As it says, how do you handle your dragons and your dragonfolk? Are your dragons sapient like the dragonfolk or not? Are they worshipped or reviled by the dragonfolk? Do the dragons play an active role in dragonfolk society, or are they distant from them? How are the dragonfolk even created - Natural born species, dragon hybrids, artificially created, etc.?

For you worldbuilders, do your world have its own unique language? If they did, what does it look like? Also, how do one create their own language?

Think of Brave New World or any futuristic world that essentially turns you into mindless idiots for the second one, and for the first one, book burners, or any dystopia that doesn't want you to learn anything outside their little world.

Either die because you don't conform to the status quo, or simply just wither away in eternal comfort without any incentive whatsoever.

Something like that.

While designing a city for my campaign, I had a problem where every single one of them I built were kind of the same.

They had different terrains, points of interest and cultures, but the whole lacked the beating heart of a bustling city that grew with population growth. Then I realized something many fantasy cartographers run into: We are unintentionally designing modern cities in medieval settings.

I am mainly focusing on larger cities that have a long and rich history in a pre-renaissance setting.

Let me show you an example of a scrapped map of mine:

https://preview.redd.it/mq44six4c4wc1.jpg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=df58a39937f25ede494f483e5f513ffc6f22ed11

This map contains a main road that connects to streets and cul-de-sacs. The road logically snakes through the city, allowing efficient commerce from the lower parts to the highest point.

Houses are laid along the streets, they have immediate access to the larger roads so every person can in theory own a cart and have it parked in front of their residence / commercial building. How else would the bakery get their many many pounds of flour from the mill?

Now lets look at a real life modern example:

Overview of Prague via Google Earth

See the resemblance?

Despite the straighter roads and precise building placements the two pictures exude the same feeling of modernism.

It is easy to think of a Middle Age city as our own, except with cobble roads and pastel-walled houses. We are the same people after all, we all get groceries, go to the bar and get our hairs trimmed just like people from back in the day.

The thing is we all lived our lives in modern times, with roads precisely engineered for car traffic. The roads are straight and have very large curves. The houses are built in blocks that are mass produced by companies. Franchises infest the cities. Plots of land are sliced evenly and sold, even if you want to stand out from the sameness there are mountains of regulations you must abide by.

That's not to say modern cities are not nice. The point here is the different, more personal feel of medieval cities is lost when you make wide, straight, clean roads to allow masses of traffic to flow through when it was never needed.

Veduta della Catena

Here we have the beautiful depiction of Florence in the 15th century. An awesome example of how different infrastructure looked before the renaissance.

The streets are narrow, you're almost unable to discern where the roads begin and end. Yet this was the reality back in the day. A maze of streets, roads and alleys. Some as narrow as a single person. Unless you lived in this city, it was extremely easy to get lost.

Making a map from a top-down view wouldn't even help because of its labyrinthine nature. You would essentially have to draw a map from your location to the grocery store to be able to get back.

Roads are not the only thing that are smaller, but the buildings too.

Large buildings were mainly used as gathering halls.

Most people lived in tiny personal houses with a single room and even commercial buildings were small. Not only that but craftsmen worked in solidarity and franchising didn't exist. A blacksmith could only make so many swords for the army so more blacksmiths could exist without any real competition because their capacity was met. Not only that but the blacksmith didn't need a warehouse to store all his supplies.

The bakery didn't need hundreds of pounds of flour, he could haul a couple of bags himself, or have a beast of burden help out.

A normal person didn't have to walk through the city to get necessities, and roads accounted for that. Many tiny arteries of streets fed into a single larger road that widened to the gathering place, be it a market, a church or a town square.

So next time you design a city, don't forget to:

1. Make streets narrower.
2. Make residences / commercial buildings smaller. And I mean ant-sized compared to modern houses.
3. Have it be more chaotic, every street could have a grocer and every second a cobbler.
4. Roads reflect traffic, where people gather that's where the wide roads are.
5. Don't have clear ways of getting to places, a medieval city is a maze.

TL;DR,

Make streets narrower, more chaotic and maze-like. Roads only lead to gatherings of people. Make most resident and commercial buildings tiny, this way larger ones stand out.

Do you have any tips on how to maintain your creativity?

Sometimes, I really want to continue building my world, but I'm running out of ideas. But other times, I really have a lot of ideas. It feels frustrating as I can't have control on it.

This is my first post here, though I have been here for a few times reading questions and answers, learning how to make stories etc. Also I didn't know which flair to use so I chose the closest things.

Back when I started drawing my main focus was on my 2 fictional stories, which I planned while high scool, drawing characters and all that but I also planned the story in writing. I actually drew 2 comic chapter of before it, I kinda left it for almost year now and now I am planning to come back eventually, the story I'll be focusing on for now is called Champions of Man (Title may change)

I only managed to discuss this with one person, knowing him he could be here (Hello!) but I would like more feedback and any potential ideas.

I made a summary a year ago which is this

Champions of Man

It is the year 4697, 700 years after the fall of mankind after the 4th Nephalic Invasion where the Nephalim, creatures from the darkest voids of space, destroyed all of mankind and their civilizations.

