#it's so fun to think abt varieties of rot that evolve into new things

[raintailed]

various doodles of more rot variants because these freakish slime mold things are super fun to think about :]

1. Saddy Longlegs was originally a joke but now it is real! It’s a strain that originated from the Misery. This strain eats already-dead creatures and has an excellent sense of smell. It also tends to form symbiotic relationships with other creatures.

The remaining three images are of rot strains that are descended from malware rot. They are found in Blighted Meadows, one of the regions located near Visions from Windows. It turns out that since malware rot is so virulent and fast-growing, it can mutate very quickly when exposed to the outside world.

2. Instead of actively hunting creatures, leafy rot photosynthesizes instead (though it will occasionally hunt to get necessary nutrients). Some of its tendrils have become flattened and leaf-like. Leafy rot cysts can be seen climbing up structures to get to the sunniest spot possible, then holding up their flattened tendrils to catch sunlight.

3. Another image of leafy rot. In the absence of anything to climb on, leafy rot cysts can be seen standing like trees out in the open. Their shadows are a lovely spot for other creatures to cool down on hot days.

4. Flying rot is another malware rot-descended strain. It has genes that came from rotted batflies. It eats fruit and slow-moving insects, and in the future will evolve the agility necessary to catch fast-moving insects. Flying rot is harmless to slugcats and can be killed and eaten.

In the future, leafy rot and flying rot will develop new strains that are specialized for certain roles. For example, leafy rot will diverge into large strains that prefer standing in the open and smaller strains that climb structures in a vinelike manner.

Note: both leafy rot and flying rot have lost most of their virulence. Leafy rot almost never infects creatures, while flying rot can only infect creatures with weak immune systems.