Oot species information

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  Oot Undead - CLOSED by Juffoo  Oot Shark - CLOSED by Juffoo


List of Oots


What are Oots?

Oots are small, curious and very loyal creatures. When they find their true human companion, they are bonded for life. There has been instances when one human companion was found to be bonded with multiple Oots. Oots are also highly intelligent. Although they cannot speak, it takes them one year after birth to understand most of the language that their human companion is fluent in. There are also Oots who are born of nature, which are rarer. These Oots typically have some ability that normal Oots do not possess. As more and more Oots are still being discovered today, it is likely that some characteristics have not been documented yet. When such discoveries are made, this species information sheet will be updated.


Origins

Oots have been living on Earth for centuries. It is not exactly known when they came into being. Before being discovered by humans, they dwelled far from civilisation and preferred to live amongst themselves in social clumps, called Ootens, of between 10 to 30 with an even mix of males and females. Clumps of Ootens are usually led by an alpha Oot, which can be a male or a female. As Oots are generally peaceful creatures, there is often exchange between clumps of Ootens. It is not uncommon for Oots to find a mate from neighbouring clumps. Once mated, they are paired for life. The newly formed pair may join the Ootens of either Oot or begin their own clump. Oot babies are called Ootlings. It is extremely rare that an Oot is without an Ooten. If an Oot is exiled from a clump, it is usually because the Oot committed a disastrous wrong-doing.

 

Oots were discovered by humans only recently. A young village girl living on the outskirts of a small country town wandered into the mountains and caught sight of a fast moving orange-coloured bushy tail. The girl followed the Oot for 3 hours by catching brief glimpses of the strange unknown creature here and there amongst rocks. The Oot’s trail went cold and the girl became hopelessly lost. The child was missing for 2 days and it was not until the villagers sent a search party into the surrounding mountains that they located the girl. They found her safe and sound, sleeping peacefully in a small cave surrounded by furry creatures. It was later discovered that the Oots had taken the girl into their home when she cried for hours unknowingly right outside an Ooten cave. When the villagers brought the girl back into the village, they found that the orange-coloured bushy tail Oot followed them and did not want to leave the girl. The rest of the Ootens tagged along curiously.
 Village girl and the Oots by Juffoo


From the day of discovery, that village was the first in the world to live alongside the Oots. The Oots adapted well to human society. While they retained their permanent bond with their mates, Oots found a new bond – that with a human. The Ooten cave from which they found the village girl had dwelled 16 Oots. All 16 formed a special bond with 16 villagers within the first week that they were brought to the town. The girl became life-long friends with the orange-coloured tail Oot. As news spread from village to village, city to city, more and more Ootens were found sheltered and hidden in places of nature – within logs, underground nests, beside rivers. And among the intelligent Oots themselves, it slowly became known that humans were generally friendly and that living with them brought happiness and joy from the unexpected bond they formed akin to their own mates. They called their wilderness days the Pre-Human Era. Alpha Oots were no longer needed and eventually, all Oots had equal standing. Gradually, Oots came out of hiding and even today, clumps of Ootens are being discovered. Some willingly migrate into society, seeking the Oot-human bond that they have heard so much about from among their own kind.

 
Ootaks

Over time, more Oots came to live among humans. They played, ate and rested together. The bond between Oots and humans continued to grow stronger and true. Slowly, something within Oots began to alter. The Oots desire to protect and defend their human companion awoke a trait that had been dormant in them for centuries. Their physical form began to change until they towered easily over the humans. Their appearance grew fiercer and their bodies became more powerful. But their temperate remained the same, and their love for their human companion was unchanged. This was the Ootak form. In the past centuries, the Oots had long forgotten their ability to change when they chose to live the peaceful way away from the dangers of the world. It is not well understood, but not all Oots have this ability. However when their Ootak form is activated, the Oots can willingly change between their natural and the Ootak form. Once their Ootak state is discovered, an Oot never forgets the ability to change. Though some are able to switch between forms more easily than others. 

The Ootak form is an amplified version of their normal Oot state. Their markings and physical traits are more evolved and complex. Their middle legs do not grow as large as the front and hind legs. As an Ootak, they are much faster, can leap further and jump higher. Some may sprout horns, wings, claws to enhance their offensive and defensive capabilities. The Ootak form of a Nature Oot would significantly intensify their natural abilities.

It requires alot of energy for an Oot to transform into an Ootak. They cannot remain in the elevated state for more than a few hours before they need to revert back to their Oot form and rest. 

Do not cross an Ootak defending its human. It would not end pretty. For you.

(Ootak is an extension of the closed species Oot. If you want an Ootak, you must have an Oot. If you want an Oot to have an Ootak form, I must design it for you.)

