Cnidarians (Knee-dar-ee-ans)

The Cnidarians are a species of animal-like shapeshifters found in the Inbetween. As their name implies, they are similar to jellyfish or other members of the Earth animal phylum, Cnidaria, in some structures. They have the common name of 'Void Jellyfish', as given by Minute.
The Cnidarians primarily appear in INSECTA and CNIDARIA.
Be warned! There is lots of talk about Body Horror ahead.
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Sojiro Tsutsumi is the most well known Cnidarian in Grey Matter. Sil and Torres from On the Horizon are also Cnidarians.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The exact form of the Cnidarians is unknown. As soon as you reveal yourself to them or shine a light upon them, there is a good chance they will sense you and either run, sting, hide, or shapeshift. Prior to shapeshifting, however, Minute describes the Cnidarians as drifting, slightly frilly and delicate creatures. By touch and brief flashes, Minute also recalls that smaller Cnidarians were attached to or growing on top of larger ones. Considering their ability to sting, the Cnidarians have nematocysts. It is suggested that their nematocysts (or a similar structure) can pull DNA from those they attack. This pulling is similar to a pin prick, as opposed to them eating your arm.
Cnidarians absorb genetic information from those they encounter; in most cases, Cnidarians leave the Inbetween in order to shapeshift (see Perception and Sensory / Extrasensory Capabilities). In the best cases, they can appear just like the organism they copy (with variation, so not a clone). A Cnidarian is considered an 'adult' when it is fully assimilated to its new form and can shift into a conscious Cnidarian at will. Younger Cnidarians may have their new form and Cnidarian form mix at times.
Note that if Cnidarians copy an adult human, for example, they will resemble an adult human despite their actual age. Since time does not exist in the Inbetween, they 'age' only when they leave that area. Cnidarians are (by human standards) immortal while in the Inbetween. When in other dimensions, they live longer than the organisms they resemble, but can be killed in fashions normal for their new form. The main cause of death for a Cnidarian, no matter their form, is desiccation.
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Sil and Sojiro are both considered 'children' Cnidarians and are relatively unstable as a result. Sil does not have any bones besides teeth, and their arms are elongated and contain nematocysts. Sojiro reverts to a more Cnidarian-like form when he is distressed, though he contains more bones than Sil. Meanwhile, Torres is an adult and can shapeshift at will. She is also very good at magic, which is described below.

Genetics and Reproduction

Cnidarians appear from the darkness of the Inbetween.

Behaviour

Cnidarians do not need food and do not appear to sleep. As they develop into a new form, they gain their form's needs, predators, prey, and the like. For instance, a Cnidarian who became a fox would need to eat what a fox eats, sleep the time a fox needs to sleep, and be hunted by what hunts foxes. Young Cnidarians are not particularly appealing to eat due to the artificial aspect principle (mentioned above). As such, Cnidarians live for a while even if they become typical 'prey' species. Unlike their mimicked species, however, Cnidarians show rapid healing properties. When they become more complex, this ability slows down slightly, but it never disappears fully. There are some limits depending on the mimicked species. For instance, if a Cnidarian develops a brain, having their head cut off or their brain mutilated will be much harder to recover from than that Cnidarian losing a limb.
Cnidarians do not verbally communicate with other Cnidarians in the Inbetween. They tend to congregate in large 'smacks', but their exact social structure is unknown. Once they shapeshift, Cnidarians can sense other creatures who are also Cnidarians. Even if the mimicked species is different, such shapeshifted Cnidarians can communicate with each other through a process called 'interconnection drift'. In interconnection drift, two or more Cnidarians offer a 'memory core' (usually a bundle of nerve cells) to each other, which helps them relay memories, information, and ideas without language barriers. Shapeshifted Cnidarians of the same species (such as two Cnidarians who became humans) can of course communicate as per normal for their mimicked species.
Cnidarians can remember their time in the Inbetween if they are supported by their new dimension. However, heavy trauma and experimentation leads to amnesia towards their origins.

Additional Information

Average Intelligence

Cnidarians in the Inbetween are not sentient. After shapeshifting (especially when adulthood is reached), Cnidarians show generally higher levels of intelligence than the species they mimic.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

When Cnidarians take in genetic information, they will begin generating eyes to gain more information. If the genetic information they absorb does not code for eyes, the Cnidarian will either become stuck as that organism or seek out more data. If the latter occurs, the resulting organism will be a fusion of the organisms it took genes from.
Unless given continous genetic input or a 'role model organism', Cnidarians may develop 'artificial aspects'. An artificial aspect is a structure in or on the Cnidarian's body that they have because they have seen it on others, but they lack the abilities of the actual feature. For instance, Cnidarians may have external ears but be unable to hear (no internal structure), lack a full digestive system (food goes in and comes out without much processing, which is fine in undeveloped Cnidarians but not in more advanced ones), or have five fingers without regards to joints or nerves.
While in the Inbetween (mostly prior to shapeshifting), Cnidarians have the capacity to sense almost any activity within the Inbetween. This ability is amplified by the Inbetween lacking in time and definite space, so technically all spaces within the Inbetween are connected much more tightly than most dimensions. See the page for the Inbetween for more information.
Alongside shapeshifting, Cnidarians can create portals to other dimensions. Adult Cnidarians can properly control their portals, whereas younger Cnidarians may accidentally warp themselves into another dimension. This is how most Cnidarians end up shapeshifting.
Cnidarians appear to be naturally adept when introduced to most magic systems. Of course, there is still a learning curve, but they seem to handle the stressors caused by some magic systems quite well. Please note that being naturally good at magic doesn't mean you are a Cnidarian.

Geographic Distribution

• Inbetween