User:Vivaporius/Sandbox/The Mikaegeny/III

Biology

Anatomy and physiology

As a species, the Mikaeans are for the most part physically indistinguishable from their human neighbors, possessing the same external physical traits with few notable exceptions. The Mikaean body consists of a torso with two arms, two legs, and a head connected to the rest of the body by a neck. A Mikaean adult's body consists of about 100 trillion cells, not unlike that within a human, though a high proportion of their body consists of undifferentiated stem cells. Mikaean bodies are divided into a nervous, cardiovascular, circulatory, digestive, endocrine, immune, integumentary, lymphatic, musculoskeletal, reproductive, respiratory, and urinary system. The areas in which the Mikaeans do differ from their human neighbors would be their distinct method of male-driven asexual reproduction, alterations in the reproductive organs of both sexes of the species, and the unique biological radio communication the Mikaeans possess as part of their auditory system. With regards to the latter, the shape of the Mikaeans ears, commonly-described as "elfin" in appearance, are in fact tied into the manner in which their auditory system operates, allowing them to "broadcast" speech over a considerable distance.

Physically-speaking, the generally ample and shapely build of a Mikaean female betrays their robust physical strength, of which they have in greater supply than the males of either species. They possess about 20–30% more physical strength than a human male of similar age and weight, a trait believed to be an adaptation of their larger numbers and the need to fill to provider/protector role within the Mikaean species. Likewise, Mikaean males are considerably stronger than their human counterparts, though given their scarcity and importance within the general population, they rely heavily upon Mikaean females for additional protection. Consequently, Mikaean females fulfill all of the traditional roles that would normally be performed by human males. The females also have proportionately larger and more muscular thighs than human females, with adolescent females developing stronger and larger leg muscles as they mature physically. They likewise boast a gross body strength 10–15% higher than in the males of the species, meaning the overall disparity in terms of physical strength among Mikaeans is smaller than among human males and females.

The average height for a Mikaean of both sexes is about 178 cm (5'10"), which appears to have remained unaltered throughout the majority of their recorded history. Mikaeans do not suffer from shrinkage or physical weakness as they grow older, as they lack the same rate of senescence as recorded with humans, and maintain a higher degree of physical health throughout the majority of their lives. However, Mikaeans will generally not grow any taller than the norm of 178 cm; anything greater than that deemed to be an abnormality within the individual in question. Regarding weight, as with height, Mikaeans as a species generally do not deviate from a well-defined norm defined by their rigid biology. Mikaean males will generally weight between 82 kg (181 lbs), while females within the species weight between 85 kg (187 lbs). Due to their clonal physiology, the Mikaeans do not experience the wide range of physical alterations expected within the majority of mammalian species as determined by diet and environment. Mikaeans are thus largely uniform in physical build and appearance regardless of their origins on the planet.

Biological variation

Biological variation within the Mikaean species is remarkably limited, even by human standards, where the genetic similarity between any two humans is about 99.5%-99.9%. Notably, there is about 3–4 times as much genetic variation within humans and 8–9 times as much within chimpanzees as there is within the totality of the Mikaean gene pool. Many genetic biologists believe that the size of the Mikaean gene pool may be even smaller as a direct consequence of the species method of reproduction, ensuring that only the same genetic patterns are passed down from generation from generation, likely explaining the universality of the traits commonly associated with the Mikaeans. This is not to say that there is little notable variation within the Mikaean population, but that the majority of this variation is more linked to physical build rather than anything more substantial such as blood type, skin color, hair color, genetic diseases, and cranial and facial features.

Based on this information, one can find the following features common within the Mikaeans. Brown, grey, and hazel eyes are the only three eye colors present within the Mikaean population, with grey eyes being the most common and brown eyes being the least common. Birthmarks such as freckles and beauty marks are present within both the male and female populations of the Mikaeans, and tend to follow a strict pattern throughout the entire race. Freckles only appear across the cheeks and nose of the individual, while beauty marks tend to form below the eyes and on either side of the lip. Hair on males grows to be short, coarse, and curly, while in females their hair tends to grow out into a straight or moderately curly pattern; likewise, the hair within the Mikaean population is universally black in color. Skin color within the Mikaeans is uniformly light brown in coloration, a description which has remained unchanged from the time the Mikaeans departed from Africa to their migration to their present homeland in North America.

