| 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 Time Traveller; Jurassic, Pleistocene, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, Civil War, Interplanetary War | |
|---|---|
| Topic Started: Jun 19 2012, 05:42 PM (1,920 Views) | |
| miocenemadness | Jun 19 2012, 05:42 PM Post #1 |
![]()
Adolescent
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Ok, I am still going to continue World of Cryptids, but this novel idea has been stuck in my head. Basically, a group of people (none of their names have been thought of yet) find a time machine. They think it is a joke, so they believe that there will be no harm in typing out a number of years ago or in the future. However, they type in 150,000,000 years ago, thinking nothing will happen, but they go back to that time, and they land in where the Rockies are today. First of all, the Jurassic. The group of people land in the American Midwest, and are confused. However, as they trek from the fern prairie to the forest, they realize that they have time travelled as they see an Ornitholestes, which at first they thought was harmless, but one ends up biting off one person's finger. As they try to get to the time machine, a herd of Diplodocus block their path, along with a male Stegosaurus. At first, they think that they just have to avoid the Stegosaurus, but then a pair of Epanterias change everything. Once the group get in the time machine, the Epanterias begin shaking the time machine, but before they can destroy it, the group is safely back in the present. While most of the people just leave, one of them decides to keep on time travelling, and sets the machine to 10,000 BC. Next, in the Pleistocene, the man journeys through the taiga of Europe, and most of the creatures he encounters are modern day European creatures, e.g. deer, elk, moose, wolves, bears, lynxes, saiga, etc., but he also encounters prehistoric beasts such as the woolly mammoth, Irish elk, cave bear, woolly rhinoceros, cave lion, and the Neanderthal. As the man encounters a herd of woolly mammoths which is accompanied by a woolly rhino and some elk, the man thinks he is safe, but it becomes a feeding frenzy for cave bears, cave hyenas, cave lions, wolves, grizzly bears, and Neanderthals, so the man retreats to a river where some saiga are also drinking. As soon as he approaches the time machine, a group of Neanderthals begins to pursue him. However, they run away, and the man thinks that they were scared of him, and starts to make fun of the Neanderthals (in a similar way to how Jake in Avatar made fun of the Hammerhead Titanothere), but he realizes that they were scared off by a group of anatomically modern humans, which try to light the time machine, but before they can, the man types in some numbers, not realizing what he is typing, and ends up in Ancient Egypt during a war. In Ancient Egypt, the time machine lands in the middle of an Ancient Egyptian army that is riding camels. They think that he is an intruder, and the Egyptians fight off the time machine (which is obviously bow-and-arrow proof and spear proof). But as they realize that they are unable to fight it, they retreat to the coast to fight. The man then comes out once the Egyptians leave, and wonder where they are going, so he follows them. Then, he realizes that the Egyptians are fighting off Atlanteans (Atlantis exists in this world), and the mermaids (which are like normal mermaids in literature) fight off with stingray barb spears. The man leaves before he gets shot, and as he approaches the mouth of the Nile River to drink, he sees what he thinks is a drowning woman, but once he 'rescues' her, he realizes that it is a mermaid, which somehow can speak English. The man explains to her that he is not going to hurt her, and wants to take her to his time period to marry her, but he knows that she has to live in the water and that it would take too long, so he puts her back in the river. As a sandstorm is about to blow in, he says farewell to the mermaid and runs to the time machine, and decides to go to Ancient Rome next. He then arrives in Italy during the height of the Roman Empire. He walks through a Roman town and sees many exotic creatures (camels, elephants, lions, hyenas, leopards, junglefowl, etc.), but then someone grabs him, as he is mistaken for a Roman gladiator. So, they take him to the Roman Colloseum to fight a Barbary lion, in which our guy wins the fight. Being freed, he soon decides to travel to a more recent event, and he travels to the Civil War. He arrives in Perryville next, and gets to witness the Battle of Perryville. However, some Confederates take him and make him join the Confederacy, and he soon fights against the Union. However, he is about to shoot someone, but realizes that it is one of his great grandfathers, and he stops from shooting him, as he doesn't want to create a time paradox. Then, he retreats to the time machine, and as both armies begin shooting the time machine, the time machine takes the man to the future. As he arrives over 560 million years in the future in the evening, he realizes that the moon isn't out, but also realizes that it is not a new moon. Instead, the moon had been destroyed a few million years earlier. Now, many lifeforms are extinct because the Moon pieces crashed into Earth, and now only a few