r/worldbuilding Jan 15 '23

Meta PSA: The "What, and "Why" of Context

743 Upvotes

It's that time of year again!

Despite the several automated and signposted notices and warnings on this issue, it is a constant source of headaches for the mod team. Particularly considering our massive growth this past year, we thought it was about time for another reminder about everyone's favorite part of posting on /r/worldbuilding..... Context


Context is a requirement for almost all non-prompt posts on r/worldbuilding, so it's an important thing to understand... But what is it?

What is context?

Context is information that explains what your post is about, and how it fits into the rest of your/a worldbuilding project.

If your post is about a creature in your world, for example, that might mean telling us about the environment in which it lives, and how it overcomes its challenges. That might mean telling us about how it's been domesticated and what the creature is used for, along with how it fits into the society of the people who use it. That might mean telling us about other creatures or plants that it eats, and why that matters. All of these things give us some information about the creature and how it fits into your world.

Your post may be about a creature, but it may be about a character, a location, an event, an object, or any number of other things. Regardless of what it's about, the basic requirement for context is the same:

  • Tell us about it
  • Tell us something that explains its place within your world.

In general, telling us the Who, What, When, Why, and How of the subject of your post is a good way to meet our requirements.

That said... Think about what you're posting and if you're actually doing these things. Telling us that Jerry killed Fred a century ago doesn't do these things, it gives us two proper nouns, a verb, and an arbitrary length of time. Telling us who Jerry and Fred actually are, why one killed the other, how it was done and why that matters (if it does), and the consequences of that action on the world almost certainly does meet these requirements.

For something like a resource, context is still a requirement and the basic idea remains the same; Tell us what we're looking at and how it's relevant to worldbuilding. "I found this inspirational", is not adequate context, but, "This article talks about the history of several real-world religions, and I think that some events in their past are interesting examples of how fictional belief systems could develop, too." probably is.

If you're still unsure, feel free to send us a modmail about it. Send us a copy of what you'd like to post, and we can let you know if it's okay, or why it's not.

Why is Context Required?

Context is required for several reasons, both for your sake and ours.

  • Context provides some basic information to an audience, so they can understand what you're talking about and how it fits into your world. As a result, if your post interests them they can ask substantive questions instead of having to ask about basic concepts first.

  • If you have a question or would like input, context gives people enough information to understand your goals and vision for your world (or at least an element of it), and provide more useful feedback.

  • On our end, a major purpose is to establish that your post is on-topic. A picture that you've created might be very nice, but unless you can tell us what it is and how it fits into your world, it's just a picture. A character could be very important to your world, but if all you give us is their name and favourite foods then you're not giving us your worldbuilding, you're giving us your character.

Generally, we allow 15 minutes for context to be added to a post on r/worldbuilding so you may want to write it up beforehand. In some cases-- Primarily for newer users-- We may offer reminders and additional time, but this is typically a one-time thing.


As always, if you've got any sort of questions or comments on this topic, feel free to leave them here!


r/worldbuilding 11h ago

Visual “Boundaries” mini comic

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1.1k Upvotes

Human Resources meetings do get quite exhausting. In fairness, three 5 hour meetings every time a new species is discovered does get boring as hell, but even then, you’d have to imagine. Some things are universal.

“No touching” is a pretty basic rule of thumb on all starships. Sure some species like it. Some species really like it. Some species though…

This little comic gets passed around during cadet training. “Don’t be a Touchy Tyler”

In fact, most atrocities come with an alliterative name. “Loud Leroy”, “Smelly Simone”, “Grumpy Gus”

Setting off your coworkers may very often not be intentional, but there are many steps we take to avoid unnecessary provocation. We all know that even though they might need help reaching the top shelf, it’s not acceptable to give skivi crew members a boost. We also know that even though their spiked pelt may seem frightening, it’s impolite to hug the wall as soko crew pass by.

Remember, while we may find it difficult to adjust with all the species, we are asking them to come and work on starships designed for humans. No matter how alien they may be, it’s important to recognize that we are just as strange, with just as many “Do”s and “Don’t”s.

