Novakid physiology(open for discussion)

Welp. Everone's been going ham on this, and I... Well. I couldn't be bothered to read an ENTIRE PAGE of debate on this. I'm not going to quote or discredit or argue with anyone, and what I say may have been already stated, but what I'm about to put down is how I've interpreted Novakid phisiology.

Firstly, a Novakid's membrane is similar in function and texture to a cell's membrane; semi-permeable and somewhat malleable, kinda squishy in a way that's similar to flesh. The membrane is held together by an electromagnetic charge, controlled by and centered in the brand; the brand holds an enormous amount of electromagnetic energy that slowly dissipates throughout the Novakid's life.

Novakids run on combustion, meaning they require fuel in order to function. Fuel can be obtained by ingesting organic products, possibly very few inorganic products, and alternatively breathing oxygen*. Consuming certain inorganic products such as metals, rocks, glass, or any other non-combustible substance is not in any way a source of fuel, and causes a buildup of "slag" or waste debris that can collect in a Novakid's extremities (eg. hands, feet, face) if it is not excreted in a timely fashion. Slag removal is possible, but time consuming and in some cases painful; the act is comparable to shaving, or the forceful removal of acne.

*Breathing oxygen, however, is not a necessity for a Novakid, as fuel can be obtained in other forms (eg. breathing other combustible gasses, eating food, I just talked about this people.) While on a planet with oxygen, Novakids would require a considerably lower fuel intake than on a planet with no atmosphere. However, with that in mind, a well-fed Novakid could in theory take a short few-hour-long moon walk, if they so chose to. That being said, it is not feasible for a Novakid to live on a planet without access to oxygen. The required fuel intake would be too great to live comfortably or practically.

Back to the membrane. Novakids have no distinguished physical features, other than a head, torso, abdomen, and limbs; no facial features, no deviantart rule 34. Any other limbs, features, tails, or ears would be considered Body Modification/Mutilation, and would require an enormous amount of time and effort; it is likely irreversible in any way besides amputation. (Not to mention that pushing out from the inside of your membrane, the thing that holds your plasma in, is totally fucking dangerous.)

If beaten/battered enough, the membrane will grow weaker and thinner to the point that the Novakid will begin to "bleed". Wounds that would be considered "bruises" to humans would likely be to a Novakid a weakened membrane and a very minor plasma emission; it would only be enough to singe a small hole in a piece of clothing, or give a tiny burn to an organic substance (eg. fist, foot, head, I'm sure you're all creative).

If a Novakid's membrane is pierced, the best thing to do is apply pressure to the wound with something that has an electromagnetic charge, for example a Novakid's hand, either their own or another's. In theory, special bandages could be fashioned for Novakids, like flexible polarized metal strips. Whatever the hell those nanowrap bandages are. Things like that.

Novakids can't run forever. Their biggest weakness is their exhaustion. Physical combat between a Novakid and an organic life form is in almost every way unbalanced; they have no bones, they don't breathe, and their blood is practically fire. The best option is to outlast them with endurance, until they become sluggish in movements and eventually retire. The only other option is to render the Novakid unconscious, either by blunt force trauma to the brand with something hard (like brass knuckles or a bat), or by means of electrocution (like a taser).

Back to the membrane part 2. I've heard of some people claiming that Novakids' limbs can grow back. Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but that's not real. Something of that caliber would, again, fall under Body Modification/Mutilation, and would take an enormous amount of time and effort; not to mention the "regrown" limb likely wouldn't function as well as the old one (and would also probably look deformed).

And that's about all I got for now, or could think of at the time. At some point, about halfway through, it got a little sloppy. Sorry. Anyway. There you go.

 

Eh.

 

I present my actual rebuttal. I went through multiple emotional stages while writing this, so my apologies in advance if certain parts are a little catty. I'm a Mean Girl on the inside.

That's assuming that they don't need to breathe/metabolise/lose enough energy that requires them to "refuel". I have absolutely no idea where the concept of absorbing more plasma came into play, but it wasn't from my theory. Ingesting more plasma wouldn't be a way to recharge, it would be like a blood transfusion, which would only be necessary after an extended plasma emission. What I suggest is that the shell itself is held together by an electric charge, and we seem to be in agreement about that. But what I don't believe is that the energy in the brand is what drives the Novakid, meaning that the electromagnetic energy is not the Novakid's actual energy source. I believe combustion would make sense, as a constant supply of fuel would be required to make up for the exerted physical energy; heat.

This disregards the energy exerted when moving or exercising. If a Novakid's endurance was directly associated with its life force, the being could potentially function endlessly until it worked itself to death; it would not need to cease and rest, negating sleep entirely, and would continue to live consciously until it had fully exerted itself. A Novakid's lifespan would then be determined by how much and how hard it worked. I think a race of lazy near-stationary star blobs sounds a bit boring myself.

Sure. If this is how you'd like to look at it, I believe at some point the required rate of conversion from plasma to energy would probably outweigh the amount of plasma a Novakid can supply. With this concept, older Novakids would likely be smaller and thinner, similar to (some) old humans.

