| Speculative biology is simultaneously a science and form of art in which one speculates on the possibilities of life and evolution. What could the world look like if dinosaurs had never gone extinct? What could alien lifeforms look like? What kinds of plants and animals might exist in the far future? These questions and more are tackled by speculative biologists, and the Speculative Evolution welcomes all relevant ideas, inquiries, and world-building projects alike. With a member base comprising users from across the world, our community is the largest and longest-running place of gathering for speculative biologists on the web. While unregistered users are able to browse the forum on a basic level, registering an account provides additional forum access not visible to guests as well as the ability to join in discussions and contribute yourself! Registration is free and instantaneous. Join our community today! |
| The official cliche list; What should we try and avoid perhaps? | |
|---|---|
| Topic Started: Jan 21 2011, 12:18 PM (6,356 Views) | |
| dialforthedevil | Jan 21 2011, 12:18 PM Post #1 |
![]()
Frumentarii Administrator
![]()
|
I want to make this list so perhaps we could get alot more fresh ideas. Its mainly so newer members can also see what has been done to death. Im not saying you can't do this just that perhaps it may make your project stand out if you avoid them. Ill start off: Predator rats Ungulate lagomorphs Sapient raptors Sabre toothed rexes Woolly Therizinosaurs Humanoid aliens Avian cetaceans Please help and add more ![]() |
|
Please come visit A Scientfic Fantasy http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/3433014/1/ ALSO!!! JOIN THE NEW RPG SITE!!! FOR ALL MEMBERS!!! IM GOING TO RUN MA GLOBAL SIMULATORS THERE!!! http://s4.zetaboards.com/jasonguppy/index/ Join the Campaign to save minotaurs from extinction!!! (include this in your signature to show your support!) | |
![]() |
|
| Adman | Jan 21 2011, 12:23 PM Post #2 |
![]()
Totally not lamna
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Rodents Walking squids Giant pigs |
|
Projects and concepts that I have stewing around Extended Pleistocene- An alternate future where man died out, and the megafauna would continue to thrive (may or may not include a bit about certain future sapients) Inverted World- An alternate timeline where an asteroid hit during the Barremian, causing an extinction event before the Maastrichtian. Dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and notosuchians make it to the present, along with a host of other animals. Badania- Alien planet that has life at a devonian stage of development, except it exists in the present day. Ido- Alien world where hoppers (derived flightless ballonts) and mouthpart-legged beasts are prevalent. Leto- Life on a moon orbiting a gas giant with an erratic orbit; experiences extremes of hot and cold. The Park- ??? Deeper Impact- a world where the K-Pg extinction wipes out crocodilians, mammals, and birds; squamates, choristoderes, and turtles inherit the earth. World of Equal Opportunity- alternate history where denisovans come across Beringia and interact with native fauna. Much of the Pleistocene fauna survives, and the modern humans that end up crossing into North America do not overhunt the existing animals. 10,000 years later, civilizations exist that are on par with European and Asian societies. The Ditch- Nothing is what if seems.. | |
![]() |
|
| DValdron | Jan 21 2011, 12:40 PM Post #3 |
|
Newborn
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Wow, Saber Toothed T-Rexes! That's just the coolest idea ever. In fact, the only thing cooler is if they got cyborged up with Jet Engines and Rocket Launcher batteries. And Avian Cetaceans? Flying whales? That's just amazing. How would that work? Hydrogen flotation? Or maybe immense air surfaces, jet powered expulsion? These are too good. Predator rats? Ho hum, they're already predatory. Edited by DValdron, Jan 21 2011, 12:44 PM.
|
![]() |
|
| Kamidio | Jan 21 2011, 01:03 PM Post #4 |
![]()
The Game Master of the SSU:NC
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Avian Cetaceans means things like penguins. Not SKYWHALES DAMNIT! |
SSU:NC - Finding a new home. Quotes WAA
| |
![]() |
|
| Canis Lupis | Jan 21 2011, 01:13 PM Post #5 |
![]()
Dinosaurs eat man, woman inherits the Earth.
![]()
|
Most of those cliches are cliches because they are likely. Assuming most carnivorans go extinct, rodents (along with baboons) are great contendors for the predator niches. Ungulate lagomorphs are also fine if most of the modern ungulates go extinct. You'll just need a way to get them to ruminate. Avian cetaceans are also quite a good idea, especially from penguins. I imagine that, even if cetaceans don't go extinct, penguins will evolve into some seal-like niche. And if most (if not all) cetaceans do go extinct, penguin-derived "cetaceans" will most likely dominate the oceans if the world is still cold (if the world warms up, I'm not going to rule out the possibility of marine iguana-derived "cetaceans"). |
![]() |
|
| Canis Lupis | Jan 21 2011, 01:14 PM Post #6 |
![]()
Dinosaurs eat man, woman inherits the Earth.
