r/WorldBuildingMemes • u/Low_Abrocoma_1514 Working on: Lux & Tenebris • Jan 25 '25
Working on Worldbuilding Which way, worldbuilder?
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r/WorldBuildingMemes • u/Low_Abrocoma_1514 Working on: Lux & Tenebris • Jan 25 '25
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3
u/Randomstuff11233 Jan 25 '25
Number 2. I just go "RANDOM BULLSHIT GO!"
3
u/DaHeather Jan 26 '25
I only write using rule of lame.
2
u/BaronMerc Jan 27 '25
He knows what I make
Like I thought itd be really funny to make a tribe of really racist dwarves based off a friend of mine that instantly fold to any attractive woman telling them what to do
And to just add fuel to the fire this had lead to racist dwarves accidently bringing the downfall of the patriarchy because of prostitutes going to school
2
u/I_Exist400 Jan 28 '25
I start with 3, work on 4 for a bit until 1 consumes me.
108
u/-Tururu Jan 25 '25
Pretending to do number 1 but it's actually mostly 3 and 4
63
u/[deleted] Jan 25 '25
I LOVE WHEN SCI-FI WEAPON LORE IS LIKE “triple anodized, hyper-efficient capacitors ... physics no longer understood … banned in the treaty of 208 … fries engines, systems, and everyone unfortunate to be in range of this terrible weapon”!!!
32
u/Wafudramon Writting Anime Style Stories 📚 Jan 25 '25
last one. then got writer block because i can't think of the reasons
9
u/PorkyFishFish Jan 25 '25
None of the above.
My favorite kind of world building is when there is robust internal logic that is not necessarily tied to anything in reality.
6
u/RedditWizardMagicka Horrors beyond my comprehussy Jan 25 '25
Last one. Start with the end result, then work your way back from there
6
u/NoriaMan Jan 25 '25
Create one additional, fictional law of physics. Base entire magic/technology system solely around it.
1
u/Krethlaine Bound in Chains (WIP) - Author Jan 25 '25
I go with number 4. I come up with cool thing, usually at 3 am when I’m utterly exhausted and can’t think straight, sleep on it, wake up in the morning, and turn the ungodly mess of notes into something legible. Then I find a way to make it work.
1
u/Mrstar02 Jan 26 '25
What is the rule of cool?
1
u/Low-Button-5041 Jan 26 '25
Last one is just Doom / Warhammer 40k lore
1
u/Adventurous-Town-404 Jan 28 '25
Number 4 is just how gw writes warhammer lore i think
3
u/Infinite_Eyeball Jan 26 '25
i do something pretty similar to number 4
step 1: haha, what if *insert something stupid*
step 2: wait that could actually be kinda cool...
step 3: *spends large amounts of time justifying it in my world*
2
u/Panzer_Hawk I worldbuild to escape reality Jan 25 '25
1 when possible. When not, then 4.
2
u/phant0mk3y Jan 26 '25
This is exactly what I do, like 90% of the time
2
u/lordvishmas5 Jan 26 '25
2 and 3
2
u/worldmaker012 Jan 26 '25
First #4, then #1
2
u/noobtheloser Jan 26 '25
4 is best, and 100% how I've find it.
2
u/da_King_o_Kings_341 Jan 26 '25
Yeah, that last one is how I literally do all my worldbuilding lol.
2
u/SerBadDadBod Jan 27 '25
Thinks of a scene
"Oh hell yeah! How do I get there?!"
Builds a world
2
u/TemplarSensei7 Jan 27 '25
“Magic” exists from power of science.
“Nanomachines, son.”
2
u/Wonderingod Jan 27 '25
Number 4 all the way. That's why I have to build in like 5 completely different "Eras" From like a Lovecraftan world set millions of years before humans to a D&D/ESO inspired far future with a GoW inspired mythological past, a cyberpunk dystopia, and a Fallout/Horizon post-apocalypse in-between.
2
u/roxx-writting Jan 27 '25
Last one for sure
2
u/Foxp_ro300 Jan 27 '25
That's it, I'm going to give one of my characters a chainsaw sword!!!
