Zodiac Overview

Species Overview

Ideally someday I'll finish individual species write-ups and make them more refined, but for now it's probably a good idea to have an overview of all of them since. I realized I didn't have that and that's sort of a good idea! What follows is a basic summary of each Siderean species, focusing mostly on appearance and some basic stuff with little tidbits about how they're seen by Siderean society as a whole.

Arieans
Element: Fire
Modality: Cardinal
Average Lifespan: 70-80 years
Average Height: 4'5"-5'10"
Habitat: Just about anywhere terrestrial, including cold and mountainous areas.
Diet: Herbivorous
Month Timespan: March 21st - April 20th
Gemstone: Diamond
Creator: Great Fade
God: Arietis
Celestial Weapon: Mars, the Hammer of Glory
Council Head: Hamal of House Vita (Military)

Arieans are based off of sheep and rams. They have hooves, small tails, rectangular pupils, sheep ears, curled horns, and lots of fluff. They're covered in wool, though the extent varies depending on genes. They essentially have wool where humans would have body hair, it's just way fluffier and more noticeable. Their hair is super fluffy as well, matching the color of their wool unless they dye something. They have a typical range of human body types, and their skin colors likewise fall in line with human ones. All Arieans have red eyes, however; the shade may vary a bit, but any other color is an indication of contacts, artificial alteration, or cross-breeding. Their pupils can be either black or white, with white being more common.

Aries wool is predominately white, but rarely you might see gray or brown wools. These variations are more common in mountainous and arid areas, suggesting they evolved to aid with camouflage. Arieans who live in hotter climates may choose to shear some of their wool, and even outside of said areas might just do so as preference. Horns are a big deal to Arieans. Larger and more outspread horns are considered a sign of strength and virility, while smaller and more tightly-curled horns are seen as cute and innocent. Like normal rams their horns tend to be beigeish, but darker variations exist, especially among darker-wooled Arieans. Some may even choose to paint their horns.

A rare type of Aries are black sheep, having pitch black wool and blood red horns. They're seen as a bad omen, as this mutation also carries with it greater magical power, rumored to give the Aries in question dangerous powers (such as fire that leaves perpetually burning scars and fire that burns away the soul.) As such, black sheep hide away from society, either finding safe communities or founding their own in far corners of Siderea.

They're known for being energetic, fearless, straightforward, and passionate, but also quick to anger, violent, reckless, competitive, and decidedly lacking in brain cells. Historically they've been known for blacksmithing, weaponsmithing, and combat prowess.

Taureans
Element: Earth
Modality: Fixed
Average Lifespan: 80-90 years
Average Height: 6'5"-10'0"
Habitat: Just about anywhere; can be found in warmer places than Arieans but less the cold areas.
Diet: Herbivorous
Month Timespan: April 21st - May 21st
Gemstone: Emerald
Creator: Great Fade
God: Tauri
Celestial Weapon: Venus, the Axe of Resolution
Council Head: Aldebaran of House Lucrum (Economy)

Taureans are based off of bulls and cows. Like Arieans they have hooves, animal ears, a tail, and horns. Their tails are long and whip-like as a cow's, though, and their horns are upright instead of curled as with a bull's. While they don't have wool, the bottom halves of their body (from the pelvis down) are covered in a thin fur called a "coat." Coat colors span the spectrum of brown, but can also include black and white. Their skin colors stick to typical human range, and their horns are predominately white or beige with black being rarer but hardly unheard of (think of it as the equivalent of being red-haired.) Their eye colors match the usual human range, with browns being the most common followed by greens. Light blue eyes in particular are highly coveted. They do have one unusual eye color in pink, however, which is slightly less common than light blue. Gray and darker blues are also uncommon, just not as prized as light blue and pink. Their hair colors are quite varied, but generally stick to darker and more muted tones.

Taurus body shapes are this: big. Be they fat, stocky, or absolutely ripped, Taureans easily have the highest average body mass of the Zodiacs. It's rare to find a scrawny Taurus and that would be a sign of serious malnourishment, as their builds are linked more to genetics than diet and exercise. Not that their diets and exercise don't keep up, of course, but you know. With Taureans being such a large part of the population, it's created an environment where fatphobia isn't really a thing since it's such a standard body type to see and has been throughout history.

Taureans are considered to be patient, kind-hearted, careful, and diligent. However, they're also seen as being incredibly stubborn and stuck in their ways, resisting change and refusing to engage with risk even if the risks are small and greatly outweighed by reward. Taureans have historically been known for being hardworking and level-headed, excelling with agriculture, working with animals, and creating with textiles. This has led to them becoming important players in all parts of the economy, especially as they're viewed as being responsible with money.

Gemini
Element: Air
Modality: Mutable
Average Lifespan: Uh... debatable.
Average Height: Variable depending on pollux; castor is typically 4'0"-5'3".
Habitat: Any and everywhere, but they typically reside in and around large population centers.
Diet: Omnivorous
Month Timespan: May 22nd - June 21st
Gemstone: Moonstone... or Alexandrite... I can't decide... but also Pearl and Moonstone fit Cancer better and that's in June too this BOTHERS ME
Creator: Great Fade
God: Geminorum
Celestial Weapon: Mercury, the Lance of Caprice
Council Head: Dioscura of House Fratres (Communication)

Gemini are humanoid at first glance, but they're really anything but. They're covered by a pitch black second skin, called their pollux. Their "human" body is referred to as the castor. First off, the castor already isn't all that normal. Some might have skin tones that seem close to human ones, but their skin tones range from yellow to oranges to saturated browns that don't quite match up with human tones for the most part. Their eyes break the illusion even further; they have black sclera, with their irises being either yellow or orange with any other color being unnatural. Finally, they also happen to have elf-like ears. So... maybe not all that humanoid at first glass. Unless you forgot your glasses.

