Pillowing
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| Created by | David |
| External reference | trog.qgl.org |
Created after much refinement and research, Pillowings (also known as Pillow Foxes) have become a popular household pet, modeled after the original Pillowing Missy. Pillowings are living stuffed animals similar in appearance to foxes, and come in a variety of shapes and colors. They are inextricably bound to their creators, and can only receive the spark of life through a sentimental bond with them. A group is referred to as a Comfort of Pillowings.
Contents
Phyiscal Characteristics
Pillowings have three primary body variants that impact their size and shape.
Characteristics
Pillowings have a large number of variable features which are outlined in the Species Guide. These include stitching, clothing, eyes, teeth, claws, and much more.
Variants
Kit
The smallest variant, kits are roughly 9" tall by 1' long, and weigh less than 5lb. The mascot is the small yellow Pip.
Standard
The most common size of pillowing. Standards are approximately 18" tall by 3' long, and weigh 5-10lb. The original pillowing, Missy, is the standard sized mascot.
Large
Exceedingly rare, Large pillowings can range up to 42" tall by 5' long, and can weigh up to 25lb. Big boy bub is the Large mascot.
Heart Tokens
To give life to a Pillowing, the body is implanted with a token imbued with great sentimental significance to its owner - this becomes the heart of the Pillowing. The nature of this token will dictate the nature of the Pillowing, and no two are ever alike, even between two people using the exact same token. The pillowing springs to life once this token is sewn into their chest. Removing a Pillowing’s Heart Token effectively ‘kills’ it, rendering it lifeless once again. Once this is done, the Pillowing it was is lost forever - even reinserting the token will yield a Pillowing devoid of all previous memories. This method is used when trading, passing on, or euthanizing Pillowings, depending on the situation. The giver of the Token will, except for special circumstance, become the Pillowing’s recognized master, and the Pillowing will bond to said master with unconditional love and affection.
Habitat
Naturally domestic creatures forged of great emotion and love and infused into beautifully created plush animals, pillowings are generally found only in homes or in specialized shops. If a pillowing does live in the wild, it is certainly with their master. There are no wild pillowings in Clo.
Diet
Pillowings are able to subsist entirely on a diet of love and affection from their creator. A pillowing lacking these will begin to rot and wither, and will eventually die.
In some cases, pillowings will consume Lintlings, but more often than not will instead bring them back to their master as a trophy.
Behavior and Interaction
Pillowings are naturally mischievous and extremely curious creatures. They have nearly endless energy and love to romp around, particularly with their masters. Being as they are (physically) only stuffed animals, their footfalls produce almost no noise on most surfaces, and they often use this to their advantage while playing and hunting. The only thing a pillowing might like more than playing is snuggling their master, which is vitally replenishing for the small foxes.
Though their exact tendencies vary amongst individuals, being so curious, one can expect them to get into everything they shouldn't the moment they are left unattended. They (usually) don’t mean any real harm so much as they are 'exploring'. Above all else, pillowings love to snuggle and share affection with their masters. They make great pillows, and its said that those who sleep with them experience much more restful and peaceful slumber. Pillowings are generally quite friendly, but do not like to share, and may become aggressive if they feel that their bond with their master is being encroached upon. With that in mind, most Pillowing owners are cautioned against having more than one Pillowing at a time. When two or more share a master, or sometimes even a household, they can become very territorial and will often fight for dominance. This being said, a careful master can condition their pillowings into accepting one another with patience and careful guidance.
Hunting
Pillowings have one natural prey species: Lintlings. Pillowings often work for their masters to clear out these pests and will either consume them, or present them as trophies.
Senses
Pillowings, whether with open or shut eyes, do not see as other creatures typically do. Rather, they have a special sense of sight that focuses more on auras than on actual perception. This aura sight works in a way similar to echolocation, allowing the Pillowings to deduce with surprising accuracy not only their surroundings, but the identity of their Master even in disguise, despite never actually ‘seeing’ anything as we do. This sight makes them very sensitive to emotion, and they will frequently drawn to their master more when they sense distress or negative emotions, in an attempt to cheer them up.
Communication
Pillowings make a variety of noises to communicate. These often include
- Barks
- Cries
- Growls
- Whimpers
- Snarls
- Yips
- Howls
- Very Rarely, some Pillowings have been known to master human speech.
Care
Considering that pillowings do not actually have organs, per se, they do not consume any sort of food for nutritional purposes. They subsist entirely upon loving affectionate energies from their masters. This provides fuel to keep their magically-sustained life force going.
Pillowings cannot feel pain, but they are easily injured by sharp objects. Damage to a pillowing often results in a tear and leaking of stuffing. Since they are incapable of healing by themselves, owners must take care to patch them. This is not painful to the pillowing, and they often find it to be a soothing experience and a time of deep bonding.
As expected of a living stuffed animals, pillowings tend to get very dirty very quickly. They must be washed fairly frequently, but be aware that they tend to dislike water. Most pillowings react about as well as a normal fox would to bathtime. Additionally, care must be taken to carefully and thoroughly dry a pillowing after a bath to prevent mold, mildew, and the associated nasty smells, from growing inside of the pillowing's stuffing.
