Has anyone called dibs on the Amaura line? Because if not, I might be interested in doing that.

The Danse Macabre Codex

Not sure- check the dibs age, just in case.

Made a few, exceedingly minor touch-ups to the mawile entry; you all think it's ready to go?

Looks fine to me, though now I'll ask the same question of Alomomola.

edited 3rd Jan '14 8:23:01 PM by rmctagg09

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

Alight, all done!

There does not seem to be any dibs on Amaura- and Rcm, you already have a dibs on Alomomola, it seems.

edited 3rd Jan '14 8:32:06 PM by ultimatepheer

I meant whether or not it's ready to become an article.

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

Then I shall call dibs on Amaura.

The Danse Macabre Codex

I was gonna say Silent was interested in Amaura, but I'm too late. >_<

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Can I dibs Chespin?

Anyone who assigns themselves loads of character tropes is someone to be worried about.

That should be fine.

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

Cool.

Is there a template I could use? Found it. Alright, then.

edited 4th Jan '14 1:14:00 PM by Thnikkafan

Anyone who assigns themselves loads of character tropes is someone to be worried about.

Decided to drop Charmander's IHC section entirely, it's too hard to get right.

Alomomola is live.

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

My Amaura article is mostly typed up; the only section I have left to fill in really is the Human Culture section. If all goes well, I could have it posted here tomorrow at some point.

The Danse Macabre Codex

So is Tyrunt.

Now to motivate myself to do Abomasnow, I've been leaving Herbert hanging. >_>

edited 5th Jan '14 1:47:57 PM by Umbramatic

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A good thing to keep in mind: We have a chatroom. It's usually dead these days, but that's because the only ones who ever really are in it are some of the project's old guard. If you need help, it's available, and checking the logs every once in a while might be a good idea (and right now very easy, you can get through a few weeks of logs in a matter of minutes).

My sincerest apologies for the lengthy delay; I got distracted by other things, chiefly Pokémon Y (incidentally, yes; I do have an Aurorus of my own).

Without further ado, here is the Amaura line. Be warned; as is often the case with my articles, it's fairly long and perhaps a little top-heavy.

Amaura Line

Morphs [Oak Catalog #]

• Amaura [#698]
• Aurorus [#699]

Physical Description

Amaura (scientific name Aurorasaurus frigus) is a quadrupedal sauropod Pokémon. Its body is covered in smooth, pastel blue scales, save for a white underbelly, giving it a sleek appearance with many rounded edges. The creature’s four legs are short and stubby, making them ill-suited for running; as a consequence, Amaura is not particularly quick on its feet. Its hind legs each feature a single pointed white toe, and its fore legs have no toes at all. Its tail is short and tapers to a point, acting as a counterbalance for its long and flexible neck; powerful muscles support this neck, despite its slender appearance, enabling Amaura to keep its vertebral column vertical at all times. Its head is small and round, featuring a pair of large blue eyes and a small mouth; its nose is very indistinct, such that it cannot be seen except from a distance.

Amaura’s most distinctive features are the iridescent fins, or sails, that sprout from its eyebrows and run along the back of its head. These sails fossilize with remarkable ease, often more readily than the rest of the Pokémon’s body; indeed, many prehistoric Amaura remains excavated in the Kalos region consist of little more than fossilized sails. In living Amaura, these sails have been observed to change colour based on the creature’s emotional state: when the creature is pleased the sails turn green; when it becomes frightened or sad, they turn blue; and when it becomes agitated, they turn red. It is likely that their purpose is to act as both a means of communication and either a status or threat display.

Another curious feature of the Amaura species is a pair of blue, gemlike crystals on its flanks, one on either side. These crystals seem to play a role in its cryokinetic abilities, as they have been observed to drain heat in their immediate vicinity; touching them with bare hands can cause one to experience brief symptoms of mild hypothermia.

Amaura measures 1.3 metres in height with its neck fully raised, and weighs approximately twenty-five kilograms on average.

The mature stage, Aurorus, has a more developed body structure than Amaura. Aurorus’ colouration has darkened considerably, the underbelly turning from white to pastel blue and its scales turning a deeper shade of blue. Its legs have developed significantly, possessing clearly defined joints and greater musculature that allow it a greater degree of mobility; all four feet now possess rudimentary white toes, with the forelimbs featuring a peculiar and possibly vestigial ‘thumb-spike’. The tail has also elongated, the better to support its increased size and weight, and ends in a curling tip.

