Monday, December 04, 2006

Helioderms 102 & Gnemo's Sketchbook

First, I've updated my very clumsy website (I really don't know what I'm doing) with a Gnemo's Sketchbook section. There's a link to that above and I'll add a link to it on my Gnemo's Sketchbook blog soon.



Helioderms 102:

Besides being a form of pilot fish to the larger zepploderms, blimpoderms (pressure-shaped helioderms) also form a much more sophisticated type of symbiotic relationship with their massive cousins. This alliance is most similar to the bond between cecropia trees and azteca ants of Central America.

Like the cecropia trees the giant maconderms, also called carrier-phants, have evolved an environment that is especially conducive for smaller helioderms. The tops of their outer envelopes are largely hard and flat surfaces that the blimpoderms can land on, grapple to with their extendable toes and feed on the moss that grows on top. Removing the moss keeps the maconderm streamlined and adds variety to the blimpoderms diet. The maconderm (named after the Navy airship Macon, an internally rigid airship aircraft carrier used in the 1930’s) even provides little warm pockets for the blimpoderms to lay their eggs.

In exchange for this aerial nursery the blimpoderms defend the maconderm against all assailants, especially hungry dragon packs. Blimpoderms have a variety of weapons and battle techniques: they dive bomb to drop their own body waste on attackers, they have an internal ignitable gas that they use and they will also spurt out helium in small bursts to put out dragon fire. If enough helioderms are present they will work together to asphyxiate a dragon by releasing an inert gas mixture to envelope the dragon cutting off its air supply and ability to ignite its own gas.

The gargantuan maconderms troll the skies sucking up vast quantities of insects much like whales do with krill. One additional service the blimpoderms provide is fruit to the otherwise all-insect diet of the maconderm. Expectant parents fly to its lower trunk and hand off large fruit laden branches in exchange for the best nesting spots.

Labels:

1 Comments:

Blogger Mark Reep said...

Very cool- Love the carrier and relationships involved. Your ideas and images are always imaginative, thoughtfully developed, beautifully executed- Fun, exciting, inspiring stuff. Been looking back through your blog's archives, just finished reading your Evolution of an Idea post- Thanks for the peek at your process. Looking forward to checking out more.

8:20 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home