To celebrate the 50th livestream on our channel,1 we’d like to give the talented members of our community an opportunity to have a more active hand in shaping the lore of the Biiraiverse. To that end, we’re holding a Biiraiverse Fanfiction Contest!
The winner will have their submission canonized as part of the history of the Biiraiverse. Additionally, we’ll produce a video in which Colin will narrate the story, and excerpts from the story will be used as translation prompts for future conlanging.
The winner will be chosen based on a community vote of all eligible entries.
Here’s the prompt:
The year is 200BP (before present). A group of merchants from the coastal Pkwak-speaking regions of Continent A make a voyage into the inland desert to obtain valuable goods to sell in their homeland. But the desert is Biirai land, and the travellers have a lot to learn. Adventure ensures.
Feel free to ask any worldbuilding clarification questions in the #biiraiverse channel in the Discord.
Logistics
Here are the details
- Maximum length: 1000 words.
- Deadline for submission: October 4, 2022, 2:00pm Eastern time.
- Content: Keep it suitable for all ages to comply with Youtube guidelines.
- Submission: Post the file to the
#fanfictionchannel in the Discord. - Licence: You agree to release the text under the Creative Commons licence CC-BY-SA (as is all Biiraiverse material).
Frequently Asked Questions
How can we name the Pkwak-speaking characters?
For help in naming characters, consult the Pan-Sakrat naming practices page.
Can we coin Biirai words and put them in a glossary at the bottom for when we use them for proper nouns and such?
Yes, that’s a great idea!
Since the contest page mentions that some passages may be translated in a livestream, could we write it all in English and then use font color to indicate what language the dialogues should be spoken in?
Another great idea!
Would going over 1000 words disqualify an entry?
If you go a bit over 1000, it’s no big deal. If it’s substantially over, we’ll just take a 1000 word subsection and record it if it wins.
What kinds of transport would there be from the Pkwak region to the Biirai region? What form would the merchants likely use?
There’s the possibility of river travel at least part of the way since we haven’t sketched out rivers yet and there very well could be some.
Native to Continent A are two animals that may be of interest:
- Pre-Pkwak *qaɲa “A mammal which gives wool and milk like an alpaca”
- Pre-Pkwak *xaŋi “A large mammal used as a beast of burden like a camel.”
By this point in history, they’d also have access to an animal from Continent E:
- Pre-Qal *nɗɯʎ “a mammal used as a beast of burden like a horse.”
Footnotes
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Albeit somewhat belatedly: stream #50 aired on August 16, 2022. ↩