#Ex-Terrestrial

[jhsharman]

the searcher

As you see, this -- the Adam the Alien chronicles -- continues off of an earlier issue of Archie. Originally. Here, they retain it and shuffle it right after a 1990s story about a new kid who tricks the kids into thinking he is an alien with silly eye color -- though that does not explain anything of her prior here established experience with Adam.

And now for some rubbery elbows.

[distinguished-rave-moth]

Just imagine you're an ex companion of the doctor, it's taken you a while to readjust to normality but you finally have. You're in the shops and you hear "dONNAAAAAAAA". You duck behind your trolley, ready for whatever extra terrestrial threat lies waiting. Only for the voice to be followed with "do we need full fat or semi skimmed milk?"

You have just met domesticated 14

[bestanimal]

Round 1 - Phylum Mollusca

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

The second largest phylum, Mollusca contains over 76,000 living species and somewhere between 60,000 and 100,000 extinct species, including the ammonites and helcionelloids. Living groups include the chitons, solenogasters, caudofoveates, cephalopods (octopuses, squids, cuttlefish, nautiloids, etc.), scaphopods, gastropods (slugs and snails), and bivalves.

Molluscs are highly diverse, living on land, in freshwater, and in saltwater, where they comprise over 23% of all named marine organisms. The most diverse molluscs are the gastropods which comprise over 80% of known molluscs. Due to their high diversity, the only things most molluscs have in common are a soft body composed almost entirely of muscle, a mantle with a significant cavity used for breathing and excretion, the presence of a radula (bivalves excluded), and the structure of their nervous system.

Many molluscs are endangered due to collecting and killing individuals for their meat and/or decorative shells.

Propaganda under the cut:

Cephalopods are one of the (if not the) most neurologically advanced of all invertebrates and are capable of using tools, solving puzzles, and play.

Masters of camouflage, many cephalopods can change color, shape, and texture to hide from predators, sneak up on prey, and communicate with each other

The largest molluscs are the Giant Squid (Architeuthis dux), with 12–13 m (39–43 ft) long females and 10 m (33 ft) long males, and the Colossal Squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) which is estimated between 10 m (33 ft) and 14 m (46 ft) long. The Giant Squid has much longer tentacles, but the Colossal Squid is heavier, reaching a mass of at least 495 kilograms (1,091 lb). The largest specimens of Colossal Squid, known only from beaks found in sperm whale stomachs, may perhaps weigh as much as 600–700 kg (1,300–1,500 lb).

Mollusc shells make up most of the “seashells” washed ashore, and are created by the animal via secretions of chitin and conchiolin from its mantle edge. Not all molluscs have shells (ex: nudibranchs) and for some, the shell is internal (ex: cuttlefish). Mollusc shells come in many beautiful colors, shapes, and sizes.

Most molluscs have eyes, and all have sensors to detect chemicals, vibrations, and touch. Of the phyla we have covered so far, their senses are the most developed.

Conchs can look at you like this:

(Source)

All cone snails are venomous, and some of the larger species are some of the most venomous animals in the world. Even though some species’ stings are fatal to humans, their sophisticated venom has saved lives through its use in neurological research.

Humans don’t just use mollusk meat and shells, but also luxuries like pearls, mother of pearl, Tyrian purple dye, and sea silk. As stated above, many species are now endangered due to human use, but some are farmed for their meat, pearls, and shells. The farming of bivalves is more ecologically-friendly than the farming of chordates as, rather than create waste, bivalves like mussels and oysters actually clean the water.

As filter-feeders, bivalves are natural water filters. A single 5.08 cm (2 inch) clam can filter up to 10-12 gallons of seawater a day. They can even filter microplastics out of polluted water.

The largest bivalve is the Giant Clam (Tridacna gigas) which can weigh over 200 kilograms (440 lb), measure as much as 120 cm (3.11 ft) across, and have an average lifespan in the wild of more than 100 years.

Cover your ears, kids. Terrestrial slugs, which are hermaphroditic, have some of the most intimate sex on the planet. A pair of slugs will suspend from a chord of mucus, heads down, and intertwine their bodies in a tight spiral. They will then evert their penuses and entwine them as well, exchanging sperm while hanging in midair. Slug porn, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, for your viewing pleasure.

