What is the most bizarre creature you have created for your WIP?
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Hey guys and gals,
I just wanted to ask you creatives what is the most bizarre creature you have ever made up for your works in fiction and what did you call it?
I have a very strange set of pale white aquatic creatures with a living nest of their eel-like young that sprout from their heads and have sharp beak-like jaws that serve to catch prey and feed not only themselves but their young until they get old enough to detach from their parent and grow silver strobing eyes. These are called “Moonsprites” because they tend to be mostly nocturnal and have a luminescent glow underwater. The young go through an amphibious stage where they can wriggle onto the shores for brief intervals, but they are principally water creatures. They are lithe and vicious and often encircle their victims like sharks, but often hunt in packs. The males have large pectoral fins with a hard-blunt leading edge that can cut and slash larger animals, with double rows of shark-like teeth. Their eyes are luminous and photo-strobic and often stun and blind their victims, disorienting them in the water.
The females, I am hinting at, are the mystical source of the Medusa myths.
Would love to hear what kind of creatures you all are creating.
Brian Stansell (aka O'Brian of the Surface World)
I was born in war.
Fighting from my first breath.That’s an awesome creature you have there. I haven’t gotten around to my aquatic creatures yet but I will definitely have some small to leviathan size predators. I would say most of my creatures are pretty normal-ish for fantasy.
I have a lot of underground wildlife. I would say the most bizarre of them is the “Bludryx.” They are rodent-mole-like creatures the size of small house cats. They live in small packs but given enough time and food, they can become a scourge that spells death for any creature. Thankfully they rarely make it out to the surface from their cavern. They have the durability of a cockroach with plate-like armor carapace on their head and back and with large crushing jaws. They don’t have eyes but have a good sense of smell and terrifyingly good hearing. Plus they can almost see moving objects or creatures with vibrations. They like to make holes in the side of passages to hide and sleep till something tries to pass by.
Even a dragon who decides to live in the same cavern will never set foot on the ground.
A couple of things they don’t like is heat and high-pitched sounds.
Hehe. Nice question.
My high fantasy has a lot of normal creatures you’d find here on earth, but also plenty of new fantasy creatures. The legendary ones are called the creatures of Myf, and they are pretty spectacular. I’ve only created a few of them so far, however.
Saliero (name derived from the latin word for frog – Salientia) – also known as Mount Frog. It’s a massive toad-like creature with slimy-frog-like skin that can grow anywhere from as big as a house to as big as a small mountain. It burrows into hills/mountains and hibernates 9 months of the year and rarely moves. Its tongue has the force of a cannon and can reach long distances. It is impervious to both heat and cold, however, lightning is a distinct weakness.
Anquingon (name derived from the latin for a supposed ancient ancestor to the chameleon – Anqingosaurus) – A lizard-like creature that can just as fast on four legs as it can on two legs. It has a tough skin that is hard to penetrate, but the greatest quality of the Anquingon is its ability to alter its size. It can grow gigantic or shrink down to pocket size. This makes it not only difficult to find, but extremely difficult to beat.
Aemirok (name derived from Inuit legend of Amarok) – Giant flying wolf with inverted claws that fold up onto itself and act as shields. It can shoot substance from its stomach that is a freezing poison, also called creeping ice. If hit by it, the affected region will freeze and then spread like poison.
Tannink’esh (name derived from two Hebrew words – leviathan, and fire) – my world’s version of a fire-breathing dragon. Except it is born deep in the sea – near deep sea hydrothermal vents. It grows and lives much of its life underwater, then flies out as an adolescent to find a mate – their mating grounds are found within volcanoes. The mating process can last for decades. After which, they return to the sea. Their scales are near impenetrable, and unlike most dragons, they do not have a soft underbelly. This is partly due to the fact that their internal organs are arranged differently. Its heart and lungs are located in its belly, while its stomach is up toward its chest. (It has no rib cage.) This allows it to have greater freedom in what it can ingest. The Tannink’esh cannot produce its own flames – though that is a common mistake made – it can ingest lava – its stomach acting as a thermos of sorts – and can spew it out to defend itself when needed. When in the ocean, the scalding water found near the hydrothermal vents is a similar defensive attack. It has a head like a lion, though instead of a mane, it has spiked tendrils similar to a axolotl – which act like gills when its underwater. It also has two sets of wings – a thin, whale-like apparatus which its arms are attached to which it uses to swim swiftly, and a massive, arching set of wings it tends to keep folded up close to its body that it uses to fly in the air.
