username+ID: Galaxytale #646813
name: Roswell
prompt:
Kyrrshnik are very strange things, and are often mistaken for a kind of 'Grey Alien'. On first glace they appear to be large primarily bipedal Sphinx cats, but upon closer inspection you'd notice that they're actually covered in chitinous plates with what only
looks like fur. The not-fur is something that a lot of Earth bugs have that makes them look furry, called setae. On their backs, there are also a pair of elytra covering wings that appear similar to those of an Earwig. Their fore-paws are extremely dexterous and have an additional digit that functions akin to a thumb on both sides. Their unblinking eyes are entirely black and extremely reflective - it can be very hard to tell where one may be looking. In front of their ears there's a pair of antennae that they use to aid in sensing their surroundings. They do not have whiskers, and instead have pits near their noses in order to sense the body heat of other creatures. Their tongues, and every Kyrrshnik has two of them, are bluish thanks to their blood. The Kyrrshnik's dual hearts pumps blue blood - hemocyanin - through their veins.
Going down the rest of their body, the Kyrrshnik typically seem to be extremely skinny, but this is just how they appear naturally. Under their first set of arms is a secondary, smaller set of arms. These are primarily used for holding things and sometimes grooming themselves. Their hind-paws and legs are large and strong with large claws. These, too, have the extra digits that allows them to use both sets of paws like hands. Finally, their tails are tipped with yet another hand-paw. Their bodies are typically black, grey, or white, but rarely there will be Kyrrshnik born light blue, pastel pink, or pale green in color. In regards to sex and gender; the Kyrrshnik have neither. There's no form of sexual dimorphism and they did not develop any social concept of gender. While their language does have pronouns, there's not any that are linked with any form of gender. The Kyrrshnik reproductive system is universal across the species. To them, this sort of thing does not matter. You are who or what you say you are. Most of the time, they consider any sort of detailed information regarding these not their business.
Like many Earth insects, Kyrrshnik have several stages of life cycles. First they start out as eggs, no larger than an average human's fist. Then the egg hatches into a what is analogous to the First Nymph Stage of a bug life cycle. At this stage, the Kyrrshnik does not in any way resemble the adult form, and is, instead, a helpless, pale larva. At this time, they're only a little bit larger than their egg.Much of the young Kyrrshnik's time in this stage is spent eating and sleeping, like most young creatures. Eventually it will molt into a Second Nymph Stage, which is where the teaching of the most important values and skills can begin. This is also when core personality traits start to shine though, and where the young Kyrrshnik's tail begins to develop and lengthen. The majority of time is still spent eating and sleeping, but this is also the time where they begin to be able to crawl around. At this stage, they are now around the size of a small cat prior to molting. Following this is the Third Nymph stage, wherein secondary personality traits become apparent. The rest of their limbs tend to lengthen during this stage, to a point where they can appear decently disproportionate. This stage is a favorite among Adult Kyrrshnik, who enjoy the silly appearance of their children. The young Kyrrshnik are now extremely curious and playful, and have gained proper control over their limbs. Flight begins and is often mastered during this stage as well. The hand at the end of their tails begins to properly form at this time as well, and their chitin begins to take on their adult coloration. By the end of this stage, they have grown to the size of a large dog.
Molting into the Fourth Nymph Stage brings the development of the tertiary personality, and the ability to speak properly. This is also the time most known for acts of rebelliousness and selfishness among the young ones. This, however, is considered a normal thing, and not discouraged or demonized in Kyrrshnik society, as it is seen as a time where the young ones are beginning to figure themselves and their place in society out. This is also when they begin to properly resemble miniature Adult Kyrrshnik, and learn to walk bipedally instead of quadrapedally. They also tend to learn various skills at this point. They are about the same height as an average Human being. The Fifth Nymph Stage is when they are considered old enough to learn complicated skills, trades, and do small jobs. At this age, they usually have settled into themselves as individuals and settled into their place in Kyrrshnik society. They're most of the way to the typical adult height, and stand at a decent 6'8 on average. At the end of this stage, a young Kyrrshnik will molt into it's adult form and be considered a fully grown member of society. As adults they stand around 7'5 in height on average.
Here's an extra sketch of the full Kyrrshnik life cycle. The adult form will be shown below all the text.These young Kyrrshnik are often raised in expansive cave systems, with subsystems for each growth stage. While these caves are isolated from the places where the majority of Kyrrshnik life takes place, the young nymphs are generally taken care of by various members of their family group - and these members typically trade off every week or two. Childcare is considered a community effort, or at the very least a group effort, and so the young Kyrrshnik often grow up with great relationships with many of their relatives. The older groups of Nymphs are also often on field trips to see the rest of society, and Fifth Stage Nymphs are allowed to leave to apprentice for jobs and trades, as long as they return by curfew.
