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| Holocene and Beyond; it is here | |
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| Topic Started: Jan 10 2017, 02:41 PM (4,934 Views) | |
| Beetleboy | Jan 10 2017, 02:41 PM Post #1 |
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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| Beetleboy | Jan 14 2017, 02:31 PM Post #61 |
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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Yeah, that would make sense with both of those things. I was thinking about peacocks actually, I was wondering if you could give similar tail feathers to other birds. Peachickens, anybody? I've been thinking . . . at some point I'm going to move onto Chapter II, after humans go extinct. But the kind of ordered, almost story like style, moving from chapter 1 to 2 won't work if I have more ideas for genetically modified animals later on. So, although the first influx of Chapter I posts will be a really broad overview needed to understand Chapter II, at a later date during the actual spec evolution bit, I might hop back and forth between chapters depending on ideas. I'm a bit hesitant to do this, as I don't want to cause any confusion, but I don't see how else I can do it. |
| ~ The Age of Forests ~ | |
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| GlarnBoudin | Jan 14 2017, 02:39 PM Post #62 |
Disgusting Skin Fetishist
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Alright, fair enough. |
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Quotes Spoiler: click to toggle Co-creator/corporate minion for the Pop Culture Monster Apocalypse! My Projects Spoiler: click to toggle Coming Soon Spoiler: click to toggle My dA page. My Fanfiction.net page. | |
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| Beetleboy | Jan 14 2017, 02:42 PM Post #63 |
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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I can't really see any other way of doing it without missing out a ton of ideas. Well, I've got a few things planned at the moment. I'm writing up some urban animal stuff at the moment, but after that I'll do some more GM stuff, then possibly move onto a concept that I have for a marine city. |
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| Beetleboy | Jan 14 2017, 02:55 PM Post #64 |
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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Chapter I Wildlife of London – 2125 The sun is shining brightly down upon the city, upon the green, shaggy-sided buildings and skyscrapers. Pomato plants above windows, the top of them growing tomatos, but the roots, burried in a hanging basket, bear potatoes. Apple vines, GM'd creepers which grow apples, cover much of the skyscraper flat, as they do particularly well even without the presence of humans. Nearby, vertical cabbages – just the same as the ones which are being used in the Martian domes – grow in patches, their GM'd epiphytic roots clinging to the soil-filled pot like structures that cover the walls underneath the shaggy coating of plants. White butterflies come to lay their eggs upon these cabbage-covered buildings, but they are quickly seen off by GM'd predators, specialized caterpillar-eating wasps, completely stingless but with sharp jaws and a voracious appetite. They keep the caterpillar numbers under control, using the corpses of their victims to lay their eggs in. The vertical gardens are a habitat that has been eagerly overtaken by certain animals – particularly small birds. The undergrowth, far from predators on the ground, makes for a great nesting place for them. Robins and wrens hide deep within the tangle of apple vines, while house sparrows make untidy communal nesting grounds amongst the plants and buildings. Down on the ground, a grassy section of land is dotted here and there with people relaxing or walking their pigs/dogs/unicorns. A flock of feral pigeons are pecking away at scraps, integrating with a small group of African grey parrots, escaped pets which have been doing well in the warm climate of the megacity. They act as lookouts as the pigeons peck away at the food, but unfortunately for their less intelligent flock-partners, the parrots have a plan of their own. Although many greys do act as honest lookouts, in return of the safety of the flock, many of the parrots have been using their intelligence to outwit the pigeons. One of the grey parrots looks at another knowingly, before letting out a shrill warning cry. Without looking for the danger, the pigeons take off in a shimmering, iridescent flock, their wings beating madly to escape from the non-existant predator. The clever grey parrots are left behind, chewing on the food, while one of the recent additions to the flock, mutters to itself, “Lol – lol – omg!” However, the parrots don't know that they are being watched. An urban pelican waddles across the lawn towards them, and starts scooping