Species

Appearance and Anatomy

Our flagship species! On the surface, Starlyngs have feline proportions, often accompanied by a thick coat made of feathers. Below their knees and elbows are featherless, bird-like legs with large, clawed, anisodactyl feet that have soft pads on the bottom. Their faces always feature front-facing eyes, and a short, noseless snout. Starlyngs often have humanoid hair growing from their heads, cosmic patterns on their coat, as well as ears, horns, and a tail. A Starlyng’s appearance may vary significantly depending on what planet it is currently observing, as it will take on the Traits of the wildlife around it to better adapt and blend into its environment. On average, Starlyngs stand at about two-foot-six (2'6"/76 cm) when quadrupedal, and five feet tall (5'/152 cm) when bipedal.

A Starlyng’s physical form is naturally highly malleable, as it is essentially a projection of their star form. The star that makes up a Starlyng’s core is massive, extremely bright, and scathingly hot, which generally makes planetary observation impossible for Starlyngs. Thus, they create a compact shell to house their bodies until they are ready to depart from whatever planet they are currently residing in. These shells can take on a myriad of appearances, which manifest as Traits. While Starlyngs have immunity to extreme weather conditions, this shell is surprisingly fragile, and permanent damage to their cores may be sustained if a Starlyng is severely wounded.

TRAITS

Traits are variations in anatomy that a Starlyng can have. A Starlyng is usually not born with rarer Traits; they gain them by observing the native wildlife of the planets they are documenting. Aspects of a Starlyng that could be better explained by accessories, clothing, prosthetics, a styled coat, or magic and illusion should be done as such, rather than requiring rarer Traits. Multiple Traits in the same category can be applied at the same time if they are relevant, as many can be fused together. Trait references only show some of the ways a Trait can be interpreted, so do not feel obligated to follow them exactly!

Additionally, Starlyngs can have a number of features that are not traited on the Masterlist. These include:

• MULTIPLE FORMS: A Starlyng can have many alternate forms and palettes, so long as you have the Traits necessary to apply them. While Starlyngs may develop seasonal coats to better adapt to their environment, drastic changes may need the Chameleon [UC] Trait to justify their existence.
  
  
• COAT LENGTH AND TEXTURE: A Starlyng’s coat can vary heavily in length and texture depending on the individual. Different parts of the body can have different feather lengths (may result in a lion-like tail, for example), and their legs can be fully covered in feathers. However, a Starlyng’s feet must always remain featherless unless the Snowshoes [UC] Trait is used. Additionally, ear tufts are commonly seen on Starlyngs. Starlyngs may also be entirely bald, though this is incredibly rare.
  
  
• CLAW LENGTH: A Starlyng’s claws can be depicted as any length that does not inhibit functioning.
  
  
• EYE SHAPE AND COLOR: Starlyngs can have uniquely shaped pupils or irises (e.g., star or diamond shaped). Any part of their eye can be any color.
  
  
• MAGIC AND ILLUSIONS: While Starlyngs are not inherently adept at using magic, they may find themselves in a world which utilizes it, and may thus learn how to use it themselves. The primary term for Starlyng magic is Sourcery, which is derived from the Source. Magic and Starlyngs' natural ability to create illusions from light are not traited. Have fun!
  
  
• GLOW: Starlyngs are able to have select parts of their bodies naturally glow. This can include markings, internal glowing, or external parts of their bodies glowing, such as horns. Any form of luminance stemming from a Starlyng's body is not recognized as a Trait, regardless of its placement.
  
  
• INJURIES AND DISABILITIES: Scars, chipped horns and claws, disabilities, and loss of appendages or external organs are normal and not Traited. These may occur due to severe injury, advanced age, or from birth, and generally cannot be recovered from as this is damage dealt to the Starlyng’s core. Additionally, Starlyngs may permanently leak energy through tears (see: Yvin) or form permanent cracks in their physical form that leak light from their core.

life cycle

As a Starlyng is a sentient star, they can live for millions upon billions of years. They lack a biological sex, and cannot reproduce. Starlyngs are sometimes born in place of normal stars when intermingled with a special type of Stardust. While still massive, they are rather diminutive compared to even the smallest of stars, and are often mistaken for large comets when in motion. They are born fully developed with all of the energy they will ever have, and do not require food or oxygen. Thus, a Starlyng’s mouth does not exist to intake anything critical to survive, but rather to better facilitate interspecies communication and documentation. A group of Starlyngs is called a constellation.

At the end of a Starlyng’s life, they will travel light years away from nearby celestial bodies to die alone, in the rare case they explode in a brilliant supernova. If a Starlyng is prematurely killed, they are easily capable of destroying an entire world. Thus, it is imperative for a Starlyng to avoid being mortally wounded in their physical forms, as they pose a significant danger to the planets they observe. After a Starlyng’s death, their remains will eventually mix with other deceased Starlyngs and form a new Starlyng. Seldomly, they will become an undead Black Hole [M] or Neutron Starlyng [EA].

