Post by wynnyelle on Mar 2, 2007 17:29:42 GMT -5
Since I'm a fan of these pokemon I decided to try a roleplaying board at this game with them only. Maybe it'll succeed, maybe not, but here is the world's only Cactus pokemon only roleplay. With that, I give you...
The Infosheet: Cacnea & Cacturne
Cacnea and cacturne are 100% carnivores--they survive entirely on meat, getting all the moisture they need from their prey. They normally never need to drink and are completely adapted for storing as much moisture in their bodies as possible. Cacturne even sleep standing up during the day to minimise exposure to the sun and evaporation. They can survive in the most ruthlessly hot desert.
Their colours range through the various greens. By far the most common colour is medium light green and shades near it, with mid to dark green spines. They can also turn up green-brown or some browns. Very rarely, one may turn out very fair, or nearly black, although never a true black; bright sunlight will reveal the "black" to be a very dark green. Very fair {near-yellow/white} cactuses are subject to sun damage and are thus rarer. Cactus pokemons' eyes can be yellow, gold, amber, copper or golden brown. Their flowers are most often yellow, but also come in orange, red, magenta, pink, lavender and white.
Cactus pokemon live in groups called "gangs" run by cacturnes. A cactus pokemon has a strong prey drive and will prey on -anything- weaker than itself that is not one of their own kind. Cacnea are usually solitary hunters, while cacturne hunt in groups, surrounding their prey and killing with their spines.
Cacnea are not territorial, but cacturne are. Cacturne lifestyle is female dominated. Females grow larger and heavier than males, although gangs consist of any number of males and females mixed. Females also have a huge central spine on the front of their bodies, while males have a simple row of smaller spines. Cacnea/cacturnes grow throughout their lives, eventually getting quite large if they survive, older {50 or more years} females can reach 8 feet tall or more. Over the years they grow more and longer spines, becoming a truly imposing, even horrific sight. For those few that survive their first 10 to 20 years of life, their lifespans normally reach 150 to 200 years; they can sometimes live even longer. Males tend to live longer than females although they never grow as big.
Depending on the power of the lord, gangs can be anywhere from three to forty members or more. The larger the gang, the larger a territory they can claim, but the more they must hunt and the farther they must range. The gang is led by the largest/strongest, which is usually the oldest, cacturne. She will make all the major decisions for the gang and will be the only female who reproduces. Other females must ask her permission before they can plant any seeds in the gang's gardens. {She is unlikely to allow it.} Cacturnes will also attempt to kill any female cacturne that encroaches on their territory, although strange male cacturnes are usually allowed to join a gang as long as they accept the lord's leadership.
The cacturnes have a strong pecking order usually determined by size and strength. Males and females each have separate pecking orders, females being inherently dominant over males. Females have been seen ganging up on males who do not submit to them.
Male cacnea leave their natal gardens soon after evolving and seek out a new garden where they can pollinate a cactus lord, but females stay on as subordinate members to their mother. Once they are old/large enough to start their own gangs they will leave, taking a few smaller cacturnes with them.
The female gang leader or "lord" will allow various other males to pollinate her, typically any she finds worthy, and dominant males in the gang get to spread their pollen to her flower first. She will then lay seeds as a bird lays eggs, these are small dark brown or grey seeds, which will then be planted in the gang's garden. Female cacnea who grow up in this garden join the gang properly once they evolve.
Gang takeovers--These are relatively rare. Much more often, a stronger gang will simply drive out an entire rival gang from their lands {and wipe out their cacnea, steal one or more of their evolved males} rather than bother taking the gang itself over. Sometimes, however, a takeover may come about in the form of two gangs that merge, or more rarely, a large female who has for whatever reason ended up without a gang may take another one over for herself. When takeovers do occur, they are bloody affairs. A new lord and any gang members she brings with her will destroy the gang's cacnea gardens, kill any cacnea they find in the territory, and they may then even eat the cacnea bodies. The new gang lord will also drive out or kill any other females, and then she will allow the various males, whom she prevents from leaving, to pollinate her {the flower that sprouts on her head when she is fertile} and soon will lay new seeds to replant the gardens with. The cacnea that result may have any of the males as their father; none of the males know for sure which are theirs, so they protect the garden{s} as a whole.
