Re: LAST. THING. STANDING. [S!1][OPEN FOR SUBMISSION]
11-24-2011, 03:51 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by Pick Yer Poison.
(A note to the host: "Nizzo" should be taken as the verbal translation of the abstract mental label of this-male-one-of-no-mother, even though such a translation shouldn't really be possible.)
Name: Nizzo
Gender: Male
Font color: #099999
Race: Nizzo's species has not yet been discovered by any sentient race, and thus does not currently have a name.
Weapons/Abilities: Nizzo's blood is extremely acidic, capable of burning through nearly any material in seconds. Because of this, his skin is extremely resistant to acid. However, Nizzo's most powerful weapon actually lies in his method of obtaining substenance: his species feeds by consuming the minds of other creatures, turning them into vegetables. Any organism with enough brainpower will instictually fight it, and it would be extremely difficult to consume the mind of a sentient organism, provided they were conscious. However, Nizzo's species regards consuming the mind of another sentient being to be a vile act, and none of them would even consider doing so if there were any other alternative.
Description: Nizzo looks remarkably similar to a jellyfish. The key difference is that instead of tentacles, Nizzo has seven tails, each two feet long and two inches wide. Near the ends of the tails, flaps of skin increase the width to about six inches across, allowing them to function as flippers. He can also walk on them, but not very quickly or gracefully. He "sees" around him by interpreting transmitted vibrations in the medium surrounding him; having evolved to be able to accurately interpret vibrations through water, he has trouble "seeing" clearly when surrounded by a different medium, such as air.
Which brings us to an important point about Nizzo's species: they are amphibious, and if left out of water for an extended time period (about a day), they will slowly grow weaker and weaker until they die. This has never been a problem, however, as members of Nizzo's species only leave the water in order to lay their eggs.
All members of Nizzo's species, with the exception of a few genetic flukes, are ghostly white. This is because none of the species in Nizzo's species' ecosystem have developed vision, meaning that natural selection never differentiated between those with pigments and those without. Nizzo's species has no concept of color, and when required to describe something they will not use visual descriptors; instead, they will rely on physical attributes, particularly size. When required to identify an object, they will not send the thought-message "the red button;" instead, they will send the thought-message "this-size-shape button." This is not the exact message, but it is the closest written, or even spoken, words can reach, as "this-size-shape" is actually an impression of the various features of the object, sent along with the rest of the message. This allows Nizzo's species to communicate small ideas, descriptions, or feelings with unmatched precision. Unfortunately, for complex thoughts that have many ideas tied to them, such as love or loss, thought-speak has a tendency to become jumbled, impressions colliding with each other and making the message indecipherable.
This is where the most important component of Nizzo's species' culture comes into play, something that is best referred to as dancing. Through intimate knowledge of how the species' vibrational sensitivity interprets distortions in the surrounding medium, a skillful dancer can gracefully maneuver themselves in such a way as to create what the mind interprets as objects - in effect, creating false images identifiable by other members of Nizzo's species. Dancing is used to convey complex ideas that are either very difficult, or even impossible, to get across with thought-speak, and so is a key component of his species' culture. Many false images produced by dancing are ancient, and take advantage of deeply ingrained instincts to produce the desired emotion; for example, the fake image of a predator is commonly used for danger, fear, and suffering. Members of Nizzo's species would dance to a member of the opposite sex to express the reasons they wish to mate with them, or to others to express the reasons they felt sorrowful for the loss of a good friend. Due to the sheer complexity of the sequences of motions that dances are composed of, as well as all the shades of meaning invoked by the both the many aspects of Nizzo's species' lifestyle and the other species they come into contact with regularly, the ability to improvise effective dances is considered one of the highest marks of intelligence, and instantly secures any member a wealth of offspring. Multiple attempts have been made to do similar things through thought-speak, but after many embarassing failures the idea lost all standing, and any member of Nizzo's species who speaks about it seriously is treated in much the same way as any human who speaks seriously about pixies is.