Aurorus’ head retains the same general shape as its younger stage, with some minor differences. Most prominent of these is the addition of a roughly V-shaped white plate that covers the top of the head, tapering to a point over the creature’s snout. Small triangular patches of the same white material are located below and behind the eyes, though what purpose they serve is unclear.

Aurorus’ sails have expanded dramatically, now running from the top of its head all the way down to the base of its neck; they retain their colour-changing properties from Amaura, and have been observed to constantly billow like sheets in a gentle breeze even if the wind is calm. Additionally, the number of crystals on its body has seen a significant increase; Aurorus has six crystals on its tail, six on its flanks, four on its neck and one on its forehead.

On average, Aurorus stands 2.7 metres high with its neck fully extended (though its body length from snout to tail is considerably greater than this figure) and weighs 225 kilograms.

On rare occasions Amaura and Aurorus possessing an unconventional phenotype have been discovered. Such individuals possess inverted colour schemes, their underbellies being blue and their primary scales being white.

Notable Biology

The Amaura line is notable for possessing a wide range of cryokinetic abilities. Resurrected specimens of both stages of this line have been observed instinctually altering meteorological conditions in their immediate vicinity to produce localized snowfalls, obscuring white mists bitterly cold gusts of wind, brief hailstorms and even howling blizzards; additionally, Aurorus has the uncommon—and dangerous—ability to create an area of extremely low temperatures in its vicinity (temperatures have been recorded as low as -150 degrees Celsius), freezing the moisture within the body of any creature caught within the area of effect. The precise mechanism by which Amaura and Aurorus achieve these effects is unclear, though it is speculated that it is tied to the cold-producing crystals which dot their flanks.

They also possess limited geokinetic abilities, being able to telekinetically tear boulders out of the ground and hurl them at their foes. Both stages of the line also possess a well-developed cryosac, allowing them to project iridescent beams of light and heat-sapping beams of energy which can freeze the moisture around a target and leave it trapped in ice. Additionally, mild electrokinetic abilities have been observed in the line; young specimens of Amaura can sometimes produce a weak electric charge capable of inflicting temporary paralysis as a defense mechanism, immobilizing potential predators and allowing it to flee.

Amaura and Aurorus possess highly-developed lungs and vocal cords. Their melodious cries carry far across open spaces, and in conjunction with their brightly-coloured, iridescent sails this allows the creatures to maintain vocal and visual contact even over great distances. They can also tune their cries to frequencies capable of inflicting harm to other creatures, and when working in concert several Amaura and Aurorus can easily ‘sing’ even the most fearsome of predators into submission.

Two distinct strains of this line have been observed in resurrected specimens. In the more common strain, their cryokinetic abilities are so potent that bitter cold infuses nearly all of Amaura and Aurorus’ techniques, even those that aren’t normally considered to be Ice-type moves; even their aforementioned sonic cries are somehow able to impart this stinging chill, through means that aren’t entirely clear. No other Pokémon is known to possess such a curious ability.

The second, rarer strain lacks the cold-infusing properties of their kin, instead being able to cause localized hailstorms with greater ease than their brethren, often unconsciously. Such Amaura and Aurorus share this trait with members of Sinnoh’s Snover line, though whether this implies any sort of connection between the two species is not clear.

Like some other species of Pokémon, Amaura has the peculiar distinction of only being able to evolve into Aurorus at night. This may indicate that the line was nocturnal in its natural time, a hypothesis supported by their large eyes; that said, specimens resurrected in modern times seem to have no trouble operating during the day.

Habitat

A prehistoric Pokémon, Amaura and Aurorus lived over one hundred million years ago in what is now the modern Kalos region. Archeological evidence suggests that these Pokémon lived in cold climates such as tundra and taiga, where large carnivores like Tyrantrum could not survive. As the two lines were known to have existed in the same general epoch, it is possible that they could have interacted with one another, and that Amaura’s cryokinetic powers and preference for cold biomes were adaptations meant to defend it from predation at the hands of Tyrunt and Tyrantrum.

The Amaura line has been extinct in the wild for millions of years, but recent advances in tissue regeneration technology have seen the species resurrected. Perhaps a thousand members of the line exist today, the majority living in captivity on Pokémon reserves; in time, perhaps, Amaura and Aurorus can be reintroduced into the wild once the species has suitably adapted to the modern world.

Apart from reserves, a number of Amaura now live in captivity as the property of Pokémon Trainers. Such creatures have either been revived directly from fossils or else were bred from extant members of the line.

