Amalgia
22-03-659 CO
Before you start...
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Scope
The motivation behind building Amalgia
The Scope
Motivations
As with a lot of my writing, my main motivation for creating Amalgia is simply to have fun. I just really love going through the creative process!
In comparison to a couple of my other worlds, like Ma’rune or Osiron, Amalgia really is more of a side project. I got hit with the idea and decided to run with it - bet you guys know that feeling! But I’m really excited to see this side project through. Combining your typical fantasy and sci-fi vibes isn’t really something I’ve done before, so it’ll be an interesting challenge and hopefully I’ll be able to write some good, enjoyable content for it.
The goal of the project
Goals
When I started Amalgia, I didn’t really have an end goal in mind. It was just a world that I could mess around with, to scratch that world building when I was burnt out from writing for my other worlds.
Now though?
I’d be happy to have a setting that I could write a story or two in. In fact, I’ve already got some story beats in mind, but it’ll be a while before anything comes from those. I want to make sure I’ve got some world building ground rules set out first - although I’ve no doubt that when I eventually do start writing those stories, I’ll probably end up breaking a few of those rules.
Build up and expand on the important details of the setting
Outline, draft, and release a story (or series!) set in Amalgia
Amalgia's Unique Selling point
Personal Selling Point
For me, how things interact with the world and the people in it is one of the most important parts of world building (and writing). What does that mean for Amalgia?
The world is in disarray from a fairly recent catastrophe. A land of advanced science and technology has been merged with a more stereotypical fantasy land with access to magic. That changes things. Changes people, or the landscape, or the way the world works as a whole.
Exploring that, both in my world building and those future stories, is what makes the whole thing appealing to me.
Theme
Genre
The Theme
Genre
Amalgia is a combination of the science fiction and fantasy genres. On the sci-fi side of things, the technology and scientific knowledge brought to the table by the Materians is an imaginative advancement on our own. As for the fantasy side of things, the Dyrus bring a whole host of magical wonders to the world.
Reader Experience
World Impression
My parents died trying to save this world. Not Materis, not Dyrethreed, but this gods forsaken amalgamation of two ghosts! I’ll be damned if I spit on their legacy by letting fear rule my heart.
I think the two main feelings that Amalgia will invoke upon the reader are despair and hope. Or those are the feelings I’d like to get across in my writing anyway.
Despair is probably an obvious one. The world of Amalgia is currently at war as the Materians and Dyrus fight to claim whatever ground they can, or even as they fight to try and return the world to what once was (and what will never be again). There is also the fact that Amalgia itself is on the brink of collapse and very few people seem truly focussed on fixing that.
But that’s why there’s a bit of hope, too. Fleeting though it may be.
There are people in the world who want the wars to stop and the cycle of violence to end. There are those researching ways to fix Amalgia. There’s a chance for things to change, and some people are willing to take it.
Reader Tone
Managing the Tone
This ties in a little bit with the two themes listed above, as well as those in the Two Worlds, Colliding primer, because those themes are going to help set the tone.
What that means is that some parts of Amalgia’s worldbuilding or stories may get quite dark. They’re already going to be dark on account of (and I can’t reiterate this enough) the constant war and bloodshed.
It’s important not to get carried away with that though! Whilst the tone will absolutely be dark, I don’t want to end up dipping too far into the hopeless “everybody dies, nothing can be saved, what’s even the point” side of things - because if the characters can’t feel a little bit of hope, then the readers can’t either. And by that point, I’ll have massively missed the mark with the hopeful theme.
Recurring Themes
The Recurring Themes
If you haven’t already, check out the Two Worlds, Colliding primer for Amalgia. It’s essentially a little beginners guide to Amalgia that I worked on before I realised how helpful completing the world meta could actually be.
It’s got the recurring themes on there (which I’ll stick on here for reference too) and a bunch of other useful tidbits about the world to help get readers started.
Conflict and Violence
Hopes and Dreams
A Scale of Morality
Discovery
Character Agency
Amalgia and Character Agency
It’s important to me that the actions a character takes has consequences, whether those be relatively minor, or world shatteringly major. After all, it makes the story feel real. Gives the whole plot a sense of urgency that it otherwise wouldn’t have.
Now obviously that doesn’t mean every choice will matter. One of the characters choosing what they have for breakfast isn’t necessarily going to have an impact on them, or the story at large. But a character forsaking breakfast for some reason might have consequences some way down the line.
A part of giving them agency like this is finding the right balance. Hopefully I’ll manage to achieve that!
Focus
Cultural Influences
It’s strange, you know?
Everyone else here - Arden, Cassia, Iovita, all of them - they all grew up in their worlds. Materis. Dyrethreed.
All I’ve got are the stories passed down to me from the elders in Willoscave. I don’t know those worlds. They sound beautiful, sure, but they aren’t mine.
Amalgia is.
All the good, all the bad, it’s my world. Why shouldn't I try to save it?
As part of the setting, I’ll be exploring the various cultural influences that shape the ever changing world of Amalgia.
How are the legends, the faith, and the technology of Materis carried by the Materian community? How do they influence their Dyrus counterparts? And vice versa!
There’s also the matter of lost culture. After all, Materis and Dyrethreed have combined into this new, unfamiliar world - not everything will have been saved in the aftermath of the Coalescence, especially with death and destruction following in the phenomenon’s wake.
Drama
Adding Drama
The Rift and Destabilisation
A major point of drama (even if most of the characters won’t acknowledge it right away) is the further destabilisation of Amalgia as the Rift grows larger.
This is the drama point that the main plot will be working towards. Other plots may start out as political intrigue or fights for survival, but in the end all roads can and will lead back to the Rift. After all, Amalgia is no good to anyone if the world itself is on the brink of collapse.
Peace Talks
I know, I know!
I’ve spoken a lot about how Amalgia is constantly at war throughout the meta and just in the worldbuilding in general. Which is why peace talks between the Materians and Dyrus is such a big deal!
On the one hand, you have the people going against the grain and actually trying to create some semblance of peace. On the other hand, you’ve got the people who are wholeheartedly against that. And what does that mean? Tension. A lot of tension.
Mystery of the Saints
This is one that might have a bit of a focus in some stories, but be relegated to something more along the lines of background information for others.
I haven’t written much (or anything really) about the Seven Saints of the Witch yet. But the mystery around them may be a little too spoilery to stick details in the world meta for.
The Warriors of the Rift
Of all the radical groups out there, the Warriors of the Rift is the one catching the eye of people around the world. Their goal seems to be to defend the Rift. The question is why?
The Rift is playing such a big part in Amalgia’s downfall, so why would any group who lives on Amalgia want to see that come to fruition?
As the Warriors grow in strength and number, the more concerned the people of the world become. Perhaps this will be the push they need to band together and save the world, lest they see it destroyed.
Political Machinations
Politics are going to be another source of drama. Such is the way of life when you have a bunch of groups who want to kill each other, another bunch that want to enter peace talks, and an endless amount of people just trying to survive!
Alongside the politics are going to be all the hidden machinations that go with it. People trying to undermine one another, assassinations galore - I’m sure you all know how these things go.
Amalgia is a Science Fantasy world created by SunlanceXIII. All written works, CSS, and covers in Amalgia are the creation of SunlanceXIII unless otherwise stated. All artwork used in Amalgia has been appropriately credited. Any un-credited artwork is a mistake. If you see any artwork that has not been credited, please get in touch with SunlanceXIII so that it can be corrected as soon as possible.
Above all, enjoy your stay in Amalgia!
Background Cover by Denys Argyriou