Images: Inflated:
Compressed:
Name: Wyoopi
Designation: Sentient
Homeworld: Wyoobiyar Minor
Language: Wyoopino/Basic mix
Average height of adults: 1.9m when inflated, 1.5m when not.
Skin color: White, though if a Wyoopi is sick it’ll become a pastel blue.
Hair color: None
Breathes: Type I , II & III (the atmosphere contains argon, nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen, along with methane and sulfur hexafluoride from the cryovolcanoes)
Strengths:
- Impervious to the cold: Since their planet (or moon, rather) is an ice world, the Wyoopi have evolved to be practically impervious to cold temperatures as extreme as -75oC when they inflate.
- Highly intelligent: As evidenced by their city machinations, the Wyoopi are highly intelligent, showing a particular interest in medical and defensive technology.
- Iron-like Stomach: Due to the harsh terrain, these guys can and will eat almost anything (more specifics given later on).
- Strong hide: Their skin is extremely durable, though it loses some of the strength in return for flexibility when inflated.
- Resilience to Force Tricks: For some reason, their lack of Force Sensitivity have given the Wyoopi a neat counterattack to things such as Mind Trick, Telepathy, etc, which Force Users can use to enter or control another being’s mind, similar to what the Yuuzhan Vong have (or don’t have, technically). Unlike Yuuzhan Vong, though, a Force User will still be Forcefully aware of a Wyoopi.
- Resilient to Frost Bite: An interesting characteristic which the Wyoopi have is the fact that, at their fingers and toes, there is little to no blood vessels or nerve endings. At least, not above the cartilage and muscle. Rather, the capillaries and neurons are kept within the cartilage, branching out from the center to deliver the necessary nutrients. As the extremities have little blood circulation to begin with, inadequate blood circulation (the primary cause of frostbite) is not at all a problem.
Weaknesses:
- No concept of war: The Wyoopi culture has been devoid of war and violence for so long that asking one to fight would be the equivalent of asking your stereotypical Sith to put on a tutu and do ballet. Completely hilarious, but utterly useless.
- Metaphors/Figures of Speech: Not that big of a weakness, but anything that is not blunt and straightforward will almost certainly be taken literally. While this might not seem that bad to begin with, it can be disastrous in a precarious situation, social or otherwise.
- Heat: Being mostly creatures of ice, any temperatures that are higher than 15oC will cause them extreme discomfort, even resulting in intense nausea, vertigo, sweats, etc.
- No Dexterity while inflated: Pretty self-explanatory. When inflated, the Wyoopi lose most of their dexterity in their inflated mode, meaning they can pick things up, but they can’t do any fine motor skills like draw or write (unless you want a stick drawing, made of straight lines).
- No Force Sensitivity: A drawback to their Force resilience is that Wyoopi cannot use the Force at all. There aren’t even any Force Sensitives – none, whatsoever. They are, in a way, cut off from the Force.
- No sense of Touch: As there are very little blood vessels on the extremities, the way the Wyoopi are able to move their fingers is via cartilaginous tendons connecting the cartilage-skeleton to larger muscles in the better-insulated areas of their body. This means, though, that the Wyoopi have no neurons outside of the cartilage in their fingers and toes. Which also means that they have no sense of touch on their skin. So if a subcutaneous injury was to be received, the Wyoopi would not notice it unless it severed the cartilage. However, they can feel pressure being applied to their extremities.
- Gas Needed: In order to make their inflation more efficient, the methane and sulfur hexafluoride are needed to keep the air pockets not only filled, but prevented from deflating. While the Wyoopi can breathe on Type I & II planets, it is more difficult – almost impossible – for them to effectively inflate. It is also more difficult to stay inflated in warmer regions, as the gas dissipates faster.
Distinctions:
- Inflation: An interesting characteristic that the Wyoopi have is the ability to inflate their skin to the point of increasing their height by almost 1 1/2 of what it was to begin with. The way this works is the Wyoopi draw in air, which is not only warmed but also transferred to various strategically-placed air pockets. These air pockets fill up, which then expands their skin. The purpose of this ability is to provide extra insulation when on the surface of their homeworld. The drawback to this, though, is that it is more difficult to walk. Another drawback is that, when inflated, the skin is 10% thinner than when it is compressed. While this might not seem like a lot, it could be the matter of life and death – when compressed, the skin is 6cm thick (about 2.3in). When inflated, though, the skin stretches and loses 0.6cm of the original thickness, resulting in it only being 5.4cm thick (about 2.1in).
