Worst Worldbuilding (Featuring Fanfics)

You would think that if anything had good worldbuildings, fanfics would as they don't even have to build their world, or plot, or characters. That's wrong.

 

I once read this Yugioh fanfic that was super awful. The writer argued that because you can play professional Yugioh in their universe, and since professional football equipment is hundreds of dollars, that means Yugioh cards would be in their universe. None of this made any sense.

Firstly: Yugioh cards are already in real life expensive. Try one dollar a card. Nextly, the reason why the good sports equipment is so expensive is because that's cost of materials and usability. You still have cheap mitts and gloves, some that work just as well. Yugioh cards don't have this, there's no Yugioh cards that are professional only. Thirdly, If they were hundreds of dollars, no one would buy them, there'd be no professional players. Fourthly, you can already make tens of thousands of dollars playing the game, not even counting streaming your games, in real life. Ironically, fifthly, the duel disk being expensive makes sense since that summons literal holograms.

Also, they bumped the rarity of each card by one. So commons became rares, rares became secret rares. Noah immediately told me, "Then wouldn't they all be the same rarity?"

I think the reason the person did this was to justify their little orphan Annie having no money when they attending a dueling academy (something you think would cost even more money). Yeah, no. Scrounging up money for a several hundred dollar gift is... doable. Repeatedly, on yugioh cards, no. And you can't even excuse the idea of "well some people throw their cards away" because, if they're hundreds of dollars, no one throws their cards away.

Let's give the terrible worldbuilding runner-up to a Pokemon fan. One fan wrote up how Pokemon would go insane in Pokemon Mystery Dungeons because the walls are "perfectly straight". I'm not even joking. The walls were apparently so supernaturally straight that drove people to madness.

This is, without a doubt, pure nonsense. That would actually be pleasant for your perception and technically probably closer to how you remember things. Actually I'm pretty sure that's how video games work even. You might be like "well maybe they're even straighter than computers allow", but at that point, would you even be able to tell?

Even if you could somehow make this make sense: Walls. People going insane because of literal walls. What a wimpy thing to drive people insane out of all possible answers like "Psychic Pokemon", "Ghost Pokemon", "They're not actually insane they're just wild Pokemon and like to fight". The Walls drive you insane. If that's the issue, why not just break the walls or cause cracks?

Question of the day. What is bad worldbuilding? I mentioned how characters who live in their worlds makes good worldbuilding, but I think I was wrong- that just explores the setting.

I'm going to segway to talk about something very important. Spongebob Squarepants.

In Spongebob, you can't really argue that the world is built "well". The laws of physics alter every episode, particularly about fire. When do they go to work at the Krusty Krab, when does the Krusty Krab close, does the Krusty Krab close? All of those questions matter on the episode, however Spongebob is still great and this never really bothers people in the moment. Part of this hinges ona reason - this fits the show.

Spongebob, even as a character, can go from being majorly upset his pet snail left him, and freaking out from stealing a balloon, to icing a guy just because he tried to get a free krabby patty all while laughing while the life leaves his eyes. Yet, you never really feel like he's "breaking character", because the show gets you to accept this inanity.

Could we theoretically justify the several hundred dollar Yugioh card thing? Sure. Maybe the government has artificially inflated the prices by buying them up so they can train their police with yugioh cards against card bandits. And since most bandits are usually poorer players, by making cards near impossible for "plebians" to obtain, you restrict the flow of card bandits If you amp the insanity of the world, stuff actually begins making "sense". Because if everything else is insane, nothing is insane.

Sorta like the old adage "surreal comedy is watching someone act funny. Surreal comedy is the act of watching someone watch someone act funny."

Let's talk about Ponies. Specifically, My Little Pony. The worldbuilding in that show is... rough. Practically every fan I know is really only enjoying the world for the characters, never for plot.

There's one element that's always gotten me is Cutie Marks. First time we really get any news, they're basically symbols that talk about what a pony's special talent is in an indirect way. For example, three butterflies is Fluttershy's, and while that sorta talks about her ability to nurture animals, is also about how a butterfly is delicate. If handled improperly, you'll tear her wings. If dealt with fairly and kindly, even the cowardly worm becomes the most beautiful animal and learns to spread their wings. Applejack's is three apples, showing her proficiency in running an applefarm, but also representing herself and presumably her two siblings.

