Themes: Survival, abuse of power, good vs. evil, morality and honor, vengeance, justice and judgement, revolution, war and peace.
Synopsis: Aleria has ruled the Continent, with an ironfist, for over a century winning battle after battle and crushing rebellion after rebellion. Tarragon, a Northern territory, is the first to break free declaring independence from Aleria shaking the foundations of the Empire and sparking a revolution in the colony across the Eidar Ocean. On the brink of two wars and an economic collapse, Aleria finds itself with more enemies than allies. Will Aleria push through and persevere as it has for decades or is this the end of era?
WIP Characters | WIP History | WIP Locations | WIP Tag
🍖 How to Build a Culture Without Just Inventing Spices and Necklaces
(a worldbuilding roast. with love.)
So. You’re building a fantasy world, and you’ve just invented:
→ Three types of ceremonial jewelry
→ A spice that tastes like cinnamon if it were bitter and cursed
→ A holiday where everyone wears gold and screams at dawn
Cute. But that’s not culture. That’s aesthetics.
And if your worldbuilding is all outfits, dances, and spice blends with vaguely mystical names, your story’s probably going to feel like a cosplay convention held inside a Pinterest board.
Here’s how to fix that—aka: how to build a real, functioning culture that shapes your story, not just its vibes.
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🔗 Culture Is Built on Power, Not Just Style
Ask yourself:
→ Who’s in charge, and why?
→ Who has land? Who doesn’t?
→ What’s considered taboo, sacred, or punishable by death?
Culture is shaped by who gets to make the rules and who gets crushed by them. That’s where things like religion, family structure, class divisions, gender roles, and social expectations actually come from.
Start there. Not at the embroidery.
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2.🪓 Culture Comes From Conflict
Did this society evolve peacefully? Was it colonized? Did it colonize? Was it rebuilt after a war? Is it still in one?
→ What was destroyed and mythologized?
→ What do the survivors still whisper about?
→ What do children get taught in school that’s… suspiciously sanitized?
No culture is neutral. Every tradition has a history, and that history should taste like blood, loss, or propaganda.
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3.🧠 Belief Systems > Customs Lists
Sure, rituals and holidays are cool. But what do people believe about:
→ Death?
→ Love?
→ Time?
→ The natural world?
→ Justice?
Example: A society that believes time is cyclical vs. one that sees time as linear will approach everything—from prison sentences to grief—completely differently.
You don’t need to invent 80 gods. You need to know what those gods mean to the people who pray to them.
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4.🫀 Culture Controls Behavior (Quietly)
Culture shows up in:
→ What people apologize for
→ What insults cut deepest
→ What people are embarrassed about
→ What’s praised publicly vs. what’s hidden privately
For instance:
→ A culture obsessed with stoicism won’t say “I love you.” They’ll say “Have you eaten?”
→ A culture built on legacy might prioritize ancestor veneration, archival writing, name inheritance.
This stuff? Way more immersive than giving everyone matching earrings.
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5. 🏠 Culture = Daily Life, Not Just Festivals
Sure, your MC might attend a funeral where people paint their faces blue. But what about:
→ Breakfast routines?
→ How people greet each other on the street?
→ Who cooks, and who eats first?
→ What’s considered “clean” or “proper”?
→ How is parenting handled? Divorce?
Culture is what happens between plot points. It should shape your character’s assumptions, language, fears, and habits—whether or not a festival is going on.
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6. 💬 Let Your Characters Disagree With Their Own Culture
A culture isn’t a monolith.
Even in deeply traditional societies, people:
→ Rebel
→ Question
→ Break rules
→ Misinterpret laws
→ Mock sacred things
→ Act hypocritically
→ Weaponize or resist what’s expected
Let your characters wrestle with the culture around them. That’s where realism (and tension) lives.
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7.🧼 Beware the “Pretty = Good” Trap
Worldbuilding gets boring fast when:
→ The protagonist’s homeland is beautiful and pure
→ The enemy’s culture is dark and “barbaric”
→ Every detail just reinforces who the reader should like
You can—and should—challenge the aesthetic hierarchy.
→ Let ugly things be beloved.
→ Let beautiful things be corrupt.
→ Let your MC romanticize their culture and then get disillusioned by it later.
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📍 TL;DR (but like, spicy):
→ Culture is not food and jewelry.
→ Culture is power, fear, memory, contradiction.
→ Stop inventing spices until you know who starved last winter.
→ Let your world feel lived in, not curated.
The best cultural worldbuilding doesn’t look like a list.
It feels like a system. A pressure. A presence your characters can’t escape—even if they try.
Now go. Build something real. (You can add spices later.)
—rin t.
