Lupegarthe Culture

 Lupegarthe is a kingdom of 100,000 Square Miles, known to the world for being shut off. 

Dialect

The Lupegarthe dialect has a few unique quirks. Firstly, if a word has the letter "o", they usually pronounce the "o" as "oh". Even if the word isn't pronounced with an o, like "do" or "move".

R's are rolled, and are breathy. Some say that r's at the end of words are said with "sch". Like Fenrirsch" or "watersch". 

Words that come in multiples but are said as singular are said as multiples in Lupegarthe. Examples are: "Bloods", "waters", "butts", and "hairs" (Thanks @Kieral for this suggestion) or "furs". 

 

Any d is said as "th". So "saith", "harth", "guarths". 

Any idioms with noncanines are prohibited.

Sire is used the same as "bitch". The main reason was ironic politeness where people would say, "Yes, my sire." So sire ended up meaning, roughly, "little bossy brat." 

 

Harbringer instead of harbinger. 

Culture

Unlike other dire cultures, or dire based cultures, corporal punishment is exceedingly rare. At the very least, at border towns. Most aren't said to frown upon the practice, but weren't raised that way and therefore don't hit their kids. Even judicially, the practice wasn't said to be necessary as other methods work just fine. 

Swillow: I'm pretty sure a major reason comes from the fact we were enslaved peoples by the Crimsons. Since Crimsons, well, beat people, we kept away from the practice along with a lot of other traditionally Crimson ideas - even if we shared those ideas. However, in my case, I was also simply too rich to be spanked. 

 

Wasting: I'm actually against the practice. I dislike hearing that Macheel's gotten a spankings from Citrus.

Border towns are usually richer parts because soldiers were meant to guard them. Merchants moved in to provide foods, waters, and armors. Eventually, the border towns had the most stable economies from war. 

Unfortunately, most of the kingdom is inhospitable and extremely cold. 

Some peoples don't live amongst civilizations, known as hermits, and live amongst themselves. Some even form unofficial micronations. 

 

Religion

 

Crimson influences have led to the main religion being the Old Pantheon of Crimsons, however with a dire twist. Most believe the Crimsons drew the gods in their images, and so they reimagine the gods as being wolves, foxes, jackals, coyotes, or painted dogs. 

Chil, god of Burning Passion and Artistry is usually worshipped by cults as an evil figure. However, instead of portraying gods of darkness as evil, they are usually worshipped and revered as much. 

Swillow: I'M not particularly religious. 

Wasting: I think there's something nice about having belief. Going to a temple every month. We only worship six main gods, and we have different opinions on whether a god is evil or not based on how Crimsons lied and what we believe the truth actually is. 

Swillow: Misinterpretations of a religion are great proof to not worship such a religion. 

Wasting: Misinterpretations of peoples manifestos are great reasons to not worship those manifestos, Fenrir. 

 

Military

Harbringers are soldiers known for scare tactics when hunting.

 

Art

Much of art in Lupegarthe is now "plagued" by abstract colors. The idea of using color as a metaphor, instead of painting literally. One of the greatest modern paintings is known as portrait of the death god, but instead of the death god, Golden Apple Rotree is painted in green, her lower half as a tree, and the branches are impaling various crimsons. The portrait is seen as offensive by many as implying she is an evil being, but others are saying she had to manifest that part of herself. 

Some religious art is painted of Ascendeds in Wysdom. Particularly, of Sumhyr. However, Snofall has gotten a fair amount of artwork because of her involvement with winter. A replica of her, created from snow, is still preserved in Bloodveil Museum of Arts. 

Horror art is very common, especially about isolation. One horror play is entirely done with a cardboard box, and waves in the back, as someone is on a boat sailing the sea ("The Ocean Speaks".)

 

Politics

Politics in Lupegarthe range from two extremes. More liberal actors are known as "fenrirs" as they are believed to be the end of the world. Any border town tends to be against liberalism. 

Royalists are the other main party in Lupegarthe. 

Swillow was a Fenrir. She actively spoke out against the police and against police corruption.

 

Swillow: Some of those that work forces...

Wasting: I want to note that we kicked her out because a police wolf working for police talking about how she hated the police, is not a good look. I was told by a superior that she had to be rid of, so that's when I framed her for murder. 

 

Swillow: Yes, seems we both got what we wanted. The Green Flag movement in Wysdom showcases a lot of my views - a return to a primal way of living. And more importantly, no hatred towards other species. 

 

Wasting: Regrettably, we should talk about that. 

History

600 years ago, Crimson slavers took Dires from islands and brought them over to what will be Lupegarthe but was known as Bloodveil.

 

They toiled until one wolf led a revolution, known as Golden Apple. Golden Apple and her band of rebels helped overthrow an oppressive government, and she installed herself as first queen. However, after her death, her lineage was split between two branches of her appletree: Grun and Rot. The fight between the apples went on until eventually Golden Apple Rotree married Cyder Grun. Golden Apple Rotree also ordered the hunting of any crimsons in the land and said anyone who wasn't a dire must leave the kingdom forevermore. 

 

From then on, nobody who isn't a canine is allowed. Golden Apple hired several Marquis to guard the borderlands and towns. 

 

Several great texts were written during the time of Golden Apple's call against Crimsons, known as "Proclamation Era". The four major texts are the Dialogue of Hasselana and Yew, a story on the meaning of freedom. The Epic of Goltere. The Poem "Ripping the Veil", and finally, "History of Lupegarthe". 

 

All four are thought of as the basics of their common ideals: Freedom, liberty, the right to protect the homelands and support of borders, and purity. 

 

Swillow: I wonder how you can have freedom when you support borders, for, is supporting limits not the same as supporting chains? And you cannot maintain purity if everyone may do as they please. 

Immigration

Wasting: Believe this or not, we do allow others in... If they fit the canine criteria. 

 

Swillow: Adoption of orphaned pups from other parts of the world isn't entirely rare for us. We're actually probably the biggest foreign adopters, however, this is founded by the wrong ideals of course. We also usually don't allow adults in, because of the belief they won't be capable of integrating. 

 

Wasting: Some have immigrated however. This isn't that out of the box. There are still some rumors of Crimsons still living within the lands of the hermits.

 

Swillow: I remember a lot of time in an alley with Citrus, and we'd be smoking, and we'd see some kid show up. I remember one time, the kid was all like, "oh you shouldn't be smoking that, that's against the law". I was like, "Sire, I am the law." Then Citrus said, "We should follow him to his daddy and see what you can get daddy arrested for." I'm like, "Girl, slow down."

 

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.