- Species Overview
- Standard Rixixi
- Primal Rixixi
- Domestic Rixixi
- Funerary Rixixi
- ??? Rixixi (TBA)
- ??? Rixixi (TBA)
- "Asteroid" Rixixi (TBA)
RIXIXI
Singular: Rixixi
Plural: Rixixi
Colloquial: Ixi, Dracocat, RXX
A group: Scattering; A scattering of rixixi. Sometimes shortened to "ring", especially when referring to an organization.
Species type: Beast-like alien: Sxriix'n ventilating land-dweller.
Lifespan: Defaults to a few hundred years, easily increased.
Region of origin: Sxriix
Standard: 5-7 Feet Tall average, 4-8 Feet Tall maximum.
Primal: 8-15 Feet Long average, 6-17 Feet Long maximum. Primals are typically measured from snout to tailtip instead of at the shoulder, but are roughly 2'6"-6' at the shoulder. Tailless primals continue growing for far longer than their tailed counterparts, still growing to 17 feet at the "tailtip" maximum, and can be over 10 feet tall at the shoulder.
Domestic: 2-4 Feet Tall average, 1.5-4.5 Feet Tall maximum.
Funerary: Can be as small as the smallest Rixixi, as tall/long as the largest Rixixi, or anywhere in between. Typically measured snout to tailtip.
Dwarf Primal: 3-6 Feet Long average, 2-7 Feet Long maximum. Like regular Primals, Dwarf Primals are measured from snout to tailtip.
Dragon Body Type (any subspecies): Can be 2 feet taller/longer than recorded maximums.
Rixixi, sometimes colloquially referred to as "dracocats", are large, bulky creatures from the planet Sxriix. They are incredibly capable of magic feats and almost always associated with an element. Due to space travel to other worlds, Rixixi have started to adapt to other environments and cultures. Their energy is very malleable, which can be good and bad - it can speed adaption to a new world, but it can also harm the Ixi if taken too far too fast.
Important to note is that Rixixi are fully sapient. They do not need a human companion and are not beasts of burden, but more socially inclined Rixixi often welcome the company of other species and may help them with tasks if asked. They'd also be more willing than a lot of sapient species to willingly take on unusual names "show names" (think racehorses) as nicknames or even their primary given name, mostly because they'd find the concept hilarious or just don't see why not. Rixixi are not often serious people.
ANATOMY
Rixixi, while being alien creatures, have some familiar features to Earth creatures. This isn't to say that all of their features are completely recognizeable on sight, however. Some adaptions that are somewhat unique to Rixixi are their breathing vents, heat-regulating frills, and "radiation".
The breathing vents are not always visible at first glance. When "closed", they appear as little more than minor folds in the Rixixi's fur. When open, however, they can stretch wide, exposing the flesh and air filtration tissue inside. Typically, but not always, the filtration tissue is brighter than typical flesh - it either appears as the Ixi's natural blood color, or, as the Ixi ages and becomes more adept at controlling their radiation, the filters can appear as associated hues of the element.
The vents, as they might sound, filter air in many environments, allowing the Rixixi to adapt to other planets' climates and atmospheres, as well as the harsh atmosphere of their own home planet. It can't keep them safe from severe airborne toxins or a lack of atmosphere, but it can filter out some harsh things that would harm them. The vents are susceptible to disease in heavily contaminated environments, and an Ixi must be careful to keep their filtration tissue clean whenever possible.
The Rixixi combination of sensitive skin frills and easily adapted fur cells allows them a high level of temperature adaption. The frills can release or gather heat depending on the most minute ways an Ixi holds them, while the fur, while mostly short, can be made to stand on end or lay down at will, trapping or releasing heat. Rixixi are built to survive.
The term "radiation" is simultaneously both accurate and misleading. While Rixixi radiation cannot be considered to be on par with nuclear radiation, it still remains that they literally "radiate" their personal energy, which attaches itself to the environment around the Ixi. When a Rixixi is performing magical feats, they're actually taking their energy that they've radiated out and controlling it to cause an action. The pawpads, mouth, nose, and frills are considered to be prime "radiation vents", and therefore it is easier for an Ixi to perform feats involving those body parts - breathing fire, freezing something at a single touch, and so on.
While an Ixi is capable of forcing air from their mouth or nose, and this is often done to aid in magic, this is not considered "breathing" medically - actual respiratory actions are performed through the vents only. Colloquially, though, it's absolutely referred to "breathing fire" and such.
CULTURE
Culture differs greatly between subspecies, but a few things tend to ring mostly true between them due to their shared origins. Rixixi are a species with no sexual dimorphism - without multiple sexes at all, that is. They are a very curious species, however. This combination often leads to them having no concept of gender to an immense curiosity about gender, depending mostly on whether or not they've interected with other species.
