Tracker Dogs V2.0 [Series 20]

[DoctorDraca]

I noticed the username switch, and I know. I won't be updating the customs list until I finish my final custom though.

[Chara Dreemurr]

I feel like drawing Underworker as a chibi. 0_0

[MelodiousNocturne]

I'm going to finish typing the Epilogue: A Day with the Grunts, and then I'll be drawing Tracker Chibis.

[Clive]

Im yet working on my Fanart ^^
I hope the ears are ok for you guys x3
I think they are seriously long on my Fanart, but i think when i color it later, it will look not so bad

[wibeke]

Yet another question:
I remember you rejected a form once because it was really long with a lot of extra details, and told another to make their story shorter next time. Do you have any kind of word-limit in mind, or should we just not cram a million details in there just for the sake of length? ^^
Thanks for answering all my questions, it helps a lot. I promise I'll stop soon, I'm just new to the thread I guess. x3

And I was just thinking about the way they "see." Do specific scents have their own colors, or would it depend on their intensity? (like garbage=bright green, flower= light pink or something like that) If there's a lot of scents around at one time (like a dump or a city) would it overwhelm the tracker with different scents all clouding their "vision?"

[LaChromaticDragonfly]

I want an upgrade!
Username: Ariat
Tracker Name: Izarvo Tonight XVII
Link to old Tracker: viewtopic.php?f=53&t=243387
New form: Wild (i think that'll be good for him!)
Any aditional details (such as very minor colour changes): none

Hopefully it is still indeed open for updates...?

Accepted.

The Upgrade slots are now closed. :3

[MelodiousNocturne]

Completely finished with form, it's a read but I'm happy with it and if I don't win, there's always next time:
viewtopic.php?f=58&t=422105&p=11014330#p11014330
On to da Chibis!

[DoctorDraca]

Yet another question:
I remember you rejected a form once because it was really long with a lot of extra details, and told another to make their story shorter next time. Do you have any kind of word-limit in mind, or should we just not cram a million details in there just for the sake of length? ^^
Thanks for answering all my questions, it helps a lot. I promise I'll stop soon, I'm just new to the thread I guess. x3

And I was just thinking about the way they "see." Do specific scents have their own colors, or would it depend on their intensity? (like garbage=bright green, flower= light pink or something like that) If there's a lot of scents around at one time (like a dump or a city) would it overwhelm the tracker with different scents all clouding their "vision?"

Well.. I don't exactly have a word limit, but as long as the story's short/mid-long but reads smoothly and is nice, I'm happy. Putting extra details or unneeded events in there for the sake of writing something is fairly annoying to read. Basically, if you feel that it's too long, then it might just be..

It does depend on the intensity, as well as the life behind it. For example, living beings would appear as shades of green or yellow (depending on how much alive the person/animal is. Green means good, yellow means wounded, dark yellow is critical.), where inanimate objects or gasses that still produce scent would fall within an array of pink going to blue, depending on what it exactly is. I know the smell of garbage is because of the bacteria, but a Tracker can't see those, and doesn't distinguish them as living beings, thus they're seen as a different colour. Because of the increased brain capacity, Trackers can store many, many smells and learn to ignore some. In a city, they can learn to ignore the scent of exhaust fumes so they won't be bombarded with colours all the time. All this requires training and patience, of course. Once they leave the facility, Trackers are ready to experience the real world and will pick up fastly on what scents are important and which are not, but it's up to the owner to train them further.

