Since most fantasy worlds have specific creation origins for humanoid creatures, most fantasy humans aren’t primates

I think i would like sci-fi a lot more if more stories took the evolution route to it. so many sci-fi stories focus so much on the technology side and "Let's go to space! let's see capitalist hell!" and like, yeahh those have their purpose and place in sci-fi. But personally i love when sci-fi gets speculative with biology. How will the earth change? what animals developed from changed ecosystems - which animals evolved and which ones went extinct? I want people to take the science part of science fiction and explore biology and ecology and how the planet and animals change with the world. I"m tired of it only focusing on technology and robots and being more cyber fantasy.

intro for this blog!

so I’ve been fascinated with shapeshifters and animals in general for quite a while, and I decided to make a fantasy world based off this, for fun and to relieve stress! I’ll be posting about different world elements, traditions, and people on this blog, and I want to explain a bit of this in this post!

so while the basic idea for this was just “shapeshifters” it developed into a loose alternate timeline of earth in which many animals (including humans) are present on the supercontinent Pangea. These ties are very loose tho, so if you notice smth off about actual evolution, just know that this is a very incomplete world element and that I probably won’t focus too much on this :)

the people in this world don’t actually posses magic to shift (although I might give certain groups magic?), instead they shift with various pelts/skins of thier animal- know that there is a way to shift to multiple animals. Think selkie!

still here? :0 have a cookie :3 🍪 I promise I’m almost done lol

the five groups on this continent are canines, felines, avians, reptiles (this term used loosely), and primates. They all have very different cultures and ways of living, and that will largely be the main focus of my posts as I find culture a fascinating subject :) they all have different religions, all using gods/beings from ancient religions, however mostly have different pantheon structures because I’m trying to create gods that are humans and gods that are animal. Each group has eight specific animals that you can shift into, each with a different role (as I wanted to create a bit of order in this already complicated world), but some are specific (ex- maned wolf) and some are more open to many species (ex- owl)

TYSM IF YOU READ ALL THAT‼️‼️ I’ll section my posts more I promise lol and I hope you stick around for the world building :)

Masterpost for people species information.

Quetzalin: the weird chimeric humanoid bird folk who live almost exclusively in one tropical rainforest.

Orcs: large bipedal people evolved from wild boars, comvergently evolving a similar social structure to wolf packs.

Gnomes: remove the tusks and make orcs very very short with more hoof-like hands and feet. That's a gnome. Primarily mountain dwelling folk with a similar pack-like social structure.

Hauthi: another very small orc cousin, they live underground and they are primarily quadrupedal with tusks that resemble the teeth of a rodent. My version of hobbits/halflings.

Elves: arboreal primates, but where hominids are a type of great ape, elves are a type of monkey. Aside from that they're pretty similar to other depictions of elves.

Drow: the unusually purple cave dwelling cousins of elves. I was going to change their name but it turns out that the word drow did in fact exist before DnD so I'm keeping it and WotC can't take it from me. My drow are basically eusocial cave baboons with some extremely weird adaptations.

Stroi: I couldn't keep calling them vampires so I just altered "Strigoi". Another cousin of elves, but closer related to drow. Partly quadrupedal obligatory carnivores, relying mainly on armored mammals as prey, such as porcupines, pangolins, and armadillos.

Dwarves: the last living hominid species, closely related to Neanderthals and humans. Mainly cave dwelling folk, very stout and bearded as all dwarves should be. Gender neutral beards!

Goblins: another cave dwelling group, my goblins are amphibious. Gender means nothing to them, but revolution sure does. The goblin revolution is a major historical event that changed the way people species interact with each other.

Centaurs: evolved from chalicotheres with an unusual and unique adaptation. They're all born as chimeric twins, with one fetal twin being absorbed on purpose to create the double torso. Because sometimes I just want to ignore science a little bit in my fantasy biology. Centaurs were also the primary prey animal of early orcs. There is still some contention between these two species.

Pixies: giant telepathic bees. They like gossip. They have made a lot of innovations for international communication. They have highly advanced technology but it's all bee related and mostly useless to anyone else.

Merfolk: they come in two species groups. Coastal mammalian merfolk, and open ocean fish like merfolk. They have a long and messy history with each other. But working together they do a lot of work dor international trade and communication. Merfolk helped spread the use of a standardized international sign language.

Ogres: mountain dwelling giant sloth people. They have the longest lifespans of any people species. They speak slowly and usually remain distant from other people, but occasionally they trade yarn made of their own shed fur to travelers that pass through their migration routes.

Kobolds: lizard folk. Primarily found in a specific arid region, but some of them travel much further. They can regrow whole limbs.

I have many other concepts for people species but these are the ones that actually might be relevant to the story. Even if the kobolds only get one character representative at the moment.

I saw this picture adorning the walls of the new Starbucks cafe near me. There was no signature and the piece appeared to be a reproduction of a silk screen origional. The white ape or monkey depicted as a focal point reminded me of Lovecraft's early 1920s tale FACTS CONCERNING THE LATE ARTHUR JERMYN AND HIS FAMILY. The tale concerns the fact that one of the protagonist's ancestors (his family are British nobles) mated with a queen or goddess from a mysterious species of white apes. This unknown species is apparently more evolved than your average gorilla or chimp, but they are still ape like in appearance. Our hero discovers that he is in fact the progeny of this bestial joining and lights himself on fire as he is consumed with horror and disgust. Lovecraft returned to the idea of degenerated humans who had devolved to apedom several times. Only in this tale does he explore the mating of man and monkey, however. Noted author, editor, and fantasy fiction expert, Darrel Schweitzer commented about Lovecraft's story that Jermyn's primate ancestor "Must have been one charming ape!" The tale appeared in Weird Tales in 1924 as THE WHITE APE. Lovecraft was not happy that his origional title had been changed as he believed it gave the whole Shock Ending away. As an additional note: some Lovecraft researchers have suggested that this tale of hereditary madness and scandalous behavior might have been a guarded reference by Lovecraft to the fact that both of his parents had been instutionalized for mental problems. In the case of Lovecraft's father it's generally accepted that he lost his mind from contracting a sexually transmitted desease. We cannot be certain when or where this might have occurred as the effects of such maladies can remain dormant for many years. Furthermore we can not be certain that HPL ever really knew the true nature of his father's affliction. However, Lovecraft's dad most likely picked up the disease from a professional sex-worker. In Lovecraft's assessment of such individuals, they would have existed on the cultural scale of near-apes too! (Exhibit 392)

