@@kitfire.9669 For it is I. Me and my agent will be pitching the book manuscript early 2022, and see if we can get a publisher. I have storyboarded most of the book already.
@@KimiHayashi We really don't know the conditions for intelligences, yet alone technological ones but we can guess. "Fingers" for manipulation and probably the physical conditions to generate heat (fire) for metallurgy and tool-making are a start.
The meta-human painting is one of the most iconic of all of Ries’s work to me! I still remember when I first saw it on DeviantArt way back when I was just getting into high school! I’m glad to see he’s still building his amazing universe :)
I just realized that the reason every animal looks too similar is because they all evolved from the same basic designs. What’s crazy is that the same thing has happened with our animals, we just don’t notice it. Almost every large land creature has four legs, two eyes, and a length based symmetric body. Crazy shit
This is an excellent realisation on your part! You have identified two fundamental things about just about (nearly) every animal you see that is not a fish or an invertebrate: they are all derived from a single basic template of having a head, spine and four limbs in a bilaterally symmetric arrangement (as opposed to the radial symmetry that something like a jellyfish has). This is the superclass _tetrapoda_ which (like all vertebrates) are part of the clade _bilateria_ .
Most mammals look the same now that I realize lol, a dog has similar eyes, pupils, nose and mouth location than a human, there's not that many alien looking life in the planet except in the deep ocean
As a concept artist I can tell you that Ries' work is super legit even for our standards, this kind of imagination, detail and quality gets the highest respect.
You know, what I like most about this art is that it depicts non-humanoid species wearing CLOTHES. So much art and fiction always just leaves alien lifeforms with unusual body types completely naked. This is quite refreshing.
Yeah. I also like how their tools and technology makes sense and suit their bodies. It's not some techno-babble crap where everything is floating somehow. It's like if we were there and saw a vehicle though totally reimagined from a human concept, we'd still know what it's for and understand how it might work.
I dislike and like. I like they have it for things like harsh environments or cultural practices. But not say to day use. Who says other species would evolve to wear clothes? That’s weird.
@@magnarcreed3801 Well, seeing how clothing is an environmental adaptation, then yes, every single species would wear clothes. Our African ancestors wore nothing because the heat perfectly suited them. But when they went to colder climates and the harshness of the desert, they adapted accordingly.
@@robertgronewold3326 Exactly. But I doubt another species would wear clothes just because, like many humans do. Lots of people live in climates with comfortable temp and weather that would allow them to go naked. But we have laws prohibiting such a natural thing, which is inherently unnatural feeling. It makes no logical sense and mostly done out of religions made by humans. So aliens would need to have a similar religion or very specific reason to wear clothes in an otherwise comfortable environment.
What is original about it exactly ? I get inspiring but there is tons of story in science fiction where humans are on par with advanced alien civilization. Maybe i've misunderstood what you're trying to say. The birrin world history and design is original though.
@@morgen3369 It's more common for scifi stories to have the "powerful ancient precursor race" being something enigmatic and distant from human comprehension. So the idea of that beyond comprehension alien race being humanity puts a weird spin on the tone it carries which is uncommon.
@@morgen3369 normally in science fiction we are outmatched by whatever alien species we encounter, whereas here Alex Ries has portrayed humanity as some eldritch power well above that of the Birrin
@@Robinxen Oh yeah! Yeah you're right and so he is. It is uncommon and i did misunderstood. I was thinking of the image with the baby birin put with the human.
The thing I've always loved about Alex Ries take on alien life is that he get something really important right that a lot of others don't: the Birrin have a truly alien anatomy and physiology reflecting a totally different origin, yet, at the same time they are totally within the rules of evolution and laws of physics. If life on Earth were to have some sort of hard reset that nerfed everything more complex than a protist, you could imagine something like their lineage evolving to refill those higher niches. Perhaps the Metahuman had come to see how the old home world was doing?
One thing that stands out to me is how while the birin have a totally alien look, their bodies aren't inefficient for daily living. They have perfectly functioning bodies that can allow them to live like ordinary creatures while developing advanced technology that perhaps even creatures like humans could operate, assuming that the controls aren't so far off from human controls. It's as if the only thing that truly separates the human species from the birin species is that birin have four legs while humans have two.
There are so many valid body plans for intelligent species (that can develop technology). As long as they have: 1. Sensory Organs to observe their environment. 2. Manipulative Organs to interact / manipulate their environment. 3. A way to communicate with each others. (Be it by sound, pheromones, visual etc.) 4. Of course intelligence they need^^ There are many body plans even on earth that, with minor tweaks, would allow for intelligent beings with the criteria above. Take a crab for example, just the basic form. Tweak it a little to fit the above criteria, and you have a nonhumanoid "Alien" that could create a civilization.
@@prometheus9096 For real. If all “significant” animals had some degree of intelligence, then giraffes would be good power line workers, orcas the exotic dancers and eels the plumbers.
@@akromimubarok6626 Creating fictional worlds is a massive thing. Its what forms the backbone of any good sci-fi or fantasy book, film, or game. If you need a hobby, this is certainly a good option.
Even an alien intelligence would be constrained by the same physics as our own species. This means technological developments would mostly follow a similar path to our own, with solutions to problems like flight, rocketry, electric power, etc; arriving at pretty much identical technologies as our own. Aircraft need wings, spacecraft need rockets, power generators need turbines, etc.
