SOTF
In Cherimoya, the sky is purple and the island they live on is surrounded by endless, amethyst coloured ocean. Cherimoya is an island in the shape of a chirimoya plant, it has many mountains, beaches, and forests all around the island. The centre of the island is the most mountainous, as well as there being a few islands around the border, named Nahuri, Yoro and Shuka, of which no one knows if there are inhabitants. It's separated into three main sections; Karibu in the north, Djajili in the centre, and Shimoga in the south. Cherimoya's government is a mixture of a monarchy and a democracy, with the Beaumont family being the Royals. Emperor Alistar Beaumont holds public hearings to make decisions for the country, also assigning Djajilians to help out the Shimogans.
STORY OF INHABITANCE
Long before our current cast of characters, there were peoples native to Cherimoya. Although their names for places in the country and their way of governing was way different, they managed to live peacefully. Although, approximately one hundred years ago, travellers from Western Europe came to Cherimoya, with the intent to colonise it. However, they took a passive approach, making the natives happily welcome them.
MORE ABOUT THE NATIVES
When the travellers came, the Cherimoyans showed them their world. They began to respect it all and even fall in love with the natives. This is how the current species, Salakkimon, came to be.
Back in the day, salakkimon would have a generally greyscale or, unlike the current salakkimon, a dark brown colour scheme, and they still maintained the dots on their cheeks, shoulders, elbows and knees which colour determines their sex like the current design. They would also have the current hair-like feature, but it'd trail down further to their back, and they'd have a lion-like tail instead of the current cat-like one. They'd also tend to have lighter coloured sock-patterns on their legs, and plenty of darker spots on their backs.
CHERIMOYA COUNTRY GUIDE
Cherimoya as a whole is shaped as a cherimoya plant, which is similar to a mango's shape. If we were referring to the real world, Cherimoya would be an African country nearby Madagascar. In the northwest, there are large islands in the shape of a stem to the fruit, these are called the Nahuri island. Also, there are a few more islands on the eastern side of the country, as well as the southeast and southwest. The eastern islands are called the Yoro Islands, and both southern islands are called the Shuka Islands. The main land is separated into three sections/states, each with their own names and capital cities. The northern state is named Karibu, and the Capital city is called Beaumornet, after the current reign of Royals, the Beaumonts. This area is very lush, with multiple pine and marula forests, accompanied by lots of African flora, such as; Flame Lily, Impala Lily, Lebombo Aloe, River Vernonia and much more. There is the Beaumont Palace for the Royals, as well as some modern homes for the residents. The centre of the country is called Djajili, and its capital is Jenouba. This area is very mountainous, and has the same pine and marula forests as Karibu, however unlike Karibu, has significantly less trees. In this area are small purple lakes, and a little less flora than Karibu has. Its houses are simple and very towny, with the occasional cottage built. The southern section is called Shimoga, whose Capital is Baywara. In Shimoga, there are large lakes and huts for the people to live in. There are also shacks built around to store goods. In this area is pine forests and reclinata trees all around. Unlike the rest of Cherimoya, Shimoga has very muddy banks rather than beautiful beaches. The area most to the south has sandy ground the closer you get to the muddy banks. Despite that, this region has much more flora than the rest of Cherimoya.
GUIDE TO THE ISLANDS
In the northwest of Cherimoya, are a group of islands called the Nahuri Islands, which, unlike the other islands, has a Capital city, called Casala. This is the only group of islands that the mainland Cherimoyans know are inhabitants in. These people are some elder Salakkimons who offered to work on maintaining the forage in those islands. Nowadays, they are just some more Salakkimons living there who often visit the mainland.
The eastern pair of islands are called the Yoro Islands, the mainland Cherimoyans do not know if there are inhabitants on this land, since it is too overgrown to even travel to. However, there are often strange sounds and smells coming from the island... The Cherimoyans can only assume it's the island's wild flora.
