Architecture, fashion, and technology for non-humanoids

[sam]

I'm working on a conworld with non-humanoid sapients and am stuck on a few things (details below). If anyone can help me generate some ideas, I would really appreciate it. And feedback on what I already have would be very nice too. Also, if anyone else has a non-human sapient and wants a place to bounce ideas around, this thread could be for that too.

About my sapients:

The vertebrates of my conworld are similar in plan to those of Earth, with a salient difference. Instead of a nose, they have two separate organs: one that breathes like our noses and is on the forehead, between and slightly above the eyes; and, just above the mouth, a collection of small, motile tentacles covered in both chemoreceptors for something similar to smell and tactile receptors. When I refer to noses, I will mean the latter unless I specify otherwise.

The "mammals" are more or less similar to our mammals (except for the difference mentioned above), with the main difference being that they don't have the same kind of genitalia, but rather something akin to a cloaca.

My sapients are in a family of mammals that has evolved flight, not unlike our bats. The intelligent species itself is quite large compared to its cousins (ranging from large-dog-sized to a tiger-sized) and is adapted to walking on all fours most of the time, occasionally flying. Picture the general bodyplan of a cat with forelimbs doubling as wings sometimes.

Furthermore, the nose has developed into a long muscular hydrostat, more like a squid's tentacle than an elephant's trunk in that they can't breathe through it. The original small tendrils function like fingers. Their hindlegs are talons capable of rudimentary grasping and heavy lifting, and the forelimbs can be used to hold things in place. Only the nose has enough fine motor control to harvest the wild grains, nuts and berries that make up much of their prehistoric diet.

That's about where I am. They are naked hunter-gatherers, eating wild fruits and seeds, fishing with their bare feet, possibly going after large land animals.

What I'm trying to figure out is
1) What kinds of buildings they would construct that would be comfortable for them to move around in and safe from aerial attacks from other people,
2) What kinds of clothes could they would wear that would allow them to take flight whenever the need arose (they have fur, so warmth isn't a huge issue at higher latitudes as those races will just develop thicker fur, but I feel like they would still want to cover up sometimes),
3) What kinds of weapons and tools they would construct considering their bodies

[sam]

Ideas I've had so far are as follows:

"Rooms" could be on several levels with half-stories to move between. Stronghold would be either underground or similar in construction to beehives (heavily armored on all sides, exits are straight down for fast exit but slow, awkward entry).

Pants would be about the same, something like gloves may be used for shoes, and hats would have to be tight or strapped on.

Small tools may be similar, but large weapons like swords may not be practical for them. They might use bows and arrows with their hindlegs while flying, or use a slingshot with their trunks. Dropping things from great heights would be an easy method of hunting or warfare.

[gestaltist]

The vertebrates of my conworld are similar in plan to those of Earth, with a salient difference. Instead of a nose, they have two separate organs: one that breathes like our noses and is on the forehead, between and slightly above the eyes; and, just above the mouth, a collection of small, motile tentacles covered in both chemoreceptors for something similar to smell and tactile receptors. When I refer to noses, I will mean the latter unless I specify otherwise.

Very interesting. I like the idea. Sounds like a world of Cthulhu minions. ;)

My sapients are in a family of mammals that has evolved flight, not unlike our bats. The intelligent species itself is quite large compared to its cousins (ranging from large-dog-sized to a tiger-sized) and is adapted to walking on all fours most of the time, occasionally flying. Picture the general bodyplan of a cat with forelimbs doubling as wings sometimes.

Is the atmosphere or gravity of your planet different from the Earth’s? I don’t think a tiger-sized animal could fly over contemporary Earth.

What I'm trying to figure out is

I’d say these are secondary questions. What you need to know first is this: What were the evolutionary pressures that led up to the development of this species? Why did they need to get bigger and sentient? - This is key.

