#arthropoid

[risen-from-stardust]

System Shedar Waste, 1-A. Eclipse hours

Araxis system has a decent variety of planets and the local markets are okay but nothing like the food in Shedar Waste desert. Even with the sometimes deadly temperature, this place is a focus of attention around the sector. It's being slowly abandoned, but good stuff can be found

The locals are not too happy to see them around...

Berserker and Conguran with Some unameds Massive #14, Lithoid #14 - Snake, Slender #05, Plantoid #01

[spider-artdump]

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/6aAeYn

[mortamemes]

Arthropoids

[funeralprocessor]

Transitioning isn't enough I need to undergo ecdysis

[equipment-manifest]

Curated list of Rain World analysis I like

The Ancients dragonpropaganda on popular misconceptions about the Ancients' culture ikayblythe's speculative biology kociamieta's notes on Ancient character design

Character analysis eliias-bouchard on NSH's portrayal ikayblythe on Pebbles' age and motivations pocket-goat's thoughts about Moon in the context of the Saint campaign shkika on Moon and Pebbles' relationship shkika on whether Moon and Pebbles are siblings skybristle's and my own thoughts on the decay of Moon's organic parts

General speculative biology chaotic-minds-think-alike's interpretation of lizards dragonpropaganda on the relationship of purposed organisms to ingame fauna flickering-nightfall's interpretation of the reproductive strategies and social structures of various species in the game

Iterator anatomy bonniesband's exposition on the Rot as a type of cancer copepods and myself on whether parts of post-collapse Moon beyond the puppet could be conscious copepods on viewing iterators as more than the puppet delta-orionis' method for estimating the height of Iterator cans delta-orionis and myself discuss the meaning of the terms "Recursive Transform Array" and "Abstract Convergence Manifold" orangedoorhingeinstorage and kayjaypax on movable components in the memory conflux and adjacent systems skybristle's and my own thoughts on the decay of moon's organic parts my theory about how an Iterator's memories are stored and why Moon doesn't forget anything when she loses a neuron

Iterator puppet anatomy aluminum-angels' interpretation bitsbug's puppet interpretation copepods' mechanical interpretation: moon & pebbles / post-collapse moon flickering-nightfall's journey to understand the puppet arm: part 1 / part 2 flickering-nightfall on the "umbilical" ikayblythe's arthropoidal interpretation: overview / endoskeletons / "skin" joowee-feftynn observes that puppets can't walk spotsupstuff on the relationship between puppet and can trashiiplant's ragdoll interpretation yellowsnacc's "jello-covered skeleton" interpretation

Slugcat anatomy arrayydee's slugcat design artihunter's take on the fur/slime question dopscratch's mollusk/mustelid interpretation honey-marrow's interpretation of Spearmaster's anatomy

Themes and storytelling comrade-slugcat and myself on themes of inevitability and futility in Monk & Survivor's campaigns dragonpropaganda on how Rain World's level design is based on the idea of civilizations successively building upon each others' ruins grunckle's theory relating ascension, void worms, and voidspawn together through the idea of qualia grunckle's illustration of the parallels between the iterators and void worms and some connections to Gnosticism nyuuronfly and vodens on the relationship between Rain World's lore and gameplay and the experience of a blind playthrough seventeendeer on the thematic significance of ascension and the player's agency in choosing it sick-ada's theory that the final cutscene in the Void sea leads back to the start of each vanilla campaign Miscellaneous bitsbug and ikayblythe discuss the age of the ecosystem flecks-of-stardust's theory that (in vanilla) the Chimney Canopy pearl was created by Five Pebbles grunckle's notes on what we know about the cosmology of Rain World ikayblythe's speculative geology of the surface and void sea monkmain on the illustration for Stolen Enlightenment my theory on the meaning of "HR_LAYERS_OF_REALITY" my timeline of architecture on the surface rw-me elaborates on the canonicity of Downpour shkika on the distances between members of the local group shkika, flecks-of-stardust, and fluffybunny35 discuss why it rains in Shaded Citadel soaricarus, flickering-nightfall, and myself on why Seven Red Suns is probably not a member of the "local group" yunnifo discusses Rivulet ending projections

[bogleech]

We know that new Arthropoids can be made by fusing an individual human with an insect specimen. But what does this process actually look like?

