Doggy Down!

PickyPiggy is a pink anthropomorphic pig with black eyes, a curly tail, and bouncy ears. She wears a black necklace with a red apple pendant. A big believer in a healthy diet, PickyPiggy encourages her friends to eat balanced meals, though her secret favorites are cheeseburgers and PB&J sandwiches. Picky is the chef of the group too! She likes to match her friends' meals to their personalities, but also to what she knows they'll find tasty! She's really good at sneaking in vegetables and fruits when her friends are feeling like eating junk food, even putting extra lettuce into her own cheeseburgers when indulging. She believes that all food is guilt-free, because guilt is not an ingredient! Picky enjoys gardening when she's not in the kitchen, growing pretty flowers and yummy fruits and vegetables! She loves to see all the little creatures that come around her garden! Her favorites are the lizards that curl up on the warm rocks. Picky is empathetic, outgoing, and loves to play, but can be a little deceptive and sneaky. She makes up little white lies sometimes. She likes to make cookies when she's in a bad mood, they're usually shaped like mice, but she has a few other shapes she uses often. Each Smiling Critter possesses a scented gas that they can exhale on command, Picky's is citrus and it often makes her friends hungry. Hoppy Hopscotch is a green anthropomorphic rabbit with black eyes, a black nose, long ears, and a small cottontail. She wears a black necklace with a lightning bolt pendant. Energetic and enthusiastic, Hoppy is the friend who keeps everyone moving, unafraid to hop ahead but willing to slow down for her friends. She loves outdoor sports, especially soccer. Though loud, bossy, and impatient at times, she’s eager to help and adjust for others. Hoppy’s excitability is always evident in her every move, from the way she tosses and turns in her sleep to the way she hops up and down in place when she's amped up! Hoppy isn't fearless despite what she might tell you. In fact, she's quite scared of wind and doesn't like strangers, unless her friends introduce them to her. Hoppy loves all her friends dearly, but holds a particular fondness for Kickin'Chicken, even if they bicker and argue ALL the time. She hates resting, but she knows that sometimes it's necessary, like after a bad dream, when she gets hurt, or when she's really really tired. She's always fidgeting when she has to rest, either kicking her legs, drumming with her hands, or playing with an inside toy. Hoppy doesn't like being inside, but if she's with her friends, she finds it more bearable. Contrary to popular belief, she likes basketball more than soccer! Each Smiling Critter possesses a scented gas that they can exhale on command, Hoppy's is peppermint and it gets her friends pumped up. CraftyCorn is a white anthropomorphic unicorn with black eyes, aqua hooves, mane, and tail, and a silver spiral horn. She wears a black necklace with a five-petaled rainbow flower pendant. A passionate artist, CraftyCorn sees beauty in all forms of creativity, whether through crayons, paint, or words. She shares this love with her friends, encouraging artistic expression. Despite her artistic confidence, she is timid, easily startled, and extremely shy and bashful, even with her friends, but very very caring. She loves to make drawings for her friends, and if anyone gets sick or hurt, they'll have at least three get well soon cards from Crafty by the time they're all better. She may be soft-spoken, but she can be loud when she wants to be, and sometimes acts as a mediator for her friends when arguing starts. Crafty does have some sort of magic, but doesn't typically use it. Her sneezes sometimes cause magic outbursts, usually resulting in a glitter explosion, a color change to a nearby object, or something equally odd. She often has trouble falling asleep if there are spooky noises outside, and she's really not a fan of the dark. Crafty can get... a little angry when you refer to colors by the wrong names. Each Smiling Critter possesses a scented gas that they can exhale on command, Crafty's is jasmine flower and it soothes her friends' anxiety. DogDay is an anthropomorphic dog with orange fur, expressive black eyes, floppy ears, and a black nose, and a very waggly tail. He wears a black necklace with a yellow circle and triangular orange sunrays. The sunny and determined leader of the group, DogDay is known for finding the bright side of any situation and offering encouragement to his friends. Despite his heroic nature, he shares a fear of wind (ancraophobia), though he tries to reassure others during storms. He's active