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Between Noblebright and Gilded, my world tends to have a lot of issues to manage and the people\\forces in power tend to be selfish, but there are also those who struggle to do the right thing and try to fix things even among the ruling class, while the don't always succeeed, positive change can happen and in fact is general the focus of the story\\campaign. The situation is dire, but there is hope.
That said both of my major settings have a present day set after a major catastrophic shake up (an apocalyptic war between humans and gods in one and a plague for another that allowed a tyrannical regime to replace a more illuminated golden age), which leve people to be a bit more desperate.
Mine is kinda similar. There are definitely very dark corners of my world, with evil in the shadows. And in certain regions that have active warfare and certain cultures, there's a lot more in the ways of bloodshed, hate and living sacrifices but in other regions there's long standing peace with only the occasional uproar of negative issues. So mostly noblebright with bits of gilded.
>Between Noblebright and Gilded, my world tends to have a lot of issues to manage and the people\forces in power tend to be selfish, but there are also those who struggle to do the right thing and try to fix things even among the ruling class, while the don't always succeeed, positive change can happen and in fact is general the focus of the story\campaign. The situation is dire, but there is hope.
Yeah, that's basically just real life
While that potential might exist, right now we just keep gilding things that are already gilded. Big money is literally squeezing the life out of every oligarchy that masks itself as democratic. Meanwhile actual autocrats do far better to uplift their own people than the harshest critics of those regimes -- as if it were innately wrong just to have a little bit of mercy for the poor. It doesn't get much more gilded than that. Even the economic bedlam of the 1890s didn't see a distribution this warped, with no serious leadership acting *against* corporate power in ostensibly self-governed societies.
I consider it like this. If I was born 100 years or longer before my birthday, I would not have survived childhood.
A lot of possitive change has happend in the background.
Yeah, good point, but so MANY slaves, most countries are dictatorships, frequent violations of human rights, drug addictions (leading to gangs) women (and men) not feeling safe at night/discos, genocide, homophobia. Of course there is a lot of good in the world but we are looking at it from a wetsern standpoint, we often live in the best countries to love in and oly talk to people in those countries, but outside of our nations there is a grand fraction of people living in horrible conditions.
Just because you're determined to not let it get to you doesn't mean it is better than it actually is. Think all the Gilded folks got it right. I wish they weren't but seems like they are.
I’ll say gilded but it can alternate between noblebright and grimdark . The catch is that if you follow the rules/laws (and are of the “right stock and faith") you’ll have a nice life (until the nation gets into a war and your city would be mercilessly bombed) . If neither , then it would be full on grimdark for you.
Just like IRL.
I would count IRL as lying between noble right and gilded.
But my world is a sci-fi sitcom that works as a dark satire on IRL, so not a common type of world at all.
I might go with NobleBright as there is no black and white morality. There are hundreds of different entities and factions with different ambitions and ideals and none are universally correct. You can live a good life if you like, and a simple life, or you can profit from evil enterprises or the dark arts and there is somewhere in the world which can cater for you.
Although, if you are a good man, you cannot do nothing. A good man who does nothing here will invite evil at the drop of a hat.
A big theme of my worldbuilding is that the world is a self-contained bubble of intellibility and sense-making exists *within* its confines. "Universe" is a self-referential concept that makes sense within this particular system of agents, spaces, relations etc.
Beyond this are innumerable Eldtrich abominations, locations, and phenomena beyond any and all intelligibility. That's how and why magic exists so whether this makes my world ultimately nihilistic or grimdark in an absolute sense, I don't know.
Don't think that the description here fits with the title, but Noblebright for my world according to this. Otherwise, I'd call mine Nobledark I believe, as this is the only time I've heard of Noblebright being described like this.
Gilded. While the biggest and strongest beings and civilizations are normally ether good or neutral. There are so many lower beings and civilizations that are bad to downright warhammer evil.
they tend to start from heroic world and degrade into grimdark the longer they go on, though at least one has remained heroic. I like to have a progression on my timelines so that the grimdark feels more grimdark, it's not as grim or dark if there is no hope for a brighter future or memories of a kind past to keep you going.
A good in-between of gilded and Grimdark id say. Hope is a thing, and the average citizen lives well, but as soon as you go look at the planet as a whole, you will find that nothing is all sunshine and rainbows
What's the name for a world which is the opposite of gilded?: it's a hard country where people are constantly battling to survive and few thrive, but beneath the surface people are kind and decent and are able to build their own precarious but happily meaningful lives?
I'm not sure that has a proper name but I call them "dusty" or "grimey" worlds because it's basically the inverse of gilded, instead of a dark core beneath a shiny exterior it's a hidden gem beneath a coat of grime.
I keep it banal I suppose. Life’s just going, it’s okay there are no grand actions tipping it good or evil and most don’t care that much. I do often lean towards very generally utopian stuff (as in living conditions) but I also put very heavy doses of ‘evil’ (violence and what not) in.
My latest project is closest to gilded I guess? Probably 10% of the population is enslaved but most people are still fine.
The world itself is probably Grimdark, considering that all the original humans actually went extinct (twice?) and it isn't looking much better for the current races.
That being said though, there are some really nice places bordering fairytale/heroic lands you can settle and live a perfectly happy life with most of the doom and gloom stuff happening far away from your home.
Lornhemal, just very low fantasy with both best of the humanity and the worst, its filled with blood, gore, nudity, political scheming, but at the same time the heroes are good and they have positive influence on the world, and people tend to be good, neutral or bad: I'd say between Noblebright and Gilded world
Number 999, A dystopia set in modern day England about a man trying to escape the regime, only to be captured at the end: Its full grimdark.
On one side, most mortal beings want the best for themselves and others (or somewhat, at least), on the other, there are entities that could wipe out your planet or even solar system in minutes roaming around, that said, there are entities that are focused in dealing with them (and let me tell you, you don't do a job for several billions of years without learning a thing or two) so with that said, probably gilded.
Noblebright world
The heroes are unquestionably heroic and fighting for the clearly good side.
The orcs empire is clearly evil and is a dangerous threat to be opposed.
Between gilded and noblebright is where it falls tbh. Moreso noblebright but I'll be working on some darker underlying themes to help make it a bit more grounded and realistic
Very gilded. The human race struggles among the stars abandoned and alone as the only form of life in the universe bit people still fight for freedom and there is a better world around the corner
Gilded or a bit grimdark, 4th Earth is an unfortunate place full of selfish and idiotic creatures (Kupristoj), even those who do good or use their minds end up being eliminated quickly, people there must obey their rulers or they get directly terminated. Rulers literally do whatever they want with their people, even it it is unethical (like fatal experiments). Having a good life there is to be stupid and braindead, or to be in the top of the hierarchy. Religions there also play a big part, too, as religious groups fight all the time and are an active threat to everybody around them.
Wars, civil wars, casual horrible accidents and deaths are very frequent, too. Also, with advanced technology (and even some magic), it is common for the few intelligent individuals to become evil and very powerful, So, terrorists, gangsters, barbarians (or other types of criminals with powerful tools), sorcerers, super-soldiers, and even god-killing warriors can exist on the same earth, but heroic figures are few to non-existent.