[pastel1]

I want an upgrade!
Username: pastel
Tracker Name: Dominique
Link to old Tracker: viewtopic.php?f=53&t=234203
New form: stealth
Any aditional details (such as very minor colour changes): nope

[Nimaine]

Tracker Dog Application Series 9

Username:
Nimaine

Tracker Dog you want: #29


Name you'll give it:
Nikolai

Reason why you want it:
I was attracted to a design that had a level of detail I felt comfortable with. What do I mean, felt comfortable with? Well, I feel I will be able to capture all details when drawing a picture of it. Yes, I can draw. sample I never said I could draw well. (My camera broke, so I probably won't be uploading these pictures anytime soon. But I will enjoy drawing them.) Not only is the detail level desirable, but he has dull, naturalistic colors. Wouldn't look totally out of place in most "worlds." Also, the hint of personality- playful. Originally I thought this would not be a desirable trait, until I recalled my oldest, favorite rp characters: an adventure-prone bubblehead and her polite (and sometimes snarky) bodyguard/companion. They need a dog

Will it be used in any kind of story?
Possibly. It will be used in rp's with Peril and Kian (it's owners) and maybe even on its own. If I ever get around to writing a story about Peril, Kian, and my other rp characters, then I'd certainly like to use Nikolai, too. But I've long had the dream of someday publishing my stories, and if this very distant possibility bothers you, I'll have to leave him out of any stories I write.


Describe its personality:

It may seem that Nikolai is a case of nature over nurture. Despite his extensive training at the lab, his playful nature continues to assert itself. Actually, that's not really the case. Yes, he does have a happy-go-lucky personality, a disinclination to brood unnecessarily or hold grudges, but when it comes to his job, he doesn't just want to do it well, he wants to do it perfectly. That's right, he's a perfectionist. One or two missions in a row is fine, but give this perfectionist a steady stream of jobs, and his stress level rises to dangerous heights. He makes mistakes. Loses confidence. Is not perfect. Which means more stress, more mistakes, greater losses in self-confidence. The classic spiral of doom. He'll make desperate efforts to avoid this by breaking up his workload with non-stressful play, but if pushed to far, that is what will happen.

He will always obey his owner to the best of his ability, thanks to his loyalty. Nikolai is also affectionate. Which means if he loves you, you'll know it. If he really likes you, you'll know it. Even if he only sort-of likes you, you'll know it. On the other hand, he is manipulative, so it's best to check for consistancy in these things. He's bright, but he's no genius. He can use you one day, and forgets about it the next (especially if it was a success). And yes, he is opportunistic. He believes opportunity only knocks once, and he always answers the door.

Write an introduction for your Tracker:
"Oh my goodness, it's so cuuute!" came from a high-pitched, feminine squeal outside his kennel. Tracker #29 (previously Dune) picked his head up and tilted his ears hopefully toward the voice. It was boring back here, everyone was too busy to play with him. He also had a lingering sensation that he had done something wrong. A little affection and a few games of tug or fetch would do a lot to improve his day. And the tone of that voice had promised him just that.

"Oh, Kian, can't we keep it?" There was that voice again. The tracker in the cage beside his sure was popular. He didn't know why.

A serious male voice began slowly, as if reading, "Warning, contact with spikes or tongue may cause cases of poisoning- No Peril! Absolutely not!" This was said loudly and with intensity, Tracker #29 could hear movement.

"Aww, can't I just pet it a little?" This was a protesting whine from 'Peril'.

"It's not safe for you. Let's see the next Tracker," the voice was firm, and sounded slightly annoyed.

Their footsteps approached. Tracker #29 got quickly to his feet and bounded over to the gate. He stood on his hind legs, his front paws pressed into the gate, his head just poking out of his kennel. He wasn't going to neglect this chance.

"Oooo, this one's a cutie too. Hi there, little doggie." Tracker #29 couldn't see, but he could smell. He smelt a strong, floral-fruity perfume, the soft smell of soap, the smell of silk, and beneath it all, the warm, distinctive smell of a friendly flesh-and-blood person. That was the female, anyway. The male voice he couldn't quite pinpoint. Maybe he was out of practice. Normally this would bother him, but today all he really wanted was a little fun. Just a little. These weeks had been so long. His tail began waving fiercely and he whined appealingly at Peril.

The echoes of that whine allowed him to see her hand moving towards him, only to be arrested by her companion's strong grip and sharp voice. "Peril! What did I just tell you?"

"But this dog is really friendly!"

There was a pause, and Kian read out loud again from the information placard by Tracker #29's kennel. "Accomplishes missions... playful... safe to enter kennel without authorized personnal present. Well, you can pet this one, Peril."

