Gelatinous Ocean
Location & Geography
The Gelatinous Ocean is named because of its unusual jelly-like composition. Native animals are able to swim through the sea with ease as they are used to it, but for non-native animals and people, it is incredibly difficult. There are many reports of scientists able to walk through the ocean while studying the life there.Sand Stone
The Sand Stone is the larger of the two core stones in the Gelatinous Ocean. Unsurprisingly the core stone is made mostly of sandstone, where it gets its name. The Sand Stone is the largest of the core stones, at a whopping 73,293 kilometres in diameter.
The Sand Stone Monster is one with an interesting anatomy. With an upright appearance, the Sand Stone Monster has a large abdomen where its eyes are located, along with a false eye pattern. This raises the question why, since typically animals have false eyes to scare away predators, and what is bigger than the Sand Stone Monster? Is it hidden in the Sand Stone because of a larger predator?
These questions were raised during the discovery of the Sand Stone Monster, after davites explored various caverns and tunnels in this core stone, and discovered this creature in a deep sleep.
Moon Stone
The Moon Stone is most famous for its unique properties, identical to moonrock, hence the name. When pressure is applied to the rock that makes up the Moon Stone, the rock becomes unbreakable, otherwise the rock is liquid. The pressure of the Gelatinous Ocean is what keeps the Moon Stone in a near-spherical shape.
The Moon Stone has the largest population of davites, with twice the amount than the Sand Stone. Davites are the jellyfish-like sophonts of Dave, and are an extremely intelligent species that have travelled far beyond their solar system.
The Moon Stone Monster is the only one to not be in a deep sleep. In fact, the creature's tentacles often emerge from the Moon Stone, terrorising local populations. The monster is known as the Thousand Arms, a reference to the number of limbs this creature seemingly has.
The Moon Stone is home to an incredible variety of deep-sea plants, coral, and other animals. Many species share symbiotic relationships, such as the blue fingerworm and toadstool coral. The blue fingerworm lives in the centre of a toadstool coral, which provides protection, while its spherical pink appendage catches plankton, some of which is given to the coral.
Fauna & Flora
The Gelatinous Ocean has a large population of davites, the resident sophonts of Dave. Davites are a jellyfish-like species that have tiny complex eyes, known as rhopalias, along the bottom of their bell, or head. These rhopalias are invisible to the naked eye, giving the impression that davites are blind. Davites have sensors in their palms that detect the faintest of vibrations, which makes it very difficult to sneak up on one.
While davites in the Outer Ocean ride on moon rays, davites in the Gelatinous Ocean use seaswords as modes of transport. These animals are the fastest swimmers of this ocean, swimming at speeds of up to 60mph. They are named after the shape of their slender bodies, and legends tell the mighty gods using these animals as weapons.
An imaginative setting that is well described with rich details sets it apart from normal oceans. I had some other questions about the geography, inhabitants and local physics, but saw alot of them addressed in the "Dave" article. It would be interesting to have more information on how the ocean's unique properties impacted biological and societal evolution.
Thank you for commenting! Hope you enjoyed the article :) For now I'm not entirely sure how creatures evolved on Dave, and how they work with the environment, but it's definitely something I'm looking to expand on in the future, so keep an eye out!