[that-house]

To make a proper Dune movie adaptation the director needs to be a freak and a pervert, but not in the normal, mainstream ways. Our hypothetical cinematic kwisatz haderach (bisexual, ex-Catholic, probably uncut) needs to have gotten his directorial debut by placing hidden cameras in bathrooms before getting bored with that and moving on to his real sexual passions: bureaucratic proceedings from maritime trade disputes, Muslims snorting cocaine, low budget martial arts movies played off of slightly damaged DVDs, and obviously Frank Herbert’s 1965 science fiction novel, Dune. Every shot needs to be constructed as if it’s ravenously horny even if it seems like there isn’t anything to be horny about. The casting and budget:runtime ratio could remain the same, but our hypothetical auteur will insist on three movies, each 4 or 5 hours in length, that properly align with the original three segments of the novel. It is as of yet unclear whether the resulting movies would be “good” but my prescience has revealed to me that they would be the most faithful adaptations of the novel possible. The good news is that our promised director does exist! The bad news is that because America is basically a terrestrial Salusa Secundus, he’s been imprisoned by the State of Maryland since 2005 (for placing hidden camera in bathrooms). Whatever. Denis Villeneuve is a respectable second place pick.

[man-down-in-hatchet-town]

Hey, you!

Yeah, you!

Do you crave more ✨canon queer stories✨ in your fandom experience? Are you begging for more major character representation that you don’t have to headcanon for yourself?

Then have I got the kickstarter for you!

The Tin Can Bros (a comedy trio and makers of live theatre, digital sketches, webseries, you name it! You might know them from all the work they’ve done with Starkid—founding Tin Can Brothers Joey and Brian played Ron and Quirrell in A Very Potter Musical) are launching a brand new season of projects, most of which contain QUEER MAJOR CHARACTERS AND THEMES. These guys have got gays, they’ve got lesbians, they’ve got trans and gnc characters, they’ve got wholesome first love and Hannigram levels of fucked-up toxicity. It’s a whole cornucopia!! They’re planning to produce work in Los Angeles, NYC, London, Edinburgh, and Adelaide, but there will be digital tickets so you can watch where ever you are!

We’ve got:

-Two Rocky Horror-style concerts of the cult-hit, spy-movie parody musical Spies Are Forever. Gay protagonist who will sear himself into your heart! Seriously, his relationship with fellow spy Owen will emotionally destroy you for at least seven years.

-A concert of the developing musical This Could Be on Broadway, which follows a group of high school kids putting on a production of The Matrix: The Musical (not a show in real life) in their theatre department. A bunch of the central kids are canonically some flavor of queer, and there’s a central, very sweet lesbian romance that includes a trans character. She’s played trans actress Esther Fallick, who also worked with TCB as a consultant to make the character and show as authentic as possible. Seriously, if you want to see a trans teen thriving in their own skin, this is the show for you.

-An Edinburgh Fringe Fest production of The Solve It Squad Returns, a Scooby-Doo parody that follows the parodic versions of the Scooby Gang when they reunite as fucked-up adults to finally confront the almost-twenty-years-past traumatic murder of their dog Cluebert. I promise it’s funnier than it sounds. Esther, the Velma-esque super genius, is gender non-conforming and identifies with they/them pronouns. They also have a girlfriend WITH a boyfriend!

-A workshop reading of the QUEER SCI-FI TELEVISION COMEDY PILOT Intelligent Life. Unlike the other projects I’ve mentioned, this one is new to the TCB fans, but will follow a pair of ex-boyfriends forced to survive together in an extra-terrestrial colony. From the sound of it, there will be plenty of queer supporting characters as well. This frankly sounds like it could be tumblr’s dream show, and it’d be great to support its development.

-The Great Debate—a live comedy game show where comedians debate silly things. While this obviously won’t have narrative gay rep like the other projects, it will showcase gay talent (at the very least, Tin Can Brother Corey will participate in every show) and may include debates involving queer topics.

-Gross Prophets, in which three wannabe gurus/cult leaders lead a seminar on the path to enlightenment. This is a completely new stage musical so I honestly don’t know if it will contain any queer characters or themes. But the TCB queer track record is pretty good!

Guys, I’m so genuinely so excited by this season. But all this awesome queer art won’t happen unless we get their kickstarter funded. And they need our help! So let’s get fundraising!!

TLDR; Comedy group Tin Can Bros are attempting to fund a season positively filled with queer stories and characters, and they need help! If you want to support the creation of queer theatre and the development of queer TV, consider checking them out and giving to the kickstarter!

[secretmellowblog]

I do find it interesting how so many section of Les Mis’s convent digression are essentially Callout Posts for Jean Valjean.

