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 Discussion on question by Cloud Cho: …

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elemtilas
May 20 19:16
What's the worldbuilding context here? I think this question should have been asked in Electrical Engineering. VTC & migrate.
 

 Discussion on question by L.Dutch: An…

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elemtilas
May 19 08:26
I’m voting to close this question because a) this is not even a creature and b) it refers to a third party intellectual property (XKCD).
elemtilas
May 19 08:26
Who's "frowning" on that? Whose rules? Just curious.
elemtilas
May 19 08:26
@wizzwizz4 - Munroe states on the comic's website that the name of the comic is not an initialism but "just a word with no phonetic pronunciation". Since xkcd is "just a word", it should actually be capitalised Xkcd at the beginning of a sentence. The same rule should apply for a pseudo-scientific species name. All the same, I don't really see how this fits in with the Anatomically Correct series at all. There being no Xkcdius lethalissimus in folklore, mythology or religion. All the persons, creatures & entities in the series appear to be primary world figures.
 

 Discussion on question by user508021:…

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1
elemtilas
May 5 12:41
@user508021 --- That's perfectly fine! Did I not just say that I like a world that ignores real science and makes up its own? What I have a problem with is your attitude. You need to adjust that double quick. You don't get the right to come in here and disrespect our Mods and completely ignore how either this forum or SE work. I've already recommended that you be booted. I suggest you straighten up.
elemtilas
May 5 04:39
@JBH --- VTD. Go forth and ask your question! I'm not sure what this person's issue is, but he literally disrespected L Dutch when he was trying to help and challenged the authority we gave him upon election as moderator. You don't that to our mods. Troll needs to be yeeted. And I really hate having to say this, because you know I like a good invented world that ignores real science and makes up its own!
elemtilas
May 5 04:39
@JBH --- I don't think you should have bothered rewording this troll's question. It should have been left closed. Since you clearly thought to write it better yourself, you should be given the credit for writing the question! Personally, I think you should revert your edit, leave this closed & flag it for deletion. I've half a mind to do this myself, but you deserve the credit for the question.
 

 Discussion on question by flox: How c…

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elemtilas
Jan 22 20:40
Also concur with the two Principals being essential rules of the world.
elemtilas
Jan 22 20:39
I concur with Nosajamiki on the brainstorming question. This query doesn't strike me as the OP asking us an open ended request for a huge list of ideas.
elemtilas
Jan 22 20:16
What a delightful question! This is much better than the usual run of orbital mechanics. My only quibble is that you might misapplying the Copernican Principal to something that doesn't actually rely on the Principal to happen. That article has some interesting errors, but it seems that the CP refers solely to physical location, not what's living on the planet. How will you rectify that?
 

 Story Tellers Corner

Place where people can bring closed story-based and/or idea ge...
2
elemtilas
Dec 9, 2024 02:59
I reckon the more the merrier!
elemtilas
Dec 9, 2024 02:02
Gosh. This place really exists!
 

 Discussion on question by Rhymehouse:…

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elemtilas
Dec 6, 2024 17:17
(cont) your query around on its head and make this a question about rules of the world. You kind of hint at it yourself, that game tropes are justified. They're part of the world. Therefore, focus your question on this rule of the world! Make this a question about a society that needs red barrels of explosivity in order to exist!
elemtilas
Dec 6, 2024 17:17
This is an interesting question --- or rather it would be if it were written differently! I concur with DemonLord and JBH that you're just asking for a list of explosive things. Story props. However! JBH gave you, perhaps inadvertently, a hint as to how to bring this question back on topic and can potentially make it a banger of a worldbuilding query! Notice the throwaway tag line: no society needs this to exist. Given that your focus is on materials, on props for your setting, he's 100% correct. Society doesn't need these things. I'm challenging you, therefore, to turn (cont)
 

 Discussion on question by Chani: Perf…

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elemtilas
Nov 28, 2024 04:41
I see this is completely rules of the world and not story based at all. I can see how one might read this as story based, after all, conflict and narrative go together very well. But let's recalibrate our perspective and look at conflict not as a function of narrative but as as an ingredient of the universe itself. In this way, the question becomes one of world rules: conflict is inherent in the world, so how does it manifest in a place that seems like it should not be able to exist?
 