Please ignore this if you consider it inappropriate, but I wish to ask. Do Galra females experiance menstruation, or any similar event? If not how would they view it in humans?

aging & lifespans | hybrid lifespans | galra phenotypes | hybrid necrosis | anatomical differences | colour blindness | instinctual physicality | visual embarrassment | do galra dream of electric lions? | sunburn | tanning | albinism & melanism | anatomy of the foot | surrogacy | hybrid growth patterns | multiple foetus pregnancies | sexual diamorphism & secondary sex characteristics | can hybrids lactate? | ticklishness | mitochondria | tsai agmt | dominant hands | galra colouring & testosterone | testosterone part ii | alcohol tolerance

If it isn’t obvious by the somewhat daunting quantity of posts linked above, I very much love playing around with fantasy science—specifically, in this case, biology—so this isn’t at all an inappropriate question!

First thing’s first, as I’ve said before the galra are mammals—yes, even those whose phenotype manifests in such a way that they might outwardly appear reptilian, such as Dox & Aalk—and so are of the class Mammalia: characterized by the presence of fur/hair, mammary glands (which produce milk for nursing their young), a neocortex (a region of the brain involved in higher-order brain functions such as sensory perception, cognition, generation of motor commands, spatial reasoning, and language), and three middle ear bones. Within this class exist three subdivisions, of which the galra would be considered placental mammals because the fetus is carried in the uterus to a relatively late stage of development, rather than the young being birthed at an earlier stage to be carried in pouches (marsupials, such as the kangaroo), or hatching from an egg (monotremes, such as the platypus).

In terms of fertility, the frequency of mammalian reproductive cycles varies wildly depending on species, but males and females of the same species will be fertile at similar times to ensure successful copulation. While many mammalian males are fertile year-round, female placental mammals have one of two types of reproductive cycles—an estrous cycle or a menstrual cycle, with the latter occurring only in higher primates—in both of which physiological changes occur, with a period of fertility interrupted by a period of infertility, and said cycle being discontinued if the female becomes pregnant. Now, I don’t at all associate the galra with primates, but rather (broadly speaking) fennec foxes, and as such I’m inclined to say that female galra are monestrous, meaning that they have a single ovulatory period every decaphoeb; this limited period of fertility also lends itself to my previously established idea of the galra’s general difficulty to conceive. If conception is unsuccessful during this time, the ova and uterine lining is reabsorbed into the body rather than being expelled as is the case with humans, because this limits nutritional loss (rather important when you consider that the overwhelming majority of galra did not live in areas abundant with food/water, so conserving energy was key).

[[ spring: eyiintak || summer: ury'cht / li'xann / puinyk / khaiivrep’t / hiikyl || autumn: a'vael || winter: nydaan / sa'rhyan / sa'meih ]]

The above image illustrates Daibazaal’s decaphoebal cycle, seasons, and associated events of significance. In many mammalian species, fertility cycles have adjusted through natural selection due to timed mating and gestation, ensuring that offspring are born into optimal seasonal conditions—female sheep, for example, are receptive only in autumn/winter, to ensure that lambs are born in the spring/summer when the weather is fair and food abundant—and I think that given Daibazaal’s harsh climate a similar such cycle makes the most sense for the galra too. So the galra estrous period occurred throughout the phoeb of Eyiintak: the same phoeb in which the Divine Hunt (an Eiyyka’an fertility festival) was performed. As the typical length of a galra pregnancy is 6 Imperial phoebs, this would mean that the overwhelming majority of galra kitlings are born in A’vael which, importantly, is after the conclusion of the long summer season—which lasted five full phoebs due to Daibazaal’s asymmetric elliptical orbit—as the intense planetary climate at this time poses a great threat to newborn galra, who are unable to regulate their temperature and therefore risk overheating.

Hi, can you help me come up with a scientific name for a Harpy, Wyvern, Dracolizard and Dracoturtle? I'm a little lost on how to go about it. In my world wyverns and dracolizards aren't dragons but are a closely related cousin species but I don't want to use the Latin or Greek root words for dragon since I used those for my actual dragons and I don't really know what to do with dracoturtles which are, well, turtles with very minor and diluted dracolizard blood. And harpys are just really weird birds that evolved to lure in humans due to their progenitors developing a prominent fondness for human preys.

