For millenia, Fortune has been a frozen world. Ice and snow covered every surface, and the icy fingers of cold extended even unto the sea. It was cold, it was dark, and it was bleak. By some miracle, Fortune's species survived, some even found ways to thrive. Life is truly tenacious to find purchase on such a desolate rock as Fortune was for so long, to eke out success where life has no business being.No more, however. No more shall the blizzard scour the world, nor shall the Arctic chill be felt upon the globe.An island archipelago, south and to the east, is born out of fire, a massive volcanic eruption. In the blink of an eye from a geological perspective, a tiny island the size of Scotland becomes a massive chain, with a total surface area exceeding that of Australia. This volcanic eruption throws ash and soot into the air, as well as warming the planet ever so slightly.The presence of a new landmass shifts the currents of the sea ever so slightly, transporting (relatively) warm waters towards the glacial ice sheets. Some of them melt, releasing long trapped gasses, like carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere. This CO2 traps heat from the sun, allowing for a warmer world, a degree or two at most...(field too long, continued)
>>19115700The warmer air warms the equator, where the archipelago lies, and the water it sends to the north gets ever warmer. More glaciers melt, more co2 is released...After perhaps 5,000 years of this feedback loop, the glaciers come crashing down, these tyrants of winter deposed, cast from their throne. The waters of Fortune rise, and much of the continent becomes a floodplain, or swampland. The island archipelago responsible for the thawing is rewarded by being submerged, all save the main island, where the volcano that started it all still burns.For 200,000 years, the world is a hot, humid bog, not unlike the Carboniferous Era on Earth, though here with saltwater. The waters eventually recede, leaving a continent full of salt and minerals. Most plants have a difficult time growing because of this, and many animals higher up the food chain see sharp drops in population. A plant called "Herbam salarium" develops a unique method to combat the soil's seeming sterility. It filters the minerals out of its drinking water, depositing the filtered sodium into deposits... sharp deposits. The salt deposits become spines, and "Herbam salarium" is eventually replaced by "Saguaro salarium", the Salt Cactus.(field too long, continued)
>>19115831The Salt Cactus, with its unique adaptation begins to filter out the minerals of the soil, and over thousands of years, the land is fertile once again. The cactus is thanked for its efforts by being overrun by its competitors, who once struggled to grow in saline ground, but now could thrive once again. The Salt Cactus is now confined to a fraction of its original range.Thus we come to the present, where the old foe Winter has been ousted, and a kinder, gentler ruler takes his place, that new regent is Spring. O, long had she suffered, but returned to the world she spreads her blessings generously. Spring is the time of new life, and oh, how life has blossomed. Both animals and plants explode, diversifying and multiplying into a thousand, thousand varieties. The equivalent of the Cambrian Explosion is happening on Fortune, never has life been more fruitful, more vibrant, more vigorous.Life has survived. Life has recovered. Life has endured. Life has flourished.Spring has returned, in glorious victory. This is the time of her celebration, a time of triumph.The Triumph of Spring.
Alright, welcome back returning players, and welcome to any of you joining us for the first time.Things are slightly different this time around, instead of posting the critters here, we have a wiki now, and, since I spent a bleeding week writing entries for all the creatures there, I will just provide a link rather than posting critters here.> http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Triumph_of_Spring_(Fortune:_Evolution_Game)For newcomers, here you can find the basic rules and guidelines, as well as a link to previous threads if you are interested in what has gone before. This isn't strictly neccesary to participate, but it is there if you'd like to see what shenanigans we've done in the past.> http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Fortune:_Evolution_Game
Now, this game is pretty rules-light, and I'm, for the most part, hands off, that said, there are a few strictures I must insist on.> One change on one creature per posting, but anyone can edit any creature any number of times, as long as each is a different post.> Try to limit these changes to the small. I would like this to be gradual. The more radical a change is, the more posts/stages it should take to get there.> Each edit requires a picture. It doesn't have to be Rembrandt, but images help me keep track of the changes.> Color change is free, as long as you can explain the change in pigmentation sensibly.> No "alien intervention" or "meteors from space" or "cosmic radiation". These changes will occur due to environmental pressures ONLY.> No joke/fetish races/changes. (eg. no dick shaped creatures, no "reproduces-by-rape", and no creature-with-a-spine-so-flexible-it-can-kiss-its-own-ass)> When you create a creature, make sure you "quote" the post containing the creature you are changing/adapting.> Make sure to specify whether your creature is a branch-off (...) or an evolution of it.> You can only branch-off or evolve the most recent iteration of a species.Lastly, when evolving, QUOTE the post that you're evolving from, otherwise I won't be able to follow or provide evo trees.Any further questions? Feel free to ask me or any "veterans" of the threads.
Are we going to be rolling to see which creatures end up on Volcano Island this thread?
And just as I had awoken from a lovely nap. Time to rev up dem evolutions. We Fortune now.
While during the Ice Age Fortune was a fairly homogeneous world, ice and snow all around, now it has a number of different habitats. You can see these on the map provided.I plan to provide further detail later, but I'm typing this as I run out the door to work, so I'll have to get back to you all in a few hours. Hopefully, the region's names give you a good idea as to their climates.For now, I must take my leave (at the zoo, no less, critters seem to dominate my IRL time as well).Hope to see lots of fun new critters when I return.If there's a question you have, I read every post and I'll get to it when I'm home.
>>19116080Yes, later in the thread. Don't worry about it for now.>>19116118Indeed.Alright, that's all for now, see you all later.I must go, my people need me.
>>19116066Veran player here- been here since the beginning :DAgain, I'll focus on the wiggles line, but I'll evolve other things as well.The adult Spearfishing crab, though they are active most of the day, hunt predominately at night, when the raveshark are at their most active. The spearfishing crab instinctively attack mostly during mating season, developing advanced retinas capable of detecting the subtly color changes made by the rave shark. Younger crabs, however, not yet possessing the metabolism to hunt at night, only work in the day, being taught by their parents catching the featherscale. Though the ocean air is humid, the spear fishing crabs still need to blink, developing a thin muscular membrane to replenish moisture in their eyes. This membrane, unlike eye-lids is translucent, allowing the crab to be vigil at all times.
Through the mating ritual of head butting, licking salt from the stones the bull chompers develop bony rock-like protrusion on the forehead. The larger/older alphas generally have the largest protrusions. These protrusion also assist in camouflaging them against the mountainside.
Well, alright, now that we're here, I've gotten a bit rusty, so let's start wiiith...As the oceans of the world heat up, two isolated populations of Ice Rays are formed, populating polar waters on different sides of the planet. The Northern Ice Ray inhabits the North Sea and northern reaches of the Continental Shelf, while the Southern Ice Ray inhabits a smaller South-Western Area, in the colder waters of the Western Ocean. From now on, discounting convergent evolution, developments will occur to the populations separately.Northern Ice Rays develop a sleaker physique, and a more powerful tail, becoming faster in order to avoid predation by Aquabeasts.
>>19116485Bah!
Due to a lack of new image, because I can't properly draw a ribcage or legs on this thing, I'll just repost this one.>CurlyQ line >Skullroot(F) Tadseeds(M)>Omnivorous(Main diet of resin which is a mixture of plant and animal materials)>TerrestrialThe Skullroots over the recent years have left the Resin Packets on a repurposed mission, to spread the seeds of their children. Initially the simple spill and grow method the Asparagus Tree employed functioned just fine, but with ever decreasing fertility rates within the soil the plants began to take control of their parasitic visitors and use them to their own ends and thus the power struggle continues.When the weather begins to spike the Asparagus Tree(common) starts to over produce resin again to give the Skullroot the last bit of boost it needs to formulate the rudimentry 2 toed, 2 jointed legs that will carry them on their journey to seed the earth and to also fill up their stomach and body full of enough resin to last them until their job is complete. This is the Skullroots first major foray into the world of Fortune and they are grossly under prepared, as all they are currently is armless, tiny, slow, walking fruits of resin.
>>19116541>Evolution of Skullroot>Omnivorous(Main diet of resin which is a mixture of plant and animal materials)>TerrestrialThe Skull Root begins to abandon its preposterous form and shift into something more mobile and usable... by growing additional appendages from the back of its "skull". This are used to allow it climb vertically, struggle with predators, and most importantly, get itself upright if it topples over.
>>19116688>>19116541And yeah, don't look at me to draw legs on that thing either. Someone else'll have to manage it. I can barely doodle tentacle-things
>>19116688>>19116541something like this? sorry, tried to do a real quick version.
>>19116798ffff
>>19116688Not exactly the direction I had in mind but an interesting one. Question, they serve little purpose in life but to just plant new seeds and then subsequently die. Why would they need to climb at all?
>>19116448A distinct variant of the Bull Chomper emerges; the Dwarf Chomper follows a very specialized diet exclusively consisting of bluegrass and dwarf bluegrass - the relative lack of nutrition causes them to shrink massively, becoming about the size of a sheep, however, the availability of bluegrass allows them to grow in population, spreading into the Meadowed Plains. Their front limbs and snouts shorten, allowing them to more efficiently reach and consume bluegrass.
Unfortunately it's pretty late here for me so I can't draw, plus I'm fairly busy tomorrow.For now I can drop off this simpler template for the Shogun Walrus.
>>19116827If they run into a rock face. They're not very big, little elevation changes would constrain them and the range of their species rather strongly. It's not like "climbing up trees" kind of climbing, just "getting over average terrain" climbing.
>>19116827Not the creator of >>19116688 but I guess just to have more than one way of locomotion, to get to different locals. Plus I think it would be cool if the "tentacles" or whatever eventually began arm/manipulative limbs.
>>19116883>>19116864I like it and it makes sense to me. Sorry just a curiosity, these little creatures have been my babies. Haha>Plus I think it would be cool if the "tentacles" or whatever eventually began arm/manipulative limbs.Which is exactly why I'm cool with it, works into what I had hoped they would turn into.
mfw I made the wretched gulper 2 weeks ago and never came back, and its still alive.
The wretch grows increasingly territorial - when another wretch enters what they consider their territory, they will engage in ritualistic headbutting. The hard scales on their heads form into thicker armoured plates to assist in this, and the shape of their heads changes accordingly.
