zooophagous:

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

camelidae:

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!

statecryptids:

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.

iguanodont:

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.

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

Other troll biology posts: X

Sycan species, subspecies, and ancestor concept

(Note that Sycans do not use latin binomial nomenclature, so this is most likely Ika’s designation for them.)

iguanodont:

Alright first redraw: the Ahuizotl! Brushing up on its lore I found some theories that it may have been inspired by the opossum, known locally as tlacuache. Considering south America’s rich history of marsupial diversity, it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine one of them taking on a more aquatic niche (before moving north to Mexico).

The ahuizotl comes from a tree-dwelling lineage that developed fleshy pads on its tail to make gripping tree branches easier. The tail of the ahuizotl now functions as a lure, twitching enticingly in the water to attract birds, young caimans, and other prey to be grappled and drowned. Though not necessarily out to get humans, they are aggressive when handled, and may have the strength to hold young children underwater.

Topics that are guaranteed to start a fight if you ask two or more Pokemon Professors about them;

• How many limbs does Grappeloct have (I personally refuse to accept its Belt as a limb unless it shows it can move. And the four “arms” are on thin ice they might just be two)
• Does a pokemon count as fully mature *before* a stone or item evolution happens or is it a form of Neoteny.
• Is it ethical to revive scrambled pokemon fossils (Everyone outside of Galar goes “No! What is wrong with you?!”)
• Is it ethical to revive fossil pokemon at all
• Is it ethical to breed fossil pokemon and revive the species?
• Are humans related more to humanoid pokemon or ape-like pokemon? Or are humans something entirely different? You can’t put a human in a pokeball but is that by design or do we have a different origin? (Okay this one the pokemon professors I hope have figured out but it WEIGHS ON MY MIND)
• Should wurmple be split into two species that simply co-evolved to be VERY similar, or is this a case of split evolution?
• Should Pokemon be only classified by their mature form/final evolution and in that case see above, any other split evolution lines, and the debate on item evolutions.
• Is it ethical to evolve Paras or the Deino family line? (Deino gains a second conciousness on evolution, and then loses one to the dominant mind when it evolves again, so it might not even be the personality it started with)
• Who created Porygon Z- it ran rampant through everyones Emails and messed up so much data. Nobody has fessed up yet but SOMEONE had the data.
• Is it ethical to delete a porygon when it’s on your computer.
• Is it ethical to introduce Rotom and Porygon.

Not an argument but additionally: NEVER put a magnemite-line pokemon near your Rotom.

Feel free to add more!

Skull of the fanon monster Sicarapax

A commission for discord user GROGLODYTE

This was actually kinda difficult cause I had to use bird skull anatomy, so I’m not even sure if this is accurate. I also used pteranodon for reference when doing the back of the cranium and where the mandibles attach.