@@kirbs0001 It's quite amazing how if you removed the Birrin, one could easily think the vehicles are sci-fi human vehicles. Function by form should lead to convergent developments. Tech doesn't take the shape of its creator. Helicopters don't look like humans.
@@april5054 Just think about how there can easily be some civilization like the Birren out there. Maybe in the far future we'll get to interact with them.
5:45 I love that the one Birrin soldier is actually lighting up what looks to be a cigarette. This is a stark view of where humanity could be heading if we never quite learn how to pool our resources and start expanding our views to space instead of this extremely crowded planet. Phenomenal stuff!
“We can do this the easy way, or the hard way, the choice is yours.....”. But yeah, I love some of the parallels you can find in Birrin history when comparing it to human history
Our planet isn’t remotely overcrowded - the problem is the unequal distribution of wealth and resources and the damage of capitalism, not people existing.
@@ebonyobrien5895 Literally every human system has caused immense ecological damage from feudalism to socialism and capitalism. It's humans and our inherent flaws, not any particular economic system causing the damage to us and the world's resources.
I would like a serialized series where they discover human artifacts and basically humans are in the place of the aliens like in X-Files and other such shows. Imagine the sense of mystery when they discover a human spacecraft buried in the sands on the desert. Maybe have it be reverse Stargate. They discover a way to travel the stars and it was invented by man.
They discover long forgoten human relics and slowly start to uncover their history only to realize that the reason why they are abandoned is not because they went extinct, but because they no longer need them
Sapient aliens that aren't just copies of earth animals are always nice to see, Birrin knocks it out of the park in both plausibility and just coolness.
Having a "mockumentary" (documentary on a fictional subject) series on this would be really cool. There are a ton of talented cgi artists, sound designers, etc. that would probably be a great fit for making this sort of thing.
It is intriguing to see Ries's interpretation of the evolution alien life. Throughout my entire childhood, (and up to this day) I have wondered what aliens look like, how their social interactions occur, and how they might evolve. I cannot wait to read the book!
I really love these aliens man, they're so unique, something I wish we saw more of in Sci-fi instead of the very human-centric view of how aliens would look like in Star trek and Star wars and what not, why would creatures evolve to look like us when they would look like this? They look so fascinating.
@@ExtremeMadnessX Well Im aware of it but sentient ones, I rarely see sentient ones that are non-human in shows or movies of the franchise. I'd pay to see the world of the birrin as a movie or show someday honestly, It'd be so neat to explore this world Ries has concocted up.
In all fairness, there was (and to a degree still is) a limitation in the medium of those stories, in that the "aliens" still have to be played by human actors.
@@bluenightfury4365 True, but any story trying to follow a literary lineage from those well known and expansive works is somewhat bound to the established aesthetic. Or, if there is change it cant be too much at once or one is effectively trying to appeal to an audience from scratch. Yes, it is possible to do a revolutionary story and/or setting but it is difficult and risky, so many iterate on previous works or at least don't try to reach too far beyond their expected parameters. There's also the matter that just because someone is a good storyteller doesn't mean they're as good of a worldbuilder, or vice versa.
I have been as well, I actually found out about him via trying to find the source of that metahuman image, which was (and surprisingly still is) used as a meme base. As a worldbuilder myself, I draw a lot of inspiration from his work. I hope that more amazing worldbuilding projects get attention on this channel too!
@@decuno1663 this will never happen. mankind might last maximal 100 or 300 years (if we are lucky, which is also very doubtfull) perhaps we see currently the beginning of the end for humankind?
Alex Ries' Birrin civilization is *seriously* *impressive* and incredibly inspiring. I aspire to produce something that contains even a fraction of the thoughtfulness he put into his projects! Anyway, I really enjoyed this video - it was really interesting, comprehensive, and (most importantly,) concise.
What makes all tomorrow's popularity is because when we were a kid we used to draw dinosaurs and monster we wish were real based on our imaginations. Even I would like to make a speculative future humans and animals even if it's made up it's still cool.
To me, the most amazing thing about Mr. Ries' hyperdetailed World-Building is that the Birrin were not developed to be 'part' of a story - such as the various intelligent species created to be part of most Science Fiction franchises; these tend to be developed as a general 'outline' and continuously 'retconned' as the bigger story progresses. (Just compare the "Star Trek" Original Series' Klingons to the current iteration.) Instead, the Birrin and their home world and history ARE the story. That said, I'm sure there are a LOT of stories to be told about this intriguing people and their civilization. And I'm looking forward to hearing them! Good Job, Mr. Ries!!! And thank you!
the fact that the author spend so much time detailing and exploring the Birrin species to familiarize us with them, only to then drop future humanity in there for comparison/contrast, it's such a briliant idea and execution
I found this by accident and I'm SO glad I did! My mind feeds on these SciFi/Fact world-building potentials like a cow to grass! I am definitely going to this artist's website immediately following this comment! Thanks for such a well-presented case study!
This is actually very realistic. Very few modern civilizations have a linear path to modern prosperity. Regression has been a fundamental cornerstone of humanity’s history.
Y'know what'd be really cool? An open-world, Survival Sandbox based directly off of Alex Rie's 'The World of the Birrin' where players play as a Birrin in perhaps an 'After the Fall' situation, or perhaps during the future when Birrin begin to explore other planets, and you crash land there in an almost 'subnautica' style fashion.