Occasionally there will arise rogue females who, too young or weak to rule a gang, attempt to plant their seeds in the territories of established gangs. Some even make a living out of it, going as far as to team up and employ tactics to lure a gang away from its garden and quickly plant their own seeds in it, eating the seeds they may dig up. If they succeed, they will have planted their young into a place where they are guarded from enemies and assured a home, and even eliminated some of their rivals' offspring in the process. A cacturne lord will usually allow seeds planted in a garden by a rogue to remain where they are because of the risk of also disposing of her own seeds. Other rogues may attempt to further their own get by avoiding the gardens and instead planting individual seeds haphazardly on claimed territory, causing the need for heightened security on their borders during the short planting season. Such rogues are usually caught and die young, but manage to reproduce. The guarding of cacnea gardens is the extent of parental care among the cactus pokemon. Once the cacnea sprout, except for being allowed to live on their natal territory, they are largely on their own, although as they grow up they come to recognise the gang who spawned them. This recognition is important so that they aren't regarded as strangers when they evolve.
Seeds are laid during the very brief wet season in the springtime, the female lays anywhere from a couple dozen to a couple hundred of them depending on how large she is. The soil softens the seeds' outer coatings, and the seeds sprout within days.
Cacnea are born only about two inches wide in the body. They are immediately self-sufficient despite their small size. They live a life separate from their evolutions. They don't normally interact with cacturne because their daytime lifestyle does not much overlap with the nocturnal lifestyle they will have as adults. Upon sprouting from their seeds they must fight their way up through the soil to breathe. Once they reach the soil's surface the first thing they will encounter is other cacnea born of the same growing season. Weaker cacnea will be preyed upon in these first few critical hours. Seeds have evolved to sprout quickly, because the cacnea who surface first have an advantage over those who find their way up later. Born hungry, they lie in wait for an unsuspecting sibling to fight its way up, tired and unaware that one or more fellows are watching the moving soil, ready to pounce and kill. In one fell swoop, the baby cacnea eliminates hunting competition and gains a precious meal. In addition to eating their younger siblings, newborn cacnea will instinctively target as prey any of their number who look strikingly different in some way, usually a rare colour. The cacturne parents do nothing to stop the cannibalism; however, to minimise the deaths they limit the amount of seeds planted in each garden. The more gardens they plant, however, the fewer cacturnes there are to guard each one and watch the whole territory for rogues at the same time.
After the first few days, the garden's crops will have thinned out and the remaining cacnea will have established a truce, for attacking each other now would likely result in injuries that would make it harder to hunt and survive. They now turn their attentions towards other small prey lurking around in the desert environment, but they do not venture very far from the gardens in which they were born. To go onto another gang's territory would likely mean death to a young cacnea. As they grow and become capable of pokespeech, friendships even arise between them. Cacnea tend to choose their own names or their friends {or even enemies} make one for them.
Life is probably hardest, though, for female cacturne who grow large enough to possibly establish their own territory and gang but are just setting out from their natal gang where they have likely lived for twenty or more years. These females get to bring a few lower-ranking cacturne with them to start their own gang with, but this new gang is subject to attack by gangs in established territories until they either find an unclaimed parcel of the desert or drive another gang out of theirs. Many of these nascent gangs fail, with the males captured and the females killed.
RULES FOR PLAYING A CACTUS POKEMON HERE:
These rules were made to create a unique, realistic{?!} and challenging cactus pokemon roleplay.
Beginning players {Pokeeggs} start with a young cacnea--no exceptions!
Only Legendary status and up may play a large dominant cacturne.
Rare colours are just that--rare. Make your cactus a shade of green or green-brown! Preferably not with strange patterns either although a birthmark is fine. Other colours may be granted to people of Legendary or higher status with permission.
Male cacturne cannot lead gangs, although upon evolution they can join any gang they wish to.
Male cacturne need the gang lord's permission to leave the gang for any reason. {She's not likely to give it!} Higher ranking males get to pollinate first, but the lord will normally allow all males to pollinate her in turn.
Female cacturne who invade a rival gang's territory will be killed.
Cacnea who leave their natal territory{don't worry, it's plenty big} will be killed by rivals--NO EXCEPTIONS.
Subordinate females who wish to reproduce must ask their lord's--usually their mother's--permission--and if they do it anyway, the resulting seeds/cacnea will be destroyed by the lord in all likelihood.
Males are beneath females in status, although males and females can form close bonds between each other, within the existing order.
