#oxyu

[off-the-edge-of-the-horizon]

Misc character designs

[puddleorganism]

My bugs #mybugs

[off-the-edge-of-the-horizon]

Have I. Ever shared my height chart

Really rough bc it's for personal use and I have a bajillion of these fuckers

Each square is 5' that human is a Little Guy

[puddleorganism]

More OEH Fakemon 💥

And shinies!

[off-the-edge-of-the-horizon]

Spacefarers (13/13)

View the rest of the spacefarers here.

Jellybugs (originally designed by @jillybean7111)

Large hexapodal creatures that, along with Sunseekers, hail from a damp terrestrial planet. The two species have been closely tied since prehistory, and are inextricably linked. Collectively, the two are referred to as Hiluheans. Together, they were the 5th group to enter the Interstellar Neighborhood 565 years ago.

Avg size: 5.5’ tall, 700-1100 lbs (1.68 m, 318-499 kg)

Oxyu

Large subterrenean aliens that hail from a mostly barren terrestrial planet that only has complex life in one cave system. Technically not yet spacefarers, Oxyu were accidentally discovered by a mining operation 22 years ago and have since been tentatively integrated into the Interstellar Neighborhood. They are the most recent (11th) addition to the Interstellar Neighborhood.

Avg size: 6’ tall and 21’ long, 270-300 lbs (1.8 & 6.4 m, 123-136 kg)

Slimarians

A slimy quadrupedal critter, and a very tentative member of the Interstellar Neighborhood. They are an invasive species accidentally picked up from a distant planet. They are very controversial, as they are dangerous and destructive - eating just about anything they can fit in their mouths (which includes several spacefarers), and creating a mildly acidic secretion that over time can damage organisms and ships - but they can be quite friendly and intelligent. Otherwise they are poorly understood, and have been part of the Interstellar Neighborhood for 73 years.

Size range: 6.5-11’ long, 75-150 lbs (2-3.4 m, 34-68 kg)

Sunseekers

A very large flighted organism that, along with Jellybugs, hails from a damp terrestrial planet. The two species have been closely tied since prehistory, and are inextricably linked. Collectively, the two are referred to as Hiluheans. Together, they were the 5th group to enter the Interstellar Neighborhood 565 years ago.

Avg size: 12' tall, 1400-1550 lbs (3.66 m, 635-703 kg)

Tapik

Small, feisty quadrupeds that entered the Interstellar Neighborhood fairly recently. Much of their lore is still a WIP. They were the 10th group to enter the Interstellar Neighborhood just 44 years ago.

Avg size: 2’ tall, 40 lbs (0.61 m, 18 kg)

Wahu

A mid-sized flighted creature that hails from a dying water world. They are covered in thin, velvety fur-like structures that rely on structural pigmentation. Wahu can flex these hairs to form complex patterns of light and color. They were the second known organism to achieve spaceflight, and formed the Interstellar Neighborhood when they met Firebacks shortly after - 2,031 years ago.

Avg size: 11’ long, 40-70 lbs (3.35 m, 18-32 kg)

Kooci

Special mention to Kooci, a large scaled quadruped from a dry sooty planet. They are not (yet) spacefarers themselves and are unaware of any current spacefarers. Due to their homeworld's place on the fringes of the Interstellar Neighborhood, the spacefarers in turn are hardly aware of them, either. There are very few exceptions.

Avg size: 4.3' tall, 500-700 lbs (1.3 m, 230-320 kg)

[off-the-edge-of-the-horizon]

Oxyu Anatomy Overview

Whiskers. Oxyu have 6 long whiskers on their snouts - 2 pairs on the top jaw and 1 pair on the bottom jaw. The whiskers are very sensitive, and contain chemoreceptors allowing them to “smell” with their whiskers in addition to using them as a tactile sense.

Nostrils. Oxyu have two airways on the end of their snouts. They stick out slightly and are squishy and flexible, allowing them to hide under the water without exposing their faces.

Eyes. The eyes are very large and dark, and adapted to extreme low-light. Even the light of the most distant suns is painful and causes eye damage. Oxyu are also completely colorblind, being unable to differentiate wavelengths of light and only detecting light levels. Additionally Oxyu have a reflective ring within their eyes that allows one to see where they are looking. These rings are ONLY visible when light is shining directly on the eye, and even then they may appear dim and the whole ring may not be visible. In environments with high light levels these rings are not visible at all.

Mandibles. Oxyu are toothless, instead catching and chewing food with large mandibles inside their mouths. The mandibles have a sharp, spear-like tip and saw-like blades on the second and third segment.

Mid-arm joint. Oxyu fore and mediary legs have an extra joint between the elbows and wrist. Like all Oxyu joints, they are highly flexible and allow for a very large range of movement.

Dewclaw. On the outside of the mid-arm joint Oxyu have a large 6th digit with a long claw.

Toes. There are 5 digits on all 6 feet. They are flexible and highly dexterous, as well as having hollow bones which carry vibrations into the body well. This is the basis for the Oxyu’s ability to hear.

