Raposa High (Primer) The following is a little bit of background information that will help you get a better idea of what I intend on doing for the "Raposa High" series, which will be starting in the not-too-distant future. NOTE: The Raposa High series (while containing numerous characters from the "Drawn to Life" series) is NOT "in canon" with those games! The Raposa species and any characters from any of the Drawn To Life games belong to 5th Cell, THQ, Jeremiah Slaczka, Edison Yan, etc. and are used for fan fic purposes! To begin with, I think I should give you a bit of information about the setting... The series will take place on an alternate version of Earth. A version of Earth in where both humans and raposa share. The raposa on Earth are all native to the planet and are mostly found in temperate climates (however, I'll go into more detail about the raposa themselves later). The story will begin in the year 2007 (I'm choosing this year on the count of that was when the first "Drawn to Life" game was released). As for the exact location, the setting will mainly be in and around the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Raposa High itself will be located in Northeast Minneapolis, because it is the part of the city I'm most familiar with. It should be noted that Raposa High is part of its own school district and NOT that of the Minneapolis Public School district, it is part of the Raposa City School District, which has 4 additional high schools (Raposa High's primary rivals). Raposa City is located north of Minneapolis and is roughly where the real-life suburb of Coon Rapids is. The only difference (aside from the name) is that Raposa City has a much higher population than real-life Coon Rapids does. Raposa City (obviously) gets its name from the fact that it has the highest raposa population of any city in the United States (about 100,000...or about 75% of the total population of the city). Now, a little information about the relationship between humans and raposa... Humans and raposa lived separate from one another for much of history. In fact, it wasn't until around the time of the Roman empire where humans became aware of the existence of the raposa species. At first, the raposa were hunted like "wild animals", but soon afterwards the humans realized that their species had human-like intelligence and soon ceased the barbaric practice. It took hundreds of years for the human/raposa relationship to develop into one where they (mostly) treat each other as equals and work together to build their shared society. With that being said, some raposa still wonder why some humans can be so cruel and some humans wonder why most raposa are relatively peaceful and accepting in nature. As far as more intimate relationships go, humans and raposa tend to date within their own species (mainly because that's the way they had been doing it for their history). However, humans and raposa are capable of cross-breeding and have done so in the past. Most of the time, whenever a human/raposa couple is formed, it's usually between a raposa male and human female. It's much harder for a human male to gain the interest of a raposa female, especially since they tend to like males with personalities and beliefs similar to theirs. In addition, because of their smaller size compared to humans, rapofems can only give birth to raposa offspring (they have specific genetic markers in their chromosomes that'll program a fertilized egg to produce a raposa fetus, even if said egg is fertilized by human sperm). Human females can give birth to raposa young as well as hybrids from raposa sperm. The hybrids usually resemble humans in appearance, but with some alterations to their body (I.E.: a stubby hamster-like tail, "Spock"-like ears, thicker body hair, etc.). The hybrids also usually have an enhanced sense of hearing, though not as enhanced as that of full-blood raposa. Next, some information about the raposa as a whole... NOTE: The following information is a combination of things that I am able to figure out through the games as well as my own personal beliefs. It is not necessarily in canon with the Drawn to Life universe, although much of what is written here could be. What is a raposa?: Raposa are anthropomorphic beings who take after both foxes and rabbits. Their exact origin is unknown, even to them, but some theorize that there used to be races of anthropomorphic foxes and anthropomorphic rabbits on Earth, and the raposa species is the result of cross-breeding. Fossilized skulls consistent with anthropomorphic foxes and rabbits have been discovered, giving more credibility to the theory, but nothing has yet to be proven. In addition to being part-fox and part-rabbit, the raposa species has humanoid characteristics as well, such as being able to talk in human languages, walk on two legs, advanced intelligence, etc. Generally, the raposa species is about an even balance between fox and rabbit, though males tend to have more fox in them and females tend to have more rabbit in them. (Author's Note: This is my belief and I'm sticking to it! I am aware that the word "raposa" means fox in Portuguese and I am also aware of what the Drawn To Life Wikia mentions about what they are. However, given the artwork produced by Edison Yan featuring the raposa species, I'm inclined to believe that they're not exactly foxes...most likely something in between a fox and a rabbit.) Where do they come from?: Depending on the type of raposa, there are three different areas where the species originated...Europe (particularly around Spain, Portugal, and France), Northern Canada, and the Middle East. Over the years, the raposa species spread throughout the world and is now found just about everywhere. What variations of raposa are there?: Basically, there are three types of raposa on Earth, depending on the environment around them (raposa can adapt over time to fit the conditions of just about any climate. Most raposa fall under