 November 22, 2011 - 9:24am | By Bradley McMillian (recovered from a defunct SF site) Song of the Vrusk: An Artist's Reflections The Vrusk Respiratory System The Vrusk respiratory system is an outgrowth of the Vrusk nervous system (both run the length of the 'bug'). The Vrusk's spiracles are lengthy, hollow tubes which run from the underbelly up into the Vrusk's body to a muscle that serves as the Vrusk's diaphragm. All along these hollow tubes are smaller tubes (capillaries) that carry oxygen to all the other areas of the Vrusk's body where oxygen is diffused into the blood stream. The spiracles are capped externally by a flap-like membrane and internally by a piston-like muscle. The piston-like muscles pull air into the lungs and expel carbon dioxide, while the flap-like membranes serve a similar function to the human epiglottis (i.e., it prevents foreign objects from entering the vrusk's lungs and prevents the vrusk from suffocating in dust storms, drowning, etc.). Vrusk Song Vrusk have control over each individual spiracle in much the same way that humans have control over their breathing if they actively try to do so. This level of control allows the Vrusk to make a variety of whistling noises. These whistling noises in combination with mandible clicks comprise Vrusk speech. Vrusk singing is accomplished by relaxing or tensing the external spiracle membrane and building up levels of pressure by speeding up or slowing down the internal piston-like movements. This level of control takes a great deal of practice (much like human singers have to practice breath control and the like), but essentially makes Vrusk into living instruments (the noise that is produced sounds similar to the noise one makes when blowing across the top of a bottle). A fair range of tone and pitch can be produced with appropriate practice. In addition, Vrusk musicians occasionally work in mandible sounds for percussive effects. As the Vrusk became more technologically sophisticated, various harnesses and other devices were constructed to make use of the Vrusk's natural talents (e.g., a harness with tubes that cover half of the Vrusk's spiracles and acts similar to an accordion with the vrusk's natural breathing process acting as the bladder motion. This harness can also be hooked into a synthesizer, which allows for additional accompaniment and/or alters the Vrusk's natural body sounds). I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 November 24, 2011 - 7:56pm | A singing Vrusk's "full vocal register" might have similar aural qualities to instruments like the bamboo angklung, glass armonicas, brass water-harps, and theremin... by the OP description... I could also see them making sounds similar to a "rain-stick" in a wider variety of tones, amplifications, and durations than commonly associated with the actual instrument ... at times imitating rattle-snakes and tambourines. What this means for the average (at least typical western) Human ear, and probably many Yazirians and Dralasite as well... is it sucks... but to be fair, artistically it would be a delightful treat to many as well. Indeed after adding electronic accompaniment (likely the Vrusk preference), real-time and post-processing, and a variety of Vrusk specific instruments, even greater "noise" can be achieved... and even greater rifts in cross-species appreciation can be found. To add another aspect to this thought as a whole... Song & Dance would seem to be intricately integrated into a full body exercise... rather than fully separate mediums of artistic expression... though with diversity the Vrusk culture likely has as many "forms" of "Song & Dance" as the global Human civilization has provided Human artists in the same mediums separately... I can think of an immediate count for ~8 distinct currently active Human vocal traditions, and know for a fact I am missing many by a factor of ~10 for total possible... Oh humans!!  We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
 November 24, 2011 - 8:41pm | I can imagine a form of Vrusk dance and song that is done as a large group. Much like morning Tai Chi in some Chinese cities. They all sing the same song and dance the same dance as a ritual exercise. -iggy |
November 25, 2011 - 5:44am | I can imagine a form of Vrusk dance and song that is done as a large group. Much like morning Tai Chi in some Chinese cities. They all sing the same song and dance the same dance as a ritual exercise.
