#it could also be an aquatic creature bc we used to go to the lake most days during the summer

[weirdlizard26]

Prompt: You touch The Ooze tm and are turned into a aminal (purposeful misspelling) person. You are writing your own comic - what's your deal and what's your fighting style if any.

DUDE this rules.

gonna put this under readmore just in case!

ok REALISTICALLY i would turn into some sort of insect bc im always very careful not to ever touch anything outside so the only non-human dna i could possibly have on me would be of a bug commonly found in any apartment. probably either a spider or a fly.

but comics arent realistic so i would probably be a magpie or a crow!! :3 im leaning more towards magpies bc irl they literally used to make a nest right outside my bedroom window for a few years in a row. so in fiction i could be like always around magpies somehow before getting mutated, as a motif or something. if i was younger tho id def be a gerbil because we used to keep pet gerbils when i was little! finally i could also be a kitty bc i visit my mom at school sometimes and theres an old cat living on the premises and while i try not to touch her, she rubs against me sometimes so id have her fur on my jeans or smth.

(can you tell im indecisive lol)

basically i think it depends on when and where i come into contact with the mystery goo. when im in middle school at home? gerbil. any other age at home? bug. any age after 6yo either at school or going home after it? cat. just hanging out outside? one of the local birds, hopefully a magpie.

my deal is probably that i take up residence in one of the abandoned buildings in my neighborhood and become the local cryptid inspiring many a ghost story >:) in my spare time i keep an eye on the reckless kids that wonder into the more dangerous areas of the abandoned building i inhabit, sometimes forced to simply scare them away from those areas.

im not really a fighter and i dont know any fighting styles but if anything, it'd probably be something more focused on self-defense than fighting itself

[hermitcraftheadcanons]

AU Raffle: Cryptid AU!

[COMPLETE]

The result of the random selection was the Cryptid AU! Multiple people suggested this, so I'm looking forward to hearing all the ideas and extensions you guys will come up with. This will be a masterpost collecting them all, and it will be pinned for the duration of the AU.

Original suggestion: "For the Raffle. Cryptid AU. None of the Hermits are truly human and they all are really powerful cryptids that are hiding their true nature. The catch! Every Hermit thinks the other Hermits are totally normal and they are the only cryptid one. Hilarity ensures with everyone trying to explain the extrange things that keep happening "

Some ideas I came up with:

- every Hermit is a cryptid or monster of some kind, except for Grian, who is fully human and completely clueless about everything that's going on (suggested by a previous ask)

- Team ZIT is an investigation group trying to prove the existence of cryptids, but each one of them is subtly trying to sabotage the investigation to hide their own cryptid-ness. None of the three know the other two are also cryptids. Hilarity ensues.

- Xisuma probably knows what's going on with everyone, but he's not saying anything

- Mumbo is doing an absolutely horrible job of hiding that he's a cryptid, but somehow people still don't notice. Iskall is probably the closest to figuring it out.

- VintageBeef has already figured out that Keralis isn't human, but Keralis is bribing him to keep quiet

I hope that's enough to get the ball rolling! Send in your ideas using asks, and I'll put them down here!

If you need ideas about which cryptid would fit best with which Hermit, this list may be helpful.

Anonymous Additions:

- I feel like xisuma should be some kind of shapeshifter

- cleo was brought back to life by a family that loved her very much- or at least, that was what they tried to do. in reality, they brought a completely new soul back in the body of a deceased relative. cleo felt uncomfortable around people who thought she was a different person than she was, so she ran away and eventually befriended the hermits bc she just felt ~drawn to them~. she disguises her bloodless skin and lack of body heat with thick clothes and lots of makeup

- Cleo, of course, is a zombie, but she also has ties to Cthulu that she doesn't really try to hide, but that people overlook all the time. I'm just saying, an avatar of an eldritch being having to be a zombie kinda makes sense...

