I spent a few years watching all of the different animals and other kinds of life. I wanted to see if any of the... I decided that I would call them semi-sapient... any of the semi-sapient creatures would become fully sapient. Fully sapient being the level of the average human. But none ever did. The one closest to reaching it was the queen of the fairies.

All of the various species were too young it seemed. Maybe in a few hundred years some individuals from each species could develop enough... Speaking of sapient species, I should get to making the truly sapient ones.

I looked down at the small pebble that was my world. It was covered in what I had thought was balanced ecosystems, but now everything looked far too dangerous for humans. There were so many creatures that humans would label as monsters. Powerful creatures that could destroy a human in an instant. Normal humans that is, the ones I will make will have a divine spark in them.

I made so many different kinds of plants and animals... Should I make different kinds of people? I don't see why not. I don’t think I’ll need to give them any sort of special power-ups, because they would already have a spark of divinity in them. Though, like with the fairies, it would take time for them to develop enough power to safely handle most creatures. I'll need to find a safe area that I can place them in to start with.

Humans are very versatile and adaptable people, so they could practically live anywhere in the world climate-wise... but somewhere safe. Away from the more powerful creatures until they are ready. That meant that they couldn’t start in any of the deep forests or tallest mountains as the humans wouldn’t be able to get away fast enough.

On the biggest supercontinent, south of two of the normal-for-Earth sized continents, there were two giant peninsulas that made the continent look like it had the jaws of a beast. The top peninsula “jaw” had a huge lake where a nostril would be, with a 2,000 mile long river leading from the lake to the sea in the jaw of the peninsulas. Right next to that lake would be a good place for the humans to start.

There were some strong creatures in the lake, but they were hidden deep beneath the surface so I wasn’t worried about them. I was more worried about the small mountains to the north of them. It had some decently strong creatures, but they shouldn’t be too much of a problem if the humans were careful... if they were careful...

You know what? Let’s be extra careful.

I imagined a large circle of tall white stones. Each stone was placed a mile apart, in a circle twenty miles across. The center being the spot I wanted to place the humans. In the circle, there were rocky hills to the north, a river that led south from the hills before it turned east, a forest in the south, and plains from the west to the east. The circle didn’t include the lake, but with the river there it shouldn’t be an issue. I imagined this circle of standing stones to be a barrier of protection for people, that none of the stronger beasts could pass the border.

“Let there be a circle of protection.”

Fifty-six white stones burst from the ground in a perfect circle, each twenty feet tall. A glimmering ripple in the air formed a wall between each stone before fading from sight, though I could still sense that it was there.

Ok... Now for the Humans.

I imagined them in my mind. Looked like me with two legs and arms and everything else. Copper-tanned skin that could slowly adapt to the climate they lived in. Intelligent. Adaptable. Around five to six feet tall. I knew what a man looked like because I am one, but what did a woman look like? The woman that popped into mind was a brunette with shining green eyes and a smile more beautiful than all the stars in the sky...

Who was she?... Were we...

I tried to remember more about her, but nothing else came to mind.

This is definitely a train to think about later... But right now I need to focus!

Anyways, I could imagine both sexes properly now. For some reason, I was uncomfortable using that woman’s image for this, so I slightly modified her image to look like a different woman. For the man, I didn’t want to just create someone that looked exactly like me, so I got to work tweaking his image as well. A nice strong jaw, big shoulders, and...

All trains of thought ground to a halt... The humans that I was picturing were fully clothed! While I was mentally sculpting new appearances for the humans, somehow I had imagined them in the clothes. I could see how I imagined the woman in clothes, because she was wearing the same outfit as that green-eyed woman from the memory that popped up. But the man was wearing something in a completely different style.

The woman that I was imagining was wearing a flowing gray skirt that went down to her ankles and a light blue T-shirt. She was wearing gray socks and sneakers... not a great outfit to be settling a world in... Or maybe it was! It’s not like I know much about clothing.

The man, however, was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt that buttoned up the right side with a red trim. He had black pants that were tucked into black boots that came up to just below the knee... The woman’s colors were pleasing to look at, while the man’s colors seemed more imposing... The style did look hardy and tough.

