Julean
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| A sketch by Camille detailing general appearance and hermaphroditic genitalia, using the julean character Sura Ngmai Lun as an example. | |
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| Species: | I. sociabilis
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| Ieva sociabilis | |
Juleans (/dʒuˈli.ən/, Ieva sociabilis) (Amari: yeva /jəˈva/) are the native sophonts of Julee, the innermost of two inhabited planets of Nausicaä. They are elmiforms, a cross-specific group of organisms which evolved elmian-like (i.e. anthropomorphic) body plans.
The similarity between juleans and elmians has puzzled scientists over the eons. One theory posits that all species on both Julee and Elm derived from an ancient interstellar common ancestor that entered both planets through an asteroid that split before reaching each planet. This theory, called the Estranged Mother Theory, is sometimes extended to include the Earth.
Juleans are descended from tree-dwelling double-coated alunids living in temperate forests. These ancestors' diets consisted mostly of fish, fruit and small animals, giving way to modern juleans' partially omnivorous tendencies.
Appearance
This section details the appearance of a native homeworld julean. Subspecies are described in another section of this article.
Coloration
Juleans, being clavigerates, are analogous to mammals on World. They possess a coat of fur that varies in colour (usually reddish purples, cream colours, as well as blacks and whites) and thickness depending on ethnic group. Their flesh ranges between the dark reddish-pinks (pigmented by betanin) to the pale yellows (given by their blood, which is composed of the iridium-based xanthocruorin, i.e. chloro-carbonyl-bis(tri phenylphosphine)-iridium).
Head
Due to them being elmiforms, their head is snouted, possesses a pair of eyes and ears, a nose and a mouth that they can use both to vocalise and consume nutrients. Their rhinarium connects to their mouth, which gives them a deer-like appearance. Their ears are big and round. They possess whiskers on their cheeks, and two antenna-like whiskers that begin from their eyebrows and end in tiny chemoreceptors.
Eye colour
Juleans exhibit a large variation in eye colour, the most common of which being pinkish reds and yellows. Other colorations include greens and blues.
Body
Juleans are elmiforms, which means that their body frame closely resembles that of elmians. On average, they are around 1,45 metres, which is unusually low among elmiforms (the rest average out at about 1,70~1,75 m). They walk upright on their hind legs (technically their middle pair of limbs; their hind limbs became their genital claspers), while their front limbs are used for manipulating their environment using their five-fingered hands with opposable thumbs. They are digitigrades and their feet have what are chiefly called foot thumbs, opposable thumb-like toes that may be used to manipulate the environment. These derive from their ancestors, which were tree-dwelling, and regularly used their hind limbs to hold onto tree branches.
Psychology
Several aspects of julean psychology seem to be strongly linked to their extreme eusociality.
Non-confrontationality
Juleans are well-known for their aversion to fight. Their brains are wired to interpret violence as a life-or-death situation. Therefore, were a julean to engage in violent behaviour, their fight-or-flight response would immediately be triggered. Depending on the severity, this might also be quite traumatic to the individual.
Intraspecifically, juleans usually resolve conflict through other means, varying from spoken diplomacy, to bartering, to sex, among other techniques.
Altruism
Juleans are well known for their heightened altruistic behaviours, even interspecifically. This has led to the false assumption that all juleans are extremely gullible. This is not the case, as extreme altruism does not exclude them from critical thinking.
Biology
Reproduction and ageing
Juleans reach sexual maturity at around the same rate as other elmiforms: during their early-to-mid teens. Cerebral maturity (full development of the brain), in contrast, is achieved unusually late, usually between the ages of 42 to 45 (compared to felds' ~28 and elmians' ~32), meaning that cerebral tissue and neural activity remain exceedingly plastic well into adulthood.
Genitalia
Juleans are hermaphroditic (as is characteristic of order Monophyla), and internally possess both testes and ovaries. They also possess a uterus, a vaginal canal, and an erectile penis, which is pressed and retracted into the body when not aroused.
External genitalia is composed of a slender penis with a glans ending in two small vertical bulbs, a circular, contractible vulva, and, like other clavigerates, symmetrical copulatory claspers on each side of the main genitals. These take the form of diminutive arm-like limbs, padded on the inner side with the same specialised skin as their paw pads, and serve in seizing and stimulating an entering penis. At their ends are specialised feet with three distinct toes: the proterobolus at the very tip, the biggest, giving the appendages the approximate shape of clubs, and the smaller anterior and posterior metaboloi. These toes, though mostly vestigial, still preserve the ability to slightly contract inward, aiding in stimulation.
Subspecies
With the advent of extraplanetary colonisation, some groups of juleans outside of Julee have speciated to differing extents.
Ieva sociabilis lindiana
Lindian juleans, which originate from Julee's moon Lindia, display elevated height (~1,70−1,75 m) and shorter antennae. The are one of the less divergent subspecies on account of their closeness to Julee and constant, persistent contact with homeworld juleans.
Ieva sociabilis elmiana
Elmian juleans have adapted to Elm's slightly lower surface gravity by also showing a slightly higher average height (~1,52 m). There are very few appreciable external differences, but a major internal difference is the higher amount of the enzyme lactase in their digestive system. This is due to Elm's dairy containing mostly lactose, as opposed to Julee's trehalose. Curiously, Elmian juleans tend to shave the fur on the top of their snout, up to the middle of their eyebrows, to appear more "Elmian."
Ieva sociabilis badalamentina
Juleans which have remained in the first interstellar colony, Badalamenti, became Badalamentine juleans. Like Elmian juleans, due to the higher amounts of lactose in their diet, they have developed higher amounts of lactase for digestion. Externally, they show significant divergence: their fur tends towards pale, their antennae are shorter, and their skin tends to be darker. height-wise, they are about the same as homeworld juleans.
Ieva sociabilis almendra
Almendran juleans, born in Almendra, are the most distinct subspecies. They have adapted to its lower gravity similarly to Lindian and Elmian juleans. They are taller on average (~1,68 m) and have longer antennae. Their snouts are slightly tapered and narrow, their claspers are larger and their fur tends towards darker tones. Most noticeably, Almendran juleans' ears are big and round, similar to those of African wild dogs.
History
Evolutionary predecessors
The ancestors of juleans were highly eusocial, temperate forest-dwelling, primate-like animals that preferred living along rivers, lakes and seashores, retreating into the canopies whenever they weren't socialising or fishing in the water. These ancestors were, for all intents and purposes, prey animals, and had developed a distrust towards other species, preferring to avoid conflict and instead focus their energy in preserving tightly-knit bonds within their family units.