Is it fast, slow? Gradual or sudden? Uncomfortable? Do you hole up in a cocoon, or do you keep going to work? How much of the person's identity is retained - and who opts for a thing like this, anyway?

P.S: thanks for answering my Mortasheen questions!

In the earliest concepts for the Mortasheen world it was exactly like "The Fly;" you just get zapped in a machine and instantly fused. It kind of still works that way but it's more complicated. It still works on normal humans, but it's more commonly a Sectilian, a lineage of metahumans who are the keepers of the tech itself and already born with countless Arthropod genomes. When they near adulthood they begin to undergo a nasty metamorphosis and even form into a fleshy cocoon, which will die unless it can be fused with just the right species of Arthropod. They know which one they're "meant" to fuse with as it begins to haunt their dreams more and more throughout their youth. If successful they'll emerge from the process with part of themselves "swapped" with the bug, like the original Fly.

This retains their entire mind, and they have a permanent mental link with the counterpart bug, which now has some of their parts, and naturally lives as long as they do. It's just kind of a remote extension of their body.

If they were not a Sectilian (some other metahuman, or a regular human) or they're paired with the "wrong" Arthropod, then they become a fully merged hybrid monster, like the newer Fly

Arthropoid monsters are mentally much less human, with only fragmented/dim memories of their former life overwhelmed by appropriate new directives such as "spin webs to catch food" or "hide inside dead trees," though they'll generally still be loyal to anyone they were close to before.

Arthropoids can also mate, reproduce and make little baby versions of themselves, so the vast majority that exist are not the products of fusion, but fusion IS necessary to create an entirely new "species line" for them. Mortasheen is a setting full of mad biologists so there are plenty of people who would do this for the sheer scientific discovery of it or because being a big bug under a big rock just sounds like a cool life. Becoming the first member of an entirely new monster variety also has some mystique to it, so even among Sectilians it's not always seen as a "failure." They may resort to it in order to live when they can't find the right personal bug, or they may prefer it because full Arthropoids are physically a lot more powerful/dangerous and they want to be able to protect their family clans. Current official art of 2 Sectilians compared with equivalent Arthropoids:

[stellarisjuice]

making a Stellaris civilization:

democracy edition

come on this incredibly stupid journey with me, tumblr

(also please reblog for sample size if you vote)

List of species portraits here, under "List of Phenotypes"

also sorry humanoid is also the Show Results button, it's the only way they'd be able to stand a chance against all the alienfuckers on this website

for Part 2, I'll have another vote for the specific portrait based on the phenotype that gets chosen

[approximateknowledge]

homestuck fans when the rigidly stratified society of deeply eugenicist genocidal r-selected eusocial arthropoids is gross or unethical by human standards

[periodotic]

GEU Report #1: Introduction, and Species!

Hello! If you're seeing this, then you are probably either being introduced to this ttrpg, or you're going to this page after seeing another report later down the line. If so, welcome. Let me explain what this is:

"GEU" is an indie ttrpg system being developed by yours truly. It's primary factor of design is for use in its specific setting, a science fantasy. Because of this setting, GEU is made to have a lot of room for player-made design choices. It also focuses on extreme customization, as well as a certain "mathematical satisfaction" through the setting's base 12 system - that is, many features in the game are tracked in twelves or ratios of twelve.

This ttrpg is inspired by the other ttrpg's that I have played, Lancer RPG, Pathfinder 2e, and, of course, D&D 3.5e and 5e. You may notice quickly that this system lacks playable mechs, medieval combat, and a static action economy. (More importantly than that, I unfortunately lack the skill to match these great systems. I will try, though, to make something worth remembering - and playing!)

So, allow me to report the progress on GEU. Note that this is the sum of all progress (regarding species) as there is no report before this. Future reports will show the changes made, but until I have caught up to my changes, I will just be reporting the facets of the system that exist already.

v0.0.3:

There exists four playable species-catagories - in the setting, there exists too many species to keep track of and therefore sapients are categorized into phenotype groups. Species have a minor effect on the character, with their most important factor being their "Limb Dice" (more on this later). The species are Melnir, Evkuino, Echeli, and Oriari.

