fall apart.

In FMA 03, the main character is not embedded in a certain narrative.

Edward and Alphonse are unwittingly involved in a global conflict. All they do in 03 is avoid it. Therefore, an important role here is played by understatement, since much is outside the sphere of interests of the main characters.

That is why a richer biography of Dante, for example, would not add any value to the story, since it makes no difference to the main characters, through whose optics we are involved in the story, in contrast to the much more general and detached focus in the Brotherhood. That is why you will not see here the tragedy of the lion-man chimera.

Conclusion

● For fans of the brotherhood. It is not necessary to assume that the lack of schematic arcs of characters, classic genre moves of the novel-epic form of narration and completeness of information, all other things being equal, is an indicator of the poor quality of the story. This is a very blind attitude to dramaturgy.

● For fans of FMA 03. Do not assume that following the canons of the basics is a bad approach. Just admit that you don't like it. Then you can discuss why following a genre is, for example, creatively unfruitful. And already from these positions to criticize some title, and not just snobbishly declare their superiority in relation to "genre cliches".

The point of this post is to move the discussion in a more constructive direction

u/Dioduo — 6 days ago
▲ 7 r/worldbuilding

The Origin of the World of Fallen Leaves and Primordial Creatures

THE AGE OF THE FIRST ONES

There was no Void. Two came to be.

Father-Time — rhythm, duration, the inexorable impulse of existence. Mother-Space — the vessel, pliability, the possibility for being.

They were everything. They gave birth to two children — two nameless Forces destined to become the sole heirs.

The first Force — Compression. The eternal gravitation toward the center, toward the singularity. The instinct of self-preservation and of drawing all that exists into a single point. It gave birth to layers of absolute primordial matter — dense, unshakable, eternal.

The second Force — Expansion. The unrestrained impulse toward motion, toward filling, toward outward reach. It strove to occupy all of Mother-Space, and then — to go beyond its limits, even if that exit meant non-existence.

They did not war. They were the law.

THE AGE OF FLOWERING

Where Compression and Expansion met, the Contact Zone arose. Here, the primordial matter emanating from Compression degraded, branched, and grew more complex the farther it traveled from the core. Like mycelium, it pierced the void, reaching toward the realm of Expansion.

At the peak of complexity, near an invisible line, a self-aware metasystem was born. The closer this Unified Mind spread toward the Verge, the more of its parts split away, giving rise to individual beings. Thus were they born.

***The Dhalaans***

Their bodies stretched for tens of meters — structures like the leaves of giant cosmic trees, serpentine, winged. Their world was a realm of predetermined perfection. For the Dhalaans, there was no "tomorrow" as mystery — they knew the future with absolute precision, for in their zone of reality, matter could not decay, only grow more complex along a prescribed path. Free will held no meaning for them. They dwelt in the static serenity of eternal knowledge.

Beyond the Verge, where complexity gave way to decay, others arose.

***The Utahaans***

Their existence was the opposite. They did not live a single life — they simultaneously experienced all possible variants. Every decision branched into many real paths, and the Utaahan was present in all of them at once. Their memory contained them all. For them, there was no "choice," for they were doomed to live every probability. Their activity was the outward manifestation of this inner superposition. But they did not suffer. Such was their nature.

The two races coexisted on opposite sides of the Verge, never touching. Their ontologies were incompatible.

THE COLLISION OF PATHS

Compression learned of Expansion's intent to go beyond Mother-Space into non-being. The instinct of preservation would not allow this. Compression tried to absorb Expansion, to hold it in Mother's womb.

Expansion resisted, tearing Compression's primordial matter apart again and again. Their struggle gave birth to what would later become the familiar world — stars, planets, matter in its present forms.

On Earth, living beings appeared. Humans became the legacy of the natures of the Dhalaans and the Utahaans.

THE AGE OF RELICS

The Utahaans did not survive the birth of the new world. Their nature, which required a probabilistic environment, found no foothold in the now-classical reality. They vanished almost immediately, leaving behind only vague legends.

The Dhalaans survived, but lost their absolute foresight. Their bodies, deprived of the support of the old physics, began to slowly decay. From immortal, they became "almost" immortal. They retreated to inaccessible corners of the world, hiding from the new masters of reality.

Humanity spread across the world. From the Utahaans, people inherited free will and a probabilistic future — a gift that allows choice but condemns one to ignorance. From the Dhalaans, they received an understanding of order and the ability to remain what they are.

But humanity did not become one.

u/Dioduo — 10 days ago
▲ 9 r/worldbuilding

The Messiah-Perreal from my "World of Fallen Leaves", in search of the best possible world for his people Ut. Part II

For a long time, each representative of the Ut people had several realities simultaneously with a common identity and memory, and this did not interfere with their comfort, since the worlds in which they existed were almost indistinguishable from each other. In almost all realities, they were at the tribal level, as their fickle nature did not allow them to create a complex culture. With the arrival of foreigners who shared their knowledge, the range of possible worlds shifted slightly towards worlds where they possessed some of the benefits of civilization. But this is exactly what played a huge role in the upcoming social crisis.