Other traits found throughout the species is their congenital myopic astigmatism, a refractive error within the eye causing severe nearsightedness throughout the entire Mikaean race. This visual handicap has long been listed as part of reason the Mikaeans have been adverse to conflict, due to the inability to properly see opponents and defend themselves, the until the widespread use of corrective lens in their homeland during the mid-17th century. Because of this limitation, the Mikaeans as a species have heavily-relied on the use of eyeglasses, which have since became an important and identifiable part of their racial identity. Furthermore, due to the universal prevalence of myopia among their people, it has been theorized that part of the Mikaeans' preference for conflict avoidance was influenced by their visual disorder, at least until eye glasses became a common accessory within their homeland. Regardless, as the Mikaeans view their myopia as a part of their racial identity, they have steadfastly resisted attempts at its correction, with most patriarchs agreeing not to intervene the matter for the time being.

Despite their lack of genetic diversity, the Mikaeans have shown a remarkable level of resilience in adapting to new climates and environments throughout their history. It has long been theorized that the few instances of significant biological variety within the species has been the direct result of so-called "active breeding" by the Mikaean patriarchs, who proactively alter their offspring prior to birth to adapt to whatever needs they have deemed necessary for their clade. How this is accomplished by the males is remains unknown, but researchers have long surmised that the process may be instinctual, as a patriarch migrates into a new biome where he will actively spawn offspring with the best traits to thrive there within the limited genetic range available to the species. For example, the melanin levels within the Mikaeans appear to be influenced more by the patriarchs than external environmental factors, though Mikaeans have be known to darken (tan) when exposed to significant levels of UV radiation, however not so much as to produce the range of skin tones found within humans.

Psychology

Motivation and emotion

As is the case within the human species, the motivations behind Mikaean behavior and emotions is poorly understood. What is known for a certainty is that the Mikaeans place the needs of their community above that of themselves individually, resulting in a society which is generally less prone to instability and violence. The Mikaeans are universally-documented as being meek, bookish, cordial, and risk-adverse, preferring to enjoy their lives free of the worries that tend to plague the world around them. Furthermore, all Mikaeans display a significant degree of timidity and naiveté that has caused them to react in a anxious and reserved manner when dealing with outsiders they encounter. A Mikaean tends to be prone to bouts of anxiety brought on by the over-analyzation of an issue, which tends to eat away at their thoughts and feelings, and causing them to frequently withdraw from encounters with others. This is a direct consequence of their naturally inquisitive nature, which causes them to seek out as much information on a given subject, and attempt to process all of it, resulting in the aforementioned over-analyzing of potential problems no matter how minor they might be. There exists a universal love for faith and knowledge which appears to be the primary motivating factor for much of what the Mikaeans do, and out of a desire to see both fulfilled, the Mikaeans generally obtain what they consider to be the primary sources for joy and happiness. However, while this assessment is mostly true on the front, the Mikaeans possess as wide range of complex and powerful emotions as present within humans, which play a substantial role in their individual behavior and interactions with others.

The overall consensus is that while the Mikaeans are indeed a genuinely polite and caring people, they can overly cautious and apprehensive as individuals, and should their fears and insecurities become to dominant, then they can easily become hostile, spiteful, and manipulative to an extraordinary degree. They will seek to avoid conflict where possible, but will snap to violence if they feel threatened. While most members of the species tend to present themselves with as possessing predominately gentle and reserved personalities, they are almost universally-driven by their emotions, with the most powerful being their aforementioned passion for religion and the sciences, and the often times all-consuming envy they possess toward others groups and individuals. These two emotions alone are responsible for driving the majority of Mikaean behavior, with their envy fueled by a personal resentment for the knowledge or skills in the possession of another a rival group, and thus fueling their passion to learn and expand their understanding of their surroundings. Mikaean envy is especially potent, as it can extend to anyone or anything, and often the reasons behind these sudden changes in emotions vary wildly and are thus unpredictable. As a general rule, anything can potentially anger a Mikaean or set them on a path of hostility toward an individual or group of individuals whom they had once viewed innocuously. It has often been observed that the Mikaeans typically spend inordinate amounts of time brooding over issues beyond their control, though in many cases, have been known to organize secret community gatherings to collectively carry out a plan that will often produce negative consequences for the target of these gatherings.