 Discussion on question by vicky_molok…

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elemtilas
Sep 28, 2024 11:34
@vicky_molokh --- It might have been and may yet be helpful to address this more specifically in the body of the question: are those complaints legitimately addressing a real shortcoming in the usual format or presentation; or are they just carping for the sake of carping?
elemtilas
Sep 28, 2024 11:34
@sphennings --- Yes, there are indeed many worldbuilding forums that don't follow the SE model. The irony here is palpable. WB.SE doesn't even follow the SE model! We never have! 99% of questions here in this very forum are "opinionated". 99% of questions here would never even get a look on the rest of SE simply because of the nature of what we do.
elemtilas
Sep 28, 2024 11:34
@datacube --- Not only that, if we delete the worldbuilding process tag for being too broad or not fitting within SE expectations, then we really need to consider closing up shop and deleting this entire forum.
elemtilas
Sep 28, 2024 11:34
(cont) all of those answers are of equal worth or of equal utility. Vicky has asked a sufficiently narrow and focused question that really only a few answers will be both valid and useful to her situation. A few other answers would be broadly useful.
elemtilas
Sep 28, 2024 11:34
@sphennings --- This is actually the "problem" of 97 to 99% of all questions that are asked in this forum! How many virgins does it take to satisfy the dragon? This entire forum is chock full of subjective queries and answers. I think we're losing sight of the nature of this forum, and that is, WB.SE is not like the other SE forums. We're not stack overflow. Those kinds of process and best practice queries fit perfectly here among all the other question types that don't fit in the other forums. And while I agree with you that "any" way of presenting a world is "equally valid", not (cont)
elemtilas
Sep 28, 2024 11:34
succinct, focused, not a brainstorming session, and doesn't require a whole infinite list of things to answer. This is literally a textbook worldbuilding question! I could wish we see more of these in this forum, as Vicky is demonstrating what I call a mature stage of worldbuilding as art.
elemtilas
Sep 28, 2024 11:34
reaction that moves from and goes towards. This question presupposes that the querent has already done the initial work, has done the research, has prepared all the ingredients and has done all the writing. She is now at the point where the substance of her world is ready for presentation. This phase is every bit as important as the phases that focus on finding, sorting, sifting, and combining ingredients. This is clearly a question of worldbuilding, just not a question of worldstuff. Furthermore, her query is (cont)
elemtilas
Sep 28, 2024 11:34
phases of okay what the hell do I do now and also putting it all together. I think we're losing sight that any artistic endeavour is itself a composition of steps. The Moaning Lisa isn't just a static painting hanging on a wall somewhere. It is also the multidimensional, the moving, the living bring-into-existence of the final image. Included within the image itself is all the meta stuff. The conceptualisation, the sketchwork, the sourcing and preparation of ingredients (colours, tints, binders, substrate), the layering and mixing of elements in an alchemical (cont)
elemtilas
Sep 28, 2024 11:34
VTR. This question is valid per the community's long-standing welcome of questions about "all phases of the worldbuilding process". Process is so ingrained in what we do that we've even got a meta or self-referential tag for it. It is true that this question does not ask about stars orbiting planets or how many virgins it takes to satisfy the mighty appetites of a given dragon --- all of which queries fall into either the directed research or the creative generation phases of worldbuilding. This question focuses on the much more pedestrian (cont)
elemtilas
Sep 28, 2024 11:34
Ah! A good question of worldbuilding process! The presentation of any work is part of the artistic process. It's a little more mundane, perhaps, but no less important. This question should NOT be closed.
 

 Discussion on question by BabiBaba: W…

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elemtilas
Sep 25, 2024 17:41
I think this could be quickly reopened if you edited out the references to "what certain people would choose" (this is what makes your question fundamentally story based, because it comes down to what your characters are choosing); and focused in stead on "what school might be more beneficial for an upper class person in this culture".
 

 Discussion on question by Miss Unders…

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elemtilas
Sep 23, 2024 01:58
...aaaand it looks like this is more or less what you're doing! So good job!
elemtilas
Sep 23, 2024 01:56
Pretty much what we're looking for is "I believe X is impossible; yet in the setting I'm working on, X is a goal that people are seeking to attain. How can they attain this given A, B, C, & D reasons why it's impossible?"
elemtilas
Sep 23, 2024 01:55
@MissUnderstands -- Well, asking us to "validate your feelings" really is not what we do here at all! In any SE forum! All we really ask is that you give us a problem to solve. You said X is not possible. Well okay then! Your question is actually somewhat self-prophetic: you're making a statement and we're looking for a question, and neither of us quite understand the other!
elemtilas
Sep 23, 2024 01:11
So. What actually is the worldbuilding question here? This is more of a statement than a question.
 

 Discussion on question by Conan Highw…

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elemtilas
Sep 13, 2024 10:37
@GraySheep --- For those who VTCed because this is "gross", please understand that in worldbuilding, there can be gross things happening. This is one of them. Being gross is NOT a valid reason to VTC. This question didn't cross any lines as far as site rating or vivid depictions. I'd recommend undoing that vote and perhaps finding a different reason to close.
elemtilas
Sep 13, 2024 10:37
One more issue: in the question, you say "our or a similar world". It is extremely important to distinguish whether the overall culture absolutely reviles cannibalism or whether it allows it. In your comment, you said the setting is "our modern world". Could you edit your question accordingly (making sure that your edits don't invalidate the answers you've got)?
elemtilas
Sep 13, 2024 10:37
Okay. There are at least two huge gaping holes in this question! 1. What is the setting here? Is this basically 21st century Earth, or are we looking at a completely different world that has humans? 2. Is the word "human" used in any way on, around, or near these food products when they're introduced to the public? I can say that one of the products in your list has actually been made for sale.
 