You mean corporate morning Tai chi. The whole trade house turns out and does this together for thirty or forty minutes much like a Japanese corporation in the '80s. Ties in nicely with the the canon statements about vrusk loyalty to company and seeing it as family.I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
November 25, 2011 - 1:43pm | Not limited to the corporate side but also to events and associations. Vrusk can have clubs too. I'm imagining sun up and sun down at scenic locations attract these groups. The Vrusk version of sight seeing might be to hike to the waterfall and sing and dance with the group as a way to mark the experience. I don't see Vrusk getting into the Human campfire thing but they will understand it as a parallel to their song and dance gatherings. Hey, maybe these gatherings also have food served afterwards. The food would be simple, effective, economic, and purposeful. Vrusk gathering to great the sunrise might then queue up and get the equivalent of a vrusk doughnut and then head off for the day. The chit chat would be simple and quick. Think of a flash mob meeting, doing their thing, and then going on their way. -iggy |
November 26, 2011 - 3:49pm | I like it... both versions and reasons. The Corporate Familial Morning-Song - [Chai'Ti Qind'Yagong] Promotes group health, well-being, and synergistic association... The Group Song Gathering - [Ti'Yagong-Tu] Most popular on special ceremonial days as a [largely misunderstood] renaissance recreation, but many settlements conduct weekly gatherings in both open-group and closed-group forms... Ti'kles Mipnk are often closed-group Vrusk socials, that host weekly ceremonial Ti'Yagong-Tu outings... but add to these festivities with promiscuous behaviors not expressly appreciated, or frequently discussed, by the more socially open and conservative population majority. Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
November 27, 2011 - 11:32am | @spiritC : promiscuous behavior in a vrusk? I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
December 2, 2011 - 4:53am | Yes, the chit chat would likely be simple and quick... a flash mob meeting, doing their thing, and then going on their way... but all under the ambiance of background accompaniament from live vocal singers, spontaneous interpretive dance, and the natural vistas chosen by the particular mutual agreements social sodality[sic] hosting the casual gathering... it is a social gathering often viewed as a "renaissance recreation" by a more socially open and conservative majority... and as a "reconnection to ancient roots" by the often less socially open sodalities[sic]. I am in agreeance that Vrusk could have clubs also, and even be somewhat socially spontaneous... and within the context of their rather alien mindset, act with behaviors that humans might find difficult relating to resource management and social economics, but makes perfect sense to them... after that they are living social organisms and would no doubt be instinctually inclined to engage in activities evolutionally designed to promote their continuance of resource management and social economics... and any such gathering of Vrusk is a fine place for biology to reintroduce itself with a little song and dance. The sound of the Vrusk Solidarity, as the song has come to be known, around the outskirts of an urban area could be the reason to spend a night in a hotel with your balcony doors open... if you are inclined to appreciate eavesdropping on the bugs life... some Humans are able to appreciate such natural ambiance events... some Environmental and Life Science types may be a little squeamish about it tho'... either way the Vrusk don't talk about it much, it just is what it is, another management of civil resources. I am just brainstorming with everyone else here, taking what I saw in iggy's post there, and viewing the Song and Dance medium in a perspective of The Social Vrusk, it was a refreshing consideration to make.. it puts more life into what can so easily become a bunch of stuffy-little-resource-managers-in-bug-suits the corporate life being only one aspect of The-Social-Vrusk ... Song and Dance being an artistic medium based on story and communication in a human frame of reference, the Vrusk need something that ties it into their particular differences and still keeps it a social outlet... so they don't become far-too-alien. Note, I make a distinction between the casual gathering open to even off-worlders, primarily used for entertainment and relaxation - and the gatherings of the social sodalities[sic], some may or may-not be legal binding contracts or some just spontaneous social contracts, and do not preclude the corporate pairing contracts discussed in other posts more focused on the topic. (mixed - indiscriminate - haphazard - consisting of parts, elements, or individuals of different kinds - brought together without order) Yes, the promiscuous Vrusk  you had me look up the word to be sure I used it correctly, it has several meanings and the common association is only a small aspect of the definition. Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
November 28, 2011 - 5:13am | I'm just trying to reconcile the idea of a creature coming from a hive background where one would assume, with a very typical Earth-centric bias, that only one individual was having sex to a modern bug engaging in casual sex, luckily for the males there doesn't seem to be any sexual cannibalism. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
