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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 14h

Hello there, #OctoberWorldbuilders friends! Let's talk about the societies that live in our fictional desert settings today! What are the lives of these people like? Remember there's a day about survival coming up, so save any answers about clothing or water until then!

MonthlyWorldbuilders prompts daily feed card
#OctoberWorldbuilders
Hosted by Kira of the Wind
Week 1: Deserts
2: Does your desert have people living in it?
What is their society like? Who is their leader? What do these people believe in?
(note: Day 6's question will be focused on how they survive, so for today, focus on culture more than survival)

The background image display trees in a peaceful forest during autumn, with lots of yellows and oranges. It feels very much like October and has a serene vibe

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 16h

Ashrah is a "the only laughter I engage in is the one in the word 'slaughter'" kind of person

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 16h

The blood to mark your options is so good 😌

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 16h

That would be a great nickname! I've had people call me Kirika in the past and I loved it. Kika would be really cute and fun! 😁

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 16h

#AwesomeCharacters Oh, Grilled and Aubergine laugh... a lot. In all the ways. Sometimes genuinely, sometimes sacarstically. Sometimes maniacally (Grilled especially) 😅

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 16h

I do hang out with a lot of insomniacs 😌

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 17h

#LitHodgePodge Late reply today cuz I was BUSY AF Also, I wanted to add commentary to my image 😆 Look, I have thoughts and nuance! Anyway, my name is Erika or Kira. Call me either one, or a cute nickname if you prefer. I write epic and dark fantasy chonkers with in-depth worldbuilding.

Literary this or that
Paperback or hardcover? Hardcover, but ideally, audiobooks
Series or standalone? Series
Tears or laughs? Tears
Coffee or tea? Coffee, but I really prefer cola
Hero or villain? Villain, but I love complicated heroes
Character-driven or plot-driven? Character
Computer or pen and paper? Computer
Sweet or salty? Sweet makes me crave salt, so both!
Silence or soundtrack? Soundtrack, but for calm, quiet music.
Book mark or dog ear? Bookmark
Plotter or pantser? Plotter
Lush or minimalist? Lush
Vomit draft or slow craft? Slow
Morning or midnight? Midnight, but for vampires like me, midnight is my morning

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 17h

Oh, there is a lot of it, lmao. Depending on how open your wife is to skipping filter, someone actually came up with a handy guide to skipping it (other seasons are on the next pages) : medium.com/@oddlazdo/a-...

medium.com

A Filler-Reduced Viewing Guide to Sailor Moon, Season 1

Interested in the original Sailor Moon anime but not willing to wade through its notoriously large amount of filler? I’ve trudged through…

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 01/10/2026

I feel like yours are objectively correct lol. Even the ones I'd answer differently

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 01/10/2026

Good luck with that 😅 Tell me how it goes!

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 01/10/2026

Good morning! Welcome to a new month of worldbuilding prompts! Happy to be here and hosting #OctoberWorldbuilders! This first week is about DESERTS (that's the biome, not desserts the sweet treats, but feel free to talk about dessert today, too!) Tell me a little bit about a desert in your world👀

MonthlyWorldbuilders prompts daily feed card
#OctoberWorldbuilders
Hosted by Kira of the Wind
Week 1: Deserts
1: This week is about a desert! (not a dessert, though feel free to tell me your favorite dessert, too).
For today, just tell us the name of the desert in your fictional world and give us some general vibes. We'll get into specifics later this week!

The background image display trees in a peaceful forest during autumn, with lots of yellows and oranges. It feels very much like October and has a serene vibe

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 01/10/2026

Agreed. I think the series overall would be remembered much more fondly if it had only been one season. Maybe S2. But S3 really soured everyone on the whole thing.

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 01/10/2026

As a white person who has lived her whole life in Washington and loves salmon.... yeah, I've been clocked

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 01/10/2026

Charlie: Today, your character has taken over! Me: Today? More like every day😂

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 01/10/2026

Funnily, when I heard it was getting remade, I though "oh, I'll wait for the remake and finish it that way" But then I saw it and was like... "wait, no, I think I prefer the original." I actually like turn based! And their sprites! And their anime art faces next to their dialogue😅

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 01/10/2026

#AwesomeCharacters Bold of you to assume my characters aren't already in control of the writing process. Like, I'm only semi-joking when I say Grilled popped into my head and demanded I write the first Good Thyme Inn book instead of the third Merchants novel 🤣

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 01/10/2026

S1 was peak, then S2 started strong but got worse. I decided not to even watch S3 since everything I heard was that it wasn't worth it.

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 01/10/2026

Haha, you absolutely strike me as the kind of guy who would like the Umas. This does not surprise me at all😂

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 01/10/2026

Oh, I've got to play the Trails series some time! I started Trails in the Sky some time ago, but never finished for... reasons that are irrelevant now. I want to get back into it

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 01/10/2026

I've also been rewatching Sailor Moon with a friend group! I watched the old (shitty) English dub as a kid, then watched the Japanese version as an older teen when Youtube became a thing. Now I'm watching the newer English dub. Be prepared for some bad filler, unfortunately😅

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 01/10/2026

Haha, that's some good practice for DMing😂

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 01/10/2026

Excellent choices all around 😌 I'm so addicted to Mistria right now LOL

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 01/10/2026

Oooh, I had a great time with Bannerlord! I played it when it was a fairly new release, though. I wonder if it's been updated...

