Creature Suggestion - Orem (black wolf)

snowywinter • 13 November 2021 at 10:07 PM

This may be a little scattered. I've been sitting on this idea for months waiting for the brain fog to clear, but I keep getting compliments on it and requests to post it from the few people I've shared bits with... so without further ado, here it is...


Name: Orem
Derived from/ inspired by: Grim, Omen, Oracle
Started off definitely wanting Grim in the name, but after toying around with many combinations and synonyms, Orem kept sticking out to me. I know EC usually changes them, but I have to try.

Archive entry:

Egg
(WiP)
It is unknown how Orem eggs end up in the Cave, but so few successful hatches happened in captivity that the Science and Research Center spent decades perfecting the technique. When they hatch they are sent to qualified rehabilitation facilities before being sent free.

Creature
Many Arkians are superstitious about the Orem though few have seen one themselves. Most believe seeing one is a sign of bad things to come. That is slowly giving way as more stories have unfolded of Orem being seen before other big events such as winning a lotto, finding a long lost object, or meeting the love of your life.

The dark wispy forms are hardly seen for long before vanishing as quickly as they came. But it is unmistakable it is an Orem. As your eyes meet theirs it feels like they are locked and you get a sense that the Orem knows something profound. Almost everyone reports that it gave them shivers.

Little is known about where they come from or what their lives are like. Adults do not fare well in captivity and others just escape on their own. Orem are peaceful and have never been known to attack any citizens or other creatures.


Appearance:

A dark/ nearly inverse version of the Tasma. Black with blue/purple/violet/neon highlights. Maybe some swirls coming off of it.
Possibly another semi-transparent creature like the Biwo.
More triangular cheeks. Slightly bigger ears. Fluffier tail with the tip showing.

Egg
I am torn between wanting it fluffy like the Ookull (My first idea had it looking almost identical! - just with the Tasma patterns) or having it be more like the Tasma egg in pattern & sleekness. Other Color/Style Examples: Aguaille, Canige, Wauolrus, Draqua?, Kepatio?, Corlinn?, Eeriek?, Lizlord?
Lycire and Lyralopex would be good examples that the best of both worlds *could* be possible. (I keep thinking I either have to have shiny & cool OR fluffy.)
Fairtop wisps has some potential as inspiration... (though the wisps I was thinking of are more stylized.
Asian, anime, Okami game inspired?)

Adult
- Pup? Maybe sitting with a head tilt? (I mostly seen the two adult phases in my head.)
- I would like an almost identical 4th stage of the Tasma for the 3rd stage of the Orem. Looking more straight at the viewer.
- The final it will be at a lope/trot (looks like it is in motion,) (heading left?) and if it has wisps this is where it would show off the most.


Other Stuff:

- Possibly may talk with Xeroglyphs? (other suggestions welcome on which creatures they communicate with. I want that added element of mystery.)

- I do NOT want this to replace the Tasma.
I'd like for it to work like the Terrons/Mos if it gets picked. Except I want it to be fair. So it would be available almost every day for about 10 minutes... but those 10 minutes shift by an hour or so. "But how will I know when to grab one?!" That fits in with the description I have for the animal... it's supposed to be mysterious and rare. Instead of being in one time zone though, everybody should get a shot at at.
The hour shift could either reset every 24 days, at the end of the month. Or it would shift by an hour and ?? minutes. (But I would like it to reset at the beginning of the month so there's some predictability as to when it would be available in each time-zone.)
But I want it to seem random like them showing up in Arkians lives. "Any" time of day.

- The egg portion of the Archive entry so far isn't part of my original concept, so that's still open to suggestions.
- Should I add this section to the Adult portion of the Archive entry? I thought it was too much.
" Some even say seeing one saved their life, preventing catastrophe by just a few minutes. (Such as not stepping into oncoming traffic, walking under falling objects, etc.)"
- That part about little being known about them isn't me being lazy. It's intentional. I don't want much to actually be known about them. : ) (Let them be mysterious.)

Habitat: Unknown
Weight 20.4 kg
Height .74 m
Evolves: 777 Views, 1300 Views, 11110 Views
(I personally hate views as an evolve mechanism, but I think it fits with the lore of this creature.
I know the weight and height seem off, but the discrepancy is on purpose. They're lighter than thy look.)



Main point recap: (What inspired me)
- Black wolf similar in appearance to the Tasma.
- Mysterious omen of big life changes/events.
- Cave "common", but rare timed appearances. (Shifting time-zone.)



- - - - - -

Any and all artwork welcome. I lost my physical ability a few years ago. (Can't hold pens/pencils/styluses)


Brain's only 1/2 working right now for Creature Suggestion specific pings so hopefully these are okay:
@dragonii @watercress @mr-blue-bones @frankenstein @singasong99 @tetromino @sulvus @lilacblack @izziedragon @xxcouchxx
(just in case...) @murmurw @aquaticfalconess
(Sorry if you wanted to be pinged and weren't... I'm really shy at doing this.)