arthropod-like creatures inhabit Earth, and our guy has to struggle for every breath. However, he is rescued by a spacecraft that is operated by anatomically modern humans (future forms of us, not prehistoric), and they rescue him and take him to a terraformed Europa. As they fly past other planets, our guy realizes that though Mars looks the same as our Mars for the most part, he realizes that there are small spots of green and blue, hinting that Mars was unsuccessfully terraformed. As they approach Europa, he notices that Europa is now an ocean planet with no land, only manmade continents made from metal. The driver tells him about the war that Europa is currently in between with the remaining Martians, which are smaller than modern-day humans as food is scarce. However, later, our guy realizes that there are small people that don't look like Europans or modern-day people, and realizes that they are Martians, and he warns the Europans, and they fight. The Europans win the war, and a giant bomb is designed, and he gets to watch Mars being blown up. There are also some time periods I am considering: World War 2 (Our guy lands in Japan and gets to see the Japanese plan their attack on Pearl Harbor) Milky Way-Andromeda Galaxy Collision (Just as it says; he views it from Titan instead of Earth or Europa though, using a gas mask that the Europans gave to him to breath) Hey guys, I know that this is pretty far fetched, e.g. mermaids that exactly resemble mermaids of literature, etc., but it is just fiction (I'm talking to you especially, Fakey). And I would like to use terror birds somehow without my guy going to the Eocene or Pliocene South America. I was thinking about a terror bird-like bird in the Jurassic, but I realized that birds had only began to evolve in the Jurassic. So would a terror bird-like maniraptoran dinosaur be plausible? (I want some things to be plausible and others I don't care; once again, I am especially talking to you, Fakey) EDIT: I also need to give a special thanks to Mermaids: The Body Found for the idea of stingray barb spears. EDIT: Don't pay attention to any of this, as I have a new better idea for a novel and this time traveller idea is very screwy. Edited by miocenemadness, Jun 29 2012, 01:07 PM.
|
![]() |
|
| bloom_boi | Jun 19 2012, 06:25 PM Post #2 |
![]()
What The?
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Your work is improving Two things only this time.1- I dont think he will actually SEE how they planned out pear harbour, it wasnt planned overnight you know 2-The entire ancient Egypt one is fucked up in so many ways. |
|
"You shall perish, whatever you do! If you are taken with arms in your hands, death! If you beg for mercy, death! Whichever way you turn, right, left, back, forward, up, down, death! You are not merely outside the law, you are outside humanity. Neither age nor sex shall save you and yours. You shall die, but first you shall taste the agony of your wife, your sister, your sons and daughters, even those in the cradle! Before your eyes the wounded man shall be taken out of the ambulance and hacked with bayonets or knocked down with the butt end of a rifle. He shall be dragged living by his broken leg or bleeding arm and flung like a suffering, groaning bundle of refuse into the gutter. Death! Death! Death!" | |
![]() |
|
| Kamidio | Jun 19 2012, 07:37 PM Post #3 |
![]()
The Game Master of the SSU:NC
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Except terror birds are raptors. |
SSU:NC - Finding a new home. Quotes WAA
| |
![]() |
|
| Canis Lupis | Jun 19 2012, 08:59 PM Post #4 |
![]()
Dinosaurs eat man, woman inherits the Earth.
![]()
|
While a name would be good, he doesn't really need one. H.G. Wells had a habit of not naming the main characters. In "War of the Worlds," the main character nevre revealed his name (though maybe he did. It's been years since I read it). Heck, in "The Time Machine" (a book about a similar premise to your novel), the main character was simply referred to as The Time Traveller. |
![]() |
|
| lamna | Jun 20 2012, 02:40 AM Post #5 |
![]() ![]()
|
Well first, mention it's a space machine as well since it goes gallanting across the globe. The Egyptian one...just no. There were no domestic camels in Egypt until Cambyses II's invasion in 525 BC. Secondly, Egypt is much, much bigger than you seem to think. The Nile delta is bigger than New Jersey, third, why would the mermaid speak English, fourth, love does not work that way. In Roman gladiators were the equivalent of modern sportsmen. Everyone knew who they were. They wouldn't pluck a random person off the street and throw them in the arena. As far as the organisers know this guy is a Roman citizen, or someone slave. Why is history so obsessed with this guy? Surely the CSA has more important things to do than grab random people off the street and force them to fight. Who could actually recognise their great grandfather on a good day, let alone while in combat? Also, you may want to add another "great" or two. One of my Great Grandfathers fought in the First World War and I'm 20. How old is your guy? So this guy speaks Japanese right? Lots of people were involved in the Hawaii Operation. What this guy stalking Minoru Genda and Isoroku Yamamoto across Japan and Truk? Edited by lamna, Jun 20 2012, 02:40 AM.
