Welcome to Gaia! ::

Hiya, and welcome to the Halflings' little corner of Gaia. This is the official home of the creatures known as Halflings. Though they may appear to be human (in some forms), they are not entirely! Halflings are half animal, half human! To learn more about them, feel free to look around.

Meet Akujin! He's the official mascot for the Halflings agency. Isn't he cute? whee

1. You may not alter any of my graphics in any size, shape, or form. If you want something changed, ask.
2. During auctions or flat sales, sniping is forbidden. I will not reserve Halflings for anyone, sorry.
3. Don't claim any of my graphics as your own, it's insulting because of the amount of time and effort I put into each Halfling.
4. I will not do custom flat sales. Customs are reserved for auctions, and same goes with rares.
5. Don't PM me asking when the next sale/auction will be. It's listed in this thread.
6. Keep swearing to a minimal, please.
7. Don't hassle me to hurry with the next sale/auction/growth. All in due time. >_>
8. Don't resell my art! Only I can sell my art!
9. Follow the rules, and have a good time! ~ heart

Stages
Child:

Adult:

Tag Sheet

Basic Information
What? Halflings are extremely mysterious beings when it comes to how they are created. No Halfling is identical, unless of course they are twins, which eems to be a rare occurence. What a Halfling is, in a nutshell, is an animal spirit or in some cases, a demon spirit, which has possessed the body of a boy. Female Halflings do exist, they are just not as common as a male Halfling. According to my research, all female Halflings have a demon spirit, which is rare (see in-depth information to find out why!). The spirits of either animal or demon, once their chosen body has been possessed, will be permanently sealed inside the body. The seal is almost impossible to break, although there is a legend of it being broken!

Why Halflings were once alive, but as either pure animals, or demons with the ability to freely change from human to animal. However, their deaths were vengeful or injust. And from that, the animal or demon is given another chance at birth, to exact their deaths. That is how we get Halflings! Unfortunately, I have come to believe the animals forget everything about their past once the seal is in place...
The demons, however, vary. Akujin, who is a wolf demon Halfling, is a perfect example. He remembers a few things, because he was once an exceptionally powerful demon.

How? Halflings, since the spirit of the animal or demon possesses a human body, transforms the human slightly. The ears or tail come from the animal or demon wanting to share the body! And just because the animal spirit is in a human body, doesn't mean they know entirely how it works! An example would be not knowing how to use cutlery. Features that are most common are the ears, tails, wings, and/or markings. But again, it depends entirely on the strength of the animal or demon's memory.

In-Depth Information
Mutations, first of all, aren't your typical sort. Mutations come specifically from breeding, or if the demon's spirit was once a mystical creature (a unicorn, a chimera, etc). A mutation when it comes to Halflings is when the Halfling has the appearance of two different animals. A rabbit Halfling with hawk wings is a perfect example of a mutation. But how would a mutation come about? See "influence" just below.

Breeding between two Halflings is much different than any other human or animal. The process is known as 'spirit binding'. In short, both of the parents contribute a portion of their spirits, and create an entirely new soul. That soul then must go out an find a body for itself! The parent with the greater amount of "influence" will determine the species of its offspring.

Influence is a factor that Halflings obtain through growth. The Influence number is what will affect the outcome of the process of soul-binding (Halflings's form of breeding). The Halfling with the greater amount of influence will determine his or her offspring's animal spirit:

Name: Kotora
Sex: Male
Age: Adult
Animal: Tiger
-Tiger ears
-Tiger tail
-Stripes
Influence: 8/10

Name: Joo-Eun
Sex: Female
Age: Adult
Demon: Hawk
-Hawk Wings
-Brown Plumage
Influence: 3/10

Now then, if Kotora and Joo-Eun were to spirit-bind, the Halfling with the greater Influence will determine the animal breed of its offspring. The offspring will be a tiger Halfling, because Kotora has a higher Influence (8 beats 3!). Male animals generally have a greater influence, and female and male demons have really low ones.

Same Influence? Ahh~ And that's where mutations come in! If the Influence numbers are the same, then the offspring will be a mix between sire and dam.

Same-sex? Yes, there are same-sex couples, and yes, they can spirit-bind. The process of breeding isn't like the stuff you hear about in sexual education, or on Animal Planet, as you've read above, so it's very much possible.

Tags are unique identification numbers given to each and every Halfling. Here is Akujin's tag, for example:

DCa00Ma

The D is short for demon spirit, but if it were an A, then that would mean the Halfling had an animal spirit. The Ca is short for Canis, the animal's genus. The 00 is his ID number, as well as generation. Each generation is limited to 10 Halflings, and the 0 implies he is of the first generation. The other 0 implies that he is the first of his generation. The Ma signifies that he's a male. If it were fe, that would mean he was a female!

