#yodsu

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So I have had the Yodsu species in development for a year or so now and I just realised they are basically hippie gremlins

Still pretty fun to draw tho

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Yodsus as a species tend to live near bodies of water or locations with a variety of food sources, which makes non-livestock creatures pretty rare as they eat into what becomes very thinned out resources in during peak hot and cold months. That being said one of the livestock-turned-pseudo-pet of Yodsu are Looms (along with Klacks but that is a separate post), a mid-sized worm creature that scavenges the large swaths of tall grasses and occasional trees in The Wander. 

Raising Looms:

Keeping Looms for livestock is a more involved affair as they require a good sized space for activity, a varied diet, and slow moving water (they can cling to the bottom of rivers well enough but get batted around by currents). This usually means that any Zuu who wants to get into the business tends to live either near the large Woods to the East or further inland, both of which are not known to be very Yodsu friendly. 

That being said if you are willing to answer the call for fresh hands and hard workers from the children of ranchers that come down the rivers you’ll never have to worry about wanderlust or lack of food again! Many villages are willing to keep trade going with ranchers due to the stable output of eggs and thread, especially during the winters. 

Dangerous living and proper care techniques aside, actually raising Looms is a involved process considering they will not become sexually mature until their third year, and even then can’t reliably take care of a full clowder of kits without direct assistance for protection and feeding well into their fifth year. Not that any Loom from a ranch will let anyone near their kits, resulting in the first hurdle of actually building trust with a murder slinky that can spit netting at you. And then once you -do- actually have their trust you better work on your reaction time and baby-proofing everything, because for some reason they love stealing trinkets and play tackling/smothering of their trusted family.

Ranchers have it so rough man.

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Considering that Yodsu are far flung descendants of therapsid-like creatures (mammal-like reptiles) there is a large range of different traits that pop-up from time to time. This is basically a comprehensive list of all currently found Yodsu traits, provided you don't include things like hybrids or magical shenanigans. --Tails-- Guppy: The tail splits at the end forming a fish-like tail, though this rarely helps with swimming considering that Yodsu's closet relative is a plains creature. The split can be as little as shown or as far up as half way up the tail, the feathers always being short enough to not drape over the split. Field Runner: A ancient trait that causes the Zuu in question to resemble a prehistoric relative, the feathers can be any length but the most common type for this trait is "Tassel" (short) Slim: The tail's aesthetics stay the same, though it gains the ability to be prehensile Split: The Feathers of the tail, regardless of type or pattern, will always make a inverted V shape. The longer feathers will also get an extra set of markings if any are present. --Heads-- Artic: Technically 2 different traits, both are categorized as the same. The fur can be either the standard straight follicle or more like wool or silky depending on location, while the "tusks" can be on either the top or bottom jaw. In rare cases there are even Zuu who have both a bottom and lower set, or even cases of two sets on either jaw Mop: The fur along the scalp and spine become much longer and flowing, growing more similar to horse or human hair. There have also been examples of loose or dense curly hair. Bald: The Zuu develops no fur on the face, instead appearing as the same color as the individuals paw-pads. Monocular: While some cases of this trait appearing as a "third-eye" the most well documented version of this is as shown. What the individual makes up for in depth perception they usually gain in more sensitive face fur, which helps sense nearby vibrations. Sharp-Faced: Most Zuus see this trait as another nod to their ancestors, back before tools were used to hunt instead of teeth. Plated: Even though the plates look like bone they can actually fall off from time to time if struck correctly. Most Zuu with this trait who have a decent pain tolerance are known for making lovely jewelry and clothing with their scales. Strangely enough feather color patterns are replicated on these. --"Wings"-- Bald: Little to no feathers are present, instead the arms are covered in the hide normally only found on the hands and forearms. Fuzzed: The fur and feathers on the arms can cover from middle to end of the forearm, only leaving the wrist and hand exposed, the feathers along the forearm are usually softer and more flexible so as to allow for full range of movement Full Cover: All but the palm is covered in fur and feathers, resembling a long lost ancestor of the Yodsu species, minus the flight. All the feathers along the arm are far more flexible and longer than in all other Zuus, though are still found in all patterns.102550100

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Cylus - Game Master

Cylus is the most successful beast tamer in Greenwash, and are more than willing to talk about the unique traits of every safe (and unsafe) creature a Zuu could encounter in Valfray. The two pets in this picture are known as Looms (the worm) and Klacks (the raptor), while not strictly pets they are popular with many Yodsu for their ability to produce thread and eggs respectively. PS:Cylus here is displaying several uncommon and rare traits in Yodsu, which will be shown here in the near future.

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When you live in the plains near a river, you don’t have much in the way of building materials besides Sod and Clay, unless you want to travel in the fall and spring months upriver to the Mawk-fish Marsh or even further to the Tallest Wood for lumber. That being said, the town of GreenWash manages to have a sprawling network of houses just fine. Making a hut is considered a ‘growing up’ ceremony of sorts for Yodsu, though one that is usually done in groups of 3 or more individuals (due to the heavily communal focused nature of their culture)The beginning of every hut starts with a group of young adults (with supervision!) building up the basic shape of the hut out of thick reddish-brown clay mixed with a little sand. After the finishing touches to the door and windows, they pile the inside with various left over bits of scrap lumber and other burnables to fire the clay into a water resistant type pottery that is naturally glazed due to the heat.The next part of the process usually involves the neighbors bringing over dirt and seeds for long grasses and thick weeded plants to adhere to the outside of the hut to help keep it warm during the harsh winters.

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The most "common" types of markings on Yodsu, in order from left to right, top to bottom; with Scroll being the rarest. Speaking of rarity, it is pretty uncommon to have a "full set" of markings (as well as have none at all) due to how the patterns and colors are passed on through the offspring. Not to mention every marking varies pretty wildly in size and orientation. The most common terms for types of marking spreads are: Full = A singular set of markings all roughly the same size and orientation Split = A left/right or top/bottom split of one or more patterns on the body, the most common of this type being one or more types on the bottom and then one or more types on the top, sharing only their color Mix = A hodge-podge of different marking types spread throughout the body, some extreme examples being a intersection of one marking into another or markings layering over one another. Bare/Blain = Only a few large and/or faint markings, usually on the chest or tail Spalt = Small splotches/lines/ dots forming the shape of regular markings, usually the shapes making up the markings have a slight hue and saturation range.

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Whew! It took quite a bit to actually narrow down the Common Types of Markings (more on that later) while still giving a nice variety. Hopefully that text is easy enough to read, if not just leave a comment and I will put a transcript in the Description!

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My Original Species, a young race that exists on the continent Valfrey. Mostly mammilian in make except for the leathery eggs they lay, though their strangest race feature is certainly their 50/50 chance of being born with a muzzle or a beak'd face. Due to the species having a strange fascination for trinkets, accessories, and clothing most of their feather and fur types are named in a similar style; usually in reference to a notion of clothing or a fabric type. What started out as my journey for a proper (fur)-Sona turned into me making a Original Species.

That being said I think im going to do a series of short stories to get a better insight into their world, that and more art sheets