What is this creature?
A gingin, or GG for short, is a small mammal native to the deserts of Australia. It somewhat resembles a mix between a cat and a kangaroo, with a small pouch on it's belly to shelter it's young. They are usually a rusty orange or sandy brown, and are very fluffy to help blend them in with the undergrowth they live around.
The name 'gingin' means 'footprint' in the aboriginal Australian's language. These creatures are about the size of a meerkat, so the name strongly fits them. They also seem to behave like meerkats, creating extravagant burrows and foraging for insects. Gingin burrows can contain up to 500 'dens', small cave-like structures used to store food, sleep in, or bury the dead. It is currently believed that each burrow can contain up to 100 gingins! Very few burrows are known to exist.
Gingins have lived in Australia for thousands of years, but it is unclear to the exact number. Scientists estimate that their species has remained the same for up to 40,000 years, living side-by-side with native Aboriginal people. In fact, these people were believed to of kept them as companions at some point, giving them masks in honor of their 'spirit likeness'. It's due to many legends surrounding them, gingins only come out to forage at night and in the moonlight look similar to ghosts. The people seem to of also taught the gingins to care for the masks, using poisonous fruit to stain them and keep termites out of the old wood.
Gingins quickly had to learn to survive without their aboriginal companions as a new evolution occurred, the modern human, who quickly took over the aborigines and made them go extinct! Without anyone to care for them, they fled into abandoned burrows in the desert, learning to dig and forage. They wore the old masks as a sign of distrust to humans, only daring to leave the burrows to find food.
Baby gingins, known as nees, are born in the burrows each spring. In six months they will mature, and will then be considered ready to venture outside. When a baby matures into a teen, the older gingins will give up their masks and switch from being foragers to burrowers. They will never see the light of day again, and will remain underground as they are considered 'imperfect' and 'unpure'. The older gingins are built for tunneling and digging, with large clumsy paws. Their smaller children are more nimble at catching flying bugs and crawling insects, remaining hidden easier in the sparse undergrowth. Once they get older and have a baby of their own, they will retire underground. Each adult can only have one baby, making them much rarer in the wild.
To this day, gingins still distrust humans. They are considered very rare in the wild, with a possibility of going extinct within the next few hundred years. It is believed that only up to 500 remain in the wild, will you save a gingin before it's too late?
Yep, I thought of a species <3
I just love them, but all the lines I try to draw turn out awfully ugly! Can you help me?
Lines MUST:
-Be colored by using Lock Alpha
-Consist of adult lines, with optional male/female differences
-Come with at least three different mask shapes, each mask will be unique
-Have hidden baby lines underneath, which will be used in a nursery (please make the baby hiding it's face, so it remains a mystery as to what the species looks like)
-Fit with the description above (they also walk on four legs, the rest is up to you!)
-Belong to me even if you don't win, I don't want anyone using my species (sorry)
-Be able to be sold/used in competitions (just in case)
-Be drawn by you, I will also be sure to say that they are not mine and to copyright you
Prizes:
Prize group here, I may add more and up the prize amounts. I will not cancel unless no one enters, so you're guaranteed a prize if there are only three or less entries c;
First Prize
First choice of three pets from prize group
+
Slot as permanent artist
+
Custom gingin
Second Prize
Second choice of two pets from prize group
+
Slot as permanent artist
+
Custom gingin
Third Prize
Last pet left over from prize group
+
Slot as a special guest artist (you can make up to ten gingins)
+
Custom gingin
Thanks for reading, everyone! I know my prizes may not be the best so far, but I do plan on adding if I get a chance to <3
As of now, the end date will be around February/March, not 100% sure yet but I'll keep you guys updated c;
gingins (c) wajagirl
