Les Échassiers Landais (shepherds on stilts from the Landes region, South West). They used stilts for at least seven centuries to watch sheeps, walk in wetlands, avoid thorns.

If I saw it in a fiction I would not find it credible.

Inspired by Gallifreyan from Doctor Who. I'm open to questions if anyone finds this interesting but I'm not going to provide a translation since the picture is my IRL diary. Feel free to attempt to translate it yourself though.

I was working on some tales for my setting, so I thought I could make a contribution to the sub. Some optional promp ideas can be that I'v used are:

> - What kinda history do you tell a naughty child?

> - What kind of history do you tell to a fearful child?

> - What kind of history you tell a lying child?

> - What kind of history you tell a greedy child?

These are some of the missing person’s posters/newspaper articles for one of my story’s main characters. I wanted to see if you guys had any notes or recommendations I should follow. I’m trying to make them feel as authentic as possible.

This is the 17th model of Swift Wing it was created in the year 9224 it is currently the year 9669. The first model of Swift Wing was created in the year 372. These Swift Wings are the most common jet on The Heart of the World or The How for short.
It’s circular shaped because the people of The How revere the shape of the circle. The o-wiggly-wo’s (planets) are circle shaped , the stars, the moons, etc. All of there technology is circular shaped like the AI smart phones, televisions, computers, tablets, chairs, couches, art work, paperwork, etc.
These people speak Origonese and The Common Tongue. Origonese is a light language with seven sub languages and The Common Tongue is an advanced/evolved form of English The Common Tongue originally had 22 letters then in the year 5055 the first dark wizard (Domagi) invented 4 new letters which created tens of thousands of new words, concepts, and definitions, also hidden intentions with a dark agenda Omorgolo convinced the people the new letters and new words would offer so many benefits so no one doubted adopting the new words then once everyone new the new words and how to spell them he flipped the script and used the new words to control the entire population of the planet. Then after 500 years of struggle being ruled by Omorgolo 500 brave and bright Orijinals got together to create a new language that would undo the damage Omorgolo had created and they ended up creating Origonese. As they were creating it, it became obvious to them they were not inventing a language they were discovering one. This led them to have a greater understanding of the creator.

Im creating a fantasy world, and I wanted to give each region of the main continent a different religion, but I also wanted them to be real as well as very different one from each other, to instigate religious wars. But I can't get how.

Heller fellers

I've got a sci-fi ish world that I've been working on super intermittently for the past couple years that I really want some help developing.

It's a planet inhabited by a warrior race who believe themselves to be "gods among men" in the universe, and have thus far enslaved the nearest four planets in their solar system. The most interesting part about it, to me at least, is that their planet is extremely inhospitable to normal life! I just thought it'd be cool to put them on a Venusian hell-world.

In the lore, the planet recently (within the last 1,000-5,000 years) suffered a cataclysmic series of impacts (think the Late Heavy Bombardment but a little less heavy) that shot so much heat and fumes and dust into the air that it accelerated the greenhouse effect and now, all these years later, we have a superhot, pressurised, stormy world. I even commissioned some art from @ thegreatdio112 on discord to show what the world is like on the ground.

If I could get some ideas that'd be terrific! Thanks :D

Hello everyone,

Here's an introduction to a videogame project codenamed 'Lost island'. I posted before here but some of the posts were removed, so I am trying once again.

To give an overview of it :

Genre : open world 3rd person action RPG

State of development : I'm making map modelizations, as I have a job that takes most of my time. Plot, history, art direction, gameplay loop, setting, world design and influences choices are mostly done. A prototype is on the way.

Synopsis : the player takes the role of a biologist travelling in the Indian ocean to reach an area candidating for being a refuge for endangered species. As him and his crew are navigating, a violent storm ambushes them. The player notices a mask of unknown origin, floating near him. Suddenly, as the boat capsizes and the crew drowns, the mask begins to glow until it completely blinds the castaways. Thereafter, upon regaining consciousness, the biologist awakens alone on a deserted shore. Not only is this tropical land uncharted at first glance, it's inhabited by a prehistoric fauna and unknown civilizations. Moreover the mysterious mask is now stuck on the player's face permanently.

