The Thread for Overthinking Felaryan Topics

Ever been curious about how the square-cube law functions in Felarya?

How about the reproductive habits of species that seem to be overwhelmingly female?

This is the place to talk about all your rarely-broached concerns, theories, and their solutions. Ask, and I'm sure someone will try to answer.

Let me start this off with a question that may be somewhat gross to some:

Preds, specifically those of the half-human half-other variety. Do they experience estrus, or a menstrual cycle? Do some lay eggs? While egg-laying might seem plausible, many hybrid preds that might conceivably do it also have their reproductive bits on their human half.

Getting possibly slightly sexist here, do you think that preds experience the menstrual cycle in the same way as humans? Would Crisis or Vivian get weird cravings or stomachaches? Can giant girls instinctively desire pickles or chocolate ice cream even if actually getting an appropriate amount would be implausible?

The square-cube law and the female reproductive organs have been brought up so often, pretty much it's handwaved as "it just is" because no consensus has ever been able to be reached. Also, it's been confirmed that some predators, Nagas, Harpies, Dridders and Mermaids lay eggs, while others like Centaurs give live births.

But there was something that came to mind, and this thread was perfect for it: what is the point of Nekomura anymore? Think about it, it's now been established that communities of human-sized predators live just outside of Negav's walls by the Motamo Docks, and they are protected by the Isolon Eye's influence. Now, why haven't the Nekomurans moved closer to the docks? Considering that humans would be less trustful of something like a human-sized naga and dridder, which are still capable of eating humans, why are they so close to Negav, while nekos from Nekomura aren't, and keep living by the cheap Isolon Eye they have to pay to keep active?

Shady Knight wrote:

But there was something that came to mind, and this thread was perfect for it: what is the point of Nekomura anymore? Think about it, it's now been established that communities of human-sized predators live just outside of Negav's walls by the Motamo Docks, and they are protected by the Isolon Eye's influence. Now, why haven't the Nekomurans moved closer to the docks? Considering that humans would be less trustful of something like a human-sized naga and dridder, which are still capable of eating humans, why are they so close to Negav, while nekos from Nekomura aren't, and keep living by the cheap Isolon Eye they have to pay to keep active?

Perhaps it will be addressed in a possible map update? Nekomuran Nekos might simply prefer to stay where they are rather than uproot and move towards the Docks, especially if it means close proximity to small Nagas and Dridders.

Shady Knight wrote:

The square-cube law and the female reproductive organs have been brought up so often, pretty much it's handwaved as "it just is" because no consensus has ever been able to be reached. Also, it's been confirmed that some predators, Nagas, Harpies, Dridders and Mermaids lay eggs, while others like Centaurs give live births.

But there was something that came to mind, and this thread was perfect for it: what is the point of Nekomura anymore? Think about it, it's now been established that communities of human-sized predators live just outside of Negav's walls by the Motamo Docks, and they are protected by the Isolon Eye's influence. Now, why haven't the Nekomurans moved closer to the docks? Considering that humans would be less trustful of something like a human-sized naga and dridder, which are still capable of eating humans, why are they so close to Negav, while nekos from Nekomura aren't, and keep living by the cheap Isolon Eye they have to pay to keep active?

Okay first of all. I had no clue Mermaids laid eggs, but it does make sense. Neat to know fact that. Second I think Nekomura is still there because trying to mix Nekos with human sized dridder, chilotaurs and especially nagas might not work out so well. ^^; Heck add in too many people of ANY species too tightly and you get problems! Sides it's nice to have two predator free safe havens to have your OCs stay in ain't it? I mean living in Negav is cool for those who don't travel, but for regular adventurers it's always nice to have a spot to crash that's a change in scenery. Also makes for good descriptions in stoires. It's why on my real life map of Felarya I have some icons of small villages and trading outposts. Helps to know where's at least marginally safe when your on the run or your supplies are low.

