Rachel Martin's Original Species
Dullatrolls
© 2019 Rachel Martin (Cartoon Creature Lover) | All rights reserved.
When people hear of a creature called a “Dullatroll,” their first thought is typically a beast of pure fiction; a creature that, by all means, cannot actually exist. It’s as nonsensical as a talking fish, a cat that knows all, a hog in the sky. Few have actually heard the name of “Dullatroll” alone, & even fewer have knowingly conversed or even seen one. These extraordinarily rare creatures are the living amalgamations of the deceased soul-harvesting Dullahans & the living nature-loving Trolls. Amongst each other, they know themselves to be “the most humanlike of any troll or troll-related creature.” But even with their civility, they’re still animals, animals who refuse to embrace many aspects of the societal groundwork their distant human relatives have created elsewhere in the world.
Biology
When Dullatrolls are born, they have a layer of skin just strong enough to keep their heads attached to their bodies. After a year, they permanently lose this layer of skin & their heads become removable. However, if they experience some sort of head/neck trauma before a year passes, they layer of skin can be broken too soon. It can be cut prematurely as well. Either of these will most likely result in weaker neck muscles than any creature should have; often resulting in the Dullatroll being unable to lift their head & look around as well as the other children.
Dullatroll children are typically skinny & may be slightly pudgy like human children. They are usually around the size of human children, but may be slightly bigger. For example, a human three year old is usually around half the size of an adult; often around three feet. Since Dullatrolls can grow up to eight feet, a Dullatroll toddler may be 4 feet tall by the age of three.
Most male Dullatrolls have a triangular-shaped skin patch underneath where their umbilical cord once was on their low bellies. This little skin patch is where most male Dullatroll’s nipples are located. Most female Dullatrolls have completely furred bellies & their nipples are hidden under their fur on their chests.
Some Dullatrolls are capable of growing goat-like horns while others remain hornless. This is not something that is dependent on sex but on genetics, all sexes have been found with & without horns. It is believed that some Dullatrolls are capable of growing horns for defense. Since Dullatrolls can remove their heads, they can swing their heads around like a flail & hit creatures, which would already hurt from the weight & force of the head alone. A horned Dullatroll could cause additional damage with their horns from either piercing or ramming into the enemy.
Just like how some Dullatrolls can grow horns, some Dullatrolls are born with short & “nubby” external tails while others have internal tails like humans. Dullatroll fossils & culturally preserved remains show that at one point in time, all Dullatrolls were born with long, sheep-like, external tails. It is believed that Dullatrolls evolved to have very small tails because their Shadow Mounts would easily harm their Dullatrolls' long tails from accidently stepping on them, biting them, or from playing too roughly with their Dullatroll. Plus, it's harder to sit on a mount with a big long tail that can get in the way.
As Dullatrolls become juveniles, their bodies start to change like most other creatures’ do. Besides the usual things that are supposed to happen during this time, there are a few specific changes are supposed to be went through just for Dullatrolls. Their muscles become stronger & Dullatroll’s arms & legs often become visibly “toned.” Male Dullatroll’s shoulders often become broader & female Dullatroll’s hips often become wider. Dullatrolls, & only Dullatrolls, go through a strange phase they’ve dubbed, “Stockening.” Stockening meaning how their bodies are supposed to become stocky in appearance. Stockening is different for every Dullatroll, as it can start & end at any point between the ages of 11-25. For some, it only lasts a year, but for others, it can last several years. What happens during Stockening is the body slows down their metabolism for them to gain weight. After a while, their bodies are supposed to speed up their metabolism again, although, it won’t be as fast as it was before the Stockening. Dullatrolls normally gain around 100-150 lbs during this time.
Culture
Dullatroll babies & children are not referred to as “babies” & “children,” but as hooflings. Dullatrolls three years & younger are exclusively referred to as hooflings. Dullatrolls four years to twelve years old are referred to as both hooflings & children.
Dullatrolls do not traditionally eat with any type of silverware, as they were not introduced to eating with tools for thousands of years. Most Dullatrolls today do not eat with silverware, as they are seen as a waste of materials & because all of their dishes have been designed to be eaten with their fingers &/or without the need of silverware at all! Since Dullatrolls are omnivores, many of their dishes incorporate both plants & meat.
One Dullatroll specific styling is the art of fur shaving. Similar to what is done to horses, Dullatrolls can have parts of their fur shaved off into creative & fun patterns. But the reason as to why this is specific to Dullatrolls is because of their skin’s glowing appearance in the dark. These shavings are specifically layered to have a certain look as they reveal the glowing skin. Common shavings designs include flowers & plant-like patterns, eyes, entire monster faces with angry eyes & teeth (usually on backs or bellies), flame designs, lightning designs, & cutesy hearts & stars.
Since Dullatrolls can remove their heads, some Dullatrolls like to wear items known as “false heads.” False heads can look like pretty much anything & are made out of pretty much anything; however, they are usually designed to be both lightweight & somewhat durable. There’s 2 parts to a false head; there’s the base & the head. The base resembles a neck corset has several vertical latches that connect the base to the false head.
There’s two different styles of false heads; fashionable & functional. Fashionable false heads usually resemble a face. It could be the Dullatroll’s face, an actual skull, or an animal’s/monster’s face. These heads are purely worn for the aesthetic. Functional heads usually do not feature a face because they are used as tools. Common functional false heads include baskets, bird perches, & spiked throwable weapons.
Dullatrolls are allowed to be shirtless regardless of gender &/or sex, which especially comes in handy during the warmer months. Items such as bralettes, halter tops, & mount-inspired harnesses/straps could be worn for self expression while not wearing too much to prevent overheating. Jewelry is most prevalent during the warmer months & act as the #1 way to accessorize while keeping cool.
Dullatrolls tend to design many different types of accessories that highlight their necks, as they have removable heads. These items tend to frame the neck as a base or a pedestal for their heads to sit on. These accessories include but aren’t limited to embroidered collars, large crocheted collars/neck corsets with cowl-like skirts, scarves & bandanas (usually tied with a double wrap french knot).
Features & Design Rules
Some Examples Of Dullatrolls