>>19116404Hrm... I didn't think even Midnight/Common Ravesharks came close enough to the surface for that.
the crisp frozen layer of the snow was crushed under its ever grasping paws, the wind ripped past its shell, it moved forward, the prey was above it. on top of a cliff face. it began its slow ascent, tirelessly, slowly, it moved forward. The rivers were choked with ice slush, freezing and sharp, churning...it cross thru uncaring. The prey still runs, out of the blizzard, into the muck, and heat, the unfamiliar terrain. The demolisher picked up speed and moved forward.---------------The Demolisher experiences an onverall minor change in morphology. Its body becomes more suited to short bursts of speed, taller legs, its snout longer. The demolisher now can make short high speed sprints, they are taxing on its body and it is quite hungry. It can also jump, well more pounce. but there you have it. Its big. its here, its going to eat you. get used to it.
>>19117253The saltback begins to weaponise it's namesake, developing crystalline spikes to combat predators. It is forced to seek out and eat more salt cacti due to this development.This is going to be the last from me today, damn timezones. The last drawing, anyway, but I might have some free time in the morning so I'll pop in and do some more. Hopefully with less sloppy drawings.
The spearfishing crab watches with zenlike patience, keeping its hawk-like gaze on a single spot of water. On the beach, it waits for its prey. Then, out of the water, flies a featherscale, out of the water. Quickly, the crab plucks its meal from the air, and quickly plops it into its mouth.__________________________________Spearfishing crabs develop larger harpoons for spearing their meals.
>>19116816>>19116688>>19116541Light Blue indicates general Skullroot area, that being said it is not limiting the Common Asparagus Tree area.With the new tentacles the Skullroots develop a slightly higher degree of mobility, spreading their spawn further. But only further in the sense of higher elevations within their original range. The new tentacles take more resin to power than they are worth currently. To accommodate future generations allow the seedling on their heads to actually grow and interweave itself with the dreadlocks of roots it has on its head. Currently this only gives the Skullroot more power to process the resin stores and so more much more effectively.
>>19117077Due to competition, some of the smaller and weaker wretches are forced to go farther and farther from their colder homes. This group thrives in this new environment and eventually becomes its own subset Their fur becomes lighter and sleeker to combat the heat and changed to brown to blend better into their surroundings. To outrun predators and to keep up with their prey, their body elongates and their frontal limbs become longer and stronger. This allows them to go between bipedal and quadrupedal movement.
Ravedragons continue to prey upon smaller creatures. They develop adhesive suckers on their tentacles so as to better grasp victims.
At last I have returned, in a moment, I shall read all the new posts and marvel at your brilliance.
>>19117639That's a lot more than *one* change. I'll allow it this time, but remember, ONE change of ONE creature in a post.>>19117163They do not, but there are plenty of other, non-playable fish that *do* inhabit those areas.>>19117505Please quote the previous critter when you evolve it. Thanks. Love your little flavor text additions, by the way.
>>19118571Hey FortuneBro, I know you've worked your ass off over the previous week to make this, but how's about creating a comprehensive list of all the critters locations in relation to your map.Might give some more ideas for evolution based upon surround creatures.
>>19119099What have I told you about predicting the future? That's just what I was working on.How the fuck do you *do* that?
>>19119135Straight up wizardry. That being said, don't run yourself into the ground fella, you've done enough as is for the past week.>>19117579Anyway, suppose I'll do a little evolving, or something.The Skullroot as it stands is still an incredibly slow and docile creature paying no mind to other things as they travel along, their minds focused on simply upchucking their young and continuing on. Two of their tentacles have begun to split apart as a root normally would and they've been seen to dig at the ground a bit knowing their precious cargo stands little chance just sitting above ground. Otherwise though they have done very little, in fact more and more are being eaten by new comers the Brown Wretches, though some young make it past the digestive tract it is still hurting their numbers.
You have no idea how much i wish i could draw for this thread
>>19119742What? I had to know how to draw?>>19117505Thanks to its firespitting ancestors, the beach crab can release a sticky fluid from their mouths, which solidifies as a string. The crabs use it as a sort of line to catch fish in deeper waters, usually by cutting off the string using their spears, then sticking it to the tip as a sort of improvised fishing pole.
>>19119900I'm not sure how to do flavor text for this one...
>>19119135the Demolisher has continued to evolve slight refinements. These later generations have taken to the new landscape with tenacity. An enhanced snout lets them track prey better. spine growth continues. (if you wanna draw the face imagine a horse skull.)
>>19119375I just wish the skull was less human looking. It looks like a demented tiki god right now
>>19120401Well someone drew that up awhile ago so I've been using it. That said I've begun to base them on Sugarskulls/Lady of the Dead and a proto Hamadryad like thing. So the skull kind of works.
>>19120182>Mfw when it's becmoming a yowlerAlso, Thoguh it's not apparently at first glance a subset of demolishers have begun to edge away from strictly flesh and bone diet. enjoying the salt cacti and blue grass where it's found as a source of nutrients and minerals in their diet.
>>19119742It doesn't have to be a masterpiece, just a quick MSPaint job will do the trick.I think I went a bit overboard with the illustrations, giving them all a bunch of detail and fancy effects, and for that, I am sorry. Next time I'll make the edit-able illustrations less embellished, to allow for easier editing. Sorry about that guys, I'm an art major after all, and I guess I got carried away.
>>19120857dude. its fine, they're gorgeous pieces of work and they deserve to be used, It gives fortune a certain amount of realism. I'd also suggest taking a look at the artwork in a sand county almanac as it's purely work done in nature in motion and would be something I'd think you'd appreciate.
As promised earlier, here I begin info dumping on Fortune's various regions, along with a picture of a place on Earth that I think encapsulates the region, often the place I thought of when I while making the map.First, we have the physical map of Fortune. Gaze in wonder at your playground, oh gods of evolution . All the world's a stage, and you shall write the drama of life that shall be enacted hence.(I know my writing style is more than a bit hammy, it's not bothering anyone, is it?)>>19120938You are kind to say that. That said, if I maybe cooled it off on the details it would probably make your additions more easily integrated, look more like they belong.
The Ravedragons' digestive acids continue to increase in potency, ever increasing the efficiency with which they can digest prey. The digestive glands near the head develop to the point where even their mouths are constantly lined with acidic saliva. From the moment something is caught in their tentacles and begins to be swallowed, the digestive process has already begun as the Ravedragons' saliva begins to slowly liquefy their food, preparing it for the journey down the digestive tract.
The Arctic Circle is among the last bastions of the climate that typified the Age of Ice. Snow covers the ground and the soil is frozen solid into permafrost. The few creatures that live here are specialized for the region, and would not do well anywhere else. Not to say *anything* thrives here, either. The Arctic is a vision of Cocytus, a stark reminder of the icebox that Fortune almost a 100,000 years ago.> Arctic FaunaDemolishers, Grey Wretches, Ice Bugs, Shogun Walruses, Snow Crabs, and Snow Ticks> Arctic FloraIce Shrubs and Snow ShrubsNote that the inhabitants listed above are only the playable species. Like Earth, Fortune has *millions* of species, but I'll be damned if I let those get played with, I can hardly keep up as is. Use these unspecified species to fluff your creatures. If your creature eats fish, it doesn't necessarily have to eat one of the playable critters (though it can). It could eat some unspecified species of fish.This way, people can evolve their plants and animals as they wish, without worrying about what it is they eat (as this became a problem earlier).
>>19121325Don't forget to "quote" the post you're evolving from.The Savannah is a dry, temperate wilderness. Winds, while breezy at times, can also howl with enough force to push a person over.Shrubs and sparse grasses cover the landscape, providing food for the Savannah's many creatures. Although a single region, the Savannah sometimes exhibits some variety in climate, mostly depending on how far north you are. Nearer to the Arctic, the Savannah resembles a tundra, and may even have permafrost.Farther south, the Savannah is a hot, dry, wilderness, reminiscent of the the region's namesake on Earth. Both areas though are covered in short grasses and experience seasonal changes, binding the disparate sections into a single region.> Savannah FaunaCamelback, Demolisher, Piranha Fly, Probosicis Scorpion, Shogun Walrus Snow Tick, Spitter Crab> Savannah FloraAlpine Herb, Common Bluegrass, Boom Ginger, Snow Shrub, and Spineroot
>>19121778>Alpine herb>Exists in non-alpine area>Can we get a pointless name change?
The Gardenback Land Bloats get larger. Fed by the bountiful vegetation, fatter and bigger Bloats are a more difficult target for Demolishers and packs of wretches.
>>19116836I'm going to use something that came up in the discussion thread and sorta recap its last update.The Shogun walrus has adapted its diet to include plant matter and carrion along with the occasional creature that came close enough for a spritz of rock melting acid to the face. (recap complete).The change in diet has led to some digestional changes. Unused matter is dissolved in the potent acids of the primary stomach. The fumes and gas this produces are released through the walruses only orifice through a series of loud nasal burps as it eats. These burps alert other nearby walrus to a potential food source and lead to groups or packs of walrus forming (members tend to change groups frequently or simply wander off). (discussion thread idea complete)In order to arrive more quickly at potential food sources the walrus have slimmed down some and grown longer legs.
The Grey Wretches quickly select for strong head plates, as Grey Wretches with thin plates often die of head injury. The Wretches Skull Plates get bigger, and their horns move up their head and are often used for delivering fatal blows to the craniums of less fortunate grey wretches. For all the competition, the Grey Wretches only in engage in this behavior during the mating season, and stick to pack structures.
The saltback is able to fully substitute sodium for calcium in their diet, changing the makeup of their bones and beak. Their salt crystals continue spreading across their body and developing into spikes; the coloration of their beaks changes.I'll upload the image as soon as 4chan stops being terrible.
*blink blink*Oh... sorry guys, I nodded off there. I apologize, didn't mean to fall asleep.The Wildwood is a chilly forest, with thick woody undergrowth. Many of these trees are descendants or relatives of Asparagus Trees, though some are permutations of other plants.Most trees in the Wildwood, due to either coincidence or by convergent evolution, are marscent*.> Wildwood FaunaArctic Serpents, Barkworms, Spearfish Crabs, Blind Burrowing Snakes, Gardenbacks, Demolishers, Grey Wretches, Ice Bugs, Snow Beetles, and Snow Ticks> Wildwood FloraAlpine Herbs, Common Bluegrass, and Snow Shrubs*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcescent
>>19123610>4chan stops being terribleOh, I thought it was my computer. Good to know.
