#ZEHEN KHASIIK; THE BEASTS THAT DWELL WITHIN THE PLAGUELANDS.

[apexulansis]

lil photoset of the animals I associate with kariians the most

#ZEHEN KHASIIK; THE BEASTS THAT DWELL WITHIN THE PLAGUELANDS. #OOC. #mashes them all together into 1 creature

[apexulansis]

Since I'm thinking about it today: Kariian baby related headcanons

Also called cubs, or kits. In their youngest stages (just after they leave the womb and move to the pouch) they're called 'kitlings' or 'kitlets'. Kit is more associated with babies or toddlers, and cub would be used for an older toddler or a child. The preteen/teen stages would be called fledglings.

They feed on blood for the most part as children. Children that still spend most of their time inside the pouch feed on their parent's milk... But kariian milk is more like a 'blood-milk' than just a milk. It is, indeed, mixed with their actual blood, making the transition from this blood-milk to just blood more seamless.

Kariians that never fed on a kariian-parent's blood (or blood-milk), unless an alien parent's blood/bodily fluids are just as hostile as that of the kariian's, they will be more susceptible to disease/illness in the future.

Popular kariian child treat = a big block of frozen blood. Keeps them busy for hours.

Kits spend a long period of time with really horrible vision. Because of this, kits have many more whiskers/feelers than adults (most of which will fall off in their adolescence). They also tend to be 'fluffier' in the time their bones are not fully developed, the former compensating for the latter. The fur is less thick and more fleecy than adult fur.

Will hiss at everything and anything before their sight develops. Probably will after, too.

Their skin is very VERY pink. Or a hue according to whatever their blood color happens to be.

Kariian kit ears don't really have a stage where they're that.... proportional. For some time, they're very stubby and small, and then they have a growth spurt and they have too-big-for-their-head ears that cannot even support their own weight and flop over.

Their paws, however, are pretty much always looking Too Big for their bodies. They have big snowshoe paws early in life. Because of this, lots of kariian children will crawl around on hands and feet just because their hands are so heavy. It can be troublesome to break this habit in them.

They make noises a lot. A lot! Their primary throat develops first, and their other two (lowest and highest pitch) develop later. When they are developing (around the maturity/age equiv of 6-8 years old for a human), the kits will make a lot of noises just to test them out.. Or to 'scratch' them (like clearing your throat) because they get tight and itchy. They have a phase where they'll be VERY screechy and growly because of this.

They test/explore things by either biting them or smacking them. Unless you're a fully grown kariian (or other resilient species), it hurts!

The reason kariian parents will utilize fear in their parenting is basically like.......... this video tbh. It's just so much easier. Kariian babies are Disrespectful and if they develop any empathy, or respect, it usually isn't until later in life. They understand fear and fear/strength-based-respect though!

They also have a phase where the prey-drive kicks in. Kariian parents will usually just let loose a small prey creature in the house for their children to chase around and hunt, but ones that don't want to involve another living creature will use basically a roomba-dressed-as-a-rabbit equivalent.

While they go through 'teething', they go through an equivalent of this for their hands as well. Their finger-claws and toe-claws will all eventually fall off and be replaced with a longer-term adult variant, with the exception of the two larger curved foot-claws, which will just grow perpetually until full maturity. This does mean younger kariians have to file down these claws sometimes, because if they do not, the claws will grow and grow and curve more right into their own feet (like goat horns that grow right into the eye sockets). Something like a scratching post (or a stone wall or something) is necessary, mostly for their hands, or else the furniture is going to get clawed up.

#ZEHEN KHASIIK; THE BEASTS THAT DWELL WITHIN THE PLAGUELANDS.

[apexulansis]

Some Fun Kariio 15-R features:

-80°C is warm (the average is -95°C, which is -203°F just ftr)

snowdrifts that conceal 100+ meter sinkholes.

wild animals that can mimic the sound of someone crying for help and will do so with purpose to lure you into a trap so they can attack and eat you.

every fauna and flora on the planet will be capable of killing you. there is no animal on kariio that wouldn't be willing and wanting to eat you.

when it isn't storming or snowing and the sky is actually clear, the suns will reflect off the snow SO BRIGHTLY that you'll probably just go blind if you go outside without eye protection.

