Ludonarrative dissonance or some shit, I dunno, I'm not a storyteller, I'm a worldbuilder :U
November 14, 2026 at 6:42 PM
Ludonarrative dissonance or some shit, I dunno, I'm not a storyteller, I'm a worldbuilder :U
WORLDBUILDer? I hardly know 'er
November 11, 2026 at 5:32 PM
WORLDBUILDer? I hardly know 'er
a good fantasy writer-worldbuilder /does/ know that he can't just infodump at you. you construct an iceberg, only the top of which is revealed to the reader
November 14, 2026 at 8:30 AM
a good fantasy writer-worldbuilder /does/ know that he can't just infodump at you. you construct an iceberg, only the top of which is revealed to the reader
I see the Tolkien worldbuilder-defenders are out today. Hint: if the worldbuilding, geology and geography, boils down to Appendix: God Made it That Way, that hints at the ridiculousness of worldbuilding.
November 14, 2026 at 5:52 PM
I see the Tolkien worldbuilder-defenders are out today. Hint: if the worldbuilding, geology and geography, boils down to Appendix: God Made it That Way, that hints at the ridiculousness of worldbuilding.
On the other hand you’re also a Sapkowski fan an he’s famously a non-worldbuilder
November 14, 2026 at 10:41 AM
On the other hand you’re also a Sapkowski fan an he’s famously a non-worldbuilder
No 'worldbuilder' could write something as funny as one of richest men in the world costing his company hundreds of billions of dollars in valuation because a spy told him he looked cool in his studded leather jacket.
November 12, 2026 at 3:46 PM
No 'worldbuilder' could write something as funny as one of richest men in the world costing his company hundreds of billions of dollars in valuation because a spy told him he looked cool in his studded leather jacket.
This is very mean to Zola, the first worldbuilder par excellence (if I'm being especially spicy, the first proper hard sf author), who definitely had a theory about that!
November 13, 2026 at 8:44 PM
This is very mean to Zola, the first worldbuilder par excellence (if I'm being especially spicy, the first proper hard sf author), who definitely had a theory about that!
The opposite of a Sanderson-obsessed sci fi worldbuilder with a world anvil subscription is a prose artist whose work is disconnected, not grounded, and feels shallow. Worldbuilding is especially useful if you're doing collaborative and interactive storytelling, like D&D or other ttrpgs.
November 12, 2026 at 4:49 PM
The opposite of a Sanderson-obsessed sci fi worldbuilder with a world anvil subscription is a prose artist whose work is disconnected, not grounded, and feels shallow. Worldbuilding is especially useful if you're doing collaborative and interactive storytelling, like D&D or other ttrpgs.
Like worldbuilding for the sake of worldbuilding is never gonna be the main thing for me, a sentence enjoyer, but there is a real difference when the worldbuilder has ideas that they are expressing with the worldbuilding versus fantasy mush.
November 11, 2026 at 4:09 PM
Like worldbuilding for the sake of worldbuilding is never gonna be the main thing for me, a sentence enjoyer, but there is a real difference when the worldbuilder has ideas that they are expressing with the worldbuilding versus fantasy mush.
I'm quite picky about what I read at my age, so there won't be many. But I consider Sanderson to be a mediocre writer but a really good worldbuilder. Joe Abercrombie is probably also a much better worldbuilder than a writer.
November 11, 2026 at 2:17 PM
I'm quite picky about what I read at my age, so there won't be many. But I consider Sanderson to be a mediocre writer but a really good worldbuilder. Joe Abercrombie is probably also a much better worldbuilder than a writer.
The MJH/world-building controversy continues on Bluesky today. I think I probably am a more worldbuilder-y writer in that my writing is interested in sociology, anthropology, cultural and linguistic drift as much as characters and narrative. One is the vehicle for the other (and vice versa).