However, as the episodes go by, cutie marks become something that makes ponies unique and stripping them makes a pony become some kind of one-note character without a personality. And then there's signs transferring them alters destiny...

Even worse, in my opinion, is "The Stare". The first thing we learn about the Stare is this:

Rarity: "Did you use... the stare on her."

Fluttershy: Oh no. I wouldn't! I couldn't! I-I don't have any control that just happens."

The literal first fact we ever learn is Fluttershy doesn't press a button and stare someone out. We also see Fluttershy's stare hypnotizes an animal basically and makes them comply. However, I've always disliked any fanfic that tried explaining her stare. Most go with an ancestry trait - but that makes no sense. If this is an ancestry feat, we would see other ponies capable of this, (like her parents or her brother), or other miscellaneous ponies. We also find out later that she can do the stare while in the body of Angel. The Stare is, simply put, a joke. She's the kind one, she's the wimp, but she has the power to put the fear of a thousand suns in someone.

In later episodes, they try to break her out of hypnosis by showing her a mirror so that way she'll stare at herself. That's, not really how that works. The stare isn't something she's always doing, and the stare isn't about breaking hypnosis, but intimidating animals or ponies into doing whatever you want because you're a stern yellow mama.

When a show goes against their previously established logic, this also creates the sense of terrible worldbuilding. This is: Twisting the world into a pretzel shape to fit the needs of your story.

A lot of terrible worldbuilding comes down to simply mashing stuff together to get what you want, without properly thinking of the costs, consequences, or unfortunate implications. If your world has official assassins who run around, without fear of the law, they just have to be paid, that makes someone look corrupt somewhere.

"What can I do to prevent bad worldbuilding?" 

 

There's not really an easy answer. Have someone with you who can tell you if your ideas seem implausible, try to listen to what your world needs, and figure out the rules of special magics ahead of time. Or special weapons. 

 

This has been worst worldbuilding and part 2 of my worldbuilding articles. 

Rants about Worldbuilding

 

 

 

Who cares?

That was my main thought while reading this. I see a lot of worldbuilding articles who do checklists saying, "how's your world do this or that?" Who knows, who cares, who wants to care.

"How do they get their water?" Well, I had assumed from their planet.

"What do they eat?" Food, usually.

"How do they transport resources?" Maybe they don't, they just sit and eat.

Anyway, so I'm just gonna tell you what I think. The best way to fulfill your questions is to have a world the people like to live in.

These people care about art. Your peoples care about their traditions, even if they hate said traditions. People care about politics.

I very rarely sit down and ask questions, but here's what we know about Wysdom (Empire of N:Era):

Transportation.

-Teleportation is a method of transport. Particularly from Sunnyvilla, Sandrun, and Luxworth to Sumhyr's Meadow. However, teleportation is very specific and has to be maintained by coders.

-Trains are a more common method of transport of peoples and perhaps supplies, meaning that trains are easier to move around and require less maintenance.

-That ain't even getting on about boats.

I answered all of those questions without ever even asking them. I just did what I thought was a good and asked how people worked.

About cultural festivities, we know they celebrate birthdays. Perhaps in a later story, two characters will get married and we'll see a marriage ceremony. Do we need to know how marriage works in this world right now? No. There's nothing of value. I really doubt anyone's gonna go at the end of Fangs of Liberty, "Hm, but what about marriage?" I'll answer All Lover's Day in my comic, where we see the girls already have different opinions - some are more dismissive than others.

If you wanna answer how toy production in your world works, go ahead. But don't just randomly start ranting about, "In those days, those distant days, in those nights, those ancient nights, we just threw play-doh at kids."

I guess, basically, if you're asking about the trade routes of your story, you should be asking about your characters going through those trade routes.

Maybe characters need to sneak into a forbidden kingdom. Then they might figure out that hunters usually operate just slightly beyond, and so characters lay down in a blanketed wagon right next a butchered deer.