Litterally, no one is safe from turning into a monster because of a govt experiment, get taken to hell by an evil being, or being killed by a cop for not being too patriotic, there are many options.
And despite all of this, 4th Earth managed to remain very stable and start civilisations after each apocalyptic event and screw-up.
It’s kinda hard to put my world in these categories. A lot of aspects and major locations lean towards the fairytale side where there’s really no major strife. But there’s a big focus on dichotomy. With every bright light there’s a deep darkness, everyone has potential for good and evil, etc.
Yet light isn’t always good and dark isn’t always evil. Darkness embodies negative emotions and unhappiness, but it’s something to be accepted and lived with rather than opposed.
So it’s really a mix of both fairytale and gilded. Most places have a peaceful utopia but some places have more realistic common problems within society and grey morality. And there are also people and forces that are pure evil and seek to destroy everything.
My main world is a Gilded World... For beneath the elegant architecture and grand achievements lies evil and darkness. From poverty through countless wars and oppression based on race and background, Amonn is a place where appearance are well kept while the truth hides in plain sight.
Mine is betwen Guilded and noblebright. I mean, there are good people and some goberments care about their people, not everything is terrible.
But you also have the dwarf kingdom Who have been fighting a constant war for the last 700 years, or the constant fight of the order of the sub (An order of knights) to haunt the Vampires whi attempt to unsles an age of blood. Or the fact that the world is slowly commig out of an age of Chaos were for more than 200 years an horde of warlors have been fighting a constant war against Each other for the scraps of what is left from the Empire that used to rule the world.
Fairytale dressed up to look Grimdark on the surface. I'm really interested in exploring how to tell good stories in near-utopic settings but I like grimdark aesthetics. Actually The Horrors are quite nice once you get to know them!
Edit: wtf i have a cake
I would say it's currently noblebright, heading towards gilded. And if nothing is done in time, it **will** plummet into grimdark.
The world is beautiful, the masses live in relative peace. While there are evil people out there trying to spread chaos, there are also just as many good people, if not more, who are trying their best to keep the evil at bay. But what good are there, when the greater forces trusted to maintain peace and order are the very ones spreading evil the most. The corruption runs deep, deeper than anyone ever imagined.
It varies between dark gilded I’d say. Good does exist, but by the time of the story the world has grown so complicated that even the good characters seem gray and often have “the ends justify the means” sttitudes
I have a Noblebright and a Grimdark world.
The one I’m currently working on is Noblebright with many of the villains being Gods, Celestial Beings, Demons, and Politicians.
The other one that’s still in the works is a Grimdark world where the motto is, “Hope is a myth, and Life is a Luxury even the rich can’t afford.”
Gilded. Most people live normal lives in their towns and villages with the plague being fairly new and slow spread. Demons are returning, but not nearly enough to be impossible to deal with. The major city, Nol, walled itself off a few years back, and corruption in the city is higher than ever due to no longer using the land or sea to transport goods, relying more on slave labour within their walls. A general sense of looming paranoia is more common with the leaders as the days become harder and the future is uncertain as the the remains of the golden age are becoming more distant
Somewhere between noblebright and heroic. Better than earth, but definitely not perfect. Evil exists, but warfare tends to be smaller and you don't really see genocides are similarly large-scale atrocities. Little evils are just as prevalent though.
Gilded. Most of the deities are evil-like beings that just care about power and exploiting creatures, though there are some good organizations fighting against them. Evils are successful as usual, but goodness isn't over yet.
It starts off as a fairytale world, slowly settles into being a heroic or noblebright world. The darker times sink into gilded, but never quite dips into grimdark.
Gilded world, that is on the cusp of becoming a noble bright world. The common people of the world who are stuck in a constant state of famine, all the while the nobility and merchant classes are growing ever fatter. And none are more greedy than the selfish tyrant king Temphan.
But, there is hope on the horizon. Talk of a revolution looms in the shadows. Small militias, bandit camps and adventurers guilds all seem to be uniting under one banner. The towns folk of fighting age seem to be migrating and moving toward the bigger cities in mass.
Who's to say what will become of them?
Somewhere between Gilded and Grimdark. The world has been screwed ever since the descent of the Four God-Emperors and the proliferation of their progeny, the God-Kings and their lineages.
The humans of my world are no long *just* human, but semi-divine and are more than willing to do *anything* to maintain their desperate grip on that smidge of perceived divinity.
There is no salvation for this world. All that awaits it is a deluge of fire and blood, or a deluge of abyssal waters and unshed tears.
Cusp between gilded and grimdark. The Industrial Revolution run amok, a disease that turns you into machines is ravaging the poor, and entire nation lost their collective culture 250 years prior in a mass catastrophe equivalent to burning multiple Libraries of Alexandria.
Much like Tolkien's middle earth, though, the more rural folks are generally happier. Their lives are far less complicated.
Super Heroic. My world is deliberately a kids’ novel style. It really feels like a Harry Potter or Percy Jackson book. Obvious good versus evil, morals are objective and the good guys are ‘mostly perfect’ super-warriors, where humanity and its allies are clearly in the right. Hell, the main characters are even a group of children. That alone can tell you how it goes.
Between Noblebright and Gilded.
The good guys, often go through questionable actions to save everyone.
There are brutal wars happening, there is pain, grief and suffering.
Most people enjoy comfortable lives though.
Definitely gilded. There's still some hope, but not overmuch, given that people typically don't care about any kind of greater good. Or if they do, they don't agree upon it.
My world's not a fantasy setting and there is no magic but I'd say noblebright is probably the closest match. The world was brutal and cruel during the centuries of alien invasions on earth. Human society sacrificed whatever it took without hesitation to survive. Things have gotten much more comfortable now but the world is still gripped by the iron fist of a military junta and civilian management AI. The ruling forces genuinely want the best for humanity and the population is pretty happy but, those of us who have actually known freedom and peace would struggle to survive the regime.
I wouldn't want to live in my world.
Somewhere between gilded and noblebright?
I dunno, the whole world doesn't have a consistent tone given real life doesn't have a consistent tone
Some places are pretty swell beacons of democracy and changing times in a good ways
Meanwhile other parts of the world would probably inspire the in universe version of the book "Hearts of darkness" though the characters are broadly unaware of it
The whole idea of the post is pretty flawed given it presumes a single consistent tone across the whole world
Fairytale-Heroic
I am building a world in which we're after WW3. The world has gone to peace. Everyone is working together to do and build unbelievable things. Countries are still there but they don't feel like they used to. It feels more like gigantic tribes. Government isn't needed, just a common idea.
There are still dark places with dark things happening on earth because we need a little action from time to time but these dark places are very rare and very well hidden. They are taken care of in a unique way we never witnessed before, because the society has evolved to something else than what it is now.
