#xenofiction

[wanderingokali]

A species of blep from cold steppes. Like most species of furred tetrapods, it keeps its young in a pouch for months until they are hardy enough to run about and eat solid food. It eats lichens, roots and mosses primarily, but is an opportunistic scavenger if those prove scarce. It lives in groups of variable sizes, with complex familial dynamics, but these groups can be spread out over great distances; they communicate by loud bellows that cover long distances despite great winds.

#okali #fantasy #wandering okali #species #art #graphi's things #worldbuilding #speculative biology #specbio #xenofiction #creature design

[iguanodont]

Meant to make this my final post of the year, but I guess it’ll have to be my first instead! A look at part of a birg end-of-year tradition.

The Wis’Sachoi are a culture far to the west of the Twowi, where they exist fairly peacefully on the coast of a large inland sea. Come autumn the gifters (bachelors) herald the mating season by arriving to clans towns in bulky costumes made of sticks and reeds. They chase kids and animals, knock things over, and sing playfully that life away from the village has made them course and wild; won’t somebody please trim their shaggy hair and crooked claws? Young receivers (the ladies) don spiny cowls of woven branches in a cheeky imitation of the spiked armor worn by beast hunters of legend, to engage the “monsters” in games of song and wordplay. Should the beast court the wrong individual, or insult his quarry, or make too much mischief around the village, the elders are ready to chase him off with sticks. When a “beast” and “hunter” have successfully matched wits, the hunter will approach with beak scissors, so that she may snip away at the reeds covering her partner’s face in a tender gesture of allogrooming. Then her sisters and elders help tear away the rest of the costume, making the suitor fit to live among the clan again. The night ends with the burning of the reeds and a communal meal.

Courtship games such as this are just the first in a series of events held for around nine days, which include bachelors presenting gifts for the children and elders of the village, a fishing contest, and lots of feasting. Many of these gifts arrive in the form of exotic spices and other ingredients collected over the past year of trading abroad. Though it is tradition for courting pairs to consummate on the final night, it is not uncommon for a gifter to offer his spermatophore to several partners before the end of the festival period. After the final night concludes, Wis’Sachoi bachelors are granted the privilege of hibernating with their temporary in-laws.

As birgs generally sleep through the winter, fall and early-winter events such as these are the closest most cultures come to the sort of midwinter holidays observed on earth.

—————

For more worldbuilding (mostly creature) posts or to see what im up to on discord, I do have a patreon, where I post weekly!

I also have new stickers up on my kofi, or you can get prints of my art here, for those interested!

#birgworld #worldbuilding #birdbugs #speculative biology #xenofiction #first post of 2024 let’s gooo

[arkelyon]

dont look at me

#my art #ms paint #sketch #steven universe #pearl #peridot #amethyst #xenofiction

[doe-prince]

Prologue for Jet and Harley is posted. You can read it on deviantart or comicfury.

Link for supporting my comics!

#Jet and Harley #cat comic #animal comic #xenofiction #pardon any grammar mistakes #this project makes me turn my brain off and act on instinct

[t34-mt]

Qua'tuli's traditional adult north-east winter clothes when he returned home, around year 217-219 of GA, before recall (timeline is in the work, numbers might change one day). Altuyur is a hot moon, but only in the far north can temperate seasons can happen.

more infos on clothes below

info chart, I'll expand on some things I've pointed out in the drawing, so make sure to read the notes before reading the text below

The family's folklore animal:

The northern, puy'ul families always have an animal associated with them, said association is from history that happened with the animal, but the event has nowadays turned into folklore. The stories only being transmitted orally, they slowly diverge and change to be more fantastical. The emblem animal can start off as a regular one but slowly shift into more strange descriptions, eventually ending up as a unique beast. Even if two families have the same emblem animal, the stories will never be the same. The emblem animal will often be a coastal one. On Qua'tuli's clothes, it is found in a bone disk that is hollowed out, then tissue is placed under and attached on the side, and the animal is embroidered in the tissue. They believe that emblem animals will be here after their burial at sea has been done, they think the creature will pick their core at sea and return them to haanu.

