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| Holocene and Beyond; it is here | |
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| Topic Started: Jan 10 2017, 02:41 PM (4,931 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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| Tartarus | Jan 18 2017, 06:25 PM Post #106 |
Prime Specimen
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I gave a response earlier in this thread:
Don't worry, its still interesting. While I do look forward to seeing what eventually happens in chapter II, I am also interested in seeing some more chapter I stuff first. I am, for example, particularly intrigued at seeing what you may make of the marine city and the Mars city you mentioned earlier in the thread. |
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| truteal | Jan 18 2017, 06:28 PM Post #107 |
forum bigfoot
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Great Job Mate |
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My sporadically updated Youtube page Do you get it? I hardly ever come here so I'm like something a cryptozoologist would study | |
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| GlarnBoudin | Jan 18 2017, 07:06 PM Post #108 |
Disgusting Skin Fetishist
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Has anything been done with crocodiles and/or alligators? If so, it would be hilarious if a population got into some sewers somewhere. And for that matter, are there any other reptile pets? I doubt that rainbow skinks and pearl tortoises are the only ones out there - for example, some lizards could be modified to have spikes and horns a la those old 'slurpasaur' monsters. Edited by GlarnBoudin, Jan 18 2017, 07:58 PM.
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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 19 2017, 09:46 AM Post #109 |
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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Yeah, there'd definitely be things like this in this scenario, but I haven't really thought about them yet. Probably the most practical non-food GM'd organisms for this so far are the pest-controlling animals such as the insects I've already mentioned, and a kind of plastic-eating bacteria.
Ok, cool. And I'm not entirely sure what Food of the Gods is? Remember, I'm just a kid, I might not know about these things. Mostly I'm actually an idiot, I just know a few things about the natural world.
Sorry, Corecin I misread your question. Thanks for explaining the answer Tartarus.
Ok, great. I'll get round to writing some stuff for the marine and Martian cities soon. I actually have a few A4 sheets of paper filled full of Martian stuff, I just need to type it all up so I can post it here. Thank you very much! Not really no, except for a GM'd species of miniature crocodile which remains small for all of its life. It's a pretty specialist pet though and never really becomes popular. It may or may not leave descendants.
Yeah, there'll be loads of other reptile pets in the Holocene and Beyond universe, although I haven't really thought of any ideas yet. Like I said, even once I move onto Chapter II, it doesn't mean that I'm stuck there update-wise. I can still work on Chapter I GM stuff. Something I've been meaning to say: My knowledge of urban animals is mostly limited to Britain and what I've seen on documentaries. The information on the Internet is quite scattered and I'm struggling to find much information. Particularly, I was wondering if one of our Australian members (Tartarus?) could give some suggestions for urban wildlife of their native country? I can't find much online, which makes it more difficult to speculate on what else might adapt to the envioroment. Thanks. |
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| Beetleboy | Jan 19 2017, 10:33 AM Post #110 |
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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Chapter I THIS POST IS NO LONGER CANON The Martian Domes Part 1  No one had expected the arrival. Life on Earth was carrying on in its own merry way, cities expanding, innovating, and of course, modifying. And then – the satellites saw them. They were heading straight towards Earth in immense ships that slid through space and time, moving from world to world. We never found out what they called themselves. They had a completely different method of communication from humans, a complex mix of low frequency noises, flashing bioluminescent lights, and gesturing with their arms – or something like arms, anyway. We called them the Star Nomads, which was a fitting name for them, and also sounded pretty cool, so you know, win-win. They travelled across the galaxy, visiting worlds, and creating a sort of catalogue of species. They were explorers and scientists, always wanting to find out more. They came wanting peace, but with our species being so different, it was hard to know at first what they were here for. Their strange bodies – short and almost spherical, with many long, tentacle-like arms which had a spine-like structure running through each – were so alien and terrifying, at least to some, that some immediately suggested that they were here to invade Earth. Or maybe lay their eggs in us, or just blow our planet up for fun. Military action against the 'invasion' was held back, as the goverments did not wish to start a cross-species war. The ships that had travelled so far through space and time to get here orbited Earth silently, watching, waiting. They did not understand our attempts to communicate with them, and we didn't understand theirs, so there was a testy silence, as both parties waited for something to happen. It took a long time, but eventually both the Star Nomads and the humans met, in a space station orbiting Earth. The meeting was peaceful but tense, and the Nomads offered what seemed to be gifts of good will – a pale, semi-translucent substance. It would later be named 'skepsite', meaning 'thinking rock'. Quite what the spespite is was never actually decided on. Some proposed that it was a strange organism from the Nomad's home planet, perhaps a genetically modified one? Certainly the way the material acted seemed to suggest a biological nature, but in the end, humans didn't have enough time to find out. Shortly after the Nomads left Earth, probably to move onto to another planet and discover more organisms, a war to end all wars began, and ultimately, the results would be fatal for humanity. But there was quite some time to go until then. The Star Nomads, and their skepsite, had another role to play in the human's future . . . Probably some implausibilities here, but bear with me, in the next update you'll see why this is vital to the Martian dome bits. Edited by Beetleboy, Jan 25 2017, 12:30 PM.