If you have a good answer for this, a lot of your questions will answer themselves. E.g., humans happened because there was frequent climate change between tropical forest and savanna and they had to survive in a climate that was a) changing and b) dry for long periods of time. That fluctuation led to the adaptability of humans and their reliance on tools. They needed to switch to a diet with more meat than their ape ancestors, and they lacked claws/fangs so they needed to create weapons. Etc.

But let me take a stab at some answers to your questions anyway:

1) What kinds of buildings they would construct that would be comfortable for them to move around in and safe from aerial attacks from other people,

It depends on my first question: what is the gravity and the atmosphere? Can they only kind of glide or are they proficient flyers? If it’s the latter, I’d say that only underground dwellings would be completely safe. This includes caves. If the species is aggressive and there is a lot of infighting, I would suggest underground or half-underground bases with few exits that can be easily guarded.

Alternatively, they might choose to build their dwellings in thick forests: it is hard to see where people are if there is a tree canopy overhead, and it is also impossible or at least hard to fly between trees. If such a culture had to build a town in an open space, they might copy their original defenses in that they would put a „forest“ of long poles or spikes at regular intervals, making aerial attacks more difficult.

2) What kinds of clothes could they would wear that would allow them to take flight whenever the need arose (they have fur, so warmth isn't a huge issue at higher latitudes as those races will just develop thicker fur, but I feel like they would still want to cover up sometimes),

Clothes were invented by humans because of a real need to survive without fur. I don’t think your species would wear clothes. They might wear protective armor, though.

3) What kinds of weapons and tools they would construct considering their bodies

As this species seems to be more limited in their manipulation capability than humans, I think they would use more indirect weapons like nets to catch fish and enemies. If they are good at flying, they would be quick to discover some forms of bombardment, I guess.

[sam]

Is the atmosphere or gravity of your planet different from the Earth’s? I don’t think a tiger-sized animal could fly over contemporary Earth.

Hmm, I had imagined it about the same. How big do you think a flyer could get? What about pterosaurs?

I don’t think your species would wear clothes.

Huh. Very simple solution. You don't think humans were ever self-conscious about nudity as a result of sentience? You think that feeling is completely about what we're used to?

They might wear protective armor, though.

Do you just picture a bunch of small pads of increasingly hard materials strapped on all over?

[elemtilas]

I don’t think your species would wear clothes.

Huh. Very simple solution. You don't think humans were ever self-conscious about nudity as a result of sentience? You think that feeling is completely about what we're used to?

Given the very large number of humans who have historically and continue to walk about planet Earth more or less as God made em indicates to me that "self-consciousness about nudity" is a cultural (and I think in particular, religious) thing -- just think Saudi Arabia vs. Amazonia. To an extent, of course, climate plays a role: you don't find very many folks up in Nunavut roaming about entirely starkers. On the other hand, the Yahgan were quite thrilled to live naked down in Tierra del Fuego (which, admittedly, isn't half as cold as Nunavut when the Winter Queen is reigning!)

If your people are entirely furry and thus insulated from whatever cold the climate throws at them, I'd say clothing would become matters of decoration and fashion more than necessity. This is the case with Daine, who are a people of The World. They aren't furry, by any stretch of the imagination, but are pretty indifferent to chilly weather. They would be perfectly happy going about life with little or no clothing down to about 40 or 45degF. By the time you get down to the freezing point, then the scarves and cloaks and mittens and last of all, boots are broken out.

