About Toy Cherubs
Toy Cherubs are the cute little spirits that inhabit toys! They are born from the emotional energy that a toy accumulates as it goes through its life with its owner(s). They exist to try and spread these positive (or negative) emotions through all toy owners, creating a thriving world of toys where more Toy Cherubs can be produced.
Overall, Toy Cherubs are small, sprite-like creatures that are rarely over a foot in height. Resembling the toy from which they were born, they can come in all sorts of colors and traits, creating a wide variety of individuals.
Cherubs themselves possess the abilities to float, use minor magic, and possess their bonded toy. They are normally invisible to the human eye, but if they can change into an Ascended form, they can use this to freely interact with humans.
Bonded Toys
Bonded Toys are the things that Toy Cherubs are born from. The meaning of 'toy,' is rather loose, and can be almost anything that somebody owns so long as they treat it with enough care (or lack thereof). Bonded Toys can include things like worms on string, frisbees, anime figures, and glass sculptures.
A Toy Cherub can never change its Bonded Toy, as it is the tether to their existence. Should a toy be destroyed in an irreparable manner, such as burning to ashes or melting, that results in the Toy Cherub's death.
Life Cycle
Toy Cherubs experience a life cycle not unlike phoenixes. When their toy is freshly-made, no Toy Cherub exists. However, when attention is given to the toy, a Toy Cherub begins to form, and is in its Juvenile state. They will stay like this for the first 'cycle' of their toy's existence, absorbing the emotional energy it receives during this time.
Once the first cycle has finished, is when the toy has become worn down or badly damaged, and thus thrown away, the Toy Cherub spends the emotional energy it has collected to revitalize the toy, restoring it to its former freshly-made state. The toy then moves on to the next owner, and the cycle begins again.
For all further cycles, the Toy Cherub begins to reflect the state of their toy. If it is damaged or worn down, the Toy Cherub may display their own forms of wear, such as scars or damaged fur.
Tender, Torn, and Unaligned
The care a toy receives during its first 'cycle' determines what type of Toy Cherub the Juvenile inhabiting it will turn out to be. There are three types of Cherubs: Tender, Torn, and Unaligned.
Unaligned are those whose did not receive major care one way or the other, possibly because they were merely left sitting around. Many Unaligned Cherubs come from toys who are merely kept preserved as collector's items.
Tender Cherubs are those whose toys received a lot of positive attention and love. Many toys receive so much care during their time, they become worn down to the point of looking old and faded. Tender Cherubs are very good at spreading positive energy, and care about all things.
Torn Cherubs are those whose toys received a lot of negative attention and damage. Their owners may have tossed them around carelessly or broken off parts of them on purpose. Torn Cherubs mainly spread negative energy, and tend to be tricksters.
The Toy Cherubs have formed social factions based on these types: Tender Cherubs in the Tender faction, Torn Cherubs in the Torn faction, and Unaligned Cherubs taking either side (or neither, if they so choose). These factions aren't actually hostile towards one another, and can be seen more like sports teams.
The Grand Toybox
The Grand Toybox is the realm where Cherubs spend their time when not in the human world. It is an endless world full of areas covered in toys and related materials. Toy Cherubs often play here in their free time.
The realm is presided over by Patchwork and Dominoe, the leaders of the Tender and Torn factions. Though they are siblings, they don't always get along, and have been known to pit each of the factions against each other in silly little contests.
Ascension
When a Toy Cherub has gone through 100 revivals, they gain the power to take on what is known as an Ascended Form. This form is a human transformation that allows them to speak freely to and be seen by humans. Much like the Toy Cherub themself, this form is always reminiscent of their Bonded Toy.