Posts tagged reality-check
Ever since Tolkien most, if not all, works of fiction including orcs portray them with tusks. Though this achieves the effect of portraying them as animalistic, what would the real world applicatio...
I have noticed that there is a common theme in science fiction art to depict one or more very large planetary bodies in very close proximity to the surface of the other world being depicted. (you ...
I recently look at a question on this site that questioned if a "world tree" is feasible, Would a 'World Tree' be feasible in real life?. If i remember correctly, it stated that one way to distribu...
Sea Wyverns (name not final) nest on small, rocky islands scattered throughout the sea and primarily catch fish going somewhat below the water. Basically, wyverns ingest a piezoelectric crystal whi...
Imagine a huge salt flat like Bonneville or Salar de Uyuni. Due to other logistical concerns, commerce between the economic powers on either side of the flat is forced travel across it. This has re...
A long time ago during the last ice age an early hunter gather human encounter an unknown entity (likely a alien) who granted him the power of immortality with him living at least up into the middl...
A long time ago, Yi Qi diverged into three main groups: Cockatrices, Drakes, and Wyverns. Some characteristics of Wyverns include: They are tetrapods/quadrupeds They are covered with feathers The...
Phoenixes are a unique type of wyvern not only due to their colorful feathers (which resemble flames) but also how they reproduce. Phoenixes lay 7 eggs which require a lot of heat to hatch. Unfortu...
This is a submission towards the Anatomically Correct Series The leviathan, (in biblical terms), is describes as being a colossal serpentine like creature, it's back is covered in scales that are...
Can a world exist where the atmosphere is actually thicker at some altitude than at sea level? If so, what mechanisms would be involved?
Humanity has discovered entire worlds filled with creatures that would question their understanding of biology, but one creature, if it can be called, has brought up many many questions. Appearanc...
What is a quasi-creature plant? I define a quasi-creature plant as an organism that lives only through photosynthesis that moves with a speed in the same order of magnitude of that of an animal. ...
I'd really like to write a story taking place on an alien world that involves a totally new kingdom of life, and I'd like it to be at least somewhat realistic. The idea I have right now is a whole ...
So you decide to clone yourself, obviously the clone is a infant, but other wise looks perfectly identical. However, you start to think of how your new clone could be perfectly like you, in body st...
Horse were originally native to north america but between 13,000 and 11,000 years ago they went extinct likely due to expanding glaciers into their territory. The question I propose is how could I ...
In short summary A cockatrice is is essentially a a two legged dragon that has the head and body of a rooster, it also has a serpentine like tail and either has feather like wings or webbed like ...
Say you see a fellow human walking on the street, nothing special, nothing new, but suddenly, BLAM, they're dead. You reasonably run away from the scene out of fear, but when you look back, the bod...
The setting is in a region of a planet comparable to Earth's California in regards to location. The soil is extremely rich in nutrients and subsurface water. But for the past three million years th...
A long time ago a group of proto-giants moved high up into a the Sodo-Himalayas. Yetis commonly live up on high mountain plains some of basic characteristics of Yetis are: are as intelligent as ...
Is it possible for there to be a planet where no animals, only plants existed? What evolutionary reasons would cause this, if possible?
A super-reactor was created by SRE, Inc (Super Reactor Energy), and it can provide as much clean energy as needed. There's no way to copy it or make another. It operates without problem or fuel - t...
Contrary to popular belief, Unicorns are not related to horses but instead are descended from the Siberian Unicorn. Over time: their fur became whiter they became slightly smaller they have an...
Say you somehow invented 50 thousand nanobots that are the size of medium sized bottle caps. Each are capable of hovering for a limited amount of time but do recharge with both solar energy and plu...
Consider this a remake of my Why might a group of insects evolve to resemble humans? post. Fairies are a common trope in fantasy works some characteristics of fairies and their associates are: Fa...
Humanity has spread out in the cosmos, colonizing various worlds, cataloging countless creatures, the usual interstellar species activities. One day, however, humanity finds a species that is argua...