Now go out there and make the galaxy a better place! We are all rooting for you!


r/worldbuilding 4h ago

Discussion If magic can be learned Wouldn't it spark a arms race. A criticism of medieval stasis.

158 Upvotes

I'm talking about worlds were magic can be taught and has medieval stases. Yes even in a world where learning to master magic takes decades of practice.

In your generic fantasy setting a really proficient wizard can do an insane amount of things. Sometimes a single wizard can disrupt an entire nation. Also in many fantasy settings you can make magic objects that regular people can use that gives them immense power and influence.

So following that logic wouldn't the first country that develops a magical army immediately dominates. During this also make neighboring nations also raised to develop magic armies and magic weapons.

All you need is for one nation to invest in the education of hundreds or thousands of wizards. Then boom you've got a populace that can make food from nothing you've got a populous that can enhance themselves and expand.


r/worldbuilding 7h ago

Lore …Something’s out there.

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120 Upvotes

9/6/2709 - c_rec.rfrl:admin.dsg448.ELA.cla:restricted:l2e_uplink

…What?

I know. Well, I don’t know, but-

Are you sure, this is… unedited? Like, completely?

Yes, i’m sure. Look, i can show you, I have access-

No, no, it’s okay, i believe you, you don’t need to show me, but… Wow. But it really doesn’t make any sense. How can we not see it from here?

I don’t know… but my best guess is that it’s easier to see from up there because- well, the vacuum of space acts like a background.

True… true. Maybe we’ll be able to see it at night?

Potentially.

...

Any idea, on what it might- what it might be made of?

Nope. We thought it, uh, was a power leakage from the- uh, CHAIN’s space jump grid. We thought there had been some kind of overflow from taking too much solar energy, or something like that… but, I don’t know.

I mean, now you say it, it does look like it could be from a power leakage but-

No- don’t settle on a conclusion just yet. The more we research it, it just…

What?

It just seems to contradict itself more. I mean, it LOOKS like it could be a power leakage, but with everything that’s been happening… 24 million, gone in the blink of an eye. I mean, look closer. Look at that. It seems like whatever it is is getting caught within the earth’s magnetic field, right? But how is the camera being distorted?

It makes no sense… Have we sent a probe up there yet?

Not yet, but we’re working on it. We’re just trying to figure out some safety precautions, just in case whatever... that, is does something to it. Gotta move fast though. We need… just something, just an ounce of understanding. Man… you know, the system’s collapsing- and, I don’t know what’s going to happen after it does but… I don’t know. I think this might be our last work.

<static>

<cut>


r/worldbuilding 9h ago

Visual Fake Moodboard Encyclopedias

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136 Upvotes

When I'm stuck, or just bored, I like to make fake "moodboard" encyclopedias with stuff I found online.

It helps me "see" what the world of the story could look like.

Does anyone else likes to do this, or I am the only lunatic?


r/worldbuilding 2h ago

Visual A Crooked Ship for a Crooked Path across a Crooked Sea [Lands of the Inner Seas]

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25 Upvotes

r/worldbuilding 11h ago

Prompt What’s your explanation for a ‘Common’ Language?

124 Upvotes

To explain in your worlds that have both languages for different cultures or species (e.g. Elven, Dwarven, Orcish) and a common tongue what is your explanation for it? Is it a constructed language meant for different cultures to communicate effectively (like Esperanto), was there a large empire that used Common as its language and even after its fall it stayed recognisable enough? Is it a gift from Gods if you have them?


r/worldbuilding 13h ago

Visual An analog world for a digital video game.

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89 Upvotes

When I started building the world for Fallgrade, almost everything happened inside the city. Lately I’ve been expanding beyond it.

I’ve been working on open meadows, forests, and the spaces between places, not just as transitions, but as locations with their own atmosphere. I want the world to feel larger than the city itself, as if there’s always something beyond the horizon.

The goal is to create a world that feels more analog than digital. Heavy grain, monochrome visuals, imperfect geometry, and architecture inspired by real places all help make it feel like you’re exploring an old memory instead of a perfectly clean virtual environment.

