Sprouting Nonsense
sproutingnonsense.bsky.social
Sprouting Nonsense
@sproutingnonsense.bsky.social
Australian fantasy writer (amateur) and role-playing game enthusiast. Blog is at https://sproutingnonsense.com, posts Monday 8AM AEST every 2 weeks.
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TALES FROM KARATERA

An ongoing set of eight short stories set in the desert world of Karatera, where monsters, warlords and dark spirits reign supreme. This post will be updated periodically with links to each story as I post them on my main Wordpress blog.
#NovemberWorldbuilders 24
None of the MCs I've written are connected to a major historical figure. They're all ordinary people for the most part. But every one of them has been touched by the War for Karatera, with Dumu and Fayiz being more directly involved than Chloe.
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#NovemberWorldbuilders Let's talk about how the world's history directly impacts your main character (or some other important character in the world you're developing). Do they have an important ancestor? Was there a specific event, say a war or diaspora, that impacted their current life?
November 24, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Reposted by Sprouting Nonsense
Most writers are barely making ends meet, if that, with their writing. Pirating their work says not only are you fine with authors living in poverty, you're fine with actively contributing to it.
Always worth taking a moment to remind you if you’re pirating authors’ book you’re a shitty person. You can rail that our profession isn’t a profession all you want. You can paint yourself as an online revolutionary liberating ideas. It’s all bullshit.

You’re just a shitty person who hates writers.
November 24, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Reposted by Sprouting Nonsense
Just a friendly reminder as we go into the holidays:

Folks don't have to explain to you why they don't drink.

If you offer them a drink and they decline, don't ask them why. It's not your business.

Just offer them something without alcohol to drink instead. And move on.
November 23, 2025 at 8:04 PM
#NovemberWorldbuilders 23
King Herodes II was the seventh king of Providence, and is remembered as the man who brought the Cruel Kings of the coast to their knees. Though it was his sons who would end the war, it was Herodes who defeated the mightiest of the kings, that being ...
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We're talking about our fictional world's history this week, #NovemberWorldbuilders. Tell me about a ruler or leader who made an impact in your world. How are they remembered by those living in the future?
November 23, 2025 at 10:32 PM
#NovemberWorldbuilders 22
Oh, boy, DOES IT.

So, there are four main regions in Karatera - the Coastlands, the Red Sands, the Violet Sands and the Expanses. Each of these regions is host to a fallen civilisation, so Karatera is absolutely plastered with ancient ruins.
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It's our next week, #NovemberWorldbuilders! The theme this week is HISTORY in your fictional worlds. To start off with: does your world have any ancient (perhaps long-lost) civilizations? Did they leave ruins behind? Does anyone know what happened to them?
November 22, 2025 at 8:39 AM
#NovemberWorldbuilders 21
The Opet is an annual festival that occurs halfway though the second month of the Black River's flooding. Partly a harvest festival, it used to involve sailing a statue of the moon goddess Chakbet from her temple in el-Nihaya...
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Howdy, #NovemberWorldbuilders. What special events take place near the river/lake in your fictional world? Do they have any festivals or annual traditions? How do your characters engage with these events?
November 22, 2025 at 8:38 AM
Reposted by Sprouting Nonsense
I was the writer and contributed to the art for this project, please check it out 🥰🐡
November 20, 2025 at 6:42 PM
#NovemberWorldbuilders 20
So there's three major cities on the Black River, at least within the bounds of Karatera. Those are, from north to south:
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Good day, #NovemberWorldbuilders! What settlements exist along the river or lake in your fictional world? Are they small? Big? A series of small villages or maybe one grandiose castle that dominates the area? Who lives and works around the water?
November 20, 2025 at 9:58 AM
Reposted by Sprouting Nonsense
Bad news, the Discord link in our bio was expired.

