Revised birdbug skeleton, for anyone interested. The ancestral animal had an exoskeleton, which became heavily reduced in later forms. As a result, many of the muscle attachments are still internal. Birgs and their kin have convergently developed vertebrae to support the neck region, but the abdomen does not require this level of mobility and is instead surrounded by a cage of free floating ribs.
One of the most ubiquitous food crops in Twowi cuisine is this tuber-like “fungus” known as tsa-tsuúsh. These organisms serve as the roots of a host feathervane; collecting and storing nutrients, feeding the growing sprouts in the spring, and consuming dead hosts in the fall. The nodules are typically harvested in late fall, when the ground is not yet frozen but the tsa-tsuúsh are primed for overwintering. The example shown above is but one cultivar of hundreds observed across the Twowi empire.
A single nodule can connect to multiple individual plants; if no established nodules are nearby, spores within the body of the feathervane’s “walking seed” will still develop into roots for the sprouting plant and begin to form a new nodule over the course of several months.
Our guide rests in the shade of the Vherr-osh, the great sunspires. These glittering towers are composed of thousands of tiny chambers like the units of a compound eye, the inside of each lined with a photosynthetic “retina” protected from the extremes of the subarctic winters and summers.
The units are capped by a convex silica lens that refracts light into the chamber to maximize surface area for photosynthesis, while protecting the delicate living cells inside. The reflective lining beneath the lens thickens at the height of summer to prevent overexposure, and is also responsible creates a striking violet iridescence. The lenses are likely derived from silica spicules in the ancestral species; extant relatives still bear these spicules for anti-predation and structure.
These strange trees grow slowly, taking centuries to reach even 5 feet in height. Accounts from the nomads of the region suggest they can live for thousands of years beyond that. A Tuin clan legend attests that they first grew from the shed scales of a primordial bird as it circled the newly formed world. Mature forests such as this were already vanishingly rare by the time I was lucky enough to lay eyes on one. The inhospitable region where they grow is seldom visited by birgs, though just a few centuries before, these lenses were scraped away by the hundreds of thousands to make all manner of decorative windows, sun catchers, even primitive spectacles and telescopes. To this day, some Twowi nobility covet the iridescent crystals as an exotic and expensive jewelry.
A trunkhorse mare keeps a watchful eye on her foals as she grazes. One of her foals is larger and more colorful than the others, but she guards it just as fiercely.
A Noumi clan child proudly displays their prized pets. These colorful scalebugs spend their larval stage in the bark of certain feathervane trees, where they are collected by local kids and raised to their adult stage. Their scales are prized for jewelry, but the living animals are also fashionable pets for kids and adults alike.
Some sketches of some creatures for @iguanodont’s Birgworld. includes: that big old fossil dude a larger, more wolf-like kin of the jaubja, that’s specialized for bringing down flagdeer and other “ungulates” a bizarre, distant kin of the the birgs that’s got big ‘ol pinnae and a long, extended abdominal segment that’s like a dinosaurian balancing tail some “ungulates” and a “whale”.
Media that does the “ooh, the cave/dungeon/building/whatever is alive” bit always goes straight for exposed bone and viscera. Like, let’s get some integument in here – I wanna see a creepy living dungeon where the walls are furry.
But- but you’re *inside* the cave-
yeah it’s to keep the poor dungeon warm when the adventurers leAVE THE DAMN DOOR OPEN AGAIN
I mean, if your living dungeon has large, permanently open interior spaces that freely exchange atmosphere with the outside world and are intended to accommodate other creatures, those interior surfaces would need to have some sort of protective covering, if only to control moisture loss and prevent infection, and maintaining a mucus coating for that purpose just isn’t practicable at that scale. We’re talking skin of some description; while thick fur probably wouldn’t be necessary due to the surfaces in question being interior (and thus amply insulated), one can easily imagine that skin being fuzzy.
Ok so, here’s a funky fact: in the early evolution of fish, the claspers (reproductive organs still present in modern sharks) actually began as a genuine third pair of limbs. Sooo what if instead of becoming purely reproductive, the claspers instead developed into full on legs.
