/r/worldbuilding
For artists, writers, gamemasters, musicians, programmers, philosophers and scientists alike! The creation of new worlds and new universes has long been a key element of speculative fiction, from the fantasy works of Tolkien and Le Guin, to the science-fiction universes of Delany and Asimov, to the tabletop realm of Gygax and Barker, and beyond.
This subreddit is about sharing your worlds, discovering the creations of others, and discussing the many aspects of creating new universes.
For artists, writers, gamemasters, musicians, programmers, philosophers and scientists alike! The creation of new worlds and new universes has long been a key element of speculative fiction, from the fantasy works of Tolkien, Le Guin and Howard, to the science-fiction universes of Burroughs, Delany and Asimov, and to the tabletop realm of Gygax, Barker and Greenwood, and beyond.
This subreddit is about sharing your worlds, discovering the creations of others, and discussing the many aspects of creating new universes.
Please read our full rules. We have high standards for on-topicness, respect of other people and respect for creative effort.
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/r/worldbuilding
I furtherly apologise for my poor knowledge of terminology, English is not my first language.
I'm trying to create an Earth-like planet (basically Earth with landmass placed differently) with similar climate as Earth, but with polar areas stretching a bit further north/south, so for example down to 55° instead of 66°, while tropical/warm climates still existing though a bit narrower. What could be a possible scientific backing of this situation, given that I want to keep the inclination of the Earth's axis and geomagnetic field as they are? It'd be really nice if there is a better answer than magic.
Mine doesn’t have any, so give me some inspiration!
For the longest time, my favorite race from my world was the Konotori, sapient bird people with magical feathers. They are the core focus of Alria, the most important race.
However, my new favorite race is now the Alkari: anthropomorphic fox people with psychic powers and angel wings. The Alkari are the most magically powerful race in Alria, with the ability to fly, teleport, cast spells at will, use telepathy, and strong telekinetic abilities. They are the descendants of the godlike Celestials, who were stripped of their omnipotence after they caused a great calamity. The modern Alkari are still very strong, but they are still mortal beings.
I like the Alkari because they're somewhat alien compared to the other races. They are a very graceful and otherworldly presence. I also just really like the idea of mystical psychic fox angels, as I think it's a very unique concept.
Okay, so i've been reworking on my Ashen Lands universe (that would lead to a novel series in a perfect world) for a bit now, and this rework has recently been focused on my magic system and the magical schools where the magic is being learned in universe. To not go into much detail (I'm happy to talk about it a little bit more in the comments though!) : the magic system is based on the concept of skopos, which means every power and spells must have its own aim and target, and the source of magic in general is Dreams and Fears. One issue I'm a bit wary of facing is centering my universe too much on the magic schools I'm working on. To be more precise, I'm a bit scared of it ending up like the Harry Potter series, in the sense that the worldbuilding starts and ends with Hogwarts, with the school system explaining parts of the political system, laws, etc.
In my case, I'm even more wary of that because the story I'm working on is not directly centered on those magic schools. In fact, though some of my characters start in those schools, the story is not about their time at the school, since they are the equivalent of "postgraduates", sort of. I very much want the story to end up focusing on political machinations, and how it impacts people in general, so at some point, these students should be out of school.
So, TDLR : what I want is recommendations on to branch out your worldbuilding on one concept (the magic system and the magical schools explaining it), and not have this concept being the universe and story's core. Any advice on that? Tysm in advance and if you have any questions about my world please let me know!
In the world of Avasar, two influential races have made themselves known on the twin continents, the Towering Horned giants, the Orcs, and the lithe and beautiful Elves.
Orcs are known for their great height, their horns and tail, typically their skin tone comes in earthy colours, Brown bronze brown, reddish Rust and Forest greens, they have intense eyes, the black sclera giving them a predatory intensity. They are a very physical people, used to the cold climates of the north, they are a hardy people, known for their hot springs culture and mountaineering, they are also gifted craftsmen, particularly for weaponry and armour.