Eagerly waiting for the book. He put a lot of thought into this world. Everything is intriguing , not like overly humanized or outright bizarre alien stories you see everywhere. Everything in this world is strange yet familiar at the same time. The world feels natural and not at all forceful like the ones in mainstream media. Gives a similar feeling of a documentary instead of fiction, like Wayne Barlowe's Expedition(should check out, great book).
one thing I've always wondered about alien societies is whether or not they have visually distinguishable differences between individuals, much like humans
Watched part 1 2 days ago and thinking it might take a while for part 2 to come out since the channel does not have a lot of vids yet but here we are! THANK YOUU!!!
Ok there’s gonna have to be animated or put into a game series in some sorta way in the future because this is just so beautiful and fantastic to go unnoticed
These 2 episodes are mind blowing! Our neighbours out there could really look something like this, and have history and tech like this too. Im sure they will look far stranger then us, not even bi-pedal and have wonderfull biology and a wonderfull planet.
I wonder if the birrin had their own version of twitter. The thought of a bunch of birrin being offended over something trivial is more amusing than it should be.
I actually wish the author would go into more about their culture. What kind of religions do they have? Do they have movies, and video games? What sort of aliens do they imagine?
@@Xetan123 Yes they have a religion , no social media though they only recently got back into space so the only satellites are Government owned and used for piloting drones and mapping geography
i LOVE everything about this. i was always bothered by so called aliens when they were just green humans or humans with fly heads. to see something like this is refreshing.
My theory for the final image is just that the Birrin are just little- like 5- 10 cm, and the giants are a couple of feet long- it would explain all their megafauna. Those are just humans in stylish future space suits, and that's why the image of the birrin and human children together is non-canon, it should look more like a toddler playing with a hamster.
its so crazy that the guy that helped on subnautica is doing something like this, im giddy as goddamn can be side thought, this went from subnautica to rainworld real fast. the red grass, bioengineered sorta organisms (not really in their case but the bluesticks themselves and the name "raftweed" brings some image across they were made/bred to specifically act as a raft for this system, for instance)
The Meta-Human brings to mind the bible accurate angels, all wings and eyes (except Ophaim which is like a flying wheel with eyes...). Great mythos connections, or hints at least! Amazing accuracy and thought in design!
Perhaps the Meta-Humans aren't human descendants but their own species under the "angels were really aliens" angle. Though that distinctive human like shoulder is difficult to work around. So they're gallivanting about the universe taking field notes.
At 5:47 that birin smoking a cigarette kinda goes hard. He doesn't just feel human at that point it feels like I'm looking at someone who actually existed at some point, it's almost sobering.
This is the same art and story I bookmarked from DeviantArt years ago. It was the best thing I ever had to opportunity to stumble upon. I very much appreciated this video and summary on the subject, it's still so fascinating to me.
what I've always wanted to know in these kinds of alien worlds, is how would animals from earth fare there, like if we dropped a few cats there, would they wreak havoc on their ecosystem or would they not be able to compete, and what if we dropped sharks into their oceans ?
They might not have the capacity to survive in their atmosphere. And even if they did, Earth animals probably wouldn't even have the ability to consume alien animals.
You know you find something good when you stumble upon a channel that has 60k subs yet nearly 5M views. You are doing amazing Archivist, keep our minds running!
This level and depth of world building is just so awesome and amazing! I am enthralled by the possibilities that this word building could bring itself, really!
Well I think it was designed to match the Birrin's own aesthetic, rather than our own. It's like humanity's way of saying "Hi, we are here" in a way that the Birrin would fully appreciate.
Metahuman: "Hi we are here to help you! but in return can you pls share your resource with us or we'll destroy you 🦾👽" Birrin : "Bogos binted? 👽" Metahuman : "ok WE going to destroy you now."
Amazing video! Thanks for delivering the second part so quickly! But what about their culture in depth? What about their social standards, art or religion? And I hope you'll let us all know when the promised book comes out! I'd love to watch your overall review!
Watched part one and was impressed, watched part two and was hooked and subscribed. You have brilliant content which really intrigues me. I'm going to work my way through all your videos. Great stuff. 👍😁
this beautiful universe: exists hollywood people: nah we're going to remake spider man 3 times. Discovered this channel yesterday and I'm super happy I did. Amazing I hope we'll see more videos like this!
Tbh I really like how Alex made these advanced aliens as non humanoids. Like movies/games nowadays when it comes to aliens, good or bad, they're always depicted as tiny or gigantic looking humanoids to the point where it's just meh. So yeah props to Alex for this one!
Frankly, this is insane. As someone who wants to be a game designer some day, thank you for opening my eyes to this fantastic universe. It's insane just how far the human brain can go...
That was simply amazing. I've always thought about aliens and how they would look, and imagined different worlds and species. Why is this not a regular thing? Showcasing possible alien worlds through speculation, science, and imagination. I would love to see other artists creations on the same subject. Or more for sure from this one. Imagine a series where once a week we get to see alien worlds that are made up from different artists.
That metahuman picture has details that are almost identical to the Spear spaceship. The long fin-like appendages, specifically. It is perhaps not so much an advanced human, but rather an advanced union of human and birrin.
You knocked it out of the park, mate. Thank you so much!
hi um if u are the foretold Alex ries, could u pls tell me when ur book comes out
Legend says you will reply to this comment
@@kitfire.9669 For it is I. Me and my agent will be pitching the book manuscript early 2022, and see if we can get a publisher. I have storyboarded most of the book already.
