Cotton

About the world they inhabit:

Their planet is very similar to Earth, both geographically and developmentally. Their social etiquette is also much the same. The most obvious difference is the population that's made up of anthropomorphic animals, and depending on their species, they can possess (often) magical abilities. Humans and animals like the ones we have on earth are not present (excluding fish and insects; they have those).

Some of the smaller differences are that their world is slightly more technologically advanced than ours is. Governments are run fairly similarly as well.

Every living being has a soul (excluding robots or artificial life). Rights are given to individuals depending on whether or not the soul is present. Inanimate objects (such as toys or stuffed animals) can come to life on rare occasions, and research shows that they do indeed have souls; though, it's unknown why this happens. In some cases, it seems more like possession occurs.

*Aliens may or may not be real in this world. Your call :)

Abilities:

Corgis have no particular ability or power. However, Cotton claims that she has the ability to communicate with aliens through her dreams. Whether or not you believe her is up to you. 

Personality: 

Cotton has quite an eccentric personality. She's very emotionally available and kind, often comforting others or helping them open up. She values honesty and making your grievances known to others so the problem can be sorted out. But people have trouble seeing the positive side of Cotton; she's a conspiracy theorist and can get a bit obsessive. Her conspiratorial thinking is a mixture of anxiety and grandiosity.

Her girlfriend, Primavera, is a lot more grounded than she is, but she's also emotionally out-of-touch and distant. Cotton can see the good in her, though, even if Primavera gets frustrated by her unscientific conspiracy theories.

Biography:

Being born and raised in a trailer home by her grandmother, Cotton was a strange specimen from the very beginning. Her parents weren't really around, not because they were dead or anything, they were just incredibly irresponsible. Cotton met them (separately) a few times, but she liked her grandma better. Her parents were kinda jerks. She would spend a lot of time with her grandma, and she would teach her a lot about compassion and kindness. Although her grandmother was a very anxious woman, it seemed like she was always worried or stressed about something, no matter what it was.

She grew up without TV or really any technology outside of ancient push-button telephones or library computers, which she rarely used, as her grandma believed technology to be evil. Cotton also recalls having experiences with aliens from a young age; they would communicate with her through her dreams. When she would tell her Grandma, she would remark on having similar experiences as a young girl.  

Cotton didn't do very well in school, nor did she have very many friends (this problem persisted from kindergarten all the way to college), aside from her cousins, who were a few years older than her, but they didn't go to the same school as she did. She struggled, but eventually made it to high school.
It was during her teen years when her conspiratorial ideas started to form. Most everyone else in her grade had a phone, but due to her grandmother's teachings, she didn't have (nor necessarily want) one. Although she did find herself enjoying the library computers more now, using them during her lunch breaks. She would do research on random topics that interested her, and eventually, she saw a discussion board about government spying and how the cameras on phones or laptops would record you. Cotton informed her classmates of this, but they dismissed her as being paranoid and made fun of her for "buying into that crap."  

But Cotton still believed in it. If anything, their defensiveness and cruelty furthered her beliefs. This led her down a rabbit hole, where she eventually found that there were people who had similar experiences with extraterrestrials as she did when she was young. She did more research, finding out about UFO sightings, personal accounts of people seeing or even interacting with alien life, evidence that the government might be trying to cover it all up... The aliens would reach out to be saved, as many of them were held in government captivity, used as experiments or pawns to further technological advancement and government control over their citizens. To fix this, the aliens would have to be free, and she couldn't do that alone. She often feels hopeless but tries to spread her truth both online and in the real world.  

As she grew older, she started organizing her beliefs into a unified theory, using a cork board and a laptop (with a piece of masking tape covering the camera and alternative search engines installed, just to be cautious). Her obsession with "the truth" often got in the way of her schooling, but she just barely scrapped by, officially passing high school.
Her grandma was pleased, and revealed to Cotton that she had been saving up college funds for her. Neither her mother nor her father went to college, so it was supposed to be exciting. Cotton was a bit skeptical. She wasn't exactly a fan of the school system, and she wasn't very confident in her ability to do well in it. But her grandma had done so much for her that she wanted to make her proud. So, she agreed to go, and her grandma gave her a big ol' hug. It wasn't like she had any other plans, and making someone happy felt nice.  