November 13, 2026 at 1:55 PM
The MJH/world-building controversy continues on Bluesky today. I think I probably am a more worldbuilder-y writer in that my writing is interested in sociology, anthropology, cultural and linguistic drift as much as characters and narrative. One is the vehicle for the other (and vice versa).
what I love about Wolfe is that he's the very opposite of a worldbuilder. his whole thing is twisty, suspect, contradictory narratives where the most important thing for a reader is to pay attention to the actual words on the page
November 12, 2026 at 12:37 PM
what I love about Wolfe is that he's the very opposite of a worldbuilder. his whole thing is twisty, suspect, contradictory narratives where the most important thing for a reader is to pay attention to the actual words on the page
One of my main takes on LOTR reread was similarly, realising how much the popular conception of JRRT as worldbuilder before all else did not chime with my experience of reading him. The lore felt to me always subservient to other things. As soon as he’s not interested, the world is skimmed over.
November 13, 2026 at 9:38 PM
One of my main takes on LOTR reread was similarly, realising how much the popular conception of JRRT as worldbuilder before all else did not chime with my experience of reading him. The lore felt to me always subservient to other things. As soon as he’s not interested, the world is skimmed over.
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November 13, 2026 at 6:40 PM
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Yeah, he *is* a supreme worldbuilder when you know all the surrounding context like his invention of languages and all the background lore. But he was also a supreme storyteller who keeps that off the page. I should reread LOTR, but I don't *think* he spends like 20 pages explaining Elven grammar...
November 13, 2026 at 9:42 PM
Yeah, he *is* a supreme worldbuilder when you know all the surrounding context like his invention of languages and all the background lore. But he was also a supreme storyteller who keeps that off the page. I should reread LOTR, but I don't *think* he spends like 20 pages explaining Elven grammar...
the zapper
⚡ electric
♀️ female
✡️ jew (secular ashki)
🗣️ bilingual: english/עברית
🏳️🌈 bisexual
🐾 not quite human
💖 in love
♿ in pain
🧸 mother of one
🎨 artist
📷 photographer
🧩 worldbuilder
🧠 psychonaut
❌ bigotry of any kind is unwelcome here. get lost or get blocked.
⬇️ tags & other stuff in thread
⚡ electric
♀️ female
✡️ jew (secular ashki)
🗣️ bilingual: english/עברית
🏳️🌈 bisexual
🐾 not quite human
💖 in love
♿ in pain
🧸 mother of one
🎨 artist
📷 photographer
🧩 worldbuilder
🧠 psychonaut
❌ bigotry of any kind is unwelcome here. get lost or get blocked.
⬇️ tags & other stuff in thread
November 12, 2026 at 6:16 AM
the zapper
⚡ electric
♀️ female
✡️ jew (secular ashki)
🗣️ bilingual: english/עברית
🏳️🌈 bisexual
🐾 not quite human
💖 in love
♿ in pain
🧸 mother of one
🎨 artist
📷 photographer
🧩 worldbuilder
🧠 psychonaut
❌ bigotry of any kind is unwelcome here. get lost or get blocked.
⬇️ tags & other stuff in thread
⚡ electric
♀️ female
✡️ jew (secular ashki)
🗣️ bilingual: english/עברית
🏳️🌈 bisexual
🐾 not quite human
💖 in love
♿ in pain
🧸 mother of one
🎨 artist
📷 photographer
🧩 worldbuilder
🧠 psychonaut
❌ bigotry of any kind is unwelcome here. get lost or get blocked.
⬇️ tags & other stuff in thread
I really am in a #worldbuilding mood. We're gonna continue working on maps and counties today! Come tune in~
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[18+] WORLDBUILDING | Star Maps, Counties, Conlangs~! | Streaming art.
