nineslugs

[nineslugs]

Don't worry, you and me won't be alone no more.

A more photorealistic illustration of Viola (the larger kee) and Sunbeam (the smaller kee) comforting one another.

This illustration gives a better indication of what kee integument is like. They are covered in feathery, insect-like scales, which tend to stop growing on areas with scarring. They also have a naked patch surrounding their mouth and eyes. Their eyes are highly mobile and chameleon-like, but are not capable of independent movement. Like terran animals kee use hemoglobin in their blood, giving their exposed flesh a pinkish hue.

Both Sunbeam and Viola have some amount of facial scarring but Viola's is more extensive. Viola's left tympanum (the crescent shaped structure behind it's eye, used for hearing) has damage which makes it hard of hearing on that side and predisposes it to infections.

Here's a couple of in-progress pics showing my original sketch and preliminary shading. Also some marginalia. I did this whole piece in Procreate on the ipad.

[nineslugs]

I really love your kee! Thank you for writing and creating and drawing!

Minor question: Is Sunbeam a hybrid of different groups of kee?

Thank you!

Yes, Sunbeam is a hybrid. They’re mostly a mix of Sinestral and Little Island kee, so are almost certainly sterile. This isn’t much of an issue for them though since they’re not personally interested in laying eggs.

[nineslugs]

Who are Sunbeam’s people fighting against?

Sunbeam and the rest of their clique are alive during a time of ecological upheaval. Crops are failing, livestock aren’t doing well, and conflict is on the rise.

This is somewhat less of an immediate problem for kee since they are small, can easily travel, and aren’t that reliant on animal food sources (they are technically omnivores but have a preference for frugivory). Vitvit, however, rely a lot on animal protein and are under more immediate threat. This has led to increased conflict between polities with large vitvit populations.

While kee aren’t typically that violent amongst themselves for a variety of reasons, they tend to be more open to fighting with other species. This lends itself to kee being hired on by vitvit to provide air support and reconnaissance during wartime.

Sunbeam’s clique were originally itinerant mercenaries but ended up taking on an extended contract with a hybrid kee-vitvit city. This location has historically relied primarily on cropland, fisheries, and trade for it’s food resources. Their trade and fishing industries had been less heavily impacted by ecological change, making the location a tempting target for nearby peoples more reliant on nomadic pastoralism and more greatly impacted. Eventually this culminates in an extended siege, with Sunbeam's people being on the losing side.

This is the last conflict Sunbeam’s clique serves a combat role in. After recovering, Sunbeam and their cliquemate Viola do some minor reconnaissance work before changing careers and getting involved in translation and interpretation.

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More Sunbeam!

Here they are wearing some traditional battle gear (left) and naked to show off their anatomy (right).

You can see that the claws on their right t-type wing are naturally longer than their left. The scales lining the edge of the wing are naturally longer on that side as well, but Sunbeam keeps them clipped to match their other wing so that flight isn’t impacted. On the propatagium of their right wing Sunbeam has a tattoo representing their four cliquemates, which is common and expected in their culture for kee that have officially joined a clique.

The outfit Sunbeam is wearing is pretty standard armor worn by kee light infantry and mercenary forces. Because of their extensive patagium kee usually wear clothes that cover only the head and chest, along with a small cap that covers the genitalia Their armor tends to be very lightweight and made of many layers of cloth, and those with more resources wear armor that incorporates lightweight advanced ceramics. When needing more extensive armor, kee use temporary adhesives to affix cloth or ceramic plates over their back and chest.

Sunbeam is wearing the cloth version including small metal studs on their jacket for extra protection. They are also wearing metal claw covers and a beak cap intended for close quarters fighting. Their wing claws are decoratively enameled, but the colorful coating also strengthens them without adding too much weight. Other decorative elements of their outfit include the dyed plant stalk on the headdress and the logo on their left shoulder. The logo is their clique’s battle emblem.

Note: I’m slowly going through uploading my back load of art since I’m not a fast writer. This piece is from late in 2024.

[nineslugs]

Sea of Spires is now a pet sim! I don't make the rules!

[nineslugs]

Kee are incredibly varied sophonts. As a whole they represent not a species, but a species complex. Not all kee can successfully reproduce with one another depending on how distantly related they are, but all types of kee can interbreed with at least one other group. This can lead to gene transfer even between groups that cannot successfully hybridize.

Even within a single kee group there can be a lot of variety in coloration and markings (melanism, piebaldism, dilute color, etc.), which I will cover later.

Six distinct groups of kee currently exist, all descended from an extinct ancestor that began to diversify about 2mya. These groups are as follows:

Dextral/Narrow Wing

Average Wingspan and Weight N-type: 36in, 1.0lbs T-type: 25.5in, 0.7lbs

Dexral kee are closest related to the ancestral ur-kee from which all other kee descended, existing nearly unchanged for longer than any other group. They are also the most common kee group found outside of their biotope. They can reproduce successfully with all groups of kee but don’t hybridize as easily with Little Island and Proximal kee.