Basically what I’m saying here is six-finned fish -> hexapedal early tetrapods -> hexapedal temnospondyls -> hexapodal tiny weirdo arboreal dendrerpetids that develop membranes to glide -> amphibian dragons
they have little grabby hands and spurt venom out of their mouths and they are my precious new babies
Speaking of the arboreal proto-dragons, here’s the little guys!
My entire design aesthetic with these fellows is “little dudes I want to hold” and I for one think it’s working!
Ok so, here’s a funky fact: in the early evolution of fish, the claspers (reproductive organs still present in modern sharks) actually began as a genuine third pair of limbs. Sooo what if instead of becoming purely reproductive, the claspers instead developed into full on legs.
Basically what I’m saying here is six-finned fish -> hexapedal early tetrapods -> hexapedal temnospondyls -> hexapodal tiny weirdo arboreal dendrerpetids that develop membranes to glide -> amphibian dragons
they have little grabby hands and spurt venom out of their mouths and they are my precious new babies
Once again, @draconesmundi and I will be hosting an information online conference focused on speculative biology. The Specposium hosts presentations on any topic relating to speculative biology: showcases of your own projects, reviews of existing projects, history of the field, fundamentals of biology and earth science that can be applied to speculative scenarios, and more. It’s open to anyone with an interest in speculative biology.
The Specposium will be held on the weekend of June 25th and 26th, 2022. Submission closes May 31st, and registration closes June 24th.
Revisiting fairies/pixies. Their family includes all the smallest members of the wyvern clade. These lil’ cuties build communal nests in a sheltered site such a tree hollow or the walls of an old house. The warmth and humidity of so many little bodies combined with the grass bedding and guano creates the perfect conditions for the growth of a toxic fungus related to ergot. Consumption by most other animals causes confusion and hallucinations, but the pixies themselves are immune. It readily grows among their winter stores of grain and berries, making it a nice symbiotic deterrent to thievery by other animals, particularly rodents and some insects. The spores collect as “pixie dust” in their fluff to be spread to future nest sites.
Long story short: do not eat the fairy fruits.
A wonderful reimagining of a mythological creature. The inclusion of a believable symbiosis with ergot really brings this concept to life. Ergotism (A.K.A. St. Anthony’s Fire) was a big problem in the middle ages and has been linked to witchcraft paranoia.
Although they don’t state it, it looks like they have zygodactyl feet like parrots too, which is a nice touch since it allows a lot of object manipulation.
Revisiting fairies/pixies. Their family includes all the smallest members of the wyvern clade. These lil’ cuties build communal nests in a sheltered site such a tree hollow or the walls of an old house. The warmth and humidity of so many little bodies combined with the grass bedding and guano creates the perfect conditions for the growth of a toxic fungus related to ergot. Consumption by most other animals causes confusion and hallucinations, but the pixies themselves are immune. It readily grows among their winter stores of grain and berries, making it a nice symbiotic deterrent to thievery by other animals, particularly rodents and some insects. The spores collect as “pixie dust” in their fluff to be spread to future nest sites.
Long story short: do not eat the fairy fruits.
A wonderful reimagining of a mythological creature. The inclusion of a believable symbiosis with ergot really brings this concept to life. Ergotism (A.K.A. St. Anthony’s Fire) was a big problem in the middle ages and has been linked to witchcraft paranoia.
Although they don’t state it, it looks like they have zygodactyl feet like parrots too, which is a nice touch since it allows a lot of object manipulation.
