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Description
Do you know what's cooler than getting back to your own art after two months of doing what other people want you to do? Nothing. (Well, for me anyway ... and we've already established that I'm a little strange.)

This is me getting back to what I love. Aliens! Can you believe that in two months of working on sci-fi stuff, I wasn't asked to draw alien one? Neither can I. What a waste!

I started this about the middle of December and am just finishing them now.

January's Alien of the month: Old and New Seshellie. (Sorry, these comments will be long!)

Species Information
Left: Seshellie Invisibilis

Homeworld: Assteli (pronounced ash-tell-ay)
A planet smaller than earth. It's warm and humid with a drier region around the equator and temperate zones at the poles. There are no high mountains, but some higher rocky foothills surrounded by jungle and swamp. The Seshellie tend to live in lower areas with more heat and moisture.

Size: 4'5" to 5' (1.37M to 1.52M)

Intelligence: Roughly human equivalent
Most of their technology was given to them by the Terrian. They don't have a great mind for it. What they *do* have is a talent for practical problem solving, empathy, and a species-wide gift of telepathy.

Language: Seshellie (vocal and telepathic expression)
Spoken Seshellie is a language that requires parallel vocal chords and humans cannot pronounce it correctly (the mistakes are often offensive due to the emphasis on inflection). Telepathically expressed, there is never a misunderstanding.

Lifespan: 100-200 years

Temperament:
Due to high levels of empathy, they are a gentle and non-violent people. Taking the life of another sentient being is the highest of all their crimes. Only The Nameless are allowed, and there is much they are made to give up in order to have that right. They consider everyone a friend until proven wrong. Some would consider this risky, but it works in their favor most of the time. They don't smile, (they just don't have the facial musculature for it), but when they are pleased, their eyes squint a certain way and various parts of their head (feelers and gills) fold in or curl. The result is a facial expression that not only communicates their happiness, but imparts some of it to those who see it. They are patient, quiet, and above all, kind. In their business, they are quick, focused, and set much higher expectations for themselves than they do for others. It's very hard to not like them.

Other:
They are ideal for stealth and espionage. Their skin can change color. The changes are dramatic and have astounded biologists as long as they've been a known species. It's an ability they can turn on and off, and by weaving their own proteins into their clothing, their garments are given the same ability provided they are touching the skin, or another garment with skin contact. It won't work if the same clothes are put on other species.

Right: Seshellie Dumani
These are, in essence, the same species. Natural disaster and rampant infection has changed enough of their physiology that they are appropriately classified as different.

Homeworld: Same

Size: Same
Their posture is most often stooped or hunched and they appear smaller than they are.

Intelligence: Same

Language: Same (telepathic only)

Lifespan: 50-60 years if they're lucky

Temperament:
They can no longer use body language to show their feelings, so they often seem more apathetic and unreadable. That does not mean, however, that the spirit of who they were has changed. It just takes longer to see it. What is different is that their condition is painful and uncomfortable so they are far more irritable than they used to be. It's a very understandable problem, and they are always embarrassed and apologetic after they snap at someone. (Though, to be fair, what they consider "snapping" is more like the human equivalent of being preoccupied or impatient.) They will often dismiss their condition saying "it's nothing", because they are used to it as a species by now, and will always concern themselves with the problems of others first. It's their way. They are also embarrassed by their condition and prefer not to call attention to it, going so far as to be deliberately evasive if the topic comes up. Despite all of this, they are still very easy to like.

Other:
Both old and new have no gender. Reproduction occurs when two individual leave an appropriate genetic sample in a place with the right conditions. The sample can be anything that is not waste, they must leave something that still has a bit of active life in it. They do love, and often partner for life. Their form of communication has no need for gender and it wasn't a problem until they started sharing their planet with a species with very defined gender. The Shemenari are predominantly male with only a handful (up to eight) of female Queens. Most Seshellie have never seen a Queen, and over time it became more of a learned habit to refer to themselves as male.