So, off to college she went. It was significantly easier to be able to choose your own schedule, even if Cotton still found herself getting distracted and not finishing work at times.  
She shared a dorm room with someone who didn't seem to like her very much. Cotton often wanted the curtains closed out of fear of being watched, but her roommate wasn't having it. She would go around telling people about Cotton's paranoid nature and obsession with aliens.
Cotton had a reputation for being crazy now. Wanting to defend herself, she tried going around explaining her ideas to gain some understanding, but that only dug her into a deeper hole, it seemed. All she wanted was for somebody to hear her out.  

To add insult to injury, her grandmother had passed away. The grief and social struggles made work very difficult to handle. She attended her funeral, and promised that she'd finish college for her grandma, as it's what she would've wanted. She missed her every day. It was hard to imagine someone that close to you suddenly not being in the present anymore. But she knew her grandma was still out there, somewhere. She had to keep going, for her.  

Despite how hurtful her peers were, Cotton felt no ill will towards any of them. One of those rude people was Primavera. She was tall and pretty, but for whatever reason, would get mean comments thrown her way regarding her appearance. This upset Cotton; even if she didn't necessarily like her, it still wasn't right. So, when she heard her being insulted for her looks on-campus, she stepped in and told them what douche bags they were being.  
Primavera seemed confused as to why Cotton, of all people, was defending her. She expressed her distaste for how she was treated, and even if she wasn't kind to Cotton, it didn't mean she deserved the cruelty directed towards her either.  

They conversed after that. Primavera apologized for her previous behavior, saying that she should've known better than to act like a dick. Cotton forgave her, at least she apologized (unlike most people). She tried explaining her ideas to her one-on-one, but she still didn't seem to understand. But she at least gave reasons as to why she disagreed, instead of just calling her names. Cotton could respect it, because it was honest and meaningful. It even made her feel a bit better, sometimes the idea that someone was always watching her became overwhelming, so having someone to take her out of that mindset, even momentarily, was actually pretty helpful. Primavera wasn't the most elegant with her words, but she was easy to talk to and fun to be around, often making funny comments.  

She got her number, and from then on, the two started talking semi-regularly, then became friends, and soon after, began dating. Cotton had never really had many friends, let alone a romantic partner, so this was rather special for her. She started feeling better about life, and she had finally come to accept her grandma's passing.

Cotton was coming close to graduating from college. Even though she was happy about this, she really didn't know what direction she was going to take in her life. She was majoring in political science, but really, it was just the most interesting topic to her, as it helped her further form her theories. She didn't necessarily want to pursue a career with it, which made her feel guilty.  
But luckily, Primavera came to her to talk about a call from an old friend she received. Apparently, he was offering to run a business with her (and another friend). As long as she invested, she could use half of the store for florist things; her dream. Primavera wasn't sure about it, scared to disappoint her parents or that she'd screw up. But Cotton was enthusiastic! She encouraged her to give it a try, and even offered to pitch in. She had inherited a bit of money from her grandmother's passing, and had old money saved up (in case of an emergency) from when she worked during her high school years. After some further thought, Primavera agreed, and obviously, offered Cotton a job and to stay with her in the room that would be above the store. It was a pretty big investment, living with someone you haven't been dating all that long. It was especially a big investment for someone that was paranoid and anxious, but she trusted Primavera. It was clear that dwelling on conflict was not in either of their best interests. She had faith that things would be okay.  

And in the beginning, things were going well! Her biggest worry was meeting the two other people she'd be working with, but they were cool. Melon was very easy-going. He seemed like he was always tired too, often having a cup of coffee he'd sip on. Cinnamon was extremely ambitious; she was mute and communicated with sign language. Cotton couldn't understand it, but Melon was there to translate.
She could respect her drive and passion. She really seemed to love baking, and she was great at it! She also seemed fairly interested in her conspiracies, as she'd listen intently, but never really comment (with sign language). There were no fake smiles or strange looks, but she'd nod when Cotton paused, as if to say "continue." It was respectful.  

