Greff's Blog

Welcome to the GreffBlog. I do speculative biology, music composing, game dev, conlanging, speculative evolution, culture creation, and best of all: Drawing funny animals.

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Just a bird character design I sketched

Sorry for my absence. I'll make some more stuff soon.

As for this guy... Well he doesn't have a name. But he has a hat.

Have a good day.

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Zokeañatomy: Heart

The left side pumps oxygen less blood to the lungs while the right side pumps oxygenated blood around the body. The ventricals play a big part in this. The heart is connected to most nerves, as well as some big ones. That's about it.

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Zokeañatomy

Before we begin to explore the circulatory system, just by looking at the diagram below, you can see a lot of similarities to the human circulatory system. Indeed, I took quite a lot of inspiration from the circulatory systems of most vertebrates on earth. But there are some differences. See if you can spot them.

Nasarium. The Nasarium is a structure composed of many thick folds of muscle tissue all rich in blood vessels. Its primary purpose is to warm up the cold air entering the mouth of a Zokeañatī, as well as warming up cold foods to prevent the freezing of vital brain arteries, which happen to be positioned very close to the joint between the mouth and the body. Unforutunately, the Nasarium of a Zokeañatī not as good at either purpose as it was one million years ago, due to better living conditions which has allowed the Nasarium to atrophy slightly. The human body solves the issue of arteries freezing up by narrowing the nerves in the roof of the mouth, which causes the arteries to dilate. This causes a terrible sensation called brain freeze. Beetles* (in case you forgot, this is the nickname of the Zokeañatī or Zokea as they are known informally) thankfully don't experience brain freeze, which is a bonus to having a Nasarium. *(In case you have forgotten, Beetles is the nickname of the Zokeañatī or Zokea as they are informally called in the south)

The Tracheas all stem from spiracles. All the trachea lead to three lungs, with five leading to the central lung, and three for the other two.

Spiracles. Eight Spiracles are located on it's sides, surrounded by hair. The spiracles themselves are surrounded by a ring of stiff hairs, a little like eyelashes on humans, that filter out dust as well as insulate warmth. The Spiracles can widen and narrow, but are rather inflexible. The remaining three spiracles are positioned on the head. Two are located on the sides of the head, while one is located in the roof of the oesophagus, close to the mouth joint these can open and close with ease.

You may notice a slight bulge in the trachea positioned on the sides of the head. These bulges are in fact the larynxes, and have a very similar structure to the larynx of a human. These chamber are filled with muscle folds which allow them to expand and contract and form different shapes. By vibrating, these muscles allow them to produce sounds-just like humans. Noticeably, Beetle voices often sound much raspier and more guteral than a human's. The right larynx has a higher voice than that of the left due to it being smaller. Zokea can pronounce vowels using their two larynxes, and they can also sing with them. Indeed, one Zokeañatī can achieve harmony, which has a great impact on their songs. A note: By altering the shape of the trachea closer to the spiracle (yes, the rest of the trachea is a little more flexible too), they can also whistle.

Lungs. The lungs of a Zokea are very similar to those of a human, and are muscular pouches which expand and contract, expanding to pull in air, and contracting to expel used oxygen bonded with carbon molecules, carbon dioxide. The oxygen is pulled into the blood stream by thousands of cilia that line the lungs.

The heart. The heart of a Zokeañatī works like that of a human-it expands and contracts to pump blood around the body. The main difference is that in the human heart, the left ventricle is larger and stronger than the right one. The ventricles on a Zokeañatī are around the same size, the right ventricle is much stronger as it pumps blood carrying nutrients and oxygen around the body. *diagram of heart coming soon

These two organs function a lot like a spleen. They rinse the blood of old blood cells, as well as storing white blood cells platelets and antibodies, and maintains how much is in the body. A little like tonsils on a human, they have shrunk due to the fact that with the new quality of life, the immune system doesn't need to be regulated that often and the better food means that they have to rinse less blood, and the livers also mainly have this function. They may look rather large, but that's only because of the top down view. In reality, they are quite flat.

Livers. Unlike humans, Zokeañatī have two livers. This is due to their ancestors chowing down on a wide variety of foods, even eaten some with toxins that would deter most other small life, similarly to how not many creatures upon earth can't eat acorns, other than some, for example squirrels and pigs, who gobble them by the trow. The liver of a Zokeañatī have diminished less than that of a human due to the fact that raw meat is more common in the diet of an average Zokeañatī than in that of a human. On earth, prepared raw meat is considered a delicacy due to the long process it takes to prepare it. Because Zokea have stronger and two livers, they need to prepare it less to make it viable for eating, and so, raw meat is more considered a treat or a dish rather than a delicacy. Lastly, unlike humans, the liver of a Zokeañatī does not produce bile. That is done by the gallbladder itself.

