Exobiology 2 - Parents and Offspring

Hello! This is my second attempt at some plausible otherworldly creatures that look truly alien. I have always been fascinated by the idea of extraterrestrial life and hope we discover definitive proof of it within my lifetime. I'm also always looking for unique nonhuman aliens in fiction and film, and the descriptions here are intentionally vague about the intelligence level of these creatures as that ambiguity is a key narrative hinge in this universe. (These beings emerged as part of a space station set I'm currently working on with the tentative title "Alien Containment and Research Facility.") It was a fun storytelling challenge to imagine differences between juvenile and adult creatures and what those differences imply about their life cycle.

I hope that someday we see original LEGO themes that include more mature narrative elements, those elements here being the ethics of animal research and the philosophy of mind across species. As an AFOL, the one-off sets are great but they don't give me the same imaginative feel of a whole original theme. I also think a "realistic" series in the vein of the insects or plants sets but with a totally fantastical subject is an interesting idea, and that more low-cost Ideas sets are always a good thing.

Species descriptions:

Corallium plumatis (common: spindler, redeye)

A single spindler egg clutch can hatch thousands of larvae, and only the strongest survive as resources dwindle post spawning season. After several molts the instar will lose its mandible and its two eyes will be replaced by four larger ones, from which sprout the digestive paddles, used for culling nutritive microorganisms from their planet's rich semi-aqueous atmosphere. Adults are significantly less motile than their offspring, who dart protectively around their mostly stationary parents.

Cestus volubilem (common: harlequin, beecow)

Ungainly and nearly blind at birth, the juvenile harlequin is highly dependent on its mother for protection from the species' many predators. Maturity is marked by the development of striking bands of coloration, defensive spikes, and false eye stalks, as well as expansion of the delicate mouth/egg sac. Not being particularly poisonous, the spinning colors of the harlequin's locomotion are meant to confuse as much to warn.

Pecuarius vestitus (common: lomor, flathead)

Named for the guttural lowing they produce when asleep, the black antennae of the juvenile lomor emerge randomly but through adolescence arrange themselves into the regular order seen in adults as the top of the head flattens and horns extend. The red vine-like organs hanging from the head emit a viscous liquid which sustains the young, who wear fitted pelts until their forelegs develop. The projections at the front of the thorax are not flowers but extensible tongues/stomachs.

225 pieces

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