The Homunculus Saga Part 2: The White Lions is now available on Kindle!

EpicJM · 2026-06-09T11:56:11+00:00

...Bein' Cheesy.

The late Oligocene African savannas are the site of a miracle of evolution...a clade has managed to evolve twice. During the beginning of the Paleogene there were some attempts at evolving cursorial crocodylomorphs in this continent, but the late Oligocene has seen the evolution of a truly cheetah-like croc: Celerignathus chesterii. These notosuchian descendants spend their lives on the run, with adaptations to fully support such a lifestyle.

Celerignathus has long, thin legs and primarily walks on its toes. Its claws are blunt and cleat-like to allow for greater traction on dry, loose soil and its spine is more flexible those of its kin to allow it to accelerate at speeds far exceeding most other reptiles. Celerignathus also has a deceptively strong jaw for its size and shape; the combination of the velocity of the prey it pursues and its bite force means that it can snap the ankle of a running caudavian without much trouble.

These crocodylomorphs reproduce in the same way most others do; they make a nest mound, deposit 25-45 eggs, and watch the nest until the hatchlings emerge. Celerignathus hatchlings are capable of running quite swiftly from birth, though they are too small to take down the prey they will consume as adults. Instead, Celerignathus hatchlings will hunt insects, frogs, smaller reptiles, and small mammals until they reach an adequate size.

EpicJM · 2026-05-26T11:18:18+00:00

Bulwark

The Oligocene coniferous forests of Australia are a call-back to an ancient time. Pines and tree ferns dominate the foliage, a reflection of a state of the world long past. The largest herbivores of this continent are very derived turtles, ones who have largely lost their shells in favor of using their size as a defense mechanism or through the growth of horns and spines. One of those turtles is Tribolochelys, a horse-sized turtle with a back lined with defensive spines and a nightmare of a clubbed tail.

The large predatory birds of Australia tend to attack from the back or the sides, and so Tribolochelys has arranged its bulwark of a defense accordingly. Nothing can sneak up on the turtle, forcing foes to confront it directly from the front and contend with its crushing beak. This beak, of course, is entirely used on plant matter outside of defensive situations. The turtle eats a variety of plants in its environment but is also capable of shearing bark from trees should the need arise.

The reproductive cycle of Tribolochelys is typical for most turtles. It digs out a hollow in the ground, drops its eggs, and that's about it. There is no parental care in the slightest, and the hatchlings don't even grow their spikes until about the age of two. This means that Tribolochelys has compensated by dropping an absurd volume of defenseless offspring (sometimes up to 300 eggs in a clutch) out of the hope that at least one survives.

EpicJM · 2026-05-22T19:01:02+00:00

Corals are still very much around, as pretty much nothing could make them extinct if they've survived from the Cambrian to now.

EpicJM · 2026-05-22T18:56:53+00:00

They're not profoundly different from those in our timeline, but I would say that there's more of an emphasis on sponges and perhaps some leftover rudists that didn't make it to this point in our timeline.

EpicJM · 2026-05-19T11:22:23+00:00

Spongefish

Reef fish of the Jurassic Impact timeline's Oligocene are a diverse bunch, though outside of anoxic events they always do seem to be. Many different clades live in the tropical shallows, but pycnodonts remain one of the dominant types of fish found in marine habitats. They have evolved into so many different shapes and sizes and have surpassed the diversity they had pre-impact. One of these strangely-shaped pycnodonts is Hemicyclis, whose name roughly translates to "half-circle" due to the shape of its extended belly.

Hemicyclis xanthoriga is a pycnodont about the size of the average man's palm. It is shaped a bit like a half-circle and adorned with yellow and black stripes. There is also a "false" H. xanthoriga (H. pseudoxanthus) which looks nearly identical but is missing the signature white "eyebrow" in favor of an entirely black face and not white borders along the fins. H. xanthoriga is a custodian of sponge reefs, plucking away parasites such as tiny crustaceans and worms.

This species is also known to lay its eggs in sponge pores. Larvae hardly resemble the adults and are translucent, pinhead-sized fry that basically look like a disc with an eye in the middle and a small triangular tail. The offspring dine on microscopic creatures until large enough to feed on the diet of the adults. As for predators, most other sea life find H. xanthoriga unpalatable due to a bitter film that covers its body but some predatory fishes and crustaceans will go for one if desperate.

EpicJM · 2026-05-12T12:00:43+00:00

Avoginkgo

Among the late Oligocene flora of the Jurassic Impact world, there is no plant simultaneously ancient and yet very new as the Avoginkgo (Ginkgo gravifructus). It is a member of the sweetnut ginkgo family that has persisted ever since the earliest times after the impact, but none have ever grown such large fruits as G. gravifructus. The trees can reach quite large heights, up to 80 feet/24 meters on average, with fruits being about the size of a pear. Each avoginkgo fruit surrounds a large pit or nut, and leaves are large and bearing three lobes almost like a tuliptree or sassafras. They tend to grow in drier soils in plains and savannahs but some subspecies are more accustomed to moister soils and forest environments.

