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Kanaloa; We've got Mud n' Eels...
Topic Started: Oct 7 2008, 11:53 AM (7,548 Views)
agatharights
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Sister Topic to over here. :D

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Approx size; 20-30ft. A slow-moving deep-water predator that sneaks up on prey, grasps it with it's main tentacles, and drags it into it's beak. Nom nom nom.

Kanaloa, roughly the same size as earth orbits a similar star, and is very similar to earth in many ways- except for it's geography and life. The planet's surface is almost entirely covered in shallow, warm oceans (with deeper, cooler patches and small ice caps- it's a little warmer than earth) with very little lands, either consisting of muddy sandbars that can wash away overnight, or reeflike structures that protrude from the water's surface wherever reefs are, as well as 'land' made from large, strong floating plants and some small islands surrounding volcanic activity.

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From a foot to two meters long. The beaked reefeater is a peaceful, if dim-witted creatures that uses it's large, hard beak to defend itself as well was to crunch tough reef into dust when it eats. Cute, no?

But it's not like anything lives on what little land there is, anyways. Virtually all life on Kanaloa exists under the water. Most life in the shallow parts of the oceans is rather safe, consisting of smaller creatures, strange plant-like animals, and the few carnivores and venomous animals don't pose too worrysome of a threat to the adapted posthumans (Mermatees) that live on Kanaloa (They still pose a threat, but attacks and injury are rare or treated well).

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This creature uses it's flattened tentacles to dig up sea-cabbage and sea-lettuce creatures, and then impales them with it's skinny beak before eating. They occasionally bite or nip mermatees or the passing human tourist, but don't pose a great threat. Approx. one meter long.

Granted, in deeper waters, things are a little more dangerous.

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oh god what is it make it go away make it go away oh god

But Kanaloa is a vast place, with much life to be had. Besides rather earthlike reefs, many of the plant forms here are actually somewhere between animal and plant, octopus or eel-like creatures capable of photosynthesis, and the majority of life forms resemble mixes of some creatures from earth. Cepholpods, eels, and crustaceans namely, adapted to fill the niches empty in the ocean.

Skeletons are rare, and anything beyond a cartilaginous skeleton like that of a shark is nigh-impossible to find in the native lifeforms of Kanaloa, although hard, bony beaks and claws are common (teeth less so, but still noticeable) as well as hard shells and spines.

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An example of sea lettuce. The octopod-like body is buried in the mud, the eyes permanently closed in adulthood. As young "spores" the eyes are open as they swim to find a place to root themselves. They taste kinda like broccoli and bacon fat.

Think Lovecraft, for these animals. Horrible horrible H.P.Lovecraft full of tentacles and writhing things.

Enjoy, and do check out the threat above for the Mermatees- my wonderful posthumans. XD
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Everything is Transformers and Dungeons & Dragons and nothing hurts.
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Sliver Slave
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I'm going back to basics.

From the BBC: Walking on Kanaloa.
Something is upsetting the ostriches.

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Rodlox
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Sliver Slave
Oct 7 2008, 05:26 PM
From the BBC: Walking on Kanaloa.

hosted by Nigel Marvin.
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Parts of the Cluster Worlds:
"Marsupialless Australia" (what-if) & "Out on a Branch" (future evolution) & "The Earth under a still sun" (WIP)
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agatharights
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I would watch that. Every week, I'd plop down and watch that with glee. :D I can just see Nigel Marvin in scuba gear while mermatees chase eels around him and try to convince him to play with them.
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Vultur-10


Wouldn't it be Swimming on Kanaloa? And yes, that would be awesome...
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agatharights
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Probably. XD They'd keep stealing his flippers and stuff.
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Vultur-10


How deep are the Kanaloan oceans? Is there room for REALLY big (Cthulhu-sized) squid-eels?
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agatharights
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Well, let me put it this way. Most of the oceans are relatively shallow, as far as things go.

The deepest parts of the oceans? Nobody has any idea how freaking deep they go. Not even the deep-dwelling mermatees. They get dubbed the "infinite abyss".

