Anthean Species and Culture profile

[iamjustvisiting]

Currently working through canon. Will update as I go.
Last updated 6/12/2020

Sources: Novel "The Man Who Fell to Earth" by Walter Tevis;  The Man Who Fell to Earth movie (1976), David Bowie In the Man Who Fell to Earth edited by Paul Duncan

Planet Anthea

• Currently only 300 Antheans inhabit the planet, very little to no other life left
• Greater than 100 Million miles from Earth (May be a planet in orbit outside of Pluto's orbit or in another solar system, canon is not clear)
• Average Temperature: 40 F or 4.5 C
• Gravity approximately 0.75 of Earth's gravity
• Low density, lower Oxygen, lower air pressure in atmosphere than Earth
• Described as a dry, empty, soundless, and slightly acidic desert over entire planet
• Constant cool to cold winds
• Soil pale and lifeless
• Covered in empty cities
• No surface water or ground water (Only water vapor in air)
• Before Great War: Lush and tropical. Populated by 3 Intelligent species with 7 major government districts. Millions of species of plants and animals.

Anthea History/Timeline

• Antheans may be from Earth originally or they brought language to Earth that developed into human language early in human evolution
• ~1 million to 20,000 years ago height of Anthean culture
• by 12,000 years ago Warfare, resource overuse triggered planetary death that lead to ecosystem collapse, mass extinction, and no surface water
• 1000 years ago showed humans true form on Earth, went very badly
• 500 years ago depleted all usable fuel sources and turned to solar
• 1985 Tommy arrives on Earth (only 50 years of survival left for the Anthean people)
• 1986 Wold Corporation (owned by Tommy) launches first space probes
• 1987 World Corp starts human flights into space
• 1988 Tommy declares earth will see devastating war and destruction in 10 years if things don't change; Newton suggests he knows that something is coming to stop the war and destruction
• Sometime in Summer 1988 Major Tom launched on Data collection mission "Stardust"
• Fall 1998 Tommy finishes Ferry Ship he has been making and plans to launch it to save his people.
• Winter 1988 Tommy imprisoned and his torture begins
• Spring 1990 Tommy is let go or escapes his imprisonment
• 1993 Ziggy Arrives on Earth
• 1998 Anthean projected date at which the Earth will be too damaged to repair and wars will start increasing (as they did in Anthean history)
• 2035 projected year that Anthea will no longer be able to support any life

Biology

• Referred to as timeless, may be immortal or nearly so
• Hollow strong but fragile bones from low gravity planet: Other bone differences: No sternum, coccyx, or floating ribs, smaller pointed scapula, 3rd and 4th ribs fused, most of cervical vertebrae are cartilaginous
• No bone marrow. A separate organ produces their red blood cells.
• High speeds and Gs are uncomfortable, can break bones and damage organs (elevator breaks Tommy's legs and rupturing blood vessels causing nose bleeds)
• increased gravity of Earth also causes dizziness
• Diaphragm and lungs better developed and more efficient.
• Lower body temperature than humans: mid 70s F
• Wear elbow and knee padding to protect and support joints while resting
• No belly button
• No nipples
• No earlobes
• no fingernails
• Genital differences, parts of sex organs in palms and skin
• No hair
• no appendix
• no wisdom teeth
• only 4 toes on each foot
• Yellow narrow slit eyed pupils
• hate bright lights due to semi-translucent eyelids
• Can see the whole Electromagnetic spectrum (except for far end Gamma and Radio waves)
• Due to their vision reds and the red end of the spectrum looks off from human perceptions of them.
• Significant tolerance to all forms of radiation compared to humans.
• Telepathic and Empathic
• Can see past events that have taken place in areas Antheans have visited before (ex Earth)
• Astral projection(can appear to people as an apparition)
• Soaps and detergents irritate their skin
• Perceive more colors and brighter colors; most are obsessed with colors
• Incredibly intelligent and mentally adaptable (Average is an IQ of 190-230)
• Nutritional needs low in sugars and fats; high in starches Oatmeal one of the more digestable human foods (also starchy things like potatoes)
• Don't sweat
• Evolved for temperatures in the 40s
• Hearing very sensitive and acute (Tommy can hear insects crawling in the grass, heartbeats, the movement of the plates of the Earth and the roll of the magma beneath the crust)
• Language soft, quiet, high pitched and purring
• Incredibly graceful and agile (Compared to cats)
• High pain resistance/tolerance but feel pain more acutely
• Don't need to sleep
• Easily startled
• In their natural environment Antheans don't suffer mental health (human culture and living does cause horrible mental illness that Tommy refers to as mental breakdowns and insanity.)
• Human Medications react differently. Hypnotics and Narcotics don't work. Anesthetics don't work and cause headaches. Gin acts as a narcotic/anesthetic

Culture

• Physical contact part of communication
• Have arranged marriages (probably due to low population)
• So passive that violence causes illness (can learn to understand television/movies as not real and avoid illness but even this causes extreme fatigue)
• Food is brittle and mildly flavored
• Homes built of thin gossamer cloth
• Guilt for wrong and making proper amends very important in their culture
• Don't have religion but believe there are beings in the universe powerful enough to be called gods by lesser races.
• Typically more active at night
• Fond of caring for plants and animals (Though there are almost none left on their home world) can build mental connections and communication with animals
• See inferior races in general as pets or servants, though they can feel differently about individuals.
• Art aesthetics, especially preferred color combinations, feel discordant and uncomfortable to human viewers.
• As a people; Pleasant, easy going, well mannered, gracious, natural dignity and poise
• Gentleness is an important quality (It can be disarming and unnerving to humans due to the extreme softness)
• Dislike drowsy wastes of time. Procrastination is seen negatively
• Produce a mildly alcoholic drink from berries; one of few sweet items in the culture and rarely drank
• Do not get hangovers; human drugs and medicines affect less or differently than they do humans.
• Raising voice or screaming at another is considered incredibly rude and never done
• Antheans cry easily and anguish and despair can drive them to fits of screaming and crying that drag on into exhaustion
• Easily feel overwhelmed in large crowds (Feel engulfed in the energy) prefer 1:1 or small groups

Tech

• Currently solar based panels and sails (previous tech petroleum and hydro-electric based)
• Approximately 10,000 years ahead of humans.
• Have pills to cure major diseases including broken bones within moments or days.
• Math and time is base 12
• Stealth tech for ships
• Can prevent bombs and weapons from detonating
• Can encode information using molecular chains and patterns. (Potentially DNA as well) music and computer data encoded on the molecular patterns and arrangement on and within small balls

Human Food Preferences

Likes:

• Eggs
• Oatmeal (Easily digestible and good for stomach upset) - Includes sugarless oatmeal cookies
• Potatoes - especially boiled and potato chips
• Gin (acts like Valium and a painkiller. Subdues their empathy and telepathy, makes it easier to endure negative human emotions)
• Radishes, hot peppers and other spicy foods (Though an acquired taste since it is very different than native foods)
• Olives, pickled items, sour foods
• Watermelon (or other high water volume food. They crave water and high water volume foods)
• Crunchy foods like crackers, chips, etc
• salted meats (Uncured)

Dislikes or toxic:

• Chocolate
• Pain medications (like aspirin and ibuprofen)
• Cured meats 
• Sugar (Refined sugars, fructose and maltose in fruits are ok)
•