Thomas North
@thomasnorthwriter.bsky.social
Hobbyist writer of fantasy and science-fiction, surrounded by books, paintings, and vintage furniture.
Check out my website for more 👇
🌐 https://wildersteorra.net/
Check out my website for more 👇
🌐 https://wildersteorra.net/
Finished reading "The House of the Wolfings" by William Morris, after mistakenly reading its sequel, "The Roots of the Mountains" first 😅
These were interesting reads, and I'll have to re-read them more closely in the future to get a better idea what was going on📚💙
These were interesting reads, and I'll have to re-read them more closely in the future to get a better idea what was going on📚💙
January 12, 2026 at 1:45 AM
Finished reading "The House of the Wolfings" by William Morris, after mistakenly reading its sequel, "The Roots of the Mountains" first 😅
These were interesting reads, and I'll have to re-read them more closely in the future to get a better idea what was going on📚💙
These were interesting reads, and I'll have to re-read them more closely in the future to get a better idea what was going on📚💙
Today on my website I don't have a story, but the appendix to last week's story, "A Gift Too Dear." Read on to learn some local history, etymologies, and technological magic!
#fiction #writing #WriteSky #fantasy #worldbuilding
#fiction #writing #WriteSky #fantasy #worldbuilding
Appendix to “A Gift Too Dear”
Calendar Dates “A Gift Too Dear” takes place in the year 1871v of the local calendar. The planet-world Ellessé’dwell is similar to Earth, so a year of the local calendar is the same length of an Ea…
wildersteorra.net
January 11, 2026 at 5:47 PM
Today on my website I don't have a story, but the appendix to last week's story, "A Gift Too Dear." Read on to learn some local history, etymologies, and technological magic!
#fiction #writing #WriteSky #fantasy #worldbuilding
#fiction #writing #WriteSky #fantasy #worldbuilding
#JanuaryWorldbuilders Oh goodness, I hadn't thought about gestures for the Tëilachel beyond knowing that they would have them 😇. I was thinking of something like mudras from Hinduism and Buddhism, but I wanted to do more research first. Tëilachel also have tails, so they might involve those too.
#JanuaryWorldbuilders! Tell me more about your fictional society. What are some gestures or actions that are considered good etiquette? If you're writing about non-Earth societies, do they have any such actions/gestures that we don't use? Alternatively, do they have *rude* gestures?
January 11, 2026 at 2:41 PM
#JanuaryWorldbuilders Oh goodness, I hadn't thought about gestures for the Tëilachel beyond knowing that they would have them 😇. I was thinking of something like mudras from Hinduism and Buddhism, but I wanted to do more research first. Tëilachel also have tails, so they might involve those too.
#JanuaryWorldbuilders I think there are gender roles, but they're not strict. My intention (who knows what implicit biases of mine seep into the actual stories) for Tëilachelst society is to have them see these roles as templates that they're free to mix & match. [1/2]
Good day, #JanuaryWorldbuilders. This week I'm asking q's about the fictional societies in our fantasy/sci-fi worlds. If you write about many societies, pick one you think has an interesting answer, or the MC's society. How are gender roles handled in this world?
January 10, 2026 at 1:58 PM
#JanuaryWorldbuilders I think there are gender roles, but they're not strict. My intention (who knows what implicit biases of mine seep into the actual stories) for Tëilachelst society is to have them see these roles as templates that they're free to mix & match. [1/2]
#JanuaryWorldbuilders Wintreth is a dhëinar, which we can think of like college professors. Tëilachelst society is not hierarchical, and dhëinarel are respected. Curiosity is valued. [1/?]
#JanuaryWorldbuilders, tell me about your MC's (or another important character if you don't do MCs) role in society. Are they upper or lower class? What job/tasks do they do as part of this society? Are they even a member of a society?
January 10, 2026 at 12:49 AM
#JanuaryWorldbuilders Wintreth is a dhëinar, which we can think of like college professors. Tëilachelst society is not hierarchical, and dhëinarel are respected. Curiosity is valued. [1/?]
