Sideblog for my ALIENS

Xenobiology time yippayyyy!!!!

[exploringiru]

I'm gonna be redoing my worldbuilding for the Kindlings/Iru here soon, so I might as well start up a sideblog for it specifically! Here's a brief introduction.

Iru is a planet of dense red forests and megafauna. The planet's atmosphere holds a large amount of greenhouse gases, water vapor, and oxygen. All condusive to a planet of giants. Not all Iruan fauna are big though. Some, like the intelligent lifeforms on the planet (Kindlings), are more adapted to climbing and taking down prey in packs.

Kindlings are not the first intelligent creatures on Iru. The Iruans before them built large cities and portals which have now falled into ruin. They even domesticated the proto-kindlings, turning their ancestors into what they are today.

The main goal of this project is to come up with cultures and stories for the Kindlings. I love xenobiology but I also like worldbuilding, and I find it hard to balance both. Looking at an entire species as a whole vs focusing in on one specific city or region is hard!!

[exploringiru]

EVERYONE GO SAY THANK YOU @rayghosts FOR BEING AN AWESOME LINGUIST AND TAKING THE TIME TO EXPLORE WHAT SOUNDS KINDLINGS MIGHT USE IN LANGUAGE..... As someone who is not. a linguist i will need to figure out what these sounds are but im so hyped

adding some notes since i forgot:

no labiodental or dental sounds bc their mouth and breathing tubes r separate from each other. the two slit things in their chests r what they breathe through, which have lips and a sort of tongue like thing inside originally for preventing waterflow inside. Also no tooth ridge so aveolar sounds are pronounced further back (like /s/ without teeth is /sh/ sound)

no nose bc no nasal cavity but ray had the idea that since there are 2 ports, each port would pronounce one of the sounds (ex 1 would make the /b/ sound, other would make the /w/ sound, together it approximates an m sound).

they also compared the breathing ports to a syrinx in parrots, since it is much smaller and movement is kind of articulated on the inside instead of outside (ex: lip movement). It's also kind of like having two larynx in one, which is basically what kindlings have!

All of this is poorly summarizing my friend ray's ideas for language and its so very cool. Its so so cool i had no idea languages had all these interesting little bits and pieces :)

[exploringiru]

I'll make a more formal post about basic language stuff, but here's a bit more about the kindling and shapeshifter from the last post :)

Loyoh is a very old name, probably vaguely translates to like. curious little guy. Or something

And also Kaereh would be spelled. Kayreh. they call me the mistaken. Not that kindlings would use the latin alphabet but like dont worry about it

[exploringiru]

Some actual story bits for my kindlings? naurway....

I've had this concept of like. The planet or universe itself got so frustrated or angry with humanity as they colonized the universe that it cursed them with the very biodiversity they destroyed. Turning them into shapeshifting beasts with little more than instinct and emotion to guide them,,, the human colony on Iru has turned into a bit of an anomalous area, where time and space move oddly. The very oldest kindling generations were around when the humans who were invading dissappeared, and all kindlings who got near the colony wouldn't come back.

After a few generations though, people start forgetting. The spotted kindling is sort of a novice anthropologist (Kindlopologist?) and explores the human compound in search of information. They feel like they're being watched as they gather books, odd little tablets, etc. And when they come into contact with one of these ravenous shapeshifting things, one comes to their rescue.

[exploringiru]

smoking fun things to clear out your lungs

[exploringiru]

I did a little more shitty 3d modeling to kind of visualize how Kindling mouths work!! They kind of fold into the mouth. The mandibles are moreso used for grabbing than chewing or anything, and older kindlings probably have a harder time using them bc of the joints. They're kind of vestigial in the way that they aren't used for hunting or fighting anymore, and it's very rude to extend your mandibles in an aggressive way like that.

[exploringiru]

Kin dlings... Haven't drawn em in a while. I was trying to think of how fat/weight would be distributed so i could draw different body types and have more cool designs... most of it would probably be in the legs and stomach as well as a bit in the tail, neck, etc. no boobs tho

[exploringiru]

haven't posted here in a minute, but I found this old little song about kindling love :) the melody is based off of a song i heard on tiktok years and years ago I think it was someone singing about being a little fairy i dont remember.

(song below)

I heard of a Kindling

as tall as a tree, dear.

As bright as an ember,

a heart made of coal.

And another young fellow

who's spines were a'shining.

Their eyes met each others.

Their fates interwove!

So when they were married,

the mountains did carry

for miles and miles

their warm, loving glow.

I heard of two kindlings,

their romance, a blaze dear.

Such stories were common

many years ago.

[innerchildabortionclinic]

old people are right about werther's originals btw

[exploringiru]

clothbs

sash placement indicates if you are older or younger than your twin, or if your twin died/you are the sole sibling

also since most kindlings would live above the ground /need to climb around a lot, dresses wouldn't be great for that. So to flex how muchcool fabric they own they have really long stretchy pan ts B)

[exploringiru]

doodlin creatures

[exploringiru]

totally forgot that i just. put a horse there. for no reaosn

It was my reference for this idk why i forhto it but its so funny to me. horse reacts to aliens

[exploringiru]

havent drawn much lately except for this, their name is Ihana. If you followed my main account back when i was super into marble skies you might remember olmi? This is their younger sibling. I'm reworking both of their stories a bit (mainly figuring out the technology they'd have access to, etc) but rn I've decided Ihana is an archaeologist/adventurer who's been mapping out a bunch of prehistoric Iruan/Kindling settlements. They're a firm believer in the domestic kindling theory but idk how widespread that knowledge would be. ANYWAYS

oh also I need to work on language!!! its really difficult bc kindling mouths and breathing works so much differently. They may use the operculum and those respiratory holes on the sides of their chests to make noises?? bc technically they dont need to breathe through their mouths at all and theres probably no connection from the mouth to the respiratory system? But for my sake id like to make a language that can be written and i can imagine the sounds in my head. idk!!!

[exploringiru]

behold. a horse

and a bird scavenger. ajd clothes :)

[exploringiru]

doodlin creatures

[exploringiru]

doodlin some kindlings and a proto-kindling too

[exploringiru]

trying to think of clothing ideas.,, kindlings definitely still hunt for most of their clothes and mayyybe they grow some cloth too? i dont know how much farming they would do on the ground though bc thats more dangerous than being in the treetops. Although since its more dangerous but also makes getting food easier i think they'd have like. watchtowers and stuff in place to protect farmers and crops from animals. I was also thinking some crops could be grafted onto trees or grow on them like some plants in rainforests do.

anyways i think for clothes it'd mostly be leather and hides with a bit of cloth for lighter wear. hands and feet are left free for climbing but shoes may be worn while riding animals to keep the stirrups of saddles from irritating them? idk yet. In previous doodles kindlings also had a belt/sash system that denoted whether they were an older/younger twin or an only child since all kindlings are pairs? that would be going into the gender and sex stuff tldr only one sex and both parents have an egg + sperm, so same ish genetic material, not identical twins but they do tend to hatch at the same time?

plus some recent doodlees

[exploringiru]

more.... the neck/shoulders are hard to model :/

kindlings have two tails 1 bc its fun and 2 i think it originally was a mutation/defect in proto-kindlings that caused an extra set of bones/muscles in the tails which would split, and it would probably have killed off a lot of proto-kindlings. I think Iruans found the mutation interesting though so they would select for it, and now modern kindlings have precautions to make sure the split doesn't become infected and stuff. its like a part of kindling puberty it symbolizes that you're an adult maybe.