Kidneys. These organs on either side of the large intestine, filter waste products from the blood and pump it down to the bladder as urine through the uterers. It also helps regulate blood pressure through a pair of glands called adrenal glands that release hormones.

This isn't really an organ, but this big blood vessel cluster surrounds the large and small intestines and absorbs liquid and nutrients from them.

The bladder is a sack similar to the rectum. It stores urine so that the Zokeañatī doesn't spill at a bad moment. This evolved so that the Zokeañatī could hold it in until they get to a better area, to avoid marking their territories for predators with excellent noses.

Cloaca. The cloaca of a Zokeañatī is in short the 'waste' dispenser. It is the one way out of the body that both solids and liquids exit from. In females it also acts as the passage into the uterus.

Phew, that was a lot to get through. As I mentioned earlier, I'll upload a diagram of the heart soon. Have a good day.

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Zokeañatī: Blood

The blood of Zokeañatī functions as blood does on earth: It carries oxygen nutrients and cells around the body. However, there are some key differences that are important to address. For starters, the blood of a Zokeañatī is composed of two pigments rather than one. 60% Chlorocrourin and 40% Haemaglobin-that's a mouthful to say. Chlorocrourin has its name derived from the greek word for green-Chloro, and the Latin word cruor-blood from a wound. It has a pale green hue when not carrying oxygen, and a rich green one when it is. When in concentrated amounts, it gains a red-ish coloration. Chlorocruorin is very similar to Heameglobin, except for containing heme. The only differences is that Haemeglobin is always a shade of red, and that Haemeglobin is better at bonding with oxygen, and worse at bonding with carbon monoxide-a deadly poisonous gas due to how strongly it bonds. This is why most Hemeglobin is locate around the lungs. The ancient acsestors of most life on Zokeatince lived upon hydrothermal vents, where they developed Chlorocruorin due to the high level of iron that seeped from said vents. Oxygen wasn't really needed at the time, so it suited them fine. However, one of the clades living within the primordial intertidal zone developed the ability to produce Haemoglobin, and when they moved onto land, they diversified and specialised for all sorts of niches. Of course, Haemoglobin and Chlorocrourin aren't the only blood pigments of Zokeatince. The second most common blood pigment (Haemoglobin mixed Chlorocruorin is less common than just Chlorocruorin or this pigment) is Haemocyanin. Haemocyanin is composed of copper, which is probably due to the fact that the early creatures who developed it had left the hydrothermal vents at that point. Haemocyanin is actually better at binding to oxygen molecules than Hemoglobin of Chlorocruorin, but unfortunately, the Haemocyanin blooded creatures arrived late to the land party, though they did eventually colonize hundreds of niches. Haemocyanin is instead most commonly found in the ocean. Haemocyanin is transparent when unoxigenated, but gains a rich blue coloration when it is. Away from that, there are many different specialised forms of circulatory systems upon Zokeatince. I shall post the circulatory system of a Zokeañatī, as soon as I am ready with it. One of my projects on Godot crashed recently- yes I am a part time game dev- and I've been struggling to fix it. I only have a few bugs left to fix, so I have hope. Anyway that is a basic overview over blood. A final note is that blood types exist.

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Letters

By now you may have noticed that I am using symbols such a † and ∏. These are used to represent noises that a human can not replicate. For example, ∏ is the noise produced when the mandibles are smacked together creating a click noise. The symbol † references the scraping of mandibles together, which produces a noise that sounds a lot like the chirrup of a cicada. I shall probably have to repost this, but its good to get things out of the way. Then we can move on to more interesting things.

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Zokeatince: The Datriok

(Not to scale)