For them, clothing is either entirely a matter of utility (in winter) or sociability (generally speaking, in the presence and company of Men or Teyor or other folks who wear clothing as a rule) or largely a matter of decoration. Of the "Hm, harp competition tonight -- shall I wear that little squirrel fur raka with the alternating black and grey tails, or perhaps the fox one with the head on it?" kind. Daine everywhere favor jewelry, often metal, sometimes gems or interesting stones & crystals, bits of teeth and claws and bone beads, feather fascinators and body paint (of the henna sort, and always intricately and delicately applied). A nicely made bit of cloth or fur wrapped jauntily round the waist -- called a raka, which is kind of like a short to mid-length sarong, and is also their generic word for "clothing" -- completes the outfit. Only in the Eastlands will you find Daine that wear britches -- Auntimoany, Withwandiê, Westmarche -- they favor a kind of cloth knee-length knickerbocker, and especially one with pockets in!, and perhaps a pair of Bierberry's particoloured stockings (without toes, mind). This makes for a well dressed Daine regardless of age, gender, station in life (from the Great Queen on down to the humblest cowherd) or any other consideration.

[elemtilas]

1) What kinds of buildings they would construct that would be comfortable for them to move around in and safe from aerial attacks from other people,

Agree with the above: something probably low and definitely covered. It could be a tunneled house, much like a hobbit hole; but it could also involve a kind of covered arbor sort of arrangement. I get the sense that they are small people. Small folk could fit quite a lot of house in a reduced area.

Daine are quite different. Though they too have wings, they are tall and their wings are long -- their architecture is high and airy and spacious. A typical suburban human house has doors and hallways that are three feet wide and ceilings of 8 or 9 feet in height. A typical door to a proper Daine house is about four feet wide and eight or nine tall; ceilings inside are more like twelve to fifteen feet and main hallways tend to be around six feet wide. A Daine needs a lot of space to get around the house without needlessly ruffling his feathers!

3) What kinds of weapons and tools they would construct considering their bodies

I gather they have prehensile feet as well as hands? That could come in quite useful for wood or stone carving -- they can hold and pedipulate the object with their feet while holding the finer tools in the hands! I'd suggest, especially if they wear no clothing as a rule, that they will probably end up wearing some kind of snug fitting belt onto which can be attached various pouches and gadgets, much like an old army belt, in which they can carry small tools and weapons. If they habitually run about on all fours, then of course this will preclude using any of their appendages to carry much of anything, though I'd suspect they might be able to carry something relatively small in their hands while locomoting. If they can fly, just keep in mind that too much extra weight will keep them grounded, or at least hamper their take-off and slow down their flight in general. (One very good reason to wear no unnecessary clothing -- too much weight!)

Daine can't fly, and are entirely bipedal. Their range of tools and weapons is quite varied and in keeping with being able to use both hands for tool manipulation. Thought they never wear shoes, their feet are not prehensile. Though, most are pretty adept at picking up objects in their toes, they don't generally use their feet for tool use.

[gestaltist]

Is the atmosphere or gravity of your planet different from the Earth’s? I don’t think a tiger-sized animal could fly over contemporary Earth.

Hmm, I had imagined it about the same. How big do you think a flyer could get? What about pterosaurs?

The thing is, the energy expenditure of powered flight grows exponentially with the size of an animal. I have tried to find studies I once read about the differences in the atmosphere between the dinosaur age and our times but couldn’t find them anymore. From my percursory search, it seems that a flying animal of the size you envision might be possible.

What you need to take into account:
- if flight is a vital evolutionary strategy, the creature would evolve to weigh as little as possible for its size (things like air sacs, thin or hollow bones, etc.)
- powered flight is very expensive for large animals - if large birds and pterosaurs are any indication, your conspecies would try to glide or soar as much as possible. I don’t think they could maintain powered flight for long. As such, understanding and predicting wind strength and direction at various altitudes would become crucial to their culture. If you want to be serious about this, you would do well to study these topics a bit.

Huh. Very simple solution. You don't think humans were ever self-conscious about nudity as a result of sentience? You think that feeling is completely about what we're used to?

What elemtilas said. Self-consciousness about nudity is probably a secondary cultural occurrence. His Daine live amongst other races which wear clothes so they may have picked it up by analogy. If there are humans in your world, your conspecies might pick up this habit for one reason or another.

Do you just picture a bunch of small pads of increasingly hard materials strapped on all over?