But then out of the ruins of one of the old cities that humanity built, emerged a man. He was cloaked in black and a hole in his chest. Within him is both the Nephalic Heart and a shard of the Soulsphere.

The Nephalic Heart allows him to summon and bound Champions to him and the Soulsphere holds the souls of a million innocents of mankind.

Awakening in this new era, he has taken a mission where some deemed impossible. To restore mankind, and rid the universe of the Nephalim. Quite a daunting task...

But he isn't alone as he is aided by his followers, or his Champions, in this pursuit of restoring mankind. Yet he faces many obstacles.

After the fall of mankind, the races that humanity once created thousands of years ago, The Hybrids, have now taken over the world. Yet diversity often comes with division as the Hybrids have often fought each other for dominance over what was left of human civilization. There is strife and conflict among the governments of each Hybrid races .

Even so, appeasing to any of these governments wouldn't be a good idea as neither would be happy to see mankind return. They united once to fight mankind when they were around but now they fought against each other.

There is also a movement, an insurrection as most would call it. A group by the name of The Unity Uprising has started a violent insurgency in every nation. Trying to unite by force and to overthrow the 'tyranny' of the governments.

They plan to create a great nation without racism and have all races treated equal. Though they're methods are extreme and often causes (Mostly unintentionally) innocent deaths .

Other than the world having its own civil war and uprisings, there is also a dangerous being. a Nephalim that is stuck on Earth, but this Nephalim was a Prime. Oldest and strongest of all the Nephalim. It knows mankind isn't finished yet. It sleeps now, but will awaken when the day has come for it to finish what it's kind has stared thousands of years ago.

Even with the chaotic situation, there is a group that is known to be protectors and saviours. The Watchmen is a private company that aids the victims of 'Cataclysms' (Strange phenomena where the weather becomes unpredictable and dangerous). They serve as Peacekeepers that prevents an actual war among The Hybrid governments and as protectors of the weak and helpless . They are also trying to discover the remnants of old technology of mankind, specifically technologies like medicine, agriculture, etc. To help improve the lives of others.

After The Prophet and his followers made contact with both The Unity Uprising and The Watchmen, their appearance have got the attention of many of the world's inhabitants.

He has made a deal with The Watchmen. In turn of helping them with discovering technology, and aid in dangerous mission, they would give him the technologies of the Illumina, in hopes to find a way to restore the many souls of the innocent within the shard of the Soulsphere.

This is old summary, reading it again I think I need to change some things like
- Changing some of the names
- Making the Cataclysms less of a main point.
- Make an introduction to all the races
- Change a few things regarding the Nephalic Heart and the Soulsphere shard
- Alter the description and goals for both the Uprising and The Watchmen

Any opinion, feedback, suggestion, questions would be nice.

Also, if this sounds familiar, the story is inspired by the game Arknights, but I only played it for a fair bit before my phone died. Never came back to it but the aesthetic inspired me to make this when I was a kid.

Since I've mentioned them a few times in other posts, I figured I'd share what I have on the cosmology of my setting (at the time of writing), and it's most major figures.

The Creator

As their name implies, the Creator is the unfathomably ancient being responsible for creating the universe and its realms, and is the only actual god in the setting. While commonly referred to as the Creator by the most of the world, they also have a seemingly infinite number of equally grandiose titles among the various races and civilisations of Taeva (The Almighty, The Maker, The Allfather, The Radiant One, The Infinite, The One Above All etc.). As is fitting for a being with the power to create the universe from nothing, they are considered to be truly omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent (Said to have no beginning or end, predates the creation of the universe and will continue to exist even after its eventual destruction, exists in the past, present, and every possible future simultaneously, and is aware of everything that goes on anywhere in the universe), though they prefer to focus their efforts on maintaining the universe as a whole, and allowing life within Creation to develop naturally on its own (though they are said to subtly influence events if circumstances are especially dire). In the few artistic depictions of them that exist, the Creator is typically depicted as either a blindingly bright point of light, or an androgynous humanoid silhouette surrounded by light.

The Elari

The closest thing to a pantheon in my setting. When the Creator first sculpted the universe from the formless void, they also created a number of lesser spirits from small slivers of their own divine essence (henceforth known as their "Divine Spark") to help them order the fundamental forces of Creation, and to watch over them after the universes creation was completed. These spirits are collectively known as the Elari, and while powerful in their own right, their power is limited to the domains they are tasked with safeguarding. Compared to The Creator, the Elari are closer to something between minor gods and very powerful angels (think something like Iluvatar and the Ainur from Tolkien's Silmarillion, Ahura Mazda and the Yazatas from Zoroastrianism, or, to an extent, the Titans from WoW), and essentially act as servants of their will. Since they were the first living, thinking beings to appear within Creation, the Elari are sometimes referred to by scholars as "The First Race". While they neither need nor desire worship from the mortal races, the Elari are nonetheless revered for their role in shaping Creation and for lending their guidance to the first mortals, and are willing to lend their protection and blessings to those who strive to live by their ideals. While the Elari refers to these spirits as a whole, they are further divided into two groups/tribes: the Empyreans, and the Divines (again, think the Valar/Maiar from Tolkien, the Aesir/Vanir from Norse Mythology, or the difference between the Titans and Keepers from WoW).