The Kyrrshnik society is extremely social and community based. They have large, close-knit family groups numbering between 30-50 individuals. Expanding this beyond the 'nuclear' family will bring this count up to 300-500 individuals. They like to make large 'cities' in and around mountains, often digging into the sides of cliffs and creating extensive cave systems to live in. There is no specific ruler or rulers of their species. Small groups may be led by an agreed upon individual, but Kyrrshnik society at large is entirely democratic. Being a very community minded species, they do their best to take care of their families and the others around them, even if they aren't somehow related. Labor, food, shelter, almost everything is shared between friends, family, and neighbors. Greed and individualism, out side of personal style, is looked down upon if it will cause another Kyrrshnik to go hungry or without a home.
As they developed into a more established civilization, the Kyrrshnik made use of their wings less and less. Instead, they now prefer to walk or run, or use some other form of transportation. The simple reason for this is due to the fact that flight takes a lot of energy - and doing so over a long distance or for a long time is inefficient when there are other ways. This is not to say Kyrrshnik
never fly. You can often see them, especially young ones, buzzing around short distances or flapping their wings in excitement. It is not uncommon to see a gaggle of Kyrrshnik nymphs buzzing around and evading their caretakers. Occasionally, one of the adults may even take flight in pursuit of them! Flight is also part of many of their sports and past times. From various kinds of ball games, to games like 'Tag,' both organized and ones played in recreational spaces. The societal lack of reliance on flight, too, is an accessibility feature, as most of their society has become accessible for those without wings, or whose wings have been broken or lost in some way.
Communication is done primarily through buzzing, clicking, purring and, rarely, growls or hissing. Much of their language is imperceptible to human ears, but there's also a lot of physical components involved in it. Half of the physical language is in the form of body language - watching the ears, antennae, stance, tail, and eyes of a Kyrrshnik is integral to being able to understand their language. In addition, the Kyrrshnik have their own universal version of sign language. This is as much of a benefit to deaf Kyrrshnik as it is to other species.
Here's a sound that a species of Earth insects make that would be similar to Kyrrshnik. Obviously the Kyrrshnik would be much louder though!Here's another similar sound! Once again, this would likely be much louder and deeper.Here's something similar to some of the sounds Human (and human-like) ears wouldn't be able to hear! This one would probably be akin to a growl or other noise an annoyed Kyrrshnik would make.Being as easy going and community minded as Kyrrshnik are, they typically solve disputes nonviolently, preferring to talk things out and come to a compromise. They enjoy large group grooming sessions which ensures things are kept extremely clean as well as strengthening bonds between group members. Conflict resolution is considered an integral skill for one to have and so it is taught and reinforced from a very young age - even starting before a Kyrrshnik pupates into their second nymph stages.
Their diets consist primarily of meat, though they do partake in some fruits and grains occasionally. The Kyrrshnik's favorite food source is an animal they call a 'Shniktyr.' This roughly means 'Wonder Creature.' These beasts are large, grub-like creatures that crawl around in caves and eat whatever plant-life they can find. There's a lot of respect and reverence for the Shniktyr, as its commonly believed that without the beasts, the Kyrrshnik would never be able to survive. So, caring for the beasts is considered an honor among them, and the Shniktyr's living standards are of the highest quality possible. Of the fruits they enjoy, a notable one is a round, purplish thing called a 'Gliknik.' The outside of this fruit easily peels off to reveal the vibrant red meat of the fruit inside. The Gliknik's flavor is comparable to a mix of an extremely sweet strawberry and a mango. The texture, however, is strangely smooth only comparable to soft-serve ice cream. Generally, they prefer their food raw but they're not opposed to cooking it for the comfort or preference of any other species.
The Kyrrshnik do not like clothing much. They typically find it fairly restrictive and inconvenient. Their general refusal to wear much, if any, clothing doesn't really matter to them, as they will only live in temperate to tropical environments. They are absolutely incompatible with the cold, and would die if they were exposed to it for more than a handful of days. So, for the clothing that they do tolerate, it is typically only leg wear that is very similar to silk sweatpants, or some fabric draped around their torso loosely. What many Kyrrshnik do enjoy, however, is jewelry. It is difficult to find one who is not wearing at least some sort of body adornment. Popular locations include on the arms, legs, tail, in or on the ears, around the antennae, or on the hands. One notable detail, though, is the popularity of large, jeweled bands that wrap around a Kyrrshnik's waist. One strange detail is that they do not, and will not, wear anything around their necks or wrists, though only the Kyrrshnik know the reason for this.
The Kyrrshnik home planet is very mountainous, and where there's not mountains, there's typically large, dense forests. The oxygen levels on their planet are extremely high, as well, resembling those of Earth's Carboniferous period. In addition to this, there is only 65% of the gravity on their planet as there is on earth. This is what allows both the Kyrrshnik and their livestock to have been able to grow to such sizes. The dense forests and large mountains are what drove them to develop two opposable digits on their hands, as well as retaining their secondary arms in order to aid in carrying items while climbing.
