What is Smallscale?

Smallscale is a story about bugs. Specifically about a race of tiny, fairy-like bug folk known as the Miinu who live in secret pint sized villages away from human society.The protagonist, Symon Cantillo is a meek, down on his luck salesman who finds a cursed object that transforms him into a tiny humanoid insect. He goes on a journey to find a cure all the while meeting more of the mysterious Miinu and adapting to their lifestyle and culture.

What Are Miinu?^{Miinu are are are a race of bug like humanoid creatures. They are incredibly small, fairy-like creatures standing at 5-6 cm tall on average and they live in small villages hidden away from human society. Some call them borrowers as they are known to steal small human items to use for themselves.}^{Every miinu has a 'bug kin' which refers to a real world insect/arthropod species their genetics represent. This is not the same as 'being' the insect and they live alongside wild insects.}^{Miinu are intelligent creatures with human-like societies and human-like minds.}
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Culture
^{Miinu have their own culture which is similar to ours in many ways, but also very different in many ways. Miinu live as such a small size and have a different anatomical structure as humans, which limits what they can do compared to us, but also opens new opportinities, such as cities designed with flight in mind.}^{Miinu have their own currency, their own language, their own schooling system, and more.}^{You can read more about it here.}

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FAQ

FAQ

What is a Bug-Kin?
^{Bug-kin refers to the insect whom the miinu genetically resembles. It effects their body shape, coloration and other traits. For example, a wasp miinu will have a stinger, and or a mosquito Miinu will crave blood.}
Do they have an exoskeleton?
^{Miinu don't have an exoskeleton like bugs. They have bones like humans, and a thick leathery layer of segmented skin.}
How do I tell males and females apart?
^{You can't at first glance. They have very little sexual dimorphism outside of those from their bug-kin. Their genitalia are hidden and they lack breasts.}
Do they give birth or lay eggs?
^{They lay eggs.}
Why does ___ character look so different than the others?
^{Sometimes bug-kin can cause abnormal physical traits that aren't common among other miinu.}
What do they eat?
^{They are all omnivores, but have a preference for their 'kins' diet. They typically don't eat each other as cannibalism is taboo.}
How do they grow up?
^{They are born looking similar to the grub/nymph version of their bug kin, and undergo metamorphosis at around 16 years old.}
How long do they live?
^{They live for roughly the same amount of time humans do, usually having a life span of around 80 years.}
Do they interact with other insects?
^{Yes, they regularly interact with wild insects, often using them as food, or domesticating them as pets.}
What Language do they Speak?
^{They speak Miinuvian, a language that uses hissing, clicks, squeaks and buzzing that is difficult for humans to replicate.}
What color is their blood?
^{Miinu blood is a golden yellowish color and made with hemolymph.}
How does ___ work at that scale.
^{Magic. This is a fantasy universe, not everything has to be realistic.}
Do miinu have magic?
^{Yes! All miinu have a small level of magical abilities. These powers often coincide with their bug kin giving them magic based on the skills and abilities of the kin.}

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A miinu's exterior.
A Miinu's Bones
A Miinu's Internal Organs
Miinu Teeth
Miinu Egg Development
The effects of Miinu blood.
A miinu baby.

Where are we?
^{Smallscale takes place in Bituin, a fictional oceanic peninsula at the southern coast of the continent of Asis.}^{It is habited by humans, like much of the rest of the world, but is is also one of the few places you can find Miinu in the world. Miinu live all over this region, but as a human you wouldn't know that, as they are very good at hiding.}^{Amongst the many human cities, there are 5 major regions of Miinu civilization.}*^{The dense forest region of The Grotto.}
*^{The prosperous urban landscape of Treasure City.}
*^{The desolate desert of Glittering Oasis.}
*^{The isolated beaches of Hidden Isle.}
*^{And the ancient ruins of Precursor Village.}
Interactive MapWhen are we?
^{Currently, it's 1929 as of the start of the story. Humanity has just recently invented things like the radio and, the global telephone and filmmaking. Automobiles are starting to become a common thing on the streets, though in Bituin, train is still the most preferred way to travel.}