// writing advice for worldbuilders with rage and range
// thewriteadviceforwriters
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non-writers will never understand the mental illness of writing an entire conversation in your head while doing dishes and then forgetting every word the second you open a blank doc
Hi, I saw your posts about hijab wearing women in fiction not taking of their hijabs for a boy and I was wondering if you could please give me some tips about writing hijab wearing characters? It's for a book I'm trying to write. Also, please could you tell me some good sources for more information? Thanks.
when writing a Hijabi, just write them as you would any other character. Muslim women who wear hijab are human, they come with the same emotions, anxieties, struggles, hobbies, quirks, pet peeves and interests that any woman would. the thing that differentiates them is that they cover their hair and body for God. And sometimes the visibility of their faith can lead to prejudices in Islamophobic countries such as France and India. The character does not have to be perfect as no human being is perfect, we all sin and we all struggle with elements of our faith. But the reason why removing hijab for a boy is controversial bc it weaponizes the idea of a Muslim women and fuels wars in the Middle East as well as South Asia. By showing hijab as oppressive, it takes away a Muslim woman’s agency and choice. The concept of hijab is no different than a nun’s habit. Both Muslim women and Christian women are encouraged to cover for God just as Mary, peace be upon her, had exemplified. Another point that needs to be stressed is hijab exists for men too, a man must cover from his navel to his knees and is required to lower his gaze when a female is present irrespective of her attire. Thanks for the ask! Sources - X, X, X . If you have any additional questions don’t hesitate to reach out.
Hi, I've heard that it would be rude to write a muslim character with magic, but would it be alright to write one in a world with magic, but who doesn't have magic herself?
That is a great question and one I’m struggling with myself as my latest wip involves a magic system. In Islam, magic is very much a real concept but all magic is evil, there is no such good thing as “good“ magic. We believe magic to be rooted in evil, and a form of manipulation from Satan. Reliance on magic over Allah (God) is considered a major sin Hence, Muslims are reprimanded for engaging in any such practices, industries or career (witch craft, palm reading, zodiac signs, medium, voodoo dolls). Muslims do enjoy Harry Potter tho as it’s just entertainment. But in the Muslim world, magic is very much real and is referred to as “Black Magic” and it is to be avoided at all costs. if you have a Muslim character, I think your character can be knowledgeable of the magical realm and the spiritual elements as Muslims are aware of such things. To protect from black magic and other such forms of magic we recite verses from the Quran similarly to how Christian’s recite from the Bible. but to answer your question, if you want to avoid any conflict from fans and audience, your best option is to make the Muslim character not a practicer of magic.
thanks for asking! As for some resources here are a few videos I think might help, reach out if you need any explanation. (X , X)
A U T U M N I S L A N D E R S ; a writeblr family by @serpentarii
i hit another milestone recently and just wanted to thank all of you guys because i would not be here without you, and i really appreciate you all for sticking around. this community is so supportive, talented, creative, and amazing and i wanted a way to highlight that.
reasons to join ;
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hop on a ferry ;
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Witches, Wizards, Warlocks, Mages, Druids, Seers, Children of Satan; all are damned. Damned by a life of sin. Salvation. Salvation. God is salvation. God is hope for those who repent. No more witch hunts. No more predators. Only prey. All is prey. Pray.
genre: psychological thriller, supernatural horror, cult fiction, high fantasy
themes & tropes: magic and mayhem, Merlin and Morgana, arthur and Guinevere, faith and fate, detectives and serial killers, cults and covens, sin and salvation, religion and ruin, false chosen ones, Salem witch trials
Silene stares into Eira’s eyes, “have you ever seen a mother wolf? f you go after one of her cubs, she comes at you, with all her fury, leaving nothing of the enemy behind. Not even his bones.”
“Is that a threat?” Eira’s voice shakes.
A smirk forms itself across Silene’s face, “it is a promise.”
In the icy peaks bordering Aleria to the North lies Independent Tarragon, home to wolves, glaciers and the Avestian people. For centuries, The Avestian worshipped the stars, and believed that they too were once stars who fell onto the Earth for a purpose. A purpose that was lost when the Alerian’s conquered Tarragon and burned their texts for total domination. Aleria ruled Tarragon for over 100 years, enslaving its people and crushing the many rebellions that ensued. But for over a decade now, Northern Tarragon became the first in history to break away from Aleria and declare independence. Following their victory, the Avestians tore down all the monuments and statues of the Empire. They burned the books and laws that once governed them, and from the ashes wrote a new government. No more kings and no more queens, all power belongs to the people. Tarragon has quickly established itself as a key political and economic player by forming ties with Kogon, exporting weapons made from a rare mineral, and advancing the navy. Although Tarragon has lived out crude winters, the Avestians refuse to give up the fight for its brother, Occupied Tarragon.
