Hello everyone! A lot of my friends in real life that also write say that they keep having problems with creating new creatures. They say that they do not wish to use creatures that we have on Earth because it would seem "un-original". Well, I decided to make this topic on ways that you can make your own creatures!

First off, I want to tell you that using creatures we have on our world can be creative. If you really have no idea on what kind of creature to create, combine animals we already have! Why don't you mix two real animals that have nothing in common?! For example, you can combine a tiger with a parrot. Afterwards, if you are an artistic person (I am not, so I will have to stick with my imagination ) you can draw the mixture and see if you like it. But remember, you can always make changes! After that, you might come up with a flying, vicious beast that has all the colors of the rainbow on its fur or something awesome like that! And for those of you that don't have much trouble, just close your eyes and let your imagination throw out what insane creatures pop into your head.

*chuckles * I use real creatures in our world, as well as make believe ones.

As do I. But for people who like everything to be make believe, this is a good way.

Those are good ideas, however I think that using normal creatures can help make your world...er, I don't know, more 'perceivable' maybe? I mean, if you learn a lot of new creatures, plants, and races, you'll have to think an awful lot to keep all of that sorted out. Plus, it's kinda nice to have things from earth in Fantasy worlds IMO, it makes you feel more 'at home' visualizing the story.

Well, that is a good opinion, but like I said before, some people like to make up new creatures, and this thread is to help them, not for saying that you don't use them.

When did I say I don't use made up creatures? I think you may have misunderstood me, I was only trying to say that I would rather write (and read, for that matter) a story that has a good balance of 'normal' creatures (I include dwarves and other creatures that are made up but not real in this category along with real creatures) and completely new, made up creatures than a story that is full of completely new, made up creatures because I think I would be overwhelmed trying to picture all of the new things and make sure I don't get them mixed up. I also was trying to say that your post helped me, I like your idea and might use it to make up a creature later on. I'm sorry I didn't make that more clear, sometimes I'm not a very good communicator, you'll just have to read my posts carefully, and be patient with me.

When introducing a new creature, you need to give your reader something to grasp; a way to imagine it. So, you could start with a familiar animal---say, a horse---and change it, tweaking it to be fantastical. Your "horse" can have a round, muscular body (normal), and four long legs with hooves (normal), then have blue fur and a lion-like tail, and make mewing sounds. See, by making it similar to a horse, your reader can visualize it, and know its purpose in your world.

That definitely helps, I've read a sci-fi that did things like that and it made it easier for me...I'll also keep that in mind for my own sub-creations, thanks for the tip!

Green Mist? I think that with science fiction, you definitely want to make up lots of new animals. However, with fantasy, I think this is not necessary. Your author friends don't need to think that using Earth animals is unoriginal, any more than using humans is unoriginal. Or using grass. Or trees.

Don't be unoriginal just for the sake of being unoriginal. As long as you are not copying anybody, it is best just to think about how your world works. If you are using your imagination, it will be unique.

Good thoughts, Aemi.

Sorry for misunderstanding, Wolf. And Aemi, I think that it is not NECESSARY for either genre to have made up creatures. But I think that it would work best for fantasy since, in essence, fantasy IS made up. Now, I would appreciate it if we stopped discussing this matter so that the thread doesn't get all filled up with these comments. Thank you.

All right.

Good tips, Green. I like a mixture of both made up and already existing creatures. I think the originality all depends on how you portray the creature. And when you create a new creature, describing is very necessary so your readers can visualize. They do add originality, no one can deny that. *Likes made up creatures*

*Nods* I love using made up creatures, Green. Although it can be hard sometimes, to think them up.

(For those of you wishing to discuss real creatures in a fantasy world, a new thread for that would be awesome, so do feel free to make one! I see an interesting discussion forming there. )


Green, I once took a tiger like creature, and made it have red eyes that glowed, a distinctive foul odour about it, and the ability to run amazingly fast. That was a bit different. And I also have made up some new creatures in Tevo as well. It's fun to be creative with your imagination, I think.

Yes it is. I created two creatures (which have threads here in the Bestiary) called the Saraneeks and the Corinths. The Corinths are like a really long Earthly lizard, except it has some strange characteristics, like it's number of eyes. And the Saraneeks are like a really skinny toucans but with a couple of... stranger characteristics.

I saw those. Really interesting ideas. I like the names you have called them as well.

I actually have not introduced any made-up animals into my story. Unless you count the unicorn, which I basically lifted directly out of traditional mythology.

I have designed a kind of dragon, though.

Thank you Elanor!

And that's really cool, Aemi!

That's pretty much what I do. However, I try and keep my creatures scientifically feasible.

That is important, but in fantasy isn't there a little more leeway?

Leeway?

Uhuh. Why are you looking perplexed?

Yes, but I find it fun to keep the creatures somewhat realistic.

I don't know what "leeway" is.

And I guess everybody has their opinions Jonathan.

I guess it means flexibility.

*Nods* Ok, that's cool, Jon. I guess I have some in Tevo that are realistic, and probably some that aren't.

*laughs* I guess it depend on what style of writing you use. I am first and foremost a fantasy writer, but I write in a strict science fiction style. A phrasing I think I made up myself. To me that means that worldbuilding always has to be completely, 100% scientifically realistic.
The only way that changes in regards to fantasy is that the rules of science are up for grabs. I can modify science's rules, but then I have to stick to those rules as if [insert disaster behind your imagination] would occur if I didn't.

