Lilidae

CLOSED SPECIES BY HEN-TIE

In the beginning, there was only darkness. From the darkness, the god begets the light.

And after which there was balance, the world came to be.

LILIDAE LORE

The god created two beings from the dark and the light and he called them "angels". He then created the land, seas and mountains. The land was filled with bounty and thus he created humans to care for his earth and the animals in it. The angels guided the humans and hand-in-hand the earth flourished.

It was until man discovered fire and metal that they stopped caring for the earth, destroying its bounties. Saddened by the actions humans have chosen, the god asked the angel of light to help the humans find their way back to their old ways. In response, the angel used the power given to her to create little creatures that were neither human nor animal; they had the blessing of the god himself. Delighted by her own creation, she gave them a name, lovingly calling them her “Lilidae”.

The Lilidae were like humans in appearance, but blessed with an ability to fly with their wings which mirrored the flora they care for. They came to aid the humans through tending to the earth. Seeing this, little by little, humans started to till the soil again and once more, the earth was filled with flowers, fruits, and seeds. Pleased, the god praised the angel of light.

But why is it that the Light was asked to guide humans back, and not the Dark? It was the Dark that came first so why wasn’t she the favored one? No matter, she thought, as she will prove that she can do just as much as the Light can. And the deep-seated envy gave birth to her very own Lilidae. They did as much as the Light Lilidae did and she was satisfied. But when the night fell, these Lilidae of the dark started to attack humans, thirsting for their blood and doing what it takes to get a hold of them. Unlike the Light Lilidae who were fond of the sun, these children of the night weren't blessed by the god. Thus, they seek this blessing from the creatures the god loved the most: humans.

The terrified humans started to shut out these creatures they once thought of as helpers and aid from god. They turned to their fire and metal and drove away all the Lilidae. Equally, the Lilidae started to fear humans for their violence and hid from them.

To this day, humans only remember Lilidae as a myth and would be called fairies or vampires. But through those centuries, little did the humans know that the Lilidae still continued what they were created to do, and that was to care for the earth.

DAY & NIGHT

Lilidae are split between two subraces: Day and Night. The difference between them besides their behavior and diet, are a few physical differences.

Behavior & Diet

Day Lilidae Diurnal. Active during the day. They consume nectar, fruits, vegetables, and sometimes some insects. There are colonies that add fish to their diet if they reside close to large bodies of water such as lakes and oceans. They never consume red meat. When compared to their Night counterparts, Day lilidae are usually more skilled in farming, foraging, and practicing apothecary. However being a naturally passive subrace most do not know how to fight and hunt. They take residence in the treetops, and some have preference in high altitudes like the mountains. They are very family oriented and often stay with their colony all their lives.

Night Lilidae Nocturnal. Active during the night. They can consume anything a Day lilidae can. Usually they just need to drink blood once a day, typically half a glass worth. They get most of their energy from nectar and other food. Not being able to drink blood won't kill them but they will feel unquenchable thirst and hunger making them rather aggressive, crazy even. They also enjoy cooked meat. The closer they are to human settlements, the more behaved they are for the fear of being hunted. Night lilidae are also far more skilled in navigating in the dark than Day lilidae, due to their polished skill in echolocation and better night vision. They take residence in caves or anywhere dark, sometimes even abandoned buildings. Some are solitary while some stay together as a colony.

Physical Differences

Day Lilidae White scleras. They can see best during the day and don’t easily get blinded by bright light. They have natural skin tone from fair to dark. They don’t have spurs on their ankles. They have small and petite body types with muscle. Average height of an adult goes between 4ft-5ft, but there are uncommon cases they reach past that.

Night Lilidae Black scleras. They can see best in any dark place, however the better the night vision the more sensitive they are to light. They have white to gray skin tone. They have spurs on their ankles. They have bigger bodies than their Day counterparts, and are able to build larger muscles because of their diet. There are extremely rare cases where they almost reach 7ft.

