Queli from 'kvell', 'query', 'quelea'; a species developed by Yamakari/Pudding for general use.
/kwɛli/ or /kjuːli/
Description Queli are magically-created, bipedal mammal-like creatures between ~60-90cm in height [something on the order of two or three feet for all of you in Eagleland]. They have small amounts of feathers on their arms.
The body is pear-shaped, with a loosely catlike/generic large 'furry' head, and the arms resemble a lemur's. Do whatever you want with the ears and tails -- magically-created, remember?
http://seirei16000.deviantart.com/art/Creature-Creator-130529308 This character creator by Seirei16000 is a valid idea of the body type I mean.
An embryonic or fetal queli is green in colour. However, genetic and environmental factors affect how it changes before 'birth'.
The species is variable in coloration, ranging from light to dark in almost any shade, though the statistical majority are primarily tawny-coloured. In general, animals in wetter, lower-lying areas are darker, and those in open, dry environments are paler. However, there is also variation within populations, and-- heck, go nuts, basically.
The coloration of the upperparts is generally uniform, with some scattered darker hairs, though markings aren't uncommon. The underparts are not strongly demarcated from the upperparts in color. The color of the feet, which are hairless, ranges from white and yellow-brown to gray. The amount of hair on the tail is variable, but high-altitude Queli tend to have hairier ears and tails.
They do not have visible external genitalia or excretory organs.
rule 34 proofingBiology Being magically-created, I could do whatever the heck I wanted with these. So I decided that I would have them grow from flowers because just because. You can't stop me!
Basically, queli produce pollen and occasionally 'ovulate' plant ovules encased in seed coats, which they are compelled to bury. These react to the proximity of other seeds, and germinate better when several other fertilized seeds are nearby!
Other queli pollinate the actually they're not really seeds, and thus sprouts happen containing queli whose genetics are determined by the parents. When these bloom, bam! Babies inside! They can also self-pollinate, but prefer not to.
...Yes, that does mean carrying flower pots around or guarding the same plot of land, or alternatively just leaving eggs places and hoping some male comes along to nurture them. Who does which can be a basis for cultures!
But wait -- why do they not have excretory organs? Because very little is wasted and, being a little like plants, they just convert waste matter to oxygen and exhale it through their pores.
They can literally consume anything. That's a little terrifying.
Social structure Queli are gregarious and have a good grasp of agriculture, hence the preference for plant foods. They generally flee rather than fighting, though fights resulting from conflicts between them aren't uncommon.
Use humans as a model for everything including aging span; they're sentient and have multiple kinds of identities, religions etc. What kinds? That's up to the players! I would like to assume they're generally pacifists, but this is FH. Of course there will be that one edgelord.
However, I must emphasize:
Queli do not experience sexual attraction. Ever. At all. That would be immensely weird, considering they have no sexes and reproduce by literally growing baby plants.
They have a concept of gender due to interactions with other species, but don't put sanctions on who can and can't cuddle.
Marriages are not possessive and more or less just exist as proof of love recognized by others.
Young may be grown and raised in creches (in farming communities) or individually (by lonely hoes in a studio flat with a pot and a desire to become parents); it's a cultural thing that depends on... well, culture.
Playability Open to anyone as long as I'm credited!
Lore Many queli in farming communities have a religion based around agriculture and living a collective existence, a little like a kolkhoz or kibbutz -- Google is your very best friend here because explaining would take too long. In these communities, young are grown the same as any other crop in years the group decides they're ready to rear them, and then parented by the entire community.
Others relax the communal aspect of this rule and just allow people to take young if they're ready to raise them.
Some urban or particularly well-traveled queli may choose to rear young in monogamous pair bonds, or to create clonal offspring and raise them alone. Because this is usually facilitated by growing the queliflower in a pot under controlled conditions, these offspring have an initial size and immune disadvantage. However, communally grown offspring have the disadvantage that if one flower is blighted, the others in the field will soon be, too -- especially genetically related ones, since a shared root system is usually indicative of kinship.
A horoscope system exists in some cultures, likening growth years in a continuous cycle to different food plants: Buckwheat, Millet, Wheat, Barley, Rice and Rye. The way this works is that a different crop, with its unique method of cultivation, is symbolic of different things.
Keep in mind that this is just a horoscope, and no more reflects a queli than the zodiac does a person. :'D
Buckwheat children are considered to be no-nonsense survivors who have infallible personal strength, but don't work well in groups and have a tendency towards being imperious and willful. They have a tendency to want to create the conditions conducive to their thriving, even if these are detrimetal to others.
Millet children are similarly hardy, but more inquisitive and curious, as well as less aggressive.
Wheat children are sweet and family-oriented, although they come in
two varieties that depend on which half of the year they were born in. Wheatgrain children (born during the season of the wheat harvest) are plain and no-nonsense, while Semolina children (born at any time before or after, when the people have wheat already) are more delicate and obliging. (Semolina is not a type of wheat, it's a product derived from it.)
Barley children tolerate short-term adversity better than either kind of wheat child, though they aren't as well suited to weathering emotional 'winters' -- they're considered to be intense and vivacious, but also fast-burning, simple and neurotic.
Rice children value community and family over the self and tend to be deeply introspective and emotional. Stereotyped as poor communicators who expect people to understand their dramatic inner turmoil. They also tend to be either extremely good or very bad socially, though -- this analysis is based on the collective nature of rice growing and the fact that the kinds of fish that may live in rice fields are very aggressive with each other.
Rye children are a cultural ideal; they are humble, kind, capable of standing on their own two feet, good-natured and intelligent. On the other hand, they're also stereotyped as being hypochondriacs, sentimentally clinging to things they don't need, and being prone both to complaint and bragging.
To be added to sporadically as new developments arise!
