Hey everyone, Abby here with another writing post! Today we’re talking about new species and how to create them in your writing.
In many fantasy and sci-fi books, you’ll hear about different species, be them humanoid or not. Often it can be hard for the average writer to create something as complex as a new species, but with a little extra effort they can really add an extra element to your story.
Do you remember, back in your first biology class, learning about taxonomic ranks? (In case you forgot: domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species.) The species is the most specific classification for a living thing, but it helps to know a bit of the other stuff surrounding it as well.
For example, let’s say I create the Lunax species. I can describe it all I want, but it helps me as an author get a clearer mental image if I say it’s in the same genus as a tiger or something like that. You can take your species and relate it to other, already-existing species to help yourself develop and create.
This goes far beyond appearance, even though appearance on its own could probably create a whole separate post. Here are some questions on characteristics to help you get started:
Is it nocturnal?
Herbivore, carnivore, omnivore?
Can it climb, fly, swim?
How fast can it move?
How fine-tuned are its senses, and which is the strongest?
Which temperatures or biomes is it found in, and why?
How long does it sleep for?
Does it have any predators?
Of course, there are so many more questions you can ask to get that development rolling, but you’ll want to have a good idea of what really defines this species as you go along.
This is something you may also want to consider: what causes an increase and decrease in population.
For this you’ll want to look at things like the mating process, gestation, youth development, etc. - things that go into the life cycle of the species. Like anything else, the knowledge you have here doesn’t have to be super in-depth, but it would certainly help to at least have a general idea.
What helps the population flourish, and what hurts it? How available is their specific habitat, and is that level growing, shrinking, or remaining level? What factors in the world could change the growth rate of the population? Is this species rare enough to be considered endangered by our standards?
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There’s… a lot that goes into creating a species, so this guide isn’t at all meant to be comprehensive. It’s all up to you as an author, these are just some bases to help you get started!
If this post helped you out, please consider buying me a coffee over on ko-fi!
𖣔 it was the easiest thing for me to manifest my desired friend group
𖣔 it makes me so happy to have my ideal friend group
𖣔 all my friends have my desired names
𖣔 i have my desired amount of friends in my friend group
𖣔 it’s crazy how my friends humor completely matches up to mine
𖣔 my friend group looks exactly how i desire them to look
𖣔 i have manifested a friend group that is full of my desired genders
𖣔 my friend group is so accepting
𖣔 i love how all my friends personalities are exactly how i desire them to be
𖣔everyone is my friend group in my desired age
𖣔 everyone in my friend group has my desired ethnicity and nationality
𖣔 i manifested a friend group with that has all my desired traits and characteristics
𖣔 i met my friend group in my desired way
𖣔 everyone in my friend group is incredibly loyal and trustworthy
𖣔 my desired friend group is exactly how imagined it to be
𖣔 my friend group literally cannot function without me
𖣔 my friend group is immune from excluding me
𖣔 i am immune from having my friend group be mad at me
𖣔 all my friends are incredibly supportive and sweet
𖣔 my friend group literally loves everything about me
𖣔 my friend group always sticks up for me, they are all very protective of me
𖣔 me and my friend group literally do everything together
𖣔 my friend group is free from toxicity
𖣔 my friend group have and always be there for me through thick and thin
𖣔 my friends are always there to defend me no matter what
𖣔 me and my friend group never run out of things to talk about
𖣔 me and my friend group always have fun places to hang out
𖣔 i love how im living my teenage dream life with my friend group
𖣔 i’m happy thanksgiving me and my friends all go to the school
𖣔 i am always living mg desired scenarios with my friends
Desired person affs
ఌ my dp loves being my best friend
ఌ i can’t believe my dp asked for number
ఌ my dp is constantly texting me, they can’t help themselves
ఌ my dp is always asking me to hang out
ఌ my dp feels like we have been friends for yearsss
ఌ i love how well me and my dp get along
ఌ me and my dp’s humor matches up perfectly
ఌ my dp cannot stop laughing at my jokes, they think im so funny
ఌ my dp’s family loves me
ఌ i love being apart of my dp’s friend group
ఌ my dp always has my back no matter what
ఌ it’s crazy how me and my dp have similar interests
ఌ my dp is the definition of loyal and trustworthy
It's always "If this first draft isn't perfect I will literally die." or "Hahaha, I don't give a fuck anymore. Typos. Grammatical errors. Yeeet."