{Sorry if this just turned into a infodump}

It's a little hard for me to help you there without knowing more specifics about your creatures, but I can give you the resources I have turned to when making taxonomic names for my own fantasy creatures!

here's a wiki page about taxonomy

here's a multi part article series about taxonomy. part 1 is just a short bit of history on taxonomy. part 2 actually gets into how the taxonomic naming works. part 3 lists some common suffixes. part 4 is about taxonomic terms related to body parts. part 5 is about using habitat in taxonomy. and the final part 6 is about behaviors in taxonomy.

and using my own older posts as an example, let me explain some of the taxonomic title choices I made. (it got long)

on the goblins: Hadebufo, hades-frog, based on the real life Beezlebufo, meaning devil frog. this is a way to use taxonomy words by combining two words into one. bufo here basically means frog, and I simply smushed another word in front of it. Same goes for the next one, Manibufo, where "mani" means "hand", so it's the hand-frog because it had prehensile fingers that allowed it to grab things. from there, I made up the title "goblus" to represent the whole goblin family tree. it's just a vaguely latin sounding alteration of "goblin". I named the modern goblin "goblus goblus". usually in two-word taxonomic titles, the first word indicates the genus (that's the broader family they're in) while the second word indicates the species. so having them doubled like "goblus goblus" or "rattus rattus" usually indicates that they're like the archetypal species of their genus, the defining group. the two goblin ancestors before goblus goblus had different names; goblus troglodites (taking inspiration from chimpanzees, pan troglodytes.) troglodyte means "cave dweller". the other one is goblus textilis, or "goblin of textiles" because this is when they became very good at weaving baskets.

on the orcs: i took inspiration from prehistoric boars here. hyotherium means "pig monster" with "therium" being a common suffix to indicate a very large creature. I also used mongolian-based words for the first two in this line, since many prehistoric boars and similar creatures' fossils have been found there. which gave me hyotherium khurtshud (pig beast with sharp teeth, remarking on it's more carnivorous diet) and vounotherium sureganchin (mountain beast which hunts in packs, remarking on the evolution into a wolf-like hunting style). from there, I started to make up new terms, this time stealing words from tolkein. Uruk Urukhai, a direct reference to tolkein's strongest orcs. Uruk then became the genus name. From there, Uruk Orci is the modern orc ( could have sworn i made updated names, but i cannot seem to find any updated charts in my files lol) and I have a bonus there for Uruk Korri, taking the second title from Korrigan, a type of small fae from european mythology, often associated with hills and caves. This is a branch species that experienced island dwarfism and then split again to create the mountain dwelling Uruk Gnomi (gnomes) and the burrowing Uruk Hobbi (my version of hobbits/halflings, which I call Haufin).

on the elves: I went for the -pithecus suffix which is common for a lot of primates, including some human ancestor species. so alfipithecus, alf being an alternate word for "elf", and then sylvapithecus, referencing the word "sylvan" which i then used to make the genus name "sylvus". It's a word heavily associated with elves, especially in DnD where Sylvan is like a more ancient version of the elvish language. from here, sylvus arborea, "tree elf", and then the branching species split into sylvus arachne, "spider elf" for drow, and sylvus draculan "dracula elf" for vampires. (this needs an alteration, i'm not sure i want to call them vampires anymore). sylvus sylvan for "true elves" and sylvus hominid for modern elves that have changed with the addition of human blood in their ancestral lines (thanks to supernatural intervention while humans were going extinct)

these are currently the only evolutionary lines i have worked out, and so the only taxonomic names I have come up with so far! i hope that helps you decide what features you want to use as a base for your own fantasy taxonomy! have fun!

