Dark Fantasy Worldbuilding: The World Of Kinawa

Dark Fantasy Worldbuilding

How it started

Inspiration is where every story begins—mine started the way most of my favorite ideas do: with anime, adrenaline, and that inevitable spark of romance (whether it’s canon… or I decide it is).

It’s the classic spiral:

“This was amazing… but what if X happened instead?”
“A and B would have the funniest side plot.”
“What if this character looked different—or acted like Z?”

That’s how Stained Hearts was born.

The Backstory

I’ve watched anime ever since I was young. Inuyasha and Sailor Moon were my first’s. Staying up late waiting for Toonami like many others. As I got older, my tastes expanded, and by that, I mean I gained access to the internet. An all-time favorite of mine became Maid Sama. It was the first anime I loved enough to finish by reading the manga to the end. Cross my heart, I stand by that still being my top anime. My next all-time favorite? Demon Slayer. Two completely different genres, but both stole my heart.

Now here’s the low-down. I suffer from major anxiety and CPTSD. Depression used to be a label I could never shake since I was a child. As an adult, I have, more times than I’d like to admit, stayed in bed for a week straight. No food, minimal fluids, and darkness was my old friend. These days are behind me as I heal, but in these episodes, the thing that kept me sane was the dreams I came up with as spin-offs from the recent anime binge-watching I did. Many stories have unfolded in my mind, and Stained Hearts is just one.

The Progression

The most recent anime in my world at the time was Jujutsu Kaisen, a famous anime. I got hooked on it when my partner introduced it to me. Like many others, I assume, I fell hard for the fictional character: Gojo Satoru. Anyone who knows the series knows he’s not the main character, despite his strong presence, and love is not the central plotline. I fangirled like others and twisted the story to my liking in my dreams. I had to come up with a love interest for him in my world, though. I’m not a fan of inserting myself, as I like watching love unravel between a couple I ship. That’s how my main character was created.

As my story continued, I came to many ends. Every time I lay my head down until I open my eyes to the sunrise. Day after day. It never got old itself, but I wanted new twists. My female character evolved, and so did my male. Gojo was no longer Gojo. He was a new character altogether. My female went by many names and many characteristics. Now, Stained Hearts has hints towards the anime, but stands easily as its own.

1st: My characters

When it came to my worldbuilding, creating my characters came first. The world would then reflect them. My limited cast consisted of sorcerers, and I kept the title. Mages, wizards, etc. Magic users. Cool, but what’s the logic? For dreams, reasoning can be thrown out the window. For books, not so much. I will admit, this book has sat in my mind for a year, and changed so much. I can’t recall all the details, only the recent ones. I never intended to bring it to life like I am now.

My main character: Sol. I thought of powers that would look cool on her. She had many forms depending on which dream I chose. In one scenario, she embodied light and white characteristics during the day, and the opposite at night. No control, it was just how she was. Then I made it a curse to her power, where in reality, she should be able to control her form. Other scenarios wiped that whole concept, and gave her a different power. For this series, I had to come to an agreement with myself on one.

Here’s a fun secret

Stained Hearts is not my first series name. Stained Hearts used to be Aura-Born. I completed my first-ever book: A Lineage Accord. I scrapped it, however. It still lives in my notes, but that’s it. I did actually copyright it beforehand. It didn’t make my heart happy when I started re-reading it for edits. I’m part of a writers group online, and this is not an uncommon problem. It took me some time to come to my conclusion to scrap the piece and start over. In the end, I’m happier for it.

The World Around my Characters

What shaped Kinawa the most wasn’t geography at first—it was my characters’ powers and appearance.

In Kinawa, what’s uncommon in our world becomes ordinary:

Brown hair and brown eyes are the rare traits.
Vivid eyes—blue, green, pink, purple, yellow, orange—are common.
Hair colors range from white and black to yellow, orange, blue, red.

In anime, standout features often belong to main characters. In Kinawa, that “spotlight look” is everywhere.

Red eyes have been prophesied as evil for diabolical gain. Corruption is at the core of evil, and humans are to blame. (Feeling the Jujutsu reference?) The difference? Humans themselves turn accursed and evolve, not their energy.

In the end, we get colorful people with dark shadows. Sorcerers for good or sorcerers for $$$? A society that smiles in public while rotting underneath. Just a world trying to cover its tracks and wear a convincing mask. (Dark Fantasy Worldbuilding thrives there.)

Kinawa

Kinawa’s Map – Concept

Kinawa is a planet in the solar system and part of the Bowa Realm. A lot is happening in the broader universe, so I built the planet to feel expansive—but still simple enough to follow.

Kinawa has:

Five countries
A world government
Unclaimable land (because some places don’t belong to anyone—on purpose)

Kinawa’s geography is intentionally clean.
Its atmosphere is not.