Good news, I have a new Discord link for you beautifuls!

discord.gg/cF2vQmkXV6

Come Zero Point with us, Gamers! #discord #community #indie #studio
Join the ZERO POINT GAMES Discord Server!
We are ZERO POINT GAMES ! A small independent Australian-Sydney based team | 53 members
discord.gg
November 20, 2025 at 3:33 AM
#NovemberWorldbuilders 19
Fishing is a big thing on the Black River, as I've mentioned before. It's also important for trade and transport, as goods and construction materials are shipped up and down the river constantly. Sandstone, limestone and granite are commonly transported...
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Alright, #NovemberWorldbuilders, this is the nichest of niche questions. If you have a notable lake/river in your world, how does it impact the economy? Do people fish from it? Are there any other resources they use? Maybe barges use it for transporting goods?
November 19, 2025 at 8:56 PM
#NovemberWorldbuilders 18
I think of the three MCs I've written so far, Chloe from Spiritbinders is the only one who would know how to swim, since she grew up beside a river. Dumu and Fayiz grew in rather sparse areas, and would likely sink like rocks if thrown into any pool of water.
Greetings, #NovemberWorldbuilders! Let's talk about your MC today. What is their relationship with water like? Do they know how to swim? Have they ever caught a fish? Or is it just something that gets in the way during their long journey? Maybe they've never *seen* a body of water so big
November 18, 2025 at 8:44 PM
#NovemberWorldbuilders 17
The Black River is predominantly populated by ordinary animals. Fish, hippos, crocodiles, that sort of thing. It's also home to shapeless water elementals, dwelling in the river's depths, shai beasts, ordinary animals fused with spirits...
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#NovemberWorldbuilders time! Are there any animals or creatures who live in this body of water? Or maybe wildlife that comes to take a drink? Maybe they aren't animals, but... some kind of sentient entity? What is it? How do you classify it? How do the locals treat it?
November 18, 2025 at 2:22 AM
#NovemberWorldbuilders 16
It is said that the Black River was created when the rain goddess Mi, saddened by the suffering of Karatera's people, collected all her tears into a great clay vase and poured down a great mountain. Her tears became the river, and the nourishment of Karatera.
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Hey there, #NovemberWorldbuilders! Tell me a story about your river/lake. Do the locals have any beliefs about it? A myth or legend or a tie to their religion? What makes this bit of water so important to their culture?
November 18, 2025 at 2:21 AM
Okay, progress on the next few stories has been slow, since I've been busy setting up my new place. Currently going through the third draft of A Matter of Faith and the first draft of Makina. Should hopefully be done with A Matter of Faith by Sunday.
#amwriting
November 16, 2025 at 10:38 PM
#NovemberWorldbuilder 15
Well, I can't in good conscience answer this one with anything other than the Black River of south Karatera. Named for the fertile dark soil that it deposits, the Black River is widely regarded as the cradle of human civilisation in Karatera.
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Welcome to our third week, #NovemberWorldbuilders! This time we're talking about important RIVERS or LAKES in our world! But, tbh, any sufficiently important body of water will do. Also, don't feel obliged to answer; sometimes I cover niche topics that aren't for everyone!
November 16, 2025 at 12:43 AM
#NovemberWorldbuilders 14
Honestly, the morals in Karatera are pretty similar to Earth's, specifically the morals we practiced in the Middle Ages. Y'know, public execution, serfdom and all that. I'd say that sexism and homophobia aren't really present in Karatera (with the exception of...)
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What's up, #NovemberWorldbuilders peeps! Have you dared to get a little freaky with your worldbuilding? Does your fictional world's society believe something to be good or evil which societies on Earth (generally speaking) do not agree with? How did you come up with that idea?👀
November 14, 2025 at 11:56 PM
#NovemberWorldbuilder 13
Depends on the region and the religion. The Old Faith (which I yapped about back in August) holds sway on the Black River and a few other southern regions, and is all about enforcing order over chaos. Proper burial rituals are especially important to them.
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It's #NovemberWorldbuilders time! We're talking about the concepts of GOOD and EVIL in our fictional worlds this week. Tell me: what does your world's authoritative figures say about morality? Is there a church or governing body that tells people how to live? What do they command?
November 14, 2025 at 1:16 AM
#NovemberWorldbuilders 12
Well, since none of my short stories really have antagonists in the direct sense, I'll just chat about the ethics of the three main faction leaders, since they're the closest thing to villains.
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Hey there, #NovemberWorldbuilders! It's GOOD and EVIL week. Today, tell me about the ethics/morals of your VILLAIN. If you don't have one of those, talk about another character, particularly one who might deviate from protagonist's moral philosophy
November 13, 2025 at 10:08 PM
#NovemberWorldbuilders 11
Bit late to this one. Since I've got multiple stories set in Karatera, I'll go over the ethics of the MCs of the stories I've posted so far.

