Original 'verse worldbuilding, part three

[sister_dear]

Stalled on other WIP's, so here's something I've had drawn for months but just been procrastinating over actually posting.

Since it's been forever, a little intro: I've been working on some world and character building for an original fantasy universe, and had intended to get writeups for the four groups of major characters and their cultures put

Comments

[anon_decepticon]

Interesting stuff! I really like all the little cultural details you're weaving into this - I'm a sucker for that sort of thing - and your character designs are also very appealing.

Regarding the skin tone thing, I'd vote for making both of the kids dark-skinned, with the younger being a shade or two darker than the elder, in order to highlight the whole "they get more and more washed-out the more magic they use" concept. I think it'd be interesting to explore cultural ramifications of skin color/"race" in a world where its regarded as mutable rather than fixed, and where the stereotypical attitudes surrounding it have more to do with one's age and degree of experience than generalizations about cultural identity. For example, if the Nomads tend to be darker-skinned and use less magic (or at at least less "flashy" forms of magic), might that be a source of prejudice toward them among the Mages, who would instinctively regard them as "inexperienced children" due to their own cultural background? Would the Nomads find a Mage's washed-out appearance unattractive, because to them it signifies an unhealthy addiction to or abuse of magic, i.e. the "wrong" way of doing things? And so on...

But I ramble. Looking forward to seeing part four!

[sister_dear]

Thank you for the lovely comment!

It's been fun going through and working all that out, how working out one cultural aspect suddenly leads to another thing falling into place, and that suddenly making -this- aspect of -that- character more interesting, and so on.

That is a good idea. I'll give it a try.

That whole aspect of "us" and "them" not being based on skin tone is definitely something I plan to do some exploring with, both within their society and in how they relate to other peoples.

Nomads do use magic just as much as Mages, but because they're almost always using it in the magical realm (or whatever it winds up getting called), they don't get the physical side effects. Mages do have the whole "I am better than you" thing going on in regards to... pretty much everyone else, so them thinking of the Nomads an inexperienced and unsophisticated does fit. And that is a wonderful thought about Nomads finding Mages unattractive that has invited itself right in and settled down to stay.