There are times when I wonder how much Hugo wants us to see Jean Valjean’s self-isolating/self-harm behaviors as self-harm, and how much he wants us to see them as Noble Self-Martyrdom. (Ex: sleeping in a cold hut in the backyard while Cosette has the house, eating bad food while Cosette eats well, excising himself from Cosette’s life planning to die alone, exiling himself from humanity to live alone.) He recreates the patterns of the convent long after he’s left.

But these chapters make it clear that Hugo is criticizing that kind of behavior— obsessively doing penance via self-harm, while isolating yourself from the world. It’s a real stark criticism of Jean Valjean’s constant self-exile.

If you replace “convent” with “Jean Valjean,” a lot of this feels like a very pointed descriptions of Valjean’s self-destructive behavior at the end of the novel:

When one speaks of convents, those abodes of error, but of innocence, of aberration but of good-will, of ignorance but of devotion, of torture but of martyrdom, it always becomes necessary to say either yes or no.

A convent is a contradiction. Its object, salvation; its means thereto, sacrifice. The convent is supreme egoism having for its result supreme abnegation.

(…)

In the cloister, one suffers in order to enjoy. One draws a bill of exchange on death. One discounts in terrestrial gloom celestial light. In the cloister, hell is accepted in advance as a post obit on paradise.

(…)

Sacrifice that is misdirected is still sacrifice. There is something grand about making a serious mistake a duty.

[whirligig-girl]

Family portrait of the Zwo-nmu planetary system (the system to which Gymnome--Eaurp Guz's homeworld and the setting of train puzzle dot exe (title pending)--belongs).

Labelled version and more below the cut.

The Zwo-nmu system, home to Guz's homeworld Gymnome, is like many planetary systems dominated by gas giants. In fact, the only object that would count as a planet in the IAU's books, which resembles the terrestrial planets in our solar system, is tiny mercury-like "Rabbit" in the gap between Cool Ember and Omen.

Omen swept into the inner system, disrupting the late stages of planetary formation, but capturing Oldsky and Rival as moons and Gymnome as a trojan (which later destabilized into a horseshoe orbit). Glerbuh, Omen's near twin by mass, sucked up most of the remaining gas disk, but there was still plenty of volatile mass to generate the four ice giant planets Glarpi, Shpler, Eauah, Flibul, and most likely the recently discovered Schmitt.

Despite no other gas giants posessing moons as massive as Omen's, each of the large satellites of the other gas giants are still worth considering. Not much is yet known of the moons of the ice giants, but it is known that Glerbuh's diffuse ring is generated by the eruptions from about a dozen small rounded moons, which as they trade eccentricities with one another go in and out of periods of dramatic cryovolcanic activity.

The original system layout drawing produced in early 2023.

Scale comparison between our Sun and Zwo-Nmu, and their planets.

Up close on Omen's moons and Gymnome:

Close up of Glerbuh:

Fanart of Omen by Tolbachik:

[soylent-crocodile]

Chiropterex (Monster)

(artist unknown)

(Back in the distant era of the early 10s, my family got Netflix as a novelty. Nowadays streaming has consumed film and television like a rabid beast, but back then, my brother and I found a little British show called Primeval. Weaned on BBC nature documentaries from a young age, this was an exciting new spin on Walking with Dinosaurs, and we loved it.

The future predator is no question the most iconic creature of the series, a future bat that is both inspired by earlier spec evo and has gone on to inspire many other monster designs, including the earlier moorkutlot. It seems only fitting it be translated to Pathfinder.

By the way, I'm abandoning the proposed evolutionary history the later seasons provide- that these actually evolved to eat humans in a post-apocalyptic cityscape- and make them what I think is most obvious to me.)

CR3 TN Medium Animal HD5

Chiropterex are an aberrant species of roughly wolf-sized terrestrial bat, an arboreal, nocturnal apex predator of the islands it calls home, where no other land mammals have reached. They live in small family groups of about four to six members, typically consisting of a mated pair, a nest of about six children, a few children of previous years who stay around to help, and maybe one or two aunts or uncles. Typically, however, they hunt alone, feeding on seabirds and large moa-like ratites who evolved alongside them. These family groups keep in contact with each other using echolocation, and if a lone hunter runs into a struggle, it will call on the dissembled family to help.

Chiropterex are notorious man-eaters, and many a shipwrecked crew has met its end at a family of ravenous land bats. Many peoples of island cultures consider chiropterex to be evil spirits, and indeed there is at least one island where the magic of The Abyss has infected the local population of these predatory beasts.