I got a couple of asks regarding the Ziz Bird as a potential relative of the griffin, so here’s my 2 cents: (Also please keep in mind that none of the original descriptions actually specify a griffin-like creature; I’m not even sure where that came about) The Ziz, also known as the roc (and some have argued the Thunderbird, but this is highly debatable) is the largest of all flying dragons, with a wingspan averaging at around 45 feet, but large individuals reaching upwards of 50. Almost nothing was known of their distribution, habits, or reproduction for millennia; for, understandably, this is a creature adapted so completely to life on the wing that it has lost the ability to take off from level ground entirely. Even today they are difficult to find and study, as most of their near-endless flight is spent over open ocean. They are primarily piscivores, and follow the movements of schooling fish, which they skim from the surface of the water. Interestingly, certain individuals have also been observed to target large bird colonies, where they pick out birds from the massive flocks as if hunting fish. One of the most famous places to observe this incredible sight is in Israel, a massive stopover for migrating birds and a Mecca for birdwatchers and dragonologists alike. Every summer they converge from all over the world at their breeding ground in the mountains of Northern Pakistan, though other roosting sites (of subspecies) are known at the Faroe Islands and in parts of Canada. What do these places have in common? Only among the tallest, sheerest cliffs in the world. Only at such steep inclines do these creatures ever roost, hooking onto the rock with strong claws to wait for their mate. Research suggests that they are monogamous; though they only meet once a year, mated pairs find each other with distinctive calls. They may also renew their mating ritual, which consists of a tandem dance of circling and divebombs. The male then clambers over the female as she hangs from the vertical rock face for intercourse. The mated pair remain at their roost for about a month, wherein they take leave shortly after the female gives birth. Ziz are among the only viviparous dragons, wherein the female carefully deposits her single chick on the back of the male and takes off. It is the male’s duty to carry the chick safely to the sea, so it may set out on its own from a safe altitude and close to food. Chicks will remain at sea until they are grown at 6 years. They can live as long as 50 years. As with many of earth’s wonders, the Ziz has experienced a steady decline over recent decades due to overfishing and climate change.
Tiny, colorful dragons native to the Arabian Peninsula are known to swarm around Frankincense trees in early spring, possibly attracted by the scent to form mating swarms. The males die shortly after mating, and may be fed on by the females as they prepare to migrate to their nesting sites. The Egyptian ibis is said to have a particular taste for these tiny creatures, which often die of exhaustion after laying their eggs near the Nile.
These strange beast were first documented by the Greek historian Heredotus, who wrote of Arabians burning “smoke of the storax” (another aromatic plant) to disperse their swarms in order to harvest resin from the trees.
I can finally plug the project that I’ve had to shut up about! I was fortunate enough to be part of the Almost Real Zine, a speculative biology anthology of different mythical beings, but described by modern science. Here’s a sneak peak at my entry, the unicorn.
There’s some neat perks for backers and some cool stretch goals too, check it out HERE
Legends old and new come to life with Almost Real’s fifth volume; bringing a dozen speculative entries examining all sorts of fantastical creatures!
Head to Twitter to see the full announcement thread and extended sneak peeks from the @FortunaMedias account, but for now: mark your calendars and save the date for Almost Real’s 5th installment on the Kickstarter-alternative platform Zoop: a crowdfunding site dedicated entirely to comics and graphic novels (without the pledge to blockchain)!
It is a topic of hot debate whether unicorns truly don’t understand the human concept of property, or are just willfully disregarding it. They definitely /do/ understand the concept of fences, and they find it really funny.
Looking for fellow creatives for a fantasy project!!
Hi all! I’m looking for other people who might be interested in collaborating on a hobby world-building project. !!Please help me find people by reblogging this post!!
[ID: Sketch of someone waving cheerfully at the viewer. end ID]
This world is designed to be the basis for a magic-based, multiplayer platformer fantasy game similar in ways to Maplestory and Fantasy Life, where the player character travels throughout various cool and magical realms. If you want to learn more about the world, please check out the information under the “read more” (I didn’t want the post to get too long).
Some stuff about me: I’m a Thai-American genetics student/researcher with heavy interests in evolutionary biology and Southeast Asian culture. I like to draw/design in my free time. I’m looking for people who are interested in contributing (to any degree), especially those who have an interest in biology, ecology, or sociology/anthropology. I would love to be able to work with other people from cultures that are underrepresented in the fantasy genre (though ofc not a requirement). No skills necessary!!! I’m able to handle all the art and visual design load on my own, I’m just looking for anyone imaginative!