December 2, 2011 - 4:55am |  I know right!Considering the nature of The Social Vrusk as presented in various sources as being capable of pair bonding, potentially clutch bearing, and somewhat structured around some form of communal breeding... promiscuity and opportunistic behavior seems to me to be a pragmatically acceptable possibility for the Vrusk... such that, while ~80% of Vrusk may be socially monogamous, ~33% of the larvae in any clutch are sired by someone other than the resident male. [sniped off topic] sexual cannibalism [// to more related thread] The casual gathering for Song & Dance is a very likely candidate for a vestigial Courtship display behavior. The extent to which it is used for entertainment or propagation, may depend largely on the social customs directly involved in the attitudes of a colony on social order and archaic (hive-like) practices, but not likely backed by any Vrusk sensibilities in regard to morality. The entire event just is what it is to the pragmatic Vrusk, another management of civil resources, and a possible reaffirmation of Social Identity in the collective community. Attitudes may vary colony to colony, corporation to corporation, individual to individual, on the benefit and cost of such possibly frivolous expenditures, but not on the activities themselves. The Chai'Ti Qind'Yagong (Corporate Familial Morning-Song), may be taken to extremes in some cases, designed to replace the Ti'Yagong-Tu (The Group Song Gahering) and even reassert the Corporate Identity over colony Social Identity, by replacing itself as the Ti'kles Mipnk (social sodality[sic]) with binding contracts of "domestic integrity and mutual responsibility" within the "corporate family". Of course individual pair-bonds, and non-corporate social sodalities[sic], may also develop binding contracts that accomplish the same result, to varying degrees under the customs of different colonies. Vrusk Sociobiology - Hives from Subsocial to Eusocial and back again... An overview of the Vrusk maps to a variety of Earth-centric Taxonomic categories, having a variety of biological and behavioral traits associated with several species of Earth insects, they are not unlike Farmer Ants, Social Spiders, Mantis, or Caterpillars, but rather hold to some new catagory like Xeno-Insectoid-Hominidae (Alien Insects with Man Like Intellegence - and General Physical Structure) and are likely as biologically diverse as Hominidae on Earth. Thus, one could see the "taxinomical tree" containing cousins much more like all of those Earth-like counterparts (Ants, Spiders, Mantis, Caterpillars) and the Vrusk in some branch category, such as... Xeno-Insectoid-Hominini / \ Xeno-Insectoid-Homo Xeno-Insectiod-Pan ... and these still being further divided into a variety of - living and extinct - sub-variants, and biological and cultural ethnicities. ... at some point the biological tendencies of the Hive-mind and Hive-structure, gives way to Modern Vrusk and it's more casual approach and vestigial behaviours based on previous instinctual biology, the gender ratios become more balanced, and the early civilization of Modern Vrusk begins. At some later point, evolving divergences in ethnicity (biological and cultural) cause conflicts in contrasting social structures (a varity of hive-like structures and ethical-philosophies exist and can conflict) while; general advancements in technology, rising economic tensions, and cultural conflicts become physical, several social collapses precede restructure in further social evolution, and new orders promulgate new directives. Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
November 28, 2011 - 10:31pm | Thespiritcoyote gives me another idea for a Vrusk racial behavior. I see it as perfectly natural for a random vrusk with some exciting or important information to wander up to another random vrusk and absent mindedly pass this information on silently through antennae, hand/body gestures, and muted or absent clicks/sounds. The encounter will be brief, polite, and of open information. Passing information that is private or personal would never be passed this way. But saying, "Hey! the Vrusk Super Bombers just beat the Human Son's of The Red Sox in the Frontier World Series" would be totally appropriate. This behavioral twist would be annoying to many humans, very aggravating to yazirians, and amusing to dralasites. Vrusk take it as a natural part of being "plugged-in" to Vrusk society. -iggy |
November 29, 2011 - 3:29am | Nice, true biology at work there... I had thought about some of the peculiarities that insectile communication meathds opens to the Vrusk that makes differences truly unique and exclusive (clicking cliquishness, one might say if socially abused at another's expense), but never managed to see it quite so succinctly utilitarian as you put it. A Logic Check extension even, as it is a rather behaviorally focused passing of suitable (subtitle?) content, and could possibly be done at some distance... direct touch, mutual attention, perhaps personal familiarity, might give bonuses to the checks and potential complexity at either end. Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
November 29, 2011 - 3:58am | I'm suddenly reminded of a honey bee doing a buzzing dance at the hive to tell other bees where a new source of pollen or nectar is. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
November 29, 2011 - 4:04am | Thespiritcoyote gives me another idea for a Vrusk racial behavior. I see it as perfectly natural for a random vrusk with some exciting or important information to wander up to another random vrusk and absent mindedly pass this information on silently through antennae, hand/body gestures, and muted or absent clicks/sounds. The encounter will be brief, polite, and of open information. Passing information that is private or personal would never be passed this way. But saying, "Hey! the Vrusk Super Bombers just beat the Human Son's of The Red Sox in the Frontier World Series" would be totally appropriate.
