Denobulan

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  • Appearance: Mammalian; short hair with a high hairline, prominent temporal ridges running up along the forehead, shallow cleft down the center of the forehead, small Y-shaped ridge on the chin
    • Similar ridges along spine
    • Long, claw-like nails
  • Lifespan: ~150 years (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
  • Homeworld: Denobula
  • Clawed nails and strong climbing ability suggest descent from arboreal mammals (ENT: "A Night in Sickbay", "The Breach")
  • Extremely elastic skin and musculature
    • Much broader grin than most humanoid species (ENT: "Broken Bow", "A Night in Sickbay", "Stigma")
    • Can inflate the face akin to a pufferfish when in distress (ENT: "Home")
  • Sleep on a hibernation cycle of five to six days each year (minimum of two for health) (ENT: "Dear Doctor", "Two Days and Two Nights")
    • Normal physiological effects of sleep on the brain gained through waking hallucinations instead; considered a healthy release of stress (ENT: "Exile", "Doctor's Orders")
  • Cultural notes
    • Omnivorous (ENT; ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
      • Hunting of animals with any degree of self-awareness or consciousness largely no longer accepted as cultural practice, as improved technology reduced need for hunting to sustain population (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
      • Denobulan lemurs a common prey in hunts (ENT: "A Night in Sickbay"; ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
      • Many believe that offworld travel betrays a person's place in the general ecosystem, leading to a general lack of Denobulan presence away from the planet (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
    • Heavily focused on socialization even more so than most intelligent beings (ENT: "Doctor's Orders"; ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
      • Largely a result of the high population density on Denobula enforced by geological and climatological factors (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
    • Polyamorous culture, with an expectation of three spouses per person (ENT)
      • Additionally, marriages are considered open by default, though most have no fundamental objection to a desire for a closed relationship
      • Familial relationships described by "tiers" (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
        • First-tier relationships are all direct relationships; parents, spouses, full siblings (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
        • Second-tier relationships are one step removed; parents' other spouses, half-siblings, etc. (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
        • So on thusly
      • Marriages not officiated by single figure, but instead conducted as a vote among all first-tier family members (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
        • Prospective couple makes ceremonial declarations to voting family members (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
        • Each voting member makes a further speech expressing their approval for the marriage (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
        • Vows are exchanged between new pair, as well as between each member and all prior spouses of their new spouse (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
        • Depending on breadth of individuals involved, can potentially last as short as a few hours, or potentially over a full day (ENT Novel: Live by the Code; DTI Novel: Watching the Clock)
      • Heavy reliance on socialization for mental well-being does not necessarily extend to a need to maintain continuous contact in romantic relationships
        • Oftentimes married partners will spend much time apart to pursue individual interests without impacting health of the relationship (ENT: "Stigma"; ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
        • Families generally don't reside together, a result of both large family sizes and a tendency away from private long-term residences (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
      • Marriages traditionally followed by a bacchanalia in a nearby kaybin district, as celebration of fertility and physicality (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
    • Bi- and pansexuality common amongst Denobulans (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
    • Denobulans give plants to friends in celebration of a coming wedding in their own family (ENT Novel: Uncertain Logic)
      • Considered metaphorical for the need to tend to a relationship to allow it to grow
    • Denobulan men usually eschew public displays of affection, are generally much more inhibited as compared to Denobulan women (ENT: "Dear Doctor")
    • Denobulan medical ethics place the desire of the patient above all else, even should such desires result in harm or death (ENT: "The Breach"; ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
    • Rain at social events considered a welcome omen, due to significant role of Denobulan monsoons in the perpetuation of life (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
    • Common pastimes at social gatherings include gueaa-dancing and "Stump the Philosopher" (ENT Novel: Uncertain Logic)
    • Most cities bear kaybin districts, regions where beauty and fertility are celebrated through all variety of indulgences (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
      • Food, wine, music, and sexuality all catered to (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
      • Generally crime-free, seen as near to sacred by Denobulan culture (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)
    • Food and drink
      • Denobulan wine (ENT Novel: Live by the Code)