SKALDER - TIMELINE #81023332

(Timeline Tuesday #47)

Skalders are average-sized, humanoid mammals, resembling homo sapiens in most ways. They feature two legs and two arms, and are covered in human skin. Culturally, Skalders are also similar to humans, although it’s tough to know whether these similarities are natural, or part of the Skalder’s innate drive to fit in. In other words, on timelines where another dominant species is featured, do Skalders adjust to act like them?

The one feature that separates Skalders from humans, of course, is their brilliant flaming head. The cranium of this species is constantly on fire, a powerful chemical reaction caused naturally within a Skalder’s body. A healthy Skalder will feature towering flames, which will gradually lower based on how hungry or tired the creature is. When a skalder dies, their flame will finally extinguish.

Within this flame rests a humanoid skull. While this bone mass features no organs, it is still where the skalder gathers and synthesizes their sensory information. These eye sockets may not contain flesh and blood eyes, but the same chemical reactions that produce their flame can somehow harness energy barely understood on this timeline, allowing a Skalder to effectively “see”.

The most notable lifestyle feature of this species is just how badly they want to be human. Skalders will show up to most human activates and attempt to participate, only to find their flaming heads make this dangerous or physically impossible. Burned ceilings or entire raging housefires are a sure sign that a skalder has been around, struggling to fit in and failing miserably.

Fortunately, most popular activities have started providing skalder sections, equipped with non-flammable equipment and various other precautions. The more time goes by, the more skalders are safely integrating into the human world.