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Past events
>The deterioration of the megastructure encircling the planet has led to the collapse of one of it’s supporting struts. While the impact caused a short age of fractured earth and increased volcanic activity, it also introduced dry land in the crash site.
>The tremors caused by the crash unearthed a second experiment from the forgotten precursors. Some strange, microscopic, fleshy thing that began to corrupt the AMs they fed upon. The Plague of Flesh introduced organic components to the bodies of many species of AM.
>As a direct result of the plague, several species of ‘viral machine’ adapted to seek out and destroy every instance of corruption. But in their zealotry, these exceedingly advanced parasites began to overwhelm the ecosystem, and direct intervention was deemed necessary by the automated systems of the Orbital Structure. All life on the planet was halted with a kill command directly from the [SOURCE CODE]
>During the short period of suspended animation, many species were “forcibly amalgamated” in an attempt to regain control of the experiment.
>And in one last attempt to stabilize the environment, the Orbital Structure began the “Global Terraforma”.

Current Events
The planet has just undergone “Global Terraforma”, creating three distinct continents. While life continues to grow and adapt to the chemical ice of the northern continent, life in the rusty deserts of the east is only just beginning.

Arctic and oceanic Wildlife
>http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/3204146/
The OP of the previous thread covers everything from the previous event. To avoid a stupidly long OP post, I’ll leave the details there. Current evolutionary lines will come after the desert starters.

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Rusted Ruins
The easternmost continent has been completely and thoroughly ruined by the malfunctioning, archaic technology of the Global Terraforma. The surface layers of the metallic structure have been ground into dust, forming vast, sweeping dunes and deserts composed entirely of rusted [SCRAP]. Surface [OIL] cuts an ever-changing path of rivers and streams through the shifting sands, and pools in vast marshes that form beneath the titanic Oilspouts. Life here offers it’s share of difficulties; constantly buffeted by erosive scrapstorms, overheating beneath the blazing sun, going [OIL]starved where no rivers flow, etc. But it’s far from impossible.

Starting life

River-Siphon
Diet: [OIL]
>The only proper siphon species in the desert, these were a species forcibly amalgamated during Terraforma.
>Travel through the extremely narrow, shallow streams that crisscross the desert, passively feeding on the oil runoff that gathers there produced by Spirefish and Greatspouts.
>Their bodies were altered by the Plague of Flesh, allowing them to produce and maintain biological systems as well as mechanical.
>Their flat, fleshy bodies make for poor nutrition to [SCRAP] based predators, but as they expand to store as much as possible, they can become a valuable source of [OIL].

Spirefish and Greatspouts
Diet: [SCRAPDUST]
>A combination of several Oilspout species forcibly amalgamated during Terraforma, and the only terrestrial Oilspout species on the continent. Save the occasional balloon-garden drifting in on a stray wind.
>Begin their lives as small, highly mobile larvae. They swim quickly beneath the rust, constantly sucking in [SCRAPDUST] as they do, and processing it into [OIL] in the top “fin” held above the rust.
>Produce a near constant stream of [OIL] as they move. Areas of high Spirefish activity become swampy bogs of oil and rust, mixed together like quicksand.
>After maturing, they take root and undergo an extreme metamorphosis. Their drill-like tail becomes a root, and they sprout multiple [OIL] storage devices along their body. Sucking up [SCRAPDUST] through their root, they will produce huge amounts of oil to be stored in their cannisters as reserves that can keep them powered should food become scarce. When these canisters fill up, they’ll expel massive pools of oil into the rusty mires beneath them.