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 01/10/2026

Nice. I couldn't get into the Dresden Files, personally, but FMA is a classic. Love that one!

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 01/10/2026

Oh shit, I LOVE Psycho-Pass! I watched S1 and S2 last year while I was in the right headspace for it and had a great time. I find that with any cyberpunk/dystopian series, I HAVE to be in the right mood for it.

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 01/10/2026

I didn't realize they remade the original Half-Life! That's awesome!

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 01/10/2026

I admit, I don't actually know what any of her books are about, lol. I just know she has a lot of them since she's been writing forever

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 01/10/2026

I'm not monogamous in the least, but I would feel bad breaking up with anyone in Mistria, so I still only pursued one😭 (my queen Reina)

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 01/10/2026

Joyce Carol Oats has had... a lot of hot takes over the years. Sometimes she's calling out right wingers on their bullshit. Sometimes she's saying embarrassing shit that makes you want to smack your head against a wall.

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 01/10/2026

It works out super well for everyone, eventually (not even being sarcastic here; this relationship is the key to the whole gang winning their freedom from tyranny)

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 30/09/2026

I try to think the same way, but then feel like an idiot is I AM being mocked. Like, wow, I just played myself there

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 30/09/2026

advertise my book as such so that those people don't waste their time.

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 30/09/2026

complete with a wholesome scene with the gang being chill and hanging out. To be fair, I'd be happy calling it "just fantasy" if we lived in a world where that wouldn't disappoint readers. But for the sake of readers who very specifically do NOT want to read cozy or grimdark, I feel like I should

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 30/09/2026

I get what you're saying. I feel comfortable calling my Good Thyme Inn books "both cozy and grimdark" because they go from one extreme to the other. One of the MCs is a murderer and thinks nothing of killing someone who inconvenienced him, but then goes home and makes a delicious meal for his family

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 30/09/2026

#WIPSnips Grilled and Garlic are looking at an alchemy book when they meet an unexpected visitor. A certain woman who snuck in, invisible, and made herself visible to make a deal with the boys... (this woman is Cookie, btw. This is her introductory scene)

Welcome to the Good Thyme Inn

“We’d love to have a Shroud potion, but we need a Lost potion first. Can you make that one?”
She nodded vigorously. “Oh yes! I brewed one not long ago for myself. This part of Aloutia is a good place to brew Lost. The ingredients are plentiful here. Mm, well, except for one. I may need to scout your markets. I do not think Neuropteran shield caps grow here, though it can’t hurt to check your forest.”
Garlic swallowed frightfully. “Be careful if you go into the forest. It belongs to the baron and his guards might arrest you if they think you’re poaching his game, logging, or collecting illegal plants. Wait, the ingredient isn’t illegal, is it?”
The Homopteran leaned over the table, elbows out at sharp angles. Her arm-strings glistened in the green chandelier light above. The boys imagined she was glaring, but those huge, round compound eyes never changed. Never showed emotion.
“That’s why I use Shroud potions when I travel. Nobody must see me. I am only allowing you to see me now because I saw you poring over that alchemy book and—well, I was hoping you’d let me take a peek at it if I offered to help you.”

Cookie and Cream from the Good Thyme Inn books. This art was made by Flaremarant. Cookie is a brown-chitin-skinned insect girl. She has compound red eyes, clear membranous wings, curly orange hair, and segmented limbs. Behind her is Cream, a fluffy white cat with four big blue eyes. Cream is equipped with a harness with some ingredients and a lantern with a white light. All around them, there are mushrooms of a variety of colors and shapes. Amanitas, morels, inkcaps, polypores, etc. It's a very colorful and awesome piece.

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 30/09/2026

PREACH IT! I would even argue that a lot of fantasy should do this more often, but that might be my preference for more 'grounded' settings coming out. I... gosh, I could write so much on my thoughts about it, but I wouldn't be able to cover every inch of nuance needed.

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 30/09/2026

That message is really resonating with me right now. Thank you for posting it

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 30/09/2026

And my Good Thyme Inn book is both grimdark and cozy, flip flopping from scene to scene, but also escalating and de-escalating on a grand scale

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 30/09/2026

This is exactly the issue I have (and funnily you used the example I am using for my current wip). My books are *just* fantasy. But when I'm talking about them and trying to sell them, I gotta say more. They aren't really Dark or Epic, but they'd appeal to people who like those subgenres

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 30/09/2026

The "everything" that's gonna make that character's life difficult, I suspect 😭

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 30/09/2026

Ha! I agree with that! It's oddly fun to read, imo 😂

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 30/09/2026

Last day of #SeptemberWorldbuilders! Join me next month for more worldbuilding questions! What kind of character archetypes, tropes, or worldbuilding elements do you like to see in fantasy/sci fi media? What things, when you see them, immediately make you more interested in the story?

MonthlyWorldbuilders prompts daily feed card
#SeptemberWorldbuilders
Hosted by Kira of the Wind
Extra Days
30: What kinds of characters, tropes, worldbuilding elements, etc. do you love to see in fantasy or sci fi media?

The background image shows a pink moon on the horizon of a sandy beach. There's a single mountain in the background. The image gives off vibes of peace and serenity and a little bit of magic

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 29/09/2026

Oh yes! Hit me up with it anyway when you're finished

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