Selkspitche Denizen

## Denizens

### Characteristics

Appearing much like a giant bug with a humanoid upper-torso, Denizens come in almost as many kinds as there are bugs.However, their anatomy differs significant from both bugs or humans and many similarities are merely superficial.

The Selkspitche Denizens are a race of half-arthropod/half-humanoid creatures in the PFC setting.

## Biology

Each Denizen has a lower body that is based on some kind of land-living arthropod, often a spider. There are no water-dwelling Denizens.

* The following creatures are confirmed as the basis for some Denizens: Goliath Beetle, Black Widow, Junebug, Mantis, Scorpion, Diving Bell Spider, Firefly

### Appearance

There are numerous types of Denizens. There are spiders, scorpions, centipedes, moths, and more. However, they can not be of any aquatic arthropod; they believe the ocean to be a sacred realm and as such aquatic forms are reserved for spirits.

Their bodies have a generally humanoid upper-torso, having a chest and head with two arms. They have hair, two eyes, two ears, and a mouth. There is no nose, despite having a similarly shaped feature between their eyes and mouth. The basic layout is described from top to bottom as head, shoulders, tarsus, trochanter.

Adult denizens have a chitin carapace, which can be of various colors. Rarely, it may be clear. Their color also shifts based on their emotional state, becoming lighter when calmer or darker when emotional.

When Denizens mate, the child may be of the base type of either parent, though if both parents are of close enough types they may rarely produce a new mixed-type child.

### Mussel

Of special interest is their mussel, the chest "cavity" that contains many of their major organs. To protect it, they wear a breathable cloth called a mussel binder, as well as other clothing, which helps keep dirt and other things out. As odd as the structure may be to non-Denizens, as evinced by Clocker, it is stated to aid in molting and cooling. The mussel can also be used as a storage area for small items.

Should dirt or other debris get inside their mussel they will need another Denizen, usually a family member or parent, to use a long curved stick to clean it out. Dirt that isn't removed will, over a long period of time, calcify into a pear which can be much more painful to remove as it is fused in place. However, when parasites get inside they can be much more difficult to remove. They may move farther back into the abdomen, snapping and biting at any tool used to try to extract them. They often coil tightly around the back pair of lungs and heart to prevent any attempt at removal.

#### Organs

Numerous organs are located inside the mussel, such as:

* Sponge-lungs are how a Denizen breaths and smells, rather than through their mouth.
* Plastes Expuit, aka: the Shape Maker. This organ is lined with teeth on the inside, attached to flexible tongue-like muscles. Capable of creating various objects of different materials even with small details. (Comparable to an ogranic 3D printer.)
* Brains: Denizens have a split-brain system, where the head-brain mostly manages emotions and complex thought while the hind-brain mostly manages movement. They also have some peculiarities:
	+ They also have an extra defense mechanism against some potential parasites that get too close inside the carapace, as each brain has a mouth with small arms.

Some variants of Denizens have unique organs.

* Fetching Lobe, a tendril ending in a berry-shaped structure coated in a strong adhesive substance. Found only inside Denizens with a sapphire skeleton, being common in arachnid, scorpion, and wasp Denizens. [1]

### Diet

Most denizens are frugivores (the characters Tetri and Ponble, for example, can only eat fruit) while certain denizen types such as spiders and scorpions are carnivores, though some spiders may be born as frugivores due to a genetic mutation and there are omnivores. There are also some blood-drinkers, such as some being mosquito-based.

They have creatures called "gutterflies" that live inside their stomachs to help with digestion. They don't normally pupate into their actual gutterfly form unless they get emotions from their host. They come in black and white. Throwing them up acts as an emotional release, which may trigger additional short-term changes, such as becoming more honest and straightforward. Additionally, if another Denizen eats another's regurgitated gutterfly they will get some of the residual feelings from the original host for the short time until it dies.

### Carapace and Skeletal Structure

Despite having carapaces, Denizens also have a strong skeleton to support their body.

