#paiko

A lil species guide to the Paiko, a colorful, friend-shaped, semi-aquatic creature!

So what are Paiko? Paiko are intelligent creatures that live in the ocean and rivers, preferring warm waters. They typically keep family close and coexist with other intelligent species. Because of their great swimming abilities, many Paiko have earned a living as seafood merchants and fishermen.

The face of a Paiko has many distinct features, from their external gills and ear-like protrusions to their beak-like mouths.

(Why did I have to stop mid-sentence and then forget to finish it in the picture...)

anyways...

MOUTH AND TEETH

The teeth of a Paiko are rarely visible, and do not vary much (However, you can draw Paiko teeth with whatever fits your style; the teeth page is simply for those who like specifics [me]!) The snout/mouth shape of a Paiko can vary, with some having a rounded mouth while others having ones that are more square. There is a rare recessive gene that, when active, makes a Paiko's snout elevated towards the tip, like a dragon. It is theorized that this rare trait is leftover from those who eventually evolved into the modern-day Paiko.

EYES

The eyes of a Paiko vary in shape, size, and color. There aren't really any rules or consistencies for the eyes of Paiko, except one; there will always be an eyelash-like thing on the sides of the eyes (see picture)

GILLS

Thanks to their external gills, most Paiko can breathe underwater! There are many shapes and sizes for Paiko gills, ranging from pointy to wavy and everything in between!

Not only are gills a life-changer, but they're also very aesthetically pleasing, too!

DORSALS

Speaking of aesthetically pleasing, another landmark feature of the Paiko are their dorsal fins! They help Paiko balance while swimming, and they also have different patterns.

(These probably aren't actually called dorsal fins but I have no clue what to call them... help!)

VARIANTS

Because Paiko live in both freshwater and saltwater, adaptations were made for their respective habitats and lifestyles, separating them in appearance and capabilities.

There are some noticeable differences between freshwater Paiko and those who live in the ocean.

On one hand, ocean Paiko are built to endure long swims through the seas with their large tails and dorsals to catch the ocean current, extra fat for trips through colder waters, and flippers for optimal water movement. Their scaly exterior provides general protection against the elements, too.

On the other hand, Freshwater Paiko have adapted to the lands along rivers, opting for a more subaquatic lifestyle. To reduce weight and increase land speed, the tails of freshwater Paiko have become much smaller than their seafaring counterparts. Additionally, instead of flippers, freshwater Paiko have claws. This allows them to run much faster on land and climb trees. Contrary to the ocean Paiko, freshwater ones have smooth skin, possibly due to the different environment favoring it over scales.

Not relying as much on their gills, some freshwater Paiko have atrophied gills that make it hard to breathe underwater. However, thanks to scientific innovation, accessibility options were made available to help those with atrophied gills visit places such as ocean Paiko villages to see friends or for business trips.

END OF GUIDE (For Now!)

Feel free to make your own Paiko OCs; seeing more of these creatures around would make my day (week [month {year}])!!!!

There are still other things I want to cover about Paiko!

If you have questions about these silly creatures, feel free to ask!

Things I want to cover in the future:

Geographical stuff (where do they live?)

Elaborate on Adolescent and Baby Paiko

Elaborate on the relations between ocean and freshwater Paiko

Paiko in society (I already mentioned their role in trade, but I also want to cover the day-to-day life of a Paiko who doesn't work as a merchant living alongside other species. [This is mostly for me and my worldbuilding])

Magical prowess (more worldbuilding!!)

Just a little interaction I've been wanting to draw since @scatteriskity wrote about the two fighting the godspawn. Celaou helping Paiko with hair care after running through , probably at Lance's salon. This turned out really sweet.

¡Bienvenido! Welcome to ¡Adelante Albirroja!, the Paraguay National Final for @amerivisionblog 2017. Ten songs are competing for the chance to be Paraguay’s representative at this year’s competition in Calgary, Canada!

If you wish to vote, you’ll have to rank all ten songs. Points will then be assigned to them Eurovision-style, and the song with the most points after all votes are in will be Paraguay’s representative! You have until Saturday, 9 September 2017, 11:59pm MDT (Calgary time) (that’s Sunday, 10 September, 7:59am CEST) to submit your votes via the form at the end of this post.

Here are the ten songs! (The song titles link to the YouTube video.)

CANCION 01: ANTENNA - Supersonico

CANCION 02: FLOU - Sueno en Complicidad

CANCION 03: SALAMANDRA - Maria

CANCION 04: PAIKO - Siento

CANCION 05: VILLAGRAN BOLANOS - Vibracion

CANCION 06: TRIBU SONICA - Tormenta

CANCION 07: LA DE ROBERTO - El Caminito

CANCION 08: PIPA PARA TABACO - Tranquilidad

CANCION 09: ANNA CHASE - Animales

CANCION 10: KCHIPORROS - Negrita

All suspicious votes will be deleted, so don’t even try it! Giving out your Tumblr username is a requirement for voting, so I can thank you all individually for the votes. In case of a tie, Eurovision tiebreaker rules apply. As HoD, I reserve the right to shorten, extend, or cancel the National Final (but don’t worry, I won’t do any of those unless I have a damn good reason to).

In case you need to review the songs, check out the YouTube playlist as well as the Spotify playlist.

Taro (purple guy) belongs to @slightabsol