Seara
I. General Characteristics “All at once, the Oceans came alive.” As the story goes, the World Waters were still. From a nest of kelp, music weaved with the energies of the sand below to curl into a pearl. Whales sang and moved past the kelp ball causing the kelp to start to move for the first time. A school of sharks followed, again shifting the kelp. Each movement past the kelp caused it to move then still. Each movement spread life to the oceans. That could never be enough. The kelp forest shuddered and began to sway without a passing sea animal. Curiosity pulled eyes to the kelp forest as the ball unraveled. In the kelped cradle, the first Seara awoke. The seafoal giggled and danced around the kelp that sheltered them. That awoke the dance in the kelp forest. As the forest began to dance on its own, the microlife burst forth in larger numbers than ever known before. Everywhere the microlife touched, dance followed.
Seara never cared much about if it was truth or fiction. The story served to remind them of the power of dance. It’s a lesson they haven’t forgotten as a species. When asked, it was not uncommon for a Seara to say that dancing was their sacred duty to keep the World Oceans moving.
Usually those that ask regret asking thereafter.
A. Physical Appearance Size: Seara are on the smaller size for a non-mini Naiad. Three feet from snoot to uncurled tail are typically the max out with others going smaller. [7:28 PM] Shape: Unique to this subspecies, Seara have thick curled tail capable of being a third hand holding items or grabbing on to things. Their lower midsection extends further out of their bodies capable of expanding or contracting based on need. That section has a pouch. These pouches are perfect for holding seafoals until they are ready to take on the world. They also serve as amazing snack storage spaces or holding place of All the Things! Past the pouch, their torso resembles a lake naiad with less defined musculature. All the muscle work went into the tail. Their tiny fins on their head and back are the only things helping them move. Color: Seara are capable of changing their color to camouflage into their surroundings. Capable does not equal willing. Seara were made to stand out! They come in a natural array of vibrant colors and patterns. These colors still help them blend with the kelp and coral they would wrap themselves with. Those colors don’t do as much when the Seara twerk to the music in their own heads. Features: Their main distinguishing features are the spiny, muscled tails able to grab, hold and manipulate almost as great as an arm. Their other is the pouch meant for seafoal rearing but used for a wide range of more practical matters. They are not strong swimmers and tend to move more by ocean currents then their own power. B. Mental Capabilities: This species as a whole live by one motto: “Dance dance party!” As they aren’t able to move fast/far or for long distances, they had to learn to make the best of where they were stationed. This led to seeking to capture to keep the attentions of those floating by and keeping the party going when more than one of them found the same spot.
There is a reason why a group of Seara are called a Mosh. [7:28 PM] II. Habitat A. Geographic Location: Seara are not made for the deep end of the pool. They gravitate to areas towards the shoreline with lots of kelp, coral or other seascaping. Anywhere where the currents aren’t overly strong and the water is warmer, you’ll likely find a Mosh congregating. B. Climate Needs: There are not enough sweaters in all of the Waters to get a Seara to willingly go into cold water. Artic is an especially no-go area. Cooling waters are one of the major causes of Seara migration. C. Home Needs: The word Claustrophobia is not in their dictionary. When it comes to a comfortable home, kelp forests are the ancestral goal. Even in more modern times where they can stay in homes, Seara prefer spaces with lots of ‘perches’ especially for resting. Rather than a comfy bed, this subspecies sleeps in a column with their tails firmly held to an object and their bodies straight up.
In kelp and coral this helps protect them when sleeping. In the Lake it just serves to go a great upside down bat impression.
III. Life Behaviors A. Diet: Voracious carnivores, Seara enjoy buffets of krill, larvae of any kind and just about anything else that floats in front of their face. They shy away from kelp only because its part of their home. Eating your house tends to leave you homeless after a while. Of all the Naiad species, Seara eat the most. Food goes through their system so fast that they are ready to eat again almost as soon as they finish their first meal. Krillcorn tends to be a popular traveling snack to combat that. It also means they are the most sensitive to food scarcity. Seara could only last a full day without eating before shutting down. [7:29 PM] B. Mating: One of the only times Seara hold on to anything other than perching objects is during mating. Once they find their one dance partner, a couple will stay together for life. The trust required to hold on to each other instead of anything solid bonds the couple together. The dance becomes slower and full of twirls apart then back together. They’ll spin and twirl together both to bond for fun and to create little seafoals. C. Raising Young: One partner, usually the male but not always, has to give up their snack pouch to shelter the seafoals until they are big enough for their kelp cribs. Even once mobile, it isn’t uncommon for a startled seafoal to dart back to the safety of the pouch. It is also not comfortable for the parent once those spikes start growing in. D. Sleep Pattern: Seara can only sleep with movement, some sort of gentle current has to be going otherwise they’ll wake up. With the right conditions, they can sleep for four to five hour stretches before they wake for a few hours then repeat. Unless there a really good party going then they’ll go up to 16 hours awake followed by 7 or 8 hours knocked out to recover. E. Movement. They are masters at moving their hips and arms. This only helps them dance and celebrate. Sturdy bodies, heavy muscled tails and next to no fins means that’s the most they move. Only strong currents such as the one that preceded the Princesses’ debut ball can move any mosh along. Unfortunately, after the current deposits them, they are unable to get back to where they were under their own power. [7:29 PM] F. Sound. All Seara talk towards the higher octaves. They have a cultural song that is sung entirely in chirps, clicks and trills. As cultures, Seare from the same geographical area can understand the chirps of the other. The sounds travel as well as anything can in water to help them find each other. G. Mannerisms: The definition of a homebody extrovert, Seara typically brings the party to themselves. Anywhere they are, dancing, laughing and showing off is bound to follow. No one can be lonely with one of their kind around.
Society: If you want to torture a Seara, put them in open waters alone. They are built on moshing together. As they cannot move far or fast, everything they need or want has to be provided by what is around them and each other. Sensitive to the needs of the mosh, each is compelled to fill whatever need is missing in the group.
When the scenery rarely changes, the structures follow. They tend to gather and build around the primary members with more consistency than might be expected of a group that loves celebrations and parties. The stability of clear leadership structures allows for their freedoms of movement and artistic expressions.
Suddenly pulled into the lake completely disrupted their structures. Some banded together in the same Moshing structures as they were used to. Others started to learn the advantages of having access to quicker rides around places.
As a people they are slowly adapting again, the most content of the non-lake naiad to settle and stay in one place.