Globs are a partially amorphous life-form of the shape-changing kind.
Full Description
Globs are a partially amorphous life-form of the shape-changing kind. It is not a single-celled organism, as one might think. It is rather composed out of smaller groups of cells, specialised for their purposes, like feeding, movement or neural, but the little glob is practically identical with any other within the big glob, which is composed of thousands and more.
The little glob can theoretically survive alone, but more globs offer more options. Communication via the neurons can organize it, and construct a body fitting its enviroment, and move towards better food or defend from enemies. When the number is high enough, signs of intelligent behaviour start to show up, and sufficient size and time can make a glob truly intelligent.
An old glob could learn to communicate with humanoids, can slowly shape-change into any form, is practically immortal, and wounded by few things.
So why don't these creatures rule the world by now?
Little globs are ill suited for survival. Big globs have not the advantage of numerous inborn instincts basically any creature has, from little insects, through animals, up to humans. It must learn everything necessary and anew as it grows. If you loose a hand, it is terrible, but you are still the same being. A glob that has a part cut off looses a part of its memory. If it is not attached fast, some of the memories are lost as the part becomes alive in itself. Smarter blobs learn to relocate globs with important memories inside, and are not so willing to change their shape wildly.
Globs are a fleshy substance, they cannot create a skeleton, hide, nails or horns. They gladly use tools for work and protection, when they learn to use them.
As for reproduction, big globs can in theory split in two at any time, but it takes a very intelligent glob and long planning to make the offspring similarly smart, a random split is likely to produce two chaotic insects, with the critical memories disconnected. A little glob is a group of cells, and reproduces as they do.
The primary sense is sight, hearing and smell is much weaker. All little globs have seeing cells, granting the big glob a complete 360 degree view, but a very shortsighted. Globs do not wear clothes, by the way. Some globs learn in time to evolve good ears, some even a voice.
As for personality, globs have no genes for it, and are so a pure chance-creation, the random product of trial and error of survival.
Additional Information
Globs rest often, but never sleep.
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- Bizzare Life-Forms Challenge manfred
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Links to this article 1
- Bizzare Life-Forms Challenge manfred linked by MoonHunter
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This is my kind of creatures for the Bizzare Lifeform Thread. It is bizzare, but it makes sense. It is balance in power and given its explanation, why it has not dominated the world.
I like the idea of memory being lost when the glob is hurt or splits. I still think they'd take over the world (no matter how stupid something is, if it grows/multiplies and is nearly immortal it should prevail... look at humans! and we're not even that tough! and we reproduce slow!)
It seems like a lot of these bizarre lifeforms I have read are what I would consider 'low'. (slugs, blobs, bacteria) It makes sense in that we're thinking of 'weird' things and those are 'weird' animals. But it would be cool to see some more larger weird animals. (This is not specifically aimed at this post :-)
Something about it seems.. wrong. Nonetheless it remains beautifully done, creative, solid, and flexible (literally!)
'Globs rest often, but never sleep' is a good tagline for a movie featuring...them.
My, this could inspire a very strange PC!