the Caretaker
Humanoid but a little too tall, a little too thin, a little too pale on the outside, a little too red on the inside, with the eyes a little too big, and hands just a little too long.
If it touches you, any bad memories start to fade away, followed by other memories, until there's nothing left. As this happens, you feel an overwhelming feeling of off-putting comfort. You know you're forgetting things, but you don't know what they are. All you really feel is that "comfort", like whatever's happening is-- or will be-- okay, as long as you stay with the caretaker.
This period of forgetfulness starts immediately on touch, but takes weeks or months to complete and only becomes permanent after about 8-9 weeks (4-4.5 months) of exposer.
The caretaker makes sure to hold you mentally and physically, trying its best to keep you, trying its best to take your pain away. It becomes sad when you eventually succumb to the loss stemming from the forgetfulness. After roughly 12 weeks (avg.), you'll start dying. The caretaker will comfort you as best it can and cry as you finally fade away a while later.
Almost never in groups of more than 4, and will often act like SOs or good friends, caring for the adopted. More than one in a place is called a "walking".
If it touches you, any bad memories start to fade away, followed by other memories, until there's nothing left. As this happens, you feel an overwhelming feeling of off-putting comfort. You know you're forgetting things, but you don't know what they are. All you really feel is that "comfort", like whatever's happening is-- or will be-- okay, as long as you stay with the caretaker.
This period of forgetfulness starts immediately on touch, but takes weeks or months to complete and only becomes permanent after about 8-9 weeks (4-4.5 months) of exposer.
The caretaker makes sure to hold you mentally and physically, trying its best to keep you, trying its best to take your pain away. It becomes sad when you eventually succumb to the loss stemming from the forgetfulness. After roughly 12 weeks (avg.), you'll start dying. The caretaker will comfort you as best it can and cry as you finally fade away a while later.
Almost never in groups of more than 4, and will often act like SOs or good friends, caring for the adopted. More than one in a place is called a "walking".
Basic Information
Anatomy
Like a person, but slightly off. Limbs and torso will be just a little bit too long, everything just seems a little off proportion. You can never remember its face properly, and its voice, despite sounding off-puting, you can understand what it's saying. You can never fully remember what it's said.
You can never fully remember.
You can never fully remember.
Ecology and Habitats
Lives in places where there are few, or preferably no sentient beings that live nearby except its friends and adopted people, for example abandonned buildings. They don't let their area stay rotted or messy, though, they take care of their space. They typically do their best to make it comfortable for themselves and their adopted. This means fairly clean, fairly sturdy, and fairly well decorated and generally maintained.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Caretakers eat food similar enough to other sapient life that they can easily share meals with their adopted. They enjoy talking and playing with their adopted, and occasionally other caretakers. They are not particularly social, but they do need interaction with others.
Behaviour
Nearly never found living in groups larger than four. They will sometimes live with others, but the higher the number, the less likely you are to find it. Sets of one, two, and three are fairly common, though. Any more than four in a place outside their dwelling is called a "walking", two to four is just a group.
Will "adopt" people it finds who are or seem alone, or are in small groups. These people are often in low states of mental or emotional health, and are often wandering to get away from where they were before and the people they were around. It invites the adopted to its home, where it cares for them as their memories decline due to the caretaker's presence. After a few weeks to months (depending on the person), when the adopted/s inevitably die, the caretakers mourn. They will not "adopt" again until they have recovered (which takes a long time, or may not even happen at all).
Will "adopt" people it finds who are or seem alone, or are in small groups. These people are often in low states of mental or emotional health, and are often wandering to get away from where they were before and the people they were around. It invites the adopted to its home, where it cares for them as their memories decline due to the caretaker's presence. After a few weeks to months (depending on the person), when the adopted/s inevitably die, the caretakers mourn. They will not "adopt" again until they have recovered (which takes a long time, or may not even happen at all).
Additional Information
Average Intelligence
Fairly high.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Sounds used in their names often aren't pronouncible to those outside their species, so when they adopt someone, they often choose a name that's easier for non-caretakers to pronounce (this is the caretaker's secondary name). The secondary name might be something the caretaker likes, or based on the person's interests or reaction to meeting them. For example, if they adopt a person who likes breakfast more than other meals, their secondary name might be something like "Pancake". Or, the caretaker might just like the name "Chrysanthemum".
A caretaker may change its secondary name for each adopted, or they may keep one name, no matter the adopted. But, they often won't change their name while they have an adopted, as this may cause stress the the adopted one.
A caretaker may change its secondary name for each adopted, or they may keep one name, no matter the adopted. But, they often won't change their name while they have an adopted, as this may cause stress the the adopted one.
Beauty Ideals
Caretakers don't care what other caretakers look like as much as they care what they look like to their adopted. They will often wear clothes from their adopted's culture or style to get the adopted to be more comfortable. Adopted don't often notice the caretakers' proportions, but if they do, the caretaker may become insecure and/or try to hide them under loose clothing or by other means. Whether this behaviour/thought process carries over to their next time adopting depends on the caretaker.
Relationship Ideals
Normally like to be on their own or with few others, but can be found in larger walkings. Once in a while, they can even be found in walkings of more than sixteen, which is usually the largest walking one might encounter and happens very rarely on its own.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Their language is an instinctual one. They are born knowing and understanding it, but it is incredibly hard for most other sapient beings to learn, so caretakers often end up learning other languages depending on where they live.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
Caretakers will hold funerals for dead adopted. These funerals commonly range from sad to celebretory, depending on the caretaker and their adopted.
Common Taboos
Adopted dying.
Lifespan
170 to 200 years
Average Height
2.2 to 2.8 meters
Average Physique
Thin, frail-looking.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Normally pale shades of pink-ish, blue-ish, or grey-ish skin. Skin is a little transparent.
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