velkhari species (CENSORED)

a RE-DEBUT of my fetish based original species, also some modifications of the lore.
(sorry if the censure is too distracting )

UNCENSORED version: www.furaffinity.net/view/43419…

Species name: Velkhari

Description: The Velkhari are humanoid mammal-like species, their noteworthy characteristics are their expressive ears, Prehensile tails and elastic body tissue which allows them to exhibit some wild evolutive adaptations.

Diet: they are omnivores but have a preference for meat, they also fish, collect fruits and grow crops of their own, when short on meat they also farm insects.

Habitat: they live in warm and template habitats, like tropical rainforests, deserts, woodlands, swamps and coastal environments.

Male
Height: 1.50 m / 4'11 ft
Weight: 45 Kg / 99.2 pounds

Female
Height: 2.10 m /6'88 ft
Weight: 130 kg/ 286 pounds

Sexual dimorphism (evolutionary pressures):
Sexual dimorphism is notorious amongst the species, like in many animals females are larger than males, in this case however the difference is major.

Body build is also different, males are slimer and nimble, females are tough and robust, a few key differences in this regard is the shape and form of the legs and tails, males have longer legs and tails in proportion to their body, females have thicker legs in order to sustain a heavier body mass.

A difference that remarks itself is the pigmentation of both hair and skin, females have a human like array of colors all rather sober and bleak, males have unnaturally bright coloration in their hair, skin and eyes.

All these major differences between the sexes are the result of specific evolutive pressures, it´s worth saying that Velkhari are seemingly a naturally matriarchal species, like elephants the females form clans that survive together while the males survive on their own merit and seek out female clans to reproduce.

Velkhari also present a peacock effect, in the sense that males compete against each other, both with their attractiveness and in physical contests.
So how do the rather tiny, velkhari males survive in the wilderness while the females form groups.
Well that's another key component on the matter of sexual dimorphism among this species.

Like their evolutive ancestors, the Velkhari are inflatable, like pufferfish their bodies can expand into spherical shapes with relative ease, this rings true mostly to males as they exploit this capability most often hence they have the better adaptation.

INFLATION

Velkhari have rather elastic tissues and redundant layers of skin that allow them to puff themselves up, both males and females possess this trait.
However males have a specific set of organs that work in conjunction to make the system work, one of those is the valve, in males it's a sensible and trainable muscle, it’s basically the entry point for gas or liquids to cause inflation, females have useless valves mostly a vestigial sign. The valve is located inside the mouth and under the tongue.

The valve leads to the sack, the sack is a group of interconnected deposits under the skin, it’s basically the body of the balloon, as the inflation occurs around the vital organs, not inside them.
Females do have sacks like the males.

Another important array is the muscular post inflation stress ligaments, during inflation the body begins stretching in multiple directions, surpassing the size of the skeleton and distending it, the MPISL help to get the skeleton back to shape when deflated, this series of muscles also give extreme flexibility to the males, females do have MPISL but they are often severely underdeveloped in contrast to regular muscle mass.

So males have adapted to inflate, but how does it go, in practice a regular male can inflate to his max size in around 3 to 5 minutes, such size being around 4 to 6 meters of diameter. Obviously a fully inflated male loses mobility, but his acquired girth and overall physical size can easily intimidate most, if not all big predators.

Speaking of uses, inflation as an adaptation can also be effectively used to avoid certain dangers like drowning or falling of a high place.
Apart from that, males also use their adaptation in other less conventional ways.

Reproduction:
Velkhari reproduce sexually, via egg laying. Which occurs seasonally.
Males reach sexual maturity at a younger age, while females take quite longer to develop fully.

Mating is fairly simple, similarly to humans the male must penetrate the female and ejaculate inside her. If lucky her eggs will be fertilized, with emphasis on the ¨lucky¨ part as pregnancies are quite rare but can lead to great population boosts.

A successful impregnation can easily spawn multiple dozens of basketball-sized eggs from a single female, if the resources are readily available for her to consume. During the gestation period, a healthy velkhari woman will experience a massive growth on all aspects as her body will demand ample amounts of food. ultimately at the end of their gestation a female velkhari might end on a state of immobility.
Her breasts will also swell up with milk for her offspring, finally 20 days later the eggs have developed into a massive bulk, most mothers end up with an added weight of half a ton more or less.
the eggs are laid into a nesting place. they must be then kept warm and safe for 6 months, till they hatch. Hatched young velkhari are as helpless as human babies, and also need lots of attention, they mostly feed off breastmilk, but it isn't vital for them as they can diggest soft foods.