The reason that Rixixi can communicate with other species has been intentionally left open to headcanon (apologies to the fourth wall tone shift, there really wasn't another way to put it), however, there are some things that can be confirmed about Rixixi and their language:
Rixixi are capable of communicating with at least humans (in many languages, not just English), Nskanetians including Mjilikae, Arakantis, and O'urtnx (all three of which can speak a universal Nskanetian language - Rixixi being able to speak in specialized languages like Arakantis or Arcanex by default has not been confirmed), but speaking in the native language of Mymbers takes additional training. The method of translation has not (and in almost all cases except some special ones, will not) been documented.
Sxriix'n, as a language, is made up of rapidfire sounds that are easily comparable to hyena cackles or cat chittering. Many nouns are onomatopoeia of something that the noun does - "racha", for dragon, is the sound of roaring and breathing fire, and "cach", for lake, is the sound of waves breaking on the shore.
GROUPS OF RIXIXI
Scatterings
A "Scattering", or a "Ring" is a term for a group of Rixixi. While the term can be used to apply to a general wandering group, organized groups also often go by this term, and leaders of organized Scatterings are referred to as Ringleaders. Organized Scatterings can be of any size, from excited cubs making a team of adventurers in their home, to a bunch of friends who meet up on every other week to play games, to a massive endeavor led by hundreds of Rixixi attempting to change the world. It's a term that, by its very nature, can encompass a lot of things.
Things that can be considered Scatterings:
- The Sxriix Police Force
- The Black Market
- All of the Factions (yes, even though they have their own title, they're still Rings!)
- Weekly tabletop RPG groups run by Rixixi
- Sezzeqh employing other Rixixi to check for lost travelers on the mountains
- Your high school's cliques, if they were Rixixi.
Factions
The most famous, world-influencing organized Scatterings on Sxriix are referred to as Factions: the Tunnels, the Canopy, the Atmosphere, and Galactic. This is a name that was applied to the four over time, there is no real application process for a Scattering to become a Faction, though if another were to obtain international acclaim due to its influence, it is fairly likely that it might join the ranks.
Partners
While (of course) this won't apply to all Rixixi, the average Ixi is polyamorous and takes multiple partners at once - sometimes at the same time. Rixixi are often very tactile with their partners - massages and grooming are a favorite of many, though no matter the individuals' tastes, it's always advised to just have fun and find out what everyone likes. A happy group of partners is good.
Family & Youth
Rixixi have 2-5 cubs per litter - a single-cub litter is almost always a sign of radiation sickness, other illness, or otherwise unfavorable circumstances; the parent and child of a single-cub litter won't be shunned, but they likely would be worried about.
When raised by the birth parent (adoption isn't incredibly common, but as a fairly open-minded species with multiple births being the norm, it isn't an uncommon practice and there isn't really any cultural shame to it), cubs are often raised by at least one of the parent's partners as well. As the cub gets older, they become independent quickly, often forming up into young mini-scatterings with other youths. Along with this natural "buddy system" ingrained into young Rixixi society, many adults will assist in childcare or at the very least looking after the youths to make sure they don't wander off into trouble or into the midst of some more unsavory types, forming a literal village to raise the local children.
As a note - feel free to branch away from these for your own personal canon with your Ixi! Think of this as just the Average or the Nuclear Family for Rixixi society - not everyone has to have it exactly like that, and Rixixi are generally pretty open-minded (though if in your personal canon you have some that aren't, that works too! again, averages and all, not everyone is going to be fine with the status quo) so there's no real problem with having something outside of the norm. Have fun with it! We're excited to see your stories and just wanted to have this out here so that you all could know some more background info!
The only real thing that's a bit set in stone here is Factions, because it's primarily applicable to NPCS.
STANDARD RIXIXI
The modern-day subspecies of Rixixi present all across most of Sxriix and many other planets, Standard Rixixi are the most common of their kind. Typically standing from 5 to 7 feet tall and weighing from 250 to 500 pounds on average, these large creatures are also capable of dropping down to all fours, often to run faster.
Standard Rixixi are far from average, and have many varied mutations - often appearing more often the more strange sources of radiation the Ixi exposes themself to. A Standard Rixixi can look quite alien if given the chance.
CULTURE
Please note that while this likely applies to most starters, you do not have to follow it strictly or at all with your own Ixi!
Rixixi have a bit of an interstellar stereotype for having no self-preservation and a penchant for chaos. While this of course doesn't apply to all Rixixi, it is rooted in reality. Despite - or possibly due to - their genetic increase in survival skills, many Rixixi act as if hey, they'll be fine anyways, why not, and get in over their head willingly all the time in combat, extreme environments, potentially hazardous surroundings and food, and similar things. Most contraband items in the majority of areas in Sxriix are illegal because they're unsafe enough that they needed to be marked as unusable by laymen.