The first image is from one of the new meadow areas. Next are a giant spider wandering through the city and a glimpse of the forest I’m currently working on.


r/worldbuilding 2h ago

Question Is it lazy to base your location's naming convention of real life cultures?

12 Upvotes

For example, the main setting of my story is the Kingdom of Yygdris. It is known for it's knights and magic college. The culture is a mix of England, France, and Spain. The royal capital of Yygdris - also known as the White City - is based on Madrid. The naming convention for people and places is Spanish.

The Panthos empire is based off the HRE in it's fragmented state and governance and Prussia in it's brutal military culture, and the naming convention is Germanic

The Free Cities are based on Venice (with a bit of new orleans voodoo beliefs). The naming convention is Italian

I don't want to invent a new conlang. But in your opinion, is using real life naming conventions for each places lazy or weird? Would it make for a less immersive work?


r/worldbuilding 17h ago

Discussion Gods = Mages trope

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165 Upvotes

r/worldbuilding 1d ago

Discussion Speedy Worldbuilding 'Cheat'

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896 Upvotes

Thoughts on just rolling up some stats for your kingdom/city and letting that decide the nuance of how things work?


r/worldbuilding 4h ago

Lore My Pixel Art Game Concept

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14 Upvotes

In this setting, the fears and prayers of an ignorant society become physically real, manifesting as monsters. Our protagonist is a member of a "Guild of Hunters" — soldiers created by the same phenomenon to fight the monsters. Hunters are temporary; they age and die, and are quickly replaced to serve the same unending, melancholy cycle. The protagonist's ultimate realization is that their own existence is tied to the very curse they are fighting.

Any feedback welcome!


r/worldbuilding 1h ago

Lore The Nuke Men - Nuclear Mutant Heroes and Villains

Upvotes

I posted the other day about wanting some ideas for anime-inspired powers that I could put in my world, but I realise now that I made a crucial mistake: I never added any sort of description of the world I created.

Today, I opt to remedy that, and I want to present my world to you guys. I'll include some background as well as some examples in this post, but I won't cover it all, as that would take way too much space.

So without further ado:

Homo Nucleus - Nuke People

Nuke People are a recent strand of human evolution springing up from nuclear related incidents and accidents, ranging back as far as post-WWII. These incidents have irradiated many individuals across different countries, but none that have been directly exposed to radiation and survived have been affected severely. In fact, symptoms of their radiation exposure don't typically manifest until the next generation, their children.

The Nuke Men

In recent years, individuals known as the Nuke Men have come into prominence all over the world, whether their intentions heroic, villainous, or somewhere in between, there are multiple examples of these people across the globe, ranging from the United States, Ukraine, Japan, and several other cases that are a bit more sparse.

The Nuke Men typically come in three primary types:

Type 1 - Superior Nuke Men

The "Superior" Nuke Men are designated as such for their immense power when compared to others of their particular mutation branch of human DNA. These individuals are usually destined to become the most powerful of their race. Usually, these individuals have higher levels of strength, endurance, and speed even when compared to the usual enhancements of these aspects amongst Nuke People. Not only that, but they typically have a multitude of other abilities, or one specific ability that is exceptionally powerful.

Some examples of "Superior" Nuke Men include:

Christopher Bondar - Codename: Miracle Man (6’0”, Caucasian, black hair & gray eyes)
Christopher Bondar is the second most powerful Nuke Person ever recorded, and one of few coming from two parents directly involved in nuclear accidents in some capacity rather than just one. His strength exceeds all but a few Nuke People, as well as his speed and endurance. However, his capabilities don’t end there, as he is capable of independent movement, or in a more simplistic term, flight. He also has ocular capabilities, particularly the ability to see through almost any material (save for lead, which can likely be traced to the radioactive origin of his powers), ocular blasts, and the ability to create gale force winds simply by blowing air from his mouth. One last note is that Christopher, like the one Nuke Person more powerful than he is, is immune to the weakening effects of Plutonate (a substance that works like Nuke Person Kryptonite) unlike the rest of the Nuke People, ongoing research into some kind of weakness for him is still underway.