Those are my creatures of myf… so far. I do know of one more I plan to create – a massive earth worm – akin to the size of the worms in Dune – however, these worms have very strongly pressurized stomachs. They eat everything in front of them – ingesting sand and all – as they burrow around the desert. Their pressurized stomach squeeze out enough nutrients to sustain them, though they spend 90% of their days eating. However, as a side effect, their… um… “byproduct” includes diamonds. (No teeth, however, since the stomach does all the work.) …no name for that one yet.
Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried. ~ G.K.C.
Those are awesome creatures! My world has a lot of dragons and dinosaur-inspired creatures.
Most of my evil creatures are all lab creations, created for a great war. The evil side lost but their creatures melted away into the shadows and have spread across the world.
One particular favorite is my Kragvora. They are humanoids created to be the best assassins and espionage spies. They have 4 eyes, most of their body is covered in tough carapace. What makes them the perfect spies is that when they want a particular knowledge, they will target a specific person who is an expert of that research. Once they snatch the unfortunate victim, one will bite to infect them with a vampire-like disease that will mutate the victim into one of them. Once the newcomer is telepathically linked to their shared collection of knowledge, everything that the newcomer knew will be accessible to them as well. They are very smart and crafty but can go into a bloodlust rage when they don’t care to be seen or have been cornered.
That’s ingenious! Very cool. At first, your description reminded me of the Ra’zac in the Eragon series, but your Kragvora are certainly original. I like how you combined the concept of vampirism with its other aspects.
Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried. ~ G.K.C.
These are very intriguing sets of creatures.
I have others in my WIP, but the Moonsprite/Gorgon/Jengu is the most bizarre one, I have imagined.
I have three dragons in my story as well: A Dust Dragon, which tunnels underground and avoids daylight. A Leviathan that takes its description from Job 41, Isaiah 27:1. AND and a great red dragon which is a fire-breather and a winged specimen, that has slept for centuries in a high eyrie in the Walls of Stone Mountain range. Each of these is a prince of the water, land, or air, and each has Earth origins in our Holy scriptures. The Dust Dragon is the least obvious.
Are any of your creatures inspired by any particular mythology?
Do any of your creatures have a symbolic significance in your stories?Trip with your Tannink’esh it seems the verses in Job 41 might fit:
By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes [are] like the eyelids of the morning. Out of his mouth go burning lamps, [and] sparks of fire leap out. Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as [out] of a seething pot or caldron. His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth. … He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment. He maketh a path to shine after him; [one] would think the deep [to be] hoary. [Job 41:18-21, 31-32 KJV]What do you guys think the creature described in Job 41 really is?
Brian Stansell (aka O'Brian of the Surface World)
I was born in war.
Fighting from my first breath.very interesting that you mention the leviathan, since tannin is Hebrew for sea monster and is typically tied to the leviathan.
My aemirok (flying wolf) started in my head, then its name was inspired by an Inuit legend of a giant beta wolf who would eat any hunter foolish enough to hunt alone at night.
The anqingon and saliero had no foundation in mythology or anywhere, really. The anqingon was merely a tool used to explain the creation of the gaaban aygiff’s wear in my fantasy world that can stretch and shrink – very important – so my aygiffs (those who can transform into animals) don’t go around naked after transforming! (Having them transform with their clothes on and then have them magically reappear when they transform back just never seemed realistic to me…)
Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried. ~ G.K.C.
The Kragvora have a mixture of skin and insectoid carapace, this is because they were made from humans/humanoids with experimental crystal bio-tech. I am still ironing out the details but they operate on a hive mind. The vampiric parasitism is just a venomous ability as they can not reproduce. Their master is a brilliant psychopath scientist who wants to conquer the world. He uses them as his eyes and ears to gather/steal knowledge, sow corruption within mighty empires to make them from the rot inside out, assassinate good and honest people who would prevent corruption, and to stir up local evil minions to wage war on all threats. Once the world is weak from unending wars, he will march in with his legions of elves to usher in what he deems as the new age of peace.
Wow, Joshua!
