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Species: Coral Bishelkies

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Description

Important links:
Shelkie species sheet (all information there applies to Bishelkies until proven otherwise): fav.me/d7xim4o  Skulkies: fav.me/d8m3nri
Capricorns: fav.me/d75fytr Siremones: fav.me/d739udr

Meta-notes:

Gosh I'm on a roll lately. #procrastinating Anyway I said I'd do another round of Shelkie subs, and I did! Even if it was supposed to be Hermit Shelkies, but honestly I think Bishelkies are more interesting. I really enjoyed doing this sheet, a lot of the ideas came together very quickly... something just fitted really well about the whole concept. A lot of the ideas I had aren't on the sheet, though! Some of them are below, but ask me if you have any questions :D I’m happy with the art, too.

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Bishelkie Trivia:
"Bishelkie" refers to both the shelkie individual and the collective. Usually it's clear who's who from context, not that it really makes much difference to Bishelkies anyway.

Bishelkies who don't enter the ocean never grow coral. Because of this, it is deduced that Bishelkies don't naturally grow coral - they merely provide a great place for coral buds to grow if they manage to make contact. Likewise for other species! If a land-goer or hybrid wants to host other species it'll have to make physical contact with them first, it can't just grow some because it wants to.

The shelkie half of a bishelkie gets a lifelong companion, friend, rudimentary protection, entertainment and a new method of collecting food - though most bishelkies who host a thriving reef won't eat anything that lives in the reef, being too emotionally attached, and instead will eat any newly deceased parts of the reef if and when they become available. Circle of life and all that!
The collective half gains mobility, further protection, and sentience if it wasn't already sentient. And a buddy :D

Notably, we only have the Bishelkie's word for it that the collective half of a Bishelkie is sentient. While researchers have confirmed two distinct brainwave patterns from all tested Bishelkies, it's possible the Bishelkie is just projecting its own duplicate mind onto its partner. Don't tell that to a Bishelkie, though. They get very offended when you suggest it.

Poison affinity is uncommon among Bishelkies.

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hybrid/partner specific trivia:

Kelpie/Bishelkie hybrids are notable because their partner organism always looks like a representation of another individual, at the opposite end of its body. Kelpie/Bishelkie hybrids get VERY offended if you don't address both halves of them at the same time.

Capricorn/Bishelkie hybrids are often hard to distinguish from regular Capricorns that have cephalopod features. Choice of pronoun is a good indicator.

Landgoing Bishelkies will often search out non-mobile plant-based sentient species to partner with on the basis that it's a nice thing to do for another individual. In the past, this has been a method for Fruit Frogs to spread to other continents - the Fruit Frog's Capricornucopia can sail across the ocean with a large enough Bishelkie partner! //okay that's unofficial but I think it's a fun idea :D

Coralshell Turtle/Bishelkie hybrids usually display a huge amount of coral at once, since they grow both the Coralshell parent's coral and the coral of any coral buds they come into contact with. 


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K that's it for now. If I was to keep going I'd do some Hermit Shelkies, and that rounds off my own Shelkie subspecies. (Other people are welcome to create their own :) ) Spoiler: Hermit Shelkies are giant Shelkies which, instead of shells, commandeer sunken ships and occasionally buildings as a form of defense. They also have good camouflage, and the air/cloud affinity ones are... well, you'll have to wait and see :P
I've also been messing around with the idea of Dancing Mantises, Masquerade Butterflies, Capribaras, Potatoads (...wysiwyg) and Seabees, plus another insect species I haven't named yet. But idk if I'll ever get around to any of those.

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Comments6
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Spirit-nature's avatar
I find this species very interesting, as I have always considered the concept of some creatures developing a special or symbiotic relationship with other species, as being full of possibilities, and you have played with that concept exceptionally well. The Bishelkies are a species of diverse shapes and appearances, and the nature of their symbiosis affects their psychology in an unique way. In my opinion, they are a great species.