To combat the difficulty in walking while inflated, the Wyoopi over the years have invented a new method they call “Rolling.” While the name may not be creative, it’s an accurate description of the activity: In order to Roll while inflated, a Wyoopi simply tucks his or her limbs together to form a ball, then rocks back and forth to gain enough momentum to start rolling in the desired direction. There are, however, drawbacks even to this method. For starters, a Wyoopi must close his or her eyes in order to prevent getting dirt and ice in them, which means they won’t be able to see anything. It’s also much more difficult to Roll uphill than it is to Roll downhill (for obvious reasons).
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Insulation: In order to insulate them from the cold, the Wyoopi have several processes which go on in and on their body (this explains how they are able to insulate themselves by “inflating”.)
- 1. Digestion: As stated elsewhere in here, the Wyoopi are able to digest anything. During the digestion process, the acids in their stomach break down the materials, which give off heat during the reaction. This heat is then stored in the dense adipose tissue which surrounds their muscles and skeletons.
- 2. Gases: Along with the usual mix of atmospheric gases, there are also heavy amounts of methane gas (CH4) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), meaning most species have to use gas masks. Through years of evolution, however, the Wyoopi have turned the gases into something to be used. When wanting to inflate, the Wyoopi inhale deeply and send the air to the air pockets. Within the air pockets are oxygen gas molecules which react with the methane to produce heat energy. The heat energy and steam created from the reaction are then absorbed through the membrane of the pockets and stored in the adipose tissue which lies between the pockets and the muscles/cartilage. To further add insulation, lighter gases such as CO2 are released through pores in the skin, and the denser SF6 is settled near the bottom of the pockets, preventing heat from escaping.
As with all things, the heat used to catalyze the reaction between O2 and CH4 is not infinite, meaning the Wyoopi can only stay insulated while inflated for 30-45 minutes before they begin to tire, and the longest recorded time for a Wyoopi to be insulated (which moving about) is roughly an hour and a half.
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3. Adipose Tissue: As stated before, the Wyoopi have adipose tissue covering their muscles and cartilage. Denser than the adipose tissue found on most individuals, the tissue is thickest near the abdomen and gets thinner the further away it is from the heart. The denseness of the tissue, however, not only allows it to insulate better, but also assists greatly in storing heat energy.
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Active Metabolism: the Wyoopi have a very active metabolism which allows them to maintain homeostasis, like regulating their internal temperature. However, this also means that they require large amounts of food, otherwise they could literally waste away to nothing.
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Keen Eyesight: Obviously, living on such a bleak world where everything looks the same requires an individual to have keen eyesight in order to discern if that flash of black is a rock, your next meal, or your death. This is also why their eyes appear to have no pupils – the irises and pupils are black, and the pupils are so small that they are nearly indiscernible from the iris. The eyes are also black in order to inhibit light distortion and enhance light absorption on an otherwise white world as black is a color which normally absorbs light.
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Cartilage: Instead of actual bones, the Wyoopi’s entire endoskeleton is made of a type of cartilage which, while more flexible than bone, isn’t as soft as regular cartilage. This is the reason why they are able to bend so much while Rolling. Also, within the cartilage are tiny crevices which store the air pockets when compressed.
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Gender distinction: When inflated, it is near-impossible to determine if a Wyoopi is male or female. However, when compressed, the male Wyoopi’s facial structure tends to consist of a rounder chin and thicker brow. The females have pointier chins, more delicate-looking brows, and sharper cheekbones.
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Smell: The Wyoopi have no nose. However, they do have olefactory glands located right under the skin on their cheeks.
Average Lifespan: 80-100 human years
Races: The Wyoopi are divided into two races: the Ti-Wyoopi and the Na-Wyoopi. Not much is different between the two except for slight variances in inflated structure and skill levels.
Ti-Wyoopi
The Ti-Wyoopi are, essentially, the baseline Wyoopi. These are the ones which make up the technological geniuses, the ones who design nearly all of the features in modern life. All of their weaknesses, distinctions, etc. are listed above.