![]()
|
Most of those cliches are cliches because they are likely. Assuming most carnivorans go extinct, rodents (along with baboons) are great contendors for the predator niches. Ungulate lagomorphs are also fine if most of the modern ungulates go extinct. You'll just need a way to get them to ruminate. Avian cetaceans are also quite a good idea, especially from penguins. I imagine that, even if cetaceans don't go extinct, penguins will evolve into some seal-like niche. And if most (if not all) cetaceans do go extinct, penguin-derived "cetaceans" will most likely dominate the oceans if the world is still cold (if the world warms up, I'm not going to rule out the possibility of marine iguana-derived "cetaceans"). |
![]() |
|
| Kamidio | Jan 21 2011, 01:20 PM Post #7 |
![]()
The Game Master of the SSU:NC
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
You seem to forget that if a penguin grows up in a warm climate, it'll thrive in a warm clitmate. Also, Australian and South African penguins. |
SSU:NC - Finding a new home. Quotes WAA
| |
![]() |
|
| Canis Lupis | Jan 21 2011, 01:28 PM Post #8 |
![]()
Dinosaurs eat man, woman inherits the Earth.
![]()
|
Yes, I know that Fakey. |
![]() |
|
| DValdron | Jan 21 2011, 01:34 PM Post #9 |
|
Newborn
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Well Pooh. Skywhales are a lot more fun than giant-ass penguins. Unless, of course, the ultrapenguins have some ultracool and bizarre adaptations. Edited by DValdron, Jan 21 2011, 01:37 PM.
|
![]() |
|
| dialforthedevil | Jan 21 2011, 02:28 PM Post #10 |
![]()
Frumentarii Administrator
![]()
|
Maybe this should also become things which are largely unnoticed as well e.g. Keas Pachycephlasaurs life on gas giants? |
|
Please come visit A Scientfic Fantasy http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/3433014/1/ ALSO!!! JOIN THE NEW RPG SITE!!! FOR ALL MEMBERS!!! IM GOING TO RUN MA GLOBAL SIMULATORS THERE!!! http://s4.zetaboards.com/jasonguppy/index/ Join the Campaign to save minotaurs from extinction!!! (include this in your signature to show your support!) | |
![]() |
|
| Carlos | Jan 21 2011, 02:37 PM Post #11 |
|
Adveho in me Lucifero
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
As Canis pointed out, most of this clichés are so obviously going to happen that there's no way of avoiding them. Nature doesn't care about your imagination, it only cares about its wart covered genitals. Besides, my favourite cliché, flightless birds, will always exist. |
|
Lemuria: http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/ Terra Alternativa: http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/ My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Carliro ![]() | |
![]() |
|
| Canis Lupis | Jan 21 2011, 05:50 PM Post #12 |
![]()
Dinosaurs eat man, woman inherits the Earth.
![]()
|
Exactly. Cliches aren't necessarily bad. Sometimes they're a siggn that you know the rules of biology and what is likely rather than going off-the-cuff and doing something for pure originality's sake. |
![]() |
|
| Rick Raptor | Jan 22 2011, 07:44 AM Post #13 |
|
Adolescent
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Why are Saber-toothed rexes considered a cliche? The Smilotyrannus from Spec is the only saber-toothed Tyrannosaur I´ve ever seen in any Speculative evo project (even in the case of the many little spec evo projects floating around on DeviantArt I´ve never seen one with sabre-toothed Tyrannosaurs). And dinosauroids are getting cliche, even if they´re based on Nemo Ramjet´s or povorot´s works instead of Russell´s "lizard man". But as Canis Lupis already said cliches aren´t necessarily a bad thing. For example theropods showed a great diversity in the Mesozoic (ranging from apex predators to smaller hunters to omnivorous or even herbivorous forms; and of course you still have the thousands of bird species today), so you can´t avoid having a great diversity of theropods in a "No K-T project" (but "No K-T projects themselves are already very cliche, and so far I´ve seen almost noone doing a "No Ordovician-Silurian extinction project" or a "No Devonian extinction project"). |
| [My DeviantArt account] | |
![]() |
|
| Jasonguppy | Jan 22 2011, 08:00 AM Post #14 |
|
Cardinal
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Also, filter feeding squids |
|
I do art sometimes. "if you want green eat a salad" Projects: Amammalia: A strange place where mammals didn't make it and the land is, once again, dominated by archosaurs. Oceanus: An endless sea dotted with islands, reefs, and black holes. Literally endless, literal black holes. ❤️❤️~I'm not a boy~❤️❤️ | |
![]() |
|
| Ook | Jan 22 2011, 08:19 AM Post #15 |
|
not a Transhuman
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
maniraptors as dominant dinousaurs in alternative KT projects |
![]() ![]() ![]()
| |
![]() |
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · General Spec · Next Topic » |


















2:28 PM Jul 11