Their n-types are very similar in appearance to Sinestral and Middle Island kee but their t-types have a characteristic dark cap and long, straight beak spike.

Sinestral/Broad Wing

Average Wingspan and Weight N-type: 36in, 1.0lbs T-type: 31.5in, 0.8lbs

Sinestral kee are most closely related to Dextral kee but also readily hybridize with Proximal kee. Unions with all other groups often produce sterile hybrids.

Both n and t-type Sinestrals have a domed profile to their head thanks to thicker integument along the top. Their t-types have an upward curved beak spike and darkened integument around the upper beak. Their wings are slightly broader than those of Dextral kee but they have a largely identical flight pattern.

Central Islands/Long Wing

Average Wingspan and Weight N-type: 51in, 2.8lbs T-type: 43in, 1.8lbs

Central Islands kee are the physically largest of all kee. They also have much longer necks and wings, making them look even bigger still.

They are most closely related to Dextral kee and can form viable hybrids with them and Sinestral kee. Hybridization with Middle Island kee results in sterile offspring, and their greater genetic distance from Proximal and Little Islands kee leaves them incapable of reproduction.

Unlike other kee groups, who have shorter wings for bursts of speed and maneuverability, Central Islands kee have long wings better suited for soaring and longer distance flight. This aids their more migratory lifestyle, traveling between the larger keeland central islands and the many smaller islands surrounding them. Their coloration is naturally the most blue among all kee in order to better blend with the sea and sky. They tend to have more lightweight clothing and personal effects than other groups of kee since they spend more time in flight.

Proximal/Cold Weather

Average Wingspan and Weight N-type: 26in, 0.8lbs T-type: 26in, 0.8lbs

Proximal kee live closer to the biozone’s central ice sheet than any other group. Adapted for the colder climate they have much thicker, fluffier integument than other kee groups and smaller wings to prevent heat loss. They fly in short bursts and are very maneuverable, but can’t fly as long distance as most other kinds of kee.

Unlike other kee, who tend to have slightly smaller t-types than n-types, Proximal n and t-types are roughly the same size.

Due to their relative genetic isolation from other groups, Proximal kee cannot reproduce with either Central or Little Island kee. Crosses with Dextral or Middle Islands kee usually produce sterile hybrids. Proximal kee can only readily reproduce with Sinestral kee.

Out of all kee Proximals are the most likely to pierce their patagium for clothing use. Kee usually live in warmer climates and wear minimal clothing, most often around the head, arms, and neck. Since Proximal kee live live in a colder climate they need to affix clothing around more of their body and patagium piercings allow for clothing to be worn more tightly around their core, conserving heat and leaving the wings and patagia unobstructed.

Middle Island/Curl

Average Wingspan and Weight N-type: 33in, 0.9lbs T-type: 31.5in, 0.7lbs

Middle Islanders are most closely related to Dextral and Little Island kee, both of with which they can successfully reproduce. With all others they usually yield sterile hybrids.

While Middle Island n-types look very similar to n-type Dextrals and Sinestrals, their t-types are very distinctive. Their beak spike and flanges are elongate and downturned, and their integument forms dark “eyebrows” on their mask (these eyebrows are also present to a lesser extent in n-type Middle Islanders).

Along with their striking faces, t-type Middle Islanders have very elongated integument around the edge of their wings and hind leg fins. While this slightly hampers flight it is a good show of a Middle Islander t-type’s health and is considered the mark of a promising cliquemate in Middle Islander cultures.

Little Island/Crowned

Average Wingspan and Weight N-type: 25.5in, 0.7lbs T-type: 24in, 0.7lbs

Little Islands kee are physically the smallest of all kee, both by weight and wingspan; an example of island dwarfism. Ancestrally they come from the dextralmost island of the greater keeland landmass, where they inhabit it’s dense expanse of forest. They have small round wings that help them tightly maneuver in their cluttered habitat.

They can only reproduce easily with Middle Islanders, and have sterile hybrids with Dextrals and Sinestrals. With Proximal and Central kee they are incapable of reproduction.

Little Islanders have similarly sized n and t-types. Their flanges have a unique split appearance in both n and t-types, ending in multiple points. In t-types their darkened eyebrow integument connects to a dark cap on behind the top beak, and the elongate nature of the individual pieces gives them a “crowned” appearance. Their t-types also have elongate integument on the edge of their wings, much like their Middle Islander relatives.

[nineslugs]

Some quick thinking about what vitvit would wear. This is kind of a dress fitted over an undergarment that keeps it in place and leaves the spiracles free. Sometimes the cutouts for breathing are covered in a mesh or thin fabric depending on the climate and local fashion.

She is also wearing socks with sandles.

[nineslugs]

your little guys are so little and guyish

i love them

THANK YOU!!