Thanks! The Birrin world is one of my absolute favorite pieces of speculative science fiction, so it was my pleasure
@@alexries3650 less go the man repli- i mean. it was a pleasure speaking to you O god of the birrin universe
I’m so used to intelligent life being depicted as humanoid. This really makes me think differently. Respect to the creator
That's because to be fully intelligent, you have to have free arms while still being to walk and fingers to grab tools with. Specially a thumb.
@@KimiHayashi or anything analogous.
Centaurism, facial manipulatory organs all fill the same role.
@@myopinionbetter4287 yes 100% correct. Analogous convergence. Performs the same function evolved from a different way.
@@KimiHayashi They have hands you dunce
@@KimiHayashi We really don't know the conditions for intelligences, yet alone technological ones but we can guess. "Fingers" for manipulation and probably the physical conditions to generate heat (fire) for metallurgy and tool-making are a start.
The meta-human painting is one of the most iconic of all of Ries’s work to me! I still remember when I first saw it on DeviantArt way back when I was just getting into high school! I’m glad to see he’s still building his amazing universe :)
Same! I myself remember those lovely times. Finding his originally alien works felt very weird, in a good way.
Oy, there's a name that hasn't age well.
The Meta Human is also a meme
It was one of the best well drawn memes to ever exist
It became a meme by accident. I didnt see that coming!
I just realized that the reason every animal looks too similar is because they all evolved from the same basic designs. What’s crazy is that the same thing has happened with our animals, we just don’t notice it. Almost every large land creature has four legs, two eyes, and a length based symmetric body.
Crazy shit
This is an excellent realisation on your part! You have identified two fundamental things about just about (nearly) every animal you see that is not a fish or an invertebrate: they are all derived from a single basic template of having a head, spine and four limbs in a bilaterally symmetric arrangement (as opposed to the radial symmetry that something like a jellyfish has). This is the superclass _tetrapoda_ which (like all vertebrates) are part of the clade _bilateria_ .
Most mammals look the same now that I realize lol, a dog has similar eyes, pupils, nose and mouth location than a human, there's not that many alien looking life in the planet except in the deep ocean
This idea likely has something to say about humans desire to care for deadly animals.
@@mortified776 Nah, fishes have almost the exact same template as land animals. We all share a common ancestor that first invented bones.
@@DarthBiomech We do indeed share a common ancestor with fish, but fish are not tetrapods, that's what we're talking about here.
As a concept artist I can tell you that Ries' work is super legit even for our standards, this kind of imagination, detail and quality gets the highest respect.
yes indeed
I’m a student concept artist and sameee!!! Alex has incredibly well fleshed out designs, he’s so so good!
Respect :)
@@alexries3650 Haha, though you always reply to my comments on ArtStation, I didn't expect to hear from you here :D
I have never such amazing world building in my entire life! It is just so awesome, really!
You know, what I like most about this art is that it depicts non-humanoid species wearing CLOTHES. So much art and fiction always just leaves alien lifeforms with unusual body types completely naked. This is quite refreshing.
Yeah. I also like how their tools and technology makes sense and suit their bodies. It's not some techno-babble crap where everything is floating somehow. It's like if we were there and saw a vehicle though totally reimagined from a human concept, we'd still know what it's for and understand how it might work.
I dislike and like. I like they have it for things like harsh environments or cultural practices. But not say to day use. Who says other species would evolve to wear clothes? That’s weird.
@@magnarcreed3801 Well, seeing how clothing is an environmental adaptation, then yes, every single species would wear clothes. Our African ancestors wore nothing because the heat perfectly suited them. But when they went to colder climates and the harshness of the desert, they adapted accordingly.
@@robertgronewold3326
Exactly. But I doubt another species would wear clothes just because, like many humans do. Lots of people live in climates with comfortable temp and weather that would allow them to go naked. But we have laws prohibiting such a natural thing, which is inherently unnatural feeling. It makes no logical sense and mostly done out of religions made by humans. So aliens would need to have a similar religion or very specific reason to wear clothes in an otherwise comfortable environment.
@@magnarcreed3801 Don't make the old science fiction mistake of thinking that an alien planet would have only one biome.
The fact that humans are like the birin's advanced aliens civilization it's very original and inspiring
What is original about it exactly ? I get inspiring but there is tons of story in science fiction where humans are on par with advanced alien civilization.
Maybe i've misunderstood what you're trying to say.
The birrin world history and design is original though.
@@morgen3369 original as in he hasn't seen the idea done before
@@morgen3369 It's more common for scifi stories to have the "powerful ancient precursor race" being something enigmatic and distant from human comprehension. So the idea of that beyond comprehension alien race being humanity puts a weird spin on the tone it carries which is uncommon.
@@morgen3369 normally in science fiction we are outmatched by whatever alien species we encounter, whereas here Alex Ries has portrayed humanity as some eldritch power well above that of the Birrin
@@Robinxen Oh yeah! Yeah you're right and so he is.
It is uncommon and i did misunderstood. I was thinking of the image with the baby birin put with the human.
Okay everybody praises everything, but can we just take a second and admire how this birrin at 3:50 chugs the water from a bottle?
Hard working fella needs his hydration!
@@alexries3650
Whens the book coming out?
@@noyes4656 Trying to get a publisher on board Jan/Feb 2022.
@@alexries3650
How many pages long? Will you include the humans aswell? Do you plan sequels?
@@noyes4656 Will do 3 if I can. Should be about as long as Dinotopia.
