Gestures and some other stuff
## Paws
Because yinrih are quadrupeds, gestures involving the paws and legs are less common, but some do exist.
In the Allied Worlds, the act of jamming the pad of the outer thumb into the ground, sometimes called “the one-digit stomp” is a vulgar gesture similar to the middle finger. It imitates crushing an insect, and is used to express contempt.
On Hearthside, however, the gesture has a neutral to positive connotation similar to a thumbs-up. The origin of this usage is unclear, although the most common explanation given by Hearthsiders themselves is that it represents decisively pressing a button. It usually means something along the lines of “I'm on it” or “I got you covered”.
Hearthsider pups, particularly in larger cosmopolitan urban centers, who have grown up watching media produced in the Allied Worlds have begun interpreting the gesture in line with its use there. How one uses it and perceives its use by others has become an inter-generational shibboleth, with older generations and less urban folk lamenting the new negative perception as more AW cultural imperialism.
A more niche gesture used in communities where yinrih and humans interact frequently involves lifting a rear paw and making a grasping or twiddling motion with the digits. This is specific to inter-species interactions. It's meant to highlight the anatomical differences between the two species, and especially the sometimes drastically different ergonomics and architecture that result from those differences. Intent can be anything from mocking to empathetic depending on context.
For an empathetic example, an exhausted human is staring up into the entrance to a building, which is a hatch through the floor accessed by climbing a ladder. An elderly yinrih walks up beside him, smells his exasperation, and makes the gesture in response. She climbs ahead of him, then offers a paw to help pull him up.
For a mocking example, a group of pups is leaping and brachiating around a play structure. A human child is struggling to keep up, and one of the pups mocks him by making the gesture and bounding off without helping.
In both cases the gesture means something like “this world wasn't built for people with only two prehensile extremities,” and the follow up actions make it clear whether it's meant as an expression of solidarity or ridicule.
There is a coordinate gesture that humans perform, briefly picking the feet up off the ground as if jogging in place, that expresses a similar sentiment to yinrih living on Earth. In this case it means "This world wasn't built for people without two dedicated grasping appendages and superior stamina."
As for why these gestures exist, yinrih and humans can't directly produce the other species' speech sounds. While it's ideal for both parties to know the other's language, or for one party to have access to a synth to generate the language if the other isn't bilingual, this isn't always the case, and such specific body language has developed to help fill this gap.
## Head
It's more common for yinrih to express themselves using the head and tail while the legs are busy bearing their weight.
Yinrih point with their snout rather than their paws. This usually involves simply looking in the desired direction, but when indicating something behind them, a yinrih will quickly toss their head to the side.
Tracing an upward half-circle with the muzzle is similar to rolling the eyes, but it can also be a similar pointing gesture meaning “all around us”
A quick upward movement of the snout shows affirmation or agreement.
One or more quick dips of the head indicates respect. This gesture is associated with more pious or traditional culturees like Hearthside.
Yinrih have well developed whiskers, they often twitch to indicate intense interest, though this is more an unconscious reaction than a deliberate gesture.
Panting is the principle way yinrih keep cool, and is an involuntary reaction to high ambient temperatures. Panting may also be imitated consciously to show discomfort. This is usually exaggerated, with the tongue lolling out of the side of the mouth rather than simply protruding slightly. Repeatedly rapidly licking the nose and lips also indicates discomfort with one's surroundings or situation, like a human wringing the hands.
## Ears
A flick of the left ear is similar to a sly wink. Flicking the right ear is used to show annoyance or aggravation. Flicking or sweeping both ears back is similar to a shrug. Pinning the ears back can express hostility or anger. Doing so while lowering the head and closing the eyes shows apprehension. Perking the ears up, like whisker twitching, is more an involuntary reaction to intense interest. Perking the ears while opening the eyes wide (with lids and all four bandpass membranes open wide) is like a goofy smile or excited grin.
## Tail
Flicking one's own side with the tip of the tail is like a dismissive hand wave. It can mean "don't bother me" or "go away" but also "don't concern yourself with that" or "never you mind". It's where tailstone got its name. When asked how this magenta crystal allowed instant communication over arbitrarily large distances the inventor just responded with this gesture.
Flicking _someone else's_ side with the tip of the tail is an extremely vulgar gesture. It means more or less the same as the one-digit stomp described above, but has the added insult of invading the other person's personal space. It conveys that the flickee is a nuisance but is easily "dealt with".
Thumping the tail on the ground repeatedly can be a threat, like a gorilla beating its chest, but it can also be done when extremely anxious or stressed.
