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I have not yet seen one single link to an end product (a work involving a built world) on the main site. Is that per policy or simply something participants haven’t practiced? I ask because I considered it may be beneficial to see the short story that the question comes from, as a link. More focused answers may come of it.

Note: This is a site policy question related to existing art meta questions:

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  • $\begingroup$ While the question has now been closed, there's a link to the fiction being written about the infamous snakebot of doom about halfway through the body of worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/223053/… $\endgroup$
    – KerrAvon2055
    Feb 23, 2022 at 1:37
  • $\begingroup$ In two of my questions I linked to a work/end product, and like KerrAvon2055’s example, it is also on universe factory. worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/190211/… worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/185608/… it might not be common but it happens sometimes and as far as I can tell it’s not really something that people seem against. $\endgroup$
    – Topcode
    Feb 23, 2022 at 2:50
  • $\begingroup$ Does this answer your question? Are there cultural objects that came thanks to this site? $\endgroup$
    – JBH
    Feb 24, 2022 at 16:46
  • $\begingroup$ I VTC'd as a duplicate because this very question was asked 10 days ago. But as Elemtilas said, posting the results of worldbuilding on Main would be off-topic. Where you will find a wide variety of successful uses of this site is it's blog, the Universe Factory. $\endgroup$
    – JBH
    Feb 24, 2022 at 16:50
  • $\begingroup$ "Voting" to keep open, this question is about policies (if it is allowed), the one linked by @JoinJBHonCodidact is asking if there have been cases, regardless of policies. The intents behind are different, too : One is asking to make better questions, and the other one most probably to see a portfolio of this site. This even though the possible duplicate question has some intertwinements, because reasons are explained here and there. $\endgroup$
    – Tortliena
    Feb 24, 2022 at 19:57

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Maybe Off Topic?

I think such a posting would be closed, on Main. Mostly because there's not really a question attached to "Hey guys! Just want to thank you all for your help -- I published a book the fictional world of which you helped me with!"

Technically, I suppose a nonce query could be attached: "So I wrote this novel whose fictional world you guys helped me with a couple years ago; and now I'm working on a sequel set in the same, and I'm wondering..." I fear this kind of question would simply be buried in a fortnight or so and we'd never get to properly celebrate the milestone.

This forum doesn't really exist to list works created so much as to help the author or developer make the fictional world.

I think the better options would be to make a proper Community Wiki thing and advertise, link and list any work of creative genius we've ever helped along.

Alternatively, there is a question here in Meta that calls for such works to be revealed. We could always list there until there's enough to make something more substantial.

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  • $\begingroup$ “I think the better options would be to make a proper Community Wiki thing and advertise, link and list any work of creative genius we've ever helped along.” This seems like a really great idea, someone could go ahead and make it. Maybe some more discussion on it happen first though? $\endgroup$
    – Topcode
    Feb 24, 2022 at 19:28
  • $\begingroup$ On second look it seems like there are some (admittedly very old) posts that fit that description somewhat. Such as this one worldbuilding.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/2533/… $\endgroup$
    – Topcode
    Feb 24, 2022 at 19:35
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One thing to consider is that content posted on this website is no longer yours to control.

I recently saw another question on Meta.WB that asked whether anyone had ever seen something from WB get turned into a real published work, and one thing that turned up is that stuff posted here becomes covered by some flavor of the Creative Commons license, the consequence being that anyone who wants to can copy what is posted and sell or give it away.

So... if you've gone to all the work of turning a rough idea into a polished piece of art, posting that art here would irrevocably undermine any possibility of monetizing it anywhere.

EDIT: I couldn't find the exact answer or comment I was thinking of, but it turns out some things have been posted. See this related Meta question.

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  • $\begingroup$ Copyright protection seems like a good reason, makes sense. Thanks $\endgroup$
    – Vogon Poet
    Feb 24, 2022 at 2:41
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    $\begingroup$ @VogonPoet Actually, no. If you post a link to the end product and not the product itself here, it's the link to the product which becomes under CC SA, said product is under the copyright rules of the website it's posted on (most probably yours :)). $\endgroup$
    – Tortliena
    Feb 24, 2022 at 7:44
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    $\begingroup$ You were thinking of my answer to this question. The two links to Law that I posted as clarifications are insanely important to all worldbuilders. $\endgroup$
    – JBH
    Feb 24, 2022 at 16:47
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You cannot post only about end-products you make/made on Main

I won't detail too much as Elemtilas already did, but it's basically off-topic. As the help-center says : "Worldbuilding Stack Exchange is a question and answer site". If there's no question to be asked, it's off-topic :).

Why we don't see questions where links to end-products are seen?

  • Because the products are generally unfinished : If the work isn't done yet, people will be less inclined to display them. Perhaps if the question is about a sequel to an original product you could have it, but for the first tome of a book for instance... And if it's a sequel, then the world already has been built for the most part, right?
  • Because the product is a work-in-progress and must not be leaked : In game industry for instance, it happens "fans" thrash threats at the studio/editor if "their" game is not what they wanted, maddening the mood and bringing down the sales. So com' leaks are rarely seen as ideal, to say the leash. Therefore most game developers will avoid as much as possible to show for what game they work on.
  • Some people don't like over-exposing their work : They feel like it's too much advertising, have some sort of impostor syndrome (if it exists, does it exist?) or don't feel it's necessary.
  • Some people ask questions out of interest, but not for making any special world. See this question here : Is it ok to ask questions that don't have specific worldbuilding use?

However

If you notice at the details, you'll see names that pop, names that you could look for. Some users carry the name of their world, and if you're clever, you could always look up for weird creature names and find the source. With a bit of luck, it's the same that will be used in the end product. It doesn't happen everytime but some and others also tell they're working "on a book" or "on a game". This with the question itself should give a glimpse of what you're looking for.

Also, people have favorite themes, so you can easily guess by looking at their previous questions what kind of world they're interested in or currently making, helping you focus your answers. There's one who's anatoma... automatically looking for how creatures should be made; Others are fantasy meisters, one who's looking for crazy-no things and so on. You don't need to know all the ongoing work to know what people are most interested in and know what will be best for them.

And all the above doesn't count for a good written question, which has to be enough by itself :).

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