anonymous asked over on Tumblr:

do you have a comparison chart for the size differences between the species? im curious about the average size differences between them, and maybe some of how that might effect them socially or culturally? since you said somewhere that many modern buildings are usually made to accommodate for all sizes

Text posted in jully 2025
I do have one! The height conversion in feet may be off since it isn't a metric I use.sophont height chart
When I say buildings accommodate both, it's not a worldwide thing yet. Species cohabitation between mierthri and kyhuines have a longer history as they share connected biomes where contact was established earlier on. So kyhuine and mierthri settelment and homes having spaces for both is an older concept, thus more spread out.
Kyhuine homes, in the inland south near the biome mierthri originate from, have more perching porches, landing platforms for mierthri to land on and glide to another. The home often has what would be translated as "Harpy/angel's window", a platorm over the main entrance of the house with a little circular window that can be opened. Miethri lands there and opens it to enter the house, the little visitor.
Homes are very often a generational thing across cultures, especially in kyhuines, considering how their family structure and social groups are formed with around 20-100 members. They're homes where you live and die in, and they find it more convenient as it keeps the younger generation in the same place as the elders.
These homes will often not be rebuild because a new family member is a maanul and cannot fit in the, for example, mierthri home. But homes can be expanded, and things can be built for the newcomer in the family if they're able to do so. If not, they will live separately but nearby. In the case of the smaller sophonts living in maanul's home, they fit in obviously, but will need special furniture to make their lives easier in those environments.
In cultures where people are expected to leave their homes once in their adulthood, or when married in, then homes can be built to accommodate the three more easily. Although sometimes they will just be built like the older homes with few changes, it depends on the population. A colony that only has kyhuines and barely has a maanul pass by will not have its homes revolve around accommodation. if you wish to invite them over as a kyhuine for tea, or mierthri in this image specifically, you'll have to take out the table and seat outside.tea outside
Most commonly, what people have is furniture to accommodate others. Like a seat, but it mostly revolves around dishes, as it is more convenient to acquire. In maanul's, people will re-use furniture destined to younger family members if they have someone of the other species coming in. Tho when the furniture has childish patterns, it can feel insulting for the other party. But forgiven for places where they're isn't a high population of kyhuine/ mierthri to begin with.
In high mixed areas, furniture for the other would be seen as a universal thing to have, so it can be intentional to give the bowl destined to a toddler to the invited if you wish to disrespect them. Food is used as a welcoming gift there, and can be reduced in size as an insult too. A wealthy kyhuine inviting a maanul in, who can give them a plate and portion adequate to their size because they have the resources, but chooses against it, is a sign of disrespect. Kaar'kchir love having many ways to tell someone they are not welcome without using spoken or written words.

Preparing meals for an invited guest requires knowing their diet. There is widely known safe food around, but getting more specific with whatyou wish to cook would require deeper knowledge on what the other can eat and digest well.
Again, for kaar'kchir it is seen as rude to ask what the person cannot have, as people deem you are to know it all in advance. Each eats differently sized portion, for the sister cities people get portions that correspond to their species' requirement. But in the northeastern coasts, Puy'ul, a maanul is to give an invited of the opposite species, something as large as what they would have even if the person is incapable of eating it all. The gesture itself is wishing prosperity for the invited. For the opposite, a maanul invited to a kyhuine home will have as much food as they require, but the kyhuines will also have the same portion as the maanul. Again same significance. Keep in mind that this isn't something the average person is usually able to present. This is a more common gesture in regions where there isn't social insecurity and food scarcity going on too.
For somewhere like in Juan region, western coasts, that is currently undergoing wars where civilians may go through famines and have their overall food be cut in half, they cannot afford to give someone a large meal. Thus, a maanul getting a small portion when invited in will not be seen as insulting in these situations. Regions where the culture used to be to give as much as possible, that are now going through food scarcity, have their culture changes to just give the minimum, without anyone making an announcement about it, the rules shift quietly in the common people.
When food was scares but became abundant, the rules changed to serving plenty for celebrating the current prosperity. Ect.

