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Biological Plothole! Oh noes!

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doorhandle Since: Oct, 2010
#1: Mar 19th 2011 at 8:56:42 PM

Alright, so I have this species of evil Buddhist-like Death World Aliens that don't need to breathe, and instead make all the energy they need to live though [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_respiration Anerobic Resperation].](With their space their lungs took up being replaced by a pair of organs dedicated to processing lactic acid/manufacturing sulfur.) This adaptation occurred in all creatures on their home-world, because the disgusting smog that passes for air there is too full of pollutants and unwanted chemicals to breathe and anything that would try would be poisoned or suffocated within minutes.

This is all well and good, even if it fails biology a little, but I have come upon a problem: How the hell would they talk? It's not like they would have windpipes or anything!

By the time the story rolls around, they would all have masks with inbuilt vocalize-machines and translators, but first I need to know how they communicated in the first place before those were invented.

Any ideas? And any other ramifications of a planet covered entirely in volcanic smog?

RTaco Since: Jul, 2009
#2: Mar 19th 2011 at 9:16:07 PM

They could use sight or smell (though the latter is unlikely with the smog and all). Think bioluminescence, like deep-sea critters.

A planet entirely covered in smog, if it had life at all, would lead to very, very alien aliens. As in, more different to us than even-non animal life, like plants. I find it kinda odd that the smog would be toxic to anything that evolved there.

edited 19th Mar '11 9:19:23 PM by RTaco

Takwin Polite smartass. from R'lyeh Since: Feb, 2010
Polite smartass.
#3: Mar 19th 2011 at 10:18:16 PM

I second the above. They probably have a complex system of sign language, expressions and gestures. Carrying this across to other races, however, might prove to be problematic.

I've returned from the depths to continue politely irritating the good people of Tv Tropes.(◕‿◕✿)
GiantSpaceChinchilla Since: Oct, 2009
#4: Mar 19th 2011 at 10:39:11 PM

you'd need ears but would stridulation work? like a cricket.

LoniJay from Australia Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
#5: Mar 20th 2011 at 2:29:48 AM

Hmm, if you just need to make sound, anything that produces a vibration would work. In earth species this is done by drawing air over a membrane, but perhaps you could have muscles that make a membrane vibrate of its own volition?

Or through friction, like a cricket, yeah.

Be not afraid...
Yej (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: They can't hide forever. We've got satellites.
#6: Mar 20th 2011 at 4:56:03 AM

...You can't manufacture sulfur. It's an element. Just pointing that out.

MattII Since: Sep, 2009
#7: Mar 20th 2011 at 11:09:49 AM

You can't manufacture sulfur. It's an element. Just pointing that out.
No, but you can refine it.

somerndmguy Since: Aug, 2009
#8: Mar 21st 2011 at 5:38:57 PM

We speak because air rushes past our vocal chords, which in turn vibrate and produce sound.

Why not simply have organs that act like vocal chords, but instead twitch and vibrate without the need of air? They would sort of behave like muscles. That way they can produce sounds without needing air or even a mouth. (The sound would be loud enough to be heard from the inside of the body... sort of like a gurgling stomach.)

Just an idea.

edited 21st Mar '11 5:39:23 PM by somerndmguy

Blurring One just might from one hill away to the regular Bigfoot jungle. Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
One just might
#9: Mar 21st 2011 at 8:26:03 PM

Just because they don't breathe the air, it doesn't mean they couldn't pump it to produce sound.

If a chicken crosses the road and nobody else is around to see it, does the road move beneath the chicken instead?
RickGriffin (Time Abyss)
#10: Mar 22nd 2011 at 11:12:26 AM

Just as a note, if they have their own vibrations they will not even remotely sound human, nor could you really map any sounds they make to an alphabet—unless they were in such control of their modulations they could replicate human language like a speaker output doing the same.

In which case, their sounds would be so varied they would likely have very dense languages.

doorhandle Since: Oct, 2010
#11: Mar 26th 2011 at 11:40:34 PM

The Starfish Language idea sounds good, yes.

As for the alien's body shape, I'm going to have them as Humanoid Aliens, but with as much variation as possible, so they are a Humanoid Abomination for Starfish Aliens. Like, elbows that bend in ways they shouldn't, A bigass toothy maw for a face, Uncannaly long limbs,things like that.

edited 26th Mar '11 11:43:22 PM by doorhandle

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