The cats of this RP exist in a world where everything is born with an element inside of them. This is an explanation of the elements, and how they work.
Click this link for a clear infographic on how the elements work in general in this universe.
First of all, the most important thing: Elements are a biological feature of all living things in this world. Elemental power flows through veins directly next to the blood veins in any creature. If the creature doesn't have blood, chances are, it doesn't have an element either, and therefore cannot harness any elements--if it's even sentient enough to do so in the first place.
Cats are absolutely one of the species that can harness elements, although they don't have as much potency as humans and humantypes might. Basically, a cat will be born with an element at birth. Since these are wild cats, they typically won't know what element they are until they can train the cat to use their element--whichever one it is. Cats who were once housecats would be an exception, as they would know what they are. Otherwise, feral cats would have a general guess if they know what the parents' elements are, as the passing down of elements is genetic in nature and based on rarity. If your parents are dew elements, you'll most likely be the dew element as well. However, if your dad is hollow, and your mom is bolt, you'll most definitely get the bolt element, as that's much more common than hollow is. And that leads into the elements themselves, as well as their individual rarities!
Because of the fact that there's actual magic veins that run parallel to the blood veins, if the cat receives a cut or wound of some sort, they'll bleed a mixture of whatever color their element is, and their normal blood color. The color of their element will be a variant of whatever color is in the background of the images below.
Elements + Rarities
Consisting of air + storm
The Bolt element is one based on manipulation of the air around you and creating electricity from it. This can be utilized for pulling other cats off their feet, shocking them during battles, or on a non-battle side of things, however you believe air could be utilized.
Through extreme usage, Bolt may present itself on a cat in the way of staticky fur, clean bolt patterns on their skin as scars, or wispy, gravity-defying fur.
This element comes out suddenly with the emotion of Fear and Passion.
Consisting of earth + flora
The Nature element is one based on the growth and decay of plant life, as well as manipulating it as needed. This can be utilized in battles for tripping cats with plants, or being more easily able to sneak around other cats. It can also be used to grow herbs when needed.
Through extreme usage, Nature may present itself on a cat in the way of vines crawling up their arms, plants sprouting from them, or the cat becoming more plant-like entirely.
This element comes out suddenly with the emotion of Happiness and Caring.
Consisting of water + ice
The Dew element is one based on the flow of water and the freezing or melting of it. This could be used in battles for ambush tactics, being able to breathe in water, or being able to freeze cats where they stand. Most Dew users help to provide clean water to the rest of the decks.
Through extreme usage, Dew may present itself on a cat in the way of constantly drifting droplets of water floating around them, frosty paws, or constantly dripping fur.
This element comes out suddenly with the emotion of Contempt and Sadness.
Consisting of light + purity
The Bright element is one based on the production of light and an internal sense of peace. This can be used to sway other cats during battles, making them less aggressive, and being able to flashbang them. This could also be used to create needed light in the darkness.
Through extreme usage, Bright may present itself in the form of glowing eyes on a cat, a cat who constantly slightly glows, or a cat with a palpable aura of peace.
This element comes out suddenly with the emotion of Surprise and Hope.
Consisting of fire + sun
The Flare element is one based on flames and how to control this fire. This can be used during battles as a powerful weapon, but outside, it's not very often used besides making warmth for the other cats in a deck. The nature of Flare is dangerous, so it isn't commonly practiced or used.
Through extreme usage, Flare may present itself as constant, dark burns on a cat, constantly alight tufts of fur, or a cat that radiates a vibrant sense of warmth and sunlight.
This element comes out suddenly with the emotion of Flustered and Anger.
Consisting of void + shadow
The Hollow element is one based on the absence of light, as well as an electrifying void of everything. A rare and powerful element, Hollow can be used to bring a powerful shock to your enemies, sapping them of hope and strength. Due to its nature, this element is not used in the decks.
Through extreme usage, Hollow may present itself in the way of pieces of a cat being completely void, lightning bolts of holographic scars, or a constant dark aura around a cat.
This element comes out suddenly with the emotion of Somber and Anxiety.
Some terms to know when it comes to elements are OXes, Elemental Vampires, Elemental Batteries, and Nulls. Elemental Vampires are a type of element user who has a lack of elemental energy inside of them and needs a boosted amount of it in order to survive, similar to regular vampires. Feral cats who might be born as Elemental Vampires are rare, and typically die, since they don't have enough of their element to survive. Elements work similarly to blood in this sense. Elemental Batteries are the opposite--they're people (or cats) with an overabundance of a singular type of element, unlike OXes, which are people with an overabundance of all subtypes of an element, which cats can't have.
It is NOT possible for a cat to have multiple elements at once. That would be like having both type A and type O blood at the same time--you just can't do that, or else you'd probably die or something. However, it is possible for a cat to have an overabundance of an element in their body. This usually causes babies to die, so the same would be for kittens. However, very rarely, there'll be a survivor, and this cat would be known as an OX. OXes are named after the symbol for all of the major attributes of an element being combined together, as typically it'd be OI, OII, or OIII depending on which attribute of the element it is. If someone was an OX in flare, they'd be a FOX, but that's more just for technical terms than anything else. Everything I'm describing right now is basically just shit you don't need to know, as it won't come up unless you really wanna know all the technicalities of how elements and shit work.