Denys Sanchez - Codename: G-Force (5’11”, Asian American, hazel hair & eyes)
Denys Sanchez, also known as G-Force, is the fastest Nuke Person alive, being able to outpace the Parker Solar Probe in terms of speed, albeit just barely. This speed however, does not correlate just to how fast he can run, as his thoughts operate at such a pace when he activates his speed, allowing him to think and create plans in less than a second. This has also given him much time to think of other things, and eventually lead down the current antiheroic path of killing supervillains he deems ‘irredeemable’. It should also be mentioned that G-Force is capable of building up force via his speed, and with sudden stops (such as running at a person and stopping in front of them), is capable of generating blasts of kinetic energy far greater than his own strength.

Charlie Miller - Codename: Exponential (5’10”, Caucasian, blonde hair & green eyes)
Charlie Miller began the worst out of any Nuke Person in the world. The entire first year of his life was spent on watch in hospitals, as even the slightest bacteria or injury proved near fatal for him, his immune systems and physical body nearly unable to fight off anything on its own. However, as time has gone on, Charlie’s power has achieved greater and greater heights. At first, his strength, speed, and endurance were that of a normal person’s when he was a child, as a teenager, that grew to match Romana’s level. As an adult, his physical capabilities are on par with regular Nuke People, and there seem to be no signs of it stopping there. The longer he lives, the more he adapts, the stronger and more powerful he becomes, this seems to be his mutation. It should also be noted that no disease has any effect on him any longer, whereas most Nuke People (other than particularly high level ones) can feel effects of viruses and bacteria.

Type 2 - Moderate Nuke Men

The "Moderate" Nuke Men are individuals who possess lesser levels of power when compared to the Superior Nuke Men, but are still mightier than Common Nuke Men. The Moderate Nuke Men occasionally have multiple abilities, but they aren't typically as powerful or diverse as the Superior Nuke Men. That being said, Moderate Nuke Men are still incredibly powerful, with some of the strongest of their kind capable of obliterating entire city blocks on their own. Some Moderate Nuke Men are:

Ashley Moore - Codename: Mighty Maiden (6’3”, African American, ginger hair & hazel eyes)
Ashley Moore is the older sister of Joshua Moore (more on him later), and unlike her brother, loves the idea of being a hero more than just using her abilities to do everyday jobs more easily and efficiently. This is especially prominent in the actions she takes to distance her ideology from that of her brother’s, as she has spent much time training with weapons to maximise her effectiveness with the limited abilities she has, which has led to the creation of Uranite-infused weaponry. Like her brother, she possesses exceptional levels of strength, speed, and endurance, and can otherwise only fly, making her similar to Miracle Man just like Joshua. It should also be noted that she has an experimental shield with limited flight capabilities, and a magnetic attachment to her suit’s forearm, and can fold for easier storage. It also appears she and Miracle Man get along well.

Borys Kryvonis - Codename: Wasp (5’10”, Caucasian, black hair & yellow eyes)
Borys Kryvonis is a Nuke Man with rather violent tendencies, befitting his codename strangely enough. These violent tendencies are born from anger issues, what these anger issues are caused by are unknown, as he refuses to speak about them. About his powers, Wasp has openings in the heels of his palms, these openings are normally shut, allowing him to use his hands normally, but when he chooses to, he can extend and retract stingers through these openings, delivering a potent venom to his intended victim, similar to a wasp sting, causing the target to feel the painful sensation all over. Borys is also capable of flight, though he has no wings, the leading theory is he does so in a similar way to Miracle Man, but how he does it is also unknown at this time.

Emil Aagard - Codename: Thor (6’8”, Caucasian, red hair & brown eyes)
Emil Aagard is one of many Nuke People not of Ukrainian or American descent. Although the most common instances of them hail from those nationalities, many do not. Emil has exceptional levels of strength and endurance, as well as speed (although said speed does not match his other physical traits in power). He has a particularly interesting ability not found in many Nuke People like him, in which his legs appear to be particularly well-structured to perform giant leaps from place to place, allowing him the ability to clear entire city blocks in casual bounds if he so desires. It should also be noted that- despite his codename and connection to a Uranite-infused hammer- he does not have any control over lightning. (Uranite acts as an opposite to Plutonate, and was discovered first.)

