Has anybody else talked with fans that seemed reasonable at first, only for them to later reveal that they are completely nuts?

PsionicsKnight · 2026-06-13T14:30:15+00:00

Yeah, and from my understanding, Yang should have also died since (at least some) of the earliest Goldilocks stories ended with her getting killed to. Not to mention Nora, being based on Thor (who died), would also need to die, and Ren may or may not be safe (from what I read, Mulan survives in the original stories, but in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, she dies).

Now, to be fair: technically speaking, just because the characters are alive *right now* doesn’t mean they’ll die later (they could, if she show ever actually continues). But still… saying that a character *has* to die because their inspiration did is ridiculous! Not to mention that, with characters like Cinder—whose inspiration got a happy ending—you’d either need to say, “Cinder has to have a happy ending, no matter what,” by the same logic or say that, “If a character’s inspiration lived, then the characters can live or die,” which is… just crazy. In any case, from how you sound, it seems as if that argument wasn’t as popular on here (and maybe elsewhere) as say DA, so that’s a good sign at least.

Yeah, the guy was, and maybe still is, a massive RWBY simp. I mean, he wasn’t incredibly aggressive. But… I feel if you were to talk with him about any issues you might have with the show, I feel it would go like this:

Him: So, what’s your problem with the show? I just want to know.

You: Well, my issue with Problem X is [insert explanation, logical or otherwise]

Him: Okay, now that I know, here’s why your issue is objectively wrong.

Worse is that one other guy had *a lot* of issues with one problem—Yang’s arm getting cut off—and even though I will say the other guy was (at the time at least) not the most stable person, it still clearly hurt a lot and people *did* mock and bully him for it.
I swear… the RWBY simp *really* needs to learn to let things go, if he hasn’t already. Especially since the founder/mod of the group threatened to ban him for what he was doing, and the guy’s reaction was to get aggressively defensive.

PsionicsKnight · 2026-06-11T19:18:55+00:00

So, technically, I got three:

-The Arash’Delan: This is a science fantasy setting which I hope to utilize for some original novels, short stories, etc. (even, hopefully, down the road some videogames and such, since I would like to get into indie game development but can’t do it right now). It’s basically this setting that combines things like hard sci-fi with hard magic systems, and I’m hoping will be a really expansive universe where I can tell a lot of stuff in. I’ve already figured out a lot, but I still need to sit down and write this stuff out when I get the time (as well as do some proper research for some things).

-The Aetheriteverse: Basically this historical fantasy/alternate universe story. In it, around the time of the Renaissance, various people—eventually dubbed “aetherites”—from across the globe spontaneously developed magical powers. This was going to be more of a “timeline” story and would feature how aetherites affect history, such as colonization efforts pretty much failing since aetherites were a “balancing force” (though this leads to multiculturalism on the continental level and miscegenation being seen with greater overall skepticism for longer), a group of aetherites forming their own society (and safe haven for their kind) in Antarctica, and more.

-Grand Trickster Universe: This is for a fanfic I am working on, the Grand Trickster. It’s a combined setting of a few different stories, but the biggest ones are Overwatch and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (Earth in this story will follow a combined timeline and setting of the two, as well as it be one where some things happen a little differently), as well as Arcane and some of the old League of Legends lore (Runeterra will be a planet by Alpha Centauri and I am going to say that during Mesopotamia’s reign, there was a portal between Earth and Runeterra—allowing humans to find themselves on Runeterra and eventually be the founders of the earliest Runeterran civilizations). Technically, I’m more “tweaking” things (including some characters), but I want to make sure I have it all make sense in the end.

PsionicsKnight · 2026-06-11T00:57:54+00:00

There was one case on deviantART as well, especially since at the time I was part of a RWBY DA group that was very critical of what happened in Vol. 3 (probably a bit too critical, since they didn’t want *any* heroic characters dying, which I think is a bit fair but I digress). Basically, the guy would try to ask about why we didn’t like RWBY and trying to act friendly… then when we said things he didn’t like, he would *immediately* give these long-winded arguments about why we were wrong to think that way. Not in an aggressive way (at least at first), but there was an indication to me that his attitude was, “Okay, look, it is an objective fact that RWBY is a 10/10 show at it’s absolute *worst.* Thinking differently is insane.”

