#world creation

[thecrazyworldbuilder]

Reminder that there's no universal symbolism.

In your world, black can be the color of love. Horns can be a symbol of corruption. Hooves can be the sign of loyalty.

Like the dark nights spent in the embrace of your lover. Like fungi that grow out of dead bodies looking like goat horns. Like the loyal steed that will ride you into battle.

#worldbuilding #fantasy worldbuilding #fantasy world #worldbuilding ideas #world creation #worldbuilding tips

[heavenlyraindrops]

Fantasy World Building: Species/ Countries,Nations, Tribes

I said in my world building checklist post I would make a separate post for this so here u go besties 😄👊

things to consider when writing a fantasy book with different species and nationalities in it ‼️

Appearance

What defines their species looks wise?

features such as nose shape, hair texture (if they even have hair), skin tones should be considered

what environment/ climate/ habitat they come from will affect their physical traits

which features are more common in them?

maybe species A are known for having super pale skin and really long, pale-almost-translucent-hair- while species B are known for tanned skin, pale slitted eyes and wild curly hair

what about other FANTASY physical features such as

wings, webbed feet and hands, slitted eyes, pointed ears, tails, clawed fingers

differenr types of THOSE features

As in different types of wings, different shapes of pointy ears, different types of tails blah blah blah

differences between their features in diff stages of life

differences between the genders

also sizes, average heights and all that jazz

Abilities

Physical and magical

lets start with physical

maybe species A are known for being quick and agile

and species B are slow and lumbering

maybe species A are super flexible

and species B are very strong

consider these points:

agility

strength

intelligence

their physical traits as well, such as allergies, resistance to certain things ect.

like how maybe some species are allergic to a certain metal

maybe some are resistant to certain diseases

maybe some don’t burn and are resistant to heat

alr now magical!

do these species have magic at all?

if so, what kind of magic? (Gonna make a separate post for magic)

is this magic woven into their physical being?

are they born with it?

Or do they learn it?

does it come to them naturally? Or do they use incantations, books, artifacts, ect? (Again, separate post for this shit)

is there certain magic they can’t do?)

Culture

Traditions

superstitions

festivals

religion

clothing styles

architecture

famous figures in their community

mythology

places of importance to them, religious or in other ways idk, for example we have Makkah for Islam

accessories

things they believe to be sacred

prejudiced beliefs

Reputation / other stuff idk

Stereotypes

are they persecuted in certain countries?

other rival religions, countries or nations

who are they looked down upon by?

what are they known for?

e.g., being kind, being bloodthirsty, being miserly, being isolated/ secretive/ elusive

how are they treated? Are they seen as a superior species/race?

Do they mix with other races when it comes to marraige, relationships, friendships, business? there’s loads more so I might make a part two if people ask me to, hope this helped 👊 😄

#fantasy world building #world creation #fantasy world #world building #world #worldbuilding #fantasy #fantasy worldbuilding #fantasy tips #species #creative writing ideas #creative writing #creative inspiration #world building ideas #writing inspiration #how to write #writing prompt #writers on tumblr #writing #writeblr #writerscommunity #writing tips #worbuilding tips #fantasy world building tips #tips #Writing checklist #world building prompts #fantasy writing #science fantasy #magic

[stygianpen]

World Building 101

World building! How many other hobbies or careers involve creating an entire world all your own? Not many.

There’s nothing quite like setting out to create your fictional world. Drawing maps, deciding which civilizations live where, throwing in crazy kinds of solar systems and vegetation if you’re really going all out… it can be a ton of fun.

However, one of the writer’s most exciting tasks is also one of their most intimidating.

On one hand: you get to build your own world. On the other hand… you have to build your own whole entire WORLD?! Where do you even start??

Well, you can start right here. Today I’m going to walk you through some basic pointers to get your world up and running.

World Building and World Building

Right off the bat, you should be aware that there are two kinds of world building. There’s the large-scale fantasy world building which I will be talking about today, and there is also world building that goes into other story genres.

Every writer is going to do some level of world-building, whether you’re painting a verbal picture of the lake your character goes to to get some peace of mind, pulling a reader into an important event and making them feel like they’re actually attending, or creating a whole new planet for your space pirate to fly to.