Tracker #29 leaned blissfully into Peril's hand as it stroked his head. But doing so almost caused him to lose his balance, so he settled for giving her hand a few licks and racing to the back of his kennel to pick up his ball and bring it to her. Successfully interpreting his request, she threw it down his kennel. He gave one bark of pure joy and raced after it. Then he brought it back to the kennel gate to play again. But this time it was Kian who took the ball from him. He, too, tossed it into the kennel, saying "Fetch."

Tracker #29 did as he was commanded, but a some of the joy had gone from his game. Kian did not smell like a real person. He smelt of metal and plastic and some other strange chemical compounds. There was also the acrid and tongue biting smell of electricity, and the stinky smell of machine grease. Oh, and a trace of Peril's perfume. Kian might act like a human, but he was clearly a machine. Tracker #29 had never encountered an android before, and he wasn't sure how to react to one. Peril took the ball again, but before she could throw it, he raced back and got his rope tug toy. He put his head down and left his rear end up, wagging his tail hopefully.

"You want to play tug, doggy? Okay, just a minute," the gate opened, and Peril joined him, his whole body wriggling with joy, he stood up to offer her one end of the rope. They played tug for a while, until the frayed end of the rope slipped through his teeth and Peril lost her balance to sit down quickly. She might have sat down more quickly if Kian hadn't halted her progress by grabbing the back of her shirt with reflexes that Tracker #29 envied.

Of course, in this position her face was a lot closer to his, and he took the opportunity to give it lots of grateful licks while Peril stroked his entire back. All this affection eventually reduced him to a level where he shoved his snout under her arm and tried to sit in her lap. "His fur is a little rough," Tracker #29 tensed nervously at that criticism, "but he's such a snugglebug. I'm going to call him Snuggleboo." She gave him a squeezing hug, which he bore wonderfully.

"I'm sorry Peril. I promised your father I'd only buy a Tracker if I needed one. I'm not convinced I do." This was Kian, calm and politely sympathetic.

Tracker #29 removed his snout from under Peril's arm and "looked" at Kian, using the automaton's voice as a sort of target locater so he knew where to point his head. So this was what was stopping him from going home with a happy, excitable girl who played with him? Well, he was up to the challenge. He gave Peril a last lick and left her to stand in front of Kian. They stared at each other, even though neither had eyes- Kian had cameras and sensors that looked like eyes, and Tracker #29 had his other senses. To the Tracker's surprise, the android also took advantage of all his senses, not just his eyes. Kian put his hand on the Tracker's shoulders, sniffed his head, listened to his heartbeat, and yes, tasted the Tracker's fur on his cheek. Tracker #29 didn't move, other than some surprised jerks from his ears, but waited patiently throughout this process.

"Down," Tracker #29 went down under that brief, emotionless command, and then followed through with "Roll over," and "Sit," commands given in that order in that same tone of voice. He was determined to impress.

There was the sound of metal sliding through a plastic sheath, a sword! With all that other metal, Tracker #29 hadn't smelled it. The sword came swishing clearly through the air- it was loud to him, and stopped in front of his face. He hadn't flinched. "Sic 'em." So the android was familar with some slang. But how does one bite a sword without self-injury? Tracker #29 pulled up his lips in a full faced snarl to avoid getting cut. Then as quickly and carefully as he could he took the sword between his jaws. Kian tugged at it, a little at first, and then with increasing force. Tracker #29 just clamped down. This was no game of tug, and he knew it. This was a test. Just when he was wondering if he'd ever be able to keep the sword from slipping out of his grip, the pulling stopped. "Release," the word came as a welcome relief.

The sword went back into its sheath. "I'm impressed. This one looks promising. I'll speak to Nex about purchasing it. Come along, Peril."

Peril left slowly, " 'bye, Snuggleboo," and Tracker #29 waved his tail in a slow goodbye and gave a quiet whine. Back to boring again. But hopefully he'd be seeing Peril again soon.