The pollux is connected to the castor's body, and depending on the Gemini they'll tell you that they have full control over it, that it has a mind of its own but they're still closely linked, or that they're essentially two souls in one body. It really depends on the culture, but oftentimes it seems the pollux will act of its own accord, whether that's because it truly has its own mind or because it acts based upon the castor's base instincts and inner thoughts. The cover of polluxes can vary at will and need not be connected, allowing Gemini to create an endless array of outfits based on their pollux alone. They typically only wear real clothing to accessorize or when they need to wear uniforms for a job; for the most part they just stick to what their pollux offers unless they DESPERATELY want to wear something that isn't black. Even then, it's common folklore that a pollux will become irate if "ignored" as such for long, so parents will caution their children to respect their pollux or they're gonna end up naked right in the middle of their big presentation.

Polluxes are nearly always present on at least the arms and legs, giving their hands a slightly-clawed appearance. Another signifier of a Gemini is that every Gemini has two "tails." These tails are strands of their pollux that are typically fairly long that always exist in a pair, but need not actually take place of a tail. While it's common for the tails to actually serve as tails, they might also be seen atop the head (like rabbit ears.) Really they can be anywhere, as the pollux is a living being that can alter itself at will and all, so while a Gemini will typically keep their tails in one place they can always shift them elsewhere should they so please. A Gemini will take on additional pairs of tails if they absorb another pollux, though supposedly if a Gemini comes into conflict with their identity enough they may sprout additional tails due to that. When a castor dies, the pollux will dissolve and absorb the corpse, running off to find a new host. I already went into that in the lifespans section, though, so give that a read because I'm lazy.

Gemini are known for being creative, energetic, good with words, and good multitaskers. They're also sometimes considered flighty, manipulative, capricious, and exhausting, however. Due to being emotionally intelligent and having a way with words, combined with their polluxes making them quick and durable, Gemini have historically been known to be messengers and capable of fitting any mold. You can see them in any career, but they're especially known for working in journalism, reporting, writing, and politics.

Cancerians
Element: Water
Modality: Cardinal
Average Lifespan: 60-70 (freshwater,) 100 (saltwater)
Average Height: 3'0"-4'0" (freshwater,) 5'0"-6'0" (saltwater)
Habitat: Coastal and nearshore underwater areas, with freshwater Cancerians living near lakes and rivers and saltwater Cancerians living by the ocean.
Diet: Omnivorous, with freshwater Cancerians eating more plants and saltwater Cancerians eating more meat.
Month Timespan: June 22nd - July 22nd
Gemstone: Ruby (I GUESS)
Creator: Great Fade
God: Cancri
Celestial Weapon: Luna, the Shield of Immortality
Council Head: Altarf of House Genitor (Domestic Affairs)

Cancerians are based on crabs. Their interior is just a soft fleshy human, but they are covered by a carapace. It's not your standard carapace, though, instead creating light armor across the Cancerian's body that differs in design and coverage based on the individual. In general freshwater Cancerians have less "armor," allowing them more freedom in wearing normal clothing atop or alongside it, whereas saltwater Cancerians tend to have full-on suits of armor due to their more dangerous lifestyles. Both types of Cancerians have large, powerful claws that can crush and break apart most things, but as it would be rather unwieldy to only have those for hands they were blessed with the ability to "retract" their claws, transforming them into something akin to vambrances.

Like Gemini they have black sclera, with their irises being either white, silver, or a light shade of purple or pink. Their "human" skin varies between whites, grays, pinks, and violets, with all tones being highly desaturated. Their carapaces vary more wildly and tend to be more vibrant in color (though certainly never neon unless they've painted it or otherwise artificially modified it,) with their possible colors being silver, dusky purple, pink and light blue. There are rare colors as well, such as red, white, and black; these color mutations are so rare that those born with them will typically end up going down in legend whether or not they actually do anything. Red carapaces signal bravery and leadership, white carapaces signal the blessings of the moon and a noble heart, and black carapaces signal great intelligence and combat prowess.

Cancerians also have small antennae atop their heads (matching the color of their carapace,) alongside two additional pairs of arms. These extra arms aren't like human arms, however, instead being more like actual crab arms that hug the ribcage. They have limited mobility and thus limited use, but they can hold a little extra here and there. Mostly they just look cool. Cancerians molt once a year, losing their carapaces for a few days. They tend to find molting extremely embarrassing - as it leaves them as essentially just some sort of weird fleshy... human - and it makes their bodies overly sensitive. As such it's accepted for Cancerians to just take a week off once a year on short notice, since they're not of much use to anyone while so vulnerable and stressed.

Cancerians are known for being empathetic, protective of others, having good memories, and not being easily intimidated, but also are thought to be moody, overly defensive, sensitive, and quick to lash out. Especially freshwater Cancerians because for SOME REASON they get mad when you pick them up and fawn over how small and cute they are. :/// Historically they have been defenders of Siderea, always taking interest in making society as safe and secure as it can be in every possible aspect.