## Body
Rearing up on the hind feet and patting the belly twice with the left forepaw is like a handshake. **IMPORTANT:** you pat **your own** belly in response, not the other person's. It's not an invitation to a tummy rub. Many humans have found themselves on the wrong side of an assault charge this way. That being said, the gesture does convey a similar sentiment as a dog exposing its belly, to show you're opening up to the other person and trust them not to take advantage of your weakness.
Lying down flat on the belly with the legs and head flat on the floor, AKA "splooting" is similar to genuflecting or kneeling.
****
# Now for something completely different
All the other planets have interesting hooks to them. Hearthside is tidally locked, Sweetwater is an ocean world. Yih has a ring and is the cradle of life at Focus, Welkinstead has cloud cities, and Moonlitter is nearly uninhabitable itself but has a bunch of moons.
But Newhome doesn't have anything other than being the first terraformed planet. Perhaps Newhome's hook is that nearly the entire population lives in a single giant archology that's also a speace elevator. Here's how I see this panning out.
Because Newhome was first, it's also the worst. The tech used to maintain its biosphere is both ancient and hard to replace. Some time in the past, the thought of that infrastructure breaking down caused a demographic crisis as people fled what they thought was an iminant disaster and those that stayed often chose not to have a litter. But much like the population bomb that mid-20th century humans were sure was coming, the collapse never happened, and centuries of low fertility left a permanent mark on Newhome culture. Even in the midst of prosperity, new litters are a rare sight.
Alternatively, the catastrophe did happen and the planet's biosphere is breaking down, with the archology being located in the last fertile region.
Either way, population densities across the planet plummeted, and those that remained gathered in the largest city. This city evolved into a single giant archology built around an existing space elevator. The building is unfathomably massive, stretching miles into the sky and rooted miles under the earth. Because the building was not constructed all at once, it's a hodgepodge of different architectural styles and tech levels mashed together. Some sections are so dense people are packed paw on tail, while other areas are almost or completely abandoned. People, on four legs or two, who love exploring massive indoor areas love poking around the less-traveled sections. The building is so huge that different parts have their own microclimates.
In fact, the building may not be one building but two, with the other located at the antipodes with a tunnel connecting them running through the core of the planet.
Because yinrih are quadrupeds, gestures involving the paws and legs are less common, but some do exist.
In the Allied Worlds, the act of jamming the pad of the outer thumb into the ground, sometimes called “the one-digit stomp” is a vulgar gesture similar to the middle finger. It imitates crushing an insect, and is used to express contempt.
On Hearthside, however, the gesture has a neutral to positive connotation similar to a thumbs-up. The origin of this usage is unclear, although the most common explanation given by Hearthsiders themselves is that it represents decisively pressing a button. It usually means something along the lines of “I'm on it” or “I got you covered”.
Hearthsider pups, particularly in larger cosmopolitan urban centers, who have grown up watching media produced in the Allied Worlds have begun interpreting the gesture in line with its use there. How one uses it and perceives its use by others has become an inter-generational shibboleth, with older generations and less urban folk lamenting the new negative perception as more AW cultural imperialism.
A more niche gesture used in communities where yinrih and humans interact frequently involves lifting a rear paw and making a grasping or twiddling motion with the digits. This is specific to inter-species interactions. It's meant to highlight the anatomical differences between the two species, and especially the sometimes drastically different ergonomics and architecture that result from those differences. Intent can be anything from mocking to empathetic depending on context.
For an empathetic example, an exhausted human is staring up into the entrance to a building, which is a hatch through the floor accessed by climbing a ladder. An elderly yinrih walks up beside him, smells his exasperation, and makes the gesture in response. She climbs ahead of him, then offers a paw to help pull him up.
For a mocking example, a group of pups is leaping and brachiating around a play structure. A human child is struggling to keep up, and one of the pups mocks him by making the gesture and bounding off without helping.
In both cases the gesture means something like “this world wasn't built for people with only two prehensile extremities,” and the follow up actions make it clear whether it's meant as an expression of solidarity or ridicule.
There is a coordinate gesture that humans perform, briefly picking the feet up off the ground as if jogging in place, that expresses a similar sentiment to yinrih living on Earth. In this case it means "This world wasn't built for people without two dedicated grasping appendages and superior stamina."
As for why these gestures exist, yinrih and humans can't directly produce the other species' speech sounds. While it's ideal for both parties to know the other's language, or for one party to have access to a synth to generate the language if the other isn't bilingual, this isn't always the case, and such specific body language has developed to help fill this gap.