There is nothing in between.
My dear friends: When a librarian or teacher says "Audiobooks count as reading", we do not literally mean that audiobooks are the same as decoding visual meaning via symbols representing sounds. We mean, among other things:
Audiobooks can expose listeners to new vocabulary and forms of syntax.
Audiobooks can present listeners with long-form fictional narratives with engaging characters, interesting literary devices, and poetic turns of phrase.
Audiobooks can teach listeners new information in a long-form manner that goes into depth or wide breadth on a particular subject or subjects.
Audiobooks can help listeners' verbal comprehension skills.
Audiobooks can do all these things without presenting the same difficulties to blind, low vision, partially sighted, visually impaired, or dyslexic listeners; listeners with ADHD; listeners who experience physical difficulty with holding a book or e-reader; or listeners who are disabled in a host of other ways that a physical book or e-reader might present.
The written word is not specially imbued with magical noble worth above the spoken word, and if you think it is, you may have some ableism and/or racism to deconstruct.
She’s spot on
Hey everyone, Abby here with another post! Today we’re talking a bit about world-building, and specifically your world’s intelligent species. Let’s hop right in!
I’ve made a post in the past about creating new species in your world, and here’s what I want to start with. Within the context of this post, I’m defining race as any variation of an intelligent species for ease of language. That in mind, you will want to have your species developed.
There are some aspects that you just have to answer questions for in order to develop. Here are some basics for you to start with:
What is the origin species?
What defines a different race? Skin color, abilities, some physical marker? Something non-physical?
What is most known about this race as a fact?
What is most known about this race as a stereotype?
Are there any common variations within this race?
For Dungeons and Dragons players, think about the Dragonborn race. Different scale colors don’t mean a different race, but they do mark different abilities.
There may be common variations in appearance, like different eye colors or heights, that don’t have any other meaning. Just regular physical variation!
Are there any skills or other characteristics specific to this race?
What distinguishes this race from other races that may exist in your world?
How much interaction is there between different races?
Are there any areas of the world that each race tends to gravitate to?
Are there different expected life spans for each race? If they are different, why?
For example! In the RPG I’m working on, Journey to Valeria, there are two races in the Steerean species: shallow and Reclusive. They share a similar origin species, but different characteristics have created other aspects enough for them to be considered different races. As a result, I’ve developed them as two separate races with their own characteristics.
Go ahead and compare this to some aspects of DnD as well! The game does an awesome job of distinguishing between races and making each one unique, and I find that looking at things in context helps me a lot.
You, as the creator of this world, are also its master. What things outside of just answering questions do you think is important to know right off the bat? For one of my races, I wrote about camouflage in the environment and some elements of magic because I think those are things important to the development.
These could be topics like:
History
Associated cultures or religions
Temperaments, if applicable
Strengths and weaknesses specific to this race
And anything else that you think is important. As I’m developing the races on Steere, I’m thinking a lot about how different races interact with the world, how they use technology, their general lifestyles, etc.
Usually when you create a fantasy race, your goal is to make this race as well-rounded as possible. Creating an intelligent species, much less several different variations of one, can be very difficult! This is something that will take time and a lot of thought, but it’s vital to the process.
I talked about Journey to Valeria a bit more than I anticipated I would, but what can I say? I’ve been on a kick lately, and I like talking about the things that matter to me. If you’d like, you can follow the project’s blog @journeytovaleria to see more updates and development!
If my work helps you or your writing, please consider supporting me by joining my Patreon!