Some outsiders have tried to domesticate chiropterex, or at the very least use them as weapons. They are a tempting subject of domestication; they are mobile, intelligent, fast-growing and have large clutch sizes, but all attempts so far have ended disastrously.

Chiropterex Companions

Starting Statistics: AC: +4 Size: Small Speed: 30ft, Climb 30ft Attacks: Bite (1d3), 2 Claw (1d4) Ability Scores: Str:10 Dex:22 Con:8 Int:2 Wis:12 Cha:7 Special Qualities: Blind, Blindsight 90ft, Scent Lv 4 Advancement: Size: Medium Attacks: Bite (1d4), 2 Claw (1d6) Ability Scores: Str +4 Dex -2 Con +2 Special Qualities: Flurry of Strikes

This hunched over creature has long, clawed arms and a bulbous head that ends in a short, needle-toothed mouth.

Misc- CR3 TN Medium Animal HD5 Init:+5 Senses: Perception:+6 Blind, Blindsight 90ft, Scent Stats- Str:14(+2) Dex:20(+5) Con:10(+0) Int:2(-4) Wis:12(+2) Cha:7(-2) BAB:+3 Space:5ft Reach:5ft Defense- HP:25(5d8) AC:19(+5 Dex, +4 Natural) Fort:+4 Ref:+9 Will:+3 CMD:21 Immunity: Gaze and other visual effects Weakness: Vulnerability to Sonic  Offense- Bite +5(1d4+2, 18-20/x2), 2 Claw +5(1d6+2) CMB:+6 Speed:30ft, Climb 30ft Special Attacks: Pounce, Flurry of Strikes +3/+3/+3/+3(1d6+2) Feats- Dodge, Mobility Skills- +11 Climb, +10 Stealth, +6 Perception(+8 Racial to Climb) Special Qualities- Flurry of Strikes Ecology- Environment- Forest, Urban (Warm) Languages- None Organization- Solitary, Family (2-4 Chiropterex, 6-8 Young Chiropterex) Treasure- None Special Abilities- Blindsight (Ex)- A chiropterex’s blindsight is echolocation-based; it cannot sense within areas of Silence or similar spells. Flurry of Strikes (Ex)- A chiropterex may, as a full-round action, give a flurry of stabbing strikes from its claws. It makes four Claw attacks at a -2 penalty each. 

[389]

Blunder Chillout #005 Mix by @x2s Deep House, Breaks, Breakbeats, Electro, Bass, Garage TRACKLIST

Ex-Terrestrial - Urth Man

Danja Uosh - Double Damage - Original Mix

EdOne feat Martin Herrs & Santanamusiqu❘ - Morning Flight

DJ Flatscreen - Hyperphunk

Jump Source, Patrick Holland, Priori - Crusade Mix

Chaos In The Cbd - Mind Massage

Bliss Inc - Radiant Reality

Bliss Inc - Outer Limits

SE62 - Night People

Foreign Sequence - Is This The Limit

Optic::core - Saturn Skyline

Tv.out & Smallpeople - Sailor Desperados

Roza Terenzi - Metal Glo

Logic1000 - Safe In My Arms

Artyom Kozlov - Air Circulation (Original Mix) 

Madcat - Hug the Police

No Moon - Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way 

Baril - Youth 

Cousin - Welcome

Batu & Lurka - Curved

Eris Drew - Fluids of Emotion 

Simo Cell - Crystal

[go-go-devil]

The Fullest History of a Hylic World

It has been three years now since I began obsessing over the purposefully vague worldbuilding of the Hylics games, so I’d say now’s about time I finally share with you all MY personal interpretation of how this world and its many ages were sculpted!

Without further ado, please enjoy my absurd history lesson 🌙

In an unknown year during an unknown age, the planet’s celestial satellite began to soften. Less than a year later the satellite, or “Moon” as it was called by the planet’s original denizens, fell from its orbit and drenched the earth in a thick, viscous matter. 99% of the flora and fauna were crushed under the weight of the moon and melted beneath it but not entirely killed, instead becoming a living terrestrial ocean.

Once the moon matter hardened into a sturdy clay, pockets of life begin to mold themselves out of the soil in the form of thin strands of clay piled on top of each other. This era is known as the Age of Insects.

It is speculated that this event occurred simultaneously alongside the final death and/or reconstitution of the few surviving mutants of the previous age, all too obsessed with their last remaining arcades, televisions, and metal detectors to attempt to rebuild their old world. Those that accept this theory title this parallel age as the Age of Non-Sequiturs.