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Characters

Symon Cantillo, a man who was once human, but was cursed into the form of a cicada miinu. He is a meek and emotionally repressed man who has to learn to adapt to life as a miinu.
Ves is a rogue Yellow Jacket Wasp Queen who abandoned her hive when she disagreed with the way things were run. Now she lives on her own, with a distaste for interacting with other people and some serious anger issues.
Aniso is the local mailman for his hometown, The Grotto. He is a kind soul that is always willing to help out his fellow miinu when they are in need.
Cullen is a notorious con artist and a mosquito that sells human blood for profit. He has a smooth tongue and and a way with getting what he wants from people.
Lampry is a firefly with big dreams. He owns a club for drinking and music where he performs dancing and singing, and he loves to be the center of attention.
Corona is an intelligent orchid mantis and an aspiring inventor. She is on the shy and awkward side, but always willing to share her ideas and theories.
Clementine is another human cursed into the form of a Miinu. Once a catholic priest, he went mad after his body was corrupted into an alien form.
Solen is the Fire Ant queen who was unjustly usurped from the throne and gets her revenge by running the most dangerous organized crime group in Treasure City.
Arressa is a beautiful emerald cockroach was with a dark secret. She is a cannibal who uses her looks to find victims in the form of lustful men.
Tox is an elephant mosquito and a ruthless bounty hunter and contract killer.
Comet is the Sherriff of Dusty Dugout and uses his tiny pistol to protect his village from raiders and criminals.
Rawhide is an outlaw looking to hunt Comet down as revenge for his father killing his gang.
Professor Melano is another cursed human, a once brilliant entomologist who fell into despair after his horrific transformation into a fruit fly. He keeps himself isolated in a workshop, building a strange machine.

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What is Spirit Magic?
^{In the universe of Smallscale, all living things contain cosmic energy, some see this energy as a soul while others see it as the core building blocks of life.}^{When a living thing dies, there is a chance that it'll linger on the earthly plane. This energy can effect the world around it in bizzare and unpredicable ways, and other living things can harness it.}^{Spirit magic requires two things; the remains and command runes. The remains are what binds a spirit to earth. This can be anything from fossils, bones, fur, organs, petrified wood, etc. The age, species, and intelligence of the spirit all factor into how powerful it is.}^{Species will effect specialty of the spirit. For example, a rabbit spirit is much more effective at speed or reproduction related spells. The older the remains implies the spirit is more experienced. And the intelligence of the spirit effects how well it can understand instructions.}

^{Command runes are how you instruct the spirits. The runes are rudimentary language of symbols that can be drawn on surfaces and spell circles instruct the spirits on how they should effect the world around them.}^{The challenge is that many of the sigils have been lost to type, and aspiring spirit mages must acquire them by finding old texts or trial and error.}

An example of some commonly used command runes.

The Precursor Village Fossil Stone, depicting an extinct cicada.
The Grotto Fossil Stone, depicting an ancient meganeura fossil.
Symon under the effects of the Stone Curse.

The Fossil Stones
^{The Fossil Stones are ancient insect fossils that retain the spirits of millions-year-old insects. They were used by the ancient Paruparo civilization to power the spell that created the Miinu. As a result, these powerful artifacts are now extremely important to allowing Miinu to exist and use their magic.}^{These stones are protected by special miinu known as Stone Keepers to prevent their magic from being misused. If it is, it can lead to devastating effects like The Stone Curse, or Miinu corruption.}The Stone Curse
^{A curse that protects the fossil stones from tempering but cursing the human who touches it to turn into an insect. It is a slow and painful process, but if the person is lucky, it may result in them being turned into a Miinu.}

Miinuvian Magic
^{Miinu by their nature of being created through magic, are all born with magical abilities, which are based on their bug kin. For example, a firefly may have the ability to make constructs out of light, a damselfly can slow down it's perception of time, and a mosquito can have blood magic.}^{Miinu are also capable of performing Spirit magic, however they must be careful, as messing up a spell can result in corruption. This is when a Miinu's form is mutated into something monstrous, and the lose their sense of self and identity.}

Cullen's corrupted form.
Clementine's corrupted form.

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History of the Miinu
^{Before there was the Miinu, there was an ancient civilization in Bituin known as the Paruparo. They are a people dedicated to nature and using Spirit Magic. It was their superior knowledge in this ancient art that made them a powerful race in the region, with prosperous, wealthy cities.}^{However, one day the leaders became greedy. They wanted the power to see the future and change the past. They used the volcano on their island to power their new spirit magic machine and get a glimpse into the future, but the vision they saw was that of a horrific disaster that would wipe out their people, caused by their own hubris.}^{The greatest mages of their people came together and crated a 400 mile spell circle to change their bodies into forms that could withstand the eruptions and the storms. But the spell went wrong and the Paruparo were instead transformed into small, insect creatures who instinctively burrowed to safety, or took to the skies to avoid impending doom.}^{However, when the volcano settled and the storms passed, the insects realized they had no memory of their previous existence, except for a choice few, who became the first stone keepers. These Stone Keepers lead the insects in an effort to rebuild their cities and start over. The people would dub themselves The Miinu.}^{Quickly the first colony miinu appeared. Miinu whose bodies had become queens capable of creating armies of children to work for them. These colonies used their bulk to horde resources and take over land. When they tried to also take the Fossil Stones, the Stone Keepers went to battle with them, using the stone's magic to punish the colonies for their greediness. Soon, the colonies would come to an agreement. Allowing common Miinu to live on their land in exchange for the colonies being able to reap the benefits of it.}^{Five major cities would be formed around the fossil stones, protected by both the stone keepers and the colonies. Over the years these cities would be changed and moved around, but ultimately staying close to the spell circles' original orientation.}

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