Welcome to Hearthrin

As nearly most did when we were all little, I created my own imaginary world back in the day! It of course went by a different name back then and virtually everything about it was different (bye bye to the unicorn stables and love mansion) but in the past year or so I've been working on revisions and editing my little world to suit who I am today and my current aesthetic. Back then my world was an escape from real life and today it's where I draw my inspiration. So I thought, I wanna talk about it! 

A lot of people on Tik Tok are doing the same and share their journals detailing everything about their worlds -- culture, flora and fauna, locations, seasons, etc. And I want to do the same! I want to make a character journal though because a) I'm also putting my imaginary world in one of my stories and b) I'm on a major character journal kick. So, welcome to Hearthrin~!

Hearthrin

Throughout the past couple of months I've been upgrading Hearthrin from one continent to the world of Hearthrin with many continents within. Which are:

• Homeland -- "Homeland...speaks for itself, doesn't it? Homeland is the main hub of Hearthrin, where you will find the most businesses, interesting characters and charm. From flower shops to enchanted forests, magic academies to quaint taverns and more. Think it and you'll find it here on the Homeland."
• Aylward -- "Aylward is a sub-continent where autumn is the only season. Well, other than the snow up north, there's that too. Aylward is a much quieter civilization so if you want all of the charm and magic of the Homeland but less of the hustle and bustle, Aylward might just be the place for you. There are two kingdoms in Aylward -- Porthe and Derroch -- ruled by brother and sister pair Queen Theodrie and King Anslem Vicar, but be warned. The journey from Porthe to Derroch is entirely on foot and trailed with wonder and danger. But you will find quaint settlements such as Dewguard, Gourdwallow, Farvault and Oakenwal along the way. Deer, dragons and dungeons, oh my! Oh, and keep an eye out for the Grimsom!"

*Aylward is the setting of my upcoming NaNoWriMo novel 'Terrowins Promise' so once NaNo kicks off, I plan on making a more detailed post about Aylward*

• Bramcast -- "Bramcast is a continent made up entirely of a neighbourhood of kingdoms! Yes, Bramcast is by far the most elegant continent of Hearthrin with cobblestone streets, glistening landscaping and beautiful weather practically every day. Every six months one royal from each kingdom competes in the quest tourney for the Lucky Sceptre which bestows good luck upon the winner's kingdom. Knights are next in line to the royals here when it comes to popularity and praise, they're practically worshipped. They are honoured very highly, so much so in fact that Knight Day occurs each month to honour said knights and gift them fresh bread, handmade quilts, flowers and armour accessories. Expect four festivals per week when you visit the grand Bramcast."
• Wellspire -- "Wellspire is one giant floating chunk of land that sits high above Hearthrin's horizon line. Legends say an ancient wizard split the land to hide away from the curse he'd bestowed upon his village and brought his land to the skies. It worked. In order to access Wellspire you must pay for a ticket -- but be careful, there's only one gondola roundtrip per day so don't miss it! The people of Wellspire live in peace and harmony and tourists aren't exactly welcomed with open arms. The only season up there is winter so unless you seek cold temperatures and colder hospitality, best to leave Wellspire be."

The Homeland is the main setting of my current WIP story and consists of many sub-areas. Basically it's a smorgasbord of a few of my favourite aesthetics -- pirates, fantasy, Paris, and Hogwarts:

• Palafa Isle is my pirate settlement. It's basically a port where all of the mermaids, sea dragons and pirates hang out. It's at the tip of the Homeland so kind of isolated from the rest of the continent but...it's probably better that way. There's definitely a seedy underbelly over there.
• Ouiben Market is for the inner wanderlust in me. It's mostly inspired by European villages and Paris side streets. Not a lot goes on here, it's fairly quiet. Think elegant suburb. Ouiben is an extension of the Homeland's main hub so right in the centre of all of the action. They have a flower shop and festivals for Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day and The First Bloom and that's about it.
• Wenburrow Valley is my Hogwarts. It was very Outlander-inspired in terms of landscape but there are many train stations for 'my Hogwarts Express' the Wheelburrow Express to the two magic academies, Mothmin and Papilou. There's also a shopping district with very charming and very 👀sus👀 emporiums for wizarding goods.
• Eifa Woods is the starting point in my new story and is basically the main forest of the Homeland. Very isolated and left relatively alone for the magical creatures and flora and fauna to flourish. 
• Leofé Village is the big papa, the pièce de résistance of the Homeland, the central hub. There's a lot going on here and all of the sub-areas gather here for events and festivals. Lots of taverns and inns and tourists and kitschy hole-in-the-wall shops. And FLOATING PLANTS cause I love floating things.
• Bogshire was heavily inspired by Strange Magic, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, that type of aesthetic. It's like Eifa Woods but way more magical and way more strange. There's a tavern that's run by a centaur and mainly trolls, orcs and sprites stay there. The creatures here are kinda cranky towards humans but warm up to them in the blink of an eye.

And that's basically the gist of it! I plan on making a flora and fauna/creature guide soon but again...I want it to be a book so I have to brainstorm species names and pick my journal. I also have a Pinterest board for Hearthrin that you can find here if you'd like to check it out. I do plan on talking more about Hearthrin in future posts but for now that's it~ I love my little world.