SPRINGLOPS

Physical

Average adult size: Small (4-5ft)

Average body type/s: Any size; more muscle/less fat

Limb length: Short

Tail: Middling (30-60cm), about 4-6cm thick, hair thicker on tip and thinner on tail. Not very agile or strong. Slightly rounded tip.

Ears: Very long and of medium width, a little pointed. Perky; can twitch and move but not fully mobile. Can hear mid to high frequency.

Eyesight: Ranges from 500m to 2km, so mediocre/good.

Smell: Good

Taste: Mediocre

Touch: Good

Skin type: Combination

Teeth: Blunt with some sharp edges

Respiratory system: Lungs

Body temp: Lukewarm

Body hair: Moderate and thick

Keratin: Fingernails/toenails

Agility: Mediocre, not particularly fast or slow

Endurance: Outstanding; work to rest ratio is 5:1

Strength: Mediocre, can carry heavy objects for short distances

Constitution: Mediocre/strong, occasional mild sickness but often can shrug off most illnesses

Lifespan: Medium, 80-100yrs

Diet: Mostly herbivore (75% plant 25% meat)

Sleep: Low, 3-6 hours a night

Reproductive system: Internal fertilization and development (mammal)

Reproductive ability: Can produce children with most other species (cloudlops, icelops, aqualops, lushlops, mirelops, dustlops, bosklops)

Additional features: Great at sensing danger and as such can be a little easily startled and unsuitable for adventure.

Semi-nocturnal and sleep in 2-3 hour naps, typically working, socializing and doing other activities most commonly in the dusk and dawn hours.

Social

Average parentage/upbringing: Dual parents or 3+ in some cases

Average child rate: 4-12. Huge families are the norm and are seen as a sign of prosperity; all of the children are expected to represent the family, either in different ways or individually.

Average familial bond: Close and care deeply for each other with little boundaries, though it depends on the family. Overall, families tend to stay VERY close to each other. It's hard to shake off family members.

Family name: Very important, obligatory

Average pathway of new adults:  Remain within community and only travel alone sometimes; typically move out of parents' home in the community and return regularly for visits

Average generational tradition: Family remains partially together with some long-term absences, some families separate entirely. Springlop broods tend to stick together, even if someone moves out of the family home; to leave the community is pretty well unheard of.

Closeness of extended family: Friendly, everyone sees each other often and all family is home

Family power dynamic: Parents have most power

Family values and traditions: Secrecy and stealth, guarding the family's privacy, keeping traditional artifacts/places/people safe; trade and gathering, preparing food/clothing/artifacts/etc, selling and haggling.

Community values and traditions: Community and culture, politics, getting involved in community and worldwide initiatives; trade and gathering, preparing food/clothing/artifacts/etc, selling and haggling.

Average community population: Large, 200-500

Average community closeness: Very close, most people are on first name basis with each other at least. Depending on the size of the community, most springlops in one town will all know of each other and be familiar with the general dynamics of each large family group.

Family variation within community: Less variation, striving for similarity over exact expectations

Community response to travelers: Somewhat welcoming, tourism is reasonable and people might make small talk, trade is frequent. Very social, but not necessarily the most welcoming of new people wanting to join the community. Trade is great, but things can be a little tight-knit.

Home permanence: Grounded, same home forever

Community relations: Very involved, community meetings are very regular and populous and celebrations are frequent. Again, there comes a tight-knit attitude; most things will be attended but appearances are key.

World relations: Moderately involved, attends major meetings and some minor meetings, most celebrations

Naming conventions: Double name, can be vowel or consonant heavy, permanent. Family name is hugely important and never changes, and a child's last name combines both parents'. First name is based on a trait identified within the lop's first year of life, before which they're referred to by the moon phase at their time of birth with the suffix -ling (ie. Newling, Waxling, Quarterline, Moonling, Waneling, Thirdling).

Reproduction: Mostly business, some pleasure; sex is to make children, but some people actively have fun with it

Drugs/alcohol: Heavy usage, can be problematic. Alcohol and drugs are HUGE in springlop communities and it's very normalized to drink and take drugs every day. With moderation, it isn't an issue, but unfortunately addiction is high in springlop communities due to constant socialization, easy access (through trade and produce), and being awake all the time.