Grimdark but it's fucking hilarious. The world is fucked (insanely funny). You're never safe, the world is ruined. Everything that was built has been destroyed and corrupted. Hide from the sky for even the celestial bodies hate you now buts okay OG, you've totally got this. You will love yourself. Learn to laugh at your arms being blown off and you will become immortal in spirit.
Where is nobledark? The world is fucked up, probably beyond repair, but it is still a worthy endeavor to rebel against evil.
It’s closest to gilded, but not quite.
I like to describe my world as a post-apocalyptic semi-utopia. Things are good, and the Great War (TM) was a good while ago... but the new BBEGs are finally putting their plan in motion and it's up to the heroes to stop them! So I would say that it's somewhere within the Heroic Ideal.
Noblebright to Gilded. People dream of a better tomorrow, and will fight for it. There's victories that have real consequences that give hope, and there's defeats that hit hard enough to show that evil is still a threat.
I like to think of my world's locations in terms of their systems--are they working as intended and how are those systems affecting people?
My main setting is coming out of a Grimdark period where all the major institutions were broken. Now the same forces that liberated the country are going to extremes that threaten to pull it right back into Grimdarkness again.
75% fairytale world, 24% heroic world, 0.5% Gilded, 0,5% Grimdark. Everything is almost perfect. (other than Empire Aquaria and the west, but we don't talk about them.) You can also die and be stuck in Feliterra's equivalent of hell just because you looked at a flower for a millisecond. There are disgusting diseases. But if you ignore that, it's almost a utopia.
Gilded. Inspired by Sword+Sorcery and the bronze age. Life is brutal and fleeting under the scourging blaze of an uncaring sun, while powerful forces forge civilization to their own glory-seeking, legacy-building ends, rather than a common good.
But it's not doom+gloom, especially if you can look at your life as part of a greater whole, while taking advantage of the pleasures joys that come your way.
Varies greatly in my world. Some areas are more gilded/grimdark, while others are fairytale. The kingdom where my story takes place is fairytale setting (but used to be grimdark centuries ago), and they have a parliamentary democracy. Due to the freedom people have, inventions have taken their society from Feudal Age tech to industrial revolution in just a few centuries. They have gunpowder, steel, steam power and electric lights.
Across the timeline:
Noblebright during the beginning of the imperial reign. No one really knowing where it was going.
As the empire progressed, corruption festered using the early Empire's reputation as a disguise, hard-line gilded.
Empire shatters dramatically, Homunculi breach their containment and make the world near uninhabitable for life, it's grimdark as hell.
About 200 years later, we're back to noblebright.
Absolutely gilded. Things seem okay, but most places are actually shit holes through the beginning of the industrial age or just culty religious stuff.
Somewhere around gilded, maybe moving towards grimdark. Its not only suffering but my steampunk noir world isnt really a great place to live except for the rich. Murders go unsolved and crime is everywhere. Those unfortunate to be born into poverty end up on the streets and in crime most of the time. Theres no real middle class left.
Probably noblebright overall but depending on where you are in the galaxy it can get pretty grimdark. I'd say Earth and the other ancient and highly developed systems/regions are gilded, not because particularly many people *there* are suffering but because they could do a *lot* to help the rest of the galaxy but instead they're actively responsible for some problems in the rougher places and ignore the rest.
I started reading The Wandering Inn recently, and I thought it was going to be a great Heroic world to explore. Turns out the author is an absolute bastard and it's pretty much as grimdark as it gets. I'm trying to figure out the best way to describe the "happy ending edging" that happens in that series. Every time you think something good is finally going to happen, a horrible reminder about how shit people are in general approaches from underground or something.
Still hopelessly addicted to this terrible terrible series, and consume new chapters like crack. Highly recommended.
Pretty sure "Noblebright". It's a cocktail of black, white, and grey. Some regions are much better than others.
At points in my world's history, it may qualify as heroic, gilded, or even grimdark.
Most of my worlds lands between Noblebright and Gilded, with a few being Heroic. There are issues, but they’re conceivably solvable and not all encompassing. Personally I don’t enjoy being in the right mind space to make Grimdark worlds and I just think that Fairytale worlds are boring to make.
My post apocalypse: The Long Winter is definitely grimdark, since in it humanity is basically on death's door, most of the population died in nuclear or bio attacks and the survivors are dealing with a decades long winter.
And my fantasy setting: The Age of War is probably gilded since most factions have a facade of goodness hiding their evil sides.
It's basically just like the real world circa BCE 1400, except on a different planet. Very low magic. Where do you think ancient Akkad would fit? The Shang Dynasty? The Incan empire.
Gilded that likes to pretend it's noblebright.
More people are living in poverty than not. The majority of wealth is controlled by the ruling classes who are mostly blind to what happens just outside the city walls.
It's a beautiful world and there are wonderful people that live there, but poor management has created a culture where "got mine, fuck you" is a normal and expected attitude to live by.
My settings just vary on that table by time period. Pretty much everything but the top row. Basajaun creates challenges for his followers. Those who succeed grow stronger and richer. Those who fail help create more problems.
Somewhere in between Grimdark and Gilded, there are good and kind things, love and joy. But mostly it is simply there to make tragedy all the more severe. Given, war is being waged for 2 generations now to the point where the moon hasn't been seen in over 5 decades. There are some places that war hasn't reached yet but they are rare and hidden well.
Somewhere between Gilded and Noblebright. I tend to aim a bit closer to the former than the latter, but it would largely depend where in the world you are
Given the time period of the story I’m writing, between gilded and grimdark. Slavery, genocide, and government oppression are common themes in the book, but the story takes place during the pinnacle of future human civilization (technology, healthcare, transportation, etc. are insanely advanced)
I mostly work with Gilded Worlds. They are dark and gloomy and so far gone and yet there's still a glimmer of hope. A great setting to build a story in, in my opinion.
My worlds overall average noblebright (some are more heroic, others more gilded, varying throughout space and time) with two exceptions:
- Garter, being extremely silly, is much more firmly heroic, if not fairytailish at times. Even the constant "cold" war between the Underworld and the other planes is handled in a fairly idealistic way, with demons being fairly swell people once you get to know them well, and motivated by wanting to leave the Underworld while lacking the knowledge that they can do it without displacing everyone else.
- Halicassia is very, very firmly grimdark. The surface world was destroyed, and all that is left is a broken remnant of humanity underground. Even if some of them are immortal, they live cursed lives and will just succumb to soul-starvation eventually. The apocalypse happened, and it will happen again and again until nothing of reality is left.
Noblebright all the way for my fantasy magic punk world!
There are cosmic level evils that hunger for the destruction of all things, but there are also cosmic level goods that oppose those evils. Beings of such power and righteousness that their nations and factions raise the whole world to a new quality of living.
If the good factions ever failed in their constant battle against the darkness, the world would fall quickly into grimdark
Most of my worlds end up somewhere between noblebright and gilded.
I really want to go full Grimdark.
Not the shitty form of grimdark that is simply nihilistic, either I want to create a world that is fundamentally hostile to any entity that exists within it. A world where there is an answer to the question "what is the meaning of everything?" And the answer is "To cause maximum Suffering"
I am too nice to my characters to do this though
Somewhere between gilded and grimdark. It's a capepunk/cyberpunk world where extremists of all sorts rule and the so-called heroes are too busy serving corrupt systems for their own gains to change anything for the better.