NOTE: No Halfling can breed until they are adults.

Why are there more animal spirits than demon?
The reason why demon spirits aren't as common as animal spirits is simply because of age. Demons existed centuries ago, and they also have a hard time remaining stable in the bodies they choose. Some human bodies cannot handle the magnitude of a demon's spirit, and so both just perish altogether. Animal spirits are easier for human bodies to deal with, however, and that is why there are more animal spirits than demons!

History:
No Halfling was born a Halfling. Each and every Halflings' spirit has had a past life. As an animal spirit, they were once animals who roamed the planet years ago, or recently, but died in one way or another. Animal spirits' deaths are much less dramatic than that of a demon spirit's. However, an injust death is an injust death. Common reasons animal Halflings exist are because the animal was killed by poachers, his forest was burned down, etcetera.

Demons, on the other hand, can have an endless hallway of doors open to why they were reborn as Halflings. Demons have been extinct for quite some time, meaning the demon spirits in a Halfling can be ancient. Joo-Hae the dove demon, for example, existed in the era where the Roman empire was king. Akujin the wolf demon existed in the Samurai era in Japan, around 1865. It's entirely up to the owner to decide the Halfling's past. Have fun, and the more creative you are, the more interesting your Halfling is!

I have worked out a system, however, of how much or how little your Halflings know. An animal Halfling remembers nothing at first, but overtime things start flowing back to them. But if they see something with a heavy symbolism of their past, all their memories could come rushing back, and sometimes, it's for the worst.

Demon Halflings, depending on how powerful they were in their past life, remember fragments, and that slowly builds up with the more they see. But again, like an animal Halfling, if the right thing triggers their memories, all hell could break loose.

So all in all, your Halfling's history is entirely up to you! Paint a picture, and choose what you want in it. Be creative, have fun, and remember, there are almost no bounds! Just remember, Halflings' spirits existed on Earth, so I'll have to turn down any extra-terrestrial beings. ;D

Flatsale Dates:
04/09/05 - Next sale, perhaps?
03/25/05 - Easter Sale!

Auction Dates:
??? - None scheduled!
03/23/05 - First Halfling Auction!

Raffle Dates:
??? - None scheduled!

Breedings:
??? - None scheduled!

Q: Can my Halfling breed when he/she is still in the child stage?
A: No. Halflings when they are children have no influence factor, so it's impossible.

Q: How long does it take for a Halfling child to grow?
A: Usually around 2 weeks, but it depends on how busy I am.

Q: Why do spirits normally possess male bodies instead of female ones?
A: It really isn't deffinite why this is, but I'll assume it's because the majority of female animals had easier lives, but it varies between animals. There could be more female lion Halflings, because they were the hunters. There are, however, more female demon Halflings than there are male. And that can't be explained. *enigmatic smile*

Q: Can I resell my Halfling if I don't like it?
A: Absolutely not. If you no longer want your Halfling, then I'll gladly take them back and find a better home.

Q: How often are sales, and how many are usually in one?
A: Sales are actually quite indeffinite. They come whenever I'm available, which I guess could be every couple of weeks. There will be sales whenever the Halflings from the previous sale have grown. ^^ In a sale, there are usually 3-5 Halflings, and sales are themed.

Q: Will you do trades with me?
A: Sure, but our pets should be around equal value. I might also consider trading for items, but again, it all depends on the value.

Q: Why don't you hold customs?
A: I don't hold customs because they're too much of a hassle, and are way too time consuming. I would much rather do my own thing, thanks. Although occasionally, I might hold a custom auction, but there's definitely a limit to what you can order.

Q: Can you reserve a Halfling for me at the next sale? I'll be away on vacation...
A: No, I won't, sorry. Halflings are basically first come, first serve.

Q: I don't have enough gold right now... could I have the Halfling now, and pay you back later?
A: Again, that's a no. If you don't have the gold, save up! It wouldn't be fair to give one away for free when others are willing to pay upfront. However, if I see that you are willing to put in the time and effort to write a good RP, then I might accept downpayemnts.

Q: Can I have a free--
A: No.

Q: Can I link you in my shoppie?
A: For sure! And I'd link you back to mine, too. ^^

Q: Let's be Gaia buddies...
A: Do I know you? <_<;

These are just a few random questions (thank you Raja and Naito! x3), so if you have a question that's not up there, just post it or PM me. ^^ In the subject, just put Question. 3nodding