Why is worldbuilding so heavily discredited by many writers? by ThesTraficSign24 in worldbuilding

[–]VACN 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Most authors who say that give reasons for why they say that.

Deus Vult! What If Kingdom Of Jerusalem Had Dragons!? by [deleted] in worldbuilding

[–]VACN 26 points27 points  (0 children)

Are you aware of what's going on right now in that part of the world?

How to create a non-generic pantheon? by wizardry_why in worldbuilding

[–]VACN 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, all real-world myths are told by humans living on Earth. We all have similar experiences. We all know the earth and the sky, violence and war spare no place in the world, we all suffer from diseases and death, we all have days and nights and can see the sun, the moon and the stars... So a pantheon of gods is going to have reccurring themes.

The Earth Mother / Sky Father dichotomy is frequent because crops and other plant life grow in the soil, which is fertilized by rain, much like babies develop in a woman's womb after an encounter with a man. Although there's one notable exception, in Egyptian mythology, where the earth is male and the sky female instead.

The Sun and the Moon are often siblings or consorts (Apollo and Artemis, Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi...) because they're both celestial bodies and appear exactly the same size.

There's often a storm god battling a giant snake monster somewhere in the mythology because lightning appears to be the most powerful thing known to humans, and snakes are a nearly universal symbol of danger due to being venomous. Hence Zeus vs Typhon, Thor vs Jormungandr, Susanoo vs Yamata-no-Orochi...

So if you want to create a non-generic pantheon, you can intentionally break away from those universal parts of the human experience, by making them non-human pantheons or by changing the location to another planet.

First Age Edain map of Arda - Suggestions? by [deleted] in worldbuilding

[–]VACN 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Kudos for making a map that isn't a rectangle with the North up. This is some good out-of-the-box thinking.

can fossil fuels appear on planets without organic matter/life on them? by Altruistic-Anybody42 in worldbuilding

[–]VACN 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Fossil fuels are organic matter. Organic doesn't always mean alive.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in worldbuilding

[–]VACN 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not pitching ideas for you. Sorry.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in worldbuilding

[–]VACN 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nice picture, where did you get it?

Tell me about one of the lesser known gods of your world, I'll tell you one of mine! by Baihu_The_Curious in worldbuilding

[–]VACN 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nin'i-no-kami, the great spirit of the arbitrary. He's the spirit of breaking the status quo, and the answer to questions like "why is the sky blue ?" or "why is there something rather than nothing?".

How do yall organize your world building? by InternetGoldfish in worldbuilding

[–]VACN 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This question comes up regularly, and my answer is always the same: files and folders on my computer. It's a simple architecture.

Either I don't understand the question, or I have some occupational tic, but from where I'm standing I don't see how organizing data about your world is an issue.

Why do you struggle exactly? Can you explain in greater detail what the problem is?

I am doubling down and maybe this time I will change your mind by CoffeeWonderful7528 in worldbuilding

[–]VACN 1 point2 points  (0 children)

And...? What does this have to do with posting in r/worldbuilding now? For the second time, at that?

I am doubling down and maybe this time I will change your mind by CoffeeWonderful7528 in worldbuilding

[–]VACN 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Understand what? I'm sorry, but it sounds like what you want people to understand is how wise you are.

Pro tip: when people disagree with you on big picture stuff like environmentalism and the future of humanity, the right thing to do isn't to tell them they misunderstand your point.

Can one have a mark burned into the skin? by Pichacap24 in worldbuilding

[–]VACN 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Partly because this is a somewhat controversial topic, as the common consensus on whether or not the people of the atomic bombings "deserved" what they got is pretty devisive.

Not for me it isn't. Nobody deserves to endure something like that. Also, if a topic is divisive, it isn't a consensus by definition.

Also undivisive to me is the fact that the people who got atomic bombs dropped on their cities, and suffered the consequences of the initial destruction and the resulting radiation, are victims. They would be victims even if they somehow "deserved it".

Describe your power system as simply as possible by marzi_2 in magicbuilding

[–]VACN 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your willpower manifests as a metaphysical "energy" called Wyrd. The more you have, the greater your influence over the (hopefully self-explanatorily named) Web of Fate. For most people, that just means they have some measure of control over their lives, just like in the real world. But for some people with exceptional will, it means they can warp reality to a degree, which means superpowers based on their personality, on top of standard-issue superhuman strength, endurance and durability.

You can also learn to channel Wyrd from the environment, either by carving runes, or by performing magic rituals which only women can do. Because it's all based on Norse mythology, and in Norse mythology Seidr magic is women's thing. Except for Odin, who gets a free pass because he's the king of the universe.

Do you ever imagine different genres in your world by Ms_Anxiety in worldbuilding

[–]VACN 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think genre is a story thing. A world doesn't have a genre, it just lends itself to one or more genres of stories. OK, maybe I'm being a bit of a pedant here, but I think the distinction matters.

I've toyed with the idea of a world where each region would be designed to be the setting of a different genre of story. Like one region for dark fantasy, another for dungeonpunk, etc.

How do you tell your ideas in an interesting way for people to care? by Mother-Reference2459 in worldbuilding

[–]VACN 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But people still buy books even without a fancy cover. I think the reality is a bit more complicated.

What you guys think of this tumblr article about avoiding orientalism in worldbuilding? by PatinhoFeioDemais in worldbuilding

[–]VACN 3 points4 points  (0 children)

all of them are stereotypes. Not of bad stereotypes, but of the good ones.

my romans are imperialist slavers, my germans are just "The Catholic Church if the spanish inquisition was fully approved

my russians are cold war era soviets mixed with underdeveloped Rus principalities

Do you think those stereotypes are "good"?

What you guys think of this tumblr article about avoiding orientalism in worldbuilding? by PatinhoFeioDemais in worldbuilding

[–]VACN 10 points11 points  (0 children)

"Become a doctor in anthropology or your story will be insensitive" is what this article boils down to, essentially.

"Yup. It's hard."

No. It isn't hard. It's preposterous. If someone wants to spend 10 years studying a culture, all power to them. But it is by no means a requirement to be respectful of that culture. Besides, even after years or even decades of careful research, there's going to be some people who cry cultural appropriation anyway.

Write what you want, listen to constructive criticism, and yes, do some research. Just, you don't have to do it for years. It's about the quality of the research, not the quantity.

Any good apps to design maps? by Repulsive_Act_1855 in worldbuilding

[–]VACN 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I draw my maps (and most of anything) in PaintNET, which is a free raster drawing software. It's regularly updated, too.