Sunstorm's Worldbuilding and Art

[archosauriatrifolia]

Worldbuilding, writing, and art by Sunstorm

Hi guys! I'm making a separate blog for my creative projects. My personal blog is @sunstormbudgie.

My worldbuilding/writing projects:

Flaming Skies

Terra Psittacina

The Stars Below

The Twin Universes

Zanqila Chronicles (on hiatus)

Other art stuff:

paleoart

[archosauriatrifolia]

Early descendants of Ctenotus robustus

After roughly 1 my AE, the descendants of Ctenotus robustus have diversified into eight new species in two genera.

Pardodrakon is a genus of mid-sized omnivorous lizards that inhabit sparse woodland habitats. P. cyanurus is notable for having the most extreme sexual dimorphism of all vertebrate species alive on Terra Psittacina at this point in time — the females are sleek with mottled orange-brown colours, while the larger males have more solid colours, and a striking bright blue throat. All species can be found on the continent of Titan, but only P. pardalis inhabits Reflection.

Saxiphila is a genus of smaller lizards that live on rocky cliffs and mountains. They mostly hunt small insects and spiders. The smaller S. flava, S. alba and S. pallida inhabit Reflection, while the larger two species, S. lateralis and S. omma, inhabit Titan. The eyespots of S. omma are a defence mechanism that give the illusion of larger size and serve to intimidate would-be predators.

[archosauriatrifolia]

The bird-eating lizard

A large Anguirex monsterus pounces on an unlucky Pseudorosella rosa. It is somewhat unusual for P. rosa to venture down to the ground, especially alone, as it puts them in a vulnerable position.

The lizard here is a different colour morph to the one pictured on the Anguirex poster. A. monsterus has several colour morphs, each one adapted to camouflage in a different environment. This scene takes place in the central semi-arid region of Reflection.

In addition to the chase scene, I wanted to showcase some plants of the early Eopsittacine. The large trees pictured are Apara arida, descendants of Eucalyptus camaldulensis that are adapted to more dry conditions. The various small bushes are Acacia descendants. The grass is descended from spinifex (Triodia). The small yellow flowers dotted throughout the grass are a type of dandelion. Under the trees in the background, you can see some kangaroo paw and corn descendants. Finally, the yellow daisies in the foreground are descended from capeweed (Arctotheca calendula).

[archosauriatrifolia]

Early sand-swimmer descendants

After just 1 my AE, the descendants of Eremiascincus richardsonii have diversified into a variety of different forms. Two genera have emerged from this ancestral species.

Members of the genus Anguirex have reduced legs and move about much like snakes. They have grown much larger than their ancestor species, and now occupy the niches of scavengers and ambush hunters, going after invertebrates, smaller lizards, and even birds. A. aquaticus is the first aquatic reptile on Terra Psittacina. It mostly inhabits lakes and rivers but can tolerate saltwater well enough to swim between islands and establish new populations.

The genus Varanopsis is named for the members' superficial resemblance to monitor lizards. Much like their Anguirex cousins, these lizards both scavenge and actively hunt, though only V. silvestris is both large and agile enough to hunt birds on the regular. V. termitis is notable for digging into ant and termite nests, and these insects make up a large part of its diet.

Much like the birds, these early lizards are mostly confined to Reflection, but A. aquaticus has spread to almost every landmass in the tropical regions, and V. silvestris has also reached Titan and a few other islands.

[sunstormbudgie]

I found your Budgie seed world while I was milling about on the Speculative Evolution subreddit, and it led me here! Your art is to die for. It's beautiful. I love the colors, the environments, the EVERYTHING! It's amazing. Keep going on this project, it's really awesome!

Thank you! This project is probably going to take a very long time to complete, I have a rough outline of the different eras and periods that spans 500 million years. I'm currently working on some more illustrations of some of the early branching animals :)

[archosauriatrifolia]

Birds of the early Eopsittacine

Pseudorosella was the first genus to diverge from the typical budgerigar lifestyle. They live in smaller flocks than their budgerigar ancestors and eat mostly fruit and nectar. P. aurea, P. minor, and P. rosa are found throughout Reflection. P striata and P. violacea are found on both Reflection and Titan. The genus is named for the large cheek patches like those found in the rosellas of Earth.

The genus Eumelopsittacus is named for its similarity in both appearance and behaviour to their ancestors. The genus can be further broken up into the tree nesters (E. versicolor and E. viridis) and the ground nesters (E. cristatus, E. fluvialis, and E. insularis), which dig nests in the sides of cliffs and/or river banks. The most widespread member of this genus is E. versicolor, found throughout Reflection and creeping into the eastern end of Titan.

Micropteryx is a genus that has gone in a rather different evolutionary direction. They are relatively hefty ground dwellers that feed on a variety of seeds, leaves, and roots. They are named for their relatively small wings — most are weak fliers, and M. major is the first flightless bird species on Terra Psittacina. As a consequence, this genus is almost entirely confined to the mainland of Reflection. Only M. pardalis has reached a few of the tropical islands between Reflection and Titan.