The Top 6

When you have a massive task ahead of you it’s always best to start by breaking it down. So, let’s take a look at the top 6 features you’re going to be focusing on when building your world.

WHO

Ask yourself: who lives in your world?Most likely there is a variety of species and races. Or, you could decide on a world where every creature is exactly alike — it is of course, your world.

Do the creatures of your planet have different cultures or are these homogeneous?

It will be easiest to start off with your main characters and work out from there. What is their species and race, and what does their culture look like?

For each species in your world, jot down the following:

Species name

Race names

Physical description

Language

Cultural notes

Special abilities

WHAT

Ask yourself: what social structures exist in your society? Again, start with your main characters and work out from there. For each species within your world, you’re going to need to determine how they manage their society.

What beliefs do they have? Are they religious, or more philosophical? Is there a divide between the two? What do their political structures look like? How strict are their laws?

You’ll want to consider trade and economy as well. Do they have a money system? A barter system?

You may not need to go too in depth with every single species in your world, but you’ll want a basic note or two about each in case it comes up in your writing.

For each species in your world, decide at least one point about each of the following:

Religion

Philosophies

Politics and laws

Economy

WHERE

Ask yourself: where does your species exist?Finally, we get to the physical world of your world building. What is the geography like? The biomes? Is your world bountiful with resources or is it a dying planet with species’ in desperate search of new sustenance?

For some writers, they will take years fleshing out the ‘where’ of their world, including the cosmos surrounding it. For others, a map with the basic locations of the story will suffice. It is up to you how in-depth you would like to go.

At the very least, you should outline one or two notes about each of the following:

Solar system (does your world exist near ours or is it completely fabricated?)

Geography (this one can be split per species — forest elves live in the woods, nymphs live near the sea, etc.)

Biomes (split by species region)

Resources (split by species region)

WHEN

Ask yourself: when do the events of your story occur?The story you are telling may be the main focus of your book, but what happened to lead up to it? What has your main character’s species and world been through that is causing the story to occur? Even if the events of the world do not impact your story much, they will have had at least some level of ripple effect that reflects on your characters’ day-to-day. Was this civilization a warring one and the story takes place in a broken society? Or, has their society reached its peak of enterprise?

For each region in your world, establish the following:

Founding events

Defining events

Recent events

(if relevant) Future events

WHY

Ask yourself: why do the species in your world behave as they do?The why of your story will tie in with many of the previous points you’ve outlined, but it gets more to the point in a way that can directly apply to your story and characters. Why are things happening as they are today? What evolution did this society go through? Do they share common goals now or are your characters going against the grain of their people? What conflicts exist in this world, and is your main character involved in those conflicts or attempting to avoid involvement?

A few pertinent notes to take per species would be:

Social evolution

Societal goals

Societal conflicts

HOW

Ask yourself: how do the species in your world solve problems? In the category of ‘who’, you will have outlined your main characters’ abilities. These could be magical or technological or maybe they are super strong, or super smart. Now, you can get deeper into the magical or technological systems of your world. Start with your main characters and work outwards. Is everyone magical here? Do different species and races have different abilities? Is there a human or human-related race, and at what point are they at with their technology?

Figure out the following (for each species and race if applicable):

Magic abilities

Technological advancements

Scientific knowledge

Militaristic power

The World is yours: Command it

An author with a strong command of the world they are writing within will have at their fingertips an endless landscape of possibility. Look to authors such as J.R.R. Tokien or George R.R. Martin — it’s no wonder their works are so successful. They perfectly encapsulate what fantasy readers are looking for in a novel: escapism. The worlds don’t need to be pretty, they need to be fully formed; realistic in their mysticism.

World-building can seem like a lot of work, and it is. But do it bit by bit, and try to keep it fun. Don’t sit down in one day expecting to create your whole world. It’ll take time. But that time spent will be well worth it in the end!

#writing #writing community #creative writing #new author #writing help #writing tips #writing advice #writing resources #writing tips and tricks #editing #self publishing #world building #fantasy worldbuilding #worldbuilding #world creation

[cottageimp]

Good afternoon~! I come with more updates to Seafoam City!

Honestly that name is starting to stick... I may end up just using it for the city though I may change the "city" part to something else, we'll see. I was lost in thought on a car ride and thought up the idea of extremely tall trees that grew from the ocean floor up to the surface of Seafoam City.

