F.A.Q

[Carr]

F.A.Q
If you have a question that is not answered here, PM or PChat an admin and it will be answered and posted here as soon as possible.

Q: Do zumans have mating seasons?

A: Yes and no. While there is no general mating season for all zuman, the majority of the population do have their own seasons depending on their species. This does not mean they do not engage sexual activity or dating when they aren’t in season. This does mean that they will not actually breed until their season arrives.

Q: Do zumans have estrus / go into heat?

A: Yes, they do if their soul species does. Zumans who go through this will only breed at this time, though engage in sexual and romantic activity any other time. Considering how same-sex pairs and relationships are quite common in zuman society, both females and males experience this.

Q: Can zumans of different species breed?

A: Yes, they can; it’s actually quite common. Species is to zuman as race is to human; different but all the same. While some relationships are arranged by parents and families to try to ensure the quality of blood in their descendants (this is most common in Heavy Seeds), many modern day zumans of light and flight seeds tend to have a more human thinking. Often preferring to just date around and settle down with someone they love, regardless of species.

Q: What is a interspecies family like soul wise?

A: This one can really only be answered by an example: If you have a Heavy Seed bear that had both bear parents, and a Light Seed cat that had one cat and one tiger parent, breed to create a family and they have a litter of twins. One would be a cat and one would be a tiger. Twins are never the same animal in a family unless both of their parent’s blood is pure. If they had a litter of triplets, it would be a cat, a tiger and a bear. If they had one child first, and then two more down the road at separate times, it could be something like a cat, and then a cat and a bear, and so on. But since cats are much more common than bears or tigers, they would show up more often in offspring. It’s the law of zuman genetics; the heavier the seed, the more recessive it is.

Q: Are there any normal animals that aren’t zumans?

A: Of course there are. Just like there are other primates and such that exist alongside human beings. Zumans, however, are more in tune with animals' body language and behavior than humans are, so often treat them with more respect.

Q: Do pheromones work on zumans here the same way they do in the manga?

A: Yes, they do. All creatures, including animals, zumans, and humans, produce pheromones of some sort. Zumans, however are more sensitive to them and give off stronger ones than humans. The heavier the seed, the more potent and attractive the pheromones are. This is part of what makes heavy seeds so attractive and desirable; even to humans.

Q: Are there people around that have partial zuman blood that lies dormant?

A: Yes, people such as that are known in the zuman society as Retrogades; Return to Ancestry. They have zuman blood from some ancestor or other and a trauma of sorts may awaken that primal blood. However, there are two ways it can manifest: The primal blood completely manifests, as in they become a true retrograde with their own animal soul, or it only partially manifests, resulting in a human being able to sense zumans and even behave like their would-be animal soul, but remain entirely human.

Q: Can humans really not perceive any of the inhuman qualities of zuman, like in the manga?

A: Unlike in the manga and anime, for this forum, humans can see a zuman’s animal form if they change completely. They won’t tie it to a person or anything, but they can easily go “Oh hey, why is there a lion in the middle of the mall?” and everything if a zuman shifts in an inappropriate place. But that’s about it. So be careful not to let yourself go too much.

Q: Do Zumans normally look like normal humans?

A: Yes; Zuman [madararui] children are trained from an early age to control their soul-form. By the teenage years and adulthood, a Zuman has full control over their soul-form. Not only does this mean that they can make themselves look entirely human, they also can control how much of their soul-form they transform into. During times of stress, such as arousal, anger, anxiety, exhaustion, sickness, and/or injury, a Zuman may potentially lose control and transform partially or even fully into their soul-form.

[Carr]

Q: What is the setting of this forum?

A:The location is Banyuls-sur-Mer, France.

Q: When a zuman changes form, do their clothes transform with them? ?

A:No. Once a zuman changes, their animal form is left sitting on a pile of clothes, or under, depending ont he size of the creature. For animals larger than a human, clothes often rip and tear with the change. When a zuman reverts back to their humanoid form, they are completely naked usually.

Q: Can zumans talk in their animal form??

A:In simple, yes they can.

[Reed]

Q: Is there a food chain or hierarchy in zumans?

A: There is a hierarchy, yes, as displayed by the pyramid under Details And Stuff. The heavier the Seed and the rarer the species, the more respect you are given, and the more that is expected out of you. Some heavy seed or rare species families try to keep their family line as pure as possible; even flying all over the world to try and find suitable mates for their offspring. Regardless of said offspring’s personal feelings on the matter.

The hierarchy is more than just respect due to rarity or power, and more than just reproductive potency. It is also the food chain. The higher your seed, the more powerful your species becomes, and generally that makes you more dangerous. The hierarchy is not only influenced by the mindsets of people or the wealth a family has, but also by the instincts of the soul-form each zuman possesses. This is why heavy-seeds are generally treated respectfully--if antagonized, there is a very high chance that you are releasing something very dangerous that will not hesitate to kill you once it's free. Just like a rabbit doesn't go pissing off a wolf, it is highly unlikely for a zuman to purposely antagonize a seed higher than its own. Not because of the "human" part of the zuman, but the animal instincts make it impossible to.

Now, this isn't to say that there isn't fighting, or that a light seed couldn't potentially best a heavy seed, because once tempers are lost there's no guarantees for anything. But those situations are very, very rare. Simply make sure to keep your species and seed in mind while interacting with other characters, because while there is a person standing there now, a wild animal lurks just beneath the surface.