 Discussion on question by Therac: How…

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elemtilas
Aug 25, 2024 03:23
The US is already headed in this direction. Why not just copy and paste?
 

 Discussion on question by Dmyt: Would…

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elemtilas
Jun 19, 2024 10:04
How would they "descend" to Earth of they're chthonic?
 

 Discussion on question by JBH: Would …

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elemtilas
Jun 9, 2024 02:26
Just to clarify: when you say 23deg and 0deg --- do you intend for the N-S axis to rotate, like Earth, 23deg away from the disk of the star system and then the E-W axis to be 90deg from that one? Or are you looking for a squishy planet axial system where the two axes are not 90 deg apart? Of course! Bespoke Worlds can easily handle such design constraints as well!
elemtilas
Jun 9, 2024 02:26
Yep! It was an interesting read! You might also be interested in Allan Eckert's 1976 SciFi novel The HAB Theory.
elemtilas
Jun 9, 2024 02:26
You may be interested in the theory proposed by Hugh Auchincloss Brown in the mid 20th century. A theory of catastrophic proportions, he proposed that the Earth does in fact (sort of) rotate on a second axis and every 4k to 8k years or so one of these rotations occurs, resulting in a pole shift. Fresh-frozen mammoths in Siberia and the Great Flood account for two of these catastrophes.
 

 Discussion on answer by AlexP: A worl…

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elemtilas
May 8, 2024 14:48
Then clarify what you mean in your answer please!
elemtilas
May 8, 2024 14:48
It's actually the opposite! In a real economy, you may want more guineas, but you need more farthings! Just as an example, in 1795, the US minted a whopping 500000 pennies; and only 160000 dollars; and just under 9000 eagles ($10). The numbers hold true today, only orders of magnitude higher: in 2020, 7.5 billion pennies and only 2.6 million dollars.
 

 Discussion on question by Line Item: …

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elemtilas
Mar 21, 2024 09:45
I'm sensing some Flatworld vibes from this. How to use those two math ideas is not really within our scope of practice here. That might be more suitable in a game development forum. We're here to help you with issues you're facing regarding the development of the world itself. So, given that this is a maths driven game, what sorts of ideas have you thought of for the game world itself?
 

 Discussion on question by Dono: How l…

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elemtilas
Dec 13, 2023 00:19
@MS --- Some of us here try to keep it on track.
elemtilas
Dec 13, 2023 00:19
(cont) you are unsure of yourself. We're not here to pass judgement on your thought process or your worldbuilding artistry (unless specifically asked!). Just tell us straight up what your idea is and what the parameters are and we can help you! Also, you really don't have to apologise to us for spelling and grammar mistakes, or for being new! I deleted that part. You're here, you're one of us now!
elemtilas
Dec 13, 2023 00:19
Hi Dono! Just so you're aware, we deal with irrealia here in Worldbuilding all the time. You really don't have to write little editorial comments like "for simplicity sake" and "clearly no civilisation". First, we have no idea if there is life on Venus in the real world, let alone a civilisation there! Just because Venus is a hellworld for us, doesn't mean some other people won't find it quite pleasant! Lastly, the little editorial comments are kind of annoying: this is your world! --- you tell us what it is like, and we accept it as factual! Those little remarks make it sound like (cont)
 

 Discussion on question by BenRW: Can …

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elemtilas
Dec 9, 2023 03:26
@JohnO --- Actually, that is not true. Querents can, and are encouraged to, "repeat" the marquee question in the body. This is their opportunity to focus the attention grabbing title into a good worldbuilding question. That's not asking two different questions.
 

 Discussion between Tortliena and VLAZ

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elemtilas
Oct 28, 2023 03:07
If you think the quality of a Q is low enough to warrant your downvote, then you owe it to your fellow member to offer your reasoning. If you don't want to give a reason, don't downvote. The reason why this has nothing to do with the voting system per se is specifically because of what the upvote vs downvote actually means! Upvote means it's good and useful and well done, hurrah! Downvote means it's bad for some reason --- but if we never tell users the reason, they're unlikely to improve.
elemtilas
Oct 28, 2023 03:05
As I see it, a lot of downvotes go to two kinds of community members. 1. Old members who write sucky questions and ought to know better; 2. New members who write sucky questions because the DON'T know any better. We all start out hesitantly, writing more or less bad qs and as. The whole point of this proposal has NOTHING whatsoever to do with voting per se. It has EVERYTHING to do with improving the community's stock of queries and responses.
 

 Discussion on question by Enthu5ed: O…

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elemtilas
Oct 16, 2023 02:57
Are there any evil super powers like Morbid Micromanagement and the dreaded Wielder of Bureaucratium?
 

 Discussion on question by LordMalecit…

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elemtilas
Oct 4, 2023 12:15
@LordMalecith --- Okay. Yeah, that's a plantimal! Interesting. I've only ever seen plantimal, but I see that planimal is synonymous. Carry on!
elemtilas
Oct 4, 2023 12:15
Do you mean plantimal? Or is this something else and not a typo?