Na-Wyoopi
The Na-Wyoopi are very similar in respect to the Ti-Wyoopi, but there are a few differences which also set them apart.
- Appearance
The Na-Wyoopi, unlike the Ti-Wyoopi, have ridges at some of their joints when inflated, the result of a varying arrangement of air pockets. This means that the Na-Wyoopi are actually better equipped to traverse the “aboveground”; not only do the ridges provide extra traction when Rolling, but they also allow for greater dexterity and movement. When compressed, there are also faint bumps above the eyes which are not present on Ti-Wyoopi.
- Skills
For some reason, the Na-Wyoopi are not as technologically-gifted as the Ti-Wyoopi. To make up for this, however, the Na-Wyoopi not only have greater dexterity when inflated, but they are also more “mechanically” gifted – meaning a Ti-Wyoopi may be able to fix your computer, but a Na-Wyoopi would be the one to fix your vehicle.
The differences between these two are not enough to prevent interracial breeding, but it is generally frowned upon (particularly since the Na-Wyoopi genes dominate the Ti-Wyoopi genes, a fact which has led outside scientists to believe this is why the Ti-Wyoopi immensely dislike the Na-Wyoopi).
Estimated Population: They are only found on their home planet of Wyoobinar Minor and a few colonies on surrounding moons; only their home planet is well-populated.
Diet: Anything, really. However, very strong acids and some sulfate-based compounds can wreak havoc on their digestive system, as can some very strong poisonous/venomous substances.
Communication: Verbal (speech)
Culture:
Religion
Unlike most species, the Wyoopi as a whole no longer partake in any religious ceremonies or beliefs, and generally do not worship any gods. At least, not anymore.
Originally, the primitive Wyoopi worshipped the sun and the gas planet around which their home world revolved, believing the two were ancient gods which had created them. After advances in technology, however, the species began to abandon their “outdated” ways, replacing prayers with algorithms, and statues with datapads. However, you will still find a few Wyoopi whose families maintain the old faith – they just aren’t very common.
Language
While the Wyoopi mostly speak Basic (thanks in part to the human settlers on their world), they still maintain a few words and phrases from Wyoopino. A list of some phrases and their translations are below:
Yoop-yoop!: Generally used as an expression of disbelief or surprise. As in, “Yoop-yoop! I can’t believe he stole my bantha!”
Balouro ticha yeggo!: “The King is mighty!” (“Baloura” is “Queen”)
Fruomo: “bad” or “unpleasant”, as in “This situation is most fruomo.”
Biko-yetar: An insult. “You biko-yetar.”
Miyoshmalo: A derogatory term typically used by the Ti-Wyoopi in reference to the Na-Wyoopi; the Na-Wyoopi version of this is “Mitosimalo”
Yego miegos foo ayuno: “Great things have happened”; usually exclaimed after a significant breakthrough.
Government
The Wyoopi have established, as their central government, a somewhat complicated form of monarchy for their people. The ranks are listed below in descending order of power. However, it is pertinent to note that no office above City Governor has been held by a Na-Wyoopi (The last time a Na-Wyoopi held the position of a City Governer was in the year 457 ATC)
The King/Queen – The King (or Queen) is the highest-ranking official. Except in special cases (which will be explained below), their word is law. Similarly, when their offspring reach adulthood (20 human years), they are elevated to the rank of “Prince” or “Princess”, and are between the Central Minister and the King/Queen in regards to power. There are no Dukes, Duchesses, Lords, Ladies, etc.
Central Minister – The Central Minister is like the right-hand to the King or Queen. Unlike the monarchy, which is hereditary (except in special cases), the Central Minister is appointed by the King. He or she generally takes care of the smaller things, and advises the monarchy on high-level issues or concerns.
Regional Ministers – The Regional Ministers are a group of 7 elected Wyoopi from the 7 regions of Wyoobinar Minor. They maintain the different regions, sitting together and working out negotiations between the regions. When an issue comes up that a few Ministers believes to be worthy of the monarch’s attention, the Regional Ministers vote on whether or not to send it to the Central Minister. If the vote passes through, the Central Minister is then notified of the issue. If he or she cannot come up with a good enough solution, the issue then gets sent to the monarchy.
