#Errantel

[utahraptorevolved]

tail

I’m not obsessed idk what I meaaannnn

Im obsessed

[garbozone]

This is Isosceles (ISO for short) they’re an Errantel which is an original species by @black-mesa-slut-voice

I’m not super happy with their colors yet, but I didn’t have time to digitally render anything today

[black-mesa-slut-voice]

THE ERRANTEL

[ More info below the cut! ]

Due to popular demand, I finally made a ref sheet for the species my Swap Benrey’s belongs to- the Errantel. 

Their name, originally, had no human translation, since they are not from Earth. Benrey himself describes it as loosely translating to “Unkillable hobo”, though Tommy thought it was too long, and seemed... rude, almost. So, with the help of his friend Forzen, they came up with the term Errantel; a combination of the words for “immortal wanderer” in french. 

Biologically, Errentel are very interesting species, as they’ve earned their reputation for being “unkillable”. They’re essentially the equivalent of giant, interdimensional tardigrades. They can withstand nearly all conditions- the vacuum of space, temperatures hot enough to usually make things combust, and temperatures nearing true zero. This grants them safety when they manage to worm their way through dimensions and travel to different planets that might be otherwise inhabitable. 

Not only that, but they are also proficient at rudimentary “shapeshifting”- they can compress and expand the mass of their form, ranging from very very small to extremely large; rivaling skyscrapers. Their average size is normally a healthy in between- the size of a two-story house (the size that Benrey took during the final battle). 

They can also shift the amount of limbs, mouths, eyes, and other features they possess, with some restrictions mentioned above. This allows Benrey to take an arguably very humanlike form to better fit in with his coworkers.  Their diet is extremely varied. Their near unkillable state and rapid healing is because of their physiology. In short- their body is made of completely different things than ours, so they need a wide range of nutrients and minerals to stay healthy and unkillable. This is what causes the most competition amongst them- sometimes even eating other Errantels for the specific nutrients in their bodies. 

Socially, they’re sapient; generally human-level intelligence, sometimes slightly above (mostly due to their outstanding lifespans). How they are seen, however, varies wildly between dimensions, planets, species and societies. In some places, they’re considered normal people. They could, arguably, wander into a space McDonald’s and get a job, and be treated as a normal person. In other places, they’re considered wild beasts, to be avoided or even hunted for sport. 

Amongst their own species, they’re pretty extreme. Honestly, because of their extreme lifespans and nearly unkillable status, the only thing keeping their population in check is... well, their own species, and the fact that they’re so widespread. 

When an Errantel meets another (or honestly, any species they see as ‘equals’), they see them as competition. Rivals, in a sense. One of the few things that can truly threaten them. And so, their main goal is to remove that competition by any means necessary. This can go one of three ways:

Put enough distance between them that they don’t have to compete. This is pretty easily done, considering they can worm through dimensions and travel through the void of space to reach entirely new planets.

Kill each other. Errantels are, unfortunately, highly cannibalistic. The can and will eat other Errantels if they see them as threats, or even as weaker. Some of them will even eat their eggs and young in times of duress or if they simply don’t want to have any at the moment. 

Become partners. And I don’t put that lightly- Errantel ‘partnerships’ are almost complete codependency; putting their full trust, safety, heart and soul into each other. They’ll trust each other with their lives, share their food, young- and even other partners. It’s not unusual to have a group of 2-5 Errantels all in a polyamorous partnership. This eliminates the competition and threat of death through a much more friendly way.

So, a meeting between two Errantels usually starts as a long winded display at a distance, dancing around each other and judging whether or not they’re going to partner up, fight, or flee. There are no half-measures among them- you will almost never see two Errantel hanging out together for fun. Though, of course, in a social situation, most of them can behave long enough to share a space in a formal environment (think about having to go to a meeting with your ex. Sure, you don’t like it and there’s tension, but you put up with it for formalities). 

When communicating, Errantels use a communication system composed of a high-dense light, sound, and color they can expel from their mouth, which can help communicate emotions both visually and sensually (”Sweet voice”). My guide for Sweet Voice is the same one I use for the Errantels.  They’re very intelligent, however, and commonly learn other languages as well. 

