using my two main ESSAs, I have more but too many to include. Q1: What are your essas names? A: Polar and Kakapo. Q2: Do you have any nicknames for your essa? A: None for Polar, Po for Kakapo. Q3: What are the personalities of your essas? A: Polar's a chaotic gremlin in fluffy form and Po's a sophisticated canine with a positive outlook. Q4: What are your essas pronouns? A: Polar: any/all Kakapo: she/they/neos Q5: What is your essas sexuality/romantic orientation? A: Uh Polar's like pan and Po's a lesbean. Q6: What is your essas species? A: Both dogs! Polar's a husky and Po's a sheltie. Q7: What brands are your essas? A: Polar's a Living Nature plush and Po's a Douglas. Q8: How long have you had your essa? A: I've had Polar for nearly a year, and Po since late May. Q9: What does your essa help you with? A: Polar is mostly for just stress and everything, Po's good for when I get overstimulated. (which is, admittedly, very frequently.) Q10: What is your favorite thing to do with your essa? A: Putting Polar in the most random places and putting Po on a leash and walking them around at home. Q11: Do you have a routine with your essa? A: Not really! I do brush Po's fur since it gets tangled and could provoke overstimulation (brushing it morning and night) but I don't really feed 'em or train 'em or anything. Q12: Would you like to have any more essas? A: Yes. No questions asked. Q13: Why is your essa special to you? A: Polar was the first ESSA I bought with the purpose of being an ESSA, and Po's just gorgeous. (Po also was a bribe to get me to go to school without complaint. After four-five weeks I had received the bribe twice.) Q14: Did you ever have an essa before you knew what it was? A: Yup!! I've had one of my ESSAs since Christmas 2020 or 2019, and found out about ESSAs in 2025. Q15: Do you consider you and your essa to be friends, partners, or any other label? A: Polar's a tornado of chaos and we're partners in crime, and Po and I are definitely best friends. Q16: How do you bond with them? A: Spending time with them!! While I don't believe "bonding" is necessary, they definitely can provide more support if you know what they help you with. Q17: What is a fun fact about your essa? A: Polar: Is like the boss of all my ESSAs. Kakapo: Named after a bird from New Zealand; kakapos are yellow and green and color, and are the largest parrots, weighing roughly 6-8 pounds. They are flightless, like many birds in New Zealand, but have no relatives in Australia, unlike most New Zealand birds. (wow thanks autism for giving me a bird hyperfixation. /jk) Q18: Are you POSIC+ (perception of object sentience, individuality, and consciousness)? If so, does it affect your relationship with your essa? A: I am not POSIC+. Q19: How bonded are you and your essas? A: Pretty bonded!! I don't want to put things into numbers, but I am better friends with my ESSAs than with nearly every person I know well. Q20: Do you think you'll continue to have an essa as you get older? A:Definitely, I couldn't survive crowded/loud places without them. Q21: How often do you think about your essa when you aren't interacting with them? A: Every. Freaking. Second. I bring them and I'm like 'oh Po's too heavy, I gotta stop bringing her." and then I don't bring her and I'm like "I regret my life decisions." Q22: Did you buy your essa with the specific purpose of it being an essa? A: Polar and Po were bought with the purpose of being ESSAs, as were a few others. Q23: Are there any songs you associate with your essa? A: Uhm. Polar: literally any metal song, but maybe Dashboard by Modest Mouse Kakapo: Anything off the most recent (I think) Of Monsters and Men Album. Barefoot in Snow maybe. Q24: Are there any colors or aesthetics you relate to your essa? A: Polar: winter scenes, blue, and the pictures of people with really, REALLY big hail. Kakapo: yellow and green, anything with birds or something. Q25: Who are your favorite essa creators? A: I honestly don't know any. Q26: Are you also a therian? A: Yup. Q27: Were there any misconceptions you believed about essas? A: For a little I thought ESSAs had to be carried in public, but that didn't last long. Q28: Does anybody in real life know you have an essa? A: A few people, my parents and best friend. Some friends recognize I carry stuffed animals around, but don't know about ESSAs. Q29: How did you find out about the essa community? A: Scratch. I forget who.