The elves are a slight race, their tallest barley reaching 5'6, they are considered a beautiful people, their androgynous forms and features making them attractive to the other races of Avasar. Their skin tones range from pale pink to dark brown, their eyes range from bright emerald and jade, to the rich reds and amethyst. They are perfect swimmers, their lithe forms allowing them to hide through the waters that surround the Green Isles, and their graceful movements have led to them having renowned dancers that dazzle all with their graceful movements.
(Cheracters depicted are the main characters Orskari and Alef)
Without some origin of life, weather its simply assumed or fully explained, your worlds are not populated. For most settings we assume that either evolution happened or they were placed there by a god.
In my setting, Chronicles of Roccoss, the origin of life is a long an complicated subject. But the first and true "Original" source of it is the Goddess of Life. A Mermaid woman with light blue skin and dark blue tail, with dark purple hear dressed in vestments of black and white decorated with gold.
In the begining her and the Goddess of death brought all things into creation. She breathed the life into all things, her very existance causing the birth of the 6 gods that followed the first two.
Eldastra her name, she was a benevolent and motherly figure. She was gentle and kind to all without picking sides. She radiates the energy of life, and creates the souls that the living need to be, the living. The souls are taken by her etherial wisps and given to the newborn when they draw their first breath.
As a Goddess she is worshipped commonly by the Temple of Life and Death, a sacred order of healers and grave keepers. The monks of life in this temple are known as healing monks, who travel to Heal and help any injured or suffering from ailment.
In a few legends she is said to have saved people from the brink of death when their time had not yet come by breathing new life into their lungs. Though she is infamously known for the tale of Tyr the Nightmare Slayer, an orphaned orki she had raised from a baby and sent him unto the world to fight against the nightmare beasts.
Who or What is the origin of life in your setting?
Hi! I want to avoid advertising too heavily for this, but I thought that this opportunity is something that I really felt I should share with all of you that are interested in Worldbuilding!
I thought I'd poke around for interest here for the new Medieval Fantasy, RP/Worldbuilding/Geopolitics Modded Minecraft server we're launching, Beasthunters: Reborn!
It's almost like a massive, collaborative D&D game, where you can create a character and tell your own stories!
In Beasthunters, Players are able to quite literally write the history of this world. Do you want to create a large and powerful empire? Settle down and create an Inn? Become the most skilled craftsman in the history of the server? Delve into the study of the Arcane? All those options are yours to make.
It's been in development for the past month or so and we're currently in the process of accepting applications for new players! At the moment we have 104 members in the Discord alone! We're looking for Builders, Roleplayers, D&D and Fantasy enthusiasts, and anyone who's interested in worldbuilding!
Beasthunters is set in a cold, northern continent currently known as The Northern Lands, Inhabited by many different unique races designed specifically for it, ranging from the stout, hardy Dwemfolk, to the mysterious Moor Fae, to the large and powerful Trow. In total, we've designed 8 races, many unique to this
setting.
Beasthunters includes a multitude of options for character creation, and we have systems within the discord server and applications to help anyone to create a character that fits into the setting. We also have easy-to-use systems set up so that anyone can create a wiki-esque page for their characters, factions, religions, and more!
We've also put together a fantastic modlist for the server (For those that may be familiar with Modded Minecraft)!
We have some classics; Tinker's Construct for Alloying and Smelting, Create (Heavily Modified, with Automation Removed) for Processing and Contraptions , Ice & Fire for Powerful, Elemental Dragons, MCA Reborn for in-depth Villagers and Town-building, and Epic Knights (Plus some addons) for a HUGE variety of Medieval Armours and Weaponry.
However, we also have some mods to engage you in this world even more, ones which you might not have heard of; Spelunkery for a complete overhaul to Ores and Mining, Useless Reptiles for a variety of new, smaller Dragons, Malum for an in-depth and varied Magic system, Let's Do Vinery, Brewery, and Meadow for All your Alcohol and Rustic Cooking applications, and Figura for enhanced character customization!
Of course we have SO much more content than just the key things listed. We have furnitures, foods, hundreds of new building blocks, new game mechanics, QoL overhauls, and so much more. With this pack there's pretty much no medieval fantasy elements left unrepresented. Not to mention, with the server set to run on Fabric 1.20.1, the performance is fantastic. In testing, average framerates could be as high as 600fps, and memory requirements as low as 8gb (which is pretty small for a modern modpack!) Not to mention, we've made sure it's simple for anyone to set up the pack!