Metamorphic beings with self-awareness evolve throughout the island chains dotted across deep, viscous oceans. Surviving electronic carapaces join them in conscious thought, displaying pictures that inspire them to create more advanced tools and architecture. The Age of Self-Actualization begins.

Grand cities are constructed (ex: Amulom, Yiithorn, etc.) as well as microwaves and paper cups. Gestures begin to be recorded onto televisions without the need of a VCR. Some computers are later domesticated, whilst others evolve further. Boats and flying ships are invented too.

The existence of the Afterlife is well-known amongst all hylics and is treated as sacred, as there are no ways of accessing it outside of dying.

Certain hylic individuals dedicate their beings so closely to understanding certain unknown aspects of their lives that their bodies begin to morph into new forms. These larger forms allow them to achieve higher states of consciousness via psychic inclinations, and thus they are labeled as “Sages” by the hylics. 

Alongside this phenomena, distant memories of the moon begin to show themselves in rock formations and living beings. Some beings view the existence of a now-absent moon in reverence, constructing pottery and even a television in its image.

The Great Conflict is fought between the Sages and a terrifying force hellbent on conquering the entire world and subjecting all beings to their violent whims. It is the first major battle fought for the sake of the earth, and it lasted a decent length of time by hylic standards. Only after defeating their most powerful general, a psychic homunculus they created named Fuller, did the conflict finally end, though some forces still survive today and wish to take what is rightfully “theirs.”

An underground building project near Amulom accidentally unearths an opening to the Afterlife. Wanting to heighten the potential of all hylic life so no more conflicts will ever be fought again, the Sages join together and construct the Hylemxylem. The massive organism uses its tendrils to suck up terrestrial juice from the Afterlife below in order to convert it into raw energy and transmit it across the atmosphere. This ushers in the enlightened Age of Sages, which lasts for a good length of time by hylic standards.

Whilst the ‘xylem persists, certain moon-obsessed beings who disagree with the harvesting of terrestrial juice begin construction on an alternate method of utopia. After many, many years, it is finally pulled out of the atmosphere and set to orbit the planet as a celestial satellite. This creates lurid controversy, but nothing too obscene.

Having taken too much juice from beneath the earth, the Hylemxylem implodes on itself. The resulting deluge of terrestrial juice engulfs most of Amulom’s archipelago. Alongside this, many of the technological advancements such as cabinets and paper cups become buried and nearly forgotten by both the remaining and future hylics. This calamitous event becomes known as The Accretion.

Gibby, self-proclaimed King of the Moon, finally makes himself known across the planet. Taking advantage of the chaos left in the wake of the Accretion, he convinces the populace that the Sages are the enemy of the hylics and establishes his celestial satellite as the single enlightening force. The Sages go into hiding, and after forming an army of soldiers and bureaucrats alike, the King enacts his spell of absurdity to reduce the earthly hylics into a state of lunacy. This, he believes, is the only way to reconstitute the earth and re-establish the Age of Sages he was denied a part in.

A yellow, crescent-headed moon being named Wayne escapes the Moon and finds a nice abandoned house to crash at for a little while. He and his only friend, Somsnosa, find a microphone and guitar in a trash can and decide to make some music. Moonage Lobotomy is formed.

One day Wayne convinces Somsnosa, alongside two other anarchists named Dedusmuln and Pongorma, to fly to the Moon and defeat Gibby once and for all. The Moon is destroyed and sanity is reestablished, but other than a single poet there were no permanent deaths recorded.

A gibbylet of Gibby survives the destruction of the Moon and finds itself in the hands of Blerol, chieftain of the newly established city of New Muldul. After several days of being convinced of its potential destructive power, the chieftain agrees to move it from a display case in his safe to be sealed within a vault on the forbidden island of Foglast.

On a peninsula nearby New Muldul, a population of creatures who call themselves Wayne, birthed by a sage-like psychic known as Old Wayne, is discovered and befriended by the locals. Preparations for Gibby’s potential return are taken seriously by friend and foe alike.

Moonage Lobotomy goes on to release its fourth studio album after the second defeat of Lord Gibby and the destruction of his recreated Hylemxylem, resulting in the highest selling record ever recorded and the first world-wide concert tour. As the tour is going on, Wayne’s species begins to grow, spreading further along other archipelagos.

Some scholars are suggesting that Gibby's reign be known as the Age of Lunacy for self-explanatory reasons, while others insist on calling it the Age of the Accretion as that was the event which kickstarted the long dark age. As of right now, though, no one has a name for this new age yet.

Wayne, lead guitarist of Moonage Lobotomy, is declared missing.

