Aetherworld

So, I've decided to try the Blogging A to Z challenge again. Last year it was drabbles, and I finished in December. This year I'll write about whatever, though I'll try to get in worldbuilding or writing related things primarily. We'll see how it goes. Onwards!

Believe it or not, despite mostly posting and writing unrelated flashfics, there are a few bigger worlds growing in the back of my brain. Most of them are pretty vague yet. Wanting to picture them a bit more clearly I guess is a good reason to write more.

Probably the wildest universe I've dubbed Aetherworld. The basic idea is a universe not filled with nothing, but with something that can support specialised life - yay for space whales! - and even, up to a degree, with the right equipment, oxygen-breathers like us.

Another aspect is that gravity may work differently from "planet" to "planet", meaning there can be flat worlds, or hollow worlds with the inside surface of a sphere being habitable.

Partly it's an exercise in "what if" - change some of the basics, then consider the consequences and build something that is internally consistent - that I like about speculative fiction. There are things I still need to figure out - what does the border between atmosphere and "space" look like, for example.

And then there is the imagery. One of the seeds this idea crystalised around was people sailing into the sky to catch fist-sized stars in fishing net.

Exploring this universe should be fun; it lends itself to stories centering on discovery.

How weird and wild and removed from reality do you like your fantasy, whether it's what you read or what you write?