Leons
Element: Fire
Modality: Fixed
Average Lifespan: 75-85
Average Height: 6'0"-7'5"
Habitat: Areas on the drier side of temperate; grasslands, savannahs, etc., although they can increasingly be found in colder places too.
Diet: Carnivorous, preferring large game.
Month Timespan: July 23rd - August 22nd
Gemstone: Peridot
Creator: Great Fade
God: Leonis
Celestial Weapon: Sol, the Claws of Supremacy
Council Head: Regulus of House Nati (Entertainment)

Leons are based on lions, being taller than most zodiacs and a whole lot furrier. They have lion ears, lion tails, and they tend to have big meaty claws. They take great pride in their body hair, particularly facial hair, with even women often sporting luxurious manes. Speaking of luxurious manes, they have plenty of hair on their heads, too, with short hair only being common among children who've yet to get that much hair. Their fur (the spread of actual fur varies depending on the individual, but it often covers the forearms and legs) is absurdly pettable, existing in various shades of brown and tan like actual lions. Their eyes are like a lion's as well, starting as a bluish gray at birth and gradually becoming an orange-ish brown. Their skin, meanwhile, is dictated by the standard array of human tones.

Leons are known for forming "prides," large families of Leons that aren't necessarily all related that band together and form a community where everyone is responsible for each other's well-being. The heads of the prides tend to form a polycule, breeding freely among each other and helping raise each other's children even if they had no hand in their conception, although really they tend not to even keep track of such things. Prides tend to expand over time to the point that an entire city might just be a pride, with the larger population gradually causing disconnect and causing new prides to split off from the original. Members of a pride are fiercely protective over its members and tend to be catty (hehe) toward other prides, with many wars waged in the past being pride-focused. Prides are mostly Leo-based, but every once in a while the more open-minded prides may allow other species in. In general, though, it's seen as diminishing the integrity of the pride to allow non-Leons in, and those who are allowed into a pride will often be looked down on by other members. This isn't always the case, though, especially as time goes on and Siderea becomes more focused on uniting the zodiacs.

Leons are known for being encouraging, loyal, helpful, and great leaders, but also for being overbearing, bossy, overly willing to obey those they approve of even if they would otherwise disagree, and responding poorly to criticism. Throughout history they've been renowned as great leaders and monarchs and this continues to this day with many serving as CEOs, politicians, and community leaders. As time's gone on they've also broke into the entertainment scene, always seeking the limelight and a chance to show off their creativity.

Virgoans
Element: Earth
Modality: Mutable
Average Lifespan: Theoretically immortal, usually much shorter due to fragility.
Average Height: Varies wildly.
Habitat: Primarily warm and wet or at least temperate areas. Varies depending on subspecies.
Diet: Water and sunlight. Maybe some juice as a snack.
Month Timespan: August 23rd - September 22nd
Gemstone: Sapphire
Creator: Vast Glow
God: Virginis
Celestial Weapon: Ceres, the Scythe of Rebirth
Council Head: Spica of House Valetudo (Health)

Virgoans are based off of plants, and as such they can vary quite a bit. They're specifically based off of flowering plants, with some matching existing types of flowers, some combining different types, and others seeming altogether something alien to earth. They are humanoid in shape, but their skin (which has a texture more akin to stems,) hair (which is much softer and smoother than normal hair,) and eyes can be any color. Their body splits off into petals, leaves, vines, and other structures in places that vary depending on the individual. Their plant components can likewise be any color, being drastically different than their skin or blending with it and other colors through gradients. As these plant components make up what they'd consider clothing, it can often be difficult to tell where their body ends and their "attire" begins.

Virgoans are an unusual species, capable of changing themselves quite a bit and theoretically living forever. Virgoans are capable of "rooting" themselves; partially burying themselves and turning their lower half into a network of roots to obtain energy from the earth. This allows them to grow - which they don't do at all unless rooted - and allows them to gradually change their bodies as they please. Virgoans will typically root themselves for a while every few months, but they prefer to do it often and will make time for it every day if they're in a safe environment (rooting leaves Virgoans highly vulnerable) to keep themselves refreshed and extra healthy. So long as Virgoans have adequate sunlight, water, and get to root every so often they are effectively immortal. However, they're extremely sensitive to cold temperatures, fire, parasites, predation (pls keep your pet rabbit away,) injury, disease, so on and so forth, struggling to recover from any ailment they might receive. They can even die from just being overly stressed or uncomfortable, so Virgoans end up not living much longer than a standard mortal if even that long, leading to them becoming stereotypical tragic figures in media.

Since the dawn of time Virgoans have been coveted by other zodiacs due to their beauty, innate desire to love the earth and all that is born from it, malleability, and valuable products. Petals, fruits, and other materials from Virgoans fetch immensely high prices, and any Virgo willing to let themself be exploited a bit can easily end up rich without working a day in their life. However, harvesting these materials can be painful or risky, and in the case of things like fruits and the seeds within - involved in Virgo reproduction - are often of deep emotional value to Virgoans. Thus throughout history they've been commonly trafficked, with many seeds planted in captivity and raised to enjoy existence as a trophy that bears gifts. Within the past century or two this has changed, particularly as technology developed and Virgoans realized that wasn't the only way to exist. Needless to say this makes for a complicated cultural situation given the immortality of well-cared-for Virgoans - common among the enslaved since a dead Virgoan is useless - causing them not to find anything wrong with their lives and the raising of Virgoans being such a cultural norm that other species tend not to see what the big deal is. Some resent the idea that they should be more independent as they enjoy being spoiled and valued, while others find frustration that even in this day and age people still tend to look at Virgoans as exotic and helpless.

There are sizeable Virgoan communities outside of those intermingled with the other species, and they are often the ones most frustrated with the "domestication" of Virgoans. It is because of their efforts that society began to truly change, though these efforts have varied wildly. Some went so far as to abduct Virgoans to allow them to see the outside world, though the "freed" Virgoans didn't always take kindly to this. Other communities have always served as friendly refuges for travelers, found around oases and deep in labyrinthine forests and jungles. Others became hostile to other species as the domestication of Virgoans and abductings and trafficking began, with few opening up more in recent years but many remaining as fae-like figures, looking innocent and pretty but condemning those who find them to an ill fate.