>>19123621Yeah, I'm surprised more people weren't complaining about it, I had to ctrl+f 'Upload' on /b/ front page to even see any mention of it. And there I was thinking it was my browser or extensions.I guess I'll just whip up something for the dwarf chomper for now
>>19123643Maybe that's why there hasn't been much activity on the thread. (At least I hope that's it and not them just not wanting to participate anymore.)
>>19123655It's probably also because people have forgotten about it and will remember over the next couple days, but certainly there will be no images uploaded while it's not possible for images to be uploaded.
>>19123655I'd say that's just timezones, America's asleep and Europe's just waking up.You should catch some sleep as well man, do scribble something up for the Desert though, that's a biome we need to expand a lot.
>>19123672Uh, I know. I've written out all the critter/region, the desert is... well, deserted. Then again, maybe that's fitting.I'll wait until images are upload-able to continue posting regions, but since I can't sleep anyway, I think I'll pre-write them up, so that when imaging returns I can just copypasta right along.
>>19121778>Wild Herb (Split off from Alpine Herb)>Lives in the Great Northern SavannahThe Alpine Herb begins to adapt to its new environment, shedding many of the toxins it carried to protect itself against predators in the slow growing days of cold and ice. This lets it grow faster, taking off like a weed in the warmer world since it no longer needs to basically poison itself to protect itself. Of course, it still has its original chemical defense, a mild, disorienting euphoric compound.
>>19123701And I'm a goof and forgot my picture
...Or it could not actually upload it. Is 4chan more broken than I thought? I didn't get an error message.
>>19123701FortuneBro I'll have to upload the image later. I don't have time to wait for Moot to awaken from his slumber and fix 4chan before I go to bed. ...but it's the same plant with green leaves instead of yellow-ish leaves.
>>19123708It seems that, for the moment, 4chan refuses to upload images, giving an eternal "uploading image" spinny-wheel (or at least that's how it manifests with my PC.
>>19123727It's fine, I appreciate the bump. Unlike Moot, I do not sleep... on the other hand I know jack-squat about programming, so it seems that fate worked to our advantage in this regard, ha ha.
>>19116830>Dwarf Chomper>Split off from the Bull Chomper>Strictly consumes bluegrassThe dwarf chomper begins digging, in order to consume the roots of the bluegrass along with the rest of the plant. Its snout shortens further, and the curvature or the head changes along with wrinkles forming in order to protect the eyes while digging. As they become smaller and more prolific, they lose the pack structure of their larger cousins, and in doing so lose the need for their red manes.Going to upload an image later.
>>19123824To compensate for all the increased plant matter they've also begun to develop a bit of a gut, beneficial bacteria setting to work inside their bodies to process the material.
What's up guys, I'm back, going to try and upload images in a second.Still working on those regions primers.
>>19124199any in particular that you need Fortune ?
>>19124241I need to go to the store and pick up more milk, but other than that...No, not really, thanks for offering though. Feel free to point out any inconsistencies you find though.Oh, and thanks for that reference to the Sand County Almanac, seems like an interesting read. I liked the author's statement of a "land ethic". Definitely seems like something I'd enjoy reading.Man for a drawfag like me, this lack of image uploading is killing me...
>>19124270Will do and yeah, It's one of the quintessential works for my field. If you haven't read it and claim to be an ecologist you will be bitched out of the room by the rest of them. Also would you like for me to do some work on Asparagus tree variants? I doubt any would have developed fruit yet but, they will have the startings of that ability.
>>19124300Ooh, that'd be lovely. Like I said, there's plenty of unspecifiec "background" species, feel free to fluff some out. Just make sure to list the environment they live in, it'll help me keep track of it all.
>>19124338Will do.
In the equatorial jungles of the Post Ice age fortune, The Asparagus Tree has managed to become the dominant plant family. Crowding out the smaller non-woody plants and leaving them to the under-story the rich glacial till that the jungle forms itself on has produced a veritable garden of Eden as a result. The Common Asparagus Tree as it is referred to is actually on decline this species of tree is rather unimpressive, tall and slender it only reaches around fifty feet in height, growing much like Earth's monocots it does not have any flowers and seems to be a wind pollinated plant. The common is and will remain the forebear to all Asparagus Trees however there may be a time when this majestic and elegant plant will fall to the wayside replaced by it's showier cousins.
>>19124390A new member of the family and perhaps a seemingly at first glance unimpressive one. The Branching tree is a multistemmed plant able to grow from several points instead of the single growth point of earlier members. It's development has allowed for it to become a steadily more common member of the Equatorial jungles as it's large swooping arms rise up to greet the sky. Each 'branch' (really a modified trunk) Is spotted with leafy growth, conical in shape they grow close to the trunk giving it a semi plated look. it's only at the tips where the Resin packet is that they produce seed, a still wind pollinated variety that is light and downy as it drifts through the air.
In the swampier regions after the ice age, once the Salt cacti had done all the hard work. water plants paved the way, filling the land with twisting vines of roots and leaves. These were the basis for water plant groves. As tidal pull moved water in and out from the region some members of the family were forced to take on a sturdier frame, to allow for their future survival. These developed a sturdy bark-like structure to encase their vascular tissue to prevent desiccation and allow for a more resilient structure. creating heactares of shrubby habitat over time.
>>19124390>>19124407>>19124483GLORIOUS... I have but a single question, is the Grove Water Plant a new species/genus, essentially or did it evolve from something else?I think I may add these to the wiki, since as "background plants" they were in fact present since the beginning of the "Triumph of Spring.
In the Ice Age, the Steppes Asparagus Tree had become a dominant landscaper of the frozen steppes. It capitalised on its symbiotic relationship with the Barkworm to create compost piles of rotting organic matter within its own root network, which acted as ovens to melt the permafrost around the tree and enrich the soil. This subsequently allowed the tree to sprout roots capable of slow, steady movement, effectively ploughing the ground in its immediate vicinity. Other plants were attracted by the rich soil around the trees and competed for the tight space, providing each tree with its own small field to harvest.Now that the steppes have gone and taken the permafrost with them, the tree has little use for the heat generated in the compost piles. Instead, it has developped a sort of 'proto-stomach' inside the central root corpus to (more or less) directly ingest organic matter collected by the Barkworm. This gives them the edge they need to compete with the other plants that now flourish all around it.
>>19124552I think it's in the wiki as the Water plant grove?
>>19124627OH, the Water Berry, it's an ocean plant, but then again, I'm sure some of them may have colonized the continent when the land flooded, only to adapt to freshwater as the waters receded.>>19124625Aaand, looks like we can submit images again.You do know that the Steppes Asparagus evolved into the Spineroot, right? That's why I deleted the Steppes variety from the wiki.(Feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken)
>>19124632haha yeeah my bad I think I talked about them migrating inland on tidal flows actually a few threads ago.
>>19124632I've been evolving this branch since the beginning of part 3 and it was my understanding that the spineroot was an offshoot of the steppes variant.
>>19124685Alright, my bad then, a thousand pardons... Carry on, Anon. I'll make sure to put it back on the wiki post-haste.
>>19124632fortune any other niches I should work on building up? (trees shrubs) background plants and the like?
>>19123610>>19117253The saltback is able to fully substitute sodium for calcium in their diet, changing the makeup of their bones and beak. Their salt crystals continue spreading across their body and developing into spikes; the coloration of their beaks changes.
>>19124692 By all means, no need to apologize, you can't be expected to keep track of every single form of life flawlessly. Other than that, you are the GM, if you decide to have it certain way, we would just have to deal with it.
>>19116830>>19123824>Dwarf Chomper>Split off from the Bull Chomper>Strictly consumes bluegrassThe dwarf chomper begins digging, in order to consume the roots of the bluegrass along with the rest of the plant. Its snout shortens further, and the curvature or the head changes along with wrinkles forming in order to protect the eyes while digging. As they become smaller and more prolific, they lose the pack structure of their larger cousins, and in doing so lose the need for their red manes.
>>19124695I'll be honest, feel free to go nuts. If they're background plants though (meaning they've been there since the beginning) then add them to the wiki instead of here. I have the wiki open, give me literally two minutes and I'll add a new section for background critters (making it clear that, for now, they're non-playable, I was freaking drowning as is, you know?)>>19124711Welcome back Stooge.>>19124713Ah, true, but I'm a hands-off type of GM. People said what they like about this game was this freedom, so I try to keep it that way (but also because, personality-wise, just the way I am).More than that though, I'm genuinely interested in what you guys do with this world. I have no end-goal in mind, my amusement is derived solely from the creativity of the players. I love coming back from work, or an errand, or whatever now, giddy with anticipation and anxious to see what clever and cool things you guys and gals have come up with. It's like opening a Christmas present, a big part of the fun of it is not knowing what's inside.Please excuse the wall-of-text, especially one so wishy-washy and peacenik-sounding as this. Ha ha ha.
>>19119375Due to the disproportionate size of it's head, the small body was not very effective at moving the Skullroot around. It's body becomes more agile and flexible, evolving into a seething mass of tentacles for both mobility and grasping.
>>19124741will do, I'l most likely stick right to plants and use the base species we have for them. So, more species from the lillies, asparagus and berry families.
>>19122205The Wretch horns fuse into a single broad horn.(don't forget to use .png!)
>>19124844Forgot to chop his nose horns off.
>>19124741It's good to be back, and honestly, I'm the same, I love seeing a bunch of cool stuff added to creatures I've helped evolve. And frankly, the sheer variety we've arrived at from what amounts to three squiggles at the beginning is awesome.On that note, can someone give me a really quick basic rundown of how Skullroots work? It's easy to get lost and I'd like to make sure I'm not missing anything.The arctic serpents begin displaying sexual dimorphism - while females shrink and lose their manes, males develop a broad hood structure on their necks - they compete for dominance and scare off predators by widening this hood and rustling their mane hairs.
>>19124878From now on, this species and its descendants will be known as Arctic Cobras.Good job on the drawing, by the way, I had to look really hard to be able to tell where your addition ends and the original began.
The grand waterberry is the result of the rising oceanic levels. forming in the swirling warm water current of the archipelago of the Volcanoe island. These raft like soft stemmed plants derive from the Water berry family. Their broad opposite leaves capture the sunlight just below the surface, held afloat by numerous air filled nodules that act as buoyant floats. These pods are the remains of its once common berries, still filled with seed, they break away from time to time to germinate and spread across the small sea. Grand waterberry is a fairly limited and specialized plant, acting as a vital source of shade in the open waters around the island chain. It prefers these moving swirling vortexes over calm open ocean water as it allows for the plant to be thoroughly oxygenated and kept at roughly the same PH as it builds up Excesses of Waster material in the form of dying leaves.