Q30: Do you speak to your essa? A: More than I speak to my therapist. Q31: What is your favorite place that you've taken your essa? A: The Color Factory!! I brought Po and had a blast. (Highly recommend it.) Q32: Where would you like to take your essa? A: My aunt's house for the fourth of July. (tomorrow lol.) Q33: What would you do if you lost your essa? A: Throw a temper tantrum and search everywhere. Have a mental breakdown until I found it. Q34: How do you feel about others petting/touching your essa? A: Nope. My ESSA is MY property. Also if you're touching them while I'm overstimulated, I will probably scream in your face. Sorry not sorry. Q35: What would you do if you met another essa owner in real life? A: Stare at them until they make the first move. (I carry my ESSAs everywhere, so they would know I have them.) Q36: Has anybody ever bothered or made fun of you for having an essa? A: I've had friends try to steal ESSAs at school, which really bothers me, and every time I take an ESSA out, my sister's like "you're bringing /that/" and I'm like "yeah". I have gotten weird looks from adults and have had little kids stare at me. Q37: Have you ever been complimented for your essa? A: I was on vacation in New York, and brought Nautilus (an aussie shepherd essa) out and the Natural History Museum worker was like "Awww it's so cute" and then goes "Oh my gosh the booties" and it was cool. Q38: If you could talk to your essa, what do you think it would say? A: Polar would be a chaotic gremlin and I'm hiring Po as a therapist. Q39: What experiences have you had with them? A: So many lol I can't even start. Q40: Are there any essa related projects on or off scratch you are making or want to make? A: Not particularly, though it would be fun to animate my ESSAs. Q41: What is some gear you would like to have? A: Those little goggles and booties for Po. Q42: Have you made your own gear before? A: Mhm!! Nautilus has a handmade harness! Q43: Have you ever made or wanted to make your own plushies? A: I think it would be super fun, but I can't sew, so. . .TwT Q44: What is your favorite plushie brand? A: WWF is the best, since each plushie donates to save that animal. (they're a charity and all. also they have cool socks.) Q45: If you could have any plush you wanted, what would you get? A: Either the WWF maned wolf or the Douglas DLux maine coon. (the maine coon's on my bday wishlist.) Q46: Are there any stuffed animal brands you do not recommend? A: Arcade stuffed animals. You can love them, and they're really cheap, but I've had so many with low-quality, scratchy material that rips easily. Q47: Besides your own, who are your favorite essas? A: My best friend has this giant wolf ESSA (like 2-3 feet long) that I've never seen in person but sounds super awesome. Q48: What do you wish would change about the essa community? A: We need more people who don't force people to get ESSAs. Too many people are like "everyone should have ESSAs", but that's not the support tool that works best for all of us. Also y'all, STOP PUTTING SERVICE DOG PATCHES ON YOUR ESSAS. THEY CANNOT TASK BECAUSE THEY ARE INANIMATE OBJECTS. WE ARE NOT GOING TO MOCK SERVICE DOGS. ("in training" patches are mostly okay, but use with caution. I have "emotional support" and "best friend" patches for Polar's harness. Do Not Pet is okay as well, as are ___ support or just 'ESSA' patches.) Q49: What advice would you give someone that just joined the community? A: You don't actually have to be following online communities. Do your own thing. ESSAs can be any stuffed animal. You don't have to carry them around. ESSAs do not have thoughts. ESSAs aren't service dogs. Q50: Final question that really isn't a question: take this time to gush about your essas. A: akdjfdkljsf my fluffy babies ilysm and you know that. I do apologize for every time you've fallen off my bed. This goes for Gladys, Dawn, Malachy, Juniper, Nautilus, and Typhoon as well as Polar and Kakapo.
