Underused Fantasy Settings

Are you tired of standard medieval settings? What do you mean, there aren't really that many of those? Shut up and say yes. Now that we all agree, here are some settings that can set your story apart from the vulgar crowd.

1. Crisis of the third century
2. Caveman times
3. Truck stop bathroom
4. The secret world of pottery
5. Reverse Ecuador
6. Scatlantis
7. Resort town (no volcano)

The Power of Imagination

For instance, my imagination will fill it with knights and mechs so long as you don't write "absolutely no knights or mechs." I'm kidding, of course. I'll imagine them anyway. Using this method, you can create personalized works for maximum reader enjoyment.

Innovative Formats

From now on, instead of writing a book, just post an outline. Our imaginations will fill it out.

Exclusive Information!

The lord's name is Anthony.

The Bad Hill

No one liked living near a hill where sheep refused to graze, and if the villagers were unsure the birds curved through the air so as not to fly above it, they all agreed they would do just that if they had wings instead of legs. Still, the best houses have the worst neighbors, and nothing ever came from it.
The villagers kept up that attitude until they heard the sound, which some likened to a collapsing mine and others to a ship torn apart by rocks, depending on where their feet had taken them during their lives. The noise startled everyone of course, and every animal too for miles around, but there was nothing to be done about it besides argue about what it sounded like, and in any case it only happened once.
Till it happened again, twice in the same week, then four times, then twice in a day. That was too much for the most patient. The villagers got together and picked Guy to go ask the lord to do something, since he knew how to ride a horse and had even been a scout in some army once. He rode off and rode back, and said the lord told him to let everyone know he would look into it.
By that time they were sure the sound was coming from the bad old hill because they got to hear it a few times per day. The ground started shaking after that, and the whole village was talking about sending Guy back to beg the lord not to put them off when a man came.
A man and some followers, that is. He said he was one of the lord's knights, and they all believed it because he was holding a spear that looked so different from any spear any villager had ever seen that it seemed rude to call it one. The shaft might not even have been wood, and the head might not have been metal if the people who saw it change color were honest.
The knight said his name was Terence and the lord gave him that spear after extensive research showed it was just the right thing for the matter. He asked where the sound came from and was pointed to the Shundil, as they called that bad old hill, so he climbed up there, but not so easily as that. By that time the shaking was throwing people around unless they were careful or even dropped to their knees. The knight's pride was in his service, so he crawled up the hill on his hands and knees all the way to the top, where he stood tall, held the spear tip down, and thrust it as hard as he could.
The spear went in almost to the end of the shaft, and the sounds and the shaking stopped just like that, with no last finale or trailing off. The hill showed a sign though when some stuff started coming out of the spear hole, and nobody could decide if it had to be blood or had not to be. The stuff ended up covering the entire hill for a while, and the villagers told Terence everyone should call him the Knight of the Red Boots from then on. He laughed about it. He and the people were polite to each other afterwards, and he left richer by a good weight of good wishes.
As for the hill, the sheep will graze there these days even though the grass is all red, and birds fly over all the time to look at the red flowers, and the villagers called it Redhill from that day on.
Finis

The Passage of Ages

To think that the Yaiba guy has been the Conan guy for some ninety years now. Really makes you think.

Did You Know

. . . that the Yaiba people are talking about these days isn't the Yaiba by the Conan guy? It's true!

Real World Precedent

After all, there are stage magicians in our world where we have the magic of courage and friendship.

Discussion Corner

Is it less likely a world with magic would have stage magic? Why? It's not like fireballs make saw tricks any less fun. They probably just wouldn't call it magic, which is fine since we already have other words for it.

Latest Greatest

Out: Ringed planets
In: Stage magicians

The Way Forward

There's been a lot of stagnation in the literary world, which means a new trend is coming. What will it be? Fiction told entirely in the future perfect tense. That will have gotten readers more invested in the proceedings and increased the word count without the need for food descriptions.

Mysteries of Fashion

The latest fashion mystery! Why is Hitherside, that nobody-and-nothing town, that favorite retirement spot of bulbous fish oil sellers with too much time on their hands and too much money in their cushions, suddenly producing wild designs we just can't stop praising? You can sit there and ask while I go and answer, because Calp the fashion investigator always solves it!
I arrived there and saw plenty of fathers dressed like grandpas and children dressed like grandma's smelly dolls just like we all used to expect from Hitherside, but don't think Hither fashion is for foreign consumption only. I found a livelier specimen named Tnapp with some of those broad cuffs and superfluous buttons we like to see who told me a local cult was responsible. Those Hithersiders have their jokes, don't they? I got a more helpful tip from a party favorite her parents attacked with the name Fnore, who told me the clothier Sment was the only one she trusted with Friday and Saturday's body-coverers.
Sment was happy to talk. Too much time on their hands, remember? That wasn't always true, he told me, but since business turned baskets-and-tubs he added more assistants than he knew what to do with. They came to town and begged to work for him! Maybe you fashion fiends aren't surprised, but Sment sounded like he just saw a taxman apologize for the trouble. His story was that customers saw some special orders he had out and demanded more of the same. Whose special orders? A local cult! I guess Tnapp wasn't giving me the funny falsos after all.
Now I won't tell you how I found the next subject because I don't want any of you taking my situation here. I'll only say that before long I was talking to a cultist who asked for reasons of privacy if I could refer to him only as Adherent of Azure. I think he enjoyed that a little too much, but the source is king, so I let it stand. He told me the cult's been having real problems because outsiders keep stealing their designs. They're trying to set themselves apart from the cheek-to-cheeks, after all. You don't want to go around asking people if they're in the same cult as you. Clear visual signs, that's the way. They keep having meetings and voting on new styles, and a week later every publication has diagrams. Don't you feel terrible for them?
I don't! I feel great, because I solved it again. Till next time, keep starching those shoulders. I will, and I'm Calp, the fashion investigator.
Finis