- Cthulu needed a body, and this kind family was nice enough to supply one! It was kinda their fault really, praying to ancient gods and making deals without reading the fine print. Cleo might feel guilty, but it wasn't on her, not really

- cryptid au: joe isn't a human, but a changeling: a shapeshifting, nonhuman entity that evolved to invade human families like a cuckoo. he has the ability to bend light to make illusions, but he normally just uses his powers to make himself appear human. however he does like to make all lime green things he sees invisible, for the lulz

- What about mumbo being a vampire, it just introduces the idea of so many odd behaviors that the others are just oblivious to

- What if ren is a werewolf(I know it isn't original) and he just thinks of the other hermits as his pack and is therefor very protective of them

- Obligatory Ren is a Werewolf for the Cryptid AU. He is acts like a gigant puppy when he is in wolf form. Nobody questions why sometimes they found a gigant wolf trying to play fetch with them. But nobody is complaining. Everyone talks about it and Ren is just upset because the gigant pupper has never come to see him. Surprise!! Not even Ren knows he is a werewolf

- idk if your still doing cryptid stuff because i don't really know how this works but,, what if everyone thinks that Grian Is Something when he's not. They keep trying to figure it out by asking him weird questions or trying to get him to do weird stuff, but he still stays completely oblivious. And then since Xisuma knows what everyone is, he thinks it's hilarious trying to watch everyone try to find something that isn't there.

- Cryptid au: Doc has made it obvious that he is a cryptid like, he explains it so obviously even an idiot would tell that he's one, But no one has figured out yet. So after the 15th time of explaining things he decides to present how he's a cryptid, by making a goatess.

- For the au, I have 2 ideas for grian, either he is very outspoken about not believing in the super natural, or he very much does believe in the supernatural, either way he unknowingly befriends multiple cryptids and is very confused

- Cryptic AU: Tango has fire for hair, and no ones really questioned as to why?

- What if false was a siren, just because it seems like an interesting idea (my addition: Wels would also make a great siren)

- Stress seems like the type to be an elf, graceful and cheerful, and of course admiring nature's beauty

- What if Impulse was mothman, I like this idea because of the whole team zit being paranormal investigators and they just go looking for mothman on one trip, and Impulse is just standing there probably feeling a bit awkward

- If Impulse is Mothman and he can fly and Tango is like a fire demon that controls fire, is only fair that Zed is an aquatic Cryptid. Maybe related to a lake monster or he is a Sea Serpent

- Yeti Iskall getting used to the hot environment of the Jungle??? Maybe?

- i have no clue how this works but etho is related to ningen in a way (Antarctic sea creatures from Japanese folklore)

- Joe's poems seem to stick in your head, echoing around for hours after you hear them, ringing between your ears. Their subjects vary, but they often seem eerily prophetic, warnings encased in rhythm and rhyme. Sometimes you swear you can hear the soft scritch of a pen on paper, before you realize you are the only one around.

- Wait how the hell would jevin hide that fact he's a slime? Better yet how do the other hermits not put to and to together? Through I think jevin probably wouldn't even bother trying to hide it, I mean he's a huge blob of slime how would you not be able to tell

(my response, summarized) Jevin inhabits a body of slime because that's the easiest way to hide his true form. "Jevin" is a non-physical entity that can possess other lifeforms by destroying their will. He chose a slime this time because it was easy and inconspicuous.)

- Cryptid au: Team ZIT have a headquarters and they all pitched in to commission Etho to make their door bell chime, the ghost busters theme, and afterward interrogated Etho to the ground.

- Doc is not a creeper with cyborneticts. Doc is the AI that came with the cyborneticts and over-wrote the conciousness of the creeper. Figured that making Doc something else would be too dificult so maybe subverting what he is with what we got alredy is enough (like you did with Jevin)

- I am putting this here for vampire mumbo in the au because the thought will not leave my head. It's dark, and mumbo's eyes seem to reflect light very well, his canine teeth seem just a bit too long and sharp, they seem to be stained red,was he always this tall? Something about him seems off, he seems very elegant in this darkness.

- cryptid au: when joe was young, he was ignored so much that he turned invisible. you can still see his shadow but you could look directly at him and not see him there with the best tools. he disguises himself by staying quiet, using text to communicate with the other hermits or by covering himself with clothes and masks so nobody would be able to see his body even if he wasnt invisible.

- For the au I think that Iskall could be a dryad because of his base this season

- Imagine if you will: Tango leaves town for a bit so the team ZIT can't do their "investigations". Impulse gets bored and decided to pretend to kidnap Zedaph in mothman-form. When Tango returns, Zedaph tells him how he almost was kidnapped by Mothman (and is over-exaggerating on every detail)

- What if in the au there is a situation where team zit is in some sort of danger, and so each of them just independently decide that they have to reveal the fact of their cryptid selves, and they just collectivly think,"huh. Okay." And after they are safe, they just talk about it as a group

- Beef is big foot.