Please more content like this. I love imaginary worlds with alien species like this one and a rich worldbuilding behind them
*Who said it was imaginary?*
@@arlenedistel1108 Please more of content like this. *Imaginary* worlds with alien species like this
"LinkZer"
@@notacreatureoftheabyss it was a *j o k e.*
Of course it was imaginary
This conversation is very high iq
@@arlenedistel1108 and i responded your joke with *i r o n y*
The thing I've always loved about Alex Ries take on alien life is that he get something really important right that a lot of others don't: the Birrin have a truly alien anatomy and physiology reflecting a totally different origin, yet, at the same time they are totally within the rules of evolution and laws of physics. If life on Earth were to have some sort of hard reset that nerfed everything more complex than a protist, you could imagine something like their lineage evolving to refill those higher niches. Perhaps the Metahuman had come to see how the old home world was doing?
Precisely! This alien concept is completely plausible in the environment that these organisms were to evolve in!
One thing that stands out to me is how while the birin have a totally alien look, their bodies aren't inefficient for daily living. They have perfectly functioning bodies that can allow them to live like ordinary creatures while developing advanced technology that perhaps even creatures like humans could operate, assuming that the controls aren't so far off from human controls. It's as if the only thing that truly separates the human species from the birin species is that birin have four legs while humans have two.
@@pendragon0905 Yeah.
There are so many valid body plans for intelligent species (that can develop technology). As long as they have:
1. Sensory Organs to observe their environment.
2. Manipulative Organs to interact / manipulate their environment.
3. A way to communicate with each others. (Be it by sound, pheromones, visual etc.)
4. Of course intelligence they need^^
There are many body plans even on earth that, with minor tweaks, would allow for intelligent beings with the criteria above.
Take a crab for example, just the basic form. Tweak it a little to fit the above criteria, and you have a nonhumanoid "Alien" that could create a civilization.
@@prometheus9096 For real. If all “significant” animals had some degree of intelligence, then giraffes would be good power line workers, orcas the exotic dancers and eels the plumbers.
I am for sure buying the book when it comes out. As a worldbuilder myself, his work is a major inspiration for me.
I love to make my own worlds as well!
Same
Wait, what do you mean as worldbuilder?
Did u just say that something like this is a thing? If yes that would be so awesome.
@@akromimubarok6626 Creating fictional worlds is a massive thing. Its what forms the backbone of any good sci-fi or fantasy book, film, or game. If you need a hobby, this is certainly a good option.
I am glad to hear that :)
The Birrin have this familiarity I just can’t put my finger on, interesting how something so alien seems so human.
Even an alien intelligence would be constrained by the same physics as our own species.
This means technological developments would mostly follow a similar path to our own, with solutions to problems like flight, rocketry, electric power, etc; arriving at pretty much identical technologies as our own.
Aircraft need wings, spacecraft need rockets, power generators need turbines, etc.
@@kirbs0001 It's quite amazing how if you removed the Birrin, one could easily think the vehicles are sci-fi human vehicles. Function by form should lead to convergent developments. Tech doesn't take the shape of its creator. Helicopters don't look like humans.
It makes me sad that Birrin don't exist, if they did I'd love to be friends with one.
@@april5054 Just think about how there can easily be some civilization like the Birren out there. Maybe in the far future we'll get to interact with them.
@@april5054 Same wish they did exist
5:45 I love that the one Birrin soldier is actually lighting up what looks to be a cigarette. This is a stark view of where humanity could be heading if we never quite learn how to pool our resources and start expanding our views to space instead of this extremely crowded planet. Phenomenal stuff!
my man's gotta take a ciggy break
“We can do this the easy way, or the hard way, the choice is yours.....”. But yeah, I love some of the parallels you can find in Birrin history when comparing it to human history
Naw we'll be fine if we don't leave, would be better if we do though.
Our planet isn’t remotely overcrowded - the problem is the unequal distribution of wealth and resources and the damage of capitalism, not people existing.
@@ebonyobrien5895 Literally every human system has caused immense ecological damage from feudalism to socialism and capitalism. It's humans and our inherent flaws, not any particular economic system causing the damage to us and the world's resources.
I would like a serialized series where they discover human artifacts and basically humans are in the place of the aliens like in X-Files and other such shows. Imagine the sense of mystery when they discover a human spacecraft buried in the sands on the desert. Maybe have it be reverse Stargate. They discover a way to travel the stars and it was invented by man.
Lol I love the idea of Humans being the X-files of another alien race
I think ylu might like humans are space orcs or HFY
No. Humans take the role of the independence day invaders
They discover long forgoten human relics and slowly start to uncover their history only to realize that the reason why they are abandoned is not because they went extinct, but because they no longer need them
plot twist: a stranded birrin on earth told the history of his planet to the author, that's why is so detailed...
That would be quite the twist
@@101skully9 "we've been compromised!"
Yes! Exactly what I was thinking.
Wasn't that sort of the idea behind Tolkien's writing? I remember he claimed to only have translated the stories as written by bilbo and frodo
That's some All Tomorrows-style shit, right there (in a good way).
Sapient aliens that aren't just copies of earth animals are always nice to see, Birrin knocks it out of the park in both plausibility and just coolness.
Definitely
I WOULD LOVE A MOVIE OR SERIES ABOUT THESE ALIENS....
I WOULD KILL FOR MOVIE OR SERIES ABOUT THESE ALIENS....