In regards to the Geopol elements of the server, we do have a fair few rules and systems such as claims in place to avoid anarchy and ensure that people can build out the world's lore and history without constantly worrying about losing their hard work. For example, Wars must be agreed upon by both parties involved, meaning that conflict will always be for maximal roleplay potential, and all players involved can be satisfied with the ordeal.
Just be aware before joining, we do have a somewhat in-depth application process. It only takes 5 minutes or so, where you'll tell us some basic information, tell us what interests you about the server, and create a character for you to play if you're accepted!
We also work very hard to filter out people that could cause issues in our community. We have a large playerbase of Queer People, Trans People, Women, and People from Diverse Cultures around the world, so we do NOT tolerate any forms of bigotry.
If any of this interests you, then Join the Discord and Fill out your Application!
Join Beasthunters Today!
https://discord.gg/gEau7ZJkaa
So i want some opinions on this idea I’ve had for the world I’ve worked on.
So I have this idea for a story set on a fantasy world (i cant really tell what the tone is since it sometimes shifts here and there). So in the world theres a abundance of gods, all ranging from the usual ones you can think of to some really specific ones, originally before the world was created only 4 gods existed and they were fire, earth, water and air. All were just floating around in what basically was a blank canvas of the world, until out of nowhere 4 other things popped up they seemed to be almost identical to each other, so in turn… they murdered each other, which ended up with them replacing the original 4 gods, which in turn caused a massive explosion which in turn created the world and all that.
And as the world is created, more gods appear, weather of different elements or subjects, etc. And every so 100 years a sort of event happens where people, animals, etc. Are chosen to have a chance to replace a god, usually it is chosen for them, but it doesn’t sentence a god to death but more sets up a duel between these two if the ‘chosen one’ chooses to try to replace said god. But there are exceptions and ways that these gods or people to refuse the offer, weather it is by the god having a child with usually another god, the ‘chosen one’ simply refusing it, the god killing them or the god offering them a sort of power or offer in exchange for them becoming a follower or partner or whatever (or just giving them something in exchange of them pissing off.).
There are also some other ways that people can replace a god which is usually one of two things, the first one is simply killing a different god which was not offered to them, it really doesn’t have any effects but usually can cause some problems with ‘fate’ (whole other topic in the story.).
The other way one can replace or become a god is through a ritual, which involves different steps and stages depending what god they choose to replace or become. But if the ritual goes wrong, the situation can become dire in which it can turn them into what basically is a amalgamation of what they wanted to become, its still is powerful in its own right but it’s pathetic considering the power they originally sought after, as well as affecting the terrain and environment around them due to there now uncontrollable being they become (this was inspired by bloodborne and lovecraft since the way these ‘false gods’ appear is heavily inspired by lovecraftian beings and such.
Thank you for taking your time reading this and thank you for sharing any of your thoughts and feedback in advance, this is my first post in this subreddit so i hope i can get some good advice from y’all.
From a star system equidistant between JADES-GS-z14-0 and IC 1101 this star system was a triple singularitie system two of witch had an accretion disk of a perfect sRGB(148,177,255) and the other an accretion disk of a brilliant #FF00FF This system was discovered by the esteemed Dr. Kiichirō Kiyotsugu of the Institute of Science Tokyo on the 1/10/2069 who dubbed the system "吉祥天の顔" named for it's beauty using the satellite mounted deep space telescope "アメノウズメと八幡の踊り" built in the year 2036
This star system had 9 planets upon discovery but it was later discovered to have 10 as there was a hidden gas giant in the centre of the system with a radius 608.7 times that of ROXs 42 Bb and an estimated Mass of 12,032.6 times that of ROXs 42 Bb Due to a scan done by a long distance research expedition via drone (with interference from the three rings containing mostly nickel copper sodium plutonium ozmium and uranium) the atmosphere is approximately 20% chlorine 2.7% carbon dioxide 33.3% carbon monoxide 20% oxygen 5% argon and 15% arsenic with trace amounts of ozmium and tungsten
The other planets of the 吉祥天の顔 system including 3 Ice giant worlds (for more information click here) 3 Molten worlds (more information click here) and 3 dwarf earth analogues (additional information here) resources show that the dwarf earth analogues used to be one celestial body
(This is set in the slight future of humanity meaning we can see further into the silent sea of stars UwU)
What do you guys think?
