Where the World Ends

So how does WTWE work exactly? Is there 2 parts where you work on the perspective of Fable and have various writers write tails about the world? Is this more like a hub for stories? I would love to know.

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 22:36:07 -0400

WTWE is just a series I’m working on on my own – a trilogy, along with a planned sequel and a prequel. Just another fic, but what happened was, the map I made for it got a lot of publicity, and some were impressed enough to ask to use it for their stories.

Then some of them approached me to collaborate, so that their stories fit in my world (and even referenced events in mine, and vice versa), so up came a wiki. It was mostly to keep all my notes on such a huge world in one place, but plenty of people have come to contribute to it. It’s kept on growing since.

With how long I’ve been taking with my story, I don’t think I deserve it, but it’s been a lot of fun (and very flattering) to be a part of that. When RL calms down (hopefully soon), I’ll definitely (and finally) finish what I started.

Almost there...

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 06:41:17 -0400

3 of 4 scenes done, 12,851 words, almost… done

*dies*

It’ll be off to my prereaders tonight or tomorrow! Please don’t kill me *runs away*

Pinkie! Distract them!

Was surfin’ ponyconfessions when… I’m...

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 07:36:58 -0500

Was surfin’ ponyconfessions when…

I’m flattered, thanks :D

Still alive!

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 23:52:38 -0500

The last two weeks or so haven’t been good to me. I’m trying to close a big client contract; one that’s been on me for the past three years, and it’s ending this week (and it was supposed to end last week, and the week before that – clients, I tell ya).

Anyhow, I’m alive - sorry for being dead for all this time. Once it’s over, which could be any day of this week, really, then I’ll be free to finally live up to all the promises I’ve failed to make up to now and reply to this massive stack of comments and messages on the wiki, DA and tumblr. Holy jeebus.

So! I have a favor to ask of you. If you’ve posted a question or something, anywhere on any of the above, put it in the comments here. It would make things a whole lot easier for me!

Still a couple days to go, but until then…

We go!

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:18:01 -0500

Alright! So I posted the new prologue to jumpstart my story, and Chapter 1 should be up between Monday and Wednesday. For those asking why prologue, it’s to reflect the changes I’ve made to the overarching plot a short while back, and to better illustrate Fable’s personality.

For those asking why it’s so short, I’m not a big fan of prologues. They usually don’t push the plot forward, and sometimes they don’t even start it - they’re just info dumps on background, world history or the characters. Mine is a little guilty of that. But it serves as a good enough introduction to Fable and her voice.

In other news, pupuchaku is making me some cover art for the story. Can’t wait to see that :D

Also, I’ll be putting up rev 9 a little while after Ch1 comes up.

Sorting things out

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 09:59:35 -0500

Hey folks, just a little heads up: I was flooded with work last week and have been dealing with that before returning to my story. I’m about done, so I expect to get Chapter 1 out before the end of the month.

In the meantime, some questions:

> Will there be humans?

I get this a lot.

Short answer, no. Long answer: there are a lot of secrets and unanswered questions in my world. How long Discord’s rule was, what preceded written history (The Before Time); what that mysterious weapon the pre-Equestrians used to destroy Grogar and Tirek was (they called it a ‘Megan’), what happened to the now extinct race of non-sentient apes called the Yahoos. Not to mention, Equestrian astronomy looks very familiar…

Who knowI’m willing to bet that humans either existed at some point, or are somewhere where no one can reach them. Take from that what you will.

> Hey, I just have a question. I’m looking for a map to use for non-copyright reasons, and I happened to find yours. If, persay, I wiped the entire thing clean except for the landmasses themselves, would I have your permission?

I realize I’m a little late answering this, sorry. Go ahead, let me know, I’d love to see what people do with it.

> Is there some kind of Wicca cult in your world? Groups of people worshipping ancient and nature spirits, both benevolent and evil (windigos, star beasts, God King, Nightmare Moon etc.)

So many. Too many. Many of whom I don’t mention in my wiki, some of whom Fable will encounter. Golden rule: if there’s something that can’t be understood in the world, chances are there’s a group that worships them, a group that demonizes them,and a group that doesn’t believe they exist.

In the mean time, check out this journal entry on my DA for my last update.

DA, Tumblr, DA, Tumblr...

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 22:25:00 -0500

I’m just going to regurgitate what I put in my DA journal, plus some answers to more anons asking me questions! (Please email or note them to me in DA instead).

First: Merry Christmas! Second, a shoutout to some awesome people:

StupidYou3 for drawing the days of the week for my Equinorian Calendar

QuirkyWallace, VanHiko, Pupuchaku for drawing art of my world, you’ve all been awesome (though I’ve asked pupuchaku not to put up what she’s been working on yet).

