Thenew... What is it?

Seriously, what is it?

Well,
Thenew is a... project I suppose it could be called, that I've been working on for... uh, probably a year or so? I really don't know.

Anyway, Thenew is the name of a world. And that world is where I plan to set a series of books. Not some classic (or should I say cliché? ) book about humans. Not even some cheesy one about animals that already exist. Nor some book about dragons or gryphons. The main characters -- or species -- on Thenew are called... *drumroll*

...er...

...well, I'm not sure what they're called. I'm not really sure about anything about Thenew. Not even how long I've been working on it. The series that will be set on Thenew doesn't even have a name. So I call it Thenew as well.

I really need work on that -- minor detail as it is.

Anyway, the major/main species on Thenew (and really the only one not stolen from earth) look a bit like lions with horns.

Here's a picture.














Yup... that's roughly what they look like... I think. At the moment they're called Sials. Or Liliths... I'm not sure... both names suck. And, just like everything else about Thenew, I'm not sure if they'll stay looking like this, or stay as Sials or Liliths. Everything on Thenew is bound to change. In fact, Thenew used to be called Theern.

...I think. Maybe that was what the horned lion-thingies were called.

Anyway, after that Thenew went by Theyag, then New Theyag, Then, for a short while, New New Theyag. Then it was called Thenew.

The good news is I doubt Thenew will be changing as much in the future. I think it's almost finished.

I think.

The one thing that hasn't changed about Thenew is where it is.

You may be thinking: but wait, I thought you said Thenew was a planet? Or did you say it was a series? Wasn't it a series based on a planet? Could a series be based on a planet. Or would it be based on a planet? But then how wou--

Let's just stop that train of thought because it's not going anywhere anyway.

What I mean by where Thenew is, is where Thenew is in it's solar system. I mean galaxy.... or something. I'm no expert on that stuff. Anyway, because it's solar system is close to the middle of it's galaxy (I think I got that right), at night, rather then having something like the Milky Way -- a long stripe of stars in the middle of the sky -- it has something called... er, well... again, I don't know. But it looks like a concentrated ring of stars around the horizon, rather then a stripe in the middle of the sky.

Thenew also has two moons, called Ethian and Tseg, though those names are bound to change. I would change them right now if I was feeling creative. Anyhow, because Thenew has two moons, it can sometimes have fairly severe... weather? On a double new moon (double new and full moons occur roughly every 8 months, alternating between double new and double full moons), Thenew often has very bad weather. Weird tides, earthquakes, volcanoes errupting, ETC. On Double full moons, in which both moons are full, there are no earthquakes and it is by far the safest time of the year. And the added light makes it easy to see in the dark to hunt.

So, this is what their sky looks like usually.















With or without moons.















But now, more about the Sial/Lilith/Horned-lion-thingies.

They started out as this:


















Then they lost the horns and looked like this for a while:




















Then I thought that the hornless version was unoriginal, so I made them moreso, and they lost the mohawk:























I briefly considered changing them to look like this (not the best idea I've ever had):



















Then they changed into this:





















For a while they alternated between having a mane and not having one:






















Then they alternated between having horns or not:






















Then I decided to add both a mane and a pair of horns:


















And then their horns straightened out and they became the final current version.

So, basically, they went from this:




















To this:




















So, all that really changed was the length of their horns and mane. And the quality of the drawing. Heh...

Anyway, I pretty much just went in a big circle. But at least the end result is pretty.

...

Actually, I'm still considering of changing them. Giving them a longer mane or a shorter one or none at all, and changing the shape of their horns and their number of legs. But I think I'm at least getting close to getting finished with their design. Hopefully.

But I'm not finished with telling you about the Sials. I haven't told you about their folklore or culture.

∙ The Sials believe that the two moons circling Theyag are the god and goddess -- when they are together, on a double full moon, they guard the world. But every so often both of them leave, on a double new moon, evil forces can get to Theyag, wreaking havoc.

∙ They believe all creatures have a soul, and all stars are souls that have died and not yet been reincarnated. No soul is particularly evil or good, because once freed from their former body, souls don't really have a personality. One soul might be a particularly cruel Sial in one life, and in the next life, a kind one. A soul might even be a bird in one life, and a fish in another. A female in one life, a male in another. And... well, you get the point.

∙ They also believe that shooting stars are souls being reincarnated -- probably because of the appearance of a comet in late winter -- the time when most cubs are born.

∙ Leaders and healers will often give gifts of sculpted clay or 'Softstone' to the gods, sometimes mixing in herbs like Silvermint (the Sial equivalent of Catnip) or Honeyfern and many others.

∙ Sials have a sort of code/written language that they sometimes use to write messages to other packs or persons.

∙ They also have a spoken language. If you could call it that. I don't have the patience to transilate every single word into Sialithian or whatever it would be called. Their spoken language is made up of very few words and mainly used for names and sometimes spoken by leaders or healers in prayers or the like. Most elders know it, and most younger hunters know a few words of it -- mainly the swears.

Now, about the Plants and Animals on Thenew

I'll keep this quick, but basically, every creature on Thenew is the same as on earth except for the Sials. So original, right?! Same goes for plants. Except for any plants that I've invented because I needed to invent them because I don't even know most of the herbs that actually exist.

Oh, I forgot. You may be wondering what Thenew actually looks like.

Well, the place in which the story will be set will probably be a rainy, cool-weather place. There will be mountain ranges with snow, there are four seasons (meaning that there is a winter with snow, a spring with growing things, a warm summer and a fall in which all the trees turn orange), and the majority of the landscape is covered in thick, green forests. What is not forest is rocky, mossy hillside. So I guess Thenew might be like a cross between England and Pennsylvania -- maybe a bit like a Cloud Forest, except with snow, and not quite as high up in elevation. And maybe with not as many giant spiders and centipedes. *Shudder*

Anyway, I think that's about it. I'm pretty sure I've explained as best I can all I can think of to explain about Thenew. And I've caught up on what I've created, as well... which means I'll be able to actually write Thenew soon. Hurray!

If anyone reads this, and cares, and has questions to ask, I'll gladly answer them.

P.S.
Don't steal Thenew. All of this is my art and my idea. And if anyone were to try and steal my ideas, they'd be in a lot of trouble.

Well, that was a suprisingly short post, for how long it took to make.