>>3411563
Greatmind
The green one. Didn't fit in the first post
Diet: [CODE], sunlight
>Amalgamated from several species of parasitic psychovore. Greatminds are arguably the most “intelligent” species on the planet. Though not in a traditional sense. They are capable of storing and sharing more data than any other species, and can easily adapt new forms of code. They are capable of “learning” in the way an intelligent computer can- more abstract and technical than an intelligent biological species may be.
>Greatminds are made up of one “adult” body amongst a field of hundreds of immature shoots, though technically all one entity. They utilize the jewel-like organ on their blade to create a connective web of [CODE] between each body.
>The waves of [CODE] shared between the blades also serves as a web to ensnare passing AMs. As a machine stumbles into their web, it’ll be assaulted by predatory [CODE], scrambling it’s mind and eventually rendering it immobile to be gradually fed on.
>Occasionally, when a larger machine passes by, several maturing shoots will propel themselves from their root and violently attach themselves. The young blade will then feed off the AM’s [CODE] until there’s nothing left to keep it functional. Once the beast collapses, it’ll begin to spread it’s roots to produce more young shoots as one specific blade matures, eventually creating an entirely new Greatmind.

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Last post
>>3411567

Starting Life
Treasure-Bugs (and descendants)
Diet: [SCRAP]
>An “uplifted” species of DeCon created during Terraforma.
>Their iridescent casings confuse the sensors of potential predators. They area bush predators, and will hide beneath the rust waiting for a potential prey. Should something get close enough to become confused by their dazzling shells, they quickly emerge to strike.
>Though their claws make for poor movement, they can easily dig themselves deep into the rust when threatened. If they need to get somewhere fast, the jump jets on their underbelly serve to quickly boost them in a direction for a short time.
>Specialized, jewel-like organs on their backs are capable of creating “hard light” wings. Though they can’t properly fly, these energy plates will be deployed during free fall to catch the wind and enter a controlled glide.

Boxer-Wraiths (And descendants)
Diet: [SCRAP], [SCRAPDUST]
>A combination of several DeCon species forcibly amalgamated during Terraforma. Their bodies are made of a light metal, easily eroded by constant, shrapnel laden dust storms. A specialized system inherited by one of their degenerative ancestors allows them to constantly repair themselves with enough raw materials in their diet.
>The top predator of the Rusted Ruins, they require an inordinate amount of [SCRAP] to function. They will eat anything. While hunting for prey or resting, they’ll use their rear head to constantly graze on the rusted [SCRAPDUST] sand beneath their feet, or gnaw at ruins to keep themselves from falling apart.
>Extremely territorial and frequently cannibalize each other. They are solitary hunters that will battle for territory, kills, and pretty much anything else.
>Their young are left to fend for themselves, as their parent’s instinct to devour them kicks in after a short few days.

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>>3411563
The Megatrons are a persistent and crafty species, scraping by in even the harshest conditions. The Desert Megatron is a "fisher" of sorts, using it's long proboscis to catch River-Siphons straight from the water.
Their flesh cloaks have been adapted into defenses against the rust storms.

is that all the species we are going to work with?

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>>3412299
Nah I just realized that the OP was getting gigantic and stupid so I wanted to at least wait a bit before posting the ongoing lines. I might as well do that now I guess.
For more information on these species, check the OP of:
>http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/3204146/

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>>3412367

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>>3412369
The magnetic buffalo whale crab here is probably my favorite.

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>>3412371
Now that's the last of it. Fucking 8 posts, I feel like an asshole. Especially since I was too sleep deprived to make that OP anything but a borderline illegible chunk of text.

are they even awake on the evo discord?

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>>3411573
The Trapping Bug spends most of it's life burrowed, using it's longer front claws to dig it's way through the [SCRAPDUST], creating and destroying tunnels as it moves under the dunes. When its time to eat, the DeCon projects two long protusions from its shell, using them as lures for potential prey, shifting them through the sand in a similar fashion to how sharks show their fins when swimming close to the surface.

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>>3412377

The ridermites split into two castes in order to avoid competing with each other.

1) Brain mites continue functioning as brains for Kabukolossus and sends out signals in order to coordinate Sword Mites.

2) Sword Mites defend the Kabukolossus and Brain Mites from competing Ridermite colonies.

3) Megatrons from The Wall colonies continue to be evolved and bred into specialized function. The Mole Megatron is bred specifically to clear out and eat parts of The Wall that are too corrupted to function. They use the SCRAP to grow, and after reaching a sufficient size, they allow THE WALL to colonize their bodies.