That's what Alex himself has said, too: "If only I can get the money."
@영노 According to his DeviantArt page, he loves film and animation. And he LOVES those things!
Having a "mockumentary" (documentary on a fictional subject) series on this would be really cool. There are a ton of talented cgi artists, sound designers, etc. that would probably be a great fit for making this sort of thing.
@@notacreatureoftheabyss if it ever gets one, I hope it's not Hollywood, cause I bet they gonna ruin it,
The one day wait felt like a week with such high quality content
It is intriguing to see Ries's interpretation of the evolution alien life. Throughout my entire childhood, (and up to this day) I have wondered what aliens look like, how their social interactions occur, and how they might evolve. I cannot wait to read the book!
For this there are scientific simulations, not the imagination of the artist (Even not being an astrobiologist)
6:02 Birrin smoking a doobie, we're not so different after all.
The artwork is called "Smoke Break" and it can be found on DeviantArt.
Do they make memes too??
@@sauviel6296 we can only hope to comprehend how dank birrin memes must be.
@@julienceaser4018
Maybe like this:
Hatchlings in the middle of the night: ua-cam.com/video/lTnZxNWYeOc/v-deo.html
I really love these aliens man, they're so unique, something I wish we saw more of in Sci-fi instead of the very human-centric view of how aliens would look like in Star trek and Star wars and what not, why would creatures evolve to look like us when they would look like this? They look so fascinating.
In Star Wars they at least have many non humanoid aliens.
@@ExtremeMadnessX Well Im aware of it but sentient ones, I rarely see sentient ones that are non-human in shows or movies of the franchise.
I'd pay to see the world of the birrin as a movie or show someday honestly, It'd be so neat to explore this world Ries has concocted up.
In all fairness, there was (and to a degree still is) a limitation in the medium of those stories, in that the "aliens" still have to be played by human actors.
@@ckl9390 I'm aware but we have more modern technology now to make things CGI and what not in modern movies and games.
@@bluenightfury4365 True, but any story trying to follow a literary lineage from those well known and expansive works is somewhat bound to the established aesthetic. Or, if there is change it cant be too much at once or one is effectively trying to appeal to an audience from scratch. Yes, it is possible to do a revolutionary story and/or setting but it is difficult and risky, so many iterate on previous works or at least don't try to reach too far beyond their expected parameters. There's also the matter that just because someone is a good storyteller doesn't mean they're as good of a worldbuilder, or vice versa.
The final images of the humanoid figure reminded me of Evangelion.
It reminded me of persona 5
even makes sense given the end of the anime
I wont deny I am a fan :P
@@alexries3650 you're a fan of Evangelion? I'm surprised tbh
It reminds me of the memes it was used for
This world is so wierd and cool and the same time.
im just in awe all the time.
I’ve been following Alex’s art for a while now and he’s such a huge inspiration!! Thank you for making this series!! ❤️
I have been as well, I actually found out about him via trying to find the source of that metahuman image, which was (and surprisingly still is) used as a meme base. As a worldbuilder myself, I draw a lot of inspiration from his work. I hope that more amazing worldbuilding projects get attention on this channel too!
Thank you Elizabeth!
NEW CURIOUS ARCHIVES VID LETS GOOOOOOOOOOO
PART 2 UPLOADED THE DAY AFTER PART 1 YOOOOOO
love it, the concept of humans as the super advance civilization is so captivating.
yes! this is why it's original, Most of alien fictions the aliens are the super-advanced and humans, not us much. I like this!
if the human race can survive past 2050 and beyond...which is very doubtfull.
@@Manwendlil That's why this work is so hopeful. Imagine a human species that survives for 1 million years and transforms itself into celestial beings
@@decuno1663 this will never happen. mankind might last maximal 100 or 300 years (if we are lucky, which is also very doubtfull) perhaps we see currently the beginning of the end for humankind?
@@Manwendlil humans survived for thousands of years going past 2050 is not a problem
8:07
SO *THAT'S* WHERE THAT LEGENDARY IMAGE COMES FROM! Finally. Can't tell you how many times people post that on 4chan X to be edgy.
they should make a documentary about this world narrated by david attenburough.
Same with after man!
Alex Ries' Birrin civilization is *seriously* *impressive* and incredibly inspiring. I aspire to produce something that contains even a fraction of the thoughtfulness he put into his projects!
Anyway, I really enjoyed this video - it was really interesting, comprehensive, and (most importantly,) concise.
I fucking love Ries' attention to *everything*, but especially the aircraft the Birrin develop.
What makes all tomorrow's popularity is because when we were a kid we used to draw dinosaurs and monster we wish were real based on our imaginations. Even I would like to make a speculative future humans and animals even if it's made up it's still cool.
Birrin: “uh…”
Meta-Human: *“олень.”*
Birrin: “Who are you?”
Rasputin the Meta Human: “I’m just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe.”
lmfao
Why does meta human man speaks russian
@@anitsarkar101 he’s gotta speak something.
To me, the most amazing thing about Mr. Ries' hyperdetailed World-Building is that the Birrin were not developed to be 'part' of a story - such as the various intelligent species created to be part of most Science Fiction franchises; these tend to be developed as a general 'outline' and continuously 'retconned' as the bigger story progresses. (Just compare the "Star Trek" Original Series' Klingons to the current iteration.) Instead, the Birrin and their home world and history ARE the story. That said, I'm sure there are a LOT of stories to be told about this intriguing people and their civilization. And I'm looking forward to hearing them!
