History Main / Worldbuilding

* ''Fanfic/FriendsOfASolarEmpire'', being ([[CrossOver partly]]) a ''VideoGame/SinsOfASolarEmpire'' fanfic, has very little Canon backstory for any of the Sins factions. So the author ''made one''.

* ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'' is built on this, with an entire continent of multiple nations with their own religions, governments, even various taboos, whole industries built on FunctionalMagic, various political complexities, and intimate views into crime and [[DeliberateValuesDissonance the slave trade]].

* [[http://www.santharia.com Santharia]] is a world-building project for the world of Caelereth, which has been going since 1998. Everything from flora and fauna to cosmology is described in loving detail, and pictures added created by Dreamers themselves. The world of Caelereth is developed on the Development board, while on a separate Roleplaying board stories are told set within this world, most of them within the continent of Sarvonia. Recently an interactive game has been developed.

** If you need help, the fine folks of Wiki/TheOtherWiki have an in-depth article on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldbuilding worldbuilding]].

%%* While Creator/MarvelComics' ''[[ComicBook/Marvel2099 2099]] Unlimited'' anthology series was best known for introducing the 2099 version of [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk the Hulk]], it also featured a series of back-up stories featuring one-shot or minor recurring characters in order to help fill in more details about the world of 2099.

* Creator/UrsulaKLeGuin's ''Literature/{{Earthsea}}''. WordOfGod says that, at least when working on the original trilogy, she literally made up background information as she went along, depending on what felt right. Two of the islands are named for her children's nicknames.

** Wiki/ThisVeryWiki [[SoYouWantTo/BuildYourOwnFictionalWorld has a couple of tips on how to help.]]

* The Undertale Fanfic ''Fanfic/{{Visiontale}}'' has world-building regarding the Underground, fleshing out the slang and customs alluded to in the story, as well as adding new terms and customs. The author explores the implications of monsterkind's altered societal development as opposed to postindustrial nations on the surface, as well as the structures in place which would allow for the mix of magic and technology present in the game.

* ''Manga/HunterXHunter'': It's absolutely brimming with exposition regarding the rules and conventions of its world, to the point of filling whole panels with [[WallOfText walls of text]].

* Yoshihiro Togashi's ''Manga/HunterXHunter'' takes this UpToEleven. It's absolutely brimming with exposition regarding the rules and conventions of its world, to the point of filling whole panels with [[WallOfText walls of text]].

* One of the biggest draws of ''Fanfic/HonorTrip'' is that it takes the world-building of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' UpToEleven with its details and plausibility.

** Raised to absurdly detailed levels in 1987's ''The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways.'' As one of the last books written by Rev. Awdry and aimed at the adult fans of his series; the book breaks down the history of Sodor going back to the ''Norman invasions to the present day'', explains linguistics for location names, discusses local politics, businesses and geology while introducing a slew of one-off figures who never show up in the main books. The book abounds with fictional interviews and letters from Sudrian citizens. Even the names of individual pubs and hotels throughout the island are given, while some real life photos of Rev. Awdry and his family are purposefully mis-attributed to place them on locations on vacation to "Sodor." Expect the most die-hard fans of WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine to whip out the "deep lore" from ''Island of Sodor'' to impress each other and confuse those outside the fandom anytime.

* The Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} often makes side-references to expand its magic system without it having any relevance for the actual story. The most prominent example would be the constant mention of dragons being the most powerful of all magical creatures, though nobody ever fights a dragon onscreen.

%%* Akira Toriyama's ''Manga/DragonBall'' is an interesting case, as Toriyama admitted that he ''never'' pre-planned anything when writing the manga.[[note]]Furthermore, it was originally meant to end after the initial story arc (the "Emperor Pilaf" arc).[[/note]]

%%* Masashi Kishimoto's ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', the SequelSeries ''Manga/{{Boruto}}'', expands upon this, as it builds up from elements introduced in the prequel series.
%%* Eiichiro Oda's ''Manga/OnePiece''[[note]]Which is part of the manga's (but especially the anime's) [[{{Doorstopper}} ongoing problem]]...[[/note]]

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/8_3.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"[[Creator/AchievementHunter Jack]] [[https://youtu.be/qQXO3rrPhJ4?t=524 is]] a [[WesternAnimation/TheLegoMovie Master Builder!]]"]]

* Creator/TerryPratchett wrote 38 novels along with several [[AllThereInTheManual background information books]] for his ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' series, with [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters several recurring characters]] and places.

* ''VideoGame/{{Solatorobo}}'' purportedly spent seven of its ten-year development cycle on world building, creating the LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters and the various looks and cultures of the {{Floating Continent}}s.

* ''WebOriginal/{{Blackburn}}'' is heavily based on worldbuilding. Much of the story is dedicated to the lore of the city, and introducing [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters tons of characters who will be more important later.]]

See also AdventureFriendlyWorld, a common constraint on Worldbuilding, and TheTropeHistoryOfTheUniverse, a sub-trope of Worldbuilding that describes a an element of it that serves no narrative function and exists only for its own sake. Any instance of this is lore porn, but you’ll find the most abundant examples in works of SpeculativeFiction.

** Its reboot, ''FanFic/{{SPECTRUM}}'', takes it in a different direction, placing more focus on both Equestria and the Solar Empire's world building as well.

* ''ComicBook/TrishTrashRollergirlOfMars'': The first book in the series contained, at the end, a fake Wiki page detailing the history of roller derby on Mars. It also alluded to other events, such as an event known as "[[GaiasLament the Meltdown]]" on Earth, and the resulting emigration of people to Mars.

** Safehold exploits David Weber being a more experienced author, and has very large global conflict with dozens of different political groups involved in a religious conflict.

* The ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries'' is, in a few words, a really big world where every character from the main characters all the way down to [=NPCs=] that players can interact have an ongoing story that's happening while the plot is moving forward. From the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky Liberl arc]], the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsFromZeroAndTrailsToAzure Crossbell arc]], and the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel Erebonia arc]], there's hundreds of hours of plot content plus side quests that help build up the lore of the franchise. And they're all interconnected as well.

* Part of the appeal of ''Franchise/StarWars''[[note]]More so the original and prequel trilogies as opposed to the sequels, which lack the same level of attention to worldbuilding.[[/note]] was that it created a feel of an entire galaxy, with its own histories and customs, while only focusing on a handful of sparsely populated planets. The Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse capitalised on this immensely, with hundreds of worlds, species and societies and histories stretching back tens of thousands of years.

%%* The AlternateHistory of ''ComicBook/MegaMan''.

* The [[http://bobadventures.comicgenesis.com/d/20090725.html "space opera" story arc]] in ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'' seems to be largely intended to pull the many disparate threads of the comic together into a coherent larger setting.

* The IDW continuities of ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'', Namely its ongoing series consisting of ''Kingdom of Monsters'', ''Godzilla Ongoing'' and ''Rulers of Earth''.
* While Creator/MarvelComics' ''[[ComicBook/Marvel2099 2099]] Unlimited'' anthology series was best known for introducing the 2099 version of [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk the Hulk]], it also featured a series of back-up stories featuring one-shot or minor recurring characters in order to help fill in more details about the world of 2099.
* The AlternateHistory of ''ComicBook/MegaMan''.