For the first time, they felt the warmth of stone walls, security and satiety, but because of their nature, they simultaneously experienced the cold and cruelty of a significant part of the archaic worlds in which they still existed and which somehow spontaneously manifested themselves in reality. This went on for some time until, among the descendants of Uts and humans, there were people who possessed probabilistic stability, but could also mentally navigate through possible Ut worlds. They founded the Order of the Perreals, one of whose members became the Messiah. Having found the best possible world, they set out to make it real and unique in the life and experience of their people. They created a chant that best describes this world in detail.

The Perreals understood that if they focused on something specific, it would allow this thing to manifest in their world and close the gates on our side of reality while they were able to hold their attention. That is why the "Chant of Remaking" was created.

THE FIRST EMPIRE

The Kingdom required maintenance. The Ut had to sing the Chant of Remaking several times a day, lest they slip back into probabilistic chaos. The emotional shock of the manifested miracle made this price acceptable. The Chant became the new prayer, replacing the old "I am here."

Over generations, the Ut learned to run the Chant in their heads by habit.

In their religion, the sin of doubt appeared. Any doubt threatened the Kingdom's existence — fractured minds could destabilize the existing reality of the Ut lands. Ut society transformed into a totalitarian structure, where salvation and the prison of consciousness became inseparable.

The Great Resettlement into the Ut lands brought an influx of ordinary people. With each generation, Ut blood thinned, their nature faded. The city grew more stable precisely because those for whom it was created were disappearing. The Kingdom outlived its creators.

The other probabilistic branches of the Ut did not disappear. Those who did not participate in the ritual or could not hold onto their faith remained in their intertwined worlds. The saved cut themselves off from them forever.

Neighboring kingdoms began to join the Kingdom's lands. Thus arose the First Empire — a colossus built on chant and faith, destined to outlive many upheavals thanks to the conformity and unambitious nature of its heirs.

u/Dioduo — 12 days ago
▲ 38 r/worldbuilding

An excerpt from the chronology of the "World of Fallen Leaves":

In the southern territories, isolated from the great civilizations, lived tribes whose nature bore the imprint of the Utahaans. They were called the Ut.

Like their ancestors, they existed in multiple probabilities simultaneously. This made the building of cities and the development of culture impossible — complexity requires constancy. For a millennium, while other peoples raised kingdoms with majestic temples and palaces, the Ut remained at the tribal level.

But contact with civilizations changed them.

Foreigners came to the lands of the Ut, seeking to establish connections. And they noticed something strange: among the tribal settlements, stone buildings, temples, and palaces sporadically appeared and vanished. Travelers thought they were going mad. One scholar found himself for an instant in the greatest city he had ever seen — and then found himself again in the wasteland.

Over two hundred years, the lands of the Ut were transformed. The spontaneous manifestations of civilization shifted the amplitude of probability: now, among the Ut, one could see modest provincial towns, like those built in human kingdoms. Only occasionally, from the corner of the eye, could one glimpse tribal structures, vanishing under direct gaze.

Mixed marriages with foreigners produced offspring whose probabilistic nature faded with each generation. But the main discovery lay ahead.

Among the descendants of the Ut and Humans, there appeared those who possessed the stability of ordinary people but the ability to mentally traverse the worlds in which the Ut simultaneously existed. When they revealed themselves to one another and understood the potential of their nature, they founded an order and called themselves the Perreals.

One of them became the Messiah.

At the time when the amplitude of probability in which the Ut existed shifted toward civilized life, a social crisis arose. Before the arrival of the strangers who brought knowledge that changed their lives, life within each probability had differed little from the others.

But when the Ut grew accustomed to the life of tasty food, the warmth of stone walls, and soft beds, it became unbearable to simultaneously experience, even to a far lesser degree, a part of themselves trapped in the dirt, cold, and harshness of the archaic.

The Messiah promised the Ut deliverance from the suffering and the greatest kingdom on earth.

In an ancient manuscript from a neighboring kingdom, he found the testimony of a scholar who had briefly found himself in the most beautiful city in the lands of the Ut. The Perreals understood the nature of this phenomenon: all the probabilistic worlds of the Ut are real. One need only choose the best and make it the only one.

For seventy years, the Messiah spread the cult of "Deliverance from the Suffering." The Perreals traveled mentally through the branches of reality, found the world of the "Greatest Kingdom of Ut," and studied it to the smallest detail. In the last ten years, they created the Chant — a text describing this ideal world as accurately and vividly as possible.

u/Dioduo — 16 days ago