- Fayiz from A Soldier's Lot;
- Chloe from Spiritbinders; and
- Dumu from Clanless
Greetings, #NovemberWorldbuilders. Tell me about the ethics of your MC or any character who is important in your world's lore. Are they morally good? Morally grey? Do they have a belief contrary to what others around them believe in? Are there any acts they refuse to do?
November 12, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Reposted by Sprouting Nonsense
No, I fear I will die before I can write them all 😭😭😭
Writers, do you ever fear running out of story ideas? This is one fear I don’t have #writingq #WritingCommunity
November 10, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Question for the #WritingCommunity: I'm trying to promote a series of dark fantasy short stories that I'm writing, but I'm a bit concerned that nobody's actually seeing them. Does anyone have any advice on how to expand my "reach" with my stories? Relevant hashtags or things like that?
November 10, 2025 at 9:20 PM
#NovemberWorldbuilders 10
King Ergon Caspio I, who ruled some 70 years ago, was renowned for revitalising the faith of the First Eye in the desert regions and for leading expeditions into the ancient ruins that dot the Violet Sands. From those ruins, he retrieved hundreds of artifacts...
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Heya, #NovemberWorldbuilders. The last two days were for characters seen as pure good or evil. Now for the morally grey stuff: are there any historical figures or events that are debatable whether they were good or bad? Who are the controversial people/events in your world's history?
November 10, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Reposted by Sprouting Nonsense
My third short story, Clanless, is now out! Dumu, dragonkin warrior, joins the Bluebane Alliance in an effort to free the slaves of the Red Sands, but starts to doubt the motives of his superiors. Check out the link below if that sounds interesting to you!
Tales from Karatera 3: Clanless
"Posts Monday 8AM AEST every 2 weeks" Yeah, that turned out to be a load of nonsense, didn't it? Anyway, my third short story, Clanless, is finally out! Dumu, dragonkin warrior, joins the Bluebane Alliance in an effort to free the slaves of the Red Sands, but starts to doubt the motives of his superiors. You can read it…
sproutingnonsense.com
November 9, 2025 at 9:02 PM
#NovemberWorldbuilders 9
There's quite a few villains in Karatera's past, big and small. The most well known villains just so happen to be ancient kings from the Dark Ages and before.

The Seven Cruel Kings are among the most notorious villains. These despots ruled the northern Coastlands...
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Hello, #NovemberWorldbulders! We're talking about morality in our fictional worlds this week. Today's prompt is the opposite of yesterday's: are there any characters in your world's history/lore who are considered evil? Whether ontologically evil or someone who made bad choices. Who were they?
November 9, 2025 at 9:25 PM
My third short story, Clanless, is now out! Dumu, dragonkin warrior, joins the Bluebane Alliance in an effort to free the slaves of the Red Sands, but starts to doubt the motives of his superiors. Check out the link below if that sounds interesting to you!
Tales from Karatera 3: Clanless
"Posts Monday 8AM AEST every 2 weeks" Yeah, that turned out to be a load of nonsense, didn't it? Anyway, my third short story, Clanless, is finally out! Dumu, dragonkin warrior, joins the Bluebane Alliance in an effort to free the slaves of the Red Sands, but starts to doubt the motives of his superiors. You can read it…
sproutingnonsense.com
November 9, 2025 at 9:02 PM