the "Common Raposa" title. Common raposa are usually either orange, tan, or gray in color (with males tending to have brighter fur color than females). Common raposa get their fox DNA from red or gray foxes (which determines their fur color). Raposa originating from the Middle East are considered to be "Desert Raposa" with yellow or light tan colored fur. They get their fox DNA from fennec foxes and usually have more foxlike ears than common raposa. Finally, the least common of the variations are "Arctic Raposa", who get their fox DNA from arctic foxes and have silver or white fur. Arctic raposa have the shortest ears of all three variations and are typically the most foxlike. The average DNA blend for Arctic Raposa is about 60% fox/40% rabbit. In addition to having shorter ears, they also have much thicker fur, so it’s rare to see Arctic raposa south the Northern US. What languages do they speak?: Currently, just about all raposa speak every language humans can. They tend to speak in "Modern Raposian", which is a combination of English (or some other human language) and "Ancient Raposian". Arctic raposa often use Ancient Raposian since they tend to stay within their own tribes and rarely intermingle with humans. So, for example, if you were in Spain and you came across a raposa who seemed to speak Spanish, the raposa is actually speaking in "Spanish Modern Raposian". How big are raposa?: Because they originate from foxes and rabbits, they tend to be a bit shorter than humans once full-grown. Desert raposa tend to be the tallest while Arctic raposa tend to be the shortest. The average height for an adult male raposa is about 5 feet tall, rarely exceeding 6 feet in height. Females are slightly shorter than males and run around 4 1/2 to 5 feet tall at maturity. How are they different (physically) from humans, apart from their size and appearance?: Raposa tend to be much faster than humans, generally able to run about 2x the speed of the average human with some being able to run as fast as 50 MPH. They are also more agile than humans (especially females) and able to jump higher and further than their size would suggest (it is common for a female raposa to be able to have a vertical leap of 10 feet or more, while males commonly have a vertical leap of between 8 and 9 feet). In addition, they also have highly sensitive hearing (especially Common Raposa) along with short claws on their fingers and toes. Because their noses are more rabbit-like in appearance, their sense of smell is about the same as humans. How intelligent are they?: Generally, their intelligence is on par with that of humans. However, it should be noted that young raposa are considerably more intelligent than humans at the time they are born and gain intelligence at a much faster rate. By the time the average rapokid is 2 years old, they already have the intelligence equivalent of a 7-year old human child. Do they have any special abilities that humans don't have?: Not really. They do have some ESP capabilities, but I'll explain more about that when we get to reproduction. What are their personalities like?: For the most part, raposa are calm and good-natured, rarely acting hostile towards other raposa or humans. They also tend to be more forgiving of certain lifestyle choices that humans tend to find 'weird' or 'immoral'. Raposa very rarely act out in physical violence, and usually when they do it's only in self-defense. In addition, female raposa have a very strong attachment towards children (even those that are not their own). Many maternity wards throughout the U.S. have at least one female raposa of breeding age as a part of their staff. They mainly work as a surrogate mother, using their cuteness and warm bodies to comfort the newborns and even provide her own milk to them if she's also lactating. Some human couples also hire lactating rapofems to provide milk for their children, I'll explain why when we get to reproduction. What do they believe in?: Almost all raposa believe that there is one Creator that made them and everything else around them originally. Many of them also believe that the Creator gave them the ability to cross-breed with humans since the Creator wanted both humans and raposa to live peacefully together. In addition, they also believe that they should treat others like they would want to be treated themselves, which is part of the reason why they tend to be more forgiving of certain lifestyles than humans are. What is their diet like?: All variations of raposa are omnivorous, although their actual diet depends on both gender and variation. Male raposa tend to eat more meat than females do, and Arctic/Desert raposa tend to eat more meat than Common raposa do. Pregnant females also tend to eat more meat than they would otherwise. In addition, Common raposa rarely eat meat that comes from another mammal. While their bodies can process the meat without consequences, they usually feel guiltier about eating red meat than they do about eating poultry or fish. How long do raposa live?: The average life expectancy for a raposa (male or female) is about 90 years. About 1 in 5 raposa will live to be 100, and about 1 in 500 of those will live to be 120 or older. Raposa can live to be more than 150 years old, but this is extremely rare (happening about as often as humans living to be 110 years old+). How do raposa reproduce?: We'll be getting into detail into how raposa mate during this series, I can assure you that. However, I will give you a bit of information now. Raposa can have sex in any way that humans can have sex, though the most common positions are either with the male on top facing the female or "Rapo-style" (AKA: "Doggystyle"). Raposa males tend to breed more like male rabbits than foxes, as in it doesn't take them long before reaching orgasm (usually only after a minute or two). However, raposa males have a lot more stamina than the average human male and can keep an erection for longer than one