While Nizzo's species is intelligent enough to be considered on the level of a primitive nomadic tribe, their social network and culture has no accurate correlation. Most members of Nizzo's species live in small, isolated groups consisting of only three or four members; usually, they will all be related. After mating, the female chooses a damp spot on the shoreline of the underground lake to lay 2-3 eggs; she and the male then spend the next few months guarding them from amphibious predators in shifts, one guarding for a few days while the other seeks nourishment, then switching. The few land-based creatures that live near the lake are herbivorous, surviving off of lichen, and have no interest in the eggs. When the eggs finally hatch, the young struggle down the shoreline towards the water, where they meet the mother. The father leaves as soon as the eggs hatch, having nearly reached the end of his lifespan at that point. The mother then forms a new group consisting of her offspring, and teaches them their ways of life. For the most part, each generation has been synchronized, and when the offspring reach the mating stage of their life, they gather at the center of the lake with other members of their species. The first day is spent performing various rituals and ceremonies, but after that they spend the next eight days choosing their mates; on the ninth day, the newly mated pairs depart to lay their eggs as the old mothers disperse across the lake, so that when they die their remains will provide nourishment for all the decomposers on the surface of the lake equally, completing the cycle.
It is very rare for a member of Nizzo's species to die before the end of their natural lifespan. Even the newly-hatched are capable of outswimming nearly any predator, and there are no illnesses present in their small ecosystem. Despite this, mothers are known to occasionally abandon newly-hatched children when they take the rest of their children with them into the lake proper if they think the child will not survive for some reason. A number of these cases have resulted in the child surviving anyway and joining up with another group, or instinctually making his or her way to the meeting grounds at the proper time. One of the traditions performed on the first day of this meeting is dedicated to matching up any lost children with their mothers. Each mind has a unique feel, making it impossible to mistake an individual's identity if they speak. Thus, the ritual consists of each abandoned child broadcasting their thoughts to everyone present; if the mother is present and feels that the child has given them reason to reassess the child's chances of survival, they will speak up and claim the child as their own. In every case but one, the mother declared the child's survival even after abandonment as proof that their original decision was wrong, and happily claimed them as their own. Those who were abandoned are generally thought of as tougher and stronger-willed than most, making them more attractive mates. Even though this assumption is generally incorrect, few abandoned children bother to argue otherwise, and nobody bothers them for not doing so; the general feeling is that being considered a more attractive mate is adequate compensation for having been abandoned. These abandoned children also recieve what amounts to a name; a concept is linked with their individual impression, and whenever the individual is mentioned that concept is also implied. Although the nature of the "name" varies, it is usually related to the original reason they were abandoned by their mother, but in such a way that the idea of overcoming an obstacle or shortcoming is implied.
Biography:
A large number of pale white jellyfish-like creatures floated in a rough sphere. One swam to the center, accurately using her seven legs as flippers to propel herself, then began to think towards the rest. She gave off the impression of overcoming a challenge linked to a feeling of missing something linked to the concept of a mother, followed by an impression of waiting linked to the concept of a response.
An older female swam forward slightly, and thought out to the group. She gave off the feeling despair linked to an impression of waiting linked to the concept of an unhatched egg, followed by an impression of giving up. She waited a moment, then thought out the concept of an identifier linked with an impression of patience linked with the concept of the female in the center of the sphere, followed by the impression of welcoming an individual linked with the concept of the female in the center of the sphere. The older female swam back to her place in the sphere, and this-female-one-of-patience swam over to float by her, her place in the center being taken by a male, who thought out the same message that this-female-one-of-patience had opened with.