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November 12, 2026 at 3:01 AM
I really am in a #worldbuilding mood. We're gonna continue working on maps and counties today! Come tune in~
twitch.tv/epictoaster1
#Moth #Mothtuber #VTuber #PNGTuber #Femboy #Worldbuilder #AerospaceEngineer #Twitch #Live #Stream #FurryFemboy #Science #Cartography #Astronomy #Conlang
twitch.tv/epictoaster1
#Moth #Mothtuber #VTuber #PNGTuber #Femboy #Worldbuilder #AerospaceEngineer #Twitch #Live #Stream #FurryFemboy #Science #Cartography #Astronomy #Conlang
Narrow your scope, widen your curiosity. The art of rope-making is a glorious and traditional thing, but you would pay it no mind, and for this you hang yourself upon claims of being a worldbuilder.
You would put the whole world in a box by making it small. All the little details lost.
You would put the whole world in a box by making it small. All the little details lost.
November 11, 2026 at 2:46 PM
Narrow your scope, widen your curiosity. The art of rope-making is a glorious and traditional thing, but you would pay it no mind, and for this you hang yourself upon claims of being a worldbuilder.
You would put the whole world in a box by making it small. All the little details lost.
You would put the whole world in a box by making it small. All the little details lost.
Put another way: if you as a storyteller or worldbuilder dgaf how the sausage gets made, then how do you expect anything other than people making polite noises when you bring your your disappointing homemade brats to the function.
November 12, 2026 at 8:36 PM
Put another way: if you as a storyteller or worldbuilder dgaf how the sausage gets made, then how do you expect anything other than people making polite noises when you bring your your disappointing homemade brats to the function.
The british must have been exercising their favorite past time of sucking the US' nutsack because calling the worldbuilder a product of "nerdism" as if what constitutes a 'nerd' is the product of a great ideological agreement instead of vaguely defined marketing trends, it's US anti intellectualism
November 11, 2026 at 3:16 PM
The british must have been exercising their favorite past time of sucking the US' nutsack because calling the worldbuilder a product of "nerdism" as if what constitutes a 'nerd' is the product of a great ideological agreement instead of vaguely defined marketing trends, it's US anti intellectualism
As a recovering worldbuilder who now literally pantses everything from setting to character to story, I think many writers obsess over these extraneous details because they are afraid of being caught without the answer when asked a question.
But that is the beauty! You don’t need the answer!
But that is the beauty! You don’t need the answer!
November 13, 2026 at 11:31 PM
As a recovering worldbuilder who now literally pantses everything from setting to character to story, I think many writers obsess over these extraneous details because they are afraid of being caught without the answer when asked a question.
But that is the beauty! You don’t need the answer!
But that is the beauty! You don’t need the answer!
In my mind, the median worldbuilder is someone who mainly consumes entertainment in the form of billion dollar media properties, and thinks they could improve on Star Trek or Harry Potter by making something nearly identical but without lore contradictions.
November 12, 2026 at 5:46 PM
In my mind, the median worldbuilder is someone who mainly consumes entertainment in the form of billion dollar media properties, and thinks they could improve on Star Trek or Harry Potter by making something nearly identical but without lore contradictions.
Reading @bretdevereaux.bsky.social 's blog (if you are a worldbuilder I cannot recommend it enough), and I'm actually...kind of impressed at WoW's handling of the Stormwind Mason's guild situation. Kind of.
November 11, 2026 at 7:43 PM
Reading @bretdevereaux.bsky.social 's blog (if you are a worldbuilder I cannot recommend it enough), and I'm actually...kind of impressed at WoW's handling of the Stormwind Mason's guild situation. Kind of.
But I'm not really an extensive worldbuilder. The one time I tried to be, I nearly drove myself insane by trying to deeply define a magic system when like...nah, the fun of sff is that you get to handwave away the finer details
November 12, 2026 at 3:43 PM
But I'm not really an extensive worldbuilder. The one time I tried to be, I nearly drove myself insane by trying to deeply define a magic system when like...nah, the fun of sff is that you get to handwave away the finer details
What does he mean about the 'psychological type of the worldbuilder and the worldbuilder's victim'?
November 12, 2026 at 5:51 PM
What does he mean about the 'psychological type of the worldbuilder and the worldbuilder's victim'?