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Post by wildfire on Mar 9, 2011 12:26:11 GMT -4
So, I'm lookin' around, collecting the guys I want to use for an upcoming Ani-men fed, and I'm wondering, how do you guys see 'Andromeda' It's established in Tom's lore that there are a bunch on planets, and the 'Andromeda' is a system. I've always sorta pictured it as a Dr. Moreau/High Evolutionary kinda thing... mutated people that strike off on their own. Granted, the GWF isn't really far enough in the future for that to work, but if you picture some sort of Dr. Moreau-like origin from the 19th century, and Steam-punky rocket to send them out there, it works. I can't really get my head around it any other way... there's no sort of evolution that would make so many different species in a small place. Anyway, I was thinking about how that system/society might work. I'm picturing it as the different animal types are anologous to nationalities. So many any bear-like ani-man is 'Ursine'..that would explain inter-breeding (which is implied.. most recently with Swarm-Mantis). Why does a Bee and a something make a Mantis? I guess I'll leave that to the Andromedan genetics experts. So, going with that, I'm picturing each planet in the system dominated by a particular 'race', but with a fair amount of mixing. So maybe Andromeda 3 is the 'canine' society.. with lots of Dogs and wolves... and Andromeda 7 is a water planet, with lots of fish.. that sorta thing. That make sense? Anyone have a better idea? I know Antimony will have something to say
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2011 12:49:31 GMT -4
It's a cool concept but I disagree that it's not far enough in time for the evolution of species, it's Sci-Fi and time can be molded to your liking...
I think your planet concept is a good one, it can create a Battle of Planets vibe for a special event...
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Post by maddog1981 on Mar 9, 2011 13:31:13 GMT -4
You could like at it like mutants in the Marvel Universe. Two mutants produce a mutant with different powers. Maybe a sun or star went Nova near Andromeda and mutated the inhabitants.
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Post by wildfire on Mar 9, 2011 13:53:31 GMT -4
Yeah, that mutant concept actually makes more sense to me from a 'sci-fi logic' standpoint, but not that they are Earth-Animals.... to steal from Antimony.... they're not Dingelhoffers, they're Wolves and bears and Lions.
While it might be fun to create a whole zoological tree, it not really what I'm up for right now... maybe a bit of a cominbation of the a little help at the start and mutations would make sense.
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Post by maddog1981 on Mar 9, 2011 15:04:28 GMT -4
They wouldn't be marketable as dingleflubbers though. What if they're simply shapeshifters?
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Post by wildfire on Mar 9, 2011 15:22:56 GMT -4
That would be interesting... sorta like the Golden Compass familiar thing. That would imply the Wolf is a wolf because he wanted to be, and so on.
Definitely a possibility, though that would eliminate some of the 'animal as race' idea.
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Post by graymar on Mar 9, 2011 15:53:45 GMT -4
I have always been partial to the Moreau/High Evolutionary storyline.
Of course, that brings the question of how are the kids developed.
Well, we know from Wolf's long peek years that the AniMen live a long time. Therefore, maybe like China, there is planetary approval for offspring. I would also look at that offspring as scientific rather than biological.
Swarm and his wife/mate petition the high counsel to have a child with their DNA scientifically 'stirred up'. Maybe the council only allows 'x' number of kids per period to reduce overpopulation (again, like China).
As to the Planets of a particular species, if you want to go with that remember that a planet is an ecosystem. Too many of one 'breed' without balancing 'breeds' would destroy the productivity of the planet. Perhaps the council (or another council) sets homesteads.
I would say that the breeding cycle is regulated, then bred in a lab. Certain species are more prone to specific planets because of what they may offer, i.e., gorillas in the jungle, alligators in the swamps, etc.
I would also say that the technology for developing the combinations was discovered by a scientist many years ago (their own Moreau). That technology now rests with the high council (maybe overseen by an Owl AniMan, etc.)
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Post by lwffantrav on Mar 9, 2011 15:57:54 GMT -4
I'm still trying to figure out why it's a big deal that Monolith is an Animan
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Post by Havoc on Mar 9, 2011 16:20:19 GMT -4
I'm still trying to figure out why it's a big deal that Monolith is an Animan I could be wrong but I think it's because he looks all human with no animal features. But then again, Swarm appears to just be a guy in a costume.
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Post by sickman on Mar 9, 2011 16:22:00 GMT -4
Also remember this; if you think about humans, than of course we haven't had the time for this kind of evolutionary process. But, if an Andromoda did exsist, whos to say that the evolutionary process for this to happen didn't already occur over the last million years so that the last 100 or so is represented now. Or, being that this is an "alien" planet if you will, whos to say that the evolutionary process didn't go off in hyper-drive to create the races we see/have seen.
The greatest thing about the whole "It's up to you promoter" is that sometimes things don't have to make sense. Because each of us can think of a dozen ways to make it work.
