NAME OF CREATURE/SPECIES: Seaponies of the Delphini Order

DESCRIPTION OF HOW IT LOOKS: They are sleek and slender, yet strong and muscular. They have very powerful tails shaped just like a dolphin's tail, which propel them through the water effortlessly. Their pectoral and dorsal fins also resemble those of a dolphin, right down to the last curve. Other than that, their body is shaped like that of a regular seapony, though their heads are a little larger, with a slightly more pronounced forehead, and a blow hole can be seen at the top of their head, if not hidden by hair. They have extremely smooth and supple skin, which helps them glide through the water. Their skin is also coated with a light protective oil that while protecting their delicate skin, also makes movement through the water easier still. They do have hair, but many of the species keep their hair tied into a ponytail to reduce the water resistance, or go a step further and have it all cut off.

PLACES WHERE IT LIVES: They tend to stick to tropical and subtropical oceans, as the relatively thin layer of blubber under their skin can only protect them from the cold so much. They never stay in one place, and are constantly moving around the oceans, and sometimes even the rivers, searching for food, or shelter from predators.

CULTURE: They generally live in small, family oriented groups. When a young Delphini pony comes of age at around 10 or 11 years old, he or she is allowed to leave their family to find a mate and start a family of their own. Once a male and female meet and fall in love, they will very often mate for live, and live with each other till either one of them dies, and eventually form their own small pod. This works well because it keeps groups from becoming too large, and prevents inbreeding.

They are also very protective of the ocean and those creatures that live in it. If they find out anyone is doing harm to the ocean and the life that depends on it, they will not be pleased. If it was not intentional, they may forgive the person or persons responsible as long as they promise not to repeat their actions, but if it is intentional, or those responsible do not stop what they are doing, these normally playful and carefree seaponies, will not hesitate to defend the waters they depend on for survival.

CONNECTION TO OTHER EOD SPECIES: They have been in contact with the other races of seaponies for quite a long time now, and many of them frequent Vellonere quite often. They see the other races of seaponies as friends and allies to their kind, and would not even stop to think before helping to defend Vellonere and it's citizens from anything or anyone that would aim to harm it, and only hope that the other seaponies would do the same sort of thing for them if the time came.

POWERS: They have a special organ, called the melon behind those pronounced foreheads, it is filled with a special oil, and is able to be shaped by muscles around it to focus echolocation sonar. This ability can be used to help them find their way in the dark seas, or to find food hiding in sand or something of the sort. It has a range of about one mile under ideal conditions, though beyond a few hundred feet, she can only really tell if what she's seeing is a living thing or not, and it's rough shape. At very close range, they are able to do a 'deep sonar scan' that will allow them to see all the way through any normal living thing, this allows them to see their internal organs, as well as their circulatory system and skeleton. From this, a delphini that knows what to look for, can spot sickness or injury, even pregnancy, as well as any substantial weak points in the body. One last thing to note, is that their sonar does not work in air, and also does not let a delphini pony see beyond the surface of the water, as the water/air barrier blocks it. However, sonar isn't just for assisting the senses, it can also be used as a weapon. Strong, very focused pulses of sonar can have a very disorienting effect on larger creatures, particularly those with good hearing, and it can even stun smaller creatures.

LIMITATIONS/WEAKNESSES: They cannot breath underwater, and can only hold their breath for about 1 1/2 hours at the most. If they do not surface before then, they will drown. Also, their delicate skin must be kept wet, and if they are stranded on land for more than half an hour, they will begin to run a very high fever, which before long causes damage to the brain and other vital organs, and eventually, death. Performing a 'deep sonar scan' requires much more focused and rapid sonar clicks, as well as some degree of concentration. It also uses up an enormous amount of air compared to that of standard echolocation sonar, as scanning a creature the size of an average seapony will use up one third of their full air supply (about half an hour.) Lastly, their 'melon' is a rather delicate organ, and is not protected by their skull. This makes it fairly vulnerable to injury, particularly in a fight. Even a moderate bruise to the melon would make a delphini unable to properly focus it's sonar, making it useless, while severe or repeated damage could cause permanent harm to the organ, making it useless for the rest of the delphini's life.

OTHER: This race of seapony are often quite playful, regardless of their age. They love playing games with each other, and can often be seen leaping high out of the water, for apparently no other reason than, 'it was fun.' They really know how to enjoy life, and relieve stress. Some think that this playful, carefree lifestyle may help many of the species live longer.

I really, really like this idea. It's really well thought out.

Also, I think the weaknesses you listed (inability to breathe under water, severe reactions to prolonged exposure to open air) balance out the echolocation/sonar ability.

I wish we had figured out which areas of the ocean would be 'tropical' but I guess once Sider's done with her map, we can figure that out and add it to the 'seakingdom' description if we have one yet.

