this post was submitted on 24 Sep 2026
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Worldbuilding

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So, here's the thing. I have this setting I've been working on for years now. And the setting ended up with almost 5000 years of extensive lore, and you need to be familiar with several different philosophies and cultures to understand any of it. I was trying to come up with some names for characters in a story I am writing in said setting. And when I was researching how names and languages change I was struck with a thought. Am I overcomplicating this? Do I really need an explanation why there is a guy named "Al Banian" and why the name is actually a remnant from a completely different reality? I'm getting to the point where the lore is so complex it starts to sound stupid if you don't know all the details. Case and point, a guy named "Al Banian".

Another example. There are several creation myths, and three of them are technically correct.

I need some advice. Feel free to ask questions.

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[โ€“] faythofdragons@slrpnk.net 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Honestly, that's sensible. Is there a way to get your brain to compromise to a level of vaguery?

Like, if there was a reality changing event 5000 years ago, it would make complete sense that things would be an unknown from that time period. Unless the story is about archaeologists or very long-lived characters, it may not have an impact on the story.

Think about IRL, 5000 years ago is around when they were inventing cuneiform writing. We don't have a good understanding of what happened back then, and it really doesn't have any impact on the things that are happening now. Is that different in your book?

[โ€“] Young_Gilgamesh@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

Well, I'd argue that inventing cuneiform had an immense impact on society that we can feel to this day, but I do get your point. Thank you.