The Empyreans/Greater Elari (placeholder name)

The Empyreans are the first seven Elari to have been brought into being by the Creator, and the most powerful of their kind. Each Empyrean was responsible for ordering one of the seven fundamental elements of Creation (light, mortality, aether, nature, earth, wind, and water) alongside the Creator, and is now responsible for safeguarding the balance between these forces. As mortal life advanced, these Empyreans also became associated with other traits related to their elements, and came to be seen as both guardians of Creation, and exemplars of the ideals championed by the various faiths and cultures of Taeva.

• Archaiel, the Radiant Sentinel: Empyrean of light, order, and justice. Appears as a female humanoid clad entirely in ornate gold and white armour, with a white mask covering their face, white eyes, and wings and long hair made from white light. Credited with creating the Celestials (mechanical, angel-like beings) to aid her in her role as the defender of Creation, and the foremost enforcer of the Creators will, and is seen as the leader of the Empyreans.
• Khoris, the Grey Shepard: Empyrean of mortality, shadow, and transitory moments. Appears as a male humanoid clad entirely in a black, hooded robe, with a pale, featureless white mask covering their face, black eyes, a pair of butterfly wings, and long hair made from shadow. It is his duty to shepard new souls into the Mortal Realm, and to guide the souls of the deceased into the Hereafter. Is the most neutral of the Elari, Empyrean or Divine, rarely ever getting involved in matters effecting Creation, unless they disrupt the cycle of life and death.
• Xyden, the Aetherial: Empyrean of Aether, the cosmos, magic, and knowledge. Appears as a male humanoid with a body and feathered dragon wings made of Aether and starlight (effectively resembling a living window into space), with a white mask resembling a draconic, horned owl covering their face, and plates of "calcified starlight" covering most of their arms, legs, and torso. Credited with creating the Dragons, and may have had a role in the creation of the Elves. While much of his focus is directed towards ensuring the stability of the cosmic forces of Creation (including the stable flow of Aether), he also has an interest in observing the development of mortalkinds knowledge, both magical and mundane.
• Ordnir, the Mountainfather: Empyrean of earth, precious stones/metals, crafting, and diligence. Appears as a massive male humanoid made entirely of earth and stone, with magma flowing through them like blood. Often characterised as being the most stern and straightforward of the Empyrean Elari. Is credited with creating the Titans, Giants, and Dwarves.
• Virae, the Wildmother: Empyrean of nature, beasts, the seasons, and growth. Appears as a female humanoid with physical traits belonging to various plants and animals (wolf-like head, hoofed feet, large branches growing from their head in a manner similar to antlers, and a mix of fur and moss covering their body), with the ability to manifest various other traits as needed. Serves as the keeper of the Fae Realm (despite not being involved in its creation), and is credited with creating the Cernai. Among the Empyrean Elari, Virae gets along well with Khoris, due to the overlap between their domains.
• Neryn, the Tidecaller: Empyrean of water, the seas, storms, and adaptability. Appears as a female humanoid with dark grey skin, a shark-like tail for a lower body, and sleek armour covering their upper body. Despite their association with water, they are frequently described as being the most boisterous and quick-tempered of her fellows, reflecting the at times volatile oceans she watches over. Credited with granting the now extinct Sea Elves the blessing that turned them into the Merfolk.
• Ythra, the Windwalker: Empyrean of wind, travel, expression, and freedom. Appears as a female humanoid with light grey skin, and a number of avian physical traits (taloned hands and feet, a large pair of wings, and feathers covering most of their body, including a crest on their head). Is believed to have had some role in the creation of the Elves, alongside Xyden. Among the Empyrean Elari, Ythra is considered to be the most personable of her fellows.

The Divines/Lesser Elari (placeholder name)

The Divines are a group of Elari that came into being shortly after the Empyreans, effectively making them the "second generation" of their kind. While sharing a number of characteristics with the Empyreans (such as watching over and protecting a particular element/domain, and answering to the will of the Creator), there are a few notable differences that distinguish the Divines from them, particularly their origins. While the Empyreans were all made by the Creator, the Divines are more varied in their origins, with some having been made by the Empyreans themselves from pieces of their own essence, and others having been lesser divine beings (mainly Celestials) that have ascended to become Elari themselves. Additionally, the Divines are considered to be weaker than the Empyreans, often serving those whose domains overlap with their own in their mission to maintain the stability of Creation.