Melnir - A very abundant set of species that have vast-spanning regions due to their capability of migration. Because of their large scale, “Melnir” is a highly general term, but species categorized as Melnir are most likely organic, bipedal, bibrachial, mammalian, enduring, and versatile; in short, Melnirs are human-like humanoids.

Evkuino - A set of species that follow an interestingly similar phenotype to each other, found to convergently evolve on many different worlds, like how crabs do on Earth. Evkuinos are silicon or silicon-organic, meaning that they are made of both Silicon and Carbon. Despite this difference in cellular structure, they can be found in pockets of regions that Melnirs live in, due to their similar physical structure. Evkuinos are bipedal, bibrachial, careful, and observant.

Echeli - A mostly-colonial, bipedal, poly-brachial, arthropoid, homely and hardy species. They form colonies in roving bands, using three variations of their species: Alpha, Beta, and Gamma; workers, hunters, and “nuptials.” Though not all like to stay in their colonies, Echeli mainly seek to make the most of the world by bringing gentle, cozy comfort to themselves and their closest friends.

Oriari - A strong species, their biology is purely silicon-based. Oriari are an uncommonly found category, resembling large boulders, similar to golems. While their “skin” is several layers of metals and rock-like materials, they also protrude organs that appear to be crystals. These operate as their sensors, and through an almost-mandatory surgery, can produce sound through powerful vibrations. Oriari are produced as eggs, and then after several years, will hatch, giving them two birthdays. They then go under a secondary maturation stage, similar to butterflies, and then fully mature.

You may be wondering what the purpose and impact of a "Limb Dice" is. Attacking in the GEU uses the old-fashioned d20 system, having you roll a d20, add a few modifiers, and comparing it against the target's "Defense" to determine if you hit or not. However, each limb of one's body uses a different "Defense" number. The way that you determine which Defense you compare your roll against is by rolling a different dice, determined by the target's Limb Dice. For example, attacking a Melnir uses their Limb Dice, a 1d4. The Melnir Limb Dice is as follows:

1: Legs

2: Arms

3: Torso

4: Torso

So, when you attack a Melnir, you also roll a 1d4. Your roll determines which limb you attacked, which then determines which Defense of that Melnir you compare it to. The Limb Dice differs for each target, like the Oriari's 1d6:

1: Legs

2: Arms

3: Arms

4: Torso

5: Torso

6: Torso

A player's character also features a Limb Dice, meaning that when they have the choice to gain different pieces of armor, they should focus on what is more probable to hit. Additionally, players and GM-controlled enemies alike quickly gain the ability to alter the results of Limb Dice rolls, meaning that you can even bet it all on an enemy never hitting your legs, as you force them to hit your blocking arms instead.

This report has gone on plenty long enough, so, thank you for reading! I hope you have a wonderful week. If you're interested by this type of stuff, don't be afraid to send me an ask!

[wammys-house-official]

Hey Mello, how do you feel about centipedes?

They're the most crustacean arthropods ever, kinda like roly polies are the most arthropoid crustaceans :D

Nightmarish. Why do they need that many legs? To hold 100 knives at once? I say we drive them to extinction

[dailycharacteroption]

Races Among the Stars 8: Haan

When we think of Bretheda’s many sapient species, one probably thinks of either the barathu or one of the many beings populating it’s numerous moons.

However, it’s easy to overlook that there is another species sharing the skies with everyone’s favorite form-altering jellyfish. I speak of course of the arthropoid haan, who sail through the skies of the gas giant on woven silk balloons! With these flotation devices and silken sails, haan can be shockingly agile in the air in their hunt for prey.

Although just as intelligent as other sapient species, the majority of haan society is extremely traditionalist, eschewing all but the simplest tools and weapons to hunt and roam the clouds of their homeworld as they have for millenia.

However, there are plenty of haan that leave their home to travel the stars and interact with other species across the galaxy, where they find their intuitive understanding of aeronautics gives them an edge as pilots.