Repeated Eye designs:

each region have a different depiction of haanu, maanul's all-mighty mother. In the north their version of her has plenty of eyes. constantly shifting from place to place like clouds passing in the sky, they slowly reemerge from her face to disappear in the wrinkles of flesh at the end of her snout. this is what haanu's face looks like in the north ->

a while i dont have an info chart of every version available yet (ill have a separate post for the subject), this is an old sketch but still very accurate! repeated eye patterns are seen as a protection symbol in north regions

Necklace to hide neck:

Not having clothes isn't inherently seen as sexual, as context matters, although in day-to-day life adults might have certain body parts to hide depending on region. In the north east, adult of both genders will hide their neck, and will also always have their keel hidden even in interiors when wearing lighter clothes. Although they can be shown to their partner in private settings, they're hidden for cultural beliefs.

As i said context matters so showing keel and neck in north east while bathing (they bathe in groups) will not be seen as a lack of decency, as the setting is them simply washing themselves

lucky charm

a tooth (of an unidentified animal) qua'tuli has found as a little child in the snow, while throwing himself in the powdered snow he just stumbled upon it and has kept it as his lucky charm. He actually has it with him as a recruit (inside a pocket), and when he came home after acquiring his iron talons he kept it on his foot glove.

#maanul #north east maanul #ms paint #digital art #my art #oc #artists on tumblr #worldbuilding #speculative zoology #altuyur #xenofiction #additional text #2023 #qua'tuli #clothes #character designs #haanu #lore

[todaysbird]

thank you BarBar for publishing my story Within the Wall! this is such an odd story i truly didn’t think i would ever find a home for it. if you like rats, religious themes, and anthropomorphized animal stories like Watership Down and Warriors, i would appreciate your reads :)

this story contains depictions of violence, animal death, and religious imagery. please read at your own discretion!

#my writing #short story #within the wall #rats #not birds #xenofiction

[woodlnds]

Janell Cannon’s animal books and illustrations are the best collection of young children’s xenofiction. No, I will not change my mind.

#they are so beautifully written and illustrated #xenofiction #janell cannon #stellaluna #verdi #crickwing #pinduli #books #animals #nostalgia

[aevris]

re-reading raven quest

#xenofiction #never actually finished it as a kid im clearing out my bookshelves #it’s Okay

[ikrutt]

Hunters Unlucky, 2023

New cover for Abigail Hilton's Hunters Unlucky.

Buy the ebook directly from the author here and the audiobook here. If you are new to the universe, check out the 4.5 hour sample of the first novel here. You will need the Bookfunnel app to read and listen.

Hunters Unlucky is a series of xenofiction novels about intelligent animals on a fantasy island. The universe has rich and layered worldbuilding. I recommend them to anyone who likes action, adventure and political intrigue.

#my art #artists on tumblr #Abigail Hilton #Hunters Unlucky #ferryshaft #creasia #Storm #xenofiction #bookblr

[nonebinary-leftbeef]

children's xeno fiction is wild bc it will feature intense politics and wars but it gets labelled as being for kids bc the characters dramatically dying on the field of battle r like cats or owls

#guardians of ga'hoole #warrior cats #wings of fire #watership down #<- gonna be honest didn't read that one but ive heard enough about it to know that it falls into the category #xenofiction #there's honestly probably so many more pls recommend me more intense children's xenofiction i need to relive my childhood

[possumteeeth]

fossilfang!

she's coveclan's salty-paws.

salty-paws are the clans' equivalent of a leatherworker- they skin prey before its consumed and tan the hides. they have lots of tools, but i only featured the glove here! they use the glove for the Big incisions.

#warrior cats #digital art #cat oc #erin hunter warriors #warrior cats oc #digital artist #warriors #warriors designs #xenofiction

[wanderingokali]

These small kullau are part of a species that lives in large groups, up to thousands of individuals, who fly together throughout the sky to catch small flying bugs that they eat.

They tend to favor wetlands to nest; the abundance of their prey makes it ideal for them. During the period when they raise their young, their fluffy whiskers get even fuller, and those catch and trap extra bugs in them, which helps them get extra food to their babies.