The southern islands, Shuka Islands, are on both the east and west sides of the mainland. Much like the Yoro Islands, it's unknown if there are inhabitants here, however it is much more maintained and doesn't emit odd scents or noises.
Guide to Cherimoya's SALAKKIMON
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Info
Country of Origin Cherimoya, Africa
Habitats Lush forests, mountainous areas and beaches
Status Personal Species
Creator LeaintheSea
Diet Mainly fruit and nuts, occasional small animal or insect
Trait 1 - Dots
Story and Design
Design
A salakimmon's most common design is the usual greyscale colour palette with a burst of colour that reveals their sex; blue is male, pink is female, and the very rare purple is intersex. The dots determining their sex are located most notably on their cheeks, and have three (small if female, medium if intersex, and large if male) dots on their shoulders, elbows and knees. Despite the colours remaining the same for the whole life of a salakkimon, if one wishes to change the colour to help with potential gender dysphoria, it is possible to paint over or tattoo the coloured dots on their bodies. In the past, salakkimons would have both greyscale and dark brown pelts. Similar to the current design, they have darker hair on their heads and occasionally trailing down their backs. Although, the hair used to go much further down their spine, acting almost like a mane. The tails of a salakkimon are usually just long cat tails and have a short underside and a coloured tip. A design trait that isn't found in all salakkimon are tipped cheeks, ears and snout. Their lower limbs are also a different colour, yet can be in any pattern. They have black pupils and sclera the colour their sex is.
More Info
As said in the Lore tab, salakkimons used to also be dark brown in colour, had longer manes and different types of tails. However, since the island was travelled to by Europeans, they bred with the natives and made the current type of salakkimon breed. All salakkimon live in Cherimoya, and their natural habitats are lush forests like in Karibu, mountainous areas like Djajili, and beach-like areas like in Shimoga. A majority of the surrounding islands are quite overgrown, the Yoro Islands even emit strange smells and sounds. Unlike the other islands, Nahuri Islands is the only group with known inhabitants.
Trait 2 - Hair, Cheeks
Likes
- Fruits
- Nuts
- Small animals or insects
Dislikes
- Rotten meat smells
- Saltwater
- Thunderstorms
Design Notes
- Small, pink dots = female
- Large, blue dots = male
- Medium, purple dots = intersex
Trait 3 - Tail Tip
Duristel is a small country located in the Australasian region of the world. It is known by many as a country of safety, as it has low crime rates and plenty of job opportunities that suit every person's wishes and requirements. Duristel accepts people of a wide range of differences, whether it be race, sexuality or disability, this country is a safe place for all. The northern area of the country is home to the big city, where there are buildings and businesses aplenty. Despite this, the most populated region is the central state, Muranna, which is more of a suburban town than a bustling city like Hardale. The southern region, Talligal, is a dense pine forest with very little residents, as well as an abandoned dig site.
THE FOUNDING STORY
Around 200 years ago, what we now know as the country of Duristel, was considered a state apart of a larger country, closer to the continent of Australia. However, since Duristel was separated from the larger country, the residents felt it should declare itself its own country, rather than a state of a country it's not even physically connected to. The Duristelians ran this idea past the government, whom hesitantly allowed it. Over the course of many years, Duristel slowly made things work for itself. Duristel was also one of the first countries, following Australia, to allow women to vote, work and even become mayor!
THE MAYOR OF DURISTEL
For a total of 4 elections in a row, Sophie Rosaire has won the right to be the mayor of Duristel for 11 years. Mayor Rosaire is a very charismatic woman, often listening to and keeping up with things happening all in Hardale and Murrana so she stays on top of requests, drama and finding solutions to said controversies and predicaments. She takes pride in being mayor of the country, and is said to be the most liked mayor in years. Although mayors generally only rule regions of a country, since Duristel is so small, Rosaire represents the whole country as mayor and as a government representative.
