Fungus + Clones
Overview
Fungus and all of their clones belong to a class of superorganism similar to a microbial mat. Made of many tiny organisms, they congregate into a single mass with distinct personalities. The microorganisms are constantly reproducing and replenishing themselves as old individuals die, but the status of the superorganism's self as a whole is kept intact, as long as it eats to replenish energy. Each colony is approximately 3 billion years in age. These organisms have little to no specialized tissues and communicate mostly through chemical signalling. However, they can infiltrate an animal host and gain access to its senses by connecting to its sensory organs.
Diet
These organisms originally were autotrophic and could produce their own food, hypothetically living indefinitely, but an event during the boundary between the proterozoic and phanerozoic suddenly made all of them heterotrophic. Now, most of them are parasitic, living inside of an animal host.
Each clone is visually distinct from one another, developing unique colors and habits. Each one has a disctinctive color that it possesses, and over the many years of adaptation they have developed abilities to enhance their host's performance.
Individuals
Eventually I'll have this page look cooler with floating images and stuff. but I don't feel like doing that right now, so bear with me.
Original
Each clone is descended from a single "mother" organism known as Fungus. (At least to some, they have plenty of other names.) They behave differently from the clones as a result of adapting after cloning themself, and they're so distinct that they get their own page.
Maroon
A clone of Fungus with dark red pigmentation and a webbed habit. Over the years, this one has developed the ability to release an irritating chemical that burns everything but the host. Currently hosted by an orca.
Red
A clone of Fungus with bright red pigmentation and a spiky, "jumping" habit. This one has developed the ability to glow brightly like a distress flare. It does this passively, so its host will always be a little bit luminescent. Currently hosted by an orca.
Scarlet
A clone of Fungus with reddish orange pigmentation and a helical habit. This one strengthens its host's immune system, so it will rarely ever get sick. Currently hosted by an orca.
Orange
A clone of Fungus with rusty orange pigmentation and a leafy habit. This one helps conserve food in its host, making it so they'll rarely need to eat but can perform all the same. Currently hosted by a human.
Golden
A clone of Fungus with golden pigmentation and a fibrous habit. This one conserves oxygen so that its host will rarely need to take a breath. It proves mostly useful for aquatic hosts, so it has preferred to inhabit those for many years now. Currently hosted by an orca.
Yellow
A clone of Fungus with bright yellow pigmentation and a cristate habit. This one conserves water so that the host rarely needs to drink, and hardly sweats. Currently hosted by a human.
Lime
A clone of Fungus with lime green pigmentation and a prehensile habit. This one boosts the metabolism of its host so that it is faster than average while using similar amounts of energy. Currently hosted by an orca.
Green
A clone of Fungus with bright green pigmentation and a lichenous habit. This one helps conserve energy in its host, making it so they rarely need to sleep. Currently hosted by a horse.
Teal
A clone of Fungus with bluish green pigmentation and a starburst habit. This one gives a weak magnetic effect to its host, which isn't very useful at all. Oh well. Currently hosted by a human.
Cyan
A clone of Fungus with bright cyan pigmentation and a shelfy habit. This one boosts the reflexes of its host, making them react to stimuli very quickly and can solve problems quickly as well. Currently hosted by a human.
Blue
A clone of Fungus with light blue pigmentation and a splattered habit. This one increases the resistance of its host to foreign chemicals, making it so they will never get poisoned. Or drunk. Or able to use medicine. Oh well, it has its benefits and drawbacks. Currently hosted by a human.
Indigo
A clone of Fungus with dark blue pigmentation and a reaching habit. This one is very strong and supports its hosts internal organs so they don't collapse under pressure when going on land. It can also be used as legs. Currently hosted by an orca.
Purple
A clone of Fungus with bright purple pigmentation and a venous habit. This one harvests static electricity from nerves or the environment and can discharge it. Currently hosted by a human.
Orchid
A clone of Fungus with purplish pink pigmentation and a zigzaggy habit. This one can absorb and release chemicals from its surroundings, giving it some control over both the chemical composition of its host and of its environment. Currently hosted by a sperm whale.
Magenta
A clone of Fungus with bright magenta pigmentation and a globular habit. This one can inflate itself to look enormous, store air, form noise channels, among other things. Currently hosted by a bird.
Pink
A clone of Fungus with light pink pigmentation and a wavy habit. This one boosts its host's healing ability, letting them recover from injuries quickly. Currently hosted by a human.