Diet

The Amaura line is exclusively herbivorous. Their digestive system possesses a number of fermentation chambers along the intestine, thus allowing them to more thoroughly digest their food; their meals are kept in digestion for significantly long periods of time, which would allow them to survive more easily on low-quality food sources—a necessary adaptation, considering the environment in which they lived.

Amaura and Aurorus are not particularly selective in their eating habits. They are willing to eat almost any kind of vegetative material, and extant specimens have demonstrated little trouble in adapting to berries and other forms of modern Pokémon food. Fossil evidence shows that prehistoric Amaura fed on a wide variety of flowering plants and ferns that were hardy enough to survive in the tundra, and that they may have swallowed stones to aid in the digestion process (though this hypothesis is contested). It is believed that they may have also eaten snow to meet their water needs.

Hazards

Compared to other resurrected species of prehistoric Pokémon, the Amaura line is gentle and even-tempered; this owes to the fact that they had few if any predators in their natural time. That said, like any Pokémon they are still living creatures, and they will defend themselves if they feel threatened. An Amaura or Aurorus will attempt to intimidate potential predators and rivals by stomping, growling, and flaring their sails (which turn red when agitated); if this fails to scare off the enemy, they will not hesitate to use their powerful cryokinetic abilities.

Care should be taken when handling these Pokémon as pets. The crystals which dot their flanks radiate intense cold, sucking the heat from anything that comes into contact with them; touching them with bare hands can cause mild hypothermia, and if contact is prolonged it can lead to the onset of dangerous conditions like shock or frostbite. Trainers and breeders of Amaura and Aurorus are strongly recommended to wear thick gloves when grooming these Pokémon.

Care should also be taken not to leave these Pokémon alone and unsupervised, especially in the presence of small children. Amaura, especially juvenile specimens, are inquisitive and gregarious creatures that do not always know their own strength; it is not unheard of for such specimens to unintentionally damage furniture or injure children while trying to play with them.

Like many prehistoric Pokémon that have been resurrected, Amaura and Aurorus are acutely vulnerable to modern diseases. Fungal and bacterial infections pose a particular risk to them, due to their immune systems not having evolved to handle the last hundred million years’ worth of sicknesses; such infections can potentially be fatal, and so should be treated immediately. Interbreeding them with other Pokémon can help to curb this, and it is hoped that within a generation or two modern Amaura and Aurorus will have a better tolerance for contemporary illnesses.

Courting and Childrearing

Although Pokémon of this line are fertile even during the Amaura stage, in captive populations actual mating has been observed to take place only between those that have evolved to the Aurorus stage. Courtship is a complex and nocturnal affair, in which Aurorus of both sexes will flare their sails while shifting colours rapidly in a display not unlike an aurora in the hopes of attracting potential mates. Should an Aurorus draw the eye of a member of the opposite sex, the two of them will break off from the herd and courtship will begin in earnest. Continuing to flare their sails, the two Pokémon will gently sway their necks from side to side while staring into each other’s eyes, doing their best not to break the stare; and at the same time they will sing to each other, attempting to harmonize. If they manage to do so, and to maintain eye-contact for the duration, the female will cement her bond with her new mate by nuzzling him affectionately, and the two will depart to carry out their business.

It is not yet known whether Aurorus mate only temporarily or for life, but both parents share responsibility for tending to the nest. Female Aurorus lay clutches of eight to twelve eggs in a shallow pit dug into the ground with their thumb spikes; snow is gently packed over the eggs to act as a layer of insulation against the cold. The parents will alternate their duties every few hours, with one standing guard over the nest while the other searches for nourishment.

Newborn Amaura lack the innate resistance to cold possessed by older specimens of the line, and so must huddle together for warmth at first. They are born blind, not opening their eyes until three or four days after hatching; their immunity to cold temperatures kicks in after a week, and they are able to walk in a fortnight. Until then, they are entirely dependent on the care of their Aurorus parents, who will dutifully seek out soft, easily-chewable plants for them to eat, a task they perform constantly and tirelessly as the hatchlings display ravenous appetites for the first two weeks of life.

Once they are able to see and walk, primary responsibility for their care shifts to the mother, who guides her children around and teaches them the skills they will need to survive, such as which plants are edible and which are harmful, how to properly make use of their cryokinetic powers, and what behaviours are considered socially acceptable by the herd. Hatchlings remain in their mother’s care for the first few years of life, until they are suitably experienced to survive without her guidance. Once they’ve reached maturity they are expected to provide for themselves, though they remain part of the herd unless they choose to strike out on their own (or are exiled for poor conduct).