• Aureon, the Phoenix Lord: The Divine of heavenly fire, valour, and protection. Appears as a male humanoid phoenix with red and gold plumage, and clad in ornate armour. According to some accounts, Aureon was once a Celestial, who was ascended to the ranks of the Elari for their exemplary service. Typically serves Archaiel as their second-in-command, though they are also known to serve Ythra. Following Ayaris shattering, Aureon was also tasked with safeguarding the shard that would become Taevas sun. Additionally, Aureon is credited with creating the phoenixes (of which there are 200 in the world), who are said to serve as their eyes in the Mortal Realm (think something like Odins ravens in some depictions). Considered to the the leader of the Divines.
• Khaeyar, the Mighty: The Divine of strength, courage, and glory. Appears as a male humanoid lion with a body made of living marble and a golden mane. Is said to have begun their existence as a powerful Celestial created for the specific purpose of combating threats to Creation, before being promoted to the ranks of the Elari for their deeds during the Ordering. Often found serving alongside Aureon (who's more of a reserved soldier compared to Khaeyars boisterous warrior), though Khaeyar has been known to work alongside any other Elari, Empyrean or Divine, in order to defend Creation.
• Rheag, the Hunter: The Divine of wild beasts and hunting. Appears as a male humanoid wolf. During the Ordering of Creation, Rheag was responsible for hunting the most dangerous primordial beasts, in order to ensure the safety of the mortal races (The Cernai faction known as the Wild Hunt are said to have modelled themselves on Rheag and his role in the Ordering, due to their self-given mission of hunting dangerous monsters and beasts). Is one of the more solitary of the Divines, though they do welcome the company of Yrea and Naohr. Serves Virae.
• Yrea, the Gardener: The Divine of plants and the harvest. Appears as a female humanoid with green skin and leafy hair. Is guided by a strong desire to nurture and protect life in all of its forms, which occasionally puts her at odds with Rheag. Serves Virae.
• Ayari, the First Star: The Divine of starlight and hope. Said to have appeared as a female humanoid with a glowing, crystalline body. According to legend, Ayari was once the only star in Creation, but was grievously wounded during a confrontation in the distant past. Though she wasn't killed, Ayari was shattered into countless pieces, which were scattered across Creation to become the various crystalline stars that fill the night sky. The star the world of Taeva orbits around is believed to have once been her heart, and is named in her honour. Once served Archaiel and Xyden.
• Nyla, the Nightweaver: The Divine of the night sky and rest. Appears as a humanoid female with a body made entirely from shadow, and glowing white hair and eyes. Not much is known of her or her origins, but given her role in ordering Taevas night sky, including the stars, which only appeared after Ayaris shattering, many speculate that Nyla may have been born from a fragment of Ayaris essence. Just as Aureon is seen as a protector of the day, Nyla is seen as a guardian of the night. Serves Khoris and Xyden.
• Zephos, the Wanderer: The Divine of lightning, travel, and progress. Appears as a male humanoid hawk with silver plumage. Originally created to serve as a messenger between the Elari, becoming associated with lightning only after their ascension. Among some of the mortal races (particularly humans), they've also become associated with good (monetary) fortune and trade. The Zethyrwing Falcons, considered to be the fastest birds in Taeva, are named in their honour. Primarily serves Ythra.
• Distia, the Reveler: The Divine of rain, storytelling, music, and art. Appears as a female humanoid peacock with vibrantly coloured plumage. Is greatly fascinated with mortalkind and their creative endeavours, and is always interested in learning & recording whatever new story, song, or work of art they produce. Is credited with creating the first rainbow, in order to commemorate the completion of the Ordering. Serves Ythra.
• Dueryn, the Forgemother: The Divine of earthly fire (magma), smithing, and resilience. Appears as a female humanoid made from volcanic rock, with hair made from magma and eyes that glow with an inner fire. Said to have forged the arms & armaments of her fellow Divines, as well as inspiring certain individuals to craft the various artifacts of Taevas history. Serves Ordnir.
• Nunir, the Delver: The Divine of Taevas underground, precious stones/metals, industry, and innovation. Appears as a male humanoid made of stone and crystalline formations. Due to their ties to the "riches below the earth", they are often associated with wealth by those who work in mining and metalworking (especially the Dwarves). Among the Elari, Nunir is fascinated by mortalkinds various industrial developments, particularly in the development of Aetheric Mechanisms. Serves Ordnir.
• Naohr, the Sea Lord: The Divine of seas, ocean storms, and sea travel. Appears as a male humanoid with dark grey skin, shark-like fangs, dark blue hair, and long, fin-like ears. Like Rheag, Naohr was tasked with hunting the most dangerous primordial beasts of Taevas prehistoric waters during the Ordering, and many monster hunters throughout history have striven to live up to their example. Naohr gets along best with Rheag, due to their shared role of hunting primordial monsters during the Ordering, and Khaeyar, due to their shared enthusiasm for a good fight. Serves Neryn.
• Nyheia, the River Maiden: The Divine of rivers, rest, and healing. Appears as a female humanoid with aqua skin, teal hair, and some serpentine characteristics, including a serpent/eel-like lower half. Is considered to be the most empathetic of the Divines, a trait which has allowed them to become good friends with Yrea. Serves Neryn.
• The Twin Moons, Iya(the Umbral Moon) & Eyr (the Luminant Moon): The Divines of Taevas twin moons (which are named in their honour), secrets, knowledge, and dreams. Both appear as female humanoids with owl-like features, with Iya wearing a long robe while Eyr wears looser clothing, and both of them wearing a white owl mask. They are considered to be the most enigmatic of the Divines, with even their origins being shrouded in mystery (some say they were a single Divine that was split in two, while others claim they were always two beings). This mystery also extends to their relation to the Arcanai, Xydens equivalents to Archaiels Celestials, with some claiming that they were Arcanai who were ascended to become one of the Elari, while others claimed that the Arcanai were based on them. Believed to be connected to the origins of the Lunid Owls. Serve Xyden.