in Kaar'kchir, in districts that were built once maanuls were in the picture, the buildings are large enough to fit in all three species. they may still be a bit cramped for maanuls sometimes, especially older ones. As kyhuine constructors who didn't have maanuls supervising the plans, they underestimated how large the spaces should be. But they can still enter them at least somewhat easily, at worse they may need to squeeze in some turns. Traditional maanul homes are very large, someone used to living in one and visiting their cousins in kaar'kchir may not enjoy the smaller given spaces. Maanuls who are used to it find it normal, and for kyhuines they enjoy cramped areas, mierthris usually resides in homes built on top of maanul and kyhuines for their needs and access to open spaces whenever.

But Kaar'kchir is old, and other old inland metropolises sometimes do not have pathways for mierthris or maanuls in the old districts of it, as kaar'kchir itself was a kyhuine settlement that expanded until centuries later it became what it now is.
For mierthris in those districts, they instead climb onto people and jump from a person's back to another if they desire to travel around. As walking in the common street would get them pushed around if not accidentally hurt by being stepped on. Maanuls simply cannot go in the tight old streets, there may be recent tunnels made for them to pass by though.
Kaar'kchir wishes not to change the older district much for historical preservations, even if it means making parts of it non-accesible to 2 species. Civils will modify places completely in response, losing some historical parts that could be preserved, but still fit for every sophont. This is a topic people love to discuss, sometimes argue about in a literal public discussion, a bunch of people debating at the fountain, where anyone can join in or watch the topic of the day.

Metropolis will require a permit for people to start building, but the paperwork is sometimes intentionally confusing if you're not familiar with how it is there. It takes so long that many will just do it without one, because if they apply, they might not even be guaranteed a yes. Civils will turn a blind eye and pretend nothing is happening when seeing someone build something for their own specie's comfort. Snitching would make you an asshole to the neighborhood. Usually, its mierthri will expand homes onto other sophonts' walls and roofs. People live on top of each other in cities.
Pathways exclusive to mierthris are built by mierthris wanting a faster, safer way to a destination. Again, built on peoples rooftop, sometimes its with their accord or not. They use scrap materials for it.
Some routes get "owned" by certain families or group of people as they were the one to build it. Tho sometimes people will fight over ownership, or have several owners. The so-called "path owners" may charge people a small fee before they can pass through. Usually a coin, or three. Most scandalous prices range from 5 Kamas to asking for a sugar cube. Sugar is a type of currency among civilians because of its production cost. Children and teenagers claiming they own a path may ask for silly prices, usually, a snack from the nearby granny appeases them to stop.

The size difference does impact some people's view on one another, like how infantilization is common towards mierthris. Inconsiderate people are getting the idea that you can just pick and grab them because of how small they are, without asking to do so first. This behavior is more common than one might think. People don't usually recognise themselves in "grabbing a mierhtir" type of guy, but it's because it is the extreme form of it. They will subconsciously walk over mierthri's boundaries in subtle ways, it isn't done maliciously, but it is still an issue to correct people about.hold m
There is the idea that their small size doesn't have to be accommodated to as much because they can just figure it out themselves, "if they can fit in every space, then they can manage the rest fine," sort of deal.
Yes, they will find a way to, because they're pushed to build things intended for their comfort in places that didn't think of them being included in the picture. They get the image of stoic people who work through it all, that they're not that bothered by something not made for them, because you always see them make it through without asking people anyway.


I think this post is long as it is, i yapped about things here and there and went off rails. much of the focus was on mierthris for today but i will sprinkle out how the others are impacted by their height socially in other posts.

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posted 2 months ago, edited 2 months ago

I am willing to take asks over on sheezy.art too! you can post them in the comments and ill answer them via a literature post.
thank you for reading!

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