Fantasy Guide To Worldbuilding

Fantasy Guide to Worldbuilding

Language and Culture

You have your land and your people. Now onto what kind of people they are and what they sound like. Culture is the greatest worldbuilding tool you need to master. Language is extra spice.

Culture

Culture is a collection of customs and attitudes formed over time. Culture forms around a land, metaphorical cling film if you will. Land influences culture.

Entertainment: What amuses your people? Bull fighting? Gladiators? Tasteful plays?

Food and drink: What food is common? Is there a delicacy popular in the region? Pasta is Italy’s delicacy. Beer is a common drink in Germany

Taboo: The no-no of society. What can’t be spoken about or done? In Harry Potter, the name of Voldemort is taboo. In our world, for most of us anyway, incest and cannibalism are the major taboos

Myths: Are stories that explain things without evidence from science. The Egyptians thought that a dung-beatle rolled the sun across the sky. Celtic cultures believe that a death is sounded by the scream of a banshee.

Games: What games are played by children or adults? Are card games popular or board games? Is it popular to watch games or gamble on them? How often are they fixed?

Traditions: What do your people do? Do they have holidays? In Incan tradition, human sacrifices were common. On a light note, the Greeks held the Olympics ever few years. Is there traditional ceremonies or words one says on a daily basis?

Values: The Spartans valued Spartan behaviour. Renaissance culture valued skill and honour. What is the important concepts of your people? Strength? Honour? Intelligence? Do people get treated differently when they don’t follow the values of the land?

Meeting and greeting: How do people say hello? Is there a word or saying? A signal? And goodbye?

Language

Language is the heart of a land. You don’t need to create a large lexicon of made up words and rules. You can. I did once, it was fun. You don’t need to show the language in every line. A word here and there can add spice to a story. Language effects accents and way of speaking.

Side note: “Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam.” A country without a language is a country without a soul. Ireland is a county with two main languages: Irish (Gaelige) and English. Colonization almost stamped out the language. The Irish language is difficult to learn but it brings pride to me as Irish girl to know parts of it. It breaks my heart not to be fluent in my native language even after almost fifteen years of study. Language is not just words. It is the heart and soul of a land.

9 Things That Would Make the World a Better Place

Books

Being

Printed

Glow

The

Dark

Ink

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zoel1212

7 years ago

School and tumblr

12K notes View Post

zoel1212

6 years ago

The Hogwarts House as Students (Based on People I Know)

Gryffindor

listens to anime osts while studying

highlights everything, gOD

acts like a roman orator during class reports

“pisses off” the teacher with their jokes but is secretly probably the teacher’s fave student

mnemonics

either studies ahead of time or DOESN’T SLEEP FOR 48 HOURS BECAUSE THEY PROCRASTINATED (there is no in between)

flashcards galore

gets elected as class president because their friends thought it would be funny (but is actually pretty good at the job??)

determination to succeed even when they’re already too done with everything

Ravenclaw

has 100 highlighters and a system for how to use them

“do you think i’ll still have to take the exam if i die from caffeine overdose?”

really creative bullet journals (or minimalist layouts)

“how do you have such perfect handwriting?” “oh, it’s always been that way.” *actually spent 1000 hours perfecting it*

scrolls through the studyblr tag and calls it studying

posts something on studyblr and calls it studying

procrastinates a lot tbh.

classical music

gets anxious about not studying. still not studying because they’re too anxious to start. (relatable?)

always getting irrational thoughts about their “failing” grades

Hufflepuff

lots of colorful pens

a e s t h e t i c study spaces

extra af when it comes to projects (they’ll probably wear a mammoth costume during their report about the ice age. y’know, for authenticity)

working really hard for a subject they are not good at. feeling very satisfied when they get a high grade on that subject.

probably expects the worst so they don’t get disappointed

helping others study

sharing their notes

comforts other students who are having nervous breakdowns but they probably need comforting as well

all-nighters.

Slytherin

motivational quotes

studying extra hard for a subject someone told them they’re not good at, purely for the satisfaction of proving them wrong

they’re e x t r a af, in general

getting really high grades, but only seeing that one grade that was lower than they expected

either really organized or really messy (but, like, in an organized way)

mind maps and flowcharts

look calm as fuck when it comes to tests but it’s probably because they’re disassociating lmao

working hard not just because they like it, but because they simply don’t like the thought of failing

really supportive of their friends but at the same time bitter when they get higher marks at something (but only because they see it as a sign of personal failure)

has high standards for them themselves. at the same time, they feel like everyone expects too much of them.