In this game, the player will have to survive in a unknown land where kingdoms and ancient animals rule supreme. Ranging from swinging between vines, navigating through dangerous waters, climbing imposing mountains, the player will have to uncover the secrets of this place, and what to make of it.

Art : all of these concept arts were ordered to different artists (mfr.546 is one I work with a lot).

1st image : a spinosaurus hunting an eusthenopteron in a swamp. Indeed many animals from different times will be met, with different possible interactions.

2nd image : depiction of "Calm sea king Kai Ola", an character that will be encountered in the game. He is a representative of one of the island's many communities.

3rd image : Prince Mesdem, another ruler of an island kingdom and a character that will have interactions with the player. As the player, he too wears a mask.

4th image : an illustration of a region, forgotten by many, among the most ancient of the island. Nature claimed its rights there a long time ago.

5th image : the player is being chased by a Yutyrannus, as you have a first look on the player's mask, and an attire he found during his exploration (the player's gender and appearance will be chosed at the start of the game). The relationship between men and nature is dynamic there, every community or kingdom has its own way with it, or history.

6th image : a disaster happened long ago in this volcanic city, now a symbol of bad omens. A volcano engulfed its inhabitants whole, not leaving one soul escape. Yet echoes of distant cries can be heard in this silent valley.

7th image : the player is being attacked by plesiosaurus on his raft, as he is wearing another attire. Waters also have inhabitants, and navigating around the island is extremely discouraged.

8th image : with another set of armour and dual jaw blades, the player is fighting an Andrewsarchus. Animals can be looted when killed, and from the loot objects can be crafted, but they are not mandatory.

9th image : a village of a nomadic tribe, in the great plains, a rarity on the island, but no one ventures into this valley during the night, it is considered forbidden ground.

10th image : old Ghuzan, a guide and mentor for the player. He lives quietly in his small house, not interacting with the outside world and not caring. He wants you gone as soon as possible so you don't bring him any trouble, and he can keep making tea and taking care of his plants.

11th image : another city, perched between hills and walls, home to civilization that stood its ground against the dangerous wildlife and the unforgiving climate of the island. Have they been able to create a dream for survivors here, a dream of civilization ?

12th image : the lands are full of killers, and the weaks will not be spared. The hunting spirit, the law of blood, have been staples of the lords of the island.

13th image : another region, home to a secluded community, that built bridges to escape travelling the jungle on foot. With that network of bridges and walls, some islanders named the region "Spider's web", but who built them, why is the city so quiet ?

If you want to ask any question, go ahead.

This world is a tribute to prehistory and past civilizations as well as tropical environments.

Main influences :

Paleontology, archeology, tropical regions tribes and civilizations, islamic theology

Main themes: extinction, survival, frontier between man and beast, fear of change, natural cycle of life, destiny, traditions, man-nature relationship

Thank you for your time.

Hey everyone!

I have an interesting premise for a book, good character dynamics, and some solid arcs, but I feel like I'm missing a core mechanic to make the nations cautious of each other. It lacks that WOW factor for battles.
Im thinking of something like the Jinchuuriki in Naruto: each nation has their own, and they maintain peace through Mutually Assured Destruction. I came up with 4 ideas and would love your opinions!

Option 1: Megafauna

Each nation controls massive creatures exclusive to their territory. One has giant griffins, another has huge stone colossi, another has enormous lions, and so on

Option 2: Variations of a single magical species

The whole world uses the same "nuclear" race, e.g., dragons or angels. But there would be huge dragons, tiny ones, wyverns, drakes, etc. For angels, there would be seraphim, ophanim, etc. (the angels would have a very unique aesthetic, different from what people are used to)

Option 3: Catastrophic Magic

Every nation has magic, and if a group of insanely powerful mages from a kingdom gather, they can cast a massive, world-altering spell. Ex: meteor showers, tsunamis, tornadoes, zombie hordes, etc

Option 4: Monstrous Transformations

Each nation has one or more people who can transform into highly destructive creatures! Some could be gigantic, others small and agile, or powerful in ways that dont look dangerous at first glance. That kind of thing

If anyone has a different option or a brand new idea, please share! It will help me a lot. Thanks!