I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I wrote something that wasn't feasible.

I don't quite take it that far, but I understand.

*laughs* Thank you.

I think its great to have cool, make-believe creatures, but don't put too many or your reader will have to learn about a whole new biology. I like to add some normal... Earth animals. After all, why change the flawless design of a kitten? KAWIII~! <3

*laughs * I like to rename earth creatures. I have a few, like sheep, which are just sheep, but I have misbras, which are obviously mosquitoes in my book. I describe the animal, or the way in which they are being a pest (blood sucking larvels attach to your legs in the swamp, obviously those are leeches), and my readers can link the creature to the real world thing.

I think that is an excellent way to handle it, Airi. Personally, that was something I struggled with, mixing real with fantasy, and making the sound realistic. Thanks!

You are very welcome.

Haha! I love kittens too. And aren't you trying to say "Kawai"?

I like to add extra 'i's to exaggerate it. xD I sort of didn't know how many 'i's there were in "kawai'. I spell it with two nowadays, or I thought that's how it was spelled.

(OHHH. That's how you spell it! *facepaw*)

I have a species called the Oltiek. They're basically all sorts of hybrids--stuff like the Chimera, only with a variety of other animals. Sometimes two different animals are merged together to form one, or three, or sometimes even four. I haven't developed them much further than that, though.

I usually merge two creatures together when I try to create something odd and monster-like even, so I try to keep the majority of other races similar to a single species. So I'm slowly building up a fan comic for a series. The characters are human, but I'm portraying them all as feline. The majority of them are normal cats such as tigers and servals and whatnot, but other characters, such as demons or spirits, are griffens or manicores. So there's a line between regular animals and mythological ones.

That's one system I follow anyway. Sometimes I use more than just one group of animals. In one story I have birds and dragons and all sorts of other animals. I have to get really creative to get something to stand out if I want it to appear monster-like in comparison to the other races.

I often use real animals from earth. I usually find out which new species have been found...it's interesting, there are so many animals that are weird in their own way, like the animals that live in extreme conditions....there are lots of ways to be creative..

You could also use extinct animals ..creatively taking certain aspects from them and coming up with your own imaginative beast or creature..

Agreed. I love making dinosaur-dragon hybrids. :3

Maybe it is because I watched way too much Animal Planet when I was a kid, but I use a method similar to these when making up creatures. Just know that I don't do it all that often. If I was in the mood to make up a creature I would do the following:
1. I would start with where it is my creature lives, asking questions about the climate. Is it hot or cold? Dry or wet? Lots of sun or a little?
I also might ask what sort of vegetation is around. Are there lots of trees? Is it a great grassy plain? Are they in the mountains with those little stunted shrubs?
2. Then I take a general animal kingdom to start with, and you can pick extremes if you want. So, do I want reptiles who live in the snow, or an amphibian, or maybe a hybrid?
3. Once I've decided I might look at some unusual examples of these types of creatures in our world. Aka, I would poke around on Wikipedia for a while, looking at pictures.
4. Then I would move into the ways the creature might survive in its environment. If it is an extreme environment then it is more fun to think of ways they might battle the elements. Asking questions about where it lives, what it eats, how it reproduces, whether or not it lives in groups, and how it escapes predators can be helpful.
So lets say it is a frog that lives in the high snow covered peaks of the Whatsitcalled Mountains. I might give them thick skin and some sort of digging legs that can make little burrows in the snow. I might give them a pale coloring for camouflage. I might let them have glands that let them secrete an acidic liquid which reacts with the snow to make pools in which to raise their young. Then I might use that same liquid as a means of hunting for rodents that bury themselves deep under the snow. I think you get the idea.
5. This step could come in handy earlier on, but I don't usually think about it until I have the creature at least partially created in my head. Anyway, I would think of why I'm making up this creature at all. Do I need a strange source of food in a desperate climate where my characters are escaping to? Am I adding another level of danger to a hostile environment? Is it something that the characters hate or admire? Is it a symbol of a nation?
6. Then I would ask in what way do the intelligent beings of the world interact with these creatures on a day to day basis. Do the people in those mountains eat these frogs? Do they use the acid for something? Can the hide be used for clothing? Are they big enough to ride around on? Can they be domesticated?
7. All throughout these steps the visuals of my creature are developing for me. The coloring comes either for camouflage or for mating rituals. The size is so large because a human has to be able to ride it. I'm getting these funny pictures of people riding around on giant snow frogs flashing through my mind.

Anyway, I hope those tips help anyone who is working on a creature.

Those frogs sound awesome. ._.

And that's all I have to say. xD

That's a great post! I'm going to have to refer to it when making new creatures. I've never come across a system for making them that seemed as helpful before.

Wow, this is great stuff. It helped me, I must say...

Thanks guys! Glad you liked my thoughts. I love brainstorming out ideas with people if they ever want any help with these (or other) sorts of things. Just let me know.

Thanks, I now know what to say on my next Bestiary post.

After seeing a lot of cool pictures of Gryphon hybrids, my thought is if you don't want normal things, mix all of the birds with all of the mammals.

Hummingbird/mice

Cardinal/foxes

Cockatiel/Lemurs

I thought about doing this, but it would require creating another world on top of the others I already have to worry about.

That would make for some unique combinations.

My favorite, of course, is the Secretary Cheetah, but there are just so many combos to do!

That would be a nice one.

Haha, that's why this is in the fantasy forum XD