up fries into its bill as the other birds look at untrustingly. Gradually, they go back to the scraps and suddenly – the bill closes around a parrot. However, no sooner has it done so that the pelican's pouch is assaulted by a sharp beak and claws, and it is forced to spit the parrot out, which is swearing to itself shrilly. Not far away, deep into the tangled, green urban jungle, a flock of pigeons is being pursued by a real predator – a peregrine falcon. However, the chase down the narrow streets is made far more difficult and complex by the holographic, 3D advertisements which hang suspended in the air, incredibly realistic. The chase leads through this twisted, moving maze, the birds not realizing that they can pass straight through the holograms. The pigeons rise up out of the street, but one of the falcons is too fast, and snatches at one of the pigeons. Its claws scrape at the feathers, but lose their grip, and its prey hurtles downwards through a hologram of a woman demonstrating the latest lipstick. The falcon hurtles downwards and catches the pigeon again, before heading off with its kill to a nest that it has built at the top of the skyscraper, in a messy, unused roof garden. |
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| Corecin | Jan 14 2017, 05:50 PM Post #65 |
Prime Specimen
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On Glarns cow thing, even if they weren't used as pets they may still be useful as rooftop farm animals. I imagine that the more unique animals may sell better then other animals with the same purpose. |
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| Tartarus | Jan 14 2017, 06:13 PM Post #66 |
Prime Specimen
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It would depend on how genetically close the GMed creatures are to their non-GMed counterparts. Likely, the level of modification you've so far described would make them separate species. Though if closely enough related still, they could still conceivably produce sterile hybrid young or maybe even the occasional fertile hybrid. If there's been very much change to the genome through the genetic engineering then yeah they might be so distinct that they won't be able to produce any offspring, sterile or not, with their unmodified cousins. On your modified chickens, I like the name "raptorfowl". It sounds like a much better name than "chickensaur". I like your 2125 description. The bit about the holograms made me think of the holographic hawks you mentioned earlier and a question came to mind. Seeing as there a number of birds who will occasionally band together to chase off hawks and other raptors, what might this imply for your holographic hawks? |
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| Beetleboy | Jan 15 2017, 09:33 AM Post #67 |
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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Yes, that's certainly a possibility. But it's one thing to kill and pluck for our chickens, and quite another to slaughter and butcher a cow . . . I don't know. I'll think about it.
Thanks for clearing things up.
Yeah, I was trying to think of a better name than chickenosaurus or chickenosaur. Raptorfowl was the best that I could come up with.
In the presence of nests/chicks/eggs, I could imagine some urban birds trying to chase off the hawks, yes. The hologram probably wouldn't pick up on this other than their movement, at swoop at them repeatedly, as it has been (quite simply) programmed to do. The birds would probably just give up in the face of the relentlessness of the hologram. I do think that maybe intelligent London birds like feral parrots might work out that the hawks are no danger, and make their nests on buildings 'guarded' by a hologram. |
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| Fazaner | Jan 15 2017, 12:48 PM Post #68 |
Шашава птичурина
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Use the cows for milk you dont have to kill them if you dont wont, and animal slaudhter could advance to the point where animal dont feel nothing. |
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Projects (they are not dead, just updated realy slowly, feel free to comment): -World after plague After a horrible plague unleashed by man nature slowly recovers. Now 36 million years later we take a look at this weird and wonderful world. -Galaxy on fire. They have left their home to get out of war. They had no idea what awaits them. My Deviant art profile, if you're curious. Before you get offended or butthurt read this | |
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| Beetleboy | Jan 15 2017, 01:01 PM Post #69 |
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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Good idea. I could really imagine these cows being really small but having massive udders . . . |
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| Beetleboy | Jan 15 2017, 01:22 PM Post #70 |