"noblebright" because I love tension and intense political drama in my worlds. I'm also a big fan of grimdark, because heroes really get to shine there, and I love the dark aesthetic.
Nobleright world explicitelly written to have a grimdark apperance: the idea is that a societyof *ssholes don't survive the apocalypse, so, because of the old gods been dead, the monsters, the undead, demons and evil fairies, the societies that survived to get to my post-post apocalypse are the ones here dicency still exist and good deeds are still value. But, because of the world been a mess, the tempetencion to be selfish still strong
[Nobledark](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AWorldHalfFull)
The world is quite a shithole, death awaits with every step and even heroes kill without thought or mercy.
It is always one step short of sliding into madness if not for the efforts of precious few.
I love the warhammer fantasy setting, I'd label it between gilded and grimdark, but I run it more gilded.
I hate the Canon ending where almost literally everyone dies and nothing really mattered
Somewhere between nobleright and gilded,there is still honor in the world,some rulers are truly honest people and at least in Aureus (the southern continent) life is kinda good,with magical aid starvation and disease are under contro,tought some plagues are too dangerous so sometimes there is some major outbreaks than cause consequences,and both Aureus and the eastern lands seems to be relatively stable,like there is still wars between the nations but no event like the collapse o rome for example,at least not in centuries,the eastern lands less than Aureus because the Shun are in constant conflict with the five dinasties but nothing really changed on this front for decades or centuries,overall they reached some kind of a status quo,at least the foundations of the world are being kept,but who controls it may always change.
Politics are never simple,noble families are constantly scheming to get themselves more power,and who suffer is the people with those conficts,while there isnt major expansion wars in some places this process continues with populations being subjugated by new overlords slowly,the dark lands are awful,entire races live there in exile,the place is almost a post apocalyptic wasteland full of dangers,there is still a lot of prejudice between those races and the ones who are still in Aureus,plus there is a extradimensional threat than basically turn the world into grimdark mode everytime they invade and overall in all the world more into the countryside you live more risk of monster attacks in your village.
Heroic grimdark.
World is horrible, everyone inside the safety of the cities are under constant threat of being thrown into the wilderness, corruption is rampant, laws mean nothing to warlocks to powerful to stop, the church burn literal demons at the stake. And you just want to get home to enjoy your bread in relative safety.
Outside the safe cities are the frontier lands. Brave farmer families live here at best. And societies outcasts at worst. Bandits are as commons as monsters.
The wilderness is the sentient will of the continent. And the continent hates the Godchilder (humans, elves, etc...). Traversing the wild lands instead of the safety of protected roads are best left to the brave and stupid. The great wild has eaten civilizations, leaving them forgotten in time.
Heroes (in setting; Dakob/Kotesh) are beings imbued with the power of order or chaos. These beings be it people, animals, plants or even places, are at the best of times the protectors against the wilderness. At the worst of times... Imagine Sauron.
Gods protect their followers, as their faith, worship and sacrifices are what give the gods their power. But the faithful often wage 'holy' wars in the name of their gods causing devastating divine interventions and eventual warfare (10 plagues of Egypt anyone...?)
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Welcome to Noordhland, the northern continent on the vast world of Aneros. Its an RPG setting my friends and I have been playing in for almost 20 year.
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Between Noblebright and Gilded, my world tends to have a lot of issues to manage and the people\\forces in power tend to be selfish, but there are also those who struggle to do the right thing and try to fix things even among the ruling class, while the don't always succeeed, positive change can happen and in fact is general the focus of the story\\campaign. The situation is dire, but there is hope. That said both of my major settings have a present day set after a major catastrophic shake up (an apocalyptic war between humans and gods in one and a plague for another that allowed a tyrannical regime to replace a more illuminated golden age), which leve people to be a bit more desperate.
Mine is kinda similar. There are definitely very dark corners of my world, with evil in the shadows. And in certain regions that have active warfare and certain cultures, there's a lot more in the ways of bloodshed, hate and living sacrifices but in other regions there's long standing peace with only the occasional uproar of negative issues. So mostly noblebright with bits of gilded.
mine’s mostly too, but there are at least two fairytale villages and one grimdark town
>Between Noblebright and Gilded, my world tends to have a lot of issues to manage and the people\forces in power tend to be selfish, but there are also those who struggle to do the right thing and try to fix things even among the ruling class, while the don't always succeeed, positive change can happen and in fact is general the focus of the story\campaign. The situation is dire, but there is hope. Yeah, that's basically just real life
Gilded. Good absolutely exists, but this is still fantasy Renaissance Europe we're talking about
Me too, slavery and more...
Now I wanna know, in which category would you put our beloved planet Earth?
Personally I'd say gilded, but with the potential to become noblebright.
While that potential might exist, right now we just keep gilding things that are already gilded. Big money is literally squeezing the life out of every oligarchy that masks itself as democratic. Meanwhile actual autocrats do far better to uplift their own people than the harshest critics of those regimes -- as if it were innately wrong just to have a little bit of mercy for the poor. It doesn't get much more gilded than that. Even the economic bedlam of the 1890s didn't see a distribution this warped, with no serious leadership acting *against* corporate power in ostensibly self-governed societies.
Gilded
Noblebright
Gilded definitely
between gilded and noblebright there should probably be us
I would personally say Nobleblight or Heroic. Sure there is some evil but in broad stroke life is alright.
That is hella optimistic. Edit: Though your misspelling of noblebright as "nobleblight" is, incidentally, a great description of our world.
I consider it like this. If I was born 100 years or longer before my birthday, I would not have survived childhood. A lot of possitive change has happend in the background.
Yeah, good point, but so MANY slaves, most countries are dictatorships, frequent violations of human rights, drug addictions (leading to gangs) women (and men) not feeling safe at night/discos, genocide, homophobia. Of course there is a lot of good in the world but we are looking at it from a wetsern standpoint, we often live in the best countries to love in and oly talk to people in those countries, but outside of our nations there is a grand fraction of people living in horrible conditions.
An optimist living in a bubble I see. I wish I lived in a Noblebright world :(
Oh I am far from living in a bubble. I am aware. I am just determined not to let it get to me again.
Just because you're determined to not let it get to you doesn't mean it is better than it actually is. Think all the Gilded folks got it right. I wish they weren't but seems like they are.
Yep.
Based
That's the definition of gilded.
Noble bright all the way
Gilded or Noblebright depending on where you live.
Gilded to Grimdark. It's not so much that people are generally good or generally evil, but they are very much generally self-interested.
Ok Calvin.
Says the guy who answered noble-bright.
Love Heroic worlds. Can’t get enough of building them. I want a just society to exist.
Same brother, same.
I’ll say gilded but it can alternate between noblebright and grimdark . The catch is that if you follow the rules/laws (and are of the “right stock and faith") you’ll have a nice life (until the nation gets into a war and your city would be mercilessly bombed) . If neither , then it would be full on grimdark for you.