- - - - - -

Edit log:
14 Nov 21 3:30am - Added Stats to Profile.


NtS ping with updates:
mr-blue-bones

mr-blue-bones • 13 November 2021 at 11:06 PM

I love the concept of a misunderstood harbinger spirit! People just being scared of it due to it's dark appearance when it's actually trying to warn them, a very realistic reaction unfortunately.

The WIP strikes me as a little too reliant on the appearance of the Tasma, but I like the references for how the egg would look, I can almost imagine something similar to the Aguaille, Canige, or Waurolrus. Maybe the patterns could have a unique shape to them to separate from the Tasma a little more? More rounded to fit in with the idea of your wisps instead of the sharp angles Tasma's have or something.

I think the Orem only being available for 10 minute windows is way too harsh though...That just doesn't feel like a realistic expectation, even if you want it to be rare. At most it would be lessened to a lower spawn chance like a Terron, but not a whole new timing system. You'd have enough time for one steal attempt every day, and that's if you know when to try, otherwise you're out of luck. 😋
If the timing was lengthened, like maybe two days out of the week (and those days changing every week), it could stimulate some activity in the forums! Someone might take the initiative to make an alert thread for when the spawning time is active!

And I think it would look fine if you added "Some even say seeing one saved their life, preventing catastrophe by just a few minutes." to the Archive entry, but the second part might be a little superfluous.
There's so much potential with the Asian or Okami inspiration too!
(Sorry if this is all over the place, I just woke up. But if you ever have any updates for this you can absolutely ping me, I'd love to hear more of what you make!)

snowywinter • 14 November 2021 at 12:23 AM

@ mr-blue-bones
Thank you for all the feedback!

Not going to lie, totally stealing the concept from old Grim mythology. Though that was a dog, and not so much a harbinger of any type of news. Usually they're also pictured as more block-headed, or as scruffy mongrels. I wanted something more elegant.
(True story, an extended family member adopted a dog from the shelter, and the moment I seen her I got shivers. 100% reminded me of a Grim. Like I just *knew*. Took a few friends with me over to this person's house, and it stopped them dead in their tracks too for the very same reason. But that was one of the sweetest dogs I've ever known and I miss her to this day.)
Unfortunately too many animals are misunderstood on their appearance alone, or if they are acting "strange."

It's very reliant on the Tasma's appearance because I'm in love with that blocky, electric, "Tron" look. lol. But I can see where people would want it to stand out some. I don't know how to write it into the notes, but in my head canon they are somehow related. Like the Luminette and Luminese. (I know, those still have their visual differences.) I see some swirls coming off the square design... filling out that blank middle area and heading off around the sides. Glad to hear that something similar to the Aguaille, Canige, or Waurolrus resonated : )

I was basing the 10 minute window off of how long the Terrons are available for. It was just a suggestion.
I don't know how hard it would be to code a new timing system. I was just hoping to make it available for all time zones. ...But that would be neat if people could share sightings in the Forums if it was something random. How to get people to share that though as opposed to just hoarding them?
(You're actually the first person who's read my idea on the time concept that wasn't thrilled about it... so it took me by surprise and and few minutes to articulate a response. I know it's definitely a stretch.)

*nod* good feedback about how much to include on the Adult description.
Just to clarify... I don't want the whole wolf design Asian art/ Okami game style... just the wisps. : )

No worries. Your writing just waking up is more legible, concise, (gah! there's a word I'm looking for and the thesaurus isn't being helpful...) coherent? than mine is.
Woot! I'll be sure to ping you if I ever think improvements (or advancements) have been made on this 😊

izziedragon • 30 November 2021 at 7:17 PM

@snowywinter I'm very interested in bringing another wolf to eggcave ❤️ They're my favorite animal.
Having another time window exclusive creature would also be interesting...
A shame I don't remember getting pinged for this. I hope you can find an artist to collab with you! @prairie is first to come to mind, just because I know they're very talented. (Hope you don't mind the ping!)

snowywinter • 30 November 2021 at 8:15 PM

@dreamworld I am confused by your question. I have a whole section dedicated to appearance, (and explain that I do not have the physical ability to draw a sketch.)

Is there anything more specific you want to know that I didn't include?


@izziedragon
^^ ❤️
Thank you, and I swear I didn't edit you in later. lol. But hey, you're here now. 😊
The more input, the merrier.

chihiro_sang • 9 February 2023 at 10:38 AM

It sounds like a cool Halloween or bad luck theme creature.

lunacharm1037 • 9 February 2023 at 10:55 AM

I think another wolf type animal would be cool 😊 The only critique I have is the time window wouldn't be time enough for most of us to be able get one. I'd like to see it get made , and hop to get one too lol

snowywinter • 9 February 2023 at 10:43 PM

@chihiro_sang thank you ^^ ...though I hope if it was a luck theme (that would be neat for CRW some year... all "luck" based creatures) that it would be in a general sense. I wouldn't want players to think these were only omens of bad luck.

