Basics
| Common Name: | Comet Cats |
| Other Names: | Nyatha, Space Cats | Lifespan: | Unknown, they don't really keep track. |
| Sapient?: | Yes |
| Adult Age: | ~10000 |
| Rarity: | Common |
General Info
Comet Cats are both hated and respected by those who know about them. They're often a bunch of assholes, and actively dangerous to be around without protective gear, but the few times they've been willing to communicate with ""Lesser Species"" (in their words), they've often provided lots of technological advancements for the societies around the Sintane Galaxy. No one wants to talk to Comet Cats, but everyone wants their technology. Comet Cats know this and are fine with it, they don't want to talk to them either, other species feel like bugs to them, particularly like how ants or bees are to humans. They're interesting on some level, to see how they 'create societies while being so much less advanced', but the majority of Comet Cats do not consider other species as full-fledged people. The only reason some are willing to make trades in technology is because of their culture around 'effiency', and much like a beehive, pissing off a ton of angry bees is not an effective way to get honey. Comet Cats will trade technology in return for resources that can only be found on planets with organic life, because it's much easier than taking it by force. Let the bees have some toys, it's worth it.
Notes
- Species Examples: [Hale-Bopp], [Sagitarrius]
- Inventors of the universal translator that most planets have adopted into their average lives, especially those frequently travelling through space. This invention specifically has been considered the most valuable one they've ever provided, allowing every planet to communicate seamlessly at any time. However, the translator specifically does not work for Comet Cat's language, they don't want "the ants" listening in on them.
Basics
Origin Planet
Avg. Height
Avg. Weight
Hybridization?
Reproduction
Gestation Period
Number of Kids
Life Stages
Other
Appearance
Senses
Blood Color
Sexual Dimorphism
Details
Diet
Basic Diet
Details
Language
Comet Cats have their own language that they gatekeep rather heavily. They don't have a particular name for their own language inside of their language, usually just calling "Nyathan" or "Nyathan Script" depending on whether it's spoken or written. Other planets tend to do the same thing, since the name of their species in their own language is often the only thing they're willing to share. Many people have tried figuring out their language, but so far without any base to work off of besides "Nyatha", of which they only know the pronounciation for and not how it's written, there's not been much luck in doing so. Especially getting access to anything they've written is near impossible.
Religion
Comet Cats do not have any religion, they find the idea childish and primitive. They are an extremely logic-focused culture, and 'religion' is just not logical to them. This isn't to say they don't recognize the idea of gods though, as gods and deities are very much a real thing in the universe, but while most places view them through a religious lens, Comet Cats view the gods that exist through the same logical lens as everything else, simply acknowledging that yes, Gods have shown themselves throughout history, rarely, but they have, and they don't care to meddle any further with it. The gods of the universe are pretty much the only thing they view as above them, and they treat them the way they as comet cats wish to be treated by other species: By not speaking to them or trying to engage, leaving them to do their own thing.
Holidays
As if.
Social Norms
The vast majority of comet cat colonies are extremely centered around productivity and effeciency. They view their purpose in the universe as seeing how far technology can be advanced, the rest doesn't matter. They are still people, and have their own personalities, but the culture usually tries to beat those personalities out of them as much as possible, to the point of often lacking empathy for others. The idea of killing another comet cat who is consistently underperforming and 'setting progress back' is something that most wouldn't even blink at. Friendship and relationships are discouraged, but they still happen. As long as things are still going smoothly, they don't care, it's only when things begin to affect their 'work' that punishment will be considered, either socially or physically.
They tend to keep to themselves and their own colonies, not wanting to interact with other species, both because it's an unnecessary distraction, but also because they usually believe theres simply no point and that there's nothing to gain from it, besides the occasional exchange of tech for organic resources. This usually works out fine, they don't seek to disturb other species, and other species would rather not talk to them either unless they want something. So Comet Cats stay in their own little bubble and don't interact with others unless they're getting in the way.
Comet Cats aren't given names right away after theyre made or born, instead they recieve their names after their first flight, in which the ones who made/birthed them will watch from a distance and name them after whatever they resemble from afar. Cats that can't fly are usually named after asteroids, because their color and lack of wings is usually caused by a lack of material while being created, or material not being absorbed, making them just resemble rocks.