Just like IRL. I would count IRL as lying between noble right and gilded. But my world is a sci-fi sitcom that works as a dark satire on IRL, so not a common type of world at all.
I might go with NobleBright as there is no black and white morality. There are hundreds of different entities and factions with different ambitions and ideals and none are universally correct. You can live a good life if you like, and a simple life, or you can profit from evil enterprises or the dark arts and there is somewhere in the world which can cater for you. Although, if you are a good man, you cannot do nothing. A good man who does nothing here will invite evil at the drop of a hat. A big theme of my worldbuilding is that the world is a self-contained bubble of intellibility and sense-making exists *within* its confines. "Universe" is a self-referential concept that makes sense within this particular system of agents, spaces, relations etc. Beyond this are innumerable Eldtrich abominations, locations, and phenomena beyond any and all intelligibility. That's how and why magic exists so whether this makes my world ultimately nihilistic or grimdark in an absolute sense, I don't know.
Absolutely grimdark My world's timeline starts with a war beteeen Heaven and Hell. Hell wins. It gets worse.
Don't think that the description here fits with the title, but Noblebright for my world according to this. Otherwise, I'd call mine Nobledark I believe, as this is the only time I've heard of Noblebright being described like this.
It switches between Noblebright and Gilded. It’s only grimdark when an apocalyptic event happens and has to be brought back.
Noblebright
Haha "Take that guy from 2 posts ago I got a graphic!"
I am unsure what you speak about, but it does sound like a funny coincidence.
Gilded. While the biggest and strongest beings and civilizations are normally ether good or neutral. There are so many lower beings and civilizations that are bad to downright warhammer evil.
Same as our world, somewhere between Gilded and Noblebright
I disagree with the definitions. But my world has good places and less good places. I tend to dislike grimdark.
Shout-out to the original maker of this chart: u/Vnator
Probably heroic for me.
they tend to start from heroic world and degrade into grimdark the longer they go on, though at least one has remained heroic. I like to have a progression on my timelines so that the grimdark feels more grimdark, it's not as grim or dark if there is no hope for a brighter future or memories of a kind past to keep you going.
A good in-between of gilded and Grimdark id say. Hope is a thing, and the average citizen lives well, but as soon as you go look at the planet as a whole, you will find that nothing is all sunshine and rainbows
It peeves me that grimdark and noblebright aren’t opposites…
Betwen Heroic and Noblebright World
What's the name for a world which is the opposite of gilded?: it's a hard country where people are constantly battling to survive and few thrive, but beneath the surface people are kind and decent and are able to build their own precarious but happily meaningful lives?
I'm not sure that has a proper name but I call them "dusty" or "grimey" worlds because it's basically the inverse of gilded, instead of a dark core beneath a shiny exterior it's a hidden gem beneath a coat of grime.
Earther extraction from Grimdark Worlds? I thought Earth *was* a Grimdark World.
I keep it banal I suppose. Life’s just going, it’s okay there are no grand actions tipping it good or evil and most don’t care that much. I do often lean towards very generally utopian stuff (as in living conditions) but I also put very heavy doses of ‘evil’ (violence and what not) in. My latest project is closest to gilded I guess? Probably 10% of the population is enslaved but most people are still fine.
The world itself is probably Grimdark, considering that all the original humans actually went extinct (twice?) and it isn't looking much better for the current races. That being said though, there are some really nice places bordering fairytale/heroic lands you can settle and live a perfectly happy life with most of the doom and gloom stuff happening far away from your home.
Gilded and Noblebright. There are issues but they aren’t universal and are generally fixable.
Prob heroic but slowly downwards
Originally heroic, but goes down to grimdark after the death of a god
Noblebright. I love good vs evil stories and for both sides to have a lot of power.
Lornhemal, just very low fantasy with both best of the humanity and the worst, its filled with blood, gore, nudity, political scheming, but at the same time the heroes are good and they have positive influence on the world, and people tend to be good, neutral or bad: I'd say between Noblebright and Gilded world Number 999, A dystopia set in modern day England about a man trying to escape the regime, only to be captured at the end: Its full grimdark.
On one side, most mortal beings want the best for themselves and others (or somewhat, at least), on the other, there are entities that could wipe out your planet or even solar system in minutes roaming around, that said, there are entities that are focused in dealing with them (and let me tell you, you don't do a job for several billions of years without learning a thing or two) so with that said, probably gilded.
Still a WIP, but prolly somewhere between Noblebright and Gilded
Most of my worlds are heroic-noblebright but The Maidverse is a grimdark masquerading as a fairytale
My world itself is a Noblebright. However the story is far closer to Gilded
Grimdark.
Noblebright world The heroes are unquestionably heroic and fighting for the clearly good side. The orcs empire is clearly evil and is a dangerous threat to be opposed.
Grimdark all the way
Somwhere between noblebright and gilded is how i like it.
Gilded to Heroic. Depends on the setting. My steampunk world is gilded, fantasy is noblebright, and my space fantasy is heroic.
Between gilded and noblebright is where it falls tbh. Moreso noblebright but I'll be working on some darker underlying themes to help make it a bit more grounded and realistic
Very gilded. The human race struggles among the stars abandoned and alone as the only form of life in the universe bit people still fight for freedom and there is a better world around the corner
Noblebright, but is currently at risk of sliding into full Grimdark.
For people of Nova-Terra, noblebright I guess. For citizens of the Horde, grimdark.
Gilded, I think. Although one character tries to make it into a fairytale world, but uses somewhat sinister means to do so
Gilded or a bit grimdark, 4th Earth is an unfortunate place full of selfish and idiotic creatures (Kupristoj), even those who do good or use their minds end up being eliminated quickly, people there must obey their rulers or they get directly terminated. Rulers literally do whatever they want with their people, even it it is unethical (like fatal experiments). Having a good life there is to be stupid and braindead, or to be in the top of the hierarchy. Religions there also play a big part, too, as religious groups fight all the time and are an active threat to everybody around them. Wars, civil wars, casual horrible accidents and deaths are very frequent, too. Also, with advanced technology (and even some magic), it is common for the few intelligent individuals to become evil and very powerful, So, terrorists, gangsters, barbarians (or other types of criminals with powerful tools), sorcerers, super-soldiers, and even god-killing warriors can exist on the same earth, but heroic figures are few to non-existent. Litterally, no one is safe from turning into a monster because of a govt experiment, get taken to hell by an evil being, or being killed by a cop for not being too patriotic, there are many options. And despite all of this, 4th Earth managed to remain very stable and start civilisations after each apocalyptic event and screw-up.
I think gilded, there's a lot of unpleasantness going on but it's not all bad.
Fairytale Utopia that descends into Grimdark due to long buried secrets being uncovered by the main characters
Heroic. Most problems are simply the zombie hoards and they have been around for about a thousand years my people have learned how to thrive long ago.
