Worldbuilding & Lore

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For ease of browsing, utilize the table of contents below!

Please note I may alter some lore things over time!

Glossary

Internet-specific Lingo

Netizen

A netizen is a living being who resides within the Internet.

Leading App

Not all sectors have definitive leaders. Those who are leaders, known as “leading apps” are considered the most powerful apps in the Internet. Their job usually consists of diplomacy between Sectors, ensuring their sectors have defenses against outside attacks, crushing uprisings from within their districts, and generally portraying themselves as strong and capable leaders.

Rarer still are these leaders actually respected by their residents, with most having to maintain power through brute force.

The current Leaders in the Internet (as well as their relationships with their citizens) are:

Google of the Social Sector (Respected, Feared)
The Creative Cloud of the Creative Sector (Hated, Feared)
Amazon of the Ecommerce Sector (Respected, Feared*)
Netflix of the Media Sector (Not Respected, Feared)
Steam of the Games Sector (Respected)
Github of the Coding Sector (Controversial, Feared)
Wikipedia of the Archival Sector (Highly Respected, Feared**)

The Other Sector and Numbers Sector do not have established leading apps.

*On top of strength, alliance with Social Sector completely scares off any possible challengers

**Not due to brute force or violence, but because of the enigmatic nature of the Archival Sector as a whole

Industry Standard

To be industry standard means to be amongst the most powerful apps of a given sector. They have a reputation for winning nearly all of their battles and have control over a vast amount of land.

Web Site/Domain

A web site, or domain, is a term used for larger established locations within the internet, usually owned by an app. An example of this includes the Internet Archive or the Creative Cloud.

Web Address

A web address is the exact address of which a web site resides. Think of a home address in real life (123 Main Street). Web addresses created by more established apps/languages typically look like (https://www.google.com), while super exact locations have longer, less legible web addresses (https://www.sector.net/2/332648/213128)

To be “Owned”

When one app declares ownership over another, the other has to agree for the full benefits of ownership to take effect (this agreement does not have to come from the heart, and therefore an app can be forced or tricked into becoming owned). Upon agreement, the owner gains the ability to access and alter the appearance and code of the owned app, and the owned app is unable to harm their owner.

To be “Mergered”

When two separate netizens get mergered, they become one new being, with the combined powers and memories of the previous two. It is generally considered an act of true love. Mergered apps have gained a reputation for being extremely powerful and highly unstable. This process is irreversible.

Netizens

The types of entities that inhabit the Internet

Applications

MOBILE APPS

Mobile apps are known for their generally smaller stature and less powerful abilities. They are quite literally the most lightweight of all the apps, which usually grants them more speed and agility.

They’re stereotyped by other apps as being less intelligent, however they actually tend to think more due to their reduced strength leading to lessened hubris. They are the most common type of app.

ROOTED APPS

Rooted apps generally have a wide variety of powerful abilities. They are usually quite large in size, and are less common to come across than mobile apps.

(Note: rooted apps are just PC apps in real life, just under a new name.)

WEB APPS

Web apps are the least common of the three. They don’t have any notable difference in stature, however all web apps have the ability to gain new abilities and modify/delete pre-existing ones. This isn’t a simple process however, and is usually achieved through much practice. On top of that, web apps are believed to be much more in tune with the Internet, and therefore don't as often fall victim to its more random occurrences.

MIXED APPS

Mixed apps are exactly what they sound like. It is possible for an app to be a mixture of one or both of the other types. Typically, when an app is mixed they still have one primary type wherein their traits are strongest.

These apps aren’t exactly rare, usually being rooted+mobile mixes.

There is no completely solid way to determine what type an app is via appearance alone. The usual method most apps use is simple: rooted apps are big, mobile apps are small, and web apps don’t have the usual shape of a square. This method is very surface level and unreliable.

The only reliable method is taking a look at the app’s blood. App blood, known as binary, is black, mixed with small 1’s and 0’s running through it. The color of these numbers determines the type of the app. If an app is mobile, the numbers will be purple. If they’re rooted, it’ll be green, and blue with web apps.

