Creating fantasy lands.

[BunnyJen90]

I've often wondered whether the persistent fantasy trope (and not only fantasy) of being alone or lost in the woods is because we spent so much of our prehistory and history living in and around forests.

Never thought of that. I just always had a weird fascination with being alone in the woods. Besides in the woods you aren't truly alone there are the plants and animals which I always found to be better company than other people.

 

[ThinkerX]

Never thought of that. I just always had a weird fascination with being alone in the woods. Besides in the woods you aren't truly alone there are the plants and animals which I always found to be better company than other people.

Okay...

I dwell in semi-rural Alaska, just shy of where the road grid stops. The Alaskan homestead I grew up on was at the literal edge of the road grid - my family was one of about two dozen that attempted to 'prove' their lots and one of maybe four that succeeded - the rest either dying or giving up.

About two dozen years ago, an urbanite cousin of mine came into a minor windfall, and like some of those here, expressed a desire to live in a small cabin in the woods. I recommended against this course of action, strongly suggesting he should stay close to what passes for civilization. He persisted, so I took him to a rural subdivision with dirt cheap land at the edge of nowhere. Followed the signs, came to a string of hillside lots with fairly impressive views. We get out and look around. I am pointing out possible building sites, a location for the well, stuff like that (I did a fair bit of construction in those days). It dawns on me I hadn't heard him speak for a while. I turn and see him leaning against the vehicle, eyes wide open with fright. I saw a place that might make a decent homesite with a lot of work; he was seeing bears and monsters coming out of the trees. We got back in the vehicle and returned to my place. He never brought the topic up again.

 

[skip.knox]

Yup. This. Bears and monsters come out of the trees. Our ancestors worked very hard so as *not* to go into the trees.

I say this knowing well that woodcutters and others did live in the forest. Woodcutters were also seen as half-wild themselves.

I just caught a video of someone traveling in Romania. He was not in the wild by any means, just rural and mountainous. The house where he stayed was walled and gated. Sign on the gate read: please close the gate. We have wolves, wild boar, and wild dogs. Thank you.

Forest? I'll take my air-conditioned cave, any day. <grin>

 

[ThinkerX]

A few years ago, a local character slapped a cardboard sign on a cluster box in a rural subdivision that was part of my mail route; '2 bear cubs, No Sow.' Long string of houses next to the river thereabouts...but plenty of tall shrubbery.

 

[Orc Knight]

Speaking of loving and hating environments like the woods and forests (as I grew up in the North Woods in MN, so quite fine with them), the swamps of the world. They can be as terrifying as they can be beautiful. And also kind of ugly at times, particularly the sluggish and brackish water ones. But they are a key part of the environment, even if people don't like them. Having grown up around the north woods ones, I quite liked them and only scared myself a few times during childhood chasing cattle through them and nearly falling into beaver runs.

But they are great for fantasy lands and having visited places like the Dismal Swamp (aptly named) and canoed out on it (with requisite 'where are the gators?' fear) it is also very beautiful. And quite a dangerous part for world building. They do tend to get shafted in the fantasy world building, as only another thing to fear, unless there is a group native to them that can be allied with them. I still enjoy using them and trend to go towards more tropical versions of them in my own.

And with swamps comes the sheer variety of wildlife one can build with them too. Past, present, fantasy and future.

 

[Ned Marcus]

I've noticed the love-hate relationship many people have with nature (including the woods). My friend's friend—someone who had always lived in the city—visited the Scottish Highlands. He lasted about a day, then panicked at the wide open spaces and rushed home. The open spaces that frightened him is something I love.

Now, I live next to a sub-tropical forest. I see a lot of things coming out of the forest and hear a lot more. Even apart from the change of atmosphere at night in forests, I've got no wish to go and live with the poisonous spiders and snakes. It's enough to meet them on the edges. I'm not too keen on the monkeys either, to be honest.

I'm happy just looking and listening. I definitely like the fresh air though.

That said, it's likely that our ancestors used trees as a refuge (as monkeys and chimpanzees do now) in the pre-historic period. You could avoid some dangerous predators that way.

 

[pmmg]

I happen to be in a small cabin deep into in the woods this weekend. And there are bears to be careful of. As i walked around, i just have my story brain on and imagine what it might be like to be a character in my stories. I am now convinced that in one of my scenes, saying the woods prevented arrow attack is sound.

No bear attacks but i was wary of them. One tick though…. I also kept seeing things i might use if i has to survive in them. It was a little cold, if it had been warmer might have had the best time ever in the woods. I don't care if the woods are work. Just in it for the experience.

Hmmmm. No wood nymphs either. Must have been too cold for them.

 

[LieutenantWolf34]

I usually just toss a bunch of dice onto a large piece of paper and draw outlines for the various countries and continents based on where the dice fall.

 

[Prince of Spires]

I usually just toss a bunch of dice onto a large piece of paper and draw outlines for the various countries and continents based on where the dice fall.

That's a really cool and inventive way of creating a map I like throwing dice, I might give it a try some day.