Outside of those periods, a flock travels here and there, mostly following ideal weathers for hunting in the sky. Due to this, seeing them is often a good sign that the next few days will be warm and sunny.

#okali #fantasy #wandering okali #species #art #graphi's things #worldbuilding #speculative biology #specbio #xenobiology #creature design #xenofiction

[skekteksfurby]

HANK NO DON'T USE DOMINANCE THEORY IN YOUR WOLF XENOFICTION! IT HAS BEEN DEBUNKED FOR OVER TWO DECADES AND PORTRAYS A VERY WRONG WAY OF PACK DYNAMICS HANK! IT HAS CAUSED ACTUAL REAL-LIFE HARM IN HOW WE TRAINED DOGS BASED ON IT! HAAAANNKKK!!!

#tekrim text #xenofiction #i guess you can do whatever when writing xenofic but that doesn't mean i dont hate seeing it each time

[cathedralcomic]

milk warmup :P

#milk darrow #cat art #xenofiction #i didnt gaf about the background. White it is

[t34-mt]

tepueh pu, the domesticated que'arsaeb animals of maanuls that act as a "sheperd dog" for them, but for the ocean obviously. more info and images below ->

tepueh pu are a tiny aquatic animal of the que'arsaeb reign meaning it has 6 limbs and its body is segmented in distinct parts, It also means they have a sort of "bone" exo-skeleton with rough skin on top. their front limbs who serve no purpose but to do courting dance and occasionally help themselves to crawl around.

The fur-like things around the eyes and front limbs are purely for courtship, they are not made out of modified feathers as feathers are exclusive to the silieus reign, instead its sort of bristles that are quite rough to the human touch. maanuls do find it entertaining to see them court and as a result of that, they get excited during the part of the year when they court. Creating safe temporary spaces on the beach usually being circle-shaped, all maanuls do is watch them perform and fall over, if they cant get up they come and assist them to put them on their feet again. Tepueh courting consists of them desperately trying to get on their feet (usually being pushing themselves onto a rock to balance on their feet, but more commonly maanuls help them to), then the bright ones will shake their arms. Extending them and vigorously shaking the bits that have the bristles, that when rubbing against each other rapidly, create a sound that can be compared to sand being shaken in a jar. the brighter the bristles, the better the sound, and the bigger the moves is what will attract a partner. Said partners are the dull ones.

I'm not sure if they're a unisex species, they might just be random individuals who get a certain boost of hormones that gives them bright bristles and they have to perform for the others who are dull, or if they're just bright males and dull females.

Like i said they're very pathetic on land, meaning maanuls carry them when they need to be transported on land for a reason. Central north maanuls who need to migrate once a year due to temperature drops in the far north have to carry their Tepueh pu on long distances, thus they use these attire, where they attach 2 tupueh pu per side, transporting 4 in total. While I'm talking about north maanuls, every other maanuls would also use this attire to transport multiple tupueh pu. Although said attire has regional variants in terms of designs, a rough look at what a northern one would look like here ->

as seen in the example, tupueh pu can have different color variations per region, While this is not the final look of northern tupeuh pu there would be light coloration from mutations. Tupueh pu are purely bred to be working species not a pet, so while color mutations are seen as a fun thing its not their priority or what they're searching for. While not a family pet it doesn't mean children do not play with them from time to time in the water. However, tupueh pu can be used as a service "pet" in the water for maanuls with blindness or other disabilities affecting vision that would require a service pet to navigate in waters. tupueh pu are never bred to be fancy but to be useful to maanuls, they're very grateful to have them and treat them with great respect.

While they are not house pets it doesn't mean they cannot be pampered outside of working hours by maanuls, being given treats, groomed daily by owners, and being treated with care for the smallest illness they could catch.

the breathing holes of tupueh pu are on each side of their back, due to being aquatic for quite a while their opperculums had the time to shift to a more convenient place for quick gasp of air at the surface. Their maanul owners however do not, maanuls when wanting to breathe before swimming again need to get on their back once reaching the surface, as their opperculums are placed here. While technically they could push air to enter their vocal vents and redirect it to the lungs its not something they do as they do not inhale enough air using this method to feel comfortable.

