I wish i knew how to navigate the RW discord better I kinda wanna ask about setting up an (small) event but I have no clue who to ask for something like that

Yep yep. Although if you want my goofy headcanon for the horns I like to think they're actually an adaption to basically be a built-in snowplow :P Just scooping all that snow outta the way their silly little horn

People who think slugcats are mammals are you aware that the core trait of mammals is producing milk

Anyway I was just poking fun because sometimes people forget that in terms of biology we do try to file things into groups based on very specific things, kinda like how calling a slugcat a 'rodent' and then drawing it with cat teeth would be like- the one thing not to do since the singular key point of 'rodent' is defined by its teeth. Much like mammals are beautifully named after Mammary Glands

Technically theres lots of ways to have 'fur' but not have 'fur'! Take for example moths, they read as hairy insects; but on a biological level their hair is actually the same scales that make up their wings. Or the hairy frog, in which the 'hair' is actually extensions of the skin

and the yeti crab, on which the hairs are actually what you would call setae, which is a hair-like structure used by invertebrates. Same thing has what makes up spider 'hair'

They are 'hair-like' but none of them count as proper hair/fur due to structural differences. But for it to be a true hair it has to come from a skin follicle, which is unique to mammals. Milk is actually in a similar place- lots of non-mammal animals have their own version of 'milk' produced in various places and by various means (for example, there is at least one spider that nurses young with 'milk') but all mammals have mammary glands by which they make theirs (although some deliver it through the skin, as if sweating)

People who think slugcats are mammals are you aware that the core trait of mammals is producing milk

I'll share my own non-traditional-mammal version then!

the slugcat tail contains several specialized patches of skin from which they produce an oily slime normally used for grooming, scent marking, and other behaviors. Following pregnancy, these glands shift to instead produce a thicker, nutrient-dense mucus. Newborne slugpup whelps are blind and deaf, but instinctively cling with remarkable strength to the tail of their parents- from which they feed near-constantly. The slime allows for the infant to develop remarkably fast and contains important bacteria for a stable digestive and immune system- It takes an incredibly short time for the pup to grow and they can safely digest solid food and walk as soon as their ears and eyes open. But separation before then is almost always lethal. Both parents are capable of nursing their young this way, but the process is extremely demanding, often resulting in a loss of bodymass and skin health in the parent. Thus, one parent (generally the largest and healthiest) will generally take on the role of nurse while the other takes the role of protector and hunter. Single parents must work hard to bulk up their fat storage in the tail prior to birth, and may struggle significantly if unsuccessful. (Also just for fun, this is mostly based on caecilians, a type of amphibian in which some groups have their own non-mammal version of milk, as well as a behavior in which mothers would produce a second layer of skin for their young to eat; allowing for extremely rapid growth. Non-mammalian nursing is a fun and creative world)

People who think slugcats are mammals are you aware that the core trait of mammals is producing milk

People who think slugcats are mammals are you aware that the core trait of mammals is producing milk

Anthro Au Survivor drafts feat. too much worldbuilding because I cant just put pants on a slugcat like a normal person & my godawful handwriting

The Survivor (Their full, scavenger-given name includes the 'The') was separated from their family while traveling between colonies and stranded in the dangerous unpopulated wilds. Against all odds they managed to survive (and wander) far longer than they should have been able, but rather than reconnecting with their (or another) slugcat family, they instead made contact with one of the many wandering scavenger troops- But unfortunately not one that had ever met a slugcat nor had any idea what to make of a stranded one. Regardless the group gave it their best, ended up committing to the role of slugparents, and The Survivor and their troop still consider themselves close family long after Survivor finally reconnected with their sibling. (They're a bit of a mess though, understandably)

The Architecture of Rain World: Layers of History

A major theme in Rain World's world design that often goes overlooked is the theme of, as James Primate, the level designer, composer and writer calls it, "Layers of History." This is about how the places in the game feel lived-in, and as though they have been built over each other. Here's what he said on the matter as far back as 2014!

The best example of this is Subterranean, the final area of the base game and a climax of the theme. Subterranean is pretty cleanly slpit vertically, there's the modern subway built over the ancient ruins, which are themselves built over the primordial ruins of the depths. Piercing through these layers is Filtration System, a high tech intrusion that cuts through the ground and visibly drills through the ceiling of the depths.

Two Sprouts, Twelve Brackets, the friendly local ghost, tells the player of the "bones of forgotten civilisations, heaped like so many sticks," highlighting this theme of layering as one of the first impressions the player gets of Subterranean. Barely minutes later, the player enters the room SB_H02, where the modern train lines crumble away into a cavern filled with older ruins, which themselves are invaded by the head machines seen prior in outskirts and farm arrays, some of which appear to have been installed destructively into the ruins, some breaking through floors.

These layers flow into each other, highlighting each other's decrepit state.

The filtration system, most likely the latest "layer," is always set apart from the spaces around it. At its top, the train tunnels give way to a vast chasm, where filtration system stands as a tower over the trains, while at the bottom in depths, it penetrates the ceiling of the temple, a destructive presence. (it's also a parallel to the way the leg does something similar in memory crypts, subterranean is full of callbacks like that!)