Night lilidae curb their hunger by drinking blood as part of their diet. They're not picky where they drink from as long as it's warm-blooded and not poisonous, but have a liking to take from other lilidae (especially those of Day) because they eat healthily than most humans. This often causes strife between the two lilidae types.

Both lilidae subraces are very territorial so most of the time the Day and Night don't mingle with lilidae outside of their colony; although the Day lilidae are more hospitable to fellow Day lilidae. Despite being rivals—even sworn enemies—they always live close to one another as they always settle in places abundant with rich nectar and flowers. They could be quite competitive over those.

Hybrid Lilidae

There are rare cases where Day and Night would mingle, creating children who will be dubbed "Child of Dawn" or "Child of Dusk" depending on their parents.

• Just like one of their parents, they need to consume blood however they don't thirst as much as a full-blooded Night lilidae.
• Usually half-breed lilidae aren't really accepted by most colonies, so they often live alone unless their colony accepts them.
• If two different hybrids were to have a child, their child would inherit either the Dawn or Dusk nature but mix their parents' patterns and colors.
• Hybrids are considered super rare.

Child of Dawn Day mother + Night father They have black sclera. They have natural skin tone from fair to dark. They always have spurs on their ankles. They can grow huge just like their Night parent.

Child of Dusk Night mother + Day father They have white sclera. They have white to gray skin tone. They may not possess spurs on their ankles. They are usually petite like their Day parent but can grow larger.

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Lilidae have superior senses than humans, including the rumored sixth sense.
• They are capable of freely shapeshifting between their humanoid form and their “whirrb” form. Their alternate form is usually the size of small rodents but their Night and hybrid counterparts can be the size of large bats.
• They are very vain creatures, they always keep their feathers neat and presentable especially when courting another lilidae. They would sometimes decorate themselves by adding gem-like resin onto their bodies and enhance their natural body patterns. They treasure their wings and tail the most as it is not only aesthetic but they feel as though they have died if anything irreversibly bad may happen to them.
• Having "beads'' on their plumage is said to be a sign that they are blessed by the gods. These beads form after they are born, starting from the size of a tear before growing. Lilidae with beads naturally have a higher affinity for nature (or magic as some would call it). To differentiate this special resin from mere body decor, they are not directly connected to the feather but float closely. They often form by the undertail, but rarely on the tailskirt.
• Gender ratio of females to male is 40:60, so it can be quite competitive during the mating season.
• They are usually petite and lean because it's almost impossible for them to get fat due to their hummingbird-like metabolism, however there are a few exceptions.
• All lilidae hate walking, they would rather hover about even though they are very capable of sprinting with their digitigrade legs. Some even hate footwear because they couldn't perch or hang upside down with those on.
• Their lifespan is much longer than humans despite their quick metabolism and heart rate. They could live to over a hundred because they have a healthy lifestyle, however they look youthful for the majority of it even past their prime.
• While in their whirrb form, they could produce a wingbeat of 15-80 times per second depending on their wingspan; while in their humanoid form it's 5-10. Thus producing a loud humming sound whenever they fly.

• All lilidae love nectar and are always hungry for it, so if they are in the wild they will always live close to where flowers are abundant. In their whirrb form, they sometimes visit gardens made by humans to get more nectar.
• They can roost upside down without their feet and legs getting tired at all, having special tendons similar to a bat's. Though they only do this when they can’t find a proper shelter. They warm themselves up by being in a fetal position with their wings wrapped around them. Although when in a group, they huddle together as they roost especially in cold climates.

LILIDAE TRAITS

Note: Dawn or Dusk type lilidae is considered an SR trait

General information: The inner feathers protecting their ears mimic flowers and leaves, and are usually styled by the lilidae. Feather floofs doesn’t affect rarity.

