1. gabriellockhart

    gabriellockhart New Member

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    Alien swamp ideas

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by gabriellockhart, Jan 5, 2011.

    I'm basically stuck, for well over a week i have been trying and trying hard to think of a alien swamp for the beginning of my story.

    All i know is that it exits into a desert, or more exactly an erg (sand sea)...I want something tall and thick to move through but I keep getting stuck...

    as anyone got any idea's?

    thanks
     
  2. Islander

    Islander Contributor Contributor

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    Swamps are moist, while sand deserts are dry. Is it realistic to have them just by each other?
     
  3. Ellipse

    Ellipse Contributor Contributor

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    I agree with Islander. Swamps and deserts are almost exact opposites. It'll be interesting to see how you explain them being next to each other.

    Anyway, a good example for a swamp like you want would be the Barley Barber Swamp in Florida. It's full of Bald Cypress trees which grow to be 130 feet tall. There's also Swamp Maples, which top out at 50 feet (these trees also turn a beautiful red in autumn), and Strangler Figs, one of those trees you see that look like they should be dead even though they have green leaves.

    Swamps are a breeding ground for all walks of wildlife. You'll find everything from bugs to bird to alligators to fish. Swamp water comes in three types from waht I have read: Fresh water, brackish water, and seawater.

    Hope this helps.
     
  4. gabriellockhart

    gabriellockhart New Member

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    alas tis the beauty of fantasy alternative dimensions, the laws of nature are checked at the door and not invited to the party...

    besides i like the weirdness of sweaty moist humid swamp thats like that at ground level but petrified by heat as it goes up and fed by a vast underground lake...so it kinda wicks up through the sand.

    btw the water is not normal water it has peculiar properties that alter ordered life turning it chaotic...
     
  5. Allegro Van Kiddo

    Allegro Van Kiddo New Member

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    You should rent/google some National Geographics videos about swamps. Also, there's a British guy named Bear Grylls who has a survival show on Discovery with several shows in swamps. Also, there's a show on called Swamp Loggers on the History Channel, I think.

    I lived near a mini swamp and been to the Louisiana bayou, so if you need some descriptions, just ask.
     
  6. digitig

    digitig Contributor Contributor

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    True, but you get oases in deserts. What makes a desert a desert is unusually low precipitation, so the water would have to come from a river or underground source. The river is unlikely in a sand desert, but an underground source is credible. You'd need something more than sand to contain it, though.
     

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