DOTTLER - TIMELINE #30229156177

(Timeline Tuesday #31)

Dottlers are unique creatures from a distant timeline, difficult to understand through the lens of our usual species classification. They are enigmas, and while these entities will likely never be fully understood, they are welcoming enough to invite rigorous study.

These creatures begin as I single orb, which can range across the full spectrum of coloration. From vivid blues to stark oranges and reds or dull yellows, the only shade dottler orbs do not appear in is stark white or jet black. These spheres are constructed from a metallic substance, and when dissected they sport no internal features. The orbs are heavy, and should theoretically have a difficult time floating regardless of their propulsion method. However, floating is not a problem for dottlers.

These creatures hover effortlessly, and can provide themselves enough inertia to slam or break other objects at will. Fortunately, they are a deeply non-violent species, and malevolent in their actions.

Dottlers do not speak, nor eat, and while they do sense and understand the world around them, they have no sensory features. When provided large keypads in scientific studies, dottlers can type in numerous languages and are quite eloquent, but they participate in this form of communication as little as possible.

Instead, dottlers focus on physical experience, exploring the world with a hands on approach. They can often be found at tourist attractions across the globe, taking it all in as they hover from one location to the next.

As a dottler gains unique life experience, it will mature. The growth of a dottler takes time, but it’s physical transformations are abrupt. When the creature is ready, a solid metallic limb will erupt from a random orb. This new appendage has limited movement, and features a new colorful ball at its tip. This process continues as the dottler gains experience, until its body is made of up several colorful spheres.

The lifespan of a dottler is not based on time, but orbs. Once a creature reaches approximately thirty spheres, it will begin to slow and eventually stop, crashing to the ground. From this rubble, two or three orbs will detach and begin the process anew.