[/i]

Q: How "animalistic" are zumans?

A: Zumans, with time, are able to easily imitate most humans very well. At least, while they are in the company of humans. When a zuman is within a community of other zumans, generally speaking they will act a bit more upon their animal instincts while still keeping the "civilized" manner of a cognitive-thinking being. In general, though, zumans are much more sensitive to their surroundings, such as being able to sense that they are being watched, having stronger senses of smell, sight, and hearing than a human, etc.

Their instincts may only be tempered, though. Just as one can become their animal form with a loss of composure, one instincts can only be muted so much. The instinct to copulate is one of the more difficult to suppress, especially in the face of strong hormones or a particularly attractive specimen. Another is the predator vs. prey mindset, most commonly incurred between seeds or species within a seed. A flight seed, for instance, is generally put on-edge by a heavy seed during first meeting, even if it's only a mild discomfort. Another example would be a mouse-zuman coming into contact with a cat-zuman--the instinct to avoid their natural predator in the mouse would be incredibly strong, and difficult to suppress. On the opposite side of the spectrum, the cat-zuman would often be tempted to mess with the mouse-zuman, whether to play with them, terrorize them, or even push them around a bit depends on the zuman him or herself. During times of stress, all instincts associated with survival are increased, where a zuman is more likely to react like an animal than a person.

[/i]

[Reed]

Q: Are there zumans who are raised as if they were "human"?

A: If a zuman possesses an animal form, then no, they are always raised to be zumans. This is because most zuman children are born in their animal form, and begin to show their "human faces" later on in life, usually being fully-human by the age of three, but with parts of their animal-selves poking through every once in a while, especially when excited, hurt, scared, upset, etc. The only exceptions to these rules are zumans who are born with an "ape soul". This means that the average human genes have suppressed the zuman genes, making the child human. In this case, they are not raised as zumans, many of which are given up for adoption by normal human families, or taken to orphanages, in order to get a proper human upbringing.

It is these people, who possess recessive zuman genes in their DNA, that have the potential to become Retrogrades, which are humans who awaken to their non-ape soul forms due to extremely stressful situations, mostly near-death experiences.

Q: So why don't Zumans breed with humans?

A: Zumans can breed with humans. The problem is that human genes are more dominate than zuman genes, so offspring would more likely be human than zuman. Between a human and Flight seed, the chances for a zuman child are roughly 50-50. Between a human and light seed, it's closer to 25% likelihood that the child is zuman. A child from a heavy seed and a human would only have 1 to 5% chance of being a zuman. Because zumans only represent 30% of the world's populace, most families want to and generally stay within zuman populations in order to keep their children fully zuman. Zuman children who are born of a zuman-human coupling are called half-breeds, and are generally looked down upon.

[Reed]

Q: Do Zumans have a faster healing rate than normal humans and animals?

A: The rate that a zuman heals depends upon their animal form as well as what state they are in when they are injured. Some animals heal faster than others, and some may heal from more dramatic injuries than others. For instance, many lizards have the ability to detach their tails or other limbs and then regenerate them at a later time, while mammals do not have this ability. Therefore, if a zuman is injured in their animal state, they would heal as that animal does. However, if they are injured in their human form, they heal as humans heal--they should still see a zuman doctor, regardless. No human doctors, nor vets, if at all possible.

Q: Would transferring from one form to the other be harmful to an injury?

A: If the injury is untreated, no. When a zuman shifts from one form to another, the transformation is painless, and therefore injuries will warp along with the body to accommodate the new shape. For example, a injury to the arm would still be an injury to the front leg of the animal form. However, if the injury has been treated by a doctor, then the zuman should under no circumstances transform, especially if the injury required stitches, glue, staples, or the like. Just as clothes do not morph with a zuman, those wound-sealing materials would not. In the process of transforming into either form, these materials would stretch and tear the injury, making it worse and potentially endangering the life of the human in question. In cases of internal damage, it is very difficult to judge how the injuries can effect the zuman. Thus, it is imperative to keep any injured zuman, in either human or animal form, from transforming, for their own safety.

Q: What exactly do pheromones convey?

A: There are many different kinds of pheromones, that are used for a variety of purposes. They can be used at will, though sometimes secrete out involuntarily. Here are the major things they convey;
*Stimulating attraction and sexual arousal in a prospective mate
*Drawing/Leading potential mates to your location
*Alert other members of the same/similar species there’s danger
*Territory marking, telling others something/someone is yours and to gtfo
*Leaving a trail, for you or others to be easily guided to something
*Broadcasting you are in heat or receptive to breeding
*Family; recognizing others who share blood-ties to avoid inbreeding
*induce a bond between mother and child[ren]; "awakens motherly instincts"
*Emotions; happy, sad, fear, anger, uncomfortable, comfortable

[Rina]

Q: If a Zuman has a picture of animals in his species (though this can apply to other species as well) does it count as porn?
A:

It usually depends on whether the picture in question is of an animal or a Zuman in their animal form. The latter is basically a nude picture. However, since cameras cannot tell the difference between the too, Zumans wouldn't be able to figure out if the picture was a simple animal picture or something more titillating. Even if someone was to give the person in question the benefit of the doubt, Zumans would still have a strange thought of "Why does this person have nude pictures?"