The Dumani Infection:
After they lost contact with the other species (expect for the Shemenari who share the planet with them), the planet was infected by the dumani. (A sentient, very contagious virus that feeds on all other life.) Their condition is the remnant of the infection that got into their genetics. They remember what they used to look like only from ancient record. It's been like this for a very long time. The infection causes their usually supple (and velvety) skin to dry, crack, and peel. It itches, burns, and is sore to the touch. This happens, not only on the outside, but on the inside as well. Mostly down the throat and breathing passages (see openings on the top of the head). The gills are no longer functional. Their ability to color change doesn't work in infected places (pretty much everywhere). Their movement has slowed from what was once quick, light, and very agile, to a labored walk. Most are very stationary but will sometimes consent to being carried by the Shemenari Engineers or to the use of mobility devices.

It's been said that the infected Seshellie are actually more interesting looking and even more beautiful than they once were. But that look comes with a price they would rather not have to pay.

The fancy coat worn by the infected Seshellie are referred to as "Butterfly" coats, and are meant to try to both recapture some of their old elegance and to distract from their faces. No two are alike.

The physical practice of The Nameless has gone long unused, but the study of the techniques and the philosophy has not.

The most interesting thing to come out of the infection is that the major strain was not so much eradicated as it was tamed. The Seshellie, unwilling to exterminate another form of life even if it meant their extinction, came to an agreement with the intruders. The dumani would be free to live on the planet and would be cared for and maintained so long as it agreed to stop killing and start being helpful. This lead to the greatest advancement in technology for both species. Dumani Liveships. They are space-faring ships ranging in size from cruiser-carriers to personal transport. There aren't many of them because they are grown rather than built, healed and nurtured rather than maintained and fixed. They aren't armed, but their performance is unmatched in the galaxy because they are controlled by thought and belief. They are crewed with telepathic Seshellie and Shemenari who have the technical skills to keep all the non-organic parts in order. These are the only known ships that require a symbiotic relationship of three separate species.

*Most Recent Update*
In a rare act of extreme empathy, Dr. Matt Vite [link] worked out a genetic patch for the Seshellie infection. It's currently being distributed and tested. He has done all of this for no pay and did not expect to be compensated in any way, in keeping with Seshellie philosophy. It's not known if the patch will cure it completely or just make it better ... or even how effective it is. The results are inconclusive thus far.

(Told you this would be a long one!)

Reference:
Shemenari Engineer

Characters, species, story, and art (C) *NuisanceBearEull

Description
Do you know what's cooler than getting back to your own art after two months of doing what other people want you to do? Nothing. (Well, for me anyway ... and we've already established that I'm a little strange.)

This is me getting back to what I love. Aliens! Can you believe that in two months of working on sci-fi stuff, I wasn't asked to draw alien one? Neither can I. What a waste!

I started this about the middle of December and am just finishing them now.

January's Alien of the month: Old and New Seshellie. (Sorry, these comments will be long!)

Species Information
Left: Seshellie Invisibilis

Homeworld: Assteli (pronounced ash-tell-ay)
A planet smaller than earth. It's warm and humid with a drier region around the equator and temperate zones at the poles. There are no high mountains, but some higher rocky foothills surrounded by jungle and swamp. The Seshellie tend to live in lower areas with more heat and moisture.

Size: 4'5" to 5' (1.37M to 1.52M)

Intelligence: Roughly human equivalent
Most of their technology was given to them by the Terrian. They don't have a great mind for it. What they *do* have is a talent for practical problem solving, empathy, and a species-wide gift of telepathy.

Language: Seshellie (vocal and telepathic expression)
Spoken Seshellie is a language that requires parallel vocal chords and humans cannot pronounce it correctly (the mistakes are often offensive due to the emphasis on inflection). Telepathically expressed, there is never a misunderstanding.

Lifespan: 100-200 years

Temperament:
Due to high levels of empathy, they are a gentle and non-violent people. Taking the life of another sentient being is the highest of all their crimes. Only The Nameless are allowed, and there is much they are made to give up in order to have that right. They consider everyone a friend until proven wrong. Some would consider this risky, but it works in their favor most of the time. They don't smile, (they just don't have the facial musculature for it), but when they are pleased, their eyes squint a certain way and various parts of their head (feelers and gills) fold in or curl. The result is a facial expression that not only communicates their happiness, but imparts some of it to those who see it. They are patient, quiet, and above all, kind. In their business, they are quick, focused, and set much higher expectations for themselves than they do for others. It's very hard to not like them.