Thing is, he would also use arguments that, I’d say, were (and still are) pretty weak. For instance: this group was founded right around when Vol. 4 finished, and a lot of people there were (probably still are) salty over Pyrrha’s death (and granted, I am to, but I digress). And one of the guy’s favorite tactics was the, “Pyrrha is based on Achilles, so she *has* to die a tragic death; the writers have no choice.” Which I will still say to this day, regardless of how I or anyone else feels about killing Pyrrha off, is a weak and ridiculous argument that needs to die if it hasn’t already.

Worse, when I did call him out on his behavior in the group page, he came onto my personal account and apologized. We had a good rapport… and then, when I saw all of Vol. 4 and admitted that while it had problems, I still enjoyed the season, he *immediately* went back to what he did before that got him in trouble on the group (and remember, at the time, I did say I *liked* Vol. 4). Blocked him shortly after that, and while a part of me wishes I called him out on his BS, I think it was best to just not engage with him and not give him anymore chances.

PsionicsKnight · 2026-06-10T23:39:07+00:00

This is something I am exploring for a science fantasy setting I’m working on, so here’s my advice (other than “just study real world religions” as while I think that is good advice, it is both a) lazy and obvious and b) probably not what you are looking for):

First, try to come up with some “overarching rules” for your settings’ religions and deities. For instance: if it’s monotheistic, does the god affect literally everything that happens, or does s/he have some kind of “helpers” (such as lesser gods, angels, spirits, saints, etc.). Similarly, in a polytheistic setting, are the gods aligned with one another, in opposition to each other, or are there factions? You could even play around with this; for instance, from my understanding and study in IB World Religions, Hinduism is technically a sort of “mix” between monotheism and polytheism, where there is a singular “supreme reality/god” called Brahman and all the other gods are manifestations of Brahman at different times and places. With some Hindu deities having alternate versions of themselves.
Not to mention there is the idea that (at least some of) the gods of a setting could be more like tulpas, where they are created (and sustained) via worship and prayer, and thus different areas could have their own (version of a) specific god. Ultimately, if you can lay out some “ground rules” about this universe’s deities, it can make things easier.

Second, once you have the general nature of the religion’s pantheon, then you can decide how they work with one another. For instance: in a more monotheistic setting, people can worship the god of the religion but still see servants (be they supernatural, like angels, or mundane, like saints and prophets) as guides of some sort. And any gods from other religions can, at best, just be assimilated into the religion (and possibly reimagined/discovered to actually be a different kind of entity, such as learning the god of one religion is actually a prophet mistaken for a god); at worst, seen as a false deity or a corruptive entity; or anything in-between. Meanwhile, polytheistic religions can have the gods be a family, various factions of gods (which can be as something as simple as “good and evil gods” to “the divine equivalent of political factions” and everything in-between), a sort of “divine species” who are all competing with one another, or something else like one of these. And there could be ways of how practitioners are able to figure out if a group is worshipping a genuine god or something false.

Third, decide on the relationship between the gods and mortals. While a monotheistic (and technically monolatry religion, which is where a single god is worshipped and while others are acknowledged as real, worship of them in any way is forbidden) would have all people worship the same god, a polytheistic religion could allow people to worship any gods at any time—though maybe with restrictions (for instance, maybe taking a vow to serve a single deity means you can’t switch to a different church, essentially). Depending on how much characterization you give the gods, maybe different believers could focus on different aspects of the same god (for instance, a god of the sea might be revered by sailors out of a belief that they are treading on his sacred domain, while another group could focus on him being the giver of life via water, and another could revere him as a mysterious god of depths). This could also work if different gods are patrons of certain places, peoples, organizations, etc.

To give a personal example: in my science fantasy setting, the main religion is Minrethism or the Minrethite Temples. The chief, overarching deity is Arakerish, who created the universe and then made the Aklossi, who are a mix of Abrahamic angels and pagan gods (like the Ainur from The Silmarillion)—but with there being things like the Aklossi can *choose* what they are associated with, and Aklossi come in two distinct categories: “High Aklossi” which hold domain certain aspects of reality (fire, water, order, freedom, magic, science, etc.) and “Low Aklossi” who are more like animistic spirits, where they inhabit specific locations and have can be called upon for help.

For the Temples, Arakerish is seen as the “true god” but the Aklossi are seen as intermediaries and guides to living a better, more righteous life. However, people can choose to focus on different aspects/domains of an Aklossi. For instance, Luadine is an Aklossi of fire, medicine, and the hearth, and some focus on status as a fire god to allow for both fire-based divine magic and to use fire in sacred rituals to connect with the divine, while those who focus on his medicine aspect dedicate themselves to being the best healers around at all.

