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Miniraptors

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Okay Katters here they are.
These are miniraptors. In Julian's universe of teh fut0rz, velociraptors have been resurrected...sort of. In a future where almost anything ever has been completely genetically mapped, scientists are able to determine what genes do what and, working off traces of DNA scraped off fossils, they have pieced certain species back together. This includes a few dinosaurs like the velociraptor, the triceratops--in general, the more popular ones. They've been downsized considerably, of course, though the ones used for zoo exhibition maintain their original size for the most part--pets, however, have been shrunk to more manageable heights. The raptors here aren't much bigger than a medium-sized dog.

There are three general types of miniraptor: Brawler, Domestic, and Racer.
Domestic is the only technically legal of these three, since Brawlers are bred to be vicious fighters for illegal underground genfighting rings, and Racers are for illegal races--they're essentially the greyhounds of teh fut0rz.
Brawlers have much duller colours and bigger, more muscular forearms, which attribute to their agility in tighter spaces. This is useful considering they have to fight in rings only about three times their size. Their huge hind claws(dun remember what they're called) have also been bred to much larger size to become even deadlier weapons. Their mouths are similar to pitbullg mouths--they have bulging muscle surrounding the corners of their jaws that create a massively powerful bite.
Their blind eyes are genetic defects that result from the inbreeding undertaken to produce these traits. However, the raptors aren't technically, completely blind--they can make out vague shadows and movement. Considering they spend most of their time fighting, they're likely to reflexively lash out at anything that moves--since whatever moves is usually the opponent trying to kill them. Brawlers are thus widely assumed to be very hostile--however, when raised in loving, safe environments as usual pets with measures taken to accustom them to their blindness, they're actually very docile and sweet.
The implications of this sort of breeding include: blindness of slightly varying degree, ankles and foot structure severely compromised over time by the weight of their huge claws, scoliosis in the back from a lifetime of hunching and twisting in cramped spaces, and ultimately a bloody, merciless death--because if you're bred to be a Brawler, you're going to die at the claws of another.
Racers are summarised easily enough. They are bred to be slim and fast. Their hindclaw has been bred to tiny size to lighten the feet--though not docked completely because it compromises foot structure too much--the toes elongated to more effectively grip the ground and propel the creature forward, ribcages distended slightly to enhance oxygen intake while running, and shrunken arms, streamlined, narrow heads, and shrunken tines to streamline the overall shape. Their tails are slimmer and a bit more dexterous than others. Their colours are usually soft and faded pastel grays of various shades--violet gray, navy gray, and in some cases there are freak colour gene defects that result in vivid teal or yellow.
Temperament wise Racers are skittish and must be in constant motion--if they are forced to stay still for too long, such as when crammed in the small cages most of their owners keep them in, they may become anxious and jitteriness may turn to terrified hostility. Racers, having been bred to run on command and without hesitation, have over hundreds of generations been mentally damaged to instinctively assume themselves to be the prey in most situations, and similar to cornered prey, are apt to lash out when they have no room to run or have been closed in for too long. They're also stupid. Every Racer is trained and bred to think run run RUN and so they don't do much of the stopping and the thinking about situations. They run. And run. And run.
Implications of breeding include: severe ankle damage over time(their ankles aren't meant to withstands the kind of stress it takes to snap those long feet forward and back when a Racer is going full tilt) toes that dislocate more and more often over time until a Racer will not be able to walk or stop screaming in pain, heart or lung failure at a young age, and their forearms eventually atrophy from a lifetime of disuse--in fact, the forearms rarely even develop nerve endings vital to actual movement. Racers often develop foot fungi or festering of some kind from a lifetime of "crimping"--anxious in their small cages, Racers will often repeatedly shift weight from foot to foot, wearing grooves into their pads and toes.
Their arm wings are small as they've shrunk over time in proportion with the arms, and naturally dull in colour. However, these feathers are often dyed with the owner's "colours" in addition to the colours being painted on the actual hides of the raptors. They will therefore usually be bright and vivid so as to be visible from the track.
When they cease to be of use for their bred purpose, Brawlers and Racers are bred to the point of cruelty and then put down. Putting them down usually consists of shooting them, cutting their arteries until they bleed out, cutting them up, and then feeding them to the remaining raptors.
Domestics obviously have much milder lifestyles and descriptions. They are raised to be calm of temperament, obedient, and advised to be played with regularly to keep them from putting their velociraptor intelligence to less constructive means--like, say, figuring out what they have to climb to reach the ceiling fan so they can bring it down to the floor and play with it properly. They are bred to have vivid, bright hides, though breeding for this is regulated by the Genetically Altered Pet Breeding Regulation Committee--basically if you want to breed you need to bring your pet's genetic information and the last ten generations of their family to these people. If they approve, you can breed, but if they decide that risk is too high for genetically inherited diseases and whatnot, they'll shoot you out of the sky and put a flag on your pet and all the siblings of its generation so people know not to breed their own with them.
Anyways. Domestics. While they're considerably milder than real raptors--that killer instinct has been dulled considerably--they're still intelligent creatures, loyal like dogs, and unpredictable as cats. They'll protect their owner if they've been trained to--or if they don't like the way you're looking at their owner--but they won't cuddle with said owner unless they feel like it. Their tines and feathers are kept at regular length, unless they've been bred for showing, in which case tines will be long and slim, the little wings will be twice the usual size and luxuriously preened, and claw-docking is mandatory for all Domestics, showing or not, do to safety regulations. The same goes for their spines.
Domestics often have colourful eyes such as blue, green, grey, orange, and yellow. Because they're pretty.
A healthy Domestic will have little predictable genetic faults, just like a healthy dog, though those that have been inbred too much--now and then, someone does slip below the radar--usually suffer from weak digestive systems, kidney stones, pancreas failure, and weak teeth and soft claws, the damaging of which can lead to nasty gum diseases when bacteria fester in cracked teeth and infections that can travel up inside the quicks of torn claws.

I have put entirely too much thought into this.
Mkay Katters. Pick the one you want. And these colours aren't mandatory for aaaall miniraptors, so if you have different ones in mind I'll work those into the design.
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MadKatter's avatar
So obviously I have to go into the miniraptor rescue business, and rescue all of the brawlers and racers that are being treated badly by their owners.