I love this. It does seem to have some real-world parallels, using a very creative fantasy palate. I have read of some real-world psychopathic scientists that are actively involved in chimeric genetic abominations aimed at “redesigning” the human genome to “enhance humanity” into their psychotic view of the next stage of evolution. Some of the big tech co’s are complicit and are actively stealing IP in stealth via the Dark Web, to assimilate, reverse engineer products and displace startup companies and independent creators that cannot be bribed, manipulated, or compromised. Small businesses have been wrecked and crushed by the larger monopolies, who illegally seek to shut them out of market share or buy them off, assimilate their IP into their collective product lines, and bleed off what might have been an innovative approach that could have eventually challenged their monolithic holdings.
I am always so much more intrigued when art is used to allow us to look back upon real-world events with a more investigative lens.
Do you read much in the way of eschatology and “end times” prophecy?
Once the world is weak from unending wars, he will march in with his legions of elves to usher in what he deems as the new age of peace.
I see a few biblical parallels.
“unending wars”
You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. [Matthew 24:6 NIV]“march in with his legions”
And there went out another horse [that was] red: and [power] was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. [Revelation 6:4 KJV](paraphrasing: subjugates the people of the world)
It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. [Revelation 13:16-17 NIV]“he deems as the new age of peace” (a false peace)
For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when [there is] no peace. … We looked for peace, but no good [came; and] for a time of health, and behold trouble! [Jeremiah 8:11, 15 KJV]Is this “brilliant psychopath scientist” a representation of an “antichrist/son of perdition” figure?
Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. [2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 KJV]I think it is interesting that mankind in its scientific hubris wants to “remake and improve” God’s designs in the real world. It makes me wonder what is behind all of that obsession. I am glad to see you showing where this kind of obsession leads and what its ultimate goal is in the service of this villain. God designs uniqueness, something sinister seeks to blend it. I am reminded of this verse in that respect.
Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. Similarly there are different kinds of flesh–one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. [1 Corinthians 15:38-40 NLT]
How far along are you in your WIP? I would love to see you published.
Fiction should give us questions that cause us to evaluate our real world experiences. To notice those spiritual parallels that we should arm ourselves against with God’s armor of light.Brian Stansell (aka O'Brian of the Surface World)
I was born in war.
Fighting from my first breath.Thanks Brian! Your encouragement means a lot. It honestly has been painfully slow as I have slowly worked up to the 3rd chapter of my 1st book! It has been honestly been depressing trying to keep at it above exhaustion from work. I do have the first series’ first 4 books all plotted out. There will be 2-3 series afterward, plus several side stories. I am working on rising above my limits and being more consistent with my writing as I too hope to publish this and do many other things with my story.
I am honestly surprised at the possible biblical parallels you found as I never intentionally meant to include any. Honestly outside the Bible, I tend to shy away from anything talking about the future as I believe God will reveal it when it is time. My main focus for my story is to connect and reach my readers through biblical applications of handling real-world problems in a godly manner. I too have read about bad big tech corps and psycho scientists trying to play god with the manipulation of DNA. Although I never got my idea from them for my first primary villain. I was going for a dark lord idea but did not him to portray something similar to Sauron so I went with a sane, brilliant, psycho scientist with horribly twisted morals. He is not the main villain though, as he is just a pawn in a bigger game that spans across the universe.
Hi Joshua, (@storysmith)
Perhaps I just noticed the parallels because of the biblical study I have been doing. I do know that the primary purpose of prophecy is not so much that God merely is wanting us to know the future, but especially that He wants us to know that He holds the future and has full knowledge of it so that we can trust Him as we move towards those things He tells us. Jesus echoes this point:
“But I have told you these things so that when their time comes you will remember I told them to you. I didn’t tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you.” [John 16:4 CSB]Some of the present-day real-world problems foreshadow what God has revealed is coming. God gives us prophecy and foreshadows things to come for good reasons. It is okay to speculate about the real world, but there is something so much more satisfying when we look at it through the grounding and lens of scripture. It lends a sense of authenticity that deepens even fantasy fiction. Readers subconsciously seek some reference point by which they can begin to identify with the story. It makes the world you’re creating feel real because it has recognizable shadows of the world we experience.
Part of the magic of Narnia was the child-like wonder that allowed readers to wonder if a place like that actually existed, or to wonder if the Aslan of the story really did appear in another truer form as hinted in “The Last Battle”.