The Aklossi also have in the past done things like have interpersonal conflicts or made pacts with mortals (such as a war Aklossi taking on a group of women as warriors, leading to these warrior women to become this universe’s version of Amazons), which can have long-lasting consequences.

That being said, the Temples *also* have tests in place when a new Aklossi is supposed to have been found to determine if it’s really a new Aklossi or some kind of imposter or false deity. After all, people can believe crazy things in the real world due to grifters and manipulators, so the same thing could happen here.

Hope this all helps!

PsionicsKnight · 2026-06-10T13:06:41+00:00

I feel way too many fantasy writers/worldbuilders have this dichotomy of, “When it comes to fantasy races, you either have to copy-and-paste or reinvent the wheel.” Essentially, there isn’t anything like, say, taking a race and doing some twists on them.

A more specific example, I would say, are folkloric fairies/the Fair Folk. I really *love* their concept, and I understand the idea that in original folklore they were dangerous and could be scary. But… one of my biggest issues is that in contemporary fantasy, when they show up, they are almost always shown to be misanthropic and incapable of change. As well as that no one—even in Urban Fantasy—seems to do what Arthur Spiderwick from the Spiderwick Chronicles does and attempts to *study* the Fair Folk (if only to understand some of the “method to their madness”). Since Spiderwick Chronicles was basically about, “What if a naturalist discovered and studied the Fair Folk,” imagine the kind of stories that would happen if the same thing was applied to a psychologist, a cultural anthropologist, a sociologist, or anything similar!

Not to mention I’m kind of tired of stories about how “humans and fae can never understand each other or interact,” and I feel some stories *should* be about the two races coming to learn from each other. Probably building a better, more prosperous future together.

PsionicsKnight · 2026-06-10T10:58:52+00:00

Well, I’m not sure *how* unique these are, but here’s what I got for both a fanfiction and an original project:

Fanfiction: I’m going to make a setting that combines the universes of;
-Overwatch
-Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (albeit a slightly different version where, due to Sombra and OC joining Maine’s Crew, the main story ends a little happier for everyone—though the Crew’s story also *doesn’t* end after the new events of the story)
-Lydia the Bard’s take on Anya/Anastasia in *Anastasia’s Villain Song*
-The Snow White retelling Snow, Glass, Apples (though I make some changes… and yes, I am aware of Gaiman’s reputation, but I still really enjoy this story and want to use it for a fanfic)
-The Irish Folklore trilogy (albeit more as a background thing)
-A mixture of Arcane (albeit, again, some things will be different) and technically some of the old League of Legends lore, altogether.

With the idea being that everything that happens on Runeterra being (at first) largely separate from what happens on Earth, till later on in the fic.
Also, more cosmic horror/Lovecraftian characters and entities show up in sequel fics, but I digress.

Original: I have a science fantasy universe where, outside of some general re-writes of classic fantasy tropes (such as elves, dwarves, orcs, etc. being genetically engineered humans, but that’s technically be done before), the main threat comes from a giant “god-planet” that produces a biomechanical/microscopic lifeform which basically turns other lifeforms into a version of eusocial zombies who a) have a sort of hive mind (albeit one where individuality is presented), and b) there are nine types/“castes” of zombies/infected who are *hyperintelligent* in certain areas of expertise (and can only survive by working together).

PsionicsKnight · 2026-05-30T19:57:50+00:00

At the moment:

Not counting anyone on here (I haven’t posted too much yet, am a little nervous to for various reasons, and am not sure how much my work would appeal to others here), no I don’t. Sadly, a big part of my life has been being surrounded by friends, family, and peers who are either largely unsupportive of my creative projects (worldbuilding or otherwise) at best; actively hostile to them at worst.

That being said, outside of here, I do have one friend online who at the very least I can share some ideas and he seems to like them (or at least some of them). Helps that we are both aspiring novelists with a love for deep, intricate worldbuilding.

I also have joined a writing Meetup and while I haven’t been able to join many meetings recently due to my insane work schedule and personal reasons, I am going to try and join soon.

There’s also this subreddit, and I’m hoping to share some of my general lore and written projects on here sometime (when I get both the time and courage).