Virgoans are considered to be diplomatic, attentive, caring, and hard-working, but also easily stressed, easy to manipulate, picky, and overly critical. They're known for being good caretakers and excellent at domestic activities, often causing them to end up in fields involving medicine, education, caretaking, and design.

Librans
Element: Air
Modality: Cardinal
Average Lifespan: Immortal
Average Height: Varies wildly.
Habitat: Anywhere and everywhere.
Diet: Rocks, gems, soul energy, and inorganic materials.
Month Timespan: September 23rd - October 23rd
Gemstone: Opal
Creator: High Star
God: Librae
Celestial Weapon: Haumea, the Sword of Judgment
Council Head: Eschamali of House Uxor (Mediation)

Librans are another unusual species, seeming inorganic in nature. They have white "skin" that seems more akin to a sturdy plastic. They seem like androids, what with their detachable parts that they can transform and open nigh-invisible compartments on, but at the same time they move and act as though an ordinary organic being. The oddness hardly ends there, though. They have colored sclera (always a pastel color,) white irises, no pupils, horns that hold a disc that spins with thought, elaborate filigrees across their body, and odd "wings" that hold scales. Naturally speaking, the horns, filigrees, and wings will be the same color - any, with silver, gold, and pastel colors being most common - and have a metallic sheen. Hair, like sclera, will always be a pastel color, and doesn't seem quite like hair. It tends to stay in place

This, of course, is naturally speaking. Librans can perform something called "chrysalizing," in which they form a cocoon - a structure that looks not dissimilar to a Faberge egg and represents the Libra's current form - and can gradually restructure their bodies from within. While they will still always clearly be identifiable a Libra, there is little limit to what a Libra can change - from colors to texture to size to body type to accessory parts... - allowing Librans to hole up for years if they so choose and rebirth themselves as new beings. Due to how difficult they are to damage and how incompatible most diseases are with their forms, this makes Librans effectively immortal. In addition they can shift their forms to an extent even without chrysalizing, though what they can shift and what into varies depending on the individual.

While Librans don't need to eat or sleep, they do require energy or they'll lose their magical capabilities and eventually enter a state of hibernation, with prolonged hibernation damaging their memory and sense of identity. They get this energy from sources unusual to other Sidereans, with their preferred snack being colorful gemstones. They also consume things like electricity, minerals, metal, and soul energy to fuel themselves, with some even claiming that the energy of the sun is enough for them.

Their immortality and weirdly inorganic forms make it hard for other species to relate to Librans and treat them like other species, feeling like they're to be held in higher esteem and feared a little. This has made things difficult for Librans, as they tend to yearn to be among mortals and act as any other species even though their immortality means they'll vastly outlive any friends they make. This does not bother them as much as mortals think it would, as they recognize the flow of soul energy throughout Siderea and do not view death as an end of being. Likewise, there will always be new mortals for them to interact with.

Librans are seen as peaceful, consistent, good listeners, and able to see and understand all sides of any given issue. However, they're also seen as indecisive, avoidant of hard situations, passive, and overly concerned with fitting in and appeasing others. Their wings are capable of "weighing" abstract concepts like truth and emotion, meaning they have historically been present in fields like law, diplomacy, and psychology. They used to be the only species hired as judges due to their ability to tell truth from lies, but after several scandals made it apparent that Librans could just fake results by moving their wings and only pretending they'd activated their ability a Libra's "weighing" is no longer considered law. Like a polygraph lawyers might seek out a weighing, but it's seen as a flawed system and more people are aware of said flaws compared to on Earth.

Scorpions
Element: Water
Modality: Fixed
Average Lifespan: 60-70 without life extension. Theoretically immortal with life extension.
Average Height: 4'7"-5'5"
Habitat: Hot and dry areas (terrestrial,) underwater caverns (marine.)
Diet: Carnivorous, preferring arthropods and reptiles.
Month Timespan: October 24th - November 21st
Gemstone: Topaz
Creator: Great Fade
God: Scorpius
Celestial Weapon: Pluto, the Misericorde of Unmaking
Council Head: Antares of House Mors (Death)

Scorpions are based off of... well, scorpions. Like Cancerians they have a carapace - always black, though you might see a slight hint of some color or another if you look closely - though its coverage is more in-line with freshwater Cancerians in that it tends to be unobtrusive and close to the skin. The extent of the carapace varies from person to person, but it's commonly found on the legs and always found along the spine and arms (creating hands that seem a bit clawed) at least. Also like Cancerians, Scorpions have claws that can be "retracted," though their claws are much smaller, more slender, and sharper than a Cancer's. They even have the same "weird useless extra arms" thing going on as well as black sclera, leading them to be seen as sister species.

The "palette" of a Scorpio depends on if their genetics are more predisposed for land or sea. For marine Scorpions - Scorpions that live near or underwater - their hair and iris colors hardly ever reach mid-tones much less anything lighter, with common colors being dark reds, purples, blues, and black (for hair, anyway; black doesn't crop up for eyes.) Their skin colors span a spectrum of browns, reds, purples, and grays/blacks. Terrestrial Scorpions, however - Scorpions who live mostly on land, particularly in deserts - tend to have much lighter palettes, some even having white or beige carapaces to allow them to better blend in with their surroundings.

Scorpions have horns atop their head and long tails with a stinger at the end. When a Scorpion stings something, the result depends on the Scorpion's state of mind. They have a mastery over the composition of the poison in their body, so if they intend to sting something they can alter it to be anything from a paralytic to a mild irritant to a fatal neurotoxin. By default it's a paralytic that will wear off over the course of an hour, though that's still a harsh consequence to pay for scaring one with a surprise party. They can administer antidotes for any of their poisons should they so choose to, but otherwise it can be difficult to find a cure due to the sheer number of compositions a Scorpio can come up with to reach one result. Making matters more complicated is that small amounts of their current toxin will be present in all of their bodily fluids; this is trivial to other Scorpions, but makes inter-species makeout sessions a bit more... interesting.

