Mink-mink harpy

Mink-mink harpy
A NeonWabbit-owned semi-closed race
First appearance	2018 (2018)*
Created by	SilveroGhost
Adapted by	NeonWabbit
In-universe information
Other name(s)	minks, harpies
Home world	Minkhar Island, Isles of Topaktan, Alternate Earth F
Type	Humanoid feline harpy
Sub-races	Mink-mink dragons (hybrids)
Distinctions	antennae on ears, four wing arms, spikes on tails, avian / feline / primate (especially lemurs) fur patterns
Notable members	Frie

Mink-mink harpies are a semi-closed species owned by NeonWabbit, originally created circa 2018, by an artist using the alias "SilveroGhost". NeonWabbit later purchased the entire species from them in September 2022 for $60 USD.

The first mink-mink harpy character created by NeonWabbit prior to owning the species was Frie. As they were a fully closed species at the time, this was possible through a contest to create fanart of SilveroGhost's mink-mink harpy character Koit, where the major prize was the allowance for contest winners to design their own mink-mink harpies.

While many other mink-mink harpies were also created by the species' original creator, and other contest winners, most of them have been lost to time, and currently only Frie and further characters created by NeonWabbit after his acquisition of the species are considered canon within Studio RGB-Newt / The Fishal Project productions and universes.

The species is now considered semi-closed as fan-made mink-mink harpies are mostly allowed to be freely created for non-canon fanart purposes, if not changing or adding to the lore and design restrictions. Hybrids are also allowed, and this paves the way for Frie's future children with the wingless dragon Flye, spawning the mink-mink dragon sub-species.

Design

Conception

The original SilveroGhost concept of the species was just to simply mix avian harpies with feline and primate characteristics. Chosen additional staples also include their stubby three fingers, multiple limbs/wings, and ear antennae.

Ownership change

In September 2022, ownership of the species transferred to NeonWabbit. Following this acquisition, the canon surrounding the species was streamlined to fit more into the Flye 'n' Frie franchise, with only some of SilveroGhost's original lore retained.

Redesign

After the ownership change, subtle refinements were made to the species' visual language to better align with Studio RGB-Newt / The Fishal Project aesthetics, while preserving most of the original core traits.

One major change is specifically the nose, and how it comes out like a human's, but has a leathery feline button nose at the bottom.

Attributes

Biology

Body and tail

Much like other harpies, mink-mink harpies have a bipedal humanoid build. Unlike traditional harpies with bird-like feet though, their lower-half is more feline, and with a long, thick prehensile tail. On females only, this tail has sharp spike protrusions, made of bone and coated with hardened keratin. They can use these spikes to defend themselves against predators, egg thieves, and other hostile creatures.

Females are also generally taller than the males of the species, but are themselves still a bit short (or of equal height) compared to species of similar build, such as kobolds, or other bipedal dragons.

Arms, hands, and wings

Every mink-mink harpy has two sets of wing arms. Their larger primary set, is positioned where they are usually expected on humanoids, and their smaller secondary set of arms differs by sex of the character: males have dorsal wings on their tail, without any hands, while females have a fully-functional set of wing arms with hands, on the sides of their body underneath their larger set of wing arms, and in-line with their belly button.

Their forearms are highly adapted for flight, combining strong, dense muscle with hollow bones. Thick, bendable, and waterproof feathers cover the entire underside of the arms. All feathers can be reabsorbed by magic into the arms, concealing them, at the cost of flight. The feathers can be re-summoned out instantly, by expending lifeforce energy, or they can also slowly grow back over time.

Hands consist of two fingers and an opposable thumb on each hand, tipped with retractable claws. Their ring and pinky finger bones are fused with the primary feather of their wings, enhancing durability and fine control in flight, particularly within the dense forest canopies they usually inhabit. Female mink-mink harpies can use their lower arms to carry items and/or even other people around whilst flying, or simply for aiding in activities such as rock climbing.

Ears and antennae

Their ears are feline-like, matching their legs, with a patch of inner ear fluff at the base.

Antennae located at the tip of their ears enhance sensory perception, allowing mink-mink harpies to detect which direction sounds and sonic frequencies are coming from, measure wind speed, and interpret other weather-related phenomena.

Habitat preference

Mink-mink harpies favour tropical climates and rainforest environments. Mink-mink harpy populations native to these areas, such as those on the aptly-named Minkhar Island, face extinction due to increased deforestation.