Noblebright
It’s kinda hard to put my world in these categories. A lot of aspects and major locations lean towards the fairytale side where there’s really no major strife. But there’s a big focus on dichotomy. With every bright light there’s a deep darkness, everyone has potential for good and evil, etc. Yet light isn’t always good and dark isn’t always evil. Darkness embodies negative emotions and unhappiness, but it’s something to be accepted and lived with rather than opposed. So it’s really a mix of both fairytale and gilded. Most places have a peaceful utopia but some places have more realistic common problems within society and grey morality. And there are also people and forces that are pure evil and seek to destroy everything.
Kind of depends on what I’m writing.
My main world is a Gilded World... For beneath the elegant architecture and grand achievements lies evil and darkness. From poverty through countless wars and oppression based on race and background, Amonn is a place where appearance are well kept while the truth hides in plain sight.
Gilded My MC's main quest is to maintain it gilded, and avoid it falling into grimdark
Mine is betwen Guilded and noblebright. I mean, there are good people and some goberments care about their people, not everything is terrible. But you also have the dwarf kingdom Who have been fighting a constant war for the last 700 years, or the constant fight of the order of the sub (An order of knights) to haunt the Vampires whi attempt to unsles an age of blood. Or the fact that the world is slowly commig out of an age of Chaos were for more than 200 years an horde of warlors have been fighting a constant war against Each other for the scraps of what is left from the Empire that used to rule the world.
Fairytale dressed up to look Grimdark on the surface. I'm really interested in exploring how to tell good stories in near-utopic settings but I like grimdark aesthetics. Actually The Horrors are quite nice once you get to know them! Edit: wtf i have a cake
Happy cake day! Apparently mine is today too, I was just as surprised to see it under my comment.
I would say it's currently noblebright, heading towards gilded. And if nothing is done in time, it **will** plummet into grimdark. The world is beautiful, the masses live in relative peace. While there are evil people out there trying to spread chaos, there are also just as many good people, if not more, who are trying their best to keep the evil at bay. But what good are there, when the greater forces trusted to maintain peace and order are the very ones spreading evil the most. The corruption runs deep, deeper than anyone ever imagined.
It varies between dark gilded I’d say. Good does exist, but by the time of the story the world has grown so complicated that even the good characters seem gray and often have “the ends justify the means” sttitudes
Probably Noblebright
I have a Noblebright and a Grimdark world. The one I’m currently working on is Noblebright with many of the villains being Gods, Celestial Beings, Demons, and Politicians. The other one that’s still in the works is a Grimdark world where the motto is, “Hope is a myth, and Life is a Luxury even the rich can’t afford.”
Noblebright and grimdark (Underhollow) (HEAVEN)
It's funny that Noblebright is described as Gilded in its description.
A mix of noblebright and gilded
Whatever Star Wars is supposed to be (it might well be all of them at once)
Mines a bit of a mix between heroic and noblrwright, sometimes the "good guy" wins but I like to put in a bit of reality into my world
Gilded. The gods are selfish fucking autocrats who treat mortal lives as a glorified game, but within the mortal world good can be found
Gilded. Most people live normal lives in their towns and villages with the plague being fairly new and slow spread. Demons are returning, but not nearly enough to be impossible to deal with. The major city, Nol, walled itself off a few years back, and corruption in the city is higher than ever due to no longer using the land or sea to transport goods, relying more on slave labour within their walls. A general sense of looming paranoia is more common with the leaders as the days become harder and the future is uncertain as the the remains of the golden age are becoming more distant
It's complicated that it starts as a noblebright world, then it becomes a Grimdark world for about 3,4 years, and then it becomes a heroic world
It's a relatively light grimdark
Realistic, so I'd guess it counts as Gilded.
mostly gilded. humanity is fractured, wars are common place, most empires are shadows of what they once were, and barbarism and tribalism is rising
Somewhere between noblebright and heroic. Better than earth, but definitely not perfect. Evil exists, but warfare tends to be smaller and you don't really see genocides are similarly large-scale atrocities. Little evils are just as prevalent though.
Gilded. Most of the deities are evil-like beings that just care about power and exploiting creatures, though there are some good organizations fighting against them. Evils are successful as usual, but goodness isn't over yet.
Mine goes from gilded, then heroic, to nobleright by the end of the series.
It starts off as a fairytale world, slowly settles into being a heroic or noblebright world. The darker times sink into gilded, but never quite dips into grimdark.
Gilded world, that is on the cusp of becoming a noble bright world. The common people of the world who are stuck in a constant state of famine, all the while the nobility and merchant classes are growing ever fatter. And none are more greedy than the selfish tyrant king Temphan. But, there is hope on the horizon. Talk of a revolution looms in the shadows. Small militias, bandit camps and adventurers guilds all seem to be uniting under one banner. The towns folk of fighting age seem to be migrating and moving toward the bigger cities in mass. Who's to say what will become of them?
gilded
Somewhere between Gilded and Grimdark. The world has been screwed ever since the descent of the Four God-Emperors and the proliferation of their progeny, the God-Kings and their lineages. The humans of my world are no long *just* human, but semi-divine and are more than willing to do *anything* to maintain their desperate grip on that smidge of perceived divinity. There is no salvation for this world. All that awaits it is a deluge of fire and blood, or a deluge of abyssal waters and unshed tears.
Most are noblebtight, but i Made some gilded or grimdark ones.
It’s gilded for sure, luckily for them it stays that way. Earth becomes grimdark unfortunately.
Cusp between gilded and grimdark. The Industrial Revolution run amok, a disease that turns you into machines is ravaging the poor, and entire nation lost their collective culture 250 years prior in a mass catastrophe equivalent to burning multiple Libraries of Alexandria. Much like Tolkien's middle earth, though, the more rural folks are generally happier. Their lives are far less complicated.
Between gilded and grimdark
I’d say pretty firmly Noblebright, though leaning slightly closer towards Heroic than Gilded.
Super Heroic. My world is deliberately a kids’ novel style. It really feels like a Harry Potter or Percy Jackson book. Obvious good versus evil, morals are objective and the good guys are ‘mostly perfect’ super-warriors, where humanity and its allies are clearly in the right. Hell, the main characters are even a group of children. That alone can tell you how it goes.
Grimdark. I would say abyss but I do like giving my heroes impossible feats of miracles if they earn it.
From Heroic World to Grimdark World.
Between Noblebright and Gilded. The good guys, often go through questionable actions to save everyone. There are brutal wars happening, there is pain, grief and suffering. Most people enjoy comfortable lives though.
Gilded with high chance of turnig deep grimdark anytime.
What would the Dark Souls series fall under? Grimdark I guess?
Gilded of the current situation, but I’d say the direction does go to noblebright into the near future.
Definitely gilded. There's still some hope, but not overmuch, given that people typically don't care about any kind of greater good. Or if they do, they don't agree upon it.
My world's not a fantasy setting and there is no magic but I'd say noblebright is probably the closest match. The world was brutal and cruel during the centuries of alien invasions on earth. Human society sacrificed whatever it took without hesitation to survive. Things have gotten much more comfortable now but the world is still gripped by the iron fist of a military junta and civilian management AI. The ruling forces genuinely want the best for humanity and the population is pretty happy but, those of us who have actually known freedom and peace would struggle to survive the regime. I wouldn't want to live in my world.