Maybe a character comes from another culture. Not necessarily country. They might even come from around the block.

Have a character who goes to school.

Diversity really helps here. Characters who are different ages helps you figure out how each of those ages interplay with each other. Characters of different professions. Actually, not all your characters are just adventurers, what are their professions, what are their hobbies?

Worldbuilding, Character, Plot, all interplay. If you want a good worldbuilding, you need to have characters who want to be in that world and a plot who explores that world.

Sometimes good worldbuilding can also come from you having to figure out a plot issue. Perhaps your world has clerics but you don't want someone healing from injuries. Maybe bring up how as healing is from the gods, maybe sometimes the gods want someone to peacefully die, or have determined this is that person's last day. And then you can talk about whether that cleric can peacefully accept this, knowing that is their deity's will, or maybe they proclaim that to be bull-ish, and start praying to another god just so they can bring their friend back.

Maybe you realize that during a feast scene, they're clearly eating meat but all your characters are literally rabbits and foxes and hyenas and wolves. Who's lunch? Maybe birds or fish are allowed on the menu or some other beings that have no sentience. Maybe the rabbits are like halflings from Dark Sun and they're just freakin' cannibals.

Maybe instead of killing off the villain, you can use him later, and also simultaneously explore the justice system.

I started off by asking "who cares"? Well... really... who cares?

Next: An intro to trade... maybe. I dunno.

Rambling: Characters Genes versus Real Selves

So in studies with twins, they've found about 50% of our personality is genetic. That number can either be majority or minority depending on who you ask. Hell, Metal Gear Solid asked, and people are still debating. While the game more "obviously" says your experiences matter more than genes, some observe there's more undertones of the opposite being true, and that's just what the characters walked away with.

I always like to imagine there's just traits that are gonna be part of you almost no matter what. I have a belief in reincarnation. I don't necessarily think everyone reincarnates, I don't necessarily believe people were once wolves in past lives. I don't proclaim to know anything.

Someone did an alt universe artwork of their OC. That got me thinking, what would my characters be like in other universes or in other lives.

Luckily I do get to explore that. In N:Era, there is a sense of reincarnation and you will see pre-incarnations of characters in Owlis: Fall of Dragons, and even their ancestors.

I don't know when I'll address this exactly, but this isn't spoilers, just lore. There are three types of replicators that pass on. Genes - the physical traits from parents. Memes - the ideas of a culture. And finally, Seams. A seam is passed from a god to her children however those children may be related, or from a preincarnate to a reincarnate. Basically, seams are a type of destiny. So like genes, seams are a version of self that pass on.

I always like to imagine that in any life, Cyras would always be this rebellious, trickstery, feminine, scrapper, and even when putting her in DND she was kinda a brat. And a thief. I do maintain that some of her trickstery traits are memes - she clearly got them from Ryvoh. Then genetically, she would have gotten them from Sumhyr, the psychothief.

However, I imagine even if she didn't get her tricks from them, she'd still have an amazing intelligence best suited for the one track purpose of obtaining gingerbread. Perhaps she would have been a scammer in another life. I also think she ultimately would be graceful. I know for sure she would be rebellious - you can't really trace her rebellious to anybody. Even in her own theme, she says "I have an inner nature that you cannot out-train."

Rosod however, I've always thought of as being anxious throughout all her lives. I don't think she'd always be mean or rough, but I think she'd be afraid.

Lilu meanwhile, I do tend to imagine is gonna be rough. She's gonna tumble, but she might not be as rebellious. I even think she'll grow out of that trait eventually as she realizes more of how to behave.

Ahmond is an interesting case. I don't know if I think she'll always be meek. She's shown a lot of backbone before. She's religious, but obviously that's memes. However, I think she would learn how to be spiritual regardless.

 

My Complaint with Fanfics

 

There's this one Spyro fancomic I really like, and the comic proper is written well. However, sometimes I read the stuff that isn't the comic proper (such as additional writings) and I go, "Yeah... no."

I've also been reading a few My Little Pony fanfics recently. I tend to find most of them... poorly written, but I do find a couple interesting and poorly written.

