#species: loamcat

[weirderscience]

depictions of precursors + base shapes for loamcat iconography and technology. lots of trailing lines on circles and squares

[weirderscience]

kings of the old world

[weirderscience]

here hold this babys

[weirderscience]

The species loamcats were engineered from suffered brood parasitism from many species (including rival social groups of their own species), but none such prevalent as the geac. These creatures would lay their eggs in the nests of pre-sapient loamcats, and the near-identical hatchling would be raised unknowingly. As it grew, it would evict its siblings (or eat them, depending on species) and go on to parasitize more nests in adulthood.

Even after their extinction, the tale of the geac would become mythologized through the generations- particularly in cultures that did not practice egg marking.

The geac became not a separate species but a loamcat cursed from birth, a type of "witch" or "changeling" that had failed to retain their gifted sapience. These mythologized geac would attempt to act civilized but eventually fail, turning back into mindless, violent beasts that would devour their unscrupulous host families. They would then sneak into the hatcheries of careless families and leave their own egg in misguided hopes that their children could be taught better restraint.

Of course, this mythologized geac could be assigned to any cultural group of ire. In more conservative areas it is common for cultural minorities to be referred to as geac- with the full connotation that their origin (or belief systems) makes them unable to retain the gifts of the Precursors. In many of these areas the myth of geac can be considered a racist trope- though in others it is used as a eugenicist fable against the disabled and orphaned.

In more superstitious spacer societies, this myth has evolved into a new iteration. Geac are born from wedlock, from unscrupulous unions that have not been approved by those in the family. They are a symbol and punishment of an individual's poor etiquette. The only way to resolve the curse on the child is to abandon them as one's own- or take on the curse in their place.

It's not seen as coincidental that alongside this myth, spacers are notorious for handing off unborn children to guild-sponsored orphanages.

[weirderscience]

doodle of some first generation style genelines that prioritized style over function. you can still see these patterns emerge in the modern era, and its not unheard of for well preserved citadels to still have the technology to make designer babies like this. however a lot of loamcats find it impractical, wasteful, and sacrilegious (or adjacent) to use the technology for something so surface-level

[weirderscience]

woe. loamcat upon ye

[weirderscience]

ive been doodling up lore for my own weasellike sophont called loamcats, which are a desert-dwelling species that had their development artificially accelerated by another civilization that went extinct (relatively) shortly after.

theyre essentially an export of all the spec bio lore i had for ancient irkens in an invader zim rp i had with friends. now we have weasels everywhere in a different original rp

[weirderscience]

this guys name is two trucks

[weirderscience]

im brewing more loamcat lore posts even though nobody rembers them. these weasels sure can have a society

[weirderscience]

Married arra'ka warriors, from the mercenary clan [Those Who Guard Forever Mercilessly]

The Arra'ka people originate from the shifting sand seas and badlands of the western hemisphere, originally chosen by the precursors of the [Citadel of Dancing Waves] as their successors. They are uniquely adapted to their arid and near-inhospitable homeland, and their culture is one of the few that knew the secrets of precursor technology in their early days.

The Arra'ka people value familial bonds over all other obligations, and are fiercely protective of their kin. It isn't uncommon for an Arra'ka loamcat to judge character based on familial clan titles alone.

[weirderscience]

some (slightly updated) reference sheet for general loamcat body plan, ft. random guy of an indeterminable ethnicity. you see winter coats more often in planet-side cultures where weather is more pronounced- but it also depends on ethnicity and culture of the area. there exist hormonal supplements and folk medicines to retain a summer coat year-round. most spacers and cultures from warm climates opt for it, though there are the odd ones that seek out the opposite

[weirderscience]

been thinking about these guys again and remembered i drew up an outfit lineup of my guy too trux. loamcats dont really wear much clothes considering their fur is pretty dense and insulating, a lot of their outfits are either extremely decorative or solely for weatherproofing. trux here (in his casual outfit) is the loamcat equivalent of wearing a baggy oversized hoodie regardless of the weather

[weirderscience]

punkass youth being chastised for their unprofessional clothing choices prior to an important event

[weirderscience]

Sawi bachelor students from [Garden of Mourning Branch] learning from their mentor about pre-extinction flora.

Caretakers of the biomechanical cities and structures made by the dying empire of the Precursors, the Sawi are characterized as a technologically advanced group with a focus on action and development rather than detached study.

The Sawi hold the belief that loamcats should work reverse the climate change and ecological destruction that the Precursors died out to- though this belief is controversial, even among themselves. Most of loamcat civilization is dependent on these new weather patterns and ecology. To reverse that would cause unimaginable stress on both the economy and, perhaps less importantly to leadership, people's lives.

[weirderscience]

the funny thing about loamcats is that they first started out as homestuck fanventure trolls with a slightly different social system and culture. and then turned into a homestuck fanventure fanspecies. and then i scrapped all that lore and put it on invader zim irkens. and then i got bored of that and made loamcats.

all of these guys look and dress the same according to their respective species' culture.

[weirderscience]

i need to get more consistent with loamcats but i dont have consistent art in the first place... SAD ....