Claws. Oxyu have long, curved claws. Though not traditionally retractable, Oxyu are able to curl the claws out of the way above the toe, and flex them forward in a more traditional claw position.

Bioluminescence. The Oxyu’s skin is bioluminescent - practically every (external) inch of their bodies except the eyes, claws, and whiskers are capable of luminescing. The lights almost work like pixels on a screen, with teeny tiny pockets of bioluminescent material on the cellular level. Small patches can be activated consciously and unconsciously and in rapid succession to form complex patterns.

Blood. When freshly wounded, Oxyu release an abundance of bioluminescent material to frighten predators and warn other Oxyu of danger, making it appear like their blood glows. However, the luminescent material quickly depletes and goes dark, revealing that Oxyu actually have black blood. It is darkest when fresh and concentrated, but when thinned out (and especially when dried) Oxyu blood is actually fairly translucent and appears silvery in color.

Skin. Oxyu have 2 primary layers of skin. The top layer is tough but flexible, translucent, and less vascularized than the lower layers. The bottom layer of skin is much more vascularized and contains all of an Oxyu’s bioluminescence and pigment.

Locomotion/Ambulation

Oxyu have very slow metabolisms and spend much of their time sitting still. However, they are capable of short bursts of speed, and much of the time their thin whiskers idly drift and twitch around - often the only movement an Oxyu makes when idle.

Oxyu are hyperflexible in just about every joint in their body. They can scrunch up into impressively small spaces and are capable of wriggling through extremely narrow passageways. Their loose, wrinkly skin helps them wriggle through cramped rocky passageways without getting caught or injured. The outer translucent layer of their skin acts as a buffer, able to be scratched and scraped without much pain or bloodloss.

The Oxyu's primary manipulators are their many very dextrous hands. They may additionally use their dewclaws and tail to do less dextrous tasks or to hold onto things. The mandibles can also be used for more fine detail tasks with some practice.

Mouth

Oxyu have wide mouths that can be difficult to see when closed. They have no teeth or tongue, instead catching and processing food with their mandibles.

To catch (or just pick up) food Oxyu typically spear it on the sharp, slightly curved tip of their mandibles. They are dextrous enough to use their mandibles like tweezers or chopsticks to gently pick up food, but this usually isn’t their default method for bringing food to their mouth.

The mandibles can move independently, allowing them to make a back and forth sawing motion (somewhat similar to a solifuge). They will trap food between the serrated second and third segments and saw it into small swallowable chunks.

Oxyu have scant chemoreceptors on the inside of their mouths, and don’t have a complex or sensitive sense of taste. They can generally only taste a few different things: a few essential supplements and common dangerous contaminants. Instead, they have a bunch of chemoreceptors on their whiskers, which usually tells them all they need to know about their food before they put it in their mouths.

Bioluminescence

The Oxyu’s lower layer of skin is bioluminescent, in fact, practically every inch of skin is capable of luminescing. Though, the claws, eyes, and the inside of the mouth are not capable of luminescing. In the skin there are extremely small pockets of bioluminescent material on the cellular level. Small patches can be activated consciously and unconsciously and in rapid succession to form complex patterns, almost like pixels on a screen.

This is primarily how Oxyu speak. Their main language is a complex series of signals and flashing patterns. They can vocalize to make sounds, but typically only use this for expression and simple communication and doesn’t form actual words (similar to “uh huh,” “hm?,” or a thumbs up).

Oxyu bioluminescence is autogenic, but they acquire the materials to do so primarily through eating bioluminescent algae-like organisms.

Coloration

Oxyu are generally blue-black. The shade, darkness, and saturation can vary, but they’re almost always the color of shadows and the night sky.

However, less commonly Oxyu can be red as well. Because the majority of organisms in their environment (including Oxyu themselves) are colorblind, and they never experience a full spectrum of light anyway, Oxyu can be perfectly well camouflaged when red vs. blue. They can have just patches of red, or rarely be entirely red. They’re usually dark cool-toned red, but can have a good amount of variation as well.

Because their coloration is typically rather dark, it can be difficult to see markings on Oxyu. However, they can have mottled stripes, spots, and faint countershading. Usually their extremities (and especially faces) are darker.

Without pigment, (such as in albino and piebald individuals) the lower layer of skin is translucent. It’s much foggier than the outer layer, but the organs and bones can still be faintly seen through it. These individuals often have difficulty speaking - either due to the way light diffuses through their skin making them unintelligible, or because an associated condition can cause them to be unable to luminesce.

Reproduction

Oxyu are hermaphroditic semelparous organisms. They don’t have any concept of gender and largely don’t give a shit about the whole situation until the end of their lives.

At any given time, there are two different generations/populations of Oxyu that coexist, called the Oxmohazu and Oxshovo. When one of these generations passes on, the name passes to their biological offspring. Their offspring are then raised by the intermediary generation, who in turn was raised by them.

Scars & Wounds

We’ve already talked about skin a lot so we’re just gonna jump to the nasty stuff.