Where did this outfit come from?... Is it somehow related to the green-eyed woman’s outfit? Is that why it appeared without me even realizing it? But the black outfit looks so different from the woman’s... Is that what I used to wear when I was there on Earth?

More trains to think about later. Nothing else was coming to mind right now, so I had to turn back to the task at hand.

I suppose that this was a good diversion... Because I’m still naked! I can’t create people and not create clothes for myself... how would I go talk to them then?

I imagined clothes for myself... a T-shirt like the woman’s and pants like the man’s. I didn’t need shoes just yet, but I could just make some if I ever wanted to. I changed the colors to purple, like Rapu. Dark purple for the pants, Light purple for the shirt.

“Let me be clothed.”

I was no longer naked.

Back to humans.

I switched all of the man’s colors to match the woman’s. Light blue shirt, gray pants, and gray boots. If they didn’t like those colors... Well, it’s not like they’ll keep these outfits for long. They'll have to make their own clothes eventually, and I didn’t think that they’ll be able to make these kinds of clothes anyways. I also switched the woman’s shirt to match the man’s; fitted to her, of course.

I had the image firm in mind. Their physical features all planned out and the idea of humans was strong. Versatile. Adaptable. A free people.

“Let there be Humans.”

In an instant... something was wrong. The humans that I had imagined were created just fine. Exactly how I had imagined them... I suppose nothing was wrong per say, just that somehow the world seemed “firmer” or “more set as it is” around the two humans.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

... Is that a result of their will?

The humans were glancing around confusedly, taking in their surroundings. As they observed the world, the world grew more firm. In both of their minds they were taking note of all the rocks, the grass, the trees... everything. It was as if each thought set things in stone. Like “that grass is there” made it so that that grass was more a part of the world... harder to change... Of course, that “set in stone” feeling was miniscule and wasn’t anywhere near capable of stopping me, but I still noticed it.

Once there are more people would I be able to change the world?

I shrugged.

I made this world for these people anyways. If they make it unchangeable then whatever. It’s theirs. Now what other people should I make? I think I’ll use humans as the base, and work off of that...

I brought the image of the humans back into mind.

I think the easiest changes I can make are the sizes... One race would be giant and another smaller. The giants should be a bit more muscled, though still reasonably proportioned, and around fourteen to fifteen feet tall. In the same outfits I made for the humans, though I’ll give the giant women boots as well... Should I make some difference other than their size?... Uh, maybe they’ll live a bit longer and give birth less frequently? Sounds good... Around 300 years should be good... Where is a good spot for them?

I scanned the surface of the world. There was a good mountain range, though right next to a giant mountain range, on one of the regular-sized-for-Earth continents north of the continent I placed the humans on.

That’s a good spot for them!

I created another protection circle of 56 white stones for them, and then created the giants in the center of the circle.

The giants had the same effect on the world that the humans had.

For the smaller race... because of their size they’ll need to be very creative and innovative. Around three feet tall... same outfits, but I don’t think the men need the boots as much, I’ll give them sneakers. Maybe these guys can have the same lifespan as humans. These gnomes should also... Gnomes?... Does this race exist already on Earth? Oh well... Anyways, they should have pointed ears.

I looked for a good spot for them and spotted some good plains with some little groves here and there on the round-ish supercontinent west of the giant’s continent. The plains were in the northeast of the supercontinent.

Again, I created the protection circle of 56 white stones, and created the gnomes in the center.

Now to get a little experimentational. What are some good features to add to a human?... Maybe flight? Add some wings and make them more bird-like? Why not! I'll even give them feet like a bird.

I placed the human image in my mind and added wings to their backs. I changed the shirts so that instead of buttoning in the front, they could be pulled over their heads, slip their arms into the sleeves and then button the sides closed below their wings. Below their knees, I extended the leg a bit and added another joint to bend the other way. Then from that new joint down I added scales and talons like one of the great eagles flying around. I got rid of the woman’s skirt, because skirts wouldn’t be good flying around after all... and got rid of the man's pants because their new feet wouldn't be able to fit through the pant legs... Maybe combine them? Sounds good. I took the image of the pants and made it be the same light material of the skirt, and widened the legs.

Wait... won't they need tails to help them fly? With that thought I added feathered tails that reached down just below the knees and adjusted the pants. The pants now had two buttons, one in the front like normal, and one in the back that buttoned above the tail. Just standing there, their tails kind of blended into their skirt-pants... pant-skirts? Pirts? Skants? Whatever...