Otherwise, I believe the original concept of "red giants" would be feasible. A Novakid's charge would slowly lessen, making the membrane thinner and causing the plasma to push more easily outwards. I guess they really don't have to be red. Just kinda fat. Eventually, the charge would run out, and the Novakid would simply dissipate.

That's all good and fine, and you're free to believe that, but I respectfully disagree.

Yes, it would be, I'd suggest no-one attempt such a feat.

As for retaining their shell, yes. It makes sense.

Please don't state your opinions as if they are already concrete facts when responding to someone else's proposal. It makes it hard to continue any sort of debate if you present your views in a way that leads us to believe you think you've already won.

It's actually very important. I'm not sure how much energy you project them to have, but you can't fit an entire sun's worth of energy into a being of that size. Even if a Novakid had the capability to sustain itself for around 200 years, physical exertion alone could bring that number down significantly. And to be honest, I'd give them a lifespan of around 200 years at the most; especially since their level of technology is known to fluctuate rapidly with each passing generation. Anything much longer than that would be an incredibly gradual shift in technology, as they would be absolutely ancient before finally perishing.

Sure, I'll go for that. Sustained.

I'll attempt to explain it, because gender fascinates me and I find this aspect important. Firstly, I didn't mean to imply that different body shapes for different genders wouldn't exist, although I can see how it could be interpreted that way. (I was kinda thinking about that when I wrote it, my bad.) Before, I've explained different gendered body types in Florans by suggesting the concept of gender was introduced to Florans by alien species, and that eventually Florans began to "grow" into their respective gendered body type. This made sense to me, given that gender and sex are two separate concepts. (I provided this theory as an example, however, and there's no reason to debate Floran genders for the time being.) Anyway, for reasons unknown, the concept of gender in Novakids existed before their introduction to other races. Where exactly it came from, I'm not sure I could say, and given the Novakids' shoddily kept history, I'm sure none of them could say either. It would be best to leave that alone, and chalk it up to, "It's always been that way." Novakids at least have a concept of gender, and could therefore theoretically grow into their respective gendered body type. If you'd like, you could say their body type is determined by their sex, since you posed a distinction between males and females. That'd be hella easy, but still unexplainable.

<3

I think healing and regeneration should have a distinct difference. Being able to close up small wounds rather quickly is fine. Small cuts, scrapes, "bruises" would have very minor emissions. I think something such as a stab wound or laceration would be a bit more difficult to close up, and require a bit of pressure in order to knit back together in a timely fashion. Something like a bullet wound just about anywhere but the brand would likely be survivable given adquate pressure and quick medical treatment. Something of the caliber of losing a limb would be highly disasterous, and would probably require either a very quickly (and carefully) applied tourniquet while applying pressure to the stub of the lost appendage, or a gratuitous amount of whatever sort of bandage appliances exist for Novakids.

This makes sense.

Well, firstly;

And while I recognize that "refuling" and "recharging" aren't exactly completely identical, they're... fundamentally synonymous. And I understand that in the instance I pulled your quote from, you were referring to combustion in the case of breathing oxygen or eating food, but I'm not quite sure how a Novakid would simply just "recharge" on its own by not doing anything. But also;

So there's that.

Secondly, yes; they are vulnerable. For example, if you shoot them, and they're far away from you, then you've got the advantage. But that's typically how it goes for shooting anyone. And yes, if you stab them, then they probably tear easily. But they practically bleed liquid fire on anything attacking them. Even if you break their "skin", you can't win; you will be melted. If anything, I'd give Novakids just about as much endurance as everyone else; if not just because it seems logical to me, but also to be fair. In a fight, the best strategy would be to tire them, and proceed to beat them until they concede, without breaking their skin excessively. That is, if you're organic.

Below average strength seems adequate, but I don't think they'd necessarily have lower agility. If anything, they're a relatively lightweight people, are they not?

Granted.

All bubble bursting aside, I'd again like to make a distinction between healing and regeneration. For open wounds, I believe that after time the energy will build back up in that spot, and the wound will close. The membrane will knit itself back together. In this sense it would be like skin, but probably faster. I think the concept of regeneration, meaning the regrowth of a lost limb or body part would be a bit much. It would be like willing your insides to push and stretch your skin into the shape of a new arm or appendage. However, if regeneration is overly popular, I will concede that it could be explained plausibly. If the body knows what it's supposed to build, then I suppose it can rebuild. I personally just try to stay away from any sort of regeneration with any race, including Florans. You could argue that regeneration would be handy for just about any species, but I'm not sure it's really essential for the Novakid's chances of survival.

I'd like to think that the finalized product for anything concerning an important aspect of role play would be a combined sort of compromise, consisting of everyone's input. It shouldn't be one persons's idea over anyone else's. And while I get a bit mad when people don't like my opinions, I understand that's rather illogical, and that I should try to look at things from different viewpoints. That being said, I'll continue to offer my own viewpoint.

Also,

I have absolutely no idea what the brand is made out of, or where it comes from. I cannot explain the brand. Is it a solidified manifestation of the plasmatic and electromagnetic engery, ionized into some sort of metal form? Who knows. Maybe there's a brand factory. Plasma storks that deliver brands from the baby factory. Couldn't tell you.