I just finished a rewatch of The Mandalorian series and one of the things I thought about was the vicious profiteering and scramble for money (or ‘credits’, or valuable metals or what have you) that indicates what kind of economy is at work in that show.
Granted, so far we ...
Star Trek Economics
Banes at 12:00AM, Feb. 4, 2021Back From The Dead
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Jan. 2, 2021
So we've talked often about how letting a character die in a story is something that should be used very frugally, because once death occurs, it should be permanent. In most settings, death shouldn't be something that is reversible. If not, it will lose its impact, and the ...
The Significance of Names (Part 2)
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Nov. 28, 2020
When constructing your world, be it in fantasy or within a realistic/historical/existing place, the names you pick are very important.
They are important for suspension of disbelief and immersion: how consistent the names are, how congruent with what reality the audience reasonably comes to expect within the framework ...
Religion As Mythology
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, April 11, 2020
It's all fine and exciting when using lore and myth to create new stories. Especially when it comes to modern genres like urban fantasy, it can yield pretty alluring and impressive results! From ancient Greek mythology to all kinds of Asian myths and legends, to Norse mythology and Egyptian ...
Religion in Fantasy
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Feb. 29, 2020
When we talk about religion in real life, assuming it's not taboo, there are a lot of different approaches. Technically, in real life there is no conclusive proof on the existence of God or non-existence of God. There can be a range of indications, evidence and anecdotal testimonials but ...
World building basics (Part 2 - Society and culture)
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, Feb. 21, 2020
Last week, I went into the basics of building your fictional worlds. We’re continuing on with our second instalment where we’ll dive a bit deeper into the nitty gritty of world building. Without further ado…
What’s your world’s system of government?
Politics plays a large role ...
Building basics (Part 1)
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, Feb. 14, 2020
A key aspect to creating a story, be it a modern day slice-of-life, an epic space opera or a high fantasy saga, is the world in which the characters inhabit. Now there are lots of aspects to consider when building your story and, this week, we’ll be going into ...
The Challenge of Obeying The Rules
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Feb. 8, 2020
Rules are meant to be bent, or broken.
Of course they are- if it's a one time thing. If it happens all the time, the stakes collapse, the story comes apart, and the experience is ruined. I'm talking about stories, of course…
As we've talked about time ...
Naming your worlds
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, Jan. 24, 2020
Naming towns, cities or worlds can be a challenge. A name speaks volumes when it comes to world building so the pressure to get it right is real. To help overcome the struggle of finding the perfect name, here are some tips you can use to really nail it.
Consider ...
Writing an Alternate Universe
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Nov. 2, 2019
An alternate universe (AU) is, in case anyone isn't aware, a story taking place in a fantastical, alternate historical timeline that usually kicks off from a specific event in actual history that takes a different turn from the one that it did in reality.
Alternate universes are fascinating. From ...