The wiki wrote:

Motamo Docks
Danger : Very Low
Inhabitants: humans, nekos,

Humans and nekos live there. The idea of nekos and human sized dridders not living together there has been debunked right here and then. Granted, these are entirely different nekos, but considering they moved out after the reign of Tono ended, it may have something to do with this. However, this happened years ago, and there is now solid proof that a satellite community much closer to Negav's wall is not entirely possible, but beats having a cheap imitation of the main source of protection Negav provides. One might argue that the inhabitants would be against a mass relocation, but given the location, a world where the death rate outside of major settlements is high, a small exodus would benefit everyone in the long run.

Addendum: also, there is nothing after the comma next to "nekos" in the Motamo Docks entry. Might want to correct that.

Quote :

How about the reproductive habits of species that seem to be overwhelmingly female?

Only two species are all-female, Harpies and Dryads. Slug-girls are hermaphroditic and possess both sets of reproductive organs (both organs are on the undersides of their bodies). Every other species has a fairly average male to female ratio. People just tend to not properly represent that. Lemme just add something I typed up the last time this topic came about...


Felaryan hyrids tend to fall into three reproductive groups:

1: Egg layers: Harpies, arthropod hybrids, most reptile hybrids, most undersea hybrids, and generally hybrids based on animals that lay eggs in real life
- Their young are much smaller (around human-sized) at birth
- The newborns are much more developed and active at birth, and able to survive on their own shortly after hatching
- There seems to be a higher instance of child abandonment
- This type of reproduction is easier and safer on the mother, since her pregnancy is almost unnoticeable until the very end and does not hinder her that much. This lets her keep mobile, active and hunting, even while pregnant.

** Harpies are a bit of a special case. They actually are all female. Their reproduction is still fairly straight-forward though. Harpies are able to mate with any similarly-sized male. Species doesn't matter, since something in harpy genetics makes sure that any child conceived becomes a female harpy.

** As mentioned, slug-girls are hermaphroditic, even though they all physically resemble females. Any slug-girl can mate with any other, as they all have both female and male sexual organs.

2: Live birth: Mammal hybrids, elves, fairies, some nagas, some mermaids, and generally hybrids based on animals that birth live young
- Their young are much larger (proportionately baby-sized to the parents) at birth
- Their young are less developed and require parental care to have a chance at survival
- Live birth is more common among communal predators, and as such, the children are almost never abandoned
- This type of reproduction is much tougher on the mother, and more dangerous. As her pregnancy continues, she becomes more hindered by it, much more vulnerable, and will require the help of her mate and/or family and friends to survive.

** Centaurs/Deerataurs/Pantaurs and really quadrupedal hybrids and general have a few special quirks. Their sexual organs are on their animal halves, unlike a lot of other species. Their young, while still less developed than an egg-born hybrid, do learn to walk fairly rapidly. They still do need to be cared for though. They could not just wander off and survive on their own like a baby naga.

** Fairies are one of only three species known to be able to breed with humans (Elves and Harpies being the others). Human/Fairy offspring generally have a lot of magical skill, but they will only inherit Fairy shrinking magic if they inherited wings too. Fairy wings are essential for such powerful, magic-intensive abilities.

3: Dryads:
- Reproduce by combining their seeds with the pollen of wild flora and then releasing them into their air
- The seed will only sprout into a dryad if it lands in a place with the proper natural conditions. Only a small percentage of dryad seeds actually become dryads. The vast majority either don't sprout at all, or just become regular plant-life.
- An infant dryad looks like a normal plant at first, until the tough outer coating peels off to reveal the dryad beneath
- Young dryads survive via an unconscious illusion-based camouflage instinct. They learn to control this more and more as they age
- Most dryads will never physically see their children, but the dryads' mental network allows young dryads to never be alone, and always have a friendly voice in their heads to help them along

Quote :

Ever been curious about how the square-cube law functions in Felarya?

The general consensus is that some kind of weird dimensional mechanics allow excessively large things to exist without any ill effects. The actual mechanics behind that is currently unknown.