Otherwise, that's about it for elements! All cats have an element, and the majority can use them. Some cats are better at handling one aspect of their element than the other, such as one doing better with water than ice, and so on. The only ones that can't use them at all are called 'Nulls', and it's not that they don't have an element, it's just that they lack any physical ability to harness it or have an incredibly low amount that it's basically non-existent. Those ones are typically seen as lesser in the society of the decks. If a cat can harness their element and use it, there's no limit to how good at controlling it they may be--though for roleplay stuff, please don't go overboard. I don't need a ton of cats who are absolute masters at their elements, as that's just unrealistic in this setting.
TLDR:
--There are 6 elements: Air, Earth, Water, Light, Fire, and Void. Each element has 3 different subtypes, for instance, air has basic air, storm, and technology. Scientifically, the elements would be listed as OI, OII, OIII, or OX, with the addition of whichever element it is at the beginning, like AOI, EOIII, or FOX.
--Cats cannot harness all subtypes and instead have a minor combination of the first two subtypes. These are called Bolt, Nature, Dew, Bright, Flare, and Hollow.
--Some can't use any elements at all, though they still have it flowing through them.
--Uh idk ask me questions if you're confused
ELABORATION ON WHAT THE ELEMENTS CAN DO AND WHAT THE LIMITS OF CATS' POWERS ARE
Bolt has the powers of: Air + Wind + Electricity + Fog
The powers extend to changing the flow of air around someone, creating powerful gusts of air, walking on air for a short time, zapping people with bolts of electricity, running a brief electric current through the ground, creating fog in a small area, clearing away existing fog, stopping gusts of air, detecting lightning strikes, pulling the air out of another's lungs briefly, causing a nerve shock in another with electricity.
Skilled: Walking on air for a short time, pulling the air out of another's lungs briefly, causing a nerve shock in another with electricity.
Nature has the powers of: Ground + Rocks + Plants + Roots
The powers extend to creating minor earthquakes in a small area, throwing rocks through the air, causing minor erosions, making plants grow quickly, manipulating the motion of plants to your will, growing plants out of the ground when they previously were not there, feeling vibrations in the ground like a natural 6th sense, understanding plants' words, plants will move to support you in forests.
Skilled: Causing minor erosions, understanding plants' words, plants will move to support you in forests.
Dew has the powers of: Water + Poison + Ice + Weather
The powers extend to manipulating the flow of water, creating ice from water, pulling water straight from the ground, polluting droplets of water to create poison, removing toxicity and pollution to make fresh water, freezing people's feet to hold them in place for a moment, creating miniature storm clouds and other similar weather effects, unfreezing snow and ice, walking briefly on water, being able to breathe under water briefly.
Skilled: polluting droplets of water to create poison, walking briefly on water, being able to breathe under water briefly.
Bright has the powers of: Light + Emotions + Purity + Hope
The powers extend to creating light from nowhere, keeping away monsters of the dark, healing cats' wounds with concentrated light, being a major empath, understanding others' emotions to an incredible degree, creating a calming and peaceful aura, creating the notion of hope in others' minds, giving others' the will to press on, there is never darkness around you, the sun will heal the users' wounds, others will feel inclined to help the user.
Skilled: Keeping away monsters of the dark, healing cats' wounds with concentrated light, others will feel inclined to help the user.
Flare has the powers of: Fire + Destruction + Sun + Morale
The powers extend to creating literal fire from nowhere in the user's hands/on their body somewhere, raising fire from the ground under others' feet, tossing small balls of fire, erupting in a burst of flames, creating an everlasting and peaceful warmth, boosting allies' moods, creating a sense of emotional strength, creating a sense of emotional destruction, the user can survive without burns in fire for a short time.
Skilled: Tossing small balls of fire, creating a sense of emotional destruction, the user can survive without burns in fire for a short time.
Hollow has the powers of: Void + Static + Shadow + Fear
The powers extend to bursts of dark electricity, causing brief paralysis in others' with electricity, controlling the shadows in a small area, creating a small area of complete darkness, corrupting the ground around the user with dark static, explosions of dark and destructive energy, creating a feeling of fear in others, sapping others of their will to continue on, the user has lucid dreams and nightmares more often.
Skilled: Causing brief paralysis in others' with electricity, corrupting the ground around the user with dark static, sapping others of their will to continue on
Not every cat will be able to do every single power that an element offers, and only extremely skilled users will be able to use the powers listed as 'Skilled'. The more rare an element is, the less likely a cat will be skilled at using their element, and the less likely they'll be able to accurately control it. A Hollow user will have an extremely hard time controlling and accurately using their element, just due to how absolutely rare and powerful the element is. An element that's more common will be much easier to use and control accurately. Bright is when the elements start getting harder to use and control, and Hollow is almost impossible. The elements are able to harm the user themself if they don't have a good grasp of the element, or it comes out in a burst of the emotion they're linked to and they were completely unprepared for it.