I'm in general a big fan of "weird" settings. A tree floating in space, with its roots being so eldritch and ancient even time flows differently closer to the roots. An infinite building with no concept of "outside". A planet pendulum, swinging around the sun on a thread. A network of small planetoids each with its own gravity where you can just jump from one to another. Or, well, just Discworld. Basically, anything that makes you confused about how does this world even exist in the first place.
And then there's a step further, from just weird, to outright nonsensical. I've been thinking about the game OFF, and it's five elements. Smoke, obtained by mining, for everyone to breathe. Metal, obtained from cow carcasses, used to create tools and ground people walk on. Plastic, obtained by postal service, used to create lakes and oceans. Meat, obtained from meat fountains, for eating. >!Sugar, obtained by burning people, is a drug.!< I feel this is beyond of your general "funnily shaped world"
So, I'm curious, what is your opinion on either of those? It just takes things that are usually important in regular worldbuilding and then throws it away with "Who cares, we can make up our own physics to handwave it". How does one make it work, without completely destroying any suspension of disbelief? Is there a line when it's too much? And how does one come up with compelling weird/nonsensical worlds?
I am an absolute beginner in writing. I wish to writing sci-fi, fantasy stuff. Where should I start? I mean I don't even know the basics. Is there any course or something that I could take ? Guys please help me
I feel like some ideas I've come up with may not mix the two as well as I'd initially hoped. Many of the ideas feel like they come from one or the other placed next to each other, like an iron age city and then the electricity and trams are painted on a separate layer on top. Keeping in mind 40s like technology (with exceptions like jet engines which don't exist and batteries which advanced faster) in the wealthy areas, what are some ideas that can effectively show the mix of bronze/iron age and modern while showing the somewhat ancient way of thinking and lifestyle present in the users of the newer technology? Is this confusing?
Tldr: what strange professions and jobs exist as a result of unique aspects of your verse?
So it occurred to me that in My post-apocalyptic setting, which takes place centuries after the collapse of the Old world, basic arithmetic and things like being able to read and write efficiently and neatly would become rare skills. Sure You need your frontier gunsmiths and mechanics but you also need someone who can actually calculate how much food we have and how long it will last us.
As a result: occupations that no longer exist would have to re-emerge and certain niche occupations would arise. So I started writing a short story about someone who is a computer that is to say they do math for an office in the frontier regions that don't have ready Access to things like scavenged calculators were effective digital computers. Sure their issued a scavenge calculator someone found for them, but being able to understand the functions on it is a skill set in and of itself.
Anyway, tell me about the cool and weird occupations that exist in your world
Last week I made a flowchart for people struggling to create their own governments. I tried making a chart for state structures as well, but I think this one was a bit too complex for and whatever I tried the design was a bit ugly. So I decided to make one that's both easy to read and useful for worldbuilders: one that focuses on creating realistic ideologies (and by extension political parties). In real life I'm an academic working on ideologies, so this one's close to heart.
The idea is that I give four 'pillars' of ideology to keep in mind when worldbuilding a realistic ideology. I put the pillars in a deliberate order. The pillar(s) on the left is always more important than the one(s) to the right. In the comments I'll give some examples my own ideologies. This is **very important**, because I've noticed that a lot of worldbuilders actually apply these pillars in a reversed order. I'll give some more information on the pillars, as the chart is mostly intended to be a short reminder of what to keep in mind.
In order for ideologies to be established, first you need some **Necessary Preconditions**. First, there has to be *durable political conflict*. The best example of this would be a parliament, royal court or city assembly. However, this can also be something less obvious, like a daily ritual in which you decide to sacrifice an inhabitant of a town. The important thing is that it has to involve people fighting over what decisions to make and that this fight isn't a one of thing (then you get politics). Second, you'll need a *network of information*. A functioning postal service, newspapers, a good way of delivering letters, the internet or holograms. This is important, so that the participants in the political body don't vote in a vacuum. They need to be able to communicate and negotiate with each other. Finally, it's important that they have *believable avenues of change*. If something can't be changed, it won't be a durable object for political conflict. If you lack any of these, it's highly unlikely an ideology will arrive.