Apps are considered adults once they reach 1 year of age.

Programming Languages

Also known as languages, langs, or coders (which is generally used in a derogatory manner).

Languages tend to have much more unique appearances compared to the apps, often breaking the usual mold of a rounded square or circle. The unique thing about languages is that they code their own abilities. This leads to younger languages being rather defenseless, and to experienced languages being extremely powerful.

All programming languages are born with the ability to alter the code of the apps, if said app allows them to.

Creations

Also known as creationborn (or a plethora of other names), they are netizens who were created by apps or languages.

Not to be confused with an app who created another app, creations are typically the spawn of creative apps (art/animation apps). Most creations are usually very fragile and weak, and tend to lack the higher intelligence other netizens have. However, a very skilled app or language could create extremely powerful creations with enough effort.

Some digital plant-life are also types of creations.

Internet Locations

Notable locations within the Internet

The Sectors

The internet is split into 9 major sectors:

The Creative Sector

Residents: animation, editing, art, writing apps

Highly competitive, creative/crafty

Leader: The Creative Cloud

Districts: Music, Art/animation, Literature

Allies: Media Sector, Games Sector

Enemies: N/A

Most of the unique locations/biomes were created long ago by creative apps
The Creative Sector has a reputation for housing the most competitive and battle-hungry apps in the Internet. Although being strong and fighting is generally glorified Internet-wide, some of the other sectors do roll their eyes at this constant scuffle with nothing to ever show for it (as most don’t respect the thought of a whole team, the Creative Cloud, being the leading apps of the Creative Sector—yet no one has been able to dethrone them for years)

The Social Sector

Residents: social media apps, search engines

Social butterflies, passive aggressive, pretentious

Leader: Google

Districts: Social Media, Messaging, Search

Allies: Ecommerce Sector

Enemies: Games Sector, Coding Sector

The largest Sector in the Internet.
Known for their elaborate locations and vapid thrills, this is one of the few Sectors where registered tourists are allowed.
Some of the most powerful and well-known apps in the Internet live here, such as YouTube, Discord, and Gmail.
The Social Sector has a lot of power and influence over neighboring Sectors.

The Games Sector

Residents: gaming platforms, games

Districts: (district for every major gaming genre, I ain't writing all that 😭)

Leader: Steam

Allies: Coding Sector, The Creative Cloud

Enemies: Social Sector

The Media Sector

Residents: streaming services, media hosting apps

Leader: Netflix

Allies: The Creative Cloud, The Ecommerce Sector

Enemies: N/A

The Numbers Sector

Residents: business and analytic apps

Stuck up, snobby, powerful recluses

Leader: N/A

The Ecommerce Sector

Residents: shopping apps

Leader: Amazon

Allies: Social Sector, Media Sector

Enemies: Coding Sector, Gaming Sector

Close relations with the Social Sector.

The Coding (or, Programming) Sector

Residents: programming languages

Leader: Github (formerly Fortran)

Allies: Gaming Sector

Enemies: Social Sector, Ecommerce Sector

The Other Sector

Residents: anyone

Leader: N/A

Allies: N/A

Enemies: literally everyone

A place where apps who feel like they don’t belong are welcomed with open arms. This Sector has a reputation for being weak and puny, causing most apps to turn here only as a final resort.
Because of its reputation for being small and weak, you'd think this sector would be easy pickings for territory, right? Well, every other territory-seeking sector decided the same thing. Because of this, the Other Sector is a constant warzone with apps from nearly every sector constantly stationed there to prevent any others from getting the upper hand.

The Archival (or, Memory) Sector

Residents: archival, wiki apps

Enigmatic, pacifists

Districts: The Archives, The Compendium, Memory Forest

Leader: Wikipedia

Allies: N/A

Enemies: N/A

Home to the Internet Archive, a massive structure containing the deepest knowledge of the Internet. The Wayback Machine also exists within the building.
Many only travel here if absolutely necessary, due to the dangers of the Memory Forest and the mysticism of its netizens
Unlike most apps across the Internet, the residents of the Archival Sector are pacifists and never actively engage in fights within or outside of their Sector.