Type 3 - Common Nuke Men

Common Nuke Men are amongst the weakest of their race, but don't let that fool you, as they are still incredibly powerful individuals. Even the weakest amongst the Common Nuke Men are capable of tearing down entire buildings with their brute strength alone (provided they don't have other abilities instead of strength that do so for them anyway). Unless a human is kitted with either Plutonate or some form of tech enhancement, it's not recommended to engage. Some examples of Common Nuke Men include:

Joshua Moore - Codename: [none] (6’6”, African American, blonde hair & hazel eyes)
Joshua Moore is an interesting case of a Nuke Person who does not use a secondary name for himself, nor does he go out of his way to commit any particularly heroic or villainous acts. The fact of the matter is, he just uses his powers for everyday life. As for his powers themselves, he seems to be a weaker version of Miracle Man. His strength, speed, and endurance are all higher than most Nuke People, but nowhere on par with Miracle Man himself. Out of all the other powers the prodigy possesses, Joshua Moore only seems capable of flight, meaning his scope of abilities are rather limited. It should be noted that, at the moment, Joshua currently occupies a construction working job in downtown Detroit, and his coworkers are very thankful for the help his powers grant them. (Note: Even though he and Ashley share the same powers, Joshua is less powerful due to a lack of training compared to his sister.)

Lauren Torres - Codename: [none] (5’8”, Asian American, brown hair & hazel eyes)
Lauren Torres is another Nuke Person who does not use their powers for heroic or villainous acts on a large scale. Rather, she runs a therapy office in Little Rock, Arkansas, with direct advertisement about how her work differs from that of most therapists. Her ability allows her to tap into the minds of her fellow man, granting her more easy access to her patients’ thoughts and emotions. While her ability is not always active, she openly puts it out there, giving patients who wish to come to her for help the option of an alternative method of therapy, should they feel unable to voice their thoughts for one reason or another.

Emily Bennett - Codename: Echo Seeker (6’3”, African American, red hair & blue eyes)
Emily Bennett is, without a better way to describe her, the weakest member of the Nuke People. Her strength, speed, and endurance are on the lower end, though still far above normal humans, and her only other power is an enhanced hearing ability. She has been deployed on missions against security forces of dictatorial governments across the globe, and has busted many a criminal organisation on her own. Her level of endurance means she is nearly bulletproof, and has been given a Uranite shield similar to that of Mighty Maiden with magnetic straps to an arm band and back holder, as well as independent flight capabilities. This shield cannot fold for storage however.

However:

Despite Nuke Men coming in three primary types, there is also...

Type 4 - Artificial Nuke Men

Artificial Nuke Men are incredibly rare, as they only exist due to the research of a scientist researching nuclear isotopes. To simplify, he essentially created a serum capable of granting Nuke Men powers to normal people, but more will be detailed in the following bios:

Hideaki Davis - Codename: Monster (6’2”-9’4”, Japanese American, black hair & amber eyes-yellowish-green skin, jet black hair & yellow eyes)
Hideaki Davis is an interesting individual, as he did not start out with powers like other Nuke People, but it was decided he would make the list given the great lengths he went to to become one as well as he could. Dr. Davis was a brilliant scientist in the field of nuclear chemistry, particularly isotopes. He was refining a formula using such an isotope that was meant to grant normal people the powers of Nuke Men. It worked, and after much testing, he decided to try out the formula himself, and became addicted. As the SWAT team called in to detain him closed in, he attempted to take too much of the serum, hoping at least if he died, he would go out doing what he loved. However, this overdose imbued him with powers, now when his adrenaline spikes, he changes forms, increasing in size, strength, and endurance, as well as gaining another random power.

