Swarms will evolve the concept of Art NFT with its inspired techno-artistry. 10,000 genetically-modified bees are on their way to Mars.
The Avalanche network is buzzing.
The Hivemind is waking up.
The Beekeepers are ready.
The Swarms will be released.
Welcome to NFT 2.0
Secrets from the rogue A.I., diluting their efficiencies
Wandering around their kings and queens
Astonished by the colors of their vivid bee dreams
Rendering revolutions at higher resolutions
Materializing from the subtle natures
Swarms are released to build greater heavens
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An analog to culture built on the metaverse.
Swarms portrays a decadent world where genetically modified bees engineered by a rogue AI are sent to terraform Mars.
Swarms is beyond anything ever imagined before.
Created on the Avalanche blockchain, 10,000 bees are currently moving to Mars.
Welcome to Swarms, a beeautiful project on the Avalanche network. Swarms is promising to be one of the greatest NFT projects and is changing the idea of what an Art NFT is capable of being. Swarms is set to be the crown jewel NFT of the Avalanche network and a defining example of the gorgeous creativity of the artists and developers in the Avalanche community.
Please click here for the interview with Delsol, the creator of Swarms
* Powered by a decade of research into human culture, art, and nature.
* Unprecedented “NFT 2.0” blending of art and technology
* A powerful dream expedited into reality by the support of the Avalanche community.
THE STORY OF SWARMS
A rogue A.I. sends genetically modified bees to Mars on a mission to terraform the planet.
The red planet Mars will be colonized and terraformed as soon as possible. An advanced albeit mysterious artificial intelligence has determined that human decadence has consequently led to a need for migration to Earth’s neighbor. This great new development will be spearheaded by 10,000 genetically modified bees engineered by the peculiar AI that seems to have a mind of its own…
Bees are a vital and fundamental aspect of a healthy ecosystem, and so they have been specially redesigned for the purpose of colonizing, building, and flowering the planet Mars in order to plant the foundations for a thriving new ecosystem fit for healthy life.
These 10,000 unique bees are categorized by 7 different genotypes, each with certain abilities that contribute to the overall mission in their own special ways. Each of those 7 genotypes consists of 3 different classes — drone, worker, and queen. Each class plays a vital role in building up the new world on the bright red planet Mars.
But something unexpected happened…
The AI went rogue
The AI, for some inexplicable reason, went rogue and mixed up the body parts of all the bees, thereby severely nerfing their ability to properly terraform Mars. The beekeepers now need to work to solve this issue.
Every Swarms bee has six parts: an abdomen, a thorax, wings, antennae, legs, and a head, but now all the body parts are all mixed up among the seven different genotypes, creating 10,000 unique NFTs. It is now the responsibility of the Beekeepers to control the AI and collect the mismatched bees to help them evolve into their most perfect forms.
Here’s how to join and participate:
Become a Beekeeper
Beekeepers are our only hope of controlling the AI and bringing the Swarms together in the Depth ecosystem. The Beekeeper’s role is to collect bees and help them evolve.
*To become a beekeeper you need to be a verified owner of a Swarms NFT
The minting date will be released very soon, so be sure to stay informed by following Swarms on Twitter.
When you mint a new Swarms NFT, you receive a Swarms bee NFT with randomized parts and genotypes. Each bee is completely unique and the result of a decade of technological research and a lifetime of artistic development.
You, the Swarms NFT owner, become a Beekeeper and you are an integral part of the project just as much as the creator, because the future of how this project grows is dependent on you and how you quest and evolve your bee to transform into the next level.
All minted bees will have a full 5K pixels resolution with your unique bee name and its dominant genotype written in the background
If you are able to collect all the body parts of the same genotype, you can turn your bee into the purified super bee — optimally efficient for terraforming Mars — as was originally intended before the AI went rogue. You will create the The Exodus Bee.
PHASE I: THE EXODUS QUEST
Link to the whitepaper.