The tops of the trees are bushy, the part that gets sunlight while the lower parts that stretch all the way through every level are much more swampy, coated with fungi and plant life that thrive in the darker areas. They're considered parks and all the levels are decked out with walkways, benches, picnic areas and your usual park stuff.

The generations of people who work, live and enjoy the lower levels have evolved to thrive in humid darkness so it's not uncommon for people to never go up to the surface layer. Well... if you're someone who doesn't like to travel or explore then you probably haven't.

Anyway!! Seafoam City in Earth's Table! I hope y'all are enjoying these updates. I'm having so much fun!

#earths table #cottage doodles #digital art #drawing #digital illustration #doodles #digital drawing #artwork #concept art #comic art #digital artwork #my artwork #world building #world creation #worldbuilding #digital artist

[em-dash-press]

Your stories deserve to exist in incredible worlds. Build yours from scratch with this quick guide that simplifies the sometimes intimidating process.

Read my guide here!

#worldbuilding #world building #fantasy worldbuilding #fantasy world #world creation #writeblr #writers of tumblr #writing advice #creative writing #writing tips #writing inspiration #writing community #writing help #writing #writing resources #writerblr #writers community #writblr

[idcfriend]

Part 6 of:

💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜🌌🌌💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

...feeling a weight on your back you turn your head only to see...

...You've have WINGS?!

Upon closer inspection they look...

#im making no sense #but im bored #i crave chaos #and sleep #adventure #story #you choose #adventure story #pick your poison #your choice #choose your adventure #choose your own adventure #making it up as i go #world creation

[ariellewm]

Naga/Nagi

Homeland or Region of Discovery: Draca Isla Pyramis

Life Expectancy: 300 years or more depending on health.

Maturity: 30 years (18 years in (sapien) appearance)

Average Height (Upright): 5'5 to 6'3 ft

Average Length (From head to tail): 10' to 23'ft.

Color Scales: Brown, black, tan, orange, yellow, red, blue, green, purple, white, and mixed. Some Naga's have patterns along their tails.

Color Skin (Upper sapien half): Tanned, pale, dark with hint of scales under eyes, upper neck/shoulder area. Arms are either faded into black, white, or another color.

Hair Color: Dark brown, black, silver, brown, dark red, white and/or mixed.

Eye Color: Green, yellow, blue, red, orange, blue, hazel, etc.

Eye Types: Round or Vertical

Diet: Omnivores (cannot eat grains)

Many believe these ancient, beautiful serpentine like creatures are closer to the world's spirits than others. They’ve coexisted with the great dragons of Draca Isla Pyramis before its doom. At one point they had a more serpent appearance before developing a more sapien (human) like appearance on their upper half. Their bottom halves have remained legless, baring a long winding serpent’s tail. Although the Naga and Nagi people are commonly found in warmer climates, many also do live in temperate cooler areas. Naga’s/Nagi’s age slower than Sapiens and others. They’ve developed hypnosis, a unique ability to induce a deep trancelike state in its host. It was used for hunting and trapping prey. Today the ability is rare for a Naga/Nagi to possess as it the ability has no use on Zarth anymore.

!! I do not own any of the following art below! Credit goes to original artist that imagined them !!

Prince Czar Agskaga from WIP Novel

Credit goes to @wyyvernn

More on Naga's/Nagi's:

Naga's/Nagi's had a more monstrous, serpent-like appearance. Many believe that the spirits were somehow responsible for their more sapien upper half appearance evolution.

They do shed their scales up until they reach maturity. It is a painful experience young Naga's/Nagi's endure every cycle.

Their scales are tough like dragon scales. Their weak spots are that on their sapien upper half.

Not many Naga's are known to carry hypnosis since the Doom of Draca Isla Pyramis. It's a unique ability to cause their victim (or prey many, many years ago) to be in a state of consciousness and to have them voluntarily lose action. Their eyes can either glow, create shrinking effects, or create a kaleidoscope effect to succumb the victim. This ability, however, cannot be used to hypnotize their own kind or those of higher majik bloodlines.

The colors of their eyes are unique to each Naga/Nagi. It's how they identified themselves early in their evolution overtime.

There are many royal lines of Naga's/Nagi's that rule the Central and Lower Isles that had come from Draca Isla Pyramis before the doom.