- Biffa looks like a robot or cyborg, which one? He won't say. Maybe its because its neither, maybe he's just a walking body with a mind, maybe he's just a suit of armor roaming the world, maybe a spirit or ghost from the past, maybe a mob whose inhabited and pilots the body, maybe he's just Biffa. Only he knows, but he won't say

- Cryptid AU: I’m just imagining zedaph or tango throwing a bell at grian in an attempt to “capture” him under the suspicion that he’s part fae or something at a server meeting

- About Cryptid!Wels, sometimes, when the night is dark and the world is silent, you'll hear it; a soft voice in the darkness. You can't help but listen to it as you get lost in the song, swaying to the melody as your foot moves to the beat. The song gets louder and your feet are more frantic as they seem to take you somewhere. Suddenly, the voice stops singing and so you stop moving, and when you open your eyes you find yourself on the edge of the cliff overlooking the ocean. The siren lurks near

- Doc isnt a Creeper with cybrog parts but a robot made to look like a creeper, that arm and eye? yea just exposed parts from years of just not caring enough. He's waiting to see when someone will call him out on it. So far, only TFC and X but they like to watch how long this will go. Doc isnt even hiding anymore, he loves to mess with Grian by making remarks that imply he's a robot but Grian just can't figure it out

- tbh I love the idea of Joe as a regular human who just acts super cryptic and strange, and has a bit of skill at poetry. others try and figure out what he is, and he's just vibing in a corner, the last one anyone would expect to be the sole normal person on the server

- Cryptid AU. Joe and Cleo as the ‘One Bagel. No!! Two bagels!’ Vine. Joe being the one that asked and Cleo ignoring Cthulhu

- Joe starts sharing different ideas of what he could be, and only Cleo knows (mostly... she's the closest at least). Joe's mystery is a Hermitcraft classic, greeting every hermit except X, who still only has what Joe's told him to go on. He delights in the chaos he causes

- Scar is a poltergeist, he hides it well. One time Grian caught him using his powers, after scar fessed up, in private, they both bring some amount of chaos to the server, but not to much so the ZIT crypt hunters, name in progress, don't know about the chaos, thus not puting the duo in danger.

- Mumbo might be a vampire, but it isn’t for blood (at least, not anymore). Only Grian has come close to figuring it out, and it’s due to seeing how refreshed and satisfied his friend looks after being around 2+ groups of people. If only he would just straight up and ask. - 🦊

- Rather last minute but do you have any ideas of how Evil Xisuma could fit into this? Would he be a shapeshifter as well. A copy of X's true form? A demon haunting Xisuma? Just X's pesky brother? There's a handful of ideas I can't personally decide what would fit best. Maybe none of them at all, who know?

Cryptid Au. Xisuma shapeshifts for fun. Thats how we get Turtle!Xisuma, Beesuma and Stridersuma. All hermits just assume X changes his suit because they have never seen his face so there is no way for them to know he shifts. Also clasic headcanon that TFC is Herobrine and he is just laying low in Hermitcraft after years of going around worlds. Everyone knows the legend about Herobrine but have not connected the dots yet because TFC is just everyone’s grandpa. No way he could be Herobrine.

- @/ivi-prism

- While most might assume that Grian would be a harpy, its actully Scar. He's incredibly flexable in Human form, hes able to manuver his foot behind his head, and moret than once has Cub walked in on Scar with a living fish in his mouth. He never questioned it because "Hey, Vex magics weird."

- Imagine- sytyr Zedaph and Fae Impulse walking in on Willowwisp Tango who,because willowwisps are typically tiny, shrunk in response to panic and is now stuck in a caldron. I think that be hilarious. Just the idea of impulse going-"YOUR A CRYPTID?" while Zed just "WAIT I KNEW I DIDNT BURN THOSE PAPERS!" Which leads into a discussion of ZIT internal sabotage, and suddenly ZIT invesigation changes direction from "Are cryptids real" to "Is anyone else a Cryptid cause this cannot be a Coincidence"

- @/crypticalwitch

- Cryptic AU: Tango can also control his hair, to an extent. He can slick it back, but it still looks like burning embers. It's a bit mesmerizing

- Cryptid AU: Cub was a normal guy, maybe with some weirder interests, before the Vex. "Playing" with their magic too much is what made him a cryptid. So maybe he understands that the other hermits aren't exactly "human". But it isn't his business, and it means they don't question what the Vex get him into, so he just doesn't say anything about it