After a moment, a different older female swam forward slightly and thought out to the group. She gave the impression of slowness linked to the concept of swimming, and the feeling of danger linked with the concept of a predator. She waited a moment, then thought out the concept of an identifier linked with an impression of stubborness linked with the concept of the male in the center of the sphere, followed by the impression of welcoming an individual linked with the concept of the male in the center of the sphere. She swam back to her place in the sphere and was joined by this-male-one-of-stubborness, who was replaced with another male, who also gave off the same message as this-female-one-of-patience and this-male-one-of-stubborness had.
Moments of silence turned into minutes, until finally an older female swam forth. The male in the center of the sphere immediately gave off a feeling of relief, but the older female cut him off with a feeling of despair linked with a feeling of shock linked with an impression of waiting linked with a feeling of missing something linked with the concept of a mother, followed by the concept of the male in the center of the sphere.
She paused, then gave off the concept of an identifier linked with a feeling of missing something linked with the concept of a mother linked with the concept of the male in the center of the sphere. A moment of silence ensued, and then this-male-one-of-no-mother began to dance. He wove a pattern of the egg-hatching for birth, of the one-who-no-longer-moves for loss, of the predator-who-comes-swiftly for danger, of the bottom-of-the-water for distance, of the one-who-swims for traveling, of the ones-who-come-together for meeting, of the small-creature-that-swims-backwards for confusion, and again of the one-who-no-longer-moves, for despair.
Without warning, a female swam rapidly out from the side of the sphere and joined him in his dance. She wove a pattern of the water-that-flows-fast for challenge, of the predator-that-no-longer-moves for triumph. He wove a pattern of the small-creature-that-pries for curiosity, she wove back a pattern of the making-of-eggs for love, he wove a pattern of the small-creature-that-does-not-fight for acceptance, and the two swam off, both weaving the pattern of the making-of-eggs.
Eight days later, this-male-one-of-no-mother and his mate departed to choose their nesting ground. But before they had even reached the shore, this-male-one-of-no-mother vanished, leaving his mate alone in the lake, where she began to weave a pattern of the one-who-swims-outward for leaving and the rocks-that-fall-from-above for confusion.
(A note to the host: "Nizzo" should be taken as the verbal translation of the abstract mental label of this-male-one-of-no-mother, even though such a translation shouldn't really be possible.)
Name: Nizzo
Gender: Male
Font color: #099999
Race: Nizzo's species has not yet been discovered by any sentient race, and thus does not currently have a name.
Weapons/Abilities: Nizzo's blood is extremely acidic, capable of burning through nearly any material in seconds. Because of this, his skin is extremely resistant to acid. However, Nizzo's most powerful weapon actually lies in his method of obtaining substenance: his species feeds by consuming the minds of other creatures, turning them into vegetables. Any organism with enough brainpower will instictually fight it, and it would be extremely difficult to consume the mind of a sentient organism, provided they were conscious. However, Nizzo's species regards consuming the mind of another sentient being to be a vile act, and none of them would even consider doing so if there were any other alternative.
Description: Nizzo looks remarkably similar to a jellyfish. The key difference is that instead of tentacles, Nizzo has seven tails, each two feet long and two inches wide. Near the ends of the tails, flaps of skin increase the width to about six inches across, allowing them to function as flippers. He can also walk on them, but not very quickly or gracefully. He "sees" around him by interpreting transmitted vibrations in the medium surrounding him; having evolved to be able to accurately interpret vibrations through water, he has trouble "seeing" clearly when surrounded by a different medium, such as air.
Which brings us to an important point about Nizzo's species: they are amphibious, and if left out of water for an extended time period (about a day), they will slowly grow weaker and weaker until they die. This has never been a problem, however, as members of Nizzo's species only leave the water in order to lay their eggs.