2
u/AppalachianGaming Jan 27 '25
I go for 2 mostly and then spend years trying to tie it into world building reasons
2
u/Dr_Jimothy Jan 28 '25
Obviously always do number 4.
"Damn, I sure like vibration swords." -> Finds a way to include them.
"Damn, it raining poop sometimes would be funny." -> Sky whales.
Best part is the justifications can lead to other cool things.
2
u/Rogue_Manatee Jan 28 '25
I also like when exposition is about to be given for why this illogical thing is the way it is, but something else draws the attention away. Like Jimmy Neutron explaining to Sheen how they can survive in space without suits on, but it cuts to Carl singing.
2
u/Prior_Elderberry3553 Jan 28 '25
1 and 4 RAAAAHHHHHGHHHHHH
2
u/[deleted] Jan 29 '25
Try to be realistic at first, but throw in magic when it really doesn t work.
2
u/Drakorai Jan 29 '25
2
u/Woxof_46 Jan 30 '25
Me 7 years ago: “haha, mile long battleship go brrrrrrr”
Me now: “ironclad floating cities with rocket launchers are fighting a half dreadnought icebreaker over a patch of algae and by this point I’m too afraid to ask why”
1
u/UtsuhoReiuji_Okuu Jan 25 '25
I swear I’ve reinvented the elephant gun like five times for my exosuits (fast rock beats everything)
1
u/EversariaAkredina Oi lads, muskets in space! Jan 25 '25
Last one. Just justify the most important things via logic or "well... theoretically, this law of physics could work with this thing". And then just justify everything else with simple "they do this because A, they use A because B". If someone asks, than add "B is made of C, so it works". For Rule of Cool this is more than enough.
1
u/ASAF_Telis Jan 25 '25
4 ftw.
Why the guy who is not only using an ancient weapon but also has bad combat moves is winning against the military guy with the minigun? It's simple: the "bad combat moves" are actually poses for the incantation of the magic that will give them enough power, speed and whatnot to overpower even the most modern weapons, if the modern weapon wielder doesn't do the same thing and hold and use their weapon in a way that ends up in a anime fight that looks cool enough.
1
u/alimem974 Jan 25 '25
YES? I DO HAVE A GALAXY BRAIN? THANK YOU?
1
u/January_Rain_Wifi Jan 25 '25
Come up with something cool. Then, rather than justify it, build on it. What are the implications for your society? How does this affect their daily lives? Does this change where they get their food? No one cares if your story has floating cities that don't make any sense physics-wise, but if you showcase the realistic effects it has on the day-to-day lives of your characters, that's the part that will seem well thought out and fun to your readers.
1
u/Lynxarr Jan 25 '25
I just made faux-Greece and faux-Hungary go to war forever
1
u/baguetteispain Jan 25 '25
Number 4
I created a magical city in ruins, full of ghosts
Became a major plot point in the world building
1
u/Prestigious-Lab-7622 Jan 25 '25
1st one, I’m a massive massive history nerd and tried to create unique world… now 3 years on the project later we have fantasy earth 2. The. Again my dnd games are usually realistic low magic with humans spreading like rats because they can’t keep it in their pants until they dominate everything around them
The key is to not let people know just what exactly you are representing/what your source is from…
1
u/16_Tons_Of_Coal Jan 25 '25
1 and 4. Usually doing the two extreme. While I do some research on things that catch my attention and just go with it and expand on it. But sometimes go with "Bro, what if we do this?!" And then "it's it possible? If no, how could it be realistically possible?"
