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groworld_story [2009-04-20 15:35] – 81.188.78.24 | groworld_story [2022-10-14 13:14] (current) – [groWorld: Borrowed Scenery] maja | ||
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===== groWorld: Borrowed Scenery ===== | ===== groWorld: Borrowed Scenery ===== | ||
- | draft 200904: towards | + | Towards |
+ | {{> | ||
+ | // | ||
+ | |||
+ | [[groworld story excerpts]] | ||
==== Layers ==== | ==== Layers ==== | ||
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=== Layer: Canopy === | === Layer: Canopy === | ||
- | Plants in this layer are the stanchions of the world. They loop over the other life-forms, diffusing otherwise sharp light and tinting it viridian - making sure that the colour of the greening force (Viriditas) seeps through every particle of air, liquids and solids. These quiet and slow giants shade and colour the world, as well as provide support through the thick bones of their trunks. The bones (thin and elongated, massive and sturdy) support the plant' | + | Plants in this layer are the stanchions of the world. They loop over the other life-forms, diffusing otherwise sharp light and tinting it viridian - making sure that the colour of the greening force (Viriditas) seeps through every particle of air, liquids and solids. These quiet and slow giants shade and colour the world, as well as provide support through the thick bones of their trunks. The bones (thin and elongated, massive and sturdy) support the plant' |
- | These plants are so huge and so ancient that, close to the ground, they seem fossilised and almost mineral. Their behaviour, as seen from the ground, seems extremely slow and inactive. However, deep underground and high above ground, they dominate the landscape with their muted, murmuring whispering conversations. | + | |
- | Their reproduction cycle is equally slow and majestic. When they are ready to produce offspring, | + | == Reproduction == |
+ | |||
+ | Their reproduction cycle is equally slow and majestic. When they are ready to produce offspring, | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Seeds == | ||
+ | The seeds of canopy trees are packed in a long, thin seed-pod. Within the pod, there are several seeds that look and feel like miniature carved rocks, or fossilised shells, coloured in the many shades of blue-grey and green-grey. The pods are elongated, bone white and light grey, with fleshy green-gray tentacles (a bit velcro-like) that they can use to cling to surfaces. They are quite heavy and able to detach themselves from the tree once ripe. When they are on the ground, they have hedgehog like abilities - if they want to move away from their parent trees (to start a guild of their own), or towards a more fertile soil, they can roll into a ball and be rolled by wind and animals. Once underground, | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Roots == | ||
+ | The canopy trees reach deep into the soil and have a long tap root, able to reach underground rivers. Until they find a large water source, the plants' root doesn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Stems/ | ||
+ | |||
+ | The stem of a canopy tree is very thin to start with. It is extremely resilient and elastic, so it can bend and twist easily (making it resistant to storms and other violent attacks). Its inner skeleton keeps the plant growing upright - the skeleton resembles a double cork-screw (like a DNA helix), spiralling its way through the air and pushing the leaf-bud higher. The cork-screw is made out of microscopic ball-bearings, | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Leaves == | ||
+ | Canopy trees can have a variety of leaves, all of which share a few common characteristics. They all have a structure of several long, hollow bones, that originate in the bud on top of the trunk and spread radially across the whole surface of the leaf. The bones are a part of the osmotic pump that begins at the edges of the leaf and continues through the trunk into the roots. In between the bones stretch a myriad of thin, elastic capillaries, | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Growth == | ||
+ | Above ground, the seedling of a canopy layer shoots straight upward, without branching out at first. The seedling will have one thin stem, with a fluffy, leafy bud on top. The growth is solely vertical until the stem thickens. The thickness of the trunk is completed when the canopy height is reached. On this height, the leafy bud on the top of the trunk starts branching outwards in all directions. The leaves grow slowly (it takes them years to reach their full scale), from the bud on top of the stem. The bud splits into several leaf-knots, that unfurl their bones horizontally (like a fist opening into a hand with outstretched and wide-spread long fingers), using the same cork-screw motion | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Decay == | ||
+ | |||
+ | The decay of a canopy tree is as slow and gracious as its growth. As the tree dies, its life-supporting juices evaporate. It looses elasticity in all its parts, starting with the leaves. As the bones and capillaries in the leaves stiffen, the green membranes pop as soap bubbles, leaking fertile greenness on the layers below. At the same time, the roots release their nutrients back to the soil, opening up their skin until the roots have the same lace-like structure as the leaves. The colour fades from all parts of the tree, until it becomes a greyish white, resembling a lace made out of lime rock. Over time, the tree becomes more and more brittle and eroded by the elements. As the roots dissolve, the tree above ground can topple and fall, leaving broken up, ice-like landscapes on the floor of the garden (think of ice formations C.D. Friedrich' | ||