When it comes to reproducing, Errantel can go two ways. They can reproduce both sexually and asexually! All Errantels have both bits, so any Errantell can reproduce with another. When done sexually, it’s pretty much only ever with those they’ve partnered with- there’s very little ‘infidelity’ amongst partnerships, or even one night stands for single Errantels. The children produced are just like humans in where they can have features of both parents, though other mutations are pretty common. 

When done asexually, it is something they can choose to do if they want a child but either don’t have any partners, or their partner can’t reproduce for some reason. Young produced this way are usually very similar to the parent- if not identical- but not always! Due to variations in DNA and self-alteration of sexual cells, as well as mutations, asexually produced young are usually slightly-off versions of the parent. Joshua, for example, was created this way- he’s almost identical to Benrey in every way except for a slightly different skin tone, and different colored eyes. 

Also, because they don’t differ at all between what’s in their pants and travel so many dimensions, Errantel have little care for gender or how they’re perceived. Most will go by whatever neutral pronouns a language has, or will simply use any pronoun- though of course, some do enjoy being gendered and are free to do so. 

Errantels also lay eggs. They’re usually in batches of 1-3; any larger and you risk the parents eating the extras to save resources. They’re usually the size of chicken eggs, and Errantel will often shift down smaller during this to hide away and go unnoticed. 

A freshly hatched Errantel simply looks like a very small adult- except for the fact that their ‘fur’ is white instead of black, and they’re usually much more covered in it. As they become juveniles, their white fur quickly starts molting away into the signature black color. 

Once their fur is molted into being fully black, they’re technically able to survive on their own. However, good parents often keep them around much longer than this, until they’ve reached full and true maturity. Once they’re old enough, they usually voluntarily leave to go find their own territories and partnerships!

 Errantels can continue to breed throughout their whole lifetimes, and so their territory will often be surrounded by the territories of their children- and so each child reared often has farther and farther to travel to reach an uninhabited space. This can be quite dangerous, but most make it. And thus,  the whole cycle starts again!

FAQ

So this is what your Benrey is? Sort of. Mainly just my Swap AU Benrey and Joshua- my other Benreys are all completely different, really.

What the fuck is your Swap AU? It’s my Roleswap AU for HLVRAI. Benrey is the scientist and Gordon is the guard, etc etc. You can find out more about it here, and this is the tag I have for it on my tumblr!

Can I make an OC of this species? Fuck yeah! Go nuts, dude! The only thing I ask of you is that 1) You give credit if anyone asks what they are, and 2) send them to me! I’d love to see them! 

If I do make an OC/Use this species, does it have to be HLVRAI? Nope. Because they travel dimensions, they can arguably appear in any media- if you want you can use them for anything. Original universes, other fandoms, other AUs of any sort, etc etc! Same rules apply as above- credit, and I’d like to see them!

Can they be albino/melanistic/piebald? I’m gonna say yes because it’s cool as hell. Love that shit.

My question isn’t answered here! Help??? I have an ask box and you are 100% welcome to use it! I’d love to talk more about these guys and anything I didn’t cover.

[lorebird]

@black-mesa-slut-voice has a super cool species called Errantels and I!! Have tried my hand at designing one!! Their name is Oko and they deserve a ghost hunter gf <3

I took one look at the Errantels with all their eyes and immediately went oh! You could make angelic horror out of this! Oko’s trying her best but she’s not quite there on the wings yet

[qhazomb]

hey, remember how i mentioned that when my headcanon benrey goes into what is basically his version of Devil Gun Mode, he likes to get a lil’ wild with his shape-shifting? i decided to illustrate that... by having him turn into other people’s benreys! specifically, their monster forms. because monster benrey is best benrey. from left to right, first row: @kogo-dogo‘s ‘oozerey’ of Human Resources Violation fame. the (not a) man, the myth, the gay horse monster. @newtafterdark‘s kaiju benrey, ‘triple b (big blue bastard)’ from their pacific rim crossover AU that also involves gordon being in a metal band. which is awesome. @black-mesa-slut-voice‘s ‘benrey1′ from their ‘u1au’ setting. originally i was going to draw their errantel/swap au benrey, but then i saw the u1au design and i just can’t say no to a good worm monster. second row: @spiritedsketch‘s old monster benrey who i’ve just been referring to as ‘mr. popcorn.’ they've since repurposed their headcanon benrey into an OC, but i felt it’d be a shame to not include this sick skeledragon here. @memeofthecrop‘s no eyed boy! i really dig the exposed bone snout. their benrey actually has a torn ear, but mine didn’t feel like replicating that part when mimicking him. :P @blueberryjamsart‘s funky surreal lion benrey whom i know nothing about but he is a fucked-up lion monster so i love him. so.... many.... colours..........