Join my writing community on Discord!
i easily get everything i want in life.
i always get what i want and better.
i manifest my desires quickly and easily.
i am a master manifestor.
i get everything i desire instantly.
everything always works in my favor.
The world revolves around me.
i can be,do and have anything i want.
i am the main character.
i am the only creator of my reality.
i am in full control of everything and everyone in my reality.
everything and everyone conforms my every desire instantly.
i have everything i desire and more.
All my desires are mine and here right now.
i never chase after what's already mine.
my desires shows up in my 3d extremely fast.
manifesting is always easy & instant for me.
my 3d instantly reflects my desires.
my 3d always conforms my every desires.
i am always in the state of wish fulfilled.
my self concept is perfect and strong.
For me, everything is possible and easy.
i am god, my manifestations are inevitable.
nothing can ruin my manifestations.
my imagination is the only real reality.
i easily dwell in my imagination.
i know my 3d is only the reflection of my 4d.
i am free from fears,doubts and worries.
i only have positive thoughts.
my physical reality only reflects my desires.
my life is rigged in my favor.
only good things and miracles happen to me.
i deserve only the best in everything.
i have healthy self esteem.
i believe in myself and trust myself.
i am absolutely limitless and powerful.
i am perfect and flawless.
everything about my life is perfect.
i am extremely confident and fearless.
i love myself unconditionally.
i am highly favoured,loved and respected.
i always win and succeed at everything i do.
i am smart,intelligent and talented.
i am extremely wealthy and rich.
my negative and intrusive thoughts never manifest.
negativity and failure does not exist for me.
my mental and physical health is always top tier.
i am the most prettiest and beautiful girl ever.
every time you compare yourself to another person you lose your power and give it to others.
be aware of your own value
the value you give to others, give to yourself multiplied!
if there is something you don't like about yourself try to change it from compassion and self-love, don't judge yourself for it, we all have the ability to change
recognize that comparing yourself with other people is something negative and prevents you from growing and evolving
you are the main character of your life, no one else, that's why it doesn't matter if you "believe" that someone else is more handsome or smarter than you, it's not, it's you, because it's your life, think about this every time you compare yourself
recognize when these thoughts come to your mind and focus in turn on something positive, something good about your day or something you like about yourself
don't compare chapter 20 of a person with chapter 3 of your life
focus on learning and not comparing yourself
turn comparison into admiration
be aware of the damage you are doing to yourself when you do this
write down everything you like about yourself and everything you would like to have or be
practice self-love every day, treat yourself with love
focus on you and your growth not on what others do
focus on what you like about yourself and not on what you don't-
recognize that you are the main character of your life, the life you are living right now is only lived by you so it doesn't matter how other people are or how they live their life, it doesn't hurt you, focus on you and your growth, you are unique and valuable you don't have to be like anyone else
some ways to practice self-love ( i will write another post on this)
forgive yourself
take care of your physical and mental health
avoid toxic people
connect to your feminine energy and make rest a priority when you need it
use positive affirmations every day
talk to yourself and treat yourself with love
do things that make you proud of you
post that i recommend you if you found this one useful 🤍
if you're on a path of self-growth and self-improvement I would like to advise you to keep private about it. I'm not saying to keep it a locked secret but don't go around talking about it. I learned it the hard way that speaking freely about our plans to improve ourselves results in bringing out the worst in so many people. people who you have no reason to distrust suddenly will actually wish you ill, because your progress will intimidate them, make them feel inferior, make them face their own insecurities and desires. and the kind of energy that these people produce is the kind of energy that can be a hindrance for you without you even noticing. suddenly you'll be exposing your dreams to an emotional vampire who will, even unconsciously, try and sabotage you. you don't need to share your plans and projects: just show up with the results and it will be enough said 🌸
comphet but for aroace people (fantasizing about idealized romance and intimacy but being petrified and uncomfortable when it might happen for real + only crushing on unattainable people)