Mistic Pets

Welcome to Issue 5
Created by The Mistic Pets Team

Jeremy Biography
Written By Syncopated

The scene set before us is one both awe-inspiring and terrible, though not altogether unfamiliar. Servants grovel shamelessly at the feet of the throne, gazing up at its occupant through lifeless black eyes. They wish for nothing but salvation, some small glimmer of mercy in the eyes of their captor, prostate upon the shining marble floor of the throne room in a desperate plea for their very lives. The tyrant looks on, unamused, flaming, jaded eyes betraying nothing as he surveys his unwilling subordinates with a calculating gaze. He raises one striped paw, reaching out for a nearby unfortunate with uncanny grace. The poor being’s fate is in this dictator’s hands, and no power on Mistica can save him now. He hangs in space for a moment, unsure, completely stupefied with terror, eyes reduced to soulless black pools, wide and void of consciousness as…

…the Tarinooki places him gingerly onto a nearby shelf, dusting the plushie off lovingly as he does so. The storage room is silent as Jeremy goes about his work, alphabetizing his inventory and placing a few plushies, found to be knocked from their shelves, back in their proper places.

Yes, everyone in Mistica knows of Jeremy, the Tarinooki owner and shopkeeper of the world renowned Plushie Domain. However, few know much beyond the obvious, rarely venturing to start up a conversation with the shopkeeper beyond what price they are willing to pay for his wares. Jeremy is indeed the master of his craft, creating beautiful, high-quality stuffed friends that even the most cynical of pets can appreciate.

Few are aware that the master of plush arose from rather humble origins. His beginning was one of poverty, growing up in a tiny shack, the youngest of six siblings. Tarinooki are, by nature, artistic souls, but Jeremy proved to be something of an anomaly. Born with a previously unheard of fiery pelt, the young Tarinooki did not don the colorful appearance of most of his kind. Instead, he stood out starkly among his siblings, deep black and vibrant red against a sea of pastels and neon colors.

Jeremy’s entire family together had formed a small business, making what small amount of money they had by selling “Authentic Tarinooki Prints,” paintings they created with the natural talent of their species. Alas, when it came time for young Jeremy to take up the brush, he found that he simply could not make his body function in the way it was meant to. His tail simply would not secrete the rare, sacred inks that had made his family a small amount of local fame.
Mortified by his failure to create even the simplest of paint splatters, Jeremy set out on his own, afraid that once his shortcomings were discovered he would become a blemish upon his family name. It was not until he ran into a stooped and withered old Vix that his true calling was revealed.

The Vix was much like his own family, selling homemade crafts for whatever meager sum she could scrape together. However, unlike his family, her specialty was the manufacture of small dolls and figurines. They were beautiful in their simplicity, and Jeremy found immediate inspiration in them.

The kindly old Vix allowed Jeremy to take up residence in her home on the condition that he would become her apprentice and aid her in her business. Jeremy soon found that he was highly adept at creating the plushies (though the small carved figurines eluded him). In fact, his natural talent was so great that the old Vix promoted him to “head of plushie production,” so to speak. Soon the two found themselves and their wares subject to wild popularity among local groups, young and old alike.

The money came rolling in, and soon the old Vix whom Jeremy had come to look up to as a motherly figure made the decision to retire. Her hands and eyes were not what they had once been and her difficult life up until that point had tired her considerably. The two parted ways tearfully, but each agreed that it would be in Jeremy’s best interest, now with a small fortune backing him, to set out and make a true name for himself.

Jeremy had not forgotten his family, though he feared they may have forgotten him. He made the long trek back to his old home, where he found his mother and siblings still living in the same dilapidated shack, selling their beautiful paintings to anyone who would offer a handful of coins for them. Fearful that he would be criticized for abandoning them, Jeremy worked up his nerve and thrust himself back into his family’s company.

Contrary to his fears, the young Tarinooki was welcomed with open arms. However, he still had his doubts about his family’s reaction once they learned that he was unable to paint. Fortunately, he was spared the need to admit this when one of his plushies fell from his bag. His siblings automatically praised it as one of the most well-crafted items they had ever laid eyes on, and they showed nothing but admiration when their brother told them that he had created it.

Jeremy departed soon after, leaving his family once more, but this time with dignity and a promise to visit often. He left them a large portion of his earnings, bringing them finally out of poverty and into the life the hardworking Tarinooki clan deserved. He used the rest to open his own shop, where his plushies (and not to mention his status as the only Inferno Tarinooki known to exist in Mistica at that point) won him almost instant, world-wide success and acclaim.

If asked today, Jeremy will tell you quite clearly that he cares very little for the money, most of which goes to support his family and the local Pet Pound. His living conditions, his home the small room above his shop, are modest but comfortable, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. For him, it’s not about the money, it’s about his art and the passion he feels for it.

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