Tourmites
Tourmites are an invasive sub-species of the Teeming Masses which tend to plague picturesque cities and attractive geographic formations.
While initially beneficial, as they stimulate the energy flow of a locale, these pests can eventually damage the infrastructure of localized realities as their mental excretions gradually overtake the actual reality of a place.
LANGUAGE
Tourmites speak their own native tongue (whatever that may be; individual tourmites come from all over the Gri’x) and have usually memorized a few words from many other cultures. As a rule, though, they must rely on translation books to communicate in even the most rudimentary phrases of the regional dialect where they currently find themselves. Even if they happen to meet natives who are fluent in the tourmites' own language, tourmites prefer "authenticity" and will insist on repeating these phrases over and over again (usually mispronouncing key words so poorly that even the natives can't understand them) at ever-increasing volumes until the native gives up and points the way to either a bathroom or a nearby fast-food franchise.
APPEARANCE & CUSTOMS
In keeping with their fondness for participating in other cultures, tourmites also enjoy dressing themselves according to the customs of their current location. As they aren't native to these places, though, and have had very little time to absorb the finer points of presentation, they can only base their choices on hearsay, media depictions, and merchandise sold in boutiques catering especially to tourmites. Thus, it's not difficult to pinpoint the tourmites in a group, as they often look like gaudy caricatures of the real inhabitants. This discrepancy is utterly lost on the tourmites, as they've invariably purchased their costumes and accoutrements from genuine locally-owned shops (conveniently located right next to their hotels) and assume they're just dressed more appropriately than any of the natives they encounter. One item that a tourmite is almost never without is their personal lannayerd. This functional neck strap has clips on one end which hold day passes, identification, important membership cards, luggage tags, and other small travel documents.
TRADITIONS & RITUALS
"Been there, done that, bought the T-Shirt."The more places a tourmite has visited, the higher their social standing among their kind. Over the course of their travels, they acquire numerous garments and other accessories which bear the insignias of their current or past locations. Over the years, they will also amass a hoard of trinkets crafted in local styles (preferably also bearing names and logos, so the tourmite doesn't forget where they got it). With their ever-present cameras, they’ll snap hundreds of photographs of themselves interacting with locals or blocking iconic landmarks in order to provide proof of their achievements. When not abroad*, tourmites engage in heated competitions in which they display lengthy and impressive "slide shows" at one another to determine who has the higher rank within the group. Almost all tourmites are members in good standing of the Interdimensional Go-Club, which caters to their transportation needs and offers recommendations for hotels, attractions, and dining establishments throughout the Gri'x. Tourmites are fond of flouting their association with the Go-Club, despite the fact that everyone else probably has an IGC card, too, and will often compete for dominance with one another by displaying their membership pins or telling tales of the "elite" discounts they've received upon reaching thus-and-such status tiers within the club.
*It was once thought that all tourmites are nomadic, constantly traveling from one destination to the next, until Professor Clara Lee stumbled into one of these slide show competitions in a home in Denleighton. Most of what we know about tourmites' private lives and culture can be seen in her award-winning documentary, Vacation Vocation: The Urge to Be Elsewhere.
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