Nava-Verse Archives #61: Peaco's Set

Custodian's Note: This entry features three completely unrelated subjects. Of these, the middle one is by far the most unique and interesting, and has the most to be said about it.

TOP:

• Rabbyphune: The humanoids of Meilbatsy, the first planet from the sun Llumos in the Epsilon Octant. Rabbyphunes are notable primarily for two reasons: one is that they are among the only female–dominated humanoid races in the Prime Galaxy, along with the Gworjini, and the other is that they are the only mortal humanoid race that is capable of natural, unassisted flight. The Rabbyphune is of average height for a humanoid; about five feet on average, and has a pinkish inner complexion, though most of its skin is usually covered by a natural shell/exoskeleton that is mainly dark blue in color, can be shed off at will and will grow back fairly quickly. Some of the race's features are somewhat reminiscent of those exhibited by many insectoids. The Rabbyphune's wings, which enable its flight, are fairly small but very powerful for their size; they are most powerful muscles on the humanoid's body, which make up less than 10% of the body mass but can use as much as 25% of the body's total energy. This, coupled with the overall lightweight nature of the Rabbyphune's body (which admittedly results in some durability being sacrificed), results in moderately–sustained self–aviation being possible. The atmosphere of Meilbatsy helps make flight easier as well. Rabbyphunes are not the smartest race on the Prime Galaxy's roster, in part because, for them, some of the energy that would otherwise go to the brain instead goes to the wings. They are not very aware of their less–than–brightness, however, and tend to be arrogant, reckless and headstrong, mainly because of their ability to fly which makes them unique and to them, superior, among all humanoids. For some unknown genetic reason, females of their population are physically stronger than the males, and as a result have the higher status in the race's society. The durability value of the Rabbyphune is 600.

• Buzmomoid: One of the types of non–sapient creature found on Meilbatsy. The Buzmomoid is a simple, ground–based animal whose life plays out much like that of a plant, yet which is not a plant–animal hybrid like the Gworjini, Omgnogg or Turmsilte, for its body contains no vegetation matter. It is a unisexual creature that begins its existence as a spore, asexually produced and buried in the ground by its parent toward the end of the parent Buzmomoid's lifespan, and from there gradually grows into its main form. The first discernible parts to emerge from the growing spore are tendrils similar in both function and appearance to the roots of plants, which absorb nutrients and small life forms found in the soil which are stored up and later used when they are needed to sustain the Buzmomoid's growing body. After at least a week, the creature's body will have fully formed, and its head will breach the dirt which it has been lying underneath and finally reach the surface. There, when it sees sunlight, the Buzmomoid will enter full consciousness for the first time, the latent receptors in its brain having been triggered by the light, and pull itself fully out of the ground. This is where the creature's life truly begins, and it is also at this point that a significant deal of latent ready–made instinctive knowledge in its brain is activated. As for the body of the Buzmomoid itself, it is stout, with four thick and stubby arms/feelers and four equally thick and stubby legs beneath the tendrils/roots, which have become vestigial by the time the beast gains self–awareness.
The Buzmomoid's durability value range is 400–500. Fully grown, it stands about 3.5 feet in height and weighs roughly 60 pounds. It lives for about twenty years on average.

MIDDLE:

• Peaco (515–597) was a Flufewog, and the single most notable member of his race. Peaco was bright pink in color, with three eyes and abnormally long, droopy ears, for which he was made fun of as a child. Peaco was abused by his parents and became very angst–ridden and depressed as a result of this and other factors, and thus felt compelled to enlist as an active warrior at the earliest possible age, that being thirteen years. Peaco proved to be a resilient and powerful warrior, and proved himself to his race by fighting valiantly in and helping to swiftly end the Sertrophian Civil War of Age 535. For his service in this conflict, Peaco was promoted to general status in the Flufewog warrior hierarchy. Later, in Age 549, Peaco fought in his second war, that against the Skellen during their first and only attempted invasion of Sertrop. For his service here, Peaco was promoted to the rank of admiral; the singular individual in charge of the Flufewogs' capital Air Station. In Age 552, Peaco was invited into the Sertrophian United Council of Defense as the Flufewog representative in light of the previous Flufewog councilman retiring, and he gladly accepted. Essentially the leader of his species at this point, Peaco spent the next fifteen years helping to rule over a peaceful multi–species planetary society that was continuing to flourish more than ever before.

And then, in Age 566, the Vision Wars began, and Councilor–Admiral Peaco was again called into action. After more than a year of intermittent battles against the various forces of Cosmo'rath, all of which were either coordinated or directly participated in by Peaco, the Flufewog leader and most of his race were cornered by a massive force of corrupted, demonized Rorke–Norgs aboard their own capital ship, Air Station Alpha–Beta–Delta–Gamma–Omega, and even when all hope seemed lost and annihilation appeared certain, Peaco and the fuzzy, diminutive men and women under his command continued fighting the enemies, fully prepared to die doing so. And that was when Connor Thorn suddenly materialized into the Nava–Verse, appearing inside the Air Station in an area where the Flufewogs were holed up. Fighting alongside Peaco and the Flufewogs, Thorn not only drove back the Rorke–Norg menace, but decimated them and destroyed their mothership, saving Air Station Alpha–Beta–Delta–Gamma–Omega and the remaining Flufewogs aboard it, including Peaco, who later attended a meeting of the Sertrophian United Council of Defense in Nog'Dod, coordinating the final assault against the floating palace of Evil Ninja Emperor Heinrich, which was ultimately destroyed by Connor Thorn. The Vision Wars ended shortly thereafter, and two years later, in Age 570, Councilor–Admiral Peaco announced not only his retirement from the Flufewog military, but also his premature stepping down from the council of which he was a well–respected member, surprising and even upsetting many.