Quote :

Think about it, it's now been established that communities of human-sized predators live just outside of Negav's walls by the Motamo Docks, and they are protected by the Isolon Eye's influence. Now, why haven't the Nekomurans moved closer to the docks? Considering that humans would be less trustful of something like a human-sized naga and dridder, which are still capable of eating humans, why are they so close to Negav, while nekos from Nekomura aren't, and keep living by the cheap Isolon Eye they have to pay to keep active?

Because the Motamo Docks were actually built inside the Eye's range. Nekomura was already a thing back before the Eye, or shortly after the Magiocrats took over. It exists well outside the Eye's range, so they need the copy provided for them to keep their village safe. As for why they don't just move... maybe they like where they live? If they've been there for hundreds of years, then tearing down their village and moving closer to Negav would probably feel... wrong. I always got the impression that the Docks were a much smaller settlment, while Nekomura might be home to hundreds, maybe even a couple thousand people. They might just have too much set up already and too many people to just up and move.

Also, I doubt the Motamo Docks, or any other small villages within the Eye's range just get to stay there for free. There's probably some sort of tax or tribute that needs to be paid. Probably official contracts and such too. The magiocrats aren't know for just doing things for total charity.

Well, the problem persists. Yes, I am well aware that a sudden mass relocation wouldn't be something that would come at a moment's notice, but the thing is, compared to the Docks, their protection runs the risk of weakening, and there have been cases where it weakened enough for some predators to come in, snatch a few villagers, then flee with them. Plus, it's completely unknown what they have to pay to keep their fake Eye energized. It may have been something from maybe several years before the Eye, but with the Motamo Docks being a much more recent and a little safer settlement (I'm quite certain they have occasional bandit problems), some of the Nekomurans should be starting to wonder if relocating closer to the eye, and paying some kind of tax without the fear of the Eye suddenly dying out of them, would be a sound idea. I could understand if Nekomura truly was made at first because of bad blood between humans and nekos following Tono's reign, however in present time, the venom has mostly diluted, so it wouldn't be too far fetched if some negotiations for a relocation were to occur.

I dunno, man. Environmental hazards have never been a massive reason for people to move. There are people who live at the bases of volcanoes, or in earthquake zones, or in a part of the US called "Tornado Alley", knowing perfectly well what the risks of living there are. If people have been living in the same place for generations, and they have traditions, history, and pieces of infrastructure like farms, shops, schools and so on, they are not that likely to move, short of the entire town getting wiped out at once.

So I've read that certain regions of Felarya have a different sky than others. Is there a border between them where the sky is in a transitional phase, or is there just a big seam up there, or does the sky appear different to you as you walk from one region to another but remain consistent from horizon to horizon a la Minecraft and Second Life?

parameciumkid wrote:

So I've read that certain regions of Felarya have a different sky than others. Is there a border between them where the sky is in a transitional phase, or is there just a big seam up there, or does the sky appear different to you as you walk from one region to another but remain consistent from horizon to horizon a la Minecraft and Second Life?

Perhaps the sky is 'imported' in a sense from whatever world it originally hung over, supposing the locations to which you refer were Vanishing Lands. If that's the case, I would expect a gradual transition from where the area melds with the surrounding land and sky.

Oh wow, cliff. I had no idea that Dryads reproduced that way.

Color me shocked.

rcs619 wrote:

Quote :

How about the reproductive habits of species that seem to be overwhelmingly female?

Only two species are all-female, Harpies and Dryads. Slug-girls are hermaphroditic and possess both sets of reproductive organs (both organs are on the undersides of their bodies). Every other species has a fairly average male to female ratio. People just tend to not properly represent that. Lemme just add something I typed up the last time this topic came about...