Celebrities and gossip

Celebrities and gossip Celebrities and gossip, top news and gossip From 24-7 Press Release Newswire and youtube video collections. The lowest form of popular culture - lack of information, misinformation, and a contempt for the truth or the reality of most people's lives - has overrun real journalism. Today, ordinary Americans are being stuffed with garbage. Carl Bernstein I have no use for people who throw their weight around as celebrities, or for those who fawn over you just because you are famous. Walt Disney Not all celebrities are dunces. Carroll O’Connor I hate celebrities. I really hate them. Billie Joe Armstrong I can’t stand the gossip of celebrities’ lives, all the time! Every minute! William Shatner I don’t like celebrities; I don’t hang out with them; I don’t relate to that life. Lady Gaga Look at the way celebrities and politicians are using Facebook already. When Ashton Kutcher posts a video, he gets hundreds of pieces of feedback. Maybe he doesn’t have time to read them all or respond to them all, but he’s getting good feedback and getting a good sense of how people are thinking about that and maybe can respond to some of it. Mark Zuckerberg Adriana Lima Victoria's Secret Runway Walk Compilation 2003-2016 Gossip About Vips and Celebrities. The psychological aspect. By nature, humans are chatterers, says psychologist Robin Dunbar. He suggests that gossip is the human version of social grooming-a behavior common among other social primates in which one ape or monkey strokes the fur and picks fleas and ticks from the coat of another ape or monkey to strengthen group ties. Like social grooming, which helps other primates form alliances based on codependence, gossip helps humans develop trusting relationships and foster social bonds. Without that instinct to share the latest on a friend, peer or family member, there would be no sophisticated society, Dunbar claims, suggesting that societies depend on the individual’s ability to rely on others and understand something of the workings of another’s mind. About 65 percent of people’s discussions involve gossip - often to entertain or help strengthen group ties. One might think celebrity worship is a modern phenomenon, but from the gods on Olympus in ancient Greece to the bobby-soxers swooning over Frank Sinatra in the late 1930s and ’40s to Brad and Angelina today, adulation of the stars is an age-old pursuit, psychologists say. The public’s fascination with celebrities “may seem new because we are such a media-immersed society, but it’s really not,” said Stuart Fischoff, senior editor at the Journal of Media Psychology and emeritus professor of media psychology at California State University, Los Angeles. When the composers Frederic Chopin and Franz Liszt performed in the 19th century, women threw their underwear at them. And 80 years after the death of silent-film star Rudolph Valentino, fans continue to visit his grave, Fischoff noted. Celebrities tap into the public’s primal fantasies and basic emotions, lifting people from their everyday lives and making them believe anything is possible, said Dr. John Lucas, a clinical assistant professor of psychology at Weill Cornell Medical College and an assistant attending psychiatrist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. Humans at the core are social beings, and research has shown that the less connected people feel, the more they turn to celebrities, said Adam Galinsky, an expert in ethics and social psychology and a professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. “It’s a very adaptive and functional behavior.” Lucas added, however, that while worshipping the rich and famous is harmless in itself, it could be perceived as symptomatic of a rootless culture in which many people feel a sense of isolation. “What we know of celebrities through People magazine and other media sources fills a gaping and painful void in our lives,” Lucas said. The dwindling influence of religion adds to that sense of yearning in people, he added, making the stars’ exploits and eccentricities, their loves and losses, more than a form of entertainment. “Religion is faltering, and in the process people are grappling with infantile wishes, with magical thinking,” he said. Social instinct, suggests research by Frank McAndrew, PhD, an applied social psychology professor at Knox College. Our interest in celebrity gossip-as well as dirt on our family, friends and acquaintances-may be a byproduct of our evolutionary past, McAndrew says. Natural selection, he theorizes, pressured people to learn as much as possible about the people in their social network-be they an authority figure, potential romantic partner, teacher, political ally or enemy. Knowing about other group members helped people eschew risky alliances, by informing them, for instance, which group member might double-cross them. “If you weren’t curious about others, you’d pay the consequences,” McAndrew says. In the process, gossiping also helped facilitate bonds by showing others we trust them enough to share information. Throughout most of human history, McAndrew explains, humans not only had to cooperate with a social network of about 200 people for food and protection, they also had to compete with those same in-group members for the most desirable mates. His research about the appeal of gossip is part of a growing body of literature indicating that we’re drawn to gossip because it keeps us informed about the lives of the people in our social circle. That social circle is now much bigger, and so less tied to our survival, but the instinct to gossip is just as strong. Because we see and hear celebrities’ images and voices on television, radio and magazines, we gossip about them as if they are members of our social network, McAndrew says. “Gossip is like chocolate,” says psychologist Charlotte DeBacker, PhD, a University of Santa Barbara postdoctoral fellow and author of the forthcoming Dutch-language book, “Gossip: Why Gossip Can Be Healthy” (MOM/Unieboek, 2006). Humans are drawn to fatty, sweet foods like chocolate because such high-calorie foods were once our lifeblood in lean times. As a result, people crave those foods-even when they are not in dire need of calories. Likewise, the pleasure that people derive from gossip can create a tendency to “dish dirt” even when the subject matter doesn’t affect our lives, such as with celebrity gossip, or when divulging information could be more risky, such as at work, says DeBacker. In a follow-up study published in the same article, Dunbar and his colleagues examined the topics within that social banter by grouping the discussions into four categories: whether people were keeping track of other individuals in their social network; bragging about themselves as a romantic partner, friend or ally; seeking advice; or condemning slackers or free loaders. He found that the first two topics dominated conversations, suggesting that the exchange of social information may be one of the primary functions of language. As such, Dunbar agrees with McAndrew and DeBacker’s suggestions that the pleasure we derive from gossip is a side effect of an evolutionary pull to gain knowledge about one’s group. “Language evolved for social purposes, not spreading technical information like whether it will rain or how to get from New York City to Washington, D.C.,” he says. “Knowledge of the social world has a much deeper purpose... It’s not just the fact that I saw Jimmy kiss Penelope, but how that incident relates to me and the group.” Top 10 Most Important People Around The World Top 10 Richest People In The World Top 13 Richest Celebs Under 25 in the World Top 10 Most Famous Female Models in the World Top 10 Most Popular Male Singers 2017 Top 10 Most Iconic Female Singers of All Time Top 10 Richest Actors in the World 2016 Top 10 Most Successful Youtubers Top 10 Famous Speeches People  http://feeds.reuters.com/reuters/peopleNews Celebrities  http://rss.24-7pressrelease.com/rss/ae_celebrities.xml Read the full article

Worldbuilding gender roles for fantasy

Now, also, other tropes of worldbuilding gender roles, that are stupidly unrealistic.

Long-term persecuted matriarchies or gender-equal groups (for humans) :

Not that the idea itself is unrealistic, but if a social group is persecuted, chances are they would not stay non-coercitive towards females for very long, sadly, whatever the family structure was initialy.

Persecution and predation, in most primates (for example, champenzies having to deal with more predations are very coercitive towards females), often results in phallocracy. It's not just humans that have such a similar behavior (Pascal Picq). I think the main reason is that keeping the females of the group alive and able to reproduce would require the males to restrict them, at least to some capacity.

In human groups, societies that have a long history of persecution, with maybe an exeption of the Jewish community (although the Torah's view of women isn't optimal to put it nicely), have strong internal issues of female inequality. If we look at the Americas only:

-The Huron-Wendate, plagued by colonialism, epidemics and increasingly unequal combats with other Iroquoian nations, eventually renounced to a matrilinial family structure, with increasing domestic violence against women. Also, they are quasi-extinct...

-The modern African-American community, with a long history of being victims of lynching, have a strong domestic violence issue, internal to communities.

-The Romani of Europe, very patriarcal.

Also, in humans, the fight or flight reflex actually blocks a lot of sexual responses, in both males and females. Not to mention pregnancy and ealier years of child-care would severely hinder a woman's ability to defend herself independantly. Not to mention that in Homo Sapiens, females are punier than males, and that's the case for most mammals.

For a man in such a society to have any shot at having surviving off-springs, making sure his woman stays as far away from sources of persecution and predation as possible would be paramount, not to mention, it'll be also in the woman's best interest for survivial. However, it would drastically limit the amount of freedom she gets, and would make her more dependant on others. It doesn't mean she won't be a productive member of society, as many crafts can be done in a hiding spot. Heck, it's possible for a blind person to knit as long as the number of stiches is kept reasonably low. Also, because of how reproduction works in mammals, a male can fertilize many females, while females can only bare so many offsprings at the time. In humans, this dilemma is even more extreme.