What Peaco did next, no one could have ever guessed beforehand. Despite all his outward toughness, the Flufewog veteran felt deeply traumatized by all the fighting he had been through, and guilty about the thousands of beings, evil though they were, that he had contributed to the deaths of. He wanted to spend the remainder of his life doing something different; something more positive and innocent. But he wasn't sure exactly what. And as it just so happened, it was around this time that the holo–screen was invented. Upon hearing news of this, Peaco at last knew what he was going to do.

Peaco became the star, writer and producer of one of the first long–running holo–screen programs: Peaco and Pals. Peaco and Pals was an educational program intended for very young children, though unlike many of the other similar programs that would follow it, it still possessed a degree of creativity, quality and entertainment value that a general audience could appreciate. The show began airing in Age 571, starting off as a local program aired only in the Flufewog–populated region of Sertrop, and starred a fictionalized, extra–happy version of Peaco, played by himself, who was known for speaking in a particularly high, but not to the point of being difficult to understand, voice, and also for having a flower for a tail, which was achieved using practical effects. He was accompanied on various lighthearted adventures by a group of fictional friends, played by Flufewog actors, teaching facts of life and life lessons to viewers along the way. These characters were all conceived by Peaco himself, and included:

• Babo, a fat, dim–witted and purple oaf who would constantly be seen eating cookies. This caused concern among some, who perceived the character as encouraging obesity. In response to these complaints, Babo's diet was later expanded to include other, healthier foods in addition to his trademark cookies. Later in the series, Babo owned a sailing boat which the gang used to travel to other locations on Sertrop.

• Tray, the only female among the main cast. She was portrayed by a three–eyed, grayish, "lump–headed" Flufewog, and was said to have three brains, making her the smartest of the characters.

• Wage, a red/orange character who represented hard work, patience and perseverance. Wage wore a dark blue apron and was responsible for taking care of the large funhouse in which he, Peaco and the rest of the gang lived.

• Jeero, a dull green and squarish fellow who was known for his general laziness, which he would sometimes have to rise above in order to save his friends.

• Cinko, a three–eyed blue character with tentacle–like arms. He was portrayed as Peaco's cousin and was known for having an irrational fear of water.

• Ox, a dark–colored troublemaker with long ears (standing upward rather than drooping like Peaco's) and a single eye. He was very greedy and frequently acted as an antagonist, though he would always be forgiven afterwards.

• While Ox acted as a largely harmless antagonist in many episodes, an executive decision was made by Peaco during production of the program's second season to introduce a truly evil character to the simple, happy world of Peaco and Pals. The result was the fictional Primal Deity Bob'Gnarli, a recurring animated character deliberately designed to resemble a banana in shape. Bob'Gnarli was named after the infamous Monsgnarl Pantheon of deities who control planet Proolycoles. Initially, he was a genuinely fiendish and menacing character who acted much like a real Primal Deity, which caused some complaints from moral guardians of him being too scary for children. As a result, Bob'Gnarli was toned down greatly into the goofy character he is now best remembered as. Ironically, this characterization triggered more complaints from different moral guardians, who claimed that the character now too harmless for a Primal Deity and did not adequately convey the evil and threat posed by such beings. Peaco (in)famously replied, "Screw them!" to this second wave of complaints, and refused to change Bob'Gnarli a second time. Later, he stated that he preferred the goofier version of the character to the original, menacing one from an artistic standpoint.

Various other characters came and went throughout the course of the series, but these were the main ones. There were also special guests on occasion, mainly individuals from extrasertrophian races. Connor Thorn appeared on the show on three separate occasions.

Peaco and Pals ran for twenty six seasons, ending only when its creator and star died of old age, and by the end of its run it was being broadcast on over a dozen planets throughout the Prime Galaxy. The final episode of the series dealt with Peaco's death and his friends' coping (all played by different actors at this point than at the beginning) with it, teaching children about death while emphasizing that the soul lives on. This episode won the award for "Most Emotionally Affecting Programming" at the Age 597 Hollies (holo–screen programming awards), and Peaco's actual funeral was seen or attended by not only the majority of the entire Flufewog population but by millions of others from Sertrop's other races, and from other planets.

All of the original tapes of the more than 1,000 episodes of Peaco and Pals are currently held in the Nog'Dod Archives, and their total estimated value is more than 100,000,000 Galactic Common.

BOTTOM:

• Biodobtle: The Biodobtle is a monstrous animal found on Ithpinbo, home of the Wevaracti, and is the largest creature native to that planet. It is a carapace–bearing, insectoid–like beast with a main body of about ten or more feet in length, and eight legs, each of at least twenty feet in length: four growing from the appropriate spots on the lower main body, and another four growing from around the head, which is topped with a hard, complex crown structure. These legs are all extremely flexible and tentacle–like, ending in hands with four claws which boast significant strength and gripping power, and are used to climb over harsh terrains with great swiftness. Biodobtles are found almost exclusively in the Westernmost regions of Ithpinbo, where mountainous and rocky environments are dominant. They primarily eat more mineral–based substances, rather than traditional meat, and this diet includes all manner of vegetation up to and including the very trunks of trees, as well as rocks, especially shiny and pretty ones, the likes of which are considered valuable and useful for making jewelry by the Wevaracti. Harder "foods" such as rocks are broken down using a pair of mounted structures that are positioned in front of the Biodobtle's face and can be made to violently vibrate in a drilling fashion at will. The Wevaracti express little concern or annoyance with the Biodobtles' consumption of the same stones from which they make the trinkets with which they are so obsessed, for there is such a great abundance of these materials on Ithpinbo that scarcity is hardly a concern at all regarding them.
The average durability value for a Biodobtle is 2,000. The creature can live for a maximum of fifty years.