City Governors – The city governors manage the cities and surrounding settlements within a region. These are elected by the populace. If an issue arises with a City Governor, the Governor will either turn to his or her city council for assistance or, when the issue isn’t resolved, will send it to the Regional Minister to review it.
Elections
Generally speaking, the positions are all held for life except in these special cases: a] the official (even the monarch) stepping down or b] a vote of no confidence by the majority of the population (as in the population on the planet).
City Governors – City Governors are elected by all registered residents of the city and surrounding settlements.
Regional Ministers – Regional Ministers are elected by all of the City Governors in their regions, but it is actually the populace which decides who wins; the city residents send in votes for whichever candidate they think is the best. The governors then look at who has the highest amount of votes and gives a nomination to the highest-ranking candidate. From there, the votes of the governors are put together to determine a winner.
Central Minister – The Central Minister is elected in a similar manner to the Regional Ministers, but with a slight difference. The populace votes on or nominates 20 candidates for the position. From there, the City Governors get to choose 10 candidates that they like (regardless of what their city members chose). The Regional Ministers then narrow the 10 to 3, and the monarch chooses from the 3 remaining.
Monarchy – the monarchy is, as stated before, hereditary, and the only way a different family may be placed on the throne is if a] a majority of the royal family decides to step down from the throne (which hasn’t happened since 261 ATC) or b] a vote of no confidence by the majority of the population (as in the population on the planet).
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Technology level: In terms of medicine, defense, etc., the Wyoopi are right up there with the best of ‘em. When it comes to offense, however, these guys don’t have anything above a basic blaster. [/SIZE]
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General behavior: Even with contact between the Wyoopi and the humans, the large marshmallows have a tendency to be slightly xenophobic, even within their own species, with the Ti-Wyoobi believing they’re better than the Na-Wyoopi (despite the fact that the Na-Wyoopi maintain the cities…). [/SIZE]
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The average Wyoopi is ruled by logic, and to the outsider emotion appears nonexistent. However, this is not the case; they merely express it differently. For instance, if a Wyoopi were to become angered, frightened, or nervous, the air pockets would fill slightly, and the Wyoopi in question would take on a bloated look. On the other hand, if one were to be disappointed, sad, etc., all of the air stored would be released with a faint “phhhhhhrooooom” sound, and the Wyoopi would look even more deflated than normal. When displaying happiness or something like that, however, the skin typically takes on a reddish hue around the neck, cheeks, and chest. [/SIZE]
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Another thing worthy of note is that the Wyoopi are very blunt and nonsensical, preferring to speak their minds in a manner which does not present any opportunities for misinterpretation. Similarly, they view “whimsical” manners of speech to be frivolous; because of their lack of metaphors, similes, etc., it’s not uncommon for the Wyoopi to take these things literally.[/SIZE]
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Outsider terms such as “fluffball”, “marshmallow”, “puff-men”, etc. are considered derogatory when directed towards any Wyoopi, and oftentimes result in the offender to be snubbed or even banned from particular establishments.[/SIZE]
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History: From archeological digs conducted by the Wyoopi, it was discerned that the species had evolved from an ancient silicon-based species known as a yum-yoo, now extinct. For the most part, the species (which the Wyoopi historians have named “Pre-Wyoopins”) was extremely primitive, using only basic tools and making a Gammorrean look like a borderline genius. In 36,453BBY (dubbed the “Awareness Year” by scholars), one of the eight Tho Yor ships traveled to Wyoobinar Minor and the passengers discovered the Pre-Wyoopins. Unlike the Wyoopi of today, the Pre-Wyoopins were capable of manipulating the Force, which confused the passengers as the species had not yet become intellectually advanced beyond their current state. As such, a small group of Force Users elected to use the Force to “expand” the Pre-Wyoopins’s minds. [/SIZE]
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While with a noble intention, the effort ended in catastrophe for all – the group of Force Users, number 30 in all, had all of their Force Energy sapped from their bodies and were turned into corpses almost immediately; the Pre-Wyoopins, while now possessing a higher intellect, were all but severed from using the Force; and the great disturbance in the Force caused the Tho Yor ship to leave the planet. [/SIZE]