The carapace itself develops at the Pupa phase, offering protection for the body. It is similar to a hard rubber, tough but flexible. As they mature and further age, it becomes progressively tougher, getting thicker, harder, and growing spikes. This can make it easier to identify Denizens that have lived hundreds of years. During pregnancy, parts of the carapace turn bright red. A shed carapace can be used as material for various projects, such as a heavy blanket.

Their skeletons are composed of a particular gem, usually either ruby, sapphire, or emerald.

* Ruby is more common among the frugivores.
* Sapphire is more common among carnivorous Denizens (such as Crayon) or those that carry venom or other natural weaponry.
* Emerald is more common among omnivorous Denizens as well as those whose carapace is more heavily armored.

There have been Denizens with other skeleton types in history (such as obsidian or opal) and those rare individuals had magical abilities.

### Stages of Life

#### Larva

Denizens give live birth, with the embryo developing inside their mussel. They spend the early years of their life in a Larval stage, first appearing grub-like and developing towards looking like an underdeveloped pupa. As a grub-larva they may have a tendency of nestling inside a family member's mussle. Larvas tend to be 3-4 feet long.

#### Pupa

At around six years of age, a larva will make a cocoon to transition into their Pupa stage during which they look like a less-developed Nymph stage. This first cocooning will take six months and can be very stressful and frightening for the unsuspecting child as well as stressful for their parents; when they start secreting a yellow sticky substance from most of their body it is a sure sign that they will cocoon within the day. They now have their mussel, but have not yet developed wings. They will remain in this phase until they are about 16 years old. Pupas tend to be 6-7 feet tall.

#### Nymph

At around age 16 they will cocoon again to develop into their Nymph stage, thus achieving their teenage/adult form as well as growing wings. As a Nymph, they now have both their mussel and a carapace; their mind matures as well, effectively shifting from childhood to "teenager" (this can be jarring for younger Pupa-stage friends). They also start wearing a mussel binder to protect their organs. In this stage, they will continue to physically develop until about 20 years old, after which they don't physically age further. Nymphs tend to be 10-12 feet tall.

#### Dragoon

Should a Nymph have a child, they will cocoon along with their larval child (regardless of location). When they emerge they will be a Dragoon, their final stage of development. As a Dragoon, they are taller, stronger, have greater stamina, and their carapace becomes even harder. Dragoons tend to be 13-15 feet tall.

* Some families have a special machine that aids in the cocooning process, such as the one in the Spitshelkie family's basement.
* Every few months on average, a Nymph/Dragoon will molt their shell to grow a new one. Until the new one grows, all of their outer body is very soft and sensitive.
* There is no age limit to Denizens, allowing them to live extremely long lives barring severe illness or injury. They also remain youthful their entire life, never weakening with age.

#### Cocoon Risk

While in a cocoon phase, if the shell is cut open a little over halfway through development then the released Denizen will be trapped in a "Yolked" state. In this state they are malformed and blobby with clear skin and no bones, a fragile water balloon of a person. They are highly vulnerable to death by heat exposure, requiring sunhats to be able to go outside. A yolked dragoon can be identified by them having a series of soft nubby spikes on their back. Historically, this was done as a form of enslavement, with the slaver dying the captive's body to indicate their ownership.

It is possible to escape the yolked state by successfully cocooning. However, depending on one's stage of life, this may be difficult (Nymphs have to mate and have a child) or impossible (The horrifying fate for yolked dragoons), while a yolked pupa will naturally cocoon at age 16. As such, yolked nymphs may maniacally attempt to mate while yolked dragoons have a high rate of depression and suicide.

As slavery is currently not allowed in Denizen society, this is not known to have happened in a long time.

### Wings

Both males and females develop wings in their nymph state, though there are some notable differences.

Female wings are always dull and plain (ponble has brown wings, crayon has grey wings) while males have brightly colored flamboyant wings (Jamjar's flesh body has bright blue wings and Karotrok has shiny gold and blue and green colored wings).

It is typically immodest to show one's wings in public and are usually kept down via the mussel binding, outside of courtship. The reason is twofold: their wings are an erogenous zone and if they aren't held down they'll move all about to display various body language. For example, wings droop down when sad/ashamed and wings flare up when angry/aroused.

