Sense of place (Worldbuilding extravaganza)
There's some fics on A03 that exude such a genuine love for their world that it makes something inside of you start vibrating intensely. Be it technobabble filled magic systems, fleshed out OCs, or just plain WORLDBUILDING, every fic in this collection has a palpable sense of place that leaves you wanting more.
(Open, Unmoderated)
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A Queen's Trials (And How To Speedrun Them) by daddykeehl
Fandoms: 人渣反派自救系统 - 墨香铜臭 | The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
06 Sep 2024
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Summary
Shang Qinghua is now well on his way to the same happily-ever-after that every protagonist gets, but two things stand in his way.
The Queen's Trials, and a council that just won't give up.
Too bad for them, they really don't know who they're dealing with.
Series
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 176,571
- Chapters:
- 4/9
- Collections:
- 3
- Comments:
- 417
- Kudos:
- 1,945
- Bookmarks:
- 530
- Hits:
- 36,969
Bookmarked by Meepius147
27 Feb 2026
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Bookmarker's Notes
author takes a really methodical approach to keeping weather and setting in mind. the constant snow of the northern kingdom is emphasized by logistical difficulties, clothing, trade, animals and beasts that appear in it-- each region has its own associated weather as well.
I think the most promising thing to find in a work is synergy between components, and this fic has that down pat. Detailed locations emphasize the emotion in every scene, and back up the idea of the demon realm being a complex, massive place with different social moors all over. Characters all have their own unique ways of speaking that emphasize their personalities and social classes, with care being taken w/ the honorifics/self referral nouns.
overall everything contributes to author's take on a fleshed-out, less comedic interpetation of SVSSS world. I think when I really fell in love w/ this fic was when SQQ made an appearance; never seen cumplane written like that but it works so well!!! manages to drag both of them down to a more messy, human genre of story, making their flaws/hangups really evident without outright character bashing or taking either side.
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Pity of the World by appending_fic
Fandoms: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, POKEMON Detective Pikachu (2019)
03 Nov 2022
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Summary
Three lost souls find each other in a slightly different world, and from that moment, become something different. No longer thieves, they find the lost, abandoned, and broken, and do what they can to make them better.
By force, if necessary.
Or, Jessie, James, and Meowth are better delinquent heroes than they ever are as villains, and end up adopting a twerp as a little brother.
Or, Ash travels with an aspiring nurse/idol/Pokemon trainer/princess, the Pokemon whisperer, and a talking Meowth (he still owes the leader of the Cerulean Gym a new bike).
Series
- Part 1 of Pity of the World Cinematic Universe
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 330,787
- Chapters:
- 40/40
- Collections:
- 4
- Comments:
- 2,159
- Kudos:
- 3,570
- Bookmarks:
- 1,144
- Hits:
- 164,747
Bookmarked by Meepius147
16 Apr 2024
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Bookmarker's Notes
a very well thought-out AU retelling of the pokemon anime, with a lot of thought put into battle strategy especially.
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You may stand upon me, (--But do not hide your face.) by llamallamaduck for Nikayna
Fandoms: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
02 May 2023
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Summary
After a lifetime of hiding in plain sight, Tony never expected that would change. Then, as these things do, life decided to prove that, as bad as you think it is, it can a whole lot worse in the blink of an eye.
Or
What Tony expected was to live out his life as a useless, pampered layabout. What he got was a war, a ridiculously overpowered weapon and a team of feral mercenaries hired to protect him.
Series
- Part 9 of Set in Marvel-verse
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 27,199
- Chapters:
- 9/9
- Collections:
- 2
- Comments:
- 50
- Kudos:
- 462
- Bookmarks:
- 159
- Hits:
- 7,116
Bookmarked by Meepius147
10 Mar 2024
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Bookmarker's Notes
GOD this is a fascinating read! Set in a thoroughly magical steampunk world, the author takes a switchblade to canon and carves it like a Halloween pumpkin. The resulting read is a bit frontloaded on the worldbuilding, but has a super cool magic system. The characters are also really fun!
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hit the continent running (engines were humming) by Odaigahara for antimony_medusa
Fandoms: SMPEarth
02 Jan 2024
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Summary
Philza: Transatlantic, the Corvarians, all those motherfuckers who couldn’t handle us having a stronghold and good mines, they cut us off from everything in the darkest time of the year. They trapped us in the cold, in eternal night, because they figured if we starved to death, Port-aux-Francais would give them whatever deals they wanted, and they didn’t care who they were fucking killing.
We were peaceful, before the embargo. We just wanted trade deals, we collaborated with anyone who’d help us build our railroads. We never struck the first blow. After the embargo– after that winter– we figured that wasn’t gonna work.
Interviewer: So you adopted some new technologies.
Philza: Yeah, we had innovations in our manufacturing, our greenhouses, our fucking sanitation– but that’s not what you’re talking about, right? Forget the emperor shit. If you’re interviewing me about this, you don’t want to hear about the greenhouses.
You want to hear about the planes.
Series
- Part 60 of dream smp fic my beloved
- Part 11 of dsmp/smpearth sampler [personal favorites]
Bookmarked by Meepius147
05 Feb 2024
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Bookmarker's Notes
It's short, but this fic gives a beautiful snapshot of a place that feels so ALIVE. The interview format, the slow, steady worldbuilding of an author on a mission-- It's just! lovely!
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Summary
A goddess of mercy hears a plea for justice, and sends her champion to a world with neither mercy or justice. Systlin is appalled by what she finds, but she's used to standing like a rock and making the world change around her. A reckoning comes to Gor, and there isn't a goddamned thing any of the fucking fucks on Gor can do about it.
Systlin is my own OC from my original work. Is she overpowered? Probably but you can't stop me. Look me in the eyes, Goreans and John Norman. I'm the captain of this ship now.
EDIT; apparently this has spawned several other fics where ridiculously OP female protags get thrown onto Gor and react with gratuitous violence, and may I just say; I'm so proud of all of you.
I fucking told you, John Norman. I'm the captain of this ship now.Series
- Part 1 of Mitraka
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 212,588
- Chapters:
- 66/66
- Comments:
- 2,716
- Kudos:
- 1,562
- Bookmarks:
- 267
- Hits:
- 72,498
Bookmarked by Meepius147
04 Feb 2024
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Bookmarker's Notes
Basic summary, there’s this book called the Chronicles of Gor, where a mild-mannered college professor (OG author’s self insert) gets isekaid into what I can only describe as ‘Game of Thrones but the objectionable treatment of women is the main point of the story, and also dialed up so far the dial broke.’
But the actual FIC is this author’s badass female OC (and, later, her wifeguy husband and also her girlfriend) beating the everloving shit out of all the sexists, forming a successful empire, and hanging out with a bunch of kickass women.
It’s a love letter to female empowerment, in a ‘graphically murder your abusers’ way, and it’s FULL of angry women.
The worldbuilding done by the fic author is incredibly interesting too? Not only are there really well thought out depictions of managing a fantasy empire, there’s also this entire subtext thing going on with clothes, and it’s so subtle you barely notice it until you suddenly realize that you have just so much working knowledge about how women are expected to dress in this society.