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Post by behindthebook on Mar 9, 2011 18:21:21 GMT -4
Now, I am at best a casual GWF guy, but I've actually always liked the Animen. I've always thought of it as having new age-y bend to it where they start out as human, and then, either through science or mysticism merge with a totem animal. That's why you have Badgers and bighorn sheep and bees and wolves all co-existing... As for why it was a big deal for Monolith, it was just one more thing piled into the "Monolith is the best ever" blender... Along with him having a cleansing and feuding with Wolf et al...
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Post by antimony on Mar 9, 2011 19:50:02 GMT -4
Ani-Men. Bleh. Even the name is lackluster. Many of my dislikes have been addressed here. How can one planet--or even multiplanetary empire--have more than one dominant species? Why have we never seen more than a single representative of any racial type? How can the race be from Andromeda when Andromeda isn't a planet, or even a star--it's a constellation. If they happen to be from a planet named Andromeda, why is it named Andromeda and not Gfnxxkis? Also, se above in re: badgers vs. scammynoopers. And other brilliant points, as well.
I have nothing--well, not much--against alien races in general, but I like them to have a smidge more logic. In 2088, I nixed the lizard/badger/ram trio and brought in three Kilrathi. Yes, Kilrathi, from Wing Commander. I copy most of my best ideas from other sources, because that's what Darth Turkish does and he's my hero. (I know that's what he does because I saw it posted on an Interweb message board, so it must be true.)
At its core, even if you accept that there is some geopolitical structure that makes sense, at some point, you have to accept that there is SOME limit on the number of dominant species you can have. We've seen badgers, wolves, rams, repties, salamanders, lions, bees, mantises, monolithisus...and that's just in the real GWF. Add in the GWF Zone and you have pandas, penguins, starfish...well, you get what I'm saying. At SOME point you have to accept that it doesn't work.
No, I take that back. You don't -have- to. If you're happy using the concept of a hundred animal-man hybrids with some degree of equality, then cool. Tear it up, have fun. I'm not happy with that--I like to suspend my disbelief, not butt-rape it with a bowling pin, and it's my fed, promoter.
So putting all that rambling aside, the short answer is this: if you want to have some sort of cohesive foundation that is fictional, but still plausible, you HAVE to make changes to the story or the characters, or more likely, both. If you want to take the beer and pretzels approach and have dozens of arcehtypes ruling an unspecified number of planets and/or stars, then go for it.
'Sall good. Word.
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Post by antimony on Mar 9, 2011 19:58:07 GMT -4
..that would explain inter-breeding (which is implied.. most recently with Swarm-Mantis). Why does a Bee and a something make a Mantis? I guess I'll leave that to the Andromedan genetics experts. Since you brought it up... Nah. This is a family board.
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Post by toasterboy on Mar 9, 2011 22:35:13 GMT -4
Ani-Men. Bleh. Even the name is lackluster. Many of my dislikes have been addressed here. How can one planet--or even multiplanetary empire--have more than one dominant species? Why have we never seen more than a single representative of any racial type? How can the race be from Andromeda when Andromeda isn't a planet, or even a star--it's a constellation. If they happen to be from a planet named Andromeda, why is it named Andromeda and not Gfnxxkis? Also, se above in re: badgers vs. scammynoopers. And other brilliant points, as well. I have nothing--well, not much--against alien races in general, but I like them to have a smidge more logic. In 2088, I nixed the lizard/badger/ram trio and brought in three Kilrathi. Yes, Kilrathi, from Wing Commander. I copy most of my best ideas from other sources, because that's what Darth Turkish does and he's my hero. (I know that's what he does because I saw it posted on an Interweb message board, so it must be true.) At its core, even if you accept that there is some geopolitical structure that makes sense, at some point, you have to accept that there is SOME limit on the number of dominant species you can have. We've seen badgers, wolves, rams, repties, salamanders, lions, bees, mantises, monolithisus...and that's just in the real GWF. Add in the GWF Zone and you have pandas, penguins, starfish...well, you get what I'm saying. At SOME point you have to accept that it doesn't work. What if God just wanted it that way? (I'm totally just throwing that out there for fun.)
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Post by wildfire on Mar 9, 2011 23:40:58 GMT -4
That really makes as much sense as anything else, Grant, if you want logic. I'm still sorta debating if I want the whole supernatural thing to be around or not... on the one hand, it's a good, basic good Vs. evil, but on the other hand it doesn't really fit wrestling. I read 'citizen of the Galaxy' this week(One of Heinlein's novels) and the social structure of the traders struck me as something that could maybe work.... each ship is a 'family' with very precisely defined relationships... they have a word for thing like '2nd Cousins' step brother once removed' and such... that could be a 'tribe' of ani-men... just different shades of animal characteristics, maybe.
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