>>19124017>>19124718Whoops, didn't notice this the first time around.>To compensate for all the increased plant matter they've also begun to develop a bit of a gut, beneficial bacteria setting to work inside their bodies to process the material.>>19124936Haha, I'm flattered in regards to the female and unaffected by your seething sarcasm in regards to the male.
where many members of the Asparagus family went towards evolving into trees, the Deep Resin went towards the humble route of 'tater hood. The Deep Resin stores it's high energy material within tuberous nodules that form on it's complex route system. From these burst more Deep Resins. Though only perhaps a few feet tall it is found everywhere there is soil deep enough to grow in. This is of course a limiting factor where competition is quite hard such as on the dense sod of the short grass plains. A vital source of sugar and protein where it is found these plants are slowly working their way towards the desert, able to save energy in their routes and weather the dry harsh climate.
>>19124983WHAT?! There was no sarcasm at all. I'm shocked and apalled that you'd accuse me of such a thing.> DesertThe desert is an arid, rocky, sand-filled expanse. There is little plant life, and what remains must be hale and hearty to survive in such a desolate environment. At the beginning of the Triumph of Spring (ToS) the desert was, well, deserted. Animal life is exceedingly scarce just as much as plant life is, probably more so. For now, Camelbacks and a desert breed of the Snow Ticks are the only animal species native to the area, though others may attempt to pass through on their way to greener pastures (not all of them make it.The deserts of Fortune can be the rocky deserts of Mexico and the American Southwest or they can be the sandy sea of dunes seen in Saudi Arabia. Plenty of areas are some mix or combination of the two, as well. Whatever the features here, terrain may change, but the climate does not.> Desert FaunaCamelbacks and Snow Tick> Desert FloraAlpine Herbs and Spineroots
>>19121325It developes non sexual light shows on the tendrils to lure in smaller fish and confuse bigger whales by swiming fast and flicker them in patterns.
>>19125078Oooh, pretty lights...It's so beautiful...I feel... happy!I wanna touch it.
>>19125153Wait, where's it going?Come ba-a-a-ack!It must want to play! :D
>>19125162OH SWEET JESUS CHRIST ON A POGO-STICK!EMPEROR PRESERVE US!
>>19125153Don't take me wrong, I'd watch the hell out of a movie about a bloat floating around being chill, but between the ravesharks, the spinebacks, the horror insects and the inevitable spiky death at the hands of a featherscale, Pixar may not be the right choice for this.
>>19125172OH GOD, IT'S GOT MY LEG!THE PAIN!MAKE IT STOP!> Fin.Raveshark Attack, starring Fred the Fish, Bob the Other Fish, and a unionized Raveshark. No animals were harmed in the making of this waste of time.
>>19125036>>19124974Alright, eco, I've got the wiki section all set up for you. Apologies for getting distracted and taking so long on that particular thing.
>>19125183True, true. The movie I had in mind would probably be something hosted by David Attenborough. I grew up on nature/science shows on public television, and he's the equivalent of a grognard when it comes to that sort of thing. You kids today are spoiled with your Morgan Freeman-narrated penguin movies!
>>19124625I just noticed something, would the Steppes Aspargus be in the savannah or the plains? I'm asking, because you have assigned a lot of critters/plants that mostly lived in or around the steppes to the northern Savannah, while geographically, it seems they should be in the grassy plains. Am I reading the map wrong here or did the forms of life more adapted to life in the cold recede northwards along with it?
>>19125226
>>19125290I love you and wish to have your babies. I don't give a FUCK if it's homo...
>>19125264technically there would still be steppes they'd be between the tundra and short grasslands further south and fairly close.
>>19125264> life more adapted to life in the cold recede northwards along with itPretty much. I would imagine their specialization for cold weather cost them in areas where such adaptations weren't so vitally necessary as they were during the Ice Age.
>>19125329that'd be the basic principle it's the reason why animal such as Musk ox remain far north they were an Ice age species that over specialized and have payed for it.
>>19125329>>19125334I just thought that the mountains to the north would be a considerable obstacle to such a migration, but okay, thanks for clearing that up you two.>>19124625To deal with the dry climate of the northern regions, the Steppes Asparagus pumps less and less water into its thick, fleshy leaves, making the loss of them less life threatening, but also slowing down its capability of photosynthesis considerably. Its main source of nutrition is now any organic matter the Barkworm can carry into the corpus.
>>19125409Well, do not forget, the Asparagus Tree family seeds via the wind, it wouldn't be impossible for some to blow to an area past the mountains.Failing that, when Fortune was a salty swamp, the air was much more humid, and the tree could have climbed up the now-hospitable mountains, spreading to the north.
The burrowind snakes develop large, sensitive ears to make up for their lack of sight. This grants them a rudimentary form of sonar, as well as allowing them to communicate using verbal calls.
During the era of saline rich swamps several vampire lily species were brought into them. In the ages following where the swamp lands have slowly pulled back they have been forced to adapt, no long ocean going the benign lily rises through the wet soil as a form of tree, its once paralytic root hairs have formed a fibrous sheath. It's large leaves now parasol like they cast a shadow from well over forty feet in the air. Nestled among its roots rotting organic matter feeds the plant vital nutrients by using its once potent acid in a milder form. slowly speeding up the decaying process and enhance soil quality where ever they rise. Benign lilly once a year drop nut like seeds, each about the size a walnut these seeds settle into the rich soil and await their chance to sprout, often for years at a time. Sensitive to ambient soil temperature they wait till their parent tree has fallen over before growing often appearing years after the last seed has fallen.
>>19125579Wow, I continue to be impressed by your creations. That said, you know I opened the wiki up for you, right? The section labeled (Non-playable) is free and open for you to add these to, if you wish.
>>19125624I would if I knew how lol that said, Any area I should focus on right now?
>>19125650Well, the rainforest/jungle could always use more trees, as could the wildwood, but actually, the lichen from part 4 needs a description. I'll post the description here and I'll have you decide how it dealt with the changes to the climate."After eons of unchanging, the Red Lichen has evolved slightly... to infest new hosts. Gardenbacks, Demolishers, and any other animal that accidentally brushes up against it and can't scrape the resulting colony off gets a slow-growing parasite vampirizing it. The most common victim are Gardenbacks."The "victim" species are not set in stone, feel free to change as you see fit/scientifically consistent.Also, lookin' through the old thread, I realized I completely forgot about your other plants. My bad, I'll put 'em in the background species.
A relative of the Spineroot, this plant is a Desert native, developed from the same stock. Unlike it's mobile cousin it remains very stationary. At first glance little more than a small viney plant comprised of tough green waxy leaflets. This plant is once of the first true natives to the desert. Using similar compounds as the resin of its forebears it covers the leaves in a moisture trapping wax that protects and conserves waters. Forming Dense mats crawling spikes will periodically shed their leaves in as a new layer grows over top, forming a layer of protective Humus, This Humus is a secondary measure to save moisture which it's roots have worked long and hard to pull from deep below Fortunes soil, tapping aquifers hidden away for eons. Crawling spikes get their name for their distinct Flowers, these tall narrow flowers are a yellow color and stink of rotting meet draw desert ticks to them. The ticks become covered in pollen before roaming abroad on animals that come to chew on the leaves for moisture and nutrition. When an animal roams to another plant the ticks will fall off depositing pollen on it and picking more up. The seeds of the plant are very small little more than burs that cling to hair or flesh with a tenacious grip these travel along with their host till they are shed off or removed.
>>19125741happens and alright *cracks knuckles*This lichen is not a true lichen, rather it is a form of fungal life. Like many members of this is a non vascular plant. Rather than relying on rocks to slowly gain calcium ions and other vital compounds it instead has begun to cling to the mobile rich sources of minerals. Primarily demolishers and aquabeasts. There are several species of lichen that do this, each a distinct color and feeding on a distinct nutrient from the shells alongside the living tissue rich with water. Vampiric lichen does however live mostly on Rock faces like it's ancestors, providing a source of soil as the ages go by.
>>19125820I just realized I contradicted myself. >This lichen is not a true lichen, rather it is a form of fungal life. Like many members of this is a non vascular plant.* A member of the Lichen family it more closely resembles many forms of parasitic fungi. However it is still a non-vascular plant.
The Equatorial Jungles are the epicenter of life on Fortune, no other region has this one's biodiversity or biodensity. Another thing the jungles have in spades? Colour, vibrant, brilliant colours are everywhere you look around in the jungles, flowers, trees, animals, bright patterns and gorgeous hues adorn hundereds of the jungle's species.The jungle is wet and humid, and almost an inch of rain per month is not unheard of here. Earth's best analogue is likely the Amazon and the rainforests of the Carribean.> Jungle FaunaBarkworm, Blind Burrowing, Rainbow Blimpie, Smiler, Piranha Fly, Proboscis Scorpion, Saltback, Skullroot, Deathmasque, Snow Tick,> Asparagus Tree, Common Bluegrass, Salt Cacti
>>19126031needs more rain. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_average_rainfall_in_the_Amazon_Basin
>>19126031Then it shall be retconned to about 72in/year. I want to leave the Amazon its throne, partly because I don't want Fortune to be naught but "it's Earth, but BIGGAR, lulzorz" or "Earth: Extreeeme".Some of Fortune is more intense than Earth habitats, some less, some about the same.
The smiler evolves markings used to scare off predators, most prominently around its mouth, resembling large teeth.
>>19122066Looks a bit wonky from the side but oh well.To help them tear food into more manageable chunks the shogun walrus has re-developed facial tusks from dormant genes (or somesuch). The tusks are like hard rubber with a sharp point, good for soft things but not much else.
>>19126352
>>19123701Hey Fortunebro, here's that picture I promised last night/this morning for the Savannah's Wild Herb.
>>19126430Thanks, mon. And thanks to everyone else who's been posting, keep it up.
>>19126365not sure if it has it yet or not but: Gel walrus's begin to compartmentalize, creating a rudimentary form of hydraulic muscle. Each 'limb' is a gel filled mass able to squeeze and contract allowing for more able movement. This also has the benefit of allowing for more survivability should a portion of their body get punctured effectively allowing them to jettison a limb.