(Context: The idea is to have smaller-scale fights and skirmishes at first, gradually escalating the scale throughout the story so it doesn't get repetitive. The technological setting and aesthetic are very similar to Expedition 33).

If Earth is doomed to be released from its orbit in a few years or decades. Can Humanity realistically colonize undergrounds where warm will remain?

How much time do we have to adapt our world and live underground forever?

Genuinely, is it based on physical surroundings, a descriptive name, or something else? I always hate the moment I need to name things, especially characters

(For Th’zoitrk, a semi-sci-fi worldbuilding project.)

Okkaelko is the innermost of Th’zoitrk’s three moons. It is larger and more massive than Metmo, but smaller and lighter than Yeia. Okkaelko’s composition is remarkably similar to earth, except it has a much higher density due to Quidiomization. (The effect where as tekonic waves energize matter, their radiation energy is converted into mass, causing otherwise normal materials to behave abnormally denser than they would ordinarily appear to be.)

Okkaelko has a surface area of 32,219,452 square kilometers, and an equatorial diameter of 3,203 kilometers. Okkaelko’s surface gravity is 0.48G, or 48% the surface gravity on earth, despite being just under a third the mass of mars. This is due to the objects small size proportionally to how dense it is.

Just between the size of Europa (a moon of Jupiter) and the moon of Earth, Okkaelko is the largest object in Th’zoitrk’s night sky, appearing significantly larger than Metmo or Yeia, and even appearing larger than the sun. This is because Okkaelko is very close to Th’zoitrk, at least relative to most moons in the solar system. Okkaelko sits perfectly at Th’zoitrk’s geostationary orbit zone, meaning that only one side of the planet ever sees Okkaelko.

At 2.5x the mass of earth’s moon, while sitting much closer to Th’zoitrk than earth’s moon does to earth, Okkaelko has a powerful tidal effect on Th’zoitrk. This has caused the pair to be tidally locked, as both Okkaelko and Th’zoitrk permanently have the same side facing one another. Okkaelko sits roughly over the center of the nation of Kazuni, and thanks to Okkaelko’s bright cloud tops and large apparent size, Okkaelko reflects large amounts of light down onto Th’zoitrk at night.
This has lead Kokaum, the capital of Kazuni, to be in a state of near-perpetual light, almost never getting darker than it’d normally be an hour before dusk on earth.

Okkaelko’s atmosphere is comprised of ~62% nitrogen, ~36% oxygen, and small amounts of various other trace gases. Okkaelko’s atmosphere is denser than Th’zoitrk’s or earth’s, sitting at 1.24 bar.

It is one of only three known worlds (the others being Th’zoitrk itself and the Oukapolean moon of Puloini) to have evolved its own native life.

Advertisement for Peacock Cigarettes from the Federal Republic of Gemini, Circa 1950

Notably, Wyvara are pretty physical violence adverse. Their evolutionary incentives really deprioritized physical conflict so war and killing to them is really gross to them.

BUT. Just because they are pacifists does not mean they aren't cruel. Wyvara have waged "wars" against each other. Using all the tools in economic, political, and diplomatic worlds to dominate and subjugate their neighbors. Imagine what we as humans have done to each other without firing a shot.

Theres some very paternalistic factions in the wyvaran government that use humanities history of war to justify why they need to dominate them, technologically, economically, and politically. They kinda believe that if they don't, then eventually we'll turn around and do the stuff we did to ourselves, but to them. They point to every time we encountered an "other" and how that ended.

If this sounds interesting to you, or you'd like to see more art of these bird horse dragons check out my world building blog: https://where-we-land.tumblr.com/?source=share

Thanks to another user, I found a new map-making tool. I wanted to try it out, and this is the result. I made the original map with Azgaar and adapted it to look more realistic.

My world doesn't have a name yet (Merak is the name of the tool, not the world), but I've included some capital cities that are in my notes.

A little context: it's a world I created for fun, and little by little I've added lore, a magic system, cultures, etc. Initially, it features 7 nations, fantastic races, and its own magic system created by me.

