The Big Help Each Other Thread

[chaoticmythboy]

Thank you both for the water teleporter ideas I had never heard of Krojemanchen so it was cool to learn about one that is new to me. Im still going continue to look for what creature in my project is supposed to have that ability as well.

Im inclined to agree that most of those creatures do not need to be made into slimes and many of them do have interesting qualities going on already.
But Gaw Gaw/Kaw Kaw truly is a slime and im sure there are a few other monsters out there that are other slimes.
I don't subtract from or completely change creatures in my project however my vision is to extend what modern fantasy has started into a complete mythological world, I do mean it to be as pure of a mythology based project as possible however I do want to include this one familiar archetype.

each persons vision is their own I couldnt make cherufe, hiqumemon, globsters, or dorotabo into slimes because I dont envision most of them that way but i do however feel archetypes are necessary. if I include archetypes for dragons, unicorns, and succubi for example i can focus more time for lore and art for the main creature as well as the dragons, unicorns, and succubi that stand out in a fully unique way beyond the archetype.

[Valravn]

Sept 8, 2018 18:35:44 GMT WannabeDemonLord said:

Most of those slime ideas aren't going to work, at least not if you're concerned about mythological accuracy on any level above "I'm going to slap a mythological name onto something that doesn't really resemble it so that it can have the illusion of authenticity when really what I want to include is some kind of modern archetype that doesn't exist in a myth."

Honestly, trying to come up with mythical equivalents to all the modern fantasy monster archetypes is really the wrong way to go. Not to say that there aren't many valid reasons to alter a creature from mythology, but you're really trying to fit square pegs into round holes that way. It doesn't work, and really makes it seem like your use of mythical terms is just an aesthetic choice and you haven't done the proper research. Besides which, trying to make creatures like the Cherufe, Orang Minyak, and Berberoka into slimes is really far less interesting than their actual, mythological, selves. You're basically taking away everything that makes the creature cool and unique to trying to turn it into an archetype we've seen a million times.

I'm sorry, but this is just one of my major pet peeves when it comes to creature design.

He asked for those subtypes, I gave some ideas about what could be possible, Cherufe and Dorotabo are elementals in my own project, same with the plant-based creatures. Orang Minyak and Nurikabe are the only slimes in my own project from that list, I don't share your vision on the orang minyak being interesting otherwise, the others more so.

I do think it is funny that you think that way, as the Imp/Goblin with the pocket-dimension-of-fire and the abaia being a giant frilled shark isn't really accurate as well... But i don't mind that types of changes, I like everybody's view on the creatures, slime, plant or otherwise. My project is called something with mythology, so I don't want original monster ideas in there, only names taken from mythology, the only creatures I avoid are religious Gods. Most of my creatures have a link to their original myths though, either in the form of an ability, look or back-story. But yes, some creatures are changed into different subtypes, I already knew people gonna have most beef with the oozes and plants in my project, as those are rare in myths. 

And I happen to love searching for types of creatures that are unique and which can resemble monsters from D&D and other sources, I think that is lots of fun. 

BTW Chaoticmyth, my Knucker and Mhalla lost their water-teleporting ability, I do now use the Krojemanchen as water teleport bogey, I found some new sources on this creature, which were pretty awesome. 

[WannabeDemonLord]

I really don't understand this. If you want to use only mythical creatures, then use only mythical creatures. What you're doing is claiming to use mythical creatures, but really, what you have are so far removed from the myth that they don't even count anymore. You really want to use modern archetypes, but for some reason, you feel compelled to use mythical creatures exclusively, so you're trying to use only mythical creatures while using non-mythical creatures as well. That really doesn't work. The Orang Minyak is not a slime. If you call a slime an Orang Minyak, that doesn't make it one. That doesn't make your slime something from mythology. If you don't like the Orang Minyak, don't use it, but don't make it something it's not. And honestly, that's another big issue I have with your setting; you don't like most mythical creatures. What you like are a few select ones, and you like having a mythical aesthetic, so you slap names onto your real passion; modern RPG monsters. Mythika is so far removed from any actual mythology, even from an "all myths are true" sense, that it doesn't count as a mythology-based project. All the mythological aspects are just skin deep.