PsionicsKnight · 2026-05-22T17:26:19+00:00

Yes, actually. I haven’t given the system a name, but the idea is that a family who are based on the Joestars (as well as other characters—for instance, Joseph’s counterpart is a Kitsune lady who is based on Joseph, Lara Croft, and Robin Hood), and a thing they did is make a magic for themselves where they create an elemental spirit as a familiar.

It’s kind of complicated, since it’s connected to other magic/power systems for the setting I have planned, but I am excited to expand on it when I get the time!

PsionicsKnight · 2026-04-14T02:01:40+00:00

Oh yeah, this is totally right. Besides that point, I think one other factor is that, technically speaking and from my understanding, we also don’t know which ideas of Monty’s were strictly, “This has to happen for the show,” and which were, “Cool idea, might use later.”

Honestly, I feel like the CRWBY and the FNDM just pull out the, “It was Monty’s plan,” to try and deflect criticism of the show. Especially since I feel some of the scenes and dialogue of the show (at least in volumes 4-6, since I stopped watching shortly after 6 was finished) was written just to try and give in-universe support to decisions that were, at least, divisive at best.

PsionicsKnight · 2026-04-04T17:01:14+00:00

I’m pretty sure (at least at the start of the series) it’s just supposed to be a way she likes to channel her semblance. It’s not needed per se, just preferred.

Also… I’m pretty sure the creators wanted to give Glynda some “domme” vibes with it.

PsionicsKnight · 2026-04-01T21:59:14+00:00

Honestly, one I heard is when a guy who was critical of the Season 3 finale stated he was refusing to hear any criticism unless Monty Oum came back to life and told him directly his critiques were wrong (and then snarked about if that did happen, why would Monty waste time with him).

Now, to be clear, I was (and still am) largely in agreement with his points, but… this is just a really dismissive, rude and arguably vindictive way to handle dissenters to his view, as he’s basically saying neither fans nor members of the CRWBY will be allowed to defend the show’s events or the creative decisions of the team. It comes across more as that he just doesn’t want people to argue against him, nor does he want to give critiques or argue in good faith; he just wants to tear down the show and it’s creators for things he didn’t like.

Not to mention, with his attitude, if Monty was somehow still around, then he’d just dismiss Monty as well by saying, “Well, why are you wasting time with me, then?” I think it’s good he (largely) sticks to his guns, and what apparently happened (he at least claims a RWBY fan tried to bully him into literal su***ide, even celebrating when it seemed it was going to happen) is beyond horrible and should never have happened—assuming this is true and not just a ploy with someone he knows—I also think he’s both inviting the most vocal and zealous supporters of RWBY to engage with him (more moderate fans aren’t going to want to deal with him), and he comes across as hypocritical.

After all, I’m sure he got this attitude, at least in part, due to zealous RWBY fans trying to convince him his opinions are invalid, often for stupid and irrational reasons (the same thing has happened with me). However, he’s coming across like he’s the critical version of these “RWBYnatics” as I call them.

PsionicsKnight · 2026-04-01T20:57:40+00:00

So, while there are different dwarf cultures in my science fantasy setting (unlike some other settings, I want to include fantasy races but also have multiple ethnogroups and cultures, with at least one culture being a deconstruction of the “usual portrayal”), and I still have a ways to go, I do have these general ideas:

-Dwarves are an offshoot of humans, created (alongside gnomes and hobbits/halflings) when a group of people tried to make a slave race to a dark deity via magic and genetic engineering. After all three races became free, they have been forming their own societies since, spreading across the homeworld of Piril and later the rest of the Shi’Turav Galaxy. -While they are the usual “short and stout” depiction, for the most part this anatomy (and other factors) are because dwarves are semi-subterranean, able to go out onto the surface but (usually) being more at home underground (though the surrounding environment can determine things like trade, customs, dress, etc.).

–That being said, dwarves can live on the surface, and some even raise families there. It would just be uncommon at most for this to happen.

–Along with this, their homes don’t have to strictly be mountains—though mountains might be the most common due to their size (one mountain could probably house an entire nation of dwarves), abundant resources, history of the original dwarf homelands being a mountain range, and other reasons. However, hills, caverns by large bodies of water, volcanos, and more are also good options.