A common scene played out when a vrusk is near death is the passing on of important information. Not in the way a human would: "Tell my wife I love her." But rather important information related to the company, a project, or etc. With the focus being the prosperity of the company or project not personal relationships.This behavioral twist would be annoying to many humans, very aggravating to yazirians, and amusing to dralasites. Vrusk take it as a natural part of being "plugged-in" to Vrusk society. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
November 29, 2011 - 5:17am | The various social Apocrita, I knew I was missing one... but it was late and I was feeling rather too-wordy already. Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
November 29, 2011 - 5:47am | BTW the comment about sexual canniblism was not meant to be a serious consideration form the vrusk genetic make up. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
November 30, 2011 - 7:17am | I thk 2 mch cmprtn wd crpt cntnt wd b | lk ~ txt msg !~ corp .doc of hi imprt w/ a hi-deg/failr 2b expct 4 info loss ths is != 2b mch use as a lit > ~clssc wrks com wd b trans=.Deltatime n rl spch Lossy information being a trade-off for speed, I would expect quality and quantity more like this. The importance of familiarity of the recipeint with the transmitter, and even the importance of similarity in social, vocational, and personal, environments and experiences is high. Simple statements, and a synergistic effect on team efforts greater than Human norm, but not really a "full-language" in and of itself. I figured it wasn't  made me laugh though!  and got me thinking...  That part has been sniped for brevity, and shifted to the more appropriate topic, and expanded more suitably to reflect my general thoughts on that subject specifically. Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
November 30, 2011 - 10:22am | As an OTH item, since the Song & Dance socials have a very specific meaning that may or may not be acknowledged by the culture en masse, and this still leaves some considerable room for a "pure entertainment artistic medium"... Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
November 30, 2011 - 11:04am | The book explicitly states they love art and beauty so I think they are very creative. aHowever the possibility that they engage in ritualistic dance and song as a soothing of their senses against the chaos they see around them makes a lot of sense. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
November 30, 2011 - 11:28am | agreed... that seems to be the more viable focus. I suppose a few could still be more inclined to appreciate chaos theory and quantum flux mechanics... and therefore be more receptive of the beauty in "chaotic artistic arrangements" and "fluctuating disruptive contrasts"... but it seems, simple predictive soothing and repetitive progressions, are the order of the day... Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
November 30, 2011 - 12:54pm | Well, then the thing I really like about the vrusk is that their artist don't go in for throwing globs a paint against a canvas and call it art. That's not to say they don't do impressionistic or abstract art, that even within those styles they like structure. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
November 30, 2011 - 7:54pm | pretty much what I was thinking also... "The Plaid Permutation" might be an adequate translation of a Vrusk classic "abstract" painting... that Humans describe as appearing like "...a rainbow colored sheet of chain-mail hexes". Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
November 30, 2011 - 8:13pm | I dont agree about the chain mail hexes because I'm thinking of an abstract painting I have squirrelled away in my studio that is actually an abstract of another painting called Abraham's Sacrifice- some people see a "chicken pissing" but its actually a lovely painting with internal structure and beauty that I think will appeal to a vrusk. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
December 1, 2011 - 11:19am | I was just putting an example of an abstract painting that came to mind out there, with a context that frames it in the Vrusk experience... not trying to pigeon-hole the variety of artistic cliques available to the impressionist category. Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
December 1, 2011 - 8:28pm | Well this has been an interesting thread and discussion, rather surprised me with the ammount of activity, collaboration and interesting ideas that came up here. Sort of inspired me to do a little fiction based on the discussion: http://www.starfrontiers.us/node/5985 The vrusk character was created a while ago in the T&A campaign write up: http://www.starfrontiers.us/node/5485 Not sure I like the title for it perhaps "A Vrusk on the Edge" might be a better one I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