ocean shepherd as a concept (final version will be posted separately)

warning The cattle shown here is not the final design, they will not look like this once ocean sheperd as a concept are done and fleshed out in the future. this is just an example

ocean shepherd, or just called shepherd among maanuls, originally i thought of them guarding a group of smaller animals (small fish) tho the idea of one or three large slow domesticated cattle sounds more cool in my opinion and also easier to contain for maanuls overall. their cattle would need maanul assistance to live comfortably, maanul coming near them by canoe or even swimming if they're not so far. usually always have at least one maanul by their side who shifts their guarding job with other fishermen after a period of time. I imagine said cattle to be kept in a shallow kelp forest where it has all the food it needs, and little to no predators around to worry around. Maanuls might even sit on their backs during their shift duty because the cattle is docile and doesn't bother them doing it, plus they also need to get on them when they pamper them (by cleaning them)

this is my rough vision of it for now, while i have tupueh pu (tho its quite bare bones on this post) , i just need to design the cattle now, then write a whole long post about how maanul sheperds works.

- - -

the vague shapes i did to figure out tupueh pu (in chronological order)

heres some fun stuff, i wanted them to be awkward looking, those penguins from subnautica were on the back of my mind while doing them, creature design is just doing vague shapes for me

#ms paint #ocean sheperd #digital art #my art #artists on tumblr #worldbuilding #speculative zoology #altuyur #2023 #maanul #tepueh pu #alien #xenofiction #concept art #sketches

[styllwaters]

Primarily airborne sophonts hailing from the low-gravity planet of Hanidias, the Arrows are one of the oldest species in the Wider Galactic Community.

___

Introducing Arrows officially! These guys are the revised version of my older spec bio species, the Angelum. They've since undergone a lot of changes. Further information below!

Before I begin, I would like to make some things clear. A lot of the lore in the old Angelum info post is now irrelevant. Here are the revisions:

The Sacrazoa, Thronalia and Seraphae subtypes do not exist. Additionally, there is no 'Original Angelum'.

Previously I stated that the entirety of the population was genetically modified, but I've retconned this to only a select few individuals.

The only Genizix-touched Arrows are the Higher Arrows, which I will delve into later.

Lifepods do not exist.

Rather than communicate telepathically, the Arrows communicate with chemical signalling/pheromones.

Now that that's out of the way, time for some fresh new lore!

___________________

Arrows spend a good amount of time floating in the air. They possess a specialised 'gas bladder' which they can inflate and deflate to control their position, slightly similar to how a fish controls its buoyancy in the water.

They do not have the same level of agility as a bird or other winged creatures, their lack of powered flight making them significantly slower. However, they can change direction, dive quickly, land, and often take advantage of air currents and wind to increase speed.

Arrows feed on floating 'aeroplankton' which thrive in the atmosphere of their planet. Concentrations of these microscopic lifeforms are farmed in enormous quantities. Arrow's feeding tendrils are typically only deployed when they are eating; the aeroplankton is absorbed into the tendrils and nutrients are transported upwards to the main hub. However, they can also be deployed for courtship displays (especially for the males) and dancing.

Arrows, in the past, were the target of many predators. They were mainly concerned with attacks from other smaller, faster, flying organisms. To combat this, their five eyes aided in a wide peripheral vision enabling them to spot trouble quickly. In addition, they evolved countershading in order to camouflage with the dark sea below and the cloudy sky above. Males sport a more contrasting palette, clearly outlining them against the sky, but those who were able to survive indicated a viable choice for a mate.

Nowadays, with safer areas, infrastructure and impressive technology, predators are no longer a threat.

There are four main ethnic groups on Hanidias; namely Cursors, Needles, Indicators and Darts. Cursors and Needles mainly reside in the skies above the open ocean and cliff sides. Indicators make their home in the icy Northern and Southern poles, and Darts above the brackish river water further inland. However, all Arrows are very widespread.

___________________

This is just an introductory post - there's still a lot to say about these fellas - but i'll leave it there for now. As always, asks are welcome!

#vivere 44 #speculative evolution #speculative biology #spec evo #spec bio #aliens #arrows #art #my art #xenobiology #xenofiction #i've had this in my drafts for like 2 weeks