Fantasy Fruit Concepts

During my development and worldbuilding for my story, Terra, I always kept one thing throughout the years consistent, the purple skinned folk were named after plum fruits. I had always kept this idea because I love the idea of people groups naming themselves after the environment they live in in some way, relating themselves with the landscape they cultivated/live alongside. This idea extended out beyond the Plummish folk to the tan and white skinned folk (like my characters Moty and Ruby respectively), which I ended up creating fruits based off that idea. These three people groups were the only ones when I originally created them 10+ years ago, but over the years I added other skin tones/ethnicities to help broaden and diversify the world of Terra. When creating these new ethnicities I wanted to make sure it made some sense within the rules of their world. The lighter skinned (Shirese and Thanese) terrans adapted to the poles where sunlight is lower, whereas the darker skinned (Plummish and Aegrian) terrans adapted to harsher sunlight around the equator. In the temperate zone, between the equator and poles are the “in-between” ethnicities where their skin tone is in the middle of the spectrum, but you can see the divide in color depending on continent (for example Cherrese terrans are a warm toned pink, while Pechians are a cool toned tan, showcasing a “spectrum” between the white skinned Shirese and Thanese to the north and south and the dark tan Aegrians in between). On the flipside, those who arose and adapted to the caves beneath have darker skin leaning towards their blood color, something surface ethnicities don’t always indicate (e.g: Plummish folk are mostly green blooded, but are purple skinned). Of course this is all simplified and is better explained in my Terra sub-site about ethnicities, but I wanted to plant the seeds of the terran ethnicities and how I developed the fruits that were named after or are represented of them. As you’ll note, the skin of these fruits are the color of their skin and the flesh is the color of their blood.

Lustin

The Lustin Berry is a small rounded berry with a deep magenta skin and light pink flesh. These fruits bear a heart shaped deep magenta seed in the center. They develop in clusters after their tiny flowers are pollinated and are spread primarily through consumption as native species spread around the caves. These berries are dependent on the low light levels of the caves, and fail to grow in Aeons where sunlight can transmit, thus leading to these fruits only being able to grow within caves. The terrans of these caves, the Lustins, cultivated these fruits very recently as migration into the Aeon Caves from Northern Emberland happened relatively recently. As the ancestors of Lustin's skin darkened due to the cave’s influence and diet they changed the name of their people to differentiate themselves from their ancestors on the surface.

Shiringo

The Shiringo is a medium sized, rounded pomme fruit with a pale orange skin, and a deep red flesh. These fruits bear a small cluster of seeds deep in the middle solid core. These seeds are spread by large herbivores that dominate the Ginger River Basin of Central Emberland. As Terrans migrated onto this fiery continent, the wurms they brought along with them began to take over this niche leading to a small agricultural revolution. Fruit bearing trees such as the shiringo were widespread across the temperate landscape so much so that its hard to separate the shiringo from the terrans who migrated here and how much it shaped their diet and culture, thus the Shirese people were born. As time passed, the Shirese began to cultivate this plant and diversified them into a wide variety of flavors and strains, however the fruit continued to keep its pale exterior and bright red interior.

Cherre

The Cherre is a small heart shaped stone fruit with pink skin, and a reddish-pink flesh. These fruits bear a small, yet hard stony seed. They develop in clusters after their flowers are pollinated only by the burnbee family. Native to the Soot Lake Marshlands, they tend to struggle in the drier Cherry Deserts without intervention, greenhouses have become universal in Cherrana for the growth of Cherres for that reason. Cherre’s were domesticated relatively recently and haven't changed much in terms of size, taste, etc since its cultivation. The Cherrese terrans named this fruit after themselves as it showcased the expansion of the color pink and its magic and ideas on the surface of Emberland through the Aeon Caves. The Cherrese are genetically related to both Shirese and Aegrians suggesting a migration of Aegrians from Aerodona to Emberland where they reproduced with native Shirese resulting in the unique Cherrese terrans.

Aegria

The Aegria is a medium sized, ovular citrus fruit with a tough tan skin, and bright yellow flesh. These fruits are famous for their 5 long petaled yellow flowers that have been used as a symbol for the Aegrian terrans as well as the continent Aerdona as a whole. They are quite hardy and tend to grow in sandy soil alongside fresh water rivers, streams, ponds, and oasis all across Aerodona. First cultivated from the Great Golden Forest as a small berry, but after generations they have changed significantly into a juicy, sweet/sour fruit used in a variety of Aerodonan dishes. Aegrians are an ancient terran group that migrated across Emberland’s Southern Cherry Desert that was once connected with the Fasin Desert via land bridge. They descend from the same terrans that will diversify into modern day Shirese and Thanans. As they migrated deeper into Aerodona their skin darkened to adapt to the harsher climate. This fruit was a staple for these early Aegrians so much so that they are named after each other.