The First Ootak by Juffoo



Physicality

No two Oots are alike except if born as twins or triplets. At birth, they fit smugly into one hand. Eventually, they grow to be no more than knee height, however there are exceptions for some Oot types who may grow to be considerably larger. Their 6 legs enable them to run quite fast, but it also makes them clumsy. It is not uncommon to see an Oot trip over its own paws.

 

Although small, they have very expressive eyes. Their mouths are not visible until they eat. Oots have different styles of tail as well as hair on their heads. They have been found in all sorts of colours and patterns. Some Oots are born with a tuft of neck mane or paw fur. There are Oots who are known to be very particulate about their outward appearance and have taken on to wear small accessories such as earrings, bandanas etc.

 

Their antennas are highly sensitive. It can be used to communicate with other Oots. The colour of the antennas and nose are always the same colour. Oots do not have natural defences like claws and venom. Instead, they survive with their speed in the Pre-Human Era.

  

Behaviour

Oot personalities are as varied as that of humans. Generally they are peace-loving and friendly creatures. However among them, there are Oots that are also grumpy, excitable, sad, impressionable, naïve, cheerful, mischievous, etc. It is also known that some Oots like to overeat. Their human companion must be watchful of these particularly Oots at all times because they are intelligent enough to know where the pantry is. Oots also love the outdoors as they originated from the wilderness. It is rare to find an Oot who prefers to spend all their time inside the house. Some Oots are also known to be ticklish.

 

Special Nature Oots

There are some Oots that share a special assimilation with nature. These are one-of-a-kind Oots. For instance, there is only one Autumn Oot or Hedge Oot in the entire world. It is said that these Oots are not born from two parent Oots, but from the nature element itself. In the Pre-Human Era, these Nature Oots find their way to Ootens and live amongst them like normal Oots and mate to producing normal Ootlings. Their unique abilities allow clumps of Oots to benefit in different ways.  

 

It has not been discovered how these Oots are exactly born. Research is being undertaken to study how these Nature Oots come into being.

 

Nature Oots’ physical appearance and special trait is based on the nature type. Their physical appearance resembles the nature type in a way. The special trait refers to some activity that the Nature Oot can do, but normal Oots cannot. For instance, the Autumn Oot has brown leaves growing on its head and tail that sheds when winter comes. Below is a list of Nature Oots that have been discovered as of today:

 

:bulletgreen: Landform based (eg. mountains, leaf) 
:bulletgreen: Weather based (eg. hurricane, fog) 
:bulletgreen: Elemental based (eg. fire, water) 
:bulletgreen: Animal based (eg. moth, snail) 
:bulletgreen: Plant based (eg. grass, fungi) 
:bulletgreen: Paranormal based (eg. ghost, yeti) 


Eggoots

It has been recently discovered that Nature Oots come from egg-like formations, known as Eggoots. While it is still unknown how they are formed, Eggoots have been found near the nature-type that an Eggoot represents. For instance, a Moss Eggoot was spotted growing on a branch near a waterfall. A Cheese Eggoot was located in a field full of diary cows. Similar to Nature Oots, the Eggoots are one of a kind. 

Eggoots are believed to remain in incubation for approximately three months before a baby Oot hatches from within. Once removed from their natural surroundings, however, an Eggoot requires a bit longer to incubate for up to an extra two to four months. Thus it is better to leave the Eggoot in its original location. Different Eggoot types require different care if placed in artificial surroundings. For instance, an Ice Water Eggoot might require freezing conditions to grow; a Tornado Eggoot thrives when placed in a windy site. If Eggoots do not hatch due to undesirable artificial surroundings, it will remain hibernated until placed in a suitable location. 

Eggoot shells are extremely hard and does not break. However, it is inadvisable to throw them around carelessly. They are also fairly large in size considering that adult Oots are no more than knee height. They are also quite heavy. Eggoots only hatch Nature Oots. Normal Oots are born and bred by two parent Oots. 

Eggoots Auction - Moss and Cheese - CLOSED by Juffoo


Funny Oot anecdotes

‘I came home one day and found my Oot, Thomper, hiding under the fruit bowl. It really likes it and sleeps under it now.’

 

‘My Oot, Vikinn, loves to destroy toilet rolls. I spend more money buying toilet paper than on groceries.’

 

‘Pammy is a TV-addict when she’s indoors. I can’t shut the TV off because she has worked out how to turn it back on. But she only likes the cartoon channels, which I like too.’

 

Future developments

As new Oots are still being found all around the world, it is believed that this information sheet is incomplete. It will be continually updated as more is known about this fascinating creature.

 
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Well! That was a fun write up! 
If you've got any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

The Oot is a closed species belonging to Juffoo.

Oot drawing guide by Juffoo

© 2014 - 2024 Juffoo
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