- Cryptic AU: Team ZIT's strongest evidence for Grian is the fact he's a master with an elytra, especially since he first said he "might use it a little bit" for long journeys. He's flown into a dark hole in a dark wall that's barely big enough to fit him multiple times, with ease, among other risky stunts that would get other hermits killed. The fact there's not much else to go on, besides his pranking zeal only matched by Zed himself, drives them up the wall

- Cryptic AU: when you stay out too long at night, you might start to feel watched. You'll turn around and nobody is there, but still you feel eyes on your back, and the breeze always seems hot and brushes your neck like too-close breathing and a hand. Finally, you catch it: a familiar figure that stands too stiffly, always just too far away to name. Then it vanishes with an airy shriek, and phantoms descend from the stars. Bdubs did always say the worst things happen in the night.

- Cryptic AU: Impulse's smiles are just a little too big. If you look at one too long, you feel as though it's stretching wider and wider, the cheery shine in his eyes twisting into a hungry gleam, but then you blink and he's back to normal ol Impulse and you question if you really saw anything. That time you saw his smile glinting in the darkness just beyond your bed must've been a nightmare. Your imagination.

- Cryptic AU: Don't look into his eyes. Look in, and you will see the universes. Billions of stars, trillions of futures, all impossibly swirling together, hauntingly beautiful. You'll fall down, down, down through the glittering spirals, until with a breathtaking snap you're on your knees, on solid ground. You're lucky he doesn't want to keep you, like others might. The lives and worlds you glimpsed will echo through your mind, weave through your dreams. Do not fear. Do not look into his eyes.

- The mountain is his territory. If you enter it unbidden, he will ensure you leave, lucky to keep your life. His contraptions are nonsense, seeming to serve no purpose other than to confuse. They distract from how the air crackles on your skin, how it tastes of storms and thunder. They distract how, from the corner of your eye, Zedaph's limbs are too long, fingers with too many knuckles and legs with too many knees. All angles and bones, like his designs. Do not look too closely at his garden.

- Everyone learned not to ask about him. Mostly because in trying to form the question, you'll find the words slipping from your mind. So Tango's hair burns, his eyes are red cherries. In the darkness he glows, the embers of a forgotten fire. His skin is always hot, almost feverish, yet he isnt sick. If he gets too close to lava, the illusion fades, reveals the magma that forms his skin. Illusion? No, that was just a burn. He relishes the smoke and rubble of explosions. Control. Always controlled.

- xB doesn't mind being away from the other hermits. It's quiet there; far enough away that most aren't bothered to prank him. He doesn't like surprises. Surprises get people hurt. Gets his friends hurt. His guardians appreciate the still predictability. The calm. Yes, he prefers to sit back, quiet, and watch. If he looks too long, bad things happen. So he observes it all, never focusing too much on one detail, never letting them go unseen. It prevents surprises.

- Because that last one wasn't all that clear, xB is a guardian-based cryptid! While nothing seems inhuman about him at a glance, he has a close affinity to water, and when threatened the spines he hides with his clothes will stick out. (Guardians only spawn in water, but they actually don't suffocate in air! Though their desperate flopping is a sad sight to behold) Plus, laser-eyes

- Xisuma wasn't always able to change his form as easily or drastically as he can now. But by now, he's forgotten his own face. Now, he'll feel his skin, his body begin to itch with the need to change. He's glad the hermits don't seem to care when he does. Keralis's mimicry was a surprise, but a welcome one. He feels less alone. Loneliness is how he would lose himself. He's scared of that possibility.

- When he sleeps, he walks through the minds of those whose eyes met his, as if it were his own dream. He'll hear their thoughts as if they were his own. He doesn't like this. It feels like an invasion. He feels like a parasite, and maybe he is. Whoever he dreamed through last, they seem exhausted and jumpy after, while he feels energized, near invincible. It's through this ability he knows their deepest secrets, but they aren't his to tell. Sometimes, he wishes he could understand. (Xisuma pt 2)

- Cryptid AU: another reason that Grian cant possibly be a human is his clothes. Just. How does he have something for every occasion. He even has a janitor one? Why did he have that? This "man" doesn't own a single closet yet has at least 20 different costumes-- not to mention you blink and he's changed! Wh- he had a REAPER costume for himself AND SCAR???