DURISTEL COUNTRY GUIDE
The main island of Duristel is a boxy oblong shape separated into three regions, the northern one being Hardale, central being Murrana, and the southern being Talligal. Beneath Talligal is an island, but it is just more forest. Hardale is quite hilly, but doesn't contain any mountains, it also is home to many gum and pine trees, a very large shopping centre, and a peaceful lake. In Hardale, the buildings are more technologically advanced, and has unique architecture compared to the other regions. It is very busy in Hardale, as the city and shopping centre is located here. Murrana is home to the most gum tree forests and suburban townships in the whole country. It also contains primary and high schools, meaning that students from Hardale have to catch trains to get to school on time. It has the highest population out of all the regions, as well as the most buildings, although not as impressive as the ones in the big city. Talligal is known for its dense pine forests and abandoned dig site, that only very few know the story of. Here, the only residents are Suki Lemongrass and Mateo Brusset, who live together in a shack Mateo built for the two. Further into the forest, is the aforementioned abandoned dig site.
STORY OF THE DIG SITE
Many years back, before Duristel became its own country, the dig site was used to find valuable material and resources such as gold, silver, iron, tin and nickel. Many people from Australia came to Duristel to mine for these materials, which were most commonly found in the general area of the dig site. Over time, the site was ultimately stripped of all its minerals, therefore no longer attracting attention nor visitors, leaving it abandoned. Several of the miners that came to Duristel ended up staying there, making a life for themselves. But, there is also something strange going on in the ruins of the site...
What is the abandoned house in Murrana there for?
It is a key part for the main characters, because they strengthen their friendships with each other by all investigating it and working together. It also contains old documents with information about the history of the dig site and its secrets, which is what spiked their interest in exploring Talligal.
What are Sukiri and Mateo doing in the forest?
They both decided to move there as it is a place that emanates comfort for the both of them, they both see it as a safe place to have space from all of the people in Murrana and Hardale.
What is special about the abandoned dig site?
Directly beneath the dig site is a naturally occurring tunnel that leads whoever enters into Cherimoya, which is powered through the magic that Astatine, Francium and Thallium are able to create. This is a big plot changer in the story because the cave which the main characters crawl through ends up collapsing as they get to Cherimoya, breaking the magical bond that held it up, trapping them in this unknown island.
What is Marlow and Miles' role in the story?
Miles regularly studies the Yoro Islands, and is certain of a strange magical force that the people there are able to concoct. He theorises about the alternate world (Duristel) and how it may be connected to the Yoroan magic, convincing himself that he needs to find out more about the alternate world to further his study on Yoroan magic. Marlow finds the group after they follow Miles back through the portal to Cherimoya, which they were previously unaware of, and offers to help them once they show signs of distress.
Who is Solano?
"Solano" is Miles' alternate persona he uses to trick the main cast into thinking he's kind. It's a completely separate personality that Miles uses to gain trust from the others, although not all of them are so keen to believe him as others are.
Why are all of the main characters the wrong ages if they were born between 2007-2010?
At the time of writing each character's information, it was between August and October, 2022. So I kept their ages up to date between those months, and have decided they will be stagnant from then on. They no longer age alongside the people on which they were based.
Is Lightning still your fursona?
No. He never really was my fursona, he was just an animalised version of me, which I later based on what I wanted to be like when I overhauled everybody's designs and personalities. Over time, I've added things to make him more like myself, but I don't feel a strong connection with him; he doesn't wholly represent me. However, he is my main character and mascot that I have used since 2018.
Who is Nascha, and why is she not in a definite area in Cherimoya?
Nascha was Miles' best friend growing up. She had an interest in studying history and theorising about alternate dimensions. Being young and impressionable, Miles was dragged into this fixation of hers, and grew to like it as well. Over time, the two began scheming together about the possibility of entering an alternate universe, and would devise methods of transportation to said universes. Eventually, Nascha went missing, explained by her lack of definite location in Cherimoya. Miles changed due to this event, and after some time, became dedicated to completing their unfinished research without Nascha for her memory's sake.