when the two moons align, the pull of the tides becomes so strong it can break the crust of the ice that forms over the ocean during the cold season. however, the ice sheet of Xaozakon (The Sanguine Sea, the eastern sea) is a lot thicker and just generally bigger so it won't happen as severely as it does in Vekelera, (The Shattered Sea, the west sea) where the ice sheet re-shatters every time

areas with thicker sheets of permaice will have the frozen bodies of kariians past encased within, making the area where they're visible a macabre sort of natural museum. some of the kariians here are kariians that have long since evolved and no longer exist outside of their ice prisons.

in the Gnar-Vatash, this is done to enemies on purpose. basically the equiv of having a bunch of enemies impaled on spikes (which also happens here! on ice spikes) in front of your castle to ward off enemies.

the entire world is mildly radioactive. in conjunction with the storms, which are frequently geomagnetic, a lot of conventional tech will just not work here, especially things navigation-related.

because of the radiation and the bio-modifications done by the Zehen-Khasiik, all the life on Kariio evolves/mutates at an accelerated rate. evolution can happen over the course of a single lifetime because of how unpredictable and wild kariian DNA is now. even if you are not kariian and you only visit the planet, if you don't die because of a weak resistance to radiation (not even including the cold), you might mutate a bit.

gigantic ice-worms that tunnel through the rock of the underground. frequently kariians will repurpose the tunnels these ice-worms make for their own gain. they use a certain frequently of vibration to keep them from disrupting their settlements.

some of these ice-worms have been "domesticated" and lightly modified, and Zehen-Khasiik and Vedex-Zekhurr (underground variant of the Zehen-Khasiik) will climb inside them, willingly letting the worm 'eat' them, and then proceed to use the worm as a means of transportation from one place to another. like a fucked up train but it's alive and the train car is its insides. this is in large part because tech is not reliable due to planetary interference, not the way an animal that evolved to adapt to it is. they will use tech to make the worms regurgitate them back up though.

fungi that will give you the worst trip of your fucking life if you eat even a tiny little bit of it without cooking it properly. will make any shroom on Earth seem pathetic by comparison. in combination with Kariio, it's pretty easy to get yourself killed if you're tripping.

#LOCALE: KARIIO 15-R. #great place to vacation #ZEHEN KHASIIK; THE BEASTS THAT DWELL WITHIN THE PLAGUELANDS. #WORLDBUILDING.

[apexulansis]

not sure if it looks monstrous enough yet but......

#originally i put a secondary sternum under the first #but jax had a real good suggestion regarding whale bones #so the secondary arms dont have a connective part here #ZEHEN KHASIIK; THE BEASTS THAT DWELL WITHIN THE PLAGUELANDS. #XENOART.

[apexulansis]

home sweet home

#LOCALE: KARIIO 15-R. #XENOART. #ZEHEN KHASIIK; THE BEASTS THAT DWELL WITHIN THE PLAGUELANDS. #yeah fuck it leaning fully into the black/red/white aes for kariio #anyway im using this as a bg to try and draw kariio related concepts on but i may as well post it. it looks nice

[apexulansis]

do kariians have any slang?

For the most part they'd be more likely to associate noises with certain things as opposed to using full words. And those noises would mean different things when made with a different set of vocal chords (they have three). For example,

Hiss (highest throat): Startled, concerned.

Hiss (middle throat): Exasperation, in pain

Hiss (lowest throat): Threat, warning

Then, since most kariians tend to hiss with their middle throat when exasperated — if one kariian fucks something up, and another one looks at them and hisses like that, they're essentially telling the other one that they're an idiot. If they hiss with their highest throat they're more likely just concerned.

Other than things like that, slang changes with the era. Here are a few words you could consider to fall under that description.

Dominionite: When a Zehen-Khasiik refers to another as a 'Dominionite' as opposed to another Kariian, it's probably a lowkey way of saying they're either an alien or a hybrid.

Xae-ez: A portmanteau of 'ez' (meaning: head) and Xaezeinis (capital city of Clan Kyoœdœ). Would essentially be like calling someone an 'air head' or, more specifically, a 'spire-head'. A kariian would call someone who has a lot of crazy, unconventional ideas this as if to suggest they belong with Clan Kyoœdœ. This could be a compliment or an insult, as it usually means one is insane and intelligent in equal measure. Or that they have a bad attention span.

Zourner: What you would call a kariian that comes from Zourne, the largest mountain-range on the home-world. Zourne is associated with a wide diversity of kariian culture, as it is where the vast majority of the lesser clans call home. Thus when a kariian calls someone a Zourner, it could mean they're just from Zourne, or it could mean they're very culturally diverse. Additionally, calling someone an Exo-Zourner means they're from an area in Dominion space (but off Kariio) that is equally diverse (but in alien life).