The only other thing that isn't on the form that I'm curious about (and I don't know if the other mods will want detail to this extent) is the culture of this species. Do you want to adopt some of the cultural attitudes we've already developed for the sea ponies, or did you have something else in mind?

Other than that, we'll have to wait for some input from other mods, but I really like this idea.

I think you've done a wonderful job of giving us all the information we need to know about this Species. It really reads like you either know a lot about dolphins or did your homework! Which, if not the other Mods, I sure love.

Yes, I agree with 'Drom, could you give us some information on their culture? How do they interact with each other? Do they follow the social rules that the other seaponies do, or something more along dolphin sociology?

Once I know this information, I think I'll approve. Also, I think these Delphiniponies would be perfect for the G3 area, which I've always thought of as the warmer climate. Of course they can swim anywhere they want, but probably no higher than say the Dream Valley area.

Ok, I added a culture section. It's not too much, but while I could use up a page or two on this if I really gave it a few days thought, I don't think that's really what you are looking for, I was thinking more just the basics so you know basically how they live and how they interact with the world they live in.

Also, I just added some detail about the strengths and limitations of the sonar.

I am liking this!!!

What a great start!!

I have one thing to add... about them needing to breathe air from the surface every 15 minutes... I personally find that too short a time. By the time a Delphini pony swims down to Vellonere, it'll have to leave right away or else it won't have enough time to get back to the surface.

I do like this limitation for it's very realistic and a definite difference from the the others... I personally think that the amount of time they can hold there breath should be extended to an hour or even two hours.

Also... if they have to breathe so frequently... even if it's extended, do they have to sleep above the surface? Do they sleep??

Well, I must say I debated with my self how long they could hold their breath. I did extend it slightly from that of real life dolphins, which can only hold their breath for about 12 minutes. I guess for RP purposes, with the fact that seaponies have underwater cities and such, an hour or more may be better. Though I planned on playing a G1, maybe G3's would have invented a breathing device?

As for sleeping, they would have to sleep the same way real life dolphins are thought to sleep, by sleeping near the surface half awake, resting one hemisphere of their brain at a time while the other coordinates breathing.

Well, since no one else has anything even vaguely resembling an objection to this, I think I'm ready to approve this.

I should double-check the rules and see how many mods need to ok a species..... (lol... bad me!).

(waves hands) So sorry I took so long to comment on this. My busy days don't seem to be over yet . I like the overall idea, I think it's cool and will contribute to the variety of the sea realm, Dolphy. (Shakes your hand vigorously).

I'm not really an expert on the Sea Realm, Andromeda and Sider know much more about it than me. From what I know, though, everything seems to be in order, and I like the balance of their abilities and limitations too.

So I have only one question: I guess you're still deciding if they will belong to the G1 or the G3 world. In case they belong to the G1, I'm assuming the delphini order were pillared by Megan too, so the "dolphin ponies of light" died during the Great Death too, and the only ones alive nowadays are the dolphin ponies of darkness?

I would suggest that it were that way, and not that the dolphin ponies were another species pillared by someone different from Megan, since the game already has too many complexities as it is. However, this is my own view and it would depend on what the other mods would say too. So anyway, what was in your mind, Dolphy? Thanks a lot!

Yeah, that's fine with me. It dosen't really make any difference for me one way or the other, and if not Megan, then I have to make someone up, which is more work, and as you said, things are complex enough as it is, so let's keep things simple.

Well, great! But remember...I said...IF they belong to the G1s. Maybe you and the other mods want to make them G3s. Whatever you decide will be fine, I'll leave that up to you

Well, the character I made is G1, so..... yeah, I'd rather they be a G1 species if they have to be tied to one generation.

Well, as far as G1 or G3......

There are advantages to both.

G3

Brighter colors available!

G1

You don't have to worry about them being spawned by a mountain. (never did like that idea xp)

Personally, I always thought the G1's were a little more sleek looking anyways. The G3's kind of seem like 'chibi' versions of G1's.

But you said you prefer G1, so that's what we'll go with.

I still approve.

I think this works...

I really can't say any more about this, nor do i have any questions to ask. There is nothing flashing lights at me saying that there might be issues later on about this... so..... there's nothing more I can do with this except give you...




I think we can consider this species accepted into the game!
Thank you for all the work and thought that went into this and for adding some more diversity to our game!

I read over everything and it sounds great to me. Maybe there could be G3 and G1 versions? As for where they would arrive, I'm sure they would have a different arrival place than the land ponies *winks at 'Drom*.

So I aprove!

I don't really know if you need another approval for this species (I don't think you do, there's already an approved char out there ) but just in case...



Thanks for contributing to the game, Dolphy And I think the species is more than approved by now!