>>19126595I don't think they were able to be punctured as such as they were essentially skinless jelly so I don't know about "more survivability". However, hydraulic muscle and more mobility sounds good.
>>19126747fair enough I figured they had some sort of protective membrane given they are possibly very dead through molds and fungi
>>19126765They'd eat the mold and fungi at this point. But thinking about it I think they need to re-develop a mouth of some sort before a membrane seeing as how they eat through the skin.
>>19126787not necessarily, we've found evidence of fungi and bacteria living in phs close to one which is saying stronger than stomach acid(2) also, they could vacuolize their food and shove it into a small pocket that breaks it down, not unlike amoeba do.
>>19126869Keep in mind their stomach acid can melt rock. Do you know about their two-chambered stomachs and how that works? If that can work with the vacuoles then it should be fine.
>>19126956fully aware of that, really what itwould allow them to do is to store food particles in their body, also they must need a metric ton of sulfur to do any sort of acid that or some other highly soluble compound for this sort of enzymatic activity. I It' would also allow them to weight themselves down which may be a constant issue for them as well. They'd be a fairly water heavy animal yes but, they'd need to keep well hydrated which during the ice age would be sorta easy they'd most likely be a strictly coastal animal as well..>sorry ecology mode kicked on
>>19124718The Dwarf Chomper loses nearly all of its snout, its eyes shrink, and its face becomes increasingly wrinkled in order to protect its eyes while digging.As it adapts to survive everywhere that bluegrass can be found, their back legs begin developing the same proto-hooves as their front, protecting their feet in all environments.
>>19127273to continue, they most likely are saline at least till they reach sufficient mass, the extra salt will add density and also allow for it to NOT freeze solid given it is most definitely ectothermic. They'd also want an acid that works at a lower temprature given their origins and would probably naturally be secreting compounds to ensure their tissues remained at a fairly stable if slightly more acidic PH balance. Any 'mouth' they may have is probably a form of macro-vacule that slurp up food slurry into. Their stomachs are also of the same design though have taken on a more specialized purpose. The big question is where the hell are they getting energy from? Chemetrophs need heat these don't they're some sort of sulfur based reaction chain most likely though the question remains just what sort of energy cycle they follow for it.
>>19127319So I just compared these guys to the original bull chompers, and honestly, they were downright handsome before compared to what they are now. On the other hand, they don't look quite as smug anymore. I'm contemplating making a profile base of them, the current one makes it difficult to play with their limb lenght/structure without some cheating.Anyway, I really think we should start splitting threads by region starting with the next, especially if the continents drift further apart. At the risk of seeming too similar to other evo games, I just can't see some of the critters climbing out of obscurity unless there's less choice all at once. The abyss and Volcano island would also make fun environments to have threads on.
>>19127319
>>19127489agreed there's also the practicality of things, its hard to cover a whole planet at once, because well. Planets are BIG. Super continents limit diveristy to an extent but even then there's an upper limit to human processing power.
Clearly the gel walrus is a source of infinite energy.I dunno, the way I see it the walrus basically uses everything it eats and it eats just about anything it can. They eat the dirt, snow and ice under them was they walk and rest and the only reason they walk is to seek out plants and carrion.
>>19127544>plants and carrions>Bueno.pngAnd there's the energy source, they're powered by rot. They suck down plant and carrion matter and whatever else will provide sulfur and methane! The gasses lend themselves to burning but also are a fairly high order energy source and not all that off from how many bacteria derive energy. This would just be on a larger scale is all.
>>19127539Good lord, i just realised how fucking creepy the eyes turned out.>>19127541Yeah, there's only so much you can fluff away with background species and the planet being smaller before you run into way too many species being available at once without a really diverse ecosystem emerging out of them. If we run it by continents/regions we can keep it in the range of 10-15 species to begin with, and people won't have to worry about splitting off species because of practical reasons. Not to mention it'll help expand on less explored biomes such as the Abyss and other ocean regions.>>19127583So it breaks down organic matter into the acid it needs to eat other matter?
>>19127634Yes it does in fact eat. not much as a normal animal would but enough the mineral supplements act to provide enzymes to make their digestive compounds more effective and also up their internal salinity.
>>19127634as well as the energy it would need to maintain it's body. There's a given amount of calories that any living thing needs otherwise it starves. They'd be no different really and need that energy to maintain their bodies just like anything else
>>19126595The gel walrus have developed more "muscular" calves that allow for short distance sprints. They have begun to hunt live game to make up for the energy consumption. Because they gathered in groups to eat, they now form packs to help them hunt (because it's easier than doing it alone). They attempt surround larger prey, shooting acid at the face and limbs to incapacitate it, even goring it with its tusks if it gets close.
>>19127539My brother is visiting and now I have to explain to him why the Hell I'm laughing like a hyena.>>19127273>apologisingOh no, don't apologise. I'm learning more from you than I ever did in school in the subject.>>19127489> splitting threads by regionOkay, this is getting more than a *little* creepy. That's exactly what I was planning on doing, and the reasons for doing it? Those were all my internal justifications for doing it, and the reasons I was going to list for the change. How do you keep guessing as to my plans before I ever announce them?You're not just guessing the general idea here, you're getting really specific details.For thy wizardry, I dub thee, "Fortune Teller". No doubt you see what I did there, you seem to see everything else.
>>19127583Whew, for a second I thought someone was going to suggest Gel Walruses were the source of entropy or something (now I've done it).>>19127812I thought their tusks were rubbery, did this adaptation also include hardening them?I can't help but imagine them surrounding a critter, body slamming it with their blubbery selves (like an elephant seal) and then sitting on the corpse (since their mouth is under the tail).
>>19128137That mouth is gone man, been gone since early last thread, they eat through the skin. The tusks are rubbery but it's much harder than the gel on the rest of the body and comes to a fine point (as fine as rubber gets), they were made to tear chunks of meat off dead bodies pretty much. So if a walrus the size of a truck sprints at you with them I imagine it can do damage, not usually fatal but still.
If it makes you feel better, now that I think about it; they would still sit on top of a creature to eat it since they'd want to cover as much of it as possible.
>>19128322I like to think they can accept "food" through any part of their body but the area their old mouths were in is the most accepting, perhaps thinner membrane. They could do with SOME protection on top.
>>19128322Mouth's been gone since *last* thread? D'oh! Clearly, "read every post" does not mean "remember every post. Apologies.
>>19127812The walrus now has a more elongated "snout" to better help them both better aim where they sneeze acid and shoot it further. The tusks have changed somewhat to help them avoid stubbing their snout if they charge something.
>>19128004You know how it is, gotta be a bit of a fortune teller when you're guiding evolution.Also, I just fished this, no pun intended, out of my images folder, I'm pretty sure this dates way back to the first thread.
What about the neo serpent that got frozen?And the spiders? I cant find the spiders on the wiki page
>>19125557The burrowing snake's hearing develops further, as it becomes capable of hearing pitches no other creatures are currently capable of. It develops a tube-like structure on its top lip used to produce hooting noises. The primary use for this is to be used for more advanced sonar, however, a secondary use is defensive - when a potentially dangerous carnivore enters burrowing snake territory, the first snake to notice begins producing repetitive hoots within a spectrum available to most of Fortune's population. This simultaneously warns other snakes, who will retreat to the safety of their burrows and pick up the hooting as well, and it also scares off most predators, as the haunting, repetitive hoots begin to reverberate from the multiple openings of their tunnels. The nights of Fortune fill up with the howls of snake packs.
>>19120182massive spine crest grows. is armor, protects against sun, acts as cooling rods for increased activity.
Though many Gel walrus have become giant moving blobs of jelly several species of 'micro walrus' have arisen. Staying true to their scavenger roots these small capraphogists are found in humid climates feeding on decaying matter and rarely growing very large, the largest member of the genus weighing in at a mere twenty pounds. Coloration is the usual brilliant pink of their forebears though they have lost their hairs, several species have even become water born, living on the muddy bottoms of lakes.
>>19128833Question, what happens if the common walrus happens upon a smaller variety and wants to eat it?
>>19128902Same as what happens if a common walrus happens upon * and wants to eat it.
>>19119900After a millienia of hunting, the spearfishing crab has developed very strong muscles on its upper arm. These muscles in addition to finely tuned reflexes allow the crab to catch prey very effectively. Still, not only have their muscles grown. In order to catch larger prey, the spearfishing crab has almost doubled in size.
>>19128930But if the smaller walruses have essentially the same makeup, surely they would be resistant to eachother's acid? How do they interact, does the larger walrus need to have stronger acid, or can they eat them without dissolving them because they're basically jelly?
>>19128818Oh that is awesome, that last line gave me chills, just imagining it.>>19128821Would you mind going into further detail? How do bony spikes act as cooling rods?I've recently come to a realization regarding the Demolisher. It's the biggest baddest mo'fo around, why the hell would it need spikes on its back? Creatures usually develop spikes to avoid being eaten, but there's nothing big or suicidal enough to threaten a Demolisher. I came up with an explanation (though I still need to add it to the wiki) but it was a retcon in many ways, explaining the spikes after the fact.
>>19128981I'd imagine they'd just squish them, that or because they're just smaller sacks of jelly they'd be viewed with little interest. Sorta like if you had the option between a buffet and eating yourself
>>19128981>>19128981I can only assume the smaller walrus is weaker and has less potent acid.Keep in mind the Shogun walrus have two stomach chambers. The primary one is full of acid strong enough to burn even it, which is why it's insulated with a strong membrane. The second chamber has a weaker acid and is used to distribute nutrients dissolved by the first.
>>19128931It occurred to me that I never specified how big a Beach Crab is. Now that they've doubled in size, this is how big they are.
>>19129419Jesus, how horrifying.
>>19129419You should make an image with all the creatures next to each other at appropriate scale.
>>19129393not necessarily, due to it's size it might be able to concentrate it's enzyme action more effectively for the same cost. Rendering it on a similar footing even though it's smaller. Think of it this way, if you have put food coloring into a large container versus a small one, which will take more to get to the same color?
>>19129439Maybe, for now I have a bunch of human silhouettes that I can quickly copy/paste onto the images of the animals if there's ever a question of scale.
>>19129460really all you need it one and then just line them up on a size chart sorta like how they do profile heights.