#JanuaryWorldbuilders I think social classes for the Tëilachel neatly align with their "callings" (atlachel in their tongue) that everyone structures their long lives into. But it's not very hierarchical, and it's certainly not the case that one atlach lords over another. [1/3]
Welcome to the second week of #JanuaryWorldbuilders! The theme of this one is SOCIETY. Again, relatively broad for now. We'll delve into more weeds later in the year. Today's Q: Talk about social classes. How are they handled? Do they have hierarchies? Nobles and commoners? Or is it classless?
January 9, 2026 at 1:08 AM
#JanuaryWorldbuilders I think social classes for the Tëilachel neatly align with their "callings" (atlachel in their tongue) that everyone structures their long lives into. But it's not very hierarchical, and it's certainly not the case that one atlach lords over another. [1/3]
#JanuaryWorldbuilders I'd need a whole essay beginning with the nature of creativity and the necessity of fiction to properly answer, but I'll do this instead 😊
Specifically for this world in my whole grand setting:
1) I like space magic
2) I like elves and wanted to do my own take on them
[1/3]
Specifically for this world in my whole grand setting:
1) I like space magic
2) I like elves and wanted to do my own take on them
[1/3]
Good morning #JanuaryWorldbuilders! A very broad question that I have no doubt is difficult to answer: What was YOUR beginning of worldbuilding? What was your inspiration? Your initial spark? Another work of fiction? Boredom? A powerful imagination seeking an outlet?
January 8, 2026 at 12:09 AM
#JanuaryWorldbuilders I'd need a whole essay beginning with the nature of creativity and the necessity of fiction to properly answer, but I'll do this instead 😊
Specifically for this world in my whole grand setting:
1) I like space magic
2) I like elves and wanted to do my own take on them
[1/3]
Specifically for this world in my whole grand setting:
1) I like space magic
2) I like elves and wanted to do my own take on them
[1/3]
#JanuaryWorldbuilders When Tëilachel travel, their luggage can float behind them and is bigger on the inside than the outside. Luggage (and many other things) are also decorative art. Not an important detail in the story, but it pops up a few times and a protagonist uses it in the text
#JanuaryWorldbuilders Opposite of yesterday's prompt! What's something in your worldbuilding that helps your MC (or another important character)? Do they have useful magic? A helpful critter companion? Are their clothes or weapons useful for getting around in their world?
January 7, 2026 at 12:42 AM
#JanuaryWorldbuilders When Tëilachel travel, their luggage can float behind them and is bigger on the inside than the outside. Luggage (and many other things) are also decorative art. Not an important detail in the story, but it pops up a few times and a protagonist uses it in the text
#JanuaryWorldbuilders Problem 1) A Tëilach lives for 1000 years. How does one structure their life? Solution 1) The Tëilachel structure their lives into "Callings" where they focus on something (poetry, painting, music, farming, being an athlete, etc) 🧵[1/2]
Hey there, #JanuaryWorldbuilders! We're introducing our worlds this week. Tell me about some aspect of your worldbuilding which is a problem for your characters. Is their world infested with monsters? A dystopian government? Or maybe you created a bug that bites them in their sleep?
January 6, 2026 at 12:19 AM
#JanuaryWorldbuilders Problem 1) A Tëilach lives for 1000 years. How does one structure their life? Solution 1) The Tëilachel structure their lives into "Callings" where they focus on something (poetry, painting, music, farming, being an athlete, etc) 🧵[1/2]
This week from my #ShortStory vault, a jeweler invents a magic brooch to propose to his beloved, but she rejects him. Read on to find out why!
If you like this story, please repost or share in any way you see fit 🙂
#fiction #writing #WriteSky #fantasy
If you like this story, please repost or share in any way you see fit 🙂
#fiction #writing #WriteSky #fantasy
A Gift Too Dear
At last, his great endeavor was complete. Embedded within were the thaumacores, and even with their power stilled, the blue-green hue of the gemstone, the essence of her eyes, was magnificent. With…
wildersteorra.net
January 4, 2026 at 3:41 PM
This week from my #ShortStory vault, a jeweler invents a magic brooch to propose to his beloved, but she rejects him. Read on to find out why!
