The population of the Code Name: Hunter / A Year and a Day world is made up of a mixture of carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores. With this in mind I occasionally get asked what everyone eats. Is eating meat permitted? What happens in a situation like with Max and Ruby, where a hound is living with a mouse? And what about the Fey? Some of them look like animals that characters eat.
To start off, we have to remember that the Fey are their own type of creature. While they may resemble critters we’re familiar with - pigs, goats, deer, etc. - they’re not actually those species at all. They’re Fey. So their shapes don’t really affect what mortals can and can’t eat.
Mortals do eat meat on occasion, but only certain types. There are no morphed livestock animals. Rule of thumb, if a group is walking about on two legs, talking, and wearing clothing, they're on the “do not eat” list. If a species is not walking around wearing clothing and talking, it’s considered socially acceptable to eat.
That being said, vegetarianism is big. Fish and seafood are a favorite as well. And soy-based meat is very popular. But non-morphed - or base, as it’s often referred to as - animal meat is eaten now and then, mostly by mortals who have a more carnivorous ancestry. For example, Max is more likely to stick with veggies and soy-based meat products. Ruby, due to living with Max, tends to do the same out of courtesy. Sassy, who doesn’t live with someone from a more veggie-based ancestry, will switch between animal meat and soy-based meat as the mood strikes her.
As someone who ate a lot of soy-based meat in college, I can testify that it’s actually very good when done right.
Most livestock is kept for milk, wool, hides, feathers, eggs, transportation, and pets. The animal meat industry, while there, isn’t anywhere near as large as in our world.
Most fur-accented clothing is made of synthetic fur, though older such clothing contains real fur elements. Leather still comes from creatures that are considered base animals and thus free for use. Not everyone agrees with this idea, which has led to the rise of synthetic material mimicking leather for shoes, belts, and such.
Groups like PETA are alive and well in the Code Name: Hunter / A Year and a Day world.
Small lizards and birds are often kept as pets, while larger birds and reptiles may be used as guard animals, seeing eye / service creatures, and, of course, transportation. The reason we haven’t seen many characters with pets yet is because we’ve, for the most part, been focusing on Max and Ruby - RCSI doesn’t allow pets in the flats.
So, what do Fey eat? Whatever they want. Who’s going to stop them? I’m certainly not going to!