Thanks for reading what might be my longest post yet, feel free to share your comments, questions, and feedback below!

What I mean by this, what an idea that you made that was pretty original, and you felt so great about it? (Or didn't, it's ok!)

In one or my worlds, I made the entire realm inside of a whale's belly, it was kinda fun making the world an 18th-century gothic cities of survivors who built a literal civilization.

(Also, I think it's important to say that you don't need to be original when making a world, just do what makes you happy!)

For context, I have a spanish-speaking (or writing) Discord server with the main purpose to Roleplay.

In the context of this world, it is your usual fantasy world in the sense of greenskins, humans, elves, dwarves and whatnot. Since college I've been kind of being lazy about its worldbuilding, and sometimes when I had free time I'd try to make it a more logical world with much lore to discover for my players (since I am a Gamemaster), but I've found many roadblocks:

1. Sometimes the players just want to team up and kill things, not necessarily get involved in anything political, like with the evil empire that has called them to be adventurers on a new land west of the mountain ranges that had never been explored before since they were home to enormous hordes of orcs and goblins.
2. I made a lot of the server "Gamemaster-dependant" and that has cost me dearly, since people now don't roleplay, they instead wait for me or other Gamemasters (but it's just me, and it has been me for quite a long time) to present content to them. Absolutely no problem if this was D&D, but this is... a discord roleplay server, and there are plenty of channels that function as "areas" in which people can RP, and I've come to realize all of them are like this: they need a Gamemaster to do everything alongside characters; and that is

a) Exhausting, b) Unrealistic, and c) Whenever Gamemasters are busy with real life, the server dies. It doesn't pause, it dies. People stop talking in general, things slow down until it all dies down completely.

So, now my focus on making roleplaying areas as channels is this: have autonomous, semi autonomous and "manual" channels. Make the proportion of autonomous channels with the other to around 5:1. But what are autonomous channels? they are channels that work on their own, people can just come in and roleplay without the need for a Gamemaster or Narrator at all, they can just assume the things they need are there and let the atmosphere and description of the channel itself (alongside one or many pictures) gets them inspired to write alongside other people using their characters. Semi-autonomous channels are those in which this is possible, but sometimes a Gamemaster may be needed, like a training ground in which you can ask for someone to train you in a certain weapon in exchange of gold. Manual channels are those that definitely need Gamemasters or Narrators, such as channels for events (these are like, @ everyone, there are giant monsters here that need to be killed/big loot here to be had!).

The thing is, now I've discovered what "Rain shadow effect" is, and it basically says that if you have a mountain range north to south, one side is green and lush and the other is barren and dry. So, the area west of the mountains is not a desert as in dunes and total badlands for quite some terrain, it's more like semidesert with some rivers flowing from enormous mountains up in the north, then its big plateaus farther west, and then it's all dunes (with a huge river, of course based on the Nile).

The thing is, I have the general area already thought out in terms of biology and what it would look and feel like, the thing now is: what autonomous channels can I make here? In the main city that's right up in the mountain ranges I have libraries, a big observatory, a tower to practice magic, training grounds, a "festival" area in which people sell sweets at night alongside a great fire locals make daily, etc.; but in this place I have no idea what kinds of places I can do for people to just relax, walk around, do some characterization and stuff like that in.

I would just like some ideas, since right now I have zero and I usually avoid asking outright because I feel I can come up with all the ideas myself but uh, I'm dry, I've tried hehe... so, anyways, if anyone wants to help me in this pickle, I'd really appreciate it!

PD: Sorry for any typos and stuff, english is my second language.

I'm writing what is essentially a fantasy that takes place in a scifi world, so nothing thoroughly tolkienesque about it. Instead of paranatural things being explained as magical, I prefer its origin to be scientific in nature, or pseudo-scientific if i must.

There are no souls in this setting. My explanation is that the reoccurrence of selves is caused by some form of quantum revival or quantum immortality. (I hate using the word quantum, but there aren't really any other names for this theoretical occurrence.)

Am i overthinking this lamo?

Like if everyone has magic technology, what makes a sorcerers, wizards, and warlocks special. Warlocks I can explain since they gain their powers through a third party (these beings still exist in my world). My only issue are characters who have learned or born with magic. I kinda want all magic to be through technology but I don’t know if I can do that without seriously changing the rules and lore of these classes. Any suggestions?

In my sci fi setting a vast majority of vehicles are powered by hydrogen instead of oil. The main vehicles that appear are trucks, tanks and aircraft. I know that hydrogen can be burned in either a piston or turbine engine and it could also be used in electrolysis. Which would be the most practical if the tech was at a relatively mature level?

Edit: fusion reactors in this setting can only get about as small as a bedroom which is far too big for a smaller vehicle. Batteries also cannot be used despite the fact they are more energy dense they are still vulnerable to being damaged or overloaded by an energy weapon.

I'm working on a setting that takes place after a set of generation ships find new worlds, these ships aren't the shining hi-tech arcs you often see, they're relatively current in tech and assembled in somewhat of a hurry. What I've been wondering is what kind of tech would stand up to centuries in space, and what would fare poorly.