Other:
They are ideal for stealth and espionage. Their skin can change color. The changes are dramatic and have astounded biologists as long as they've been a known species. It's an ability they can turn on and off, and by weaving their own proteins into their clothing, their garments are given the same ability provided they are touching the skin, or another garment with skin contact. It won't work if the same clothes are put on other species.

Right: Seshellie Dumani
These are, in essence, the same species. Natural disaster and rampant infection has changed enough of their physiology that they are appropriately classified as different.

Homeworld: Same

Size: Same
Their posture is most often stooped or hunched and they appear smaller than they are.

Intelligence: Same

Language: Same (telepathic only)

Lifespan: 50-60 years if they're lucky

Temperament:
They can no longer use body language to show their feelings, so they often seem more apathetic and unreadable. That does not mean, however, that the spirit of who they were has changed. It just takes longer to see it. What is different is that their condition is painful and uncomfortable so they are far more irritable than they used to be. It's a very understandable problem, and they are always embarrassed and apologetic after they snap at someone. (Though, to be fair, what they consider "snapping" is more like the human equivalent of being preoccupied or impatient.) They will often dismiss their condition saying "it's nothing", because they are used to it as a species by now, and will always concern themselves with the problems of others first. It's their way. They are also embarrassed by their condition and prefer not to call attention to it, going so far as to be deliberately evasive if the topic comes up. Despite all of this, they are still very easy to like.

Other:
Both old and new have no gender. Reproduction occurs when two individual leave an appropriate genetic sample in a place with the right conditions. The sample can be anything that is not waste, they must leave something that still has a bit of active life in it. They do love, and often partner for life. Their form of communication has no need for gender and it wasn't a problem until they started sharing their planet with a species with very defined gender. The Shemenari are predominantly male with only a handful (up to eight) of female Queens. Most Seshellie have never seen a Queen, and over time it became more of a learned habit to refer to themselves as male.

The Dumani Infection:
After they lost contact with the other species (expect for the Shemenari who share the planet with them), the planet was infected by the dumani. (A sentient, very contagious virus that feeds on all other life.) Their condition is the remnant of the infection that got into their genetics. They remember what they used to look like only from ancient record. It's been like this for a very long time. The infection causes their usually supple (and velvety) skin to dry, crack, and peel. It itches, burns, and is sore to the touch. This happens, not only on the outside, but on the inside as well. Mostly down the throat and breathing passages (see openings on the top of the head). The gills are no longer functional. Their ability to color change doesn't work in infected places (pretty much everywhere). Their movement has slowed from what was once quick, light, and very agile, to a labored walk. Most are very stationary but will sometimes consent to being carried by the Shemenari Engineers or to the use of mobility devices.

It's been said that the infected Seshellie are actually more interesting looking and even more beautiful than they once were. But that look comes with a price they would rather not have to pay.

The fancy coat worn by the infected Seshellie are referred to as "Butterfly" coats, and are meant to try to both recapture some of their old elegance and to distract from their faces. No two are alike.

The physical practice of The Nameless has gone long unused, but the study of the techniques and the philosophy has not.

The most interesting thing to come out of the infection is that the major strain was not so much eradicated as it was tamed. The Seshellie, unwilling to exterminate another form of life even if it meant their extinction, came to an agreement with the intruders. The dumani would be free to live on the planet and would be cared for and maintained so long as it agreed to stop killing and start being helpful. This lead to the greatest advancement in technology for both species. Dumani Liveships. They are space-faring ships ranging in size from cruiser-carriers to personal transport. There aren't many of them because they are grown rather than built, healed and nurtured rather than maintained and fixed. They aren't armed, but their performance is unmatched in the galaxy because they are controlled by thought and belief. They are crewed with telepathic Seshellie and Shemenari who have the technical skills to keep all the non-organic parts in order. These are the only known ships that require a symbiotic relationship of three separate species.

*Most Recent Update*
In a rare act of extreme empathy, Dr. Matt Vite [link] worked out a genetic patch for the Seshellie infection. It's currently being distributed and tested. He has done all of this for no pay and did not expect to be compensated in any way, in keeping with Seshellie philosophy. It's not known if the patch will cure it completely or just make it better ... or even how effective it is. The results are inconclusive thus far.

(Told you this would be a long one!)

Reference:
Shemenari Engineer

Characters, species, story, and art (C) *NuisanceBearEull