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Serious Question:

So what happened to Octavia's corpse, actually?

Did she get left to be eaten like a whale fall? Did the gods just eat her? Did she get fed to the others as an example/"treat"?

Actually the subject of what happened to her corpse has BIG STORY IMPLICATIONS! She was partially eaten by one of the gods, but the rest of her corpse was brought to just outside Abby 7 and left there. No other dragons touched her but she was partially eaten by some fauna outside the Abby which had major domino effects.

Also to answer your other question.

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Question!! How do Styraphants(?) drink water? :D

They gotta suck it up through their trunk! I'm thinking they can control the muscles in their trunks to create enough suction for drinking. Gotta keep it zipped though otherwise it can spray out of any gaps, thinking kids will often spring a leak trying to drink properly. Also I gave her broth instead of water if thats okay.

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This is what info dumping oc lore feels like

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re: Abattoir world plants, consider: regular plants that have a symbiosis with an unusually large bioluminescent autotroph for their light. plenty of glowing fungi out there you could pull inspiration from

Ooooo you know, you might be onto something there. I'm DEF taking that idea!!!

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What sort of plant life is there in the abattoir setting? Any special plants outside the abattoirs themselves or nothing concrete? I saw those giant flowers Mister Pogworm was vacuuming.

You know I haven't thought TOO much about what kind of plants there are, I am biased to animals. My main idea for flora is lichen, which I KNOW technically not plant, but plant adjacent. Let's just say any autotroph = a plant for the sake of convo. It's all up in the air rn but I HAVE decided breaking them up into two main categories. Those who still use light and those who 'eat' rock and the ground. So around the Abby's I'm thinking that all the photosynthetic plants are hanging around, as well as most of the 'true' plants. They can use the waste light of the Abby but they are restricted to a radius around it. Other than that is the 'boiling' pits which is where the rain accumulates and the heat helps promote the process of rock eating through some kind of shenanigan. Still thinking it over but there is a PLAN.

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dont often post coms here but SUPER STOKED with this one done for @prometheanplunder of their VERY COOL monstersona! love me a body horror beast

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oh! also a vague size ref for the fellas. human is 6ft tall for reference

Wyrms come in a lot of different flavors in Abattoir land, so we're starting with the Sweep variety! More info found BELOW!

Containing some of the largest species of Wyrms, Sweeps are distinguished by their mouth placed ventrally on the proboscis, needle-like teeth, all 8 limbs used for locomotion, and a swollen hind gut. Sweeps are typically some of the most hardy Wyrms in the wastes, able to continue to move at all temperatures. They thrive at a range of about -100 to -160 degrees Fahrenheit, but are unbothered up and to around freezing point. They ARE more vulnerable to the scalding rain more typical to the Southern areas of their range. If they get to hot they swell up and can burst, so they typically try to stay Northernly! Honestly the best weather prediction you can find nowadays is these guys stuffing themselves full of ice and snow before a storm rolls in.

But! We've got a varied bunch here so lets get into the SPECIFICS of these Annelids! I've got a small sample just to show off some of the basic types you'll encounter.

Sleek Wanderer These guys are found in the remnants of the great plains, which are now vasts expanses of snow and ice. Sleeks are primed to spend their lives enduring the biting winds of their home as they snuffle their way through the ground cover. They move especially slowly, often a single step for every sweep of their mouth! Being in such a barren home, they don't really worry about too much going on around them. Assuming you don't bother them too much you can touch them or even ride one and it wont pay you any mind. The only time they get a little aggressive is when brooding, then they may try to strike. Though it isn't anything you could not leisurely side step.

Whistle The noisiest of the bunch, these guys are known for the iconic whistling noise they make during the uh.. digestion process. They live in warmer areas and eat a lot of plant matter so they tend to have a more swollen gut. On the smaller side of things though! And a LOT quicker than other sweeps, they WILL turn and slash you if you startle them. Still not fast enough to meaningfully chase a human, but they got some reach on em! They typically run into humans a bit more as they also like to congregate around the exteriors of Abattoirs to eat the plants that grow there.

Grimacing Chatter The most BEAUTIFUL of the sweeps, these guys like to curl up their 'lips' and expose their teeth down to the roots. Their teeth are mobile as well, used to shift through the snow and dirt for food. The sound of these teeth clattering against each other is a signature of these big beasties. Probably for the best as these fellas are EXTREMELY aggressive! They are the Southern most variety of sweep, dealing with a wide range of predators by flailing their head towards any perceived threat. If you get caught in their maw they WILL start to chow down on you, never a missed meal with these guys!