Dinodude0091 for being insanely helpful, not only answering people, but filling my world with a massive library of creatures and being the editorial voice in my head for my wiki.

Oh, and Kkat for finishing Fallout Equestria. MANLY TEARS WERE SHED!

To my prereaders, editors and anyone making things (stories/comics) in my world

Holy rhombus, I’m so sorry!

Yes, I am officially the one with the least work done for my world (not counting my wiki) XDD And I’m the author! Madness!

People waiting for replies/map commissions There are a lot of you, I realize, and I’m sorry! I’m absolutely swamped.

My shipment only arrived yesterday (23rd)
Christmas and birthday festivities are very eager to make sure I don’t spend christmas in front of the computer (a good cause XD), and
Murphy’s law promises me that work will creep up on me when I’m most swamped XD

To people who want to use my map for anything I openly give everyone permission to use my map for whatever they like granted you:

don’t claim you made it and
you let me know :D (though, consider that optional - I just love seeing what people do with it).

Four thousand two hundred thirteenth: I’m going for a new years release for chapter 1 and rev 9, that’ll be a nice way to start the year and I’ll be infinitely less busy. Until then, feel free to put up hlissner pinatas.

True fact: Candy is awesome!

Questions!

> I want to be able to submit a story idea to you privately. Should I make an account. Wait, would you accept it?

Depends! Send them to me at henrik@lissner.net, no promises though.

> I just wanted to ask, is there any way I can help you guys with anything at all?

Sure! I’m always looking for suggestions for locations on my world map, or pretty much anything you can think of for my world (factions, creatures, nations, lore, etc.) - feel free to drop me a message at henrik@lissner.net.

Now. Stop reading this and go enjoy Christmas!

And have some art by Pupuchaku:

A wee little update

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 04:12:00 -0500

Sorry. Another delay. Found a plot hole late in my story, and fixing it requires quite a lot of changing.

Plus, I have a habit of writing backwards (I’m done with chapters 6-12 – the second half of act 1). Long story short, any small change = chapter 1 gets a makeover. Not to mention every event across 5 acts, easily spanning 60 chapters, is connected in some way, so as you can imagine, it’s quiiiite sensitive to change.

On the bright side, that means when chapter 1 comes out, the rest won’t be far behind.

Also: I’ve been busy getting ready for my move to Toronto and my flight’s Monday. A five hour flight with nothing but my laptop and the screaming baby next to me (knowing my luck) should be enough to fix the story.

So please bear with me a little longer.

But I took an arrow to the knee

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 07:29:50 -0500

More qvestions (why must you all be anons? XD)

so… i need to ask you a question, would you mind if i used your world map on a fic i’m working on myself?

Not at all, go ahead. Anybody may. Check out the wiki, if you want to use the world too.

Have you ever thought about incorporating the Abada into your setting?

I intended to (see the wiki)

Could you say something about all those little ponycountries near Equestria?

Check out http://wtwe.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Nations - it’s not complete, but hopefully it’ll give you something. Otherwise, email me at henrik@lissner.net - easier to answer in an email.

You say your fic is MLP-canon friendly, but Dust sounds very OOC for the MLP world (a little dark)

No doubt, but it’s about context. Dust isn’t actually part of the MLP/Known world. It’s outside of it. Fable’s culture shock will be part of the fun of her going into the Known World.

Huzzah!

Brief Update

I’m moving houses again on Monday, so things are going slow. Again, email me with questions instead of asking them on tumblr! (henrik@lissner.net)

Rev 8 is up, finally

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 00:41:20 -0500

RL happened. But I’m alive. You can find Rev8 on DA.

Now to finish up the long overdue Chapter 1 >.<

Why can't I hold all these questions?

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:00:00 -0500

I’ve hit critical mass, people. My map’s PSD is 2gb, it eats up 10+gb of scratch disk space on an SSD with only 11gb left. My laptop literally can’t handle it anymore XDD.

On the bright side, I have a ticket home! Flight leaves in about 14 hours. Fina-frikkin-lly. 2 hours from Denmark to Frankfurt, 10 hours from Frankfurt to Vancouver, joy.

So, this weekend I’ll release rev 8 (finally), chapter 1 (finally), and open map commissions (you get the message)! If I don’t, either my plane crashed or I’m playing Skyrim.

Now to answer some qvestions… (Why do you all have to be anons? xD)

Will there ever be a human in the story? If so, I would think it would be why ponies moved from The Old World to Celestia’s Influence. Thats my theory anyways.

There are no humans in my story, and I make no attempt to prove they exist. However, I never dismiss the possibility they do. I’ve purposefully left gaps/uncertainties in my world’s lore so that people can fill in the details however they like.