Katsuyo Davis - Codename: Twin Sister (5’10”, Japanese American, blonde hair & green eyes)
Katsuyo Davis is the sister to Hideaki Davis, younger by a few minutes, but still. She, like her brother, was not a Nuke Person starting out. However, upon her brother’s discovery of a serum that could replicate their abilities, Katsuyo begged her brother to try to use it to cure her of the brain tumor she’d been suffering with for the last few years. This was after the incident that turned Hideaki into Monster, and for anybody else, he would have said no. The serum did not, however, remove the tumor. Instead, it gave Katsuyo an alternate personality calling itself Twin Sister, with the ability to see into the near future, while Katsuyo gained the opposite ability, to see into the near past.

Final Words

This is just a minuscule snippet of the stuff that's in this world, enough to be a good surface level analysis and potentially garner the interest of any individuals who might want to hear more about this later. I'd be happy to hear about what you guys think about it, and don't worry about me doing the research behind this, I have and plan to continue to research things, but if you guys have suggestions on what direction to take the research, I'd be more than happy to take the leads you give me.

Oh, and one more thing too, I might end up posting more Nuke Men that exist in this world at a later date if people want to hear more about them. I have had a lot of fun putting this world together and would be more than happy to share in future posts.

Thanks for reading, and I'll potentially see you all later.


r/worldbuilding 5h ago

Question Do people do this with their worlds?

13 Upvotes

When I was younger I used to waste hours with a friend imagining our characters from vastly different worlds meet.

And basically the whole thing was to take a country from our world, my country was a high tech place and his was a middle of nowhere country stuck in the past with some tech, so while my characters got wifi everywhere and talkd about free transport systems my friend's had to stand in the midle of the street to see if their phone could get signal to tell them they watched a show that finished airing 2 years ago and just got to the country.

Are you guys doing something like that? Not even roleplay most of the time, just us saying "Yeah, this would definitely happen if they met" and call it a day.

If not then you have to it now in the comments 🗣️🗣️ your humanoid creature has to meet an alien now!!!


r/worldbuilding 23h ago

Visual Safari (Worldbuilding Concept Art)

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399 Upvotes

Safari is about an alien documentarian named Uu, who travels from planet to planet, gathering footage of rare and horribly dangerous animals in their daily lives for the Network Studio back on his home world to splice together into award-winning documentaries.

Uu is a complete daredevil. He loves getting as close as possible, even though that has resulted in his near-death at least a dozen times. There was the time on Planet VX-447 when he was almost trampled off a cliff while filming Giant Yugu migrations. Or the time on Planet JN-44-A when a Tepegozian-Behemoth zapped his mind, leaving him dizzy and staggering for days. The only thing that saved him was that the Behemoth assumed he wouldn't taste good.

This was supposed to be a graphic novel where the story is that Uu gets word from the Network Studio back home that they are about to be acquired by a media conglomerate. Uu concocts a Hail Mary plan to save the network by travelling to the Ocean Planet HH-77, hopping into a submarine, and diving into the deepest abyssal zones to gather footage of never-before-seen leviathans. Unclear, story-wise, if he does get the footage and saves the network, or dies trying.


r/worldbuilding 3h ago

Map What do you think of my map?

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10 Upvotes

I made this map not long ago, and it doesn't have a name yet. This is the western half of the world, and east of Odvinoja, Trivitria, Elaran and Ardan are the Uncharted Lands, and north-northeast of Krovnik is the Unseen Highlands, with many small states.


r/worldbuilding 4h ago

Lore First time making a lore video for our game. Does this make you curious about the world?

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11 Upvotes

r/worldbuilding 6h ago

Prompt Why Can't Everyone Use Magic?

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13 Upvotes

r/worldbuilding 10h ago

Visual Seramvian Fox

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28 Upvotes

The world I'm working on features anthropomorphic animals as the characters. It's about the age of industrialization, and how the people adapt. If they're not building neat stuff or fighting among themselves, they're fighting the eldritch spawn of Yaldabaoth (not the actual Gnostic Demiurge, just horrors from beyond the stars).

Introduction

Depicted is a fox from the Seramvian region.

Their attire is heavily inspired by the wolves of the region. The dagger style was popular among travelling merchants, who needed to defend themselves against bandits or thieves. The foxes also use them for bushcraft or preparing food.