If you like this story, please repost or share in any way you see fit 🙂
#fiction #writing #WriteSky #fantasy
If you like this story, please repost or share in any way you see fit 🙂
#fiction #writing #WriteSky #fantasy
#JanuaryWorldbuilders Tëilachelst corpses are terrifying to the Tëilachel because normally their bodies dissolve into motes of light upon death and their minds rejoin the Gestaltmind. So a dead body means something very wrong has happened. [1/2]
#JanuaryWorldbuilders, good morning! In the same vein as yesterday's question, what's something terrifying or scary in your world? Do you have any haunted places? Desolate, lonely places? Any site where something dreadful happened?
January 4, 2026 at 3:33 PM
#JanuaryWorldbuilders Tëilachelst corpses are terrifying to the Tëilachel because normally their bodies dissolve into motes of light upon death and their minds rejoin the Gestaltmind. So a dead body means something very wrong has happened. [1/2]
#JanuaryWorldbuilders
Speaking of trees, this is my offering of the day: ro-Thwirsëa ro-Ilsëam Godhinsëa Cor Haranel, 'the Braided Tree Garlanded with Butterflies'. It's the name of an individual tree, not a species. Short name is ro-Thirlsëam ro-Haran, 'the Butterfly tree'
Speaking of trees, this is my offering of the day: ro-Thwirsëa ro-Ilsëam Godhinsëa Cor Haranel, 'the Braided Tree Garlanded with Butterflies'. It's the name of an individual tree, not a species. Short name is ro-Thirlsëam ro-Haran, 'the Butterfly tree'
![A passage from lore documentation describing 'The Butterfly Tree' and 'The Flower Tree'. In the story, the tree appears in a flashback, an important moment for the dual protagonists.
The two trees are magical constructs in the city of [REDACTED]. Each gets a holiday where one lights up as described in the passage.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:p6kdbb6ry4of4k4v72hvh5cs/bafkreidu3ju7uiohbgvqwikjzyrug6rvklw5le5ttkk26dhtlq3xs2w7hq@jpeg)
January 3, 2026 at 5:02 PM
#JanuaryWorldbuilders
Speaking of trees, this is my offering of the day: ro-Thwirsëa ro-Ilsëam Godhinsëa Cor Haranel, 'the Braided Tree Garlanded with Butterflies'. It's the name of an individual tree, not a species. Short name is ro-Thirlsëam ro-Haran, 'the Butterfly tree'
Speaking of trees, this is my offering of the day: ro-Thwirsëa ro-Ilsëam Godhinsëa Cor Haranel, 'the Braided Tree Garlanded with Butterflies'. It's the name of an individual tree, not a species. Short name is ro-Thirlsëam ro-Haran, 'the Butterfly tree'
#JanuaryWorldbuilders It was hard for me to answer this one, since whatever doesn't end up in the text for good storytelling reasons would go into supplemental material, but I'll answer with something that would not be in the text: the long history of the Tëilachel and their spaceship [1/2]
#JanuaryWorldbuilders, good day! In worldbuilding, sometimes we get deep into figuring out how things work because we want to explain it to the reader. Today, I ask you for the opposite: what is something that you intend to leave mysterious? What doesn't get explained?
