#creating a fantasy world

[writersbeware]

Fantasy Worlds

Some writers find it easy to create worlds from the ground up. They design mountains, valleys, forest, rivers and lakes, cities and villages. They populate their worlds with people who are like us, as well as with those having superpowers. There are languages and clothing and foods that suite that world, perhaps even as identifiers of their position in society. Just like in our world, some in…

[aethersea]

another thing fantasy writers should keep track of is how much of their worldbuilding is aesthetic-based. it's not unlike the sci-fi hardness scale, which measures how closely a story holds to known, real principles of science. The Martian is extremely hard sci-fi, with nearly every detail being grounded in realistic fact as we know it; Star Trek is extremely soft sci-fi, with a vaguely plausible "space travel and no resource scarcity" premise used as a foundation for the wildest ideas the writers' room could come up with. and much as Star Trek fuckin rules, there's nothing wrong with aesthetic-based fantasy worldbuilding!

(sidenote we're not calling this 'soft fantasy' bc there's already a hard/soft divide in fantasy: hard magic follows consistent rules, like "earthbenders can always and only bend earth", and soft magic follows vague rules that often just ~feel right~, like the Force. this frankly kinda maps, but I'm not talking about just the magic, I'm talking about the worldbuilding as a whole.

actually for the purposes of this post we're calling it grounded vs airy fantasy, bc that's succinct and sounds cool.)

a great example of grounded fantasy is Dungeon Meshi: the dungeon ecosystem is meticulously thought out, the plot is driven by the very realistic need to eat well while adventuring, the story touches on both social and psychological effects of the whole 'no one dies forever down here' situation, the list goes on. the worldbuilding wants to be engaged with on a mechanical level and it rewards that engagement.

deliberately airy fantasy is less common, because in a funny way it's much harder to do. people tend to like explanations. it takes skill to pull off "the world is this way because I said so." Narnia manages: these kids fall into a magic world through the back of a wardrobe, befriend talking beavers who drink tea, get weapons from Santa Claus, dance with Bacchus and his maenads, and sail to the edge of the world, without ever breaking suspension of disbelief. it works because every new thing that happens fits the vibes. it's all just vibes! engaging with the worldbuilding on a mechanical level wouldn't just be futile, it'd be missing the point entirely.

the reason I started off calling this aesthetic-based is that an airy story will usually lean hard on an existing aesthetic, ideally one that's widely known by the target audience. Lewis was drawing on fables, fairy tales, myths, children's stories, and the vague idea of ~medieval europe~ that is to this day our most generic fantasy setting. when a prince falls in love with a fallen star, when there are giants who welcome lost children warmly and fatten them up for the feast, it all fits because these are things we'd expect to find in this story. none of this jars against what we've already seen.

and the point of it is to be wondrous and whimsical, to set the tone for the story Lewis wants to tell. and it does a great job! the airy worldbuilding serves the purposes of the story, and it's no less elegant than Ryōko Kui's elaborately grounded dungeon. neither kind of worldbuilding is better than the other.

however.

you do have to know which one you're doing.

the whole reason I'm writing this is that I saw yet another long, entertaining post dragging GRRM for absolute filth. asoiaf is a fun one because on some axes it's pretty grounded (political fuck-around-and-find-out, rumors spread farther than fact, fastest way to lose a war is to let your people starve, etc), but on others it's entirely airy (some people have magic Just Cause, the various peoples are each based on an aesthetic/stereotype/cliché with no real thought to how they influence each other as neighbors, the super-long seasons have no effect on ecology, etc).

and again! none of this is actually bad! (well ok some of those stereotypes are quite bigoted. but other than that this isn't bad.) there's nothing wrong with the season thing being there to highlight how the nobles are focused on short-sighted wars for power instead of storing up resources for the extremely dangerous and inevitable winter, that's a nice allegory, and the looming threat of many harsh years set the narrative tone. and you can always mix and match airy and grounded worldbuilding – everyone does it, frankly it's a necessity, because sooner or later the answer to every worldbuilding question is "because the author wanted it to be that way." the only completely grounded writing is nonfiction.

the problem is when you pretend that your entirely airy worldbuilding is actually super duper grounded. like, for instance, claiming that your vibes-based depiction of Medieval Europe (Gritty Edition) is completely historical, and then never even showing anyone spinning. or sniffing dismissively at Tolkien for not detailing Aragorn's tax policy, and then never addressing how a pre-industrial grain-based agricultural society is going years without harvesting any crops. (stored grain goes bad! you can't even mouse-proof your silos, how are you going to deal with mold?) and the list goes on.

the man went up on national television and invited us to engage with his worldbuilding mechanically, and then if you actually do that, it shatters like spun sugar under the pressure. doesn't he realize that's not the part of the story that's load-bearing! he should've directed our focus to the political machinations and extensive trope deconstruction, not the handwavey bit.

point is, as a fantasy writer there will always be some amount of your worldbuilding that boils down to 'because I said so,' and there's nothing wrong with that. nor is there anything wrong with making that your whole thing – airy worldbuilding can be beautiful and inspiring. but you have to be aware of what you're doing, because if you ask your readers to engage with the worldbuilding in gritty mechanical detail, you had better have some actual mechanics to show them.