Scorpions are capable of creating a poison that will provide them with extra lifespan if they so wish, but this means enduring a full week (or even more if you're unlucky) of agonizing pain coursing through one's veins and some lingering effects thereafter that may never go away, leading to many preferring to just age and die normally. If they're willing to suffer through the unpleasant side effects every decade, though, a Scorpio can become essentially immortal, although rumor is that the years will certainly take their toll...

Due to the dangers of their sting, Scorpions have been historically feared, causing them to become relatively isolated. Over the past century or so this has increasingly changed with the greater unison of species, with Scorpions undergoing vampire syndrome. In other words, everyone thinks they're all cool and sexy and ominous now, making things really weird for other zodiacs when they meet an actual Scorpio and they're 5 ft tall and eat a spider off the wall.

Scorpions are thought to be intelligent, great at reading people, passionate, resilient, and romantic, but also aggressive, intense, secretive, brooding, and distrusting. Their dangerous reputations have led to them becoming associated with death, leading to Scorpions being often found in the fields of forensics, mortuary science, biology, and religious service, in addition to being a natural fit for chemistry. Although given how much of their chemical knowledge involves simply feeling it, they're often at odds with those trying to understand things empirically.

Sagittarians
Element: Fire
Modality: Mutable
Average Lifespan: 120-150
Average Height: 5'7"-6'5"
Habitat: Plains, prairies, and steppes, forming a sort of a stepping point between Arieans/Taureans and Leons.
Diet: Mostly herbivorous with some small game here and there.
Month Timespan: November 22nd - December 21st
Gemstone: Tanzanite
Creator: Great Fade
God: Sagittaria
Celestial Weapon: Jupiter, the Bow of Fate
Council Head: Kaustralis of House Iter (Education)

Sagittarians are based off of horses, and thus they take the form of centaurs. Their human halves span the usual human skin colors, but their eyes, hair, and flowing tails have been known to be any color. Sagittarians value age and longevity, so long hair is seen as a source of pride and many will put great effort into maintaining and decorating it. Their horse halves, meanwhile - including their ears - seldom go beyond typical horse coat colors: browns, tans, white, and black, and the same goes for hooves. In the past it's been common for certain families or communities to stain their coats a certain color for greater recognition, and in modern times many do it just as a fashion statement. Likewise, many paint their hooves or even cover/decorate them with lil horse shoes! Additionally, some Sagittarians may have white markings on their coat, unique to the individual.

As their forms can be a bit unwieldy, Sagittarians were blessed with the ability to shift into a two-legged form called satyr form, allowing them to interact with the rest of the zodiacs more freely without needing immense accomodations. They tend to live around large population centers instead of directly within them, having a long history of being nomadic and among nature. As time goes on more gravitate to urban lifestyles, but adequate outdoor time is still an important part of their culture, as is breaking rules a bit and living as freely as possible.

Sagittarians are seen as honest, lively, courageous, and great problem-solvers, but also as too carefree, impatient, restless, and too eager to take risks. They've been renowned as hunters throughout history and still take part in it today, but their hands-on learning style, good memories, and typical extroversion have led to them also becoming educators in all sorts of areas. Their centaur forms have high strength and stamina and thus can easily hold one or two people, so they'll at times aid in transportation, especially when it comes to touristy areas where customers want to take in the sights as they head to their destination.

Capricorni
Element: Earth
Modality: Cardinal
Average Lifespan: Immortal underwater, 200-300 on land.
Average Height: 4'7"-5'7"
Habitat: Underwater (marine;) mountainous areas and rocky coastal areas (terrestrial.)
Diet: Omnivorous, with marine Capricorni being more carnivorous and terrestrial Capricorni being more herbivorous.
Month Timespan: December 22nd - January 21st
Gemstone: Garnet
Creator: Great Fade
God: Capricoris
Celestial Weapon: Saturn, the Whip of Order
Council Head: Algedi of House Regnum (Law)

Capricorni are sea-goats; like Sagittarians they have a human half, but their bottom half is only partly hooved. The back turns into a long fish tail, with scales intermingling with their coats and appearing across the skin in amounts and patterns variant on the individual. Skin colors range from normal human tones to shades of teal and blue. Hair and eye colors can be just about anything, though with earthy and aquatic tones being the most common. Scale colors seldom stray outside of greens and teals with anything else being highly rare, although dark red is a common rare color. If that makes any sense. The goat half, meanwhile, falls under standard goat colors, and their ears will match. Hooves are usually white, black, or some shade of brown, with their horn colors always either matching hoof color or scale color. Like Arieans, they have rectangular pupils.

As with Sagittarians, Capricorni can shift into a two-legged form since their normal forms are horrible at navigating on the surface. Their two-legged forms - called faun form - are hooved like Sagittarians and align with their goat half but they maintain their big ol' fish tail and thus have to be careful not to knock things over with it.

Capricorni are in a unique situation where, unlike other marine species, their choice to linger on land or sea makes an immense impact on their lives. While underwater Capricorni are immortal, but on land a "timer" begins to tick down and they'll begin to age until they return to the water. They still have a much longer lifespan than other species, living around 200-300 years even if they never touch water again, but deciding to live exclusively on land is still considered a grave choice to make. Giving up immortality aside, Capricorni will still outlive the people they decided were important enough to move inland for. Needless to say they're common subjects for tragic romance stories, complete with rumors that a Capricorn may spirit their beloved into the deep...