- @/basaltdragon

- Cryptid AU: Grian used to be against cryptids because of Sam (YHS) and his bunny attributes, but has since accepted the fact Sam was just a bad apple, and cryptids as a whole are neutral/good.

- Your heart, it beats, like redstone ticking away within you. He knows redstone through and through... so why not you too? Every pulse sent though the machine of your body is one more reason for him to reverse engineer you. But he restrains, takes a step back, as these machines could never be put back together.

- He's been here since the beginning; not of Hermitcraft, but everything. Watching as the game evolved over the years... He smiles at the thought. His hair now matching his eyes - like harsh reflective snow - he recalls these memories fondly. As his eyes fade to their piercing blue, he sighs, for this is home.

- When any of the other Hermits (at least the ones with blood) get injured, Mumbo has to step away. The need for their blood, their lifeforce, is too overwhelming.

- @/12u3ie

- Cryptid AU: with the team ZIT headquarters I thought of something similar to the TEA headquarters from season 3. Probably more confusing, colourful and chock full of even more excessive redstone doors. Why not add another elevator? Where's the coffee machine? Maybe the next room over? Was that corridor there before? I don't know. What's the use of that room? What's behind that door? What's behind you?

- Cryptid AU: with the whole burning hair thing on Tango, another explanation for why no one questions it. That's just Hermitcraft, people just assume he either royally messed up a redstone machine, or succeeded completely, you never know with Tango. Or maybe they think they're sleep deprived. They haven't slept in a while, Bdubs has been reminding them to do so. What were they doing? Maybe they should go home instead. Whatever they were doing can probably be done later. What were they doing?

- @/the-royal-bat-snake

- If joe is a changing then he is some kind of fae folk or as the irish and the Scots call them "the good neighbours" he could like anything, from a human, a small man, like knee height or a small green impish or goblin esque creature. Also changlings were the very old fae folk, not just the babies (humma women were stolen to be nurse maids cus fae folk cant make milk, also stolen to be mistresses) I know a lot of irish faerie lore so if you want to know anymore

- @/whatschooldoesntteachyou

[fireinclined]

capella worldbuilding

capella’s closing off

about 47 years before capella’s destruction, the coup on ioavis occurred, which lead to it becoming a condemned planet. at the same time, there was a revolution on capella itself, as the government was nearing the end of what is called the “capellan cycle.” capellans have embraced the idea that no government remains uncorrupted forever, and so every 500-750 years, a revolution will take place where the old government will be torn down and a new one will be put in its place. however, the revolution failed, but was incredibly destructive, and it was this and the events on ioavis that led to capella pulling back all of it’s ships from wherever they were. no one was allowed to leave capella, and no one was allowed to come into it. this had a lot of effects on the rest of the galaxy, considering capella was like. a galactic superpower. the economy of pyrrah collapsed since capella wasn’t trading with them anymore, the situation on ioavis deteriorated more and more…and so on. a lot of people felt that this decision was not only unjust but also a betrayal of capellan values- they eat, breath, and sleep exploration, and to trap them on one planet? it was against everything capella stood for.

the language

the capellan language is just song. the vocabulary and grammar is easy enough to learn but the musical aspect makes it super hard to learn, because if you’re a half step off a note, then you’ve either changed the meaning entirely, or you’re saying with a very different tone that what you intended. because music is tied to phrases, instrumental capellan music can be used to suggest certain phrases or ideas. this could be used to communicate as well in a pinch. instead of speaking, one can whistle a tune and imply a certain phrase or command

what planet capella would be in real life

we humans know capella as kepler-442b! it’s an exoplanet orbiting kepler-442, which is located in the lyra constellation! it’s a k-type main-sequence star, which is actually really good, because they emit less ultra-violet radiation that harms dna and stuff.

the gravity on kepler-442b is 30% stronger than that of earth’s, which jives nicely with how capella has stronger gravity than earth’s. the temperature on kepler-442b is 233K, or −40 °C; −40 °F. which…admittedly that’s very low, even for how cold i wanted capella to be, but…i’ll take what i can get. another thing that irks me is that kepler-442b was discovered/identified as a planet that might be able to sustain life in january of 2015, and the way i write it, cassandra already knows about what humans call capella when she gets there.