January 2, 2026 at 7:09 PM
#JanuaryWorldbuilders It was hard for me to answer this one, since whatever doesn't end up in the text for good storytelling reasons would go into supplemental material, but I'll answer with something that would not be in the text: the long history of the Tëilachel and their spaceship [1/2]
#JanuaryWorldbuilders
Hello everyone, I'm Thomas North. I've been working on what I call my "grand setting" since 2017, which is science-fantasy. Like the Cosmere or WH40k (but way less grimdark). I was inspired by the mythic feel of Tolkien's Legendarium, and I'm trying to make that scifi
Hello everyone, I'm Thomas North. I've been working on what I call my "grand setting" since 2017, which is science-fantasy. Like the Cosmere or WH40k (but way less grimdark). I was inspired by the mythic feel of Tolkien's Legendarium, and I'm trying to make that scifi
Welcome to a new year of worldbuilding! Let's kick off this year with Day 1 of #JanuaryWorldbuilders in which I ask you: tell me about yourself and the world(s) you're building. Just a general overviews. We'll get into the weeds throughout the year
January 1, 2026 at 4:44 PM
#JanuaryWorldbuilders
Hello everyone, I'm Thomas North. I've been working on what I call my "grand setting" since 2017, which is science-fantasy. Like the Cosmere or WH40k (but way less grimdark). I was inspired by the mythic feel of Tolkien's Legendarium, and I'm trying to make that scifi
Hello everyone, I'm Thomas North. I've been working on what I call my "grand setting" since 2017, which is science-fantasy. Like the Cosmere or WH40k (but way less grimdark). I was inspired by the mythic feel of Tolkien's Legendarium, and I'm trying to make that scifi
My resolution to make and eat pancakes on the first day of the year is complete 🥞
Nothing can stop me now!
Nothing can stop me now!
January 1, 2026 at 4:20 PM
My resolution to make and eat pancakes on the first day of the year is complete 🥞
Nothing can stop me now!
Nothing can stop me now!
Reposted by Thomas North
The winter spirits heard my pleas and so granted me a couple inches of snow. I got to use my newfangled snowblower 😁
December 29, 2025 at 8:58 PM
The winter spirits heard my pleas and so granted me a couple inches of snow. I got to use my newfangled snowblower 😁
The First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough is my favorite novel this year. Felt like reading A Song of Ice and Fire, but entirely historical fiction instead.
Poetry? Maybe a bit cliched, but John Keats. And to be more cliche, his Odes. They gave me the courage to write iambic pentameter!
Poetry? Maybe a bit cliched, but John Keats. And to be more cliche, his Odes. They gave me the courage to write iambic pentameter!
*Any* favorites?
What was your favorite short story this past year? Your favorite poem?
December 29, 2025 at 2:06 AM
The First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough is my favorite novel this year. Felt like reading A Song of Ice and Fire, but entirely historical fiction instead.
Poetry? Maybe a bit cliched, but John Keats. And to be more cliche, his Odes. They gave me the courage to write iambic pentameter!
Poetry? Maybe a bit cliched, but John Keats. And to be more cliche, his Odes. They gave me the courage to write iambic pentameter!
For me, this also includes writing with pencil and paper for first drafts and general thinking-things-through 📝
How a Tech-Lite Trip Turned Into a Reading Bender
"What surprised me was how much reading and writing we got through without trying."
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/t...
"What surprised me was how much reading and writing we got through without trying."
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/t...
How a Tech-Lite Trip Turned Into a Reading Bender
Put the screen down and time reappears. For writers, that really matters. Thinking needs space. Planning needs quiet. Writing needs attention. Reading needs long stretches without interruption.
darlingaxe.com
December 29, 2025 at 1:56 AM
For me, this also includes writing with pencil and paper for first drafts and general thinking-things-through 📝
The posts for the past two weeks have been pretty placeholders for stuff I can (hopefully, maybe, possibly 🤞) get published in a magazine one day.
Nonetheless, you can check out some old things I've written at my website! New post coming Jan 2nd.
#fiction #writing #ShortStory #WriteSky
Nonetheless, you can check out some old things I've written at my website! New post coming Jan 2nd.
#fiction #writing #ShortStory #WriteSky
The Wildersteorra
The fantasy & science-fiction stories of Thomas North
wildersteorra.net
December 28, 2025 at 8:13 PM
The posts for the past two weeks have been pretty placeholders for stuff I can (hopefully, maybe, possibly 🤞) get published in a magazine one day.