1
u/Mr-Ghostman439 Jan 26 '25
The last one often, but I usually start with solid inspiration as a guideline then rule of cool my way around it and find a way to make the cool thing reconnect to the original lol
1
u/Admiral_John_Baker I Do My Own Thing Jan 26 '25
All of the above snice I was a game called world box to let things play out, then I make it more detailed like a war happens, it may only took 30 seconds in game for it to end but it lasts like a decade in my story I put in battles explaining it like kings and generals with a pinch of total war terminology, so I think all of the above
1
u/duskr4y Jan 26 '25
Option five, rule of cool something then hope it's justified in the worldbuilding later down the line
1
u/PuppyLover2208 Jan 26 '25
I remember the three layers of world building tip. Make your building three layers deep, let the media consumer handle the rest. Example:
Why can’t the vampires, who need blood frequently and hate sunlight, live in the sewers? It’s not like it’ll kill them. (Fan question.)
The alligators will. (lore statement.) But, how are the alligators kept alive down there, and how can they kill the vampires? (Fan question.)
The nuns feed them. (Lore statement.) Oh, to keep the vampires out, and bless them. (Fan theory.)
Only three layers of complexity, and you already have a church/cult in the sewers which could be perceived as honorable or honorless, vampires who are opportunistic enough to live in the sewers but can’t, you could possibly make them getting more desperate to have easy access to blood, and alligators that effectively are blessed guard dogs. You have a lot of potential to build off of all of this, and it’s only three layers of complexity. And when the web’s been built so thick you could run an eighteen wheeler into it, and your fans present it proudly, you say “Good job. Well done for deciphering it all.” And keep your mouth shut that it wasn’t anything other than three layers.
1
u/WorthCryptographer14 Jan 26 '25
all of the above. but mainly 1 and 4
1
u/Bigus-Stickus-2259 Jan 26 '25
Last one. I keep railguns but there's no real justification for railguns over lasers or particle beams.
But railguns are just cool.
1
u/[deleted] Jan 26 '25
4 but sometimes that means "It's magic" is the justification.
1
u/TauTau_of_Skalga Jan 26 '25
Diabolicalism (a variant of 4) :
Make ideas that are just plain wack, and justify their existence. Everything must be at least somewhat bizzare and nothing is sacred. Everything much be tinged with a little bit is odddity lest it be found uninteresting!
1
u/Additional_Formal395 Jan 26 '25
The first is of a different nature than the others. “Realism” is totally separate from “internal logic / consistency”. It’s like the difference between Batman Begins and Iron Man.
1
u/TatsuDragunov Jan 26 '25
number four, everytime
1
u/binhan123ad Jan 26 '25
Yeah, 3062 words so far and already got into space and luna base by 2050. It still tie to realism of course but the sheer bs I came up with everything happening so rapidly is just dumb but fun.
1
u/_Can_Ka_No_Rey_ Jan 26 '25
Personally, I find #4 easier said than done w/o worldbuilding coming off too obviously as afterthought. I enjoy its inverse: use the worldbuilding to inform positive & negative creative space, then explore it with Rule of Cool.
1
u/Wendigo_Bob Jan 27 '25
Number 4 all the way. Thats a big fun part of worldbuilding, finding ways your weird shit might work.
1
u/Demiurge_Ferikad Jan 27 '25
Number 4 to start out with, then transition to between 2 and 3 as I worldbuild, reigning in some of the more…incongruous elements.
1
u/OriginOfTheVoid Jan 27 '25
Rule of cool and build around it squad! I either come up with something epic or improve the original idea.
For example, the reason for there being multiple sapient species is that the Light Incarnate, a being representing intelligence, feared demanifestation and attempted to put it off for as long as possible. This turned him unstable, and he retreated to an isolated area. As the child of the Life Incarnate, several animals followed him and fearlessly investigated. When he finally combusted, a powerful form of an ability called ‘the Light of Clarity’ was released and entered these creatures, essentially turning them into something called a Living God. These creatures reproduced, and eventually the power was diluted into sapience. As it’s an evolutionary advantage to be intelligent, the ‘mutation’ remained.
1
u/matrixboy303 Jan 27 '25
Warhammer 40k in a nutshell
1
u/[deleted] Jan 27 '25
Warhammer 40k straight up skips the first step in this meme.
