If you're just looking for pictures, view the trait guides here! However, we recommend you read these descriptions to have a full understanding of the traits.
Shrimpshifters are most notable for two things: their ability to shapeshift into over-sized shrimp, and their classic scale pattern. These two traits, along with at least one body mod, are necessary for your Shrimpshifter.
SCALES
All Shrimpshifters have scales either on their arm(s), their leg(s), or both, and some Shrimpshifters have scales on their chest or face (rare and legendary traits). Scientists believe they have these as a way of protection--after shifting back into a humanoid state, it's really easy to feel dizzy or disoriented, and the rocky shores aren't kind to falls. Scales may take up various portions of their limbs, be patchy, or only appear on one limb. It's even possible to have different types on each (the highest rarity/term is logged).
Common Scale Patterns
- Regular: the scales appear on the elbows and knees, and fade back into skin shortly after.
Uncommon Scale Patterns
- Patchy Scales: scales are not consistent across the limb, and appear in random patches with patches of skin showing in between.
- Mild Overabundance: there are more scales than normal across the limb, reaching around the thighs and calves, or the mid-point of the lower arm and bicep.
Rare Scale Patterns
- Whole Limb(s): the entire limb is covered by scales, usually encompassing the ankles, butt, wrists, and shoulder.
- Sparse Patches on Body: there are a few scales covering the torso, in small patches.
- Facial: small patches of scales on the face, usually on the cheeks or jawbone.
Legendary Scale Patterns
- Extreme Overabundance: there are so many scales on the limbs that they may cover, or come close to covering, the feet and hands, as well as trailing on the hips and collarbone.
- Underabundance: there are very little scales on the limbs.
- Large Patches on Body: across the torso, there are large patches of skin covered by scales.
HAIR
Although most Shrimpshifters have hair (common), not all do (uncommon). Shrimpshifters without hair do not have hair growth anywhere, including their legs, arms (and armpits), pubic areas, head, face, eyebrows, eyelashes, or even inside the nose! This doesn't come without a price, though, as it does remove the extra layer of protection body hair may provide (particularly for the eyes). In short, Shrimpshifters without hair do not have any hair follicles.
Many Shifters without hair get eyebrows tattooed on their face, and some wear scientifically-created false eyelashes that can help keep dust out of the eyes.
SKIN
Most Shrimpshifters also have a normal, human skin tone (common), but some have "alien" (uncommon) skin. This is any colour other than a basic skin colour, and it includes greyscale.
EARS
There are several types of ears a Shrimpshifter might have. While human ears are the most common, mermaid and fin-type ears are also present, and some don't even have ears at all!
- Human (Common): regular, human shaped ears, made of cartilage.
- Mermaid (Uncommon): termed "mermaid ears," these ears are made of cartilage but are nearly fin shaped. anatomically, they are the same as human ears, but the auricle has special sculpting. The most important difference between these and Fin Ears are that Mermaid Ears must be the same as the skin tone!
- None (Rare): while these Shrimpshifters can still hear, they are missing most of their outer ear: the auricle. without this cartilage, they find it harder to hear; however, the muscular seal that covers their "ears" repel water significantly better (see: alligator ears).
- Fins (Rare): these Shifters don't actually have any cartilage, and have the same ear structure as Shifters with no ears, but they also have fins that decorate the place an ear would go. while the fins add little to the lack of the collection of sound that a normal auricle provides, they do look cool.
BODY
Many Shrimpshifters aren't able to shift all the way into humans. While some traits are cool, some of them can be pretty impractical.
Common Body Traits
- Antenna: often, the antennas remain on a Shifter's head. some recede partially, and are short, while others remain as long as a shrimp's.
- Shrimp Tail: it's also possible for the shrimp tail to remain on the back of the Shifter. while they form their human legs, the shrimp tail doesn't always disappear. this shrimp tail may still have legs, or it might be just the tail, as the legs successfully translated. (sizing guide)
- Whiskers: sometimes, instead of (or with) the antennas remaining, the whiskers do! it's the same process, where some recede partially, and others remain long.
Uncommon Body Traits
- Webbed Fingers and Toes: sometimes, Shifters have webbed fingers and toes to help them swim while in their human form. they may have one, or both.
- Horns: "wait, horned shrimp are a thing?" yep. sometimes Shifters aren't able to shift these away, so they remain on their heads, or are translated to a pair of them. these horns don't curl, and they remain straight up; they are also fairly short (as a shrimp, the Shifter must have horns).
Rare Body Traits
- Fin(s): occasionally, Shifters have some fins to help them swim while in their humanoid form. these can be anywhere on the body, usually on the head, arms, legs, back, and/or chest.
- 1-2 Extra Limbs: sometimes the many limbs of shrimp get, ah, translated wrong... they can be an extra arm or leg, and it may or may not be functional--anywhere from a non-functioning, doll sized arm, to a separate, working leg. These may be on the back or sides of the Shifter, or, if an arm, may be on the shoulder.
- Gills: some Shifters have gills they can use while in their humanoid state. these may appear on the neck, waist, chest, or back.
Legendary Body Traits
- 3-6 Extra Limbs: sometimes the many limbs of shrimp get, ah, translated wrong... they can be an extra arm or leg, and it may or may not be functional--anywhere from a non-functioning, doll sized arm, to a separate, working leg. These may be on the back or sides of the Shifter, or, if an arm, may be on the shoulder (functionally the same as the Rare version of the trait, just with more).
- Centaur-Style Shrimp Tail: only the torso is human, and the lower body never forms, remaining most of the shrimp--legs and tail included! Imagine a centipede centaur, but... a shrimp. Some with this trait shift with strong and able legs, but others are bound to the weakness of flimsier, shrimp-style legs. Shifters with this trait are usually missing or have incomplete sexual organs, and usually can't reproduce.
- Mermaid-Style Shrimp Tail: only the torso is human, and the lower body never forms, remaining a shrimp tail. While Shifters with this trait often have very elaborate and beautiful tails, they cannot transport themselves very easily, and usually rely on wheelchairs. Shifters with this trait are usually missing or have incomplete sexual organs, and usually can't reproduce.
MISC. COSMETICS
You can design your Shrimpshifter to have a certain theme in mind, and give them random traits we simply call "cosmetics." These are miscellaneous traits that don't really pertain to shrimps, so we didn't make them traits.
Examples (don't necessarily copy these, but this is the general idea):
- Abigail's porcelain skin
- Ethan's "skull nose"
- Roux's face patterns
- Harlow's head sprout
Guidelines:
- no cosmetics can resemble other traits.
- your cosmetic must be approved by admin; if it isn't, please remove it or make the necessary alterations.
- we won't accept blatantly irrelevant cosmetics, such as wings--please use common sense when concepting these.