Not to mention, humans from more ancient times are theorized to have larger brains because of a slightly larger reptilian brain.

So, persecuted matriarchies are not likely to survive as a social group for very long unless they have psychology and reproduction drastically different from not only humans, but other species of primates. If you want this group to go extinct in your story, than whatever, but if you want a group to stick around long term, being both persecuted and matriarcal would be...Problematic. Also, yes, it's fantasy, but, why would humans in that fantasy world have such drastic psychological adaptation from humans on Earth ? Plus, it would also make characters a lot less relatable, because they have such a different psychology to anything ressembling a human. So, it's actually an issue that would not only plague the worldbuilding, but also character creation and writing, since they would be working on psychological and reproductive insentives that are drastically different, which would make characters less relatable for no logical reason what so ever. It's okay to write a few characters with different instincts than humans...But most of the time, they are exactly as one could imagine: non-human. Vampires and elves having different instincts and desires from humans is all fine and dandy. It's that humans should behave like humans.

Magic might change that up, but it drastically depends on how powerful magic is in your universe.

Dragons, the fearsome creatures of legend, are often portrayed as being powerful and ferocious beasts with little to no intelligence. However, there is a growing body of evidence that suggests that dragons may be more intelligent than previously thought.

One piece of evidence is the fact that many cultures throughout history have portrayed dragons as possessing human-like intelligence. In Chinese mythology, for example, dragons are often portrayed as wise and benevolent creatures with the ability to speak and reason. In Western literature, dragons are often depicted as cunning and able to outsmart knights and other heroes.

Another piece of evidence is the complexity of dragon society and behavior. Many fantasy stories depict dragons living in complex social hierarchies, with leaders and followers, and engaging in complex communication and problem-solving. This suggests that dragons may possess a level of intelligence similar to that of primates or cetaceans.

It is also possible that dragons possess forms of intelligence that are currently not well understood by humans. For example, they may possess a high level of emotional intelligence, allowing them to read and respond to the emotions of other creatures.

Of course, it is important to remember that dragons are fictional creatures and that any exploration of their intelligence is purely speculative. However, the possibility that dragons may be more intelligent than previously thought adds an interesting layer to the rich tapestry of fantasy literature and folklore. It's worth exploring this question as a mental exercise, as it can help us to think about intelligence, and what it means, in different ways.

This post was created with the assistance of ai

The 57, Part 6:

51. Ivan: I really honestly don’t know what inspired this piece, Ivan the Terrible? Ivan Millat? It has been bothering me for months now, I should know why all my pieces are named and drawn the way that they are, but this is proof of just how automatic my processes can get, not every piece is as conscious and direct as the others, and sometimes you get an Ivan that has no true origins and is clouded in mystery, if you can see a greater meaning in it then be my guest. 

52. Chupar: This image is based on one of the many images of hobgoblins and hags in Goya’s Caprices:

Source: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2019/prints-and-multiples/francisco-jose-de-goya-y-lucientes-los-caprichos

This image had always reminded me of the Baba Yaga and other folk tales of ghastly people sucking the life force out of people or eating children, quite a typical fear in pop culture given how many boogeymen and women exist in folktales. But I wanted to redraw it as it has almost a fellating quality to it, the idea of humanity and people generally as life suckers and absorbers for their own hedonistic gratification. Something that Goya is clearly criticising here as he often did in his works when discussing the aimlessness of hedonism and decadence in Spanish society when he was courtier to a king and even when he was destitute in death. A timeless issue clearly. There is even a concept in Satanism called “Energy Vampires”, people who go out there way to drain your energy socially and mentally, the same people who get off from bringing other people down or blaming someone else for their bad attitude and poor people skills, everyone has atleast met and been friends with someone like this at some point in there life I’m sure, some people just exist to bother other people, look at Mormons for example. 

53. Mush: This piece is more of a redrawing of the ‘Ted’ piece, and attempts to represent the uncanny as the conversation between where the humanity ends and where abhuman starts, and by that representation it also leads you to ask what is considered existence in reality and what can only be represented through fantasy as the result of such immense reimagining of real/ recognisable things and figures? The title is more a take on Ted as a mute pile of sentient and perceptive mush at the end of his story, begging the question what is considered alive or undead depending on being able to live and not live consciously when you are incapable of regular and autonomous functionality? This in turn leads into the controversial dialogs on ethical euthanasian and the like, but I won’t say more on that here. 

54. Revelation: Just like the piece ‘Trinity’, this piece is based on the ideas of biblical realism as represented through eldritch imagery, almost making abrahamic ideas of the divine and mystical into depictions of illustrative Lovecraftian realism. The idea of the book of revelations too being a book about destruction and a pessimistic end for the rest of humanity who didn’t give themselves over to god is quite a piece of inspirational material really, so I thought It would be fun to muse an image of this apocalypse with another abhuman depiction of a god or angel. 

55. Primate: This piece is about me playing with the image of a Palaeolithic man as collaged with natural motifs and cellular imagery surrounding them, as our ideas of dinosaurs and primordial animals are all speculative based on what we have found, but we can only imagine their appearance and the later appearances of man based on semblances of DNA evidence and examples of bones and hair, this for an artist is just an excuse to reimagine and play with the image of evolutionary history, especially of history long before the recognisable modern history of homo sapiens now, so excuse this piece as a surrealist idea of man before recognisability, and as seen as between the amoeba and the natural world etc.