[australet789]

People misundertanding I Cant Help But Wonder, thinking that Odysseus doesnt care about Athena aymore when my man was like 3 meters away from his wife, his inmortal friend could wait a little to have an existential talk in that moment with him.

[possession1981-moving]

THE NEVERENDING STORY dir. Wolfgang Petersen, 1984

[mask131]

I am re-reading the Silmarillion, and something strikes me. The women of Tolkien's world have been talked about TO DEATH especially with all the recurring debates surrounding the Rings of Power series.

As we all know, Tolkien was not a "feminist" in the modern sense of the word. He had a very male-centric point of view and appreciation of the world, he had male-driven and male-centered stories, and actual women characters were sparse and rare. There are only five really big female characters in "The Lord of the Rings" - the quintet of Galadriel, Eowyn, Goldberry, Lobelia and Shelob. [No, don't talk to me about Arwen, she only really was a character in the movies, in the book she's just there in the appendix and she was literaly an afterthought of Tolkien to act as Eowyn's romantic double...]

Consider this. Galadriel, Eowyn, Goldberry, Lobelia and Shelob. This tells you everything you need to know about Tolkien's women, in good and bad.

The Silmarillion has the same motif of having a lot of female characters, only for most of them to be just footnotes, secondary characters with no lines, under-developped one-liners... with in a contrast a handful of super-cool, super-badass, complex and developed heroines at the center of the plot.

Aka, on the bad side, when listing the Valar, while Tolkien gives an interesting personality, great domains and cool attributes to all the male ones, half of the female ones are just... there. And do one stuff. And never appear again. I mean come on... Vana and Nessa? Estë and Vairë were done dirty... That's the actual type of "non-feminism" Tolkien has. It isn't about him hating women or trying to be offensive in his depictions - it is about him just, not putting as much thought, effort and care into his female characters as his male ones, a bit the same way he creates the vast expanses of the East and South of Middle-Earth and then never bothers actually developing more of it or seeking to tell tales of it - but that's for another discussion about Tolkien's "racism". Here we talk about women.

But here's the thing, aka the good side... When Tolkien does find the time and care to develop and flesh out a female character, by Iluvatar he goes all out! Again, we are back on what I said earlier: the women of Lord of the Rings can be counted on one hand... but these fingers are Galadriel, Eowyn and Shelob, so you can't claim he isnt writing powerful, important or uninterestng female characters. Which leads me to my original remark - as usual I get driven away in digressions of all sorts and kinds.

Have you ever noticed that Melkor's greatest enemies, the ones he fears the most, and his most effective foes... are women? Tolkien might not like to put them front and center of his tales, and he might have been a man of the early 20th century England in culture and mind, but boy does he has something to say about how women are actually the first enemies of the literal embodiment of evil and destruction! I mean think about it. Varda of the Stars, and Yavanna of the trees. Nienna has her ambiguous relationship to him - her tears work against him, and yet without her plea for him he likely would not have been released from the dungeons of Mandos. You have Melian with her Girdle, and Luthien with her Hound. And of course most of all Arien, guardian of the Sun, not only one of the rare fire spirits that Melkor couldn't corrupt (despite him basically ruling over all fire), but that frightens him so much he keeps hiding away and doesn't even dare to attack her... [I also reblogged some times ago a post praising the brilliance of Tolkien keeping the old European sun-moon motifs but switching the genders. The weaker, inconsistant, lustful, whimsical, disorderly, untrustworthy Moon is now a male principle, while the steady, dangerous, strong, powerful and beautiful Sun is a woman.]

It is actually REALLY easy to do a feminist retelling of Tolkien's work. Melkor doesn't fear Manwë as much as Varda. Aulë's works and servants get corrupted by Melkor, while Yavanna's do not. Melian and Luthien actively works against him. He friggin' pisses himself when the Woman of the Sun shows up. Sure, there are some evil female characters that serve him down the line and are relegated to the "obscure footnotes and undescribed secondary characters" zone - Thuringwethil the vampire or queen Beruthiel. I coul also dropped deleted characters from early drafts, like the ogress Fluithuin. But among them stands Ungoliant... THE only true female big bad on the dark side of Arda. THE badass, nightmarish, creepy eldritch abomination. And who ends up double-crossing Melkor, almost KILLING him, and again making him basically shit in his pants - as Varda and Arien do.

The first enemies of Morgoth are not the Valar, or the Maiar, or the Elves... It's women.

[qrowscant]

larp is fun, here is art for my game character

[brbgensokyo]

it really is fascinating how incestuous isekai and modern fantasy has become, for what is ostensively a regular ass world peeople just have system defined skills and hologram status screens

[zovie9638]

Welcome to the Horror Market!

Hello ladies, gentlemen and others! Don't worry, get in, make yourself comfortable. Don’t be fooled by its name, it’s actually a place where shows, restaurants, contests, trades and mores are the main attractions of the place. Witches, werewolves, demons, mermaids, vampires, fairies, dragons and other allies meet there every year to party. Long ago, its creators hid it in the Deep Forest, in the other world, so that no man ever find it. A complexe magic security system has been created to protect its people and has been keeping every bad intentioned humains out of the market for 300 years now.

