#cuckoo osmosian concept

[kariachi]

Okay, poking at the concept, building off it. Ossy variant that thanks to using DNA absorption for reproduction doesn't really have a concept of 'sires'. I mean, Kevin is out here absorbing wood and shit, we see Aggregor absorb a fucker dead even before killing the Andromeda Five, would make sense to do a version that doesn't have any real care given to what may or may not have gone into any one kid. Or at least not caring aside from what benefit can be gleaned from it. Including the ability to better parasitize.

We see that Devin was involved so likely they're not obligate brood parasites. So, as said before, sometimes a fucker passes their eggs off to somebody else. I can see them originally having evolved doing this among their own and closely related species, then expanding out as they interacted with more species...

So what leads to parasitism? Is it a 'some fuckers are naturally inclined to it' thing? An age thing, with younger or older fuckers more likely to engage in the behavior than the other way around? Influenced by outside circumstances, like food availability or population size? Or maybe dam health, with dams in poor health more likely to slip eggs into another nest? That last one would especially make sense if we keep the headcanon that Ossys likely gain their growing energy from actual energy drawn from around them while in the egg, but also feels off...

Dams prioritize parasitizing other Osmosians, followed by similar species, and ending with whatever sapient species they've most absorbed from, in the interest of decreasing the risk of rejection. Other egglayers are preferred, for obvious reasons...

Okay, egglaying species are preferred if parasitism is occurring at the egg stage- prompt for this behavior undecided- but non-egglayers can be utilized if the chick(s) have already hatched- behavior prompt weakness or illness often as a result of nesting. So an Osmosian may attempt to hatch out their own clutch and be left in a bad way by it, leading them to basically doorstep baby any resulting hatchlings to increase all their survival odds.

Under non-parasitic conditions nesting dams are cared for by family and friends, who may also be parasitizing the nest themselves at the same time. Parasitizing rates higher when there's a dearth of friends and family available. Depending on the dam and circumstances egg-stage parasitism may involve the eating of one or more eggs in an existing nest... Clutches normally spread out among various 'parents'.

'Mafia' behavior- wherein the parent visits repeatedly to check on their egg/young and causes trouble should they be rejected/not cared for- differs bases on what species are being parasitized. Among other Osmosians? Rare. Among species that have been heavily absorbed from? Common.

Kinda want there to not be a moral conflict between the two reproductive styles, at least as far as Osmosians are concerned... Possibly they occur at similar rates? Like, among Osmosians themselves you probably would never even learn you weren't the spawn of the parent that raised you...

Species primarily is brood parasitic, though all individuals are to some degree liable to engage in the behavior, with about a third of the population being more prone than not to raise their own clutches. Brood parasitism is seen as the norm, and responsible behavior when one can't or isn't inclined to raise their own young. A large 'clutch' is seen as a mark of pride and status among those tending nests, as it's a direct example of how well held they are within their group.

'Mafia' behavior is less a matter of parental care and more a result of low reproductive success rates and a correlating how value of children- a dam will regularly check on and mentor their surviving children, avenge those rejected or mistreated, and remove threats that appear in the area, but the same can be said of any Osmosian who comes across a chick being raised by non-Ossys.

Whether the raising-parents of a hatchling know they're raising an Osmosian can vary depending, again, on dam and circumstances- it's polite but also circumstances sometimes and some fuckers just don't care or even think about it- but hatchlings themselves are typically informed at a young age either way. This both prevents issues involving a lack of understanding of where their powers come from and struggles with their alien mindset and instincts, as well as allowing them to be raised with at least some access to Osmosian culture.

Offspring appearance and powers can vary widely base on absorbed species, but most are primarily Osmosian by blood as most Osmosians grow up around their own kind and spend their infancy absorbing energy and DNA from their 'parent' and 'siblings', not even getting into purposefully absorbing from other Osmosians as an adult.

While for the most part Osmosians are still to some degree or another hybridized with other species- even if it's just to a very minor degree- culturally all Osmosians are considered Ossys and Ossys only. When damn near everybody is hybridized with something- be it person, animal, or vegetable- anything but the main kinda stops mattering.

It's been used before for them in ages passed but for some reason my brain just will not leave the concept of cuckoo behavior in Ossys. Is Circling the concept, sometimes a fucker just passes off their eggs to somebody else to do the caring. Gives an extra edge to why the fuck they have the DNA and shapeshifting shit going on, allows for less 'risky' breeding and in the case of brood parasitism lets you have babies less likely to get rejected.