Fanfics are pretty cool in the sense that they can talk about stuff that canon cannot or will not. However, they do this, a lot.

I love reading MLP fanfics that really bring out that sense of these characters. And sometimes, seeing them go on the edge of their world is awesome. There's something really cool about a story all about the girls finding out that Fluttershy was in a porno. (Yes, that's a real fanfic, and yes, a really good one.)

I love reading Yugioh fanfics that bring out a new idea for a new series, or various fan cards.

I'm really into Pokemon fanfics that can delve more into this Pokemon like feel, creating a world for Pokemon, not just of Pokemon. This is awesome. But there's something lacking I've noticed.

What I'm saying isn't even a "me" thing. I find a lot of people agree when I say that fanfics, don't really feel like fanfics. They feel more like someone's original universe with some elements of someone else's ideas.

I had a roleplaying experience with Pokemon, where one person brought in their Pokemon with a homebrew item, as in a weapon that doesn't exist in games. And this really did bother me because, I was thinking this would be strictly vanilla. They didn't even ask about this, but instead just assumed I'd be fine with this item that had several different powers that would be OP and gamebreaking if they were real. Also, as a note, she was invited to this roleplay, so I was already doing this with someone else and we were very basic.

This is far from the only time someone's really enforced their own idea of Pokemon. A lot of times, whenever I'm trying to entertain myself with fan content, I'm shoved in the face with all kinds of stuff that doesn't feel right.

This is gonna seem kinda weird to most of you who speak with me on a regular basis, and know I have a sailor's mouth. However, cussing really bothers me, especially casually, with source material that's g-rated. I also think this usually goes against the characters.

The next part is blood and gore. I think this is really odd to see blood in a Pokemon fanfic after only one scratch, or for a Pokemon to get electrocuted to death when we see Jessie and James getting blasted regularly in the anime with millions of volts. (Before you bring up the manga, most of the horrifying examples were early on, and btw, the arbok survived). We also see Pokemon fight for minutes without getting scratches but in fanfics they're losing limbs like drunks in a factory.

And some cases are just the generic, unenthusiastic way authors deal with addictions or drugs. They take two generic people talking about drugs and drug use, and say "Oh, uh, Pinkie Pie has a drug addiction with... sugar? And here's Twilight Sparkle talking with her. And then they Les Miserables." If I ever have to see, by the way, another fanfic that talks about a canon event, and has a character apologize for "suffering", I will throw a fucking fit.

Apology scenes are the worst. How many people go and say, "I apologize!" anyway, with full details about what they did. Usually my friends and I just talk about how we can prevent the error from happening again, finding common ground, and moving on. But in fanfics, you would think accidentally stealing someone's chips could send them in permanent trauma and scars.

Okay this is a tangent, but back to my point:

Fanfics aren't rewarded by accuracy with source material, they're rewarded by applause for tickling what the fan's want. And usually, fandom has a very specific viewpoint of characters, whether really warranted or not.

The main complaint I have with fanfics is they don't feel like fanfics in the sense of these don't feel like the world.

However, in this, I have an internal turmoil. Fanfics SHOULD break the rules of canon, in fact, that's once again their greatest strength. But if they don't follow the canon, what are they breaking in the first place? There's something interesting about a red dot in a green vase. There's nothing interesting about a red dot in a green and red vase. And there's something off-putting about a red dot in a green, red, and blue vase.

Back to the Spyro fanwork, very tangentially is this even related to the series. In fact, a lot of the lore from this work isn't really stuff I'd associate with the series, such as real world topics that are very sensitive. But also, the work lacks a lot of the quirkiness that I associate with the world of Spyro. The Legend of Spyro is dark and brooding, but also has the small mole species known as "Manweersmalls" and the giant mountain "boyzitbig."