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>>3416666

1) Some Trapping Bugs develop even better hind legs for quick burrowing to underneath the SCRAPDUST as well as to propel themselves up to catch prey.

2) Other trapping bugs develop more developed projectors allowing them to make nets of hard light for catching prey. This variety practically never surfaces, instead dragging the pray underground using cohered hard light tendrils

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>>3412371

Milk Scrubbers are split into two castes: 1 is a hunter class while 2 is a producer class.

Hunter class milk scrubbers procure oil and scrap for the Producer classes to convert.

The Producer class takes scrap and oil and processes it into a special fuel called 'MILK' which is needed by the Hunter class. This 'Milk' has a very short shelf life by design, requiring the hunter class Milk Scrubbers to periodically dump the spoiled milk and obtain a fresh batch from the Producer class Milk Scrubbers.

Spoiled MILK can be reconverted by producer class Milk Scrubbers into fresh MILK.

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>>3417614
Scylla Bugs are the descendants of Trapping Bugs that developed more advanced projectors, and replaced their limbs with slower, more powerful digging claws. As a result the Scylla Bugs have become better ambush predators - and also snack for larger predators that knows how to dig deep, unfortunately.

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>>3417639
Here's a slightly better sprite for the female Milk Scrubber

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>>3412369
Mammoth Tanks obtain larger bodies, allowing them to store oil inside. This makes them able to walk long distances.
Their legs become more powerful. They ram their attackers with quick bursts of speed.
Their organic bristles grow very thick, insulating them from the cold.

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>>3417657
>>3417798

1) gains a form of shovel-like mouth that allows it to better stuff its face with its prey.

2) With additionnal space, it is able to dedicate more body space to Cryotheum production.

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>>3411567
In areas lacking code Greatminds start to feed on scrapdust. They process the scrapdust around them and store it as code in their bodies.
As areas around them have no other AMs they gradually lose their offensive abilities.

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>>3417614
The Night Bugs are the descendants of the Trapping Bugs that developed more articulate hind legs. Their front legs have become more advanced as well, allowing them to both sprint and dig through the dunes quite quickly. They spend most of the day hidden, and rise at night to hunt in packs.
Their projectors are used to startle prey, since the hard light constructs are not only quite bright (especially at night) but are also reflected on the bug's casing. The projections are also used to decieve and deter potential predators by making the machines appear bigger than they actually are.

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>>3417798
One lineage of mammoth tanks adapts to scavenge from the "corpses" of other robots. On finding the chassis, as we might call it, the tank uses its (now longer) barbed tusks to extract sheets of metal. It uses its elongated siphon to place these on the horns that outcrop from its body, providing a little extra defence from predators but mostly serving to ward them off by intimidation.

[First post in Machine Evo :3]

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>>3417614
Some of the trapping bugs with better projectors, spending so much of their time under the dunes, adapt their eyes to be more effective. The left eye atrophies and disappears, whereas the right one migrates to point upwards. Gradually it is raised onto a stalk to see above the sand in which the bug is hiding: it being initially motionless, the stalk gradually evolves to move in a four-direction slide.

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>>3411563
>>3412015
>>3424032

1. The ever-shifting dunes of the Rusted Ruins makes for a poor environment for creatures that rely on streams and waterways- that have a habit of shifting, becoming isolated, or drying up on a whim. As a means of combating this changing environment, a species of River-Siphon develops a secondary inflatable sack, which it will gradually fill with the hot, noxious gasses produced during [OIL] digestion. The gasses in this gross dillsack are able to carry it's light, rubbery body on the strong desert winds while it utilizes it's propeller to better aim it at new water sources in search of [OIL]. Albeit, only for relatively short distances at a time, and risking starvation should it wind up on land.

2. Dune-Streaker Megatrons are a subtle variant of the Desert Megatron. With the increasing mobility of many desert predators, being able to quickly shed it's coat in a puff of dense bristles aids in quick escapes. The bristles are mildly corrosive thanks to the crude [OIL] from the River-Siphons in it's diet, and help confuse and irritate predators when swallowed. Unfortunately, they are extremely poor runners, and while this maneuver might buy them some time to escape, after a short burst of wildly flailing about their only real option is to lay down and either hope the predator has moved on, or accept a sweet death that they are thankfully far too stupid to fully comprehend.

