Scientific Name:mercurio plastes
AKA: Shift, Ouze, (erroneously) Puddlebug, Shattra (ancient name) Group of: tar pit? They're still people Male: man/patyr (sire) Female: woman/matyr (dam) Lifespan: immortal Gestation: 6 months Litter: as many as there are parents Classification: shape shifter, changeling Diet: omnivorous Habitat: anywhere |
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Physical Conformation
Height: varies by morph/form
Weight: varies by morph/form
Build: mercurial ooze
Pelt: default is silver, though as the shift gets older/adulthood, it can alter to a color of their choice
First Impressions: can be seen as anyone
Height: varies by morph/form
Weight: varies by morph/form
Build: mercurial ooze
Pelt: default is silver, though as the shift gets older/adulthood, it can alter to a color of their choice
First Impressions: can be seen as anyone
General
Typical Personality: varies, though generally, shift are passive, wary and anti-social by necessity. By nature, they can be observant, friendly, helpful and generally kind people, if a bit stand-offish.
Abilities: shapeshifting
Language: Shattaran (mix of Filipino and Chinese)
Natural Enemies: Raschari (shifthunters), Fulmimancy (lightning), electricity
Typical Personality: varies, though generally, shift are passive, wary and anti-social by necessity. By nature, they can be observant, friendly, helpful and generally kind people, if a bit stand-offish.
Abilities: shapeshifting
Language: Shattaran (mix of Filipino and Chinese)
Natural Enemies: Raschari (shifthunters), Fulmimancy (lightning), electricity
Breeding/Procreation
Shift return to their natural mercurial state to create offspring. Shift are naturally genderless - only associating with male or female due to preference - and as such, can meld with any of their own kind. Due to their specific chemical properties, there are no such thing as Shift bloodlines or lineage unless the families wish to keep such. Thus, there is no such thing as incest; which is lucky, considering the critically endangered numbers of shift in the galaxy today. The more shift in the 'breeding meld' the more offspring will result. If there is a single pair of shift, there will be two offspring, making twins the lowest possible number of offspring. There is no limit to how many shift can meld together. The one thing about a shift's breeding meld (beyond their deadened sense of awareness, of course), is the sharing of memories, emotions and sense of self during the six months. As such, Shift do not go into a breeding meld with just any one of their own kind unless they are truly desperate. It can also not be forced, no matter how much older one shift is to another. |
Society/Social Mentality
As critically endangered/bordering on extinct the Shift are, there is very little society of their own kind going on, unfortunately. Shift tend to stay aloof from others, even their own kind, so as to avoid eventual confrontation and death by association from the shift hunters should they inevitably be hunted down and killed. Shift, as a whole today, are lonely and desperate individuals raised in a galaxy that grows increasingly hostile. Since the Stratus (which is now a cursed word), Shift have become distrusted to the point of being hunted upon discovery. The End of the Stratus began when several of the Judicial Circle learned how to expand and mold themselves inside creatures and/or people and control it by inserting itself through the skin like thousands of tiny needles. They became a parasite to their host, completely undetectable and learning to mimic the host's own ticks and personality to fool even their closest family and friends. These Stratus led a small coup and became serial kidnappers, experimenting on various non-shift women, getting most of them pregnant. It is unknown what became of these women as they were never found. An order of mercenaries split off from their guild to form a splinter sect called the Raschari. They specialized in hunting down shift to eradicate the Stratus and stop the destruction and experimentation they were doing. This teaching and group has survived the ages, continuing the practice of killing shift only to this day. |
Shortcomings
Weaknesses: Immune to drowning, though are susceptible to fire. With quick enough shifting capability, however, shift can learn to harden their skin to withstand temperatures (unless dropped in lava, though a smart shift can learn a lava-resistant form to combat this). There are two surefire ways to destroy a shift; lightning and exhausting them through over-morphing. Lightning can easily knock a shift out completely, locking their system and causing them lose their form, making it seem like they're been zapped into a colored puddle. Their mercurial form can then be set on fire or simply overcharged with lightning/electricity until they are fried. The death of a shift ocurrs when the color has been leeched completely from their original state, resulting in a colored stain on the ground. How to kill one Prejudices and Racism? Manners and Morality
What is considered respectful? What is polite? What is disrespectful to them? What is impolite? Morality, Ethics, Honor and Taboos? |
Entertainment and Recreation
What entertainment do they enjoy/partake in? What do they look down on? What do they do to relax and unwind? What do they do to have fun? Challenge themselves? Others? What kind of music do they have? |
Government and Leadership
Shift are too nomadic to be able to congregate into a single, cohesive whole. For the most part, shift govern themselves, splitting into families or small groups, usually hiding within other races in an attempt to survive the inevitable. Used to be known as shattra, but the name has long since been forgotten with how destroyed they've become, leading to them being known only as shift.
Shift are too nomadic to be able to congregate into a single, cohesive whole. For the most part, shift govern themselves, splitting into families or small groups, usually hiding within other races in an attempt to survive the inevitable. Used to be known as shattra, but the name has long since been forgotten with how destroyed they've become, leading to them being known only as shift.
Parasites and Hosting
While Shattra are immortal (their bodies continually regenerate any lost/dying cells), occasionally, they require a recharge. How often this occurs is different for each shift; some require every few days, while others can go for weeks without needing a host. Shattra can infect a host by oozing through the body, either the pores themselves or through an open surface, like a wound or eyes, nose, mouth, etc.
However, a host's body eventually begins to break down as the shift starts to take more than the body can compensate for. This time is lengthened greatly if the shift remains asleep, but it can vary between a few months to several years, depending on how active the shift and/or host is. The more physically active and healthy a host, the better chances of remaining in hiding for the shift. If a shift does not leave their host before this time, it will kill the host as the shift ends up eating the body from the inside out.
While Shattra are immortal (their bodies continually regenerate any lost/dying cells), occasionally, they require a recharge. How often this occurs is different for each shift; some require every few days, while others can go for weeks without needing a host. Shattra can infect a host by oozing through the body, either the pores themselves or through an open surface, like a wound or eyes, nose, mouth, etc.
- On a negative note, not much stops a shift from taking over their given host but electricity.
However, a host's body eventually begins to break down as the shift starts to take more than the body can compensate for. This time is lengthened greatly if the shift remains asleep, but it can vary between a few months to several years, depending on how active the shift and/or host is. The more physically active and healthy a host, the better chances of remaining in hiding for the shift. If a shift does not leave their host before this time, it will kill the host as the shift ends up eating the body from the inside out.
- Generally, shift would leave well before this is a consideration. They remember what started their people's genocide and have no interest in giving truth to the assumptions.