#v44

[styllwaters]

Very simple Sea Crawler evolution chart!

Explanation of their history under the cut ;]

Crawlers began as very simple organisms that bear some slight resemblance to Earth's bristle worms. They were purely aquatic and lived within ‘disks’ - enormous structures of colonial organisms very similar to coral. They provided the worms with shelter, and the worms defended their homes from invaders in return.

The early crawlers would go on to evolve alongside the disks as part of their symbiotic relationship. The disks required sunlight in order for the algae, which also lived inside them, to perform photosynthesis. Disks would often merge with others of their kind to form even bigger structures, and compete with each other for light. Eventually their height breached the ocean's surface, and large swaths of ‘land’ were formed from their wide area. The crawlers could walk on the flat canopies of the disks, developing an amphibious lifestyle as their fins became legs. At this stage, some populations migrated to the shorelines, evolving into a shore-dwelling subspecies. These varieties became more lean and agile to travel easier on land, dug burrows into sand instead of disks, and excavated caves. Their colouration also became duller in order to camouflage better.

Meanwhile, the remaining marine colonies grew exponentially with reefs spanning for hundreds of kilometres. This led to bigger competition and bigger predators; in response, the crawlers evolved to be more larger and smarter. They used their mouths to create tools to defend their homes and capture prey. When predators attacked the exposed surface of the disks, they would work together to fight them off, becoming more social and strategic.

Eventually, as their intelligence grew, the crawlers dominated the reefs. They would alter their disks and shape them into complex dwellings, which became cities. Different reef communities would form alliances, trade resources and share knowledge. They would reunite with the shore-dwellers. Some went to war. Technology advanced, nations spread beyond the reefs, conquered the land and sea, and voila, Qhuava's one and only sapient species.

[adreus]

vrains #44

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[daddyzarc]

HERE COMES THE GIANT FIST

[styllwaters]

Well now we gotta know—- shore/ocean hybrids possible?

Yes! The species are closely related enough that they can reproduce, however the offspring will be infertile (think of mules). The above example shows a cross between an I'Saimonian ocean-dweller and a Ztedyrian shore-dweller.

These shore/ocean hybrids will have a relatively even blend of traits from both parents. Larger than shore-dwellers but smaller than ocean-dwellers, they are often dull in colour but with bright accents. Many are comfortable both in and out of water.

Due to the separated territories on Qhuava and the lack of intermingling between nations, hybrids are an uncommon occurrence.

[styllwaters]

Selma (she/her) is a sophont leopard seal whose lineage is rooted in genetic modification. She has mixed DNA, including human and bear. She is sarcastic, bold, and sometimes blunt, but cares deeply about her students at ESSE.

More info under the cut!

Selma is 28 years old and has had to undergo countless surgeries throughout her life. The unethical experimentation which her ancestors experienced has caused her to develop chronic pain, as well as heart and joint issues. Her unconventional bauplan is a primary factor.

She was born on Hanidias, into a care facility made specifically for GM individuals. An overwhelmingly high percentage of the residents were victims of Genizix. Selma's expected lifespan is 60-65 years, considered a rare and lucky case by her doctors. Most other Earth experiments had a maximum lifespan of 30.

She was raised by a post-human nurse who worked as a spacecraft intelligence for an emergency medical craft - this sparked her love of piloting. Selma was discharged from the facility at 19 years, although she has to return frequently for checkups.

She now works on Kilra at Elvoir's School of Space Exploration, teaching spaceflight classes. After finding Vreaz, she offered to pay for his tuition. In return, Vreaz helps her out in the workshop after school.

Besides piloting, Selma enjoys fashion, cafes, and making reckless decisions.

[styllwaters]

i have to know: are there any biological quirks or dimorphism in sea crawlers?

There is little difference between males and females, except for females being slightly larger. However, there are some other quirks!

Like some earth animals, variations in melanin production exist in Sea Crawlers. This can occur in both Ocean and Shore-dwellers, but I'll use Oceans as an example above.

Melanism, albinism and piebaldism are all quite rare occurrences, but they do exist. Also not shown here are chimerism (in which there is an even split between pigments) and leucism. The albino individuals often have visual impairments.

Vreaz is a good example of more complex piebald patterning.

[styllwaters]

⚠️ Old design // Do not reblog ⚠️

Little lineless test with Vreaz :] I'm very fond of this style!

[styllwaters]

Rough sketching hours