Once all conditions are in place, an ideology will arise from durable **Coalitions**. Basically, in a context where there is a durable political conflict over changeable outcomes in which people can communicate with each other - over time there will come to be certain groups of people acting together. It's important to keep in mind that these groups are never (!) homogonous. First, the group will have various *leaders*, people who for one reason or another steer the group in a certain direction. To give depth to your world, remember that not all leaders have to have a similar role. Some leaders can be politicians, others can be priests, warriors or writers. As long as they think of themselves of steering towards a shared goal. Second, the group will necessarily be more popular amongst some *demographics*. People from a similar region, a similar economic bakground or who share some other identity. Finally, there will also be *factions* in the group based on different tactics or differences in how radical they are. These are ideologies within the ideology. It's important to consequer how far such a faction can drift away from orthodoxy without it being considered something new.
First and foremost this group will show itself in its daily activities. This is in a sense the **Project** of the ideology. How does the group organise itself on a *daily basis*? Do they have regular meetings? Read the same books? Go to rallies? Talk in private or in secret? What are the goals of the group in the *short and long term*? Maybe they want a revolution against a corrupt king or laissez faire trade, but in the meantime they are also happy to work towards freeing some prisoners or having new trade agreements? The less short term goals they have, the more 'radical' they will be. How do they want to achieve these goals? Through the system, violence, corruption, religion,...? Often more important than their own goals, is their *opposition* to someone or something else.
Finally this results in the **Narrative** of the ideology. This is often the thing most worldbuilders start with, but that leads to distorted ideologies. Basically, the discourse and theories of an ideology are the things that come last and is most maleable in the formation of a group. The Coalition of an ideology is often waaaay more durable than the presumed object of their collaboration. The thing that's often seen as the *ideology proper* is the set of theories, arguments, books and pamphlets that the members of the group use to express their faith. However, these tend to come and go. They give direction and meaning to the group, but can be changed. Furthermore, their beliefs are often not consistent and not all aspects of the belief are shared by all members. As important as the theories of the ideology is its *discourse*. This can be seen as the 'form' in which the 'content' of the theories is told. Things like words that are often used, symbols, shared songs and references. A conservative will use words like 'order, pride and loyalty,' they will listen to patriotic songs, greet the flag and so on. Socialists will use words like 'freedom, justice and revolution,' they will listen to songs of revolt and have their own symbols (the fist, the rose,...).
I hope this helps! Looking forward to hearing about the ideologies in your world.
what online platforms or apps would you recommend?
I have been planning a scifi series for a few years and have finally gotten around to writing it. I just finished the first chapter of the first book and i would like a way to be able to get feedback. my first thought was to just post the chapter but i'm not sure if i can do that here.
so i thought i would just ask for free publishing platforms since i will be needing one eventually.
I'm making a religion in a nuclear post-apocalyptic world that was once a Christian cult, but now worships radiation and the Apocalypse as the "First Rapture", with the belief of a coming "Second Rapture" for the redeemed. They believe that radiation is the energy left behind when Heaven "touched" Earth, and materials like uranium, plutonium, and radium are shards of Heaven left behind from the Rapture. Radiation, while damaging to the sinful body, cleanses the immortal soul of sin. They liken radiation sickness to the suffering of Christ the Reactor on the holy cross, and accept it as martyrdom.
Right now, I'm looking to make a minor pantheon of pre-Rapture saints - historical people completely misunderstood and revised to be central figures of the faith. I have saints like Father Einstein, Curie the Radiant, and Oppenheimer the Destroyer. I'm looking for other figures, but I'm not terribly well-read on nuclear physics or radiation, so I'd appreciate some help.