* Mating rituals

As previously stated, males of the velkhari species have rather competitive behavior towards each other, especially when it comes to reproduction, their insticts shoot through the roof.
Like in many other species, males must flaunt and display their desirable traits, in the case of velkhari physical fitness is a must, beauty is also beneficial and to top it off, there is their propensity to being biological balloons.

Mating rituals can vary, but one that "wild" males perform often is simply a display of their size accompanied by the typical beauty flaunt. In other words, they will inflate as a sign of openness and submission while displaying their body.

Sometimes when males find each other attempting to mate with the same clan, they will compete by inflating, either growing as big as they can individually, or in a blow kiss competition. On rare occasions the contest will end when one of the competitors pops. More often however the losing male recognizes his weakness and retreats.

CULTURE
Technological level:

the velkhari species as a whole is closer to the ancient human cultures in terms of technology, except from the fact that they have developed primitive aeronautics (as the females use their men as hot air ballons and primitive airships) and smithing.

Politics:
As previously stated velkhari are inherently matriarchal, this notion is reinforced by the lack of notable male contributions to their clan based society.
Evermore political power is inherited by blood, forming a monarchy of sorts in most clans, in others it's the rule of the strongest or smartest.
Velkhari have outdated perceptions of most things being rather primitive and basing their knowledge of the world in myth.
Another outdated idea is their marked sexism, as they see males as things or as animals, they also punish uncharacteristic behavior in females.

Another huge aspect is utilitarianism, as velkhari are adapted to huge population growth in short amounts of time, their politics are inclined towards taking actions that benefit a majority without caring about the moral ambiguity of such acts. This outlook is specially notorious when adressing the relationship between the aging population and the younger one, as the older velkhari often sacrifice their wellbeing to protect the youngest.

Social structures:
As previously mentioned velkhari society is composed by various clans that cooperate in a bigger effort, trading and waging war collectively, by upholding their own pacts and alliances.

A clan in itself can be from 20 to a 100 velkhari, often mostly female, however the tendency of "keeping males near" (slaving them) is catching up as a useful tactic in many occasions.

The clan usually has a single main authority from which all other authority is derived, however the method of choosing the leadership can vary greatly; ritual combat is one notorious way to acquire power.

Gender roles:
As previously stated, clans are at large female composed, so female gender roles are really varied, from nursing the young and nesting, to working the crops, hunting, building, being a warrior, teacher, priestess, etc.

Male gender roles are greatly influenced by female invention and intellectual development, as males are often seen as biological balloons they are treated as such when integrated into a community.
Relevant male roles include egg incubator, predator repellent balloon, scout balloon, breeding stock, airship, water container (in arid climates), decoration, ritual sacrifice, etc.
Of course males can also participate in activities that don't require them to puff up, but those are more scarce (fishing, tending the crops, farming bugs, childbearing)

Velkhari of different regions have their different cultural upbringing, as it stands there is a clear variety of beliefs, languages and practices, and they couldn't be generalized easily, however they are multiple major traits that can be recognized in most cultures of this species.

Religion: In regards to religion, most velkhari cultures are polytheistic, they also have ample amounts of myths that explain how the goddesses created the universe. It's also worth mentioning how velkhari folklore paints males as inferior to females, instead presenting them as things.

Traditions and customs:

The Velkhari have a relatively short history, and their customs are mostly based off, their practical approach to living or hold some religious significance.
A notorious custom in some societies, is the decoration of certain buildings with ballooned males, as a way to signal importance to a place or simply because of a whim.
Another relatively common occurrence, it’s a male's first inflation, this specifically referring to males born and raised within a clan, sometimes inflation is forceful. Males are forced to eat copious amounts of yellow berries which produce a gassy response and lead to uncontrolled expansion.
When a male is inflated for the first time, or forcefully integrated to the clan and bloated, the custom is to leave prints of the female clan members hands on his skin, as a way to claim ownership.
Must be noted that clan members don’t have issues with sharing the same male as a mate.
it must be noted that males being used as balloons is incredibly common on all kinds of ceremonies and celebration among the velkhari, much like humans have balloons for their parties.