56. Flare: This piece is simple enough, just another take on Biosophy and on nature, and man’s connectivity to it in life and death, the flare of life being eventually met by natures consumption of the body to create new life, as if the human body were a seed store ready to be cracked open and harvested from as with all animals eventually. This piece is one of my favourites, I love how graphic and morbid the aesthetic is, but it’s not too overbearing or graphic in an ethical sense either, just visually notable, and it sticks in my mind because of that. 

57. Matter: To quote myself again from the Robert Walters opportunity: 

“This piece is based on Rene Descartes' discussions on composite matter and his existentialist conversations on the objective and subjective in relation to how we experience the world outside of your own comprehension and comforts. As discussed in 'Discourse on Method and the Meditations' (1637). As featured in my current project 'Noumena'.”

This piece has been used in many of my previous competitions, for the primary reason that it represents my negotiations on objective forms and the semantics of noumenal influences on the human mind and our conventional understandings of the world and ourselves, the same discussion being had by Descartes long before I would ever attempt to represent it in art of course. And though Descartes discussed matter and existence to justify creationism, I use it for the opposite reason, that human beings are far too complicated and have to be the product of nature as matter cannot be made nor destroyed as goes the fundamental law of matter itself, and just because life when analysed at each layer is complicated and esoteric to the common mind, doesn’t mean some manmade idol is responsible for it. 

so like, i totally understand that primates are not to be pets and are indeed wild animals. however, i have a corner of my brain that goes 'omg! fluffy!! vaguely human shaped!! want to be friends!!' so what are some tips for ethically interacting with primates? and if possible, can a human become friends with a primate? thanks for your time! (asking on anon because i'm a nervous wreck)

This is a good question because I think basically anyone who loves an animal wants to interact with them, and even though we need to act in the best interest of the animals it can be hard to curb our enthusiasm. I myself have many fantasies of befriending primates, as unrealistic as they are. Of course those that work with primates form friendships with those they care for, but we can't all be primate caretakers. So when you feel that enthusiasm, what to do?

One of the things I do to feel closer to primates is research. Obviously this is not for everyone, but watching videos and reading articles about my favourite primates makes me feel closer to them. Series like orangutan jungle school and meet the chimps are satisfying for me that way.

One of the best things you can do to get closer to primates in a way that is good for everyone involved is to patronize zoos! Obviously not everyone lives near a high quality zoo that houses primates, but if you get the chance, having just a layer of glass between you and a primate can be incredible. Additionally, if you purchase a zoo membership and go regularly, the primates may start to recognize you as a regular! We have made a few posts about how best interact with primates, I believe theres a link in our pinned post, so go ahead and check that out!

While humans are very physical in our affection (as are many other primates) the best way to form a genuine relationship is from a distance. Even those who work directly with primates limit physical contact. So patronize zoos when you can, and maybe form a primate based hobby.

-mod J

You could also consider symbolically adopting a primate! Most facilities send you updates on your animal, maybe a picture, or more depending on your financial commitment. Or, you could donate a "banana bash" or other party/food supplies to a facility- I can attest there is no better way to make a monkeys day than treats! I will reblog a post with some adoption links for you.

-mod E

Note: Ten favorite monsters, part two. Part one. There’s sort of an aesthetic going on here, so I thought it was appropriate to post it at the beginning of spooky season. 

1. Xenomorph from Alien franchise

Their life cycle is so fascinating.

2. manticore from Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World around You

Unlike the Edward Topsells woodcut, Tony DiTerlizzi’s illustrations don’t display three rows of teeth. But I like the interpretation of a feline-primate hybrid. Also, his quill tail is cool.

3. Ghostfreak from Ben 10

What makes Zs’Skayr stand out from the other Omnitrix aliens is that he retained his consciousness and wants to possess its user. Haunting. Ectonurites in general are wonderfully spooky. But Ghostfreak is a unique take on a classic sheet ghost, even before he exposes his stripy tentacles.

4. Other Mother from Coraline

Unlike the book, the movie version’s only “creepy” feature (at first) is the buttons. Then she becomes a cracked porcelain (but still button-eyed) spidery doll monstrosity. 

5. Rem from Death Note

Obata has so many cool shinigami designs, it’d be difficult to pick a fave if Rem wasn’t a major character. DN’s female human characters get the short end of the stick, but least the shinigami ladies’ designs are just as cool, if not cooler, than the men’s.

6. Helping Hands from Labyrinth

The Jim Henson Company has a plethora of intriguing creatures, so expect to see others if I decide to do other lists. The Helping Hands are conceptually simple, but their placement, ashen/stony flesh, and general ambiguity make them so darn unnerving.

7. Boy from Little Monsters

He’s like if someone created a character after overhearing horrifying manchild without context. The scene where his face (or “face”) gets ripped off was the most terrifying thing ever to my ten-year-old self. It didn’t even occur to me he may have been wearing someone else’s skin.

8. Edgar the Bug from Men in Black 

The most insectile character I’m not afraid of, despite the fact he should probably make us all feel visceral disgust.

9. Mucus from Power Rangers Dino Fury 

Fungal fun gal.

10. Kardiak from Teen Titans

A giant mechanical heart that manages to be creepy without beating. 

Note: Nu and Gelus are runners-up for Rem. (I debated using a manga illustration, but the anime’s colors are pretty, too.) Little Monsters is pretty much everything a late ‘80s children’s fantasy/horror movie should be.

Looking for fellow creatives for a fantasy project!!

Hi all! I’m looking for other people who might be interested in collaborating on a hobby world-building project. !!Please help me find people by reblogging this post!!

[ID: Sketch of someone waving cheerfully at the viewer. end ID]

This world is designed to be the basis for a magic-based, multiplayer platformer fantasy game similar in ways to Maplestory and Fantasy Life, where the player character travels throughout various cool and magical realms. If you want to learn more about the world, please check out the information under the “read more” (I didn’t want the post to get too long).