First and foremost this is my first ever story (fun fact this is a salvaged story from when I was like 11) so it might be very basic but hey, gotta start somewhere! The name of my story is : Until Then
The story of Until then, follows a young girl named Ophelia who is searching for her lost parents,due to a war that devastated the land and forced civilisations to take shelter within fortified cities called Metroplexes. Her only guide, a teddy bear left by her mother. Unbeknownst to her, she is one of seven Reclaimers connected to a doomsday prophecy involving an ancient ruler known far and wide as the Witch of Sin. This powerful sorceress, defeated long ago, cursed seven girls to become her vessels, planning to possess the strongest to reclaim her throne and power.
These societies are protected by Risk Runners, brave Survivors who wield unique powers called Signatures, gained through near-death experiences. They defend the city’s outskirts from entities named Ruptures; rogue bio-mechanical weapons from the war who turned against their makers and a fanatical cult called The Children of the End, who seek the witch’s return by any means necessary.
Ophelia's unique cursed markings makes her a target of the Central Government, which controls the sprawling Metroplexes and hunts down anyone who is presumed to be linked to the witch. To evade their relentless pursuit, she allies herself with a rebel Risk Runner team known as the “Disavowed Nobles”. This team is dedicated to dismantling both the mysterious cult orchestrating the Ruptures and the systemic chaos perpetuated by the government. The Nobles accuse the Central Government of manipulating Risk Runner factions, pitting them against each other for power and profit.
Believing that Ophelia holds the key to ending this cycle of conflict, they strike a deal: they will help her uncover the truth about her parents if she joins their cause. Driven by the promise of answers and a chance to stop the endless conflicts, Ophelia agrees to fight alongside them, embarking on a perilous journey to challenge both the cult and the oppressive regime.
So what do you think ?
Have a great day btw :)
I'm talking about the "average supersoldier" type human. Stronger, faster, smarter, "better" (no not you, homelander), just physical enhancements. Like Captain America, or John Masterchief.
My clan of superhumans are a tribe of mountainfolk and they live off the hunt (regular humans are on the menu).
As for physique, they have more durable skin that grows into keratinous plates as they grow older, and have a thin layer of brown fat tissue around their muscles to stay warm. The caloric intake is of course significantly higher comparef to baseline humans. And though they aren't magically gifted, their consumption of human flesh from magical bloodlines mimics bloodrites enough for them to gain a basic awareness of the lifeforce around them.
So what are your superhumans like?
What's the equivalent of, say, the flat earthers?
I've had an ongoing world building project that I've been working on in the background for a while now. I've taken to calling it "Astralis".
Astralis has been my baby ever since I was like twelve. I'm twenty.
It's gotten hard to keep track of my ideas, so I decided I'm just not going to. I'm tearing it down to the foundation and building it back up.
"Kill your Darlings" is now how I'm going about rebuilding this whole project. If something isn't working or it's not sparking my delight in story telling I'm just not going to do it.
The project became daunting. Trying to balance everything and reckon with a younger me's want of realism and current me's drive for whimsy. I was always scared if things in my world didn't have a solid scientific backing I just shouldn't include it out of fear of some future audience taking issue with it being "Unrealistic". I'm making a superhero/magical girl fantasy series it does not need to be realistic. Magic needed to be reasonable and it just wasn't fun for me.
So everything is back to square one. I cut down on magical elements from 32 to 24, which makes 8 god characters I hadn't made obsolete and less existent then they were before. That also means I have less characters to fill out some of the roles in universe. A subtraction of 8 trickled out into so much more freedom somehow. Everything is just less daunting.
Kill your Darlings. Seriously. If you feel that something isn't working just get rid of it. Trust. You can always bring it back.
The general gist of my idea is that there was a virus that impacted 80% of food. Mostly meat, dairy, etc. I would say this causes a domino effect with shortages but also causing riots, death and the economy falling. My story sets place 3 years after the virus hit initially. One aspect is that the virus only affects dead animals and doesn’t automatically appear until 45 minutes after the animal is dead. The story POV is from these animals as they have to fight in a battle royal against each other made by a strange ominous person. But with humans being desperate comes desperate measures, i.e dogs being hunted and such. There is a small faction of humans that run a sanctuary for animals and plants. Im also thinking of a faction of mutated humans that want to achieve full on destruction of the world.