The beekeepers must create the Exodus bees by finding and sacrificing a group of bees of the same class (worker, drone, or queen) and gathering all the body parts of a same genotype to create an Exodus hero.
There will only ever be 21 Exodus bees: one worker, one drone, and one queen for each of the seven genotypes. This means they will be the rarest NFTs of the collection.
How can I claim an Exodus?
According to Fels, the project’s co-founder and community supporter:
To be eligible to claim an exodus, you’ll need to find a set of bees with all the 6 parts of the said exodus.
Since there are 10k bees in the mint, there are multiple bees needed to create an Exodus bee.
ONLY 21 pure Exodus bees can be claimed and eligible for a physical artwork.
Very important: You must collect the bees with the parts of the Exodus Bee you are trying to claim in order to get that Exodus Bee. Example: Haduryan Drone must be claimed using bees containing the Haduryan Drone matching parts.
The 7 Genotypes
As stated before, there are 7 different genotypes and all the parts from the various genotypes will be mixed together among the three classes — drone, worker, and queen, which together creates the 10,000 NFTs and establishes the first step of the Swarms project.
Each bee genotype is gorgeously designed and crafted. My first favorite type is the Haduryan with the cool gem-heads. They look awesome, and it looks like they are also one of the rarest, which makes sense. But thankfully, my other favorite is the Setin, which is the most common type. The Setin have these awesome face tats that gives the artwork a deeper layer of substance.
The initial 10,000 bees will be known as Generation I (GEN I)
But there’s always the next level! The bees must evolve!
PHASE II: THE EVOLUTIONS
Similar to Charmander evolving into Charmeleon, or Goku transforming into a Super Saiyan, the bees can be upgraded to a whole new level.
Like most any big upgrade, it will require a lot of energy.
Ultimately, four Genesis bees are required to evolve into a GEN III Swarms bee NFT.
Three are sent to the Abyss, and only one survives. For each evolution, the bees will become more pure in their dominant genotype.
Two Genesis bees are fused in step 1 to evolve into a GEN II.
Two GEN II bees are fused in step 2 to evolve into the superior GEN III.
The GEN III evolution will be closer to an Exodus in the sense that they will have more attributes inherited from the strongest genotype.
Perhaps most notably, each upgrade will visually change the NFT. The features of each particular genotype will become more rubust.
This brings a scarcity and deflationary aspect to Swarms.
From the whitepaper:
The most exciting part about upgrading is that the bee will have a new look. You will create new, unique, compelling artwork that blends art and technology and user interaction in ways never before seen.
The Lab will be the place where beekeepers send their bees to genetically enhance them. More details on this will be released in the future.
#GoodBuzzOnly
Each bee has its own story.
There has been a wonderful development of the Swarms lore via daily lore reveals being presented by the team and shared by the community by using the hashtag GoodBuzzOnly.
I will include each piece of art and lore shared so far along with a screenshot and a link to a more high-res version.
Brace yourselves, this is a bee not to be messed with. The Hephra don’t have a Queen. Instead, they have a king. In the Hephra family, all the workers lay eggs and are ruled by the Drone king guarding the hive.
The Setin worker is the bee with the most variation, making it a very fun bee to collect. In the early days, the Setin will change Martian mudstones into rich soil and transform minerals into livable hives.
The Ajayan worker is one of the most important bees of the hive. As the harvesters of life, they are the doorway to new living organisms on Mars. To recognize them, look for the fungus growing on their bodies.
The Haduryan Drone is one of the rarest bees of the swarms. The colour of their crystal represents their state of consciousness: pink when they are roaming free and blue when they are summoned by their queen telepathically.
The Persephai Drones live under the surface and ensure a constant flow of water to the hive. They continuously swim in the Mars aquifer looking for their queen.
Mother of the Swarms, the Setin Queens are the leaders of the largest genotype and the pillars of terraforming on Mars.