[digimonlover09]

People who haven’t read Homestuck are encouraged to guess, fellow Homestucks welcome too

Update: Thank you all for participating! The correct answer was 3: Mafia Hatesex Destroys the Universe. Explanations for each option under the cut.

1: Did Happen! In the epilogue, Candy Jade Harley inserted herself into Dave and Karkat’s relationship, straining it until it fell apart. In ^2, it was revealed she also fucked Rose behind her wife, Kanaya’s, back.

2: Did Happen! DavepetaSprite^2. Sorry your date got ruined by fusion shenanigans, JasproseSprite

3: CORRECT ANSWER, Did NOT Happen! It was cockblocking, actually. The mafia hatesex not  happening was a very important plot point that took up multiple pages.

4: Did Happen! Limes, Humanity, all terrestrial life on Earth, and possibly many alien civilizations.

5: Did Happen! They both became president together.

6: Did Happen! Guy Fieri was not only a Supreme Court Justice, but the only remaining one by the time ICP were elected dual-president.

7: Did Happen! Fuck you for that, Hussie.

8: Did Happen! Trickster Mode is a hell of a drug.

9: Did Happen! Dave Strider’s childhood sucked.

10: Did Happen! SS was not a dog yet at this time.

11: Did Happen! Turns out she felt more herself without working eyes.

12: Shit, Let’s Be Santa!

[redd956]

Cool (sorry, I don’t know how to start messages lol). I will say that it’s fairly long and might be a bit complicated and confusing so I apologize in advance; I can clear up anything in a comment if need be. Anyways, with that said:

Regarding worldbuilding creatures or animals (flora and fauna), how do you decide what features/inspirations you use when building specific creatures (from terrestrial to underwater to space to underground to all the Pokémon types (that’s a joke but you hopefully get the idea))?

Or more specifically (or not), how do you mix features that seemingly wouldn’t work together in a way that’s complimentary to the creature at hand? How many features would be considered too many (ex giving a single animal like 20 different feature and basically making them a demigod)? Too little (probably not applicable but idk)? How do you decide what features would go on a specific creature? Is it up to the world builder or would it biologically have to at least make sense (probably the former but still leaving it because why not?)?

Not sure if I’m making sense (it’s quite late and words are losing coherency in my brain), but I ask this because, for some context, I have a creature that I’m creating that, background wise, is a genetically modified living weapon comprised of several different homemade (???) creatures I have in my world. However, the scientists/creators didn’t account for different features fighting/not working as intended (for example, the creatures inherited acidic saliva but not the resistance to it which essentially lead to their mouths dissolving from their own saliva) as well as there being what is essentially several different creatures all mashed into one body fighting for dominance but on a genetic level.

I do apologize if this question doesn’t make sense (kinda looking like nonsense to me as well. Translating thoughts into coherent words is hard), I’m still in the process of making the reference sheet for it and also just in general trying to figure out the thoughts of the concept and again I can clarify in a comment, but how would this affect the creature I’m building? What things should I consider?

I hope this isn’t somehow annoying or strange/weirdly specific question so feel free to ignore/take your time with it. Hope you’re having a good day/night, are taking care of yourself, staying hydrated and all that jazz :]

-idk (also will just say this now before I forget, I am @idkanonymystuff . Just for future reference and also context I guess? Idk)

(Also, on a bit of a random note, I have a video that I think is very helpful/informative/cool about a worldbuilding process. I don’t know if you know it but I could share it, if that’s alright with you. Also I think it’d be epic if you made a yt channel. You have a lot of good worldbuilding knowledge and prompts)

I understand you completely

Creature Features

One thing I try to think about when designing creatures/monsters is the evolutionary reasons for certain features. Most animals have evolved to have features assists with mating, hunting, hiding, defending, or communicating. The more intelligent a creature the more likely they are have features that allow them to use tools.

The environment is another good thing to factor in. Think about how creatures differ depending whether they live in a desert or arctic environment. For instance arctic predator animals have innate hearing to pinpoint creatures underneath the snow based off of sound. Insects in sandy environments learn to burrow and make dens/colonies in the sand.

Sometimes though I add some features simply because I think it would be cool.

Balancing Monster/Creature Abilities

There's many different techniques to keep a creature design balanced. There's some considerations I try to remember, mostly based off of what I'm using the design for outside of base worldbuilding.

Making Sense

For your exact circumstances dear asker, this part doesn't really need to be taken by heart, but for others getting into creature design try to make it make sense.