|
|
Living Fossils Fósseis Vibos: Reserva Natural 34 MYH, 4 tonne dinosaur. [flash=500,450] Video Magic! [/flash] | |
![]() |
|
| Russwallac | Jun 20 2012, 06:06 AM Post #6 |
![]()
"Ta-da!"
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
The prehistory parts are okay, I guess. The historical stuff is a bit iffy though. |
"We've started a cult about a guy's liver, of course we're going to demand that you give us an incredibly scientific zombie apocalypse." -Nanotyranus
| |
![]() |
|
| lamna | Jun 20 2012, 07:18 AM Post #7 |
![]() ![]()
|
So Guy walks along with some companions and finds time machine (as you do). Said group travels back to the Jurassic Era where one of the party is maimed. So naturally, they go somewhere to get the poor fellow treated, the Ice Age. The party approach a herd of large, dangerous animals. Quite unexpectedly numerous territorial predators attack their neigh-invulnerable prey, including some Neanderthals who are presumably just as surprised at the strange behaviour of the animals as I am. Guy then heads down to a river where the Neanderthals chase him. When the group of immensely power, intelligent armed men stop chasing him and back off he assumes he frightened them with his jogging and taunts them, until he notices a group of Cro-Magnons who decided his time machine was poorly illuminated and are trying to light it, perhaps with simple lamps. Quickly Guy does some typing, presumably abandoning his companions in the past. Guy ends up in Egypt some time after the Achaemenid Empire conquered it. The soldiers try in vain to break into the time machine and we all have a laugh at the stupid primitives who are scared of a massive machine that appears out of thin air. The soldiers figure out the machine is harmless and so continue on to fight some Atlantean and mermaids, which is odd because the mermaid war in that documentary was supposed to have been fought in the stone age, not in the First Persian Empire. Obviously camel cavalry are not very good at fighting mermaids or warships from thousands of years in the past, so Guy leaves before he gets hurt in the crossfire. Extremely thirsty, he decided to drink from the muddy, salty mouth of the Nile when he spots what he thinks is a drowning woman, and tries to save her. Obviously the good deed means he has won the woman and he gets to marry her but...she's a mermaid! Also she speaks English for no good reason, but alas you can't have a relationship with something that needs to live in water, so he decides not to marry the mermaid. The mermaid of course, has not say in this. When someone tries to save a woman is is overcome with admiration and lust. Maybe an orgy will take his mind off it, so he goes to the Roman Empire. The streets are filled with exotic animals from across the empire, presumably they escaped from a circus. Suddenly our hero is seized because someone mistakes him for a bestiarius and take him to the Colosseum where, he simply kills a lion. He is then freed for some reason, and decides to relax during the bloodiest conflict in American history. Obviously the Confederates want Guy in their army. After all he's Guy! So Guy agrees to fight to uphold state's rights and to keep humans enslaved, until he, eagle eyed as ever, spots his great grandfather, and immediately deserts to avoid killing him. Guy is really, really old BTW. Deciding he's had enough of the past, Guy travels to the far future where he almost kills himself because of the low oxygen. Fortunately he's saved by Europeans who are there to...do stuff. They fly really close to Mars for some reason, presumably because it's so safe. Space travel and terraforming are lubriciously easy but future humans forgot how to make food so there is a bitter, desperate war between the Europeans and Martians. It's a good job they saved Guy, because guy is great at noticing short people and points out they are Martians. The war happens. Europa wins and kills every last Martian. Then Guy goes back to WWII and creeps around the Diet building, Truk and other places listening in to them planning the Hawaii Operation. Lucky he speaks Japanese. Then he goes into the future (with a gas mask of course) and watches as two galaxies collide. Which is probably rather boring considering how big space is, and that most of a galaxy is just empty space. The End. Edited by lamna, Jun 20 2012, 07:22 AM.
|
|
Living Fossils Fósseis Vibos: Reserva Natural 34 MYH, 4 tonne dinosaur. [flash=500,450] Video Magic! [/flash] | |
![]() |
|
| bloom_boi | Jun 20 2012, 09:19 AM Post #8 |
![]()
What The?