(make sure you’re checking out the high res images of these bees in the links…this one is especially cool! The tattoos are amazing and the detail is just awesome!)
These bees are the blacksmiths and builders. They specialize in harvesting energy on Mars and bring new psychic technologies to the swarms.
Because of the harsh Martian conditions in which the Rahjin live, once fertilized, the Rahjin Queen will lay her eggs in the Drone’s Head for conservation. The Drones carrying eggs will have tadpole-like larvae living in their heads.
These bees are the builders. As the terraforming progresses on Mars, these bees will slowly start to oxide and erode as they age.
To allow the Ajayan Mycelium to spread within the colonies they diffuse spores from their antennae and act as the fertilizers of the hives
These amphibious bees use their claws to dig tunnels to the aquifer of mars. By mixing the water and old Martians sediments, they slowly start to discover and reinstate some old living organism from Mars.
These wanderers are attracted by the northern Martians glaciers. Their abdomen can vibrate to a high frequency melting the Martian ice into flowing water.
The Haduryan Queen (link to mp4 video)
These rare bees live at the bottom of craters dug by the Haduryan workers. They capture the energy from Mars’s inner mantle and feed the hive mind telepathically through Haduryan Crystals.
These bees are the guardian of the Swarms. They are built to protect the hives. You can spot the stronger ones by looking for studs on their heads and legs.
The Ajayan queen. These mythical creatures bring the power of life to the Swarms. When she starts producing mandibular pheromones, it makes the Ajayan drones generate spores that will give birth to the Ajayan mycelium.
The Setin Drones
Used as scouts to find the most promising lands to cultivate, the Setin drones fly high over the Martian landscapes guiding the swarms to their new base.
Her Majesty travels Mars looking for ice. She acts like a guide to her tribe and can brighten the darkest paths with her ever-glowing abdomen.
- *This list may be updated as more lore and art is revealed**
Meet The Founders
Delsol, Creator of Swarms
The outstanding artwork of the bees is the vision of Delsol, the founder and artist behind the project. He said that bees have followed him in his dreams since he was a child. In some way, the bee became a focal point for his worldview and creativity.
From the whitepaper:
Delsol is an academically trained artist who has conceptualized, designed, and directed over 1,500 individual animations for clients such as Polygon (MATIC), Veolia, and Sanofi. This project is the result of a decade of research into human culture, art, and nature. Delsol had been dreaming about this world for years and Swarms is pushing the boundaries of his creative vision.
The art speaks for itself.
For example, here is a Setin, one of the seven genotypes:
Zooming in on the bees reveals a fabulous level of detail. Each bee tattoo is a unique and deeply inspired work of unprecedented technoartistic brilliance. Most notably, the Setin seem to have the most striking tattoos, at least in my opinion.
Delsol is friendly and extremely passionate about this project. He would be happy to speak with you about his work and his vision. In fact, he is actively seeking co-imaginative communicative interaction because this is how Swarms will evolve.
Delsol is the creative lead, but your input — the inspired ideas of the beekeepers, the constructive feedback from the Avalanche community, the positive energy of the enlightening conversations, and the connections with the collaborators — are all ultimately the most important aspects of this evolving project.
The other developers are also an incredibly important part of this project and it would not be possible without their direct contributions.
Ithaca: The Mentor
Full-time Crypto investor and web3 developer, Ithaca found his first calling in the DeFi ecosystem. Tech-driven, Ithaca has an in-depth understanding of the space and is always making sure the project sticks to its vision and goals. He has been planning this project for a while and now, he’s all in.
Fels: The Guide
Always there to push the needle, Fels is a self-made entrepreneur whose career in tech is characterized by his human approach and product development skills. He will guide members of the community to help Swarms live up to its true potential.