[theworldlookswhite]

first errantels. now centaurs. coming to the conclusion that i have GOT to follow more speculative biologists who are also furries

[giomagnetism]

HIIIIIIII IVE BEEN REVAMPING THIS OLDISH OC OF MINE AND I MUST TAKE ANY OPPORTUNITY TO INFODUMP 👉👈 she’s named Oko and is a fucked up alien shapeshifter Thing called an Errantel (species designed by @/black-mesa-slut-voice)

They end up trapped on earth and wander around the forests surrounding a small town, causing rumors of a mysterious cryptid. A self-proclaimed ghost hunter named Poppy goes out to investigate, expecting to find an especially odd raccoon or smth, but is like. Oh holy shit that is a whole ass monster right there. Girl help

But the two start getting along as Poppy teaches Oko about how humans and earth work, while Oko works on perfecting her shapeshifting! She develops an interest in birds and wants to try to look like them, though they’re not quite there yet 💔 but there’s something Strange afoot............ Oko has long since reigned in all the cryptid activities, but mysterious things have started happening all over the woods. Turns out, she may not be the only entity hanging around, and the two of them start puzzling out the possibly malevolent new force! Also they do lesbianisms together which is fine

OHOHOHO I LOVE HER...... 10/10, i want to take poppy's place. that's a whole ass monster and i would like to lean against her chest and feed that big ol mouth on her stomach. (your ability to draw monster anatomy amazes me??? like. i can absolutely see the greyhound strength in there and imagine the loping, steady, slinking way she moves, oough)

shapeshifters are the COOLEST and her color palette,, i love the white / plum / pale yellow, it's VERY eldritch ..... you've got me curious about the other monsters and the world oko comes from, this seems very like the sort of story that escalates in danger and otherworldiness dramatically by the end, in contrast to a light and happy start, and i'm a sucker for that 👀

[dixvinsblog]

Fables et fabulistes - Guy Le Ray ( contemporain ) - Le Corbeau Albinos

Fables et fabulistes – Guy Le Ray ( contemporain ) – Le Corbeau Albinos

Corbeau Albinos De champs en prairies,De taillis en forêts,De fermes en bosquets,Un corbeau blanc,Par ses frères mis au ban,Errait sans fin, toujours aux aguets.Ici les corneilles le moquaient,Là les pies le narguaient,Ailleurs choucas et freux le chassaient.Nulle part il n’avait un toit,Partout il était aux abois.Cette vie erranteLe conduisit un jour de maiA une rencontre surprenanteDans une…

[chatterbotbox]

a quick sketch of jaxxi, cuz im still thinkin about errantels

[utahraptorevolved]

As in scrolling through tumble it’s trying to kill my Spotify smh

ANYWAYS TAKE SOME ERRANTEL SWAP GORDON?!

Idk if I should tag you or not but uh here @black-mesa-slut-voice

[black-mesa-slut-voice]

Kevin Levin lookin ass

[black-mesa-slut-voice]

questions about the errantels! are their innards the same color as their pupils, and are the freckles on errantel benrey a species thing or a benrey thing? i love this species and i just want to make sure i get things right :0

Innards are the same color as pupils! Pupils, tongues, guts, organs, and blood are all about the same shade. So, like... if one of them has purple eyes, the blood, guts and tongue can all be different but similar shades of purple. It’s okay if they’re a bit tinted warmer or cooler, a bit more or less saturated, a bit lighter or darker, etc etc. Sort of like how all of your insides are technically a shade of red- though your blood is bright red, your mouth and tongue are desaturated red (pink), and some of your organs are usually sort of a dull, rusty red. 

As far as freckles/patterns- they’re sort of like freckles on a human. Some errantels have them, some don’t! Some of them can also have other markings, more splotchy or almost stripey. It’s never anything super defined or extravagant, though; and it’s usually a darker shade of their skin tone or slightly tinted their pupil color. 

Here’s a kind of shitty example of Benrey, but...