Like history, we can’t possibly know everything. Fable (my character) will learn a lot about it, but there are no guarantees as to whether any of it is true. So have at ye >:3

Nice setting, I really like it. To be honest, I’m interested in the Tapiri: Where do they live? How strong are they magicwise as Inherent users? Would be very nice to get some information about them.

They are a theocratic race; very superstitious. Little is known about their potential for magic - they believe it humble not to use it in front of others. They call themselves pilgrims from the Old World, and can often be found preaching the lore of one of their many religions. Their home is the Tapirus Republic, in the Quiet Sea.

I have a whole bunch of stuff written up about them, but I’m still sifting through to figure out how much I want to make visible and don’t. When I have put it up, you’ll be able to find it on the ‘races’ page on my WTWE wiki.

Man...

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 08:27:00 -0500

I love being a geek… Started the wiki, I’ll fill it up eventually. XDD

Alive and Kicking

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 02:48:00 -0500

After a long trip, I’ve settled in and now, I’m getting the ball rolling.

This starts with my story. I’m doing another round of revision after throwing it at my editors and prereaders, and it’ll be out soon. I’ve a bad habit of working backwards with my story (chapter 7 and 6 are already written). Anyhow, expect to see it sometime this week. I’ll be starting a more regular release schedule afterwards.

Then comes the map, revision 8. It’s a monster. So big, in fact, I simply couldn’t work on it anymore on my 2010 Mac Book Pro (using a trackpad wasn’t so hot either).

I’m actually not home yet, so I don’t have my own computer, tablet, or, well, anything yet. But things are more stable now.

I get a lot of questions…

About this world I’ve made, and I realize I’ve done a horrible job of updating this tumblr as well as the pages on my world (not as easy as I’d hoped). I’ll put together a wiki later, but for now, will look at updating them!

So!

Have you sent the map to Lauren to see what she thinks of it?

Would I be able to? I have no idea how approachable she is, and wouldn’t think she’d have time to look at it XD. I’d prefer my map were closer to being done if I did get the chance to, though.

Have you thought of including llamas? And, another question — is Vaporia some kind of pegasi homeland, or something?

Llamas exist in my world and even play a role in my story at one point. On the map, I currently have the Himallamas - but I do have plans for plenty more. I portray them as a tibetan-themed race. Wise, humble, and frugal.

Vaporia is the central power in the Old Kingdoms. It’s split into three parts, belonging to the Griffin, Dragons, and Pegasi. Generally, the Old Kingdom is a refuge for outcasts, opportunists, and pioneers. There is a general dislike for the traditionalists of the Celestines (residents of Celestia’s Influence).

Vaporia keep things relatively safe in the Old Kingdoms, which, without it, would’ve been more chaotic. They’re also a hub for trade and transport; as they hold a monopoly over air travel between the Old Kingdoms and Celestia’s Influence - a treacherous journey that only veterans could navigate, due to pockets of errant ley in the air and bandit activity (which is more prolific in the Old Kingdoms).

Have you considered creating a tutorial about how you make your map(s)? Not just, "Oh, I use Photoshop," but how you draw in the continent, islands, landforms, and rivers, if you have any particular process. The maps are very visually appealing, and while i have no desire to copy them, I think I and others could learn a few things!

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 10:45:45 -0400

That’s a great idea. Problem is, until I get back home (I’m stuck in Denmark at the moment with a laptop trackpad), it’s easier said than done.

But you can definitely look forward to it! :D

I'm going to be hosting a (heavily modified) Dungeons and Dragons campaign using your maps and lore (excellent resources!). However, I can't tell which species some of the listed nations belong to. Glidedale, for instance. Could you help me out?

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 22:08:36 -0400

Gildedale is from this fic.

From what I recall: It’s (mostly) an open prairie nation of Earth Ponies (exclusively), that are nomadic and militaristic. According to the story, their relationship with Equestria seems a little strained (at first) — they won’t let Equestrians into their country without notice from the princesses.

They’re militaristic because they have something of a stampeding (and oversized) pest problem XD.

— Anyhow, if you’d like help with any of the others, let me know. I do plan to make a wiki out of all this info… eventually.

Ever thought of doing an ask-fable tumblr?

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 03:07:33 -0400

I’m flattered, but really, let’s wait to see if people actually like the story before I get ahead of myself XDDD.

Besides, I can’t draw, but I am trying to learn…

Back to it

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 18:41:00 -0400

Hey folks. I’m still very much alive. With a hectic month behind me, a flight back home coming up and my deadlines just about over, things are returning to normal.

And with that, I have a few niceties in store for next week.