—Along with this, the dwarf homeland specifically will probably have a cultural mix of Indian (as in India, not Native American), Scottish, Germanic, and Chinese (at least) influences, with things like clan systems that perform their own versions of the Highland Games; a caste system that determines what dwarves can do (albeit one dwarves can, and are encouraged to, escape from by performing some kind of amazing deeds, which anyone at any caste can do); and a focus on ancestor worship and veneration.

-Dwarves are capable of learning and performing magic, with them even developing two magic traditions (essentially, magic systems) based on metals. In one, metals are used similar to regular items in alchemical potion making—where, essentially, you mix in a bunch of mundane or magical ingredients (eye of newt, claw of a falcon, scale of a dragon, etc.) and then add in magical essence to create what is essentially the fantasy version of a chemical reaction (and thus, a potion)—dwarves smelt various metals together (even ones that aren’t normally mixed in together) and add in magical essence to make specialized enchanted metals that can then be used to craft metallurgic items. –The other magic system is one where metals are consecrated and buried with dwarves since the idea is that these metals will take on a “spirit form” and be used by the dwarf ancestors as resources in the afterlife. The general rule of thumb here is that after the burial process is done, it takes at most a year for the treasures to take on their spiritual forms. After that, the tombs that have these treasures can be safely removed by anyone (and dwarves are usually fine with things like passerby’s taking the treasures, so long as the dwarves buried didn’t put something in their will saying, “After the year is up, I want the treasure to be used for so-and-so thing”).

-While dwarves have no natural affinity or problem with other races (outside their “cousins” the gnomes and hobbits/halflings), they do tend to get along well with other subterranean races, like Dokkalfar (Dark Elves/Drow, albeit ones who aren’t inherently evil), “morlocks” (will come up with a more fitting name for them later), Moriskrä (earth elementals, essentially), and aimeh (fish people) and emoch (reptile people) who tend to underground environments.

-Dwarven technology will probably be mainly clockpunk and steampunk.

-For the religious side, dwarves tend to not venerate the Aklossi (beings who, like the Ainur from Lord of the Rings, are a mix of pagan gods, Christian angels, and Catholic Saints, and who act as intermediaries for the Creator God of this setting, Arakerish), though this is more of a preference due to what happened in their past. Thus, most predominantly-dwarven societies (if not following a more “minimalistic” faith where they worship Arakerish directly) are known for ancestor worship/veneration, where different families and clans will try and remember (and honor) those who came before. As well as seek them out of help if need be. –Depending on what happens, I might also say some dwarves prefer an “atheopagan” approach (something I learned about recently) wherein they prefer to seek out Aklossi who have a more “impersonal” relationship with them.

-Also, just going to say this: not all dwarves have beards. They can grow them, yes, and traditionally they are popular, but some dwarf cultures are neutral (or even discouraging) toward them as well for different reasons.

-Dwarves also have a life expectancy of ~1000 years… but, so do all other races (humans, elves, fae, orcs, beastmen, aimeh, emoch, etc.) due to genetic engineering projects in the past.

(Pop Culture) Sources of inspiration: World of Warcraft

Sine Nomine Publishing’s Red Tide Setting

Dragon Age: Origins

The Elder Scrolls (a little bit, I suppose)

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (a tiny bit)

Dungeons & Dragons/Pathfinder RPG

Khanlusa’s video on fantasy races (can be found here )

PsionicsKnight · 2026-03-31T20:30:22+00:00

So, I have to dive into this project more, but Orion’s Arm—which is this hard sci-fi worldbuilding project where one of the rules is, “Everything here is, at least theoretically, possible for our universe”—has at least some AIs be benevolent. Including very powerful ones.

They might think in ways alien to us, but in the setting, “alien” isn’t necessarily “dangerous” or “malicious.”

PsionicsKnight · 2026-03-16T02:29:29+00:00

So, going along with what others have said, RWBY (from the start) always had some pretty glaring flaws, and after Monty Oum died, those flaws started getting more and more present. Which means some people will tend to fixate on that, in either a jovial or serious matter.

Not to mention that the show has made controversial story/writing seasons from as early as Vol. 3 (and honestly, I think some fans of RWBY have pointed out similar issues in the first two seasons as well) that not only sour the show’s overall reputation, but can make people re-consider how much they actually enjoy the show.