So yea, hey! I've been wanting to share with you my personnal work for a while. I've been working on multiple stories that are part of a saga for 4-5 years now. The Horror Market is not a story itself, but a important piece of lore/worldbuilding that goes through 3-4 different stories. Hope you enjoy it and that i caught your curiosity.

[furiwokaaan]

oh look, it's the We Love Clive club!!!!!!(also known as clive protection squad)

[moonlightandromache]

the vulture dimension almost makes you forget about the sex toy lawnmower

[leafy-yezi]

Changed their design a bit.

[harocat]

I'm seeing people discouraged from finishing LGIEF based on what others have said.

Guys... it's not a BE. It's not even an OE.

It's just that semi-frustrating Cdrama kind of ending where it should be a couple minutes longer. But the last two episodes are so good. It's a happy ending.

[ladykissingfish]

Deidara, coming into Sasori’s lab, in a sing-song voice:  Daaannaaaa!

Sasori: *sighs* My money-pouch is on the table. Just don’t go overboard with the sweets again or —

Deidara: Oi, that’s not why I’m here, hm! 

Sasori: Then what do you want?

Deidara: You’re good at making different kinds of medicines and poisons and stuff, right?

Sasori: “Good at” is severely belittling my work, brat. I’m an expert at it. The best you’ll find.

Deidara: So you wouldn’t mind making me something that’ll grow my hair out?

Sasori: *stops what he’s doing and turns in his seat to look at Deidara* Eh? Grow your hair out? It’s already more than halfway down your back!

Deidara: I know, hm, but I really want it to touch the back of my knees, and eventually the floor.

Sasori: Dei … what you do with your own body is up to you, but I’d be amiss in not pointing out the impracticality of such a thing. Long hair can be a severe hindrance. If not properly secured, it can snag on any and everything, slowing you down and leaving you vulnerable. Not to mention it’s easy to reach out and grab by an enemy, which could result in you being captured, or worse. Have you considered these things?

Deidara: Ahhh, Sasori! I promise I’d be really careful with it, hm! Please??

Sasori: *chuckles* It’s hard for me to say “no” to such a beautiful face … *beckons Deidara forward and kisses his cheek* Give me a few days to work on something, alright?

Deidara: *throws his arms around Sasori’s shoulders and squeezes* Thanks, Danna, hm! *leaves room*

Itachi, walking in: Sasori-san, I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. You made very excellent points about long hair being a safety hazard, and he still insists on going through with it. Why do you give into him so easily?

Sasori: I don’t.

Itachi: But —

Sasori: *reaches up to a shelf and hands Itachi a small bottle of pills* When the time comes, I’ll start giving him these.

Itachi: To make his hair longer?

Sasori: No; to make him think his hair is growing longer.

Itachi: I don’t quite understand …

Sasori: Over the years, I’ve found that the power of suggestion is a far more potent drug than anything I could come up with. I designed these pills to weaken the reasoning part of the brain, and be more susceptible to believing what you’re told. I give him maybe a week’s worth of these, tell him every single day that his “new long hair” looks fantastic, and that’s the end of it.

Itachi: … Surely that doesn’t actually work?

Sasori: It does. At this moment, Hidan believes he has huge biceps, Kisame thinks he’s grown another half a meter, and Konan is convinced her breasts have gone up two cup sizes.

Itachi:

Itachi: And here I was thinking my gengetsu was the most powerful attribute of this group.

Sasori: Well, take about four of those pills, and it will be, kid. Or at least you’ll think so.

Itachi:

[nanaten]

this is for an EXTREMELY niche audience. the dark dragon as a female god. cause i’ve been playing too much final fantasy. thank you for your time

[sweaterkittensahoy]

"it was all inevitable, anyway! Everything Trump has done would have happened!"

Great bed time story. You want your binky and your blanky and your stuffie to go to sleep you fucking baby.

It wasn't inevitable; you've just run of out excuses to justify why you fucked all of us for your stupid fucking moral superiority.

"But the third party votes weren't enough for Kamala to win!"

True. So this one also goes out to all the non-voting fucksticks who thought that not voting was the true act of resistance that would bring about the grand leftist overthrow of the government. Tell me, when your grand leftist overthrow happens, you gonna murder people out loud like Stalin or very quietly like Mao? Because, frankly, that's all you want. The chance to be the fucking fascist in charge.

Go to sleep, baby. Maybe tomorrow you'll wake up to a shitty diaper you can blame on a fucking ghost.

[wodania]

I wish critique of colonialism and feudalism in westeros was more welcome in the asoiaf fandom, considering the books are literally critiques of medieval and fictional politics. Like some people embody feudalistic lords a little too much when they see a critique of the most powerful ruling house in this fictional world and say “well so and so house did it too so shut up!!!” Like the inner medieval tyrant is showing. You are not a dragon you are a 20 year old from the United States of America. Quit dismissing every political analysis of a political book bc “so and so did it too”. You’re so boring.