Toyhouse

How Are Companions Made?
Lab-born Companions are first created by finding a humanoid base DNA - that means that any race found in this board can be used as the base for a Companion's DNA. The favorite donor races thus far have been human and drow, with a fair amount of elves, and a small handful of liberi and dwarves.

The choice of humanoid DNA can have a big impact on a Companion. Like any child born of that species they can be inclined to certain types of food, illnesses, and benefits depending upon their base race. Please see the different race threads for more specific details on each race!

After finding humanoid DNA, the scientists will then splice that DNA with the DNA of another organism (sorry kids no minerals).

DNA from any creature (or multiple creatures), be they living, extinct, or exclusive to the world of AAA can be fused into a Companion. As technology has advanced, the scientists have become more and more adept at combining any number of species' DNA into a single Companion. This is to the point that identifying individual contributing species in, say, a fantasy chimera may be next to impossible.

Once the donor genomes have been spliced together, the new organism is place within a device known as a MUTHERs Unit. This is a special tank designed to mimic the womb, complete with an umbilical cord to supply the growing embryo with nutrients and help keep it genetically stable. The Companion will remain in the MUTHERs Unit until it is old enough and stable enough to be "born", at which point it is removed from the MUTHERs unit and cared for like any other newborn child.

Once the new Companion is old enough to move about on its own, one of the most crucial pieces of equipment that helps to monitor the health and safety of the Companion is attached - the collar. Not just a fashion statement, a Companion's collar is a crucial piece of technology that ensures their safety, as well as the safety of others. See the next post for more information on collars and their functions!

Once the collar is applied, a Companion is officially considered a Youngling. Each Companion ages at a different rate, but it generally takes between two and seven years for a Companion to grow from Youngling to Young Adult. After that, aging plateaus. The full lifespan of Companions is currently unknown, as the oldest Companions are now roughly 20-ish years old in game.

Lab Breedings
Because of the Academy's ability to splice genes, it is possible for the Academy to create a child from the genes of two partners who would not be able to conceive naturally (either through infertility or because they are in a same sex relationship). This service is available to any humanoids who would wish to partake, for a price, and it is of course also available to any Companions and their significant others should they want to extend their families.

Every quarter the Academy attempts to make 2-3 of their MUTHERs units available to Companions who wish to extend their families. There is paperwork to fill out, and many Companion couples will share stories of their lives together to show how serious they are about adding a child to their families.

Couples are not the only people who have reached out to the Academy. Sometimes friends will go together because one or the other wishes to be a parent. These situations are taken just as seriously as fully committed couples. If they are chosen, then they will have a new bundle of joy in 6-11 months, depending on how quickly the genes take.

"Crack Breeds"
"Crack Breedings", as they are known, are Companion children created from the DNA of existing Companions who did not specifically request the child (and in some older cases, did not consent to the use of their DNA to make a child at all). This practice has become less frequent at the Academy over the years, as it can be viewed as a violation of the Companion, but it does still happen every once in a while (most often with non-specific consent from the 'parents').

At Valcorp, however, Crack Breeding happens with alarming frequency, and for a great number of potential reasons. The 'parents' of Valcorp crack children will almost never be contacted except in extreme circumstances.

Fertile Breedings
Due to their chimeric origins, most Companions are not fertile, and are incapable of naturally producing children. A lucky few do have this ability, however, and can reproduce with any other fertile humanoid (including other fertile Companions). Companion pregnancies generally advance faster than regular ones, taking about six months rather than nine. Naturally born Companions are generally more stable than Companions created by other means, and therefore do not require treatments or collars.

Taking that Little Baby Home!
After the baby is born there is, unfortunately, a rather long wait time before the little one can be taken off campus and home. The chances that a baby could de-stabalize and go into Crisis are exponentially higher than a toddler even, and certainly much higher than a youngling. Should your family be too far away from the Academy, and the baby were to go into Crisis, it is likely the baby would pass away before making it back to campus.

As such, the Academy has made a number of apartments available in their complex for new parents who want to bring their child into the home, while still living close enough that a medical team could be there within minutes with all of the proper equipment.

The Academy asks that you stay 3 months to ensure stabilization. Companions grow at an expedited rate, and so they feel confident after this amount of time the baby (and in some cases now toddler) should be cleared.

If parents do not wish to live on campus as they wait to be cleared to take their child home, that is fine. The baby can stay in the nursery and be cared for like the Companions who do not have families waiting for them, with the ability to visit whenever they are able.