#xenobiology

[northst4rrrr]

Whipping up random bullshit

[spacesuitcat]

I had a dream last night where I met Charles Darwin and showed him the creative field of speculative evolution and then showed him my own work and asked for critique. He considered it and then told me that to add something to an organism I must also take away something else. I got really mad about this, like cmon, look at platypuses bro. Then I woke up slightly grumpy and went about my day. I kept thinking about it and it began to make more sense.

Like to improve and specialize in one direction you must often sacrifice features that apply to other areas. You know, the reason fish are so good at being fish is because they don't have legs. Things really shouldn't try to be too many things at once. Also, being a good generalist often means being a poor specialist. Consider coyotes. They are excellent at surviving in a wide variety of environments and conditions, but they don't really apply themselves to specific niches. They get out competed by a lot of things such as wolves. They are very resilient when it comes to change. Whereas a more specialized organism may inhabit a very important niche but they are more fragile and likely to suffer if their environment changes. Within their environment they are able to out compete most less adapted organisms such as the generalists.

So it's really just a lot of give and take across the board. I've reinvented the concept of a zero sum game I guess lol

[artbyifer]

Idk if you already answered this but what do you think xeno troll grubs would look like?

Hmmm, I have not designed any yet. It took me years to develop my troll design, but lemme see if I can sketch something up for grubs.

Used a mix of beetle grub and shrimp, with the hairs from caterpillars and the wax glands from bees. Grubs use a combo of wax and silk, plus wood and dirt and whatever debris is around, to make their proto-hives. In modern times the building drones then use as a prototype to make the hive buildings that young trolls & their lussi will live in.

Troll grubs can swim decently, which is important for getting through the cavern trials as there are submerged tunnels down there, as well as for being picked up by an aquatic or semi-aquatic lusus. Seadwellers have more/larger fins and more developed gills. Not sure if the grubs having horns is a literal thing, in which case they would be for defense and combat, or a metaphorical/translational one like how in-comic Aradiagrub has lipstick and painted eyelashes,or the sparse setae is depicted as a head of hair.

Looking at this, I shoulda drawn the legs black but whatever. You get the idea.

Thanks for the ask!

[toefungus-draws]

i still suck at making any kind of clothing or acessory because it always clips like crazy but i made a simple saddle harness for my creature. maybe one day ill be able to do a whole scene of cowboy bird horse aliens or something.

[squirmitherium]

I worked with some goats–they were huge sweeties–at a friend’s relative’s farm once, and later decided to sketch out this concept of a goat-like alien species that was in my head for the most part. I haven’t really decided lore-and-phylogentics-wise if this is a domesticated species or a wild species that happens to appear in the guise of a goat; it isn’t really something I would make or incorporate into a much larger project, and as such, you’re free to describe your interpretations for this sketch.

[captaincoombs]

I did some fan art for the Game "The message from deep space". its just my iteration of the Aliens from this game, I fell in love with this fun little game, This game scratches that Alien First contact itch I have.

[rainynais]

an artfight attack for Machin8tor! this is Almat Varsh, a character from their webseries Terra Firma, which i recommend checking out!

[toefungus-draws]

did some pixelart icons for my creatures. making flamediver pixelart is always so fucking evil to do for me.