Xilxixian

zil-zik-see-in

This world is still undergoing development.

Overview

Xilxixian is a world dominated by dense, carnivorous vegetation with a an oxygen-rich atmosphere that supports the enormous sizes of its fauna. The planet is known for its cast of aggressive organisms exclusively consisting of insectoids. These creatures fill all the niches of the sky, on the land, and in the water. Travel to Xilxixian by off-worlders is strongly discouraged given the planet's hostility. A literal bug-eat-bug world.

Races

Arakiniziirin (arakin) and vesankinistatheru (vesankin) are the only sapient insectoid species of this world. These two races are members of the Intergalactic Alliance, represented solely by Elder Vesan who permanently lives on Ethiea due to his great size which causes difficulty in transporting him elsewhere.
Arakin are extremely curious and inventive. Unfortunately for them, they are among the smallest of the Xilxixian insectoids and are constantly at risk of becoming something else's meal. As a result of their high mortality, they historically were barely able to pass on generational knowledge needed to innovate. Despite developing a symbiotic relationship with vesankin to maximize their survival, the extreme natural pressures impeded virtually all efforts to develop meaningful technology. Conditioned to be constantly wary of impending predation, arakin have extremely flighty and anxious natures.

Vesankin are laid back, undemanding, and among the larger spectrum of species. They directly compete with large insectoids and are well equipped to handle most threats. Unlike arakin who are small and nimble enough to form colonies containing multiple, extensive, close-knit family units, vesankin groups are small and comprised of a matriarch, her partner or partners, and their most recent brood. Every vesankin den is home to a colony of arakin. They benefit from large meals brought in by the matriarch, and the vesankin benefit from the arakin's housekeeping and babysitting services.

Language

Xilxixi is a language that can only be spoken by arakin, vesankin, and potentially other species with similar vocal equipment like aranii, who are masterful at mimicry. The insectoids lack lips or a tongue to communicate in familiar ways. Instead, they speak with their whole bodies. Arakin and vesankin primarily communicate using stridulation in various forms. They rub papery "feathers" in their mouths against ridges, rub or clack their mandibles or wings together, and employ large tympanal organs to project deep vibrations across long distances. They often use these in tandem to create an array of methodical scratchy chirps, clicks, raspy hisses, and bellows that form the basis of their language.
The language is very abstract. It doesn't employ individual words with their own sounds and meanings. Instead, a single sound is used to convey an entire concept, idea, thought, etc. And if that sound is slightly altered or another sound is added, the meaning is changed.
For example, where "kizinkorzik" is associated by off-worlders as the name of a specific species, "kizinkorzik" is the sound used to communicate the actual impending or immediate threat of this massive predator and others of similar size like the tespr. The "kizinkorzik" sound is not used to describe these creatures if there is no threat present.

Initial concept for Xilxixi "text"

Xilxixians record their thoughts and knowledge on different materials -- primarily chitin from past molts given its abundance. These records look like sets of carved lines and raised ridges which produce different sounds as individuals drag their claws backward across the lines. The way these lines appear can offer visual insight to what is being conveyed, but huge amounts of context are missing without stridulating the lines. Like music boxes, there are often multiple tones that have to be "read" at the same time to properly understand the writing. One tone on its own would mean something entirely different than if the tones were all played at once.
The material used to write on can also alter the meaning of what is being communicated because of slightly different tones and visual queues. And since Xilxixians primarily exploit their old molts as a medium to write on, it's very common for people to hang onto old "letters" from deceased loved ones. Everyone has a unique voice and the same is true for chitin letters. People find comfort in replaying the sounds on an old letter much in the same way as off-worlders who listen to old voicemails.
Arakin and vesankin are capable of speaking, reading, and writing in other languages. Learning to speak another language can be difficult and comes with some limitations since their methods of producing sound differ from most other off-worlders. Their voices are often described as harsh, raspy, shrill, or gutteral and sometimes difficult to comprehend. For this reason, it is typical for arakin and vesankin living on foreign planets to be in ownership of drogrs -- small, multi-functional devices that float around and perform tasks -- as translators in order to communicate with other races.
Unable to write, read, or speak Xilxixi, off-worlders pronounce and spell Xilxixian names with available sounds that most closely recreate that of the insectoid's.
Xilxixian - zil-zik-see-in
Xilxixi - zil-zik-see
Vesankinistatheru - vess-in-kin-ih-sta-thur-oo
Arakiniziiren - ar-uh-kin-ee-zeer-en
Creator Notes: I try to come up with very long and difficult-to-pronounce words to represent the feel of their speech in the best way letters can provide. Besides the above examples, I will not be providing pronunciation guides because we humans wouldn't be able to pronounce their words anyway. I had established only one rule for this language before culling the idea of it using an alphabet. The first two x's in a word are pronounced "zee" and any x's thereafter are pronounced "iks." At this point, however, I no longer adhere to it since it doesn't matter anymore.

History

Sometime after making first contact with Xilxixian, Serpentis and Ethiea offered their assistance to ferry all willing arakin and vesankin individuals to their habitable moon, Yttkshixshki. Otherwise known as "Yshki" by off-worlders. The Xilxixians were then left to their devices to finally establish their own technology and build on their culture. Once bound to their hellish planet, these peoples now have a firm hold on the far less dangerous lands of Yshki where they've built extravagent fortresses. Much like hives, they are comprised of hundreds of compartments for food storage, family unit living spaces, and nursery nests. Using extensive network systems that connect a plethora of communities, these arakin fortresses are built into, within, and around massive burrows dug by vesankin matriarchs.
Life on this moon is hugely impractical for off-worlders for many reasons. Yshki primarily serves as a travel checkpoint and trade post. It's also a haven for shady individuals evading the law.
Because Yshki is significantly smaller than Xilxixian with comparatively less abundant food and space, vesankin may choose to live out the remainder of their adult lives on Yshki once they reach a certain size or age after maturity. They are much larger and hardier than arakin and can better fend for themselves on the hellscape planet. Here they can take advantage of the abundant food in a less restrictive environment and grow to their adult sizes before coming to Yshki at their discretion. A sort of rite of passage.
Arakin carefully manage their resources and ensure everyone is well cared for. In times of environmental stress, such as natural disasters, depleted populations of flora and fauna can be restored by collecting genetically identical specimens from Xilxixian. Many species on the moon are related or identical to species on Xilxixian through transfer of spores. This phenomena can be found on Serpentis where tespr were accidentally introduced through fallen space debris.
Arakin, and vesankin especially, are not very prolific beyond the reaches of their home world. Aside from the steep contrast in lifestyles, their physical body sizes can pose problems in off-world societies. Vesankin matriarchs are almost strictly exclusive to Yshki and Xilxixian given the many difficulties presented by their enormous size. Because Serpentis is the most ideal off-worlder planet, one is most likely to encounter small communities of arakin in Serpentian cities. But they're almost never without at least one male vesankin.