The Ruined World of 'Barren'

Imagine a future where humanity must survive alongside mutated horrors. An exploration of Keegan Francis’s dark post-apocalyptic worldbuilding project ‘Barren.’
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‘Barren,’ a post-apocalyptic worldbuilding project by Keegan Francis, imagines an alternate history where civilization ended in nuclear conflict, and mutated animal life rapidly evolves to rule over the irradiated wastes left behind.

A retro-future that calls to mind the worldbuilding of the Fallout series, the project reveals a world where human survivors must contend with biological horrors created by their own folly. So, for this entry into the archive, we’ll travel across the wastes, creating a ‘survival guide’ of sorts to the creatures that roam this desolate world.

Now, let’s cross into an alternate timeline, and witness the broken world of Barren…

0:00 World of Barren
1:47 Mutant Biology
3:32 The Bulwark
4:43 The Bonehen
5:55 The Zadger
7:12 The Nukula
8:58 The Dillo-Pig
10:09 The Goldwing
11:13 The Rotfowl
12:28 Biophage
13:31 “Ankle Biters”
14:22 The Vespore
15:28 Not All is Lost…

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I do not own the images, music, or footage used in this video. All rights and credit goes to the original owners.

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#CuriousArchive #Worldbuilding #Barren

[KfrancisArt]

Wow, this is crazy to see my world.

Appreciate the feature and any who come over to support and join the project.

[danjaminmonster]

As a British person, I can confirm that this was not a fictional alternate world, it is actually a documentary about what life is like here in the UK

[darongw]

There really needs to be a mutated house cat that stalks the forests and fields of the UK in Barren. It would be fitting since people in the UK in real life claim to see large wild cats :)

[CLCasual]

I just want to point out RE: Zadgers, their precursor, the badger, is NOT a harmless animal, they can be vicious little bastards

[timeshark]

War... War never changes

This feels like a "what if the creators of Fallout read a biology book and made more than 5 animals per game"

[Schlumpsha]

Dang, now I want a survival horror game setting in Barren! At least the upcoming Fallout London mod will somewhat quench that thirst for a radioactive GB.

[androidmk]

I can't help but laugh at the mental idea there's just some random reptile or crustacean that hasn't changed at all. Like a crocodile or a horseshoe crab that's just exactly the same.

[darylpowell]

As an american, it's strange to hear badgers called "harmless"

[blushblush]

It’d be really cool to see you cover Dogs of the Spires. It’s basically post-apocalyptic fantasy with quite a bit of spec-evo and cosmic horror sorta stuff in the later books

Edit: I think you can get the series in some bookstores but you can probably find it online. Not normally a fan of xenofiction but the worldbuilding was more than enough to get me interested

[ukrainiansturgeon]

“The harmless badger” I know you already addressed this problem, but I have to say even large cats are afraid of it. I gotta say though I like this world building project is amazing.

[aidanshea]

"Yet the green landscapes of old have been replaced by a grim wasteland of silent decay"

Wow, things must gotten *really* bad *after* the nukes

[samuellima]

Man, this is a really dark project, but it is really good!

[violetlight]

Nice to see this kind of post-apocalypse fiction that actually puts some thought into the effect that environment would have on life, instead of just making radioactive monsters out to get people. Thank you for sharing!

[Rum-Runner]

Interesting concept, though wouldn’t it be more likely that these mutated animals would simply be referred to as their predecessors? For example, I think it would be far more likely that “bone-hens” would just be called “chickens” by the inhabitants of this alternate reality, considering that these are all recognized animals that would have mutated in such a short timeframe; within what could essentially be one person’s lifetime.

[Kamarovsky_KCM]

This project looks really promising, and I sincerely hope that the creator will receive lots of support through his Patreon so that he can continue creating it. I, however am nothing but a Rotfowl, and just like them live by scavenging, thus sadly not being able to support.

[Ashannon]

This kind of a setting can do wonders for world building with a bit of mythology. Imagine common dog breeds like german sheperds or labs turning into giant black furred wolflike monsters. Now you have packs of Black Schucks running around. How many English towns and villages have legends of those demonic black hounds haunting the countryside?

[noahjester]

The feeling I get when hearing about this world is interesting; despite all the horrific monsters, desolation, and struggle, I like that humanity continued to exist, as if to spite the wastelands they inhabit. I'd set out some table scraps for the 'Dillos, some eggs for the Bonehens, and I'm just sitting on my front porch, cleaning a shotgun and basking in the silence of a dead world...

[freakishuproar]

Whilst I do appreciate a post-apocalyptic reimagining of my country, I feel like I may have been spoilt by the many _many MANY_ speculative biology projects you've covered on this awesome channel. Barren feels a little generic, if I'm being brutally honest.

[marxtheenigma]

You need to look at an old ps2 game called Scaler. I love it for the detailed environments. There's even a plant on one level mimicking a big scary predator.

[purplehaze]

I'm actually surprised Biophage wasn't involved in phage treatment. It'd make sense given their name, logo, supposed medical ties, and could provide an explanation as to how nukrosis came about.