Some stuff about me: I’m a Thai-American genetics student/researcher with heavy interests in evolutionary biology and Southeast Asian culture. I like to draw/design in my free time. I’m looking for people who are interested in contributing (to any degree), especially those who have an interest in biology, ecology, or sociology/anthropology. I would love to be able to work with other people from cultures that are underrepresented in the fantasy genre (though ofc not a requirement). No skills necessary!!! I'm able to handle all the art and visual design load on my own, I'm just looking for anyone imaginative!

I tend to be very realism-focused, so I’m hoping that input from others will help this world blossom into a more fantastical, wondrous setting. You don’t have to commit to anything--if you want, you can just hang around a bit and see if it interests you, or just provide input once in a while.

This is currently just a fun side-project that I work on in my spare time. I want to make it clear that even though I’m designing it with a videogame in mind, there really is no guarantee that it would ever get to that point, and I don’t want anyone to join with the hope that it would eventually pay off monetarily. I’ll make sure that anyone who contributes heavily will get a say in where the project eventually goes, if it turns out to last long.

Please contact me on Tumblr or Twitter to get involved! I plan on making a Discord server to keep all our collaboration in one place, invites given by PM.

[All images described in alt-text]

The premise of the world is that flora and fauna are not separate beings, but instead that all animals start their lives as plants, turn into animals, and then at death they create seeds which sprout into new plants. People also go through this life cycle--when they start out life they’re the huge, slow-growing plants that provide the structure for complex ecosystems (pine trees, kelp, huge cactuses), and then when they become people, their community cares for the ecosystem in question.

--MAIN GOALS--       - To build a work in the fantasy genre that rejects the overwhelmingly common eurocentric and often colonialist setting, as well as incredibly popular westernized systems of fantasy morality (light v. dark, demons v. angels, etc)       - To portray fictional cultures in a way that highlights the incredible diversity of IRL cultures without stereotypes or homogeneity       - To show the interconnectedness of everything, including showing different groups of humans as being connected with each other and showing humans as part of the environment; actively rejecting contemporary notions of “mastery over nature”

!!Everything below here is subject to change!!

Since I’m heavily interested in evolutionary bio, I built the biology of this world on the premise that life evolved much like it did on our world, starting from a single organism and blossoming out into different branches. Humans, or rather “people”, evolved multiple different times whenever a complex, dense ecosystem arose. Here are the groups of people I’ve come up with. The player chooses which species they want to start out as, and the dominant weapons or magic style of that culture determines the combat style they first learn to use. (Each group of people has multiple different subcultures, but there would be one “main” subculture that players start out in.)

Merfolk/seafolk:

Perhaps some of the earliest peoples, seafolk start their lives as kelp and inhabit the thick kelp forests that surround many coastlines. They have a love for exploration and discovery, but generally avoid encroaching on land. Their magic generally has to do with water, and the weapons they use are mechanical crossbows and heavy blunt weapons (blunt weapons integrated with controlling/redirecting the flow of water to lend force to blows). I haven’t figured out which real-world cultures to draw on for inspiration for seafolk societies, since nobody IRL lived underwater, of course. This is probably the most open-ended group of people. They’re visually based on fish and salamanders.

Frostfolk:

These people start their lives as conifers and thus inhabit the taiga and tundra. Their magic mostly has to do with ice, cold, or wind, and their main weapon of choice is spears. In this group of people, I want to have different societies: a nomadic hunting/fishing society, a nomadic pastoral society, and a more sedentary river/forest-based society. They’re based visually on dinosaurs, specifically theropods, with perhaps more bird-like features.

(No name yet):

Related to frostfolk but now geographically isolated from them, these people start their lives as cycads and live in the tropics, especially on chains of islands. Some subcultures would be highly seafaring, while some would be more sedentary and involved with metal-working and smithing. For the sedentary cultures, their magic would revolve around utilizing fire, and weaponry would be small blades made from obsidian. They are also based on theropods, but would have more vibrantly colored feathers like tropical birds.

Dustfolk:

Based on carnivorous mammals, mainly cats, foxes, and coyotes, these peoples start their lives as succulent plants like giant cacti. They inhabit the deserts and canyons of the world and live a largely nomadic life. Their magic has to do with wind/sandstorms, and their main combat styles are focused on hand-to-hand combat, utilizing claw or knuckle weaponry.

Plainsfolk/brushfolk(?):

These people start their lives as deciduous trees, generally as part of savannas, or sparse forests on mountainsides. They are based visually on ungulates, mainly deer/antelope, goats, and pigs/boars. I plan to have a semi-nomadic subculture in the dry savanna, a more sedentary agricultural society in the tropical savanna, and a mountainous society. Their weaponry would use a combination of sword and shield, and they would utilize light magic by way of reflective metal or glass.

(No name here either... they’re humans):

Finally, there would be a species of primate-based people that start their lives as broadleaf evergreen trees and inhabit the tropical jungles of the world. Many of their societies would be agricultural, with some fishing river-based cultures. Their magic would be related to monsoons and thunderstorms, especially lightning magic, and they would use long, thin blades for fighting.

---

In addition to the "main" cultures of the world, there would be many cultural centers where multiple peoples meet and trade food, goods, and technology. People will not be divided by nation borders or "species".

Currently, my idea is that combat is used to battle metaphorical representations of disease, malaise, generally bad and imbalanced things. I haven't developed this part of the storyline too much yet, I just know some thematic goals I might have.

In addition to combat (either physical or magical-based depending on the player's preference), players would be able to pursue a few different skills, like farming/breeding using a robust genetics system, tailoring/clothes-making, furniture/crafts-making, smithing, healing, cooking; as well as more "meta" hobbies like making maps and puzzles for other players to use.