#fantasy #naga #current wip #world creation #worldbuilding #fictional world #wip novel

[westar]

MonsterGarden is amazing. If you are at all into dark alternative world fantasy I recommend checking it out.

Simon's redesign for dwarfs is fantastic.

You can now buy a figure that doubles as a dice holder. I might get one.

#monstergarden #Youtube #world creation #dark fantasy

[thecrazyworldbuilder]

How to worldbuild:

1: Don't try to do everything at once. Better define a setting by what cannot happen in it rather than what can. A world without tech more advanced than an Archimedes screw water pump is already more defined than a world where all animals can be hybridized.

2: Make things internally realistic, not externally. Unicorns and fairies don't exist in real life, but in your setting? They better be credible.

3: Continuity and consistency. If you put "but" into statements too many times, the picture of the world will be full of exceptions and broken rules, which raises the question - why are they (the rules) there in the first place if they are broken in the next sentence? Put things simply, even the most complex concepts can be explained through metaphors.

4: Reference yourself. Once you've wrote something, attach it to something you wrote previously. Relationships between kingdoms, the effect of this specific material on the economy and technology, why don't mages just hypnotize the monarchs and bind their will and so on.

5: Have fun :D

And lastly, remember that one and the same world will look different from different narratives. A farmer from Ancient Greece will see the world one way, a modern Twitch streamer - in an other way, a shrimp or pillbug will have a completely different worldview too but they all live on the same planet. So narrative matters.

#worldbuilding #worldbuilding tips #worldbuilding tip #worldbuilding advice #those are the tenets i follow or at least try to follow #fantasy #fantasy world #fantasy worldbuilding #world creation #worldbuilding ideas

[heavenlyraindrops]

You mentioned in an old post that you wanted to make a post about fantasy species! Do you have any small tidbits to share to hold us over until you make the full post?

Sure lol

Three headings out of the list of things to remember:

-Diversity and thriving (Are there lots different species? Are they vastly different? Any endangered or rare ones? )

-Habitat (Which species can be found where? In what countries, what environments?)

-Growth (What are the differences between younger members of the species and older ones? How do they age?)

#fantasy world building tips #fantasy worldbuilding #world building #writing inspiration #writing tips #world building ideas #fantasy #fantasy tips #fantasy writing #creative writing #writing advice #fantasy world #fantasy world building #world building prompts #world creation #creative writing ideas #writing #writing prompt

[dvnzook]

A virtual gallery to call home.

Here is a sneak peak at the gallery space I'm designing! It's so close to being able to be uploaded to VRChat and shared with peeps. I've put a good month into this project and am so happy with what has been done! All art in the gallery is by me (this might change in the future, I'd love to do exhibits of friends work). All textures are from ambientcg.com. as much as I'd love to make my own textures, that site is super fast and helpful.

#blender #3d modeling #blender 3D #VRChat world #World Creation #unity3d #unity #unity engine #vrchat #vrchat photography #game photography #vr

[cottageimp]

I’m crafting a world based off one of my dreams alongside my girlfriend. So far we have a nice start and I’m eager to share some concepts I’m cooking up.

About this though! I love self inserting myself into everything, always have, and so I’ve decided to create sonas for me and my girl so we can sorta play with the world from within.

#cottage doodles #digital art #drawing #digital illustration #original character #sonas #worldbuilding #world creation #doodles #digital drawing #oc artwork #digital artwork #my artwork #character design

[bookshop-phantom]

20.05.2022

World building (a very basic guide)

Recently, I've been really interested in the process of world building. I started creating my first imaginary world years ago and (even though it's not finished yet because I am lazy) found the experience really entertaining.

I thought I should share the process I follow in order to create the bases of a whole imaginary country. I've reduced all the mental process to a 4-step guide. Of course, this is just how I do it and there are tons of other ways, which are equally valid.

Keep in mind that these are just the first steps, and there is so much more about world creation that comes after.

1. First of all, choose a name for your country and a time period.

You can invent its name - come up with a strange word! - or use another name for reference. For example, one of my countries is named Makērnia, which is a non-existent word that I came up with. Another one is named Silvanda and you can see that I used the word "Silver" as reference. Perhaps the most obvious one is a city I named Iboria, clearly influenced by the name Iberia.