Important Reminder

You can't spell knight without ht, which stands for hot to trot. Trotting is what horses do, sometimes.

Addendum

Which Titus Flavius Vespavianus didn't say that quotation? Does it matter? I submit that it does not.

Profound Quotations

"A cult is a religion with better fashion sense." - Titus Flavius Vespasianus

Q&A

Q. What's the difference between a religion and a cult?
A. Cults are way cooler.

History Corner

Did you know the Roman army used swords? The internet seems to be confused on this point.

Words That Are Too Ugly To Live

Goblet
Gable
Eructation
Quotidian
Halfpenny

Divine Invitation

In the land of Hezel, a ceremony of solemn religion took place. The fires burned, the people kneeled, and the high priest's voice rose to heaven itself.
"We beseech you, o god, to bless us and house yourself in this idol. Vimur carved it for you, and it is his finest work. Behold the dragon wings that themselves are wicked as anything. Observe with your divine eyes the idol's six eyes which are so sick I can hardly believe it. Check out these flame decals too, o god."
The entire assembly murmured in agreement with how killer the idol was, but the priest had more to say. "It has two tails, not one, and they're all spiky, o god. Do not ignore its left hand, which is a sweet hook hand. I wish I had one of those, almost as much as I wish for your divine approval. The other hand holds, as you see, a big old hammer that's just ridiculously tough.
"If any god hears our prayers and either looks kind of like this idol or simply appreciates how rad it is, descend and dwell among us. I beseech you."
So he said, and after that day, Hezel became prosperous above all other lands.
Finis

Capitalizing

Diablo is pretty popular, but writing your own Diablo book would probably get you sued. But what about . . . Biadlo? Think about it.

To Elaborate

What you can tell is how much he likes Diablo.

Divided by Terminology

You can tell a lot about a person based on whether he thinks action-RPG means Diablo-clones or Tritorn-clones.

A Level Beyond

But if you want some real retro cred, say something about how Wanderers from Ys ripped off Tritorn.

No Luster Undimmed

That said, the final boss fight and the final boss theme remix are pretty dire. There, retro cred salvaged!

A Considered Opinion

After long reflection and study, I think Ys: The Oath in Felghana might be a better game than Wanderers from Ys.

Passing Through Alwaystree

Food stalls are your salvation when you're in Alwaystree. Yes, that's the town's name. Now you can say the trees don't make more of an impression here than anyone else, but you haven't seen old man Leuth's award-winning pecan trees yet.
No, of course it isn't named after those. There used to be a tree here, or rather, they called it a tree because they didn't know what else to call it. It was tall and dark brown and had branches, but that was it. The trunk was straight, not gnarled, no knots. Nobody could chop it down either, and they sure tried.
They had to build around it in the end. That's a lesson for you, right? Keep being stubborn and they'll adjust. Anyway, it stood for centuries I hear.
Then one day, a man walked into town, right up to the tree. He drew a sword, and that sword looked strange too they said, but nobody there gave much detail. Not a lot of swordsmen around, you could say. He took out that sword and swung it, then the tree fell over. Yes, he cut right through.
Then he leaned over and took something out of the trunk, and some said he put it in the sword's hilt, but I don't know what I think about that. The whole tree disappeared right away. Nothing left.
A little while later word got around about how some hero finally killed Dulonax. Everyone here knew who did it. They didn't have any proof of course, but they knew. They put fruit in these rolls, you know.
Finis

Other Ideas

1) Unlicensed scifi and fantasy match 3
2) Unlicensed scifi and fantasy MOBA
3) Unlicensed scifi and fantasy tower defense
4) Unlicensed scifi and fantasy typing game

Broadening the Playerbase

What kind of collaboration events would such a game have? Hatsune Miku, obviously. Remember that time Miku was turning people into zombies in her magic nightmare kingdom? We all do. After that, Detective Conan. teaming up with non-detective Conan.

You Know the Type

Some guy would save all his summoning currency until his favorite character gets in. Every so often he makes a post with a picture of his enormous stash. "When's Tureck Aarant coming?" Tureck Aarant is never coming. Enjoy your Christmas Severian.