u/az0rein

will be posting more of these in the future! I also wanted to share this on another subreddit too [:

EDIT: oops. Looks like the formatting is only good for discord… I also post stuff on a brand new substack for this (like journal POVs or future indexes)!
——

Sharing some thoughts and ideas for a world/concept! The catastrophic event still needs a better name…

# The Faux Big Bang

Earth reached its breaking point after centuries of climate instability, increasing solar radiation, and escalating natural disasters.

The culmination of these events triggered what later became known as the **Faux Big Bang**—a planetary event that accelerated biology itself.

Instead of sterilizing Earth, it caused evolution to erupt.

* Plants spread uncontrollably across continents.

* New species appeared almost overnight.

* Existing organisms rapidly mutated and adapted.

* Intelligence began emerging throughout nature.

---

# Humanity's Survival

Long before the world collapsed, one entrepreneur predicted that Earth's ecosystem was approaching an irreversible tipping point.

Ridiculed as a scammer and conspiracy theorist, he founded a company specializing in privately owned survival bunkers.

As conditions worsened, public opinion shifted.

Investment poured into his company until it became a worldwide monopoly, allowing him to fund the largest engineering project in human history:

An interconnected civilization beneath the Earth's surface.

Because of him, humanity—and much of Earth's original biodiversity—survived.

---

# The Underground

Generations later, humanity no longer lives on the surface.

Beneath the Earth exists a massive network of cities connected by transportation systems, infrastructure, and artificial ecosystems.

Despite living underground, civilization continues to thrive.

Technology has advanced dramatically, creating a society adapted entirely to subterranean life.

There are everyday jobs, corporations, entertainment, sports, fashion, and luxury goods—just as there were before the apocalypse.

Necessities have simply evolved.

For example, companies manufacture specialized equipment such as anti-gravity footwear to help people navigate regions with unusual gravitational conditions. Like any other product, premium brands sell expensive versions for those wealthy enough to afford them.

---

# The Surface

The surface never became a wasteland.

Instead, it transformed into an enormous, overgrown ecosystem unlike anything humanity had ever seen.

Gigantic forests reclaimed cities.

Mutated wildlife flourished.

New species continued evolving.

Life became overwhelmingly abundant.

Small communities still exist on the surface, but survival is difficult.

Food is plentiful.

Finding it without becoming food yourself is the real challenge.

---

# Intelligent Life

The Faux Big Bang didn't only affect plants and animals.

It accelerated intelligence across countless branches of evolution.

Many species now exist in two forms:

* A natural, animal-like form.

* A humanoid counterpart capable of higher intelligence.

This phenomenon extends across much of Earth's wildlife, resulting in humanoid mammals, reptiles, birds, insects, aquatic creatures, fungi, and even plants.

These species are simply another part of the world's civilizations.

Not all are hostile.

Not all are friendly.

Most are simply trying to survive.

---

# Crawlers

"Crawlers" is the collective term for the non-humanoid forms of Earth's evolved wildlife.

Despite the name, Crawlers aren't limited to crawling.

Depending on the species, they may:

* Walk

* Fly

* Swim

* Burrow

* Climb

Some are harmless herbivores.

Some are apex predators.

Some are intelligent enough to ignore humans entirely.

Others see humans as prey.

They function as the natural wildlife of the new world.

---

# Dwellers

Unlike the surface, evolution underground followed a completely different path.

Deep beneath the Earth, generations of sentient beings adapted to an environment defined by scarcity rather than abundance.

Constant geological pressure.

Thin, oxygen-poor air.

Limited resources.

Countless generations of survival transformed them into a people whose bodies appear almost skeletal—gaunt, elongated, and perpetually malnourished despite being remarkably resilient.

Their appearance is not the result of starvation.

It is the result of evolution under relentless environmental stress.

Dwellers possess intelligence, language, culture, and their own societies.

However, their need for territory and resources frequently places them in conflict with humanity's underground civilization.

One of the most important strategic targets is the vast ventilation network supplying fresh air to underground cities.

If these systems fall, entire populations are at risk.

I’ll add the marking details and colours when I refine this [: more AZOREIN posting…! they’re from the prologue ^^

hello! I’m key/kiri… I’d love to share some stuff from my PMD-based story and world, AZOREIN! you might have seen me on bluesky or IG [: