#evolution of science fiction

[jayrockin]

I finally (got help) slapping Wordpress into shape and Runaway to the Stars is now releasing as a public webcomic! Thank you so much for your support over the years, and sticking with me while I'm slowly chewing my way through this book. I'm very excited to share this story! It'll be updating every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday thanks to the massive Patreon backlog. Patreon will continue to update as I finish pages, which happens on a sporadic non-schedule.

If you experience bugs with the site report them to me. Some things may occasionally break, as coding problems tend to be a very "whack-a-mole" affair; and I'm still getting used to the interface.

[exobiotica]

A Giant Forest Walker

[dinodanicus]

Here is another collection of exotic alien wildlife.

[simon-roy]

A drawing from 2009 that I am currently using as the basis for the cover of a new book (coming to kickstarter next year). An amphoran warrior and a human trooper, posing for a candid photo

[styllwaters]

Hailing from the harsh planet of Ettera, Knights are the only sophont in the Zhagaviit system made of two consciousnesses. ---

At last, here they are! Nearly finished with redesigning every Vivere 44 species. These guys are retconned werewolves which I posted about some time ago. You might have noticed I brought back some space unicorn aspects as well! They've been through so many design changes but I've finally settled on something solid.

More information below!

I'll try to keep this concise. Most of this info is introductory biology.

Knights are the only sophonts living on Ettera, a mostly barren planet where survival is tough. Their civilisation is the least advanced compared to others in Zhagaviit, such as Arrows and Sea Crawlers. They were the third species to be contacted by the ZGC (Zhagaviit Galactic Community) followed by Post Humanity. Knights are known for being hardy, efficient, and motivated.

If it isn't already clear enough, Knights are two species in a symbiotic relationship acting as one individual. Helmets and Hosts have an evolutionary history so intertwined that one cannot survive without the other.

The Helmet is attached to the head of the Host, and will remain there for the rest of their life (unless separation happens - but we'll get into that later). In the relationship, their role is vision and dexterity. Since the Host is effectively blind, it is the Helmet's job to guide them. Their hands are also important, being the Knight's primary manipulators. They played a large part in early tool use. The Helmet lacks a mouth, and receives all its nutrients from the Host through a specialised organ not unlike an umbilical cord.

The Host is essentially the main body of the Knight. Wolflike and mammalian in nature, the Host is the Helmet's mode of transportation. Because they need to eat for two, Hosts are omnivorous and will eat just about anything. Although majority of their diet is comprised of meat, they are capable of digesting plant matter and bones. They are highly skilled and effective hunters.

It is in both party's best interests to assimilate as soon as possible. The Host cannot see without a Helmet, and within a few weeks bonding will become impossible. The stakes are higher for a newborn Helmet, because they cannot feed by themselves and will starve in under a week without a Host or an artificial feeder tube. Prior to first contact with the ZGC, Knights did not have the technology for artificial feeders, and infant death rates were high.

So how do two beings coordinate one body? The fact is that once assimilation occurs, they become one being. The Helmet's brain and the Host's brain are connected by millions of nerves exchanging signals. It's complicated, but the best way to describe the experience would be a 'mutual trance' in which full body coordination is achieved. They have shared interests and intentions. However, a Knight can mentally separate the Helmet and the Host, gaining back individuality; they do this for many reasons, perhaps to discuss something among themselves or simply for company. Yet on the whole, a Knight will spend 80% of their life in this 'trance'.

Both Helmets and Hosts have noticeable sexual dimorphism. Male Helmets are called Pikes, and females are called Guards. Pikes are distinguished by their horn, bold stripes, and more prominent crest spines. Guards lack a horn and have less contrast in their thinner markings.

Female Hosts are called Forts. They are larger than males and have a mane of fur on the back of their necks. Male Hosts, Spires, lack this mane.

In Knight society, individuals are usually referred to based on their combination of Host and Helmet. Since there are four sexes involved, there are four possible combinations.

Guard-spire [female Helmet, male Host]

Pike-fort [male Helmet, female Host]

Guard-fort [female Helmet, female Host]

Pike-spire [male Helmet, male Host]

(Knight languages have their own version of pronouns for each, but in English all are referred to as they/them by default. Of course, each individual has their own preferences. Usually a Knight will refer to themselves as we/us).

____

I'll get into Knight social structure, cultures and more in another post! For now, if you have any questions, feel free to send an ask. Always happy to answer!