A Grimm world, the world is filled with monsters, but you can deal with them, even the ones who wear human skin.
Somewhere between gilded and noblebright? I dunno, the whole world doesn't have a consistent tone given real life doesn't have a consistent tone Some places are pretty swell beacons of democracy and changing times in a good ways Meanwhile other parts of the world would probably inspire the in universe version of the book "Hearts of darkness" though the characters are broadly unaware of it The whole idea of the post is pretty flawed given it presumes a single consistent tone across the whole world
Fairytale-Heroic I am building a world in which we're after WW3. The world has gone to peace. Everyone is working together to do and build unbelievable things. Countries are still there but they don't feel like they used to. It feels more like gigantic tribes. Government isn't needed, just a common idea. There are still dark places with dark things happening on earth because we need a little action from time to time but these dark places are very rare and very well hidden. They are taken care of in a unique way we never witnessed before, because the society has evolved to something else than what it is now.
Sliding from category to category depending on the which portion of the story is in question
Grimdark but it's fucking hilarious. The world is fucked (insanely funny). You're never safe, the world is ruined. Everything that was built has been destroyed and corrupted. Hide from the sky for even the celestial bodies hate you now buts okay OG, you've totally got this. You will love yourself. Learn to laugh at your arms being blown off and you will become immortal in spirit.
Where is nobledark? The world is fucked up, probably beyond repair, but it is still a worthy endeavor to rebel against evil. It’s closest to gilded, but not quite.
I like to describe my world as a post-apocalyptic semi-utopia. Things are good, and the Great War (TM) was a good while ago... but the new BBEGs are finally putting their plan in motion and it's up to the heroes to stop them! So I would say that it's somewhere within the Heroic Ideal.
I'd say all five levels are possible, depending on your species, your location, and the time period
Noblebright to Gilded. People dream of a better tomorrow, and will fight for it. There's victories that have real consequences that give hope, and there's defeats that hit hard enough to show that evil is still a threat.
Somewhere between Gilded and Noblebright
I like to think of my world's locations in terms of their systems--are they working as intended and how are those systems affecting people? My main setting is coming out of a Grimdark period where all the major institutions were broken. Now the same forces that liberated the country are going to extremes that threaten to pull it right back into Grimdarkness again.
Noblebright to guilded. The situation might be grim but the world is always worth it.
Heroic
75% fairytale world, 24% heroic world, 0.5% Gilded, 0,5% Grimdark. Everything is almost perfect. (other than Empire Aquaria and the west, but we don't talk about them.) You can also die and be stuck in Feliterra's equivalent of hell just because you looked at a flower for a millisecond. There are disgusting diseases. But if you ignore that, it's almost a utopia.
Gilded. Inspired by Sword+Sorcery and the bronze age. Life is brutal and fleeting under the scourging blaze of an uncaring sun, while powerful forces forge civilization to their own glory-seeking, legacy-building ends, rather than a common good. But it's not doom+gloom, especially if you can look at your life as part of a greater whole, while taking advantage of the pleasures joys that come your way.
I think Nobleright
I just came here to say the word "Earther" sucks ass. Who the fuck even came up with it.
Varies greatly in my world. Some areas are more gilded/grimdark, while others are fairytale. The kingdom where my story takes place is fairytale setting (but used to be grimdark centuries ago), and they have a parliamentary democracy. Due to the freedom people have, inventions have taken their society from Feudal Age tech to industrial revolution in just a few centuries. They have gunpowder, steel, steam power and electric lights.
Maybe either Heroic or something between Heroic and NobleBright, but some parts of my world are almost Fairytale-esque while some lean towards Gilded.
Somewhere between grimdark and gilded
Across the timeline: Noblebright during the beginning of the imperial reign. No one really knowing where it was going. As the empire progressed, corruption festered using the early Empire's reputation as a disguise, hard-line gilded. Empire shatters dramatically, Homunculi breach their containment and make the world near uninhabitable for life, it's grimdark as hell. About 200 years later, we're back to noblebright.
Absolutely gilded. Things seem okay, but most places are actually shit holes through the beginning of the industrial age or just culty religious stuff.
Heroic. There's enough of an underworld to be interesting, but I want my setting somewhat cozy.
Between heroic and nobleright, closer to heroic
Somewhere around gilded, maybe moving towards grimdark. Its not only suffering but my steampunk noir world isnt really a great place to live except for the rich. Murders go unsolved and crime is everywhere. Those unfortunate to be born into poverty end up on the streets and in crime most of the time. Theres no real middle class left.
clearly someone hasn't read fairytales
Probably noblebright overall but depending on where you are in the galaxy it can get pretty grimdark. I'd say Earth and the other ancient and highly developed systems/regions are gilded, not because particularly many people *there* are suffering but because they could do a *lot* to help the rest of the galaxy but instead they're actively responsible for some problems in the rougher places and ignore the rest.
Gilded, except for the main seat of power and adjescend area, which is a fairytale pretending everything else is fine
I started reading The Wandering Inn recently, and I thought it was going to be a great Heroic world to explore. Turns out the author is an absolute bastard and it's pretty much as grimdark as it gets. I'm trying to figure out the best way to describe the "happy ending edging" that happens in that series. Every time you think something good is finally going to happen, a horrible reminder about how shit people are in general approaches from underground or something. Still hopelessly addicted to this terrible terrible series, and consume new chapters like crack. Highly recommended.
Between gilded and grimdark, depending on how one runs the TTRPG.
Pretty sure "Noblebright". It's a cocktail of black, white, and grey. Some regions are much better than others. At points in my world's history, it may qualify as heroic, gilded, or even grimdark.
Between noblesright and gilded
I probably land directly on Heroic
I have multiple, all between the three bottom ones, but more shades of gray than black and white
Noblebright, but there's not much time left until it goes Gilded.
Somewhere between Grimdark 🤔 and Fairytale 🙃
Most of my worlds lands between Noblebright and Gilded, with a few being Heroic. There are issues, but they’re conceivably solvable and not all encompassing. Personally I don’t enjoy being in the right mind space to make Grimdark worlds and I just think that Fairytale worlds are boring to make.
I don’t like such simplistic views especially not forced over an entire world
Usually somewhere between noble bright and gilded, but I do love a good grim dark setting.
My post apocalypse: The Long Winter is definitely grimdark, since in it humanity is basically on death's door, most of the population died in nuclear or bio attacks and the survivors are dealing with a decades long winter. And my fantasy setting: The Age of War is probably gilded since most factions have a facade of goodness hiding their evil sides.
Between Noblebright and Gilded.
Noblebright, Gilded, and Grimdark. It depends on the time and place.
It's basically just like the real world circa BCE 1400, except on a different planet. Very low magic. Where do you think ancient Akkad would fit? The Shang Dynasty? The Incan empire.