## Head
It's more common for yinrih to express themselves using the head and tail while the legs are busy bearing their weight.
Yinrih point with their snout rather than their paws. This usually involves simply looking in the desired direction, but when indicating something behind them, a yinrih will quickly toss their head to the side.
Tracing an upward half-circle with the muzzle is similar to rolling the eyes, but it can also be a similar pointing gesture meaning “all around us”
A quick upward movement of the snout shows affirmation or agreement.
One or more quick dips of the head indicates respect. This gesture is associated with more pious or traditional culturees like Hearthside.
Yinrih have well developed whiskers, they often twitch to indicate intense interest, though this is more an unconscious reaction than a deliberate gesture.
Panting is the principle way yinrih keep cool, and is an involuntary reaction to high ambient temperatures. Panting may also be imitated consciously to show discomfort. This is usually exaggerated, with the tongue lolling out of the side of the mouth rather than simply protruding slightly. Repeatedly rapidly licking the nose and lips also indicates discomfort with one's surroundings or situation, like a human wringing the hands.
## Ears
A flick of the left ear is similar to a sly wink. Flicking the right ear is used to show annoyance or aggravation. Flicking or sweeping both ears back is similar to a shrug. Pinning the ears back can express hostility or anger. Doing so while lowering the head and closing the eyes shows apprehension. Perking the ears up, like whisker twitching, is more an involuntary reaction to intense interest. Perking the ears while opening the eyes wide (with lids and all four bandpass membranes open wide) is like a goofy smile or excited grin.
## Tail
Flicking one's own side with the tip of the tail is like a dismissive hand wave. It can mean "don't bother me" or "go away" but also "don't concern yourself with that" or "never you mind". It's where tailstone got its name. When asked how this magenta crystal allowed instant communication over arbitrarily large distances the inventor just responded with this gesture.
Flicking _someone else's_ side with the tip of the tail is an extremely vulgar gesture. It means more or less the same as the one-digit stomp described above, but has the added insult of invading the other person's personal space. It conveys that the flickee is a nuisance but is easily "dealt with".
Thumping the tail on the ground repeatedly can be a threat, like a gorilla beating its chest, but it can also be done when extremely anxious or stressed.
## Body
Rearing up on the hind feet and patting the belly twice with the left forepaw is like a handshake. **IMPORTANT:** you pat **your own** belly in response, not the other person's. It's not an invitation to a tummy rub. Many humans have found themselves on the wrong side of an assault charge this way. That being said, the gesture does convey a similar sentiment as a dog exposing its belly, to show you're opening up to the other person and trust them not to take advantage of your weakness.
Lying down flat on the belly with the legs and head flat on the floor, AKA "splooting" is similar to genuflecting or kneeling.
****
# Now for something completely different
All the other planets have interesting hooks to them. Hearthside is tidally locked, Sweetwater is an ocean world. Yih has a ring and is the cradle of life at Focus, Welkinstead has cloud cities, and Moonlitter is nearly uninhabitable itself but has a bunch of moons.
But Newhome doesn't have anything other than being the first terraformed planet. Perhaps Newhome's hook is that nearly the entire population lives in a single giant archology that's also a speace elevator. Here's how I see this panning out.
Because Newhome was first, it's also the worst. The tech used to maintain its biosphere is both ancient and hard to replace. Some time in the past, the thought of that infrastructure breaking down caused a demographic crisis as people fled what they thought was an iminant disaster and those that stayed often chose not to have a litter. But much like the population bomb that mid-20th century humans were sure was coming, the collapse never happened, and centuries of low fertility left a permanent mark on Newhome culture. Even in the midst of prosperity, new litters are a rare sight.
Alternatively, the catastrophe did happen and the planet's biosphere is breaking down, with the archology being located in the last fertile region.
Either way, population densities across the planet plummeted, and those that remained gathered in the largest city. This city evolved into a single giant archology built around an existing space elevator. The building is unfathomably massive, stretching miles into the sky and rooted miles under the earth. Because the building was not constructed all at once, it's a hodgepodge of different architectural styles and tech levels mashed together. Some sections are so dense people are packed paw on tail, while other areas are almost or completely abandoned. People, on four legs or two, who love exploring massive indoor areas love poking around the less-traveled sections. The building is so huge that different parts have their own microclimates.
In fact, the building may not be one building but two, with the other located at the antipodes with a tunnel connecting them running through the core of the planet.