Has anyone here thought of alternatives to coal, gas, or oil for a growing civilization?

I'm trying to theorize how an early alien civilization might power a communal lighthouse, but I'm having trouble finding natural, non-fossil fuel sources without discussions settling on things like wind or solar, as fuel sources tend to be packaged with energy sources for understandable reasons.

As for why I want to avoid them, I originally designed my world working under false assumptions. I believed that oil and gas came from dinosaurs, specifically those that died during and after the meteor extinction event. This is a highly specific event, and I didn't think my species would be so lucky as to experience their own. Turns out most oil and gas comes from microscopic lifeforms, so they'd almost certainly have fossil fuels (assuming similar biology to Earth species and whatnot). Regardless, I'd still like to explore alternative sources just to make the setting more unique and push this species down a different path, at least until electricity.

So far, I've got the start and "end" of the tech progression down. Wood, charcoal, and peat make the most sense as early fuel sources, and they'd eventually develop electric lights down the line. But most of the middle area is hard for me to figure out, as humans went pretty much from wood fires to oil and then gas before we made it to electric.

One idea I've got is some form of farmable livestock that produces a natural gas like methane, ammonia, or hydrogen. Something like a mold or bacteria that produces a lot of methane from compost. While I like the idea, I don't want it to be the only thing between wood and electricity, so I'd love to hear from others about potential options.

This is a sci-fi setting, so I'd appreciate more grounded answers, but fantasy options are also welcome!

As a kid I wanted to be a physicist so I am somewhat knowledgeable when it comes to science, I figure that may have something to do, but I did watch and read fantasy, so you could say both are familiar to me.

When I create fantasy lands or worlds, they feel cliched and I just don't believe them. I like settings that take place in the real world, with some fictional changes (for example, middle ages with actual fairies or the future of the world with supranational organizations).

Can anybody offer me an insight on this and how I could snap out of it?

Hello! Im working on a sci fi outer space story and im running into a bit of trouble. In this story, it’s Earth in the far future where everything is different and humans are now a space faring species. A giant war breaks out that lasts hundreds of years over many nations claiming the very few earth like planets that are found. The story takes place right after the war, with people trying to rebuild. But the thing is, how do I create hundred of year worth of conflicts and the politics that lead to them? How do I make fictional nations in a world that is basically ours, but in the far future? I feel like I’m biting off more than I can chew and would like some insights on how to make this less of a massive task. Thank you for your time!

War and conflict are themes that we seldom escape in our stories and settings - they can drive change on civilizational or generational scales.

Prompt:

• Which factions are at war in your setting?
• Is there a defendable casus belli?
• What are the broad strokes of the conflict?
• What is the cost?

Year 2036. What if the world is ruled by corporations that are forced to fight for data centers and resources to support AI?

There is no other choice here. Current political systems no longer exist. The world belongs to corpocracies – the largest corporations that replaced states. There are no longer any national interests, only the desire to outpace the competition.

*All music, visuals, and animations are my own

A race/civilization/culture that came before the races, species and civilizations that exist now. A large group of people who were at the pinnacle of wisdom, knowledge, and tech until some misfortune erased them or sent them leaving the planet. These people or beings are a mystery to the present world. Nobody really knows their origin and always wondered about the people or beings that existed before them as they look at ancient or prehistoric tech and more.

These people or beings came first while everyone else came second. They existed during ancient times or even prehistoric times.

When they vanished, died out, or left, they left behind their tech, buildings, and more that soon fell into ruin. And nobody till this day, knew why or how.

Did your world have such people or beings as the precursors?

My Turn:

In my world, the precursors were the race of gods called Saints. They existed on the planet for millions of years until their civil war eons later. The world was full of advanced tech that transcends the technology present today, though it comes a little bit close. The Saints who won the war left the planet to return back to the celestial realm while the Saints that lost the war, were doomed to dwell on the planet as Ravakalyn with their Lesser Children. The Saints lived on the planet during prehistoric times till the ancient era. Any trace of the Saints existing on the planet are still there, but hidden in places that the Lesser Children would have a tough time getting to. Though not every trace of the Saints is still there because some of it is gone.