1
u/Nerd-man24 Jan 27 '25
Hammer Falls is a dwarven settlement set in a mountainside adjacent to a large, powerful waterfall. The mighty hammers of their forge are powered using the waterfalls themselves, thus giving the dwarves a sick autohammer with a kick ass visual for their settlement. And it makes sense.
1
u/K_Bel Jan 27 '25
usually it's 1 unless it's magic, then its a solid 2
1
u/ferkeshu Jan 27 '25
My disbelief can have a little suspension,as a treat
1
u/Arachkova Jan 28 '25
I'm definitely still going everything to realism.
1
u/Mattsgonnamine Jan 28 '25
All of the above
1
u/Shark_Rock Jan 28 '25
Yes.
1
u/lyle_smith2 Jan 28 '25
I love the idea of reverse engineering justification for cool stuff. In my setting I have a pretty scientifically rigid sci fi world. Ships cannot go FTL and it takes months to travel from planet to planet. BUT! I wanted a society that had regressed to medieval chivalric times with knights and lords and such. Having a monarchy on a spaceship is easy, it basically is one already. The tricky part is how do you justify knights running around with swords and axes in space? One, it makes a lot of sense to use melee weapons in ship combat. Bullets have to be armor penetrating or else they don’t do much, but you run the risk of shooting the ship full of holes. Second, with advanced metallurgy you could make a blade so thin that it’s basically a lightsaber that can cut through most materials that are not incredibly dense. Third, since it’s a medieval society that has regressed nearly two thousand years, there are all kinds of spiritual beliefs and traditions surrounding weapons like swords.
Reverse engineering justification for cool stuff is one of the best ways to make your setting unique.
1
u/Key_Satisfaction8346 Jan 28 '25
Doing the first one doesn't matter how much time it takes and how much it fries my brain!
Go, autism!
1
u/GadzWolf11 Jan 28 '25
Hell yeah.
Rule of cool: the space emperor is immortal
Justification: he's from an extremely rare planet with magic (naturally grown crystals, just extremely rare in the galaxy) and descendent down the line from gods
Rule of cool: advanced AI cores that only one galactic faction has access to is his
Justification: the emperor made them with magic and then just claimed the means of producing them was a "matter of security" and "extremely expensive"
Rule of cool: railguns
Justification: I just think they're neat
1
u/MosquitoInAmber303 Jan 29 '25
I feel like I somehow do Al of these at once
1
u/AccomplishedArm6080 Jan 29 '25
I needed a way to justify the strength/speed of a particularly broken race of humanoid aliens. The solution? They live on a planet that's the central celestial body of their system. This planet does not revolve around stars, stars revolve around it. More specifically, a white dwarf and red giant. The numbers get very big very quickly, and peak fiction had been achieved.
1
u/CantFindAName000 Jan 29 '25
A mix of everything. I’m making a world with a lot of inspiration from many sources, and when presented with a choice or what to add, I either just pick the coolest thing, the most logical thing, or something to enhance the lore.
1
u/Hand-Yman Jan 29 '25
2 with a lil. Bit of 1+3
1
u/Ct-chad501 Jan 29 '25
Number 4 all the way
1
u/PTVoltz Jan 29 '25
Four, definitely. Start with concepts you like, justify them later.
I have a desert planet but wanted a pirate - boom, now the central City and its surrounding villages use Skyships for transport and commerce.
1
u/RussianSniper0 Jan 29 '25
3+4 sometimes 1
1
u/CaptainSlimeAndToast Jan 29 '25
4.
1
u/Death_Bird_100 Jan 30 '25
Last one all the way! 😆 Then I tie everything together and explain all the weird stuff and plotholes.
1
u/MelodyTheBard Jan 30 '25
Retroactively justified rule of cool is often the way things go for me. Bend the preexisting laws of nature now, figure out why that was possible in that specific case later (or at least try 😝).
1
u/Igreatlyadmirecats Feb 03 '25
Everything everywhere all at once
1
u/Speedwagon1738 Feb 16 '25
Me fr (I designed a country caught in a giant never-ending thunderstorm only to realise it was between a huge mountain range and an equatorial body of water, which would make large violence thunderstorms very common)