Similarly, Pokemon is known for having larger than life characters. Think about Guildmaster Wigglytuff, think about Team Rocket. And realize that characters who are more serious or dangerous get amped up by this. Characters like Mewtwo. Same with Yugioh. In GX, you've got jokers like Crowler or Belowski, but this just makes Supreme King Judai so much more intense. Judai's presence is powerful enough that even war veterans are afraid of him, shaking in their boots. But no fanfic replicates this power. No fanfic shows me the character who plays giant pillows that make people obsessed with sleep. No fanfic shows me the dude who has the hot sauce (actually Alcohol, but 4Kids dubbed over that) cards.

I mean like, where's the wit? Where the cuteness? Where's the quirkiness? Where's the playful banter?

If you're gonna show me a story with people shooting up veins and churches, at least give me a story where they call the gun "pow pow Peter." Because that's what makes the world. Yes, you should stretch, but keep the essential feeling that makes people come here.

And before you say "well just because you have these expectations, doesn't means others do", well, no, everyone has these expectations. Otherwise, you wouldn't read fanfics. You read fanfics because you want the world you like and you want that material. You read fanfics to mimic that feel, to mimic what got you into a world. Otherwise, you'd only read fanfics on sheer accident.

That's my opinions however you may find yourself having those same opinions. That's because I have some of the best opinions there is.

Autism in N:Era

 So... Autism has not been discovered in N:Era. Let's talk about that.

With various species of the world, and various races, all have their own defining characteristics. Obviously, being sentient beings, they can all ascend to higher forms of life and everything, but they have some traits hardwired in their genetics. 

Violets are typically more peaceful and less likely to fight. Meanwhile, dires can't seemingly get enough of fighting and inflict pain. 

Now what about autism. We've actually seen one character who is a bit different than others but I won't spoil who. 

So Cyras has been said explicitly to have ADHD. This is because Violets knew about ADHD, and so therefore diagnosed Dires pretty easily, however Violet culture never developed real knowledge on Autism. Unfortunately, their species wasn't very understanding or accepting. They also doubted an alien species such as dires could ever develop the same issues (even though they clearly are okay with saying a dire can have ADHD). 

As of such, knowledge of Autism is absent. A lot of times, a wolf who is autistic might be known as being different or quirky. More family oriented species like dires, and individualistic species like Oranges, are usually more tolerant and try to help the family member as much as possible. More collectivist species like Crimsons and Violets may encourage "toughen up" approaches. 

Religion In N:Era

Religion is an important thing in a world where the Empress is literally a goddess amongst mortals, such as Owlis. Cyras has said she's an atheist, however, what are other faiths of this planet? 

Crimsons: 

Old Pantheon. 

The old pantheon is known for being divided up by Heroism and Villainy. The heroic gods passed down their gifts, and one of the known receivers is the Ice Cream Pack, who have the powers of Enhancement, Willpower, and Empathy. Empathy supposedly comes from the High Father, Enhancement from the Great Warrior, and Willpower from the Great Mage. The old pantheon is mostly worshipped by Crimsons, but is far from in vogue. 

However, Lupegarde has a weird twist on this religion. As the country was founded by Crimson slavers of Dires, Dires adopted their religion, and upon taking the country, adapted the religion claiming all their gods were always dires. 

New Pantheon.

The New Pantheon is shared with Twayts. For some reason, the New Pantheon is speculated as being replacements of the Old, and this may make sense as they focus more on balance within a god, than war amongst the gods. 

Ascended: 

Ascended are nature gods who embody aspects of nature as opposed concepts. 

Faiths of the girls: 

Cyras - Athiesm. 

Ahmond - one rare follower of the Old Faith, along with the rest of the Ice Cream Pack. 

Lilu - Mostly Ascended-Worshipping. 

Rosod - Family is of the New Faith, and doesn't believe the Old Faith is real.

Now who are some common gods from each religion you can worship? 

Old Pantheon - saying you believe in the old pantheon is pretty rare in Wysdom. Perhaps 5% of the population would ever admit they worship the old pantheon. 

New Pantheon - Much more common. Most worship Balance as the Greatest of Gods. However, in next order is usually the God of Wealth and Poverty. Then, the God of Death and Life. Finally, the God of War and Peace. Rosod's parents worship Wealth and Poverty. 

Ascended - worshipping them is more about respecting nature. Owlis is usually praised as she is the god who is down on their planet.