Editing Figment

{{lifeform

|abilities=Changing their smell, taking control of electronics

|sapient=Yes

|universe=[[Cytoverse]]

|books=[[Skyward (series)]]

{{update|sky4}}

{{quote

|A figment, you say? This is some comfort, at least.

|[[Hesho]]{{book ref|sky2|17}}

}}

'''Figments''' are one of the member species of the [[Superiority]]. Within the empire, they have a special classification, apart from regular citizens.{{book ref|sky2|20}}

== Biology and culture ==

Figments are sapient, invisible clouds of particles, capable of moving around, talking and assuming various smells; essentially, living scents.{{book ref|sky2|17}} While it seems that figments can choose which smell to assume, it also denotes their emotional state, similar to body language.{{book ref|sky2|i|3}} As expected, scents figure heavily into their culture, with their language having idioms such as:

* Luck is for those who cannot smell their path forward{{book ref|sky2|43}}

* You bear the scent of long rains (possibly meaning "you have a lot of experience" or "you're very skilled"){{book ref|sky2|25}}

* No need to bear the scent of smoke (likely "no need to be forceful"){{book ref|sky2|25}}

It's unknown just how broad their range is; so far, they've shown themselves capable of smelling like ammonia, cinnamon,{{book ref|sky2|20}} wet metal, mint,{{book ref|sky2|21}} lemons,{{book ref|sky2|32}} flowers, rain,{{book ref|sky2|36}} hot spices and rotting fruit. Cinnamon and ammonia seem to be default states, and rotting fruit denotes sorrow; the meanings of other smells are unknown.{{book ref|sky2|i|3}}

Despite their nature as gasses, figments are capable of moving through the vacuum of space, and can assume control of technology and machinery, overriding regular command systems.{{book ref|sky2|40}} They also seem have the capacity to be [[cytonics]].{{book ref|sky2|25}} They're very long-lived, with some figments who fought in the Second [[Human War]] still around a century after the third.{{book ref|sky2|25}} Fittingly, they reproduce very slowly.{{book ref|sky2|20}} While it's unknown whether they have biological sexes, they usually prefer to be referred to as male or female.{{book ref|sky2|17}}{{book ref|sky2|i|3}}

== History ==

{{quote

|Sources on the local datanet insist that all remaining figments work as secret government operatives.

|[[M-Bot]]{{book ref|sky2|20}}

}}

Centuries ago, figments possessed technology comparable to that of humanity. Perhaps due to this, the two allied during the First [[Human War]].{{book ref|sky2|35}} Figments also participated in the Second Human War, though it's unclear on which side, as at some point, the two species became at odds.{{book ref|sky2|25}} Throughout the wars, many figments died, and their numbers remain low to this day.{{book ref|sky2|20}} Following the third war, they joined the [[Superiority]] and were forbidden to use most of their advanced technology.{{book ref|sky2|33}} Much of that technology appears to have been completely forgotten, as the Superiority seems to have been unfamiliar with the advanced holograms figment technology could generate until they disassembled [[M-Bot]].{{book ref|sf2|20}}

In the present, figments work for the Superiority, and it's commonly believed among the empire's citizens that all of them are secret government agents. Whether or not that's true, they're often involved in investigations of high-level internal Superiority politics.{{book ref|sky2|20}} They maintain, however, that their work doesn't include assassination.{{book ref|sky2|25}} Even after escaping from the Superiority, [[Cuna]] notes that they have allies among the figments, though they have no means of contacting them.{{book ref|sf3|2}}

== Known figments ==

* [[Vapor]]

* [[Zezin]]

{{complete}}