What’s a chickencat??
What do you imagine when you think of a chickencat? That counts, whether or not it looks anything like other chickencats!
I created chickencats in 2013. There was no magic to it, they just started existing. I will explain what chickencats are along with pictures. BUT! Try to draw one before looking! This is a tradition that came about during covid lockdowns. The species blossomed at that time since I spent a lot of time online in creative spaces. I refined my personal Chickencat character, and I asked many friends and artists to draw chickencats - without first explaining what they are! I wanted to see what people would come up with because everyone has such different ideas in their heads. Even before covid, I never really answered anyone who asked what a chickencat is. I’d always reply, “it’s a chickencat! Cluck cluck meow!” That is still my answer!
In 2022 I had brain surgery. It was terrifying! As a get well gift, Neeko gathered chickencat art from everyone he could and sent them to me while I was in the hospital. People whom I still haven't met sent me well wishes in the form of these magical critters! Neeko also didn’t explain to anyone what a chickencat is.
Every single chickencat has had so much love poured into it. Even chickencats created by people who don’t know me and I’ve never met! Even chickencats that were drawn by people who are “not artists”! Even chickencats drawn in under 1 minute! I am so thankful for everyone who has ever asked questions, thought about, or drawn these silly little critters.
If you’d like, you can send art of a chickencat and it might end up here! You don’t have to draw it before seeing all the other chickencats, but it could be fun!
Chickencat Lore and Gallery
Description:
Chickencats are strange and sentient magical creatures.. They most often resemble chickens and cats but are neither, much like how gryphons are neither lions nor eagles but resemble both.
The two primary forms of chickencats are the gryphon type and the wyvern type. You can tell which is which based on whether they have six limbs (gryphon type) or four (wyvern type). The gryphon type is better suited to flying, but many chickencats can only glide.
Behavior:
There is a wide variety of chickencat behaviors. Most of them are drawn towards friendliness, impulsivity, chaos, and collecting, but any personality trait can be found in a chickencat. Among them there are explorers, historians, hobos, fighters, musicians, builders, and any number of other identities. A lot of them have a touch of kleptomania, which can land them in sticky situations.
Naming:
The species as a whole are called chickencats, but each individual also starts off with the name Chickencat. Some of them choose names for themselves, or accept names from friends, and stop using the name Chickencat.
Magic:
Chickencats are magical, but most do not have control over their magical power. Their magic manifests in the form of luck manipulation. Wyvern type chickencats are purported to attract good luck, while gryphon type chickencats are associated with the consumption of bad luck. For the most part, other magical powers they use come from items.
Most chickencats follow most laws of nature.
The chickencat homeland is the Floating Isles. This island chain floats in the sky and is in constant motion. Winds carry the islands over land and sea, sometimes many miles in a day. At times the islands anchor for years, bobbing around in the air. They rise and descend in cycles, which allows flightless chickencats to climb their way up and down. New bits of earth sometimes float up to become new islands, causing a variety in the geology. Chickencats build their homes on the islands, although many leave seeking adventure, treasure, or a new home elsewhere.
Chickencats lead a variety of lives, but all of them are tied to the Isles so they have built up a town there. The ones who pass through bring new ideas, items, and stories to share, and the ones who stay make sure there is good food, beautiful art, safety, and cozy places to rest. There are buildings on the Isles. Chickencats built most of them, but there are a few that were picked up by the Isles as they floated by.
On the largest of the islands there are several stone portals. There is no record of who built the portals. They shift and change over long periods of time, and their destinations are not permanent. Return is not guaranteed, so adventurous chickencats should prepare for a long journey before stepping through. Sometimes the destinations are also unknown, and it's rumored that they may lead to other planes of existence or entirely different universes.
Nobody knows how many chickencats there are. The life cycle of chickencats is also unknown. They don't even know. What we do know is that they don't seem to die and every once in a while new chickencats show up with no knowledge of how they arrived. New chickencats arrive through the portals on the Isles. When a chickencat meets an unfortunate fate, it returns home through the portals as well. Usually they return the way they were before, but if a chickencat has met its end an absurd number of times, it begins to return absurdly.
Chickencat society is eclectic, but generally friendly. Visitors are welcome despite being uncommon. Serious disputes between them are rare, so their social organization is rather loose.
The most important and organized structure on the Isles is the Library. The Library is a central hub of all collective chickencat knowledge, art, and culture. And quite a bit of junk, too. While chickencats can have private collections, all chickencats have free access to the Library and all chickencats can contribute to the collection at the Library. They can contribute anything they find important. There are volumes upon volumes of journals written by chickencats about every topic they have ever found interesting. When a chickencat can't find a resource, they write one and submit it to the curators at the Library who find an appropriate placement for it. The Library also functions as a museum, tool library, and art gallery. Over centuries the collection has grown enough to need additional buildings. The buildings are collectively called the Library.