December 2, 2011 - 5:25am | I realised I used a rather uncommon word... so for verification that it was not a typo, and general heads-up due to my inability to distinguish the similarity in my own post at a casual read - sodality: A confraternity or association, fraternity, friendship, brotherhood, fellowship. I did pick it because of it's simi-homophone solidarity, historic association, but not outright limiting use, to religiosity and thus near-spiritual connotation, and thus connection with the marital aspects of the more tight-knit social circles. For reference, I have edited the previous posts with an editorial inclusion on the occurrences of the term. @jedion None of the previous is a challenge to any technical parts of the story... it is awesome as is, and I wouldn't assume you missed that distinction from reading it, merely putting it out there for others that might - as I did when rereading my own post - visually confuse the term as a typo and read it as solidarity. Wonderful story ::applause:: very much captures the aesthetics of these themes, and given from a social-hybrid view in the 3rd person narative was a good introductory choice. Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
December 2, 2011 - 5:11am | So spiritC, what are you saying? Do you recommend that I change the use of solidarity in my fiction? I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
December 2, 2011 - 5:52am | since you make no direct reference to a specific sodality - and rather have him included abstractly in what ambiguously may be other loose sodalities, as a "familiar outsider" archetype given in a "passing overview" narrative - and his social standing is not in a place that makes a true union a life focus, either from his own possible social unawareness of that deeper connection, or an assumption of the other Vrusks that "everyone knows the sky is red" and haven't communicated the obvious to him in a meaningful way - or both ... no it works just as it is, it is beautiful. From an internally "vruskocentric-view" social perspective... he is obviously a social-double reject and has "aloofness" appropriate to that, from a humanocentric-view social perspective... he is an animal-cub orphan living in a different jungle, and will focus on different life-goals than the "other-world" would have made available to him as he matures.... like Tarzan or Mogley he will never truely belong to either world... but the family that rasied him (Humans) is "home". Told from the 3d person narrative the bridge between these gaps is well played, and yet the (expected) human reader is given no more information than the character acknowledges internally at the specific time in the causality. love it... it's art XD [babbles more abstractified litterary rubbish in fawnification over the qualitical fundamentalities involved in the work] Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
December 2, 2011 - 6:12am | I thought that in the context of a university that the vrusk students and faculty, having been separated from their individual institutions and communities would very naturally group together forming a community, though temporary, while at school. That while gathered into a temporary community they are willing to express sodality and solidarity with each other that the emotional life of a vrusk is very rich but finds its focus and out let in these song and dance routines. Thus a college campus becomes an ideal place for an outsider to find acceptance. I doubt that the impulse to attend reunions is all that strong for a vrusk though if two former class mates bumped into each other in a Star Port where space weather has caused shuttle delays and cancellations that they might spend time in each other company catching up though the conversation would focus on each individual's pride in his or her company. Perhaps after having slept in the starport lounge they might do a gathering song together. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
December 2, 2011 - 7:39am | That is how I would see it too... students flirting with social bonding customs in typical fashion... makes sense.... temporary sodalities would no doubt be common around temporary communes like these... Some Vrusk acquaintance cliques may become more than casual and possibly stabilize into a social contract of informal sodality... over longer terms they may even make it binding... Many would wait until they begin their more "permanent life" in a chosen vocation or corporation to involve in a permanently minded sodality, rather than bother messing around with frivolous temporary social arrangements... but casual song & dance acquaintance socials are not necessarily exempt from the direction minded Vrusk student, who just needs some interaction with the Social Consciousness/Identity of peers. Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
December 2, 2011 - 8:46am | I don't know about you but I'm liking the view into the emotional life of the vrusk that we're developing. Its rich with depth and yet still the outward presentation can be cold and calculating. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