Contrary to popular belief serpentine dragons are not in fact magical or related to the European wyvern but instead are descended from the Chrysopelea. some common characteristics of serpentine dra...
Next to angels, various types of bird people are among some of the most common depictions of flying humanoids. Revali from BOTW comes to mind. Could birds (or any other flying animal for that ...
male Wyverns collect shiny objects in their dens to attract mates it quite common for Wyverns to get into territorial fight. Now Wyverns are capable of breathing fire but they are also covered in f...
It is believed that Wendigos are supernatural beings with an insatiable hunger for human flesh, or humans who are selfish and commit cannibalism and while the latter is more accurate, Wendigo fever...
I want to make an atmosphere rich in carbon monoxide, but as it doesn't stick around for very long, it will need to be replenished. I'm looking for concentrations comparable to those of carbon diox...
Over 100,000 years ago giant megafauna roamed the earth such as mammoths, gigantopithecus, and giant sloths. fast forward to today and most megafauna are extinct (with the notable exception being i...
Prosimians on average are not as intelligent as their simian counter parts with the notable exception being lemurs which live in semi large groups. what I want to know is could a group of prosimian...
In many fantasy stories humans are capable of inter-breeding with different fantasy races. There is a precedent for this happening with neanderthal and Denisovan DNA being found in people of Eurasi...
I'm working on a fusion rocket concept for a hard science fiction setting. I'm envisioning laser catalyzed Proton-Boron reactors (low waste heat, aneutronic, 100% of their output being He4 Alpha pa...
Recently, I've grown curious about this lizard men folklore, which revolves around lizard like beings that have the frame work of humanoids. Now this got me thinking of a more human like reptile sp...
A long time ago homo floresiensis split off into two main groups Goblins and Halflings. Now Goblins are an odd little bunch (here's a rough mock up of what a goblin might look like) and I was wonde...
In any modern story nowadays, shapeshifters always have an original form; Andalites from Animorphs or Mystique from X-men to name a few. It raises the question of why something that can change form...
It is (around here, anyway) quite well known that science does not allow the existence of kaiju, mainly because of the cube-square law. bones rip themselves out To my understanding, this boils do...
My first quest on this platform was, could the Kraken monster from "Evolve" (the game) feasibly exist, which I planned to follow up with the rest of the playable monsters. Appearance The height o...
Recently, I've taken a small break to establish a story bound universe, so that these questions can actually prove useful in the future Recently, humanity has discovered a vast earth-like planet,...
In 2039, our company was the first to bring a safe and reliable solution to upload someone's mind to the cloud. Although it was 10 years ago, you probably remember the news, don't you? We guarantee...
Hello there, it's my first time posting, so I'm sorry if I'm going against formatting. I'm making a continent for a fantasy setting, and have been firstly focusing on geography. This continent s...
Tzeentch, the weaver of destinies, the architect of fate, originates from the Warhammer 40K universe and is the god of knowledge, change, and evolution. However, I will take away the god like attri...
The question is in the title, but I have bolded the main details to reality-check. I hope that makes it easier to read. Details: I had the idea of a fantasy/sci-fi animal that never stops growing,...
Nurgle comes from the Warhammer 40K universe, he is described as being the lord of plague or the god of diseases, decay, and destruction. I will, however, take away his god like attributes, and tr...
The neuro strain is a virus that affects the nervous system in drastic ways. Firstly, when the host is infected, their body will grow bigger than it would have originally been but not much bigger ...
I have a creature that is made of crystal. The problem is, crystal as I know it is structured in ways that don't allow for flexible movement as we are able to do. How could a lifeform made of cryst...
Basically, could a gas stick together enough to be internally coherent, and act like animal cells? Or is there zero chance of that happening?
Reattaching severed limbs is a recurring theme in many monsters, but never has it been explained HOW they reattach their appendages. I doubt the neurons would magically realign and begin to functio...
This is a slight continuation of my other post where I was trying to create realistic hollows with weather due to temperature changes due to bio minerals called Hearthstones. I was wondering if pla...