Abilities, appearance, and/or even size all have evolutionary reasons to exists (unless genetically altered, looking at you killer bees). Whether a creature have camouflage to hunt or hide, or a venomous bite to easily digest prey, or large claws to dig dens; there's more reason then just cool-factor.

Take for instance Cats. They're overpowered. The domestic cat is one of the most prolific predator animals on the planet, and their widespread populations prove it, for cats are very much responsible for dwindling species of all kinds.

They have night vision, but are colorblind. They can leap up to 8 ft (240 cm) high, and typically land on their feet, except for when landing a short distance because they don't have time to calibrate for their fall. Their tails allow for their excellent balance, but provide a target from "bigger fish". They have sharp fangs and tough claws, both modeled in such a way that they can use bacteria to infect enemy cats after fights. That's why cat scratches always puff up.

But the cat isn't perfect. They're at a disadvantage against airborne threats. They are quiet and intelligent, but have little self control. Just like you and me they are vulnerable to genetic disorders, illness, and more. Their thin skin allows for easy lacerations against them, and their small size makes a plethora of large creatures equal competition.

All of these features of a cat are insane stand alone, but we are so familiar with such an animal and the evolutionary reasons for these features that it doesn't occur to us.

Monster Versus Characters

Your creature exists in a world, often times with other people or intelligent creatures in it. The longer it has been around the more others would know about it. In a militaristic sci-fi this looks like squads of teams dedicated to eradicating certain alien threats. In an Elvish setting maybe it's a warning that an ancient scholar details.

Think about how the people around your creature interact with it. Maybe they've played a role in the feature it has developed through selectively breeding, pollution, over-hunting/fishing, or just straight up evolution.

This is also fun to think about character-wise for a monster character, as we get to learn a lot about them through how the world views them (and how they react to such a view).

Story Role

Sometimes powerful creatures and monsters serve a major worldbuilding-storytelling purpose, like an assumed god or local legend. They serve a role in maintaining an ecosystem maybe, from a powerful predator to a dragon meant to cull humans and keep them in-check.

The roles a creature can play can be just as interesting. Their power doesn't have to continue come from their ability, but their intelligence or connections too.

Weaknesses & Flaws

Weaknesses and flaws can equally make a creature design interesting. They allow lots of room for balance, and are important to characters in general. There's many different places to pull from for potential ideas for weaknesses. Some could originate from the environment that the creature is used to, such as a fluffy arctic animal would have a hard time under the blaring sun of the desert.

Other weaknesses could come with advantages of different features, such as a blind animal with innate hearing.

Some can be simple and severe, such as a giant gem on the back for a strike point of weakness. There can also be weaknesses to certain elements, magic, minerals, or even weapon types.

Gameplay Interests

When designing a monster or creature with the specific intent for players to go up against it in either a video game or ttrpg, it's important to make the monster "defeatable" in some sort of way. This doesn't mean that the monster needs to be in killable health, but perhaps has mechanics that allow it to be blindsighted or bartered with.

Take for interests the various monsters in Lethal Company. Not all of them are solved simply with death by shovel. There is many other ways to avoid some, and get the job done.

Blending in w/the established world

To make my creatures or monsters blend in I pull from the world around them, using already established rules or grounds.

Examples

Apex predator/large member of an environment's food chain

Matches the establish tech/magic system

There's general knowledge or worldbuild mystery surrounding the creature

Making it interact with existing forces, like a certain mineral, symbiotic species, specific plant

Maybe if it's poisonous it uses an already established poison

Design alone plays a major role. It wouldn't make a lot of sense in most contexts for a super alien-looking outerspace style creature to inhabit a dry forest, without explanation (invasive alien species perhaps) or similar forces at play (sci-fi space theme).

Take advantage of the freedom of worldbuilding

You don't have to be sold on a design immediately. Allow yourself to experiment, dabble with designs, ridiculous concepts. Really in worldbuilding there is no exact rules.

Many major series have lots of initially wacky worldbuilding ideas and they pull them off amazingly, like Minecraft or Dungeons & Dragons.

Just make sure you're still having fun, and not turning each design into a laborious process.

[lupinedreaming]

Any other ex-Mormon enbies sinning extra hard to achieve the androgynous genderless body of their dreams in the Telestial/Terrestrial kingdom?

[bakawitch]

Hi, not sure if you're still doing it but I really liked Lady Girl and Kat Boy! I was wondering if you had any plans for the other main miracle holders?