>>19129508True but that takes a *long* time to make and, a the sizes I'd need (especially with the freaking Demolisher) it'd be a big enough image to slow my framerate to a crawl (you would not believe how big the "Ultimate Evolution Tree" got before I realized I would have to do it in pieces.
>>19129541not really, Any tree that follows life will get huge fast its why we have taxonomic keys.
>>19129620Ah true. Poor Linnaeus.Can't believe I spelled that right the first time. All thanks to getting bored in biology and skipping ahead in the textbook.
>>19128499The increased movement from hunting has left the walrus slimmer and given it stronger legs. It can now sprint for longer distances (not too long but still). They can even make small leaps, throwing their full weight into their prey and usually stunning it.
>>19129683I can only imagine it feeling like being hit by a giant water balloon. Which raises another question just how adverse are these things to being cut open? I mean they don't have blood, but even if its jelly its sorta what they're made out of it can't feel good losing it.
>>19129419Funny, that's how I imagined them before they doubled. Scary stuff.Also, can I get a scale reference for gardenbacks?
>>19129713I've sort of imagined their skin being like leather, a pouch or a fleshy sack full of fluid. I would imagine if punctured they may not feel pain, but they'd lose any and all locomotive capability and eventually starve.
I imagine that the gel is a very viscous fluid. Any punctures and tears fill with the fluid and close themselves, healing fairly quickly. I also imagine they can give up mass to heal any major fluid losses in the hydraulic muscles or even regrow lost limbs. Lack of mobility wouldn't strictly cause them to starve because they could simply eat the ground under them until they regain enough mass to function.
Assuming they haven't undergone any major size changes here's a size comparison for funsies.
>>19129736Certainly, my good man.
>>19129884Christ, they're much bigger than I thought.
>>19129937And they hunt in packs.
>>19129829the thing is unless that ground is loaded with proteins and sugars it's not gonna really do anything, they are a living organism that is not autotrophic they need some sort of energy base to work from. Given they're extensively amoeba they doe need things like proteins, sugars and lipids. perhaps more so given their viscous makeup. they can and most likely, frequently do starve. You also run into the issue of Hyraulics if they're too gel like it won't be able to move, if they're too watery they won't be able to support themselves. It's a very fine balance really they'd have to maintain.
>>19129994Well that's the miracle of the Shogun walrus. If they couldn't survive off eating dirt they wouldn't be able to in the first place.
Well, I'll have to get going for today, then timezones, mang. Gonna try and whip up a profile pic of the dwarf chomper tomorrow.
>>19130041They violate thermodynamics?
>>19130077Alright, catch you later, Stooge.
I keep thinking blimpies should be bigger for some reason. How big is the Demolisher our of curiosity?
>>19130418Probably too big in all honesty. I'll assume we have a planet that is relatively young and rich enough to sustain large scale creatures. Also I've run into a complete roadblock with the Skullroots. No idea why just sort of a writers block I suppose. That and the lack of artistic ability is killing me right now.
>>19130418When we began, it was the size of a schoolbus. Although, as they got leaner, I'm imagining them getting slightly smaller thought they're still likely the biggest thing on Fortune.
>>19130537ya know, they really need a herbivorous strain running around, seriously that big we need some sort of herd beast
>>19130603They've been carnivorous for a LONG time. It'd have to be a change to omnivorous then to carnivorous, I'd say it'd have to be a change that takes over 5 posts at least.Actually, eco, is that even possible to go from carnivore to herbivore or is it a one-way street?That's something I wanted to mention, earlier you guys were giving them two or more features in a post. I don't mean to be a buzzkill but I did ask for one change per one creature per post, and that these changes be gradual. Maybe I'm overstepping my bounds here (who knows, maybe you guys think I'm too nice), but I thought it needed to be said.
>>19130629That was me, forgot my name.Also, have a picture I tried uploading back when pics weren't taking.
>>19130629its actually fairly common, at least in some kinds of fauna, the thing is there needs to be that gap, that slght chance of it. Most birds are actually omnivores though some side to being granivores or insectivores more than the other. Theres also strong evidence that several kinds of Therepoda(t-rex and its ilk) were at points herbivores. switching between the too does take time for sure but, it's plausible if not possibly a common occurence.
>>19130663Oh, well, open mouth insert foot then, I guess.
>>19130686hey, you didn't know, many people assume that A carnivore is forever a carnivore and generally sorta kinda yeah at least in mammals. But, these are closer to the mammal like reptiles of yore which were far more diverse in their diet.
>>19130710I guess I just assumed that once an animal becomes a carnivore, gaining energy through other animals, why go back to getting energy in the inefficient manner of plant matter?Yeah, actually, you could even make the case that some of them are amphibians, though they aren't water-breathers. I say amphibians because none of them have developed scales or anything.All that said, I doubt life on another world would care much for our taxonomy. Hell, we've got endothermic crustaceans, for goodness sake (Snow Crab).
>>19130762true, and really all depends nature is a wanton bitch that likes to make things weird and crazy. A given species will adapt to fill a niche and exploit it. Eating meat is actually not as effcient in some senses because you need to invest energy into hunting down prey first instead of just grabbing plants. It's there's a niche it will be filled.
In all honesty, I think the game needs a bit of conflict. With no challenge, there would be little point of evolution. Once that's beeen reached, then the only thing left to do is to evolve a bigger brain...>>19128931Spearfishing crab learn to carve out bigger dead dried logs of the asparagus tree into boats in order to go further out in the water, using their sticky string as a life line to pull them back to shore.
>>19130854ah but life is the conflict, predation and defensive mechnisms these are the great shields and swords of life, they duel across time to reach a boiling point. In evolution there is always an arms race going on to beat the other, to exploit the better niche to do better than other species. Nature is war my anon
>>19130806> nature is a wanton bitchAmen. Mother Nature is a bitch, so's her sister Karma. That said, Karma's a freak in bed.>>19130854> developing tools and intelligence in a single postThe Emperor is most displeased.No, no, no, no, no, two developments, and both of them should take way more than a single post to develop. Sorry man. (not actually mad, worry not)>>19130910That was beautiful, well said.
Here's the real question. Do you think a pack of gel walruses could take a demolisher?
>>19130854I wouldn't call this tool use perhaps they start out by using floating logs instead?
I was in the thread this originated from, but I've missed all others. Which one of these evolved from the pinkies?Also: This is beautiful.
>>19130985Ehem Whoever wins, we lose.
>>19131021The walrus.
>>19131033Awww yeaaah!>>19131021Rock Slugs, Stingers, Shogun Walrus, and Tentacle Leech.Great to have you back. We have a 1d4chan page now, feel free to peruse it, it would feed my ego (plus I spent a week making it, *somebody* besides me should take a look).> http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Triumph_of_Spring_(Fortune:_Evolution_Game)
>>19130945Sorry, I tend to over shoot XDIt could start off with the crabs sitting on logs, but drifting off to far from the shore and never being seen again. One day, a crab thinks 'why not tie a line to the shore?' Funny- the crabs were the Fortune's first farmers, the first cannibals, and the first sailors.
>>19131132its a crab eat crab world anyways puns aside you could also see them doing the same on river banks where they ride about on logs just sorta doing their crabby thing.
>>19131132> First farmersAh, somebody noticed.> First cannibalsMaybe?> First SailorsNot yet.>>19131171I dunno, there just not intelligent yet, I dunno how they would work that out. I'm stuck between keeping some sort of status quo and stepping on others' toes.
>>19131229luck of the draw, Roll to see or just flip a coin tool use is common in the animal world they may just be mimicking something they say.
>>19131278Sounds like a good idea, plus we haven't had a roll in a while.Alright, "That one guy", gimme a 1d10.
>>19131309On it!dice+1d10
rolled 5, 1 = 6Here we go...
rolled 2 = 2Wait, wrong dice
Two... let's see.For now, they are not smart enough.A single crab scuttle across the beach. He looks across the horizon, scanning for any signs of a potential meal. The crustacean is well equipped for such a task. A hooked claw atop its back, and a stringy lure for a tongue, like bait. His method was simple. Drop the "lure" in, pull it out, and spear the prey before it realized its mistake. Easy. The crab had done it a thousand times before on a thousand sunny days such as this.Except today there were no fish. The beach was quiet. Rainbow Blimpies flew silently, for the most part, only a soft trumpeting coo now and again was all that ever alerted one to their presence.All that lay on the beach was a piece of driftwood. Well, obviously nothing there. Wait... splashing from inside the log. Splashing? Fish? Food for the brood yet to hatch, currently guarded by his mate? Yes, splashing means food. This is what his instincts told him, *assured* him.(field too long, continued)
>>19131621Inside the log was a beached fish. Excellent. He didn't even have to catch it. The crab made its way over to the log. The hollow tube echoed strangely, making the splashes sound alien to its ears.As it prepared to spear the fish, it missed, bumping the log, just as the tide has started to roll in.Moving. Why was he moving, why was the log moving?The crab saw that the log was no longer on the beach, it was out to sea, on top of the water. The crab panicked. It couldn't know it, but its ancestors once lived their entire lives in the water, but this Spearfisher Crab was no swimmer.Thankfully for the panicking crustacean, the same tide that had swept it out brought a wave that pushed the log in, back onto land.The stressed crab grabbed its prize, terrified by its experience. Fish may be in water, but he was not to go in, the great blue was for food, it was not for walking.----Yes, little crab, you are not a swimmer. But fish are. There are two ways to hunt. You must find the prey or lure it to you. The Spearfishers had, for a million years done the latter, the way of the lure, the way of the trap.Perhaps one day, the crab's ancestors would connect the dots, attempt the way of the hunter. If you cannot bring the prey to you, you must go to it.For now though, there is a hungry mother crab waiting for our hero, and she will eat well today.
>>19130537Exscuse my terribad art. A strain of Demolisher has started to developed more fused teeth as well as a longer gut. This has allowed it to digest more fibrous meals such as the Salt cacti for their sodium compounds as well as rock and gravel to make up for micro nutrients it may have missed. Largely carnivorous still it has edged ever so slightly towards omnivorousness.
>>19131753Can't really be a carnivore with NO sharp teeth, put some canines on that bad boy.
