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Morbit Evolution

Morbitian evolution takes inspiration from real-life evolution, various (failed) evolutionary theories, and the idea of collective will. It is not an exact science on a meta-level nor will it ever be fully defined as such, and can be interpreted however creators feel is necessary and/or interesting for a story, or left out entirely if a creator deems it irrelevant.

Basics

Morbitian evolution is influenced both by simplified genetics as we know them (dominant/recessive genes, natural selection, etc), collective will, and in the case of god-created species, flora, and fauna, “framework”. Along with having dominant/recessive genes for things like species morph, fur/skin/etc color, eye color, health conditions, mutation threshold, etc, Morbitian life is also capable of gaining “traits” through the course of their lives that can be passed down to their offspring.

Traits

Traits are gained over the course of a Morbitian's life, regardless of whether they're sapient or not (see: plants and animals). These traits can vary from skills to physical traits to mutations to resistances or susceptibilities to pretty much anything you can think of. Traits can vary hugely but how they pass on reflects how the individual in question felt about the trait- where positively viewed traits are more likely to pass on to their offspring in more positive, present ways, and negatively viewed traits are more likely to pass down in an avoidance sense- the offspring is less likely to have that trait. This is part of why Morbitian evolution happens so rapidly, and how singular events can change the course of a species or bloodline's evolution entirely.

In the case of skill based traits, we can look at the example of a Morbitian getting skilled at hand to hand combat. If they gained a significant amount of skill and felt positively about it in some form (be that genuine appreciation or its sheer benefit towards survival), their offspring may inherit muscle memory for that fighting style. It may never come up or be noticed or relevant, and could go completely undeveloped by the Morbitian in question, but it has the chance to be there. If the Morbitian feels negatively about their fighting skill (for example, self-hatred, or having the skill as a result of traumatic experience and feeling like the cons outweigh the benefits), then it could potentially either not pass on at all or even manifest in ways that are counter-productive to fighting, presumably to help guide their offspring away from a similar experience. This has lead to some bloodlines (see: especially in |Mothlie or similar cultures) training people in combat extensively and promoting a sense of honor in order to promote their lineage getting stronger and obtaining more and more fighting prowess over time.

Health conditions can also be impacted by this to a degree, but are less likely to be affected by perception if the condition is typically genetic (such as conditions like bipolar, heart conditions, addiction, etc). With that said, traits related to adapting to conditions are fairly common; for example, someone with PTSD learning coping strategies to actively deal with and recover from their symptoms has a chance of passing down an inclination towards those coping strategies- though whether they are actually learned and used are up to the individual in question. It is always possible for a passed down trait to go entirely unnoticed and irrelevant, thus making it impossible to be passed down further.

Injuries are a tricky matter, and typically do not pass on due to them being, well, injuries, and typically seen in a negative light. However, it is possible (but incredibly rare) for them to pass down to offspring if the parent in question sees the injury as a positive. Scars are a common example within this rare phenomenon, with some bloodlines sharing battle scars as a mark of pride. Similarly to other traits, these traits stop passing on once the Morbitian in question no longer sees them as a positive at the time of having offspring, and thus, these traits do not tend to last long in bloodlines that do not actively encourage them.

Self perceived traits still apply with flora and fauna, though the less sentient you get, the more you get closer to “positive perception” being along the lines of “helps me reproduce and survive”. As such, it is common for farmers and other people specializing in growing/rearing plants and animals to look into ways to customize their stock. Wildlife tends to adjust rapidly to where their population is, leading to many flora and fauna species adapting to urban life far quicker than Earth varieties. This, unfortunately for Morbitians, also applies to terrors, and a terror allowed to reproduce and rear their young to adulthood can cause devastation for nearby populations due to their hyper-specialized abilities.

Species Framework + Morphs

When creating a species, gods are permitted to create a single “morph”, with an appearance, biology, diet, overall behavior, etc in mind. With this morph, a “framework” is also necessary. This framework defines the potential paths a species can evolve along, and sets up potential for future morphs to develop. Creating a framework involves creating groups and conceptual basis for a species, such as: karacels having a framework of “types of cat/kinds of fur covering”, and their morphs developing in that way. Environmental factors and natural selection also take effect, but generally, morphs will follow this framework in some way. As a result, species with wide, more encompassing framework (see; OBJs and corvice with a framework of “kinds of animal”) will have huge varieties of morph, whereas a species with a much more narrowed, focused framework (see; de'moneres with a framework of “caste and size based”) will have less morphs with large variety. Most gods choose a balance in between, but their motivations vary as much as their creations.

Flora + Fauna

Flora and fauna are similarly created with frameworks, though they are not as defined as species framework. As such, animals and plants are more likely to adapt in extreme ways to new environments, and even across different towns, differences in populations can be found. Flora and fauna that have motifs worked into their designs tend to be more specialized for their native, creator god-run environment than those made more generalized.

Lineages + Bloodlines

Morbitians evolve rapidly with changes being noticeable across individual generations thanks to the trait system and just an accelerated evolution system in general. As such, long running bloodlines can stand distinct against other members of their species, with a notable example being the Judgment Bloodline. The Judgments, while typically identifiable as ruffnecks from afar, also have a significant amount of fiend heritage, and due to the strong personal identity of said bloodline, those traits (such as glowing eyes and buglike features and abilities) have continued to present themselves and intensify to the point of the bloodline being nearly unclassifiable as ruffnecks upon closer examination. Similarly, should a person decide to reject their bloodline, their offspring's genetics may end up avoiding common traits of said family line and begin to deviate on their own path. Tracing family genetics is an interesting thing, and is heavily studied by Morbitian scholars.

Inherited Motifs

Along with standard genetics and traits, Morbitians also have "motifs", regardless of whether they are a god or not. These motifs are completely hidden to non-deities (or those with deity heritage), and tie into one's scrap affinity. Initial motifs are inherited from one's parents and/or the environment itself (depending on how they were born/created/etc), and for non-deities (or those without deity heritage), these motifs can also change over time with one's personal growth and development. These changes are typically along linked ideas that hold significant meaning to the Morbitian in question (for example: a chain motif shifting to scrap metal, a meat motif shifting to eyes, etc). The links between motif changes can seem tangential or nonsensical to outside observers (though the only way *to* observe is typically through scrap affinity), but to the Morbitian in question, these changes hold great purpose and meaning (whether they want it to or not.) Upon ascending to godhood, motifs are locked in and the Morbitian in question's appearance will change to reflect that, altering itself from their mortal form. These motifs are still theoretically changeable for deities and those with deity heritage, but the method of doing so is as of yet unknown.