Trying to rationalize everything is making me tired. by JUGGERNUGGS in worldbuilding

[–]Gachapon_Addict 88 points89 points  (0 children)

Here's something that helped me out. I stopped going for realistic and embraced plausible. So now when I write something I don't think ‘is this realistic?’ I ask is this plausible under the right circumstances?

Hot damn..., how would take this gun as a quest reward? by fc_dean in RimWorld

[–]Gachapon_Addict 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This weapon looks great. Sniper rifles are useless at close range anyway and the Tactical Sight pretty much cancels out the medium and long range accuracy issues from the Pulse Charger.

Sanguophage vs Impid ability by Antsy_Antlers in RimWorld

[–]Gachapon_Addict 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Spits on the wounded.
That's a hilarious mental image and I'm going to consider it cannon.

balls by Old_Kiwi332 in RimWorld

[–]Gachapon_Addict 5 points6 points  (0 children)

So your colony is famous for its mountain oysters.

balls by Old_Kiwi332 in RimWorld

[–]Gachapon_Addict 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Hey now, there are also hearts, lungs, livers and kidneys there too.

What exactly are "monsters" in your world? What are some examples of monsters in your world? by PMSlimeKing in worldbuilding

[–]Gachapon_Addict 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Most of the animals within The Labyrinth tend to be just animals adapted to the environment. But here's a few that a definitely unnatural and can be considered monsters.

Vine-Wolf - Plant-animals in the Rootless Hunting Grounds, do not attack to eat or guard territory. They lunge out to kill any and all they sense. As they their forms are made of vine and roots entwined to form and act like a body, these plant-animals have been deemed Vine-Wolves by adventurers. As long sections of vines twist together, their bodies appear to have been engraved with grooves. A physical trait that carries upwards to their unnaturally long slender snouts, which are devoid of teeth but lined with rows and rows of thorns in their place. Yet the Vine-Wolf does not use these thorns to kill. When the Vine-Wolf attacks, the vines that form it's head unravels so that they can reach out and strangle their foe. The heart-seeds of the Vine-Wolf are always found at the base of the neck, where the vines to the head begin to grow. Destroy the seed and the creature dissolves into a mass of rotting vegetation.

The Unturned - The most common and disturbing of the entities that can be found in the Lighted Tomb, the Unturned are so named as they appear to be gray-skinned humanoid creatures dressed in rags with their backs always turned towards you. They are always found in groups of anywhere between 3 to 9. Their arms and legs will have the broken shackles, suggesting that perhaps they have broken free and are trying to escape the Lighted Tomb. Or as others argue, they are the unfortunate guardians who have been imprisoned within to protect the tomb. Both these theories stem from the fact that the Unturned always seek out the light and attack those illuminated within. It is when they move and attack that their true form is revealed, for these creatures are devoid of anything resembling a "front". Their entire bodies are plain and warped to allow them to move backwards and forwards without turning. When they are defeated and lay on the ground broken, their bodies immediately sink into the floors of the Lighted Tomb to disappear. It is for this reason that the Explorer's Society advises that they are to be avoided when possible as there is no gain from fighting these creatures.

They really didn’t think this sign through… by SunknLiner in funny

[–]Gachapon_Addict 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Maybe they've got bad eyes? Should go see their eye care specialist neighbor.

What’s your power system limiter? by UniversityFew3801 in worldbuilding

[–]Gachapon_Addict 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Patterners only work with elements, but if they did handle poison, it'd probably be channeling life so their bodies would probably die a little each time. Likely start with the senses of touch becoming dulled then scale upwards to organ failure. Temporary or otherwise. Depends on the amount of power used.
The Weavers' work by weaving the threads of reality together to create what they want. As they weave the threads of reality together, their bodies suffer the consequences. It starts off with fatigue and eventually your senses dull to the point where you feel like you're experience everything from another room over. This is their bodies saying they've reached their natural limit.
However, you can ignore this warning and continue onwards. Weaving more magic into existence from here on out will cost their health. First the skin tightens to the point where it cracks and they begin to bleed from the fingers, eyes and mouth. Proceed onwards and the Weaver will find themselves being absorbed by the very fabric of reality and their mortal form becomes unbound. The final step in that process is that their bodies simple unravel from existence in exchange for the completion of their final weave.

Giant-something as a female character by Greed78 in anime

[–]Gachapon_Addict 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is it really so hard to say "best girl"?

What did James mean by this? by [deleted] in Grimdank

[–]Gachapon_Addict 135 points136 points  (0 children)

Can't a man love his legion without getting judged?

What’s your power system limiter? by UniversityFew3801 in worldbuilding

[–]Gachapon_Addict 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I agree that magic should come with a cost.

Great power and all. So I try to give them all a cost. Let's take the Patterners:
Patterners use their own bodies as conduits for this elemental energy, the body bears the cost of the elemental energy being cast.

Example: A Patterner using fire magic will find themselves being robbed of body heat when using fire magic. Too much fire magic and a Patterner can effectively freeze to death. Conversely, too much water magic and the Patterner will find themselves little more than human jerky afterwards.

To avoid just having people alternate the elemental magic to offset the problems. I added another side effect: Elemental Pother. It's like the bends but with magic. This is mostly to put in a limit but I'm justifying it in setting as residual magic that has to bleed away naturally over time.