GROUPS:
Standard Rixixi refer to their groups as Scatterings. Standards' scatterings are what the 'typical' Rixixi group model is based off of.
GENDER:
Standard Rixixi often cross paths with other species - many with more than one sex and varying gender expressions, which Rixixi often find interesting. Many Rixixi appreciate the concept and some personally identify with a specific gender or something more abstract, while some simply have a preference on what pronouns and forms of address they feel suit them more than others. The default Rixixi pronoun translates best into the singular "they" or "thon" in english.
COMMON HOBBIES:
While it isn't a species-wide norm, many Standard Rixixi are very tough and enjoy physical hobbies or work that allows them to show off. Many consider it a desirable trait. Of course, as with all species, some people just aren't as strong as others, so luckily, there are plenty of things to do on Sxriix or other Rixixi-inhabited worlds that don't involve being incredibly beefy. Science-related careers and hobbies are very common among Rixixi - though it's a bit more like mad science, as it's due to their chaotic nature blending with an intense curiosity.
PRIMAL RIXIXI
Primal Rixixi are a subspecies of Rixixi previously thought to be extinct. Several hidden colonies were found deep within cave systems in Sxriix, maintaining self-sufficience away from the rest of the world for hundreds of years. The subspecies is much larger than the standard modern Rixixi - measuring in at eight to fifteen feet long from snout to tailtip, and almost exclusively taking a quadrupedal stance to hold up their bulky, muscular bodies. They can stand on their hind legs for short periods of time if need be.
The species displays several traits by default that are seen as mutations in standard Rixixi, such as horns, wings, tail spikes, increased amounts of frills (genetically similar to the Drakespines mutation in standard Rixixi), and permanently visible vents. When crossbreeding with standard Rixixi, they often pass on these traits, or even produce another Primal.
CULTURE
Please note that this is only "mandatory" when handling starters that haven't been heavily exposed to the outside world(s). All player-owned Primals are free to be as separated or integrated with common Primal culture as their writer wants.
As a subspecies that, as a group, has been separated from the outside world and other Rixixi as a whole, many Primals are not aware of things that Rixixi had picked up from other worlds. They often use a different dialect of Sxriix'n that parses as slightly antiquated to many.
GROUPS:
Gatherings of Primals are commonly called Camps rather than Scatterings - for example, the Underworld Camp is the name for the home of the Primals in the deep caves of the Underworld Desert. Camps of Primals often live in deep cave systems, high mountain ranges, or other isolated natual barriers, separating themselves from large societies if they can.
GENDER:
As a species with no sexual dimorphism, Rixixi only really heard of gender from other worlds. Primals who have had no contact with the outside world(s) have no idea what a gender is - if they hear of it, they may or may not appreciate and identify with the concept, the same as any Rixixi. The generic Rixixi pronoun translates best to singular 'they' or 'thon'.
COMMON HOBBIES:
As Primals are fairly large creatures that commonly exist in isolated and sometimes confined spaces, a fairly common activity of Primal camps includes stealthy, slow terraforming of their living space over time to expand it. This often takes a long time so as to not call attention to themselves, and is a comfort measure.
Primals often try to be as self-sustaining as possible, including with their food, but as a species that enjoys meat, they will still hunt. Nocturnal hunters are greatly appreciated for additional stealth.
ON SECRECY:
The desire for secrecy spreads across many Primals, often seeming somewhat ingrained rather than cultural. If asked, even they can't fully explain it. The best explanation is that the cultural desire for privacy and secrecy is a phenomenon built to understand a more biological instinct. Primals are not a very social species, and while they will gather with their own kind, they spend time apart much of the time in their camp, and take comfort in solitary time away from other sapient species as well. They make friends that they will spend time with like anyone else (Primal and non-Primal alike, if they've spent time in the outside world), they're just effectively genetically a subspecies of introverts.
Primals were introduced in the Here There Be Dragons Karma Event of 2018-2019.
Primals can hybridize with Domestics to make Dwarf Primals.
DOMESTIC RIXIXI
Domestic Rixixi are a subspecies that developed on Earth. A group of standard Rixixi, realizing some humans were afraid of them due to their imposing size and bulk, agreed to go through a consensual breeding program to look more like Earth cats.
This went on for long enough that the Domestic Rixixi, as they were called, obtained some features of dwarfism - they became much smaller - only 2-4 feet tall on average, with exaggerated childlike features. The frill present on most Rixixi is shrunken on Domestic to the point of being a small spine ridge, however, they do have additional spine ridges around their whiskers.
