Dorothy
Junior Member (Idle past 4800 days) Posts: 4 Joined: 08-17-2010
|
|
Message 1 of 2 (577323)
08-28-2010 4:11 AM
|
|
|
Hi guys, I resent the idea that the medieval fantasy genre has been taken over by creationism. From Tolkien to The Wheel of Time and George Martin, everything is creationism. I propose a fantasy story with evolutionary origins and NO MAGIC (just alchemy instead, and alchemists instead of wizards). In fact, I have background in creative writing and I finished 2 intensive general biology courses, so I decided to little piece and wondered if people liked it. Tell me what you think. It begins with a professor just having found out about evolution.
quote:
""" Somewhere beyond the edge of reality, in the middle of an isolated swamp, was a little wooden hut, its typical darkness lit only by a few glowbugs of varying shades of yellow and green. Therein, the greatest discovery about life was about to occurr, as the evergrowing findings of fossils and his knowledge about the diversity organisms morphology made the professor realize something.
"This is it!" Cried Alfred, the professor, after drawing a few diverging lines on his chalkboard.
"What?" Asked Jade, surprised, the swamp swordmistress.
"The most beautiful thing I ever realized -- don't you see? This is evolution by natural selection!"
"Come again?"
"You see, Jade, every creature upon this planet hasn't just popped into existence."
"They haven't?"
"Nope. They evolved from a simple beginnings, gradually increasing in complexity."
"Neat."
"Neat indeed, my dear. And what's even neater are the unique societies, relationships, and dependance on one another as they're intertwined throughout the ages and eras. Constantly changing, constantly evolving, for the simple purpose of SURVIVAL!"
"Wait, so evolution isn't about getting stronger, bigger and better? I was half-expecting to have titan grandkids give or take 50 years."
"Not at all! Evolution doesn't work on that rate, and natural selection is a blind watchmaker, it has no foresight. In fact, getting stronger and bigger means you'll have to consume more resources, and it might make you more conspicuous to predators. You better have a good reason for turning that big or evolution will kick you down a notch."
"So creatures can devolve?"
"No no, overtime creatures only maintain the traits that are better for survival."
"I see. Well, you know, it's all very fascinating, but when do I get to kick some fucking ass?" She drew her sword.
"Oh, right. Well, here's the plan for today. I am doing research on mushrooms diversity and their properties. I need you to collect a mushroom for me which I think may have medical use. I have one sample, and I find it has some interesting effects."
"Alright. Where is it?"
"Deep, deep in the forest. In the southern regions. Be careful, you haven't been there and neither did I, so every new territory might hold unexpected dangers. Keep your eyes open, your ears sharp, and your blade as well."
"Naturally...selection."
"Almost," said the professor, "but that still didn't make sense." Jade sat out from the swamp hut, the quaint locality of our story, with its worn-out roads, glowbugs, frogs and typical dampness. Low waterways nearly everywhere you go. Jade was swamp-ready with long boots, a long sword, and light armour with just a bit of scales. She's been helping the professor since forever to explore nature. Though, collecting mushrooms seemed like a boring gig, but she knew that what seems boring grows eventually into a bizarre adventure with a series of unlikely events. She walked through the timber bridges, ducking and avoiding a few goblin arrows on the way, and even grabbing one goblin she spotted hiding behind a bush and fixed him to a tree with his own sword.
As she went deeper and deeper into the southern forest, the trees were getting bigger, and the undergrowth more lush. She looked at the mushroom sample and found a perfect match to one on a tree bark. But just as she was about to pick it up she heard "Hurr!! Who goes there?" Growled an old and low gluttural voice.
Jade flinched.
"What do you think you're doing?" The tree asked, its face-shaped torso expressed anger.
"Wait, you can talk?"
"Yes, I can talk, and I can feel too. Why did you touch me? Do you like to be touched by strangers when you sleep, let alone out of your species (not to mention realm)?
"Uh, sorry about that," stepped back Jade, "I just wanted to collect this mushroom."
"With whose permission, may I ask?"
"Professor Alfred, he's the brainiac of this swamp. He figured out evolution."
"Ahh... so there's a professor here hmm?" Pondered the tree a moment, not minding the evolution referrence. "Maybe we could use his help."
"We?"
As Jade asked that, more and more trees began to move, with cracking sounds all about, they hummed and hurred and look at her with their big yellow-black gemstone-like eyes.
"I see..."
"You see, my dear" explained the old tree, "the Gorks have taken over our forest, and so we ran here."
"Ran?" Furrowed Jade her eyebrow.
"Well, paced very heavily, anyway. The point is, we could use your help. My name is Logwood, by the way."
"Jade... Jade Stourmwind. Follow me, trees....here's something I never thought I'd say." As professor Alfred heard the story he was horrified, but he couldn't help being charmed by the treeants standing outside his hut, and the possible clued they can give him about nature.
"So what'll we do, professor?" Asked Jade.
"This is atrocious," he said. "The treeants live in mutualism with many other species. Without then, many organisms will suffer, and the balance of the southern forest is already undermined."
"This is true," said Logwood. "Indeed. We grow fruits, and provide shelter to many little creatures, and our organic decays are being shed for the fungi to eat...some of them even live on us as you can see. Oh, I heard you're interested in a sample of our famous tea-mushrooms," Logwood picked several mushrooms off his bark and handed it to the professor.
"Thank you kindly," bowed the professor. "I can't wait to examine them. Now Jade, get Redbeard, we have a quest ahead of us."
"Where is Redbeard, anyway?" Asked Jade.
"ARRRRRRRRRRR!!! Grind me some grog ye bellyachin' cardboard-eatin' daffodils!!! Where thar be a quest, thar be a Redbeard!" Cried a mohocked redbearded eye-patched dwarf as he stormed onto the scene.
"Ah...so you're all here," said Alfred confidently and pressed his fingers together to form a perfect triangle. "Good. As you know, the Gorks have taken over the treeants forest at the southern edge of the swamp. You must vanquish them back into their mountainous corners."
"Ahhh...a gory guts-rentchin' limb-cuttin' fireblazin' show O' death n' destruction?" Readied Redbeard his axe with the most evil of golden-tooth lopsided grins. "What rrr we waitin' ferr??" (to be continued) """
Edited by Dorothy, : No reason given.
|
™ Version 4.2