Good Job, Mr. Ries!!! And thank you!
Birrin's history get retconned as well, it is pointed out in this very video even.
the fact that the author spend so much time detailing and exploring the Birrin species to familiarize us with them, only to then drop future humanity in there for comparison/contrast, it's such a briliant idea and execution
I want a documentary style show based on this. Or one where we follow a group of birin as they try to survive. It could be so cool.
I found this by accident and I'm SO glad I did! My mind feeds on these SciFi/Fact world-building potentials like a cow to grass! I am definitely going to this artist's website immediately following this comment! Thanks for such a well-presented case study!
This is actually very realistic. Very few modern civilizations have a linear path to modern prosperity. Regression has been a fundamental cornerstone of humanity’s history.
This would make an awesome Sci-Fi novel.
That's exactly what Alex is working on right now, called "Two Sky River" :P
Y'know what'd be really cool? An open-world, Survival Sandbox based directly off of Alex Rie's 'The World of the Birrin' where players play as a Birrin in perhaps an 'After the Fall' situation, or perhaps during the future when Birrin begin to explore other planets, and you crash land there in an almost 'subnautica' style fashion.
Eagerly waiting for the book. He put a lot of thought into this world. Everything is intriguing , not like overly humanized or outright bizarre alien stories you see everywhere. Everything in this world is strange yet familiar at the same time. The world feels natural and not at all forceful like the ones in mainstream media.
Gives a similar feeling of a documentary instead of fiction, like Wayne Barlowe's Expedition(should check out, great book).
So much talent out there and we are stuck with hack writers and creators from Hollywood. HIRE THIS GUY AND LET HIM WORK
But maybe spending time for the hacks was what enabled them to get the contracts in the first place
I had watched almost all videos of this chnnel and it's quality is amazing whoever you are please don't stop.
Please, do keep at it with topics like these, they are so badass and interesting!
Yeah, I liked the All tomorrows video as well it is a very interesting genre of Science fiction
@@animatorshub7448 It's super interesting stuff. Scratches my itch of space fascination.
5:45 There's something so strangely grounding about seeing an alien pause to light up a smoke.
one thing I've always wondered about alien societies is whether or not they have visually distinguishable differences between individuals, much like humans
This is some of the most impressively unique and detailed world building i've ever seen. I NEED TO GET THE BOOK
Watched part 1 2 days ago and thinking it might take a while for part 2 to come out since the channel does not have a lot of vids yet but here we are! THANK YOUU!!!
Ok there’s gonna have to be animated or put into a game series in some sorta way in the future because this is just so beautiful and fantastic to go unnoticed
I've seen the image at 8:35 so often so many times and I never could've guessed this is where it came from
This is what i call 'good' content. We definitely need more of this stuff ;)
Also this is a good template for a new sci-fi movie. Similar like avatar.
I love how the sails on the hydrofoil ship at 6:15 are the same shape as a Birrin's wings, A nice detail.
These 2 episodes are mind blowing! Our neighbours out there could really look something like this, and have history and tech like this too. Im sure they will look far stranger then us, not even bi-pedal and have wonderfull biology and a wonderfull planet.
I wonder if the birrin had their own version of twitter.
The thought of a bunch of birrin being offended over something trivial is more amusing than it should be.
The more things change, they say, eh?
I can imagine any intelligent, social species would develop social media platforms akin to our own, and would face similar discourse.
I actually wish the author would go into more about their culture. What kind of religions do they have? Do they have movies, and video games? What sort of aliens do they imagine?
@@Xetan123 Yes they have a religion , no social media though they only recently got back into space so the only satellites are Government owned and used for piloting drones and mapping geography
If sebody talk shit too mr.rogers i would be offended
This truly is refreshing, since we always imagine aliens more humanoid we're infatuated with it
i LOVE everything about this. i was always bothered by so called aliens when they were just green humans or humans with fly heads. to see something like this is refreshing.
It's beyond my comprehension how one individual is able to thoroughly imagine something of this scale and illustrate every bit of it. Truly amazing
These guys and their planet is so cool id love to see them in a game or movie or something
I followed Alex for Subnautica content, stayed for the art and world building. My scifi loving heart is in love with his Twitter page
7:57
Ive seen this amazing image from time to time and never known of the rich history of the fictional world of the Birrin!
I’ve always been intrigued about how alien life outside Earth would look like. This definitely opens up my mind that the typical humanoid depictions.
This is incredible. I love the work, heading down the rabbit hole tonight
Meta-human doing the slav squat is really intimidating
My theory for the final image is just that the Birrin are just little- like 5- 10 cm, and the giants are a couple of feet long- it would explain all their megafauna. Those are just humans in stylish future space suits, and that's why the image of the birrin and human children together is non-canon, it should look more like a toddler playing with a hamster.
Birrins are 2m tall or so I read from the artists comments. The metahuman is giant
That's what I thought till I noticed the clouds. Like what planet would have clouds at like 1 foot? That's just ridiculous.
Stupid theory. The Birin are the size of buffaloes. The 'meta' human is huge. You can make that out by looking at the clouds.
