#worldbuilding prompt

[daisy-mooon]

Sci-fi worldbuilding ideas for your city planets :)

If the planet is entirely city, where does the oxygen come from? Are their farms dedicated to producing oxygen? Special factories? Are there plants that produce oxygen very quickly all over the planet? Do you have to pay an oxygen tax?

Does the planet have natural water? Are the oceans untouched, incorporated into the city, or have they been drained and the water used for things in the city? What is it used for? Drinking, dams, hydroelectricity, food production, etc?

How deep does the city go? Has the planet been mined into to create more space? Is geothermal energy used? Are the bottom levels reserved for things such as sewage, electricity production, factories, prisons, etc?

What is transportation like? Are there roads, floating roads, or are trains and trams used instead? Are planes used? Is transportation fast enough to quickly travel across time zones?

How is food produced? Is it imported, or is it grown on planet? A combination? Think about greenhouses, factorised farms, vertical farming projects, etc. If oceans are left relatively untouched, is food produced in it? Are fish kept? Are there ration laws?

Are the poles less occupied than the rest of the city? Are they used for storing frozen goods, super computers? On a planet with no oceans, is ice and snow valuable?

The same goes for the equator of the planet. Is it more or less occupied? Is the heat used for anything? Are there solar panel farms? Air conditioning?

Are there parks and protected areas of nature? Ancient gardens, important forests, sacred land? Are there laws about chopping down trees? Are there farms for trees and plants? Are their plant shops, and are they expensive? In Star Wars, a part of Coruscant's highest mountain is a public monument that you can look at - are parts of mountains, rare ores, fossils, etc, preserved?

Not all sci-fi cities look the same. Coruscant has skyscrapers arranged in a very chaotic manner, stretching incredibly deep and incredibly high, and there is almost no plant life or natural parts of the planet to be seen. Xandar is arranged neatly with very similar style buildings whilst remaining relatively low rising compared to other city planets, and has lots of greenery and a fairly untouched ocean. Wakanda is relatively defined in layout, with a mixture of plants and buildings, houses and skyscrapers, with every building being unique. Draw inspiration from whatever you like.

Write whatever you want, even if it's common or cliche. It doesn't matter if it has been done before, because it hasn't yet been written by you.

Happy worldbuilding!

#writing advice #writing #worldbuilding #world building #sci fi #sci fi worldbuilding #alien worldbuilding #planet worldbuilding #writing ideas #writing prompts #worldbuilding ideas #worldbuilding prompt #worldbuilding prompts #science fiction #planet ideas #fanfic prompt #fanfiction prompts #writing prompt #fanfiction ideas #city planets

[londonmaribelbridge]

Worldbuilding Prompt:

They don't sell my favorite food here, but ______ is almost the same.

#writers #writers on tumblr #writing prompts #writeblr #writing inspiration #worldbuilding #worldbuilding prompt #prompts

[thecrazyworldbuilder]

Okay hear me out.

A world where currency looks like playing cards. Like, these cards:

Things can cost same amount but in different colors, or shapes. A thing can cost a "full house" or "straight flush".

It might work for some weird fairy kin society for example, or other phantasmagorical creatures.

#fantasy world #fantasy idea #fantasy worldbuilding #worldbuilding #worldbuilding prompt #fantasy prompt

[mr-orion]

Gender system but its purely just based off what your favorite color to wear is. There are no considerations about anything else.

#you'd think this would be simple but it would probably be super problematic #especially if your species has sexes #worldbuilding #worldbuilding prompt #think of the trans allegories #like you love this color but you look better in this color #or youve always wore this color but then another catches your eye

[sylibane]

Worldbuilding exercise: What’s your world’s version of Cinderella?

One of my favorite parts of constructed worlds is seeing what media and pop culture exist in them. That can be very fun and creative, but it can also reveal elements of a fictional society, either reinforcing what is normal for that society or showing some counterculture that exists on the fringes.

Why Cinderella? It’s a pretty simple story structure (girl in bad situation gets out by wooing and marrying important guy, usually with some special shoes/clothing) that can take on a lot of different details. Plus, there are a lot of different versions found throughout history in different parts of the world (or at least are retroactively classified as Cinderella). And there have been plenty of modern adaptations too.