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| Fazaner | Jan 19 2017, 10:43 AM Post #111 |
Шашава птичурина
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Aliens, never saw that coming, wonder what might skepsite do? |
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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 19 2017, 10:51 AM Post #112 |
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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You'll see.  Let's just say there's gonna be more surprises on the way . . .
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| DroidSyber | Jan 19 2017, 01:03 PM Post #113 |
I'll cut ya swear on me mum
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Mars's domes are made of it, aren't they? |
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Non Enim Cadunt! No idea how to actually hold down a project. | |
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| Beetleboy | Jan 19 2017, 02:22 PM Post #114 |
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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Yeah. Kinda obvious, looking back at it. 
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| trex841 | Jan 19 2017, 03:18 PM Post #115 |
Entity
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Interest in aliens faded until they surrounded the planet and gave us space goop. 
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F.I.N.D.R Field Incident Logs A comprehensive list of all organisms, artifacts, and alternative worlds encountered by the foundation team. At the present time, concepts within are inconsistent and ever shifting. (And this is just the spec related stuff) | |
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| GlarnBoudin | Jan 19 2017, 04:00 PM Post #116 |
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Disgusting Skin Fetishist
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Food of the Goods is a novel written by H.G. Wells, the same guy who wrote War of the Worlds. In it, a 'superfood' from space is discovered that makes anything that eats it grow to over six times its normal size. Then again, it could be interesting if you referenced The Hoboken Chicken Emergency, a short novel from the US about a gigantic genetically modified chicken. |
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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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| Tartarus | Jan 19 2017, 07:05 PM Post #117 |
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Prime Specimen
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The thing about that is it actually varies quite a lot depending on where in Australia you are. While politically it is just one country, geographically and ecologically it may as well be multiple different lands. I myself live in Cairns, in far north Queensland. My garden is often visited sulphur-crested cockatoos and by various other birds including sparrows, the occasional honey eater, the occasional sun bird, a few species of native pigeons, introduced species like feral pigeons and mynah birds, and so on. I've also sometimes seen an amethystine python but it rarely reveals itself. In areas near my neighbourhood I've seen brush turkeys and scrub fowl. Keep in mind also that I live on the outskirts of the city rather than in the truly urban areas where you'd see far less wildlife. As a contrast, last Christmas I visited my sister who lives down in Adelaide, in South Australia. Urban and suburban wildlife I saw there included things like crested pigeons and some different species of honey eaters than the ones from where I live. So in short, noticeably different from where I live, despite being in the same country. So yeah, I can say what sort of urban and suburban wildlife I've seen in the parts of Australia I've actually been in, but that's but a small portion of this rather large country. On your project, the bit with the alien visitors was quite unexpected. Too bad they didn't give humanity any interstellar travel that could have helped us avoid our extinction. |
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| Beetleboy | Jan 20 2017, 09:59 AM Post #118 |
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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We all love space goop.
Wow, thanks for telling me about that, I didn't know that. I've read quite a few H.G Wells books, too.
Wow, that actually sounds amazing, especially the python.
Ok, thanks. That was quite helpful actually, at least it's a rough idea as opposed to no idea.
Yeah, although the aliens themselves aren't going to play a major part in the project. On the bright side, they are gonna give us humans a lovely gift before they move onto their next planet . . . |
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| Beetleboy | Jan 22 2017, 11:50 AM Post #119 |
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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Sorry guys but my laptop has broken so no updates until it's fixed. |
| ~ The Age of Forests ~ | |
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| Beetleboy | Jan 25 2017, 12:29 PM Post #120 |
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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Yay laptop is fixed! In other news, I've been thinking hard about where the story is going with the spepsite, aliens, and Martian domes, and it isn't really all that plausible, nor does it fit with the image of the project that I now have. So the alien arrival, the skepsite, etc, is no longer canon. There are domes on Mars, but they are not very special, not made out of skepsite, and do not survive past man's demise. |
| ~ The Age of Forests ~ | |
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