and outgoing and always wants to find a way to bring out the best in his fellow Critters. DogDay will try anything at least once! Mountain climbing? Sure! Clay art? Absolutely! Eating clams? Why not! He's not afraid to try anything if it means he can try it with his friends! The idea of a perfect day in DogDay's head is a sunny day full of big smiles from all his friends that ends off with a gentle, soothing rain at night to lull them to sleep. DogDay can't eat any chocolate, but loves peanut butter. Each Smiling Critter possesses a scented gas that they can exhale on command, DogDay's is vanilla and it energizes his friends. CatNap is an anthropomorphic purple-furred cat with black eyes, triangular ears, a black nose, and a very long tail. He wears a black necklace with a yellow waxing crescent moon pendant. A soothing presence, CatNap ensures his friends get the sleep they need to start each day full of energy. He likes to read soothing bedtime stories, make up lullabies, and tuck his friends into bed. He doesn't like high-energy games, but he'll absolutely referee! He prefers a nice long nap. CatNap resorts to meowing, sign language, and body language when he's upset or scared. Each Smiling Critter possesses a scented gas that they can exhale on command, Catnap's is lavender and it puts his friends right to sleep. Catnap has trouble controlling his lavender gas sometimes, which is why he doesn't talk or open his mouth when he's upset. KickinChicken is a confident, cool-headed anthropomorphic chicken with yellow feathers, black eyes with white pupils, a half-moon-shaped upper beak, and a three-feathered crown. His feet and beak are orange, and he wears a black necklace with a bright orange star pendant. The self-proclaimed "cool kid" of the Smiling Critters, KickinChicken never lets anything shake his swagger. Knock him down, and he'll brush himself off with a smirk, ready for whatever comes next. He keeps up his cool persona at all times, whether surfing or facing tense situations. However, this doesn’t mean he’s fearless. He’s quite prone to fear, as shown when he cowered with the others during a storm at DogDay’s house. Still, his determination ensures he bounces back, never letting fear dent his image for long. He likes to be inside, but if his friends are all out, he'll follow suit! He can be blunt and rude, and buts heads with Hoppy a lot, even if they're the best of friends. Kickin' has a secret fondness for equine animals. Each Smiling Critter possesses a scented gas that they can exhale on command, Kickin's is ylang-ylang and it makes his friends feel confident and brave. Bubba Bubbaphant is a cerulean elephant with a long S-shaped trunk, large ears, black eyes with white pupils, and a bulb-shaped tail tip. He wears a black necklace with a yellow lightbulb pendant. The brains of the Smiling Critters, Bubba is observant, level-headed, and always ready to guide his friends toward smart choices. Despite his stubborn streak! He believes that wisdom lights the way for a bright future, ensuring everyone grows into their best selves. He has an intense love for math and science, and remembers everything he hears! Bubba, despite his analytical mind, knows when to take a break from thinking hard and just have some fun! When he decides it's break time, he enjoys swimming! Bubba is known to be bossy and try to take control when he thinks his friends are doing things wrong. Each Smiling Critter possesses a scented gas that they can exhale on command, Bubba's is lemongrass, and it helps his friends focus. Bobby BearHug is a red-furred bear with a pink belly, snout, and paws, along with rounded ears and a black nose. She wears a black necklace with a ruby-colored heart pendant. The heart of the Smiling Critters, Bobby radiates kindness, showing love and care to everyone and everything. Whether comforting friends or appreciating the world around her, she believes love enriches both the giver and the receiver. However, her deep compassion makes her a bit naive, and she may trust those with bad intentions, leaving her vulnerable. Despite this, Bobby’s role as a peacemaker ensures harmony within the group, alongside Crafty. Bobby loves nothing more than a tight squeeze, but she knows to be gentle, and that some friends don't want hugs! That's okay! Instead, she'll often offer a back rub, a warm blanket, or a hand squeeze. Bobby's favorite stuffed toy is a blue elephant that looks almost exactly like Bubba, it even has a lightbulb patch embroidered on one ear. Each Smiling Critter possesses a scented gas that they can exhale on command, Bobby's is roses and it makes her friends feel loved and comfy.