Is your world’s Cinderella from a noble/well-off family who’s forced out of her positions by an interloper who regains her status by marriage? Or is she from a genuinely low position and is special enough to cross class lines? Is the social divide that she crosses in this world not a noble/peasant or wealth one? Is it still Cinderella and a prince, or a persecuted boy and a princess, or two women or two men?

Who is the Cinderella’s benefactor? Are they a supernatural creature like the fairy godmother in the Charles Perrault version, which a lot of modern versions use? Is the dress brought by birds after praying at her mother’s grave like in the Grimm version? Is it just the Cinderella’s nice neighbor? In a society that prizes self-reliance, does Cinderella make her dress and slippers herself? If it’s a magical one, does she cast the spell herself? If it’s one where magic is bad, does the narrative treat her as a seductress who uses magic to manipulate the prince and must be punished in the end?

Is it even a ball or party the Cinderella wants to go to? If it’s a highly martial society, is it a duel with the prince, with a magic sword in place of the dress or slippers? If there’s a nobility of mad scientists, is it a steampunk science fair (like in the Girl Genius joke version)?

Does the story end happily? Is Cinderella a good person getting what she deserves, a tragic figure, a villain who committed some kind of social transgression? Is it more important that she improves her station, finds true love with the prince, or just gets away from her bad family members? Is she presented as a paragon of virtue who forgives the stepfamily, or is it more important that they get their comeuppance (e.g. bird-based mutilation)?

How do people treat the story? Is it a beloved fairy tale? Is the Cinderella seen as a role model? Or is the story considered subversive in somewhat and can’t be told in polite company? Has the perception on the story changed over time? Has it been adjusted to fit changing tastes or morals?

My point is, there’s a lot of directions you can go with this. So have fun with it!

#wordbuilding #world building #writing exercise #writing prompt #worldbuilding prompt #writing #text heavy

[weirdworldbuilding]

Prompt #1: Weave World

A world that is nothing more than a flat cloth weave. Wind blows from south to north, keeping the weave afloat.

The sun is located underneath the weave. As a result, the side facing towards it is warmer than the side facing away from it. There is no day-night cycle. Instead, sunlight peeks through the seams, offering dim light to the side facing away from it.

There are two seasons: a patchy season, and a mending season. During the patchy season, some of the seams and threads break down, which leads to the weave lowering towards the sun. This creates a hot summer on the side of the weave facing the sun, and a cool summer on the side facing away from the sun.

During mending season, the broken seams repair themselves, which causes the wind to lift the weave again. This creates a cold winter on the side of the weave facing away from the sun, and a cool winter on the side facing towards the sun.

The people who live here rely on the natural threads that grow in the world, and they also learned how to harness the winds for energy and transportation. Flora and fauna are primarily arboreal or airborne. Trees are incredibly lightweight and thin, so as not to weigh down the weave.

#weirdworldbuilding #worldbuilding #worldbuilding prompt #writing help #writing tips #writing prompt #worldbuilding tips #worldbuilding ideas #fantasy #fantasy world

[virovac]

Its the post apocalypse

Hell has burst open and almost all advanced technology that remains is maintained by pacts/binding demons, generally to weapons or vehicles

There are attempts to harness the demon power for nonviolent purposes, but opposition comes in form of raiders consider this morally abhorrent and betraying the trust of the "holy beings" that help them steal food for their families.

#writing prompt #worldbuilding prompt

[contes-de-rheio]

There is something very confusing about reading (about) Greco-Roman mythology in English, when you first learned/read about it in another language. Just now, it took me a minute to understand Ithaca is Ithaque in French (context helped a lot), even though the words are pretty close in writing and prononciation.

This got me thinking about the habit of translating or transcribing names. It’s very frequent in French, but it also happens in other languages. Like Confucius and Mencius aren’t their Chinese names (obviously), like Machiavelli became Machiavel, like Beijing and Pekin are the same city as Kyiv and Kiev… Examples abound, for a part due to the romanization and the iteration in the process of standardisation, for the rest due to cultural influences at first contact.

Well, I guess my question for this Wednesday is: do you have similar phenomena in your worlds? Are some places or people’s names transcribed differently in different languages? How afar are they from the original names? Are there any mistranscription or nonsensical adaptation?

@worldbuildingwedasks

#worldbuilding wednesday #prompt #worldbuilding prompt #writing prompt #worldbuilding #fantasy

[storytellers-atlas]

Worldbuilding Prompt #1

Describe the tallest mountain or structure in your world. Is it important? Do people live on it? Climb it?