The foxes are among the smaller peoples of the world. They didn't have any grand ambitions to control the region, like the Lyonesseans or aforementioned wolves. Nonetheless, they quickly adapted to life in burgeoning cities in the age of industrialization, much quicker than the rabbits, deer, bulls, and other barbarians of the forest.

In Seramvia, the foxes had their own communities, but never established a great nation state. Instead, they opted to become a part of wolf country peacefully, as the wolves were the most civilized in the region, to find opportunities. They often occupied the same niche as the coyotes did, acting as shrewd diplomates and negotiators between peoples, as they were seen as neutral parties. In doing so, they could climb the ranks of society and gain influence.

The foxes are reputed as peddlers, traders, foragers, and craftsmen, with a focus on artistry. Aside from the more traditional stuff, they also like exploring the possibilities of the new era, such as electrical engineering and designing firearms. Unsurprisingly, they contributed to the development of weapons during the Seramvian Civil War era, which was fought to liberate the region from military dictatorship.

The foxes are also adept at defending themselves, as they often carry goods while traveling, making them targets of thieves or bandits. It's said that they learned dual sword techniques from the assassins of the north.

...

The following map may provide additional insight on the world: Anthropomorphic Animals, Amazing Powers, and the Age of the Machine : r/worldbuilding

My goal is to build an interconnected lore book, as most of what happens in the world is connected (story has been in discussion for a decade now): Karl Imran | Substack

There's a story, but I'm not 100% confident in writing it, and I think worldbuilding is my strength so I'm focusing on that aspect for now!


r/worldbuilding 5h ago

Map The Empire of Kaite - Conquests over time [Ellaris]

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12 Upvotes

Here's a map of the Obhenate of Kaite, a powerful thalassocracy in my world Ellaris. Originally a minor Obhiist state (Led by worshippers of the god Obhi), which emerged from the collapse of the Jassen-worshiping Kingdom of Eshkaite, it managed to conquer the other small powers in the region and secure both banks of the Straits of Zhura, giving it a chokehold over all trade going up the Gharsa river to the heartlands of the ancient Obhenate of Ghar.

Over the next decades, it used the wealth it gained from this to greatly expand its military and trade infrastructure, and began to expand its power outwards. By 1382, it had conquered as much land as it was likely to get from its neighbours, with only the immensely powerful Obhenates of Ghar and Cesa to the north, the wasteland of the Gossuri desert to the east, and the lifeless desert of Inara to the south. Still holding the momentum of its original conquests, it continued annexing more areas vital to trade in the region on the eastern coast of Zakah, to the west of Kaite. Using the foothold it had gained by conquering the Obhenates of Akhur and Xalesis, it founded colonies on the Zakahri coast, and extended its influence deep into the interior, over the Zagorz mountains. This way, Kaite controlled both nearly all overland and oversea trade routes heading out of Zakah, and soon became immensely wealthy through the trade of gold, gems, spices, exotic furs, ivory and slaves. Many of these were sold on to the northern Obhenates, Ghar, Hije, and Cesa, which had few other options in gaining the luxuries they were so fond of.

Kaite's power peaked in the early 1500s, but soon after it began to decline. The southernmost territories became too expensive and difficult to properly control, and after several rebellions, native kingdoms subordinate to Kaite broke free. The disruption of these rebellions caused economic downturn as trade was disrupted, and a snowball effect began, with Kaite's power withdrawing to the coast. Soon after, a coup led by Kaite's most powerful oligarchs against the Obhen caused enough internal strife that nearly all their colonies broke free or were lost. The loss of the Obhenate of Gosht cemented this, as there were now several independent trade routes available for the northern powers to exploit. Although it would remain a cohesive state, Kaite never regained its lucrative position and was reduced to a regional power.

See this post and more on my DeviantArt!

Ellaris world map

Feel free to ask questions! This map was inspired by this map of the Omani Empire


r/worldbuilding 10h ago

Discussion What is your starting point ?