And yes, there are valid reasons to change up a monster. For the Achkay, there just wasn't much information available, so I altered it a bit to make it more of a whole concept, and to fill its own conceptual niche. Had there been more info available, I would have used that information and not made the changes so drastic. For the Abaia, I just interpreted it being a "giant eel" as meaning a creature resembling an eel, but not necessarily being one taxonomically, i.e. a frilled shark. That's not a big change, and it was inspired by Bestiary 4's artwork of the creature. So I'm not saying that there aren't reasonable ways to alter a creature, but when you take a creature with an established lore, like the Orang Minyak, and slap its name onto something that doesn't even resemble it, that's just cheating. And if you do find a creature that fits a niche, or can aesthetically be altered a little to do so (I've done that many times with descriptionless bogeys) that's great. But these in name only creatures hardly count. If you noticed, one of the easiest ways to piss off a fan of something's source material (in this case, mythology), is to adapt in a way that doesn't begin to resemble the original. You know that infamous scene in the first Wolverine movie when Deadpool was made into a mouthless hybrid monster? That's what you're doing with many, I'd even say a majority, of your mythical creatures.

I'm not going to argue this any further, but just understand, if you're going to make drastic changes to the source material like that, the source material's enthusiasts (such as myself) aren't going to like the results.  So I would actually suggest marketing this not to fans of mythology at all, but just too generalized fantasy people.

[Valravn]

Generalized fantasy people are the people that I prefer actually, I have nothing with ?purists?/Don'tKnowWhatToCallThem of any form, my project is mostly for fun and for myself, but I share it with around 2200 people on tumblr who seem to like it as well, call them generalized fantasy people if you like, I love finding such people with the same interest as myself.

And why you think I hate most myth monsters? I only really dislike mermaids and hippogriff, I just don't use 10.000 (similar) humanoids/sasquatch/gnomes in my project, that doesn't say anything about me hating on those creatures, I just like balance.
I love mythology, I love fantasy, this is my own project, I'm not gonna change because some people think some/most of my monsters are bad and are a disgrace to the cultures, while they actually do like Paizo's versions of the creatures or creaturecodex, which also often changes mythology creatures around until I don't recognize them anymore (Not that I mind, I actually love it as it gives me new inspiration and makes me review the creatures)
Like you, I also have a love for mythology books and products, this is just my project mythika, it isn't something I'm going to publish or anything, it will be forever in my own mind and on tumblr, maybe that one day I can find somebody who does some artwork though.
And yes I love mixing up my many hobbies; animals, RPG games, Mythology, Cryptids, movies, monsters, dinosaurs and gemstones into one project. Am I a criminal for that? 

I watched through my own list, and I'm 100% sure most people that know some mythology will recognize like 95% of my monsters easily, the difficult 5% are the monsters like Awahondo, Berberoka, Marmarjor and Zarronco, creatures that have VERY vague (or in the case of Berberoka, multiple) descriptions. And like you said yourself with the Achkay, some creatures scream to gain some fluff.
I think you have a problem with like 1% of my monsters who I connected with D&D creatures and demons (they still do look VERY different from those monsters), such as the Chort, Druj Nasu, Kugdlughiak, Tsenahale, Yuxa, Aghash and Ookempam, and some 1% which I made up a story about which made them be named after Gods, like Nike and Cagn, I've seen a lot more people do the same actually, they are still easily recognizable though.

Orang Minyak, while people would easily recognize this creature as it's game-sprite would actually be 100% like most pictures I see online about them, is removed from my project, not because of you disliking it, but because you made me re-view my list, and I actually think the black-tarry rapist isn't as interesting as my second black ooze creature (the Ink Yokai, Suzuri No Tamashii)

[Sindran]

Looking for an ogre (I think?), can't remember which culture it came from but it has three different colored eyes that kill in a similar manner to a basilisk. I *think* it had a horn and stubs for arms rather than hands, but that bit is blurry. Anyone have any ideas?

[WannabeDemonLord]

Unfortunately I don't, which is a shame because that sounds totally awesome. Do you know what general world region it may have come from?

[Sindran]

Ah, I found it! Cuegle

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuegle

web.archive.org/web/20070412155610/http://www.cantabriajoven.com/mitologia/seres.html

[WannabeDemonLord]

Oh yes, the Cuegle! If you had said three arms, I probably would have guessed it. Those things are really bizarre and cool.