Warning! There’s like, guts and blood below the cut!

Here’s some of Benny boy’s guts- don’t worry, he’ll be fine. It takes a lot more than a little gutspill to kill an errantel- they don’t call them unkillable hobos for nothing.

Also worth noting is that if they blush, it’ll also be the same color as their blood! Because.. well, it’s their blood!

[black-mesa-slut-voice]

more questions about errantels,,, what happens when the offspring is old enough to leave? if the parent encounters the kid a while after the kid left, are they as aggressive as usual? Essentially, what happens when Joshie grows up in the swap au? Lastly- do errantel die of old age? im sorry if all these questions are overwhelming!! also thank you for answering the last ask about the anatomy, errantel are so cool :D

It’s no problem! Unfortunately, these answers got a bit long so I’m sticking them under a readmore lol

What happens when the offspring is old enough to leave? Once an errantel has shed their white baby coat into a full black coat, they’re technically old enough to survive on their own. This doesn’t take very long- a few years at most. However, just because they can survive on their own doesn’t mean they’re going to be good at it. Most parents keep them even after they’ve gornw in the adult coat, long enough to make sure they’re ready. Good parents often keep their children for much, much longer, until they hit full adulthood. And sometimes, even after that, though it’s much more rare. 95% of the time, if you see a young errantel with any white on it’s coat, there’s an angry parent (or five) just around the corner ready to eat you for even existing near their young. When their coat is white, it means they’re young enough that their rapid healing hasn’t kicked in, and they die as easily as any animal. Here’s an example of a baby benny who’s probably only a few years old, only just growing in his black coat. Once an errantel child becomes an adult, they start usually getting that itchy feeling of discomfort around other adults they aren’t partnered with- and usually leave willingly by this time. Raising a child past adulthood is more common for those who are single parents, and not in groups. Benrey and Joshua, for example! Joshua has his full coat- he’s old enough to get food and live on his own, but he’s still really young. Benrey is probably still going to raise him for many more years before Joshua leaves. If there’s 2 or more siblings that are all forced to leave at the same time, sometimes they’ll remain grouped together until they get a bit older and part ways; though that’s usually in the case where they’re still small or young when forced out. Once they’re forced out, they often wander around dimensions looking for something that piques their interest. Some errantels like to settle down, pick up a territory- some prefer to live a bit more of a wandering life. Again, a lot like humans!

If the parent encounters the kid a while after the kid left, are they as aggressive as usual? Depends on the individual. Generally if they left on bad terms to begin with, yes. They’ll treat them like any other adult they’d find. Generally, even with good parents, little contact/reunions are ever made. Every now and then they might contact to see what they’re doing or if they’re still alive, but that’s not very common. However, for those who do use long-distance communication (phones, etc) it’s a bit easier, as it doesn’t set up their instincts of ‘there’s another adult in close proximity, Must Eliminate Threat’. For those really good parents, sometimes they’ll keep track of who and where their children are and try specifically to avoid them so they don’t have to fight, and don’t take up each other’s resources. For those who actually enjoyed and raised their kids, if they do end up encountering them again, they usually try not to engage. It generally ends up with both parties seeing each other and separating out so they aren’t forced into conflict. Basically, not calling your mom or your kids is a sign of politeness!

Essentially, what happens when Joshie grows up in the swap au? Once he’s an adult (which probably won’t happen for many more years), Joshua will start to probably grow into that ‘rebellious kid’ phase (aka, his species aggravation instincts will kick in) and he’ll probably leave and find his own place out there! Maybe Tommy will give him a job in another planet or dimension. Who knows! EIther way, Benrey will most likely keep contact. Despite his instincts, Benrey is a bit of a sap, and being alone (and then around humans) for so long made him sentimental. Joshua was almost completely raised around humans (Gordon literally lived with him since he was small) and in a humanlike society, and probably also has his ‘must eliminate threat’ instincts dulled down a bit.  So, TLDR they probably call each other every now and then and chat over the phone to make sure each other are doing well, but probably don’t meet in person often, if at all. 