Capricorni are considered ambitious, persistent, responsible, and reliable, but also strict, incapable of relaxing, insecure, and never happy with what they have. Their natures have led to them often becoming involved with law, be it enforcement, lawmaking, or judging. They tend to throw themselves into whatever they're passionate about full-force, though, so you can see Capricorni making strides in any field they set their eyes on.

Aquarians
Element: Air
Modality: Fixed
Average Lifespan: Immortal
Average Height: Varies wildly.
Habitat: Anywhere and everywhere.
Diet: Water vapor and nice scents...?
Month Timespan: January 22nd - February 18th
Gemstone: Amethyst
Creator: Vast Glow
God: Aquari
Celestial Weapon: Uranus, the Orb of Vision
Council Head: Sadalsuud of House Benefacta (Peace)

Aquarians are made of air and water, essentially making them elementals. As such they can shift their forms freely and tend to do so on the regular. Lacking normal bodies means they're immortal, and as immortal spirits they'll usually tire of themselves eventually and proceed to completely reinvent themselves. They generally have humanoid forms, though they tend not to form anything below the waist, leaving them much like typical depictions of genies. They usually have long "hair" that fleely floats behind them. Colors of anything can technically be whatever an Aquarius desires - though they might need to whip up something of the color around inside of them first to get it going - but usually they just stick to the standard blues and maybe white.

Aquarians can solidify their form if they so wish, either becoming solid like ice or gelatinous to the touch to retain greater movement. They can create "clothing" from their forms if they so wish, but many who solidify themselves like to take advantage of the opportunity to try on those cute mortal fabrics. It's easy for them to shift between their gaseous, liquid, and solid forms, and they'll often do so in the middle of conversations if it feels right.

Aquarians can control the weather and some feel the responsibility to do so for certain areas, becoming both revered and feared as gods. It's made some areas complete paradises while others are completely uninhabitable because a particularly rude Aquarius has made a home there and has proven difficult to get rid of. The only way to kill one is to destroy their core - a baseball-sized sphere of unclear composition that floats within their chest - which can be hard to manage when an Aquarius can easily make themself the size of the nice island you're trying to get back and their core doesn't scale up in size. Needless to say, "rogue" Aquarians are an immense security concern.

Aquarians also have some access to the Dream Sea, the Siderean term for the world of the subconscious. Sidereans are all linked in an unconscious network that has inhabitable spaces between, within which Pisceans can reside and travel and Aquarians can interact with. While Pisceans can enter individual subconsciouses, Aquarians can only see the space between, responsible for maintaining the currents that help Pisceans along and lead them to the subconsciouses most in need of their aid. Of course, rogue Aquarians can meddle here as well, making it difficult to access certain subconsciouses or areas.

Because of the power and nature of Aquarians, even in modern times other zodiacs struggle to interact with them like normal people even when an Aquarius tries to fit in. People just get nervous around them, either trying to avoid them or trying to suck up to them. Those who interact with greater society often end up in positions of power without even trying just because people are afraid of angering them and having their entire city leveled by a hurricane the next day. In truth, though, rogue Aquarians are more uncommon than people think, just as it isn't truly standard human nature to betray and kill like some people believe. Most have benevolent intentions, helped by the first Aquarius, Sadalsuud: since the dawn of time she's worked tirelessly to maintain a world where Aquarians seek to do good for the world, offering her protection to those who get sent to dispatch those who refuse to listen to reason.

Aquarians are considered confident, cool-headed, innovative, and independent, but also aloof, detached, flighty, and blunt. Their godlike nature has led to them being responsible for Siderea's well-being, maintaining a stable climate, warning lower beings about disasters they cannot prevent, aiding Pisceans in their dreamwork, and overall trying to maintain a peaceful world.

Pisceans
Element: Water
Modality: Mutable
Average Lifespan: Effectively immortal.
Average Height: Varies wildly.
Habitat: Underwater and within the Dream Sea. Those that live on land will usually at least stay near a coastline.
Diet: Omnivorous with a sweet tooth. Also, soul energy.
Month Timespan: February 19th - March 20th
Gemstone: Aquamarine
Creator: Vast Glow
God: Piscium
Celestial Weapon: Neptune, the Scepter of Ephemera
Council Head: Alpherg of House Carcer (Dreams)

Pisceans are based off of fish and are much like mermaids, with their lower halves forming a scaled tail. They have fins in place of ears and may have additional fins elsewhere on their body, usually on the arms or hips. At the base of their spines, where a tail might be on other species, are two long transparent structures resembling ribbons or veils that seem to slowly fade away at the ends. These structures are called cords, and if they are severed the Piscean will lose any connection to their dreamself. More on that later, though! First and foremost their skin can be any color except normal skin colors, though even dark colors will have a softness to them. Their skin seems opalescent in the right light, and many seem to have sparkles across their body like how other species have freckles. Their hair, eyes, tail, and fins can be any color, with it not even being all that uncommon for any given part to be multicolored.

Pisceans have two forms: Physical and Dream. Physical Pisceans exist in the physical world, but Dream Pisceans exist in the Dream Sea. As mentioned in the Aquarius section, the Dream Sea is the collective unconscious of Siderea. All Pisceans exist simultaneously in both places upon birth, and their dreamselves are responsible for what is called "dreamwork." Pisceans travel the Dream Sea to bring pleasant dreams to Sidereans, fight against nightmares, help soothe the stressed and traumatized, so on and so forth. They do not always work full-time, taking time to rest and idly explore as well, often finding certain subconsciouses they like to hang around in the process.