I tend to be very realism-focused, so I’m hoping that input from others will help this world blossom into a more fantastical, wondrous setting. You don’t have to commit to anything–if you want, you can just hang around a bit and see if it interests you, or just provide input once in a while.
This is currently just a fun side-project that I work on in my spare time. I want to make it clear that even though I’m designing it with a videogame in mind, there really is no guarantee that it would ever get to that point, and I don’t want anyone to join with the hope that it would eventually pay off monetarily. I’ll make sure that anyone who contributes heavily will get a say in where the project eventually goes, if it turns out to last long.
Please contact me on Tumblr or Twitter to get involved! I plan on making a Discord server to keep all our collaboration in one place, invites given by PM.
[All images described in alt-text]
The premise of the world is that flora and fauna are not separate beings, but instead that all animals start their lives as plants, turn into animals, and then at death they create seeds which sprout into new plants. People also go through this life cycle–when they start out life they’re the huge, slow-growing plants that provide the structure for complex ecosystems (pine trees, kelp, huge cactuses), and then when they become people, their community cares for the ecosystem in question.
–MAIN GOALS– - To build a work in the fantasy genre that rejects the overwhelmingly common eurocentric and often colonialist setting, as well as incredibly popular westernized systems of fantasy morality (light v. dark, demons v. angels, etc) - To portray fictional cultures in a way that highlights the incredible diversity of IRL cultures without stereotypes or homogeneity - To show the interconnectedness of everything, including showing different groups of humans as being connected with each other and showing humans as part of the environment; actively rejecting contemporary notions of “mastery over nature”
!!Everything below here is subject to change!!
Since I’m heavily interested in evolutionary bio, I built the biology of this world on the premise that life evolved much like it did on our world, starting from a single organism and blossoming out into different branches. Humans, or rather “people”, evolved multiple different times whenever a complex, dense ecosystem arose. Here are the groups of people I’ve come up with. The player chooses which species they want to start out as, and the dominant weapons or magic style of that culture determines the combat style they first learn to use. (Each group of people has multiple different subcultures, but there would be one “main” subculture that players start out in.)
Merfolk/seafolk:
Perhaps some of the earliest peoples, seafolk start their lives as kelp and inhabit the thick kelp forests that surround many coastlines. They have a love for exploration and discovery, but generally avoid encroaching on land. Their magic generally has to do with water, and the weapons they use are mechanical crossbows and heavy blunt weapons (blunt weapons integrated with controlling/redirecting the flow of water to lend force to blows). I haven’t figured out which real-world cultures to draw on for inspiration for seafolk societies, since nobody IRL lived underwater, of course. This is probably the most open-ended group of people. They’re visually based on fish and salamanders.
Frostfolk:
These people start their lives as conifers and thus inhabit the taiga and tundra. Their magic mostly has to do with ice, cold, or wind, and their main weapon of choice is spears. In this group of people, I want to have different societies: a nomadic hunting/fishing society, a nomadic pastoral society, and a more sedentary river/forest-based society. They’re based visually on dinosaurs, specifically theropods, with perhaps more bird-like features.
(No name yet):
Related to frostfolk but now geographically isolated from them, these people start their lives as cycads and live in the tropics, especially on chains of islands. Some subcultures would be highly seafaring, while some would be more sedentary and involved with metal-working and smithing. For the sedentary cultures, their magic would revolve around utilizing fire, and weaponry would be small blades made from obsidian. They are also based on theropods, but would have more vibrantly colored feathers like tropical birds.
Dustfolk:
Based on carnivorous mammals, mainly cats, foxes, and coyotes, these peoples start their lives as succulent plants like giant cacti. They inhabit the deserts and canyons of the world and live a largely nomadic life. Their magic has to do with wind/sandstorms, and their main combat styles are focused on hand-to-hand combat, utilizing claw or knuckle weaponry.