The categories Comet Cats use for naming are usually asteroids, comets, moons, dwarf planets, planets, stars, nebulae, black holes, and galaxies. Though sometimes other things will still be used (like constellations). When they use anything out of the usual categories, the pronoun they use within their own language is typically whichever existing category is closest. Like a constellation would most likely be using the same pronouns as a star, while a quasar could either be using the pronouns of a black hole or a galaxy, depending on their level of respect within their colony.
Class/Politics
Comet Cats consider themselves above every other species in the known universe. They've been around far far longer, their technology is far more advanced, and they know much more than other planets, so in their eyes, of course they're superior, the rest of the universe is just animals. They have zero interest in sharing most of their knowledge, besides trading technology every now and then, but even thats not out of interest in sharing it, it's just what other planets always want in return for their resources. Within themselves though, Comet Cats tend to view eachother's worth on their productivity, but they do tend to consider larger and more 'fanciful' looking cats to be more worthy of respect, mainly because of how much more resources it takes to create or birth them. But they also hold them to much higher standards because of that too. An asteroid is expected to just be another worker, but a comet cat that resembles a galaxy or supernova? The amount of responsibility put upon them is truly insane. Personalities tend to shine through more often on smaller cats, while the larger ones have it completely beaten out of them over time. Each colony has one main leader, but depending on how small or large the colony is, they may have other cats working to form some sort of resemblance of a government to smooth things out. Colonies will usually decide laws only for their own colonies, but many still tend to come to the same conclusions as other colonies based upon their culture's extreme focus of productivity. They frequently trade with eachother and work together, but one colony's version of 'effeciency' can still be very different to another's idea of it. Colonies that are falling too far behind or aren't providing some other useful service tend to start getting ignored or essentially 'blacklisted' from the other colonies. In which case they typically fall apart and split off to join other colonies. Colonies that function as travelling pitstops have the highest likelihood of lasting longer, since they provide a very useful service by letting cats rest from flying for long distances, as well as holding onto materials temporarily when an issue arises and things need to be communicated to other colonies..
Gender Roles
Comet Cats dont use genders the same way other species tend to view them. Rather than roles based upon gender, roles are based upon the type of cat they are, down to each kind of cat having pronouns for their type within the language. Comet Cats can know what sort of space object they resemble purely through pronoun usage. Smaller cats are usually considered less important than larger ones, an asteroid cat trying to act superior to a black hole cat would be considered laughable. Asteroids are considered the lowest one could be, while galaxies are the highest. They don't tend to go any larger than galaxies for the sake of trying to keep things somewhat simple. Larger cats are expected to be more responsible in comparison, any flaws they have are picked on with much more scrutiny. Smaller cats are given more leeway in having flaws, delinquent behavior as an attempt to rebel against things is common and often just ignored, but they're more likely to be killed or banished if they fuck up too much with the colony's overall production.
Beauty Standards
Comet Cats don't really pay attention to physical attributes as it relates to 'beauty', but they still do a little bit, and usually larger and more colorful cats are considered more attractive than others, closely connected to how these cats are also usually in higher positions of power.
Relationships
Most comet cats have incredibly professional relationships with eachother, platonic or otherwise. Bonds are seen as an obstacle usually, but they're not a hivemind, and attachments still happen. They're often dysfunctional, having a healthy relationship just isnt very compatible with the way most colonies work, but it won't stop those few from trying.
Clothing
Comet Cats don't care for clothing, they don't need it. It's useless to them.
Art/Food
There isn't much culture around food since Comet Cats will eat just about anything, but sometimes they'll try to combine different minerals to see how they taste together. Art in general is typically discouraged though, and seen as a waste of time that could be spent being productive instead. Some cats still have a draw toward it though, and since they can't express it in many other ways, they'll usually use their artistic expression to try and think of creative designs for technology that's invented, which is usually the /only/ way for them to really express any artistic inclination.
Drugs
Comet Cats don't seem to respond to any drugs, except, hilariously enough, catnip. Even they don't really know why, by all means it makes no sense. It doesn't have quite the same effect on them as it does for normal cats, but it does give them large boosts in energy, so sometimes it will be traded around to boost productivity.
