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Magical forests seem to be an integral part of fantasy. More than any other type of landscape - mountains, deserts, farmland, etc - forests define the fantasy genre. As well as being the home of magical creatures they can almost be a character in their own right. So, what are your favourite fantasy forests? How do you do forests in your work? And how do we keep forests from becoming stale as a fantasy setting when they're used so much.

Forests are, of course, rarer in sci-fi, but they still have their place. In post-apocalyptic sci-fi, for example, forests can be a symbol of the end of humanity's reign over the world. In space opera, far-flung colonies can end up finding that the forests they've settled weren't all that they seemed. So, what are your favourite sci-fi forests? And are there any that measure up in depth and creativity to fantasy forests?

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Salamandrosa, in xer royal purple and golden trimmed armor, leaned against the dull grey wall of the Strike Cruiser. Xe/xem looked down at the new captives. These so called "Mutt-Lord Africanus Americanos," a pitiful race, indeed. They chanted strange phrases in an imperfect enigmatic language. One of them, whom the others had referred to as "Tanisha," seemed particularly fanatic. Weeping, she begins chanting: "Oh lawdy, lawdy Jesus hear my words. Lawd, strike deez raycisist ahh niggaz down. Dey sin n' shi', and dey done want my boy, my only boy, Tariq. Lawd Jesus, protect dat nigga'z ass. He dindu nuffin', amen."

Salamandrosa pondered deeply on their bizarre language... "Ebonics," yuck. To hear it spoken wrenched the soul in unpleasant ways. "It matters not," Salamandrosa thought. Xe moved to the neighboring room, where a fiery captive, Tariq Nasheed, had been chained. The bones, flesh, and skin of xenos and humans alike littered the edges of this temple to Slaanesh. Banners of the Emperors Children, bearing orchestrations of white, gold, and purple lined the walls. Desecrated bodies hung from chains attached to the arched roof, reflecting a weak purple glimmer.

Tariq was bent over, chained to the floor. On his hands and knees. He turned his head, and gazed upon the towering purple warrior. A faint "click," and the warriors snatch hatch clamored to the ground, and down the steps behind him. His neck strained, foreshadowing the sensation to come. Tariq looked forward and downed his head in defeat. He knew what this was, hell, he had written a documentary on it. This was buck breaking. Simple as. Tariq was being colonized. "Fuck you, nigga!" Tariq bellowed. With every ounce of strength he could muster, he yelled and spasmed in volatile physical contractions to no avail. Realizing the futility of his efforts, Tariq spat. The hefty warrior increased his pace. "Nigga, I done posted 15 videos of wyt womyn befo' y'all niggaz got me. You'll never buck break this nigga!"

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>>98731902
>: 'forests'
Good edition.

>>98733936
it is a fucking stupid edition and will be ignored

>>98731955
>So, what are your favourite sci-fi forests?
I'm actually going to answer my own question here and say the forest in Scavenger's Reign. If you haven't seen it, check it out, it's amazing.

>>98733187
>>98733966
Off to a good start I see.

>>98733187
ebin, simply ebin

Almost my day off again.
Can't wait to get back to writing. Had to stop a chapter in the middle right when it was getting fun and haven't really had the time to work on it because of work and life stuff.
Even though I will probably have to re-write it in total when I finish the first draft of part one, I might put a cleaned up version of the first draft on here to get feedback, since it's sort of a new intro chapter to a project I have been working on for like a month or so.

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So I was starting to write a story that I've got a pretty good outline and everything for and then, in the first chapter I hit upon an idea and a dilemma.

The protag was going to be your fairly standard decently good guy, he'd have reasons to push the story forward and interact with the plot and other characters and all...but instead he could dump a body and get a haul of loot, trace free. 'Course he'd have to be quite the sociopath to even consider the path.

But wouldn't that be more interesting the read? Never knowing when/if the calculus in the MC's head on situation/gain would fall against the close friends he keeps (it never would, but the reader doesn't know that)? Wouldn't it be more engaging to watch the parasite as it worms its way into people's good graces and positions of power, all the while they never know exactly what a bastard he actually is?

But I dunno, dumping a body because it's opportunistically good in chapter 1 is sure to turn a lot of people off. I'm not the sort that writes purely for my own pleasure, I'd like to make something people would like to read.