My big 3 are Dune (book series), Claymore (anime/manga), and Conan the Barbarian (original Robert E Howard stories and the first movie).

Dune for the philosophy/government purposes. I have things to say and ideas for my characters to speculate on but I'm by no means that introspective on the world's goings on as anyone else with their bases and blind spots. Also the themes of eugenics (understandably uncomfortable topic in modern consensus but not reflective of my personal beliefs) and drugs used to heighten human capabilities (at a price) are relevant.

Claymore because humans altered by Non Ham beings is so hard not to pass up. All of the Super Soldier programs in my story have some old world biological implant/link/gene that allows them to achieve human feats even those in Dune wouldn't allow like becoming a monster or setting someone on fire via concentration (pyrokinesis) or hibernate for years by altering their biology on a grand scale. But like Claymore: over dependence on this strength lessens one's humanity and mental state. Also the main Super Soldiers of the first part are predominantly women with 1/4th being men. No real reason just women have more Affinity with the plant base used to alter their Mutaegia.

Conan because I've been obsessed with Sword and Sorcery lately and sometimes, or maybe more often than not, I need a break from political intrigue and the nature of humanity's irredeemable nature and just have my heroes kill things and get some ounce of validation and joy from killing something objectively too lethal to keep alive... or not and that's where the moral dilemma arrives.

But yeah what are some of yalls and what are the works that made you want to write what you want to write?

I'm in the process of building this huge world where a bunch of my fantasy novellas will take place in. However, I do not know how to name anything!??!?!?!?

What do you guys do to name the elements in your world? And what's your process?

I am working on a fictional sci-fi storyline whereby Humanity has expanded across the galaxy and civilization has evolved into a kind of capitalistic feudalism where the corporations serve as militarized lords and the government serves as a relatively weak central power. These massive corporations are own entire cities, planets, and even star systems complete with their own privatized militaries and fleets similar to the days of the East India Company but in a sci fi setting.

The military arms of these corporations are known as Asset Protection Divisions (APDs) whose personnel range from common mall cops stopping shoplifting, to hackers doing corporate espionage, to police and law enforcement, to fully trained and outfitted soldiers, to specialized and augmented special forces. These APDs are often arranged in a tier system as follows:

Tier System

The Asset Protection Division (APD) Tier System organizes the multifaceted security apparatus of interstellar corporations into a structured hierarchy, ranging from basic security personnel to elite operatives with advanced augmentations. This system reflects not only a progression in specialization and capability but also a significant increase in the application of bioengineering and cybernetic enhancements.

Tier 1: Retail Security Personnel (mall cops)

• Role: Prevention of theft and minor disturbances within retail environments.

• Augmentation: None. Relies on standard surveillance equipment and basic security training.

Tier 2: Corporate Surveillance Operators (basic IT security professionals)

• Role: Monitoring of corporate facilities and cyberinfrastructure for unauthorized access or anomalies.

• Augmentation: None. Utilizes advanced monitoring software and surveillance technologies.

Tier 3: Event and Executive Security Guards (proper, armed security guards)

• Role: Security for corporate events and personal security for executives.

• Augmentation: None. Training in personal defense and crowd control tactics.

Tier 4: Cybersecurity and Penetration Testers (offensive hackers and upper tier Blue Team)

• Role: Defense against cyber threats, ethical hacking to identify vulnerabilities.

• Augmentation: None. Extensive knowledge in cybersecurity, ethical hacking, and digital forensics.

Tier 5: Enforcement and Recovery Agents (standard police)

• Role: Enforcement of corporate policies and recovery of assets in non-combat scenarios.

• Augmentation: None. Expertise in negotiation, legal knowledge, and non-lethal weaponry.

Tier 6: Tactical Response Units (SWAT)

• Role: Rapid response to high-risk situations within corporate territories.

• Augmentation: Basic HUD integrated into their armor and weapons systems for enhanced situational awareness.

• Equipment: Advanced personal armor, non-lethal to lethal weaponry, drones for surveillance and support.

Tier 7: Planetary Defense Forces (standard military)

• Role: Military defense for corporate-owned planets and large colonies, acting as the frontline soldiers in the security hierarchy.

• Augmentation: Basic physical enhancements for increased reflexes; HUDs tailored to their security clearance and role, providing real-time tactical data and environmental analysis.

• Equipment: Standard military gear, including armored vehicles, heavy weaponry, and defensive emplacements.

Tier 8: Special Operations and Reconnaissance (special ops)

• Role: Conducting high-risk covert operations and specialized missions requiring peak human performance.

• Augmentation: Moderate physical enhancements ensuring peak human capabilities at all times; advanced HUDs offering comprehensive battlefield intelligence.

• Equipment: Customizable weaponry, tactical exosuits for enhanced mobility and protection, specialized reconnaissance drones.

Tier 9: Interstellar Threat Assessment and Response Team (ITART) (black ops)

• Role: Addressing existential threats on a multi-system scale, requiring advanced tactical and strategic capabilities.