3. With their newfound appreciation of junk metal scavenged from the carcasses of other creatures, the cryotic-tube-things on their heads become more adept at absorbing light, forming simple eyes in an effort to better spot the glint of "fresh" scrap. Their defensive lifestyle causes their forward Cryotheum-Canon to atrophy, and eventually disappear out of disuse. One useful side effect of this is that more Cryotheum can be conserved in their lives, as it isn't being fired at their enemies. Another is that Mammoth-Tanks the world over rejoice, and collectively burn their ironic "My eyes are up here" T-shirts as people can now stop confusing them.

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>>3411573

The Boxer Wraiths have come to colonize the Greatmind >>3419916
colonies!

Riding their mounts into the scene, Boxer Wraiths have arrived with various adaptations to colonize the Greatminds. They use the Greatminds to shield themselves from Scrapdust storms.

1) Breaks up the Greatmind Crystals with their powerful scythe-shaped pincers. They do this in order to feed upon the Greatminds' scrap bodies.

2) Have powerful shovels that allow them to carry greatmind sprouts to new locations. This also allows the Greatminds to arrive in places that they normally have no business being in.

3) Have evolved crests that allow them to sample CODE from the greatminds' crystals.While this is extremely inefficient, it allows them to live while barely ever moving.

>>3424695
3) Also, this has resulted in an antrophy of its main arms.

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>>3411573
1) The Mach-Bug has developed a rusted coloration on it's shell, which makes it significantly less shiny, but allows them to aproach their prey without being seen, as their new colours camouflage with the sand.

They improved their retro-boosters, replacing them with the MK II Mach Rockets.

>>3424695
The Hanging Boxer Wraith's [CODE] crests have become much more advanced, and now have a harvesting structure that is similar to the defunct Psychovore's datagills. Their arms further specialize, slowly becoming needle-like appendages that allow the Machine to attach itself to a Greatmind, slowly leeching its [CODE]

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>>3424508

1) Needle Streakers are covered in a cloak made of hardened needles. When frightened, they will expel these needles in all directions before escaping. While it doesn't usually damage AMs too much, a chance hit could severely damage an AM's optical sensors.

2) The cloaks of Explosion Streakers are made of highly flammable material. When threatened, the cloak will disperse as an extremely flammable powder which they then ignite with a special organ located near their throats. This usually kills the Explosion Streaker, but the loud sound serves as a warning to other Streaker subspecies that a predator is nearby.

3) Isn't really a streaker, but has an atavism that lets it control the hardness of its cloak. The Die Streaker inflates its cloak, then hardens it so it can't be swallowed by a predator.

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>>3426134

Hanging Boxer Wraiths' needle-like appendages become better at injecting code and not just extracting it. To reproduce, they inject malicious code into the trunks of Greatminds who will then produce juvenile Boxer Wraiths.

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>>3424508
The Shady Megatron, as it's name implies, has well adapted to life in the back alleys and crags of old ruins away from the sun. They have an innate attraction to the strange debris found scattered across the old structure, and form a societal habit of comparing and trading the more impressive of these objects to each other for small shiny pieces of scrap.

Since there are less rivers in the ruins than on the open plains, the Megatron has adapted to using it's proboscis to dig up >>3424255, which although poorer in organic material is more abundant in the region, and can be identified from above ground by it's eyestalk.

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>>3411563
>>3424508
The Breathing Siphon has a mutation that replaces it's fin with a second mouth, while this means it can no longer fly this also means it can gain a massive boost to it's metabolism through oxidisation, allowed by it's semi-biological nature.

The Lone Spirefish exhibits neoteny, retaining it's mobile, worm-like form throughout the entirety of it's life. It's secondary oil reserve has been repurposed into a bud that constantly produces new Spirefish, a new one beginning to gestate the moment the last detaches.

