Caterpillar Lore Masterpost
Caterpillar is the working title for a universe of my own creation. I am writing a novel set in this universe and have lots of OCs that belong to it.
Caterpillar takes place in an isolated community that exists outside of time and sits within the stomach of cosmic leviathan. The characters are unaware of this fact, and believe that their world is some version of heaven. Most people who live in this world were born here, but outsiders often come to it. Once you have entered this world, it is impossible to leave. Why and how people enter this realm is unknown, but it is never voluntary.
The world of Caterpillar is made up of a singular island, named The Beluga, surrounded by a vast, dark ocean. There is no sun; the world goes through long periods of darkness lasting months, and shorter periods of light, lasting only weeks or days. It is also always hot.
The people generally live in a village, called Womb of God, to the east of the island atop a cliff. It is dangerous to go outside the village as the island is swarmed with hostile flora, predators, crash sites, and other anomalies.
People designated to go outside the village for means of protection, collection, and resource foraging, are called Drones. Drones work in pairs, and it’s not uncommon for them to become romantically involved with each other due to their close relationship. Drones are marked by full body, blue tattoos. Each design is unique to each body, and only Drones may have tattoos.
The people of this world worship ‘The Elders’, a group of nine grossly deformed human-based creatures. The Elders’ bodies warp and break down over time- and when an Elder’s body deteriorates too much, a new vessel is chosen for the Elder’s consciousness. However, this process has been taking place for thousands of years, and each time a new vessel accepts the Elder consciousness, it is also accepting the consciousness of every vessel that has come before it. This results in a body that has hundreds of souls stuffed into it, which is what causes its mutations.
The people believe that the giving of one’s body is sacred. They mean this literally, and so bleeding, producing bodily fluids, removing body parts, all with the intention of gifting them to someone, is a holy and well-practiced act.
The patrons of Womb of God do not eat meat or animal products, as animals do not ‘give’ themselves for slaughter. But they do engage in cannibalism. Due to repurposed medical technology, they are able to both regrow limbs on a person, and grow cloned body parts like plants. It is typical custom, however, that when a body part is ‘gifted’, it is not regrown as a symbol of affection. Gifting may occur to signify romantic interest, familial ties, grieving, or any other type of celebration.
The language of this world can sometimes be strange, as it has evolved independently with random injections from vastly different time periods and places. It is customary to not only speak a verbal language, but also a universal sign language as well. Other variants of this language include rhythmic tapping like Morse Code, both for occupants that lack hands or sight, and for Drones who need to communicate wordlessly or in the dark.
Shoes are very seldom worn, most often they are worn by Drones when venturing into the island to protect them from stings and infection. Being bare foot is a symbol of safety among the villagers. Foot wraps that come up to the shin or above the knee are a common replacement.
Another observed custom is that when an occupant comes of ‘working age’, they will cut their hair short. Around the age of 16-18, they will begin to tie their hair up or cut it shorter than usual to signify training, and then around 20-21 they will often crop their hair or shave it entirely. When they are no longer working, they will let it grow long again.
OCs belonging to Caterpillar
Timothea - Page - Tiffishae - Fiy - (more to come)