So yes. :D BIG things
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lamna
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I think they would love stealing things. People would look for the treasure of mermatees only to fine a pile of flippers and diving masks.

Sounds like a great series. I would watch it.
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Are nipples or genitals necessary, lamna?
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agatharights
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They'd be curious. I mean...they don't need them. Why should humans need them? XD
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ATEK Azul
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i think the squid eels are awsome unfortunatly im not a big fan of the mermatees or most posthumans but the world looks awsome
I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's!
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Ànraich
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yellowdrakex
Oct 7 2008, 05:08 PM
I just realized how boring a documentary on some things would be. LIke Coral. Sure, it's pretty...for the first five minutes...
No no no. I've seen boringer (it's a word now). Once, in biology, during our plant unit, we watched a "documentary" on plants. The narrator was like "Welcome to the wonderful world of *dramatic music begins strong* plants *backdrop of blooming flower appears*".

For the next HOUR AND FORTY FIVE MINUTES (about two days of class time), we watched a montage of plants growing and blooming. There was not a single bit of dialogue in the entire movie, sans the opening.
We should all aspire to die surrounded by our dearest friends. Just like Julius Caesar.

"The Lord Universe said: 'The same fate I have given to all things from stones to stars, that one day they shall become naught but memories aloft upon the winds of time. From dust all was born, and to dust all shall return.' He then looked upon His greatest creation, life, and pitied them, for unlike stars and stones they would soon learn of this fate and despair in the futility of their own existence. And so the Lord Universe decided to give life two gifts to save them from this despair. The first of these gifts was the soul, that life might more readily accept their fate, and the second was fear, that they might in time learn to avoid it altogether." - Excerpt from a Chanagwan creation myth, Legends and Folklore of the Planet Ghar, collected and published by Yieju Bai'an, explorer from the Celestial Commonwealth of Qonming

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agatharights
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Plaaaaants. o_o You know, even Venus Flytraps get boring. Sure, they eat flies, whatever...but they're not exactly Triffids...
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Ànraich
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yellowdrakex
Oct 8 2008, 09:20 PM
Plaaaaants. o_o You know, even Venus Flytraps get boring. Sure, they eat flies, whatever...but they're not exactly Triffids...
Well no, they're not. But what is more awesome than a man-eating, walking plant? I don't know either...Except maybe...

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We should all aspire to die surrounded by our dearest friends. Just like Julius Caesar.

"The Lord Universe said: 'The same fate I have given to all things from stones to stars, that one day they shall become naught but memories aloft upon the winds of time. From dust all was born, and to dust all shall return.' He then looked upon His greatest creation, life, and pitied them, for unlike stars and stones they would soon learn of this fate and despair in the futility of their own existence. And so the Lord Universe decided to give life two gifts to save them from this despair. The first of these gifts was the soul, that life might more readily accept their fate, and the second was fear, that they might in time learn to avoid it altogether." - Excerpt from a Chanagwan creation myth, Legends and Folklore of the Planet Ghar, collected and published by Yieju Bai'an, explorer from the Celestial Commonwealth of Qonming

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agatharights
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THE SCARIEST CREATURE ON KANALOA
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Ànraich
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That was my idea! That's copyright infringment!

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We should all aspire to die surrounded by our dearest friends. Just like Julius Caesar.

"The Lord Universe said: 'The same fate I have given to all things from stones to stars, that one day they shall become naught but memories aloft upon the winds of time. From dust all was born, and to dust all shall return.' He then looked upon His greatest creation, life, and pitied them, for unlike stars and stones they would soon learn of this fate and despair in the futility of their own existence. And so the Lord Universe decided to give life two gifts to save them from this despair. The first of these gifts was the soul, that life might more readily accept their fate, and the second was fear, that they might in time learn to avoid it altogether." - Excerpt from a Chanagwan creation myth, Legends and Folklore of the Planet Ghar, collected and published by Yieju Bai'an, explorer from the Celestial Commonwealth of Qonming

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