Pointy-eared [C]: Standard ear shape.
Trefoil-eared [C]: Always has 3 rounded points spread evenly.
Florid-eared [UC]: Always has 5 rounded points spread evenly.
Crop-eared [UC]: Minimum of 3 sharp points and free-form.
Droopy-eared [R]: A pointy-eared that is permanently drooped.
Leaf-eared [R]: A tear-drop shaped ear without any points.
Wing-eared [R]: A drooping ear with 3-5 rounded points at the bottom.
Lop-eared [SR]: A long drooping ear that is past the shoulders, longer lengths can reach past the thigh.
Round-eared [SR]: Very round ears that catch all kinds of sounds.

General information: The base of the wing is a “frame”, the branching fingers are like the thumbprint of the lilidae because each one is never identical. The length of the branching finger sometimes signifies the age of a lilidae as it slowly grows as time passes, however they never grow past the remiges.

Same-sided wings [C]: Standard wing where the back and front are the same.
Two-sided wings [UC]: The back and front have different patterns.
Glass wings [R]: Part of the remiges are see-through like glass.
Sculpted wings [R]: The frame is dysmorphic and have unusual shapes like a hollowed-out carving, the claw of the wing sometimes points upwards.
Floral wings [R]: They have excess feathers on the frame that also mimic leaves and flowers just like their feather floof.
Blessed wings [SR]: Wings blessed by the gods, coating it with either silver or gold.
Blessed seraph wings [UR]: A very rare blessing where the frame’s branching finger grows a wing of its own.

General information: A tail that hugs the hips and backside of the lilidae, just like a skirt.

Round tailskirt [C]: Standard tail shape.
Fork tailskirt [C]: A tail splitting in the middle.
Scissor tailskirt [UC]: A tail splitting in the middle with longer feathers that can reach the ankles.
Ribbon tailskirt [UC]: A tail splitting in the middle mimicking a ribbon.
Streamer tailskirt [R]: A round tailskirt with two feathers that grow very long.
Ruffled tailskirt [R]: An intricate tail that splits into four long sections giving the look of a dress.
Crinolette tailskirt [SR]: A three-layer tail that fans out elegantly like that of a peacock.

General information: Additional feathers that grow under the tailskirt.

No undertail [C]
Racket undertail [UC]: Long feathers with rounded ends.
Trefoil undertail [UC]: Long feathers with a three-point “leaf” at the end.
Beaded racket undertail [R]: Beaded variant of the undertail.
Beaded trefoil undertail [R]: Beaded variant of the undertail.
Butterfly tip undertail [R]: Long feathers that mimic a butterfly’s “tail”.
Chandelier undertail [R]: Feathers in the shape of ribbon ends, with a string of beads and feathers extending from it. Very customizable.
Ornate undertail [SR]: Intricate beautiful feathers that have a unique shape and style to the individual.
Beaded butterfly tip undertail [SR]: Beaded variant of the undertail.
Blessed chandelier undertail [SR]: Blessed variant of the undertail.
Blessed ornate undertail [UR]: Blessed variant of the undertail.

END

Thank you for reading!

OTHER LINKS
Adoptable TOS | Official Masterlist | Old Lore & Traits Info

NOTE
For any future & current Lilidae owner, you're not obligated to follow the lore (but please follow the traits info).
Feel free to use whatever piques your fancy to supplement whatever story you want. Just have fun!

DISCLAIMER
I do not own the idea or any of the traits (bat/hummingbird etc.) other than the official art and concept as a whole.

CREDITS & THANKS
Lilidae Closed Species and Concept by hen-tie
(so please don't make your own without permission)

Special thanks to kanlamari for fixing my messy lore from 2017 and writing it into something cool
Special thanks to resilverflare for contributing the original sketches (of the whirrb feeding and roosting)
A special shout out to omigrim and yulcinoa for helping me design the whirrb form we are currently using
I couldn't have done this without everyone's help.

Also a big thanks to everyone who showed undying support with this adopts project all these years!