This does come with a major drawback, as those who leave Bretheda are effectively exiled from their people, and written off as dead by their own families, unable to return. There is talk of these exiled haan creating a new colony home on a different gas giant, far from those traditionalist values, but most fear the upset that would be caused if they try recruiting directly from their kin still living on Bretheda.

Full disclosure, the appearance of the haan in their natural habitat versus the one wearing space armor… they almost look like different creatures. The haan native doesn’t look like it should be able to stand upright… Ah, but that’s just me.

In any case, haan resemble eight foot long, four-limbed arthropods with impressive mandible-like pedipalps near their mouths. They sport many barbs and bristles on their exoskeleton, which can be safely trimmed and groomed, fulfilling much the same role as hair does on mammalian species. They also possess silk glands which are equipped to create hollow balloons filled with light gasses from their internal stores to float themselves or whatever they attach them to in the air. Additionally, striking surfaces on their legs also allow them to ignite these gasses, making them an effective weapon as well.

As mentioned above, traditional haan society is very traditionalist and insular, eschewing many modern wonders in favor of retaining the hunter-gatherer society of their ancient past. While this is perfectly fine and viable, it does alienate and disown those haan who choose to join the wider galaxy, leaving them to struggle with their own cultural identity.

Strong and surprisingly agile despite their bulk, the haan’s focus on tradition over innovation has left most unused to exploring new ideas.

Their ability to ignite their own gasses allows them to have a strong weapon against multiple foes in an emergency.

While traditionalist haan are able to outright fly with their balloons and sails (not to mention sneak balloons onto foes to disrupt them), adventuring haan rarely do so, though they can reflexively craft a balloon on the fly to slow their fall in an emergency.

With their strength and dex, haan can excel in any combat role, favoring everything from soldier to evolutionist, solarian, vanguard, and even nanocyte. Outside of that, their dex bonus is also very useful for operative and even precog as well. Their weakness to intelligence does mean that mechanic and technomancer are hard picks for them, but they can get around this, as well as tap into non-intelligence options such as intuitive biohackers, mystics, and witchwarpers.

That does it for today, but I hope you enjoyed these floaty bugs. Tomorrow we’ll look into one of the new species from the Ports of Call book!

[spider-artdump]

mantis dragon

[mortamemes]

Vertigo

[mr-archaeoptryx]

shadowy arthropoid #17 my beloved :3

I'm like, trying to flesh out my civilization through drawings but at the same time i gotta make it gay somehow so.. 6 has two characters who are gay for each other but they don't have names.

but it's basically: shadowy arthropoid #17 x Death Korps of Kieg Commander (it's not at all that but yes it is)

[badlibbing]

Initially I was gonna talk about this in my fandom list post, but figured it needs its own separate post because it's a doozy.

Have you heard of Mortasheen? Now you have! The official website is here, but if you're short on time I'll give you a rundown. Think D&D plus Pokémon, but with wacky mutant monsters and way fewer rules. It's an open-ended RPG with endless possibilities. Take your squad of weirdos across a surprisingly ecologically diverse world in the distant future, and try not to die while doing it. (No pressure, though; if you die you can just come back as a zombie, although there are some downsides to that...)

And now for a summary of each monster class!

Bioconstructs: The absolute base class of monsters, this is a broad category encompassing man-made abominations that don't fit into the more specific man-made classes. Just about every function you can think of is covered here— it's got fighters, sentries, laborers, livestock, entertainers— you name it, there's probably a Bioconstruct for it.

Arthropoids: Bug people!!! Possibly the best class overall, everyone else go home. But yeah, it's exactly what it sounds like. This specific category of man-made monsters consists of arthropods (and sometimes panarthropods) combined with human genetics, resulting in some versatile and badass creatures.

Vampirics: Ah, our first class not spawned by human shenanigans! These ancient abyssal assassins have risen up to stake their claim on our world, and they're not nice. But who knows, maybe you'll get one on your side?

Botanicals: These odd organisms of man-made origin are mixes of plant, fungus, and animal. Their unique physiology makes them quite resilient to physical damage, but be sure to keep them away from fire.