Crossbreeding with other subspecies typically results in larger-than-average Domestic Rixixi. Other subspecies, when crossed with Domestic Rixixi, run smaller-than-average (or even have instances of dwarfism). (This is optional lore and is not mandatory for your characters!)
CULTURE
Please note that this is only "mandatory" when handling starters that grew up in typical Domestic society. All player-owned Domestic are free to be as separated or integrated with common Domestic culture as their writer wants.
As was their goal, Domestic Ixi live fairly close to humans for the most part - typically living within towns and cities. Many Domestic have a "human roommate" - the preferred term by Rixixi, to avoid having humans call them pets (this was an issue when the Domestic Ixi first developed, not as much anymore) - and live in a human dwelling. Those that don't are still fairly social, sometimes only among their own species rather than hanging out with humans as well.
GROUPS:
Domestic Rixixi still call their groups Rings or Scatterings, having evolved from relatively modern Standards. Their Rings often include humans and sometimes other sapient species - not just as someone to cohabitate with, but as official members of the Ring.
GENDER:
Domestic Rixixi still have no sexual dimorphism, as with other Rixixi, but as they developed on Earth, they learned about other species' ideas on gender more easily than most Standards or Primals would have. Domestic have varied pronouns and genders, as they've heard of a lot of things and had a higher chance of finding something new that fits them.
COMMON HOBBIES:
They just want to have fun, and most have access to the Internet, if not the multi-world connected Net. This leads to a lot of Domestic Ixi on social media, in part so that they can check in on each other from afar, and in part because they get bored and want to share memes and selfies, and memes with their selfies edited onto them.
Domestics were introduced in the Welcome to Cat Country mini-event of 2020.
Domestics can hybridize with Primals to make Dwarf Primals.
FUNERARY RIXIXI
Funerary Rixixi adapted to the conditions of the Leyline, losing their faces and taking on an aquatic appearance. While not all Funeraries are technically ghosts, they all qualify as some form of supernatural being.
Funeraries do not have lungs, and most report that they do not need to breathe. They do have vents, which cycle ambient energy instead of air. Some attribute the Funerary's ability to float to this, but it seems unlikely that ambient radiation would be able to levitate a Rixixi.
The Leyline-based mutations they acquired barely altered the size of the Rixixi as they changed: Funeraries from Primal families tend to be large, Domestic Funerary families tend to be small, pixie-like creatures, and so on. Funeraries have been seen in roughly any size that a Rixixi can be. However, due to their shifting energy and slight incorporeality, it is incredibly difficult to get a weight reading on a Funerary.
CULTURE
Please note that this is only "mandatory" when handling starters that grew up in typical Funerary society. All player-owned Funerary are free to be as separated or integrated with common Funerary culture as their writer wants.
Most Funerary Rixixi are born - multiple generations of Rixixi ghosts in the Leyline eventually losing their faces and starting to swim. Typically, Rixixi that make their way to the Leyline lived on Nskanetis and were directly transported to its afterlife when they died, but as the Leyline can appear in liminal spaces, a Rixixi from any world can wind up there.
Funerary Rixixi can also simply mutate. This requires a higher-than-average susceptibility to local energy, but if a Rixixi reacts to the Leyline by growing fins and dropping their lungs, they may fully transform into a Funerary.
Due to lacking a face, most Funeraries wind up having very expressive body language. A Funerary gesturing extensively with their hands is typical for someone excitable - or perhaps a bit frustrated. Neck and tail bobbing is common to show respect or to point out something.
GROUPS:
Due to directly mutating from other Rixixi, most Funeraries use "Ring" or "Scattering", and Funeraries derived from Primal families more commonly use "Camp".
GENDER:
Funerary Rixixi still have no sexual dimorphism, as with other Rixixi. Where they originated likely has an impact on how much they know about gender and how much they've explored their own, much like other Rixixi. For Funeraries coming from Nskanetis, varied gender-neutral pronouns are accepted, and she/her is commonly applied to people or beings in positions of authority and may be favored.
COMMON HOBBIES:
Funeraries are pretty chill. Most try to fit in with other Rixixi when they meet up, and many are fairly social. Much like Standard Rixixi, Funeraries have little concern for their own safety, but it seems a bit more pronounced in the Leyline subspecies - possibly due to their ghostly nature.
Most Funeraries enjoy making or obtaining new masks. Some cite that it makes them feel more like they fit in with Ixi with actual faces, while others just like the aesthetic. Some, of course, hate masks and wander around with no face because they can.
Funeraries were released in beta via Phoenix Update 18.
"ASTEROID" RIXIXI (TBA)
Concept leaked during Robot Uprising 2020
ETA: Future Non-Major Event
Name not final - other nicknames include Yeti.