Whirlwind Stratos
| Whirlwind Stratos | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Standard Whirlwind Stratos (Crimson origin). | |
| Sociology | |
| First appearance | 40:073 (33 yrs ago) |
| Source | Tarrukar Empire |
| Current INTACT code | TKSW:2 |
| Population | ~ 810,000 |
| Common roles | Emergency services, law enforcement, delivery, construction, military. |
| Biology | |
| Generations |
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| Featured traits | Limited feather coverage, mammalian hair, plantigrade feet, human-like appearance. |
The Whirlwind Stratos, or just Whirlwinds (often shortened to WWs), are a modern species of Artes. They are characterised by their six limbs, tails, mostly human build, and mild dispositions. Their appearance is very similar to organic humans, standing upright and keeping similar limb proportions. Despite the similarities, Whirlwinds are genetically distant from humans due to their nature as a synthetic species. They were developed in the Tarrukar Empire, with the goal of creating a Stratos that would be approachable and friendly for use in public civilian jobs. Their biology and cultural role sits at an uncomfortable limbo between Cyclones and Zephyrs, and despite their advertised docile behaviour, a lot of Whirlwinds express discomfort with the lack of bespoke infrastructure.
The current Whirlwind version is the Whirlwind 2, released roughly thirty years ago. Most of the active population of Whirlwinds have a role in law enforcement, construction and infrastructure, delivery, weather research, and other high altitude jobs.
While the patent for Whirlwinds is owned by the Tarrukar Government, the ones in charge of producing them are contracted private companies. These companies are governed by the IRIS association, which oversees Whirlwind standards and dictates the guidelines for Whirlwind care, training and allowed jobs.
Outside of Tarrukar, Whirlwinds receive a lukewarm reaction—not as loved as Zephyrs, but less disliked than Cyclones. Whirlwinds can be found outside of Tarrukar as part of military or diplomatic missions, or as commissioned products (though this being rather rare due to their steep price compared to the more standard Zephyrs)
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Anatomy
See also: Stratos feathering
While Whirlwinds appear to have a rather human physiology, this is primarily external. They have plantigrade legs, primate nails, similar leg-to-arm proportions to humans, and are covered in various type of mammalian hair; including head hair, androgenic body hair, and vellus hair ('peach fuzz'). Their sense of hearing and smell tends to be analogous to a human's, including the ability to taste spice. However, this is where the similarities end.
Whirlwind eyesight is incredibly powerful, perhaps the sharpest among sapiential Artes—including Cyclones. While being trichromatic and lacking the UV receptors that Cyclones do, Whirlwinds are not far-sighted, and retain better sight health for longer. Their vision is more geared towards diurnal use, which has led to a skewed ratio of diurnal to nocturnal Whirlwinds.
Most of the organs in Whirlwinds sit within their ribcage, with the bone structure itself being narrow and long in order to accomodate the flight muscles. Much like other Stratos, they count with a keel, and the shoulder girdle is shared between the frontal arms and the wings, leading to a shared shoulder movement.
Due to the weight of their upper torso and their elevated center of gravity, a lot of Whirlwinds suffer of lordosis. This leads to lumbar stress, feet issues, and often chronic pain. Recent research has shown Whirlwinds are the Artes population that consume the most medications, though this is expected to change in the next decades as new generations are developed with better health.
Evidently based after Cyclones, Whirlwinds still retain a carnivorous diet, though at a lesser extreme. The reasoning for this is the short digestive tract required, lessening the overall bodyweight. In consequence, Whirlwinds have very potent gastric acid, and small fangs. Their tongue doesn't have the keratinous spikes of Cyclones.
Their height ranges 157 - 180 cm (5'2 - 5'11), averaging 172 cm
All Whirlwinds are required to sport their IRIS source colour on their natural wing plumage in an easily visible way. This can range from high-contrast ventral markings to full feather pigmentation.
Production
The IRIS association is a bioengineering coalition composed of four companies, each one specialized in production and training of Whirlwinds for particular purposes. While the Government of Tarrukar owns the patent for Whirlwind production, they lend production licences to the IRIS companies. This allows for constant improvement of products thanks to competition and wider workforce
Crimson Iris
The oldest of the Iris companies, it still has a strong government presence and is closely monitored. Its main focus is military training, producing hardy Whirlwinds with high tolerance to pain, good obedience and strength. They tend to be bulky and tall, about 170 - 180cm, and often have active soaring wings. Plumage tends to be muted, leaning for browns and grays.
Cerulean Iris
The Cerulean company focuses on Whirlwinds working in customer service and general civilian interaction. They are known for having extensive courses on social skills, de-escalation, and emotional intelligence. Other Artes deem them extroverted, though the more unkind may call them manipulative. They often have roles in law enforcement, emergency services, and delivery. Plumage can be very variable, though it tends to be combined with natural hair colours (eg. blonde, ginger, black, etc.)
Mint Iris
The Mint Iris makes a bit of jack-of-all-trades Whirlwinds, though in recent years there has been an emphasis in the infrastructure and long-haul flight industries. While they are found in almost all high-altitude jobs available (in particular for STEM and as skilled technicians), they are rather infamous for being... cheaply made. They tend to have rather bright plumages, often in monochromatic greens or with very strong contrasts.
Gold Iris
The Gold Iris is the company handling private commissions and special Whirlwind requests. Per the Whirlwind production license agreement, it's unlawful to design off model Whirlwinds in case of health or ergonomics issue, but this doesn't stop Gold Whirlwinds from sporting alternative plumages and showy skin patterns. The most common Whirlwind requests wind up taking on roles in private security and vigilance, either for big, showy companies or particularly wealthy clients.
Sable Iris
The Sable Iris is a governmental agency. It's in charge of the monitoring over the other companies, R&D for new Whirlwind models, setting training standards, and Whirlwind rehoming.
Behaviour
Much like other Stratos species, Whirlwinds are very gregarious. They are accustomed to communal spaces, sharing rooms, food and even clothing. There's little bashfulness around nakedness within their own species, though animalistic or non-standard behaviours tend to be more frowned upon in Whirlwinds compared to Cyclones.
Whirlwinds are very clique oriented, preferring to team up within their own species. This isn't out of the elitism of Cyclones or the strange ergonomics of the Pelagos family. Whirlwinds are some of Artes species that see the most discrimination in Tarrukar, with the particularity of being sourced not only from humans.
Similarly to Cyclones, use of sign language is normalized among Whirlwinds due to its importance for flight communication. Due to their decreased coverage of feathers, in particular the lack of aural feathers and whiskers, Whirlwinds rely less on body language.
Education
See also: Cyclone Stratos - Education
Whirlwinds must complete the standard Stratos education, including the FLEDGE qualification for flight aptitude. Whirlwinds, especially those going into STEM or emergency medicine, tend to go through longer Tutelage paths compared to other Artes species.
Trivia
- Historically, the most common name for Whirlwinds has been "Falco". This has led to the name itself becoming a somewhat derogatory term to refer to Whirlwinds as a whole.
- Whirlwinds are able to taste spice.
- Whirlwinds have the stereotype of being submissive, unintelligent, and incapable of making their own decisions, despite often being in highly skilled jobs such as electricians, welding or paramedics.
- They are relatively slow in land, mostly caused by how common back and gait problems are due to their build.
- It's unknown what the potential lifespan for Whirlwinds might be, as not even the oldest of Whirlwinds are 40 yrs old yet.