And thank you for bringing this old suggestion back to life ^^ 🤍 🖤

@lunacharm1037 All the wolves ^^
While I'd like to see the Orem get made at all, the timing aspect was a huge part of the inspiration for me. Trying to catch Terrons is probably one of my favorite aspects of the site; I find it to be a fun challenge. - I just wish it was available to all players; I realize some people will never be able to catch one, and wanted a creature that all people could try for in that manner. (And hopefully staff would allow players to post in a thread when they've spotted one so that players the next day can try for it in their respective time-zone. I wouldn't see it as cheating, but cooperation. I mean, players would still have to go to the Cave and make the attempts themselves.)
(I'd also hope that staff would initially let us know by how much the appearance shifts each day. If they didn't then perhaps a *bit* longer span of availability would be in order. )


I kept meaning to share this with someone who had a Hallowolf in their profile and for a time their status was saying they want a black dog on the site (*ehem* Sirus). I waited too long and now I forget who it was...
Maybe @thedarkarcher ?

@dragrawr @daisycat @twinkle don't think you were around for my first round of pings. Thought you might like to know I had made a creature suggestion at one point ^^
(no pressure to comment on it.)

daisycat • 9 February 2023 at 11:41 PM

@snowywinter
This creature is very intriguing! I like the mystery of it. A black wolf counterpart to the Tasma would be swell and probably well-received! I really like the reason for views being the evolution stat and I LOVE your idea for its availability in the cave. 😱 While I can see users becoming very frustrated on its rarity and variance, that just makes it even more elusive and valuable and exciting!! Varying time zones of availability in the cave is an idea I've never heard or thought of before. It sounds quite fun.

Spooky: "you get a sense that the Orem knows something profound. Almost everyone reports that it gave them shivers"

Thank you for pinging! If you don't find anyone to draw it up for you yet, let me know (don't worry, I wouldn't make it too cutesy lol). Your descriptions are really fab. 😊

snowywinter • 10 February 2023 at 12:03 AM

Egg stage description is still making me go 'blargh' and I've yet to come up with anything better.

@daisycat Thank you for all the feedback!
I'm pretty sure someone would complain about the number of views needed to evolve to the final stage, but I do want it to be 'elusive.' and each one of the view stats correlate to some form of luck. - I'll have to look them up on the Trivia document though now that no creature can have the same stat as any other. : ( We've had a lot of creatures based around luck, so we'll see.
I do try to be unique ^^ (and though i *hope* if this creature is ever adopted that it has some form of extended limited availability in the Cave... I understand that it could be a coding nightmare for what I'm thinking of... and i would NOT want the site breaking because of my idea. >.< I think players would be even more upset if they missed a few days of catching creatures at all.)

Woot! Spooky achieved! *triumphant video game treasure SFX*

Aww, thank you for the art offer (and compliments on my descriptions)! I'm like 50/50 on taking you up on that. Your artwork is amazing and I would be so honored... and yet it's so realistic, I'm like ' can she simplify it down?' lol >.<
(meanwhile: mentally fan-squealing daisycat made an offer to potentially do a mock-up for me.)

daisycat • 10 February 2023 at 12:59 AM

@snowywinter
My thoughts on the artwork: I'd do just that, a mock-up, and send it to you for input and tweaking. Since you have a strong idea of how it should look, I'd want to make sure it matches your concept well. 😊

Most people haven't seen the variety of art styles I can do (most things I've done are not online anywhere). For example, on Egg Cave, I clearly like to create more cutesy looking creatures because that's what I prefer to have in my cove, and, there are other users submitting creature styles that are opposite, so it evens out! I see something quite different in my head for this creature, and I feel I wouldn't have any issues drawing your design. ^.^

It's thoughtful of you to consider the possible coding components! But honestly, I think it would be neat to have different programming like that; it's a great opportunity to learn how to do something new or find someone who already knows and can provide their expertise. c; I really do love this elusive cave appearance idea. As vexing as it may also sound. XD

snowywinter • 10 February 2023 at 8:08 AM

@daisycat
Confession time: I'm glad i wrote it all down, because my memory is my own worst enemy these days.
I'm probably more open to interpretations of it now than I was a year ago. (Even if the core idea is still back in my brain somewhere.)

[cut and going to PM most of my reply as it was really getting mostly off-topic from the creature concept]

As far as I know, the only one who really messes with any major coding stuff around here is Ian. But hey, if he'd be willing to take this on, then I'd be willing to wait however long it took (knowing he has soooo many other things that come up to fix and implement around the site.)

noman15 • 18 February 2023 at 11:31 AM

I think that lately there have been a lot of more cutesy critters, so have a later in the month one that is darker or unlucky themed could work.