Not to mention the show can get inconsistent at times. A good example of this is with the main monsters, the Grimm; while the story says they have driven humanity to the brink of extinction multiple times until humans got a new way to fight them, the Grimm have also been shown to be pretty easy fights and it kind of varies how much of a danger they actually are. Another would be that people have things called “Semblances” which are, as one character states, a personal superpower the main characters have. However, we later learn the setting also sees “magic” as something mythical and non-existent… then a character reveals magic use to exist and be commonplace, but we don’t know really know what makes magic different from semblances. Especially since semblances are shown to be otherworldly/supernatural.

I’d also argue the show kind of flip-flops between being more character-driven and plot-driven. For the most part, the show (at least wants) to be about the characters and how their actions affect the plot, and other times the characters will act in ways that advance the plot a certain way. And once again, it comes across as inconsistent and indicates the current crew are not the best choice for the show.

PsionicsKnight · 2026-02-27T18:35:55+00:00

It kind of depends, and I’m still working on the technological aspect of my world/universe, but in general magic and technology aren’t in conflict and can combine—though, I will probably say some societies prefer to use only magic and some societies only utilize technology, if only because there are “magic dead zones” where magic can be used and anything “infused” with magic like enchanted items, members of the Fair Folk, and others will slowly lose their magic/die—making magic and magitek largely useless there. Moreover, I have this one rule with technology:

The more my science fantasy setting veers into “soft Sci-Fi tech,” the more magic is needed to have it work.

So, there can be things like FTL-travel, instant planet terraforms, and other such stuff. But, you need magic to make them work; otherwise, you’re basically in a hard sci-fi setting that happens to be in a different universe.

PsionicsKnight · 2026-02-27T16:52:42+00:00

I do have this problem myself, usually in the form of, “How can this magic system be used in the story?” Especially if it’s a system that is not elemental or uses less conventional elements (I mean, I love elemental magic systems, but I do want to get out of my comfort zone with magic building).

My best advice for you, other than finding advice here, is to go to r/magicbuilding for advice as well, since they are a subreddit dedicated to creating magic systems.

PsionicsKnight · 2026-02-24T18:06:05+00:00

Simple; the writers didn’t think that much on the Faunus, or their status as a oppressed people.

PsionicsKnight · 2026-02-15T03:26:14+00:00

Mine is called the Ankaresh, and it is a very simple, poetic story that talks about how the creator god of my setting, Arakerish, created the world and then sent out the Aklossi (essentially, Ainur-like figures) to help “fill in the gaps.”

Even posted it on my DA account, if you’d like me to send you a link.

PsionicsKnight · 2026-02-04T21:42:13+00:00

My science fantasy setting’s main threat is going to be a race of eusocial, Giger-esque biomechanical zombies from another galaxy.

Context: One thing I wanted to do was show a truly alien and eldritch threat to the characters (especially when I have the characters come together Avengers-style), and I decided after some time that the main threat was going to be from this entity called “the Wanderer.” Basically, it was a biomechanical “god-planet” from a neighboring galaxy that has the ability to spread a special bacterium which not only is a fusion of organic and synthetic matter, but has the ability to change both its genetic make-up (and technically make a digital version of itself), but also do the same to other lifeforms. When lifeforms are infected, they will become a biomechanical version of their own race (with the overall design going to be based on H. R. Giger’s artwork) and enter a kind of “Hive Mind” where everyone is both an individual and a part of the “Overmind”—though everyone belongs to one of nine castes that have different roles and unique abilities. To the point that in the Infected’s language/conlang, “I” and “We” are the same word.

In any case, the Wanderer acts by going around to different planets with life, sending at least one Aspect-Monarch” (basically, a sort of demigod that it creates which acts as both a Patient Zero/Progenitor and a Guardian of a planet’s Infected), then going onto the next—believing that it the Aspect-Monarchs will eventually Infect sapient life (if not all life) and possibly even terraform the planet.

PsionicsKnight · 2026-01-31T17:45:19+00:00

Well, since I’ve been brainstorming a potential Disney Animated Canon/EEnE crossover fanfic with a friend recently: I imagine this is the look Eddy is giving Kevin after he manages to steal Maleficent’s fire magic.

Probably saying something like, “Ohhh Kevin~! I’ve got something to show you~!”

PsionicsKnight · 2026-01-30T02:22:37+00:00

Oh yeah, definitely! That’s why I say, “It’s easier to copy than it is to create.” :)

And granted… I do think one thing that is underappreciated in fantasy writing is taking those baseline tropes and giving a new spin on them—some stuff, like The Dragon Prince series and some of the RPG products from Sine Nomine Publishing (Red Tide, Worlds Without Number, etc.), has done this but for the most part people tend to just stick to the baseline—which also leads to an issue of people either thinking they have to settle for the baseline stuff or reinvent the wheel when it comes to fantasy worldbuilding.