* metaphor: shelter, roof, pillar, column | * metaphor: shelter, roof, pillar, column | ||
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=== Layer: Dwarf Trees === | === Layer: Dwarf Trees === | ||
+ | The multi-jointed balusters of these plants endlessly reach towards their kin, forming curved (sometimes gnarly, sometimes smooth) portals into and out of the world. On top of these portals, they sprout a meshwork of thin appendages that can also be joined with other plants, forming more or less dense tunnels, caves and niches - habitat for the darkness-loving flora. Through the various relationships with their brethren, these plants guide the shape of the landscape. By creating spaces of darkness, twilight and light, they attract and repel different species of lower growth. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | == Roots == | ||
+ | Underground their roots mirror their branches and hold the topsoil in place. They are quite extensive and sparse - the plants prefer thick roots over a mesh of rootlets. What they loose in density, they make up in length (first they spread horizontally to anchor the tree and secure it against wind gusts, then as stability is ensured, the roots start growing downwards, slowly and diagonally). The colour is that of rust - brown, red, blue, grey. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | == Reproduction == | ||
+ | The dwarf trees reproduce sexually, ejaculating clouds of pollen across to each other. As the direction of the pollen isn't always well directed, they try to grow their branches as close to the plants they want to mate with. However, mistakes do happen and new hybrids are not uncommon. The male and female pollen have different, but compatible shapes. The female pollen resembles a balloon with a hairy tongue sticking far out of it. The male pollen is smaller, a gooey blob resembling a ball of ice-cream. When they reach each other in the air, the blob falls onto the tongue and begins melting. The tongue retracts and starts dissolving as well. As the balloon begins filling up with liquid, it starts blistering and swelling, temporarily becoming lighter and travelling further on the wind. However, as the seed and the fruit around it start growing, the balloon becomes heavier and begins drifting towards the ground. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | == Seeds == | ||
+ | The seed of a dwarf tree is surrounded by a translucent fruit-flesh (grown within the pollen-balloon) that decomposes in the ground and provides the growing seed with initial nutrients. The seed itself has a dark, smooth and hard outer shell and a complex mechanism of a chemical factory inside - botanical pumps, vials and transport conduits, allowing the seed to begin producing roots & shoots quickly (but also making sure that the factory remains sustainable for a long time). | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Stems/ | ||
+ | The trunks of these trees are quite stumpy, but their branches can be long and thin. The trunks look like balls on strings. The strings are the filaments that make up the thin appendages that eventually grow into branches. To begin with they are so delicate that they defy gravity and dangle playfully in the wind. They will grow and swing until they reach the appendages of another dwarf tree, which they will grip and entangle. Both trees will then begin to fill out the appendage until it becomes a branch and shoot new stringy appendages from their sides. Together, the branches of different trees will form tunnels, arches and canopies, shading the ground from direct sun. | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Leaves == | ||
+ | Most dwarf trees grow plentiful tiny green leaves, resembling long, downy fur. Close-up, the leaves are pinnate, spear-shaped, | ||
+ | == Flowers == | ||
+ | Compared with the overall size of a dwarf tree, its female flowers are huge, sometimes as large as the plant itself. As the trees pollinate each other, they don't bother using colour or smell to attract insects and other pollinators. They are bright green, except when light falls on them exactly from above, turning them into a different colour (which reflects the mood of the plant). They are shaped as balloon pumps, sheltered from the weather by a few large petals. Each petal is a small tensile structure, forming a tent, or a canopy around the pollen pump. The flowers release to pollen by inflating the balloon, an action that releases the petals. Each flower can produce a maximum of 2-3 balloons. The male flowers are smaller, but more prolific - when they blossom, they will cover the whole tree, as a fluffy flower-coat over the trunk and the branches. Their shape is quite skeletal. As they bloom, they look like a fist opening up. While releasing pollen, the ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Fruit == | ||