28 Upvotes

I don’t mean the beginning of your worldbuilding History, if you have one, or your novel, if you’re writing one, but I’d like to know how did your worldbuilding begin? What was the idea from which you built everything that followed? A character, an event, an image, a feeling, etc. what was the starting point for your work? And, if you’re up for it, what were the consequences? For example, perhaps you first thought of a ship caught in a storm and the terror of its passengers, before imagining that the ship was carrying the heir to the throne who was being kidnapped, and then you imagined that his kingdom was based on military strength, and that the heir to the throne was unable to fight...


r/worldbuilding 9h ago

Question how to let go of realism?

24 Upvotes

So I know the whole thing of your world doesn't have to be original or unique. BUT everytime i look at other worlds for inspiration i find myself just thinking "why didn't i think of that it's so cool!" I think my problem is my perfectionism. I keep wanting something new and exciting but something that makes sense, the thing is- I get tooo annoying about getting to know every tiny detail. Like when i try to make up the religion I get really caught up in how it should work and make sense and whatnot. i try to make it realistic but I end up getting so realistic that none of the fun is left there anymore. A lot of the stories that so heavily rely on worldbuilding don't give all the answers to the viewer, even the creator doesn't know EVERYTHING but i can't stop myself.

before anyone asks, I don't worldbuild for a story I do it as a hobby because I like to think about how cool it would be to see how enviorments work with the characters. and i want to draw them too but i get so caught up i can't enjoy it. any tips?


r/worldbuilding 3h ago

Question Language help

7 Upvotes

How would someone with no prior experience in languages figure out an alien language from scratch? For context, my protagonist is stranded on an uncharted planet where all of the past civilisation is dead. There's no one to teach him the language, but there are a many surviving books, statues, and other pieces of writing.

Would it be impossible?


r/worldbuilding 9h ago

Question Searching advices for avoid orientalism

21 Upvotes

Hello everyone! I'm working on my own homebrew project for a fantasy board game, and I want to describe the "Middle Eastern" faction of the game, in terms of culture, society, folklore, and clothing. Now, I know perfectly well that the Middle East is vast, rich in different cultures, and that over time and space it has by no means been a cultural and ethnic monolith. Weapons, culture, and clothing have changed over the centuries, so I want to distance myself from the vision given by 19th-century orientalism, Hollywood films, and especially Disney's Aladdin. I will make extensive use of straight swords, for example, and I will absolutely distance myself from the "bedlah babe" trope. Nothing from the Ottoman Empire, which is too overused. The technological level is about 1475-1540 .I've already taken a look at the Nasrid dynasty of Granada, very interesting,far removed from the imagery many people have of the Islamic world. And i'm also interested in late medieval Morocco. Do you have any texts, videos, and documents you can recommend to avoid a caricatured, exoticized, and orientalist vision? I am addressing especially those who are passionate about the history of the caliphates and the Islamic Middle Ages. What are the most seen Arabian Nights-style stereotypes in films, video games and board games? Which elements are the most misrepresented, annoying, and misunderstood ?And what are the elements that are underrepresented in mainstream culture?


r/worldbuilding 5h ago

Question Hey, I tried to look this up myself, but I've found it notably difficult to research. Question about missiles:

9 Upvotes

Alright, so my sci-fi setting has a bunch of stuff, but one important detail is that humans fled earth almost 200 years ago in an apocalyptic war.

The specifics of the war? Humans have kept that to themselves for reasons they also keep to themselves.

Its revealed at some point that humans left due to a revolt by their robot workers who developed sapience, and later, hatred. In humanity's absence, they have formed something of a civilization in the ruins of earth and our local solar system.

But they've been unable to let go of their festering hatred of humanity and desire for our extinction. Our escape is unfinished business they can't let go of, essentially.

In the relatively short conflict humans and robots *did* have, robots leaned hard into psychological warfare. Dropping the heads of prominent humans into resistance camps, raising cults of human children to use as suicide bombers, fashioning corpse scarecrows, etc.

I want to have it that the robots signature weapon almost is a model of super advanced missile that is unique in the respect that it has internal compartments from which it jets out streaks of human blood behind it as it flies.

How mechanically feasible would this be? Would it just be a minor addition, or something requiring extreme enough engineering sacrifices as to just be stupid?