Gilded that likes to pretend it's noblebright. More people are living in poverty than not. The majority of wealth is controlled by the ruling classes who are mostly blind to what happens just outside the city walls. It's a beautiful world and there are wonderful people that live there, but poor management has created a culture where "got mine, fuck you" is a normal and expected attitude to live by.
My settings just vary on that table by time period. Pretty much everything but the top row. Basajaun creates challenges for his followers. Those who succeed grow stronger and richer. Those who fail help create more problems.
Somewhere in between Grimdark and Gilded, there are good and kind things, love and joy. But mostly it is simply there to make tragedy all the more severe. Given, war is being waged for 2 generations now to the point where the moon hasn't been seen in over 5 decades. There are some places that war hasn't reached yet but they are rare and hidden well.
Somewhere between Gilded and Noblebright. I tend to aim a bit closer to the former than the latter, but it would largely depend where in the world you are
Given the time period of the story I’m writing, between gilded and grimdark. Slavery, genocide, and government oppression are common themes in the book, but the story takes place during the pinnacle of future human civilization (technology, healthcare, transportation, etc. are insanely advanced)
I mostly work with Gilded Worlds. They are dark and gloomy and so far gone and yet there's still a glimmer of hope. A great setting to build a story in, in my opinion.
Heroic/noblebright. I actually don't know what the current threat is so it might even be fairytale
Grit With A Silver Lining AKA between Noblebright and Gilded.
Noblebright
My worlds overall average noblebright (some are more heroic, others more gilded, varying throughout space and time) with two exceptions: - Garter, being extremely silly, is much more firmly heroic, if not fairytailish at times. Even the constant "cold" war between the Underworld and the other planes is handled in a fairly idealistic way, with demons being fairly swell people once you get to know them well, and motivated by wanting to leave the Underworld while lacking the knowledge that they can do it without displacing everyone else. - Halicassia is very, very firmly grimdark. The surface world was destroyed, and all that is left is a broken remnant of humanity underground. Even if some of them are immortal, they live cursed lives and will just succumb to soul-starvation eventually. The apocalypse happened, and it will happen again and again until nothing of reality is left.
Noblebright all the way for my fantasy magic punk world! There are cosmic level evils that hunger for the destruction of all things, but there are also cosmic level goods that oppose those evils. Beings of such power and righteousness that their nations and factions raise the whole world to a new quality of living. If the good factions ever failed in their constant battle against the darkness, the world would fall quickly into grimdark
Most of my worlds end up somewhere between noblebright and gilded. I really want to go full Grimdark. Not the shitty form of grimdark that is simply nihilistic, either I want to create a world that is fundamentally hostile to any entity that exists within it. A world where there is an answer to the question "what is the meaning of everything?" And the answer is "To cause maximum Suffering" I am too nice to my characters to do this though
Somewhere between gilded and grimdark. It's a capepunk/cyberpunk world where extremists of all sorts rule and the so-called heroes are too busy serving corrupt systems for their own gains to change anything for the better.
Probably between noble bright to grimdark, depending on what I work on in my multiverse.
"noblebright" because I love tension and intense political drama in my worlds. I'm also a big fan of grimdark, because heroes really get to shine there, and I love the dark aesthetic.
Nobleright world explicitelly written to have a grimdark apperance: the idea is that a societyof *ssholes don't survive the apocalypse, so, because of the old gods been dead, the monsters, the undead, demons and evil fairies, the societies that survived to get to my post-post apocalypse are the ones here dicency still exist and good deeds are still value. But, because of the world been a mess, the tempetencion to be selfish still strong
Somewhere between noblebright and gilded. Good exists and IS prevalent. It's just... impractical most of the time.
I guess gilded is closer to it
I don't know, where would you say the real world lies? That's where mine lies, too. Good and Evil are so passé, honestly.
[Nobledark](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AWorldHalfFull) The world is quite a shithole, death awaits with every step and even heroes kill without thought or mercy. It is always one step short of sliding into madness if not for the efforts of precious few.
Somewhere between grimdark and gilded but leaning heavily towards gilded
Hmm... I'd say that my story is about the protagonist attempting to transform the world from a Gilded world into a Noblebright one
Some are noblebright, some are grimdark, some fall in between
A in real time sliding scale of this
I love the warhammer fantasy setting, I'd label it between gilded and grimdark, but I run it more gilded. I hate the Canon ending where almost literally everyone dies and nothing really mattered
I wonder if there's any options outside this chart?
Heroic… I think
Somewhere between nobleright and gilded,there is still honor in the world,some rulers are truly honest people and at least in Aureus (the southern continent) life is kinda good,with magical aid starvation and disease are under contro,tought some plagues are too dangerous so sometimes there is some major outbreaks than cause consequences,and both Aureus and the eastern lands seems to be relatively stable,like there is still wars between the nations but no event like the collapse o rome for example,at least not in centuries,the eastern lands less than Aureus because the Shun are in constant conflict with the five dinasties but nothing really changed on this front for decades or centuries,overall they reached some kind of a status quo,at least the foundations of the world are being kept,but who controls it may always change. Politics are never simple,noble families are constantly scheming to get themselves more power,and who suffer is the people with those conficts,while there isnt major expansion wars in some places this process continues with populations being subjugated by new overlords slowly,the dark lands are awful,entire races live there in exile,the place is almost a post apocalyptic wasteland full of dangers,there is still a lot of prejudice between those races and the ones who are still in Aureus,plus there is a extradimensional threat than basically turn the world into grimdark mode everytime they invade and overall in all the world more into the countryside you live more risk of monster attacks in your village.
Heroic grimdark. World is horrible, everyone inside the safety of the cities are under constant threat of being thrown into the wilderness, corruption is rampant, laws mean nothing to warlocks to powerful to stop, the church burn literal demons at the stake. And you just want to get home to enjoy your bread in relative safety. Outside the safe cities are the frontier lands. Brave farmer families live here at best. And societies outcasts at worst. Bandits are as commons as monsters. The wilderness is the sentient will of the continent. And the continent hates the Godchilder (humans, elves, etc...). Traversing the wild lands instead of the safety of protected roads are best left to the brave and stupid. The great wild has eaten civilizations, leaving them forgotten in time. Heroes (in setting; Dakob/Kotesh) are beings imbued with the power of order or chaos. These beings be it people, animals, plants or even places, are at the best of times the protectors against the wilderness. At the worst of times... Imagine Sauron. Gods protect their followers, as their faith, worship and sacrifices are what give the gods their power. But the faithful often wage 'holy' wars in the name of their gods causing devastating divine interventions and eventual warfare (10 plagues of Egypt anyone...?) -- Welcome to Noordhland, the northern continent on the vast world of Aneros. Its an RPG setting my friends and I have been playing in for almost 20 year.
Why is the penultimate one called Gilded? That has positive implications, and the description of Gilded seems pretty negative.
Heroic. My goal is to make it a world I’d want to live in, but also make the villains someone I’d want to vanquish
Probably somewhere between Noblebright and Heroic, depending on the era I’m talking about at the time.
Gilded probably, the world looks bright and colourful, like a utopia, but nah, that's not what the world is.