(template courtesy of @littleguysdaily)

[nineslugs]

Here are vitvit, the second(?) sophont native to keeland. Like kee they are streptisomazoans, which means they exhibit symmetry based on glide reflection (among some other synaptomorphies). This results in a slightly asymmetrical body plan. Like kee, they have a "vox" organ on their front segment and hind segment which they use for vocalization.

The clade kee and vitvit share is five limbed (six including the jaw). Vitvit usually move with their hind three limbs and use their front pair for manipulation.

Diet:

Vitvit come from a grassland environment where they originally evolved to use short distance running to take down prey. When doing short distance running, vitvit rear up on their middle limbs to move bipedally. While a significant part of their diet consists of meat, they rely a lot on other food sources like domesticated plants (some of which they share with their kee neighbors).

Life Cycle:

Vitvit lay leathery eggs similar to those layed by terran sharks, skates, and rays. After hatching, it takes vitvit a few months until they can properly walk. They become mature at ~10yrs for males and ~15yrs for females. Lekking and mating doesn't usually happen until the vitvit is 15 or 20 years of age.

Vitvit have two sexes and ~three genders (depending on cultural group). Females are typically the larger, with males being significantly smaller and brighter colored. There are also faeder females, which lay eggs and mate with males but exhibit typical male coloration and morphology. Faeder females historically sneak their eggs into the clutch of non-faeders, or bond with non-faeder females and become a beloved member of their lek.

[nineslugs]

Sunbeam and Viola goofing around in the air.

Kee are very fond of getting silly and love playing even as adults. Sometimes they momentarily ride around on each other’s backs in flight, like seen here!

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A more up to date picture of Sunbeam!

They have something similar to bilateral gynandromorphism in terran organisms such as butterflies or birds. Since kee (and other streptisomazoans) exhibit symmetry based on glide reflection, this manifests as a alternating segments displaying the phenotype of different types. Sunbeam's head, right arm, left wing, and posterior limb are typical of n-type kee and their right wing and left arm are typical of t-type kee.

Note on pronouns: kee languages tend to place more emphasis on "type" than "sex". For kee languages that have type based pronouns, Sunbeam prefers to be referred to with neutral or n-type terms. I simplify this to they/them pronouns in English.

[nineslugs]

Two of my guys!

Introducing Te'ht'zli//--'oh'zli and Whi'iar//tli'ii, two kee from Sea of Spires. I "translate" their names to English as Viola and Sunbeam respectively; Viola's name comes from a kee instrument, and Sunbeam's name comes from a Zs'hi//--'ee (a kee cultural group) word for sunlight moving through a substance (glass, leaves, water, clouds, etc.)

Sunbeam's design is a little out of date here but Viola is pretty much the same.

They both have some amount of facial and body scarring, since they and the rest of their clique (the kee basic social group) worked collectively as mercenaries. Viola broke its' beak spike in the past, which causes an overgrowth to the toothlike protrusions on its' beak. It's often too lazy to file its' teeth down.

[nineslugs]

greason status: seasoned

Needed to get this out of my system. Featuring two characters and one species I haven't shared yet... I will talk about them later!

[nineslugs]

It's been a long while since I've drawn or worked on these guys, but here's an updated Sea of Spires design! I'm working on uploading a bunch of work I've done for this project over the past months.

Here we have a flighted mandrake, one of the sophont species in Sea of Spires. They're native to an isolated island chain which they share with a related flightless mandrake species.

Some facts about them:

-Mandrakes have multiple kinds of rods, giving them nighttime color vision.

-Overall their vision is very acute and has good color and motion discrimination.

-Mandrakes are mostly crepuscular.

-They mostly eat insects, shellfish, and small game but also enjoy fruit, nuts, and seaweed.

-Since they live in a warm climate and have an extensive patagium, mandrakes don't wear much clothing. Sometimes they wear things around their legs.

-Mandrakes can be difficult to communicate with for the mammalian sophonts (alver and humans) since mandrake vocalizations are very low frequency and their sign languages include wing motions. Mandrakes and other sophonts tend to use trade languages with standardized motions and sounds that everyone can make and perceive to work around this, but it can still be clunky.

[nineslugs]

Morning reblog with some in process pics!

TRADING PLACES

My entry for the itemlabel last minute Halloween contest!

This is a mixed media piece. Paper mache and acrylic/ gouache over a cardboard base for the Masks, with glass eyes that have a marker on paper back.

The background are linocut stamps using soft linoleum with water based ink.

[nineslugs]

TRADING PLACES

My entry for the itemlabel last minute Halloween contest!

This is a mixed media piece. Paper mache and acrylic/ gouache over a cardboard base for the Masks, with glass eyes that have a marker on paper back.

The background are linocut stamps using soft linoleum with water based ink.

[nineslugs]

I did the dialogue meme for my guy. Bainan can be a lot to talk too, but if you prefer to be quiet and say little he is happy to carry most of the conversation.