Table of Contents

A standard umin has a black body, white eyes, two antennae, single color underbelly, and white markings on the underbelly only.

Generally, "unusual" traits are anatomical changes while higher rarities are color changes.

Unusual ◇

Typically, these are minor changes to the umin's physical characteristics without adding new colors, or minor changes in color placement. 

There is no formal trait list—any minor anatomical change you can think of could be possible—so long as an umin is still recognizable as one. Here are some examples: 

• multiple antennae

• multiple eyes

• lights (of the same color as the belly) on the tips of the antennae

• horns/spikes

• longer body

• fur

• feathers

• toes

Some traits have restrictions:

• multi-eye: eyes must be on the line between the belly and body unless you have another "unusual eye placement" trait

Some related traits can be considered as bundled up into one unusual trait: 

• eel body: includes eel tail, fins, and gills 

Rare ⬘

Typically, these are non-standard but fairly simple changes to coloring:

• solid colored body (such as white or any other color)

• a two-color gradient belly (for the purposes of magic, it counts as two colors)

• two-color split belly (can be horizontal or vertical, line or single curve only)

• colored eyes

• black belly markings

• colored mouth: the inside of the mouth is a color other than white. 

• adding a new color on an unusual trait, or adding another color to a gradient belly or split belly (note that an anomalous color trait will allow as many colors as you want)

There are some "anatomical" traits that may be rare as well:

• Floating parts: additional floating parts, including halos.  

• Eyeless

• Missing limbs (can be missing hindlimbs, missing forelimbs, no legs, or no tail)

Anomalous ◈

Typically, colors and patterns with very few limits. Examples include:

• multi-color belly: the belly can have any number of colors on their belly in any pattern/design, including gradients, splits, and more complex designs, such as galaxy/stained glass patterns/etc. This is only the color of the belly surface and does not affect the actual composition of the umin. 

• color-changing: can affect any part of the umin, including the belly, body, and markings, but each of these is a separate trait. Colors can change to as many colors as you want, but must have a "base" color scheme.

• body markings: markings on the body. 

• colored markings: markings on the belly and/or body other than white or black.

• multi-color body: multiple colors on the body with gradient or pattern

• dynamic markings: markings constantly shift.

There are some "anatomical" traits that may be anomalous as well:

• multiple heads

Aberrant ❖

These are traits that fundamentally change basic umin appearance and anatomy, and may alter certain functions. 

In lore, umin cannot be born with these traits; they would need to have experienced a shift after consuming the mysterious kor from Ki'raki or absorbing an excessive amount of metaphysical energy, which can induce a transformation over minutes to days. If you have an umin with these traits, you can design a previous form and register it in the ML for free. 

• composition change: the umin's body is partially or entirely changed into a different substance or energy, including Gooey, Ghostly, Elemental (i.e. fire, water, ice, etc.). Can affect body, belly, and/or internal elements of a hollow body. Each element is a separate instance of the trait. 

  • hollow body/transparent body: a secondary trait to composition change; it comes for free with certain body materials such as glass, and cannot be acquired separately. The body is visibly and physically hollow, allowing for the umin to hold other materials and/or for objects to pass through them. These umin have mouths that open into a sort of pocket-dimensional space, where their actual insides are. 

• fragmentation: the body is split into multiple pieces. 

Resilience

One of the most defining characteristics of umin is their resilience. Very few things can harm them physically, and they even seem to nullify and absorb offensive magic used on them to some extent (but can be normally affected by non-offensive magic). Blades will slide off them, sharp points will sink like pressing into something squishy but will not break skin, all sorts of matter and energy will appear to slide off them like water repelled by a hydrophobic surface. If they are squished, they spring back up like nothing happened. When umin bite each other, they can latch on and be very difficult to remove, but this causes no harm or pain to the one being bitten. 

In fact, they do not have much of a sense of pain at all. On the off chance that they are injured, the sensation is more of a dull signal than actual pain, though they tend not to like being able to feel air on their insides. Depending on the extent of the injury, it can take a few hours to days to heal. If parts are cut off, so long as their kor is not damaged, they can regenerate fully over a few days to a week. 

Generally, only specialized magic and materials can harm them, though they tend to either involve a specialized magical nullification or originate from umin themselves. 

