(💕🐀+) Collie Poll Preview!

Poll coming out tonight :)) !! Begin familiarizing yourself with a bit of lore as well:

How Common are the two ear types?

Fancy rat ears— also called tophead ears— are more common than dumbo ears; an estimated 2/3 of rats in this universe have fancy ears over dumbo, however there is no clear dominance of one gene over the other. 

The disparity used to be more notable; about 3/4ths of rats had fancy, due largely in part to a tradition called rat-baiting. 

What is Rat-Baiting?

Rat-baiting originated with a group of dumbo rats, and was popular for about thirty years. It was popularized among a time when rats were figuring out a less government-run society, and started as a way to punish criminals. Because it was dumbo rats who started it, it happened to be dumbo rats who went to view and were the subject of rat-baiting. It was commonplace to have an evening out, children included, to watch the 'Baits'. 

Rats were put in a large round cage with multiple dogs and had to fight to the death, those hosting it and those who turned in criminals earning money for doing so. It was also used for minors who committed crimes. This went on for several decades before rat-baiting was given a hard shut-down by the general public, with some stories coming out about innocent rats having been torn apart, and some parents sacrificing their children (claiming they had committed crimes) for a quick buck. and by RETA (stands for Rodents for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). Several hundred dogs were seized, rehabilitated, and rehoused. Rehab and medical care for criminals was issued, along with rehab for the many rats addicted to betting during Baits.

Unfortunately, that was not the end of rat-baiting, and it is still practiced extremely under wraps, and usually quite dangerously, although not so often to the death. It also led to some other nasty practices we'll dig into another time. Sometimes on the news there will be a front-page story about the bust and arrest of modern-day rat-baiters.

How did dogs kill rats??

First mention of dogs in this post!!! Current canon is, all dogs grow to about the size of what we know as wolves. Wolves do not exist in this universe: there is the species 'Dog', which is ambiguous between domestic and wild. Then there are the subspecies of "Drog/Drogs" and "Doggy/Doggies". 

Drog is distinctly for wild or feral dogs, a dog that has a taste and/or training for blood. But with enough love, care, and rehabilitation, any drog can become a doggy. 

Then there are 'Doggies', which always means a domestic dog, a dog you keep in the house. There are only a few breeds of dogs in existence, and they do Not go by the titles of what we know, such as terrier, beagle, golden retriever, etc.  More on dogs and the specific species in the future!

Did Fancy-Eared rats start anything equivalently negatively impactful?

Yes! About a century ago, when Fancy-eared rats and Dumbo-eared rats were living divided (they evolved a bit separately before mingling), A town of Fancy-eared rats put together a system was meant to make life easier, by assigning different fur-colors to different sections of life and tasks. The intent was for white rats and black rats to be indoors most often, as their fur extreme temperatures and they were considered more delicate. Rats with especially dark and especially light colors, not neutrals, would take care of more of the crafting and writing and creative tasks. Rats with the most neutral colors, neither resistant or sensitive to any particular weather, would take care of growing crops, tending to livestock, and working in the elements.

Over time this evolved into a class-based society based on fur color, and spread throughout a cluster of major towns, mostly containing fancy-eared rats. Rats in this community who had light-gray, pink, dark brown, or dark-gray fur were seen as middle-class rats with their artisan tasks. Rats who were neutrals and middle-toned colors were often treated poorly and compared on the same level as livestock, despite them often being extremely hard-working and supporting the entire community with the food they grow. Pure black and pure white rats were coveted as royalty, and seen as closest to the Heavens, or- as the rats called it- the Great Blue.

Things spiraled out of control when this became more of a cult-based way of life. Some rats pushed that this was the way of a being they called 'Shisaer" (pronounced she-sayer), described as an infinite and all-knowing rat who is both lightness and darkness combined, meant to be feared and respected lest you will be given blemishes to. This created issues with rats with patterns, placing them even lower societally than just being neutral. New members were greatly welcomed as though they would have amazing opportunity and a perfect community if they joined, and then were made into whatever position their coat color fit.

Lots of details are being skipped over for now, and I'll have more comprehensive text eventually, but long story short, eventually things evened out. It was discovered that a ruler, named Levitica, who had been particularly kind, benevolent, and key to their society's prosperity had a Dalmatian coat, also known as 'covered in blemishes'. Her parents, and in turn her supporters and herself, had been dyeing her fur to appear pure black for her whole life. Despite attempts to tear her down, she had enough of a following to overturn and more or less abolish the entire class system with a clean sweep. 

However, this split the rats who had participated in this society into three groups: one, the majority, relieved to return to learning whatever skills they wanted and being who ever they wanted. Two, rats who now worshipped fanatically Levitica as the true Shisaer, and continued to call themselves Shisaers saying that she was the embodiment of light and darkness in one being. Three, rats who denounced Levitica and still sought to worship a God that believed in the blemish-punishment and coat-based society. This was led by a rat named Chulius, which got this small group renamed (by most who refer to them) to "Cheesers".

And... back to Ears

Fancy rat ears (tophead ears) are sometimes associated with a 'fancier' way of living, and sometimes fancy-eared rats are called prissier, bossier, or stuck-up. But, this is usually among children and would be seen as immature for an adult rat to say. Same with dumbo ears; children with these ears will sometimes be called dummies, among teenagers 'dumbass' is more frequently used, but not so often seen in adult-hood.

Main difference among ears in adults is, some rats who grew up with and around fancy ears only will mistake those with dumbo ears for being sad or upset more often, as their ears naturally sit in a way that implies they have them flattened down. Similarly, dumbo rats sometimes mistake fancy rats for being more high-strung and alert than they actually are, by how perked their ears are, when in actuality a fancy-eared rat may be completely calm. 

However, main way to tell on both ear-types is to see if they are facing forwards or not. Down-turned or back-turned ears are often a sign of discomfort, or that something is wrong.