AI excels at creating fantasy and fictional worlds. In this newsletter, I wanted not only to showcase that potential but also to experiment with it.
So, I asked ChatGPT to generate prompts for fictional world-building — deliberately excluding anything from or influenced by the Marvel universe. The images you see here are the ones I selected. In this context, the artist takes on the role of a curator — and while that may seem simple, it actually involves making many decisions and organizing a vast landscape of possibilities and directions.
Each of these prompts could serve as the foundation for fictional writing, inspiring the creation of characters, cultures, and ways of life. I hope you’ll join me in exploring this wide-reaching world of fantasy:
Here are 12 prompts for creating original fictional worlds — entirely free of Marvel influences:
1. “A floating island archipelago suspended above a vast ocean, connected by glowing bridges of energy, where the inhabitants live in crystal towers and harvest the sky’s energy”
2. “A dense, enchanted forest where the trees are sentient, communicating through the movement of their branches, and the forest floor glows with bioluminescent mushrooms and strange wildlife”
3. “A medieval kingdom built on the edge of a colossal waterfall, with towering castles carved into the cliffs, and villagers using intricate water wheels and aqueducts to power their society”
4. “A vast desert world where nomadic tribes build their homes on the backs of enormous, slow-moving creatures, with lush oases hidden deep in the shifting dunes”
5. “A hidden city within the clouds, where the buildings are made of translucent glass and light, and the inhabitants navigate between floating islands using skyships”
6. “An ancient world submerged in water, where forgotten cities lie beneath the ocean’s surface, and people live in air pockets within coral reefs, using aquatic creatures to travel between settlements”
7. “A sprawling canyon village where homes and marketplaces are carved into the rock walls, and colorful banners flutter in the wind as merchants sell goods from distant lands”
8. “A peaceful valley where time moves slowly, and the inhabitants live in harmony with elemental spirits that govern the seasons, bringing lush greenery, snowfall, or autumn leaves as they pass through”
9. “A vibrant coastal city where the streets are canals, and people travel by gondolas. Enchanted sea creatures occasionally rise from the depths to interact with the inhabitants”
10. “A vast, underground labyrinth of glowing crystals and hidden chambers, where ancient civilizations once thrived, and explorers now seek out forgotten knowledge and treasures”
11. “A world of floating lanterns and bamboo forests, where people live in treetop villages, and giant mythical birds protect the sky from dark, swirling storms below”
12. “A vast tundra where nomadic tribes follow the migration of shimmering herds of magical beasts, setting up ephemeral camps that vanish with the first hint of a snowstorm”
These prompts explore a range of environments, societies, and elements of fantasy to build rich, diverse fictional worlds.
The two daily images continue to be posted regularly on the blog. And to illustrate today’s newsletter, I’ve created a video featuring the images along with their prompts.