Two Suns, Eleven Planets, and the Problem I Gave Myself

Kinawa is one of eleven planets orbiting two suns. This is not just a fun fact, but a logical explanation for the hell I created for myself. Book one starts off in one of two summer months in Kinawa. The days are altered for weirdness maximized. I kid you not, this is in my book’s W.I.P appendix (because I fully committed to chaos):

‘“Sa” = planet is south of the sun

“Na” = planet is north of the sun

“Ka” = orbiting Sun 1

“Za” = orbiting Sun 2

“Re” = planet is east of the sun

“Le” = planet is west of the sun

“In” = second month in the same cardinal direction

(+ “n”) = added daylight hours (nighttime cut)

/ = halfway through the month, the cycle changes

Calendar

Month	Month Name	Rotational Orbit	Number of days
1	Saka	Sun 1	31
2	Sakale	Sun 1	30
3	Kale	Sun 1	29
4	Nakale	Sun 1	28
5	Naka	Sun 1	27
6	Nakare	Sun 1 SUMMER (+ 1/ +2)	28
7	Kare	Sun 1 SUMMER (+ 4)	29
8	Sazale	Sun 2 SUMMER (+ 4)	30
9	Sazalein	Sun 2 SUMMER (+ 2/ +1)	31
10	Saza	Sun 2	32
11	Sazare	Sun 2	31
12	Sazarein	Sun 2	30
13	Zare	Sun 2	29
14	Nazare	Sun 2	28
15	Nazarein	Sun 2	29
16	Naza	Sun 2	30
17	Nazale	Sun 2 SUMMER (+ 1/ +2)	31
18	Nazalein	Sun 2 SUMMER (+ 4)	32
19	Zale	Sun 2 SUMMER (+ 4)	33
20	Sakare	Sun 1 SUMMER (+ 2/ +1)	32

Time System

00:00 – 27:00

Morning: 4:00 – 9:59              (6 hrs)
Afternoon: 10:00 – 15:59        (6 hrs)
Evening: 16:00 – 21:59            (6 hrs)
Night: 22:00 – 3:59                 (10 hrs)

Affected SUMMER hours

(Note: During summer shifts, nighttime gets split and redistributed as Kinawa moves between the suns.)

+1 daylight hour:

Morning: 2:00 –11:59                                                  (10 hrs)
Afternoon: 12:00 – 15:59 (Nighttime split)                (4 hrs)
Evening: 16:00 – 24:59                                                (9 hrs)
Night: 25:00 – 01:59                                                     (5 hrs)

+2 daylight hours:

Morning: 2:00 – 11:59                                                (10 hrs)
Afternoon: 12:00 – 15:59 (Nighttime split)                (4 hrs)
Evening: 16:00 – 25:59                                                 (10 hrs)
Night: 26:00 – 01:59                                                      (4 hrs)

+4 daylight hours:

Morning: 1:00 – 11:59                                                (11 hrs)
Afternoon: 12:00 – 14:59 (Nighttime split)                (3 hrs)
Evening: 15:00 – 25:59                                                 (11 hrs)
Night: 26:00 – 00:59                                                   (3 hrs)

Dark Fantasy Worldbuilding

(Feel free to ask questions. I’m too tired to look back and confirm exactly which summer month Book One starts in—pretty sure it’s a +4.)

Kinawa’s Countries:

Nheena (Where the book takes place):

Split into two parts:

Northern Nheena sits in the southern quadrant
Southern Nheena sits in the northern quadrant

They each carry distinct traits, but together they share a unique approach to architecture—and what “fun” looks like in a society that’s trying not to fall apart.

Scallos:

Split into two main islands:

East Scallos
West Scallos

Between them lies a deep channel dotted with smaller islands—perfect for getaways, destination weddings, and the kind of beauty that makes people forget what they’re running from.

Pesca:

The largest country, split down the middle by a long, famous river.

Pesca’s waters shaped its identity: it’s known for fishing, trade, and survival. It’s also the longest-standing nation—one that has endured countless wars and still refuses to die.

Gea:

Not far behind Pesca in size—and the most diverse blend of history and modern technology.

Gea is home to the stunning coral island where the G.O.A. headquarters stands. On the mainland, sleek neutral-toned advanced structures exist beside old brick buildings overtaken by nature: trees, moss, vines—anything that can reclaim stone eventually does.

Fallad:

The country with the least to lose—and it shows.

There’s no order in the streets. Corrupt people run the place. And yes, the corrupt is the government. If a rebellion is coming, it’s not a question of if—it’s a question of how high the death count climbs before anyone calls it history.

(That’s Dark Fantasy Worlbuilding in its natural habitat.)

That’s Dark Fantasy Worldbuilding in its natural habitat.

Dark Fantasy Worldbuilding

Find Out More

These first five posts are just fundamentals. Go through them and get your feet wet. Gather questions, get curious, and follow along the journey as I release updates as the story progresses. Beyond these five posts, I will be releasing bi-weekly or monthly updates to you. Sign up for the newsletter to see things on the spot. Leave comments as well for me to answer with my updates.

Dark Fantasy Worldbuilding

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