Look, there’s been a great deal of propaganda regarding yeerks in the past few decades, especially in the earliest heyday of enthusiasm for them during the late 90s-early 00s. But there has also been a lot of more recent research that has gone largely ignored in favour of this older and frankly harmful rhetoric . So let’s clear some stuff up:
1) The idea that yeerks find a properly maintained pool to be “torture” or “a prison” has been contradicted by literally thousands of first-hand testimony from yeerks themselves. These accounts describe the pool immersion to be comfortable, safe, surrounded by familiar colonymates, and energizing from constant absorbtion of necessary nutrients. In fact, most of the “prison” narratives in earlier care guides were artificially pushed by the very propaganda mentioned above, and has been largely debunked now that many of the authorities that pushed it are no longer in positions of power and influence in the sphere of yeerk enthusiasts.
2) The idea that a host brain is the “natural” habitat of a yeerk is demonstrably false. A yeerk will literally die in a host brain if they don’t return to a pool within 72 hours. It is a temporary experience at best. And while many yeerks enjoy it and choose to maintain an ongoing symbiotic host relationship, it can be an extremely stressful and negative experience for others. Many pool-raised yeerks will try a host out of curiosity, but elect to remain in the pool nonetheless. Yeerks should not be forced to take a host if they don’t want one! It’s not necessary for a satisfactory life and can be debilitating for both yeerk and host if forced. Not to mention that a lot of involuntary hosting was also forced during the time stated above as a result of said propaganda, and I don’t have to get into how absolutely unethical that was as well.
3) This notion pushing that unhosted yeerks are inferior or incomplete is once more pure, obvious propaganda. These are capable sentient beings who lead full lives in their pools, complete with complex social interaction and interpersonal relationships. Purporting that the way they naturally interact is insufficient compared to ours is extremely speciesist and denotes a lack of understanding of the relevant xenobiological research.
4) Just because the pool caretaker may not be able to communicate directly with their yeerks does not mean they are a “prison warden”. Yeerks in a properly maintained colony meet all their social needs with theur colonymates. Again, assuming they need human companionship implies that their own species is somehow inadequate for them. You can see how deeply harmful and isolating that kind thinking is if pushed on them, especially for those who find the host experience unsatisfying. They end up thinking something is wrong with them, when in fact they are completely normal! As long as they are well cared for, many yeerks are content being unaware of their caretaker entirely. Some may curiously interact with you, but don’t be alarmed if most ignore you completely. As I said, they have full and enriching lives already. If your colony is happy, healthy, and stable*, than you’ve done everything you need to for them.
* In the case of yeerks, “stable” refers to a colony that does not increase or decrease in population during the majority of the yeerks’ lifespans, while still having all their space, nutritional, and social needs met. These are also referred to as “full pools”, since in their natural habitat no spawning occurs in a full pool until there is sufficient space (ie when enough of the inhabitants reach the end of their natural lifespans). Conservation efforts rely on maintaining stable colonies, rather than exponentially increasing overall population indefinitely, as research has shown stable colonies to be where yeerks are happiest for the majority of their lifespans. See the cited paper for the relevant research conducted by Dakor-288 and Johanna Brun for more details (Dakor-288/Brun et al. 2018).
And 5), there are established means of communication between caretaker and colony if needed! I can only assume anyone commenting to the contrary has never kept a colony as they seem to unaware of this, but since these are sentient beings who, as of now, are unable to thrive in their actual natural habitat of their home planet, they are heavily protected and you need to be licensed to maintain one. This comes not only with mandated inspections, but also access to resources like symbiotically hosted yeerks who can communicate with your colony on your behalf, and technological developments to allow yeerk sonar pulses to be heard and translated by their caretakers. There are also numerous programs to take in unexpected grub colonies from people who can’t maintain them.
We may use a lot of the same terms, equipment, and language for them as we do for pets because of how similar the act of caring for a colony is, but they are indeed a sentient species undergoing heavy conservation efforts. No one who legally keeps a colony is unaware of this. And while regulation can definitely be improved in terms of quality and accessibility, household colonies have been shown to have an overwhelmingly positive impact on conservation efforts. Please don’t conflate responsible keepers with illegal breeders! And always get your yeerks from a licensed provider!
Dakor-288/Brun, Johanna L., Emilio Veres, and Issun-433/Penelope Carlysle
“Yeerk Colonies Reconstructed: Debunking the Myth of Pool Inadequacy in the Natural Lifespan of Yeerks”, Published in The Journal Of Current Xenobiology, vol.24, pp. 157-194.
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