Kitti-Fae

I have heard much about Heaven, and I have decided not to go. If it's all the same to you, I'd rather stay with my dear kitties.
— dying woman to Death
  The world is a hard place, filled with much darkness and despair. Wars and disasters shatter all veneers of bucolic fantasy lives; death steals away all thought of happiness. For most, these emotions - these twisted emotions, this shuddering depression - are temporary.   Not all are so lucky.   Mental health is, in fact, one of the largest unseen threats on Istralar. Yes, arcane magic may have led to the Worldrend. Yes, the shards are steadily walking the world closer to the brink of an unrecoverable apocalypse. Neither one - and no other disaster or event in the entirety of history - can hope to match up to the tragedy wrought by mental health conditions.   Depression steals the will to live; anxiety takes away the courage to function. Attention disorders steal all focus, whilst post-traumatic stress disorder plagues the lives of civilians and veterans both for years on end. The list is endless and ever-changing; the struggles faced by a human are different to those an elf must deal with, and the fight to stabilise minds has only recently begun.   This is where the kitti-fae come in.

Basic Information

Biological Traits

Oh, this good little kitty here? He walked right up to me when I was.. uh.... havin' a bit of a day. Curled right up in my lap! Been together ever since.
— veteran adventurer
  The kitti-fae, in their true forms, are luminescent blobs of fur that see out of pinprick gemlike eyes. They are the size of an average housecat whatever their form, and stay just as cuddly. Kitti-fae are not a gendered species; they reproduce through an intricate mating dance that spawns a smaller kitti-fae blob (often referred to as a kittini-fae), with no sexual factor involved. As such, they present little sexual dimorphism. The exception is when they have bonded viciously to life - then, they may take on aspects that seem particularly like their chosen gender to them.   Naturally, their interpretation of gender varies wildly from kitti-fae to kitti-fae, and is generally incomprehensible to most mortals.  
Kitti-Fae, Base Form by Endrise
The kitti-fae are, like all fey, functionally immortal. When their lives come to an end, they reincarnate. They still age, when in cat form - those owners that understand the pets they keep are very much comforted by the thought that the kitti-fae have not departed to the great beyond, and will likely find their way back.   Because of this, ordinary cats are sometimes mistaken for kitti-fae. Whilst the ordinary cats do not possess the powers that kitti-fae do, regular folk find it challenging to tell the two apart, and often can find that even an ordinary cat is able to help them beyond their imaginings.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

How did you know I needed these cuddles, hm..? Oh-- don't touch that! Hey..!
— owner of a kitti-fae
  Kitti-fae function on a psychic level, tapping into the thoughts and emotions of their owner (who is usually the person they've decided to be owned by, to help them out). When their owner is having a bad day, the kitti-fae will take action to improve things. Some of the more common possible kitti-fae actions include:

  • Cuddling into their owner's lap
  • Playing with their owner's hair
  • Stealing small items to encourage play
  • Sitting right next to their owner
  • Meowing softly
  • Rolling around to expose their soft belly
  • Climbing all over their owner
  • Demanding cuddles, via loud meowing and headbutting
  • Catching their owner's hand and licking it
  • Knocking over stress-causing documents
  • Scratching at curtains (to let more sun in)
  • Scratching at doors (to get their owner outside)
  • Cookie, the Cuddle Monster by Hanhula

    These are all, however, their mundane abilities. Kitti-fae have a variety of magical powers, ranging from the ability to calm emotions, to mild healing powers. In extreme emergencies - for instance, when their owner is undergoing mental trauma beyond their ability to handle - the kitti-fae can call for help and summon in more powerful fey friends of theirs, or even teleport their owner to safety.   Having cause to use those more powerful abilities, though, is usually a sign that their owner needs more help - the kitti-fae may reveal their true form and speak in Common to their owner in these rare instances.

    Civilization and Culture

    Beauty Ideals

    Smooch, the Chaotic by Blindfoldedchaos
      All kitti-fae are perfect. They can transform into whatever they like, and they'll still be perfect. See above.