Content warning: nasty stuff ahead

The top layer of skin heals fairly quickly and very effectively, and does not scar often. Most Oxyu have small scuff wounds practically at all times. These are usually practically invisible except for the way they catch the light, which looks very similar to cracks in glass or ice, or tears in silicone. Injuries to this layer of skin can bleed, but don’t bleed very much.

The lower layer of skin bleeds much more when damaged and is much more likely to scar. This causes it to interact oddly with the upper layer of skin which heals faster. Scars on the lower layer usually have a slight pigment difference and can cause it to look like there is a crack within or a hole underneath the skin.

Degloving wounds are fairly common, but not as dangerous as they are for humans (and other similar animals). Usually they are largely unnoticeable except for some mild pain and bruising, and will fuse back together in a short amount of time.

Skeletal injuries do not heal as well, and injuries to the arm and finger bones often cause permanent hearing damage.

The main brain is located in a hard ossified case within the chest. There’s a secondary simple brain in the head, but it primarily processes sensory input and does not control any other vital functions. So, Oxyu can suffer a great deal of head damage without dying.

[puddleorganism]

Day 4 of drawing my sona as one of my aliens - Oxyu edition

Nerd notes:

Erythrism is very common in Oxyu! Whether it be partial, like this individual, or complete - making their whole bodies red

Oxyu are troglodytes, their worlds only lit by the bioluminescence of themselves and other organisms that inhabit their cavernous homes. As such, there’s a very limited variety in the wavelengths present in their light. So, in their natural habitat it’s generally impossible to see their own red coloration, since little to no red light is natural produced here. It just appears black, instead of red. Oxyu are also entirely colorblind, only able to differentiate between different light levels, and can’t actually differentiate between different wavelengths. So, in full sunlight red would look the same as a similarly toned blue or grey. To an Oxyu, this would give erythric individuals the appearance of turning from black to a much lighter grey in different lighting. This, however, is a rare phenomenon as Oxyu aren’t yet spacefarers and rarely encounter actual white light.

Bonus version without shading to see their red belly better:

[puddleorganism]

for the worldbuilding asks: 33, 39, & 40

Realized I never specified which spacefarer(s) of the 14 I have I was answering questions for, so I’m just going to do the ones from my most recent post, Oxyu!

33. Is your sophont located in a specific area or are they found everywhere?

Oxyu technically are not spacefarers, I just call them that because I use the term spacefarers instead of sophonts and they fall loosely into that category. They’re part of the Interstellar neighborhood regardless so it’s just semantics. The point is that their planet’s surface is almost entirely uninhabitable, with simple life only existing in isolated pockets in geothermal springs. Complex life, like Oxyu themselves, only exists in one single cave system fed by one of these springs. First contact is usually left up to the species entering the neighborhood, but Oxyu are a different story. They were accidentally discovered when a mining operation ignored the scant signs of life on this planet and broke through into the cave system the Oxyu called home. Since then they’re being tentatively integrated into the interstellar neighborhood through long-distance education and cultural exchange, though none have yet actually gone into space.

39. What children's toys are there depending on the age group?

For xuwu & xuwuzu (neonate/larva):

Fishing toys - literal lines with charms on the end like fly-fishing lines (just without the hooks) used by adults to encourage aquatic larvae to swim around and practice hunting. As Oxyu society has started relying more on agriculture than hunting, this has started falling out of fashion, as hunting isn’t seen as such an important skill anymore.

For xuwuzuho (infant):

Mirrors - usually made of highly polished stone or shiny minerals. Rarely are they a solid flat surface like our mirrors, usually they’re a bunch of little reflective surfaces attached to a string or stick. Used to encourage light usage and entertain young ones who have just learned how to flash their lights.

Texture pads - usually carved stones, carved bone/carapace, or even fabric woven in different textures/patterns, sometimes with inlays or beads. Xuwuzuho play with them by running their still-growing-in whiskers over them. Promotes dexterity and the ability to differentiate textures.

Animal figurines - usually carved out of soapstone. Very common due to soapstone being cheap & plentiful and easy to carve.

Noisemakers - mostly hollow containers filled with pebbles. Popular because babies make funny faces when playing with them (Oxyu hear with their feet, so holding an object that rattles can be startling and overstimulating for babies who haven’t figured life out yet).

For children/adolescents:

Toy spears and other tools - spears are becoming less common as hunting does as well, but it’s fun for any kid to mimic their guardians.

Streamers - similar to fishing toys, but much bigger. Kids have fun chasing these, dancing with them, or even just watching them flow in the river.

40. What beverages are common?

That is. A very good question. Honestly I’m not exactly sure how to answer it lol - I don’t have a lot of Oxyu cuisine figured out. Because they live in a cold cave system, I imagine things keep pretty well, so they probably drink a lot of fermented things. They also have a thing about being close to the source of the river that fills their caves (it’s like a hierarchical/belief system thing), so it might be a fad to drink water that was collected from the source. Additionally, they don’t cook, so while they’re not beverages, Oxyu use a lot of sauces, dressings, etc. to flavor their food. Maybe something similar to garum!