Maybe, probably. It depends on the war tactics you devise for them. If aerial attacks are the primary way of doing warfare, protecting the belly would be crucial. And remember that any extra encumbrance makes flying more difficult....


EDIT: now I want a flying sentient species for the World of Twin Suns. I will have to think about it.

[elemtilas]

Huh. Very simple solution. You don't think humans were ever self-conscious about nudity as a result of sentience? You think that feeling is completely about what we're used to?

What elemtilas said. Self-consciousness about nudity is probably a secondary cultural occurrence. His Daine live amongst other races which wear clothes so they may have picked it up by analogy. If there are humans in your world, your conspecies might pick up this habit for one reason or another.

As with any knife, this cuts both ways too: you will find that, generally speaking, Men in the World are a little lèss hung about full a/o partial nudity. I'm pretty certain that Daine have had some effect on their younger neighbours as well!

[sam]

Daine can't fly, and are entirely bipedal.

But:

They too have wings, ... and their wings are long

[Keenir]

That's about where I am. They are naked hunter-gatherers, eating wild fruits and seeds, fishing with their bare feet, possibly going after large land animals.

What I'm trying to figure out is
1) What kinds of buildings they would construct that would be comfortable for them to move around in and safe from aerial attacks from other people,

drapes or walls at the mouths of caves (and then live in the caves)...and drapes and walls over the mouth of cenotes (and then live in the cenotes)

2) What kinds of clothes could they would wear that would allow them to take flight whenever the need arose (they have fur, so warmth isn't a huge issue at higher latitudes as those races will just develop thicker fur, but I feel like they would still want to cover up sometimes),

a cloak or hat, to keep the rain off.

3) What kinds of weapons and tools they would construct considering their bodies

spears/daggers ties to their feet/ankles - so fishing is a time to practice for warfare (and they provide metaphors for each other)

[Keenir]

Is the atmosphere or gravity of your planet different from the Earth’s? I don’t think a tiger-sized animal could fly over contemporary Earth.

Hmm, I had imagined it about the same. How big do you think a flyer could get? What about pterosaurs?

pterosaurs took being hollow-boned to an extreme, which is why they could get the size of small airplanes.

[sam]

spears/daggers ties to their feet/ankles - so fishing is a time to practice for warfare (and they provide metaphors for each other)

I really like this, thanks.

pterosaurs took being hollow-boned to an extreme, which is why they could get the size of small airplanes.

How extreme? Were they delicate?

[elemtilas]

Daine can't fly, and are entirely bipedal.

But:

They too have wings, ... and their wings are long

http://www.frathwiki.com/Daine

Too big to fly, but they put their wings to other uses! They're fantastic for gestural metalanguage, even for fighting.

[sam]

Oh, so they're six-limbed a la Vishnu, except that the one pair of arms has become wings. Interesting. Do you know the evolutionary history of that?

[elemtilas]

Oh, so they're six-limbed a la Vishnu, except that the one pair of arms has become wings. Interesting. Do you know the evolutionary history of that?

I actually don't know the answer to that. They aren't the only multi-limbed mammals either -- there are some other six limbed animals and indeed even several kinds of eight limbed mammals. Nasty rotters, the lot of em, mind.

One problem with pinning down such things is the highly lammarckian nature of evolution *there* -- things just don't work the same as they do *here*. Also, I wouldn't be entirely surprised if there weren't some kind of external influence on their evolution and development. Gea has been a crossroads (and, when all is said and done, just a bit of a playground) for certain classes of interstellar wanderers.

I can only say with certainty that, by the time Daine Awoke (i.e., arose into cognitive and spiritual sentience & awareness), they had long had wings. Where their first ancestor got his wings, I can't say -- it could have been an entirely natural happenstance that (happily) got passed on to future generations; it could have been some ET manking about. Whatever the mechanism, they are certainly part of the Plan and came about by no accident.