Magic

Umin magic can be anything one can imagine, but typically one "aspect," such as fire magic, light magic, gravitational magic, shapeshifting, etc. There is no relation to the color whatsoever. It is possible to have multiple types, but that is rather rare and mostly present in those with multi-color bellies. 

If you have a multi-color belly such as a gradient belly or colored pattern, you can have multiple types of unrelated magic. Otherwise, any additional types of magic must have similar "aspects," like fire and heat manipulation. You can have as many unique magic "slots" as you have belly colors. Additionally, magic is not monitored and does not require approval, but alignment with the lore would be appreciated.

Specific magic notes:

• Shapeshifters can take any color, shape, and size (as opposed to regular umin, who have an alt form with a number of restrictions.

• While time, space, and gravity are related, you may only have major power in one with minor influence in the other two without taking another magic "slot."

Magical sustainment

Umin are sustained by the kor they consume in their youth and thus do not need to eat, sleep, breathe, etc. They can survive in space without issue. They do not have a proper digestive system but are capable of consuming anything, which would be processed into magical energy and leave no matter behind.

Interstellar travel

Umin may travel as comet-like objects across the galaxy, traveling at faster-than-light speeds. An interstellar "jump" can be done without exhaustion but only infrequently; for instance, they may be able to travel to a new planet every day (~24 hours, that is) but not multiple times a day without exhaustion. Typically, this involves levitation before and after (the arrival is "dampened" as so the umin will not make a faster-than-light impact on arrival). Their eyes, belly, and other glowing parts also glow very brightly.

Dimensional travel

All umin have the ability to cross dimensions, but this is very tiring and not done frequently.

Telepathy

They naturally communicate via telepathy of emotions, intentions, and images. They are capable of learning language, but to many it is far less efficient and straightforward than their usual. Their original names are also nonverbal and abstract expressions; when making contact with a language-using race, they may take on a second name that can be spoken. Gender and pronouns are also not natural to them, but they may choose to take them if they wish.

Kor sensing

All umin have the ability to sense kor over long distances to some extent, and can thus know the way back to Namu, their home planet, as it is the largest aggregate of kor in the universe. Older umin may be better able to sense the weaker signatures of kor stranded away from Namu (and if they wish, they may take upon themselves the task to search for those kor and bring them home).

Umin sensing

All umin have a unique signature that other umin can sense. They can use this to find each other even with vast interstellar separation. If an umin is not in the same universe, another may be able to sense traces of the signature to where the dimensional jump was made, where they can then sense the distinct dimensional magic.

Alternate form

All umin are capable of having one shapeshifted alternate form. 

Note that those with true shapeshifting magic can take shapes of all colors, shapes, and sizes in addition to having an alt form). This form can change over time. It does take some effort to maintain, so umin generally prefer to stay in their regular form. See Design Update page for more info and how to add one. 

Umin tend to be solitary and independent, but certainly willing to form attachments. Notably, they tend not to be "owned" as pets, but may act as a companion in a similar sense if they wish. They may be fairly social with their siblings and parents in their youth before setting off to explore the galaxies.

Due to the quirks of their evolution and characteristics, they lack an instinctive drive for aggression, defensiveness, hunting/eating, and competing for reproduction. This makes them generally mild-mannered as a species, but there are strong variations at an individual level. 

They naturally communicate via telepathy of emotions, intentions, and images. They are capable of learning language, but to many it is far less efficient and straightforward than their usual. Their original names are also nonverbal and abstract expressions; when making contact with a language-using race, they may take on a second name that can be spoken. Gender and pronouns are also not natural to them, but they may choose to take them if they wish.

They make a variety of squeaks and clicks as their most natural sound, though they can replicate many other kinds of sounds with practice. Their equivalent of a hiss is a set of rapid repeated clicks that grow louder, and they can also do something similar to purring. When afraid or just as an act of comfort, they might curl into a ball that hides their underbelly. 

Newborn umin may make a variety of sounds, and may copy whatever kind of sound their parent makes. If a parent makes a baby gator or baby seal sound at them, they may find their children repeating the sound back to them. Parents may also carry their children in their mouth or on their back, or their children may latch on to the parent with their little teeth. 

Some, but not all, may gnaw on others with their teeth retracted as a playful or affectionate gesture.