Females who become "rogues" are subject to being killed at any time for their crimes!
***********
Call this a 'beta' version--I may change little things here and there later on as I see fit.
The Infosheet: Cacnea & Cacturne
Cacnea and cacturne are 100% carnivores--they survive entirely on meat, getting all the moisture they need from their prey. They normally never need to drink and are completely adapted for storing as much moisture in their bodies as possible. Cacturne even sleep standing up during the day to minimise exposure to the sun and evaporation. They can survive in the most ruthlessly hot desert.
Their colours range through the various greens. By far the most common colour is medium light green and shades near it, with mid to dark green spines. They can also turn up green-brown or some browns. Very rarely, one may turn out very fair, or nearly black, although never a true black; bright sunlight will reveal the "black" to be a very dark green. Very fair {near-yellow/white} cactuses are subject to sun damage and are thus rarer. Cactus pokemons' eyes can be yellow, gold, amber, copper or golden brown. Their flowers are most often yellow, but also come in orange, red, magenta, pink, lavender and white.
Cactus pokemon live in groups called "gangs" run by cacturnes. A cactus pokemon has a strong prey drive and will prey on -anything- weaker than itself that is not one of their own kind. Cacnea are usually solitary hunters, while cacturne hunt in groups, surrounding their prey and killing with their spines.
Cacnea are not territorial, but cacturne are. Cacturne lifestyle is female dominated. Females grow larger and heavier than males, although gangs consist of any number of males and females mixed. Females also have a huge central spine on the front of their bodies, while males have a simple row of smaller spines. Cacnea/cacturnes grow throughout their lives, eventually getting quite large if they survive, older {50 or more years} females can reach 8 feet tall or more. Over the years they grow more and longer spines, becoming a truly imposing, even horrific sight. For those few that survive their first 10 to 20 years of life, their lifespans normally reach 150 to 200 years; they can sometimes live even longer. Males tend to live longer than females although they never grow as big.
Depending on the power of the lord, gangs can be anywhere from three to forty members or more. The larger the gang, the larger a territory they can claim, but the more they must hunt and the farther they must range. The gang is led by the largest/strongest, which is usually the oldest, cacturne. She will make all the major decisions for the gang and will be the only female who reproduces. Other females must ask her permission before they can plant any seeds in the gang's gardens. {She is unlikely to allow it.} Cacturnes will also attempt to kill any female cacturne that encroaches on their territory, although strange male cacturnes are usually allowed to join a gang as long as they accept the lord's leadership.
The cacturnes have a strong pecking order usually determined by size and strength. Males and females each have separate pecking orders, females being inherently dominant over males. Females have been seen ganging up on males who do not submit to them.
Male cacnea leave their natal gardens soon after evolving and seek out a new garden where they can pollinate a cactus lord, but females stay on as subordinate members to their mother. Once they are old/large enough to start their own gangs they will leave, taking a few smaller cacturnes with them.
The female gang leader or "lord" will allow various other males to pollinate her, typically any she finds worthy, and dominant males in the gang get to spread their pollen to her flower first. She will then lay seeds as a bird lays eggs, these are small dark brown or grey seeds, which will then be planted in the gang's garden. Female cacnea who grow up in this garden join the gang properly once they evolve.
Gang takeovers--These are relatively rare. Much more often, a stronger gang will simply drive out an entire rival gang from their lands {and wipe out their cacnea, steal one or more of their evolved males} rather than bother taking the gang itself over. Sometimes, however, a takeover may come about in the form of two gangs that merge, or more rarely, a large female who has for whatever reason ended up without a gang may take another one over for herself. When takeovers do occur, they are bloody affairs. A new lord and any gang members she brings with her will destroy the gang's cacnea gardens, kill any cacnea they find in the territory, and they may then even eat the cacnea bodies. The new gang lord will also drive out or kill any other females, and then she will allow the various males, whom she prevents from leaving, to pollinate her {the flower that sprouts on her head when she is fertile} and soon will lay new seeds to replant the gardens with. The cacnea that result may have any of the males as their father; none of the males know for sure which are theirs, so they protect the garden{s} as a whole.