Write down that name and pay attention to how it sounds. That will be the first step in creating your country's language - if you plan on doing so.

Note: It is important that you CHECK that the name of your country does not have any bad meanings in other languages. I'm talking from experience here.

Now you want to decide the time period your country is based on.

Is it a medieval country? A futuristic one? 18th centur-ish? Keep in mind that you can also imagine your own way of measuring time. Instead of "before Christ" and "after Christ", try coming up with your own system.

The time period will be very important when creating the customs and traditions of the people and the organisation of the country, as well as many other things. So think carefully about this one.

2. Start imagining the geography.

This is probably my least favourite part, but it is just as necessary as the others. What I do is draw a shape, imitating how frontiers between countries look like.

I would say that the crucial question would be whether your country is next to the sea or not. This will influence economy and you will probably need to pay attention to those regions on the coast, as they will have different traditions, different climate and so on.

Think about how big your country is. Is it a small nation? Is it enormous?

Is it an island, a peninsula?

Note: Smaller countries are always more easy to organise and people from different regions within them are likely to be more similar to each other. The problem with big countries is that you'll have to provide the inhabitants with a series of traditions that might be completely different depending on the region.

You can also include something that is very particular of your country. Again, when I created Makērnia, I thought that it should have an enormous forest around the capital city.

Give your country rivers, lakes, mountains and everything you want to. And always remember that this will affect the territories near them.

3. Organisation and political power

Every country needs and way of organising territory. Here again you can look up references from real life or invent a new system (although I understand that inventing a whole new system is especially difficult in this part).

Personally, I got my inspiration from the Roman empire, but you can use whatever real-life country you want to for reference. You can divide land into provinces, regions, districts, etc.

Same goes for political power. If you have decided to make your country a medieval one, chances are you will implement a monarchy - or not! This is your country, do whatever you feel expresses its essence best. You can experiment if you want (try an anarchic country, for example).

4. General traits, flag, emblems, capital city.

Here, you can ask yourself: "What are the people like in ----?"

Try thinking about a crowded city in your country. Do the people have anything in common? This can range from mere physical traits (most of them may be blonde, have a particular skin colour, etc.) to more abstract concepts or stereotypes (the people are brave, knowledgeable, always serious, etc.)

This will be useful to create a general image of the country and build up its traditions and customs. For example, in a country where the people are more carefree, a crime might be punished less severely than in a country where the people are serious and cold.

Note: This is the time to start considering different races - and not necessarily human races, you can include any fantasy race you feel like. Write down any ideas you have regarding this, as you will need to develop it later.

Give your country some symbols and a flag.

The flag is optional, but I would heavily recommend choosing at least a symbol for the country. Think about what the inhabitants might feel a connection with. In my case, I choose white roses as the symbol of Makērnia. The word "māker" in the local language actually means "rose", so it made perfect sense to build up a whole culture around roses.

Symbols can range from animals, plants and natural elements to colours with meaning. And of course it must be coherent with the time period. You cannot symbolise a medieval country with an emblem of a train - and the same goes for a futuristic country, which will difficultly be represented with swords or castles.

Choosing a capital city is important, as it will probably become the centre of your country.

At this stage, you can just come up with a name and then mark the city in the map. Keep in mind that you will need to develop this and other important cities around the country.

Note: By "capital city" I mean a principal, most important location in your country. Not necessarily where the central power is.

Now you have a very basic and general idea of what your country will be like.

As I said before, this is JUST THE BASICS I USE when I build a new world. These steps help me understand what type of place it is and how I should proceed with the more complex steps.

I hope somebody finds this useful. I'd love to hear about your countries :)

#writeblr #writing #writing tips #author #world building #world creation #imaginary places #imaginary world #literature #writing guide #guide #fantasy #fantasy world #imaginary country #books #writers on tumblr

[a-curse-of-ravens]

Work on my 1st VRChat world creation is coming along little by little!

It is based upon my FFXIV Free Company's house as well as I can do it.

But the idea will be that it will be a cozy variant with beanbag chairs, couches, places to lay down etc. while still evoking the general design that myself and my friends did for our house in-game!

