Appendix N
The art and media that inspires me to make stuff:
Animals and Other Interesting Organisms
Lichen - Video: Lichens Are Wild!
Cuttlefish - Video: Cuttlefish Mimics Being Female To Mate
Shoebill Stork - Video of the machine-gun-like sound they make
Anglerfish - Your Life as an Anglerfish
Pando tree - Clone Aspen Forest
Snails - Podcast episode on their wild sex lives
Novels
Book of the New Sun (1980-1983) and The Fifth Head of Cerberus (1972) by Gene Wolfe
A Wizard of Earthsea (1968) by Ursula K. Le Guin
Elric of Melniboné (1972) by Michael Moorcock
The Fifth Season (2015) by N. K. Jemisin
Lilith's Brood / Xenogenesis Trilogy (1987-1989) by Octavia Butler
The Culture series (1987-2012) by Iain M. Banks
City of Bones (1995) by Martha Wells
House of Suns (2008) and Pushing Ice (2005) by Alastair Reynolds
The Expert System's Brother (2018) and Children of Time (2015) by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Neuromancer (1984) by William Gibson
The Hobbit (1937) by J. R. R. Tolkien
All Tomorrows (2003) by C. M. Kösemen
Comics/Manga
Blame! (1997-2003) by Tsutomu Nihei
Uzumaki (1998-1999) and Tomie (1987-2000) by Junji Ito
Saga (2012-Present) by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Kill Six Billion Demons (2013-Present) by Tom Parkinson-Morgan
Films
Stars Wars (1977) directed by George Lucas
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) directed by Steven Spielberg
Jaws (1975) directed by Steven Spielberg
Akira (1988) directed by Katsuhiro Otomo
Tremors (1990) by Ron Underwood
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1982) and Castle in the Sky (1986) by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli
Mandy (2018) directed by Panos Cosmatos
Mad God (2021) directed by Phil Tippett
Blood Machines (2019) directed by Seth Ickerman
TV
Trigun (1998) by Yasuhiro Nightow and Madhouse
Cowboy Bebop (1998) by Sunrise
Scavengers Reign (2023) by Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner
Firefly (2002-2003)
Patriot (2015-2018) by Steve Conrad
The Sandbaggers (1978-1980) by Ian MacKintosh
Video Games
Shadow of the Colossus (2005) by Fumito Ueda and Team Ico
Sable (2021) by Shedworks
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017) by Nintendo
Rain World (2017) by Videocult
Tabletop Games
Electric Bastionland by Chris McDowall
Troika! Numinous Edition by Melsonian Arts Council
Vaults of Vaarn by Leo Hunt
The Electrum Archive by Emiel Boven and Ava Islam
Ciarn by Yochai Gal
Spellburn and Battlescars by Ghost Crew Press
Mothership and A Pound of Flesh by Tuesday Knight Games
Offworlders by Chris P Wolf
Thousand Thousands Islands by Zedeck Siew and Mun Kao
Blogs & Articles
Bastionland - The ICI Doctrine: Information, Choice, Impact (September 17, 2018)
DIY & Dragons - Landmark, Hidden, Secret (October 8, 2019)
Sly Flourish - Lazy GM Resource Document - Creating Secrets and Clues
Failure Tolerated (Sean McCoy) - The Bottom Line (February 15, 2024) and Writing Rooms in Pairs (January 16, 2026)
YouTube Videos
My Minimalist Dungeon Terrain & Minis! by Chaoclypse
Mistcast and Trent Holbrook - Model Making
Zan Von Zed - Sculpting
Beyond the Blight by gameyy builds - Model Making and Worldbuilding
The Gutterlands by Bill Making Stuff - Model Making and Worldbuilding
The Wild Imaginary West by Boylei Hobby Time - Model Making and Worldbuilding
Monstergarden - Art and Worldbuilding
Eternal Ruins - Art and Worldbuilding
Leading a Creative Life by Matthew Colville
Failing to Fail: The Spiderweb Sofware Way - GDC Talk
DOOM: Behind the Music - GDC Talk
Dwarf Fortress Creator Explains its Complexity & Origins | Noclip Interview
Who’s Afraid of Modern Art: Vandalism, Video Games, and Fascism by Jacob Geller
Speaking Proto-Indo-European (with Dr. Andrew Byrd) by Dr. Jackson Crawford
Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age | Guitar Moves Interview
Alien Ocean by The Octopus Lady - Strange Marine Biology
Moth Light Media - Unusual Animal Evolution
Music
House of Circles music video (2012) by mr. Gnome
Nonagon Infinity (2016), Murder of the Universe (2017), and Infest the Rats' Nest (2019) by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Zebulon Sessions (2020) by Ty Segall
Naturality (2017) by ORB
Dreams (1968) by Gábor Szabó
Dopesmoker (2003) by Sleep
Caravans to Empire Algol (1994) by Neptune Towers
Beastland (2018) by Author and Punisher
Zombie (1976) and Afrodisiac (1973) by Fela Kuti