The Maw: Or the 'Many Maw'. Referring to the current Speaker, Yeskiv.

A Tooth: Way to refer to someone who is in the Speaker's pocket, or someone the Speaker keeps a close eye on.

FAS-Passer: Trespassers that are specifically from the Federation of Allied Species (F.A.S). When one calls another a 'FAS-Passer', the implication is that they're dead already.

Soft-Claws: Usually associated with Clan Svhethis, whose motto is 'Sharp Claws, Soft Words'. The nickname is short for the opposite: Soft Claws, Sharp Words. This is to say that they're unwilling to fight but will use their tongue to do so instead. It's not always a way to call someone a coward, but if it's a Yukariksiasian saying it, that's probably what it meant.

Ix Vekelera: Means 'Like The Shattered Sea'. Vekelera is the name of the west sea of Kariio 15-R, where the remnants of scattered land and chunks of ice dot the landscape, seemingly the remains of an entire continent utterly smashed to pieces. To say someone is 'Ix Vekelera' means they're Absolutely Destroyed, basically.

#COMMS. #ANONYMOUS. #ty! #ZEHEN KHASIIK; THE BEASTS THAT DWELL WITHIN THE PLAGUELANDS.

[apexulansis]

THE SOLAR SYSTEM OF KARIIO 15-R

Kariio 15-R hangs on the outer fringes of its solar system — a binary star system that its denizens refer to primarily as Vkrhek Khrûr or simply Khrûr, which both mean Permanent Embrace and Embrace respectively.

The two stars are referred to as a single entity with most of its titles, some examples being Vasiir-Ûkyk-Oress (meaning Eyes-Above-Firmament), Vaxa Sakhûstovas (meaning The Twins), or Idisiroscion (which gets its meaning from the words Idisiro and Idiscion, which mean Scientist and Warrior) which is sometimes also called the longer name Idisiro Idiscion. There is also an even longer name which is its root meaning and the origin of the title for their suns, Wossakhæx Viorin Idisiro sa Idiscion which translates to Balance Between Scientist and Warrior (consequently, a common kariian saying is 'wossakhæx viorin issin sa vak' which means balance between mind and body).

As it's been implied, separately the stars are referred to as Idiscion, the Warrior, and Idisiro, the Scientist. The Warrior is also called the Fighter, the Champion, or the Guardian. The Scientist is also called the Scholar, the Hunter, or the Analyst. Naturally, Idiscion is the larger of the duo; a Wolf Rayet star orbited by a much smaller A-type Idisiro. Kariians do not associate the suns with any sort of historical or existing figure in their history, more that they personify the stars themselves.

The strong stellar winds render much of the solar system a dangerous place to navigate (which is fitting for its people), but also a wealth of heavy elements. The planetary nebulae of the Embrace makes it near impossible for incoming scanners to detect what's going on in the vicinity of the binary stars, as the perpetual spacial 'storm' also acts as a sort of barrier. Hence, the name of the 'Embrace' not only refers to the orbit of the two stars in itself, but also in the way their 'embrace' extends over the entire solar system, shielding them from prying eyes.

#ZEHEN KHASIIK; THE BEASTS THAT DWELL WITHIN THE PLAGUELANDS.

[apexulansis]

Even without wearing something water-proof, a kariian could stand in the middle of a heavy rainstorm for longer than a human could without getting soaking wet. Their fur is just the slightest bit water resistant.

#ZEHEN KHASIIK; THE BEASTS THAT DWELL WITHIN THE PLAGUELANDS. #not entirely so obviously #like polar bears or something

[apexulansis]

Kariians shed fur more heavily during periods between seasons, yes... But they also moult, which is just like Shedding Advanced™. They shed fur even more, and also shed a layer off their scales, teeth, claws, underside of their hands/feet, and occasionally pieces off the nose. This is much more infrequent than the former, and usually precedes a minor growth spurt. The period after this moult is officially complete is the shortest a Kariian's fur will naturally be, and probably also the softest.

#ZEHEN KHASIIK; THE BEASTS THAT DWELL WITHIN THE PLAGUELANDS. #freshly moulted kariian fur #feels like ur touchin a cloud

[apexulansis]

a lil ref for Kariian blood

#ZEHEN KHASIIK; THE BEASTS THAT DWELL WITHIN THE PLAGUELANDS.