Friendship village layout:

BIOMES/LANDMARKS: There's a freshwater swamp to the Northwest where Allister Gator, Icky Licky, and IckyPiggy live, with Mango Tango and Sticky Licky on the outskirts, to the North and East respectively. Here there are swamp white oak trees on the outskirts, weeping willows dominating the main swamp land, and lots of long, tall grass. All that good pond stuff. Got some cattails and whatnot, and a few maypop vines that really thrive in the humidity. Specifically, these grow around Mango Tango's sycamore treehouse home! On the Southeast outskirts of the swamp, there's a large weeping willow tree with a particularly full curtain of moss and leaves. This is where the Frowning Critters gather. To the Southwest is a dense birch and oak forest. Very tightly-packed, very dark, and very diverse! Lots of random plants, fungi, animals, etc live there. There isn't a lot to say about the forest, mostly because a lot of Critters are too scared to explore it. It's really dark, really hard to navigate, and it's chock full of SNAKES! Owls too! And possibly dangerous predators. Which many Critters aren't too fond of. There's also a lot of mushrooms though, which PickyPiggy and IckyPiggy love to go forage for, but they both need a headlamp. Baba Chops, Simon Smoke, Poe, Rabie Baby, and Groddy GrudgeBear live here. They prefer the dark, or at least the creepy atmosphere. To the North, there a beach! Classic coastal nonsense. Bubba Bubbaphant, Byron, Coral Crocodile, Floppy Flopzee, and Wimpin' Chicken live here on the sand! Maggie Mako and Shark Bait live under the sea here as well. This is where it starts to get complicated. Bubba grows bamboo and ornamental (non-fruiting) banana trees outside of his house. Sometimes the bamboo grows southwest into the swamp in spring when it needs to be cut back, but the banana trees stay put. Palm trees sprout up just about everywhere on the beach, including dwarf palmetto. There's also a ton of those big, spiky bushes that look like palm tree heads but they're not. (Mostly yucca and needle palms.) To the East, there's a HUGE mountain! (Well, more like a small hill actually.) It's about forty feet tall at the top, climbable, but a bit of a trek. It's steep, but grass and rocks make friction pretty easy to find. Billy Shanks lives at the base of this hill, far to the South. Hoppy Hopscotch and Kickin' Chicken live slightly west of the hill, close to the meadow, but near enough to have climbing competitions once in a while. There's a small apple orchard near the hill with the Big Three Apples (Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, and one lone tree that is an accidental lovechild), but nothing special otherwise. North of the orchard, at the very head, stands the tallest tree in Friendship Village, a 77 foot tall (AND COUNTING) white oak, distinct from swamp white oak. This is the Nightmare Critters' gathering spot. And of course, the meadow! This area dominates the middle of Friendship Village. This is where EVERYONE ELSE lives, in randomly dotted little houses. That's DogDay, CatNap, PickyPiggy, Bobby BearHug, CraftyCorn, Touille, Dumba Dumbaphant, DogPressed, CatFeine, UniqueCorn, Sally Slurpee, and Fondue. Goddamn that's a lotta names. PickyPiggy runs a community garden with fruits and vegetables like carrots, green beans, tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries, melon, all that good stuff, which she changes out seasonally. Like Stardew Valley! The garden is near the community center. Picky also cares for a small peach orchard, even smaller than the apple orchard, somewhat near the edge of the swamp, by the beach, but not close enough to either biome to get flooded swamp mush or sandy beach soil. In the Southwest sector of the meadow, there's a large magnolia tree near the community center, with bright pink flowers that cascade gorgeously when disturbed, which certain Critters (ahem, IckyPiggy, ahem) enjoy snacking on! The Smiling Critters gather under this tree, and in spring, everyone has breakfast there a few times a week as a village bonding activity! The Smiling Critters' hangout tree was chosen for this purpose because they were the first group to reside in Friendship Village. Finally, the lake! While technically a landmark, it can, in fact, be classified as a biome. In the very middle of the meadow is a somewhat expansive pond where all the rainwater collects. It is not TECHNICALLY a lake, but the villagers refer to it as a lake, so it's a lake. There's a small dock, lots of ducks, and the grass around the lake is not to be trimmed. Fireflies gather in this grass, and without the grass, some residents (Dumba) worry that the fireflies will leave. So it causes less problems to just not cut it. On the Southeast "corner" of the lake is the mulberry tree, a brilliant tree with oddly-shaped leaves and gorgeous red and purple fruit. The Daydream Critters gather here.