• Augmentation: Stronger physical enhancements than Tier 8, accelerated healing capabilities; advanced HUDs with extended functionality; personal AI akin to a strategic companion providing real-time analysis, technical support, and communication in foreign/alien languages.

• Equipment: State-of-the-art armaments and defensive systems, interstellar vehicles equipped with the latest in offensive and defensive technology.

Tier 10: Apex Command (super black ops people shouldn’t even know exist)

• Role: Neutralizing the most severe existential threats with unparalleled efficiency, the pinnacle of APD operatives.

• Augmentation: Skeletal system enhanced to be 10x stronger than that of a normal human; muscular and skin systems 5x stronger than that of a normal human; brain function augmented for 2.5x processing speed of a standard human, allowing for superior tactical analysis and decision-making; accelerated healing; personal AI for companionship and multifaceted support; highest clearance HUDs offering unprecedented access to information and battlefield analytics.

•Equipment: The apex of military technology with adaptive personal defense systems, energy-based weapons, and stealth capabilities, all integrated seamlessly with the operator’s augmented biology and AI companion.

I am working on a setting in which a large scale earth quake style event has reduced a major city (ancient Rome levels of development) to rubble. My question is, what types of food stores would a city like that have? And how long would they last before spoiling? Fantasy literature often portrays things like bread and cured meats lasting for weeks on the road but how accurate is that?

I often see people claim that disabled people don't fit into their worldbuilding, because they have eradicated all illnesses/have such advanced healing that disabled people wouldn't exist. This for one, is a huge bummer for me. I would love to see disabled people in the media I consume (I love speculative fiction) and to say that people like me are not 'lore friendly' is kinda a bummer.

Here are some reasons I think disabled people in some form or other can be included in any world:

1. Cultural reasons: In our own world, people often reject medical treatments for cultural reasons. Many people are nervous about vaccines, many people don't trust modern medicine, or cannot take certain treatment for religious reasons. Also, some people don't view their disability as something that needs to be gotten rid of. For instance, many deaf people choose not to get Cochlear Implants. Ask many neuro-divergent people if they would like a cure, and many would say no. Autism Speaks is hated for a reason.
2. Poverty: Perhaps treatments exist for every possible illness or disability, but can everyone afford it? In our world, easy to treat disabilities still exists. According to this article 1 billion+ people need glasses, but don't have them due to not being able to afford an eye exam. In the western world, poor vision is hardly considered a disability due to how easy it is to treat, yet many simply cannot afford treatment, and end up being disabled.
3. Fantastical Disabilities: Even if the following above reasons don't apply, there is no reason you cannot make disabilities/illnesses from fantastical sources. Baldurs Gate 3 does this well. While you may not see anyone with asthma or modern day illness, many of the characters suffer with conditions that are disabling. We see characters with terminal illness, chronic pain, and those who need to take the fantasy equivalent of 'medicine' to manage their condition. There are plenty of ways you can get creative with this.
4. Accommodations: This one is a bit hard to explain, but there is a theory that some/all disabilities are only disabled due to systemic barriers, derogatory attitudes, and social exclusion. For example, someone who cannot climb stairs would be considered disabled. But, would they be disabled in a world where every building was wheelchair accessible? Would someone with facial disfigurement/difference be considered disabled in a world that did not judge or exclude them? Those are some real world examples, but this can easily be applied to fantastical creatures. For instance, would a halfling struggle in a world built for human sized people? Would a mermaid or water based creature struggle to fit in on land? Would a drow struggle with their light sensitivity on the over-world? Would a centaur struggle to climb up stairs or ladders? Would a robot struggle going somewhere with lack of charging ports? You get the idea. Maybe your fantastical races are perfectly fine and functional in their own civilizations built to accommodate their needs, but struggle as soon as they leave them.

I hope this makes some of you think on different ways you can add disability representation to your own projects! If you want advise on writing disabled characters, HERE is a really good recourse!

Hello fellow worldbuilders!

i am currently starting on a scifi world that is about humans and colonization set in the year ~2156 and i am looking for people who would be interested in working on it with me. i plan on making a discord server with a small group of people who want to work together to make one world. looking for different skills (mapmaking, drawing etc)

if this sounds like maybe you want to join, or even if you just want some info about it or have any questions, send me a message or hit me up on my discord: Thmns

thanks!

First things first, I apologize fore broken english. I'm not a native speaker.

Now, this is probably more a rant than a Discussion, but here we go. The thing is that I find it difficult for epic fantasy to be Epic when there's firearms included. By this I don't mean that I hate firearms in fantasy, because I love them. The problem is that I don't think firearms mix very well with an epic fantasy story, more specifically one where the fate of the world is at stake, and I don't know WHY. I love firearms aesthetically and the mechanics behind them, and I love magic systems, either soft or hard but when it comes to a story where the fate of the world is at risk, I find that firearms feel kind of off. I tried writing stories like this and I always end up thinking that firearms feel out of place even when I worldbuild around them but I don't get WHY I feel this way. And it is frustrating because like I said, I love firearms and I would love to write a story involving battles with cannons, muskets, pistols and magic, but this feeling gets in the way. Do any of you have a similar problem or a way to solve this?