All members of Nizzo's species, with the exception of a few genetic flukes, are ghostly white. This is because none of the species in Nizzo's species' ecosystem have developed vision, meaning that natural selection never differentiated between those with pigments and those without. Nizzo's species has no concept of color, and when required to describe something they will not use visual descriptors; instead, they will rely on physical attributes, particularly size. When required to identify an object, they will not send the thought-message "the red button;" instead, they will send the thought-message "this-size-shape button." This is not the exact message, but it is the closest written, or even spoken, words can reach, as "this-size-shape" is actually an impression of the various features of the object, sent along with the rest of the message. This allows Nizzo's species to communicate small ideas, descriptions, or feelings with unmatched precision. Unfortunately, for complex thoughts that have many ideas tied to them, such as love or loss, thought-speak has a tendency to become jumbled, impressions colliding with each other and making the message indecipherable.
This is where the most important component of Nizzo's species' culture comes into play, something that is best referred to as dancing. Through intimate knowledge of how the species' vibrational sensitivity interprets distortions in the surrounding medium, a skillful dancer can gracefully maneuver themselves in such a way as to create what the mind interprets as objects - in effect, creating false images identifiable by other members of Nizzo's species. Dancing is used to convey complex ideas that are either very difficult, or even impossible, to get across with thought-speak, and so is a key component of his species' culture. Many false images produced by dancing are ancient, and take advantage of deeply ingrained instincts to produce the desired emotion; for example, the fake image of a predator is commonly used for danger, fear, and suffering. Members of Nizzo's species would dance to a member of the opposite sex to express the reasons they wish to mate with them, or to others to express the reasons they felt sorrowful for the loss of a good friend. Due to the sheer complexity of the sequences of motions that dances are composed of, as well as all the shades of meaning invoked by the both the many aspects of Nizzo's species' lifestyle and the other species they come into contact with regularly, the ability to improvise effective dances is considered one of the highest marks of intelligence, and instantly secures any member a wealth of offspring. Multiple attempts have been made to do similar things through thought-speak, but after many embarassing failures the idea lost all standing, and any member of Nizzo's species who speaks about it seriously is treated in much the same way as any human who speaks seriously about pixies is.
While Nizzo's species is intelligent enough to be considered on the level of a primitive nomadic tribe, their social network and culture has no accurate correlation. Most members of Nizzo's species live in small, isolated groups consisting of only three or four members; usually, they will all be related. After mating, the female chooses a damp spot on the shoreline of the underground lake to lay 2-3 eggs; she and the male then spend the next few months guarding them from amphibious predators in shifts, one guarding for a few days while the other seeks nourishment, then switching. The few land-based creatures that live near the lake are herbivorous, surviving off of lichen, and have no interest in the eggs. When the eggs finally hatch, the young struggle down the shoreline towards the water, where they meet the mother. The father leaves as soon as the eggs hatch, having nearly reached the end of his lifespan at that point. The mother then forms a new group consisting of her offspring, and teaches them their ways of life. For the most part, each generation has been synchronized, and when the offspring reach the mating stage of their life, they gather at the center of the lake with other members of their species. The first day is spent performing various rituals and ceremonies, but after that they spend the next eight days choosing their mates; on the ninth day, the newly mated pairs depart to lay their eggs as the old mothers disperse across the lake, so that when they die their remains will provide nourishment for all the decomposers on the surface of the lake equally, completing the cycle.
It is very rare for a member of Nizzo's species to die before the end of their natural lifespan. Even the newly-hatched are capable of outswimming nearly any predator, and there are no illnesses present in their small ecosystem. Despite this, mothers are known to occasionally abandon newly-hatched children when they take the rest of their children with them into the lake proper if they think the child will not survive for some reason. A number of these cases have resulted in the child surviving anyway and joining up with another group, or instinctually making his or her way to the meeting grounds at the proper time. One of the traditions performed on the first day of this meeting is dedicated to matching up any lost children with their mothers. Each mind has a unique feel, making it impossible to mistake an individual's identity if they speak. Thus, the ritual consists of each abandoned child broadcasting their thoughts to everyone present; if the mother is present and feels that the child has given them reason to reassess the child's chances of survival, they will speak up and claim the child as their own. In every case but one, the mother declared the child's survival even after abandonment as proof that their original decision was wrong, and happily claimed them as their own. Those who were abandoned are generally thought of as tougher and stronger-willed than most, making them more attractive mates. Even though this assumption is generally incorrect, few abandoned children bother to argue otherwise, and nobody bothers them for not doing so; the general feeling is that being considered a more attractive mate is adequate compensation for having been abandoned. These abandoned children also recieve what amounts to a name; a concept is linked with their individual impression, and whenever the individual is mentioned that concept is also implied. Although the nature of the "name" varies, it is usually related to the original reason they were abandoned by their mother, but in such a way that the idea of overcoming an obstacle or shortcoming is implied.