[bedrockfactory]

Using some references of real animals skulls, I have finally figured out how would a Tharr skull look like! They have a very strong bite force, around 1100 psi, which is comparable to a hyena's bite.

[whereserpentswalk]

You're a parasite possessing a human’s body. The hunan in question was doomed the momment they touched you. Of course, you didn't know it at the time, your species is only as intelligent as what it latches on to, and you happened to latch on to one of about a dozen truly sapient species in the known universe. You killed them, but you were no smarter than a bug when you killed them.

You exist in this weird space between humanity and inhumanity. Your body is human, your voice a human’s voice, your face a human’s face, but none of that is yourse, you're a creature that crawled in through that body’s mouth and replaced the brain. They were just someone searching around an alien forest, you barely know who they were, and now you're basically puppeting their corpse.

There are also ways you're not human. Most people who meet you assume genetic modification, cybernetic implants, or just some sort of mental illness makes you act the way you do. You useally don't admit what it actually is. Your mannerisms are off, even though you feel human emotions your voice and face rarely reflect them well. When you infected the body, your very nature changed it, you neutered it and made it soft and sexless, you made it take in the minimum amount of food making it skinny and frail. You feel more like a monster than you would if you looked more inhuman, like you're puppeting a corpse.

Still you have freinds, a steady job, a human life on a planet far away from the one you originated from. Despite everything people like you, there are humans who care about you despite you not even being one. You never told them of course, you just said it was faulty cybernetics. But you can live life, read books, enjoy the view of the rain from your apartment, listen to music faintly playing on a street corner. And it all feels stolen, like you can only enjoy all of this because you're stealing someone else's chance at it. The thought rarely crosses your mind but it does so frequently enough, perhaps once every few months, to truly upset you with what you are, to make you feel like everyone who loves you only loves you because they think you're something you're not. You remember that you're an invasive species, that you have no mother or father, that your very existence isn't meant to be.

There was a time when you met someone on the street who knew the body you once inhabited. She recognized it, ran up to you wanting to talk to you, saying she thought you were dead. When you came clean to her you expected to be horrified, to want to hurt you. She didn't. She said she understood, and that she's happy the person your inhabiting still exists in some regard. A lot of people die in the forest, how blessed your body was to birth something new.

[fox-teeth]

It's Worldbuilding Week! All this week I am sharing worldbuilding notes and sketches for my sci-fi comic "The Maker of Grave-Goods" available October '24 through @shortboxcomicsfair

On day two, we're learning about Mazu's people's growth and development, from both biological and social standpoints.

[averyghe]

Lobbith – This crustacean species from the planet Lob-Dott is known for a peculiar sexual dimorphism. Females are usually several times larger than males, reaching heights of about 3 meters. Their societies are matriarchal, typically consisting of three to five Warrior-queens who protect and administer colonies of several hundred male workers. They sometimes engage in fights with leaders of other colonies, smashing together the hammer-like structures on their heads. This behavior gives rise to the name "Hammerhead Beetle of Revvus" (Revvus being the term outsiders use to refer to Lob-Dott).

Alleodeck – This species is supposedly derived from Earthlings who colonized the low-gravity environments of the planet Sabir. Reaching heights of eight to ten meters, these bipeds suffer various health complications due to prolonged exposure to low gravity. Originally existing as nomadic pastoralists, these giants were exiled from their home world, forced to cling to the surface or live in zero-gravity environments. With their reproductive cells incapable of developing in low-gravity conditions, this species faces a slow extinction.

Bolotop – These semi-aquatic reptilo-mammalians hail from the marshes of the swamp-moon Yugg IV. To protect themselves from the dangerous fauna of their homeworld, they developed a hard-shelled armor covered in sharp curves and spikes. Their long noses are useful for hiding in murky waters, as they resemble Yuggian coastal flora and do not arouse suspicion. Bolotops live in small villages concealed by vegetation, barely noticeable to the untrained eye. Their houses are always half-flooded, allowing for comfortable nesting of their eggs, which require constant moisture, and for catching small fish and mollusks without leaving the safety of home to venture into the perilous bogs outside.

[transentiencestudios]

Narius

Narius is the crew's experienced, although rather temperamental, xenobiologist from the Sal'citaa species. He‘ll play an important role in the open-ended comic we plan to make about our universe, which will be told from the perspective of the Artox Trahelis crew members and Eight as the protagonist. More context and lore about this character will be added to our site in the future. :) Artworks are protected with Glaze. 🔹Support our projects on Patreon or SubscribeStar.Adult 🔹Join our Discord!