[archosauriatrifolia]

Full list of organisms introduced to Terra Psittacina

Animals

Vertebrates: Melopsittacus undulatus, Eremiascincus richardsonii, Ctenotus pantherinus, C. robustus, Carrassius auratus, Argentina silus, Gobius niger, Retropinna semoni

Arthropods: Aedes australis, A. camptorhynchus, Drosophila melanogaster, Musca domestica, Chauliognathus lugubris, Coccinella septempunctata, Phoracantha recurva, P. semipunctata, Tenebrio molitor, Amegilla cingulata, Apis mellifera, Sceliphron laetum, Formica cinera, F. rufa, Oecophylla smaragdina, Myrmecia brevinoda, M. gulosa, Abispa ephippium, Polistes humilis, Stilbum cyanurum, Aphidus ervi, Acizzia uncatoides, Brevicoryne brassicae, Acrida cinera, A. conica, A. exaltata, Teleogryllus commodus, Amitermes meridionalis, Mastotermes darwiniensis, Ischnura aurora, various Calanoida species, various Cyclopoida species, Eophreatoicus kershawi, various Eurydice species, Porcellio scaber, Maratus jactatus, M. sceletus, Opisthoncus polyphemus, Hortophora transmarina, Latrodectus hasselti

Other animals: various Nerita species, various Oreomava species, various Pomacea species, Patella vulgata, various Octochaetus species, various Sabellidae species, Heliopora coerulea, Tubipora musica, Lophohelia pertusa, Stylophora pistillata, Aurelia aurita, various Tardigrada species, various Nematoda species

Plants

Eudicots: Corymbia opaca, Eucalyptus astringens, E. camaldulensis, E. youngiana, Brassica napus, B. rapa, Acacia aneura, A. ligulata, A. melanoxylon, Medicago littoralis, M. sativa, M. truncatula, Trifolium aurium, T. repens, T. rubens, Cucumis melo, C. sativus, Myriophyllum crispatum, Apium annuum, A. prostatum, Daucus carota, Petroselinum crispum, Arctotheca calendula, Brachyscome chrysoglossa, B. multifida, Taraxacum cygnorum, T. officinale, Carpobrotus edulis, C. gaucescens, C. quadrifidus, Stellaria media

Monocots: Avena sativa, various Poa species, Secale cereale, Triticum aestivum, T. spelta, Panicum millaceum, Sorghum bicolor, Themedia triandra, Zea mays, Triodia basedowii, T. pungens, Anigozanthos bicolor, A. flavidus, A. rufus, A. viridis, Macropidia fuliginosa, Musa acuminata, M. balbisiana, Lomandra filiformis, L. longifolia, L. spicata, Bulbine abyssinica, B. bulbosa, B. glauca, Lemna minor, Wolffia arrhiza, W. globosa, Zostera marina

Other plants: Illicium verum, Alsophila australis, Dicksonia antarctica, D. fibrosa, Azolla filiculoides, A. pinnata, A. rubra, various Bryophyta species

Fungi

various Aspergillus species, various Penicillium species, various Cordyceps species, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, various Saccharomycotina species, Agaricus bisporus, A. campestris, A. xanthodermus, Amanita xanthocephala, various Serpula species, various Pycnoporus species

Other eukaryotes

various Chara species, Nitellopsis obtusa, various Chlorophyta species, various Glaucophyta species, Laminaria hyperborea, L. pallida, Macrocystis pyrifera, Ascophyllum nodosum, various Sargassum species, various Xanthophyceae species, Amphidinium carterae, various Symbiodinium species, various Amebozoa species

Prokaryotes

various Bacteria species, various Methanobacteriota species

[archosauriatrifolia]

An introduction to Terra Psittacina: a budgerigar-focused seed world

Originally set up as an experiment in geoengineering by a technologically advanced human civilisation, the biosphere of Terra Psittacina has long since been abandoned, its organisms left to fend for themselves. The entire ecosystem was built around one species — the budgerigar, Melopsittacus undulatus. This is the story of those descended from the original few organisms that were brought to the planet from Earth.

The planet itself is very similar to Earth in size, axial tilt, and orbit. Its star is similar to Earth’s sun, but its moon is both larger and closer in orbit, giving the planet strong tides. The maps illustrated here show the planet's appearance 1 million years AE (after establishment). The top one is during the northern hemisphere summer, the bottom one is during the southern hemisphere summer.

At this point in time, most of the planet's biodiversity is centred around the two tropical continents — Reflection in the east, and Titan in the west. The northern continent, Precipice, has few inhabitants, as do the two large archipelagos — Chandelier in the north, and Debris in the south.

The climate is warm, but as plants take over the land it will slowly cool. Speciation has been extremely rapid in the first one million years as new ecological niches are filled. It is the early Eopsittacine, the first period of the Diapsidian Era. The world has just begun.