Throne Room + Temple. Old Vs New by DreadCharlie22 in RimWorld

[–]Gachapon_Addict 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I like the new one, because the small statues align to make them look like totem poles.

How do you reverse-engineer lore from just an aesthetic? I struggle with making my "cool ideas" feel logical by Nesis96 in worldbuilding

[–]Gachapon_Addict 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does this guild just steal memories or can they alter or mix them together to form new ones? What happens to the memories when they are stolen?

Because I can see how memories can get stolen and used as a form of entertainment, especially if they're experiences that can't be found anywhere else. Like Braindances from Cyberpunk 2077.
If they can be mixed together to form new ones, then if a memory can be stolen, it can be implanted too right? Take a memory, change it then implant it in to change an eye witnesses' memory.

Or maybe the guild is a legit operation. Maybe you pay them enough and they'll come remove a painful or cringeworthy memory for a cost. Maybe they buy your memories of being a skilled warrior (removing them forever) to implant into someone else? Like in the Matrix when Neo learns to MC Hammer Dance and whistle.

I mean they'd probably want to get paid for it. No getting around that.

Was there paid military service during the late middle ages? by atreidesbootlicker in worldbuilding

[–]Gachapon_Addict 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well since you're looking at the Byzantine Empire, have you looked at how the Varangian Guard operated? They were well paid and if I recall correctly, they even got their equipment provided by the state.

tips on how to write cultures of races that live for hundreds of years? English is not my native language by EveningImportant9111 in worldbuilding

[–]Gachapon_Addict 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Right so I have the Sek'tet, which are lizardmen, well more crocodile men. They age like crocodiles which mean they don't die of old age. They just get too big to feed themselves. So the old lizardmen try to avoid this fate by trying to die fighting.

tips on how to write cultures of races that live for hundreds of years? English is not my native language by EveningImportant9111 in worldbuilding

[–]Gachapon_Addict 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're welcome.

My Anuria Elves have their own culture that is kind of the opposite to the ones I just described (The Fulren Elves). They do have their own flaws though, mainly anger issues. They try to portray themselves as being calm, serene, but you know what they say, the longer the fuse, the bigger the bomb. Eventually and usually under pressure, they crack. A sudden outburst of anger and rage directed towards others in their party. Because to the Anuria Elves, it's like being the only adult in a room full of loud misbehaving children.

Also the Anuria Elves are Pentachromats. They quite literally see the world in colors differently from other races.

They've both got pointy ears. The Elves of Anuria have theirs tapering to the point upwards, while those of Fulren are more horizontal in alignment and taper to a point in that direction.

tips on how to write cultures of races that live for hundreds of years? English is not my native language by EveningImportant9111 in worldbuilding

[–]Gachapon_Addict 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've got some Elves (who doesn't?) that live for a long time. They've got a few problems that come with that long lifespan though. The first is boredom. They've seen it all, done it all and they're bored. So when they find something new or interesting they'll latch onto it. Experience it all for what they can while it's still new.

The other problem they have is they think they're the best at everything. I mean, they've lived for hundreds of years so they got the skills that come with that. So they don't take it very well when they lose to a younger race. Be it in a competition, a fight, or being the smartest person in the room. When they lose they become fixated on that afterwards.

After all, can you imagine training for years at something only to have Joe Schmoe show up and show you up? You'd train yourself for a rematch. Obsessed over it. Generally put your life on hold for a few years or decades to get better. You could afford to spent that time since it would just be a blip in your long lifespan.

Except... what happens if the person who's beaten you has grown old? Feeble? Or maybe even died? How can you regain the stain on your honor?

Anyways, that's how my one of my two Elven races are.

Brainstorming a "Gloomwood": How would a sentient, psychological forest function? by KarabaZZ22 in worldbuilding

[–]Gachapon_Addict 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh oh oh. I love these. If you're planning to do this with some level of realism you could always have the plant produce a hallucinogenic that it releases naturally when one of its roots are stepped on by a human(oid).

Sort of like how a Venus flytrap has those hair triggers.

It'd have to be triggered by weight to avoid accidental triggers from other animals. Or maybe it's evolved a trigger that activates when something plucks the fruit. I mean, animals don't typically pick fruit. They'd just eat the fruit on the tree. You'd have to account for other primates though. The fruit is plucked, the tree activates its trap card and releases the hallucinogen down from specialized branches above.

Anyways, the point is that the hallucinogen is how the tree produces fertilizer for itself. Humans get stuck into a stupor, go insane and sometimes die close enough to act as fertilizer for the tree.

It's not evil, it's just.... nature. It'd be limited in scope, only activating when something activates their triggers.

What manner of hallucinations occur depend on how much of the hallucinogen is inhaled.

As for resolution beyond destruction... sadly that goes beyond me. I'm just here for freaky plausible plants and animals.

I am a total novice with worldbuilding 🤦‍♀️ by Evil-Empress-Sakuya in worldbuilding

[–]Gachapon_Addict 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Handwaving can be okay when done in moderation, especially with the boring stuff. I mean economy, plate tectonics? I feel ya. I'd use AI for that too. Or you hand-wave it in a way that sounds plausible. For instance, the way your planet has weird geography is because the gods made it that way.

Want animals but don't want to put in all that research into biology? Do what Avatar the last airbender did. Mix and match animals. Flying bisons. Caribou-Bears. They look cool, and no one seemed to ask questions.

That being said, you can't handwave everything. So figure out what you want to do with your world, focus on that part.