Species Society
society:
Reproduction
Eggs & Fertility:
Phish-Keepers (or P-K’s for short) do not reproduce themselves, instead they work in a similar way to Bee’s who live in a hive unit, with a Queen that lays all of the eggs and ‘Carrier’ P-K’s who travel across the Oceans to give them to P-K communities to raise. Because of this, P-K don’t have fully functioning reproductive systems to make young on their own, though they can occasionally lay ‘dud eggs’ during the hotter months of the year that are infertile.
Laying dud eggs is a painless process, though some P-K’s can experience periods of heightened anxiety passed down from their more ancient ancestors.
Gender
Gender Identity & Expressions
P-K are all Intersex, as they have a working set of each hormone type that usually corresponds with either Male or Female chromosomes. This can give each individual P-K a unique gender type, as the levels of each gendered hormone can be mostly controlled by them to give them physical & emotional characteristics usually associated with a certain Gender.
As such, a multitude of different gender types can be attributed to each individual, going from the binary gender of Male & Female, for those P-K who have a natural bodily preference for one hormone type, to Agender, Nonbinary & Demi-Gender that all consist of varying levels of both Male and Female genes. P-K’s don’t have natural Gender defined differentiation or Dimorphisms, and all of their unique characteristics are solely based on their Environment, Companion & Community ethics.
Personal pronouns are chosen by each Phish-Keeper, depending on how they want to be addressed & what they feel like best suits them. Pronouns and Gender-identities can also change during different seasons, as their hormones can fluctuate with both the Breeding seasons of marine animals and the changing temperatures of the Ocean itself.
Because P-K’s don’t reproduce sexually, there is little need for any gendered body parts so there are very few bodily indicators towards what there gender is. This can make it difficult for Landwalkers to identify them or use the correct pronouns when addressing them, though this is done without malice or ill-intent for the most part. There is also very little documented information on Phish-Keepers that the Landwalkers, though there are several peaceful organisations - and a few not so peaceful ones - that are trying to learn more about their species through observation and study.
HEIRARCHY
Hierarchy- (excluding Gods/Goddesses)
- The Queen (or The Mother)
- Carriers (Transporters of P-K eggs, work directly under The Queen)
- Scouts (Explorers of the Ocean, report to both the Carriers & The Queen)
- Community Leaders (The figurehead of each settled colony, share information with the Scouts)
- Community Dwellers (The majority of P-K fall into this category, Community citizens)
- Outcasts (P-K that have displayed bad, destructive or disruptive behaviours that put other P-K in harms way)
The Queen will lay a large clutch of eggs once every year, consisting of about 1000 eggs, and her brood - or the Carriers, a select small group of P-K tasked with taking the eggs to their new homes - will transport them to an established P-K community to assign their eggs and help raise them.
P-K’s get their unique features and most of their differentiation or defining traits from the companion they have, including their vibrant coloured scales, varied Fin types & Water stones as a secondary stage of development after they are born triggered by the acceptance of their chosen egg in their Water pouch.
Homelands
Homelands
A Homeland is a Phish-Keeper assigned region that acts as an individual community with a usually small to mid sized group of individuals that live and thrive together in that shared space! These P-K’s will act like a family, and will actively help each other out when there is trouble or to protect their space and the creatures that live there with them.
When a Phish-Keeper is choosing their Homeland, they will think about the best environment to suit both their Companion and themselves, often being drawn to a location based on a habitual instinct transferred emotionally through their Companion.
Tuoko Reef
Salt Water
Tropical climate, consisting of a long strip of pink sandy beach, shallow to medium-level water and teeming amounts of wild fish and sea life. Mutations from common species are plentiful in this zone.
"This vast reaching, warm water reef is teeming with life; from the giant, coloured corals, kelp, and reeds that gather along this reef’s floor to the various tropical Phish-Keeper, who carefully craft their dens within the foliage and rock formations among the sand."
Lily Lagoon
Fresh Water
Mild to cool fresh water internal land lagoon, within a dense forested area. This particular area is home to a multitude of giant fish, frogs, and insects, and has regular periods of heavy rain & storms.
"With it’s cool, clear water and low salt content, this expansive lagoon is the perfect place for fresh-water fish & insects to thrive, and fresh-water Phish-Keepers to make their dens. Floating at the surface of the water are giant lily pads that tower over the rest of the lagoon, dappling the shallow sandy floor with speckled shade during the day, and letting glowing moon-beams in at night."
Hollow Cavern
Salt Water
A large, deep crevice filled will cold saltwater, homing a plethora of bioluminescent animals and plant life.
"Deep within the cracked walls of this massive underwater cavern, live the deep ocean-dwelling life forms and deep ocean Phish-Keepers who are used to the low light levels and near-freezing temperatures. With its looming reeds that seem to grow beyond the ceiling of the cavern, to the bioluminescent & glowing foliage interwined within the walls and ocean life threading sparkling patterns within the water, this dark world is unlike any other."