Felaryan hyrids tend to fall into three reproductive groups:

1: Egg layers: Harpies, arthropod hybrids, most reptile hybrids, most undersea hybrids, and generally hybrids based on animals that lay eggs in real life
- Their young are much smaller (around human-sized) at birth
- The newborns are much more developed and active at birth, and able to survive on their own shortly after hatching
- There seems to be a higher instance of child abandonment
- This type of reproduction is easier and safer on the mother, since her pregnancy is almost unnoticeable until the very end and does not hinder her that much. This lets her keep mobile, active and hunting, even while pregnant.

** Harpies are a bit of a special case. They actually are all female. Their reproduction is still fairly straight-forward though. Harpies are able to mate with any similarly-sized male. Species doesn't matter, since something in harpy genetics makes sure that any child conceived becomes a female harpy.

** As mentioned, slug-girls are hermaphroditic, even though they all physically resemble females. Any slug-girl can mate with any other, as they all have both female and male sexual organs.

2: Live birth: Mammal hybrids, elves, fairies, some nagas, some mermaids, and generally hybrids based on animals that birth live young
- Their young are much larger (proportionately baby-sized to the parents) at birth
- Their young are less developed and require parental care to have a chance at survival
- Live birth is more common among communal predators, and as such, the children are almost never abandoned
- This type of reproduction is much tougher on the mother, and more dangerous. As her pregnancy continues, she becomes more hindered by it, much more vulnerable, and will require the help of her mate and/or family and friends to survive.

** Centaurs/Deerataurs/Pantaurs and really quadrupedal hybrids and general have a few special quirks. Their sexual organs are on their animal halves, unlike a lot of other species. Their young, while still less developed than an egg-born hybrid, do learn to walk fairly rapidly. They still do need to be cared for though. They could not just wander off and survive on their own like a baby naga.

** Fairies are one of only three species known to be able to breed with humans (Elves and Harpies being the others). Human/Fairy offspring generally have a lot of magical skill, but they will only inherit Fairy shrinking magic if they inherited wings too. Fairy wings are essential for such powerful, magic-intensive abilities.

3: Dryads:
- Reproduce by combining their seeds with the pollen of wild flora and then releasing them into their air
- The seed will only sprout into a dryad if it lands in a place with the proper natural conditions. Only a small percentage of dryad seeds actually become dryads. The vast majority either don't sprout at all, or just become regular plant-life.
- An infant dryad looks like a normal plant at first, until the tough outer coating peels off to reveal the dryad beneath
- Young dryads survive via an unconscious illusion-based camouflage instinct. They learn to control this more and more as they age
- Most dryads will never physically see their children, but the dryads' mental network allows young dryads to never be alone, and always have a friendly voice in their heads to help them along

Quote :

Ever been curious about how the square-cube law functions in Felarya?

The general consensus is that some kind of weird dimensional mechanics allow excessively large things to exist without any ill effects. The actual mechanics behind that is currently unknown.

Quote :

Think about it, it's now been established that communities of human-sized predators live just outside of Negav's walls by the Motamo Docks, and they are protected by the Isolon Eye's influence. Now, why haven't the Nekomurans moved closer to the docks? Considering that humans would be less trustful of something like a human-sized naga and dridder, which are still capable of eating humans, why are they so close to Negav, while nekos from Nekomura aren't, and keep living by the cheap Isolon Eye they have to pay to keep active?

Because the Motamo Docks were actually built inside the Eye's range. Nekomura was already a thing back before the Eye, or shortly after the Magiocrats took over. It exists well outside the Eye's range, so they need the copy provided for them to keep their village safe. As for why they don't just move... maybe they like where they live? If they've been there for hundreds of years, then tearing down their village and moving closer to Negav would probably feel... wrong. I always got the impression that the Docks were a much smaller settlment, while Nekomura might be home to hundreds, maybe even a couple thousand people. They might just have too much set up already and too many people to just up and move.

Also, I doubt the Motamo Docks, or any other small villages within the Eye's range just get to stay there for free. There's probably some sort of tax or tribute that needs to be paid. Probably official contracts and such too. The magiocrats aren't know for just doing things for total charity.

This kind of info really needs to be in the wiki somewhere, at least how each species gives birth.