orgasm. It's common for a male raposa to have between 4 and 6 climaxes with one erection, with some males being capable of having as many as 10. Their semen is thick and quite sticky, designed to cling to the insides of a female and remain there for upwards of 2-3 days after insemination. The male raposa penis is fairly slender at the tip and thickens as you go down towards their sheath. On average, the male raposa have a penis that is comparable in length to adult human males when fully aroused. In addition, a handful of male raposa (ones who are at least 60% fox) have a canine-like knot on their penis...however it is not fully developed and cannot grow larger upon insertion, meaning that they cannot turn a copulatory tie like foxes can. Knotted males usually only have 1 to 3 climaxes per erection but can go longer between climaxes and inseminate their partners at a more leisurely pace, making the sex last longer. As for rapofems, their bodies act much the same way as human females do, except for the fact that they don't menstruate. Instead, a signal is sent to the uterus whenever an egg has been fertilized, causing an endometrium to be produced by the time the fertilized egg reaches the womb. There is no "mating season" for the raposa species and females are capable of reproduction at any time of the year. However, much like humans, rapofems are only fertile once a month. Each month (unless pink kaorin berries are used), the female will release eggs from her ovaries that would be viable for approximately 48 hours...although it can range from about 36 to 60 hours, depending on the age of the female and other factors. When they are fertile, rapofems will typically act more playful towards males, attempting to get them to have sex and fertilize their eggs. Pregnancy in raposa females lasts approximately 9 weeks (or about 60 days), which is another part of the reason why rapofems cannot give birth to human offspring, since a human embryo would not be able to develop fast enough to account for a rapofem's shorter gestation period. It is also important to note that if a human female is impregnated by a male raposa and has raposa offspring developing in her uterus, they also take about 9 weeks to fully develop (since raposa are programmed to develop much faster than human embryos do). It is impossible for a human female to both have rapokids and hybrids growing in her uterus at the same time since the hybrids would still take 9 months to fully develop and that the faster growing rapokids would require too much in the way of nutrients to allow a hybrid embryo to develop at the same time. In addition, a pregnant rapofem or human female carrying rapokids can communicate to each other through thought. Raposa have limited ESP which allows them to communicate through thought, but they lose this after being born since the only ones they can use it with are their biological mother. Therefore, the bond between a raposa mother and her rapokids is usually very strong. During her first pregnancy, a rapofem will begin to lactate about 4 weeks along, although it takes about 2 more weeks for her milk glands to become fully functional. Like humans, a rapofem has only one pair of breasts. Raposa milk is thicker and much sweeter than that a human mother can produce, it also has a higher fat content and more nutrients than human milk does, allowing for faster growth. Once a female raposa begins to lactate, she will continue to produce milk for the remainder of her reproductive life (usually until her early to mid-40's). In terms of how many rapokids a female raposa can have at one time, a lot of that depends on her age as well. In general, rapofems usually give birth to one or two rapokids at a time (with the younger females at the peak of their fertility more likely to have twins). Sometimes though, rapofems will have three rapokids at a time and very rarely four. The largest known litter that a rapofem has given birth to (in which all the rapokids survived anyway) is six. Because they only have one pair of breasts and their offspring are reliant on their mothers to provide milk for them until they are grown enough to eat solid food (usually after 1 year), fertility amongst the raposa species is only slightly higher than that of humans. What does all of this mean in terms of their sexuality?: Well, I'm assuming you're referring to sexual preferences. In that case, I'll explain it to you. Most raposa are straight, but some are bisexual or homosexual. Bisexuality/homosexuality is most common amongst females since raposa generally don't care for anal sex (regardless of sexual preference). However, some males will exhibit bisexual or homosexual behavior. When they do, it's much more likely to be oral sex...though they may try anal sex if they're willing. It should also be noted that homosexual or bisexual raposa tend to stay within their own species when it comes to sexual relationships. So, how exactly are humans and raposa able to cross-breed again?: Both humans and raposa have the same number of chromosomes and share the same genes that are important to both species. Certain genes that dictate physical appearance and a few other bodily functions are different, and this is what determines species. Raposa egg and sperm cells also have special "re-code" genes on their sex chromosomes, that activate whenever human sperm fertilizes a raposa egg or when raposa sperm penetrates a human egg. This allows for the proper genetic sequences to be made so that the fertilized egg can develop inside the mother...it is also why rapofems cannot have human offspring when impregnated by a human or why human females can't have 100% human offspring from raposa males. Are there any risks to cross-breeding with raposa?: Generally, no. However, there can be a few issues in certain cases. For example, most rapofems are aware of when they are fertile and would tell a human male if she was ovulating before sex. However, it is possible for rapofems