Plainsfolk/brushfolk(?):
These people start their lives as deciduous trees, generally as part of savannas, or sparse forests on mountainsides. They are based visually on ungulates, mainly deer/antelope, goats, and pigs/boars. I plan to have a semi-nomadic subculture in the dry savanna, a more sedentary agricultural society in the tropical savanna, and a mountainous society. Their weaponry would use a combination of sword and shield, and they would utilize light magic by way of reflective metal or glass.
(No name here either… they’re humans):
Finally, there would be a species of primate-based people that start their lives as broadleaf evergreen trees and inhabit the tropical jungles of the world. Many of their societies would be agricultural, with some fishing river-based cultures. Their magic would be related to monsoons and thunderstorms, especially lightning magic, and they would use long, thin blades for fighting.
—
In addition to the “main” cultures of the world, there would be many cultural centers where multiple peoples meet and trade food, goods, and technology. People will not be divided by nation borders or “species”.
Currently, my idea is that combat is used to battle metaphorical representations of disease, malaise, generally bad and imbalanced things. I haven’t developed this part of the storyline too much yet, I just know some thematic goals I might have.
In addition to combat (either physical or magical-based depending on the player’s preference), players would be able to pursue a few different skills, like farming/breeding using a robust genetics system, tailoring/clothes-making, furniture/crafts-making, smithing, healing, cooking; as well as more “meta” hobbies like making maps and puzzles for other players to use.
Again, if you’re interested in getting involved or have any questions, you can reach out to me here on Tumblr or on Twitter.If people do end up being interested, I’d like to make a small community on Discord to chat with! Edit: We do have a discord server now, you just have to ask to join!
Another speculative radiodont These are Bumblebee Scorpions and are neither bees nor scorpions, but land-dwelling relatives of Anomalocaris. They live in the miniature forests of the early Devonian which consist of mosses, rhynophytes, clubmosses, horsetails, and other low-growing primitive plants. Fungi are also major components of these early forests, and bumblebee scorpions have evolved a thick, fuzzy coat that picks up spores from mushrooms, helping the fungi spread. The radiodont benefits from this relationship too, as it preys on the springtails, millipedes, flatworms, nemerteans, and other invertebrates that eat the fungi.
A trunkhorse mare keeps a watchful eye on her foals as she grazes. One of her foals is larger and more colorful than the others, but she guards it just as fiercely.
Speculative biology of Eversong Lynxes because I am really just a great, big nerd.
Lynxes start grey and patternless before shedding into a golden adolescent coat. These gold-red juveniles are the most commonly seen of the Eversong Lynxes, as it is in this stage of their life that they are seeking a territory… or a friend. Like many creatures of the wood, they have a symbiotic relationship with the Elves, and will frequently hunt and grow up alongside them.
As adults, the lynxes’ coats become darker. Matriarchs and ‘Ghostclaw’ lynxes sport this russet fur.
Old ranger’s tales tell that the oldest cats; sometimes over a thousand years old themselves, may be jet black… but since the destruction of Thas’alah and the sacking of Quel’thalas, none of these elusive, shadowy elder cats have been seen.
Some troll biology headcanons in this year of troll jegus 2022
More thoughts under readmore:
1) I don’t think trolls have an exoskeleton by any means, but I like to think that the developing of their bodies was such that they have growth lines that range from very faint like the ones on the Dolorosa’s stomach to the segmentation lines still visible on most parts of the Psiioniic (with the thought process being that more of his development biologically was put into psion powers than other physical development). The most subtle of these growth lines are still visible maybe under different types of light than what their moons offer (I imagine most of them are made to see off of the light reflecting off of their moons than the sun, for obvious reasons) or through bio-illumination like rainbow drinkers have (or maybe also seadwellers) and these growth lines are like the natural lines humans have that can’t be perceived, and this being where trolls got symbols from, simplifications of the patterns of their bodies.