I'm all for blowing up nekomura though KARMIC JUSTICE!

Please, explain how blowing up a village is karmic justice, when the incident with Tonho is over 200 years old, they have been cheated by Negavians to keep their village protected by paying to keep the protection active for a hundred years, and most likely, have no longer anything to do with Tonho, as that fiasco was a century before the village's founding?

I figured there would be some differences among preds related to reproduction. What I'm still oddly curious about is the underlying cycle they experience. Angels probably don't reproduce normally, but Elves might be assumed to go through a menstrual cycle. Does anyone else think it might be simultaneously horrifying and hilarious to see a giant pred experiencing PMS? Strange cravings? Mood swings?

The mammal-hybrids probably go through less-messy estrus or 'heat' to reproduce, if we are assuming their animal half influences reproduction to that degree. I know some snakes are ovoviviparous or even viviparous, which is a beneficial trait in colder environments.

Grave wrote:

rcs619 wrote:

Quote :

How about the reproductive habits of species that seem to be overwhelmingly female?

Only two species are all-female, Harpies and Dryads. Slug-girls are hermaphroditic and possess both sets of reproductive organs (both organs are on the undersides of their bodies). Every other species has a fairly average male to female ratio. People just tend to not properly represent that. Lemme just add something I typed up the last time this topic came about...


Felaryan hyrids tend to fall into three reproductive groups:

1: Egg layers: Harpies, arthropod hybrids, most reptile hybrids, most undersea hybrids, and generally hybrids based on animals that lay eggs in real life
- Their young are much smaller (around human-sized) at birth
- The newborns are much more developed and active at birth, and able to survive on their own shortly after hatching
- There seems to be a higher instance of child abandonment
- This type of reproduction is easier and safer on the mother, since her pregnancy is almost unnoticeable until the very end and does not hinder her that much. This lets her keep mobile, active and hunting, even while pregnant.

** Harpies are a bit of a special case. They actually are all female. Their reproduction is still fairly straight-forward though. Harpies are able to mate with any similarly-sized male. Species doesn't matter, since something in harpy genetics makes sure that any child conceived becomes a female harpy.

** As mentioned, slug-girls are hermaphroditic, even though they all physically resemble females. Any slug-girl can mate with any other, as they all have both female and male sexual organs.

2: Live birth: Mammal hybrids, elves, fairies, some nagas, some mermaids, and generally hybrids based on animals that birth live young
- Their young are much larger (proportionately baby-sized to the parents) at birth
- Their young are less developed and require parental care to have a chance at survival
- Live birth is more common among communal predators, and as such, the children are almost never abandoned
- This type of reproduction is much tougher on the mother, and more dangerous. As her pregnancy continues, she becomes more hindered by it, much more vulnerable, and will require the help of her mate and/or family and friends to survive.

** Centaurs/Deerataurs/Pantaurs and really quadrupedal hybrids and general have a few special quirks. Their sexual organs are on their animal halves, unlike a lot of other species. Their young, while still less developed than an egg-born hybrid, do learn to walk fairly rapidly. They still do need to be cared for though. They could not just wander off and survive on their own like a baby naga.

** Fairies are one of only three species known to be able to breed with humans (Elves and Harpies being the others). Human/Fairy offspring generally have a lot of magical skill, but they will only inherit Fairy shrinking magic if they inherited wings too. Fairy wings are essential for such powerful, magic-intensive abilities.

3: Dryads:
- Reproduce by combining their seeds with the pollen of wild flora and then releasing them into their air
- The seed will only sprout into a dryad if it lands in a place with the proper natural conditions. Only a small percentage of dryad seeds actually become dryads. The vast majority either don't sprout at all, or just become regular plant-life.
- An infant dryad looks like a normal plant at first, until the tough outer coating peels off to reveal the dryad beneath
- Young dryads survive via an unconscious illusion-based camouflage instinct. They learn to control this more and more as they age
- Most dryads will never physically see their children, but the dryads' mental network allows young dryads to never be alone, and always have a friendly voice in their heads to help them along

Quote :

Ever been curious about how the square-cube law functions in Felarya?

