Welcome to Gaia! ::

Welcome to my shop! Come on in and make yourself comfortable! This shop and lineart were given to me as a gift by my older sister, o-Raichu-o (though the concept was my own), as a unique Christmas gift.

The Mignin began as a clay figurine that I made for my younger cousin one summer. When school started up, I began making polymer clay eggs. These I'd sell to my classmates for five dollars. After a few days, they'd bring the egg back to me, and I'd trade the egg (which I later either threw away or resold) for the pocket-sized figurine. When my older sister introduced me to Gaia, I fell in love with the breedables. My Mignin would fit in perfectly here! Apparently my sister can read my mind (we're very close), 'cause that's exactly what she got me for Christmas. Though I can work really well with Polymer clay, my drawing skills aren't perfect. Raichu helped me get on my feet. She gave me lineart, banners, set up the thread, and even hired a colorist for me!

So here you have it - The Xerxes Project, the official Mignin Preservation and Training Center. The Xerxes Project promises you high-quality art for reasonable prices (none of this "my art and concept are so good you should sell me your soul" garbage that we're all so sick of), an interesting storyline open to everyone, and a unique and new battling system! Come on in and enjoy yourself. Feel free to comment or ask questions; start up a conversation!

:: Do's ::

1. Do be nice. This is an anti-trolling zone. I don't care how rude someone else is, it's MY responsibility to take care of troublemakers.

2. Do ask questions. Unlike many snooty shops around here, I encourage the inquiring mind. ^_^

3. Do ask to affiliate. Drop me a PM if you want me to put your banner in my shop.

4. Do RP. It's not manditory, but it's greatly encouraged.

5. Do send all trades to FairyDance. Kthanx!

:: Don'ts ::

1. Don't discourage others from purchasing Mignin. Or I'll kick ya out.
-_-

2. Don't steal or edit the images. All images are (C) their respective makers.

3. Don't beg or whine. It's very unappealing. If you want a mignin, you have to wait for a sale, just like everyone else. Also, I think my prices are very reasonable, considering how much work goes into them.

General Information
Migni are in essence, aliens, complete with the smooth, tall foreheads and magnimonious eyes. They are about five inches in height, with long, cone-shaped legs, tails, and five-fingered hands--a few species also sport wings. On each side of a Minin's head, where ears would normally be on most creatures, Migni have gill-like appendages that serve as breathing organs, (Migni breathe nitrogen) compensating for their obvious lack of noses. The mouths, filled with razor sharp teeth, are made for eating and biting. The bodies of Migni are smooth and hairless, except for the top of the head, from which hair grows in a very human-like fashion. Between the eyes and the hairline of each mignin, imbedded into its forehead, is a silver plate. This plate determines a mignin's gender and type...however, it is also a mignin's weakest point.

Powers
There are currently 13 known types of Mignin, each varying slightly in appearence and abilities. Most of them are elemental, but others are not. They use their powers mostly to defend themselves and to spar each other, in preparation for the inevitable show-down between the Mignin race and the "Meanies", which is apparently some kind of predatory alien force.

Behavior and Fighting
Mignin Orblets are basically helpless, and act, in a way, like infant children. Their personalities are not yet very rounded out, though they can fend for themselves from the moment they hatch. Mignin Imps are another story. These five-inch-tall imps have the mentality of five-year-olds. They are known for short attention spans, being very social (though every now and then there are exceptions) and random bouts of violence. Though Migni do actually get along very well, they are violent towards other species, and occaisionally themselves. This is explained by a source of energy that grants them their 'magic' powers. Every now and then, this source will build up, over-eating the Mignin's body and causing them to attack each other. As they grow to this point, their clay-like skin and bones soften, so there's little need to worry about their getting hurt. The Xerxes Project has discovered that fighting them one on one in carefully refreed fights not only helps them to train for their "Big Battle" against the Meanies, but also cools them down, keeping them from over-heating and thus preventing them from getting ill from this.

Powers
Though many Migni are elemental, they are not retardent to their element. A Feu Mignin, for example, would be able to summon a small flame in his/her hands and release it in controlled bursts at their opponent. But, they are not immune to flame or heat. They can only withstand their OWN flame, and so on. Likewise, as the flame is merely an illusion, of sorts, an Eau Mignin wouldn't have any more effect than any other type, unless equipped with weapons and items.