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From 36,451BBY to about 26,472BBY, the Wyoopi began to abandon their primitive ways and move towards creating a more modern society; while some form of government began to appear, and settlements became more common, technology was still a far cry from other civilizations. Near the end of this period, called the “Reformation Period”, a ship carrying several Gree touched down, and the Wyoopi were once again put into contact with outsiders. The outsiders stayed for several years, showing the Wyoopi how to create and manipulate technology much more advanced than what they had now (though still nowhere near as advanced as the Gree themselves). Not long after, however, the Columi arrived as well, kick-starting a timespan known as “The First Global War”. [/SIZE]
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During The First Global War, the Columi and Gree began to fight for control over Wyoobinar Minor, with both species taking individuals from the Wyoopi and teaching them different skills – which, historians believe, was what began the species divide between the Ti-Wyoopi and Na-Wyoopi. This conflict continued for many more years until, in 26,459BBY, both species withdrew in order to deal with rising concerns from the Rakata. [/SIZE]
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The Ti-Wyoopi and Na-Wyoopi were left with the technology and skills from the respective species, and for many, many more years, both groups continued to wage war. Dubbed the “Interspecies War Period”, both Wyoopi put their attentions towards not only creating bigger, badder weapons, but also making attempts to exterminate one another. By c. 20,000BBY, the Wyoopi had evolved into warriors, only somewhat similar to the Wyoopis of today – while both could still inflate and whatnot, they had venom, claws, and advanced eyesight. [/SIZE]
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In 19,538BBY, the population of both Ti-Wyoopi and Na-Wyoopi had dropped so dramatically that they had to call a truce. Around this time, both sides (while still distrustful of one another) agreed that it would be better if each focused more on building their populations up, and a little while later (19,462BBY) the populations of each were stable enough that focus could once again be put towards technology; this time, defensive and medical. [/SIZE]
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And it wasn’t too soon. That same year, a ship filled with Rakata refugees, survivors of the plague which had decimated their species, arrived and made an attempt to take over the planet in hopes of possibly rebuilding the great Infinite Empire. However, the Wyoopi used the technology they had and eventually repelled the weakened invaders. [/SIZE]
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From there, usage of the warmongering weapons atrophied, and the Wyoopi slowly began to evolve into what they are today. However, the lack of wars and population control resulted in periods of famine and plague coming one every 1,100 years or so, killing large quantities of the population – most notably, the Na-Wyoopi (which leads many scholars to believe this is a contributing factor to the Ti-Wyoopi thinking they are better). While every effort was put into perfecting their medical technology (and defense, in case another group like the Rakata came), it wasn’t until 9,960BBY that efforts were also directed towards space travel (the building of spaceships would have come around sooner, but the periods of population-regression were too horrendous to focus more on that area until after the latest wave). Eventually, the Wyoopi perfected their colony ships, and began to transport people to the two nearby moons of Roobin and Boriin. While it took several years for the colonies to be considered successful, the bouts of plagues which hit were eventually weakened enough that they became a rarity.[/SIZE]
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In 7,991BBY, a seed ship full of humans arrived at the planet, and negotiations began between the two species. Eventually, the Wyoopi agreed to let the settlers live in their cities, and while no humans held any government positions in the monarchy, they still lived peacefully. At this time, the idea of war was almost non-existent. [/SIZE]
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After that, the only notable things which happened were the increasing usage of Basic over Wyoopino, and further advances in technology. About 3,756BBY, the species had pretty much reached their peak; their appearance was the same as it is today, and they had completely become a peaceful society. [/SIZE]
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During the many wars which afflicted the galaxy, the Wyoopi remained a neutral entity, trading medical and defensive technology in return for an agreement to leave their planet and colonies alone. For the most part, this worked – even with the rise of the Empire the first time around. After the death of Darth Sidious and the rise of the New Republic, the Wyoopi and their human counterparts withdrew from the galactic stage and became more isolated, managing to stay out of the way during the Yuuzhan Vong wars and the wars following. It wasn’t until the Rupture, when many individuals mysteriously disappeared, that the Wyoopi once again returned to the Galactic Stage and went about rebuilding a name for themselves.[/SIZE]
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Notable Player-Characters: [/SIZE]
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Intent: I wanted to create something similar to a puffer fish which can also double as an interesting (and hilariously frank) tech companion. Oh, and bring Baymax/Stay Puft Marshmallow Man into Chaos.[/SIZE]