Getting to know them while setting up the store was insanely fun.
Once the place was set up, the store's neighbors gave the place a visit. A robot named Kelli and a teddy bear named Tags. Much like Cinnamon and Melon, they had their quirks. Tags seemed very shy and reserved, only talking to Primavera a bit. Kelli, on the other hand, was greeting and interacting with everyone. Much like Cinnamon, she wasn't very judgmental about Cotton's ideas, albeit she was more enthusiastic than Cinnamon was. The one thing she couldn't believe was the computer/phone spying thing, since she loved tech so much. But Cotton respected that. It was nice talking to her, and even (briefly) meeting Tags.  

Cotton and Cinnamon would regularly visit Kelli and Tags' store, mostly for Kelli herself. She and Cinnamon would be trying to best each other's game scores while Cotton watched. They would laugh and chat. Sometimes Melon or (occasionally) Primavera would come in to hang out with Tags too. They would do this after hours.
During the day, Cotton would sweep, clean, help tend the flowers with Primavera, help Cinnamon with baking, spending the day with her friends.  
On the weekends, she'd do her usual conspiring, earning eye-rolls from Primavera. Sometimes they were playful, sometimes genuine. She would also spend much of her time with her, cuddling in bed with her and watching pirated movies on her laptop. Money could get tight, but it was the life!

Cotton quietly thanked her grandma for everything that she did for her; for taking care of her when her parents wouldn't, for always listening to her, for believing in her, for helping her get to a place where she could meet the woman she loved, for helping her get a higher education. She wouldn't be here without her.  

Some years passed, and they were pretty good.  

Cotton, having a key to Kelli's store by now, decided to pay her a surprise visit on the weekend. This wasn't unusual for any of them, but what was unusual was the door being unlocked. Kelli never forgot. She was probably programmed not to. Tags usually didn't forget either, but everyone slips up sometimes.  
Cotton ventured in, calling out Kelli's name. Nothing.  She called for Tags... nothing.  
She went up their house's stairs, continuing to call their names. She checked their kitchen and living room, but nope. She checked Kelli's room, also empty.  
Cotton figured they might've gone someplace, so she nearly gave up her search. But just in case, she decided to peek into Tags' room.  

The room was dark, and the curtains were closed. The room also looked to be an absolute wreck, everything was messy and toppled over. While Cotton had never personally been in Tags' room, it didn't seem like your average disorganization. She stumbled in, and felt something jab her foot. She bent over to pick it up... It was a screw. She turned the light on in the room, and was met with horror.
Kelli was on the floor, smashed to bits. Her head was severed from her mangled body, with wires and metallic fragments protruding from her body. Her eyes were completely blank, her face frozen in a terrified expression. Cotton felt sick. It may not have been bloody, but the sight of someone you once called a friend, nearly unrecognizable...

Cotton ran. She ran home, shaking as she struggled to get the key into the door of her own home. She rushed upstairs and shook Primavera awake. She explained the situation to her; Kelli was destroyed and Tags was missing entirely. She looked just as bewildered and scared as Cotton felt.

Primavera told her to breathe, and got out of bed to get them some water.  

Cinnamon woke up, giving the two a concerned look. They called her over to explain what happened. She recommended calling the authorities, and as much as Cotton didn't like them, she called. But they didn't care, treating Kelli as if she were nothing more than a broken toy. They said to wait for Tags to return, and if he wasn't back in a few weeks, they'd send a search party to look for him. Cotton knew they weren't going to care though.  

Completely defeated, they all sat down in shocked silence.
Melon came in a while later, already seeming to understand that something wasn't right.  

Nobody took the loss well. Cinnamon tried ignoring it, Primavera got extra weird and distant, and Melon was more stressed than she ever saw him be, pushing Cinnamon and everyone else away, generally being a bit aggressive.  