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Pretty much (his friends went back to the modern era though, and he went back to the ice age for some reason.) |
|
"You shall perish, whatever you do! If you are taken with arms in your hands, death! If you beg for mercy, death! Whichever way you turn, right, left, back, forward, up, down, death! You are not merely outside the law, you are outside humanity. Neither age nor sex shall save you and yours. You shall die, but first you shall taste the agony of your wife, your sister, your sons and daughters, even those in the cradle! Before your eyes the wounded man shall be taken out of the ambulance and hacked with bayonets or knocked down with the butt end of a rifle. He shall be dragged living by his broken leg or bleeding arm and flung like a suffering, groaning bundle of refuse into the gutter. Death! Death! Death!" | |
![]() |
|
| Canis Lupis | Jun 20 2012, 11:14 AM Post #9 |
![]()
Dinosaurs eat man, woman inherits the Earth.
![]()
|
I know. I was just pointing out that he didn't need one. It's a good idea, but not an absolute necessity. |
![]() |
|
| dialforthedevil | Jun 20 2012, 11:18 AM Post #10 |
![]()
Frumentarii Administrator
![]()
|
The ending is wayyyyy to much like the ending of The Time Machine. |
|
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!) | |
![]() |
|
| lamna | Jun 20 2012, 12:20 PM Post #11 |
![]() ![]()
|
There is also the fact that the characters don't seem to act like people and the history is bad. You can't make a time travel story and not know about the periods you are going to, that would be like writing a spy thriller without reading up on espionage. |
|
Living Fossils Fósseis Vibos: Reserva Natural 34 MYH, 4 tonne dinosaur. [flash=500,450] Video Magic! [/flash] | |
![]() |
|
| Kamidio | Jun 20 2012, 12:51 PM Post #12 |
![]()
The Game Master of the SSU:NC
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
I think this character should be named Gary Stu, having read Lamna's description. |
SSU:NC - Finding a new home. Quotes WAA
| |
![]() |
|
| Space Gorilla | Jun 20 2012, 01:20 PM Post #13 |
|
Primate Thinker
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Why am I not surprised to find T.Neo reading this topic? Original Poster, prepare for your time travel stuff to be brought down to ashes . |
Me on Deviant Art! ![]() Deus Max (Official) Deus Max (OOC) | |
![]() |
|
| seascorpion | Jun 22 2012, 05:22 PM Post #14 |
|
Why Can't I Hold All These Mongols?
![]()
|
Okay, seriously, if you're going to do history, do it better. Secondly, fuck the American Civil War, all of human history and you choose this as the third option. If you want a civil war-like scenario could you at least think of maybe scrapping the overdone American one and do something like the English civil war, the Russian civil war, the Spanish civil war, the French revolution,etc. And seriously, think of all the stuff you missed that would have been cool. And you could always do that thing where they end up in an alternate universe accidentally. I mean that could work. |
![]() |
|
| Canis Lupis | Jun 23 2012, 12:46 PM Post #15 |
![]()
Dinosaurs eat man, woman inherits the Earth.
![]()
|
While the American Civil War is cool and interesting, I do agree with seascorp. When you compare it to other civil wars throughout history, it is rather boring. My personal favorite civil war is the Roman Civil War (or whatever it was technically called) that marked the transition from a Republic to the Empire. This is the time when the senate, in order to protect Rome, gave Julius Caesar the position of dictator (which, back in those days, was a position, given to one man for six months, that gave the office holder absolute power). Caesar defeated Pompey in this war and should, as per Roman law, have given up his position as dictator. However, as the history books tell us, he did not and became the first emperor of Rome, prompting the senate to murder him. The Republic descended into yet another civil war, which resulted in the emperorship of Augustus Caesar, thus kickstarting the Roman Empire (probably one of the most interesting periods in human history). Since you've already done Rome, you probably don't want to do the Roman Civil War. Well, there are plenty of other civil wars throughout history. I shall list them in order of favorite to least favorite (as in, one that I'm most interested in to one that I'm not very interested in):
|
![]() |
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · Café Cosmique · Next Topic » |








Two things only this time.









9:27 AM Jul 11