Some Slightly Different Wordlbuilding Activities

Some slightly different wordlbuilding activities

Ones I haven’t seen as often but apply myself. 

1.- Bedtimes stories you tell to children, or lullabies. They can be based in location or species. They can tell us about the world, history, beliefs or something specific about a creature. It can be fun to think of their origin, how they’ve changed over the years and both the meaning that was lost and the meaning that was added. 

2.- Fashion choices. I often let fashion be different for different creatures. I usually create a practical outfit that makes sense historically within the context of my world and then evolve it until I get to the present day of my story. Preferably splitting of into branches and allowing more options. It can tell us about a specific species, about their history and about how the climate has changed, or how they moved locations at some point and had to adapt their clothing to a new climate. 

A very simple example of this from my own book would be the mage’s cloak! Link to a longer post about it. Basically, mages would wear a simple one piece fabric that was easy to then set an illusion over, no wasting time mixing trousers and tops. Over time some mages stopped using illusions, seeing the outfit as acceptable. It became a staple, you saw the cloak, that wasn’t a human but a mage. And then younger generations began personalising the material, instead of boring black, white or brown they started using floral patterns, adding in cool sleeves or hoods! 

Initially, it was practicality, but it evolved. 

3.- Think about what each species does for fun! I often read YA fantasy where the stakes are so high there is no leisure, no downtown, no fun, no hobbies. But this is a great opportunity! What’s popular in your world? Books, plays, board games, long walks, playing sport? Seeing characters just chill can be a great change of pace and allow for some insight into their lives and the world they live in. 

4.- What is imported? And why? Sometimes imports are just practical, we don’t have wool here (unlikely, sheep are literally everywhere, but you get the point), wool is good for clothes, we import it. But other times it’s more complicated. 

Perhaps a species moved across the country at some point, but they were accustomed to a certain type of tea, fruit for certain festivities, so on, so on, and habit dies hard, so, importation becomes a thing. 

So those are my four world-building tips for today. I’ve said it before and will say it again, there is no master list, not check list, world-building is something you can figure out as you go in most genres (some epics may requiere more prep time). What’s important is to keep track of what you’ve said and stay consistent, but you don’t need to know everything before going in. 

As usual,  check out my book, stories I’ve written plus other social medias: here.

How’s your world coming along? 

It is now a skull with crossbones. Not nearly as triggering as that MF clown that was staring into my soul with a vengeance, so that's a plus.

Still distracting as hell (OCD go brrr), and it impairs the ability to like posts (as in, you have to scroll all the way down so that you don't click the skull's square perimeter - which it has for some cursed reason - instead of, you know, the like button). Thanks, I hate it ✨

2023: missives from desktop tumblr suggest that per the latest update my mutuals are being hunted by some kind of grotesque clown. staff assure us this is driven by user feedback.

Get to Know 9 People Game

I was tagged by @digital-chance and @thesoftestofpetals for this one! Thanks for the tag, friends! (:

Favorite Color - Turquoise, Purple (all tones but especially lilac and violet), and darker tones of Gray

Currently Reading - Had to take a reading break the past weeks due to college exams, but now that my routine is back to normal, I'll be finishing Journey Across the Hidden Islands by Sarah Beth Durst.

Last Series - The Legend of Vox Machina (on Prime Video) and Castlevania (Netflix, Season 3)

+ Bonus: Last Movie - The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug

Sweet, Savory, or Spicy - Savory and (light) Spicy! (I like sweets but my blood sugar doesn't let me enjoy them as much lol 😭)

Currently Working On - The Last Wrath (Manuscript Writing), Writing a DnD Campaign (set in Exandria) with my friends, a digital illustration of one of my TLW characters, Student Life (:

Gently tagging - @lola-theshowgrl, @aziz-reads, @clairelsonao3, @writernopal, @exquisitecrow, @cabbojage, @your-absent-father, @rickie-the-storyteller and @liv-is

WIP'S THEMES TAG

Tagged by: @tabswrites

Rules: Bold the themes that appear in your WIP (and italicize those that are loosely covered) then tag 10 people.