When Jesus taught through parables the power of their special message was that the stories were relatable to their own lives. Don’t fear to mix in touches of real-world truths. It enhances the underlying truth of the thematic message.
C.S. Lewis never intended to write a specifically Christian tale, but he noticed something special happened with the stories when the Lion sort of leapt onto the pages he was writing. Let your faith tap into your writing.
Brian Stansell (aka O'Brian of the Surface World)
I was born in war.
Fighting from my first breath.Yes, I totally agree and don’t see anything wrong with it. I talk about what God has promised as my coworkers and friends speculate what is currently happening all the time as some are unsaved and constantly wonder why this is happening. As a Christian, we should look to the future so that we are prepare for the day when Christ will come again and it is a terrible idea to only live in the moment.
I will say that my story’s beginning was inspired by the two parables about stewardship. It has a Creator (God) who created the universe and life on all inhabited worlds. He then divided the universe into sectors and gave each sector to a group of beings that I refer to as the stewards (would not exactly refer to them as angels). They are tasked with being a steward of their charges, but they are just as perfect as humans. Some succeed and some fail. One, in particular, fails on the first day but is given a 2nd chance with greater hardship than ever before. Because this one learned from his mistakes, he must also serve by example to his brothers and sisters to lead them to follow what is right according to their Creator, even at the cost of his own life. The ultimate lesson that they are to learn, is what is godly leadership and love?
I tend to shy away from stories that look into the future and try to mirror it because I have run into way too many people soaking up all they can about the future. They run off of biblically-based ideas but then they leave God out of the picture and don’t look at what God is trying to teach us right now in the day-to-day applications that will prepare us for the future. There are some days I get asked incredibly insane ideas that do not match scripture which does turn into a good witnessing moment of pulling the person back into the scriptures. Plus my biggest fear is the unknown, particularly the future. I often get so focused on worrying and wondering what will happen, that I neglect what is currently happening in the present and recognize my need to just trust and obey God’s will. I can say I know this isn’t my strength looking at the future because I had a nervous breakdown today, worrying about the future of my health, pain/discomfort if things don’t work out, my job that is horribly affected by this trial to the point I might have to look for a different one, what the doctor will say, and how long will this continue on for. I felt at that moment God speak to me with this verse.
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in your own eyes: fear the Lord and depart from evil.”
Proverbs 3:5 – 7 KJVThat being said, trying to mirror what God’s has prophesied in the future in my story is not something I am confident at. However, I can share my faith in how God has worked in my life by focusing on applications of prayer, faith, showing Christ-like love to others, and walking day by day trusting the Lord to guide the way. I was at a rally this past weekend called “Men for Christ.” I got to talk with 40ish pastors and evangelists who all had this same need in their lives and those in their churches because we are worrying too much about the future. I came away with that I need to focus on what I do in the present moment that will honor God and pray that God’s will be done in the future to come.
My ultimate goal for my story that I write for both secular and Christians, is to challenge the reader with the biblical principles that define who God is, so that they will be encouraged to seek more about who God is and why we must believe in Him.
I personally love stories that are application-based that provides an important lesson about why we should always do what is right no matter the cost. My favorite stories that are so satisfying, are missionary stories. I get the chills of joy whenever I read how they decided to put their trust in God, especially in one particularly important moment, and then see that joyous moment when God rewards them in countless ways. I often feel the same way when I recognize similar concepts in secular stories that still carried a biblical principle about them as the characters dealt with their trials.
Joshua (@storysmith)
There is a great deal of wisdom in your words.
Too often people who fear for the future are imagining dreadful scenarios where God is not present.
Amen, my brother! I look forward to hearing more about the story as you develop it.
Brian Stansell (aka O'Brian of the Surface World)
I was born in war.
Fighting from my first breath.Thanks! I look forward to yours as well.
@obrian-of-the-surface-world @jared-williams
I have thought a little more into the Kragvora’s venomous abilities as they can turn someone into them with their venom. What would a small or medium-dose do to a person? I then came up with a full dose can change someone into them but a medium dose can turn someone into a mad and hungry feral humanoid (not exactly undead). Kinda like rabies on a ridiculously potent level. If it is a small dose, it will just rapidly kill the victim. I also thought that if it is really tiny dose like a drop of two then it can cause a slow paralyzing infection leading to death. Any thoughts or ideas?
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