The general consensus is that some kind of weird dimensional mechanics allow excessively large things to exist without any ill effects. The actual mechanics behind that is currently unknown.

Quote :

Think about it, it's now been established that communities of human-sized predators live just outside of Negav's walls by the Motamo Docks, and they are protected by the Isolon Eye's influence. Now, why haven't the Nekomurans moved closer to the docks? Considering that humans would be less trustful of something like a human-sized naga and dridder, which are still capable of eating humans, why are they so close to Negav, while nekos from Nekomura aren't, and keep living by the cheap Isolon Eye they have to pay to keep active?

Because the Motamo Docks were actually built inside the Eye's range. Nekomura was already a thing back before the Eye, or shortly after the Magiocrats took over. It exists well outside the Eye's range, so they need the copy provided for them to keep their village safe. As for why they don't just move... maybe they like where they live? If they've been there for hundreds of years, then tearing down their village and moving closer to Negav would probably feel... wrong. I always got the impression that the Docks were a much smaller settlment, while Nekomura might be home to hundreds, maybe even a couple thousand people. They might just have too much set up already and too many people to just up and move.

Also, I doubt the Motamo Docks, or any other small villages within the Eye's range just get to stay there for free. There's probably some sort of tax or tribute that needs to be paid. Probably official contracts and such too. The magiocrats aren't know for just doing things for total charity.

This kind of info really needs to be in the wiki somewhere, at least how each species gives birth.

I'm all for blowing up nekomura though KARMIC JUSTICE!

Some of it is. At least the bits about Harpies and Dryads I know for sure since I've researched it. Not sure about deeratuars the others, but that interesting to know.

Quote :

I figured there would be some differences among preds related to reproduction. What I'm still oddly curious about is the underlying cycle they experience.

I always believe that, excluding certain odd phenomena , that the reproductive cycle varies from one giant pred to the next.

jedi-explorer wrote:

I always believe that, excluding certain odd phenomena , that the reproductive cycle varies from one giant pred to the next.

So, do you think Giant Elves (and possibly others) go through a messy menstrual cycle, while other mammalian preds experience estrus? This is the place for overthinking stuff.

Venom Agato wrote:

Zephyr102 wrote:

Ever been curious about how the square-cube law functions in Felarya?

How about the reproductive habits of species that seem to be overwhelmingly female?

This is the place to talk about all your rarely-broached concerns, theories, and their solutions. Ask, and I'm sure someone will try to answer.

I'd say it seems most are female but there are still quite a few males as well, granted probably not near the amount of females but enough none the less.

Male and female ratios among hybrids, both giant, human-sized and tinies are about the same as they are among humans.

The only exceptions to this are... Slug-girls, which are all hermaphroditic (Appear physically female). Harpies, which are all female (Breed with males of other species to produce more female harpies), and Dryads, which are all female (Take in the pollen of wild plants to use to make their seeds).

People just choose to make many more female characters than male ones. That doesn't mean males are super-rare things in Felarya. They aren't unicorns.

Venom Agato wrote:

Not quite what I meant but okay. XD And do I even want to ask how Slug Girls reproduce?

They're hermaphrodites. They mate with each other. Their male and female organs are both on the underside of their slug bodies.

Which species have hard shell eggs and which have soft shell eggs?

I always had a picture in my head of a naga hatching and wearing the top of his/her shell as a helmet.

You know.....

You, sir, win 60 Internet Points for bringing up a Jr. Troopa reference.

Some snails and slugs also stab each other with darts made from their bodies that have semen on it, which then penetrates their mate's body (they don't really care where it goes in, as long as it goes in) This secondary reproductive system is much more risky as it could accidently kill the receiver, but it seems to increase the chances of fertilization.

Meaning that if they were both feeling particulary horny, they could accidently kill each other if they're not careful