+ | The fruit of dwarf trees are solidified pollen-balloons. When they are fertilised and the seeds start growing, the balloons begin inflating. Clear coloured gooey strings begin stretching between the seed in the centre of the balloon and the outer shell. These strings will thicken as the fruit grows and form the fibres of the fruit flesh. In between the strings, the air becomes damp, sticky and heavy, thick with sweet mist. When the fruit reaches its optimal size (different per species), the flexible skin of the balloons solidifies until it resembles an ice crust. It then slowly floats towards the ground, where the crust will often burst upon impact, pushing the seed underground and releasing the nutrients from the flesh into the soil. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | == Growth == | ||
+ | |||
+ | The solid balls of the trunks grow in spurts and are thick and strong for stability. Inside the balls there are elastic strings, that are grown continuously and keep the balls joined together. The strings also provide flexibility to the trunk, which makes it easier for the trees to lean towards and away from each other. The strings can split and grow into elongated appendages, which later grow into branches. The trunk and appendages grow in ' | ||
+ | == Decay == | ||
+ | |||
+ | The first sign of a decay in a dwarf tree is that the network of its branches will loose strength, and begin caving in and bending towards the ground. This will usually destroy other plants underneath them, but also provide a structure for new plants to grow from. The thin strings in the trunks are the first to be eaten by scavengers, which loosens the thick trunk-balls. The balls topple over and roll on the ground in all directions. Eventually both the branches and the balls become overgrown, changing the undulation of the landscape. | ||
- | The multi-jointed balusters of these plants endlessly reach towards their kin, forming curved (sometimes gnarly, sometimes smooth) portals into and out of the world. On top of these portals, they sprout a meshwork of thin appendages that can also be joined with other plants, forming more or less dense tunnels, caves and niches - habitat for the darkness-loving flora. Through the various relationships with their brethren, these plants guide the shape of the landscape. By creating spaces of darkness, twilight and light, they attract and repel different species of lower growth. Underground their roots mirror their branches and hold the topsoil in place. They are able to flower and bear fruit and so communicate with the non-vegetal species, as well as channel information from the outside into the vegetal realm. With the slow dance of their balusters and appendages, they can sometimes enact scenes from other worlds, impersonating humans, animals and machines... | ||
* metaphor: doors, windows, passages | * metaphor: doors, windows, passages | ||
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- | These plants change their density and hardness depending on the presence and absence of external threats. In calm periods, they form thin, glass-like translucent | + | These plants change their density and hardness depending on the presence and absence of external threats. In calm periods, they form leafy green screens, framed by their narrow, angular branches. In more turbulent times, or in parts of the world that need intimate and secluded spaces, the plants swell into fortified walls of woven thorns. The branches turn into spiky lengths of barbed wire, making the passage in/out of the world a very painful affair… |
- | Some of these plants flower and fruit, | + | |
+ | == Roots == | ||
+ | Underground, | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Reproduction == | ||
+ | Some of these plants flower and fruit. In peaceful periods, they will allow non-plant species to pollinate them. Their pollen is a superglue-like substance that will coat anything that touches the flower. The only way to get rid of the glue is to find the flower of the same species on a different shrub and rub against it. The chemicals in the flower will dissolve the glue, freeing the carrier and at the same time absorbing the reproductive jucies. The flower rapidly dries up and produces a spiky outer shell. Within the shell, a small berry is being formed. When its fully grown, the spikes will fall off and the berry will be ready to be eaten. The organisms that eat it will digest the fruit-flesh, | ||
+ | In turbulent periods, the plants' | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | == Seeds == | ||
+ | The seeds are small, but in each berry there are many of them. They are also quite porous, like small fossilised sponges, able to absorb nutrients as they pass through the temporary hosts' digestive tract. Their shape is spherical, crystalline, | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Stems == | ||
+ | Shrubs have multiple stems, that in some plants grow into hard branches over time. The stems are tough, but flexible, able to assume different angles | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Leaves == | ||
+ | Shrub leaves are whorled, growing in rings around the stem, each leaf comprised of at least five leaflets. Their edges are sharp - serrated, or resembling spiky teeth. The veins mostly branch out from the stem towards the edges of the leaf. In danger the veins swell and harden, making the soft whorl of the leaf into a weapon. Some of the shrubs are able to pump poison through the veins before they harden, making contact with the leaves more or less deadly. | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Flowers == | ||
+ | Each stem can have one flower, growing from its tip. They are usually tiny and humble looking (like minuscule sunflowers), | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | == Fruit == | ||