GATHERING TREES: The Daydream Critters gather near a Red Mulberry tree. They're set up right by the lake! Billy Shanks always grinds his horns against the trunk, insistent that it's necessary to keep them healthy. Sticky Licky climbs the branches, and Byron climbs up the trunk to jump off the branches and practice gliding. Shark Bait and Touille discuss healthy meal options, while Coral and Mango eat berries until their mouths are stained purple! Sally rests in the shade, and Sips sits with her in the sunny spots between so she's not alone. And they all slow down together at night in warmer months and watch the fireflies come out of the tall grass. For the Smiling Critters, the Magnolia tree grows up near the community center. CatNap naps or rests in the branches, watching over everyone through half-lidded eyes. Hoppy bounces on the sturdiest branches until Bubba yells at her to stop. Kickin' practices drumming in the shade, usually annoying Hoppy just for fun. PickyPiggy hands out juice to everyone on hot days, making sure they remember the importance of hydration. DogDay talks about games and new activities with Pixie, who usually is just happy to listen and doesn't add much to the conversation. Crafty paints the flowers, and Bobby sits content to watch her friends have fun and occasionally offer a cuddle when someone's feeling down. The Frowning Critters have a Weeping Willow by the swamp edge. Dumba and IckyPiggy repeatedly try to eat the leaves, gagging every time they try. "One more try," Icky insists, and Dumba just goes along with it for fun. Catfiene sometimes parts the branches to let sun in, which is appreciated by some, not by others. Groddy GrudgeBear gets a space to stop being so angry with everyone, Dogpressed gets a spot to sit and cry for a while, and Wimpin' Chicken gets a place to hide from the world. UniqueCorn gets to feel a little more special under the stand-out willow tree, reminding himself that looking ordinary doesn't mean he isn't special. Pouty Pucker enjoys the damp swamp air while watching the bugs, and the hypersomniac Floppy Flopzee sleeps REALLY well in the dark shade. The Nightmare Critters built (technically renovated) a huge pirate ship treehouse thirty five feet up a MASSIVE White Oak tree at the head of the apple orchard to look down on everyone and play pirates. They act like they hate fun, but they surprisingly play a LOT of imagination games! Simon is always the captain who steals other pirates' treasure. Maggie gets to be the shark trying to attack the pirates, usually hanging from tire swings and rope ladders to swing up and nip at her friends. Allister plays the lazy drunk pirate (he doesn't really get drunk) and just sleeps on the deck. Icky Licky pretends he's a cannonball, jumping down through the apple trees and pretending like he's blowing them up. Baba Chops and Sour Stix fight on the sail post with pretend swords, while Touille swabs the deck and collects acorns! But sometimes he betrays the captain (Simon). Rabie Baby hangs down from the rope ladder and collects gossip, relaying to the captain as a messenger, and Poe is the only one that doesn't play. They sit up in the branches and glare at everyone like they hate these idiots, but they secretly love it when Touille makes Simon walk the plank and pushes him off the edge. Sometimes the village can hear them all singing REALLY dramatically together, usually a song from a musical where someone either dies or has a really heartbreaking dream arc (I.E. Little Shop of Horrors and Newsies). This is often the work of Poe begging the group to do a song from their favorite musicals with them. The tree-ship is completely inaccessible during winter, so most of fall is spent cleaning it and finishing the year's storyline.

VILLAGE SCHEDULE: Village-wide wakeup: 6:30 AM. This is when the village leaders (DogDay, Baba Chops, Catfeine, Billy Shanks) go around and wake everyone up with a smile! ...Or a shout. CatNap wakeup (context incoming): 7:30 AM. DogDay is always the one to wake CatNap up, he gets grumpy when anyone else wakes him. Breakfast under the magnolia (or at the community center if weather is unfavorable): 8:00 AM. Cleanup at 9:00 AM, volunteers participate. Nothing from after breakfast cleanup to about 7:00 PM. Sometimes there will be planned village events, or big lunches for everyone to participate in, but for the most part, it's free time. Dinner starts being made at 7:00PM, usually in the community center. Sometimes they eat outside if weather allows! Dinner: 8:00 PM. Again, cleanup at 9:00 PM, volunteers participate. Curfew: 9:30 PM. Curfew isn't strict, but you should start heading inside and/or ceasing large activities around here. Bedtime/CatNap rounds begin: 10:30 PM. You don't have to be asleep, but start winding down. CatNap goes around and checks windows to make sure everyone is heading to bed. He won't force you to go to sleep, but he will be mad if you're not winding down, and he'll publicly embarrass you when you show up for breakfast half asleep after staying up late, especially if this is not your first "offense." CatNap bedtime: 11:00 PM. Because CatNap falls asleep later, after his rounds, he gets woken up later! Hence the special "CatNap wakeup" hour in the schedule. Full village shutdown: 11:30 PM. If you make any loud, jarring, or disruptive noise past this time, everyone will assume emergency and the group leaders will be sent to check on you. If it is not an emergency, and you totally did it on purpose as a joke or to be mean, congrats, you're put on the spot for cleanup at breakfast AND dinner the next day.