Filtration system is an interesting kind of transition, in that it is much later and more advanced than both of the areas it cuts between. This is a really interesting choice from James! It would be more "natural" to transition smoothly from the caves of upper subterranean to the depths, but by putting filtration system in between, the two are clearly demarcated as separate. The difference in era becomes palpable, the player has truly found something different and strange.

Depths itself is, obviously, the oldest layer not only of subterranean but of the game itself. The architecture of Depths has little to do with the rest of the game around it, it's a clear sign of the forgotten civilisations that our friend Two Sprouts, Twelve Brackets showed us, there's not actually that much to say about it itself, it's mostly about how it interacts with the other layers of subterranean.

That said, Subterranean is far from the only case of the theme of layers of history. It's present as soon as the player starts the game!

The very first room of the game, SU_C04, is seemingly a cave. It is below the surface, the shapes of it are distinctly amorphous rather than geometric. (well. kind of, it doesn't do a very good job of hiding the tile grid with its 45 degree angles.)

But let's take a closer look, shall we?

See that ground? it's made of bricks. The entire cave area of outskirts is characterised by this, the "chaotic stone" masonry asset is mixed with brickwork, unlike the surface ruins which are mostly stone. This, seemingly, is an inversion of common sense! The caves are bricks and the buildings are stone. This is not, however, a strange and unique aspect but a recurring motif.

This occurs enough in the game for it to be clearly intentional, but why would materials such as bricks be used in otherwise natural looking terrain?

The answer lies in the "Layers of History" theme. This is in fact, something that happens in real life, and it's called a tell

To be specific, a tell is a kind of mound formed by settlements building over the ruins of previous iterations of themselves. Centuries of rubble and detritus form until a hill grows from the city. Cities such as Troy and Jericho are famous examples. The connections to the layers of history theme are pretty clear here, I think. Cities growing, then dying, then becoming the bedrock of the next city. The ground, then, is made of bricks, because the ground is the rubble of past buildings. The bones of forgotten civilisations, heaped like so many sticks!

Normal people doing anthro au: Heres what style of clothes i think the slugcats would wear ^-^ Me doing anthro au: okay so heres the cultural differences between slugcats and scavengers and heres how that gave this slugcat social anxiety

Some people really like the idea of Artificer finding a scavenger child and having a change of heart but im the polar opposite of that I believe if Artificer found a scavenger child they would leave it alive and traumatized with the express purpose of it growing up with as much hate for them as they had for scavengers and for it survive and slay them like a dragon

I've seen people be like downpour ruined how people see five pebbles and im gonna be honest if you were here for any number of years pre-downpour the fandom was always god-awful with the nuance in his character. thats not a downpour thing thats a fandom thing

lizar Mouth perfec t size for put baby in to n\ap! inside very Soft and Comfort baby sleep soundly put baby in Lizard Mouth. Put Baby In Lizard Mouth. no problems ever in lizzard mouth because good Shape and Support for baby neck weak of big baby head. Alizard Mouth yes a place for a baby put baby in lizard mouth can trust lizard for giveing good love to baby. friend lizard

Desperately want to post about slime and mucus

gradually removing these guys further and further from canon

Some of ya'll need to learn that being a hater is fine but it also makes you prone to sucking all the enjoyment outta anything for yourself and others

Manifesting lame-ass cringe nightcat

honestly im find with rainworld mostly just getting bug fixing/more problem fixing rather than anything big BUT if they were gonna do anything else big with it I'd want to make a huge Videocult-lead add on that in terms of timeline lays directly over the downpour one

mostly because if theres a very obvious timeline clash it makes it pretty obvious downpour is a sort of officialized AU and the not de-facto way the lore is supposed to run

The second thing, and i need to make this clear- it needs to follow a creature that absolutely sucks ass

Some of my thoughts on the nightcat trailer but this is more or less what I think is going on... A mass ecological shift is happening with the increasing failing of iterators, and in particular the local collapse of a huge, rot-infected super-organism has spread the rot to a wider environment where it hasn't quite died off without the support of his living system- a process that takes time. Downpour, while I think won't be directly connected to this DLC in terms of story implied that rot cysts eventually shift into the weaker brother long legs, before dying off completely. With pebbles completely infested at time of collapse, a lot of rot has been suddenly dropped into the surrounding ecosystem underneath him along with heavy atmospheric shifts. The entire area is more or less in disarray as things struggle to adapt to the rapid changes, with the Watcher potentially being forced out of the Moon/Pebbles locale in search of more stable environments. Given the role iterators had in shaping the locale weather, I'm imagining maybe longer rain cycles with overcast/nighttime period. Maybe weather events like thunderstorms? Base game Rain World had a big focus on survival in reclaimed urban environment, so it could be cool to explore the other aspect of rapid development- The fallout when it changes the world faster than creatures in it can evolve.