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Holocene and Beyond; it is here
Topic Started: Jan 10 2017, 02:41 PM (4,935 Views)
Beetleboy Jan 10 2017, 02:41 PM Post #1
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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~ Holocene and Beyond ~
It has begun

For 3.8 billion years, there's been life on our planet. A world floating in the cosmos, a blue and brown dot in the vast universe. Elsewhere in our galaxy, tiny organisms were evolving on planets. On some worlds, life had only just appeared, on others it had been busy evolving and populating their landscape for millions of years already. On countless worlds life was going extinct. Birth, death, life, on a cosmic scale, beyond our or any other being's perception – at least for now.

And at this point in time, the miracle of life appeared on another world. Earth. This moment, which would lead to the incredible journey of evolution, although it would change this one world, was of no great consequence to the universe as a whole. Life came and went all the time, and on the grand scale of intergalactic life, Earth was a miniscule, insignificant speck of life. But for this rocky, blue planet, life would change everything.

As the first vertebrates swam through the primordial seas, 525 million years ago, elsewhere in the universe alien organisms were crafting tools and developing sapience. For Earth, it would be a long time until it would see high levels of intelligence. The closest it would get until humans, elephants, corvids, and cetaceans came along would be certain dinosaurs, but the ones that showed most promise were wiped out in the K-Pg event. Theropods lived on, however, in birds, which would later show signs of semi-sapience.

There was a long way to go until then, however.

When we reach the Holocene, everything on Earth changed in ways that would affect the future profoundly. From apes using stones to crack nuts, to the usage of fire and refined tool making, eventually those primates using sticks to fish for termites would build civilizations and colonise the surface of the planet. Homo sapiens would become the unexpected conquerer of Earth, wiping out species as it goes, and destroying habitats for its own purposes.

***

Cities, like a shining metal forest, grew and spread across the world, pushing back natural habitats like forests and grassland. Almost too late, humans realised the damage they were doing to the world, polluting it, destroying habitats, killing off species, and contributing towards global warming. It was too late to completely halt the climatic change they had caused, but Homo sapiens could change its ways. Reneweable fuels became the norm, slowly but surely. With the population so huge, there was never large amounts of wild spaces, and many animals went extinct in the wild, but lived on in zoos or in frozen genetic material.

The world entered a state of space exploration and genetic modification. Pets, which had for a short period become uncommon due to the lack of space, were now 'trending' again, as populations dropped to a more sustainable level. Genetically modification became common worldwide, GM'd species being used for a variety of reasons – some were pets, some were adapted to take care of invasive species, a few were even made purely for the purpose of teaching students. Further into the future, genetic modification became so common-place that the rich could ask for specially-designed, unique animals, and GMing became a sort of art form. Many of our pets were too frail and dependant on us to survive in the wild . . . but with the overwhelming number of GM'd species, many would survive in the future.

In the end, humanity killed itself, in a war to end all wars, wiping out their own species. Those who survived where killed off by the bio-engineered viruses, even the Martian people, the virus spreading to them from people fleeing from Earth on evacuee ships.

The bombed mega-cities were empty. The once life-filled domes on Mars were empty. The houses and parks were empty . . .

But Earth was not.

***

Humanity would change the face of the Earth in a way that would be felt for millions of years. It was our pets and companions, the genetically modified organisms, and the urban animals, that would take over where the cities once stood. While some areas still had a large amount of wild animals living in natural places, much of the Earth's land was covered in cities and 'parks' (large wild areas in the city, used for keeping endangered species in, semi-wild). After the extinction of Homo sapiens, the parks and the cities disappeared, forests and plains reclaiming the land. Urban animals and park species were free to conquer the new wild space, before less adaptable pets and GM'd species got there first.

But eventually, get there they did, and the world was changed radically, in sometimes surprisingly and bizarre ways. Many pets couldn't survive without humans, and died off, but there were some which survived. Amongst the genetically modified animals, some used their bizarre traits to help them survive, while less adaptable and frail species died off.

***

In Chapter I we will look at life during human's reign, from their pets to urban animals. We will look at the surprising habitats humanity will create, from floating 'reef' cities to Martian domes.
In Chapter II, we shall explore the legacy that humanity left behind in animal form, from pouched dogs to giant goldfish, bioluminescent mice to raptorfowl, and stranger organisms still . . .

***

Welcome to the Holocene and Beyond . . .

