To kind of segue from my last post about the fantasy world I’ve been puttering around with, I figured it would help out if I categorized/listed out long-running interests and inspirations. I’m not sure if this is actually a thing that people do to help get their brain juices flowing, but I suspect it can’t hurt and it helps me feel like I’m accomplishing something.
Beyond the obvious, generic interests (hard science fiction, cyberpunk, fantasy, horror, etc.) I’ve long been fascinated by:
- Geomancy
- Megaliths and “places of power”
- Prehistoric religion
- Glyphs/sigils/etc.
- Post apocalypse/collapse
- What I can only call “alternative cosmographies”. Think not just the Mythos, but things like Hellraiser or Nightbreed, as well as elements of Gnosticism, Kabbalah, etc.
Some if these elements are going to make their way into the setting I’ve been working on, in some way. I’m still balancing uniqueness/variety with familiarity – I want something that feels new, without being so alien that people can’t connect to the setting. Coupled with my newfound interest in more late modern/Industrial revolution for settings as opposed to standard medieval fantasy settings, and I think I can strike that balance.