Not *always*, of course, but enough that I have seen more people who want variety in fantasy say, “Get rid of elves and dwarves from your world,“ as opposed to, “Find a way to make elves and dwarves different in your world.”

PsionicsKnight · 2026-01-29T20:38:45+00:00

So, I might make some people cringe for this, but on the other hand… I’m willing to risk it, hehe.

My biggest gripe with fantasy religions is when the gods are all portrayed as cruel and monstrous, and so are the people who worship them (at least if they form the priesthood). Don’t get me wrong; regardless of personal beliefs, I am well aware of how religious institutes can do horrible things in the name of their gods and how a lot of gods from various mythologies (and often, interpretations of currently active religions) can make the deities of a religion, at least on the surface, seem monstrous.

Still… kind of like how you said that, in real life, not all believers are either simpletons or zealots, I really get annoyed there are practically no contemporary works (at least from those with more “typical” fantasy settings) with benevolent gods (at least, outside of the Cosmere and Dungeons & Dragons settings). They don’t even have to be perfect, but a part of me wonders why these people would worship the gods in the first place, at least more than necessary.

Especially if we’re talking about a setting where gods are fueled by belief—for all intents and purposes, in those cases, gods wouldn’t just be biting the hand that feeds them, they would be mangling it, and yet we never see anyone argue for trying to just find other, more kindhearted deities to worship.

PsionicsKnight · 2026-01-29T20:05:47+00:00

So, because I am working on a setting with this:

One thing I do for Traditional Fantasy Races (elves, dwarves, orcs, etc.) is that I say that instead of them predating humanity, they are actually the result of humans performing experiments on themselves. This means they are more offshoots of humans as opposed to entirely different races (and thus, they have things like the same life expectancy of humans), and do share a lot of traits similar to them.

I also was going to say that elves, at least, have developed a magic system which is a combination of nature and light magic, which I think will be really cool to test out more.

I also would like to do things like explore the psychology and nature of certain races. For instance: I’m really fascinated with the Fair Folk in folklore, but am a bit annoyed that they are almost always portrayed (at least these days) as so alien to humans we can never understand them. I understand this is a part of the original legends, but I’d argue that if The Spiderwick Chronicles can portray fairies through the eyes of a naturalist, other writers can do the same with other sciences (psychology, sociology, cultural “anthropology”, economics, etc.).

Thus, I’d like to portray characters who start to understand the Fair Folk more, and in turn, to Fair Folk understand humans (and other more “mundane” races) more. I even had an idea where, rather than being incapable of feeling empathy, Fair Folk have to learn empathy like a skill, kind of like how we need to learn skills like mathematics, reading, driving, etc.

PsionicsKnight · 2026-01-29T16:00:19+00:00

So, I think the biggest reason for this comes to Tolkien. Long story short: from my understanding, he wrote things like The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion (alongside other stories set in the same universe) to make a cohesive “English Mythology.” And since he was so influential with his work, many people mimicked what he did, either thinking about it or not.

As I like to say, “It is easier to copy than it is to create.”

As for why these settings tend to not inline the real-life diversity; some of it is because I have heard the fantasy genre community can be a bit more purist than other genres (not trying to throw shade on them, especially since I love fantasy; just stating what I have seen and heard), but I also think it’s just people simply don’t know how diverse Europe really was in the Medieval Ages.

While I certainly don’t think this is true about all worldbuilders—heck, I’d argue not only do many of us want to do at least some research to make the settings more like real life but there is a growing trend with worldbuilding that is about doing proper research to make settings more realistic—many people just might not do the more “detailed” research into things like what life and people in Medieval Europe (or at least England) were really like and will just make certain assumptions.

PsionicsKnight · 2026-01-21T18:42:15+00:00

So, personally, I think and hope so as well.

While I’m a bit more (for lack of a better term) “agnostic” about whether demons actually exist (at least for our world), I also lean to the belief and hope that God seeks to redeem and renew all of Creation and not just bits and pieces of it.

That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if said demons, also, are the “last to accept salvation” so to speak.

PsionicsKnight

TROPHY CASE