See here for a full list of organisms introduced to Terra Psittacina

[sunstormbudgie]

Working on a slight redesign of my katawi aliens. I decided to fuse their wing fingers and change up the hair patterns a little bit. It's been a while since I posted about my aliens, and I'm trying to get back into it. Hoping to figure out skintone variations next.

[sunstormbudgie]

A cladogram of all the extant "animal" phyla of Kōsani. Katawi are in the osteozoa clade.

[sunstormbudgie]

Here's an infographic I drew a few months ago on the reproductive cycles of Avelevians.

While the exact social structure varies from culture to culture, Avelevians typically have a pseudo-eusocial family structure, living with their siblings in groups of 5-10. Generally, only one member of the sibling group will engage in courtship at a time.

Female Avelevians will lay one large egg at a time. This egg contains a single haploid cell, which splits into 5-10 cells before undergoing external fertilisation from a male. The embryos then develop in the egg together, hatching after about 40 days.

Because of the way the haploid cells split, siblings that come from the same egg will on average share 75% of their DNA with each other, and because they have a ZW sex determination system, they will all be the same biological sex.

Hatchlings are usually raised through the cooperation of their parental sibling groups. It takes about a year for the young to develop from fully aquatic tadpoles to semi-aquatic adolescents. Once their lungs have fully developed, their tails slowly begin to atrophy over a period of about 2 years, but they don't reach sexual maturity until they're about 12-15 years old.

[sunstormbudgie]

Life in the desert isn't easy for Avelevians, but with the help of modern technology, these semi-aquatic aliens have managed to live there anyway.

Avelevians have thin, sensitive skin that is prone to water loss, so desert dwellers will typically wear clothing made of a water-retaining material that covers as much skin as possible, usually with lighter colours to help reflect heat.

While there are many clades on Avelevia that have adapted to living on land, two stand out due to their great size and diversity: the first is the terrapods, a group which includes the sapient Avelevians. The second is the endoostea, also known as "featherspiders", a group including the livestock seen in this image.

The plants of Avelevia are typically yellow or orange, as seen here. Plants on Avelevia are divided into two main groups: The plumaphytes, or "feather plants" and the arthrophytes, or "segmented plants". These plants here belong to a grass-like clade of plumaphytes.

[sunstormbudgie]

This art's a few months old, but still good enough for me to post it here:

A trio of Avelevian aliens sit beside a shining pond. Avelevia is a warm planet with yellow/orange vegetation, and the second life-bearing planet in the world of the Zanqila Chronicles to be discovered by humans.

The Avelevians themselves are a bit weird as far as sophonts go. They're so far the youngest sapient race, having only existed for about 3000 years at the point where the main storyline takes place. They are semi-aquatic, having both lungs and gills, and they communicate by sending electrical signals to each other, which they pick up via special organs in their barbels. This method of communication allows them to convey highly detailed sensory information to each other, and as such they tend to be very detail oriented creatures and have an almost photographic memory… with some exceptions.

Kimmy (the one on the left) has a condition analogous to aphantasia, and as such he has trouble communicating with other Avelevians. Luckily for him, Kimmy feels much more at home on Earth, and has much less difficulty communicating with humans and other aliens. But he still occasionally returns to Avelevia to meet up with his friends there.

Here, Kimmy is seen hanging out with Sakura (centre) and Edgar (right). One thing to note here is that because none of the Avelevians really have pronounceable names in their native "language", they tend to go by human names when interacting with the inhabitants of Earth.

[sunstormbudgie]

A basic guide to Ikuala Phonology

So I've been working on this conlang called Ikuala for a few years now, and I thought I'd share some stuff about the language here!

Consonants (pronounced as the IPA unless indicated otherwise):

m, n, p, t, k, th /θ/, s, lh /ɬ/, h /ç/*, w, l, y /j/

*[x] occurs as an allophone of /ç/ in many dialects

Vowels:

a, i, u (exact pronunciation of vowels varies between dialects)

All six combinations of two vowels are permitted within morphemes. Triphthongs are rare, only appearing in certain compounds.

Phonotactics

Ikuala's syllable structure is CV. /i/ never follows /j/, and /u/ never follows /w/.

[sunstormbudgie]

Finally finished this Triceratops piece! I realised recently that I've been drawing a lot of therapods and I haven't given much thought to other dinosaur groups… so I made this to try and diversify my portfolio. I chose a slightly tricky angle so that I could force myself to really think about the shape of the head (as I was looking at other art for inspo I discovered that many paleoartists seem to hate drawing the back of ceratopsian frills. funny how that happens.)

[sunstormbudgie]

Yutyrannus huali. This was originally supposed to be just a sketch but the hyperfixation beam struck me so I turned it into a full painting.

[sunstormbudgie]

Tyrannosaurus family! This took so much time lol. It's a redraw of something I drew over a year ago now.

We don't know much about behaviour other than the stuff that can be inferred from physiology, so this is a bit speculative, but I like to imagine that tyrannosaurs had similar family structures to ratites, with the males collecting eggs from multiple females and raising chicks on their own (in my opinion baby dinos should be called chicks).

The pterosaurs in the background are Quetzalcoatlus.