Contents
~ The Age of Forests ~
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GlarnBoudin Jan 13 2017, 04:57 PM Post #46
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Question: Are there any pets intended to mimic griffins and dragons and such? Because if I recall correctly, there's actually a guy IRL who's trying to do that.
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CaledonianWarrior96 Jan 13 2017, 07:58 PM Post #47
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An Awesome Reptile
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GlarnBoudin
Jan 13 2017, 04:57 PM
Question: Are there any pets intended to mimic griffins and dragons and such? Because if I recall correctly, there's actually a guy IRL who's trying to do that.
Some is trying to produce a griffin? I'd pay to see that
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DroidSyber Jan 13 2017, 09:48 PM Post #48
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I'll cut ya swear on me mum
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CaledonianWarrior96
Jan 13 2017, 07:58 PM
GlarnBoudin
Jan 13 2017, 04:57 PM
Question: Are there any pets intended to mimic griffins and dragons and such? Because if I recall correctly, there's actually a guy IRL who's trying to do that.
Some is trying to produce a griffin? I'd pay to see that
I WANT ONE
Non Enim Cadunt!

No idea how to actually hold down a project.
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Jaxuar Jan 13 2017, 11:02 PM Post #49
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Fetus
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Quote:
 
Question: Are there any pets intended to mimic griffins and dragons and such? Because if I recall correctly, there's actually a guy IRL who's trying to do that.
WHAT!? HOW!?
Posted Image
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Beetleboy Jan 14 2017, 06:43 AM Post #50
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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Quote:
 
What happens when a GM pet breeds with its unmodified counterpart?

Hhm, if I'm honest, I'm not entirely sure what would happen in such a situation. I would say that probably most GM breeds would be unable to produce viable offspring with non GM'd individuals, due to their genome being so different. If anybody disagrees or has something to say on the subject, feel free to say so - I'm not entirely sure myself.

Quote:
 
Question: Are there any pets intended to mimic griffins and dragons and such? Because if I recall correctly, there's actually a guy IRL who's trying to do that.
Yes, in the middle 22 Century there are some pets like that, but the only ones that I've thought about so far are dragons. Thing is, genetic modification isn't magic, you can't just magic up a pair of wings on the back of a lizard. I don't know, I'm still thinking about this.

Quote:
 
WHAT!? HOW!?

Yeah, this is a little bit . . . wow. Are you sure this is true, Glarn? If so, how on Earth is this person planning on managing this. Like I said, GMing isn't magic, you can't just make a griffin. It's a bit more complicated than that. You need to be able to use genes already available, and you can't really put wings on the back of a cat, say. Turning their paws into a wings is a different matter entirely - still difficult, but theoretically possible.

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What and How?!!?

Pea, please don't post unnecassary comments, it really just clutters the thread and (presumably) you're just trying to increase your post count, given your other pointless posts. Not trying to be mean, just saying. :)
~ The Age of Forests ~
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Beetleboy Jan 14 2017, 08:31 AM Post #51
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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Chapter I



Introducing the Raptorfowl

First considered in the early 21st Century under the somewhat cheesy name of 'chickenosaurs', they came to life sometime after 2050. They were dubbed the raptorfowl, and became popular as ornamental and fancy poultry, museum exhibits, and as pets.

Posted Image
Above you can see the skulls of three embryos - to the left is a normal chicken, to the right is an alligator. In the center is an early design for a 'chickenosaurus' or raptorfowl skull - it clearly lacks a beak, instead having a snout more akin to the alligator. This was done in 2015, but the proper raptorfowl where much improved from these early ideas and designs.

Raptorfowl are genetically modified chickens, with several changes to their anatomy. For a start, instead having a bird beak, they have a scaly, featherless snout filled with small, sharp teeth. This does not seem to affect them a great deal, and despite their sharp teeth, they are still perfectly adept at eating corn, grabbing it with their front teeth before throwing back their head to eat it.

They also have a long, bony tail covered in feathers, but in the early prototype raptorfowl designs, the tail unbalanced them and made them too heavy at the back, so their necks were lengthened to balance them out a bit better. They also have feathery arms instead of wings, ending in a scaly hand with 3 long, thin fingers.

Raptorfowl are popular pets/dinner, as they can be easily kept on a roof garden for egg production, as well as meat and feathers. While not any better than a normal chicken in terms of meat and eggs, they are more interesting and ornamental to most people.
Some breeds, such as the fluffraptors, are kept as family pets indoors, as they are quite intelligent and can be trained to defecate in designated areas. These are docile and slow-moving, and can process a wide variety of food thanks to their teeth (which are quite blunt).

Posted Image
Above: silkie chickens, the breed used as a genetic base for the fluffraptor breed.

Special raptorfowl breeds have been used in some museums, sometimes to depict the evolution of birds. In these circumstances, animals such as raptorfowl can be modified specially to resemble certain prehistoric animals, right down to colour schemes based on preserved melanosomes.

