Of Symbolism and Lore

“Green is evil like toxic waste so the wizards wear robes with green decorations and has green eyes.” It’s not like there’s anything wrong with that, but it’s super simplistic.

I don’t know exactly what you’re going for, as @NotNotStraightMale pointed out. But if I were to guess (and correct me if I’m wrong), you’re wanting to add depth to get the audience thinking and wondering about the world you’ve created. Symbolism is one way to do that, but making it subtle adds more impact, in my opinion.

In my current fantasy WIP, I’ve been having a lot of fun exploring the world not how it “is,” but as how the characters view it. This realm holds this belief about the gods, which reflects their culture. This realm believes something different. Some bits of lore add up, others do not. Sometimes the line between good guys and bad guys gets blurred. What I was trying to capture is that this world is messy and complicated, just like ours. Which way is moral? How can someone be a good person in this world? This has deeper impact than, say, having (only) all the characters wear an arbitrary colour to symbolize something.

/r/writing Thread