#zoness

Fortuna’s lack of membership in the Cornerian Empire means that vast amounts of its wilderness remains untouched-- and perhaps that is a good thing.  The oxygen levels of the feral plant have had a strange effect on the flora fauna, causing them to grow enormous.  Gargantuan beasts called titans roam the planet’s surface.  Fortuna’s continents are split by oceans, which are also rumored to contain equally large, undiscovered titans.  Vast tropical rainforests and vegetation-rich canyons are Fortuna’s primary landscape feature.  Waterfalls are a common sight as well as massive rivers.  There are noticeable similarities, some scholars have noted, to some of the vegetation found on Fortuna and Venom.  Though nothing definitive has been determined as to why this is the case, they presume its somewhat close proximity to the toxic planet has something to do with the way lifeforms emerged and adapted.  Similar to other relatively untouched planets, Fortuna also houses a number of ancient ruins-- although some are still inhabited by the descendants of old civilizations.  They have maintained their kingdoms for thousands of years now, dwelling in a blend of modern technology and traditional spiritualism. 

Zoness is mostly covered by ocean, making it a nearly twin planet to Aquas, but its sparse islands mark it notably different.  It is believed that, like Aquas, more of Zoness’s landmasses were once above water level but climate change eventually saw the ocean level rise so that only the mountaintops of various continents are now visible.  Beach cities have marred some of the serenity of Zoness’s naturally sandy beaches. As Zoness is a frequent tourist spot, its islands have become overrun by visitors seeking an escape from the cramped city life.  Palm trees and coconuts mark it a much different scene than Corneria’s colder beaches. In some areas, mangrove forests have emerged, providing an alternate scenery for potential explorers to enjoy.  On Zoness’s larger islands, there are a number of active volcanoes which spring forth from the tropical jungles clustered in the hearts of each island.  

Aquas is known for its dark waters, hiding an abyssal, watery hellscape that was crafted by the ancient horror known as Bacoon.  It is believed that Aquas was once a planet not too unlike Corneria, though not as gifted with as high of mountain ranges.  When Bacoon melted the ice caps, the continents were consumed by the deep sapphire waters and terraformed over time into underwater plateaus that further fed the aquatic wildlife.  Because of its lack of land to set up a base on, the planet was often overlooked by the Cornerians until years after the Lylat Wars, when colonization efforts led the Cornerians to eventually begin building floating cities atop the water’s surface.  Exploratory missions to the depths have revealed innumerable cities under the waves with structural similarities to ruins found on Sauria.  

Honestly, I mostly attribute that to Nintendo not giving us enough lore on the Lylat System.  I know some people made theories on Falco being from Zoness, but I always thought the connection they tried to use was a little weak to be “irrefutable evidence” or anything (also Zoness IS mostly water, so while I could see there being avians from Zoness, I don’t necessarily think all avians are from Zoness if that makes any sense at all).  There’s also only 3 frogs and 3 bunnies ever shown and they’re all related, so it’s kind of hard to say what is commonly found and what isn’t... other than monkeys and dogs, apparently. 

Do I think it links to dinos?  Meme answer: Sure, because anthro dinos are cool. Also the idea of Falco finding out he could possibly be related to a CloudRunner is funny.  Real answer: Nah, there’s old DP/SFAdv text rips talking about how dinosaurs are creations/descended from Kamerian dragons and while that info wasn’t formally released, I imagine it still is fairly relevant seeing as nothing really disproves it either. 

I guess you could argue that Fortuna is also a “dinosaur planet” but I think it’s been sort of confirmed that while it’s a prehistoric-like planet, it’s not really the same thing as, say, Sauria.

Before the Lylat Wars, Zoness was the premier holiday planet for anyone who could afford it. However, the planet was secretly conquered by the Venomian Army and was turned from paradise to a nightmare. Toxic dumping turned the ocean into a sickly-green color and mutated the native life forms tremendously. Andross began construction on new supply depots and refinery stations when the Star Fox team attacked the planet.