Would

Woulds are humanoid creatures from Locus who have unique genetic similarity to both felids and insects from the coleoptera order. They are naturally pack-oriented and work in small groups, ranging from anywhere between 3 and 15 at a time. Most would packs are made up of only one or two families and their different lines, and woulds as a whole have a strong value put on family as a concept.

## Physical Traits

Woulds are bipedal creatures whose average heights are close to that of a human’s, including the ability to vary widely depending on where in Locus a would is born.

Their hair, made of softer bits of naturally-produced silk, only comes in blacks and whites, and their skin can range from various shades of light grey. They tend to have unique patterns on their skin similar to unique patterns on the fur of a house cat. Would skin is smooth and reflective, as well as being incredibly tough and difficult to pierce.

They have long antennae, used for picking up otherwise unseeable shifts in things like air quality. Though woulds possess an elytra like that of a beetle, no woulds are born with wings and do not have the ability to fly.

Their bones are chitinous and hollow, a possible leftover from when they possessed flight. This makes a would's bones very easy to break, but also easy to heal. It's not uncommon to see a wild Locus would with limbs bent into strange positions; they're not hurting, the bone simply healed that way. If you encounter a would with significant injuries to their skeleton, it is recommended to seal their body into a practical position as quickly as possible.

Woulds do not have lungs or a concrete section of their body dedicated to breathing, instead breathing through miniscule spiracles that start at the base of the neck and end towards the tailbone. Most woulds living in societies have loose-form clothing to accommodate for these gaps in their skin and allow easier breathing. Still, it's virtually impossible to kill a would through strangulation. Sorry.

All woulds are born with exactly four eyes, though the order and direction of eyes can vary. A woulds eyes will not always be evenly divided, either, with some having three eyes on one side and one on another. Some woulds don't have any order for their eyes at all, with all four taking up most of the face and leaving little space for other features.

Woulds can have humanoid noses (though their spiracles leave little necessity for them) and mouths lined with sharp teeth. Their incisors aren't for hunting and catching prey, and are mainly for grooming or carrying objects. That being said, woulds are predator animals and carnivores, but they kill their prey with other methods.

## Behavior

Woulds have a very strong and unchanging hunter-gatherer system, allowing for each member of a pack to bring their own skills and abilities while still having work that is essential to the survival of the rest of the group. They care very intensely about who they select and keep for groups, with most woulds having an unmoving sense of loyalty to one another. Losses within groups have an effect on *all* progress of the group and their hunting, and it can take up to six months for a group of woulds to move on from the loss of another member.

In captivity (see: anything that isn't them crawling through the darkness of Locus like weirdos), woulds are less active. Though they keep the nocturnal habits of their wild counterparts, they focus more on the resting part and less on the wandering the night part. Their productivity is evident during the night, but as soon as the sun rises, they fall. Woulds value their sleep. Sleep-deprived woulds can be irritable and cold, as well as impulsive.

Despite their love of those close to them, woulds can be unsympathetic towards those outside of their "groups." It takes a lot to warm them up to outsiders, and such is true for both wild and captive woulds...Larry is the exception. We don't know what's up with Larry.

## Infection Reactions

### Logo/The Juice

Woulds are incredibly prone to Logo, with most cases of it spreading across their entire bodies in very short periods of time. While their endurance is strengthened by the growth of Logo, its fast spread and impressive amount can have serious negative health effects on woulds. It is advised that a would avoid growing Logo for as long as possible.

the rest of these sucked remind me to fix them later

## Relationship With Other Species

### These

author's note i don't really get why the these created woulds...maybe woulds just lived there...but also i really like the idea that woulds and these are connected. idk how to write that out though. help