As we walk around Stode's farm, we notice a farm animal that a traveler is bound to see on any farm. A family of Datriok. In comparison to a Zokeañatī, they are rather small. If every creature upon their planet was shrunk down till Zokeañatī where the size of humans, then the Datriok would be about the size of a chicken. In reality, they are actually a size comparable to a large dog, say a St Bernard. You may notice that there are two distinct Datriok on the image-at different angles. Similarly to how humans bred the red jungle fowl to become fatter, more docile, and less intelligent, the Zokeañatī have done so too. The Datriok on the right is a wild Datriok, with long slim legs that allow it to climb upon trees, slender bodies to fit into tight spaces, and long antennae that allow them to smell well and also probe objects. The common 'farm Datriok' are to the contrary, slow, fat, with pale skin and short antennae. They also have a much larger pair of 'dispensers' than the wild version. The dispensers on a Datriok have two main purposes. Firstly, they excrete waste. Secondly, to feed young. Datriok spend a very short amount of time within their eggs, usually less than a week. When they hatch, they are still very underdeveloped, and cling to their mothers back for warmth and shelter. During this time period, the mothers begin to secrete a viscous fluid, with a flavor similar to milk but sweeter, which the young consume. With this food, they quickly grow, and after only a month, leave their mother completely. During this time, they will quickly develop a more efficient digestive system, and after their fits molt, gain a pair of mandibles they can consume other harder matter, such as leaves and fruit. With the children consuming more and more from different sources, the mother no longer needs to give as much milk, and so, she reduces the amount she produces. Eventually,the mother stops secreting their 'milk'. This usually happens after a week or two, and forces the young to become more independent. This is quite troublesome for farmers, who mainly keep Datriok for this reason entirely, and so they have over the years bred Datriok that produce more milk. Fortunately, every season, Datriok mate again, and produce even more children-and more milk. Once a Datriok is passed the point it can mate, they are fattened, and either sold, or killed and cooked.

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Interplanetary meeting

Stode meets Iguanodonts Swooce. Though this isn't canon it would be funny if it was, and would have some rather stranger strange effects lore-wise.

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Zokeañatī anatomy: Mouth

The Zokeañatī mouth structure is in many ways different to ours. Using the numbers from the illustration below, we shall explore the different traits of this body part.

While at first glance this detail may not be obvious, especially if the mouth is closed, instead of opening the mouth by letting the lower mandible fall like humans, Zokeañatī open their mouth by lifting the top mandible upwards. This doesn't cause their ability to feed to be any different from a human, but it is an important detail. The mouth is used to grab and hold food in place while it is ground down within. Zokeañatī posses a salivary liquid similar to humans, though it is more viscous and less sticky.

Proboscis. The proboscis of the Zokeañatī is a long pipe that connects directly to the stomach. It is very flexible, can be retracted or extended, and can be bent into all manner of shapes. Along with allowing Zokeañatī to drink, the proboscis also is lined with cells similar to taste buds, allowing Zokeañati to taste. Lastly, it is also used in speech.

Mandibles. Though the external mouth can grind up weaker bits of food, the real power comes in the mandibles. The mandibles are a pair of atrophied pedipalps that are positioned in the throat. During chewing, they are extended into the mouth, where they crush up the food held in place by the jaw. Different parts of the mandibles have different traits. Near the tip they are sharp, and can cut fruit and flesh. Further back, they are flat, but strong, allowing Zokeañatī to chew up tough plant matter.

Nasorium. This area of the snout is located at the front of it, and has a small bugle upon it. This bulge is in fact a chamber filled with blood vessels on all sides. It is used to warm up air before it reaches the lungs. It also allows nasalised consonants to be formed. At the lower tip of the nasarium, there is a small curve, like the hook upon a beak of a vulture. This acts a little like a canine tooth, cutting into food to give the external mouth a better grip.

Number five indicates a large mass of muscular tissue. The purpose of this tissue? To move the mouth. The mouth of a Zokeañatī can be moved independently from the head, up-down, side to side. It can even be slightly retracted into the head, like a tortoise would its head into it's shell, to allow for better view of surroundings, or stretched out to give better biting range. Though it has this extra bit of flexibility, other than its joint, the maneuverability of the mouth of a Zokeañatī is a far cry from the lips of a human, being more like the beak of a bird. However, though it may not posses lips, it is still is very useful, and suits its owners well.

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A diagram of Zokeatince's atmospheric gasses

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First Contact: Stode

This is Stode, of the Strondolie clan. Stode is a young adult Zokeañatī, who lives in a rural village in the middle-east of the central continent Xa∏enū. He works as a part time farmer, tending to the fields of crops owned by his family. He lives modestly, but more or less comfortably. Here he is, using his staff to prop himself up.

Zokeañatīi are mesothermic creatures, slightly more on the warm blooded side. They are hexapods, with three fingers upon each hand/foot. Their first four limbs posses thumbs and can easily grip things, though noticably, the first pair of limbs are more dextrous than the thicker, stronger second limbs. While all limbs can be used to walk, it is more common to us the second and third pairs of limbs. The second pair of limbs however, can also be used to hold things easily. The last pair of limbs is exclusively used to walk. They also posses a horn. In males, horns are more prominent. This is a trait heralded from their ancestors, who used their horns to impress females. It would be expected that these horns would eventually be lost through the process of evolution, but early cultures believed that larger horns proved an individual being descended from a god, and the horn gene wasn't lost. Zokeañatī have seven spiracles leading to three lungs, one in their mouth, and the remaining on their sides. They also have a pair of antenai that allow them to smell. Say hello to Stode.