Toxins and immunity

Immune to toxins found in plants and bugs they consume, as their bodies can naturally store these toxins in a specialised sac beneath their gallbladder, if ingested. Lifeforce energy can be spent to further neutralise the toxin before they re-enter circulation through the body. While harmless to the harpy, these toxins render their raw meat and blood poisonous to other species. Proper cooking is theorised to neutralise these effects.

Reproduction and hybridisation

Mink-mink harpies are physically compatible with every species, and those that mate with members of a different species can produce hybrids that mix elements from both parent species. The hybrid offspring that result from this are also fertile, and compatible with every species, leading to further generations of hybridization if the species continue to mix.

Fur, feather patterns, and misc.

Mink-mink harpy fur and feather patterns have been observed to resemble those of any avian, feline, or primate (such as lemurs), regardless of their birth location.

They are capable of having rare genetic mutations, including additional wings or tails, black sclera eyes, and/or be born in their "feral" form, meaning fur and feathers covers up the entirety of what would otherwise be their humanoid form skin instead. With enough lifeforce energy, mink-mink harpies can switch between feral and humanoid forms.

Culture

Diet

A mink-mink harpy's diet in their native environment consists of fruits, plant nectars, nuts, seeds, insects, and insect byproducts, such as honey. A mink-mink harpy within civilization might actively seek out more prepared meals, such as cooked meats and sushi, but it is recommended by the elders of native mink-mink harpy clans that foreign mink-mink harpies should eat some of their native diet on occasion, for a healthy balance of sugars and nutrients.

In the past, mink-mink harpies also cannibalized themselves, and were also poached by other species, killed for their useful feathers, meat, and eggs.

Social structure

Mink-mink harpies are highly sociable creatures, and commonly form flocks with individuals sharing avian, feline, or primate traits with them. They also coexist peacefully with reptiles, including dragons, as they are similar to avians, both having claws, and the ability to lay eggs, for example.

Native mink-mink harpy villages and clans are usually lead by the "eldest flock", determined by the combined ages of its members, and flocks may include accepted individuals from other species.

They are not jealous, or experience other negative emotions, when flock members defect to another flock, and for mating purposes, this is usually encouraged, as members of a flock are expected to mate with those of a different flock.

Courtship rituals involve males constructing and decorating nest beds, followed by elaborate displays of song, dance, and physical prowess. If a female remains to observe the entire display, she is presented with a gift. The couple then begin to get to know each other over a period of months, mutually taking turns defending the territory, preening each other, and keeping watch at night.

Further bonding culminates in the exchange and braiding of each other's pristine feathers, symbolising a lifelong partnership. They will each pluck their most pristine feather out of their own body and trade it with their partner, braiding their swapped feathers into each other, signifying they are fully bonded.

Mink-mink harpies mate for life, perform yearly anniversary rituals, and do not take on a new mate after the death of their mate. Infertile mink-mink harpies, or those looking to adopt, will accept orphaned chicks or runts from any flock that has them. Mink-mink harpies can lay between 1-5 eggs per season, and both the male and female will take turns to incubate and raise the young, once hatched.

It is extremely rare for mink-mink harpies to ever be alone as they make friends easily due to their curious nature, and they currently don't have any natural predators or enemies, as they are poisonous and can defend themselves with their sharp spikes and claws. They live peacefully, and solve disputes by bringing their issues up with the elders of the eldest flock.

Language

Native communication consists of chirps, chitters, purrs, coos, and screeches combined with body language. Mink-mink harpies are adept mimics and can learn spoken languages over time, though accents, grammar, and speech patterns often remain imperfect unless raised in speech-centric societies.

In-universe biography

Mink-mink harpies were once hunted extensively by humans until international legislation outlawed the practice. Despite this, they remain critically endangered, with estimates suggesting only one to three individuals per continent. A notable exception is their native Minkhar Island, where entire villages and clans of a couple hundred mink-mink harpies (in total across all native areas) persist.

It became rare for them to leave the island, as early mink-mink harpy explorers, like Frie's ancestors, who moved off the island and closer to more advanced civilizations in the Isles of Topaktan sometime in the past, were never heard from again by those who saw them off.

Notable mink-mink harpies

• Frie

Appearances

TBA

• Flye 'n' Frie (video game, TBA)

Gallery

• 
  Examples of young male native mink-mink harpies
• 
  Ditto, but females

See also

• Dummys, cyborg insects (especially bees), that can travel into the digital realm.
• Frosteyls
• Gravepine
• Styvers
• List of Flye 'n' Frie background characters