+ | Fruiting shrubs produce berries, on the tips of the stems. As with the flowers, they are small and humble, but pungent and flavoursome, | ||
+ | == Growth == | ||
+ | Shrubs grow multiple stems (that become hard branches over time) as soon as their shoot reaches sunlight above ground. Their goal is to spread | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Decay == | ||
+ | |||
+ | A shrub decays by softening up. Its spikes | ||
* metaphor: barrier, wall, fence | * metaphor: barrier, wall, fence | ||
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=== Layer: Herbaceous === | === Layer: Herbaceous === | ||
+ | A wide variety of plants in this layer makes them difficult to classify. They come in all colours, shapes and sizes, but all of them have two things in common: their bodies are soft, as they possess no bones and they are short lived, ephemeral. This ephemeral nature makes them prolific and promiscuous, | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Roots == | ||
+ | |||
+ | Underground, | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Reproduction == | ||
+ | |||
+ | They flower, mate and fruit, with anyone interested. In this layer, hybrids are most common (producing extraordinary shapes and varieties) and evolution is fast (through a rapid sequence of generations). In order to reproduce, herbaceous plants need pollinators - non-plant species - to carry their pollen to other plants. Once pollinated, they will produce a multitude of seeds. | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Seeds == | ||
+ | |||
+ | The seeds of these plants have intricate flying mechanisms. They are tiny and light and able to be swept off the parent by the wind. In order to find the most appropriate ground, they are able to navigate the windflows using minute wings and propellers of fantastic shapes. Some of them look like wind balloons, others like art-nouveau helicopters and bizarre flying machines. | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Stems == | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Leaves == | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Flowers == | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Growth == | ||
- | A wide variety of plants in this layer makes them difficult to classify. They come in all colours, shapes and sizes, but all of them have two things in common: their bodies are soft, as they possess no bones and they are short lived, ephemeral. This ephemeral nature makes them prolific and promiscuous, | ||
* metaphor: furnishings, | * metaphor: furnishings, | ||
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=== Layer: Rhizosphere === | === Layer: Rhizosphere === | ||
+ | |||
+ | Plants in this layer don't care much for the world above-ground, | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | == Roots == | ||
+ | These plants have convoluted and extended rhizomatic communication conduits, spanning the whole world. Their roots / rhizomes are a an entangled network of different shapes, reflecting the nearby environment. When there are nutrients present, the roots swell to become locally bulbous, like thick stalactites. When there is water, the section closest to it inflates like a transparent sack. When there is nothing much around, they thin out and protrude multiple rootlets that spread in all directions in search of other plants, nutrients, water, sedimented objects, or anything else of interest. The colour of the rhizomes is most often light orange-brown, | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Reproduction == | ||
+ | They don't flower, but reproduce through cloning (asexual) and grafting (sexual) underground. Sexual reproduction happens when two rhizosphere roots (of different species) touch and fuse. From the fusion point an new rhizome will appear. This rhizome will have characteristics of both parents. Asexual reproduction happens when the plant aboveground is wilting and a new seedling needs to be produced, or when a part of the rhizome (tuber) is broken off from the parent(s), to start a new plant elsewhere in the garden (this requires help from non-plant species, on request of a plant guild). | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Tuber == | ||
+ | The tuber is not a seed, but acts in the same way as a seed - it is able to produce new roots and seedlings, when separated from the parent. It looks like a thick-set stalagmite, with several asymmetrical rings of oriental looking patterns around its irregular ginger-like shape. As it is usually broken off the parent, one of its ends is a rough cross-section. As soon as a tuber is put into the ground, it produces new rhizomes and a sprout. The colour of the tuber is the same as the roots (light orange-brown, | ||
+ | == Leaves == | ||
+ | |||
+ | Some plants sprout just one giant leaf, others spread a bunch of leaves, all without a stem. The leaves are either round, or heart shaped, with smooth or spiny edges and reticulate veins. The leaves are thick, leathery and quite dark in colour. Some of the plants grow soft hair on the leaves, making them able to capture dew. | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Growth (above ground) == | ||
+ | |||
+ | These plants grow their leaves wherever light is available. If there is enough light close to the ground, they won't bother shooting upwards, they' | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Decay == | ||
+ | |||