All my work has been done in blender so far, but it's been very fun to be able to continue to make progress making all these shapes from scratch w/ references, getting them close, or at least vaguely similar to the original references used~

I am also using free texture assets from ambientcg.com to texture my meshes which really helps make everything come even more together ♥

#blender #3d modeling #blender 3D #VRChat world #World Creation #Based on my FFXIV FC's housing interior

[sovereignsboard]

how is cartography in your world? did someone in the world draw the map thats ur header?

So, as mentioned in some previous post or reblog, sea travel is not a big deal in Sovereignsboard. In-world, the majority of maps will be incredibly detailed travel guides to small areas near the map’s origin, or very broad, blobby maps goblins use to explain to above ground folks why their mail is taking so long. The closest to what this map is would be tax collection maps held by governments, and even then they’re really only for one country, and not every country is that precise with their tax-maps. You can consider the header to be a composite of all these maps.

#sovereignsboard #world building #worldbuilding #fantasy world #fantasy #original worlds #world creation #world building asks #cartography

[ariellewm]

Dragon

Homeland or Region of Discovery: Draca Isla Pyramis

Life Expectancy: 200 years or older depending on health.

Maturity: 20 years

Common Color(s): Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Purple and Mixed. Rarer colors consist of White and Black.

Common Eye Color(s): Green, Red, Brown, Blue, Purple, Black.

Diet: Carnivorous

Majik Abilities: Fire Breath, Ice Breath

Formidable, intimidating reptilian creatures. Since the days of ancient Draca Isla Pyramis, they are the wisest and eldest of all races. Today their descendants can be found in just about every part of the planet (except for the polar caps). They come in a diversity of colors, features, and some even possess the ability to breathe fire or ice. Several dragons have webbed or feathered wings upon their backs or attached to their forelimbs.

There are three different species of dragons: Northern, Southern, and Western.

!! Drawings of the dragons of my world will be updated at another time !!

Southern Dragons

Southern dragons are the oldest of the species. They lack wings but can still fly and are excellent runners and swimmers. Their ability to fly is due to their strong connection to majik (magic). They had been mistaken as being “serpents with claws” by early sapiens due to their slender long bodies. These dragons make their homes near rivers, lakes, lagoons, and even near the oceans and seas. They can still be seen in almost all other parts except for the polar caps. Their scales or fur are brightly colored. Some southern dragons have a strong relationship with their sapiens while others choose to live alone.

Western Dragons

The Western dragon, or on Earth they’d be called wyverns, are two legged reptilian beasts with large wings that act like a set of front limbs. What makes the western unique compared to its northern cousin are its tails. They use their whip-like tails for both balance and defense. The colors of their scales are a darker shade with the most popular colors being red and dark blue. Not many of these dragons have bonds with sapiens or others, preferring to live alone and away from civilization. They make their homes within the mountains, caverns, nearby lakes and forests.

Northern Dragons

Northern dragons are the most prevalent species of dragons. Four limbed reptilian beasts with a set of wings upon their backs. Their wings can either be feathered or webbed, sometimes unique species of dragons have both. When compared to its western relative, the northern dragon has powerful, larger wings. Northern dragons live just about anywhere…except for the polar caps. Numerous of these dragons have sapien bonds.

Relationship Between Dragon and Sapien

Dragon and Sapien bonds had been around since after The Blood War. Together they protect one another, defend one another. Usually, the sapien baby is given a female or male dragon egg and hatch during the child’s fifth birthday. The dragon will quickly grow in intelligence and stature. Right about the time the child is in their early preteen years, they can ride on their dragon. The dragon will then reach maturity when the sapien turns twenty while continuing to grow. As tradition after reaching maturity, dragons have the choice of remaining with their sapien bond or venturing off on their own. For those with a very close bond, they can even feel each other’s emotions and feelings. Some say its due to strong traits of majik (magic) that overtime allowed the dragons to have these connections.

More On Dragons:

Dragons are believed to be descendants of the Serpentai, great winged feathered large serpents. Dragons fear these creatures more than any other creature on Zarth as Serpentai's hunt down dragons roaming the skies.

The Crystal Spirits gifted the dragons the ability to breathe fire or ice for defense against their enemies.

There are other uncommon dragon species across Zarth but are very rare to come by. Some dwell in oceans while others make their home in the hot deserts and volcanoes.

Some dragons possess lightning, poison, and other sorts of majik which is rare for a dragon to have.

#fictional world #worldbuilding #world creation #dragon #current wip #writing #creative writing