#### Flight

Despite having functional wings, they are typically not strong enough to empower a Denizen with flight. Only those types that are specifically based on flying creatures or have an alternative can do so. (For example, certain spider-based Denizens are able to indirectly fly by making a flight-web, similar to some real-world spiders.)

### Abilities & Magics

As a dragoon, they have access to the small magics of a married couple, such as Heart Touch; extending their heart out from their mussel, they can touch a surface to signal the other.

Some variants have unique abilities:

* Fireflies can light up any part of their body as well as lighting any material made from firefly chitin or hair that they touch. One firefly can make another firefly light up via touch, which such Denizen children use to play tag.

## Society

### Culture

It is standard for a building to be overgrown with vines and trees. Also, it is normal and acceptable to climb anything, including the outside of a store. As such, buildings are made with that in mind.

#### Government

Some villages, such as Aika Village, have no formal government and a relatively small population of only a few hundred. However, they do have various "rules" that they follow. One of the more common ones is that plant life is celebrated.

#### School

Known subjects of study include workshop, language, biology, and weaving.

#### Clothing

Denizens wear various parts of clothing, primarily shirts and socks.

Shirts are worn over their mussel binder, offering additional protection for their organs as well as being stylish.

Denizens often wear socks, which both serve as protection for their wooden homes as well as often indicating their status and occupation. For example, socks with two red spots would indicate gardening proficiency.

Kinshawl is a clothing made using a Denizen's shed carapace.

#### Games and Toys

There are dolls, such as the RaggedArachnid.

One popular tabletop role-playing game played by Denizens is called Tritone, a game similar to Dungeons and Dragons.

#### Family

Denizens are monogamous. Homosexuality is a trait that does not occur in their species (it's another world with different rules, fan-content notwithstanding).

A family may have a family crest, such as the one seen in Ponble's family home.

* Family crests are made from carapace parts from members of the family, typically in a shield-like shape.

The bones of the deceased are often kept in a box in their home, used for ritual purposes.

A common practice is to make a heavy blanket from the molted reddened carapace that Denizen parents have before a child is born, along with fabric derived from denizen skeletal dust that has been subjected to extreme temperatures along with other trace elements (the process creates long and soft strands, similar to the real life phenomenon of Pele's Hair). This is referred to as Kinshawling. These items are of great personal importance to the owner, it is an object they keep and cherish for the rest of their life.

#### Holidays/Celebrations

* Spirit Week, the week when the dead visit.
* Day of Sands, a day when families visit the Selkie Shrine to deposit the dream-sands and share what they can remember of the dreams of the Selkspitche Isles.

#### Combat

There are warriors, or at least those who are trained in combat. They may wear armor and use a sword or other weapon.

### Languages

The majority of Denizens speak Hoomsh and Selktch.

Hoomsh can be regarded as the 'common' language, being spoken by many fountains as well, along with Henicopi.

Selktch is the native tongue of the Paradise Isles of Selkspitche, and has a sort of throaty hum to the words that resembles the noise of cicadas.

### Technology

Denizen technology seems to be a bit behind that of Fountains, though they have some notable things.

* CRT Televisions
* Chitin Slat, a device with some similarities to a smartphone. Some common functions:
	+ Calculator
	+ Camera
	+ Using the mothlight to mentally sync to the "Wicker", a virtual space where one has their own virtual room and more. Access is hosted within the Chitin Towers.

#### Carapace Usage

A Denizen's carapace is similar to a hard rubber and they reuse their shed carapaces for many things, from house construction to jewelry to school art projects to clothing (such as chitinshawl) to weapons. The color of the carapace also helps identify who it came from as well as causing chitin-based houses to often be made of various colors.

### Locales

* Aika Village, the town Ponble's family lives in.
* Selkspitche Island, the paradise island they originally came from.

### Legends & Myths

Denizens have divine blessings as they come from the paradise isles of Selkspitche. One of this blessings is believed to be that their semi-immortality is a result of their mussel, which keeps their hearts open and humble in both a literal and metaphorical sense. The mussel is a trait they share with the Selkie, from which the oceans pour out.