Quarine

"When a Quarine speaks, you hear their words. When a Quarine sings, you hear their soul. They do not divide the two."

— Veyra Nol, Terran ethnomusicologist

Resonant Descendants

The Quarine are the descendants of Great Timocracy colonists who settled Quaoar during its first surveys. Centuries of exposure to the strange vibrational anomalies of the Resonant ruins altered their physiology and culture. Tall, fair-haired, and fair-skinned, Quarine are instantly recognizable by their monolid eyes and the large, conical ears high on their heads. These ears are mobile, shifting position like a cat’s or dog’s, tuned to ultrasonic ranges most humans cannot perceive.

Their features — square jaws, cleft lips, slightly upturned “button” noses — combine with their feline ear placement to give them a subtly animalistic aspect. Outsiders often find them striking, even uncanny, but never quite as extreme as deliberately gene-modded humans. Their bodies are long and lean, with dexterous fingers shaped by generations of survival and precision craft.

Naming Traditions

Quarine names are chosen for emotional resonance above all else. Children are often named Gloria, Aria, Justice, Melody, Brave, Hero — aspirational virtues sung into identity. Family names have been broken and restored many times, so surnames often come from locations (City, Homesteader), Professions (Tailor, Singer), or parentage (Braveson).

Unique among human cultures, Quarine lovers give each other “lover’s names” — private ultrasonic pet names impossible for outsiders to perceive. Among themselves, this is sacred intimacy. When dating outsiders, this can lead to frustration or amusement, as the name cannot be shared without breaking its magic.

Culture of Music

The Quarine live in a society suffused with song. Bars and theaters overflow with live music, their film industry obsesses over musicals, and musicians are revered the way other cultures exalt priests, warriors, or politicians. Quarine lobby for recognition of musical skill in the Technocrat registries, insisting that playing an instrument or singing should count as measurable civic merit.

Life itself is marked by milestones of music: the Zero (birth), the Sixth, the Twelfth, the Sixteenth, the Eighteenth, and beyond. Each is celebrated with singing, dancing, and communal joy. Funerals, too, are festivals of remembrance — cheerful memorials of a life lived, accompanied by song.

Quarine burial customs often confuse outsiders. Corpses interred in the permafrost become naturally mummified by dehydration in ammonia-rich soil. Archaeologists have mistaken this for deliberate mummification, but the Quarine simply prefer the permanence of the frozen earth.

Dress and Appearance

Quarine dress recalls their Great Timocracy ancestors: tight jumpsuits or utilitarian wear for daily use, flowing robes and gowns for formality. Men and women both favor long, free hair, while male facial hair is typically close-trimmed if not shaved.

Their fashion is tempered by biology. Blue-yellow colorblindness means that imported offworld fashion sometimes results in spectacularly clashing outfits, an embarrassment Quarine have learned to avoid by preferring neutral tones. White and silver garments are popular, safe choices.

Food and Imports

Quarine cuisine descends from survival rations: algae, vat proteins, and cloned meat-barrels. With integration into broader humanity, imported foods have become a major point of cultural exchange. This naiveté has led to exploitation — such as ramen marketed to them as “rare delicacy,” or Saturnite industrial “superlube” being passed off as edible luxury.

Romance and Relationships

Romance is as musical as the rest of Quarine life. Courtship often involves serenades or duet performances. Couples exchange songs as tokens of affection and expect regular reaffirmations of love. Nicknames, playful affirmations, and constant reminders in word and melody keep marriages warm and demonstrative.

Silence is awkward to Quarine ears. In love, in friendship, and in family, they fill it with music.