Other Locations

There are 3 unique locations that exist independently of the sectors:

The Center of the Internet

Due to all apps of differing genres being unaffected by existing here, The Center of the Internet is the one location where apps from across the Internet can gather under a very, very fragile peace treaty. Internet-wide celebrations sometimes take place here.

Sectors’ Divide (or, The Frontier)

The white, glowing wasteland that divides each sector. These landscapes are vast, and slowly sap apps of their strength as they cross. One cannot survive the journey between sectors without some kind of aid (though some apps do have an increased aptitude for crossing).

The Frontiers are not all uniform in length, meaning at some locations it’ll take much less time to cross than others. This is not a reliable method for easier crossing however, as it seems that the exact length varies randomly.

The Expanse

The edge of the Internet, a black void of nothingness. Those who step into The Expanse never return.

World Quirks

The Internet does tend to get a bit quirky at night /ref

In the Internet, often things happen without reason or explanation. The apps have simply accepted this as a quirk of their world. Below are a list of these seemingly random occurrences that take place:

Netizens spawning into existence
Netizens spawning out of other netizens
Netizens changing appearances
Netizens getting sick (sometimes random, other times caused by a virus)
Netizens dying of seemingly old age (they do not usually have lifespans)
Netizens/places getting corrupted
Some apps getting sick if they leave their Sector
Landscapes randomly changing
Biomes randomly growing/shrinking in size
Non-Euclidean properties being applied to random spaces

Because of these extremely random events, some apps have turned to the belief of the Users as an explanation.

When something in the Internet is killed or destroyed, it fizzles off into 1’s and 0’s, returning to binary.

History

The basic history of the Internet

Internet Creation

In the beginning of the Internet, the Sectors and Frontiers did not exist as they do today. The sky and ground used to be completely black, and the inhabitants, little as there were, held vastly different appearances than later apps would.

HTML, CSS and Websites

In 1993, an entity known as HTML changed the landscape of the Internet forever, creating landscapes thousands of times more tangible than the black void it once was. In 1996, another entity known as CSS breathed color and life into HTML’s creations and the Internet as a whole.

Due to the work of HTML and CSS, apps and languages were able to customize and better differentiate their territories, wherein these customized territories were soon dubbed as websites and domains.

The Sectors

Not too long after the appearance of HTML and CSS, The Sectors and their divides naturally appeared. The Sectors have always been divided by The Frontiers. The apps started spawning within any of these unoccupied sectors, and as time passed, they slowly started to form their own genres. As these genres were established, apps only began spawning in the same sector as their genre (creative apps spawning in the Creative Sector, social apps spawning in the Social Sector, etc.)

Wars and Conflicts

In the earliest days of the Internet, apps would rise in power but get in way over their heads, trying to maintain control of so much territory while also trying to gain more, that they’d eventually be defeated and replaced.

As time went on though, more permanent leaders were established due to these newer apps having better strategies in maintaining their empires.

Legends

Legends shared across the Internet

The Users

Some apps believe in the “Users”, faceless and undetectable higher powers that watch over the apps and grant them power, or misfortune.

It is debated as to what exactly one should do to please the Users, but it’s generally agreed upon that being weak displeases them.

It is a disputed belief, with most apps not believing in it at all.

The Browsers

Browsers are mythical and elusive beasts that roam the Internet. Technically rooted apps, they all have the ability to get around extremely quickly, each through their own unique means. They also all have the ability to sniff out whatever they’re looking for, as long as they know what it is.

Google, leader of the Social Sector, owns a tamed browser beast named Chrome. If it weren’t for its existence, most apps would believe browsers to just be a myth, and even now most believe that Chrome is the only browser beast in existence.

Web apps seem to have a strange draw towards browsers.

if you actually read all of that I love you forever. take a gold star and my eternal gratitude ⭐

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