Eastward A sweep that enjoys the spoils of a sanguine Atlantic! Eastwards are so named because they are usually always facing that direction, nibbling at the snow and ice to feed on any blood that blows in on the breeze. They begin their lives spawned by the blood sea and will spend the first half of their lives walking away from the ocean. The second half of their life is spent walking back towards it! Once their they are back at the shore, they are able to withstand the heat drifting up from the sea by sweating profusely. They keep most of their body on the frozen shore, reaching into the warmth with their big ass mouth. After a life of walking, they will gorge themselves on blood until they breed, after which they promptly die. Nature is beautiful even now!

Swingsnap While Wyrms have no eyes and therefore don't really have a concept of light, the fact that humans and their derived forms still mainly rely on sight has greatly influenced the Swingsnap. Their dark coloration is perfect for blending in with the eternal night of the wasteland! They possess a highly sensitive sense of smell/taste to track down the remnants of humanity. Once they come upon their quarry, they are quickly able to coil their toothy maw around them, stabbing into them with many hundreds of teeth. Their prey is 'chewed' by the constant coiling and shifting of the mouth, drunk down bit by bit. After a week or so of gnawing, they will drop the remaining pile of gristle and begin the hunt once more.

That's the gist for these fellas! Typically these are the chillest of all Wyrms, both literally and in the attitude sense! Most of the time you'll run into these guys just in the middle of nowhere. Stand still and they'll most likely just pass you by.

That being said all varieties can still bite!

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Wyrms come in a lot of different flavors in Abattoir land, so we're starting with the Sweep variety! More info found BELOW!

Containing some of the largest species of Wyrms, Sweeps are distinguished by their mouth placed ventrally on the proboscis, needle-like teeth, all 8 limbs used for locomotion, and a swollen hind gut. Sweeps are typically some of the most hardy Wyrms in the wastes, able to continue to move at all temperatures. They thrive at a range of about -100 to -160 degrees Fahrenheit, but are unbothered up and to around freezing point. They ARE more vulnerable to the scalding rain more typical to the Southern areas of their range. If they get to hot they swell up and can burst, so they typically try to stay Northernly! Honestly the best weather prediction you can find nowadays is these guys stuffing themselves full of ice and snow before a storm rolls in.

But! We've got a varied bunch here so lets get into the SPECIFICS of these Annelids! I've got a small sample just to show off some of the basic types you'll encounter.

Sleek Wanderer These guys are found in the remnants of the great plains, which are now vasts expanses of snow and ice. Sleeks are primed to spend their lives enduring the biting winds of their home as they snuffle their way through the ground cover. They move especially slowly, often a single step for every sweep of their mouth! Being in such a barren home, they don't really worry about too much going on around them. Assuming you don't bother them too much you can touch them or even ride one and it wont pay you any mind. The only time they get a little aggressive is when brooding, then they may try to strike. Though it isn't anything you could not leisurely side step.

Whistle The noisiest of the bunch, these guys are known for the iconic whistling noise they make during the uh.. digestion process. They live in warmer areas and eat a lot of plant matter so they tend to have a more swollen gut. On the smaller side of things though! And a LOT quicker than other sweeps, they WILL turn and slash you if you startle them. Still not fast enough to meaningfully chase a human, but they got some reach on em! They typically run into humans a bit more as they also like to congregate around the exteriors of Abattoirs to eat the plants that grow there.

Grimacing Chatter The most BEAUTIFUL of the sweeps, these guys like to curl up their 'lips' and expose their teeth down to the roots. Their teeth are mobile as well, used to shift through the snow and dirt for food. The sound of these teeth clattering against each other is a signature of these big beasties. Probably for the best as these fellas are EXTREMELY aggressive! They are the Southern most variety of sweep, dealing with a wide range of predators by flailing their head towards any perceived threat. If you get caught in their maw they WILL start to chow down on you, never a missed meal with these guys!

Eastward A sweep that enjoys the spoils of a sanguine Atlantic! Eastwards are so named because they are usually always facing that direction, nibbling at the snow and ice to feed on any blood that blows in on the breeze. They begin their lives spawned by the blood sea and will spend the first half of their lives walking away from the ocean. The second half of their life is spent walking back towards it! Once their they are back at the shore, they are able to withstand the heat drifting up from the sea by sweating profusely. They keep most of their body on the frozen shore, reaching into the warmth with their big ass mouth. After a life of walking, they will gorge themselves on blood until they breed, after which they promptly die. Nature is beautiful even now!