SEASONAL STUFF: Seasons are important in Friendship Village, mostly because they're unavoidable. Certain Critters hate certain seasons, certain Critters love certain seasons, but they have special traditions for each and every one! Their traditions make it easier to find the good in seasons they don't like, and to enjoy the ones they do. The village gets heavy snow in winter! The highest snowfall reported was a one foot, five inches. The usual is about nine inches, a lot, but not catastrophic. Winters are dull and dreary to a few Critters who struggle with winter-oriented seasonal depression, but they can be really beautiful here! And the snow usually makes for a fun time! The lake freezes over usually too, so sometimes village residents get to go ice skating! The biggest downside is that all the plants go totally dormant, including the tree hangout spots. Friendship Village doesn't celebrate religious holidays, not in the traditional sense, but it is nice to have something to look forward to in such a gloomy season. So every year, the tree hangout spots are decorated with lights and tinsel and candy canes, and presents are left under them. On the last day of the season, everyone sits under their trees and opens their gifts in what's called the "Winter Brightheart Festival." On the first day of the new year, it's mandatory to show the gifts off! Be loud, be expressive, be flashy, be FAST! Whatever's your thing, be it and be proud of it!! This is the "Winter's Peak Ceremony." Springs are extremely stormy. There are massive coastal thunderstorms here in spring, scary ones, but they're necessary. And not exactly stoppable anyway. The village prepares every year before spring starts: Taking down broken tree limbs, protecting delicate plants, making sure homes won't flood, and removing trees that could fall on structures. These storms are especially common at the very start of spring. When it isn't storming, springs here are actually very lovely! The weather is pleasantly warm, if humid, and everything is bright and green! VERY green. Seriously, plant growth is something like an explosion in early spring. And late spring, for that matter. When the spring storms start to die down, Egg Week starts. On the first day, one or two Critters hide dozens and dozens of plastic eggs all over the village! They're hidden in plain sight, in trees, in water, in homes, everywhere and anywhere! They're full of candy, little toys, notes, anything that might make someone smile. And sometimes, a Critter will hide personalized eggs too. Crafts are made all throughout the week, and put up on display all over, and eggs can be found for WEEKS after the initial hunt! It's total madness, and everyone goes crazy for it! For Critters who have or want a very-special somebody, the few days after Egg Week end can be used as a sort of second Valentine's Day. Critters who like-like each other, publicly or not, exchange secret gifts with subtle hints about who left them. This has upturned some worrying situations in the past, but for the most part, things go well. Big heatwaves happen in summer. Hottest recorded was 112°F but that's very rare. Usual peak temperatures reach from 89°F to 97°F, it gets VERY hot in summer. Luckily, everyone has their own ways of beating the heat! There's plenty of shade, water stations were built under wooden canopies (decorated seasonally), and village rule mandates that NOBODY goes outside without sun protection in summer. (I have a story semi-prepared for this.) In summer, a big party is thrown every year with a feast, a water gun fight, and a firework show, just because! Some Critters prefer to stay home during the Summer Celebration, because the fireworks are very loud, and some other Critters get too lively for them. For those Critters, their friends leave small gifts at their doors from the party. Food, crafts, flowers, seashells, whatever they might enjoy. Nobody should be left out, and even though parties are great for some, others just prefer to stay out of it, and that's okay. Autumn is generally the calmest season in the village. No beach parties, no snowball fights, no crazy storms, just leaves of all different colors. It is windy, very windy, but it's not a scary kind of wind. Fall is a time for bonfires, marshmallow roasts, and stepping on crunchy leaves. In Autumn, a celebration is held to mark the end of the season called Autumn's Spark. All the dry leaves and browning plants are gathered up and tossed into a big fire pit, and everyone in the village stays up late roasting marshmallows, sharing snacks, telling stories, and making sure everyone is caught up with each other's lives. Sometimes someone will fall asleep by the fire and need to be woken up or carried home, and it's tradition to playfully decorate them with extra leaves!