ANOTHER thing that doesn’t match up is the distance from earth- in “in the morning” and perhaps even on this blog, i’ve said that capella is 10,000 light years from earth. kepler-442b is only 1,120 light years away. but this is something i can easily change- the important thing about capella’s distance from earth is that it has to be far enough away so that capellans really don’t give a shit about earth, and that it has to be greater than 30 years or so, so that capella is still visible from earth when cassandra gets there.

biological differences from humans

second eyelids- they’re to protect the eyes but also allow the capellan to see through it

four lungs, and larger chest cavity in general. ribs round out in the back a bit

more muscle mass

bones have a smaller radius and are denser

capellans can just barely float in water, since they are heavier than humans without necessarily being much bigger and their bones are denser. 

they’re fucking giants- cassandra is 6′5 and average height for a capellan. tall for a capellan is 7′5.

their blood is almost rusty looking bc there’s more oxygen in it

can grow back lost teeth

very high tolerance to alcohol 

capellans are very auditory based creatures- for example, hearing is to them what smell is to humans, taste wise. so the food has to be noisy when eaten to taste good

capella’s sun was either smaller or farther away (or both) than earth’s sun, so capellan eyes are more sensitive to  the sun’s rays, and cassandra (and all other capellans) have to use special eyedrops as well as wear sunglasses on particularly sunny days to protect their eyes.

capellan art

capellan art is usually 3d stuff- very rarely do capellans just sit and paint on a normal canvas. this is because of their inclinations! many famous capellan artists utilize their inclinations to create art, or create art based off their inclinations. fire inclined capellans will typically use their powers to melt and shape metal, or do something with pottery. ice inclined capellans will typically make huge ice sculptures- or really small and intricate stuff. they can also freeze off bits of rock- like how potholes are made?- and create sculptures that way.

light inclined capellans usually create huge structures or hanging mobiles made of glass that reflects light just so. and…unfortunately, life inclined capellans get the short end of the stick, since their inclination doesn’t really affect the environment the same way the other three do. however, life inclined capellans get a lot of props for being able to create amazing works without using an inclination.

anyway- this is why cassandra does like sculptures from the renaissance, but not really paintings. the only earth paintings cassandra really enjoys are more abstract ones or very colorful ones. cassandra does adore vincent van gogh, both for his subject matter and the colors and techniques in his paintings. but cassandra has a particular fondness for 3d art because that’s simply what art was on capella.

touch

since i just read a post about touch s.tarvation, i got thinking about capellans and touching. and thinking on how physically affectionate cassandra’s relationships with other capellans are, i’ve come to the conclusion that capellans are just very physically affectionate. like it takes less time for them to feel comfortable being physically affectionate with someone new, and platonic cuddling and kisses are super duper common. sharing a bed is something that’s often done by close friends or roommates, especially for comfort.

surviving off world capellans

it’d be silly if every single capellan in the universe was on capella while it was shut off- there are entire societies descended from capellan explorers on other planets, and when they settled on other planets varies. some groups have diverged pretty heavily from capellans born on capella, and some groups had kids with other species, creating new, hybrid species.

so there are groups of capellans or people descended from capellans sprinkled across the galaxy- cassandra runs into a few of these groups on her travels.

capellan merfolk

after my hc that capellans aren’t the best at floating & considering capellan seas are so stormy…capellans had to work with merfolk to survive on the seas. and i don’t know if i’ve mentioned this here or in my fic, but capellans sailed their seas before they sailed the stars.

capellan merfolk have huge 10 foot long tails and webbed hands with razor sharp claws on the end. they have super sharp teeth and tusks- honestly, capellan merfolk are kinda walrus like? and they have to be! to survive such frigid waters. they have a thick layer of fat to keep them warm, and the most beautiful voices. they originally came up with the capellan language, and taught it to capellans.

capellans and merfolk were very close, with a team of merfolk staying near capellan sailing ships to make sure everything went well, and capellans in turn providing merfolk with things that could only be found on the surface. the two species viewed each other as sisters on capella, and for a very long time, they were tight knit and everything was hunky dory

as capellans started to travel the stars, however…merfolk were left behind. without a lot of modification to capellan ships, merfolk couldn’t be brought on board. more and more, capellans turned away from merfolk  and the sea in favor of the stars.

there are plenty of planets that are completely covered in water, and on those missions, merfolk would be brought along to help however. and maybe a bunch of those merfolk stayed, or merfolk just…left capella. capellan merfolk do still exist on these aquatic planet, but have no real interest in going to new capella.