Like everything else in the Universe, Starlyngs originate from the Sourcestar, Ouroboros. However, nothing has been directly conceived by the Sourcestar since its consciousness departed; all energy that could ever birth a Starlyng was made when the Universe began. Among the Sourcestar's final creations are the Firstborns and the Reapers, the former of which are thought to be long gone (save for the Seat of Seven, a group of remaining Firstborns that head the Order of the Origin, a Universal Covenant) and are practically legend to the modern Starlyng. Reapers, on the other hand, are significantly more well-known: born with something of a prime directive, Reapers are tasked with maintaining the life cycles of Starlyngs and will generally only be seen near their deaths.

culture and communication

Starlyngs communicate telepathically with each other, often choosing to send out an enormous amount of information to be discovered by other members of their species. Through this, they are able to form a network of knowledge between other Starlyngs, and are able to keep their memories alive even after their death. They are born with a desire to gain as much information as possible about the planets they observe, and often spend millions of years on each to experience everything about them.

Starlyngs generally have perfect memory, and have little need to physically document their findings, as passing their knowledge onto the nearest Starlyng telepathically is far more efficient. However, some Starlyngs who have sustained chronic injuries may benefit from journaling to compensate for any Stardust-related memory loss, and written memoirs can allow Starlyngs to pass on their knowledge long after they have departed from a location (see: Archivists). It is worth noting that some Starlyngs may choose to withhold or even fabricate the information they share, as well as the information being telepathically sent out deteriorating over time and distance. Thus, many Starlyngs take it upon themselves to verify the information they receive firsthand.

Given that Starlyngs have no singular birthplace, they do not have any culture to call their own. However, if they manage to assimilate themselves into the societies they observe for long enough, they may integrate elements of that culture into their sense of self. For example, while Starlyngs do not naturally have a concept of gender, they may adopt a gender identity that feels suited to themselves if it exists in the world they live in. Starlyngs also instinctually value decorating themselves in accessories and clothing, are peace-loving, and desire to not interrupt life on the worlds they traverse in any capacity (though, this is entirely dependent on the individual and their respective morals).

energy use and transport

Given that Starlyngs are born with a finite amount of energy, it is crucial they ration it accordingly. Starlyngs are capable of shedding their physical forms and moving extremely quickly in their star forms. In this state, they leave trails behind them, and are often mistaken by observers for shooting stars and comets. Their inevitable crash landings into their next destinations often leave small craters behind. However, traveling in this state requires a substantial amount of energy, and utilizing this ability often results in a shortened lifespan. If a Starlyng is capable of walking, flying, or swimming to a location, they will generally take that route instead. Time is not a barrier to them.

Starlyngs may also lose energy if they are injured and begin leaking energy. This may happen through wounds that do not close, or neverending tears. These fluids can be used as an alternative fuel for engines, and either glow or shimmer brightly.

STARDUST

Stardust are memories made physical; when a Starlyng dies, their body gradually decomposes into Stardust, scattering the memories they made over their lifetime across space. As Stardust will eventually mix and reform into a new Starlyng, newborn Starlyngs may sometimes have memories that are not their own and can mimic the Traits of species they have never seen before. While this process can happen without interference, Reapers can assist in the collection and cosmic recycling of deceased Starlyngs.

If enough Stardust is collected, the fragmented memories found within can be decoded by Archivists, who will then convert them into a physical medium for safekeeping. Upon reading these Tomes, Starlyngs can gain access to Traits they would otherwise not know about and change their physical forms accordingly.

EARTHBOUND SOULS

Colloquially known as Earthlyngs or Humanlyngs, Earthbound Souls are Distorted Starlyngs that have had their consciousness separately reformed in the Earthlyng Universe (Universe Pair B+/B-) with the original's memories intact. Thus, there are now two separate consciousnesses of the same Starlyng in both the prime Starlyng Universe and the Earthlyng Universe. Due to this, Earthbound Souls erroneously presume that they have been teleported and are generally unaware of their dual consciousnesses. Their Distortions cause them to take on new humanoid characteristics. These forms can be obtained by using x1 Earthbound Soul on an existing Starlyng during a design update. 

Trivia

Starlyngs are skilled mimics and can imitate just about any sound; this is aided by their extremely good hearing, which can catch a wide range of frequencies. The outer shell of a Starlyng's body is comprised of Stardust, while their interior is made of pure energy. Although they are immune to muscle and joint injuries and are very flexible, damage to the outer body may result in memory loss. Starlyngs with leaks (like Yvin) have chronic memory issues and rely on written mediums maintained by Archivists to help manage memory issues.

As they do not have noses, their mouth and tongue are their only olfactory organs, and their sense of smell is about that of a human's. Starlyng mouths are also close to a cat's, and they have teeth only for defense. Food simply burns up inside of them and has no actual influence on their lifespan. Their sleep is akin to turning off a computer. Additionally, when a Starlyng consumes a Stardust Ink Tome, they must read through the actual information and do not simply obtain the information by attaining the Tome.