Biography:
A large number of pale white jellyfish-like creatures floated in a rough sphere. One swam to the center, accurately using her seven legs as flippers to propel herself, then began to think towards the rest. She gave off the impression of overcoming a challenge linked to a feeling of missing something linked to the concept of a mother, followed by an impression of waiting linked to the concept of a response.
An older female swam forward slightly, and thought out to the group. She gave off the feeling despair linked to an impression of waiting linked to the concept of an unhatched egg, followed by an impression of giving up. She waited a moment, then thought out the concept of an identifier linked with an impression of patience linked with the concept of the female in the center of the sphere, followed by the impression of welcoming an individual linked with the concept of the female in the center of the sphere. The older female swam back to her place in the sphere, and this-female-one-of-patience swam over to float by her, her place in the center being taken by a male, who thought out the same message that this-female-one-of-patience had opened with.
After a moment, a different older female swam forward slightly and thought out to the group. She gave the impression of slowness linked to the concept of swimming, and the feeling of danger linked with the concept of a predator. She waited a moment, then thought out the concept of an identifier linked with an impression of stubborness linked with the concept of the male in the center of the sphere, followed by the impression of welcoming an individual linked with the concept of the male in the center of the sphere. She swam back to her place in the sphere and was joined by this-male-one-of-stubborness, who was replaced with another male, who also gave off the same message as this-female-one-of-patience and this-male-one-of-stubborness had.
Moments of silence turned into minutes, until finally an older female swam forth. The male in the center of the sphere immediately gave off a feeling of relief, but the older female cut him off with a feeling of despair linked with a feeling of shock linked with an impression of waiting linked with a feeling of missing something linked with the concept of a mother, followed by the concept of the male in the center of the sphere.
She paused, then gave off the concept of an identifier linked with a feeling of missing something linked with the concept of a mother linked with the concept of the male in the center of the sphere. A moment of silence ensued, and then this-male-one-of-no-mother began to dance. He wove a pattern of the egg-hatching for birth, of the one-who-no-longer-moves for loss, of the predator-who-comes-swiftly for danger, of the bottom-of-the-water for distance, of the one-who-swims for traveling, of the ones-who-come-together for meeting, of the small-creature-that-swims-backwards for confusion, and again of the one-who-no-longer-moves, for despair.
Without warning, a female swam rapidly out from the side of the sphere and joined him in his dance. She wove a pattern of the water-that-flows-fast for challenge, of the predator-that-no-longer-moves for triumph. He wove a pattern of the small-creature-that-pries for curiosity, she wove back a pattern of the making-of-eggs for love, he wove a pattern of the small-creature-that-does-not-fight for acceptance, and the two swam off, both weaving the pattern of the making-of-eggs.
Eight days later, this-male-one-of-no-mother and his mate departed to choose their nesting ground. But before they had even reached the shore, this-male-one-of-no-mother vanished, leaving his mate alone in the lake, where she began to weave a pattern of the one-who-swims-outward for leaving and the rocks-that-fall-from-above for confusion.
![[Image: zjQ0y.gif]](https://i.imgur.com/zjQ0y.gif)
![[Image: vcGGy.gif]](https://i.imgur.com/vcGGy.gif)