to become receptive without any warning (this is most common amongst females near the beginning or end of their reproductive lives). In addition, raposa males don't like wearing condoms during sex. They will if they absolutely have to, but they prefer to do it without...which works fine amongst their own species since rapofems usually prefer the warm feeling of being inseminated, but not so much when mating with human females. Are there any STD's humans need to worry about when they cross-breed with raposa?: No...the raposa species is quite healthy and their immune system is stronger than that of humans. Besides, there are no known raposa STD's out there. What about the other way around?: Again, the raposa immune system is more advanced than humans, plus there are enough differences between the two species that don't allow human STD's to affect them. So, even if a raposa did have sex with a human with an STD, it would not affect them. However, there are certain non-STD's that can affect both raposa and humans...though the effects of these illnesses are usually far less serious in raposa than they are in humans. Anyway, I think that's enough information about the raposa species. But before we finish up, let's answer a few more questions you may have... So, are raposa the only species from the "Drawn to Life" games that you're using in this?: Technically, no...Baki and Pengoon will also exist in this universe, but we won't go into huge detail about them. In this universe, the Baki are a lot like mice (except for the fact that they're bipedal and much larger than the average mouse). They are considered a nuisance to both humans and raposa since they eat banya and other crops, but nothing more than that. They also tend to be very timid whenever spotted by a human or raposa, letting out a "scream" before running off. Pengoon are considered to be a food source for the raposa species and are usually found in Arctic raposa territory. Banya plants and kaorin berry bushes also exist, but I'll get into more details about those in a moment... What is banya used for?: Banya actually comes in two different variations. There's regular banya and "flowering" banya. Much like it is in the game, banya plants are used primarily as food for both humans and raposa alike. Regular banya grows in wheat-like stalks and has replaced traditional wheat as a staple here since banya is more drought and insect resistant than wheat is. It also has a natural buttery flavor to it. "Flowering" banya looks a lot like regular banya but is green in color. Flowering banya plants produce banyaberries, which are sweet-tasting and used to make banyaberry wine (a traditional raposa drink shared between lovers). All parts of both types of banya are used for something. For example, the roots are used to make banya root extract, which is an effective (but foul-tasting) natural pain reliever. The petals of the flowering banya plants are used as air freshener fragrance, and the leaves of either type of banya plant are edible to raposa as part of a salad. It is important to note that banya leaves are mildly toxic to humans (though the rest of the banya plant is safe for human consumption). What are kaorin berries used for?: It depends on the color of the berry, as different colored berries have different functions. Since kaorin berries are toxic to both humans and raposa in large quantities, they can only be given to patients through a doctor who knows how the berries work. Most types of berries work on both humans and raposa, but not all of them do. In all, there are five different types... Green Kaorin Berries: These berries are not ripe and have no toxic properties. However, they also lack medicinal properties as well, so they're usually left on the bushes until they ripen. Red or Dark Red Kaorin Berries: These berries are used as a sleep aid, with the darker red berries having a stronger effect. These berries have a bittersweet taste to them and are mildly toxic in large doses. Sky Blue Kaorin Berries: These berries can be used by males or females as a fertility drug. If a male eats these berries, sperm production is increased and his desire to mate will also be boosted. In raposa females, eating these berries will stimulate ovulation...or increase the number of eggs released if she is already at the peak of her monthly cycle. In human females, these berries will also accelerate the monthly reproductive cycle and could lead to more than one egg being released upon ovulation. They taste like blueberries with a slight bitterness to them and are the least toxic of the ripened berries. Pink Kaorin Berries (rapofems only): These berries function as birth control for rapofems. They suppress the hormone spike that leads to ovulation at the peak of their monthly cycle for about 48 hours. However, these berries MUST be taken prior to ovulation for them to have any effect. Pink kaorin berries have NO EFFECT on human females and can do more harm than good. They have a watermelon-like taste to them with some bitterness and are considered highly toxic in large quantities, possibly causing sterility in females if they eat too many at one time. White Kaorin Berries: The exact healing properties of these berries is still being investigated by scientists. However, they have been known to stimulate faster healing of internal injuries and may even cure some diseases that are difficult or impossible to cure with traditional medical science. Having said that, these berries are very foul tasting, the taste has been likened to that of used coffee grounds. In addition to that, they are also the most toxic of all the types and can potentially be fatal to humans in large quantities. Only experienced raposa doctors (who know how to use the berries properly) can administer white kaorin berries. There, I'm finished. I think that should give you enough information to get started. Anyway, I'll be starting this series soon, so be sure to look for it when it begins!