The Kingdom of Gufalla

Feeding Cycles

Summary

Most plants in the kingdom of Gufalla feed off of human laughter as their primary source of sustenance. Roman made it so that instead of converting light into food, they convert the soundwaves produced through laughter instead. There is also magic involved, so the process isn't completely scientific. All plants do need water to survive in some way still, because Roman modeled them after real world plants.

What is a Feeding Cycle?

A feeding cycle or feeding time is the calculated amount of laughter that a plant needs to convert over certain periods of time in order to live a long healthy life. It is similar to a diet. Every species of plant has a different ideal feeding cycle, but even those of the same species will vary. Not every plant is exactly the same. The statistic is just a general number that could produce positive results for the plant.

A plant feeds off laughter?

A plant does feed off of human laughter, yes. So, a plant technically could go to a comedy show and be completely full within a matter of minutes. However, the liklihood of a plant actually attending a comedy show by itself is 0, because most of them are like actual plants and can't move without the help of an outside force. Also, because plants are unable to speak or tell jokes to random humans that may happen to come across them out in the wild, tickling is just the easiest option.

So, it can be any type of laughter?

It could, but the amount of energy the plant retains determines on the type of laughter. Logan and Roman conducted a study together to see what types of laughter give the best energy. If a human just randomly laughs at a joke in the vicinity of a tickle plant, the laughter retained will be 25% than if the person made the same laugh, but it was being tickled by the plant. A plant could even retain fake laughs, but at an even lower pecentage at 15%. So yes, quality and intention do play a massive part into the calculations determined by the feeding cycles. Also, some plants are picky about their laughter and retain more when one person giggles as opposed to a different person. A plant could also like soft giggles more than big belly laughter. As I said before, no plant is the same.

Do Plants know when to stop?

Yes. Roman made sure that none of the plants could go too far when tickling their victim...or at least on purpose. Some plants, like the Feather Fly Trap, get too excited and have a hard time stopping once they get going, much like a dog licking their owner's face for seconds on end. There is also another instance where a plant may contract a disease, making the plant almost in a zombie trance state where they could tickle forever, regardless if they are full or went too far.

Do plants give breaks during feeding cycles?

Yes! Calculated feeding times do add in breaks for the ticklee or caretaker's sake. It also depends on the plant's bond with the person they are tickling. A plant would be much more aware of their favorite person's state of being than say a random stranger.

How do you know when a plant is full?

The colors of the flowers, leaves, vines, etc. glow bright. The more vivid the colors, the more full the plant is. If a plant begins to flicker between different shades of it's colors then it is either extremely hungry or starving. This is why the species of plants that do not feed on laughter are usually quite dark in contrast.

Can a Tickle plant get too full?

Yes. It is possible. It happens to the tickle plants who can't control themselves quite easily when they are tickling their victims. (Also baby tickle plants as they are figuring out how much they can take in.) The repercussions are similar to if someone overindulged in a gigantic meal. The plant will be sluggish, have a delayed reaction time, and an extremely large dose of laughter might throw off their regular feeding cycles.

What happens when a tickle plant is starving?

The first thing I want to say is a tickle plant cannot die if they do not convert laughter for over a long period of time. Roman made sure of that. Instead, the tickle plant will go into a dormant mode. In this mode, they will begin to act like a basic plant, taking in water and sunlight. There are many plants in the Kingdom of Gufalla that act like this because they are so deep in the woods or extremely far from civilization that no one ever visits.

Can a tickle plant recover from their dormant mode?

Yup! Someone just needs to laugh in their vicinity! The laughter should allow it to wake up and smell the bacon, metaphorically! XD Then it will restrain the person gently and get the laughter it needs.

Some tickle plants don't feed on laughter?

Yes. They are very rare species though and are usually found in dark places like caves, undergrowths, or places that never touch sunlight. All plants that fall into the lee alignment, also fall into this category.

What are the plants' sources of energy then?

Yeah, the sides and figments are the main characters, but there is over 500,000 random npcs Roman created to live in the kingdom of Gufalla. Their purpose is to exist and also feed the plants and animals with their laughter.

What makes a plant able to feed off of laughter?

It's a combination of science and tickle magic. Roman wanted there to be enough mystery in the world so that Logan and Virgil could find interest in it to, and not just Patton.

Is laughter the life force of a plant?

Hmmm...not quite. The tickle plants that do not need laughter to survive dissproved that hypothesis. Plants can't get healed by laughter anymore than humans could get healed by food. This isn't Super Smash Bros. or Kirby, unfortunately.

If some plants don't need laughter, then why do they tickle?

All plants have tickle magic, thus all plants engage in some form of tickling. Tickle plants that feed off only water with the ler alignment, like Jack, only tickle because they want to, or think a human is being too cute and needs a tickle. They see tickling as a more recreational past time than something that needs to be done to survive. Also, not all plants that don't need laughter to survive are lers. There are extremely ticklish lee plants that hide in the dark away from the wiggling fingers of humans.

So, not all plants have feeding cycles?

Correct. What all plants do have, however, is how often the soil around them should be watered. Always water your plants at specific times of the day so you don't forget. And if you are forgetful, set up an auto watering system, so that all you have to do is fill it up every once and awhile.