Cotton wondered if this was a coverup; maybe Kelli or Tags knew too much? Maybe the government is trying to kill off robots like Kelli, who aren't completely subservient. Maybe they were too expensive to have around. They didn't need to pay for food, or drinks, or medical expenses to get by. This wasn't right. Cotton had to get justice for her friend.  

As a result, she did a lot of research. She wrote and she wrote. She'd be on her laptop all day, her back aching, but she had to find out what happened to Tags and Kelli. She did research on Kelli's brand of robot, where Tags' plush body might've been produced, and the treatment of robots by the government, but information was scarce.  
It did put her mind at ease. It was hard to accept what happened, so she simply didn't. It was unacceptable.  
Cotton felt like she was going insane. She was more paranoid than she'd ever been, but she didn't let that stop her.  

Primavera seemed to be catching wind of how incredibly unhealthy this behavior was. She tapped Cotton's shoulder, grimly telling her that she had something to admit to her.  

Apparently, this whole time—no, not even just that, for YEARS now, she knew that Tags had an underlying urge to destroy Kelli. He didn't want to, but it was like an impulse. So, it was fair to conclude that Tags was likely the culprit here. Primavera didn't consider it a problem at the time and didn't know what to say or how to console him. She was scared to admit this to anyone too. Cotton was... frustrated. How could she not be? But, she was glad that Primavera had the strength to actually tell her, even if it was way later than she should've. She expressed her irritation at the fact that she wasn't honest about this earlier, especially since that's something they prioritized in their relationship. She was also frustrated at the way she handled things from the very beginning.

So Tags was out there, somewhere. Melon was tirelessly searching for him, he wanted to do so on his own.  

Regardless, the information got Cotton off of her laptop and forced her to think about things in a new light. This wasn't her first major loss, so she was more easily able to accept when someone she loved was gone. She figured that with the experience she'd had, she'd work on comforting her friends.  
Tags' disappearance was still an issue that needed to be solved, Melon was far more preoccupied with that. Cinnamon was furious, mostly at Tags, but some of it was directed towards Primavera too. She was difficult to help, as she still wanted to distract herself as much as she could. Primavera was really the only one receptive to Cotton's efforts, helping her through the emotions of guilt. She seemed more emotionally available, putting in a lot of effort into learning how to open up.  

Tags had been found a few months after the incident occurred. Cotton was relieved and welcomed him back, trying her best to be comforting and supportive. She knew that he was going through hard times, so he needed it. It was hard, knowing what he did. But she could tell he was suffering the most out of everybody.

Melon had seemingly calmed down with Tags' return, a lot. Cotton got to talking with him about his aggravation and stress. He admitted that he was always pretty exhausted and couldn't keep up with Cinnamon, or Cotton, for that matter. Dealing with what might've been PTSD from being in the military was also weighing heavily on him. She encouraged him to share this with Cinnamon, reassuring him that she would also understand.  

And she certainly was understanding! She even tried going at Melon's slower pace, reflecting on why she was living her life so fast to begin with. However, she seemed to struggle with forgiveness. Melon and Cotton tried to help her through the process, not for Tags' sake, but for her own. The anger was doing nothing but harming her.  
Primavera was slowly forgiving herself too, and she was interacting and engaging with Tags more than ever, as a way of making amends. Cotton was proud of how far she'd come. Tags himself was doing a lot better, generally being far less destructive and self-destructive.  

Cotton was still struggling, though. She was still paranoid, still obsessive, still frazzled by the loss of her friend and the months that followed. She missed Kelli a lot. It was hard to accept that she was gone, that Cotton could never see her bright smile ever again, that she and Cinnamon could no longer hang out with her in the early hours of the morning. She couldn't get the mental image of Kelli's lifeless body out of her mind, either. She was a robot only in appearance; everything about her indicated that she was really alive. There was no way of proving it, but Cotton believed she had a soul.
It was hard to think that there wasn't a deeper meaning to it all. But sometimes there wasn't one. She knew this. It was just a matter of truly accepting it.  

But it seemed that her kindness did not go unnoticed, as her girlfriend and friends were there to support her through it all, reassuring and loving her. They never gave up on her or abandoned her; it was truly the place where she belonged.