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zoel1212

5 years ago

Cute.

8 notes View Post

zoel1212

6 years ago

How To Have A Good Morning - Habits Worth Starting

Wake up early : Running late isn’t cool. Wake up at a reasonable hour so that you have time to get ready,eat a healthy breakfast,exersice etc.

Make your bed : You should start your day by doing something productive. Something that ‘’gets you going’’ . Making your bed is a great option.

Try yoga/meditation : Take some time to reflect and de-stress. You can do this by trying yoga and/or meditation. There are several yoga ‘’flows’’ in pinterest and great meditation apps to try out!

Gratitude Journal : Happiness is about wanting the things that you already have. Take some time of your morning to write down the blessings that you’re grateful for. Learn to count the small wins in life.

Plan / visualize : Write down a simple to-do list with all the tasks that you want to finish that day. Visualize your short or long - term goals. Whether they are monthly or yearly goals. Remind yourself what you are working towards.

Affirmations : It could be just a simple phrase like ‘ I am powerful ‘ or ‘ I am healthy’. Affirmations are those little (or long) phrases of positivity (like mantras ) in present tense that motivate you throughout the day.

Breakfast : I MUST include this to the list.Make yourself a nice breakfast. Don’t have to be big just something healthy. It is the most important meal of the day. Don’t skip it!!

Take care of yourself : Do your hair,put on some comfy clothes that make you confident or out on makeup if you feel like it. Other acts of selfcare can be : taking a shower, having a skincare routine, brushing your teeth.

Keep reading

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zoel1212

7 years ago

MASTERPOSTS

studiying’s printable masterpost by @studiyng

planner printables by @studywithnerdyglasses

free printables masterpost by @chemistrynerd2020

daily planner + today … + weekly planner + 24/7 weekly planner + monthly planner + revision planner and etc by @theorganisedstudent

free 2016 calendar printables by @gracelearns

PAPER PRINTABLES

note taking outlines by @studygene

note outline printables by @studygene

TO DO LIST PRINTABLES

to do list and weekly agenda by @paperplanners

to do list by @thearialligraphyproject

weekly to do by @studeying

detailed weekly planner by @diehardstudyblr

20 printables to do do list

daily planner by @cmpsbls

daily planner by @arystudies

planner pack by @studysanity

assingnment overview / tracker printable by @studeying

goal getter printable BY @janicestudies

cute to-do list printable by @studeying

exam study pack + study planner by @ennui-for-me

study printable pack by @marialearns

2016 PLANNER PRINTABLES

planner 2016 printables by @plantstudies

2016 planner printables (with stickers) by @marias-studyblr

cute printable planner by @48jn

printables + stickers by @cmpsbls

free planner 2016 by @muna-mm-mi

monthly printables by @thearialligraphyproject

OTHERS

how to make printables by @cmpsbls

pomodoro printables by @cmpsbls

7 free budgeting worksheets

form new habits by @burymewithmyplanner

english printables by @meddiestudies

monthly budget template by @ahhnahsfinalyear

7K notes View Post

zoel1212

6 years ago

how to write like jk rowling

foreshadow foreshadow foreshadow

become a master of chekhov’s gun everything you mention should pay off a hundred pages later or a couple of books later! the diary they had to go back and get? it has voldemort in it! the locket they were polishing? it’s a horcrux! old irrelevant lady? actually a squib watching over you!

write buried clues! like the fact that ginny has a diary is buried under a list of things the weasleys forget and go bring back on the way the king’s cross or the fact that there’s a locket is listed among a ton of things they’re cleaning!

you can also downplay the importance of characters before the big reveal like how harry asks sirius about his brother and he brushes him off as a stupid young boy who joined the death eaters

speaking of characters, jkr says character is plot and that explains how she writes such strong characters take my favourite one for instance sirius black he’s the textbook case of ‘break your characters’ he’s in an abusive household for eleven years, then thrown into a war, and loses his best friend in the whole world, is wrongly imprisoned for twelve years and then jailed in the house of his childhood while everyone is working and YET he is unfailingly kind and doesn’t stray into the dark

and write flawed characters like the kindest, gentlest, wisest character dumbledore. he was not to be trusted with power.