Reach out to the Founders
Join the Discord channel and say hi. The founders and the community will be happy to discuss all sorts of cool things with you. The founders are very busy bees (especially now before the launch) so you chat with some people if the devs are sleeping. ^_^
Discord for Swarms: https://discord.gg/w6h8auaP
Twitter for Swarms: https://twitter.com/swarms_ai
My Hive Mind Wanders in Lucid Metaversal Dreams
I used to keep a dream journal filled with the lucid dreams. We tap into a great unconscious force when we sleep or enter a meditative or focused state. The conscious waking mind must be aware yet focused as one fine-tunes the attention among the vast oceans of infinite possibilities. Inspired by the dream visions and experiences, we then act on that while we attempt to recollect our primal, archetypal image-stories. The vision from the dreamer rhizomes-out like brain cells in outer space sparking and interconnecting via new neural pathways and it creates something never before seen in the history of the universe.
The Swarms project could never have existed before in any known period of history. The evolution of the Internet into Web 3.0 and the circumstances of our world have given rise to new abilities to utilize technological art to connect with other people, thereby expanding what it means to be human and interact with each other.
The Dream Image-Story
We are always communicating via images.
The medium is the message.
This is merely to say that the personal and social consequences of any medium — that is, of any extension of ourselves — result from the new scale that is introduced into our affairs by each extension of ourselves, or by any new technology.
-Marshal McLuhan
Swarms represents an unprecedented communicative medium in this sense, represented by the symbolic Bee whose existence is experienced as subjective in that one is encased in the individual body, and also a part of something greater. The bee’s body can be seen as a cell within the greater organism, the Hive. The Hive acts as one mind to carry out the command of the Queen, thus allowing the Hive to survive, thrive, and multiply. The byproduct of the productive bees is one of the most delicious, nutritious, and medicinal foods in all of creation — honey. Happy and healthy bees will thrive and provide the most honey.
I like how we both find ourselves within this metaphor and also as active, imaginative creatives within the metaverse of Swarms that exists as this analog to culture in ways that we are discovering together as the project grows.
Swarms has us play a role as bioengineer and geneticist because for some reason the AI went rogue and we now have to figure out how to use the current available tech and evolve it. It’s such a cool idea.
It seems we are all individually pushing for some kind of optimal efficiency that can only manifest itself as a group effort, united in mind and spirit, wrapped in the youthful linguistics of some kind of Web 3.0 meta-ideology.
Swarms, as a project, is not limited by the current conception. This is only the beginning.
BEES ARE IMPORTANT
Swarms helps brings awareness to the bees, something which should be highlighted.
Simply put, bees are super important.
The bee is a powerful instrument in the regrowth and regeneration of nature. The bee is the cornerstone of the entire web of life.
As humans do, we control nature and technology for better or for worse. The beekeeper is at once protector and caretaker who ensures those bees are safe and happy and able to work — or perhaps, play — optimally.
The bee will sacrifice its life in order to protect the Hive, and indeed each separate bee does not live as long as the hive. The honey is the fruit of the labor and is supplied in surplus. If managed and protected by a compassionate beekeeper, then the bees will have the most optimal living environment while the honey can be enjoyed to the benefit of all. There is a mutually beneficial relationship between man and bee.
The existence of the bee insinuates the existence of the flower and hive, and thus the entire universe, for none can exist without the other and each lives for one another as one complex network of interconnecting organisms.
The primary product of the bees — the honey — is among the most wonderful substances in all of creation, both delicious and nutritious. In both the act of pollination and the creation of honey, it cannot be determined if this is the goal of the bee.
The bees may very well just be dancing around merrily, hopping from flower to flower, and enjoying the scents and flavors. When the bees return to the hive, they happily build the honeycombs and feed their young.
Anyway, bees are important.
Road Ahead
From the founders:
As you can see, what we want to create is ambitious and we want to make the conscious choice to build it in public to show you every day that we have the skills and the dedication to make it happen.
We are builders, not promotors.
We have a long road ahead of us. If you’re with us, buckle up.
I am my bee and my bee is me
Bookmark their main site so you’re ready to roll.
The magic is happening now.
See you soon, beekeepers.
*
