The latest free reviews on Bogi Reads the World: a fantasy graphic novel that was a pleasant surprise, a small volume of queer prose poetry, and a vintage YA science fiction book!
Phtanum B - Radulids! This superdiverse clade consists of ground-mowing herbivores, from insect-sized to biblical in scale. Feel free to ask questions about any of them! ^-^
Phtanum B - Ramjet Dragons! Napalm-ejecting aerial predators, all of them. From the deocardid-downing mirrorback to the colossal firewall ramjet, these alien parodies of mythological earthen beasts do the term justice.
Phtanum B - Lactismids! An enormous deuvertebrate group with over 4000 species. Characterized by large size, high limb count and inhabiting megafaunal niches on most portions of the planet. Some like Polycnemis ayhani are terrestrial apex predators!
Phtanum B - Lactismids! An enormous deuvertebrate group with over 4000 species. Characterized by large size, high limb count and inhabiting megafaunal niches on most portions of the planet. Some like Polycnemis ayhani are terrestrial apex predators!
These six phtanumbian critters are some of the biggest on the planet. These are, to be honest, some of my favorite critters from the project. A detailed description follows!
Description:
Sketches of six deuvertebrates of the aneucnemida superclass. These six organisms are deocardids, or windwhales - an aneucnemid clade that includes some of the largest deuvertebrates of the planet by sheer scale. Deocardids are aerial filter-feeders that scoop up swarms of smaller aerial organisms with foldable, fan-like extensions of their underside. These animals are highly pneumatized, to a degree where the extend of their lungs and air chambers exceeds that of their actual tissue by a huge margin - making these organisms deceivingly light for their size. This does bring its drawbacks however: deocardids need to avoid storms or mountaneous regions to avoid being brought out of control by strong winds or rapidly changing weather. In times of need, these organisms jam their extendable pseudofeet into the ground akin to a stake and reel themselves in to protect themselves during a storm. Smaller deocardids use this method to „kitewalk“ too.
Like nearly all aneucnemid flyers, deocardids use airhearts-pumps to propel themselves within the skies. While those of the smaller ramjet dragons may sound like screaming diesel engines, the ones of deocardids are slow and rumbling, and loud enough to rupture someone‘s eardrum when up close. This sound is also what gave them the clade the name deocardids - a name that translates to god-heart. The airhearts of windwhales sound like eerie heartbeats when heard from a distance.
With deocardids making so much noise, they are bound to attract some opportunistic predators eventually. Bright colors in the form of aposematism are supposed to disencourage predators from attacking, but that does not always work. Larger deocardids like the red windwhale have multiple lines of defenses: The first to engage with the predator are hordes of symbiotic smaller flyers, the congregation, that follow the windwhale around akin to a living aircraft carrier to feed on its dead skin or parasites. Once this line of defense falls, the giant organism resorts to pore-turrets that eject both intoxicating blinding black mist as well as high-pressurized fecal pellets to snipe the attackers out of the sky.
Another piece I finished relatively recently.. Light ’Em Up, Johnny! A flock of mirrorback ramjet dragons (Autostochus miradorsum) hunts a red windwhale (Deocardis majestica) and its congregation. These 14-meter long aerial superpredators are the undisputed lords in the heavens of Phtanum B.
Hello! I am Paul, an aspiring sci-fi artist who likes to draw red landscapes and weird creatures. Working on a worldbuilding project that documents organisms on an hypothetical alien planet: Phtanum B! Human history lore included!
For a very short time you can grab ebook copies of all of my Sir Julius Vogel-finalist collections, plus two shorts. No strings. No conditions. Just a little gift from me to you. ✨
New Instance Intro:
Hello! I'm a science fiction writer... & quantum science writer... & researcher in Geneva, Switzerland.
Also, rather fond of music - playing bass & listening - mostly alternative, whatever that means, oh, & motorcycles just to mix it up a little. And also travel... particularly me in Iceland.
The Yamaguchi Foodstuffs Conglomerate emphatically denies causing tumours in vegetables. They did not "give a beansprout cancer". That would be irresponsible and against their 250 year commitment to responsible bio-agriculture development. Every culture has their own version of Grimm's "Der süße Brei". …
I love sharing some of my author friends with y'all. Check out Natsuya Uesugi (Sci-Fi):
Natsuya Uesugi, by day, is a systems analyst who has designed aerospace, semiconductor, and financial systems. With an MBA in International Management and a minor in Japanese, Natsuya uses his Japanese, Black, and Native American heritage...
my work explores the role of digital data, methods and infrastructures in the composition of collective life.
i'm currently focusing on...
📘 a book on public data practices
🌳 arts-based digital methods for exploring environmental issues
🐌 a special issue on critical technical practices in digital research
🗃 documenting online mobilisations of east and southeast asian communities in the uk
i'm senior lecturer in critical infrastructure studies at the department of digital humanities, king's college london; cofounder of publicdatalab.org; and research associate at digitalmethods.net + medialab.sciencespo.fr.