Occasionally there will arise rogue females who, too young or weak to rule a gang, attempt to plant their seeds in the territories of established gangs. Some even make a living out of it, going as far as to team up and employ tactics to lure a gang away from its garden and quickly plant their own seeds in it, eating the seeds they may dig up. If they succeed, they will have planted their young into a place where they are guarded from enemies and assured a home, and even eliminated some of their rivals' offspring in the process. A cacturne lord will usually allow seeds planted in a garden by a rogue to remain where they are because of the risk of also disposing of her own seeds. Other rogues may attempt to further their own get by avoiding the gardens and instead planting individual seeds haphazardly on claimed territory, causing the need for heightened security on their borders during the short planting season. Such rogues are usually caught and die young, but manage to reproduce. The guarding of cacnea gardens is the extent of parental care among the cactus pokemon. Once the cacnea sprout, except for being allowed to live on their natal territory, they are largely on their own, although as they grow up they come to recognise the gang who spawned them. This recognition is important so that they aren't regarded as strangers when they evolve.
Seeds are laid during the very brief wet season in the springtime, the female lays anywhere from a couple dozen to a couple hundred of them depending on how large she is. The soil softens the seeds' outer coatings, and the seeds sprout within days.
Cacnea are born only about two inches wide in the body. They are immediately self-sufficient despite their small size. They live a life separate from their evolutions. They don't normally interact with cacturne because their daytime lifestyle does not much overlap with the nocturnal lifestyle they will have as adults. Upon sprouting from their seeds they must fight their way up through the soil to breathe. Once they reach the soil's surface the first thing they will encounter is other cacnea born of the same growing season. Weaker cacnea will be preyed upon in these first few critical hours. Seeds have evolved to sprout quickly, because the cacnea who surface first have an advantage over those who find their way up later. Born hungry, they lie in wait for an unsuspecting sibling to fight its way up, tired and unaware that one or more fellows are watching the moving soil, ready to pounce and kill. In one fell swoop, the baby cacnea eliminates hunting competition and gains a precious meal. In addition to eating their younger siblings, newborn cacnea will instinctively target as prey any of their number who look strikingly different in some way, usually a rare colour. The cacturne parents do nothing to stop the cannibalism; however, to minimise the deaths they limit the amount of seeds planted in each garden. The more gardens they plant, however, the fewer cacturnes there are to guard each one and watch the whole territory for rogues at the same time.
After the first few days, the garden's crops will have thinned out and the remaining cacnea will have established a truce, for attacking each other now would likely result in injuries that would make it harder to hunt and survive. They now turn their attentions towards other small prey lurking around in the desert environment, but they do not venture very far from the gardens in which they were born. To go onto another gang's territory would likely mean death to a young cacnea. As they grow and become capable of pokespeech, friendships even arise between them. Cacnea tend to choose their own names or their friends {or even enemies} make one for them.
Life is probably hardest, though, for female cacturne who grow large enough to possibly establish their own territory and gang but are just setting out from their natal gang where they have likely lived for twenty or more years. These females get to bring a few lower-ranking cacturne with them to start their own gang with, but this new gang is subject to attack by gangs in established territories until they either find an unclaimed parcel of the desert or drive another gang out of theirs. Many of these nascent gangs fail, with the males captured and the females killed.
RULES FOR PLAYING A CACTUS POKEMON HERE:
These rules were made to create a unique, realistic{?!} and challenging cactus pokemon roleplay.
Beginning players {Pokeeggs} start with a young cacnea--no exceptions!
Only Legendary status and up may play a large dominant cacturne.
Rare colours are just that--rare. Make your cactus a shade of green or green-brown! Preferably not with strange patterns either although a birthmark is fine. Other colours may be granted to people of Legendary or higher status with permission.
Male cacturne cannot lead gangs, although upon evolution they can join any gang they wish to.
Male cacturne need the gang lord's permission to leave the gang for any reason. {She's not likely to give it!} Higher ranking males get to pollinate first, but the lord will normally allow all males to pollinate her in turn.
Female cacturne who invade a rival gang's territory will be killed.
Cacnea who leave their natal territory{don't worry, it's plenty big} will be killed by rivals--NO EXCEPTIONS.
Subordinate females who wish to reproduce must ask their lord's--usually their mother's--permission--and if they do it anyway, the resulting seeds/cacnea will be destroyed by the lord in all likelihood.
Males are beneath females in status, although males and females can form close bonds between each other, within the existing order.
Females who become "rogues" are subject to being killed at any time for their crimes!
***********
Call this a 'beta' version--I may change little things here and there later on as I see fit.