So first, the show is going to be adult animation aimed at nostalgic adults with the same content level of the Simpsons. Not super child friendly but nothing extreme like South Park would do. I don’t have an official name for it yet but let’s refer to it as “Splatwood”.

The town of Splatwood is the parody equivalent to our Hollywood. It’s where Cartoon films are made and then shipped to the human world for our entertainment via email. The humans and the toons have a contracted deal going back to history where the humans provide the Toons with resources and equipment, and in return the toons produce films, commercials, Or photography for the human world. But not every Toon makes it onto the big screen, sometimes they’re just like us. Trying to get through day to day life at a retail job.

That’s where our main character Radish Radcoon comes in. He’s a young racoon of an undefined age who dreams of becoming a cartoon film star. But he’s not quite there yet. He works at a video store called FlickBuster. I’m sure you can guess what that’s a parody of. He also goes to school when he’s not working. Aside from Radish, there’s his roommate and best friend PJ who is a beaver. He’s mischievous but also clumsy. Then there’s Pappy who is Radish’s grandfather. He’s the official caretaker of Radish and PJ after adopting PJ. Still working on that aspect of the backstory.

I imagine Splatwood being quite vibrant and silly looking while also looking like your typical human world city. I drew inspiration from the Looney Tunes universe and O-Town from Rocko’s modern life.

The toons will also be able to see internet videos from the human world, but they are forbidden from entering it. The portal location is a Splatwood government secret and also a mystery to the other toons. The other mystery is what’s inside “hammer space”. Hammer space is where a cartoon character reaches into their imaginary pocket and pulls out a random object. The dynamic is that a toon would have to push into their thigh, then that will open up a small portal where they can reach in and pull out the first object they feel. These objects will just be floating in this hammer space void waiting to be grabbed. And toons may also use this to get rid of old belongings. Kind of like a really weird good will.

So basically, Splatwood is a place where Toons live day to day with responsibilities just like us but they happen in such a slapstick style. Please let me know what your opinions are. And if this is the wrong subreddit, please redirect me!

Since I saw the opposite of this post earlier, I figured it'd be nice if we did green flags as well.

So, tell me- what are the things in worldbuilding that make you go "hell yeah this is gonna be awesome" whenever you see them?

In the project i am currently making and similar to for example the archons of genshin impact, gods are tangible, real creatures that live in the world with everyone else. They can rule over cities, towns or even nations, as it's the case with the goddess of earth and war who rules over the kingdom of earth, or the city of knowledge, that it's ruled by a council headed by a deity known as "lord of progress". As one would imagine the peoples of this world follow the deities of the nations they are from or that are universally worshiped, and if you are lucky you could even meet them in person. Such is the case for example for the goddess of life and knowledge, who occasionally will invite people that she finds exceptional to meet her in person. I want to sort of "humanize" the deities of my world the same way for example greek deities are, with flaws, quirks and desires just like ours, and include things like the fact that gods can be aware to some level that people are praying to them or asking for favor, but I don't know if in this case religion would be more like an aspect of politics than anything else, since you are worshipping a living being that is actually there, or if said worship would have some effect on the power of the deities (something I don't really plan to include, as this logic would make some deities way more powerful than i want them to be).

I'm writing a story but I hit a road block because I have no idea how to integrate adventurer guilds (AG) into my story.

Adventurer guilds seems to be a staple in DnD and anime but now that I'm worldbuilding with it, I find that AGs seem more like mercenary guilds who occasionally do odd jobs here and there. I think that adventurers are basically freelancers or sellswords.

But I'm curious about those who have AGs in their settings. What role/functions/services do they provide?

So for a project I'm working on the world has 12 true gods (plenty of false pretenders but where not talking about them) and while every culture has got they're own interpretation of the 12 there are some similarities between cultures that let scholars come to the reasonable conclusion that they're all probably the same entities.

But the thing that has me stumped is what to do for that through-line, I've thought about personality (the Kind, the Brave, the Wise, the Cruel) a sorta vauge archetype (the Lord, the Champion, the Seer, the Vagabond) or maybe one specific “domain” (Fire, Lightning, Earth, Craftsmen)

Part of the idea is that establishing this core aspect that stays the same culture-to-culture will allow me to better create the specifics of a cultural interpretation of the 12, so I'm wondering what y'all think would best serve that goal and what ideas you might have.

I was walking my dog when I had this idea, and I wanted to share.

The story takes place in a time when humans have colonized the galaxy, but due to the size of the galaxy normal transmission styles do not work long range, so some people function as messengers between main heads of the galaxy. The story would follow a person who just became a messenger and his/her shenanigans as they cross the galaxy.

I think it would be cool if the story had parallels to medieval Europe where each sector is ruled independently (nations) and in those sectors, each solar system is ruled by a family (nobles). The different political ideologies of the sectors could make for interesting pathfinding for the messengers and it could function as the story.

There could also be a group of people who ventured to the next galaxy over (The Americas) and brought back a plague which could be another main plot point.

Another cool idea is there always being fighting for Earth (conquests for Jerusalem)

Anyway, I am bad at putting all my ideas into a coherent narrative, but I think a space story inspired by medieval Europe would make for a cool story. What do you think?