Due to the widespread nature of raptorfowl, and their new features, it is guaranteed that we will see strange new forms of these animals after humans go extinct. The survival of GM'd animals is not always guaranteed, but in this case, we can be certain that raptorfowl will undergo some form of radiation after the humanity's extinction.

Posted Image

Above you can see a scaled raptorfowl, a mostly featherless breed covered in greenish scales. They need to be kept indoors except during warm weather in northern latitudes, in tropical and warm regions they can be kept outdoors.
~ The Age of Forests ~
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GlarnBoudin Jan 14 2017, 09:45 AM Post #52
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I can't find the exact articles, but I remember that there's at least one person who's trying to create, at the very least, something LIKE a dragon.

According to several scientists, it's not that implausible:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-35111760
http://motherboard.vice.com/read/someone-will-eventually-use-crispr-to-try-to-make-a-dragon-or-unicorn
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Fazaner Jan 14 2017, 09:45 AM Post #53
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Шашава птичурина
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I once tried to raise silkie chickens, but chicks fell to illness. Is there a chickensaur breed from phonex chickens, becouse of there long tail fethers?
Posted Image

If you are intrested there is a breed of cattle from my region that is just a around 100 cm tall, that could be gm-ed to be smaller and make house cow, that could be very good for roof gardens?
Here is a wiki link. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buša_cattle
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peashyjah Jan 14 2017, 11:56 AM Post #54
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I really do liked the Raptorfowl already.
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GlarnBoudin Jan 14 2017, 01:22 PM Post #55
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Will some of the pets from Mutant Earth be making a reappearance? It would be awesome to see a new version of the Safe-Spiders with peacock spider DNA.
Edited by GlarnBoudin, Jan 14 2017, 01:22 PM.
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Beetleboy Jan 14 2017, 01:24 PM Post #56
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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GlarnBoudin
Jan 14 2017, 09:45 AM
I can't find the exact articles, but I remember that there's at least one person who's trying to create, at the very least, something LIKE a dragon.

According to several scientists, it's not that implausible:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-35111760
http://motherboard.vice.com/read/someone-will-eventually-use-crispr-to-try-to-make-a-dragon-or-unicorn
Interesting, thanks for linking me to those. Something dragon-like could be possible I suppose, and I've just had an idea for a Chinese dragon for this . . .

Quote:
 
I once tried to raise silkie chickens, but chicks fell to illness. Is there a chickensaur breed from phonex chickens, becouse of there long tail fethers?

Shame, silkies are beautiful! Wow, I do like my chickens, but I've never heard of the phoenix. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. And yes, there would probably be a raptorfowl based on them I think.

Quote:
 
If you are intrested there is a breed of cattle from my region that is just a around 100 cm tall, that could be gm-ed to be smaller and make house cow, that could be very good for roof gardens?
Here is a wiki link. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buša_cattle

Interesting, although I don't know if people would want a pet house cow . . . cattle aren't exactly well known for their attractiveness or public love. I suppose there could be some for people who want something really unusual. You could make the cattle more attractive somehow. Thanks for the idea, I'll think about it.

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I really do liked the Raptorfowl already.

Thanks!
~ The Age of Forests ~
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Beetleboy Jan 14 2017, 01:25 PM Post #57
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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GlarnBoudin
Jan 14 2017, 01:22 PM
Will some of the pets from Mutant Earth be making a reappearance? It would be awesome to see a new version of the Safe-Spiders with peacock spider DNA.
Yeah, the safe-spiders are in this. And that . . . is a brilliant idea! You could have one of the safe tarantulas with peacock spider features, to make them more colourful and interesting.
~ The Age of Forests ~
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DINOCARID Jan 14 2017, 02:15 PM Post #58
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We had a phoenix once... He was the only non-murderous rooster we've ever had, but he froze to death. :(
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Beetleboy Jan 14 2017, 02:19 PM Post #59
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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DINOCARID
Jan 14 2017, 02:15 PM
We had a phoenix once... He was the only non-murderous rooster we've ever had, but he froze to death. :(
Shame. :( I'd love to have some chickens, but we lack the space.
~ The Age of Forests ~
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GlarnBoudin Jan 14 2017, 02:26 PM Post #60
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Beetleboy
Jan 14 2017, 01:25 PM
GlarnBoudin
Jan 14 2017, 01:22 PM
Will some of the pets from Mutant Earth be making a reappearance? It would be awesome to see a new version of the Safe-Spiders with peacock spider DNA.
Yeah, the safe-spiders are in this. And that . . . is a brilliant idea! You could have one of the safe tarantulas with peacock spider features, to make them more colourful and interesting.
And give the limbs used for the mating displays some kind of iridescent plate or something for extra swag.

Hmm, what about peacocks with long trains of tail feathers in both genders, with iridescent eyespots?
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