Pet Pyramid

Alright, so perhaps it's not quite a pyramid, but I felt like trying to express the different 'tiers' of attachment I have to my pets. :) This is largely for my own benefit, but maybe some of you will find it interesting as well!

I often find myself thinking of my pets on different levels, some definitely mean a bit more to me than others, so I thought it would be neat to try to get that all down in a visual format.

I can't say this is completely, unquestionably accurate or flawless. It can be a bit tricky to pin down those feelings, and sometimes they fluctuate a bit depending on mood, nostalgia, setting, etc. I do think this is a pretty good outline of how I see my bonds though.

Here's a simple layout I put together, and I'll do a breakdown of each tier after the image. They're organized on 6 levels, but don't think of them as going from Hot -> Cold. There isn't that much of an extreme from 1 to 6. Instead think of it more as going Hot -> Warm.

Tier 1
This is solely Skorn's territory, which probably comes as no surprise. He will forever be the pet I consider my main, and he's always in a class of his own.

Tier 2
This level isn't much different than Tier 1, in all honesty, Skorn just naturally comes before everyone else. This tier has my most important pets, the ones I feel closest to, or have the strongest connection with. These are all assuredly permanent.

Tier 3
Once again, there isn't a wide gap between the pets in this level and the previous, Tier 2 just comes out a little bit on top. Tier 3 is comprised of pets that I've had for a long time, ones who have history and personalities and mean a lot to me. None of the pets on this level would ever be released, they're all who I consider permanent as well.

Tier 4
I feel very strongly about the pets on this level, and I wouldn't really consider any of these eligible for release, but they're admittedly slightly less cemented than previous tiers. They all still have personality and connection, it's just not quite at the same depth as Tier 3.

Tier 5
I love all the pets on Tier 5, but they're all a bit fresher than other ones and simply don't have the same bond as others. I wouldn't say I'd release any of these, but a slim chance is there if for some reason one wasn't quite feeling right.

Tier 6
Finally, Tier 6 is mostly my 'newest' pets. Many of these haven't been around for very long, or haven't had a chance to develop a strong history like some of my other pets. That's not to say I don't feel bonded to these ones, they just happen to come out lowest. I am most likely to swap out or release pets on this level. Sometimes it's just for a change of pace, or to satiate a tame craving, and sometimes it's because a pet just isn't working out like I'd hoped.

Special mentions:
Burton and Vorpal, my two 'honorary pets', would probably be somewhere between Tier 3 and Tier 4. They're a bit of an anomaly since I can release them when needed, but both still have quite a bit of history and personality despite that.