I also replaced their fingernails with small talons. Not too big that they couldn’t use their fingers like normal, but big enough to be used in an emergency... I imagined that they’ll prefer to be using tools and weapons rather than talons, so I won’t make it hard on them. Instead of hair, I gave them a head of feathers. Fine feathers that came down to a point in the middle of their forehead, with the feathers growing in size as it went to the back of the head. The feathers at the back were long enough that they reached down past the shoulders to end just above where their wings connected to their back.

I paused... Aren’t most of the male birds “prettier” than the females?

I nodded, then made the man shorter, slimmer, and gave him finer petite features. I also changed his feathers to be a brightly colored rainbow. I made the woman slightly bigger and stronger than the man, but still obviously female by human standards. Her feathers I made to be a gradient from black at the top to white at the feather tips.

There was a good spot for them on the same supercontinent as the gnomes. It was on the western side of the large mountain range, near the peak of one of the smaller mountains there.

Another protection circle went down, circling the peak and a good bit of forest, and I created the harpies on top of the peak.

Harpies huh?... another name that popped into mind. Are these races that already exist? First the gnomes and now harpies?... I suppose it doesn’t matter. I created what I wanted to, why should I care if it has been done before in some other universe? This is my universe! I’ll make what I want!

I turned my mind back to the task of race creation.

I mixed a bird with a human and got a harpy. What another thing can I mix a human with?... something completely opposite to a bird... A snake? Snakes are bound to the ground, slithering on their bellies. Yes. A snake.

I imagined humans again. First, replace the legs with a large snake tail about ten feet long. As for their genitalia, I made them able to be hidden behind a scale where their groin would have been... it would be difficult to cover up otherwise. They only had the same light blue button-up shirt as everyone else had. I made their tongues longer and thinner; not forked because that would make them sound all hissy when speaking. I also changed their pupils to be slitted. I made their lifespans to be around 50 to 60 years old, but also boosted their fertility so their population can still grow.

Hmm... What else? How about their scales slowly changes to the environment they’re in? About ten or so years to change? Sounds good... Also, there’s a large desert in the northeast of the supercontinent the humans are on. I should make them naturally heat resistant and have less of a need for water so they can live there.

With the image of the Nagas in mind, I created another protection circle in the desert and placed them in the circle’s center.

Ok, we have five races now. Two races on two supercontinents, and one race alone on a regular continent... I should make two more for the last supercontinent and call that good for now.

The last supercontinent stretched north to south with a narrow pinch of land in the middle. The southern half had massive mountains, sprawling forests, and a giant sea-like lake in its center. The race that lived there should be good survivalists to handle all of that...

I already made two races based off of a single animal... Birds and snakes. What if this race is based on mammals in general? Predator mammals... That could work.

I brought up the human image again.

Predators have larger ears at the top of their head, pointed and rotatable... Sharp incisors. Not completely carnivorous though, so I’ll keep the molars in the back... Slitted pupils, though not as narrow as the snakes. Retractable claws on hands and feet. Large fluffy tail. Sharp senses. I’ll make the men strength-focused, all muscly and big. Though they’ll still be fast, they’ll be more like bears; brutish and strong, while still fluffy. The women I’ll make slim and speed focused. Fast, though maybe not as strong; relying more on precision than brute strength. Like a lioness... I’ll make them both slightly hairier as well, not completely covered in fur, just a bit more hairier in places where humans naturally grow hair... because why not? I’ll also give the woman some pants and give her the boots as well.

I placed another protection circle in a massive forest close to its edge on the southern part of the supercontinent and placed the race of beast-men in its center.

For the northern half of the supercontinent... I really got to name these, instead of just saying “supercontinent” all the time... There was one large mountain range in its center and was surrounded by forests.

Maybe just a long-lived human, about 800 years... and pointed ears, like the gnomes, to show that they’re a different race. Elves... that’s the name. Same outfits as the humans.

I plopped down a protection circle in a small bit of forest near a larger forest, and placed the elves in its center.

It’s going to be so fun watching them all grow and create things of their own... Hopefully, I can make friends with a few of them.