It was mentioned in the first part that birrins are the size of deer
@@thecrappycoder How tf does being on a different arbitrary rock in this universe change anything regarding physics?
its so crazy that the guy that helped on subnautica is doing something like this, im giddy as goddamn can be
side thought, this went from subnautica to rainworld real fast. the red grass, bioengineered sorta organisms (not really in their case but the bluesticks themselves and the name "raftweed" brings some image across they were made/bred to specifically act as a raft for this system, for instance)
oh wait
subnautica is also all about things being bioengineered
shit piss, gremlin brain strikes again
man i wanna explore this world so bad
The Meta-Human brings to mind the bible accurate angels, all wings and eyes (except Ophaim which is like a flying wheel with eyes...). Great mythos connections, or hints at least!
Amazing accuracy and thought in design!
Perhaps the Meta-Humans aren't human descendants but their own species under the "angels were really aliens" angle. Though that distinctive human like shoulder is difficult to work around. So they're gallivanting about the universe taking field notes.
At 5:47 that birin smoking a cigarette kinda goes hard. He doesn't just feel human at that point it feels like I'm looking at someone who actually existed at some point, it's almost sobering.
The way this fiction is written like a real alternate history is really awesome
This is the same art and story I bookmarked from DeviantArt years ago. It was the best thing I ever had to opportunity to stumble upon. I very much appreciated this video and summary on the subject, it's still so fascinating to me.
what I've always wanted to know in these kinds of alien worlds, is how would animals from earth fare there, like if we dropped a few cats there, would they wreak havoc on their ecosystem or would they not be able to compete, and what if we dropped sharks into their oceans ?
They might not have the capacity to survive in their atmosphere. And even if they did, Earth animals probably wouldn't even have the ability to consume alien animals.
You know you find something good when you stumble upon a channel that has 60k subs yet nearly 5M views. You are doing amazing Archivist, keep our minds running!
This level and depth of world building is just so awesome and amazing!
I am enthralled by the possibilities that this word building could bring itself, really!
Birrin 1 : I can't wait to meet the humans.
(Final boss theme plays)
Birrin 2 : why do I hear the final boss theme?.
Birrin 1 and 2: 😶😶 7:57
Amazing! Can't wait for his book. I would love to get some speculations on these "Meta-humans"
the Metahuman at the end looked too imposing.
Well I think it was designed to match the Birrin's own aesthetic, rather than our own. It's like humanity's way of saying "Hi, we are here" in a way that the Birrin would fully appreciate.
Metahuman: "Hi we are here to help you! but in return can you pls share your resource with us or we'll destroy you 🦾👽"
Birrin : "Bogos binted? 👽"
Metahuman : "ok WE going to destroy you now."
_Menacing_
This guy just went from
26K to 50K
Respect
In what time frame?
As I'm writing this, the number of people following Alex on Twitter has risen by 800 since Part I.
He just passed 18K.
Amazing video! Thanks for delivering the second part so quickly!
But what about their culture in depth? What about their social standards, art or religion?
And I hope you'll let us all know when the promised book comes out! I'd love to watch your overall review!
Watched part one and was impressed, watched part two and was hooked and subscribed. You have brilliant content which really intrigues me. I'm going to work my way through all your videos. Great stuff. 👍😁
this beautiful universe: exists
hollywood people: nah we're going to remake spider man 3 times.
Discovered this channel yesterday and I'm super happy I did. Amazing I hope we'll see more videos like this!
Tbh I really like how Alex made these advanced aliens as non humanoids. Like movies/games nowadays when it comes to aliens, good or bad, they're always depicted as tiny or gigantic looking humanoids to the point where it's just meh.
So yeah props to Alex for this one!
Love this universe, reminds me a lot of subnautica, thanks for these videos :)))
The artist did work on Subnautica's creatures, so maybe that's why.
They share the same Universe I believe , The birrin's exist millions of years after the events of subnuatica
8:19 IMO he IS humanity, all of us, as digital organisms inside a massive mainframe.
...And birrin exist because we allow it, and they will end if we demand it.
This work deserves a gallery show. A co-production with a museum of natural history would be great.
Yesss your channel is so good. Where have you been all my life?!
Frankly, this is insane. As someone who wants to be a game designer some day, thank you for opening my eyes to this fantastic universe. It's insane just how far the human brain can go...
I love the way you describe this stuff.
The amount of detail and effort put into this book is truly incredible! Great job Alex!
8:13 this image gives me final space vibes
The vehicles are super dope. I especially like seeing the pilots in them, and how the vehicle is made to fit their anatomy.
That was simply amazing. I've always thought about aliens and how they would look, and imagined different worlds and species.
Why is this not a regular thing? Showcasing possible alien worlds through speculation, science, and imagination.
I would love to see other artists creations on the same subject. Or more for sure from this one. Imagine a series where once a week we get to see alien worlds that are made up from different artists.
I finally found the perfect channel for good type of content!!! Definitely subbed!
I saw part 2 and i got super exited!
damn didnt expect the second part to be up so quickly. im excited thank you for introducing this to me.
That metahuman picture has details that are almost identical to the Spear spaceship. The long fin-like appendages, specifically. It is perhaps not so much an advanced human, but rather an advanced union of human and birrin.
Humanity transforming into this meta human idea so fascinating and inspiring.
Your channel deserves way more subscribers, your content is very neatly produced and curated. Hope you continue growing
the artwork is absolutely stunning
How inspiring, indeed. Thank you.
This is really really cool and detailed and so much less existentially terrifying than all tomorrows, I LOVE THIS!
Was waiting for this
Woah!!! I haven't seen such an impressive art in a long time. Thumbs up and into my favs it goes!