>>98744732
I would like to read that anon. I don't think it needs to be in your face le evil, but I think a character that aligns with the natural state of man is interesting. If something pushes his goals, I would say just do it. I wouldn't even really touch on it, or treat it as immoral when he is looting the body and dumping it. It doesn't need to be some moral dilemma, or something he feels guilty about. "This is something that helps me, and increases the likelihood of achieving what I want, therefore I will do it."

You know your vision.

>>98744732
>>98744975
I realized I didn't even address your problem. I just woke up sorry. Maybe the MC really cares about his friends. Humans have frequently done terrible shit for their own group. I actually think it might make the reader more interested in the rational comes from something good, fundamentally.

"Damn, my buddies are hungry. Well, looky there, some guy hanged himself on that tree.... Hey guys! Cooking this pig I killed."

I mean maybe nothing THAT extreme, obviously, but you get the vibe. And you don't have to structure his character around that trait. His character could be structured around loyalty, nurturing, etc, and it's these positive traits that push him to do fucked up shit. Basically, he still has fundamental human emotions, it's just that for whatever reason he didn't really internalize the moral systems surrounding his society.

Also, it can just be a neat background thing that occurs once in a while. A subtle reminder that hey, this guy kinda has problems in a way.

>>98745024
>>98744975

Yeah, that's the sort of vibe I was thinking would be entertaining to read. Just no moral consideration whatsoever, except where it would affect practical concerns from being seen or likely to be seen. Accepting of any consequences that come from it, too.

What I think is the best consequence of this...is that the mirror of it is basically someone that actually does care about other people and seeks the best for those around them.

>>98745355
dubs of truth

>>98731955
Originally I kinda wanted my setting to be more or less a forest planet, but plans changed and while the planet is still dominated by forest it has other biomes as well.

Still trying to work out a forest dominated planet that doesn't have any oceans though.

>>98745024
I think it's an interesting dynamic. I've written characters of this sort myself.
>
A cheeky grin crossed the scout's face, taking pleasure in teasing Madeline's sense of propriety. "I'm just saying, we're both beautiful. Between my brains and his brawn, it's good material to work with."
Even as her sister seethed at this lewd candor, the single working gear in the barbarian's head turned at stuttering speed. Most men would have been eager to encourage this discussion, but he seemed troubled somehow. His eyes bounced from each side of his sclera like a pendulum counting time. A dozen times, two dozen. Soon (for him), he had settled on a question. "But what if they get my brains and your brawn?"
Capucine pondered this. "...There's always a market for dumb, pretty slaves," she said in a joking tone. Her sister didn't find it humorous in the slightest, furrowing her brow in fury and placing one hand on the hilt of her sword.
"You ought to be spayed." Madeline hissed. "Like a cat."
"I don't think she would make much of a meal," Zenlac mused, inspecting the lady thief from head to toe. It was a short distance to cover.
The sisters looked at him, both confused. He stared back, equally disoriented.
"...Method of cooking?" The hillman double checked.
"Spaying is..." Madeline shook her head. "We'll discuss that later.'
Capucine's head rested at an angle, amused confusion covering her face. "You eat cats?"
"He was considering eating YOU!" the blonde balked.
"I mean, she's your sister." Zenlac shrugged. "If you were offering... Seemed kind of disrespectful to refuse." Madeline looked at him, eyes boggled and lost for words.
"I think I've changed my mind," Capucine raised her hands in defeat. "Let's move on."
The barbarian was unfazed as ever. "All's well that ends well," he said.

>>98748697
They continued climbing in silence for a period. Wind howled on the mountainside, marking the crevices and outcropping in a faint dialogue of its own. Madeline gazed on the distant sun, hidden partly by cloud cover and thus open to the naked eye.
"Why NOT cats?" Zenlac eventually asked. "Sure, they're a little stringy, but that's nothing a good broth can't fix."
Capucine reeled back and crinkled her nose in disgust. "Ew."
"What?" He barked defensively. "They're a viable source of food. In cities they're everywhere. They just need a little cleaning." Even as Madeline cringed alongside her twin*, the wandering warrior continued in blissful ignorance. "Skinning them is the hardest part, but boil down their bones and..."
"Please stop," the party leader raised her hands.
"Okay." He shrugged. "Just don't get too picky, yeah?"
"Agreed," the shieldbearer waved through it so that this horrid discussion would come to a close.

*fraternal twin, this would be obvious earlier in the narrative but specifying in the middle of the line is awkward