Dream Pisceans can change their form freely and will do so regularly to fit in one's subconscious. Physical Pisceans can only change their size and legs; like some other species, they can take on a two-legged form where they gain human legs, albeit ones with many scales on them. Like Capricorni, they'll keep their tail (and cords) in this form. As for size, when submerged in water they can gradually change their size, thought to help them exist in a variety of environment and let them better defend against predators (it's the ocean, Siderea still has sharks and all sorts of other chompy dudes!) The upper bound depends on how much water is around (they must be fully submerged to maintain a large size for very long,) the health of the Pisces, and how much magical energy they have access to. It's not uncommon for a school of Pisceans to transmit soul energy to a designated protector/leader through their cords. When deprived of water a Pisces will have no choice but to shrink, eventually undergoing a process called "dissolving." But more on that later!

The connection between a Pisces' selves is difficult to describe. They don't exactly experience two worlds at once, instead being more like separate beings who look and act the same and share a mental connection. A Pisces will receive memories and knowledge from their other self gradually, with them just sort of settling in their minds as though it was nothing. Say a Physical Pisces tried a burger for the first time and loved it; the Dream Pisces wouldn't suddenly be experiencing the sensation of eating a burger or even think "oh, my other self is eating a burger!", they would just have the knowledge that they like burgers filter into the back of their mind for later use. The two halves can communicate directly through telepathy by focusing deeply and bringing the ends of their cords to their chest. When a Physical Pisces goes to sleep they will temporarily merge with their dreamself, aiding in integration of memory. If the two halves have independent enough personalities and identities from one another they will "co-exist" instead of having their minds merge, and if they so choose they can exchange which mind will exist in the physical realm and which one will work in the Dream Sea upon awakening.

The cords are used for more than just direct communication: their cords are what keep the two halves tethered to each other even though they seem to just fade into nothingness. If one cord is severed on either or both halves communication becomes less frequent and complete, often leading to the Pisces' halves diverging in personality. If both cords are severed on either half then they completely lose all communication with each other, with the Physical Pisces being unable to dream ever again. This is extremely traumatic for a Pisces, particularly Physical Pisceans. Their dreamself at least gets to exist in the freedom of the Dream Sea, but the Physical Pisces will suddenly be shut out from something even other zodiacs get to experience all the time.

Cord-severing will often lead to what is called "dissolving:" the slow death of a Pisces from sorrow and detachment. With a good support network this may be prevented, but otherwise the color and gentle glow of their forms will gradually fade and the Pisces will become listless, eventually dissolving into sea foam. Their dreamself may dissolve as well if they loved the physical world or their other self enough, but they may also choose to seek out other Pisceans and send them to offer their love and support to their other half in the waking world to prevent their demise. As such it's rare for Pisceans to live away from at least a few others, knowing that they may need the support and communication if the worst comes to pass.

Connection to water is important to a Pisces as well. If land-dwelling Pisceans are kept from submerging themselves in water every day or so they will become unable to maintain their physical form very well, becoming smaller and being at high risk for dissolving if their emotional state is poor. Dissolving is practically a guarantee if they are also deprived of sleep and thus dreaming, making the combination of water and sleep deprivation the standard technique of unsavory characters for obtaining Pisces foam. The sea foam they dissolve into is potent in soul energy, useful for enhancing magic and said to be the key to ever-sought immortality elixirs. Being such high targets is another reason Pisceans prefer to live in groups, and on top of that they're often sure to surround themselves with other species to help protect them.

Pisces are seen as altruistic, imaginative, supportive, loving, and empathetic, but also emotional, weak-willed, naive, scatterbrained, and so avoidant of conflict and rejection that it causes problems and allows them to be taken advantage of. Their connection to the Dream Sea means that they typically stick to dreamwork and other zodiacs understand that's a legitimate job even if they don't always fully comprehend the work they do and how important it is. Physical Pisceans might take up jobs as well, though, commonly finding themselves in either the arts or philanthropic work.

Ophiuci
Element: Light
Modality: N/A
Average Lifespan: Immortal
Average Height: 5'5"-5'11" for their "human" half; their snake long grows longer with age and seems to have no upper limit.
Habitat: Pretty much everywhere, though you won't find them in cold areas unless they're being spoiled by someone over there.
Diet: Carnivorous, preferring eggs and small game.
Month Timespan: N/A, technically would be November 30th - December 17th.
Gemstone: Zircon
Creator: High Star
God: Serpentarius
Celestial Weapon: Makemake, the Staff of Absolution
Council Head: Rasalhague of House... oh fuck bonus zodiacs don't have houses

Ophiuchi are based on snakes, and thus have human top halves and a lengthy snake tail for a bottom half. Like other such species they can adopt human legs and have their snake tail just be a tail, but it's exceedingly rare for one to do so and many don't even realize they can as a result. Ophiuchi take great pride in their tails, with the length of their tail indicating how long they've been alive. Their tails can be any color and have any sort of pattern, although greens and yellows are the most common for coloring. Their skin tones span the typical human range, while their hair and eyes can be any color with greens and yellows once again being most common. Also of note is that Ophiuchi have slit black pupils, fangs, and have scales scattered across their bodies. Their eyes seem to glow a bit.

They have an assortment of other unusual, strangely angelic features. They have a golden halo that floats somewhere on their person, typically either around the head, waist, or the tip of their tail. In place of ears they have small feathered wings, and they rarely may have additional pairs of wings on their back and/or hips. The and is absurdly rare. They may also have additional halos, though supposedly only if it was taken from a deceased Ophiuchus... None of these extras - nor their sizes - seem to link up with increased magical ability, though popular opinion assumes otherwise.