capellan griffins

capellans do have something akin to a griffin, except instead of being half eagle it is half owl, and is actually (ironically) quite small. it’s about the size of (normal earth) dog, and has snowy white feathers and fur to blend into it’s surroundings. they usually live by lakes and eat fish and small game. griffins, like most capellan birds, will move to be close to capellan people when they make their nests and lay eggs- this is in hopes that the fire inclined capellans will help them keep their eggs warm. because of this age old bond between species, there are huge nesting areas in most capellan cities. huge, glass domes with easy to access entrances for griffins and birds flying in, and a beautiful park inside. capellans are free to walk around and visits, so long as they don’t disturb the animals. fire inclined capellans will frequently volunteer at these parks, though the temperature is usually high enough on it’s own inside. griffins do imprint, so that’s something capellans have to be wary of, lest the griffins imprint on them.

volume

how loud you speak is determined at least partly by your air stream, and therefore the more air you can put behind it, the louder you can speak. so capellans, who have four lungs, can speak much, much louder than a human when they needs to.

i’d imagine cassandra already speaks a bit louder than normal, but i’ve always hc’d her as being a naturally loud person. but yes, when cassandra yells, it’s extremely loud and powerful.

the suffix -ndra

-ndra is the orphan’s suffix, but more specifically…its the suffix of the unwanted. only children who are given up at birth, are completely disowned from the family, or choose to cut ALL ties to their families have this suffix.

the reason that the suffix -ndra has a negative connotation to it is because…well, if a kid is born with the suffix -ndra, that means they were given up at birth, and while adults aren’t going to being mean about it- just the opposite, adults regard -ndra kids with a great deal of pity (which boils cassandra’s blood btw)- it’s kids that will tease and bully and make fun of. and this is…sadly frequent.

as they get older, however, the reason why they have the suffix -ndra isn’t so apparent. the other way to receive the suffix -ndra is to be disowned by your family and stripped of your family suffix. you have to REALLY fuck up to be disowned. but anyway- people will start viewing those with the suffix with suspicion. were they born with it, or were they stripped of their family suffix? most capellans with the suffix -ndra will take their partner’s suffix when they get married.

capellan war songs

there is such a thing called capellan war songs, and they work like this- you know you can sing-speak something in capellan only a certain number of ways. it’s a variation or small edits to the same musical phrase. in capellan war songs, what the music that the capellans are singing and the words that they’re saying don’t match up. so the music is what’s really important- they’re using that to suggest a specific phrase, but the words that are coming out of their mouth are inconsequential.

only someone who is fluent in capellan would be able to pick up on this, which is why it works so well when at war with non-capellans. no one wants to learn capellan

singing vs. speaking

capellans, as their language might suggest, adore music. the difference between speaking and singing in capellan in generally found repetition of phrases, and be a lot…smoother than regular speech. there is a particular…emotional component that separates speech from song, and this is generally the biggest factor.   this means that passionate speeches can quickly transform into powerful music if the speaker gets swept up by their emotion, and love confessions are generally considered to be song by default. it should be noted that because capellans are singing anyway, the transition into song isn’t…weird at all to them. it’s completely natural to them.

capellan festivals

at least three holidays celebrating the different inclinations

i say three, because the ice and fire inclinations are largely regarded as two halves of one whole, or at the very least, sister inclinations. they’re celebrated on the same day. 

i feel like this would be on the same level as mother’s day & father’s day? like “it’s time to appreciate your local life/light/fire/ice inclined capellan.”

you just take the time to let them know you appreciate them.

a capellan’s inclination is a huge part of their identity, and the four inclinations are a huge part of capellan culture and society 

a festival in the darkest, coldest part of winter

this is capella at it’s worst, and came about as a way to provide hope and light in the darkest part of the year

it’s four days long, and is a time to come together and share warmth and food and love

note: these are just the barebones. more will be added as i develop them.

not meant to live alone

i don’t think i’ve said this but…capellans aren’t meant to live alone. like humans, capellans are meant to live in groups and rely on each other. cassandra is very much an anomaly with regards to her situation - fire inclined and ice inclined capellans in particular need each other to balance themselves. so the way snowball will damn near give herself hypothermia when she uses her powers without her suit? not supposed to happen. the way cassandra brushes with death every time the center of her inclination shifts? not meant to be that way. their powers are not supposed to put themselves at risk because they are not meant to be living alone.