#sfw #writing community #writers block #writblr question #write #writing prompt #writing #writers of tumblr #writeblr #worldbuild prompt #worldbuilding prompt #worldbuilding wednesday

[lesbian-of-the-lore]

In the spirit of saint paddy's day, have a worldbuilding question! What's a holiday in your setting that REALLY shouldn't be celebrated?

#dnd 5e #worldbuilding #worldbuilding prompt #writing prompt #saint patricks day #fuck saint paddy he canonically hated druids

[twotailednekomata]

What does a futuristic, fantasy world looks like? And by fantasy, I mean high/DnD-esque fantasy. You can do post-appo, Jetsons/20th century's concept of the future, a variation of our time or anything that strikes your fancy.

I just want a high fantasy (dragons, cool magic systems, elves, ect.) that is set in a setting that is not mediaeval times.

#Key's post #writeblr #writing prompts #worldbuilding #worldbuilding prompt #prompts

[redd956]

Worldbuilding Prompt 1

Worldbuild a civilization/city that runs efficiently in an extreme environment

#worldbuilding prompt #worldbuilding idea

[tales-of-cerano]

Glacial Ants

New dungeon idea. So giant ants, COLD VERSION, carve out tunnels through the large ice plateaus of the north. Inside the tunnels humanoids take refuge from the icy winds and started building societies, using the tunnels as a highway. Ants don't care??? Or maybe they do and the people made travel schedules? Maybe there's a constant tension between the people and the ants. Or maybe the ants just don't notice but sometimes step on people which is a tragedy.

Either way it would be fun for a slippery cold dungeon at this time of year when I'm shivering my timbers.

#dnd ideas #worldbuilding prompt #fantasy worldbuilding #dnd creature #dnd fauna #dnd #dnd concept #dnd dungeon #ants #dnd ecology #dnd exploration

[thecrazyworldbuilder]

Bit dark but here's an idea.

Gargoyles don't turn to stone at day - they are always stone. Humans were known for hunting gargoyles, beheading them and using their petrified heads as water fountains, or otherwise utilizing their dead, stiff bodies.

Same goes to dryads/spryggans - the human race turned many of them into little relics, like a chair made out of a wooden ribcage or a wall decoration that bears the remaining beauty of the once alive guardian of the forest.

#worldbuilding #worldbuilding prompt #worldbuilding fantasy #fantasy world #fantasy worldbuilding

[sylvies-kablooie]

i do unironically think the best artists of our generation are posting to get 20 notes and 3 reblogs btw. that fanfic with like 45 kudos is some of the best stuff ever written. those OCs you carry around have some of the richest backstories and worldbuilding someone has ever seen. please do not think that reaching only a few people when you post means your art isn't worth celebrating.

#i often wonder about how many things would be considered classic or high art had they only received the marketing #how many short films that were made for class could have been the most powerful thing you'd ever seen? if you'd seen them? #“you know the greatest films of all time were never made” etc etc #but like. these works of art ARE being made. it's just enjoyed by a smaller audience with equal impact though #i think about this one furry i used to follow on insta who had the coolest worldbuilding ever. it's been years. #thought prompted by that sketch of nimona from ten years ago that was just for a character design #posted to the creator's tumblr and now it's nominated for best animated feature film at the oscars #and by the genuine emotional reaction a fan comic made me feel. how much work had gone into it. how beautiful it was to me. #idk what to tag this but i hope whoever needs to hear it does #writing #writer #fandom #fandom culture #artist

[weirdworldbuilding]

Prompt #2: Gravity Seasons and Gravity Storms

A world in which seasons vary not by weather, but by gravitational force. One season could have half of the amount Earth’s gravity, while another season could have twice the amount Earth’s gravity. Occasionally, there are powerful gravity storms: across a given area, gravity lessens, and light-weighing objects outdoors (small animals, rocks, etc) are lifted thousands upon thousands of feet into the air. After a few hours, gravity returns to normal, and the objects plummet to the surface, just like hail on Earth. Watch out.

#weirdworldbuilding #worldbuilding #worldbuilding prompt #writing help #writing prompt #writing tips #worldbuilding ideas #worldbuilding tips #fantasy #fantasy world