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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Chapter I Life on Europa: a brief introduction  Europa, the icy moon of Jupiter, has long been suspected as a possible place to look for extraterrestrial life in our solar system. In the middle to late 21th Century, probes confirmed these guesses, with the first few history-changing images of inky black water, and artificial lights illuminating the alien sea, and the small, white organisms pulsating before the probe's cameras. The famous words of the director of the team who confirmed Europan life were 'The solar system does not seem so lonely anymore.” Less famous are his following words, which were quickly forgotten: “Even if our neighbours are gross alien jellyfish.” During the 22nd Century, our understanding of Europan lifeforms increased greatly. The subsurface ocean was teeming with life, it turns out. Communities of simple chemosynthetic organisms make the basis of the ecosystem, growing in microbial mats around hydrothermal vents. Simple, pale organisms eject water to propel themselves, perfectly round orbs with a fringe of very thin tentacles, used for siphoning up their food, a slush of bacterial mats. These animals, known as pickled onions, are a wide-spread and common organism in the underparts of the Europan Sea. They are in turn preyed upon by spearsnakes, worm-like organisms which pulsate through the ocean, using tendril-like mouthparts and a hard, bony proboscises to grip onto prey, liquifing their inards before sucking it up. Their relatives are found throught Europa, preying upon relatives of the pickled onions. Large organisms are, for the most part, split up into 'Europan jellies' and 'wormlets'. The former are not neccasarily soft and squishy, indeed some are covered in armour plating to protect from predators, but most are jellyfish-like in appearance. They are sometimes orb-like, sometimes tentacled, and sometimes sessile and tubular. The wormlets are a diverse group of legless, vermiform creatures, which swim by undulating their body – contrasting with the jellies, which might crawl or swim using their tentacles, or push themselves along by sucking in and ejecting water. Both groups are invertebrates by our standards, and are mostly soft bodied, with exceptions. Most wormlets, for example, have hard mouthparts, which can range from snipping beaks to long, tubular proboscises. Jellies may have a hard outer coating to protect them from their predators. Europan jellies are a diverse group, ranging from sessile to large filter feeders. Well-known groups are frilled pickles, pale orbs which are surrounded by seemingly delicate, frilly tissue, used for absorbing nutrients from the water, ghost umbrellas, simple disk-like creatures, which twist their flexible body around their prey, and crawlers, small creatures which shimmy across their larger hosts using their tentacles. In comparison, the wormlets are not really known for particular species, but rather as a general group. However, one species is quite well known: the Europan dragon wormlet. These long, hagfish-like predators can grow to 2 metres in length, and voraciously consume jellies in large quantities.  These are some Europan lifeforms. A is a slow-moving Europan jelly known as the tentacled lemonjelly, which catches small organisms using its 2 tentacles. B is the dragon wormlet, a short-lived, fast moving predator which kills its prey using its hard beak and locates them with echolocation. The lemonjelly defends itself against this predator using a cloud of toxins which irritates the soft skin of the wormlet. C is the balloonfish, a rounded animal which ejects water from its rear end to move itself lazily along. The tiny spider like organisms covering it are parasites which will defend their host from predators in return for a meal of its skin. Here the tiny parasites can be seen running across their host towards the attacking predator, D, a harpoon wormlet, which is attempting to spear its prey using its long, sharp beak. Just to be clear, I won't be going any further with Europan life. It is intended simply as a way of showing how far our biological understanding has come by this point, that we have extensively catalogued alien lifeforms, at least in one location. |
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| CaledonianWarrior96 | Jan 15 2017, 04:58 PM Post #71 |
An Awesome Reptile
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Why must you torment us 😭 In all seriousness though, that is amazing work. Are there colonies set on Europa, as well as other possible life sustaining planets/moons in the solar system? |