First! A big revision to the map. Rev 8 is a big update (and I’ve got even larger plans for rev 9). I’ve even made a whole second map just to show off geography, here are some sneaky sneakpeeks:

So sneaky.

Oh and here’s what else I have planned:

Close-up maps of each country (at least, the ones that are relevant to the story).
Working my map into the google maps API + annotations with history, lore, etc. (sadly, no street view, but nothing a little concept art won’t fix >:3)
Opening up map commissions on DA (if there’s enough interest)

All nice and good but… let’s not forget the much, much overdue, Chapter 1.

Starting on the 1st of October, it’ll have my undivided attention. I aim to get it out not long after, though, funny enough, Chapter 2 and 3 are closer to being done <_<. Chances are I’ll be releasing them all at once.

They’re a little long, but I’m trying to keep them around the 10,000 word mark as best I can.

Oh, and WOO!

larger version

Done with a touchpad, like a bawss.

I’m also proud because I don’t usually draw (illustrate? vector?), and when I do, I regret it XD. But I’m really happy with how this turned out. I had a reference for the pose (of rarity), but forgot where it came from to give credit >.<. I’ll hunt it down.

+1,000 ponynets for anypony that gets the references >:3

What's with Dust? I looks like it's surrounded by a leyline, yet there's a settlement in it? Is the leyline thin enough for people to get through?

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 22:50:00 -0400

Sorry for the late reply!

Dust is where my story begins. As far as they are concerned, the outside world is just a myth (and likewise, the world doesn’t know Dust even exists).

The ley line that divides them span roughly 6-10km — while significantly thinner then other lines, it is still hopelessly impassable. Not to mention, the floor of the Dust area is molten lava. Dust itself is an underground city within a floating rock, inhabited exclusively by earth ponies, so there really isn’t any known way to leave.

The settlement is very, very old, with it’s own secrets and stories.

The only reason I included it in this map is because of its relevance to my story. Otherwise, I don’t intend to be revealing anything else in the Lost World.

A bit of extra lore

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 16:15:00 -0400

I’ve written a few pieces about the lore of my story’s world. Note that none of this is canon, but my goal is to make the two as compatible as possible.

I’ll put it in the “About the World” section later, but here’s a taste of it:

The great leaders

The ley lines exude a passive energy into the atmosphere. In small amounts, it’s harmless, but in greater volume, it can have an incredible effect on geography (climate, planetary magnetism, etc).

By Celestia’s decree, powerful creatures — like herself, Luna or the Cervidae Council — have a responsibility to moderate that energy.

You’ll notice the further you get away from Celestia’s Influence, the less predictable the terrain becomes.

What is the Old World?

The answer revolves around the legend of the Elk God King, Mundus, who pre-existed Celestia and Luna by nearly 200,000 years — whose benevolent reign, legend says, had lasted for longer than time.

The legend goes that during his long reign, he created the ley lines to aid in the prosperity of his world.

Later, Mundus sired a son with his Lady Terra, and called him Prince Arion. And when he did, he foresaw his son rising up to betray him and his world, but he was unable to lift a just hoof against his own son. Instead, he pleaded that his lady, Terra, flee with him, so that he may never fall to the temptation of destroying him.

In the years ahead, Mundus was driven mad by the prospect of facing his son again, fearful of having to destroy him. And in that madness, he sustained a tyrants rule for generations, with nothing able to match his might or reason with him.

Seeing his fall from grace, Arion pledged to slay him and free the world from despair. And spent eight days dreaming, until he foresaw his father’s downfall and the means to destroy him. And so he did, restoring peace to a broken world—however, he also learnt of what his father foresaw, and fearing that he’d become the evil that was prophesied, he imprisoned himself in the ley lines.

Some say it is his deep regret for slaying his father that has poisoned the ley lines.

The great mountain in the Old World is said to be where Mundus fell, and the ley line beyond it is Arion’s fabled prison.

What is the Echo?

Over the course of a thousand years, the ley lines between the known world and the echo have deteriorated, revealing an ancient and mysterious land.

The Echo is largely unexplored, but some speculate that the true reason for this is it can’t be explored — that the landscape changes on its own.

The name of the Echo was adapted from an old ponytale about the fictional “living country” of Ecco. The story goes that a god lived there that would grant any wish for those truly pure of heart. One day, one such pony came to him, and wished that the god never let her be found by her cruel father. The god obliged, trapping her in his vast body, and changed his form every year so that her father would never be able to find her.

Map + Story update

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 22:28:20 -0400

I put up an update for the map a short while ago, come one come all.

[Full version]

As for the story, chapter 1 is written! I need to do a pass or two of revision, fire it off to my editors/pre-readers and live it’ll go!