2) Lots of troll biology isn’t really bug-y enough for me and I like to supplement that in thinking about grubscars and pincers and things like that, like the texture imagined for their horns is the same texture as you would see on horned beetles, those big smooth exoskeleton-like horns and pincers, maybe they could even be crushed with enough force? The idea of trolls like Equius having more of a situation of having his horn’s outer shell snapped through than it being like a solid antler or horn is a neat idea, like a crunching of a thick outer layer.
3) In the way of liking bug things for trolls specifically, I’m very invested in the idea of “grub scars” as they would be come to known as a residual pupal form almost, like the last thing on their body that is still pupating so it’s just the last remnants of their grubal form on their bodies. On some people, they simply go away after a while, especially on trolls dmab, and actually settle out into “scars” that are just evidence of them having been on their bodies, whereas on others, they harden and are a fixture that is raised off of their bodies where wings develop over time, the scars wrapping around to the center of the back and opening if/when they actually grow out wings, rather than them just coming out of nowhere.
4) Additionally, with the evolutionary proclivity towards rainbow drinkers, the concept arises of them having pincers sharp enough and fast enough to puncture skin that are stored under their cheeks, with additional muscle for the darting “bite”. This would make jade blood cheeks raised and hard.
5) Really just nailing down the bug thing, I just really like the idea of them having hard carapacian fingers that tend to be shaped like claws (maybe also toes? I don’t work on feet often in this chilis) as well as mostly ear holes rather than the types of ears we typically have. Any ear shape would mostly be for keeping hair out of the way, and hearing has a lot more to do with picking up vibrations through possibly the horns or body than actually catching sound waves with the ear shape.
6) I have a LOT of thoughts about color coding and how it works in Alternia, but the most important thing in my mind immediately is that white is something that is rarely seen on trolls themselves, which is probably because in order to have white clothing they would have to get it directly from lusi, who are huge and dangerous. I have LOTS more thoughts about how white clothing would be seen or even obtained in a world where it seems that white as a clothing base for dyeing into other colors seems relatively unobtainable (with more privileged trolls only having solid colored clothing and other trolls mostly having black and grey in their wardrobes), but the coding of color would probably have people think that pure white, especially in a world that takes place at night, would probably be seen as othering and dangerous, with it likening people to lusi as well as “here I am I am very easy to see”. When you live in a violent society, allowing yourself to be seen means you can handle yourself and that means you must be dangerous to be drawing attention. Hence, rainbow drinkers glowing bright white.
7) I like to think psionics work as a positive and negative charge, and dance across the body in that format, between the red and blue, and would, as a result, lead to there being different circulations of that power on opposite sides of the body, with the coloration. You see this with the eyes and powers on psionic trolls, but I also like to think that if you retain damage from using psionics, that the scars you develop would then have that coloration from that half of the body, then applying to the face first, and reaction to restraints (like the ones seen on the Psiioniic during his…. um…… employmentby HIC)
8) Thinking about grubs, I really like the idea of them having little soft white horns that haven’t quite developed yet because they’re so small, otherwise I can’t imagine the grub pools are very fun, to say the least. Little pincers surround the mouth and aid putting food in as leggies are mostly used for very basic movement and, more importantly, hearing. Ears aren’t on the head until after pupation, and instead located on the legs as they need to pick up environmental vibrations. This leads to the few instances of a troll raising a grub usually including speaking to the child’s stomach or little grabbers, and adult trolls raised by other trolls finding hands important, listening intently to others by holding their face in their hands even though they no longer hear that way. It paints a striking, abnormally friendly, otherworldly concept of The Signless’ adult life and adds a neat little cultural phenomenon to his approach. I like the idea of reaching out to someone or having your hands out in a pleading way be a deeply personal way of listening to the other person in a culture that hasn’t developed what would be a common practice of this because of its lack of humanity.
idk tell me your thoughts if you read literally a quarter of this I have way too many
The Gryphons are very strange creatures, resembling both Mammals and Birds while not even being Tetrapods. Or they may be hyper-derived Mammals which evolved convergent with Hexapods like true Drakes. No one is certain.