Swingsnap While Wyrms have no eyes and therefore don't really have a concept of light, the fact that humans and their derived forms still mainly rely on sight has greatly influenced the Swingsnap. Their dark coloration is perfect for blending in with the eternal night of the wasteland! They possess a highly sensitive sense of smell/taste to track down the remnants of humanity. Once they come upon their quarry, they are quickly able to coil their toothy maw around them, stabbing into them with many hundreds of teeth. Their prey is 'chewed' by the constant coiling and shifting of the mouth, drunk down bit by bit. After a week or so of gnawing, they will drop the remaining pile of gristle and begin the hunt once more.

That's the gist for these fellas! Typically these are the chillest of all Wyrms, both literally and in the attitude sense! Most of the time you'll run into these guys just in the middle of nowhere. Stand still and they'll most likely just pass you by.

That being said all varieties can still bite!

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decided that Octavia and her Abby were friends before everything! also excuse my handwriting

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tell us more about the pentapods' pleural linings. the bones are inside?! yet it is strong enough to be yanked on by tendons... would that I could fillet that and put it under a microscope

also, in what structure does gas exchange take place?

I'm thinking the breathing bones are kind of encased in the lining of the lung. Which would be kind of a chewy, stretchy feel to it, like a rubbery kind of structure. Something you couldn't outright rip but could still slice/pierce it and any cut would tear WAY open during the process of breathing. I'm thinkin the actual BREATHIN meat is thin sheets that run throughout the lungs. I did a lil sketch to kinda show what I'm thinking.

Like they have big sections of vascular swiss cheese for their gas exchange. They are a little more delicate than a human lung, like any serious trauma is liable to tear these membranes and serious inflammation can make em stick up to each other. Not the most efficient but pretty fun!

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In your pentapod lung post you mentioned that Whorls don't make noises using their lungs, so how DO they make noises? Or do they not communicate verbally at all?

Whorls and their close relatives have a fleshy voice box closer to their nostrils?breathing orafices? orafi? They can still make noise the classic pentapod way, but it would be more analogous to a human scream than true meaningful communication.

For exchange of information they use verbal talking like us, and they're pretty chatty! They tend to make more whistle adjacent sounds, think songbird when they're talking! Typically they'll have one voice box tense to whistle through and the other is more lax for pure breathing function. They can be left or right voiced like we are left or right handed.

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working on a larger post detailing the wyrms outside the Abattoirs! also trying to work on a more painterly style so did this fella as a lil warm up, these horrors are made with LOVE

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lil diagram for a pentapod lung! this is the basic settup for all terrestrial pentapods, Whorls included! More detailed info below!

First off, the lung is located right against the shell atop the back and is about the same length as the bone girdle that supports the other organs and leg anchors. The lungs basic structure has two bone pieces at either end, a 'nozzle' which holds open the airway, and the 'butt' which just helps maintain structure. The main support comes from four rings of cartilage, which prevent the lung from fully sucking closed on exhale! This is because the lung is open and closed by way of tendon! Four main tendons are anchored to the girdle and bottom wall of lung, the muscles associated with these tendon contract to pull open the lung and draw in air. Running through the lung itself are smaller tendons also connected to that bottom wall. These anchor to the shell and pull upwards to push air out of the lungs. While both sets are able to fight against the other, the lower tendons have a lot more tension and so the 'default' position of the lung is open.

But for Whorls, breathing is a pretty much involuntary process, think how you can choose to hold your breath but most times don't even think about needing to manually breathe. Aside from right now! At least they don't have to worry about manual blinking, could you imagine?

All in all though, this is just the basic layout and I'm thinking secondarily aquatic pentapods may even be able to fully collapse the lung. And that many pentapod species (not whorl) make noises by contracting different portions of the lung and making weird honks and barks. Much to think about!

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How do the aquatic organisms on the pentapod planet look like? Do they have a siphon like earth cephalopods? I would also like to see a diagram of the whorl respiratory system.

There is quite a mix of aquatic critters on there! The planet is mostly ocean so lots of room. The main group I've got going on rn are the 'fish' analogs. Which unlike the pentapods descend from a separate bilateral ancestor! Which their basal condition is a floor sucking pancake, as seen below.

Sadly no siphon, their 'mouth' is actually their gasping breathing orifice, the true mouth is behind the legs! Have a bigger post for dif 'animal' types and they're gunna be included.

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ANOTHER PALEO DESIGN. this time with a sivatherium because they were one of my favs in zoo tycoon 2. they opened my eyes to all the weird almost-giraffes out there

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Still cutting my teeth on paleo draws between coms! This time with a Gigantspinosaurus because weird stegosaurids don't get enough love. Plus want to EXPAND my color range.

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Trying out a new line style by making a hatzegopteryx! I cant believe I haven't made an azhdarchid yet. Such fun shaped animals.