The Elephant Tank's proboscis develops a few sensitive protrusions at it's end, aiding in manipulation of surrounding debris. It's legs also gain a rubbery coating at their bottoms, improving it's grip on the ice.

>>3426797
The Hanging Wraiths become much shorter in order to have better balance and reduce energy requirements.

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>>3430973

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>>3430977
>>3430355
>>3426134
>>3419916


1) Gain hydraulic drivers that allow them to pierce Overminds with their needles, allowing them to reproduce better.

2) Have additional storage datagills. These act as a sort of 'fat' that allows them to store more code in case there are less Greatminds around.

3) Have greatly degenerated back halves that allow them to reproduce faster due to their simplicity.

4) These greatminds store additional code in data rings cause Hanging Wraiths that reproduce inside them to be born with some crippling mutations.

5) Elephant tanks gain a second pair of legs, which allow them to balance better.

6) Mach bugs upgrade their MK II rockets with even more speed, gaining a 'fin' that diverts air allowing them to go even faster.

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>>3441761
The Clanker has managed to perservere despite the deformities suffered due to the new Greatminds - perhaps thanks to them, in fact. With a much lighter, if also less structurally stable, body, it needs much less energy than it's ancestors to keep itself running - although it must also feed more often due to the loss of most storage cavities.

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>>3441901
>>3430355
>>3412367

1) The Clankers gain a more layered data gill structure to allow them to store more data. Furthermore, a covering has developed to cover their now unused teeth.

2) Pearl's Spears are oil spouts that have repurposed their wings into drills. These drop down from the sky, extract scrap from an unfortunate AM, then convert it to oil. Because their bodies are greatly simplified, Pearl's Spears create more oil than they actually need and when enough of them gather, they form pseudo rainclouds that cause OIL to rain from above.

3) Pseudopods form on the Breathing Siphons allowing them to crawl on land.

4) Lone Spirefish gain an even more worm-like form. The 'mask' that covers its face actually hides some equipment that allow them to grind up SCRAP and SCRAPDUST, turning them into oil.

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>>3427802
>>3424255

1) The Stick Eye Trapping bug develop a more segmented body and longer legs, allowing them to jump up and hide from Megatrons. Once at a significant distance, they will quickly burrow under the sand with their powerful hind legs

2) Flashy Megatrons like to decorate their cloaks with the trapping bugs' shells. It seems that the shinier the better so they cover themselves in the flashiest shells available.

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>>3441948
>>3441761
>>3411560
>>3417639
The Mammoth Tanks enhance their rubbery back feet, turning them into simplistic air cushions capable of hovering. Additionally, they become more robust.

The Amphibious Siphons suffer from an atavism that gives them two smaller rotors instead of one large rotor, just like their ancestors had. The twin appendages prove to be better for land movement than the larger, clumsier single rotor however.

The Milk Scrubber Mother develops a grappling device on it's stomach, used to keep newborn Scrubbers safe from danger. The system is covered in soft cushioning, ensuring that the child is not damaged.

The Pdrole is a simplistic creature, arisen from the most primitive of Psychovores and being essentially nothing more than a strand of code covered by a plastic shell. Nevertheless, it is one of the Rusted Ruins's most dangerous inhabitants: a single Pdrole is able to infiltrate a machine lifeform's self-repair protocols with ease, and reorder them to convert all available resources into more of itself. The Pdrole spreads through contact and by being carried by the dust storms, and in the first stages of the infection resembles a simple rusting, until it quickly overtakes the whole body and leaves a pile of Pdroles behind.
While it is unable to infect organic tissue, the homogenous immune systems of parthenogenetic machine lifeforms can do almost nothing to circumvent it.

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>>3419854
The Scylla bugs begin creating crude holograms of treasure-bugs, both as bait and as a distraction. As most eye-equipped creatures have pretty bad vision, the ruse works.

>>3442076
some Pdrole grow a umbrella after some time sitting still, to easier catch the wind spreading them wider then ever before and it taking less to make them fly away

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>>3444351