Redwood Rocks
Fresh Water
Mild to warm fresh water lake with several medium-sized waterfalls along one side of the cliff surrounding it and a few small lakes that lead into wider rivers. Nestled in the middle of a gargantuan redwood tree forest, this spot is a hotspot for ancient species and giant sizes.
"Shrouded in the dense red bark of gigantic redwood trees and thick coverage from the foliage, and the multitude of external rives that lead to this spot, large numbers of migratory fish and ancient creatures call this fresh water lake home. Salmon can often be seen during breeding season scaling the many waterfalls that pepper the cliffs surrounding the area, and larger than normal specimens are a common occurrence here."
Arctic Trenches
Salt Water
Freezing cold temperatures and salty ocean water, this zone regularly freezes over and only the hardiest of creatures like to stay located here. Little plant life, but large number of nocturnal, bioluminescent, and predatory species are common here.
"Littered across the surface of the frigid ocean water in this freezing area are gigantic sheets of ice, thick enough to easily support a thousand Phish-Keepers or more. Diving below these white behemoths reveals large, deep creeks plunging below where the light can travel successfully, where the weirdest and wackiest of creatures live."
The Deep Dark
Salt Water
Cool to cold salt water ocean, this biome is the darkest and deepest of any known Phish-Keeper location.
"Down below the surface of the water, where even the sunlight struggles to travel, is the strange climate of the Deep Dark. With a thick, dense pressure and large brine ponds littered across the barren sandy floor, this zone is full of hazards and means that Phish-Keepers must rely on their hardy bodies and adaptive senses to survive to the fullest."
Sekuoyah Kelp Forest
Salt Water
Cold, nutrient-rich salt water dominated by large forests of thick kelp that reaches all the way to the water’s surface, one of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems. Salt-water mammals are prevalent here.
"Kelp forests are filled with a wide array of kelp and other algae. This particular kelp forest boasts the tallest kelp with large, red stems. With all this food and shelter, you can find everything from the tiny nudibranchs to giant sea bass, making it a perfect place for mammalian Phish-keepers who need to eat a lot to keep warm."
Leviathan Whale Fall
Salt Water
Cool to cold salt water ocean, this biome is nestled in amongst a giant Phish-Keeper skeleton.
"Resting at the bottom of the ocean, tucked in an undersea canyon, the ancient remains of a gargantuan P-K and their whale companion lay. Steam vents keep the area warm, and promote foliage growth, making the area a prime spot for scavenger Phish-Keepers and their companions, who form their dens in the cliffs surrounding the skeleton. Some say they can see the skeleton’s ghost in the darkness when the nights get long."
Cinder Beach
Salt Water
Black sand beach with warm salt water tidepools.
"On the black-sanded shore of a long inactive volcanic island, lays a series of tide pools formed by the igneous rocks of an age-old eruption. These tide pools serve as a home for many crustacean, and mollusk Phish Keepers and their companions, who spend much time out of the water. During the breeding season, the beach will be covered with sea turtles, returning to lay their eggs on the sand."
Open Ocean Dwellers
Salt Water
Phish-Keepers of this type are migratory, and do not usually settle in one spot for long periods of time. Instead, they choose to travel into different regions regularly and have ties with multiple different Phish-Keeper clans at a time.
Coming Soon!
New regions may be added as they are discovered.
Phish-Keepers can switch their Homeland if they feel like a different region is better suited!
the Queen
The Queen:
When the Queen (who is always almost completely Female in genetics) runs out of energy and dies, another P-K from her Carriers will have their genes mutate, regardless of their current Gender type and hormone levels, to become the next Queen and replace them with predominantly Female genes. They can then take the former Queens place to lay the eggs instead. P-K form close knit communities with others that live in the same environment as them to form Colonies or pack groups, that then acts as a sort of familiar unit and lets them form emotional bonds with others who live with them. Though there can also be smaller familial units within a colony, especially with P-K who have companions that are from the same species/genus/evolutionary line.
P-K young are let out with their Carers to choose an egg to hold in a time corresponding to the natural breeding season of Fish/sea creatures. Because sea creatures lay a large amount of eggs per season with a mortality rate of about 90% on average, P-K can actually help the species live by taking a couple of eggs and allowing the fish or creature to live out a full life with them in their communities.
Phish-Keepers are a CLOSED SPECIES made and owned by FlNCH-FACE! Please DO NOT make your own Phish-Keeper without express permission, or as part of an MYO event!
Phish-Keepers are FlNCH-FACE‘s Intellectual Property and are protected by Digital Copyright. Any works featured in this Character Profile are made for the explicit use of the Species Lore, Scientific Conceptualization and World-building and are not permitted to be used outside of the Species World.
All respective property (Art, Literature, Characters, Lore, Concepts, etc.) made for this species by any party is subsequently added to the Phish-Keeper World, and is protected by the species’ Digital Copyright as long as it adheres to the Species Rules.