In the top left is the Kyrrshnik home planet, Shniktals. To the right is a depiction of the outside of a Kyrrshnik community showing two of their homes built in the trees, and several entrances to their cave systems. A silhouette of an adult Kyrrshnik is shown next to the bottom most cave entrance, in order to give a bit of size perspective. In the bottom left, there is a depiction of a Kyrrshnik Memorial Hall, which also has an adult Kyrrshnik silhouette next to it in order to demonstrate size.
Technology wise, their society is fairly advanced and makes use of biotechnology rather than strictly technology. The Kyrrshnik have found that incorporating bio-tech into their society much more sustainable for the long term. As a general rule, they're fairly curious and dislike conflict. Therefore, they've taken to the stars in order to make contact with, trade with, and befriend other intelligent species. Their ships are large and made for extended trips in space, with lots of space for passengers and plenty of storage. Anyone who finds themself on a Kyrrshnik ship will probably soon find themselves 'adopted' by several different family groups - especially if they are traveling alone. The majority of their technological advancements in regards to space travel actually surround the areas of oxygen compensation and gravity management. Going from their home planet to another planet with less oxygen and more gravity can be an extremely jarring event for an unprepared Kyrrshnik - not that one couldn't survive in these conditions, provided that it isn't cold, but it would be fairly unpleasant for them until they adjusted to the change.
The death of a Kyrrshnik is a big deal in their culture. Much like lobsters, who would continue to grow and molt their shells for as long as they were not killed and could find enough food to sustain themselves, Kyrrshnik do not die of old age. Unlike lobsetrs, however, Kyrrshink society is structured in such a way that one would not die of exhaustion or starvation either. Therefore, a Kyrrshnik would be able to live as long as it could unless killed by another being, in an accident, or due to illness. Death is rare, and an event that shakes an entire community, but it is not unheard of and the Kyrrshnik have specific rituals and funerary rites dedicated to it. Due to their exploration of universe, and their exposure to other forms of sentient life, they have slowly become more accustomed to the deaths of other species.
It's never easy to lose a loved one, especially when community bonds are as promoted, prioritized, and as strong as they are in Kyrrshnik society. As such, deaths are a momentous occasion. There are several stages of the death process. First is the 'Kalstik' - the death of the body. During this stage, a dead Kyrrshnik's body is prepared for disposal. The Kyrrshnik's face plates are removed and preserved to be placed into the Memorial Hall of their homeland. This is done to allow their families, friends, and community a place to come and visit them again, to be able to see the face of their loved ones another time. The rest of the body is typically cremated and spread around the roots of fruit trees, in order to let them continue to provide for their communities in death. After this, comes the 'Myrshtak' - the period of mourning. This is the time when the Kyrrshnik who survive them gather together to commiserate and share stories of the one who had passed. Speaking ill of the dead is forbidden during this time, as it is a time dedicated to remembering the best parts of them. Then comes the 'Ashnyr' - the airing of grievances. This is the time where it is appropriate to air out any anger, problems, or other negative feelings related to the Kyrrshnik who has passed, and is often done directly to the preserved face plates in the memorial hall. It's done in order to help bring a sense of closure to the surviving Kyrrshnik, to allow them to air out their feelings and emotions, no matter how ugly they may be, so they can move on and, hopefully, remember the deceased in a positive light. Finally comes they 'Cliknityyr' - the celebration of life. This is a time dedicated to celebrating the deceased's life and the lives of those who were around them. This is a time of festivities, feasting, and celebration. Many of the deceased favorite activities are partaken in, and this allows the community to come together to mend the holes left that the deceased used to occupy. Often times new friends, business partners, and other forms of relationships are made during these celebrations. This is considered the primary time during which the community heals itself.
When a Kyrrshnik dies away from their home planet, their entire body is preserved to the best of the present survivors' abilities as possible. The goal is to be able to return them to the Kyrrshnik home planet for the proper rites to be preformed. Should this be impossible, the remains are typically jettisoned from an airlock in the direction of the nearest star, in the hopes that they would be turned into fuel for the star to continue burning.
Here's one would look like!
And here's one of the grubs they raise for food!
The Shniktyr have bioluminescent spots on their body, including the end of their tail, in order to help the Kyrrshnik locate them in the caves where they are raised. The Kyrrshnik bred them specifically for this trait, as well as large size and, in some cases, their strength. They're roughly the size of a baby elephant when they reach the point just before they pupate into their adult form. The adult beetle-like forms are often used for labor as beasts of burden - often for pulling and carrying large objects or, traditionally, as mounts. It's at this pre-adult time, however, that the ones not chosen to grow into adulthood are used for food production.