[selkra-souza]

One of the most prominent results of the work of masaka and delorix agricultural scientists is the staple crop of sessile worms. These are genetically engineered oligochaete-like worms from the masaka taxonomic tree that have been modified for lifelong stationary lives. Their neurological systems have been removed, their mouths have been converted to mycilia-like tendrils for absorbing nutrients, and they're designed to easily regrow after being cut into pieces as long as their tendrils are still rooted. These worm crops have been developed to make farming meat for masakas less resource intensive, as they are obligate carnivores. Nowadays these crops are common among masaka colonies across the galaxy, present in communities from factory farms in metropolis cities to logs in rural communities like in the above picture. All they require to grow is a damp, minimally ventilated moist environment, and scraps of vegetation to feed off of. They can be processed in a variety of ways, including as stuffing in baked or fried dough, grilled, sauteed, pickled, dried in salt, as well as eaten raw. As widespread as these GMO crops are, there are masaka planet colonies (or smaller communities) who choose to abstain from these producing these crops, preferring instead to continue to cultivate their traditional farm animals.

[total-convergence]

Yuo Yowa skin genetics

‼️boob jumpscare

The cat people’s genes! First chapter is the skin, second will be eyes and then hair. I’m calling this “revised” even though it’s my first post about this topic, because I’ve been developing their genetics for a while without sharing them which I remade a few days ago, and here we are. Heavily inspired by the house cat fur coat genetics, because there’s just many interesting combinations that I could apply to their skin! Click “show more” to reveal more pages.

“Calico” isn’t the right term, calico cats have white patches affected by genes that the Yuo Yowa don’t have in their skin, but I’ve decided to call them calicoes because it is quite adorable. Just like in cats, a calico can be any individual with at least two X chromosomes.

[dinodanicus]

An abyssal flabbergast scooping up ocean detritus in its spoon like mouthparts.

[status-quo-book]

10 Fun Facts About My Book That Are Just *chefs kiss*

1) My main characters are autism coded, but aren’t 5 year old white boys! A black biologist boy and a South American forest girl with a hyper fixation on wildlife, what more could you want?

2) Due to living in an underground bunker for many generations, a lot of my characters have qualities that stem from a lack of genetic diversity. (Blindness, heterochromia, albinism, etc)

3) Every name is either from mythology, latin, biology words or the names of real scientists.

4) My forest girl isn’t from a primitive tribe that went feral after the apocalypse. Humanity wouldn’t just forget what democracy and healthcare are, so after a few years of anarchy, people slipped back into a functioning society. Though it's not a flawless system.

5) Catalyst (the substance that mutated everything and caused the apocalypse) is a water-soluble crystal. Each morning, the bark of the trees shimmers with a fine crystallised coating that crumbles away throughout the day.

6) Likewise, the morning fog is toxic and will crystallise your lungs!

7) Mutated animals and humans have no scars because their bodies can regenerate any lost cells (even whole limbs)

8) Even within one species, no two organisms evolve the same. Some humans adapt to live on the forest floor, or near the coast, while others are designed for mountains or desserts. Even within the same biomes, they adapt in a variety of ways.

9) Despite their animalistic traits, they have no relation to the animals they resemble. Canopy (female MC) resembles a monkey (as well as a cat and an African genet- an animal she’s never seen before) purely because she needed those traits to thrive in the treetops. She’s not part monkey. It’s all convergent and divergent evolution.

10) The capacity of the bunker is 500 people (the minimum the restart a species without genetic drift) but due to several incredibly corrupt place-holding practices, only 299 people made it in before the doors were finally sealed. This is the same survivor percentage as the titanic (59.9%).

[bonnibellexox]

Realism

My book started out as a fantasy. I thought “what would my magic system look like? Something practical, with logic and rules, based on real physics and science- Oh fuck, I wrote a sci-fi.”

I fear CinemaSin’s iron fist coming down on me now. “TeChniCally GenEs CanT dO tHat-“ YES THEY CAN I LOOKED IT UP. Down to the tiniest detail, I need a biologist on YouTube to tell me I got everything perfect, preferably someone who looks like my dad.

Anyway, for some reason I am okay with everyone having very on the nose names like “Elixir” for the doctor and “Phylum” for a biologist. I refuse to have a MC named Micheal.

To follow the progress on my book, Status Quo (2025), you should follow my behind the scenes blog @status-quo-book