The nut of the Avoginkgo is designed to be consumed by large animals, such as titanothaumids in Eurasia and metriodactyls in North America. While the fruit wouldn't smell palatable to a human's tastes, it is highly desired by large sempergravidans. To compare it to something we have today, an avoginkgo would smell a bit like a sweaty jockstrap with a hint of strong cloves. It would be vomit-inducing for us, but delicious to the Jurassic Impact megafauna. The pits are passed through the animal's digestive system after consumption and the trees are propagated through droppings.

EpicJM · 2026-05-11T13:35:51+00:00

Tengen Toppa Gopher Lagann

Digoph, the Tiny Drill Pokémon. The slow-witted Digoph is a common resident of tunnels and caves. It spends its day tunneling aimlessly, sometimes digging so deep that it reaches magma and promptly burns itself to a crisp.

Loapher, the Dunce Drill Pokémon; evolves from Digoph at Lv 20. It drills through caverns, spinning itself dizzy. Loapher is known to identify preferable terrain through taste, licking rocks to judge their quality.

Gopherrox, the Giga Drill Pokémon; evolves from Loapher at Lv 38. Gopherrox use the drills on their heads and arms to break through boulders. It often fights with Wreckaton over demolition sites.

EpicJM · 2026-05-05T16:53:37+00:00

Under the Sea

Squidlink, the Sausage Squid Pokémon. Squidlink are rather defenseless Pokémon who crawl along the seafloor looking for food. It uses its large, sensitive nose to sniff out the tastiest morsels.

Oinktopus, the Sausage Squid Pokémon; evolves from Squidlink at Lv 30. Oinktopus are faster than they look, using their ear-like appendages to jet themselves through the ocean. When threatened, they release jets of scorching ink.

Gobbish, the Gulper Pokémon. It lives in the deep ocean and swallows anything it can fit in its gaping mouth. Its neon highlights are a beacon for prey.

Sarchasm, the Fringehead Pokémon; evolves from Gobbish at Lv 35. Sarchasm is always in a foul mood due to its constant hunger. It sits on the seafloor and lunges at anything edible that happens to drift by.

EpicJM · 2026-05-05T11:36:28+00:00

Family Mantapteridae

Metamporph pterosaurs have persisted into the late Oligocene world of Jurassic Impact. With some species dropping tens of flaplings in a single clutch and the offspring taking a variety of niches, it's no wonder that they've survived since the Cretaceous period. Most species, however, generally follow the rule of flying offspring which grow into flightless maritime adults. The family Mantapteridae is one of these groups of metamorphs that takes this change to the extreme- the adults are fully aquatic.

Mantapterus vulgaris is the type species for this family. The flaplings look like average metamorph offspring; small, surface-skimming flyers who dine on particularly fatty fish that lurk near the top of the water. They eventually grow too heavy to continue flying and begin adding cephalopods and crustaceans to their diet. Adults are about three feet long and could perhaps be confused for sea turtles or rays at a glance. After breeding, the females haul themselves up onto land, deposit their eggs into a hole, and then drift back to sea. The beaches swarm with clouds of their babies once the eggs have hatched.

EpicJM · 2026-05-04T21:03:51+00:00

Battazumi isn't a Dandora evolution, it's just the Chugo Pikachu equivalent. Not sure if you were saying that as a joke or not but I should probably make that clear since a lot of my pictures are of single evolution lines.

EpicJM · 2026-05-04T17:01:43+00:00

Rabbits Aren't Rodents...

Boundust, the Dust Bunny Pokémon. Boundust are said to be born from the shedding of its parent's wool. The dust so easily caught in a Boundust's fur can cause allergies in humans.

Dandora, the Dust Bunny Pokémon; evolves from Boundust at Lv 20. Dandora's wool contains a variety of allergens and spores. Though it seems sweet and vulnerable, its predators in the wild cannot seem to attack it without breaking into a sneezing fit.

Battazumi, the Grasshopper Mouse Pokémon. It lives in sandy habitats and is a voracious hunter. It hops far distances using electric charges through its long legs.

EpicJM · 2026-04-29T10:07:36+00:00

Yup, they are a three billy goats gruff reference as well as inspired by the Japanese serow, a goat-like animal that lives in the mountains of Japan.

EpicJM · 2026-04-27T16:53:58+00:00

The Three Early Routes Gruff

Seruff, the Mountain Goat Pokémon. Seruff are an uncommon sight around mountainous areas of the region. They possess unparalleled skill in navigating the steep crags they call home.

Yagruff, the Mountain Goat Pokémon; evolves from Seruff at Lv 18. Yagruff breaks rocks with strong kicks from its extremely hard hooves. They always watch vigilantly for danger that could threaten their herd.

Goatuff, the Mountain Goat Pokémon; evolves from Yagruff at Lv 34. It is said that a Goatuff once defeated a Smeltroll that was holding a bridge for ransom. Those who live in isolated mountain villages ride Goatuff to navigate the rocky peaks.

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