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The Alien; Ripley's nemesis
Topic Started: Sep 7 2009, 05:46 AM (7,880 Views)
sam999
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You know the alien. That face hugging, acid dripping, stomach bursting, cantankerous creature of HR Giger's fantastic imagination. We're talking about Ellen Ripley's nemesis and Ridley Scott's meal ticket.

Terrifying and slightly resembling your boss, she has made an indelible impression on movie-goers for 30 years. Unfortunately that impression has been watered down as this ferocious beast of deep space has never been explaned. For this we want how it works. Is the facehugger, chestbuster, monster a working idea? Could it evolve? What good is it? So here is where to post ANYTHING that has to do with this space monster.
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Empyreon
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Are you plausible?

Well, xenomorphs have to be extreme generalists any way in order to be able to use any old host body like they do. It's a reasonable speculation that the queen, being the genetic hub of her particular hive, might need some extra, oh, nutrients or something from the host's reproductive system.

And if some extra-terrestrial develops a system that in every way functions just like a terrestrial uterus, are we going to call it anything different? Are we really going to say that a uterus can evolve once and only once? Is that how science works at all?
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food for thought
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sam999
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colddigger
Sep 19 2009, 01:57 AM
so in otherwords, yes, if they try to evolve a uterus we will sue their asses.
Do thay have asses?
I am not suffering from insanaty. I truely enjoy being mad.
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SIngemeister
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colddigger
Sep 19 2009, 01:57 AM
so in otherwords, yes, if they try to evolve a uterus we will sue their asses.
Love to see that in court

"And charges being brought against the Xenomorph species include copying of Earth reproductive organs, and,..OHGODGETTHISTHINGOFFMYFACE!"
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Holben
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The blood could be like nano-disassemblers, which could take any substance apart molecule by molecule.
They say the stuff oxidises in the film, and i thought they called it a 'molecular acid'.
Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea.

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agatharights
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agatharights pokes her head in.

Don't forget that xenomorphs (aliens) are a (supposedly)* genetically-engineered species. It's unknown what they originally were, but it is assumed (by the Yautja at least) that some of their more terrifying traits arose from genetic manipulation. I think the theory they had in the Aliens Comics was that they had been designed as a form of biological warfare. Throw some on a planet, sit back, then have some way to control/kill them afterwards.

Clearly, this didn't work too well.

agatharights pops back out and goes back to re-reading the original AvP trilogy novels.

*While they mention this in the books and comics and video games, the canon is debatable since there's no real Word Of God on this.
Edited by agatharights, Sep 19 2009, 12:38 PM.
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ashwinder
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It would be interesting to know what the original un-tampered with species was like. Probably some kind of nasty parasite.
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lamna
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Aliens could evolve something that functions just like a uterus, but it would not be a uterus.
Just like the hair on bumble bees is not really hair like a mammal's hair is.

I'm not sure how developing in one would help make it a queen, unless it's hormones that it needs.

Also, this is getting squiky even for aliens.
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Are nipples or genitals necessary, lamna?
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colddigger
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or maybe the alien queen moves up into the ovaries and takes in egg cells and somehow uses that the develop into a queen... nasty thought... of course having a spiny alien queen growing in your uterus and bursting out of you is also a nasty thought...
Oh Fine.

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lamna
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How many hour can the average woman live with her organs turned to mush by burrowing aliens?
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Are nipples or genitals necessary, lamna?
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SIngemeister
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I wonder why people get hungry with a chestburster in them? Does it mean the alien's managed to hijack some gastric nerves?
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lamna
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Massive internal bleeding and my organs being pushed into my ribs makes me feel a tad peckish, why not them?
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Are nipples or genitals necessary, lamna?
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agatharights
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I always assumed it was because the alien fetus had actually connected itself into the stomach/esophagus, and was stealing the host's meal. Like the nastiest tapeworm ever. But since none of the food reaches the host's stomach, the host feels perpetually hungry.

Which brings up an interesting thought. How do the aliens manage to nestle into the chest/abdominal cavity without killing the host or causing severe internal damage? I read one theory in some fanfiction (okay yes I read/write AvP fanfiction shut up) that the fetus can secrete small amounts of acid to seal off damage just long enough for the host to survive, or that they have some sort of instinct for avoiding vital organs.

How much does a chestburster weigh, too? Speaking from experiance (oh yeah, this whole having a baby thing? FUN. I've dreamt of Aliens bursting from my organs for several weeks straight now. Weee) suddenly having an additional few pounds, even if it's not much at first, can really make a difference.
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lamna
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Given the unnamed acid can burn though though most things in seconds I doubt a little bit of it will help the host. I'm not even sure acid can cauterize wounds, it's a different sort of burning.

I doubt the thing could weigh much, but it would probably be noticeable. And the sqicky dreams were intentional, the creature was designed to prey on as many fears as possible, including childbirth.

By the who, is that all going ok? I was going to ask if you were going to be come on more after he/she is born and have more free time, then I realised how retarded that was.
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Are nipples or genitals necessary, lamna?
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agatharights
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Well, I'll still be at home a lot. I just won't ever sleep. Again. For like...two years. But yeah, things are going pretty good, we hope. ^ ^ I have come down with a mild case of the flu (no, not H1N1, not that it makes any difference) ((and I got it AFTER my vaccination, no less. Irony, I thought you died!)) but so far that's one of the biggest bumps.

Anyways, this all still comes down in my head to "how does that thing fit in there without destroying something." I suppose that it probably moves the lungs out of the way (again, as I've experienced, suddenly losing 20% of your lung capacity isn't actually so bad) but it's not like there's just "empty" space in the chest for it to hang around in...
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SIngemeister
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Wait, you were pregnant?
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