>>19128821marauder grows slightly stronger neck muscles and a denser spine top coat, i saw some concerns about the creature. here they are: its fucking huge and eats everything. no, no, just fuckin with ya. Really, after fortune said that there are many creatures that just arent documented i figured that the spineback ate other large creatures, as well as smaller prey. Keep in mind its a reptilian mammel, so its only at its peak operational capability when its hungry, otherwise its dormant, and resting, during that time it is vunerable so it needs proteciton. During the endless winter its kind would dig into the snow a bit with only their back exposed. the same holds true now, but with dirt. I also imagine the more active predator chompers would attempt to take it down, swarm, and work there way under the armor plates to tear them off. finally on size: thinner, taller, and a little more slender, more of a shifting of mass, then a loss of mass. oh also on the swarming thing, they have that greasy thing going on too, but there are no old spine backs. nature has no kindness, and that body gets slow and heavy in old age, it hurts to move, it makes you weak, too slow and tired to hunt, and then the smaller predators which were once food come, and settle in, they work, and pry, and pull...even though it is wished for, death does not come easy. you were not made easy to kill. this is the death of all spinebacks not killed in their prime. at least the arctic variety has a chance for a quiet death buried in the snow, forgotten amongst the drifts.
>>19131879actually not all carnivores have canines, It's moving aways anyways. Most likely preffering things like crabs which are shelled and already need some force to break apart as it.
>>19131753It's not terribad. That's more than adequate.For the future, Fortunates, here's how I see it going down, when you evolve, it's obviously representing the passage of time. In my head, I'm imagining one post as representative of 100,000 years of change.Maybe it should be more, maybe it should be less. Think of the changes that could occur in 100,000 years. Actually, I need to refresh my memory on that one myself.
>>19131915really you cant set any definite time period species grow and change at varying rates. REally I'd say each thread for right now is its own epoch lasting through a few hundred thousand years, the adapations here are what occured over that time period
>>19131904Actually more likely, the smallest killers will take them. Injuries from previous battles get infected and well...they die. This is the most common death of the large predators they're bodies get so damn beat up they are infected or die of something or other.
>>19131953Yeah, true. Disregard that, Fortunates. I take back what I said. Posts have no definite timeframe. Business as usual.I suppose I shouldn't mess with a good thing. People are enjoying the game, I'm enjoying the game, why fix what's working here?
>>19131904Oh god, that's so tragic...
rolled 9 = 9>>19130854Spearfisher crabs, while fish are scarce, will hunt down rainbow blimpies, being easily identifiable with their already adapted eyes.
>>19131904just a little creature R&D talk: going for some massive crushing and snapping jaws, further coverage of the spines down its back...eventually going for some sort of leaping, running, murderous hyena quill beast thing.oh Fortune, i want to ask this of you first before i go anywhere. you by now know i love the insane and over the top, but i want to make another creature. you see...a crab. yes, a crab..but i want to evolve it to become a predator. yes...yes...but get to the point you say. Look, i want to make humpers, but i want them to be viable. they attack a creature by leaping onto it then thrusting it to death with its centrally located horn. attached is a prototype.
>>19132313> hump it to deathHave you been reading Snaiad?
>>19132376 I do not know what this is, but if it has that, then its gold. also can i get commentary from ecologyfag
>>19132496It's an evolutionary project by a Turkish artist named Nemo Ramjet. It's a lot like what we're doing here, except all with one guy. There is a breed of creature with horns on their pelvis, and they use these to gore prey. The colonists of the alien planet they're on have taken to calling the genus "Fuckers".I do worry though, that this is more of a joke creature than anything else. That'd be my main concern.That, and what would cause the creature to reorganize it's entire fucking skeleton to do something like this? You gotta give *reasons* for the changes. You can't just give it dragon-breath and call it a day, well, you can, but what I'd like here is explanation, rationalization. These changes should be in response to environmental factors, you can make up these factors if you wish (say, a disease kills off its prey, so the creature migrates to a new climate. this new climate shapes the creature into something else) but I'd rather not just *grant* a critter an "upgrade".I'm not trying to be Mr. No-Fun, I promise.
The shogun walrus now has the ability to use non-dragon fire breath. Their reason? Justice.
>>19130854SO BE IT! the crab has seen the path to greatness, and it involves standing up for itself...literally. the fucker gets taller to observe its terrain better, watch for predators...and wade into shallow waters without drowning to catch fish. like a boss.
Alright, I've got to head to bed, so I'll see all you fine, upstanding ladies and gentlemen tomorrow.Nighttime bump, sweet dreams, folks.
>>19123701>Wild Herb (Evolution of Wild Herb)>Lives in the Great Northern SavannahThe Wild Herb takes off like a weed in the temperate weather of the Northern Savannah. It has much less need to store nutrients or water in its bulb and sheds much of that structure in favor of a deeper and wider root system (which allows one plant to propagate itself much more readily by budding off new plants from those wide-ranging roots). Its fungal symbiote, of course, loves the change as it gives it more surface area to cling to and grow amongst.>And now for 10000 hours in MSPaint
>>19134459>Wild Herb (Evolution of Wild Herb)>Lives in the Great Northern SavannahThe Wild Herb's roots continue to sprawl, with its many tiny root hair growing longer to penetrate deeper in the earth in the hunt for ever more water and nutrition, This produces a ridiculous tangle of roots underground which helps the plant choke out its competitors, such as its ancestor the Alpine Herb.
>>19124711Making the most of their salty diet, the Saltback frogs eyes have changed to crystaline compound eyes, offering superior all around view to spot predators.
>>19134625>Wild Herb (Evolution of Wild Herb)>Lives in the Great Northern SavannahThe dense tangle of roots grows ever more elaborate as it continues to provide individual Wild Herbs plants with more competitive benefits compared to its neighbors. Quite by accident, roots growing towards each other start connecting and then forming redundant looping paths. With the various large stomping, digging, rooting, and otherwise damaging animals in the Savannah, this provides a slight edge via redundancy. A cut root is no longer so much lost material, it keeps providing nutrients for the herb via secondary and tertiary pathways.
>>19134643>Wild Herb (Evolution of Wild Herb)>Lives in the Great Northern SavannahWhile in the past the Wild Herb reproduced by budding off new bulbs from its root system, now the tangles of roots from neighboring plants are fusing together. This connects two separate organisms together, letting them each use each other to feed and regrow after damage from the rapacious beasts of the Savannah. While this neighborly insurance can be something of a detriment to the clumps of Wild Herbs, it helps to ensure for each plant that it was a wide number of neighbors able to provide pollination to create new seeds.
>>19134683
>>19129906Is that all? Am i the only one who wants this?
>>19134705You can make it happen! the power of evolution is in your hands!>>19134683Speaking of which, I ran right into being stumped. My goal for this series of evolutions was to produce a Wild Herb megaflora of sorts, where the entire Savannah has an underlying gigantic network of roots and fungus that has turned what used to be a bunch of simple little bulby grasses into a massive thousand mile wide interconnected system where every Wild Herb is (or will soon be) connected to the rest. ...how on earth do I draw that? It was already getting kind of silly where I stopped.
>>19134747Well I need to get some sleep. If someone else wants to take a crack at evolving the Wild Herb (in that direction or some other interesting new one) go for it, and doodle a better picture than mine. I suck at art
>>19134705
>>19134705>>19134926> Wake up> See this> mon visage quand>>19134683> interconnected collective> sharing and distribution of rescourcesSo... the cousin of Boom Ginger is... Communist Ginger?>>19134633That's silly, I don't see how their eyes being turned into salt crystals allows for... > had thought right as I typedOh wait, it acts as a magnifying lens, but instead of being made of glass, it's made of salt. Telescopic vision, courtesy of sodium nitrate. Carry on, Agent. I like your style.
>>19128818The snakes ears further increase in size, increasing the range of hearing. They are flexible and fold back while the snake is tunnelling.
>>19135328
>>19134926>See this think back to work on Lenore aaaah how miss thee. At least this thread hasn't 404'd as I had feared. Anywho, to the ginger anon, it's perfectly plausible in fact that is the basics of Sod!
>>19135427I feel butt hurt that you are so impressed by a guy who took my work and changed the last image. He could atleast changed the text so that it made sense. I feel like the guy who says something funny and no one hears then the guy next to me says the same thing but louder and everyone laughs.
>>19135458it was a reference to both actions honestly, I just couldn't be arsed to go up one and click again. MY apolgies anon I did not mean to offend.
>>19135469Thanks! I forget that this is /tg/ we are all friends here.
>>19135490Not always, but we can certainly at least try. Carry the spirit of Mr. Rogers with you to all threads.
>>19134643The roots of herbs by themselves are vulnerable, growing alongside as a form of shield and sword. Their roots have become sheathed with a form of Lichen. There string tissues helping to link together and provide nourishment to the various disparate plants. The steadily growing mass knitting together to form a harmonious single macro-organism. The lichen taking nutrients from the roots to ensure its growth also provides by breaking down mineral rich soil and filling it with rich humus like materials as well as holding water more readily.
The gel walrus, a majestic creature of the land of Fortune seems to be perhaps, at first glance an anomaly. It has no skeleton nor for that matter sensory or really any organs to speak of. A simplified animal it moves with all the ambulatory grace of jello. The beasts internal chemistry is also rather novel, sitting firmly in the acidic levels it posses a stomach capable digesting some of the softer stones(lime, calcite, and sources of sulfur.) The reasoning for this is strictly for the balance of internal chemistry without the consumption of mineral supplements they would rapidly fall apart eaten away by their own acids. Closer inspection reveals them to a colonial organism comprised of several hundred species of fungi, bacteria and even plant. Working in concert they allow the beast to live. Feeding on carrion from which they create the basic compounds they need, breaking down organic matter for energy they are perhaps the single strangest beast.
>>19135683Locomotion is achieved vying rudimentary muscles, viscous ichor which is their primary tissue is squeezed and compressed in various 'limbs' allowing them to move instead of roll. This ichor, their blood if you will. Is roughly on par with citric acid, their defensive fluids located in a specialized stomach closer and more akin to batter acid.
>>19135683>>19135712I read it all in the voice of Attenborough.But you've done it, by the might of the blessed technobabble you have made the Gel Walrus plausible sounding. I love the bacteria that aid in its composition, a lot like the bacteria in human stomachs, no?Once again, ecofag, you blend science & imagination with exceeding skill.
>>19135772just doing what I do fortune, I figured we needed a baseline for it and it follows the basics of what has been layed out and remains thoroughly plausible. It should at least at first glance hold up under inspection. It's still unpalatable but, has an acidic body that won't impede its cells from working, has a source of energy and a reason to have stone melting acid though if only to reclaim materials to ensure it doesn't fall apart at the seams, the plant and fungal components explain how it developed hair as well.