+ | These plants decay by drying up and shrivelling. Their pores above and below ground widen and all moisture disappears. The drying tissues shrink and contract, until they become brittle and paper-like, slowly pulverising into dust. | ||
+ | |||
- | Plants in this layer don't care much for the world above-ground, | ||
* metaphor: foundation, basement, bedrock | * metaphor: foundation, basement, bedrock | ||
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=== Layer: Soil Surface === | === Layer: Soil Surface === | ||
+ | The plants in this layer are the twilight-dwellers between life and death. Their lives are extremely short and they spend long periods in suspension / hibernation. They indulge in decay (both of self and of others). They live in large, rather conservative clans, who stick to themselves and their traditions. They are hard-working, | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Roots & Rhizomes == | ||
+ | Their roots don't reach very deep. They are modest and satisfied with occupying a few centimetres of the surface above and below, forming a translucent shroud, a wooly veil of the land. Their roots are very thin, but dense and clumpy, able to find nutrients that other plants' | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Reproduction == | ||
+ | They reproduce without sexual fusion, through spores which they exhale at the moment of death. The plant bursts open and a cloud of spores bursts forth from the dying flesh of the parent. | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Spores == | ||
+ | The spores of these plants are tiny, hairy balls, that are so light they can be carried by the wind far from their parent plant. On close inspection, they look like plankton - tiny anemones, jellyfish or amoebae. They are nearly translucent, | ||
+ | |||
+ | Above ground | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Growth | ||
- | The plants in this layer are the twilight-dwellers between life and death. Their lives are extremely short and they spend long periods in suspension / hibernation. They indulge in decay (both of self and of others). They live in large, rather conservative clans, who stick to themselves and their traditions. They are hard-working, | ||
- | Their roots don't reach deep. They are modest and satisfied with occupying a few centimetres of the surface, forming a translucent shroud, a wooly veil of the land. They reproduce incestuously, | ||
* metaphor: carpet, floor covering, veil | * metaphor: carpet, floor covering, veil | ||
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=== Layer: Vertical === | === Layer: Vertical === | ||
+ | |||
+ | These plants are the only ones in the world in which an individual plant can indulge in spatial travel. They criss-cross the other layers, connecting, entangling and confusing their dwellers. They can be fickle and treacherous at times. Their tangles are communication conduits between the different layers above ground. However, the information that passes through the twining vines rarely arrives unchanged - translation is never perfect, always enigmatic and slightly glitchy. Some plants in this layer are aggressive bullies, that can even turn murderous. Others can enjoy a cushy, parasitic life, usually sucking-up to the larger plants. Others again turn into explorers, venturing across ground and layers, to the furthest reaches of the world. As their shape reflects their journeys for the rest of their lives, they take utmost care to the twining and tangling of their paths, creating magnificent, | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Roots == | ||
+ | The roots of these plants travel horizontally, | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Reproduction == | ||
+ | The vertical plants are able to flower. Their mating rituals are slow, elegant and entangled, that occur when two flowering vines (of appropriate species and sex) touch and entangle each other' | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Seeds == | ||
+ | The seeds of the vertical plants resemble a ball of knotted wool or wire (sometimes spiky barbed wire). They are formed from the tightly packed, twisted and knotted flower-petals. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Vines | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Leaves | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Flowers | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Berries | ||
- | These plants are the only ones in the world in which an individual plant can indulge in spatial travel. They criss-cross the other layers, connecting, entangling and confusing their dwellers. They can be fickle and treacherous at times. Their tangles are communication conduits between the different layers above ground. However, the information that passes through the twining vines rarely arrives unchanged - translation is never perfect, always enigmatic and slightly glitchy. Some plants in this layer are aggressive bullies, that can even turn murderous. Others can enjoy a cushy, parasitic life, usually sucking-up to the larger plants. Others again turn into explorers, venturing across ground and layers, to the furthest reaches of the world. As their shape reflects their journeys for the rest of their lives, they take utmost care to the twining and tangling of their paths, creating magnificent, | + | Growth |
- | They are able to flower and produce long, thin seed-pods in elegant, entangled mating rituals, which occur when two vines (of appropriate species and sex) touch and entangle each other. | + | |
* metaphor: connection, communication, | * metaphor: connection, communication, |