Worldbuilding Dump #8 - LEM Ear Functions
Cutting off the ears of a Lotus Eared Macaque doesn't make them deaf, it's not their actual inner ear that's effected by that unless you really fuck up the cutting.
It still effects their hearing, it just makes it a lot harder for them to control what they hear
The physical shell of their ear (the glowing/petal shaped part) acts as an amplifier, a dampener and a focuser via it's natural magical properties.
Loosing that is very hard to live with, especially for a LEM with six ears. The threat of ears being cut is enough to get most LEMs to behave.
One can learn how to control their hearing to a manageable degree, most just aren't alive much longer after getting their ears cut since they retain the glow when cut before killing. The training is also difficult and very lengthy.
Other types of sound seals can help, but most of them typically bind with the ears own magic, and when that's gone, it's a lot harder to get a seal that sticks.
Whatever is left of the ear, even if it's just the ear canal, still has some of its original glow, just not as brightly as before, for obvious reasons.
Rotten Fruit AU Masterpost
(@scififeather21 psst, I got some angsty lore for you if you want it)