Like Scorpions, Ophiuchi are capable of dispensing poisons, this time through their fangs. It likewise varies depending on the Ophiuchus' intent and mental state, but they uniquely can even dispense even healing chemicals. Not that they really need to, considering they have potent healing magic, but it's there in a pinch. A teeth pinch. Like Cancerians they molt once a year, with their shed skins being a valued material that becomes more difficult to get a hold of intact the longer an Ophiuchi's tail gets. Their tails will be sensitive for a while afterward, but it's less of a hassle emotionally.

Their healing magic means that they could keep themselves alive for as long as they have magic, although most Ophiuchi will tire of life or otherwise no longer wish to keep extending it eventually. Still, they tend to live a few hundred years, and there are certainly those who have been extending their lives for who knows how long. Certainly not them, as their memories naturally will tend to slip over time. These "immortal" Ophiuchi will often end up losing touch with reality as the centuries go on as they continue to use magic on themselves. To put things simply, the magical energy will begin to supplant their own soul energy, causing them to lose their sense of identity and feel more in touch with the Greater Soulstream, often gaining delusions of grandeur and muttering about the gods and the truth of existence. There are some Ophiuchi who have been around for ages who have maintained their minds, claiming it's a careful balancing act and healing-based immortality requires immense skill, a healthy body, a strong mind, and a solid sense of identity.

Ophiuchi are seen as wise, generous, crafty, and having such good intuition and ability to read people that many think they must have psychic abilities, at least in the background somewhere. On the other hand, they're also seen as unwilling to open up to others, manipulative, self-important, and condescending. Because of their immense healing capabilities and intelligence Ophiuchi have long been staples of the medical field. Their intuition and, once again, typical intelligence make them highly valued as advisors and consultants as well, with many getting involved in fields like education, law, politics, psychology, and philanthropy.

Cetans
Element: Dark
Modality: N/A
Average Lifespan: Immortal
Average Height: Varies, but it's rare to meet one below 10'0". The further you do into the deep, the larger they seem to get.
Habitat: Primarily in the deep abysses of the ocean, but they seem able to survive in any environment.
Diet: Omnivorous to the extreme, able to eat inorganic materials and soul energy just fine.
Month Timespan: N/A, would technically be March 14th. Just March 14th. And only part of March 14th.
Gemstone: Bloodstone
Creator: High Star
God: Cetia
Celestial Weapon: Eris, the Trident of Oblivion
Council Head: Diphda of House... y'know... the one.

Cetans are the odd zodiac out. While long ago they lived in harmony with the other zodiacs, after the disappearance of their creator - the High Star - the first Cetus and god of Cetans, Cetia, led an expedition into space to bring back the High Star. With Cetans already being fairly obscure, living in the very depths of the ocean, the loss of population meant that eventually Cetans became something of legend. Over time some started doubting whether Cetans were real in the first place despite immortal species remembering them, starting to think of them more as strange cryptids. These thoughts weren't always negative, though, as many of the tales about them involved them rescuing sailors at sea or marine zodiacs who became lost in the depths. Some certainly were, though, suggesting they were responsible for all sorts of shipwrecks and lured marine zodiacs into the abyss to devour them.

As technology and communication improved, it soon became undeniable that Cetans still existed, mostly living isolated existences in the deep. A few interacted with society here and there, particularly with Piscean populations, at times serving as their protectors. As such a representative, Diphda, was called upon around 100 years ago to be the voice of Cetans in the Siderean Court, and Siderea began to learn more about them. They are immense in size, never being below double digits in height. They have black sclera, irises of any color, sharp teeth, and white skin. The rest of their bodies vary in shape, being based on various aquatic creatures, though there's always a certain monstrousness about them. Their various structures and hair vary in color, most commonly being black but sometimes being other colors, nearly exclusively dark ones aside from red here or there. Glowing bits and pieces are common on them. They're immensely strong and talented with dark magic, having innate skill in water magic as well. They're highly resilient as well and don't age, making them immortal. Much about them was still under research, but all seemed well, with more Cetans starting to come out of the woodwork to participate in greater Siderean society.

And then the other Cetans started coming back.

While naturally no one knows what they saw out there or why they came back - and all modern Sidereans have to work with are ancient legends and the foggy memories of immortals who may not have even been born before the Great Cetan Exodus - the journey into space did not seem to be kind to Cetans. Starting around 50 years prior to present day, Cetans began falling to Siderea like meteors, causing destruction upon their landing and then promptly getting up and lashing out at everything around them. Their forms seem less human than the ones that remained on Siderea, and the vast emptiness of space and the apparent failure of their quest to return the High Star to Siderea seems to have eroded their minds. They seem nigh-impossible to calm down or reason with, forcing Sidereans to try and kill them: a herculean task that has led to the demises of many and the need to train people in combat during an otherwise peaceful time.

While the Cetan Invasion has slowed in recent years, another still falls every so often, usually every few months instead of weekly affair it was at the start and the daily event it was at the very beginning. It's caused tremendous damage to Siderea, though, and worse it's caused the other zodiacs to become hostile and distrusting of the "native" Cetans, causing said Cetans to isolate themselves again and even start lashing out themselves when approached. Overall the tale of Cetans is a sad ones, though perhaps the tireless efforts of Diphda, among others, will help recover the reputation of Cetans once again. Furthermore, while the Sidereans aren't yet aware of it, Cetia herself has recently returned with her mind and body more or less intact, but only time will tell what her intentions are and if she will descend from the Cosmos to answer for the "invasion."

Way back when the creators still reigned, Cetans were considered curious, protective, hospitable, and gentle. However, they were also seen as imposing, intrusive, withdrawn, and self-isolating. They mostly worked in the businesses of rescue, patrol, exploration, protection, and guiding, helping keep people safe and on-track as they navigated the sea.