Terminology
Berry (plural: Berries): A sentient humanoid race distinguished by brightly colored skin, hair, and eyes resulting from unique hereditary color genetics. Berries are broadly classified into four categories: Raws, Shades, Mixed Berries, and Blackberries.
Berry Genetics: Berry genetics do not follow traditional dominant and recessive inheritance. Instead, any color present within a Berry’s known ancestry may reappear in any subsequent generation. Colors are inherited independently across skin, hair, and eye pigmentation, allowing descendants to express traits from distant ancestors. As a general rule, colors do not blend through inheritance; for example, a blue Shade and a yellow Shade will not naturally produce a green child. Exceptions are exceedingly rare and are often regarded as genetic anomalies. Gender also does not matter when it comes to having offspring.
Raw Berry: A Berry whose skin, hair, and eyes are all true white. Off-white and gray are also considered Raw colors. Due to reduced fertility rates, Raw Berries comprise one of the smallest Berry populations. Raws are divided into two recognized classifications: Pure Raw and Faux Raw.
Pure Raw: A Raw Berry whose known lineage consists exclusively of other Pure Raws. Pure Raw families place significant importance on genealogy and bloodlines, and many communities discourage or outright prohibit marriages with Shades or Mixed Berries.
Faux Raw: A Raw Berry who outwardly presents as entirely white but possesses inherited color genes from a Shade or Mixed Berry ancestor. Although visually indistinguishable from a Pure Raw, a Faux Raw may pass hidden color traits to future descendants. The unexpected appearance of colored offspring has historically led to accusations of infidelity, family disputes, and social scandal within Raw communities, particularly when previously unknown non-Raw ancestry is revealed.
Shade: A Berry whose skin, hair, and eyes all belong to the same color family, though individual features may vary in shade or saturation. For example, a Berry with dark blue skin, medium blue hair, and light blue eyes is classified as a Blue Shade. While generally more accepting than Raw communities, some Shade families prefer marriages that preserve a single-color lineage.
Mixed Berry: A Berry displaying two or more distinct color families across their skin, hair, and/or eyes. Mixed Berries are the most common Berry classification and exhibit the greatest variety of genetic combinations.
BlackBerry: One of the rarest Berry classifications, even more so than Raw. BlackBerries possess unpredictable hereditary color patterns, often producing offspring whose coloration reflects distant ancestral traits with little apparent pattern. Because the appearance of their children cannot be reliably anticipated, naming traditions within BlackBerry families often wait until the baby is born to decide on a name. Naturally born Blackberries are themselves exceedingly uncommon. Offspring of Blackberries pass on the color they were born as, and have a very slim chance of passing on black.
Culture
Naming Traditions: Berry names are traditionally inspired by colors or things strongly associated with a particular color. Common inspirations include fruits, desserts, flowers, gemstones, birds, spices, weather phenomena, and plants. While names are often obvious (such as BlueBerry or Rose), others are more symbolic, invoking a color through association rather than directly naming it.
Religion and Folklore: Religious beliefs vary widely throughout the Berry Universe. Many Berries worship The Maker, the divine creator believed to have fashioned both the world and its inhabitants.
One of the oldest legends claims that the first Raws were once witches who defied The Maker. As punishment, their color—and much of their fertility—was stripped away, leaving them pale descendants of their once-vibrant ancestors. Whether this story is true or merely prejudice wrapped in mythology remains hotly debated.
Like the human world, the Berry Universe contains countless religions, local deities, folk beliefs, and cults. If an idea, creature, or force exists, or even if it doesn’t, there is almost certainly someone somewhere who worships it.