Again, if you're interested in getting involved or have any questions, you can reach out to me here on Tumblr or on Twitter. If people do end up being interested, I'd like to make a small community on Discord to chat with! Edit: We do have a discord server now, you just have to ask to join!

in another universe human-like creatures evolve from primate-like creatures

they invent music and dancing and love

they invent genocide and hatred and religion

they invent math and science and astronomy

desperately looking for a sign of something more

a reason to be here

purposes and ideas greater than themselves

indication of what to do now

is there something they could be missing?

they search the stars and the sea

they research questions that go unanswered

they cry to the skies, narrowing their only inquiry to

why?

nobody answers them

fear grips these creatures tightly

surely they cannot be entirely alone in this vast sea

of barren galaxies and solar systems

they send machines of their own design outward

they use as many languages and images as they can

they code them to communicate to possible listeners

and yet there are no answers

it seems they are alone

with no clear purpose or intention 

lost in a more whimsical and mysterious sea

than the one that feeds their originating planet

they cannot cope with the silence

they grow desperate and irrational

they lose themselves in hive-minded delusions

somewhere far away from here

an ancient Greater Being sighs, it’s brow furrowing

organic life has not thrived for many millennia

smaller beings growing more jaded to their true test

ignoring what seemed to be obvious

they all devastatingly missed their true mark

they turned on their own due to tiny discrepancies

they shed their own blood in the name of false gods

in the end nothing they died for mattered

all hope was lost long before the end began

not that they could tell

their demise was orchestrated by their own creations

gas, gunfire, nuclear weapons, all engineered to kill

they all cried out as the end announced itself

they begged for forgiveness or a savior or both

they held each other tightly waiting for the inevitable

in the end life perished

this consciousness doomed by those who wielded it

lost to a search for answers to the wrong questions

the greater picture lost to a distorted fantasy

and so the universe tried again

Hater Comments (March 23,2016) - Do Women Have Stronger Legs Than Men ?

It's amazing how many people want to call themselves experts on what they know nothing about. The thing about trolls is they think they are actually intelligent , when they are not. Reading on women's athletic performance generates some contention. (https://femuscleblog.wordpress.com/2016/03/23/do-women-have-stronger-legs-and-more-lower-body-strength-than-men/)

Our expert commentary comes from AllFFCRADLES :

Proof that muscle women are less female when they have increased testosterone in them. It’s most definitely a masculine body type to have big muscles. Even then having bulky muscles is far from natural for most men. Good at least to dispel the myth of women being stronger in lower body, a lot of amazon worshippers and fm carry fans have deluded themselves to thinking women are not weaker than men or are stronger even, they’re only seeing a tiny niche to accomodate their fantasy. But interesting to say women’s muscle fibres are better for endurance than men’s. (I also think the women having ? threshold for pain is a myth, there’s many forms of pain and using an icebath is biased as women have more bodyfat). With comparatively strong legs it does explain why women tend to learn kicks for martial arts over upper body sports and combat such as boxing as they are less disadvantaged due to kicking more in favour of their body, so kicking, leg takedowns, tripping people up etc, gymnastics too it’s clear how much more upper body based male gymnastics is vs female. I find female gymnastics far more pleasing to watch most events especially the floor, the male one is boring in comparison BUT for vault the difference in upper power is very stark there, with men vaulting far higher and for longer, women at most can do a couple of midair rotations while men do several and vault twice as high it seems. No need to talk about pommel horse and especially rings, super upper body based! (Though women have one advantage of being much lighter and leaner so more efficiency in core strength) .While obviously stronger muscles translates to greater strength usually but not always, for speed though it’s not as simple, example a cheetah is far weaker than other big cats yet runs up to twice as fast vs a tiger or lion, in theory that should apply to women vs men, a light female sprinter should be able to outrun a muscular male one and also interesting that the fastest men tend to be tall and muscular (Bolt is exceptionally tall for a sprinter, he’s too tall actually for 100m) but the best female sprinters aren’t big and strong but athletic and slender. Two different ways to achieve results!

Women building muscle is not abnormal. Sex hormone levels actually vary among individuals, its just that women produce lower amounts of testosterone. AllFCCRADLES seems to think that all muscular women are either using some form of PED. Well, you would not know that unless they were tested. Even if a woman uses some form of AAS, it would not be enough to aiding in sexual reassignment. Virilization can happen depending on the dosage or type of steroid used. Muscular women are not less female just because they have significant strength. Men are on average stronger than women, but obviously a woman that works out can attain the strength of an untrained man. That is not fetish fantasy. It appears that someone has a hard time dealing with the fact women can be stronger than them.

The pain threshold most likely fluctuates in the female body. So far, there has been no consensus in exercise physiology about this. Before we claim that men are better at gymnastics ,it should be noted that Simone Biles has done moves that no other athlete has. Upper body based moves would be more difficult for female athletes, but that does not mean it cannot be accomplished. If we are discussing sprinting there are several factors at play. Type II muscle fiber is important, but so is lung and heart size. Endurance runners require type I muscle fibers. When writing the troll just contradicted himself that strong muscle do not always mean more strength. My only guess is that he was trying to say muscle size. The type of muscle fibers in the human body determine that.

The bodies of athletes look different due to what type of training they do. The female sprinters are not slimmer, they have more muscular bodies. The endurance runners have less muscle in comparison. The comparison to big cats such as lions and cheetahs is ludicrous. These animals are a different species and are quadripedal. Humans only have two legs. The analogy does not work, because the only thing humans and cat have in common is that they are mammals. Cats and humans are part of the animal kingdom, but are not the same organism. Men and women are the same species. What makes our bodies different is related to sexual dimorphism. A more logical comparison would be related to other primates. I can tell that science is not something this person can grasp.