kika psychology

While kika have relatively human-like psychology, there are some notable differences. Kika are naturally extremely tenacious and opportunistic, leading to cutthroat behaviour in difficult times. As a result their civilization has a history of violent revolts and backstabbing.

However, the most notable divergence from human psychology found among the kika is their curious lack of empathy for non-kika.
Kika are entirely unable to comprehend other beings as capable of feelings or emotions. Even other sapient species are regarded as nothing more than soulless automatons; to a kika, every other living non-kika is effectively seen as a “philosophical zombie”, capable of accurately simulating intelligent thought but “empty” on the inside. As a result, kika make little distinction between things which humans would traditionally categorize as “animate” or “inanimate”; they have no real concept of “animals”, for instance. Everything non-kika is simply a “thing” with its own set of rules governing its actions.

The effect of this mentality on interactions between kika and non-kika varies. Many kika come off as excessively energetic and friendly to other species, as kika have come to understand that acting in such a way usually results in positive reactions from non-kika. Some kika are outright hostile to other species, seeing them as unsettling or unpredictable. Others make efforts to treat non-kika the same as they would kika in an attempt to garner some glimpse at what they perceive as “intelligent” behaviour.

Regardless of their exact disposition, kika often show lapses in their understanding of other species which can come across as unsettling.