I must say, Fortune, you're very thorough with your file naming>>19135334The burrowing snakes develop more powerful jaws in order to more easily consume roots, in particular Savannah specimens, who begin to thrive on the roots of the wild herbs.With the abundance of food and the possibility for larger packs, they develop their vocal communication more, at first just the Savannah-dwellers, but it alter spreads onto other populations. Their horn increases slightly in size and significantly in complexity, growing a large number of contracting muscles making it possible to exert a larger range of sounds. They develop mating calls, specialized warning calls, begin using them to display aggression, and most interestingly, begin howling for seemingly no reason besides self enjoyment. Singing becomes a group activity for them, largely a competition of who has the loudest and most frequent hoots, though occasionally a sense of coherence almost emerges from the cacophony...
>>19135854I kind of *have* to be, pic related it's my main pictures folder. It's... kind of bloated.Love the Howling Snake, it sounds so eerie. That was more than one change in a post but, as you all know, I am rather permissive if its written well.
>>19135945Gorram... forgot the picture. In a second I'll be posting another region, sorry for dropping to ball on that, seems I forgot about it between now, then, and real life.
The Meadowed Plains are a large expanse of grasses and wildflowers in the shadow of the Middle Mountains. It is lush, green, and comfortabley cool, with an average temperature of 60 degrees Farenheit, but rarely going over 75 even in the height of summer.Meadows (as ecologyfag has taught me) need some way of keeping wooded plants out, lest they turn into forests. On Earth, this is often provided by lightning, causing prairie-fires. For Fortune, this role is filled by the Boom Ginger. With its combustible method of reproduction, the Ginger is an absolute firestarter. While for most of the year, the meadows are too saturated with dew and other moisture for these micro-explosions to ever amount to much, in the height of summer, certain regions will dry out... just enough for a spark to take hold. These fires spread, though still rarely for more than a few miles at a slow burn. While it seems destructive it is this cycle of fire, provided by *millions* of Boom Gingers across the breadth of the continent allows the meadow to stay as green and lush as it does. Those grasses burnt in the flames help to make the plains a source of fertile soil, as rich as peat moss or compost.
>>19125078The Ravedragon continues to develop its light show resulting in more colors and more 'lamps.'
>>19136168The Ravedragon's 'beard' tendrils become a hood. This hood has been used in displays to attract mates, to protect its face, and to hide the lights as it approaches prey; throwing it open and dazzling prey with the lighted tendrils.
Well, Fortunates, I just had an interesting encounter. It may be a bit tl;dr, but I promise, I'm not turning this into my blog. It is related, and if you read to the end you'll see why.Exterminator came over, was checking the termite detectors he had installed the last time he was here. Took detector out of the ground, termites still inside, so we caught them before they got to the house.Also a bunch of ants inside. Ants were having a war with the termites, crawling on their backs and cutting off their heads with their ant-jaws. Exterminator and I watch, both with fascination. He gleefuly starts going into detail about the specific species of ant, the acrobat ant, why they're called that and how to identify them (it's the teardrop shaped abdomen). We talk about animals and biology. All I could think was one thing.Kindred spirit.
>>19136313Did the termites have a tube on the top of their heads that they could spray acid everywhere with?http://youtu.be/Xbqs7vfOIok
>>19136343Hahaha, that's *exactly* what was going through my mind as I watched it. Crazily enough, apparently, in these events, in real life, ants are way bigger than termites, and its almost always a one-sided battle (I've never even heard of termites winning). Hell, the exterminator mentioned that sometimes the ants keep the termites alive, lay a clutch of eggs near the termite mound, and when the baby ants hatch and reach adulthood they celebrate their first helping of solid food by eating the termite colony. Baby's first slaughter.
>>19136388Rewatching the video, Z asks his buddy "so these termites, pushovers, right?"Actually, yes. In real life, that's exactly what termites are for ants.
>>19136388I've heard of ants taking rival ant colonies and other insects prisoner to use as slave labor and food as needed. Never heard of them taking an entire colony hostage to use as a sort of proving ground for their young, though. Ants are fucking badass, yo. Like insectoid wolves.
>>19136429Actually, that's what prompted the exterminator to tell me that. I asked him the same thing. He said no, ants never use termites for slave labor, but they did do what I mentioned above.As for other ants as slave labor? I hadn't thought to ask about that, that's crazy. It's also crazy to re-watch that clip and think about how IRL, the odds and match-up are pretty much exactly opposite. It's the ants who are bigger and the ants who are the rape-train-with-no-breaks to the itty-bitty termites. But I've already said that, sorry for repeating myself.
>>19136429> proving groundThat wasn't the impression I got... what he said was "food". It's not a rite-of-passage, it's a buffet.
>>19136450No worries. I always thought that it was an accurate portrayal of a war between ants and termites since I first saw it; minus the termites spitting acid of course.
>>19136463So even the young have that much of an advantage over adult termites?
>>19136477Hell, there was even a detached head, though it was termite, still moving, it's jaws still snapping, moving its decapitated self across the surface in its death throes.
>>19136496I asked him that myself. Well, no, when they go on this "raid" the ants are full grown, they're *newly* adults, but still adults.
>>19136515I gotcha now. It's the ants first time feeding themselves rather than being dependant on another ant bringing them prepared food.And can you check these out and tell me if I'm doing everything right? They're my first contributions to Fortune and I wanna be sure I'm doing it right before i continue.
>>19136547Meant to link to these two posts:>>19136298>>19136168
>>19136547You're doing just fine, man. I'll only say something if I feel like it's "too much" or something. A lack of a reply doesn't mean I don't approve, quite the opposite, in fact. If you've read earlier posts (or even earlier threads) I'm pretty hands-off for the most part. I kind of just open the gates and say "go nuts".
>>19136718alright, cool
Heh, there are slave taking species in...I want to say south america, there's also a variety that farms fungi as well. Ants are quite fascinating animals really and I'm fucking glad they're not bigger.
>>19135945Haha, yeah, I should be more careful about that. I try to be gradual but sometimes it's tempting to pile on small changes.The dwarf chomper's digits begin to atrophy - they lose their toes entirely, and only keep hard, stubby remainders of their fingers used for digging.
>>19136911
>>19136298The hood webbing between the tendrils becomes larger. With this larger webbing, the Ravedragon is more capable of covering its head and attracting mates.
>>19136944Ghat danget, boobey.
>>19136027>Fruit-bearing Bluegrass>Evolved from Bluegrass>Found in: MeadowA strain of Bluegrass in the more humid regions of the meadow start sacrificing nutrients and water reserves normally put into growth of the body into growing numerous, small berries.These berries' sweet flavour and juicy innards encourage grazing animals to eat them before eating the stalks and roots of the plant itself; over time this swap allows the Fruit-bearing Bluegrass to grow continuously.
>>19136971>Fruit-bearing Bluegrass>Evolved from Fruit-bearing Bluegrass>Found in: MeadowThe Fruit-Bearing Bluegrass' ratio of effort put into growth leans further towards its berries; it becomes a short, bush-like plant covered in delicious fruit.
>>19136911>>19136937The structure of the dwarf chomper's legs and digits changes again, allowing for a more comfortable gait and more effective digging.Populations of dwarf chompers move to the meadows, specifically seeking out the fruit-bearing variety of bluegrass.By the way, fortune, you never delivered on the spineback getting drunk from ice shrubs and rampaging.
>>19137138>Fruit-bearing Bluegrass>Evolved from Fruit-bearing Bluegrass>Found in: MeadowMore berries!Also, the Fruit-bearing Bluegrass shifts from wind-borne seeds to pips within its berries, to become other bushes from piles of Dwarf Chomper droppings.
>>19129683The Shogun walrus has fully adapted its legs to running and jumping. They've slimmed down a bit as well. They can now run down most creatures and they tend to leap at larger prey, essentially body slamming them into submission.
>>19137246>Fruit-bearing Bluegrass>Evolved from Fruit-bearing Bluegrass>Found in: MeadowThe stalks of the Fruit-bearing Bluegrass retreat and focus on a central cluster of berries.Folded leaves grow around the outside of the berries which possess fine hairs along their length which, in turn, possess the pollen of the Fruit-bearing Bluegrass.When a Dwarf Chomper puts its face into a Fruit-bearing Bluegrass to feed on the berries, the leaves brush against it and leave pollen in its wrinkles; this pollen is transferred to the next Fruit-bearing Bluegrass.
>>19137314We've got some clever teamwork going here.Some snow ticks, finding themselves unable to reach the skin of a host covered in red lichen grow appendages used to clear it away.>Cleaner tick>Split off from snow tickAs their hosts begin to tolerate them in exchange for removing the lichen, cleaner ticks are able to spend more time on their hosts, losing the need to hibernate. They are able to plant their eggs in the fur of the host, making them largely safer.
>>19136952The Ravedragon's bioluminescence appears on the hood; allowing it to put on a display of many colors as it dazzles pray, competition, and mates alike.
>>19137397It isn't long until cleaner ticks begin consuming the lichen as a supplement to their normal diet of blood. The ones that switch to a diet of lichen soon out-compete the others in the niche of cleaner animals, forming a mutually-beneficial relationship with their hosts. They develop larger pinchers, used to rip lichen from the skin of their hosts and shovel it into their mouths; they also use these to fight off snow ticks infesting their host.
>>19136952I read it in his voice...>>19137169Yeah, was rereading the thread for evolution trees and noticed that, was hoping no one else remembered. WELP, can't back out now? I'll work on it sometime today.>>19137556Now that is one eldritch horror who is simply FAAAAAABULOUUUS!Alright, with this post we go into autosage, but don't go just yet, I'll post a link to thread two, here, in a moment. Seems like we really pick up steam right at autosage kicks in.>>19137626Wow, he went from a total parasite to an utter bro. Awesome, this is what I love about this game, you guys take things in directions I never can predict.
>>19137705If they ever start clinging to the Shogun Walruses, they'll be 'otter' bros.Factually incorrect puns are all the rage in europe,these days.
>>19137750Man I don't even wanna think about them getting lice.
>>19137750I seal what you did there.
>>19137770>>19137750>>19137837You folks... I like your style(s).NEW THREAD >>19137841