[apexulansis]

kariian baby stages, namely expanding on what prefaces the cub stage (full size here)

#XENOART. #ft. Zovariy :3 #ZEHEN KHASIIK; THE BEASTS THAT DWELL WITHIN THE PLAGUELANDS. #KARIIANS.

[apexulansis]

A few sketch sheets for some Kariian Anatomy stuff. I plan to do the mouth eventually.

#ZEHEN KHASIIK; THE BEASTS THAT DWELL WITHIN THE PLAGUELANDS. #XENOART. #i hope Someone Somewhere has questions answered #also the reason the feelers aren't usually portrayed is literally just cuz i forget and that's it

[apexulansis]

Are there a sort of body language Kariians have with their multiple eyes?

Ty for the question!

In modern kariian society, inferring any body language from the eyes would pretty widely considered a 'psuedo-science'. This is nearly entirely due to the fact that the most common mutation is eye-related. Eye count is totally inconsistent in the species; it's not that easy to read body language from eyes when the people you meet can range from having none to thirty, possibly with the potential of more.

Ears also aren't consistent in number, but it's more predictable than eye count. Ears tend to stay in the 2 to 6 area, anything more being a rarity. There's also commonly a pair of 'dominant ears' to follow.

Sometimes this applies to the eyes as well, in that there is one 'main' pair that are more reliable to read emotion or intent from. This pretty obviously applies in Ardaka and Zovariy for example, who have a 'main' pair and then all their smaller eyes framing those 'main' eyes. Beyond that, body language relating to the eyes wouldn't be too much different to kariians as opposed to even a human with only two. Eyes narrowing = focusing, eyes wide = shock, etc etc.

I guess one exception would be something like ...... If a kariian like Yeskiv has a fuckton (thirty) eyes, they might close like 90% of them to focus better on something. Like adjusting the sights on a pair of binoculars.

#COMMS. #violeteyedkiller #OOC. #ZEHEN KHASIIK; THE BEASTS THAT DWELL WITHIN THE PLAGUELANDS.

[apexulansis]

do kariians have companion animals?

Yes! Most companion animals have an actual purpose (like hunting, guiding, tracking, etc) but there are some Kariians who do just keep them as pets and nothing more.

Revuriar are one of the more popular animals, of course, but there do exist some smaller, more docile breeds of them more attuned to a modern lifestyle, which as a result have developed a far more pack-like behavior style. They would simply be called Revu. They'd be comparable to something like... hyenas.

Another common breed of 'pet' kept by the Zehen-Khasiik are the Viwaw, which are essentially like Kariian falcons. Almost every Kariian that has the moniker of 'beast-trainer' will have a Viwaw.

#COMMS. #ANONYMOUS. #XENOART. #ZEHEN KHASIIK; THE BEASTS THAT DWELL WITHIN THE PLAGUELANDS. #DOODLES FOR YOU FOR THIS ONE

[apexulansis]

Curious how the masks might change/impact Kariian eyesight. In the same way an eye patch limits depth perception

They're a little limiting, but not by too much. It isn't enough to block out their sense of smell (by a lot, anyway; though, a mask covering their nose does make it harder for them to sense/feel with their noses) and presuming the mask still has eye holes, it isn't too impactful. Kariians have a lot of eyes, but it's their smell and hearing (and the sensory feedback their feelers give them) that are their stronger senses as opposed to sight.

The most a mask would block is the heat-pits on the bridge of their noses. That makes it much, much harder to sense infrared thermal radiation.

#OOC. #COMMS. #violeteyedkiller #ty for this ask :> #ZEHEN KHASIIK; THE BEASTS THAT DWELL WITHIN THE PLAGUELANDS.

[apexulansis]

do kariians regrow teeth like or shark or are they gone permanently if they get knocked out or rot?

That's a great question. I was stuck on this for a long time.

By default, they'd grow back. But slowly; it would take a solid three to six years for fangs to become fully grown again, and it would take longer the bigger they are.

However, Kariian bioengineering makes this subject to change. Some Kariians will have replacement teeth synthesized immediately whereas others prefer to leave the process to happen naturally. Some Kariians will have it so they cannot grow back and can replace those teeth in entirety.

Example: Zovariy chose to do that ultimately, both a mix of impatience for a fang to grow back, and thinking the silver (it's probably not actually silver, some other alien metal, but that's besides the point) looks really nice.

They are right, it does look really nice.

#COMMS. #ANONYMOUS. #ZEHEN KHASIIK; THE BEASTS THAT DWELL WITHIN THE PLAGUELANDS.