Ectosaurs: Powerful ghostly entities of uncertain origin. Most of them will only see you as prey, but if you play your cards right, they can make great allies.

Zombiespawn: Remember those zombies I mentioned? Sometimes they try to make babies, and usually that doesn't go too well, and we get these gross things as a result. What else would you expect from a barely-functioning body in a state of perpetual decay and regrowth?

Jokers: Despite not having man-made origins, these guys have a conspicuous resemblance to our idea of clowns and related goofy concepts. Oh, I'm sure it's just a coincidence... still, these gas-filled tricksters are a force to be reckoned with! It's better to have them as allies than enemies.

Unknown: Hey, where did these come from??? Nobody really knows, but they're strange and often dangerous. Watch your back.

Devilbirds: Ancient relics modeled after common human vices. Personally one of my least favorite classes due to (in my opinion) a lackluster execution of an interesting concept. Eh, they can't all be winners. In any case, don't get your hopes up for recruiting one of these monstrosities; most of them are pretty heartless!

Biomecha: Plain old Bioconstructs are sooooo last millenia... combining flesh with machinery is where it's at! That's what some monster trainers are saying, anyway. Time will tell if they're right.

Wormbrains: Now, this one is my actual least favorite class. It's just flesh puppets controlled by brain flukes. Credit where credit is due, the designs of some of these monsters are really cool (there's even some Junji Ito references in there)! I'm just not a fan of the concept.

Fectoids: These neat little guys are the ultimate bioweapons, able to shift between multicellular monster and microscopic swarm, taking on whichever state best suits the situation. It's fascinating! Hard to appreciate the ingenuity when you're being infected, though.

and last but not least...

Garbage: Well, some people would say they're the least, but I for one have a special place in my heart for these children of pollution and experiments-gone-wrong. We don't have mistakes, just happy accidents! Besides, this class holds perhaps my favorite Mortasheen monster of all time...

the Agblap! Lookit this little guy!!! Ain't it just the cutest thing?

Now that you're familiar with the basics, why not take a look at the website and see which monsters are your favorites? You can also check out the creator's main website for all kinds of interesting content! I don't know how to wrap up this post lol bye

[stellarisjuice]

You, Stellaris player. What are your favourite species appearances and why.

OUGH. okay. i have one for each category i think

Humanoid: these ones. i just think they look the coolest

Mammalian: honestly not a big Mammalian Enjoyer but these guys are silly and fun :)

Reptilian: OH YEAHHH BABY FUICKIGN. DRAGON!!!!

Avian: i used these guys for my first empire so they're special to me. also they look sick as hell, like, cmon

arthropoid: goofy mantis shrimp dudes are definitely my favorite but i like a lot of them. which reminds me i should use arthropoid portraits more

honorable mention for these guys because they're my partner's favorite :) they don't play but i Neurodivergent Blast them about stellaris often.

Molluscoid: honestly very hard to say. i usually use aquatics instead but if i had to make a molluscoid empire with no particular aesthetic in mind i'd probably use this guy because i think he looks cool. he also reminds me of gray fox

fungoid: obviously i have to put in an honorable mention for my man Juicy Jim

but ultimately these freaks are my real favorite. they look cool and i like to use them when i play hive mind.

plantoids: EXTREMELY difficult choice. honestly i don't think i have an honest favorite but all of the plantoids are pretty good. i guess if i had to pick one i'd go for the tree guys because they look like something straight out of D&D

lithoids: these guys hands down. i have to fight the urge to use them almost every time i make a lithoid empire. i usually lose. shoutout to those floaty lava guys though i wish i used them more

necroids: i Refuse to choose one but i am going to use this as an excuse to show you Patriarch Kaiba of the Blessed Wizard Foundation. look at him.

aquatic: also impossible to choose one, but i'm honorarily giving the spot to these guys because they're also my partner's favorite

toxoids: yet another hard one. i like both of the tiny portraits but ultimately this guy is my favorite because its internal name is Space Kermit

and last but not least, machine: KELBRID MULTIPLEX SWEEP

they just want to build megastructures but the spiritualists won't leave them alone :(