The average Mikaean tends to be an extremely thoughtful individual who typically tends to be a loving and altruistic person seeking out the welfare of others, and they appear to despise injustice and actively seek out ways to help others such as serving as volunteers and being charitable. However, it has frequently been surmised that the Mikaeans do this more for their own emotional well-being than that of others, as demonstrated by their constant flipping between being emotionally supportive to totally apathetic in a heartbeat. Mikaeans in truth only care about their family members and themselves, and show no hesitation to use violence to protect their own. This is commonly-cited to be driven partly or in whole by the biological need to protect the patriarchs who are solely responsible for the genetic legacy of their species. Regardless, the Mikaeans often appear to follow a bizarre moral compass where they will, for example, sympathize with the mentally-ill abused in an asylum, but show little to no concern for victims of rape or survivors of war. They will likewise become unreasonably hostile over seemingly minor actions, while becoming timid and indecisive in the face of more direct transgressions. What continues to shown, however, is that the Mikaeans themselves are fully-aware of their odd mental state, and do an excellent job at masking their poorly-understood emotional intelligence.

Sexuality and love

Given their background and upbringing, the overwhelming majority of Mikaeans will never see a child in their day-to-day lives outside of a creche, which in itself is an extraordinarily rare event as access to a creche is restricted only to creche personnel and high-ranking government officials such as the patriarchs. The bulk of a Mikaean's recollections from their time developing within a creche will be sparse and fleeting, much as is the case with humans attempting to remember their time as infants and toddlers, and thus their memory of what could be considered childhood are all intents non-existent. Consequently, the Mikaeans have an uneasy view of children, with many being noted as holding an innate fear of children and childbirth, with the latter being especially terrifying to them as the predominately-female Mikaean race having knowledge of the biological truth that human females are responsible for the perpetuation of offspring within their species. The sight of pregnant human females is something which the Mikaeans find nauseating and unnatural, and their intense disdain for all things contrary to what the consider proper tends to flare up in the way of aggressive behavior, making them a direct threat to the safety of expecting mothers.

Behavior

Body culture

Main article: Mikaean fashion

The Mikaeans heavily concern themselves with remaining modest in dress and appearance, and their history with clothing and adornments reflects this aspect of their culture. Modest attire is preferred by members of the Mikaean population, who possess a sense of fashion which can be best described as highly-conservative by modern human standards. Body modification within Mikaean culture and society for any non-medical reason has long been viewed as taboo and to avoided at any cost. Modifying one's body for what is considered personal vanity is highly inappropriate in the eyes of the Mikaeans, and this attitude influences much of their view of humanity. Tattoos, excessive piercings, plastic surgery, and scarification are all obscenities within Mikaean society, though tasteful physical decorations in the form of earrings are perfectly acceptable.

Religion and spirituality

Main articles: Mikaeanism and Asranism

The Mikaeans are a deeply spiritual people, more so than their human counterparts, as the concept of atheism or doubt in a higher power are notably absent within their population. Uniquely, it has been found that the Mikaeans are heavily-reliant upon religiosity to function properly, and have been documented as being incapable of reconciling total disbelief in a divine force or a purpose in life as provided through a faith system. Consequently, this has historically meant that all Mikaeans regardless of background or life experiences, are religious to some extent or another. This is remarkable in its own right, as Mikaeans are often described - sometimes derisively - as needing "something" to belief in so as to remain mentally and emotionally sound. Naturally, this obsession with the spiritual has long resulted in acts of bigotry and zealotry among the ranks of the Mikaeans toward other religious groups in the world.

Thus when the Mikaeans adopt a belief as their own, they believe in it to the fullest extent possible, and will defend their faith to whatever extent they deem necessary, up to and including violent religious extremism. These issues aside, the high degree of religiosity within the species has made the collection of data on the subject exceptionally easy to carry out, as most are very willing to share knowledge of their faith with others. Of particularly note is that the obsession with issues of spirituality have commonly taken many Mikaeans to a dark place, that most often associated with the occult and pagan rituals adopted from their ancient history. Indeed, the secret faith of Asranism, which has been associated with witchcraft, fortune-telling, and even human sacrifices, is believed to be practiced by approximately a fifth of the Mikaean race.