Nonetheless, you can check out some old things I've written at my website! New post coming Jan 2nd.
#fiction #writing #ShortStory #WriteSky
Nonetheless, you can check out some old things I've written at my website! New post coming Jan 2nd.
#fiction #writing #ShortStory #WriteSky
Sometimes I feel like I get too much pleasure from maintaining a glossary for my #worldbuilding 😅. After working on this for several years, I spent a good chunk of my Friday evening writing up the order for the annotations I have before the definition of a word. So accomplished 😌
#fantasy #scifi
#fantasy #scifi
December 20, 2025 at 3:20 AM
Sometimes I feel like I get too much pleasure from maintaining a glossary for my #worldbuilding 😅. After working on this for several years, I spent a good chunk of my Friday evening writing up the order for the annotations I have before the definition of a word. So accomplished 😌
#fantasy #scifi
#fantasy #scifi
This week from my #ShortStory vault, another story based off a painting.
If you like it, please share it any way you can!
#fiction #writing #WriteSky #art #painting #fineart #traditionalart
If you like it, please share it any way you can!
#fiction #writing #WriteSky #art #painting #fineart #traditionalart
Abbey Amongst the Oak Trees
The year was dead, the sun was set. Fourteen Brothers were chosen for the deed: six to carry the burden, eight to witness the act. Expelled were words of grief and extolled were the virtues of Man.…
wildersteorra.net
December 14, 2025 at 11:34 PM
This week from my #ShortStory vault, another story based off a painting.
If you like it, please share it any way you can!
#fiction #writing #WriteSky #art #painting #fineart #traditionalart
If you like it, please share it any way you can!
#fiction #writing #WriteSky #art #painting #fineart #traditionalart
Houses pre-WWII 🏡
Orange juice 🍊
Books 📚
Cats 🐈
Gunpla 🤖
A good walk 🚶
Bicycling 🚴
Soda 🥤
The countryside 🌄
Urbanism 🏙️
Orange juice 🍊
Books 📚
Cats 🐈
Gunpla 🤖
A good walk 🚶
Bicycling 🚴
Soda 🥤
The countryside 🌄
Urbanism 🏙️
Get to know your mutuals! List 10 random things you like:
Writing ✍️
Coffee ☕️
Moss 🌱
Ceramics 🍶
Cross stitching 🧵
Books 📚
Rainy days ☔️
Kombucha 🍵
Naps 😪
Noodles 🍜
Writing ✍️
Coffee ☕️
Moss 🌱
Ceramics 🍶
Cross stitching 🧵
Books 📚
Rainy days ☔️
Kombucha 🍵
Naps 😪
Noodles 🍜
Get to know your mutuals! List 10 random things you like 🥰
✨books
✨cats
✨watermelon
✨sushi
✨matcha
✨thunderstorms
✨mini things
✨bath & bodyworks body sprays
✨earrings
✨stardew valley
✨books
✨cats
✨watermelon
✨sushi
✨matcha
✨thunderstorms
✨mini things
✨bath & bodyworks body sprays
✨earrings
✨stardew valley
December 13, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Houses pre-WWII 🏡
Orange juice 🍊
Books 📚
Cats 🐈
Gunpla 🤖
A good walk 🚶
Bicycling 🚴
Soda 🥤
The countryside 🌄
Urbanism 🏙️
Orange juice 🍊
Books 📚
Cats 🐈
Gunpla 🤖
A good walk 🚶
Bicycling 🚴
Soda 🥤
The countryside 🌄
Urbanism 🏙️
Cites (and towns, and villages) are for people, not for cars. Any inconveniences of infrastructure and land-use that don't prioritize personal vehicles is worth it, and I will gladly pay it.
Madison is pro-people, not anti-car
Just because you want to conveniently drive without traffic doesn't make it solid policy
open.substack.com
December 13, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Cites (and towns, and villages) are for people, not for cars. Any inconveniences of infrastructure and land-use that don't prioritize personal vehicles is worth it, and I will gladly pay it.