Do errantel die of old age? The answer to that is complicated. They don’t age in the same way humans do- the reason we die of old age is that our DNA starts to fall apart as we repeatedly re-grow new cells and copy our DNA over and over again. Errantels don’t have this problem- if they have DNA at all, it’s probably really damn sturdy.  The problem with errantels is that- though they slow down considerably after hitting adulthood- they keep growing. It might take a long time- thousands, if not millions of years- but they eventually reach a size where they simply can’t keep up with the nutritional demands their bodies need because they’re just so fucking huge.  Another issue is that, the bigger they get, the harder it becomes for them to shapeshift. Sometimes their bodies simply can’t handle the demands (think: entering too many commands at once to so so so much mass), something fucks up, and it leaves them fatally crippled. In rarer cases, something really fucks up, and they just... short circuit and die. Though, again, super mega rare. In general, the bigger and older they get, the more likely there is to be a problem. Though... again, I’m talking about hundreds of thousands, if not millions of years. Generally, errantels will find themselves being killed in some other way before that ever happens. 

[black-mesa-slut-voice]

ok so if errantels need a wide variety of nutrients to sustain themselves, would benrey eat a lot of weird shit not out of humor but necessity? and if a particularly young errantel didnt get enough to eat or their diet wasnt varied enough, how would it affect their growth?

OKAY IM LOVING ALL THE THE QUESTIONS SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO GET TO EM

ANYWAY they’re under the readmore cus its long haha

Whats the typical diet of an errantel? What they can eat, considering theyre multiversal vagabonds?

Errantels can eat nearly anything. Their invulnerability and healing extends to their insides, as well- though they don’t enjoy eating things that will damage their insides (very sharp things, literal acid, lava), they’re fully capable of doing this with nothing more than some mild to severe bowel upset.

Their actual physiology and composition is different than your average Earth animal. Though they do have some similar proteins in their body, they also have a lot of other chemicals and minerals that lend into their ability to survive harsh conditions. Considering this, their diet mainly comprises of three things they require:

Protein-rich things

Specific chemicals

Specific minerals

Oftentimes, they can simply smell if a mineral or chemical is the correct one they need to consume. They can even smell it in microscopically trace amounts! Which means that if anything has that thing they need in it, they’ll often eat the entire thing, since they can digest it anyway and convert it to fuel. IE- a deer might have a chemical in it’s brain and gut that an errantel might like, so they’ll just... eat the whole entire deer, because why not.

On Earth, their typical diet would consist (but is not limited to):

Whole, entire animals of a wide variety

Silverware 

Moldy and expired foods (for the chemicals the bacteria produce)

Dairy

Your drywall

A rock they found in your backyard 

Actual dirt

All the worms in the dirt are a bonus

some strange vials that look like they came straight of of a chemistry stock photo, seriously, where the fuck did you get those?

Humans, if they wanted to.

And more!

If errantels need a wide variety of nutrients to sustain themselves, would Benrey eat a lot of weird shit not out of humor but necessity?

Yep! See above. He has done all of that and more. Every time Gordon thinks he’s used to it, Benrey manages to pull of something weirder. He tries not to freak Gordon out too much, but hey, the kid’s gotta eat too.

If a particularly young errantel didn’t get enough to eat or their diet wasn’t varied enough, how would it affect their growth?

It depends. As long as they get fuel- the correct proteins and such- they’ll live. However, they will most likely be unable to properly heal or survive harsh conditions, sickly, stunted, not lose all of their white fur, etc etc. You know those pics of fledgling baby birds who are adult shaped but still have weird ugly tufts of white everywhere? Like that, but forever. There does run a high risk of them dying, though- as they age, their instincts will drive them towards harsher conditions and risks that an adult would be able to take on, but a stunted errantel would not.

The good news is, even without the proper nutrients, they’re very hardy. As soon as they’re given the proper diet, they usually manage to fill out almost completely, transforming into an adult as healthy as any other. It’s very hard to have a long-lasting impact on errantel’s bodies, because of their very fluid forms.

Can errantels get scars or does their shapeshifting heal it?

The short answer is no, the shapeshifting heals it. Again, their bodies are very fluid, and most can perfectly heal from just about anything as long as they have a healthy diet!

However, there is always the possibility. Because of the endless universes they could travel to, there is always the possibility of finding something that can potentially permanently injure or scar an errantel, though it probably wouldn’t be through scientific means.

Where do markings usually appear on their bodies? 