History/Influence
Comet Cats have been around for a very, very long time in the universe. They have some of the most advanced technology known, and they have no plans on stopping advancement. They're partly responsible for the advancement of space travel in the Sintane Galaxy, Lynxon had found ways to communicate very long distances, but were lagging when it came to space travel itself. A comet cat colony within the communications range decided to offer information on more advanced space travel, in exchange for various materials that were getting expensive to trade for from other colonies. This was the only time they'd ever do this, as usually comet cats prefer not to have too many planets flying around in space, but it kickstarted the space technology in Lynxon, finally allowing them to travel outside of their solar system. Which also led to Lynxon introducing it to a few other planets, until the current planets with the technology all agreed to not share it further unless a planet has already figured out the basics to it.
But what they're known for most is the invention of the universal translator. While Comet Cats don't really care for what other species are up to, it was still a bullet point on the overall goal of advancement. Much like humans wish we could talk to animals, Comet Cats were curious on doing on what they considered to be the same thing, and succeeded, creating a machine that could translate nearly anything. Possible thanks to the range of colonies across the universe and how long they live, making it easy to find comet cats who had learned other languages extremely fluently. They would mostly use it just to keep an eye on things, that way people would never get in the way of their business, but eventually would offer a modified version to a few planets in another trade for organic materials. This modified version worked exactly the same, but specifically left out the Comet Cat's language. They could have the toy, but would not be given the option to bug the comet cats with it. If Comet cats want to speak to a planet, they'll use the planet's language.
One specific comet cat though, Hale-Bopp, is especially known around various places, and not positively. Most planets try to ban him, but he's like a cockroach, they just can't get rid of him. Hale-Bopp specifically can be attributed to the current space problems in the sintane galaxy. Similar to Lynxon's manner of learning space travel, Hale-Bopp introduced it to Earth. It was mostly by accident, but it happened, and once Earth advanced it further and started sending people to visit the Sintane Galaxy, unaware of the current planets' agreement on sharing space travel, they started selling it to many more planets, creating a sudden boom in space travel. No one really knows that this was Hale's fault, not even Hale themself, they didn't expect that random guy to take him so seriously!
Most planets are pretty aware that Comet Cats do not like to be disturbed, and that doing so without a good reason will make them retaliate toward whatever is getting in their way. So most places will not talk to them unless they want to trade materials or technology, and they'd better have a good offer ready. Lots of colonies refuse to trade outside of their species at all, but others are more willing as long as the deals are worth it.
Comet Cats have the most knowledge about the parallel compared to any other species, more than Portan, which is usually considered the place with the most knowledge. Portan is usually considered number one in most's minds because theyre more willing to share info, meanwhile Comet Cats, like they do with everything else, refuse to share without a very good reason. Trying to access places where they keep information is very hard, both because they often kill intruders without question, but also because even if you were sneaky, the amount of gear you'd need to resist the radiation coming off the larger cats would make sneaking around much much harder. Comet Cat's knowledge about the parallel is as locked up as their language is.
Other Notes
Comet Cats with wings are all radioactive, but just how radioactive they are varies. Smaller ones are usually less radioactive, but they can still end up being very radioactive. Meanwhile larger ones are almost always extremely hazardous. This means usually asteroids are sent if they need to interact with other species for some reason because of their lack of wings, but there are some other smaller ones with wings are safe enough to be around organic life for short periods. This is why they usually colonize lifeless planets, because their radioactivity can make trying to consistently harvest material from planets with life difficult, even if there's no intelligent life. Their radioactivity would quickly kill the planets, making it hard to get more when stuff won't regrow, which is what makes them willing to trade with organic life every now and then, since they can regrow the resources that would die off if comet cats lived there.
This radioactivity is also part of why they're usually not very welcomed when one does appear on another planet, people don't want to piss off a colony, but having a giant radiation hazard walking around isn't exactly smiled upon. It's a rare situation, most comet cats are never going to bother visiting another planet. But it still happens every now and then.
Comet Cats also normally don't use spaceships. They have them, and are extremely knowledgable on the process of making advanced spaceships, but they typically don't need them. They can travel incredibly fast through space with just their wings alone, so ships are typically only used as cargo carriers, or for extremely long distances.