Post by The Jenn on Aug 30, 2007 9:19:02 GMT -5
General Information
Disclaimer: Banders v1.0 were drawn specifically for this minigame by the wonderful Spidey! Banders v2.0 were drawn by the ever-luffly Xenon!
Bandersnatches are small, furred creatures the size of large weasels that roam the fields and forests of the world. In the wild, their ferocity and tenacity is legendary, and many a traveler will go out of their way to avoid one at all costs. Thankfully for such wanderers, the creatures come in a variety of highly visible colors and patterns that warn away potential predators and make them visible from a long ways off. Their fur is plush and soft to the touch, much like that of a rabbit but normally shorter and almost velvety in appearance. Longer fur is less common in the wild.
Long ago, people had considered capturing the creatures for their attractive appearance and potential usefulness as hunters. They quickly discovered that it is impossible to tame a wild bandersnatch. Once they have grown up feral, this disposition can never be altered and they will not willingly submit to any kind of captivity. The first man to successfully catch and cage a pregnant female long enough for her to bear a litter of young discovered the trick to keeping them as pets. He released the mother and bottle fed the offspring, quickly observing the difference between kits raised in the wild and his own young banders.
Others saw a great deal of potential in this development and followed his example, doing their best to breed the least aggressive creatures for calmer offspring. While they didn't want to get rid of the creature's predatory grace, their natural bloodlust would have been a problem in any domesticated setting. That trait was the first to be bred out of the tamed lines. An overwhelmingly competitive nature appeared in its place.
This urge was much easier to control and direct than downright ferocity and so the original breeders encouraged it, preferring constant squabbles to outright death matches when they placed more than one of the creatures together. While wild bandersnatches were rarely found in groupings after they reached adolescence, their domestic counterparts seemed to enjoy the company of their fellows and developed an alternative to their previous territoriality. Like their new caretakers, they took to hierarchical systems and quickly established dominance amongst themselves within their owners' homes. This appealed to the aesthetics of the early breeders and so they encouraged the behavior, so long as it didn't develop into violent outbursts.
Now, several hundred years after the first domesticated litter was raised, sports involving these attractive creatures are not uncommon. It helps to channel their naturally active and restless natures along a more conducive path and keeps them from developing unhealthy habits out of boredom. Races and sparring matches are the most common sports. Spars are carefully monitored and regulated so as to reduce potential injury to contestants, and bandersnatches that knock out their opponents without causing undue harm are generally considered better breeding stock. Anyone who can encountered one of these creatures in the wild can attest to the fact that the natural ferocity is not something they want to breed true in their house pets.
Breeders have identified a total of thirteen colors that appears in the species, some of them being much less common in the wild. A number of decorative patterns, such as points or spots, may appear and those who sell them as pets can fetch a considerable price for some of the more flashily-marked kits.
They are a mostly carnivorous species and their favored prey is small rodents, though they have been known to hunt much larger creatures with some success. They make an odd coughing sound normally and when they sneeze, it is considered to be a challenge. Snarls and high-pitched shrieks are both noises of aggression.
Breeding
Female bandersnatches go into heat twice a year and have anywhere from one to three offspring in a litter. They are born furless, squirming, and dependent on their mother for the first few weeks of their life. They reach adolescence in three months and may be separated from their mother at this point.
A vividly colorful species in the wild, selective breeding has allowed for a wide variety of colors and patterns in the domesticated strain that are not often seen on their feral counterparts but are genetically possible. The thirteen colorations discovered by breeders are: Reds, Oranges, Yellows, Greens, Blues, Purples, Pinks, Khakis, Periwinkles, Browns, Grays, Sands, and Whites.
Color has been linked to four separate genes, the R, Y, B, and C genes. The first three control color directly, while the last seems to be a dilution gene. Patterns are controlled by separate genes and are completely independent of color.
Several markings have been recorded in the species, with many able to overlap and some being unable to appear when another is present. The markings include a pale belly, speckling, dapples, splotches, tabby stripes, okapi legs, pointed legs, Siamese, and albino.
Three distinct body types have been bred into the species, the "normal", "heavy", and "light" builds. Coats come in two lengths, short and long fur. There are several coat variations that may appear independently of one another, but never in tandem. These have been recorded as a neck ruff, back ridge, fluffy tail, cheek and ear tufts, feathered legs, or unnaturally long body fur. There are also several genes that have been observed as fatal, causing either a heart defect or cranial deformation that kills the bander either in the womb or as a very young kit.
Teeth can be of a normal length, longer, or shorter. Claws can be either normal or unusually long. Ears can be either normal, short and rounded, or long. Tails can be either normal, longer, or bobbed.
Mutations may occur in breedings, but they are extraordinarily uncommon and not desirable in breeding circles.
Champions
Several breeders in both the Highlands and the Yarrow Gardens have bred long lines of bandersnatches into distinct breeds known as Champions. These banders tend to be physically superior in some ways to their normal counterparts and inferior in other ways, though the breeders would argue with that statement.
In order to be a Highland champion, several conditions must be met. They are bred for strength, tenacity, endurance, and strong aesthetics. The bandersnatch has to have 'papers' from the association of Highland breeders. In order to qualify for such papers, these physical qualities must be present:
- a heavy build
- long teeth
- short, rounded ears
- a bob tail
- a low observable variation from species norm (number)
In order to be a Yarrow champion, similar but different conditions must be met. These bandersnatches are bred for agility, speed, and delicate aesthetics. Papers are also required to officially claim the title of 'Yarrow Champ' for a bander, requiring:
- a light build
- short teeth
- long ears
- a low observable variation from species norm (number)
- the female gender
Males are unable to be called Yarrow Champs. Instead, a male meeting all of the above requirements is referred to as Yarrow Stock, still a title but very clearly gender-specific.