I'll do this for my main WIP The Last Wrath

THEMES:

addiction | beauty | betrayal | change vs. tradition | chaos vs. order | circle of life | coming of age | communication | convention vs. rebellion | corruption | courage | crime and law | dangers of ignorance | darkness and light | death | desire to escape | dreams | displacement | empowerment | facing darkness | facing reality | faith vs. doubt | fall from grace | fame and fortune | family | fate | fear | fear of failure | free will | friendship | fulfillment | good vs. bad | government | greed | guilt and forgiveness | hard work | heroism | hierarchy | honesty | hope | identity crisis | immortality | independence | individual vs. society | inner vs. outer strength | innocence | injustice | isolation | knowledge vs. ignorance | life | loneliness | lost love | love | man vs. nature | manipulation | materialism | motherhood | nature | nature vs. nurture | oppression | optimism | peer pressure | poverty | power | power of words | prejudice | pride | progress | quest | racism | rebirth | relationships | religion | responsibility | revenge | sacrifice | secrets | self-awareness | self-preservation | self-reliance | sexuality | social class structure | survival | technology | temptation and destruction | time | totalitarianism | weakness | vanity | war | wealth | wisdom of experience | youth

Gently Tagging: @the-arigen, @clairelsonao3, @writernopal, @exquisitecrow, @cabbojage, @rickie-the-storyteller, @your-absent-father, @liv-is, @doublegoblin, @anoelleart and OPEN TAG (anyone else who wants to do this)

Happy STS! I arrive with a character ask this week! If one of your characters emptied their bag/satchel/purse, what would we find among their personal effects? Crumpled receipts? Forgotten snacks? Wads of cash? More knives than they'd care to admit? Tell me about it!

Happy Storyteller Saturday! Thank you for the Ask, @writernopal!

I'll do this for a few of my characters from The Last Wrath, with a list of what you'd find in their satchels/bags!

Raelen Ashiren: A rolled-up page ripped from a rare royal tome of spells, spare daggers, her overflowing and worn-out journal where she writes her discoveries and magical studies, at least two bottles of healing salves and a roll of bandages, a water canteen, and leather gloves.

Lukan Velterin: Two sets of lock picks, a small hammer, overall gear for breaking into places he is not supposed to, a small flask of wine, extra blades (more than he should have), an old coin purse with stolen gold from at least five different kingdoms, random pickpocketed knick-knacks and a lilac silk handkerchief.

Sybil Rihdel: Candy wrapped in old parchment, extra strings for her lute, stolen rings and jewelry of all kinds, a pocket knife, a bottle of nightshade leaves she stole from an apothecary and now doesn't know how to use, random prank stuff, and a rock she insisted on naming "Timmy the Pebble" just to annoy Nyx.

Fabian Anynth: A full canteen of water, dry rations for exactly two days of travel, three rolls of bandages and a large bottle of a disinfectant potion, the bracelet Luciya made for him when they were kids (on the very rare occasions he is not wearing it on his wrist), fast-acting poison to put on his blades, a small whetstone, a spare scarf, and a set of different kinds of extra runic daggers.

Darian Caelestis: POTIONS, POTIONS, AND POTIONS ✨(which may or may not be flammable. Lukan calls his satchel "The Danger Bag" because Darian has set their camp on fire at least five times by now), a bottle of the Agrannorian equivalent of coffee, meticulously clean brass goggles, thick leather gloves, a small journal for scribbling stuff + a charcoal pencil and quill, alchemy components, a small wood carved flute/whistle made for him by his mom, random stuff, and a slightly charred scarf. One time, a small reptile crawled into his bag and Darian's soul almost left his body when he reached for a potion and found the lizard instead, that was fun.

Innara Renfelli: Dry food and snacks for the road, a bottle of berry/fruit juice because she doesn't like to drink clear water, (in a small purse inside the satchel) her old necklaces and rings from when she was a noble, and not exiled (out of her old jewels, she only kept her locket around her neck), random colorful trinkets from almost every city she has gone to, many extra ribbons to tie her hair, a needle and thread for multiple uses, and many bottles of useful potions/poisons/elixirs.

And here we have it: what some of the cast from The Last Wrath would have in their bags! I hope you like this answer! (:

What Kind of Fictional Character Are You? Tag Game

Thank you, @cabbojage, for this tag!

Rules:

1. Do this uquiz.

2. Do this picrew.

3. Tag people.

IT DIDN'T LET ME PUT GLASSES ON MY PICREW, SO YOU GET THE "NOT-SEEING-ANYTHING" VERSION OF ME. lol 😭

(Disclaimer: It had glasses options. They just weren't working for some reason, like, they didn't appear on the character when I clicked them)

Now for "which character would I be":

Well, I'm flattered! I'm the most asexual person I know, but still, this is nice! I like this.

I'll tag: @writernopal, @clairelsonao3, @gummybugg, @garthcelyn, @your-absent-father, @exquisitecrow, @rickie-the-storyteller and leave this an OPEN TAG (for anyone who wants to participate)