    History

    She's so soft...
    — awed child
      Long have the feyfolk watched the Material Plane from their ephemeral home. Most have trouble understanding mortal troubles and pains - the fey are free spirits unbound from the curse of mortality, and have little trouble ridding themselves of the deep-set pains the world brings them. Elder, more intelligent fey tend to be the exceptions - and these usually care little for the brief specks of mortal lives that flit into their area of influence, and perish before they have any need to genuinely know them.   The greatest exception, then, would be the Eldest themselves.   The Lost Prince has done much for mortals without speaking a word, allegedly. The Fairy Ring of Tir Difyrrwch is supposedly part of his realm; similarly, kitti-fae could quite easily be part of it. He avoids the question when asked, but this is hardly a tell: the Lost Prince avoids most questions.  
    Kitty or Kitti-Fae? by MGatta
    All the mortal world knows is that one day, cats were just cats. The next, some of the cats were more intelligent than others... and wizards soon picked up on the odd fey species. Given how all they do is help - on a worldwide scale - everyone seems quite content with this latest faerie invasion.   (Kitti-fae are banned in the Medimian Empire because they keep undoing the brainwashing. Unfortunately for the Medimians, kitti-fae are also very good at acting like normal cats. They have yet to ban cats on fears of mass rioting.)
    Puzzle, the Comforter by Hanhula
    Scientific Name
    Littil kitti kattus (faerie)
    Origin/Ancestry
    Fey
    Lifespan
    Theoretically immortal
    Average Height
    23 - 25cm (breed dependent)
    Average Weight
    3.6 – 4.5 kg (breed dependent)
    Average Length
    46 cm (without tail; breed dependent 76cm (with tail; breed dependent)
    Misty doing her job! by Hanhula
    The Kitti-Fae at play by Ezra
    Detecting owner's emotions... by Annie Stein
    The kitti-fae multiply! by JustJacqui
    Kotesław stealing distractions! by Angantyr
    Dogs are cool, too. Shh. ♥


    Cover image: Kitti-Fae by Hanhula

    Comments

    Please Login in order to comment!
    Jul 8, 2021 10:28

    All kitti-fae are perfect.
    Yes, yes they are.   A wonderful article, love the sight of so many cats and the idea of a fae species comforting their owners and helping with mental issues. 11/10, needs more cats.

    Jul 8, 2021 10:30 by Angantyr

    This is hilarious! :D

    Playing around with words and worlds
    Jul 8, 2021 10:32 by Bart Weergang

    Awesome article Hanhula, I really love that you asked in the discord for everybodies cat pictures and put them in the article.

    Jul 8, 2021 10:37

    Kitti-Fae blobs / Kittini-Fae pulshees? How would these bloby form look like? The thought itself is more cute then all the photo's of cats.   These Faes sure sound like real deal for good side. How do normal cats react to these "impostors" Do they even consider them as impostors? or do they consider them as gods? Can a normal cat aspire to ascend as a Kitti-Fae?

    Jul 8, 2021 13:03 by Han

    YOU'RE IN LUCK: ENDRISE DREW THE BLOB KITTI-FAE

    Kitti-Fae, Base Form by Endrise
      Normal cats honestly just treat kitti-fae like they're normal cats, for the most part. If they do anything weird, they might get hisses and such, though. If an ordinary cat gets into the First World, it can become a kitti-fae - and sometimes, when an ordinary cat passes away, its soul might flutter into the First World's faerie cycle and become a kitti-fae!


    welcome to my signature! check out istralar!
    Jul 8, 2021 13:36 by Cora Snow

    I love the idea of magical service animals. :D This article is so cute!

    xoxo Cora
    Jul 9, 2021 08:44 by Amélie I. S. Debruyne

    Great article! If they ban cats I'll riot too :p   I love your focus on mental health. I'm sure all those cats only *really* what's to help by attacking our ankles...   Great idea with getting all those cute cats pictures ❤️

    To see what I am up to: my Summer Camp 2024.
    Jul 10, 2021 03:20 by Dimitris Havlidis

    So cute, cannot cope

    World Anvil Founder & Chief Grease Monkey
    Twitter | World Anvil Changelog
    “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” - Aesop

     

    Jul 10, 2021 20:43

    When you asked for cat pictures I did not imagine it was going to be for an article that included the Lost Prince!
    *swoons*

    Jul 13, 2021 13:11 by Avalon Arcana

    I just had the best time reading this. Thank you for writing something so cute and wholesome. AMazing. Wonderful. I feel all smiley and fuzzy inside now, I think I need one of these cats. Glorious job :D

    You should check out the The 5 Shudake, if you want of course.
    Aug 5, 2021 10:28 by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

    Can confirm, my own kitti-fae are perfect. This is a great article, I love it. :D <3   I would also riot if cats were banned.

    Emy x
    Explore Etrea