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Geography

Here is a map of Zokeatince, it covers everything from the rivers and mountains to the Oceans and seas. I'll send maps with the biomes, and later closer view of each individual continent.

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The Seasons

Zokeatince is slightly more tilted than earth, giving more evident seasonal variation between the North and the South. While the planet orbits the gas giant, the gas giant has a rather precarious orbit, undergoing an ovular one, with a long winter, and a short, but strong summer. The Zokeañatī catagorise their seasons like this: The spring, where the warm weather melts the sheets of ice of the winter, causing plants to flourish, the sea level rises slightly, and animals to come out of hibernation. After spring comes a short period often known as the wind period or dust period, due to winds caused by warm currents sweeping from one side of the globe to the other, creating powerful gusts. Following this comes the dry season, where the sea level lowers significantly, and the land is scorched dry. Once this period ends, it is followed by a period of rainfall, often known as the rainy season. Following the rainy season, comes a period of time similar to autumn, where the land continues to cool, an the last of the rain falls. Then comes winter. Winter takes up about a third of the year, and during early winter, warm breezes from the other side of the globe coming. This period, though very windy, gives some relief before the upcoming winter. When winter finally arrives, most life either migrates, dies, or hibernate-as the Zokeañatī do. Only a few species can survive outside during this time. That about raps it up for seasons.

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The Way of the Water: Zokeatince

Most water was brought to Zokeatince by Meteors. Zokeatince is often hit by meteors due to the large gas giant pulling them in. The gas giant is a blessing and a curse. It pulls meteors towards it, preventing them from hitting Zokeatince, but it also pulls meteors towards it, some colliding with Zokeatince. These collisions also act similarly. On the good side of the spectrum, the Meteors bring lots of stuff to Zokeatince. On the bad side, the Meteors bring lots of stuff to Zokeatince. Back to the oceans of Zokeatince, they are commonly quite a bit deeper than those of earth. This is due to the planets gravity. An easy way to think of it is that a planet is a lump of dough, or a piece of putty. The gravity acts a little like a pair of hands that are attempting to mould the planet into a round ball. The stronger the gravity, the stronger the hands. Weaker gravity planets are often unevenly shaped, and lined with cracks and crevaces. Stronger gravity planets are almost perfectly round. This is why Zokeatince has so many canyons, and mountains and trenches. The waters of Zokeatince were like a nursery for the first bacterial life forms, were they could develop at an easy pace. However, as the age, of multicellular life erupted, competition became fierce, and hundreds on niches were filled. Eventually, the first amphibians clambered onto land, marking the dawn of a new terrestrial age.

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Projects: Zokeatince

Currently, one of my best developed projects is the Zokeañatī of Zokeatince. I'l post a map soon, but I think it best to give a basic overview of the world itself. Zokeatince is a planet about the size of mars, orbiting a gas giant in the Ethenor system, somewhere in the Kepler vicinity. It is one oft the gas giants twenty seven moons, and is certainly the biggest. The planet itself is orbited by two moons, a small one that was originally a small comet, ensnared in the planets gravity, while the second larger moon was created by the leftover matter that didn't manage to become a protoplanet and instead began to orbit Zokeatince. A side note: Due to the comet's trail, Zokeatince has developed a distinct ring, though nowhere near as splendid as that of Saturn, that orbits along the prime meridian. Due to it's smaller size, Zokeatince has less gravity, and would probably have low volcanic activity where it not for the Gas giant and its moons' gravitational force making its core more active. Though we will get into atmospheric specifics later, Zokeatince has a high quantity of nitrogen and oxygen, similar to earth, but has a higher concentration of Hydrogen sulfide than earth. Zokeatince is not only unique in that it have life, but doubly so, as it has intelligent life: The Zokeañatī. These creatures look slightly like earth beetles and have a brainpower similar to that of a human, the prime difference being their greater memory capacity, and larger emotional spectrum. In this blog, I will be focusing mostly upon Zokeatince, and the cultures upon it. I hope you, the reader, will find it interesting.

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Hello, I'm Greff

Welcome to the GreffBlog. I do speculative biology, conlanging, speculative evolution, culture creation, and best of all: Drawing funny animals.