Elemental Types
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Common Migni are elemental. They are gifted with the power to control certain elements and summon them for defensive and offensive purposes (as in, they use them to beat each other up. >> More on that later ).

Feu- When agitated, these Mignin become very hot to the touch. They are distinguished by their warm colors and flame-like tails.

Eau- These Mignin have large, heavy fins instead of tails. They are perfectly suited to aquatic lives, with blue-ish green skin and...gills, apparently.

Ventenro- Wind Migni are one of the few types to possess little feathered wings, which allow them to hover for short periods of time (they aren't big enough to fly). They range in color from sunset orange to pale blue.

Vigne- These Migni seem to be able to cultivate plants within their own bodies, allowing thim to grow thorned tails and delicate flowers that help them store more energy. Their green skin helps them absorb sunlight, reducing the need to eat.

Pierre- Pierre Migni posses a lot of stamina, thanks to their unique skin, which they can harden at will. They are occasionally encrusted with beautiful jewels, like diamonds and emeralds.

Glace- Ice, ice, baby! These are frosty little Migni that won't take a lot of handling, as they are covered in sharp, icy spikes. They are bluish-white in color, and aften sport blue lips.

Tonnerre- Don't let these guys get near an electric socket--they might just blow your fuse. Tonnerre are bursting with electric energy, and they can give you a nasty shock if you surprise them. Their skin makes one think of a stormy sky.

Special Types
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Special Mignin types have unique lineart from each other, and are always genderless. They can be obtained through special events, auctions, pet trades, and raffles.

Lumiervie- Similar to the Ventenro, this species possess wings, but the wings of the Lumiervie are large enouch to allow flight. Lumiervie radiate a soft glow.

Mortobscur- Dark Migni. These Migni like to attack in confusing swarms, flapping their bat-like wings in a dizzying pattern to confuse their enemies. They are predominantly black in color.

Amitie- These strange Migni will only form when they are surrounded by lots of love, generosity, and goodwill. They too can fly, by using delicate, butterfly-like wings. They are the only nonviolent Migni we have discovered...

Cochon- If a Cochon egg comes in contact with some form of animal 'essence', these peculiar Migni will inherit traits of those specific animals, such as cat ears or rabbit tails. They tend to be more natural in color than other Mignin types.

???- Unreleased...

Couluer- These little guys are kind of like...chibis, really. They're very small, with reduced proportions. This type of Mignin does not have a tadpole stage, and form from eggs right into their final stages. The Couluer are broken down into subtypes, depending on their predominant color:

• Rouge - red
  
• Pourpre - purple
  
• Bleu - blue
  
• Jaune - yellow
  
• Noir - black
  
• Vert - green
  
• Rose - pink
  
• Orange - orange
  
• Brun - brown
  
• Blanc - white
  
• Gris - gray

Items will be posted once I can bully myself into drawing them. xd

It's no wonder that the Mignin population is small; Migni just don't take breeding seriously! They'd much rather play or fight than find mates and raise families. However, every now and then a pair of Migni (They can be of different types) will decide to do their duty and...we get eggs.

The research staff honestly have no idea how they breed, but once a pair has gone off and...well, done their thing, the female (round-crested) will lay one to three eggs. The types of the new Migni are randomly chosen based on what type(s) the parents were. For example, if an Eau and a Ventenro have a nest of two, you can have three possibilities: 2 Ventenro eggs, two Eau eggs, or one Eau and one Ventenro egg.

If the parents live in a safe colony, they will leave their eggs with the official nest guardian, which is basically a Mignin that has been doomed to baby-sitting duty. That poor Mignin will sit and watch the eggs until they start to morph, at which point it will call all the the other Migni over to watch, at which point the will all start chanting "brey, brey, brey, brey!" which is assumed to be the equivalent of "melt" or "hatch" in our language. When the morphing is complete, all the Migni cheer (either "Tah!" if it's a male, or "Tahy!" if it's a female) and pat the orblet's head...then wander off to return to their games. ._. Young Migni are not nursed or cared for by their original parents, and are just seen as new siblings. Though Migni Orbs are precious jewels that must be protected and cared for to the Migni, the orblets themselves are just another brother or sister. The young orblet will already know how to fend for itself when it hatches, and will soon join in the games of its fellow colonists.

Breeding costs xK. Breeding between Migni of the same gender is not allowed. Only full-grown imps may breed.