: What about calling them 'beings' or 'entities' rather than 'pets'? Those are neutral and don't actually denote them as 'lesser'. Of course, that would require the agreement of the rest of the staff, and I don't know how big of an over-haul changing one word would be for the site, but probably pretty big given the word.

With that, you could make one other change (if it ever happens and the staff agreed on a word to change it to), the 'make a pet' tab should probably become 'welcome (or adopt or something) a being/entity/other name', because we aren't actually 'making' them, just choosing a gender, species, and name? It's sort of like taking in a new baby whose parents can't care for it, whereas the Delphi adoption center is for older pets someone couldn't keep (or didn't want to). 'Making' them implies they're coming into existence just for you for the sake of it and they didn't actually exist before then...

Basically, some of Cap'n Jacques cybill ancestors might've swam a bit too close to the veiled island and ended up having a couple of really smart kids/grandkids/great grandkids somewhere along the family tree?

Still feels a bit... unpleasant if it was an instant thing way back. A lonely existence. Imagine it - you're suddenly born an animal with near-human intelligence surrounded by others who look just like you, but act like animals through and through. In the case of some pets, even eating their own litters. It'd be a huge mental struggle for these intelligent pets to deal with and accept the fact that HEY, the spirits decided that you're superspecial because... reasons! Now you get to enjoy the thought that you're probably one in a couple hundred thousand (if not rarer) beings, and very few intelligent beings of your own "race" around, at least in the modern times. Additionally, if these "spirit gifts" were more common in the past, some of these sentients/beastfolk probably formed societies and somewhere along the line, they ended up dealing with the fact that humans either hunted or owned their beastly ancestors and kept them as a reliable, stable food source. And the only thing keeping you out of a human's dinner plate, or the business end of their weapon is your intelligence.

The more I think about it, the less pleasant it sounds. Those are some cruel ancestral spirit energies at work. D: Babette and Angrybeard are beary lucky to have eachother.

I know, I just really like brainstorming and talking about these things because it's fun to hash things out and expand them. :'D And yeah, I've been here pre-reset nearly 13 years ago, so I feel you on the old all-over-the-place lore. It's good that there is an explanation for sentient pets, I just enjoy chucking ideas around.

Gotta love a good brainstorming session!

Yep, and it also makes sense why all of Cap'n Jacques crew is composed of other sentient pets. And why they've previously been terrorizing islanders specifically instead of... idk, going for Delphi, or Shadowglen coasts. Would also explain why Osylae exists besides being just a battle challenger. Intelligent montre community hidden in the wild? Are they the ones making all of the tail rings for all the other montres? The plot thickens.

The spirit energy is a pretty dark, unsettling part of the lore once you start picking it apart into bits. Like... these sentient beings are literally raised by animals. If they do reach civilization and get more or less re-integrated into society, they'll still have to face the facts - their mom and dad are a pair of unicorn-dogs (malticorns), their first cousin got pancake'd on some lone highway, and they can never go to the zoo or carnival without coming face to face with the realization that, if the dice of fate rolled differently, that could've been them in the petting zoo. Or in the butcher's shop. Or on the ingredients list of a can of kumos food.

And that's honest to god terrifying.

How have I not looked at this? It's one of my favorite kinds of topics on here. I love to see people throw out ideas and others drag the answers back~ (even though the topic sometimes gets stuck in just a maelstrom of questions...)

First off:

I do not remember that little revelation being included at all! D: But, there it is!I should really brush up on what's written the lands sections, I guess! Too late! The wilderness is now forever full of roving bands of feral, humanoid children becuase that's a fun idea~ That, and forgotten spirits singing honeyed sounds from long abandoned places, seeking to draw back the belief it needs. Granting gifts and begging the newly uplifted creature to stay in long-forgotten languages. They may, for a time. But it never lasts long and the cycle repeats. And, oh my god, what are we going to do with all these animal people?

Anyway, it looks like we're going by the idea that 'it's just the way it's been.' You have animals, more than animals, humanoid animals, humanoids. It is what it is. Maybe it's like the Khajiit from Elder Scrolls. They come in the same flavors depending on the moon. Or, like Mr. Peabody's parents; they're just dogs, he is not. Or, it could be like pokemon. Sure, they're animals, but they're still more than that. And even though there're some foods made from them, you don't have to eat it.

Lastly, I don't know why we keep calling Maleria and Shinwa [sub](especially Shinwa, yuck)[/sub] gods when they're just aliens. haha.

Does the general population know the truth about Maleria, Shinwa, and the Oracle though? It's in the Subetapedia, but I was under the impression that that information is just for us (the users), so I'm not sure if it's like common knowledge within the fictional world.

Just stumbled in the Rathskeller Inn.. Ooohboyy I forgot about Babette! :D

It's hard to know. I mean, there are the books and other items (can't think of specifics, might later): item=Shinwas Power Book but maybe these are just propaganda? Specifically given out to keep up appearances? heh. Maleria embraces it (MORTAL!) & Shinwa seems the type that would want to chatter on about things, but she clearly loves the goddess angle too. She talks with the wizard, he routinely talks with oracle, she talks with people. But, yeah, I guess that we (generic we) may have no idea about aliens.

Ha! Put it on posters, tack it to trees on the edge of the woods. I didn't think that you were squelching creativity! ;) I just thought that it was a funny idea. It's appreciated that you guys don't, I don't know, police? one way of things being/existing. I'm pretty sure you've mentioned before about not wanting to say "X character can only be Y forever" or what-have-you and that things are allowed to be fluid and that's great. Not to mention all of the representation? ❤️ You're doing good, !

: LOL! That was great! It's sure something we can play with--and a lot of people who have the cash for custom overlays of pets (and some skill at art) could start making them more like their kids and giving them anthro forms! :D I would do one or two like that, but I can't draw and usually picture something different from everyone else, so... :P

EDIT: : On a side note, I just realized something. There's a random event on-site which says, "While wandering around, you stumble over a (insert item name here). Some other pet must have dropped it."

Does that mean humans are considered 'pets', or was that just really bad phrasing? O.O

: So you used to walk around in the head of your main pet and played from the pet's perspective? That's a little unusual, but kinda makes the text make sense. Though, I guess some of those text things need a huge overhaul after the changes to the site! :P

Thanks!

This thread is so interesting. I regret didn't reply to it again sooner.

That remind me. The battle Colosseum still says "You" do the action, but weapon with pet species name still say "Your Raffie" even it was my Endeavor. (But the idea of species specific weapon, or weapon that has boosted effect on the species seems interesting!)