Religious groups: One major religion. Worship a group of gods covering 12 different primary disciplines, with demigods and other less important gods also within their pantheon. Springlops with little integration in their communities of other kinds of lop generally don't understand other religions very well and only worship their own gods. It's a part of everyday life, important in some situations but mostly just a constant thing, like other people being around rather than almighty beings controlling or guiding them without asking. Group gatherings and festivals for gods are very common, but it really depends on the individual and their surroundings whether they also do group worship in small groups or more on their own.

Religious importance in culture: Moderate importance; essential to the culture but not the basis of it.

Religious practice in community: See religious groups.

Environment

Main habitat: Temperate grassland

Secondary habitats: Savanna, deciduous forest, swamp/wetland, rivers/lakes

General:  Tend to settle in plains and large, hilly areas with adequate farmland and water. 

Fauna: Coyotes, bees, bobcats, rabbits, sheep, buffalo, foxes, eagles, owls, flightless birds

Flora: Long grasses, wheat, sugar cane, nettles, wildflowers, shrubbery, fruit bushes

Daily Life

Favourite food styles: Salty, sweet, umami

Favourite meal types: Carb-based. Food is kind of bland compared to other cultures, relying a lot on grains for their meal bases. The spices and seasonings that they use vary vastly depending on what trade resources and fauna are immediately available.

Food sensitivity: Reasonably strong constitution, can eat some things that most other lops can't

Housing materials: Wood cottages and brick and mortar buildings, usually somewhere in between. Springlops will use treated wood and stone to build big, ranch style houses that are usually a fair distance from other houses, making each family's area distinctly their own. This is typically due to farmland being used in different areas by different families for different purposes.

Agriculture: Some trade, heavily agriculture reliant. Trade is good and fun, but generally springlops are pretty self-reliant and happy with what they have, to the point of even being a little less receptive to new things than most.

Main trades: Herbs and medicines; plants and roots; fruit and honey; flowers and seeds; meat and animal food items; plant food items; grain food items; leather, fur and wool products; bone and nature-based weaponry; paper and stationery, animals and pet items; books and magazines. Main trades relate to plant and animal products, wood/paper products, floral artistry and honey/fruit.

Trades tend to take place fairly frequently, though it's more springlops selling to others than buying. The community markets are open every day of the week to the community, but markets to outside traders not currently staying within the community are open 3 days per week only. 

Most sought after items include alcohol and drugs, spices and seasonings, home decor, and metal items.

Clothing tendency: Some rules, specific areas must be covered. 

Clothing styles: Loose to moderate. Either pratical, cultural/religious, or environmental. Springlops are typically quite busy and prefer wearing clothes that aren't too tight so as to allow some breathing room. Their style of clothing is inspired by early 20th century farm clothing and typically is made from strong but porous materials that allow heat to escape, like thin cotton. They like to layer and at fancy events will wear loose and beautifully embroidered cottons and wools.

Accessories: Rare and practical

Popular arts: Theatre. Springlops adore good stories told in very dramatic ways akin to ancient Greek theate. Plays and shows are on every night in the community without fail, and almost every springlop will have tried their hand at theatre at some point, though of course not everyone is cut out for it, leading to the nightly productions being very hit or miss. There are also several religious tales that are told and re-told over and over again in different ways, which can be either boring or exciting depending on who you ask.

Favoured leisure activities: Field based land sports; musicals/theatre; juggling, balancing acts, tightrope; comedy/stand-up; playing with animals, watching them; carpentry and wood carving; horticulture and plant raising; spoken word and storytelling; books, reading, writing. Big on theatre, spoken word etc - not huge fans of music on its own. A show has to be big to hold their attention. Otherwise, people tend to practice individual hobbies. They LOVE a good story, though they heavily prefer fiction.

Curation: Amazing carpenters and playwrights when they're not going heavy on the agriculture. Springlop wood carvings go for huge amounts of money, so artisans of carpentry are generally very busy and quite well-off, though in springlop society wealth is (when rules are correctly followed) redistributed into the community.