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Come check out and subscribe to my projects on the following subforums; Future Planet (V.2): the Future Evolution of Life on Earth (Evolutionary Continuum) The Meuse Legacy: An Alternative Outcome of the Mosasaur (Alternative Evolution) Terra Cascus: The Last Refuge of the Dinosaurs (Alternative Evolution) - Official Project - Foundation The Beryoni Galaxy: The Biologically Rich and Politically Complex State of our Galaxy (Habitational Zone) - Beryoni Critique Thread (formerly: Aliens of Beryoni) The Ecology of Skull Island: An Open Project for the Home of King Kong (Alternative Universe) The Ecology of Wakanda: An Open Project for the Home of Marvel's Black Panther (Alternative Universe) (Click bold titles to go to page. To subscribe click on a project, scroll to the bottom of the page and click "track topic" on the bottom right corner) And now, for something completely different
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| Tartarus | Jan 16 2017, 12:11 AM Post #72 |
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Prime Specimen
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Unexpected, but also interesting to see a future Earth spec project delve into alien life as well, even if just briefly. I like your Europan creatures, though I'm not sure if Europa would be able to sustain creatures as large as some of those you described (e.g. your 2 metre long dragon wormlets). I've read of at least one estimate that, based on nutrient levels, Europa may have shrimp-sized organisms as its largest creatures. On the other hand though, that estimate was still quite speculative seeing as we still know little about that moon. So who knows, maybe when Europa is someday finally investigated properly we will find life far larger than what was expected, maybe even things similar to what you have speculated about here. |
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| Mr Mysterio | Jan 16 2017, 12:22 AM Post #73 |
Waiting...
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You've mentioned Martian colonies and such, so will this project feature GMed Martian animals as well? Or does everything on Mars die after the humans do? |
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Dumb Quotes Coming Soon/To be Rebooted: How To Hunt Gods - Everything you need to know about Gods and the art of God-killing. Intrazoology - The world of semi-corporeal lifeforms. A world you walk through every day, without even knowing it. The Dungeonverse - Magical creatures forced to adapt in huge, underground caverns, while surface-dwelling humans go dungeoneering for treasure. Crossover - A mish-mash of worlds, with Earth smack in the middle of the chaos. What could go wrong? no worries  | |
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| Beetleboy | Jan 16 2017, 04:25 AM Post #74 |
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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Thanks for all the comments guys, I'll reply to them tonight when I can get my laptop out. I'm doing a few drawings for this project right now, so all being well I'll upload them tonight. |
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| Beetleboy | Jan 16 2017, 10:17 AM Post #75 |
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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Like I said, I'm evil and should be banned  
Thank you!
There's no permament colonies on Europa, even towards the end of humanity's reign, but there are areas there that can be lived on and manned missions and study expeditions are launched there frequently. The buildings built onto Europa aren't intended as full-term homes, just temporary places for scientists and people studying Europa and its life to stay in. I don't think there'll be any other terraformed/human-inhabited places in the Solar System, besides Mars. It's kind of like how Dragonthunders goes into some alternative evolution in the Future is Far. It seems logical that in this scenario, humans are going to find out whether life exists on Europa, it made sense to briefly cover it. It also expands the Holocene and Beyond canon universe to make it more in depth.
Wow, I didn't know the nutrient level thing, thanks for letting me know about that. Well, I was thinking that most Europan life forms in Holocene and Beyond are quite small, and indeed, most of them are microscopic planktonic creatures. However, the dragon wormlets are unusual in being so large, they spend most of their life as small planktonic life forms, before metamorphasing into the short-lived, long adult form, which eats a lot, grows fast, then dies young.
In Holocene and Beyond, my original plans made in early December included terraformed Mars in the later stages of Chapter I, but it's now changed. The canon is now that life on Mars exists purely in plant-filled domes, more on those later. Humans inside them succumb either to the fighting or the engineered super-bugs, but due to an unusual quirk, which I'll discuss at some point, the domes and the other lifeforms inside them live on for thousands, even millions of years after humans go extinct. So yes, we'll be seeing Mars lifeforms. I couldn't upload the drawings tonight, but hopefully tomorrow. |
| ~ The Age of Forests ~ | |
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