Brainstorm: details that make a fictional world feel ALIVE?

[bluejamtoast]

What little details make a fictional world feel more alive?

E.g one thing that comes to mind are in-world brands that are just there. Not as a macguffin or major plot point but just a background element of the setting, and not a spoof of a real world franchise but an original part of that world

I feel little stuff like that really brings life to a fantastical setting. What other details come to mind?

[Inspector_Spinda]

Lol I actually did that

[Inspector_Spinda]

i think another thing is reused background elements. i guess that sort of ties into brands. like if the same toy or variants keep coming back. repeated settings. if it's a small area the story takes place in, repeating background characters can be fun. religious or political symbols on stuff like flags or clothes.

[WoollyPAR]

I think having reoccurring characters and locations helps with this. If you don't want to revisit places your characters have moved on from or use minor characters that have no point of being there, passing references to them also work. It's a good reminder to the audience that these things are real within the world and don't stop existing just because they aren't there.

Another thing that helps is to show that things that happen in this fictional world have an effect on the characters (and perhaps vice-vera). Make sure the setting is actually important and isn't just a place the characters exist in.

To give it more importance, just make sure it lines up well with whatever themes you had in mind when making the story and it should be fine.

Hope this helped

[Larua1997]

For fantasy worlds (or imagined cultures/communities in-world) I love seeing seasons/months/weather/holidays. I spent a couple days creating different holidays in my fantasy world, which was a lot of fun and strengthened the worldbuilding. For example, I love how Game of Thrones/SOIASF has a very distinct weather/climate system, different holidays, etc. Basically, I like seeing how the calendar is woven into the world, whether it takes in a created "verse" on Earth or a completely different place.

[bluejamtoast]

Ahh yes, the reusing & repetitions builds familiarity with the audience and further engrosses them. Its fun finding these details like a cool Easter egg hunt

Many times I have seen character popularity polls and random background characters end up placing on the list just for continuously being there

[Kaydreamer]

• Architecture is a big one for me! Having different building styles and structures for different locations, reflective of the climate and people living there.
• Proverbs and expletives! In my story, the phrase 'Keeper's oath' is commonly used by Elves, or those who've spent time around Elves, when exasperated. 'By the tides' is another one. I'm still trying to come up with more which link to my magic system.
• Recurring background characters. Even if they never get a spoken line, just keep them coming back! I love it when creators will quietly ship background pairs together as well.
• Holidays and customs! There are so many in real cultures, you have all the inspiration you could need in finding customs which would work well for your fictional people.

[bluejamtoast]

Very helpful thanks~

> these things are real within the world and don't stop existing just because they aren't there.

Yes! It's kind of jarring when there is no follow up or reference to a previously established place/person. When they are seemingly never seen or heard of again

I think it really stands out when the world changes regardless of the main character's input, eg when place they have been to before and things have changed compared to when the mc was there and it wasn't purely due to the mc's actions. Reinforces that the world exists outside the mc's storyline

The passing references is underrated. It's also a good indicator of how well an author has planned the story/world when details are mentioned way earlier than when visually introduced. I personally prefer small info build up over time than huge exposition dump

[beanycoffee]

One big detail for me is custom currency made for the world, bonus points if this changes between regions. I think it's such a small thing but would stand out in a fantasy genre against the usual copper/silver/gold!

Someone already mentioned this but holidays are a great addition! That kinda helps explain some culture and traditions of the world. I also like the idea of designing sports or games within the world as well though have found that to be challenging unless I keep the rules purposefully vague haha

[bluejamtoast]

Holidays that's a good detail! Winter is coming is too iconic lol

Just seeing seasons change is so satisfying in a story for me, something comforting about the inevitability of it. I especially like seeing the change in clothing as the season change

(OT, maybe it's the limited stuff I've read but I find it rare for a holiday in fiction to be celebrated twice? eg there would be only one Christmas episode despite the story spanning the three years of highschool lol )

[bluejamtoast]

Proverbs and expletives is a must have! I personally struggle with writing speech that makes the characters sound different but not gimmicky, cultural impact on dialogue is something I haven't really explored so thanks

Architecture is a big one for me too, the vegetation as well. Seeing specific plants native to certain locations is really nice, bonus if they are mentioned before we go to that location (e.g mc at a market and fruit from XYZ advertised in the background then later in story when mc goes to XYZ a lot of the fruit can be seen)

[bluejamtoast]

Custom regional currency now that is detailed! An in-depth economic structure instead of the basic poor ok and rich countries would seriously stand out. Thinking about designing fictional inflation rates hurts my head lol

Sports is a good one, as soon as you mentioned it quidditch and pro-bending came to mind. I was a big fan of their introductions

[beanycoffee]

Oh definitely! Anything that is toooo specific with how the economy would function is over my head lol and I think it's more on a surface level that interests me. That and any exposition dump needed to explain complex monetary systems seems like snoresville :'D

But yeah those two examples were exactly the ones I was thinking of! And also Pai Sho from the first Avatar is a good example of designing a game for worldbuilding without giving many details at all of HOW it's actually played so it's kinda left up to the viewer's imagination.

[adderfly]

This is a great thread!

I think that having consistent tie-ins between different background elements is key, because it makes it feel like your world operates in a unique and self-contained way. For example, my comic is set on an island once populated by dragons and now overrun by giant flies. I work in related things as often as possible, like creating 'scaredragons' which are like scarecrows but shaped like dragons and intended to scare off flies. There's also a berry festival, which I mention is positioned on the calendar before fly season gets bad. Obviously you don't want ~everything~ to be references into the same three things because that can feel overplayed, but reimagining the motifs of the world based on its mythology is really cool to me. I love seeing how other creators use this trick too.

Also-- brands is a dope suggestion. That's not where my brain naturally goes so I love seeing that thinking!