Pecha

The Pecha is a medium sized, rounded citrus fruit with a tough light tan skin, and bright blue flesh. Related to the Aegria, this fruit also features 5 petaled flowers, except they are a bright sky blue. First cultivated by a small group of Aegrians on the southeastern coast of Aerodona which eventually became the terran group known as Pechians. These terrans took on the name of the fruit they cultivated to differentiate themselves from the northern Aegrians. Pechians are a seafaring group who began their journey across the ocean using wind magic, but over time Pechians split into two as one group began to develop the blue blood they are known for today in the Sapphire Islands.

Mauva

The Mauva is a large sized rounded melon with warm-toned lavender skin and green flesh. Known for its thick skin and tough rind, this melon can be seen tumbling from mountain tops to the rolling hills of Northern Vergund where migrating birds pick up the seeds to disperse on top of the mountains, starting the cycle again. The early terrans who migrated from Southern Vergund into the grasslands and highlands of the North began to diversify and began to show lighter skin, and is the first instance of colored hair and eyes that show off their blood color. These terrans eventually found their way to the large island Viriland, which was a part of mainland Vergund during the last glaciation. Here they came across a new, strange landscape where fire meets the ground, a biome that blends Emberland with Vergund. This landscape is known for its unique diverse array of flowering plants which bear fruits not seen elsewhere including the Mauva. The Mauva demonstrates strength, adaptation, and resilience, something highly praised by the terrans who called this landscape home; they eventually became known as Mauvish.

Plum

The Plum is a medium sized stone fruit with deep purple skin and green flesh. Originating in the hills of the Panaceal Meadows, this fruit alongside many others have been a staple in terran and other primate diets for thousands of years and have remained a symbol of fertility, growth, and abundance across Vergundan cultures. Arbasians believe that the plum is the fruit gifted by Panacea when terrans developed consciousness as a way to connect her maternal magic to the material world. For most of terran history, the Plummish were the only terrans so the name “Plum” to describe themselves is relatively new and is a way to unite Vergundan cultures together. These ancient terrans originated from the Panaceal Meadows where the plum, and many other important plants arose here. Plummish is an all encompassing name for any dark skinned terran originating from Vergund, however they are the most diverse group of terrans in terms of genetics and refer to themselves as a variety of names other than Plummish.

Vinca

The Vinca is a large sized ovular melon with cool-toned lavender skin and light blue flesh. Despite its blue tones, this melon originated in the southwestern coast of Vergund, in the jungly hillside alongside rivers and swamps. Originally cultivated by ancient terrans, this fruit thrives best during the wet season, and can be transported across bodies of water due to their buoyant nature. Initially this fruit had a deeper green flesh, but when terrans ventured out into newly deglaciated Eastern Glacilea the flesh and skin began to turn blue. This melon was known by an original name, Anaconda, as its vines wrapped around and choked trees nearby. When these terrans migrated to Glacilea, their skin lightening to a pale blue, they took on the name Vinca, eventually naming this fruit after themselves. This migration didn’t stop here as a sparse population of green bloods migrated back to Vergund, colonizing the sub continent of swamps and jungles. This group, despite being genetically Vincan, took on the name of the original melon that nourished their people, Anaconda.

Thanan

The Thanan is a medium sized, pomme fruit with pale blue skin and a deep blue flesh. Originating from the Ruby Islands, this fruit is related to the Shiringo, however after thousands of years and migrations it has become something of its own. The Thanans were originally a sub group of Shirese that thrived in the Ruby Islands during the last glaciation that thrived off the oceans and islands around Emberland. When a land bridge formed connecting the Ruby and Sapphire Islands these terrans began to migrate south into the Sapphire Islands, this was far before the Pechians made their way to this blue paradise. However when the Pechians arrived they pushed out this native group further south until they landed in the Coral Atoll Archipelago. Throughout all of this they cultivated the Thanan which once existed across the planet. Originally started as an offshoot of a Shiringo it mutated into the blue fleshed fruit we know today and with careful breeding can now survive the brutal cold winters of mainland Glacilea.

Hadea

The Hadea is a small tapered berry with a mid gray brown skin and a deep dark flesh. These fruits contain a large edible seed with very little flesh when ripe. Unlike the Lustin berry, Hadea berries originate from the surface, a cold resistant plant that thrived in Northern Glacilea during the last glaciation. Thanan’s were the first to domesticate this plant, making the originally bitter nut into the buttery nut used in countless recipes across the southern hemisphere. Out of all of the fruits discussed, this one was the last to be domesticated. The Thanans migrated deeper within glaciers as the glaciers retreated to the mountains and the south shore, here they’ll branch off as they find themselves surviving the long cold winters in the cave openings carved out by glaciers. This group used Hadea berries to survive as they provided nutrients in a nutrient poor cave. Slowly migrating further into the caves, distancing themselves as their skin darkened from their surface relatives, this group of Terrans took the name Hadean to describe themselves.