My oc purble is an errantel and i wanna give them markings like a cross between a bullsquid and a leopard (like.. these purple circles lined with darker purple) but im not super sure where to put them?

Markings can potentially appear anywhere on the skin! However, they tend to be concentrated in areas surrounding the fur, and on shoulders, backs, and cheeks. Most errantels don’t have a particularly crazy amount of markings- if they do, it’s usually freckles, splotches, or blotchy stripes. Leopard spots would be valid, though they most likely wouldn’t be covered in them.

You can see here where I put Benrey’s markings- he’s pretty minor with just some freckles, but about the same area is where your spots would most likely be! Though they can shapeshift and potentially move the location of the spots, too.

[black-mesa-slut-voice]

if an errantel was like decapitated, could they technically just pick their head back up and put it back on? i could see this as being a very comical plot twist if someone were to try and kill one like thar without knowing they could just slap themselves back together

Yup! They could. An even funnier idea to me tho is like. the idea of them growing a completely new head, and then popping their old head into their mouth like its a chicken nugget and everything is fine. boring, even.

[black-mesa-slut-voice]

errantel-question-anon BACK AT IT AGAIN, i got some more queries i hope you dont mind!! to what extent can the errantel shapeshift, as in like, is it only creatures with paws/only mammals, etc? to what extent can they change their size? also, in some of your earlier swap doodles, you drew joshie/benny with a secondary pair of teeth and thats SO COOL(!!), is that for all errantel? i cannot go a day without thinking of these funky beasts!

Hell yeah I don’t mind! I love answering errantel questions, and i love YOU,  errantel-question-anon!!! Once again, things get long so I put it under a readmore lol

To what extent can the errantel shapeshift, as in like, is it only creatures with paws/only mammals, etc?

Errantels can completely manipulate just about anything in their body that isn’t one of their “constants”. Some of the constants are mentioned in their reference sheet, which include: -They must have some ‘fur’ somewhere on their body, usually around the head area.  -Eyes can only appear in the ‘fur’, though again, the fur can appear anywhere. -They can’t have scales. It’s skin only on these bad boys whenever there isn’t fur. -Eyes, teeth, mouth, fur, and insides can’t change color. -At least four limbs, usually six+ -Can’t go under 5-10% of their true body mass when shifting sizes. Some things they CAN change include: -The fur can be a multitude of different textures, from actual fur, to hair, to protofeathers, to an almost liquid or gaslike state. -They can have as many eyes in their fur anywhere they want, and as many mouths anywhere both in and out of the fur. -Skin color! They prefer to keep it around their natural tone, but can change it when shifting for better camo or such. -Limb size and shape. A ‘wing’ would count as a limb! They don’t need paw-hands or such on their limbs, they just prefer having that, as it’s more natural for them. -Size and shape of any part of their body. They could be long and serpentine, or compact and rhino-shaped, or have a snout like a horse with a body composed of a hundred rolling limbs, whatever! -Their size! They can shift much larger and smaller than their ‘true’ mass, but with *some* limits. Considering all of this, that means they could theoretically shapeshift into something resembling a number of earth animals- like humans, horses, cats, dogs, any ungulate, pretty much any mammal... maybe even some convincing birds! But they might have trouble with things like fish, reptiles, crustaceans, etc etc. It’s not truly shapeshifting into something, it’s changing their form into an approximation. 

To what extent can they change their size?

Errantels are naturally very, very large- Benrey’s ‘true form’ in the final act was his natural size! However, they can shrink down up to 5-10% of their true mass. So because he’s roughly 50-60 ft in his true form, Benrey is sort of at his limit when he’s, say.. 4 ft as a human, though he COULD go down to 2-3 ft if he really sucked it in. He prefers to stay at a more comfortable 5-6 ft.  As far as upwards go- they have trouble going larger, but they could! They can roughly grow up to 50% of their original size, and double their original size if they stretch, but they’ll be weaker. So 90ft would be Benrey’s comfortable upper limit, but he COULD go to 120ft if he stretched.

Again this is all bullshit approximate math, if you’re a bit off i’m not gonna pull out my calculator and judge you ahfdsbhj

In some of your earlier swap doodles, you drew joshie/benny with a secondary pair of teeth, is that for all errantel?

it can be! Nothing in their shapeshifting says they need it, but it’s not against the rules! I just thought it was neat.