Thank you anon! Rest assured, I will continue it eventually, but I'm focusing on other stuff for now

I'll try to answer without being to spoilery XD

Marinette - Lady Girl, a human with a magical shield who was raised alongside her adoptive brother Kat Boy and dreams of becoming a great Knight one day

Adrien - Kat Boy, a strange feline creature who seems to be the only one of his kind all across Miracula

Alya - Anko, a foxian belonging to a clan that guards the gate between the terrestrials and the celestials, good friends with Lady

Nino - Bubble Dude, or Bubs for short, is a chill ocean dwelling cluster of bubbles who helped Kat get over his fear of the water

Chloé - Princess Honey, first in line of the throne of the Golden Queendom, a snooty bee with a crush on Kat

Gabriel - King Oberon, the fairy ruler of Arcadia, the big bad of the show

Nathalie - Winona, the fairy advisor/assistant to Oberon

Bonus!

Lila - Outlier, the reverse fox who acts as Oberon's spy outside of Arcadia with a super plot twisty dramatic backstory

Zoé - Princess Vespa, a princess from the Golden Queendom who's half bee - half wasp

Emilie/Amilie (they're the same person here) - Queen Juno, the siren ex-queen of the seas who abandoned her kingdom so she could marry Oberon

Felix - Prince Marble, the fairy/siren hybrid child of Oberon and Juno

[pumpkinbreadbaker]

yeah basically everyone goes to heaven in mormonism to my understanding. but there are like. multiple levels of kinds of things people may call heaven in the cosmology. and the most bestest kinds where you get to stay with your family as gods who make their own worlds are like exclusive to people who do the mormon thing properly; this requires a "sealed" marriage.

these varying levels of heavens are the degrees of glory and are split into the celestial, terrestrial and telestial kingdoms. that shit does not occur until after everyone gets resurrected though. until then people are held in like a waiting room type place called the spirit world, with those who have accepted jesus and are deemed virtuous get to sit in paradise. non-mormons and those who are Bad People get sent to something called the spirit prison where they are taught the gospel and given repeated chances to accept it. failure to accept this leads to the person being held in prison for a time after the resurrection. but it's a temporary thing, after which they'll be resurrected in the telestial kingdom.

there is one exception to this apparently which are the sons of perdition, which is a very small group of people. this includes the pre-mortal spirit followers of satan. as well as mortals who deny the holy ghost after being presented with a personal witness and perfect knowledge of jesus christ.

the posthumous baptism thing is done as part of the initial judgement involves whether or not someone was baptized by someone with the correct credentials.

thank you for the mormon lore dump, it's informative and less rude than asking an ex-mormon about their religion by going "i saw a tumblr post about your old cult, why do they bother?"

[adventure-showdown]

What is your favourite Doctor Who story?

ROUND 2 MASTERPOST

synopses and propaganda under the cut

The Harvest

Synopsis

On the morning of 12 October 2021, Hex woke up. He was expecting to go to work at St. Gart's in London as normal and, that evening, have a great time in the bar of the White Rabbit, celebrating his 23rd birthday.

But after his ex-flatmate is wheeled into A&E following a bike accident, and the strange young woman from Human Resources tries to chat him up and an eight-foot-tall guy in a Merc tries to run him down, Hex realises things are not going quite as he expected.

Then in a Shoreditch car park he meets the enigmatic Doctor, who explains that he's an extra-terrestrial investigator and something very strange is going on up on the thirty-first floor of St. Gart's.

Therefore, aided and abetted by the Doctor, and his other new friend, 'Just McShane', Hex decides to investigate. Trouble is, everything that goes on at the hospital is being observed and noted by the occupants of the thirty-first floor; occupants who are none too pleased that people are poking their noses into business that doesn't concern them; occupants who will go to extraordinary lengths to ensure that no one discovers the truth...

Propaganda

creepy cybermen! also: hex (anonymous)

Seasons of Fear

Synopsis

On New Year's Eve, 1930, the Eighth Doctor lets Charley keep her appointment at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. But his unease at what he's done to time by saving her life soon turns into fear. Sebastian Grayle: immortal, obsessed, ruthless, has come to the city to meet the Time Lord. To the Doctor, he's a complete stranger, but to Grayle, the Doctor is an old enemy.

An enemy that, many years ago, he finally succeeded in killing. And this is his only chance to gloat.

The Doctor and Charley desperately search human history for the secret of Grayle's power and immortality. Their quest takes in four different time periods, the Hellfire Club, the court of Edward the Confessor, and the Time Vortex itself. And when the monsters arrive, the stakes are raised from the life of one Time Lord to the existence of all humanity.

Propaganda no propaganda submitted