Social Structure

It was long hypothesized by paleontologists that the Amaura line lives in herds, based on well-preserved fossil evidence such as bone beds and trackways. With the resurrection of the species, this hypothesis was proven to be true; Amaura and Aurorus raised on reserves have been observed to gravitate towards one another, forming mixed herds of juveniles and adults.

The precise social structure of these herds is still being studied, but it is clear that the adults care for their young. The older members of a herd range farther from the rest while foraging for food, using their cries and sails to remain in contact with the rest of the herd; the youngest members, by contrast, are usually kept close to the group so that the adults can surround them in a protective wall should predators be spotted. Leadership of the herd typically falls to the eldest female Aurorus present; should the leader die or become too weak to continue, the mantle of leadership is passed down to their eldest daughter, even if other, older females are present. This seems to suggest that a matrilineal hierarchy is in effect, though only further studies will say for certain.

In Human Culture

Prior to its resurrection, the Amaura line was poorly understood by the scientific community. It was generally assumed that the creatures were far heavier than they actually are, and spent most of their time partially submerged in bodies of water as a means of supporting their supposed bulk. Additionally, it was commonly held at one time that their sails were inflexible bone crests, laced with numerous blood vessels to aid in temperature regulation. Naturally, both theories have since been proven false.

These antiquated views carried over to the popular consciousness, enduring long after they’d been debunked in the scientific community. The Amaura line has been depicted in a number of different forms of media in the past century, typically alongside other prehistoric Pokémon and typically with glaring scientific inaccuracies; one of the very first animated cartoons, Rory the Aurorus, depicted the titular Pokémon as a lumbering, gormless giant that lived in rocky gorges alongside Gyarados and Mamoswine (erroneously depicted as being smaller than Rory), two species that had not yet come into existence at the time the Amaura line walked the earth.

Since their resurrection, the line has experienced a surge of popularity. Amaura’s large eyes and smooth, non-threatening appearance endear it to children, while Aurorus’ regal bearing and iridescent sails have captured the interest of many. Alongside Tyrunt and Tyrantrum, the Amaura line is one of the most iconic prehistoric Pokémon, particularly in the Kalos region. Both species were featured in a critically-acclaimed animated feature film, wherein a young Amaura is orphaned during a terrible cataclysm and bands together with several other juvenile Pokémon to reach a fertile valley while being hunted by a one-eyed Tyrantrum; the film proved immensely popular, with over a dozen sequels having since been released direct-to-video. Said film was a remake of an earlier film with the same premise, where Amaura’s role was instead played by a Chikorita.

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And there we have it. Feedback is welcome, as always. I apologize if there's any typos; I've done my best to weed out any that I find, but I readily admit that I may have missed a few.

edited 10th Jan '14 8:11:21 PM by SullenFrog

The Danse Macabre Codex

You can include any possible interaction with other species in these reserves and/or the other Pokemon owned by their trainer, as well as how they interact with humans. Especially important is compatible breeding with other Pokemon, particularly since their Breeding Group consists of fire-breathing dragons, electric sheep, and walking snow covered pine trees.

"Well before, I did it with reckless abandon. Now I can't control myself!" ~ Jesse Cox, 2014

And now the problem of overly-specific series references is laid bare for all to see. Though I do feel that the Gertie the Dinosaur reference earlier in the section fits the theme, as that item focuses on the "Somewhere A Paleontologist Is Crying" aspect instead of merely being "This Exists in the Pokemon World".

edited 9th Jan '14 10:52:18 PM by DonaldthePotholer

Ketchum's corollary to Clarke's Third Law: Any sufficiently advanced tactic is indistinguishable from blind luck.

Sullen: Looks good. Only part I'm unsure of is if sauropods had parental care. And what Ud noted.

And could people stop complaining about the references? It's driving me up the wall.

edited 10th Jan '14 3:08:12 PM by Umbramatic

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What Umbra said, and also "aurorasaurus frigus" should have an uppercase A.

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

Fixed; thank you for pointing that out.

Wikipedia's of the opinion that they didn't, that in at least some species the juveniles would form separate herds from the adults and effectively rear themselves. That said, considering that this is Pokémon and Amaura lived in a rather different environment from what normal sauropods would have lived in, I thought I could take certain liberties with that bit.

The Danse Macabre Codex

We'll stop complaining when people stop doing it.

Casual talk is a debate you have to win.

No, really, the complaining is really fucking annoying.

Well I dont see why people are still doing it after the myriad issues with it have been pointed out over and over again. Cut it out guys.

Casual talk is a debate you have to win.

It seems you are the only one against it, actually.