also speaking of characters, write killer motivations that aren’t always foregrounded classic example is snape’s motivation to lie to voldemort for years. is it right and good? debatable. is it powerful? yes.

next up, worldbuilding. jkr makes us forever in awe of her world and till date we’re all bemoaning the fact that we can’t go to hogwarts and YET there’s a dark side to that world it’s a distorted mirror of our own

write visual spectacles that make your readers go whoa. my favourite moment was the dragon breaking out of gringotts. it was emblematic of injustices in the wizarding world but boy did it make a good shot.

use extended metaphors

give! every! minor! character! their! own! subplot! even! if! it! doesn’t! make! it! into! your! story! standard example: dobby!

make us nostalgic. like hagrid taking harry out of privet drive in the last book just like in the first

in that vein, ring composition!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

be preoccupied with morality and mortality

take away everything your hero has. his parents. his father figure. his wand.

be unkind to your hero but let him win

give children everywhere something to hope for

finally, jkr said by writing harry potter, she came to know for sure that love is the most powerful force use writing to explore your convictions

if you’re going to tell me what a terrible person jkr is, make your own post this is a writing blog and i worked really hard on scrutinising aspects of her writing which is objectively wonderful

how to write like jk rowing * how to write like shirley jackson

If you found this helpful, consider buying me a virtual coffee to keep me writing.

5K notes View Post

zoel1212

6 years ago

I know that starting bujo can be a daunting process, speaking from personal experience. As such, I have compiled a list of resources down below to help beginners to start bujo.

Guide

Starting a bullet journal

A guide to bullet journal

Guide to bullet journal

Starting a bullet journal

Bullet journal

How I bullet journal

Notebooks brand

Essentials A5 grid journal (example)

Rhodia webnotebook (example)

Scribbles that matter pro dotted a5 journal

Moleskine large hardcover journal (example)

Moleskine classic journal (example)

Moleskine large square ruled (example)

Leuchtturm1917 dotted a5

Bujo spread ideas

Bujo ideas masterpost by @optomstudies

Its ok if you are not an artistic studyblr by @tiyastudies

Bullet journal ideas

Youtube videos

How to bullet journal

Bullet journal setup 2018

Bullet journal tips for beginners

Bullet journal flip-through and tips and tricks

How I use bullet journal (updated version)

Plan with me 2018 setup

Hello, 2018!//january bujo pwm

My 2017 flip-through

My 2017 bujo flip-through

2017 bujo flip-through

Printables

Space tapes

Fall stickers and vocabulary worksheets

Christmas tapes

Super random sticker sheet

Inspirational spreads

Overview

Daily spread

Weekly spread

Monthly spread

Yearly spread

Other spreads

Favourite films

Moodboard

Clothing spread

Gratitude spread

School year checklist

Places to travel

1 sentence a day

Reflection and looking forward

Year in pixels

Doodle ideas

Highlights

Last replaced

Videos, habits and finance tracker

Things that make me happy and dreams

Room tidying

Movie journal

Lookbook page

Bucketlist

Travel journal spread

Summer daze (good things)

How to make your bujo aesthetic?

How to banner by @studypetals

Easy doodles

Header ideas

Gradient titles effect tutorial

Faves

@studyrose @studywithinspo @studyquill @stillstudies @tbhstudying @journalsanctuary @crescentwords @doestudies @soymilkstudie @kaylareads @studylustre @hannybstudies @peachystudy @minijournals @somestudy @oikawastudies @studeying @lentilstudies @tomi-letters @emmastudies @smoinerd @mochi-studies @focusign @bluelahe @mildlineurs @cayliestudies @thearialligraphyproject @lycheestudy @hwangmyeons @quadrtics

Other masterposts made by me

Printables

Self care

College

Ace your exams

Apps for students

Note taking

The amazon products links are affiliate links. That means I do earn a small commission. This does not influence my opinions of the products in any way. However, if you are strongly against affiliate links, feel free to search up the products yourself.

Icon credit to @jasperstudies

2K notes View Post

zoel1212

6 years ago

Yep. So much.