 

[Super Fantasy]

The fantasy kingdom might be a winter one, or one with winter and the other seasons.
There might be many castles or ruins among pine trees.
Perhaps the kingdom is very ancient, and many roads were once prominent, now visible as smaller paths that lead into forests.

 

[OutsidersEyes]

I play with Azgaar until I get a map I like and then alter it until it makes sense. Or at least that's what I'm in the process of doing, seems to be working.

 

[Super Fantasy]

Choose the types of
Cities
Towns
Villages
Nature
Trees
Bushes
Vines
Moss
Ruins
Cults that worship various things.
Stores
Goods and so on

 

[Super Fantasy]

Roads
Signs
Farm fields
Natural fields
Rivers
Streams

 

[roserosered]

I myself like to put down the more "emotional" aspects of the fantasy setting first-how it feels and the general aesthetic and inspirations attached, then build off that with cultures, characters and a thematically matching system of supernatural laws. It gives it that !POP! of consistent style if I do say so my little old self.

 

[Super Fantasy]

I like to mix elaborative with creative, often with good results.

"But the language of the land, to this day be the gushing of water and the singing of the birds from tree to tree.
Immature boccana birds flew from sleazy branch to sleazy branch where they raised their sleazy mature when younger chicks.
And Shauna birds flew from nest to nest where they took care of each others chicks in turns in forest canopy ferns.
While sleazy early in the morning singing sloths clang slanged from branch to branch."

 

[BJ Swabb]

I have seen much of the world from China, South Africa, to Egypt and even to New Zealand. I have experienced much which is where I get my design of world. Most of the time when I write it comes in a movie form so the lands just appear as I write. But at the same time alot of the lands I see in my head are places I actually been, or places I have seen in movies / tv shows that inspire me. Once you actually seen and been to places so marvelous like the Great Wall, or just the lands in New Zealand you get to better appreciate your world and want to develop a land in your fantasy world to show that beauty you have experienced.

 

[Foxkeyes]

My work was birthed through music. A song, which I had listened to a hundred times before came on, and it created my antagonist. From there, the big bang happened, so to speak

Same here. I use movie soundtracks to stimulate my imagination. Different soundtracks produce different results. Inception gave me an entire city and history of that city. Chernobyl gave me numerous intimate creepy scenes. Dune (both Zimmer';s and Toto's versions) give me 'just about any type of scene I want'.

The Alien soundtracks give me . . . nightmares.

I have a collection of movie scores. If anyone wants recommendations, let me know.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the Barbie score gives me.

 

[BJ Swabb]

Same here. I use movie soundtracks to stimulate my imagination. Different soundtracks produce different results. Inception gave me an entire city and history of that city. Chernobyl gave me numerous intimate creepy scenes. Dune (both Zimmer';s and Toto's versions) give me 'just about any type of scene I want'.

The Alien soundtracks give me . . . nightmares.

I have a collection of movie scores. If anyone wants recommendations, let me know.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the Barbie score gives me.

I do that alot as well. I listen to soundtracks all the time. No general order or anything. It just helps me focus. Somethings the lyrics or music itself helps me come up with ideas and things. Lots of Fantasy Movies like LOTR, Harry Potter, and yes even Disney.

 

[Miles Lacey]

I have seen much of the world from China, South Africa, to Egypt and even to New Zealand. I have experienced much which is where I get my design of world. Most of the time when I write it comes in a movie form so the lands just appear as I write. But at the same time alot of the lands I see in my head are places I actually been, or places I have seen in movies / tv shows that inspire me. Once you actually seen and been to places so marvelous like the Great Wall, or just the lands in New Zealand you get to better appreciate your world and want to develop a land in your fantasy world to show that beauty you have experienced.

I live in New Zealand and it has a very diverse landscape for a country the size of Colorado and the population of Louisiana. I've visited virtually every part of it so I can testify to the majestic volcanoes of the central North Island, the Norwegian like fjords of Fiordland, the rain forests of the West Coast of the South Island, the Mt Fuji like peak of Mt Taranaki in Taranaki, the Swiss-like rolling hills of the Wairarapa and Canterbury regions and the wet and wild South Coast of Wellington. There is a reason why the Lord of the Rings movies were filmed here.

But the fantasy-like landscapes of New Zealand are not exotic for me. It's the every day. For me, exotic would be forests where he flora and fauna that lurk within them could kill or hurt me, the weather is either cold enough to freeze those proverbial brass monkey privates or hot enough to fry eggs on a car bonnet (hood) or the rain is warm enough to make me think I was standing under a hot shower.

Few people ever think that the place that seems so ordinary and mundane to them is someone else's idea of exotic or even fantastical. When I hear people tell me how beautiful New Zealand is it reminds me that any place can be fantastical or exotic to those who've never been there before.

 

[Super Fantasy]

"And in these dref cenotes black and blue butterflies fluttered to speakers playing butterfly trance that echoed among easy water hanging tree roots and devils hippy that took a sippy plants that grew on snizzy pads."