Disclaimer: Banders v1.0 were drawn specifically for this minigame by the wonderful Spidey! Banders v2.0 were drawn by the ever-luffly Xenon!
Bandersnatches are small, furred creatures the size of large weasels that roam the fields and forests of the world. In the wild, their ferocity and tenacity is legendary, and many a traveler will go out of their way to avoid one at all costs. Thankfully for such wanderers, the creatures come in a variety of highly visible colors and patterns that warn away potential predators and make them visible from a long ways off. Their fur is plush and soft to the touch, much like that of a rabbit but normally shorter and almost velvety in appearance. Longer fur is less common in the wild.
Long ago, people had considered capturing the creatures for their attractive appearance and potential usefulness as hunters. They quickly discovered that it is impossible to tame a wild bandersnatch. Once they have grown up feral, this disposition can never be altered and they will not willingly submit to any kind of captivity. The first man to successfully catch and cage a pregnant female long enough for her to bear a litter of young discovered the trick to keeping them as pets. He released the mother and bottle fed the offspring, quickly observing the difference between kits raised in the wild and his own young banders.
Others saw a great deal of potential in this development and followed his example, doing their best to breed the least aggressive creatures for calmer offspring. While they didn't want to get rid of the creature's predatory grace, their natural bloodlust would have been a problem in any domesticated setting. That trait was the first to be bred out of the tamed lines. An overwhelmingly competitive nature appeared in its place.
This urge was much easier to control and direct than downright ferocity and so the original breeders encouraged it, preferring constant squabbles to outright death matches when they placed more than one of the creatures together. While wild bandersnatches were rarely found in groupings after they reached adolescence, their domestic counterparts seemed to enjoy the company of their fellows and developed an alternative to their previous territoriality. Like their new caretakers, they took to hierarchical systems and quickly established dominance amongst themselves within their owners' homes. This appealed to the aesthetics of the early breeders and so they encouraged the behavior, so long as it didn't develop into violent outbursts.
Now, several hundred years after the first domesticated litter was raised, sports involving these attractive creatures are not uncommon. It helps to channel their naturally active and restless natures along a more conducive path and keeps them from developing unhealthy habits out of boredom. Races and sparring matches are the most common sports. Spars are carefully monitored and regulated so as to reduce potential injury to contestants, and bandersnatches that knock out their opponents without causing undue harm are generally considered better breeding stock. Anyone who can encountered one of these creatures in the wild can attest to the fact that the natural ferocity is not something they want to breed true in their house pets.
Breeders have identified a total of thirteen colors that appears in the species, some of them being much less common in the wild. A number of decorative patterns, such as points or spots, may appear and those who sell them as pets can fetch a considerable price for some of the more flashily-marked kits.
They are a mostly carnivorous species and their favored prey is small rodents, though they have been known to hunt much larger creatures with some success. They make an odd coughing sound normally and when they sneeze, it is considered to be a challenge. Snarls and high-pitched shrieks are both noises of aggression.
Breeding
Female bandersnatches go into heat twice a year and have anywhere from one to three offspring in a litter. They are born furless, squirming, and dependent on their mother for the first few weeks of their life. They reach adolescence in three months and may be separated from their mother at this point.
A vividly colorful species in the wild, selective breeding has allowed for a wide variety of colors and patterns in the domesticated strain that are not often seen on their feral counterparts but are genetically possible. The thirteen colorations discovered by breeders are: Reds, Oranges, Yellows, Greens, Blues, Purples, Pinks, Khakis, Periwinkles, Browns, Grays, Sands, and Whites.
Color has been linked to four separate genes, the R, Y, B, and C genes. The first three control color directly, while the last seems to be a dilution gene. Patterns are controlled by separate genes and are completely independent of color.
Several markings have been recorded in the species, with many able to overlap and some being unable to appear when another is present. The markings include a pale belly, speckling, dapples, splotches, tabby stripes, okapi legs, pointed legs, Siamese, and albino.
Three distinct body types have been bred into the species, the "normal", "heavy", and "light" builds. Coats come in two lengths, short and long fur. There are several coat variations that may appear independently of one another, but never in tandem. These have been recorded as a neck ruff, back ridge, fluffy tail, cheek and ear tufts, feathered legs, or unnaturally long body fur. There are also several genes that have been observed as fatal, causing either a heart defect or cranial deformation that kills the bander either in the womb or as a very young kit.
Teeth can be of a normal length, longer, or shorter. Claws can be either normal or unusually long. Ears can be either normal, short and rounded, or long. Tails can be either normal, longer, or bobbed.
Mutations may occur in breedings, but they are extraordinarily uncommon and not desirable in breeding circles.
Champions
Several breeders in both the Highlands and the Yarrow Gardens have bred long lines of bandersnatches into distinct breeds known as Champions. These banders tend to be physically superior in some ways to their normal counterparts and inferior in other ways, though the breeders would argue with that statement.
In order to be a Highland champion, several conditions must be met. They are bred for strength, tenacity, endurance, and strong aesthetics. The bandersnatch has to have 'papers' from the association of Highland breeders. In order to qualify for such papers, these physical qualities must be present:
- a heavy build
- long teeth
- short, rounded ears
- a bob tail
- a low observable variation from species norm (number)
In order to be a Yarrow champion, similar but different conditions must be met. These bandersnatches are bred for agility, speed, and delicate aesthetics. Papers are also required to officially claim the title of 'Yarrow Champ' for a bander, requiring:
- a light build
- short teeth
- long ears
- a low observable variation from species norm (number)
- the female gender
Males are unable to be called Yarrow Champs. Instead, a male meeting all of the above requirements is referred to as Yarrow Stock, still a title but very clearly gender-specific.
